A California farmer named Cesar Mora is giving away white nectarines for free after being sued by a fruit company that claims it has exclusive rights to sell this type of nectarine. The lawsuit is about whether Mora broke a contract by selling the fruit to others, with a trial scheduled soon.
Key Facts
Cesar Mora, a farmer in Reedley, California, is giving away free white nectarines to avoid wasting them.
Mora has given away more than 100,000 pounds of nectarines since the giveaway started.
Giumarra Brothers Fruit Co. sued Mora, claiming exclusive rights over the white nectarine variety called "Monalise."
Giumarra says it owns sublicensing rights for the Monalise nectarines, which are sweeter and less tart.
Mora faces accusations of breaking a contract by selling nectarines outside the company’s approved packers.
Mora has accused Giumarra of unfair and dishonest business tactics.
The dispute will be settled in court, with a trial set for later in July 2026.
The case reflects wider conflicts between individual farmers and companies holding exclusive rights to certain plant varieties.
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Iran has started funeral events for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The coffin will travel across the country before being buried in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9.
Key Facts
Iran is holding a seven-day funeral ceremony for Ali Khamenei.
The funeral events will begin in Tehran.
The coffin will move through various parts of Iran during the ceremonies.
Ali Khamenei was a Supreme Leader of Iran.
The final burial will take place in Mashhad, Khamenei’s hometown.
The burial is scheduled for July 9.
This marks a significant event in Iran’s political and religious life.
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Fans attending the 2026 World Cup are enjoying local foods in the host cities across North America. Visitors are trying well-known fast food and regional dishes, appreciating the variety and flavors of American and Canadian cuisine.
Key Facts
World Cup fans traveled from many countries to North America for the soccer tournament.
Visitors are tasting local foods like lobster rolls in Boston, barbecue in Kansas City, and poutine in Toronto.
Some fans are trying popular American fast-food chains that they cannot find at home, such as Chick-fil-A and In-N-Out Burger.
Scottish fan Gary Bishop described poutine as a delicious dish with chips, gravy, and cheese.
Restaurant owners in host cities have seen increased customers and excitement because of the World Cup.
Fans from places like Scotland, Brazil, and England have gathered around local food spots during the tournament.
Some food chains are using the World Cup to attract more customers.
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President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to the NATO summit in Turkey, largely due to his close relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Trump praised Erdogan and suggested that the U.S. might soon approve sales of advanced military equipment, like F-35 jets, to Turkey despite previous restrictions.
Key Facts
President Trump often criticized other NATO leaders but praised Turkish President Erdogan as a “hell of a leader” and a good friend.
Erdogan personally invited Trump to attend the NATO summit in Ankara, emphasizing the importance of U.S. participation.
Trump’s attendance is seen as helping to avoid problems within NATO caused by his previous threats to reduce U.S. forces in Europe.
The U.S. and other NATO members have long disagreed on defense spending, with Trump pressing allies to increase it.
Turkey has been barred from receiving F-35 fighter jets because of its close ties with Russia.
Trump hinted he might announce progress on selling jet engines or F-35 jets to Turkey during the summit.
Experts note Trump tends to have better relations with leaders like Erdogan, who are considered strongmen and not traditional allies.
Erdogan avoided engaging closely with President Biden but is relying on his ties with Trump.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin downplayed the impact of fuel shortages in Russia caused by repeated Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries. Despite the damage to Russia’s fuel industry and continued fighting, Putin insists the war will go on until his goals are met.
Key Facts
Since March, Ukraine has launched over 50 attacks on Russian and Crimea energy facilities.
These attacks have cut about one-third of Russia’s oil refining capacity.
Gasoline production in Russia has dropped roughly 17%, leading to fuel rationing and long lines at gas stations.
Crimea faces the worst fuel shortages, with gasoline sales to individuals stopped completely.
Russian military launched a large 11-hour attack on Kyiv, killing at least 21 people.
Putin described the Ukrainian attacks as attempts to distract from Ukraine’s battlefield losses.
He considers the fuel shortages “not critical” and rejected ceasefire suggestions.
Repairs to damaged refineries, including one in Moscow hit twice, will take months to complete.
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Neil is a 1,000 kg (2,200 pound) elephant seal who returns every six months to southern Tasmania, Australia, where he causes property damage and disrupts local areas. Officials warn that his growing social media fame is causing crowds that might jeopardize both Neil’s safety and the public.
Key Facts
Neil is a 5-year-old male elephant seal, weighing about 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds).
He visits southern Tasmania’s beaches twice a year after feeding at sea.
Neil has damaged traffic bollards, signs, fences, and cars during his visits.
He often rests in places like roads, which can stop traffic in towns.
Neil has a TikTok following of 1.4 million people, more than double Tasmania’s human population.
Experts say Neil’s behavior is normal as he practices for fights he would have with other seals in the wild.
Officials are concerned that Neil’s popularity leads to risky human-seal encounters.
Tasmania’s Department of Natural Resources asks fans to respect Neil’s space to keep everyone safe.
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President Donald Trump has replaced some Republican Senate incumbents with candidates loyal to him for the upcoming elections. It is not yet clear how much money his political group, MAGA Inc., will spend to support these candidates, especially in key states like Texas and North Carolina.
Key Facts
President Trump has influenced the Senate races by endorsing candidates loyal to him.
MAGA Inc. has $382 million available for political spending as of last month.
Texas candidate Ken Paxton, endorsed by Trump, defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the primary.
Paxton faces a tough general election against Democrat James Talarico, who highlights Paxton’s corruption allegations.
In North Carolina, Sen. Thom Tillis is not running again after disagreements with Trump.
Trump supports Michael Whatley for the North Carolina Senate seat, aiming to replace Tillis.
Senate Republican leaders want Trump’s group to fund key races, but it is unclear how much they will spend.
Recent Supreme Court rulings allow official party committees to give unlimited money to candidates, but MAGA Inc.’s funds are still much larger.
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Singer Taylor Swift and NFL player Travis Kelce are planning to get married on July 2, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The wedding event is expected to start at 5 p.m. and last until 4 a.m. the next day, with security and preparations underway at the venue.
Key Facts
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding is scheduled for July 2, 2026.
The wedding location is Madison Square Garden, a large arena in New York City.
The event is planned to start at 5 p.m. and could last until 4 a.m. the following morning.
A smaller rehearsal dinner is expected to take place on the night before the wedding.
Security is tight, and the venue is being prepared with tents and special setups.
Madison Square Garden’s windowless design helps provide privacy for the event.
The wedding is a major topic among fans and the public due to the couple’s high profile.
New York City Police are involved in security but have not officially confirmed the wedding location.
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Indonesians are opposing a German cement company, Heidelberg Materials, which plans to build a limestone mine and cement factory in Central Java’s Kendeng Mountains. The local community and activists say the project could harm the environment and their livelihoods, and they have filed a complaint under Germany’s supply chain law, which aims to protect human rights and the environment in global business operations.
Key Facts
Heidelberg Materials is a major German cement producer planning a mine and factory in Kendeng Mountains, Central Java, Indonesia.
Locals and environmentalists worry the project will damage a rare karst ecosystem and hurt Indigenous peoples’ ways of life.
The company says it gathered feedback from local communities during the project approval process.
No final decision has been made by the company about starting the project.
The complaint uses Germany’s supply chain law, which holds companies responsible for human rights and environmental protections overseas.
This is the first Indonesian case using the German supply chain law.
Other European countries are preparing similar laws to regulate their companies’ global supply chains.
Similar legal actions are happening against European companies like Adidas and Shell in Asia, increasing risks for these businesses.
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Lam Wing-kee, a Hong Kong bookseller known for opposing Beijing’s control over free speech, died in Taiwan at age 70. He had been seized by Chinese authorities in 2015 and later moved to Taiwan, where he reopened his bookstore before falling ill last year.
Key Facts
Lam Wing-kee was seized by Chinese authorities in October 2015 after crossing from Hong Kong to mainland China.
He was held under strict surveillance in Ningbo, China, for five months and forced to confess on Chinese TV.
Lam worked at Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong, which sold books about Chinese leaders and political scandals.
He moved to Taipei, Taiwan, in 2019 due to fears of legal problems and reopened the bookstore in 2020.
Lam died in June 2024 after a cancer relapse, passing away in a Taipei hospital.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te expressed condolences and praised Lam’s courage in defending freedom.
Other booksellers from Causeway Bay Books also disappeared or were detained, including Gui Minhai, who was sentenced to prison in China.
After large protests in 2019, Hong Kong authorities increased controls on speech and arrested people for selling certain publications.
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Millions of people will take part in seven days of funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, starting July 3. The events will occur in cities across Iran and Iraq, ending with his burial at a holy shrine in Mashhad, Iran, on July 9.
Key Facts
Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989, died after a U.S.-Israeli air strike on February 28.
The funeral was delayed from March due to ongoing conflict involving the U.S. and Israel with Iran.
The ceremonies begin in Tehran, where the coffin will lie in state at the Grand Mosalla prayer complex.
Public funeral processions will continue through Tehran and then move to Qom, a key center for Shia Islamic study.
On July 8, ceremonies will take place in Iraqi cities Najaf and Karbala, which have important Shia holy sites.
Najaf is home to the Imam Ali Shrine, believed to hold the tomb of Imam Ali, a central figure in Shia Islam.
Karbala hosts shrines for Imam Hussein and Abbas, key historical figures in Shia tradition.
The final burial will be at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, Iran’s holiest city and Khamenei’s birthplace.
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has reached an agreement with British Columbia to build a large oil pipeline. The pipeline will carry oil from Alberta to the west coast, allowing Canada to export more oil to Asian markets and rely less on the United States.
Key Facts
The pipeline will carry about 1 million barrels of oil per day from Alberta across British Columbia to the Pacific coast.
This pipeline aims to open new export markets for Canadian oil, especially in Asia.
The project follows a route similar to the existing Trans Mountain pipeline corridor.
Alberta and the federal government are partnering with energy companies like Pembina Pipeline on the pipeline.
British Columbia has agreed to keep a tanker ban on its northern coast to protect the environment.
The province will be compensated for environmental risks from the pipeline on the southern coast.
Alberta plans to double its oil production to 8 million barrels per day in 10-15 years.
The pipeline strategy is part of Canada’s effort to reduce economic reliance on the United States amid trade tensions under President Donald Trump.
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President Donald Trump took a central role during the United States’ 250th birthday celebrations. The coverage includes discussions about his influence on the event and related interviews with experts and historians.
Key Facts
The article discusses President Trump’s involvement in the 250th anniversary of America.
There is a podcast episode focused on this topic with analysis from David Smith.
Thomas Jefferson’s sixth great-grandson was interviewed about the celebration.
Other related content includes discussions on American history and politics.
The Guardian provides different formats, like podcasts and videos, covering these events.
The content also includes references to President Trump’s financial activities in cryptocurrency.
The 250th birthday marks a significant milestone in American history.
The Guardian encourages readers to send questions and feedback about the political coverage.
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A new portrait of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was unveiled at Berlin's Bode-Museum after private sessions between Merkel and artist Jérémie Queyras. The painting shows Merkel wearing a blue blazer and carries marks of the long years she served in power. The portrait will later be displayed in the chancellery and was reportedly paid for by Merkel herself.
Key Facts
Jérémie Queyras, a 28-year-old artist, painted Angela Merkel’s portrait after months of private meetings in Berlin.
Merkel and Queyras spent hours together chatting and listening to classical music during the painting process.
The portrait shows Merkel in a blue blazer, with signs of the toll her 16 years in office took on her.
Queyras waited three years after sending a letter before Merkel gave him the commission.
Merkel advised Queyras about the challenges of painting her portrait, including potential criticism from other artists and political groups.
Merkel arranged secret access for Queyras to see portraits of previous German chancellors to prepare for the work.
Merkel personally paid for the portrait, ensuring her control over it rather than it becoming government property.
The painting will be displayed at the Bode-Museum until October and then moved to the chancellery, hung next to a portrait of Gerhard Schröder.
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Scientists found that bottlenose dolphins in the Adriatic Sea are increasingly following fishing boats called trawlers to find food because natural fish are scarce due to heavy fishing. Baby dolphins learn this behavior from their mothers, but feeding near trawlers can be risky and harmful for dolphins.
Key Facts
Dolphins follow trawlers to eat leftover or discarded fish because natural food is hard to find.
Overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea is twice the level considered sustainable by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
In the 1990s, about 10% of trawlers were followed by dolphins; recent studies show up to 76% of trawlers are now followed.
Dolphins may get injured by fishing gear and suffer hearing damage from noisy trawlers.
Baby dolphins learn to follow trawlers by watching their mothers, passing this behavior from one generation to the next.
The Adriatic Sea has lost many common dolphins, a sign of environmental decline.
Scientists urge reducing fishing and using less harmful fishing methods to help dolphins find natural food again.
The study was published in the journal Frontiers and involved researchers from Italy and the US.
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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) refused to provide additional files related to Jeffrey Epstein, saying that some information was properly hidden to protect victims' privacy. A judge had ordered the DOJ to release more documents or explain why they were kept secret, but the DOJ asked for extra time or to ignore the order because of legal and privacy concerns.
Key Facts
A judge told the DOJ to release more Epstein-related files or explain why they were withheld.
The DOJ said some files contain sensitive information about victims, so they were redacted (parts were blacked out).
Associate U.S. Attorney General Stanley Woodward asked for a 60-day delay or to reject the judge’s order.
Some emails had names hidden to protect victims’ identities.
One set of notes about allegations against President Donald Trump was withheld because the claims were unproven and the notes were seen as duplicates of other reports.
The DOJ said they could not find an unredacted copy of a 2007 indictment draft.
Handwritten interview notes were especially hard to review and redact without risking exposure of personal information.
The DOJ denied breaking the law that requires releasing the Epstein files, despite the judge’s ruling.
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A BBC investigation found that Instagram was showing paid ads in India promoting child sexual abuse material, linking to Telegram channels where such content could be purchased. Instagram’s parent company Meta has removed some ads and accounts after being notified but acknowledged its systems do not catch all violations.
Key Facts
Instagram displayed ads in India using terms like "rape video" and "child video" that linked to Telegram channels selling illegal content.
These ads appeared even though Instagram’s automated system is supposed to approve ads before publication.
BBC created a fake Instagram account in India to monitor sexualized content and began seeing such ads within a week.
Meta, Instagram’s parent company, said it removed some of the ads, suspended accounts, and blocked related URLs after the BBC's report.
Telegram reported removing over 274,000 groups related to child sexual abuse material in 2026.
Some Instagram ads showed minors in sexually explicit situations and linked to Telegram channels selling the videos for as little as $1.
Instagram initially told the BBC that some reported ads did not violate their community standards before later taking action.
Both Instagram and Telegram have legal obligations to remove this content and report it to authorities, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
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A US pilot was killed in Indonesia’s Papua region after separatist rebels said they shot him and burned his plane. The incident is part of a long-running conflict where some groups want independence from Indonesia.
Key Facts
A US pilot was killed in the Papua region of Indonesia.
Separatist rebels claimed responsibility for shooting the pilot.
The rebels also said they set the pilot’s aircraft on fire.
Papua has a long-standing independence movement.
More than 122,000 people have been displaced in Papua since 2022 because of the conflict.
The attack adds to the ongoing violence in the area.
The conflict involves demands for independence from Indonesia.
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The Christian Brothers religious order has kept nine convicted child abusers as members, citing their duty to care for all brothers, including those in need. Facing financial trouble, the order seeks to sell property to pay abuse survivors but has paused all legal claims, affecting many ongoing abuse cases.
Key Facts
The Christian Brothers have nine convicted child sex offenders still in their order; one is currently in prison.
The order intends to support these offenders as part of their religious duty called a “Gospel imperative.”
They believe keeping offenders in the order allows better monitoring and treatment, which they say protects society.
The order is near bankruptcy and proposes selling $217 million worth of property to compensate abuse survivors.
They have obtained a temporary stop (moratorium) on all current and future civil abuse claims.
The head of the order in Oceania, Brother Gerard John Brady, met with Vatican representatives seeking financial help, but received no support.
The order recognizes that supporting offenders may be seen as prioritizing them over victims but states it aims not to compromise victim protection or justice.
Around 176 brothers remain in the Oceania order, mostly in Australia, with several more accused of abuse but not convicted.
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A 15-year-old boy named Darweish Mohamed was found stabbed outside a hospital in Mickleham, Australia, and died at the scene despite CPR efforts. Police charged two people with murder and other crimes, and the community is raising funds to help the family with funeral costs.
Key Facts
Darweish Mohamed was found with serious stab wounds outside Craigieburn community hospital on Wednesday evening.
A clinic staff member performed CPR, but Darweish died at the scene.
Police arrested a 16-year-old boy charged with murder and a 20-year-old man charged with criminal damage by fire.
Authorities are investigating whether a burned-out car nearby is connected to the incident.
A friend started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Darweish’s funeral expenses.
The campaign raised over $37,000 out of a $60,000 goal by Friday morning.
The education department said it will support local schools affected by the boy’s death.
Additional arrests included a 15-year-old girl charged with affray (fighting) and theft of a motor vehicle, and a 15-year-old boy detained for questioning.
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