Minimalist News

Is There Any Point In Getting To Know Andy Burnham? Authored by Joanna Gray via DailySceptic.org, The best way to approach Andy Burnham, our new Prime Minister-in-waiting, is like the latest girlfriend of a desirable but emotionally damaged philanderer. We should be polite but there’s no real point in spending too much time getting to know her, because she’ll be replaced with a new model in a matter of months. Let’s call this philandering gentleman Mr Great Britain. He’s the dashingly handsome lothario with daddy issues (in this case loss of Empire ). We all know the type: the rakish

Did The World Cup Just Start A War In Europe Over Air Conditioning? The World Cup has triggered one of the most surprising global cultural awakenings in decades and almost no one saw it coming. The establishment media had been running negative propaganda for months, claiming that the event was going to be a disaster because it was being held in the US. The machine had already decided that the World Cup in 2026 was going to be sold as a disaster from start to finish. Rumors were spinning that because Americans don't care about "soccer" that the tournament would

Turkey Bans Protests Across Many Provinces Ahead Of Major NATO Summit Via Middle East Eye Rights groups have condemned a protest ban imposed by Turkey ahead of a Nato summit, as well as the arrest of hundreds of people in a sweeping crackdown . Last week, the Ankara Governorate announced a 13-day province-wide ban on all public assemblies from Sunday , citing "national security" and security measures around the conference. Protesters hold a banner reading 'Turkey should leave Nato, Nato bases should be closed' during a demonstration in Ankara on 27 June 2026, ahead of the Nato summit. via AFP

Bursting Of AI Bubble, Collapse Of Circular Deals Are Among Top Risks To Global Financial System, BIS Warns An artificial-intelligence bust (and thus bubble), inflation and fiscal stress are the three the most alarming threats to global prosperity at present, the Bank for International Settlements warned. In its annual report published on Sunday, the Basel-based institution - better known as the central banks' central bank - cited those on a list of “pressure points” that currently “demand attention,” with underlying financial vulnerabilities lurking that could amplify any shock. “The global economy remains caught in the crosscurrents of progress and peril,”

250 Years Ago: South Carolina Defeats The British Empire Authored by Alan Wakim via The Epoch Times, On the morning of June 28, 1776, Thomas Jefferson and the Committee of Five presented a draft of the Declaration of Independence to John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress. Although immortalized by John Trumbull’s famous painting, the historic moment unfolded with quiet parliamentary precision and strict protocol rather than fanfare. The attack on the fort on Sulivan's Island the June 28, 1776, painted by Henry Gray. Drawing shows British ships firing on Fort Sullivan on Sullivan's Island. Library of Congress. Public

Boots On The Ground? US Military Begins Humanitarian Operation In Quake-Ravaged Venezuela At least 1,400 people were killed and 3,360 injured after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, officials said. Google ha revelado hoy los detalles sobre cómo funcionó su sistema de alertas de sismos durante los terremotos dobletes del día 24 de junio de 2026 en Venezuela. La alerta le fue enviada a un total de 11.4 millones de dispositivos que tienen el sistema operativo Android en… pic.twitter.com/lF47EqxZWU — HevercastroB (@HeverCastroB) June 28, 2026 The coastal state of La Guaira, near Caracas, suffered the worst damage, with

Speculation Nation Authored by Adam Sharp via DailyReckoning.com, Americans are natural risk takers. This trait goes back to the country’s founding stock. Many of our ancestors decided to leave their homelands and set off to the New World. In search of freedom, land, meat, and prosperity, these pioneers laid the foundation for a bold nation. As a result, Americans have always excelled in the entrepreneurial arts. We aren’t afraid to take the risk of starting a business. This is surprisingly rare throughout the world. It’s one of the prime reasons our nation is so exceptional. But today, our risk-taking nature

Baghdad's Green Zone Locked Down As Officials Arrested In Corruption Sweep Beyond Sunday's Iranian drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait , launched in response to earlier U.S. airstrikes, Hormuz shipping traffic remains stable but well below last week's peak, when 57 vessels transited the strait on Wednesday. With maritime flows stable through the critical waterway, attention now shifts to Iraq, where a widening corruption sweep inside Baghdad's Green Zone could become the next area of focus. Iraq's state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that several political figures were arrested in a corruption probe tied to testimony from former Deputy

Supreme Court Expected To Rule On Cook, Elections, And Trans Athletes The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide in the coming days whether President Donald Trump can remove Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook from her post - an extraordinary step that would mark the first presidential firing of a Fed official since the central bank's founding in 1913 and directly test the institution's independence from political interference. The justices, who hold a 6-3 conservative majority, signaled skepticism during January arguments toward Trump's authority to oust Cook. The Federal Reserve Act requires that governors be removed only

"Wants To Be More Political Than His Daddy": Alex Soros Plows $103 Million Into Unhinged Democrats Ahead Of Midterms The uncomfortable reality for socialist Democrats is that the anti-capitalist and anti-American movement is not an organic uprising from the working class, as they often portray in their propaganda. Socialism on full display: AOC wears "Tax The Rich" dress to the Met Gala ($30k tickets) while masked workers serve her (2021) pic.twitter.com/jB2XU0o1zt — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 4, 2026 The same left-wing politicians and activists who talk about dismantling capitalism and throwing wrenches into the capitalist system, all while pushing nation-killing

AI Demand, War, & Climate Pressure Push World Back To Nuclear Authored by Haley Zaremba via OilPrice.com, The US and Canada each announced plans this week to build ten new nuclear reactors, the biggest coordinated nuclear push in North America in decades. The moves come as the AI boom, the war in Iran, and broader geopolitical instability push energy security to the top of the policy agenda worldwide. China added 34 gigawatts of nuclear capacity over the past decade to the US's one plant, and is on track to overtake both the US and France as the world's top nuclear

CDC Raises Ebola Response To Highest Level As Outbreak Grows Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated its highest-level emergency response to the growing Ebola outbreak in central Africa caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, as the agency says that the risk of spread within the United States remains low. The move to Level 1 activation, signifying the most severe health crises, comes as the outbreak, which is now in its second month, has infected more than 1,200 people in Congo, with 321 deaths reported there, plus additional cases

Chinese AI Matches Mythos In Cybersecurity Tasks With Open-Weight Model While Anthropic has been forced to shut down its latest general-use models for over two weeks after it emerged that the company's de-tuned public-facing Fable 5 model could be 'jailbroken' into its unrestricted form (Mythos 5) to perform tasks that pose security risks, a Chinese AI company backed by Alibaba and Tencent has released a model that matches the performance of Mythos in some cybersecurity scenarios. The company, Zhipu AI - also known as Z.ai, can match the latest US models when it comes to finding security bugs - though

The Coming Return Of Commodity-Backed Money Authored by Chris MacIntosh via InternationalMan.com, This piece is as much a mental exploration as a fact-gathering exercise. Let’s begin with the problem. Bank failures come together with economic failures. So trusting banks is a problem, but furthermore, trusting fiat currency is also a problem. This is on top of the issue that moving capital from one bank to another is increasingly fraught with headaches. AML and KYC have become weaponised, and the global surveillance system is tightening its grip. So movement of capital, treasury, and of course what to own in your treasury

The Path To A September Rate Cut (Despite AI Inflation) By Peter Tchir of Academy Securities The Path to a September Rate Cut (despite AI inflation) A lot has changed in the past 24 hours. After Thursday’s CNBC interview, it seemed obvious (to me) that I needed to write about how there is a real path to a Fed Rate Cut in September . Not only has the market priced in a 75% chance of a hike in September , and 1.25 hikes by the December meeting, most have also taken any chance of a cut off the table. I

Next Switzerland Talks 'Stalled' After Past Days' Flare-Up In US-Iran Fighting (Update1500ET) : An expected next round of US-Iran talks in Switzerland has been 'stalled' by the latest fighting flare up in the Strait of Hormuz, after US forces bombed Iran's coast a couple times - and following more Iranian 'retaliation' on Gulf states, as well as against at least two international vessels in the Strait. WSJ is reporting Sunday : The fighting has rattled shipowners and has thrown a budding reopening of the waterway into doubt, threatening the key achievement of Trump’s preliminary deal, which pushes discussions of more

"Navigation Extremely Limited": Top Shipper Warns IRGC Mines Complicate Hormuz Normalization The top executive of Japan's largest shipping company told the Financial Times in an exclusive weekend interview that the path toward normalization in the Strait of Hormuz remains far more complicated than anticipated. He warned that shipping volumes may stay well below prewar levels for months, as IRGC-laid mines are forcing vessels into narrow, safer corridors near Iran and Oman. "The routes available for navigation are extremely limited — they're very narrow corridors," Takaya Soga, chief executive of Japan's NYK Line, told the outlet. "We're still nowhere near returning

Are The Epstein Survivors Being Exploited Yet Again? Authored by Nick Bryant , On February 8, 2026, the advocacy group World Without Exploitation launched a 40-second public service announcement during the Super Bowl featuring Jeffrey Epstein survivors demanding the full release of federal files related to Epstein's sex trafficking network. The Epstein survivors held up pictures of themselves when they were initially abused by Epstein as minors or young women. "After years of being kept apart, we're standing together," they said. The background was pitch black, and the music was haunting. The PSA ended with the following: "Stand With Us.

Heat Dome Halts German Trains After Track Sealant Liquifies Europe's heat wave is now quickly morphing from a public health crisis into an infrastructure nightmare, with power prices surging , more than 1,000 excess deaths reported across France, and extreme temperatures bringing parts of Germany's rail infrastructure to a halt. The local German outlet Leipziger Zeitung reports that after a week of sweltering temperatures above 30°C, with readings climbing toward 40°C on Saturday, critical transport infrastructure in Leipzig failed under the heat. The city, located in the eastern German state of Saxony, about 120 miles southwest of Berlin, was forced

Five Dynamics That Make Sense Of An Increasingly Chaotic World Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog, These dynamics and the incentives they generate lead to systemic crisis and collapse. As I noted in What Once Explained Everything Now Explains Nothing , the simplicity of either-or ideologies appeal to us. Identifying with an ideology is like having a favorite sports team: yea for our team! Our team good, other team bad. The roots of this simplistic either-or are obvious: our tribe good, other tribe bad. The problems with this simplistic loyalty arise when we attempt to explain complex real-world

At least 1,450 people are known to have died but the number is expected to rise China says it will send 100 million yuan ($14.7m; £11.1m) in disaster relief aid to Venezuela. The Chinese government will provide Venezuela with “emergency free relief supplies... to support earthquake relief and post-disaster reconstruction”, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters this morning. Continue reading...

President says ‘we always hold onto hope’ as discovery of earthquake survivors spurs fresh search efforts despite dwindling chances of survival Mortuary in Caracas ‘overwhelmed’ as Venezuela struggles to respond after earthquakes A man and his teenage son were found alive under the rubble in Venezuela on Sunday, in a town about 40km north of the capital Caracas, AFP journalists reported, as the death toll from last week’s twin earthquakes passed 1,450. The discovery of survivors in Caraballeda was made by French and American rescue teams nearly four days after back-to-back quakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck, completely destroying

Marco Rubio is scrambling to provide effective disaster response to country whose president US deposed in January This week’s dual earthquakes in Venezuela are a test for the new era of American power in the western hemisphere, as the Trump administration scrambles to provide an effective disaster response mission to a country that it now calls an ally in Latin America, after a US special forces raid in January deposed the country’s strongman leader, Nicolás Maduro. The US is marshalling what secretary of state Marco Rubio called a “big, fast, effective” and “whole-of-government” response as the state department sent three

Search for survivors continues with nearly 70,000 people reported unaccounted for by their family members The ⁠death toll ⁠in ⁠the twin ​earthquakes that struck ⁠ Venezuela earlier ⁠this ​week ‌has ‌risen to ‌1,430, according to one of the country’s top politicians, Jorge Rodríguez. Another 3,200 ​people were injured ⁠and 3,100 ​left homeless ​by the ​disaster, ​the National Assembly president added, speaking ​on ​state television. Continue reading...

Delcy Rodríguez says foreign rescue teams are arriving as anger grows at official response and limited resources Survivors tell of ‘brutal and fast’ Venezuela quake as hunt for survivors goes on Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has vowed to fight to save “as many people as possible” as the official death toll from the country’s worst earthquake in more than a century almost doubled, but frustration was growing at the perceived sluggishness of the government’s response. Rodríguez’s brother, Jorge, the president of the national assembly, said on Friday that the official number of dead had risen to 920. Delcy Rodríguez

Value of some chip manufacturers have tripled, or more, driving Asia Pacific stock markets sharply higher Shares in chipmakers have surged in the first half of this year as investors piled into companies that make the hardware underpinning the AI boom, according to analysis. Investors have driven up the value of semiconductor and memory chip manufacturers, whose profits have soared during 2026, at the expense of some large software companies, which have fallen out of favour this year. Continue reading...

Simon Peter Carman, 46, has denied the charges against him Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast An Australian man has been charged with the murder of a teenage girl whose naked body was found in a suitcase in Thailand. Pattaya City police told the Guardian the man, identified as Simon Peter Carman, 46, has denied the charges against him. Continue reading...

Election will determine balance of power in New Caledonia before fresh negotiations with France on the territory’s status Polls opened in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia on Sunday for the archipelago’s first provincial elections since 2019, after the vote was delayed as talks stalled over its political future. The election, initially planned for 2024, will determine the balance of power in New Caledonia ahead of fresh negotiations with France on the territory’s status, with independence remaining the defining political issue. Continue reading...

The 46-year-old was stopped at about 9.30pm on Friday while preparing to board a Jetstar flight to Perth, according to police and local media Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast An Australian man has been arrested at a Thai airport in connection with the alleged murder of a 17-year-old girl whose naked body was found in a suitcase, according to local police. The man , 46, was stopped at about 9.30pm on Friday while preparing to travel on a Jetstar flight to Perth, according to

Austrian Grand Prix declares heat hazard as dramatic rise in temperatures forecast in central and northern Europe Temperatures are forecast to rise dramatically in parts of central and northern Europe this weekend as the intense heatwave continues . In Germany and Poland, highs up to or exceeding 40C (104F) are expected on both Saturday and Sunday, days after swathes of France experienced similar extreme temperatures. The Austrian Grand Prix, taking place this weekend in Spielberg, has declared a heat hazard , the first race to do so this season. Temperatures are expected to rise into the low 30s celsius during

This blog has now closed Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Royal commission hearings resume today The next round of hearings for the antisemitism royal commission begins today. Regretfully, we’re here until Thursday night with Parliament and the game is at 4am Saturday morning. So I’ll be watching on the TV. And like I’ve said before, sometimes I’m the minister for sport and it’s important I’m at major events because there’s all kinds of elements and stakeholders that are there for me to be there in person. Sometimes I’m the minister for communications and

Melissa McIntosh’s comment comes after Angus Taylor’s claim Morrison government ‘breached trust’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Liberal frontbencher Melissa McIntosh has said the party might need a “rebrand” to win back voters who continue to desert the opposition, with the Coalition hitting a new historic polling low. Her comments came after the opposition leader, Angus Taylor, claimed the Morrison government – of which he was a senior minister – had “breached trust” with the electorate during the Covid pandemic by supporting “big government”.

Judge says ‘no legitimate forensic purpose’ to former Liberal staffer’s subpoena requesting footage, ahead of his Queensland trial Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann has lost a legal bid to access copies of all footage from a documentary featuring Brittany Higgins. Lehrmann had subpoenaed the producers of the documentary Silenced and signalled a possible attempt to ban its broadcast before his Queensland trial for rape. Continue reading...

Jacinta Allan resists calls for royal commission into state’s $100bn Big Build infrastructure project as pressure mounts following new reports Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast An integrity expert says Jacinta Allan blaming “inflationary pressures” rather than corruption for cost blowouts on the state’s $100bn Big Build is “nonsense”, as the Victorian premier resists growing calls for a royal commission. Allan on Monday declared that “inflationary pressures on projects is not corruption” after Nine newspapers and 60 Minutes reported allegations that money from the state’s

Mallorie Jane Roberts, 23, found with gunshot wounds on Sunday evening with her partner arrested at the home Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A woman who died from gunshot wounds in an alleged domestic violence murder was “a beautiful young mother” who leaves behind a two-year-old son. Emergency services were called to a home on Loder Street in the Gold Coast suburb of Biggera Waters, in Queensland, at about 8pm on Sunday. Continue reading...

Parcels of goods worth under €150 will no longer enjoy ‘de minimis’ exemption, exploited by platforms such as Temu and Shein The European Commission has said it hopes to prevent the “desertification” of Europe’s high streets, as it prepares to introduce a customs tax on small parcels in an attempt to curb cheap Chinese imports. Consumers have been able to buy up to €150 (£129) worth of goods, including fast fashion, cosmetics and toys, without any customs charges as part of a “de minimis” exemption, a tariff break meaning “too small to matter”. Continue reading...

At least 130 million Europeans will see temperatures of 35C and above today Meanwhile, Ukraine is bracing to absorb the impact of the heatwave on its energy network, already pummelled by Russian attacks over more than four years of war, AFP reported. Grid operators in at least five regions – from Ivano-Frankivsk in the west to Zaporizhzhia on the frontline in the south – announced temporary restrictions on energy usage would be in force during parts of Tuesday. Continue reading...

Team hope 30 of hours of footage held by three countries will be enough to bring to life film-maker’s vision More than 70 years after he shot the first few frames, Orson Welles’s ambitious project to put Don Quixote on the big screen may finally be completed thanks to a consortium of European film archivists. Oja Kodar, the American film-maker’s partner and collaborator, has given her blessing to the project led by archives in France, Spain and Italy, along with the Munich film museum, to produce a coherent film out of 30 hours of footage scattered among them. Continue reading...

President says attacks on infrastructure are causing ‘obvious’ problems but that they are ‘not critical’ Vladimir Putin has admitted Russia is facing fuel shortages as Ukraine steps up its long-range drone campaign, with repeated strikes setting oil refineries ablaze and forcing multiple regions to introduce unprecedented petrol rationing. Speaking to Russian state television late on Sunday, the Russian president acknowledged for the first time that Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure were affecting domestic fuel supplies. “Of course, they create problems, that’s obvious,” Putin said. “Right now we’re observing a certain shortage, but it’s not critical.” Continue reading...

Show at Martin Gropius Bau gallery in Berlin is biggest ever celebration of an East German female artist in a state museum Gabriele Stötzer remembers the days when she had to decide: “Am I buying a sausage, or film for my Super 8 camera?” Stötzer was one of the most radical artists in communist East Germany, and her desire to create was born in defiance of and in spite of the material conditions and oppressive restrictions of the GDR regime. Continue reading...

Tehran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait amid efforts to open strait of Hormuz without Iran’s direct oversight Fresh hostilities in Gulf suggest US-Iran memorandum was too broadly worded A new round of escalating strikes between Iran and the US has continued, further undermining the fragile interim peace agreement between the two countries, and prompting Donald Trump to threaten violence that would ensure Iran “will no longer exist”. On Sunday, Tehran launched drone and missile attacks against Bahrain and Kuwait after new US strikes on sites in southern Iran, and threatened a “complete halt” to negotiations to end the war. Trump said

Document appears to have been subject to conflicting interpretations on key issues of Lebanon ceasefire and strait of Hormuz Middle East crisis live – latest updates The sudden eruption of fresh hostilities in the Gulf – just 10 days after Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding to end the conflict – threatens to put the two countries back on the path to war . It appears the deliberately opaque wording in the memorandum has been unable to withstand the pressure of conflicting interpretations, and as a result supporters of the deal inside Tehran are on the back

Iran attacked Bahrain and Kuwait after US strikes, and threatened a ‘complete halt’ to talks US and Iran trade strikes as both sides accuse the other of endangering ceasefire We will soon be closing this liveblog, but you’ll be able to stay up-to-date with our ongoing coverage of the Middle East here. Here is a summary of today’s events: Iran launched drone and missile attacks Sunday targeting Bahrain and Kuwait in response to US airstrikes that hit the Islamic Republic , and threatened a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks. US president Donald

Across region there is a push to disarm militia and reinforce state authority but the temptation to use proxies remains As Marco Rubio ended his brief visit to the Middle East on Friday, he sought to cast in the best possible light his discussions with leaders of the Gulf states. Those leaders are deeply anxious that the deal agreed earlier this month between Iran and the US fails to address their worries about continued Iranian efforts to project power and influence throughout the region. “They’ve shared with us some very concrete concerns,” the US secretary of state admitted, and insisted

No immediate reports of damage after Bahrain hit by ‘number of drones’ as ship in strait of Hormuz also targeted Bahrain has said it was attacked by Iran with drones on Saturday, apparently in response to overnight US strikes on Iran . A ship in the strait of Hormuz was also attacked. Bahrain’s foreign ministry said a “number of drones” were launched at the country, though there were no immediate reports of damage. It condemned the attack and described it as a “flagrant threat to the security of citizens and residents”. Continue reading...

Dozens of civilians reported dead by Taliban after strikes launched following militant attack in Karachi Pakistani airstrikes in three eastern provinces of Afghanistan killed 36 civilians and wounded 163 others, the Taliban government’s deputy spokesperson has said as attacks between the two countries showed no sign of abating. Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the operations on Sunday night were aimed at a terrorist group his country blamed for a deadly militant attack in Karachi that killed three security personnel over the weekend. Continue reading...

Fears hard-won gains in reducing child mortality over 20 years are at risk after end of USAID funding for nutrition programmes Child malnutrition in Nepal has reached “alarming” levels, according to the largest ever survey of under-fives in the country. The new figures came just over a year after USAID, the former US flagship agency closed by the Trump administration in 2025, stopped funding work on child nutrition in Nepal. Continue reading...

Husband arrested after Sylvie Yasmina, 54, and five children found at home in north-western province Pakistan police say they have rescued a French woman and her five children after she told authorities she had been held captive by her husband for more than a decade and subjected to years of domestic abuse in the country’s north-west. The woman, identified as 54-year-old Sylvie Yasmina, was rescued earlier this week from a mud-brick home in Bara, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border, the district police chief, Waqar Ahmad, said. Continue reading...

Rights campaigners and MEPs say meeting would normalise regime that erases women from public life Rights campaigners and MEPs have warned that a meeting between EU officials and a Taliban delegation in Brussels risks normalising a regime that has banned girls from school beyond the sixth grade and sought to erase women from public life, while its ranks include two leaders accused of crimes against humanity. A spokesperson for the Afghan foreign ministry confirmed that a delegation representing the ⁠Taliban had travelled to Brussels after the Belgian foreign ministry issued five single-day visas. Continue reading...

Directive aimed at government workers, but reports of wider implementation spark warnings of future Afghanistan-wide prohibition The Taliban have ordered a sweeping ban on the use of smartphones by government officials – in what some analysts say could foreshadow broader, population-level restrictions. In a directive issued by the Taliban’s military courts and reviewed by the Guardian, the ban was to take effect this week and prohibits “high rank, low rank, general mujahideen, or service staff” from using mobile phones. Continue reading...

Makerfield MP and hopeful prime minister says he will ‘bring about biggest rebalancing of power the country has ever seen’ Asked what she thought of Andy Burnham not taking questions this morning, Badenoch said: Andy Burnham doesn’t like questions. Nigel Farage doesn’t like questions. Even Keir Starmer in parliament, he doesn’t like questions here. If you want somebody who can answer questions, please come to me. I will answer all of your questions. I know that it should not be Ed Miliband. He is the single person who has done the most to deindustrialise our country and make us poorer.

Entertainment arm to split from mobile and broadband in move that raises questions over future of Sky News Business live – latest updates Comcast is to spin off its media operation, which includes Sky and the Hollywood film studio, TV and theme park business NBCUniversal, into a separate publicly listed company. The move comes eight years after the US group, which said the separation will take a year to complete, acquired Sky’s European operations for £31bn. Continue reading...

Jacob Wulfson, who strangled woman he met online, was allowed to be tried at airbase court martial instead of facing UK justice Bizarre questions and an all-male ‘jury’: woman strangled by US pilot in Britain tells of airbase trial Explainer: how the US bypasses British courts A police force in England is facing mounting questions over its decision to allow the US military to prosecute the case of a woman who was strangled by an American fighter pilot in his apartment in Cambridge city centre. Cambridgeshire police has acknowledged that in the days after the assault in 2023, it allowed

Two independent reviewers of terrorism legislation call for safeguards for NGOs and journalists before bill becomes law this week British foreign correspondents could be at risk of prosecution if they use sources within state-backed groups in countries such as Iran under national security legislation being rushed through parliament this week. David Anderson, a former UK independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, has warned that unless the bill is amended it could accidentally pull journalists working in danger-zone countries into prosecutions for terrorism. Continue reading...

UK telecoms group’s 50/50 venture ends more than 18-month search for a buyer of its international operations Business live – latest updates BT and the US mobile company Verizon are to combine their international businesses, ending the British telecom group’s more than 18-month search for a buyer. Verizon will pay a $625m (£473m) “equalisation” fee to BT to guarantee equal voting rights in the new 50/50 joint venture, the companies announced on Monday. The deal is expected to create a company with more than 3,000 customers across about 180 countries and $4bn in combined annual revenue. Continue reading...

New York City mayor says Democratic candidates he endorsed speak to people struggling to make ends meet. Plus the best pictures from weekend Pride events across the US Good morning. New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, said on Sunday that he and a slew of Democratic socialist allies who prevailed in recent primary elections were carrying a “national message” to struggling working Americans hungry for a new kind of politics “coast to coast”. His endorsed candidates won Democratic nominations in three races for New York congressional seats, as well as for five state legislature positions in Albany. He said that

Plan to limit scrutiny of polluters and shift financial risks to taxpayers is attack on democracy, advocates say The Trump administration is attempting to shrink public comment periods for fossil fuel leasing on federal land while shifting the financial risks of cleanup to taxpayers and allowing for more planet-warming emissions. It’s part of a broader effort to dismantle public input processes and save polluting companies money, advocates say. “By ignoring public comment [requirements] while propping up companies,” said Alexa Dietrich, research director at the science advocacy organization Union of Concerned Scientists, “they’re really attacking democracy in a very clear way.”

Court expected to hand down decisions on several outstanding cases, wrapping up term that has focussed on Trump’s expansive claims of presidential power Tyler Hicks Following a brutal Republican primary runoff in which Islamophobia took center stage , anti-Muslim hatred continues spilling into public life in Texas. Continue reading...

Muslims say anti-Islamic rhetoric making everyday life difficult – and threats and harassment not uncommon Following a brutal Republican primary runoff in which Islamophobia took center stage , anti-Muslim hatred continues spilling into public life in Texas. Texans say that the hate speech shared by elected officials is increasingly echoed by people in their everyday interactions, including discussions about education or interactions at a store, in a park, at university and at elementary school. In one case, students at the University of Houston were praying when a man approached them and burned a Qur’an. In other cases, people have been

Mangione, accused of killing health executive Brian Thompson, has pleaded not guilty in state and federal cases Luigi Mangione is scheduled to appear at Manhattan federal court on Monday morning in relation to the murder of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson . Mangione stands accused of the 4 December 2024 killing of Thompson on a New York City street. He faces murder and weapons charges in his state-level case, and stalking counts in the federal proceedings. Continue reading...

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’s AI-powered laser mosquito zapper goes viral after crowdfunding success 2. Why Malaysia’s tourism boom lives and dies on a Chinese app 3. As Europe sizzles amid extreme heat, the hunt for China’s aircon remains elusive 4. Cathay Pacific says sorry to actor Wu Chun over 3-day luggage delay...

The public consultation for Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s last policy address of his current term is under way. Will he, for example, listen to the people about whether the baby bonus, one of the initiatives aimed at raising the birth rate and which is set to expire in October, should continue? Lee did say in an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post that his government plans to “collect wisdom” before deciding. According to the chief executive, Hong Kong experienced a 10 per...

Sovereign wealth funds and central banks managing US$29 trillion in assets are turning to energy assets, and raising concerns about the dollar, in a portfolio reassessment driven by unprecedented geopolitical shifts, according to a survey ‌published on Monday by independent global investment management firm Invesco. The survey of 90 sovereign wealth funds and 54 central banks showed an increasing focus on diversification, and investment portfolios that can “take a hit and still hold it together”...

A US official said on Sunday that Washington and Tehran agreed to halt attacks after new tit-for-tat strikes strained their interim deal, with the sides planning to renew talks aimed at ending the Middle East war. The exchanges have underscored the fragility of a Pakistan-brokered agreement to end the conflict that has killed thousands and snarled the flow of oil shipments through the vital Strait of Hormuz. Although a ceasefire took effect in April, sporadic violence has flared up in the Gulf...

US President Donald Trump lashed out on Sunday at Washington’s presumptive next mayor, calling her a communist who would destroy the capital city, even as he touted grandiose building projects including the refurbishment of a golf course. Trump said in the Truth Social post that he would meet Janeese Lewis George, who prevailed in the Democratic Party mayoral primary on Tuesday which all but assures that she will win November’s election in the heavily Democratic city. But Trump warned that he...

Andy Burnham, the Labour lawmaker expected to replace Keir Starmer as British prime minister, will outline his vision for Britain on Monday, his office said, promising to change how the nation is governed with power moving from London to ‌the regions. Burnham, who returned to Westminster earlier this month after winning a parliamentary seat, is currently the only declared candidate to take over from Starmer and could be installed in Downing Street within weeks. Starmer announced last week he...

Thousands of protesters descended on the Serbian city of Kraljevo on Sunday, keeping up pressure on President Aleksandar Vucic a day after he said he would step down ‌within weeks to pave the way for early presidential and parliamentary elections. Although many protesters expressed satisfaction with Vucic’s resignation, they fear he may not fully relinquish power. Analysts say he may try to run for prime minister and install an ally in the presidency so he can continue to wield power. “I cannot...

⁠Kate, the Princess of ⁠Wales, said on Sunday that she had ⁠scaled the three highest peaks in the UK in 24 hours to raise money for a cancer charity, citing it as a personal achievement following her own battle with the disease. Kate, 44, the wife of heir to the throne Prince William, is in remission after ‌undergoing chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer and, while she has returned to royal duties, she has spoken of the toll the illness has taken on her and her family. In a post on her...

Ukraine kept up its heavy drone assault on Russia, setting fire to a major oil refinery in the south, as President Vladimir Putin acknowledged for the first time on Sunday that the country was facing a “certain deficit” of fuel and vowed to strengthen protection of oil facilities and boost fuel output. Ukraine has markedly stepped up its long-range attacks on Russian military industries and energy facilities in recent months, aiming to cut Moscow’s revenue for its invasion – now in its fifth...

Turkish police on Sunday detained at least 50 people, including a journalist, during a Gay Pride event in Istanbul that went ahead despite a ban by local authorities and the lockdown of the city’s main gathering point, organisers said. Police stepped up security around Istanbul’s famed Taksim Square, erecting iron barriers, while local officials banned demonstrations in key rallying areas, including the Asian-side district of Kadikoy. The governor’s office also restricted subway transport in...

Car bombs and gun attacks killed five members of Israel’s Arab minority Sunday, the latest violence to hit a community that has already recorded dozens of deaths this year. Criminal violence has escalated among Israel’s Arab minority in recent years, where gangs extort residents and business owners for protection and frequently kill those who fail to pay. In Jaffa, part of the Tel Aviv municipal area, a car bomb killed a man in his 40s, police and emergency services said, while Israeli news...

A skydiving plane crashed on Sunday in northeastern France, killing all 11 people on board – among them a group of nurses – local authorities said, the country’s deadliest ever general aviation accident. The crash in the town of Tomblaine killed five instructors, five students and the pilot, said Yves Seguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department. The students were nurses, according to the head of Meurthe-et-Moselle’s nursing council, Thierry Pechey. “They were colleagues who had...

Generals losing a war examine the enemy, battlefield and their own forces. Brussels prefers a different sequence, ordering new weapons first and worrying about the diagnosis later. That instinct was on display at the recent European Council meeting. Faced with a trade deficit it cannot close and dependencies it cannot shake, the European Union agreed on a new label: “global macroeconomic imbalances”. To solve them, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was reportedly directed to...

A British man has been arrested in Ecuador after the body of a woman was found inside a suitcase despite him telling The Sun newspaper that he was watching England at the time. Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith is alleged to have caused the death of 36-year-old Natalia Villalba in a flat in the Chico neighbourhood of Bogota, Colombia, on June 18, local authorities said. But the 46-year-old from Bournemouth reportedly rang The Sun a day before his arrest and said: “I was watching England vs Croatia on...

A helicopter crash in Saudi Arabia killed 14 Saudi citizens on Sunday, the kingdom’s official press agency reported, adding that the aircraft belonged to state oil giant Aramco. The Saudi Press Agency, citing an official at the energy ministry, reported the helicopter crashed in Ras Tanura in the country’s east. “The accident claimed the lives of all 14 passengers, all Saudi citizens,” the agency said, adding that an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the crash. Aramco says it...

France has ⁠recorded 1,000 excess deaths ⁠during the blistering ⁠heatwave sweeping Europe, the public health agency said on Sunday, warning that the true figure was likely to be higher. Detailing its preliminary count of excess ‌deaths, Sante Publique said most of the fatalities involved older people and that it expected the mortality rate to rise as more information became available about deaths in residential care and homes. Europeans have been enduring blistering ⁠conditions during a heatwave...

On June 4, at a packing facility in Limuru near Nairobi, Kenya, avocados were being prepared for the Chinese market. The scene may seem mundane, but the politics behind it is significant. China has removed tariffs on imports from 53 African countries. African exporters are beginning to think about Beijing less as a distant buyer than as a market that could reshape their margins. When the UN projected 4 per cent gross domestic product growth for Africa for 2026, the figure landed quietly. No...

Iran and the US continued their attacks in the Gulf as each accused the other of violating an interim deal signed less than two weeks ago to end their four-month-old war. Shortly after President Donald Trump warned the US might “militarily complete the job”, Iran early on Sunday launched missiles and drones on US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, continuing a series of escalating attacks. Beyond the Gulf, Israel said it had struck Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon as...

A recent apology by the Dutch prime minister to the Netherlands’ Malukan community for systemic mistreatment by the state has met with mixed responses; some welcomed the remorse while others demanded concrete action over symbolic words. On June 21, Rob Jetten formally apologised to members of the 75,000-strong Malukan community for the state’s mistreatment of the first generation of Malukans who arrived in Europe 75 years ago from the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, historically known as the Spice...

Hong Kong cannot be faulted for not working hard enough to catch up in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race. Government funding is flowing generously towards projects focused on AI adoption. In recent years, the government has pumped billions into building the necessary infrastructure, including HK$2.84 billion (US$364 million) for a semiconductor centre, HK$3 billion for an AI subsidy scheme and another HK$1 billion allocated for an advanced AI R&D institute. In March, the government...

Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday that he would resign his post within weeks, paving the way for early elections following youth-led protests that shook his tight grip on power. Vucic did not specify exactly when he would resign or when an election, either for parliament or for a new president, could be held. He has said in the past that he could leave the post amid speculation that he would try to switch to the formally more powerful position of prime minister of the...

A man with the same name and party affiliation as Alaska Republican US Senator Dan Sullivan is eligible to challenge the senator in the August primary, a judge ruled on Friday. Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews’ ruling overturns a June 15 decision by Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher to disqualify the challenger and keep him off the primary ballot. Matthews’ ruling can be appealed to the state Supreme Court. Lawyers for the state have said Tuesday is the deadline for a final ruling...

An 11-year-old boy was rescued from the rubble more than three days after twin earthquakes struck Venezuela, as rescuers on Saturday raced to find survivors and the death toll reached 1,430. Tens of thousands of people were reported missing as collapsed buildings dotted cities in a country already enduring an economic crisis and political upheaval after US special forces captured authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro in January. Millions of people were also feared to lack sanitation and other...

More than 100 Catholic bishops, nuns, priests and parishioners joined a procession across ⁠the US-Mexico border on Friday evening, urging the US government to treat migrants with dignity and respect. The procession, from Nogales, Arizona, to its sister city in the Mexican state of Sonora, was planned to coincide with commemorations of America’s 250th anniversary. “We want to be well together. This is what the Church is all about,” Bishop of Tucson, Arizona, James Misko said as he celebrated mass...

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that ‌the American military struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar ⁠sites for violating a US-Iran ‌ceasefire agreement. “There may come a point ‌when we are no ⁠longer ⁠able to be reasonable, ‌and will be forced to ‌militarily complete ‌the job that we ‌very successfully started,” ⁠Trump wrote on social media. “If that happens, the Islamic Republic ‌of Iran ‌will no longer exist.” The president’s remarks came soon after US...

As France sweltered under one of the worst ⁠heatwaves ever recorded this ⁠week, city dwellers scrambled for any ⁠escape they could find, with many checking into hotels to benefit from air conditioning and access to pools. Temperatures in Paris hit a June record of 40.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, a day after France recorded its hottest day since records ‌began nearly 80 years ago. But few private flats in the country have air conditioning, particularly those in the densely populated capital....

Nowadays, prime ministers and even presidents cower before the mighty bond markets. These have the ability – in democracies, at least – to have leaders ejected from office via the ballot box, as even US President Donald Trump appears to acknowledge. However, it is not enough to simply offer dismissive gestures towards the bond markets, as some political leaders have discovered to their cost. It is much more important to ask why it is that bond markets have become so powerful. It is refreshing in...

The situation has grown more desperate by the hour in Venezuela as people dig through the rubble of collapsed homes and flat blocks three days after the devastating one-two punch of 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes, knowing time is running out to find survivors. Authorities announced on Friday night that they would block access to La Guaira, the epicentre of the destruction, as chaos and traffic began to hamper search efforts. Officials said anyone who wanted to enter would now have to seek...

Three months of war with the United States and Israel may not have broken Iran’s resistance, but its economy has been brought to its knees. Forty days of American and Israeli bombing in March and early April – targeting energy grids, steel mills, petrochemical plants, ports and transport corridors – were followed by a two-month US naval blockade that sealed off much of what remained. The damage bill has reached an estimated US$270 billion against a gross domestic product of US$371 billion in...

The US government has allowed Anthropic to release its powerful Claude Mythos 5 artificial intelligence model to some “trusted” US organisations, partially reversing an order two weeks ago to suspend access over national security risks. More than 100 companies and institutions will now have access to Mythos 5, including many Fortune 500 companies, according to a source familiar with the new directive, declining to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. Concern that powerful AI...

President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled a rendering of a new limited-edition US passport to mark the country’s 250th anniversary of independence, featuring his stern-faced likeness. “The U.S.A.’s New Passport, which says, ‘Welcome, but be good!’” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform featuring the passport mock-up. The image features a glowering Trump leaning on his desk and his signature, with the text of the Declaration of Independence in the background. It appears to be based on...

The Texas Board of Education on ⁠Friday approved mandated reading ⁠lists for children in public schools that include passages from the Bible – the latest effort by leaders there to infuse the education system with conservative and religious ideals. The Republican-dominated board, in a 9-5 vote with ‌one member absent and not voting, approved the reading lists for more than 5 million public school students beginning in 2030. Texas had already mandated that the Bible’s Ten Commandments be...

My four-year-old son has become fascinated with his new friend, who has endless patience and an answer for everything. She is an artificial intelligence assistant on Doubao, one of China’s most popular AI applications. My son, obsessed with space, black holes and galaxies, keeps asking Doubao for related videos. When the video is of low quality or inaccurate, I would stop it and explain it may not be reliable. Despite my concerns about AI-generated information, I let him interact with AI within...

Burkina Faso’s ruling junta on Friday severed diplomatic ties with former colonial ruler France, accusing Paris of persistently acting against its interests. The military regime led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, in power since a coup in September 2022, is pursuing a policy repressive towards critical voices and hostile to Westerners, particularly France. “The government of Burkina Faso hereby informs the national and international community that it has decided to sever diplomatic relations with...

Billionaire investor Leon Black said on Friday that Jeffrey Epstein deceived him during a years-long relationship in which he paid the disgraced financier US$158 million, but insisted he committed no criminal wrongdoing as he appeared before the House Oversight Committee. Black is the 16th person to appear before the committee as part of their broader investigation into the web of wealth and influence around Epstein. Before entering the closed-door deposition, congressman James Comer, the House...

US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a 100 per cent tax on imports from any country that imposed a tax on digital services from American companies. In a post on social media, Trump took aim at European countries that he said were discussing “imminent” implementation of taxes on US companies. The president has repeatedly sought to use tariffs as a way to deter such taxes, but many countries are looking for revenues as their economies increasingly operate in digital realms that are...

The US struck Iran on Friday in response to a drone attack a day earlier on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, a provocation President Donald Trump said violated the ceasefire between the two countries. US Central Command said the military struck missile and drone sites, as well as coastal radar locations in Iran, shortly after Trump hinted at retaliation when asked whether Tehran would face consequences. “We’ll find out,” Trump told reporters. Asked whether he still considered the ceasefire...

A German court on Friday jailed for life a Saudi psychiatrist who killed six people and wounded more than 300 when he drove a rented SUV through a crowded Christmas market in 2024. Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen, 51 – an anti-Islam activist and adherent to right-wing conspiracy theories – listened to the verdict from inside a bulletproof glass box, his hands shackled. He was convicted of six counts of murder and 338 counts of attempted murder by the court in the eastern city of Magdeburg. Judges...

Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to illegally retaining classified information, sealing a deal with federal prosecutors that could allow him to avoid a prison term. Bolton, who became an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump after serving in the Republican’s first administration, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 28 by US District Judge Theodore Chuang in Greenbelt, Maryland. Bolton, 77, pleaded guilty to a single count of...

The official death toll from twin earthquakes that flattened parts ‌of Caracas and surrounding areas rose to 920, the authorities said on Friday. The government has estimated hundreds of people still trapped and missing nearly two days after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors struck about 160⁠km (100 miles) west of Caracas. International search and rescue teams from at least 17 countries are being scrambled to Venezuela to help look for survivors of Wednesday’s devastating twin earthquakes, the...

Leaders of the G7 rich nations might have gone into this month’s summit in France hoping for a united front against China. But, overshadowed by the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine and alienated by a mercurial US President Donald Trump, the lacklustre gathering came up short. There was no public agreement on how to address the so-called China shock 2.0, the supposed overcapacity issues and currency manipulation that is considered to be the cause of Chinese exports flooding into Europe. Instead of...

A deadly European heatwave that has saturated hospitals as temperatures soared to record highs was shifting east on Friday, with authorities warning of more misery on a continent not used to stretches of punishing heat. At least 101 million Europeans have roasted for several days in temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius, with an estimated few hundred people, including children, thought to have died as a result, many drowning as they sought respite from the inferno. Scientists said in a study...

Russian air defences intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones in a major nighttime attack on 12 Russian regions as well as the Russia-held Crimean peninsula, the Black Sea and the Azov Sea, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday. The authorities in Crimea on Friday declared an “emergency situation” in a bid to ease the fallout from increasing aerial attacks on the illegally annexed peninsula. “A decision has been made … to sign decrees declaring a regional-level emergency situation in the Republic of...

Who would have imagined that just over 100 days could so change the world? The US-Israeli “war of choice” on Iran has fundamentally – perhaps, permanently – shifted the global balances of economic, military and political power, and not in America’s favour. Mix the direct impact of this gratuitous military conflict with the broader effects on global security, efforts to mitigate climate change, contain soaring public debt and “de-risk” after America’s unilateral efforts to unravel globally agreed...

Former Israeli defence chief Gadi Eisenkot is emerging as the main rival to incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, months ahead of the nation’s parliamentary elections. Eisenkot’s new centrist party, Yashar! (Hebrew for “Straight!”), has rapidly been gaining popularity in opinion polls. It is currently second behind Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud. Israelis must elect a new parliament by October 27 at the latest, although the vote was most likely to be held on October 20. Opinion polls...

The justices will decide this week whether President Trump can end the guarantee of birthright citizenship and fire a leader of the independent Federal Reserve.

A Colombian rescue team worked for six hours to recover the child, Moises, from under nearly 10 feet of rubble in La Guaira. His rescue was captured on video.

Back-to-back quakes in northern Venezuela killed more than 1,400 people and set off an agonizing search for survivors. It was the latest ordeal for a country rocked by economic and political turmoil.

Volunteers in a middle-class neighborhood in Caracas used drills, picks and hammers to break through concrete, trying to find anyone in need of rescue.

Now is a good time to catch up on films you may have missed. Our critics have thoughts.

Overall, ticket sales for the weekend were up 21 percent from last year. But the expensive “Supergirl” debuted as a disappointing second, with an estimated $38 million.

Just weeks into his job as chairman of the Federal Reserve, Kevin M. Warsh has embraced some of the central bank’s conventions while signaling seismic shifts ahead.

As Ukraine brings the war home to Russia, officials hesitate to designate shelters and blast sirens, downplaying the conflict’s consequences with euphemisms.

Experts are intrigued by the theory. Here’s what early research suggests.

The Taliban said that airstrikes left 36 civilians dead, while Pakistan claimed that its assault killed 32 militants, in the latest in a monthslong conflict.

Until recently, the language of morality belonged to social conservatives. But the history of liberalism suggests that values have been at its core all along.

In Celaya, Mexico, local cartels have turned soccer fields into bloody battlefields as they have co-opted a local league for teenagers as their latest business endeavor.

The country does not love its president.

There are virtues in growing up in a pack.

We look into the anti-immigrant movement in South Africa.

Forecasters warned that temperatures could break records in some areas. The heat is expected to last into the Fourth of July holiday weekend.