Minimalist News

American Freight Revival Enters Next Phase As Illegal Alien Trucker Chaos Continues Submitted by American Truckers United , In a unanimous landmark decision , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAAA) does not protect freight brokers from state-law negligence claims when they carelessly hire unsafe motor carriers. Landmark win for trucking safety this morning. The Supreme Court rules UNANIMOUSLY against the broker that helped put the illegal alien who hit Dalilah Coleman on the road. As a result of this decision, trucking brokers can be liable for negligently giving loads to illegal… https://t.co/0pYntFxiDx —

Turkey Markets Crash After Court Unseats Opposition Head In Latest Erdogan Power Grab Shortly after we learned that Turkey had sold virtually all of its Treasuries in March to defend the lira after the Iran war broke out, the country was thrown into fresh political turmoil on Thursday when a Turkish court removed the leader of the country’s main opposition party in a landmark ruling that triggered a stock market crash, including one marketwide halt, and could strengthen President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s grip on power while further alienating foreign capital. The Ankara appeals court annulled the results of the 2023

We Are 6 Months From Global Food Shortages Because Farmers Are Facing A Quadruple Whammy Crisis Authored by Michael Snyder via TheMostImportantNews.com, We have never faced anything quite like this. Diesel fuel and fertilizer have become far more expensive as a result of the conflict in the Middle East, and extreme weather is playing havoc with crops all over the planet. Here in the United States, we just experienced the driest first three months of a year in recorded history. No, that isn’t an exaggeration. Now a “Super El Niño” is coming, and that means that drought conditions are going

Daily Wire Names New CEO As Audience, Revenue Challenges Mount The Daily Wire announced Tuesday that CEO Caleb Robinson is stepping down effective immediately and transitioning to a board role while retaining significant ownership in the company. Mike Richards, who joined as President and Chief Content Officer roughly a year ago, has been named the new CEO. Robinson framed the move as a deliberate shift: "Stepping down as CEO of Daily Wire. Effective immediately, my new title is 'guy on the board who still owns a lot of the company.' Pay cut in stress. Raise in the important things." pic.twitter.com/3D0hpjn3nJ

US Deploys Aircraft Carrier To Caribbean As Trump Admin Pressures Cuba Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The U.S. military command operating in the Western Hemisphere said on May 20 that an aircraft carrier strike group entered the Caribbean Sea, as the Trump administration heaps pressure on the Cuban communist regime. In a post on X, U.S. Southern Command said that the USS Nimitz is now in the Caribbean and released video footage of the carrier group. Southern Command did not provide more details about why the carrier group traveled to the region. The Nimitz, it

DOJ Probe Widens: Minnesota Daycare Owner Charged, While Convicted Fraudster Gets Nearly 42 Years A Minneapolis daycare owner has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, adding another case to Minnesota's widening public-benefits fraud scandal. Fahima Egeh Mahamud, 50, CEO of Future Leaders Early Learning Center, allegedly submitted more than 13,000 false claims to Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program between 2022 and 2025, according to prosecutors. Thousands of those claims required families to make co-payments before the daycare could receive federal reimbursements. BREAKING: Minneapolis daycare owner featured in Nick Shirley’s video Fahima Egeh Mahamud, CHARGED with wire fraud

Exit Taxes Won't Save Failing States Authored by Vance Ginn via TheDailyEconomy.org, When a state starts floating an exit tax , it is telling you something more important than any campaign slogan: the people running the place know their model is not working. They may not say it that way. They will call it fairness, responsibility, or making the wealthy “pay what they owe.” But the meaning is the same. If families, entrepreneurs, and investors are leaving, the state can either ask why its policies are pushing them out, or it can try to tax them for escaping. An exit

No Deal Reached, Amid 'Fabricated' Mideast Media Reports; Trump Presses Nuclear Issue & Iran President Says 'Won't Back Down' Summary Al Arabiya issues dramatic retraction on prior 'deal reached' reporting . Iranian president vows to not back down , as Trump still vows to get nuclear material. AI Arabiya TV obtains what it describes as final draft of US-lran agreement, Reuters reported that Ayatollah ordered that stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% remain strictly inside Iranian territory . Some Iranian officials then denied report to Al Jazeera. WH says make a deal or else... "they can face a punishment from

Trump Posts Article Laying Out: "Here's How To Crush Tehran In Three Moves" President Trump on Thursday posted to Truth Social a New York Post article which was first published over two weeks ago, on May 1st, with the headline "Here's how to crush Tehran in three moves . " Trump's new social media post, issued without additional comment, comes just after news of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei having drawn a hard line in the sand , ordering that Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% remain strictly inside Iranian territory . So now the world awaits what's next

Rickards: Investing In A World In Turmoil Authored by James Rickards via DailyReckoning.com, To say that the world is in turmoil to an extent not seen since the 1960s is an understatement. The war in Ukraine is now in its fifth year. The war in Iran continues with no end in sight, despite Trump’s optimistic talk. NATO may be nearing the break-up stage as Trump pulls U.S. troops out of Germany. Energy prices are soaring, inflation has accelerated sharply again, consumer confidence has fallen sharply, debt is at an all-time high and supply chains are breaking down. Yet the major

Rubio: Diplomacy Will Be Rendered 'Impossible' If Iran Enacts Hormuz Toll System Iran has been seeking to significantly expand the area around the Strait of Hormuz over which it claims military control by this week advancing the newly-created government agency of the "Persian Gulf Strait Authority" . The agency quickly published a map proclaiming "Iranian armed forces oversight" across more than 22,000 sq km (8,800 sq miles) of the Hormuz waterway. Now, all transit through the strait "requires coordination with and authorization from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority" - the new entity announced. Of course, Washington has made clear that

Democrats Move To Block Trump's $1.776 Billion 'Anti-Weaponization' Fund Via American Greatness, Congressional Democrats are moving to shut down President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, escalating a political fight over compensation for Americans who say they were targeted by politically motivated prosecutions and federal lawfare. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is introducing legislation aimed at preventing any federal money from being used to create or distribute payments through the fund. According to a copy of the bill shared with Axios, the legislation states that “no Federal funds may be used to create

Marcus Lemonis Fires Back On X Over Claims Camping World Spiraling Toward Bankruptcy America's largest RV dealer and service chain, selling new and used motorhomes, travel trailers, and more for outdoor living, has been under pressure over the past several years as high interest rates have crushed RV demand . An X user with the handle " Roger " laid out his thesis on why Camping World is next on the list to "file Chapter 11 bankruptcy with $3.5 billion of unpayable debt," adding, "West Marine (one of the largest boat suppliers in the US) just filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Getting An 'A' At Harvard Will Be Tougher Starting In 2027 Authored by Micaiah Bilger via The College Fix, Two thirds of faculty vote to approve cap on A grades for undergrads... Harvard University faculty gave an emphatic “yes” to capping A grades in a vote Wednesday amid concerns about grade inflation and academic rigor at the prestigious institution. Approximately 70 percent voted to approve the 20-percent cap on As in undergraduate courses, The Crimson , Harvard’s student newspaper, reports . Nearly 700 professors participated in the vote. The measure will go into effect in the fall of 2027. Harvard

The News-to-Death Ratio Strikes Again Authored by Carl Henegan and Tom Jefferson via The Brownstone Institute, There is a peculiar arithmetic that governs modern health reporting, one that has very little to do with actual risk. Hans Rosling captured it neatly during the 2009 swine flu episode, when he calculated a “news-to-death ratio” of 8,176-to-1. In other words, for every death attributed to swine flu, there were over eight thousand news stories. Tuberculosis, by contrast, received less than 0.1 news stories per death over the same period. If that sounds absurd, it is, and yet very little has changed. Take

Jane Street Accused Of Using Terra Telegram Backchannel Before UST Crash Authored by Zoltan Vardai via CoinTelegraph.com, A newly unsealed court filing in the Terraform Labs bankruptcy case alleges Jane Street used a private Telegram channel with former Terraform intern Bryce Pratt to obtain nonpublic information before the collapse of TerraUSD . Pratt is currently a systems developer at Jane Street. The channel, called “Bryce’s Secret,” allegedly gave the quantitative trading firm a backchannel to Terraform insiders as Jane Street unwound exposure to TerraUSD (UST) shortly before the algorithmic stablecoin lost its dollar peg in May 2022, according to the

"Drills Are Intended To Send A Signal": Russia Holds Massive Nuclear Drills On Land, Sea And Air Alongside Belarus Trucks carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles rumbled over forest roads, atomic-powered submarines set sail from Arctic and Pacific ports, and crews scrambled into warplanes as Russia and neighboring Belarus held the final stage of their joint nuclear drills Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the maneuvers in a video call with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. “The use of nuclear weapons is an extreme, exceptional measure for ensuring the national security of our states,” Putin said, according to AP . Lukashenko earlier

US Targets Hamas Support Networks Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning four individuals associated with a pro-Hamas flotilla that is trying to access Gaza in support of the terrorist group , the department said in a May 19 statement. Hamas terrorists secure an area before handing over an Israeli American hostage to a Red Cross team in Gaza City on Feb. 1, 2025. Photo by SAEED JARAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images The flotilla is organized by the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad

Turkey Liquidated Almost All Of Its US Treasuries In March To Defend Crashing Lira Two months ago, at the end of March, we reported that Turkey was aggressively dumping its gold reserves in a panic scramble to obtain dollar funding, which Erdogan's regime was using to keep the Turkish lira from crashing, and to also pay for energy imports which had suddenly soared in price as a result of the Iran war. The violent selling by Turkey (and other emerging markets) was behind the brutal plunge in gold prices, which tumbled by more than $1000 from near all-time highs at

Is The Bond Market About To Break Washington Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance The bond market is beginning to force reality onto Washington, and it may ultimately force an end to the Iran war long before politicians or diplomats are willing to admit it. For months, investors have focused on missiles, retaliation headlines, oil chokepoints, and the possibility of a broader regional escalation from the Iran War. During the geopolitical noise, I urged readers not to overlook stress in financial markets that was happening before the war even started, namely in places like private credit and subprime auto lending .

It’s a nerve-racking time for Havana neighbours of top Cuban officials as fears of US attack mount A new question in being asked in Havana as people digest the news that the US has brought criminal charges against Cuba’s 94-year-old former president, Raúl Castro: who’s your neighbour? If you happen to live near a senior figure in Cuba’s government or armed forces, others suck their teeth in an expression of concerned sympathy. For the first time, US military strikes on the island are being considered a serious possibility. Continue reading...

Parliamentary rule that only English is allowed has reignited debate about language, legitimacy and postcolonial identity When the Jamaican MP Nekeisha Burchell stood up to give her maiden speech, she was keenly aware of how much her country’s parliament mirrored the Westminster version thousands of miles away in London. As in the UK, the session on 12 May had started with the arrival of the ceremonial mace – a 1.7-metre ornamented silver staff representing the British monarch’s authority over parliament – which now rested on a table between the government and the opposition. Despite the heat outside, debate was presided

Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking? Several hours after dark in a quiet Caribbean neighbourhood, a cluster of environmental activists gather on plastic chairs between a mango tree and a courtyard wall emblazoned with the words “Colombia, respira!” (Breathe, Colombia). So many people have turned up that some have to stand. That is because tonight’s speaker is Susana Muhamad , one of the most admired socio-environmental campaigners in the world, and this is a moment of profound historical significance. Continue reading...

Charges filed in Miami against 94-year-old for allegedly shooting down exiles’ planes in 1996 The United States issued a federal criminal indictment against Raúl Castro , Cuba ’s former president, and five others on Wednesday in a significant escalation of the Trump administration ’s campaign to oust the country’s six-decades-old communist regime. The 94-year-old political figurehead was charged in Miami, Florida , with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft. Continue reading...

Clashes between demonstrators and police in La Paz have entered second week, shaking centre-right president Protests blocking roads across Bolivia and turning the centre of the capital, La Paz, into a battleground between demonstrators and police have entered a second week. It is the most turbulent moment of the centre-right president Rodrigo Paz Pereira’s mere six months in office since he ended nearly two decades of rule by the leftwing Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas). Continue reading...

Initial testing found evidence of metals in water samples, months after province’s residents began reporting unusual numbers of dead fish washing ashore Papua New Guinea’s government has warned communities not to fish from parts of the New Ireland coastline as preliminary tests show evidence of metals in some water samples, after months of residents reporting dead marine life in the area. On 7 May the fisheries minister, Jelta Wong, said initial testing conducted by an independent company detected various metals in water samples taken from affected areas around Kafkaf village and Larairu lagoon in New Ireland, an island in eastern

Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin to Beijing with pomp and pageantry, just days after hosting Donald Trump. But as Russia’s war in Ukraine makes Moscow increasingly dependent on China, and western leaders thaw relations with Beijing, what does the power imbalance mean for Xi and Putin’s relationship? Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s deputy head of international news, Devika Bhat Continue reading...

Lawyers of Hazara man who was allegedly sexually abused by carer launch bid to prevent imminent deportation to Pacific island Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Albanese government’s $2.5bn deal with Nauru, under which hundreds of non-citizens will be sent to the tiny Pacific island, will face another legal challenge prompted by an alleged child abuse survivor. Legal representatives for Abdul*, a Hazara man who was re-detained in immigration detention earlier this month, have launched a bid to prevent the 29-year-old’s imminent deportation to

Choreography of back-to-back visits appeared deliberately mirrored but China made sure the differences were noticed Days after Donald Trump was greeted in Beijing with a military band, an honour guard and dozens of youths waving American and Chinese flags, Vladimir Putin arrived in China to an almost identical spectacle . The choreography of the two welcomes appeared deliberately mirrored, designed to showcase Beijing’s ability to host leaders from Washington and Moscow with equal grandeur. Continue reading...

Millions of litres of sewage have been spilling into the capital city’s waters since February after the catastrophic failure of a Moa Point wastewater plant A fix to stop millions of litres of sewage continuing to pour into the waters off the coast of New Zealand’s capital, Wellington will be in place by November, officials have said, with full repairs at the cost of NZ$53.5m by late next year. More than 100 days since the catastrophic failure of the city’s wastewater treatment plant on 4 February, a mix of raw and partially screened human effluent is still being flushed directly

Eleven Australians were among pro-Palestine activists detained by Israel from the Global Sumud flotilla. Follow today’s news live Guzman y Gomez , the Mexican-themed fast food chain, is pulling out of the United States in a spectacular turnaround on its American market ambitions, AAP reports. The decision was made because the financial performance of the US business was not acceptable or meeting targets. Continue reading...

Federal minister Tanya Plibersek says the group will face same repercussions on arrival in Australia as previous returnees Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The last remaining Australian women and children left stranded in the al-Roj detention camp have reportedly left north-east Syria for Damascus, ahead of an expected return to Australia. Vision obtained by an ABC news crew in Syria showed a minivan leaving the camp, which it reported was transporting all the remaining seven women and 14 children from the camp, though this

Several MPs tell Guardian Australia they are keen to see tweaks, and some are engaging directly with treasurer’s office Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Labor MPs expect the government will agree to capital gains tax concessions for startup businesses after a meme-fuelled backlash to the budget , with some wary that scare campaigns could “get out of hand” without clearer explanation of the changes from Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers. Guardian Australia spoke to a number of Labor MPs nationwide. Speaking on condition of

Conservationists say population rebound demands rethink of retention zones that allow thousands of the animals to remain in the park Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Feral horse numbers in the Kosciuszko national park have surged, with new survey data estimating populations climbed by thousands after the New South Wales government paused aerial culling in 2025. Conservation advocates say the rebound in numbers demands an urgent rethink of retention zones that allow thousands of horses to remain in the park. Continue reading...

ASX-listed company announced in February it would lay off almost 30% of its 7,000-strong workforce across 40 countries Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates WiseTech has begun informing staff that they will lose their jobs as part of redundancies the company has said are due to artificial intelligence advancements – although an email to staff in China omitted the word “AI” after a court case against another company in the country. Staff at WiseTech have been waiting almost three months to be told if they

Prime minister says he will boycott opening, as protesters hold signs saying ‘stop USA’ and shout ‘go home’ Hundreds of people protested against the opening of a new US consulate in Nuuk after comments by the US special envoy to Greenland that it was time for Washington “to put its footprint back” on the Arctic territory. Many Greenlandic politicians, including the prime minister, said they would not attend the official opening on Thursday. Continue reading...

Music is banned on Wednesdays on island of Stromboli where Rolling Stones frontman was celebrating wrapping a film Police on an Italian island stopped a party attended by Mick Jagger – because music is banned on Wednesdays. The Rolling Stones frontman was on Stromboli, the volcanic island among Sicily’s Aeolian archipelago, for the production of Three Incestuous Sisters, a film by the Italian director Alice Rohrwacher in which he stars. Continue reading...

Nato chief delivers speech in Sweden as he hints at further changes to US military commitments to Europe Just as Pavel was speaking in Prague, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was pursuing escalation of the conflict between the two countries. It’s quite a claim given (checks notes) Russia’s continued and relentless invasion of Ukraine for years. “ Ukraine has demonstrated not only determination and heroism, but also unbelievable capacity to adjust, to innovate, to change. It is something that we in Europe have lost through many regulatory measures that are necessary in

Péter Magyar’s draft amendment would prevent his predecessor from returning to the role Europe live – latest updates Hungary’s new government, led by Péter Magyar, has put forward a constitutional amendment that would limit prime ministers to a maximum of eight years in office, in effect barring Viktor Orbán from returning to the role. The draft amendment was submitted on Wednesday, just over a week after the new government took office. It marked Magyar and his Tisza party’s first step in dismantling a constitution that was unilaterally rewritten and amended more than a dozen times as Orbán and his Fidesz

Firms given maximum fine of €225,000 each and are expected to appeal after lower court had cleared them A Paris appeals court has found Airbus and Air France guilty of corporate manslaughter over the 2009 Rio-Paris plane crash that killed 228 passengers and crew. The verdict is the latest milestone in a legal marathon involving two of France’s most emblematic companies and families of the mainly French, Brazilian and German victims of France’s worst air disaster. Continue reading...

Move comes amid condemnation of Itamar Ben-Gvir after video posted showing detained protesters being taunted Israel has said it has deported all the foreign activists it seized from a Gaza-bound flotilla, after a global outcry over their treatment in custody that led the UK to join other countries in summoning Israeli diplomats for a formal dressing down. More than 430 activists from countries around the world had been placed in detention in Israel after they were intercepted at sea on Monday while making the latest in a string of attempts to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory. Continue reading...

Surging demand, low reserves and reduced Middle East exports predicted to cause global crunch by August Oil markets will enter the “red zone” by July and August as stocks dwindle before the summer travel season amid a shortage of fresh oil exports from the Middle East, the executive director of the International Energy Agency warned on Thursday. Fatih Birol added that the most important solution to the Iran war energy shock was a full and unconditional reopening of the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...

Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has triggered global outrage after sharing footage of himself taunting bound activists who had been detained as they tried to sail to Gaza with aid. The video has been widely condemned by world leaders, including the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and by Israeli politicians, among them the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s chief Middle East correspondent, Emma Graham-Harrison – watch on YouTube Continue reading...

Far-right figure Itamar Ben-Gvir shares footage of himself taunting bound international detainees Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has sparked a diplomatic crisis by publishing footage of Israeli security forces abusing international activists who were detained as they tried to sail to Gaza with aid. Three activists were taken to hospital as result of Israeli violence, lawyers representing the group said. They were subsequently discharged. Dozens of others have suspected broken ribs, resulting in breathing problems. Continue reading...

Former Iranian president has a populist, headline-grabbing communication style but is an avowed anti-Zionist. How could Israel see him as a man to do business with? US and Israel hoped to install Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader For all their outward differences, there always seemed to be things that linked Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Donald Trump. A visit to the then Iranian president’s rather humble Tehran neighbourhood nearly 20 years ago highlighted cost of living problems that prefigured those facing Trump now. Continue reading...

Satirical project is viral sensation and outlet for protest on social media as it taps into young people’s frustration It began as a satirical online project after India’s chief justice compared unemployed young people to cockroaches. Now millions of young Indians are flocking to it as an outlet for their frustration. A parody political party with the insect as its symbol has exploded across India’s social media by turning absurdist humour into protest. Memes and short videos mocking corruption, joblessness and political dysfunction have flooded social media sites, where millions of users are embracing the cockroach – an insect known

Climbers take advantage of clear weather after threat of ice fall on normal route delayed start of spring season A record 274 climbers have reached the summit of Mount Everest from the Nepalese side in a single day after a spring season that started late because of the threat of ice fall on the normal tourist route. The climbers took advantage of the clear weather on Wednesday, said Rishi Ram Bhandari, of the Expedition Operators Association Nepal. Continue reading...

Gautam Adani, richest man in Asia, was accused of conspiring to pay $250m in bribes to Indian government officials The US Department of Justice is dropping its fraud charges against the Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, the richest man in Asia, after he hired a new legal team led by Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, according to new reports. In an undisclosed April meeting at the justice department, Trump’s personal lawyer, Robert J Giuffra Jr, said that Adani would invest $10bn in the US economy and create 15,000 jobs if prosecutors dropped the charges against him, according to the New York Times

Stone being paid $50,000 a month to ‘rebuild’ relations between Washington and Myanmar’s military-backed government The US lobbyist Roger Stone, a longtime friend and ally of Donald Trump, has been condemned for accepting $50,000 a month to “rebuild” relations between Washington and Myanmar’s military-backed government. Myanmar’s leaders have been internationally isolated since seizing power in a coup in 2021 , and have repeatedly been accused of atrocities that may amount to war crimes . Activists say the military rulers, which recently held widely condemned “sham” elections , are now trying to reassert themselves abroad. Continue reading...

Turmoil and violence rocks state after prime minister Narendra Modi’s party claimed victory in legislative election Tensions have been high in the Indian state of West Bengal after a top political aide from Narendra Modi’s party was shot dead in the street and hundreds were arrested as violence broke out following elections this week. The prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) claimed victory in the West Bengal elections on Monday , defeating Trinamool Congress (TMC), which had ruled over the state legislature for 15 years. Continue reading...

Cancer Research UK figures show number diagnosed with most serious form of skin cancer has risen above 20,000 for first time The number of cases from the most serious form of skin cancer have reached a record high across the UK, according to analysis by a leading cancer charity. Melanoma cases in the UK have risen above 20,000 for the first time ever, with 20,980 people being diagnosed with the form of cancer in 2022, according to analysis of the latest figures by Cancer Research UK. Continue reading...

Political editor Pippa Crerar and features writer Simon Hattenstone top major categories and Malak A Tantesh wins for Gaza reporting The Guardian’s political editor, a prominent features writer and a brave young Palestinian reporter are among those to have been honoured at the Press Awards in London. The awards celebrate the best journalism across all news media publishers distributing in the UK. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Move to establish board comes after criticism that Lammy’s plan to slash jury trials will lead to increase in racial and class bias David Lammy and the most senior judge in England and Wales are drawing up plans to accelerate the recruitment of minority ethnic and working-class solicitors into the judiciary. A new judicial and legal diversity board, chaired by Lammy, who is the first black lord chancellor, and Sue Carr, the lady chief justice, has met for the first time to discuss removing barriers for diverse candidates attempting to join the judiciary. Continue reading...

Policy adviser Jen Reed says tech-facilitated abuse has become ‘increasingly prevalent’ and calls for its inclusion in Domestic Abuse Act The Domestic Abuse Act fails to fully recognise the danger of technology-facilitated abuse, such as location tracking or hidden stalkerware, a Lords select committee has heard. Tech abuse has become “increasingly prevalent” and “very commonplace now within a domestic abuse context”, said Jen Reed, the head of policy at University College London’s Gender and Tech Research Lab, during an evidence session. Continue reading...

Boys physically overpowered and then filmed attacks on teenage victims in separate incidents in Hampshire Three teenage boys convicted of knife-point rape and other serious sexual offences against two teenage girls in Hampshire have not been given custodial sentences because the judge said he “should avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily”. The boys, who were aged between 13 and 14 at the time of their offences, physically overpowered and sexually assaulted the girls, who were aged 14 and 15, in separate incidents two months apart. Continue reading...

Khanna says ‘blank check to Israel and Netanyahu when they committed genocide’ one of the reasons his party lost; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls omission ‘pretty unbelievable’ Democrats belatedly publish 2024 election autopsy report: ‘It won’t meet your standards’ Sign up for the Breaking News US email Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and other Democrats spoke held a news conference, ahead of the vote-a-rama Thursday morning. “The Republican agenda is one big broken promise,” said Schumer, criticizing the Republican budget bill. “We still haven’t seen the bill, because they are fighting with each other.” Trump v Cook:

President says reality star a ‘big Maga person’ but backing may prove more hindrance than help in deep-blue bastion US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump’s endorsement is typically a boon for candidates seeking elected office – a show of support, or disapproval, from the president has proved significant in races across the US this year. But Trump’s recent comments on the Los Angeles mayor’s race, just weeks before the primary, are sure to benefit Democrats. The president spoke favorably of Spencer Pratt , a former Republican and reality TV star who is polling second in the contest to

Cancellation, which avoids embarrassment for Trump, is latest signal of diminishing congressional support for war House Republicans canceled a scheduled Thursday vote on a war powers resolution aimed at ending the US war with Iran, a measure that likely would have advanced had the vote been held. The cancellation, which avoided political embarrassment for Donald Trump, is the latest signal that congressional support for the US president’s war is diminishing. Continue reading...

Nascar says it is ‘heartbroken’ to share news of Busch’s death after he was hospitalized with a severe illness Two-time Nascar Cup Series champion Kyle Busch has died at 41 after being hospitalized with a severe illness, Nascar said in a Thursday statement. “We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport’s greatest and fiercest drivers. He was 41 years old,” the racing organization wrote on social media. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire motorsports community.”

‘I have a thing called Iran, and other things,’ says president as he considers invitation to Donald Trump Jr’s nuptials Get Me to the Church on Time, sang Alfred Doolittle in the musical My Fair Lady. But for Donald Trump , attending a wedding is not simple – even when it’s that of his son. On Thursday, the US president admitted that he might skip Donald Trump Jr ’s nuptials, reportedly taking place in the Bahamas over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Continue reading...

The Iran war has baked in stagflation and starvation through big reductions in the supply of oil and fertilisers. This inflationary pressure will only increase. As inflation sucks liquidity out of financial markets and into the real economy, bond yields are being pushed up across the world. If bond yields rise by more than a percentage point, a likely scenario before the year’s end, the liquidity diversion could be big enough to pop the AI bubble. The US-Israeli war on Iran has disrupted the...

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced hope on Thursday of progress on ending the war with Iran, with mediator Pakistan’s army chief due to arrive in the Islamic republic for talks. The expected visit by Field Marshal Asim Munir, a powerful figure with a growing role in Pakistan’s foreign relations, comes a day after US President Donald Trump warned that negotiations to end the war were on the “borderline” between a deal and renewed strikes. “I believe the Pakistanis will be travelling to...

One day after the United States brought criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raul Castro over the 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio portrayed Cuba as both a growing national security threat tied to China and Russia and a candidate for a negotiated political transition. The comments came amid renewed friction between Washington and Beijing over Cuba after China criticised the US charges against Castro and accused...

US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast has warned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of “Chinese malign influence” in a bid for a major contract in Argentina, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The April 23 letter concerns an auction for a 25-year contract to dredge and operate Argentina’s Parana River, a vital waterway for most of ‌the country’s agricultural exports, that Argentina estimates will reach US$10 billion in investment. The terms of the tender, which is in its...

Federal prosecutors have charged two men with using artificial intelligence to create nude videos and photos of female celebrities under a newly enacted law meant to halt the spread of deepfake pornography. Cornelius Shannon, 51, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, were both arrested on Tuesday for generating sexually explicit AI content that drew millions of views online, according to criminal complaints. The men – who do not appear to be connected – are among the earliest defendants to face charges...

The United Nations expressed “grave concern” on Thursday about a new law issued by Afghanistan’s Taliban government on separation in marriage which includes provisions on child marriage, saying the code further entrenches discrimination against women and girls. The government rejected the accusations, saying the decree follows Islamic law and insisting the country has already banned the forced marriage of girls. Afghanistan’s justice ministry published Decree No 18 “on judicial separation of...

Portuguese police on Thursday arrested the mother of two young French boys found abandoned by a main road in the south of the country, alone and crying. The boys, aged four and five, were rescued on Tuesday by a passing motorist near the resort town of Comporta, where they had been left with backpacks containing food and water but no identity documents, according to Portuguese media. A manhunt was launched for the boys’ mother, 41, and on Thursday Portuguese police said they had arrested her in...

Police fired warning shots and tear gas ⁠as part of a dispute in northeastern DR Congo over the burial of a suspected Ebola victim, a footballer who played for local teams, that saw protesters burn down tents for Ebola patients, Reuters witnesses said. The incident highlighted the struggle Congolese authorities could face to enforce the safe burials of people with confirmed and suspected cases that are required to help contain the outbreak. It took place in the town ‌of Rwampara, which has been...

An Ankara court on Thursday annulled the 2023 leadership election of Turkey’s main opposition CHP party, state news agency Anadolu reported, in a sharp escalation against the country’s embattled opposition. The ruling overturns the result of the leadership election that brought in current party head Ozgur Ozel and ordered that the party’s former long-term chairman, Kemal Kilicdaroglu – who lost the election to Ozel – take over as interim leader. In response, the party urged its senior membership...

Three fully laden supertankers – including two Chinese vessels – crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, in a possible sign that Tehran may be starting to open up the vital waterway to more shipping traffic. The exit of the three very large crude carriers (VLCCs) came on the same day that Iran confirmed it had allowed 26 vessels to transit the strait – a hefty uptick compared with the level of traffic Iranian forces have generally permitted since the war began. The moves appeared to signal an...

At least nine people were killed and others injured when a four-storey building collapsed overnight in the Moroccan city of ‌Fez, about 200km (124 miles) east of the capital Rabat, the city’s prosecutor said on Thursday. State media 2M had said 11 people were killed before issuing an official correction. Residents of nearby buildings in the densely populated neighbourhood were asked to evacuate as a precaution against potential further collapses while a search for potential survivors was still...

Fewer Americans filed for jobless aid last week as lay-offs remain low despite a number of uncertainties that continue to cloud the economy. US applications for unemployment benefits for the week ending May 16 fell by 3,000 to 209,000, the Labour Department reported Thursday. That is fewer than the 213,000 new applications analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet had forecast. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for US lay-offs and are close to a real-time indicator...

Beijing is increasingly seen as key to securing international stability and economic opportunities, a status which both Washington and Moscow are converging on. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent foreign policy interactions with the leaders of the United States and Russia highlight China’s rising strategic position – acting as a significant player in global affairs, from the conflict in Ukraine to the volatile situation with Iran. Xi’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has...

A Paris appeal court on Thursday found Airbus and Air France guilty of corporate manslaughter over the 2009 Rio-Paris plane crash ‌that killed 228 passengers and crew in France’s worst air disaster. The verdict is the latest milestone in a legal marathon involving two of France’s most emblematic companies and relatives of the mainly French, Brazilian and German victims. Relatives of some of the 228 passengers and crew who died when the Airbus A330 vanished in darkness during an Atlantic storm...

Queen Elizabeth pressed ⁠for her son Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor ⁠to be made a government trade envoy back in 2000, according to documents released on Thursday. Mountbatten-Windsor, brother of King Charles, served as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment between 2001 and 2011 in an unpaid role that allowed him to travel the world meeting senior business and government figures. David Wright, the chief executive of British Trade International, said that before the...

Despite instability in the Middle East, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has begun building the world’s largest aircraft maintenance complex in the United Arab Emirates, underscoring China’s growing dominance in overseas infrastructure. The project, worth more than US$5 billion and one of the largest construction deals a Chinese builder has secured in the region, will comprise eight large maintenance hangars for aircraft storage, covering about 1.21 million square metres (13 million...

An ex-Austrian intelligence officer was found guilty of passing on state secrets to a fugitive former top executive at the fraudulent payments company Wirecard in a high-profile spy case that has prompted authorities in Vienna to tighten rules on espionage. Egisto Ott was handed a prison sentence of more than four years for spying, abuse of office, bribery and embezzlement, and other charges, according to a statement from the Vienna Regional Criminal Court late on Wednesday. He was found...

The presidents of the United States and Russia visited Beijing on separate trips in May to meet with President Xi Jinping. The South China Morning Post produced extensive coverage of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s summit meetings in Beijing. Here are some of the highlights of our coverage, showing you what happened, what it means, and what’s next. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. The Xi-Trump summit is over. What comes next in the US-China...

Former British ⁠health minister Wes Streeting, a ⁠potential candidate for the leadership of the Labour Party, said he backed the introduction of tax changes which would equalise capital gains tax with income tax to make the system “fairer”. Streeting ‌said on Saturday that he wanted to challenge embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer if there is a contest, days after he stepped down and urged Starmer to set a timetable for his departure. The former health minister, who has already said he...

Brazil’s right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro was riding high in the polls until the news broke of his ties to a banker jailed over a multimillion-dollar fraud scandal. The 45-year-old senator had been polling neck-and-neck with 80-year-old President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is expected to seek a fourth term in presidential elections in October. But a change may be under way following the publication of an audio recording by investigative outlet The Intercept in which...

US President Donald Trump’s state visit to Beijing on May 13 was Xi Jinping’s 18th meeting with a US president since he became China’s leader in 2013. Xi has previously held talks with presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as with Trump during the US leader’s first term. By comparison, Xi has had more than 40 physical meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the same period.

Sixteen months into his second presidency, Donald Trump may ⁠be as unpopular as he has ever been among the American electorate – but his grip on his ⁠core base of Maga voters remains unshaken. That power was on full display over the last two weeks, as Trump ousted a string of fellow Republicans he considered apostates for not showing him enough personal fealty. The president’s revenge tour continued on Tuesday, when a hand-picked loyalist defeated US congressman Thomas Massie, a frequent critic,...

US President Donald Trump said his administration’s negotiations with Iran were “in the final stages” on Wednesday, while simultaneously warning of further attacks, as a fragile ceasefire concluded its sixth week with no sign of an end to the war. The US launched “Operation Epic Fury” close to three months ago, in a war that began with strikes inside Iran alongside key ally Israel, which has since spread across the wider Middle East region, killing thousands and disrupting global supply...

The US special envoy to Greenland, the Arctic island coveted by President Donald Trump, said on Wednesday that Washington needs to rebuild its presence in the Danish autonomous territory. At the height of the Cold War, Washington had 17 military facilities in Greenland, but closed them over the years and currently has just one – the Pituffik base in the north of the island. Trump has repeatedly argued the US needs to control Greenland because of national security concerns, claiming that if it...

We have put together stories from our coverage of Xi and Putin’s meeting in Beijing. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Xi and Putin’s united front – from tigers to trade: the summit takeaways Putin’s trip to Beijing came only days after US President Donald Trump’s closely watched visit to the Chinese capital, the back-to-back summits highlighting the strong trust between Beijing and Moscow and China’s ability to manage ties with the two major...

A former federal prosecutor in Florida sent to her personal email account a special counsel report from the investigation into US President Donald Trump’s hoarding of classified documents despite a judge’s order that it remain sealed, according to an indictment made public on Wednesday. Carmen Lineberger, who worked in the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and managed its Fort Pierce branch, faces charges including theft of government property and concealment of...

A former British pirate radio station on Wednesday apologised “for any distress caused” after accidentally announcing the death of King Charles. The erroneous announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon due to a computer error at its main studio in Maldon in eastern Essex, Radio Caroline said in a post on social media. The error had triggered the so-called death of a monarch procedure “which all UK stations hold in readiness while hoping not to require”, station manager Peter Moore said. “Radio...

The United States announced on Wednesday criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raul Castro over his alleged role in the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, an incident that killed four people. The indictment, unsealed by acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche in Miami, includes charges of conspiracy to kill US nationals, destruction of an aircraft, and four individual counts of murder against the 94-year-old brother of...

More than two-thirds of Harvard University faculty voted to cap the proportion of A-grades in undergraduate courses, instituting one of the strongest policies against grade inflation in US higher education in decades. Starting in the fall of 2027, no more than 20 per cent of a class, plus four additional students, can receive an A. Just under 70 per cent of the votes were in favour of the policy in a week-long electronic vote that concluded on Tuesday. The vote represents a “large mandate for...

Israel’s national security minister drew a sharp rebuke from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and triggered a backlash abroad, after releasing videos taunting detained flotilla activists who tried to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza, telling them they should be imprisoned for a long time. Netanyahu said that although Israel has every right to stop “provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters”, the way National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir dealt with the activists was “not in line...

In the wake of the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, the China-US relationship is, in one critical respect, more dangerous than at any time since Tiananmen Square. The reason is not trade friction, tariffs, Taiwan or geopolitical competition – significant as those are. It is the competition over artificial intelligence supremacy, which will reshape every aspect of relations in the coming decade. This is not just a technological contest. It is a contest...

Iranian Revolutionary Guard members now regularly show the public in Tehran how to handle Kalashnikov-style assault rifles. Parades through the capital feature military vehicles mounted with belt-fed Soviet-era machine guns. And at one mass wedding, a ballistic missile, like the one that rained down cluster munitions on Israel, adorned the stage. Weapons are now regularly brandished in Tehran, an increasing show of defiance as US President Donald Trump threatens he could restart the war with...

The UK moved to loosen its Russian sanctions in a controversial move aimed at preventing shortages of diesel and jet fuel, as the war in Iran eats into global oil buffers. The move highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations, and has prompted political backlash over the government’s commitment to support Ukraine. The European Union is not currently planning a similar measure, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to...

The ⁠European Union has shortlisted ⁠tungsten, rare earths and ⁠gallium for its first joint stockpile of critical minerals aimed at reducing its reliance on China, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The EU is also talking to major ports ‌including Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the region’s biggest, to store the minerals, one of the three and a fourth source said. The move marks one of the bloc’s most concrete steps to insulate its economy from Beijing’s production dominance in...

Chinese investment in Europe hit a seven-year high of €16.8 billion (US$19.5 billion) in 2025, driven by a strong rebound in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and record greenfield completions, a new report has found. But the annual study, published on Tuesday by Rhodium Group and the Mercator Institute for China Studies, cautioned that the pipeline may be thinning, with newly announced projects falling under pressure from Beijing’s push to retain industrial capacity at home and Europe’s growing...

While China’s oil and gas imports from Gulf nations plunged in April amid the Strait of Hormuz crisis during the US-Israeli war on Iran, shipments from Russia have provided Beijing with a partial buffer for its growing economy. Russia’s crude shipments to China rose 11.3 per cent year on year to nearly 9 million tonnes in April, according to Chinese customs data released on Wednesday. But market conditions have also shifted. Much of the discount on Russian oil and gas – long a source of cheap...

An escalating outbreak of a rare Ebola strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo has kicked off a race to find vaccines and treatments that can be quickly tested and rolled out to save lives and stem the crisis. More than 130 people have died so far during the outbreak, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, as WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic”. Tedros pointed to the emergence of cases in urban...

British police said on Tuesday they would ask prosecutors to consider charging 57 people and 20 organisations with criminal offences over the Grenfell Tower blaze, almost a decade after the deadliest fire in Britain’s modern history killed dozens. The Metropolitan Police said files of evidence would be submitted to prosecutors by the end of September, with charging decisions by June 14, 2027 – the 10th anniversary of the London tragedy, which killed 72 people. Bereaved families and survivors...

A joint operation by the United States and Nigeria against Islamic State fighters has killed 175 over the past few days, Nigeria’s military said on Tuesday, while the head of the US Africa Command said it showed the capabilities its forces could bring in Africa, home to the “epicentre of global terrorism”. The US sent troops to Nigeria in February in what was deemed a mostly advisory and training role, but the joint operation signals more active involvement. The US Africa Command, or AFRICOM,...

Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz faces a deepening crisis as widespread protests and blockades leave the political capital under siege less than six months after he took office. Two weeks of road closures – spearheaded by the Bolivian Workers’ Central, COB, peasant unions and miners – have emptied markets in La Paz and depleted vital hospital oxygen reserves. The government reported that at least three people died after emergency vehicles were blocked from reaching medical centres. On Monday,...

Norway’s revocation of export licences for a naval missile system sold to Malaysia has thrust into sharp relief the United States’ ability to kill an arms deal between two other sovereign nations simply by restricting components its own industries supplied. Analysts suspect a gyroscope used in the guidance system of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace’s Naval Strike Missile and other US-made components are the reason Malaysia’s navy will not be receiving the weapons it contracted for – and paid nearly...

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ⁠revealed previously undisclosed details ⁠about his new bunker-like White House ballroom, ⁠saying it would have a drone base on the roof and a military hospital as part of a six-storey subterranean complex. Amid the bang and clang of construction, Trump took a group of reporters on a tour of the project to try to bolster his argument ‌that the US Congress should allocate US$1 billion to pay for security enhancements to the building. Democrats and some...

US President Donald Trump tightened his grip on the Republican Party on Tuesday as Kentucky voters ousted one of the few conservative lawmakers willing to challenge him openly. Congressman Thomas Massie’s defeat, which he conceded some three hours after polls closed, marked another victory in Trump’s campaign to punish Republican dissent. It follows the rout of Indiana state lawmakers who defied the US president on redistricting and the weekend collapse of Senator Bill Cassidy’s re-election bid...

Israeli forces opened fire on at least two vessels in an aid flotilla sailing towards Gaza on Tuesday, according to video footage and flotilla organisers, but Israel said no live ammunition was used ‌and there were no casualties. The flotilla was making a renewed attempt to deliver aid to Gaza after earlier missions were intercepted by Israel in international waters. Video from the flotilla’s livestream showed soldiers firing shots at two of the boats. The type of ammunition fired was not...

US Vice-President J.D. Vance said on Tuesday that diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran had made “good progress”, but warned that the US military was “locked and loaded” to restart its campaign against Iran if negotiations collapsed. “A lot of good progress is being made, but we’re just going to keep on working at it, and eventually we’ll either hit a deal or we won’t,” Vance said during a White House press briefing. “We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a...

A draft report released by the Democratic National Committee argued that Ms. Harris did not sufficiently separate herself from President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Cuban officials closed ranks around Mr. Castro, their embattled former president, who was indicted on murder charges in the downing of two civilian planes 30 years ago.

The pilot, Luis González-Pardo, was one of the defendants in the indictment that included former Cuban President Raúl Castro.

Hundreds of people, including a pope, staked out the Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan, hoping to get in, or just get a glimpse.

Stephen Colbert’s “Colbert Report” satirized politics. Then his “Late Show” confronted a moment when politics became self-satirizing.

In 2025, Caleb Vazquez’s obsession with mass shooters and Nazism prompted reports to the authorities. His father surrendered a dozen firearms.

Thousands of mourners filled a San Diego park to recite a funeral prayer for the three men killed by gunmen at a mosque on Monday.

Public health experts say the administration’s quarantine orders go beyond what is needed to prevent the U.S. spread of Ebola and hantavirus.

Ramzi Kassem is accustomed to challenging authority. As the chief counsel to Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City, he finds himself on the other side.

The biggest episodes of the past have altered the course of human events, according to researchers. An emerging one is drawing historic comparisons.

El Niño may keep the Atlantic quieter, but it could bring more storms to the Pacific.

Elim Chan has been named the symphony’s next music director. She joins a small field of female conductors at American orchestras, as San Francisco rebuilds after Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Illegal, synthetically narrated copies of “The Hunger Games,” hit self-help books and everything in between are increasingly common on the platform.

Booksellers are trying to figure out how to market audiobooks in person. At a new pop-up, the Amazon-owned company is betting on listening rooms, branded merch and “story tenders.”

The Trump administration cut the programs meant to coordinate an Ebola response.

How can Cubans move forward if they aren’t ready to reckon with their past?

President Trump said the war with Iran and “other things” would make it difficult for him to make the wedding this weekend.

The Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly hasn’t been seen in the wild since 2022. The caterpillar was the last individual in human care.

Premier Danielle Smith announced that she would ask citizens to vote on whether they want to stay in Canada, or hold a referendum to secede.