Minimalist News

Who's Winning China's Sportswear Battle? UBS Say It's Not Nike Greater China accounts for about 13% of Nike's revenue and 15% of Adidas', making the world's second-largest economy a major competitive battleground for both clothing brands. A new UBS note highlights a widening divergence , with Adidas gaining market share as Nike's turnaround struggles to gain solid traction . UBS retail analyst Jay Sole wrote Monday that Adidas continues to outperform Nike in China , citing an industry expert who highlighted Adidas's stronger locally tailored products and marketing. Nike, meanwhile, faces weaker product momentum woes, inventory challenges and disruption from

US Sanctions Dozens Of Iranian Airlines As Tehran-Favored Mahan Air Defiant, Expands Flights As part of the latest in the Trump-Bessent "asphyxiation of this regime" approach to Iran after six months of military action failed to accomplish most White House aims, the Trump administration on Tuesday announced it is sanctioning all Iranian airlines in a massive aviation crackdown . The Treasury statement listed 27 Iranian air carriers and nine entities as part of an effort to deny the Iranian government the ability to move "weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo". via IRNA "Let this be a warning to anyone doing business

OpenAI's Claims Of Solving Million-Dollar Math Problem Marred By Allegations From Academic Authored by Jacob Burg via The Epoch Times , OpenAI announced on Sept. 8 that one of its internal artificial intelligence (AI) models had found the solution to a generations-long mathematical problem that deals with the natural mechanics of fluids like water and air. The Navier-Stokes equations govern how humans understand weather, ocean currents, blood flow, and aircraft and vehicle aerodynamics, and have been around for nearly 200 years. Mathematicians have spent decades trying to understand how smooth three-dimensional fluids can break down, and whether all the equations

"I Am The House Now": Bessent Goes Full Judge Dredd On Yen Bears US Treasury Secretary went full judge, jury, and executioner on speculative yen shorts overnight with probably the most direct explicit jawboning we have seen in years... “ I am the house now, so when we intervene with the Japanese yen, I have pretty good insight into what the Japanese, what the Bank of Japan is going to do, what Japanese policymakers are going to do,” Bessent said at a Southern Methodist University event in Texas on Tuesday. “And you can bet against me if you want.” As

Futures Slide As Brent Tops $100, 10Y Yields Rise Above 4.81% Ahead Of Expanded Treasury Buyback US equity futures are lower as oil continues its ascent, pushing Brent above $100 for the first time since July 24 and pushing 10Y yields to 4.81%. As of 8:15am, S&P futures are trading at session lows, down 0.5% and after erasing early gains, echoing a rally in Asian technology shares that lost momentum as the session progressed. Nasdaq futures are down 0.6% as Mag 7s trade mixed premarket: META +5% after saying early Muse AI usage has “blown way past our projections” with

Apple's Foldable iPhone Moment Arrives: New CEO Ternus Faces First Big Wall Street Test Apple is expected to unveil its long-awaited foldable handset, rumored to be called the "iPhone Ultra," at today's big product event, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET and led by new CEO John Ternus. " Watching Apple's event is later today… huge index weight, first major event under John Ternus, and potentially the first foldable iPhone. If the product/new CEO combination lands well, it could become a useful mega-cap catalyst ," Goldman Sachs Delta-One desk head Rich Privorotsky told clients earlier. Last-minute details about Apple’s foldable iPhone:

There's More Juice Left In The Trade For Higher Real Yields Authored by Simon White, Bloomberg macro strategist, TIPS continue to mean revert and risk overshooting to the downside, leading to a continuation in rising real yields. Real yields in the US have had a remarkably good run, with 10-year reals bottoming at about 1.72% at the end of March and rising to near 20-year highs at 2.43% currently. That’s even more remarkable when you consider that oil has on net risen almost 70% over the same period. TIPS were overbought coming into the Iran war, but are now back

Bitter Harry and Meghan Fire Off Blunt Statement After King Charles Blocks Royal Return King Charles delivered a humiliating public slapdown to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle yesterday after the couple's surprise return to Britain, making it crystal clear they remain firmly out of the Royal Family. Buckingham Palace issued a stinging letter on Monday spelling out that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no official role, no working duties and no hope of a half-in, half-out arrangement. "It is well known that in January 2020 the Duke and Duchess stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of

Brent Tops $100 As Gulf Conflict Escalates; UBS Warns US-Iran "Off-Ramp Remains Elusive" Brent crude futures topped $100 a barrel for the first time since July as US strikes on Iranian oil tankers and renewed attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure and a US base in Jordan suggested to UBS energy specialist Dominic Ellis that a " US-Iran off-ramp remains elusive ." Ellis adds more color on the overnight Gulf developments and response in the crude oil market : Brent topped $100/bbl as the US and Iran continue to trade strikes around the Strait of Hormuz. The US says it has

IRGC Says 'Smart Submarine' Operated By US Seized In Hormuz, Releases Images Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy announced Tuesday it had captured an unmanned US submersible at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz , a claim which corresponding photographs appear to back. The US side has yet to confirm the capture of the advanced naval drone, but some reports suggest it was "lost" after failing to operate properly. The IRGC statement called it a "complex intelligence and operational action." Tasnim identified the captured system is a Dive-LD in a report, describing the autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle built

German Industrial Orders Up: Massive Boost From Arms Spending Submitted by Thomas Kolbe Was this the turning point of the summer, a kind of summer-sun Merz-turnaround? Latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office show a significant jump in industrial orders in Germany: The order volume of companies across all sectors rose by 2.5 percent in July compared with the previous month – the third consecutive increase. These are good numbers for the Chancellor, who is desperately looking for supporting arguments for his political course ahead of the state elections in eastern Germany. The economic reporting of the past week was

France's Champagne Output Set To Crash 48% As Harvest Crisis, Sliding Chinese Demand Batter Vineyards A perfect storm of sliding demand, shrinking vineyard acreage, and weather-damaged yields has sent France's Champagne output forecast for this year plunging. Bloomberg cites new data from the Agriculture Ministry showing that Champagne output is projected to plunge 48% from 2025 to 1.34 million hectoliters . The estimate is based on the latest figures through Sept. 1. The ministry also said that nationwide wine production is expected to fall 6% to 34 million hectoliters , putting the harvest 17% below its five-year average and among

Green Steel: ArcelorMittal Finally Pulls The Plug Submitted by Thomas Kolbe In the end, economic reality prevails . Green steel has no future in Germany, regardless of how much funding may continue to flow through the channels of the green subsidy machine: At Germany’s overregulated, energy-policy-driven and increasingly sidelined industrial location, industrial production is becoming less and less profitable. That ArcelorMittal, one of the green economy’s poster boys, threw in the towel at the end of the week and announced that it would end steel production at its Duisburg site is the latest painful blow to the proponents of the

China's Oil Scramble Sends African, Canadian, Latin American Crude Prices Soaring China, the world's largest oil importer, is bidding up crude prices across Africa, Canada, and Latin American markets as disruptions in the Hormuz chokepoint and limited Iranian supplies intensify competition for alternatives. The scramble is squeezing smaller Chinese refineries that once relied on heavily discounted Iranian barrels, according to a new Bloomberg report. The renewed Chinese buying marks a major shift from a period when subdued Chinese buying helped restrain crude oil prices. With Iranian exports almost entirely shut off by the US blockade and fighting flaring again, as

Massive Escalation: Iran Sends Large Ballistic Missile Salvo On Jordan Bases, After US Strikes Iranian Oil Tankers Summary US Strikes Iran: US forces reportedly hit Iranian oil tankers near Kharg Island and Jask. Iran Targets US Ships & Jordan: Iran reportedly launched another attack on US naval assets, though no American ships were hit, say US officials. Ballistic missiles raining down on Jordan overnight. Oil Near $100: Brent crude surged as tensions threaten Iranian exports and the Strait of Hormuz. Houthis Hit Saudi Arabia: Ballistic missiles and drones struck Saudi energy and military targets, causing fires and operational disruptions. Yemen

The Future Of Volkswagen? Submitted by Thomas Kolbe On Thursday evening, Volkswagen’s Supervisory Board unanimously approved the company’s “Future Plan 2030.” The decision had originally been scheduled for Friday. By moving faster, Volkswagen is not only seeking to underline that the situation is genuinely serious, but also that it has recognized the danger and is now taking control of the situation again. Symbolism is everything these days, as the damage caused by the company’s business strategy of recent years has become visible like a gaping wound. Supervisory Board Chairman Hans Dieter Pötsch described the decision as evidence of the Group’s

Europe Heads Toward Winter With Too Little NatGas And Skyrocketing Prices European natural gas prices are trading near their highest level in more than three years as the race to replenish storage puts a bid under prices , while ongoing disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz intensify competition for scarce LNG cargoes ahead of winter. On Tuesday morning, European natural gas benchmark futures edged up nearly 3% to trade around 75 euros per megawatt-hour, the highest level since early January 2023. Bloomberg reporter Priscila Azevedo Rocha noted, " Europe needs higher gas prices in order to attract more seaborne cargoes

Intense SoCal Heatwave Sparks Cooling Demand Surge, Testing Grid Reliability The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories across California's Central Valley and coastal areas, including the Bay Area and Los Angeles, with more severe extreme heat warnings in parts of Southern California. Cooling demand is expected to soar over the next several days, putting pressure on the power grid, particularly in the evening as solar generation declines. Bloomberg reports that Los Angeles-area temperatures are forecast to reach 85F to 105F, roughly 10 to 15 degrees above normal. San Francisco could hit 86 degrees Wednesday, while Sacramento is expected to

NIH Ends Biodefense Focus, Signs Pact With Department Of War Authored by Paul D. Thacker via The DisInformation Chronicle , Senior officials inside the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) were baffled late last week when Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro issued a statement that Pentagon officials are trying to "raid" NIH funds to cover defense shortfalls. "The administration must provide Congress with a full accounting of how this interagency agreement was developed and exactly how much taxpayer money it is trying to transfer to DOD," wrote DeLauro , who serves as the top Democrat on House Appropriations. DeLauro's statement spurred

Lindsay Clancy Supporters Threaten The Father Of The Children She Murdered Patrick Clancy, the father of three children killed by his former wife, Lindsay Clancy, inside the family's Duxbury, Massachusetts, home in January 2023, is now the target of an online harassment campaign built on the false claim that he was involved in their deaths. The claim has no foundation. Lindsay Clancy confessed. She never disputed killing her three children. Her defense spent the trial arguing she wasn't criminally responsible because of severe mental illness, including postpartum psychosis, while prosecutors countered that she knew what she was doing. Nobody on

Andrew Frederick’s body was found in property he was staying at in Grenada in January The family of a British father who was found dead in the Caribbean in January is urging authorities in Grenada to work with UK police to uncover the truth about his death. Andrew Frederick’s body was found in the property he was staying at in Grenada on 4 January. An autopsy, performed in the same week by a privately hired pathologist, concluded that the 47-year-old’s death was a homicide. Continue reading...

Three men are on trial over the death of brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their friend, US citizen Jack Carter Rhoad, in Ensenada The father of two Australian surfers killed in Mexico two years ago testified in court on Tuesday that his life had been turned into hell, as the high-profile trial continued into its second day. Three men are charged in the killing of Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and their 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, who were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast in April 2024. Continue reading...

Counter-measures covering several sectors come after Trump announced 50% tariffs on Canadian goods Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of American imports have come into effect, escalating a trade fight that has been marked by intensifying tensions between the US president, Donald Trump, and the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney. The tariffs took effect at 12.01am on Tuesday, and range from 15% to 50% and apply to products covering $20bn in imports from the US. The measures target sectors including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics – industries that have been most affected by

Bereaved mother Debra Robinson in court stares at three men accused of murdering Jake and Callum Robinson and Jack Carter Rhoad in 2024 The suspected murderers of two Australian surfers and an American at a Mexican surfing hotspot have gone on trial, two years after the killings in a suspected robbery. Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33 respectively, and their 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast when they were shot dead in Baja California state. Continue reading...

Slavery’s legacy continues ‘to deprive our country and our people’, says minister, as group prepares to appeal to Jamaica’s head of state A landmark petition is to be handed to King Charles by Jamaica over slavery reparations, aiming to confront historical crimes that still disadvantage former British colonies, the Caribbean nation’s culture minister has said. The petition will be lodged with Charles, Jamaica’s head of state, on Monday. Continue reading...

The affluent city-state has justified high-end salaries for its political leaders, arguing they attract talent and ensure good governance Singapore’s prime minister has been given a $1m pay rise as the affluent city-state announced a dramatic one-off salary boost for government ministers. The pay increases add more than 60% to what are already the world’s highest ministerial salaries. Continue reading...

Shinjuku ward targets accommodation in residential areas and near cultural sites as locals complain visitors disposing of rubbish improperly and being too noisy A neighbourhood in Tokyo popular with foreign tourists will ban visitors from using thousands of short-term rental accommodations after a slew of complaints about behaviour. In the latest sign that Japan’s patience with mass tourism is wearing thin, Shinjuku ward – home to the notorious Kabukicho nightlife district and the world’s busiest railway station – will prevent visitors from using private lodgings in residential areas and near schools and important cultural sites, Japanese media reported this week.

Connection across Tumen River is further sign of closer ties between the two countries since start of war in Ukraine Russia and North Korea have opened the first road bridge across their shared border , in the latest sign of the rapidly deepening ties between the two countries since the start of the war in Ukraine. The one-kilometre bridge spans the Tumen River between Khasan in Russia’s far east and Tumangang in North Korea, along a remote and sparsely populated stretch of the countries’ shared border just a few miles from the coast. Continue reading...

Exclusive: US-controlled weapons corporations and forces have control or access to more than 100 facilities across the continent, which some analysts describe as a ‘colonisation’ of Australia’s military. Find a map of them here US military presence in Australia, mapped – video Why can the US access so many Australian military bases? – podcast US military interests control or have access to more than 100 defence facilities on Australian soil, in what some analysts describe as a “saturation” – even a “colonisation” – of the Australian continent. New data compiled by the Nautilus Institute and published by Guardian Australia maps

Beijing wants banks and insurers to bolster investment in stock market as it helps to replenish cash reserves China will inject $54bn (£40bn) into its financial sector as Beijing attempts to shore up banks and insurers in the face of faltering economic growth. A host of financial institutions said they were due to receive billions of yuan in capital from state institutions including the ministry of finance and even the company that runs the country’s tobacco monopoly. Continue reading...

The breakdown of the US-Iran ceasefire, rising oil prices and the explosion in data centre investment are making the central bank’s task harder Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast For five years the Reserve Bank has been trying to wrangle inflation back to its 2.5% target, and for years it has essentially failed. The result is a cost of living crisis that has generated intense community grievance. Continue reading...

Climate Council forecasts more than 267,000 coastal properties will be damaged by flooding by 2100, costing hundreds of billions of dollars Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast When grazier Peter Lake moved to the Clarence Valley in the New South Wales northern rivers region in 2007, he knew was “buying in flood country with … eyes open”. His cattle farm, about halfway between Yamba and Grafton, borders the Coldstream River and has flooded five times since 2009. Continue reading...

Some rental platforms encourage hopeful tenants to share ‘excessive’ amount of information, Consumer Policy Research Centre review finds Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast So-called “RentTech” companies may be circumventing new Victorian laws designed to protect tenants’ personal data by asking for information outside the rental application process, a review as found. The Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) identified rental platforms that encouraged hopeful tenants to share an “excessive” amount of personal information, or asked them questions that were “completely outside” the new rules. Continue reading...

Despite falls in some parts of the market, prices are showing signs of stabilising as investors exit and first-time buyers move in, analysts say Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast High-end homes are recording steep price falls, while more affordable properties are proving resilient, leaving Australians to experience the market downturn in very different ways, new data shows. Upper-quartile house values in the country’s two biggest markets, Sydney and Melbourne, are now down more than 10% from their peaks, according to analysis from Cotality. Continue reading...

NSW police say a vehicle was seen driving away from the scene in Punchbowl in the city’s south-west Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A man has been shot dead in the car park of a Sydney community centre in the city’s south-west. Emergency services were called to the community centre on Rossmore Avenue in Punchbowl on Wednesday evening after reports of a shooting. Continue reading...

Spokesperson for Merz declines to give a reason for cancellation, but notes that it was not due to scheduling German chancellor accuses far-right AfD party of seeking ‘ethnic cleansing’ Back to Oslo, the funeral procession for King Harald is about the begin, and the 1.2km route to the Oslo Cathedral is lined up with 1,900 soldiers from all branches of the Norwegian defence forces. The procession is expected to walk very slowly – at around 60 steps per minute – and will include the royal family, including King Haakon , followed by a royal car with the widow, Queen Sonja.

Europe’s royals and global political figures attend ceremony that brings 13 days of national mourning to a close Europe live – latest updates Norway has observed a minute’s silence as it takes leave of King Harald V in a series of ceremonies, bringing to a close 13 days of ​national mourning that followed the popular monarch’s death last month at the age of 89. Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of Oslo and foreign heads of state and government converged on the Norwegian capital for the funeral of the late king, a light-touch and unassuming reformer who ruled

After the AfD’s landslide win in Saxony-Anhalt, people in the state capital share what they make of the result – and what comes next • Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Asking residents in a city where a seismic political event has just taken place ‘How do you feel?’ demands chutzpah – this struck me as I walked around Magdeburg, Germany on Monday. The night before, the far-right populist, anti-immigrant, pro-Kremlin party Alternative für Deustchland (AfD) had landslide 44% win in Saxony-Anhalt’s state elections, sending shock waves to Berlin, across Germany and way beyond.

German chancellor attacks Alternative für Deutschland after far-right party’s win in Saxony-Anhalt election Europe live – latest updates Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz , has accused the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) of seeking “ethnic cleansing” with its “remigration” drive, after the nativist party’s seismic weekend victory in a state election. In his first public confrontation with the AfD since Sunday’s shock outcome in Saxony-Anhalt , Merz said at a raucous parliamentary debate that the far-right party would take an axe to one of the pillars of the German economy with a racist campaign of mass deportations. Continue reading...

No 10 says it still has confidence in Martin Rolfe, who is scheduled to brief Heidi Alexander after flight cancellations pass 2,000 Business live – latest updates How have you been affected by UK air traffic disruption? The head of the air traffic control provider Nats has been given a week to report back on the reasons for the technical failure that has disrupted thousands of flights since Tuesday. Downing Street said the government still had confidence in Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe, who was summoned to meet the UK transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, on Wednesday morning as the number

The Wild Horse Nine actor had been due to appear on stage in The Music Critic in Tel Aviv – but pulled out over PR firm’s ‘unacceptable and untenable’ attribution of statement John Malkovich has cancelled a planned trip to Israel next year to appear on stage after a PR firm hired by the show attributed quotes to the actor that the company had written. Malkovich, who is a leading Oscar contender for his role in Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine , was due to appear in The Music Critic, a theatrical-musical satire composed by the Jewish violinist Aleksey Igudesman,

While a survey found Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters to be the strongest backers of such a ban on trade, even Tory and Reform voters were in favour overall UK politics live – latest updates There was a time when placing Israel under strict trade sanctions would have been a politically risky thing for a British prime minister to do. Andy Burnham, however, considers it an electoral asset. As Kemi Badenoch attacked him over defence spending at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Burnham deliberately turned the topic to the trade ban on illegal settlements which he had announced on

In today’s newsletter: Ed Miliband has announced the strongest statement on Israel’s actions ever issued by the the UK government, but will it make a meaningful difference to Palestinians? Good morning. For almost half a century, British governments have condemned illegal Israeli settlements, acknowledging they represent an obstacle to peace and threaten the prospect of a two-state solution. And yet no government has ever compelled Israel to stop its expansion. Ed Miliband’s statement in the House of Commons yesterday was an attempt to change that. In a powerful and emotive speech, the foreign secretary recounted childhood memories of picking oranges

Penny Wong has concerns about blanket ban announced by UK, France and Canada, but says new ‘targeted measures’ planned over Israeli settlers Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australia is preparing another round of sanctions against Israel but has stopped short of joining the UK in banning trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Overnight, the UK government offered its strongest condemnation yet of Israel’s occupation , with the foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, calling efforts to control the West Bank unlawful. He said his

Tit-for-tat violence surges again in region, with tankers struck by the US in the Gulf of Oman, and reprisal attacks by Iran on a US base in Jordan The US military on Tuesday said it had “destroyed” several Iranian tankers after Iran attempted to strike a US navy warship with ballistic missiles, as violence once again surged across the region, pushing the price of oil past $100 a barrel. American forces struck the tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Iran’s Kharg Island, US central command (Centcom) said in a statement, adding that American forces “directed the crews to

India’s statistical system once commanded respect, and its data on economic and social indicators was considered rigorous – that appears to have eroded • Don’t get This is India delivered to your inbox? Sign up here There isn’t much that we Indians agree on these days. GDP numbers are no exception. Last week, India released glowing GDP numbers for the latest quarter – 7.8% growth – higher than the forecast 7% . It sparked a furore. Subhash Garg, a former finance secretary under Narendra Modi’s government and now a critic, reframed what Modi called a “herculean feat” as mere smoke

Foreign minister Shisir Khanal tells the Guardian the world’s biggest economies need to help Nepal, which contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions Nepal is demanding $20m in climate compensation for the recent devastating floods, as a senior minister called on the world’s most polluting countries to “wake up” and accept shared responsibility for a disaster that led to the death or disappearance of more than 6,000 people. Scientists believe the climate crisis had a role to play in the floods , which were triggered when a melting glacier partially collapsed and set off a deadly landslide and

Officials say pair were rescued from Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel in Nepal after being trapped at depth of 170 metres Two people have been pulled out alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal nine days after deadly flash floods buried the projects in deep mud and left them trapped. The workers were rescued during an operation at the Trishuli 3A tunnel, a hydropower project in one of the areas worst affected by last week’s floods , according to the army spokesperson Brig Gen Raja Ram Basnet. Continue reading...

About 46 people believed to be trapped in ‘room-like’ structure inside hydro plant tunnel on Nepal-Tibet border After the flood: human suffering on an unfathomable scale in Nepal’s worst-hit districts Nepal authorities have said they are “confident” that dozens of workers in Nepal’s Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant are still alive, more than a week after deadly flash floods left them trapped in an underground chamber. Authorities said that at least 639 workers were still missing from hydropower plants built along Nepal’s Bhote Koshi and Triushuli rivers. Continue reading...

Bangladeshi complainants allege Rampal power station’s pollution and climate risks threaten the Sunderbans, a world heritage site Barclays Bank is facing a formal complaint over its financial links to a coal-fired power station near the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and home to millions of people in Bangladesh and India. Three complainants from the region have submitted a case to the UK government’s Office for Responsible Business Conduct, alleging that the British bank breached international guidelines by underwriting companies involved in the emission-heavy Maitree super thermal power project, also known as the Rampal power plant. Continue reading...

Party denies wrongdoing after Scotland Yard confirms it is investigating allegations broadcast by Channel 4 after undercover sting Alex Burghart , the deputy Tory leader, was giving interviews this morning. On Israel, he opened up a new line of attack against the government, accusing it of hypocrisy. This is what he told GB News. At the same time that Labour were saying all these things about Israel in the House of Commons, they put out a communique. They put out an account of a conversation that Andy Burnham has had with the Chinese president, and it said how constructive they

Brent crude up by more than 3% after latest fire between US and Iran in Gulf and Houthi attacks on Saudi cities Business live – latest updates The price of oil has risen above $100 a barrel for the first time since July as the escalating conflict in the Middle East threatens further disruption to global supplies. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose by more than 3% to top $101 after tensions increased in the Gulf amid the latest tit-for-tat exchange of fire between the US and Iran. Continue reading...

Matt Brittin says ‘cupboard is bare’ after staff reject average 2.1% pay rise in dispute The BBC’s director general has conceded there is a real prospect of strikes at the broadcaster, as he faces a continuing dispute over pay and pushes ahead with plans to cut as many as 2,000 jobs. In a call with staff on Tuesday, Matt Brittin faced a series of questions over the corporation’s plans for huge cuts , as well as pay talks in which staff rejected an average 2.1% salary increase. Continue reading...

Scotland Yard confirms it is investigating allegations broadcast by Channel 4 after undercover sting UK politics live – latest updates The Met police will investigate allegations that Reform UK broke electoral law relating to overseas donations as part of a wider inquiry. The force confirmed it was investigating after the allegations were broadcast by Channel 4 following an undercover sting by reporters from Verbatim, in which they posed as a foreign donor seeking to fund Reform. Continue reading...

Reform councillor said he urged activists to stand down ECB checks on young players’ welfare A group of masked agitators gathered outside a four-star hotel in Portsmouth after reports a group of asylum seekers had been taken there, when it was in fact Pakistan’s under-19 cricket team on a tour. George Madgwick, a Reform councillor called to the hotel to mediate between staff and the assembled crowd, said it was a “massively unfortunate incident”. Continue reading...

President to give speeches on both days of unprecedented gathering Republicans look to ‘midterm convention’ to overcome Trump unpopularity Sign up for US Breaking News email Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of a longtime New Hampshire senator and former governor, has won the Democratic nomination in the race for Chris Pappas’s former House seat. Stefany Shaheen’s mother Jeanne Shaheen is a former governor who has represented New Hampshire in the Senate since 2009. The younger Shaheen’s family ties to the Democratic establishment – and accusations of nepotism – became a point of attack by her opponent in the primary race. Continue

Republicans plan to center the US president at the two-day event, while slamming Democrats as socialists Republicans will gather in Texas on Wednesday for a rare “midterm convention”, as they attempt to convince Americans to vote for a party led by a deeply unpopular president who has overseen inflation and led the US into an increasingly unpopular war. Donald Trump will dominate the two-day convention, appearing both nights as the GOP works to cling to control of the House of Representatives in November. Republicans plan to put the president at the center of the event, a bold strategy given his

Oil price rises above $100 a barrel as Tehran responds to US attacks that sunk five Iranian tankers Tehran has said it attacked 10 ships around the strait of Hormuz after the US sunk five Iranian tankers, as escalating strikes between the two sent the oil price over $100 a barrel for the first time since July. The attacks were the sharpest flare-up of strikes in weeks, as the two sides struggled to break a deadlock in the six-month-long war. Fighting in recent weeks has largely revolved around who controls the strait of Hormuz, as Iran attempts to close off

Residents denounce suggestion to rename state ‘New America’, save some Republicans who insist it was ‘satire’ US politics live – latest updates When scrolling through social media over the Labor Day weekend, actor, comedian and native New Mexican Steven Michael Quezada was stopped cold by a post about Donald Trump’s recent call to rename New Mexico as New America. “At first I thought, nah, that’s got to be a joke,” said Quezada , who played drug enforcement agent Steven Gomez in the legendary TV series Breaking Bad. Continue reading...

More than 30 properties ordered to evacuate after sinkhole grows to roughly 25-30ft deep and 30 by 60 feet wide The city of Malibu, California, has ordered the evacuation of more than 30 properties after a large sinkhole opened on Tuesday. Malibu officials declared a local emergency on Tuesday evening after a “large sinkhole” emerged near 31630 Sea Level Drive. The officials said the sinkhole was believed to have begun developing on Monday, and had grown to roughly 25-30ft deep and 30 by 60ft wide by Tuesday evening. Continue reading...

China and Russia’s negotiations regarding the construction of the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline have stalled, according to multiple sources who have knowledge of the issue, as both sides cannot bridge a big gap over gas price expectations. “China hopes to secure a price comparable to Russia’s subsidised residential rate, around US$50/thousand cubic metres, or at least the domestic industrial rate of about US$120-130/thousand cubic metres,” said one source, who asked for anonymity due to the...

A battle for control of Yemen’s coastal plains overlooking the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, launched on Friday by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, is rapidly intensifying into an all-out war with Saudi-backed government forces. A wave of Houthi missile and drone strikes launched against four cities in southern Saudi Arabia early on Tuesday, injuring 73 civilians, may prove to be the tipping point in the conflict, analysts say. Coinciding with an escalating battle of attrition between the United...

UK air travellers faced more misery on Wednesday with nearly 300 flights scrapped across the country, as Britain’s air traffic control service scrambled to recover from a technical glitch which it ruled out as a cyberattack. After 1,746 flights were cancelled on the first day of the outage on Tuesday, another 291 were axed on Wednesday – the majority to and from London Heathrow, the United Kingdom’s biggest and one of Europe’s busiest airports – according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. “We...

China’s factory-gate price growth accelerated in August, while consumer inflation picked up again, amid volatile energy and commodity costs linked to the US-Israel war on Iran. The producer price index rose 3.8 per cent year on year last month, up from 3.5 per cent in July, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Wednesday. The reading beat a 3.6 per cent projection from economists polled by financial data provider Wind. Meanwhile, the consumer price index (CPI),...

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday it had captured a ‌US uncrewed submarine at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, offering a rare glimpse into how underwater drones are being used in military operations. Iranian state media said the vessel was a Dive-LD, a large autonomous underwater vehicle built by California defence firm Anduril. The 5.8-metre (19-foot) submersible can carry out missions including mine countermeasures, seabed mapping, intelligence gathering ⁠and the inspection of...

Argentine President Javier Milei has every right to reassert his country’s territorial claims over the Falkland Islands. His proposal to use the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration as a template for resolving the Falkland Islands dispute merits serious consideration as a pragmatic framework for bringing this long-standing territorial conflict to a peaceful conclusion. Argentina’s claim to what its citizens call the Islas Malvinas rests on solid foundations. Upon independence from Spain in 1816,...

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday escalated his trade war against Canada, banning imports of alcohol and various products and raising tariffs on others, with the conflict showing no sign of abating. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stood firm, acknowledging that reducing economic ties with the United States would come at a cost but saying the benefits would outweigh the pain. A range of Canadian products, from mattresses to motorboats and golf carts, would be subject to a 50 per cent...

The Trump administration on Tuesday blasted Ford Motor’s business partnerships with Chinese companies, saying they posed national security concerns. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a letter ‌to Ford CEO Jim Farley sent on Tuesday said the carmaker’s dealings with Chinese battery maker CATL and Chinese carmakers Geely and BYD raised “profound concern”. He urged Ford to cut ties with major Chinese companies. Duffy said USDOT was “deeply alarmed” by Ford’s reliance on licensed technology...

Police in Albania blocked protesters from reaching parliament on Tuesday as the latest rally against a luxury development linked to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, turned violent The march was staged as parliament resumed from a summer recess and after the demonstrations marked their 100th day on Monday. They challenged a police cordon in the centre of the capital, Tirana, pelting officers in riot gear with eggs and tomatoes. Cars transporting lawmakers to the parliament...

Iran said on Wednesday it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the US sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest declared wave of tit-for-tat attacks on shipping by both sides since the start of the six-month-old war. The attacks sent the price of oil surging, with benchmark Brent crude futures breaching US$100 a barrel for the first time since July. At least one seafarer aboard a tanker was reported killed and another listed as missing. Iran also said it had fired ballistic...

Nicaragua has granted a Chinese-owned company linked to one sanctioned by Washington the right to prospect and dig for gold across 262 sq km (101 sq miles) of rainforest, about a quarter the size of Hong Kong. The 25-year concession over the block, named Jade, went to Linze Excelente Mineria, a company that appeared in Nicaragua’s mining registry only last year. The block is in a corner of the country where prospectors first struck gold in 1880. Corporate filings list Lijun Dong as legal...

When US President Donald Trump announced on August 28 that the United States had secured majority control over some 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil through a private company, the North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), he called it “the biggest oil deal in history”. The White House fact sheet provided the details: NABEP’s 100-year concessions on 17 oilfields with 65 billion barrels of proven reserves, a 35 per cent Pentagon stake, a 20 per cent State Department offtake at cost with...

The White House on Tuesday pulled a Tetris-style game called Build the Wall from its new online arcade, four days after a warning by the classic game maker that it takes copyright infringement seriously. The block-stacking game, subtitled Zombie Border Siege, told players to “protect the border from the coming horde”. It was no longer available on the website on Tuesday. The White House did not immediately respond to a request asking why it was removed. The Tetris Company said on Friday that it...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump on Tuesday discussed the Ukraine conflict in an “extremely frank” and constructive hour-long phone call, the Kremlin said. It came after US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend in an attempt to kick-start long-stalled US efforts to end the fighting. Washington has been pushing for fresh face-to-face talks between Moscow and Kyiv. Kyiv says the talks could happen as early as this...

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Tuesday the release of tens of thousands of documents showing the city did not disclose all it knew about air toxicity after 9/11. The release comes ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks that killed 2,977 people in the United States, mostly in the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York. In the years since, more than 9,400 have died from illnesses linked to their exposure to the area, according to a federal medical monitoring...

The US on Tuesday issued 36 ⁠fresh Iran-related sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector and other companies as part of a broad push to escalate economic pressure on Tehran as the war in the Middle East entered a seventh month. The US Treasury Department said the action was aimed at grounding Iran’s Mahan Air, already sanctioned by the US and the European Union, and all other Iranian airlines. The sanctions also ‌took aim at covert front companies, foreign intermediaries and deceptive...

The world’s most endangered tigers have started a family in Greece, offering hope for a predator rapidly vanishing from the wild. Three two-month-old Sumatran tiger cubs received identification microchips and their first vaccinations on Tuesday at a zoo near Athens, as part of a global effort to build a backup population. The Sumatran tiger, classified as critically endangered, is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, which is slightly larger than Sweden. As few as 400 are believed to...

Britain, France and Canada on Tuesday moved to block imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, while a wider group of Western countries signalled they may take further steps to defend the two-state solution amid mounting concern over settlement expansion and violence in the territory. The trade measures are the latest in a series of actions targeting Israel’s settlement policy and underscore its growing diplomatic isolation among some of its traditional allies. British ‌Foreign...

When President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington for his planned September 24 visit – his first state-level visit to Washington in more than a decade – artificial intelligence is expected to be near the top of the agenda. Both administrations are preparing for their first formal dialogue on AI. Washington has framed much of that conversation around the need for tighter controls on sensitive technologies. That framing is the problem. For much of the debate over US science and technology policy...

For one grandmother, it was when bullets began hitting ⁠the rooftops of her neighbourhood that she decided she would have to leave the housing development ⁠where she had lived for nearly 20 years. A sharp rise in fighting between gang factions in Ecuador has prompted thousands of families to flee and abandon their homes to the gangs, who strip the houses for drug money or use them to hide kidnapping victims, according to residents and police. One of the areas that has been the site of the...

Hungary ⁠expelled 10 Russian diplomats on ⁠Tuesday, saying they had acted in ways incompatible with their diplomatic status, in a stark reminder that the pro-Russian years of former prime minister Viktor Orban are over. Russia’s foreign ministry ‌said it would retaliate and its response would be painful for Hungary, local media reported. “The response to the Russophobic lobby in Budapest will be harsh and painful,” said foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Orban, swept from power in...

Nicaragua on Tuesday accused Germany of “multiple violations of international law” at the United Nations top court, as it pressed its case that Berlin was complicit in what it described as genocide in Gaza. The Central American country has dragged Germany to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, accusing Berlin of breaching the 1948 UN Genocide Convention with its support, notably arms shipments, for Israel. “Nicaragua invokes Germany’s responsibility in connection to multiple...

Police were on Tuesday hunting for two thieves who escaped with two Renoir paintings from a museum in southern France, after abandoning two others in its garden as they fled, a mayor said. The heist is the latest in a string of such robberies in France, including the daylight theft last year of crown jewellery valued at around US$100 million from the Louvre in Paris. Bryan Masson, the mayor of the southern town of Cagnes-sur-Mer, said the duo appeared “well equipped and well informed” about the...

Vietnam’s president and Communist Party chief travels to Russia and France this week, on a trip analysts say is designed to do double duty: shore up support for Hanoi’s claims in the South China Sea and help bankroll its bid to become a high-income economy by 2045. To Lam’s itinerary encompasses talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before flying to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron and attend an International Space Summit from Wednesday. By engaging two opposing...

The Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen launched a wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, wounding more than 70 people and igniting fires at oil facilities and utilities in the kingdom, authorities said. The attack was a major escalation in renewed fighting between an important US ally and the Iranian proxy group. It also threatened to further destabilise a region rocked by nearly three years of wars and deliver a new blow to the global economy. Weeks of clashes have added pressure...

Russian missiles and drones pounded Kyiv overnight, killing two people and sending smoke billowing above the Ukrainian capital, ending Moscow’s temporary halt to strikes on the city. Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the pause in attacks as US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the Russian and Ukrainian capitals at the weekend. Fresh explosions early Tuesday triggered fires and sent locals down into basements and metro stations for shelter. “The...

When Cathay Pacific Airways announced direct flights to Almaty starting next January, the significance went beyond adding another destination. The service will be Cathay Pacific’s first to Central Asia and the only non-stop passenger connection between Hong Kong and Kazakhstan. Another announcement pointed to Hong Kong’s growing aviation reach from a different direction. Qatar Airways Cargo relocated its regional office to Hong Kong and agreed with the Airport Authority to increase frequencies...

US President Donald Trump posted an image of dark “next generation” US Space Force uniforms on Sunday that the text claims were “inspired by the discipline and functionality of the Starship Trooper uniform” – a design the director of the 1997 film Starship Troopers said was directly meant to evoke Nazis. Trump also posted an AI-generated image titled “Space Force” of himself in a spaceship as two nuclear mushroom clouds detonate on Earth behind him, part of a frenzy of Truth Social postings over...

Investigators with the US National Transportation Safety Board said on Monday they had recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane that overran the runway and crashed while landing in Miami on Sunday, killing five people ‌on the ground. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the two devices, commonly referred to as the black boxes, were being returned to the agency’s headquarters in Washington on Monday night for evaluation. The 32-year-old...

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government is expected to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Tuesday as he seeks to adopt a stronger policy on an issue that is important to his governing Labour Party but may anger US President Donald Trump. A new sanctions regime targeting Israel but limited to Jewish settlements in the West Bank will be announced by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, according to people familiar with the matter. Burnham and Trump spoke by phone on Monday,...

Gadi Eisenkot, the main challenger to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accused the sitting premier of looking merely after his own political survival and not the country’s security at a rally in central Israel on Monday. Unveiling the candidates of the Yashar party for the October 27 election, the former military commander said nothing about how he would handle the Palestinian question or the wars against Iran and Lebanon launched by Netanyahu, but accused him of ducking responsibility...

With the well-telegraphed arrival of Canadian retaliatory tariffs on US products on Tuesday, importers, exporters and trade officials waited to see which side would blink first with billions of dollars at risk in one of the world’s largest trading relationships. At midnight, Canadian tariffs of up to 50 per cent took effect on C$27.6 billion (US$19.9 billion) worth of steel, aluminium, apparel, farm equipment and other American goods, escalating an economic stand-off that saw negotiations break...

The number of ships sailing through the Panama Canal could be cut further due to drought caused by the El Nino weather pattern, the new administrator of the waterway said on Monday. Panama has declared a nationwide emergency over El Nino, a phenomenon developing over the Pacific Ocean that is affecting worldwide weather patterns and pushing up global temperatures. This year’s El Nino is expected to be the strongest since record-keeping began four decades ago. Panama’s restrictions come even as...

The suspected murderers of two Australian surfers and an American at a Mexican surfing hotspot went on trial Monday, two years after their killings in a suspected robbery. Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast when they were shot dead in Baja California state. They had been camping in a remote beachside area when they were attacked in April 2024. Their bodies...

The United Nations rights chief on Monday demanded accountability for swelling numbers of deaths in US immigration custody, and urged Washington to halt deportations to places where people face “irreparable harm”. Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council, Volker Turk highlighted that “four more people have died in US immigration custody since my last update to this council” in June. That meant there had been “a total of 23 deaths in 2026 alone”, he said, insisting that “there needs to be...

Britain’s King Charles has reiterated that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, remain non-working members of the royal family following their return to the United Kingdom. A letter sent on behalf of the king to senior government officials said the couple will continue to refrain from using their royal titles as they have done since stepping back from official royal duties in 2020. Any charity work the couple undertakes will be carried out in a private capacity and operational security decisions...

Sweden’s government said on Monday that the country would spend 7 billion kronor (US$730 million) to buy US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (Himars) rocket artillery for its military. The government said in a statement that the acquisition would “enable the Swedish Armed Forces to operate over larger areas, and with greater long-range capacity than with current systems”. Defence Minister Pal Jonson told reporters that the deal covered about 10 trucks equipped with launchers and a...

A UN expert has warned that large-scale rubble removal in parts of Gaza under Israeli control risks erasing traces of “atrocity crimes”, and preventing the recovery and identification of human remains. Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, warned in a statement on Monday that the implications of Israel’s “ongoing removal, crushing and relocation of rubble in Gaza” were “profound”. “Gaza’s rubble contains human remains and physical evidence...

North Korea and Russia opened their first road bridge on Monday in a carefully choreographed display of friendship. The structure, which crosses the Tumen river, has been cast by both sides as an important milestone ‌in their deepening strategic partnership. The first flag-adorned trucks trundled across the 1km (0.6-mile) long two-lane bridge as Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and North Korea’s Premier Pak Thae Song tuned in by video link to address workers and government officials from...

Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb commander who died while serving a life sentence for war crimes, was buried on Monday with military honours and crowds attending as Serbia defied European Union warnings against allowing public homage to the man found guilty of the continent’s first case of genocide since World War II. Thousands of mourners started arriving early at the small Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Luke in Belgrade to honour Mladic as his body lay in state. Mladic is still viewed as a hero...

UN rights chief Volker Turk warned on Monday that artificial intelligence could pose a threat to humanity, and pledged to press AI firms to reduce risks that his office said included disruptions to services, communications and democratic systems. He called for “cast-iron guarantees” to secure AI in a speech ahead of the start of his unprecedented second term, in which he also demanded accountability over ‌deaths in US immigration custody and condemned Russia’s reported use of autonomous...

The “circular deals” among AI titans increasingly resemble the “daisy chains” of the 1980s savings-and-loan crisis. Forty years ago, interconnected transactions obscured the dangers, multiplied systemic risks and helped inflate asset values before roughly a third of US thrift banks failed. Today’s financial engineering – an incestuous ecosystem of interlocking multi-year commitments to provide financing, buy semiconductors, secure gigawatts of power and lease data centres – could meet a similar...

Germany on Monday urged the United Nations’ top court to throw out a case against it by Nicaragua, which has accused Berlin of “facilitating genocide” in Gaza with its support of Israel. Julia Monar, representing Germany at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), said judges lacked the jurisdiction to rule on the case and dismissed Nicaragua’s accusations as “inaccurate and distorted”. Nicaragua has dragged Germany before the ICJ in The Hague, arguing that its backing of Israel, notably in...

British minister ⁠Emma Reynolds has condemned hundreds of ⁠protesters who blocked streets in the ⁠English coastal city of Portsmouth late on Sunday to try to stop the arrival of migrants from France, calling them “thuggish”. The gathering was the second anti-migrant demonstration in two days, after masked men disrupted traffic in the port of Dover ‌on Saturday, chanting “Stop the boats”, a reference to the vessels carrying asylum seekers across the English Channel. Both groups appeared to be led...

Thirteen-year-old Mohammad Reza Barfar remembers the free kick more clearly than almost anything else on February 28 when the US-led attack on Iran began. The football-loving schoolboy went to a local field after classes for a match between his village and another team. He scored from a free kick and his brother captured the goal on video. Hours later, Mohammad Reza was lying wounded amid smoke and debris after a series of explosions struck Lamerd, an industrial city in Iran’s southern Fars...

The U.S. Senate race will feature familiar faces: former Senator John E. Sununu and Chris Pappas, a four-term congressman. Stefany Shaheen, a senator’s daughter, eked out a win in a House primary.

A recently created Republican group tied to the president’s super PAC is pumping cash into half a dozen key midterm races, with the largest amounts going toward Senate contests in Michigan and Ohio.

Amid conflicting rulings, Missouri’s highest court ordered the secretary of state to respond to claims that he violated an order on redistricting.

The lawsuit, the first of its kind since revelations against the union leader emerged this year, accuses two foundations of failing to prevent “abusive, rogue and inappropriate” behavior.

The 9/11 completist community wants to know and see everything. The Holy Grail? Pictures from inside the twin towers.

In an impressive change of pace, Emma Cline’s new novel gets inside the head of a stoic businessman with dementia.

The money, listed as “cash gift for the holidays,” was detailed in financial disclosure forms released by the administration.

U.S. military officials in the past two weeks have sunk six large fishing vessels accused of providing fuel to fast boats carrying drugs from South America.

The three jurors, who voted to acquit Lindsay Clancy of murder, described the tense deliberations in an interview with a Boston TV station.

Gov. Jim Pillen’s family business is one of the nation’s largest pork producers. As he seeks re-election, he has aligned himself with President Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda even though his farms have taken on undocumented laborers.

La empresa familiar del gobernador Jim Pillen es uno de los mayores productores porcinos de Estados Unidos. En su campaña por la reelección, se ha alineado con la agenda antinmigrante del presidente Trump, a pesar de que sus granjas han contratado a trabajadores indocumentados.

Hawaii’s housing crisis was at a breaking point even before the fire. Since then, displaced families have struggled to rebuild their lives.

The state is considering extending the life of its last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, and allowing construction of new reactors to help meet its clean energy goals.

My father died on 9/11, and a nation united behind my family, as well as others. We desperately need that sense of togetherness today.

A new book reveals how the infamous lawyer helped shape Donald Trump.

We take stock of the AfD’s success.

Fans of the company’s products widely believe it will unveil a folding smartphone at its annual launch event on Wednesday.