Iran-United States, preliminary agreement reached. Signing in Switzerland on Friday

Today’s headlies: the earthquake in the Philippines has raised the seabed; Agreements have been signed between the UK and Japan for investments worth £18 billion; Taiwan has launched a website to encourage citizens of the People’s Republic of China to provide intelligence information; A free public transport scheme for women and transgender people has been launched in Kerala.

IRAN - UNITED STATES - PAKISTAN

US and Iranian officials have stated that they have reached an agreement to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement caused oil prices to plummet, but leaves the fate of Tehran’s nuclear programme in limbo. Shehbaz Sharif, the Pakistani Prime Minister, whose country acted as mediator, announced the agreement in the early hours of today. The official signing of the memorandum is scheduled for Friday in Switzerland, though the precise terms have not been disclosed. Sharif stated that the pact provides for “the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon”.

PHILIPPINES

The devastating earthquake in the Philippines, which reached a magnitude of 7.8 south of the island of Mindanao – killing at least 61 people – caused a rise in the seabed of up to two metres, exposing coral and damaging marine life. Local residents were the first to report the geological phenomenon known as “coastal uplift”, two days after the earthquake, which in some places extended the coastline by up to 200 metres.

JAPAN - UNITED KINGDOM

The United Kingdom and Japan have signed a £18 billion investment agreement. Japanese companies will invest over £9 billion in UK infrastructure and financial services and up to £9 billion in British offshore wind power, in a project expected to create tens of thousands of jobs. The announcement was made by Downing Street during a meeting in London between Prime Minister Keir Srarmer and his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi.

TAIWAN - CHINA

Taiwan has launched a website to encourage Chinese citizens to provide intelligence, claiming to offer a secure channel for people disillusioned with the system and eager for change. Taiwan and China have been spying on each other for some time, and Taiwan, in particular, has reported an increase in cases of Chinese espionage. China itself had implemented similar tactics: an email address in 2024 to report crimes committed by Taiwanese ‘separatists’.

INDIA

The Kerala government has launched the ‘Priyadarshini’ scheme, which guarantees free travel for all women and transgender people on all scheduled buses operated by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, fulfilling an election promise, launched the scheme at Thampanoor Central Bus Station. The inaugural journey was carried out entirely by an all-female crew.

KAZAKHSTAN

The Kazakh labour market is slowly improving, but the pace of progress varies across regions. Over the past 15 years, the national unemployment rate has fallen from 5.5% to 4.5%, according to figures for the first quarter of 2026. However, in urban areas the rate has fallen from 5.9% to 4.5%, and in rural areas from 5.1% to 4.6%, according to Energyprom.kz. Women continue to be at a disadvantage compared to men in the workplace, with unemployment standing at 5% versus 4%.

RUSSIA

The Russian app store RuStore, pre-installed on smartphones sold in the country, secretly collects data on users and their activity. This is what emerged from research conducted by a programmer known as zarazaex, who had previously decompiled the Apk file of the state-run messaging app Max. According to the data collected, RuStore regularly records the device’s location using three simultaneous methods: GPS, mobile network and identifiers of nearby base stations, storing the data and linking it to a specific user.