Minimalist News

Hezbollah Chief Naim Qassem Targeted Twice In Recent Israeli Assassination Ops The single biggest, and most historic development out of Lebanon in recent years was the Israeli assassination of longtime Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah on September 27, 2024, via massive bunker-busting airstrikes on his underground location in south Beirut. Since then, Hezbollah's leadership has been greatly degraded, also given the widescale pager explosion attacks. To fill the leadership vacuum, a co-founder of Hezbollah, and its first deputy secretary-general who had long assisted Nasrallah, Naim Qassem , stepped in as new Secretary-General. via the Long War Journal But now, Israel

Does Demand Create Supply? Authored by Frank Shostak via Mises Institute , By popular thinking, increases in demand cause economic growth. According to such thought, whenever the economy falls into a recession what is required is to strengthen demand . Since government is seen as an important part of total demand, what is then required is to increase government outlays, thereby lifting overall demand and hence increasing economic growth. According to the popular view, it is also possible to strengthen overall demand through the inflationary increases in money supply . With more money in their possession, and for given prices,

Homeowners Face Eminent Domain Bulldozers As Data Centers Demand Ever More Power Georgia Power isn’t negotiating anymore. The Southern Company subsidiary is seizing dozens of homes and hundreds of easements across Coweta and Fayette counties to ram through a 35-mile, 500-kilovolt transmission line that will feed at least four massive AI data centers. Project Wansley is just the latest flashpoint in a backlash that has been building for months. QTS Data Center in Fayetteville, Georgia At least 20 to 30 homes face outright demolition . Another 300-plus properties will get permanent easements for towers planted in backyards and next to

Showcase Of Socialism: New York, Europe, And The Rise Of The New Left Submitted by Thomas Kolbe Supporters of bourgeois-conservative or libertarian politics have had little reason to celebrate over the past decades. One could also say that the interim balance sheet of the 21st century will go down in history as a complete failure for patriots, sovereigntists, and friends of liberty. The sparks of hope remain largely confined to a few South American beacons. Alongside El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and Argentina’s eccentric libertarian Javier Milei, the conservative politician of German descent Antonio Kast recently achieved an impressive electoral victory

Hasan Piker Says Quiet Part Out Loud, Maps Radical Left NGO Network To China-Based Marxist Financier Far-left Turkish-American millionaire and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker appears to have committed an operational-security mistake by publicly identifying American Marxist tech financier Neville Roy Singham, who has reportedly been living in China and has been linked by The New York Times to CCP-aligned propaganda networks, as a major financier of pro-Marxist revolutionary NGOs operating inside the U.S. On Sunday, Piker discussed the U.S. Treasury's " Requests for Information " subpoena related to his "humanitarian trip" to Cuba with pro-China CodePink cofounder Susan Medea Benjamin.

Iraq's Oil Collapse Sparks Race For New Export Routes Authored by Simon Watkins via OilPrice.com , Iraq's oil production has collapsed to just 1.39 million bpd after the Strait of Hormuz blockade stranded exports. Baghdad is urgently trying to revive northern export routes through Turkey, including the Kirkuk-Ceyhan system and a new Kirkuk-Nineveh pipeline. China is re-emerging as a major strategic player in Iraq's energy infrastructure, with Chinese firms heavily involved in Baghdad's new north-south pipeline expansion. April was indeed the cruellest month for decades for Iraq's crude oil production, with an average of 1.389 million barrels per day (bpd)

Reuters Peddles Fake News After Defense Contractor Misuses Civilian Starlink Terminals Reuters dropped another misleading article today - this time attempting to manufacture drama between the Pentagon and SpaceX over Starlink usage during the Iran conflict. The story framed routine commercial contract discussions and terms-of-service enforcement as major "tensions" and growing Pentagon reliance giving Elon Musk undue leverage. Reuters' version of events was that SpaceX used wartime urgency to raise the price of Starlink connections on U.S. drones from roughly $5,000 to $25,000 per terminal , forcing the Pentagon to pay up while exposing how dependent the military has become

Defending The Fourth Amendment To Protect Gun Owners Authored by John Velleco via Gun Owners of America , All gun owners fully understand the vital importance of preserving the Second Amendment. But right behind that Constitutional Amendment in importance is the need to uphold the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. After all, without robust Fourth Amendment rights, we will never have much of a Second Amendment right. For that reason, both Gun Owners of America and Gun Owners Foundation have regularly filed amicus briefs to guard against erosion of Fourth Amendment rights. We recently filed such an

Lavrov Warns Rubio: Get Diplomats & Americans Out Of Kiev Ahead Of 'Systematic Strikes' Russia has again warned Washington to evacuate embassy staff in Kiev as it prepares to launch "systematic strikes" against the Ukrainian capital, in apparent retribution for last week's deadly Ukrainian drone attack on a college dorm in Starobelsk, in Russian-controlled Luhansk Oblast. It is further and more broadly warning all foreign persons to exit the Ukrainian capital, which has already been getting pounded at various intervals, stretching back days. Russia's foreign ministry slammed the college dorm attack, which killed and wounded dozens - the "last straw"

NYC Mayor Mamdani's Housing Plan Sparks Property-Rights Alarm Over Forced Transfers To Nonprofits Mamdani Releases "Block by Block: The Housing Plan for A New Era" NYC socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani released "Block by Block: The Housing Plan for a New Era," which presents a sweeping, deeply troubling blueprint to tackle the metro area's deepening housing crisis. Mamdani told the crowd: When necessary, we will take aggressive legal action to remove negligent owners and property managers. And for buildings that have suffered chronic neglect, we work to transfer ownership to responsible stewards. Stewards include community land trusts, nonprofits, or even the

Elon Musk Welcomes American Airlines To The Starlink Family American Airlines shares jumped on Tuesday after the carrier announced a sweeping modernization of its narrow-body in-flight experience, with plans to install Starlink satellite internet terminals across 500 of its narrow-body jets in Q1 2027. The modernization effort signals the end of slow, unreliable internet for a large portion of American's domestic and short-haul fleet. Passengers will soon be able to stream, work, monitor markets via the Bloomberg Terminal, or check X in real time at speeds far beyond current in-flight internet speeds. Elon Musk welcomed American Airlines to the Starlink

Can Spencer Pratt Win? Authored by Mike McDaniel Via AmericanThinker.com, The Los Angeles mayoral race provides illuminates Democrat party thinking. There is non-politician, normal American Spencer Pratt running against Communist, Castro-admiring, current Mayor and black woman, Karen Bass, and Indian - the country - woman, and LA Council member, Nithya Raman. Graphic: X Post The only debate thus far was a self-inflicted disaster for Bass and Raman, and Bass is refusing to debate again. Asked--yes or no—whether illegal aliens should vote, Pratt answered “no,” and Bass and Raman, looking like cockroaches caught in the open when the kitchen lights came

Private Equity To Be Blocked From Buying Homes? Authored by Matt Stoller via BIG , Based on a vote last week, it seems very likely Congress will ban corporate ownership of most existing single family homes. "People live in homes," said Trump in January . "Not corporations." While Trump has sometimes talked a big game on constraining Wall Street, he generally hasn't followed through. In this case, though, he did. And somehow, a very corporate-friendly legislature came through as well. It's almost impossible to believe, but here's the relevant provision in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act that passed

Mediocre 2Y Auction Prices At Highest Yield Since Feb 2025 With Treasury yields sliding 4 days in a row, today's 2Y auction was not seen as especially concerning (certainly not as much as a week ago, when the 10Y was knocking on 4.70%'s door, vs 4.50% where it trades today). Still, while the auction did have it strong sides, it was hardly stellar. Starting at the top, the $69BN sale of 2Y paper priced at a high yield of 4.071%, up 26bps from 3.812% a month ago, and the highest since Feb 2025. The auction also priced on the screws

Strait Talk By Michael Every of Rabobank Strait Talk Despite many false dawns, markets remain upbeat on prospects for peace between the United States and Iran. Secretary of State Rubio indicated that the US side had thought it would have something to announce on Sunday night, or “maybe today” given that the Sunday deadline has now passed, and it is actually Tuesday. Striking a more cautionary tone, Iranian President Pezeshkian said of prospects that a deal would be made within the day that “nobody could make such a claim”, while President Trump had earlier said that he had urged his

Iran Vows 'Swift, Decisive' Revenge After Overnight US Port Attack, As Sides Seek Deal Allowing Each To 'Sell Their Narrative' Summary CENTCOM denies that US Navy has officially restarted guiding ships through Hormuz Strait amid fresh tanker explosion and fuel leak incident. IRGC says its military shot down an MQ-9 drone and forced an F-35 jet out of Iranian airspace . Tehran formally accuses Washington of "ceasefire violation" while warning a final deal is not yet imminent , while Pentagon cites "self-defense" strikes in Hormuz overnight. Ayatollah Hajj message: US will "no longer have a safe haven for mischief &

"Warning Signs Flashing Red": Ebola Outbreak Spreading Faster Than Response, Aid Group Says Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times, The Ebola outbreak in Africa could become the deadliest in history because it is spreading faster than responders can deal with it, an aid group said on May 26. Officials failed to initially detect the outbreak due to a lack of testing sufficient to identify the Bundibugyo virus, a rarer type of virus that causes Ebola. The outbreak is centered in the Ituri province in the northeast of Congo, also known as the DRC, where fighting regularly displaces people

Why Oil Markets Could Face A Generational Shock This Summer If US-Iran Talks Fail President Trump is signaling "make a good deal" or walk away with no deal at all. Overnight hostilities around the Hormuz maritime chokepoint highlight just how fragile the ceasefire remains as Washington and Tehran try to solidify a peace deal to end the conflict. The timing of a peace deal is very important because, as we have warned readers, a no-deal scenario would collide with a deteriorating oil-supply backdrop by summer, when global buffers and floating storage begin to run down, and SPR releases become less

The Fed Should Be Concerned: Job Market Vibes Vs Data Authored by Peter Tchir via Academy Securities, The Job Market – Vibes vs Data It seems like we are on the cusp of an agreement with Iran. We will help analyze the market implications in a SITREP if and when the details are released. In the meantime, the one question that seems to puzzle everyone, is what is the state of the job market? Yes, there are all sorts of questions around AI, the AI and data center spend, affordability , and inflation, but the state of the job market

NANO Nuclear Soars As It Turns Revenue-Generating With Strategic Acquisition NANO Nuclear announced the acquisition of Secured Transportation Services, instantly converting itself from a pre-revenue developer into a revenue-generating business with in-house secure transport capabilities for nuclear materials. With the $13 million acquisition of Secured Transportation Services - a nuclear logistics, transportation and services company specializing in the secure transport of radioactive and nuclear materials - NANO continues to vertically integrate itself into what will soon be the leading provider of turnkey nuclear energy solutions to the AI supercycle. Secured Transportation Services generated a profit of about $1.3 million in

Fifa approached Mexico after US declined to host Iran squad despite it playing group games in the United States Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum , said on Monday her government agreed to allow the Iranian national football team to stay in Mexico during the World Cup , adding that the US did not want to host the team. The team will still play its group stage matches in the US but its base has been moved to Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, California, a move that Iran’s football federation announced recently and that was confirmed by Fifa, the sport’s

Inmates at Barinas prison allege they were peacefully protesting when prison staff opened fire, leaving some wounded Inmates at Venezuela’s western Barinas prison staged a protest on its roof on Sunday, piling flaming mattresses and calling for the removal of the facility’s director, whom they accused of overseeing guards as they shot unarmed prisoners. “We want justice. They are shooting us, the guards and the wardens,” a prisoner said in a video shared by the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, a local NGO, on X, in which a man is seen with a bullet wound in his chest. Continue reading...

As Canada tightens asylum rules, refugees reuniting with family say they were turned over to ICE and jailed for months after failed border claims As each day in US detention passes, Markens Appolon can feel the life he had dreamed of slipping away. The 25-year-old fled Haiti to escape the rampant gang violence that upended his university studies in economics, and planned to join family in Montreal. Continue reading...

Judge said Trump administration would not have prosecuted Ábrego had he not challenged his high-profile deportation Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email A US judge dismissed a criminal indictment against Kilmar Ábrego García on Friday, finding that the Trump administration would not have prosecuted him had he not challenged his high-profile deportation. Ábrego, who had entered the United States without authorization in the past, became a symbol of the Trump administration’s drive for mass deportations when he was sent to the notorious anti-terrorism mega-prison in El Salvador known as Cecot in March 2025. Continue reading...

Alberta premier calls for referendum on secession after judge ruled initiative to force binding vote invalid The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney , has said that Alberta is “essential” to the country’s future, hours after the province’s leader moved the oil-rich region closer toward a referendum on independence. Separatists in the western province spent months collecting signatures seeking to trigger a binding October vote on seceding from the nation. Continue reading...

While approval is due soon for $14bn deal, actual deliveries to Taiwan are years away – making ‘Operation Epic Fury’ in the Gulf an unlikely cause The Trump administration’s war against Iran should have no impact on arms sales to Taiwan, experts have said, after a US official suggested a pause in the delivery of a key weapons package was due to the Gulf conflict. Analysts told the Guardian that a $14bn arms package left in limbo after Donald Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping could take up to six years to process, and there was a “low likelihood” of any

Group have been stuck in flooded cave in central Laos for five days after heavy rain caused landslides Divers who helped in the dramatic rescue of a young Thai football team in 2018 have joined efforts to free seven people who have been trapped for five days inside a remote, flooded cave in central Laos. The group entered the cave in Xaysomboun province on Wednesday to hunt for wildlife and search for gold, reports suggest. Heavy rain led to landslides, which blocked the cave entrance. Continue reading...

Xi Jinping urges authorities to ‘spare no effort’ in rescue operation after explosion in northern Shanxi province At least 82 people have been killed in a gas explosion at a coalmine in northern China’s Shanxi province, in the country’s worst mining disaster in 17 years. The explosion happened on Friday at 7.29pm (12.29 BST) while 247 workers were underground at the Liushenyu coalmine in Qinyuan county, the state media agency Xinhua reported. Continue reading...

Resolution backed by 141 states hailed as ‘new chapter’ that could improve climate diplomacy and litigation efforts When the UN general assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of a landmark climate crisis ruling on Wednesday, the Pacific island of Vanuatu’s prime minister hailed the result as the start of “a new chapter” in climate action. “The task before all of us now is to translate legal clarity into meaningful action, stronger cooperation, and greater protection for present and future generations,” said Jotham Napat. Continue reading...

Hung Cao’s comments are latest blow to Taipei after Donald Trump recently cast doubt over US’s enduring support US arms sales to Taiwan have been “paused” to ensure the US military has enough munitions for its Iran operations, according to Washington’s acting navy secretary, in the latest blow to Taipei after a series of comments by Donald Trump. When asked at a congressional hearing on Thursday about a $14bn (£10.4bn) weapons package awaiting Trump’s signoff for months, Hung Cao said: “Right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury

Meanwhile deputy Liberal leader says government should allow CGT changes to be scrutinised through a Senate inquiry. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Syrian children should be treated ‘sensitively and gently’, Ryan says Independent MP Monique Ryan says the women and children returning from a Syrian camp should be treated gently, after they arrived in Australia last night. We’re talking about kids who have grown up in a camp in Syria who haven’t been exposed to Australia at all, and I would suggest that we should treat them sensitively and

Jerome Laxale breaks ranks to publicly back reforms that would also wind back the diesel fuel rebate Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Labor MP Jerome Laxale says it’s “reasonable to expect more” from mining giants, breaking ranks to publicly back changes to the generous tax concessions blamed for holding back decarbonisation after revelations BHP delayed major projects to cut emissions. Labor’s grassroots environment action group has also renewed calls to wind back the diesel fuel rebate following an exclusive investigation by the Guardian

Joanna Howe says the image was sent to her by a woman ashamed of her abortion, and used it to support ‘rally for Emma and Ruth’ in favour of NSW bill Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast An image posted by anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe claiming to show aborted twin girls called “Ruth and Emma” appears to be a picture of newborn sugar gliders. The two little pink bodies are displayed on a clean white background and experts say the image does not look at

Property owners’ lack of motivation due to ‘split incentive’ is main reason rental properties are missing out on energy upgrades, research finds Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Renters make up nearly a third of Australian households yet many are missing out on energy upgrades – such as insulation, appliances and rooftop solar – that could slash their power bills and improve home comfort. The problem, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), is landlords’ lack of motivation. Continue reading...

Senate estimates hearing also hears a second investigation is under way into Paul Brereton’s conduct Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Paul Brereton, the outgoing national anti-corruption commissioner, has defended his actions and decisions as the watchdog’s first head in a tense Senate estimates hearing, and hit back at suggestions he contributed to the suffering of robodebt victims. It was also revealed during the Tuesday night hearing that Brereton is the subject of a second investigation by the organisation’s inspector. Continue reading...

Extreme early summer event across western Europe also brings highest temperatures for month in UK and Ireland Seven people have died in France in an extreme early summer heat event affecting a swathe of western Europe, with record high temperatures for May recorded for a second day in several countries. In France, which logged its hottest ever May day on Monday and again on Tuesday, the weather agency Météo France said the heatwave could last through the week and predicted temperatures could reach 39C in some areas. Continue reading...

Water cannon also used at rally called by Özgür Özel days after court dismissed him as CHP leader Riot police in Turkey have fired teargas and water cannon to break up a rally called by the ousted opposition leader Özgür Özel days after a court dismissed him from office. On Sunday, riot police had battered their way into the main opposition CHP’s headquarters in the capital, Ankara, firing teargas and beating party members before throwing them out, Özel said. Continue reading...

Ursula von der Leyen visiting Lithuania amid drone incursions as diplomats are called over Russian requests for envoys to leave the Ukrainian capital Back to Ukraine, the EU has summoned Russia’s top diplomat in Brussels over Russian warnings telling foreigners and diplomats to leave Kyiv amid planned new strikes on the Ukrainian capital. EU’s foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper said on X : “[Russian] threat to foreign citizens & diplomats to leave Kyiv is an unacceptable escalation. @eu_eeas summoned the Chargé d’Affairs, calling to stop hitting civilians & [Russia] to engage in genuine peace talks starting with a full and

Woman argued water was a universal human right but court ruled no law obliged hoteliers to serve it from taps A tourist’s simple request for a glass of tap water at a hotel restaurant in the Italian Dolomites has culminated in Italy’s top court ruling that being served water from the tap is not a consumer right, after a lengthy and costly legal saga. The case dates back to 2019 when the woman spent a week at the five-star hotel in the ski resort of Corvara, in Badia, over Christmas and new year. She was on a half-board deal with

Russia says arrest of Bishop Hilarion, who heads Orthodox congregation in Karlovy Vary, was politically motivated ‘setup’ Czech police have released a Russian Orthodox bishop who was detained on suspicion of drug possession, after Moscow condemned the arrest as a politically motivated setup. Bishop Hilarion, also known by his secular name, Grigory Alfeyev, was stopped by police on Sunday in Karlovy Vary, a spa town in western Czechia popular with Russian tourists, after officers discovered containers of a white substance in the boot of his car. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. For the latest, read our full report: Iran remains in peace talks despite first US strikes since ceasefire Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on his Telegram channel that Gulf powers will no longer be a shield for US bases and the US will no longer have a safe haven in the region, as Tehran and Washington discuss a framework to end their three-month-old war, Reuters reports. The post follows overnight attacks on Iran by the US, testing the ceasefire agreed in April. The strikes came as Iran’s top negotiator and its foreign minister

Tehran condemns ‘definitive violation’ but announces no specific reprisals as negotiations near decisive stage A proposed peace agreement between Iran and the US seemed to remain on the table on Tuesday despite US bombings of Iranian targets. The Iranian foreign ministry denounced the US attack – aimed at missile launchers and efforts to lay fresh mines in the strait of Hormuz – as “an act of bad faith” and “a definitive violation of the ceasefire” and said it would not leave aggression unanswered. But it did not pull out of the talks that were continuing under the joint mediation of

End of shutdown comes despite interim court order questioning authority of body overseeing the move Iran’s access to the global internet slowly restarted on Tuesday, ending a record 88-day blackout that has contributed to thousands of Iranians losing their jobs and provided cover for the Iranian security services to mount a large-scale wartime crackdown. The resumption came despite an interim administrative court order questioning the authority of the body overseeing the move, called the “special headquarters for leading the country’s cyberspace”. The body had been set up by the president, Masoud Pezeshkian, a week ago. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed – our live coverage of the Middle East crisis continues here Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission, has said that time is working against the US and warned that Iran does not respond well to threats. In a post on X , he wrote: During the military war, our tactic was an eye for an eye; in the diplomatic war, it is action against action. Do not believe the bluff of the failed president; time is against the Americans. If they want an agreement, they should negotiate;

Negotiators from Iran travelled to Qatar on Monday, with the fate of the country’s nuclear programme and access to frozen assets under discussion Middle East crisis – live updates The US has launched strikes on southern Iran in a test of the seven-week long ceasefire, as both sides played down hopes for an imminent peace deal even as negotiators from Tehran began new talks in Qatar. US forces targeted missile launch sites and boats attempting to lay mines, US central command (Centcom) said on Tuesday, but stressed that the strikes did not indicate the ceasefire with Iran was over. Continue

Lack of Pfas regulations raised in parliament after Guardian revealed former Miteni plant bought by Indian company Protests over the production of cancer-linked Pfas chemicals have spread across India, after an investigation revealed that an Italian factory shut down due to an environmental scandal was bought by an Indian company and partly rebuilt. At the end of last year, the Guardian revealed that the former Miteni plant in Vicenza had been acquired by the Indian company Laxmi Organic Industries. The factory produced Pfas and was shut down in 2018 after being linked to one of Italy’s worst environmental contamination scandals.

Senior lawyers call on prime minister to request Indian prosecutors drop charges that would breach double jeopardy rule Four senior lawyers, including the former attorney general Dominic Grieve, have written to Keir Starmer urging him to request that Indian prosecutors drop charges against the British national Jagtar Singh Johal on the basis that continued prosecution would be in manifest breach of the double jeopardy rule which prevents someone being tried twice for the same offence. Johal has been held in an Indian jail for eight years, and in March last year was acquitted of the terrorist charges laid against him

Explosives-laden vehicle detonated as passenger train travelled through south-western city of Quetta A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a railway track as a passenger train travelled through the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 70 others, officials have said. The force of the explosion on Sunday caused two of the train cars to overturn and catch fire, sending thick black smoke into the air, according to footage shared online. Continue reading...

US president says it’s a ‘solid 50/50’ on either making a ‘good’ deal with Iran or striking the country anew Donald Trump said he would meet today with American negotiators to review Iran’s latest proposal and decide by Sunday whether he will strike Iran “to kingdom come”. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, also told reporters in India on Saturday that “there may be news later today” about Iran. He did not specify what that news would be. Continue reading...

Move comes against backdrop of challenge by prime minister, Narendra Modi, to country’s traditional elites The Indian government has ordered one of the country’s most exclusive private clubs to vacate its premises in two weeks, underscoring the long-running push of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, against entrenched elite institutions. The ministry of housing and urban affairs directed the Delhi Gymkhana Club to hand over its sprawling site in the heart of New Delhi by 5 June, citing urgent public interest requirements, including defence and security infrastructure. Continue reading...

Anne Keast-Butler will also warn of narrowing window to stay ahead of China in ‘new era of radical uncertainty’ Russia is relentlessly targeting Britain’s infrastructure and democracy while there is only a narrowing technological window to stay ahead of a fast-developing China, the head of the spy agency GCHQ will warn in a lecture on Wednesday. Anne Keast-Butler, giving an inaugural annual lecture, will say that the UK is caught in a “new era of radical uncertainty” and that “the risk of miscalculation” is as high as she has ever seen it as hacker attacks from the two states continue.

Intervention by former PM almost feels designed to inflict maximum annoyance on his party Tony Blair tells Starmer and rivals: abandon net zero and move closer to Trump Did Tony Blair ever mention he was quite good at winning elections? If you happened to miss it, then his 5,700-word opus on where Labour, Keir Starmer and the UK more generally have gone wrong is here to remind you. Several times. “I led the Labour party for 13 years and through three general elections,” goes the second sentence. Further on, Blair laments that when the party tries to puzzle out how

In highly unusual intervention, ex-PM says his party’s ‘almost infinite capacity for self-delusion’ makes it likely to lose next election Analysis: Tony Blair’s essay on Labour failings gets full marks for being unhelpful Tony Blair has accused Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting of putting Labour’s future at risk by abandoning the centre ground, warning that the party’s “almost infinite capacity for self-delusion” means it is likely to lose the next election. In a scathing 5,700-word attack on the prime minister and his would-be successors published on Tuesday night, Blair argued for the government to crack down on welfare

Police officer in charge says budget could reach £19.3m and nearly 100 more investigators are needed The police criminal inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal faces a five-year delay unless it is handed millions in extra funding and nearly 100 more staff, according to the chief officer in charge. The Metropolitan police commander Stephen Clayman said he needed to nearly double the number of investigators to 210 to meet a deadline of late next year or early 2028 for submitting files to prosecutors. Continue reading...

Analysis of party’s proposed cuts also suggests it would get rid of two-thirds of psychologists who support prison staff A Reform UK plan to cut the size of the civil service would involve sacking more planning officers than exist and getting rid of at least two-thirds of the psychologists who support prison officers’ welfare, it has emerged. The policy paper , led by the Reform MP Danny Kruger and published in December, promises to save more than £5bn a year by cutting civil service roles, with the full-time-equivalent (FTE) headcount falling by 13%. Continue reading...

Paxton, Texas attorney general, beat out four-term incumbent Cornyn on Tuesday in a primary that tested Trump’s grip on the Republican party Trump-backed Ken Paxton ousts John Cornyn in heated Texas race after scandal-plagued campaign America’s ugliest primary? Texas Republican infighting could hand Senate seat to Democrat Sign up for the Breaking News US email President Trump’s administration floated a plan to ask federal workers to sign non-disclosure agreements, according to a government document released Tuesday, Reuters reported. This is not the first time the administration has brought up non-disclosure agreements with federal workers. Last year, after the administration fired

President says federal government must retain regulatory authority as concerns grow over ‘addictive’ platforms Donald Trump wrote in a social media post on Tuesday it was “critically important” that the federal government retain control over the multibillion-dollar prediction market industry, as he cast a critical eye on state attempts to impose new restrictions. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) should retain “exclusive authority” over prediction markets, Trump said . Continue reading...

Race had wide implications for Trump’s strength heading into midterms, where Paxton will face Democratic candidate James Talarico Ken Paxton, the Donald Trump-backed Texas attorney general, triumphed over incumbent John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff for senator. His victory signals that even a scandal-plagued candidate can win over the deep red state with the support of the president. The race had wide implications for Trump’s strength heading into November’s midterm elections, where Paxtonwill now face James Talarico, a Democratic pastor and state legislator whose message of peace and populism has attracted much attention. If he wins, Talarico would become

According to the fire department, incident occurred when a tank containing white liquor, a chemical solution, ruptured Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The implosion of a chemical tank at a Washington packaging plant early on Tuesday morning killed killed at least one person and left at least 10 others with injuries including chemical burns, authorities said. The Longview fire department confirmed one fatality at Nippon Dynawave Packaging in a statement on their social media page. It also confirmed eight employees were injured and one firefighter. There are nine people who are employees of the plant who

The venue is expected to host a mixed martial arts fight on 14 June to also mark the US’s 250th anniversary Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Construction is under way on the White House lawn for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) arena that will host a cage match next month to mark the US’s 250th anniversary and Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. The mixed martial arts fight is planned for 14 June. Continue reading...

The implosion of a chemical tank at a pulp and paper mill in southwestern Washington state on Tuesday injured at least 10 people, while an undisclosed number of others had been killed or remained missing, authorities said. In a joint statement, Nippon Dynawave Packaging and local first response agencies confirmed there had been fatalities. Cowlitz Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein later told a news conference that it was unclear how many workers had been killed. Asked how many remained...

Last year’s brazen robbery of the Louvre – when thieves made off with jewellery worth some US$100 million – is set to become a film, a publisher said on Tuesday. French director Romain Gavras – whose work includes 2025 Hollywood film Sacrifice starring Anya Taylor-Joy and music videos including most recently a hypnotic schoolboy choreography for GENER8ION – will draw inspiration from the investigative book Main basse sur le Louvre (literally A Grab at the Louvre). Film rights to the book about...

The UK smashed a century-old temperature record for the second time in 24 hours on Tuesday as a spring heatwave continued to scorch parts of western Europe, triggering government warnings about risks to life. Several drownings were reported in Britain and France as people tried to cool down. A temperature of 35.1 degrees was recorded at London’s Kew Gardens, Britain’s Met Office weather service said, breaking the 34.8 degree record set a day earlier at Kew. The provisional readings smashed the...

Iran started restoring access to the internet – a sign that the longest shutdown of its kind in history is easing amid a diplomatic push to end the war with the US. Monitoring group NetBlocks said there was a “partial restoration” on Tuesday after 88 days of near-total blackout on the national network, showing connectivity had risen from close to zero to around 35 per cent of typical levels. “In line with the esteemed President’s mission and in fulfilment of the government’s promise, the first...

Donald Trump said an annual medical check-up had gone “perfectly” on Tuesday, as the health of the oldest US president ever to take the oath faces growing scrutiny with the approach of his 80th birthday. It was Trump’s third medical examination since returning to office last year and follows mounting speculation about issues including bruising on his hands and apparent sleepiness during meetings. “Everything checked out PERFECTLY,” Trump posted on his Truth Social network as he drove back to the...

US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday proposed asking federal employees to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA) with the goal of preventing them from sharing confidential information with journalists. The Office of Personnel Management, the human resources office for the ‌US government, released a draft NDA designed for federal agencies to use with new and existing employees. Under the draft agreement, the administration could pursue civil and criminal penalties against employees...

Palestinian shepherd Sameeha Rasheed was planning for the sacred ritual of sacrificing her family’s sheep for the Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the holiest occasions in Islam, but West Bank Jewish settlers stole them in a predawn raid, she said. Instead of celebrating, Rasheed has been left with nothing and has also been deprived of the income she would have received from selling the sheep not used by her family. The settlers stole around 45 sheep from her home in Masafer Yatta, a collection of...

An explosion damaged a tanker close to its waterline as it sailed off Oman, a marine monitor said on Tuesday, as tensions remained high around the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. The captain reported the explosion on the hull of the vessel, UK Maritime Trade Operations said. “The crew and vessel are safe, although the master reports some bunker fuel has discharged into the sea.” The incident, in the Gulf of Oman about 60 nautical miles east of Muscat, was an “external explosion”, UKMTO added,...

While cleaning my basement, I found an old copy of Foreign Affairs dated September/October 2014. If you didn’t look at the publication date but only its table of contents, you would have thought it was a recent edition. Titled “See America: Land of Decay & Dysfunction”, the edition’s front cover is a painting of a crumbling Capitol Building that houses the United States Congress. Keep in mind we are talking about the second year of the second term of Barack Obama, whose presidency is now fondly...

Jonathan Andic, son of Mango founder Isak Andic, said on Tuesday he was stepping down temporarily as the fashion group’s vice chair after being named a suspect in an investigation into his father’s death, while strongly asserting his innocence. “The attention and focus that my defence in the judicial process currently requires do not allow me to maintain the high level of commitment demanded by my role at the company,” Andic said in an open letter to staff. “A public narrative has been...

A crash between a bus and a train travelling at high speed in northern Belgium killed four people, including two children aged 12 and 15, and injured five other children, officials said on Tuesday. The injured children were hospitalised in serious condition, said Lisa De Wilde, spokeswoman for the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office. The collision happened at a level crossing during the morning rush hour near the town of Buggenhout, about 30km (20 miles) northwest of the capital,...

The Xi-Trump summit in Beijing unfolded much more cordially than the tense truce in Busan. In the six months since the leaders met in the South Korean city, America’s bargaining position has weakened considerably from developments both domestic and international. From a reluctant respite in tensions, US-China relations have evolved to what may be the beginning of a reconciliation. The two great powers interact at three levels. At the bottom is trade and investment; we can expect the terms of the...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called US State Secretary Marco Rubio to advise him to evacuate US citizens and diplomats from Kyiv, as the Kremlin plans to continue heavy strikes on the Ukrainian capital, according to a statement published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday. Lavrov called his US counterpart at the request of President Vladimir Putin to tell him that Russia was launching systematic and consistent strikes against facilities in Kyiv as well as against the relevant...

Saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who spent more than two years practising in solitude as a young man on a windswept New York bridge to reinvent his playing and ⁠become one of the giants of jazz, died at the ⁠age of 95 on Monday, his publicist said. Rollins had recorded the confidently titled Jazz Colossus album ⁠in 1956. But the saxophonist remained wracked with self-doubt. So, in the summer of 1959, he began to play on the windswept pedestrian walkway of New York’s Williamsburg Bridge. Initially a...

“America is open, America is ready for you. We want you to come”. The United States’ new tourism chief, Nick Adams, boldly delivered the invitation at last week’s IPW Fort Lauderdale inbound travel trade show in Florida. “We can protect our borders and open our doors at the same time,” he insisted. “We want you to have a great vacation. There is no country like America on Earth.” Australian-born Adams, who obtained US citizenship in 2021, was appointed in March to the newly created position of...

Iran’s foreign ⁠ministry ⁠said in a statement on Tuesday that the United States had violated the ceasefire ‌with strikes in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province. US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines on Monday, US Central Command said, imperilling a fragile ceasefire and casting new doubt on a deal to end the Middle East war. “The United States ‌committed a gross violation of ⁠the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region ⁠in the past 48 hours … Iran holds the US...

The Israeli army intensified strikes in southern Lebanon on Monday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to escalate its offensive in an effort to “crush” Hezbollah. The air strikes come as the United States and Iran seek to finalise the terms of an agreement to end the Middle East conflict, which could include the Lebanon front, where Israel and Hezbollah have waged war since March 2. Despite a ceasefire that came into effect on April 17, Israel and Iran-backed...

The US Justice ⁠Department has again asked a ⁠federal judge to lift an injunction holding up progress on President Donald Trump’s ballroom project, saying Saturday’s shooting outside the White House showed an urgent need for improved security. The Justice Department, in ‌a five-page court filing on Sunday, said the incident underscores the critical need for “top level, state of the art security at the White House, including the ballroom”, adding that it was vital for national security. It also...

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that she has “no issue” with her country hosting Iran’s World Cup team after its training base was moved from the United States to Mexico for the summer soccer competition. The team will still play its group stage matches in the US but its base has been moved to Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, California, a move that Iran’s football federation announced recently and that was formally confirmed by Fifa, the sport’s governing body, on...

Slowly but surely, Hong Kong is undergoing various scales of transformation. From the mixed-use development around Kai Tak to the revamped waterfronts on both sides of Victoria Harbour, the new railway extensions to the vehicular bypass tunnels below our busy streets, the adaptive reuse of underutilised spaces and the infusion of art and culture into local neighbourhoods, our city is evolving and adapting. Consider the East Coast Boardwalk as an example. The space under the Island Eastern...

A tense and tenuous calm fell over La Paz on Monday evening after a day rocked by violent clashes between protesters and police, despite Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz offering to slash his salary by 50 per cent in an effort to end protests. Even as clashes abated, there was no sign that protesters were prepared to clear the streets, with demonstrations likely to continue this week. Protesters have blocked roads into La Paz for nearly a month, leading to shortages of food, fuel and medicine. The...

Two teenagers were in police custody in northwestern France on Monday, a day after an 11-year-old boy was found dead with a wet towel tied around his neck, prosecutors said. The boy was found on the banks of the Vilaine river in the northwestern city of Rennes with a wet bath towel tied tightly around his neck, prosecutors said on Sunday. On Monday, a 16-year-old boy was detained at his home, while a 15-year-old girl was detained after presenting herself to police, Rennes prosecutor Frederic...

A Swedish prosecutor on Monday called for a 10-year prison sentence against a man on trial for allegedly prostituting out his wife to around 120 clients. The court proceedings against the 62-year-old defendant, in the northern town of Harnosand, were largely being conducted behind closed doors. He is accused of having created internet adverts, arranging the paid meetings between the men who answered and his spouse, and pushing her to perform sexual acts online to attract more clients. Although...

⁠Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued an order to reopen international internet access, Iranian state media reported on Monday, citing an official after a ‌near-90-day blackout in the wake of the war against US and Israel. The report cited the head of public relations at Iran’s Communications Ministry. The mechanism for how and when Iran would reconnect to ⁠the global web following the decision was unknown. “The decree aimed at restoring internet access to its pre-January state was...

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Kyiv on Monday following weeks of mounting warnings from Ukrainian officials about Russian plans to draw Minsk more deeply into the war against Ukraine. Tsikhanouskaya arrived a day after one ‌of the war’s biggest strikes on the Ukrainian capital killed four people and damaged historical sites, and amid Russian threats to launch further heavy attacks on Kyiv. Tsikhanouskaya, an opponent of Belarus’ President Alexander...

Temperatures hit record highs for May in Britain, Ireland and France on Monday, as forecasters warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat across Europe throughout the week. A so-called “heat dome” of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer. Temperatures in Spain were expected to peak later this week at 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit), while parts of Italy imposed restrictions...

The former husband of Scotland’s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon on Monday pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 (US$540,000) from the pro-independence Scottish National Party in a years-long probe into the party’s finances. Sturgeon, the former head of Scotland’s devolved administration in Edinburgh, quit as SNP leader and first minister in February 2023. Her then-husband Peter Murrell was arrested in April that year after officers searched the home he shared with Sturgeon near...

US President Donald Trump said Monday that any agreement to end the Iran war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered agreements from Trump’s first term aimed at normalising relations with Israel. US and Iranian forces have observed a ceasefire since April 8 while diplomats push for a negotiated settlement, although Iran has maintained controls on Gulf shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and...

African leaders and financiers gathered for the African Development Bank’s annual meeting on Monday as the continent faces shrinking aid flows, with this week’s event in Congo Republic overshadowed by an Ebola outbreak across the border. Overseas development aid from the world’s richest nations to poorer countries dropped by nearly a ‌quarter last year to US$174.3 billion. The US led the cuts, including reduced funding to the concessional lending arm of the AfDB – Africa’s largest development...

A major diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran could signal sanctions relief for Iran, a development analysts say bodes well for China, the primary buyer of Iranian oil. Negotiations have advanced on a proposed 60-day ceasefire extension, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the US side issuing temporary sanctions waivers that would allow Iran to sell oil freely, Axios reported on Saturday, citing a US official. Any such relief would only be implemented under a final...

High on the list of deliverables agreed following the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump was the establishment of a board of trade, albeit with little detail on its mission, responsibilities or operations. The White House expects the board “to manage bilateral trade across non-sensitive goods” while China’s Ministry of Commerce says the board “will discuss issues such as tariff reductions”. While not contradictory, both formulations are vague and hint at...

Israel’s two far-right ministers on Monday called for an escalation of military operations in Lebanon, with one advocating strikes on Beirut in response to Hezbollah’s drone attacks. “It is time for the prime minister to take a firm stand with Donald Trump and tell him that Israel is returning to war in Lebanon,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said on social media. Ben Gvir leads the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party. “Electricity to Lebanon must be cut off, the Zahrani...

Pope Leo called for the “disarming” of artificial intelligence in his long-awaited manifesto on the rapidly developing technology on Monday, and warned of “new forms of slavery” behind its rise. The “just war” theory – espoused recently by the Trump administration – was “outdated”, Pope Leo XIV wrote in his first encyclical, which he presented in person at the Vatican, alongside AI experts including the co-founder of US giant Anthropic. The first US pope, who has clashed with the White House...

The annual haj pilgrimage, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, officially began on Monday. More than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from outside the country, Saleh bin Saad Al-Murabba, commander of the haj passport forces, said on Friday. The faithful have been pouring into the country for the haj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related regional tensions and uncertainty. Egyptian pilgrim Samya Abdul Moneim said she was grateful to God that she...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. 82 killed in China’s worst coal mine accident for more than a decade 2. Why Bangladesh could raise Indian red flags by buying a China-Pakistan fighter jet 3. Screams as 10 hurt in ‘drop tower’ turbulence on Cathay flight from Brisbane 4. 2 notable women in ancient China broke barriers in fields...

For decades, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has preached a mantra of peace and stability in the Middle East through the destruction of Iran’s Islamic Republic. The obliteration of the ayatollahs, he prophesied, would lead to the normalisation of relations between Israel and the wider Arab-Islamic world – with Israel emerging as the Middle East’s dominant power and indispensable security provider. But on Saturday, Netanyahu’s dreams looked set to be dashed, after US President Donald...

Oil fell as senior US officials gave further, positive signals on progress towards a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Brent lost as much as 6.2 per cent to US$97.10 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was near US$91. Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a cautiously upbeat tone, saying the US was going to give diplomacy every chance. “We thought we might have some news last night,” he said in New Delhi. “Maybe today.” At the weekend, US President Donald Trump said...

Geopolitical tensions and a funding crisis are jeopardising peacekeeping missions, particularly those under the auspices of the United Nations, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned on Monday. Just under 79,000 international staff were deployed in international peacekeeping operations at the end of 2025, the lowest number in at least 25 years, the institute said in a report. “If things continue in this way, we could see a dramatic weakening of multilateral conflict...

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China last week saw the signing of some 40 documents and a joint statement on strengthening the Beijing-Moscow partnership. The visit, just days after US President Donald Trump’s Beijing trip, is more than a diplomatic coincidence. It is a vivid reminder that the global order is now being shaped less by alliances than by a fluid triangle of China, the United States and Russia, with Beijing increasingly sitting at the centre. Timing is diplomacy. When...

Experts trying to prevent a tank holding a highly toxic and flammable chemical from exploding in Southern California found a “potential crack” in the container that might be reducing the pressure, a fire official said on Sunday. Since Friday, officials have warned that the tank, which contains methyl methacrylate, a chemical used in plastics and manufacturing, could rupture and spill up ‌to 26,500 litres (7,000 gallons) of toxic material or explode and endanger other tanks on the GKN Aerospace...

The US Department of Justice is acknowledging it has removed from its website news releases about criminal cases related to the January 6, 2021, riot, calling the information about the prosecutions “partisan propaganda”. The purge of news releases documenting criminal charges, convictions and sentencings is the latest step by the Trump administration to dramatically rewrite the history of the assault on the Capitol, when hundreds of supporters of Republican Donald Trump stormed the building in...

A shipment of nearly 15,000 tonnes of rice donated by the Chinese government to Cuba has arrived at the port of Havana, the island’s president said on Sunday. The shipment is the first batch of a promised 60,000 tonnes that China says it will donate to Cuba, which is grappling with dire shortages. “That noble gesture of solidarity will reach millions of consumers throughout all the provinces and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, in addition to our health and education...

Turkish riot police fired tear gas and forced their way into the main opposition party’s headquarters to evict its ousted leadership on Sunday, fuelling a crisis at the heart of Turkey’s democracy. Clouds of tear gas billowed within the Republican People’s Party (CHP) building while those inside shouted and threw objects at the entrance as police ‌broke through a makeshift barricade. There were no reports of injuries during the intervention. A Turkish court ousted CHP leader Ozgur Ozel on...

Security was tightened in South Africa’s Kruger National Park nature reserve after two tourists were found killed there, authorities said on Sunday. The two South African victims, a 71-year-old man and a woman whose age was not disclosed, failed to return to their lodge on Wednesday evening, prompting a search operation. Other tourists eventually found them in a river on Friday afternoon. Police said the man had stab wounds and the woman’s body was bruised. Their car was missing. The...

Ukraine is calling for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and a gathering of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) following massive Russian air strikes, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Sunday. In a statement published on social media, Sybiha also called for an “appropriate and strong response to the aggressor” following the overnight attacks, which mainly targeted the Kyiv region and saw the deployment of a medium-range Oreshnik ballistic...

Lawyers representing federal workers said the move is intended to chill speech and could be challenged on First Amendment grounds.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship bout is scheduled for June 14, President Trump’s 80th birthday.

The plaintiffs had sought a temporary restraining order, arguing that the map violated a state ban on partisan gerrymandering that voters passed in 2010.

With early voting already underway, it became clear there was no longer enough support to use new lines before the November midterm elections.

Alabama is likely to appeal the ruling, which stops an effort to use a new congressional map that would likely cost Democrats a majority-Black district.

Kassi Solberg has concerns about a proposed complex, the size of 3,800 football fields, near her home. Trust us, the developer says.

While global warming is still a threat, the decision to back away from a worst-case outlook raises questions about whether some risks have been overstated.

Authorities in Britain and France warned that “unprecedented” temperatures — at a time when few expected them — could persist. Climate change has made heat waves more frequent and more intense.

Pope Leo XIV’s spiritual message on artificial intelligence arrived as Silicon Valley’s A.I. enthusiasts pursue their own spirituality through technology.

A group of immigration judges in 2020 challenged work-related restrictions on their public speaking engagements, saying they violated their free speech rights.

Florida officials had asked the justices to hear a lawsuit accusing California and Washington of improperly granting licenses to an immigrant accused in a fatal crash.

Matthew Perry’s assistant injected the ketamine that killed his employer. His sentencing has some in the demanding profession considering the power dynamics involved.

He ran the newspaper division of Advance Publications, while his older brother, Si, ran the Condé Nast magazine operation.

President Trump is said to be considering the appearance after his hometown team, the Knicks, clinched a championship spot.

The agreement is important for both nations, as Canada seeks new markets away from the United States and Germany tries to diversify its energy supply.

Dermatologists are flummoxed.

The Texas senate race will come down to the Democratic candidate’s strengths — and the Republican’s weaknesses.

The best-selling author of “Sapiens” and “Nexus” discusses the core delusions deranging our politics.

The chief, Brian O’Hara, began leading the department in 2022 as it reeled in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd.

The director of Britain’s electronic surveillance agency warns that Russia is only getting more brazen as battlefield losses in Ukraine mount.

The risk of an explosion or spill has fallen, the authorities said, but residents closest to the plant cannot yet return. Some have begun to ask who should be held accountable.

For a split second, a fireball outshone the rivers of molten lava flowing from the Philippines’ most active volcano.