Minimalist News

28.8 Million Queries: The AI Heist That Tripped No Alarms Authored by Joseph Hoefer via RealClearDefense , When we picture intellectual property theft, we picture a break-in. A hacker slips past the firewall, copies the source code, and disappears. So, when an American AI company tells Congress that China just pulled off the largest extraction campaign it's ever recorded, the natural assumption is that someone cracked the vault. Nobody broke in. And that's exactly what makes this threat so difficult for Washington to address. Last week, Anthropic told the Senate Banking Committee that operators affiliated with the Chinese conglomerate Alibaba

Where It Costs The Most To Own A Car In America Buying a car is only the beginning. Every year afterward, drivers face a steady stream of expenses—from insurance and fuel to repairs and taxes—that can add up to thousands of dollars. Using data from LendingTree , Visual Capitalist's Dorothy Neufeld created this map comparing average annual car ownership costs across every U.S. state and Washington D.C., excluding car payments, revealing where those ongoing expenses place the biggest burden on drivers. The Annual Car Ownership Costs by State Here’s how annual ownership costs compare across the country. Rank State or

While The Political Circus Distracts Us, Flock Builds The Digital Police State Authored by John & Nisha Whitehead via The Rurtherford Institute, “You had to live - did live, from habit that became instinct - in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.” - George Orwell, 1984 While Americans remain transfixed by the political circus - cheering for their preferred party, jeering at the opposition, obsessing over every manufactured outrage and waiting for the next spectacle - the Surveillance State continues its steady march forward. The government is watching . It

China's Memory-Chip Challenger Faces A Test Of How Far US Curbs Can Reach ChangXin Memory Technologies is approaching a turning point. The Chinese memory-chip maker has advanced far enough to draw interest from some of the world's largest technology companies, including Apple Inc ., which has considered using its chips. But the same growth that has raised CXMT's commercial standing has also made it a more prominent target in the widening technology confrontation between Washington and Beijing. The Pentagon has blacklisted the state-backed company over alleged links to China's military. In South Korea, prosecutors have accused several former Samsung Electronics

Mind Control: Duncan Trussell On How Social Media Algorithms Weaponize Trauma Via VigilantFox.com, Duncan Trussell tells Theo Von why the horrifying stuff the algorithm feeds you is not an accident, and explains what it does to your brain. It starts with the phone in your hand. Duncan Trussell tells Theo Von why the horrifying stuff the algorithm feeds you is not an accident, and explains what it does to your brain. It starts with the phone in your hand. TRUSSELL: "All of us are staring into these hypno-rectangles. The algorithm, at least my… pic.twitter.com/bPMgRdUReZ — The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox)

US Officials Say Iran's Ahmadinejad Was Mossad Asset, Met With Intel Chief In Hungary Iran's former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of all people? The New York Times is out with a bombshell report on Monday which alleges that Israel's Mossad has for years sought to cultivate him as an Israeli intelligence asset . Flash90 The apparent multi-year effort to recruit and re-install Ahmadinejad as leader of Iran has come to nothing, at a moment his status and fate remains unclear amid the fog of war, and after a prior US-Israeli strike on his house during the opening salvos of Operation

Believe All Women - Unless They're Inconvenient Authored by Frank Salvato via The American Spectator , The political Left has spent years promoting the slogan "Believe All Women," using it as a powerful weapon against conservatives, especially during critical events like the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings. But this mantra has never been about seeking justice or protecting victims; instead, it serves as a cynical tool for gaining power - a way to undermine opponents while conveniently overlooking the serial abusers, gropers, and predators within their own ranks. When the alleged victims are conservative women, or when the accused belong to

Appeals Court Revives Tylenol Autism Lawsuits Against Kenvue A federal appeals court has breathed new life into litigation accusing Kenvue of failing to disclose alleged risks tied to taking Tylenol during pregnancy, reversing an earlier ruling that had effectively stopped hundreds of cases, according to a new report from Bloomberg . On Monday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the trial judge went too far in throwing out testimony from three expert witnesses. The panel said the experts relied on recognized scientific approaches and that disagreements over how to interpret the available research should be weighed through

US Energy Efficiency: We Have Come A Long Way Via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, The graph below paints a very interesting picture of US energy efficiency and a key structural economic change in this country. For roughly 25 years after WWII, the US economy’s crude oil consumption nearly tripled. Feeding the growth were a booming post-war economy and strong population growth. To put consumption in a different context, the graph shows consumption as a ratio to a dollar of real GDP, on a per capita basis. It shows that consumption per dollar of GDP declined rapidly starting in the mid-1970s , suggesting an

Credit Card Chargebacks Surge As E-Commerce & Cashless Society Gets Messy For Consumers US consumers are disputing card purchases at a record pace, as online fraud, confusing billing practices, and sneaky subscription charges drive a surge in chargebacks. Bloomberg cites new data from research firm Juniper Research on consumers' aggressive use of chargebacks. Last year alone, US consumers filed 158 million transaction disputes, up 29% from 2021 and outpacing overall growth in card spending. Global disputes jumped 46% over the same period. The increase may reflect not only more legitimate fraud but also subscription traps, unfamiliar merchant names, poor service,

Mick Jagger Has Some Sage Advice For Trump-Hater Springsteen Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News , Mick Jagger is pushing back against the trend of rock stars turning stages into campaign rallies, offering a refreshing contrast to Bruce Springsteen's repeated anti-Trump outbursts. In a recent New York Times podcast interview, Jagger made his position crystal clear. While contrasting his approach with Springsteen's, he stated: "My job in the live music world is for those people that come to have the best time ... And you don't want to lecture them." Mick Jagger Says It's Not His Job to Lecture

The Absurdity Of The Hunter Biden Defamation Case Authored by Jonathan Turley, I have taught torts, including defamation for over 30 years, but I have never seen the like of the Hunter Biden defamation case. The defendant made defamatory statements and then just refused to appear. That led to an equally bizarre $1.7 million award by U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson of the Central District of California to Biden, consisting of just $1 in nominal damages and the rest in punitive damages. Here is the most interesting line of the opinion: “the damage to Plaintiff’s reputation is difficult to calculate.”

Dubai's New East Coast Port Signals The Beginning Of End For Iran's Hormuz Leverage Less than a week into the US-Iran conflict, specifically on March 3, we began to see the writing on the wall: Tehran's leverage over the Strait of Hormuz would eventually erode. That would happen not only because the US military could systematically destroy IRGC's radar sites, coastal missile batteries and drone launch sites along the maritime chokepoint, but also because Gulf states would eventually respond with a generational infrastructure buildout, from new pipelines to coastal ports, designed to entirely bypass Hormuz altogether. Surprising Fujairah is not

"Don't Let China Win": President Trump Presses Senate On CLARITY Act In Final Stretch Authored by Micah Zimmerman via BitcoinMagazine.com, The Senate returns to Washington on July 13, with the clock running down on the most consequential piece of crypto legislation in years. Lawmakers now have roughly four weeks to schedule, debate, and pass the CLARITY Act before the August recess. President Trump weighed in directly on Monday, posting on Truth Social that “in honor of Senator Lindsey Graham, a big supporter, the U.S. Senate should pass the Clarity Act” and warning that China and other countries “would like to

This Chevrolet Suburban Is The Secret Service's New Anti-Drone Weapon For any indication of how seriously the federal government is taking the threat posed by one-way attack drones on the homeland, particularly against President Trump, look no further than the US Secret Service's new Chevrolet Suburban. The Secret Service’s Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems Branch operates a specially equipped Chevrolet Suburban Premier, known as “Hindsight,” to detect and mitigate suicide drones and other loitering munitions during National Special Security Events and other high-profile security operations, according to the Instagram account " dmvfireandpolice ." The Suburban is outfitted with an Axis Communications IP

Lindsey Graham's Eerie Last Words Revealed The sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reverberated through the capital over the weekend, and some of the veteran interventionist's final remarks have lent the loss an unsettling poignancy. Gage Skidmore/Flickr In a telephone call with an unnamed individual, Mr. Graham, 71, said he intended to seek medical attention for feeling unwell, but only after his scheduled appearance Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." On the same call, the senator joked about deferring his own mortality. "I can't die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and

Non-Citizen Voting Arrests Continue To Mount, State Officials Put On Notice Authored by Bryan Hyde via American Greatness, The Trump Justice Department has secured roughly two dozen non-citizens voting arrests, prosecutions or convictions in the last few months, with another nearly 90 more cases under investigation . Just the News reports that the wave of prosecutions represents a growing number of individuals charged in the last year with illegally voting in U.S. federal elections as foreigners. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials say all 50 states were sent notices this month that election officials can and will be prosecuted too if

Strategy Adds $467 Million In Cash, No Bitcoin As StanChart Warns Saylor Needs Clarity In Pivot Message To Convince Investors Strategy, the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, raised fresh capital by selling MSTR shares through its at-the-market (ATM) offering last week while leaving its BTC treasury unchanged. As CoinTelegraph's Helen Partz reports, Strategy sold 4.8 million shares of its Class A common stock for $466.7 million between July 6 and July 12 , according to a Monday 8-K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The company did not buy or sell any Bitcoin during the period and reported

Mamdani's Affordability Agenda Flops As NYC Rents Surge To Record Highs New York City's socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and his radical-left lieutenants in City Hall promised voters free bus rides, government-run grocery stores, cheap housing, and much more. Yet the dream of a left-wing utopia has not materialized. In fact, rents in the NYC metro area just hit a record high. New data from The Corcoran Group , a major residential real estate brokerage founded in NYC, shows that rents in the metro area have climbed to a new record high. Manhattan's median rent rose 8% from a year earlier

Obama Appointed Federal Judge Blocks Trump Admin's Anti-DEI Grant Conditions Via American Greatness, A federal judge in California has blocked the Trump administration’s push to attach anti-DEI strings to federal grant money. The court ruled this week that the executive branch overstepped its constitutional authority by imposing the conditions on a group of West Coast cities and counties. Obama-nominated U.S. District Judge William Orrick granted a preliminary injunction Thursday barring the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and the Interior from enforcing the contested conditions against 11 local governments, concluding in a 68-page order that the restrictions likely run afoul of

Claudia Sheinbaum says Mexicans ‘outraged’ over killing last week of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by agents in Houston Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Monday that Mexico would be filing criminal complaints in the US for the deaths of more than a dozen Mexican migrants in immigration detention and those killed in anti-migrant operations. The deaths include last week’s killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, whom Sheinbaum said was “practically murdered”. Continue reading...

Scientists worry that current eradication efforts won’t be able to contain parasitic infestation pushing into US When conservationists set up cameras in remote regions of Central American forests, they wanted to monitor illegal cattle movement, which can lead to deforestation . But in recent months, they discovered another alarming development: wildlife rapidly infected with the new world screwworm. It’s a warning sign of how the fly could spread in the US – and it signals new difficulties in pushing it back south, a process that will probably take years, experts say. Continue reading...

Discontent with Trump-backed government mounts as Chávez heirs struggle to respond to disaster for which they seem ill-prepared Even before two powerful earthquakes reduced the OPPE 25 government housing project to an anarchy of shattered concrete and broken lives, the foundations of Hugo Chávez’s populist “Bolivarian” revolution were shaking in what was once a hotbed of support. Gabriel González remembers his elation when, in 2013, he received the keys to his freshly completed apartment in one of the 12-floor tower blocks El Comandante had ordered to be built in an affluent corner of the resort town of Caraballeda. Continue reading...

Police say two people exchanged gunfire in shooting that mayor called an ‘irresponsible act of violence’ in festival attended by families A shooting near a Toronto street festival killed two men and wounded four other people on Saturday evening, police said, adding that what initially prompted an active-shooter warning was an exchange of gunfire between two people targeting each other. Toronto police deputy chief Frank Barredo said investigators recovered two firearms after the shooting, which was reported at 8.12pm near St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue, where the Salsa on St Clair festival was underway. Continue reading...

Nearly 17,000 injured and thousands more listed as missing amid calls by president Delcy Rodríguez and UN for financial help The death toll in Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes has passed 4,300, the government said on Saturday. At least 4,333 people were killed and 16,740 injured in the back-to-back quakes on 24 June that flattened entire districts in the coastal state of La Guaira, the Venezuelan parliament chief, Jorge Rodríguez, wrote on Telegram. Thousands more people are listed as missing. Continue reading...

The fire is one of the deadliest such incidents in the popular tourist destination in ⁠recent years An explosive fire at a popular pub in Thailand’s ⁠capital, Bangkok, has killed 27 ⁠people and left another 22 ​in critical condition, in one of the deadliest such incidents in the tourism hub in recent years. Officials said they were investigating whether emergency exits may have been obstructed, hindering people from escaping the burning Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub. Continue reading...

High temperatures and below average rainfall put pressure on waterways used to cool reactors Above average temperatures combined with below average rainfall across much of western and central Europe during June and the first half of July have placed increasing pressure on rivers, ecosystems and energy infrastructure. Persistent high pressure brought prolonged sunshine, suppressed rainfall and enhanced evaporation, causing river levels to fall and water temperatures to increase. These unusually warm rivers are affecting electricity generation in France, as several nuclear power stations rely on river water for cooling. Under French environmental regulations, operators must limit the amount of heat

Eleven reported dead as flooding also brings danger of snakes, while buildings collapse in Mumbai amid heavy rain As the first typhoon to make landfall in China for the 2026 season, Maysak has caused devastating damage in southern and central regions. The Guangxi region received intense downpours of up to 280mm in 12 hours, causing rivers to swell and dam walls to break. By Monday morning, flooding across the city of Nanning and surrounding areas had resulted in many people being stranded on rooftops. Flood waters pose additional threats in China because of the presence of wild and farmed snakes.

SK hynix, a supplier of advanced memory chips, has seen profits skyrocket thanks to the global race to build AI datacentres South Korean chip maker SK hynix set pricing for its mega US listing on Friday, aiming to raise $26.5bn as it takes advantage of the AI boom in what will be one of the world’s biggest ever stock sales. The Asian semiconductor giant plans to issue the equivalent of about 18m shares on Wall Street’s tech-heavy Nasdaq index later in the day. Continue reading...

Plans to build a NZ$3.5bn datacentre in Makarewa in the country’s south has drawn concern about electricity and water use, and potential noise pollution People living near the site of New Zealand’s first planned AI datacentre are calling for more transparency about the project, especially about how the centre’s huge electricity and water use and potential noise pollution could affect them. Singapore-based company Datagrid has secured approval to build a NZ$3.5bn (US$2bn) AI datacentre on a 49-hectare site in Makarewa, just north of New Zealand’s southern-most city, Invercargill. Construction is due to begin this year, with the centre becoming operational

NSW police say 11 men have now been charged over the alleged crimes, including the ‘alleged coordinator’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast George Miller remembers Sam Neill as ‘comprehensively an amazing person’ Acclaimed director George Miller shared memories of the late Sam Neill , who died yesterday at the age of 78. He was such an exemplary human being. We saw him as an actor and we got to know him as an actor. The world did. But what was so amazing about him is that he was comprehensively an amazing person. …

Northern Territory police reopen evidence boxes in bid to close investigation of horrific crime Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Northern Territory police have reopened evidence boxes to uncover several previously unseen photographs from the investigation into the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio and attempted abduction of his girlfriend Joanne Lees. Tuesday is the 25th anniversary of the outback disappearance, which still resonates as one of Australia’s most horrific and culturally defining crimes. It also carries unanswered questions for Falconio’s family. Continue reading...

Posts promoting illegal products appear across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube as expert says platforms ‘aren’t doing the job they promised they would do’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Illegal vape sellers have turned to social media to promote nicotine-filled products, with experts calling for a crackdown including stronger penalties for the platforms. Guardian Australia has identified a network of posts across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube promoting the sale of illegal products to Australian audiences. Continue reading...

Donald – a small community about 280km from Melbourne – is grieving after a missing teenager was found dead Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast In the week after Layla Jeffery failed to return home in the early hours of 4 July, residents in the tiny Victorian town of Donald worriedly shared posts about the missing 13-year-old girl. One woman, who was receiving chemotherapy treatment in the town last week, wrote on Facebook that she felt “sick” at the thought of something happening to Layla.

The marine disaster may be linked to a high number of dolphin deaths in the region, scientists say Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The number of dead dolphins washing up on South Australian beaches spiked in 2025, according to long-term data that reveals mortalities during the state’s devastating algal bloom were the highest in 12 years. Last year, at least 70 carcasses of common and bottlenose dolphins were found across SA, with a further 20 reported in 2026, including the recent death of a

French president Emmanuel Macron has been hosting leaders amid hopes that Ukraine’s recent advances could force Putin towards negotiations in Kyiv Meanwhile, Russia has been forced to suspend shipping in the Sea of Azov after 90 vessels were targeted by Ukrainian drones in less than a week. Continue reading...

Ukraine and nine other countries including UK issue joint statement as leaders meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris Ukraine and nine other countries including the UK, Germany and France are to build a shared protection programme for Europe against ballistic missiles, using Kyiv’s experience in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion for more than four years. “Our goal is to build a shared ballistic missile defence capability for Europe,” the 10 nations said in a statement on Monday as leaders met the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for talks in Paris. Continue reading...

Officials say blaze in Fontainebleau forest is of ‘exceptional scale’, with 900 homes evacuated and road and rail links hit French firefighters are tackling a blaze of unprecedented scale sweeping through Fontainebleau forest south-east of Paris, while in southern Spain the prime minister visited the scene of a deadly wildfire and warned: “The climate emergency kills.” The fire in Fontainebleau, a one-time royal hunting preserve about 40 miles (60km) from the French capital that today is dotted with villages, began late on Sunday afternoon. The blaze, which is unusual in its proximity to Paris, raced across about 800 hectares (2,000

Pete and Fran Gillam confirmed dead as authorities use DNA samples to identify victims of blaze in Almería A British couple have been named among the 13 people killed by wildfires in Spain, as authorities race to use DNA to identify victims who were unable to escape the blaze. Pete and Fran Gillam, who lived in Bédar, the village that bore the brunt of the wildfires on Thursday, were confirmed dead by their family. Continue reading...

Roaming charges also scrapped and trading terms continue for medicines, cars, art, jewellery and other goods British nationals can expect shorter passport queues at Swiss airports and border crossings after a £5.2bn trade deal was sealed by Keir Starmer, likely his last big international agreement as prime minister. As part of the deal they will be able to use e-gates from later this year, starting with exit checks at Zurich airport and with Basel and Geneva, a leading airport for business and winter sports travel, to follow next year. Continue reading...

US military says latest strikes will ‘continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping’ in strait of Hormuz Trump renews Iran blockade and again threatens to take control of strait of Hormuz Bahrain’s military has accused Iran of targeting civilians with its latest attacks on the country, after Tehran said it had struck US military facilities and infrastructure there earlier. “Iran continues its systematic hostile approach through its heinous attacks with missiles and drones that target civilians in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” the general command of Bahrain’s military said,

American president says ships will be charged for safe passage through strait in apparent policy reversal Middle East crisis live – latest updates The US has launched its third consecutive night of strikes on Iran hours after President Donald Trump said Washington would reinstate a maritime blockade on the country and, in an apparently policy reversal, charge ships for safe passage. “These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz,” the US military’s Central Command said. Continue reading...

US president declares waterway open and demands tariff as both sides engage in heavy drone and missile exchanges Middle East crisis live – latest updates Donald Trump has once again threatened to take control of the strait of Hormuz, as he announced the reimposition of a naval blockade on Iran and demanded a 20% tariff on all cargoes shipped through the key maritime passage. Declaring the strait “open”, Trump suggested in a post on his Truth Social platform that the US should be known henceforth as the “Guardian of the Strait of Hormuz”, as Iran and the US engaged in

Vote will allow Israelis to pass judgment on Benjamin Netanyahu and his handling of conflicts in Gaza and Iran Middle East crisis live – latest updates Israel will hold national elections on 27 October, giving its citizens their first chance to pass judgment on the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his coalition since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023. The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, will be dissolved on Friday. With just a few days left in session, the most far-right government in Israel’s history is now rushing to pass several controversial laws in an attempt to bolster its position before

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly wooed by Mossad agents after distancing himself from Khamenei Middle East crisis live – latest updates Israel tried to recruit Iran’s intensely anti-Zionist former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to lead a new post-Islamic regime in Tehran, and even sent its top spy to Budapest to meet him, according to media reports. The remarkable quest to turn a leader who had denied the Holocaust and called for Israel’s erasure began in 2022, according to reporting by the New York Times and the Israeli newspaper Haaretz , and continued even after Israel became engaged in a brutal campaign in Gaza

Innocent man lynched by mob in West Bengal as police killing of suspect further escalates tensions Protests have engulfed the Indian state of West Bengal after the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl, the subsequent lynching of an innocent man and the police killing of one of the accused. Outrage erupted on Sunday after the body of a missing girl was recovered from a pond in a town just outside the state capital, Kolkata. Continue reading...

Lawrence Bishnoi, who is in prison in India, is accused of orchestrating assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023 US and Canadian authorities say they have “dismantled” the leadership of a notorious Indian criminal group, charging dozens of operatives who have “inflicted pain and cruelty on people, victims around the globe”, including a high-profile murder in Canada that strained diplomatic relations between Canada and India. At a press conference on Tuesday, members of the FBI and Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said as part of Operation Hard Ball – a multiyear federal investigation into murder-for-hire plots, shootings, extortion and

Early flight data shows K2 Airways plane crashed into sea with five crew on board south-west of Karachi Pakistan has located the wreckage of a Boeing cargo plane, the country’s airports authority said, adding that rescuers were searching for the five crew members on board when the aircraft went missing. The plane was approaching Karachi from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates when radar showed it “rapidly descending” on Tuesday evening after reporting a “navigational system issue”, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA). Continue reading...

Amnesty International says Albanese has opportunity to ‘reaffirm mutual commitment’ to rule of law as thousands in diaspora expected at stadium event Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to Australia in three years has sparked calls for the federal government to raise human rights concerns, as excitement builds within the nation’s Indian diaspora. Modi’s visit begins on Wednesday evening and marks his third since becoming prime minister. It will see him return to Melbourne after more than

Thousands of women are killed in dowry disputes each year, despite the practice being banned in 1961 Dowry deaths in India no longer provoke the public anger they once did, despite thousands of women’s lives still being lost every year, according to new research. The killings – women who are murdered or driven to suicide following dowry disputes between families – have also faded from political debate, despite an increase in cases. Continue reading...

Despite spending increase in June, Barclays says most people still pessimistic about economy Relentless sunshine and the World Cup coaxed consumers to spend more on beer and online shopping last month, with purse strings expected to remain loose as England fans gear up for Wednesday’s semi-final. Most people remain pessimistic about the UK economy, according to data from Barclays Bank based on debit and credit card transactions. Continue reading...

Analysis of 12 indicators including asthma, obesity and vaccination finds child health is ‘national embarrassment’ Children in the UK will grow up to be one of the unhealthiest generations in decades, with child health outcomes having declined or stalled completely across all areas, a group of leading paediatricians has said. Reduced vaccination rates alongside rising hospital admissions for asthma and mental health disorders are all contributing factors to the UK’s record on children’s health, which should be seen as a “national embarrassment”, their analysis has found. Continue reading...

Prime minister-in-waiting votes for plans to tighten appeals system as 14 Labour MPs oppose measures Andy Burnham has backed the government’s controversial asylum changes, voting for legislation that has divided Labour MPs over plans to tighten the immigration system and reshape the appeals process. The prime minister-in-waiting and Labour MP for Makerfield supported the immigration and asylum bill at its second reading in the House of Commons on Monday evening, despite a rebellion by 14 Labour MPs. Continue reading...

Shabana Mahmood to make it possible to deport Commonwealth citizens convicted of serious criminality The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, will amend the immigration bill to allow the deportation of the Rochdale grooming gang, the first step in removing Shabir Ahmed from the UK. At present, Ahmed cannot be deported because of a 1971 law applying to Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK more than 50 years ago. Continue reading...

After a wild attack on the media, Reform’s deputy leader joins other MPs in the Commons offering tributes rather than speculation This is the third murder of either a sitting or former MP that I’ve covered in the last 10 years. It doesn’t get any easier or less shocking. Every death diminishes us all. The least you would hope is for politicians to behave with dignity. To set an example. For those who knew Ann Widdecombe to express their personal loss, for party leaders and ministers to convey the horror of her death and offer their condolences to her family

Good, an unarmed US citizen and mother, was killed by immigration officer and Pretti was shot by CBP officials Previously withheld evidence regarding the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti is now in the hands of Minnesota prosecutors, helping the state gain clarity on the deaths that occurred earlier this year during protests against a federal immigration crackdown. “Through the cooperation of our federal partners, we have obtained hard drives of previously withheld evidence in the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis,” the Hennepin county attorney, Mary Moriarty, said in a

US secretary of state claims the global tribunal is interfering with US military and law enforcement operations Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, launched a campaign to dismantle the International criminal court (ICC) on Monday, claiming that the global tribunal was interfering with US military and law enforcement operations at the risk of American sovereignty. Rubio invoked images of US Border Patrol agents and elected leaders being “dragged before an international court” and tried by judges from around the world in a lengthy op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal Monday. Continue reading...

Senator Angus King raised concerns that ICE agents were not wearing body cameras; witnesses described the man as being shot in the head Sign up for the Breaking News US email The Democrat’s outgoing senator for Michigan Gary Peters has endorsed member of Congress Haley Stevens to be his successor over Abdul El-Sayed in the state’s neck-and-neck primary race set for 4 August. “She has demonstrated to me time and time again that she’s a fighter,” Peters told the Detroit News . “We need workhorses in the Senate, and we need someone who can do that job from day one.

Idaho to have ballot measure for reproductive freedom law that would reverse ban on abortions at all pregnancy stages One of the strictest abortion bans in the country will be on the ballot this November after Idaho ’s secretary of state certified a ballot measure on Monday that would reverse the state’s abortion ban that prohibits the procedure at all stages of pregnancy. The ballot initiative was headed by a volunteer-run group called Idahoans United for Women & Families, which ran a petition drive to get the measure in front of voters this fall. They gathered more than 100,000 signatures,

Killing of man – identified by rights groups as 26-year-old Colombian – comes days after man killed by ICE in Texas US politics live – latest updates A federal immigration officer shot and killed a man in Biddeford, Maine on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed, just days ⁠after a man ⁠was ​killed by an immigration officer during a traffic stop in Texas. In the statement, DHS claimed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were “conducting targeted surveillance on the last known address of an illegal alien with a final order of removal”. Continue reading...

France’s interior minister on Monday said two people had been arrested in connection to a fire in the Fontainebleau forest near Paris. The arrests were among a total of 59 made across the country for “deliberate or accidental arson”, Laurent Nunez said on France2 television, as the country battles wildfires and swelters through its latest heatwave. “There were about 10 fire ignition points within a perimeter of 1,000 metres, which suggests that it could have been deliberately set,” Nunez...

Shein Executive Chairman Donald Tang will step down as his mission of taking the company public nears completion, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday, retreating to an advisory role after three years as the public face of the global fast-fashion retailer. A Chinese-American billionaire who began his career in banking, Tang has acted as the Western proxy of ‌secretive Shein founder Sky Xu, liaising with politicians and regulators around the world while also...

The US Department of Defence ⁠said on Monday ⁠it would invest US$25 million ⁠in rare earths start-up ReElement Technologies, part of a broader push by the Trump administration to boost domestic supplies of critical minerals and challenge ‌China’s dominance of the sector. ReElement aims to use a novel processing technology to refine rare earths and other critical minerals at its planned commercial facility in Marion, Indiana. The rare earths are expected to be used ⁠in magnets found in a range of...

Mexico said on Monday it does not seek conflict with the United States but must stand up for its citizens as it seeks criminal charges over the killing of several Mexicans by US immigration authorities. At least 17 Mexican citizens have died while held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or during federal raids since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year. Having already announced plans to press for criminal charges over the deaths, Mexican President Claudia...

The United States on Monday announced a campaign against the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing the tribunal of posing “an intolerable threat to US sovereignty” and threatening sanctions. “The ICC and its friends are waging a war against our country, not with bullets or missiles, but with statutes, compacts and the force of so-called international law,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a video statement. The State Department said in a statement the campaign will...

Most European Union countries on Monday called for the bloc to put forward a proposal on banning the import of products from Israeli settlements, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. “The option that got the most support was banning the trade with the illegal settlements,” Kallas said after a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers. “We tasked ambassadors to take this work forward and also ministers agreed that, if necessary, we can also reconvene an extraordinary meeting,” she...

Ukraine’s allies gathered in Paris on Monday to ramp up support for Kyiv, particularly in air defence, and increase pressure on Russia to end the war, which is well into its fifth year. Representatives of the 37 coalition members, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, arrived at Les Invalides in the French capital for the summit of the Coalition of the Willing, launched by France and the United Kingdom to provide military support to Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in...

A person was killed ⁠on Monday in ⁠a shooting involving US immigration agents in ⁠Maine, a top state lawmaker said, days after a man was fatally shot by a US agent during a traffic stop in Texas. “This morning a shooting occurred in Biddeford. A person was killed. ICE was involved,” Ryan Fecteau, the ‌speaker of the Maine House of Representatives and a native of Biddeford, wrote on Facebook. “State Police and the Department of Public Safety are now on scene to gather details and would expect the...

US President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States would begin charging commercial vessels for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as Washington reinstates its blockade of Iran following a renewed escalation in the conflict. Trump said Iranian vessels and ships trading with Iran would be barred from using the strategic waterway, while other countries would retain access under a system that would impose a 20 per cent fee on eligible cargoes. “We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN...

Early on July 12, after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice and struck a Cyprus-flagged container ship, the United States launched its third round of strikes in a week, hitting some 140 targets. Most were along Iran’s southern coast overlooking the strait – including Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Jask and Qeshm – but one strike days earlier pointed to a different logic. On July 9, US cruise missiles hit the Aq Taqeh Khan bridge in Aq Qala, in the northern province of Golestan,...

British counterterrorism police officers are now leading the investigation into the suspected murder of former British government minister Ann Widdecombe in light of new information, interior minister Shabana Mahmood said on Monday. Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her ‌home in rural southwest England last Thursday with what police described as “serious injuries”. She was a prominent member of Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK, having left the Conservatives after she stood down from parliament...

The European ⁠Union will move to limit young ⁠children’s access to social media across the 27-member bloc, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday, in what would be the biggest such effort to date to guard against online dangers. Von ‌der Leyen presented a paper from two experts recommending a tiered approach, with under-13s only allowed to use social media for limited periods under the supervision of parents, carers and teachers. The curbs would be lifted gradually as...

A United ⁠States citizen infected with the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was admitted to Frankfurt University Hospital early on Monday, officials said. The ‌patient arrived at the hospital’s special isolation unit at around 3am local time after contracting the Bundibugyo variant of the Ebola virus in Congo, the hospital said. The US CDC said ⁠on Friday that a US citizen working for a humanitarian ‌organisation in Congo had tested positive for the Bundibugyo Ebola...

Filipino domestic workers continue to endure widespread labour exploitation and sexual abuse in Saudi Arabia, according to a new Amnesty International report. The rights watchdog found conditions had barely improved despite years of promised reforms, including last year’s abolition of the kingdom’s notorious “kafala” sponsorship system. The report, based on interviews conducted in March with 19 Filipino women who worked as domestic staff in Saudi Arabia, found consistent patterns of abuse, from...

Sam Neill, a smoothly elegant and versatile actor whose career moved from art film to blockbuster as he dodged velociraptors in Jurassic Park to playing Holly Hunter’s husband in The Piano, has died. He was 78. In 2023, Neill disclosed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Neill died on Monday in Sydney, according to a statement posted to the actor’s social media page. His death was “sudden and unexpected,” the statement said, adding...

European countries reported more than 10,000 excess deaths during ⁠the record-breaking heatwave that engulfed ⁠the west of the continent in ⁠late June, official data showed. The vast majority – more than 9,000 – were among people aged 65 and above, according to data published by EuroMOMO, a network backed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization. Extreme heat can kill by ‌causing heatstroke, or aggravating cardiovascular and respiratory...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Flights and rail services resume across eastern China as Typhoon Bavi weakens Rail and air services began returning to normal across large areas of eastern China on Sunday as Typhoon Bavi weakened and moved inland, away from some of the country’s largest cities. 2. What happened before Chinese...

The government has a lot on its plate right now, especially with public consultations under way for the chief executive’s last policy address of his current term and for the city’s first five-year plan. But there is an urgent matter it must address as soon as possible. The resignation of William Wong Kam-fai from the Legislative Council means there is a vacant seat for the Election Committee constituency. There should not be any delays in filling the seat. The longer the government stays silent...

The United States and Iran each asserted on Monday they controlled the Strait of Hormuz after a weekend of attacks stretching across the wider Middle East, further threatening any diplomacy to end the war. The attacks, sparked by Iran striking a container ship Sunday in the strait off the coast of Oman, again underlined that the waterway that once saw a fifth of the world’s traded crude oil and natural gas pass through it remained the key issue in negotiations. The narrow mouth of the Persian...

Senator Mitch McConnell on Sunday revealed for the first time that a fall led to his hospitalisation, breaking the silence about his condition after weeks of mounting speculation about the Kentucky Republican’s health. McConnell, 84, said in a statement that he was “briefly unconscious” around the time he was first taken to the hospital and has undergone a battery of tests to try and determine what led to his fall. He said he was also treated for mild pneumonia and has been moved to a...

German authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a 29-year-old man who is accused of holding a woman hostage in a Berlin supermarket for more than 11 hours over the weekend. The man was charged on Sunday with kidnapping for ransom, in conjunction with attempted aggravated extortion and dangerous bodily harm. The man allegedly took the female supermarket employee hostage and threatened her inside a shop in Berlin’s southern Marienfelde neighbourhood on Friday evening shortly after 10pm local...

Parts of the United Kingdom are at “exceptional” risk of wildfires as the heatwave continues, experts have warned. Areas in southern England and the Midlands are highlighted as being at the highest risk, according to Natural England. Its fire severity index shows the area of “exceptional” risk is set to increase and spread to the southeast and east of England by the middle of the week, while most of the rest of England and Wales is deemed to be of “very high” risk over the coming days. The Met...

Police in Canada were searching on Sunday for the suspect or suspects involved in a shooting at a Latino music festival in Toronto that left two people dead and four others seriously injured. “Police are continuing their investigation at the scene,” City Councillor Josh Matlow said on social media, alluding to the attack on Saturday night. The final day of the Salsa on St Clair festival, Sunday, was cancelled, he added. According to initial reports gathered on Saturday evening, “there was an...

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down on Sunday as President Volodymyr Zelensky announced fresh changes to Ukraine’s government, saying he had offered a new and important position to the former premier. Zelensky, who has remained in office under martial law because wartime elections are prohibited, has periodically reshuffled his government in an effort to bring fresh momentum to his administration. Svyrydenko, who has served as Ukraine’s economy minister, was named prime...

Israel will hold national elections on October 27, the last date allowed by law, its parliament said on Sunday, with the vote widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership since the Gaza war erupted. The Knesset, as parliament is known, is set to end its current term on July 17, allowing the ruling coalition to complete a full four-year term for the first time in decades. “Since the current Knesset is expected to serve its full term and the next general election...

Israeli attacks killed at least six people in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including a 9-year-old girl, Palestinian health officials said, as mediators held ‌more talks to safeguard the US-brokered ceasefire. Medics said Israeli gunfire directed at a tent encampment on the eastern side of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed 9-year-old Tala Abu Matar. The Israeli military said it was not aware of the incident. An air strike at a metal foundry in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood killed...

Syria’s transitional parliament began its first session on Sunday, tasked with drafting the country’s new constitution and laying the groundwork for democracy after decades of authoritarian rule. Syria’s new authorities dissolved the country’s rubber-stamp legislature after toppling long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, and adopted a temporary constitutional declaration to cover a five-year transition period. In October last year, and in a process criticised as undemocratic, local...

Europeans are reconsidering who their countries should partner with in an increasingly uncertain world. A June survey of 24 European Union countries by Public First on whether to have closer ties with the United States or China found opinion divided. Eight leaned towards China, nine favoured the US and seven were split. This is not just a question of economics or geopolitics. It is about reputation as well. China has sought to portray itself as a more stable and reliable long-term partner as...

A band of white Democratic pastors has a striking message ahead of November’s US midterm election: Republicans have hijacked Jesus for political gain, and we are not going to stand for it. For decades, it has been a truism that Republicans have cornered the Christian market – at least when it comes to white voters. But these ministers are so fed up with US President Donald Trump, and particularly his policies against immigrants, that they are running as Democrats in November to rein him in. “The...

US Senator Lindsey Graham, a key Republican who went from a vocal critic of Donald Trump to one of his most loyal allies after Trump became president, has died, his office announced on Sunday. He was 71. The South Carolina lawmaker died after a “brief and sudden illness”, his office said early on Sunday. US media said emergency staff had responded to a call for cardiac arrest at his ‌Capitol Hill home in Washington on Saturday night. Preliminary finding from the medical examiner found Graham...

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who as ruler of Qatar transformed the tiny Gulf nation into a global player in diplomacy, media and investment, and then shattered tradition by voluntarily turning over power to his son, has died, state media reported. He was 74. The state-run Qatar News Agency reported his death. It offered no cause. Sheikh Hamad, who stepped down in June 2013 after 18 years as emir, was the architect of energy-rich Qatar’s stunning ambitions that turned it from a backwater...

Last month, China Eastern ordered 25 A330neo jets from Airbus, which come at a catalogue price of US$9.35 billion. The airline, which operates the inaugural commercial routes of the C919, China’s home-grown passenger jet, had placed another Airbus order just three months earlier. Why is this major Chinese airline transferring billions to a European company China’s government is trying to supplant? As a widebody jet, the A330neo competes in a segment where the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of...

Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was closed on Sunday while the United States insisted it remained open, after the confrontation over the vital waterway again sparked US and Iranian strikes. The strait, essential to global oil and gas supplies, has become a central point of contention between the two foes, repeatedly leading to exchanges of fire despite an agreement aimed at ending the Middle East war that was struck last month. The latest exchange was prompted by another Iranian attack on a...

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Khushboo Razdan looks at how books shape public perceptions and inspire lifelong connections between the US and China even as their geopolitical rivalry intensifies. Alexander Boyd was 14 when a book about China altered the course...

Taylor Swift shelled out six figures to cover the cost of NYPD officers and other city resources required to protect her massive Madison Square Garden wedding to Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce earlier this month, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani revealed. The Grammy winner “has paid already the cost of the permit that was lodged, which was over US$160,000 for that event and for the response to that event”, Mamdani said during a Friday press conference, after a reporter asked him whether...

Shortly before US President Donald Trump ended a ceasefire with Iran this week, Israeli officials presented his team with intelligence indicating Tehran was hatching new plots to kill him. It was not the first such warning. US law enforcement and intelligence agencies have tracked evidence for years of Iranian efforts to target the president, with signals only increasing since the start of the war. Their desire to target Trump and his top aides began six years ago, just outside Baghdad...

A runner was gored in the face and many more were fortunate to not be seriously injured during a chaotic bull run at Spain’s San Fermin festival on Saturday. The six bulls and accompanying steers charged through crowds of thrill-seekers who packed the narrow street course in Pamplona. The huge animals knocked down bodies to the cobblestones, and stumbling runners caused several pile-ups during the two-and-a-half-minute run from the pen to the bull ring where bullfighters will kill the bulls...

US Democratic lawmaker Ro Khanna said ⁠he was detained by Israeli settlers armed with US-made rifles during a West Bank visit this week that he cast as an unfiltered look at the human toll of Israeli occupation as he weighs a 2028 presidential run. Speaking with reporters on Thursday in a Palestinian village, Khanna said his group’s van was surrounded by settlers wielding M4 rifles a day earlier while touring a part of the southern West Bank where residents face frequent settler attacks. “We...

The Trump administration has subpoenaed several New York Times journalists after their report on security concerns involving the new Air Force One, according to the paper. The new jet, which President Donald Trump received as a gift from Qatar, entered service last week. The subpoenas issued on Friday seek to force the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday. Federal agents delivered some subpoenas to the reporters at their homes. There was no immediate...

Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones on Saturday, killing two and wounding 19 others, officials said, as Kyiv awaits supplies of air defence munitions after a shortage has ‌left it exposed to Russian attacks. Eleven people were wounded in the capital, Kyiv, by an attack that used ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones. “Civilian infrastructure was hit even before the air raid alert was issued,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said, adding that rescuers were working on the site....

Turkey’s health ministry has fined more than 100 obstetrician-gynaecologists for carrying out cesarean sections, suspending them from duty and forcing them to undergo training. The country has the highest rate of C-section births among the OECD’s 38 nations, according to the last available data from 2023, with around 615 such procedures out of every 1,000 live births that year. Medical professionals said C-sections were more time-efficient for medical staff – 30 minutes, versus 12 hours for a...

The brave new world of artificial intelligence (AI) is going to be a mixed and divisive blessing for governments – not least those of key Asian countries – as well as for financial markets. The AI revolution points to higher economic growth for economies linked to the tech supply chain, with others being left behind. It also signals the potential for financial crises. Balancing these risks will be tricky. The relative optimism, displayed in a recent report from the International Monetary Fund...

US President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Saturday after the funeral of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saw open calls for his killing, further underlining the tensions gripping the Middle East, as an interim deal to end the war buckles under repeated crossfire in the region. Trump made the comments on social media after senior US officials demanded that Iran make a public statement saying the Strait of Hormuz is open and that ships crossing the vital corridor would not be attacked any...

Russia’s decision to ban diesel exports this week has roiled global energy markets, exacerbating shortages of the industrial fuel and sending prices soaring, even in countries that no longer buy the fuel from Moscow. Diesel accounts for the largest share of global oil consumption and soaring prices can ripple through the global economy given its wide range ‌of uses, from industrial machinery and farm equipment to heavy transport and electricity generation. Supply has remained tight for years due...

Apple on Friday sued OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of orchestrating a campaign to steal the iPhone maker’s trade secrets as it tries to develop its own consumer hardware device. The lawsuit – filed in a federal court in San Jose, California – paints a picture of an aggressive effort by OpenAI to poach Apple employees and extract confidential information to build its own device. The lawsuit marks a dramatic escalation in tensions between two companies that partnered in 2024...

Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina named Darline Graham Nordone to replace Mr. Graham, who died on Saturday.

He initially called Donald Trump a “kook” who was “unfit for office,” only to join the new president’s Mar-a-Lago circle. “I’m still in the game,” Mr. Graham once explained of his much-analyzed turnabout.

Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, has offered condolences to those who loved Mr. Graham while considering the political fallout from his death. Republicans are scrambling to arrange a new primary election.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo hoped to obtain legal status, his family said. He was killed last week by an immigration agent who was looking for a different man.

A congresswoman and a lawyer relayed witness accounts that diverge from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s version of the fatal encounter.

The fatal shooting was the second in a week involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent firing into a vehicle. It is unclear whether the driver was the person ICE was looking for.

Investigators had for months refused to share information with their state counterparts about three shootings involving federal agents.

Backyard Baseball, a favorite game for 1990s kids, had been off the market for years. But Lindsay Barnett was determined.

Ukrainians, already drone innovators, are turning their focus to psychological operations aimed at undercutting Russian support for the war.

The lawsuit, filed by California and 11 other states, argues that the deal would harm movie theaters and damage America’s entertainment industry.

The illness, which has sickened thousands across much of the United States, is on track to contribute to the largest outbreak in recent history.

The move in Santa Barbara by the Trump administration has made residents anxious in a region prized for its gorgeous beaches and ocean views.

A towering apartment development has been approved for the waterfront, even though some residents would have preferred parkland.

A newly available documentary, ‘Whatever It Takes,’ examines eBay workers’ plot to cyberstalk journalists and critics.

Gen Z is increasingly turning to trade schools in hopes of future-proofing their careers against A.I. But getting their parents and peers on board can be a challenge.

Once started, the process of voter radicalization isn’t easy to modulate.

A man was hospitalized after a visibly agitated bull bison flipped him about eight feet in the air near a campground road.