Minimalist News

Despite Slumping Sentiment & Lower Gas Prices, The American Consumer Is Still Spending Strongly While headline spend at gas stations is expected to decline (due to tumbling pump prices), BofA's almost omniscient analysts forecast a stronger than consensus print for today's US Retail Sales data. After a big jump in May (revised up), June's Headline retail sales rose 0.2% MoM (as expected), with sales up 6.7% YoY (down modestly)... Gasoline Stations sales saw the biggest decline (along with small drops in Health Personal Care and Food and Beverage). Nonstore Retailers saw the biggest jump in spend along with Motor Vehicle

Futures Slide After Another Korea Rout, TSMA Results Revive AI Fears Futures are lower, erasing much of yesterday's gain with both Nasdaq and Rusell lagging SPX, following a continued rollercoaster in Korea where stocks tumbled after the BOK hired rates for the first time in 3 years. As of 8:15am ET, S&P futures dropped 0.3%, while Nasdaq 100 contracts dropped 0.8%. In premarket trading, semis are weaker again while Mag7 is stronger (AMZN, GOOG, META, and MSFT all up are least 1.2%) with the market having "a defensive tilt as the AI theme is poised to move lower" per JPM.

The Big Pharma Psychedelic Buyout Spree Has Begun Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance Massive validation for psychedelics…not as drugs, but as investments could be moments away. Just months after I argued for the millionth time that psychedelic drug developers were likely to become acquisition targets as the sector gained legitimacy, it looks like the first major domino may finally be falling. According to a Bloomberg report published moments ago , Eli Lilly is in talks to acquire AtaiBeckley, one of the leading developers of next-generation psychedelic therapies. While nothing is finalized, Bloomberg reports a deal could be announced as soon

New Poll Shows American Voters Overwhelmingly Reject Communism, Dealing A Blow To DSA The Democratic Socialists of America are intensifying their consolidation of power within the Democratic Party , winning low-turnout local elections as establishment Democrats struggle to contain the spread of socialism and Marxism within their DEI kingdom. DSA leaders and politicians have openly embraced anti-American rhetoric centered on dismantling capitalism and calling for revolution, while their unofficial spokesperson, Hasan Piker, has amplified inflammatory calls to " kill capitalists ." Hasan Piker calls on his followers to kill capitalists: “Yeah kill them! KiII those motherfuckers and murder those motherfuckers

UBS: TSMC's 'Surprise CapEx Hike' Reinforces Confidence In AI Supply Chain TSMC, or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest contract chipmaker, raised its 2026 spending and revenue outlook on Thursday morning, a move UBS analysts said " boosts confidence in the AI supply chain ." TSMC manufactures chips designed by companies such as Nvidia, Apple, AMD, Qualcomm and Broadcom. It is a major supplier of Nvidia chips used in AI data centers. The company now expects 2026 capital expenditures of $60 billion to $64 billion, up from its previous forecast of $52 billion to $56 billion, while projecting dollar-denominated

Ukraine Intensifies Attacks On Russian Tankers In The Black Sea By Charles Kennedy of OilPrice.com After striking 116 vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet in the Sea of Azov in recent weeks, Ukraine’s military is turning its sights on ships in the Black Sea, hitting in drone attacks as many as 20 vessels overnight on Wednesday. Ukrainian forces struck 17 Russia-linked oil tankers, 2 gas carriers, and one tugboat early on July 15 , drone unit commander Robert Brovdi said on Telegram today, adding that an official report with video evidence would follow later in the day. “The first round

Trump: Iran Has Freed Detained American Woman In 'Goodwill' Gesture, After Days Of Bombing Summary Detained American woman freed by Iran ; Trump: "appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!" Pentagon announces second wave of strikes later Wednesday, the after initial 90-minute attack to start the day. Trump threatens wider strikes unless Iran returns to talks - says attacks to 'expand' next week. Wednesday saw 5th strait day of US bombardment on chiefly Iranian coastal sites. Iran hits US-Gulf bases and warns on regional oil exports, says it is in 'control' of Hormuz Strait. No evidence de-escalation: Tehran rejects talks

G7 Partners Have Low Confidence In President Trump Confidence in U.S. leadership has fluctuated significantly over the past two decades , closely tracking changes in the occupant of the White House. As Statista's Felix Richter shows in the following chart, based on data from past and present editions of Pew’s Global Attitudes Survey shows, confidence in President Donald Trump among key U.S. allies has mostly been low, although it has edged up slightly compared to the end of his first term. You will find more infographics at Statista Interestingly, Trump’s current ratings are broadly in line with those recorded for

Japan's Landmark Vote Reclassifies Bitcoin And Crypto As Financial Assets Authored by Micah Zimmerman via The Epoch Times, Japan’s parliament passed an amendment on Wednesday that reclassifies cryptocurrency as a “financial asset,” a shift that pulls bitcoin and other digital assets out of the country’s payments regime and into the framework that governs stocks, bonds, and investment trusts , according to a report from public broadcaster NHK. The change strips crypto of its prior status under the Payment Services Act, where regulators treated it as a means of settlement, and folds it into the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA),

Baltic Leaders Claim Moscow Eyeing Wave Of Infrastructure Attacks In Europe NATO's 'eastern flank' members are at it again, seeking to hype an imminent Russian threat which they now say will target their critical infrastructure . The presidents of Poland, Lithuanian and Latvia have joined together and issued a dire warning over an impending plot on Wednesday, citing intelligence reports. "We are talking about energy and transport infrastructure, facilities where damage could... disrupt the functioning of the entire energy system ," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said at a joint press conference in Vilnius, alongside his Latvian counterpart, Edgars Rinkevics. "This

You Will Not Believe What's Happening In This Tiny English Village Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News , Residents of the small leafy Oxfordshire village of Piddington have delivered a thunderous rebuke to Westminster's latest asylum experiment. With roughly 180 adults casting ballots on July 4, 175 backed holding a referendum on breaking away from the United Kingdom in protest against plans to house up to 1,250 single adult male asylum seekers at an adjacent former Ministry of Defence Site. That works out to a 96% yes vote in a community of around 370 people where decisions about their

Russia Struggles To Deliver Crude Oil As It Hits 135 Million Barrel Traffic Jam Russia is struggling to deliver all of the crude it’s being forced to ship overseas in the face of escalating Ukrainian drone strikes on its refineries. Nearly 135 million barrels of Russian crude oil are currently stranded at sea as a result of Ukraine’s airstrike campaign targeting refineries with the intent to cripple crude processing. The offshore backlog is forcing Moscow to significantly ramp up export volumes according to OilPrice.com . Intensive Ukrainian drone strikes, including recent hits on the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat and Afipsky processing

"Free Speech Has Its Limits", Rules Czech Supreme Court Via Remix News, The Czech Supreme Court has upheld a suspended prison sentence imposed on a former dissident who publicly wore clothing displaying symbols associated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to Echo24 , botanist Pavel Křivka walked through Pardubice in April 2024 wearing a black sweatshirt bearing a large white letter ‘Z’ and the Russian words “For Victory.” Lower courts convicted him of publicly approving a crime against peace and sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for two years. An appeal to the Supreme Court has now been

All Socialists Are Ignorant, But Some Are More Ignorant Than Others... Authored by Lloyd Billingsley via AmericanThinker.com, In The Law , published in 1850, Frédéric Bastiat made a case against “legal plunder,” the perversion of the law to violate liberty and property rights. Nearly 100 years later in The Road to Serfdom , Friedrich Hayek warned that socialists, whatever their intentions, lacked the knowledge to command the economy. Hayek also explained how the worst always get on top in socialist regimes , and after the German National Socialists’ Anschluss in 1938, he did not return to his native Austria. In

"Sub-Second Detect- To-Fire": Futuristic Dome Turret Could Be US Military's Answer To Drone Swarms Picket Defense Systems is developing a next-generation counter-drone turret designed to eliminate the delays conventional systems face when targeting fast-moving, one-way attack drones or incoming swarms. This is a major vulnerability confronting the US military and allied forces as drone threats proliferate across modern battlefields that Picket plans to solve. Its Inferno RTC uses a 54-barrel hemispherical array that continuously maintains 360-degree coverage, allowing the turret to select and fire the optimal barrel without needing to rotate and lock onto the target first. " Fixed multi-barrel

Hegseth Announces New Mandatory Military Testosterone Tests Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced a measure to screen U.S. armed forces members’ testosterone levels and offer therapy as a way to optimize the military’s performance. “While we invest heavily in our weapon systems, platforms, and gear, our most decisive tactical advantage will always be the individual warfighter,” Hegseth said in a video, titled, “The High-T Department of War,” released on X. “We have a sacred duty to maintain that advantage, which is why we must constantly look for new ways

Australia Slaps Power, Water, And Copyright Rules On Data Centers After Anthropic Lobbying Push Over the last year or so, several US states have taken measures to regulate or prevent data centers from being built, citing local concerns over electricity and water use, pollution (noise and otherwise), and the fact that they're a godawful eyesore . On Tuesday, New York became the first state to enact a one-year ban on data centers. Pennsylvania, meanwhile, is slapping heavy new regulations on them. DCI Data Centers facility in Adelaide (ADL02) The revolt has gone worldwide - as Australia will impose mandatory national

Key Takeaways From DNI Nominee Jay Clayton's Confirmation Hearing Authored by Timothy Frudd via The Epoch Times, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton shared his vision for the Intelligence Community during his confirmation hearing for the position of director of national intelligence (DNI) on July 15. Clayton, who was nominated last month by President Donald Trump, faced questions from lawmakers regarding the independence of the DNI and key national security issues facing the United States. The hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee was held on July 15 after President Donald Trump canceled Clayton’s initial June 17 hearing. Trump canceled the initial DNI

"Asymmetric Warfare Boom" Accelerates As US Army Awards Neros $500 Million For FPV Attack Drones Defense startup Neros has secured a US Army contract valued at up to $500 million to supply the military with Ukraine-style, low-cost attack drones, reinforcing our view that the " Asymmetric Warfare Boom " is now underway. As we have told readers, the Department of War's massive push to procure inexpensive, attritable autonomous systems, ranging from loitering munitions and ground robots to drone boats, will create a procurement supercycle and investable opportunities across both public markets and privately held defense companies. The Wall Street Journal

Trump Endorses MyPillow's Mike Lindell For Minnesota Governor Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he is endorsing MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell as the Republican candidate for Minnesota governor, saying he is one of “America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots.” “Mike will be SPECTACULAR!!! He truly loves Minnesota, as do I, and wants to bring it back from oblivion and embarrassment. He can do it!” Trump wrote via his Truth Social platform, calling Lindell “the ‘Pillow Man.’” The president added that “nobody has sacrificed more than Mike Lindell in fighting for our

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

Trade office cites investigation of Brazilian trade practices while Marco Rubio says Lula’s policies ‘bad for Americans and bad for Brazilians’ Brazil has condemned the US decision to impose 25% tariffs on certain Brazilian products, after the Trump administration found a range of what it deemed unfair trade practices by the South American country. “The Brazilian government repudiates the decision announced today by the United States government regarding the imposition of 25 percent tariffs on Brazilian products,” the office of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said in a statement on X, denying it had engaged in unfair trade practices.

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

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

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

Minister urges public to report cases of three or more sick or dead birds in a group after brown skua seabird tests positive for H5N1 on Wellington beach The deadly H5N1 bird flu has been confirmed in New Zealand for the first time, sparking alarm that some of the country’s most beloved and vulnerable native birds could be wiped out if it spreads. A single ocean-going seabird, a brown skua, returned a confirmed positive test on Wednesday, after it was found on Petone beach in Wellington on 10 July, said Andrew Hoggard, the biosecurity minister. Continue reading...

Third round of arrests linked to independent bookshops widely regarded as clampdown on dissent in territory Hong Kong authorities have raided two bookstores and arrested five people on suspicion of selling allegedly seditious publications, in the latest step targeting independent booksellers. Videos and photos from multiple media outlets on Wednesday showed officers wearing vests marked with “police” seizing boxes from the building that houses Have A Nice Stay, a bookshop founded by former journalists. AFP reporters saw officers also lead away a woman in handcuffs to a van. Continue reading...

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

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

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

This blog is now closed Liberals say ‘all options’ should be considered despite Angus Taylor hosing down gender quota proposal Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Michelle Rowland says mandatory minimum standards for datacentres don’t apply to existing developments The attorney general, Michelle Rowland , told ABC News that mandatory minimum standards for datacentres would apply to new developments, not existing ones. The scope and the timing of those is something that I think will be properly determined by national cabinet. This is an issue that not only state governments but local councils have

Woman in her 60s was riding on popular cycling trail in northern NSW when she ran over the two-metre-long eastern brown snake, one of the world’s most venomous A woman in her 60s is recovering after being bitten by a two-metre-long eastern brown snake that had become entangled in her bike chain in regional Australia. She was riding on the northern rivers rail trail near Burringbar, in the Tweed shire in northern New South Wales, when she ran over the snake. Continue reading...

AFP release images of children’s clothes found on electronic devices seized as part of investigation into Hamish Tait Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A tiny dinosaur puffer jacket could lead police to more victims of a former childcare worker and alleged prolific child sex offender. Federal police have released pictures of clothing from children they want to identify, urging parents and carers who recognise the items to come forward. Continue reading...

‘Malicious actor’ obtains sensitive data including Medicare numbers, treatment details and pathology results in cyber-attack on Partnered Health Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australians’ medical records and patient information could be sold on the hidden market, an expert has warned, after a cyber-attack at one of the nation’s biggest healthcare providers. Partnered Health revealed 21 clinics across several cities including Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra were affected when a “malicious actor” accessed its data on 23 June. Continue reading...

Anne Ruston called for the party to act with ‘urgency’ after discussion paper suggested ways to improve engagement with women, multicultural communities and young people Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Angus Taylor has hosed down a proposal for the Liberal party to consider introducing gender quotas, while one of his senior shadow cabinet ministers has implored the party to act on such ideas with “urgency”. After a discussion paper that canvassed the idea was circulated to supporters on Wednesday, the party’s leader said he has never been supportive of quotas – shortly before

Protests in Lviv and Kyiv as Zelenskyy faces anger after removing the popular Mykhailo Fedorov in Madrid Meanwhile, the EU’s top court has ruled that a controversial Spanish law that offered an amnesty to those who planned and participated in the failed and illegal push for Catalan independence does not violate the bloc’s rules. Continue reading...

Wives and children offered new identities to try to stop gangsters recruiting down the generations Children and young adults raised in mafia families will be given a chance to break away from organised crime under new legislation in Italy that aims to stop the intergenerational recruitment of gangsters. In an unprecedented effort to sever the family chain, the Italian state will offer children aged under 25 and other close relatives of mafia bosses a chance to start over: a new home in another city, a new school and, if necessary, a new identity. Continue reading...

Agreement combines Uber Eats with food delivery brands in 99 countries and expands taxi service reach Business live – latest updates Uber has reached an agreement to take over the German takeaway company Delivery Hero in a $14.8bn (£11bn, or €12.9bn) deal that would create a global food delivery giant. The US tech firm said it had offered to pay €41.50 a share to Delivery Hero’s shareholders, valuing the business at $14.8bn. Uber will pay $13.7bn after accounting for its previous purchases of a quarter of Delivery Hero’s shares, most recently in May. Continue reading...

Timmy: Hope Dies Last elevates stranded humpback into Jesus-like figure, igniting hope and grief When people in Germany organised a daring rescue mission for a humpback whale stranded on the Baltic coast in April, it briefly looked like a country stricken with political division and economic anxiety was rallying around a common cause. A new satirical play inspired by the episode, however, suggests the spectators, social media influencers, politicians and millionaires who flocked to the seaside in support never just wanted to rescue the cetacean that came to be nicknamed Timmy, but for Timmy to rescue them. Continue reading...

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

Foreign ministry spokesman says children’s cancer hospital had to be evacuated in Ahvaz; Kuwait says it responding to renewed Iranian drone attacks US attacks oil tanker in strait of Hormuz as strikes reported in Tehran The Lebanese foreign minister, Youssef Raggi, said Lebanon has made a decision to “end Hezbollah’s military presence” and that decisions on war and foreign policy are the “exclusive prerogative of the Lebanese state”. The Lebanese government is pushing to disarm Hezbollah, one of the most heavily armed militias in the Middle East, and it has become a central component of the US-brokered talks between Lebanon

Diesel tops $5 a gallon as regular gas reaches almost $4, nearly a dollar and a quarter more than a year ago Middle East crisis live – latest updates The average price of diesel fuel in the US has increased again to more than $5 a gallon, according to the AAA , and the average price of gas is almost $4, returning to their highs before the June memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran . It’s a reminder to consumers and truckers of the costs of the Iran war and the unpredictable rhetoric from both Washington and Tehran.

Sixth day of fighting threatens to turn into all-out war and casts serious doubt on peace deal struck last month Chaos and confusion bring US no closer to resolution on strait of Hormuz Middle East crisis live – latest updates The US has intensified its attacks on Iran, hitting targets near Tehran and striking a ship it accused of trying to break its blockade, while Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at US allies in the region Six consecutive days of back-and-forth attacks threaten to pull the region back into a total war and cast serious doubt about an

This blog is now closed – our latest full report is here For a second day in a row, US strikes targeted Iran’s southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country’s only civilian nuclear plant, according to the state news agency IRNA quoting a local official. “In continuation of the brutality of the American enemy, three points in the city of Bushehr were attacked today,” Mohammad Mozaffari, the governor of Bushehr, was quoted as saying. In the recent attacks on the southern part of the country, more than 30 civilians lost their lives. While expressing our condolences and sympathy

US disables unladen oil tanker using Hellfire missiles in strait of Hormuz amid concerns strikes could spiral into open conflict The US has fired on an oil tanker attempting to reach Kharg Island in the strait of Hormuz as part of its blockade on Iranian ports, as Tehran came under attack for the first time in this latest round of strikes. The US said on Thursday morning it had disabled an unladen oil tanker, during a fifth day of strikes, firing Hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack after it ignored multiple warnings. Continue reading...

Vessels believed to have departed from Myanmar in late June, with mostly Muslim Rohingya minority onboard The United Nations has said more than 500 people are feared dead after reports of two large shipwrecks off Myanmar since late June. The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its refugee agency UNHCR voiced alarm in a joint statement at reports “that two boats carrying more than 500 people may have capsized off the coast of Myanmar in recent days”. Continue reading...

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

Eleven reported dead as flooding also brings danger of snakes, while buildings collapse in Mumbai amid heavy rain As the first typhoon to make landfall in China for the 2026 season, Maysak has caused devastating damage in southern and central regions. The Guangxi region received intense downpours of up to 280mm in 12 hours, causing rivers to swell and dam walls to break. By Monday morning, flooding across the city of Nanning and surrounding areas had resulted in many people being stranded on rooftops. Flood waters pose additional threats in China because of the presence of wild and farmed snakes.

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

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

Review of case criticises handling of agent X, who exploited role with agency to violently threaten his girlfriend MI5 has been reprimanded by a watchdog for lying about its relationship with a neo-Nazi informant, who had exploited his role with the spy agency to violently threaten his girlfriend. The Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (Ipco) criticised MI5’s handling of a man known only as agent X, and said some of its officers had initially misled the courts and the regulator about his true status. Continue reading...

Green leader says expected appointment shows new PM ‘won’t challenge the power of the bankers, or tax their wealth’ Couples could legally marry in forests, on beaches, at sea or in their gardens under new proposals, the Press Association reports. PA says a government consultation announced today , covering rules in England and Wales, could help cut the costs of weddings and mean two ceremonies are no longer required to cover different faiths. PA says: The average wedding in England is estimated to cost more than £20,000, with venue hire alone typically accounting for around £6,000 without catering. The system

Ofcom concerned TikTok’s age verification is ineffective, leaving some exposed to posts on suicide, self-harm and pornography TikTok is under formal investigation over concerns it has failed to protect children from harmful content, the UK’s online regulator, Ofcom, has announced. The social media platform’s approach to checking the ages of users has sparked “particular concerns” at the watchdog, almost a year after measures to protect children from the worst of online content came into effect under the Online Safety Act. Continue reading...

Spokesperson says islands belong to the UK ‘PM wishes both teams well for the final, especially Spain’ Keir Starmer supports the idea of Fifa investigating Argentina players who displayed a banner touting their country’s claim to the Falklands Islands after their World Cup semi-final win against England, Downing Street has said. Starmer, who watched the match while travelling to Ukraine by train for the final overseas trip of his premiership, endorsed a call by Peter Kyle, the business secretary, for Fifa to investigate what rules may have been broken. Continue reading...

Thalha Jubair, 20, and Owen Flowers, 19, sentenced to five and a half years each for cyber-attack that cost Transport for London £39m The data of millions of commuters was stolen, Londoners were left out of pocket and 27,000 Transport for London staff were forced to reset their passwords. Over four days in 2024 a pair of teenage hackers had London’s transport network at their mercy. Thalha Jubair and Owen Flowers had burrowed into the heart of Transport for London’s IT systems and held the “keys to the kingdom”. Continue reading...

President will meet new Republican senator who has taken over the seat following the death of her brother Lindsey Graham Sign up for the Breaking News US email The average price of diesel fuel in the US has increased again to more than $5 a gallon, according to the AAA , and the average price of gas is almost $4, returning to their highs before the June memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran . It’s a reminder to consumers and truckers of the costs of the Iran war and the unpredictable rhetoric from both Washington and Tehran. A

Roger Rogoff’s was selected by panel of judges for top prosecutor job after interim US attorney’s term ended US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump fired the new top federal prosecutor in Seattle on Wednesday less than an hour after the attorney was unanimously appointed by the federal judges in the district, highlighting tensions between the courts and the president over the powerful positions. Roger Rogoff, a former judge and veteran state and federal prosecutor, was sworn in as US attorney before 8am at the US courthouse in downtown Seattle. In a phone interview, he said he then went

Fracking billionaire Harold Hamm is co-chair of a non-profit that has aggressively pushed for US energy dominance Tycoon Harold Hamm is one of the US’s most successful oilmen, the son of Oklahoma sharecroppers who hit it rich as a “wildcatter” and pioneered fracking techniques that drove the shale boom in 2008 that reversed declining US oil production. Donald Trump describes him as a “ long time ” friend and is said to have called him his “ original oil guy ” behind closed doors. The Continental Resources founder has also faced scrutiny from climate advocates and groups and some Democratic

US renews blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran attacks sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. Plus, legendary director John Waters on 60 years of screen carnage • Don’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up here Good morning. The US has fired on an oil tanker attempting to reach Kharg Island in the strait of Hormuz as part of its blockade on Iranian ports. The US targeted coastal defences and missile sites, as well as targets farther north, with state media reporting strikes for the first time on the country’s capital, Tehran. The US also said it had disabled

Delay seen as move to protect interests of Matthew Moroun, the owner of nearby Ambassador Bridge and a Trump donor The Trump administration for months blocked a $4.7bn publicly owned bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, a move critics allege is a quid pro quo for a billionaire Donald Trump donor. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Gordie Howe international bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor was initially scheduled for early June but was abruptly cancelled amid dispute between US and Canadian officials. On 10 July, Canada announced it reached a deal with the US, and the bridge will open on 27

The US will begin charging 25 per cent tariff on imports of certain goods from Brazil following an investigation alleging that the country engaged in unfair trade practices. The year-long inquiry “found a number of Brazil’s practices to be unreasonable and discriminatory, restricting the competitive position of American farmers, workers, innovators, and exporters,” the Office of the US Trade Representative said in a social media post late on Wednesday night. Imports of coffee, beef, and certain...

Africa’s exports to China have surged since Beijing expanded its zero-tariff policy across the continent in May, as customs data showed signs of emerging trade links in a range of new sectors alongside traditional categories such as critical minerals. China’s imports from Africa soared by 21.1 per cent and 40.2 per cent year on year in May and June, respectively – outpacing the overall growth in Chinese imports over the same period, customs data showed. The increase was partly driven by China’s...

Detainees at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Texas told two rights groups they were beaten by guards, denied medical care and prevented from contacting family and lawyers, according to a report issued on Wednesday. The report, issued by Human ‌Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union, spans dozens of pages and is based on 80 interviews HRW conducted with detainees that focused on conditions at Camp East Montana, which is located at the US Army’s Fort...

From rare earth elements to commercial drones, Washington has become all too familiar with the strongest weapons in Beijing’s manufacturing arsenal – the materials and products where China holds a strategic advantage in production, extraction or any other link in the supply chain. After those near-monopolies provided Chinese policymakers considerable leverage in last year’s trade dispute, US think tanks are asking whether pharmaceuticals represent the next critical dependency. Their concern is...

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that arch foe Iran has freed an American citizen detained since December 2024 and allowed her to leave the country. “She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” Trump posted on social media, adding: “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!” Trump – who in recent days has ordered a resumption of strikes against Iran and reimposed a naval blockade of its ports – did not name the woman or describe why she...

A former senior adviser for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors was sentenced to more than three years in prison for lying to federal investigators looking into whether he shared confidential data with Chinese intelligence operatives, the Justice Department said. John Harold Rogers, 64, was convicted at trial on February 3 of making false statements to investigators about sharing information on monetary policy, Washington US attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement on Wednesday after the...

Iran ⁠said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz was an inviolable “red line”, warning that if US President Donald Trump carried out his threat to attack Iran’s infrastructure, it would strike all infrastructure across the Gulf region. The US intensified its strikes on Iran early Thursday, hitting targets further north as American forces also fired into a ship it accused of trying to break its naval blockade on the Islamic Republic. Iran retaliated with missile and drone fire targeting US allies...

On July 12, a coalition of 14 nations – the United States, Philippines, Australia, Canada, Britain, Japan, New Zealand, and seven European states including Germany, Italy and the Baltic nations – issued a statement marking the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea ruling at The Hague in 2016. The document recycled familiar arguments, urging compliance with the ruling and framing it as a cornerstone of the rules-based international order. But beneath it lies a fundamental disconnect from...

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that he is rolling out a new screening programme for “testosterone deficiency” among troops, calling it necessary to allow them to operate at their “absolute best”. The screenings will be conducted annually as part of service members’ required medical screenings for those 30 and older, he said. Troops under 30 can volunteer to be tested. In a video on social media, Hegseth said receiving testosterone replacement therapy would be...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

U.S. diesel prices first surpassed $5 a gallon in March. Renewed fighting in the Persian Gulf and reduced refinery capacity are pushing up prices again.

Air quality in several cities reached hazardous levels on Thursday morning as smoke was expected to move across North America.

The Guadalupe River had surged to potentially catastrophic levels, forecasters warned on Thursday.

The Commission of Fine Arts is set to consider the administration’s proposal regarding Lafayette Square Park, which has been the site of numerous protests.

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

The new pills can lower cholesterol levels far below what can be achieved with statins, clinical trials have shown.

To prevail in Michigan’s crucial Senate primary, Representative Haley Stevens will need to overcome Democratic voters’ skepticism of Israel. Pro-Israel groups are spending heavily to help her.

The measure failed, but the level of support among Democrats exposed a stark shift in the party away from backing the Jewish state.

Kerry Sheron could often be found waving and nodding to those who passed his home, which stood out in Escondido, Calif.

With India lagging in the technology, officials are embracing giant data centers. But critics say the megaprojects will use up energy and water, without providing long-term jobs.

France and Germany want to quit relying on America and China for key technology like artificial intelligence, but they’re having to choose where to do it.

On the trail of the world’s best counterfeit artists.

It is only the fifth new African monkey identified as a new species in the past 75 years.

Can democratic socialism redeem the left without destroying capitalism?

A visit to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

“It’s the second book Biden has written,” Fallon said of the former president. “The first was ‘The Odyssey.’”

The beloved New Zealand actor best known for his turn in “Jurassic Park” had “fought and beaten” lymphoma before he fell ill, according to a statement.