Minimalist News

France Is Latest EU Country To Ban & Sanction Israel's Finance Minister A growing list of Western countries have imposed individual sanctions and travel bans on two Israeli hardline ministers who advocate for Jewish supremacy over the Middle East, evidenced in their expansionist policies from the West Bank to Gaza to Syria. The two in question are Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. France is the latest country to ban Smotrich, after the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway already did the same . via EPA Spain, Slovenia and most recently

CJ Hopkins: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The New Normal Reich Authored by CJ Hopkins via ConsentFactory.org, So the German Supreme Court has ruled on my case. Their ruling is that they will not rule on my case. They sent my attorney a letter to that effect. It literally says: “The constitutional complaint will not be accepted for a ruling. No explanation is provided. This ruling is incontestable.” So I am now officially a “hate criminal” in Germany. I was already pretty much a “hate criminal” in Germany, but now it’s official. This is Germany’s supreme court.

New Pakistani Strikes On Afghanistan Kill 13 Civilians, Taliban Says Several months ago, close in time to when the US-Iran war started, a separate conflict had erupted further east, along the Af-Pak border and even reaching as deep into Afghanistan as far as Kabul (where Pakistani airstrikes rained down). Hostilities have abruptly flared up again along the Afghan-Pakistan border overnight as cross-border airstrikes launched by the Pakistani military killed 13 civilians , according to Afghan Taliban officials. Getty Images The aerial attacks impacted the Afghan border provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika, stated Zabihullah Mujahid, according to Afghan officials. There

'Full Force Of The Law': British PM Threatens Belfast Anti-Immigration Rioters While Lowe Says 'Millions Must Go' Via Remix News, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has threatened Belfast’s nighttime rioters with the “full force of the law” after they conducted arson attacks on cars and homes on Tuesday night after a brutal video went viral featuring a Sudanese man trying to behead a disabled Scottish victim. “The scenes in Belfast last night were shocking and completely unacceptable. There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or

Why China's Population Decline Is Irreversible Authored by Antonio Graceffo via The Epoch Times, China’s demographic collapse is so advanced that even an immediate return to replacement-level fertility cannot prevent a massive population decline because there are simply too few women of childbearing age. The ageing crisis facing China is well documented and widely reported . The crisis stems from a combination of longer life expectancies and a reduction in births below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. The result is a smaller workforce, a smaller pool of taxpayers, a smaller group of consumers driving the economy, and

Black Activism In America Has Become Cultural Poison Much like the feminist movement (or any leftist movement), black rights activism in America has mutated from its original form into something bizarre and monstrous . Civil rights conflicts tend to be born from legitimate grievances if a society's intention is to create general "equality" under the law. But this is only the surface view, the lipstick, the young and naive version of what these movements are all about. They appeal to the western sense of honor, reason and fairness. However, there is such a thing as suicidal empathy . The western

US Investigating Iran War Critic Trita Parsi, Co-Founder Of Non-Interventionist Think Tank Via Middle East Eye The Trump administration has launched an investigation into prominent Iran war critic Trita Parsi , according to a report in the Free Press. According to US officials and documents reviewed by the pro-Trump outlet, officials are looking into the possibility of deporting Parsi, who holds both Iranian and Swedish citizenship . via the Quincy Institute Parsi, who is co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and co-founded the National Iranian-American Council (NIAC), has been a vocal opponent of the

JPM Call With Axon Reveals Race To Fortify U.S. Data Centers Against Kamikaze Drone Swarms Axon Enterprise is moving beyond its legacy police body-camera and TASER products and rapidly expanding into drones, robotics, and counter-drone systems, positioning itself as a top supplier in the public safety sector, according to JPMorgan analysts. In a note on Wednesday, JPM analysts led by Joseph Cardoso said recent FAA rule changes regarding beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone operations have removed a key barrier to scaling drones for first-responder programs, while expanding demand for counter-drone threat technology across law enforcement, critical infrastructure, and large public venues. Cardoso and

Florida Supreme Court Allows New GOP Congressional Map To Remain In Place Via American Greatness, The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to block a new congressional map approved by Republican lawmakers earlier this year. The map allows the districts to remain in place as the state prepares for upcoming elections. The decision marks a victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican leaders who advanced the mid-decade redistricting effort following a US Supreme Court ruling involving Louisiana’s congressional map. DeSantis signed the revised map into law in May after the nation’s highest court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional plan, which included

Fed Up With Food Delivery App Fees & Tips? Barclays Has Terrific News Whether consumers are ordering from Uber Eats or DoorDash, delivery costs before tips now average roughly $8 to $10 per order. Add in the tip, and the basic meal for one at Chipotle, such as a burrito bowl, moves into unaffordable territory for many working-class folks. The result is that food delivery, once pitched as a mass-market convenience, is increasingly looking like a discretionary luxury. Barclays internet equity analyst Ross Sandler penned a note on Wednesday titled "Autonomous Food Delivery Likely Hits Critical Mass By 2030," covering

Middle Schoolers' Reading & Math Scores Remain Below Pre-Pandemic Levels, US Results Show Authored by Aaron Gifford via The Epoch Times, Although math and reading scores for 9-year-old students across the country have improved slightly over the past three years, their 13-year-old peers have seen no gains in the same subject areas, according to U.S. Department of Education data released on June 10. Still, scores for both age groups remain below the levels before the COVID-19 pandemic in both subject areas. That’s according to the latest release of the Nation’s Report Card, which provides new data for the two age

"It Was Like Two Bucks": Homeless Residents Say They Were Paid To Vote In Los Angeles Mayoral Race Shocking videos posted on social media show multiple homeless Skid Row residents claiming they accepted cash payments ranging from $2 to $5 in exchange for voting for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and city councilwoman Nithya Raman in last week's mayoral election. Spencer Pratt was eliminated from the mayoral race on Monday, after Raman secured the number two spot in what many believe was a mathematically improbable surge in votes from post-Election Day mail-in ballots. Skid Row is home to almost 4,000

Australian Financial Watchdogs Back New Powers To Curb Money-Laundering Via Crypto Authored by Rex Widerstrom via The Epoch Times , Australian crime-fighting and financial agencies are moving to prevent the use of cryptocurrency for money laundering, scams, and money-mule activities. Illustration of Bitcoin and Ethereum coins held together in front of diverses EURO banknotes in Paris, France, on June 5, 2026. Joao Luiz Bulcao/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images The Australian Banking Association (ABA), Transparency International, and the regulator, AUSTRAC (Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre), are backing a proposal to amend the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act. The change

Cops Bust India-Based Gold Scam Before Widow Loses $700K A widow who was told her Social Security funds were being used to support terrorism nearly lost $700,000 in a gold scam, according to WOOD ABC 8 . The fraudsters convinced her to buy gold, but a suspicious coin dealer alerted authorities before the transaction could be completed. Ben Soldaat, owner of Grand Rapids Coins, noticed several red flags. The woman seemed confused, unusually urgent, and showed little interest in the gold itself. Concerned she was being manipulated, he contacted the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators learned the woman had been

Raising Girls Who Won't Be Bullied Off The Starting Line Authored by Patti Garibay via RealClearPolitics , The parents of California high school track athlete Reese Hogan did something no parent should have to do. They went to the press to ask why Gov. Gavin Newsom is fine letting a biological boy compete against their daughter for a girls' title . Reese put in the hard work required for a girl to take home the title. Reese is the one who deserves the trophy. But in 2026, asking for a fair race makes you the troublemaker. A few hundred miles

Trump Nominates US Attorney Jay Clayton As Director Of National Intelligence Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, President Donald Trump on Thursday said he is nominating Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be his director of national intelligence. The move comes weeks after former intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard said she is stepping down from the role. Trump, in announcing the decision on Truth Social, wrote that “few people anywhere” in the legal community have as much respect as Clayton, the former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), whom the

One Forgotten Housing Supply-Side Lever Could Unfreeze Affordability Rental affordability remains far superior to mortgage affordability, with the U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rate trending around 6.5% in early June. With home prices still at record highs, last week's housing report showing sellers pulling listings at a near-record pace as buyers balk at prices is yet another warning sign that the frozen housing market remains well intact. The Trump administration's affordable housing strategy focuses on market deregulation, expanded homeownership, stricter citizenship requirements for federal housing assistance, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac purchasing $200 billion of their own mortgage-backed securities to

Polls Turn Against Netanyahu As Trump Says PM 'May Quit Politics' Via The Cradle A poll published by an Israeli research center on Tuesday has revealed that most Israelis do not want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to run in the upcoming election . The poll was released by the Viterbi Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute, based in occupied Jerusalem. It was conducted between May 31 and June 5. According to the results, 61 percent of Israelis believe Netanyahu should not run in the elections . Thirty-five percent were in favor of the premier

Crisis Comes Closer: Social Security's Projected Insolvency Moved A Year Earlier Continuing a trend of increasingly dismal projections, Social Security's trustees have revised their prediction of when the massive benefit program's trust fund will run out of money, moving it to the fourth quarter of 2032 , sooner than last year's projection that the money will run out in 2033. They attributed most of the the change to declining fertility rates and immigration, along with tax reductions included in Trump's 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). When the trust fund runs out, money will still be coming into the

Karen Bass' Brother Joins Class-Action Lawsuit Against Karen Bass over LA Wildfires Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA , The brother of embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has sued the very city government his sister leads , alleging officials failed to protect homeowners and business owners during the destructive Palisades Fire. Kenneth Bass and his wife Cindy joined a class-action lawsuit in May against the City of Los Angeles, alleging the city failed to fill the Santa Ynez Reservoir when the wildfire broke out on January 7, 2025, according to multiple reports. The lawsuit, filed on May 18,

With matches in 16 cities across the US, Mexico and Canada, players and fans face an array of weather-related challenges With the 2026 World Cup now under way, all 48 teams face a common opposition: summer weather across North America. Matches will be played in 16 cities, from southern Mexico to Canada, with a range of weather risks possible at each venue. Thunderstorms disrupted play before the tournament had even begun. England’s warm-up against Costa Rica in Orlando was delayed by about an hour after storms brought lightning and heavy rain that waterlogged the pitch. Safety regulations at US venues

Suit filed in US alleges chatbot told Alice Carrier, 24, ‘maybe this is just the end’ as she struggled with suicidal thoughts A Canadian mother sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, in US court on Thursday, alleging that ChatGPT encouraged her daughter to kill herself. The lawsuit is the latest in a slew accusing the company of failing to address dangerous conversations between users and the company’s chatbot. Kristie Carrier said in a lawsuit filed in San Francisco state court that her daughter, Alice, told ChatGPT about her suicidal ideations more than a dozen times leading up to her

Suspect, 19, still at large after officer dies in hospital having been shot while searching an apartment A Toronto police officer has been shot dead as police raided an apartment allegedly linked to the March attack on the US consulate, the city’s police chief, Myron Demkiw, said. Demkiw said 43-year-old constable Marc Pinizzotto was shot while conducting an early-morning search warrant in the north-west of the city and later died at a hospital. Continue reading...

With some matches being held in nearby Miami, a Cuban response to US military action could mar the tournament As Cuba crumbles under a nearly five-month-long US oil blockade, many on the island hope that the World Cup might save the island from US attack – or at least offer a respite until the competition ends on 19 July. “The beginning of the World Cup will make it more difficult for the United States to carry out a military action in Cuba,” said Carlos Alzugaray, Cuba’s former ambassador to the EU. “Cuba is very close to the US, and can

Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira faces fraud charges after allegedly persuading family to take her into their home A 38-year-old woman has been arrested in Brazil accused of pretending to be a 12-year-old girl to deceive a couple who took her into their home for more than a year. Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira was charged in the southern state of Santa Catarina with fraud and false identity offences. Continue reading...

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

Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol’s health had worsened since she was hospitalised in December 2022 with heart problems that left her gravely ill The eldest child of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has died aged 47, the palace has said, after nearly four years in a coma. Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, known in Thailand as Princess Bha, had been in hospital since December 2022 when she became gravely ill after having heart problems while out training her dogs. Continue reading...

Twenty people were killed and 120 injured in the attack at the Erawan Shrine, a popular tourist destination A Thai court has handed out death sentences to two Uyghur men from the north-western Chinese region of Xinjiang for a 2015 bombing in the centre of Bangkok that killed 20 people. The explosion occurred at the Erawan Shrine in the centre of Bangkok, an area popular with foreign tourists. As well as the 20 people killed, another 120 were injured. Five of the dead were from mainland China and two from Hong Kong. Continue reading...

Critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan population falls after heavy rain and landslides, fuelled by climate crisis, in North Sumatra Extreme rainfall and landslides fuelled by the climate crisis killed 7% of the remaining population of the world’s rarest great ape, a study has found, prompting fears for the species’ survival. The research suggests 58 out of the remaining 800 critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans ( Pongo tapanuliensis ) were killed after more than 1,000mm (39in) of rain fell over four days in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province in November 2025. This equates to 11% of the local population and 7% of the entire

This blog is now closed Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Teens who use social media two hours daily at higher risk of depressive symptoms, study finds Teenagers who spend hours glued to social media are likely to experience poorer mental health and a decline in wellbeing, a decade-long study shows, with young girls most at risk. Continue reading...

Location scans from the globally popular augmented reality game have helped train AI to recognise and interpret physical spaces Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast An AI model trained on data collected from users of Pokémon Go will potentially help military drones find their location in war zones. Pokémon Go, a 2016 augmented reality mobile game, allowed players to find and catch Pokémon in the real world using the cameras on their mobile phones, and exploded in popularity. In 2018, the company reported having more

Flood of tributes for Victorian athlete, who died while overseas Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Local Australian athletics organisations have paid tribute to 2025 Stawell Gift finalist Jemma Stapleton, 25, who died while on holiday overseas with her family. The cause of death has not yet been disclosed, though an online fundraising page shared by her brother said she “tragically lost her life in an accident”. Continue reading...

Josie Murray fined $10,500 and disqualified from gun ownership for five years after pleading guilty to possessing a gun silencer Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The grandmother of missing four-year-old Gus Lamont has been fined $10,500 after admitting to a firearms offence unrelated to the boy’s disappearance eight months ago. Josie Murray was fined $10,500 after a hearing in Adelaide magistrates court on Friday, where she pleaded guilty to one aggravated charge of possessing a sound moderator – a device better known as a gun silencer. Continue reading...

Event to go ahead at an undisclosed location after Moonee Ponds restaurant cancelled at the eleventh hour Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast One Nation has been forced to move a planned fundraising event to an undisclosed location in Melbourne, after the venue decided not to hold it due to planned protest activity. The event was due to be attended by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce. A spokesperson for the party told Guardian Australia on Friday that it would move the fundraiser

Former street seller celebrates newfound rights after debacle in claiming €500,000 scratchcard prize while undocumented A Nigerian man who won €500,000 in an Italian lottery – but was barred from collecting his windfall because he was undocumented – said the hardship of his more than decade-long immigration journey had been eased after he was finally granted a residency permit. “I’ve been praying for this moment ever since I arrived in Italy,” said Imagbe Ehizomwengie, 36. “It’s a huge relief. You might think it’s incredible, but receiving the permit means more to me than winning the money. I want to work

Figures suggest common travel area being used in both directions, but particularly UK to Ireland Up to 90% of asylum seekers in Ireland may have entered the country via the Northern Ireland land border in the last three years, figures suggest. Irish government data shows the common travel area (CTA) is being exploited in both directions but suggests it may be more popular for those seeking asylum in Ireland than in the UK. Continue reading...

A luxury resort backed by the US president’s family may be built on a wildlife-rich nature reserve in one of Europe’s poorest nations If the real estate dreams of a billionaire political family come true, an island in one of Europe’s poorest countries will become a luxury hotel complex, sweeping up stretches of the wildlife-rich nature reserve that sits across the water. No public consultation has taken place, but there are signs the idea is on the way to becoming reality. Albania has been rocked by nearly two weeks of fierce protests after fences and heavy machinery came to a

John Healey’s complaint is that Starmer sat on this problem for months before making a derisory offer John Healey’s resignation as defence secretary on Thursday was a long time brewing, though in the end the denouement was swift. It leaves an already weak Keir Starmer without a defence strategy less than a month before a Nato summit and an unresolved row about spending as Donald Trump threatens to restart the bombing of Iran. On Monday, No 10 finally told Healey how much more money it was prepared to give the Ministry of Defence to fund major projects as part of

European Central Bank increases main deposit rate to 2.25%, with two further rises expected by next spring Business live – latest updates The European Central Bank has raised interest rates for the first time since 2023 in response to higher inflation caused by the war in Iran. The ECB raised its main deposit rate from 2% to 2.25% in a move that financial markets expect to be the first of three rises by next spring. Continue reading...

US president says ‘great settlement’ reached but Iranian spokesman says there has been no final conclusion Full report: Trump claims US and Iran on verge of signing peace agreement The Israeli military continued to strike southern Lebanon this morning, according to the Lebanese National News Agency, amid reports the US and Iran are nearing a deal to cease hostilities. It is unclear whether the deal would include Lebanon, where the Israeli military has been fighting the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, but American and Iranian media reports seem to suggest it will. Israel is not directly involved in the US-Iran talks and

Green surge in local elections and recent polling of Labour members may cause government to toughen stance on Israel UK politics live – latest updates Middle East crisis – live updates Pro-Palestine activists believe there could be a “sea change” in the Labour party’s approach to the crisis in the Middle East which could result in the government taking a tougher stance on Israel. Campaigners have pointed to the threat posed to Labour by the Green surge in the local elections, the likely departure of Keir Starmer from No 10, and new polling which shows an appetite among Labour members

This blog is now closed – see our latest full report on the Middle East crisis Three Indian seafarers were killed in a US attack on an oil tanker earlier this week, India’s shipping minister, ‌Sarbananda Sonowal, said. “It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello. Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” he wrote in a post on X. The Middle East is being pulled deeper into crisis & the consequences reach far beyond the region.” Continue reading...

Ayoub Junaid, seven, given new pair but needs surgery as Gaza’s children remain unable to access treatment A video of a seven-year-old Palestinian boy in Gaza who suffers from a severe visual impairment crying over his shattered glasses has drawn widespread attention across social and international media. The footage of Ayoub Junaid has shone a light on the plight of the many visually impaired children in Gaza who, because of Israel’s blockade and the devastation caused by the war, have been unable to access eye examinations, corrective lenses or specialist ophthalmic surgery. Continue reading...

Iranian leadership has not confirmed claim, after the US president announced that planned strikes on Iran had been cancelled Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that Washington and Tehran were on the verge of signing a peace agreement, and announced that he was cancelling fresh missile strikes, after two days of escalating attacks on Iran that threatened to collapse the fragile ceasefire. His comments followed a new bout of public diplomacy by social media, but were dismissed by Iran’s foreign ministry, which said a final decision on an agreement had not been reached. Continue reading...

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...

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...

A child reported among those killed when Taliban forces fired on crowds in Herat, who were protesting over arrests of women accused of violating hijab dress code A Taliban crackdown on women’s dress code in Afghanistan has escalated into a rare mass street protest in the western province of Herat, with at least two people, including one boy, killed by security forces. Officials made a wave of arrests in recent days targeting women and young girls accused of “improper hijab”. Residents say many families had received no information about the whereabouts or condition of those detained. Continue reading...

Cockroach Janta party began as online joke but is growing into one of the most unexpected challenges to country’s rightwing government The call out to the youth of India was simple: “Get ready to swarm the streets of Delhi with peaceful and loving dissent.” They came in their thousands. The weekend marked the first public protest of the Cockroach Janta party (CJP), a movement that began as an online joke, but which has swiftly grown into one of the most unexpected challenges to the indomitable power of the country’s rightwing Narendra Modi government – driven by millions of discontented and

John Healey and Al Carns resigned from their ministerial positions on Thursday over the government’s defence investment plan As armed forces minister, Al Carns was not involved in work on the defence investment plan (Dip). In his resignation letter , he said it was flawed not just because of the amount of funding involved; he also claimed it focused too much on the wrong capability. He said (and I’ve highlighted the key phrases in bold): The character of conflict is changing faster than our procurement can keep up with. We are still purchasing capability suitable for the last war while

High street bank to buy UK business from US fintech company Acorns as it targets young people Business live – latest updates Barclays is to buy an app designed to help children understand and manage their money, as it targets young people in affluent families. The high street bank has agreed to buy the UK business of GoHenry, which provides children with personalised debit cards carrying their name, from the US fintech company Acorns, which will retain GoHenry’s US branch. Continue reading...

Bradford-born painter, who made his name with sun-kissed visions of California, has died • Tribute: ‘David Hockney caught the look of the modern world’ • David Hockney’s life in pictures David Hockney, the iconic British painter who cast a revolutionary gaze across 20th-century art, has died aged 88. He made his name as a pop artist during the swinging 60s and was perhaps best known for his paintings of swimming pools that helped define the Los Angeles aesthetic. Works such as A Bigger Splash and Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures) depicted hedonistic scenes of love, lust and

People tell of feeling alienated in own city, disruption to daily life including healthcare, and frustration with politicians Belfast residents have reacted with anger and disgust at the disorder in the city in response to a an online callout by the Guardian. People were asked if they had been affected by the unrest sparked by the stabbing of Stephen Ogilvie in the city earlier in the week. Continue reading...

Former armed forces minister, who quit hours after John Healey, heavily hints he would run for Labour leadership UK politics live – latest updates Al Carns has delivered a withering assessment of the government’s defence plans after quitting as a defence minister, accusing ministers of not spending enough money on the military and spending it on the wrong weapons. Carns quit the government on Thursday night, hours after the resignation of his boss, John Healey , after a protracted row over the defence investment plan (Dip). Continue reading...

Law due to expire at midnight tonight following unhappiness over Trump’s pick for intelligence chief A key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) is due to expire on Friday night amid a backlash to Trump’s announcement that Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and a major Republican donor, would be acting DNI. While Trump has moved to contain the furor – announcing his nomination of another top official, Jay Carney, to take the role on a permanent basis – US Congress has so far failed to extend section 702 of Fisa in time for Friday’s

Congress has failed to reauthorize section 702 of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act amid questions over its future Donald Trump’s bid to install a controversial ally as the country’s leading intelligence official has shone a light on the wide reach of a powerful surveillance law, and raised questions over its future. Privacy advocates say it deserves scrutiny, and reform, regardless of who the US president appoints as director of national intelligence (DNI). Continue reading...

Grande is the latest in a series of pop musicians including Sabrina Carpenter and SZA who have been angered by Trump administration videos Ariana Grande has rebuked Donald Trump’s White House over use of her music in a video documenting the detaining of immigrants. Earlier this week, the White House posted a montage of ICE agents handcuffing and detaining people, with the caption “Bye-bye President Trump has delivered the most secure border in history”. It was soundtracked by Grande’s 2024 song Bye. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. US House blocks extension of powerful surveillance law Jay Clayton: Trump pick has long legal résumé but few intelligence credentials Sign up for the Breaking News US email The US supreme court has published its opinions , but none of the cases we’ve been watching for were part of the decisions today. In comments reported by NBC News, House speaker Mike Johnson has said it is “stunning” to him that “House Democrat leadership has put out a statement saying that they’re willing to allow the number one national security tool to go dark over

Board seeks to stay judge’s ruling that found Trump’s name was illegally added to Washington performing arts venue Donald Trump’s hand-picked board at the Kennedy Center is mounting a last-minute effort to keep his name on the facade of the performing arts facility before a court-ordered deadline to remove it by Friday. The board voted on Thursday to seek a stay of US district judge Christopher Cooper’s 29 May ruling that said Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center, according to a person familiar with the move who requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting. Continue reading...

Republican Congressman Rob Wittman on Thursday called the US killing of three Indian sailors off the coast of Oman “a very, very unfortunate incident”, claiming that the US military is trying to “determine exactly what happened”. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to those Indian families who lost their loved ones there in that situation,” Wittman told the South China Morning Post. “I know that our United States military is looking into that to try to determine exactly what happened there, but...

Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Thursday confirmed it will begin trading on the Nasdaq exchange Friday in the biggest initial public offering in history, a blockbuster market debut that could propel the entrepreneur to trillionaire status. In a filing with the US markets regulator, the company priced more than 555 million shares at US$135 each, placing SpaceX in the top 10 of Wall Street’s biggest companies with a valuation of just under US$1.8 trillion. It will be valued more than Musk’s own Tesla car...

A Toronto police officer was shot and killed Thursday by a suspect in the investigation into a shooting attack that damaged the facade of the US consulate in the Canadian city in March, police said. One 19-year-old suspect was in custody at a hospital in critical condition while officers searched for a second suspect, who was identified as 19-year-old Zara Jabbi and was considered armed and dangerous, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said at a news conference. “I urge you to turn yourself in,”...

A Chinese biotechnology company sued the US government on Thursday over being placed on a list of businesses from China that the ‌US Department of Defence has linked to that country’s military. WuXi AppTec filed its complaint in the Washington federal court, calling its inclusion on the list arbitrary, capricious, unsupported by the facts and “the product of political pressure”. It also accused the US government of inflicting substantial reputational and operational harm by branding it a...

The Trump administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on Cuba’s state-owned oil and gas company, escalating pressure on Havana’s communist government and targeting a sector central to the island’s worsening energy crisis. The move came hours after senior Chinese and Cuban officials held a video conference to discuss bilateral cooperation and party-to-party ties. According to statements released by Chinese and Cuban officials, the talks involved Liu Haixing, head of the International Department...

US President Donald Trump said he is nominating Jay Clayton to be the next director of national intelligence, following backlash over his selection of housing regulator Bill Pulte to serve in the role on an acting basis. Clayton, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, was chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term. “I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible,” Trump said on social media. Clayton, as US attorney for the Southern...

The condition of the Belfast stabbing victim is “improving” and he could be awoken from a coma within the next 48 hours, pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson said on Thursday. Stephen Ogilvie lost his left eye and suffered deep cuts to his head, face and back in a stabbing attack on Monday night which preceded two nights of disorder in Northern Ireland. Twelve police officers were injured, 16 arrests were made and two people were charged following Wednesday night’s...

Nvidia’s top executive for Latin America denied on Wednesday that the region has served as a corridor for restricted chips into China, weeks after Anthropic, the American maker of the Claude AI models, alleged that Chinese labs had relied partly on smuggled processors to drive recent advances. Speaking at Web Summit Rio at a moment of intensifying rivalry between Washington and Beijing over artificial intelligence, Marcio Aguiar acknowledged that the pressure on export controls is real enough to...

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had cancelled planned military strikes against Iran after negotiations with Tehran reached what he described as the highest levels of the Iranian leadership and received approval from all parties involved. “Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings...

A ⁠Minnesota man pleaded guilty ⁠on Thursday to federal charges that he killed ⁠Minnesota’s House speaker and her husband and attempted to murder a state senator and his wife. Vance Luther Boelter, 58, of Green Isle, Minnesota, pleaded guilty to six federal murder, firearms, and stalking charges related to the attacks nearly a year ago ‌on the state lawmakers, changing a not guilty plea he had entered in August. The change of plea came after the Justice Department decided not to seek the death...

The phenomenon El Nino has arrived, the US weather agency said on Thursday, and scientists expect the pattern synonymous with droughts, floods and soaring temperatures will intensify into the end of the year, potentially to historic strength. El Nino is a natural climate occurrence that warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, bringing worldwide changes in winds and rainfall patterns and erratic weather. Scientists fear it will exacerbate the heat of a...

A leather bag made from Tyrannosaurus rex cells failed to sell on Thursday, the Paris auction house Drouot said, commenting that bids were well below expected. Auctioneers Giquello had touted the “one-of-a-kind” piece to sell for more than US$500,000 but bids barely broke the US$150,000 mark, said the Drouot house where the sale took place. Unveiled in the spring in Amsterdam, the bag was created from traces of collagen from the femur of a T. rex found in the US state of Montana 25 years...

As protests in Tirana extend into a second week, they have escalated from opposition to two €5 billion (US$5.7 billion) planned resorts in ecologically sensitive areas linked to Jared Kushner into demands for the entire Albanian political establishment to step aside. Anger erupted on the coast on May 30 when bulldozers moved into one of the sites, spreading to the capital two days later. Every evening at 6pm since then, thousands of people have been gathering in a central square and marching...

Blockbuster initial public offerings from tech champions such as Anthropic and SpaceX are about to fundamentally reshape global capital markets. This wave will redirect capital flows and alter valuations across the tech sector. As competition intensifies, investors worldwide will be forced to completely rethink where future returns will come from. For China, the rise of these companies will intensify an already fierce contest for global capital, putting further strain on foreign investment...

Britain’s defence and armed forces ministers quit on Thursday in a row over military spending, piling pressure on beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer who was facing calls to step down. Defence Secretary John Healey resigned warning that Starmer’s long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP) for funding over the next decade – which the leader has yet to publish – risked making Britain “less safe”. In the evening, Al Carns became the second senior figure in defence to quit, resigning as armed...

The rapid escalation in hostilities between Iran and the US-Israel alliance since Sunday is being driven by Tehran’s growing confidence that it can arise like a mythical phoenix from the ashes of war, strategically stronger than ever in the Middle East. To achieve this objective, Tehran has enacted a tactical shift in its “unity of the theatres” strategy involving its Axis of Resistance allies in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq: Israeli and US attempts to decapitate one head of this hydra-like monster,...

Russia has lifted its ban on the popular gaming platform Roblox after tens of thousands of children and parents sent letters complaining about the measure. The platform, which allows users to build their own games and share them with others, was among Russia’s most popular mobile games, tying third with TikTok in usage time among children in early 2025, according to Kaspersky Lab, a Moscow-based global cybersecurity firm. In a statement published on Wednesday, Russia’s digital ministry said...

Two days of anti-immigration violence in Northern Ireland is nothing short of racist thuggery, Britain’s minister for the province said on Thursday, after police deployed water cannon to tackle rioters for a second night. Hilary Benn said there was less disorder on the streets of Belfast on Wednesday night as opposed to ‌Tuesday, when rioters targeted ethnic minorities and foreign residents by torching homes and vehicles following a knife attack for which a Sudanese man has been charged with...

Zou Jiayi is president and chairwoman of the board of directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a multilateral development lender headquartered in Beijing and inaugurated in 2016. Before leading AIIB, Zou was deputy secretary general of the national committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, China’s top political advisory body. She previously held senior roles at the Ministry of Finance, including as vice-minister, and as part of her three decades of...

Police blasted water cannons at protesters in Northern Ireland who set small fires and hurled bricks, rocks and bottles at them during a second night of violence Wednesday over a brutal stabbing on a Belfast street. Demonstrators wearing masks tore bricks from the walls outside homes and smashed pavements with sledgehammers to toss at riot police. In one place, the unruly crowd used sections of a dismantled picket fence to take cover on the street. The clashes with police came several hours...

Canada’s culture minister on Wednesday introduced legislation that would ban children under 16 from having social media accounts and require AI chatbot services to limit production of harmful content. The proposed Digital Safety Act makes Canada the latest in a wave of countries cracking down on social media platforms over concerns of harm to children. “We have seen the very serious consequences that online harms can have … The safety of children cannot be an afterthought,” said Culture Minister...

Chinese propagandists have been trying to ⁠use OpenAI’s flagship chatbot ⁠to gin up opposition to Donald Trump’s ⁠tariffs and intervene in American debates over data centres and AI, OpenAI said in a report published on Wednesday. The company said its efforts, dating to late 2025 and early 2026, appeared to have had little or no effect, but it is another indication of ‌how central generative AI is becoming in digital influence campaigns – even those aimed against AI companies themselves. The...

US ⁠President Donald Trump ⁠said on Wednesday that the United States ⁠might not renew its free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico and criticised trade deficits with those countries, although he said he was talking with their leaders about the matter. The three countries need to approve ‌a renewal of their existing agreement by July 1 or signal their intention to exit the pact, a process that would take 10 years and would buy time for alterations. “I’m not looking to renew it,” Trump said at...

During a recent discussion in Shenzhen with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, I was reminded that the development of artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer only a technological race. It is a test of whether major economies can build the institutions, standards and economic systems needed to integrate intelligent machines into human society. Britain has every reason to enter this new era with confidence. It has contributed to much of the modern world’s foundations. In 1687, Isaac Newton...

Pope Leo on Wednesday blessed a giant new tower at Barcelona’s famed Sagrada Familia Basilica after celebrating mass inside what is now the world’s tallest church. A choir of 600 singers performed at the service which lasted around 90 minutes and was attended by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as well as King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. The stained-glass windows in various colours shone brightly in between the treelike columns of the temple as Leo delivered his homily in Spanish, Catalan...

⁠The ⁠United States will hit Iran “very hard tonight” and will ‌soon take control of the Middle Eastern country’s oil and gas infrastructure and ⁠markets, President Donald Trump said ‌on Thursday. “At some point in ‌the not too distant ⁠future, ⁠we will be ‌taking Kharg Island, and other oil ‌infrastructure points, ‌and assume total ‌control of their ⁠Oil and Gas Markets, much ⁠like we have with Venezuela,” Trump said ‌on ‌social media. Trump gave no details of how the US would seize Iran’s oil...

Nasa’s administrator Jared Isaacman on Wednesday defended the make-up of the space agency’s latest Artemis crew, an all-male group. The nominations have earned criticism that Nasa may have acted in accordance with US President Donald Trump’s direction to eliminate diversity and inclusion efforts. Isaacman insisted in a lengthy social media post that the “crew selection does not involve any political appointees”. “The Astronaut Office assigns the crew that gives the mission the best chance of...

Bill Gates told members of Congress on Wednesday that he “did not fully understand the extent” of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes when he associated with the late convicted sex offender to raise money for his philanthropic foundation. Gates also testified that he never witnessed any criminal conduct from Epstein. He accused Epstein of blackmailing him over his extramarital affairs. “These affairs had nothing to do with my ‌interactions with Epstein, but they were painful for my family,” Gates said,...

The use of social media in planning violent protests over the Belfast knife attack has drawn condemnation, with Britain’s ruling Labour Party accusing Elon Musk of stoking divisions. The tech billionaire, who continued overnight to promote calls for people to take to the streets in response to the assault, hit back at the claims and blamed immigration policy for the tensions. Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese man, was remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with attempted murder...

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday brushed off concerns about consumer inflation surging to a fresh three-year high in May, on the back of soaring energy prices caused by his war in Iran. “The numbers were great … I love the inflation,” Trump told reporters, a comment pounced on by Democrats who have made rising prices a cornerstone of their campaign to take control of Congress in November’s midterm elections. The consumer price index (CPI) rose 4.2 per cent year-on-year, up from the...

As the 2026 Fifa World Cup prepares to kick off on Thursday, the world’s elite players are vying for more than just glory – they seek a shimmering prize whose bullion value has eclipsed all previous benchmarks. The trophy set to be hoisted in the US state of New Jersey next month is now worth 157 per cent more than it was during the 2022 tournament in Qatar, owing to a historic rally in gold prices. The raw gold value of the statue currently stands at around US$713,000 – a staggering jump from...

A 30-year-old man from Sudan appeared in a Belfast court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder over a stabbing attack that left a victim seriously injured and triggered anti-immigrant violence in several parts of Northern Ireland. Hadi Alodid was ordered held in jail after an appearance by video in Belfast Magistrates’ Court, where a detective said he blinded Stephen Ogilvie in the left eye during the knife attack. He was also charged with possessing a knife and threatening to kill a...

Thousands of Iranians in the southern port town of Sirik have lost access to drinking water after US strikes hit two reservoirs in the area, Iranian state media said on Wednesday. The United States carried out strikes on the southern cities of Jask and Sirik and on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, after what Washington said was Iran’s downing of a US Army Apache helicopter over Gulf waters. The strikes damaged two reservoirs supplying the Bemani and Kouhestak areas of Sirik...

China’s factory gate prices rose by the most since 2022, surpassing expectations, as higher oil costs stemming from the war in Iran help manufacturers escape years of deflation. The producer price index rose by 3.9 per cent from a year earlier in May, more than the 3.5 per cent forecast of economists surveyed by Wind. Consumer prices rose by 1.2 per cent, the same as in April and below the 1.4 per cent forecast. Manufacturers have raised prices for three months in a row after the conflict in the...

Multiple attackers killed 12 people and wounded at least nine in a late-night mass shooting in Johannesburg, police said Wednesday, the latest in such attacks that have shaken the South African city. Police said they believe more than 10 suspects were driven in a minibus to an informal settlement in the Cleveland suburb of Johannesburg late on Tuesday night and once there, opened fire on people. South Africa has seen several high-profile mass shootings recently, including two in December that...

The European Commission has declared its trade and economic relationship with China “unsustainable”, pointing to a daily trade deficit of €1 billion (US$1.16 billion) and Chinese manufacturing overcapacity that puts millions of jobs across various sectors at risk. However, a clear-eyed analysis reveals this premise to be entirely flawed. The narrative spun by Brussels is a desperate attempt to weaponise trade policy to mask structural, self-inflicted failures. To understand the absurdity of the...

The race for California governor in November will be a battle between a Democrat promising to cement the state’s status as a stronghold of liberal policies and a Republican pledging to dramatically reverse course in America’s most populous state. Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator backed by President Donald Trump, has won enough votes to advance to the general election, Associated Press determined on Tuesday. He will face Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney...

Anti-immigration protesters torched buildings and vehicles in Belfast on Tuesday evening and blocked roads, a day after a stabbing allegedly by a Sudanese refugee, captured in a graphic video that shocked the country. Hundreds of protesters, many masked, gathered at several locations across Belfast. A bus and several cars were set alight, while a building fringing the city centre caught fire and its residents had to be evacuated. “By 7.30pm they started [a] fire in the bins … we heard police...

A huge treasure trove of ancient DNA from animals including extinct woolly mammoths has been discovered in frozen squirrel faeces in Canada’s remote Yukon territory, scientists said on Tuesday. The DNA found deep inside sealed-off burrows is between 3,000 and 700,000 years old, offering a rare window into how life has changed over the millennia. As well as DNA from woolly mammoths – which the US company Colossal claims it is trying to “de-extinct” – genetic material was also found from wolves,...

The US expects to complete President Donald Trump’s long-promised southern border wall by late 2027, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott said Tuesday. The barrier along the US-Mexico border is made of reinforced metal beams and is intended to run from San Diego to the Gulf of Mexico, except in selected areas “where we’ve made a conscious decision that we don’t need it”, Scott said at the Centre for Immigration Studies event in Washington. “The primary border wall will...

People always talk knowingly about Weimar, a period of extremes: artistic and social-sexual decadence, democratic liberalism and the radicalisation of the left and the right, before Germany’s descent into Hitlerian hell. The city as a symbol, close to the site of the former Buchenwald concentration camp, is back in the news, well, at least the op-ed pages of the Western press. That’s rarely a good sign. “The new crisis [in Germany] seems uncomfortably familiar because, in some respects, it...

Anthropic is rolling out ⁠a public version of ⁠its Mythos AI model, but ⁠with guard rails barring its use in risky areas such as cybersecurity, after a preview earlier this year sent shock waves globally with its ability to find software flaws. The new Claude Fable 5 is the most powerful model ‌Anthropic has ever made for wider use, the start-up said on Tuesday, touting its performance in software engineering and analytics. Anthropic has so far limited its access to a group of about 200...

The United States launched fresh strikes against Iran on Tuesday, prompting retaliation from Tehran, which targeted a major US naval base in Bahrain and an airbase in Jordan. It came just hours after US President Donald Trump vowed to retaliate for what he described as the hostile downing of an American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter over the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The escalation tested a fragile US-Iran ceasefire that had taken effect on April 8 as both sides negotiate terms to end the...

Nasa named three US astronauts and ⁠an Italian astronaut on Tuesday to serve as the crew for its next Artemis mission, a spacecraft docking demonstration in Earth’s orbit next year that would test moon landers from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin for the first time in space. Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman at a ceremony in Houston named US astronauts Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio and Randy Bresnik and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency as the crew for...

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office called for calm on Tuesday after police said they arrested a Sudanese suspect over a stabbing in residential Belfast in Northern Ireland that drew national attention because of graphic videos of the attack online. Police said the victim was taken to the hospital with serious wounds to his face, neck and back late on Monday. They said the suspect, who is in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remained in police custody. A kitchen...

The previous record was set over six years ago. But SpaceX, whose stock begins trading on Friday, is on track to raise tens of billions of dollars more.

Two Times tech reporters and their editor talk about assessing the sky-high valuation of the rocket and satellite maker, the potential economic impact of its public debut and the role of the world’s richest man in it all.

SpaceX is expected to make Elon Musk even richer when its stock begins trading today.

One day before a deadline to take the president’s name off its facade, the arts institution appealed a federal judge’s ruling that also temporarily blocked it from closing.

At least five have declined to participate, the latest sign that the national 250th birthday celebration has become a fragmented and partisan affair as the president seeks his imprint.

The Trump administration cited misspending among the reasons for blocking funds to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Mayor Karen Bass warned that “people will lose their lives.”

Many of the women who helped lead the fight for Latino civil rights say they were quietly waging their own battles with harassment, misogyny and sexual assault inside the powerful United Farm Workers union.

His colorful figurative paintings were both conservative and iconoclastic, defying the dominant abstract schools of the mid-20th century.

The curator Norman Rosenthal knew the artist for over 60 years and still discovered something new when they collaborated on a final blockbuster show.

Polaroids and photocopiers also gave the artist possibilities for creating in forms vastly different from his paintings.

A runoff in the Dallas suburb of Frisco is testing whether anti-Muslim rhetoric, prominent in G.O.P. primaries this year, can win over a broader set of voters.

Groups tied to OpenAI, Anthropic and other industry players have spent $16 million trying to pick the next member of Congress from Manhattan.

Several closely watched races are taking place in New York City and beyond. Nine days of early voting will precede Primary Day on June 23.

Astronomical ticket prices, soaring security costs and concern over traffic and transit snarls is mixed with pride in host cities and excitement over the U.S. team.

Once the guardian of the bipartisan pro-Israel consensus, it is now a polarizing force in the party.

The inquiry comes after a report that Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the physician for the team, supported the U.F.C. star Conor McGregor in using performance-enhancing drugs while recovering from an injury.

A lawsuit by a group of 17 county law enforcement officers is another front in the Trump-era fight over local police’s role in immigration enforcement.

Competitions that give soldiers a brief break from the front have a festival-like atmosphere, a mix of potentially deadly weapons and frolicking children.

Some Knicks fans have predicted series sweeps. Others, conditioned by decades of failure, pay more heed to jinxes and superstitious rituals.

Decades of bottled-up hopes and frustrations have created a frenzy around the New York Knicks that has brought out the worst in some fans.

The director narrates a scene from his movie that is a continuation, of sorts, of a sequence he filmed for his feature-length debut, “Duel,” in 1971.

In a fast-paced sci-fi fantasy, infused with epic intentions and starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor and Colman Domingo, the filmmaker brings the rest of us home.

The SpaceX I.P.O. will enable its founder to build — and scale — his peculiar vision of society.

The inanity of the leftists who’d censor such a film shouldn’t distract us from the right-wing nightmare it reveals.

Jimmy Fallon called the president “the only 80-year-old yelling, ‘Get on my lawn!’”

Ever since she collapsed in a park three and a half years ago, speculation has swirled in Thailand about who could become the next monarch.