Minimalist News

Indians Bought More Gold Than Stocks In January, Goldman Sees Pros Buying Long-Dated Calls The near-vertical surge in precious metals (arguably driven by speculative demand from China) came to a swift halt at the end of January, when silver suffered its biggest daily drop on record and gold plunged the most since 2013.  As Goldman's top futures trader, Robert Quinn, points out (in a note available at out MarketDesk.ai portal to professional subscribers), according to Commitment of Traders reports, Managed Money sold a record amount of Gold futures surrounding month-end. The report covering January 27th - February 3rd, which included a -11.4% drop

Foreign Demand In 3Y Auction Drops As Direct Bid Hits Record High It is refunding week, which means we get the usual staple of 3, 10 and 30Y auctions. And moments ago, the Treasury just concluded the first of three coupon sales when it sold $58BN in 3 Year paper in a very strong auction. The auction stopped at a high yield of 3.518%, down from 3.609% in January and the lowest yield since Sept 2025; the auction also stopped through the 3.519% When Issued b 0.1bps, the 6th consecutive stop through for the 3Y tenor. The bid to cover was a bit

US No Longer Wants To Pursue Its Own Ukraine Peace Proposal, Kremlin Charges Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said in an interview published on Monday that the US no longer wants to implement a Ukraine peace deal that it previously proposed, the latest sign that there's little chance the grinding war will come to an end anytime soon. Lavrov claimed that the US and Russia came to an agreement on Ukraine during President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit in Anchorage, Alaska, back in August 2025. He didn’t elaborate on the details of the potential deal, but it's believed

'Off The Charts': Retail Is Buying-The-Dip In Software Stocks Like Never Before Starting on Friday, we have seen a sudden reversal from panic-selling to panic-buying in tech stocks, which has lifted Nasdaq back above its 100DMA... The headline-grabbing culprit for much of the pain to the downside was Software stocks (IGV as an example of an ETF that tracks the sector), which collapsed as specifically SaaS firms faced 'existential threats' from AI disruption. That crashed Software valuations down dramatically... And, suddenly - starting Friday morning - buyers appeared to snap up these newly cheap stocks... Inflows into IGV - the Software ETF - have soared... But,

DHS Shutdown Talks Stall As Democrats Reject GOP Offer, Thune Signals Stopgap May Be Needed With Republicans demanding election integrity, and Democrats demanding ICE reform, it looks like the Department of Homeland Security may shut down again on Friday after Democratic leaders rejected a White House-backed GOP counterproposal to keep the lights on - which may require a short-term stopgap if they can't agree on something by Friday.  House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said the GOP proposal is “woefully inadequate” and shows the White House “is clearly not open to” several Democratic priorities aimed at tightening oversight of immigration enforcement. Jeffries said the

What Good Is 15% Growth If It's Matched With 15% Unemployment? By Michael Every of Rabobank Mr. 15%: Trump stated if Fed Chair Warsh does his job, US growth could be 15% or higher. It’s unclear if that’s annual, exceeding China’s early spurt, or over the remaining two-and-a-half years of his presidency, so higher than China today, or nominal or real. Yet the key signal for those who called Warsh a ‘hawk’ is that the Fed is going to run the economy hot. That’s as the FT notes, ‘Bash All Day, Buy All Night’, explaining “Why foreigners keep pouring money into America”

Insurance Brokers Extend Monday's Plunge On Fears AI Is Coming For Them Next The rolling AI disruption wave, which most recently crushed the software sector, slammed insurance brokers on Monday with losses extending on Tuesday, as most names in the space slumped following reports from Reinsurance News and others that OpenAI approved the first AI insurance app on ChatGPT, built by Spanish digital insurer Tuio. The insurance brokerage space dived 9% on average on Monday in reaction to the news: among the worst performers were Willis Towers Watson which experienced the steepest decline, its shares falling 13%. Arthur J. Gallagher dropped 9.4%,

Zuckerberg Follows Billionaire Exodus To Florida As California Pushes New Wealth Tax Once again, the pattern is familiar: raise taxes in California, and watch the private jets head east.  Mark Zuckerberg may soon be adding Miami to his ever-growing list of luxury addresses. According to people familiar with his plans, the Meta founder and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are exploring a home on Indian Creek Island—an ultra-exclusive, heavily guarded neighborhood often called “Billionaire Bunker”, according to Bloomberg. The tiny island is already packed with famous residents, including Jeff Bezos, Tom Brady, Jared Kushner, and Ivanka Trump. With an estimated fortune north of $200 billion,

Winter Storm Triggers $15 Billion Power Surge On Key U.S. Grid A brutal January cold snap sent electricity prices soaring across the largest U.S. power grid, as operators scrambled to meet surging heating demand and prevent outages, according to Bloomberg. On the PJM Interconnection system — which supplies power to roughly one-fifth of Americans — wholesale electricity costs reached $15.38 billion for the month, more than double the $7.34 billion recorded a year earlier, according to Joe Bowring of Monitoring Analytics LLC. The early figures suggest households could soon face higher utility bills, a sensitive political issue after energy prices influenced several gubernatorial

Judge Blocks California's Law Mandating Federal Agents Remove Masks Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times, A federal district court judge partially blocked a California law barring law enforcement officers from wearing masks in a Feb. 9 ruling, finding the law discriminated against federal officers. District Court Judge Christina Snyder ruled in favor of the Trump administration, prohibiting the state from enforcing its No Secret Police Act—which was scheduled to go into effect earlier this year—against federal law enforcement officers. The federal government sued California, challenging the law as well as with another law—the No Vigilantes Act, that requires federal officers to wear

Watch: Lutnick Testifies He 'Barely Had Anything' To Do With Epstein Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is currently testifying in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on broadband deployment funding - however the conversation quickly veered into his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.  Lutnick insisted he "barely had anything to do with that person," referring to Epstein, though he admitted that he went to Epstein's island and had lunch with him in 2012, and that he couldn't recall why he went to the island owned by the then-convicted pedophile.  > SEN. VAN HOLLEN: Why do the Epstein files show you coordinating a meeting and planning a visit with

Massie Exposes Les Wexner As Epstein Co-Conspirator, Opening Door To Criminal Charges Against Kash Patel Authored by blueapples, Although President Donald J. Trump has amplified his attacks against Kentucky representative Thomas Massie on the basis of deluded claims that he is a radical, un-American liberal who is hellbent on sabotaging his administration, it is the congressman’s continued crusade to expose the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein that shows the actual threat he poses to Trump. The latest development in the Epstein Files fallout has clearly proven that the Trump administration’s best attempts to continue to cover up the crimes of Epstein and his

US To Fund Free Speech Initiatives In Europe, Trump Official Reveals Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times, The Trump administration announced plans to direct funding toward promoting free speech in Western allied democracies, a senior State Department official said on Monday. The initiative bolsters efforts to counter European online regulations categorized by Washington as censorship. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers discussed the initiative during a trip to Europe. It includes grants to support free expression, a result of concerns about rules such as the European Union’s Digital Services Act and Britain’s Online Safety Act. These laws, which E.U.

Macron Reopens Direct Channel With Putin As He Moves To Counter Trump The Kremlin has newly confirmed that France has restored "technical-level" contact and dialogue with Russia, after for years having stymied diplomacy related to the Ukraine war. "Yes, there have indeed been contacts, and we can confirm that," Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "If there is the desire and the necessity, they could help fairly quickly reestablish dialogue at the highest level." But ironically it's not necessarily for the sake of seeking to forge a peace deal in eastern European, but in reality toward ensuring the United States doesn't mediate something

"Today, We Are Preparing For War": French Defense Chief Says Europe Has Until 2030, Cites Russia As Biggest Threat Via Remix News, France and Europe have four years to prepare for war, said Fabien Mandon, chief of the defense staff of the French Armed Forces, who cited Russia as Europe’s biggest threat. His speech at a major naval conference outlined that France, as well as its allies, must take into account that this war will break out in the near future and that the French military must be ready by 2030. “Today, we are preparing for war,” he said, according to BreakingDefense. During his speech at

Harley-Davidson Shares Plunge As Bike Demand Stalls Harley-Davidson shares plunged in premarket trading after the company reported an unexpected decline in motorcycle shipments and a far deeper-than-expected sales miss in the fourth quarter. The results suggest the company is still battling soft demand, with the brand having peaked with boomers and struggling to connect with younger riders. Global fourth-quarter bike deliveries fell 4% to 13,515 bikes versus expectations of 16,408, while revenue came in at $496 million compared with about $749 million expected (per Bloomberg Consensus estimates). The adjusted loss of $2.44 for the period was more than twice the expected amount. In

US Retail Sales Disappoint In December As Small Business Optimism Dips Today's Retail Sales data is for December and so should be 'clean' from the perspective of the January storms which dramatically reduced consumers ability to spend year-to-date, as illustrated by BofA's 'rest of US' spending indicator... After a big bounce in November, expectations were for a decent 0.4% MoM rise in retail sales to end the year (despite the plunge in consumer confidence signaled by UMich), but the actual print was a big disappointment with headline retail sales unchanged MoM in December. That is the weakest YoY retail sales growth since Sept

Futures Drop As Traders Brace For Flood Of Data And Earnings US equity futures are lower, reversing earlier gains and trading near session lows in a narrow, jitter overnight session as traders prepare for a heavy slate of earnings and readings of consumer sales and small-business due later. As of 8:15am ET, stock futures were muted, down 0.1% after earlier rising 0.2% and approaching last month’s record levels after an artificial-intelligence-driven selloff and subsequent rebound over the past week. Nasdaq futures drop -0.2% with small caps outperforming as bond yields drops by 1-3bps and the USD is flat. The downbeat mood doesn’t match

BP Suspends Buybacks As Energy Major Pivots To "Rebuilding Trust" In Capital Allocation BP Plc shares fell nearly 6% in London trading after the oil and gas giant said its board has suspended share buybacks to allocate excess cash to strengthening the balance sheet and has withdrawn guidance to return 30% to 40% of operating cash flow to shareholders. In an earnings report released earlier, BP said it is suspending share buybacks, ending its $750 million quarterly repurchase program. "The board has decided to suspend the share buyback and fully allocate excess cash to accelerate strengthening of our balance sheet," the oil and

Kering Erupts After Gucci Sales Beat Estimates, Igniting "Turnaround Hopes" French luxury group Kering jumped as much as 14% in Paris trading, the biggest intraday move in almost six years, after better-than-expected fourth-quarter sales at its Gucci unit. The UBS Luxury basket (UBXELUX) rose nearly 2%, driven largely by hopes of a turnaround at the luxury house. Fourth quarter sales showed revenue fell about 10%, slightly better than the Bloomberg Consensus estimate of a 10.4% decline. It was Kering's smallest decline in two years, reinforcing Wall Street analysts' view that trends are stabilizing and the pathway to recovery may be near. This

Trump earlier had ranted against bridge and also warned that China would ‘terminate’ hockey in Canada Mark Carney said he had held a “positive” conversation with Donald Trump after the US leader threatened to block a new key bridge between their two countries, reminding the president that Canada paid for the structure – and that the US shares ownership. Late on Monday, Trump posted a lengthy message on social media, falsely claiming that the $4.6bn Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, had “virtually no US content”. The bridge is due to open in early 2026. Continue reading...

Astronomers had warned that proximity of INNA facility to telescopes would have irreparably damaged observation The scientific community is celebrating the cancellation of a project which would have threatened the clearest skies in the world in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The proposed $10bn, 3,000-hectare green hydrogen and ammonia production facility, known as INNA, included a port, transport links to the coast and three solar power plants, and had been under evaluation by Chile’s environmental regulator for almost a year. Continue reading...

President says Gordie Howe Bridge will open only when US is ‘fully compensated’ – and makes bizarre hockey claim As Democrats prepare to force a vote in the US House this week on Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, the president posted a lengthy tirade on his social media platform in which he threatened to block a bridge connecting the US and Canada and made a bizarre false claim that increased trade between Canada and China would include a ban on Canadians playing ice hockey. Trump began his latest screed against the US’s second-largest trading partner by claiming that “everyone knows, the Country

Officials say rescuers searching for lone survivor after latest attack on what Pentagon says are suspected drug smugglers The US military’s Southern Command, which oversee operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, announced that it carried out another deadly strike on Monday, killing two suspected drug smugglers in the eastern Pacific. The statement said that the latest in what legal experts have called a series of extrajudicial killings by the Pentagon was carried out “at the direction of” the Florida-based combat unit’s new commander, Gen Francis L Donovan, who was sworn in at a Pentagon ceremony last Thursday. Donovan takes over after

Airlines from as far away as Russia, China and Spain have also been affected as island nation warns of fuel shortage Air Canada has cancelled all flights to Cuba after the island’s authorities said they were running out of aviation fuel, as a consequence of the US oil blockade on the Caribbean country. The airline, one of a dozen who serve the island, said it would begin repatriating 3,000 customers. Cuba’s beaches are a major holiday draw for Canadian tourists in winter, and one of the government’s most important sources of hard currency. Continue reading...

Christos Flessas being detained in case seen as exposing Beijing’s strategy of infiltrating western military and security services A Greek air force officer arrested on suspicion of spying for China has been detained pending trial after appearing before a military judge in a case that is seen as exposing Beijing’s determination to infiltrate Europe’s security and intelligence services. Surrounded by armed escorts, a squadron leader identified as Col Christos Flessas emerged late on Tuesday from the court after giving testimony for over eight hours. Continue reading...

Lack of response shows security law and harassment by authorities have muzzled ‘critical voices’, say experts * The rise and fall of Jimmy Lai, whose trajectory mirrored that of Hong Kong itself Hong Kong’s once-vibrant media outlets have responded with silence or celebration to the 20-year jail sentence handed down to Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy media tycoon and critic of the Chinese Communist party. Lai, 78, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison after being convicted of sedition and colluding with foreign forces under Hong Kong’s national security law. The charges were widely seen as being politically motivated and designed

Fathers of Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, who died after a night out at the Nana backpackers hostel in 2024, say court decision is ‘absolute injustice’ * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The families of two Melbourne teenagers who died after drinking methanol-laced alcohol in Laos say they have been blindsided by news the workers responsible for serving the drinks received fines of just $185. Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, were killed by methanol poisoning along with four other tourists after a

Former nanny Scarlett Pavlovich filed suit in three US states alleging author assaulted her in New Zealand in 2022 Federal judges have dismissed three lawsuits accusing the bestselling fantasy author Neil Gaiman of sexually assaulting his children’s nanny in New Zealand four years ago. Scarlett Pavlovich filed a lawsuit against Gaiman and his wife, Amanda Palmer, in Wisconsin in February 2025, accusing Gaiman of multiple sexual assaults while she worked as the family’s nanny in 2022. She filed lawsuits against Palmer in Massachusetts and in New York on the same day she filed the Wisconsin action. Continue reading...

The media mogul and prominent pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong for national security offences. His family has described the sentence as ‘heartbreakingly cruel’, given the 78-year-old’s declining health. Lai was convicted in December on charges of sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, after pleading not guilty to all charges. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s senior China correspondent, Amy Hawkins – watch on YouTube Continue reading...

Colourful illustrations by Peter Trusler depict 500m-year-old fossils of creatures from the Palaeozoic and inspire Australia Post * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Prehistoric fossils from Kangaroo Island have been transformed into vibrant creatures of the deep for a series of artworks, which in turn have been made into a series of stamps. Dr Peter Trusler has used the latest research on the 512m-year-old fossils to make detailed, colourful illustrations, which Australia Post has released as a series called Creatures of the Palaeozoic. Continue reading...

Police minister points to ‘issues’ with similar system in WA but shadow attorney general claims the LNP ‘buckled to the gun lobby’ * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Queensland’s state government “ignored” a recommendation to introduce mandatory mental health checks for gun licence applicants from the Wieambilla coronial inquest, according to the state opposition. The government tabled legislation on Tuesday responding to the Bondi terror attack, which deals with firearm ownership and antisemitism. The bill also responds to the Wieambilla inquest. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Friends of Palestine calls for independent investigation of actions of NSW police amid ‘terrible erosion of civil liberties’ at Sydney rally * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A group of pro-Palestine Labor members have voiced their “distress and disgust” at the police response to protests over Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s visit to Sydney, accusing the NSW government of overseeing a “terrible erosion of civil liberties” in its crackdown on public demonstrations. In a letter to NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, the Labor Friends of Palestine group – an internal assembly of rank-and-file ALP members –

Luke McNamara, who attended rally, says police behaviour was ‘the direct consequence’ of the Minns government’s ‘unreasonable conditions’ * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A New South Wales policing expert who participated in the Sydney rally against the Israeli president’s visit has called the police response “disappointing” and said violent clashes with protesters could have been prevented. Law professor Luke McNamara attended the protest outside Town Hall in the CBD on Monday to oppose Isaac Herzog’s Australian tour. Footage emerged showing officers repeatedly punching protesters and using pepper spray at close range. Continue reading...

Some jobs will be moved offshore in wake of telco’s $700m partnership with tech consultancy Accenture * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast More than 200 Telstra jobs are expected to be cut, as the telco rolls out AI capabilities and sends some jobs to India. Telstra and the technology consultancy Accenture announced a $700m joint venture (JV) in 2025 to drive efficiency, modernisation and productivity. Continue reading...

When piloted, initiative that provided €325 a week to eligible artists recouped more than its net cost, study shows Ireland is creating a scheme that will give artists a weekly income in the hope of reducing their need for alternative work and boosting their creativity. The Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) initiative will provide €325 (£283) a week to 2,000 eligible artists based in the Republic of Ireland in three-year cycles. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Norway’s chief of defence Eirik Kristoffersen, who served in Afghanistan, rejects Trump’s claim that Nato troops stayed off frontlines Norway’s army chief has said Oslo cannot exclude the possibility of a future Russian invasion of the country, suggesting Moscow could move on Norway to protect its nuclear assets stationed in the far north. “We don’t exclude a land grab from Russia as part of their plan to protect their own nuclear capabilities, which is the only thing they have left that actually threatens the United States,” said Gen Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway’s chief of defence. Continue reading...

Cold spell means cars can cross 20km stretch of frozen sea but drivers must be able to exit quickly in case of a problem Temperatures in northern Europe have been so low that citizens of Estonia can now drive across a 20km stretch of frozen sea linking the country’s two main islands. The so-called “ice road” connecting the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, located in western Estonia between the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga, was officially opened on Sunday with a line of cars waiting to use it that afternoon. Continue reading...

Case is shrouded in fevered speculation as prosecutors say autopsies show two of the deceased were “probably” murdered It has been dubbed Bulgaria’s “Twin Peaks”: a grim saga involving the mysterious deaths of six people in the middle of the mountains that has gripped the eastern European country. Zahari Vaskov, the director of the national police general directorate, told a press conference on Monday that the deaths were “a case without comparison in our country”. Continue reading...

MEPs vote to allow people to be deported to places they have never been to, as NGOs express fears over new ‘safe third countries’ list The EU has moved closer to creating offshore centres for migrants and asylum seekers, after centre-right and far-right MEPs united for tougher migration policies. MEPs voted for legal changes that will give authorities more options to deport asylum seekers, including sending people to countries they have never been to. Continue reading...

Tehran’s intervention comes as the Israeli prime minister heads to a hastily arranged White House encounter Tehran has told the US not to allow Israel to destroy the chance of reaching an agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme amid speculation that Benjamin Netanyahu intends to use a hastily arranged White House meeting with Donald Trump on Wednesday to divert negotiations. Iran’s intervention came as the Israeli prime minister flew to Washington to plead with Trump not to negotiate a deal with Tehran if it excludes limits the country’s ballistic missile programme, dropping its support for proxy forces in the region and curtailing human

US, Britain, EU and Arab nations condemn plans that Israeli ministers say will ‘kill the idea of a Palestinian state’ Israeli measures to tighten its control of the West Bank have prompted a global backlash, including a signal from Washington restating the Trump administration’s opposition to annexation of the occupied territory. Announcing the measures, which involve extending Israeli control in areas that are currently under Palestinian administration, Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, made clear they were aimed at strengthening Israeli settlements in the West Bank and pre-empting the emergence of an independent sovereign Palestine. Continue reading...

Head of army says potential ‘peacemakers’ being trained, in what would be first outside force in Gaza since 1967 Indonesia has said it is preparing to send up to 8,000 troops to Gaza to be part of a peacekeeping force under Donald Trump’s Middle East plan. The announcement by the army chief of staff, Gen Maruli Simanjuntak, makes Indonesia the first country to deliver a specific commitment to the international stabilisation force (ISF) envisaged as part of the second phase of the Trump plan. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Analysts say there will be oil spill catastrophe that could be far bigger than Exxon Valdez disaster Decrepit oil tankers in Iran’s sanctions-busting shadow fleet are a “ticking time bomb”, and it is only a matter of time before there is a catastrophic environmental disaster, maritime intelligence analysts have warned. Such an oil spill could be far bigger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster that released 37,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea, they said. Continue reading...

Palestinian boy has been in the West Bank since 2022 but is still registered as a resident in the strip where ban applies An Israeli court has rejected an appeal to allow a five-year-old Palestinian boy with an aggressive form of cancer to enter Israel for life-saving treatment, citing a government policy that bars residents registered in Gaza from crossing the border, even when they no longer live there. In a ruling issued on Sunday, the Jerusalem district court dismissed a petition seeking permission to transfer the child from Ramallah to Tel HaShomer hospital near Tel Aviv for a bone marrow transplant

With medication largely unaffordable in the country, experts hope community support and a change in diet could reduce soaring type 2 diabetes rates A return to the traditional lentil and rice dishes that have nourished generations of Nepalis could save them from a diabetes epidemic prompted by the influx of western junk foods, doctors have said. In a country where one in five of those over 40 has type 2 diabetes, the foods enjoyed by their grandparents have showed remarkable results in reversing the condition. Continue reading...

The case in Bangladesh, where Nipah cases are reported almost every year, follows two Nipah virus cases identified in neighbouring India The World Health Organization said on Friday that a woman had died in northern Bangladesh in January after contracting the deadly Nipah virus infection. The case in Bangladesh, where Nipah cases are reported almost every year, follows two Nipah virus cases identified in neighbouring India, which has already prompted stepped-up airport screenings across Asia. Continue reading...

Police investigating whether blast that injured at least 169 at Friday prayers in Islamabad was suicide attack An explosion has ripped through a Shia mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital during Friday prayers, killing 31 people and injuring at least 169 others, according to officials. Police said they were investigating whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. There were fears the death toll from the blast at the Khadija al-Kubra mosque in Islamabad could rise as some of the injured were reported to be in a critical condition. Television footage and social media images showed police and residents

Officials say calm restored to province day after dozens killed in suicide and gun attacks in at least 10 cities Pakistan’s security forces have intensified their operations against separatist militants in Balochistan province who launched a large-scale assault on Saturday in which at least 31 civilians and 17 security personnel were killed. A day after the militants carried out suicide attacks in the heart of the province’s capital, Quetta, the chief minister of the south-western region, Sarfraz Bugti, said 145 people he described as militants had been killed in 40 hours and that their bodies were in the custody of the authorities. Continue

Five years after the junta’s coup, the civil war devastating Myanmar has reached a turning point. The military is carrying out large-scale counter-offensives across the country to reclaim territory seized by pro-democracy rebels of various ethnic and religious backgrounds In Tanintharyi, the southernmost region of Myanmar, the local resistance has managed to contain the military. After five years of guerrilla warfare, the revolutionary youth there remain determined to restore democracy through armed struggle. A long, narrow stretch of land at the southern tip of Myanmar, between the Andaman Sea to the west and Thailand to the east, Tanintharyi region is one of

Boy held on suspicion of attempted murder after two pupils, aged 12 and 13, were stabbed at Kingsbury high school Police have arrested a 13-year-old boy on suspicion of attempted murder after two boys, aged 12 and 13, were stabbed at a school in north-west London . The Metropolitan police were called to the scene at Kingsbury high school in Bacon Lane, Brent, at 12.40pm on Tuesday to reports that a 13-year-old boy had been stabbed. When they arrived at the scene, officers found a 12-year-old boy who had also been stabbed. Continue reading...

Clients of Global Counsel, co-founded by Mandelson, included OpenAI and Palantir, which have both signed deals with government A lobbying firm co-owned by Peter Mandelson worked for OpenAI before the US tech company signed a wide-ranging agreement with the UK government to explore deploying AI in Britain’s justice, security and education systems. In 2024, the $500bn-valued maker of ChatGPT was a client of Global Counsel, which Mandelson co-founded and part-owned. Keir Starmer subsequently appointed Mandelson as ambassador to Washington. Continue reading...

Everyone around PM agrees ‘chaos’ at No 10 has to be sorted, but there are competing factions trying to gain upper hand With three vacancies opening up at the very top of Keir Starmer’s operation, there is already a battle over who will win the war for his ear – and the direction of the government. The departure of Starmer’s most important political advisers – his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who was focused on the fight against Reform in Labour’s working-class heartlands; and Tim Allan, the director of communication, considered a Blairite – has immediately raised hopes on Labour’s soft left

Earl’s Court performance of Heroes in 1978 is among highlights of exhibition exploring singer’s life and work Rare “holy grail” footage of David Bowie performing Heroes at Earl’s Court in 1978 is to feature in a new immersive show about the singer’s life and creative practice. Extended footage of the performance has been pieced back together by the team behind the new Lightroom exhibition, who had access to new camera angles found on film reels discovered in the artist’s archives. Continue reading...

Children are encouraged to get hands-on as the world’s leading stop-motion studio showcases its work in east London What would Wallace – everyone’s favourite amateur Yorkshire inventor – look like with a moustache, straw boater and postal worker’s coat? Would a huge set of teeth suit his faithful beagle, Gromit? How about a nose shaped like a banana? Such questions are answered by an illuminating and sometimes alarming exhibition at east London’s Young V&A that showcases the work of the world’s leading stop-motion outfit, the Bristol-based Aardman studios. Early sketches for Nick Park’s much-loved characters reveal that Wallace was once just a

Agency says person ‘appears to have tampered’ with Nest camera as hunt for Savannah Guthrie’s mother continues The FBI on Tuesday released new photos and video footage of someone the agency’s director described as “an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance”. Broadcast journalist Savannah Guthrie, host of NBC’s Today and Nancy’s daughter, wrote on social media: “We believe she is still alive. Bring her home.” Continue reading...

Khanna, who co-sponsored the Epstein transparency act, named six people including Victoria’s Secret tycoon Leslie Wexner on the House floor * US commerce secretary says he had lunch with Epstein on private island * Jeffrey Epstein plotted with lawyer to try to have woman deported Jamie Raskin, a top House Democrat, accused the justice department of making “puzzling, inexplicable redactions” to documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that obscured the names of abusers, while allowing the identities of the disgraced financier’s victims to become public. Raskin told reporters that he wanted to view the complete files to better understand how the justice department

Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie reveal names they say DoJ redacted ‘for no apparent reason’ * US politics live – latest updates The Democratic congressman Ro Khanna said on Tuesday that he and his Republican colleague Thomas Massie had forced the justice department to disclose the “hidden” names of six wealthy men they say are “likely incriminated” by their inclusion in the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files. In a post on X at lunchtime, Khanna, of California, named the six as Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, Nicola Caputo, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem and Leslie Wexner. Continue reading...

Ex-congressman Tom Malinowski congratulates activist on ‘hard-won victory’ in special primary for US House seat In an upset victory that may carry implications for Democrats nationwide, the progressive activist Analilia Mejia on Tuesday was on the verge of winning a special primary for a US House seat in New Jersey after her main challenger conceded defeat. Former congressman Tom Malinowski issued a statement congratulating Mejia, a former adviser to Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign and leader of New Jersey’s Working Families Alliance who has narrowly been in the lead since last Thursday’s election. Continue reading...

Wasserman has apologised for communicating with Ghislaine Maxwell after flirtatious emails they exchanged more than 20 years ago were revealed The pop star Chappell Roan has announced she has left her talent agency after emails between its founder and Ghislaine Maxwell were featured in the Epstein files. The Grammy-winning artist shared a statement on social media announcing her departure from Wasserman, led by the sports and entertainment executive Casey Wasserman. Continue reading...

Wearing no trousers, with his tongue sticking out and dancing with ‌the Statue of Liberty, the figure of US President Donald Trump ‍will feature at a German carnival celebration as one of the traditionally satirical and provocative floats. Organisers showcased the various figures in the city of Mainz in western Germany on ⁠Tuesday. They also included Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a sinking boat, with his conservative predecessor and erstwhile rival, Angela Merkel, spearing the boat with...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to move on Tuesday from speculation about his future after fending off serious calls to resign over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Following a day of drama on Monday, the Labour leader told a meeting of government ministers that they were “strong and united” after he vowed not to walk away from office just 19 months into a five-year term. Starmer’s position had looked precarious on Monday when Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar demanded his resignation...

A top Israeli official said on Tuesday that measures adopted by the government that deepen Israeli control in the occupied West Bank amounted to implementing “de facto sovereignty”, using language that mirrors critics’ warnings about the intent behind the moves. The steps “actually establish a fact on the ground that there will not be a Palestinian state,” Energy Minister Eli Cohen told Israel’s Army Radio. Palestinians, Arab countries and human rights groups have called the moves announced...

After 156 days of hearings, Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s case finally came to a close with the former media boss sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment. Western media and critics will no doubt say, what a harsh sentence for a “democracy advocate” and “freedom fighter”. However, Lai was not accused of fighting for freedom or demanding democracy in Hong Kong. His crimes were not even about his avowed hatred of the Communist Party. Western critics may be surprised to hear that hating the Communist Party is...

Hanadi Abu Zant has not been able to pay rent on her flat in the occupied West Bank for nearly a year after losing her permit to work inside Israel. When her landlord calls the police on her, she hides in a mosque. “My biggest fear is being kicked out of my home. Where will we sleep, on the street?” she said, wiping tears from her cheeks. She is among some 100,000 Palestinians whose work permits were revoked after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. Confined to the...

A growing debate in France over raising tariffs on China heated up on Monday, with a senior minister calling for a targeted approach even as a government planning agency proposed a blanket 30 per cent duty on all Chinese imports entering the European Union. Finance Minister Roland Lescure said China’s large trade surplus with Europe was “unsustainable”, but insisted there was no “one-size-fits-all answer” on tariffs and that Paris would need to continue engaging with Beijing to make...

Cuban aviation officials have warned airlines that there is not enough fuel for planes to refuel on the island, the latest step in its moves to ration energy as the Trump administration cuts the Caribbean nation off from its fuel resources. The government of Cuba published the notices to airlines and pilots on Sunday night, warning that jet fuel would not be available at nine airports across the island, including Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, starting on Tuesday and continuing...

US military forces boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea as part of an oil quarantine meant to squeeze Venezuela, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday. Venezuela had faced US sanctions on its oil and relied on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains. Following the US raid to capture then-president Nicolas Maduro in early January, several tankers fled the Venezuelan coast, including...

The Trump administration will ‌fund efforts to promote free speech within Western countries allied with Washington, a senior State Department official said ‍on Monday during a visit to Europe focused on pushing back against European regulations that US officials have branded censorship. US officials have forcefully opposed online rules such as the EU’s Digital Services Act and Britain’s Online Safety Act, which Washington says stifle free speech, and in particular criticism of immigration...

The FBI is not aware of ongoing communication between Savannah Guthrie’s family and any suspected kidnappers more than a week after the Today show host’s mother went missing, the agency said on Monday. The FBI has also not identified any suspects or persons of interest in the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, Connor Hagan, a spokesperson for the FBI, said in a statement. The agency is operating a 24-hour command post equipped with investigative teams and crisis management experts while...

China surpassed Argentina in January to become Brazil’s largest exporter of vehicles, solidifying Chinese brands’ dominance in the region’s biggest car market and undercutting a long-standing Argentine trade advantage within Mercosur. According to industry figures reported by Autoweb on Monday, Chinese vehicles sent to Brazil reached 16,800 units in January, versus 13,400 from Argentina. It underscores the erosion of Argentina’s decades-long grip on Brazil’s import market, after China first led...

Mexican ‌authorities have recovered 10 bodies in the search for workers kidnapped last month from a mine run by Canada’s Vizsla ‍Silver Corp in Mexico’s northern state of Sinaloa, the country’s attorney general’s office said on Monday. The attorney general’s office said in a statement that it found 10 bodies in the municipality of Concordia, of which five have so far been identified. Forensic teams are working to identify the remaining five bodies, it added. Relatives of those kidnapped told...

The Trump ‍administration is trying to make it more difficult for fired federal employees to contest their dismissal, according to a government plan released on Monday, by limiting their right to appeal their dismissal to an independent board. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the ⁠federal government’s human resources office, proposed ending the right of fired federal employees to dispute dismissals before the independent Merit Systems Protection Board, according to the plan. Instead,...

Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell refused on Monday to answer questions from US lawmakers but her lawyer said she was prepared to speak if granted clemency by US President Donald Trump. Maxwell, 64, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee to discuss her relations with Epstein. Rather than answer the committee’s questions, however, the former British socialite invoked her Fifth Amendment...

Russian oil tankers are increasingly listing Singapore as their official destination, signalling ‌a shift in export flows from India to ‍China and growing concerns over Western sanctions, traders said and LSEG shipping data shows. LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group) data shows tankers carrying about 1.4 million metric tons of ⁠Russian crude departed for Singapore in January, the highest monthly volume in recent years. Singapore does not import Russian oil amid sanction risks but its nearby waters...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused on Monday ‌to heed calls to quit, even by the leader of his party in Scotland, pledging to fight on after his appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador plunged his government into ‍crisis. Under pressure over the appointment of a man whose close ties to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have come into full focus, Starmer has attempted to change the narrative. But a demand from Anas Sarwar, leader of the Scottish Labour Party, for him to...

Britain’s King Charles is ready to “support’’ UK police examining claims that the former prince Andrew gave confidential information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Buckingham Palace said on Monday. The statement came after Thames Valley Police said Monday that they were “assessing” reports that the former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, sent trade reports to Epstein in 2010. The department, which serves an area west of London that includes Mountbatten-Windsor’s...

A California state court case ‌over whether Instagram and YouTube harmed a woman’s mental health through addictive app design kicks off on ‍Monday with opening statements, in a test of whether Big Tech platforms can be held liable for harming kids. The 20-year-old woman identified as K.G.M. filed the lawsuit against Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms and Alphabet’s Google, which owns YouTube. She says the attention-grabbing design of the platforms got her addicted ⁠to them at a...

Israel’s military said it killed four suspected militants who attacked its troops as the armed men emerged from a tunnel in southern Gaza on Monday, calling the group’s actions a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire. Despite a US-brokered truce entering its second phase last month, violence has continued in the Gaza Strip, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of breaching the agreement. “A short while ago, four armed terrorists exited an underground tunnel shaft and fired towards soldiers...

Prince William will begin his first official visit to Saudi Arabia with a meeting on Monday with host Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as London seeks to deepen economic cooperation with the Gulf nation. The visit comes as daily revelations from the Jeffrey Epstein files continue to put pressure on King Charles III’s disgraced younger brother, the former Prince Andrew. The Saudi Crown Prince will give the heir to the British throne William a private tour of Unesco World Heritage site At-Turaif...

The United States’ latest trade deal with India may be linked to a freeze on discounted Russian oil purchases, but analysts say it is unlikely to upset New Delhi’s decades-old defence ties with Moscow. Announcing the agreement last week, US President Donald Trump said tariffs on India imports would be cut from 18 to 50 per cent, tying the reduction to India halting its intake of Russian crude. “India has committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,” Trump said in an...

SpaceX is putting its long-standing focus of sending humans to Mars on the back burner to prioritise establishing a settlement on the moon, founder Elon Musk said on Sunday. The South Africa-born billionaire’s space company has found massive success as a Nasa contractor, but critics have for years panned Musk’s Mars colonisation plans as overambitious. The move also puts Musk in alignment with US President Donald Trump’s shift away from sending Americans to Mars. The US faces intense competition...

Abandoned for months on their fishing boat off West Africa, Indonesian sailor Surono and his shipmates face a dilemma: return home without almost a year’s wages or stay on the docked vessel. He is among a growing number of migrant workers abandoned by shipowners, who flout their obligations and desert crews without paying the salaries owed. “My family cries because I can’t get any money. My children and wife need money to eat,” Surono, 47, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said from...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US accuses China of secret nuclear testing after offering Beijing arms treaty 2. As Beijing and Moscow tout ties, China’s companies keep Ukraine’s lights on 3. Call for tougher animal welfare laws after invasive turtle found in Hong Kong 4. Mum urges China star Eileen Gu to ‘wake up’, sparks...

To err is human. But when an error funnels through a system that has safeguards, the error is supposed to be caught and rectified. Checks and balances are written into the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini constitution. Hong Kong has an executive-led system, which means it is the executive branch’s job to formulate and implement policies, as well as “draft and introduce bills, motions and subordinate legislation”. The legislature’s job is “to enact, amend or repeal laws”. Therefore, lawmakers are the...

Venezuela’s Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado said on Monday that armed men “kidnapped” a close ally shortly after his release by authorities, following ex-leader Nicolas Maduro’s capture. The country’s Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed later that same day that former National Assembly vice-president Juan Pablo Guanipa, 61, was again taken into custody and put under house arrest, arguing that he violated the conditions of his release. Guanipa would be placed under house arrest “in...

US President Donald Trump criticised American Olympic ‌skier Hunter Hess as a “real loser” on Sunday, days after the athlete expressed ‍mixed feelings about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in northern Italy. Freestyle skier Hess was asked at a press conference on Wednesday how he felt about representing America at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, given acute US tension over violent immigration raids and other political crises. “There’s obviously a lot going on...

Moderate Socialist Antonio Jose Seguro secured a landslide victory and a five-year ‍term as Portugal’s president in a run-off vote on Sunday, beating his far-right, anti-establishment rival Andre Ventura. Seguro, who received backing from prominent conservatives after the first round amid concerns over what many see as Ventura’s populist, authoritarian tendencies, becomes the first Socialist head of state in 20 years, succeeding Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, ⁠a conservative, after two terms in...

Norway’s ambassador to Jordan and Iraq has resigned after an investigation was launched into her ties to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the foreign ministry said on Sunday. Mona Juul, who played a key role in the secret Israeli-Palestinian negotiations which led to the Oslo Accords of the early 1990s, is among several high-profile Norwegian figures swept up in the latest Epstein file release. “This is a correct and necessary decision. Juul’s contact with the convicted abuser Epstein has...

The presidents of Argentina and Romania said on Sunday they have been invited to attend the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump’s controversial “Board of Peace” in Washington on February 19. Originally designed by Trump as a mechanism to oversee the Gaza truce and post-war reconstruction, the board’s mandate has since expanded, prompting concerns among critics that it could evolve into a rival to the United Nations. Writing on his Facebook page, Romania’s President Nicusor Dan said...

The death toll in a building collapse in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Monday climbed to 14, a civil defence official said - the second such incident in weeks. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported “the collapse of an old building” in Tripoli’s Bab al-Tabbaneh neighbourhood, the poorest in the impoverished city. Teams of rescuers toiled into the night on the rubble of the collapsed structure, as ambulances stood by. Civil defence director general ‍Imad Khreiss said rescue...

Iran sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to over seven more years in prison after she began a hunger strike, supporters said on Sunday, as Tehran cracks down on all dissent following nationwide protests and the deaths of thousands at the hands of security forces. The new convictions against Mohammadi come as Iran tries to negotiate with the United States over its nuclear programme to avert a threatened military strike by US President Donald Trump. Iran’s top diplomat insisted...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, ‍quit on Sunday, saying he took responsibility for advising Starmer to name Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US despite his known links to Jeffrey Epstein. After new files revealed the depth of the Labour veteran’s relationship with the late sex offender, Starmer is facing what is widely seen as the gravest crisis of his 18 months in power over his decision to ⁠send Mandelson to Washington in 2024. The loss of McSweeney,...

A memorial for the victims of a deadly New Year’s fire in Switzerland itself caught fire early on Sunday, likely sparked by candles left burning inside, police said. It was a makeshift tribute to the 41 people killed and the 115 injured in the January 1 fire that erupted at the Le Constellation bar in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana, which was packed with mainly teenagers and young adults. The memorial, laden with flowers, candles and messages of condolence, had been set up near the site of...

Russia’s Federal Security Service said on Sunday that the man suspected of shooting a deputy chief of Russia’s military intelligence agency in Moscow was detained in Dubai and handed over to Russia. Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev was hospitalised after being shot several times on Friday by an assailant at a residential building in northwestern Moscow, Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said. The attack followed a series of assassinations of senior military officers...

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday ruled out Tehran ever giving up uranium enrichment in its negotiations with Washington, insisting it will not be intimidated by the threat of war with the United States. The minister, Abbas Araghchi, told a forum in Tehran that Iran had little trust in Washington and even doubted that the US side was taking renewed negotiations seriously. “Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up, even if a war is imposed on us? Because no...

Western media and policymakers enjoy wagging their fingers at China’s industrial “overcapacity”, which in reality is simply the ability to produce solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles, steel and other goods more cheaply and efficiently than others can. Yes, some industries are subsidised, but they also benefit immensely from rapid growth in technical know-how and economies of scale. China hasn’t really built too much; it’s just built too efficiently for the comfort of its competitors. The...

The former British ambassador to the United States and former government minister Peter Mandelson is facing demands to hand back the payoff he received after being sacked as US envoy. The senior Labour Party figure was sacked over his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, but anger in Westminster has intensified after the latest release of documents which indicated he leaked information to his friend while he was a government minister. Allies of Prime Minister Keir Starmer said...

At this time of year, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po’s top priority is finalising the Hong Kong government’s budget for 2026-27, balancing requests for incentives and welfare against calls for a return to fiscal prudence. For decades, budget speeches have followed a familiar structure: a review of past performance, near- and medium-term forecasts, support measures for industries and social services, a report on the government’s fiscal position and financial estimates for the coming year....

The Washington Post said on Saturday its CEO and publisher Will Lewis was leaving effective immediately, just days after the storied newspaper owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made drastic job cuts that angered readers. Though newspapers across the United States have been facing brutal industry headwinds, Lewis’ management of the outlet was sharply criticised by subscribers and employees alike during his two-year tenure as he tried to reverse financial losses at the daily. Lewis,...

Two French adventurers reached the end of an epic walk from their hometown to Shanghai on Saturday, after nearly a year and a half crossing 16 countries almost entirely on foot. Tired but delighted, Loic Voisot and Benjamin Humblot embraced as they stood by the river on the Bund promenade, the Chinese financial hub’s distinctive skyline glittering in the background. Voisot, 26, and Humblot, 27, set off from Annecy in southeastern France in September 2024. Yearning for a “great adventure”, they...

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says the US is proposing to finish all necessary negotiations to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in June. “The Americans are proposing that the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer,” Zelensky told reporters in a briefing late on Friday. “We understand that American internal issues have an impact and will certainly become even more relevant for them,” he said, suggesting US midterm elections in November would become the administration’s major...

Syria and Saudi Arabia signed deals on Saturday that include a joint airline and a US$1 billion project to develop telecommunications, officials said, as Syria seeks to rebuild after years of war. Saudi Arabia has been a major backer of Syria’s Islamist authorities who took power after toppling long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The new authorities in Damascus have worked to attract investment and have signed major agreements with several companies and governments, including Saudi...

Spain and Portugal on Saturday braced for another storm heading for the Iberian Peninsula, just days after the floods caused by Storm Leonardo proved fatal in both countries. The latest depression, christened Storm Marta, has prompted the deployment of more than 26,500 rescuers in Portugal, where the foul weather has led three municipalities to postpone Sunday’s presidential vote till next week. Both countries have issued warnings over the potential fresh floods, after inundations blocked...

Haiti entered political limbo on Saturday as the mandate of the Caribbean nation’s transitional governing council, a body intended to curb ‌a bloody gang conflict and bring about long-delayed elections, ended with no succession plan in ‍place. The nine-member Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) was installed in April 2024 after Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned. It has been led by a rotating roster of council presidents. However, its term has been marked by a deterioration in security,...

Before the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, allegations against four others shot at by federal immigration agents failed to withstand scrutiny.

The student, Rumeysa Ozturk, who is from Turkey, was detained by immigration agents last year after she co-wrote a pro-Palestinian opinion article for her student newspaper.

“Donald Trump has 99 problems going into the midterms,” one Democratic strategist said. “But money ain’t one.”

The Maine Republican is one of her party’s most vulnerable senators, and her seat is crucial to Democratic hopes of retaking control of the chamber.

Tom Malinowski, who was battered by negative advertising, congratulated Analilia Mejia, a political organizer running for Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s vacant seat in Congress, on a “hard-won victory.”

After falling out with Gov. Kathy Hochul, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado mounted a challenge from the left. But his campaign failed to gain traction.

President Trump’s top aides have argued in recent days that the economy is strong, even if new data on Wednesday show sluggish hiring.

A small group of conservative activists has worked for 16 years to stop all government efforts to fight climate change. Their efforts seem poised to pay off.

The removal of the flag from the Manhattan monument, the symbolic heart of the gay rights movement, came after a Trump administration memo about flags at national park sites.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge, expected to open early this year, was built by Canada to ease cargo transport between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

Henry McGowan headed for Europe, showing signs of mental distress. His father, John McGowan, raced after him. This week, the son will stand trial in Ireland, accused of his father’s murder.

Israel is unlikely to withdraw its troops from the enclave before Hamas and other militant groups lay down their arms.

Palestinian and Jewish citizens of Israel joined forces to demand government action in the face of a spiraling death toll from criminal violence among Arabs.

Russian troops have advanced at a glacial pace in recent months, but gains in southern and eastern Ukraine could give Moscow an edge in U.S.-mediated peace talks.

With defiant ingenuity, Kyiv residents are trying to find ways to stay warm in a cruel winter.

The National Labor Relations Board, having accused the company of unfair retaliation in 2024, now says it has no jurisdiction over Elon Musk’s space company.

Republican politicians and strategists in Texas are amping up anti-Muslim rhetoric as a way to energize Republican voters after several elections when the border was the animating force.

Explaining why officials dropped limits, Dr. Mehmet Oz said alcohol “brings people together.” But social drinking also can lead to health problems, studies show.

The relentless addition of artificial intelligence in popular apps raises questions about what’s at stake. The answer: the future of the internet and its lifeblood, digital advertising.

The fare card is dead. How much longer can these New York artists stretch a finite supply?

Trump has thrust us into a new political world, and Democratic voters want leaders who can adapt.

The acclaimed writer discusses the limits of kindness and the foundations of sin.

We look at how world superpowers are approaching nuclear weapons.

We want to hear from readers who are trying to manage their medical bills and their health insurance costs.

Lisa Gelobter, whose work helped shape the modern web, was also on the launch team at Hulu.

With the snow sticking around, New Yorkers have had to navigate new, temporary terrain.

Isaac Herzog’s trip led to widespread rallies and tested the restrictions on protests that Australia installed after a deadly attack on a Jewish celebration.

Gaulier often insulted his pupils, but many became stars, including Sacha Baron Cohen, Emma Thompson and Rachel Weisz.