The Indiana Pacers overwhelmed the Oklahoma City Thunder 108–91 on Thursday in Indianapolis, knotting the 2025 NBA Finals at three games apiece and sending the series to a deciding Game 7. Indiana led by as many as 31 points and never trailed after the opening period. Rick Carlisle’s club relied on depth and defense: the Pacers’ bench outscored Oklahoma City’s 48–37, and the hosts converted 21 Thunder turnovers into 19 points while racking up 16 steals. Obi Toppin paced six Pacers in double figures with 20 points, Andrew Nembhard added 17, and reserve guard T.J. McConnell delivered 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals. All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton, playing through a strained right calf, contributed 14 points and five assists in 23 minutes, while Pascal Siakam posted a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double. Regular-season MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 21 points but committed eight turnovers as the Thunder shot just 27% from three-point range and were held scoreless for nearly seven minutes spanning halftime. Oklahoma City’s starters were pulled early in the fourth quarter to preserve energy for the finale. Sunday’s matchup in Oklahoma City will be the first NBA Finals Game 7 since 2016 and the 20th in league history; home teams have won 15 of the previous 19. The Thunder, 68-14 in the regular season, are seeking their first championship since relocating from Seattle in 2008, while Indiana is one win from its first NBA title. Early betting markets list the Thunder as 8.5-point favorites—the largest spread for a Finals Game 7 in at least three decades—yet the Pacers have already logged three outright wins as underdogs in the series, setting up what could be the most closely watched NBA game of the decade.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Thursday unanimously stayed a lower-court order that would have returned control of the California National Guard to Governor Gavin Newsom, allowing President Donald Trump to remain in command of roughly 4,000 Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines deployed in Los Angeles amid protests over federal immigration raids. Writing per curiam, the panel—two judges appointed by Trump and one by President Joe Biden—said the administration had made a “strong showing” that the president likely acted within his statutory authority under 10 U.S.C. §12406, which permits federalization when regular forces are deemed insufficient to enforce federal law. The court cited evidence that protesters threw concrete, fireworks and Molotov cocktails at federal officers and damaged buildings, and rejected the district court’s view that such authority triggers only in cases of outright rebellion. The ruling freezes a June 12 decision by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who had found the deployment illegal. Breyer is scheduled to consider a more detailed injunction on Friday, while California may seek either en-banc review or emergency relief from the U.S. Supreme Court. Newsom said “the President is not a king” and vowed to press the case; Trump hailed the outcome as a “BIG WIN.” The dispute, the first since 1965 in which a president has federalized a state’s National Guard over a governor’s objections, could define the limits of White House authority to use military forces on U.S. soil. The litigation continues under the caption Newsom v. Trump, No. 25-3727, with broader implications for other potential domestic deployments tied to immigration enforcement and civil unrest.

President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed the assessment of his own Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who has said there is no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon. Speaking to reporters on 20 June, Trump insisted “she’s wrong” and asserted that Iran could be “weeks or months” away from acquiring a bomb, contradicting the findings of the broader U.S. intelligence community. The exchange followed a reporter’s question citing Gabbard’s testimony to Congress in March that U.S. agencies had found no current Iranian weaponization effort. Trump responded, “Then my intelligence community is wrong,” underscoring a widening rift between the White House and its intelligence apparatus. It was the second time in recent days that the president publicly rejected Gabbard’s assessment. Gabbard, a former congresswoman appointed as DNI in 2024, has maintained that Tehran has not restarted the weapons program it halted under the 2015 nuclear deal. Trump’s remarks raise fresh uncertainty over Washington’s next steps on Iran, as the administration weighs additional measures following the imposition of a 145% tariff on Chinese goods in April and continued scrutiny of Middle East security threats.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran prefers to negotiate directly with Washington and that European governments are unlikely to contribute meaningfully to resolving the region’s tensions. “Iran doesn’t want to speak to Europe, it wants to speak to us,” he told reporters, adding that his administration has already been in contact with Tehran. Trump said Europe “is not going to help with Iran” and gave the parties a two-week period to “come to their senses.” He argued that “sometimes you need toughness to make peace,” but added that deploying U.S. ground forces would be a last resort and that a strike on Iran “may not be necessary.” The president also rejected Representative Tulsi Gabbard’s assertion that there is no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon, and noted that Israel has limited capability to destroy Iranian facilities on its own. His remarks come amid international efforts to halt the conflict between Israel and Iran and to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

U.S. President Donald Trump said it is “very hard” to ask Israel to halt its bombing campaign against Iran because Israeli forces are “winning” the two-week-old conflict. Speaking to reporters on 20 June, Trump remarked that making such a request is easier when the party in question is losing, but more difficult when it holds the upper hand on the battlefield. Trump added that Washington is “ready, willing and able” to act and has been in contact with Tehran, asserting that Iran prefers to negotiate directly with the United States rather than with European intermediaries. He nevertheless said he currently sees no clear path to stopping the hostilities.

Two pro-Palestinian activists infiltrated RAF Brize Norton, the United Kingdom’s largest air base, in the early hours of 20 June and damaged two Airbus Voyager KC2/KC3 tanker aircraft, marking one of the most serious security breaches at a British military facility in recent years. Body-camera video released by the campaign group Palestine Action shows the pair riding electric scooters across the runway before spraying red paint from repurposed fire extinguishers into the jets’ engines and striking the airframes with crowbars. Paint was also sprayed on the runway and a Palestinian flag was left at the site. The Ministry of Defence said no personnel were harmed and flight operations were not disrupted, but engineers are still assessing the extent of the mechanical damage. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the incident as “disgraceful,” while Defence Secretary John Healey ordered an immediate investigation and a wider review of security across the defence estate. Thames Valley Police are treating the break-in as criminal damage; by late Friday no arrests had been announced. Former foreign secretary James Cleverly urged authorities to treat the act as sabotage rather than simple vandalism. Palestine Action said it targeted the Voyagers because flights from Brize Norton to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus allegedly support Israeli military operations in Gaza. Defence analysts dispute that claim, noting that the RAF’s probe-and-drogue refuelling system is incompatible with Israeli aircraft. The episode is the latest in a series of direct actions by the group against U.K. facilities it says are linked to Israel’s campaign in the Palestinian territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated his rhetoric on the war in Ukraine during a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, declaring that “Russians and Ukrainians are one people, and in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours.” The remark challenges Ukrainian statehood and echoes earlier statements used by the Kremlin to justify its 2022 invasion. Pressed on how far Russian forces might advance, Putin invoked what he called an old rule: “Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that is ours.” He said troops have pushed 10–12 kilometers into Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region to create a security buffer and added, “We have no objective to take Sumy, but in principle I do not rule it out.” Sumy lies roughly 30 kilometers from the Russian border and has faced repeated shelling since the start of the war. Putin insisted Moscow has “never doubted” Ukraine’s right to sovereignty, but argued that Kyiv proclaimed independence in 1991 as a neutral state. He reiterated that Russia’s military campaign is aimed at protecting national security, a claim Ukraine and its Western partners dismiss as a pretext for illegal territorial expansion. The comments overshadowed the economic forum, once a showcase for foreign investment, and underscored Moscow’s maximalist aims as fighting intensifies along the border. Kyiv and Western governments quickly rejected Putin’s assertions, maintaining that Russia’s annexations and further threats to seize Ukrainian cities have no legal standing under international law.

The US Supreme Court on Friday rejected a request by educational-toy makers Learning Resources Inc. and hand2mind Inc. to hear their lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s tariffs on an expedited basis. The one-sentence order leaves the case on the Court’s regular docket, giving the administration the standard 30 days to file its response and keeping the import levies in place for now. The companies contend that Trump lacked authority under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose the wide-ranging duties unveiled on April 2, which set a 10% baseline tariff and allow higher rates for specific trading partners. Two federal district courts have ruled in the plaintiffs’ favour—most recently on May 29—but those decisions are on hold pending appeal at the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. By declining to bypass the lower courts, the justices signalled they will not weigh in until the appellate process runs its course, prolonging uncertainty for businesses affected by the tariffs.

A moderate earthquake struck north-central Iran on Friday night, shaking buildings across a wide area that included the capital. The tremor, recorded at 9:19 p.m. local time (17:49 GMT), was centred near the town of Sorkheh in Semnan province, roughly 170 kilometres east of Tehran. Iran’s Seismological Center measured the quake at magnitude 5.5 and a shallow depth of 10 kilometres. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre put the magnitude at 5.2, while the U.S. Geological Survey reported 5.1. The epicentre lay about 35 kilometres southwest of the provincial capital, Semnan. There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant structural damage, although emergency crews were inspecting buildings and infrastructure. The jolt was felt in Tehran, Qom, Karaj, Damavand and parts of Alborz and Mazandaran provinces, prompting many residents to briefly leave homes and offices. Iran sits on several major fault lines and experiences frequent seismic activity. Authorities regularly urge preparedness and building reinforcement to mitigate the impact of moderate quakes such as Friday’s event.

Japan has cancelled a high-level security and foreign-policy meeting with the United States that had been scheduled for 1 July, according to the Financial Times. Tokyo withdrew after Washington pressed for a further increase in Japanese defence spending, people familiar with the talks told the paper. The so-called “2+2” session would have brought together the two nations’ foreign and defence ministers. US officials initially urged Japan to raise military outlays to about 3 % of gross domestic product, then raised the request to roughly 3.5 %, the FT said. The sharper demand angered Japanese officials, prompting them to scrap the meeting. Japan already plans to double defence spending to 2 % of GDP by 2027, a shift Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says is needed to counter China’s military buildup and North Korea’s missile programme. The latest dispute highlights strains within the alliance even as both governments emphasise the need for closer security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Donald Trump will decide "within the next two weeks" whether the United States will take military action against Iran. Reading a statement from the president, Leavitt quoted Trump as saying the timeline is tied to "the substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future." Leavitt stressed that the president still prefers a diplomatic solution and has directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to keep channels open with Tehran. Any agreement, she added, must bar Iran from enriching uranium and block the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon—an objective Trump has long described as non-negotiable. The announcement comes as Israel and Iran exchange strikes, heightening calls from regional allies for clearer U.S. engagement. A decision to join the conflict would mark a major escalation and could reshape security dynamics—and energy markets—across the Middle East.

Grammy-winning R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty at London’s Southwark Crown Court on Friday to a charge of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm with intent. Prosecutors allege the 36-year-old struck music producer Abraham Diaw several times with a tequila bottle during an “unprovoked” incident at Tape nightclub in Mayfair on 19 February 2023. Brown spoke only to confirm his identity before entering the plea, telling the court clerk, “Not guilty, ma’am.” Co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, 38, who performs as Hoody Baby, also denied the same charge. Both men face further counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and Brown is additionally accused of possessing an offensive weapon; pleas on those charges were postponed until a 11 July hearing. The singer was granted bail in May after lodging a £5 million ($6.7 million) security, allowing him to continue a European stadium tour. A five-to-seven-day trial has been set for 26 October 2026.