Thursday, June 18, 2026

World

US and Iran sign ceasefire deal, Hormuz reopens

Trump and Iranian President Pezeshkian have signed a memorandum of understanding ending 110 days of conflict, with the Strait of Hormuz set to reopen to shipping. The deal includes an end to fighting in Lebanon, but critics — including Republican Senator Bill Cassidy — are already calling it the worst foreign policy blunder in decades, and the text falls short of Trump's stated goal of eliminating Iran's nuclear program.

MarketStrait of Hormuz traffic returns to normal by end of June?23%

Economy

Fed tilts toward rate hike as Warsh era begins

Kevin Warsh has opened his first Federal Reserve meeting by signaling a hawkish turn, with officials now leaning toward raising interest rates to combat inflation stoked by the Iran war. US government bonds dropped on the news, marking a sharp break from the rate-cutting cycle that stalled after December.

MarketWill there be no change in Fed interest rates after the July 2026 meeting?79%

Health

HPV vaccine eliminates cervical cancer deaths in young English women

A new study has found zero cervical cancer deaths among women in England who received the HPV vaccine as schoolgirls, marking a landmark vindication of the immunisation programme launched in 2008. Hundreds of lives have been saved, making this one of the clearest real-world demonstrations of a cancer vaccine's impact on mortality.

Tech

White House forced Anthropic to cut SK Telecom's access to Claude Mythos

Days before Anthropic took its most advanced AI models offline, the White House ordered the company to revoke SK Telecom's access to Claude Mythos, citing the Korean telecoms giant's alleged ties to China. The move signals the US government is actively intervening in commercial AI distribution on national security grounds.

Science

Stonehenge prototype discovered three miles from famous site

Archaeologists have unearthed a 5,000-year-old solstice-aligned monument near Bulford, Wiltshire, that appears to be a structural predecessor to Stonehenge itself, with two timber posts precisely aligned to the summer and winter solstices. Wessex Archaeology describes it as a once-in-a-lifetime find, carbon-dated to around 3,000 BCE — roughly contemporaneous with the earliest phases of the world heritage site just 5km away.