US envoys are "very close" to a 14-point memorandum with Tehran that would halt the war and open 30 days of nuclear talks; on the same day, Iran struck the CMA CGM container ship San Antonio in Hormuz despite a US Navy escort. Airlines cut 9.3 million seats for June–September as jet fuel rose 80 percent; ASEAN leaders in Cebu turned the summit into a fuel-and-food crisis session. China's Wang Yi called a Hormuz ceasefire an "urgent priority" in Beijing talks with Iran's Abbas Araghchi; US national debt hit $31.265 trillion, 100.2 percent of GDP — the first since 1946.

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Iran strikes French-operated container ship in Strait of Hormuz despite US naval escort

Iran struck the CMA CGM container ship San Antonio in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday evening, setting the engine room ablaze and injuring crew despite a US Navy escort under Project Freedom. President Trump paused the escort mission "for a short time" citing "great progress" toward a deal, while Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine reported Iran had hit US forces more than ten times and commercial ships nine times since the April ceasefire.

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US and Iran near one-page memorandum to end war and open 30-day nuclear talks

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are close to a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding with Iran that would end the war and open a 30-day window for detailed talks on Iran's nuclear programme, sanctions relief and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, US officials and Pakistani mediators said. The uranium enrichment moratorium under negotiation runs 12 to 15 years — between Iran's offer of five and Washington's demand of twenty — alongside US release of billions in frozen Iranian funds. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned the deal need not be written in a day, called some Iranian leaders "insane in the brain" and said it was unclear whether they would close it.

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Met Police deploys 100-officer team for London's Jewish communities as April antisemitic offences hit 140

The Metropolitan Police is deploying a new 100-officer Community Protection Team to safeguard London's Jewish communities after a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites and a double stabbing in Golders Green being investigated as terrorism. April saw 140 antisemitic hate crimes recorded in the capital — up from 98 in March and 67 in February, the highest monthly total since the Met changed its hate-crime recording in March 2024 — with 51 of those offences in Barnet alone. The unit, drawn from neighbourhood, specialist-protection and counter-terror officers, is funded by £18 million of a £25 million Home Office package; about 50 people have been arrested and eight charged in recent weeks.

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U.S. national debt surpasses 100% of GDP, interest payments now exceed defense spending

The U.S. national debt reached $31.265 trillion as of March 31, equivalent to 100.2% of GDP, the first time the ratio has exceeded 100% since 1946. Net interest payments on the debt surpassed defense spending in 2024, and the Congressional Budget Office projects they will nearly double defense spending by 2036. The milestone has divided economists and policymakers, with some warning of shrinking fiscal room and others arguing the U.S. benefits from the dollar's reserve-currency status.

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