Minimalist News

House Fails To Pass Resolution Limiting Supreme Court To 9 Justices Authored by Stacy Robinson via The Epoch Times , The House of Representatives rejected a proposed constitutional amendment on Sep. 2 that would fix the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices at nine. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) introduced the joint resolution under suspended rules but failed to garner the necessary two-thirds majority. The vote fell almost entirely along party lines at 212-206; only one Democrat supported the proposed amendment. Biggs's legislation would have added a single sentence to the Constitution: ''The Supreme Court of the United States shall be

US PMI Surveys Signal Growth Rebound In Q3, Strongest Among Global Peers, But... Following the mixed/weak Manufacturing PMI survey data earlier in the week, today's Services PMIs were expected to be just as mixed with S&P Global higher and ISM flat. S&P Global Services PMI for August rose from 54.6 to 56.5 (below the preliminary 56.8 but still up bigly) - the highest since Dec 2024 ISM Services PMI for August rose from 54.1 to 55.4 (better than the 54.1 exp) - the highest since Feb 2026 These improvements come as hard data languishes... The S&P Global US Composite PMI

Dowd: Lower Yields Are Coming... And Nobody Will Like Why Authored by Ed Dowd via 'Beyond the Narrative' substack , On August 19th the Treasury announced it would increase the size of its nominal long-end liquidity support buybacks beginning September 9. The long end yields declined on the headline. Cue the usual chorus of X hot takes: stealth QE, yield-curve control lite, money printing etc. The reality is much less bombastic...it is mostly a jawboning exercise. The Treasury Is Not the Fed...The Treasury Cannot Create Money Buybacks of this type are a recycling operation. You issue more bills and notes

NVIDIA To Buy Hugging Face For $12.9 Billion Nvidia has agreed to buy AI startup Hugging Face for roughly $12.93 billion , putting the world's most important open-model hub under the same roof as the most dominant AI chip company on the planet, according to The Wall Street Journal . Image via FT CEO Jensen Huang announced the deal on Thursday , a day after NVIDIA filed that it had signed a definitive agreement. The transaction includes about $11.9 billion for Hugging Face stockholders and an equity retention package of up to $1 billion for employees who join NVIDIA. Closing

Rogan To Lindsey Clancy Fans: Look At The Crime Scene Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News , Joe Rogan has had enough of the women lining up outside a Massachusetts courthouse in pink to cheer a mother who strangled her three children to death. Sitting with comedian Brian Simpson, he refused to accept the "Free Lindsay" spectacle as a mental-health awareness campaign. He treated it as a grotesque inversion of basic human instinct: hundreds of adults, overwhelmingly women, performing solidarity with a child murderer. Joe Rogan condemns the "Free Lindsay" crowd: "If those ladies could see the crime scene

Fed's Waller Pushed Rate-Hike Hopes Lower After Stating The Obvious A top Federal Reserve official said he would be “inclined” to keep interest rates on hold , highlighting divisions among the US central bank’s governors as they prepare for a crucial vote this month. Outspoken Fed Governor Chris Waller clarified this morning what many knew... that he would support holding rates steady at the central bank's meeting in two weeks if August inflation data continue the recent progress seen in June and July, but that he could favor a rate increase if that progress reverses. Recent data have shown signs

'Low Hire, Ho Fire' Economy Confirmed By Latest Jobless Claims Data The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the first time remains near multi-decade lows at 206k last week in line with expectations and flat to the prior month... Continuing jobless claims ticked up modestly but remain near two-year lows, below the 1.8mm Maginot line... However, surveys (Conference Board) remain sure it is 'hard to get a job' in this labor market... But, the official data (BLS) shows that the American workforce is growing ... So, today's data reinforces the 'low hire, no fire' economy - hardly a

Futures Flat As Yields Ignore Oil Meltup Futures are flats with Tech in line and small caps lagging even as bond yields dip 1bp across the curve, ignoring the continued rise in oil. In a quiet session ahead of tomorrow's jobs report, Japan remains the standout, with the yen strengthening on more hawkish BOJ repricing and intervention speculation, pressuring exporters. Risk is modestly bid after yesterday’s reprieve in energy and rates (although Korean memory has faded again and only buybacks prop up the Korean market with retail now puking daily). As of 8:00am ET, S&P futures are unchanged, while Nasdaq

Yen Suddenly Surges To Bessent Intervention Highs... No One Knows Who/Why... Yesterday we noted the sudden spike in JPY which prompted numerous desks to speculate on an intervention. It wasn't large - which made many suggest it wasn't or that it was a tester for liquidity. Today, we are seeing something different - a steady bid for the Japanese currency lifting it to post-Bessent/BoJ highs... The slope (not entirely vertical) made some reject the idea of an intervention... “I don’t think the move was an intervention or rate check, but there is a lot of caution around the 160 level,

Record 89% Of Americans Say Government Corruption Widespread A record 89% of US adults say government corruption is widespread - which is up 10% from last year, and far above the average 72%-79% between 2010 and 2025, according to a new Gallup poll . Unsurprisingly, Democrats' perceptions of government corruption spiked the most since 2024 - going from 57% to 91% this year, while independents also feel this way at 90% . Republicans at 83% are up 12 points since 2024. According to Gallup, the reasons are different between Republicans and Democrats - with Dems' perceptions appearing closely linked with

"Save Us From Our Traitor Gov't": Massive Madrid Protests Erupt Over Socialist Regime's Handling Of Ceuta Invasion Spain's Ceuta border invasion has morphed into a major political headache for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez . Tens of thousands of Spaniards took to the streets of Madrid to protest the government's handling of the crisis, potentially accelerating the political shift identified by Nomura analysts, who expect right-wing populist movements to gain traction across Europe during the next 18-month election cycle. About 72,000 migrants, many reportedly military-age men, invaded the Spanish enclave from neighboring Morocco in late July . The scale and

President's Party Up Against Poor Odds In The Midterms The Republican Party is controlling the House, the Senate and the presidency at the moment, but the midterm elections coming up at in November have the power to change this Status Quo . Congressional and presidential approval are near all-time lows as the Trump administration's wars are proving unpopular, but the party is also up against a historical precedent at the same time: The president's party rarely does well in the midterms. As Statista's Katharina Buchholz reports, using data by The American Presidency Project , there are only two presidents of

Ukraine's Drone Warfare Devouring 4% Of Global Germanium Demand As China Chokes Supplies Our coverage of rare earths dates back to President Trump's first trade war, when we warned that " Rare Earths Are China's Most Potent Weapon In A Trade War ." What followed was predictable . During the 2025 trade war, Beijing steadily tightened its control over exports of gallium, germanium, antimony, tungsten and a growing list of other critical industrial metals to the West and its allies. These restrictions represent another weapon in Beijing's economic-warfare toolkit , aimed squarely at the most vulnerable chokepoints in Western defense,

Lindsay Clancy Jury Deadlocked Again; Insane Karen Arrested For 'Aggravated Intimidation' Of Jurors The jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial is once again deadlocked over whether the former mother of three should be given a pass due to hysteria and hormones. The indecision followed five days of deliberations and two notes from jurors saying they could not agree. On Wednesday, Judge William Sullivan gave the panel a Tuey-Rodriguez instruction, Massachusetts' last-resort charge telling a deadlocked jury to reach a verdict or else it's an automatic mistrial. Clancy, 36, a former labor-and-delivery nurse, was charged with three counts of first-degree

UK Government To Fund School Forcing Seven-Year-Olds Into Hijabs Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News , A Labour-run London council has put an Islamic primary school that makes girls as young as seven wear the hijab onto the public payroll. From 1 September, Barnet Hill Academy in West Hendon stops being a fee-paying independent and becomes a voluntary-aided school - almost entirely funded by the taxpayer, legally free to pick every pupil and every teacher by religion, and still listing a white hijab as compulsory from Year 3. Barnet Council called the uniform "legally compliant" and the school's policies

EU's Kallas Says No Progress On Zelensky's Cash Infusion For Patriot Missiles On Wednesday EU leadership revealed that the Zelensky government has formally asked the European Commission to provide several billion euros from the EU’s €90 billion ($105 billion) support loan to purchase US-made Patriot air defense missiles. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced just ahead of a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, "It is worth several billion euros and would cover Ukraine’s air defense needs, including high-end PAC-3 air defense systems." via EU Council At the same time, the EU’s top foreign affairs official, Kaja

COVID-19: The Great Forgetting Authored by John MacLeod via The Critic , We have repressed the memories of the pandemic that changed all of our lives... It is a little drawer in a cabinet by my bedside and I have not opened it in years. I have to steel myself to open it now. And, yes, they are all there yet in every variety - black, chequered, colourful. The ear-looped face-coverings behind which I spluttered for two long years, tugging on and off as needs be, as we queued obediently outside supermarkets, danced on and off pavements, or chilled if

Spain & Greece Have The Best Pension/Salary Replacement Rate In The World How much of your paycheck would a pension replace in retirement? Depending on the country, the answer ranges from more than 80% to less than 20%. This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Dorothy Neufeld , ranks countries by their projected gross pension replacement rate, based on data from the OECD . The rate compares pension benefits with pre-retirement earnings, with both measured before taxes and contributions. Estimates are for an average earner entering the workforce at age 22 in 2024 and include mandatory public and private pensions, but exclude

'Horrible Violence': Quiet Dutch Village Turns Into A Battlefield Authored by - Remix News Staff - via Remix News , A suspected underworld revenge attack linked to fugitive drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, known as "Bolle Jos," left a security guard dead and two police officers wounded in the quiet Dutch village of Overasselt in the early hours of Sept. 1, 2026. Surveillance cameras captured vans full of masked men carrying assault rifles during the attack, which is raising fears that Netherlands is devolving into a narco-state. 🇳🇱🔴 JUST IN: Shocking footage shows 1 security guard murdered and 2 police officers

The Two Lineages Of Liberty Authored by Philippe Lemieux via Mises Institute , Liberty's history is often presented as a direct consequence of the Enlightenment: inherited authority was subjected to reason, persecution gave way to toleration, monarchy to constitutional government, and privilege to individual rights. In this account, classical liberalism leads naturally to Austrian economics and modern libertarianism. That sequence is useful but incomplete. Liberty developed through the convergence of two lineages. The first is the modern lineage of Enlightenment criticism, which required political power to justify itself before reason. The second is an older realist tradition, running from Aristotle

Relocation coincides with proposed laws that opponents say would entrench power of US tech billionaires in country Dozens of protesters converged on Peter Thiel’s mansion in Buenos Aires this week after a congressional session raised questions about the billionaire’s presence in the country. In white masks, they held signs saying “Peter Thief” and “No to the Peter Thiel law” in front of the wrought-iron gates of the $12m (£8.9m) residence, which Thiel bought in April as he moved his family to Argentina. Continue reading...

A visual look at how Washington’s relationship with Caracas has gone from cordial to ‘predatory’ Trump ally defends Venezuela oil deal amid ‘gunpoint diplomacy’ criticism Written in the middle of the last century, the US Department of State memo conveys its message in a curt and undiplomatically honest tone: the glue that binds Washington to Caracas is, and is always likely to be, oil. “All US policies toward Venezuela are affected in greater or less degree by the objective of assuring an adequate supply of petroleum for the US,” the 1950 document reads. Continue reading...

Tech company submits to controversial Trump order to rename body of water amid US trade spat with Canada Apple has renamed Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for US users of its Maps app, after an executive order from Donald Trump to change the name of the Great Lake amid his trade spat with Canada. The Apple Maps app now displays the controversial new name for the lake, which sits between New York state and the Canadian province of Ontario, for users in the US. Apple users outside the country will still see the Lake Ontario name. Continue reading...

Energy secretary Chris Wright denies US seeks to ‘take’ country’s oil, saying deal is transformation of relations The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, has denied Washington is seeking to commandeer huge quantities of Venezuelan oil, amid growing criticism of Donald Trump’s energy deal with the country’s interim leaders. “Absolutely not,” Wright replied when asked by a CNBC journalist if the US was engaged in a “heavy-handed” attempt to “take” Venezuelan oil in violation of the South American country’s constitution. Continue reading...

US defense secretary faces backlash for attempting to mock Canada’s armed forces amid trade war A social media post by Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defense, body-shaming female members of a Canadian youth development program remained online on Wednesday despite a furious backlash on both sides of the border. On Monday night, Hegseth posted on X a photograph of two people in uniform with a Canadian flag and the caption “this is real”, an apparent attempt at mocking the country’s armed forces amid the Trump administration’s trade spat with its northern neighbor. Continue reading...

Jump lifts currency to highest level against dollar in a month, while global markets remain jittery Business live – latest updates The Japanese yen has soared by more than 2% against the dollar amid speculation the Bank of Japan is set to raise interest rates. The latest jump on Thursday lifted the yen to its highest level against the dollar in a month, at 155.57, and followed a 0.9% move the previous day. Continue reading...

Oil consumption plummets and EV sales soar as analysts say demand may not fully return even if crude price falls China’s carbon dioxide emissions fell by 1% after the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran, thanks to a sharp reduction in oil consumption and a steady rise in the use of electric vehicles and public transport, analysis shows. The report reveals the role of clean energy in cushioning the price shocks caused by the strait of Hormuz crisis to the world’s biggest oil importer. It also reinforces hopes that China, which is the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, may

Speed limit dropped from 60km/h for around 70% of general roads in the hope of making narrow streets of crowded cities safer Drivers on residential roads in Japan have been forced to take their foot off the accelerator, after the speed limit was slashed from 60km/h (37mph) to 30km/h in an attempt to reduce deaths and injuries among pedestrians on narrow urban streets. The new limit, which went into effect on Tuesday, applies to residential roads with no centre line or maximum speed signs, media reports said. Continue reading...

Wong, 29, is accused of urging foreign powers to impose sanctions, blockades and other hostile measures against China Joshua Wong , one of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy activists, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiring to seek foreign sanctions against Hong Kong and China, a national security charge that carries a maximum life sentence. Prosecutors have accused Wong, 29, of working with the exiled Hong Kong activist Nathan Law to urge foreign powers to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures against China. Continue reading...

Ship has been plagued by reports of deteriorating living conditions and poor mental health because of lengthy deployment The USS Abraham Lincoln, a US aircraft carrier at the centre of a row over conditions on board after months at sea as part of Donald Trump’s war against Iran, has arrived off a Thai port. Reports of deteriorating living conditions and poor mental health on the vessel, including attempted suicides , have made headlines around the world, provoking criticism of the president’s actions in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Bureau of Meteorology suggests El Niño has already broken records, with Pacific ocean temperature change exceeding 2C in six months Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here The growing El Niño weather phenomenon to Australia’s east is already breaking heat records, with forecasts showing it will likely easily surpass previous events, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, as seperate research suggested climate change had greatly shortened the odds of the event hitting record extremes. On Thursday the UN’s weather agency said the event in

Helen Paterson’s work on advancing how police and courts understand memory is recognised in prestigious Eureka prizes Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Memory is an imperfect thing: research shows that recollections of single events – a purse being snatched, say – differ to those about repeated or ongoing events, such as incidents of domestic and family violence. “What our research shows is that compared to a single-event witness, a repeated-event witness tends to report more gist-like details, the overall details of what typically would happen, and the things that remain constant between the

After judge allows partial access rights, Catherine Birmingham and Nathan Trevallion say the enforced separation ‘broke each of our hearts’ A couple have told of their heartache, trauma and stress after fighting for two years for their right to parent their children as they choose in the glare of the world’s attention . The three children of a Melbourne woman, Catherine Birmingham, and her British partner, Nathan Trevallion, were removed from their “ dilapidated ” off-grid home in Italy last year. Continue reading...

Charles Perrottet, the younger brother of the former premier, tells Icac that claims made by Jean Nassif in the call were ‘bravado’ and ‘far-fetched’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A property developer who allegedly made prohibited donations to support factional Liberal work claimed “the premier is my best friend” in a secretly recorded phone call the day after Dominic Perrottet was chosen as New South Wales premier, an inquiry has heard. Charles Perrottet, the younger brother of the former premier, told the Independent Commission

This blog is now closed Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Shadow treasurer says tobacco plans would bring in extra billions and stop people buying from the ‘black market’ Tim Wilson, the shadow treasurer, said the tobacco proposal would bring in an extra $2bn a year as it would stop people “buying products from the black market”. We’ve been looking at this policy for a long time , but what we’ve been looking at is how do you break it down for the different parts of the market so that we can actually break

Futuro Nazionale party’s speedy rise in polls prompts questions whether PM will return to her roots before election Europe live – latest updates Giorgia Meloni’s government has become the longest-running in Italy since the second world war – a milestone the prime minister is determined not to let pass unnoticed. In the port area of Bari, the capital of the southern Italian region of Puglia, where Meloni hosted the G7 in 2024 and where she spends her summer holiday, preparations are well under way for a festival-style showcase of her rightwing administration. Continue reading...

Domestic security service says clash with military intelligence directorate ‘definitely shouldn’t have happened’ Several people have been injured in a shootout in central Kyiv between two branches of Ukraine’s security services, in an incident Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as “disgraceful”. The shootout, which took place on Wednesday morning in a downtown area of the capital, was between officers from the domestic security service, the SBU, and the military intelligence directorate, the HUR. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Centre party says it will change law to end plight of those hit by post-Brexit policy if it gains power in upcoming election Europe live – latest updates A leading Swedish opposition party has promised an urgent reprieve for British nationals facing deportation from the country over Brexit administrative issues. Niels Paarup-Petersen, the migration spokesperson for the Centre party, said it would introduce laws to end the suffering of people such as the 78-year-old British widow Joyce Thomas if, as polls project, it forms a new centre-left coalition after the general election in 10 days’ time. Thomas has been

Case is latest in string of post-Brexit deportations from country, which has been criticised for high refusal rate for British people to remain The wife of a British man detained by police in Stockholm on Tuesday ahead of a threatened deportation has pleaded with Andy Burnham to get involved in the Brexit catastrophe unfolding for many British citizens in Sweden. Charles, who does not want to be fully identified, and his Swedish wife, Lily, were summoned to the police station at 10am on Tuesday, where he was told he would be held at a detention centre and deported within the

Bank says gold reserves held in London could be traded more easily and the move will allow it to respond more rapidly in a ‘crisis situation’ The Dutch central bank says it has moved 86 tonnes of its gold reserves out of the US and Canada to London, citing “increasing geopolitical unrest”. De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) said gold reserves held in London could be traded more easily than those held in New York and Ottawa. Continue reading...

President said Howard Lutnick had Venezuela operation on his mind when he was discussing Iran war on CNBC Donald Trump has claimed his commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, erroneously stated that no Americans had been killed in the war with Iran because he was thinking about a previous US operation, in Venezuela. The claim, at odds with the Pentagon’s count of 18 US service members dead in the US-Israel war on Iran, sparked a swift backlash as Trump struggles to end the conflict after six months. Continue reading...

Air bases used by US in the UAE and Kuwait hit as the Israeli defence chief says Iran’s regime fears collapse due to economic pressures Iran has continued to demonstrate an ability to target bases in the Gulf used by the US despite six months of war and a new sanctions regime described by the Trump administration as an “economic D-day”. As Iran’s military targeted US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, despite threats of further strikes by the US president, Israel’s defence chief warned that economic pressures from the sanctions could lead Tehran to escalate to more

Defence minister says he believes US backing could tip regional balance in favour of forced resettlement Israel’s defence minister has said his country is seeking Donald Trump’s support to approve plans to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in what has widely been condemned as a potential war crime. Israel Katz said there was “no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration” during a conference hosted by the Israeli news site Ynet and the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. He said the Israeli government was “organised and prepared to get them out by sea, by air, by every way

Blast also injures 68 guests at the wedding in southern Iran, prompting fears of escalation in hostilities Iran has accused the US of a war crime after a missile blast killed at least four people and injured 68 who were attending a wedding at a private home in a coastal city of southern Iran, as the fresh exchange of strikes prompted fears of a wider renewal of hostilities. Iranian media said that the wedding ceremony was being held in a home in the city of Kuhestak, Hormozgan province, late on Tuesday when a US missile struck, with shrapnel and debris

Exclusive: sanctions against ministers and settler groups are ‘smoke and mirrors cop-out’ says Omar Barghouti Britain’s legal and ethical obligation to stop a genocide in Gaza requires it to take bigger steps than halting trade with illegal Israeli settlements or imposing further sanctions, Omar Barghouti, the co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement has said. He described sanctions against individual settler groups or extremist ministers as a “smoke and mirrors cop-out and distraction” from the UK’s legal obligation under international law to end all support for Israel, including arms exports, trade deals and academic relations that “may directly or

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...

Several missing Australians have been found since Tuesday morning, bringing the total citizens unaccounted for to 38 Australians missing in the Nepal floods: what we know so far A total of five Australians missing after devastating floods ravaged the Nepal-Tibet border last week have been found. Of the five Australians confirmed safe, one was found in Nepal, one in Tibet, and three outside the crisis-hit area. The total number still missing is 38. Continue reading...

More than 1,000 people confirmed dead and more than 4,000, including 36 British nationals, remain missing A British aid worker was mistakenly identified by Nepalese authorities as a rescued survivor after returning to Kathmandu on a humanitarian aid flight. Alastair Chambers, a 45-year-old former Gloucester councillor, said he flew to Nepal last week to distribute sleeping bags, food and essentials to communities cut off by collapsed bridges. Continue reading...

Relatives of missing tourists asked for blood samples and photos, as efforts continue to rescue trapped hydropower workers Nepal-Tibet floods – latest updates Visual guide: How the Nepal-Tibet flash flood unfolded Nepali rescuers have built temporary bridges to reach remote areas and dug through the ruins of hydropower projects in the Himalayas to rescue hundreds of trapped workers, as the death toll passed 1,000 nearly ⁠a week after devastating ​floods left a trail of destruction across the country’s towns and valleys. About 600 people remain stuck in several devastated hydropower stations that have become the focus of rescue efforts. The

Conservative leader says: ‘If Nigel Farage can’t handle difficult questions about his dodgy £5m, then he shouldn’t be a politician’ The Electoral Commission has released political donation figures for the second quarter of 2026. They show that Reform UK continues to rake in far more than other parties. Nigel Farage’’s party had declared donations worth £5.3m. Labour got £3.6m, and the Conservatives £2.8m. Most of Reform UK’s money came from Ben Delo, who gave £4m. As Rowena Mason reported earlier this year, Delo is a British billionaire convicted in the US for failing to implement adequate anti-money-laundering controls in his

Swap rates rise to three-year high as increase in oil prices leads to fears of higher inflation Business live – latest updates Homeowners in the UK are braced for a jump in mortgage rates, driven by higher inflation and interest rate increase expectations amid turmoil in the global bond markets. UK swap rates, which lenders use to price mortgages, have risen to a three-year high, as this week’s global bond market sell-off ripples through the economy. Continue reading...

Department store chain’s Gift List ‘vodcast’ will be hosted by TV presenter Angela Scanlon Business live – latest updates John Lewis is launching an online chatshow and social media studio to help make itself and its products more visible to chatbots and more prominent in AI search results. The department store chain’s Gift List “vodcast” hosted by the TV presenter Angela Scanlon will air on YouTube with clips disseminated via other social media channels and comes after the success of its sister chain Waitrose’s Dish podcast. Continue reading...

Judge voices concern about possible copycat incidents after boy, 16, found guilty over attack at school in Pembrokeshire A judge has expressed concern over possible copycat attacks on school staff as he sentenced a teenager who stabbed a teacher in the head to four and a half years in youth detention. Judge Thomas KC said it was the second such attack in south-west Wales in two years and that the authorities might have to consider what security measures were in place to protect teachers. Continue reading...

Climate crisis could increase incursions of Aedes aegypti, which can transmit Zika virus and dengue, experts say An invasive mosquito capable of transmitting tropical diseases has been found breeding in homes in east London, with experts warning that the rapidly warming climate will lead to greater “incursions of invasive mosquitoes”. This is the first time the species has been identified breeding in the UK and the fourth time it has been detected. Continue reading...

Republican oversight chair James Comer says he will speak to committee about next steps as Democrat calls for holding billionaire in contempt for defying two subpoenas Sign up for US Breaking News emails Republican oversight chair James Comer has also weighed in on Leon Black not sitting for a deposition about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The billionaire financier, who has denied wrongdoing, filed suit against the oversight committee Thursday alleging the subpoenas were improper. “It’s a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people. Our investigation is examining how the federal government

Guardian reporters in Nepal have witnessed first-hand the scenes of destruction and grief after the flash floods. Plus, a not-to-be-missed interview with the legendary Mr T Good morning. Thousands remain missing and the delivery of aid has been hampered by treacherous conditions in communities almost wiped out of existence by the flash flooding in Nepal and Tibet . A week after the disaster, survivors who fled up mountainsides are still being collected by army helicopters and evacuated. The mountain village of Syabru Besi was among those destroyed, with even the road to the village gone. According to local government officials,

McDonagh’s new film, Wild Horse Nine, stars John Malkovich as an agent in 1970s Chile who feels ‘guilt and regret’ over his role in global interventions The US’s history of intervening in democratic processes around the world deserves more attention in the light of current political developments, playwright and film-maker Martin McDonagh has said, as his Oscar-tipped film about a rueful CIA agent premieres at the Venice film festival. “I’ve been very interested in the truth of what the CIA has been doing over the last 60 years, and the awful things they’ve done all around the world,” McDonagh said

Billionaire financier, who previously walked out of a deposition, instead launches lawsuit against the committee Billionaire financier Leon Black did not appear Thursday in front of the House oversight committee for a scheduled deposition about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein , and has instead launched a lawsuit against the committee arguing that it does not have the authority to compel him to turn over non-disclosure agreements. Black was a top Epstein client over several years, and the committee is investigating the men’s relationship as well as the existence of any NDAs that Epstein may have helped Black craft. Black, whose

Wildfire victims rebuilt their homes in Lahaina only to find USPS had ‘eliminated’ their addresses – while houses that didn’t burn receive mail as normal Two months after a devastating wildfire whipped through Lahaina in August 2023, Pam Reader was allowed back to see what was left of her home. With a heavy heart, she returned to the Hawaiian oceanside town now filled with endless blocks of burned houses. As she rounded her corner, she saw the only thing remaining was her bright turquoise mailbox. “It was an old crappy mailbox,” Reader said. “It was metal, though, which is why

A low-altitude flyover by two Airlink passenger jets before a rugby match at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium is being reviewed by South African aviation authorities after it drew safety concerns, officials said on Wednesday. The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said it had obtained flight data recordings and requested additional information from regional carrier Airlink as part of its assessment. A full report with recommendations would be issued once the review was complete. “It is...

A US missile hit a home in southern Iran where dozens were gathered to celebrate the wedding of a fisherman’s daughter, according to a rights group and Iranian media. Iranian state media said four people – two women and two children – were killed and more than 60 were wounded. The rights group said one of the children, a teenager, was killed by another strike on a nearby communications tower. Heavy explosions shook the coastal town of Kuhestak on the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, and security...

US President Donald Trump will now speak on both nights of the Republican Party’s unusual midterm convention next week, a party official said on Wednesday, an expanded role that will compete for ‌viewers with the start of the NFL season. Trump had originally been scheduled to deliver an address on Thursday to close out the September 9-10 convention in Dallas, but now will deliver the keynote speech on Wednesday and speak after US Vice-President J.D. Vance on Thursday evening as well, the party...

US President ⁠Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he was “happy” Prince Harry and his family left the US and relocated back to Britain. “I am happy about it. I was not a fan,” Trump said in the Oval Office when asked about the recent decision ‌by Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to leave California after six years. The family arrived back in Britain at the end of August. The couple stepped down from official royal duties in 2020 when they moved to the US. “I thought they treated...

The Dutch central bank said Wednesday it had moved 86 tonnes of its gold reserves out of the US and Canada to London, citing “increasing geopolitical unrest”. The DNB bank said gold reserves held in London could be traded more easily than those held in New York and Ottawa. “This makes it the quickest for DNB to deploy in a crisis situation,” the bank said in a statement. “With this step, we have improved the deployability of the gold reserves. We assume that we will never need to deploy the...

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz as “Trump Strait” despite ongoing clashes with Iran – then hours later implied he wasn’t serious. Trump has made a series of geographical name changes to international bodies of water in his second term, at least partly with the aim of trolling other countries. The latest suggestion came as Trump insisted the US had full control of the crucial waterway, even as fresh clashes raged there with Iran. “Now that we have it...

Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, said on Wednesday that an Iranian ‌attack on an oil tanker owned by its national shipping company had killed two Filipino seafarers. Sidr, owned by Bahri, was one of two supertankers carrying Saudi oil reported to have been hit late on Monday while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has threatened tankers attempting ⁠to sail through the narrow waterway without authorisation, impeding energy exports from neighbouring ‌oil-rich Gulf...

Israel has plans ready to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip but is waiting for the United States to figure out where to take them, the defence minister has said. “There is no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration,” Defence Minister Israel Katz told a conference hosted by Israeli news site Ynet and newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday. The Israeli government “is organised and prepared to get them out – by sea, by air, by every way possible”, he said. The US embassy...

Oil giant Chevron confirmed that it would expand operations in Venezuela after US President Donald Trump announced an ambitious deal to develop the nation’s oil reserves and give the Pentagon a stake in the profits. Chevron, the only US oil company with a major presence in Venezuela, said on Wednesday that it had been assigned additional acreage in the Orinoco Belt, where it has active operations. The company plans to invest more than US$7 billion over the next five years, with the goal of more...

China is beginning to match its economic presence abroad with the military reach required to operate across it. The clearest evidence came from Egypt. Chinese J-16 fighters flew there recently, supported by YU-20 tankers that refuelled them in the air. The Chinese jets are taking part in Egypt’s “Eagles of Civilisation” alongside Egyptian Rafales and MiG-29s. This is the first time China has sent the jets to Africa, providing experience in moving a combat force across continents and operating...

Ireland needs to be prepared for a vote on whether to reunify with the UK’s Northern Ireland region, Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee has said. “I do believe that there will be a border poll at some stage,” McEntee told reporters in Wicklow, Ireland, ahead of a European Union foreign ministers meeting on Wednesday. “It is for the people of Northern Ireland to decide this and it is only where there’s a view that there may be a majority that we should move forward on this.” Her comments came...

For the first time in recent history, Danish ⁠conscripts have been deployed to ⁠Greenland, as Denmark moves to ⁠bolster its presence in the Arctic after US demands to acquire the territory. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish island, citing national security concerns and accusing Copenhagen of neglecting Arctic defence. Denmark and ‌Greenland have firmly rejected the idea. The conscripts are part of the first cohort under Denmark’s new extended...

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was born 25 years ago as a modest mechanism for managing borders between China, Russia and four Central Asian states. At its anniversary summit in Bishkek this week, it looks more consequential – and harder for the United States to dismiss. The timing is important. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine remains unresolved, while the war between Iran and the US has turned the Persian Gulf into another theatre of strategic competition, with energy markets again...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused security officials on Tuesday of intentionally failing to wake him on the morning of Hamas’ October 7 attacks, a day after his wife claimed an opposition figure knew of the onslaught in advance. Netanyahu is heading into close-fought elections later this year, and has come in for sustained criticism in the national debate over who is responsible for the failures that led to the October 7, 2023 security fiasco. The prime minister has alleged in...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Tuesday that his country’s drones would make Russia’s airspace “completely unsafe” for the duration of the war, drawing accusations of “state terrorism” from Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Both sides have intensified long-range attacks in recent months and diplomatic efforts led by the United States remain stalled more than four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion. “Today, we want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer...

The murder case against the Utah man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk last year is headed for trial, and the defendant could face the death penalty if he is convicted. Utah District Judge Tony Graf on Tuesday sided with prosecutors who said they had “overwhelming” evidence that suspect Tyler Robinson shot Kirk once in the neck as the ally of US President Donald Trump spoke to a crowd of thousands last September in Orem, Utah. One of Robinson’s lawyers entered a...

China has spent years articulating its preferred principles for the world order. In June, it went a step further, bringing many of them together in a white paper on global governance and setting out how its Global Governance Initiative should translate principles into practice. Two ambitions sat side by side: an “equal and orderly multipolar world” and a “universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation”. The timing is telling. World leaders will gather in New York this month for the...

President Donald Trump pressed US oil refiners to boost domestic production of petrol and diesel during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, as he contends with high prices and mounting cost-of-living concerns before November’s midterm elections. Trump made clear he wanted lower prices at the pump for Americans and asked executives how to increase refining capacity, according to a White House official who provided details on condition of anonymity. The official said industry representatives were...

Prime Minister Andy Burnham faced lawmakers in the House of Commons on Tuesday for the first time since becoming UK leader six weeks ago, with wars in Europe and the Middle East weighing on his promise to kick-start the economy, ease the cost of living and oversee a radical redistribution of power from London to Britain’s regions. On the day parliament returned from its summer break, Burnham said he would “unlock a feeling of positivity and possibility in every postcode in Britain”. “We can make...

Syria was constructing a nuclear reactor in Deir el-Zour under the leadership of ousted former president Bashar al-Assad, according to a UN report seen Tuesday by Associated Press. Inspectors with the UN nuclear watchdog visited several sites in Syria in August and carried out verification work that confirmed the existence of a long-suspected nuclear site, according to the confidential report circulated to member states. Based on this visit, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told the Trump administration on Tuesday to “stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough”, as he pushed back against a fresh wave of attacks from Washington. Carney said US-Canada trade talks could resume if Washington became serious about negotiations, but he also accused the US of pursuing terms that he said could leave Canadian industries “gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out”. “When the Americans stop doing memes, stop...

The German government on Tuesday blamed Russia for an attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month using a drone laden with explosives, and announced that it would shut down a Russian consulate among other measures. The drone was found near a Ukrainian plane on August 4 and the device was defused. German officials said at the time that the incident posed a new level of danger. Moscow has been widely accused by Western officials of running a campaign of sabotage and disruption with the...

A ⁠Bank of America ⁠vice-president, Erin Piacenti, was ⁠killed in a stabbing at Times Square on Monday. Piacenti, 32, was a vice-president in BofA’s business selection and conflicts unit, according to her LinkedIn profile. “We are shocked ‌and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague. She was a valued teammate who will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to her family and all of her loved ones,” the US banking giant said in an emailed statement on Tuesday. New York Mayor Zohran...

The latest trade war between the United States and Canada marks a turning point with key lessons for China and other major US trading partners as well as risks, say analysts and former trade officials, as US President Donald Trump continues to put his blunt stamp on global institutions. The breakdown in ties between Washington and Ottawa, one of the largest trade relationships in the world, opens one more front in the president’s disruptive path that could fuel a backlash and further distrust to...

Apple’s new CEO John Ternus takes the helm of the iconic tech giant on Tuesday, ending Tim Cook’s 15-year tenure during which the company’s value skyrocketed to US$4.6 trillion thanks to the iPhone’s enormous popularity. The transition to a new CEO comes at a pivotal time for Apple. Artificial intelligence has unleashed the greatest upheaval within the industry since Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007. Apple has got off to a rough start in AI after stumbling in its efforts to deliver...

Improvised explosive devices were used on Tuesday in a sabotage attack near a coal-fired power plant in Germany, with several electricity lines damaged and supply briefly interrupted, officials said. Several makeshift bombs were found around 8am local time at the Preilack substation, which distributes power from the nearby Jaenschwalde plant that runs on lignite and also burns rubbish, a police spokeswoman said. At least one of the devices detonated but others failed to go off, she said, adding...

Britain’s former prime minister Keir Starmer, who stepped down as leader this summer after a tumultuous two years in power, announced on Tuesday he would quit parliament to focus on “international affairs”. In a statement on social media, Starmer said it was the “right time” to resign as the MP for the Holborn and St Pancras seat in London after 11 years, triggering a by-election. “It is now time to step aside and focus on other issues: international affairs including defence, security, trade...

Norway’s King Haakon VIII took an oath before parliament on Tuesday, the first major institutional step of his reign, though his wife, still convalescing after a lung transplant, was unable to attend. Dressed in a ceremonial uniform, the 53-year-old Haakon, who became king when his father King Harald V died on Friday morning aged 89, swore to abide by the Scandinavian country’s constitution, under which the royals have a primarily symbolic function. “I promise and swear that I will govern the...

The US threat of sanctions on China because of Beijing’s relationship with Iran isn’t credible. The artificial intelligence bubble and its own precarious bond market make the US more vulnerable to a shock than China. Even if the US risks massive self-harm and kicks major Chinese institutions off SWIFT, the global messaging system enabling dollar-based cross-border payments, it will merely accelerate the yuan’s rise. China’s trading partners can easily switch to the perfectly functional yuan...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s party swept to victory in special elections on Monday, boosting the leader’s parliamentary majority as a trade war with the United States escalates. Carney’s Liberal Party secured three seats, taking the district of Chicoutimi-Le Fjord in French-speaking Quebec from the opposition Conservatives, and two other districts in Ontario and British Columbia that were previously held by the Liberals. Carney congratulated the winning candidates in a post on X, saying...

Twelve people were killed and several more injured in Russian air attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region on Tuesday, authorities said, in the sixth consecutive day of ‌strikes on the Ukrainian capital. Attacks both in Ukraine and Russia continue as efforts are ongoing to find a solution to end the deadliest conflict on the European continent since World War II, which started with Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Eight people were killed and another five wounded in Kyiv, three...

Chinese President Xi Jinping ended August in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, kick-starting a potential run of overseas trips after what has so far been a quiet year for foreign travel. Xi met the presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan in Bishkek on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. He may hold talks with other attendees, possibly including Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian. After the summit, the Chinese president will fly to Egypt, where he will meet...

A woman randomly stabbed two people in New York City’s Times Square on Monday, killing one woman, and then was fatally shot by police, according to officials. The shooting happened just before 4.30pm next to a New York Police Department substation, just outside One Times Square, the building that hosts the city’s annual New Year’s Eve ball drop celebration. It is one of the most heavily touristed and policed spots in all of New York. The 49-year-old woman from Queens pulled out two knives from a...

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down after 18 months on the job, the White House said Monday, in the latest departure of a top military leader during the Trump administration. No reason was given for the departure of Driscoll, who is a friend of US Vice-President J.D. Vance, but tensions with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have been widely reported. It marks the latest in a series of shake-ups of the military leadership, with the US Army especially seeing major upheaval. “Secretary...

The US Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump to continue construction of his White House ballroom, granting him a major victory as he works to leave a permanent mark on Washington. The conservative-dominated court ruled 5-4 to lift a lower order demanding most construction be halted, saying that the plaintiff in the case likely did not have legal standing to sue. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s three liberals in dissenting, writing in an opinion that the major...

Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial on Monday spent a third day deliberating without reaching a verdict on whether the former labour and delivery nurse is criminally responsible for killing her three children in 2023 – a case that has drawn attention to maternal mental health after childbirth. The jurors began discussing the case on Thursday in Plymouth County Superior Court in Massachusetts after hearing testimony from more than 70 prosecution witnesses, including her former husband, and 10...

A Chilean court on Monday fined a Chinese man caught with cocaine inside a Santiago prison, where he is being held on charges of homicide, kidnapping and drug trafficking. It was the second such ruling in five involving a Chinese inmate in five months, with prosecutors linking the two men to the same criminal network. Officers had searched Haifeng Tang at Santiago Uno prison on August 12, a day before his move to La Laguna, the maximum-security jail at the centre of President Jose Antonio Kast’s...

A man refusing to eat food while jailed on charges he shot two National Guard troops near the White House, killing one of them, can be fed against his will under a judge’s emergency order. US District Judge Amit Mehta agreed on Saturday to order “non-consensual” nutrition and medical treatment for Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who was rushed to a hospital in July after he stopped eating. Mehta said Federal Bureau of Prisons medical staff can feed Lakanwal intravenously or through a medical tube to save...

Top fashion designer John Galliano announced on Monday he is cancelling an exhibition of his work that was to kick off New York’s Met Gala next spring, following criticism from donors and political leaders over his past antisemitic remarks. “After much reflection and discussion with all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time,” Galliano, 65, wrote on Instagram. “I remain fully accountable for the pain caused by my...

Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda said he has been briefed by the US on the content of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s talks in Moscow, describing the visit as aimed at reducing regional tensions. “I can say at this stage that the meeting achieved its stated objectives, and it was aimed at reducing tensions in the region,” Nauseda said in Vilnius, according to Lithuanian media reports on Monday. “I very much hope that this message reached the Kremlin regime in good time.” He did not provide...

An ex-street gang leader accused of orchestrating the drive-by shooting death of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur three decades ago in Las Vegas was convicted of murder on Monday for his role in a long-unsolved crime that silenced one of rap music’s most influential voices. A jury in Clark County, Nevada, ‌deliberated for nearly three hours before finding Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, guilty of a single count of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, capping an 11-day trial in a downtown Las Vegas...

US President Donald Trump will meet oil refining executives on Tuesday as he tries to tame fuel prices sent spiralling by the Iran war ahead of midterm elections in November, the White House said. The talks at the White House also come days after Trump announced a deal for a huge US stake in the oil reserves of Venezuela, whose leader Nicolas Maduro was toppled by US forces in January. Republicans fear voters will punish them in November’s crucial US midterm elections after high fuel prices...

France will from Tuesday impose a fee on ultra-fast fashion items that will eventually reach almost €20 (US$23.20) per garment, as the government targets major Asian e-commerce platforms including Shein. The levy follows legislation passed by the French parliament in June to regulate “ultra-fast fashion” companies, known for selling large volumes of lower-quality clothing at rock-bottom prices. It is part of a push to rein in Asian e-commerce giants including Shein, Temu and AliExpress, which...

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin American relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese executive filmed taking cash on Colombia metro project Colombian prosecutors are investigating allegations that executives of a Chinese state-owned contractor building the Bogota metro demanded cash from a local subcontractor in exchange for releasing payments owed for work on...

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Harvard, MIT among 30 US universities ordered to audit China research ties Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University were among 30 American institutions ordered to audit their foreign research relationships, according to US officials, as...

Her 1983 book “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions” is a master class in grit, empathy, curiosity and hustle.

The glasses, the hairdo, the bell bottoms and hip-slung belts were all wrapped up in her feminist cause.

The trade deficit bounced back up last month as spending on data centers to feed the A.I. boom drove up imports.

Christopher J. Waller, a Federal Reserve governor, sounded optimistic about inflation’s trajectory but indicated he would support higher rates if progress does not continue.

In addition, the F.C.C. is weighing stiff restrictions on common drone technology such as thermal imaging and aerosol spraying.

An official who oversaw the vetting of ICE recruits cited an “unprecedented lowering of standards” amid a hiring surge.

The ruling raised concerns that babies already defined as citizens by the Supreme Court could have their citizenship revoked under an order the president signed in August.

Jonathan Franzen’s novel, which put a Midwestern family under the microscope, came out a week before 9/11. Why are we still talking about it?

In general, juries that have repeatedly reported an impasse are unlikely to reach consensus. But sometimes, those asked by a judge to try harder do return a verdict.

The acquisition of the start-up is an indication of Nvidia’s growing role as Silicon Valley’s central banker and its emphasis on open-source technology.

When Anthropic goes public in a blockbuster offering, which investors will profit? The answer says a lot about how much start-up investing has changed over the years.

After finding antitrust violations, federal courts have been reluctant to impose harsh sanctions. They fear meddling in markets where technology is racing ahead.

Each side is using missiles and drones to try to pound the other into giving up, breeding ceaseless human suffering. But there is no sign that either country’s determination will weaken.

These Russian drones are more destructive, faster and harder to shoot down than the propeller-driven models that Moscow has used throughout the war.

President Volodymyr Zelensky described the shootout on the streets of the Ukrainian capital as an “absolutely shameful event” and ordered an investigation.

The bomb that hit the residential area was American, according to a weapons expert and a visual analysis by The Times. It killed five people and wounded 67 others, the Iranian authorities said.

This week’s renewed strikes by the United States and Iran strain the flow of energy and diminish expectations the disruption will end soon.

Lingering concerns about the Senate nominee in Michigan could make it harder for him to assemble a winning coalition.

Elon Musk plans to spend at least $100 million in more than a dozen competitive House and Senate races. The tech billionaire helped Donald Trump to victory in 2024.

Drawing inspiration from MAGA, separatists in Alberta are pushing for a break away from Canada.

College presidents, don’t be fooled.

We look at the department during his tenure.

The New York Times-owned publication said the relationship between its former reporter Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel of the Patriots gave the appearance of a conflict of interest.