Minimalist News

Russia's Buffer Zone On Ukrainian Border 'Expanding' As Result Of Worsening Drone Attacks: Kremlin Russia has announced that one key measure that will be taken in response to Ukraine's ramped-up drone attacks on Russian territory, including last month's major strikes on the Moscow area, is the significant expansion of the border 'buffer zone' between the waring countries. " A security buffer zone on the Russian-Ukrainian border is conditioned by the aggressive nature of the Kiev regime and the Russian military is engaged in this process systematically reaching the appropriate progress," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday. Source: Kremlin/Reuters In

A Bad Moon Is Rising On Our Nation's 250th Birthday Authored by James Howard Kunstler, Burning Down The House... "I forgot to get napkins. I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me." - Darializa Avila-Chevalier, primary election winner, New York’s 13th Congressional District Who are all these Democratic Socialists of America, anyway? DSA on the March shoulder to shoulder with the Pride Brigade “We are Westerners fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization,” one of their spoxes declared on Instagram in 2024. Hmmmm . . . . I wonder if you can be a little more

Paul Pelosi Faces Charges In Napa County Hit-And-Run Paul Pelosi, the 86-year-old husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), faces misdemeanor charges for a hit-and-run after allegedly striking a parked car in Napa, California on Friday. According to a statement from the Napa County Sheriff’s Office, the collision occurred around 2:30 p.m. on July 3, 2026 , on the 6700 block of Yount Street in Yountville. A witness reported seeing a brown convertible traveling northbound on Yount Street strike a parked car that was legally positioned on the shoulder of the roadway. The parked vehicle sustained significant rear-end damage. Pelosi briefly

Vertically Integrated Nations, Production For Security, And Rate Cuts Submitted by Peter Tchir of Academy Securities Let’s start with the important stuff: Hope you are having a great 4 th of July 250 th Anniversary Weekend. Yields gained back some ground after the relatively weak jobs report (headline plus revisions was negative, the private sector underwhelmed, and unemployment only dropped because the labor force participation rate dropped by a relatively large 0.3%). I will continue to pound the table (or rant and rave as the case may be) that this Fed Will Cut Rates in September . That was our

Food Retailers Troubled By This Chart Consumer staples and food retail equity analyst Scott Marks at Jefferies told clients Saturday that one of the most concerning charts for food retailers is the sharp decline in average benefits per SNAP participant under the Trump administration, as the USDA intensifies efforts to root out fraud, waste, and abuse. SNAP's elevated payment error rates are setting up a new fiscal fight between the Trump administration and states. Marks said food retailers are caught in the crosshairs: SNAP error rates set up state cost-sharing showdown. USDA last week released FY2025 SNAP payment error rates,

Putin Invites Trump To Visit Russia In 'Constructive' July 4th Phone Call A nearly 90-minute phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin on July 4th could signal shifting White House priorities, as it tries to find permanent offramp and settlement in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, but also as the Ukraine war seems to be fast heating up again. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in comments made public Sunday that Trump offered Putin to help find a solution to the war in Ukraine . Shutterstock, Sputnik via EPA "The American president once again confirmed his readiness to work towards

UK Government's Shocking Bid To Rig YouTube Algorithm To Force-Feed BBC Propaganda Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News , In a brazen move that reeks of authoritarian control, the UK government is pushing plans to seize influence over YouTube's recommendation system. Their goal is to prioritise content from the BBC, and other state backed propaganda machines, while burying independent journalists and creators who dare challenge the official narrative. This isn't subtle nudging - it's direct engineered suppression, which they're dressing up as "protecting democracy" from so-called disinformation. As public trust in legacy media plummets, the establishment's response is to

Red Sea Blockage Fears: Cargo Ship Attacked Off Southwest Yemen A Red Sea disruption would be terrible timing for global shipping and energy markets, coming just as vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has started to normalize in recent weeks. An overnight report that a cargo ship was attacked by "armed assailants" in the southern Red Sea off Yemen is a reminder that the region's maritime-risk premium has not totally disappeared; it has simply shifted chokepoints. "UKMTO has received a report of an incident 30NM southwest of Al Hudaydah, Yemen. A cargo vessel has triggered a distress alert stating

Wage Growth As A Leading Inflation Indicator Authored by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, Wage growth peaked four years ago. Since 1985, it has led CPI by three to seventeen months in every single cycle. The May 4.2% inflation print is the noise. Watch the wages. Headline CPI just printed 4.2% year-over-year for May. The highest reading since April 2023. The 10-year Treasury punched above 4.6% on the back of it, then pulled back recently. Energy ran +23.5% over the past twelve months on the Iran war, accounting for roughly 60% of the monthly all-items gain, and the doom crowd keeps

The UK's Latest "Debanking" Scandal Should Give Everyone Pause Authored by Nick Corbishley via NakedCapitalism.com, UK-based readers may recall the moment almost exactly three years ago when the word “debanking” entered the mainstream British English lexicon. The prestigious London-based private bank Coutts had just decided to close Nigel Farage’s bank account due to his unsavoury political views and alleged Russian connections. That decision turned out to be very costly. Almost immediately, Farage did what Farage does best: he whipped up a massive media frenzy. In next to no time two senior banking scalps had been claimed: those of Dame Alison

Germany's AfD Tricks Thousands Of Antifa Revolutionaries Germany's right-wing AfD party re-elected co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla at its annual conference in Erfurt, a central German city. Meanwhile, far-left activists, professional political agitators, and NGOs funded by dark money attempted to restrict access to the event through a coordinated pressure campaign. BREAKING: Around 2500 far-left militant Antifa extremists along with 25 000 far-left protesters have arrived in Erfurt to protest against the AfD’s federal party congress. Journalists from @jungefreiheit and @apollo_news_de have been attacked by Antifa, beaten up and have had… https://t.co/2KAf4R74Zv — Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 4, 2026

Multicultural French Crowds Brawl Over Discount Air Conditioners As Heatwave Looms Via Remix News, France was gripped by chaos on Thursday, July 2, 2026, as an exceptional sale of discounted air conditioners at Lidl descended into long lines, emptied shelves, and physical fights between customers nationwide. The retailer had put 200,000 units up for sale — nowhere near enough to meet demand as yet another heatwave looms next week following a record-breaking heatwave just last week. Videos of the various incidents went viral across social media. In Lyon, a youth was seen ripping an air conditioner from a woman while

What Happened To The 56 Signatories Of The Declaration Of Independence Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times , Today the United States celebrates the 250th - or semiquincentennial - anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Congress voting on the Declaration of Independence. Library of Congress/Public Domain While July 4 marks the day Thomas Jefferson's revised draft of the Declaration of Independence was adopted, it would take months for the document to be signed by all 56 men who would eventually affix their names to it. Several key figures in American history - George Washington, Alexander

Majority Believes They Will Achieve The American Dream 250 years after American independence, a majority of people in the United States continue to believe in their personal American Dream. As Statista's Kathraina Buchholz reports, 69 percent of those interviewed by Gallup in the beginning of the year say that they will achieve it in their lifetime. This is in contrast, though, to 54 percent saying that not everybody can achieve the American Dream in this day and age. You will find more infographics at Statista While in a question about other people, Americans' answers are driven by a more sober

Waste Of The Day: Stolen Education Grants Authored by Jeremy Portnoy via RealClearInvestigations , Topline: A North Dakota woman was convicted last month of five counts of theft for stealing $131,000 in state grants meant for after-school programs. Key facts: Faith Dixon, 47, was one of the top recipients of $2 million that the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction awarded in October 2021 for its Out of School Time program to support children impacted by school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her nonprofit, Faith4Hope, instead sent the funds to her then-husband's food stand, her brother's music and production company

BMW Puts Next-Gen Humanoid Robots To Work On Factory Floors In South Carolina Before humanoid robots enter the modern battlefield alongside ground bots and low-cost suicide drones, these bipedal robots are first being unleashed on factory floors and inside warehouses, where the physical world of AI is beginning to take shape. The latest development in humanoids entering factory floors comes from BMW's Spartanburg factory, where the Figure 03 robots were deployed earlier this week. "Following the successful deployment of Figure 02 on the assembly line in 2025, our latest generation robot - Figure 03 - arrived in Hall 52, one

Trump Pardons 6 Prosecuted For 'Fixing Their Car' Under Biden-Era Emissions Rules Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times , President Donald Trump on Friday announced pardons for six individuals he said were persecuted by the Biden administration for repairing their own vehicles, saying that the cases were emblematic of regulatory overreach. President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks during the Faith & Freedom Coalition's 2026 Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton in Washington on June 26, 2026. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images "It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the

Is Tesla About To Use Facial Recognition Before Activating Full Self-Driving Tesla is reportedly preparing a series of updates, including one that would use a vehicle's cabin camera to verify a driver's identity before activating Full Self-Driving . It sounds a bit dystopian, but this is likely the direction that connected smart-car brands are headed. As vehicles become more autonomous, automakers will increasingly need to verify who is behind the wheel before unlocking FSD functions. The X account Tesla App Updates penned a new report outlining a series of changes possibly headed to the mobile app, including deeper FSD integration,

Houthis Say Forces 'Repelled' Saudi Warplanes From Threatening Iranian Civilian Airliner Via The Cradle Yemen's Houthis announced Friday that they had "repelled" an attempt by Saudi warplanes to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa airport . Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said that Saudi warplanes violating Yemeni airspace were targeted with several air-defense missiles, forcing them to withdraw. via Reuters Saree stressed that the Iranian civilian aircraft was carrying more than 200 Yemeni citizens who had been stranded in Iran , including many who were sick or wounded. “We warn the criminal Saudi

The Greatest Break-Up Letter Ever Written... Via VigilantFox.com, Have you ever heard the Declaration of Independence read out loud? You should. It’s the greatest break-up letter ever written. At just 33 years old, Thomas Jefferson, with cold moral clarity, told the British government to pound sand: Have you ever heard the Declaration of Independence read out loud? You should. It’s the greatest break-up letter ever written. At just 33 years old, Thomas Jefferson, with cold moral clarity, told the British government to pound sand: “Whenever any Form of Government becomes… pic.twitter.com/IzrS5eXb5k — The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) July 4, 2026

Interim president says unrest will not break out despite anger at official response to the 24 June disaster Venezuela’s interim president has defended her country’s emergency response to the twin earthquakes that have killed more than 3,000 people, vowing the country would not descend into social unrest. Many Venezuelans have expressed anger at what they see as the US-backed government’s inadequate response to the 24 June disaster before international teams arrived. Continue reading...

‘Haiti is a failed state’, says Carlos Giménez, congressman and Miami Cuban exile, after controversial court ruling Carlos Giménez, a Republican congressman from Florida, broke with the Trump administration on Sunday, calling on the White House to reconsider its push to eliminate temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitian migrants. Returning some 350,000 Haitians to their chaotic, dangerous homeland following the US supreme court’s ruling that the Trump administration can cut off temporary legal protections, would be a grave error, Giménez said. Continue reading...

Guardian reports after the disaster told of 5,000 deaths, much of the capital being razed, and doubts about Mexico hosting the finals Mexico last hosted the World Cup in 1986 , but the competition was almost cancelled several months before the start when an earthquake struck the capital, Mexico City, leaving at least 5,000 people dead, 30,000 homeless and much of the city flattened, in one of the worst earthquakes to hit the country. To this day, the death toll remains disputed, with some estimates putting it as high as 40,000 . Continue reading...

Port expansion and protections for whales part of BC and Alberta plan to expand country’s presence overseas The governments of Canada and the province of Alberta will move forward on a major new oil pipeline after the pair announced a plan to ease concerns of British Columbia and First Nations on the Pacific coast. Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, shuttled between British Columbia and Alberta on Thursday to announce more than C$150bn in new investments in both provinces, part of a broader project of reducing trade with the United States and expanding his country’s presence in overseas markets. Continue reading...

Thousands of volunteers are joined by overseas teams in the hope of finding more survivors in the rubble, reports Tom Phillips in Caraballeda. Photography and video by Manu Quintero When twin earthquakes tore through Venezuela’s northern coast last week, Israel Rivas was at home hundreds of miles away in the industrial city of San Félix. As the scale of the catastrophe became clear, the 24-year-old knew he had to react. A mechanic and budding photographer, Rivas gathered the money he had been saving to buy a new camera lens and jumped on a bus to make the 12-hour journey to

Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, lands in the US and reunites with family who are ‘overwhelmed with joy’ The founder of one of China’s most prominent underground churches has been released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States. Ezra Jin, the founder of Zion Church, landed in the US on Friday evening. He was one of dozens of church members who were detained in a sweeping crackdown on Christians in October . Continue reading...

Officers found body of 34-year-old man in luxury rental home in Pattaya area, local media says A 21-year-old British woman has been arrested in Thailand after allegedly fatally stabbing her boyfriend, according to local media reports. The Bangkok Post reported that on Thursday morning local time, officers found the body of a 34-year-old man, who operated a cannabis farm, in a luxury rental home in the Pattaya area, a beachside region two hours from Bangkok known for its large expat population and nightlife. Continue reading...

Official statement offers the most detailed official account yet of the highly unusual and fatal incident in Beijing Chinese authorities said the man who flew a small plane into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper last week was a 66-year-old who had mental health problems. The statement published on Thursday offered the most detailed official account yet of the highly unusual incident that occurred in Beijing’s central business district on the evening of 26 June. Continue reading...

Charges yet to be filed over incident in Mukdahan involving 11-year-old, as police seek to establish circumstances An 11-year-old boy has driven his parents’ truck into a Buddhist procession in Thailand, killing at least nine monks. CCTV footage shared by a local rescue group showed the moment the monks, wearing orange robes, were run over as they walked in procession along a road. The timestamp on the footage was shortly before 11am local time on Thursday. Continue reading...

Rebels shoot pilot and set his civilian ⁠plane on fire amid long-running low-level battle for independence in region Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive easternmost region of Papua have shot dead an American pilot and set a civilian ⁠plane on fire, in what a spokesperson for a local militant group described as a “message” to the US and Indonesian governments. Sebby Sambom, ⁠a spokesperson for the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), named the pilot as Nicholas F Gosselin and said separatist fighters had set his ⁠plane on fire after it landed in the Yahukimo region of Highland Papua province. Continue

Meanwhile Queensland premier vows to imprison more youth offenders at party state conference. Follow today’s news live Auction clearance rates remain under 50% Just 49.8% of homes sold at auction last week, according to preliminary data from Cotality. I apologise unequivocally for the comments. Continue reading...

In 2020 Australia’s biggest super fund dumped its Whitehaven shares. Fast forward to 2026 and it is now the coalminer’s single biggest investor Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Almost six years ago, the country’s biggest superannuation fund announced a major policy update: AustralianSuper’s investment portfolio would be subject to a net zero carbon emissions target in line with the Paris agreement. To make the point, the fund dumped its holdings in the large thermal and metallurgical coalminer Whitehaven Coal. Continue reading...

Mining minister Dale Last says the state has an ‘enormous opportunity’ to become a global leader in critical minerals Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Queenslanders are being warned they could be left to pay for the clean up of abandoned mines if rehabilitation laws are weakened, after the state government announced a bid to cut environmental “red tape” for resources companies. The state’s treasurer, David Janetzki, and the mining minister, Dale Last, this week announced a review of a scheme that requires resources companies

With voters embracing leaders who brazenly monetise public office, experts say an ethical code is breaking down Donald Trump came to office in 2017 after decades of bankruptcies and business failures. Yes, he was rich, but his latest financial disclosure, published this week, suggests he will depart billions richer. In the first year of his second term, he made more than $2bn from Trump hotels, Trump golf courses, Trump cryptocurrency, Trump watches, Trump cologne, Trump Bibles and more. Continue reading...

Arcare says it is unable to comment on the federal court case in which it is alleged it illegally charged fees Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Residents at one of Australia’s largest aged care providers have launched a class action lawsuit alleging fees for services such as high teas and exercise classes were illegally charged to clients who cannot use them due to immobility and other issues. The suit, filed in the federal court, alleges residents of more than 50 Arcare aged care facilities

St Petersburg governor reports no victims after ‘large-scale’ overnight attack that also hit Baltic port of Vysotsk Ukraine launched a big overnight drone attack on St Petersburg and the surrounding area, hitting the city’s oil terminal and port infrastructure in the wider region. The St Petersburg governor, Alexander Beglov, said the city had been subjected to a “large-scale” drone attack that had hit its oil terminal. He said there were no casualties and the aftermath of the attack had been dealt with. Continue reading...

Thousands of police deployed to Erfurt in central Germany as party holds conference on key Nazi date Riot police have clashed with opponents of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party on the streets of Erfurt in Germany, where thousands met to block roads and prevent AfD delegates from attending the party’s biennial national conference to elect its leadership. Police reported 20,000 protesters were demonstrating in the eastern city, where Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla are expected to be re-elected as the party’s co-leaders in the run-up to crucial regional elections in which AfD could win power at state-level for

Pope Leo urges Americans to live up to ideals of Declaration of Independence in first key address to US Pope Leo has used his first key address to his home country to praise the US history of ⁠welcoming migrants, urging Americans to live up to the ideals put forward in the ⁠Declaration of Independence. In his latest implicit rebuke to Donald Trump, the first US leader of the Roman Catholic church said the word “America” had become ‌a “byword for freedom” across the world because of the way the country welcomed migrants. Continue reading...

‘Home fee’ qualification ends in 2028, leaving those hoping to study in UK not now eligible for British loans British teenagers living in the EU could be priced out of UK universities in two years’ time as a Brexit rule change means they face the double whammy of paying costlier international fees, while losing access to student finance. British passport holders living in the EU still qualify for “home fee” status at UK universities. But this will no longer be the case when the grace period ends in 2028, meaning the first wave to be affected are starting their A-levels,

Politicians brace for constitutional turmoil if Nigel Farage’s party end up in government – or even as a strong opposition The rise of Nigel Farage has prompted political leaders across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to game the unthinkable: the breakup of the United Kingdom. Unionists who wish to save the union and nationalists who wish to end it are bracing for constitutional turmoil if Reform UK emerges triumphant – with Farage as prime minister or official leader of the opposition – after the next election. Continue reading...

New supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei still absent from public view as his three brothers stand beside father’s coffin Beside the coffin of the assassinated former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei at a packed prayer hall in Tehran on Sunday there were calls for the killing of Donald Trump. Iran is staging a week of mass funeral processions ⁠for Khamenei, who was killed along with other members of his family on the first day of the US and Israeli war on 28 February. The funeral was delayed because of the war. Continue reading...

IRGC warnings force ships to turn back as Tehran uses passages from Qur’an to send messages to Gulf delegations The diplomatic and military contest for control of the strait of Hormuz has intensified alongside the dramatic scenes of mourning for the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, with some claiming Khamenei’s legacy ultimately depends on Tehran’s grip on the waterway, and so the global economy. Over the past 48 hours, as crowds have swirled in Tehran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps appeared to have started to plug a gaping and growing gap in their monopoly control of the strait.

Incidents involving California state senator Scott Wiener and New York congressman Dan Goldman underscore Israel-Palestine conflict’s role in US elections Two recent incidents involving US congressional candidates on opposite coasts have blown up into major controversies, underscoring how the Israel-Palestine conflict has transformed US elections – and illustrating how aggressive protest tactics can spark backlash that overshadows the issues activists meant to highlight. Scott Wiener, a gay Jewish state senator and trans rights advocate who is currently the frontrunner in the race to replace the longtime representative Nancy Pelosi in California ’s 11th district, said he felt forced to leave

Up to 30 million people expected to attend delayed events for Ali Khamenei, killed at start of war with US and Israel Huge crowds have gathered at the funeral of the former Iranian supreme leader after the gates of the sprawling Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran let in thousands of mourners who had been waiting through the night to enter the grounds. Iran is staging mass funeral processions for Ali Khamenei – whose ⁠37-year reign was brought ⁠to an ​end in February by the first airstrike of the war launched by the US and Israel. By 5.30am, the Tehran

Judge says evidence indicates attack on Pouria Zeraati outside home was carried out on behalf of Tehran regime Two Romanians who took part in a “targeted” knife attack on a television journalist in London “on behalf of the Iranian state” have been jailed. Pouria Zeraati, who worked for the Persian-language channel Iran International, which is critical of the Tehran regime, was left bleeding in the street after being stabbed three times outside his home in Wimbledon. Continue reading...

Local officials said preliminary reports showed the centre was unregistered and operating inside a privately owned residential building Fourteen children died after ⁠the roof of a tutoring centre collapsed in Pakistan’s eastern city of ⁠Lahore on Tuesday, ⁠rescue ​officials have said, as authorities opened the way for a possible negligence ⁠investigation. Punjab’s emergency service said rescuers found children and a 30-year-old female teacher ⁠under the rubble of the private after-school facility. The ​children killed were aged ‌five to ‌16 with most below nine. Continue reading...

Government hopes for 30% of city’s fleet to be electric by 2030, in move hailed as ‘gamechanger’ on air pollution The unruly chaos of Delhi’s roads would be unrecognisable without the rickshaws and scooters that zip through India’s capital in their millions, emitting toxic fumes in their wake. But now, ambitious policies aim to give the city’s most recognisable vehicles an environmental makeover. On Monday, Delhi’s government announced plans to eventually ban petrol scooters, motorbikes and autorickshaws in favour of those running on electricity, in an attempt to bring down dangerously high pollution levels in the city by the end

Exclusive: Activist tells of his life as one of India’s most prominent political prisoners and his opposition to the government of Narendra Modi Prison is hardest at sunset. As the thousands of prisoners incarcerated in Delhi’s most infamous jail are cast out of their cells and forced into the dank yard until darkness falls, prisoner number 626714 feels the punishing dread begin to rise. Yet the inmate – better known as Umar Khalid – was recently moved to discover that another political prisoner, exiled at a camp thousands of miles from India, wrote of the very same feeling more than

Pakistan says strikes were aimed at a terrorist group while Taliban condemn ‘cowardly act of aggression’ Pakistani airstrikes in three eastern provinces of Afghanistan killed 36 civilians and wounded 163 others, Afghan officials have said, as attacks between the two countries showed no sign of abating. Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the operations on Sunday night were aimed at a terrorist group his country blamed for a deadly militant attack in Karachi that killed three security personnel over the weekend. Continue reading...

Fears hard-won gains in reducing child mortality over 20 years are at risk after end of USAID funding for nutrition programmes Child malnutrition in Nepal has reached “alarming” levels, according to the largest ever survey of under-fives in the country. The new figures came just over a year after USAID, the former US flagship agency closed by the Trump administration in 2025, stopped funding work on child nutrition in Nepal. Continue reading...

Body of woman, 22, found in field in proximity of Langar airfield, where popular civilian skydiving centre operates A 22-year-old skydiver has died after a parachuting incident near a Nottinghamshire airfield, police have confirmed. Emergency services were called to Langar airfield, a former RAF base, at 12.13pm on Sunday and the woman was found in a nearby field, where she was pronounced dead at the scene, a police spokesperson said. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Foreign secretary warns of combined risks of AI, climate crisis, irregular migration and foreign interference Artificial intelligence poses a “Hiroshima”-style risk to humanity if governments do not agree to curb how it is developed, the foreign secretary has warned. Yvette Cooper urged countries, including the US and China, to agree international rules for AI, telling the Guardian she believes the issue will dominate foreign policy over the next two years. Continue reading...

Agreement in principle with Castlelake follows several rejected offers and means UK’s biggest low-cost carrier will be taken private The airline easyJet has said it intends to accept a £5.5bn takeover offer by the US investment firm Castlelake that would take Britain’s biggest low-cost carrier private. The companies announced an agreement in principle on Sunday evening in a statement, and requested an extension to a deadline to complete the deal formally. The agreement came after weeks of negotiations and several rejected offers. Continue reading...

‘Nothing to see here,’ says the man who once overruled council planners in favour of Richard ‘Dirty’ Desmond How unlucky can one man get? You have to feel for Nigel Farage. Why does it keep happening to him? There he is, just minding his own business, trying to make a decent living – those five houses won’t pay for themselves, which is why other people may have done – and yet there’s always someone trying to drag a good man down. Isn’t the “Man of the People (TM)” entitled to have a few multimillionaires as friends to bankroll his lifestyle?

Company seeks redress for contracts it says it has lost as a result of programme’s claims about its business practices The parcel delivery company Evri is suing the BBC for £1.2m over a documentary it claims caused it serious financial loss. Evri has filed particulars of claim at the high court which state that it lost prospective clients after the broadcast of the Panorama documentary Evri: Where’s my parcel? Continue reading...

Exit leaves primary voters to choose between progressive Abdul El-Sayed and centrist Haley Stevens in must-win seat Mallory McMorrow, a Michigan Democrat, has dropped out of a contentious US Senate primary campaign , setting up a straight fight between the party’s progressive and establishment wings – represented by Abdul El-Sayed , a former public health official, and Haley Stevens, a congresswoman. McMorrow ’s retreat marks the end of a center-left bid to hold the seat being vacated this year by the Democrat Gary Peters. The three-way primary contest was a close one earlier in the campaign, but polls indicated that

More than 20 states reported temperatures above 100F as heat dome sits over eastern US during holiday weekend At least about two dozen people have died amid the perilous climate crisis-driven heatwave that has scorched swaths of the US with record temperatures. As a huge heat dome sits over the county’s eastern half, extreme heat gripped millions of people in the days leading up to the US’s semiquincentennial on Saturday – and beyond it. More than 20 states experienced have reported stifling temperatures more than 100F (38C), marring celebrations. And more than 140 million people remained under active heat alerts

Magazine invites readers to judge Vance’s ‘assessment’ of Trump, whom he called ‘cultural heroin’ during first term The Atlantic on Saturday republished a JD Vance essay that dismissed Donald Trump as “cultural heroin” exactly 10 years earlier, bringing back to the fore his evolving from a critic of the president to his vice-president. In an editor’s note, the magazine said it was republishing the essay on the occasion of its 10th anniversary – and the US’s semiquincentennial – “so that our readers can judge for themselves how well his assessment [of Trump] … has stood the test of time”. Continue

Agency says drones had been caught across all 11 US host cities in restricted airspace since tournament began More than 600 drones flying over restricted World Cup airspace in the US have been seized since the tournament began in June, the FBI said on Saturday – including 99 captured flying in Miami, 77 in Atlanta and 32 in Kansas City. In a statement on X , the law enforcement agency said that drones had been caught across all 11 US host cities by FBI and the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Continue reading...

McCartney reportedly played Beatles No 1 hit at star-studded reception at Madison Square Garden Paul McCartney performed the beloved Beatles No 1 hit I Want to Hold Your Hand for the first time in 60 years at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding. McCartney performed the number at the star-studded reception at Madison Square Garden in New York on Friday, People magazine reported . The track was the Beatles’ first American No 1 hit, sparking Beatlemania in the US and the wave of British bands’ success nicknamed “the British invasion”. Continue reading...

Egypt has inaugurated a new armed forces headquarters, which observers say is the largest in the world, with an elaborate ceremony and a rare appearance from the president and former general Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi in military uniform. The Octagon, as the complex is being called, consists of eight buildings each with an eight-sided floor plan in an area of around 90 sq km (34.7 square miles), the size of the Portuguese capital Lisbon. It has replaced the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Defence...

Charlie Kirk’s widow and parents are expected this week in a Utah court where prosecutors seeking the death penalty will argue that the man charged with killing the conservative activist should stand trial for murder. The five-day preliminary hearing that starts on Monday will be the first time members of Kirk’s family are in the Utah courtroom with defendant Tyler Robinson. The hearing will be live-streamed. Robinson turned himself in after the shooting. Prosecutors allege that he also sent a...

Hard-right British politician Nigel Farage on Sunday faced fresh allegations over non-disclosure of gifts after a newspaper reported a convicted fraudster paid for his security and staff before he became an MP. An MP said he had asked parliament’s standards commissioner to investigate the new claims against the leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, which is currently leading in opinion polls. Farage is already the subject of an investigation by the parliamentary anti-sleaze watchdog...

People in Guam and the Northern Marianas moved to emergency evacuation centres and made last-minute preparations on Sunday, hours before a “super typhoon” was projected to bulldoze through the US Pacific territories. Super Typhoon Bavi was forecast to roar westwards over the area at around 10.00am (0000 GMT) on Monday with winds of 260 kilometres (160 miles) per hour – equivalent to a category 5 hurricane – and gusts of up to 315kph. The National Weather Service (NWS) called the typhoon “very...

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Sunday that the federal government is considering withholding information from ministers in state administrations if they are formed by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). The AfD is regularly criticised for close ties to Moscow. Polls indicate that the AfD could win an absolute majority in a state election in September in Saxony-Anhalt, meaning that it would form a state government for the first time. Under Germany’s federal system, state...

“The Emiratis – by far the most hawkish, by far the most pro-Israel country in the [Gulf Cooperation Council] – they’re having conversations with the Iranians that have never happened before,” US Vice-President J.D. Vance told British media outlet UnHerd following the Iran-US negotiations in Switzerland. The Iranians “are certainly talking differently than they have in the past”, he added in a note of cautious optimism, highlighting how both Washington and its allies in the Persian Gulf are...

Hundreds of firefighters battled forest infernos in France, Spain and Portugal on Sunday as temperatures rose again in heatwave-scarred Europe. The latest wildfires have already devastated more than 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of land – twice the size of Manhattan – across the three countries where temperatures in some places were predicted to touch 40°C on Sunday. Authorities registered thousands of excess deaths during one of Europe’s worst heatwaves in June, and with more extreme weather...

Residents at the epicentre of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) Ebola outbreak are pinning their hopes on experimental treatments after researchers began a highly anticipated study in early July of two possible Ebola treatments in hopes of fighting the still-growing outbreak. At the Ebola treatment centre inside Bunia’s Evangelical Medical Centre, in eastern Congo’s Ituri province, the launch of the research was marked by urgency rather than ceremony on Thursday. As ambulances continued...

The world’s attention is fixed on frontier artificial intelligence (AI) models, but China’s robot-making factories deserve just as much attention. Chinese e-commerce company JD.com has predicted that robots would ultimately replace its 700,000 delivery workers, while workers at South Korean carmaker Hyundai are threatening strike action over issues including the roll-out of robots. These are early signs of what could be China’s next export shock. The first “China shock” was from its low-cost...

Since he started work as Nato secretary general almost two years ago, Mark Rutte has spent much of his time trying to keep the United States anchored to the world’s biggest military alliance, employing outright flattery to dissuade US President Donald Trump from acting on threats to abandon it. But the goalposts keep shifting, raising the stakes ahead of this week’s summit in Turkey. Initially, it was about money. Trump has long railed against Nato allies for spending too small a fraction of...

US Vice-President J.D. Vance said Britain had been “failed by its ⁠leadership for a long ⁠time”, adding that he hoped the country’s ⁠next prime minister could deliver the structural change voters were seeking after years of political turmoil. In an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper, Vance said frequent changes of government pointed to deeper problems in British politics. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced last month he ‌would step down after two years in office, paving the way for...

The future of energy exports through the Strait of Hormuz hangs in the balance after negotiations between Iran and the United States in Doha this week ended without an agreement on releasing frozen funds to the Islamic Republic. With Tehran also failing to begin demining the strait, and still threatening to attack ships attempting to leave the Gulf without its permission, neither side has yet met the two key obligations under their June 17 memorandum of understanding (MOU) to freeze the conflict...

A performer at the funeral for Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for the death of US President Donald Trump before a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people on Sunday in the capital, Tehran. The comment represents the first, direct call for Trump’s death by an emcee at the funeral, which has seen posters and graffiti calling for the killing of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That has been a hardline demand even as Tehran negotiates with the US over a...

US President Donald Trump hailed America on its 250th birthday on Saturday as the “crowning achievement” of human history, even as he used the event to renew his attack on domestic opponents he called communists. In a speech delayed by several hours when storms forced the temporary evacuation of crowds in Washington, Trump claimed that under his presidency the United States was “prouder than ever before.” While Trump had promised a huge political rally to stamp his brand on the national...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump discussed Ukraine and the coming Nato summit in Turkey in a phone call on Saturday. Putin congratulated Trump on the 250th anniversary of US independence in the call that lasted 85 minutes, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said in an audio message to reporters. “The presidents naturally touched on the topic of a Ukrainian settlement, including in light of Trump’s upcoming participation in the Nato summit in Turkey on July...

The groom wore a white tuxedo, the couple wrote their own vows and Stevie Nicks sang, according to guests at Friday’s star-studded wedding of megastars Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in an intimate garden built for the occasion within New York City’s Madison Square Garden arena. Details trickled out on Saturday of the lavish nuptials ‌that had been a closely guarded secret. Their union was confirmed on giant billboards that flashed “JUST&T MARRIED!” The pop music superstar and football player...

There is something odd about the debate on China’s “overcapacity”. Europe says the world needs cheaper and faster clean energy deployment, yet complains when China produces the solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles that make this possible. Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank specialising in economic policy, recently published a working paper, “To what extent can green infrastructure investment mitigate China’s clean-energy overcapacity?” It argues that China’s industrial...

Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes have killed nearly 3,000, official figures showed on Saturday, as international rescue teams began winding down search operations for survivors in the rubble. Fatalities jumped by more than 300 from Friday to 2,954, following the June 24 disaster that left thousands homeless in the streets and shelter camps. Tens of thousands more are still missing. One of Latin America’s worst earthquake disasters hit hardest in the coastal La Guaira area north of the...

Ukraine still controls the strategically important eastern city of Kostiantynivka, President Volodymyr Zelensky and the General Staff said on Saturday, rejecting Russian claims that it has been captured. Russia’s military ignored Zelensky’s assertions, said it was mopping up remaining pockets of resistance and offered to exchange the remains of dead servicemen. Russian military commanders told President ‌Vladimir Putin on Friday that Moscow’s forces had taken control of Kostiantynivka, a target...

President Donald Trump will headline US Independence Day celebrations on Saturday with a speech and a show that seek to place him at the centre of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Trump has made no secret of his joy at presiding over the July 4 festivities, portraying the timing as a side benefit of winning a second term starting in 2025 – even as the Republican falsely claims he also won the previous election against Democrat Joe Biden. Celebrations will be held across the US to mark the...

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday urged the United States to stand by his country, after reaching a US-backed framework deal with Israel aiming to permanently end hostilities after the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. The deal reached in Washington calls for the disarmament of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army there, starting with two “pilot” areas. Hezbollah has rejected the deal, which does not...

Summer came too early to Europe’s most important rice-growing region, and weeds are taking over Sharon Angoli’s parched paddies in Italy’s Pavia province. “That one is done for, no matter what happens,” the 22-year-old said as she surveyed one desolate field that has been baked by what is among the most severe heatwaves to hit the continent in June. Even abundant rains for the rest of the summer would probably not save the crop, she said. Angoli and her father, Carlo, also fear for their other...

Pope Leo on Saturday visited Italy’s Lampedusa island, a major port of call for migrants risking the perilous crossing from Africa, in a stark message to US and EU leaders. The Catholic Church’s first US pope, who has clashed with the administration of President Donald Trump over its treatment of migrants, is marking July 4, the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence, on a migration frontline. Leo’s visit also comes just two weeks after the European Union’s approval of new migrant...

Almost anywhere you look these days, you can find claims from political, academic and other various sources that China’s supposed overproduction and exports of manufactured goods pose unfair advantages. These sources may also claim such unfair advantages justify protectionist countermeasures. But it is difficult to counter one’s own folly. For decades, the US, much of Europe and even Japan, long proud of its manufacturing skills, have prided themselves on becoming “post-industrial” and...

Thousands protested against Germany’s far-right AfD and blocked roads to its annual conference in the eastern city of Erfurt on Saturday, where the party re-elected the two leaders who have overseen its rise as a national force. Protesters from unions, civil society groups and left-wing parties gathered as large numbers of police, including reinforcements from across Germany, were deployed ahead of the AfD’s two-day conference. AfD stands for ‌Alternative for Germany. Watched by police in riot...

The Gaza war was the spark that touched off years of Middle East conflict culminating in the US-Israeli war with Iran, but as Washington and Tehran wrangle over terms for peace, the devastated territory’s fate seems largely out of mind. “Ever since the United States went to war with Iran, the whole world has forgotten Gaza and its tragedy. We no longer have anyone standing by us,” Palestinian Ahmed Jamali, 53, told Agence France-Presse from the displacement camp in Gaza where he lives. “We are...

Vast crowds of Iranians loyal to the Islamic republic massed in Tehran on Saturday to begin almost a week of funeral ceremonies for slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, which authorities hope will send a message of defiance to the West after the war with the United States and Israel. Clad in black and waving blood-red flags seen as a call for vengeance and justice under Shia Islam, mourners thronged the Grand Mosalla religious complex in the Iranian capital. Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989...

How many crises does it take to change the way the world trades? For Asia, the answer appears to be three. First Covid closed the factories that fed the logistics networks, then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine choked off Black Sea grain exports and sent energy prices spiralling. Now, the US-Israel war on Iran may have hammered the final nail in the coffin of “just in time” supply chains that some economists say are no longer fit for purpose. “Taken together, they show that serious disruption is now...

America turns 250 on Saturday – a landmark birthday that coincides with a time of deep national division and a president determined to seize the festive centre stage. The independence anniversary also comes in the middle of a brutal heatwave that has placed some 160 million Americans under major or extreme heat warnings, playing havoc with planned parades and block parties in towns and cities across much of the country. But the searing temperatures have done little to deter President Donald...

A dangerous heatwave upended Fourth of July celebrations across swathes of the central and eastern United States on Friday, forcing officials in the nation’s capital and elsewhere to cancel or postpone dozens of parades, concerts and fireworks displays. Among the events disrupted by the sweltering heat was the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, a centrepiece of President Donald ‌Trump’s efforts to mark the nation’s 250th birthday. The fair, designed to showcase all 50...

Costa Rican scientists may have discovered a new species of ghost shark in Pacific waters near Cabo Blanco and Cano Island. The latest discovery has a “shorter” snout, a “darker coloration pattern” and a “much longer spine on its dorsal fin”, according to Arturo Angulo Sibaja, a biology professor at the University of Costa Rica. The discovery marked the only such species “known for the Central American coast”, Sibaja said, adding genetic analysis indicated the new species had “no reproductive...

An unmistakable pattern has emerged in the US’ strategy to contain China. Washington has sought to deny China access to frontier technologies and key commodities, and to redirect related supply chains to revitalise American industries. In this context, US President Donald Trump’s intense interest in America taking over Denmark’s Greenland becomes clear. Deny the Chinese their favourite seafood, which many can’t live without, and revive the US food industry. You think I am pulling your leg. This...

A massive Russian ⁠glide bomb strike on the centre of the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy killed at least four people, including a child, on Friday and injured 27, Regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov said. Other areas in Sumy region and in southeastern Ukraine, closer to ‌the front lines, also came under Russian attack, killing a total of six people. “At the epicentre of the strike – a high-rise apartment building, a shop and a street,” Hryhorov wrote on Telegram of the strike in Sumy. “There were a...

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got married on Friday night at Madison Square Garden, where actor Adam Sandler was the surprising officiant at a ceremony packed with stars of sports and entertainment. The deep secrecy that surrounded the build-up to the nuptials lifted when a marquee outside the Midtown Manhattan arena proclaimed “JUST&T MARRIED” once the deed was done. The couple did not have bridesmaids or groomsmen, instead having Swift’s younger brother Austin Swift serve as her man of honour...

China is such a giant player in the global economy that understanding how the US-China contest of the century for international primacy will evolve has become crucial. Some Westerners, especially those in the United States, feel so threatened that they have resorted to protectionism, with global fragmentation and perhaps even preparations for a third world war already in the cards. Kishore Mahbubani’s book Has China Won? highlighted deep misunderstandings and structural tensions between China...

The fallout from Venezuela’s powerful twin quakes has evolved into a major test for acting President Delcy Rodriguez, sending her scrambling to prevent the humanitarian disaster from becoming a political one as her mandate as interim leader expires on Friday. A day after Rodriguez angrily defended the competence of her government’s relief effort at her first news conference since the June 24 disaster, her main rival, exiled Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, issued her...

European Nato allies have mostly replaced the assets that the US has cut from its rescue plans in case of a war in Europe, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe John Stringer said in an interview. Stringer made the assurance ahead of the alliance’s summit in Ankara next week, at which allies will try to smooth over recent announcements by the US signalling that it is pivoting away from the continent. “European allies have definitely stepped up in terms of backfilling the adjustment in the US...

Nasa launched a robotic mission on Friday to try to prevent one of its ageing telescopes from burning up in the atmosphere, a complicated operation expected to last several months. The unprecedented US$30 million effort involves sending a robot to rescue the Swift space telescope that is currently falling towards Earth. If successful, the mission could pave the way for giving other satellites a second life. Initially scheduled for Tuesday, the robot’s launch was postponed due to weather and then...

Germany ⁠does not have to shy ⁠away from talking up its record on defence spending, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday, when asked about US President Donald Trump calling Germany’s past efforts “ridiculous”. The issue of defence spending has loomed large as Nato leaders prepare to gather ‌next week in Ankara, where Europeans aim to set aside strife with Trump over Iran and Greenland and show they are stepping up to defend the continent. “Germany is doubling its defence budget within four...

Interpol on Friday named the suspect in the Monaco bombing that reportedly targeted a Ukrainian tycoon with links to Russia. It identified Anastasiia Berezovska, a 39-year-old woman from Ukraine, as the suspect in a Red Notice posted on its website seeking her arrest. Monaco authorities have not identified any of the three people wounded in Monday’s explosion at a residential building entrance but said they are a family and that they appear to have been specifically targeted. Media reports...

Experts agree that humans can only comfortably survive in the thermoneutral zone, a surprisingly narrow Goldilocks range between 17 and 24 degrees Celsius. This gives us a problem as climate change pushes up summer temperatures alarmingly, resulting in record heatwaves around the world. Already, about 12 per cent of the Earth’s land area is uninhabitable due to deadly climate conditions. This is set to rise to over 45 per cent by 2100, with at least 44 per cent of the world’s population likely...

Iranian leaders began paying their respects on Friday before the coffin of the country’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral. Khamenei’s body arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions. A coterie of foreign dignitaries is also due to attend Saturday’s official ceremony, with Tehran’s chief negotiator calling for a massive turnout to...

Germany’s ruling coalition has pledged to take a tougher line on defending trade at the continental level, signalling a potential shift by a country long seen as the European Union’s main brake on stronger action against China. The pledge formed part of a 34-point package to revive Germany’s ailing economy that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition agreed to on Thursday. While the document did not mention China, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said the government was adopting a...

Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday rejected allegations that her government reacted ⁠too slowly to destruction caused by two earthquakes which killed more than 2,000 people, after days of widespread criticism of the official response. Civilians of all stripes - including survivors, family members, volunteer paramedics and foreign rescue teams - have descended on disaster areas, especially the hardest-hit northern state of La Guaira, since the 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude quakes...

Maria believed she was romancing a prince from Dubai, captivated by his flirtatious smile and declarations of affection he showered on her during live video calls. But the suitor was an AI deepfake, making her yet another victim of an online romance scam. The case illustrates how fraudsters posing as the real-life crown prince of Dubai ensnare victims by cultivating online relationships before swindling them out of money, with researchers tracing some of the scams to crime syndicates in...

A scathing report released on the Fourth of July says the National Museum of American History downplays the role of the founders while emphasizing social justice.

The reversal of Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension is highly unusual. It was the first time since 1962 that FIFA has nullified a suspension for a red card received during the World Cup.

Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, has unabashedly courted the president’s favor. Soccer officials privately ask, who really benefits?

Independence Day celebrations were canceled nationwide and the Brooklyn Bridge briefly caught fire. Yet Americans still found countless ways to celebrate.

A centerpiece address for the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration devoted time to American history, but had all the hallmarks of a Trump rally.

The state senator sought to carve a middle path between a left-wing candidate and one backed by the party establishment, but she gained little traction.

Nafiah Ikram was steps from her home when a stranger threw acid in her face. Five years later, she is trying to rebuild her life and cope with a stunning twist in her case.

The internet’s largest stockpile of free knowledge is under threat from MAGA, A.I. and foreign autocrats. A bibliophile ex-ambassador is here to help.

The social platform that Meta once positioned as a rival to Elon Musk’s X now has 500 million monthly users. It increasingly resembles Reddit.

Xi Jinping is preparing to extend his rule as China’s leader and bring fresh blood into the Communist Party elite. Cai Qi is the man he’s tasking to help.

Residents, construction experts and seismologists said for years that Venezuela’s public housing would be vulnerable in a natural disaster.

The proxy battles we got instead have not settled questions we have to settle.

In South Africa, where the Black majority was excluded from the economy for generations, the annual Durban July event is a chance to celebrate luxury and high society.