Minimalist News

NATO Scrambles Jet, Shoots Down Ukrainian Drone Over Estonia, In War First It's being widely reported as a major "first" of the war: a NATO fighter has jet shot down what is believed to have been a stray Ukrainian drone over a Baltic country . The incident happened over southern Estonia on Tuesday, resulting in a regular NATO patrolling unit being forces to urgently scramble a pair of F-16 fighter jets in response. After the shoot-down, Ukraine owned up to it by issuing public apology. via Associated Press, file image Kiev called it an "unintended incident" - but then also

Nearly Half Of French Voters May Support National Rally, And Immigration Is A Major Concern Via Remix News, Last Friday, an Ipsos poll conducted for the Jean-Jaurès Foundation, Le Monde, and Cevipof indicated that 45 percent of French voters are now considering voting for the National Rally (RN) in the 2027 elections, meaning the anti-migration party’s candidate is favored to win the presidency. According to Antoine Bristielle , director of the Foundation’s Opinion Observatory, the poll shows that RN “has managed to unite very different electorates around a common foundation, but that its cohesion remains fragile as soon as one

House Lawmaker Introduces Legislation To Expose CCP Exploitation Of Sister City Agreements Authored by Frank Fang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), A House lawmaker has introduced legislation to prevent foreign adversaries, particularly the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), from exploiting sister city partnerships and jeopardizing U.S. national security. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) speaks during a campaign event with Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Jan. 14, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, introduced the Sister City Transparency Act (H.R.8833) on May 14. In a

Demographic Winter Pushes South Korea To Field War Robots As Troop Pool Shrinks South Korea's population decline and shrinking pool of military-age men are forcing Seoul to rethink its military force structure, with officials now exploring robots and AI-powered drones to offset future manpower shortages. South Korea's military is taking a direct page from Ukraine's battlefield playbook by preparing to procure low-cost unmanned aerial systems and robotics for future wars, primarily through a potential partnership with Hyundai Motor - for now. "Potential deployments include Boston Dynamics' four-legged Spot, the four-wheeled MobED mobility droid, and wearable platforms like the X-ble Shoulder

"Digital Enslavement" Is A Subtle Weapon Of Social Subordination And Global Control Authored by Peter Koenig via Global Research, In a recent Buddhist retreat in Lima, Peru, about 200 participants were urged to abstain for the three-day retreat from our enslavement screens, “smart” phones, computers and television. Difficult to say how many really followed the advice, but many did. What was amazing is that during the first day, ignoring constant phone notifications was not easy for the many. But consciously resisting it made it easier. And the following days, we were hardly thinking of them anymore. The days were filled

D.C. Feds Launch "Summer Surge" To Crack Down On Youth Crime U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and federal law enforcement officials held a press conference around midday Friday to announce a "Summer Surge" under the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force ahead of America 250 events across the Capital Beltway. The urgency reflects a decades-long, disturbing pattern of elevated summer violent crime by youths, worsened by failed progressive policies from left-wing officials in the D.C. area and extending into the Baltimore metro area, which have allowed juveniles to terrorize law-abiding citizens with limited consequences. NBC Washington reporter Mark Segraves, who attended

Cuban Leader Warns Of Potential 'Bloodbath' If US Takes Military Action Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Cuba’s leader on Monday warned that any U.S. military action against the communist-controlled island nation would cause a “bloodbath” and lead to regional insecurity. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel delivers a speech during a plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum in Minsk, Belarus June 26, 2025. Sputnik/Sergey Bobylev/Pool via REUTERS “If it were to materialize, it would trigger a bloodbath with incalculable consequences, plus the destructive impact on regional peace and stability,” Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel said in a

Iran Teaching Civilians How To Shoot: Public Tutorials On State TV & In Marketplaces Amid stalled peace talks and ongoing tit-for-tat threats, Iranians are reportedly arming themselves in preparation a potential US ground invasion, or renewal of major military action in its skies. CNN cameras captured individual citizens being given gun component lessons in the middle of streets and in busy bazaars . Also state TV has been featuring detailed tutorials and presentations on how to effectively use the AK-47. "I am so ready to sacrifice my life for my country and for my people," one young woman named Tiana

Why College Grads Hate AI Authored by Adam Sharp via DailyReckoning.com, I saw a fascinating clip on Twitter/X recently. At the graduation ceremony for the University of Central Florida, the commencement speaker brought up AI. “The rise of artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution.” BOOOOOO! HISS! The new college grads are not fans. To understand how the public attitude toward AI has changed, watch the 1-minute video below of a commencement speech in Florida: Gloria Caulfield, a real estate executive, was booed by the students when she mentioned AI during her commencement speech at the University of Central… pic.twitter.com/pFdeIbH2dg

Multiple States Begin Ejecting Illegal Immigrants From Subsidized Healthcare The political left often betrays their true agenda in the legislation they choose to oppose. The SAVE Act, for example, would require proof of citizenship to vote in US elections; a law which the majority of countries around the world enforce. It's widely supported by around 80% of the public, yet, Democrats stubbornly refuse to pass it. Why? Because they know there are illegal immigrants voting in their favor, and they know that mail-in ballot fraud exists and often benefits them. By extension, Democrats aggressively attempted to block Trump Administration efforts

Sanctuary Jurisdictions Must Comply Or Face More ICE Boots On The Ground: Homan Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Sanctuary jurisdictions in the United States will see more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel on the ground if they do not allow local law enforcement to cooperate with ICE officers, border czar Tom Homan said in a May 15 interview with the Daily Signal. Federal law enforcement agents confront anti-ICE protesters during a demonstration outside the Bishop Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 15, 2026. In the interview, Homan was specifically asked about New

IRGC Says It Foiled US Arms Shipments To 'Terror Groups' Near Border With Iraqi Kurdistan Via The Cradle Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Monday that it foiled an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of US-made weapons and ammunition into the country . "Counter-revolutionary terror groups based in north Iraq, acting on behalf of the US and Zionist regime, intended to transfer a large shipment of brand-new US weapons and ammunition into the country. They were targeted and struck in Baneh, Kurdistan Province. Large quantities of weapons and ammunition were discovered and confiscated," the

"A Breakthrough": White House Says Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Announcement Is Imminent Authored by Micah Zimmerman via BitcoinMagazine.com, The White House is on the verge of a formal announcement on the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve — and the official leading the charge says the hard part is done. Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, told an interviewer this week that the administration has cleared a major legal hurdle in standing up the reserve. “We’ll have an announcement,” Witt said. “I wish I could say more… It’s a breakthrough as far as getting everything in

"Need Solidarity , Not Stigma": African Officials Say US Ebola-Related Restrictions Unnecessary The U.S. government on May 18 said it will not let people without U.S. passports enter the United States if they have been to African countries affected by, or close to, a new Ebola outbreak within the past 21 days. As Zachary Stieber reports for The Epoch Times, the countries are Uganda, Congo, and South Sudan , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a public health order. The order, signed by acting CDC Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, suspends the right of people from those

Americans Who Can Are Dropping Medical Insurance Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times, Have you observed what is happening with medical insurance in the United States? There is an upheaval taking place. You might be experiencing it yourself. The Wakely Consulting Group has taken upon itself to track trends in the medical insurance market, both pricing and participation. Their latest report has documented an ongoing and profound shift, one so dramatic that it portends something truly meaningful for the future. Lacking serious reform of the system from Congress, it seems that consumers are taking matters into their own

Mamdani Touts First City-Owned Grocery Store Authored by Chris Wade via The Center Square , New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday announced the site of the latest city-owned grocery store as the democratic socialist looks to make good on a key campaign pledge. The 20,000-square-foot store, located in the Bronx’s Hunts Point neighborhood, is part of a $70 million plan that includes opening stores in the city’s five boroughs. The plan calls for hiring a private operator to run the store under the city’s pricing rules. The South Bronx store will be part of a new affordable housing

Indian Airlines Beg Refiners To Delay Jet Fuel Hikes Earlier we reported that after issuing a code red about a month ago, with several airlines warning they may run out of kerosene in weeks if not days, European refiners and airlines have since backtracked on their earlier warnings; instead they now have “almost zero” concerns that jet fuel could run out over summer. That's because, as we explained in " Where To Find The Next Phase Of The Global Energy Shock ", where we showed that refiners have ramped up production away from cheaper gasoline and toward much more expensive

Trump Announces Expansion Of TrumpRx With 600 New Generic Drugs Via American Greatness, President Donald Trump announced Monday that the administration is dramatically expanding the number of medications available through TrumpRx.gov, adding more than 600 generic drugs in what the White House described as another push to lower prescription costs for Americans . Trump unveiled the expansion during remarks at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, calling the move a major step toward making medications more affordable. 🚨 @POTUS announces a major expansion of https://t.co/qDpny1gZzN to feature more than 600 new generic prescription drugs — delivering

Chaos Erupts In Bolivia As Socialists Unleash General Strikes And Riots Socialists in Bolivia, mobilized through the national labor union, highland farmer federations, and supporters of former left-wing President Evo Morales, have ignited social unrest over the U.S.-backed, market-oriented policy agenda of President Rodrigo Paz. The turmoil comes as the Trump administration seeks to shift the Americas away from socialist regimes and closer to Washington's pro-capitalist stance. En Bolivia, obreros, campesinos, maestros de escuela, indígenas y transportistas, llevan mas de 2 semanas paralizando el país contra las políticas neoliberales del gobierno de Rodrigo Paz, y medios occidentales ni informan. pic.twitter.com/ruAizBAOYV

Massie Out: Gallrein Wins Kentucky Republican Primary Update (2000ET) : In one of the most expensive primaries on record (with more than $32 million spent on political ads , according to the firm AdImpact), Former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein has won the Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District over Rep. Thomas Massie , NBC News projects, notching another win for President Trump in his push to eliminate political rivals and roadblocks within his own party. With 58% of the vote counted, Gallrein had about 54% to Massie’s 46% , DDHQ reported. Gallrein, 68, is a relative newcomer to politics.

Tom Phillips on life in the country four months after the US abduction of the former president Nicolás Maduro “The last time I flew out of Venezuela was right at the start of August 2024, just after the disputed presidential election,” the Guardian’s Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips , tells Annie Kelly . “It was a moment of real turmoil. There was a huge wave of repression that was unfolding as Nicolás Maduro tried to silence any kind of dissent to his bogus claim to have won that election. Thousands were thrown in prison, many were going underground, and journalists

Two off-duty officers allegedly assaulted a sex worker in a taxi in Ciutat Vella, according to police in Catalonia Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The Toronto police force, which is already under intense public scrutiny, is facing fresh questions after it emerged that three off-duty officers on vacation in Barcelona were arrested in connection with a sexual assault last week. According to police in Barcelona, the alleged assault occurred in the early hours of 13 May, when the trio of police officers were travelling in a taxi with a sex worker in the Ciutat Vella neighbourhood

Investigation launched as video circulates online showing officer firing at vehicle and colleagues dragging away body Authorities in Jamaica have launched an investigation after CCTV footage of a woman’s fatal shooting by police sent shock waves across the Caribbean nation. Footage circulating on social media shows a police officer firing at a vehicle during a protest on Sunday in Granville, in Jamaica’s north-western parish of St James. The bullet hit Latoya Bulgin, 45, who was behind the wheel of the vehicle. Continue reading...

Officials will determine if standard process was followed before lethal strikes in Caribbean and eastern Pacific Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The Pentagon’s internal watchdog has opened an investigation into whether US military commanders followed proper procedures when conducting boat strikes in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific. The office of inspector general at the Department of Defense is examining whether military commanders stuck to the standard six-step process the US military is required to follow before approving and carrying out lethal strikes, according to an 11 May memo initiating the review. Continue reading...

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum denies any links between her Morena party and organized crime Pressure is mounting on Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, after two former top officials from the country’s Sinaloa state – both members of her Morena party – gave themselves up to US authorities over alleged ties to the Sinaloa cartel. The state’s former security minister Gerardo Mérida Sánchez crossed the border into Arizona last week and was taken into custody by US marshals, Mexico’s security ministry said. Sinaloa’s former finance minister, Enrique Díaz Vega, was taken into custody in New York. Continue reading...

Millions of litres of sewage have been spilling into the capital city’s waters since February after the catastrophic failure of a Moa Point wastewater plant A fix to stop millions of litres of sewage continuing to pour into the waters off the coast of New Zealand’s capital, Wellington will be in place by November, officials have said, with full repairs at the cost of NZ$53.5m by late next year. More than 100 days since the catastrophic failure of the city’s wastewater treatment plant on 4 February, a mix of raw and partially screened human effluent is still being flushed directly

Move brings an end to a 60 day visa-free stay that was agreed with 93 countries, including the UK, US and much of Europe Thailand is drastically cutting the length of visa-free stays for tourists from more than 90 countries in an effort to curb crime involving foreign nationals, officials said on Tuesday. Tourism is a crucial source of jobs in Thailand, and the country has struggled to return to the number of foreign arrivals recorded before the Covid pandemic. However, concerns over visitors breaking the law have led to calls for tougher immigration rules Continue reading...

Russian president is welcomed to Beijing with an honour guard after saying relations with China have reached an ‘unprecedented level’ Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing for a state visit, four days after Donald Trump left China. Putin was greeted by China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, when he landed on Tuesday evening, with an honour guard alongside Chinese youths waving China and Russia’s national flags in a welcome ceremony on the tarmac. Continue reading...

Rising volume of components imported from China prompts warning of cannibalisation of European industries Europe is facing a fresh China shock that threatens to cannibalise local factories, leading to job losses and de facto colonisation of industry by Beijing, trade analysts and representatives have said. They fear the plunging exchange rate and support for Chinese “zombie firms” has echoes of the crisis in the US 25 years ago when the term “China shock” was coined. It referred to the impact of China bursting on to the global trade stage after becoming a member of the World Trade Organization, with soaring

President’s remarks about Taiwan arms deals being a ‘negotiating chip’ with Beijing have been seized on by Chinese state media It has been an unsettling few days for Taiwan’s government. When Donald Trump met Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, many feared the unpredictable US leader could upend Washington’s longstanding support for Taipei. But beyond a starkly worded statement from Xi stressing China’s claims over Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory despite never having ruled it, initial signs appeared good for Taipei. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Australia faces a ‘pronounced political fault line’, Giridharan Sivaraman tells Brisbane seminar on human rights Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast One Nation and the federal opposition are “dehumanising” and “scapegoating” immigrants while drawing on a “deep vein of racism”, Australia’s federal race discrimination commissioner says. Giridharan Sivaraman made the comments as part of a panel discussion at a Brisbane seminar on human rights , hosted by the state’s human rights commission. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed Labor denies CGT reform will ‘kill startups’ as tech giant Canva warns of stifling innovation Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The NSW economy will grow less than expected next financial year amid rising inflation and the global oil shock, the state’s treasurer will warn ahead of next month’s budget. In a speech today ahead of the 23 June state budget, Daniel Mookhey will warn that NSW will only avoid a recession in 2026-27 because of the number of renewable energy projects now under construction in the state. Attentive

Report finds culture of ‘resistance and delay’ in the Australian parliament with more than 60% of requests having longer response times than mandated 30-day deadline Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A scathing audit report has found nearly 80% of freedom of information requests to Anthony Albanese’s department, Treasury and the infrastructure department were rejected, creating a culture of “resistance and delay” in the Australian parliament. The review of FoI administration found there was no consistent, transparent or accountable decision-making around requests and the pro-disclosure

Greens MLC Abigail Boyd – who chaired inquiry – says system ‘failing too many children, families and educators’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Systemic weaknesses in New South Wales’ childcare sector have allowed predators to work in the industry and abuse children, a scathing inquiry has found. In its final report, published on Wednesday, a NSW upper house inquiry into the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector found “the proliferation of for-profit services and a lax regulatory approach” had led to “predators” being

The 18-year-old high school student reached the top of the world’s tallest mountain on her second attempt An 18-year-old high school student from Melbourne became the youngest Australian to climb to the top of Mount Everest on Wednesday. According to her Garmin data and a post on Instagram, Bianca Adler reached the 8,849 metre summit at nearly 6.30am Melbourne time, and nearly 2.30am Nepal time, with her guides, Pemba and Ngdu. Continue reading...

Nato chief criticises Moscow when asked about Russia’s escalating rhetoric and threats against Latvia and the Baltics In Brussels, Rutte begins by stressing the importance of Nato ministers meeting in Sweden, the alliance’s “newest ally” who joined in 2024. “This says a great deal about how fundamentally our security environment has changed, especially when it comes to Europe. It is more dangerous, it is more contested and it makes it all the more important that Nato allies work together to safeguard our freedom and security,” he says. Continue reading...

MEPs had twice frozen ratification process in protest at Trump’s threats to increase tariffs and take control of Greenland The EU has finally agreed to implement its trade deal with the US after five hours of talks between members of the European parliament and member states in the hope of averting more tariffs threatened by Donald Trump. It means the agreement struck last July at the US president’s Scottish golf course can now enter into force, removing import duties on most US goods entering the EU. Continue reading...

‘China has already eaten much of German industry’s lunch and is preparing to start on dinner,’ thinktank says Business live – latest updates Germany must stop admiring China’s success in the EU or it will sleepwalk into the kind of deindustrialisation the US experienced 25 years ago, a leading Brussels thinktank has said. With China’s surplus with Germany having doubled between 2024 and 2025 from $12bn (£9bn) to $25bn, creating a $94bn trade imbalance, the Centre for European Reform (CER) said Europe’s largest economy risked a repeat of what happened in the US in 2001 when a sudden surge in

This blog is now closed, follow the latest development on today’s Europe blog The latest drone alerts come as Ukraine and Latvia were this morning forced by Russia to repeatedly refute Moscow’s claims that Kyiv was preparing attacks against Russia from Latvia. Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed that Ukraine does not use the territory of Latvia for its operations against Russia and refuted Moscow’s claims. “ Russia is lying about Latvia allowing any country to use Latvian airspace and territory to launch attacks against Russia or any other country.” Continue reading...

Jonathan Andic released on €1m bail after being questioned in connection with death of Isak Andic in 2024 The son of Isak Andic, the founder of the fashion chain Mango, has been released on bail of €1m (£866,000) after being arrested and questioned in connection with his father’s death in Catalonia almost 18 months ago. Andic died in December 2024 after apparently falling 100 metres down a ravine while hiking in Montserrat, near Barcelona, with his son, Jonathan. His death aged 71 prompted tributes to him from politicians, journalists and the fashion world . Continue reading...

Single strike on the village of Deir Qanoun al Nahr in the coastal Tyre province killed 10, including three children and three women, health ministry says Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed at least 19 people, including four women and three children, Lebanon’s health ministry said, the latest in near-daily attacks from both sides that have not stopped despite a fragile, US-brokered ceasefire . Israel’s military did not immediately comment on the casualties or specific incidents, but said that between Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon, it had targeted more than 25 sites of Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

US vice-president says Iran must agree to never have a nuclear weapon; Tehran warns US against resuming hostilities Trump threatens ‘a big hit’ if Tehran does not make deal soon Iran’s army has warned it would “open new fronts” against the US if it resumes attacks on the country amid reports that Donald Trump is weighing up restarting military operations in Iran amid an impasse in negotiations. “If the enemy is foolish enough to fall into the Zionist trap again and launches new aggression against our beloved Iran, we will open new fronts against it, with new equipment and new

President claims planned Tehran attack postponed to allow talks to continue – but no indication peace plan is imminent As he seeks an exit from the Iran war, Donald Trump is increasingly outsourcing his policymaking to US allies in the Middle East, while the White House appears unable to find a simple way to end the fighting and reopen global shipping lanes held by Tehran. In Trump’s telling, the “dealmaker-in-chief” has maintained a consistent policy toward Iran aimed at preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, leveling threats and incentives to reach a new deal that would also open the

Renewed threat comes after US president said he was ‘an hour away’ from ordering a strike before pulling back Middle East crisis – live updates Donald Trump has again threatened Iran, saying the US may launch new attacks if Tehran continues to refuse the significant concessions he wants before a deal can be struck to end the Middle East war. The US president said he had called off a fresh wave of strikes , which would have broken the ceasefire in place since early last month. “I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump said

Attack marks first time military action has forced a fully operating nuclear power plant to rely on backup generators • Middle East crisis – live updates A drone strike that cut off external power to a nuclear reactor in the United Arab Emirates this week has revived concerns over the safety of nuclear plants during wartime. Reactor no 3 at the Barakah nuclear plant lost vital off-site power for about 24 hours after the attack on Sunday, forcing it to rely on emergency diesel generators. Continue reading...

Gautam Adani, richest man in Asia, was accused of conspiring to pay $250m in bribes to Indian government officials The US Department of Justice is dropping its fraud charges against the Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, the richest man in Asia, after he hired a new legal team led by Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, according to new reports. In an undisclosed April meeting at the justice department, Trump’s personal lawyer, Robert J Giuffra Jr, said that Adani would invest $10bn in the US economy and create 15,000 jobs if prosecutors dropped the charges against him, according to the New York Times

Stone being paid $50,000 a month to ‘rebuild’ relations between Washington and Myanmar’s military-backed government The US lobbyist Roger Stone, a longtime friend and ally of Donald Trump, has been condemned for accepting $50,000 a month to “rebuild” relations between Washington and Myanmar’s military-backed government. Myanmar’s leaders have been internationally isolated since seizing power in a coup in 2021 , and have repeatedly been accused of atrocities that may amount to war crimes . Activists say the military rulers, which recently held widely condemned “sham” elections , are now trying to reassert themselves abroad. Continue reading...

Turmoil and violence rocks state after prime minister Narendra Modi’s party claimed victory in legislative election Tensions have been high in the Indian state of West Bengal after a top political aide from Narendra Modi’s party was shot dead in the street and hundreds were arrested as violence broke out following elections this week. The prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) claimed victory in the West Bengal elections on Monday , defeating Trinamool Congress (TMC), which had ruled over the state legislature for 15 years. Continue reading...

Mamata Banerjee says Narendra Modi’s party ‘forcefully captured’ election that ended her party’s 15 years in power A political showdown is taking place in the Indian state of West Bengal as the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, India’s most powerful female politician, has refused to resign after she lost elections to the prime minister’s party this week. Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) won an overwhelming victory on Monday in state elections in West Bengal, where Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress party (TMC) have been in power for 15 years. Continue reading...

Result in key Indian state is set to have significant implications for the country’s political landscape Narendra Modi’s party has won a resounding election victory in West Bengal, a state which had been a rare opposition stronghold, expanding his unrivalled consolidation of power across the country. It is the first time that the Indian prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has won assembly elections in West Bengal, a large and politically significant state in eastern India. Continue reading...

Stuart Machin argues government should reduce tax and regulatory burden on supermarkets instead The boss of Marks & Spencer has called a government proposal for voluntary price caps on essential food items “completely preposterous”, saying it should reduce tax and regulatory burdens instead. Stuart Machin, the chief executive of the clothing, homewares, food and beauty retailer, said M&S already lost money on some basic items such as milk, bread and baked beans and made very slim profits on other products such as eggs and sugar. Continue reading...

Dan Tomlinson says move is ‘time-limited’ as Tories attack ‘insane’ decision and call for more drilling in North Sea UK relaxes strict sanctions on Russian crude as oil costs soar John Swinney has been sworn in as first minister of Scotland for the second time, the Press Association reports. Swinney went to the court of session this morning where he was sworn in to the role by Scotland’s most senior judge – the Lord President. He left the court just after 10am, flanked by his wife Elizabeth and teenage son Matthew. Dan Tomlinson , the Treasury minister, has said the

Wife of former PM, who encountered Worboys in 2007, says parole refusal last week was ‘huge relief’ Carrie Johnson, the wife of the former prime minister Boris Johnson, has said there could be “up to 1,000, if not more”, victims of the black-cab rapist, John Worboys . Johnson, who helped bring the serial sex attacker to justice, said she had been contacted by more women who believed they had been assaulted by him. Continue reading...

Chancellor’s planning shake-up would ‘reduce exposure from judicial review on all but human rights grounds’ Rachel Reeves is ​preparing to announce a planning shake-up ‌that would fast-track clean energy ​and infrastructure projects by curbing judicial reviews, the ​Treasury said. The chancellor will propose that parliament should be able to designate and approve the most important clean energy projects as of “critical national importance”, as part of a wider package seeking to blunt the impact of the Iran crisis. Continue reading...

Decision to allow import of jet fuel and diesel refined in third countries is criticised by Tories as ‘insane’ The UK government has relaxed strict sanctions on Russian crude oil, allowing for the import of jet fuel and diesel refined in third countries amid surging costs. A trade licence that came into effect on Wednesday permits the imports indefinitely and will be reviewed periodically. It comes at a time of growing concerns over the supply of certain fuels owing to the de facto blockade of the strait of Hormuz since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran. Continue reading...

IRGC comments come after Trump says he could strike Iran while insisting that Tehran still wants to make a deal Trump threatens ‘a big hit’ if Tehran does not make deal soon The Jordanian military announced it had shot down a drone of unknown origin in its airspace on Wednesday, AFP reports. No casualties were reported. Continue reading...

Ron Shinnick did not mention the firing of the Cohutta police force, which was later rehired, in resignation letter The mayor of a small town in the US state of Georgia has resigned shortly after firing his community’s entire police department, a step that the local governing council ultimately reversed – but that he nonetheless took amid a political spat pitting him and his wife against members of the force. In a 15 May resignation letter that the Guardian reviewed, Ron Shinnick avoided mentioning his attempted termination of the Cohutta police department, word of which gained international media attention. The

Firearms used by shooters, aged 17 and 18, in fatal rampage were registered to one of their parents The two teenage assailants responsible for a mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, California, rushed toward the mosque “fully armored” with handguns and rifles, authorities said. A security guard shot and struck one of the shooters, according to members of the mosque, but the attacker continued charging. The guard, Amin Abdullah, alerted administrators of the school at the Islamic Center, telling them to go into lockdown, before he was shot and killed. “If it was not for him …

Keisha Lance Bottoms wins Democratic primary outright, while Republicans Burt Jones and Rick Jackson will face off The Republican primary campaign for Georgia governor will go to a June runoff, with the lieutenant governor Burt Jones facing off against healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson – and locking out Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state and longtime political enemy of Donald Trump who was on track to finish a distant third. The Republican race to challenge the US senator Jon Ossoff remains similarly unresolved, while former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic primary for governor outright. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. Trump critic Thomas Massie defeated in Kentucky Republican House primary Sign up for the Breaking News US email Trump told reporters he is giving Iran until the weekend or early next week , to make a deal to end the war. He said that yesterday he was within an hour of deciding to resume bombing Iran but that his negotiators had reported progress in talks. I never tell anybody when. But they knew that we were very close. I would say we were. I was an hour away from making the decision to go

A joint operation by the United States and Nigeria against Islamic State fighters has killed 175 over the past few days, Nigeria’s military said on Tuesday, while the head of the US Africa Command said it showed the capabilities its forces could bring in Africa, home to the “epicentre of global terrorism”. The US sent troops to Nigeria in February in what was deemed a mostly advisory and training role, but the joint operation signals more active involvement. The US Africa Command, or AFRICOM,...

Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz faces a deepening crisis as widespread protests and blockades leave the political capital under siege less than six months after he took office. Two weeks of road closures – spearheaded by the Bolivian Workers’ Central, COB, peasant unions and miners – have emptied markets in La Paz and depleted vital hospital oxygen reserves. The government reported that at least three people died after emergency vehicles were blocked from reaching medical centres. On Monday,...

Norway’s revocation of export licences for a naval missile system sold to Malaysia has thrust into sharp relief the United States’ ability to kill an arms deal between two other sovereign nations simply by restricting components its own industries supplied. Analysts suspect a gyroscope used in the guidance system of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace’s Naval Strike Missile and other US-made components are the reason Malaysia’s navy will not be receiving the weapons it contracted for – and paid nearly...

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ⁠revealed previously undisclosed details ⁠about his new bunker-like White House ballroom, ⁠saying it would have a drone base on the roof and a military hospital as part of a six-storey subterranean complex. Amid the bang and clang of construction, Trump took a group of reporters on a tour of the project to try to bolster his argument ‌that the US Congress should allocate US$1 billion to pay for security enhancements to the building. Democrats and some...

US President Donald Trump tightened his grip on the Republican Party on Tuesday as Kentucky voters ousted one of the few conservative lawmakers willing to challenge him openly. Congressman Thomas Massie’s defeat, which he conceded some three hours after polls closed, marked another victory in Trump’s campaign to punish Republican dissent. It follows the rout of Indiana state lawmakers who defied the US president on redistricting and the weekend collapse of Senator Bill Cassidy’s re-election bid...

Israeli forces opened fire on at least two vessels in an aid flotilla sailing towards Gaza on Tuesday, according to video footage and flotilla organisers, but Israel said no live ammunition was used ‌and there were no casualties. The flotilla was making a renewed attempt to deliver aid to Gaza after earlier missions were intercepted by Israel in international waters. Video from the flotilla’s livestream showed soldiers firing shots at two of the boats. The type of ammunition fired was not...

US Vice-President J.D. Vance said on Tuesday that diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran had made “good progress”, but warned that the US military was “locked and loaded” to restart its campaign against Iran if negotiations collapsed. “A lot of good progress is being made, but we’re just going to keep on working at it, and eventually we’ll either hit a deal or we won’t,” Vance said during a White House press briefing. “We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a...

A 56-year-old woman fell into an open maintenance hole on a busy New York street and died, police and utility officials said as they investigated how it could have happened. The woman parked her Mercedes-Benz SUV right next to the maintenance hole on Monday night near the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan and fell in after exiting the vehicle shortly before 11.30pm, police said. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital after firefighters pulled her out. The...

Last week, US President Donald Trump landed in China aiming to secure the kind of blockbuster trade deals he championed nine years ago – spanning everything from soybeans to aircraft and energy. By the time he departed, it was clear that reality would fall far short of expectations. Despite Trump hailing a “fantastic deal”, China did not announce the massive buying spree that many had anticipated. Now, just days after Trump’s exit, Russian President Vladimir Putin is arriving in China with...

US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing, at a time of rising tensions over Iran, sanctions, tariffs and Taiwan, shows how far the Hormuz crisis has travelled beyond the battlefield. What began as a regional war is now touching energy markets, currency politics and the balance of influence between Washington and Beijing. The US is trying to keep Gulf and Asian partners anchored to the US dollar system, while China continues to push for wider use of the renminbi in trade transactions. Whether...

⁠The ⁠US has ⁠charged seven Chinese executives and four of the world’s largest shipping container companies with conspiring to restrict supply, raising the price ‌of containers during the Covid-19 pandemic, Department of Justice officials said on Tuesday. The companies together manufacture about 95 per cent of the world’s standard dry shipping containers and conspired to ⁠restrict output and fix prices between November 2019 ‌and January 2024, the DOJ said. Prosecutors allege the scheme resulted...

The US government will permanently drop tax claims against US President Donald Trump, according to a settlement document made public Tuesday, in an extraordinary use of executive power that could effectively help shield the president from further examination of his finances and legal conduct. As part of the settlement deal meant to resolve Trump’s US$10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns, the US was “forever barred and precluded” from examining...

The United States is expected to unseal criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raul Castro on Wednesday in a move that could further deepen tensions between Washington and Havana and inject new strain into an already volatile regional relationship. Multiple US media outlets, citing US Justice Department sources, have reported that federal prosecutors in Miami are preparing an indictment tied to Cuba’s 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile group...

US President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the state’s Republican Senate primary shortly after early voting began in an increasingly personal and expensive run-off against incumbent Senator John Cornyn. “Ken Paxton has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next United States Senator from the Great State of Texas – KEN PAXTON WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!,” Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday. The timing of the move came as a shock, with early voting already...

A top commander of US forces in the Middle East avoided taking responsibility on Tuesday for an attack on a school in Iran that left 155 people dead on day one of the war, insisting a “complex” probe continues. Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), told a congressional oversight panel that “the school itself is located on an active IRGC cruise missile base”, making the investigation “more complex than the average strike”. IRGC stands for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary...

Norwegian authorities on Tuesday announced that bird flu has been documented in a polar bear for the first time in Europe, in the Svalbard region in the Arctic. The H5N5 variant of the virus was detected in samples taken from a male bear about one year old and a walrus found dead in mid-May on the icy archipelago, around 1,000km (600 miles) from the North Pole, the Norwegian Veterinary Institute said. “The results are part of a trend in which highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses are...

The Donald Trump administration on Tuesday imposed sanctions on an Iranian foreign currency exchange house and what it said were front companies overseeing transactions on behalf of Iranian banks as the US maintains pressure on Tehran. The move came after Iran ‌said its latest peace proposal to the United States over the US-Israeli led war that started February 28 involved ending hostilities on all fronts including Lebanon, the exit of US forces from areas close to Iran, and reparations for...

With new data suggesting a global retreat from US Treasuries in March – the first full month of the US-Israel war on Iran – market worries are on the rise over whether the sell-off could deepen, as interest rate decisions under new Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh, US debt sustainability and prolonged Middle East tensions raise investor concerns. Analysts are currently weighing mounting inflation pressures – which have driven Treasury yields sharply and placed the 30-year yield at its highest...

Spain’s former Socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has been placed under investigation for influence peddling and crimes allegedly committed in connection with the bailout of a small airline, according to a court on Tuesday. The move adds to pressure on current Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, already weakened by corruption investigations involving family members and senior political allies. Zapatero, who served as prime minister from 2004 to 2011, was not originally...

At last week’s summit in Beijing, the presidents of China and the United States pledged to steer towards a stable and constructive relationship. The two sides announced new joint trade and investment councils. This combination of high-level commitment and institutional progress has stirred hopes that long-running bilateral economic tensions will ease substantially, if not take a turn for the better. But will the world’s largest economies live happily ever after? History offers a sobering...

Iranian authorities held mass public weddings in Tehran for couples who signed up to a state-sponsored scheme declaring their readiness to sacrifice their lives in the war against the US and Israel. The ceremonies conducted late on Monday involved hundreds of couples in several major squares in the capital, including more than 100 in the vast Imam Hossein Square in central Tehran, according to reports in Iranian media. They were broadcast on state TV in a bid to boost wartime morale, with US...

Police in Spain said they had detained the son of fashion group Mango’s founder Isak Andic on Tuesday in connection with an investigation into his father’s death ‌in December 2024. Isak Andic died after falling more than 100 metres (330 feet) from a cliff while hiking with family members near the Mediterranean city of Barcelona. His death was initially treated as an accident, but police in Catalonia later said it was being investigated as a possible homicide. The family confirmed ⁠Jonathan Andic...

The World Health Organization chief voiced concern on Tuesday about the “scale and speed” of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo which has killed an estimated 131 people. The WHO has declared the surge of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever an international health emergency and called an emergency meeting on the crisis on Tuesday. No vaccine or therapeutic treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for the latest outbreak of the disease, which has...

Finnish divers on Tuesday recovered the bodies of two of the four remaining Italians who died deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll in the Maldives, an official said. The bodies were located on Monday, when searches resumed after being suspended following the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission to try to reach them. Five Italian divers went missing on Thursday, with one of the bodies recovered earlier. The plan is to recover the remaining two bodies on Wednesday. The...

With their domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter. Not long ago, plans were in motion to build an enormous battery factory in the Belgian countryside. If completed, it would have created an estimated 2,000 jobs...

Prosecutors in ⁠Minnesota on Monday charged a ⁠US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent with assault in connection with the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis in January during US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown ‌in the city. Christian Castro, 53, was charged with four felony counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and a misdemeanour of falsely reporting a crime, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty told a press conference. Castro was the...

Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate on Monday as a wind-driven wildfire threatened suburban homes in Southern California. The Sandy Fire was reported at around 10am in the hills above Simi Valley, about 48km (30 miles) northwest of Los Angeles. By midafternoon it had consumed more than 200 hectares (500 acres) of dry brush and damaged at least one home, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. The flames were pushed by morning gusts that topped 48km/h (30mph) but were subsiding...

The United States said Monday it is bolstering precautions to prevent the spread of Ebola, including screening air travellers from outbreak-hit areas and temporarily suspending visa services. The measures shared by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) come as the World Health Organization has declared the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo an international health emergency. In a briefing, Satish Pillai, the health agency’s Ebola response incident...

Argentina is on the verge of settling its debt with China’s central bank, winding down a currency lifeline that kept the country afloat during years of financial turmoil and now sits at the centre of a geopolitical tug of war between Washington and Beijing. Government officials confirmed to Argentine outlet Todo Noticias on Sunday that the repayment of the activated portion of the swap will be completed by mid-2026. Central bank records published last week show Buenos Aires has repaid nearly 90...

When Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in Beijing this week, just days after US President Donald Trump departed, following his summit with President Xi Jinping, the choreography will not be merely diplomatic. It will be show of “civilisational theatre”. For years, analysts framed China as a power caught awkwardly between a revanchist Russia and an increasingly hostile United States. That interpretation now looks obsolete. Beijing is no longer balancing between rival poles; it is...

Cuba’s leader warned on Monday of a “bloodbath” in the event of an American attack, while the US Treasury sanctioned Cuba’s main intelligence agency and top leaders as tensions spiked between the arch-foes. President Miguel Diaz-Canel stressed Cuba’s right to defend itself a day after US news site Axios reported that Havana had obtained over 300 military drones from Russia and Iran and is considering using them against US targets. The report, which quoted US intelligence officials, came amid...

A shooting on Monday at a mosque complex in southern California killed three people, with two suspected teenage gunmen later found dead in a car from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police said. Police said emergency response teams found the victims outside the sprawling Islamic Centre of San Diego, before later finding the shooters, aged 18 and 17, also dead. “We are actively investigating this as a hate crime,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl told reporters. “There was definitely...

US President Donald Trump said he has called off strikes on Iran planned for Tuesday at the urging of Gulf leaders as “serious negotiations” for a deal to end the war were underway. Trump said in a social media post on Monday that leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have asked that the US “hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place”. Even so, the US leader...

British broadcaster Channel 4 removed all previous seasons of Married at First Sight – one of its flagship reality shows – on Monday after a BBC report detailing allegations of rape during the filming of the series. Channel ‌4, the publicly owned but commercially funded broadcaster established in the 1980s, said it had launched a review into contributor welfare on the show, which is made by independent production company CPL, in April. BBC News reported that two women had told the news service...

The US Treasury on Monday extended by 30 days its sanctions waiver for Russian oil cargoes already at sea, as global energy prices continue to surge due to the Iran war. The latest “temporary 30-day general license” will “provide the most vulnerable nations with the ability to temporarily access Russian oil currently stranded at sea,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a social media post. Monday’s announcement is the second time US authorities have extended the temporary measure, which is...

A ⁠US jury on Monday ruled against Elon Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI, finding the artificial intelligence company not liable to the world’s richest person for having allegedly strayed from its original mission to benefit humanity. In a unanimous verdict, the jury in Oakland, California, federal court said Musk brought his case too late. The jury deliberated less than two hours. The three-week trial had widely been seen as a critical moment for the future of OpenAI and artificial...

A British court sentenced a Polish truck driver to more than 13 years in prison for smuggling £7 million (US$9.4 million) worth of cocaine in a shipment of underwear and clothing from Skims, Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand, authorities said on Monday. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, was driving a vehicle carrying 28 pallets of Skims clothing from the Netherlands when he was stopped by border officials at a port in Essex in September. The agency said Konkel had stopped...

US prosecutors asked a judge on Monday to dismiss criminal fraud and conspiracy charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, who had been accused of duping investors in a major solar project in India. Adani, one of the world’s richest people, was accused in 2024 of paying massive bribes to ensure the project’s success. He was charged with conspiracy, securities fraud and wire fraud charges in connection with a lucrative arrangement for Adani Green Energy and another firm to sell 12 gigawatts...

Belarus said on Monday its armed forces had begun training exercises involving Russian nuclear weapons, in a move that drew strong condemnation from Ukraine. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko agreed in 2023 – a year after Russia’s ‌invasion of Ukraine – to host Russian tactical nuclear missiles. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made clear that Moscow retains control of their use. “During the training, in cooperation with the Russian side, it is planned to practise the delivery of...

Pope Leo and the co-founder of artificial intelligence company Anthropic will launch the pontiff’s first encyclical on May 25, a document on the care of human dignity in the era of AI, the Vatican said on Monday. An encyclical is an official letter from the pope to Roman Catholic bishops, usually to make a statement on official teachings. The presence of Anthropic’s Christopher Olah at the Vatican is significant, and suggests that the US pope’s position on AI will become a new flashpoint with...

The World Health Organization opened a meeting of global health ministers on Monday amid concern over deadly hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks and uncertainty over announced US and Argentinian withdrawals. While the rare hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that has gripped global attention is not officially on the agenda, it is expected to feature prominently in discussions, alongside the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The two outbreaks “are just the latest crises in...

Donald Trump’s comment that he is “not looking to have somebody go independent” has sparked debate in Taiwan over whether it undermines the ruling party’s pro-independence platform. Trump made the remark after last week’s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, where Taiwan emerged as one of the most sensitive issues in Sino-US relations. “I’m not looking to have somebody go independent,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News aired on Friday, adding that the United States was “9,500...

A Spanish court acquitted Shakira in a tax fraud case, ordering the government to return more than 55 million euros (US$64 million) in wrongly imposed fines, according to a court document. The decision follows years of tax troubles in Spain for the Colombian superstar. The ruling relates to a dispute over the 2011 tax year in which Spanish authorities failed to prove that the singer was a resident of Spain, the Madrid-based court said in its decision. For a person to be considered a tax resident...

China is stepping up economic engagement with Russia by hosting the 10th edition of a major bilateral expo ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expected trip to Beijing this week – just days after his American counterpart, Donald Trump, visited there last week. The back-to-back visits to the Chinese capital by two of the world’s most influential leaders highlight an uptick in diplomatic activity as Beijing seeks to stabilise relations with Washington while deepening coordination with...

The US ⁠Africa Command (Africom) said on Monday ⁠it had carried out additional air strikes against Islamic State targets in northeastern Nigeria on Sunday, in coordination with the Nigerian government, as joint operations against militant groups intensify. Nigeria’s ‌Defence Headquarters said the latest strikes were conducted in the Metele area of Borno State, following intelligence that fighters had converged there. Multiple air strikes killed more than 20 Islamic State West Africa Province...

An Israeli strike designed to free Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from house arrest in Tehran, U.S. officials said, was part of an effort to bring about regime change and put him in power.

With four Republican backers, Democrats won a vote to advance a resolution that would force the president to end hostilities or win authorization from Congress.

Outmatched militarily, Iran used “triangular coercion” by attacking Gulf states and closing the Strait of Hormuz. It points to a long-term U.S. vulnerability.

He has used his sway with his base to oust wayward Republicans more than he has made inroads with the independents his party needs to defeat Democrats in November.

President Trump unseated Representative Thomas Massie, a top Republican critic in Congress, and also got his way in other primary contests.

Meeting President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Beijing, China’s leader called for a halt to fighting in the Middle East and took a veiled swipe at the United States.

The deal, which President Trump announced after last week’s summit, represents the largest single sale of the American company’s aircraft to Beijing in nearly a decade.

While older people are still underrepresented on TV, the characters that are there have become richer and more multidimensional.

Authorities said the teenagers who killed three men met online, posted their writings there and livestreamed the killings.

The three men killed in the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego were instrumental in delaying the attackers, the city’s police chief said.

“City of the Big Shoulders” reflects the city’s strength and complexity. It took the artist five years to complete, mapping migration patterns and structural racism.

For years, prosecutors have accused Christian Nègre, once a senior official, of slipping diuretics into women’s drinks. Despite admitting some accusations in an interview with a French daily, he is yet to stand trial.

Fast-talking lawyers and lobbyists promise to get white-collar criminals out of jail — for a fee.

Democrats called the transportation secretary’s reality-show-like series unethical.

Investigators suggested that infrequent maintenance requirements, among other issues, appeared to contribute to the faulty part that caused the crash, which killed 15 people last year.

In northern Norway, Sami people fear a copper mine will disrupt their traditional lifestyles.

Melanie Malone led a research project to identify and study contamination sites in Washington State. Then the E.P.A. canceled her grant.

To a younger generation, the word describes a playful response to a difficult world — even if it might strike some as a precious form of capitalism.

Feeding narratives to the credulous isn’t speaking truth to power.

College education does almost nothing to develop the sense that what we do in our day-to-day lives resonates with people beyond ourselves.

Jimmy Kimmel noted that the president backs down on his own deadlines to bomb Iran “every Tuesday. It’s like a new episode of ‘NCIS.’”

Interest rates for long-term Treasury bonds have surged to levels last seen in 2007, before the great financial crisis.

More than 7,000 people east of the city had been forced to evacuate as of Wednesday morning, and more than 39,000 others faced evacuation orders or warnings.

A lawsuit challenges the police practice of shackling mentally ill arrestees in New York, sometimes for long periods, while they await arraignment in locked psychiatric wards.

Citizens Union, a government watchdog group, suggested that although Mr. Adams’s federal indictment was dropped, his alleged offenses would still be state crimes.