First Thing: US-Iran ceasefire at risk after exchange of fire in strait of Hormuz
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The US and Iran traded fire late on Thursday in the greatest test so far to their month-long ceasefire. Tehran accused Washington of breaching the truce by targeting two ships in the strait of Hormuz and attacking civilian areas, while the US said it had struck in retaliation.
Donald Trump told reporters in Washington DC that the ceasefire remained intact despite the strikes. When asked where this left hopes of a negotiated end to the war, the president was vague, saying a deal “might not happen, but it could happen any day”. He claimed: “I believe they want the deal more than I do.”
Where were negotiations up to before the strikes? There were reports the two sides could be nearing an agreement to halt the war, with a one-page memorandum shared between Washington and Tehran, via Pakistan. Here is a rundown of the ins and outs over the past week.
What happened to Trump’s “Project Freedom”? The US plan to guide tankers through the strait of Hormuz was ditched just days after it was launched, apparently because Saudi Arabia refused to let the US use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation.
Tennessee Republicans redraw maps to erase last Democratic, Black-majority district
Tennessee’s legislature has erased the state’s sole Democratic, Black-majority congressional district a week after the US supreme court invalidated a major section of the Voting Rights Act.
The Republican-dominated legislature passed redistricting maps on Thursday that break up Tennessee’s ninth congressional district, which covers Memphis, into three parts.
How has the redistricting affected the sway of Black voters? Each now contains a third of the city’s Black voters, which means all nine of Tennessee’s congressional districts now lean Republican.
US state department to start revoking passports of parents who owe child support
The department told the Associated Press on Thursday the revocations would begin on Friday and target those owing $100,000 or more. It is expected to affect about 2,700 American passport holders, according to figures supplied by the Department of Health and Human Services.
This threshold will then be lowered to cover parents who owe more than $2,500 – expected to affect many thousands more, though the figures are still being compiled.
How new is this policy? Previously, the penalty was meted out only when people with child support debt sought to renew their passports.
In other news …
Authorities around the world are scrambling to locate dozens of passengers who were on the cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak. However, the World Health Organization has offered reassurances that this is not the start of a pandemic.
The Labour party has lost hundreds of seats, while the rightwing party Reform UK has made inroads in England’s local elections. Results have not yet been declared in Scotland and Wales.
Two former China defence ministers have been convicted of corruption and handed suspended death sentences, in the latest purge of military leaders.
The US trade court on Thursday ruled against Trump’s latest 10% global tariffs, finding they were not justified under a 1970s trade law.
Stat of the day: German tourist awarded $1,000 after losing out on sunloungers at Greek hotel
A German tourist has been handed a payout of more than $1,000 (€986.70) after he and his family were unable to relax on a poolside recliner while on a vacation in Greece that cost them more than $8,000 (€7,000). He said that despite waking up early each morning and searching for 20 minutes, he was never able to snag one.
Culture pick:Happy centenary, David! Attenborough’s 100 most spectacular TV moments
As David Attenborough marks his 100th birthday, we celebrate the broadcaster and conservationist’s 100 most extraordinary moments, from presenting a documentary while 120m crabs try to crawl up his trouser legs to a scene in which he remains completely cool beside an erupting Icelandic volcano. Legend.
Don’t miss this: ‘I told his family he was HIV positive’: Keith Haring’s best friend on life with the artist
The story of how Keith Haring came to paint a crib began on an ordinary afternoon in 1986. His childhood best friend, the artist Kermit Oswald, and his wife didn’t have the money for a new crib for their baby, so Oswald called his parents to check if his old one was still in their attic. “I got it and I painted it yellow, then Keith came over, we had a few beers and he painted the rest of it,” he remembers, as he reflects on his lifelong friendship with the artist and Aids activist.
Climate check: Trump’s Iran war may stymie climate gains with boost to big oil, experts say
The Iran war may be incentivizing oil and gas expansion and impeding the energy transition, experts and advocates have said, as corporations pocket huge profits. “Windfall profits from Trump’s war will allow big oil to build a wall of money around its Trump-era political victories,” said Lukas Shankar-Ross, a deputy director at the green group Friends of the Earth.
Last Thing: I, robe-ot: the android monk working to reboot the faith of South Korea’s Buddhists
The proportion of South Koreans identifying as Buddhists has dwindled over the years, leading monks at Jogyesa temple in Seoul to seek a new approach in their outreach. So, obviously, they settled on a robot monk. Venerable Sungwon, the order’s cultural affairs director, explained: “Robots are entering our lives so quickly, and people feel familiar with them … They’re becoming part of our community.”
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