Minimalist News

IDF Iron Dome Operator Arrested, Charged With Spying For Iran There's quite obviously been Israeli intelligence inroads into Iran, which at times US and Israeli officials themselves have boasted about, with Tehran recently announcing efforts to round up and arrest "traitors" - and there's even in some cases been executions of the accused. Inside Israel, there are also fears of locals spying for Israel - but the phenomenon remains much less common (as far as anyone knows). That's why the latest headlines are likely a shock to the Israeli establishment. On Friday an Israeli reservist tied to the country’s missile defense network

The Scapegoat: How One Man's Career Was Ended By MeToo Authored by Nancy Rommelmann via RealClearInvestigations, Life on Jan. 9, 2020, was interesting for Joshua Helmer. At 31, he was midway through his second year as CEO of the Erie Art Museum in Pennsylvania. He had recently secured the loan of a Chuck Close painting from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and an upcoming sale, including a painting by another famous artist, David Hockney, would help Erie generate funds to buy new works. And then it was Jan. 10. "I knew I'd never work again," Helmer said, recalling his reading of a New York Times

US Asian Ally Rejects Pentagon Request To Land Fighter Jets: More To Come? Sri Lanka is a US regional ally, and America remains the small south Asian nation's largest export market, accounting for nearly $3 billion of the $11.7 billion of goods Sri Lanka exports annually. But tensions are soaring over the Iran war, and especially in the wake of a US submarine having torpedoed the Iranian warship IRIS Dena just off Sri Lanka's southern coast earlier this month - killing dozens of sailors and forcing Sri Lankan authorities into a rescue operation that recovered bodies and pulled survivors from the water. And now,

The Super Bowl Top Signal Authored by Chris Macintosh via InternationalMan.com, You’ve likely heard about peaks in markets often coinciding with magazine covers saying the opposite. Well, this is simply a representation of zeitgeist. Another representation of zeitgeist is advertising at the Super Bowl. For long-time readers, you may recall our selling Bitcoin way back before it nosedived. We highlighted that at the time there were crypto ads running wild at the Super Bowl. We even had Matt Damon shilling crypto. Remember that? Fun times. Well, you know what dominated this year’s Super Bowl? AI. It was in fact the single largest concentration of AI

Murphy: "If The Dollar Starts Sinking, It's Gonna Be Fast" Last night’s debate on “Deficits, War, and Markets”  brought together Bob Murphy of the Mises Institute and Bard College professor Randall Wray for a clash between Austrian and MMT worldviews, moderated by the “Macro Tourist” Kevin Muir.  Exploding U.S. deficits, the Fed’s policy path, the geopolitical shock of the Iran war, what it means for stocks, a potential bond market snap to calls for another financial crisis… we covered a lot of ground and here were some highlights for those short on time: WHERE ARE THE BOND VIGILANTES? A bond trader himself, Muir asked

Qatar Dethroned As 'LNG King' As U.S. Seizes Throne, Reshaping Future Of Gas Submitted by Criterion Research President, James Bevan,  The geopolitical calculus underpinning global LNG supply through the early 2030s has shifted materially. Iranian drone strikes on Qatari LNG trains, delays to key expansion projects, and the indefinite closure of the Strait of Hormuz have created a compounding threat to Qatar's LNG position that goes well beyond a construction delay. What had been framed as a two-horse race for global LNG market share now looks considerably more one-sided. The beneficiary is clear: U.S. Gulf Coast LNG.  At Criterion Research, our outlook is for US LNG exports

Milei's "Miracle" Faces First Cracks As Argentina's Unemployment Rises Argentina’s much-touted turnaround under Javier Milei may be losing momentum, with fresh labor data pointing to a weakening jobs market, according to Bloomberg. By the end of last year, unemployment had climbed to 7.5%—the highest rate for a fourth quarter since the Covid era—reflecting a deterioration in employment conditions before the government pushed through its landmark labor overhaul. New figures show that joblessness in the formal sector increased for the first time in three quarters, while the share of workers in informal roles remained largely unchanged at roughly 43% of total employment. Bloomberg writes that

Fear Of The Second Wave Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times, This time last year, it seemed like we were just about finished with the terrible inflation of the Biden years that had trimmed at least 25 percent from the purchasing power of the dollar. The hope has been for a year that the massive increases in money printing over the COVID years were finally done. As some put it, the snake had finally digested the golf ball. All along we’ve worried that the experience of the 1970s would repeat: three clean waves. After each, monetary authorities presumed that the problem was over

EV Demand Surges Across Asia After Energy Shock Sends Consumers Into Panic Mode One of the biggest takeaways in global energy markets this week is the growing fragmentation. Brent crude in Asia has surged to over $150 a barrel, with demand destruction already emerging, and China and India facing the greatest pressure given their heavy reliance on Gulf crude. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has moved to release barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help cap WTI prices below triple digits, with US crude currently trading around $94 a barrel. > And now we have three oil markets: Asia (Oman oil at

What 122 Universal Basic Income Experiments Actually Show Authroed by Vance Ginn via the Daily Economy, Artificial intelligence has become the latest excuse for reviving one of the oldest bad ideas in economic policy: a universal basic income. Recent pieces in Newsweek, the LSE Business Review, and Fortune have all helped push the idea that AI may soon wipe out so many jobs that Washington will need to send everyone a check. Image Credit: Shutterstock That makes for a catchy headline. It also makes for terrible economics. The right question is not whether AI will disrupt work. Of course it will. The right question is

Legendary Midwest Fast-Food Icon Spirals Into Bankruptcy Another fast-food institution is fighting for its life as Byron’s Kitchen files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection amid a brutal wave of restaurant closures and restructurings sweeping the food industry, according to The Street. The Chicago-based chain, a beloved local staple since 1975 and now marking over 50 years of slinging dogs, officially sought bankruptcy relief on March 16 in the Northern District of Illinois. Owner Mike Payne and the team behind Byron’s Kitchen Incorporated are using the filing to restructure crushing financial obligations while keeping the grills firing at their two remaining locations. “As of

"I Think We've Won" Trump Says As Iran Refuses Hormuz Talks, Houthis Threaten Red Sea Strait SUMMARY * CBS reporting 'heavy preparations' for ground troops as Trump says 'no ceasefire' for now; Trump calls NATO a 'paper tiger'; says "close to meeting our objectives", offramp? * IRGC contradicts Bibi: says missile production is ongoing, is of "no concern" - even as IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naeini is reported killed. * Energy war ongoing: Major sites damaged across the region - Haifa refinery hit, Qatar LNG output cut 17%, Kuwait facilities ablaze. * Kharg Island escalation looms: Trump admin weighing seizure of Kharg

And Then The World Changed... Authored by James Howard Kunstler, > "Europe’s own regulatory architecture turned off Europe’s own energy supply. And America. . . on the other side of the Atlantic with a full tank of gas, watched it happen.” > > - Jeff Childers Let’s pause for a moment amid all the excitement to address an abiding mystery of these times: why does the news media seem to be rooting for American failure in the Iran operation? Or more generally, how did the media become handmaiden to the Lefty-left and all its ancillaries? How were they lured into their Cloward-Piven bunker of

Putin Reportedly Offers To Cut Iran Intel-Sharing If US Does Same In Ukraine Moscow has been accused by top officials in the White House and in Congress of expanding its intelligence-sharing with Iran amid the now three-week-long war involving the US and Israel. Russia has even been accused of handing over targeting information, allegedly assisting in Iranian ballistic missile attacks on US bases and radar sites as well as sensitive assets in the region. Russia hasn't confirmed that it is doing this, and has issued a meager official denial - but it also hasn't taken serious steps to convince Washington otherwise. The

'TRUMP AMERICA AI Act' Repeals Section 230, Expands Liability, & Establishes Centralized Federal Control Over AI Systems Authored by Jon Fleetwood via JonFleetwood.com, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn has released a 291-page legislative framework that would repeal Section 230, expand liability across the artificial intelligence ecosystem, and establish a unified federal rulebook governing how AI systems are built, deployed, and controlled in the United States. U.S. President Donald J. Trump (left) and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN; right) The proposal—titled the TRUMP AMERICA AI Act—is being presented as a pro-innovation, pro-safety measure designed to “protect children, creators, conservatives, and communities” while ensuring U.S. dominance in the

Will Chinese Robot Maker Unitree's Shanghai IPO Spark A Humanoid-Investing Bubble Unitree Robotics, one of China's top robot makers - spanning robo-dogs to humanoid robots - has filed for a Shanghai STAR Board IPO, according to Bloomberg. The planned listing suggests that the humanoid robotics industry is entering a more accelerated commercialization phase in 2026, with a broader pipeline of public offerings likely to emerge alongside rising private capital flows across Asia and the US. The report states that Unitree plans to raise $610 million on the STAR Board, part of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, with proceeds expected to fund AI models

John Fetterman Reveals Who's Really The Leader Of His Party Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) sat down for an interview on the "All-In Podcast" this week and made a telling admission about the Democratic Party. When co-host David Friedberg asked Fetterman point-blank, "Who do you think leads the Democratic Party today?" the Pennsylvania senator didn't flinch. "Oh, we don't have one," he said. "I think the TDS, that's the leader right now. You know, right now our party is governed by the TDS.” Fetterman then described what that governance actually looks like in practice - a kind of loyalty test that runs in reverse.

Dr. Oz Says He's Eyeing Florida In Medicaid Fraud Crackdown Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, The administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) confirmed this week that his office is eyeing Florida for instances of potential health care fraud. Dr. Mehmet Oz, also known as Dr. Oz, wrote on March 17 on X that what he saw in Florida “around durable medical equipment fraud was horrifying” and indicated that Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, are “next up” in his fraud investigation. > “The scale is out of control—and not just limited to these schemes,” he said

CBS News Announces Fresh Round Of Layoffs As Bari Weiss Buzzsaw Continues After paying Bari Weiss $150 million for The Free Press and hiring her to run their newsroom, CBS News announced a fresh round of layoffs on Friday which will affect over 60 jobs, or 6% of the news division, according to the NY Times.  Bari Weiss "Certain parts of this newsroom need to get smaller in order for us to make room for the things that we need to build to remain competitive in the future," said Weiss, who entered the scene last October, during a Friday newsroom-wide conference call.  The move follows roughly 100 layoffs last

These Seven Allies Concocted A 'Hormuz Coalition' Statement To Placate Trump, Which Failed We reported earlier that President Trump has again expressed his extreme frustration at lack of direct NATO participation in a plan to open up the Strait of Hormuz. He declared the US has "militarily WON" - and lambasted lack of allied interest in a "simple military maneuver" to open the Strait of Hormuz, calling NATO a "Paper Tiger" without the US. And so clearly Trump himself is unconvinced after on Thursday seven allied nations signed a statement expressing a readiness to contribute to efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The statement included no

Tania Warner and Ayla, her seven-year-old with autism, sent to notorious Texas detention center and told to ‘self-deport’ * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A Canadian woman and her seven-year-old daughter with autism who have been held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for nearly a week have been transferred to a notorious detention center and asked to “self-deport”, according to her husband, who said the pair had been “traumatized” by the experience. Tania Warner and her daughter Ayla Luca, originally from British Columbia, moved to the US five years ago,

National intelligence director said voting machine seizure was requested by US attorney in Puerto Rico – who’s been trying to revive 2020 election conspiracy theory When the US director of national intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, testified on Thursday that her office seized voting machines from Puerto Rico, she said it was at the request of the office of the US attorney in Puerto Rico. Left unsaid was that the prosecutor, as the Guardian previously reported, has been the center of a push by Donald Trump supporters to revive a long discredited conspiracy theory purporting to link Venezuela to Trump’s 2020 electoral

The insects covered its largest area since 2018, despite threats from habitat loss, climate crisis and pesticides The population of monarch butterflies in Mexico increased 64% this winter, compared with the same period in 2025, offering a glimmer of hope for an insect considered at risk of extinction. The figures, released this week by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Mexico, showed that the area occupied by monarchs expanded to 2.93 hectares (7.24 acres) of forest from 1.79 hectares (4.42 acres) the previous winter, the largest coverage since 2018. Continue reading...

Interim president announces changes after firing defence minister, who was close to Maduro, the leader ousted by US Venezuela’s interim president has said she has replaced all her senior military commanders, the latest in a flurry of changes since the US ousted Nicolás Maduro. Delcy Rodríguez announced the changes in a social media post a day after firing the long-serving defence minister, who had been close to Maduro, and replacing him with a former intelligence chief. Continue reading...

Mother and child held in notorious Rio Grande Valley detention centre despite presenting visa, family says A Canadian mother and her seven-year-old daughter, who has autism, have been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas since Saturday, family members have said. Relatives of Tania Warner and her daughter Ayla Lucas say they were detained unlawfully. They are uncertain about what problem ICE found with their immigration paperwork. Continue reading...

Boyband drops album that speaks to its Korean roots ahead of Seoul comeback concert, with more than a quarter of a million fans expected to attend K-pop stars BTS released a new album on Friday billed as reflecting the maturing boy band’s Korean roots and identity, as buzz built ahead of their open-air comeback concert in the heart of Seoul. The Saturday night gig, which is expected to draw around 260,000 people, will be BTS’s first after a hiatus of almost four years while all seven members served compulsory military service. It comes ahead of an 82-date world tour. Continue reading...

Samoa and Tonga raise supply concerns with foreign partners as businesses and residents in Papua New Guinea grapple with higher fuel prices amid the Iran war The leaders of some Pacific countries have appealed for help with oil supplies while others urge against “panic buying” as the import-reliant nations grapple with fears over possible fuel shortages and escalating costs caused by war in the Middle East. Oil prices have surged to nearly $110 a barrel after strikes against energy infrastructure in Iran and the Gulf states. Continue reading...

As other Asian economies race to conserve energy, China has huge reserves of oil and gas as well as alternative energy sources like wind and solar * Middle East crisis – live updates Xi Jinping has been preparing for a crisis like this for years. China must secure its energy supply “in its own hands”, its president was reported to have said during a visit to one of its vast oilfields in 2021. The US-Israel war on Iran plunged the Middle East into a deep conflict, with the strait of Hormuz – one of the most important waterways in global trade –

US president was meeting with Japanese PM when he said: ‘Who knows better about surprise than Japan?’ * Middle East crisis – live updates * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox It would be funny if it wasn’t so Trumpy. Hosting the Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in the Oval Office on Thursday, Donald Trump could not resist mocking Japan about its 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor during the second world war. Continue reading...

Independent committee to investigate safety standards and whether building practices contributed to worst residential fires in decades * How the Hong Kong fire unfolded – visual guide Public hearings in Hong Kong begin on Thursday into a devastating fire that ripped through a housing complex last year, killing 168 people. A judge-led independent committee will investigate whether fire safety standards were inadequate, if construction practices contributed to the fire, and if there were failures on the part of government officers or contractors. Continue reading...

US president claims he ‘always says yes’ to Australia, Japan and South Korea, after saying he didn’t need help from trio of countries earlier this week * Middle East crisis – live updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Donald Trump says he is “very surprised” Australia has not sent warships to aid in opening the strait of Hormuz as the blockade of the key strategic route for global oil supply continues to affect fuel prices. “I was very surprised,” the US president said in Washington on Friday when asked what he took issue with regarding

Aoi Baxter was the party’s candidate for the state seat of Adelaide in Saturday’s election Former South Australian One Nation candidate, Aoi Baxter, has been dumped by the rightwing party, after media reports claiming there is a warrant for his arrest in the UK. Baxter, who was reportedly previously known as Trent Baxter, had allegedly failed to appear at a court hearing, according to reporting by the ABC. A UK court confirmed to the ABC a warrant had been issued for the arrest of a man named Trent Baxter. Continue reading...

Very destructive winds gusting up to 195km/h are forecasted, with major flooding expected in Katherine by Monday * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast An emergency warning has been issued and thousands are bracing for Tropical Cyclone Narelle ahead of its landfall in the Northern Territory, with winds of up to 195km/h expected. The highest-level warning had been issued around midday on Saturday and extends to Nhulunbuy to Port MacArthur, including Borroloola, Numbulwar, Alyangula and Gapuwiyak, the NT fire and emergency services commissioner, Andrew Wharton, said. Continue reading...

Senior public servant wrote ‘police will be dispersing them if numbers exceed capacity’ while premier says protesters confronted after attempting to march * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Police planned to disperse the crowd at a Sydney protest against the visiting Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, if it exceeded 6,000 people, according to correspondence between senior New South Wales public servants. The messages released under freedom of information (FoI) laws contain information not referenced in public comments by the NSW premier, Chris Minns, and the police commissioner, Mal Lanyon. Continue reading...

Jonathan Horn scooped best sports feature prize for a series on AFL, while Chris Hopkins won for pictures of a cancer sufferer caring for her son * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Sports writer Jonathan Horn and photographer Chris Hopkins have won Melbourne Press Club awards for their work for Guardian Australia. Guardian Australia was recognised with eight nominations in a range of categories in the 31st annual Quill awards, which were presented in Melbourne on Friday night. Continue reading...

Mors Imperator caused a scandal in 1887 amid fears it mocked the German kaiser – more than 100 years later it is being displayed in a state museum Wrapped in a cloak with ermine fur and wearing a jagged iron crown, a hulking skeleton rests one foot on a globe and knocks over a royal throne with a dramatic flick of its ivory wrist. Entitled Mors Imperator (“Death is the Ruler”), the German artist Hermione von Preuschen’s 1887 symbolical painting was meant to express the transience of fame and power. But authorities feared the picture could be seen as mocking the ageing

Officials understood to be investigating use of visas by company linked to Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light The Home Office is investigating a company linked to a religious sect based in Cheshire over its use of immigration visas. The company under investigation is linked to the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL), a sect that blends tenets of Islam with conspiracy theories about the Illuminati and aliens controlling US presidents. Followers believe the sect’s leader, Abdullah Hashem, can cure the sick and make the moon disappear. About 100 of his followers live in a former orphanage in Crewe, in the

Forces have been stripped back since the cold war but political stasis is dangerous in the face of growing global threats • Middle East crisis – live updates It will have been more than three weeks since the US and Israel first attacked Iran when the first British warship finally arrives off the coast of Cyprus, a belated defensive deployment that has highlighted the lack of military capacity available to the UK. Nominally, HMS Dragon was one of three destroyers available out of six. In reality the warship has had to be hauled out of dry dock, prepared and then, after launch, tested

Mediahuis suspends Peter Vandermeersch, who says he ‘fell into trap of hallucinations’, after investigation by newspaper where he was once editor-in-chief The publisher of the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf and the Irish Independent has suspended one of its senior journalists after he admitted using AI to “wrongly put words into people’s mouths”. Peter Vandermeersch, the former head of the Irish operations at Mediahuis, said he “fell into the trap of hallucinations” – the term for AI-generated errors – when using the technology. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our European news coverage here Meanwhile, French president Emmanuel Macron has confirmed the seizure of the tanker, which he said belonged to the Russian shadow fleet. In a strongly worded post on X, he said: “The French navy boarded this morning in the Mediterranean a new vessel from the shadow fleet, the Deyna. The war in Iran will not divert France from its support for Ukraine, where Russia’s war of aggression continues. Continue reading...

Regime will do whatever it takes to cling on to power – including sacrificing economies of other Gulf states * Middle East crisis – live updates Brinkmanship, the ability to take a country to the edge of war without plunging it into the abyss, was the cornerstone of cold war diplomacy. But in our different, more unstable times – in which the line between state and non-state actors has blurred, and weapons of war have diffused – the world this week finally tipped over the edge, and suddenly it is in freefall. The first six days of the Iran war cost the

Move to allow shipments already at sea comes amid a supply crisis and after US president says he does not ‘want to do a ceasefire’; IDF says it is attacking regime targets in Tehran after missiles fired at Israel from Iran * US to send three more warships and thousands more troops, reports say * How the Iran war has sent shocks rippling across the globe Amid Iran’s retaliatory strikes in the Gulf region, the military has also threatened recreational and tourist sites worldwide. Iran’s top military spokesperson, Gen Abolfazl Shekarchi, warned that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” globally will not

This blog is now closed – our live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran continues in a new blog here Kuwait’s state oil firm KPC said its Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was hit by multiple drone attacks early on Friday, causing a fire in some units, with no initial casualties reported, the state news agency said. Firefighters responded immediately, with several units shut down as a precaution to ensure workers’ safety. Continue reading...

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent says move will bring 140m barrels to market but insists Tehran will not benefit * Middle East crisis – live updates The Trump administration has issued a 30-day sanctions waiver for the purchase of Iranian oil at sea to ease energy supply pressures since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said. It is the third time the US has temporarily waived sanctions in about two weeks. Continue reading...

Washington considers Kharg Island takeover as Donald Trump calls Nato allies ‘cowards’ for refusal to ‘help open’ strait of Hormuz * Middle East crisis – live updates The US is reportedly preparing to send three more warships and thousands more troops to the Middle East, as Donald Trump called Nato allies “cowards” for not wanting to “help open” the strait of Hormuz, and while fears of the economic damage of the US-Israeli war on Iran continued to grow. The US is reportedly considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s strategically crucial Kharg Island to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait. Continue reading...

Karachi particularly badly affected with 18 people killed, more than 50mm of rain and winds gusting up to 60mph Unseasonally wet weather struck southern Pakistan and north-west India on Wednesday, as heavy rain rolled in from the west, accompanied by thunderstorms, hail, and strong winds. Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, was particularly badly affected, locally recording more than 50mm of rain with winds gusting up to 60mph. Walls, buildings, and a pedestrian bridge collapsed, with flooding and power outages across the city. At least 18 people were killed and several more injured, many by structural collapses, with other deaths attributed to a fallen

Distributor says authorities warned screening Tunisian film-maker Kaouther Ben Hania’s docudrama could harm India–Israel relations The Indian release of The Voice of Hind Rajab, the Oscar-nominated Tunisian film about the death of a five-year-old girl during the Israel-Gaza war, has been blocked by the country’s ratings body, according to the film’s Indian distributor. In a report by Variety, Manoj Nandwana of Mumbai-based Jai Viratra Entertainment said that he was told that if the film was released, it would “break up” India-Israel relations. Continue reading...

People struggle to cook and businesses bear brunt as closure of strait of Hormuz slows imports of liquefied petroleum gas For four days, Maya Rani, 36, has been arriving each morning at a gas distributor’s office in Delhi, her six-month-old daughter in her lap, waiting for hours. And each day she returns home empty-handed, told that a cooking gas cylinder may not be available for at least another week. Around her, the queue keeps growing, people clutching forms and documents, hoping to secure a cylinder. The flame in her kitchen began to fade last week and her husband, as he always does,

Five-day cessation announced as mass funeral held for some of hundreds of victims of airstrike on rehab centre Pakistan has announced a five-day pause in strikes against neighbouring Afghanistan, as a mass funeral was held for some of the hundreds of victims killed in Monday’s attack on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul. The Afghan Taliban government has said more than 400 people were killed and 265 others wounded in that attack, which took place as people at the centre were praying days before the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Continue reading...

Experts say attacks on Afghanistan are ‘defensive, not offensive’ but carry a risk of spiralling cycle of violence An escalating Pakistani campaign of airstrikes against targets in Afghanistan is aimed at forcing the Taliban authorities to abandon their support for Pakistani militants, according to officials and experts. The strategy is to impose such a steep cost on the Taliban administration that they act to prevent attacks emanating from Afghanistan. Yet it carries the risk of spiralling violence. Continue reading...

Former boxing world champion’s cause of death was hanging but his intention was unclear, inquest concludes A coroner has said she “cannot be satisfied” that British former boxing world champion Ricky Hatton intended to take his own life. Hatton, 46, was found dead in his home on 14 September, with the inquest concluding that the official cause of his death was hanging. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741

Veteran broadcaster interviewed prominent female leaders including Margaret Thatcher and Hillary Clinton Jenni Murray, the broadcaster who hosted BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour for more than 30 years, has died at the age of 75. Murray joined the programme in 1987 and presented it until she departed as its longest-serving presenter in 2020. She was awarded a damehood in 2011 in recognition of her contribution to broadcasting. Continue reading...

Eid al-Fitr celebrated amid political furore over claims public Ramadan prayers an ‘act of domination’ On Friday morning, little space remained in Baitul Futuh mosque as thousands of people poured in to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The south London mosque, one of the largest in Europe, offered a glimpse of the Eid al-Fitr festivities being celebrated by millions of Muslims across the UK. This year, however, a political furore around one of the most important holidays in the Islamic calendar has divided UK party leaders, drawn warnings of bigotry and left members of the community feeling

International Energy Agency recommends emergency measures, including working from home, as Iran war hits fuel supply Lowering speed limits to minimise fuel consumption is among potential contingency plans being drawn up by the UK government as the crisis in the Middle East threatens global oil supplies. Sources stressed that there is no shortage of fuel in the UK, but said that officials in the Department for Transport were working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) on an analysis of what measures could be taken to curb oil demand. Continue reading...

Scientific advisory committee to examine impact of offering routine MenB jabs to wider range of people * The Kent meningitis outbreak: what is happening and why? Experts are considering the case for routinely vaccinating more people against meningitis B in response to the fatal outbreak in Kent. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s review was announced after the health secretary, Wes Streeting, asked it to “re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines” for a wider range of people than those who now qualify. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. * Trump news at a glance: president blasts Nato allies amid reports US will send more troops to Middle East * Sign up for the Breaking US News US email The US military is deploying thousands of additional marines and sailors to the Middle East, three US officials told Reuters on Friday. One of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the USS Boxer, along with the marine expeditionary unit onboard, were departing the west coast of the US about three weeks ahead of schedule. Continue reading...

Family says actor, who played Xander in hit TV series, died on Friday ‘in his sleep of natural causes’ Nicholas Brendon, the actor best known for playing Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has died. He was 54. Brendon’s family issued a statement saying that he died on Friday “in his sleep of natural causes”. Continue reading...

California jurors hand win to investors who sued billionaire saying he publicly disparaged social media platform in 2022 A California jury has ruled that Elon Musk is responsible for Twitter investors’ stock plummeting when he sought to buy the social media platform for $44bn in 2022. Jurors handed the win to a group of investors who sued the billionaire saying he publicly disparaged the company with the aim of bringing down Twitter’s stock price to get a better bargain. The trial, which began earlier this month in federal court in San Francisco, focused on whether Musk intended to move the market with

Heavy rains have pummeled the Hawaiian island of Oahu and triggered the worst flooding the island has in 20 years * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Towering flash floods and an imminent dam failure in the northern part of Oahu triggered mass rescues and evacuation warnings in Hawaii on Friday, as the state continued contending with a powerful storm this week. The waters came on quickly in the middle of the night, and videos on social media captured inundated streets and cars being swallowed by the muddy flood waters. Continue reading...

Proposal fails to advance in Senate amid growing concerns about long lines to get through screening at some airports A bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security failed to advance on Friday in the Senate amid growing concerns about long lines to get through screening at some of the country’s biggest airports. Democrats declined to provide the support needed to move the funding measure toward final passage. Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, said he would offer an alternative measure on Saturday to fund just the Transportation Security Administration, which screens passengers and luggage for hazardous items. That too is likely to

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected accusations on Friday that he had intended to offend Christians when he said the previous day that Jesus had “no advantage” over Genghis Khan. “More fake news about my attitude towards Christians, who are protected and flourish in Israel. Let me be clear: I did not denigrate Jesus Christ at my news conference,” Netanyahu wrote in English on social media. “To the contrary, I cited the great American historian Will Durant. A fervent admirer of...

The UK ⁠government gave authorisation on Friday ⁠for the US to use military bases in Britain to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites that are attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. British ministers met on Friday ‌to discuss the war with Iran and Iran’s blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Downing Street statement. “They confirmed that the agreement for the US to use UK bases in the collective self-defence of the region includes US defensive operations to degrade the missile...

Three victims of IRA bombings in England on Friday dropped their civil claim for damages against former Irish republican leader Gerry Adams, whom they had sought to hold personally responsible for orchestrating the blasts. The trio – who were injured in IRA bomb blasts in the 1970s and 1990s – had also sought to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Adams was a senior member of the Irish Republican Army. But on the very last day of the two-week trial, their lawyer Anne Studd told the High Court in...

A pregnant Syrian woman and her five young children died when a fire ripped through containers housing agricultural workers near the southwestern Antalya resort, the governor and media reports said on Friday. DHA news agency said the 27-year-old mother was seven months pregnant, with her husband fighting for his life after the blaze. The tragedy occurred as Turkey began celebrating the three-day Bayram holiday to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Antalya Governor Hulusi Sahin...

Chuck Norris, the US martial artist and Hollywood action star most famous for his role in Walker, Texas Ranger, has died, his family said on Friday. He was 86. The martial arts expert turned actor starred in a slew of action films since his acting debut with a cameo in a 1968 Dean Martin film The Wrecking Crew. Four years later, his epic fight with the kung fu superstar Bruce Lee in The Way of The Dragon helped turn Norris into an icon on big and small screens alike. “It is with heavy hearts...

President ⁠Donald Trump assailed ⁠Nato allies on Friday ⁠over their lack of support for the US-Israel war against Iran, calling the long-time US allies “cowards”. “Without the U.S.A., Nato IS A PAPER TIGER!” Trump said in a social media post. Trump has ‌been calling for major US allies and others, none of whom were consulted or advised on the war, to help secure the safety of shipping through the Iran-controlled Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has roiled global markets, killed thousands and...

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit said in an interview broadcast Friday that she was “manipulated” by convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whom she accused of extorting others. A commoner who married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, Mette-Marit’s name appears multiple times in Epstein documents released by the US Department of Justice earlier this year. The files revealed an unexpectedly close friendship between the pair and raised questions in Norway about whether Mette-Marit can become...

China’s exports of rare earth permanent magnets to the United States continue to fall, at a time when Washington and its allies are stepping up efforts to reduce reliance on the country’s critical mineral supply chains. Shipments of permanent magnets to the US totalled 994 tonnes in January and February, down nearly 22.5 per cent year on year, according to data released on Friday by China’s General Administration of Customs. This marked the seventh consecutive month of decline. Over the two...

The ⁠White House released an artificial intelligence policy on Friday that aims to pre-empt state rules, ensure protections for children and shield communities from prohibitive energy costs. The Trump administration has been pushing for a single legislative framework that can be applied uniformly across the country, rather than leaving states to form their own plans. US President Donald Trump ⁠in December said he would withhold federal broadband funding from states ‌whose laws to regulate...

China’s imports of discounted Russian crude oil surged in January and February, though analysts suggest volumes could moderate in the coming months as the war in Iran increases global competition for Russian oil. In the first two months of the year, Russia’s shipments of crude to China rose 40.9 per cent year on year to 21.8 million tonnes, according to Chinese customs data released on Friday. But the total import value rose just 5.8 per cent in US dollar terms. “China has been an opportunistic...

If you think the Israeli-American war of aggression against Iran is bad, it could get a lot worse. For the first time, a senior American official has openly acknowledged that Israel possesses nuclear warheads and could deploy them in the war. “Israel is getting hit harder than they’ve ever been hit before in their history,” said David Sacks, the White House’s artificial intelligence and crypto tsar, on the All-In Podcast. “If this war continues for weeks or months, then Israel could just be...

Global concerns are rising over the fate of ships and crews trapped in the Strait of Hormuz amid the intensifying Middle East conflict, as reports spread that Iran is rolling out screening processes and steep transit fees for vessels using the waterway. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) called for the establishment of a “safe maritime framework” to ensure the swift evacuation of merchant ships confined within the Persian Gulf, after holding a special session on the Middle East...

Firefighters battled a blaze at a giant oil refinery in Kuwait on Friday after a fresh drone attack as Iran kept up a wave of strikes on its neighbours and vowed there was “no concern” about its missile production. Despite calls for an end to targeting Gulf energy infrastructure by European leaders on Thursday, Kuwait reported a fire at its Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, a day after a direct hit on Qatar’s vital Ras Laffan facility. Iranian authorities had vowed to retaliate after an Israeli strike on...

If there is a thread that provides coherence to Donald Trump’s mad emperorship, it is the frenetic invention of new, evermore dramatic diversions: no week can be allowed to pass without new melodrama that erases the chaotic melodramas of weeks past. Nor can a week be allowed to pass without the seeds being sown for next week’s melodramas. This week it is Iran, and the computer-gaming unreality of a scorched-earth US-Israeli bombardment that has generated convulsions across economies in the...

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran, including 10 Reaper strike drones hit by enemy fire and a half-dozen other planes badly damaged in attacks or accidents. The most serious losses were because of accidents: three US F-15s downed by friendly fire in Kuwait, and a KC-135 tanker destroyed during a refuelling operation. All six crew members on the tanker were killed in the accident. Five other KC-135s were reportedly damaged by an Iranian missile...

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and a veteran of the Revolutionary Guards, has emerged as the highest-profile political figure in the Islamic Republic after the killing of its leaders. A pillar of the Iranian establishment for some three decades and one of the Islamic republic’s most prominent non-clerical figures, Ghalibaf, 64, now appears to be playing a key role spearheading the war effort. Whereas the son and successor of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba...

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. Precision strike: China targets US, Japan stranglehold on photoresist supply China’s push for semiconductor self-sufficiency is shifting from broad aspiration to a precision strike on chokepoint materials, with photoresist – the...

William Klein worked for more than two decades as a US diplomat, including in several senior roles at the United States’ embassy in Beijing from 2016 to 2021. He worked at the American Institute in Taiwan and on the US State Department’s China desk in Washington, and occupied US diplomatic posts in South Asia, the Middle East and the former Soviet Union. He is a consulting partner with FGS Global, a firm based in Berlin, with a focus on US-China and EU-China relationships. SCMP Plus readers get...

Anyone applying to become a minister in Madagascar’s new government will be subjected to lie detector tests to root out those who are corrupt, the country’s military leader said on Thursday. President Michael Randrianirina, who took power in a coup in the Indian Ocean island in October, said Madagascar had acquired a polygraph machine and a specialist to operate it to vet new government ministers. “We will know who is corrupt and who can help us,” Randrianirina said. “We are not looking for...

A punishing heatwave has been gripping the western United States, with parts of the region logging record temperatures - even though it was still winter. A desert community in southwestern Arizona reached 43.3 degrees Celsius (110 Fahrenheit) on Thursday, breaking a record for the highest March temperature recorded in the United States. The temperature was recorded just outside Martinez Lake, Arizona, in the Yuma Desert. The previous record of 42.2 degrees had been set in Rio Grande City, Texas,...

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko freed 250 prisoners on Thursday - the biggest batch to be released so far - in return for a further easing of US sanctions, the US embassy in neighbouring Lithuania said. The releases were part of a bargaining process in which Lukashenko was seeking a normalisation of ties with Washington after years of isolation and sanctions, in exchange for easing repression in the former Soviet state he has led since 1994. Belarusian ‌human rights group Viasna said...

European Union leaders failed to convince Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Thursday to lift his blockade on a €90 billion (US$103 billion) EU loan to help Ukraine keep up its fight against Russia’s invasion. After a summit in Brussels, several leaders voiced deep frustration with Orban, who has cited a dispute over a war-damaged pipeline to justify blocking the implementation of the loan agreed back in December. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Orban - who maintains cordial ties...

By the time this column appears, the world will feel very different from when my previous column appeared earlier this month. In just days, a conflict that some in Washington seemed to believe would quickly topple Iran’s leadership has instead become a potentially long and uncertain war, with little clarity on how or when it will end. The front lines will have shifted, more oil tankers will have been stuck at sea and more flights cancelled, and there will almost certainly have been further...

A federal arts panel comprised of members appointed by Donald Trump on Thursday unanimously approved a commemorative gold coin featuring his image, part of a series of coins the US Mint is planning to produce to celebrate America’s 250th birthday this year. The 24-carat gold coin was the latest effort by Trump and his allies to put the president’s name on buildings, government programmes ‌and US currency since his second White House term began in January 2025. During a presentation by a US Mint...

Allies of exiled Iranian royal Reza Pahlavi are signalling a potential reset in Tehran’s ties with China and Russia, even as the 65-year-old increasingly positions himself as a central figure in Iran’s political future – a claim that contrasts with Washington’s more cautious stance. Speaking at a media briefing in Washington on Thursday, Pahlavi’s chief of staff, Cameron Khansarinia, dismissed Beijing’s mediation efforts in the ongoing conflict, arguing that the current Iranian leadership was...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel and the United States were “winning” the war against Iran, with the Islamic Republic “decimated” and unable to enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles. In an English-language press conference, Netanyahu insisted Israel had “acted alone” in striking Iran’s massive South Pars gas field, while confirming that US President Donald Trump had asked Israeli forces to “hold off” on such attacks moving forward. The Israeli premier also...

The Chinese founder of the massive router maker facing national security probes by the Trump administration has applied for an expedited visa under the Trump Gold Card programme, according to people familiar with the matter. California-based TP-Link Systems told the federal agencies scrutinising its operations that founder and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Chao had applied for permanent residency under the programme, the people said. Successful Gold Card applicants must give a US$1 million...

A US F-35 fighter aircraft was hit by suspected Iranian fire and had to make an emergency landing on Thursday. This would be the first time Iran has hit one of the US$100 million planes since the US and Israel launched their attack on the country on February 28, according to CNN, which first reported the incident. The F-35 was “flying a combat mission over Iran”, a spokesman for US Central Command said. “The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” Captain Tim Hawkins said....

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday there was no “time frame” for ending the US-Israeli war against Iran, which was launched three weeks ago. “We wouldn’t want to set a definitive time frame,” Hegseth told a news conference, adding that “we’re very much on track” and that President Donald Trump would be the one to decide when to stop. “It will be at the president’s choosing, ultimately, where we say, ‘Hey, we’ve achieved what we need to.’” American objectives in the war had not...

A pro-Kremlin figure who unexpectedly denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine in a social media post this week that went viral has been placed in a psychiatric facility, Russian media reported on Thursday. Ilya Remeslo made a career denouncing Putin’s critics until he became one himself, posting a manifesto late on Tuesday to his 90,000 followers on ⁠Telegram entitled: “Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin.” He said Putin had prosecuted a “failing war”...

Two men appeared in a London court on Thursday accused of being tasked by Iran to carry out hostile surveillance on the Israeli embassy, Britain’s oldest synagogue and other Jewish targets. Nematollah Shahsavani, 40, a dual Iranian-British national, and Alireza Farasati, an Iranian national, 22, are accused of being involved in gathering information and undertaking reconnaissance of targets given to them by Iranian spy services over five weeks last summer. As such, the alleged activities...

Europe woke on Thursday to another energy shock, as military attacks on critical infrastructure in Qatar and Iran sent oil and gas prices across the continent soaring to levels unseen since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The continent’s benchmark natural gas price, the Dutch TTF, climbed above €70 (US$80) per megawatt hour in Thursday morning trading – its highest level since December 2022, though still well below the more than €300 peak reached in the summer of 2022. Brent crude surged...

The US military strike against Iran is, by most accounts, a war of choice. Most policy analysts believe Iran poses no imminent threat to the United States. President Donald Trump’s decision appears partly intended to offset the political fallout from setbacks in his tariff policies and reinforce his image as a strongman president. Trump is believed to have been encouraged by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to wage war. US military preparations for the operation appear limited and there...

Grammy-nominated rapper Afroman won a defamation lawsuit filed by seven Ohio sheriff’s deputies who sued him over music videos in which he used home security footage to mock their raid of his home. “We did it, America! Yeah, we did it! Freedom of speech! Right on! Right on!” the 51-year-old rapper, born Joseph Foreman, shouted outside the courthouse after the Wednesday evening verdict. He later posted the clip to social media. The case tested the limits of parody and the license artists can take...

With the US-Israel war on Iran entering its third week, the world faces the risk of a more severe oil shock as military strikes expand to major energy infrastructure, heightening fears of a prolonged conflict. In this explainer, the South China Morning Post examines the latest developments and factors driving oil price volatility and assesses the potential impact on the global economy. Energy infrastructure: what is the latest? An Israeli air strike hit energy facilities on Wednesday at Iran’s...

European Union experts have arrived in Ukraine to assess the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline, state energy firm Naftogaz said, after its closure in January caused a row with Hungary that is blocking an EU loan to Kyiv. The EU last week proposed sending a mission to inspect the pipeline. Ukraine later said it had accepted the EU offer of technical support and funding to restore oil flows through the damaged pipeline. Hungary and Slovakia have been cut off from Russian oil deliveries via...

Oil prices surged about 10 per cent and Chinese stocks fell on Thursday as widening conflict in the Middle East created new concerns about global energy supplies. Brent crude, the global benchmark, touched US$117 a barrel, having risen 60 per cent since the US and Israel first attacked Iran on February 28. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index and the mainland CSI 300 both fell about 2 per cent. Prices of crude oil and gas jumped after Israel bombed Iran’s huge South Pars gas field and Iran responded by...

As the war in Iran rages and the consequences of the shock to commodity markets become clearer, the vulnerability of Asia’s economies tops the list of concerns in the research reports of investment banks. The region’s reliance on energy imports from the Gulf has come under scrutiny. The facts speak for themselves. Three-quarters of the oil supplies that passed through the Strait of Hormuz before Iran effectively closed the waterway were destined for China, India, Japan and South Korea. While...

Peace talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine on ending the Ukraine war, the deadliest European conflict since World War II, were on a “situational pause”, the Kremlin said on Thursday. Moscow’s statement followed a report by Russia’s Izvestia newspaper that the Iran war had temporarily ‌halted negotiations between ⁠Moscow, ⁠Washington and Kyiv. Kremlin ‌spokesman Dmitry Peskov said ‌Russia hoped ‌the ‌pause would end and ⁠another round of ⁠negotiations can be held. US President...

The first two months of 2026 saw a record number of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, despite fewer crossing attempts towards Europe, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). At least 655 people died or went missing in January and February - more than double the 287 recorded for the same period last year. NGOs and researchers said the reasons were multiple: storms, complications for rescue operations and border closures. Frontex, the EU’s border control...

The United Nations has warned the conflict in the Middle East is sending shock waves from the fertiliser industry to food prices, as countries across the northern hemisphere – including China – enter their spring planting seasons. If the conflict lasts longer than three months, the impact would become “significantly more serious”, affecting input costs in agriculture and disrupting the next planting season with longer-term consequences, chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of...

Actor Val Kilmer will posthumously ⁠appear in what ⁠First Line Films calls a ⁠first-ever performance enabled by generative artificial intelligence in the upcoming film As Deep as the Grave, the production company announced on Wednesday. Kilmer, best known for roles in Top Gun, The Doors and Batman Forever, had originally been cast ‌as Father Fintan - a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist - but was unable to work on set due to complications stemming from throat cancer. He was 65 when...

The FBI is investigating whether Joe Kent, who resigned his position as a top counterterrorism official this week in protest of the Iran war, improperly shared classified information, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday. The investigation precedes Kent’s resignation Tuesday from his role as director of the US government’s National Counterterrorism Centre, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing FBI inquiry. But it comes as the Justice Department...

Britain will ⁠roll out meningitis vaccines to students at a university in southeast England after an “unprecedented” outbreak of the disease killed two people while the number of new cases jumped to 20. The UK Health Security Agency said all those affected were young people. A 21-year-old student at the University of Kent and a teenage student at a school in ‌the town of Faversham have died. Six of the nine confirmed cases are group B (MenB), the agency added. It was also aware of a baby with a...

Heavy social media use contributes to a stark decline in well-being among young people, with the effects particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and western Europe according to the World Happiness Report 2026 published on Thursday. The annual report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, also found that Finland was the happiest land in the world for the ninth year in a row, with other Nordic countries such as Iceland, Denmark, Sweden...

The Danes brought blood supplies, explosives and live ammunition to Greenland as part of contingency plans in case President Trump acted on his threats to seize the island.

Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent and a longtime Trump ally, was in a custody battle over his son. An ICE official agreed to help.

He channeled his martial arts skills into heroic roles in films like “The Delta Force” and “Missing in Action” and in the long-running TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger.”

The reckoning for the labor leader’s sex abuse was swift in Fresno, Calif., the heart of the Central Valley region where the farmworker movement was born. Towns across the nation face similar debates.

An investigation by The New York Times found extensive evidence that the United Farm Workers co-founder groomed and sexually abused girls who worked in the movement.

In 2000, Banksy was a largely unknown street artist hanging around downtown Manhattan when the police nabbed him for trying to deface a billboard.

The future once seemed boundless for those who grew up during China’s reform era. Now in middle age, they are pinned between economic stagnation and institutional age discrimination.

René Redzepi faced swift fallout in the United States following reports of violence. But in Denmark, where he is a major cultural figure, the reaction has been more muted.

Mary Fong Lau, 80, will perform 200 hours of community service as part of her sentence. Her speeding vehicle crashed into a family as they waited for a bus ride to the zoo in 2024.

A dam on the northern part of the island was close to failing, emergency officials said.

The state is warming up and drying out earlier than usual. Here’s what that means for fire season.

He played the part of Xander Harris, one of Buffy’s closest friends, on the hit television show about a teenage girl who protects the world from monsters.

Ms. Paul’s built-in fan base and viral interpersonal drama presented an opportunity for the long-running reality TV show, until video of a past assault derailed the season.

When ABC abruptly pulled a planned season of “The Bachelorette,” some whose livelihoods are wrapped up in the series were thrown for a loop.

Hamas has survived waves of killings of its leaders. More than force will be necessary to overturn the Islamic regime of Iran.

On a new generation of leaders on the left.

Survivors jumped from windows to escape the blaze, the deadliest at a factory in South Korea in two years. Four people are still missing.

Animal control officers responded to a pet-adoption facility in Lake Hughes, Calif., after receiving complaints about neglect and overcrowding. No charges have been filed.

His method of locating genes in human DNA allowed researchers to find disease-causing genes, and later to map the entire, sprawling human genome.

Remembering the African leader after a Brussels court this week ordered a retired Belgian diplomat stand trial for his 1961 assassination.