Minimalist News

Operation Blackout Takes Down 4 Of The 'Largest Scam Compounds On Earth': FBI Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times, The FBI announced on July 31 that it dismantled four of the “largest scam compounds on Earth” under Operation Blackout, seizing $15.2 billion in assets and freeing thousands of forced laborers. Scam compounds provide the infrastructure to carry out large-scale online fraud operations and typically employ hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom are captives. Operation Blackout freed thousands of trafficked workers, the FBI said in a post on X. In addition, roughly 10,000 Americans were reportedly saved

Logistical Nightmare Unfolds As Rhine Plunges Toward Record Low The Rhine, one of Europe's most vital arteries for transporting industrial goods, has fallen to one of its owest level since the drought-stricken summer of 2018. The resulting loss of shipping capacity is driving up freight costs and raising the risk of supply disruptions for iron ore, coal, chemicals, petroleum products and other commodities moving through Europe's industrial heartland. The Rhine water level gauge at Kaub, a key chokepoint on the Rhine for shipments heading to southern Germany and Switzerland, has fallen to just 25 centimeters, the lowest reading since the

Saudi Arabia Has Five Points Of Leverage Over The US Authored by Andrew Korybko, It probably won’t ever muster up the political will to use them, however, but the possibility always remains. Trump recently surprised the Saudis by demanding that they recognize Israel as the precondition for the US implementing their newly signed nuclear energy deal , which wasn’t part of the agreement. This follows him humiliating Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman earlier in the spring by claiming that he’d been “kissing my ass” for rejuvenating the US economy. His mistreatment of the Kingdom and its de

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Atomic Bomb, & The Perils Of Power Authored by Jonathan Miltimore via The Epoch Times, On Aug. 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, instantly killing tens of thousands and marking the first use of a nuclear weapon in warfare. Three days later, a second bomb, “Fat Man,” was dropped on Nagasaki. Within days, Japan surrendered, bringing World War II to an end. For most Americans, the bombings were greeted with celebration. Polls at the time revealed that nearly 70 percent of Americans said the bombing was a “good thing,” while just 17 percent

How China Is Using Its Coast Guard To Assert Control At Sea Over the past decade, China's Coast Guard (CCG) has evolved from a conventional maritime law enforcement agency into a central instrument of Beijing's strategy to reinforce its territorial claims, according to Bloomberg . Now operating a fleet of roughly 680 vessels, it continues to conduct routine missions such as search and rescue, anti-smuggling operations, and fisheries enforcement, but increasingly serves broader strategic objectives. Bloomberg reports that rather than relying solely on the navy, Beijing deploys the CCG to project control over contested waters in the South China Sea,

'You're Like A Parrot': RFK Jr. Destroys Dana Bash Over Fauci's COVID Lies Authored by Matt Margolis via PJMedia.com, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. obliterated CNN's Dana Bash during a fiery interview Sunday morning on State of the Union , and it was brutal. The segment aired as measles outbreaks tore through several states, with public health officials warning that unvaccinated communities were fueling the spread of the disease to levels not seen in decades. Those outbreaks trace back to Joe Biden's presidency, when his administration allowed millions of illegal immigrants to pour across the

Jay Clayton To Become Top US Intel Official On Monday Jay Clayton will take over as director of national intelligence (DNI) on Monday, according to a social media post by acting director Bill Pulte. “I am eternally grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to serve as Director of National Intelligence, while he completed historic declassifications and we right sized the ODNI. I have no doubt that Jay will do a tremendous job,” Pulte wrote on Aug. 1 in a post on X. “I have offered Jay my complete and total support as he transitions to take over this incredible

India To Climate Cartel: Count Us Out Authored by Vijay Jayaraj via American Greatness, Sometimes a story gets buried not because editors conspire against it, but because the news cycle has room for only one crisis at a time. This year the big news has been the Iran war. But even accounting for competing headlines, the silence around a genuinely consequential development is telling. And that is the story of India’s explicit rejection of the global net zero movement. India has walked away from its bid to host the COP33 UN climate conference , and the world’s climate press has

Is Anybody Ever Going To Say, "I'm Sorry"? Authored by Mollie Engelhart via The Epoch Times, This week, Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared before Congress and, on the advice of his attorney, repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment rather than answering many of the senators’ questions. Everyone is talking about what he did or didn’t know, whether he misled Congress, whether he should have answered the questions, and whether he should be held accountable. But that wasn’t the moment from this week that I can’t stop thinking about. My husband called me as he was driving home from picking up grain for

Leftist Activists Establish 'Autonomous Zone' In Madison Authored by Ben Sellers via Headline USA , Far-left activists with apparent ties to the Democratic Socialists of America recently established their own autonomous zone in Wisconsin's capital city, Madison . Activist Carlos LeMar Dixon confronts Madison Police Chief John Patterson during a press conference about the shooting death of Corey Ruiz. / IMAGE: @CollinRugg via X The tent cities have become a familiar sight in far-left cities where the destructive and disruptive occupation is openly encouraged by government officials. Protestors are preparing for rain here on Willy and Baldwin Streets but show

The GOP Has Its Own Platner-Esque Nightmare Erupting In Ohio Democrats spent months navigating the endless Graham Platner scandals in Maine, before credible rape allegations finally forced him out. Republicans got their own Platner-esque scandal of their own this week in Ohio. Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) posted a 25-minute video to X on Sunday morning to deny a stack of abuse allegations from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno. He's been accused of holding a gun to her head, throwing scalding water at her, and fracturing their 2-year-old daughter's collarbone. Miller says none of it happened

Japan, Bretton Woods 2.0, & The End Of The Carry Era Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama is set to announce as early as Monday that Tokyo and Washington are coordinating on steps in the foreign exchange market to curb the yen’s weakness , a person familiar with the situation told Bloomberg . Satsuki Katayama The content of the announcement is still being worked on but could happen as early as Monday morning, the person said, declining to be identified as the information isn’t public. Reuters earlier reported Katayama would confirm the joint action, and reinforce the two sides’ commitment to

Bill Gates Held A Top Secret 'Q' Clearance For Seven Years - And The DOE Won't Say Why Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates held a top-tier "Q" security clearance at the Department of Energy from 2014 to 2021 - though the DOE didn't grant it. Another federal agency vetted him first, and the letter confirming the clearance doesn't say which one. The detail comes from a DOE letter entered into the Congressional record by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). The letter emerged as Fauci faced fierce Republican blowback during his Senate hearing last week, where the longtime face of COVID policy pleaded

9/11 Families Don't Want Mamdani Participating In Memorial Ceremony Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, a coalition of victims' families don’t want New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani anywhere near the ceremony marking the anniversary at Ground Zero. A Change.org petition urging Mamdani to stay away from the September 11 memorial has collected more than 66,000 signatures in under three weeks and organizers say the mayor's own history of rhetoric and associations makes his presence at the site an insult to the dead. “This anniversary is one of remembrance grounded in shared American values: respect for the victims, recognition

Crack Pipes, Get Yer' Crack Pipes! Free Crack Pipes!: California Taxpayers Fund Drug Paraphernalia Authored by Christopher F. Rufo, Austen Hufford via Christopher Rufo's Substack , As governor of California, Gavin Newsom has repeatedly supported "harm reduction" policies, which enable drug use in the name of making it "safer." He created the state's Harm Reduction Initiative, which funded "syringe services programs" for "people who inject and smoke fentanyl and/or methamphetamines." His Department of Public Health has endorsed distributing syringes, glass pipes, and "[c]ontainers for mixing injectable drugs" to drug users. Newsom argued earlier this year that harm-reduction tactics "increase the

Obama-Appointed Judge Defies SCOTUS, Now Faces Impeachment Authored by Matt Margolis via PJ Media , An Obama-appointed federal judge just decided the Supreme Court's rulings are more like suggestions, and Republicans in Congress are done pretending she has the authority to make that call. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued an order on Friday blocking the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals. It was a brazen display of judicial activism , and it took Republicans about a weekend to respond. 🚨 A federal judge has again blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

Female Bomber Kills At Least 3, Injures 21, At Upscale Moscow Restaurant A bomb ripped through a central Moscow upscale restaurant mid-evening on Saturday in what authorities are calling a "brutal terrorist act" - which left three people dead and wounded at least 21 . "Yesterday, a brutal terrorist act was committed in Moscow that claimed human lives. The victims are currently in the city’s hospitals, where they are receiving all necessary care," Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated Sunday. via BBC The location was at Kudrinkskaya Square outside an Italian restaurant, in one ⁠of Moscow’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers, police described.

Marxist Terror Group Responsible For Colombian Truck Bomb Attack Summary: VBIED Attack Comes Days Before President-Elect Abelardo de la Espriella's Inauguration Marxist-Leninist Terror Group Responsible For Truck Bomb Attack Twin Car Bombs Rock Colombian City Days Before Trump-Backed "El Tigre" Takes Power Marxist-Leninist Terror Group Responsible For Truck Bomb Attack The Colombian government blamed the far-left, Marxist-Leninist ELN for the truck bombing outside a police headquarters in the border city of Cúcuta, which injured 11 officers and killed a police dog. The early Saturday morning VBIED attack damaged the building's roof and shattered its windows, according to police chief Gen.

From Influence Peddler To Starving Artist: Hunter Biden Claims Family Is Broke In Defaulting On $17 Million Bill Authored by Jonathan Turley, Hunter Biden is no Van Gogh. In addition to having both ears, Hunter’s work has generally been panned beyond an enabling media following. However, he claims he is also a starving artist. The problem appears to be that, as predicted years ago , his sales dried up in the influence-peddling market once his father left office. Now, his lawyers want him to cough up $17 million that he owes them. Hunter says that not only is he broke,

Gunman Targets Tesla Supercharger And In-N-Out In Twin Falls, Killing Two Two people are dead and five more are injured after a gunman opened fire at a Tesla charging station and an In-N-Out Burger in Idaho. WATCH: Video reportedly shows one of the two believed suspects opening fire with what appears to be an AR-style rifle in a parking lot in Twin Falls, Idaho. No word on casualties. pic.twitter.com/eBo3zagILN — Scope Report (@ScopeReport_) August 1, 2026 Fox News reports; Multiple people are dead after a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho. Police say the suspected gunman is

Soaring temperatures continue to sweep parts of Europe, while Okinawa faces powerful winds and storm surges Europe live – latest updates Unbearable, record-breaking heat has dominated the summer of 2026 across much of Europe. New records were set in central Europe last week, with Wieselburg in Austria registering a new July peak of 40.3C (104.5F). This is particularly significant as it is just 0.2C behind the all-time high, set in the August of 2003. However, not all of the northern hemisphere has experienced extreme heat and aridity. Vancouver recorded its wettest July since 2016 and the third wettest since 2008,

Aircraft crashes into field after departing from nearby city of Pisco, according to local authorities Police in Peru report that 13 people, among them foreign tourists, have been killed in a plane crash in southern Peru, near the Nazca Lines. Local authorities in Nazca confirmed that 11 tourists and two pilots died when the Cessna Grand Caravan crashed in Pueblo Viejo, approximately 4 miles (6km) from the city of Nazca and roughly 12km from the Nazca Lines site. Continue reading...

Injectable PrEP drug holds promise but investment in HIV prevention has declined dramatically worldwide Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email New innovations in HIV prevention could dramatically reduce the number of new HIV cases around the globe, but US foreign aid cuts will mean that those that most need the new medication will be unable to access it, according to experts at the Aids 2026 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil . One year ago, the World Health Organization recommended that governments around the world prioritize expanded access to lenacapavir, an injectable version of the HIV prevention

Data shows Canadians have replaced US vacations with other international trips in apparent rebuke to Trump Canadians spent $3.3bn less on travel to the US in 2025 than in the previous year, as Donald Trump’s hostile policies towards his northern neighbour continue to incur an economic cost, new government data shows. The research also indicates that Canadians are not bucking travel overall and instead have replaced US vacations with other international destinations, in a rebuke to Trump’s tariff regime and the president’s continued musings on annexing Canada. Continue reading...

Three years after Maui wildfires many still struggle with ‘biological, emotional and social consequences’, study says A spate of ferocious wildfires across North America and Europe, worsened by the climate crisis, has incinerated homes and forests and forced thousands of people to flee. Previous fires suggest the effects of these blazes may linger for years to come. The current fires and their plumes of smoke can appear to be a temporary, if immediate, crisis. Nearly 1,000 fires have sprung into life in the boreal forests of Canada, causing the evacuation of towns and toxic smoke to waft into major Canadian

Pacific nation is latest country to signal a shift away from its colonial past with return to its traditional name The Pacific Island country of Nauru has changed its name to the Republic of Naoero, its president said, matching the spelling and pronunciation in the national language. The country’s international code will change from NRU to NRO and its people will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. Commonly known abroad by the pronunciation of Now-roo, the new name is spoken as Now-ero. Continue reading...

US and Japanese governments confirm they carried out a rare joint intervention late last week Why has Trump stepped in to prop up Japan’s currency? Business live – latest updates The yen has hit its highest level in three months after Japan and the US launched a combined operation to support the Japanese currency. The yen strengthened to ¥155 to the US dollar on Monday, its highest level since early May, after Tokyo and Washington confirmed they had carried out a rare joint currency intervention late last week. Continue reading...

Authorities issue alert saying indoor spaces without airconditioning are ‘dangerous’ as temperatures pass 40C for fifth straight day South Korea has registered its highest temperature since records began more than a century ago, as authorities warned people to “immediately” stop all outdoor activities in affected areas. The south-eastern city of Yangsan saw the temperature reach 42.5C on Sunday afternoon, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said, the highest temperature reported since modern weather observation began in 1904. Continue reading...

Passing of bill gives English same status as Māori and sign language but, with it already spoken by 95% of country, critics call it ‘a pointless exercise’ Legislation recognising English as an official language of New Zealand has been passed by parliament, prompting derision from linguists and legal experts and a now-viral broadside from a Māori MP who called it “pathetic”. The English language bill became law on 30 July giving English, which is spoken by 95% of the country, the same official status as te reo Māori (Māori language) and New Zealand sign language. Continue reading...

British band say they are ‘proud to have made this impromptu expression with our fans in Singapore’, where open display of all foreign flags is banned Massive Attack have called being banned from Singapore a “surreal experience” after displaying a Palestinian flag during their show. On Wednesday, the English trip-hop collective – whose current lineup includes Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall – played a show at the Star theatre. Continue reading...

Environment minister says Australia has ‘long and difficult journey’ and says more mass mortality events likely Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Aerial surveillance has detected mass bird deaths in a second Australian state in another suspected escalation of the spread of deadly H5 bird flu . The environment minister, Murray Watt, said on Monday Australia had begun “a long and difficult journey” as CSIRO analysis confirmed Australia’s first mass mortality event at Baudin Rocks off South Australia’s coast. Continue reading...

Former 2UE and 2GB radio broadcaster is facing 22 charges. Jones, 85, has pleaded not guilty Alan Jones trial day one – as it happened Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Warning: may contain graphic content A former schoolboy athlete has told the Alan Jones trial he didn’t tell anyone the broadcaster was allegedly kissing him and touching his genitalia when he was a teenager because he was “fearful” of losing Jones’s financial support. The man, known as Complainant J, alleged that after he drove Jones to a function in Canberra and they were

This blog is now closed Angus Taylor and Anthony Albanese on leave this week The opposition leader, Angus Taylor, is on leave for most of this week, his office has announced, with the deputy leader, Jane Hume, acting in his stead. NSWRL owes a massive debt of gratitude to Laurie for the service he has given to his state as both a player and a coach. He has also led NSW to arguably two of the greatest Origin series wins of all time as a coach, after ending Queensland’s eight-year winning streak in 2014 and overcoming adversity to steer the

Another five people assessed by ambulance personnel after roof and wall cave in on Wattle St in Ultimo Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Two people have been pulled from debris after a building suddenly collapsed in a Sydney inner-city suburb. The men, who are both in their 60s, were in a serious condition after being transported to hospital, New South Wales Ambulance said on Monday. Continue reading...

Former Liberal, ‘anti-woke’ film animator and councillor who says he used to work on Daniel Andrews’ security team among lineup for November’s state poll Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast One Nation has named its first candidates for the upcoming Victorian state election, as the party leader, Pauline Hanson , has vowed to ban the ABC and the Guardian from attending her press conferences during the campaign. Guardian Australia understands reporters from the ABC and the Age were refused entry to Hanson’s press conference on

Explosives used to move a large rock and let more water flow to cool nuclear power plant The backstory behind this explosion is that last Friday, Romania has declared a nationwide state of emergency throughout August stemming from a decline in electricity production after record low Danube river levels disrupted power generation. The peak of the current heatwave is expected on Wednesday and Thursday, with temperatures set to cross into 40s C and get close to all time records. Continue reading...

Greek police say 26-year-old Afghan national is believed to have left Elisabeth-Jane Ross’s body in derelict building Greek authorities have arrested an Afghan national in connection with the death of a Scottish woman whose body was found in a suitcase in an abandoned building in central Athens. Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, a charity worker described as an “angel full of innocence and goodness” by friends, had been in Greece for almost three weeks when she is believed to have died. Continue reading...

Fire department says two-person crew of one aircraft killed in incident during gale-force winds to west of capital Two firefighting helicopters have collided west of Athens, killing the two-person crew of one of the aircraft, as efforts to control a massive wildfire barrelling towards the outskirts of the Greek capital intensified. Footage showed one of the helicopters losing control in the face of gale-force winds that have pushed flames towards settlements on Athens’ western fringes. Continue reading...

More than 20 people injured in blast near Italian restaurant Balzi Rossi in centre of Russian capital on Saturday night A homemade bomb carried by a woman killed three people and injured at least 21 in ⁠an explosion near a restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, prompting speculation on social media that the attack may have been linked to the war in Ukraine . The explosion occurred just before 8pm local time (6pm UK time) close to an Italian restaurant in one of Moscow’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya ​Square, police said. Continue reading...

After years of building lives in UK, potentially thousands of EU citizens could be told they have no right to remain The UK Home Office has started stripping some EU citizens of their post-Brexit residency rights, in a move that has raised concerns about Britain’s compliance with its withdrawal agreement with Europe. The UK internal affairs authority has told at least 100 people that they were given residency rights “in error”, disrupting their lives just as they come to the end of their five-year “pre-settled status” and prepare to upgrade to the permanent “settled status”. Continue reading...

After visits by US ambassador Mike Huckabee to the nearby Israeli settlement of Shilo, Palestinian Americans in Turmus Ayya have witnessed a terrifying rise in attacks No man’s land in Turmus Ayya lies where the US flags end and the Israeli flags begin. It is a few hundred metres of soil scorched by molotov cocktails where Israeli settlers have placed a boulder to tell the Palestinian villagers: this is our land now. On one side of that boulder are the white-stoned mansions where the Palestinian residents of Turmus Ayya live. About 80% of them are US citizens, members of the

Iranian spokesperson says there are no plans to receive or send a delegation following US president’s assertion that talks would take place on Monday Trump says Iran talks set for Monday Iranian state media is reporting that Iran executed two people on Monday on charges of espionage and ⁠cooperation with Israel , according to Reuters. Omid Behzad and ⁠Pouria Safvat were accused ⁠of sending ​Israel the coordinates of military and security sites in addition to images and information in the latest conflict that began 28 February as well as during the brief war last summer, judiciary news outlet Mizan reported.

US president claims delay is also in response to requests from Iran and other countries in the region Donald Trump has said he cancelled planned military strikes against Iran on the basis of “rapidly” reaching a deal on its nuclear programme and the full reopening of the strait of Hormuz . The US president paused the strikes in expectation of a breakthrough and in response to requests from Iran and other countries in the region, he claimed on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. Continue reading...

Labour veteran is said to relish role that requires careful negotiation of Trump and impending G20 leadership Extraordinarily, given the importance of geopolitics, the office of foreign secretary has sometimes appeared a consolation prize in British politics, perhaps reflecting the transfer of responsibility to Downing Street or the Cabinet Office. That is not how Ed Miliband views the job. His allies say suggestions that he nurses resentment after he was deprived of the chance to be chancellor misunderstand his grasp of the policy challenges ahead. “Ed has an immense appetite to get things done and is relishing being in this

Two members given ‘stern warnings’ after concert and barred from returning, with band also excluded from performing in Singapore again, say authorities British trip-hop band Massive Attack has been barred from performing in Singapore after an investigation found two members unfurled a Palestinian flag during a concert, police said. Singapore, known for its tough laws on public speech and assembly, bans the open display of all foreign flags, national emblems or banners without a permit. Continue reading...

Meeting follows years of questions over wellbeing of detained former leader, who was ousted by coup in 2021 Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the aid organisation has confirmed. The meeting ⁠follows years of questions over the wellbeing of the 81-year-old , whose whereabouts and health condition have been largely unknown since the elected civilian government she led was ousted by a military coup in February 2021. Continue reading...

Other members of expedition led by world-renowned climber on Broad Peak also died, climbing company says A world-renowned Nepali mountaineer and former UK Special Forces member has died after being among 11 climbers caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak. Nirmal Purja was killed leading an expedition of 10 other people on the world’s 12th-highest mountain when an avalanche struck at around noon on Thursday. Continue reading...

António Guterres says strengthening El Niño will help push the world’s climate crisis into ‘uncharted territory’ India’s monsoon is in danger and hotter, drier conditions are forecast across much of the world as a stronger El Niño weather system is taking hold, weather experts have warned. António Guterres, the UN secretary general, said the strengthening El Niño was “adding fuel to a planet already on fire” and pushing the world into “uncharted territory”. Continue reading...

Rescuers say four bodies found in search for team caught in Broad Peak avalanche, after trackers showed rapid descent The world-renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja – a former British special forces member – is among 11 climbers caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak. The Alpine Club of Pakistan said “seven climbers have been spotted via aerial drone footage” adding that “their identities and condition cannot yet be verified”. Continue reading...

Local civil rights group alleges authorities removed evidence of killings amid communications blackout At least 30 people are alleged to have been killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the past two days as part of what has been claimed is a brutal state crackdown that has engulfed the disputed region for weeks. According to a local civil society group, Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), the Pakistani security services fired on tens of thousands of peaceful protesters, killing 25 people on Monday and five more on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Party’s deputy leader accused of a possible failure to declare an interest, commissioner says ⁠on ​its website UK politics live – latest updates Britain’s ⁠parliamentary ⁠standards watchdog is ​investigating ⁠Reform UK’s ⁠deputy ​leader, ‌Richard ‌Tice, over ‌a possible failure to declare ‌an interest, ​the commissioner said ⁠on ​its website ​on ​Monday. The watchdog did not provide details of the allegation under investigation, aside from ⁠saying it was opened on 28 July and will be conducted by the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Daniel ⁠Greenberg. Continue reading...

Labour say plan is a ‘desperate attempt to distract from sleaze’ while a retired commander says it ‘lacks substance’ Nigel Farage is speaking at his press conference in London to lay out more details about his plan to deploy the Royal Navy in the English Channel to stop small boat crossings, a proposal which has been criticised for being unworkable. You can watch it live here: Reform UK deputy’s leader, Richard Tice, is under investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog over a possible failure to declare an interest. Continue reading...

Pop and rock legend tells Sunday Times of drinking problem and ill health after final Genesis tour in 2021 Phil Collins has said that he suffered life-threatening alcoholism in recent years. Speaking to the Sunday Times , the pop and rock legend, 75, said that his drinking began after he stopped taking Antabuse, a drug that causes illness if alcohol is consumed, which he had been using since an earlier period of alcoholism. Continue reading...

Retired commander says policy lacks substance as party accused of trying to distract from Nigel Farage’s scandals UK politics live – latest updates A Reform UK proposal to use the military to stop small boats bringing migrants to the UK from France lacks substance, a former Royal Navy officer has said, suggesting the UK’s warships would be better used countering actual military threats. Reform’s political opponents have claimed its plans have more to do with distracting from the financial scandals surrounding its leader, Nigel Farage, than about solving the small boats issue, after the party proposed having the navy pick

Lowe says pair should put ‘personalities and our past disagreements aside for good of the country’ UK politics live – latest updates The leader of Restore Britain has extended an olive branch to Nigel Farage, saying the two should put “personalities and our past disagreements aside for the good of the country”. Rupert Lowe told the Reform UK leader that if he was “prepared to work together around serious policies, serious reform and serious government, then so are we”. Mass deportation of illegal migrants “including women and children”. Tougher rules on legal migration, a ban on halal and kosher slaughter,

Exclusive: court records reviewed by the Guardian show medical procedures included force-feeding, intravenous forced hydration and involuntary blood draws Homeland security officials under the Trump administration have quietly attempted to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in US immigrant detention to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding, a Guardian investigation has found. In 2025 and 2026, officials had definitely performed the procedures on at least three detained immigrants and likely subjected two more to the forced treatment – widely considered torture by human rights groups. The other five people gave in and broke their hunger strike at the last minute as

Brent crude drops by 5% after US president said talks on Middle East peace deal would resume Business live – latest updates Crude oil prices fell sharply and European stock markets rallied on Monday after Donald Trump cancelled planned strikes on Iran to focus on negotiations for a peace deal. Brent crude was trading 5% lower at $83.50 a barrel by mid-morning, after falling as low as $81.55 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate dropped more than $5 to $79.47 a barrel. Continue reading...

Todd Blanche issues formal order terminating measure widely derided as a ‘slush fund’, in move that could clear path for his nomination as attorney general Acting US attorney general Todd Blanche issued a formal order late on Sunday terminating Donald Trump’s $1.8bn “anti-weaponization fund” to compensate his political allies, a move that follows weeks of negotiations with two Republican senators who were blocking his nomination to become attorney general. While Blanche has repeatedly said publicly that the fund was dead, the justice department had resisted formally confirming that in writing. That had drawn concern from lawmakers that it could be

Wildfires in and around Spokane have stretched ability of federal and local agencies to fight blazes Wildfires in eastern Washington state forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area while destroying at least 600 homes, businesses and other structures, authorities said on Sunday. The fires in and around Spokane, the state’s second largest city, burned about 8.2 sq miles (about 21 sq km), but they were among dozens across the western US that stretched the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them. A total of about 390 sq miles have burned across the state, and

Twin Falls police chief believes Chad Williams, 24, was alone in Saturday attack that killed three people Authorities say the man accused of opening fire at a fast-food restaurant in Idaho is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as investigators say quick action by an off-duty law enforcement officer and an armed bystander helped prevent even more bloodshed. Speaking on Sunday, Matthew Hicks, the Twin Falls police chief, said investigators are confident 24-year-old Chad Williams carried out Saturday’s attack alone. Continue reading...

Venezuela’s imprisoned former leader Nicolas Maduro on Sunday welcomed “any path to dialogue”, ahead of a US-backed meeting in the coming week between representatives of the Latin American country’s interim government and opposition leaders. The leftist Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured in a US military raid in January and are being held in a New York detention centre awaiting trial on charges related to drug and firearms trafficking. They have pleaded not guilty. “We welcome any...

Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signalled his support for a written constitution for the UK, which unlike most countries, does not have one authoritative document. Since entering office just two weeks ago, the former mayor of Greater Manchester has made devolution of power to regional authorities a focus of his administration. “In the end, I think it does start to point towards a new constitutional settlement,” Burnham said of his devolution plans. Calling for a “new clear set of...

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, said on Sunday he was “in great shape” as he launched his candidacy for October elections, with pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration looming over the campaign. A titan of the Latin American left, Lula is seeking a fourth and final term in office in a campaign casting him as a safe pair of hands in turbulent times and a bulwark against the global rise of the far-right. While no one mentioned Trump by name at the Workers’ Party...

Greek police on Sunday said they had arrested a suspect in their investigation into the death of a British woman whose body was found in a suitcase in Athens last month. The police in a statement said they had arrested a 26-year-old man, identified in media reports as an Afghan national, adding that he had “confessed his actions”. “Officers of the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime have solved the homicide of a 38-year-old UK national, whose body was found inside a suitcase in an...

The death toll from a mass rush of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta last week reached at least 72 on Sunday, as five more bodies were found along the North African coast, officials said. The number of fatalities was considerably higher than what was announced by Moroccan authorities on Sunday. More than 50,000 ‌people crossed into Ceuta by land and sea in an unprecedented surge that began on Thursday at one of the European Union’s only two land borders with Africa,...

Greece’s fire department says the collision of two firefighting helicopters battling a major wildfire burning out of control west of Athens on Sunday left two crew members dead, while another two were recovered alive. The fire department said the dead crew members were one Greek and one Danish national, while the two who were recovered alive were one Greek and one British national. Foreign firefighting and helicopter crews are often deployed in Greece to help tackle wildfires during the...

Israeli air strikes hit Gaza for a second straight day on Sunday, killing at least 18 Palestinians, medics said, despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a breakthrough in efforts to implement last year’s ceasefire agreement. From dawn, Israeli warplanes hit Gaza City in the north, the central city of Deir al-Balah and the southern area of Khan Younis, causing the biggest daily death toll in weeks, according to Palestinian health officials. Trump’s assertion on Thursday that...

Hungary is fully shutting down its sole nuclear power plant for the first time due to the record low levels of the Danube River, straining energy supplies and posing a major test for the economy and new Prime Minister Péter Magyar. One of the two reactors still operating at the Paks plant was shut down early on Sunday, with the final one powering down later in the day, according to Magyar. He cited the progressively lower water levels, which are causing a shortage of water for cooling at the...

Ukraine attacked multiple regions of Russia on Sunday, killing at least nine people, while Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least five, according to officials in both countries. Some of the strikes hit hundreds of kilometres from the front line, according to authorities. Both Moscow and Kyiv have upped attacks on each other in recent months, as US-led talks aimed at ending the conflict remain largely frozen. Kyiv, which denies targeting civilians, says the strikes are fair retaliation for...

US President Donald Trump in a Saturday evening social media post claimed that Middle Eastern allies had reached the parameters of a deal to end the Iran war and said that he would hold off on ordering new strikes in the five-month-old conflict for now. Trump added that the emerging deal “would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat”. “Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the...

US President Donald Trump knows the world hangs on his every word. Now he wants you to pay for it. The social media posts of the world’s most powerful man went on sale on Saturday, when his Truth Social business began offering sneak peeks of them to Wall Street traders willing to pay up. The move raises the prospect of big profits for Trump’s company and big questions about insider trading and using public office for private gain. Similar fast speed feeds are sold by other social media firms and...

Three people were killed and seven more were injured, some critically, in a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon, a Twin Falls city spokesman said. Police who responded to the shooting found the body of the suspected gunman in an area near the restaurant, Twin Falls city public information officer Josh Palmer said. He did not know if the suspect was included in the fatality count. Officials were still working on notifying the family members of victims...

Iran warned this weekend against any “adventurous action” by the US and said it would retaliate decisively if American forces follow through on US President Donald Trump’s threats of fresh attacks on Iranian targets. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi’s comments in separate phone calls on Saturday with senior Turkish, Pakistani and Saudi officials came just ‌hours after Kuwait’s army said it destroyed hostile drones launched by Iran against several vital facilities. Speaking to Pakistan’s...

Vincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best known for playing Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, has died. He was 80. Bob McGowan, who had managed Pastore since his run on The Sopranos, told Associated Press that he learned of his death on Saturday from another client and actor on the show, Vincent Curatola. He said Pastore had been found in his home on New York’s City Island after not being heard from for a few days. McGowan said he had been...

At least 13 people died when a small plane carrying tourists to view Peru’s famed Nazca Lines archaeological site crashed, police said on Saturday. “We have information that 11 passengers and two crew members have died,” Police Major Jorge Andrade told reporters from the crash site in the country’s south. The incident happened just after 1pm local time after the plane took off from the airport in Pisco, located about 240km (150 miles) south of the capital Lima. “Given the severity of the...

US President ⁠Donald Trump posted on Saturday ⁠that he disagrees with his ⁠own Justice Department’s findings that a flawed installation, not vandalism, caused the lining of the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington to peel. “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of ‌Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. “I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM.” In a court...

A home-made bomb carried by a woman killed at least three people and injured 21 ‌near an upscale restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, authorities said, amid unconfirmed speculation on social media that the attack may have been linked to the war in Ukraine. Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAK) said an unidentified woman carrying an improvised explosive device had tried to get into the restaurant but had been stopped by a security ⁠guard. NAK said the woman, the guard and...

A truck bomb exploded on Saturday near a Colombian police station not far from the Venezuelan border, wounding 14 people just days before president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella takes office. The government in Bogota blamed rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN), the country’s largest active guerrilla group, for the early-morning blast in the northern city of Cucuta. Eleven police officers and three civilians were hurt in the incident, according to the latest official toll. Agence...

The White House has used a song by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, a well-known opponent of US President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, as music for a video about operations by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The clip, which shows arrests of migrants, drew criticism on social media and can now only be viewed on TikTok without the music of the song “La MuDANZA” (The Move) from the album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (I should have taken more photos). It is unclear whether the missing...

The Israeli military said on Saturday that it killed several Hezbollah fighters in south Lebanon and that an Israeli soldier was injured there despite a ceasefire. The military said it identified several Hezbollah fighters overnight inside what Israel has labelled a “security zone” in southern Lebanon which its forces occupy. “Following the identification, the soldiers struck the terrorists and eliminated them in order to remove the threat,” the military said in a statement. Israeli forces “will...

US embassies in capitals across the Middle East on Saturday warned American citizens to beware of an “unforeseen escalation” in the regional conflict and urged them to be ready to leave. The warning, posted online by US embassies in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates came a day after US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran “very hard”. Iran and the United States have been at war since February 28. A period of calm...

A man has been killed and three people seriously injured after a severe storm struck the Saxon Switzerland region in the eastern German state of Saxony, police said on Friday. There were no reports of missing people, said a spokesman for the Dresden Emergency Services Control Centre. According to the control centre, a 38-year-old man lost his life near the Felsenbühne open-air theatre in Rathen when a falling tree struck him. Ten other people were injured, according to the centre, and 40 people...

Sweden has introduced tougher penalties for gang-related offences, allowing courts to impose prison sentences up to twice as long as before, as the country cracks down on organised crime. Under the new law, which took effect on Saturday, gang members convicted of certain offences can face sentences up to double the previous maximum. For example, a gang member caught carrying a firearm previously faced a maximum prison term of four years but can now receive up to eight years, according to Swedish...

The United ⁠Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) ⁠said on Saturday it had received reports of two maritime incidents off Oman, including one in which a tanker was struck by ‌an unknown projectile. In the first incident, a tanker was hit about 11 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Lima. The vessel reported it was “struck by an unknown projectile which has caused damage to the engine room” and leaving it ⁠not under command, the UKTMO said. There were no reported ‌casualties nor environmental...

France and Italy bolstered border controls on Saturday after about 60,000 people crossed into Spain’s enclave in North Africa, sparking one of the largest migrant crises for the European Union in recent years. The migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco, the enclave’s regional president Juan Jesus Vivas told reporters, but by Friday evening, officials said more than 48,000 had returned. To cross into Ceuta, many swam around a small border barrier that juts out into the Mediterranean. At least 34...

Russian attacks on Kyiv and its suburbs killed 10 people early Saturday, officials said, as Ukrainian drones sank a huge Russian container ship in the Black Sea. The exchange in attacks come after the United Nations found June was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022. Russia has stepped up long-range strikes ⁠on ⁠the capital in recent months, while Ukraine ‌is chronically short of air defences capable of ‌downing ballistic ‌missiles, which travel at ‌several times the...

The US Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Government lawyers said in a 20-page court filing that information provided since the indictment of David Hearn shows that the damage was the result of a “flawed installation by the contractor” as well as “the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day...

Chinese ⁠government buyers bought at least eight ⁠cargoes of US soybeans on Friday for shipment from US Gulf Coast terminals and six cargoes for shipment from Pacific Northwest ports in October and November, two US traders with knowledge of the deals said. The ‌sales volume of at least 840,000 tonnes was among China’s largest single-day purchases this month after the world’s top soybean importer restarted purchases from the US in late June. China had slowed purchases of American soybeans over...

Google rolled back a new feature on Friday that allowed Google Earth users to generate AI visualisations on top of the service’s satellite imagery, following a furious backlash from researchers and open-source intelligence experts about the potential for disinformation. “We’ve seen geospatial professionals using this feature for a range of useful purposes, however we’ve also seen people sharing screenshots of generated imagery that appear to violate our policies,” a Google spokesman said in a...

The US Marine Corps says the pilot of an F-35B stealth fighter is expected to live after ejecting from the jet before it crashed in California. The jet went down on Friday near the Miramar airbase in San Diego. “The pilot ejected, was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries,” the Marine Corps said in an updated statement. Aerial video from a news helicopter showed a plume of black smoke rising from the wreckage in...

US President Donald Trump said on ⁠Friday that America has not agreed to Ukraine building Patriot missiles, but that talks are ongoing, adding that the US must be “very careful about letting somebody build them”. Trump said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey this ‌month that he was going to give Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors to help defend against Russian strikes, but has since backed away from that pledge despite hosting...

Italy said on Friday it ⁠was suspending the EU’s ⁠border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain for one month in ⁠response to a mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco. Italy does not share a land border with Spain but the measure – which looks certain to anger Madrid – will ‌affect people travelling by plane or boat between the two countries, meaning they will need to show a passport to gain access. Italy’s interior ministry said in a statement it had...

Hungary’s only nuclear power plant will shut down for the first time in its history due to record-low water levels on the Danube River, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Friday, adding that the plant may not come back online for several weeks as the river is expected to continue receding. The Paks nuclear plant, located around 90 km (50 miles) south of the capital Budapest, is operating at less than half its normal capacity, producing 965 megawatts of power rather than the usual 2,000. The...

US President Donald Trump on Friday hailed a “great breakthrough” in the Middle East, saying that the Board of Peace – the body he created to oversee Gaza’s governance, security and reconstruction – will lead the process of disarming Hamas. Speaking at an open-to-press cabinet meeting at Camp David, the presidential retreat that has hosted numerous world leaders, Trump credited the Board of Peace with the latest US-brokered deal, under which Hamas has agreed to disarm amid the lingering conflict...

In America today, many low-income workers and households can’t get adequate healthcare or pay for food. Depending on who you ask, medical costs are the number one cause or at least among the top causes of bankruptcy for families. This is despite the United States spending more on healthcare per capita than any developed economy within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and having the most advanced medical science and technology in the world. Healthcare is one good...

British singer Boy George has pulled out of a West End production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar after facing a backlash for releasing a pro-Israel song, We Will Dance Again. The 65-year-old musician “will no longer be appearing in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium”, his manager Paul Kemsley said on social media. The singer, whose real name is George Alan O’Dowd, rose to fame in the 1980s as the flamboyant singer of the pop band Culture Club. This week he released a song...

The European Union rolled out a new team on Friday to rein in AI companies across the world, in one of the most aggressive regulations the hi-tech sector has so far faced as fears rise over the risks the rapidly advancing technology poses to people, politics and prosperity. Brussels aims to track the use of AI models for violations of its new regulations, like the publishing of sexually explicit material, fake photos and videos, and cyber threats to public infrastructure. When the bloc’s AI Act...

Chinese President Xi Jinping held discussions with the leaders of Slovakia and Namibia in Beijing during July, as well as meeting the heads of Cambodia, Thailand and Kazakhstan in Shanghai on the sidelines of the World AI Conference. Xi also hosted North Korean Premier Pak Thae‑song in Beijing following his state visit and meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June. So far this year, Xi has met with 26 national leaders, including US President Donald Trump. There may be three more...

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. Chinese satellite imagery analysis challenges US-Iran war claims Chinese scientists have used detailed satellite imagery analysis to examine damage to US military bases in the Middle East, uncovering discrepancies in both Washington...

Argentine President Javier Milei on Thursday imposed a bar on foreigners who express “hate” towards the Latin American country, which he claims is the target of a sinister campaign. Experts have cast doubt on the legal feasibility of the emergency decree, which is already in force but requires parliamentary approval to remain law. The measure bars or expels foreigners deemed to have “spread or incited hate messages” against the country or its people. In a statement, Milei said the measure was in...

Russia used a North Korean missile for a strike on a village that killed five members of the same family, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday, in what would be the first time such a weapon has been fired in the ‌war in nearly a year. Russia has launched North Korean missiles at Ukrainian targets before, but their first deployment since August points to a fresh stock of weapons that Moscow can draw on as it steps up missile attacks, a military source said. Russia pounded...

A scaremongering narrative has taken root in Western corridors and financial press columns: China, having saturated developed markets, is now aiming to crush fragile industries in developing nations, effectively slamming the door on their industrial dreams. It is a convenient little tale. However, it does not hold up against empirical evidence. The premise assumes that China and the Global South are fighting over the same slice of the global consumption pie – cheap T-shirts, plastic sandals,...

A US government map of Africa mislabelled every country during a State Department presentation at a global conference taking place in Brazil this week, causing a stir among attendees who took screenshots and posted them online. Reuters viewed a ‌video of the presentation given at the Aids 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, which shows the errant map displayed halfway during a presentation about the State Department’s new health agreements. A Reuters analysis found the image of the map included...

The Trump administration is weighing a plan to charge international students US$100,000 to stay in the country and work after graduating, according to a person familiar with the matter, in a potentially devastating move for student visa holders already squeezed by recent immigration crackdowns. The person familiar spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. A White House official said there was no imminent policy change, but did not deny the proposal was under...

A man who gave his son the gun he used to kill two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison. Colin Gray’s sentencing comes days after his son, Colt Gray, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the September 4, 2024, shooting at the school 70km (45 miles) northeast of Atlanta. Colt Gray had pleaded guilty to murder and other charges. A defence lawyer for Colin Gray asked the judge for a sentence that...

By expanding the arena of fighting in the region, experts say, Tehran sent a warning about the dangers of a widening war.

The markets’ moves were the first since President Trump said he had halted a planned U.S. assault on Iran.

Moroccan migrants described their despair at their economic future, explaining what propelled them across the border with Spain.

Where do you love to shop? We asked and you came through, offering hundreds of thoughtful responses. Here are 25 of your choices.

Firefighters were hopeful that improving weather conditions in Washington state could help efforts to contain the blaze, which officials described as the largest natural disaster in the history of Spokane.

A new field of “tokenomics” has emerged to measure the return on all the money companies are pouring into artificial intelligence.

Over the years, tech workers have proudly worn nerdy company-branded gear. But this generation of hot companies is getting fancy with its merch.

The country’s iconic carmakers are struggling with tariffs, the growth of electric vehicles and intense competition from Chinese companies.

An off-duty state trooper and private citizen returned fire and are credited with slowing the 24-year-old shooter.

Gunfire brought panic to a shopping center in Twin Falls in what the authorities described as a chaotic scene. At least three people were killed.

A new report by the Center for New York City Affairs projected that a child care system for all children under 5 could cost the city about $9 billion a year.

This is how we decide who we are and who we want to be.

Taking stakes in A.I. companies would not increase the government’s powers to control those companies. The opposite is more likely.

To help prevent heat-related deaths, the French government has asked postal workers to check in on older people.