Minimalist News

Soros Praises Spain's Sánchez For Mass Amnesty Of 500,000 Illegals Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Alex Soros, son of billionaire George Soros, has lavished praise on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for granting legal status to up to 500,000 illegal migrants, stating that Sánchez shows “what real leadership looks like” by confronting issues with policies that are “both principled and pragmatic.” Soros added, “We need more elected leaders like him!” This endorsement comes amid widespread backlash against Sánchez’s open-borders agenda, which critics slam as a betrayal of Spanish citizens. In a post on X, Alex Soros highlighted Sánchez’s approach, quoting the prime minister’s own

HSBC Encouraging Departures By Offering "Little To Zero" Bonuses For Underperformers HSBC is preparing to award little or no bonuses to some bankers as it adopts a tougher, performance-driven pay model similar to its US rivals, according to Bloomberg. Underperforming staff in investment banking and wealth management — including some managing directors — may be encouraged to leave after bonuses are paid in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. Final decisions have not yet been made. The move reflects the strategy of CEO Georges Elhedery, who has pushed to align HSBC’s compensation practices with those of Wall Street

Trump Endorses Orbán As Budapest Warns Brussels "Keep Your Hands Off Our Elections" Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News, U.S President Donald Trump has endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for re-election ahead of Hungary’s April 12 parliamentary election, praising him as “a truly strong and powerful leader” and saying he has his “complete and total” backing. In the message posted Thursday on Trump’s Truth Social account, Trump credited Orbán with improving bilateral ties and framed him as a law-and-order nationalist leader. “Relations between Hungary and the United States have reached new heights of cooperation and spectacular achievement under my administration, thanks

Year Two Of The Largest Ever Global LNG Supply Wave Is Hitting Markets Roughly two and a half months after Goldman's head of Global Commodities Research, Samantha Dart, laid out a timeline for what she called the "largest ever" LNG supply wave to hit global markets, she published a new client note late this week reiterating that the "supply wave is still on track." "2025 was year one of what we see as the largest ever global LNG supply wave, lasting seven years," Dart began the note, warning that "this wave is the main driver of a lengthy bearish cycle for European

Watch: Comedy Writer Testifies Before US Congress On UK's Chilling Free Speech Crackdown Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Graham Linehan, the Irish comedy writer, testified before the US House Judiciary Committee, detailing how Britain’s authorities hounded him over online posts challenging trans ideology—exposing the chilling grip of censorship under Keir Starmer’s government. His appearance underscores America’s growing scrutiny of Europe’s speech-stifling laws, with Linehan urging lawmakers to push back against policies that silence women and crush free expression. The hearing, titled “Europe’s Threat to American Speech and Innovation,” examined how regulations like the EU’s Digital Services Act and the UK’s Online Safety Act

Is Narrative Warfare Driving Washington's UN Pullback? Authored by Charles Davis via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Commentary On a gray morning in Geneva, a human-rights advocate walks into the Palais des Nations and scans the room the way you’d scan a street corner for gang members in a hard neighborhood. Not for gangbangers, though; for “civil society.” For the suited delegates with NGO badges who film speakers a little too closely, who echo embassy talking points a little too faithfully, who make the room feel—subtly, persistently—less safe for anyone bringing evidence that embarrasses Beijing. Investigators have documented this pattern: government-linked “NGOs” using

These Are The World's 12 Largest Impact Craters A single asteroid strike can reshape a planet, and Earth’s history is marked by several cataclysmic impacts. This map by Julie Peasley for Visual Capitalist uses data from the Earth Impact Database to showcase the 12 largest confirmed impact craters on Earth, ranging from massive basin-forming events to relatively recent collisions. THE WORLD’S LARGEST CRATERS BY DIAMETER The following table ranks the top 12 confirmed impact craters based on their estimated rim-to-rim diameter: While Vredefort in South Africa ranks first at 99 miles (160 km), it formed over 2 billion years ago and has been significantly eroded. In contrast, the second-ranked Chicxulub crater in Mexico

How A Bad Night's Sleep Affects The Brain's Cleaning System Authored by George Citroner via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Most of us have experienced this: You stayed up a bit too late the night before, and although your body turned up to work, your mind was elsewhere. CLIPAREA l Custom media/Shutterstock Blanking out during the day is common for the sleep-deprived, and now researchers have found out why it happens. When people experience attention lapses after poor sleep, a wave of cerebrospinal fluid flows out of the brain. During sleep, cerebrospinal fluid—part of the brain’s cleaning system—flushes away waste products, but sleep deprivation forces this

This Is Where Birth Rates Are Highest In The US Birth rates in the U.S. have been declining for decades, but that decline has hit some states faster than others. The projections in this visualization, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, are from SmartAsset, who analyzed results from U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 1-Year American Community Survey. The number shown for each state represents births per 1,000 people, and is based on most recent fertility rate data and state demographics. UTAH’S DEMOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGE Utah ranks first in the nation, with an estimated 9.7 babies born per 1,000 people each year. The state’s relatively young population plays a major role, as

Florida To Make Gold & Silver Official Means Of Payment Authored by Paul Craig Roberts, The Florida legislature has begun to move legislation (HB 999) to enact their prior approval for gold and silver coins to be legal tender in Florida. This legislation will exempt gold and silver coins from sales tax in Florida. It also means that within Florida, there will be a means of payment independent of digital money created by governments for the purpose of controlling the population, it’s behavior, and it’s expressed views, in order that governments can rule via official narratives. It is possible that if circumstances develop the tyrants

Goldman: Local Resistance Against Data Centers "Are Not Slowing Development" Fierce winter weather across the eastern half of the U.S. put the power grid, data centers, and electricity prices back in focus, especially in the Mid-Atlantic, where Washington, D.C., logged its longest freezing streak since 1989. Our review of Facebook, X, media coverage, and local officials' comments suggests that the cold snap across the Mid-Atlantic has put data centers and power bills in the spotlight, especially given that PJM Interconnection is already operating in a very tight grid environment. Even as residents in Mid-Atlantic states increasingly push back against data centers while watching

Suicide Bomb Rocks Pakistan's Capital, Over 30 Dead & 169 Wounded Via The Cradle At least 31 people were killed and 169 others injured on Friday when a suicide bomber struck a Shia mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad during Friday prayers, Pakistani officials said, in one of the capital’s deadliest attacks in over a decade. The blast happened in the Khadija al-Kubra Imambargah mosque in the outskirts of Islamabad, with police saying the attacker had been stopped at the mosque gate before opening fire and setting off explosives among worshipers, according to officials cited by Reuters. EPA/Shutterstock Footage and images from the site showed bodies

"Tough Choices": Grant Cardone Puts Private Jet Up For Sale During Bitcoin Crash Minutes after Bitcoin plunged below the $70,000 handle on Thursday evening, Grant Cardone of Cardone Capital told followers on X that, with "Bitcoin crashing," he now has to sell his $75 million private jet. "Bitcoin is crashing so I have to say bye to the love of my life. Tough choices," Grant Cardone posted around 7:32 p.m. ET, minutes after Bitcoin slipped to around $69,000. Hours later, in Asian trading, it crashed further to about $60,033 (has since recovered to $70,000 by EOD Friday). Cardone continued, "2024 Bombardier Global 7500,

China Bans Stablecoin Issuance By Foreign And Domestic Companies Submitted by Cointelegraph, The People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the country’s central bank, and seven Chinese regulatory agencies published a joint statement on Friday banning the unapproved issuance of Renminbi-pegged stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). The ban applies to both domestic and foreign stablecoin and tokenized RWA issuers, according to the statement, which was also signed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and China’s Securities Regulatory Commission. A translation of the announcement said: > “Stablecoins pegged to fiat currencies perform some of the functions of fiat currencies in disguise during circulation and

Bessent Says Iranian Leaders Wiring Money Out Of Country 'Like Crazy' Lest anyone still entertain the idea that Washington conducts military interventions abroad for the sake of "democracy" or because it "stands with the people" or for "human rights" - we bring you Thursday's testimony of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent before the Senate Banking Committee... > U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Iran: > > We created a dollar shortage in the country. It came to a swift conclusion. > > I would say the culmination came in December, when one of the largest banks in Iran went under after a bank run. The

Why DeSantis Believes AI Needs Tight Regulation Now Authored by Nanette Holt & Natasha Holt via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), As Florida lawmakers debate legislation in the state’s capital, Gov. Ron DeSantis is making an all-out push to a finish line. The 47-year-old Republican is in the last year of his second four-year term as governor, making him ineligible to run again. So he’s spending his political capital as he runs “through the tape,” he told The Epoch Times during an interview at the Florida Governor’s Mansion. He’s hoping for this prize—for lawmakers to pass his proposed AI Bill of Rights. He said it’s

Rashida Tlaib's Terror Ties Under Scrutiny In New Watchdog Report A damning new report from ISGAP Action has thrust Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) back into the spotlight, this time with allegations that extend beyond rhetoric and directly involve national security.  U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib outside the Capitol Building in Washington DC. on Oct. 18, 2023.Celal Gunes / Anadolu via Getty Images The nonpartisan group released findings that detail what it describes as a disturbing and recurring pattern of connections between the “Squad” member and individuals and organizations tied to designated terrorist groups, including Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.  “As

Don Lemon Brands JD Vance "Vile Human Being" And Fake Christian Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Don Lemon, still reeling from his arrest on federal civil rights charges for disrupting a worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, has turned his ire on Vice President JD Vance.  Lemon labeled Vance a “vile human being” for refusing to apologize over a reposted tweet, while insisting HE is the real Christian. This latest outburst comes amid Lemon’s ongoing legal troubles, where prosecutors accuse him of conspiring to interfere with religious freedoms under the FACE Act.  > Don Lemon calls out JD Vance: “This is a vile

Soaring Trucker Rejection Rates Suggest "Epic Year" For Drivers Trucking advocacy group American Truckers United set the narrative late last year that the Trump administration's crackdown on fraudulent, non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses that flooded US highways during the Biden-Harris regime era - linked to deadly crashes nationwide and the collapse in spot rates for mom-and-pop American truckers - was finally set to end and begin transitioning into industry tailwinds in 2026. The note was penned on Dec. 27 and titled "Trump's Highway Enforcement Lays Groundwork For U.S. Trucking Revival." ATU pointed out that the Trump administration's purging of illegal alien truck drivers

Las Vegas Neighborhood Rocked By Suspected Illegal Biolab Authored by Allan Stein via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), LAS VEGAS—Every morning, Raul Contreras rides his mountain bike along the quiet streets of northeast Las Vegas, passing tidy stucco homes and lawns that reflect a good quality of life. Illustration by The Epoch Times, Allan Stein/The Epoch Times, FBI, LVMPD via AP, Screenshots via The Epoch Times, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police To him, the area is a hidden gem, far from urban crime and congestion. Families thrive, kids play and go to school safely, and neighbors look out for each other. He had no idea that

Special pods at Chester zoo helped conservationists breed and release more than 100,000 greater Bermuda snails A button-sized snail once feared extinct in its Bermudian home is thriving again after conservationists bred and released more than 100,000 of the molluscs. The greater Bermuda snail (Poecilozonites bermudensis) was found in the fossil record but believed to have vanished from the North Atlantic archipelago, until a remnant population was discovered in a damp and overgrown alleyway in Hamilton, the island capital, in 2014. Continue reading...

Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was detained on drug charges in 2014 before Canada-China ties nosedived in 2018 China has overturned the death sentence of Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian official said on Friday, in a possible sign of a diplomatic thaw as prime minister Mark Carney seeks to boost trade ties with Beijing. Schellenberg’s lawyer Zhang Dongshuo, reached in Beijing on Saturday, confirmed the decision was announced on Friday by China’s highest court. Continue reading...

Initial announcement sparked fury from US cattle ranchers as economists say change will have little impact on prices Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation to hike the US’s low-tariff imports of Argentinian beef, though economists have said the attempt to lower costs for US consumers will likely have little impact on prices. A White House official said in October that Trump would make such a move, evoking fury from the nation’s cattle ranchers. Continue reading...

Founding of diplomatic outposts in Nuuk comes after US made efforts to secure control of Arctic island * Opposition to US has hardened in western Europe after Greenland threat, poll finds Canada and France are to open diplomatic consulates in the capital of Greenland on Friday, showing support for their Nato ally Denmark and the Arctic island after US efforts to secure control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory. Canada’s foreign minister, Anita Anand, was travelling to Nuuk to inaugurate the consulate, which officials say also could help boost cooperation on issues such as the climate crisis and Inuit rights. She was joined

Miguel Díaz‑Canel says Cuba is willing to engage Washington amid the island’s deepening economic crisis After months of threats from Donald Trump, the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has said that his government is willing to talk to the United States, just so long as it is “without pressure”. Standing in front of a life-sized photograph of Fidel Castro carrying a rifle during the 1959 revolution, Díaz-Canel, the 65-year-old president, said on Thursday that his island nation had been subject to an “intense media campaigns of slander, hatred and psychological warfare”. Continue reading...

Residents of New Zealand capital advised not to enter the water, collect seafood or walk their dogs on local beaches after wastewater plant failure A sewage leak in New Zealand’s capital Wellington has been described by local authorities as an “environmental disaster,” with repairs to the city’s wastewater treatment plant expected to take months. Residents of Wellington have been advised not to enter the water, collect seafood or even walk their dogs on local beaches. Continue reading...

Dozens of people have died, including two Australians, as record-breaking snowfall blankets the north Dozens of people have died in Japan after record-breaking snowfall blanketed northern regions of the country, while officials warned that warmer temperatures could trigger a new wave of accidents. Authorities said 35 people had died in snow-related incidents across Japan since 20 January, with almost 400 injured, 126 of them seriously. Most of the deaths were among people who fell while trying to clear snow from their roofs or around their homes. Continue reading...

The country’s first female PM is the object of a personality cult revolving around everything from her outfits and snacks to her favourite pink pen Just eight months ago, Japan’s ruling party appeared to have reached the edge of the electoral abyss. It had lost a parliamentary majority for the second time in 15 months; its MPs were implicated in a long-running slush fund scandal; the then prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, was the target of factional plotting. But as voters prepare to brave freezing temperatures in this Sunday’s lower house elections, the Liberal Democratic party (LDP) is expected to pull off a

Taiwanese president says ties with Washington ‘rock solid’, hours after leaders of US and China share first call since November In their first call since November, Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned US president Donald Trump to be “prudent” about supplying arms to Taiwan, according to a readout of their call provided by China’s foreign ministry. “President Xi emphasised that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” the readout said. “China must safeguard its own sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will never allow Taiwan to be separated. The US must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with

Industry bigger than all but seven world economies, and accounts for more than third of China’s economic growth China’s clean energy industries drove more than 90% of the country’s investment growth last year, making the sectors bigger than all but seven of the world’s economies, a new analysis has shown. For the second time in three years, the report showed the manufacture, installation and export of batteries, electric cars, solar, wind and related technologies accounted for more than a third of China’s economic growth. Continue reading...

Cyclone was expected to become a category-three system before it hit the Pilbara coast on Sunday * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A tropical cyclone off northern Western Australia is expected to intensify into a severe category three system. Cyclone Mitchell was offshore of Port Hedland and moving south-west towards the coast off Karratha late Saturday morning. Continue reading...

YouTuber Sur Ronster issued with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving in relation to the bridge ride-out * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast New South Wales police have fined an American social media personality and issued two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving after a swarm of ebike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in peak-hour traffic on Tuesday. A group of about 40 people riding ebikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The group then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket. Continue reading...

Thirteen state and federal NSW MPs appeal to police to allow planned march protesting against the visit * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The NSW government has invoked special powers ahead of the Israeli president’s visit next week with the premier, Chris Minns, warning would-be protesters that police will not allow “conflict on Sydney streets”. But 13 state and federal NSW MPs have written to the police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, appealing for him to work with protest organisers to facilitate a planned assembly and march from Town Hall to state parliament. Continue reading...

They offer independence, reduce emissions and congestion. But they are also endangering lives * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast After the Sydney Harbour Bridge was swarmed by 40 or so ebikes and e-motorcycles on Wednesday, the Australian government said the country faced a “real emergency”. “[Illegal ebikes] are a total menace on the road,” the health minister, Mark Butler, said on Friday. Continue reading...

Single-engine Cessna crashed into water at Long Bay near Goolwa South on Friday afternoon * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Three people have died after a light plane crashed into the ocean near Goolwa South in South Australia on Friday. Police responded to reports of the small plane crashing into the water at Long Bay about 4.20pm, with emergency services responding to the area immediately. Continue reading...

Irish politicians condemn use of Shannon airport by private jet en route to Israel, owned by Trump donor Gil Dezer * Revealed: Private jet owned by Trump friend used by ICE to deport Palestinians to West Bank Politicians in Ireland have said the use of an airport in County Clare by planes deporting Palestinians from the US to Israel is “reprehensible”. A private jet owned by the Donald Trump donor Gil Dezer was chartered by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for two separate flights that took detainees to Israel, a Guardian investigation revealed this week. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says Trump administration has proposed to host next round of trilateral talks in US Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the US has given Ukraine and Russia yet another deadline to reach a peace settlement, and is now proposing the war should end by June. The Ukrainian president also told reporters that both sides had been invited to further talks next week. Zelenskyy said the Trump administration “will probably put pressure” on Ukraine and Russia to end the war by the beginning of the summer. “They say they want to get everything done by June,” he said. “They will do everything to

NFU warn it could take years to restore Brexit losses despite efforts to smooth negotiations on farming and other elements of UK-EU reset Exports of British farm products to the EU have dropped almost 40% in the five years since Brexit, highlighting the trade barriers caused by the UK’s divorce from the EU in 2020. Analysis of HMRC data by the National Farmers’ Union shows the decline in sales of everything from British beef to cheddar cheese has dropped by 37.4% in the five years since 2019, the last full year before Brexit. Continue reading...

Tests on both versions of Saint Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata were unable to detect brushstrokes of 15th-century master An analysis of two paintings in museums in the US and Italy by the 15th-century Flemish artist Jan van Eyck has raised a profound question: what if neither were by Van Eyck? Saint Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata, the name given to near-identical unsigned paintings hanging in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Royal Museums of Turin, represent two of the small number of surviving works by one of western art’s greatest masters, revered for his naturalistic portraits and religious

Capture of rogue ship could open a new front against Moscow at a time when Russia’s oil revenues are tumbling The UK is threatening to seize a Russia-linked shadow fleet tanker in an escalatory move that could lead to the opening up of a new front against Moscow at a time when the country’s oil revenues are tumbling. British defence sources confirmed that military options to capture a rogue ship had been identified in discussions involving Nato allies – though a month has gone by since the US-led seizure of a Russian tanker in the Atlantic. Continue reading...

Reporters say relatives in Iran have been questioned and persecuted in an effort to curb coverage of unrest Exiled Iranian journalists working for the BBC have been warned their movements are being closely monitored by the state, as they said their families in Iran were being interrogated and persecuted for their reporting. Journalists said family members had been threatened with arrest and the seizure of their assets unless their loved ones stopped reporting on Iranian unrest. Continue reading...

Donald Trump says another meeting set for next week while warning of ‘very steep’ consequences if Tehran doesn’t make a deal Indirect talks between Iran and the US on the future of Iran’s nuclear programme ended on Friday with a broad agreement to maintain a diplomatic path, possibly with further talks in the coming days, according to statements from Iran and the Omani hosts. The relieved Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, described the eight hours of meetings as a “good start” conducted in a good atmosphere. He added that the continuance of talks depended on consultations in Washington and Tehran, but said

Zubayar al-Bakoush is suspected in Libya attack resulting in deaths of US ambassador and three other Americans The US attorney general, Pam Bondi, announced on Friday the arrest of a “key participant” in the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack that killed four US government officials, including the US ambassador to Libya, J Christopher Stevens. Bondi said the suspect, Zubayar al-Bakoush, was taken into US custody at 3am ET on Friday. “We will prosecute this alleged terrorist to the fullest extent of the law. He’ll face charges related to murder, terrorism, arson, among others,” Bondi told reporters at a press conference at the Department

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here It is the first time the US and Iran have sat down for face-to-face negotiations since June last year, when Israel launched attacks on Iran that sparked a war marked by tit-for-tat airstrikes, with the US also joining the fray. It effectively ended the US-Iran talks that were held in the weeks prior to the conflict aimed at reaching a nuclear peace agreement. More recently, Donald Trump has been threatening to strike Iran for more than a month and just last week warned that an “armada” of US warships

Emails appear to show Mountbatten-Windsor attempting to introduce Epstein to UAE crown prince via foreign affairs minister Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor vouched for Jeffrey Epstein during a UK state visit to the United Arab Emirates with Queen Elizabeth II in 2010, according to newly released emails. The email was sent from “The Duke” to Epstein on 24 November of that year, with the subject listed as “Abdullah” – an apparent reference to the UAE foreign affairs minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Continue reading...

The case in Bangladesh, where Nipah cases are reported almost every year, follows two Nipah virus cases identified in neighbouring India The World Health Organization said on Friday that a woman had died in northern Bangladesh in January after contracting the deadly Nipah virus infection. The case in Bangladesh, where Nipah cases are reported almost every year, follows two Nipah virus cases identified in neighbouring India, which has already prompted stepped-up airport screenings across Asia. Continue reading...

Police investigating whether blast that injured at least 169 at Friday prayers in Islamabad was suicide attack An explosion has ripped through a Shia mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and injuring at least 169 others, according to officials. Police said they were investigating whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. There were fears the death toll from the blast at the Khadija al-Kubra mosque in Islamabad could rise as some of the injured were reported to be in a critical condition. Television footage and social media images showed police and residents

Officials say calm restored to province day after dozens killed in suicide and gun attacks in at least 10 cities Pakistan’s security forces have intensified their operations against separatist militants in Balochistan province who launched a large-scale assault on Saturday in which at least 31 civilians and 17 security personnel were killed. A day after the militants carried out suicide attacks in the heart of the province’s capital, Quetta, the chief minister of the south-western region, Sarfraz Bugti, said 145 people he described as militants had been killed in 40 hours and that their bodies were in the custody of the authorities. Continue

Five years after the junta’s coup, the civil war devastating Myanmar has reached a turning point. The military is carrying out large-scale counter-offensives across the country to reclaim territory seized by pro-democracy rebels of various ethnic and religious backgrounds In Tanintharyi, the southernmost region of Myanmar, the local resistance has managed to contain the military. After five years of guerrilla warfare, the revolutionary youth there remain determined to restore democracy through armed struggle. A long, narrow stretch of land at the southern tip of Myanmar, between the Andaman Sea to the west and Thailand to the east, Tanintharyi region is one of

* Concern raised over politicisation of sport * Bangladesh pulled out of men’s World T20 after row Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the men’s T20 World Cup could have implications for India’s 2036 Olympic bid amid concern at the International Olympic Committee over the potential politicisation of sport. Bangladesh pulled out of next month’s tournament last weekend after the International Cricket Council declined a request to move their group matches from India to the co-hosts Sri Lanka, after a long-running political row triggered by Kolkata Knight Riders’ decision to remove the Bangladeshi bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their Indian Premier League squad. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Site takes a cut of subscriptions to content that promotes far-right ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism The global publishing platform Substack is generating revenue from newsletters that promote virulent Nazi ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism, a Guardian investigation has found. The platform, which says it has about 50 million users worldwide, allows members of the public to self-publish articles and charge for premium content. Substack takes about 10% of the revenue the newsletters make. About 5 million people pay for access to newsletters on its platform. Continue reading...

Proceedings briefly halted after audio from The Rest Is History broadcast over the courtroom speakers As the highest court in the UK, the supreme court is usually the forum for proceedings of the utmost gravity. But last week, one hearing was momentarily interrupted by an unlikely and comic intervention. As one legal professional addressed the bench, the voice of Tom Holland, host of the popular podcast the Rest is History, boomed out through the court’s microphone system, delivering a satirical impersonation of the late US president Jimmy Carter. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed Amid mounting speculation that Keir Starmer could quit over the Mandelson scandal, Gordon Brown has described the prime minister as a “man of integrity” but said he faced a “serious” challenge to remain in his role. Police officers probing accusations relating to Peter Mandelson’s links with Jeffrey Epstein have concluded their search of two properties connected to the Labour peer in London and Wiltshire. Met police said its investigation “will take some time” and that “a significant amount of further evidence gathering and analysis” was needed. The Liberal Democrats have urged the Financial Conduct Authority to immediately investigate

Exclusive: Disclosures show figures cited by council leader rested on unfunded ideas listed briefly in budget papers Reform UK’s flagship council has been accused of telling a “blatant lie” after its claim of nearly £40m in savings on net zero was found to be based on hypothetical projects for which there was no documentation. Kent county council, which has a £2.5bn annual budget, is one of 10 where Nigel Farage’s party has outright control and is seen as a test case for whether the insurgent party can govern competently. Continue reading...

UK reduces funding by a third despite pledges to tackle hunger, with critics warning the move will cost lives * UK politics live – latest updates Keir Starmer has been accused of hypocrisy after cutting funding to the UN World Food Programme by a third while pledging to tackle “suffering and starvation”. The reduction in UK funding to the World Food Programme (WFP) from $610m (£448m) in 2024 to $435m last year is part of a wider hit on aid spending that campaigners say is putting lives at risk. Continue reading...

Whistleblower says that Tulsi Gabbard blocked agency from sharing report and delivered it to White House chief of staff Last spring, the National Security Agency (NSA) detected evidence of an unusual phone call between an individual associated with foreign intelligence and a person close to Donald Trump, according to a whistleblower’s attorney briefed on the existence of the call. The highly sensitive communique, which has roiled Washington over the past week, was brought to the attention of the director of national intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard – but rather than allowing NSA officials to distribute the information further, she took a paper copy

New Anthropic campaign suggests other AI platforms will incorporate targeted ads in their chatbot conversations The Seahawks and the Patriots aren’t the only ones gearing up for a fight. AI rivals Anthropic and OpenAI have launched a war of ads trying to court corporate America during one of the biggest entertainment nights of the year. Continue reading...

President reportedly wanted Dulles airport and Penn Station to be renamed after him in exchange for continued funding A federal judge has reversed a freeze put on funds by Donald Trump for $16bn in enhanced rail links connecting New York and New Jersey amid reports that the US president wants major travel landmarks named after him in return for continued investment. The Gateway Project will build a new commuter rail tunnel between Manhattan and New Jersey under the Hudson River on the western side of New York City and repair a century-old tunnel used by more than 200,000 travelers and 425 trains

Move will hit Michigan, Illinois, New York and other states with highest levels of lead drinking water pipes the hardest There is outrage among some politicians and activists after the US Congress voted to slash $125m for replacing toxic lead drinking water pipes that are particularly a threat to children. The move will hit Michigan, Illinois, Texas, New York and other states with the highest levels of lead pipes the hardest. The cut was part of a broader government funding bill and particularly controversial in the context of the fight over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding. Continue reading...

The documents confirm what many have long assumed: elites live by their own special rules and codes of immunity The millions of Jeffrey Epstein files dumped last Friday by the US Department of Justice will provide journalists, conspiracy theorists and interested members of the public with months of reading. And what they will read is enraging. What makes these files so infuriating, however, is not just Epstein’s horrific predatory behavior, which is well-known, but the more mundane examples of elite conduct that the documents continue to expose. They vividly illustrate a world whose existence many everyday people, whether fevered with visions of

A “massive attack” by Russian forces on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has caused power outages across the country, the state grid operator said on Saturday. Russia has pressed on with its invasion of Ukraine in recent days despite the two countries holding US-brokered talks to end the nearly four year long war. Ukrainian officials have accused Moscow of deliberately targeting energy infrastructure, causing outages that have left hundreds of thousands of people without lighting or heating in...

The Pentagon is cutting ties with Harvard University, ending all military training, fellowships and certificate programmes with the Ivy League institution. Friday’s announcement marks the latest development in the Trump administration’s prolonged stand-off with Harvard over the White House’s demands for reforms at the Ivy League school. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement on Friday that Harvard “no longer meets the needs of the War Department or the military services”. “For too...

A Colorado funeral home owner who stashed 189 decomposing bodies in a building over four years and gave grieving families fake ashes was sentenced to 40 years in state prison on Friday. During the sentencing hearing, family members told Judge Eric Bentley they have had recurring nightmares about decomposing flesh and maggots since learning what happened to their loved ones. They called defendant Jon Hallford a “monster” and “vile”, and had urged the judge to give him the maximum sentence of 50...

The US stock market roared back on Friday, as technology stocks recovered much of their losses from earlier in the week and bitcoin halted its plunge, at least for now. The S&P 500 rallied 2 per cent for its best day since May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,206 points, or 2.5 per cent, and topped the 50,000 level for the first time, while the Nasdaq composite leaped 2.2 per cent. Chip companies helped drive the widespread rally, and Nvidia jumped 7.8 per cent to trim its loss for the...

Across Europe, demand for Chinese goods is soaring as consumers seek quality products at a lower cost. Some goods – particularly electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels – have been shipped from China at a large enough scale that the continent’s lawmakers have begun taking action against an “overcapacity” they feel could throttle domestic industries. But in one European country where multi-day blackouts are commonplace, buyers are rushing to secure a piece of that excess supply, desperate...

For the India-China-US triangle, the new US-India trade deal, announced with Trumpian flourish on social media on Monday, has potentially significant economic, geopolitical and strategic implications. US President Donald Trump’s post, which came after a phone call with Narendra Modi, said the Indian prime minister had committed to “BUY AMERICAN”, including over US$500 billion of US products. It also said Modi had “agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and...

Canada and France, which both oppose US President Donald Trump’s claim to Greenland, opened consulates in the Danish autonomous territory’s capital on Friday, in a show of support for the local government. Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has insisted that Washington needs to control the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island for security reasons. Trump last month backed off threats to seize Greenland after saying he had struck a “framework” deal with Nato chief Mark Rutte to...

West Wing and Field of Dreams actor Timothy Busfield has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child, a New Mexico prosecutor announced on Friday. The allegations are tied to Busfield’s work as a director on the set of the television series The Cleaning Lady in recent years. Busfield has denied the allegations, initially filed in court by police, and a defence lawyer on Friday said he would “fight these charges at every stage”. Bernalillo County District...

The US has arrested a person suspected of ‍playing a central role in the 2012 attack on its consulate in Benghazi, Libya, Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday. Bondi said Zubayar al-Bakoush has been ⁠extradited to the United States and will face murder, arson and terrorism-related charges. Four US personnel were killed in the September 11, 2012, incident, which was initially thought to be a spontaneous reaction to protests ‍but was later identified as a deliberate attack carried out by...

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit said on Friday she “deeply regretted” her friendship with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the embarrassment it has caused the royal family. A commoner who married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, Mette-Marit’s name appears in new Epstein documents released a week ago by the US Justice Department. The documents revealed an unexpectedly close friendship between the two and raised questions in Norway about whether Mette-Marit can become queen. “I deeply...

Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman over Tehran’s nuclear programme on Friday, months after America bombed Iran’s uranium enrichment sites and just weeks following nationwide protests that convulsed the Islamic Republic. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the talks as “a very good start” even as the parties met Oman’s top diplomat at different times at a palace on the outskirts of the country’s capital, Muscat. Both Araghchi and the Omanis described the talks...

Nasa astronauts venturing deeper in space than any human has travelled will be able to document and share images from the landmark moon mission next month using Nasa-provided Apple iPhones. Crews undertaking a lunar fly-by as part of the Artemis programme, and a preceding International Space Station mission in February, will fly with “the latest smartphones”, Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a social media post. “We are giving our crews the tools to capture special moments for their...

While China emerges as an unmistakable superpower, “Great” Britain or the “United” Kingdom increasingly sounds like self-mockery. Much of the UK outside London is threatening to descend into developing-world status. There have been at least a dozen instances of English councils declaring bankruptcy since 2018, while one in four could be insolvent by 2027. Diplomatically, it turns out the American cousin across the Atlantic thinks nothing of the so-called special relationship, as London...

US President Donald Trump condemned but did not apologise for a video on his social media account depicting Democratic former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes, a post that triggered swift, bipartisan criticism for dehumanising people of African descent. The White House first defended the racist post on Friday, then deleted it 12 hours after it appeared. The minute-long video shared on Trump’s Truth Social network late on Thursday amplified false claims that his 2020...

German companies are turning towards investments in China as they lose confidence in the United States over President Donald Trump’s policies, but they still see obstacles in the world’s second-largest economy, according to an executive at a German chamber of commerce. That landscape would form the backdrop of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s planned visit to China later this month, said Oliver Oehms, executive director and board member of the German Chamber of Commerce in North China. Merz...

A deputy chief of Russian military intelligence was shot and wounded in Moscow on Friday in an attack that follows a series of assassinations of senior military officers that Russia blamed on Ukraine. Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev was shot several times by an unidentified assailant at a residential building in Moscow’s northwest and rushed to hospital, Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement. Petrenko did not say who could be behind the attack on...

The US government on Thursday announced an additional US$6 million in aid for Cuba as the island’s crisis deepens and tensions escalate between the two countries, with Cuba’s president accusing the US of an “energy blockade”. The aid was largely meant for those living in Cuba’s eastern region, which Hurricane Melissa slammed into late last year. The supplies include rice, beans, pasta, cans of tuna and solar lamps that will be delivered by the Catholic Church and Caritas, said US Department of...

First, the jihadists sent a letter saying they were coming to the village to preach, said Nigerian chief Umar Bio Salihu. When no one attended, they went on a rampage, killing people and torching houses, he said. Salihu is the traditional chief of Woro, a small, Muslim-majority village in west-central Nigeria where alleged jihadist gunmen are reported to have perpetrated a massacre late Tuesday. Details were still emerging from the attack, but it was one of the country’s deadliest in recent...

Keir Starmer never met Jeffrey Epstein. But the British prime minister’s job is under threat because of the fallout from the late sex offender’s global web of relationships. Friendship with Epstein has already brought down a British royal – Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew – and UK ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson, fired by Starmer over his links to the financier. Now, new revelations have plunged Starmer’s centre-left government into turmoil. The prime...

The US military said on Thursday that it carried out another deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. US Southern Command said on social media that the boat “was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations”. It said the strike killed two people. A video linked to the post showed a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames. The strike was announced just hours after...

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. USS Abraham Lincoln is in the Arabian Sea. So is a Chinese vessel A Chinese research vessel has been operating in Middle Eastern waters close to a US aircraft carrier, according to ship-tracking data, at a time of heightened American...

Combine three wary nations, deep historical mistrust, rapid technological change, the most destructive weapons ever developed and a US unwilling to extend Thursday’s last formal nuclear weapons guardrail, and you have the ingredients for much worse geopolitical tension, if not a slide towards global disaster, warn nuclear weapons negotiators, analysts and former government officials. While Moscow has offered to formally extend its New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New Start) with the US for...

Iran’s state-run Press TV ‌said on Thursday that “one ‍of the country’s most advanced long-range ballistic missile Khorramshahr 4” ⁠has been deployed at one of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace underground missile cities. The Khorramshahr 4 has a ‍range of 2,000km (1,240 miles) and is ‌capable of carrying a 1,500kg warhead, it added. Tehran has also announced a significant change in its military policy following the 12-day war with Israel last June, moving to a first-strike from a previously...

China’s trade with some South American nations is accelerating after the opening of Peru’s Chancay port, underscoring Beijing's push to secure resources and bolster industrial supply chains under the Belt and Road Initiative, analysts said. The surge in two-way trade builds on years of Chinese investment and comes as the United States seeks to roll back Beijing’s influence in the region under a strategy US President Donald Trump has called the “Donroe” doctrine – invoking a 19th-century policy...

‌Greek defence authorities have arrested a member ‍of the Greek defence forces accused of leaking “secret information” to “third parties”, the Greek National Defence General Staff (GEETHA) said ⁠on Thursday. Two months ago, Greece’s intelligence service received a tip-off from a Western national security agency that “highly sensitive” information was leaked to China by ‍a member of the country’s military, sources close ‍to the investigation added. The man, a member of the Greek Air Force in ‌the...

Investigators in Arizona presume the kidnapped elderly mother of popular US television news host Savannah Guthrie is “still out there” and alive four days after she was abducted from her home, though no suspect ‍has been identified, authorities said on Thursday. Police and FBI officials said they had intensified their search for Nancy Guthrie, 84, calling in extra personnel and special forensic analysts, even as the first of two deadlines set in a ransom note came and went early Thursday...

Europe’s political and business elite arrived at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year with nerves already frayed after a bruising first year of US President Donald Trump’s second term. That period was defined by the imposition of a protectionist tariff strategy to gain economic and geopolitical leverage, an often combative approach to the war in Ukraine and renewed doubts over Nato security guarantees. In the run-up to Davos, the White House threatened eight European countries – including...

Pizza Hut plans to close 250 US restaurants in the first half of this year as its parent company considers a sale of the chain. Yum! Brands said on Wednesday it is targeting underperforming Pizza Hut restaurants in its system. Pizza Hut has more than 6,000 locations in the US. The Louisville, Kentucky-based company said in November it was conducting a formal review of options for Pizza Hut, which has struggled with outdated restaurants and growing competition. The chain’s US same-store sales, or...

The last 89 Christians held captive since criminal gangs attacked three churches in northern Nigeria in mid-January were released on Thursday, following a spate of mass kidnappings in the country. The worshippers, dressed in yellow and including children, arrived on a bus escorted by security forces, and were received by the governor of Kaduna state, Uba Sani, who said 183 people were initially abducted. They were snatched from three churches during Sunday services on January 18, in the Kurmin...

US President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled a self-branded “TrumpRx” website allowing consumers to buy discounted drugs such as weight-loss and infertility treatments directly from companies. The move is part of Trump’s drive to tackle voter anger over the cost of living ahead of midterm elections in November, in which his Republicans risk losing control of Congress. “Starting tonight, dozens of the most commonly used prescription drugs will be available at dramatic discounts for all...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit the White House on March 19, President Donald Trump said on Thursday, praising the Asian country’s first female leader ahead of weekend snap elections she is expected to win. Takaichi “has already proven to be a strong, powerful, and wise Leader, and one that truly loves her Country”, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social as he announced her visit next month. The United States and Japan have been working to strike a “very substantial” deal on...

A Russian captain was on Thursday jailed for six years over the death of a crew member lost at sea when his cargo ship hit an anchored oil tanker in the North Sea. Vladimir Motin, 59, had been on sole watch duty when his ship, the Solong, crashed into the Stena Immaculate anchored just off the coast of Yorkshire, northeastern England, last March. The collision triggered a huge fire and a major rescue operation. Motin was an “accident waiting to happen”, judge Andrew Baker said as he sentenced...

Two Chinese nationals suspected of trying to intercept satellite communications from ‌a base in an Airbnb rental property in southwestern France have been placed ‍under formal investigation, the Paris public prosecutor’s office said on Thursday. Police were first alerted last week when locals noticed that a roughly two-metre (6.6-foot) wide satellite dish being installed at the property in Gironde, which coincided with an internet outage, the office ⁠said. The two Chinese nationals, and two...

Bitcoin plunged on Thursday, its decline accelerating amid weakening risk sentiment driven in part by volatility in precious ‍metals and a broad sell-off in tech shares. The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell to a low of US$66,675.12, its weakest since October 2024, a month before Republican Donald Trump won the US presidential election, having signalled his intention to support cryptocurrency on the campaign trail. It was last down 6.5 per cent at US$67,817. In total, the global digital market...

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, battling for his political future, apologised on Thursday to victims of Jeffrey Epstein for appointing disgraced Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. Starmer issued the wide-ranging apology after being dogged for days by the decision, following fresh allegations about Mandelson’s cosy ties to late sex offender Epstein which emerged in newly released files last Friday. The latest crisis to hit Starmer’s struggling government has left many doubting his judgment and...

US President Donald Trump’s trip to Europe to speak at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss alpine town of Davos was possibly one he wished he had never made; such was its failure to impress. First, his plane had to turn back due to a technical problem. Second, he gave a typically hostile speech, but then he lived up to his nickname “Taco” (Trump always chickens out) over threats to invade Greenland that would have imperilled about a third of global trade. Third, he said disingenuously that if...

Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed Iran in wide-ranging calls with both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, as the US president steps up pressure on the Islamic Republic following the bloody quashing of anti-government protests. The US president said on social media that the “excellent” phone call with Xi covered topics including Iran, the Chinese purchase of US oil and gas, and Taiwan. Earlier, Xi and Putin “checked their approaches” on Iran, Venezuela and Cuba among other...

As the bodies of two dozen Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes arrived at hospitals in Gaza on Wednesday, the director of one asked a question that has echoed across the war-ravaged territory for months. “Where is the ceasefire? Where are the mediators?” Shifa Hospital’s Mohamed Abu Selmiya wrote on Facebook. At least 556 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since a US-brokered truce came into effect in October, including 24 on Wednesday and 30 on Saturday, according to Gaza’s...

Call it divine intervention, or maybe just a hasty fix-it job to put an end to days of speculation and scandal. But the end result is that the Angel Meloni is no more. A painting of a cherub with a face bearing a remarkable resemblance to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had attracted large crowds to the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, one of the oldest basilicas in Rome. That angel’s face was gone when the church opened its doors on Wednesday: the cherub’s body remains, but the face was...

Luuk van Middelaar is the director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, a think tank he co-founded in 2022. A political theorist and historian by trade, he has written several books and was in the cabinet of the first European Council president, Herman Van Rompuy. Van Middelaar is widely read and cited across Europe for his analysis of the EU’s political evolution, with his books translated into many languages and awarded major European literary prizes. He writes regularly for leading...

Nearly 200 people have been ‍killed by armed men in separate attacks in remote villages in central and northern Nigeria, a local lawmaker, residents and police said on Wednesday, as security forces searched for survivors and chased the attackers. In central Kwara state, gunmen attacked the Woro community on Tuesday leaving at least 170 ⁠people dead, the lawmaker for the area, Saidu Baba Ahmed, said by phone. It was the deadliest assault recorded this year in the district bordering Niger state,...

Nude photos. The names and faces of sexual abuse victims. Bank account and Social Security numbers in full view. All of these things appeared in the mountain of documents released Friday by the US Justice Department as part of its effort to comply with a law requiring it to open its investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein. That law was intended to preserve important privacy protections for Epstein’s victims. Their names were supposed to have been blacked out in documents. Their faces and bodies...

NBC Today show host Savannah Guthrie sent a public message to her 84-year-old mother’s kidnapper on Wednesday saying that her family was ready to talk but wants proof that she is alive. Guthrie said in a recorded video posted on social media that her family has heard media reports about a ransom letter for Nancy Guthrie, who authorities believe was taken from her home in Arizona against her will. “We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,”...

China has criticised the European Commission’s anti-subsidy probe into Chinese wind turbine maker Goldwind Science & Technology as “targeted” and “discriminatory”, warning that such measures would undermine Chinese companies’ confidence in the European market and disrupt the bloc’s green transition. “The European side’s related investigations have generalised the concept of ‘foreign subsidies’ and have many problems, such as insufficient evidence for opening cases and a lack of procedural...

Countries having cautious reliance on China while maintaining constructive engagement is essential to the future of globalisation in a world where trade is increasingly used as a weapon, according to Canada’s former deputy prime minister. “In a world where the weaponisation of trade is real, we need to be thoughtful about where we’re building economic dependencies,” Chrystia Freeland told the Peterson Institute for International Economics during a discussion about the securitisation of trade and...

Drug syndicates have used .50-caliber ammunition, produced at a plant owned by the U.S. Army and then smuggled across the border, in attacks on Mexican civilians and police.

The 41-year-old American aims to complete her comeback by racing in the women’s Olympic downhill on Sunday despite rupturing her left A.C.L. a week ago.

From Prince’s giant symbol to Kendrick Lamar’s streetlamps, the set production designer Bruce Rodgers “makes the impossible possible.”

Here is our critic’s survey of this year’s Super Bowl commercials, from best to worst to A.I.

A warming Arctic can stretch the polar vortex, a high-altitude air ribbon, one says. The “wobble” can disrupt the jet stream, causing extreme cold in the East.

Cold-weary New Yorkers will get hit by another blast of frigid weather. Here’s what to expect, and what the city is doing to protect the vulnerable.

From joining an F.B.I. search of an election center to allegedly suppressing a whistleblower complaint, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, is eroding the independence of our intelligence community, argues Times Opinion’s editor, Kathleen Kingsbury.

The president shows, once again, that he shouldn’t be anywhere near the Oval.

Behind the scenes at the Westminster Dog Show, the entrants were affectionate. Or at least they acted like it.

The former speaker, a prodigious fund-raiser and shrewd campaign strategist, seldom intervenes in primaries but has made an exception for a Kennedy before.

Iran is skilled at prolonging negotiations over its nuclear program, and seems to be hoping President Trump is out for a quick win, rather than a prolonged regional war.

Nithya Raman, who has been compared to Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York, presents a significant challenge to the incumbent, Mayor Karen Bass.

Pakistan has made headway against the Islamic State and other militants, but a bloody suicide attack showed how fragile its progress has been.