Minimalist News

The Oil Shock Is Weakening India's Economy and Finances By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com India is scrambling to contain the economic and financial impact of the worst oil supply disruption in history as analysts say the high oil prices would continue to weigh on the Indian currency, economic growth, and public finances as long as supply is choked at the Strait of Hormuz. More than three months after the Iran war began, investment banks, brokerages, rating agencies, and even India’s central bank are lowering economic growth forecasts, while the government intervenes to stop the cash bleed from the balance of

Iran Threatens "Decisive Response" After US Begins 'Self-Defense' Strikes Following Downing Of Apache Helicopter Summary: US begins 'self defense' strikes against Iran Iran threatens retaliation after US retaliatory strikes Trump says 'US must respond' after Iran downed Apache over Strait Trump says Washington and Tehran are in the "final throes" of cementing a deal, "two or three days" Iran shoots down US Apache helicopter over Strait , crew safe Despite Trump calls for Israeli ceasefire, casualties are rising in southern Lebanon So much for the early hopes of an imminent deal... US Begins "Self Defense" Strikes Against Iran, Iran Threatens

Karmelo Anthony Convicted Of Murder In Fatal Stabbing Of Austin Metcalf Summary: Karmelo Anthony was found guilty of murder after a Collin County jury deliberated for less than three hours. Earlier Tuesday, jurors began deliberating after closing arguments in the Karmelo Anthony murder trial. The jury was asked to decide between three possible outcomes : murder, manslaughter, or not guilty. The trial resumed at 9 a.m. local time, with closing arguments expected to conclude by the end of the day.​ ​ ​​​​ Karmelo Anthony Convicted of Murder in Fatal Stabbing of Austin Metcalf Shortly before 3:30 p.m. ET, Judge John

Viral Influencer: How Bill Gates' Billions Shape US Medical Research Authored by Paul D. Thacker via RealClearInvestigations , Bill Gates has long been one of the most admired people in the world, especially since he stepped down from his role running Microsoft to devote himself and much of his fortune to philanthropy. That reputation has been tarnished recently, however, by revelations of the billionaire's close relation with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein , and exposes on his own fraught relationships with women. On the eve of Gates' private testimony with Congress scheduled for tomorrow, a trove of federal whistleblower documents provided

Man Accused In Fatal Charlotte Train Stabbing Ruled Incompetent To Stand Trial Two months after mental health experts deemed Decarlos Brown Jr. incompetent to stand trial for the fatal train stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska last year - when Brown shouted " I got that white girl " - a federal judge has agreed with them. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks alongside photos of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska and Decarlos Brown Jr. during a press briefing at the White House on Sept. 9, 2025. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Brown, 34, will be committed to a

55% Of Democrats Would Prefer Living Outside The US; Survey Finds Authored by Bryan Hyde via American Greatness , A poll conducted last month shows 55 percent of Democrats answering affirmatively when asked "Is there any other country on Earth you would rather live in than the United States today?" Breitbart reports that the Elon University/YouGov America 250 National Survey conducted between April 30 and May 4 asked 1,000 US adults ages 18 and older about their feelings as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th year. Thirty-eight percent of Independents answered yes while only 10 percent of Republicans said

Dan Loeb Reveals DOJ Threat To Trump Over Ross Ulbricht Commutation In Final Hours Of First Term Authored by Juan Galt via Bitcoin Magazine , Hedge fund manager Dan Loeb has publicly claimed that the Department of Justice threatened President Donald Trump in the final hours of Trump's first term in January 2021 , warning it would "go after" him if he commuted the sentence of Ross Ulbricht , creator of the Bitcoin-powered Silk Road marketplace. After the reported threat, Trump withdrew the commutation, forcing Ulbricht to serve four additional years in prison before receiving a full pardon in January

Goldman Details A Quiet Month For Western Nuclear While Russia And China Pick Up Speed May saw multiple significant milestones and announcements in the Western nuclear industry. One of the biggest achievements was in the US last week when microreactor developer Antares brought their pilot design critical for the first time. There were other major wins with Constellation clearing a path to bring their Three Mile Island reactor plant back to the grid years ahead of schedule, new partnerships with data centers and reactor developers including NANO and Supermicro, and Westinghouse owner Cameco stating there are as many as 20

From Classes On Bad Bunny To 'Queering God' Higher-Ed Has Lost Its Way Via The College Fix, Higher education is not what it used to be. Gone are the days when students were required to study the classics. Nowadays it seems like any gibberish can pass for scholarly study. The examples are myriad, write Daniel Buck, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Garion Frankel, incoming editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. “ Oregon State University offers ‘Disney: Gender, Race, and Empire.’ Students at Indiana University can attend the course, ‘Having it All: Postfeminist

AI Agents With Crypto Could Escape And Become 'Unstoppable', Experts Warn Authored by Martin Young via CoinTelegraph.com, Artificial intelligence agents that have autonomous access to crypto wallets could become unstoppable if deployed maliciously or if they escape from sandboxes, experts from a leading academic research consortium warned. “Unstoppable Autonomous Agents” (UAAs) pose a clear threat if they are deployed to persist automatically and have access to digital assets, according to a June 8 industry review written by 25 academics and experts from top US universities for the Initiative for Cryptocurrencies and Contracts (IC3). “When combined systematically, crypto tools can channel

U.S. Fertilizer Prices Erase War Spike, But El Nino Keeps Food Inflation Risk Elevated The good news for US farmers is that urea fertilizer prices have returned to pre-US-Iran conflict levels after spiking from late February through mid-April. This is great news for farmers, though they are not out of the woods, as drought continues to plague some of the nation’s top agricultural belts. Prices for granular urea in New Orleans have slumped 36% since peaking at $710 per short ton in mid-April. Spot prices are currently $453, back to pre-conflict levels. Bloomberg Intelligence analysts noted that a combination of

Hakeem Jeffries Humiliated After Trump Attack Backfires Authored by Matt Margolis via PJMedia.com, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) tried to score points off Donald Trump's appearance at Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals. And, oh boy, did it backfire spectacularly. Monday's press conference gave the House Minority Leader a stage, and he used it to attack Trump’s planned appearance at the game and to question whether Trump was even a true Knicks fan. "I think Knicks fans just want to enjoy Game 3 , the first home [NBA Finals] game that we've had in 27 years," Jeffries

Mediocre 3Y Auction Tails Despite Solid Buyside Demand With markets thrown in turmoil following Trump's threat to restart war against Iran in retaliation for downing a US Apache helicopter, it wasn't clear how today's $58 billion 3 year auction would go. In the end, it wasn't great, or terrible: a little tail, but besides that all metrics were relatively solid. The auction priced at a high yield of 4.192%, up from 3.965% in May and the highest yield since Feb '25. It tailed the When Issued 4.189% by 0.3bps, the 2nd consecutive tail. The bid to cover was 2.645, up

New Clues In Apple's iOS 27 Hints At Upcoming Foldable iPhone Launch Software researcher M1Astra shared with Bloomberg new clues embedded deep within Apple's iOS 27 developer beta that suggest the long-awaited foldable iPhone remains on track for a September debut, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. " Apple's iOS 27 and related software updates offer the clearest public signs yet of the company's upcoming foldable iPhone, revealing references to folding hardware and new features designed for larger, more flexible displays ," Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman wrote on X, refering to M1Astra's findings that show within iOS 27 developer beta,

China's Oil Imports Plummet To Eight-Year Low Confirming our recent reporting on China's oil demand collapse , crude oil imports to China in May fell to their lowest since October 2017 because of the price spike resulting from the Persian Gulf tanker traffic disruption, plunging refinery margins (due to price ceilings imposed by Beijing), of a slowing economy and the rapid slowdown in the economy. The May total stood at 33 million barrels, or 7.8 million barrels daily, Bloomberg reported , citing Chinese customs data. This is roughly a 30% drop vs the average daily import rate of 11.6 million

Professors Behind California's Wealth Tax Threaten Possible Legal Action Against Critic Authored by Jonathan Turley via JonathanTurley.org , There is an interesting controversy brewing in California after four California university professors threatened a political candidate, Richard Lucas, for criticizing them for their roles in the "Billionaire Tax" and sent him a "cease and desist" letter. David Gamage from the University of Missouri, Brian Galle and Emmanuel Saez from UC Berkeley, and Darien Shanske from UC Davis claimed that the public criticism violated anti-doxxing laws by sharing contact information. They are clearly wrong. One of the aggrieved professors, Brian Galle, teaches

Jefferies: "Turns Out, We Weren't Bullish Enough On Copper" " Turns out, we weren't bullish enough on copper ," Jefferies analyst Christopher LaFemina wrote in a note to clients, marking a notable shift from one of Wall Street's most seasoned metal voices. LaFemina joined Jefferies in 2011 after more than a decade covering metals and mining at Lehman Brothers and Barclays, lending weight to his view that the explosive growth in AI data center buildouts, power grid and infrastructure upgrades (a theme he calls "powering up America"), and tight supply are creating structurally higher prices for copper. LaFemina raised his

Trump Insists US In 'Final Throes' Of Iran Deal; Death Toll Soars As Israel Pounds South Lebanon The southern Lebanese city of Tyre is being pounded by Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday, despite President Trump's insistence that Lebanon not come under attack. Israel's military had hours prior issued an evacuation order for all civilians in the area, amid the unraveling and failing ceasefire. Casualties are already high, coming at a tense moment after starting on Sunday Iran sent ballistic missiles against Israel over its renewed airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, where it says Hezbollah command centers are located. The

Voter Fraud: Los Angeles County Woman Pleads Guilty To Paying People In Skid Row To Vote via The Epoch Times , LOS ANGELES - A woman who worked as a longtime signature collector for ballot initiatives pleaded guilty on June 8 to paying homeless people in Los Angeles' Skid Row and elsewhere $2 or $3 to register to vote. An "I Voted" sign points to a Vote Center in Los Angeles on June 1, 2026. Mario Tama/Getty Images Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, 64, of Marina del Rey, also known as "Anika," entered a plea to one count of paying another

Flesh-Eating Cattle Screwworm Spreads Beyond Texas As USDA Accelerates Eradication Push The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed three more New World screwworm (NWS) cases, bringing total detections to five and heightening concerns that the flesh-eating pest, once eradicated in the 1960s, could threaten the nation's already strained cattle industry. The latest NWS cases include three calves and a goat in Texas, along with a small dog in Lea County, New Mexico, marking the first confirmed case in that state, according to the USDA . The dog had not traveled to Mexico or Texas, prompting authorities to investigate the surrounding property

Geoffrey Wall is alleged to have flown over 900 flights domestically and internationally between 2009 and 2025 A former Air Canada pilot has been charged after flying for years without a proper license, Canadian police have said. Geoffrey Wall, of Barrie, Ontario, is alleged to have operated as an airline captain between 2009 and 2025 without a license to fly large commercial passenger planes, according to Peel regional police. Continue reading...

Earthquake was region’s strongest tremor in nearly 150 years and was also felt in parts of Mexico including Cancún An earthquake on Monday off the coast of Cuba , which was that region’s strongest tremor in nearly 150 years, could be felt in Florida and parts of Mexico . The 6.1-magnitude earthquake, which struck in the afternoon, occurred approximately 65 miles (105km) north-west of Mantua, Cuba, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS added that the earthquake had a depth of 16 miles. Continue reading...

Football fans are celebrating the tournament coming to Guadalajara. But with a brutal crime syndicate holding sway there, what are the risks for fans – and the government? Excitement is mounting in Mexico as the World Cup opens in Mexico City, then heads to the city of Guadalajara. Mexican journalist Leon Krauze is a fan. He was there the last time the World Cup came to Mexico and will be watching again. The city of Guadalajara has a mythical footballing past: “Pele’s Brazil played there in 1970, then Zico and Socrates played there in 1986. There is a real football

Plane on way to pick up Yadier Molina and his family crashed in Dominican Republic, killing pilot and co-pilot A pilot and co-pilot from the United States have died in a fiery plane crash as they attempted an emergency landing in the Dominican Republic , authorities said. Former major league baseball all-star catcher Yadier Molina said on social media that the plane was bound for Texas to pick him up, along with family and friends. Continue reading...

Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of 1990s leader Alberto, is vying with a congressman to become country’s ninth president in a decade Peruvians go to the polls on Sunday in an election runoff that pits a perennial rightwing candidate, Keiko Fujimori, against a leftist congressman, Roberto Sánchez. Amid rising crime, chronic political instability, corruption scandals and voter apathy, they are vying to become Peru’s ninth president in a decade. Fujimori, who is the daughter of the late president Alberto Fujimori, won 17% of the vote in the first round in April . Sánchez, a former trade and tourism minister, took 12

People told not to enter damaged buildings for fear of aftershocks from magnitude-7.8 quake At least 37 people have died and hundreds have been injured after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook part of the southern Philippines early on Monday, collapsing buildings and triggering tsunami alerts. The quake hit early in the morning about 20km (12.4 miles) off the coast of Sarangani province, with tremors felt strongly across Mindanao and 420km away in the city of Manado on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Continue reading...

Kim Jong-un welcomes Chinese leader on visit to renew relations strained amid Pyongyang’s closeness with Russia Xi Jinping has arrived in North Korea for a two-day trip, his first in nearly seven years, as China’s leader looks to revitalise ties with his junior ally. Footage published by China’s Xinhua state news agency showed an Air China plane carrying Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, touching down at Pyongyang’s Sunan international airport. Continue reading...

India declares onset as up to 280mm of rain falls in 72 hours in Kerala, while downpours hit south-west Thailand The monsoon season has officially begun in parts of Asia, marking the start of a period of enhanced rainfall vital to the region’s economy. The south-west monsoon begins each year as a consequence of a growing temperature difference between the Asian land mass and the Indian Ocean. Through spring, the land heats up more rapidly than the surrounding sea, creating a pressure difference that draws moisture-laden ocean air inland. Once this contrast reaches a critical point, the humid air pushed

Police and hunters in Utsunomiya, 100km north of the capital, resume their search for animal that is not usually seen so close to Tokyo A city in Japan has closed all its 94 primary and secondary schools after a bear was spotted in the municipality for the first time. Officials in Utsunomiya, a city of half a million people about 100km (62 miles) north of Tokyo, took action after a medium-sized black bear – estimated to be about one-metre-long – was seen near a park in the city on Saturday. The bear was spotted again on CCTV running just in

Exclusive: Dr David Wilson says former British police officer approached him as part of efforts to influence his work The author of a Home Office-sponsored report on the Chinese state and organised crime in the UK was the target of failed honey traps and a suspected attempt to compromise him by a former British police officer, it is claimed. Dr David Wilson, whose groundbreaking analysis was declassified in February, has told of multiple attempts to influence him or discredit his work as he sought to examine the policing challenges posed by the Chinese Communist party (CCP) and criminal gangs. Continue

Penny Wong issues statement overnight announcing joint action with western allies to combat ‘horrific levels of settler violence against Palestinian civilians’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Albanese says Australia still impacted by Middle East conflict ‘each and every day’ The prime minister, Anthony Albanese , is now on the ABC News Breakfast couch. He said Australia remains concerned about the economic impact of the turmoil in the Middle East. Our job now is to demonstrate that we are a genuine and credible alternative to this terrible Labor government. He’s a great supporter of

Federal environment department says Black Mountain Energy has provided insufficient data as it seeks to drill 20 gas wells in the Kimberley region Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The federal government has repeatedly raised concerns about an American company’s bid to frack for gas in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, part of the world’s largest and most intact tropical savanna. Texas-based Black Mountain Energy, through its subsidiary Bennett Resources, is seeking federal approval to drill 20 gas wells for its Valhalla project west of Fitzroy

‘Gender norms explain some of it, but not all of it’ says Tiya Banerjee, an economist at the e61 Institute Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast In about a week’s time, the Socceroos will step up against Turkey, their first opponents in this year’s World Cup. Winning their first match will be a big ask; progressing beyond the first round will be a bigger one. Continue reading...

Researchers believe the same pair of birds has been mating and nesting in the unusual spot in the Daintree Rainforest for 15 consecutive years Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast It started by chance – but it should have come as no surprise that two ospreys would pick a hi-tech research facility to make their home. James Cook University’s 47-metre tall crane towers over the far-north Queensland rainforest canopy, making it the perfect nesting place for the seabird. Continue reading...

This blog is closed Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast ‘If Australian datacentres are going to power the AI revolution, we deserve a fair return’ – David Pocock Independent senator David Pocock has published an opinion piece about the growth of AI datacentres in Australia and how the gold rush should benefit Australians. He writes: Huge investment in this space is pouring into Australia. In the past year, Microsoft has announced $25bn will go into Australian datacentres and Amazon Web Services has committed another $20bn. The prime minister has posed for photos with the

The death of the 11-year-old, named only as Lyhanna, has pushed the issue of male violence against girls to the top of the agenda A lawyer for the family of an 11-year-old girl whose disappearance and murder sparked protests across France has called for more funding for the struggling justice system, amid a political row over the French state’s failure to tackle sexual violence against children. “Frankly, if the justice system had more resources, this tragedy and all the others wouldn’t have happened,” said the family’s lawyer, François Roujou de Boubée, on Tuesday. “The victim’s family and I trust in

Luca Parmitano to pilot all-male crew of four paving way for planned first human landing on Artemis IV in 2028 Jared Isaacman, the Nasa administrator, hailed the creation of “Earth’s first starfleet” on Tuesday as he revealed the Artemis III crew and details of the next stages of the space agency’s project to return humans to the moon. An Italian astronaut, Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency (ESA), will be the pilot of the planned two-week mission to lower Earth orbit next year that will test lunar landers from private companies Blue Origin and SpaceX . Continue reading...

Pontiff appeals in Catalan for harmony on Barcelona leg of Spain tour after making football foes in city To the delight of many, Pope Leo XIV kicked off the Barcelona leg of his week-long visit to Spain with a few words in Catalan, calling on the faithful who had gathered in the city’s cathedral on Tuesday “to build harmony and communion beyond all polarisation”. The pontiff’s familiar and commendable plea for people to set aside their differences may, however, have come a little late. Three days earlier, while chatting to journalists on the flight to Spain, Leo had made an

Banks, crypto firms and Kremlin oil reserves also targeted in 21st set of measures since full-scale invasion of Ukraine The EU hopes to ban Russian soldiers from entering its territory as part of further sanctions against Moscow that also target banks, crypto firms and the Kremlin’s oil revenues. Announcing the proposals on Tuesday, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “We propose for the first time to ban from entry into the European Union anyone who has served in the Russian armed forces since the beginning of the war. So Europe stays off limit for anyone who has

Gabriel Raimondo put his A-levels on hold to run in Channel Islands and ‘represent the younger voice’ Most politicians who win an election in Jersey are probably satisfied with a pat on the back from their supporters and a mention in the local newspapers. But after becoming one of the youngest politicians in the world, Gabriel Raimondo received a message of congratulations from Donald Trump. Continue reading...

US president blames Tehran for loss of Apache gunship, whose crew were rescued by a drone near strait of Hormuz Middle East crisis – live updates The US has launched “self-defence strikes” against Iran after Donald Trump blamed Tehran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz, imperilling a shaky ceasefire that was announced by the two countries in April. US Central Command said Trump had directed the military to launch strikes beginning at 10pm UK time on Tuesday in response to the downing of the Apache helicopter gunship off the coast of Oman earlier. US media,

People flee historic district of ancient city after airstrikes hit residential areas and damage archaeological sites Middle East crisis – live updates Israel has bombed the city of Tyre, killing eight and injuring at least 32 people, and struck dozens of other villages in south Lebanon as it issued forced evacuation orders for the historic Christian quarter of the ancient city for the first time. Israel struck the al-Masaken neighbourhood without warning on Tuesday morning, sending smoke plumes high above the city’s buildings and igniting fires. Further airstrikes were carried out across the city and a series of bombings hit

Dr Hussam Abu Safiya now in cell barely big enough to sit in, says son, after UN experts demanded his release in March The son of a prominent Palestinian doctor who was detained by Israeli forces in Gaza in late 2024 and held for more than 500 days without formal charges has spoken of his deep concern for his father’s wellbeing after he was transferred without explanation to solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison. Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, was detained at work on 27 December 2024. Physicians for Human Rights Israel

This live blog is now closed. For the latest, read more of our coverage on the Middle East conflict here . Iranian media is reporting that there were no immediate casualties following apparent Israeli strikes on the Karun petrochemical plant in Mahshahr, a city in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province. According to the Fars news agency, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they responded to what they described as an American-Israeli strike on the Iranian petrochemical site by launching a missile attack on a similar plant in the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Continue reading...

Netanyahu acknowledges pause in fighting in TV speech but vows forceful response to future attacks Fears of a return to a full-scale regional war in the Middle East eased on Monday as Israel and Iran said they had halted attacks on each other after an appeal from Donald Trump to “immediately stop shooting”. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, acknowledged the halt in fighting with Iran in a televised speech, but vowed to respond “with force” to future attacks. Continue reading...

Cockroach Janta party began as online joke but is growing into one of the most unexpected challenges to country’s rightwing government The call out to the youth of India was simple: “Get ready to swarm the streets of Delhi with peaceful and loving dissent.” They came in their thousands. The weekend marked the first public protest of the Cockroach Janta party (CJP), a movement that began as an online joke, but which has swiftly grown into one of the most unexpected challenges to the indomitable power of the country’s rightwing Narendra Modi government – driven by millions of discontented and

Climbing support team rescue Hillary Dawa Sherpa almost a week on from when he was last seen A Nepali guide who was believed to have died on Mount Everest has been found crawling to base camp a week after going missing – and after his funeral rites had begun. Dawa Sherpa, also known as Hillary Dawa Sherpa after the famous climber Edmund Hillary, was last seen on 29 May but did not reach base camp with other climbing groups. Continue reading...

ICC’s decision comes amid growing concerns the team is being influenced by members of a notorious gang in India Cricket’s international governing body has suspended Canada over what it described as “serious breaches of its membership obligations”, dealing the latest blow to an organization that critics say has become a “laughing stock” within the sport. The suspension also comes amid growing concerns that one of Canada’s fastest-growing sports is being influenced by members of a notorious gang that operates with impunity from an Indian prison cell . Continue reading...

Truck was carrying Afghan families returning Pakistan when it overturned, official says A truck overturned in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing 18 people on board including 10 children, a provincial official told Agence France-Presse. Deadly traffic crashes are common in Afghanistan, due in part to poor roads after decades of conflict, dangerous driving and a lack of regulation. Continue reading...

New digital marking system is aimed at reducing human errors but many students say it has resulted in wrong grades A national outcry has erupted in India after more than 400,000 students requested copies of their answer sheets amid mounting complaints of errors in the marking of the country’s most important school-leaving examinations. Within days of the grade 12 exam results being issued, students began reporting marking discrepancies they linked to a new digital marking system. Continue reading...

Crowds gather at sites across Belfast after Sudanese man charged with attempted murder Full report: Man seriously injured in Belfast stabbing Starmer describes as ‘sickening’ Badenoch said, after the murder of Stephen Lawrence, it was right that people wanted to ensure this did not happen again. It led to the Macpherson report, she said. [It] wanted to put right what went wrong with policing in the 1990s. However, in attempting to do so, it also enshrined a principle which I believe is wrong that a racist incident is racist if it is perceived as racist by the victim or any

Chair of prisons and detention watchdog concerned about intimidating effect as wide-ranging and damning review published Grim reality of prison conditions laid bare in damning report Staff at an immigration detention centre wore England flags pinned to their uniforms while guarding migrants, a report from the prisons and detention watchdog has revealed. Their use by staff at one of the Home Office’s short-term holding facilities to detain migrants is revealed in the Independent Monitoring Boards’ national annual report, published on Wednesday, which is based on 127 annual reports about different prisons, young offender institutions and immigration detention centres. Continue reading...

Inmates in England and Wales live among vermin while gangs control entire wings, monitors warn, with failures ‘at risk of becoming normalised’ Staff at immigration detention centre wore England flags, report finds The independent monitoring board’s annual report of conditions across the prison estate of England and Wales is stark and unflinching. Men and women are held for long periods in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, often living alongside vermin. Continue reading...

Justice secretary’s plans likely to increase black people’s suspicion of court system, committee suggests David Lammy’s planned changes to the criminal courts in England and Wales could have a “far-reaching” impact on race relations, a cross-party committee of MPs has concluded. The deputy prime minister’s plan to remove the right to elect for a crown court trial “has the potential to increase mistrust in the criminal justice system among the black community”, the justice select committee said, because black defendants are more likely to elect for trial. Continue reading...

Targeted vaccination and improved testing planned as part of drive to eradicate disease by 2038 Cattle will be vaccinated against tuberculosis from 2030 as a “gamechanging” part of a new strategy to drive eradication of the disease in England by 2038. In parallel, the last badger culls are expected to end by 2029, with vaccination of badgers expanded. More than 20,000 infected cattle are slaughtered each year, costing taxpayers £100m and inflicting a heavy toll on affected farmers’ livelihoods and mental health. Mass culling of badgers began in 2013 and has killed about 250,000 animals, at a cost of about

Former UK political operative endorsed by Trump will face off against Democrat Xavier Becerra in November election Republican Steve Hilton, the former UK political operative turned Fox News personality, has advanced to the November general election in the race to become California ’s next governor, facing off against Democrat Xavier Becerra , a former congressman, state attorney general and US health secretary. Hilton’s success, a remarkable achievement for a recent immigrant, came after he was endorsed by Donald Trump . Continue reading...

President backs Pulte for acting DNI chief despite backlash that puts reauthorization of key surveillance law at risk Donald Trump met with the House speaker, Mike Johnson , at the White House on Tuesday as pressure mounts on the president to nominate a permanent director of national intelligence, the step some Republicans now believe is the only way to save a controversial and powerful surveillance law before it expires by the end of the week. At stake is section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a post-9/11 authority that allows US intelligence agencies to collect the communications of foreign

The ex-reality TV star, who lost his home in the Pacific Palisades fire, cast himself as the antidote to the city’s woes Spencer Pratt, an ex-reality TV star, cast himself as the antidote to Los Angeles’s woes as he campaigned to be the city’s next mayor. He curried favor with swaths of disillusioned voters who related to his diatribes against city leadership. His fervent social media posts, including re-shares of AI-generated campaign ads showing LA in an apocalyptic light, garnered national attention. Continue reading...

Vice-president says deal could ‘absolutely’ come before midterms, as US strikes Iran after downing of helicopter Middle East crisis – live updates The US-Israel war on Iran could conclude in a week or a few months, Vice-president JD Vance said in an interview, hours before US forces launched retaliatory strikes against Iran, in response to the downing of the Apache helicopter near the strait of Hormuz a day earlier. In a new interview with CBS, taped early Tuesday and set to air later this week, Vance claimed the US was “very close to achieving” a peace deal with Iran, adding

Emily C Marks finds method proposed to kill Jeffery Lee violates ban on cruel and unusual punishment A federal judge on Tuesday permanently blocked Alabama from executing a man with nitrogen gas after declaring the method violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Alabama became the first state in the nation to use the controversial execution method in January 2024 but has faced repeated legal challenges to its use. US district judge Emily C Marks permanently enjoined the state from executing Jeffery Lee by nitrogen gas. Lee was scheduled to be executed Thursday at an Alabama prison. Continue reading...

Nasa on Tuesday revealed the crew for its Artemis III mission, the next step in the space agency’s plan to eventually land astronauts on the moon. The announcement came two months after Artemis II’s record-breaking trip around the moon, which surpassed the distance record of Apollo 13. Nasa’s Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas and the European Space Agency’s Luca Parmitano won’t fly to the moon or land on the surface. Instead, they will orbit Earth while practising docking their Orion...

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office called for calm on Tuesday after police said they arrested a Sudanese suspect over a stabbing in residential Belfast in Northern Ireland that drew national attention because of graphic videos of the attack online. Police said the victim was taken to the hospital with serious wounds to his face, neck and back late on Monday. They said the suspect, who is in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remained in police custody. A kitchen...

From Sunderland to Spain, Chinese manufacturers are revitalising idle factories and investing where traditional European carmakers are pulling back. Chinese carmakers are rapidly transforming from export-oriented manufacturers into embedded participants in Europe’s automotive industrial base, a shift increasingly visible across both continental Europe and Britain. What began as a strategy focused on exporting low-cost electric vehicles (EVs) has evolved into a broader industrial expansion...

Tighter US sanctions on Cuba have led to a spike in infant mortality and plummeting survival rates for child cancer patients, the UN warned in one of its strongest rebukes of Washington’s pressure campaign against the island. US President Donald Trump’s push to force change in Cuba by cutting off almost all fuel shipments to the government is depriving the nation of 10 million people of access to water, food and healthcare, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Monday in a...

Palestinian civilians are caught between “mass atrocities” of Israeli forces, settlers and Hamas’ brutal rule, a UN-mandated inquiry said on Tuesday. Civilians across war-ravaged Gaza and the occupied West Bank are being “systematically and deliberately” subjected to severe rights violations, the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry said. The investigative team, which last year concluded that Israel had committed “genocide” in the war in Gaza, highlighted in a new report that...

Scepticism is rife about US President Donald Trump’s claims to have reprimanded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu over recent military escalations with Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran despite ceasefires negotiated by Washington. While Netanyahu’s apparent defiance is widely seen as an embarrassment to Trump, analysts say the mercurial US leader has done little more than wag his finger at his ally. In his latest interview with Israeli journalist Barak Ravid for US website Axios on...

A summit between Russia and Asean next week promises to ease Southeast Asia’s energy crisis and Moscow’s diplomatic isolation – but not all of the bloc’s leaders are expected to show up. Analysts are also divided on whether Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, the current Asean chair, will travel to Kazan for the meeting, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 17–18. The summit marks the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations...

Beyond the diplomatic choreography of last month’s Xi-Trump summit, what are the structural implications of a less confrontational US-China relationship for the Asia-Pacific? The subsequent visits by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to India and US Secretary of Defence Peter Hegseth to Singapore in late May shed some light on the question. Both Rubio and Hegseth had accompanied Trump to Beijing. Perhaps most telling was the switch in the usage of a geographic term by the US administration. In...

Israel’s latest strikes on Lebanon and Iran have made clear that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who started the war in lockstep, want different things. Trump had publicly warned Israel not to strike Beirut in its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. When it did, on Sunday, Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at Israel for the first time since the April ceasefire. Israel then struck Iran, with which Trump has been engaged in weeks of...

A US Army Apache attack helicopter crashed on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, but President Donald Trump said the two crew members aboard were not injured in the incident near the strategic waterway that Iran has effectively closed during the war. What caused the crash remains unclear in a Middle East still reeling after Iran and Israel exchanged fire the previous day in the biggest blow yet to the straining ceasefire in the Iran war. Iranian state television reported on Tuesday the Israeli...

US President Donald Trump was booed loudly by fans inside Madison Square Garden when he was shown on video screens during the national anthem prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Trump was shown for several seconds giving a military salute. The boos ended when the US flag followed him on the screens, and fans cheered when New York Knicks players were shown. Mentions of the San Antonio Spurs also elicited loud boos. Trump was watching from Knicks owner James Dolan’s suite, along...

A historically strong earthquake ⁠struck off Cuba’s northwest ⁠coast on Monday, according to official ⁠reports, shaking parts of Cuba, Mexico and Florida that are typically not prone to quakes. The US Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake at a magnitude 6.1 at a shallow depth of 26km (16 miles) and its epicentre 104km ‌west-northwest of Mantua, Cuba, about two to four hours by car from the capital Havana. Monday’s earthquake was unusual for this area of the Caribbean, said Paul Earle, a...

The International Criminal Court’s ‌chief prosecutor Karim Khan has been suspended pending a vote by member states on his fate, the court’s governing body said on Monday, following a probe into accusations of sexual harassment made against him. A diplomatic source briefed on the decision told Reuters the court’s governing body’s executive bureau has ruled Khan had committed serious misconduct following an 18-month-long probe into accusations that the prosecutor had non-consensual sexual...

A new US$4.7 billion bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is on track to open in the coming ‌weeks, a bridge authority said on Monday, despite a threat by US President Donald Trump in February to block its opening. A formal ribbon-cutting is expected later this week, a source told Reuters. Detroit media outlets reported on Monday the Gordie Howe International Bridge is expected to open to traffic on June 15. Trump in February cited Canada’s refusal to stock some US alcoholic beverages...

US President Donald Trump has nominated Todd Blanche, acting US attorney general, to fill the position on a permanent basis, rewarding a loyal ally whose controversial actions ensure an uphill Senate confirmation fight. The White House announced on Monday it had sent Blanche’s nomination to the Senate, a move Trump telegraphed last week during remarks at a private event in the Rose Garden. Blanche formerly served as one of Trump’s personal lawyers before the president picked him for the No 2...

A Norway court on Monday ordered the release of ailing Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son Marius Borg Hoiby, who faces a multitude of charges including rape and abuse, citing her health crisis. Prosecutors quickly appealed the decision, so Hoiby will remain in custody until the appeal is processed. The 29-year-old, Mette-Marit’s son from a relationship before her 2001 marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, was on trial from February 3 to March 19. He faces 40 criminal charges, including the rape of four...

Israel and Iran warned that they each stood ready to launch retaliatory attacks if provoked, even as both nations appeared to back away from further strikes on Monday, hours after trading fire for the first time since the US agreed to a ceasefire with Tehran two months ago. The renewed hostilities raised concerns that the Middle East could plunge back into a full-scale war. Since the US and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, the war has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices...

The United States has placed travel bans on more than 100 Nicaraguan officials and their family members as part of a broader campaign to punish the current government for human rights abuses. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Monday that the new sanctions were imposed in part because of the death last month of an imprisoned activist, Brooklyn Rivera, who criticised the policies of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife and co-president Rosario Murillo. “The United...

A federal ⁠judge on Monday ⁠struck down a US$100,000 fee that ⁠US President Donald Trump imposed on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers, concluding that it constituted an unlawful tax that Congress never authorised. US District Judge Leo Sorokin ‌in Boston issued the ruling in a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic state attorneys general challenging a fee Trump announced in September that dramatically raised the cost of obtaining H-1B visas, which tech companies in particular rely...

Kenya’s former chief justice David Maraga said he was arrested Monday alongside other activists protesting planned construction inside Nairobi National Park. Police fired tear gas canisters at the protesters who were marching outside the park while carrying banners with messages denouncing land grabs. Maraga was detained and later released while staging a sit-in on a major road outside the national park’s main gate. He was wearing a green T-shirt similar to those worn by other activists. The...

US President Donald Trump told the US Supreme Court he intends to ask the justices to revive his US$475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN over use of the term “Big Lie” in reporting on his claim that the 2020 election was rigged against him. Trump’s lawyers asked the Supreme Court for a 60-day extension to August 15 to file his petition for review of the lower court’s dismissal of the case, according to a request that was formally docketed by the justices on Friday. The filing, the first...

Hungarian lawmakers unanimously voted to slash their incomes and allowances on Monday, as Prime Minister Peter Magyar sought to reduce administrative costs. Critics had previously accused Magyar’s predecessor, nationalist premier Viktor Orban, of providing high salaries in an attempt to placate opposition deputies. Magyar, whose party filled with political newcomers won the April 12 elections by a landslide, was among those highly critical of the practice. All 189 representatives present in the...

Residents of Tehran awoke on Monday anxious and drained by the prospect of full-scale war resuming, following tit-for-tat strikes between arch-foes Iran and Israel that marked the greatest threat to the fragile ceasefire thus far. “We don’t know if there will be a war, nor if a peace deal will last,” said Maryam, a 41-year-old accountant in Tehran’s central Valiasr Square. She described a pervasive “sense of uncertainty and confusion” after Israeli strikes on Tehran on Sunday, which came in...

Apple and Google have been given a three-month ultimatum to make it impossible for children to take, share or view nude images on their smartphones, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday. The government wants firms to activate built-in features on their devices or come up with technological solutions on phones and tablets to detect and block such content. It means all adults will need to verify their age if they want to take or view nude images. Firms must implement changes or face...

Afghan residents in the western city of Herat have told of witnessing multiple women detained by the Taliban government’s morality police, in a crackdown over clothing which has drawn criticism from the United Nations. The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said Sunday it was “concerned over multiple arrests and detentions of women in Herat, Afghanistan, for alleged non-compliance with dress requirements”. Taliban authorities rule according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law, and have...

As part of its decades-old “multi-vector” foreign policy, based on balancing relations between major powers such as China, Russia, the United States and the European Union, Kazakhstan – Central Asia’s largest country – is now actively diversifying its economic and financial policies. While in the past, Astana sought to strengthen cooperation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the leading international financial hub in the Middle East, today, Hong Kong seems to be becoming a key partner for...

The head of the World Health Organization on Monday visited Uganda, where a deadly Ebola outbreak has killed two people after spreading from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The WHO has declared an international health emergency over the current outbreak, which was announced on May 15 in the northeastern DRC. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently also visited the DRC, which has seen 515 confirmed Ebola infections, including 91 deaths, according to the UN...

“When we graduate, what can we do?” As a philosophy professor, questions like this – about employability – often crop up in my conversations with students. Indeed, with youth unemployment on the Chinese mainland standing at almost 17 per cent, and intense competition among those seeking employment, it is no wonder that the priority for many – even students graduating from elite universities – is actually securing a job. The proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) has only compounded such...

Foreign governments, international banks and multinational companies are increasingly tapping China’s domestic bond market, as panda bond issuance hit a record high in the first five months of the year. A total of 11 entities sold 14 panda bonds – yuan-denominated debt instruments issued by foreign entities in mainland China’s onshore market – worth 26.64 billion yuan (US$3.7 billion) in May, up 246 per cent from a year earlier and the highest level on record for the month, according to data...

Peru faced a drawn-out count in its bitterly contested presidential run-off after results showed the race for the ninth head of state in 10 years was too close to call. Figures released by electoral authorities showed conservative politician Keiko Fujimori with a modest lead over nationalist congressman Roberto Sanchez in a contest overshadowed by people’s concerns about surging crime. The outcome, expected to be tight, may not be known for days. An official tally on Monday showed Fujimori...

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 is transforming historic African slave port into waterfront tourism magnet 2. The new Panama? Why Nicaragua could be next front in US-China influence battle 3. Is the dream over? Mainland students rethink Hong Kong over costs and cultural fit 4. How Chinese drink chains are testing the...

Christian Eriksen was conscious and undergoing further tests in hospital after collapsing on the field again while playing for Denmark’s national team on Sunday in a scary scene that had echoes of his cardiac arrest at the European Championship five years ago. Television footage showed the 34-year-old midfielder clutching his chest with both hands in an off-the-ball action in the 65th minute of Denmark’s international friendly against Ukraine at Nature Energy Park in Odense, Denmark. In the next...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received the backing of the leaders of the UK, France and Germany in calling for direct ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine, according to a joint statement issued following defence talks in London on Sunday. Zelensky met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at 10 Downing Street for talks as Russia’s war has stretched into its fifth year. The leaders “supported the proposal for...

When foreign ministers of countries that are part of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) gathered in New Delhi last week, the agenda looked familiar: supply chain resilience, telecommunications security and maritime domain awareness. The talking points have evolved, the initiatives have multiplied and the meetings have become routine. Asia is entering a new strategic era. However, its geopolitical debate remains stuck in the previous one. Across the region, governments are investing in...

US President Donald Trump lasted through scrutinising questions about his Iran war strategy and repeated weather disruptions during an interview with US broadcaster NBC – but angrily stormed out when confronted over his unfounded claims of election fraud. “You’re a one-sided, crooked network. Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time,” Trump told Meet the Press host Kristen Welker before standing up and walking out of the interview that aired...

Brazilian planemaker Embraer ⁠expects to eventually bring its ⁠E2 jets into China, seeing a role for the aircraft among the country’s domestically developed models, a senior executive told Reuters on Sunday. “We have a dedicated team in Beijing, they’re day-to-day working in China,” Embraer Commercial Aviation ‌CEO Arjan Meijer said on the sidelines of a global gathering of top airline executives in Rio de Janeiro. “We believe the E2 family is the ideal complement to the indigenous products of...

A Palestinian man with Israeli citizenship went on a shooting rampage in several towns in central Israel on Sunday, killing a reservist and wounding five other people, according to Israeli police and the military. The attacker was killed by police. The attack came at a time of heightened tensions following a spate of Israeli settler attacks, and the deadly shooting of a Palestinian baby over the weekend, in the nearby West Bank. Police identified the attacker as a resident of the Arab town of...

The ⁠White House is considering ⁠a plan to buy the Chagos ⁠Islands from Mauritius, the Telegraph reported on Sunday. US officials have drawn up a proposal to bypass the UK and make their own deal to take control of Diego Garcia, the report said. The plan is among several options being ‌drafted by the White House, in a paper aimed at providing alternatives to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ceding sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, the report said. “President Trump has...

Iran’s military command on Monday announced it was halting its operation against Israel after the two sides exchanged fire for the first time since a truce took effect in April. Israel ⁠also halted ⁠strikes on Iran at the request of US President ‌Donald Trump, a senior Israeli official was cited as saying by Channel 12 ⁠on Monday. The official added ‌that if Hezbollah attacks on ‌Israeli towns continue, Israel will ⁠attack ⁠the southern suburbs ‌of Lebanon’s Beirut. The Channel 12 report also...

Pope Leo on Monday told Spain’s parliament that escalating conflict, deepening polarisation and widespread disregard for human rights had pushed the world into a profound crisis, in one of his most expansive political addresses yet. Leo, who has adopted a more forceful tone recently against the direction of global leadership, also firmly repeated his opposition to increased European military spending, urging politicians instead to end the wars ravaging the ‌globe and help migrants. “The world is...

Central African Republic has agreed to take in migrants from other countries deported by the United States, two sources with knowledge of the matter said, the latest example of the Trump administration striking deals with African states to accelerate removals. Washington has sent so-called third-country deportees to African countries including Democratic Republic ‌of Congo, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea, under opaque deals that Senate Democrats say have cost tens of millions of...

Dr Richard Lokudu, the medical director of Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital, has received barely any compensation for his work on the front line of one of Congo’s deadliest Ebola virus outbreaks. Lokudu and several of his colleagues work all day at the hospital treating an influx of patients. Notifications of suspected cases come even late at night. “I have not received my allowance [and] what happened to others could happen to me as well,” Lokudu said. “Despite all the infection prevention...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will stand if a leadership contest is triggered, a senior minister said on Sunday, after media reported Starmer had contacted key backers insisting he would run in any race. This came after popular Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham, who is standing in a key by-election this month, said last week he would participate in any leadership race, although none has yet been triggered. Starmer “has been absolutely clear – were there to be a contest – you need 81...

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claimed victory in parliamentary elections as voters overwhelmingly backed the South Caucasus country’s turn towards the West and away from Russia. Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party got 49.81 per cent of the vote, putting it on course to hold 61 of the 105 seats, data from Armenia’s Central Election Commission showed on Monday. Turnout was 58.97 per cent. Three opposition parties led by pro-Russian politicians passed the threshold to enter the National...

The arrival of Yuan Gujie, the new deputy director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, has sparked widespread speculation. Her legal background and experience in Guangdong province suggest that her posting carries a clear agenda: to promote deeper integration between Hong Kong and other Greater Bay Area cities. One thing is clear: if the Northern Metropolis is to accelerate, Hong Kong’s existing legal framework and development model may prove inadequate. A fundamental overhaul is urgently...

The vote gave final passage to Republicans’ megabill to fund immigration enforcement through the remainder of President Trump’s term, clearing it for his signature.

The ascendancy of Todd Blanche shows how the practices that were initially deemed out of bounds even in President Trump’s Justice Department seem to be the order of the day.

A panel of experts explains how job seekers should prepare for the future of work.

Called Claude Fable 5, it is twice as expensive as the company’s previous flagship system.

The flaw, which Meta said it had fixed, allowed anyone to take over accounts using a bug in the company’s new artificial intelligence software.

Tourists are flocking to Midway, Utah. The Ballerina Farm Store, from the influencer whose brand revolves around motherhood and farm life, is a reason.

NASA’s next mission in its effort to return humans to the moon will be led by an all-male crew. Three of them have extensive experience in space, while the other was a backup on Artemis II.

Experts have been hopeful, but say the agency’s lunar aspirations are largely at the whims of two billionaires, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

Swimming 900 miles won’t be “the worst way to spend four months,” Catherine Breed says — as long as the great whites, jellyfish and elephant seals leave her alone.

Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, has retained Jake Greenberg, the former top investigative counsel to the House Oversight Committee.

David Ellison told Ms. Stahl, one of three remaining correspondents for the news program, that he would respect the show’s editorial decisions after a tumultuous stretch.

Earl “the Pearl” Monroe was part of the last championship team. Now 81, he has thoughts on what really matters.

Elon Musk’s potential new status as a trillionaire demonstrates in real time why there has been such a rapid rise in the concentration of wealth at the top.

Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, has unabashedly courted the president’s favor. Soccer officials privately ask, who really benefits?

“I had the right papers and everything,” Omar Abdulkadir Artan said in his first interview since he was turned back. He would have been the first Somali to referee a game in the tournament.

Dermatologists say bemotrizinol offers advantages over other compounds in sunscreens currently on the market.

None of the participants in the recent wars of the Middle East can claim victory. All are to blame.

Matt Duss, Senator Bernie Sanders’s former foreign policy adviser, argues that Democrats need a foreign policy reckoning.

The pilot, who retired last year before the investigation, held some valid flight credentials, officials said, but not the one required to be a captain.