While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 30, 2026
· The Straits TimesUS and Iran peace negotiators head to Doha, meeting uncertain
Iranian and US negotiating teams were due in Doha this week, but Iran said no meeting had been scheduled as weekend missile fire from both sides tested the interim ceasefire to end the four-month-old war.
US President Donald Trump is sending his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiating team, according to his press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
And Iran is sending its technical delegation to Qatar this week, but Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said this had “no relation” to the Americans’ visit and no talks between the two sides were scheduled.
“We will not have any negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days,” Baghaei said.
US Supreme Court boosts Trump’s power to fire officials, but protects Fed
The US Supreme Court on June 29 fortified President Donald Trump’s powers to fire members of independent government agencies, but carved out protections for the Federal Reserve by blocking the firing of Governor Lisa Cook.
In a 6-3 ruling, the court’s conservative majority rejected a challenge by Democratic Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, ruling that Trump had the power to fire “subordinates who exercise the President’s power.”
The decision is expected to have wide-ranging implications, with Trump having aggressively sought to expand executive powers as he works to transform the US government and put political allies in key positions.
EU, China bet on talks to avoid trade war
Europe and China vowed on June 29 to tackle their trade frictions through dialogue despite the EU warning the status quo was not an option, following all-day talks between their top trade officials.
The European Union has turned its attention to China as Brussels frets over increasing trade imbalances between the 27-nation bloc and the Asian powerhouse.
EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic made it clear following talks with visiting Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on June 29 that “the status quo is not an option”.
Keiko Fujimori leads Peru’s presidential race after official count concludes
Keiko Fujimori leads the final count in Peru's presidential runoff after the country's ONPE electoral authority finished tallying 100 per cent of the vote on June 29 after weeks of reviewing contested ballots.
The final tally shows the conservative Fujimori with a lead of 50.1 per cent, or 9,223,396 votes, to leftist Roberto Sanchez's 49.9 per cent, or 9,173,755 votes.
Fujimori welcomed the conclusion of the drawn-out vote count, and in a post on social media said she would "await the national electoral jury's announcement with great humility, prudence, and responsibility."
Gabriel Martinelli to the rescue as Brazil edge Japan 2-1 in last 32
Substitute Gabriel Martinelli scored deep in injury time as Brazil beat a stubborn Japan 2-1 on June 29 to roll into the World Cup last 16.
Arsenal winger Martinelli struck in the 95th minute in Houston to break Japanese hearts in the most dramatic fashion.
The five-time champions will face either the Ivory Coast or Norway in New Jersey on June 28 after edging a captivating knockout encounter.