Minimalist News

Regenerative Farming Just Went Mainstream; Here's Why It Matters Authored by Mollie Englehart via The Epoch Times, My phone started dinging almost all at once. Text messages, links, alerts—people were telling me that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was about to make a major announcement on Dec. 10 related to regenerative agriculture. A YouTube link was circulating. The livestream was about to begin. There was a sense of anticipation in the air. When the video came on, Rollins stood alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others. What stood out immediately was not the funding amount, but the language: soil health, human health, nutrient

Georgia Woman Attacked With 'Corrosive' Chemical After Christmas Event, Suffers Third-Degree Burns A Georgia woman is recovering in the hospital after being attacked with an unknown chemical substance (probably acid) that left her with third-degree burns.  Ashley Wasielewski, 46, was walking in Forsyth Park in Savannah after attending a Christmas program at a nearby church when she was approached from behind by a stranger who poured a 'corrosive liquid' over her head, according to friends and family. Wasielewski reportedly let out a 'blood-curdling scream' as the chemical burned her skin, ate through her clothing, and melted her car's key fob that was in her pocket, the NY Post reports. No arrests have

Cover-Up Or Frame-Up? How Democrat's Epstein Releases Are A Classic Example Of False Light Authored by Jonathan Turley, Many years ago, as a law student, I had the honor of working with the great prosecutor William J. Kunkle Jr., who put away John Wayne Gacy. I was a young intern at the litigation firm of Phelan, Pope & John and loved listening to Bill’s stories about his famous cases. I even had to take a couple of calls from Gacy from prison when Bill was out. (I was asked to write down everything that he would say in the routine calls. On one

Orbital Data Centers Will "Bypass Earth-Based" Constraints Last week, readers were briefed on the emerging theme of data centers in low Earth orbit, a concept now openly discussed by Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, Jeff Bezos, and Sam Altman, as energy availability and infrastructure constraints on land increasingly emerge as major bottlenecks to data center buildouts through the end of this decade and well into the 2030s. Nvidia-backed startup Starcloud has released a white paper outlining a case for operating a constellation of artificial intelligence data centers in space as a practical solution to Earth's looming power crunch, cooling woes, and permitting land

At Least Two Dead, 9 Injured After Brown University Shooting In Rhode Island LIVE UPDATES HERE: Update (0113ET): According to AP, at least two people were killed in the shooting and nine others are wounded, including several in critical condition.  The gunman is still on the loose. At 4:22 p.m Saturday, the university's Department of Public Safety sent a campus-wide alert urging students and staff to run, hide, and fight as a last resort due to the presence of an active shooter.  According to the Providence Journal: > Cranston Police Chief Michael Winquist said Cranston Police had received a request from Providence Police for mutual aid at the scene of an

Republicans Offer Their Obamacare Alternative For years, Democrats have wielded the tired accusation that Republicans lack a healthcare alternative to the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare.  Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) (L) and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) / Heather Diehl/Getty Images On Friday, House Republicans called that bluff, unveiling the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, a legislative package aimed at dismantling the cost drivers embedded in the Affordable Care Act while expanding choice and transparency. The bill heads to the House floor next week, and predictably, Democrats

Who Are The Bad Guys? Via Financial Preparedness, > "Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech."  > > ~ Benjamin Franklin I think virtually everyone would agree that there are “bad guys” in this world. Of course, there are varying degrees of “bad,” but we should concern ourselves with the most dangerous—the ones who have both the desire and the ability to take one simple action that would probably end up destroying Western civilization. Due to the unprecedented amount of fake news, gaslighting, lies, propaganda, mis- and disinformation and psychological warfare operations that are employed today, this

Mamdani Suggests NYPD May Arrest ICE Agents Enforcing Federal Law During an interview with MSNOW Senior Political and National Reporter Jacob Soboroff, New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani faced pointed questions about whether his rhetoric on accountability extends to federal immigration enforcement, and Mamdani suggested his police force might arrest federal officers enforcing federal immigration laws. Soboroff didn't dance around the issue, asking directly whether there's a scenario where the NYPD under Mamdani's leadership could arrest ICE agents on city streets for their treatment of illegal immigrants.  > “I've also heard you say that no one is above the law and anyone can

2025: The Year Energy Sanity Returned Authored by James Hickman via Schiff Sovereign, When Robert Oppenheimer watched the first atomic bomb detonate in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945, the blast confirmed that America had won the race to build a nuclear weapon. The destructive power of these weapons was extraordinary; the explosion from Oppenheimer’s “Trinity” test unleashed an astonishing 83.7 Terajoules (TJ) of energy from just SIX kilograms of Plutonium-239. By comparison, a typical power plant in 1945 would have required 9.5 MILLION kilograms of coal to produce a similar amount of energy. This makes splitting the atom one of the most

Minnesota Gets New Fraud Czar Amid Somali Welfare Scandal Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Friday named Tim O’Malley the state’s director of program integrity, tapping the judge and former superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to root out fraud in government. O’Malley, who also worked as an FBI agent and spearheaded reforms in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, will be involved across agencies to oversee that taxpayer funds are not misappropriated. Walz also announced a partnership with WayPoint Inc., a Minnesota firm made up of former law enforcement and federal agents focused on forensic accounting and investigations.  They will develop

US Commandos Raided Cargo Ship Travelling From China To Iran, Seized 'Dual Use' Tech Via The Cradle US special forces raided a cargo ship travelling from China to Iran in November that was allegedly transporting "dual-use military technology," according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Friday. Citing unnamed US officials, the WSJ revealed that a special operations team boarded the ship several hundred miles from Sri Lanka and seized the cargo, which was described as “dual-use components that could be used either for civilian applications or to make conventional weapons." Image source: US Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class William

'Obvious Mental Disability': FBI Insider Raises Doubts About Man Charged As J6 Pipe-Bomber An FBI whistleblower has come forward with perspectives that raise concerns that the bureau has charged an innocent person with planting bombs at Democratic and Republican headquarters on Jan 5, 2021, according to Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie.  Police charged Brian J. Cole Jr with transporting the bombs planted at DNC and RNC headquarters on the eve of the Jan 6 riots "The FBI employee disclosing this information to me doesn’t believe the FBI has arrested a person who is capable or motivated, or even interested enough in affairs outside

Two US Soldiers & A Civilian Killed, Several More Wounded, In Central Syria Ambush Washington's Syria intervention is the mess that keeps on giving. And now more tragedy has struck after years of a Pentagon quagmire and endless occupation in the northeast of the country. Two US Army soldiers and an American civilian who was serving as an interpreter were killed after shots were fired at US and allied Syrian forces during a security meeting near the ancient central Syrian town of Palmyra. Image source: AFP An additional three other American servicemembers were wounded in the attack, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a post on

What Kind Of Caesar Will Trump Be? Authored by Vince Coyner via American Thinker, It’s not often that life gives nations real second chances when it comes to the big things, but in America’s case, it did.  My only hope is that we don’t squander it...or to be more precise, I hope Donald Trump doesn’t squander it. Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. The 2026 midterms are less than a year away.  That makes what Trump does in the next six to eight months monumentally important.  The bottom line is, does he want to be consequential or just well known? Julius Caesar is easily one of

Europol Pinpoints When Skynet-Like Human Resistance To AI Could Emerge If Goldman's estimates of a partial or full displacement of up to 300 million jobs across the Western world due to the proliferation of artificial intelligence and automation are even remotely correct, a new report suggests that by 2035, society could face widespread public resentment, protests, and even acts of sabotage directed at robotic systems. A new report by Europol, the EU's central intelligence and coordination hub for serious crime and terrorism, identifies around 2035 as a potential inflection point at which a human resistance movement against AI could begin to take

Justice Jackson's History Of Shilling For The Deep State Via The Brownstone Institute, President Joe Biden’s decision to limit his Supreme Court nominees to black women was widely criticized as a product of DEI-mania, but the ensuing racial controversy was a red herring, a political sleight of hand, designed to distract Americans from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s true purpose on the bench: to protect, preserve, and defend the deep state from the constraints of the Constitution.  The fallout from the nomination was familiar; CNN’s opinion pages called Republican Senators, including Tom Cotton (R-AR), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Ted Cruz (R-TX), “racist and sexist” for opposing

The Gulf Of America Is Back Authored by Erik Milito via RealClearEnergy, After years of market swings, regulatory uncertainty, and deep staffing cuts, America’s energy workforce is overdue for a stabilizing signal. December 10th provides exactly that: the first federal Gulf of America lease sale in nearly two years, offering long-awaited certainty for the companies and workers that power America’s offshore energy engine. In 2024, Gulf of America oil and gas activity supported approximately 428,000 jobs across all 50 states, contributed $35.9 billion in spending, and generated $7 billion in federal revenues. Few industries deliver that scale of widespread economic impact. Mandated by President Trump’s One Big Beautiful

Seized Tanker Reveals Cuba's Secret Oil Lifeline As Trump Turns To Gunboat Diplomacy Secretary of State Marco Rubio has realized that it is all about following the money. If the U.S. military posture in the Caribbean is one of "gunboat diplomacy" aimed at ushering in regime change in Caracas, Venezuela's capital, against the country's autocratic leader, Nicolás Maduro, then one way to accelerate regime instability is to weaken Cuba materially. During President Trump's first term, there was a brief moment in which the Maduro regime appeared close to being overthrown, but it was countered by support from Cuba. According to The New

Ukraine War Comes To... The Caspian Sea Ukraine has extended the war to a far flung body of water and unexpected place. Ukraine's military has newly revealed that its special forces conducted successful operations against Russian oil, military, logistics assets in the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea is some 700 miles from the front lines in Ukraine, and is the world's largest inland body of water, which is bordered by Russia and Kazakhstan to the north and Iran to the South, among other small countries. Ukraine revealed Thursday its long-range drones targeted and hit major offshore oil platform in the Caspian Sea. The offshore oil

France's Fiscal Death Spiral: A Nation Incapable Of Reform Submitted By Thomas Kolbe What is now unfolding in France may soon drag the entire Eurozone into deep turmoil. The country is staggering through a fiscal crisis while locked in a political stalemate that seems impossible to break. In the bond market, the clock is ticking loudly as France’s public debt spirals out of control. This week, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu celebrated a textbook Pyrrhic victory. On Tuesday, the National Assembly narrowly approved his draft for next year’s social budget. But the win came at a steep price: sweeping concessions that will only worsen

The seizure of the Skipper on Wednesday marked the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019 Venezuelan oil exports have reportedly fallen sharply since the US seized a tanker this week and imposed fresh sanctions on shipping companies and vessels doing business with Caracas, according to shipping data, documents and maritime sources. The US seizure of the Skipper tanker off Venezuela’s coast on Wednesday was the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019 and marked a sharp escalation in rising tensions between the Trump administration and the government of Nicolás

Justice Alexandre de Moraes and his wife had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions after conviction of ex-president The US Department of the Treasury has lifted sanctions imposed on the Brazilian supreme court justice who oversaw the conviction of the former president Jair Bolsonaro. Justice Alexandre de Moraes had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions, which target individuals accused of human rights abuses, since July. His wife Viviane Barci de Moraes – who was added the sanctions list in September – was also removed from the register on Friday. Continue reading...

Citizens told to stay at home while ELN guerrillas carry out exercises in response to US president’s cocaine warning Colombia’s ELN guerrilla group has ordered civilians in areas under its control to stay home for three days starting on Sunday, while it carries out military exercises in response to “intervention” threats from Donald Trump. The US president said earlier this month that any country that produces cocaine and sells it to the United States was “subject to attack”. Continue reading...

Rookie Michael Ma leaves Conservative party for ‘steady, practical approach’ of Mark Carney’s government Canada’s ruling Liberals have edged closer to a majority government after a Conservative lawmaker crossed the floor, in yet another blow to the struggling Tories. Rookie lawmaker Michael Ma said late on Thursday that he had decided to leave the Conservative party, for “the steady, practical approach” of prime minister Mark Carney’s government, which he said would “deliver on the priorities I hear every day, including affordability and the economy”. Continue reading...

Torrential rain has caused mudslides, washed out roads and submerged vehicles with more deluges expected on Sunday The Pacific north-west is reeling from catastrophic flooding that inundated communities across the region this week, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate and prompting a federal emergency declaration. Torrential rain rapidly filled rivers and triggered flooding on Thursday from Oregon north through Washington state and into British Columbia, causing mudslides and tearing homes from their foundations. Authorities have closed dozens of roads in response to the emergency and issued evacuation warnings for 100,000 people. Continue reading...

Thai PM says military will keep fighting and Cambodia suspends border crossings as casualties rise * Thailand-Cambodia fighting explained Thailand’s caretaker prime minister has denied the existence of a ceasefire with Cambodia, despite Donald Trump announcing that both countries had agreed to halt fighting. As heavy clashes continued along the border between the two countries, Anutin Charnvirakul said on Saturday that Thailand had not agreed to a ceasefire with Cambodia and that its forces would continue fighting. Cambodia announced it had suspended all border crossings with Thailand. Continue reading...

Leader praises his soldiers for turning ‘danger zone into a safe one’ during ceremony in Pyongyang welcoming them back from Ukraine war North Korea sent troops to clear mines in Russia’s Kursk region earlier this year, leader Kim Jong-un said in a speech carried on Saturday by state media, a rare acknowledgement by Pyongyang of the deadly tasks assigned to its deployed soldiers. According to South Korean and western intelligence agencies, North Korea has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Conservationists fear up to 11% of Tapanuli orangutan population perished in disaster that also killed 1,000 people The skull of a Tapanuli orangutan, caked in debris, stares out from a tomb of mud in North Sumatra, killed in catastrophic flooding that swept through Indonesia. The late November floods have been an “extinction-level disturbance” for the world’s rarest great ape, scientists have said, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects. Continue reading...

Notoriously difficult entrance exam is regarded as gateway to economic security and even a good marriage The chief organiser of South Korea’s notoriously gruelling university entrance exams has resigned – after complaints that an English test he designed was too difficult. Passing the exam, known locally as the Suneung, is essential for admission to prestigious universities and regarded as a gateway to upward social mobility, economic security and even a good marriage. Continue reading...

Co-founder of Singapore-based Terraform Labs given more jail time by US judge than prosecutors sought Do Kwon, the entrepreneur behind two cryptocurrencies that lost $40bn (£29.8bn) three years ago and caused the sector to crash, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud. The South Korean, 34, had pleaded guilty to two counts of US charges of conspiracy to defraud and wire fraud. Continue reading...

Attorney general’s move to pay back part of $22,000 travel cost makes her the first minister to reimburse taxpayers in growing expenses scandal * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The attorney general, Michelle Rowland, will repay part of the cost of taking her family on a holiday to Western Australia after the independent watchdog found her spending breached the rules for taxpayer-funded travel. Rowland confirmed on Sunday she would repay part of the almost $22,000 cost of the travel. The move makes her the first minister

This blog is now closed. * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Pressure mounts on Albanese government to control gas exports A broad range of consumer, industry and climate and environment organisations have called upon the Federal government to put people before gas exporters as it considers a new gas policy expected to be released soon. Australia’s focus on gas exports has tripled domestic gas and electricity prices, driving up inflation and household bills. Multinational gas corporations are posting huge profits while people on low incomes are skipping meals, not cooling homes and going without medicines because they

Device belonging to missing hiker Celine Cremer found in an area that had ‘been extensively searched previously’ * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Police will officially join private investigators and local volunteers in scouring the Tasmanian wilderness for a Belgian tourist, two-and-a-half years after she went missing and a day after her mobile phone was found. Celine Cremer’s Samsung phone was found by SES search and rescue volunteer Tony Hage on Saturday in the area around Philosopher Falls near Cradle Mountain in Tasmania’s north-west where the

Several European nations are already planning similar moves while Britain has said ‘nothing is off the table’ Australia is taking on powerful tech companies with its under-16 social media ban, but will the rest of the world follow? The country’s enactment of the policy is being watched closely by politicians, safety campaigners and parents. A number of other countries are not far behind, with Europe in particular hoping to replicate Australia, while the UK is keeping more of a watchful interest. Continue reading...

Bankstown man, 31, allegedly sent two emails to the communication minister’s office in late November making direct threats * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A Sydney man has been charged with threatening to kill government minister Anika Wells and her family. A 31-year-old Bankstown man allegedly sent two emails to Wells’ office in late November making direct threats to kill her and members of her family. Continue reading...

Baronesses Nadine and Ariane de Rothschild at odds over future of Swiss chateau’s priceless contents After three generations of genteel discretion bordering on secrecy, the international banking family the Rothschilds has been riven by rival claims to a multibillion-euro fortune including a vast collection of art masterpieces. The battle now playing out in the courts and media has pitched the 93-year-old senior baroness, Nadine de Rothschild – widow of Edmond de Rothschild, the late scion of the French-Swiss branch of the family – against her daughter-in-law, Ariane de Rothschild, the current baroness. Continue reading...

Nobel prize winner Ales Bialiatski and opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava among those freed after US talks with Alexander Lukashenko The Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, has freed 123 prisoners, including Nobel peace prize winner Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava, after the US lifted sanctions on Belarusian potash, a key export. The announcement came after two days of talks with an envoy of the US president, Donald Trump, the latest diplomatic push since the Trump administration started talks with the autocratic leader. Continue reading...

Veja doesn’t do surveys or freebies, hates greenwashing and Black Friday, and as demand for trainers wanes, it continues to go its own way In the grand hierarchy of Paris fashion, it’s tricky for a brand to stand out. Especially one whose coup de maître is a goes-with-everything white sneaker. Yet 20 years after Veja first began selling sustainable footwear, it has become the ultimate affordable It brand for scooter-wielding mums, sustainably minded millennials and A-list bigwigs who want to wear their values on their ethical leather-clad feet. Veja’s co-founder Sébastien Kopp says he doesn’t know if people buy his trainers because

As 27 European countries urge changes to laws forged after second world war, human rights chief says politicians are playing into hands of populists The battle had been brewing for months. But this week it came to a head in a flurry of meetings, calls and one heady statement. Twenty-seven European countries urged a rethink of the human rights laws forged after the second world war, describing them as an impediment when it came to addressing migration. Amnesty International has called it “a moral retreat”. Europe’s most senior human rights official said the approach risked creating a “hierarchy of people” where some

The decision is a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine’s defence – but Moscow is threatening to retaliate The EU has agreed to indefinitely freeze Russia’s sovereign assets in the bloc, as Moscow stepped up its threats to retaliate against Euroclear, the keeper of most of the Kremlin’s immobilised money. The decision by the EU to use emergency powers to immobilise €210bn (£185bn) of Russia’s central bank’s assets marks a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine’s defence. Continue reading...

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...

‘Clear conflict’ between Eurovision ideals of ‘inclusion and dignity for all’ and decision to let Israel compete, says 2024 winner Nemo, the Swiss singer who won the 2024 Eurovision song contest, has said they are handing back their trophy in protest over Israel’s participation in next year’s event. The 26-year-old, the first non-binary winner of the contest, said on Thursday there was “a clear conflict” between the Eurovision ideals of “unity, inclusion and dignity for all” and the decision to allow Israel to compete. Continue reading...

Guardian story helped to draw attention to planned hanging of Goli Kouhkan over death of abusive husband A child bride who was due to be executed this month in Iran over the death of her husband has had her life spared by his parents, who were paid the equivalent of £70,000 in exchange for their forgiveness. Goli Kouhkan, 25, has been on death row in Gorgan central prison in northern Iran for the past seven years. At the age of 18 she was arrested over allegedly participating in the killing of her abusive husband, Alireza Abil, in May 2018, and sentenced to

* 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...

Bajun Mavalwalla, who maintains his innocence, will take case to jury even as others strike plea agreements An Afghanistan war veteran arrested on felony “conspiracy” charges a month after he participated in a protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) maintains his innocence and is preparing for a jury trial, even as others arrested the same day strike plea agreements to avoid long prison terms, his father said. Bajun Mavalwalla II – a former army sergeant who survived a roadside bomb blast on a special operations mission in Afghanistan – was charged in July with “conspiracy to impede or injure officers”

Her delivery might be stilted – but Truss’ new YouTube show has grand ambitions: a ‘Trump revolution’ in Britain with the help of an influential US conservative ecosystem Liz Truss, Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister, began the first edition of her YouTube show with a vow to unmask “the evil-doers” attempting to bring down Britain, the US and Europe. She would, she explained, reveal how an “international network of leftists work to subvert democracy and the will of the people”. Despite her bleak monologue, Truss pointed to hope from across the Atlantic. “We’re going to look at the Trump revolution and see how

Specialist teams will deal with offences such as rape and stalking as part of VAWG strategy, home secretary says All police forces in England and Wales will have dedicated rape and sexual offences teams by 2029, the government has said. The plans are being unveiled as the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, prepares to outline a delayed strategy on violence against women and girls (VAWG) next week. Continue reading...

Relatives of Virginia Giuffre say they are surprised Scotland Yard made decision just before release of Epstein files The family of Virginia Giuffre have expressed their “deep disappointment” that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will not face a criminal investigation in the UK over allegations against him. It was alleged that Mountbatten-Windsor had sex in London with a teenager who was trafficked, and then put pressure on his police protection officer to dig up dirt on her. Continue reading...

Number is stark contrast with estimated 110,000 at far-right activist’s ‘unite the kingdom’ rally in September The far-right activist Tommy Robinson led a carol concert to “put the Christ back into Christmas” on Saturday in an event that had a huge drop-off in attendance from his last rally in London. The Metropolitan police said about 1,000 people attended the event at its peak, in stark contrast to the estimated 110,000 who turned up to Robinson’s “unite the kingdom” rally in September. Continue reading...

Ball will be replaced by Emma Willis but will continue to host special programmes for the station Zoe Ball has announced she is leaving her role as presenter of her BBC Radio 2 show. Speaking on the show, the 55-year-old said she would be replaced by the broadcaster Emma Willis. Ball will present her last programme next Saturday and will continue to host special programmes on the station. Continue reading...

Suspect remain at large as Ivy League university tells students to shelter in place * Full report: Multiple people shot at Brown University in Rhode Island, police say * What we know so far about the Brown University shooting Police said no weapons were recovered from the scene and the last sighting of the suspect was him leaving the Hope Street side of the building on foot. Timothy O’Hara, a deputy police chief, told a press conference that the suspect is a “male dressed in black” who exited the complex at Brown University. Continue reading...

Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, says ‘shooter’ still at large, as officials embark on widespread manhunt * Brown University shooting: follow live updates * What we know so far about the Brown University shooting At least two people were killed and nine more critically injured in a shooting on Saturday at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, with the suspect still at large hours after the first shelter in place orders were issued. Police scattered across the campus and into an affluent neighbourhood filled with historic and stately brick homes, searching academic buildings, back yards and porches for hours late into the

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation signed deal in October, but president says tribe is now trying to exit contract A Native American tribe in Kansas is facing criticism from other tribal groups after its economic development subsidiary secured a $29.9m federal contract from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to design potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities. The development entity of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation signed the contract to design the detention facilities in October, leading to criticism that the tribal group, which was uprooted from the Great Lakes region to reservation lands north of Topeka, Kansas, in the 1830s,

Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died from blunt-impact trauma on ride at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park A Florida sheriff’s office has concluded that the death of a 32-year-old man while riding a high-speed roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park was accidental. According to a report released Friday by the local medical examiner, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala suffered a deep cut on the left side of his forehead, a fracture to the bone ridge above his eye and bleeding above his skull. Additional injuries included bruises on his arms and abdomen, a broken nose and a fractured right thigh bone. Continue reading...

Greene, 60, praised for the various villains he played during his career but manager says he also had ‘heart as big as gold’ Peter Greene, the actor known for his roles in Pulp Fiction and The Mask, has died at the age of 60. He was found dead at his New York City apartment on Friday, his manager said, and the cause of death has not been disclosed. Continue reading...

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’...

Iranian security forces on Friday detained the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi along with at least eight other activists in an arrest condemned as “brutal” by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Mohammadi, who was granted temporary leave from prison in December 2024, was detained along with eight other activists at the ceremony for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who was found dead in his office last week, her foundation wrote on social media. Those arrested at the ceremony in the eastern...

The European Union on Friday indefinitely froze Russia’s assets in Europe to ensure that Hungary and Slovakia, both with Moscow-friendly governments, cannot prevent the billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine. Using a special procedure meant for economic emergencies, the EU blocked the assets until Russia gives up its war on Ukraine and compensates its neighbour for the heavy damage that it has inflicted for almost four years. EU Council President Antonio Costa said European leaders...

European Union members have observed an uptick in China’s support for Russia, multiple sources said, as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine prepares to drag into its fourth year. Officials are parsing evidence of an increase in battlefield weapons being shipped from China to Russia, to add to the well-documented flow of goods with dual civilian and military uses between the two states. “We note that 80 per cent of critical dual-use goods come to Russia either through or from China. They claim to be...

The reigning Miss Finland, Sarah Dzafce, has lost her title and crown due to a racism scandal, the organisers of the beauty pageant announced. They said at a press conference on Thursday that they accepted no form of racism or discriminatory behaviour and apologised for the incident in a statement. Tara Lehtonen, who finished in second place in the competition, has already been chosen as the new Miss Finland. “I promise to carry this title with pride and deep respect,” the woman from Helsinki...

Democratic lawmakers released a selection of photos from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, including some of now-US President Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the UK’s former prince Andrew. Trump is featured in three of the 19 photos shared by House Oversight Committee Democrats, who said they are reviewing more than 95,000 images produced by the estate. The panel released roughly 70 more photos later on Friday, including images of the disgraced financier’s home, Epstein taking a bath, a...

The European Union will start collecting a three-euro flat fee for each small parcel valued below €150 (US$176) sent directly from a non-EU country to customers in the bloc, following a decision adopted by the EU finance ministers meeting in Brussels on Friday. The move, set to kick in next July, marks a milestone in Europe’s fight, led by France, against the influx of small parcels, mostly from Chinese platforms such as Temu and Shein, entering the union tax free. But how effective these...

A federal judge ordered on Friday that US immigration officials could not detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia, hours after his release from immigration detention. Abrego Garcia was appearing on Friday morning for a scheduled appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office, some 14 hours after he was released from detention on a judge’s orders. His lawyers asked the judge to block authorities from detaining him again. Officials cannot re-detain him until the court conducts a...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the strategic frontline town of Kupiansk on Friday, just as Ukrainian forces reported retaking parts of the railway hub and encircling Russian troops. Standing at the city’s entrance in a bulletproof vest, Zelensky emphasised in a video message that “it is extremely important to achieve results on the front lines so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy”. “Many Russians talked about Kupiansk – we can see. I was here, I congratulated the...

Tom Barrack, the United States special envoy for Syria, recently made waves at an international forum in Doha, Qatar, by suggesting that “benevolent monarchies” might be the most effective form of government for the Middle East. He also suggested that Israel was not a democracy. His remarks were probably welcomed in some parts of the region, but probably less well received by the US and other Western media, which all but consider themselves guardians of proper world opinion. Barrack was just...

The UK is facing an “unprecedented wave of super flu”, a health chief warned on Friday as the health minister urged doctors to call off a threatened five-day strike ahead of Christmas. Wes Streeting said the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) was in an “incredibly precarious situation” as flu cases mounted, and was facing a “challenge unlike any it has seen since the pandemic”. NHS figures published on Thursday showed flu cases at a record level for the time of year. The number of cases...

It is almost eight years since US President Donald Trump first declared that “trade wars are good, and easy to win”. How much longer will it take him and his tariff hawks to eat those words, and acknowledge the crass economic illiteracy of that conviction? How high a price must everyone pay – in particular, US consumers – before he calls off his tariff war? As America’s Christmas shopping season gets into full swing, typically accounting for around one third of US retailers’ annual profits, the...

A Chinese business group has urged the European Union to halt its “discriminatory and disproportionate” use of anti-subsidy probes to target Chinese companies, as Brussels steps up its scrutiny of firms allegedly receiving unfair state subsidies. The EU launched an in-depth foreign subsidy regulation (FSR) investigation against the Chinese security firm Nuctech on Thursday, just days after Brussels reportedly raided the Chinese-invested e-commerce platform Temu’s European headquarters in Dublin...

The United States is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker this week, as it increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, six sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The seizure was the first interdiction of an oil cargo or tanker from Venezuela, which has been under US sanctions since 2019. It came as the US executes a large-scale military build-up in the southern Caribbean and as US President Donald Trump pushes...

A massive international grey market in mobile phone SIM cards is fuelling large-scale manipulation and fraud online, a University of Cambridge study has found. The researchers say physical and virtual SIMs from providers like SMSActivate, 5Sim, SMShub and SMSPVA were being used to verify fake accounts on social media platforms and e-commerce services. “We find a thriving underground market through which inauthentic content, artificial popularity and political influence campaigns are readily and...

Greece’s finance minister was on Thursday named head of the Eurogroup, the body that helps shape euro zone policy, underlining his country’s turnaround since the years when it came close to crashing out of the single currency. Kyriakos Pierrakakis saw off the rival Belgian candidate to become president of the assembly of finance ministers from the 20 countries sharing the euro. Greece had to be bailed out three times between 2010 and 2015 by euro zone governments to avoid economic collapse after...

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China desalination tech makes fresh water cheaper than tap water – plus hydrogen China has launched a revolutionary facility in the eastern province of Shandong that produces fresh water from seawater for just two yuan (US$0.28) per...

Canada’s governing Liberals were one seat short of a simple majority in Parliament after a Conservative lawmaker defected and joined Prime Minister Mark Carney’s party on Thursday. Michael Ma was the second Canadian Conservative opposition lawmaker to join the Liberals in just over a month. Hong Kong-born Ma, who represents Markham–Unionville, said he entered politics “to focus on solutions, not division”. “I have concluded that Prime Minister Mark Carney is offering the steady, practical...

A Hollywood director was convicted on Thursday on charges that he scammed Netflix out of US$11 million for a show that never materialised, while he instead used the cash for lavish purchases that included several Rolls-Royces, a Ferrari and about US$1 million in mattresses and luxury bedding. Carl Erik Rinsch, best known for directing the film 47 Ronin, was convicted of wire fraud, money laundering and other charges, according to court records and a spokesperson for federal prosecutors in New...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is rapidly cementing its position as a global leader in the digital asset sector on the back of its regulatory infrastructure and the institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies, according to industry insiders at the fourth edition of Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW). Speaking at ADFW, the largest financial and investment gathering in the Middle East and North Africa, Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said the UAE had been at the industry’s forefront, as capital city Abu...

The Indiana Senate on Thursday rejected a new congressional map that would have boosted Republican chances of keeping control of the US House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump’s nationwide push to install more favourable maps. The vote represented a rare rebuke to Trump by members of his own party, which he has largely ruled with an iron fist as president. The tally was 31-19 against, with more than half of Republican senators joining...

One-time cryptocurrency mogul Do Kwon was sentenced on Thursday to 15 years in prison after a US$40 billion crash revealed his crypto ecosystem to be a fraud. Victims said the 34-year-old financial technology whiz weaponised their trust to convince them that the investment – secretly propped up by cash infusions – was safe. Kwon, a Stanford graduate known by some as “the cryptocurrency king”, apologised after listening as victims – one in court and others by telephone – described the scam’s...

A grand jury declined for a second time to reindict New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday, refusing to resurrect a mortgage fraud prosecution encouraged by US President Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter. It is another major blow to the Justice Department after the dismissal of earlier charges against James and another long-time Trump foe, former FBI director James Comey, in a stunning rebuke of the Trump administration’s efforts to prosecute the...

An oil tanker seized by American forces off the Venezuelan coast will be brought to a port in the United States, the White House said Thursday, as fears mount of open conflict between the two countries. Washington took control of the tanker in a dramatic raid that saw US forces rope down from a helicopter onto the vessel in an operation that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said was aimed at leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s “regime”. President Donald Trump’s administration has...

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday defended her government’s decision to impose new import tariffs, hours after the Senate approved legislation allowing duties of up to 50 per cent on more than 1,400 products from Asian countries. The measure, widely seen as aimed at curbing Chinese imports, comes as Mexico prepares for a review of its trade agreement with the United States and Canada next year. Sheinbaum described the move as part of her administration’s plan to strengthen domestic...

Bulgaria’s prime minister announced on Thursday that his government was resigning after less than a year in office following a series of anti-corruption protests, making fresh elections likely. The Balkan EU member, which is introducing the euro from January, has seen a spiral of elections in recent years, with parties unable to form a stable government. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Bulgaria on Wednesday to protest against the government and corruption in the latest...

President Volodymyr Zelensky has floated the prospect of allowing Ukrainians to vote on whether to hand the Donbas region to Russia as Kyiv comes under mounting pressure to agree to terms of an emerging US peace plan. Moscow has insisted that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the eastern territories, which include areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that the Russian military has failed to capture in its nearly four-year invasion. Zelensky has engaged in talks over the latest peace proposal...

With the end of the year approaching, the European Commission is rapidly ramping up its de-risking efforts through a flurry of broadsides against Chinese firms – even as the bloc’s most powerful member states appear to be moving in different directions on China. Foreign subsidy regulation probes were launched against online retailer Temu and Nuctech, a maker of airport scanning equipment, on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. E-commerce giant Temu saw its Dublin headquarters raided by...

A US judge on Thursday ordered the immediate release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose wrongful deportation became a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, ruling the US government never secured a formal order for his removal from the United States. The order from US District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland means Abrego Garcia will at least temporarily be allowed to return to his Maryland home despite repeated declarations from Trump administration officials that he would never...

More than 600 items, including military medals and jewellery from a collection documenting the links between Britain and countries in the former British Empire, were stolen from a UK museum in September, police said on Thursday. Avon and Somerset Police have launched an appeal for information about four men captured on security cameras on September 25 outside a building in the southwestern city of Bristol, which housed items from the collection. “More than 600 artefacts of various descriptions...

Mexico’s move to place tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Chinese and other Asian goods underscores US efforts to pressure other countries to take action against China – and Beijing may well retaliate, analysts said. The Mexican Senate on Wednesday approved duties between 5 and 50 per cent on 1,463 product categories – including auto parts, textiles and plastics – starting from January 2026. President Claudia Sheinbaum had proposed the tariffs in the name of protecting local industries, subject to...

A split is emerging within Trump’s base as health activists accuse Mr. Zeldin of leading the agency to prioritize chemical industry interests over public health.

The president’s stated intention to pardon Tina Peters, jailed for tampering with election machines in 2020, has set off a legal fight over the extent of Mr. Trump’s pardon powers.

While the decision did not remove the National Guard troops from the president’s control, it blocked him from using them in the nation’s second-largest city.

For some Gen Z conservatives, H-1B visas are a hot new topic.

Opponents of AfD lawmakers say that their push to publish sensitive details about national security could benefit Russian military planning.

Ivan Urgant was an unstoppable Russian megastar. Then he expressed opposition to President Vladimir V. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Trump didn’t invent misogyny, but he’s leaning into it.

His library foundation has told the I.R.S. that by the end of 2027 it expects to bring in just $11.3 million — not nearly enough for a traditional presidential library.

United Airlines Flight 803, which was headed to Tokyo, safely landed at Washington Dulles International Airport on Saturday, officials said.

The authorities said the woman, who was making a delivery for DoorDash, was captured on a doorbell camera spraying an unknown aerosol.

As a teenager, he hoped to make it big in the Tejano music world. He realized that dream through his daughter.