Minimalist News

Visualizing The Declining Purchasing Power Of The US Dollar The U.S. dollar has steadily lost value over the past century. According to Federal Reserve data, the purchasing power of one dollar today is equal to just a few cents in 1913 (the year the Fed was created). In this graphic, Visual Capitalist's Marcus Lu tracks the decline in the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar since the early 1900s, illustrating how inflation has eroded its value. DATA & DISCUSSION The data for this visualization comes from Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED). It measures the “Purchasing Power of the Consumer Dollar” across all U.S. city averages,

How A Generation of Women Was Misled About Hormone Therapy Authored by Jingduan Yang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), “Was I misled?” That’s the question I hear most from my patients lately—asked with anger, exhaustion, and the quiet devastation of women who wonder if they lost years of their lives to menopause symptoms they were told were untreatable. Getty image/MoMo Productions The answer came earlier this month when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it would remove “black box” warnings from hormone therapy products after 23 years. For many women, the reversal is an admission that arrives decades too late. WHAT HAPPENED IN 2002 In

Which Countries Prescribe The Most & Least Antibiotics? World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week ended last week. Antimicrobials are medicines used to prevent and treat infectious diseases. These can be used on humans, animals and plants and come in the forms of antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics. Although resistance to these medicines occurs naturally, due to genetic changes in pathogens over time, this process can be exacerbated when humans use antimicrobials too frequently or do not finish a course fully. The result can be deadly, with dangerous strains of bacteria endangering lives and threatening the ability to treat common infections and, as a

Britain Is Lost Authored by T.L.Davis,  A recent interview Tucker Carlson had with George Galloway, a long-time member of the British Parliament and with a show himself in Britain, who was recently detained at the border under terrorism charges for, apparently, the opinions broadcast on his show. No nation has fallen quicker or more completely than Britain into the totalitarian mindset. It’s why we highlighted this aspect of modern Europe into the film Deconstruction. Britain, as long as it pursues the same oppression of free speech as the Soviet Union, can not be called or considered an ally of the United States. This is what we have

Visualizing The World's Total Supply Of Gold Gold is on a hot streak, up more than 50% to-date despite retreating from October’s record highs of $4,380 per troy ounce. Driving global demand is the mixture of geopolitical tensions, a weaker U.S. dollar, and sticky inflation. In Q3 2025, central bank purchases were up 28% over the quarter, while inflows of gold-backed ETFs hit $26 billion. This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Dorothy Neufeld, breaks down the total global supply of gold, both above and below ground, based on data from the World Gold Council. ALL OF THE WORLD’S ABOVE AND BELOW-GROUND GOLD As of year-end 2024, the total above-ground

Putin Increasingly Depends On Beijing For His Growing Arsenal Of Military Drones Via Remix News, While Russia is routinely portrayed as a serious military power, as the war drags on, Russia is becoming more and more reliant on Chinese drone components to survive. Now, China’s drone component supplier Wang Dinhua has just purchased a 5 percent stake in Russia’s Rustakt, a top drone manufacturer in Russia. Rustakt is subject to sanctions imposed by both Ukraine and the European Union, reports Do Rzeczy, citing an article from FInancial TImes.  Samuel Bendett, a drone expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted the growing cooperation between

America's Poison Melting Pot And The Luxury Of Tolerance Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us, Modern western culture is an absolute anomaly in the history of human civilization. If one studies the principles and doctrines of nearly every other society and empire around the world, you will not find one that allows mass immigration of foreigners with contrary ideologies. You will not find one that allows foreigners to migrate without strict assimilation and loyalty. From the Arab states, to China, South Korea, and Japan (until recently), to India and beyond, every culture maintains a sense of cultural supremacy. There is an absolute expectation that newcomers

Russia Proclaims Final Victory Over Key City Of Pokrovsk On Eve Of Putin-Witkoff Peace Plan Meeting Update(1710ET): Russia finally and formally announced Monday its forces have captured the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, the long fought-over strategic military logistics hub, as well as the city of Vovchansk in the northeast. The capture of Pokrovsk has long been seen as inevitable, after starting weeks ago Russian troops were filmed patrolling freely and casually in a southern district of the city which had a pre-war population of 60,000. Russia's military chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, on Sunday had "informed [President] Vladimir Putin of the liberation of

US Plans To Keep Troops In Caribbean Through 2028, Planning Docs Show Via The Cradle  Department of War documents suggest the US military is planning to keep large numbers of troops in the Caribbean Sea for the next three years, The Intercept reported on Monday, in a further sign that a war on Venezuela is imminent. Defense Department contracting documents reviewed by The Intercept show the military has earmarked major increases in food supplies for almost all of its branches, including the US Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. The documents show the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has been contracted to supply large amounts of

Why Banning Hate Speech Is Evil Authored by Lew Rockwell, We often hear demands to ban so-called “hate speech.” Negative remarks about various groups, including women, black people, homosexuals, Jews, Muslims, can it is alleged, have a negative effect on members of the group who hear or see the speech. It encourages people to hate them and cements negative stereotypes about them in people’s minds. In addition, hearing or seeing “hate speech” offends the members of the group. Free speech may have some value, but whatever value it has it outweighed by the evil of “hate speech.” Almost any group can claim to

Oregon's Far-Left Governor Threatens Lawfare Against ICE Agents Oregon Governor Tina Kotek (D) has put her state - one of the most progressive in the United States - on a collision course with the Trump administration, threatening to investigate Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel and, if necessary, bring state criminal charges against ICE agents for enforcing federal immigration laws. In a video statement shared to Instagram this week, Kotek accused federal agents of using excessive force and “reckless” tactics that she claimed endanger bystanders and local police. The Oregon governor vowed to monitor ICE operations and treat federal officers the same

Trump Gave Maduro A Last Friday Deadline To Step Down As Venezuelan President Update(2103ET): According to Reuters on Monday night, Maduro told Trump he was prepared to leave Venezuela in last week's recently revealed phone call, but Trump rejected nearly all of his additional conditions - including a demand that Vice President Delcy Rodríguez lead a transitional government before new elections. Reuters further reports that Trump gave Maduro a deadline of last Friday to depart the country, after which the American leader announced on Saturday that Venezuelan airspace was "closed."  Things are beginning to move faster, as it looks like Trump plans some kind

A Water War Is Brewing In Texas Authored by Kurt Cobb via OilPrice.com, * A hedge-fund-backed plan to pump 15 billion gallons a year from an East Texas aquifer has sparked intense local opposition and legal challenges. * Growing Texas cities are increasingly tapping distant rural water supplies, accelerating depletion of shared aquifers like the Carrizo-Wilcox. * Without major conservation efforts, rural communities risk losing water essential for farming and ranching as urban demand continues to climb. One of the ways you can claim rights to water sources is to own land next to them or over them. It seems intuitive that

ZeroHedge Store - Cyber Monday Is Almost Over (Last Chance!) *  *  * It's now Cyber Monday. Prices go back up at midnight! After launching ZeroHedge store a year ago, we've been humbled by the overwhelming response. Between die-hard fans of IQ Biologix supplements, ZeroHedge gear, Rancher-Direct clean meats, hand-made knives, and more - your support is greatly appreciated.  So since everyone else on the planet is doing a Black Friday / Cyber Monday promotion, we did one too. Until Monday at midnight:  IQ Biologix supplements are 50% off - if you've been on the fence, go for it. If you're a regular, time to stock up.  Multitools are

Your Health Report Isn't The Final Step - It's A Warning You Can't Ignore Authored by JoJo Novaes & Arthur Zhang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), A 50-year-old man felt completely healthy—no chest pain, no fatigue, no warning signs. So when his routine health checkup revealed an LDL cholesterol level of 231 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), nearly double the recommended limit, he brushed it aside. After all, he felt fine. The Epoch Times However, the numbers told a different story. Reviewing the man’s past reports, Peng-Tzu Liu, deputy director of the Health Management Center at Taiwan’s Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, noticed

Cocaine Inflation Erupts After U.S. Strikes On Caribbean Drug Boats Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Terry Cole told CBS News that President Trump's military strikes on suspected drug-running vessels in the Caribbean have helped drive a sharp increase in cocaine prices. "Cocaine is getting more expensive. And I think what it is — not only more expensive in the U.S., but we're seeing it become more expensive at first stops. So more expensive in Puerto Rico, more expensive in the Dominican, more expensive once it lands in Guatemala and Honduras and Central America," Cole said. Cole said cocaine prices have surged 30% to

Milei Launches 'Isaac Accords' To Expand Israeli Influence In Latin America Via The Cradle Argentinian President Javier Milei formally launched the Isaac Accords on Saturday, a new initiative aimed at strengthening political, economic, and cultural cooperation between Israel and Latin America. Milei announced the initiative following a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who visited Buenos Aires on Saturday as part of a regional diplomatic tour.  Via Associated Press The Isaac Accords are being promoted in partnership with Washington and are modeled after the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. Milei said Argentina would serve as

Musk Hints At 'Galaxy Mind' Venture To Deploy AI Satellites In Deep Space Elon Musk is hinting at a new venture that could unite his sprawling business empire under a single audacious goal of deploying solar-powered artificial intelligence satellites in deep space. In a recent interview with investor Nikhil Kamath, the billionaire entrepreneur suggested his three major companies; SpaceX, Tesla and xAI, are moving toward what he described as an "increasingly" overlapping mission. "I think that there's increasingly a convergence, actually, between SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI, in that if the future is solar-powered AI satellites—which it pretty much needs to be in order

Why Trump's Next PR Pivot Must Be Total, Absolute Political Warfare On Socialism Authored by Scott Pinsker via PJ Media, > "The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture." > > - Alfred Hitchcock AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura MAGA needs a new common enemy ASAP. Without one, three things will happen before the end of 2026: 1. MAGA infighting will escalate. When conservatives lack a common enemy, we cannibalize our own — and that’s gonna be our fate, because the Groyper/Tucker Carlson “purity test” is incompatible with the rest of the MAGA movement. Which means we’ll be clawing at each other’s throats while the

US Navy Drops Constellation-Class Frigate Program Authored by Ryan Morgan via The Epoch Times, The U.S. Navy is pulling the plug on a new series of Constellation-class frigates, although construction will continue on the first two ships in the program. Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan announced his decision to cancel the program in a video message on Nov. 25. “My job as secretary of the Navy is to be a responsible steward of the trust and resources the American people place in us, delivering modern, lethal, and reliable platforms that strengthen readiness and give our war fighters every advantage to deter, fight,

Defence secretary gave order for strikes but did not say to ‘kill everybody’, according to White House spokesperson Joseph Gedeon is a politics breaking news reporter based in Washington The FBI director, Kash Patel, is “in over his head” and leading a “chronically under-performing” agency paralyzed by fear and plummeting morale, according to a scathing 115-page report compiled by a national alliance of retired and active-duty FBI special agents and analysts. Continue reading...

As US-Venezuela tensions have long simmered, Trump’s alleged ultimatum may tip relations to boiling point * Deadly airstrikes and a military buildup: how the US pressure campaign against Venezuela has unfolded in the Caribbean Weeks of saber-rattling, dark threats and a US military buildup not seen in Latin America since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis led on 21 November, somewhat anti-climactically, to a telephone call, when Donald Trump rang the man he has cast as his arch-adversary, Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela. By Trump’s own account, it was less an attempt at opening dialogue en route to a mutually beneficial compromise than a

Trinidad PM rejects claims installation is in support of US campaign but opposition says ‘they have sold soul of nation’ * How the US pressure campaign against Venezuela unfolded in the Caribbean The revelation that Trinidad and Tobago has approved the installation of a US military radar installation has stoked fears that the Caribbean could be drawn into the escalating crisis between the US and Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, had attempted to allay concerns about a US C-17 aircraft that had landed in the country, claiming it was carrying marines to assist with a road construction project. She

This live blog is now closed. * Trump news at a glance: tensions with Venezuela rise following president’s reported ultimatum to Maduro The president has picked up where he left off before Thanksgiving, when it comes to his anger at the six Democratic lawmakers who took part in a video urging service members to “refuse illegal orders”. A reminder, that Trump initially went on a Truth Social tirade, accusing the members of Congress (all of whom are veterans or former intelligence officials) of sedition, adding that their actions are “punishable by death”. Continue reading...

US president sent a ‘blunt message’ to his South American counterpart, sources say * Analysis: Trump’s pardon of Honduras’s ex-president shows counter-drug effort is ‘based on lies and hypocrisy’ * How US campaign against Venezuela has unfolded * US politics – live updates Donald Trump reportedly gave Nicolás Maduro an ultimatum to relinquish power immediately during their recent call – but Venezuela’s authoritarian leader declined, demanding a “global amnesty” for himself and allies. On Sunday, the US president confirmed the call had taken place, telling reporters: “I wouldn’t say it went well or badly, it was a phone call.” Continue reading...

Independent inquiry into fire and media questions to leader would not happen in mainland China, but crackdown on dissent has begun As Hong Kong mourns the victims of its worst fire in decades, the response to the disaster reveals the ways in which the semi-autonomous city retains differences from mainland China – and how some of those differences are being eroded. Hong Kong’s leader, John Lee, announced on Tuesday the creation of an “independent committee” to investigate the blaze, which killed 151 people at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Hong Kong’s New Territories. Continue reading...

New Zealand police allege 32-year-old ingested the 18-karat gold egg – a James Bond Octopussy locket – and say the object has ‘not yet been recovered’ A New Zealand man has been charged with theft after allegedly swallowing a Fabergé James Bond Octopussy egg pendant worth more than $33,500 (US$19,200). Police were called to a central Auckland jewellery store, Partridge Jewellers, on Friday afternoon after staff reported a man had allegedly picked up the pendant and swallowed it, said Grae Anderson, the city’s central area commander. Continue reading...

Sanae Takaichi’s not-so-catchy remarks about everyone working like a horse did not go down well in a country notorious for its demanding work culture It is not, perhaps, a word many people in Japan will want to hear as they prepare for the bonenkai office party season and some well-earned time off over the new year. But the promise made by Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, that she would “work, work, work, work, and work” on behalf of her country has clearly struck a chord. Continue reading...

Millions of people affected by torrential rainfall in Sri Lanka and large parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia * How cyclones and monsoon rains combined to devastate parts of Asia – visual guide Sri Lanka and Indonesia have deployed military personnel as they race to help victims of devastating flooding that has killed more than 1,100 people across four countries in Asia. Millions of people have been affected by a combination of tropical cyclones and heavy monsoon rains in Sri Lanka, parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra, Thailand and Malaysia in recent days. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. * Full report: Sri Lanka and Indonesia deploy militaries as Asia floods death toll passes 1,100 * How cyclones and monsoon rains combined to devastate parts of Asia – visual guide Cyclone Ditwah, which unleashed catastrophic flooding and landslides across Sri Lanka, has brought heavy rain to India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu. The storm, now about 30 miles off the coast of the city of Chennai, the state capital, has weakened into a “deep depression”, according to weather officials, who expect it to weaken even further across the day. Continue reading...

Ashley Jenkinson, who died in the crash on 2 January 2023, was seen inhaling a white powder at a New Year’s Eve party Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A helicopter pilot involved in one of Australia’s worst air disasters had a mental “breakdown” and used cocaine the day before making tourist joy flights, a coroner has heard. Ashley Jenkinson, 40, was among four people who died when his Sea World chopper collided midair with another outside the Gold Coast theme park on 2 January 2023. Continue reading...

Hancock says facility is ‘modern necessity’ but opponents argue the noise would disrupt local businesses Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Gina Rinehart’s company has claimed helicopter pads are a necessity of modern business as it fights to install one at its new headquarters in West Perth. The City of Perth on Tuesday recommended councillors block the request from Hancock Iron Ore to install a helipad as it redevelops its offices. Continue reading...

Australia’s under-16s social media ban might take weeks to work but all platforms are on notice, government says * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The government’s plans to bar under-16s from social media might take “days or even weeks” to properly take effect, communications minister Anika Wells has conceded, saying the world-leading scheme won’t work perfectly from day one. Lemon8, a newer social media app that has experienced a surge in interest recently because it is not included in the ban, will restrict its users to over-16s from next week, Guardian Australia can reveal. The eSafety

Mark Mudie, believed to be in his 60s, was fighting a large blaze near Ravensthorpe, about 500km south-east of Perth * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A farmer working frantically to protect his property from a fast-moving bushfire has died after his vehicle was engulfed in flames. Mark Mudie, who was in his 60s, was trying to create a fire break with a front-end loader at West River near Ravensthorpe about 450km south-east of Perth. Continue reading...

US has said it hopes other countries will follow as health policy experts say the agreement signals a shift away from value-for-money assessment * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The federal health minister, Mark Butler, said the government is trying to understand a “dynamic shift that’s happening in the global pharmaceutical market” following a new agreement that will see the UK pay 25% more for new US medicines, as drugs policy experts warn the deal sets a “problematic precedent”. Under the deal, the UK will double the percentage of GDP it allocates to buying innovative therapies

US-led peace push comes as Kyiv says fighting is continuing over important hub * US-Russia talks may pile pressure on Kyiv to make concessions, says EU foreign policy chief * See all our Ukraine war coverage In parallel to Witkoff’s meeting in Moscow, we will also follow Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first visit to Ireland. He has arrived in Dublin last night, and has a busy schedule today, paying a brief visit to the country’s new president Catherine Connolly, before meeting with key government figures including the taisoeach, Micheál Martin, and addressing both chambers of the Irish parliament in the afternoon. Continue reading...

Hundreds of police, rangers and military personnel deployed to tackle virus threatening pork export industry Spanish authorities have deployed hundreds of police officers, wildlife rangers and military personnel in an effort to contain an outbreak of highly infectious African swine fever (ASF) outside Barcelona before it becomes a major threat to the country’s €8.8bn-a-year pork export industry. Officials believe the virus, detected in the municipality of Bellaterra, may have begun to circulate after a wild boar ate contaminated food that had been brought in from outside Spain. Continue reading...

Trump envoy lands in Russia as Putin hails ‘important’ capture of Pokrovsk, although claim is disputed by Kyiv * Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates Vladimir Putin has claimed Russian forces have taken control of the strategic city of Pokrovsk in Ukraine, as he sought to project confidence before a key meeting on Tuesday with a US delegation to discuss a possible peace deal to end the war. Dressed in military fatigues during a visit to a command centre on Monday evening, the Russian president hailed what he called the “important” capture of Pokrovsk – once a major logistical hub for the

Exclusive: Rising flood risks driven by climate change could release chemicals from ageing sites – posing threats to ecosystems * ‘I kept smelling a horrible nasty smell’: the risks of England’s old dumping grounds Thousands of landfills across the UK and Europe sit in floodplains, posing a potential threat to drinking water and conservation areas if toxic waste is released into rivers, soils and ecosystems, it can be revealed. The findings are the result of the first continent-wide mapping of landfills, conducted by the Guardian, Watershed Investigations and Investigate Europe. Disclaimer: This dataset may contain duplicate records. Duplicates can arise from multiple data

Conch-shell trumpets discovered in Neolithic settlements and mines in Catalonia make tone similar to french horn, says lead researcher As a child, Miquel López García was fascinated by the conch shell, kept in the bathroom, that his father’s family in the southern Spanish region of Almería had blown to warn their fellow villagers of rising rivers and approaching flood waters. The hours he spent getting that “characteristically potent sound out of it” paid off last year when the archaeologist, musicologist and professional trumpet player pressed his lips to eight conch-shell trumpets. Their tones, he says, could carry insights into the lives of

Iranian film-maker won Cannes film festival’s Palme D’Or prize earlier this year for It Was Just an Accident Iran has sentenced the Palme d’Or-winning film-maker Jafar Panahi in absentia to one year in prison and a travel ban over “propaganda activities” against the country. The sentence includes a two-year ban on leaving Iran and prohibition of Panahi from membership of any political or social groups, his lawyer Mostafa Nili said, adding that they would file an appeal. Continue reading...

Group beaten in early hours of morning in village where they volunteered to help protect Palestinians from settler violence Italy and Canada have raised concerns about the treatment of their citizens who were beaten and robbed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Three Italians and a Canadian were attacked early on Sunday morning in the village of Ein al-Duyuk, near Jericho, where they had volunteered to help protect the Palestinian population from intensifying settler violence. Continue reading...

Meanwhile, Iran grapples with one of worst droughts and temperatures fall 10C below normal in US More heavy rainfall is expected in Sri Lanka in the coming days, likely resulting in further damage across the country. It comes after torrential rainfall in south-east Asia triggered catastrophic flash floods and landslides that have affected millions, killing more than 300 people in Indonesia and 160 in Thailand, with hundreds more still missing. Parts of North Sumatra, Indonesia, were hit with rainfall totals of 800mm over four days, with other areas also experiencing heavy rainfall. Continue reading...

Residents in Batn al-Hawa have all but given up hope and blame the Gaza war which, they say, has created ‘an atmosphere of hate’ towards them The dome of the al-Aqsa mosque gleamed in the late afternoon autumnal sun as Zohair Rajabi looked out from his balcony towards the skyline of Jerusalem’s Old City. Christian pilgrims spilled out of buses, while observant Jewish worshippers gathered outside the gate to the Western Wall. New flags now fly a few metres from Rajabi’s home. Blue and white and bearing the Star of David, they mark where residents were evicted recently from their homes by

Pontiff tells politicians and religious heads they must persevere with peace efforts despite facing ‘highly complex, conflictual’ situation Pope Leo has urged political leaders in Lebanon to make peace their highest priority in a forceful appeal as he is visiting the country, which remains a target of Israeli airstrikes, on the second leg of his first overseas trip as Catholic leader. Leo, the first US pope, arrived in Beirut on Sunday from a four-day visit to Turkey where he said that humanity’s future was at risk because of the world’s unusual number of bloody conflicts, and condemned violence in the name of

Many uncertain about the future after losing everything in the country’s deadliest natural disaster for years When the rains began, Layani Rasika Niroshani was not worried. The 36-year-old mother of two was used to the heavy monsoon showers that drench Sri Lanka’s hilly central region of Badulla every year. But as it kept pounding down without stopping, the family started to feel jittery. Some relocated to a relative’s house, but her brother and his wife decided to stay behind to collect the valuables. As they were inside, a landslide hit the family home. Continue reading...

Critics voice concern as government says its Sanchar Saathi app combats cybersecurity threats for 1.2bn telecom users India’s telecoms ministry has privately asked smartphone makers to preload all new devices with a state-owned cybersecurity app that cannot be deleted, a government order showed, a move likely to antagonise Apple and privacy advocates. In tackling a recent surge of cybercrime and hacking, India is joining authorities worldwide, most recently in Russia, to frame rules blocking the use of stolen phones for fraud or promoting state-backed government service apps. Continue reading...

MP for Hampstead and Highgate in London denies allegations and condemns ‘flawed and farcical’ trial * What led to Bangladesh trial of Tulip Siddiq in her absence? A court in Bangladesh has sentenced the British MP Tulip Siddiq to two years in jail after a judge ruled she was complicit in corrupt land deals with her aunt, the country’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina. In a ruling on Monday, a judge found Siddiq, the Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate, guilty of misusing her “special influence” as a British politician to coerce Hasina into giving valuable pieces of land to her mother,

Hundreds of people still missing after heavy rain and mudslides in country’s deadliest natural disaster for years Entire areas of Sri Lanka’s capital are flooded after a powerful cyclone triggered heavy rains and mudslides across the island, with authorities reporting nearly 200 dead and dozens more missing. Officials said the extent of the damage in the country’s worst-affected central region was slowly becoming clear on Sunday as relief workers cleared roads blocked by fallen trees and mudslides. Continue reading...

Another 191 missing after heavy rains from Cyclone Ditwah while almost 78,000 evacuated to temporary shelters amid rescue operations Torrential rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah have killed 153 people across Sri Lanka so far, with another 191 still missing, the country’s Disaster Management Centre (DCM) said on Saturday. The DMC director general, Sampath Kotuwegoda, said relief operations were under way with 78,000 people moved to nearly 800 state-run welfare centres after their homes were destroyed by the week-long heavy rains. Continue reading...

Justice secretary expected to pull back from plans to reserve jury trials from only the most serious cases The former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner will lay an amendment on Wednesday to speed up the workers rights’ bill, after “considerable anger” that unelected Lords forced the watering down of day-one rights, Jessica Elgot and Pippa Crerar report. Twelve more prisoners have been mistakenly freed in the past month and two are still at large, David Lammy has said. I’m not going to give details of those cases, because these are operational decisions made by the police, and you’ll understand if they’re about to

IOPC says 12 police officers would have faced disciplinary cases of gross misconduct relating to the Hillsborough disaster if they were still serving * Full report: 12 police officers would have faced gross misconduct cases * Timeline: decades seeking justice and change The watchdog has found that 12 officers, all men, would have faced disciplinary cases of gross misconduct. Ten were in the South Yorkshire force, including senior officers responsible for safety at Hillsborough. South Yorkshire’s Chief Constable Peter Wright, in charge at the time of the disaster, would have faced six gross misconduct allegations, among them seeking to minimise police responsibility and

The families of those killed at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final had a long fight for the truth 27 March The South Yorkshire police chief constable, Peter Wright, replaces Ch Supt Brian Mole, the experienced commander of football matches at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium. Wright promotes David Duckenfield in Mole’s place. Continue reading...

None of the former officers accused by the IOPC will face disciplinary proceedings because they have all retired * Hillsborough disaster report: latest updates * Timeline: decades seeking justice and change Twelve police officers would have faced disciplinary cases of gross misconduct for a catalogue of professional failings relating to the Hillsborough disaster if they were still serving, the police watchdog has said. However, no former officer named by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will face disciplinary proceedings because they have all retired. Some, including Peter Wright, the chief constable of South Yorkshire police at the time of the 1989

Official report says forces in England and Wales yet to implement policies for investigation A quarter of police forces in England and Wales are yet to implement “basic policies for investigating sexual offences”, an official report has found, with women still being failed despite promises of change after the murder of Sarah Everard four years ago. The report by Dame Elish Angiolini follows an inquiry set up after Everard was murdered by a serving police officer, Wayne Couzens, in March 2021. She was abducted off a London street while walking home. Continue reading...

Defense secretary shares anecdote in The War on Warriors and rails against ‘rules and regulations’ governing war Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, told soldiers under his command in Iraq to ignore legal advice about when they were permitted to kill enemy combatants under their rules of engagement. The anecdote is contained in a book Hegseth wrote last year in which he also repeatedly railed against the constraints placed on “American warfighters” by the laws of war and the Geneva conventions. Continue reading...

Approval of legislation to ban Pfas would be major win for advocates pushing for safer gear alternatives across US A new bill proposed in the New York city council would ban the use of toxic Pfas “forever chemicals” in protective gear worn by the city’s 11,000 firefighters. The New York fire department is the nation’s largest firefighting force, and approval of the legislation would mark a major win for advocates who are pushing for safer “turnout gear” alternatives across the US. Massachusetts and Connecticut last year became the first states to ban the use of Pfas in turnout gear, and Illinois enacted

Experts warn this likely points to ‘regression to mean’ after recent spike in mass killings rather than continued decline A shooting last weekend at a children’s birthday party in California that left four dead was the 17th mass killing in the US this year – the lowest number recorded since 2006, according to a database that tracks them. The mass killings – defined as incidents in which four or more people are killed in a 24-hour period, not including the killer – are tracked in a database maintained by the Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. Continue reading...

Steve Witkoff is due to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Plus, a new book highlights the forgotten builders of the Empire State Building * Don’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up here Good morning. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has said she fears talks between the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will pile pressure on Ukraine to make concessions. What did Kallas say? “I am afraid that all the pressure will be put on the victim,” she said. “In order to have peace, we shouldn’t lose focus that it’s actually Russia who

Four years after workers at a Starbucks store in upstate New York became the first to unionize, hundreds of outlets followed – defying intense resistance from the coffee chain. What happened next? Thousands of Starbucks baristas are on strike across the US, warning the world’s largest coffee chain to brace for the “longest and biggest” bout of industrial action in its history. Barely a year after Brian Niccol, the Starbucks CEO, tried to draw a line under bitter divisions between its management and unionized workers, pledging to “engage constructively” with them, the American coffee giant is now grappling with an escalating strike

Police in Britain will be able to require illegal migrants to remove their coats and allow mouth searches at British ports so officers can look for mobile phones or SIM cards and gather intelligence on their journey, the government said on Monday. The Home Office (interior ministry) said the new powers would support investigations aimed at dismantling criminal gangs suspected of smuggling migrants across the Channel. It said the gangs frequently use phone contacts and social media to recruit...

A businessman who has US President Donald Trump’s backing for the presidency of Honduras was locked in a “technical tie” with a right-wing TV host after a preliminary vote count, the Central American country’s electoral body said on Monday. Nasry Asfura, 67, led 72-year-old rival Salvador Nasralla by just 515 votes, making it a “technical tie”, National Electoral Council (CNE) head Ana Paola Hall said on X after a partial digital tally of Sunday’s down-to-the-wire ballot. She called for...

Luigi Mangione watched stoically in court on Monday as prosecutors played surveillance videos showing the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York pavement last year and Mangione’s arrest five days later at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. The videos, including footage from the restaurant previously unseen by the press or the public, kicked off a hearing on Mangione’s fight to bar evidence from his state murder trial, including the gun prosecutors say matches the one used in the...

The European Union has formally terminated a long-running dispute with China at the World Trade Organization, centred on Beijing’s alleged coercion of Lithuania in 2021. In a statement circulated to WTO members, the bloc said it was abandoning the case “considering the key objectives behind this dispute have been met and relevant trade has resumed”. The case arose after Lithuania permitted the opening of a controversially named “Taiwanese Representative Office” in its capital, Vilnius. Soon...

Brazil’s central bank president, Gabriel Galipolo, said on Monday that China is exporting “disinflation or even deflation” to Brazil through a surge in low-cost imports, easing inflation. Speaking at an economics forum in Sao Paulo, Galipolo said Brazilian imports from China have grown while their prices have fallen, easing inflation in the short term but reflecting deeper imbalances in global trade. “It is, in a sense, offsetting an impact that would otherwise be even greater, both for the...

US President Donald Trump has invited Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House in the “near future”, the prime minister’s office said on Monday, soon after Trump said Israel should maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria. A visit to the White House would mark the Israeli prime minister’s fifth since Trump returned to office in January. The two leaders have publicly projected a close relationship, though US and Israeli sources have said Trump has at times expressed frustration with...

US President Donald Trump on Monday launched the US presidency of the Group of 20 by wiping clean the website of outgoing host South Africa, which he is not inviting to next year’s summit. The G20 website now simply has a picture of Trump in black and white that says “Miami 2026” and “The Best Is Yet to Come”, the title of the song popularised by Frank Sinatra. Trump refused all US attendance at last month’s G20 summit in Johannesburg, denouncing the post-apartheid government’s treatment of the...

The head of Britain’s financial watchdog resigned on Monday after his agency last week inadvertently released the key details of finance minister Rachel Reeves’ annual tax-and-spending budget statement ahead of time. Richard Hughes said he wanted to help the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to recover quickly from the lapse which an investigation linked to IT weaknesses and leadership failures. “I have, therefore, decided it is in the best interest of the OBR for me to resign as its chair...

Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla will this week host the German president for a state visit, with the format reverting to normal after royal elements of US President Donald Trump’s stay were restricted to the Windsor estate. Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, former judge Elke Budenbender, will be formally welcomed by Charles and Camilla on an open-air royal dais in the centre of the Berkshire town, before enjoying a carriage ride through the streets, past the crowds, to the...

The United States and Britain announced a deal on Monday to secure zero tariffs on British pharmaceutical products and medical technology in return for Britain spending more on medicines and overhauling how it values drugs. Under the agreement, Britain will raise the net price it pays for new US medicines by 25 per cent. In return, UK-made medicines, drug ingredients and medical technology will be exempt from Section 232 sectoral tariffs and any future Section 301 country tariffs. “The United...

A federal appeal court on Monday determined that Alina Habba, a former personal lawyer to US President Donald Trump, was unlawfully appointed as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey and disqualified her from supervising cases, in a rebuke to the Trump administration. The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the Philadelphia-based 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals was the latest blow to Trump and his Justice Department as they seek to install loyalists to oversee key US Attorney’s offices...

Roughly one-third of European companies in China affected by Beijing’s expanding export control regime intend to diversify their supply chains, with firms concerned about supply chain disruptions, long delivery delays and rising costs, a new survey has found. The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China found in a flash survey of 131 member companies that more than half expected to be hit by Chinese export controls, with the group calling for policymakers to find a long-term solution to...

Oxford University Press has named “rage bait’’ as its word of the year, capturing the internet zeitgeist of 2025. The phrase refers to online content that is “deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive,” with the aim of driving traffic to a particular social media account, Oxford said in a statement. “The person producing it will bask in the millions, quite often, of comments and shares and even likes sometimes,’’ lexicographer Susie Dent told...

Russia’s accusation that the United States and Germany are recruiting Filipino mercenaries to fight in Ukraine is almost certainly disinformation, analysts say. Yet the claim exposes how easily Southeast Asian nations can be drawn into the information crossfire of global conflicts – becoming unwitting pawns in great-power narratives that shape opinions far beyond the battlefield. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged that “US representatives” had enlisted Filipinos to join...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China halts soy imports from Brazil plants, pivots to US amid food safety probe 2. Why do Chinese no longer feel the need to boycott Japanese products? 3. Portraits of courage: helpers who stayed with their wards during Hong Kong fire 4. ‘It is fake’: why US industry leader refused to believe...

African leaders have made a new push to have colonial-era crimes recognised, criminalised and addressed through reparations. At a conference in Algiers on Sunday, diplomats and leaders convened to advance an African Union resolution passed at a meeting earlier this year calling for justice and reparations for victims of colonialism. In his opening speech, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf said Algeria’s experience under French rule underscored the need to seek compensation and reclaim stolen...

US authorities believe the Afghan immigrant accused of ambushing National Guard members in Washington DC was not radicalised until after he came to the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press and ABC’s This Week, Noem said authorities think alleged shooter Rahmanullah Lakanwal was already living in Washington state when he became radicalised. Investigators were seeking more information from family members and others, Noem...

The head of Swiss right-to-die organisation Dignitas has died through assisted suicide, the group said in a statement on Sunday. Ludwig Minelli, who founded the group in 1998, died on Saturday just days before his 93rd birthday, Dignitas said. Dignitas said it would “continue to manage and develop the association in the spirit of its founder as a professional and combative international organisation for self-determination and freedom of choice in life and at the end of life”. Minelli, a lawyer...

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed on Sunday US President Donald Trump’s threat to exclude Pretoria from next year’s Group of 20 summit, reaffirming South Africa’s status as a founding member of the group. Washington boycotted the G20 meeting held under South Africa’s presidency in Johannesburg on November 22 and 23, with Trump repeating allegations, widely discredited, that the host country’s black-majority government persecutes its white minority. Trump said last Wednesday that...

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday he had recently spoken with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro amid soaring tensions between the two countries, while Caracas condemned what it called US preparations for an attack. The United States has been piling the pressure on Venezuela, with a major military build-up in the Caribbean, the designation of an alleged drug cartel run by Maduro as a terrorist group, and an ominous warning from Trump that Venezuelan airspace was “closed”. Washington...

Eight more wild boar with suspected cases of African swine fever were discovered near Barcelona, La Vanguardia newspaper reported on Sunday, as Spain struggles to limit the damage to a pork export industry worth billions of euros a year. The newspaper cited sources close to the Catalan agriculture ministry. Two cases have been confirmed, and 12 others have shown signs they may also have the disease but are undergoing tests to confirm this. If confirmed, it would bring the number of infected...

Diplomats faced an uphill battle to reconcile Russian and Ukrainian positions as a renewed US-led push to end the more than three-year war gathered steam, with Ukrainian officials attending talks in the US over the weekend and a Washington official expected in Moscow this week. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with a Ukrainian delegation led by a new chief negotiator in Florida, his home state, for talks that he said were meant to create a pathway for Ukraine to remain sovereign and...

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Madrid on Sunday to protest against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, accusing his left-wing government of corruption and demanding his resignation and early elections. The demonstration was organised by the conservative People’s Party (PP) under opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo. The rally in central Madrid carried the slogan “Mafia or democracy?” Participants waved Spanish flags and carried signs reading “Resign now!” and “Sanchez, go...

British finance minister Rachel Reeves on Sunday denied she misled the public over official forecasts ahead last week’s budget, saying she had been honest about the need to build up a bigger financial buffer. In a speech on November 4, Reeves appeared to lay the groundwork to break the Labour Party’s promise to voters before the 2024 election and raise income tax rates, citing a “weaker than previously thought” productivity performance. In a letter published on Friday, the head of Britain’s...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the country’s president on Sunday for a pardon in his long-running corruption trial, arguing that criminal proceedings were hindering his ability to govern and a pardon would be good for Israel. Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, denies the bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges. His lawyers said in a letter to the president’s office that the prime minister still believes the legal proceedings would result in a complete...

Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a growing chorus of Chinese officials and analysts have talked of an unprecedented window of opportunity for Beijing to recalibrate its domestic and international strategies. At its heart lies the Taiwan question, a perennial flashpoint in relations between Washington and Beijing. As the Trump administration ramps up its “America first” policies abroad, the US – the self-appointed world’s policeman for seven decades – has embarked on an...

The day before Honduras elects a new president, the main topics of conversation shifted from domestic matters to US President Donald Trump and the former Honduran president he said he will pardon. Trump cannonballed into the deep end of Honduran politics this week, first endorsing presidential candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura from the conservative National Party and then announcing the pardon of ex-President Juan Orlando Hernandez – of the same party – sentenced to 45 years in a US prison for...

Pope Leo challenged Lebanon’s political leaders on Sunday to be true peacemakers and put their differences aside, as he sought to give Lebanon’s long-suffering people a message of hope and bolster a crucial Christian community in the Middle East. At Beirut airport, where his plane landed with a Lebanese military jet escort, Pope Leo XIV was greeted first by President Joseph Aoun, then by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Leo arrived in Beirut from Istanbul on the...

Kazakhstan told Ukraine on Sunday to stop attacking the Black Sea terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which handles more than 1 per cent of global oil, after a major drone attack halted exports and seriously damaged loading infrastructure. The CPC, which includes Russian, Kazakh and US shareholders, said it had halted operations after a mooring at its Russian terminal on the Black Sea was significantly damaged by a Ukrainian naval drone attack. Ukraine this year mounted wave after...

Hong Kong’s financial identity is entering a new chapter, shaped as much by strategic alignment as capital flows. By co-launching a US$1 billion investment fund with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the city is taking one of its most assertive steps yet to redefine Hong Kong’s financial identity in a rapidly changing global economy. The message is clear: Hong Kong intends to be a serious player in the next phase of global capital realignment. This comes as Hong Kong companies are...

MTV kick-started a new era of music and pop culture in 1981, when it went on air for the first time, emblematically playing “Video Killed the Radio Star” as its debut music video. More than four decades later, the channel, now owned by US media giant Paramount Skydance, will wind down its international music broadcasting by the end of the year as it struggles to compete with online streaming and social media. MTV Music, MTV Hits and its 80s and 90s music shows will be shut down in the UK and...

Authorities in California asked the public for tips on Sunday in finding the person responsible for a shooting that left four people dead at a family gathering at a banquet hall in Stockton and wounded many more. Faith leaders in the Stockton area were planning an afternoon vigil to honour the dead and pray for the 15 people who were wounded. The victims who died were aged eight, nine, 14 and 21, said Heather Brent, a spokeswoman for the San Joaquin County sheriff’s office. Early indications...

Egypt is training hundreds of Palestinian police officers with an eye towards integrating them into a post-war security force in Gaza, according to a Palestinian official. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty announced the plan to train 5,000 officers for Gaza during talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in August. A first group of more than 500 officers was trained in Cairo in March and since September, the two-month courses have resumed to welcome hundreds more people, the...

A Russian drone attack has killed one person and wounded 11 on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, the regional governor said on Sunday. Mykola Kalashnyk, the Kyiv regional governor, reported “another enemy drone attack” and said rescuers were evacuating residents of a high-rise building and firefighting was ongoing. “Unfortunately, as a result of the enemy attack on Vyshgorod, one person was killed and 11 were wounded. Among them is one child,” Kalashnyk wrote on social media. The latest...

Despite years of policy interventions, air pollution in India is rapidly getting worse. By the middle of this month, cities including the capital New Delhi were seeing air quality readings at hazardous levels. A 2024 IQ Air report found India’s particulate matter (PM2.5) levels to be more than 10 times the World Health Organization’s safe limit. In the north, pollution mainly comes from traffic, construction dust, industry and seasonal stubble burning. What began as an environmental issue is now...

British playwright Tom Stoppard, who won an Oscar for the screenplay for the 1998 film Shakespeare In Love, has died at the age of 88, United Agents said on Saturday. “We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved client and friend, Tom Stoppard, has died peacefully at home in Dorset, surrounded by his family,” the talent agency said. “He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of...

Ukraine used domestically produced Sea Baby naval drones to strike two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea, an official from Ukraine’s security services said on Saturday. The two oil tankers, Kairos and Virat – said to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that evade sanctions – were struck in quick succession off Turkey’s Black Sea coast late Friday afternoon. The strikes prompted rescue operations by the Turkish coastguard and other teams. Crew members on board both vessels were reported to be...

An Israeli attack killed two children in Gaza on Saturday, medics and relatives said, in violence that has persisted in the Palestinian enclave despite a fragile ceasefire. The children’s uncle said an Israeli drone fired on Fadi and Goma Abu Assi, brothers aged 10 and 12, while they were gathering firewood to help their wheelchair-bound father east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. “They are children...what did they do? They do not have missiles or bombs, they went to gather wood for their...

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety”, but gave no further details as Washington ramps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government. “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump said in a social media post. US officials contacted were surprised by Trump’s announcement and...

Spain’s Agriculture Ministry said it has halted all pork exports to China after two wild boar found dead near Barcelona tested positive for African swine flu, the first cases in three decades. The outbreak, the first since 1994, coincides with Spanish efforts to court Beijing and gain market share in the pork sector and after China imposed tariffs on EU pork during an anti-dumping investigation. Spain is the European Union’s leading pork producer, accounting for roughly a quarter of the bloc’s...

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the western German town of Giessen on Saturday as the far-right Alternative for Germany’s (AfD’s) new youth organisation was set to kick off its founding convention. Groups of protesters blocked or tried to block roads in and around the university town of some 93,000 in the early morning. Police said they used pepper spray after stones were thrown at officers at one location. At a rally at the railway station, protesters chanted “All together. Against...

Russian drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and the surrounding area killed at least three people in the early hours of Saturday, local officials said. The attacks came just before a second round of peace negotiations was set to begin, as a renewed US-led push to end the war gathers steam this week. A team on Saturday was headed to the United States for talks on Washington’s plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. On its official Telegram channel, the Kyiv City...

Peru’s government declared a state of emergency at its southern border with Chile on Friday, expecting an influx of people trying to flee far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast’s potential presidency. Under the decree, Peru’s military will reinforce border control in the southern Tacna region for 60 days, past Chile’s December 14 run-off election, in which immigration hardliner Kast is facing off against left-wing candidate Jeannette Jara. The state of emergency will also serve “to address crime...

Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi will travel to the US next week to sign a final agreement with his Rwandan counterpart aimed at securing peace in eastern Congo, the Congolese government said on Friday, capping months-long diplomatic efforts spearheaded by US President Donald Trump. Congo’s government has often said its signing of the deal will be conditioned on Rwanda’s withdrawal of support for the M23 rebels in the conflict-battered east. Tshisekedi’s confirmation of the December 4 signing...

Europe’s Airbus said on Friday it was ordering immediate repairs to 6,000 of its widely used A320 family of jets in a sweeping recall affecting more than half the global fleet, threatening upheaval during the busiest travel weekend of the year in the United States and disruption worldwide. The setback appears to be among the largest recalls affecting Airbus in its 55-year history and comes weeks after the A320 overtook the Boeing 737 as the most delivered model. At the time Airbus issued its...

We asked readers for their questions for The Times’s executive editor about how we cover the news and make judgment calls in our reporting and editing.

Amid talk of war crimes, the details and precise sequence of a Sept. 2 attack on a boat in the Caribbean are facing intensifying scrutiny.

Investigations are mounting into the legality of strikes that have killed scores of people in the waters off Venezuela.

The tech billionaire and his wife hope other philanthropists follow their $6 billion lead in expanding the reach of soon-to-be-created “Trump accounts.”

Next year, Michael and Susan Dell plan to move $250 into the new Trump accounts of millions of children under 10. You’ll need to live in the right ZIP code.

A mix of snow and ice was beginning to fall across the Midwest and Northeast Tuesday, where tens of millions of people face severe weather.

Many Filipinos say floods are worse than ever — and now, the government has admitted that vast sums were embezzled from a program meant to fight the problem.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is under fire for an enormous graft scandal that is unfolding under his watch. One prominent voice is his sister Senator Imee Marcos.

The ever-changing menu at this unshowy restaurant in Chinatown exemplifies the subtle art of the most rarefied form of Japanese cooking.

As Ligaya Mishan gives highest honors to a Japanese kaiseki counter in New York, she and Tejal Rao discuss what goes into the decision.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has spoken about integrating America’s largest education system in striking terms rarely heard from big city leaders.

A special election for a House seat in Tennessee was supposed to be an easy Republican victory. But national spending and Democratic enthusiasm have made it an unusually high-profile race.

A State Senate committee moved to weaken an office that investigates police misconduct and government waste. Senator Andy Kim spoke in opposition but was cut off after three minutes.

Tennessee’s Seventh District was created to be safely Republican, but in recent special elections across the country Democrats have done significantly better than they did in 2024.

The former lieutenant governor is the best-known candidate in a crowded field, but some state Democrats have cooled on him since he lost a Senate bid in 2022.

Several new start-ups are building replicas of sites so A.I. can learn to use the internet and maybe replace white-collar workers.

GLP-1 drugs for pets could be the next frontier for the blockbuster weight loss and diabetes drugs.

Compared to human drivers, Waymo cars were involved in 91 percent fewer crashes that resulted in serious injuries.

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish filmmaker asks members of her community about the silent anxieties surrounding intimacy on their wedding nights.

We examine President Trump’s approach to using his pardon power.

“On Thanksgiving? Are you confusing that with Festivus?” Jon Stewart said of President Trump’s Truth Social post insulting the Minnesota governor’s intelligence.

A waterfront Mass in the Lebanese capital capped the pope’s three-day visit to the Middle Eastern nation with the largest proportion of Christians.

A diplomatic row with Japan over Taiwan has China turning to Britain and France for support, appealing to their shared history as wartime allies.

As of February, passengers without the government-approved identity card will be required to pay for alternative screening at U.S. airports.