Minimalist News

8 Of The Top 10 'Most Surveilled' Cities Are Asian While quantifying the total number of surveillance cameras in the world remains an almost impossible task, IHS Markit suggested that there would be around 1 billion surveillance cameras worldwide This visualization, via Visual Capitalist, ranks major global cities by the number of CCTV cameras per 1,000 people using data from Comparitech, showing where surveillance is most concentrated. China is the most-surveilled nation overall, with 700 million cameras (494 per 1,000 people), though per-city data is unavailable. That’s almost one camera for every two people. While China yet again dominates this study for its vast surveillance tactics, there

Over 6,000 Apply As Air Traffic Controllers After DOT Secretary Duffy Proposes Recruiting Gamers Authored by Bryan Jung via PJMedia.com, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declared the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) campaign to recruit video gamers as air traffic controllers "wildly successful," after over 6,000 applicants submitted forms within the first twelve hours of the program's launch. The FAA is reporting thousands of applicants applied after its unconventional new recruitment initiative launched on April 17, with the application portal reaching its cap at 8,000 candidates. The Trump administration is currently looking to address a persistent nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers, as many of

Appeals Court Allows Construction Of White House Ballroom To Continue A U.S. appeals court on April 17 put on hold a lower court order that had halted construction of the White House ballroom, allowing the project to proceed for now. Previously, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon issued a preliminary injunction blocking above-ground construction of the ballroom but allowed “below-ground” construction of national security facilities to continue. Leon had said the project cannot continue without authorization from Congress. But now, as Aldgra Fredly reports for The Epoch Times, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on April

Scientist Claims The Universe Has Seven Dimensions Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, A prominent physicist has put forward a striking proposal: our universe may not be limited to the four dimensions of space and time we experience every day. Instead, it could operate with seven dimensions in total, with three compact extra layers folded so tightly they remain invisible. This idea emerges not from science fiction, but from an attempt to resolve one of modern physics’ most enduring puzzles—the black hole information paradox first highlighted by Stephen Hawking in the 1970s. Richard Pinčák, a senior researcher at the Slovak Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Experimental Physics, leads

Ruben Gallego's Political Career May Be Toast Ruben Gallego spent the better part of the past year positioning himself as the Democrat who cracked the code for Democrats to start winning back Latino voters.  Gallego won his Arizona Senate seat in 2024, defeating Kari Lake by just over two points, even as President Trump carried the state with relative ease.  That narrow but meaningful victory turned him into something of a Democratic savior - proof that a certain kind of candidate, delivering a certain kind of message, could still resonate with the Latino and working-class voters the party has been hemorrhaging for years.

Another 'Green Dot Sunday': Oil Jumps, Stocks Dump After Weekend Of Escalations Having gone into the weekend with stocks squeezing to record highs and oil prices plunging on euphoric hope that goldilocks was right around the corner in the Middle East - following Trump's very enthusiastic statements all day - things have gone a 'little bit slightly turbo' again... As last week's rally extended, the market’s sensitivity to negative developments diminished. Investors brushed aside warnings from global institutions about the economic damage. Instead, flows remained supportive and leadership broadened, with technology catching up after a rough start to the year. By Thursday and

Open Sesame Submitted By Peter Tchir of Academy Securities This week’s market behavior had a mythical, almost magical tone to it. In Arabian Nights, Ali Baba was able to open a cave of riches by uttering the phrase “Open Sesame.” Markets responded to any and every sort of connotation of “The Strait is Open” by rewarding participants with riches. We started this week bright and early, kicking off Bloomberg TV, and then moving on to Bloomberg Radio, and Tom Keene’s Best Ideas. At the time we were all trying to understand what “Blockade” meant. How and what was the U.S. going to do in terms

Will This Atlantic Hit Piece Be The Final Straw? Authored by Matt Margolis via PJMedia.com, The Atlantic has a well-documented history of publishing fake hit pieces about President Donald Trump and his administration, and one wonders how many more hoaxes they can run before they get in real trouble. Its latest effort targeting FBI Director Kash Patel may be its most reckless yet — and this time, the bureau is fighting back with lawyers. The piece, written by reporters Sarah Fitzpatrick and Jonathan Lemire, claims that on Friday, April 10, Patel struggled to log into an internal FBI computer system while wrapping up his

Catching Print? New Feminist Trend Proves They Have Smooth Brains For decades insecure women have used feminism as a vehicle to crusade against "body shaming" and male objectification - Which is essentially a war on men who dare to have beauty preferences.  Nearly every feminist movement has roots in female physical insecurity, from the "fat positivity" movement, to the "slut walk" protests, to diversity requirements that are eliminating attractive women from popular media, to the "inversion" movement in which average women deliberately make themselves uglier "in rebellion" against the men who were never interested in them in the first place.  It's no secret

"No More Mr. Nice Guy": US Strikes, Seizes Iranian Cargo Ship Trying To Break Blockade SUMMARY * Trump renews threats if no deal is reached: "No More Mr. Nice Guy" * Trump says U.S. struck and seized Iranian-flagged cargo ship in Gulf of Oman * Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has ground to a halt after multiple incidents (Iran renewed threats to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait) * Vance to lead negotiations with Iran, along with Witkoff and Kushner, on Tuesday or Wednesday * "We are still far from the final discussion,"  said speaker of the Iranian parliament Ghalibaf US STRUCK

Trump's Cryptic "The End Is Near" Post Sends Internet Into A Frenzy Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, In a development that quickly fueled online speculation, President Trump posted a video of Frank Sinatra performing his signature hit “My Way” on social media with no accompanying text or explanation. The move came just hours after he convened a high-level meeting in the White House Situation Room to discuss the ongoing standoff with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. The post featured the classic track whose lyrics speak of independence and resolve. While Trump has long used the song at rallies, inaugurals, and even as Air Force One

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Finally Joins Reusable Rocket Club - But Suffers Craft Issues In Space Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket reached space on its third flight and successfully landed its booster for the first time, but ultimately failed to place an AST SpaceMobile satellite into low Earth orbit. The booster landed on a large barge in the Atlantic Ocean, while the satellite separated and powered on but ended up in what Jeff Bezos' rocket company described as an "off-nominal orbit." > pic.twitter.com/BMAUIwF5jk > > — Dave Limp (@davill) April 19, 2026 The New Glenn rocket, carrying AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite, blasted off

Here's Why Trump's Hormuz Blockade Should Stoke 'Strait Chaos' For China The currently closed Strait of Hormuz, situated between Oman and Iran, connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and has emerged as a major flashpoint in the US-Iran war. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, off Yemen's coast, has also remained a focal point among critical maritime chokepoints, given ongoing threats from Iran-linked Houthi rebels. While both critical chokepoints have been in sharp focus in the news cycle and among US officials, institutional research desks, intelligence analysts, observers, the OSINT community on X, and even everyday viewers

Short-Covering Rally... Or Something More? Authored by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, ▶ WEEK CLOSE:  S&P 500 7,126.06 (+1.2%)  |  Nasdaq 13-Day Win Streak (longest since 1992)  |  Russell 2000 New ATH  |  Brent Crude -9.1%  |  VIX 17.42 What began as a short-covering rally on April 7th has spent the last two weeks proving the bears wrong. Friday’s close at 7,126, the first finish above 7,100 in the index’s history, up 13.1% from the March lows, arrived alongside one of the most consequential single-session catalysts of the year. Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open.” Brent crude collapsed 9.1%. The Russell 2000 logged a

Marjorie Taylor Greene Amplifies Viral Doubts About Butler Assassination Attempt Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has drawn attention to a detailed personal account from a longtime Trump supporter who now questions key elements of the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. In an April 12 post on X, Trisha Hope, a self-described J6 activist and 2024 Republican National Convention delegate from Texas, details how she shifted from staunch MAGA supporter to skeptic -  writing "I learned of the attempt on Trump's life at the Butler rally.  I was in the middle of

Warrantless Surveillance Fight Again Ignites Massie vs. Trump Showdown Via The Libertarian Institute President Donald Trump said Congress must extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) even if it means giving up “rights and privileges.” Section 702 allows for the collection of Americans’ data without a warrant.  In a post on Truth Social, Trump urged House Republicans to reject any amendments to the legislation that would extend Section 702. “I am asking Republicans to UNIFY, and vote together on the test vote to bring a clean Bill to the floor,” he wrote. “We need to stick together when this Bill comes

Uranium Supply Crunch Worsens Amid Kazakhstan’s Plan For Strategic Reserve Drawing further attention to the global uranium supply-demand mismatch that we've been pounding the table on since 2020, Kazakhstan has outlined plans to accelerate exploration and create a strategic reserve for the nuclear fuel.  We've repeatedly emphasized that the US is not moving fast enough if it hopes to secure fuel for its reactor fleet… > US Is Rapidly Expanding Its Nuclear Supply Chain: It's Not Nearly Fast Enough https://t.co/gly9hVAKnr > > — zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 19, 2026 The strategy, approved by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, calls for geological work on at least two new prospective

Is A "Vicious" Treasury Market Emergency At Our Doorstep?  Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance When Henry Paulson steps back into the public conversation after years of relative silence, it’s not random timing. This is someone who sat at the center of the 2008 financial crisis and understands how quickly confidence can evaporate once stress begins to build in core markets. Paulson also appears to be one of about…oh, I don’t know…six people in the entire nation who know that $39 trillion in debt is an unsustainable level for the country. If you ask me, his recent interview with Bloomberg that is being passed around by traders should

Fury As Nigerian Migrant Caught Cooking Cat In Public Park Next To Children's Playground Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, A Nigerian immigrant was arrested in Sarzana, Italy after local residents spotted him roasting a freshly killed cat on a makeshift barbecue in a Park—right beside a children’s playground. The man, described as shoeless, had set up a grate over an open fire in the Crociata public space dedicated to a local partisan commander. Passersby called the carabinieri (Italian police), who arrived to find him in the act. He was charged with animal cruelty offences. The shocking scene, captured in photos that quickly spread online, has triggered nationwide anger

US Prepares To Board Iran-Linked Ships Globally Following Iranian Gunboat Attack On Tanker In Hormuz SUMMARY:  * US officials: War may resume if no peace talks breakthrough: Axios * Two Iranian gunboats Open Fire on a tanker near Oman; 2nd tanker hit by 'unknown projectile'. * India summons Iranian ambassador to condemn incident * Pentagon prepared to expand anti-vessel action, signals prepared to board Iran-linked ships globally * Friday: Hormuz Open; Saturday: Hormuz Closed  * Trump: Iran wanted to close up Strait again, can't blackmail us Strait of Hormuz traffic returns to normal by end of April? Yes 28% · No 72% View full

Jeremy Hansen praised for speaking French in space after Air Canada chief’s linguistic snub exposed tensions and drew rebuke from PM Few people foresaw humanity’s quest for the moon as accurately as the 19th-century French author Jules Verne, whose two works –From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon – anticipated many of the features of modern lunar exploration. But Verne’s language had never been spoken in deep space until the Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen uttered four words during Nasa’s recent Artemis II mission. Continue reading...

Exiled leader to revive push for change amid US backing of Delcy Rodríguez and delays to democratic transition Venezuela’s opposition leader, María Corina Machado, will seek to revive her push for political change with a rally in Madrid on Saturday, having found herself sidelined by Donald Trump after the abduction of the president Nicolás Maduro. “Venezuela will be free,” the Nobel peace prize winner insisted in an interview on the eve of this weekend’s demonstration in the Puerta del Sol square, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of protesters. Continue reading...

Separately, Spirit Airlines reportedly seeks emergency US government funds as Iran war keeps aviation fuel costs high * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Air Canada has announced a temporary suspension of flights from Toronto and Montreal to New York’s John F Kennedy airport, citing rising fuel prices. The move comes amid growing concerns that airlines worldwide may scale back services as aviation fuel costs climb in the wake of the US and Israel’s ongoing war with Iran, which entered a fragile ceasefire earlier in April. Although Iran announced on Friday that the

Pedro Piscal pisco is latest Chilean brand to resemble a Hollywood name – and others have fought off the lawsuits The actor Pedro Pascal is waging a legal battle against a Chilean pisco merchant who has chosen a cheeky name for his brand of the country’s national spirit: Pedro Piscal. David Herrera registered the brand name with a Chilean commercial regulator in 2023 and began selling his pisco in off-licences and restaurants. Continue reading...

Wednesday’s strike brings the total of those killed in US military strikes on alleged drug boats to at least 177 Three people were killed in a US strike on another alleged drug-trafficking boat, the fifth such deadly attack in as many days, military officials have announced. US southern command said it conducted “a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations” in the eastern Pacific, without naming the alleged group, in an X post. Continue reading...

Blaze struck a ‘water village’ that is home to some of Malaysia’s poorest residents A huge fire destroyed about 1,000 makeshift homes, many of them built on stilts over water, and displaced thousands of people in a coastal village in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Sunday, authorities said. The blaze broke out early on Sunday morning in a “water village” in Sandakan district in Sabah’s northeast, where some of Malaysia’s poorest residents, including indigenous and stateless communities, live in closely packed, wooden stilt houses. Continue reading...

* Winning robot runs faster time than Jacob Kiplimo’s world record * More than 100 robots run in parallel tracks to avoid collisions with humans They can already carry the shopping, cook and clean. Now they can run and win half marathons. In perhaps the most unusual spectacle ever seen at the end of the 13.1-mile (21.1km) race, robots flew over the finish line ahead of the humans for the first time in Beijing on Sunday. And there wasn’t a bead of sweat in sight. Continue reading...

Growing numbers in the capital Honiara are playing the street card game Pass for a chance of a big payout, while risking big losses As the school day ends in Honiara, *Irene, a 43-year-old teacher in a floral dress with a yellow daisy in her bun, steps on to a minibus. After 10 minutes, Irene gets off the bus, walks down an alley, and enters a damp, smoky shelter. Plastic tables fill the space and playing cards are scattered on the floor. Irene has stopped by a hidden gambling table in a western suburb of Honiara to play Pass, a street card

Nine-day search for two-year-old Neukgu gripped nation and sparked safety concerns for animal and public The internet in South Korea erupted in celebration as a two-year-old wolf that escaped from a zoo was captured safely after a nine-day search that had gripped the nation and made the animal a national celebrity. The male wolf, named Neukgu, burrowed out of his enclosure at the O-World zoo in Daejeon on 8 April. Animal rights activists questioned whether the wolf could survive outside the zoo and also worried he might be killed during capture, something that happened to a puma that escaped from the same

Elderly people take advantage of courses on how to navigate mobile devices and avoid ‘analogue isolation’ It’s not only young people whose gaze is fixed on tiny screens. But for these users in Tokyo, clicking and scrolling is anything but second nature. “I can’t deal with all of the apps that jump out at me,” says one. “How do I know if I’ve definitely ended a call?” asks another. Continue reading...

Meanwhile treasurer warns of ‘big risks’ to inflation and growth as global oil price jumps again. Follow today’s news live * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Treasurer says capital gains changes and other tax reform still under consideration Sticking with the budget, Chalmers said the government hasn’t made any decisions on capital gains tax reform. We haven’t taken any decisions on those policies, whether the specific ones you mentioned [or others]. There’s more work to do on our options for tax reform in this budget. The savings package won’t be exactly the same as what we would have been

Publication broke embargo on confidential briefing note about the royal couple’s movements five days before they arrived in Melbourne for their Australia visit The Daily Mail’s “aggressive” approach to reporting on Prince Harry and Meghan’s Australian visit has “irreparably damaged” the Sussexes’ ability to brief press ahead of trips, Guardian Australia has been told. The Daily Mail broke the embargo by publishing the royal couple’s movements five days before they landed in Melbourne, despite that information being strictly non-publishable until they arrived. Continue reading...

Head of newly formed institution questions whether naming is ‘reflective of our current reality’ amid criticism of ‘shameful’ fossil fuel company promotion * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The newly formed Adelaide University is considering removing gas company Santos’s name from one of its buildings. On Saturday, students and conservationists rallied outside the Santos Petroleum Engineering building, calling on the university to dump the name because of the company’s new gas projects. Continue reading...

Government sources in multiple states say they are worried about the breadth of the changes and possible costs * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The states are increasingly on edge about Labor’s efforts to cut NDIS spending in next month’s budget, with officials asking the health minister, Mark Butler, to explain planned savings before a major speech this week. It comes as the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, flagged on Monday morning that cuts to the NDIS will be “easily the most important part of the savings package

The government has defended its response, citing the upcoming royal commission and work done by the Islamophobia and antisemitism special envoys * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Federal Labor has been accused of dragging its feet on a plan to combat systemic racism in Australia, nearly 18 months after it received recommendations from the human rights commission. New documents released to the Senate show no progress on the national strategy delivered to the government and published in November 2024 – despite the race discrimination commissioner imploring

FC Basel and Polish stadium stop US rapper’s upcoming shows, after similar cancellations in France and UK over antisemitic comments Kanye West’s upcoming concerts in Poland and Switzerland have been cancelled, as a growing number of European countries have stopped or postponed the US rapper’s performances amid a furore over his past antisemitic comments. Swiss football club FC Basel, which is responsible for concerts and events that take place at its St Jakob-Park ground, told Reuters on Saturday that after reviewing a request for West to perform there in June, it decided against it. Continue reading...

Rumen Radev – an EU critic who has called for renewing ties with Russia - looked set to top the polls in the country’s eighth election in five years Bulgarian ex-president Rumen Radev – an EU critic who has called for renewing ties with Russia – on Sunday hailed a “victory of hope” after his formation topped the eighth parliamentary elections in five years. Projections from polling agencies put his Progressive Bulgaria (PB) grouping at 44%, which would give him an absolute majority of at least 129 seats in the 240-seat parliament. Continue reading...

Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government to ask MPs to back controversial voluntary repatriation scheme Italian lawyers will be paid bonuses if they successfully convince their immigrant clients to return home under a government plan that has been compared to a “wild west-style bounty”. The incentive is in the latest security bill from Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government and goes to the lower house of parliament for final approval this week. It was passed by the upper house after fiery debate. Continue reading...

Actor who worked with the great French auteurs in the 1970s and 80s and starred in Spielberg’s Catch Me if You Can died of Lewy body dementia, says family The French film star Nathalie Baye, who starred in a string of highly regarded French films as well as Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can, has died at the age of 77, her family said on Saturday. Baye, a stalwart of France’s domestic cinema, starred in about 80 films and took home the best actress César, France’s equivalent of the Oscars, four times, including three years running from 1981 to 1983. She

Police say poison detected in jar of HiPP carrots and potatoes as maker says items may have been tampered with Rat poison has been found in a jar of HiPP baby food, police in Austria have said, after a recall of the product from more than 1,000 Spar supermarkets in the country over safety fears. Police in Burgenland said in a statement that a sample from one of the 190g (7oz) jars of carrots and potatoes baby food reported by a customer had tested positive for rat poison. Continue reading...

Donald Trump said on Sunday that US marines had taken custody of a vessel that tried to get past the American blockade on Iranian ports * Tehran has ‘no plans to participate’ in new talks, state media reports, as it accuses US of violating ceasefire The US has just released some more footage of the encounter with the Iranian flagged vessel, the M/V Touska. In a post on X, US Central Command said US Marines had departed the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli by helicopter and rappelled onto the Iranian-flagged vessel. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. UN secretary-general António Guterres has strongly condemned the killing of a French peacekeeper and the wounding of three others in an attack in southern Lebanon, spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement to the Associated Press. The UN peacekeeping force came under attack with small-arms fire on Saturday morning, with two of the injured hurt seriously, France’s president and the force known as UNIFIL said. Continue reading...

Trump says cargo ship tried to get past US naval blockade near strait of Hormuz ‘and it did not go well for them’ * Middle East crisis – live updates The US military took custody of an Iranian-flagged container ship that attempted to get past an American blockade near the strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump announced on Sunday, leading Tehran to accuse him of violating the fragile ceasefire between the countries. In a social media post, Trump said that an “Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA” tried to get past the US naval blockade, “and it did not go well for them”. Continue reading...

Reported response comes hours after Trump announced delegation to Islamabad, having earlier threatened to raze Iran’s infrastructure * Middle East crisis – live updates Tehran is not currently planning to take part in new talks with the US, Iran state media reported on Sunday evening, as its military accused America of violating a fragile ceasefire between the two countries, hours after Donald Trump said he was dispatching negotiators to Islamabad. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that an Iranian cargo ship that tried to get past the US-enforced blockade near the strait of Hormuz had been seized. “We have full custody of

US president’s unreliable style sows diplomatic confusion but leaves Tehran clear on strategic value of strait of Hormuz Donald Trump’s decision to send US officials to Islamabad for further talks on Monday with Iran just 24 hours after Iran once again closed the strait of Hormuz will signal to Tehran that the strategic waterway remains a bargaining asset beyond parallel. It will also confirm in Iran’s eyes that the US president’s chaotic approach to diplomacy doubles the need for Tehran to act calmly and strategically – two competencies it believes he totally lacks. Continue reading...

Opposition accuses Narendra Modi government of using quotas as cover for redrawing electoral map The Indian government has failed to pass a bill to increase female representation in parliament after being accused of using the plan as a guise to redraw the country’s electoral map. It was the first time in 12 years in power that a constitutional amendment proposed by Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government was not passed by parliament. Continue reading...

Trawler set off from Bangladesh and reportedly capsized due to heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowding About 250 people are missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, according to the UN’s refugee and migration agencies. The agencies said the trawler carrying more than 250 men, women and children reportedly sank due to harsh weather and overcrowding. It had departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia. Continue reading...

Two-time Grammy nominee was one of Bollywood’s most versatile and celebrated voices The Indian singer Asha Bhosle, whose voice defined Bollywood cinema and whose career spanned almost eight decades, has died in Mumbai at the age of 92. Bhosle, who recorded more than 12,000 songs, became her country’s pre-eminent exponent of playback singing – recording tracks that were then lip-synced on film by actors. She also boldly embraced cabaret and western-influenced melodies to forge a distinctive musical identity. Continue reading...

In Pakistan’s capital, the army has been deployed, a public holiday has been declared and the streets are eerily empty * Middle East crisis – live updates The streets of Islamabad were on strict lockdown as Pakistan’s capital prepared to play host to historic negotiations between Iran and the US that have dangled the promise of an end to war that has devastated the Middle East. Even as the US-Iran ceasefire looked increasingly precarious, amid Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon and disputes over the terms of the talks, Pakistani officials insisted that the make-or-break peace negotiations would be going ahead over the

Israeli PM says he will continue to attack Hezbollah ‘with full force’ after attacks that killed more than 300 people * Middle East crisis – live updates Benjamin Netanyahu has said there is “no ceasefire in Lebanon” and Israel would continue “to strike Hezbollah with full force” as the country’s military launched fresh strikes. The Israeli prime minister’s remarks and latest attacks on what the IDF called “Hezbollah launch sites” came shortly after Donald Trump said he had asked Netanyahu to be more “low-key” in Lebanon. Later on Friday, a US state department official said Israel and Lebanon will hold talks in Washington

In today’s newsletter: As questions mount over transparency and accountability in the ambassadorial appointment process, the political fallout continues to spread across Keir Starmer’s government Good morning. Today the prime minister will face parliament in the wake of the Guardian’s exclusive revelation that during the process of appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US, the former New Labour “prince of darkness” failed UK security vetting – something Keir Starmer says he was not told about. On Friday, Starmer said he was “absolutely furious” and described the situation as “totally unacceptable”. But the episode has once again raised questions about his political

First recorded in 687BC, the meteoroids were once part of the tail of a comet discovered in 1861 This week, the annual Lyrid meteor shower returns to the spring skies. Although active since 16 April, the shower peaks during the late evening of Wednesday 22 April and early the next morning. The chart shows the view looking east from London at 00.01 (BST) on Thursday 23 April. The origin point of the meteors, known as the radiant, is labelled Lyrids. It sits in the constellation of Lyra, the Lyre, close to the bright star of Vega. Continue reading...

Former minister leading review into young people and work cites survey showing most teachers decry lack of ‘soft skills’ An “exam-obsessed” school system is leaving young people unprepared for work, Alan Milburn has said, as new polling suggests teachers believe pupils are leaving education without the skills they need for adult life. Milburn, a former cabinet minister under Tony Blair and now leading a government-commissioned review into young people and work, said the system had become overly focused on academic sorting rather than real-world readiness. Continue reading...

National Gallery, the Box in Plymouth and the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge also shortlisted for £120,000 Art Fund prize The V&A East Storehouse, the National Gallery and an accessible castle in Norwich are among the contenders for this year’s Art Fund museum of the year award, the most prestigious UK prize in the sector. The annual prize offers the winner £120,000, with £20,000 going to each of the other finalists, who the Art Fund’s director, Jenny Waldman, said had all “innovated in different ways”. Continue reading...

Zoological Society of London commissions poet laureate for animation to mark its 200th anniversary Over its two centuries, acclaimed writers and artists have found inspiration at London zoo, from Edwin Landseer’s Trafalgar Square lions, to AA Milne’s naming “Winnie” after resident bear Winnipeg, and Sylvia Plath’s poem Zoo Keeper’s Wife. Plath’s husband, Ted Hughes, who would become poet laureate, worked at the zoo briefly as a dish washer, an experience said to have helped fuel his inspiration for The Thought-Fox. Continue reading...

Band shows montage of leaders whose death or ousting the CIA has been proven or suspected to have been part of US band the Strokes have used their Coachella set to make a stark political statement against America’s history of foreign intervention and war in other countries, including Iran and Palestine. At the end of their set at the second weekend of the California music festival, the band performed their 2016 song Oblivius in front of giant LED screens that showed a montage of world leaders whose death or ousting the CIA has either been a proven or suspected party in, as

Catholics around Atlanta share mixed feelings on faith and politics as Trump engages in rhetorical war with pope Alex Sullivan tended to his five children on the lawn after a traditional Latin mass at the Catholic Church of Saint Monica in Duluth, Georgia, and contemplated his faith in the light of God and the shadow of Donald Trump. Sullivan, a self-described conservative who once staffed a libertarian state representative at the Georgia capitol, described his faith as almost medieval. Continue reading...

Shreveport police say suspect Shamar Elkins, who was fatally shot, killed seven of his children and injured their mother in a ‘domestic violence incident’ * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox At least eight children were killed, and two adults were wounded in a mass shooting in the Louisiana city of Shreveport, in what police called a “domestic violence incident”. Chris Bordelon, the Shreveport police department spokesperson, said on Sunday evening that the suspect, Shamar Elkins, killed seven of his own children and wounded their mother, as well as killing another child. Continue reading...

Exclusive: deputy PM says UK will not join Iran conflict despite Trump’s sometimes ‘incomprehensible’ social-media barbs Donald Trump’s insults towards Keir Starmer are “small and petty” and designed to put pressure on the prime minister to change his position on Iran, David Lammy has said, as he insisted the UK would not get dragged into the conflict. The deputy prime minister argued the US president should be able to “disagree agreeably” with allies rather than publishing attacks on social media, and that US actions had “made things worse, not better” as far as global instability was concerned. Continue reading...

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, a long supporter of Trump, says president’s feud with the pope is a ‘distraction’ A Republican lawmaker has condemned what he refers to as Donald Trump’s “holy war” against Pope Leo XIV. Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, a long supporter of Trump and the ultraconservative Maga movement, condemned the president’s attacks on the pope during a Fox News interview on Saturday. Continue reading...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a video address released on Sunday that Canada’s strong economic ties to the United States were once a strength but are now a weakness that must be corrected. In the 10-minute address, Carney spoke about his government’s efforts to strengthen the Canadian economy by attracting new investments and signing trade deals with other countries. “The world is more dangerous and divided,” Carney said. “The US has fundamentally changed its approach to trade,...

Pope Leo on Sunday recalled the “sorrow and great suffering” Angolans endured for centuries, as the American pope prayed at a Catholic shrine located at the site of an important hub of the African slave trade during Portugal’s colonial rule. Leo travelled to the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, nestled in the Angolan savannahs of baobab trees at the edge of the Kwanza River. It became a major pilgrimage destination after believers reported an appearance by the Virgin Mary around 1833. But the Church of...

Senior Cabinet ministers on Sunday rallied around UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose leadership is teetering over his decision to give Britain’s most important diplomatic job to Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished politician and friend of Jeffrey Epstein. Starmer will face restive lawmakers in Parliament on Monday to fight for his job after the explosive revelation that Mandelson was appointed ambassador to the United States despite failing security checks. Starmer says he is “furious” that...

A man shot dead eight children – seven of them his own – early Sunday in the southern US state of Louisiana in an incident of domestic violence that spanned three locations, police said. The early morning massacre at a grey house in the city of Shreveport was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States in more than two years, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. Two women were shot and seriously injured, including the mother of some of the slain children. Three boys and five...

The head of Ukraine’s police patrol, Yevhen Zhukov, has handed in his resignation after two police officers were seen fleeing the scene when a gunman opened fire in Kyiv, killing at least six. “As an officer with combat experience, I have decided to tender my resignation from my current post. I believe this is the right thing to do,” said the police general at a press conference in Kyiv on Sunday. It comes after an unknown gunman killed at least six people and injured more than a dozen others in...

About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader. It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison. Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said...

Since America launched its “major combat operation” against Iran, several Nato allies have distanced themselves from Washington. Now America also risks losing ground in strategically important Southeast Asia to China. Could it face an erosion of influence similar to that suffered by Russia in Central Asia as a result of its “special military operation” in Ukraine? Soon after US President Donald Trump launched massive air and missile strikes on Iran on February 28, it became clear Washington...

Two enormous sandlike dunes at an old chemical processing plant in South Africa are at the centre of an exploratory US-backed project to extract highly sought-after rare earth elements from industrial mining waste. The Phalaborwa Rare Earths Project has US support through a US$50 million equity investment by the government’s International Development Finance Corporation and is part of accelerated US efforts to reduce its reliance on China for the minerals crucial for making electronic devices,...

Pro-Russian former president Rumen Radev is set for a runaway victory in Bulgaria’s election and may even secure a parliamentary majority, exit polls showed, potentially ending years of weak coalition governments and altering the European Union member’s foreign policy. An updated exit poll conducted by Sofia-based Alpha Research showed Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria with 44 per cent, far ahead of the long-dominant GERB party, led ‌by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, at 12.5 per cent. If...

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) powered by large language models presents a significant breakthrough. For the first time, humans are communicating with computers using language instructions. This has enabled the use of AI agents to perform intelligent tasks involving some degree of advanced reasoning and complex logic. Vibe coding – the use of AI for programming and software development by lay persons – empowers end-user application deployments. One-person companies using AI agents to...

Three people in California have been sentenced for insurance fraud in a bizarre scam that involved someone dressed in a bear costume damaging luxury cars. The California Insurance Department said the three used a person in a bear suit to stage fake attacks inside a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes in 2024, then submitted fraudulent claims seeking nearly US$142,000 in payouts from insurance companies. The department called it “Operation Bear Claw”. Two Los Angeles-area men and a woman pleaded no...

Pope Leo sought ⁠to downplay his feud ⁠with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, ⁠saying reporting about comments he has made so far during his Africa tour “has not been accurate in all its aspects”. Speaking to reporters in English aboard his flight to Angola for the third leg of his ambitious 10-day Africa tour, the first US pope said comments ‌he made two days earlier in Cameroon decrying that the world was being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” were not aimed at Trump. That speech, said...

For the first time in its history – and in a striking departure from its long-standing doctrine of minimal economic intervention – Hong Kong is preparing to draw up a five-year plan. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has asked all policy bureaus to help draft proposals by the end of the year. To lead the exercise, veteran civil servant Janice Tse Siu-wah has come out of retirement. The Legislative Council, not to be left out, has formed a committee supported by six coordinating groups spanning...

Former US president Barack Obama met New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday at a child care centre where they read to preschoolers and led a singalong. The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist who marked his 100th day in office just over a week ago, is also trying to build a working relationship with Republican US President Donald Trump. Obama and Mamdani did not take questions after reading the book Alone and Together to the children and leading a singalong of...

Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Saturday she had “no regrets” about symbolically handing over her Nobel Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump in January. “There is a leader in the world, a head of state in the world who risked the lives of his country’s citizens for Venezuela’s freedom,” she told a news conference in Madrid. Machado presented her Nobel Prize to Trump when she met him in the White House just two weeks after he ordered US forces to attack Caracas and...

A Canadian man accused of helping 14 ⁠people in the province ⁠of Ontario kill themselves by selling a ⁠legal but deadly substance online will avoid a murder trial by pleading guilty to lesser charges, his lawyer said on Saturday. Kenneth Law, 60, will plead guilty to counselling or aiding suicide under a deal with Crown prosecutors that will see more serious ‌first-degree murder charges withdrawn, Matthew Gourlay of Henein Hutchison Robitaille said in an email. Law’s case is scheduled to return...

A gunman who killed at least six people in the streets of Kyiv on Saturday before taking hostages and barricading himself in a nearby supermarket has been shot dead by police, Ukrainian officials said. The head of Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, Ihor Klymenko, said in a statement on social media that special tactical police units stormed the store after attempts to contact the gunman with a negotiator failed. The attacker was killed while resisting arrest, he said. Speaking to reporters at the...

Mexican ⁠President Claudia Sheinbaum and Spain’s Pedro Sanchez ⁠met in Barcelona on Saturday after a summit of progressive leaders, signalling a rapprochement during the first presidential visit to the Mediterranean country in eight years. The meeting took place during Sheinbaum’s visit to Barcelona to attend the fourth “In defence of democracy” summit, a gathering ‌of global leftist leaders to mobilise advocates of these movements against the far-right. Sheinbaum’s trip marks a softening of...

US President Donald Trump on Saturday directed his administration to speed up reviews of certain psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine, which recently has been embraced by combat veterans and conservative lawmakers despite having serious safety risks. Ibogaine is banned under the federal government’s most restrictive category for illegal, high-risk drugs. But the administration is taking steps to ease access to psychedelics that Trump said were already designated as potential breakthroughs by...

UK counterterror officers are investigating an arson attack on a shop in an area of London with a large Jewish population, police said on Saturday, following similar incidents in recent weeks. No one was injured in the fire on late Friday in Hendon, in the northwest of Britain’s capital, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement, without specifying the business targeted. It comes after police arrested two people over a separate arson attack on a synagogue in nearby Finchley, on Wednesday,...

In Canada, fans and foes of Chinese electric vehicles are holding their breath for brands like BYD to hit the market. Whether they love them or not, they share the hope that Chinese carmakers will help to bring all EV prices down, as affordability becomes a growing concern for consumers. Companies including BYD, Geely, Nio and Xpeng are preparing to roll out sales locations in Canada, seizing the opportunity of warmer ties between the two countries. Ottawa struck a milestone trade deal with...

When Alina Dotsenko returned to her museum after Ukrainian forces retook the southern city of Kherson from Russian forces in late 2022, she found thousands of artworks had vanished. “I walked in and saw empty storage rooms, empty shelves. My legs gave way, and I just sat down by the wall, like a child,” the Kherson Art Museum director said. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022, the museum held more than 14,000 works in a collection “ranging from America to Japan”. As the Russians...

Iranians striving to maintain a semblance of normal life after weeks of US and Israeli bombing and a deadly crackdown on protesters in January remain daunted by the future, as damage from air strikes ⁠and internet cuts take a toll. With talks expected on extending a truce and agreeing an end to the conflict, shops, restaurants and government offices have stayed open. On sunny spring mornings, city parks are busy with picnicking families and young people playing sports, while others gather at...

A US appeals court allowed President Donald ⁠Trump’s administration on ⁠Friday night to continue construction ⁠of a US$400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, setting a June hearing to review a Washington judge’s order halting the project. An order by a three-judge ‌panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit put the lower court’s preliminary injunction on hold for now, giving the panel time to consider the US Justice Department’s...

Their backgrounds stand out. And not in a good way. Two bankruptcies and six law enforcement jobs in three years. An allegation of lying in a police report to justify a felony charge against an innocent woman – an incident that led to a US$75,000 settlement and criticism of his integrity. A third job candidate once failed to graduate from a police academy, then lasted only three weeks in his only job as a police officer. Their common bond: all were hired recently by US Immigration and Customs...

Two US Army soldiers have been injured after encountering a brown bear in a mountainous training area in Anchorage, according to the military. The incident happened on Thursday as the soldiers were taking part in a “land navigation training event” in Arctic Valley, part of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s training area. The soldiers were receiving medical care as of Friday, a military official told the Anchorage Daily News. Queries sent to base were not immediately returned on Friday. The...

The Trump administration and Anthropic’s CEO on Friday discussed working together for the first time since a dispute earlier this year between the Pentagon and the artificial intelligence firm over how that company’s models should be used. The meeting between CEO Dario Amodei and White House staff, which took place amid growing ‌fears the AI start-up’s latest model will supercharge cyberattacks, suggests the two sides might be on a path to rebuilding trust. The Trump administration, central...

Spain and Brazil signed a flurry of agreements at Pedro Sanchez and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s first bilateral summit, as the Spanish leader seeks to build an alliance to counter US President Donald Trump. “The relationship between Spain and Brazil goes far beyond the strictly bilateral,” Sanchez told reporters after signing 15 deals covering areas including critical minerals, telecommunications and artificial intelligence. “Peace and the values that sustain it are being attacked by a...

Congress passed a short extension to a high-profile surveillance law on Friday after failing to secure the long-term reauthorisation pushed by US President Donald Trump. The brief pause comes after a late-night attempt to reauthorise the law for ‌five years failed in the House. It sets up another round of wrangling over whether and how to reform what is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the National Security Agency to surveil foreigners using data...

France and Britain said on Friday that they would lead a multinational mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while emphasising the force would be entirely defensive and only deployed once lasting peace in the region was agreed. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the force was being set up as they co-chaired international talks in Paris focused on ensuring free-flowing trade through the critical shipping corridor. The...

Pope Leo called on Cameroonians on Friday to reject violence and be generous with their neighbours during an event billed as the biggest of his four-nation Africa tour, with roughly 120,000 people flocking to a mass he led in the port city of Douala. Amid heavy security, some believers had made their way on Thursday to the city’s Japoma ‌Stadium, venue of the mass, and slept overnight outside on mats to hear Friday’s address from the pontiff, who has become outspoken on war and inequality and...

Scores of Chinese women were brought to Germany without valid residency permits for sex work across the country, prosecutors in Frankfurt alleged on Friday. Five suspects are accused of organised smuggling of foreigners for their roles in operating the prostitution ring over the past three years, according to prosecutors. Prostitution is legal in Germany but is strictly regulated. A 43-year-old Chinese man and a 35-year-old Chinese woman allegedly ran the illegal business, using a network of...

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday urged the United States and Iran to guard against any provocations by Israel and use their current ceasefire to push for lasting peace. “We must not allow weapons to again replace words,” he told the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. “Let it not be forgotten, the shortest path to peace is dialogue and diplomacy. Peace is not a one-winged bird.” His remarks came as Washington and Tehran weighed the next steps after a temporary halt in fighting,...

China’s leading LED chipmaker and its Malaysian partner have abandoned their US$239 million cash offer to purchase Dutch technology company Lumileds Holding after opposition from US authorities, marking the latest setback for Chinese tech investment overseas following the high-profile Nexperia saga. Sanan Optoelectronics, listed in Shanghai, said in a disclosure announcement on Friday that despite multiple rounds of discussions, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)...

In an apparent sign that Tehran blinked first in the blockade showdown between Iran and the US, the two sides announced on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz was open and operational after nearly seven weeks that have seen hundreds of ships blocked and sent energy prices soaring worldwide. “IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE. THANK YOU!” US President Donald Trump said on social media, using an unofficial name for the strategic waterway. Iranian...

Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip killed more than 38,000 women and girls between October 2023 and the end of 2025, a UN report published on Friday showed. Palestinian health authorities put the estimated total death toll by the end of 2025 at just over 71,000, rising to more than 72,000 by mid-April as Israel continued sporadic attacks despite a ceasefire with the Islamist group Hamas. According to the analysis by UN Women, this means over half of all the victims in Gaza by the end of 2025 were...

Some exporters at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou report a modest return of orders to China from Southeast Asia, as energy-market volatility linked to the US-Israeli war in Iran prompts some Western buyers to prioritise supply chain stability. The shift is visible in buyer patterns on the exhibition floor, where the number from Europe and the United States appears to have recovered from last year’s levels, according to Chinese exporters, with more inquiries for home appliances, new energy products...

A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon unveiled by US President Donald Trump on Thursday was the final turn in the diplomatic maze leading to a breakthrough in Pakistan-mediated peace talks between Washington and Tehran, analysts say. Arranged by Pakistan with help from Saudi Arabia, the 10-day cessation of hostilities in Lebanon was a key Iranian condition for a second and potentially conclusive round of talks in Islamabad on a date yet to be set. Marathon talks between high-powered...

The Kremlin on Friday denied that ⁠President Vladimir ⁠Putin was insulated from ⁠bad news after a celebrity blogger accused unidentified top officials of not telling Russia’s paramount leader the truth about the country’s problems. Viktoria Bonya, a social media influencer who ‌is well known inside Russia for her appearances on reality TV shows, said this week that she supported Putin and listed five problems which she said officials were not briefing him on honestly. Her video was watched more...

To sharpen its competitive edge in the world’s next-generation vehicle market, China has pledged to fast track automotive technical standards to build its status as a global rule-setter. The carmaking powerhouse would drive high-quality development of the auto sector through the formulation and enhancement of core standards during the next five years, officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) told state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing on...

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced mounting pressure to quit on Friday over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as envoy to Washington, after it emerged the veteran politician had failed security vetting. The affair has haunted Starmer for months amid growing anger over Mandelson’s 2024 nomination to the top diplomatic post despite his close ties to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, a long-time insider with Starmer’s ruling Labour Party, has held multiple ministerial posts since...

A Pakistan-flagged tanker that entered the Persian Gulf over the weekend has become the first carrier to exit through the Strait of Hormuz with a crude cargo since a US blockade began on Monday, underscoring just how limited traffic through the vital chokepoint remains. The Shalamar sailed just south of Iran’s Larak Island and out into the Gulf of Oman late Thursday with around 450,000 barrels of crude loaded at Das Island in the United Arab Emirates, according to ship-tracking data. The Aframax...

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. 3 satellites to track all? Chinese radar images confirm US military fears Last month, China released a series of undated radar images of the Towa Maru. It marked the first time ever that a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) synthetic aperture...

South African opposition party leader Julius Malema was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday after he was convicted of breaking firearm laws by firing a rifle at a political rally in 2018. He was released pending an appeal, which will be heard at a later date. If the verdict and sentence are upheld, Malema will be disqualified as a lawmaker. South African law bars anyone from serving in Parliament if they have been convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months in prison...

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Thursday that while Cuba does not want military aggression from the United States, his country is prepared to fight should it happen. Diaz-Canel spoke during a rally that drew hundreds of people to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the declaration of the Cuban Revolution’s socialist essence. “The moment is extremely challenging and calls upon us once again, as on April 16, 1961, to be ready to confront serious threats, including military aggression. We do...

Some Muslim voters were once drawn to Republican positions on family values and individual liberty, but as Southern politicians stoke anti-Islamic sentiment, many feel threatened.

The Department of Justice is seeking ballots and other materials from the 2024 election. Michigan officials call it election interference.

Americans have enjoyed lifestyles that would normally be out of reach to them by working remotely in countries with lower living costs.

At churches with connections to Pope Leo and the Trump administration, pastors and parishioners speak out on the feud between the president and the pontiff.

Leo XIV has had a reputation for being cautious. But since President Trump attacked him at the start of his Africa trip, he has been more combative.

Seven of the eight children killed were the shooter’s own. Two other people were gravely wounded. The gunman, who was struggling with mental health problems, died in a confrontation with police.

With shortages of medical professionals and an aging population, thousands of community health care workers prevent older adults from falling through the cracks.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s precise and devastating memoir chronicles the 328 days her son was held hostage in Gaza, and what came after.

He won a Grammy for the Kenny Rogers song “The Gambler,” and also wrote for Randy Travis, the Judds and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

The new Title X guidance from the Trump administration mentions contraception only once.

What a shift in the dating preferences of younger men reveals about our changing norms.

The android won a half-marathon for robots (and humans) on Sunday in Beijing, achieving a technological milestone while finishing faster than any person in history.

A chance encounter led to overnight success for the Sequence, a seminal trio whose “Funk You Up” broke barriers.

A fellow student who had witnessed the kidnapping called the police, and other students helped track the girl to a gas station.

With its citizens yearning for the kind of prosperous life enjoyed by other Europeans, Bulgaria held its eighth election in five years.