Month: July 2025

Iran has taken an unequivocal stance against the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi summarily dismissing its chief Rafael Grossi’s request to visit nuclear facilities bombed by Israel and the United States during a 12-day conflict earlier this month.

“Grossi’s insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent,” said Araghchi on X on Monday. “Iran reserves the right to take any steps in defence of its interests, its people and its sovereignty.”

In tandem, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that Tehran had halted cooperation with the IAEA due to what he called Grossi’s “destructive” behaviour towards Iran, his office said.

“The action taken by parliament members … is a natural response to the unjustified, unconstructive, and destructive conduct of the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Pezeshkian told Macron in a phone call, according to a presidency statement.

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Tehran, said the Iranian leadership is making it clear that the IAEA is an “international body with defined responsibilities and these responsibilities are not political but technical”. But, he added, Tehran views the nuclear agency as an international body “under immense [political] pressure from Israel and the United States”.

Iranian lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favour of a bill to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, citing Israel’s June 13 attack on Iran and later strikes by the US on nuclear facilities.

A ceasefire between Iran and Israel took hold on June 24.

Since the start of the conflict, Iranian officials have sharply criticised the IAEA not only for failing to condemn the Israeli and US strikes, but also for passing a resolution on June 12 accusing Tehran of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations, the day before Israel attacked.

‘Anger of Iranian public opinion’

In the meantime, France, Germany and Britain have decried “threats” made against Grossi.

“France, Germany and the United Kingdom condemn threats against the director general of the IAEA Rafael Grossi and reiterate our full support to the agency,” Foreign Ministers Jean-Noel Barrot, Johann Wadephul and David Lammy said in a joint statement.

“We call on Iranian authorities to refrain from any steps to cease cooperation with the IAEA,” they added. “We urge Iran to immediately resume full cooperation in line with its legally binding obligations, and to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of IAEA personnel.”

While none specified which threats they were referring to, Iran’s ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper recently claimed documents showed Grossi was an Israeli spy and should be executed.

Iran has insisted no threats were posed against Grossi or the agency’s inspectors.

On Monday during his weekly press conference, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the Iranian parliament’s decision to halt cooperation with the IAEA reflected the “concern and anger of the Iranian public opinion”.

He further criticised US and European powers for maintaining what he described as a “political approach” towards Iran’s nuclear programme.

At least 935 people were killed during the recent conflict with Israel, Iran’s judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said, citing the latest forensic data. The deceased included 132 women and 38 children, Jahangir added.

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations said later on Monday they supported the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, and urged that negotiations resume for a deal to address Iran’s nuclear program, according to a joint statement.

“We reaffirm that Iran can never have nuclear weapons, and urge Iran to refrain from reconstituting its unjustified enrichment activities,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, a Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman has said the country is involved in efforts to reach an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue and a guarantee against a return to escalation by all parties.

Pezeshkian issued an official apology to the Qatari people in a phone call to Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani after the targeting of Al Udeid Air Base, the biggest US military base in the Middle East, he added.

British police have announced that the weekend performances by rap-punk duo Bob Vylan and the Irish-language band Kneecap at the Glastonbury Festival are subject to a criminal investigation after they led crowds in chants calling for “death” to the Israeli military and a “free Palestine”.

Police on Monday said the performances at the United Kingdom’s largest summer music festival “have been recorded as a public order incident”.

Rapper Bobby Vylan, who until the weekend was relatively unknown, led crowds in chants of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death” to the Israeli military.

The BBC said it regretted livestreaming the performance and it should have pulled it off the air.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other UK politicians condemned the chants, saying there was no excuse for such “appalling hate speech”. Starmer added that the BBC must explain “how these scenes came to be broadcast”.

Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, said it was “very concerned” about the BBC livestream and said the broadcaster “clearly has questions to answer”.

Meanwhile, the United States Department of State said it has revoked the visas for Bob Vylan to perform in the US after its “hateful tirade at Glastonbury”.

“Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a social media post.

Israel’s genocidal assault in Gaza has inflamed tensions around the world, triggering pro-Palestinian protests in many capitals and on college campuses. Israel and some of its supporters have described the protests as anti-Semitic while critics said Israel uses such descriptions to silence its opponents.

While maintaining a crippling siege on the bombarded enclave, Israeli forces have killed at least 56,531 people and wounded 133,642, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Bob Vylan, known for mixing grime and punk rock, tackles a range of issues in its lyrics, including racism, homophobia and the class divide, and has previously voiced support for Palestinians.

Its lead vocalist, who goes by the stage name Bobby Vylan, appeared to refer to the weekend performance in a post on Instagram, writing: “I said what I said.”

“Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,” he added.

The duo played Saturday afternoon right before Kneecap, whose set was not livestreamed by the BBC but still found a huge online audience via TikTok. It is another band that has drawn controversy previously over its strongly pro-Palestine stance.

Kneecap led a crowd of tens of thousands in chants of “Free Palestine” at the festival. It also aimed an expletive-laden chant at Starmer, who had said he didn’t think it was “appropriate” for Kneecap to play Glastonbury after one of its members was charged under the Terrorism Act.

Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who is also known as Liam O’Hanna and performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with supporting a proscribed organisation for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year.

Israel has faced sustained international opprobrium for the conduct of its war in Gaza. Weekly protests draw thousands of people around Europe and across the world in support of Palestinians.

Public pressure, in part, seemed to prompt the Israeli allies France, Canada and the UK to issue a sharply worded statement in May calling for Israel to stop its “egregious” military actions in Gaza and criticising Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank.

Durdle Door, on the Dorset coast, has been the only UK beach to be named among a National Geographic list of 14 inspiring coastal spots to be visited at least once in a lifetime

There’s no need to jet off to far-flung destinations for a beach holiday when you can have a lovely day out in the UK instead.

Arguably, this has never been more true than now, thanks to the roasting hot sunshine that is baking most of the UK. And because a Dorset beach has just been ranked among the top 14 in the world.

Durdle Door on the south coast was the only UK beaches – to make it onto National Geographic’s global list. This iconic stretch of sand, located about 25 miles from Bournemouth, is famous for its stone arch, one of the most renowned in the world. The limestone arch is believed to have formed 10,000 years ago.

Carved out of the stone by waves over millions of years, the slightly surreal structure gives the beach an otherworldly feel. The name Durdle is derived from an old English word ‘thirl’, which means to pierce, bore or drill.

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“On Dorset’s magnificent Jurassic Coast—a UNESCO World Heritage site along the southeastern shores of England—this beach and its namesake limestone arch are absolute showstoppers. The world-famous Durdle Door arch formed over millions of years by erosion caused by the crashing sea. Its fitting name comes from the Old English wordthirl, meaning “to pierce, bore, or drill,” National Geographic wrote in praise of Durdle Door.

This is not the first time that the Dorset beach has picked up some silverware. Back in 2022 it was also named among a list of the best 100 in the world in 2022 on Beach Atlas’s global list alongside the likes of Bora Bora, Copacabana and Turtle Beach.

“The beautiful beach curving up to the arch is a mix of sand and gravel, and the water is as clear as can be. Another wonderful natural phenomenon can be found nearby – The Purbeck Beds,” Beach Atlas glowing review at the time tempted.

“A distinctive formation of exposed rock containing reptile and early mammal fossils. But to those who don’t dabble in geology, it’s just a beautiful sight of interesting rocks. There are also sea caves, but don’t enter them because of the dangers of cliff falls.”

Due to its incredible fame and beauty, Durdle Door does get very busy especially in the high season, but off peak it can be a little quieter. If you want to brave the crowd and visit during the summer months then prepare to walk a while, as the car park at the cliff top above the beach fills very quickly.

Access to the beach is on foot, down a path and steps. It takes around 15 minutes and trainers or walking boots will be required if you want to tackle it as the path can be steep and challenging to traverse.

Once you reach the base of the cliffs, a number of caves which have been carved out by the sea are visible – however these are unstable and cliff falls are common so it would be very unwise to enter them.

Ryan Gosling puts the “not” in “Astronaut” in the new trailer for “Project Hail Mary.”

The upcoming sci-fi film, based on Andy Weir‘s novel of the same name, stars Gosling as middle school teacher turned reluctant astronaut Ryland Grace, who’s tasked with saving humanity from the effects of a dimming sun. However, when he wakes up from a coma as the sole survivor aboard a spaceship, he must overcome his amnesia to remember where he is and why he was sent there.

“It’s an insanely ambitious story that’s massive in scope and it seemed really hard to make, and that’s kind of our bag,” Gosling said of “Project Hail Mary” at CinemaCon in April, where he debuted footage from the film, according to Variety. “This is why we go to the movies. And I’m not just saying it because I’m in it. I’m also saying it because I’m a producer on the film.”

The trailer, released Monday by Amazon MGM Studios, opens with Gosling startling awake on the spacecraft, his hair and beard uncharacteristically long. “I’m several light-years from my apartment,” he proclaims, “and I’m not an astronaut.”

It then jolts back in time to show Grace pre-launch as he learns from Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) that if he does not journey into space, everything on Earth will go extinct. According to Stratt, who heads the mission, Grace is the only scientist who might understand what is happening to the sun and surrounding stars.

The trailer, which progresses through an intense montage set to Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times,” teases Gosling’s signature humor. “I can’t even moonwalk!” the “Barbie” actor declares at one point. (Gosling portrayed moonwalker Neil Armstrong in another recent space movie, Damien Chazelle’s “First Man.”)

Everything leads up to Grace meeting an alien, who isn’t shown in full — but fans of the book know it plays an integral role in saving planet Earth and beyond.

The film, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, marks the second book-to-movie adaptation for Weir, whose novel “The Martian” became an Oscar-nominated 2015 blockbuster starring Matt Damon. An adaptation for his book “Artemis” is also in development with the same directing team.

“Project Hail Mary” hits theaters March 20.

He’s made 1,378 senior appearances, had his debut in 1997 and is the oldest player at the Club World Cup.

Fluminense’s Brazilian goalkeeper Fabio Deivson Lopes Maciel has already had some career – and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

The 44-year-old starred in Monday’s 2-0 win over Inter Milan to help the Brazilian side into the Club World Cup quarter-final, against either Man City or Al-Hilal.

He produced four saves, including a crucial late block with his legs, as the 2023 Copa Libertadores winners stunned this season’s Champions League runners-up, before celebrating in style.

He even makes 40-year-old teammate Thiago Silva seem young in comparison, although both made a mockery of their years in the 33C heat.

Just four days before, he made history with a record-breaking 507th clean sheet – overtaking former Italy international Gianluigi Buffon. The record is 508 now.

Now, he will have his eyes set on an even more impressive record – the most appearances in world football.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton is the current record holder with 1,390 appearances. Shilton himself claims he has played 1,387., external

Even then, there are question marks about the actual tally Fabio is chasing.

Shilton is recorded as having played 1,249 games in his club career and a record 125 England appearances, taking him to 1,374 appearances.

So why isn’t Fabio, who has played his entire career in Brazil and has never played for his country despite winning the Under-19 World Cup in 1997, already the record holder?

According to England Football Online,, external Shilton played 13 times for England Under-23s, which would take us to the 1,387 tally Shilton believes he has.

June 30 (UPI) — Two U.S. House members — Democrat Dwight Evans and Republican Don Bacon — announced Monday they will not seek a third term in 2026 after both have served since their 2016 elections.

Evans, 71, has represented Philadelphia and Bacon, 61, in Nebraska, including Omaha.

Evans, who suffered a stroke last year and has missed several months of votes, had intended to run again in Pennsylvania’s heavy Democratic Third Congressional District.

Bacon is moderate in Nebraska’s Second Congressional District, which was won by Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to become president last year and President Joe Biden in 2020. That gave each of them an electronic vote in the state, which is not winner-take-all.

The U.S. House currently has a breakdown of 220 Republicans and 212 Democrats with three vacancies after the deaths of three Democrats.

Longtime Rep. Jan Schakowsky, an 81-year-old Democrat from Illinois, said earlier this year she wouldn’t run again.

Republican Mark Green, 60, of Tennessee, said he will retire after the budget policy bill goes through Congress.

Dwight Evans

“Serving the people of Philadelphia has been the honor of my life,” Evans said in a statement. “And I remain in good health and fully capable of continuing to serve. After some discussions this weekend and thoughtful reflection, I have decided that the time is right to announce that I will not be seeking re-election in 2026. I will serve out the full term that ends Jan. 3, 2027.”

He succeeded Chaka Fattah, who resigned after being indicted on federal corruption charges.

“I am deeply proud of what I have been able to accomplish over my 45 years in elected office — from revitalizing neighborhoods block by block to fighting for justice, economic opportunity, investments in infrastructure and education,” he said. “I cannot express the gratitude that I have for the trust that voters put in me as their voice in both state and federal office. It has been a privilege of a lifetime to serve as their advocate in government.”

Evans was elected as the Democratic chairman of the House Appropriations Committee in 1990, serving 20 years.

Evans said he has remained “rooted in his neighborhood” throughout his career, and lived just blocks from where he grew up in the city.

He was a public school teacher and community organizer with the Urban League until he began working in government at 26 in 1980. He was elected to the state’s House of Representatives.

Politico reported there could be a fierce battle between establishment Democrats and progressives, including socialists.

State Sen. Sharif Street on Monday posted on X his intention to run for Evans’ seat, writing “I’m in.” Street, who has worked with Republicans on some issues, is chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.

Two state representatives, Chris Raab and Morgan Cephas, told WCAU-TV they are considering seeking the seat. They are both progressives.

Don Bacon

“After three decades in the Air Force and now going on one decade in Congress, I look forward to coming home in the evenings and being with my wife and seeing more of our adult children and eight grandchildren, who all live near my home,” Bacon said in a statement.

“I’ve been married for 41 years, and I’d like to dedicate more time to my family, my church, and the Omaha community,” he added. “I also want to continue advocating for a strong national security strategy and a strong alliance system with countries that share our love of democracy, free markets and the rule of law,” he added.

At times, he has not gone with what other Republicans, including President Donald Trump, want.

He told The New York Times in an interview removing deportation protection for Afghans in the U.S. was wrong and has criticized Trump’s position on Russa’s war with Ukraine. He was the only Republican to vote against changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

“It’s one thing when you have the opposing party fighting you, but when you have divisions in your own party, you know — it makes it harder,” he said in May at an Omaha roundtable with business leaders to discuss Congress’ tax bill.

Bacon approved the spending bill, which went to the House by a 215-214 margin. If the Senate approves the bill and with changes, it goes back to the House.

“I think the Senate has done some new provisions in there that are concerning … But there’s a lot of amendments being voted out today. So I’m going to keep my powder dry, see how it turns out,” Bacon told reporters.

Bacon, who was born in Chicago, served 29 years in the U.S. Air Force.

He served as an aide to U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry in Nebraska’s First District, and a professor at Bellevue University in Nebraska before running for office.

Bacond is a member of House Armed Services Committee, and chairman of the conservative-centrist Republican Main Street Caucus in the House.

No one has announced plans to run in either primary.

Consumer rights magazine Which? has surveyed 3,800 members of the British public to find out what is the overall best seaside town, with Bamburgh in Northumberland hitting the topspot again

A ‘unique’ coastal spot that is variously loved and loathed has been named one of the best seaside towns in the country.

Dungeness in Kent has been named the seventh-best beach town in the UK in Which?’s annual survey of the British public. The consumer organisation surveyed more than 3,800 people about their experiences of UK seaside destinations and their opinions on beaches, scenery, food and drink offerings, accommodation, tourist attractions, and value for money.

The elevation of Dungeness into the top ten is a major scoop for the Kentish settlement, which languished in 35th place last year.

Not everyone is a major fan of Dungeness. It is a curious place long haunted by rumours that it is technically the UK’s only desert—something that the Met Office has previously confirmed is pure myth. You’d be forgiven for believing the lie, given the way random shacks, homes and cafs stretch out across the shingled headland.

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It is a place that feels like it should be the setting for an American Western dystopian flick, rather than somewhere that sits on the south coast of England. Bikers whizz along the roads that wind through its flat, marshland extremities; a constant breeze ruffles the pampas grass; wildfowl bleat mournfully. To add to the end-of-days feel of the place, boats filled with asylum seekers regularly make land here.

Inarguably, the bleak jewel in the Dungeness crown is its twin nuclear power plants, which once whipped a patch of nearby sea into a whirlpool but have lain dormant and decommissioned for the past 19 years.

The unique feel of the place has been best captured by artist, filmmaker, gay rights activist, and gardener Derek Jarman, who turned his home into Prospect Cottage—a point of pilgrimage for his fans and those who love the way he carefully manicured the garden into a concentrated miniature form of Dungeness.

But not everyone is a fan. In fact, many are left cold by Dungeness’ charms.

“Bleak is an understatement,” one detractor of the place recently wrote on Reddit. Another added: “Bleak to Dungeness is like ‘a wee bit cold’ in Antarctica. The missus loved it though…” A third wrote: “I find it dismal down there. Old nuclear power station for a view.”

Others love Dungeness and how different it feels from other parts of the UK.

The science writer Ben Goldacre recalled his experience of riding through Dungeness on the small railway that takes day-trippers down the coastline.

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“The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway has a strange, dreamlike existence, on the border between fantasy and reality. You leave toytown in a cute miniature train, surrounded by excited children. But Disney, this is not. Suddenly you’re riding through real life: past clothes lines, collapsing breezeblock walls, an abandoned washing machine in a back garden, chuffing along behind a miniature steam train. Finally, you’re ferried across a beautiful, windswept shingle peninsula, spotted with railway carriage houses and abandoned shipping containers. Then you are delivered to the foot of a nuclear power station,” Ben wrote.

“This meeting of toy train sets and grim industrial purpose is what makes the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway so perfect.”

What do you think about Dungeness? Let us know in the comments below.

Top 20

Bamburgh: 84%

Beer: 80%

Portmeirion: 79%

Saint David’s: 79%

Sidmouth: 79%

Tynemouth: 79%

Dungeness: 78%

Tenby: 78%

Aldeburgh: 77%

Wells-Next-The-Sea: 77%

Whitby: 77%

Lynmouth: 76%

Nairn: 76%

Saint Andrews: 76%

St Mawes: 76%

Swanage: 76%

Broadstairs: 75%

Bude: 75%

Lyme Regis: 75%

Robin Hood’s Bay: 75%

Bottom 20

Ilfracombe: 55%

Littlehampton: 54%

Mablethorpe: 54%

Ramsgate: 54%

Skegness: 54%

Fishguard: 53%

Barton on sea: 52%

Cleethorpes: 52%

Lowestoft: 52%

New Brighton: 52%

Ayr: 51%

Great Yarmouth: 50%

Weston-super-Mare: 49%

Blackpool: 48%

Burnham-on-Sea: 46%

Fleetwood: 46%

Southend-on-Sea: 43%

Clacton-on-Sea: 42%

Bangor: 38%

Bognor Regis: 36%

Emmerdale spoilers have teased a very big week ahead on the ITV soap, as Joe Tate faces a villain in a revenge twist, while there’s a double hospital dash and drama for Robert Sugden

There’s big twists and turns on Emmerdale next week, including a shocking return, revenge drama and danger for more than one resident.

Joe Tate finally learns who’s been targeting him with a harassment campaign, resulting in horrifying scenes next week. It sparks the return of a villain, with Joe possibly facing serious danger.

He’s not the only one, as two characters face trouble in a car incident as one of them faints behind the wheel. There’s also schemes and threats as Robert Sugden takes action, while there’s plenty of decisions and big moments ahead.

Let’s kick things off with the return of Joe’s former accomplice and now nemesis, it seems, Dr Crowley. We last saw Crowley after he got dragged into Joe’s schemes when he needed a new kidney.

He was paying Crowley to help him find a donor and then perform the operation, which he did. What Crowley wasn’t banking on though was Joel having his uncle Caleb Miligan stabbed, before being forced to remove the kidney and transplant it into Joe.

READ MORE: Emmerdale cast say heartbreaking scenes will give fans ‘goosebumps’ after sad twist

With the police snooping around Crowley fled and he has not been seen since. But it seems he’s out to get Joe, after weeks of harassment and he’s not working alone.

As the villain makes a comeback it seems he’s more dangerous than ever, blackmailing Joe. As he’s revealed to be behind Joe’s ordeal, he demands £100,000 to be placed in the kitchen at Home Farm.

Fearing Shaun is behind it, Joe sacks him leading to the character turning threatening. Joe plots to flee the village fearing he isn’t safe, only to be knocked out by a shovel-wielding Shaun. That’s not the worst of it though as he wakes up in a makeshift hospital room to a menacing Crowley looming over him.

So what does Crowley have planned and will Joe make it out alive? Two other characters face danger next week, when Gabby’s crash diet ahead of her wedding leaves her and Sarah Sugden in a bad way.

Sarah is still recovering from her emergency hysterectomy when the pair go for a drive as mechanic Sarah offers to ensure Gabby’s car is fine after some issues. She’s trying to take her mind off things, clearly struggling and refusing to rest as suggested by the doctors.

But having barely eaten for days, Gabby faints at the wheel meaning Sarah has to quickly grab the wheel to bring the car to a stop. Sarah is left in agony at having to stretch out amid her wounds from her operation.

As they both end up in hospital, Sarah collapses. When joined by her grandfather Cain Dingle, an emotional Sarah admits the accident made her realise how badly she wants a family of her own so he suggests surrogacy.

When Charity Dingle fears Cain is raising their granddaughter’s hopes, Cain says he’s determined to help her. As for Gabby, she’s given the all clear but as fiancé Vinny Dingle supports her, he continues to hide his concerns over their relationship and continues to question his sexuality.

Gabby’s stepmother Laurel Thomas overhears Vinny talking with pal Kammy and demands a private chat. She encourages him not to marry Gabby if he’s unsure about the relationship but what will he do?

Finally next week, Robert Sugden causes more trouble when he avoids discussing plans for Annie’s field after a deal with Moira Dingle. But when Ross Barton confronts him about the missing weed, Robert threatens to cancel the land deal with Moira, forcing Ross to back down temporarily.

Kim Tate prepares to share all about her new man, and Tracy Robinson fumes at Cain over Nate’s memorial. Lewis Barton gets a job at the café and proves to be a hit.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

NO REGRETS: As Republican former Superior Court judge Judith M. Ryan challenges Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), another jurist says his race for Dornan’s seat six years ago was well worth it, even though he lost. Superior Court Judge David O. Carter was beaten in the Democratic primary but says he has “nothing but positive things to say about the political process.” He says he liked getting out and talking to the voters and may run again someday.

The Lakers lost a key role player when forward Dorian Finney-Smith agreed to a deal with the Houston Rockets, but they quickly moved onward by agreeing to a deal with forward Jake LaRavia when NBA free agency opened Monday afternoon.

According to people not authorized to speak on the matter, Finney-Smith agreed to a four-year, $53-million deal with the Rockets. Finney-Smith had opted out of his $15.3-million deal with the Lakers.

The Lakers kept moving forward by getting wing player LaRavia to agree to a deal for two years and $12 million. The 6-7 LaRavia averaged 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and shot 47.5% from the field, 42.3% from three-point range with Memphis and Sacramento last season.

The Lakers acquired Finney-Smith from the Brooklyn Nets in December for three second-round picks and players. He was close to Luka Doncic from their time together in Dallas and Finney-Smith was a big contributor for the Lakers during the season, someone Lakers coach JJ Redick leaned on to play multiple positions and to be a defensive stopper.

Former United States Presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush have delivered a rare open rebuke of the Donald Trump administration in an emotional video farewell with staffers of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Obama called the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID “a colossal mistake”.

Monday was the last day as an independent agency for the six-decade-old humanitarian and development organisation, created by President John F Kennedy as a soft power, peaceful way of promoting US national security by boosting goodwill and prosperity abroad.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered USAID to be absorbed into the US State Department on Tuesday.

The former presidents and U2 singer Bono  – who held back tears as he recited a poem – spoke with thousands in the USAID community in a videoconference, which was billed as a closed-press event.

They expressed their appreciation for the thousands of USAID staffers who have lost their jobs and life’s work. Their agency was one of the first and most fiercely targeted for government cuts by Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk, with staffers abruptly locked out of systems and offices and terminated by mass emailing.

Trump claimed the agency was run by “radical left lunatics” and rife with “tremendous fraud”. Musk called it “a criminal organisation”.

Obama, speaking in a recorded statement, offered assurances to the aid and development workers, some listening from overseas.

“Your work has mattered and will matter for generations to come,” he told them.

Obama has largely kept a low public profile during Trump’s second term and refrained from criticising the seismic changes that Trump has made to US programmes and priorities at home and abroad.

“Gutting USAID is a travesty, and it’s a tragedy. Because it’s some of the most important work happening anywhere in the world,” Obama said. He credited USAID with not only saving lives, but being a main factor in global economic growth that has turned some aid-receiving countries into US markets and trade partners.

The former Democratic president predicted that “sooner or later, leaders on both sides of the aisle will realise how much you are needed”.

Asked for comment, the State Department said it would be introducing the department’s foreign assistance successor to USAID, to be called America First, this week.

“The new process will ensure there is proper oversight and that every tax dollar spent will help advance our national interests,” the department said.

USAID oversaw programmes around the world, providing water and life-saving food to millions uprooted by conflict in Sudan, Syria, Gaza and elsewhere, sponsoring the “Green Revolution” that revolutionised modern agriculture and curbed starvation and famine. The agency worked at preventing disease outbreaks, promoting democracy, and providing financing and development that allowed countries and people to climb out of poverty.

Bush, who also spoke in a recorded message, went straight to the cuts in a landmark AIDS and HIV programme started by his Republican administration and credited with saving 25 million lives around the world.

Bipartisan blowback from Congress to cutting the popular President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, helped save significant funding for the programme. But cuts and rule changes have reduced the number getting the life-saving care.

“You’ve showed the great strength of America through your work – and that is your good heart,” Bush told USAID staffers. “Is it in our national interests that 25 million people who would have died now live? I think it is, and so do you,” he said.

More than 14 million of the world’s most vulnerable, a third of them young children, could die because of the Trump administration’s move, a study in the Lancet journal projected Tuesday.

“For many low- and middle-income countries, the resulting shock would be comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict,” study co-author Davide Rasella, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, said in a statement.

Bono, a longtime humanitarian advocate in Africa and elsewhere, was announced as the “surprise guest”.

he recited a poem he had written to the agency about its gutting. He spoke of children dying of malnutrition, a reference to millions of people who Boston University researchers and other analysts say will die because of the US cuts to funding for health and other programmes abroad.

“They called you crooks,” Bono said, “when you were the best of us.”

The US Senate has begun a marathon vote on a sprawling budget that is critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda, but the spending plan is hanging in the balance after weeks of fraught negotiations.

Republicans – who control both chambers of Congress – are divided over how much to cut welfare programmes in order to extend tax breaks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The president’s party is sprinting to pass the legislation by this week’s self-imposed deadline of the Fourth of July public holiday.

If the measure does clear the Senate, it will have to go back for another vote to the House of Representatives, which passed its own version of the bill last month by a single vote.

Senators zipped through the halls of the Capitol on Monday, making their way to the chamber floor for various amendment votes, then back to their private meeting rooms where they hashed out grievances outside the view of reporters.

Senators are currently arguing for or against adding amendments to the nearly 1,000-page bill in a process called “vote-a-rama”, which could entail up to 20 hours of debate.

“We’re still obviously perfecting a few things,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Monday.

An amendment to the proposal for Medicaid cuts recently proposed by Florida Senator Rick Scott could cause roughly 20 million Americans to lose their health insurance coverage, according to one estimate.

When asked about the report, Thune said there are “lots of analyses out there”.

“The thing that [Scott’s] bill doesn’t do is it doesn’t take effect until 2031. So I’m not sure how you can make the argument that it’s going to kick any people off of health insurance tomorrow,” Thune said.

Democrats, who have repeatedly denounced the bill, particularly for cutting health insurance coverage for millions of poorer Americans, are expected to use all 10 of their allotted hours of debate, while Republicans probably won’t.

Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat and longstanding critic of Trump, called the bill “terrible”.

He told the BBC he was unsure if Senate Republicans would meet Trump’s deadline of passage by this Friday, when America celebrates Independence Day, adding that, even if they did, “who knows what happens in the House”.

Speaking at the White House on Monday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump is “confident” the bill would be passed and still expects it on his desk by his self-imposed deadline.

Senator John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, appeared frustrated on Monday afternoon, after no signs of a final draft of the bill emerged.

“Oh my God, I just want to go home,” he said, adding that the extended negotiations and voting rounds have caused him to miss his “entire trip to the beach”.

“I don’t think it’s really helpful to put people here till some ungodly hour,” he said.

On Sunday, Democrats used a political manoeuvre to stall the bill’s progress, calling on Senate clerks to read all 940 pages of the bill aloud, a process that took 16 hours.

The move followed weeks of public discussion and the Senate narrowly moving on the budget bill in a 51-49 vote over the weekend.

Two Republicans sided with Democrats in voting against opening debate, arguing for further changes to the legislation.

One of those Republicans, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, announced his retirement following that vote and said the legislation broke promises that Trump and Republicans made to voters.

“Too many elected officials are motivated by pure raw politics who really don’t give a damn about the people they promised to represent on the campaign trail,” Tillis wrote in his announcement.

The White House reacted angrily to Tillis’ comments on Monday, with Leavitt telling reporters the senator is “just wrong” and that “the President and the vast majority of Republicans who are supportive of this legislation are right”.

The other Republican who voted against moving the bill was Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. He objected to the debt increase, and cuts to Medicaid, a healthcare programme that is relied on by millions of elderly, disabled and low-income Americans.

On Monday, Senator Dan Sullivan, an Alaska Republican, sought to quell concerns about cuts to Medicaid, saying “we’re going to be fine in this”.

When the bill comes up for a full Senate vote – expected either late on Monday night or early Tuesday morning – Republicans can only afford three defections in order for the bill to pass.

If they lose three votes, Vice-President JD Vance will have to cast a tie-breaking vote.

The bill would then return to the House of Representatives, where leadership has advised a full vote on the Senate’s bill could come as early as Wednesday morning.

While Republicans control the House, they can also only lose a handful of votes. There are frustrations with the Senate version of the bill among some Republicans in the House, which could make for another close vote.

The fiscal hawks of the Republican-led House Freedom Caucus have threatened to torpedo the Senate version over budget disagreements.

The Senate proposal adds over $650bn to the national deficit, the group said in a post on social media on Monday.

“That’s not fiscal responsibility,” they said. “It’s not what we agreed to.”

Democrats in both chambers have largely objected to the spending cuts and the proposed extension of tax breaks.

Meanwhile, Republican debate has focused on how much to cut welfare programmes in order to extend $3.8tn (£2.8tn) in Trump tax breaks.

The proposed cuts could strip nearly 12 million Americans of their health insurance coverage and add $3.3tn (£2.4tn) in debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan federal agency.

The version of the bill senators will soon vote on contains tax cuts that Trump campaigned on, such as a tax deduction on Social Security benefits, and the elimination of taxes on overtime work and tips.

The bill also authorises $5tn in new borrowing that will add to a swelling US debt load – a move that goes against what many conservatives have argued for and infuriated one-time Trump confidant Elon Musk.

Musk fired off social media posts on Monday, vowing to fund challengers to any conservative who votes for the bill and to set up an alternative political party.

“If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,” he wrote on X.

“Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE.”

The national debt currently sits at $36 trillion, according to the treasury department.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has urged Congress to address the debt limit by mid-July and warned if they do not, the US could be unable to pay its bills as early as August.

(With additional reporting from Bernd Debusmann Jr at the White House)

Spain is rolling out its new nationwide register affecting holiday rentals including properties in the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands in a bid to help combat the issues of overtourism

Brits planning Spain holidays should be aware of a new rule that’s coming into force as of today (July 1) across the mainland, as well as the Canary Islands and the Balearic islands.

The holiday hotspot is launching its new nationwide register for any property used for tourism, whether that’s seasonal or a short-term rental. Under the Single Tourist Rental Registry, property owners will need to register to get a code that verifies they are legally allowed to use the property for tourism.

This will include entire homes, individual rooms within a property that’s rented out separately, and homes listed on the likes of Airbnb and Booking.com.

The register was already rolled out in January, but at that time it was still optional; now it’s mandatory. According to local publication Canarian Weekly, the Spanish Ministry of Housing says it’s had a total of 199,686 applications to date, the majority of which were for holiday rentals.

If a property is not on the register, then legally it won’t be able to be advertised online, and owners could face fines or even be suspended from being able to offer the home as a holiday rental.

READ MORE: Brits heading to Spain, France and Greece this summer issued ’24-hour warning’

If you’ve got a holiday booked to Spain, the good news is that you don’t need to do anything, as the responsibility lies with the holiday rental platforms and property owners to obtain the correct registration. In fact, one of the aims of the register is to protect tourists from unregulated and potentially unsafe rentals.

When you book a holiday rental in Spain, you should be able to see if it has a valid registration number before you finalise your booking, with the idea that it will offer holidaymakers extra peace of mind before they part with their cash.

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The move comes as Spain’s holiday hotspots have been hit with a number of protests from locals in recent years, due to the burden of overtourism. The volume of holiday rentals is seen as a contributing factor to homelessness on the islands, with locals being priced out of areas or struggling to buy homes in areas where properties are used for tourism.

It’s estimated that over four million foreign visitors descended on the Canaries in the first quarter of this year alone. Local officials have been taking steps to try and mitigate the impact of overtourism. For example, Tenerife has introduced a new online booking system for some of the trails in Teide National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Meanwhile over in Fuerteventura they’re taking similar measures with a new tourist tax for those who want to visit spots such as the wild beach of Cofete, the awe-inspiring sand dunes of Correlejo and the vast sea caves of Ajuy.

The move comes after official figures showed that Fuerteventura had a 7.8 per cent increase in tourists between January and March, compared to the same period last year. As a result, the hotspot’s infrastructure is under mounting pressure across the likes of roads, water supply, waste management systems and accommodation capacity.

Has your holiday been affected by anti-tourism protests? Email us at [email protected].