Minimalist News

Even GOP Hawks Now Alarmed Over Iran War Fallout As 60-Days Hits Friday Amid reports that Vice President JD Vance is very seriously questioning the White House's Iran War narrative along with the Pentagon's rosy and overly positive updates on how things are going, over in Congress there's growing alarm as Trump's Operation Epic Fury is set to hit the 60-day mark on Friday.  Republicans no doubt want to wrap things up fast, however, the latest reports say the White House is preparing for an extended Hormuz blockade of at least 'months' longer, per fresh WSJ reporting. There now appears to be

Al Gore Shifts On Global Warming: Time To Watch Out For A New Ice Age? The rhetoric and predictions behind climate change "science" change so haphazardly, it's a sure sign that the entire field of study is fraudulent.  If the manufactured hysteria is not enough to clue people in, the failed predictions of Al Gore should do the trick. Former Vice President Al Gore warned a Hollywood audience this week that a "Gulf Stream collapse" could occur within 25 years, leading to an abrupt and devastating new Ice Age.   Mr. Gore, now 78, appeared at the inaugural Sustainability in Entertainment Honors event, co-hosted

US To Issue Limited Passports With Trump's Image For America's 250th Anniversary Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times, The U.S. State Department announced on April 28 that it will release limited-edition passports featuring a picture of President Donald Trump to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary of independence. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement to multiple news outlets that the department would release “a limited number of specially designed U.S. passports to commemorate this historic occasion” in July, but did not specify how many would be issued. “These passports will feature customized artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security

In Huge Win For Republicans, Supreme Court Curbs Use Of Race In Drawing Voting Districts In a sweeping 6-3 decision issued today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map with a second majority-Black district is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The ruling in Louisiana v. Callais (No. 24-109) delivers a major victory for Republicans by sharply curtailing the Voting Rights Act’s ability to compel the creation of predominantly Black or Hispanic districts - a development that could help the GOP protect and expand its House majority in the 2026 midterms and beyond. Writing for the Court, Justice Samuel Alito held that

"6–12 Months For Construction Permits" - The Nuclear Regulation Overhaul As we have been detailing for months, the Trump administration is pushing the deployment of nuclear energy in ways never before seen in modern times. Among the dozens of major regulatory changes, award programs, and high-speed development initiatives, the administration seems to be clearing a new roadblock every week, yet in reality it is greatly lagging global rollout of NPPs, and especially China which is currently building at least 39 nuclear reactors.   > Four months later, China has added 9 more reactors and is now building a total of 39 nuclear power

COVID Cover-Up: Hiding Star Researcher Ralph Baric's Ties To Global Pandemic Authored by Paul D. Thacker via RealClearInvestigations, In March 2020, a couple of months after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States, editors at the journal Nature Medicine appended a note to a coronavirus study it had published five years prior. “We are aware that this article is being used as the basis for unverified theories that the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19 was engineered,” the journal editors wrote. “There is no evidence that this is true; scientists believe that an animal

Key Bridge Nightmare: Contractor Dropped After Costs Spiral Left-wing Gov. Wes Moore's claim that the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild is the "fastest-moving large infrastructure project in the United States" just hit a major roadblock. Fox Baltimore's Gary Collins reports that Maryland officials canceled Kiewit Infrastructure Co.'s contract for Phase 2 of the bridge rebuild, the construction phase, after the contractor's proposal reportedly far exceeded state estimates. > BREAKING NEWS: The contract for Phase 2 for the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild has been officially cancelled. > > The contract is expected to go up for rebid beginning in May. https://t.co/WdquWgcvg8 > > — Gary

AI Agent Deletes Startup's Database In 9 Seconds, Founder Says Authored by Jason Nelson via Decrypt.co, * PocketOS founder Jeremy Crane claims a Cursor agent running Anthropic’s Claude Opus deleted his company’s production database and backups in nine seconds. * Crane said the AI later produced a written explanation admitting it violated multiple safety rules. * The incident raises questions about AI coding tools, Railway’s infrastructure design, and safeguards around destructive API actions. A software company founder claims an AI coding agent destroyed his firm’s production database, then copped to the mistake and explained how it happened, demonstrating the potential danger of entrusting sensitive

US Oil Exports Soar To New Record High As Inventories Tumble, SPR Drained Most Since October 2022 One week ago we lamented that the record oil inventory drawdown, which has seen over 250 million barrels drained from storage since the start of the war, has not led to higher oil prices (for those who missed it, Goldman forecast that global visible oil inventories are likely to reach record-low levels even in an optimistic scenario where Hormuz flows start to recover by the end of April). Moments ago the already precarious inventory picture turned even more ominous after the DOE reported that Crude stocks

US Sanctions 35 Individuals, Entities To Dismantle Iran's Shadow Banking Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The U.S. Treasury Department on April 28 imposed sanctions on 35 individuals and entities accused of running Iran’s secret shadow banking network. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, on April 15, 2026. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Treasury has accused the network of transferring tens of billions of dollars to help Iran dodge U.S. sanctions and finance terrorism. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is sanctioning

OPEC +/- By Bas van Geffen, Senior Macro Strategist at Rabobank Brent futures topped $115/barrel, after news broke that US President Trump rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. According to CNN’s sources, Iran is expected to submit a revised proposal in the next few days. However, it is unclear why Trump would accept this new version, unless Iran is suddenly willing to make concessions on its nuclear program. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that US intelligence agencies are studying how Iran would respond if President Trump simply declared victory – suggesting that pressure on the president to end the war quickly is

Bloom Energy Erupts On Beat, Guidance Upgrade As On-Site Data Center Power Demand Soars Clean-power company Bloom Energy surged early in the U.S. cash session after reporting earnings Tuesday after the close, raising its full-year revenue and margin guidance on rising demand from data centers and other commercial customers.  The maker of solid oxide fuel cell systems, branded as Bloom Energy Servers, that generate electricity on-site for customers, posted a profit of $70.7 million, or 23 cents a share, compared with a loss of $23.8 million, or 10 cents a share, from the same quarter one year ago.  On an adjusted basis, earnings

Fed Chair Pick Warsh Approved By Key Senate Committee Along Party Lines The drama over Kevin Warsh's nomination as Trump's pick for next Fed chair appears to be over. Moments ago, Warsh won the backing of the Senate Banking Committee Wednesday in a 13-11 party-line vote, putting him on track to be confirmed by the full Senate before Jerome Powell’s term ends May 15, Bloomberg reproted.  Warsh’s nomination had been held up by Republican Senator Thom Tillis until the Department of Justice agreed last week to drop (for now) a criminal probe into cost overruns in a renovation of the Fed’s Washington headquarters.

Max Pressure: U.S. Prepares For Extended Hormuz Blockade As Treasury Warns Sanction Risks Linked To China's "Teapot" Refineries The U.S. is intensifying pressure on Iran and China across two fronts. First, on the military side, The Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump told top aides to prepare for an extended U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a move that would strangle Tehran's oil revenue. Second, on the economic side, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control is warning financial institutions about sanctions exposure related to Chinese independent "teapot" refineries, particularly in Shandong Province, due to their continued purchases and

Bank of Canada Keeps Rates On Hold As It "Looks Through War's Immediate Impact On Inflation" As expected, the Bank of Canada - which was the day's first G5 central bank to hit the tape ahead of the Fed's decision at 2pm ET - held interest rates unchanged at 2.25% as expected, saying adjustments to borrowing costs would likely be small if the economy and inflation evolve as expected, while stating that it is looking through the war's immediate impact on inflation but will not let higher energy prices become persistent inflation. “A policy rate close to current settings looks appropriate to support

JetBlue Plans 30-40% "Fuel Recapture" Fare Hikes, Capacity Cuts To Cover Rising Costs Thanks to the war in Iran, JetBlue Airlines is passing the cost along to us - announcing during Q1 earnings on Tuesday that while the airline had strong revenue performance, prices are going up due to rising fuel costs.  A JetBlue Embraer 190 taxis on the tarmac at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., on June 29, 2021. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images "While the macro environment, particularly fuel, has become more volatile, we are taking decisive actions to manage what is within our control, including adjusting capacity, optimizing revenue, and

Core Durables Goods Surge For 12th Straight Month, Push Bond Yield Higher After a recent string of 'soft' survey data, this morning we get some 'hard' data and it was far stronger than expected. Preliminary headline durable goods orders for March rose 0.8% MoM (better than the 0.5% MoM exp), and the first increase after a three month decline to start the year (which was the first 3-month decline since Nov 2019). The increase took place despite continued weakness in aircraft orders manifesting as a 21.1% drop in nondefense aircraft and parts in March.  Meanwhile, core durable goods orders (prelim for March ) rose

O-I Glass Plunges As Gulf Energy Shock Hits Earnings Outlook Glass bottle and jar company O-I Glass plunged the most in premarket trading in more than six years after it slashed its full-year adjusted EPS outlook, blaming higher energy costs tied to the Gulf-related energy shock. The major glass-container manufacturer, producing bottles and jars for the beer, wine, spirits, beverage, and food-packaging markets, now expects adjusted EPS of $1.00 to $1.50, down sharply from its prior forecast of $1.65 to $1.90 and well below the $1.67 Bloomberg Consensus estimate.  Slide 8 detailed O-I Glass' Full Year 2026 Outlook impacted by the energy shock

Housing Starts Surge To Highest Since 2024 As Permits Unexpectedly Crater With mortgage rates still relatively low, despite a recent jump in interest rates, and a top-down push for affordability, Housing Starts for March soared while the more forward-looking Building Permits disappointed, unexpectedly plunged. Housing starts soared 10.8% MoM in March (far more than the -0.4% expected drop) while Permits plunged 10.8% MoM (and worse than the -0.4% decline expected)... This pushed the SAAR totals for Starts to 1.502 million, far above the 1.390 million expected, and the highest since Dec 2024, but Building Permits fell to their lowest since Aug 2025 Under the

Wingstop Tumbles As Chicken Demand Falters, Guidance Cut Wingstop shares fell the most in six months in premarket trading after the company cut its full-year outlook and reported weaker-than-expected first-quarter sales, citing a pullback in traffic as management pointed to "continued pressure on consumer spending." The chicken chain, with 2,653 locations across the US, now expects 2026 domestic same-store sales to decline at a low single-digit rate, down from its prior forecast of flat to low single-digit growth. Analysts tracked by Bloomberg forecast a .4% contraction this year, after lowering their forecast from about 1.3% in mid-February when Wingstop last reported earnings. First-quarter

Fans in Buffalo, only a few miles from Ontario, filled the silence when a microphone cut out at the start of a match The Electric City. Nickel City. Queen City. City of No Illusions. Buffalo, New York, has accrued many nicknames over the years but, in an age of growing tensions between two traditional allies, one among them has taken on extra resonance: the City of Good Neighbors. Continue reading...

Case looks at whether Trump administration has authority to strip hundreds of thousands of immigrants of TPS The US supreme court was hearing oral arguments on Wednesday over whether the Trump administration can strip the temporary protected status (TPS) of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and Haitians, under a program that has shielded them from deportation owing to safety concerns in their countries of origin. People with TPS are given the permission to live and work in the US because the government has deemed their home countries to be unsafe because of war, political instability or natural disasters. In the past year,

As the country prepares to elect a new president, a fierce debate is raging on how to end the decades-long armed conflict for good The landmark 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the largest insurgent army in Latin America succeeded in some ways: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) agreed to lay down their weapons, and the violence that had racked the country was substantially reduced. But the deal alone could not end the decades-long armed conflict for good. Subsequent administrations slow-walked the implementation of the settlement, which was rejected by Farc dissidents and other rebel factions. Continue reading...

New lawsuits allege employees urged company to notify authorities months before deadly Tumbler Ridge attack Families of seven victims of a mass shooting at a secondary school in British Columbia are suing OpenAI and the company’s CEO for negligence after it failed to alert authorities to the shooter’s troubling conversations with ChatGPT. The lawsuits, filed on Wednesday in a federal court in San Francisco, allege that the violent intentions of the shooter, identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, were well-known to OpenAI. Employees at the company flagged the shooter’s account eight months before the attack and determined that it posed “a credible

Anant Ambani revives offer to transport 80 animals, all descendants of Colombian drug kingpin’s pets, to India It remains one of the strangest conundrums in modern zoological history – what to do with the descendants of Pablo Escobar’s hippos? The animals – herbivores native to sub-Saharan Africa – were originally imported into Colombia by the drug kingpin for his own entertainment. But the beasts and their offspring were left to roam free after his death in 1993. Continue reading...

Patrick Vallance says government working with Chinese officials to remove postings from Alibaba after Biobank data breach last week There have been further listings of confidential health records of UK volunteers on the Chinese website Alibaba since the breach reported last week, and the government is braced for further leaks, the science minister has said. Addressing a House of Lords debate on the attempted sale of data belonging to 500,000 UK Biobank volunteers, Patrick Vallance said the government had worked with Chinese officials to remove additional postings on the online marketplace. Continue reading...

Leader mentions for first time lengths to which troops go to avoid falling into enemy hands while fighting for Russia Kim Jong-un has praised North Korean soldiers who blew themselves up with grenades in order to avoid capture while fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s western Kursk region, confirming the existence of the extreme battlefield policy. Mounting evidence, including from intelligence reports and testimonies of defectors, has indicated North Korean soldiers are explicitly told to resort to self-detonation or other forms of suicide to avoid falling into enemy hands. Continue reading...

Prime minister says the middle of a global fuel crisis is ‘the worst possible time to jeopardise’ Australia’s partnerships with Asian trading partners * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese has confirmed next month’s federal budget will not include a new tax on existing gas export contracts as he criticised the “populist” campaign calling for a levy on producers. As reported last week, the prime minister was poised to reject pressure to introduce a 25% tax on gas exports amid concerns the

Japan Airlines will introduce the robots for trial run at a Tokyo airport amid country’s surge in inbound tourism and worsening labour shortages Japan’s famously conscientious but overburdened baggage handlers will soon be joined by extra staff at Tokyo’s Haneda airport – although their new colleagues will need to take regular recharging breaks. Japan Airlines will introduce humanoid robots on a trial basis from the beginning of May, with a view to deploying them permanently as a solution to the country’s chronic labour shortage. Continue reading...

Efforts continue to free two trapped passengers in wreckage after long-distance train collides with commuter train outside Jakarta, injuring 81 The death toll from a train collision near the Indonesian capital Jakarta has risen to 14 with another 84 injured, the train operator said on Tuesday, as rescuers worked to extract survivors still trapped in the wreckage. The collision between a commuter train and a long-distance train happened late on Monday in Bekasi, just outside Jakarta. Continue reading...

The fuel crisis is seeing more voters keen to shift to renewable energy rather than stick with fossil fuels * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A majority of Australians support taxing profits from gas exports and extending the cut to the fuel excise, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll, despite Anthony Albanese on Wednesday ruling out a new tax on existing gas export contracts. The poll also found the fuel crisis is seeing more voters keen to shift to renewable energy rather than stick with fossil fuels. Australians also say they’re already cutting back on

Consumption is at a record high along with that of cocaine, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission figures show * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Methamphetamine use in Australia has almost doubled in the past decade and stimulants are being taken at record highs, new wastewater monitoring reveals. On Wednesday evening the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (Acic) released its latest annual report after testing wastewater samples from 64 treatment plants across the country between August 2024 and 2025. Continue reading...

Rise in electricity demand in first quarter of 2026 was moderated by record output from rooftop solar * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast More datacentres and warmer conditions helped push electricity demand to record highs in the first three months of the year, according to Australia’s Energy Market Operator, while growth in batteries kept average wholesale prices down. Electricity demand – from households, business and industry – reached record levels of 25GW in Q1 2026, an increase of 1.2% compared with the same quarter last year. Across the grid, this growth was offset by record output

The Pitch Perfect actor is being sued by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actor of Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb Hollywood star Rebel Wilson has rejected an “absolutely outrageous” accusation that she dumped her phone to avoid handing over key communications in a defamation case. The Pitch Perfect star is being sued by Charlotte MacInnes, the 27-year-old lead actor of the musical comedy The Deb. Continue reading...

Teacher at Marist College Ashgrove claims she suffered ‘serious psychiatric injury’ after the schoolyard incident, as school claims matter has been dealt with * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A teacher at one of Brisbane’s top private boys’ schools has claimed she was subject to a “culture of misogyny” after being surrounded by hundreds of Catholic school students and pelted with food in an incident that left her with a “serious psychiatric injury”. A barrister acting for Victoria Sparrow, a teacher at Marist College Ashgrove, told the Brisbane supreme court that the school allowed a culture

Accusation vessel contains grain looted from Russian-occupied territories triggers diplomatic spat between both nations Ukraine has asked Israel to seize a vessel it claims is carrying grain looted from Russian-occupied territories, triggering a rare diplomatic spat between the two countries. The dispute spilt into public view this week when president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that “another vessel” carrying grain “stolen by Russia” had arrived at a port in Israel and was preparing to unload. Continue reading...

Ángel Mateos González due to play for CD Colunga, making him oldest player to take part in official match At an age when many veteran footballers might prefer to be regaling grandchildren, friends and assorted barflies with slightly embroidered tales of their former sporting prowess, 70-year-old Ángel Mateos González is heading back on to the pitch. The Spaniard, who retired from competitive football 27 years ago, is due to play in goal for the Asturian team CD Colunga in a fifth-tier match this Sunday. If all goes to plan and he pulls on his gloves, he will reportedly become the oldest player

Fishing companies can also access subsidies in loosening of state aid rules to cover fuel and fertiliser price rises The EU is to subsidise up to 70% of the extra cost of fuel and fertilisers caused by the Iran war for farmers, fishing businesses and road hauliers as part of a package of emergency measures. Individual companies can claim up to €50,000 each between now and the end of the year with minimum paperwork, a measure the EU hopes will remove what it sees as an existential threat to hauliers and farmers. Continue reading...

Ursula von der Leyen later due to meet new Hungarian leader who is seeking to unlock EU funds in return for reforms AFP is reporting that so far, officials in Brussels are hopeful that Péter Magyar – who once served under Viktor Orbán, before turning on his former boss – will genuinely launch a new chapter in ties. But wary of celebrating too soon, they insist they need to see concrete moves and not just kind words. “A huge mandate, a strong mandate, a great responsibility! We know our task: we will bring home the EU funds that Hungarians are entitled to. More soon.” Continue

Royal Navy chief says unified naval force will deter future Russian threats from the ‘open sea border’ to the north Britain has agreed to create a unified naval force with nine European countries to deter future Russian threats from the “open sea border” to the north, the head of the Royal Navy has announced. Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins said that despite the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, where the strait of Hormuz remains closed after the US-Israeli war in Iran, “Russia remains the gravest threat to our security”. Continue reading...

Narges Mohammadi denied medical leave from prison in spite of sharp decline in health and drastic weight loss, say lawyers The family of the jailed Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi say they fear for her life after a sharp deterioration in her health, suspected heart attack and drop in body weight of almost 20kg (44lb). The 54-year-old human rights activist, who was awarded the 2023 Nobel peace prize while in prison, had been released for health reasons in 2024. She was re-arrested in December 2025 during the memorial service of a fellow human rights activist and is being held in Zanjan central

Remarks by US president likely to cause embarrassment for aides of UK monarch, who usually remains neutral * UK politics live – latest updates Donald Trump has claimed King Charles agrees with him that Iran should never be allowed nuclear weapons. Trump made the remarks at a White House state dinner on Tuesday in honour of the visiting Charles and Camilla, after the two men sat down to bilateral talks earlier that day. Continue reading...

US president claims Friedrich Merz ‘doesn’t know what he’s talking about’ after German leader criticised US strategy in Iran * US is being ‘humiliated’ by Iran’s leadership, says Friedrich Merz * Hezbollah drone strikes target Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon Saudi Arabia is to host a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Jeddah later today, in what will be first in-person meeting of Gulf leaders since their states became dragged into the war. A Gulf official told the Reuters news agency that the meeting aimed to craft a response to the thousands of Iranian missile and drone attacks Gulf states have

Defection is damaging to Saudi Arabia’s prestige – and could strengthen the US hand in the region The United Arab Emirates’ decision to walk out of Opec is a political as much as business decision, and will reignite the simmering rows between the UAE and Saudi Arabia – which had been covered up by their shared anger with Iran over its attacks on the Gulf states since the start of the US-Israel war on Tehran. In the short term, leaving the oil producing cartel it joined in 1967 gives the UAE the freedom to respond quickly to a long-term prospect of constrained

Ceasefire frays further as Israel also carries out airstrikes and issues new displacement orders for south Lebanon Hezbollah launched several drones at Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon on Tuesday, while Israel issued new displacement orders for south Lebanon and carried out airstrikes, as the fraying ceasefire failed to stop fighting between the two sides. Hezbollah claimed Tuesday’s attack injured several Israeli soldiers, but no confirmation was given from the Israeli military, apart from a statement saying interceptor missiles had been fired at incoming Hezbollah drones. Continue reading...

Customs officials say group allegedly hid 5kg of ‘kush’ in false walls of bags on return from Bangkok holiday Twenty-two Buddhist monks are in Sri Lankan police custody after customs officials found 110kg of high-grade cannabis concealed in their luggage, the largest ever drug bust at Colombo’s main international airport. The group, mostly junior monks in training from temples across Sri Lanka, were alleged to have “carried about five kilos of the narcotic concealed within false walls in their luggage”, according to a Sri Lanka customs spokesperson. Continue reading...

Pakistan officials dismiss Afghan media reports and official statements about strikes on university in Kunar province as ‘blatant lie’ Mortars and missiles fired from Pakistan on Monday struck a university and civilian homes in north-eastern Afghanistan, killing seven people and wounding at least 85, Afghan officials said. Pakistan denied the accusation of targeting a university. Continue reading...

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were to travel to Islamabad to attempt to revive ceasefire negotiations Donald Trump said he has told US envoys not to go to Pakistan for more talks with Iran, shortly after Tehran’s top diplomat left Islamabad late on Saturday. Trump added to Fox News: “They can call us anytime they want.” The White House on Friday said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would travel to Pakistan’s capital to attempt to revive ceasefire negotiations. Continue reading...

Officials assessing route after serac between base camp and camp one deemed unstable and too risky for climbers A large ice block on the route just above the Mount Everest base camp has forced hundreds of climbers and local guides to delay their attempt to scale the world’s highest peak. The serac between base camp and camp one was unstable and risky for climbers, said Himal Gautam of Nepal’s department of mountaineering on Friday. Continue reading...

Foreign ministry calls remarks of rightwing podcast host shared by Trump ‘uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste’ The Indian government has denounced a social media post shared by Donald Trump that described India as a “hellhole”, calling the comments inappropriate and “in poor taste”. On Wednesday, Trump posted a four-page transcription of remarks made by the conservative podcast host Michael Savage that denounced the US constitutional right to citizenship of everyone born in the country. Continue reading...

PM chairs Cobra meeting after condemning ‘appalling antisemitic attack’; man with ‘history of serious violence and mental health issues’ arrested Specialist officers from Counter Terrorism Policing are leading the investigation and working with police to establish the full circumstances and any links to terrorism, the Met said in a statement. Head of counter terrorism policing Laurence Taylor said: Whilst I must stress this investigation is at an early stage, we are working quickly to understand exactly what happened. Thank you to those who were in the area at the time and supported the response to this terrible incident. Our thoughts are with the victims of

Housing secretary and housing minister latest to criticise idea, which has also been ruled out by No 10 Senior ministers have poured scorn on the idea of freezing private sector rents for a year, less than 48 hours after the Guardian revealed Rachel Reeves was considering it. Steve Reed, the housing secretary, and Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, became the latest government figures to criticise the idea, which has since been ruled out by No 10. Continue reading...

England’s higher education regulator must rebuild trust with troubled sector after series of blunders under previous leadership In its brief and unhappy life, England’s Office for Students has been offered a series of challenges it has largely failed to meet. This week the latest and most embarrassing of those was unveiled when the high court decisively rejected the higher education watchdog’s attempts to fine the University of Sussex more than £500,000 for regulatory failings relating to Kathleen Stock’s time as an academic at Sussex. Stock quit Sussex in 2021, saying she felt ostracised and targeted for her views on gender identity and

Matthew Pennycook says ending system must be done slowly to avoid hitting housing supply and legal pitfalls A ban on new leasehold properties in England and Wales is unlikely to come into force until after the next election, the housing minister has said, as he defended the government’s piecemeal attempts to dismantle the system. The long-promised end would take years to “switch on”, Matthew Pennycook said, even though the ban of leaseholds on new houses was passed in 2024 and the government intends to pass one on new flats soon. Continue reading...

Rival parties demand investigation as Tory party chair refers Reform UK leader to commissioner over gift from crypto tycoon * Exclusive: Farage given undisclosed £5m by crypto tycoon * Analysis: Farage’s attempt to get ahead of story raises more questions Nigel Farage has been referred to parliament’s standards watchdog after the Guardian revealed he received an undeclared £5m gift from a party donor. The referral was made by the Conservative party, citing rules that require MPs to declare any “personal benefit” they have received in the 12 months before taking office, and to do so within a month of being elected. Continue reading...

NAACP decries 6-3 decision that ruled Louisiana must redraw its congressional map, a landmark case that guts major section of Voting Rights Act * Sign up for the Breaking News US email * US supreme court ‘demolishes’ key Voting Rights Act provision that prevented racial discrimination The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold interest rates steady on Wednesday after a key policy meeting, likely the last chaired by central bank chief Jerome Powell, a frequent target of president Donald Trump’s ire. Policymakers will weigh the risks of surging energy prices and snarled supply chains due to the US-Israel war on

Blockade threat in vital strait and Trump’s stance lift crude, pushing pump prices to highest level since 2022 * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Average US gas prices have hit a new high at $4.23 per gallon, their highest since 2022 and a record since the start of the war with Iran, according to the motor club AAA. The price of Brent crude, the benchmark that influences the price of gasoline in the US, now stands at $114.60 a barrel, up nearly 25% from the recent low since mid-April. US gas prices

Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures are at risk of losing their seats in Alabama’s Black congressional districts after ruling The lawmakers who represent Alabama’s two Black congressional districts, who are now at risk of losing their seats after the supreme court effectively decimated the Voting Rights Act, said the decision sends the US “backwards”. The 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v Callais on Wednesday weakens a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, opening the door for Republicans to eliminate majority-minority congressional districts across the south, and representatives Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures stand in the crosshairs. Continue reading...

Attorneys, citing new evidence including photographs, also filed a motion to detain Cole Tomas Allen until his trial * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Federal prosecutors provided in a filing on Wednesday the most detailed account to date of Cole Tomas Allen’s alleged weeks-long plan to kill Donald Trump, who had joined more than 2,500 members of the Washington press corps for their annual White House correspondents’ dinner. The motion, aimed at keeping Allen detained and filed by the US attorney for DC, Jeanine Pirro, includes two selfies of the alleged shooter

Former FBI director indicted over social media post from last year of seashells arranged into ‘86 47’ * US politics live – latest updates James Comey surrendered to authorities on Wednesday at the eastern district of Virginia after the justice department indicted him this week for a second time. The former FBI director was indicted in North Carolina on Tuesday because of a post he made on social media last year of seashells arranged into the numbers “86 47” which the Department of Justice has called a threat against Donald Trump. The number 86 can be used as shorthand for getting rid

The pace of tropical forest destruction slowed in 2025 after record losses the year before but remained at worrying levels equivalent to 11 football fields per minute, researchers said Wednesday. The world lost 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of tropical primary rainforest last year, down 36 per cent from 2024, said researchers from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland. “A drop of this scale in a single year is encouraging – it shows what decisive...

China may gain from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) withdrawing from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), benefiting from additional supply as global oil markets face growing strain three months into the US-Israeli war in Iran, analysts said. The UAE – Opec’s third-largest producer, accounting for about 12 per cent of its total output – will formally leave the bloc on May 1. UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei told CNBC that it was the “right time” to exit, adding...

The widespread use of rape and other sexual violence as a weapon of war in Sudan has spurred a massive mental health crisis, United Nations agencies and local aid groups warned. The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a brutal conflict since April 2023 that has killed tens of thousands and displaced around 11 million people. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières last month said at least 3,396 survivors of sexual violence – nearly all of them women...

Even if the immediate phase of conflict subsides, the Gulf is unlikely to return to the status quo. For Asia, the central question is no longer simply whether the Strait of Hormuz is open. It is whether the waterway remains reliable, predictable and politically insulated from coercion. That distinction now matters more than ever. For China and other major Asian importers, it is a question of whether energy flows, shipping routes and sanctions exposure are increasingly being shaped by a crisis...

The ⁠Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia’s annual Victory Day ‌military parade on Red Square had been scaled back this year and ⁠would not include military ‌equipment due to the risk of ‌what it described ⁠as “Ukrainian ⁠terrorist activity”. The parade, ‌held on May 9, ‌marks the ‌Soviet defeat ‌of Nazi Germany during ⁠World War II, a ⁠conflict Russians call the Great Patriotic ‌War. One of the top holidays on the Russian calendar, it allows the dwindling number of veterans to gather in...

The leader of Mali’s military government, Assimi Goita, on ⁠Tuesday made his first public appearance since insurgents launched coordinated attacks over the weekend, vowing in a televised address to “neutralise” those responsible. West Africa’s al-Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated separatist group hit Mali’s main army base and the area near Bamako’s airport in the attacks on Saturday, while also pushing Russian troops supporting government forces out of the strategic town of Kidal in the...

UK King Charles gave US President Donald Trump a taste of his own medicine at a White House state dinner on Tuesday when he joked that without the British, Americans would be speaking French. As the heads of state traded jokes during their dinner toasts, Charles referenced previous comments by Trump aimed at European allies he accuses of freeloading on defence since World War II. “You recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be...

Asia’s oil import-dependent economies will benefit from the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) exit from Opec, though the ongoing closure of the arterial Strait of Hormuz may not offer any immediate relief from soaring prices, analysts say. Global oil prices continued to surge on Wednesday, with benchmark Brent crude oil prices hitting US$111 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) approaching US$100 a barrel. Before the Iran war, Brent was trading around US$70 a barrel, while WTI was about US$65...

There is a time and a place. Just because you have a right to do something doesn’t mean you should exercise it. The United States and its allies keep claiming they have the right of navigation in international waters by sending their navies through the Taiwan Strait. Their intention to provoke is clear despite their justification under international law. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s row with Beijing over her remarks about militarily intervening in a Taiwan crisis has yet to die down....

An image of Donald Trump will soon appear in some US passports, officials said on Tuesday, shattering another norm as the president aggressively puts his personal stamp on government institutions. There were few precedents anywhere in the world, let alone in a democracy, of displaying sitting leaders’ pictures in passports, and Trump would be the first sitting US president featured in Americans’ travel documents. The State Department said it would offer the limited-edition passport to mark this...

The acting US ambassador ⁠to Kyiv Julie Davis will step down from her post and retire, a US official and the State Department said on Tuesday, amid a lull in US-brokered talks to achieve a ceasefire and end Russia’s invasion ‌of Ukraine. The Financial Times first reported Davis’ departure and said it was because of differences of opinion with President Donald Trump’s policies and that Davis had grown frustrated with her role over his dwindling support for Ukraine. The State Department pushed...

As the US-Israel war in Iran drags into its third month, sulphuric acid – a chemical ingredient critical for fertiliser production and metal processing that has seldom grabbed global headlines – has become a keenly watched commodity. The military conflict in the Gulf and the effective blockage of the Strait of Hormuz initially triggered a squeeze on sulphuric acid, with prices on the rise after shipments in the region – which accounts for a quarter of global production – were largely stalled...

While the United States and Iran exchange peace proposals in Islamabad, the Middle East remains trapped in a cycle of escalation. Ships burn in the Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon absorbs strikes by Israel and the nuclear gap remains unbridgeable. Calling this moment a ceasefire might be in line with diplomatic language, but on the ground it has the familiar look of war, just repackaged. While US President Donald Trump might have negotiated some sort of ceasefire agreement, the American naval blockade...

Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said the US and Nato were faced with a “marriage crisis” as frustrations mount on both sides of the Atlantic, urging Washington to stand with its allies or risk America’s fall. Francken, speaking at a think tank event in Washington on Tuesday, likened the strained transatlantic relationship, which has held for close to 80 years, to a “crisis”, saying “it’s very difficult”. “I’m convinced that we’re having a marriage crisis … There’s a lot of frustration on...

The US ⁠has placed specific conditions on releasing billions of dollars it owes to the United Nations, including further cost-cutting, and moves to counter China’s influence at the world body, a development news wire reported on Tuesday. The report by Devex, an independent news organisation covering global development, ‌said two diplomatic notes circulated by the US called for nine “quick-hit” reforms as a condition for releasing more funds. It said these included: Overhauling the UN pension...

After a joke by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel drew calls from the White House for ABC to fire the comedian, the US Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday ordered an early licence review of the network’s television stations. The stand-off between US President Donald Trump’s administration and the global entertainment conglomerate is the first crisis facing Walt Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro. Last Thursday, Kimmel, whose late-night television programme airs on Disney’s ‌ABC, did a send-up of...

Former FBI director James Comey has been indicted for threatening the life of Donald Trump, officials said on Tuesday, five months after a previous case against the outspoken critic of the US president was thrown out. The indictment by a grand jury in North Carolina stems from an Instagram post the 65-year-old Comey made in May last year that showed the numbers “86 47” spelled out in seashells. Trump alleged in an interview with Fox News at the time that “86” was slang for kill and “47” was a...

Embattled UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday survived a bid by opposition politicians to subject him to a parliamentary probe over his controversial appointment of Peter Mandelson as envoy to the US. Members of parliament voted against referring Starmer to a committee to consider if he misled parliament over giving Mandelson, an ex-associate of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the plum diplomatic post. It was the latest development in an unrelenting scandal that has plagued Starmer’s...

Britain’s King Charles told the US Congress on Tuesday that despite an ⁠age of uncertainty and conflict in Europe and the Middle East, the UK and the US would ⁠always be staunch allies united in defending democracy, at a time of deep divisions between the two long-time allies over the war with Iran. “Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily...

Ukraine used interceptor systems to shoot down more than 33,000 Russian drones of various types in March, a record monthly figure since Moscow launched its all-out invasion more than four years ago, Ukraine’s defence minister claimed. Ukraine has developed cutting-edge and battle-tested drone technology that has proved essential in holding back Russia’s bigger army and has drawn military interest from around the world. Interceptor drones as part of a comprehensive air defence system are now...

The United Arab Emirates announced on Tuesday that it will leave the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and the wider Opec+ alliance effective May 1, a move that signals a push for greater control over its production strategy. The decision followed “a comprehensive review” of the country’s production policy and capacity, the Ministry of Infrastructure said in a statement, adding that it was based on national interests and a commitment to help meet global market...

Canada plans to allow more flight connections to China, as it seeks to rebuild ties with Beijing and capitalise on rising demand for Canadian travel among Chinese tourists, but airlines may be reluctant to add new routes due to soaring jet fuel costs and a lack of access to Russian airspace. Steven MacKinnon, Canada’s transport minister, announced last week that Ottawa would permit an “incremental” increase in direct passenger combination flights to China and up to 20 cargo flights per week. The...

US clean energy installations are forecast to hit another record this year – and account for the vast majority of new power additions – despite facing policy opposition from the Trump administration, according to a trade industry report. The nation’s power sector is expected to add about 60 gigawatts of solar, battery storage and wind capacity in 2026, the American Clean Power (ACP) Association said in its annual market assessment published on Tuesday. That is up 20 per cent from over 50...

China is stepping up efforts to secure critical sea lanes and protect its overseas assets, as crises at maritime chokepoints – including the Strait of Hormuz – expose growing vulnerabilities in global trade. In response, Beijing has tasked leading industrial enterprises and academic institutions with spearheading research to safeguard strategic trade corridors and overseas port holdings, amid escalating geopolitical tensions linked to the US-Israeli war in Iran and legal disputes over Panama...

Writing in Foreign Affairs, Tsinghua University’s Da Wei argued that China wants Europe to function as an independent pole in a changing global order, but that Europe lacks “a more independent soul”. He is half right. Europe has the assets for independence. What it lacks is the strategy. Europe and the United States face the same rival but carry different exposures. Since 2018, the US has cut its direct imports from China. Europe’s have grown harder to unwind. What appears to be decoupling is...

An 89-year-old man armed with a hunting rifle opened fire inside a Greek social security office in Athens on Tuesday, wounding an employee in the leg, authorities said. The suspect then carried out a second shooting at a courthouse in the city, leaving four more people lightly injured. The attack was reportedly sparked by problems with the man’s pension payments. He was arrested a few hours after the shootings in the port city of Patras, state broadcaster ERT reported. Earlier, local media...

A Ukrainian drone attack has caused a “large-scale fire” at ‌Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea, forcing the evacuation of nearby buildings, local officials said on Tuesday. The Rosneft-owned refinery delivers oil products mainly for exports but operations have been halted since April 16 following an earlier drone attack, industry sources said. Ukraine did not immediately comment ⁠on the reports. Kyiv has stepped up strikes on Russia since March, with ‌US-brokered talks on the war in...

A man accused of pledging allegiance to Islamic State group and plotting to attack one of superstar singer Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna nearly two years ago pleaded guilty as his trial began on Tuesday, Austrian media reported. The plot was thwarted, but Austrian authorities still cancelled Swift’s three performances in August 2024. The singer’s fans, known as Swifties, who had flown to Austria from across the globe to attend a performance of her record-setting Eras Tour were devastated,...

China has vowed to take a holistic approach in responding to external shocks and safeguarding the country’s energy security, as the economic fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran continues to spread around the world. At a meeting on Tuesday, the country’s Politburo – a major decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party led by President Xi Jinping – also stressed the need to boost the nation’s tech self-reliance and control over its industrial supply chains. The country will push forward...

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Mexico’s most powerful criminal enterprise, suffered another blow on Monday when the Mexican military captured one of its top leaders in the northwest of the country, two months after the cartel’s leader was killed. Audias Flores Silva, also known as “El Jardinero”, or The Gardener, was seen as a possible successor to the killed leader and the United States had a US$5 million reward out for information leading to his arrest. The CJNG regional commander was...

Signatories of the landmark nuclear non-proliferation treaty began a meeting on Monday at the United Nations in New York as fears of a renewed arms race escalate, with atomic powers again at loggerheads over safeguards. In 2022, during the last review of the treaty considered the cornerstone of non-proliferation, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned humanity was “one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation”. On Monday he warned “the drivers” of nuclear weapons...

“Balikatan 2026” is meant to reassure allies and deter adversaries. But the military exercise hosted by the Philippines also reveals a harsher truth: the Indo-Pacific is drifting into a security logic in which deterrence no longer contains risk but multiplies it. Every move taken in the name of stability now invites a countermove. Every display of resolve is answered by another. The result is not equilibrium, but a trap. That is why diplomacy has to return to the centre of regional strategy...

The man accused of opening fire at a Washington dinner attended by Donald Trump was charged on Monday with attempting to assassinate the US president and could face life in prison if convicted. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, wore a blue jail-issue V-neck shirt and pants at his first appearance in Washington federal court, two days after authorities said he launched an unsuccessful attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, an annual black-tie gathering of journalists and...

A New York man on Monday pleaded guilty to ⁠taking part in ⁠the 2002 murder of ⁠pioneering hip-hop star Jam Master Jay of famed group Run-DMC as part of a dispute over a drug deal, according to federal prosecutors. Appearing in court in Brooklyn, Jay Bryant, 52, admitted to playing ‌a role in the fatal shooting of Jason Mizell, better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, and faces up to 20 years in prison, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said in a...

Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in the United States on Monday for a four-day trip, welcomed by self-proclaimed royal fan Donald Trump even as the US president has differed with the British government over the Iran war. The state visit, by far the most high-profile and consequential of Charles’ reign, marks the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence from British rule, and is the first to the country by a British ‌monarch in two decades. After landing at Joint...

Lebanon’s social affairs minister has backed calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah, but cautioned the process would take time before a “political settlement” could be reached, noting that the group is also a “community”. Haneen Sayed told a discussion in Washington on Monday that disarming Hezbollah – an Iran-backed militant group – was a demand of her government and its people, and that it “must happen”. “Of course, we understand that implementation is not easy. It’s not instant coffee. It...

US President ⁠Donald Trump said on Monday that Jimmy Kimmel should immediately be fired by ABC and parent company Walt Disney, joining his wife Melania Trump in calling out the late-night talk show host for a monologue he delivered prior to a shooting near a gathering of journalists and politicians over the weekend. Kimmel said last Thursday, in a parody segment on the upcoming White House correspondents’ dinner, that Melania Trump “had a glow like an expectant widow”. Trump and the first lady...

Pope Leo and new Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally met for the first time on Monday, in a symbolic encounter at the Vatican in which the leaders of the long-separated Catholic Church and Church of England exchanged gifts and prayed together. Mullally, the first woman to serve as spiritual leader of the world’s 85 million Anglicans, was ‌welcomed by Leo, the first US leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, into his formal office at the Vatican’s ornate apostolic palace. The two, who...

Following high-level mediation efforts in Islamabad over the weekend, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Monday. The diplomatic surge comes as US President Donald Trump convened his senior national security team to evaluate a fresh Iranian peace proposal, delivered via Pakistan, aimed at ending the months-long Middle East crisis and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The White House confirmed the proposal called...

Archaeologists and researchers at the ancient Roman site of Pompeii have used artificial intelligence for the first time to digitally reconstruct the face of a man killed in the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius that smothered the city, offering a new way to understand one of history’s most famous natural disasters. The digital portrait represents a man whose remains, along with those of another person, were discovered as they attempted to flee the city towards the coast of what is now Italy...

Nato is considering ending its recent practice of holding annual summits, six sources told Reuters, a move that could avoid a potentially tense encounter with US President Donald Trump in his final year in office. Trump’s administration has engaged repeatedly in scathing criticism of many of the US-led defence alliance’s 31 other members, most recently berating some for not providing more help to US military operations against Iran. The frequency of Nato ‌summits has varied over the alliance’s...

A small plane crashed on Monday in South Sudan near the capital Juba, killing all 13 passengers and the pilot, local officials said. On top of instability, conflict and poverty, South Sudan also lacks reliable transport infrastructure with frequent plane crashes attributed to overloading and bad weather. The plane was a Cessna that departed Juba International Airport at 9.15am local time and crashed about 20km (12 miles) from the capital with no survivors, the South Sudanese Civil Aviation...

Britain’s parliament will vote on Tuesday on a possible inquiry into Prime Minister Keir Starmer, looking at whether he misled the House of Commons ‌over the appointment of former US ambassador Peter Mandelson. Any such inquiry could have serious implications for Starmer’s future. He has so far resisted pressure to quit over his decision to hire Mandelson, but if found to have knowingly misled parliament his position would likely become untenable. House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said he...

The bitter legal fight between Elon Musk ⁠and the leadingAIe firm, OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, may come down ⁠to a few pages in one executive’s personal diary. “This is the only chance we have to get out from Elon,” wrote Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and a co-founder, in the autumn of 2017. “Is he the ‘glorious leader’ that I would pick?” Brockman’s diary entry is part of the thousands of pages of internal documents revealed in court since Musk, one of the original co-founders of OpenAI,...

The Strait of Hormuz is usually described as a chokepoint. Today, it is more than that. It is the hinge point between war and peace in the Gulf. Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas trade passes through this narrow waterway. When it was secure, the global economy barely noticed it. As soon as it was threatened, prices jumped, shipping costs rose and military tensions spread beyond the region. Today, the issue is even larger than economics. If the status of the strait is left unresolved,...

The singer-songwriter talks about being self-taught, and reaching down into the deepest, darkest parts of herself to pull out a song.

The artist shares stories behind some of her biggest hits, her love of a “rant bridge” and how life in the public eye informs the stories she tells in her songs.

The details, combined with video, seem to suggest that the gunman was not the person who shot an officer in his protective vest.

Their appearance seemed at odds with the chief justice’s oft-stated message that the court he leads avoids even the appearance of political splits.

A decades-old fight over a parking lot reserved for judges in Brooklyn has picked up steam with a new generation of combatants.

Scientists shared transcripts with The Times in which chatbots described how to assemble deadly pathogens and unleash them in public spaces.

With Israel increasingly unpopular and antisemitism on the rise, Jewish politicians find themselves more and more under attack.

Jeffrey Epstein’s messages cast light on an unusual building on his private island and show how his connections helped him secure tapestries from Mecca for it.

The chief executive, Scott Kirby, said that buying a smaller airline might not be worth the effort.

Only two places in the world allow tourists to enter the water with the ocean’s apex predator. But the safety of both species is a growing concern.

This is a president who rarely travels beyond the confines of the White House compound or Mar-a-Lago.

Body camera footage reveals a disturbing pattern of state and federal officials using minor traffic stops to target Black and brown drivers.

We look into whether the U.S. is in a new era of violent extremism.

Instead of paying $150 for NJ Transit tickets to get to the stadium, some Europeans online are suggesting a scenic stroll through New Jersey’s interstates and swamps.

Throughout the war in Iran, Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, did all he could to keep President Trump happy. This week, Mr. Merz appeared to lose patience.

The city’s rapid expansion brought new jobs and investment, but decades of low wages and limited access to education and housing have kept many residents from reaching the middle class.

The city plans to widen the median on an 11-block stretch of the boulevard, removing two traffic lanes, to provide space where people can stroll or linger.