World
ZeroHedge
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UK Gov't Promises More Social Media "Restrictions"
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
UK Gov't Promises More Social Media "Restrictions" Authored by Kit Knightly via OffGuardian.org, While embattled PM Sir Keir Starmer takes a pointless grilling on the even more pointless existence of Peter Mandelson, other members of his cabinet were busily paving the way for the next construction phase of our increasingly dystopian society. Speaking to Sky News earlier today, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson promised… > “more action to keep young people safe online, including around social media”. Which is delightfully vague. Education Minister Olivia Bailey kept her cards similarly close to her chest, whilst trying to sound forceful: > “It is a question of how we act, not if, but to
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This Is What Europeans Are Most Proud Of
2 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
This Is What Europeans Are Most Proud Of What people take pride in says a lot about how they see their country. Across Europe, those sources range from culture and history to political systems and personal freedoms. But in some countries, a notable share of people say they feel little pride at all. This visualization via Visual Capitalist, by The European Correspondent, based on Pew Research Center data, breaks down the top three sources of national pride in each country surveyed. TOP SOURCES OF NATIONAL PRIDE, BY COUNTRY Here’s a closer look at the top three sources of national pride cited by adults in each country: Culture dominates in
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Berlin And Hamburg Spend At Least €4 Billion On Housing Asylum Seekers Since 2022
2 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Berlin And Hamburg Spend At Least €4 Billion On Housing Asylum Seekers Since 2022 Via Remix News, Two German cities, Berlin and Hamburg, have spent at least €4 billion to house migrants since 2022, with the cost of hotels proving to be especially high. In Hamburg, the cost to house asylum seekers alone has amounted to €597 million. In 2025 alone, the costs of hotel accommodation and meals for asylum seekers in Hamburg was €160 million, which does not include security and administrative costs. However, that is just for hotels. It costs Hamburg approximately €1 billion per year when other accommodations are factored in,
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Senate Rejects Resolution To Bar Trump From Attacking Cuba
5 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Senate Rejects Resolution To Bar Trump From Attacking Cuba The US Senate batted down a resolution on Tuesday that would bar President Trump from being able to attack Cuba without first obtaining Congressional approval. The U.S. Capitol building in Washington on April 22, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times After Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) invoked the 1973 War Powers Act to force the Senate vote on Tuesday (undoubtedly knowing it would fail) - citing the recent US combat operations in Venezuela and Iran, and Trump's March comments that "Cuba's next" - Senators voted 51-47 against advancing it to a
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US May Deploy Hypersonic Missiles Against Iran As Centcom Set To Brief Trump On New Military Options
6 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
US May Deploy Hypersonic Missiles Against Iran As Centcom Set To Brief Trump On New Military Options US Central Command has asked to send the Army’s long-delayed Dark Eagle hypersonic missile to the Middle East for possible use against Iran, seeking a longer-range system to hit ballistic-missile launchers deep inside the country Bloomberg reports. If approved, this would mark the first time the US will have deployed its hypersonic missile, which is running far behind schedule and hasn’t been declared fully operational even as Russia and China have deployed their own versions. And since Trump isn't shy when it comes demonstrating force,
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Ex-Mossad Chief Stuns By Saying Settler Violence An 'Existential Threat' To State Of Israel
6 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Ex-Mossad Chief Stuns By Saying Settler Violence An 'Existential Threat' To State Of Israel Via Middle East Eye A former head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency has said that settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank reminds him of the Holocaust. Tamir Pardo, who served as director of Mossad from 2011 to 2016, made the remarks in an interview with Channel 13 while touring Palestinian villages affected by ongoing settler attacks, alongside former Israeli army officials. "My mother was a Holocaust survivor, and what I saw reminded me of the events that happened against Jews in the last century," he said. "What I saw today made me
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Private Sector Struggles In Major Chinese Industrial Base As Export Orders Shrink: Local Businessmen
7 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Private Sector Struggles In Major Chinese Industrial Base As Export Orders Shrink: Local Businessmen Authored by Alex Wu via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Amid China’s persistently sluggish economy, Zhejiang Province, a major production and industrial base in eastern China, is seeing a decline in trade orders as private enterprises struggle to stay afloat, according to industry professionals who spoke with The Epoch Times. Workers load goods for export into a container at a logistics hub in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, China, on April 29, 2025. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images As the “hollowing out” of the private sector economy in mainland China intensifies, profit margins for
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Governor Powell
7 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Governor Powell By Philip Marey, senior US strategist at Rabobank Summary * As widely expected, the FOMC remained on hold. Governor Miran dissented again because he wanted a rate cut. * However, there were also three dissenters (Hammack, Kashkari and Logan) who wanted to remove the bias toward cutting from the statement. * On balance, Powell said that the center of the Committee was moving toward a more neutral place in thinking about cuts versus hikes. * Powell announced that this was his last press conference as Chair, but he would stay on as a Governor until he thinks it’s appropriate to
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Canadian Education Minister Says Parents Have No Rights Over Their Children
7 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Canadian Education Minister Says Parents Have No Rights Over Their Children Canada is losing its collective mind. During a recent debate in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, Education Minister Brendan Maguire (Progressive Conservative MLA for Halifax Atlantic) responded angrily to concerns about school policies on gender transitioning (without parental notification in many cases) and provincial funding for gender-related medical interventions for minors. His argument? Parental rights are not a factor and, essentially, do not exist in the eyes of the Canadian government. The debate was sparked by concerns raised by another MLA about provincial funding for gender-reassignment surgeries for minors, school policies on
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Iran War Cost $25 Billion in First 2 Months, Pentagon Says
8 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Iran War Cost $25 Billion in First 2 Months, Pentagon Says Authored by Ryan Morgan via The Epoch Times, Combat operations against Iran have cost the U.S. military about $25 billion in two months, a top Pentagon accounting official told House Armed Services Committee members on April 29. The Wednesday hearing marked the first time Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine have testified publicly to Congress since U.S. and Israeli forces commenced attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged fire for about five and a half weeks before the
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Iran Announces Fuel Rationing As Brent Sets New War Highs, After Trump Rejects Tehran's Latest Offer
8 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Iran Announces Fuel Rationing As Brent Sets New War Highs, After Trump Rejects Tehran's Latest Offer SUMMARY * Brent crude reaches $120/barrel - new Iran war high, and highest since June 2022. Simultanously, Iran's currency has collapsed to a record low, plunging to 1.8 million rial per dollar - also amid mass layoffs in various Iranian sectors. * CENTCOM reportedly preparing for "short wave of strikes" on Iran in order to potentially break the Hormuz impasse & force Tehran back to the negotiating table. Trump rejects Iran proposal as it won't give up nuclear program. * Trump recently met this week with oil and
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"We Can't Move Forward": Brookfield-Backed Compass Abandons Virginia Data Center Project
8 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
"We Can't Move Forward": Brookfield-Backed Compass Abandons Virginia Data Center Project Compass Datacenters is abandoning a massive data center project in Northern Virginia after what Bloomberg described as "intense pushback from local residents." The retreat comes as local opposition to data center buildouts accelerates nationwide, with residents increasingly furious over surging power demand, soaring electricity bills, land-use battles, and transmission lines cutting through neighborhoods and farmland. We were the first to describe the epicenter of the data center buildout revolt in the Mid-Atlantic area, all the way back in the summer of 2024. This is happening as the AI infrastructure boom collides with
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China Loses Monopoly Over The Rarest Of Rare Earths
9 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
China Loses Monopoly Over The Rarest Of Rare Earths With less than three weeks to go the Trump-Xi summit in China, the scramble for leverage and superiority - whether in terms of the Iran war or the just as important supply chain of rare earths - is on. That explains why the Pentagon’s push to get its hands on the rarest of the rare-earth elements leads all the way to this small port city in Malaysia. As the WSJ reports, Australia's Lynas Rare Earths has begun pumping out heavy rare earths, the elusive kind that China dominates. “No one had made a separated
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Billionaire Tim Draper: You Should Be Scared If You Don't Own Bitcoin
9 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Billionaire Tim Draper: You Should Be Scared If You Don't Own Bitcoin Authored by Micah Zimmerman via Bitcoin Magazine, Speaking on the Nakamoto Stage, Tim Draper told attendees that bitcoin has entered the financial mainstream and that governments now roll out “the red carpet” for the industry. He said the community is “starting to feel like something is happening” as adoption grows, and he cast that shift as the early phase of a larger transition in the money system. In his view, people will move in stages: first from dollars to stablecoins, then from stablecoins to bitcoin as the final store of value
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KPMG Ends U.S. Gov't Audit Business After Losing Army Contract
10 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
KPMG Ends U.S. Gov't Audit Business After Losing Army Contract KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms, is winding down its federal government audit business after losing a $64 million-a-year U.S. Army audit contract, a major setback as the Department of War under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth moves to bring in another accounting firm. According to the Financial Times, the Army's shift to a new auditor comes as pressure intensifies on Hegseth to gain control of the DoW's finances after nearly a decade of failed independent audits. The DoW, which oversees an annual budget of roughly $840 billion, has not passed an
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Japan's Largest Airport Deploys Humanoid Robots For Baggage, Cargo
10 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Japan's Largest Airport Deploys Humanoid Robots For Baggage, Cargo Authored by Jijo Malayil via Interesting Engineering, Humanoid robots will soon assist ground crews in Tokyo as Japan Airlines launches a trial to address growing labor shortages. Starting in May, the Chinese-made machines will assist with moving baggage and cargo on the tarmac at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, working alongside human handlers. The initiative, run with GMO Internet Group, comes as Japan faces rising tourism and a shrinking workforce. The trial will continue through 2028, with hopes of easing workloads and paving the way for permanent deployment. Last month, researchers in Tokyo developed a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
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Barclays Maintains Bullish Stance On Nuclear
10 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Barclays Maintains Bullish Stance On Nuclear Barclays is out with a report on nuclear and how the industry is progressing from conviction to construction. The report highlights year-to-date regulatory developments, demand and execution signals and market pricing across the industry. Last year, Barclays argued three core points regarding nuclear energy: * A nuclear renaissance is underway driven by energy security, decarbonization, and AI power demand * The nuclear fuel cycle is likely to be an upstream bottleneck that requires reshoring * As the theme matures, practical hurdles will take center stage, such as speed to power, labor, permitting, and unit economics Given the
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The Day The Memecoin Dies
11 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
The Day The Memecoin Dies Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance I opened Twitter this morning and saw a photo of a group of guys, lanyards swinging, hoodies zipped, shuffling off to a “memecoin conference.” Which is to say we have reached the point in the batshit insanity cycle where people are boarding planes and booking hotels to celebrate coins that started as jokes about dogs. Pause and really sit with that. Memecoins are not businesses. They are not technologies in any meaningful sense. They produce nothing, fix nothing, and generate exactly zero in revenue unless you count the transfer of money from the last
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Putin Presents Victory Day Truce In Ukraine During 90-Minute Trump Call
11 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Putin Presents Victory Day Truce In Ukraine During 90-Minute Trump Call With things in the Persian Gulf and the Iran War 'stuck'... it's apparently time to pivot back to that other 'stuck' war, in Ukraine. President Trump on Wednesday spoke over the phone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, with the call reportedly lasting an impressive 1.5+ hours, and the talk centered on finding ways forward both with the Iran and Ukraine conflicts. The most important item to emerge was that Putin reportedly proposed declaring a ceasefire in Ukraine on May 9, which is Russia's 'Victory Day' in World War II, and Trump
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Meta Plunges After Boosting Capex Outlook Again On "Higher Component Pricing"
11 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Meta Plunges After Boosting Capex Outlook Again On "Higher Component Pricing" The last of the giga-caps to report today, the increasingly more misnamed Meta Platforms, had some good news to report for the just completed Q1. It also had bad news, and judging by the plunge in the stock price, the market is focusing on the latter. First, the good news: the company reported revenue and EPS both of which beat estimates, and guided Q2 revenues which came in roughly in line with estimates. Here is the breakdown. * EPS $10.44 vs. $6.43 y/y, and beating estimates of $6.66; one note: the
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Iranian Currency Hits All-Time Low As Tehran Threatens 'Unprecedented' Response To US 'Maritime Piracy'
11 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Iranian Currency Hits All-Time Low As Tehran Threatens 'Unprecedented' Response To US 'Maritime Piracy' Via The Cradle Iran’s currency plummeted to a record low on Wednesday, dropping to 1.8 million against the dollar following the brutal US-Israeli war, coinciding with uncertainty over the fragile truce and rising energy prices worldwide. The currency began a sharp descent two days ago after several weeks of artificial stability. During the initial weeks of the US-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic – which broke out on February 28 – the rial remained relatively steady, largely due to a total halt in imports and minimal market trading. Image source: WANA Hundreds of textile
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Is This A Sign That The Schumer Era Is Coming To An End?
12 hours ago
by Notypist
Is This A Sign That The Schumer Era Is Coming To An End? Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spent months cultivating what appeared to be a solid roster of Democratic recruits for 2026. He cleared the field in Ohio, North Carolina, and Alaska — all states where flipping the seats would be a major victory for the Democrats and potentially hand them a majority in the upper chamber in a year with an otherwise brutal map for their party. But in the races that may ultimately define Democratic fortunes this November, Schumer's preferred candidates are losing — badly — and the people
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Amazon Drops After AWS Growth Misses Whisper Estimates As Capex Soars
12 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Amazon Drops After AWS Growth Misses Whisper Estimates As Capex Soars In our preview of Amazon's earnings, we summarized sentiment as "Bullish, But Concerns Remain" with JPM noting that client "conversations were heavily AWS-skewed with investor focus on degree of acceleration and cloud $ re-capture driven by core workloads, AI, & new partnerships. Still, some concerns remain on broader AI positioning/strategy, Trainium traction, & gap to Azure/Google Cloud growth. Strong Stores execution expected, with N. America margin expansion. But higher fuel costs raise questions on consumer demand & operating margins." They also warned that if everyone expects big AWS growth and has
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Alphabet Surges After-Hours On Record Search Queries, Backlog Builds
12 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Alphabet Surges After-Hours On Record Search Queries, Backlog Builds Google shares are rallying after hours as parent Alphabet's first-quarter earnings report showed strong revenue growth in cloud computing and internet search ads, helping investors look past slowing profits amid huge AI spend. * Earnings per share were $5.11, well ahead of Wall Street's consensus estimate of $2.63, and up from $2.81 last year. * Revenue for the quarter reached $110 billion, more than expectations of $107 billion, and up 22% on the year. The most closely watched line in Google's reporting is its cloud unit which will spend up to $185 billion
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MSFT Dumps As CapEx Disappoints, Despite Top- & Bottom-Line Beat
12 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
MSFT Dumps As CapEx Disappoints, Despite Top- & Bottom-Line Beat Heading into the "biggest earnings day ever", MSFT was near the bottom of the Mag7 group, down 22% from its 52-week high, with capacity constraints hampering growth and CapEx concerns weighing down the stock. Microsoft has guided to roughly $80 billion in AI data center spending this fiscal year, and the Street wants to know if that money is actually getting deployed. The headline results were solid and prompted initial gains in MSFT after hours as it beat top- and bottom-line: * *MICROSOFT 3Q REV. $82.89B, EST. $81.46B * *MICROSOFT 3Q EPS $4.27,
The Guardian
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South Africa deports Mugabe’s son for unrelated offences after employee shot at family home
18 hours ago
by Rachel Savage in Johannesburg
Robert Mugabe, South Africa, Zimbabwe, World news, AfricaBellarmine Chatunga Mugabe also fined after pleading guilty to immigration and firearms-related offences Two months after an employee was shot in the back at the Mugabe family home in a wealthy suburb of Johannesburg, a South African court has fined and ordered the deportation of Robert Mugabe’s youngest son over two unrelated charges. Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, 28, and his cousin Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze, 33, were initially both charged with attempted murder after the incident on 19 February. Continue reading...
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‘It will never cover what’s authentic’: African music industry weighs up AI risks and rewards
19 hours ago
by Eromo Egbejule in Praia
Cape Verde, Music industry, Music, AI (artificial intelligence), Africa, World news, CultureDelegates at event in Cape Verde highlight opportunities from tech while stressing AI is no replacement for talent Last July, the Nigerian singer-songwriter Fave found herself caught up in a viral moment: an unauthorised version of a track by her featuring an AI choir had been released, quickly becoming an internet sensation. To get ahead of the situation, she recorded her own remix that integrated the AI-assisted song and added it to her discography. “In my view, [that] was smart and very business aware,” Oyinkansola Fawehinmi, a Lagos-based entertainment lawyer, observed a few months later. “She essentially reclaimed the ‘AI version’ and
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Calls for humanitarian corridor through strait of Hormuz as Iran war hits vital aid
a day ago
by Rebecca Root
Global development, Aid, Food security, Global health, Humanitarian response, Strait of Hormuz, US-Israel war on Iran, Middle East and north Africa, Iran, India, Dubai, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Bangladesh, Africa, South and central Asia, World newsSoaring oil prices and the blockade are preventing food, fuel and medicine being delivered to millions of people in desperate need, say NGOs The volatility of global oil prices caused by the US and Israel’s war on Iran is taking a toll on the most vulnerable people, by slowing or blocking food and medical aid from reaching them. Now aid organisations are calling for a “humanitarian corridor” to be opened through the strait of Hormuz amid rocketing transportation costs. Continue reading...
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Russia claims its Africa Corps group prevented coup in Mali after rebels seize towns
2 days ago
by Eromo Egbejule West Africa correspondent and Pjotr Sauer
Mali, Al-Qaida, Russia, AfricaKremlin-controlled paramilitaries also alleged it inflicted ‘irreplaceable losses’ on insurgents avoiding civilian casualties Russia’s defence ministry has claimed its Africa Corps – the successor to the former Wagner mercenary group – prevented a coup in Mali over the weekend, avoiding mass civilian casualties and inflicting “irreplaceable losses” on rebel insurgents. It said in a statement that its troops in the desert town of Kidal near the Algerian border had fought for more than 24 hours while completely surrounded and vastly outnumbered. It also alleged, without providing evidence, that the militants had been trained by European mercenary instructors, including Ukrainians. The casualty toll
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Fears of resurgence in Somali piracy after three vessels hijacked in a week
2 days ago
by Mohamed Gabobe in Mogadishu and Rachel Savage
Somalia, Piracy at sea, Shipping industry, Middle East and north Africa, Strait of Hormuz, Africa, World news, BusinessPirates appear to be taking advantage of international naval strength being diverted to Middle East Three vessels have been hijacked off the coast of Somalia in the past week, raising fears of a resurgence in piracy around the Horn of Africa, and adding to the woes of the global shipping industry. The merchant vessel Sward was taken over on 26 April, a day after a dhow was seized. These followed the 21 April hijacking of Honour 25, a motor tanker carrying 18,000 barrels of oil, according to the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO), the tracking service of the EU’s naval force. Continue
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US charges Sinaloa governor and other Mexican officials with drug trafficking offences
8 hours ago
by Thomas Graham in Tijuana
Mexico, Americas, Claudia Sheinbaum, US newsIndictment accuses high-level officials in Sinaloa of offences such as drug trafficking, weapons offences and kidnapping The US justice department has charged the governor of Sinaloa and nine other current and former officials for alleged ties to the Sinaloa cartel, accusing them of aiding in the massive importation of illicit narcotics into the United States . Some officials were members of Mexico’s progressive ruling party, Morena, posing a political conundrum for Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum as she seeks to offset mounting pressures from the Trump administration. Continue reading...
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US supreme court conservatives seem to favor ending TPS for Haitians and Syrians
14 hours ago
by José Olivares and agency
US supreme court, US immigration, Haiti, Syria, US news, Trump administration, US politics, World news, AmericasNine justices were hearing Trump administration that it has authority to strip immigrants’ temporary protected status The US supreme court heard oral arguments on Wednesday over whether the Trump administration can strip the temporary protected status (TPS) of hundreds of thousands of immigrant Haitians and Syrians, under a program that has shielded them from deportation owing to safety concerns in their countries of origin. During the arguments, justices in the conservative-leaning majority appeared sympathetic to the Trump administration’s attempts to strip humanitarian protections for the Syrians and Haitians in this case. Continue reading...
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Thousands of US hockey fans sing Canadian anthem amid tensions between neighbor countries
17 hours ago
by Leyland Cecco in Toronto
Canada, Ice hockey, Americas, Sport, New York, US news, US sportsFans in Buffalo, only a few miles from Ontario, filled the silence when a microphone cut out at the start of a match The Electric City. Nickel City. Queen City. City of No Illusions. Buffalo, New York, has accrued many nicknames over the years but, in an age of growing tensions between two traditional allies, one among them has taken on extra resonance: the City of Good Neighbors. Continue reading...
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‘Total peace’ or ‘all-out war’? Colombian voters face stark choice as rebel attacks surge
19 hours ago
by Harriet Barber in Medellín and Tiago Rogero in Rio de Janeiro
Colombia, Americas, World newsAs the country prepares to elect a new president, a fierce debate is raging on how to end the decades-long armed conflict for good The landmark 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the largest insurgent army in Latin America succeeded in some ways: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) agreed to lay down their weapons, and the violence that had racked the country was substantially reduced. But the deal alone could not end the decades-long armed conflict for good. Subsequent administrations slow-walked the implementation of the settlement, which was rejected by Farc dissidents and other rebel factions. Continue reading...
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Families sue OpenAI over failure to report Canada mass shooter’s behavior on ChatGPT
19 hours ago
by Dara Kerr and Abené Clayton
OpenAI, Technology, Canada, Americas, US news, Tumbler Ridge school shooting, World newsNew lawsuits allege employees urged company to notify authorities months before deadly Tumbler Ridge attack Families of seven victims of a mass shooting at a secondary school in British Columbia are suing OpenAI and the company’s CEO for negligence after it failed to alert authorities to the shooter’s troubling conversations with ChatGPT. The lawsuits, filed on Wednesday in a federal court in San Francisco, allege that the violent intentions of the shooter, identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, were well-known to OpenAI. Employees at the company flagged the shooter’s account eight months before the attack and determined that it posed “a credible
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Christchurch gunman fails in bid to appeal against guilty pleas in New Zealand court
6 hours ago
by Eva Corlett in Wellington
Christchurch shooting, New Zealand, Asia Pacific, World news, ChristchurchAustralian white supremacist who murdered 51 Muslims said poor mental health made him admit to crimes The Australian white supremacist who murdered 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch in 2019 has been prevented from appealing against his guilty pleas, after one of New Zealand’s highest courts said his bid was “utterly devoid of merit”. Brenton Tarrant, who is responsible for the worst mass shooting in New Zealand’s history, asked the court of appeal in February to allow him to appeal against his guilty pleas, claiming harsh prison conditions had affected his mental health and compelled him to admit to the
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Student’s alleged jailing in China over Australian pro-democracy protests sparks calls for inquiry
8 hours ago
by Wing Kuang
Australian universities, Australia news, China, Asia Pacific, Australian education, ProtestHuman rights commissioner says alleged jailing highlights the ‘growing risks of transnational repression’ in Australia * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia’s human rights commissioner has said the Chinese student who was allegedly jailed for six years by Chinese authorities for joining protests in Sydney underscores the “very real and growing risks of transnational repression affecting people in Australia – including international students”. Commissioner Lorraine Finlay told Guardian Australia that while she could not comment on the circumstances of individual cases “no one should fear punishment
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More private health records of UK Biobank volunteers appear on Chinese website
20 hours ago
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
Data protection, China, UK news, Alibaba, Patrick Vallance, House of Lords, Politics, Ian Murray, Asia Pacific, Technology, World newsPatrick Vallance says government working with Chinese officials to remove postings from Alibaba after Biobank data breach last week There have been further listings of confidential health records of UK volunteers on the Chinese website Alibaba since the breach reported last week, and the government is braced for further leaks, the science minister has said. Addressing a House of Lords debate on the attempted sale of data belonging to 500,000 UK Biobank volunteers, Patrick Vallance said the government had worked with Chinese officials to remove additional postings on the online marketplace. Continue reading...
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Kim praises North Korean soldiers who blew themselves up to evade Ukraine capture
21 hours ago
by Luke Harding in Dnipro and agencies
North Korea, Kim Jong-un, Ukraine, Russia, Asia Pacific, Europe, World newsLeader mentions for first time lengths to which troops go to avoid falling into enemy hands while fighting for Russia Kim Jong-un has praised North Korean soldiers who blew themselves up with grenades in order to avoid capture while fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s western Kursk region, confirming the existence of the extreme battlefield policy. Mounting evidence, including from intelligence reports and testimonies of defectors, has indicated North Korean soldiers are explicitly told to resort to self-detonation or other forms of suicide to avoid falling into enemy hands. Continue reading...
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Anthony Albanese rules out gas export tax on existing contracts and criticises ‘populist’ campaign
a day ago
by Dan Jervis-Bardy, Josh Butler, Krishani Dhanji and Lisa Cox
Energy, Anthony Albanese, Australia news, Gas, Environment, Fossil fuels, Tax, Australian budget 2026, Asia Pacific, Australian economy, BusinessPrime minister says the middle of a global fuel crisis is ‘the worst possible time to jeopardise’ Australia’s partnerships with Asian trading partners * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese has confirmed next month’s federal budget will not include a new tax on existing gas export contracts as he criticised the “populist” campaign calling for a levy on producers. As reported last week, the prime minister was poised to reject pressure to introduce a 25% tax on gas exports amid concerns the
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Australia news live: mother says she ‘misses and loves’ daughter after NT girl’s body found as Nampijinpa Price grieves ‘devastating’ loss
an hour ago
by Luca Ittimani (now) and Nick Visser (earlier)
Australia news, Australian politics, Australian economy, Business, Health, Australian education, Australian immigration and asylum, Australian foreign policy, Labor party, Energy, Coalition, Liberal party, Sydney, New South Wales, Cost-of-living crisis, Interest rates, Jim Chalmers, Penny Wong, Anthony Albanese, Woolworths, Bondi beach terror attack, Royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesionFollow today’s news live * Warning: This article contains references to Indigenous Australians who have died * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Chalmers understands calls for gas export tax, but says government focused on getting fuel for Australians Chalmers said he understands calls to tax gas exports, but maintained the government was set on securing international supply arrangements during the ongoing fuel crisis. He told ABC News: I understand that there is a constituency in the Australian community to go further … But there are also, as the prime minister said, really good reasons to prioritise these
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Trump administration urges countries to help citizens stuck in Syria as Australia maintains hardline stance
an hour ago
by Nino Bucci, Ben Doherty and Associated Press
Australian foreign policy, Islamic State, Australia news, Trump administration, Syria, Anthony Albanese, Australian immigration and asylumSyrian officials say a group of Australians are ‘awaiting a solution’ as Albanese government refuses to repatriate them The Trump administration says it is in “active communication” with countries, urging them to repatriate citizens stranded in Syria, while the Australian government maintains its hardline stance towards Australian women and children detained since the fall of Islamic State. A group of four women, their nine children and grandchildren left al-Roj camp, in Syria’s north-east, last Friday in a bid to return to Australia, with reports on Thursday morning that the Albanese government’s refusal to help them has left them stuck in Damascus. Continue reading...
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‘Outrageous’: Rebel Wilson denies she was behind Snapchat leak of actor’s nude photo, court hears
an hour ago
by Australian Associated Press
Sydney, Rebel Wilson, Australia news, Celebrity, Culture, New South Wales, FilmThe Pitch Perfect star is being sued for defamation by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actor of Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Hollywood star Rebel Wilson has slammed as “outrageous” an accusation she directed a cyber attack on her co-star’s social media account that led to a nude photo leak. The Pitch Perfect star is being sued for defamation by Charlotte MacInnes, the 27-year-old lead actor of the musical comedy The Deb, which is Wilson’s directorial debut. In Australia, support is available
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Bondi royal commission: report calls for better policing of Jewish festivals after ‘high’ terror risk flagged for Hanukah event
6 hours ago
by Ben Doherty, Josh Butler and Nino Bucci
Royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion, Bondi beach terror attack, Australian security and counter-terrorism, Australian politics, Australian police and policing, Antisemitism, Australia news, Sydney, Gun control, Australian lawInterim report contains 14 recommendations, after inquiry examined agencies’ actions before the attack in which 15 people were killed * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Sydney’s Jewish community told police of a “high” threat of an attack at December’s Chanukah by the Sea festival at Bondi beach, but New South Wales police appeared not to have completed a comprehensive risk assessment for the event, an interim royal commission report has found. The interim report of the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion, established in the
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Massive profits already earned by property investors to be shielded from Chalmers’ CGT changes
7 hours ago
by Patrick Commins
Jim Chalmers, Labor party, Economics, Australia news, Tax, Australian politicsTreasurer tells Commonwealth Bank podcast that he aims to ‘recognise the decisions that people have taken in the past’ * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Massive paper profits earned over recent years by property investors will be shielded from Labor’s changes to the CGT discount, after Jim Chalmers said any new tax rules would “recognise the decisions that people have taken in the past”. The treasurer is widely expected to modify the 50% tax discount on profits from the sale of assets held for more than
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‘Nightmare’ queues and missed flights: readers report turbulent start to EU entry-exit system
3 hours ago
by Alfie Packham and Nicola Slawson
Airline industry, Travel & leisure, Travel, European Union holidays, Europe, European Union, Air transport, World news, Business, Consumer affairsSome travellers spent hours in lines at airport, with kiosks not working, little seating and few staff on hand to help Some travellers passing through the new EU entry-exit system (EES) have faced huge delays at border checks, with some waiting for up to three hours, airports say. The new rules have gradually been introduced in Europe since October 2025, and came into effect on Friday in the Schengen countries – 25 of the EU’s 27 states plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Continue reading...
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Trump threatens to reduce troop numbers in Germany amid growing row with Nato allies
9 hours ago
by Jonathan Yerushalmy
Germany, Friedrich Merz, Nato, Trump administration, Donald Trump, US foreign policy, EuropeUS president’s threat comes after Germany’s Friedrich Merz suggests Trump team is being outplayed in its negotiations with Iran The US may reduce its number of troops deployed in Germany, Donald Trump has announced, days after the country’s chancellor said America was being “humiliated” by Iran. In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president said his administration was “studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time”. Continue reading...
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Raise tax on alcohol and junk food to cut deaths from liver disease, experts say
10 hours ago
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor
Health, Alcohol, Food & drink industry, Europe, Ultra-processed foodsReport calls for tough action to combat ‘escalating and unsustainable burden’ of liver-related problems in Europe Governments in Europe should impose much higher taxes on alcohol and unhealthy food to tackle the continent’s 284,000 deaths a year from liver disease, experts say. Taxes on those products should rise sharply enough for the money raised to cover the huge costs they place on health services, the criminal justice system and social services. Continue reading...
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Knee surgery for cartilage damage does not benefit patients, study suggests
11 hours ago
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
Medical research, Osteoarthritis, Health, Finland, Europe, Science, Society, World newsPeople with meniscus tears who underwent surgery had poorer knee function and worse osteoarthritis after 10 years than those who did not A common knee surgery for cartilage damage does not benefit patients and may lead to worse outcomes, a 10-year trial suggests. The study tracked outcomes for patients treated for a meniscus tear, who were given a partial meniscectomy, one of the most common orthopaedic surgeries. Their trajectories were compared with patients who had randomly been assigned to receive “sham surgery”, in which no procedure was carried out. Continue reading...
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Ukraine asks Israel to seize vessel it claims is carrying grain stolen by Russia
15 hours ago
by Pjotr Sauer
Ukraine, Europe, Russia, IsraelAccusation vessel contains grain looted from Russian-occupied territories triggers diplomatic spat between both nations Ukraine has asked Israel to seize a vessel it claims is carrying grain looted from Russian-occupied territories, triggering a rare diplomatic spat between the two countries. The dispute spilt into public view this week when president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that “another vessel” carrying grain “stolen by Russia” had arrived at a port in Israel and was preparing to unload. Continue reading...
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Oil price tops $120 a barrel after Trump warns Iran blockade could last ‘months’
2 hours ago
by Mark Saunokonoko
Global economy, US-Israel war on Iran, Iran, Oil, Trump administration, Strait of Hormuz, Business, Commodities, Middle East and north Africa, US news, US politics, World news, EconomicsOil markets spooked as US president appears willing to maintain US Navy blockade and Iran keeps strait of Hormuz all but shut The price of Brent oil soared above $126 a barrel on Wednesday, its highest level since 2022, after Donald Trump warned the US blockade of Iranian ports could last months and peace talks remained stalled. Surging more than 13% in 24 hours, Brent crude hit a record price since the war began on 28 February. Not since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has Brent topped $120, with the price then peaking at $139. Continue reading...
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Syrian commission prepares war crimes case against notorious Assad official
2 hours ago
by Melvyn Ingleby in Istanbul and William Christou in Beirut
Syria, War crimes, Bashar al-Assad, Middle East and north Africa, World newsFadi Saqr is accused of mass killings of civilians in Tadamon, Damascus, where people say he must face justice A Syrian rights commission is preparing a case accusing Fadi Saqr, a militia leader within the Assad regime, of involvement in crimes against humanity and war crimes, a senior Syrian official has told the Guardian. Saqr is a former commander of the National Defence Forces (NDF) militia and is widely accused of involvement in the mass killing and forcible disappearance of civilians in the Tadamon neighbourhood of Damascus, as well as other parts of the Syrian capital. Continue reading...
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Family of ailing Iranian Nobel laureate say keeping her in jail is a death sentence
15 hours ago
by Deepa Parent
Iran, Nobel peace prize, Middle East and north Africa, World news, Human rights, PrisonsNarges Mohammadi denied medical leave from prison in spite of sharp decline in health and drastic weight loss, say lawyers The family of the jailed Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi say they fear for her life after a sharp deterioration in her health, suspected heart attack and drop in body weight of almost 20kg (44lb). The 54-year-old human rights activist, who was awarded the 2023 Nobel peace prize while in prison, had been released for health reasons in 2024. She was re-arrested in December 2025 during the memorial service of a fellow human rights activist and is being held in Zanjan central
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King Charles agrees with me on Iran nuclear weapon ban, claims Trump
a day ago
by Guardian staff and agency
Donald Trump, King Charles III, Iran nuclear programme, Nuclear weapons, Monarchy, Iran, US news, UK news, World news, US-Israel war on Iran, Middle East and north AfricaRemarks by US president likely to cause embarrassment for aides of UK monarch, who usually remains neutral * UK politics live – latest updates Donald Trump has claimed King Charles agrees with him that Iran should never be allowed nuclear weapons. Trump made the remarks at a White House state dinner on Tuesday in honour of the visiting Charles and Camilla, after the two men sat down to bilateral talks earlier that day. Continue reading...
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Middle East crisis: Trump hits back at German chancellor after Merz said Iran was ‘humiliating’ US – as it happened
2 days ago
by Lucy Campbell (now); Tom Ambrose and Yohannes Lowe (earlier)
US-Israel war on Iran, Iran, Trump administration, Strait of Hormuz, Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Donald Trump, Middle East and north AfricaUS president claims Friedrich Merz ‘doesn’t know what he’s talking about’ after German leader criticised US strategy in Iran * US is being ‘humiliated’ by Iran’s leadership, says Friedrich Merz * Hezbollah drone strikes target Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon Saudi Arabia is to host a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Jeddah later today, in what will be first in-person meeting of Gulf leaders since their states became dragged into the war. A Gulf official told the Reuters news agency that the meeting aimed to craft a response to the thousands of Iranian missile and drone attacks Gulf states have
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Sri Lanka police arrest 22 Buddhist monks after 110kg of cannabis found in luggage
2 days ago
by Oliver Holmes
Sri Lanka, World news, South and central AsiaCustoms officials say group allegedly hid 5kg of ‘kush’ in false walls of bags on return from Bangkok holiday Twenty-two Buddhist monks are in Sri Lankan police custody after customs officials found 110kg of high-grade cannabis concealed in their luggage, the largest ever drug bust at Colombo’s main international airport. The group, mostly junior monks in training from temples across Sri Lanka, were alleged to have “carried about five kilos of the narcotic concealed within false walls in their luggage”, according to a Sri Lanka customs spokesperson. Continue reading...
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Afghanistan says Pakistani strikes kill seven and wound 85 in first attack since peace talks
2 days ago
by Agencies
Afghanistan, Pakistan, South and central Asia, World newsPakistan officials dismiss Afghan media reports and official statements about strikes on university in Kunar province as ‘blatant lie’ Mortars and missiles fired from Pakistan on Monday struck a university and civilian homes in north-eastern Afghanistan, killing seven people and wounding at least 85, Afghan officials said. Pakistan denied the accusation of targeting a university. Continue reading...
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Trump cancels his envoys’ Pakistan trip for Iran ceasefire negotiations
5 days ago
by Associated Press
US-Israel war on Iran, Trump administration, Iran, Pakistan, Jared Kushner, Donald Trump, US military, US foreign policy, US politics, US news, South and central Asia, Middle East and north Africa, World newsSteve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were to travel to Islamabad to attempt to revive ceasefire negotiations Donald Trump said he has told US envoys not to go to Pakistan for more talks with Iran, shortly after Tehran’s top diplomat left Islamabad late on Saturday. Trump added to Fox News: “They can call us anytime they want.” The White House on Friday said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would travel to Pakistan’s capital to attempt to revive ceasefire negotiations. Continue reading...
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Ice block stalls hundreds of Everest climbers at base camp
6 days ago
by Associated Press
Mount Everest, Nepal, Mountaineering, World news, South and central AsiaOfficials assessing route after serac between base camp and camp one deemed unstable and too risky for climbers A large ice block on the route just above the Mount Everest base camp has forced hundreds of climbers and local guides to delay their attempt to scale the world’s highest peak. The serac between base camp and camp one was unstable and risky for climbers, said Himal Gautam of Nepal’s department of mountaineering on Friday. Continue reading...
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India voices anger after Trump shares comments calling it a ‘hellhole’
6 days ago
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi
India, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Migration, South and central Asia, Trump administration, US foreign policy, Race, US politics, US news, World newsForeign ministry calls remarks of rightwing podcast host shared by Trump ‘uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste’ The Indian government has denounced a social media post shared by Donald Trump that described India as a “hellhole”, calling the comments inappropriate and “in poor taste”. On Wednesday, Trump posted a four-page transcription of remarks made by the conservative podcast host Michael Savage that denounced the US constitutional right to citizenship of everyone born in the country. Continue reading...
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Ministers under pressure to tackle antisemitism after Golders Green terror attack – live updates
an hour ago
by Taz Ali
UK newsThe government has announced £25m to increase security for Jewish communities Morning. The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said she understands the fears faced by the Jewish community in the UK as the government announced extra funding to boost police patrols and protections around synagogues, schools and community centres. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she was pressed on comments made by the chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, that people in the UK who are visibly Jewish are no longer safe, after two Jewish men were stabbed in an attack in Golders Green in north-west London. Continue reading...
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Sounds of hope in Kent as more nightingales join dawn chorus
2 hours ago
by Tomé Morrissy-Swan
Birds, Animals, Environment, Wildlife, UK newsElusive nightingale ‘doing well’ at Northward Hill, Kent, but experts cite concerns around loss of habitat The dawn chorus at RSPB Northward Hill in Kent is a riot of sound: the melodic robin, the two-tone cuckoo, the whitethroat’s scratchy warble. Even the garbling geese and mooing cows from the neighbouring Thames marshes add to the symphony. But in late April one energetic singer hogs the limelight. For a few weeks after arriving from West Africa, the nightingale spends the night – and early morning – in complex song. As it searches for a mate and marks its territory, its song is at
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Revealed: British ad firm’s billion-dollar greenwash of US oil industry
2 hours ago
by TJ Jordan
WPP, Advertising, Oil, Fossil fuels, Energy, BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, Environment, Business, Media, UK newsWPP accused of breaching its climate policy after report reveals firm linked to twice as much oil advertising as US rivals A British advertising conglomerate has helped the oil companies ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and BP spend an estimated $1.5bn (£1.1bn) on adverts in the US since the 2015 Paris agreement to tackle the climate crisis, a report shows. London-based WPP was the leading advertising group serving the US’s oil industry over the past decade, according to analysis by the climate investigations platform DeSmog. The figure is nearly twice the respective amounts linked to its US rivals Omnicom and Interpublic Group (IPG), which
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Rising costs forcing 3m UK households to skip meals, Which? report finds
3 hours ago
by Claudia Efemini
UK cost of living crisis, Poverty, Consumer affairs, Inflation, Food & drink industry, Money, Business, UK news, Society, Economics, Consumer spending, Family finances, Household billsConsumer insight tracker shows 85% are worried about food prices and a majority think the economy will deteriorate Three million UK households are being forced to skip meals as consumers resort to drastic measures to deal with rising costs, according to a Which? report published on Thursday. The conflict in the Middle East and subsequent surge in oil and raw material prices has led to businesses preparing to raise prices, putting more pressure on household finances and hitting consumer confidence. Continue reading...
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BBC responds to interest in Cornish with new language podcast
3 hours ago
by Yassin El-Moudden
Cornwall, UK news, BBC, Media, Podcasting, Digital media, Radio 1, Radio, Culture, Radio industry, Television & radioLearn Cornish launched few months after language given new level of protection Listeners tuning in to the BBC’s latest podcast offering on Friday may find themselves saying dydh da to a language that is enjoying something of a resurgence. The new programme called Learn Cornish will be fronted by the Radio 1 host Danni Diston and includes guests such as the Bafta-winning director Mark Jenkin. Diston, who is from north Cornwall, said that she initially did not know any Cornish “other than small words that I’ve learned growing up and mainly dialect … [but] the idea would be to learn alongside other
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The $13bn World Cup: how the numbers stack up on Fifa’s 2026 balance sheet
an hour ago
by Matt Hughes Global sports business correspondent
World Cup 2026, World Cup, Football, Sport, US news, Football politicsThe earnings from the tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada will make it the most lucrative competition in the history of sport, even if some of the 48 competing countries say they are struggling to make ends meet A World Cup that Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, billed at the draw last December as “the greatest event that humanity has ever seen” will certainly be the most lucrative competition in sporting history. Fifa has spent the last few years upgrading its revenue projections, with the most recent financial report stating that the world governing body will make $13bn (£9.6bn) from the four-year
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US father and daughter admit selling fake Picasso and Banksy works, duping art world
5 hours ago
by Guardian staff and agencies
US crime, Art, US news, New York, PaintingPair apologise in court after being accused of defrauding buyers including some of New York’s most prominent fine art auction houses A father and daughter in New Jersey have pleaded guilty to running a years-long counterfeiting scheme to trick art galleries and auction houses into buying forged paintings of works by prominent artists such as Andy Warhol, Banksy and Pablo Picasso. Federal prosecutors said Erwin Bankowski, 50, and Karolina Bankowska, 26, commissioned an artist in Poland to create at least 200 of the fakes and ultimately defrauded buyers of at least $2m. Continue reading...
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‘A day of loss for our democracy’: civil rights groups slam supreme court ruling that weakens key part of Voting Rights Act – as it happened
6 hours ago
by Robert Mackey, Lucy Campbell, Lauren Gambino and Tom Ambrose
US supreme court, Donald Trump, US news, Trump administration, US voting rights, Pete HegsethThis live blog is now closed. * Sign up for the Breaking News US email * US supreme court ‘demolishes’ key Voting Rights Act provision that prevented racial discrimination The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold interest rates steady on Wednesday after a key policy meeting, likely the last chaired by central bank chief Jerome Powell, a frequent target of president Donald Trump’s ire. Policymakers will weigh the risks of surging energy prices and snarled supply chains due to the US-Israel war on Iran, with analysts widely expecting a third pause in a row as the effects of the conflict
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Brown University shooting suspect driven by ‘accumulation of grievances’, FBI says
7 hours ago
by Uwa Ede-Osifo and agencies
Brown University shooting, US politics, US news, Rhode Island, World news, US universities, FBIClaudio Neves Valente, who killed himself after deadly attack, began planning for violence in 2022, authorities say The gunman behind a deadly shooting at Brown University in December appeared to have been aggrieved by personal failures and sought retribution against those he deemed responsible, federal authorities said on Wednesday. More than four months after Claudio Manuel Neves Valente opened fire on the Ivy League campus, killing two students and injuring nine others, officials with the FBI’s Boston division announced they had concluded a significant portion of their investigation into the shooter. Continue reading...
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Bernie Sanders urges international cooperation to halt AI’s ‘runaway train’
7 hours ago
by Uwa Ede-Osifo
Bernie Sanders, US news, World news, AI (artificial intelligence), Technology, Democrats, RepublicansUS senator holds panel with leading Chinese scientists and warns of risks to society unless new technology is regulated The US senator Bernie Sanders espoused the importance of international cooperation in regulating AI at a Wednesday panel on Capitol Hill alongside two leading Chinese scientists. As startups and tech giants, most prominently in Silicon Valley and Beijing, race to advance and scale their artificial intelligence, Sanders has been among the AI skeptics advocating for safeguards. Continue reading...
South China Morning Post
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Mali turmoil tests Russia’s image as a security guarantor in Africa
3 hours ago
by Reuters
A series of reversals suffered by Mali’s Moscow-backed military government has dented Russia’s image as a self-styled security guarantor in Africa and threatens its strategic and economic interests on the continent. The military junta, which turned to Russia for support after expelling French and UN troops following coups in 2020 and 2021, was rocked at the weekend by an offensive by West Africa’s al-Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated separatist group. Mali’s Russia-trained defence...
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Gruesome details alleged in D4vd case: chainsaws, a paddling pool and corpse in Tesla
6 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
R&B singer D4vd used chainsaws he bought from Amazon to cut up the body of the teenage girl he murdered and left to rot in the trunk of his Tesla, prosecution documents claimed on Wednesday. The internet breakout star killed Celeste Rivas Hernandez because she threatened to reveal their long-standing and illegal sexual relationship, which began when she was just 13, charging papers allege. He then hacked up her corpse, using a plastic paddling pool to contain the blood, and stuffed it into bags...
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Ant International serves 150m merchants, 2b consumers, bets on AI commerce infrastructure
7 hours ago
by Wency Chen
Ant International, the overseas spin-off of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, has connected more than 150 million merchants with over 2 billion consumer accounts around the world, as it positions its payments network as core infrastructure for the emerging AI commerce economy. The figures, disclosed at the company’s MoMents 2026 forum in Kuala Lumpur, which ran from Monday to Wednesday, underscore the scale Ant is seeking to leverage amid the rising adoption of artificial intelligence agents. Ant...
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Trump may cut US troops in Germany after Merz’s ‘humiliating’ Iran comment
9 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States is considering reducing the number of its troops in Germany, amid a row with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war. “The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump said on social media. The United States had more than 35,000 troops in Germany in 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service,...
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UN bloated, costly, but China fears should keep US involved, House committee told
10 hours ago
by Mark Magnier
The United Nations is bloated, costly, badly in need of reform, and too often works against US interests, but pulling out of the international organisation would see China expand its influence and leave Washington at a major disadvantage, according to testimony before a House oversight committee on Wednesday. The hearing came as the administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed an “America first” overhaul of international funding, leaving the UN, over the past 18 months, at what...
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Brown University shooter targeted symbolic victims tied to grievances, FBI says
10 hours ago
by Associated Press
Federal investigators say they believe the man who carried out a mass shooting at Brown University and later killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor did not act randomly. Instead, former Brown student Claudio Neves Valente, 48, appeared to target places and people for what they represented in his own life – institutions and individuals he associated with personal failure, missed opportunity and perceived injustice. In a detailed behavioural assessment released on Wednesday, the...
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From Japan to India, overtourism cries out for new success metrics
11 hours ago
by Divya Singhal,Rebecca Chunghee Kim
Can tourism be considered successful if arrivals increase, but the local communities – the very soul of the destination – feel strained and excluded? Too often, tourism success is measured in arrivals, occupancy and revenue. These numbers matter. But they tell only a fraction of the story. We must ask: who is this success really for? Traditional growth metrics are no longer sufficient to protect the residents who host the world or the workers who power the experience. To prevent cultural...
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UK’s King Charles commemorates 9/11 victims in New York visit
12 hours ago
by Reuters
Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla commemorated victims of the September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attack on New York on Wednesday, laying a floral bouquet at the memorial where the World Trade Centre’s twin towers once stood. The royal visit to lower Manhattan came at a time of tensions between Britain and the US, with President Donald Trump having criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer for what he says is his lack of help in the US and Israel’s war with Iran. Michael Bloomberg, a former New...
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Powell says he’ll stay at Fed as governor when chair term ends, defying Trump
13 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
The extraordinary clash at the Federal Reserve between Jerome Powell and Donald Trump entered new territory on Wednesday when the outgoing US central bank chairman said he would remain on as a governor – and the president lashed him with another insult. Powell said that while his term at the head of the Fed was ending May 15, he would exercise his right to remain on the board “for a period of time to be determined”. Powell appeared concerned about the Fed maintaining its independence in the face...
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Trump hails ‘very good’ Putin call as Iran talks stall and Ukraine war drags on
14 hours ago
by Dewey Sim
US President Donald Trump spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, discussing the wars in Ukraine and Iran even as Washington pressed ahead with its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Trump told reporters as he met with astronauts from the Artemis II mission in the Oval Office that the conversation was “very good” and that the US was “going to come up with a solution relatively quickly” over its ongoing conflict with Iran. “He told me he’d like to be involved with the...
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US Supreme Court curbs race-based voting maps in landmark ruling
14 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
The US Supreme Court on Wednesday sharply limited the use of race in drawing electoral districts, in a decision that could reshape congressional maps nationwide and boost Republican prospects ahead of midterm elections. In a 6-3 ruling split along ideological lines, the conservative-dominated court struck down a map that creates a second majority-black district in Louisiana, finding it amounted to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander despite being drawn to comply with the 1965 Voting Rights...
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Man charged with trying to kill Trump took photo with knife in hotel
15 hours ago
by Associated Press
The man charged with trying to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and kill US President Donald Trump took a picture of himself in his hotel room just minutes earlier, outfitted with an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife, authorities said on Wednesday in a new court filing. Cole Allen wore black pants, a black shirt and a red tie as he snapped the image in his room at the Washington Hilton, where Trump and hundreds of journalists were meeting for a...
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Trump warns US naval blockade against Iran could last months, sending oil soaring
15 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
US President Donald Trump said that a US naval blockade against Iran could last months, leading oil prices to spike to their highest level in more than four years which held into Thursday. With diplomacy between Iran and the United States at a standstill after false starts, Trump spoke by phone Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned him of “damaging consequences” if the United States and Israel resume their war on Iran. Meeting oil executives, Trump contended that the...
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Sweden targets social media giants over ‘murder adverts’ recruiting children
17 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
Sweden’s government said on Wednesday it planned to introduce legislation requiring social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat to take down criminal gangs’ ‘murder adverts’ within an hour or face hefty fines. Criminal gangs active in Sweden increasingly use social media to recruit people to commit murders and other violent acts amid a surge in “crime as a service”. The recruits are often children under the age of 15, Sweden’s age of criminal responsibility, meaning the youngsters cannot be...
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UK police say London stabbing of 2 Jewish men is terrorist incident
18 hours ago
by Associated Press
London police say the stabbing of two Jewish men on Wednesday has been declared a terrorist incident. Metropolitan Police say they are investigating whether the attack specifically targeted the Jewish community. The force says the incident, in the Golders Green area, left two men, aged 34 and 76, hospitalised with knife wounds. A 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Police are investigating whether the stabbings are linked to recent arson attacks on synagogues and...
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Tropical rainforest loss eases after record year, but still ‘11 football fields a minute’
19 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
The pace of tropical forest destruction slowed in 2025 after record losses the year before but remained at worrying levels equivalent to 11 football fields per minute, researchers said Wednesday. The world lost 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of tropical primary rainforest last year, down 36 per cent from 2024, said researchers from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland. “A drop of this scale in a single year is encouraging – it shows what decisive...
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Why China may benefit from the UAE’s Opec withdrawal amid Iran war oil crisis
19 hours ago
by Frank Chen,Mia Nurmamat
China may gain from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) withdrawing from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), benefiting from additional supply as global oil markets face growing strain three months into the US-Israeli war in Iran, analysts said. The UAE – Opec’s third-largest producer, accounting for about 12 per cent of its total output – will formally leave the bloc on May 1. UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei told CNBC that it was the “right time” to exit, adding...
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Sudan’s sexual violence as weapon of war triggers huge mental health crisis: UN
20 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
The widespread use of rape and other sexual violence as a weapon of war in Sudan has spurred a massive mental health crisis, United Nations agencies and local aid groups warned. The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a brutal conflict since April 2023 that has killed tens of thousands and displaced around 11 million people. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières last month said at least 3,396 survivors of sexual violence – nearly all of them women...
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Why an era of managed Hormuz disruption wouldn’t bode well for Asia
20 hours ago
by Marco Vicenzino
Even if the immediate phase of conflict subsides, the Gulf is unlikely to return to the status quo. For Asia, the central question is no longer simply whether the Strait of Hormuz is open. It is whether the waterway remains reliable, predictable and politically insulated from coercion. That distinction now matters more than ever. For China and other major Asian importers, it is a question of whether energy flows, shipping routes and sanctions exposure are increasingly being shaped by a crisis...
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Russia to hold equipment-free Red Square parade as Ukraine war grinds on
a day ago
by Reuters
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia’s annual Victory Day military parade on Red Square had been scaled back this year and would not include military equipment due to the risk of what it described as “Ukrainian terrorist activity”. The parade, held on May 9, marks the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II, a conflict Russians call the Great Patriotic War. One of the top holidays on the Russian calendar, it allows the dwindling number of veterans to gather in...
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Mali’s junta leader says situation ‘under control’ in first appearance since attacks
a day ago
by Reuters
The leader of Mali’s military government, Assimi Goita, on Tuesday made his first public appearance since insurgents launched coordinated attacks over the weekend, vowing in a televised address to “neutralise” those responsible. West Africa’s al-Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated separatist group hit Mali’s main army base and the area near Bamako’s airport in the attacks on Saturday, while also pushing Russian troops supporting government forces out of the strategic town of Kidal in the...
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UK King Charles roasts Trump with colonial quip: ‘you’d be speaking French’
a day ago
by Agence France-Presse
UK King Charles gave US President Donald Trump a taste of his own medicine at a White House state dinner on Tuesday when he joked that without the British, Americans would be speaking French. As the heads of state traded jokes during their dinner toasts, Charles referenced previous comments by Trump aimed at European allies he accuses of freeloading on defence since World War II. “You recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be...
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Why UAE’s exit from Opec is good news for Asia’s energy security
a day ago
by Biman Mukherji
Asia’s oil import-dependent economies will benefit from the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) exit from Opec, though the ongoing closure of the arterial Strait of Hormuz may not offer any immediate relief from soaring prices, analysts say. Global oil prices continued to surge on Wednesday, with benchmark Brent crude oil prices hitting US$111 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) approaching US$100 a barrel. Before the Iran war, Brent was trading around US$70 a barrel, while WTI was about US$65...
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A remilitarised Japan threatens more than just China
a day ago
by Alex Lo
There is a time and a place. Just because you have a right to do something doesn’t mean you should exercise it. The United States and its allies keep claiming they have the right of navigation in international waters by sending their navies through the Taiwan Strait. Their intention to provoke is clear despite their justification under international law. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s row with Beijing over her remarks about militarily intervening in a Taiwan crisis has yet to die down....
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Trump to put his picture in US passports, shattering another norm
a day ago
by Agence France-Presse
An image of Donald Trump will soon appear in some US passports, officials said on Tuesday, shattering another norm as the president aggressively puts his personal stamp on government institutions. There were few precedents anywhere in the world, let alone in a democracy, of displaying sitting leaders’ pictures in passports, and Trump would be the first sitting US president featured in Americans’ travel documents. The State Department said it would offer the limited-edition passport to mark this...
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Trump’s Ukraine envoy stepping down amid stalled peace talks with Russia
a day ago
by Reuters
The acting US ambassador to Kyiv Julie Davis will step down from her post and retire, a US official and the State Department said on Tuesday, amid a lull in US-brokered talks to achieve a ceasefire and end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Financial Times first reported Davis’ departure and said it was because of differences of opinion with President Donald Trump’s policies and that Davis had grown frustrated with her role over his dwindling support for Ukraine. The State Department pushed...
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How China’s reported ban on sulphuric acid exports could have overseas buyers reeling
a day ago
by Kandy Wong
As the US-Israel war in Iran drags into its third month, sulphuric acid – a chemical ingredient critical for fertiliser production and metal processing that has seldom grabbed global headlines – has become a keenly watched commodity. The military conflict in the Gulf and the effective blockage of the Strait of Hormuz initially triggered a squeeze on sulphuric acid, with prices on the rise after shipments in the region – which accounts for a quarter of global production – were largely stalled...
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US-Iran ceasefire can’t paper over fires in the Strait of Hormuz
a day ago
by Ruqiya Anwar
While the United States and Iran exchange peace proposals in Islamabad, the Middle East remains trapped in a cycle of escalation. Ships burn in the Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon absorbs strikes by Israel and the nuclear gap remains unbridgeable. Calling this moment a ceasefire might be in line with diplomatic language, but on the ground it has the familiar look of war, just repackaged. While US President Donald Trump might have negotiated some sort of ceasefire agreement, the American naval blockade...
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US and Nato faced with frustrating ‘marriage crisis’, Belgian defence minister says
a day ago
by Dewey Sim
Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said the US and Nato were faced with a “marriage crisis” as frustrations mount on both sides of the Atlantic, urging Washington to stand with its allies or risk America’s fall. Francken, speaking at a think tank event in Washington on Tuesday, likened the strained transatlantic relationship, which has held for close to 80 years, to a “crisis”, saying “it’s very difficult”. “I’m convinced that we’re having a marriage crisis … There’s a lot of frustration on...
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US conditions for paying UN dues include China curbs, report says
a day ago
by Reuters
The US has placed specific conditions on releasing billions of dollars it owes to the United Nations, including further cost-cutting, and moves to counter China’s influence at the world body, a development news wire reported on Tuesday. The report by Devex, an independent news organisation covering global development, said two diplomatic notes circulated by the US called for nine “quick-hit” reforms as a condition for releasing more funds. It said these included: Overhauling the UN pension...
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Trump’s FCC orders review of ABC licences after Kimmel’s ‘expectant widow’ joke
2 days ago
by Reuters
After a joke by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel drew calls from the White House for ABC to fire the comedian, the US Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday ordered an early licence review of the network’s television stations. The stand-off between US President Donald Trump’s administration and the global entertainment conglomerate is the first crisis facing Walt Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro. Last Thursday, Kimmel, whose late-night television programme airs on Disney’s ABC, did a send-up of...
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Ex-FBI director Comey charged with threatening Trump’s life in Instagram post
2 days ago
by Agence France-Presse
Former FBI director James Comey has been indicted for threatening the life of Donald Trump, officials said on Tuesday, five months after a previous case against the outspoken critic of the US president was thrown out. The indictment by a grand jury in North Carolina stems from an Instagram post the 65-year-old Comey made in May last year that showed the numbers “86 47” spelled out in seashells. Trump alleged in an interview with Fox News at the time that “86” was slang for kill and “47” was a...
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UK PM Starmer avoids parliament probe over Epstein associate Peter Mandelson
2 days ago
by Agence France-Presse
Embattled UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday survived a bid by opposition politicians to subject him to a parliamentary probe over his controversial appointment of Peter Mandelson as envoy to the US. Members of parliament voted against referring Starmer to a committee to consider if he misled parliament over giving Mandelson, an ex-associate of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the plum diplomatic post. It was the latest development in an unrelenting scandal that has plagued Starmer’s...
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King Charles promotes US-UK bond before Congress at a time of deep divisions
2 days ago
by Reuters
Britain’s King Charles told the US Congress on Tuesday that despite an age of uncertainty and conflict in Europe and the Middle East, the UK and the US would always be staunch allies united in defending democracy, at a time of deep divisions between the two long-time allies over the war with Iran. “Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily...
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Ukraine shot down 33,000 Russian drones in 1 month: defence minister
2 days ago
by Associated Press
Ukraine used interceptor systems to shoot down more than 33,000 Russian drones of various types in March, a record monthly figure since Moscow launched its all-out invasion more than four years ago, Ukraine’s defence minister claimed. Ukraine has developed cutting-edge and battle-tested drone technology that has proved essential in holding back Russia’s bigger army and has drawn military interest from around the world. Interceptor drones as part of a comprehensive air defence system are now...
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UAE to leave Opec after 6 decades, oil cartel unity questioned
2 days ago
by Teresa Elena Frontado
The United Arab Emirates announced on Tuesday that it will leave the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and the wider Opec+ alliance effective May 1, a move that signals a push for greater control over its production strategy. The decision followed “a comprehensive review” of the country’s production policy and capacity, the Ministry of Infrastructure said in a statement, adding that it was based on national interests and a commitment to help meet global market...
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Canada’s push to rebuild ties with China hits a snag: a lack of direct flights
2 days ago
by Ralph Jennings
Canada plans to allow more flight connections to China, as it seeks to rebuild ties with Beijing and capitalise on rising demand for Canadian travel among Chinese tourists, but airlines may be reluctant to add new routes due to soaring jet fuel costs and a lack of access to Russian airspace. Steven MacKinnon, Canada’s transport minister, announced last week that Ottawa would permit an “incremental” increase in direct passenger combination flights to China and up to 20 cargo flights per week. The...
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US green power growth to hit another record in 2026, despite Trump, says report
2 days ago
by Bloomberg
US clean energy installations are forecast to hit another record this year – and account for the vast majority of new power additions – despite facing policy opposition from the Trump administration, according to a trade industry report. The nation’s power sector is expected to add about 60 gigawatts of solar, battery storage and wind capacity in 2026, the American Clean Power (ACP) Association said in its annual market assessment published on Tuesday. That is up 20 per cent from over 50...
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China orders maritime security research as Strait of Hormuz crisis exposes trade risks
2 days ago
by Carol Yang
China is stepping up efforts to secure critical sea lanes and protect its overseas assets, as crises at maritime chokepoints – including the Strait of Hormuz – expose growing vulnerabilities in global trade. In response, Beijing has tasked leading industrial enterprises and academic institutions with spearheading research to safeguard strategic trade corridors and overseas port holdings, amid escalating geopolitical tensions linked to the US-Israeli war in Iran and legal disputes over Panama...
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Facing US and Chinese pressure, the EU must forge its own strategy
2 days ago
by Robin Hu
Writing in Foreign Affairs, Tsinghua University’s Da Wei argued that China wants Europe to function as an independent pole in a changing global order, but that Europe lacks “a more independent soul”. He is half right. Europe has the assets for independence. What it lacks is the strategy. Europe and the United States face the same rival but carry different exposures. Since 2018, the US has cut its direct imports from China. Europe’s have grown harder to unwind. What appears to be decoupling is...
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Greece man, 89, arrested after Athens shooting injures 5 people
2 days ago
by Associated Press
An 89-year-old man armed with a hunting rifle opened fire inside a Greek social security office in Athens on Tuesday, wounding an employee in the leg, authorities said. The suspect then carried out a second shooting at a courthouse in the city, leaving four more people lightly injured. The attack was reportedly sparked by problems with the man’s pension payments. He was arrested a few hours after the shootings in the port city of Patras, state broadcaster ERT reported. Earlier, local media...
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Ukrainian drone attack on Russian oil refinery causes major fire, officials say
2 days ago
by Reuters
A Ukrainian drone attack has caused a “large-scale fire” at Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea, forcing the evacuation of nearby buildings, local officials said on Tuesday. The Rosneft-owned refinery delivers oil products mainly for exports but operations have been halted since April 16 following an earlier drone attack, industry sources said. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the reports. Kyiv has stepped up strikes on Russia since March, with US-brokered talks on the war in...
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Austria Islamic State man admits plot on Taylor Swift concert in Vienna
2 days ago
by Associated Press
A man accused of pledging allegiance to Islamic State group and plotting to attack one of superstar singer Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna nearly two years ago pleaded guilty as his trial began on Tuesday, Austrian media reported. The plot was thwarted, but Austrian authorities still cancelled Swift’s three performances in August 2024. The singer’s fans, known as Swifties, who had flown to Austria from across the globe to attend a performance of her record-setting Eras Tour were devastated,...
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China’s Politburo steps up policy response as Iran war shakes global economy
2 days ago
by Sylvia Ma
China has vowed to take a holistic approach in responding to external shocks and safeguarding the country’s energy security, as the economic fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran continues to spread around the world. At a meeting on Tuesday, the country’s Politburo – a major decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party led by President Xi Jinping – also stressed the need to boost the nation’s tech self-reliance and control over its industrial supply chains. The country will push forward...
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Mexico captures top cartel leader ‘El Jardinero’ hiding in roadside ditch
2 days ago
by Associated Press
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Mexico’s most powerful criminal enterprise, suffered another blow on Monday when the Mexican military captured one of its top leaders in the northwest of the country, two months after the cartel’s leader was killed. Audias Flores Silva, also known as “El Jardinero”, or The Gardener, was seen as a possible successor to the killed leader and the United States had a US$5 million reward out for information leading to his arrest. The CJNG regional commander was...
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Landmark UN nuclear summit opens as world’s warhead count grows
2 days ago
by Agence France-Presse
Signatories of the landmark nuclear non-proliferation treaty began a meeting on Monday at the United Nations in New York as fears of a renewed arms race escalate, with atomic powers again at loggerheads over safeguards. In 2022, during the last review of the treaty considered the cornerstone of non-proliferation, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned humanity was “one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation”. On Monday he warned “the drivers” of nuclear weapons...
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Without diplomacy, deterrence in Asia is a path to escalation
2 days ago
by Sophie Wushuang Yi
“Balikatan 2026” is meant to reassure allies and deter adversaries. But the military exercise hosted by the Philippines also reveals a harsher truth: the Indo-Pacific is drifting into a security logic in which deterrence no longer contains risk but multiplies it. Every move taken in the name of stability now invites a countermove. Every display of resolve is answered by another. The result is not equilibrium, but a trap. That is why diplomacy has to return to the centre of regional strategy...
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Washington media dinner suspect charged with attempted assassination of Trump
2 days ago
by Reuters
The man accused of opening fire at a Washington dinner attended by Donald Trump was charged on Monday with attempting to assassinate the US president and could face life in prison if convicted. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, wore a blue jail-issue V-neck shirt and pants at his first appearance in Washington federal court, two days after authorities said he launched an unsuccessful attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, an annual black-tie gathering of journalists and...
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Man pleads guilty in 2002 murder of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay
3 days ago
by Reuters
A New York man on Monday pleaded guilty to taking part in the 2002 murder of pioneering hip-hop star Jam Master Jay of famed group Run-DMC as part of a dispute over a drug deal, according to federal prosecutors. Appearing in court in Brooklyn, Jay Bryant, 52, admitted to playing a role in the fatal shooting of Jason Mizell, better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, and faces up to 20 years in prison, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said in a...
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UK’s King Charles begins historic US state visit shadowed by transatlantic tensions
3 days ago
by Reuters
Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in the United States on Monday for a four-day trip, welcomed by self-proclaimed royal fan Donald Trump even as the US president has differed with the British government over the Iran war. The state visit, by far the most high-profile and consequential of Charles’ reign, marks the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence from British rule, and is the first to the country by a British monarch in two decades. After landing at Joint...
New York Times
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Fed Meeting Underscores Tough Task Ahead for Warsh
10 hours ago
by Colby Smith
Banking and Financial Institutions, live-detached, Interest Rates, US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Federal Reserve System, Powell, Jerome H, Tillis, Thomas R, Warsh, Kevin M, Inflation (Economics), Labor and JobsJerome H. Powell on Wednesday announced he would stay on as a governor at the central bank as internal divisions sharpen about the policy path forward.
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Supreme Court Strikes Down Louisiana Map, Another Blow to Voting Rights Act
10 hours ago
by Abbie VanSickle
Voting Rights Act (1965), Redistricting and Reapportionment, Law and Legislation, Decisions and Verdicts, Civil Rights and Liberties, United States Politics and Government, Elections, Courts and the Judiciary, Elections, House of Representatives, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, House of Representatives, National Assn for the Advancement of Colored People, Supreme Court (US), Johnson, Mike (1972- ), Kavanaugh, Brett MThe court struck down the voting map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander in a move that could make it harder for lawmakers to create majority-minority voting districts.
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What the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Ruling Could Mean for the Midterms
10 hours ago
by Nick Corasaniti, Emily Cochrane and Tim Balk
Midterm Elections (2026), Voting Rights Act (1965), Decisions and Verdicts, Supreme Court (US), Democratic Party, Republican Party, Voting Rights, Registration and Requirements, United States Politics and Government, Primaries and Caucuses, DeSantis, Ron, internal-open-access-from-nlDemocrats stand to lose at least one blue-leaning district in Louisiana, but the timing was unclear. Florida has approved a redder map, and Republicans in several other states are weighing new districts.
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Civil rights leaders see the voting rights ruling as a ‘betrayal.’
11 hours ago
by Audra D. S. Burch
Leaders and activists said a Supreme Court ruling had the potential to unravel decades of work toward giving Black Americans fair representation.
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British Royals Crisscross Manhattan in Brief Visit Packed With Photo Ops
an hour ago
by Michael D. Shear, Claire Fahy and Sarah Lyall
Royal Families, Winnie-the-Pooh (Fictional Character), September 11 (2001), Funerals and Memorials, Books and Literature, Parties (Social), United States Semiquincentennial (2026), Harlem (Manhattan, NY), Rockefeller Center (Manhattan, NY), Midtown Area (Manhattan, NY), Financial District (Manhattan, NY), New York City, Camilla, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, Trump, Donald JKing Charles III and Queen Camilla laid flowers at the Sept. 11 memorial before stopping by an urban farm, the New York Public Library, a business event and a gala.
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What the Royal State Dinner Guest List Says About Trump’s America
9 hours ago
by Elisabeth Bumiller
Royal Families, News and News Media, ABC Inc, Alphabet Inc, Amazon.com Inc, Ballard Partners, Blackstone Group, The, Fox News Channel, Google Inc, New York Post, MSNBC, Supreme Court (US), Vanity Fair, Bernard, Jeremy, Bezos, Jeffrey P, Brown, Tina, Bush, George W, Biden, Jill Tracy Jacobs, Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain, McIlroy, Rory, Niceta Lloyd, Anna Cristina, Obama, Barack, Schwarzman, Stephen A, Trump, Melania, Trump, Donald JThere were at least 10 American billionaires, six Fox News hosts, assorted presidential pals, no Democratic politicians and not so many British.
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Mamdani’s Advice to Royals: Give That Priceless Diamond Back to India
7 hours ago
by Jeffery C. Mays
Royal Families, Israel-Gaza War (2023- ), Diamonds, Muslims and Islam, Mayors, Tower of London (Great Britain), Bloomberg, Michael R, Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, Mamdani, Zohran, Bronx (NYC), Financial District (Manhattan, NY), Great BritainMayor Zohran Mamdani and King Charles did not meet privately. But if they had, the mayor said, he probably would have raised the issue of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond.
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Queen Camilla Unites Winnie-the-Pooh With a Long-Lost Friend
9 hours ago
by Sarah Lyall
Winnie-the-Pooh (Fictional Character), Books and Literature, New York Public Library, Milne, A A, Milne, Christopher Robin, Camilla, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Midtown Area (Manhattan, NY), ToysOn Wednesday, the Queen of England presented the New York Public Library with a bespoke replica of Roo, the smallest companion of the Bear of Very Little Brain.
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Pentagon Puts Iran War Cost at $25 Billion as Hegseth Berates Skeptics
10 hours ago
by Robert Jimison
United States Politics and Government, US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), United States Defense and Military Forces, Budgets and Budgeting, Defense Department, House Committee on Armed Services, Hegseth, Pete, Caine, John Daniel (1968- ), IranDuring his first public appearance on Capitol Hill since the war began, the defense secretary lashed out at lawmakers in both parties who have questioned the conflict.
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Takeaways From Hegseth’s Testimony on Iran War and His Tenure
9 hours ago
by John Ismay and Megan Mineiro
United States Defense and Military Forces, US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Russian Invasion of Ukraine (2022), War Crimes, Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, Defense Department, House Committee on Armed Services, Hegseth, Pete, internal-open-access-from-nl, Budgets and BudgetingIt was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s first public appearance before Congress since Operation Epic Fury began in late February.
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Hegseth Cites Falsehood to Defend His Firing of Senior Officers
8 hours ago
by Greg Jaffe
United States Defense and Military Forces, Appointments and Executive Changes, Defense Department, Hegseth, Pete, United States Politics and Government, House Committee on Armed ServicesThe defense secretary said at a House hearing that President Barack Obama had fired 197 generals, a figure that the Pentagon previously acknowledged was false.
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Trump Threatens to Pull Troops From Germany as He Lashes Out at Chancellor
5 hours ago
by David E. Sanger
Merz, Friedrich, Trump, Donald J, Germany, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, United States International Relations, United States Defense and Military ForcesThe comments came after the German chancellor said that Iran has “humiliated” the United States.
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Lucinda Williams Explains What It Takes to Write a Great Song
16 hours ago
Williams, Lucinda, Country Music, Music, americansongwriters2026, internal-open-access, Content Type: Personal ProfileThe singer-songwriter talks about being self-taught, and reaching down into the deepest, darkest parts of herself to pull out a song.
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How Taylor Swift Writes a Song, In Her Own Words
2 days ago
Swift, Taylor, Country Music, Pop and Rock Music, Reputation (Album), Content Type: Personal Profile, americansongwriters2026, internal-open-accessThe artist shares stories behind some of her biggest hits, her love of a “rant bridge” and how life in the public eye informs the stories she tells in her songs.
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Rising Fuel Prices Could Force Excruciating Choices on Economic Policies
4 hours ago
by Eshe Nelson
Bank of England, European Central Bank, Banking and Financial Institutions, US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates), Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline, Inflation (Economics), Economic Conditions and Trends, Trump, Donald J, Great Britain, EuropeThe European Central Bank and Bank of England were expected to hold interest rates steady on Thursday while searching for signs of possible longer-term damage.
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Oil Prices Soar as Iran Standoff Shows No End in Sight
an hour ago
by The New York Times
US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline, Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates), Stocks and Bonds, Standard & Poor's 500-Stock Index, IranOil prices push higher, approaching another wartime high, as President Trump asserted that the naval blockade of Iran’s ports would persist.
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House Adopts Budget to Unlock $70 Billion for Immigration Enforcement
6 hours ago
by Michael Gold
United States Politics and Government, Federal Budget (US), Federal Aid (US), Customs and Border Protection (US), Democratic Party, House of Representatives, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (US), Republican Party, Johnson, Mike (1972- ), Trump, Donald J, Illegal Immigration, Budgets and BudgetingThe measure will allow the G.O.P. to begin working on a filibuster-proof bill to fund ICE and C.B.P., part of their plan to reopen the long-shuttered Department of Homeland Security.
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Surveillance Law Is in Limbo After House Approval
8 hours ago
by Charlie Savage and Michael Gold
United States Politics and Government, Surveillance of Citizens by Government, Law and Legislation, Wiretapping and Other Eavesdropping Devices and Methods, Privacy, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Libertarianism (US Politics), House Freedom Caucus, House of Representatives, Republican Party, Johnson, Mike (1972- ), Lee, Michael S (1971- ), Thune, John R, Trump, Donald J, Wyden, RonRepublicans put down a right-wing revolt to push a three-year renewal through the House, but the Senate appeared likely to opt for a 45-day punt ahead of a Friday expiration.
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They Left for the School Bus. ICE Picked Them Up Instead.
9 hours ago
by Christina Morales and Hamed Aleaziz
Immigration and Emigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (US), MississippiA school transfer disrupted two brothers’ visas, their lawyer said, leaving them vulnerable to arrest and unsettling their Mississippi school community.
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G.O.P. Congress Struggles to Do the Basics Amid Party Infighting
5 hours ago
by Carl Hulse
United States Politics and Government, Law and Legislation, Midterm Elections (2026), Homeland Security Department, House of Representatives, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (US), Republican Party, Senate, Burchett, Tim, Cole, Tom (1949- ), Johnson, Mike (1972- ), Luna, Anna Paulina, Thune, John R, Trump, Donald JHouse Republicans toiled to pass major measures as lawmakers tried to fund homeland security, extend spy powers and deliver a farm bill.
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J. Craig Venter, Scientist Who Decoded the Human Genome, Dies at 79
4 hours ago
by Nicholas Wade
Venter, J Craig, Genetics and Heredity, Human Genome Project, Deaths (Obituaries), DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid), Microbiology, Venter, J Craig, Institute, National Institutes of HealthA risk-taking outsider, he brought speed, competition and controversy to one of science’s biggest races.
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In France, Trump’s Triumphal Arch Draws Eye Rolls
4 hours ago
by Mark Landler
United States Politics and Government, Monuments and Memorials (Structures), Architecture, United States International Relations, Macron, Emmanuel (1977- ), Trump, Donald J, Washington (DC), Paris (France)The Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which the president vows to top in Washington, offers a lesson in the complicated history of monuments.
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Lester Wright, the Fastest Known Centenarian, Dies at 103
10 hours ago
by Jeré Longman
Wright, Lester (1922-2026), Running, Elderly, Records and Achievements, Track and Field, Penn Relays (Track and Field), Longevity, USA Track and Field, Age, Chronological, Deaths (Obituaries)In 2022, at 100, he set what was believed to be a world record in the 100-meter dash at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, beating 86- and 92-year-old competitors.
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These Runners Kept Going to 100 or Beyond
10 hours ago
by Amisha Padnani
Running, Longevity, Track and Field, Records and Achievements, Cycling, Track, Elderly, Pellmann, Donald (1915- ), Singh, Fauja, Wright, Lester (1922-2026)Many picked up running late in life. They all shared an uncommon competitive drive.
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The Murky Ethics of Swimming With Killer Whales
11 hours ago
by Alexa Robles-Gil and Meghan Dhaliwal
Whales and Whaling, Fish and Other Marine Life, Regulation and Deregulation of Industry, Animal Behavior, Endangered and Extinct Species, Boats and Boating, Animals, Travel and Vacations, Snorkeling, Oceans and Seas, Marine Biology, Arctic Regions, Baja California (Mexico), NorwayOnly two places in the world allow tourists to enter the water with the ocean’s apex predator. But the safety of both species is a growing concern.
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Musk Says He ‘Was a Fool’ to Provide OpenAI’s Early Funding
9 hours ago
by Cade Metz and Mike Isaac
Artificial Intelligence, Suits and Litigation (Civil), Computers and the Internet, OpenAI Labs, Microsoft Corp, Altman, Samuel H, Brockman, Greg, Musk, ElonIn the second day of a trial pitting Mr. Musk against OpenAI, he said the company’s chief executive, Sam Altman, had misled him. But OpenAI’s lawyer said evidence showed the opposite.
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A.I. Spending Sets a Record, With No End in Sight
10 hours ago
by Karen Weise
Computers and the Internet, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Social Media, Company Reports, E-Commerce, Data Centers, Start-ups, Computer Chips, Software, Online Advertising, Nadella, SatyaGoogle, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta reported more than $130 billion in quarterly capital expenditures on Wednesday as they build A.I. data centers. There’s more to come.
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Meta Deal Reversal Deepens Split Between China and Silicon Valley
11 hours ago
by Meaghan Tobin and Erin Griffith
China, Foreign Investments, Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures, Artificial Intelligence, Entrepreneurship, United States Politics and Government, International Relations, Manus (Artificial Intelligence Co), Meta Platforms IncBeijing’s insistence that Meta unwind its deal with a Chinese A.I. start-up escalates the geopolitical fight over advanced tech.
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The Justices Acted as Partisans in the Voting Rights Ruling
9 hours ago
by The Editorial Board
Minorities, Voting Rights Act (1965), Redistricting and Reapportionment, United States Politics and Government, Black People, Supreme Court (US)In the name of disentangling race from politics, the court has given white voters more power at the expense of racial minorities.
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Two Cocky Authoritarians Blocking Hormuz: What Could Go Wrong?
11 hours ago
by Nicholas Kristof
US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), United States Politics and Government, United States International Relations, Embargoes and Sanctions, Politics and Government, Nuclear Weapons, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Trump, Donald J, IranIn the Iran war, we have two overconfident administrations facing off, each believing that time is on its side.
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Josh Johnson Gives King Charles Props for His Comedy Chops
2 hours ago
by Trish Bendix
Television, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (TV Program), Johnson, Josh (1986- ), Kimmel, Jimmy, Jimmy Kimmel Live (TV Program), Fallon, Jimmy, The Tonight Show (TV Program), Meyers, Seth, Late Night with Seth Meyers (TV Program)“You know, I’ve always wondered what white Def Jam would be like,” Johnson said after King Charles cracked a few jokes at the White House.
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U.S. Indictment Accuses Mexican Governor of Conspiring With Sinaloa Cartel
8 hours ago
by Jack Nicas, Maria Abi-Habib and Emiliano Rodríguez Mega
Politics and Government, Drug Cartels, Drug Abuse and Traffic, Bribery and Kickbacks, Ethics and Official Misconduct, Corruption (Institutional), United States International Relations, Rocha Moya, Ruben (1949- ), Sinaloa Cartel, Sinaloa (Mexico), Mexico, Sheinbaum, Claudia, Trump, Donald JProsecutors accused Rubén Rocha Moya, the governor of Sinaloa state, and other Mexican officials of a yearslong conspiracy to protect the powerful cartel.
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D4vd Bought Chain Saws to Dispose of Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s Body, Prosecutors Say
5 hours ago
by Matt Stevens, Emmanuel Morgan and Orlando Mayorquín
Pop and Rock Music, Murders, Attempted Murders and Homicides, Burke, David Anthony (D4vd), Rivas Hernandez, Celeste (2010-25), Los Angeles County (Calif)In a legal filing, prosecutors outlined for the first time how they say the singer murdered and dismembered Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
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Mississippi Middle School Students Avert Bus Crash After Driver Loses Control
10 hours ago
by Chris Hippensteel
Buses, Teenagers and Adolescence, MississippiFootage of the incident shared this week by a school district in Mississippi shows a group of students working together to avert disaster on a highway.
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Indian Tycoon Offers Refuge to Pablo Escobar’s Condemned Hippos
11 hours ago
by Alex Travelli
Hippopotamuses, Endangered and Extinct Species, Wildlife Trade and Poaching, Colombia, India, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, Escobar, Pablo, Invasive Species, Drug Cartels, internal-open-access-from-nlColombia was planning to slaughter 80 hippopotamuses after a small herd imported in the 1980s by the drug lord grew out of control. An Indian tycoon has offered them a new home instead.