Minimalist News

Homan Urges Politicians To Stop Attacking ICE, Border Patrol Officers Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times, Politicians should stop attacking immigration officers trying to enforce laws while putting their lives at risk, border czar Tom Homan said during a press briefing on Dec. 13 that involved officials from the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). “I’m begging the politicians, the governors, the mayors who constantly attack these men and women, please stop. I don’t want to bury anybody else. It’s not a joke. We’re all there enforcing the laws. Not only I care about the safety of the men and women in

Time For An AI-Tech Supply-Chain Channel-Check In Asia. Here Are Key Takeaways... Channel checks in Asia's tech supply chain are critical and can be used as early signals or leading indicators when trying to gauge the AI bubble and/or global demand for tech, especially in North America and Europe. Goldman's James Schneider told clients on Monday that his team visited two dozen companies deeply embedded in the IT supply chain across Taiwan, Korea, and Japan, the global production capitals for semiconductors, servers, memory, displays, optics, and capital equipment. Schneider's top ten takeaways from his team's channel checks were that AI server demand remains

"Offensive To Decency": Supreme Court Won't Hear Free Speech Case Over Vanity Plate Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times, The U.S. Supreme Court has turned away a Tennessee woman’s appeal of her state rejecting a personalized license plate for her car. The court rejected the petition in Gilliam v. Gerregano on Dec. 8 in an unsigned order without comment. No justices dissented. The petitioner, Leah Gilliam, is “an avid video gamer and an astronomy buff,” according to her petition filed with the Supreme Court. In 2010, she applied to the state for a custom plate “69PWNDU,” a phrase that is “understandable to people

China Blasts 'Premeditated' Provocations Of US-Allied Philippines At Disputed Shoal China continues to squabble and get in maritime incidents with US allies in regional waters of the Western Pacific. Lately it has been locked in a heightening dispute with Japan over Tokyo's pro-Taiwan stance, but there's been a new recent incident with The Philippines. Beijing on Monday accused Manila of staging a "deliberate" provocation and carrying out hazardous and aggressive actions near a contested reef in the South China Sea following a tense weekend incident. China has further blamed Washington for issuing what it labeled as misleading statements that have set the

Two Years Of Milei: A Resounding Success? Authored by Daniel Lacalle, When we analyze the economic situation in Argentina, we must first understand the calamity to which the country was left by the socialist government of Alberto Fernandez and years of Peronism. According to UNICEF, Javier Milei has lifted more than one and a half million children out of poverty in just two years. He has restored economic growth and relaunched Argentina, which was heading towards a disaster similar to Venezuela’s due to the policies of Kirchnerism, often referred to as the “socialism of the XXI century”. When Milei assumed power, Argentina was hurtling toward hyperinflation and misery, on an

Supertankers Bound For Venezuela Make U-Turns, Fearing US Interdiction, As PDVSA Hit By Cyberattack Fresh reporting in Reuters has tracked at least five supertankers which have changed course on Monday after initially heading to Venezuela to load crude oil, following this month's US naval seizure of a Venezuelan tanker. Among these was a Russian tanker transporting crude for Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA, along with at least four other supertankers en route to Venezuelan ports. They made u-turns on fears of facing US military interdiction.  Illustrative, via Gcaptain. This also comes after last Friday Bloomberg and others reported that Washington was preparing to carry out

Owners Of Inherited IRAs Face Dec 31 Deadline To Start Taking Withdrawals If you inherited an IRA in 2020 or later, you could be facing a Dec 31 deadline to start taking required minimum distributions from the account, under threat of IRS penalties.  The new rules spring from the December 2019 SECURE Act, which attacked long-beloved rules that previously allowed beneficiaries to stretch required distributions over their life expectancies, allowing them to enjoy tax-deferred growth along the way. The new rules apply to those who inherited either a traditional or Roth IRA from someone who died in 2020 or after. Those who inherited

Clinton Judge Orders Destruction Of Key Evidence In Case Against James Comey A Clinton-appointed federal judge in Washington has stepped into the James Comey saga with an order that effectively tells the FBI to wipe a key evidentiary trail tied to the former director’s obstruction case, and to do it quickly. The move drops the Justice Department into a separation-of-powers storm at the same time it is trying to salvage its prosecution of the man who helped ignite the Trump-Russia hoax.  Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted in September on charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional

10 Major Laws Taking Effect In California In 2026 Authored by Cynthia Cai via The Epoch Times, The new year is right around the corner, which means a new batch of laws will soon take effect. From banning masks for law enforcement officers and requiring gender-neutral restrooms in schools, to enhancing artificial intelligence regulations and completely banning plastic bags in stores, here is an overview of some major laws Californians can expect next year or late this year. LAW ENFORCEMENT MASKS Senate Bill 627 will ban law enforcement officers at the local and federal levels from wearing a face mask when operating in the Golden

National (Energy) Security Strategy The White House recently released its newly updated National Security Strategy, a roadmap “to ensure that America remains the greatest and most successful nation in human history, and the home of freedom on earth.” In the document’s opening statement among callouts of securing the border, massive military investments, and strengthening of NATO, Trump makes a specific call out for domestic energy: “We unleashed American energy production to reclaim our independence” He places energy production among the national-level focus areas to make America “safer, richer, freer, greater, and more powerful than ever before”. Meanwhile, the projected demand continues to skyrocket. > Good

The Evidence Is Clear: Masks Don't Do Anything... Authored by Kit Knightly via Off-Guardian.org, We’re being hit with the “Super Flu” (allegedly), and that means everyone wants us to wear masks again. We went over this (a lot) in 2020. Then we went over it again in 2023. Masks don’t work, they never worked, and – prior to 2020 – the academic literature was very clear on this. In a 2016 literature review, infection control expert Dr John Hardie found [emphasis added]: > Between 2004 and 2016 at least a dozen research or review articles have been published on the inadequacies of face masks. All agree that the poor facial fit and limited filtration

Free And Fair? Authored by James Howard Kunstler, > "The prison sentence made Ms. Peters, 70, a martyr for the election-denial movement, and launched a fruitless campaign by Mr. Trump’s followers to win her release from state prison." > > - The NY Times “Election denier” is a curious term. It implies that anyone who even questions the validity of an election is not right in the head, maybe even. . . a heretic, a sociopath, a criminal, an enemy of the people!  The New York Times flogs the term incessantly as a sort of talisman, to ward off suspicions (branded as evil) that US elections

Anger Mounts As Police Release Video That "Shows Nothing" In Brown University Shooting Brown University has roughly one surveillance camera for every nine undergraduate students. Yet, despite that high level of surveillance, local authorities have not released a single clear, front-facing image of the shooter, who yelled "something unique" before killing two and injuring nine in a classroom that focused on the intersection of economics and Jewish studies. Providence Police have not identified a suspect and appear to be pursuing multiple so-called "persons of interest," underscoring, nearly 48 hours after the shooting, just how few leads investigators have to work with. > The

Watch: Ukrainian Sea Drone In Direct Hit On Docked Russian Submarine In what appears an unprecedented first of the war, Ukraine is touting that it deployed a new underwater drone, named "Sub Sea Baby", to sink a Russian Kilo-class submarine docked at the Black Sea Novorossiysk port. While not specifying the date and time of the attack, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said Monday the operation was a success as it struck the "Russian submarine of the class 636.3 ‘Varshavyanka’" and as a result it "suffered critical damage and was actually put out of action." Illustrative photo: SBU drones strike Russian submarine. The SBU further

Population Collapse, Fiat Money, And The Future Of The Global Economy Submitted by Thomas Kolbe The fundamental problems of our society can largely be traced back to the collapse of reproduction rates. These are a symptom of dysfunction in the machinery of the social factory. People are losing faith in the future. The dramatic decline in birth rates is no longer exclusively a Western phenomenon. China, long the epitome of demographic dynamism, has been in an open contraction process for about a year. The consequences are visible wherever political and social systems have been designed for steadily growing populations alongside rising economic productivity. We

US Gov't Foils Terror Plot By Far-Left Group Plotting New Year's Eve Bomb Attack Our warning that the radical left protest industrial complex is not peaceful, but instead amounts to "civil terrorism," was on full display during the Los Angeles riots this past summer. Now, Marxist-aligned NGOs, funded by leftist billionaires and some receiving foreign support, wage continuous color revolutions against President Trump, attempt to collapse capitalism, while pursuing a broader objective of sowing chaos from within to destroy the 'America First' agenda. Now, with the Trump administration moving full steam ahead in a massive effort to dismantle and destroy radical left

D.C. Appeals Court Pauses Boasberg's Contempt Hearings On Trump Deportations Via American Greatness, A federal appeals court has granted an emergency motion sought by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to halt contempt hearings scheduled to start this week over the deportation of suspected Venezuelan gang members. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg had scheduled contempt hearings for Dec. 15 and 16, over the Trump administration’s deportation of Venezuelan gang member under the Alien Enemies act in March of this year. Boasberg had issued restraining orders on the deportation of two planeloads of suspected Tren de Aragua gang members, after the planes were already airborne. When

Wealthy U.S. Investors Embrace AI Tools... But Don't Let Them Run Their Retirement Accounts Despite the rapid expansion of AI-powered investing tools in 2025, most affluent American investors remain reluctant to hand over control of their retirement savings to chatbots. A new survey from InvestorsObserver shows that even as artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in portfolio analysis, market research, and trading platforms, trust in AI stops short when it comes to 401(k)s and long-term retirement decisions. The survey questioned 1,050 experienced U.S. investors between the ages of 35 and 60, all of whom hold portfolios worth at least $500,000, including retirement accounts

Mexico Bends The Knee, Agrees To Fulfill US Water Treaty Commitments Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times, The United States and Mexico reached an understanding in which Mexico will meet its obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty and provide water to American farmers and ranchers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a statement on Dec. 12. “Under the 1944 Water Treaty, Mexico is obligated to deliver 1.75 million acre-feet over five years to the United States from the Rio Grande River. The United States in turn delivers 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico from the Colorado River,” the

The Wealth Gap Widens: Survey Shows Rich Now Means $2.3 Million Net Worth Authored by José Niño via Headline USA, The benchmark for wealth in America has undergone a dramatic transformation. According to a report by Fortune, Americans now place the threshold for being considered wealthy at an average of $2.3 million - a 21 percent surge since 2021 that underscores how inflation and escalating expenses have fundamentally reshaped financial aspirations.  Though generational perspectives on wealth differ, there’s broad consensus that true prosperity encompasses far more than dollars alone, extending to security, wellness, and life quality. Back then, a seven-figure net worth seemed like the ultimate financial destination. But with

Maduro regime accuses Caribbean nation of participating in ‘theft of Venezuelan oil’ as tensions mount in region Venezuela has accused the government of Trinidad and Tobago of taking part in the US seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast last week, as Donald Trump’s four-month pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro continues to reverberate across the region. In a statement on Monday, the Maduro regime accused Trinidad and Tobago of participating in “the theft of Venezuelan oil, committed by the US administration on 10 December with the assault on a vessel transporting this strategic Venezuelan product”. Continue reading...

From the US to Hungary to Argentina, rightwing leaders are praising José Antonio Kast’s win in Chile’s presidential race José Antonio Kast’s victory in Chile’s presidential election has been widely praised by leaders of the global right, with congratulations coming from the US secretary of state Marco Rubio, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Argentina’s Javier Milei and X’s Elon Musk. The son of a Nazi party member, a father of nine and a staunch Catholic known for opposing abortion and same-sex marriage, Kast won 58.16% of the vote in the runoff – more than 2m votes than the leftist Jeannette Jara,

Opposition leader and Nobel peace prize laureate’s injury was reportedly sustained during high-risk sea crossing Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel peace prize laureate María Corina Machado suffered a vertebra fracture during her secret journey from Venezuela to Norway last week, her spokesperson has confirmed. Machado previously said she feared for her life during the perilous voyage to receive her award in Oslo. Continue reading...

The son of a Nazi party member and an admirer of Pinochet, Kast built his campaign on a promise to expel tens of thousands of undocumented migrants The ultra-conservative former congressman José Antonio Kast has been elected as Chile’s next president. With more than 99% of polling stations counted, Kast took 58.16% of the vote, against 41.84% for the leftist Jeannette Jara, a former labour minister under the current president, Gabriel Boric. Continue reading...

JetBlue pilot calls incident ‘outrageous’ and says US military refueling tanker didn’t have transponder turned on A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a US air force refueling tanker on Friday, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path. “We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. “They passed directly in our flight path ... They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.” Continue reading...

US president says he feels ‘so badly’ about Lai’s conviction and has spoken to the Chinese leader about it Donald Trump has said he wants Chinese leader Xi Jinping to release Jimmy Lai as he voiced sadness over the Hong Kong media mogul’s conviction on national security charges. “I feel so badly. I spoke to President Xi about it, and I asked to consider his release,” Trump told reporters on Monday, without specifying when he asked Xi. Continue reading...

Government says arrangement will bring in extra £400m on top of more than £15bn of existing annual trade with Korea The UK has signed a new trade deal with South Korea designed to increase exports of cars, Scottish salmon and Guinness canned in Britain. Keir Starmer described the deal, which replaces an existing agreement, as “a huge win for British business and working people”. It follows UK deals with India and the US, and the free trade agreement with the EU clinched this year. Continue reading...

Guan Heng, who filmed at sites in China of alleged rights violations against Muslim group, detained by ICE in August A Chinese man who left his country after filming at sites of alleged human rights violations against Uyghurs now faces the risk of removal from the United States, according to his lawyer and mother. Guan Heng, 38, underwent an immigration hearing in New York on Monday after being detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in August, his mother said in an interview. Continue reading...

UK, EU and Australia say guilty verdict against 78-year-old is further blow to democracy and press freedom in territory Governments, institutions and rights groups across the world have condemned the conviction of the former pro-democracy media tycoon and British citizen Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong on national security charges. The 78-year-old was found guilty in West Kowloon district court on Monday of one count of conspiracy to publish seditious publications and two counts of conspiracy to foreign collusion. The charges were brought under the city’s punitive national security law , introduced in 2020, and a British colonial-era sedition law that has been

Rights groups dismiss ‘sham conviction’ of media tycoon on national security offences in city’s most closely watched rulings in decades * The rise and fall of Jimmy Lai, whose trajectory mirrored that of Hong Kong itself Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon, is facing life in prison after being found guilty of national security and sedition offences, in one of the most closely watched rulings since the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997. Soon after the ruling was delivered, rights and press groups decried the verdict as a “sham conviction” and an attack on press freedom. Continue reading...

Police investigating claims father and son duo received ‘training’ overseas before attack. Follow today’s news live * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Dreyfus says Australians rising to support community in wake of terror attacks The former attorney general and special envoy for international human rights, Mark Dreyfus, just been on Radio National. He said this type of hatred will not divide Australia. People are going to unite to reject this hatred. It’s much worse than anyone’s worst nightmares. It’s the event that we in the Jewish community feared, the murder of 15 of our community members celebrating Hanukah

Chris Minns and Mal Lanyon questioned about police resources at Hanukah event and response time after Naveed Akram and father Sajid allegedly started shooting * Full report: Bondi terror attack * Victims of Bondi beach shooting * What we know so far about the Bondi terror attack * Follow the latest live updates The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, and the police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, have defended the police response to the Bondi beach terrorist attack, saying officers with handguns took out the two gunmen who were armed with high-powered weapons. “I am incredibly proud of our police officers,” Lanyon said

The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, claimed ‘this isn’t a gun problem, it’s an ideology problem’ * Full report: Bondi terror attack * Victims of Bondi beach shooting * What we know so far about the Bondi terror attack * Follow the latest live updates Anthony Albanese says he is “ready for the fight” to tighten Australia’s firearms laws after the Bondi beach terror attack, as the gun lobby and the National party push back against changes they claim are attempts to divert attention from radicalisation. Former Liberal prime minister John Howard, who introduced sweeping gun control measures after the 1996 Port Arthur

Police investigating claims Sajid and Naveed Akram received ‘training’ overseas before Sunday’s attack * Full report: Bondi terror attack * Victims of Bondi beach shooting * What we know so far about the Bondi terror attack * Follow the latest live updates The father and son duo allegedly behind the Bondi attack appear to have been inspired by Islamic State, the Australian prime minister says, as police confirmed they were investigating why the pair travelled to the Philippines last month. The New South Wales police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, on Tuesday alleged Naveed Akram, 24, and his 50-year-old father, Sajid, had recently travelled

Anthony Albanese calls man who tackled Bondi beach shooter ‘humble man’ who was ‘trying to get a cup of coffee, simple as that’ * Full report: Bondi terror attack * Victims of Bondi beach shooting * What we know so far about the Bondi terror attack * Follow the latest live updates The man who tackled one of the Bondi shooters has spoken from hospital as he recovers from his injuries and been visited by Anthony Albanese, who praised him as “the best of our country”. Ahmed al-Ahmed, 44, risked his life to disarm one of the alleged Bondi attackers and save

This live blog is now closed. For more on Ukraine, read our full report: * Europe ready to lead ‘multinational force’ in Ukraine Separately, the commission’s deputy chief spokesperson Olof Gill has just confirmed that commission president Ursula von der Leyen will attend the Berlin talks this evening. Not a surprise at all, but good to have it formally confirmed. Continue reading...

Proposal is part of new package of security guarantees, backed by the White House, that could mark breakthrough in reaching agreement Europe is ready to lead a “multinational force” in Ukraine as part of a US proposal for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, European leaders have said. In a statement, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany and eight other European countries said troops from a “coalition of the willing” with US support could “assist in the regeneration of Ukraine’s forces, in securing Ukraine’s skies, and in supporting safer seas, including through operating inside Ukraine”. Continue reading...

Bus and train initiative comes as government struggles to survive corruption and sexual harassment allegations Spain’s socialist-led government is to launch a national public transport pass that will allow people to travel anywhere in the country by bus or train for a flat monthly fee of €60 (£52.70). The prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, unveiled the initiative on Monday, saying it would come into effect in the second half of January and was intended “to change the way Spaniards understand and use public transport for ever”. Continue reading...

Prime minister reiterates support for Kyiv as it comes under mounting US pressure to sign up to Trump-backed plan A peace deal between Russia and Ukraine will fail unless it is backed up by “robust” security guarantees from western powers, the UK prime minister has said. Keir Starmer, speaking ahead of talks with European leaders in Berlin, told MPs on Monday he was opposed to any agreement that did not include sufficient military guarantees for Ukraine, as Kyiv comes under mounting US pressure to sign up to a Trump-backed plan. Continue reading...

Blaise Metreweli says world ‘more dangerous and contested now than for decades’ as AI and new technologies emerge Britain is caught in “a space between peace and war” complicated by the rise of artificial intelligence and other technologies dominated by powerful individuals and corporations, according to the new head of MI6. Blaise Metreweli, giving her first speech in the job, accused Russia of being insincere about Ukraine peace negotiations but made minimal reference to China as the prime minister, Keir Starmer, seeks to arrange a visit to Beijing. Continue reading...

Nour AbuShammala has returned to her partly destroyed apartment in Gaza City. This is her story of multiple displacements, injury and devastation over the last two years When 26-year-old Nour AbuShammala stepped back into her family’s apartment in Gaza City in October the rooms were gutted, the walls were damaged by bombing, and there was no water or electricity, but it was still home. Since the outbreak of war in October 2023 she has been forced to flee six times. This is her story of relentless displacement, survival and loss, told using photography and videos provided by AbuShammala and satellite imagery of

Family friend, sources in Russia and Syria, and leaked data help give rare insight into life of dictator’s reclusive household In 2011, a group of teenage boys spray-painted a warning on to a wall in their school playground: “It’s your turn, Doctor.” The graffiti was a thinly veiled threat that Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, a London-trained ophthalmologist, would be next in the line of Arab dictators toppled by the then raging Arab spring. It took 14 years, during which 620,000 were killed and nearly 14 million displaced, but eventually the doctor’s turn came and Assad was deposed, fleeing to Moscow in the

If Saed is dead he would be most senior militant to be killed since October ceasefire, in attack on car that reportedly left four dead The senior Hamas commander Raed Saedhas been killed in a strike on a car in Gaza City, the Israeli military said on Saturday. The attack killed four people and wounded at least 25 others, according to Gaza health authorities. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or medics that Saed was among the dead. Continue reading...

Palestinians who have worked the ‘breadbasket’ area for generations face being replaced by Israeli settlers The death knell for the Palestinian village of Atouf, on the western slopes of the Jordan valley, arrived in the form of a trail of paper, a series of eviction notices taped to homes, greenhouses and wells, marking a straight line across the open fields. The notices, which appeared overnight, informed the local farmers that their land would be confiscated and that they had seven days from the date of their delivery, 4 December, to vacate their properties. A military road and accompanying barrier was to be

Mohammadi ‘violently’ detained along with other activists at memorial event in Mashhad, her foundation says There are fears for the wellbeing of the 2023 Nobel peace prize winner, Narges Mohammadi, after she was detained by Iranian security forces at a memorial ceremony for a human rights lawyer in the eastern city of Mashhad. Mohammadi, 53, who was granted temporary leave from prison on medical grounds in December 2024, was newly detained along with several other activists at the memorial for Khosro Alikordi, who was found dead in his office last week. Continue reading...

Opposition claims SIR process being used to disenfranchise minority groups to benefit Narendra Modi’s government India’s political opposition has warned that democracy is under threat amid a controversial exercise to revise the voter register across the country, which critics say will disenfranchise minority voters and entrench the power of the ruling Narendra Modi government. An debate erupted in India’s parliament last week over the special intensive revision (SIR) process, which is taking place in nine states and three union territories, in one of the biggest revisions of the country’s electoral roll in decades. Continue reading...

* Argentinian makes 20-minute appearance in Kolkata * Supporters climb fence and hurl objects from stands Lionel Messi’s tour of India kicked off on a chaotic note on Saturday as fans ripped up seats and threw them towards the pitch after the Argentina and Inter Miami forward’s brief visit to the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, the ANI news agency reported. Messi is in India as part of a tour during which he is scheduled to attend concerts, youth football clinics and a padel tournament, and launch charitable initiatives at events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. Continue reading...

Lawyers say people ‘don’t feel safe to leave their home’ as officials target recent arrivals and those awaiting hearings Immigration agents appear to be increasingly arresting and detaining Afghan asylum seekers, especially men, who have arrived in the US recently and are awaiting court hearings to decide their cases. Amir – an asylum seeker who came to the US via Mexico in 2024 – was driving home from his English class in Bloomington, Indiana just after noon on Monday, when he was pulled over by an unmarked police vehicle. Minutes later, the asylum seeker from Afghanistan was cuffed and driven to a

Conflict monitors say the junta has increased airstrikes year-on-year since the start of Myanmar’s civil war Dozens have been killed in a military strike on a hospital in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, according to an aid worker, a rebel group, a witness and local media reports, as the junta wages a withering offensive ahead of elections beginning this month. “The situation is very terrible,” said on-site aid worker Wai Hun Aung. “As for now, we can confirm there are 31 deaths and we think there will be more deaths. Also there are 68 wounded and will be more and more.” Continue reading...

Interior ministry will tell 640 people awaiting sanctuary ‘there is no longer any political interest in their being admitted’ * Europe live – latest updates Hundreds of Afghans previously promised sanctuary in Germany have been told they are no longer welcome, in a stark U-turn by the conservative chancellor, Friedrich Merz‪. The 640 people in Pakistan awaiting resettlement – many of whom worked for the German military during the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan – will no longer be taken in, as Merz’s government axes two programmes introduced by its centre-left-led predecessor. Continue reading...

October figure from ONS suggests employers laid off workers, as earnings growth excluding bonuses fell * Business live – latest updates The rate of UK unemployment rose to a four-year high of 5.1% in the three months to October, as the labour market showed signs of further weakening before last month’s budget. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits also increased, indicating lay-offs by employers were also a factor in the latest figures. Continue reading...

Lisa Nandy will have to assess deal after formal request from Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI * Business live – latest updates The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, is to consider whether to trigger an investigation into the £500m takeover of the Telegraph titles by the owner of the Daily Mail, after she formally received a request from the up-for-sale publisher’s Abu Dhabi-backed owner. RedBird IMI, which was forced to put the titles up for sale last spring after the government banned foreign states from owning UK newspapers, has informed Nandy that it wants to transfer its right-to-buy option to Lord Rothermere’s Daily Mail

Exclusive: David Dinsmore to advise ministers as they step up efforts to combat far-right rhetoric online Keir Starmer’s Whitehall communications chief will address the cabinet on overhauling the government’s media strategy on Tuesday as ministers increasingly try to combat far-right rhetoric online. David Dinsmore, a former editor of the Sun who was appointed permanent secretary for government communications in November, will speak to ministers about modernising the way they reach voters. Continue reading...

Demands for oversight grow after inquiry calls sector an ‘unregulated free for all’ and families seek stronger safeguards Ministers are expected to back calls to regulate England’s funeral industry for the first time, after a series of scandals over the handling of remains. Bereaved families have called for a new investigatory body and rules governing professional qualifications after an official inquiry declared the sector an “unregulated free for all”. Continue reading...

Youth Endowment Fund survey finds a quarter of 13- to 17-year-olds are enticed or scared into committing crimes One in nine teenagers have been approached by criminals to sell, move or store drugs, weapons or money, research reveals. More than a quarter of those approached accepted the offer, representing about 120,000 teenagers across England and Wales, according to the results of a survey by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF), an anti-youth violence charity. Continue reading...

US Southern Command says boats were ‘engaged in narco-trafficking’ The US military has launched a fresh round of deadly strikes on foreign vessels suspected of trafficking narcotics, killing eight people. The US Southern Command posted footage of the strikes on social media on Monday, announcing it had hit three vessels in international waters. Continue reading...

Sgt Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, and 29-year-old Sgt William Nathaniel Howard were remembered as dedicated soldiers The two Iowa national guard members killed in a weekend attack in Syria that the US military blamed on the Islamic State (IS) group were identified on Monday and remembered as dedicated soldiers. The US army named them as Sgt Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown. Continue reading...

First new treatments for sexually transmitted disease in decades approved by US Food and Drug Administration as number of cases worldwide surge to 82m The first new treatments for gonorrhoea in decades could be a “huge turning point” in efforts to combat the rise of superbug strains of the bacteria, researchers have said. Gonorrhoea is on the rise around the world, with more than 82m infections globally each year and particularly high rates in Africa and countries in the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific region, which reaches from Mongolia and China to New Zealand. Cases in England are at a record high,

This live blog is now closed. You can find more of our US politics coverage here * Donald Trump sues BBC for up to $10bn over edit of January 6 speech CNBC reported last week that Trump could sign an executive order “as soon as Monday” that would allow for reclassification of marijuana, citing a person familiar with the matter. Trump first floated the idea that he was “looking at reclassification” in August, and the Washington Post (paywall) was first to report last week that he’s planning to direct agencies to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug,

Order classifies opioid as potential chemical weapon amid administration’s attempts to combat drug smuggling Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday designating fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction” – classifying the synthetic opioid not only a lethal drug, but as a potential chemical weapon. The order also directs the Pentagon and justice department to take additional steps to combat production and distribution of the drug. The designation comes amid the administration’s use of escalating and increasingly militaristic tactics to combat drug smuggling. Continue reading...

The son of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner has been jailed as a suspect in the killing of his parents after they were found dead in their home over the weekend, Los Angeles police said on Monday. Nick Reiner, 32, who had struggled with substance abuse, was taken into custody on Sunday night and “booked for murder” in the county jail, where he remained without bail, the police department said in a statement. Homicide detectives would present their case on Tuesday to the county district...

Constructed around 256 BC, Dujiangyan is the world’s oldest irrigation system that is still in use today. Long before the invention of gunpowder, the system was using natural topographic and hydrological features to divert water from the Min River for irrigation and flood control without the use of dams. To this day, the ecological engineering feat irrigates 668,700 hectares of farmland in the Chengdu plains of southwestern China. It was in the tranquil, lush mountains surrounding Dujiangyan...

The United States has agreed to provide unspecified security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a peace deal to end Russia’s nearly four-year war, and more talks were likely this weekend, US officials said on Monday following the latest discussions with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin. The officials said talks with President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, led to narrowing differences on security guarantees that Kyiv said must be provided, as well as on Moscow’s...

The new head of Britain’s armed forces warned on Monday that “more” Britons will need to be ready to fight for their country due to an increasingly dangerous world. Richard Knighton’s comments came as the UK’s new MI6 spy chief said separately that Russia had propelled the globe into an “age of uncertainty”. “The situation is more dangerous than I have known during my career and the response requires more than simply strengthening our armed forces,” Knighton said in a speech. “A new era for...

Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard on Monday defended Mexico’s decision to impose new tariffs on imports from China and other Asian countries, describing the move as a necessary step to protect hundreds of thousands of domestic jobs rather than a provocation to any trading partner. The tariff package, approved by Congress last week, will take effect on January 1 and introduce duties ranging from five to 50 per cent on 1,463 products from countries without trade agreements with Mexico. These...

Donald Trump faced a storm of condemnation on Monday after posting “perverse” and “sick” remarks suggesting Rob Reiner and his wife were murdered because of the celebrated filmmaker’s criticism of the US president. Among those voicing shock were some staunch Trump loyalists, and the remarks triggered a wave of unusually negative responses on the Truth Social network he uses to communicate with his base. As tributes poured in, Trump claimed the Reiners had died “reportedly due to the anger” that...

Four people were facing criminal charges in connection with what US Attorney General Pam Bondi described on Monday as a foiled bomb plot that contemplated multiple targets, including US immigration agents and their vehicles. The four individuals have been charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to the complaint filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California. “The Turtle Island Liberation Front - a far-left, pro-Palestine,...

A wave of “drastic, irresponsible” aid cuts this year has inflicted unnecessary pain on refugees, who are being vilified while their suffering is exploited by traffickers and politicians, the United Nations said on Monday. Outgoing UN refugees chief Filippo Grandi said this year had been a perfect storm of successive crises for the world’s forcibly displaced people, who were estimated to number 117.3 million people in mid-2025. He condemned the “unending atrocities” committed in Sudan, Ukraine,...

Punk group Pussy Riot was declared an “extremist organisation” by a Russian court on Monday. The ruling, by Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court, effectively outlaws the group from operating in Russia and puts anyone linked with the group at risk of criminal prosecution. The feminist protest group first catapulted to notoriety in 2012, when its members performed a provocative “punk prayer” against President Vladimir Putin from the pulpit of Russia’s largest cathedral. Today, members of the group...

Floods triggered by torrential rains have killed at least 37 people in the Moroccan coastal city of Safi, the Interior Ministry said on Monday. Authorities said heavy rain and flash floods overnight inundated about 70 homes and businesses and swept away 10 vehicles. The Interior Ministry reported 14 people hospitalised. Climate change has made weather patterns more unpredictable in Morocco. North Africa has been plagued by several years of drought, hardening soils and making mountains, deserts...

The global air travel market has bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, with the industry upbeat about 2026 and the Asia-Pacific region expected to lead worldwide traffic growth, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Monday. Load factors in Asia-Pacific were projected to hit an all-time regional high of 84.4 per cent next year, according to IATA, which represents some 370 airlines, accounting for more than 80 per cent of the world’s air traffic. Passenger demand was strong,...

Numbers do not always tell the whole story. But they are revealing nonetheless. In 2013, direct investment transaction volumes in India’s commercial property sector stood at around US$1.3 billion. By contrast, in China (excluding Hong Kong), investment activity reached US$27 billion. In South Korea, transactions stood at US$12.2 billion, data from MSCI shows. The woefully low level of investment in India – a leading emerging market that at the time was already the world’s third-largest economy...

The man held as a “person of interest” in the Brown University shooting that left two students dead and nine injured will be released from custody, authorities said on Sunday night. Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said earlier at a midday news conference that a man in his 20s had been taken into custody in connection with Saturday’s gun violence but gave no further details. But at a late-night news conference hours later, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley and other state and local officials told...

CMOC Group, one of China’s biggest miners, extended its push into precious metals with a US$1 billion deal to buy the Brazilian operations of Equinox Gold. It will take full ownership of two Equinox entities – Leagold LatAm Holdings and Luna Gold – that control several mines or deposits in the South American nation. Equinox will receive US$900 million in cash, plus a contingent payment of as much as US$115 million one year after the deal closes, CMOC said in an exchange filing on Monday. The...

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. Ex-NBA player with deadly brain cancer turns to Singapore for new treatment 2. Sea change: China narrows AI gap with US 3 years after ChatGPT shock 3. EU fears China’s role in Russia’s war on Ukraine is deepening 4. US green tech retreat echoes mistake of China’s Qing dynasty before collapse 5....

US President Donald Trump’s administration is facing a Friday deadline to release decades of government secrets on notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the latest milestone in the long-running effort to uncover the full extent of his network. Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) must release by December 19 its vast cache of records on the late financier’s sex-trafficking empire, which was alleged to have entangled underage girls and brushed against the...

Rob Reiner’s son, Nick Reiner, has been taken into custody after the deaths of the film director and his wife Michele, a police official said. The official confirmed the 32-year-old was in police custody on Monday. The official could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. Online jail records show Reiner was booked by Los Angeles police and remained in custody on Monday. It was not immediately clear what charges he would face. The online records...

Chile elected its most right-wing president in 35 years of democracy on Sunday, with arch-conservative Jose Antonio Kast scoring a thumping victory over his leftist run-off rival. Kast won some 58 per cent of the vote and held an unassailable lead over Jeannette Jara, a communist who headed a broad leftist coalition. Kast campaigned on a promise to expel more than 300,000 immigrants, seal the northern border, take a “firm hand” on near-record crime rates and restart the stalled economy. “Chile...

There has been no contact with Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi since her arrest in Iran at the end of last week, her supporters said on Sunday, urging the Islamic republic to release the campaigner and dozens of others arrested alongside her. Mohammadi, who won the 2023 Nobel Prize, was detained on Friday after addressing a memorial ceremony in the eastern city of Mashhad for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who was found dead earlier this month. According to Mashhad prosecutor...

World leaders voiced horror and revulsion at Sunday’s mass shooting in which 15 people were killed and dozens injured at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the “shocking and distressing” attack, which Australian police are calling a “terrorist” incident, was “beyond comprehension”, after assailants fired on a gathering celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog condemned what he called a “very cruel attack on Jews” by “vile...

Farmers sprayed manure on government offices and kept up roadblocks in southern France on Sunday in protest against a mass cull of cows as officials urged Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to urgently intervene. Many farmers in southern and southwest France have been incensed by the use of police force and the government’s mass slaughter policy to contain the spread of nodular dermatitis, widely known as lumpy skin disease. Farmers have blocked roads after veterinarians on Friday slaughtered a...

Following the deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Australia of not taking decisive action to tackle antisemitism. Netanyahu said in a statement that he had warned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a letter four months ago, stating that “the Australian government’s policy was promoting and encouraging antisemitism in Australia”. Australia and other leading nations formally recognised the State of...

Egypt on Sunday revealed the revamp of two colossal statues of a prominent pharaoh in the southern city of Luxor, the latest in the government’s archaeological events that aim at drawing more tourists to the country. The giant alabaster statues, known as the Colossi of Memnon, were reassembled in a renovation project that lasted about two decades. They represent Amenhotep III, who ruled ancient Egypt about 3,400 years ago. “Today we are celebrating, actually, the finishing and the erecting of...

President Volodymyr Zelensky signalled that Ukraine could accept security guarantees from the US and Europe as a way to prevent future Russian aggression, and substitute for its long-term goal of joining Nato. Ukraine’s leader met at Germany’s Federal Chancellery in Berlin on Sunday with a US delegation led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, along with several national security advisers from Europe. A lot of progress was made during a meeting,...

German authorities said on Saturday they had arrested five men on suspicion of involvement in an Islamist plot to plough a vehicle into people at a Christmas market. Officials have been on high alert during the festive season after a deadly car-ramming attack at a market in the city of Magdeburg last Christmas shocked the nation. Police and prosecutors said they had detained an Egyptian, three Moroccans and a Syrian on Friday over the plan to carry out the attack in southern Bavaria...

Washington’s latest national security blueprint may be one of its most consequential in years, yet it barely mentions Southeast Asia. Analysts say that absence speaks volumes, signalling a narrowing of American priorities that risks turning the region into a “bargaining chip” in the US-China rivalry. The National Security Strategy published by the White House on December 4 presents the Trump administration’s vision for restoring “American economic independence”, alongside preventing conflict in...

European officials are growing concerned that an emerging US-brokered peace deal in Ukraine could be exploited by Russia, paving the way for a reinvasion of territory in the war-battered nation’s eastern Donbas region. The fear, a main sticking point in recent talks, is that the US plan for a demilitarised zone would give the Kremlin cover to deploy covert forces in the contested area, according to people familiar with the matter. The Kremlin might then use hybrid tactics, including so-called...

A suspect in Saturday’s shooting at Brown University that left two people dead and nine injured has been arrested after an extensive manhunt, NBC said. The shooting took place in a classroom on Saturday, on the second day of final exams for the autumn term at the Ivy League institution, which has a student population of about 11,000. Surveillance footage released by authorities showed the alleged shooter walking away from the Providence, Rhode Island campus. In the brief clip the person, whose...

Around 1,000 people gathered in London on Saturday for a “Christmas” rally organised by far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson, as bishops said they were gravely concerned by the use of Christian symbols to “justify racism and anti-migrant rhetoric”. People waved Union flags and others that read “Jesus is King” at the rally in the centre of the capital, where a counterprotest was also held. “It’s great to see one is not alone … our Christian faith is important, more than ever, and we have to...

A drone strike hit a United Nations facility in war-torn Sudan on Saturday, killing six peacekeepers, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said. The strike hit the peacekeeping logistics base in the city of Kadugli, in the central region of Kordofan, Guterres said in a statement. Eight other peacekeepers were wounded in the strike. All the victims are Bangladeshi nationals, serving in the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). “Attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute...

Israel said it had killed the head of weapons production in Hamas’ military wing in a strike in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. The civil defence agency and medical sources in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory said an Israeli strike killed five people in the Tel al-Hawa district, southwest of Gaza City. The army said there was only one strike conducted in the area which killed the top Hamas figure, Raad Saad. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a...

US President Donald Trump’s envoy John Coale said on Saturday that Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko had promised to stop weather balloons flying from his country into Lithuania. “He agreed recently to do everything he could to stop the balloons,” Coale told Reuters in Vilnius, after two days of talks with Lukashenko. The balloons, used by cigarette smugglers, have caused over a dozen closures of Vilnius airport in recent months. Lithuania has accused Belarus of conducting a “hybrid attack”...

London’s Metropolitan Police said on Saturday it had decided not to launch a criminal investigation into allegations that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, brother of King Charles, asked his taxpayer-funded bodyguard to investigate his accuser Virginia Giuffre. In a historic decision, Charles in October stripped the former prince Andrew, 65, of his titles over his involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The claim that he asked an officer in 2011 to dig up dirt on Giuffre, his main accuser, for a...

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that “we will retaliate” after two US service members and one American civilian were killed in a Syria attack that the US blames on the Islamic State group. “This is an Isis attack,” the president told reporters at the White House before departing for the Army-Navy American football game in Baltimore. He paid condolences to the three Americans killed and said three others who were wounded “seem to be doing pretty well”. The attack on US troops in Syria...

Belarusian authorities have released Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova from prison, Pavel Sapelka, human rights advocate with the Viasna rights group, confirmed to Associated Press. Their release comes as authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko seeks to improve relations with Washington. The US earlier on Saturday announced lifting sanctions on the country’s potash sector. Potash plays a key role in agriculture, with Belarus being a key...

Iran said it seized a foreign oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman it suspects of carrying smuggled fuel, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Saturday, citing the chief justice of the southern Hormozgan Province. Mojtaba Ghahremani said 18 crew members have been detained and the vessel was carrying about 6 million litres of fuel, roughly 37,000 barrels. He did not specify the cargo’s destination, nationality or when the seizure occurred. The incident follows Iran’s interception last month...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Russian nighttime strikes damaged energy infrastructure across Ukraine, as US-led peace talks on halting the war press on. “It is important that everyone now sees what Russia is doing … for this is clearly not about ending the war,” Zelensky said on social media, adding: “They still aim to destroy our state and inflict maximum pain on our people.” He said Russia had sent over 450 drones and 30 missiles into Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian...

People love to hate governments, and they loathe having to pay taxes. However, from now on, we’ll have to embrace more state intervention and the need for higher taxes or else legislate a more dirigiste system of directing personal savings into investment that isn’t so dependent on markets. This can be either done preemptively or in response to the next financial crisis. It goes without saying that the former course of action is surely preferable to the trauma that will be experienced in the...

A year after the curtain fell on the Assad regime’s five-decade reign of terror, Syria is emerging as a rare beacon of renewal in a conflict-weary region. President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadi filled with revolutionary zeal to rebuild his home after 14 years of civil war, has successfully consolidated power and won broad international recognition. Over the past 12 months, Syria has “transformed from a global pariah to a fully fledged, integral component of the international community”,...

Sitting in her wheelchair, Haneen al-Mabhouh dreams of rebuilding her family, of cradling a new baby. She dreams of walking again. But with her leg gone, her life in Gaza is on hold, she says, as she waits to go abroad for further treatment. An Israeli air strike in July 2024 smashed her home in central Gaza as she and her family slept. All four of her daughters were killed, including her five-month-old baby. Her husband was severely burned. Al-Mabhouh’s legs were crushed under the rubble, and...

In the Mexican mountain town of San Isidro Buen Suceso, Virginia Veronica Arce Arce begins her days as she has for decades: seated at her vintage Singer sewing machine, guiding bright threads into intricate patterns passed down through generations. Arce is part of a group of talented female indigenous artisans who collaborate to create the colourful embroidered dresses and huipiles – traditional blouses worn by indigenous women – that have become a wardrobe staple for Mexican President Claudia...

When high school students in the West Hartford Public Schools district study World War II in the coming year, they will learn about more than just the typical hallmarks like Japanese-American detention camps. They will also hear about Sadao Munemori, a soldier who died protecting comrades from a grenade. The 22-year-old posthumously became the first Japanese-American awarded the Medal of Honour. Lessons like this that delve beyond places have left teachers “humbled”, said Jessica Blitzer, the...

Christine Choy, a trailblazer for Asian-Americans in independent film and whose documentary on the fatal beating of Vincent Chin was nominated for an Academy Award, has died. She was 73. Choy died on Sunday, according to a statement from JT Takagi, executive director of Third World Newsreel, a filmmaking collective Choy helped establish in the 1970s. No cause of death was given. “She was a prolific filmmaker who made significant films that helped form our Asian-American and American film...

During a trip home, I took my daughters to the Nanking massacre memorial hall. It is not an easy place to visit. In shadowy rooms, photographs of victims line the walls. The names of the dead stretch across black stone. In glass cases lie bones unearthed from mass graves. I wanted my children to learn history honestly, to understand what war does to people. I shared stories my grandma had told me: as she fled town, a bomb fell on a nearby street. One neighbour vanished. Only bits of her remained...

King Charles said on Friday that his doctors can reduce his treatment for cancer in the new year, describing the moment as a “blessing” and testament to remarkable medical advances. Charles, 77, was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer last February, and made the latest announcement in a televised broadcast as part of a national cancer awareness campaign in Britain. “I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to doctors’...

In films like “A Few Good Men,” the director’s ideas of honor and morality were stated as plainly as could be.

Kash Patel’s impulse to publicize the work of the bureau under his leadership has revived questions about his competence and his future in the administration.

The attacks brought the number killed since the Trump administration began the strikes on suspected drug smugglers to at least 95.

The announcement came just hours after prosecutors there charged four government officials with corruption in connection with the half-billion-dollar project.

The relationship between the president’s son and Ms. Anderson had been the subject of tabloid speculation during his previous engagement to Kimberly Guilfoyle.

The British broadcaster, which has expressed regret over the editing of video clips about the president, has rejected claims that the error was evidence of a fundamental bias in its news reporting.

The auto giant stopped making cars at the plant in Dresden, which opened in 2001, as it faces weaker demand and steep U.S. tariffs.

Ford Motor said the costs came from its decision to make fewer electric vehicles than it had planned and more hybrids that use both gasoline engines and batteries.

The former speaker failed to appreciate the groundswell of support for banning the practice, refusing to give an inch amid G.O.P. accusations that she was corrupt.

Portraying Luke Spencer, he was one of the best-known soap opera stars in American television. His onscreen romance with Laura Webber, played by Genie Francis, changed the landscape of daytime television.

To mark the winter holidays — an especially popular time to break up — we asked people around the world for their most striking parting words to each other.

Thanks to his eclectic style and tireless touring, he was among the most influential artists in the early days of Americana and alt-country music.

Demotion need not be traumatic.

We asked readers to tell us about the most memorable presents they’ve received.

Crucial details on the future security of Ukraine remain unsettled as negotiators seek a deal that Russia will approve.

He was a familiar byline in Newsweek and The Washington Post for decades, explaining the intricacies of economic policy in reader-friendly vernacular.

The shooting attack in Palmyra, Syria, on Saturday struck Iowa National Guard troops. Two were killed, along with an American civilian interpreter; three others were wounded.

For ecologists, the Covid-19 pandemic has presented a remarkable natural experiment in what can happen to wild animals when humans stay home.