Minimalist News

Starmer To Ban Under-16s From 10 Social Media Apps, Including X, But Not Bluesky Authored by Toby Young via DailySceptic.org, Sir Keir Starmer is set to announce sweeping reforms tomorrow banning under-16s from 10 major social media platforms, including X, but not the Left-wing platform Bluesky. In addition, he will introduce daily curfews for 16 and 17 year-olds , going further than Australia’s restrictions. The Times has the story : Teenagers will be banned from certain social media platforms and have their daily usage curbed under sweeping reforms to be announced by Sir Keir Starmer on Sunday. The ban will

'Manufactured Story': Hegseth Goes Off In CBS Interview On Crisis Of US Arms Stockpiles Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth joined CBS's Margaret Brennan on Sunday for an interview which quickly degenerated into a tense, finger-pointing segment over billions poured into the military-industrial complex, as well as foreign coffers, amid multiple global hotspots and a couple major war fronts - most notably Ukraine and the Middle East. Brennan pressed Hegseth on the hollowed-out state of American arms stockpiles, invoking a recent plea from Ukraine for localized weapon production. "Let me ask you before you go about what is going on with US

Major U-Turn: Swedish Parliament Abolishes Permanent Residence Visas For Migrants Via Remix News, The Swedish Parliament has officially passed a government bill to end permanent residence permits, which will offer a vastly stricter approach to the country’s immigration policy. Under the new legislation, the government “eliminates the possibility of granting permanent residence permits to asylum seekers” and other immigrant groups specified in the reform. Set to take effect on July 12, the updated rules dictate that affected individuals will now only be eligible to receive temporary residence permits. However, those who currently hold valid permanent residence will keep their existing

Why Does America Have A 'Diversity Visa'? Authored by White Papers Policy Institute and James Fulford via American Greatness, The Diversity Lottery means you can receive immigrants from almost any of these countries on the watch list for human trafficking for the sole reason that “diversity is our greatest strength.” Lucky you! The Immigration Act of 1965 abolished the National Origins quotas of the 1924 Act, which had favored European immigrants. As a result, America has had a flood of non-European immigrants . . . and Europeans were, in effect, discriminated against for Visas . In 1990, the late Teddy

SpaceX IPO Lifts Off As Data Center Race Moves From Ashburn To Abilene To Space SpaceX surged 19% on Friday in its Nasdaq debut following the world's largest IPO , closing near $161 after opening at $150 and valuing the company north of $2 trillion. J.P. Morgan + SpaceX= Largest IPO Congratulations to the @spaceX team on this milestone, we were proud to serve as a lead bookrunner on the transaction. pic.twitter.com/axxob266QP — J.P. Morgan (@jpmorgan) June 12, 2026 Investor excitement over the potential commercialization of the Starship mega-rocket is certaintly a major driver, but also markets are beginning to

Exxon Weighs Woodside Deal As LNG Becomes Strategic Priority Exxon Mobil is assessing a range of options to expand its global gas business, with Woodside Energy reportedly among the companies being reviewed as potential acquisition candidates, according to Bloomberg . No formal approach has been made, and internal evaluations remain preliminary. Both companies have declined to comment. Bloomberg writes that Woodside offers several strategic advantages for Exxon. As a leading LNG producer with established relationships across key Asian markets, the Australian company would provide immediate scale in a sector where Exxon has historically been less dominant than some of its

The Inflation Sh*t Is Hitting The Fan Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance This week was proof that the inflation story that markets desperately want to go away refuses to cooperate. It also adds to the case that new Fed chair Kevin Warsh could have his hands tied — and may ultimately need to redefine inflation to untie them . This week the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported another really ugly wholesale inflation print, adding to a growing pile of evidence that inflation pressures are proving far more persistent than policymakers, economists, and investors had hoped. The Producer Price Index rose

UBS Checks With Major Restaurant Franchisees Reveal Troubling Consumer Trends In a continuation of our note on the health of America's restaurant industry, we cite UBS analyst Dennis Geiger for a second straight week, as his coverage of the consumer and restaurant sectors has been spot on. Sentiment toward chain eateries remains "generally cautious," with macro pressures, elevated gas prices, and weak demand among lower-income consumers continuing to weigh on traffic and sales trends. Last week, Geiger warned , "Challenged traffic and sales trends likely reflect depressed consumer sentiment across several cohorts, elevated gas prices, and other macro headwinds. We

Trump Says Hormuz To Reopen Friday After Signing Of "Great Peace Deal" With Iran Summary Trump Says Hormuz Chokepoint Reopens Friday Pakistan PM Confirms Peace Deal , with a signing event in Switzerland next Friday Trump Confirms US-Iran Peace Deal "Now Complete" and says "Let The Oil Flow" Iran's president issues pro-MoU signing statement as Tehran is boasting of great and solid results for its side . There are reports this includes a significant release of billions in its frozen assets in the West. White House still suggesting an electronic MoU deal to be signed with Iran on Sunday ,

Waste Of The Day: Disaster In Small NM Village Authored by Jeremy Portnoy via RealClearWire , Topline: The Village of Cuba, New Mexico, has had "a sustained and indefensible breakdown in accountability over public funds" since at least 2020, according to a state audit released in May. The report identified dozens of issues, including a public official with $11,471 in unpaid water bills and another who used public funds to buy a Subaru Crosstrek without approval. Key facts: Auditors found the village never implemented proper processes to monitor its payroll, bank accounts, credit cards, or employee sick leave. There were

Fear Of The Signal: Why The State Urgently Wants To Bind Prediction Markets Authored by Angelo Monaco via The Mises Institute, A predictive market like Polymarket or Kalshi is a financial exchange where people buy and sell contracts based on the outcome of real-world events. The price of a contract fluctuates between one cent and 99 cents based on supply and demand, directly reflecting the crowd’s collective probability estimate that the event will happen. If the event occurs, the contract settles at one dollar, allowing accurate forecasters to profit while aggregating decentralized information into a real-time predictive tool. Predictive markets

Anthropic Rushes Staff To D.C. After A National-Security Order Yanked Fable In Three Days Senior Anthropic technical staff have been dispatched to Washington DC, after a Friday night government demand to implement sweeping export controls resulted in the company yanking its two most capable models Friday night after only a few days of public release - Mythos and Fable (Fable being Mythos with guardrails) - over the alleged ability to 'jailbreak' the latter. As of Sunday the models are still down , no restoration date has been set, but sources on both sides told Axios they are eager to resolve

Steven Spielberg Believes That Disclosure Day Will Greatly Shake The Faith Of Christians All Over The Globe Authored by Michael Snyder via TheMostImportantNews.com, Would undeniable evidence of alien life cause large numbers of people to abandon what they believe about God? Disclosure Day comes out in theaters this weekend, and that appears to be one of the biggest questions that this film is driving at. Much of the global population has always operated under the assumption that the only intelligent life that exists in the universe is on this planet. So how would the world respond to very clear evidence

"Greatest Show On Earth": White House Hosts UFC Freedom 250 Fights America’s semiquincentennial birthday celebration kicks into gear today with the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) Freedom 250 fights, with seven matches scheduled for the South Lawn of the White House. “This will be the greatest show on earth,” President Donald Trump said while previewing the stage in May. “I think it’s going to be the biggest event we’ve ever had at the White House.” As Travis Gillmore reports for The Epoch Times , the spectacle falls on Flag Day as well as Trump’s 80th birthday. Organizers constructed a 60-foot-tall structure

Ethereum Can Quantum-Proof Accounts For Just 7 Cents, Says Foundation's Kohaku Project Lead Authored by Zoltan Verdai via CoinTelegraph.com, Ethereum could begin adding post-quantum protections to accounts for as little as $0.07, without waiting for a hard fork, according to the Ethereum Foundation's Kohaku project lead Nicolas Consigny. In a Saturday X post , Consigny shared a paper proposing a cheaper way for Ethereum users to protect their accounts against future quantum-computing threats. The approach adapts SPHINCS+, a post-quantum signature standard developed by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, to work more efficiently on Ethereum. Dubbed “SPHINCS-,” the

Space: The Now Frontier And The AI Revolution By Peter Tchir of Academy Securities Space: The Now Frontier & The AI Revolution Academy will tackle any details on a deal with Iran via a SITREP and a podcast, once (if) details are made available. After last Friday’s extreme move ( More Than Rates Moving Markets ) we had a relatively tame week with the S&P and Nasdaq both gaining around 0.7%, but neither getting back to their highs of the week, set on Tuesday. Yields drifted moderately lower on the week, primarily on the back of steep declines in the

UK Intercepts 'Russian Shadow' Fleet Vessel in Unprecedented English Channel Commando Boarding British Royal Marine Commandos conducted a high-stakes midnight raid in the English Channel on Sunday, boarding and seizing a sanctioned Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker. The elite UK forces conducted a fast-roping raid onto the massive crude carrier in the dead of night and into the morning daylight hours. While there's nothing new in terms of an 'illicit' Russian tanker seizure in European waters, it is rare or even unprecedented that such an action occurred in the English Channel, so close to Britain's shores . UK military image:

Gonorrhea Rates Are Soaring In NYC: Mamdani Rushes Free Chocolate Condoms To Citizens Of Big Apple! Authored by Eric Utter via American Thinker, So what's the priority of New York City's Mamdani administration these days? FrontPage Magazine reported: Gonorrhea rates in New York City have more than doubled in a decade and syphilis is ‘surging’ statewide. Mamdani’s Department of Health has responded to this crisis by rushing a free supply of lubricant and chocolate flavored condoms. Beam me up, Scotty. FPM quoted NYC Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Helen Arteaga as stating, “Providing high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare

Trump Says New Israeli Attack On Beirut "Should Not Have Happened" - Also Warns Hezbollah "Let's Not Blow It" Update(1140ET) : President Trump on Truth Social has sought to brush back the Israeli Sunday strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, saying this morning's attack "should not have happened" and given it was on "a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran. He emphasized, "We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down ." Some apparent last minute further Trump-Bibi fireworks, reported

America's Energy Future Is Being Decided In Obscure Utility Commission Races Authored by Elizabeth Gianini via RealClearEnergy , Most Americans could not name a single member of their state Public Service or Utility Commission (PSC/PUC). Radical climate activists are counting on that. Across the country, radical climate activists and left-wing environmental organizations are pouring millions of dollars into obscure utility commission races because they understand something many voters do not: these commissions increasingly influence the future of America's electric grid. These regulatory bodies decide how electricity is generated, how transmission infrastructure is built, how quickly power plants retire, how new

Alternative singer and internet personality among six who died when two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro The American musician Oliver Tree has died in a helicopter crash in Brazil at the age of 32, according to reports. Two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning and crashed in the city’s western zone, killing all six people onboard, including Tree, several Brazilian media outlets reported. Continue reading...

Shirley Firth is hoping those responsible for Lindsay de Feliz’s death in 2019 will finally be convicted A Cambridgeshire mother in her 90s is hoping to finally see justice for her murdered daughter when a retrial into her death is due to open in the Dominican Republic this week. The body of Lindsay de Feliz, 64, a successful author, was found in a shallow grave, close to her home in the north-west of the Dominican Republic, in December 2019. Continue reading...

Activists are challenging colonial-era law and demanding ‘free, legal, unfettered, forever rights’ to use beaches Jamaica’s beach access crisis: ‘We shouldn’t be forced to fight for what is already ours’ Campaigners in Jamaica are heading to court next week to try to prevent the government from cutting off access to more of their beaches. They argue that ceding their shorelines to big hotel chains enriches private investors and benefits tourists and outsiders while depriving Jamaicans who depend on the sea for their livelihoods, leisure and health. Continue reading...

Activists argue business model is ‘plantation tourism’ designed to benefit elite and disadvantage most Jamaicans Campaigners go to court to fight privatisation of Jamaican coast Devon Taylor remembers when the Mammee Bay shoreline in St Ann, Jamaica, was filled with children frolicking in the ocean after school, fishers haggling with locals over the price of their daily catch and craft vendors carving souvenirs under almond trees. “I grew up on Mammee Bay,” Taylor says. He recalls fetching seawater in bottles for his grandmother when she was no longer able to go to the beach, learning to swim in the shallows,

President says Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores killed in ‘swift and lethal’ military strike with help from Venezuela The US military has killed a leader in the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, with the help of Venezuela, Donald Trump announced on Friday. “At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Continue reading...

‘Coastal uplift’ exposes coral and kills marine life, as residents say shorelines extended by up to 200 metres A powerful earthquake that killed at least 61 people in the Philippines this week raised the seabed by as much as 2 metres (6.6ft), exposing coral and harming marine life, the country’s environment department has said. At least 40 people are still missing after the 7.8-magnitude quake off southern Mindanao island on Monday, according to updated tolls from the disaster agency. Continue reading...

Funeral procession travels to palace as people remember royal’s campaigning and work for underprivileged As the sun began to set on the golden spires and gilded finials of Bangkok’s Grand Palace, the gates were open, waiting for the return of a princess. Since December 2022, Princess Bajrakitiyabha had been in hospital, having collapsed while out training her dogs. After nearly four years in a coma, the princess died earlier this week . Continue reading...

Other western acts have attempted to crack country’s music scene since singer’s breakout success in 2018 One week after announcing she was “cancer free”, the British pop star Jessie J did what any recovering patient would do and travelled thousands of miles around the world to perform for an audience of more than a billion people. On 29 May, the singer-songwriter, whose real name is Jessica Cornish, belted out a stage-rattling rendition of Frank Sinatra’s My Way on the stage of Singer, a hugely popular Chinese singing competition similar to The Voice. She also performed her new song, California, briefly

Arrest of Min Zin, who writes about Myanmar and Chinese foreign policy, comes just month after Trump visit to Beijing China has arrested a US scholar who writes about Myanmar and Chinese foreign policy on suspicion of spying. Min Zin was suspected of “engaging in espionage activities that endanger China’s national security,” China’s ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson, Lin Jian, said on Friday. Continue reading...

Ministry says animals fitted with sensors by foreign agencies collect sensitive sea data, in ‘invisible secret war’ China’s ministry of state security has claimed that foreign espionage and intelligence agencies are using innovative new methods to monitor the country’s waters, including deploying “spy” animals fitted with sensors. In a post on the Chinese platform WeChat on Friday, the ministry warned that an “invisible secret war” was quietly playing out in the seas around China as foreign agencies were collecting sensitive data “through a variety of new spying devices” to produce underwater maps that pose a “serious threat to our national

The family of Leah Stewart are braced for more bad news and the impact on her 18-month-old daughter Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The family of the woman critically injured in Saturday’s horrific shark attack at Coogee beach is still coming to terms with the catastrophic scope of her injuries and the heartbreaking impact on her toddler, as it faces a looming battle for her survival. Leah Stewart, a 35-year-old primary school teacher, mother and dedicated ocean swimmer, remains on life support in the

Teenager pleads not guilty after being accused of planning attacks on Liberal party and Labour Day march Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A Brisbane private schoolboy allegedly plotted terrorist attacks against the Liberal party and Brisbane’s Labour Day march in 2024 after being influenced by the Unabomber. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was 16 in 2024 when he was arrested by counter-terrorism police. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The prime minister and foreign minister have issued a lengthier statement welcoming the agreement made by the US and Iran, and called for continued restraint to avoid further escalation. President Donald Trump made the announcement he had signed a deal this morning, saying the strait of Hormuz would be reopened. Continued restraint and constructive engagement will be essential to prevent further escalation and secure a lasting agreement. We are pleased the agreement between the US and Iran includes steps to reopening the Strait

Heatwave conditions build over much of continent, while mild start to winter continues in parts of Australia Hot weather is expected across Europe this week as heatwave conditions build over large swathes of the continent. A mass of hot air from the Sahara has settled over the Iberian peninsula and spread into southern and western France, pushing temperatures widely into the low- and mid-30s celsius. Continue reading...

Liberal MP says Australia risks sovereignty and strategic independence being ‘constrained by the AI superpowers reshaping the global order’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Liberal MP Andrew Hastie says Australia should dramatically scale up investment in artificial intelligence to preserve strategic independence and warns the country risks being “a supplicant state” tethered to the US in an era of possible hot conflict with China. In a major address to Liberal members in Sydney on Monday night, the shadow minister for industry and sovereign capability likened the development of AI to the nuclear arms

Ukraine’s president dismisses Moscow’s claim that it did not target Kyiv’s Pechersk Lavra monastery, ahead of meeting of G7 leaders in France Kyiv monastery set on fire in night of Russian attacks across Ukraine Macron frames Évian G7 agenda in hope Trump will stay for whole summit Meanwhile, Unesco has formally condemned the Russian strikes on Ukraine that hit the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, “one of Ukraine’s most significant spiritual and cultural landmarks.” In a statement, the body said : “ The strike reportedly caused significant damage to the exterior and interior of the Dormition Cathedral. Adjacent historic structures, including elements of

Dormition Cathedral at Unesco world heritage site struck along with residential buildings across capital Europe live – latest updates A massive Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv has badly damaged the Dormition Cathedral in the Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, a Unesco world heritage site and one of Ukraine’s most significant religious and cultural sites. Nine people were killed across the country, including four in Kyiv, where waves of drones and missiles drove residents to underground shelters and heavy explosions echoed throughout the capital. Continue reading...

Marius Borg Høiby found guilty of ⁠two ​counts of rape, one count of domestic violence and other ⁠crimes Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway’s crown princess, has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of several offences including two counts of rape. The verdict was handed down by the Oslo district court on Monday morning, nearly three months after Høiby’s closely watched six-week trial. Continue reading...

US president left last meeting early, but world leaders aim to end Ukraine war and push for resolution in Gaza and Iran Emmanuel Macron, the host of the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, has framed an agenda to make it as palatable as possible to his guest of honour, but the French president has no idea if Donald Trump, a haphazard summit attender, will last the full three days – or disrupt the proceedings every hour he stays. The US president quit the last G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, early to work on the Iran conflict , and this year, plus

Trump also says in ‘friendly and frank’ phone call that US is nearing peace deal with Iran, according to Putin adviser Donald Trump told Vladimir Putin that ending Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine was critical and that he was prepared to help, reported Russia’s TASS news agency. During a phone call on Sunday, Trump also informed the Russian president that the US was nearing a peace deal with Iran as the US-Israel war against the country continues, according to Yuri Ushakov, a Putin adviser. The call between Trump and Putin, which lasted about an hour, was described as “friendly and

President’s UFC fights held on the White House lawn overshadowed by chants about former first lady Donald Trump threatened to slap a 100% tariff on French wine and champagne unless Paris removes a digital services tax on tech firms, the New York Post reported on Monday. France imposed in 2019 a three percent levy on the revenues earned by technology firms – including American giants such as Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google parent Alphabet – within the country’s borders. Continue reading...

Precise terms remain unclear amid conflicting claims over when access to vital global shipping route will be restored Middle East crisis – live updates Business live – latest updates A framework peace deal between the US and Iran has been reached, Donald Trump and senior Iranian officials have said, bringing the 15-week conflict to a tentative end and offering hope of relief for the Middle East and the world economy. The secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, would end permanently from Monday night. Continue reading...

Donald Trump posts ‘Let the oil flow’ as US-Iran peace deal sparks immediate drop for Brent crude Middle East crisis: live updates Peace deal between US and Iran announced, with strait of Hormuz expected to reopen What do we know about the US-Iran peace deal – and what questions remain? Global oil prices have tumbled and stock markets rallied amid fresh hopes that a US-Iran peace deal may end the greatest energy supply crisis in the history of the market. The price of Brent crude dropped 4% to below $84 (£62) a barrel as the new trading week began in

In today’s newsletter: A peace deal between the US and Iran has been announced, but what it contains, and what could happen next, remain unclear Good morning. A war which had no clear objectives and no obvious endgame, but unleashed havoc across the globe, looks to be on the brink of coming to a close. As he prepared to mark his 80th birthday with a cage fight on the historic White House lawn, Donald Trump announced via social media that “the Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete”. The US president has been claiming a deal is

This liveblog is closed – follow our new liveblog here Israel says it has struck Beirut’s south suburbs, with explosions heard in the city. The Israeli military claimed the attacks on the Lebanese capital were in response to Hezbollah firing into Israeli territory. The military were reportedly targeting Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs, the group’s stronghold known as Dahiyeh, according to a joint statement by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defense minister Israel Katz. Continue reading...

Relations at lowest ebb in years after Washington refuses to apologise for deaths in strait of Hormuz Middle East crisis – live updates Fury has continued to mount in India over the US’s refusal to apologise for the deaths of Indian sailors killed in strikes in the strait of Hormuz, further straining relations between the two countries as their leaders meet at the G7 summit in France this week. Last week, three Indian seafarers, who were working on board commercial oil tankers, were killed when the US launched missile strikes on the vessel as it sailed through the strait of

Relatives of those killed on flight AI171 are still struggling to obtain answers about what happened When Sagar Patel’s mother boarded Air India flight AI171 on 12 June last year, she called her son as she always did before takeoff. The flight was due to leave Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport in Ahmedabad, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, and was destined for Gatwick. “We always had a little traditional thing,” said Patel, a business manager from London. “Once she got on the flight, she would sit down and call me. She’d tell me: ‘Yep, I’m on the flight. See

Government urged to reconsider proposal for 1,100 Afghans, currently stranded in Qatar, who worked with US forces Dozens of US lawmakers urged the Trump administration on Thursday to roll back any plans to ship to unsafe third countries Afghan nationals who worked with US forces during the war in their homeland. In a letter seen by Reuters, more than 80 House of Representatives members, including at least three Republicans as well as Democrats, appealed to secretary of state, Marco Rubio, to reconsider plans for 1,100 Afghans who have been stranded in Qatar awaiting relocation. Continue reading...

Washington claims vessel was violating its blockade of Iranian ports and failed to comply with instructions The Indian government has voiced a “strong protest” after three Indian seafarers were killed in US military strikes against oil tankers travelling through the strait of Hormuz. US Central Command confirmed that its aircraft had fired two Hellfire missiles at the engine room of the MT Settebello as it sailed through the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Thai woman is in custody in connection with investigation after man was reportedly found dead at a hotel in Yangon A US diplomat has been found dead in Myanmar ’s largest city, and members of the diplomatic community in Yangon say a Thai woman has been detained by police in connection with the investigation. US officials in Thailand and the US embassy in Myanmar referred questions on the case to the state department, which confirmed the “death of a US government employee” assigned to the embassy in Yangon, but gave no other details. Continue reading...

Prime minister announces ban, saying social media is making children unhappy and unsafe Social media to be banned in UK for under-16s, Starmer announces UK parents: how do you feel about the under-16s social media ban? Starmer acknowledges some teenagers will get round these restrictons. But that does not make the rules pointless, he says. Will it mean that no child ever looks at social media again? No. But look, this might shock you, but it doesn’t shock parents of teenagers; they get around other laws too. Some technology companies want us to think that social media is unchangeable, part

Judges overturn decision of high court that government proscription of group under Terrorism Act was wrong The high court was wrong to rule that the ban on Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws was unlawful , the court of appeal has concluded. A five-strong panel, including the two most senior judges in England and Wales, overturned February’s decision of the lower court that the proscription of the direct action group, the first to be banned under the Terrorism Act, was wrong. Continue reading...

In a career spanning five decades, journalist was best known for ITV current affairs programme The Cook Report The investigative journalist Roger Cook, best known for the current affairs programme The Cook Report, has died aged 83, his family has said. Cook was born in New Zealand and grew up in Australia where he began his broadcasting career before moving to the UK in 1968. His distinctive style of investigative journalism, based on confronting and exposing criminals and conmen, began in the form of the BBC Radio 4 show Checkpoint, which he created in the 1970s. Continue reading...

The Standard of Living by James Graham traces economist’s influence on British politics and culture After exploring the rise of Rupert Murdoch and the emergence of Gareth Southgate’s England team , James Graham has turned his attention to one of the most important political figures of the 20th century: John Maynard Keynes. His new play, The Standard of Living, directed by Nicholas Hytner and opening at the Haymarket in September, focuses on Keynes’s life from 1917 until his death in 1946 – a period in which he became the founding father of macroeconomics and reshaped government thinking on finance and

UK prime minister says move will bring ‘real change for our children’ amid growing concerns over harmful online content UK politics live – latest updates Business live – latest updates Access to social media will be banned in the UK for users under 16, Keir Starmer has announced, in what he described as “real change for our children and our future”. “Social media is making children unhappy, it’s making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse them, and it could even be harming their mental health,” he said, setting out plans briefed over the weekend, which will go further

Despite reports of Anthony Odiong preying on female congregants, the Catholic church extended his term Catholic church had been alerted to Texas priest’s sexual predation for years – but dawdled before acting Catholic clergy leaders wanted to add nearly a decade to a priest’s temporary role as pastor at a suburban New Orleans church despite knowing several women had accused him of sexual misconduct or unwanted advances while ministering to them, the Guardian can report . But Anthony Odiong did not make it to the end of an extension that was supposed to last until 2027. A jury in Waco,

Self-deprecating jokes and mental health advocacy have gone viral, and his political commentary is proving popular It’s been quite the journey for Hunter Biden. In the space of a few weeks, the former first son has gone from a man seen as a political liability to an unlikely galvanizing force within the Democratic party, through his emergence on social media as a mental health advocate, razzer of Republicans, and working-class whisperer. In the process Biden has switched from the GOP’s bete noire to, actually, someone that a fair number of Republican voters seem to like. Continue reading...

The process to renew Daca immigration status used to take a few weeks – now it drags on for months It’s been six months since Claudia first applied to renew her US immigration status – a process that, for the last 14 years, would only take a few weeks. But now, the prolonged delay has put her life on hold. Claudia, who moved to the US when she was four, has maintained legal status as a “Dreamer” with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) program, which was created in 2012 to protect undocumented immigrants who came to the US

Church officials had extended the temporary term of Anthony Odiong, recently convicted of sexual assault, even after women came forward with allegations of abuse Key takeaways from the Guardian’s inquiry into the church’s handling of a predatory priest Internal Catholic church files obtained by the Guardian reveal that clergy leaders wanted to quadruple what was supposed to be a temporary, three-year role as pastor at a suburban New Orleans church for a priest who had nearly a half-dozen women accusing him of sexual misconduct or unwanted advances while ministering to them. Anthony Odiong was supposed to be at the St

Demonstrations took off in Washington and across US as Trump throws first private, for-profit sporting event ever held on White House grounds Dozens of people stood across the entrance gates to the Ellipse, the park south of the White House , on Sunday afternoon, holding protest signs and chanting as the president prepared to host seven mixed martial arts fights on the lawn. Thousands of fight fans streamed past the protesters into the sprawling public viewing area that the Trump administration and the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( UFC ), which is hosting the fights , erected steps from the White

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. 5. How to say ‘tomato sauce’ in Cantonese? Miss Hong Kong hopeful sparks debate 2. Chinese team flags life-threatening weakness in Nasa’s Artemis programme 3. Hong Kong intern doctor released on bail, returns to hospital amid police probe 4. China’s universities cut 12,000 ‘obsolete’ degrees amid...

This article was published on June 13, 1991. Thousands evacuated after massive explosion in Philippines Volcano’s plume soars 25km by Michael Bociurkiw in San Narciso Theresita Santiago and her neighbours dealt with the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines yesterday (June 12, 1991) the only way they could: they grabbed their children and a few belongings and walked 20 kilometres to sanctuary in Olongapo City. “I’m feeling very nervous right now,” Mrs Santiago said, as her...

A large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine killed five rescuers in Kharkiv and wounded at least 20 people in the capital Kyiv on Monday as strikes set flat buildings ablaze and sparked a fire at one of the country’s most significant religious landmarks. The rescuers were killed in Kharkiv by a second Russian strike as they fought a blaze caused by an earlier attack, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. At least five other emergency workers were wounded. A series of powerful explosions echoed...

I’m still reeling from last week’s tragedy in Hong Kong: a mother and her 12-year-old daughter lost their lives to suicide within hours of each other reportedly following an argument about “education problems”. While the causes of suicide are complex, the incident should prompt reflection within the education system. For years, many have tried to point out the impact academic pressure without adequate support has on students’ mental health. We have also noted the effect on teachers and parents....

The United States and Iran have reached a deal to end their war and will hold an official signing ceremony on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on social media early on Monday. “The Deal with ‌the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform shortly after Sharif made his announcement. The agreement was struck despite an Israeli strike on Lebanon on Sunday that drew criticism from both Iran and...

British anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson ⁠said he was ⁠detained at Heathrow ⁠Airport on Saturday and had his phone seized, after a week when he posted heavily online about racist and anti-immigrant riots in Northern Ireland. Robinson, whose real ‌name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said on social media he was held on Saturday evening for around three hours under the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act. “My phone has been seized by the police,” he wrote. “Please help ⁠kick off my legal fund...

A plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers planning to spend a sunny afternoon skydiving crashed on Sunday in Missouri, killing all aboard, authorities said. Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a statement that troopers were at the crash site, helping the Butler Police Department & Bates County Sheriff’s Office. The crash happened near Butler Memorial Airport. The small town of Butler has a population of around 4,300 people and is roughly 105km (65 miles) south of Kansas City. Missouri Highway...

US ⁠Senator Mitch McConnell was admitted to hospital on Sunday, his spokesman said, but there was no immediate information about why he was there or his prognosis. McConnell, 84, was the longest-serving Senate leader in history before stepping aside from that role while finishing his final term, which ends in January. “Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care,” spokesman David Popp said in a statement without elaboration. It was not immediately...

At least six people died in Brazil on Sunday after two helicopters collided in western Rio de Janeiro, firefighters said. The helicopters crashed into the car park of an electric car showroom, igniting a fire that engulfed at least 20 cars. A statement from firefighters said initial reports pointed to a mid-air collision, adding “six fatalities have been confirmed, all were crew members of the aircraft involved in the accident”. Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere said there were “foreign...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky each held phone calls with US President Donald Trump on Sunday, as Trump marked his 80th birthday and the war in Ukraine remained a flashpoint ahead of this week’s G7 summit. Putin’s call with Trump lasted just under an hour, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters. On Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasised the need to end hostilities and stated his readiness to influence European...

Protesters in Geneva clashed with police, set a car on fire and smashed the windows of a bank on Sunday to show their discontent with the G7 group of major advanced economies on the eve of a summit in nearby France to be attended by the group’s leaders including US President Donald Trump. Environmentalists and feminists joined foes of imperialism, defenders of independent media, supporters of Palestinian rights and others in a lakeside park in Geneva for a march across the Swiss city. A boat...

US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged no further attacks by anyone after Israel’s military said it launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, potentially complicating efforts to finalise a deal to end the US-Iran war. As smoke rose over the Lebanese capital, Lebanese Civil Defense said it retrieved three bodies and six wounded people from the rubble. Iran threatened a military response, with the foreign ministry saying it holds the US directly responsible for Israel’s ceasefire...

In a packed auditorium steps from the Vatican, Roberto Vannacci – the former Italian army general known to supporters as ‘Il Generale’ – is rallying followers of his fledgling party, casting himself as an outsider while reshaping Italy’s right and challenging Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a close ally of US President Donald Trump. Vannacci’s fast-rising “Futuro Nazionale” party is injecting new uncertainty into the conservative bloc that has underpinned Meloni’s government, exposing tensions...

The Swiss appeared to have voted down a divisive anti-immigration proposal to cap the country’s population, early projections showed on Sunday. Shortly after polls closed at noon, initial projections from the GfS.bern institute indicated around 55 per cent opposition to the initiative, which had sparked warnings of “chaos” and devastating impacts for the Swiss economy and European Union relations. “We are very relieved and happy. This is an important result for our country and for our relations...

British armed forces intercepted a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel on Sunday, for the first time leading an operation to disrupt the oil revenue ‌that helps fund Russia’s war in Ukraine. The vessel Smyrtos, sailing under the Cameroon flag, was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency (NCA) officials in the early hours on Sunday, with support from Chinook helicopters and other aircraft, a frigate and a minehunter. “This successful operation...

Two big issues are bubbling up over Hong Kong’s army of foreign domestic helpers. The whole community will have to sit down and decide how to address them. The first is the availability of places for helpers to congregate safely and freely on their days off without putting too much stress on public facilities, other residents and tourists. The second is figuring out how to provide an acceptable working environment inside the home during hot summer months. Two underlying trends are adding to the...

In April, a family from the United Arab Emirates – four adults, three children and a nanny – spent about 300,000 yuan (US$44,228) on a seven-day educational and business tour to China. The trip was nearly cancelled as the Iran war repeatedly disrupted their flights and travel plans, but they eventually arrived in Shanghai. “Their willingness to make the trip was unwavering,” said Lilian Liu at Middle East-focused tour operator UFOX Travel, who hosted the family. Such clients barely existed a few...

Western allies believe Iran has most likely added new-build Russian weapons to its inventory and reconstituted large swathes of its missile arsenal during the eight-week ceasefire, giving the Islamic Republic the firepower to strike back at nearly full strength if hostilities resume. Tehran has about three-quarters of the munitions it had before the war and can easily build it up further, according to intelligence assessments. That includes unspecified Russian missiles that probably came off the...

Donald Trump celebrates his 80th birthday in a typically forceful style on Sunday, as the oldest US president ever to take office holds a bloody cage match on the White House lawn. The unprecedented “UFC Freedom 250” event will see 14 Ultimate Fighting Championship stars beat each other to a pulp in a giant arena called The Claw. Costing US$60 million, it is linked to this year’s festivities for the 250th anniversary of US independence, but it also happens to fall on the day that Trump enters...

The Tren de Aragua leader killed in a US-Venezuelan raid was a high school dropout who lived in comfort behind bars as he transformed a prison gang into one of the most powerful and extensive criminal organisations in Latin America. Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias Nino Guerrero, or “child warrior”, died at the age of 42 in a raid announced on Friday by US President Donald Trump and later confirmed by Venezuela. Founded in Venezuela in 2014, Tren de Aragua has been designated a...

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he planned to appoint James McDonald as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the federal prosecutor whose office handles many of the most high-profile cases involving Wall Street. McDonald would replace Jay Clayton, whom Trump nominated as US director of national intelligence less than two weeks after a congressional backlash against his interim appointee, housing official Bill Pulte. Trump had tapped Pulte after Tulsi Gabbard, the...

US and Pakistani leaders forecast a Sunday signing of a long-elusive framework agreement to end fighting between the United States and Iran, but Tehran cast doubt over the timing and hardline protesters in Iran voiced opposition. US President Donald Trump posted on social media on Saturday that the deal with Iran was scheduled to be signed the next day, his 80th birthday. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two sides had agreed on a framework for a peace deal and that Islamabad was...

Armed men in Haiti have kidnapped James Boyard, cabinet director of the Defence Ministry and a highly respected security expert who also serves as inspector general of Haiti’s police, a person with the knowledge of the situation said on Saturday. He is the highest-ranking official to be kidnapped in the gang-wracked Caribbean country in recent years. A person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorised to speak publicly about the case confirmed the kidnapping to Associated Press on...

US President Donald Trump is expected to discuss plans to demine the Strait of Hormuz with allies during next week’s Group of Seven summit in France, a senior US administration official said on Saturday, as mediators said an agreement to end the war was close. Britain and France, which are both members of the G7, have expressed interest in assisting with demining the critical waterway once the conflict is paused. The official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity on ground rules...

Iran’s state-run news agency said on Saturday funeral processions for its former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be held in July, as mediators say an agreement to end the war is close. The funeral, burial, and farewell ceremonies for Khamenei would take place between July 4 and 9, Iran’s state-run television IRIB reported. Khamenei was killed in the opening salvo of the war that Israel and the United States launched against Iran in late February. He has since been replaced by his...

The United States and Iran could finalise an agreement to end the Middle East war “within 24 hours”, key mediator Pakistan said on Saturday, after both sides expressed optimism about the chances of concluding a deal. The foes and mediators of the conflict have claimed a long-awaited accord is in its final throes, despite new skirmishes in the Strait of Hormuz in the months-long war that has roiled the region and global economy. Weeks of negotiations on a peace agreement after an April 8 truce...

The letters spelling out US President Donald Trump’s name on the facade of the Kennedy Centre are now gone, the executive director of the performing arts venue said in a legal filing on Saturday with the court that had ordered the removal. A tarp continued to hang over the scaffolding constructed for workers to remove Trump’s name from the building, making it impossible to immediately detect whether the only words remaining on its white marble portico are “The John F. Kennedy Center for the...

President Donald Trump said late on Friday that a “swift and lethal kinetic” US strike has killed Tren de Aragua gang leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores. “At my direction, ‌the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Nino Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organisations on Planet,” Trump said in a post ⁠on Truth Social on Friday evening, referring to Guerrero Flores by his...

A US federal judge who was disciplined after an investigation found that she had sex with a police officer in her chambers and then lied about it wrote a letter to a former law clerk apologising for her “harmful, offensive, and unprofessional behaviour”. An investigation initiated last year by the chief judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit found that US District Judge Eleanor Ross had sex in the courthouse with a high-ranking uniformed police officer within earshot of staff, attended a partisan...

The Philippines’ confrontational approach to maritime territorial disputes, such as its championing of the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling, has not only failed to resolve regional tensions, it also risks undermining Asean centrality. In May, addressing Japan’s National Diet, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr announced that Manila would mark the ruling’s 10th anniversary in July, an occasion he said “embodies our determination to resolve disputes through peaceful means”. That is...

A shooter who opened fire in the West Texas city of Midland died on Friday after a stand-off with police following an attack that left one person dead and at least nine others injured, city officials said. The suspect, 45-year-old Victor Mata Villarreal, had shot at police just days earlier during a chase and was already being sought by authorities when he began firing at officers and bystanders in Midland, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Police were called to the area after...

Even popes have travel delays. Lucky for Pope Leo, King Felipe VI offered a way out, and a way home. Leo’s Iberia charter, due to take him back to Rome after a week-long visit to Spain, was grounded by a technical problem Friday, prompting Spain’s king to offer his private jet instead. Felipe escorted Leo to his Falcon on the tarmac at the airport in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. Leo and members of his delegation boarded the plane and took off, more than three hours after he was...

Catapulted by the market debut of his rocket company SpaceX, Elon Musk is now the world’s first trillionaire. That level of wealth, all owned by just one person, was once unfathomable. Before Friday, the trillion dollar mark was reserved for measures like the GDP (or staggering debt) of a handful of major economies – and, in the last decade alone, the value of some of the biggest companies to ever trade on the stock market. Musk’s new title arrives amid a wider acceleration for the richest of...

The Trump administration on Friday said that it is “80-85 per cent” confident of signing the peace agreement with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war in the Middle East. “We do expect to be signing this agreement over the next few days … if I were to give you a confidence that we were going to be signing this agreement, I maybe would have said 75 per cent this morning; it’s probably more like 80-85 per cent now, but it’s not 100 per cent,” a senior administration official...

In a post on the social media platform he owns, Elon Musk recently lamented: “Whoever said ‘money can’t buy happiness’ really knew what they were talking about.” Now the world’s richest person can put that maxim to an even bigger test as he adds a new title: world’s first trillionaire. Shares of SpaceX rose 19 per cent on Friday to US$160.95 each in their first day of trading, vaulting the value of the rocket and AI company Musk founded to US$2.2 trillion. His fortune now stands at the...

British artist David Hockney, one of the most influential and defining figures in contemporary art whose paintings captured the world in brilliant colour, has died aged 88, his publicist announced on Friday. Tributes poured in for the 1960s pop art pioneer who established himself as a globally renowned painter and master draughtsman and kept painting, experimenting and exhibiting right up until his death. “I think I’ve something to say to people – that’s why,” he told the Daily Telegraph in...

Huawei Technologies is studying whether to run its newest Ascend artificial intelligence chips inside its cloud and AI services in Latin America, a senior executive has confirmed, in a move that would push Chinese-designed hardware deeper into a region long courted by US suppliers. Mark Chen, president of Huawei Cloud Latin America, gave the confirmation in an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post after his presentation at the Rio Web Summit, the technology and innovation...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday ⁠rejected the ⁠idea that he had ⁠lost authority in his role, and said he would fight to keep his job, adding that anyone who wanted to replace him would have to deal with the same financial ‌constraints. The comments come a day after Defence Minister John Healey delivered a fresh blow to the prime minister’s already weakened leadership by quitting and accusing Starmer of being unable to commit the resources needed to keep the country safe, in a dig...

Even Western pundits grudgingly admitted the summit between President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was a success. Both sides, according to Bloomberg, “appear to have walked away with what they wanted”. Given China’s rising pre-eminence while avoiding any damaging war, it’s no surprise that Xi had the upper hand in his recent meetings with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. But with Kim, the stakes for Beijing were just as high, in light of Tokyo’s...

The US and Iran may sign an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on the sidelines of the Group of Seven world leaders summit next week, according to senior officials. A senior Iranian official indicated overnight that a deal is likely, said a G7 official and a diplomat from outside the group, who both asked not to be named discussing sensitive matters. This year’s G7 summit takes place in Evian, in the French Alps, from June 15 to June 17. Geneva, in Switzerland, is nearby and being floated...

In their 2022 book Sinostan, Raffaello Pantucci and Alexandros Petersen saw Central Asia as China’s “inadvertent empire”. If that is true – and the five-country region embracing Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan (informally called the C5) certainly sits at the heart of China’s Belt and Road Initiative – then Beijing could not have chosen a less noticed corner of the world atlas. Unnoticed, perhaps, by almost everyone except Halford Mackinder, who in 1904 described...

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. Was Xi’s stance on North Korea military ties also a message for US, Russia? During his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said both sides should “enhance exchanges in diplomacy, law...

It’s the ultimate symbol of American politics under Donald Trump – a blood-soaked cage match on the lawn of the White House for the US president’s 80th birthday. A giant arena dubbed “The Claw” has been built on the famed South Lawn for Sunday’s tournament featuring 14 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contestants. Critics have panned the unprecedented US$60 million “UFC Freedom 250” event as tone-deaf at a time when Trump’s war in Iran has sent the cost of living soaring for ordinary...

US Park Police opened an investigation on Thursday into giant markings of the numbers “8647” – which have been associated with opposition to President Donald Trump – on the grass of the National Mall. A spokesperson for the Department of the Interior, which manages the National Mall in downtown Washington, described the incident as “deranged vandalism” and said it “will not be tolerated”. “Any threat against the president is taken very seriously by the department, and our US Park Police will...

Before Scott Pelley was fired from 60 Minutes last week, he accused CBS’s editor-in-chief of “murdering” the programme he had served for over two decades. For a show that once defined hard-edged journalism, his dismissal raises questions about what institutional independence means. The split followed a tense staff meeting in which Pelley confronted the show’s new executive producer. In a statement after his firing, Pelley said the organisation was becoming more policitised and tried to get him...

President Trump sat ringside beside his wife, Melania Trump, for an event that used the trappings of the White House for a U.F.C. brawl.

A day after the National Symphony Orchestra played perhaps its final notes at the Kennedy Center for years, mixed martial artists brawled outside the White House.

Some Republicans saw a political opening in Sunday’s fights at the White House. Democrats said they saw a distraction from more pressing matters.

The war had stirred doubts about the team’s participation in the tournament. It is set to play New Zealand in a Los Angeles area stadium on Monday.

The first half of the year had few big, buzzy hits. But there were some nice surprises (“Widow’s Bay”) and returning favorites (“The Comeback”).

President Trump has long been at odds with European leaders over trade, Ukraine and NATO, but he has lashed out in recent weeks over their refusal to support the U.S. war with Iran.

It’s finally the Knicks’ time. But the five-decade title drought, full of both joy and pain, was all some devoted fans were ever able to experience.

A parade up Broadway to City Hall on Thursday will celebrate the team’s N.B.A. championship win, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani will present players with keys to the city.

Even though negotiations will begin for Ukraine to join the bloc, the path ahead is a long one.

Ukraine is running out of American-made Patriot air-defense interceptors, and is pleading for more.

For decades, Islamic governance held allure in the Middle East. Now some scholars say the Islamist wave has passed.

Representative Barry Moore, an early backer of the president during his first campaign, faces Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL tapping into the excitement for outsiders.

A bitterly fought Democratic primary in New York’s Hudson Valley will determine who takes on Representative Mike Lawler, one of the more vulnerable Republicans this cycle.

Tuesday’s runoff for a slot on the Alabama Public Service Commission has a familiar ring to it, with talk of data centers and electricity costs. But in a southern twist, solar power has joined the list of villains.

Ten years after a landmark peace deal, armed groups are wreaking deadly violence, blending jungle combat with new drone warfare.

A prolonged drought means the nation’s largest reservoirs are dwindling, and litigation over access to water could lay ahead.

Women who can’t take hormone therapy because of breast cancer or other diseases say they are deeply frustrated.

Artists on what a more utopian version of their field might look like.

T’s annual Art issue explores how the idea of a good if elusive place has inspired great art, and vice versa.

A large real estate development in the middle of Vancouver, British Columbia, shows how cities can build more housing.

Nominating Mr. Blanche to be the nation’s top law enforcement officer crosses a red line, and the Senate needs to defeat him.

New York’s two-day 250th extravaganza will feature the country’s largest parade of tall ships and warships, but adds daunting logistical challenges to an already overwrought summer.