A UK justice minister has described the case of a British woman strangled by a US fighter pilot on UK soil as “really serious” and said the Ministry of Justice would examine it.
Sarah Steele's ordeal
Sarah Steele, an academic, came forward to speak about the “distressing and degrading” experience she had with the US military justice system after she was assaulted by airman Jacob Wulfson. Wulfson assaulted Steele in Cambridge in late 2023 after the pair met on a dating app. US military police quickly took over the case, and the pilot was tried by US air force prosecutors.
Jurisdiction issues
UK law enforcement has primary jurisdiction over crimes that occur outside US bases while military personnel are off duty. Steele’s case has put a spotlight on how UK authorities cede authority to the US military. The Guardian uncovered several similar cases where UK police and prosecutors appear to be ceding responsibility to their US military counterparts.
Supreme court rulings on immigration
Lawmakers and immigration advocacy groups have sharply denounced two US supreme court rulings that allowed the Trump administration to strip certain immigration protections and fundamentally reshape the asylum system. Dozens of groups, advocates and members of Congress called the court’s decisions “disastrous” and “cruel”.
Venezuela earthquakes
Rescue teams are racing to Venezuela’s shattered northern coast after two almost simultaneous earthquakes reduced dozens of buildings to rubble, killing at least 235 people with thousands more fatalities feared. Officials said at least 4,300 people were injured as rescue missions continue.
Other news
A senior National Park Service official said a liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool was “cut with a sharp knife or razor” earlier this month. Two countries on Nato’s eastern flank have warned that Russia is preparing a possible “provocation” in the Baltic states or Poland. The US men’s national soccer team scored the most goals they ever have in a single World Cup game.
China's diplomatic push
Xi Jinping meets Bangladesh’s new prime minister on Friday, the latest in a wave of world leaders to visit Beijing this year. More than a dozen world leaders have visited so far in 2025.
Culture and climate
Toy Story 5 has been described as the ultimate millennial girl movie, tapping into self-doubt and burnout. The heatwave scorching western Europe is the most severe and widespread ever and is only possible due to the climate crisis, scientists said.
Birdsong decoded
Dr Julie Elie at the University of California, Berkeley, won the 2026 Coller-Dolittle prize for two-way interspecies communication after decoding the 11 core calls in the zebra finch vocabulary.
