Minimalist News

Indian Companies Increasingly Turn To Chinese LLMs Due To "Unsustainable" US Token Bills Several weeks ago we laid out the increasingly attractive proposition for global enterprises that are Chinese LLM: 95% of the latest US frontier model capabilities and 10% of the cost. Why pay the premium, when one way or another someone will steal your IP, be it Dario Amodei or Beijing? India, it appears, agrees. According to the NIkkei, Indian companies are increasingly leaning on Chinese large language models - developed by DeepSeek, Alibaba and Moonshot AI (the same LLMs which we said recently are poised to overtake

Japan Trade Chief Says Hormuz Off-Limits As Hostilities Reignite By Michael Kern of OilPrice.com Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is once again off-limits in the near term as the renewed hostilities and threats to vessels led to another spike in risks of transiting the key tanker and container shipping lane, according to Masahiro Okafuji, chair of the Japan Foreign Trade Council. “No one would go there, because it’s dangerous,” Okafuji told a media conference on Wednesday, as carried by Bloomberg . Renewed re-routing of the shipping lanes around the Cape of Good Hope on Africa’s southern tip would

Amy Coney Barrett Warns Of Escalating Death Threats Against Supreme Court It's sad to say, but the truth must be acknowledged - Mob violence and threats of political assassination can often be effective in influencing the policy decisions of courts and governments. It's the reason why the militant left has consistently used these methods over the course of generations. It works, and they know it. It's not that political violence and terrorism produce direct results. Rather, these actions tent to produce indirect effects by sowing the seeds of fear in the minds of people in the middle - People who

What Does Socialism Actually Deliver? Authored by Christian Milord via The Epoch Times, If we examine the history of alleged “democratic” socialism around the globe, it’s not difficult to flesh out the contradictions within its entire framework. However, for someone who hasn’t studied history or been grounded in the timeless principles of hard work and individual responsibility, socialism might tug at their heartstrings with its utopian claims. They fail to realize that the words “democratic” and “socialism” don’t mix well. Buzzwords such as affordability, equality, and social justice sound appealing to almost anyone, especially those facing life challenges. However, if

Widow Of Butler Rally Victim: Trump Assassination Attempt Was "An Inside Job" Two years after a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing one attendee and wounding President Donald Trump, the widow of the man who was slain has expressed deep skepticism about the circumstances of the attack. Helen Comperatore, whose husband Corey, a 50-year-old volunteer firefighter and father of two, was fatally shot while shielding his family, told NewsNation that she believes the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt was "an inside job." In the explosive interview, Helen Comperatore stopped short of alleging a second shooter

Increasing Number Of US Families Took On Debt, Tapped Savings To Meet Food Needs: Report Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times, Many American families are struggling to make ends meet on their incomes alone and have resorted to credit cards, payday loans, and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) options for groceries, according to nonprofit research center Urban Institute. The findings are based on a survey of 18-to 64-year-old working-age adults conducted in December 2025. About 8.7 percent of adults said they used a credit card for groceries and were unable to make the minimum payment, up from 7.1

Senior Defense Officials Review Potential 101st Airborne Helicopter Assault On Cuba Cuba's national power grid has collapsed for the third time in less than 10 days , plunging the communist-run Caribbean island into darkness and leaving roughly 10 million people without electricity. The cascading failures show the regime's accelerating loss of control over critical infrastructure, just as senior U.S. defense officials evaluate potential military options aimed at regime change in Havana. CBS News reported that senior U.S. defense officials have reviewed early-stage military options for Cuba, including an Army-led air assault involving thousands of troops from the 101st Airborne Division.

Inside The Race To Fix America's Gas Pipelines Amid AI Center Boom Authored by Autumn Spredemann via The Epoch Times , Beneath the hills of Appalachia lies the nation's largest natural gas-producing basin, yet many of the pipelines needed to move this vital resource are operating near capacity. A worker on the production floor at Pioneer Pipe in Marietta, Ohio, on Oct. 25, 2016. Replacing aging gas pipelines is critical to preventing leaks, spills, and explosions. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Meanwhile, demand for electricity is growing faster than it has in years. Data centers accounted for 50 percent of that demand

Toxic Wildfire Smoke Plume From Canada Will Blanket DC To NYC Temperatures across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are set to rise on Wednesday, with highs approaching the upper 90s and the PJM power grid likely to see a sharp increase in electricity demand as air-conditioning use is set to climb through the afternoon. Cooler temperatures are expected to follow in the days ahead, but relief may be short-lived as wildfire smoke threatens to spread across the region by the end of the week, potentially degrading air quality. Meteorologist Ben Noll wrote in a note earlier that smoke from out-of-control blazes

Of Marxists And Morons Authored by Eric Utter via American Thinker , Most of us have heard the horrific figures: Communism/Marxism was responsible for more than 100 million deaths in the 20th century alone. There are two preconditions necessary for people to accept or even welcome Communism: one, frustration with current economic and/or political conditions, and two, a moral decay that generates a disdain for work and an excessive entitlement mentality that demonizes others' success, accomplishments, and wealth. For far too many, this demonization of what others have leads not unto desire to make the right decisions and work hard

Obama-Appointed Judge Halts US Visa Restrictions On Disinformation Gurus Accused Of Censorship Authored by Owen Evans via The Epoch Times, A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a policy that denied visas and ordered deportations of “disinformation” expert foreign nationals whom it accused of being leading figures in the global “censorship-industrial complex.” Last year, the United States issued a visa policy targeting foreign nationals whom it claimed censor Americans’ free speech abroad. “For too long, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by foreign authorities for exercising their free speech rights,” Secretary of State Marco

Permanent Switch To Daylight Saving Time Easily Passes US House The movement to liberate Americans from changing their clocks twice a year cleared a key hurdle on Tuesday , as the US House of Representatives advanced the Sunshine Protection Act by a lopsided 318-117 margin. While many Americans would like to stop the spring and fall time changes, not all of them are on board with the Sunshine Protection Act's specific approach, would would make daylight saving time permanent. President Trump has backed the proposal , and the White House issued a statement as the House vote was looming: “This

US Utilities Requested $9.2BN In Rate Hikes In Q2, Up 26% From Previous Year By Ethan Howland of UtilityDive Electric and gas utilities in the second quarter asked state regulators to approve $9.2 billion in rate hikes, up 26% from the $7.3 billion in rate increase proposals filed in the same period last year , according to an updated report released Tuesday by the advocacy group PowerLines . In the first half this year, utilities asked for $18.6 billion in rate hikes, down from about $25 billion in the same period last year, according to data collected by the nonprofit.

Ukraine Shake-Up: Zelensky Sacks Popular Defense Chief, & IDs CEO Of Naftogaz As Likely Next Prime Minister Update(1410ET) : FT is reporting late in the day Wednesday that Ukraine's 35-year old defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, who has grown in popularity for his 'reformer' reputation and for orchestrating the ramped-up drone war on Russia, has been sacked by Zelensky . The shock move comes days after Yulia Svyrydenko, Zelensky's prime minister, was forced to step down, and amid a big cabinet shake-up. Zelensky had previewed huge changes coming. As to who might be elevated as new prime minister, Zelensky has dropped

Trump Wants ICE To Resume Traffic Stops After Deadly Encounter In Maine President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should keep relying on traffic stops as a major enforcement tool, defending the practice after a string of deadly encounters involving immigration officers, including a recent fatal shooting of a Colombian illegal immigrant in Maine. In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump commended ICE agents and pushed the agency to maintain vehicle stops, even as officials examine the approach after recent events in Maine, Texas, and Florida. "The men and women of ICE are doing a

Beige Book: Economic Activity Picked Up In 11 Of 12 Districts; Only San Fran Flat As "Employers Invested In AI" In a modest support of the Fed's recent hawkish pivot, the latest Beige Book released today notes that economic activity across the US improved moderately, increasing at a slight to moderate pace in eleven of twelve Federal Reserve Districts in late May and June, while one District (San Francisco) reported no change. The pace of growth was ever so slightly better than that reported back in June when activity expanded in ten Districts, was flat in one, and down in

Fort Knox Standoff: Bessent Says All The Gold Is There, Says America 'Used To Be Backed' By It U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has once again assured the public that America's gold reserves remain fully intact, pushing back against years of speculation surrounding the legendary vaults at Fort Knox. In a Fox News interview with Jesse Watters that aired Monday night, Bessent reiterated his standing assurance that every ounce of the nation's bullion is "present and accounted for" - while making no plans to visit the Kentucky depository himself. "I am happy to say all gold is present and accounted

US Gasoline Prices Could Top $4 Per Gallon Within Days After several weeks of reprieve for drivers, the US national average price of gasoline could top $4 per gallon within a week, as crude oil prices rallied by about 12% in the three days since Friday amid the all-but-collapsed U.S.-Iran ceasefire. The renewed hostilities in the Middle East have fueled a new crude oil price rally this week, while tight fuel markets globally are also pushing US prices at the pump higher, OilPrice notes . “I've seen enough and believe the national average price of gasoline will again reach $4/gal

UN Maritime Boss Warns Ships To Avoid Hormuz As Transits Continue The International Maritime Organization warned Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz remains too dangerous for commercial shipping, even as vessels continue to transit the narrow waterway. US Central Command said its latest round of strikes against Iranian coastal military targets concluded early Wednesday. Tehran retaliated with missile and drone attacks against US-allied Gulf states while continuing to disrupt some maritime traffic through the strait. Yet commercial ships are still transiting, suggesting Iran's ability to fully weaponize the maritime chokepoint is gradually eroding under sustained US air and naval superiority.

Iraqi Militia Vows To Disrupt Any Future Iraq-Syria Oil Pipeline: US 'Stealing Our Oil' Via The Cradle US and Iraqi officials are set to conclude a major energy deal as part of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington this week, according to Iraqi officials cited by AP Wednesday. "An agreement is slated to be signed Friday between Iraq, US companies Chevron and TI Capital, and Qatar’s UCC for construction of an oil pipeline that will connect southern Iraq’s Basra to western Iraq’s Haditha," the officials said. via Reuters The pipeline is meant to extend from Haditha to Turkiye’s Ceyhan

Banner refers to Falkland Islands conflict in 1982 Players celebrate on the pitch with the message The Argentina players celebrated their World Cup win over England with a banner saying “ Las Malvinas son Argentinas ”, making reference to the 1982 Falklands war . Argentina were 1-0 down with five minutes to go of the semi-final in Atlanta but rallied and scored twice in quick succession to reach a second straight World Cup final , where they will face Spain in New Jersey on Sunday. Continue reading...

Since start of Trump’s second term, 14 Mexican immigrants have died in ICE custody and three in agency operations Mexico formally requested that US state attorneys general criminally investigate cases of immigrants who have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody or during raids, the Mexican government said Tuesday. The request follows the death of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo , who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Houston. Since the beginning of Donald Trump ’s second term, 17 Mexican immigrants have died during immigration enforcement, 14 in ICE custody and three in agency operations. Continue

Environment Canada has issued health warnings after sky over city turns yellow Smoke from more than 100 active wildfires in northern Ontario have made Toronto’s air quality the current worst in the world and caused yellow, smoky air in cities across the north-east US. Environment Canada issued health warnings on Wednesday after the sky over country’s largest city turned a sickly yellow and was ranked the worst in the world according to IQAir , the Swiss technology company that racks global air quality. Continue reading...

Nobel laureate María Corina Machado will not lead negotiations over new elections, contrary to expectations The interim government of Venezuela has announced it will begin formal talks with the opposition aimed at “strengthening democracy” in the country. The move is backed by the US, which says it is seeking a “democratic transition” in a country still recovering from the twin earthquakes that killed more than 4,700 people. Continue reading...

Canadian scientists visit remains of polar exploration vessels in ‘golden era for shipwreck investigating’ Moments after devouring the final glimmers of light, the seafloor offered nothing but darkness and silt. Then the bow appeared. More than 1,000ft (305 metres) below the surface of the Labrador Sea, off the coast of Canada, the skeleton of the final ship used by the famed polar explorer Ernest Shackleton appeared in its silty grave. Continue reading...

Worse-than-expected figures for three months to June come amid concerns over lopsided economy Business live – latest updates China has posted worse-than-expected growth figures for the three months to June as its economy expanded by just 4.3% – one of its lowest quarterly readings on record. The rate, which came in under the government’s target of 4.5% to 5%, was one of the weakest since reporting on official quarterly GDP figures began in the early 1990s. Continue reading...

Officials set up traps and electric fences after 14 break-ins recored in one town in two weeks, amid fears of a repeat offender Authorities are searching for a bear that sneaked into the home of an elderly couple and raided their fridge amid concerns it may be behind 14 break-ins across a Japanese town in the past fortnight. On Monday evening, Mitsuo Matsubara, 87, was confronted by a large Asiatic black bear when he went to investigate a noise in his kitchen. His fridge was open , and food was strewn across the floor. His wife called the police. Continue

Bloomberg’s editor-in-chief, John Micklethwait, stands by reporting, saying ministers who sued ‘imposed an extremely strained meaning on what was a solid ​story’ Bloomberg News and one of its reporters have been ordered to pay S$460,000 (US$355,734) in damages after an article it published was found to have defamed two Singapore government ministers, the city-state’s high court said in a judgment released on Tuesday. Bloomberg and the reporter, Low De Wei, are liable to jointly pay S$230,000 to each minister, comprising S$170,000 in general damages and S$60,000 in aggravated damages, ⁠the judgment said. Continue reading...

Bar owner offers ‘deepest apologies’ as police investigate whether exits were either blocked or hard to access The Bangkok pub that became the scene of the city’s deadliest blaze in 17 years has said it will cooperate with an investigation into alleged negligence, as the death toll rose to 30. The local district office said on Tuesday that three more people had died after the devastating fire that broke out in the early hours of Monday. An initial assessment by disaster officials found an electrical short ‌circuit in an air conditioner located in the ‌ceiling had caused the fire. Continue

Country risks new tariffs from US and EU as it looks likely to match or beat last year’s record surplus of $1tn Business live – latest updates China’s monthly car ‌exports topped 1m for the first time in June as overall overseas shipments from the world’s second biggest economy rose 27%. Official Chinese customs data showed that a stronger-than-expected trade performance kept China on track to match or beat last year’s record trade surplus of $1tn (£748bn), achieved despite Donald Trump’s curtailed tariff war. Continue reading...

One Nation MP says the media should be prepared to interview far-right activist. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Michelle Rowland says mandatory minimum standards for datacentres don’t apply to existing developments The attorney general, Michelle Rowland , told ABC News that mandatory minimum standards for datacentres would apply to new developments, not existing ones. The scope and the timing of those is something that I think will be properly determined by national cabinet. This is an issue that not only state governments but local councils have been dealing with

State MP abandons supreme court challenge, saying her party ‘can now decide whether to pursue mediation or reconvene to disendorse me’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming has dropped legal action against her own party as she seeks to make a last-ditch appeal to avoid being disendorsed before the state election. Deeming launched an 11th-hour supreme court challenge against the Victorian Liberal party president, Brian Loughnane, on 3 July after she made an assault allegation against former leader Matthew Guy

While new study challenges assumptions about how far they travel, witnessing them in action still takes your breath away, scientists say Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast They may look like a fluffy flying carpet, but greater gliders are not as great at gliding as previously thought, Australian researchers have discovered. The first study to measure the aerial ability of Australia’s largest gliding marsupial has found they soar across an average distance of 19 metres – far shorter than the 100 metres suggested in an

Internal estimates show 144,600 people will be taken off the scheme by 2030, many of them under 18 Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Almost 145,000 Australians receiving support for autism on the national disability insurance scheme (NDIS) are expected to be removed by the end of the decade, internal estimates show, as the federal government moves ahead with plans to narrow the focus of the “diluted” $52bn scheme toward those with significant and complex needs. From 2028, almost two-thirds of the 241,000 participants set

The reality is Australia won’t be able to direct much of the activity of Anthropic, Microsoft, Google or OpenAI Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese took a trip back in time during his much-anticipated speech on artificial intelligence on Wednesday. Seeking to harness the momentous change bearing down on our lives, the prime minister told an audience at the University of Sydney that his government would keep pace with AI, even seeking to “get out in front” of the technological tidal wave. Continue

Mykhailo Fedorov, credited with transforming the ministry, ousted in reshuffle after six months in post Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Ukraine’s popular defence minister, despite pleas from foreign partners and civil society for him to keep his job, as part of wide-ranging government reshuffle. In a post on Telegram Mykhailo Fedorov announced that he was leaving his position, saying it had been a “great honour” to serve the Ukrainian people. He was widely credited with transforming the defence ministry and reducing corruption. Continue reading...

Former economy minister Chris Cardona and ex-chief of staff Keith Schembri named as being involved in 2017 murder of journalist Two political figures who previously held powerful government roles in Malta were accused of plotting to kill the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia during court testimony on Wednesday. The allegations, against a former economy minister and a former chief of staff to the prime minister, were made during a chaotic day at the courts of justice in Valletta, where the businessman Yorgen Fenech is on trial for ordering the assassination of Caruana Galizia in 2017. Continue reading...

State department says plan will provide funding to ‘address national sovereignty, migration, censorship and lawfare’ Friedrich Merz has warned Donald Trump’s administration against interfering in German elections after the US state department announced a scheme to fund Maga-aligned causes in Europe. The German chancellor was responding to a new US initiative offering grants of up to $3m (£2.2m) for European charities, thinktanks and individuals. Continue reading...

Members of the pro-Ukraine “coalition of the willing” this week reasserted their desire for such a force after a cessation of hostilities Meanwhile, the Kremlin has rejected Lithuanian president’s warnings about a potential Russian attack on critical infrastructure ( 10:06 ) , dismissing them as “horror stories” intended to “prepare public for further militarisation.” Reuters reported that the Kremlin said these comments were merely a “pretext for further deployment of Nato military infrastructure to Baltic states.” Continue reading...

Beneath the ​drone strikes and ​talk of ceasefires lies a battle over history that is testing ​Kyiv’s chances for an end to the conflict • Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up here I’ve just come back from a trip to Kyiv, where after more than four years of war, it can feel like the political and diplomatic news agenda has become cyclical: a suggestion that some kind of peace deal could be around the corner, followed by the swift intervention of reality that the Kremlin has no interest in abandoning its maximalist goals, and we

Central Command says US aircraft fired missiles into oil tanker’s smokestack in strait of Hormuz as US strikes Iran for fourth consecutive day Trump again threatens to strike Iran’s power plants amid impasse over strait of Hormuz For a second day in a row, US strikes targeted Iran’s southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country’s only civilian nuclear plant, according to the state news agency IRNA quoting a local official. “In continuation of the brutality of the American enemy, three points in the city of Bushehr were attacked today,” Mohammad Mozaffari, the governor of Bushehr, was quoted as

Five months of U-turns and false boasts leave Donald Trump in worse position than when he started Donald Trump has taken the war with Iran into a new, murkier phase as the two sides move further and further from the vague memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on 17 June. And as during the opening phase of the conflict, the US leader’s objectives and methods are clouded in confusion, daily U-turns and boasts that within hours are revealed to be false. Continue reading...

Tehran shuts strait of Hormuz and carries out retaliatory strikes as Trump threatens to attack site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme Middle East crisis – live updates Iran threatened to halt all energy exports from the Middle East after the US reimposed a blockade of its ports and ships, as the two countries traded strikes for a fifth day and Donald Trump threatened to attack a site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme while he weighed further expanding US strikes next week. The US blockade came into force early on Wednesday, and was followed by a 90-minute wave of strikes against

This blog is closed. You can read our latest full report here Resurgent oil and fuel prices could cement a fourth interest rate rise in Australia this year if Donald Trump’s renewed conflict with Iran is not resolved within a week , economists warn. US missile strikes on Iran and Trump’s announcement of a new maritime blockade has lifted oil prices to their highest point in the month since the two countries agreed to a peace deal . Continue reading...

US hits targets in port cities of Bushehr and Bandar Abbas while Iran targets Bahrain and Jordan in retaliation Middle East crisis live – latest updates Donald Trump has backed down from a threat that ships would have to pay a 20% fee to the US for “security” in the strait of Hormuz, replacing it with what he described as investment and trade deals with Gulf Arab states as US and Iranian airstrikes resumed for a third day. The US president said he had decided to scrap the toll “based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership”, and touted

Innocent man lynched by mob in West Bengal as police killing of suspect further escalates tensions Protests have engulfed the Indian state of West Bengal after the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl, the subsequent lynching of an innocent man and the police killing of one of the accused. Outrage erupted on Sunday after the body of a missing girl was recovered from a pond in a town just outside the state capital, Kolkata. Continue reading...

Lawrence Bishnoi, who is in prison in India, is accused of orchestrating assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023 US and Canadian authorities say they have “dismantled” the leadership of a notorious Indian criminal group, charging dozens of operatives who have “inflicted pain and cruelty on people, victims around the globe”, including a high-profile murder in Canada that strained diplomatic relations between Canada and India. At a press conference on Tuesday, members of the FBI and Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said as part of Operation Hard Ball – a multiyear federal investigation into murder-for-hire plots, shootings, extortion and

Early flight data shows K2 Airways plane crashed into sea with five crew on board south-west of Karachi Pakistan has located the wreckage of a Boeing cargo plane, the country’s airports authority said, adding that rescuers were searching for the five crew members on board when the aircraft went missing. The plane was approaching Karachi from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates when radar showed it “rapidly descending” on Tuesday evening after reporting a “navigational system issue”, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA). Continue reading...

Amnesty International says Albanese has opportunity to ‘reaffirm mutual commitment’ to rule of law as thousands in diaspora expected at stadium event Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to Australia in three years has sparked calls for the federal government to raise human rights concerns, as excitement builds within the nation’s Indian diaspora. Modi’s visit begins on Wednesday evening and marks his third since becoming prime minister. It will see him return to Melbourne after more than

Thousands of women are killed in dowry disputes each year, despite the practice being banned in 1961 Dowry deaths in India no longer provoke the public anger they once did, despite thousands of women’s lives still being lost every year, according to new research. The killings – women who are murdered or driven to suicide following dowry disputes between families – have also faded from political debate, despite an increase in cases. Continue reading...

For one placement, black applicants had a less than 1 in 100 chance of being offered a place, NHS data shows Black doctors in England are four times less likely to be offered a training place than their white counterparts, according to analysis. As part of their medical training, doctors across the NHS are able to apply to placements within specific branches of practice such as psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, and emergency medicine. Continue reading...

‘Documents of concern’ found at child’s home in the capital, with no other suspects sought A 14-year-old boy from south London has been charged with an offence linked to “extreme rightwing terrorism” after a police search uncovered an alleged plot to target two mosques. The boy was arrested on 9 July on suspicion of criminal damage to a vehicle, but officers dispatched to his address found “a number of documents of concern” during a search, according to the Metropolitan police. Continue reading...

The home secretary is the frontrunner for the role ahead of ‘risky’ Ed Miliband, according to senior Labour figures Shabana Mahmood has emerged as the frontrunner to become Andy Burnham’s chancellor after a fierce briefing war over the prospect of Ed Miliband being appointed to the powerful role. Senior Labour figures with knowledge of Burnham’s thinking told the Guardian they expected the home secretary to be moved to the Treasury amid concerns that Miliband would become a target for criticism of the government. Continue reading...

The match-winning England striker is ‘a good ambassador for young people’, says one contestant All together now, with arms in the air: One Jude Bellingham, there’s only one Jude Bellingham … Unless, that is, you happened to find yourself in Shoreditch, east London, on Wednesday, where a dozen young men who looked vaguely like the England midfielder gathered for a lookalike contest almost as competitive as the one currently continuing in the US. Continue reading...

Incoming prime minister says he doesn’t want to ‘create new divisions’ as Mahmood is tipped to be chancellor Andy Burnham has signalled that he will not increase wealth taxes immediately after becoming prime minister, easing concerns among the business community but limiting his economic room for manoeuvre. He said on Wednesday he did not want to “create new divisions” with his tax policy, in comments that allies said were a sign that he did not intend to raise money by taxing wealth. Continue reading...

Democrats were split on the issue, with nearly half of party’s 212-member caucus voting with Republicans to reject the measure Sign up for the Breaking News US email In his opening statement before senators today, Todd Blanche, said that he is “pleased to testify again today to tell everybody here that we are doing just that-we are keeping America safe” . The nominee for attorney general, who has been leading the justice department in an acting capacity since Pam Bondi was fired in April. Continue reading...

Journalists who had reported on security concerns around the new Air Force One, a gift from Qatar, received summons The New York Times on Wednesday filed a motion to quash subpoenas the justice department served journalists who reported on security concerns involving the new Air Force One, a gift from Qatar, teeing up a significant court fight over press freedom and the government’s ability to force reporters to identify sources. “As we set out in our motion, these subpoenas are brought in bad faith to punish the Times for its coverage. They violate the constitutional rights of the Times and

Dena Karari, dual US-Iranian citizen, ‘now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition’, president posts on Truth Social Donald Trump said Wednesday Iran had agreed to release an American citizen who was “wrongfully detained” since December 2024. “She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” Trump wrote on social media , without naming the woman. “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!” Continue reading...

Coin commemorating 250th anniversary will be released this fall and marks first time a living president appears on currency The treasury department announced on Wednesday that the US Mint has started producing a new commemorative $1 coin featuring Donald Trump as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. The coin is scheduled for release this fall. Treasury officials said its final design was approved earlier this year by the US Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were appointed by Trump. Continue reading...

Global views appear to have flipped in Beijing’s favour, driven in part by tensions between the Trump administration and US allies, a new Pew survey shows The world has largely viewed the US more favourably than China for years, but those opinions have flipped in Beijing’s favour this year, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center , a remarkable shift driven in part by tensions between the Trump administration and US allies. More people have favourable views of China than the US in 25 out of the 36 countries and territories that were surveyed, including Canada and

US President Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee, Todd Blanche, faced ⁠tense bipartisan questioning at a US Senate panel on Wednesday about the roll-out of the Epstein files and a settlement that gave the president sweeping tax immunity. Blanche, the president’s former personal lawyer, was pressed by Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas about the Justice Department’s decision to settle Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service by creating a since-abandoned US$1.8 billion fund...

French lawmakers on Wednesday adopted ⁠a bill that will create a legal right to assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses, capping an intense ethical and political debate. The legislation will, under strict conditions, allow a person who requests it to receive a lethal substance. The substance could be self-administered or, if the person is physically unable to do so, administered by ‌a doctor or nurse. Access to assisted dying will be restricted to adults who are French citizens or...

A man who threatened on social media in May to shoot Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage was arrested, London police said on Wednesday, as concerns grow over the security of politicians following the killing of Ann Widdecombe, a former member of parliament. The man was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of sending threatening communications to a member of parliament, the Metropolitan Police said. “I am going to shoot you in the head if you win,” he allegedly told Farage on social media, according...

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he was leaving the United Kingdom “in better shape than I found it” as he fielded questions, criticism and even a bit of praise from lawmakers in the House of Commons for the last time on Wednesday. Starmer, who leaves office next week, bid farewell to the boisterous weekly Prime Minister’s Questions sessions where he has traded barbs with opposition politicians and defended his government’s record. On Monday, he will step down as prime minister after losing...

When Shabir Ahmed, a convicted leader in one of Britain’s grooming gang cases, was released from prison this month and allowed to stay in the country rather than being deported to Pakistan, the political fallout extended well beyond a single immigration dispute. The case has become a test for the ruling Labour party, which is under pressure both as the government responsible for deportation policy and over criticism of failures by some local authorities to protect vulnerable girls. Analysts said...

Unexploded munitions were hampering efforts by firefighters to tackle a blaze in a national park in northern Germany, local officials said on Wednesday. Old munitions buried in the soil from an abandoned military training ground have forced them to stay at least 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) from the flames, officials from the Mecklenburg Seenplatte district said. “Emergency services cannot actively put out the fire – that is the problem,” district spokesman Marten Schroeder said of the fire in...

The Pentagon has blocked the public release of a congressionally mandated annual report on the costly and controversial F-35 fighter jet programme for the first time in more than 20 years. The non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) said Defence Department officials concluded its yearly assessment of the US$1.6 trillion programme contained Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) – which meant none of the report could be released to the public. The report has offered a key window...

Generative AI chatbots capable of writing emails and computer code, translating, organising a trip or coming up with gift ideas are now readily available – prompting some to ask whether human brainpower could suffer for lack of use. A simple natural-language prompt is usually enough to draw a usable response from a service like ChatGPT or Claude, with the effects making themselves felt in schools and universities, workplaces from offices to courtrooms and our personal lives. Recent scientific...

Iran threatened on Wednesday to ⁠shut off more regional energy exports, after the US reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports and both sides launched more strikes as they vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz. The apparent threat to shipping through Bab el-Mandeb, a gateway to the Red Sea, follows an escalation between Iran and the US since last week that has severely frayed a tentative truce signed in June. The war, which began with US and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28,...

A new era began between Spain and the tiny British territory of Gibraltar on Wednesday, as border checks that have long been a source of tension and frustration were finally lifted. Several dozen people and vehicles crossed the border from Spain for the first time without undergoing customs checks a few minutes after midnight. Several hundred people gathered for the occasion, waving Spanish flags, while Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, announced: “Europe is back”. Gibraltar, a...

There will be no turning back the clock if the US House has its way. The House passed a bill on Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent. Proponents, including the White House, argued the change would provide more daylight during the times that Americans are most active. The vote was 308-117. Daylight saving time is that period between spring and fall when clocks in most parts of the United States are set one hour ahead of standard time. States could opt out if their respective...

A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed “Gus” sold on Tuesday for US$50.1 million at Sotheby’s in New York, making it the most valuable dinosaur fossil bought at auction, after a 10-minute battle between seven bidders. “Gus” is one of the world’s most complete T. rex skeletons – with 183 fossilised bones – and was discovered on a cattle ranch in South Dakota in 2021. The giant beast lived some 72 to 66 million years ago – a period characterised by a warm climate, high sea levels and vast...

US Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told lawmakers Tuesday that a sharp increase in threats targeting her and other justices is increasingly encroaching on their personal and family lives. During a rare appearance by justices before Congress, Barrett said she had to take a bulletproof vest home a few years ago, something she struggled to explain to her 12-year-old son. “I didn’t expect that performing this service would put me in the position of explaining to my children what a...

Warren Buffett has stopped donating to the Gates Foundation, ending a two-decade philanthropic partnership following revelations about interactions between Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Buffett said on Tuesday that he was donating about US$6 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock, comprising 12 million Class B shares, in his annual midyear donation to four family foundations overseen by his daughter Susie and sons Howard and Peter. The...

British ⁠counterterrorism police said on Tuesday that ⁠former government minister Ann Widdecombe, who was found murdered at her home last week, was clearly targeted, adding that officers were still working to establish the motive. “It is clear that this was a targeted attack. We are still working ‌to understand the extent of any planning or preparation and the motivation that sits behind that attack,” Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Britain’s counterterrorism policing, told...

US President Donald Trump lashed out on Wednesday at a decision by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to suspend the use of traffic stops after two fatal shootings in less than a week. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) halted the practice after a Colombian man was shot dead in Maine on Monday and a Mexican man was killed in an operation in Texas last week. “We CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” Trump said in an early...

Writer E. Jean Carroll has collected over US$5.6 million that a jury awarded in her sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit against US President Donald Trump, court records and her lawyers said. The payment – representing the US$5 million jury award, plus interest – was made Monday from an account where it had been held in escrow since the 2023 verdict, according to court records. Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, confirmed the payment on Tuesday. “We are pleased to report that she has received the...

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday abandoned plans to impose a 20 per cent charge on commercial cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz, less than a day after unveiling the proposal, while pressing ahead with a naval blockade targeting Iranian trade. Trump said the proposed fee would be replaced by trade and investment agreements with Gulf states following discussions with regional leaders. “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the...

US consumer inflation slowed more than expected in June as energy prices retreated, but the moderation was insufficient to convince financial markets to take an interest-rate increase from the Federal Reserve this year off the table against the backdrop of renewed conflict in the Middle East. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the Labour Department on Tuesday also showed underlying inflation subsiding last month amid declines in the costs of motor vehicle insurance, communication, apparel,...

Louis Vuitton is set to face off against China’s trademark regulator in a Chinese intellectual property court on Thursday, as the French luxury brand deals with public backlash in China over a separate legal battle against a local milk tea brand. Louis Vuitton Malletier filed the administrative lawsuit against the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), with a Chinese individual – Huang Minyao – joined as a third party, according to a notice published by the Beijing...

Deaths in Germany spiked 32 per cent during a record heatwave in June compared to levels in the previous four years, official data showed Tuesday. Nationwide, about 23,900 people died between June 22 and June 28 – an increase of 7,100 compared with the two previous weeks, according to Germany’s statistics agency. “The fact that the health impact from heat is high and that death rates rise as a result is a well-known effect often observed in the summer months,” the agency said. Sweltering weather...

A Norwegian chemical tanker was hit by an explosion caused by an unidentified device off the Omani coast early Tuesday, a crisis response company said. MTI Network said in a statement that shipping company Stolt Tankers reported that at approximately 12.40am local time “its tanker vessel Stolt Magnesium while on passage in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman suffered from an explosion of an unidentified external device”. The explosion triggered a fire in the ship’s engine room, but an MTI...

There should be a “youth mode” for children on social media platforms in which addictive features and targeted advertising are turned off, EU lawmakers demanded on Tuesday. The calls are growing louder for the European Union to ensure that social media platforms and others are designed to be safe before children use them. An expert report on Monday also recommended a “safety-by-design” approach in which platforms protect minors from possible harms posed by the apps. “The responsibility for the...

Ten men suffered injuries on Tuesday during the eighth and final bull run of Spain’s famed San Fermin festival, bringing to 57 the total number of daredevils injured during this year’s fiesta. An 18-year-old man suffered a gore wound to the thigh and a 46-year-old man was gored in the chest, while the remaining eight – including an 86-year-old British man – were taken to hospital with bruises of varying severity, the Navarre regional government said in a statement. The six fighting bulls and...

Ukrainian fighter pilots and troops took pride of place in France’s national Bastille Day celebrations on Tuesday as a massive parade showcased support for Kyiv and symbolically flexed European military muscle. On President Emmanuel Macron’s last Bastille Day as president, he hosted around 30 other leaders for an event that appeared aimed at showing both Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump that Europe is united and stepping up to defend itself. Ukrainian President...

Yemen’s Houthi movement fired missiles at Saudi Arabia after accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under their control on Monday, breaking a four-year truce in the conflict between the kingdom and the Iran-aligned group. Saudi Arabia intercepted missiles “launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the southern region,” the spokesperson for a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said on X. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said ‌they had targeted the international airport in...

On July 6, a Chinese strategic nuclear submarine fired a missile carrying a training dummy warhead into a designated area of the Pacific. Beijing described the launch as routine, said relevant countries had been notified and insisted that it targeted no state. The regional reaction was immediate, with Australia, Japan, the United States and Pacific nations raising concerns around insufficient notification and the politics of nuclear-free zones. Those reactions matter because they show how far...

Iran fired ballistic missiles at a US airbase in Jordan on Tuesday and the United States attacked Iranian targets for five hours in a battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz that has pushed up oil prices to four-week highs. US forces launched waves of attacks for the third successive night after Iran said on Saturday it was closing the strait, prompting US President Donald Trump to reinstate a blockade of Iranian shipping and propose charging a 20 per cent fee to guard the vital waterway. The...

Russia launched a barrage of drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv early on Tuesday, the fifth such attack on the Ukrainian capital so far this ‌month as Moscow escalates its air strikes against Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks damaged 16 sites in the capital, including a school and a business, while city officials reported several fires across the city. Russia also targeted critical infrastructure in central and southern Ukraine, Zelensky said, adding that the attacks...

Britain banned support for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a linked group on Monday following a series of antisemitic attacks, using new powers designed to stop the use of state-sponsored proxies. The government and intelligence agencies have become increasingly ‌concerned about foreign powers paying organised crime groups or low-level criminals for surveillance, sabotage or other activities on their behalf. The ban follows attacks on Jewish-linked sites in London, including...

Andy Burnham took another significant step on Monday towards becoming Britain’s next prime minister, netting additional Labour MPs’ nominations to give him an unassailable lead in the ruling party’s leadership contest. The veteran politician, who has served as Greater Manchester mayor for nearly a decade, is the only Labour member of parliament to publicly declare themselves a candidate to replace outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer announced he was quitting last month, bowing to...

The United States’ National Science Foundation (NSF) is set to ban collaborations with Chinese research institutions designated as restricted entities, as well as their employees, under a new policy that moves away from seeking to balance security risks with the benefits of international collaboration. The policy reflects a broader congressional push by House Republicans to curb academic partnerships between China and the US, amid lawmakers’ concerns that such ties could contribute to Beijing’s...

Interior minister Shabana Mahmood announced plans on Monday to change UK law to allow a convicted paedophile who led a so-called grooming gang to be deported following his release from prison. Shabir Ahmed was jailed in 2012 for 22 years for multiple child sexual offences including rape when he was the ringleader of a gang of similarly predatory men targeting girls in Rochdale, northern England. He left prison on licence earlier this month under the country’s early release programme. He was...

US President Donald Trump’s administration has turned over to ⁠Minneapolis prosecutors evidence it had withheld on immigration agents’ killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and wounding of a Venezuelan man during deportation sweeps in January, local officials said on Monday. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, the city’s lead prosecutor, said the federal government handed over the “voluminous” evidence in the three shootings after six months of discussions, jurisdictional disputes ‌and a...

France on Monday battled two fires that scorched over 1,300 hectares in a forest south of Paris on Monday, as police arrested two people suspected of arson. The fire erupted Sunday in the sprawling Fontainebleau forest, a former royal hunting estate that today is dotted with quiet villages, about 60km (40 miles) southeast of the capital. As the region sweltered through its latest heatwave, the wildfire – rare in the north of the country – quickly spread across the Unesco biosphere reserve,...

Shein Executive Chairman Donald Tang will step down as his mission of taking the company public nears completion, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday, retreating to an advisory role after three years as the public face of the global fast-fashion retailer. A Chinese-American billionaire who began his career in banking, Tang has acted as the Western proxy of ‌secretive Shein founder Sky Xu, liaising with politicians and regulators around the world while also...

The US Department of Defence ⁠said on Monday ⁠it would invest US$25 million ⁠in rare earths start-up ReElement Technologies, part of a broader push by the Trump administration to boost domestic supplies of critical minerals and challenge ‌China’s dominance of the sector. ReElement aims to use a novel processing technology to refine rare earths and other critical minerals at its planned commercial facility in Marion, Indiana. The rare earths are expected to be used ⁠in magnets found in a range of...

Mexico said on Monday it does not seek conflict with the United States but must stand up for its citizens as it seeks criminal charges over the killing of several Mexicans by US immigration authorities. At least 17 Mexican citizens have died while held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or during federal raids since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year. Having already announced plans to press for criminal charges over the deaths, Mexican President Claudia...

The United States on Monday announced a sweeping campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC) that could include further sanctions and other measures, accusing it of posing “an intolerable threat to US sovereignty”. The Trump administration said it would pressure other countries to withdraw from the court, marking a sharp escalation in the US effort to isolate the Hague-based institution and starve it of political and financial support. “The ICC and its friends are waging a war...

Most European Union countries on Monday called for the bloc to put forward a proposal on banning the import of products from Israeli settlements, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. “The option that got the most support was banning the trade with the illegal settlements,” Kallas said after a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers. “We tasked ambassadors to take this work forward and also ministers agreed that, if necessary, we can also reconvene an extraordinary meeting,” she...

Ukraine’s allies gathered in Paris on Monday to ramp up support for Kyiv, particularly in air defence, and increase pressure on Russia to end the war, which is well into its fifth year. Representatives of the 37 coalition members, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, arrived at Les Invalides in the French capital for the summit of the Coalition of the Willing, launched by France and the United Kingdom to provide military support to Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in...

A person was killed ⁠on Monday in ⁠a shooting involving US immigration agents in ⁠Maine, a top state lawmaker said, days after a man was fatally shot by a US agent during a traffic stop in Texas. “This morning a shooting occurred in Biddeford. A person was killed. ICE was involved,” Ryan Fecteau, the ‌speaker of the Maine House of Representatives and a native of Biddeford, wrote on Facebook. “State Police and the Department of Public Safety are now on scene to gather details and would expect the...

US President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States would begin charging commercial vessels for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as Washington reinstates its blockade of Iran following a renewed escalation in the conflict. Trump said Iranian vessels and ships trading with Iran would be barred from using the strategic waterway, while other countries would retain access under a system that would impose a 20 per cent fee on eligible cargoes. “We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN...

Early on July 12, after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice and struck a Cyprus-flagged container ship, the United States launched its third round of strikes in a week, hitting some 140 targets. Most were along Iran’s southern coast overlooking the strait – including Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Jask and Qeshm – but one strike days earlier pointed to a different logic. On July 9, US cruise missiles hit the Aq Taqeh Khan bridge in Aq Qala, in the northern province of Golestan,...

British counterterrorism police officers are now leading the investigation into the suspected murder of former British government minister Ann Widdecombe in light of new information, interior minister Shabana Mahmood said on Monday. Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her ‌home in rural southwest England last Thursday with what police described as “serious injuries”. She was a prominent member of Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK, having left the Conservatives after she stood down from Parliament...

President Trump ordered U.S. warships and aircraft to stop vessels going to and from Iran. Enforcing a blockade takes a huge commitment of warships and aircraft.

A heat dome is responsible for miserably high temperatures, and it’s also helping to push smoke from wildfires to the east.

Roads became rivers on Wednesday as emergency officials in towns around San Antonio raced to rescue people who were stranded.

The agency has said little about two fatal encounters in the past week. Local police departments have learned to be forthcoming.

Federal investigators believe illegal drugs were inside the vehicle, though the immigration agents involved in the encounter do not appear to have known that.

The president has pushed to curtail the commercial licenses of immigrants, including legal residents, whom he has blamed for crashes.

The Justice Department is seeking to compel grand jury testimony as part of an investigation into Times reporting on the president’s new Air Force One jet.

The Trump administration issued subpoenas to reporters who wrote about security concerns involving the new Air Force One. Joe Kahn, the executive editor of The New York Times, responds to what he calls a “naked attempt to intimidate” the newspaper.

After The New York Times reported on security concerns related to the Qatari-donated jet, the F.B.I. sought to speak with several people who flew aboard the plane with President Trump last week and asked for their phones.

Few directors close the divide between the art film and the blockbuster like Christopher Nolan.

The ruins of a 2,400-year-old complex suggest that, to the Greeks of antiquity, Homer’s protagonist was not just a character in a poem but a figure of genuine devotion.

The parasite has sickened thousands across the United States. Experts have tips on how to stay safe.

Democratic candidates are hastily building bare-bones campaigns and forgoing traditional outreach like TV ads in a sprint to appeal to party delegates, rather than Maine voters.

To win, they’ll have to convince Democrats at a July 25 convention that they’re the best candidate to take on Senator Susan Collins, a Republican.

Republicans seem to view Francesca Hong as their weakest opponent in a general election. They are spending $2.2 million in an apparent attempt to aid her primary campaign.

He is a close ally of President Trump and has been a leading proponent of the election denial movement, which falsely claims that voting machines are often rigged.

As a child, Michael McLeer wanted to be like John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever” and escape Brooklyn. A tragedy in the neighborhood changed his mind.

Rescuers described survivors trying to stay afloat in the San Francisco Bay. A brother of the boat’s owner died, and the authorities say they will end the search for the missing.

We didn’t need an outbreak of a nightmare stomach bug. But here we are.

The football team, like Britain itself, is burdened by the dead weight of impossible expectations.

A New Jersey couple helped scientists uncover the makeup of an unusual asteroid after it fell into their bedroom.