Minimalist News

Oklo, X-Energy Join $200 Million Federal Nuclear Push For AI: Bloomberg Bloomberg reports that reactor developers Oklo and X-energy are joining a $200 million Trump administration-led program designed to speed new nuclear power plants for artificial intelligence data centers. Details could be announced Wednesday at a Department of Energy AI energy summit. Microsoft and Nvidia are also involved in the previously announced initiative, while several DOE national laboratories and the University of Texas at Austin are slated to share $60 million over three years , according to a document seen by Bloomberg. “Among the goals of the latest initiative are

India Keeps Buying Russian Oil At Near-Record Pace Despite Expired Waiver Authored by Tsvetana Paraskova via OilPrice.com, India's crude oil imports have remained close to record-high levels in July despite the end of the U.S. waiver the previous month. The U.S. quietly let the waiver allowing the purchase of Russian oil loaded on tankers expire on June 17, just as the U.S. and Iran signed the memorandum of understanding to continue negotiations on a deal. Yet, Indian imports of Russian crude has continued to flow in July, many of which may have been cargoes that were arranged during the window

Ukraine's Army Chief Latest To Fall Victim To Zelensky's Risky Reshuffle Zelensky strikes again in another major military firing, amid his promised big cabinet and military 'reshuffle'. The Ukrainian president announced Tuesday that he was dismissing Oleksandr Syrsky, commander-in-chief of country's army, and appointing joint forces commander Mykhailo Drapaty in his place . Syrsky was in the post for nearly two-and-a-half years, since February 2024. Now former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky "I have decided that the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Mykhailo Drapaty... I am grateful to Oleksandr Syrsky and

Thousands Of Noncitizens Registered To Vote In New Jersey, Governor Admits Authored by Tom Gantert via The Epoch Times , New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said a software error in the state's Motor Vehicle Commission system resulted in roughly 6,600 people who indicated they were not U.S. citizens being registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024. New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), speaks to the media after casting her vote in Montclair, N.J., on Nov. 4, 2025. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images Sherrill said in a statement that the individuals answered "no" when asked on

'I See Dead People': Treasury Blocks $99 Million In Federal Payments To Deceased Americans The Treasury Department announced Tuesday morning that it has successfully implemented new safeguards to prevent government payments to dead people in an effort to reduce waste and fraud. The verification system includes screening 885 million federal payments against expanded death records, effectively auditing payments totaling nearly $2.7 trillion. It has already flagged and stopped payments totaling roughly $99 million that had been marked to be sent to dead people. "Treasury has delivered on a key promise of President Trump’s mandate to stop improper payments and fraud

"Who The F**k Is This?": Jon Stewart Thinks He Discovered Trump's Body Double Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News , Jon Stewart spent a chunk of Monday's Daily Show convinced America had just unlocked a secret presidential spare after spotting a mysterious figure strolling behind President Donald Trump on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews. The late-night comic was already deep into his usual routine of roasting Trump when he focused on the appearance of someone who resembled the President in the background of the Trump's gaggle with reporters. Stewart had been needling Trump for lingering onstage during Spain's

"Safeguard Our Homeland": FCC Moves To Ban Foreign Military-Grade Drone Imports A little more than a week after we exposed military-grade interceptor drones being openly marketed on Facebook as dual-use technology by a Hong Kong-based company, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced a proposal to prohibit the importation and sale of foreign-produced military-grade drones in the U.S. " Today, the FCC took additional action to safeguard our homeland. We have proposed banning the sale of foreign, military-grade drones, including those capable of swarming ," Carr wrote on X, adding, "Another step to strengthening and securing America's drone supply chain." Today, the

Cuban President Warns "McCarthyism Is Back" As US Begins Fight Against Marxist Subversion Networks One day after the US government convened delegations from 65 countries at the Harry S Truman Building in Washington to coordinate action against far-left extremism and Marxist subversion networks across the West, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel responded sharply in a post on X, signaling grave concern that the Trump administration intends to unleash a new era of McCarthyism to combat the "radical left." " A new and more dangerous version of McCarthyism is back in the United States ," Díaz-Canel wrote on X one day after

This Sex Robot Is Going To 'Teach' Your Kids In Schools Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News , A rural New York school district on the Seneca Nation reservation is set to become one of the first in the United States to place a lifelike humanoid robot in front of high school students. Starting this fall, Salamanca High School will introduce "Sally," an M-Series robot built by Realbotix, to assist in coding, robotics, and AI classes for 11th and 12th graders. Sally comes with brown hair, silicone skin, a Western New York accent, upper-body movement, and facial expressions. She

Democrats Are Fighting A Civil War, And Bernie Sanders Started It Democrats desperately want to retake the House in November, not just to thwart President Donald Trump's legislative agenda, but to launch countless investigations under the guise of oversight. However, their most stubborn obstacle to achieving this goal isn't President Trump or the Republican Party. The biggest obstacle actually sits inside their own party. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has spent this cycle bankrolling primary challengers against sitting Democrats, and the fight has split the party into two camps that can barely stand each other. Sanders recently announced plans to defeat

DOJ Seeks To Rescind US Citizenship Granted To 10 Individuals Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times, The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Monday that it has filed to denaturalize 10 individuals charged or convicted with various crimes, including offenses against minors. “Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized U.S. citizen’s citizenship may be revoked, and certificate of naturalization canceled, if the naturalization was illegally procured or procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation,” the DOJ said in a July 20 statement, adding that the Trump administration was continuing its “largest denaturalization effort

The Conflicts Brewing In America's Ten Classes Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog, What we do know is that things have internal structures with dynamics that operate whether we "like" them or not. Correspondent Manoj S. recommended an essay from the always-insightful John Michael Greer on the dissolution of unproductive classes behind the smokescreen of AI : A Game of Musical Chairs "You can sell Americans on anything, no matter how wretchedly unsatisfactory it is, by labeling it as progress. That's what's being done now, with AI being used as a justification for firing useless workers, deleting unnecessary

Lockheed Unveils Move Towards Cheaper Patriot Missiles As Interceptor Stockpiles Dwindle With US-Iran tit-for-tat strikes on their ninth day and the Russia-Ukraine war grinding on in Eastern Europe, US inventories of certain air-delivered munitions are being depleted. This has made the rapid procurement of lower-cost missiles and bombs a top priority for the Trump administration. The Wall Street Journal reports that defense giant Lockheed Martin is planning a low-cost version of the Patriot interceptor missile that will cost less than half as much as the current version. The PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector will cost less than half the price of

SpaceX Rebounds From Near-50% Rout As Starship Launch Catalyst Nears SpaceX has slipped below its heavily hyped $135 IPO price and has been nearly halved from its all-time high, which was reached during the June 15 gamma squeeze that briefly sent shares above $220 in overnight trading. Last Thursday's scrub of Starship's 13th test flight added further downward pressure, with shares touching $119 on Monday. The stock rebounded on Tuesday ahead of Thursday's next launch attempt, positioning Flight 13 as a near-term catalyst. Now targeting to launch Starship’s thirteenth flight test as early as Thursday, July 23 → https://t.co/Rp7VwBzpWx pic.twitter.com/Y0YNzfc5zk

Coinbase Exec Says Clarity Act Has 'Tremendous Momentum' In The Senate Authored by Micah Zimmerman via BitcoinMagazine.com, Coinbase Vice Chair Ryan VanGrack said the Clarity Act has gained “tremendous momentum” in the Senate, in a CNBC “Squawk Box” appearance that made the case for a federal crypto framework and touched on bitcoin, blockchain, and the industry’s uneasy truce with Wall Street. VanGrack, a former SEC official, framed the Clarity Act as an overdue set of rules rather than a giveaway. “It’s not about no regulation,” he said. “This is about imposing regulation on the industry for the first time.” He

Chaotic Bodycam Video Shows Trans Florida Student Confront Cop Over 'Misgendering' Before Arrest Newly released police bodycam video shows a University of Central Florida student confronting a campus officer over pronouns before being pepper-sprayed, tased, and taken away in handcuffs. The footage shows Jarrett Vick, a 27-year-old blue-haired UCF student from Treasure Island, Florida, shouting at an officer who had arrived at a campus building on an unrelated call. The video was recorded in February 2025 but released Friday by the YouTube channel Inside The Blue TV. " Why do you let those pigs get away with this? They are

Appeals Court Rejects Biden's Bid To Block Release Of Bumbling Memoir Audio Tapes Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times, A federal appeals court on July 20 ruled against former President Joe Biden, finding that he was not entitled to an injunction blocking the release of audio recordings and transcripts of his interviews with his memoir’s ghostwriter. “Biden has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits,” Circuit Judges Sri Srinivasan and Gregory Katsas in Washington said . The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, sued the government in 2024, alleging it wrongly withheld most of the recordings

Convicted Illegal Migrant Murderer Sues Trump Over "Emotional Distress" The entitlement never stops, even when illegal migrants are convicted of murder and thrown in prison, they still expect free stuff and access to the American Dream. Brandon Ortiz-Vite, a Mexican national who was living in the U.S. illegally, was convicted of the 2024 murder of his girlfriend, Ruby Garcia, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, carjacking, carrying a concealed weapon, and felony firearm. He shot Garcia multiple times (including a shot to the head after she was already wounded), dumped her body on the side of

Meanwhile, In Dearborn, Michigan... Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News , A viral video from inside a Home Depot in Dearborn, Michigan shows department signs for the likes of Appliances, Paint, Plumbing now carrying Arabic script alongside the English. This is not some minor accessibility tweak. It is another clear marker of demographic transformation in a city where Middle Eastern and North African ancestry already exceeds 54 percent. The footage captures shoppers navigating orange-and-black signs that translate core retail categories into Arabic. A woman in full niqab walks the aisle as the camera pans across the bilingual displays. The

These Chips Are Scorching Hot: Utz Soars 90% On Take-Private Deal Chips are scorching hot on Tuesday, but not the kind made by Nvidia, AMD or Intel. Shares of Utz Brands , the Hanover, Pennsylvania-based snack maker known for its potato chips, cheese balls and red-and-white "Little Utz Girl" logo, erupted after European snack giant Intersnack agreed to take the company private . Utz Brands surged 90% after European snack maker Intersnack agreed to take the potato-chip producer private for $14.25 a share in cash. Utz Brands The transaction will be financed with about $920 million from Intersnack, new term

This live blog is now closed. Sign up for US Breaking News email US gas prices have continued to rise since the conflict with Iran resumed this month. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), a gallon of fuel is now just over $4 – almost a dollar more than a year ago. It comes as Brent Crude , the international oil benchmark, is now up by almost 2% to $90.92 a barrel . Continue reading...

The ribbon-cutting celebration of the Gordie Howe International Bridge is no longer taking place after Trump announced a 50% tariff on Canadian goods A planned joint US-Canada ceremony Friday celebrating the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is no longer expected to take place after Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on most Canadian goods. In announcing the tariffs, the president accused Canada of unfairly discriminating against US automobiles, alcohol and dairy products, escalating tensions with one of the United States’ closest allies. Continue reading...

Meliá group says Donald Trump’s sanctions make it ‘impossible’ to keep any of its 34 sites open A Spanish hotel chain is to cease all operations in Cuba at the end of the week due to “major difficulties” in doing business on the island under growing pressure from Washington. The latest US sanctions make it “impossible, de facto and de jure, to maintain even minimal operational stability”, the Meliá group explained in a statement on Tuesday to the Spanish stock market regulator. Continue reading...

State department’s 100-page report is latest push in Trump administration campaign to bring down government The US government’s latest allegations that Cuba is behind “many of the most significant upheavals in recent American political history” and that its leaders pose “a unique threat to American homeland security” have come as startling revelations to those living under the six-month-long US oil blockade in Havana, where desperate people search through piles of uncollected rubbish for food, or else swelter at home in 24-hour-plus blackouts. The unsigned 100-page report, Cuba: Capital of 21st-Century Communism, published by the US state department on Monday, blames

Chiefs in Ontario say they were left to self-evacuate before homes burned to ground, after being told there was no imminent threat Fast-moving wildfires have burned two First Nations communities in Canada to the ground, as members said they were left to self-evacuate without government help or emergency alerts. Thirteen communities in Ontario province have been ordered to evacuate because of wildfires, most of them First Nations. The Ontario premier, Doug Ford, told reporters on Monday that close to 2,000 people had been evacuated so far to cities including Toronto and Niagara Falls. 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...

Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns , says the state’s Labor party is under threat from One Nation and “we’ve got to fight for those votes”. Appearing on ABC Radio National this morning, Minns was asked if One Nation was a “racist party”. He said people who had concerns about the levels of immigration weren’t necessarily racist but some of the things Pauline Hanson had said were. Certainly some of the things Pauline Hanson says are definitely racist, when she said there’s no

Police found woman dead in Bentley home and seriously injured girl on nearby highway Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A teenage boy has been charged with murder after he allegedly killed his mother with a knife and stabbed his little sister, who managed to flee to get help. The 16-year-old boy was charged on Wednesday with one count of murder and one count of attempting to unlawfully kill after police attended a home at Bentley, in Perth’s south-east, on Tuesday morning. Continue reading...

Experts warn global energy market at a ‘critical juncture’ with escalating Middle East crisis expected to further drag on a slowing Australian economy Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The likelihood of a Reserve Bank interest rate hike has doubled, according to market forecasts, as the escalating Middle East crisis once again drives fuel prices higher amid dwindling global oil reserves. The total breakdown in the fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran has sent the international Brent crude benchmark surging by 23% over the

The former Rudd/Gillard government minister has a plan for fighting back against populists including Pauline Hanson Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The incoming Labor president, Kate Ellis , says toxicity in politics is spilling into the broader community and public debate, warning that threats against MPs’ safety are limiting how elected politicians do their jobs. Due to succeed Wayne Swan as the leader of Labor’s organisational base at this week’s national conference, the former Rudd/Gillard government minister said fighting back against populists including Pauline

Exclusive: Leaked document from LNP-convened panel heavily criticises police responses to family violence and calls for civilian oversight Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Queensland government has buried the findings of its own working group of domestic violence victim-survivors after their report was heavily critical of police responses and called for a “civilian review mechanism” to escalate complaints about police. The Liberal National government has repeatedly said it would “put victims at the heart” of the state’s justice policies. Continue reading...

After nationwide protests Oleksandr Syrskyi is to be replaced in reshuffle and popular defence minister returns to government Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and offered a “prominent position” to the defence minister he sacked last week in a move that sparked nationwide protests . In a late-night TV address, Zelenskyy said he was appointing Mykhailo Drapatyi, a popular and innovative general, as the new head of Ukraine’s armed forces. Drapatyi would oversee a reorganisation of the army’s command structure, Ukraine’s president said. Continue reading...

Parliament votes to stop children using apps such as TikTok in policy championed by Emmanuel Macron France’s parliament has approved a bill banning social media access for children under 15, making it the first EU country to bar children from apps such as TikTok. The president, Emmanuel Macron, has championed the ban as a key reform of his final term in office and pledged to enforce it by September. Continue reading...

Such technology solves problem of longer, thinner, energy-saving wings not fitting in airports around the world Airbus has said it will test folding wings for the next generation of its bestselling planes, as the world’s largest planemaker races to work out the shape of future commercial aircraft by the end of the decade. Longer, thinner wings made of light but strong composite materials offer the promise of energy savings but present a problem for manufacturers because they will not fit in airports around the world, many of which are already at or near full capacity. Continue reading...

New defence secretary Wes Streeting denounces drill by Neustrashimy as ‘performative and irresponsible’ A Russian warship fired its main cannon in a short notice test 45 miles south of Plymouth on Monday, the day Andy Burnham was appointed as prime minister. The Neustrashimy suddenly announced it intended to fire its guns in the morning and requested that a British warship, which had been tracking it, retreat a couple of miles to a safe distance. Continue reading...

Government urges visitors not to approach or feed wolves as it manages safety amid growing population Danish authorities have advised tourists to stand still, make eye contact and put up “maximum resistance” in the event of attack if they encounter a wolf while on holiday. After a 200-year absence, wolves started returning to Denmark in 2012. There are now estimated to be 49 wolves on the Danish peninsula of Jutland. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. Read our latest full report here . Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, is due to meet Donald Trump for the first time today as he wraps up a four-day visit to Washington. The meeting coincides with ongoing US-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel. The two sides announced a “framework agreement” on 26 June which stipulates the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon as well as the disarmament of Hezbollah. Continue reading...

Defense secretary has asked Senate appropriations committee for nearly $88bn more to continue effort The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth told the Senate on Tuesday that the US-Israel war on Iran had cost $37.5bn so far, as he faced lawmakers furious over the conflict’s soaring price tag and the deaths last week of three American service members. During an appearance before the Senate appropriations committee, Hegseth, whose opening remarks were repeatedly interrupted by protesters, provided an updated account of the war’s cost – up from previous estimates – and defended the Trump administration’s roughly $88bn supplemental funding request, calling it

Warning to shipping companies, on top of Iran’s chokehold on strait of Hormuz, may severely affect Saudi oil exports Middle East crisis live – latest updates Yemen’s Iranian-aligned Houthis have warned shipping companies that their tankers risk being attacked if they use Saudi Arabian ports, as the militia moved quickly to enforce a blockade announced the previous day. The Houthi warning for the Red Sea, coming on top of Iran’s threat to shipping on the other side of the Arabian peninsular in the Gulf, could affect the substantial Saudi oil exports that have so far been unscathed by the months-long

Film star promotes Christopher Nolan film epic wearing gold artefacts dating back almost 3,000 years The Odyssey is a story about a Greek king’s long journey home. But a pair of earrings worn on the new film adaptation’s press tour – and their long separation from their homeland – is sparking controversy. At a photocall in London, Zendaya, who plays the goddess Athena in the Christopher Nolan film , wore a pair of earrings fashioned from Iranian artefacts dating back to 700BC. Continue reading...

Residents of Deir Jarir say raids that killed two Palestinians late on Sunday 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...

Opposition leader taken away after accusing Narendra Modi of ‘destroying the future of India’s youth’ during protest in solidarity with cockroach movement Indian police briefly detained opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday during protests calling for prime minister Narendra Modi’s resignation, in solidarity with the new youth-led cockroach party movement. Gandhi, the leader of India’s Congress party, staged a sit-in outside Modi’s house on Tuesday afternoon, stating that Modi must resign “for destroying the future of India’s youth”. Continue reading...

Thousands of people again on the streets of Delhi calling for education reforms despite police violence on Monday Taru had come to the protest prepared this time. In one hand was an anti-government poster and in the other was a bicycle helmet. “We need to have protection in case Delhi police beat us up again,” said the 25-year-old, who stood among her friends. “We are not scared of them and we won’t run away, no matter what they do. We’ll stay here till they listen.” On Tuesday, central Delhi still thronged with thousands of protesters, as an unprecedented expression of

National disaster agency confirms ‘severe financial and human losses’ in eastern province of Nuristan Rescue crews in Afghanistan are searching for survivors and bodies among the rubble of houses destroyed by devastating flash floods that authorities said had killed nearly two dozen people and left more than 100 people missing. The Afghanistan national disaster management authority said on Tuesday that 23 people had died, 80 had been injured and more than 100 were missing after floods struck the eastern province of Nuristan on Monday, causing an undetermined number of buildings to collapse. The provincial capital city of Parun was among

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...

As new prime minister briefs cabinet on ‘cost of living government’, critics ask where money will come from Andy Burnham is under mounting pressure to explain how he will pay for his policy pledges as he implored his new cabinet to examine “all possible ways” to tackle the cost of living crisis. On his first full day in power, the prime minister faced questions about how he would fund the removal of VAT from electricity bills and an expected uplift in defence spending – an issue that led his new chancellor, John Healey, to resign as Keir Starmer’s defence secretary

Sarwar expected to be elevated to Lords to take up a ministerial post at revamped Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Burnham to cut VAT on electricity bills in first cost-of-living move António Costa, the president of the European council, said in a post on X that he held a “good” phone call with Andy Burnham last night, in which he said they agreed to “further strengthen” EU-UK relations and continue to cooperate to support Ukraine. He said there was also discussion about “common geopolitical challenges facing Europe”, which could be a reference to many things, including energy prices

Paul Condon tells spycops inquiry force failed to properly control unit which committed ‘horrendous’ abuses A former Metropolitan police commissioner has admitted that the surveillance of the family of Stephen Lawrence by undercover officers was institutionally racist, the spycops inquiry has heard. While Paul Condon was in command of the Metropolitan police in the 1990s, a controversial undercover unit spied on the family as they sought to persuade Scotland Yard to properly investigate Lawrence’s racist murder. Continue reading...

Diligent, popular, unexpected pick for the Treasury has been given a straitjacket – and the job of funding PM’s policy promises On the frequent occasions that John Healey would travel abroad as defence secretary, he was so determined to keep working he would get the crew to tether a desk to the inside of his military aircraft so he could read his papers. His diligence is one reason why Andy Burnham, the new prime minister, made Healey his unexpected pick for chancellor on Monday. Allies say others include their shared commitment to re-industrialisation and devolution. Continue reading...

Former PM’s supporters question pledge to end factional infighting after more than half his cabinet removed or demoted Allies of Keir Starmer have questioned Andy Burnham’s pledge to end factional infighting after he removed or demoted more than half of the outgoing prime minister’s cabinet in his first reshuffle . “This was a deeply factional cabinet reshuffle,” one said. “The idea it was anything else is ridiculous.” Continue reading...

Republicans also picked nominees in key congressional and statewide contests as both parties prepare for a high-stakes midterm battle in the battleground state Arizona voters on Tuesday chose their nominees for governor, Congress and other top offices, setting up a fall campaign that will test whether Republicans can reverse some of the Trump-era losses they suffered in a premier battleground state. Andy Biggs, the hard-right congressman endorsed by Donald Trump, easily won the Republican nomination to challenge the incumbent Democrat, governor Katie Hobbs, in one of the most closely watched gubernatorial contests. Biggs, a former chair of the House freedom

Measure authorizes spending until 4 December as Republicans seek to avoid volatile issue in election season The US House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a stopgap measure to head off a government shutdown until early December, with its Republican leaders seeking to defuse a volatile issue in the run-up to the November midterm elections. The continuing resolution authorizing government spending until 4 December passed by a vote of 220-205, roughly along party lines. It next heads to the Senate, where it will need to win bipartisan support to clear the chamber. Continue reading...

Sgt Angel S Pampersad also believed to be dead in attack that killed two others, raising death toll to 18 troops since start of Iran war The US military has confirmed that a third service member is believed to be dead in Friday’s attack on a base in Jordan and identified them as Sgt Angel S Rampersad, 28, of New York. The confirmation brings the death toll to 18 US service members killed since the war began. Continue reading...

Storm warnings stretch from Florida to Louisiana as Bertha brings heavy rain, flooding risk and possible tornadoes Tropical Storm Bertha strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday but was expected to weaken this week as it chugs closer to the US, potentially bringing coastal flooding and heavy rain from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana. Those areas along the northern Gulf coast were under a tropical storm warning through Wednesday and could see rain and flooding into Thursday morning, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. New Orleans also was under a tropical storm warning. Continue reading...

The second circuit overturned the previous decision, saying the judge overstepped authority by intervening before it moved through the immigration court system A federal appeals panel has reversed a lower court decision ordering the release of pro-Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi, opening the door to the re-arrest of a student protest organizer whom the Trump administration has spent more than a year trying to deport. Tuesday’s ruling from the second US circuit court of appeals in New York City overturns a previous decision by a federal judge in Vermont, which likened the government’s efforts to expel him and other activists to

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he was dismissing Oleksandr Syrsky, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s army, amid an ongoing political crisis triggered by the removal of a popular defence minister. The Ukrainian leader announced he was appointing joint forces commander Mykhailo Drapaty in his place. Syrsky, 60, had served in the role since 2024 and was among Kyiv’s most experienced commanders, having led the defence of Kyiv at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in...

France’s parliament on Tuesday approved a bill banning social media access for children under 15, making France the first European country to bar children from apps such as TikTok. President Emmanuel Macron has championed the ban as a flagship reform of his final term in office and pledged to enforce it by September. “France is leading the way in Europe when it comes to protecting our children and teenagers,” Macron said in a video posted on social media, hailing “a major step forward”. He...

US President Donald Trump’s administration is using another tariff threat to put fresh pressure on Canadian provinces to end their boycotts of American alcohol. But provincial leaders are not backing off. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he would not lift his province’s ban on the sale of American wine and spirits in government-run stores unless the US removes sectoral tariffs on cars and steel. “We have to negotiate through strength, not weakness. And we need to throw everything on the table,” he...

The ⁠man accused of murdering former ⁠government minister Ann Widdecombe struck her 21 times on the top of her head with a hammer during the attack at her home earlier this ‌month, prosecutors told a London court on Tuesday. Widdecombe, 78, who was a prominent figure in Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK but no longer a member of parliament, was found dead at her home in rural southwest England on ⁠July 9 after being attacked the day before. Police have said they believe Widdecombe had been...

Asia’s oil buyers are facing the risk of a second maritime chokepoint being disrupted after Iran-aligned Houthi militants threatened to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, even as shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remain severely disrupted by the US-Iran conflict. Analysts said any serious disruption in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could leave Asia with fewer alternatives for Middle Eastern crude, threatening Saudi shipments and increasing the risk of oil prices rising above US$100 per...

A man suspected of fatally shooting six child welfare workers at a shelter for mothers in Stade in northern Germany last month died by suicide in jail on Tuesday, officials said. The suspect, who has been partially identified in German media as 45-year-old Fatih Khan G., was found dead by jail staff in his single cell early Tuesday, the Lower Saxony state justice ministry said in a statement. The ministry said there are “currently no indications of third-party involvement” in the suspect’s death...

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Tuesday he would cut taxes ⁠on electricity bills, the first of several early moves to signal his intent to ease a cost-of-living crisis and quell anger over successive governments’ failure to bring change. On his second day in his new job, Burnham said his government would remove the value-added tax from domestic electricity bills from October 1, cutting around £45 from the average annual bill of around £1,862 that households pay. With bond investors...

The China threat has landed in Brussels. A new European Union position paper accuses Beijing of amplifying security threats, posing “a critical long-term strategic challenge” and reviving “sphere-of-influence logic” to reshape the global order. Beijing is cast as an enabler of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while its “assertive behaviour” in the South China Sea threatens European and Indo-Pacific security, stability and prosperity. The document, “Common Understanding: The Threats and Challenges...

While Beijing has lifted refined fuel export restrictions this month amid elevated global oil prices and ample national reserves, it has also introduced compliance requirements for refiners – a cautious pivot aimed at safeguarding domestic stockpiles, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter. “With the interim truce between Washington and Tehran having collapsed, Beijing has adopted a more cautious stance on easing curbs for fuel exports,” a person familiar with the matter said in...

Nvidia’s H200 chips, a step down from its most advanced Blackwell line, have resumed imports into China, albeit in small quantities. Meanwhile, China’s chip exports nearly doubled in the first half of this year. Much of these exports are mature logic integrated circuits for applications in consumer electronics and automotive sectors. While the US is the undisputed leader in the most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips, China is emerging as a dominant player in mass market legacy...

A man stabbed and wounded two tourists Tuesday morning near the ancient Acropolis in Athens, Greece’s top tourist attraction, police said, in what appeared to be a random attack. The assailant attacked a man and a woman, both Greek Americans, with a knife on a pedestrian street near an entrance to the Acropolis itself and near the entrance to the Acropolis Museum, which lies at the foot of the Acropolis hill. The 53-year-old male victim suffered a serious wound to his arm which required a...

Nicaragua’s long-serving President Daniel Ortega said the Central American country will no longer hold elections, eliminating the possibility of an electoral challenge when his term ends next year and further entrenching the rule he shares with his wife. Ortega, who has continuously held power since 2007 following an earlier presidential term ‌in the 1980s, said the move will close off any path to the opposition, although he did not provide details about carrying out the ban. “There won’t be any...

Iran targeted US radar and air defence installations in the Gulf on Tuesday, warning Washington of “more decisive and powerful” attacks to come as the conflict threatened to widen with a blockade of Saudi ports by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked and stopped two “non-compliant oil tankers” attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, part of an effort to tighten its grip on the vital waterway while the war reignited. Following the deaths of at least three...

The US Department of Justice said on Monday it launched a probe reviewing whether some Harvard University financial aid programmes were discriminatory, marking the latest fight against ‌the university by President Donald Trump’s administration. “The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today it is opening a compliance review into Harvard University to determine whether its China-based financial aid programmes and practices exclude American-citizen students,” the department said...

US President Donald Trump signed orders on Monday to impose new 50 per cent tariffs on many Canadian goods, claiming “discriminatory treatment” by Ottawa against American alcohol, automobile and dairy products. The tariffs take effect in 30 days and cover various items including wine, hockey sticks and cement, said the White House. Trump, who saw many of his tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court this year, tapped an untested legal provision for the new duties – Section 338 of the Tariff Act...

Oil prices are set to rise once more as renewed US attacks on Iran leave the Strait of Hormuz, a major artery of oil trade, closed again. With US strategic petroleum reserves at their lowest in over 40 years, America will have trouble keeping oil prices below US$100 a barrel, as it has mostly done in the war so far. Analysts warn that sustained oil prices above US$100 risk accelerating inflation, depressing consumption and inviting recession. They have also turned their attention to China and...

A federal judge in California on Monday ordered Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery to temporarily pause their merger while a case brought by multiple states challenging the deal moves forward. The companies are prohibited from closing their US$110 billion deal for 14 days until another hearing is held on August 3 regarding a preliminary injunction, which would prevent Paramount and Warner Bros from closing the transaction before a final decision is reached. The states raised “serious...

Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will fight extradition to the United Kingdom where the brothers are accused of rape and sex trafficking, their lawyer said on Monday, suggesting their arrest in Miami was politically motivated without explaining why. The Tates appeared in federal court on Monday for the first time since their arrest on Saturday and were being held in federal detention. In the coming weeks, a US district judge would consider whether they meet the conditions for...

Chess legend Judit Polgar on Monday turned down Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s offer to join his push to break with the Viktor Orban era as the country’s president. The pro-European conservative had nominated Polgar, widely considered the greatest woman to have taken to the chequered board, as a figure from outside politics to help carry out his promise of “regime change” from Orban’s hardline 16-year tenure. “I do not feel I have the strength to take on the historic responsibility of...

Chinese ⁠Premier ⁠Li Qiang on Monday extended congratulations to Andy Burnham on ‌becoming Britain’s new prime minister. Strengthening dialogue and cooperation between ⁠China and Britain will benefit ‌the two countries and “inject stability into global ‌peace”, Li said in ⁠his ⁠message, Reuters reported. “I am willing to ‌work with the prime minister ‌to strengthen exchanges, ‌enhance mutual ‌trust, promote communication and cooperation, ⁠and advance the long-term, ⁠stable comprehensive...

British prosecutors said ⁠on Monday a 28-year-old man ⁠had been charged with murdering ⁠former government minister Ann Widdecombe, and police said they were still investigating why she was attacked. Widdecombe, 78, who was a prominent member of Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK, was found at her home in rural southwest England on July 9, ‌after sustaining what police described as serious injuries. She stood down from parliament in 2010. Joshua Kerry, a white British national from northern...

Hungary’s government announced an investigation on Monday into a large foreign investment by Chinese carmaker BYD negotiated by a former foreign minister who last week resigned from parliament to take an executive position at the company. Peter Szijjarto’s announcement last Wednesday that he would take the job at the world’s top electric carmaker prompted accusations of a conflict of interest and criticism over his role in organising substantial government subsidies to the company while in...

Mexican drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was sentenced on Monday to life in prison in the US, after a plea deal last year in which he admitted to shipping millions ‌of kilograms of cocaine over decades as leader of the violent Sinaloa Cartel. Zambada is one of the most high-profile Mexican drug traffickers to be sentenced in a US court since fellow Sinaloa leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was sentenced to life in prison in 2019. In handing down the sentence at a hearing in Brooklyn federal...

As trade tensions with China reach boiling point, EU officials are ramping up engagement with Beijing in search of an off-ramp. Quietly behind the scenes, though, Europe is preparing for a trade war. In Brussels, a steely determination has set in to ensure the bloc’s manufacturing heartlands are not deindustrialised by the “China Shock 2.0”. With some industries already haemorrhaging jobs, the EU’s resilience-building and de-risking plans are now laced with deterrents as Brussels looks to...

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...

At least 27 people are dead and 83 more are missing after a ferry capsized off the coast of Guyana over the weekend, Prime Minister Mark Phillips said on Monday. The search for survivors is continuing after the MV Barima flipped over late on Saturday, with Phillips telling a press conference that 69 people had been rescued so far. The previous death toll had stood at 10. The ageing ferry MV Barima left the small English-speaking country at the northeast corner of South America on Saturday...

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...

The move followed the firing of a popular defense minister, who had clashed with the general over how to fight the war.

Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, a decorated commander, is popular both inside and outside of his country.

Representative Andy Biggs, a conservative Republican and an ally of the president, will try to unite Republicans against Gov. Katie Hobbs in a crucial swing state.

State Representative Alexander Kolodin will take on Adrian Fontes, the incumbent Democratic secretary of state, after defeating a more moderate Republican in the primary.

State Democrats released a ballot for their nominating convention on Saturday that includes Mr. Jackson and two long-shot candidates with little public support from delegates.

Federal health officials have confirmed another 2,500 cases of the parasitic infection.

The large number of cases suggests that excrement entered the food system on a “surprising scale.”

Republicans managed to push through legislation to fund the government through Dec. 4. But with Democrats opposed, the stage is set for a broader battle.

The administration accused California and Minnesota of fraudulent activity in their public health insurance programs.

Intelligence documents that the White House released to back up President Trump’s claims about China highlight Russian efforts to influence U.S. elections.

At the Mark Twain Prize ceremony, the comedian Whitney Cummings made a joke about the president that seemed to refer to Jeffrey Epstein.

Their resolve for freedom hardened during the pandemic, when they lived through a crippling food shortage and were forced to witness frequent public executions.

Users said the technology mistakenly deleted their accounts. To resolve the issue, they still had to rely on A.I.

The incident, which targeted the computer systems of another company called Hugging Face, happened while OpenAI was testing the systems.

As immigration surges in the country, activists are going to extreme lengths to expel foreign nationals, often taking the law into their own hands.

As the nation convulses with protests and violence, data and research suggest that some of the biggest arguments against foreigners don’t stand up against the facts.

New York was under a tornado watch, and forecasters warned that flash flooding was possible into the evening.

Storms set off tornado warnings all the way to New York on Tuesday. Forecasters also warned of flash flooding.

Some businesses in low-lying areas of New York City have developed routines to keep their goods and customers dry.

The stout raccoon, which has a spinal condition, is “an example to all of us that you don’t have to be perfect to be loved,” a Seattle City Council member said.

Have the “space Jews” come to get us at last?

The quick-fix fantasies of the world’s strongmen.