WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Nuclear enrichment, Bob Vylan, and the discovery of a new blood type

 
today's international story

IAEA says Iran could enrich uranium within 'months'

What happened
The UN's top nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi (pictured above), has challenged Donald Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear program was "obliterated" by recent US air strikes. In an interview with CBS News, Grossi said the damage was "severe", but not "total", warning that Iran could resume uranium enrichment within months.

Who said what
Trump, speaking on Fox News, insisted the attack had ended Iran's nuclear ambitions "for a period of time" and again claimed that Iran was no longer interested in building a bomb. He continued to dismiss assertions suggesting that Iran had moved parts of its uranium stockpile prior to the strike and threatened legal action against media outlets citing the US Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) report. Grossi, meanwhile, confirmed that Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) it had relocated some nuclear material to protected sites.

Western governments are now "scrambling to determine what's become of Iran's 9 tonnes of enriched uranium", said Reuters. And whether more than 400kg of it – close to weapons grade – were destroyed. Grossi's analysis is "consistent with a preliminary assessment by the DIA that was widely reported on last week", said The New York Times, which "estimated that the strike set back the Iranian nuclear program by only a few months".

What next?
Former US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who served under Joe Biden, said a new nuclear deal was now critical and called for "unfiltered" intelligence assessments. Trump has expressed conditional interest in renewed negotiations, offering sanctions relief if Iran meets strict inspection and disarmament terms.

 
 
today's music story

Starmer condemns Glasto 'death to IDF' chant

What happened
Keir Starmer has denounced punk duo Bob Vylan after frontman Bobby Vylan led chants of "free, free Palestine" and "death, death to the IDF" during the punk rap duo's Glastonbury Festival set. The performance, broadcast live by the BBC, has been widely criticised as hate speech. The BBC has since removed the set from iPlayer, calling parts of it "deeply offensive".

Who said what
Starmer said there was "no excuse" for hate speech and reiterated that such performers should not be given a platform. Bob Vylan's songs "often speak out against racism, homophobia, toxic masculinity and far-right politics", said The Independent. They can be "provocative", but recently the band has actually "become less confrontational".

"Musicians, especially punk acts, making headlines for their politics is nothing new," said Sky News. The Sex Pistols, The Clash and Rage Against The Machine all did so, but in the case of Bob Vylan it is "not just MPs" who are outraged. Even Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has condemned the comments, "despite the festival's advocacy for free speech".

What next?
Police are reviewing footage from the performance to assess it for potential criminal offences.

 
 
Today's technology story

Entry-level job market shrinks due to AI

What happened
Entry-level job openings in the UK have dropped by nearly a third since ChatGPT launched in late 2022. According to the job site Adzuna, vacancies for graduate roles, apprenticeships, internships and junior jobs without degree requirements have fallen 31.9%. These positions now make up just 25% of the jobs market, down from 28.9% in 2022.

Who said what
Adzuna's head of data science James Neave said economic pressure and the adoption of artificial intelligence were key factors behind the decline. "If you can reduce your hiring at the entry level, that's just going to increase your efficiency," added Neave. BT has already announced plans to replace 10,000 roles with AI. And Dario Amodei, CEO of tech start-up Anthropic, has predicted that AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years.

What next?
The good news is that the overall number of job vacancies in the UK has now returned to pre-pandemic levels, "outperforming the global average", said The Times. But this is "still behind major markets" such as the US, France and Germany.

 
 

It's not all bad

This September 200 school-based nurseries will open across England, offering places for 4,000 children as part of the government's plan to expand affordable childcare. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the initiative aimed to help families balance work and home life while giving children the best possible start. A further 100 nurseries will launch later this year, alongside free breakfast clubs and other support measures to ease costs for parents.

 
 
under the radar

The new Gwada negative blood type

A rare new blood type has been discovered, so "step aside A, B and O – there's a new player in town", said Gizmodo.

So far the "Gwada negative" blood type has been identified in only one individual: a French woman from the Caribbean island group of Guadeloupe who is "the only person in the world who is compatible with herself", said an expert.

The announcement of the new blood type has been the cause of much excitement in medical circles. The French Blood Establishment (EFS) said on LinkedIn: "The EFS has just discovered the 48th blood group system in the world!"

Blood types refer to the "particular combinations" of antigens that coat our red blood cells, added Gizmodo. The most common blood groups are O, A and B, but "scientists have discovered over 600 separate antigens that can be sorted into dozens of blood groups".

The categorising of blood groups is about more than "simple curiosity" – it is "medically vital". Understanding them is "critical" for ensuring safe and effective transfusions and organ transplants, as well as identifying certain health risks.

Blood types were first discovered and understood in 1900 and the knowledge quickly made a real-world impact. During the First World War blood transfusions were "first performed on a large scale", said the Nobel Prize, writing on X, and "countless lives" were saved through surgeries that were previously impossible.

"Thanks to DNA sequencing, the discovery of new blood groups has accelerated" in recent times, said Le Monde, and the hunt is now on for other Gwada negative people who can match with the first patient.

 
 
on this day

30 June 1905 

Albert Einstein published his theory of special relativity, which described the relationship between space and time in the equation E=mc². Together with his follow-up theory of general relativity, published 10 years later, the works transformed theoretical physics and astronomy and supplanted a 200-year-old premise of mechanics.

 
 
Today's newspapers

"Rebel Labour whips" are calling for "more welfare concessions", says The Guardian. The prime minister is battling to "stave off" a revolt on the welfare cuts, says The Times, and Keir Starmer risks suffering a "further blow" to his authority, which has already been "severely undermined" by the welfare bill row. "NHS weight-loss jabs" will now come "from your pharmacy", says The i Paper, as the government presses on with its "obesity plan". Meanwhile, the "heat is on" says The Mirror, reporting that today is set to be the "hottest day of the year", with the heatwave expected to reach its peak.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Can't Bite The Moonlight

LeAnn Rimes overcame an onstage dental mishap last week to finish her performance in Bow, Washington. Rimes explained in an Instagram video after the gig that she had to continually push the bridge she has in her mouth into position throughout the show, and that during the song "Can’t Fight the Moonlight" her teeth fell out altogether. "The show can go on, even in the midst of sheer, utter embarrassment," said Rimes. "You just gotta be real with people." Especially those that have paid through the teeth for a ticket.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Jamie Timson, Harriet Marsden, Ross Couzens and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Marian Femenias-Moratinos.

Image credits, from top: Pier Marco Tacca / Getty Images; Leon Neal / Getty Images; Tempura / Getty Images; Illustration by Marian Femenias-Moratinos / Getty Images.