Minimalist News

Here's Why the US Manufacturing Surveys Are Diverging So Dramatically... Update (1015ET): As we noted below, there was a significant divergence between the two manufacturing surveys for July... which is not that unusual, and also an odd divergence between falling inflation expectations and universally rising commodity prices. Based on the responses to the ISM survey, we may have found the answer... and it's a familiar one in this bifurcated economy... Green ones from AI, semiconductor, electronics and machinery firms report strong demand from AI data centers, chips and defense. Red ones from metals, transportation, chemicals and consumer-related sectors report weak

Coldcard Losses Near $114M As Small Bitcoin Transfers Spike Via Decrypt.co, Small Bitcoin holders moved coins on July 31 at a rate not seen since the collapse of FTX, according to CryptoQuant, as news spread that Coldcard hardware wallets had been generating guessable keys for five years. Transfers of less than 1 BTC totaled 39,600 BTC (around $2.5 billion) that day, the firm's Head of Research Julio Moreno tweeted . The last comparable figure was 39,900 BTC on November 16, 2022, days after FTX failed. Daily active addresses rose from 645,000 on July 30 to almost a million on July

Key Events This Week: Jobs, ISMs, Fed Speakers And More Earnings On Deck The week ahead will be dominated by the US labor market, with the JOLTS report tomorrow, the ADP employment survey on Wednesday, and building up to Friday’s July employment report. Beyond the US, investors will be watching Swiss inflation today, Swedish inflation on Thursday, German activity data throughout the week (culminating in trade and industrial production figures on Friday), Chinese PMI releases on Wednesday ahead of trade data on Friday, and Japanese wage data and BoJ communications on Wednesday before household spending figures on Friday. Meanwhile, earnings

Saylor's Strategy Shores Up Capital Structure With More Bitcoin, Stock Sales Michael Saylor’s Strategy Inc. is plowing ahead with its pivot from relentlessly buying Bitcoin to focusing on shoring up its capital structure by raising its reserve via sales of the token and its own shares. The company that grew to prominence with its years-long Bitcoin-accumulation tactic on Monday announced that it had last week completed a roughly $105 million sale of the digital asset, offloaded three million shares worth $291 million and repurchased some $81 million of of its STRC preferred shares, which are trading at a discount. Some

Kamikaze Drone Slams Into Crowded Russian Black Sea Beach, Killing 3 The Russia-Ukraine war has dangerously spilled over into the Black Sea , with cargo ships, tankers, and oil and gas infrastructure being targeted by both sides. The sharp escalation in fighting across the region has also come at a cost to civilians. Shocking video circulating on X Monday morning appears to show a Ukrainian suicide drone striking a crowded beach in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Gelendzhik. Russian media outlet Interfax reports that three people were killed and more than a dozen injured " when a drone

GameStop Shares Plunge As $1.4 Billion Debt-For-Equity Swap Threatens Dilution GameStop shares fell in premarket trading after the company announced it had agreed to exchange about $1.4 billion of zero-coupon convertible notes for Class A shares, allowing the video game retailer to reduce long-term debt without using cash. The press release stated that the transactions were privately negotiated and cover $400 million of notes due in 2030 and $1 billion due in 2032. After the cancellation, CEO Ryan Cohen's GameStop will have about $2.8 billion of convertible debt remaining, including $1.1 billion due in 2030 and $1.7 billion due in

Futures Rise As Oil Plunge Helps Yields Ease From Nosebleed Highs; All Eyes On Yentervention Futures are higher with both tech and small caps outperforming as Trump points to a deal/advanded discussions with Iran (which Iran is naturally denying), which is helping push energy prices and bond yields lower as the USD depreciates. As of 8:00am ET, S&P futures are up 0.5% while Nasdaq futures rise 0.4% led by Mag 7 stocks higher with Semis lagging. Energy is lower with the remaining sectors seeing a bid pre-mkt as the lower oil / bond yields are creating what JPM hopes will

$400 Billion Pharma Megadeal? Jefferies Calls Potential AstraZeneca-Bristol Myers Merger A "Head Scratcher" The Financial Times reported overnight that AstraZeneca has explored acquiring Bristol Myers Squibb in a potential megadeal that would create one of the world's largest drugmakers, with a combined market capitalization of nearly $400 billion. The report cited people familiar with the matter, while both pharmaceutical giants declined to comment. Some Wall Street desks, however, are struggling to see the strategic rationale behind such a combination. FT reported: The companies have held discussions about a tie-up in recent months , according to people familiar with the matter.

Pentagon Plans AI Data Centers At Military Bases Across Multiple Branches By Adam Gramegna of Military.com At Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, on ground the Army's own contracting documents describe as previously used for grazing, a company owned by two of the largest investment firms in the world is preparing to build a data center. That site sits about an hour's drive from the nearest community, on the installation where the U.S. military conducts its primary chemical and biological weapons testing. Three parcels there total roughly 3,466 acres . One of them, about 1,201 acres, is already spoken for. A

Exelon "High Probability" Data Center Load Falls 40% By Ethan Howland, senior reporter at UtilityDive Exelon’s “high probability” data center load fell nearly 40%, to about 11 GW, in the second quarter from 18 GW at the end of last year, the Chicago-based utility company said Thursday. The decline comes as Exelon utilities have been entering into “transmission security agreements” with potential data center customers, it said. The TSAs include provisions designed to protect existing ratepayers from data center-related costs such as credit obligations, committed revenue contributions and shortfall payments. “What this update reflects is [that] we now weed out

Armor, Ammunition And Battlefield Adaptation Goldman Sachs analyst Sam Burgess, who covers European defense companies including Airbus, BAE Systems, Rheinmetall, Renk, Rolls-Royce, Safran, Leonardo, Thales, and Dassault Aviation, held a call with retired German Lieutenant General Andreas Marlow to provide clients with greater color on the rapidly evolving modern battlefield and its implications for defense-sector investment decisions. Marlow said the war in Ukraine has exposed a slew of weaknesses in conventional armies rather than rendering them obsolete. He said future combat will depend on integrated forces combining armor, infantry, artillery, all categories of drones, air defense, electronic warfare, and long-range

US Raises Travel Advisory For Spanish Area Amid Illegal Immigrant Influx Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, The U.S. Department of State on Saturday increased a travel advisory for Ceuta, Spain, to a higher level due to unrest caused by a recent mass influx of illegal immigrants. The agency said it updated its travel advisory for Americans to Ceuta to Level 3, or “reconsider travel,” due to “massive and uncontrolled arrival of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta” that could lead to an “unpredictable and dangerous security situation.” “Spain has deployed the Spanish military, Spanish National Police, and Guardia

No, The Spanish Invaders Have Not All Just 'Gone Home' Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News , Spanish authorities and their leftist allies are pushing the line that the tens of thousands of migrants who stormed Ceuta have mostly "gone home." The claim is pure fantasy. Fresh video from the streets shows the city still under siege, with invaders assaulting facilities, smashing graves, clashing with locals, and turning a Spanish enclave into a no-go zone. This is the same dangerous mass migration reality that open-borders ideologues keep denying, even as the evidence piles up in real time. The official

Trump's Venezuela Oil Push Hits A Roadblock Venezuela's long-awaited oil revival has been slower than many in Washington anticipated., according to the Wall Street Journal . Seven months after Nicolás Maduro's removal, negotiations between the interim government and major U.S. energy companies remain bogged down, with no landmark investment deals despite the country's vast crude reserves. Rather than rushing back into the country, firms such as ExxonMobil and Chevron are taking a cautious approach. Executives remain wary of Venezuela's history of nationalizing foreign assets, unresolved compensation disputes dating back to the Chávez era, and lingering political uncertainty. As Francisco Monaldi

Trump Says "Perimeters Of A Deal Reached" With Iran To Reopen Hormuz After Call With Saudi Crown Prince The past few days have been tense. Although no US strikes were launched from Friday night into Saturday morning and the Gulf region remained quiet early Sunday, anticipation surrounding President Trump's next move is keeping energy traders and Gulf governments on edge. The big concern is that another round of strikes could trigger a wider regional conflict, particularly as the Iranian-backed Houthis have reactivated offensive operations in the southern Red Sea in recent weeks. The Trump administration and Department of War may

Operation Blackout Takes Down 4 Of The 'Largest Scam Compounds On Earth': FBI Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times, The FBI announced on July 31 that it dismantled four of the “largest scam compounds on Earth” under Operation Blackout, seizing $15.2 billion in assets and freeing thousands of forced laborers. Scam compounds provide the infrastructure to carry out large-scale online fraud operations and typically employ hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom are captives. Operation Blackout freed thousands of trafficked workers, the FBI said in a post on X. In addition, roughly 10,000 Americans were reportedly saved

Logistical Nightmare Unfolds As Rhine Plunges Toward Record Low The Rhine, one of Europe's most vital arteries for transporting industrial goods, has fallen to one of its owest level since the drought-stricken summer of 2018. The resulting loss of shipping capacity is driving up freight costs and raising the risk of supply disruptions for iron ore, coal, chemicals, petroleum products and other commodities moving through Europe's industrial heartland. The Rhine water level gauge at Kaub, a key chokepoint on the Rhine for shipments heading to southern Germany and Switzerland, has fallen to just 25 centimeters, the lowest reading since the

Saudi Arabia Has Five Points Of Leverage Over The US Authored by Andrew Korybko, It probably won’t ever muster up the political will to use them, however, but the possibility always remains. Trump recently surprised the Saudis by demanding that they recognize Israel as the precondition for the US implementing their newly signed nuclear energy deal , which wasn’t part of the agreement. This follows him humiliating Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman earlier in the spring by claiming that he’d been “kissing my ass” for rejuvenating the US economy. His mistreatment of the Kingdom and its de

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Atomic Bomb, & The Perils Of Power Authored by Jonathan Miltimore via The Epoch Times, On Aug. 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, instantly killing tens of thousands and marking the first use of a nuclear weapon in warfare. Three days later, a second bomb, “Fat Man,” was dropped on Nagasaki. Within days, Japan surrendered, bringing World War II to an end. For most Americans, the bombings were greeted with celebration. Polls at the time revealed that nearly 70 percent of Americans said the bombing was a “good thing,” while just 17 percent

How China Is Using Its Coast Guard To Assert Control At Sea Over the past decade, China's Coast Guard (CCG) has evolved from a conventional maritime law enforcement agency into a central instrument of Beijing's strategy to reinforce its territorial claims, according to Bloomberg . Now operating a fleet of roughly 680 vessels, it continues to conduct routine missions such as search and rescue, anti-smuggling operations, and fisheries enforcement, but increasingly serves broader strategic objectives. Bloomberg reports that rather than relying solely on the navy, Beijing deploys the CCG to project control over contested waters in the South China Sea,

Soaring temperatures continue to sweep parts of Europe, while Okinawa faces powerful winds and storm surges Europe live – latest updates Unbearable, record-breaking heat has dominated the summer of 2026 across much of Europe. New records were set in central Europe last week, with Wieselburg in Austria registering a new July peak of 40.3C (104.5F). This is particularly significant as it is just 0.2C behind the all-time high, set in the August of 2003. However, not all of the northern hemisphere has experienced extreme heat and aridity. Vancouver recorded its wettest July since 2016 and the third wettest since 2008,

Aircraft crashes into field after departing from nearby city of Pisco, according to local authorities Police in Peru report that 13 people, among them foreign tourists, have been killed in a plane crash in southern Peru, near the Nazca Lines. Local authorities in Nazca confirmed that 11 tourists and two pilots died when the Cessna Grand Caravan crashed in Pueblo Viejo, approximately 4 miles (6km) from the city of Nazca and roughly 12km from the Nazca Lines site. Continue reading...

Injectable PrEP drug holds promise but investment in HIV prevention has declined dramatically worldwide Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email New innovations in HIV prevention could dramatically reduce the number of new HIV cases around the globe, but US foreign aid cuts will mean that those that most need the new medication will be unable to access it, according to experts at the Aids 2026 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil . One year ago, the World Health Organization recommended that governments around the world prioritize expanded access to lenacapavir, an injectable version of the HIV prevention

Data shows Canadians have replaced US vacations with other international trips in apparent rebuke to Trump Canadians spent $3.3bn less on travel to the US in 2025 than in the previous year, as Donald Trump’s hostile policies towards his northern neighbour continue to incur an economic cost, new government data shows. The research also indicates that Canadians are not bucking travel overall and instead have replaced US vacations with other international destinations, in a rebuke to Trump’s tariff regime and the president’s continued musings on annexing Canada. Continue reading...

Three years after Maui wildfires many still struggle with ‘biological, emotional and social consequences’, study says A spate of ferocious wildfires across North America and Europe, worsened by the climate crisis, has incinerated homes and forests and forced thousands of people to flee. Previous fires suggest the effects of these blazes may linger for years to come. The current fires and their plumes of smoke can appear to be a temporary, if immediate, crisis. Nearly 1,000 fires have sprung into life in the boreal forests of Canada, causing the evacuation of towns and toxic smoke to waft into major Canadian

Pacific nation is latest country to signal a shift away from its colonial past with return to its traditional name The Pacific Island country of Nauru has changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, its president said, matching the spelling and pronunciation in the national language. The country’s international code will change from NRU to NRO and its people will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. Commonly known abroad by the pronunciation of Now-roo, the new name is spoken as Now-ero. Continue reading...

US and Japanese governments confirm they carried out a rare joint intervention late last week Why has Trump stepped in to prop up Japan’s currency? Business live – latest updates The yen has hit its highest level in three months after Japan and the US launched a combined operation to support the Japanese currency. The yen strengthened to ¥155 to the US dollar on Monday, its highest level since early May, after Tokyo and Washington confirmed they had carried out a rare joint currency intervention late last week. Continue reading...

Authorities issue alert saying indoor spaces without airconditioning are ‘dangerous’ as temperatures pass 40C for fifth straight day South Korea has registered its highest temperature since records began more than a century ago, as authorities warned people to “immediately” stop all outdoor activities in affected areas. The south-eastern city of Yangsan saw the temperature reach 42.5C on Sunday afternoon, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said, the highest temperature reported since modern weather observation began in 1904. Continue reading...

Passing of bill gives English same status as Māori and sign language but, with it already spoken by 95% of country, critics call it ‘a pointless exercise’ Legislation recognising English as an official language of New Zealand has been passed by parliament, prompting derision from linguists and legal experts and a now-viral broadside from a Māori MP who called it “pathetic”. The English language bill became law on 30 July giving English, which is spoken by 95% of the country, the same official status as te reo Māori (Māori language) and New Zealand sign language. Continue reading...

British band say they are ‘proud to have made this impromptu expression with our fans in Singapore’, where open display of all foreign flags is banned Massive Attack have called being banned from Singapore a “surreal experience” after displaying a Palestinian flag during their show. On Wednesday, the English trip-hop collective – whose current lineup includes Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall – played a show at the Star theatre. Continue reading...

Expert says people face being filmed without their consent as $89 Anko smartglasses sell out in stores and online Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Kmart has sold out of Anko-branded $89 camera glasses across Australia, which a digital rights expert says presents a “privacy nightmare” as people face being filmed without their consent. As of Monday, the clear-lens, black-rimmed glasses, which can capture images and record high-definition videos, were sold out at Kmart stores across Australia and online. Continue reading...

Handful of tollroads to get one-off price cuts but WestConnex toll to keep rising at least 4% a year Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The cost of using Sydney’s biggest toll road will continue to rise at least 4% a year after the multinational private operator was accused of blocking the state government’s push for sweeping reforms. Only a handful of Sydney’s motorways will receive one-off toll cuts under a deal announced by the state Labor government on Monday, as the tolling bill footed by taxpayers surpasses $1bn. Continue reading...

His legal strategy was apparent from the very first. Jones will, it was explicitly stated, seek to undermine the ‘credibility and reliability’ of his accusers Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Alan Jones has enjoyed decades as the centre of attention, as the wielder of power. The booming voice, the vast radio audience, the bully pulpit of an eponymous TV show, the great and the good on speed-dial, a staffer in the prime ministerial office dubbed the “minister for Alan Jones”: these were not ancillaries peripheral to the Jones empire, they were central to

Environment minister says Australia has ‘long and difficult journey’ and says more mass mortality events likely Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Aerial surveillance has detected mass bird deaths in a second Australian state in another suspected escalation of the spread of deadly H5 bird flu . The environment minister, Murray Watt, said on Monday Australia had begun “a long and difficult journey” as CSIRO analysis confirmed Australia’s first mass mortality event at Baudin Rocks off South Australia’s coast. Continue reading...

Former 2UE and 2GB radio broadcaster is facing 22 charges. Jones, 85, has pleaded not guilty Alan Jones trial day one – as it happened Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Warning: may contain graphic content A former schoolboy athlete has told the Alan Jones trial he didn’t tell anyone the broadcaster was allegedly kissing him and touching his genitalia when he was a teenager because he was “fearful” of losing Jones’s financial support. The man, known as complainant J, alleged that after he drove Jones to a function in Canberra and they were

Boris Nadezhdin, who gained prominence after standing against Putin in 2024, says he is now in France The prominent Russian anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin has fled to Paris as Moscow tightens its grip on dissent before parliamentary elections later this year. Nadezhdin, a veteran liberal politician, gained international prominence during Russia’s 2024 presidential election when his long-shot campaign against Vladimir Putin unexpectedly gathered momentum before electoral authorities barred him from running . Continue reading...

Internal inquiries also opened after two suicides and two attempted suicides of staff in departments connected to PM’s office The Paris state prosecutor has opened a preliminary inquiry into alleged workplace bullying after the attempted suicide of a staff member in a department connected to the French prime minister’s office, France Inter radio has revealed. The public radio station reported on Monday that two government workers in different departments had ended their lives in the past year, and two others had attempted suicide. The radio station said complaints of alleged workplace bullying had been made. Continue reading...

Explosives used to move a large rock and let more water flow to cool nuclear power plant More must be done ⁠to strengthen the European Union’s borders at critical points, ⁠European Commission president ⁠Ursula ​von der Leyen told Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez ⁠in a letter. In the carefully-calibrated letter, first reported by Reuters and a number of Spanish media, von der Leyen was quoted as congratulating Spain for swiftly handling the incident and “successfully preventing” the onward migration to mainland Spain and the EU. Continue reading...

Hungary and Romania face energy crisis as record-low river levels force atomic power plants to reduce output Europe live – latest updates Romanian naval forces carried out a controlled explosion to help redirect vital cooling water from the drought-hit Danube to the country’s last working nuclear ⁠reactor, while neighbouring Hungary ​said it may be able to eke out two more days of power from its only atomic plant. Hungary and Romania have been forced to shut down nuclear reactors cooled by the Danube for the first time, as record-low water levels deepen fears of an energy crisis across the region.

Foreign ministry accuses Kyiv of carrying out attack reports say may have been aimed at air force chief Europe live – latest updates Russia has blamed Ukraine for a bombing at a restaurant in central Moscow that killed five people, amid growing speculation that a senior Russian military commander was the intended target. The explosion occurred on Saturday evening near the entrance to an upmarket Italian restaurant in one of the city’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers on Kudrinskaya Square. Continue reading...

Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis say that formal order withdrawing ‘anti-weaponization fund’ has addressed their concerns Blanche formally rescinds Trump’s $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponization fund’ Sign up for the US Breaking News email On Tuesday, we’ll bring you the latest from Michigan where voters will head to the polls for competitive primaries in Senate and House races. The most closely watched competition is the Democratic primary for the US Senate, where congresswoman Haley Stevens is up against former public health official Abdul El-Sayed . They’re vying to ultimately win the seat of outgoing senator Gary Peters in November. The race

US president lashes out on Truth Social after Iran denied it was in negotiations Iran in talks with Oman over shipping route but not US, says Tehran People walk near a billboard depicting Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran, earlier today. Six Saudi-flagged supertankers have changed course in the Gulf of Aden in recent days amid threats from the Iran-aligned Houthis , Reuters reports. Continue reading...

Iran discussing creation of temporary route through strait of Hormuz with its neighbour, says spokesperson Middle East crisis live – latest updates Iran has been in discussion with Oman about the creation of a new temporary route through the strait of Hormuz that would allow commercial shipping to resume, but is not yet reviving talks with the US, Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday. Esmail Baghaei was responding to claims by Donald Trump that talks between the two sides covering all the major disputes between them could restart as early as Monday. “We are not currently negotiating with the

After visits by US ambassador Mike Huckabee to the nearby Israeli settlement of Shilo, Palestinian Americans in Turmus Ayya have witnessed a terrifying rise in attacks No man’s land in Turmus Ayya lies where the US flags end and the Israeli flags begin. It is a few hundred metres of soil scorched by molotov cocktails where Israeli settlers have placed a boulder to tell the Palestinian villagers: this is our land now. On one side of that boulder are the white-stoned mansions where the Palestinian residents of Turmus Ayya live. About 80% of them are US citizens, members of the

US president claims delay is also in response to requests from Iran and other countries in the region Donald Trump has said he cancelled planned military strikes against Iran on the basis of “rapidly” reaching a deal on its nuclear programme and the full reopening of the strait of Hormuz . The US president paused the strikes in expectation of a breakthrough and in response to requests from Iran and other countries in the region, he claimed on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. Continue reading...

Meeting follows years of questions over wellbeing of detained former leader, who was ousted by coup in 2021 Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the aid organisation has confirmed. The meeting on Monday ⁠followed years of questions over the wellbeing of the 81-year-old , whose whereabouts and health condition have been largely unknown since the elected civilian government she led was ousted by a military coup in February 2021. Continue reading...

Other members of expedition led by world-renowned climber on Broad Peak also died, climbing company says A world-renowned Nepali mountaineer and former UK Special Forces member has died after being among 11 climbers caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak. Nirmal Purja was killed leading an expedition of 10 other people on the world’s 12th-highest mountain when an avalanche struck at around noon on Thursday. Continue reading...

António Guterres says strengthening El Niño will help push the world’s climate crisis into ‘uncharted territory’ India’s monsoon is in danger and hotter, drier conditions are forecast across much of the world as a stronger El Niño weather system is taking hold, weather experts have warned. António Guterres, the UN secretary general, said the strengthening El Niño was “adding fuel to a planet already on fire” and pushing the world into “uncharted territory”. Continue reading...

Rescuers say four bodies found in search for team caught in Broad Peak avalanche, after trackers showed rapid descent The world-renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja – a former British special forces member – is among 11 climbers caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak. The Alpine Club of Pakistan said “seven climbers have been spotted via aerial drone footage” adding that “their identities and condition cannot yet be verified”. Continue reading...

Local civil rights group alleges authorities removed evidence of killings amid communications blackout At least 30 people are alleged to have been killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the past two days as part of what has been claimed is a brutal state crackdown that has engulfed the disputed region for weeks. According to a local civil society group, Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), the Pakistani security services fired on tens of thousands of peaceful protesters, killing 25 people on Monday and five more on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Family update on GoFundMe page says child, who was six when badly injured in 2019 incident, is now back at school A boy thrown from the viewing balcony in the Tate Modern art gallery has a “smile back on his face” after being discharged from hospital, his family have said. The French youngster, who name remains undisclosed for privacy reasons, was six when he was badly hurt in an attack by then teenager Jonty Bravery at the London attraction on August 4 2019. Continue reading...

Rupert Lowe says no talks have taken place after the Reform UK leader said he was ‘open to conversation’ on some sort of electoral deal Zia Yusuf said under the plan Reform will create an “integrated surveillance command”, which he claims will “unify” military and intelligence surveillance, making “ours the most surveilled maritime border in the world”. “Any vessel attempting to cross illegally will be intercepted by our armed forces who will return them back to France,” he said, adding that emergency legislation would be given to the armed forces to equip them with the “necessary powers”. Continue reading...

Nigel Farage has promised that Reform UK would call in the navy to tackle small boat Channel crossings. Will this familiar-sounding immigration policy distract from the party’s internal problems? Plus – as we learn more about Andy Burnham’s plans for devolution, is this the biggest rewiring of the UK state since the second world war? Read about Richard Tice being investigated by parliament’s standards watchdog here You can read Alexandra’s report on Andy Burnham’s trip to Dover here and about constitutional reform here Please keep sending your comments and questions to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com You can watch Politics Weekly on our YouTube

England and Wales provisionally record driest July in nearly 200 years, Met Office says July 2026 was the driest month in southern England since records began nearly 200 years ago, the Met Office has said. England and Wales also provisionally recorded their driest July since records began in 1836. Wales had its joint warmest July on record for mean temperature, and England recorded its second warmest July. Continue reading...

Benjamin Lewis, who believed drinking blood would prolong life, will be kept in hospital for treatment A man fascinated with vampires and graveyards who apparently believed he would live for ever if he drank blood has been detained in hospital after being caught dumping animal corpses outside churches in a British forest. Benjamin Lewis, 48, left the bodies of sheep and deer on the doorsteps of churches in the New Forest in Hampshire, frightening parishioners and upsetting farmers whose livestock he stole and slaughtered. Continue reading...

Representative who did not seek re-election in 2024 died of Alzheimer’s disease, her son said Kay Granger, who served in the US House for almost three decades as the first elected Republican woman from Texas , died on Sunday, her family said. She was 83. The cause of death, according to her son JD Granger, was Alzheimer’s disease. Continue reading...

The host tore into ‘wildly invasive’ cameras, microphones and license plate readers that police use to track Americans John Oliver discussed the tools that police are using to keep track of Americans on the latest episode of Last Week Tonight. In recent years, the use of surveillance technology has exploded among local police forces due to decreasing prices and federal funding, with one local mayor comparing modern systems to “Big Brother on steroids”. Continue reading...

Police credited Jordan Salinas with limiting number of victims in attack on restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho A healthcare worker returning fire on a 24-year-old gunman who killed three people and wounded several others an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, has said his impulse to confront the attacker was “automatic” and “mechanical”. That description from 35-year-old Jordan Salinas came in an interview with the Idaho Statesman that was published on Sunday, providing a detailed account of actions that police credited with limiting the number of victims in the attack a day earlier. Continue reading...

State supreme court rules in case of two bishops who were silent about three children abused by Mormon parents Clergy members in Arizona who learn of child abuse in the context of religious confession are not required to report it, the state’s supreme court has said in a ruling that protects what church leaders call the “seal of the confessional”. The panel’s ruling ends a long-running case in which three children who were sexually abused by their parents sued the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), also known as the Mormon church, and two bishops who became aware

Erica Fox left Lovers Point near Monterey in December alongside group of swimmers but never made it back A single, devastating shark bite was fatal for an ocean swimmer whose body was found on a California beach in December, a new autopsy report confirmed. Erica Fox, 55, drowned after that shark bite broke her pelvis and severed a major artery, according to the findings of the autopsy, which were first reported on by California’s Monterey Herald newspaper. Continue reading...

Cuba’s power grid failed on Sunday, causing another nationwide blackout, a state utility said in a social media post. As the lights suddenly turned off across Havana, residents who were sat outside to get some respite from the summer heat audibly groaned en masse. Cuba has been suffering rolling power cuts due to ageing equipment and a US energy embargo that halted regular deliveries of fuel for power stations. State-run UNE said there was a “total disconnection” of the national electricity...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. From property to portfolios: why Chinese families are walking away from homes While Chinese families grow cautious, South Korean retail investors use record leverage to chase tech ETFs despite mounting risks. 2. Chinese pilot who landed safely after cabin leak given first-class merit award Chinese...

Chinese officials tend to report only good news and bury bad news for propaganda purposes and career advancement. That is why it came as a genuine surprise when, on July 22, Zhang Enhui, the party chief of Changchun, an industrial powerhouse known for its automobile sector and technological research, publicly broke with that tradition. He warned of “unprecedented difficulties and challenges” facing the city’s economy. The remark was apparently swiftly scrubbed from the city government’s website,...

Firefighters worked to contain huge blazes in the northwestern US city of Spokane early Monday after officials reported hundreds of structures had been reduced to cinders. Around 60,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as wildfires threaten the city in Washington state, local officials said, adding the fires had destroyed 600 buildings, including homes and businesses. Three separate fires broke out in and around the city. The National Weather Service (NWS) had warned of “extremely critical...

US President Donald Trump said that new negotiations with Iran would begin on Monday after he decided to hold off on striking the Islamic republic to pursue a deal to end the war entering its sixth month. Trump told reporters on Sunday that the talks would cover the Strait of Hormuz – a route for global energy supplies that has become a key sticking point in the conflict – and ultimately, the denuclearisation of Iran. For its part, Iran said it was nearing a deal with Oman over a new route...

Venezuela’s imprisoned former leader Nicolas Maduro on Sunday welcomed “any path to dialogue”, ahead of a US-backed meeting in the coming week between representatives of the Latin American country’s interim government and opposition leaders. The leftist Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured in a US military raid in January and are being held in a New York detention centre awaiting trial on charges related to drug and firearms trafficking. They have pleaded not guilty. “We welcome any...

Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signalled his support for a written constitution for the UK, which unlike most countries, does not have one authoritative document. Since entering office just two weeks ago, the former mayor of Greater Manchester has made devolution of power to regional authorities a focus of his administration. “In the end, I think it does start to point towards a new constitutional settlement,” Burnham said of his devolution plans. Calling for a “new clear set of...

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, said on Sunday he was “in great shape” as he launched his candidacy for October elections, with pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration looming over the campaign. A titan of the Latin American left, Lula is seeking a fourth and final term in office in a campaign casting him as a safe pair of hands in turbulent times and a bulwark against the global rise of the far-right. While no one mentioned Trump by name at the Workers’ Party...

Greek police on Sunday said they had arrested a suspect in their investigation into the death of a British woman whose body was found in a suitcase in Athens last month. The police in a statement said they had arrested a 26-year-old man, identified in media reports as an Afghan national, adding that he had “confessed his actions”. “Officers of the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime have solved the homicide of a 38-year-old UK national, whose body was found inside a suitcase in an...

The death toll from a mass rush of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta last week reached at least 72 on Sunday, as five more bodies were found along the North African coast, officials said. The number of fatalities was considerably higher than what was announced by Moroccan authorities on Sunday. More than 50,000 ‌people crossed into Ceuta by land and sea in an unprecedented surge that began on Thursday at one of the European Union’s only two land borders with Africa,...

Greece’s fire department says the collision of two firefighting helicopters battling a major wildfire burning out of control west of Athens on Sunday left two crew members dead, while another two were recovered alive. The fire department said the dead crew members were one Greek and one Danish national, while the two who were recovered alive were one Greek and one British national. Foreign firefighting and helicopter crews are often deployed in Greece to help tackle wildfires during the...

Israeli air strikes hit Gaza for a second straight day on Sunday, killing at least 18 Palestinians, medics said, despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a breakthrough in efforts to implement last year’s ceasefire agreement. From dawn, Israeli warplanes hit Gaza City in the north, the central city of Deir al-Balah and the southern area of Khan Younis, causing the biggest daily death toll in weeks, according to Palestinian health officials. Trump’s assertion on Thursday that...

Hungary is fully shutting down its sole nuclear power plant for the first time due to the record low levels of the Danube River, straining energy supplies and posing a major test for the economy and new Prime Minister Péter Magyar. One of the two reactors still operating at the Paks plant was shut down early on Sunday, with the final one powering down later in the day, according to Magyar. He cited the progressively lower water levels, which are causing a shortage of water for cooling at the...

Ukraine attacked multiple regions of Russia on Sunday, killing at least nine people, while Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least five, according to officials in both countries. Some of the strikes hit hundreds of kilometres from the front line, according to authorities. Both Moscow and Kyiv have upped attacks on each other in recent months, as US-led talks aimed at ending the conflict remain largely frozen. Kyiv, which denies targeting civilians, says the strikes are fair retaliation for...

US President Donald Trump in a Saturday evening social media post claimed that Middle Eastern allies had reached the parameters of a deal to end the Iran war and said that he would hold off on ordering new strikes in the five-month-old conflict for now. Trump added that the emerging deal “would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat”. “Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the...

US President Donald Trump knows the world hangs on his every word. Now he wants you to pay for it. The social media posts of the world’s most powerful man went on sale on Saturday, when his Truth Social business began offering sneak peeks of them to Wall Street traders willing to pay up. The move raises the prospect of big profits for Trump’s company and big questions about insider trading and using public office for private gain. Similar fast speed feeds are sold by other social media firms and...

Three people were killed and seven more were injured, some critically, in a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon, a Twin Falls city spokesman said. Police who responded to the shooting found the body of the suspected gunman in an area near the restaurant, Twin Falls city public information officer Josh Palmer said. He did not know if the suspect was included in the fatality count. Officials were still working on notifying the family members of victims...

Iran warned this weekend against any “adventurous action” by the US and said it would retaliate decisively if American forces follow through on US President Donald Trump’s threats of fresh attacks on Iranian targets. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi’s comments in separate phone calls on Saturday with senior Turkish, Pakistani and Saudi officials came just ‌hours after Kuwait’s army said it destroyed hostile drones launched by Iran against several vital facilities. Speaking to Pakistan’s...

Vincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best known for playing Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, has died. He was 80. Bob McGowan, who had managed Pastore since his run on The Sopranos, told Associated Press that he learned of his death on Saturday from another client and actor on the show, Vincent Curatola. He said Pastore had been found in his home on New York’s City Island after not being heard from for a few days. McGowan said he had been...

At least 13 people died when a small plane carrying tourists to view Peru’s famed Nazca Lines archaeological site crashed, police said on Saturday. “We have information that 11 passengers and two crew members have died,” Police Major Jorge Andrade told reporters from the crash site in the country’s south. The incident happened just after 1pm local time after the plane took off from the airport in Pisco, located about 240km (150 miles) south of the capital Lima. “Given the severity of the...

US President ⁠Donald Trump posted on Saturday ⁠that he disagrees with his ⁠own Justice Department’s findings that a flawed installation, not vandalism, caused the lining of the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington to peel. “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of ‌Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. “I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM.” In a court...

A home-made bomb carried by a woman killed at least three people and injured 21 ‌near an upscale restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, authorities said, amid unconfirmed speculation on social media that the attack may have been linked to the war in Ukraine. Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAK) said an unidentified woman carrying an improvised explosive device had tried to get into the restaurant but had been stopped by a security ⁠guard. NAK said the woman, the guard and...

A truck bomb exploded on Saturday near a Colombian police station not far from the Venezuelan border, wounding 14 people just days before president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella takes office. The government in Bogota blamed rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN), the country’s largest active guerrilla group, for the early-morning blast in the northern city of Cucuta. Eleven police officers and three civilians were hurt in the incident, according to the latest official toll. Agence...

The White House has used a song by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, a well-known opponent of US President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, as music for a video about operations by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The clip, which shows arrests of migrants, drew criticism on social media and can now only be viewed on TikTok without the music of the song “La MuDANZA” (The Move) from the album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (I should have taken more photos). It is unclear whether the missing...

The Israeli military said on Saturday that it killed several Hezbollah fighters in south Lebanon and that an Israeli soldier was injured there despite a ceasefire. The military said it identified several Hezbollah fighters overnight inside what Israel has labelled a “security zone” in southern Lebanon which its forces occupy. “Following the identification, the soldiers struck the terrorists and eliminated them in order to remove the threat,” the military said in a statement. Israeli forces “will...

US embassies in capitals across the Middle East on Saturday warned American citizens to beware of an “unforeseen escalation” in the regional conflict and urged them to be ready to leave. The warning, posted online by US embassies in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates came a day after US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran “very hard”. Iran and the United States have been at war since February 28. A period of calm...

A man has been killed and three people seriously injured after a severe storm struck the Saxon Switzerland region in the eastern German state of Saxony, police said on Friday. There were no reports of missing people, said a spokesman for the Dresden Emergency Services Control Centre. According to the control centre, a 38-year-old man lost his life near the Felsenbühne open-air theatre in Rathen when a falling tree struck him. Ten other people were injured, according to the centre, and 40 people...

Sweden has introduced tougher penalties for gang-related offences, allowing courts to impose prison sentences up to twice as long as before, as the country cracks down on organised crime. Under the new law, which took effect on Saturday, gang members convicted of certain offences can face sentences up to double the previous maximum. For example, a gang member caught carrying a firearm previously faced a maximum prison term of four years but can now receive up to eight years, according to Swedish...

The United ⁠Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) ⁠said on Saturday it had received reports of two maritime incidents off Oman, including one in which a tanker was struck by ‌an unknown projectile. In the first incident, a tanker was hit about 11 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Lima. The vessel reported it was “struck by an unknown projectile which has caused damage to the engine room” and leaving it ⁠not under command, the UKTMO said. There were no reported ‌casualties nor environmental...

France and Italy bolstered border controls on Saturday after about 60,000 people crossed into Spain’s enclave in North Africa, sparking one of the largest migrant crises for the European Union in recent years. The migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco, the enclave’s regional president Juan Jesus Vivas told reporters, but by Friday evening, officials said more than 48,000 had returned. To cross into Ceuta, many swam around a small border barrier that juts out into the Mediterranean. At least 34...

Russian attacks on Kyiv and its suburbs killed 10 people early Saturday, officials said, as Ukrainian drones sank a huge Russian container ship in the Black Sea. The exchange in attacks come after the United Nations found June was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022. Russia has stepped up long-range strikes ⁠on ⁠the capital in recent months, while Ukraine ‌is chronically short of air defences capable of ‌downing ballistic ‌missiles, which travel at ‌several times the...

The US Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Government lawyers said in a 20-page court filing that information provided since the indictment of David Hearn shows that the damage was the result of a “flawed installation by the contractor” as well as “the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day...

Chinese ⁠government buyers bought at least eight ⁠cargoes of US soybeans on Friday for shipment from US Gulf Coast terminals and six cargoes for shipment from Pacific Northwest ports in October and November, two US traders with knowledge of the deals said. The ‌sales volume of at least 840,000 tonnes was among China’s largest single-day purchases this month after the world’s top soybean importer restarted purchases from the US in late June. China had slowed purchases of American soybeans over...

Google rolled back a new feature on Friday that allowed Google Earth users to generate AI visualisations on top of the service’s satellite imagery, following a furious backlash from researchers and open-source intelligence experts about the potential for disinformation. “We’ve seen geospatial professionals using this feature for a range of useful purposes, however we’ve also seen people sharing screenshots of generated imagery that appear to violate our policies,” a Google spokesman said in a...

The US Marine Corps says the pilot of an F-35B stealth fighter is expected to live after ejecting from the jet before it crashed in California. The jet went down on Friday near the Miramar airbase in San Diego. “The pilot ejected, was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries,” the Marine Corps said in an updated statement. Aerial video from a news helicopter showed a plume of black smoke rising from the wreckage in...

US President Donald Trump said on ⁠Friday that America has not agreed to Ukraine building Patriot missiles, but that talks are ongoing, adding that the US must be “very careful about letting somebody build them”. Trump said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey this ‌month that he was going to give Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors to help defend against Russian strikes, but has since backed away from that pledge despite hosting...

Italy said on Friday it ⁠was suspending the EU’s ⁠border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain for one month in ⁠response to a mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco. Italy does not share a land border with Spain but the measure – which looks certain to anger Madrid – will ‌affect people travelling by plane or boat between the two countries, meaning they will need to show a passport to gain access. Italy’s interior ministry said in a statement it had...

Hungary’s only nuclear power plant will shut down for the first time in its history due to record-low water levels on the Danube River, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Friday, adding that the plant may not come back online for several weeks as the river is expected to continue receding. The Paks nuclear plant, located around 90 km (50 miles) south of the capital Budapest, is operating at less than half its normal capacity, producing 965 megawatts of power rather than the usual 2,000. The...

US President Donald Trump on Friday hailed a “great breakthrough” in the Middle East, saying that the Board of Peace – the body he created to oversee Gaza’s governance, security and reconstruction – will lead the process of disarming Hamas. Speaking at an open-to-press cabinet meeting at Camp David, the presidential retreat that has hosted numerous world leaders, Trump credited the Board of Peace with the latest US-brokered deal, under which Hamas has agreed to disarm amid the lingering conflict...

In America today, many low-income workers and households can’t get adequate healthcare or pay for food. Depending on who you ask, medical costs are the number one cause or at least among the top causes of bankruptcy for families. This is despite the United States spending more on healthcare per capita than any developed economy within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and having the most advanced medical science and technology in the world. Healthcare is one good...

British singer Boy George has pulled out of a West End production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar after facing a backlash for releasing a pro-Israel song, We Will Dance Again. The 65-year-old musician “will no longer be appearing in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium”, his manager Paul Kemsley said on social media. The singer, whose real name is George Alan O’Dowd, rose to fame in the 1980s as the flamboyant singer of the pop band Culture Club. This week he released a song...

The European Union rolled out a new team on Friday to rein in AI companies across the world, in one of the most aggressive regulations the hi-tech sector has so far faced as fears rise over the risks the rapidly advancing technology poses to people, politics and prosperity. Brussels aims to track the use of AI models for violations of its new regulations, like the publishing of sexually explicit material, fake photos and videos, and cyber threats to public infrastructure. When the bloc’s AI Act...

Chinese President Xi Jinping held discussions with the leaders of Slovakia and Namibia in Beijing during July, as well as meeting the heads of Cambodia, Thailand and Kazakhstan in Shanghai on the sidelines of the World AI Conference. Xi also hosted North Korean Premier Pak Thae‑song in Beijing following his state visit and meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June. So far this year, Xi has met with 26 national leaders, including US President Donald Trump. There may be three more...

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese satellite imagery analysis challenges US-Iran war claims Chinese scientists have used detailed satellite imagery analysis to examine damage to US military bases in the Middle East, uncovering discrepancies in both Washington...

Argentine President Javier Milei on Thursday imposed a bar on foreigners who express “hate” towards the Latin American country, which he claims is the target of a sinister campaign. Experts have cast doubt on the legal feasibility of the emergency decree, which is already in force but requires parliamentary approval to remain law. The measure bars or expels foreigners deemed to have “spread or incited hate messages” against the country or its people. In a statement, Milei said the measure was in...

The 250-foot-tall edifice would alter views across Washington and Arlington Cemetery.

The U.S. Treasury joined efforts in Tokyo to stem the yen’s slide against the dollar, highlighting the broader risks posed by turmoil in Japanese markets.

Firefighters were hopeful that improving weather conditions in Washington state could help efforts to contain the blaze, which officials described as the largest natural disaster in the history of Spokane.

Nanit and other start-ups want to track your children through the night — and soon, for much longer than that.

The country’s iconic carmakers are struggling with tariffs, the growth of electric vehicles and intense competition from Chinese companies.

Where do you love to shop? We asked and you came through, offering hundreds of thoughtful responses. Here are 25 of your choices.

By expanding the arena of fighting in the region, experts say, Tehran sent a warning about the dangers of a widening war.

President Trump cited progress in the negotiations when canceling a threatened attack on Iran over the weekend. Iran said there were no current talks with the United States.

On Thursday, employees and other insiders at Elon Musk’s rocket company will be released from their first stock “lockup” and can start selling some of their shares.

A new field of “tokenomics” has emerged to measure the return on all the money companies are pouring into artificial intelligence.

She was the first Republican woman from the state to be elected to the House. It caused a stir in 2024 when she was discovered to be residing in a senior living facility while still in office.

From $130 dinners to expensive cocktails and even exorbitant movie tickets, a crushing economy in New York City is creating a fresh barrier to love.

Artificial Intelligence is helping people write corridos within hours, accelerating a century-old tradition of memorializing tragedy through song.

Veterinarians are gingerly embracing the honeybee, a vital pollinator for agriculture but one that’s in increasing danger.

This is how we decide who we are and who we want to be.

There’s a narrow chance for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal before things go south.

We’re sizing up tomorrow’s primary contest.

A new report by the Center for New York City Affairs projected that a child care system for all children under 5 could cost the city about $9 billion a year.