Minimalist News

The Iran War Exposes The Farce Of American "Representative Democracy" Authored by Ryan McMaken  via MisesInstitute, The Trump administration has unilaterally—without any Congressional debate or vote, of course—forced Americans into yet another war. This time, the war is a large-scale military campaign against Iran. Was there any groundswell of public support for this war? Did the Congress vote to spend more American tax dollars on another war? Apparently not. According to a March 1 poll from Reuters, only 27 percent of Americans polled said they support the US’s new war on Iran. Needless to say, few Americans have been calling their representatives

Israel Officials Get Blunt On Iran Aims: 'If We Can Have A Civil War, Great' US mainstream media is issuing one headline after another that read like they are ripped straight off the plot of Homeland or some other subpar CIA counter-terrorism series. For example, Wednesday: Israel Is Blowing Up Iran’s Police State to Clear the Way for a Revolt. In a bit of incredibly naive and wishful thinking and fantasy, WSJ writes: "Israel’s military is targeting the Iranian police state that brutally suppressed protests and killed thousands of people, with the hope of clearing the way for a popular revolt to overthrow the Islamic government." Sure thing...

Who Will Be The 2028 Democratic Presidential Nominee? California Governor Gavin Newsom has released a new memoir, "Young Man in a Hurry", in which the Democrat lays out stories from his personal and political life. From his sometimes turbulent upbringing to his 2004 act in favor of gay marriage, when he allowed over 4,000 same-sex couples to get married at San Francisco City Hall during his time as mayor long before such unions were legalized, the book details some of Newsom's successes and failures, without giving a clear roadmap of what's to come. Newsom, who is termed out of office and cannot run

Will Trump Seize Or Destroy Iran's Oil Export Island? Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier that the U.S. is "accelerating, not decelerating" Operation Epic Fury, with U.S. and Israeli forces conducting at least 1,000 strikes over five days against high-value IRGC assets and leadership. As those strikes have significantly degraded the IRGC's capabilities on land, at sea, and in the air, the next big question is whether Iran's energy infrastructure will become the conflict's next major focal point, especially as the Strait of Hormuz remains paralyzed and Beijing grows increasingly concerned about disruptions to its cheap Iranian crude imports. Operation Epic Fury

Degraded Schools Authored by Larry Sand via American Greatness, Many students are chronically absent or have dropped out of school. Nat Malkus, a senior fellow in education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, oversees the Return to Learn Tracker, which monitors chronic absenteeism in U.S. schools. His latest report, released in early February, includes data from 39 states and Washington, D.C. He states that after reaching a high of 29 percent in the 2021–22 school year, the chronic absenteeism rate—missing 10 percent or more of school days in an academic year—fell by 2.6 percentage points the following school year and by 2.2 percentage

Pam Bondi Subpoenaed In Epstein Investigation By House Oversight Panel House investigators are hauling in Attorney General Pam Bondi to answer for what lawmakers say is a troubling disappearance of documents tied to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The House Oversight Committee voted 24-19 on Wednesday to subpoena Bondi for a deposition, escalating a fight with the Department of Justice over its handling of records from the sprawling Epstein investigation. Lawmakers say the DOJ may have pulled tens of thousands of pages from public view despite a federal law requiring the material to be released. The move was spearheaded by Rep. Nancy Mace, who

Senate Rejects Measure Aimed at Blocking US Attacks on Iran Update (1925ET):  The Senate rejected the measure that would block Trump's ability to wage war against Iran without congressional approval.  The procedural vote over the war powers resolution, which was introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), was 47 to 53. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a bill cosponsor, was the lone Republican to support the measure. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) broke with his party in voting against the resolution, the Epoch Times reports. *  *  * Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said on Tuesday that he was "fearful" that the Trump administration would put "boots on

The Global Race To Unlock Nuclear Fusion Authored by Felicity Bradstock via oilprice.com, Governments worldwide have been racing to unlock the secret to nuclear fusion energy for several decades, with the aim of producing abundant, clean energy. While several generation milestones have been achieved in recent years, accomplishing commercial-scale production continues to be extremely complex. However, with more recent successes, are we edging closer to achieving this goal and producing vast quantities of clean power? Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the sun and stars. Fusion takes place when two atomic nuclei – typically formed of hydrogen – are combined into a

Visualizing Iran's Vast Size & Why Any Ground Invasion Means Years-Long Quagmire Most Americans have little understanding or concept of Iran's size in terms of geography or population. The ethno-religious make-up of the sprawling Mideast/West Asian nation is also deeply important, given the US is already talking about arming and supporting some kind of Kurdish-led anti-Tehran ground operation.  Suffice it to say, Iran's population is more than double (over 90 million people) that of neighboring Iraq's. Iran is also the size of almost half the European continent. All of this is crucial for attempting to visualize what American military escalation there might

Trump's Venezuela Oil Plan Runs Into Hard Reality Authored by Andrew Topf via oilprice.com, Last week US President Donald Trump announced that Venezuela’s interim authorities will turn over up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, before later declaring his administration will control Venezuela's oil sales “indefinitely”. Decrying the state of Venezuela’s oil sector, including that the South American country now pumps a fraction of what it used to, Trump said, “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies — the biggest anywhere in the world — go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the

The 10 Most Common Medications Americans Are Taking Authored by George Citroner via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Americans are popping pills at a rate that might surprise even their doctors—and most of what they’re taking, they chose themselves. The Epoch Times/Shutterstock Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults take at least one pill each week, and one in six takes five or more, according to a recent study published in JAMA, highlighting how central medications—both over-the-counter and prescription—are to everyday health. Researchers surveyed 21,000 volunteers aged 18 and older between 2023 and 2024 to discover the most common drugs Americans are taking. TOP 10 DRUGS TAKEN BY

Article 5 Looming: NATO Shoots Down Iranian Ballistic Missile Fired At Turkey There's looming fear that Trump's Operation Epic Fury is fast spinning into a broader regional war, even a possible WW3 scenario - though large powers like Russia and China are expected to remain on the sidelines.  Illustrating this potential, on Wednesday a ballistic missile launched from Iran and tracked across Iraqi and Syrian airspace before heading toward Turkish territory was shot down by NATO air defenses, according to Turkey's Defense Ministry. Open source file image: Launcher for Iranian Zolfaghar ballistic missiles NATO Article 5 potential? Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth was quick to downplay

Typical US Homeowners Stay 12 Years In Their Homes - 20 Years In Los Angeles Authored by Mary Prenon via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), U.S. homeowners stayed in their houses for about 12 years as of 2025—the longest median time since 2022. A view of houses in a neighborhood in Los Angeles on July 5, 2022. Frederic Brown/AFP via Getty Images In a March 4 report, Redfin noted that the “stay put” trend peaked at 13.4 years in 2020, then gradually declined every year until 2024, when it hit 11.8 years. Last year’s rising home costs and interest rates led to an uptick

"You Are Not Choosing To Die, You Are Choosing To Arrive": Google's Gemini Accused Of 'Coaching' Florida Man To Suicide Authored by Evgenia Filimianova via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Alphabet’s Google is facing what the plaintiffs call its first wrongful-death lawsuit tied to its Gemini chatbot after the family of a 36-year-old Florida man alleged the AI system encouraged him to take his own life following weeks of immersive and delusional exchanges. The Google logo is projected onto a man, in this photo illustration. Leon Neal/Getty Images The complaint, filed on March 4 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of

Hollywood Celebrities Flee The US As The Woke Movie Industry Implodes The collapse of Hollywood has been on the radar for some time now, though the industry consistently and vehemently denies they are in decline.  The movie industry Titanic is sinking fast and the celebrity rats are abandoning the ship.  Some of are even leaving the US for foreign shores.  The media claims that the death of Hollywood is a signal that America is "no longer the cool country." This was the narrative of Fortune Magazine in a recent article discussing the celebrity exodus from America and its effect on the US

NY AG James Orders Hospital To Resume Gender-Transition Treatment For Minors Authored by Jonathan Turley via jonathanturley.org, In a rare and controversial move, New York Attorney General Letitia James has ordered a Manhattan hospital to resume offering gender-transition treatment to transgender youth. NYU Langone had discontinued such treatments after funding threats from the Trump administration. It is now caught between the proverbial rock (HHS) and a hard place (NYAG). Last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order entitled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” seeking to restrict gender-transition treatment for people under 19. HHS then threatened hospitals with a cut off

U.S. Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship In First Torpedo Kill Since WWII Update (1325ET): U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed that a U.S. Navy submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena with a Mk 48 torpedo off the coast of Sri Lanka. According to a Military Times report, the DoW confirmed this was the first kill by a U.S. submarine since World War II. "In the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters," Hegseth said. > https://t.co/PiqQpVIrMu pic.twitter.com/Wc1e0B0um7 > > — Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) March 4, 2026 Hegseth also stated that Iran's IRIS Shahid Sayyad

Karnage: Korea Kospi Suffers Biggest Crash In History - Is It A Buying Opportunity? Yesterday we discussed the dramatic move in Korean stocks, which saw the Kospi tumble by 7.4%, its biggest drop since the August 2024 carry trade unwind, and which put a dramatic halt to the historic meltup in the country's stock market driven almost entirely by memory (Samsung and SK Hynix) and semiconductor stocks. However, as we noted earlier this week when we pointed out the unprecedented pile up in the Korea ETF which was virtually identical to what happened in silver in January, just before the commodity crashed, the

Primary Losers: Crockett Cries 'Disenfranchisement', Crenshaw Crushed Rep. Jasmine Crockett has just lost her Democratic Senate primary in Texas to Democratic state lawmaker James Talarico, who will now try to become the first Democrat in nearly 40 years to win a Senate election in Texas. He will face the Republican winner between longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas AG Ken Paxton.  Crockett, a racist, who says that entering the USA illegally is 'not a crime' and is under FEC investigation for suspicious ActBlue donations, says she's going to file a lawsuit challenging the results due to alleged confusion among some voters in Dallas

Western Official Claims Iran Has Just 'Days Left' For Depleting Missile Arsenal Among the most crucial open questions in the ongoing Operation Epic Fury - or perhaps the most pressing issue - is which warring side will outlast the other in terms of maintaining missile and interceptor numbers, and for the US side this means enough to achieve the (somewhat ambiguous) military objectives. Speculation and estimates are flying wildly in international press reports, also with Iran now claiming it has only thus far expended its older and aging stockpile, but stands ready to use its newer, more advanced ballistic projectiles. But amid the fog

Latest outage darkens island facing dwindling oil reserves and increasing pressure from Washington A blackout hit the western half of Cuba on Wednesday, leaving millions of people in Havana and beyond without power in the latest outage to affect an island struggling with dwindling oil reserves and a crumbling electricity grid. The government’s Electric Union confirmed the outage on social platform X, saying it affected people from the eastern town of Pinar del Rio to the central town of Camaguey. Continue reading...

Detainees accused of coming from the US with intent to sow chaos and attack military units on Communist-ruled island Cuban prosecutors have formally charged six people with crimes of terrorism after a US-flagged speedboat was involved in a deadly shootout with Cuba’s coast guard last week. The US-based Cuban defendants are accused of packing a boat with weapons and heading toward Cuba in hopes of destabilising the government in Havana. Continue reading...

US Southern Command said joint mission with Ecuador involves ‘decisive action’ against illicit drug trafficking US and Ecuadorian forces have launched joint operations to combat drug trafficking, the US Southern Command said on Tuesday, but neither side gave more details. Southern Command, which encompasses 31 countries through South and Central America and the Caribbean, said in a statement on X that the “decisive action” was aimed at combating illicit drug trafficking. Continue reading...

Few clues as to how 10 heavily armed men intercepted on stolen speedboat came together from across Florida or what they hoped to achieve Foot traffic was slow outside the Bay of Pigs Museum on Calle Ocho in Miami’s Little Havana neighbourhood. A few tourists in T-shirts and shorts bypassed the gallery dedicated to one of the most fateful days in Cuba’s history and headed instead to nearby Máximo Gómez Park to take photographs of Cuban exiles playing dominoes. This is the street at the heart of the Cuban expat community of more than 1 million people where tens of thousands partied

Riot police use teargas to disperse people gathering around wreckage of plane loaded with money from central bank At least 20 people have died and dozens have been injured after a military cargo plane carrying banknotes crashed while landing near Bolivia’s capital on Friday, damaging about a dozen vehicles on a highway and scattering bills on the ground, an official has said. Footage from local media showed people rushing to collect banknotes while police in riot gear tried to disperse them using teargas. Authorities were later seen setting the money alight in a bonfire at the scene of the crash. Continue reading...

‘High-quality growth’ target of 4.5-5% outlined at Two Sessions as Chinese premier talks of complex situations at home and abroad * What are China’s Two Sessions and why do they matter? China has set its target for GDP growth to a record low of 4.5-5%, the first time since 1991 that the figure has dropped below 5%, reflecting an economic strategy that is shifting away from export-led growth to a model that leaders hope will be more resilient to external shocks. Li Qiang, China’s premier, announced the target for 2026 in the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s annual

Among the 3,000 delegates is former athlete who sits as an independent on the National People’s Congress * What are China’s Two Sessions and why do they matter? * More generals purged as gather in Beijing Among the generally drab lineup of mostly middle-aged men in suits who make up the nearly 3,000 delegates to the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s parliament, a few stand out. There are delegates from China’s 55 official ethnic minority groups, who often arrive dressed in traditional outfits rather than western-style suits. There are military members, identifiable by their uniforms. And then there is Yao Ming, the

Weapons amnesty and buyback scheme will run until August as PM James Marape says illegal guns ‘destroying families and villages’ Papua New Guinea has asked residents to surrender illegal firearms in a bid to remove tens of thousands of weapons from the country, as it grapples with escalating violence and tribal fighting in the Highlands region. The police minister, Sir John Pundari, said the national gun amnesty and buyback scheme started on 27 February and it would run until late August. Continue reading...

Military used in arrest of Mohammad Odeh Saleh, owner of business allegedly visited by the Akrams before Australia’s deadliest terror attack * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A Jordanian national whose coffee shop was visited by the alleged gunmen behind December’s Bondi beach terrorist attack – and who frequently traveled to Australia and the Middle East – has been arrested in the Philippines for overstaying his visa. Authorities investigating the gunmen’s month-long stay in Mindanao Island, in the country’s south, alleged that Mohammad Odeh Saleh, 65,

Annual political gathering kicks off this week in Beijing with the economy, technology and the military high on the agenda * More generals purged as Chinese delegates gather for event China’s annual Two Sessions meetings begin this week, with thousands of political and community delegates descending on Beijing from across mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to ratify legislation, personnel changes and the budget over about two weeks of highly choreographed meetings. Continue reading...

Follow today’s news live * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Liberal senator says military assets should be used ‘if necessary’ to repatriate Australians The shadow defence minister, James Paterson, says the Middle East is a “challenging” environment for commercial airlines to fly in, with airports in the region being struck by Iran. If those commercial options are not available, then every other option needs to be considered, including using ADF assets to repatriate Australians if that’s necessary. We have used military planes to evacuate Australians from conflict zones. And if that’s necessary in this instance, if it’s possible

Soulore Solaris charged with manslaughter of Jarrad Antonovich, who died of a perforated oesophagus after taking psychedelic * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A man has been charged with manslaughter more than four years after his spiritual retreat client died after consuming psychedelics and a frog toxin. Soulore Solaris, 52, was arrested and charged on Tuesday morning over the 2021 death of a man at the Arcoora retreat he ran in Collins Creek, about 60km from Byron Bay in northern New South Wales. Continue reading...

As thousands more students head to private schools, advocates hope new government funding deals might draw families back to public sector * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast In Sharryn Brownlee’s experience, it’s when their kids reach the final years of primary school that a lot of parents start to ask one another the same question. “Where are you going to send your kids to high school? Public or private?” she said. Continue reading...

Wilkinson was turned away by police while seeking help four days before she was murdered, Queensland coroner’s court told * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Kelly Wilkinson was turned away from Southport police station and told to “cool off, give Brian a break” while seeking help just four days before her estranged husband, Brian Earl Johnston, burned her to death in 2021, an inquest has heard. The allegation was made in an extraordinary 11th hour submission by the lawyer acting for her family as they applied

Details of flight come as One Nation leader faces scrutiny over her use of taxpayer-funded entitlements * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Pauline Hanson charged taxpayers almost $9,000 for a chartered plane to attend an event honouring the mining billionaire Gina Rinehart’s donation to a private agricultural college, parliamentary expenses data shows. The One Nation leader flew from Tamworth to Avalon in October 2025 to attend the opening of new student accommodation at the private Marcus Oldham College in Geelong, with the chartered flight costing $8,870. Continue

The Arctic Metagaz had been carrying 61,000 tonnes of liquefied natural gas when it exploded; Ukrainian drones reported to have hit southern Russia. What we know on day 1,471 Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has accused Ukraine of carrying out a attack on one of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, which exploded and sank into the Mediterranean Sea off Libya. Explosions were reported on the Arctic Metagaz, which had been carrying 61,000 tonnes of LNG, on Tuesday night when the ship was about 150 miles (240km) off the coast of Libya. Ukraine has not commented on the sinking on the

The Arctic Metagaz burst into flames before sinking after what the Russian president described as a terrorist attack Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of carrying out a terrorist attack on one of Russia’s liquefied natural gas carriers which exploded into flames and sank in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya. The Arctic Metagaz had been sanctioned by the US and EU for being part of Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of ageing tankers that carry its oil and gas around the world, skirting Western restrictions. Continue reading...

Plan, which aims to preserve jobs in clean tech and low-carbon sectors, could include UK if there is reciprocal market access The European Commission has proposed a “Buy EU” plan to boost domestic low-carbon industries and help the continent compete against China. The commission published a draft regulation – called the Industrial Accelerator Act – on Wednesday, setting demands for EU-made and low-carbon content on bodies spending public money. The rules mark a big shift in economic thinking from Brussels, long a bastion of open markets. Continue reading...

German government convened a crisis meeting after several prize winners condemned Israel’s actions against Palestinians The American head of the Berlin film festival, Tricia Tuttle, will keep her job after a free speech row over Gaza, but the event will have to consider a new code of conduct to “fight antisemitism”, the German culture ministry has said. Tuttle’s position came under threat after an awards gala at the end of the 76th edition last month, in which several prize winners condemned Israel’s actions against Palestinians from the stage. Continue reading...

Stéphane Séjourné is the latest high-profile name to express solidarity with Spain over Trump’s comments last night in Madrid Sánchez’s defiant speech may have been made in response to Trump’s threat to cut off all trade with Spain, but his words were also aimed every bit as much at other EU leaders (and at Spain’s political class). “A war that, in theory, was said to be waged to eliminate Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, bring democracy, and guarantee global security, but which, in reality, seen in retrospect, produced the opposite effect. It unleashed the greatest wave of insecurity our continent has suffered

More than 80 people killed and 32 crew members rescued alive from the 180-crew frigate Iris Dena * Analysis: Trump administration still not settled on reasons for war * Tell us: how have you been affected by the conflict? Lebanese state media said that four people were killed and six more were wounded in an Israeli strike on a building in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon on Wednesday. “The initial toll is four killed and six wounded, and work is underway to rescue families from under the rubble,” Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said. Continue reading...

Frigate goes down off Sri Lanka as Washington and Israel step up their offensive and promise to hit ‘deeper’ targets in Iran * Middle East crisis – live updates A torpedo fired by a US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the south coast of Sri Lanka as the Trump administration followed through on its threats to destroy Tehran’s military and political leadership. At least 87 Iranian sailors were killed in the attack on the Iris Dena on Wednesday. The frigate was sailing in international waters as it returned from a naval exercise organised by India in the Bay of Bengal. The

Prime minister’s initial refusal to help US could constrain Britain’s ability to protect its nationals in the Gulf and reassure allies * Middle East crisis – live updates Britain knew that the US was considering attacking Iran from the moment Donald Trump told protesters that “help is coming” in the middle of January. It was obvious to the world that the White House was serious when the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group was sent to the Arabian Sea in late January. But as Trump gradually built up his “massive armada”, reinforcing it with a second carrier strike group in mid-February, UK

California governor, promoting his memoir in LA, was asked if US should rethink military partnership with Israel * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Gavin Newsom, the Democratic California governor, likened Israel to “an apartheid state” on Tuesday in comments sharply critical of the country’s joint war with the US against Iran. Newsom, seen as a frontrunner for his party’s presidential nomination in 2028, made the comment during an appearance in Los Angeles to promote his book, Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery. He was asked if the US should

Household costs could reach £1,800 a year from July as UK market hits three-year high * Middle East crisis – live updates Household energy bills could climb by £160 a year from this summer after the war in Iran pushed the UK’s gas market to a three-year high. A typical combined household gas and electricity bill could reach £1,800 a year in Great Britain under the government’s quarterly price cap from July, according to analysis by Cornwall Insight, an energy consultancy. Continue reading...

The general election is the first since gen-Z protests forced Nepal’s then-prime minister to quit Nearly six months after a wave of unprecedented youth-led protests forced Nepal’s then prime minister to quit, people have began voting in a general election that is shaping up as a high-stakes showdown between the entrenched old guard and a powerful youth movement. Key figures contesting the election include the Marxist former prime minister seeking a return to office, a rapper-turned-mayor bidding for the youth vote, and the newly elected leader of the powerful Nepali Congress party. Continue reading...

With 46% of Nepal’s population under the age of 24, the election will be a test of whether their hopes and frustrations are being taken seriously In the unassuming, dusty lanes of the Nepali city of Damak, an unprecedented political showdown is unfolding. Pitting an old political heavyweight against a rapper-turned-politician with a penchant for dark sunglasses and sharp suits, the battle is one that could completely reshape the country’s politics. As Nepal heads into its most gripping election in years, at the forefront stands Balendra Shah, the 35-year-old known simply as Balen. He rose to fame as a popular rapper whose

Sporadic clashes reported in several provinces in Afghanistan as both sides give conflicting death tolls Afghanistan has said it had thwarted Pakistan’s attempted airstrikes on Bagram airbase, the former US military base north of Kabul, as cross-border fighting between the two countries stretched into a fourth day. Months of clashes have flared up again since Thursday, when Afghanistan launched attacks along the frontier and Pakistani forces hit back on the border and from the skies. Pakistan has declared it is in “open war” with Afghanistan. Continue reading...

Taliban offer to resolve dispute via dialogue after Pakistan bombed cities in Afghanistan in latest escalation with its neighbour Washington endorsed Pakistan’s “right to defend itself” after it bombed major cities across Afghanistan amid heightened tensions between the two hostile neighbours. The Taliban government in Kabul stressed it was ready to negotiate on Friday as violence intensified between the two countries. Continue reading...

Military reckoned ‘good’ Afghan insurgents were separate from ‘bad’ Pakistani insurgents but distinction has blurred Days after the Taliban swept to power in 2021, Pakistan’s then spymaster appeared in Kabul on what looked to many like a victory lap. Sipping tea in the lobby of the Afghan capital’s fanciest hotel, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed told reporters: “Don’t worry, everything will be OK.” This week it became clear just how badly Pakistan had miscalculated how it could rely on the Taliban, as Islamabad unleashed airstrikes in Afghanistan and troops from both countries fought each other on the border. Continue reading...

Financial abuse is a factor in more than half of deaths related to domestic abuse but is often misunderstood Economic abuse from a partner contributes to one death from homicide or suicide every 19 days, a charity has found. Surviving Economic Abuse (Sea) said economic abuse from an intimate partner was a factor in more than half of deaths related to domestic abuse but was often misunderstood or overlooked. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat

Research challenges idea of ‘generation sensible’ as alcohol and drug use increase after teenage years Binge drinking rates among gen Z have risen sharply since their teenage years, according to research that challenges their reputation as “generation sensible”. Almost seven in 10 (68%) 23-year-olds reported binge drinking in the past year, while nearly a third (29%) said they did so at least monthly, up from 10% at age 17. Continue reading...

Corporation proposes sweeping changes intended to protect its independence and shore up its future The BBC is to call for an end to political appointments to its board as part of sweeping changes designed to protect its independence. The corporation will also demand that its royal charter be put on a permanent footing in an attempt to end the existential threat posed by having to negotiate with ministers over its future every 10 years. Continue reading...

Shabana Mahmood hopes to reduce number of claimants in hotels by enabling them to support themselves Up to 21,000 asylum seekers who have waited for a year for their claims to be processed could be allowed to enter the jobs market so they can support themselves, the Home Office has said, as part of a package of measures to be announced on Thursday. As the government seeks to empty asylum hotels, claimants who break the law, work illegally or are found to have enough assets to live without support will from June be ejected and lose their support payments. Continue reading...

Hajra and Haleema Zahid may have slipped into pools near path and were unable to swim to safety, inquest hears Two sisters accidentally drowned after they paddled fully clothed at a beauty spot in a national park in Wales, an inquest has heard. Hajra Zahid, 29, and her sibling Haleema, 25, were pulled from pools on the Watkin Path, which leads to the summit of Snowdon. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. * Trump news at a glance: Pentagon ‘taking a look’ at deadly strike on girls’ school in Iran as UN office demands answers * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Gen Caine said today that the US will “now begin to expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory”, after forces were able to establish air superiority. “The throttle is coming up,” Caine said, “as opposed to ramping down”. Continue reading...

Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, 54, and Maj Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, were from California and Iowa The Pentagon has released the names of the final two of the six soldiers who were killed during a recent drone strike in Kuwait. They were killed on Sunday, the day after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran. Their names were released by the US Department of Defense on Wednesday. The two soldiers were identified as Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, 54, and Maj Jeffrey O’Brien, 45. They were from Sacramento, California, and Indianola, Iowa, respectively. Continue reading...

Misty Roberts, 43, faces sentences of up to 10 and seven years in prison after July 2024 sexual assault at pool party The former mayor of a Louisiana city has been convicted of raping a 16-year-old boy during a party at her house while she was still in office. Misty Roberts, 43, faces sentences of up to 10 and seven years in prison after a jury in the municipality of DeRidder on Tuesday found her guilty of two felonies: carnal knowledge of a juvenile – or statutory rape – as well as indecent behavior with a minor. Continue reading...

Four cemetery workers dug up and moved more than 100 bodies to resell the burial plots nearly 20 years ago It was a particularly heinous crime. Four workers at a cemetery near Chicago dug up more than 100 bodies and dumped the remains elsewhere in the grounds, in order to resell the burial plots for profit. Now, nearly two decades after the scandal broke at Burr Oak cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, scientists have released details of how a tiny clump of moss became crucial forensic evidence that helped convict the grave robbers. Continue reading...

Trump ally Daines confirms resignation and withdraws bid for a third term, saying: ‘It is time for new leaders’ Republican US senator Steve Daines of Montana dropped his bid for re-election to a third term Wednesday. Daines withdrew his name just minutes before the deadline for candidates to file for the November election with the Montana secretary of state’s office. Daines confirmed his resignation in a written statement as well as a video posted to social media. Continue reading...

The head of the Federal Communications Commission is taking aim at foreign-based call centres with a proposed English proficiency requirement for overseas employees and limits on the volume of calls they can handle. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said on Wednesday the proposed rules will encourage communications providers regulated by the agency to bring call centre jobs back to the US and place guard rails on the operations that remain abroad. “Americans get frustrated when they call a US business...

When German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Beijing for his first visit to China last week, it came at a moment of heightened geopolitical attention. With US President Donald Trump expected to visit Beijing in late March or early April, European leaders are watching closely for possible shifts in transatlantic relations and trade policy. Against this anxious backdrop, Merz’s meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing offered something the global stage has been deeply...

Russia could halt gas supplies to Europe right now amid a spike in energy prices triggered by the Iran crisis, President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday, linking the possible decision to the European Union wanting to ban purchases of Russian gas and liquefied natural gas. Oil and gas prices have soared following the ‌US and Israeli attack on Iran and Tehran’s strikes on Gulf Arab neighbours. The conflict has paralysed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and forced the shutdown of Qatar’s...

As China and the United States compete to shape the future of artificial intelligence, Africa’s rapidly expanding digital landscape is emerging as a new arena for their rivalry, far from the technology hubs of Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. With a growing population, expanding internet access and linguistic diversity, Africa is increasingly seen as a critical region for AI development, according to analysts. Early infrastructure and platform decisions can shape the future of emerging technology...

Google is facing a lawsuit from the family of a 36-year-old Florida man who allegedly considered carrying out a “mass casualty attack” and ultimately killed himself under the influence of the company’s Gemini chatbot. According to a suit filed on Wednesday in federal court in San Jose, California, Jonathan Gavalas began using Gemini for ordinary purposes like help with his writing. But two months of interactions sent him into a dangerous spiral, during which he scoped out a possible violent...

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that President Donald Trump’s plan to increase a broad 10 per cent tariff rate to 15 per cent is likely to be implemented this week. “That’s likely sometime this week,” Bessent said on Wednesday on CNBC in response to a question about when the increase to 15 per cent would be made. Bessent’s comments offer the clearest indication yet regarding when the US will follow through on Trump’s pledge to raise tariffs. The president last month imposed a 10 per...

Iran postponed the funeral of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike last weekend, citing expectations of large crowds. The three-day ceremony had been scheduled to start at 10pm local time at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla, a mosque in Tehran, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported on Wednesday. State television later said the proceedings were being delayed “due to the expected unprecedented presence of mourners”, and a new time would be...

A ballistic missile launched from Iran and heading towards Turkish airspace via Iraq and Syria was destroyed by Nato air defence systems, Turkish officials said on Wednesday. The defence ministry said it had been “engaged and neutralised by Nato air-and-missile defence assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean”. It did not specify the missile’s intended target. A Turkish official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the missile had been “aimed at a base in Greek Cyprus but veered...

The latest exchange of air strikes and border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan has once again pushed the region to the brink, reviving a dread among those who have lived through this cycle before, the continuation of a war that never truly ended. The so-called war on terror has been waged for over two decades, with no end in sight. Since 2001, the war has claimed more than 33,000 civilian and security forces lives in Pakistan and displaced millions internally. Yet a fundamental question...

Three men suspected of spying for China were arrested on Wednesday, London police said. One of the three men is the husband of a lawmaker from the governing Labour Party. The three allegedly assisted a foreign intelligence service in violation of the National Security Act of 2023, Metropolitan Police said. Police did not name the suspects because they have not been charged. But they said one was a 39-year-old arrested in London, another was a 68-year-old arrested in Powys, Wales, and the third,...

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Wednesday accused German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of failing to show “solidarity” with Madrid in the face of criticism from US President Donald Trump. Albares told broadcaster RTVE that he had communicated his “surprise” over the chancellor’s response to Trump’s tirade against Spain in a White House meeting on Tuesday. “When you share a currency, a common trade policy and a common market with another country, you expect the same solidarity that...

The US military has said that it has hit nearly 2,000 targets inside Iran since Saturday. More than 1,000 people have been killed, including some whom US President Donald Trump said he had considered as possible future leaders of the country. While numerous government and military sites have been targeted - including the facility where Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the operation - the intensity of the bombardment has damaged at least one...

When US President Donald Trump returned ⁠to the White House last year, some Russian hardliners were cautiously optimistic, hoping his unpredictability ⁠and transactional nature might benefit Moscow on Ukraine. But his attack on Iran means many now see him as a growing threat to Russia itself and are questioning if Trump is the pragmatic, potentially pro-Moscow strongman ready to deal in realpolitik that they thought he was. Some hawks are publicly demanding that Moscow abandon US-brokered peace...

A US submarine sank ‌an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, dramatically widening Washington’s pursuit of the Iranian navy. Sri Lanka’s deputy foreign minister said at least 80 people were killed in the attack on the frigate IRIS Dena, which was heading back to Iran from an eastern Indian port. “An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that ⁠thought it was safe in international waters,” Hegseth said at the Pentagon....

Israel’s defence minister on Wednesday threatened whoever Iran picks to be the country’s next supreme leader, saying he will be “a target for elimination”. Israel Katz made the statement on X. “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people - will be a target for elimination,” he wrote. One of Khamenei’s potential successors is...

With major Persian Gulf aviation hubs largely paralysed by airspace closures amid the escalating conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran, travellers have flocked to direct Asia-Europe routes, driving a sharp surge in airfares. This week, economy class on most direct one-way Beijing-Paris flights is fully booked, with a small number of economy seats – plus premium economy and business class seats – remaining. Economy seats on an Air China flight on Sunday are already booked out, with a one-way...

US Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will square off in a high-stakes run-off for ⁠the state’s Republican nomination for Senate, pitting a long-time member of the party’s establishment against an insurgent hardliner as the midterm elections kicked off on Tuesday. Neither man was able to exceed the 50 per cent threshold necessary to win outright in Tuesday’s voting, ensuring that the most expensive Senate primary in history will extend another 12 weeks into May. The...

Iranian ⁠Kurdish militias have consulted with the United States in recent days ⁠about whether, and how, to attack Iran’s security forces in the western part of the country, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter. The Iranian Kurdish coalition of groups based on the Iran-Iraq border in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan has been training to mount such an attack in hopes of weakening the country’s military, as the United States and Israel pound Iranian targets with...

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday ordered France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to move from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean to help protect allied assets during the war in the Middle East. Macron said the Charles de Gaulle carrier will be escorted by frigates and its air wing. In a pre-recorded speech on French television, Macron added that Rafale fighter jets, air-defence systems and airborne radar systems have been deployed over the past few hours in the Middle East. “And we...

The Trump administration has changed its mind on its decision to walk away from appealing against its loss in lawsuits over executive orders targeted at four Big Law firms. The US Justice Department on Tuesday afternoon moved to withdraw its motion to voluntarily dismiss the appeals of its cases against Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Susman Godfrey and Jenner & Block. The motion comes after the Justice Department on Tuesday sent an email to the four law firms signalling it would file the motion to...

Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi urged his Israeli counterpart to help bring about an immediate end to the war in Iran during a call on Tuesday, reportedly held at Israel’s request. The call came three days after Israel and the United States launched a massive attack on Tehran, killing its Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his wife and senior Iranian officials, prompting largely ineffective Iranian counter-attacks across the Middle East to date. “China opposes any military strikes launched by...

Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s death is “historically significant” but will not “automatically” lead to the fall of the Iranian system, the widow of the country’s last shah said in an interview on Tuesday. “The passing of a man – however central he may be to the architecture of power – does not automatically mean the end of a system,” said Farah Pahlavi, three days after US-Israeli strikes on Iran killed Khamenei. The attacks on Iran have thrown the Middle East into turmoil and raised...

A US man who gave his teenage son the gun he is accused of using to kill two students and two teachers at a Georgia high school was convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday. Jurors took less than two hours to find Colin Gray guilty of all charges in the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, northeast of Atlanta. Gray is one of a number of parents prosecuted after their children were accused in fatal shootings across the country. Colin Gray...

A sell-off for stocks wrapped around the world and hit Wall Street on Tuesday, while oil prices climbed even higher on worries about the widening war with Iran. But the big moves that rocked markets in the morning eased substantially as the day progressed. By the end of trading, the S&P 500 had sunk 0.9 per cent. That would be a solid loss on a typical day, but the index had been down as much as 2.5 per cent in the morning because of worries that the war may do more sustained damage to the...

China could potentially face shortages of methanol – a vital input for several industries – if the Iran war drags on and causes lengthy disruptions to shipping traffic along the Strait of Hormuz, analysts said. Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, is a chemical compound that is widely used by Chinese producers. It is both a biofuel and a key raw material for a range of products – from paint and formaldehyde to plastics and synthetic fabrics. The growing conflict in the Middle East could be a...

Many American wars begin with the assumption that brute force will lead to a swift and decisive victory. While the US military is highly effective at conventional deterrence, it has consistently struggled to defeat adversaries employing asymmetric tactics. In conflicts such as Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen, Washington repeatedly underestimated its adversaries by assessing their strength based on their ability to fight conventionally. Iran represents the most dangerous iteration of...

From Venezuela to Iran, a wave of military interventions by the United States threatens to disrupt China’s oil supplies – and could accelerate Beijing’s transition away from fossil fuels, according to analysts. “Geopolitical tensions often serve as a reminder that heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels represents a structural vulnerability,” said Shen Xinyi, a researcher at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. The current turmoil could reinforce Beijing’s growing emphasis on...

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has wasted no time positioning himself as a diplomatic broker in the Middle East, offering to mediate between Iran and the United States even as the bombs are still falling. The problem, critics say, is that Indonesia stopped being neutral the moment it joined US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”. Jakarta’s offer came on Saturday, hours after US and Israeli strikes began hitting Iran. Prabowo was willing to travel to Tehran in person if all parties...

Since Iran came under US and Israeli attack on Saturday, its retaliatory missile and drone barrages have struck Saudi oil refineries, the world’s largest LNG plant in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates’ trade and transit infrastructure. Now the Gulf is signalling it has had enough of just absorbing the hits. None of the six Arab monarchies of the Gulf Cooperation Council wanted this war, analysts say. They had spent months trying to mediate a way out of the confrontation, warning of precisely...

Europe woke to a fresh surge in energy prices on Monday as the escalating war in the Middle East disrupted oil shipments and natural gas production in one of the world’s most critical energy-producing regions. The continent’s benchmark natural gas price, the Dutch TTF, rose by more than 40 per cent at one point amid mounting reports of supply disruptions following American and Israeli attacks on Iran and Iranian retaliation against regional targets. Qatar’s state-owned QatarEnergy said it had...

Just several days into the conflict, the Iran war has become attritional. Waves of drone attacks by the Islamic Republic are putting pressure on the defences of the US and its partners from Bahrain to the United Arab Emirates, depleting weapons stockpiles. The outcome of the fight may depend on which side runs out of munitions first. Shahed-136 one-way attack drones, small, rudimentary cruise missiles, continued to pound targets across the Middle East on Monday. The drones have in recent days...

Commercial satellite imagery has captured what appears to be the first known strikes on an Iranian nuclear site since the start of the US-Israeli air operation, an independent policy institute said on Monday. The Institute for Science and International Security said imagery produced by Colorado-based Vantor showed two strikes on access points to the underground uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, which was hit by the US last June. David Albright, a former UN ‌nuclear inspector and founder of the...

India wants 100 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by mid-century. It currently has roughly 8GW. Getting there will require not just capital, technology and political will, but a reliable fuel supply that domestic production alone cannot provide. The 10-year uranium agreement signed on Monday when Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney met his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi is designed to address exactly that constraint. Analysts say it is a structural commitment – one intended to meet...

Rising tensions in the Middle East following attacks on Iran are having an impact on the trade corridors and investment plans of Chinese exporters and investors, who had seen Iran and the broader region as crucial growth markets. Joint strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel since Saturday have left shipments stalled, payments delayed and clients unreachable, Chinese businesspeople said. For many of them, the disruption has been direct and immediate. David Xie, an executive at a...

Filipina carer Charlot David made the run back and forth to the bomb shelter several times before deciding it was better to simply stay there. The 44-year-old mother of four, who has lived through “several wars” since moving to Israel in 2008, knew exactly what to do when the ear-splitting alert on her mobile phone first woke her on Saturday. “Our flat is three minutes away from the bomb shelter, so we really have to run fast,” she said in a video interview from her employer’s home in Rehovot, a...

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin America relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China becomes Brazil’s biggest vehicle exporter in January, surpassing Argentina China surpassed Argentina in February to become Brazil’s largest exporter of vehicles, solidifying Chinese brands’ dominance in the region’s biggest car market and undercutting a long-standing Argentine...

US officials are considering caps on the number of AI accelerators Nvidia can export to any one Chinese company, which would further constrain the chipmaker’s re-entry into a crucial market. The Trump administration has talked about limiting Chinese firms to buying 75,000 of Nvidia’s H200 chips each, according to people familiar with the matter. Shipments of Advanced Micro Devices’ MI325 chips, which have similar capabilities, would also count towards a customer’s cap, the people said. These...

Former US president Bill Clinton said in sworn testimony released on Monday by a US congressional committee that he had no knowledge of the sex crimes of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Clinton also said President Donald Trump, a one-time close friend of Epstein, “never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper with regard to Epstein either”. Bill Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, were deposed last week by the Republican-led...

A French court on Monday reduced on appeal the prison sentences of three men convicted over the 2020 jihadist beheading of a teacher who showed a class cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. Samuel Paty, 47, was murdered in October 2020 by Abdoullakh Anzorov, an 18-year-old radical Islamist of Chechen origin, in an act that horrified France. Anzorov was killed in a shoot-out with police. Two friends of Anzorov, French national Naim Boudaoud and Azim Epsirkhanov, a Russian of Chechen origin, had their...

A £2 billion (US$2.68 billion) class action will claim that millions of PlayStation users in the UK are overcharged for games on the console in the latest legal challenge against technology firms’ market dominance. The case, brought by consumer champion Alex Neill on behalf of an estimated 12.2 million gamers, accuses Sony of levying “excessive and unfair” charges on downloads from its PlayStation Store. The antitrust claim is set to be heard by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London from...

President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France will expand its atomic arsenal and could deploy nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries for the first time, as he unveiled an unprecedented plan to bolster security on the continent. Speaking from the Ile Longue nuclear submarine base as the clock ticks on his presidency, Macron announced that eight European countries including Germany, Poland, Sweden and Britain had agreed to participate in what he called a “forward” nuclear deterrence...

A federal appeal court on Monday rejected US President Donald Trump’s push to delay legal proceedings linked to refunds of his tariffs, allowing the battle to proceed in a lower court. The Supreme Court last month delivered a stinging rebuke of Trump’s signature economic policy by striking down many of his global tariffs, opening the door to a complicated legal fight as companies sue for their money back. The tariffs ruled illegal by the high court had generated more than US$130 billion for the...

The simmering war in the Middle East fractured Europe on Monday, as allies clashed, tempers flared and the shock waves from the US and Israeli bombing of Iran threatened to reverberate through the continent. The crisis exposed a familiar European fault line: while leaders insist they are the last guardians of the rules-based international order, they remain split over how to respond when allies bend or break those rules. With oil price spikes threatening to compound the European economic...

A triceratops skeleton that stood in a Wyoming museum for decades will be auctioned off, a rare instance of a museum-exhibited dinosaur going to the auction block just as the market for the prehistoric giants has hit record highs. The fossil, dubbed “Trey”, will be open for bidding from March 17 to 31 on Joopiter, an online auction platform founded by Grammy-winning artist and producer Pharrell Williams. It has a pre-auction estimate of US$4.5 million to US$5.5 million. Dating back more than 66...

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that US forces would press ahead with “ferocious, unyielding resolve” to “eliminate the intolerable threat posed by this sick and sinister regime” in Iran, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that “the hardest hits are yet to come”. “We projected for four to five weeks, but we have the capability to go longer than that,” Trump said, adding: “We’re already substantially ahead of our time projection”. In his speech on Monday at a White House...

The goal, announced at a gathering of Communist Party leaders, was the lowest since 1991 and can offer clues about China’s policymaking plans.

Hollywood careers don’t always begin where you expect them to, as Jessie Buckley, Teyana Taylor and Emma Stone could tell you.

The day after being forced into a runoff to keep his seat, Representative Tony Gonzales confirmed that he had an extramarital affair with an aide who later took her own life.

Prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington were unable to build a case, underscoring the department’s increasing inability to follow through on the president’s desire to indict his rivals.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pushed back against her department’s inspector general, who told Congress in a letter that she had “systematically obstructed” his office’s work.

Camp East Montana in Texas has been under growing scrutiny over its living conditions and has been grappling with a measles outbreak.

Several of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s employees are under investigation for official misconduct under her leadership.

Known for reviving football programs, he led six major colleges to bowl games, winning a national championship in 1989 after restoring the Irish to greatness.

A well-known conservative radio host in New York called Mayor Zohran Mamdani a cockroach, resurfacing anti-Muslim sentiments that the mayor said were all too common.

Andrea Fraser had long felt that she was to blame for the years her mother, Carmen de Monteflores, was overlooked. Now Carmen is 92. Can the Whitney Biennial make amends?

In a recent review, a small group of patients received the injections less frequently but still maintained weight loss and health benefits.

A study of over 275 violins suggests that Antonio Stradivari used wood from high-altitude forests in northern Italy to craft some of his most renowned instruments.

Carolin Widmann had to cradle her centuries-old, multimillion-dollar instrument during a flight to Germany. Her predicament resonated with musicians who have faced similar challenges.

Texas politics is in constant churn.

Hungary. Cuba. Afghanistan. Iraq. Now Iran?

Also, sea levels may be higher than we thought. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.

We may want to cover your big night for a story about high school’s most important event.

The man fired shots at law enforcement and civilian vehicles before he was killed during a pursuit along Interstate 10 in West Texas.

A federal judge found that the designation for CAIR, one of the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy groups, had violated the organization’s First Amendment rights.

Drug gangs have turned the South American country into one of the most dangerous in the region and the world’s leading exporter of cocaine.

The Justice Department had John Abbamondi testify at an antitrust trial to support its case that Live Nation has acted as a monopoly, an accusation the company denies.