Minimalist News

The Fog Of Oil Authored by Matthew Piepenburg via VonGreyerz.gold, War, oil and gold are making headlines of late for overlapping and independent reasons. Below, we avoid the guesswork, finger-pointing or sensationalism attendant to current headlines concerning Iran and stick to a theme which offers some clarity, namely the interplay of oil and gold. THE FUNDAMENTALS STAY THE SAME For years, of course, we have tracked the fundamental drivers which impact the gold price (from DXY debates, inflation signals, and de-dollarization headlines to COMEX outflows). All of these complex signals and themes ultimately boil down to a simple realization: Gold rises as debt-trapped nations debase their currencies to monetize their

Oracle & OpenAI Scrap Texas Data Center Expansion Plan, Sending AI Stocks Lower AI-related stocks are sliding late in the New York cash session after Bloomberg News reported that Oracle and OpenAI have scrapped plans to expand the Stargate AI data center in Abilene, Texas, from about 1.2 GW to 2.0 GW. Sources said the expansion was canceled after talks stalled over financing issues and OpenAI's changing demand forecasts. However, the collapse of the Oracle-OpenAI plans has opened the door for Meta, which is now in talks to lease the space instead. Nvidia is reportedly helping to broker that deal and has

Trump Ready To Continue Operations Until Iranians "Can't Fight Any Longer" Summary: * Trump sticking to surrender demand, freshly telling Axios, but tweaking the messaging a bit compared to earlier: "Unconditional surrender could be that [the Iranians] announce it. But it could also be when they can't fight any longer because they don't have anyone or anything to fight with."  * Trump's expected timeline on Operation Epic Fury: WH Press Secretary Leavitt: "Four to six weeks." And Leavitt further tweaks Trump's message... ops to continue till "Iran can no longer pose a threat to the U.S. and our troops in the Middle East."

Nearly 20,000 Americans Have Safely Returned Home From The Mid-East: State Dept Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Nearly 20,000 U.S. citizens have returned safely from the Middle East since Feb. 28, when the Iran conflict broke out, Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary at the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, said in a March 5 statement. Smoke rises from a reported Iranian strike in the industrial district of Doha, Qatar, on March 1, 2026. Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images “These figures do not include the many Americans who have safely relocated to other countries or those who have departed the Middle

ASP Isotopes Signs MOU With Major Nuclear Operator ASP Isotopes announced Thursday that its Quantum Leap Energy (QLE) subsidiary has entered “a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a large publicly traded U.S. energy company that operates nuclear power stations”. Under the agreement, the utility will evaluate options to provide support and potential financing for QLE’s planned U.S. facilities focused on High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU), LEU+, uranium conversion and deconversion services. Discussions could also lead to long-term enriched uranium supply contracts, according to the press release. QLE’s CEO described the move as an important validation of the need for reliable

Did Trump Force China's Hand? Beijing Nears 500-Jet Boeing Deal Ahead Of Xi Summit Boeing shares moved higher in late-afternoon trading in New York after Bloomberg News reported that the planemaker may be nearing one of the largest sales in its history, potentially to be unveiled during President Trump's trip to China later this month. People familiar with the potential Boeing-China jet deal said it could be announced during President Trump's trip to Beijing from March 31 to April 2. They said the deal includes a 500-plane order for 737 Max jets, with additional talks covering approximately 100 widebody aircraft, including 787

It Was All A Mirage: 2.5 Million Native-Born US Workers Were Just Revised Away One of Donald Trump's core pre-election promises (along with cracking down on immigration and no more foreign wars) was to boost employment for local-born Americans at the expense of the record employment for foreign-born, mostly illegal, workers. And for a while it worked: four months ago, when discussing the September jobs report, we said that while the broader report was generally mixed, it was "indisputably strong when it comes to one thing: the rotation from foreign born workers to domestic ones. To wit: in September, the number of

"Most Dangerous Geopolitical Blitz Since Bretton Woods": Trump Says Cuba's Communist Regime Is Next To Fall "We've got plenty of time, but Cuba's ready," President Trump told CNN in an interview on Friday morning. The president told CNN reporter Dana Bash that Havana will "fall pretty soon" and that he will "place Marco over there."  > 2/7 ON CUBA: President Trump said, "Cuba is gonna fall pretty soon." He said he's going to "put Marco over there" and "we've got plenty of time, but Cuba's ready." > > — Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) March 6, 2026 The Trump administration has communicated for months about toppling

Virginia Democrats Move To Require Teaching Jan. 6th As An "Insurrection" Authored by Jonathan Turley, Virginia Democrats are moving to require teachers to tell students that Jan. 6th was an “insurrection” and effectively bar them from referencing “peaceful protests” or election irregularities. The characterization of the riot as an insurrection is historically and legally false. However, any parents who want to send their children to Virginia public schools would have to accept this form of indoctrination as part of their children’s education. In the last election, Democrats campaigned as moderates, including Abigail Spanberger. Once in control of the Governor’s mansion and the legislature, however,

Anthropic CEO Apologizes For 'Dictator Trump' Meltdown Memo, Downplays 'Supply Chain Risk' Designation, And Is Going To Sue As Anthropic attempts to salvage their relationship with the Trump administration, CEO Dario Amodei publicly apologized Thursday for the inflammatory tone of his leaked internal memo that accused the White House of targeting his company because it hadn't offered "dictator-style praise" to President Trump. The apology came in his first major interview since the Pentagon's Department of War (DoW) formally designated Anthropic a supply chain risk to national security - effective immediately - marking the first time such a label has been applied

What If The Automatic Stock Buying Just...Stops?  Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance My readers know that for the last couple of years I’ve repeatedly warned about the “passive bid” in markets. By that I mean the constant, automatic buying of stocks driven by retirement plans, ETFs, and other systematic investment programs. This bid isn’t discretionary. It doesn’t ask whether valuations are reasonable and it doesn’t care whether earnings justify prices. It simply asks one question: did money flow in? If the answer is yes, it buys. It buys regardless of valuation, regardless of timing, and regardless of fundamentals. This dynamic has created a market that

Trump Says He's "Not Concerned" About Biggest Gas Pump Price Spike In Years Americans are experiencing a sharp rise in gas prices this week, with the national average gasoline price posting its largest weekly jump since the early days of the Russia-Ukraine war. If fuel prices continue to climb as the U.S.-Israeli Operation Epic Fury intensifies against Iran, the fallout for consumer sentiment may weigh on the broader economy and affect voting polls in the near term. The surge in gasoline and diesel prices at pumps nationwide doesn't appear to be a concern for President Trump (at least not yet). "I don't have

Appeals Court Rules Trump Can Suspend Refugee Admissions Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times, President Donald Trump has legal authority to indefinitely suspend the admission of foreign nationals who are trying to enter the United States through its refugee resettlement program, a federal appeals court ruled on March 5. Trump froze refugee resettlement programs as he took office in January 2025. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued the new opinion in the case known as Pacito v. Trump. The panel overturned most of the injunctions that Seattle-based U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead issued in February

Kuwait Cuts Oil Output As Qatar Warns Hormuz Chokepoint Chaos Risks Global Shock Update (1126ET): Kuwait began cutting crude oil output after storage tank farms began filling up, as crude could no longer be loaded onto very large crude carriers and transported through the Strait of Hormuz, according to The Wall Street Journal. Sources say the OPEC founding member is now weighing broader reductions in crude production and refining, potentially limiting operations to only domestic demand, with a decision expected within days. UBS analyst Nana Antiedu noted that Brent crude futures climbed to $91/bbl after WSJ released the report. WSJ noted: > Data provider Kpler said

Jobs Shock: US Lost 92K Payrolls In February, Far Below Lowest Estimate, As Unemployment Rate Rises In our nonfarm payrolls preview, we quoted JPMorgan's Market Intel desk which said that "for this print, the stronger the better", which by implication means that a poor number would be bad. By that logic, the actual number couldn't be any worse, because moments ago the BLS reported that in February, the US lost 92,000 jobs, a huge drop from the downward revised (of course) 126K in January, and the second worst print since 2020 (only October's shock -140K was worse), and this time, the massive

Iran's Financial Hub, The UAE, May Freeze Billions In Assets Over Retaliatory Strikes The United Arab Emirates is pissed after Iran targeted Dubai and other US allies with over 1,000 drones and missiles in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks over the last week - and is now weighing freezing billions of dollars in Iranian assets held in the Gulf state, according to the WSJ, citing people familiar with the discussions. If that happens, it could sever one of Tehran's most vital economic lifelines.  A black plume of smoke rises from a warehouse at the industrial area of Sharjah City in the United Arab Emirates following reports of Iranian strikes

From 'Model Migrant' To Wife-Chopper: Integration Poster-Boy Accused Of Grisly Murder Via Remix News, The Eritrean migrant accused of dismembering his partner and the mother of his daughter was once held up as a “model migrant” 10 years ago in a variety of German newspapers. These papers reported that he was an example of how “integration” could work. Today, 41-year-old Asmerom G. is accused of butchering his own wife. In fact, authorities have still not found her head. German media were still singing his praises in 2016. The man from Eritrea had landed a job as an electrical assistant at a firm in Rheinbach,

Russia Giving Iran Targeting Intelligence Of American Warships, Aircraft: US Officials The Trump-ordered US-Israeli attack on Iran is continuing to create an array of 'unknowns' while steadily drawing in outside powers, with the most significant Friday development being The Washington Post reporting that Russia has been providing Iran with intelligence on the locations of US military assets in the Middle East, including warships and aircraft. US officials described the effort as "a pretty comprehensive effort" by Moscow, though the accuracy of the intelligence remains unclear - the paper admits. What follows is the money quote: > "Russia is providing Iran with targeting information to attack American forces

US Retail Sales Dropped In January As Weather, Weak Gas Prices Weigh This morning's retail sales data is for January (still lagging due to the govt shutdown) and is expected to be a decline (BofA's omniscient analysts see a worse than consensus drop MoM, due in large part to weather disruptions). The actual print was a decline but slightly better than expected at -0.2% MoM. Despite two months of no increase, sales rose 3.2% YoY in January (increased from December) Source: Bloomberg The decline was driven by a decline in sales at gas stations (lower gas prices) and Health Personal Care Stores. Motor Vehicles

Futures, Global Markets Tumble As Oil Soars Amid Fears Of Lenghty Energy Crisis Seven days into the war on Iran and markets are getting increasingly shaky. US equity futures tumbled ahead of the February jobs report, and are on pace to close the worst week for global markets since 2020 deep in the red as the selloff in global bonds deepened after another jump in oil prices fanned fears that the war in the Middle East is fueling inflation. As of 8:00am ET, S&P 500 futures were 0.7% lower while contracts on the Nasdaq 100 fell 0.9% with all Mag7 names lower in

Landmark ruling in Celia Ramos case finds 310,000 women, most Indigenous, were targeted in brutal 1990s campaign The highest human rights court in Latin America condemned Peru on Thursday over the death of its citizen Celia Ramos, who died at the age of 34 in 1997 after undergoing sterilisation “under coercion”. The landmark ruling by the inter-American court of human rights (IACHR) is the first on Peru’s forced sterilisation programme, which operated between 1996 and 2000 and was directed against poor, rural and Indigenous women. Continue reading...

Police say Masood Masjoody was most likely murdered; Iranian expats suspect he was killed for his criticism of the theocratic regime Police in Canada have concluded that a missing Iranian activist was most likely the victim of murder, prompting fears that his disappearance has the hallmarks of a transnational repression campaign targeting critics of Tehran. Masood Masjoody, a mathematician critical of both Iran’s theocratic regime and the exiled family of the former shah, went missing in early February in the city of Burnaby, British Columbia. Continue reading...

Experts say US influence over South American neighbour will be hard to replicate in country with deep and long-standing antipathy to the west First, the CIA tracks the head of an oil-rich, US-baiting nation to a heavily guarded compound at the heart of his country’s mountain-flanked capital. Then, that leader is removed from power with a deadly and irresistible show of US military force. Continue reading...

Re-establishing diplomatic relations will support Venezuela’s economy, US state department claims, amid push for minerals access Venezuela and the US are restoring diplomatic ties, the two countries announced Thursday, in a new sign of thawing relations after Washington ousted former president Nicolás Maduro. The announcement came as US interior secretary Doug Burgum wrapped up a two-day trip to Venezuela, part of US president Donald Trump’s push for greater access to the country’s mineral wealth. Continue reading...

Critics sceptical Pentagon chief’s plan for increased military force – amid rising US intervention – will stop drug gangs Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, has urged Latin American countries to adopt a more aggressive approach against drug cartels, warning that the Trump administration may otherwise act unilaterally in the region. Hegseth’s remarks come in a context of escalating US intervention in the region, both militarily and in elections, which culminated in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro – the first US ground military attack on a South American country. Continue reading...

Platforms include YouTube, TikTok and Instagram as communication minister says ‘our children face real threats’ Indonesia will ban social media for children under 16, its communication and digital affairs minister said on Friday. Meutya Hafid said in a statement to media said that she signed a government regulation that will mean children under the age of 16 can no longer have accounts on high-risk digital platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Roblox and Bigo Live, a popular livestreaming site. With a population of about 285 million, the fourth-highest in the world, the south-east Asian nation represents a significant market for

South-east Asian country limits air conditioning and travel for public officials amid soaring fuel prices * Middle East crisis – live updates The Philippines is searching for ways to conserve energy in response to surging fuel costs, with public officials ordered to cut back on air conditioning usage and reduce travel. All national government agencies, state universities and colleges, and local government branches have been told to reduce fuel consumption by at least 10% in response to the crisis in the Middle East. Government offices have been told to adopt flexible work arrangements, and to set air conditioning units no lower than 24

Decision marks end of years-long legal saga for 78-year-old critic of Chinese Communist party Jimmy Lai, the prominent pro-democracy activist who was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong, has said he will not appeal his conviction. The decision marks the end of a years-long legal saga for the 78-year-old critic of the Chinese Communist party (CCP), and opens the door for political negotiations to his release. Continue reading...

Pacific island says the US weakened its proposal to advance a key climate ruling but vows to hold major polluters accountable The Trump administration’s attempt to sink a UN resolution demanding countries act on the climate crisis has caused cuts to the proposal but hasn’t entirely killed it, according to the tiny Pacific island country spearheading the effort. The US has demanded that Vanuatu, an archipelago in the south Pacific, drop its UN draft resolution that calls on the world to implement a landmark international court of justice (ICJ) ruling from last year that countries could face paying reparations if they fail

Reports of attack on US registered tanker in Gulf lifts crude by 3% to $84 a barrel as gas price also starts to climb * Business live – latest updates * Middle East crisis – live updates Stock markets have rebounded in Asia after days of heavy losses driven by the war in the Middle East, but oil and gas prices have continued to climb amid disruption to supplies. South Korea’s KOSPI, which posted its biggest ever fall on Tuesday of 12%, rose by almost 10% on Thursday, while Japan’s Nikkei climbed by 1.9%. MSCI’s Asia-Pacific

Global markets have become inured to the US president’s posturing over the past year, but economists warn they may be ‘a little bit complacent’ in anticipating a short conflict in the Middle East Investors over the past year have learned that Donald Trump has a boundless capacity to quickly reverse course in the face of acute political or market pressures. But a week since the United States and Israel launched missile strikes on Iran, there are fears the war could morph into a protracted conflict. Patrick Commins is Guardian Australia’s economics editor Continue reading...

Jenny Ware says party is ‘at crisis point’ and cannot be competitive at election time unless it selects candidates who better reflect the makeup of Australia * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The former Liberal MP Jenny Ware says her party must implement gender quotas for candidates for office, warning the opposition “cannot get back into government” without putting forward candidates who are more reflective of the broader community. Ware, who lost her seat of Hughes at the 2025 election, said it was “deeply embarrassing” that the Liberal party executive had not released its own review

Greg Craven, a former vice-chancellor of Australian Catholic University, chosen after no other bids made for the tender * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia’s antisemitism envoy hand-picked Greg Craven to lead her controversial university report card process after receiving no response from five firms approached during an open tender process. Documents released under freedom of information laws showed Jillian Segal’s office initially approached three independent consulting firms and two law firms to potentially conduct the assessment of Australian universities and how well they were dealing with antisemitism on campus, but all of them declined to

Statement by breakfast co-host about ‘speculation and misinformation’ appears to contradict comments made by the network Jackie ‘O’ Henderson has broken her silence to say she did “not quit or resign” from the Kyle and Jackie O Show, and she is “deeply saddened” the hit breakfast radio show may come to an end. “I am deeply saddened by the events of the past week and the possibility of the show ending,” she said. “This has come as a shock to me, as it has to everyone else.” Continue reading...

Yuin man Gregory Merriman did not have a chronic health screening before suffering a fatal heart attack in Silverwater prison in 2022 * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A NSW coroner who investigated the death in custody of a member of the Stolen Generations has criticised plans to delay health screenings for Indigenous inmates, saying it could result in problems being missed. Gregory Merriman, a 58-year-old Yuin man and direct descendant of revered Yuin leader Umbarra, died at Silverwater’s Metropolitan Reception and Remand Centre (MRRC) in Sydney’s western suburbs in December 2022. Indigenous Australians can call 13YARN

Exclusive: MoD-contracted workers assisting Ukrainians in a way ‘no other nation has been willing to do’, says minister In an unmarked and undisclosed location in western Ukraine, British and Ukrainian engineers work side by side to fix damaged military hardware, crawling under the chassis of artillery systems and pulling apart the insides of British-donated howitzers. Until now, the existence of this facility, along with three other similar sites inside Ukraine, has been kept quiet, buried in neutral language to avoid drawing too much attention to the sites, given the sensitivities of all military-linked work inside Ukraine. Continue reading...

Foreign minister wants ‘conversation’ about closing UK military sites following lack of warning of impending attack on RAF Akrotiri * Middle East crisis – live updates Cyprus’s foreign minister has said there are “questions” about the future of the UK’s military bases on the island after the drone strike last Sunday. The attack on RAF Akrotiri, suspected to have been launched by Hezbollah in Lebanon, caused minimal damage and did not result in casualties. Continue reading...

The European media giant Axel Springer has scuppered the Daily Mail owner. But why did it not bid sooner? And what will Brexit-backing readers think? After three years, a series of failed bids stretching from the US to Abu Dhabi, internal rebellions and even changes in the law, it should be no surprise that the tortured sale of the Telegraph has delivered another spectacular twist with a blockbuster offer from the media giant Axel Springer. It has torpedoed the long-held dreams of the Daily Mail proprietor, Lord Rothermere, to secure the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph and begin the next chapter of

Ukraine police investigating what foreign ministry calls a ‘hostage’ situation involving seven employees of Oschadbank stopped by Hungary Icelandic foreign minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir submitted a government motion for a referendum on resuming accession talks with the European Union, proposing the vote should take place on 29 August, state broadcaster RUV has reported. The draft resolution will be put to Icelandic parliament for approval next week. Continue reading...

Seven Ukrainians arrested and money-laundering investigation launched in latest spat between Kyiv and Budapest An increasingly acrimonious spat between Hungary and Ukraine has escalated further, as Budapest impounded two Ukrainian armoured bank vehicles carrying millions of euros of hard cash as well as bars of gold. Seven Ukrainian citizens accompanying the convoy were also arrested. Hungarian officials said the detained Ukrainians had intelligence links and suggested the money could be of dubious origin, while Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, accused Budapest of “taking hostages and stealing money”. Continue reading...

Israel launched huge attacks on Iran and Lebanon overnight; Iran’s deputy foreign minister warns that any nations that join in US-Israel attacks will become ‘legitimate targets’ * Tell us: how have you been affected by the latest events in the Middle East? Iran and Lebanon were hit with a wave of intense Israeli strikes overnight. Israel’s military said Friday morning it had begun “a broad-scale wave of strikes” on Tehran, Iran’s capital. Continue reading...

US president again calls on Iranian people to overthrow government or face ‘absolutely guaranteed death’ * Middle East crisis – live updates Donald Trump has said only Iran’s “unconditional surrender” will bring an end to the offensive launched seven days ago, as the US and Israel carried out some of the heaviest bombardments so far in the conflict. “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Friday, when US strategic bombers were in action over Iran and intensive Israeli strikes in Lebanon forced more than 1 million people to flee their homes. Continue

People tell of scenes of panic during airstrikes on Iran’s capital, with several saying they feared they would die * Middle East crisis – live updates Sleeplessness, fear and exhaustion gripped residents of Tehran as successive waves of strikes struck the Iranian capital, judging from messages sent by people in the city after the latest overnight onslaught, which several described as the worst bombardment in six days of war. With Iran imposing a near-total internet blackout, information emerging from inside the country is fragmentary and difficult to verify. But in a series of accounts sent through proxy connections, and calls with friends

The normally vibrant southern suburbs are a ghost town, their throngs of people replaced by rubble and fires The ding of half a million phones, a pause and a collective gasp: in an instant, more than 500,000 people had been made homeless. Shooting in the air, panicked phone calls and honking filled the streets of Beirut as people began to flee. Thousands abandoned their cars and began the slow march to the sea, desperate to escape the Israeli bombs which they knew would soon fall on their homes, whether they were in them or not. Continue reading...

Reports Kuwait was cutting output pushed up cost of barrel of Brent crude to highest weekly gain since Covid pandemic began The Iran conflict has driven the oil price past $90 a barrel to its highest weekly gains since the Covid-19 pandemic six years ago, threatening a fresh rise in global inflation. Reports that Kuwait had begun cutting production of oil at some fields after running out of space to store it drove the cost of a barrel of Brent crude to as high as $91.89 at one point on Friday – its highest since April 2024 and up from about $72.50

Urgent request to dock is submitted by vessel after US submarine sank Iranian warship in same area on Tuesday * Middle East crisis – live updates Sri Lanka has evacuated 208 crew members from an Iranian navy vessel that made an emergency request to dock, a day after a US submarine strike sank another Iranian frigate, killing more than 80 people on board. Sri Lanka’s president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, on Thursday confirmed that the country’s navy would take over Iranian military support ship IRIS Bushehr and allow it to dock at the north-eastern port of Trincomalee. Continue reading...

Early results may be released from Friday after first election since gen z protests forced Nepal’s then-PM to quit Nearly six months after a wave of unprecedented gen Z-led protests forced Nepal’s then prime minister to quit, people have voted in a general election that is shaping up to be a high-stakes showdown between the entrenched old guard and a powerful youth movement. “The voting process has been concluded peacefully and enthusiastically,” said the chief election commissioner, Ram Prasad Bhandari. It appeared the turnout was only about 60%, according to initial estimates, the lowest in more than two decades. 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. The frigate was sailing in international waters as it returned from a naval exercise organised by India in the Bay of Bengal. The torpedo strike

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...

Gillian Morand, 36, died in Bexley, south-east London in 2020 after which allegations against her husband emerged A man has been charged with manslaughter over the death of a woman in 2020, in a rare prosecution of alleged domestic abuse linked to suicide, police have said. Gillian Morand, 36, died in Bexley, south-east London, and an inquest concluded she had taken her own life. Continue reading...

James Robinson, husband of Gloria De Piero, says police visited their home with a warrant but he has not been detained or questioned The husband of former Labour MP Gloria De Piero has confirmed his home was searched on Wednesday as part of a police investigation into an alleged Chinese spying ring. James Robinson, a former aide to the ex-Labour deputy leader Tom Watson, issued a statement confirming the raid on the home he shares with his wife, but said he had not been detained or questioned by police. Continue reading...

Stephen McCullagh also covertly recorded ex-girlfriend’s counselling sessions after loss of a baby, jury hears A man accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend in Northern Ireland beat a previous partner, a court has heard. Stephen McCullagh also covertly recorded the counselling sessions of the woman, just months before he met and allegedly killed Natalie McNally, Belfast crown court was told on Friday. Continue reading...

Three women in their 40s, 50s and 60s interviewed under caution in relation to alleged abuse by late Harrods owner Three women have been interviewed under caution on suspicion of facilitating one of Britain’s worst sexual abuse scandals, involving the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed and his alleged attacks over four decades. Scotland Yard said 154 women may have been raped or sexually assaulted by Fayed, or been subject to human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Continue reading...

Styles will perform new album in full at Co-op Live arena show, with tickets being traded for well above £20 face value More than 20,000 fans from all over the world flocked towards the Co-op Live arena in Manchester on Friday to watch Harry Styles perform his first concert in two and a half years – some waiting 48 hours for a place down the front. Styles will perform his new album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally in full, after its release earlier today. Anticipation for the show had been high since tickets went on sale for £20 in early February,

President tells CNN country is going to ‘fall’ after earlier in the week claiming Cuba ‘wants to make a deal so badly’ * US lost 92,000 jobs in February just before Trump joined Iran conflict * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Military investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls’ school that killed scores of children on Saturday but have not yet reached a final conclusion, two US officials tell Reuters. Reuters was unable to determine further details about the investigation, including

Estefany Rodriguez Florez of Nashville Noticias, who had produced reports that were unflattering to ICE, was arrested during traffic stop US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a Spanish-language Tennessee news outlet’s reporter who had done stories critical of the agency – but agents didn’t have a warrant, according to court documents filed recently by her lawyer. A court filing Friday by ICE disputes the assertion that the reporter was arrested without a warrant. Continue reading...

Thousands in Chicago honored civil rights ‘champion’ who ‘stepped forward again and again’, Obama said At the longtime civil rights activist’s memorial celebration on Friday, the Rev Jesse Jackson was remembered as a “champion” for the “poor and the dispossessed” – as well as “one of the most effective community and political organizers of our time”. Such tributes came from past Democratic US presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, along with former vice-president Kamala Harris, who received cheers and applause while they joined thousands of others in a Chicago church for a celebration of life for Jackson. Continue reading...

Davidson said she found it difficult to remain, ‘given the external forces that are at work that are just so far beyond my control’ * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox The executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, a mainstay at the Kennedy Center, is leaving to head the Los Angeles-based Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. It’s the latest departure from the Kennedy Center since Donald Trump began asserting control over the storied performing arts venue in Washington. Continue reading...

Aaron Spencer would not be able to serve if he is convicted, and maintains he acted within the law to protect his child An Arkansas man accused of killing his teenage daughter’s alleged abuser recently won the Republican nomination for local sheriff while waiting to stand trial for murder in his rural county, where he ran on a message of seeing the failures of law enforcement. Aaron Spencer defeated Lonoke county sheriff John Staley in a primary election Tuesday, according to unofficial results posted by the Arkansas secretary of state. He would not be able to serve if he is convicted of

Beijing has pledged to expand imports and use its vast market to help other countries boost exports to the world’s second-largest economy – a move that could help balance global trade at a time when China’s export machine faces growing scrutiny. Beijing also planned to diversify markets and nurture new trade drivers such as artificial intelligence, seeking to stabilise trade as global supply chains come under mounting pressure from geopolitical conflicts, officials said. Commerce Minister Wang...

The United Nations on Friday demanded swift investigations into fatal Israeli strikes across Lebanon to decide if they followed international law. “The devastating impact of this renewed conflict is already before our eyes, with civilians paying a painfully heavy price,” UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva. “We urge the parties to step back from the brink of a major escalation of this conflict in Lebanon.” Her comments came as fresh Israeli strikes battered...

Two tankers loaded with fuel from Reliance Industries in India ⁠that were headed to Europe ⁠made U-turns and are now bound for ⁠Asia, according to two trade sources and ship-tracking data, as the refiner capitalises on firm Asian margins with the Iran war squeezing supply. The Advantage Life, which loaded around 100,000 metric tons (745,000 barrels) of diesel at Reliance’s Jamnagar refinery on February 28, is currently bound for Singapore, ‌according to Kpler, LSEG data and two trade...

Sri Lanka began transferring more than 200 sailors from an Iranian vessel to shore on Friday after the ship sought help while anchored outside the country’s waters, as tensions mounted in the Indian Ocean following the sinking of an Iranian warship by a US submarine. Sri Lanka navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said the sailors of the IRIS Bushehr were being brought first to the port of Colombo and the ship will later be moved to an eastern port on the island. “The disembarkation is in...

Four men were arrested in Britain on Friday on suspicion of assisting Iran’s intelligence service by spying on locations and people linked to London’s Jewish community, police said. The men – one Iranian national and three dual British-Iranians – were arrested by counterterrorism police at three separate addresses in the UK capital, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. The force’s head of counterterrorism policing, Helen Flanagan, said the arrests were “part of a long-running...

As the world’s largest oil and gas importer, China undoubtedly faces a significant disruption, what with the US-Israeli war on Iran and its cascading impact across the Gulf. But it could have been worse. Beijing has worked unstintingly for well over a decade to build energy self-reliance and reduce the role of fossil fuels in powering the country’s manufacturing economy. For leaders gathered in Beijing for the annual parliamentary “two sessions” meetings, which will endorse China’s 15th...

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What began as a US-Israeli assault on Iran is rapidly evolving into a conflict with the potential to spread far beyond the Middle East. Iranian missiles and drones have already struck or reached Turkey and Azerbaijan, while European powers are rushing additional warships, fighter jets and air defences to the eastern Mediterranean and Gulf to contain the fallout. Analysts warn the longer the war continues, the greater the risk that long-simmering regional fault lines – from Kurdish militancy to...

Spain’s Pedro Sanchez has once again emerged as Europe’s most consistently vocal critic of US President Donald Trump, drawing his ire for refusing to allow the American military to stage operations for its attacks on Iran from Spanish military bases. Trump lashed out at the Spanish prime minister on Tuesday, saying he would “cut off all trade with Spain” in retaliation for the affront. The spat intensified the next day when Spain’s foreign minister contradicted a claim by the White House press...

London’s child population is collapsing faster than anywhere in Britain as unaffordable housing and childcare costs drive young families away, a report by the London Assembly found. In the decade through 2023 the number of residents under ten years of age fell by 99,100 as families moved out and fertility rates crashed - even while the capital’s overall population increased by 506,000. Falling pupil numbers have prompted 100 of London’s 2,500 schools to close since 2018; mostly in inner London....

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘We couldn’t reach them’: Chinese firms’ Iran business in limbo after strikes 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...

The US Justice Department on Thursday released additional Jeffrey Epstein files involving uncorroborated accusations made by a woman against US President Donald Trump that the department said had been mistakenly withheld during an earlier review. The department said last week that it was working to determine if any records were improperly withheld after several news organisations reported that the massive tranche of records that had been made public did not include some files documenting a...

US military investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible ⁠for an apparent strike on an Iranian ⁠girls’ school that killed scores of children on Saturday ⁠but have not yet reached a final conclusion or completed their investigation, two US officials told Reuters. Reuters was unable to determine more details about the investigation, including what evidence contributed to the tentative assessment, what type of munition was used, who was responsible or why the US might have...

The US and Israel are striking a much wider array of targets in Iran than they did during 12 days of war last summer, when their focus was on the country’s nuclear enrichment sites. Now, the aim appears to be destroying Iran’s military and weakening the grip of its theocratic rulers, experts say. US Central Command alone says it has hit more than 2,000 targets in less than a week, a far heavier barrage than any American bombing campaign in the Middle East in more than a decade, according to...

Donald Trump and his attorney general were sued on Thursday by retail investors in two social media rivals of TikTok seeking to reverse the US president’s approval of a deal by the company’s Chinese owner ByteDance to form a majority American-owned joint venture. The lawsuit, the ‌first legal challenge to the deal, argues that Trump’s approval last year violated requirements set out in a 2024 divestiture law. Two California residents who hold shares in Alphabet and Meta Platforms sued, backed by...

Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun reached a US$10 million settlement to resolve a US Securities and Exchange Commission civil fraud case over his trading activity. Thursday’s settlement requires court approval, with the payment ‌made by one of Sun’s companies. It came as President Donald Trump, a Republican, pushes to make the US a global hub for the cryptocurrency industry. Sun and his companies did not admit or deny wrongdoing, the SEC said in a letter to US District Judge Edgardo...

A group of 24 US states sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday in the first legal challenge to his newly imposed 10 per cent global tariffs, alleging that the president cannot sidestep a recent US Supreme Court ruling that invalidated most of his previous tariffs on imported goods by citing new legal authority, according to ‌the states. The Democratic-led states, including New York, California and Oregon, argued that the new tariffs, which Trump announced immediately after the...

US President Donald Trump ⁠fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday after months of controversy, including the fatal ⁠shootings of two US citizens by federal officers in Minneapolis and lawmakers’ questions over a US$220 million advertising contract. The Republican president will tap Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her by the end of the month, he said on his Truth Social platform on Thursday. The appointment would require US Senate confirmation. “Kristi Noem, who...

Ukrainian military personnel are expected to arrive in the Gulf soon to help countries there fend off Iranian drone attacks, a senior Ukrainian official said on Friday. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that the United States had appealed for help from Kyiv downing Iranian drones that have been pummelling Israel and the Gulf over recent days. Those Iranian strikes across the region have come in response to US and Israeli attacks against Tehran that killed its supreme leader Ayatollah...

The US will not give India the same kind of economic advantages it gave China, which allowed that country to emerge as a major competitor, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on Thursday, signalling Washington’s cautiousness in negotiations over a trade deal. While the US wants to work with India to unlock its “limitless potential,” India should understand that “we are not going to make the same mistakes with India that we made with China 20 years ago”, Landau said at the Raisina...

US President Donald Trump called on Iran’s armed forces on Thursday to surrender or face the consequences and urged the nation’s diplomats to request asylum at their postings around the world. “I’m once again calling on all members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the military and the police, to lay down their arms,” Trump said. “So you’ll be perfectly safe with total immunity, or you’ll face absolutely guaranteed death, and I don’t want to see that.” Speaking at the White House at a sports...

Azerbaijan warned on Thursday that it was preparing unspecified response measures after a pair of Iranian drones flew across its border and injured four people in the Nakhchivan exclave, raising concern about further spillover of the ‌conflict in the Middle East. “These attacks will not remain unanswered,” the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said in a statement. It added that it was investigating the types of drones used in the attack, and “preparing the necessary response measures to protect the...

European powers said ⁠on Thursday they would work together to safeguard shipping in the Red Sea and send naval and other assets to protect Cyprus as the expanding US-Iran war entered its sixth day. The conflict – which has widened beyond Gulf states to the Mediterranean, where a drone strike hit a British airbase on Cyprus on Monday, and as far afield as Asia – has convulsed global markets and sent oil and gas prices soaring. Italy, ‌Spain, France and the Netherlands will send naval assets to...

The sinking of an Iranian warship by a US submarine off Sri Lanka’s coast has raised concerns across South and Southeast Asia that the Middle East conflict may be expanding into the Indian Ocean, while also intensifying political pressure in India for a stronger response. Analysts said the strike’s location near key sea lanes linking Asia with the Gulf had heightened fears the conflict could spill into waters vital to regional trade while also raising doubts in New Delhi over its cautious...

A Berlin court on Thursday jailed a Syrian man for 13 years for a jihadist-inspired knife attack on a Spanish tourist at the German capital’s Holocaust memorial. The 20-year-old suspect, named only as Wassim Al M., was convicted of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and attempted membership of a terrorist organisation, the court said. The stabbing in February 2025 inflamed an already heated debate on migration just a few days before a general election in Germany. Presiding judge Doris Husch...

Professor Pan Guang has spent decades focused on Jewish studies, the Middle East and its ties with China. Among his many roles, Pan is founding director of a research centre on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here. Amid recent events in Iran, how do you assess the impact on China? Will China’s “petroyuan” settlement encounter problems, and what of the risks to the Belt and Road...

For sheer escalatory potential, look no further than the speed at which the six-day-old war in Iran has drawn in countries across the Middle East, causing the biggest energy shock since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. While the long-term consequences of military action by the United States and Israel against Iran are unpredictable, worst-case scenarios for the global economy and markets have begun to unfold. Although the least important thing about any war is how it affects...

James Talarico barely mentioned Donald Trump when he finally got to give his victory speech on Wednesday night as Democrats’ nominee for US Senate in Texas. But the 36-year-old state lawmaker is now a frontman for the left’s opposition to Trump, not just in his own state but around the country. With his victory over US congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, the state lawmaker from Austin will test whether a smiling message of unity and change is enough to answer voters’ frustrations amid discord at...

A mine collapse on Tuesday at a major coltan mining site in eastern DR Congo left at least 200 dead, according to Congolese authorities, a number disputed by the rebel group that controls the mine. The collapse took place on Tuesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebels, according to a press release from the Ministry of Mines on Wednesday. Fanny Kaj, a senior official in the M23 rebel group, which controls the mines, disputed the figure and said that the collapse was caused...

The Iranian warship IRIS Dena was in the Indian Ocean when a Los Angeles-class US attack submarine fired an MK-48 torpedo, setting off a massive explosion that lifted the ship’s stern out of the water before sinking the vessel. The US Defence Department highlighted the attack – releasing black-and-white video footage that showed the USS Charlotte’s strike – to draw attention to a key element of its campaign against Iran: eliminating the country’s navy to keep the country from impeding the flow...

The unfolding Iran war has ricocheted across the region and beyond, with nearly every country in the Middle East sustaining damage from missile hits, drone strikes or shrapnel, many reporting casualties, and key embassies, economic engines and passageways closing down. Off the coast of Sri Lanka, a US submarine sank an Iranian warship as the war intensified and its footprint grew. Foreign governments have for days urged their citizens to leave Middle East countries on any available commercial...

The bombs falling on Iran have extinguished any remaining doubt. The US-Israeli military campaign has ignited a major regional war. This explosion of violence is the ultimate rebuke to a central promise of US President Donald Trump’s second term: that America could disengage from distant quagmires to focus on confronting China. Over a year into this administration, the strategic picture affirms the conclusion I reached last summer: America’s hoped-for single-minded containment of China lies in...

Beijing says more than 470 Chinese nationals have been safely evacuated from Iran as the conflict with the US and Israel escalates. The Chinese embassy is helping citizens leave via designated land routes and border crossings. Meanwhile, Chinese officials are urging all remaining citizens in Iran to step up safety precautions, register with the embassy and leave the country “as soon as possible”.

The House Oversight Committee voted on Wednesday to subpoena US Attorney General Pam Bondi to answer questions over the Justice Department’s handling of files regarding the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation. Five Republicans joined Democrats to support the subpoena proposed by Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace in a sign of continued frustration among conservatives with the department’s review and release of a tranche of documents related to the disgraced financier. The move...

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 large-scale, public event in Chicago on Friday caps two weeks of memorials for Mr. Jackson, the civil rights leader, who died at 84.

The executive director, Jean Davidson, said her departure reflects frustration at the turmoil that has engulfed the arts center.

The president has said he plans to shut down the center for two years starting this summer for a “complete rebuilding.”

New novels from Tana French, Emma Straub, Ben Lerner, Solvej Balle, Shannon Chakraborty, Tom Perrotta, Elizabeth Strout — and plenty more.

Memoirs from Liza Minnelli and Arsenio Hall; essays from David Sedaris and Jesmyn Ward; plus histories, true crime, biographies and more.

Market movements this week had already been choppy as investors weighed the inflationary impact of the conflict in the Middle East. On Friday, the jobs report complicated matters.

Employers shed 92,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate rose to 4.4 percent.

The Federal Reserve is still widely expected to hold interest rates steady when its officials next meet on March 17-18.

The weaker-than-expected numbers quickly became a source of tension between the two parties ahead of the midterm elections.

One inmate paid lobbyists and lawyers with ties to the president’s team and walked free. Others are following his blueprint, but it is not always clear who can deliver.

Reporters tapped sources, combed through public records and scrutinized social media to penetrate the web of influence and money underlying the president’s clemency grants.

The pop star’s arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence this week was a breaking point, years after she regained control of her life and finances.

A star writer from the heyday of magazines reveals the family secret behind his award-winning stories.

New data about the DART spacecraft’s effects adds evidence that Earth could be defended from future deadly asteroids by diverting their orbits.

Farmers in the Upper Midwest are investing in homegrown oats. It’s good for the land. But can it work as a cash crop?

The character “Daryl Hannah” in “Love Story” is not even a remotely accurate representation of my life or my conduct — and these kinds of lies don’t go away.

The repercussions of his reckless war in Iran are just beginning.

Also, a weak jobs report. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.

The leaders of Japan and Canada are making a unified front on defense cooperation as President Trump raises the pressure over military spending.

Millions of people from Texas to the Great Lakes are under some risk of heavy rain, strong winds or hail on Friday, forecasters warned. Two people were killed in Oklahoma on Thursday night.

The pages had been withheld from the trove of documents related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein because of what officials called a mistaken determination that they were duplicates.