Minimalist News

Oh My F**king God, They're Doing It Again Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance Assholes who wear Vineyard Vines all summer on Wall Street have once again put those Wharton PhD’s to good use by again “discovering” that assets so toxic and illiquid they make drinking cement taste like Fiji water apparently become safe when you rearrange them, rename them, and place an insurance company between the losses and the people buying them. Sound familiar? According to Bloomberg , UBS and other firms have been exploring structures that package stakes in private-credit funds into bonds. Because perpetual private-credit vehicles do not

Judge Slaps A 14-Day Timeout On Paramount-Warner Bros. Mega-Merger A federal judge just threw a wrench into one of the biggest media shake-ups in years. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin (Biden) temporarily blocked Paramount Skydance's $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery , giving a coalition of 12 state attorneys general a short-term win in their fight to kill the deal. The temporary restraining order lasts 14 days - half the 28 days the states had requested - and prevents Paramount from closing the transaction that would combine two historic Hollywood studios, two major streaming services (Paramount+ and

RNC Sues To Stop Non-Residents From Voting In Six States While it seems like common sense that living in a state should be a prerequisite to voting there, the Republican National Committee is suing six states to stop them from doing so. Fresh off a court win in North Carolina, the RNC has filed lawsuits against Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, New Jersey, Virginia, and Nebraska, each targeting a version of the same loophole. In these states, a person who has never set foot as a resident within their borders can still cast an absentee ballot there, often because a parent or

A 28 Item Grocery Order From Target That Cost $64.50 In 2020 Now Costs $158.30 Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog, The cost of living has become absolutely suffocating for millions of Americans. For years, the bureaucrats in Washington have been feeding us numbers that show that the rate of inflation is low, but it is obvious to everyone that what they are telling us is simply not true. Many of the items that I regularly purchase at the grocery store have more than doubled in price over the past decade. Some have more than tripled in

Buyers Trading In Vehicles With Negative Equity Face Record Monthly Payments: Edmunds Authored by Rob Sabo via The Epoch Times, The number of automobile owners trading in vehicles with negative equity continues to rise, with 29.6 percent of trade-ins in the second quarter showing more money owed on existing auto loans than the vehicles were worth, according to automotive insights platform Edmunds’s July 16 vehicle transaction report. Negative equity also pushed average monthly payments on “underwater” trade-ins to $944 in the quarter, the highest figure on record, the report said. That’s $167 more per month than trade-ins without negative equity

US Gas Prices Cross Politically Sensitive $4 Level Closely Watched By Trump The U.S. national average for a gallon of regular 87-octane gasoline has climbed back above the politically sensitive $4 threshold as U.S. military forces and Tehran enter a ninth day of tit-for-tat strikes. This level is significant because it is where fuel costs begin to alter spending and driving behavior among working-poor households, while also weighing more broadly on consumer sentiment, making it a key pressure point closely watched by the Trump administration ahead of the midterm election cycle. Regular unleaded gasoline climbed above $4 a gallon on

400+ Ukrainian Drones Launched On Moscow In One Of Biggest Attack Waves To Date The Russian capital has been hit with a massive drone wave from Ukraine, which injured at least ten people - including three Chinese citizens - local authorities say. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has stated that more than 400 UAVs were launched toward Moscow and its suburbs overnight in one of the largest single raids since the war's start. Reuters: Smoke billows after Ukrainian drone attacks in Podolsk, Moscow Region. He described that most of the inbound drones were intercepted far from the capital , and that

Houthis Announce Blockade On Saudi Shipping, Threaten Drone & Missile Attacks On Kingdom Yemen's Houthi rebels have announced they are imposing a new maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in response for a recent attack on Sanaa Airport, and after years of the kingdom leading a blockade of Houthi-controlled Yemeni ports. A military statement by Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the maritime ban on all Saudi shipping will be effective immediately in what he declared as an "equation of 'an eye for an eye.'" via Middle East Eye However, details of what this 'embargo' will look like, in terms of where

Texas PUC Approves "Ride-Through" Rules For Data Centers By Diana DiGangi of UtilityDive , The Texas Public Utility Commission on Thursday unanimously approved rules that will require large computational loads , like data centers and crypto-mining facilities , within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas footprint to stay stable and connected to the grid through disruptions. Modern computational loads, Kenteel Engineering said in a June blog, are “ engineered to protect extremely sensitive and expensive equipment ,” and during a voltage dip are programmed to disconnect or enter momentary cessation. However, this presents a reliability problem, Kenteel Engineering said, as

"I'm Not Living In Communist America": Bill Maher Blasts Marxist DSA Democrats, Says He May Vote For JD Vance " I'm not living in Communist America… I've read the quotes from the DSA platform, from their own mouths. Don't tell me I'm not seeing what I am seeing ," Bill Maher told ABC News' Jonathan Karl in an exclusive interview that aired on Sunday. Bill Maher: “I’m not living in Communist America… I’ve read the quotes from the DSA platform, from their own mouths. Don’t tell me I’m not seeing what I am seeing.” pic.twitter.com/grWslcyxD9 — America (@america) July 19,

Tungsten Miner Soars After Billionaire Forrest Takes 17% Stake Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest, founder and executive chairman of iron ore giant Fortescue, has agreed to acquire Oaktree Capital's entire 16.8% stake in the Sydney-listed tungsten producer EQ Resources. Shares of EQ Resources in Sydney surged 34% on Monday following news of the transaction, which is valued at about 190 million AUD ($133 million) based on Friday's close. The deal covers 862.1 million shares and 35.6 million options. Forrest's most likely reasoning for the deal is that EQ Resources controls one of the largest operating tungsten platforms outside China. Tungsten

US Agencies Miss GENIUS Act Deadline, Extending Stablecoin Uncertainty Authored by Zoltan Vardai via CoinTelegraph.com, US regulatory agencies missed the rulemaking deadline under the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act on Saturday, which marked one year since the law was signed. Several US regulatory agencies published proposed rules and collected public feedback during the past year, but no final regulations were issued before the deadline. These agencies include the Department of the Treasury, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Federal Reserve Board, which issued proposed

Futures Rebound On Fresh Bout Of Iran Optimism As Hyperscaler Earnings Loom US equity futures rebound from Friday's selling, indicating a firmer start to the week with S&P futures rising 0.5% at 8.00am ET, and Nasdaq futures up 1% after a sluggish start to the session, after Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it had received proposals from mediators about the conflict with the US. In premarket trading, semis are higher as are Mag7 names; the AI theme is bid across sectors. Cyclicals are leading Defensives; both are higher in absolute terms, pointing to an ‘Everything Rally’ today. According to JPM, the

Breaking Down The $655 Million World Cup Prize Money The 2026 FIFA World Cup is awarding $655 million in performance prize money, making it the richest tournament in the competition’s history. Every stage of the tournament came with a larger financial reward, giving teams another incentive to advance as far as possible. Performance prize money has increased nearly 50% since 2022, when FIFA awarded $440 million . This Markets in a Minute graphic, created by Visual Capitalist's Julia Wnedling, in partnership with Terzo , breaks down how the $655 million performance prize pool is distributed across every stage of the

Largest Reactor Fleet Owner Backs Shipyard Prefab Model With Gas-To-Nuclear Plan Constellation Energy already runs the largest nuclear fleet in the United States and has spent the last couple of years signing big power deals with data center operators and retailers to restart reactors and keep existing plants online longer. With Microsoft taking the restarted Three Mile Island unit and Meta locking up output from Clinton, Constellation is now looking for developers to help them bring new capacity online faster. Their most recent move is a strategic equity investment in Blue Energy through Constellation Technology Ventures (CTV). This targets Blue

The DSA & The Myth Of Scandinavian Socialism Authored by Jonathan Turley, This week, Darializa Avila Chevalier was asked if there has ever been a “successful model of socialism anywhere in the world outside the United States in terms of both human rights and widespread economic justice.” The member of the Democratic Socialists of America responded by citing Sweden and Norway. It is a common false claim made by socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and others. I address the claim head-on in Rage and the Republic . DSA figures have been claiming that the socialist measures that they are pushing are

Iran Says Two Tankers Exploded In Hormuz Chokepoint As Ship Traffic Near Standstill Visible maritime traffic through the Hormuz chokepoint remained subdued into the new week after Iranian forces allgedly targeted tankers attempting to transit the narrow waterway, including routes close to Oman. This comes as the US and Iran have been locked in a dangerous tit-for-tat escalation that has entered its ninth day. UK maritime authorities reported an unverified vessel fire near Oman late Sunday. Reuters reports that Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed two crude oil tankers exploded and were immobilized while using what Tehran called an unsafe southern route

The Next Phase Of Shrinkflation: Rolling Blackouts Via SchiffSovereign , The lights went on at approximately 3pm on September 4, 1882 in New York City. Thomas Edison (with major funding from JP Morgan) had spent roughly two years building the first-ever commercial power plant, located in Manhattan’s financial district. Its total capacity was about 600 kilowatts… barely enough to power a single rack of GPUs today. But at the time it was nothing short of miraculous. Edison’s coal-fired DC power plant initially served just 82 customers, and electricity was nothing more than a luxury flex by the ultra-wealthy. But over

Western Nuclear Industry Bounces Back With Progress Across Small And Large Designs After last month's report from Goldman Sachs on the ongoing global nuclear renaissance listed only a couple headlines for the western nuclear industry, June saw a significant bounce back as the industry saw progress across the microreactor landscape and the larger SMR and national grid-scale designs. The Micro Reactor Industry saw a huge achievement with the exceeding of the goals set by President Trump in the 2025 Executive Orders, with four microreactor designs obtaining criticality by July 4th. The AP1000 reactor, which is emerging as America's flagship grid-scale

Why Are So Many Millionaires Leaving The UK? Authored by Mani Basharzad via the Foundation for Economic Education , Samuel Johnson once wrote that “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.” Today, however, there seems to be one group that is tired of London: millionaires. In the last week of June 2026, one of the world’s most famous antique fairs, the Treasure House Fair, took place in London, attracting collectors and dealers from around the globe. But this year, what attracted attention wasn’t only the antiques; it was the drop in foot traffic. At the

Case against Ismael Zambada García, who helped co-found and lead the violent Sinaloa cartel, unfolded in New York The Mexican drug kingpin, Ismael Zambada García, known as “El Mayo”, was sentenced in a US federal court on Monday to life in prison, after a plea deal last year in which he admitted ⁠to shipping vast amounts of cocaine and other substances as leader of the violent Sinaloa cartel. Zambada is 76 and one of the most high-profile Mexican ⁠drug traffickers to be sentenced in a US court since his fellow Sinaloa leader Joaquín “ El Chapo ” Guzmán ​was sentenced

Officials say smoke from US fires has crossed border days after US president accused Canada of improper fire management After days of acrid smoke from northern wildfires choking major US cities and inspiring Donald Trump to threaten Canada with tariffs, officials now say the reverse is also happening as parts of Canada issue air quality warnings caused by American fires to the south. Officials in the Canadian province of British Columbia warned in an alert on Saturday evening that smoke from US fires, spurred on by thousands of lightning strikes in the north-east, was creating smoky conditions as polluted air

The Guardian goes on the ground with Brazilian forces fighting to eradicate mining that has destroyed protected areas of Indigenous land The jerry-built bordello at the foot of Vila Cururu, an illegal gold-mining settlement at the heart of Brazil’s most desecrated Indigenous territory, was a hive of depravity until just a few weeks ago. Inebriated prospectors huddled around wooden tables, swigging beer and Scotch whisky, and ogling pole-dancing sex workers before going with them to shacks behind the brothel. Continue reading...

Authorities launch criminal investigation after passenger list – showing more than 100 passengers – was found to be inaccurate, complicating rescue efforts A massive search-and-rescue operation is under way after a ferry sank ⁠off the coast of Guyana in South America ⁠late on Saturday, in what has been described by officials as one of the country’s worst maritime disasters. Authorities launched a criminal investigation after a government official said the captain and a crew member of the ferry allegedly tested positive for marijuana and the vessel’s passenger manifest was found to be inaccurate. Continue reading...

More than 30 injured and 300 displaced after buildings collapse near Sicaya A 5.5-magnitude earthquake shook the Andes region of Peru, killing at least six people, authorities said Sunday. More than 30 people were injured and 300 have been displaced. The US Geological Survey reported the quake struck on Saturday at 9.24pm, with its epicentre located 2km (1.2 miles) west-south-west of the city of Sicaya in Huancayo province. It was 10km (6.2 miles) deep. Continue reading...

Many of the more than 100 people awaiting processing on the tiny Pacific island are skipping meals to make ends meet, a new survey has found Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Most refugees and asylum seekers held in Nauru’s detention centres say they cannot afford to buy enough food or access clean drinking water, despite the Australian government spending the equivalent of more than $9m per person last financial year. The group of more than 100 people have been sent indefinitely to the tiny

Distillery owner could face only three months in jail over alleged poisoning of Australian teenagers Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Australian government has increased its travel alert level for Laos, advising travellers to “exercise a high degree of caution” due to the risk of methanol poisoning. It comes as a distillery owner in Laos was charged after a mass methanol poisoning incident killed six foreign nationals, including the Australian backpackers Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles. Continue reading...

Escaped flowerhorn cichlids are causing concern for native species and about parasites capable of infecting humans Escaped ornamental aquarium fish have integrated into a local ecosystem in the Philippines, but scientists say they may be threatening the native biodiversity of the lake. Flowerhorn cichlids – human-bred hybrid fish prized for their bright-gold colour and prominent head humps – are believed to have escaped from breeding facilities into Lake Sampaloc, which sits in a volcanic crater, during a typhoon. Continue reading...

Arrest in Pennsylvania of Wu Shaoping, who is awaiting asylum decision, raises fears of deportation and persecution A Chinese human rights lawyer has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raising concerns he could be deported to China where he would face persecution. Wu Shaoping fled China at the end of 2019 amid a crackdown on human rights lawyers. He travelled to the US on a tourist visa and made an asylum claim in 2020, for which he is still awaiting a decision. Continue reading...

Storms are typical during intense heat but this week’s have been extreme. Plus, deadly monsoon rains in Bangladesh Hailstones the size of golf balls have been seen in French villages as, on top of the exceptional European heatwave, thunderstorms have struck across parts of Europe. While thunderstorms are typical during and after a period of extreme heat, the storms across countries such as France, Germany and Poland have been particularly severe, bringing flooding, strong winds and heavy showers with large balls of hail. Continue reading...

Jenitar Na’amoana’s already had four children when she learned of surprise pregnancy ‘unheard of’ in Australia Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A 34-year-old woman from Brisbane has defied the odds and delivered four naturally conceived, identical quadruplets in what is believed to be an Australian first. Jenitar Na’amoana, who already had four children, was not planning having another but the quadruplets emerged from a “one in 15 million” pregnancy, splitting into four from a single fertilised egg. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Research spanning 82 countries finds antibiotic resistance increased in every region between 2004 and 2022 Harry Booth has had a rough run through Australia’s coldest months. The 13-year-old has been in and out of hospital with a range of common chest and urinary tract infections that his doctors find challenging to treat. Harry was born with kidney failure and began dialysis at six months old, before receiving a kidney transplant from his father at age four. The surgery saved his life but comes with a trade-off: he now needs to take medications that suppress his immune system to prevent

Resorts in NSW and Victoria face a warm and dry start to the season with only sporadic falls of natural snow in many alpine areas Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Alpine ski resorts in New South Wales and Victoria saw climate records shattered at the weekend with maximum temperatures up to 12C above average. Ski areas of Mount Hotham and Falls Creek set July records for their hottest daytime and night-time temperatures and Thredbo also set a new hottest July day, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Continue reading...

AMWU calls for wealth and inheritance taxes, free education and more revenue from gas companies as it outlines ‘working-class agenda’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A new tax rate for the highest income earners, introducing wealth and inheritance taxes and extracting more revenue from gas companies form part of a new leftwing manifesto circulating ahead of the Labor party’s national conference . The extra tax revenue could help raise the jobseeker rate, make education – including university – free, and nationalise aged care under what the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) calls a

Exclusive: TGA finds Touch Biotechnology test for chlamydia and gonorrhoea ‘is not reliable’ and has affected an unspecified number of people Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australia’s only approved home test for chlamydia and gonorrhoea has been pulled from shelves after it failed to detect infections for an unspecified number of patients. Touch Biotechnology has been handed a six‑month suspension by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) after a review of the company’s self‑testing kit found “the device is not reliable … and poses a high risk for false negative results for users”. Continue

Judit Polgár says she does not ‘feel enough strength within me’ to take on the responsibility of uniting a divided nation The Hungarian chess ⁠legend Judit Polgár has said she will not accept the nomination for president, only a day after the ⁠prime minister, Péter Magyar, ⁠said he ​would ask her to take up the largely ceremonial role. Magyar had said he would meet Polgár on Monday to discuss the matter. “Our country needs unity, peace and a president that all Hungarians can be proud of,” he wrote on social media. “Judit Polgár’s name has been synonymous with talent and

Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff hints government may be about to sack Oleksandr Syrskyi Ukraine’s commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi is widely expected to lose his job amid signs that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has bowed to pressure from protesters and will reshuffle the army’s top leadership. Over the past five days, thousands of demonstrators have gathered outside the presidential office in Kyiv, chanting: “Syrskyi out”. Some have waved cheese graters – a pun on the commander’s name, which sounds like cheese in Ukrainian. Continue reading...

Moscow targets southern city after the Russian capital was hit by 400 drones in response to one of the war’s biggest attacks on Kyiv at the weekend There is also a bit more from Reuters on the context – and the significance – of these continued strikes on ships: “ Both Russia and Ukraine are major grain exporters, and ​the renewed violence on this route has ​raised concerns about supply. Ukraine, which in recent ​seasons accounted for about 6% of global wheat exports and about 11% of global corn ​exports, has lost about a ‌third of its capacity ​to export

Chinese retail platform handed penalty over listings for items such as counterfeit products and unsafe toys Business live – latest updates The Chinese online retail platform AliExpress has been fined a record €550m (£470m) by the EU over its failure to stop illegal goods including harmful clothing, cosmetics and kitchen gadgets being sold through its site. The European Commission fine is the biggest imposed by the bloc under Digital Services Act (DSA) legislation to protect consumers from illegal goods and deceptive or addictive marketing techniques. Continue reading...

From Nevada to Manchester, developers are trialling innovative solutions to clean energy’s biggest challenge In the deserts of the United Arab Emirates a sprawling clean energy project , stretching across an area roughly the size of 12,600 football fields, will play host to a breakthrough allowing solar energy to power the equivalent of half a million homes through the night. The Gulf state has been steadily combining 5.2GW of solar power capacity with 19GWh of battery storage to create the largest battery scheme in the world. Continue reading...

A number of US military service members were killed in action over the weekend in Jordan US expands Iran offensive as diplomats claim talks ongoing The price of oil jumped in early Asian trade on Monday after the US carried out its latest wave of strikes on Iran and a vessel caught fire in the strait of Hormuz. Brent crud e for September delivery rose 2.72% to $90.50 a barrel by around 0100 GMT, after briefly crossing $91 – its highest price since June. CENTCOM assets targeted Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile

Residents of Deir Jarir say raids late on Sunday, also involving security forces, are part of pattern of violence Even by the brutal standards of militant settler violence in the West Bank, the raid on Deir Jarir late on Sunday night that killed two Palestinians and left another in hospital with a gunshot wound was extreme. Palestinians in the town said settlers from a nearby outpost arrived after 9pm on Sunday claiming that they were searching for stolen livestock. Israeli soldiers and police soon joined them, protecting them as they sought to take several villagers’ sheep by force. Continue reading...

Masoud Pezeshkian warns Iran may have to endure more strikes, as diplomats say de-escalation talks are continuing Middle East crisis live – latest updates Iran’s president has said the country is in a “full-scale war” after the US expanded its aerial campaign and Tehran struck Washington’s Gulf allies, even as diplomats said talks to de-escalate were continuing. Iranian media reported strikes around Tabriz, believed to hold underground missile bases, as well as Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power plant. The US military said it had struck “military command centers, air defence and coastal surveillance sites, maritime

This live blog is now closed. US says another troop killed as Israel warns Tehran’s attacks coming close Two US troops killed and one missing in Jordan after Iranian attacks Jordanian authorities ⁠have not issued any decision ⁠to ​evacuate the airport or ⁠seaport in the city of Aqaba, and have not detected ⁠any potential threats ​in ‌the past ‌hours, the state ‌news agency cited the government spokesperson as saying. This denial comes in response to the US embassy in Jordan earlier saying the airport and seaport in Aqaba had been evacuated by Jordanian authorities because of a “specific and credible

US military says service member was killed in Iraq during ‘controlled detonation’ as it launches more airstrikes at Iran Middle East crisis live: follow latest updates The US military announced another death of a service member as it launched more airstrikes at Iran on Sunday in response to the killing of American troops, and Iran fired missiles toward Jordan that risked widening the conflict into neighboring Israel. The US military said the service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday during the “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone. Continue reading...

National disaster agency confirms ‘severe financial and human losses’ in remote province of Nuristan At least 20 people have been killed and more than 80 injured in flooding that hit Afghanistan’s Nuristan province, the country’s disaster management agency said on Monday. In Parun, the provincial capital, a further 105 people including the mayor were missing, said Feraidon Samim, a spokesperson for the Nuristan governor. Continue reading...

Youth-led group calls on education minister to quit in one of India’s largest anti-government rallies in years Tens of thousands of protesters have defied police orders and descended on Delhi to demand the resignation of India’s education minister in one of the largest anti-government demonstrations in years. A huge crowd, largely made up of students and gen Z-ers, filled the streets in the heart of India’s capital from early Monday morning shouting anti-government slogans. Hundreds had already camped out overnight. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Outdoor workers losing up to 9% of income as weather becomes ‘poverty multiplier’, research says Extreme heat is pushing some of India’s poorest workers further into poverty, with income losses of up to 9% for outdoor workers, new research has found. Analysis done by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and shared exclusively with the Guardian, found that extreme heat is acting as a “poverty multiplier” for hundreds of millions of workers in India’s informal sector. Continue reading...

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

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

New prime minister says government must ‘do better’ to deliver change but promises prudent approach to economy UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham has said his arrival in power will “bring back hope” to Britain as he launched his premiership with the surprise appointment of John Healey as chancellor and a promise to repair the damage caused to communities during the Thatcher era. The new UK prime minister acknowledged people were “fed up” with politics as he addressed the country after taking over from Keir Starmer in Downing Street, saying the government needed to “do better” to deliver

Several Labour MPs are in Downing Street as the new PM chooses his top team Burnham vows his arrival in power will be ‘circuit breaker’ moment for UK Six highlights from Andy Burnham’s first Downing Street speech Andy Burnham may see banners urging the government not to allow the proposed Rosebank oil field development in the North Sea as he drives to Buckingham Palace and the No 10 today. Here is a banner on Whitehall. Continue reading...

Chancellor pick and early policies avoid market meltdown but next week remains ‘moment of real peril’ UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham has not quite gone for Keir Starmer’s extreme caution in the run-up to entering No 10 – but he is certainly aware that any early wrong moves would cost him. Back in 2024, Starmer was criticised for his “Ming vase” strategy of reading very carefully so as not to drop a valuable metaphorical piece of china being carried across the room. Continue reading...

Polarizing social media influencers are being held in federal detention in Miami as district judge considers extradition Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will fight extradition to the United Kingdom, their lawyer told a US magistrate in Miami on Monday after the brothers were arrested to face rape and sex-trafficking charges. The Tates appeared in federal court for the first time since their arrest on Saturday and are being held in federal detention. In the coming weeks, a US district judge will consider whether they meet the conditions for extradition. Continue reading...

Scientists recorded slower reduction over past 20 years, but study finds this was ‘temporary rather than sustained’ A previously recorded slowdown in Arctic sea ice decline has ended, according to a new study, with the largest year-to-year wintertime reduction ever recorded. In a study published last summer, researchers found that melting sea ice in the Arctic had slowed down over the past 20 years, with no statistically significant decline in its extent recorded between 2005 and 2024. Continue reading...

Former state legislator in strong position to become Democratic nominee after several candidates drop out over the weekend Sign up for the Breaking News US email While speaking to reporters on Sunday, Donald Trump acknowledged the three US military casualties as the strikes on Iran continue unabated. “Well, we feel very badly, but you know those great people, those great patriots, were out there fighting that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said while returning to Washington from the Fifa World Cup final in New Jersey. Continue reading...

Three people reported injured after incendiary device allegedly thrown at building also housing ICE field office Authorities in New York City are investigating an explosion on Monday morning outside an FBI building in lower Manhattan that reportedly injured three people. Investigators said a person who allegedly threw an incendiary device at the scene was taken into custody. The FBI later released the name in a press conference, identifying the suspect as Andrew Arrabaca. Continue reading...

The 18-year-old was found dead after a 4 July boat trip with his friends to an island in the Gulf coast Family and supporters of Nolan Xavier Wells gathered in a Mississippi church on Monday to mourn and celebrate the 18-year-old, whose death following a 4 July boat trip with friends has captured national attention and prompted calls for an independent investigation. The ceremony began with tearful remarks from Wells’s parents, who described their son as a warm and gentle presence, a gifted athlete and a role model to his younger siblings. Continue reading...

Defense department says 1Lt Tyler James Feehan of Hawaii and Pvt Isabella Gonzales of Texas were killed The US military on Monday identified two soldiers killed in action recently as part of the war with Iran. The defense department said in a statement that 1Lt Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, were killed in Jordan, where they were supporting a US mission against the Islamic State group. It is unclear how they were killed. Continue reading...

Depression set to become tropical storm later on Monday as separate storm strengthens off Mexico’s Pacific coast A tropical depression was continuing to develop along the US Gulf coast on Monday as Tropical Storm Fausto strengthened off Mexico ’s south-west Pacific coast. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said that the depression was expected to become a tropical storm later on Monday, prompting new watches for portions of the Gulf region. Continue reading...

Andy Burnham took office on Monday as Britain’s new prime minister, promising a 10-year plan to restore political stability and revive the economy while acknowledging that six other UK leaders have tried and failed to do so in the past decade. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street minutes after being formally appointed by King Charles, Burnham pledged to ease the cost of living for ordinary people, decentralise political power, revitalise industry and end street sleeping by homeless people. He said...

A teenager died and several people were injured during celebrations of Spain’s victory in the World Cup after a fountain collapsed in western Spain, local authorities and media said on Monday. “The city hall of Ciudad Rodrigo expresses its sadness and presents its condolences for the death of a boy of 13,” the municipality said in a Facebook post. “What should have been a celebration of Spain’s team in the football World Cup turned into tragedy,” it said, adding that several others were...

Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas announced on Monday that it had elected Khalil al-Hayya, the group’s lead negotiator in indirect ceasefire talks with Israel, as the new head of its political bureau. “The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announces the election of brother mujahid Khalil al-Hayya as head of the movement’s political bureau, succeeding the martyred leader Yahya al-Sinwar,” Hamas said in a statement. Sinwar, whom Israel accused of being one of the principal architects of the...

Facing Europe’s ever-widening trade deficit with Beijing, Berlin is increasingly singing the same tune as Paris. The two nations displayed a united front at this year’s Franco-German Ministerial Council, which will soon be put on paper in a joint road map due by September at the request of Germany. “Our work between Germany and France is indispensable at a time when Russia threatens our security, when the People’s Republic of China challenges our economy, and when the transatlantic partnership...

The EU on Monday slapped a €550 million (US$630 million) fine on online retailer AliExpress for allowing the sale of illegal products, including unsafe toys and cosmetics. The European Union said AliExpress also did not do enough to stop the sale of counterfeit products and that when the platform detected illegal goods were on sale, many remained online for several weeks. The EU found some of the products sold on the platform did not meet the bloc’s strict environmental and safety standards...

North Korea’s top diplomat was in Moscow this weekend for talks analysts say likely focused on fresh ammunition and missile shipments to feed Russia’s war in Ukraine, while also laying the groundwork for a possible visit by Kim Jong-un. Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met Vladimir Putin on Sunday, more than two years after Russia’s president had invited Kim to Moscow during their landmark summit in Pyongyang in June 2024. On Sunday, Putin expressed fresh gratitude for North Korea’s assistance in...

Lockheed Martin announced a lower-cost Patriot interceptor on Monday as militaries seek cheaper ways to counter drones ‌and missiles, while defence contractors face competition from start-ups making low-cost weapons that can be produced at scale. Lockheed said its new PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector (ACE) missile would cost less than half as much as its PAC-3 MSE interceptors, which cost roughly US$4 million per missile, according to US Army budget documents. Initial production could ⁠start...

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. China built megaprojects in Ivory Coast, now it’s own role is changing Beijing is transitioning from contractor to stakeholder in the fast-growing African economy, with US$209 million tourist complex in the mix. 2. Sun Fanglin, Chinese scientist who paved way for new cancer drugs, dies at...

US President Donald Trump said that the ⁠Qatari-donated jet that served as an Air ⁠Force One plane would soon be sent away for upgrades, following questions about the plane’s security features. Trump started flying aboard the jumbo jet on July 1 after accepting the plane as a gift last year, when an accelerated effort to renovate the ‌Boeing 747 for presidential use began. But Trump unexpectedly ditched the plane on a flight from Turkey to the United Kingdom amid rising hostility with Iran on...

US President Donald Trump ⁠said that he told Canadian ⁠Prime Minister Mark Carney that Canada must do better at controlling Ontario wildfires whose smoke has affected several US states. The day after threatening to levy additional tariffs ‌on Canadian goods to punish Canada over the wildfire smoke, Trump said he spoke to Carney at the Fifa World Cup final that both of them attended on Sunday. “I have a good relationship with Mark Carney, but we’ve got to ⁠stop the fires up there,” Trump told...

Iran is fighting a “full-scale war” with the United States, its president said on Monday, as Washington expanded its strikes across the Islamic republic. The declaration came as Tehran’s Yemeni allies, the Houthi rebels, threatened to broaden the war even further by announcing they would blockade Saudi ports, putting at risk Riyadh’s ability to bypass the Strait of Hormuz for some of its oil exports. Throughout the war, which began in late February, Iran has hit countries across the region,...

Ukraine said on Sunday that Russian missile strikes on a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain had killed six people, hours after Moscow fired a fresh barrage of missiles at Kyiv. Ukraine’s navy said Russia had launched three cruise missiles at the Golden Leo, which flies the flag of Guinea-Bissau, as it was “leaving the combat zone with a cargo of grain”. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said the crew had included citizens of Syria and India, while Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky said the vessel...

An ageing ferry carrying more than 100 people capsized off the coast of Guyana, with rescue teams saving 67 people, officials said, as the search continued into Monday. The ferry MV Barima left the small English-speaking country at the northeast corner of South America Saturday afternoon with at least 133 people aboard for a trip from the capital Georgetown to Port Kaituma. Port Kaituma is inland in the oil-rich Essequibo region, and the ferry travels along the coast in the Atlantic before...

The US military on Sunday reported the death of another US soldier, bringing the total US military death toll in the Iran war to 17. In a post on social media, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said a soldier was killed in northern Iraq on Saturday during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone. A second soldier sustained minor injuries and is continuing to receive medical treatment, it said. This came a day after the US military reported that two...

Musical headliners Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, BTS and Coldplay were joined by Brazilian football icons and Ted Lasso actors in a spectacular first-ever Fifa World Cup final half-time show on Sunday. The star-packed, Super Bowl-style extravaganza – a first for football’s showpiece event – also featured a tribute to football icon Pele, and a rendition of “Seven Nation Army” led by Gustavo Dudamel and featuring musicians from the US, Venezuela and Iran. Sesame Street and The Muppets...

Thousands of Israelis, including settlers and right-wing activists, marched towards the border with Gaza on Sunday, calling on the government to re-establish Israeli settlements in the war-shattered Palestinian territory, an Agence France-Presse journalist reported. The demonstrators gathered near the border before walking in large numbers towards the fence overlooking northern Gaza, where Israeli security forces deployed to prevent participants from advancing further. Agence France-Presse...

Football fans launched a unique protest against US President Donald Trump and Fifa chief Gianni Infantino at Sunday’s World Cup final. Red cards were handed out in New York and New Jersey to those on their way to the MetLife Stadium for the Spain v Argentina clash. Protest organisers hope fans will hold up the red cards during the handing over of the trophy to demonstrate their anger at Trump and Infantino. The duo are set to give the winning captain the World Cup trophy. The red cards featured...

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday denounced New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani after he said he is considering whether to arrest the Israeli leader during a coming United Nations summit. “Mr Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York,” Netanyahu’s office said, in a post on its official X account. “Like Karim Khan, Mamdani appears interested in diverting public attention from his follies and attacking the leader of the Jewish state and...

The Chinese company that formerly owned British Steel demanded on Sunday compensation from the UK government for investment losses following the nationalisation of the manufacturer last week. The British government took operational control of the company last year after Jingye Group said it was considering closing the blast furnaces at its Scunthorpe plant in northern England, the last in the United Kingdom to make “virgin steel” from raw materials. Jingye Group said in a WeChat statement that...

At least six people were killed and 21 injured after two earthquakes struck a mountainous region of Peru, the country’s civil defence chief said ‌on Sunday. The earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 5.1 and 3.7, hit on Saturday night in Chupaca province in the Junin region, about 300km (186 miles) east of Lima, according to Peru’s National Seismological Centre post on social media. The ⁠first earthquake struck at a depth of 24km (15 ‌miles) and the second at 18km, the centre said. The...

US President Donald Trump has said people in the Scottish city of Aberdeen will be “dancing in the streets” following reports Andy Burnham could back new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. The incoming UK prime minister, dubbed the “King of the North” for his work as ‌the mayor of Greater Manchester in northwestern England, has not confirmed reports that he is considering approving new fossil fuel production, particularly in the North Sea’s Rosebank and Jackdaw fields. But in a post on his...

Russia battered Ukraine’s capital Kyiv overnight with one of its biggest ballistic missile barrages of the war, killing at least one person and wounding 16 others, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday. A series ‌of powerful explosions thundered across the darkened city in an attack that involved 41 missiles of various types and ravaged buildings across several districts. Residential buildings, warehouses, a supermarket and a dormitory were among the structures damaged, said Kyiv Mayor...

China and Russia are not formal allies, but their ties have grown significantly closer in recent years. The two countries have been “comprehensive strategic partners of coordination for a new era” since 2019, often sharing the goal of countering Western dominance in the international arena. But which nation holds the upper hand in this relationship? Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on an article in The Wall Street Journal on relations between Moscow and Beijing, said on July 14 that...

The leaders of Germany and France announced on Friday that the German military would participate in a nuclear exercise under a French initiative to deepen European nuclear cooperation. The move by both countries to deepen nuclear cooperation underscores growing European defence self-reliance amid concerns about the future of US security commitments to the continent. “We will have German conventional forces participate in a nuclear exercise conducted by the French armed forces before the end of...

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will make ⁠his first trip to the White House this week to present a plan to US President Donald Trump on how to disarm Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and secure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. Aoun, who served as the commander of Lebanon’s US-backed army before being elected president last year, is the first Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years to visit the White House, where he will meet Trump face-to-face for the first time. Tuesday’s meeting comes...

Hong Kong has embarked on the path of drawing up its first five-year plan – a significant moment in its history. Hong Kong’s first five-year plan should be more than a local economic blueprint. Properly conceived, it should define how the city contributes to China’s national development while preserving the global connections that make Hong Kong uniquely valuable. Success will depend on three mutually reinforcing pillars – deeper integration with the mainland, seamless connectivity across the...

Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, whose social media empire promoting wealth, male dominance and misogyny has made them among the world’s most polarising internet personalities, were arrested on Saturday in Miami as British authorities sought their extradition on rape and sex trafficking charges. The brothers were taken into custody by the US Marshals Service on a sealed warrant, agency spokesman Brady McCarron said, placing the United States at the centre of an international legal...

Prominent Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara flew to exile on Saturday in the United States after serving a five-year sentence on the island, as Washington urged Havana to release more than 700 political prisoners. Otero Alcantara, designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022 for insulting national symbols, contempt and disturbing the public order. He landed in Miami, the capital of the Cuban diaspora, after a short...

The recent resignation of Keir Starmer as Britain’s prime minister has reignited a debate over the United Kingdom’s post-Brexit identity – and talk of rejoining the European Union. Over the past decade, has Britain’s decision to exit the EU returned the UK to its splendid isolation – or merely a splendid squalor? It may seem a far-fetched idea but what if the UK were to become a special sovereignty within the EU? And in that case, what can post-Brexit Britain learn from Hong Kong, which has been...

Former Apollo Global Management Chief Executive Officer Leon Black told Congress he paid US$21 million to a woman he accused of blackmailing and extorting him. The billionaire investor said during a June 26 interview with the US House Oversight Committee that he paid the money to the woman, with whom he had had an affair, after she demanded US$100 million because he “ruined her life”. Black’s appearance at the voluntary interview was part of the congressional investigation into the late...

In Iran war news with major US political implications, two US soldiers were killed and several wounded by an Iranian drone, the Pentagon announced on Saturday. The tragedy, the first US combat deaths in months, came as US President Donald Trump has tried to downplay or distract attention from the hugely unpopular war that he started in late February, as his polling numbers tank four months in advance of a hugely consequential midterm election. “Two US service members in Jordan were killed in...

Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman has reclassified crocodiles from wild animals to “captive-bred wildlife”, a move that clears the way for the reptiles to be used for security purposes, including to deter prison escapes. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir – who reportedly proposed in December surrounding a prison for Palestinian detainees with crocodiles, a la Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention facility – welcomed the decision. “Are you...

The Canadian military was preparing on Saturday to evacuate a remote community of 600 people threatened by forest wildfires that have spread, choking smoke across a broad swathe of the United States. Federal Emergencies Minister Eleanor Olszewski said late on Friday that the armed forces would use aircraft to evacuate the inhabitants of Fort Hope in sparsely populated northwestern Ontario, where some of the most intense fires are burning. The region has few roads and relies heavily on air...

Germany plans to scale back renewable-energy subsidies in a sweeping overhaul of its funding system, as surging solar output puts growing strain on the country’s power grid. From 2027, new renewable generators should receive support “in a way that benefits both the market and the system,” according to a draft law published by the Economy Ministry late on Friday. That means rewarding projects that respond more closely to electricity demand and do not worsen grid congestion. Fixed feed-in tariffs...

As Norwegian World Cup footballer Erling Haaland’s herbal drink advertising blitz captivates millions, his home country has emerged as a popular destination for Chinese travellers. An increasing number of Chinese citizens have visited Norway over the past two years, with interest surging during this summer’s international football competition. The draw was largely Norway’s scenic allure, but in recent weeks Haaland’s social-media stagecraft had amplified the appeal, tourism professionals...

The resumption of US strikes against Iran has thrust incoming UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham into a potential day one decision on how much to support Britain’s closest ally in its controversial military campaign. Even as Burnham was installed as leader of the governing Labour Party on Friday, outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government was engaged in high-level talks about renewed US attacks on Iran, according to people familiar with the matter. The prime minister-in-waiting was kept...

Geography has handed the United Arab Emirates quite the quandary: its government wants to cut dependence on the Strait of Hormuz to “zero”, yet the ports that power its economy sit squarely inside the waterway it hopes to avoid. Jebel Ali and Khalifa ports collectively handle most of the UAE’s US$1 trillion in annual non-oil trade, much of which flows to and from Asia. Together, they form the single most vital link in a logistics corridor stretching from Singapore to Europe – a status not easily...

The historian A.J.P. Taylor wrote one of the most powerful openings of any book. “In the state of nature which Hobbes imagined, violence was the only law, and life was ‘nasty brutish and short’,” he wrote in The Struggle for Mastery in Europe, 1848-1918. “Though individuals never lived in this state of nature, the Great Powers of Europe have always done so. Sovereign states have distinguished European civilisation, at any rate since the end of the fifteenth century. Each individual state in...

Donald Trump’s social media company has discussed charging Wall Street traders and investment firms as much as US$100,000 a month for faster access to the US president’s posts on his Truth Social platform, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, has in recent weeks also pitched a discounted plan of US$60,000 per month if the firms sign up for a three-year plan, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the ‌discussions are...

European policymakers have watched Chinese carmakers roll in like a slow but unstoppable tide over the past few years: affordable, polished and threatening one of the continent’s proudest industrial legacies. Many have warned about the dismantling of their automotive prides following the new China shock. A crown jewel of Europe’s industrial output, the automotive sector represents directly and indirectly a total of more than 13 million jobs in the EU. It was no accident that electric vehicles...

A ⁠few hundred people in Venice protested ⁠on Friday against US Ambassador to ⁠Italy Tilman Fertitta as he arrived in the lagoon city aboard his superyacht, drawing criticism of President Donald Trump’s policies. Activists also objected to the heightened security measures put in place by local authorities as Venice prepares for one of its most important festivals. Fertitta, a billionaire businessman appointed by ‌Trump, is touring the Italian peninsula aboard his 117-metre (384-foot) yacht,...

US President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Canada for wildfire smoke spreading across the United States and said he would add the “incalculable cost” ‌of dealing with the pollution to existing tariffs on Canadian goods. Heavy smoke from hundreds of Canadian fires enveloped a swathe of the US from the Midwest to the Northeast on Thursday and Friday, prompting warnings to residents to stay indoors. Detroit on Friday remained the most polluted city in the world, according to tracker IQAir....

Iran launched more attacks on Washington’s Gulf allies and Jordan on Saturday after a seventh straight night of US strikes on Iranian military targets, including logistics hubs, escalating the war one week after a ceasefire collapsed. Kuwait came under sustained attack, with a desalination plant hit and operations at Kuwait International Airport suspended due to repeated missile and drone threats. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had struck a US military support centre at Camp...

A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of Mexico’s southernmost state of Chiapas on Friday, shaking buildings as far away as Guatemala and El Salvador, though authorities said there were ‌no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said emergency protocols were activated but that neither Chiapas nor the neighbouring state of Tabasco reported issues, and Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo said there were no deaths. In some parts of...

Britain’s charities regulator is looking into concerns about an Amnesty International report that branded a women’s centre for sexual violence victims founded by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling as “anti-rights”. The bestselling writer, who has been at the forefront of the debate about gender identity and has previously denounced trans activism, leading to accusations of transphobia, on Friday said she was angry at the label. “I’m often tickled by press articles asserting that I’m furious about...

The government is aggressively seeking the confidential sources of Times reporters who wrote about the president’s new Air Force One. The Times has asked a judge to quash the subpoenas.

The Trump administration, which flooded Minnesota with immigration agents this year, argued that policies limiting cooperation with ICE were unconstitutional.

The delay is intended to give the court time to consider a lawsuit that argues the $111 billion merger violates antitrust laws.

A New York Times reporter’s quest to beat the personal best he set 14 years ago took him to a Kenyan village, where the biggest benefit he got was not what he expected.

As Andy Burnham became Britain’s seventh leader in a decade on Monday, he tried to show that he will govern differently.

As chancellor, John Healey, who quit as defense secretary in the former government, will fill one of the most consequential posts, overseeing fiscal and economic policy.

Troy Jackson’s emergence as the clear front-runner to replace Graham Platner spares the party some challenges but points to some new ones.

Mr. Jackson, who has emerged as the clear front-runner to replace Graham Platner, is a Republican turned Democrat who is seen as close to Mr. Platner on policy.

For many fans, the World Cup victory cemented a belief that something promising — a cultural, economic and sports revival — is happening in the country.

Shayne Coplan of Polymarket and Tarek Mansour of Kalshi are young billionaires intent on dominating prediction markets. It’s more than a battle. It’s “bad blood.”

China consumes more eggs per capita than almost every other country, so a recent spike in costs is touching a nerve.

To see Christopher Nolan’s interpretation of an epic journey in his preferred IMAX 70mm format, admirers packed their bags and took out their passports.

Before its release, some in the country were highly skeptical about the new depiction of a beloved tale. But many who saw it over opening weekend came back with positive reviews.

The market for the epic poem is as crowded as a certain Ithacan palace, and publishers have had to get crafty to attract readers to their editions.

Cyclospora outbreaks are just a small part of a much larger food safety crisis linked to fresh produce.

A scriptwriter’s lament about Hollywood’s decline

The man threatened passers-by, lit a fire and set off fireworks, police said, and was then detained. The authorities identified him as an Army veteran and said he had targeted immigration officials.