Minimalist News

Brussels' Internet Neo-Feudalism: Sledgehammer Or Stiletto? Submitted by Thomas Kolbe The European Commission is relentlessly advancing its project to subjugate independent media. Beyond classic censorship, sophisticated technologies like algorithmic search control are being deployed. Alternative outlets such as Tichys Einblick are thus increasingly blocked from public reach. The republican spirit is quietly dying. In recent months, there has been intense debate over Brussels’ dangerously anti-civilizational tendencies and its growing obsession with control. It is telling that EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen herself has highlighted the stark contrast between the EU citizen’s impotence and a bureaucracy operating with ever fewer limits. Currently, Brussels

Is Global Technocracy Inevitable Or Dangerously Delusional? Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us The bewildering truth behind human technological enslavement is that it is impossible without the voluntary participation of the intended slaves. People must welcome technocracy into their lives in order for it to succeed. The populace has to believe, blindly, that they cannot live without it, or that authoritarianism by algorithmic consensus is “inevitable.” For example, the average person living in a first world economy voluntarily carries a cell phone everywhere they go at all times without fail. To be without it, in their minds, is to be naked, at risk,

These Are The Cities Americans Are Moving To As migration patterns shift across the U.S., some cities are emerging as magnets for new residents. A combination of affordability, climate, and job opportunities continues to draw people to the South and West. This visualization, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, highlights where Americans are choosing to move, based on new residency data from 2024 compiled by Point2Homes. SUN BELT CITIES DOMINATE THE RANKINGS Las Vegas stands out with the highest share of newcomers from other states at 33%. Mesa, Arizona (30%), and Colorado Springs, Colorado (30%) follow closely, reflecting the continued appeal of the Sun Belt.

Central Bankers Disagree About Gold Authored by Vincent Cook via The Mises Institute, With the fiat US dollar price of gold multiplied 2.6x since October of 2022 (as of October 20, 2025 when this was written) and rising exponentially (Figure 1), some people are deeply worried that something is seriously wrong with the dollar and with the global financial system generally. Is the soaring price of gold a sign of monetary instability? Or is it just a transitory “nothingburger”? Figure 1: Gold spot price per troy ounce, most recent five years Central bankers are now being asked such awkward questions, and they are giving

US To Launch "New Phase" Of Venezuela Operations, Options Include Overthrowing Maduro: Report One day after the FAA issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM), or an alert notifying pilots of potential serious hazards in certain airspace, for the Maiquetía Flight Information Region above Venezula, Reuters reported that the US is poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days, citing four U.S. officials. Amid a sharp escalation of pressure by the Trump administration on President Nicolas Maduro's government, including proliferating reports of looming action as the US military deployed forces to the Caribbean amid worsening relations with Venezuela,

The Problem Of Fake Science Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times, Last week, I was able to generate from artificial intelligence a fake study that proved that eating waffles increases baldness. It was filled with footnotes, citations, and complicated math and models. It was kind of scary to see how credible the results felt. You had to look carefully to see the problems. I shared it with others who immediately said something like, “I can believe it.” Don’t eat those waffles; your hair will fall out. Science says so! Think of this. We’ve never before been in the position to generate such

Washington Moves To Soften Penalties For Child-Sex Sting Suspects Washington’s State Sentencing Guidelines Commission has voted 7–2 to recommend lighter penalties for adults caught in online child-sex sting operations, urging lawmakers to create alternatives to incarceration for cases they classify as having “no identifiable victim” , according to Seattle's 770AM. The category includes “net nanny” investigations where adults take steps to meet people they believe are minors but are actually undercover detectives. Three members abstained. Conservative talk-radio host Jason Rantz argues this recommendation fits into a broader pattern of Democratic-backed policy shifts that downplay or weaken consequences for adults attempting to exploit children. Rantz writes

The AI Trade: Opportunity Or Warning? Authored by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, AI TRADE LIVES ON AS “SANTA RALLY” COMES INTO VIEW The markets experienced another volatile trading week as we head into a shortened trading week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both closed the week lower, but rallied on Friday as options expiration took hold. The consistent selling pressure in AI and semiconductor-related stocks had reversed previous overbought conditions enough for a bounce. The big news was Nvidia’s earnings. Despite the market’s poor reaction (a very normal response following its earnings report), the numbers were stellar. Nvidia’s earnings beat

Netanyahu Says Rubio Assured Him Saudi Arabia Will Not Receive F-35s On Par With Israel Via Middle East Eye Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the America's top diplomat assured him US legislation will prevent Saudi Arabia from buying the most sophisticated F-35 warplanes, directly contradicting President Donald Trump. "Regarding the F-35, I had a long conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reiterated his commitment that the United States will continue to preserve Israel's qualitative military edge in everything related to supplying weapons and military systems to countries in the Middle East," Netanyahu said in a Hebrew-language interview widely circulated on X.  Via AFP Netanyahu said

Court Lets Government Keep $1 Million Found Buried Under Garage... Even After The Resident Was Acquitted In 2009, Thunder Bay police searched a rural Ontario home for an illegal .22-caliber handgun. They didn’t find the gun, but they did uncover cash hidden throughout the property: C$15,000 stuffed into a floor vent, C$9,750 tucked in a garage suitcase, and about C$1.2 million sealed in a Rubbermaid tub buried beneath the garage floor, according to the New York Times. The tenant, Marcel Breton, was charged with possessing proceeds of crime, but he successfully challenged the search warrant and was acquitted. That left the courts

The Telefon Problem: Hacking AI With Poetry Instead Of Prompts Authored by Mark Jeftovic via AxisOfEasy.com, > “The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.“ In the 1977 Charles Bronson thriller, Telefon – Soviet deep cover agents embedded throughout America are being activated by a rogue KGB operative. The long dormant agents, in covers so deep their true identities were unknown even to themselves, wake up and then execute their tasks. Their true missions are triggered via a line from the Robert Frost poem Stopping by

State Department Sounds Alarm: Mass Migration Is an "Existential Threat To Western Civilization" The surge of nationalism across the West is a direct response against unhinged globalist leaders whose suicidal empathy opened the doors to nation-killing mass migration invasion of poorly vetted third-worlders. Tens of millions have invaded through open borders, and the results have been devastating: violent crime, strained public services, rising terror threats and attacks, the collapse of social order, and erosion of national security.  Think of the mass-migration invasion, facilitated by globalist-aligned governments, NGOs, and progressive billionaires, as a kind of "pawn storm" strategy: a push that destabilizes countries and, in effect, helps create a new voting bloc that

Chicago's Revolving Door Of Doom: 72 Prior Arrests Revealed For Train Torcher Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Fresh court revelations have ripped the scab off Chicago’s festering wound of criminal coddling. The 50-year-old predator accused of dousing a 26-year-old woman with gasoline and igniting her on a Blue Line train this week had racked up at least 72 prior arrests before this horrifying crime. Lawrence Reed, a lifelong felon whose decades-long rampage should have landed him a life sentence eons ago, was finally ordered detained Friday by federal Judge Laura McNally—following the November 18 attack near Clark and Lake station. But as his

VTOL Air Taxi With Military Applications Flies On Hybrid Power For First Time A long-range vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) air taxi under development by Joby Aviation has completed its first successful flight using a turbine-electric engine.  Lifting off from the company's site in Marina, California, the aircraft pairs a hybrid turbine powertrain with the company's proprietary autonomy software - the SuperPilot autonomous stack - which extends range while increasing payload capacity, according to Joby.  It includes capabilities such as:  * Real-time sensor fusion (radar, LiDAR, vision) and environment perception. * Autonomous mission management: planning, adapting to changes (weather/air traffic), re-tasking mid-flight. * Remote operations /

Comer Threatens Contempt Proceedings Against Clintons If They Continue To Ignore Epstein Subpoenas Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) warned Bill and Hillary Clinton Friday that if they continue to ignore deposition subpoenas regarding their history with Jeffrey Epstein, he will initiate contempt proceedings. The House Oversight Committee is conducting a review of the federal government’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, focused on potential mismanagement of the case, the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death, his trafficking network, and possible ethics violations by elected officials. Comer sent a letter to Clinton

US Navy Racing To Recover Crashed Jet And Helicopter From South China Sea The US Navy is working to retrieve an F/A-18 Super Hornet and an MH-60 helicopter from the bottom of the South China Sea—wreckage that analysts say could hand Beijing valuable intelligence if China were to reach it first, according to CNN. Both aircraft went down within about 30 minutes in late October while operating from the USS Nimitz. All personnel were rescued, and while the Navy has not identified a cause, former President Donald Trump suggested soon afterward that “contaminated fuel” may be responsible. The Navy confirmed Friday that a

Vance Blasts Critics Of Trump's Ukraine Peace Plan As "Living In A Fantasy Land" As expected, President Trump's 28-point peace plan has quickly seen plenty of pushback in Europe, given it is the first ever such US proposal to focus on Ukraine giving up land. Specifically Crimea, and most of Luhansk and Donetsk would be placed under "de facto" Russian control. While Moscow would be made to direct $100 billion in frozen assets to Ukrainian reconstruction, sanctions on Russia would be dropped and it would be welcomed back into the global economy. But hawks want to see Russia 'punished' and are pressing

Lawmakers Want To Block US Purchases Of Chinese Chipmaking Equipment Authored by Catherine Yang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Chip EQUIP Act on Nov. 20, with the goal of prohibiting American companies from buying Chinese chipmaking equipment. Technicians work on chip processing equipment at a semiconductor manufacturing plant in Suqian, in eastern China's Jiangsu province on Oct. 20, 2025. AFP Photo Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, and Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.), chair of the Research and Technology Subcommittee, introduced the bill in the House. It was co-sponsored

Brazilian Police Make 'Preventative Arrest' Of Jair Bolsonaro, Fearing He'll Flee The plot thickens for the man once called the "Brazilian Donald Trump" as former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was detained on Saturday at his residence in Brazil's capital to prevent a possible "attempted escape" - police and court authorities have said. He has been on house arrest, and the 70-year old politician is just days away from starting a stiff 27-year prison sentence - though appeals are expected - but he's now been taken to the headquarters of the federal police in Brasilia. What's being called a 'preventative arrest' warrant was reportedly requested by the

How Andrew Jackson Freed America From Central Bank Control... And Why It Matters Now Authored by Nick Giambruno via InternationalMan.com, It’s hard to believe the United States government was ever debt-free. But it happened once—in 1835—thanks to President Andrew Jackson. He was the first and only president to pay off the national debt completely. One biographer says the former president viewed debt as a “moral failing,” a sort of “black magic.” When he became president, Jackson was determined to rid the US of its national debt. After all, debt enslaves you to your creditors. Jackson knew that being debt-free was essential to independence. This outlook resonated

Did the talks succeed or fail? The verdict must take account of the geopolitical minefield they took place in Cop30 in Belém wrapped up on Saturday night more than 24 hours later than planned, and with an Amazonian rainstorm thundering down on the conference centre. The UN structure just about held, as it has done these past three weeks despite fire, savage tropical heat and blistering political attacks on the multilateral system of global environmental governance. Dozens of agreements were gavelled through on the final day, as the most collective form of humanity worked to resolve the most complex and dangerous challenge

Wealthy countries should triple funds for countries to tackle climate impacts, but deforestation and critical minerals blocked from final deal The world edged a small step closer to the end of the fossil fuel era on Saturday, but not by nearly enough to stave off the ravages of climate breakdown. Countries meeting in Brazil for two weeks could manage only a voluntary agreement to begin discussions on a roadmap to an eventual phase-out of fossil fuels, and they achieved this incremental progress only in the teeth of implacable opposition from oil-producing countries. Continue reading...

Brazilian ex-president says he used soldering iron on device and is now in custody over fears he was going to abscond Brazil’s former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro has claimed he tried to damage his electronic ankle monitor “out of curiosity” after he was arrested at his villa owing to suspicions he was poised to abscond. In a video released by the supreme court, Bolsonaro – who was recently sentenced to 27 years in prison for masterminding a military coup – can be heard admitting to a security official that he had used a soldering iron to tamper with the black tag. Continue reading...

Tom Player speaks out about incident in which Victoria Bond died along with two Mexicans and two Germans A survivor of the blizzard that killed a British woman and four others in Chilean Patagonia has said that tourists were concerned about adverse weather conditions ahead of the trek, but were told by staff it was “normal” and they could proceed. Tom Player, a London-based composer, told the Guardian that during the brutal blizzard about 30 volunteers worked together in an attempt to try to rescue hikers. Continue reading...

Two critically hurt after attack on walking trail in British Columbia as police and conservation officers search for bear Eleven people were injured, two of them critically, when a grizzly bear attacked a group of schoolchildren and teachers on a walking trail in British Columbia, Canada. The attack happened on Thursday in Bella Coola, 435 miles (700km) north-west of Vancouver. The Nuxalk Nation said the “aggressive bear” remained on the loose and police and conservation officers were on the scene. Continue reading...

Despite the US’s economic success, income inequality remains breathtaking. But this is no glitch – it’s the system The Chinese did rather well in the age of globalization. In 1990, 943 million people there lived on less than $3 a day measured in 2021 dollars – 83% of the population, according to the World Bank. By 2019, the number was brought down to zero. Unfortunately, the United States was not as successful. More than 4 million Americans – 1.25% of the population – must make ends meet with less than $3 a day, more than three times as many as 35

Environment ministry says most of the deaths were in the mountainous central province of Dak Lak The death toll from major flooding in Vietnam has risen to 90, with 12 more people missing, the environment ministry said on Sunday after days of heavy rain and landslides. Relentless rain has lashed south-central Vietnam since late October and popular holiday destinations have been hit by several rounds of flooding. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Kanak leader Christian Tein, who was freed from prison in June, says France is ‘deliberately dragging out’ re-issue of his passport A pro-independence leader from the French overseas territory of New Caledonia has accused the French government of “deliberately dragging out” his passport application, preventing him from flying home after his release from prison. Christian Tein, an Indigenous Kanak leader, was arrested in New Caledonia in June 2024 over allegations that he had instigated the deadly pro-independence protests that had taken place on the island a month earlier. Continue reading...

From Scott Morrison’s ‘on-water matters’ to the Albanese government’s MOU with Nauru, successive governments’ attitude to legitimate scrutiny has been one of hostility * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Offshore, secrecy dominates. But it doesn’t stop at the water’s edge. In February, Australia brokered a new offshore arrangement with Nauru, striking a deal to send members of the so-called NZYQ cohort – non-citizens with criminal histories – to the Pacific island. Australia would give Nauru more than $400m in exchange. Continue reading...

California faced evacuation warnings over flood risk, while Japan experienced heavy early season snowfall Evacuation warnings were issued last week in California as heavy rain brought the risk of flooding and landslides. The storms in the US were linked to a phenomenon known as an “atmospheric river” – a long filament of moisture-laden air that originates above the Pacific Ocean and provides vital replenishment of reservoirs and snowpack along the western coast of the US. However, they can also bring destructive volumes of rain, particularly along coastal areas. Elsewhere in the US, parts of Colorado experienced some of their longest stretches of

The government has offered to make changes to the bill to both the Greens and the Liberals hoping to reach a deal on legislation that can pass the Senate * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Years of debate about environmental law reform have come down to a tense standoff in the final sitting week of federal parliament for the year, with Labor claiming it can do a deal that will pass the Senate by Thursday. The government is still pushing to pass its major changes, despite not yet having reached an agreement with either the Greens

Exclusive: ‘Man box’ stereotype of appearing tough and believing in rigid gender roles linked to likelihood of committing acts of abuse, new report finds * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast More than a quarter of young New South Wales men who participated in a recent survey agreed that “men should use violence to get respect if necessary”, and over one-third admitted to sexually harassing a woman in the past month. The findings came from the NSW Man Box report, commissioned by the Minns government and released on Monday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Jason Clare says new powers will ensure information is ‘accurate, comprehensive and representative’ to help government deliver ‘evidence-based reforms’ * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Labor is quietly advancing plans for universal childcare in Australia, with new laws to require private operators to hand over sensitive commercial data needed to design a new national system. Anthony Albanese wants a dramatic expansion in quality childcare services to form part of his political legacy and has pledged to move forward with the plans this term. Continue reading...

Strongest cyclone to approach Darwin since Tracy in 1974 intensifies to category 4 as it moves towards northeast Kimberley coast * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Top End residents are in cleanup mode after a night of damaging winds and heavy rain from Tropical Cyclone Fina. Arriving as a category 3 system, Fina brought destructive winds and heavy downpours to remote Tiwi Islands communities, then Darwin and surrounds on Saturday and into Sunday. Continue reading...

Despite Australia signing the Belém declaration, Albanese rejected suggestion Labor shouldn’t develop new gas fields * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The Albanese government is being urged to explain how it will drive a fossil fuel phase-out, after it joined dozens of countries at a UN climate summit to back a declaration that the world should quickly wean off coal, gas and oil. Australia signed up to the declaration on a just transition away from fossil fuels at a side event at the Cop30 conference in the Brazilian city of Belém, which finished on Saturday night

Chancellor Friedrich Merz says ‘we are still a long way from that’ as Trump blasts Ukrainian leadership on social media The Ukrainian delegation has held talks with European security officials in Geneva, according to the head of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, Andriy Yermak. “Overall, a series of meetings in various formats is planned for today. We continue working together to achieve a lasting and just peace for Ukraine,” Yermak wrote in a post on X. “The next meeting is with the US delegation. We are in a very constructive mood.” Continue reading...

Vineyard owners say sales slump, Trump tariffs and worst harvest in 70 years have put producers in danger of closure French winemakers are often accused of viewing the glass as half empty. Dire warnings about the state of the sector – one of the three pillars of the country’s economy – are a hardy perennial blamed on everything from geopolitics to a drop in the number of drinkers. Before a crisis meeting with the agriculture minister on Monday, vineyard owners say an unprecedented series of setbacks, including some of the worst harvests in 70 years, has left many of them on their

The army secretary has little in his résumé to suggest he can end the war between Russia and Ukraine Little in Dan Driscoll’s résumé – past or present – suggests he has the qualifications to understand the often-tortured and bloody history of relations between Russia and Ukraine. A former investment banker with a degree in business administration, the current US army secretary’s main calling card for a prominent role in the Trump administration may be a friendship with JD Vance dating from when they were at Yale Law School together. Continue reading...

US president signals potential room for adjustments after Zelenskyy says proposals force Ukraine to choose between national dignity and losing the US Donald Trump said on Saturday that his “peace plan” was “not my final offer”, after a furious backlash from Ukrainians who described it as reminiscent of Neville Chamberlain’s 1938 Munich agreement with Adolf Hitler. The US president told reporters during brief remarks at the White House: “We’d like to get to peace. It should’ve happened a long time ago … we’re trying to get it ended, one way or the other we have to get it ended.” Continue reading...

European leaders say Washington’s proposal needs major changes, as Macron warns G20 risks losing relevance Western leaders have said the US peace plan for ending the war in Ukraine “will require additional work” at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, which Donald Trump boycotted. The draft plan, which was leaked this week, endorsed some of Russia’s demands, such as handing over areas of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, limiting its military, and relinquishing its ambitions to join Nato. Washington has given Kyiv a deadline of Thursday to respond. Continue reading...

At least two people killed and dozens injured in airstrike on southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital Israel targeted the chief of staff of Lebanon’s Iran-aligned group Hezbollah in a strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday. The strike was the first in months on the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs, known for housing Hezbollah officials. Continue reading...

Unable to reunite with their families in Gaza due to the closed border, Palestinian workers have spent two years in a refugee camp at Nablus stadium Inside a dim locker room at the Nablus municipal stadium, in the occupied West Bank, the television rarely goes dark, streaming day and night the relentless news from Gaza. Gathered in front of it are a group of men from Khan Younis. For more than two years, they have lived in this stadium converted into a refugee camp, their lives suspended between exile and the war they watched on a screen. They are mostly construction workers

‘Severe lack’ in territory where Israeli strikes have killed more than 50 people and injured over 100 in recent days Hospitals in Gaza are running out of essential supplies, with new waves of Israeli airstrikes killing more than 50 people and injuring more than 100 in recent days, medical and aid workers in the devastated Palestinian territory have said. Medics told the Guardian on Sunday that stocks of gauze, antiseptics, thermometers and antibiotics were running low. Continue reading...

Pageantry and trillion-dollar promises reveal how Washington’s loyalties may be tilting toward the Gulf The White House welcome bestowed on the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was the most lavish of the Trump presidency, and a gaudily clear statement of its foreign policy priorities. It was billed as a mere working visit, but it was more extravagant than any previous state visit. The president greeted the prince on the south lawn, the White House’s biggest stage. There were uniformed men on horses bearing flags and a flypast of fighter jets. Continue reading...

On the border with Lebanon, communities have started to return and rebuild – even though some are in no hurry to return Noam Erlich looks out over what was his beer garden. Beyond the disordered chairs and tables and the sign instructing neighbours and friends to “pay whatever you like”, the ridge falls away to fields, then a fence, then hills littered with the skeletal ruins of shattered Lebanese villages. The 44-year-old brewer is standing in front of the house his grandfather built when the Manara kibbutz was founded in the 1940s in the very far north of Israel. The building was

Exclusive: Tshering Tobgay says his country is doing ‘a lot more than our fair share’ on climate and west must cut emissions ‘for the happiness of your people’ The wealthy western countries most responsible for the climate crisis would improve the health and happiness of their citizens by prioritising environmental conservation and sustainable economic growth, according to the prime minister of Bhutan, the world’s first carbon-negative nation. Bhutan, a Buddhist democratic monarchy and biodiversity hotspot situated high in the eastern Himalayas, is among the world’s most ambitious climate leaders thanks to its people’s connection with nature and a strong political focus on

Hasina sentenced in absentia by court in Dhaka over deadly crackdown on student-led uprising last year Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Dhaka for crimes against humanity over a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. A three-judge bench of the country’s international crimes tribunal convicted Hasina of crimes including incitement, orders to kill and inaction to prevent atrocities as she oversaw a crackdown on anti-government protesters last year. Continue reading...

The accidental explosion comes days after a deadly car blast in New Delhi which killed at least eight people near the city’s historic Red Fort At least nine people were killed and 32 injured after a cache of confiscated explosives detonated inside a police station in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police have announced. The blast occurred in the Nowgam area of Srinagar, the region’s main city, late on Friday while a team of forensic experts and police were examining the explosive material, said Nalin Prabhat, the region’s police director general. He ruled out any foul play, saying it was an accident. Continue reading...

Investigators believe an explosion that killed 13 people may be linked to group operating in the disputed region Police have carried out raids and made several arrests across the Indian region of Kashmir in the aftermath of a car explosion in Delhi that left 13 people dead. On Wednesday, the Indian government confirmed it was treating the blast as a “terror incident” perpetrated by “anti-national forces”. The explosion took place outside one of India’s most significant monuments during rush hour on Monday evening. Continue reading...

Cabinet says explosion near Red Fort that killed 12 is suspected to have been perpetrated by ‘anti-national forces’ India has confirmed it is treating the explosion that killed 12 people outside Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday as a “terror incident” perpetrated by “anti-national forces”. The statement by the cabinet, led by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, confirmed mounting speculation that a terrorist attack was behind the blast that took place during peak time in one of the capital’s busiest areas and outside one of India’s major landmarks. Continue reading...

TV personality wants homeowners and businesses to shun ‘dishonest’ firms Arconic, Kingspan and Celotex Grenfell United and the TV architect George Clarke are calling on businesses and homeowners to take a “moral decision” and boycott the companies criticised in the Grenfell inquiry for “systematic dishonesty”. Clarke, best known for his series George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, said he had made the decision not to use products from Arconic, Kingspan and Celotex, three companies that were heavily criticised in the findings of the Grenfell inquiry published last year and who have continued to deny wrongdoing. Continue reading...

Artworks to go on display in January at Bethlem Museum of the Mind, in the world’s oldest psychiatric hospital From images of empty community rooms and a colourful canvas crammed with caricatures to a baby linked by an umbilical-like cord to a seated stranger, artworks on the subject of mental health are to go on display in an exhibition that examines social bonds against the backdrop of today’s polarised times. Artists have long drawn on their own experiences of mental ill health. Staged at the Bethlem Museum of the Mind, in the world’s oldest psychiatric hospital, in south-east London, Kindred will explore

Standoff between China and EU over supply of chips for car industry underlines value of sector requiring huge financial investment Keir Starmer has announced a critical minerals and rare earths strategy to build resilience against China, which has a stranglehold on supplies of materials including magnets critical to everything from car doors to fridges. “For too long, Britain has been dependent on a handful of overseas suppliers, leaving our economy and national security exposed to global shocks,” the prime minister said. Continue reading...

Shortage of specialist doctors means service is in crisis, says chair of Royal College of Pathologists committee Bereaved parents are enduring “harrowing” delays of more than a year to find out why their child died because the NHS has too few specialist doctors to perform postmortems. The shortage of paediatric and perinatal pathologists is revealed in a report by the Royal College of Pathologists published on Sunday. It warns that the situation is “dire”, services in some parts of the UK have “totally collapsed” and families are paying the price. 37% of consultant posts in the UK are lying vacant. The UK has just

The 18-carat Jules Jurgensen gold watch belonged to Isidor Straus, who along with his wife lost his life when ship sank A gold pocket watch that belonged to a man who died onboard the Titanic when it sank has sold for a record sum. The watch, which belonged to 67-year-old Isidor Straus, went for £1.78m at auction, the highest amount ever paid for Titanic memorabilia. He was given the watch – an engraved 18-carat Jules Jurgensen – as a gift on his 43rd birthday in 1888. Continue reading...

Danielle Bensky, who was abused by Jeffrey Epstein, says president was ‘incredibly disrespectful’ in recent comments A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse has condemned Donald Trump for dismissing the victims’ fight for transparency as a “hoax”. Shortly after signing a bill to release the Epstein files, the US president posted a lengthy social media rant accusing Democrats of weaponising the scandal against him. Continue reading...

Professionals say claims about birth, including excessive bleeding, blue babies and placenta care, are dangerous • Full story: How the FBS is linked to baby deaths around the world The Free Birth Society (FBS) is a multimillion-dollar business that promotes the idea of women giving birth with no medical assistance. It is led by two ex-doulas turned social media influencers: Emilee Saldaya and Yolande Norris-Clark. Neither have midwifery or medical training, but they claim to have extensive experience from attending the births of other women. Continue reading...

* Incident happened hours before Saturday’s game * Two players in stable condition in local hospital A University of Alabama at Birmingham football player allegedly stabbed two teammates on Saturday morning, hours before the team’s game against the University of South Florida, the university said in a statement. “UAB’s top priority remains the safety and well-being of all of our students,” the statement said. “Given patient privacy and the ongoing investigation, we have no further comment at this time.” Continue reading...

Fire-resistant upgrades are included in replacement structure less than a year after fires destroyed 13,000 homes * Did you lose your home in the Los Angeles wildfires? We’d like to hear how you’re spending the holidays Less than a year after the Palisades fire destroyed nearly 7,000 structures in Los Angeles, the first completed rebuilt home is being celebrated in Pacific Palisades. In a statement, mayor Karen Bass confirmed that the Los Angeles department of building and safety had issued the certificate on Friday, certifying that the home had passed inspection and was ready for occupancy. Continue reading...

Prime minister says in principle anyone with knowledge of child sexual offence cases should disclose what they know Keir Starmer has increased the pressure on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to cooperate with a congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, saying those who are caught up in child sexual offence cases should disclose any information they have. Asked whether Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles last month, should respond to the US House oversight committee, the prime minister said those with “relevant information” should share it. The former prince had a long friendship with Epstein and is alleged to have sexually assaulted one of

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro damaged his electronic ankle bracelet with a soldering iron hours before his arrest, according to video released by the Supreme Court. The footage shows Bolsonaro telling an officer he had applied “hot iron” to the device “out of curiosity”. The plastic casing around the device appears to be scorched, though the officer said the core mechanism seemed intact. Asked whether he used an iron, he replies: “No, a soldering iron.” Bolsonaro insisted he had not...

The United States is poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days, according to four US officials, as the Trump administration escalates pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government. Reuters was not able to establish the exact timing or scope of the new operations, nor whether US President Donald Trump had made a final decision to act. Reports of looming action have proliferated in recent weeks as the US military has deployed forces to the Caribbean amid...

European leaders and other allies told the US that its peace plan for Ukraine needed “additional work”, in a rushed bid to try and slow walk a Trump administration determined to give concessions to Russia and impose terms by Thanksgiving. They issued a statement at a Group of 20 summit in South Africa that US President Donald Trump blew off but where many of them were headed to when the controversial details of the 28-point peace plan were leaked. The US set an ultimatum for Thursday. In...

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he was enlisting the help of legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus to spruce up the courses at Joint Base Andrews – adding a site long known as the “president’s golf course” to his long list of construction projects. The president took an aerial tour of the Courses at Andrews aboard Marine One and promised, “We’re going to do some work” there, as well as to other parts of the base. “We’re doing some fix-up of the base, which it needs. We’re gonna try and...

John F. Kennedy’s granddaughter disclosed on Saturday that she has terminal cancer, writing in an essay in The New Yorker that one of her doctors said she might live for about another year. Tatiana Schlossberg, the daughter of Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, and Edwin Schlossberg, wrote that she was diagnosed in May 2024 at 34. After the birth of her second child, her doctor noticed her white blood cell count was high. It turned out to be acute myeloid leukaemia with a rare mutation,...

Irish fashion designer Paul Costelloe, personal designer to the late Princess Diana who became a fixture at London Fashion Week for four decades, has died aged 80, his family said in a statement on Saturday. Costelloe was appointed as Diana’s personal designer in 1983, shortly after establishing his own label, Paul Costelloe Collections, and their collaboration continued until her death in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Costelloe, who led the development of all his collections from his studio in...

Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 80, local health authorities said on Saturday, in a further test of a fragile ceasefire between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel. Witnesses and medical staff said the first attack hit a car in the densely populated Rimal neighbourhood, setting it ablaze. It was not immediately clear whether the five dead were passengers of the car or included passers-by. Dozens of people rushed to extinguish the fire and...

Brazil’s Cop30 presidency pushed through a compromise climate deal on Saturday that would boost finance for poor nations coping with global warming but omitted any mention of the fossil fuels driving it. In securing the accord, Brazil hoped to demonstrate global unity in addressing climate change impacts even after the world’s biggest historic emitter, the United States, declined to send an official delegation. Acknowledging that the deal left many frustrated, the head of the UN climate...

Left-leaning social media users have amplified an AI-generated audio clip purporting to show US President Donald Trump screaming at US officials to block the release of documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, researchers said on Friday. In recent weeks, renewed public furore over the so-called Epstein files has consumed US politics, spurring a showdown between lawmakers and Trump, a former friend of the late convicted sex offender. “Not releasing the Epstein files,” a...

Ukraine and the US will soon meet in Switzerland to discuss Washington’s plan for ending the war with Russia, which currently heeds some of Russia’s hardline demands, Kyiv said on Saturday. US President Donald Trump gave Ukraine less than a week to approve the 28-point plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, which would see the invaded country ceding territory, cutting its army and pledging to never join Nato. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s European allies, who were not included in drafting the...

Gunmen have kidnapped more than 300 students and teachers in one of the largest mass kidnappings in Nigeria, a Christian group said on Saturday, as security fears mounted in Africa’s most populous nation. The early Friday raid on St Mary’s co-education school in Niger state in central Nigeria came after gunmen on Monday stormed a secondary school in neighbouring Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had earlier reported 227 people seized, but the new number...

Britain’s former prime minister Boris Johnson slammed an inquiry report critical of his government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic as “hopelessly incoherent” in a social media post on Saturday. “More than three years after the end of the pandemic, they are still wrangling about what went wrong,” Johnson, 61, also wrote in an article for the Daily Mail tabloid, days after the inquiry slammed his government for its “chaotic” response to the global pandemic costing thousands of lives. The...

All crew members have been evacuated from the container ship One Henry Hudson after a fire and explosion disrupted the vessel’s power and crane operations at San Pedro port on Friday, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) said. Hazardous materials have been identified in several bays at the port, and firefighters are wearing protective gear and using self-contained breathing equipment. Marine units continue cooling the ship’s exterior, with no personnel allowed below deck, the LAFD said. TV...

Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered the pre-emptive arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday, with a judge claiming he was intent on escaping just days before he was set to begin his 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt. The 70-year-old politician was taken to the headquarters of the country’s federal police in the capital, Brasilia, from his house arrest. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the case, said in his ruling that Bolsonaro’s ankle monitor,...

Chinese investment is still being actively welcomed in Ireland, the head of a major business organisation said, even as the wider European Union adopts a more cautious attitude and Dublin walks a tightrope to maintain ties with both the US and China amid a wide-ranging rivalry between the world’s two largest economies. “We’re firmly open for business within the EU rules, that is an unambiguous position,” Mary Rose Burke, CEO of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, told the Post in an interview last...

Authorities on Friday arrested seven bodyguards suspected of being involved in the assassination earlier this month of a popular mayor in west-central Mexico whom they were supposed to be protecting. At least five of the suspects were seen being arrested by state and federal authorities in Uruapan on Friday, steps away from the site where Mayor Carlos Manzo was killed during Day of the Dead festivities on November 1. Later, the Michoacan state prosecutor’s office said in a brief statement that...

This article was first published on November 22, 1995 By David Wallen and other agencies New blow to monarchy as Diana admits adultery Princess Diana’s frank admission of adultery, her graphic description of a three-year battle with bulimia, and her certainty she will never be queen left Britons reeling and dealt a new blow to the monarchy. In an unprecedented hour-long interview watched by 20 million people, including Hong Kong subscribers to Cable TV, Diana spoke candidly about her failed...

James Watson was probably racist and sexist, but possibly no worse than many people. He was just less inhibited in saying such things out loud. Such views got him into serious trouble late in his life. He was cancelled before “cancel culture” was a thing. But in criticising Watson – a towering figure in 20th-century science who died early this month aged 97 – you need first to understand two things: the evolution – pun intended – of biology from its inherent Western racism to its more recent...

An Ohio jury found a white police officer not guilty of murder on Friday in the 2023 fatal shooting of a pregnant black woman suspected of shoplifting from a supermarket, lawyers in the case and court records said. Connor Grubb, an officer with the Blendon Township Police Department, was also cleared of involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault charges in the death of Ta’Kiya Young, Grubb’s lawyer Mark Collins said. The case drew national attention because of the circumstances and has...

Former president Mauricio Macri warned on Friday that Argentina could weaken its export base if it distances itself from China, sharpening his public split with President Javier Milei. Macri argued that China remains central to Argentina’s sales of soy, beef and other raw materials, goods the US already produces in abundance. “China is more complementary than the United States for Argentina. I do not think it is good to interrupt that process,” he said. A long-time Milei ally, Macri was...

In 2004, Joshua Cooper Ramo, now co-CEO of Kissinger Associates, coined the term “Beijing Consensus” as an alternative to the Washington Consensus, the neoliberal framework of economic policies devised in the 1980s by the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and US Treasury. China had just joined the World Trade Organization and, within the country, there was considerable scepticism that a Beijing Consensus existed. Come 2007, and as the global financial crisis broke out – first with the US...

US officials are having early discussions on whether to let Nvidia sell its H200 artificial intelligence chips to China, according to people familiar with the matter, a contentious potential move that would mark a major win for the world’s most valuable company. US President Donald Trump’s team had held internal talks about H200 chip shipments to the Asian country in recent days, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss a highly sensitive matter. No final decision had been made, the...

A Democratic lawmaker who served on Donald Trump’s National Security Council in his first term urged the White House on Friday to release a transcript of Trump’s 2019 call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s killing. “The Khashoggi family and the American people deserve to know what was in that call … the receipts will raise serious questions,” congressman Eugene Vindman told a news conference with Khashoggi’s widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi. In 2019,...

A jar of “carbonara sauce” for sale at the European Parliament in Brussels has whipped up Italian emotions after criticism that it does not contain the right ingredients. Italy’s agriculture minister Francesco Lollobrigida unleashed his ire earlier this week after posting a picture of the offending pot on social media. The minister decried the sauce for containing pancetta – a pork product similar to bacon – which is apparently a major culinary faux pas in food-loving Italy. He said it was an...

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Ukraine faced losing its dignity and freedom or Washington’s support over a US peace plan that endorses key Russian demands and which Donald Trump said Kyiv should agree to by Thursday. The US president told Fox News Radio he believed next Thursday was an appropriate deadline for Kyiv to accept the plan. In a solemn address to the nation which he delivered in the street outside his office, a location he uses only rarely for major addresses,...

Swiss authorities were searching on Friday for two robbers who overpowered a security guard at an ancient Rome-themed museum in Lausanne, smashed a display case and made off with dozens of gold coins that had been displayed inside. City police said the suspects had bought tickets and waited until other visitors had left shortly before closing time on Thursday. “The two individuals assaulted and overpowered the guard. They then broke into a secured display case and stole several gold coins that...

A hard-right British politician and former ally of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was sentenced Friday to 10½ years in prison for accepting bribes to make favourable statements about Russia in the European Parliament. Nathan Gill, 52, pleaded guilty earlier this year to eight counts of bribery between December 2018 and July 2019. Police have estimated that the former leader of Reform in Wales took at least £40,000 (US$53,000) in bribes. Prosecutors said Gill, a member of the European Union...

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will reduce its 2026 budget by 17 per cent to 1.8 billion Swiss francs (US$2.23 billion) and cut 2,900 jobs, it said in a statement on Friday. Aid budgets are facing an unprecedented shortfall as donors shift their focus towards defence, forcing humanitarians to make difficult decisions about whom to help amid multiple conflicts and record displacement. At the same time, the top global aid contributor, the United States, is overhauling its...

When Dutch authorities seized control of chipmaker Nexperia almost two months ago, it resulted in a clash between the head office in Nijmegen and the company’s mainland China unit, which vowed to operate and meet orders as an independent enterprise. That dispute also exposed the vulnerability of global car supply chains, as any disruption in Nexperia’s shipments of so-called legacy chips would affect nearly every major European carmaker, as well as those in Japan and the United States. Here are...

My recent visit to Mianyang, the second-largest city in Sichuan province, revealed a place little known despite being just a 90-minute drive from Chengdu. Its unique distinction lies in its high concentration of scientists – a legacy of its role as a central hub during the “Third Front Construction” from 1964 to 1978. This was a critical period when China relocated strategic industries inland to build a self-reliant economy against a backdrop of external threats. This era formed the second of...

Armed gangs have abducted an unknown number of pupils from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, police and a government official said on Friday, in the second such incident in less than a week. The school kidnappings and an attack on a church earlier in the week come weeks after US President Donald Trump threatened military action over what he described as the targeted killings of Nigeria’s Christians, a narrative rejected by the Nigerian government. The Niger state government said it had...

A grizzly bear attacked a group of schoolchildren and teachers on a walking trail in British Columbia, Canada, injuring 11 people, two of them critically. The attack happened on Thursday afternoon in Bella Coola, 700km (435 miles) northwest of Vancouver. The Nuxalk Nation said the “aggressive bear” remained on the loose on Thursday evening and police and conservation officers were on the scene. “Officers are armed. Remain indoors and off the highway,” the First Nation said in a social media...

As South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa convenes the Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg, two things are likely to be on many minds: the empty chair and the spirit of ubuntu. Wikipedia defines the ubuntu philosophy as encompassing “the interdependence of humans on one another and the acknowledgement of one’s responsibility to their fellow humans and the world around them”. For the purposes of South Africa’s hosting of the G20 summit, that Zulu term means multilateralism – anathema to US...

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. 491,000 Japan-bound air tickets cancelled as China warns people to avoid travel Chinese airlines have recorded about 491,000 cancellations of tickets to Japan since Saturday – roughly 32 per cent of their total bookings to the...

US President Donald Trump on Thursday accused half a dozen Democratic lawmakers of sedition “punishable by DEATH” after the lawmakers - all veterans of the armed services and intelligence community - called on US military members to uphold the Constitution and defy “illegal orders”. The 90-second video was first posted early Tuesday from Senator Elissa Slotkin’s X account. In it, the six lawmakers - Slotkin, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and representatives Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie...

Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the Fugees was sentenced on Thursday to 14 years in prison for a case in which he was convicted of illegally funnelling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to former US president Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. Michel, 52, declined to address the court before US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced him. In April 2023, a federal jury convicted Michel of 10 counts, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered...

The White House on Thursday defended US President Donald Trump after he called a female reporter “piggy” as she questioned him about the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying the president’s remarks reflected his frankness and transparency. In the exchange aboard Air Force One last week, which has since gone viral, Trump leaned towards the reporter, pointed his finger and said “Quiet, piggy” as she pressed him about a recently released Epstein email in which the New York financier...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Kyiv was “working” on a US-drafted peace proposal, insisting it must ensure a “dignified” peace for Ukraine after the document adhered to many of Moscow’s demands. “We are working on the document prepared by the American side. This must be a plan that ensures a real and dignified peace,” Zelensky said on social media after holding a call with European allies. According to the US-backed plan Kyiv would be required to give up the entire...

US President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday unveiled a plan for a dramatic expansion of oil and gas drilling rights auctions in US waters, including in California, where state officials strongly oppose energy development along its world-famous coastline. The Interior Department proposal is aligned with Trump’s energy dominance agenda to supercharge domestic fossil fuel production. It immediately set off a fresh conflict with California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is among...

A US federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to end its months-long deployment of National Guard troops to help police the nation’s capital. US District Judge Jia Cobb concluded that President Donald Trump’s military takeover in Washington DC illegally intrudes on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement in the district. She put her order on hold for 21 days to allow for an appeal, however. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to challenge the...

A fire broke out Thursday inside the UN climate summit venue in Brazil, burning through the roof and causing a panicked evacuation and the suspension of talks entering a crucial phase. The blaze engulfed pavilions in the summit site in Belem around 2pm, torching a hole through its fabric ceiling, sparking a rush for the exit as smoke filled the corridors and people cried “fire!” It was the third major incident since the Cop30 negotiations started last week in the Amazon region, after Indigenous...

Dick Cheney, celebrated as a master Republican strategist but defined by the darkest chapters of America’s “War on Terror”, was honoured on Thursday in a funeral attended by Washington’s elite that pointedly left out President Donald Trump. Cheney’s career reads like a catalogue of American statecraft, even as his long shadow over foreign policy - as defence secretary during the Gulf War and the 46th vice-president under George W. Bush - still divides the country. Bush and fellow former...

The White House hit out on Thursday at South Africa’s leader for “running his mouth” over the United States’ boycott of this weekend’s Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg in another diplomatic rift between the US and a country that has been especially targeted for criticism by President Donald Trump. South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters in Johannesburg that the US had indicated it was changing its mind over its boycott of the G20 leaders summit at the “11th hour” and wanted to take...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit China at the end of January, Sky News reported on Thursday, in what would be the first visit to the country by a British leader in seven years. Starmer’s Labour government has made improved relations with Beijing a priority as it seeks foreign investment to make good on its election pledge to upgrade infrastructure and grow Britain’s economy. But the relationship has been bumpy, with both countries trading accusations of spying. The prime minister’s...

A public inquiry report released on Thursday slammed the UK’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic in the early months of 2020 as “too little, too late”, saying the failure to lock down the country earlier “led to an unacceptable loss of life”. The inquiry, chaired by former judge Heather Hallett, found that chaos at the heart of the then Conservative government and a failure to take Covid-19 seriously potentially cost 23,000 lives in England alone during the first wave of the...

Russia is remaking Mariupol, which was devastated by a brutal siege in 2022. Ukrainians seeking to move back are finding it hard to recognize the city, or to reclaim their property.

Tatiana Schlossberg, a daughter of Caroline Kennedy, revealed a terminal cancer diagnosis in an essay published on the anniversary of her grandfather’s assassination.

Thousands of undocumented workers rely on fraudulent Social Security numbers. One of them belonged to Dan Kluver.

It’s also the easiest way.

Because we all know the green bean casserole, stuffing and mashed potatoes are the best part of the meal.

This power elite was already used to ignoring the powerless. Redeeming a disgraced sex offender was a logical next step.

This is not your average chatbot.

A music reporter revisits the documentary that made him fall in love with the Beatles, ahead of the film’s 30th-anniversary rerelease.

The national team’s success in landing a World Cup slot gave Haitians around the world a momentary reprieve from their country’s deep crises.

The watch belonged to Isidor Straus, a co-owner of Macy’s who was traveling first class on the Titanic with his wife when it sank in April 1912.

Too many couples have “undiscussed assumptions” about how they’ll live and spend once they leave the work force, experts say.