July 4, 2026: Iran’s leader was killed in February. The country will finally bury him.; Kyiv’s most-bombed neighborhood just won’t quit
News and markets
- Global headlines: Iran’s leader was killed in February. The country will finally bury him. (For the surviving Iranian regime, the funeral offers an opportunity to project power after withstanding months of war with Israel and the United States); Kyiv’s most-bombed neighborhood just won’t quit (After four years of war, life in Lukianivka, the most frequently hit part of the Ukrainian capital, is a mix of adaptability and endurance, defiance and denial, resignation and resilience); and Vatican excommunicates bishops of breakaway traditionalist sect (The sect, the Society of St. Pius X, defied a direct plea from Pope Leo XIV and sought to consecrate four bishops without the Vatican's approval).
- Markets leaned higher, with 5 of 7 tracked indexes up; Nikkei 225 up 1.47% was the largest move.
- Benchmarks tracked: S&P 500, NASDAQ Composite, Euronext 100 Index, and Public Joint-Stock Company Moscow Exchange MICEX-RTS plus 3 more indexes.
Hacker News and Product Hunt
- Hacker News: Agentic coding notes from Galapagos Island (I've been using AI fairly heavily since last November and the whole thing is a funny experience . An agent will do something that, if a...); Giant trees have no trouble pumping water to top branches: new research (The world’s tallest tropical trees have no trouble pumping water to their topmost branches, new research reveals. Conventional scientific...); and Performance per dollar is getting faster and cheaper (The fastest open source LLMs for enterprise).
- Product Hunt features Tamamon (A desktop pet that grows as you code with Claude Code), Glaze by Raycast (Create your own Mac apps by chatting with AI), and nxt (Talk to your to do list and get what's next).
Global Headlines
Top stories across selected outlets, presented in a fast daily brief format.
Iran’s leader was killed in February. The country will finally bury him.
For the surviving Iranian regime, the funeral offers an opportunity to project power after withstanding months of war with Israel and the United States.
Kyiv’s most-bombed neighborhood just won’t quit
After four years of war, life in Lukianivka, the most frequently hit part of the Ukrainian capital, is a mix of adaptability and endurance, defiance and denial, resignation and resilience.
Vatican excommunicates bishops of breakaway traditionalist sect
The sect, the Society of St. Pius X, defied a direct plea from Pope Leo XIV and sought to consecrate four bishops without the Vatican's approval.
Russia rocks Ukrainian capital with massive assault, killing at least 30
Dozens were injured overnight in Kyiv during an attack that caused fires and explosions throughout the city.
Trump-backed truce in Lebanon, key to Iran peace deal, risks new civil war
To reach a more durable peace agreement with Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz, Trump needs Israel to uphold the terms of a deal with Lebanon that Hezbollah says it will block by "any means necessary."
Thirty-two years on, young Rwandans reflect on progress, pain and hope
For many young Rwandans, Liberation Day is as much about the future as the past.
Millions expected in Tehran for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral
Israeli attacks on Gaza continue with a child killed and another injured in a drone strike, according to civil defence.
Thousands forced to evacuate in Colorado as wildfire spreads
The Aspen Acres Fire, one of about 40 wildfires burning across western US, has destroyed homes and forced evacuations.
‘A nightmare’: Strugging with the aftermath of Venezuela’s earthquakes
Many survivors are sheltering in tents set up in public parks, after twin earthquakes destroyed rows of buildings.
NASA launches robotic mission to save telescope falling back to Earth
A three-armed spacecraft blasts into orbit to rescue a NASA telescope in danger of crashing back to Earth.
Iran begins dayslong funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iran began a dayslong funeral Saturday for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, months after an airstrike killed him at the start of the war. He was 86.
Reflections on America's 250th birthday
NPR member station reporters across the U.S. asked people how they are thinking about their country on its semiquincentennial.
After weeks of speculation, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce wed in New York
Superfans and sleuths appear to have their hunches confirmed on Friday, as dozens of black cars dropped off elegantly dressed guests outside of Madison Square Garden in New York City. The wedding bash is expected to last into Saturday morning.
Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz remains a powerful bargaining chip
Despite efforts by U.S. negotiators, Iran says it wants to charge a toll for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. It's yet another unresolved issue of the U.S.-Iran war.
A family steps in to save the dying casino town of Primm, Nevada
Primm, Nev., a once-thriving casino town on the border with California, was on the verge of fading away for good. The family it was named for has stepped in and faces the challenge of reviving it.
Heat dome brings extreme weather to North America
OTTAWA/NEW YORK — A destructive "heat dome" is bringing extreme heat to parts of North America, including large areas of Canada and the northeastern United States, while severe storms and torrential rain have caused flooding in Canada ahead of Canada Day and US Independence Day celebrations.
Russia, Ukraine trade strikes as peace efforts stall
MOSCOW/KYIV — Russia and Ukraine continued aerial attacks on each other, officials from both sides said, as the fate of ending the conflict remained uncertain.
Japan-Philippines sea talks plan slammed
A Chinese think tank has released a legal opinion condemning the decision of Japan and the Philippines to initiate maritime delimitation talks related to the waters east of China's Taiwan Island, saying that the move "constitutes an internationally wrongful act" because it bypasses China, which is a direct stakeholder.
Google loses appeal over record fine
The European Union's top court dismissed an appeal on Thursday from the United States technology company Google against a 4.34-billion-euro ($4.95 billion) antitrust fine, setting up a likely protracted dispute between Brussels and Washington.
Legacy of Silk Road shapes cultural ties
China and Turkiye have mutually influenced each other's cultures over time, building a substantial heritage legacy and great potential for future cultural cooperation, a forum has heard.
Centre orders blocking of battery management apps used to turn off e-rickshaws
Centre blocks battery management apps after e-rickshaws were remotely disabled, leading to extortion incidents across the country.
Indus Waters Treaty will be in abeyance till Pakistan irrevocably stops sponsoring cross-border terrorism: Govt.
India suspends the Indus Waters Treaty until Pakistan ceases cross-border terrorism, emphasizing regional stability and cooperation.
We will factor all related developments in overall approach to Teesta issue: MEA
India emphasizes a comprehensive approach to the Teesta issue, considering developments after Bangladesh PM's visit to China.
Monsoon tracker July 4 LIVE: Heavy Rain Continues in Mumbai, Thane; Red Alert Remains for July 4-6
Weather today LIVE: Get updates on Mumbai rain, traffic, train services, and IMD weather forecasts as heavy showers continue unabated across the city.
After Ayodhya, Badrinath Dham hit by donation theft claims; inquiry ordered
The Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has launched a high-level inquiry to investigate serious allegations of donation theft at Badrinath Dham.
Israeli PM Netanyahu vows to pressure Hamas after ceasefire proposal
Reuters: Israeli PM Netanyahu vows to pressure Hamas after ceasefire proposal.
British lawmaker stabbed to death in 'terrorist incident'
Reuters: British lawmaker stabbed to death in 'terrorist incident'.
Trump takes aim at DEI, COVID expulsions and transgender troops
Reuters: Trump takes aim at DEI, COVID expulsions and transgender troops.
Russia denies report about indirect talks with Ukraine
Reuters: Russia denies report about indirect talks with Ukraine.
Russian forces reach another key frontline city, Ukraine's military says
Reuters: Russian forces reach another key frontline city, Ukraine's military says.
Market Snapshot
Latest completed sessions across the selected benchmark indexes.
| Index | Region | Session Date | Value | Change | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S&P 500 | US | 2026-07-04 | 7483.24 | 0.01 (0.00%) | Up |
NASDAQ Composite | US | 2026-07-04 | 25832.67 | -207.36 (-0.80%) | Down |
Euronext 100 Index | Europe | 2026-07-04 | 1938.50 | 17.41 (0.91%) | Up |
Public Joint-Stock Company Moscow Exchange MICEX-RTS | Europe | 2026-07-04 | 85.20 | -0.11 (-0.13%) | Down |
HANG SENG INDEX | Asia | 2026-07-04 | 23350.03 | 295.00 (1.28%) | Up |
Nikkei 225 | Asia | 2026-07-04 | 69744.07 | 1010.92 (1.47%) | Up |
S&P BSE SENSEX | India | 2026-07-04 | 77763.91 | 261.79 (0.34%) | Up |
Hacker News
Ten notable links from the last day in the Hacker News ecosystem.
Agentic coding notes from Galapagos Island
I've been using AI fairly heavily since last November and the whole thing is a funny experience . An agent will do something that, if a human did it, you'd immediately fire them. My reaction, of course, is to act as if this is great and spin up a thousand agents so they can do even more of that.
Giant trees have no trouble pumping water to top branches: new research
The world’s tallest tropical trees have no trouble pumping water to their topmost branches, new research reveals. Conventional scientific theory suggests that as trees grow, it becomes harder to transport water from roots to leaves
Performance per dollar is getting faster and cheaper
The fastest open source LLMs for enterprise.
Leanstral 1.5: Proof abundance for all
The most powerful AI platform for enterprises. Customize, fine-tune, and deploy AI assistants, autonomous agents, and multimodal AI with open models.
Synthesis is harder than analysis
Over the years, mathematicians, logicians and computer scientists have developed various calculi. If you have a background in computer science, you've likely heard of the lambda calculus, a m…
MSI Center – How to gain SYSTEM privileges in seconds
Abusing named pipes in proprietary software to get LocalSystem privileges in seconds.
Steam Controller Auto-Charge – pilot to magnetic charging puck using CV
Slam the controller into the magnetic puck until it charges - FossPrime/Steam-Controller-Auto-Charge
SearXNG: A free internet metasearch engine
SearXNG is a free internet metasearch engine which aggregates results from various search services and databases. Users are neither tracked nor profiled. - searxng/searxng
Odin, Wikipedia and engagement farming
Imagine one day you wake up, you drink your morning glass of milk, brush your teeth, sit on your computer, stare your own diffuse image on the display, while reflecting on your own gingerness. You turn on the nerd machine while doing the daily "no updates" Windows pray. The computer is finally on, and what is that... Wikipedia link? What is this "Articles for Deletion Odin (Programming Language)", oh no, that doesn't sound good.
The circuit that lets your brain think and see
engineering.columbia.edu: The circuit that lets your brain think and see.
Product Hunt
Featured products from the latest public Product Hunt listings.
Source Notes
Generation details, data coverage, and any partial-source warnings for this edition.