Minimalist News

Disease Caused By Cyclospora Parasite Now In 45 States: CDC A disease caused by a parasite called Cyclospora has been recorded in 45 states this summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an update. Delaware, Oregon, South Dakota, and Vermont have now logged cases of cyclosporiasis, the disease, the CDC said on July 28. The CDC in its previous update had said 41 states had reported cases. The number of confirmed cases across the 45 states since May 1 is up to 6,707, according to the CDC. More than 11,500 other cases have been reported but are

Kamala Harris Moves To $8.5M Mansion In 94% White Neighborhood Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA , Former Vice President Kamala Harris has long spoken about the importance of being surrounded by other black or minority Americans. But her new $8.5 million home is located in an exclusive Malibu neighborhood where the population is overwhelmingly white. Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, purchased a 4,000-square-foot mansion in Point Dume, one of Malibu’s most exclusive coastal enclaves. Point Dume’s population is approximately 94% white and just 0.2% black , according to a Fox News report citing the U.S. Census Bureau’s

Michigan Waves The White Flag On Child 'Conversion Therapy' Ban Democrat-run Michigan just backed down after threatening therapists who use talk therapy to help children with 'gender dysphoria' accept their biology. Alex Brandon / AP On Thursday, the state agreed to a permanent federal court order barring it from ever enforcing House Bill 4616 - the 2023 law, signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, that threatened licensed counselors with discipline for engaging in ordinary talk therapy with minors experiencing gender dysphoria . U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering signed off on the stipulated judgmen t , and the Becket Fund for Religious

North Carolina Police Officer Arrested For Alleged Illegal Use Of Flock Cameras Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times , A North Carolina officer was arrested by state authorities July 29 after allegedly accessing license plate registration information from Flock Safety cameras and other technology , authorities announced. Flock Safety, based in Georgia, estimates more than 6,000 communities in 49 states have partnered with the company to install surveillance systems. Flock Safety Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Seth Elliot, 25, is facing a misdemeanor charge of illegally accessing a government computer , according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

Proof: TDS Is Anti-Christian Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News , New data exposes the purest form of Trump Derangement Syndrome yet: young Americans so thoroughly programmed that they will abandon church itself rather than sit in a pew next to someone who supports the president. A survey from the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center Research Institute found that nearly half of Gen Z adults - 48 percent - say Christians' support for Donald Trump has made them less likely to attend church. Among strong Democrats the figure hits 76 percent. Atheists clock in at 72 percent. Even 30

Russia Confirms It Has Attacked Over 80 Vessels In The Black Sea In July Alone We've been detailing the escalating 'southern front' war in the Black and Caspian Seas, as Russia and Ukraine take aim at each other's maritime and energy and cargo transit and trade. Ukraine's Black Sea ports, such as at Odessa, had by and large not been focus of large-scale Russian strikes in the opening years of the war, but it seems this is fast changing. Also, the cargo going in and out of places like Odessa is increasingly coming under fire, as Ukraine's navy has been

New Report Ranks California 35th Best State And Least Affordable Authored by Dylan Morgan via The Epoch Times , California, the most populous U.S. state and the one with the largest economy, ranked as the 35th best state in a new ranking published by U.S. News on July 28. South Orange County communities near Laguna Beach, Calif., on Oct. 15, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times Utah ranked as the best state, followed by South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Nebraska. The ranking was based on scores in eight categories such as education, healthcare, economy, and fiscal stability, and it was

The State Where DOGE Is Actually Working Authored by Noah Wall via The American Mind , On July 14, the State Leadership Initiative was honored to host the Florida DOGE team and their tech partners, Vulcan, Echelon, and DigiBuild, for the Florida DOGE Showcase in Washington, D.C. Spearheaded by Governor Ron DeSantis, the state has become the leader for providing accountable and efficient governance to its citizens . Since its creation in 2025, the Florida DOGE team has identified nearly $1 billion in waste and abuse at the local government level and sent over $878 million back to the federal

"Pure Case Of Vandalism": Trump Rages As DoJ Drops Reflecting Pool Case Against Former Olympian Update (1245ET) : President Trump has not taken kindly to the DoJ dropping their case against the former Olympian for vandalizing the Reflecting Pool, exclaiming his displeasure in a post on X : I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool. I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM... ...that included the grass, which had a big 86 47 emblazoned in giant letters on it, and other

Man Kidnaps Former Investment Partner, Stuffs Him In Trunk, Shoots Him, Then Gets Shot By Cops Authored by Arthur Zhang via The Epoch Times , Two Chinese men have been identified as suspects in the shooting and kidnapping of a Chino Hills resident who was later found mortally wounded in the trunk of their vehicle after one suspect fired into it during a police stop , the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a July 31 statement to The Epoch Times. A home on the street in Chino Hills, Calif., where the shooting and kidnapping occurred. Zhao Ziting/The Epoch

Airspace Lockdown Looms: US Warns Americans Get Out Of Mideast As Iran Targets Kuwait Again There were no Friday night into Saturday morning US attacks on Iran, after President Trump warned he has given an order to hit Iran 'hard' - though didn't disclose a timeline . Friday reports in The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Axios strongly suggested that large US strikes would commence at some point this weekend , as the region remains on edge. The only new and recent attacks have been more apparent Iranian drone strikes on Kuwait . Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday has confirmed

22 EU Leaders Demand "Immediate Action" As Migrant Invasion Raises Fear Of Hybrid Warfare Summary: 22 EU Leaders Demand " Immediate Action " Italy Suspends Schengen Travel Agreement With Spain After Horrifying Ceuta Invasion Spain's Border Invasion Is An Optics Disaster For Open-Border Democrats Crazy Footage Shows Migrants Rampaging , Breaking Into Homes After Invading Spain 22 EU Leaders Demand "Immediate Action" To Spanish Enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla Invasion European leaders criticized Madrid's socialist government as its open-border policies unraveled for the world to see. The invasion of the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla by 50,000 military-aged men

The Real Threat To Young Americans' Jobs Isn't AI. It's The National Debt... Authored by Ken Buck via The Epoch Times, The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence and supercomputing technologies has many Americans worried about the future of their careers. In a survey last month, more than half of U.S. workers expressed concern that AI could take their job or the job of a family member. Another survey in December found that almost 60 percent of young people believe AI poses a threat to their job prospects. Americans are not naive. They realize that fast-evolving technologies will disrupt how we

Verizon Blames 'Human Error' For Burying A Jack Smith Subpoena From Congress Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and fifteen colleagues sent a letter to Verizon on Thursday demanding the telecom giant explain how a 2023 grand jury subpoena tied to Jack Smith's "Arctic Frost" investigation vanished from its own paperwork for more than two years - only to resurface after the company chalked the omission up to "human error." The letter, addressed to Verizon CEO Dan Schulman , is the latest turn in Grassley's monthslong excavation of Arctic Frost - the Biden-era FBI/DOJ probe-turned-Trump-prosecution that has already produced a

Leftists Now Claim US And Israel Behind The Migrant Invasion Of Spain A clear pattern is emerging: When the political left or their favorite pet migrants wreak havoc and commit heinous crimes, the immediate canned response from the activist fold is to blame the "right wing" or blame those devious Israelis. Why do they do this? Because it works. Progressive politicians and third world invaders always seem to dodge accountability while conservative movements in-fight over the source of the problem. There a people on both sides of the aisle that maintain a distaste for Israel, sometimes to the point that

Leopold Aschenbrenner's Short Seller Fairy Tale Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance Leopold Aschenbrenner’s hedge fund, stuffed like the ass of a Thanksgiving turkey with every trendy AI name you could throw a dart at, reportedly suffered one of the most spectacular drawdowns of recent memory, losing roughly 67% in July after a series of heavily leveraged bets went violently against it. According to the Wall Street Journal , the losses became severe enough to trigger margin calls, forcing the firm into emergency asset sales. Public positions were reportedly sold to Citadel to raise liquidity, and the fund even negotiated a

"I've Been Doxed": Lefty Podcaster Scott Galloway Rips Mamdani After Landing On Socialist's Rich Target List Prominent liberal podcaster and NYU professor Scott Galloway, who can only be described as a "useful idiot" for helping legitimize far-left New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, appears to be awakening from his political delusion. Galloway now says he has been "doxed" after realizing that the socialist movement he helped empower is publicly identifying wealthy property owners ( read report ), including himself, as political and financial targets. " I've been doxed ," Galloway said on the latest episode of the "Pivot" podcast. "

Twin Car Bombs Rock Colombian City Days Before Trump-Backed "El Tigre" Takes Power Details remain limited, but initial reports and footage on X suggest that one or more vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), commonly known as car or truck bombs, detonated near a police station in Cúcuta, Colombia, close to the Venezuelan border. The apparent VBIED attack occurred just six days before President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella's inauguration , which will transfer power from Gustavo Petro's socialist regime to a right-wing administration expected to align closely with the Trump administration. Footage: Desde otros puntos de Cúcuta también fueron captadas las

Closed Borders Killing Western Union, Earnings Call Transcripts Reveal Western Union CFO Matt Cagwin quietly acknowledged in yesterday’s earnings call that fewer border crossings under the Trump admin are chipping away at the remittance behemoth’s profits: “New migration is the lifeline of our retail business. With borders closed, it is difficult to offset natural attrition … as consumers return home to their native countries,” Cagwin said. WU has long been the dominant vampire skimming absurd fees off international remittances while providing no technological convenience that Venmo hasn’t already surpassed. It’s instead maintained its now-dwindling market share through lobbying, which is

Germany Builds AI 'Racist Uncle' Robot To Indoctrinate Kids In Schools Authored by an 'anonymous German teacher' via dailysceptic.org, Täteropferumkehr is the German term for “victim blaming” – often hyphenated as Täter-Opfer-Umkehr to make it look slightly less clunky. In recent times, our political and media establishment have turned it into a sharp tool, employed with reference to both foreign and domestic politics. Unsurprisingly, Germany’s woke Left – always eager to champion the alleged plight of the “oppressed” – views Israel, the only functioning democracy in the Middle East, as the ultimate perpetrator, while framing bloodthirsty Arab aggressors as the

Aircraft crashes into field after departing from nearby city of Pisco, according to local authorities Police in Peru report that 13 people, among them foreign tourists, have been killed in a plane crash in southern Peru, near the Nazca Lines. Local authorities in Nazca confirmed that 11 tourists and two pilots died when the Cessna Grand Caravan crashed in Pueblo Viejo, approximately 4 miles (6km) from the city of Nazca and roughly 12km from the Nazca Lines site. Continue reading...

Injectable PrEP drug holds promise but investment in HIV prevention has declined dramatically worldwide Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email New innovations in HIV prevention could dramatically reduce the number of new HIV cases around the globe, but US foreign aid cuts will mean that those that most need the new medication will be unable to access it, according to experts at the Aids 2026 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil . One year ago, the World Health Organization recommended that governments around the world prioritize expanded access to lenacapavir, an injectable version of the HIV prevention

Data shows Canadians have replaced US vacations with other international trips in apparent rebuke to Trump Canadians spent $3.3bn less on travel to the US in 2025 than in the previous year, as Donald Trump’s hostile policies towards his northern neighbour continue to incur an economic cost, new government data shows. The research also indicates that Canadians are not bucking travel overall and instead have replaced US vacations with other international destinations, in a rebuke to Trump’s tariff regime and the president’s continued musings on annexing Canada. Continue reading...

Three years after Maui wildfires many still struggle with ‘biological, emotional and social consequences’, study says A spate of ferocious wildfires across North America and Europe, worsened by the climate crisis, has incinerated homes and forests and forced thousands of people to flee. Previous fires suggest the effects of these blazes may linger for years to come. The current fires and their plumes of smoke can appear to be a temporary, if immediate, crisis. Nearly 1,000 fires have sprung into life in the boreal forests of Canada, causing the evacuation of towns and toxic smoke to waft into major Canadian

President also blames Brazil and Mexico and says online critics ‘do not want the ideas of freedom to succeed’ More than a week has passed since Ferran Torres scored the extra-time goal that gave Spain its second World Cup, but – at least for Argentina’s president – the tournament is not over. Javier Milei has claimed that a coordinated “anti-Argentina campaign” was behind criticism of the country’s team, accusations of racism among its fans and conspiracy theories alleging that Lionel Messi’s side was secretly being favoured by Fifa. Continue reading...

Tarona Taafaki makes history in women’s 75kg category All boxers eliminated in semis receive bronze medals A boxer has made history for ⁠Tuvalu by winning the tiny Pacific island nation’s first Commonwealth ⁠Games medal without winning a single fight. Twenty-year-old Tarona Taafaki, ⁠one of five entrants in the women’s 75kg category, received a bye to the semi-finals where she lost on an unanimous points decision to India’s Lovlina Borgohain on Friday. At Commonwealth Games, all boxers eliminated in the semis receive bronze medals. Continue reading...

Treasury secretary’s notepad, photographed by Reuters on Friday morning, prompts questions over US plans During a cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, the US treasury secretary Scott Bessent carelessly revealed plans for the US to buy $5bn-$10bn ⁠in Japanese yen in a scribbled “to do” list left visible to a Reuters photographer. The image, taken over Bessent’s shoulder during a portion of the meeting open to journalists, showed a Camp David notepad with the underscored words “To Do” followed by “Buy Japanese Yen (JPY) $5-10 bil”. Continue reading...

Live, rolling coverage as London’s biggest companies defy Middle East disruption and UK petrol prices rise to around £1.60 per litre, the highest since Donald Trump ordered renewed strikes The story piquing the interest of the financial press this morning is that of Leopold Aschenbrenner , the AI Wunderkind (he’s German-born) who has been forced to sell off his fund in a fire sale after the AI boom ran out of steam. The 24-year-old had persuaded a lot of people to give him a lot of money for a hedge fund, after previously working for OpenAI and the FTX Future

Soldiers and emergency teams search damaged shopping centre, paper mill and homes for survivors Earthquake rocks southern Japanese island of Kyushu – in pictures The death toll from the powerful earthquake that hit Japan on Tuesday has risen to 30, as the search for survivors trapped in a badly damaged shopping centre, paper mill and collapsed homes across the south-west of the country continues. The 6.8-magnitude quake, which struck Kumamoto prefecture on the island of Kyushu, injured at least 62 people, according to the prefectural government. Continue reading...

Emergency workers are continuing their search for survivors in southern Japan after yesterday’s powerful earthquake ‘Race against time’: Japan earthquake death toll rises as rescue teams search for missing An aerial view of a collapsed section of a bridge in the city of Yatsushiro after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture: Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun newspaper has been speaking to people at the Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro, where a chimney collapsed on to the site. “I never imagined something like this would happen,” said a 33-year-old man who worked at the factory.

David Crisafulli says ‘Queenslanders will enjoy for generations’ as opponents point to lack of detail Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Queensland government has released new concept images for a parkland precinct to surround the 2032 Olympic stadium, as it seeks to quell concern at the loss of Brisbane’s largest inner-city parkland. But opponents of the plans – now entering the early construction phase – to build a stadium at Brisbane’s Victoria Park say the concept images are a “fantasy vision” with no detail, and which overlook the likely need for carparks, roads,

Australians bought EVs and hybrids at nearly same rate as petrol cars between April and June, Australian Automobile Association data shows Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australians are now buying electric and hybrid vehicles at the same rate as traditional petrol-powered cars, according to new data that shows EV sales doubled in the months after the peak of the fuel price spike. Fuel prices are again on track to top $2 a litre , after the federal government’s fuel excise reductions – introduced to offset the impact of the ongoing crisis in the

Community members concerned about loss of community green space and areas of cultural importance. This blog is now closed Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Yolngu leaders in north-east Arnhem Land have announced a powerful new Dilak Land Council, declaring land rights are “coming home” to traditional owners, AAP reports . On a national stage at the Garma festival, revered elder Djawa Yunupingu told leaders, politicians and visitors from across the country on Saturday real power must sit “fully into the hands of landowners”. There will be a new land council in Arnhem Land

Helicopter surveillance finds dead and dying greater crested terns off South Australian coast as H5 virus spreads Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast More than 80 dead and sick birds seen on rocks off the South Australian coast are suspected to be the first mass mortality event from the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, only six weeks after the disease arrived in Australia. Authorities reported on Saturday that helicopter surveillance had revealed 49 dead greater crested terns on Baudin Rocks, near Robe, as well as 35 more sick terns. Continue reading...

Petrol now costs more than $1.90 a litre in every capital city, with diesel expected to exceed $2.40 a litre Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Petrol prices could surpass $2 a litre and diesel $2.40 in coming days, after the government’s 16-cent discount ends on Sunday. The 32-cent per litre reduction in fuel excise, introduced in March at the peak of the fuel price spike, was halved to 16 cents in July. Continue reading...

The EU is using a currency redesign as an opportunity to be less neutral and try some finely balanced identity-building Is Europe best represented by the bold intellect of Marie Curie, the sprawling imagination of Miguel de Cervantes and the intense musical genius of Ludwig van Beethoven? Or by a migrating stork and a bee-eater, swooping across borderless plains and enjoying freedom of movement across European countries? The quest to settle this issue has engaged a surprising number of people across the continent, after more than 6 million people voted in a survey within just a week of its launch

Exclusive: At a launch site in the Ukrainian countryside, members of the elite ‘Magyar’s Birds’ brigade are turning Russia’s vast size into a weakness Sparrows were cheeping as the sun set over a field of tall yellow sunflowers when a moped-like growl suddenly disturbed the evening calm. The noise rose, dipped, and rose again. Lt Col Ray – a Ukrainian commander with the 414th aviation brigade – took cover in a leafy ditch. Seconds later a Ukrainian drone roared into a mauve sky. It jerked upwards at a 45-degree angle, orange flames fizzing, and then motored serenely onwards. The flying

More than 20 people injured in explosion near Italian restaurant on Saturday night, authorities say A homemade bomb carried by a woman killed three people and injured at least 21 in ⁠an explosion near a restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, authorities said. The explosion occurred just before 8pm close to an Italian restaurant located in one of Moscow’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya ​Square, the police said. Continue reading...

‘Not a single person reached mainland Spain or rest of EU,’ says European Commission president, after Spanish PM condemned ‘selfish, polarising’ reaction of some countries Back to Ukraine, where nine people were killed in Kyiv this morning from a Russian missile and drone attack. Damage was reported in seven districts of the capital, according to Ukrainian officials, with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying fires broke out across the city and residential buildings, a school and infrastructure sites were hit. Continue reading...

At least five taken to hospital and about 300 evacuated in strongest quake to hit southern Italian region in 40 years At least 26 people have been injured after a 4.7-magnitude earthquake rocked a region near Naples, in southern Italy. The quake, which occurred at 7.46pm on Friday night, caused power outages, disrupted public transport and damaged a pier in Campi Flegrei, the site of Europe’s largest volcanic crater. Continue reading...

President claims delay is ‘subject to being able to rapidly make a deal’ as intervention by Saudi crown prince is revealed and Iran warns neighbours Donald Trump said on Saturday night that the US would hold off on any new strikes on Iran provided a deal to end the months-long conflict is quickly reached – marking the president’s latest climbdown from extravagant threats to hit the Tehran regime hard. The Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Saturday to express concerns about his strike plans, it was reported. Trump’s reversal also came after Iran threatened to retaliate decisively

Two members given ‘stern warnings’ after concert and barred from returning, with band also excluded from performing in Singapore again, say authorities British trip-hop band Massive Attack has been barred from performing in Singapore after an investigation found two members unfurled a Palestinian flag during a concert, police said. Singapore, known for its tough laws on public speech and assembly, bans the open display of all foreign flags, national emblems or banners without a permit. Continue reading...

The agreement is a ‘great breakthrough’, the president says in response to media questions Trump claims agreement for ‘complete disarmament’ of Hamas in Gaza but support uncertain Saudi Arabia prepares sea and possible land offensive against Houthis Al Jazeera reporter Hani Mahmoud has reported the mood in Gaza this morning following news of Hamas’s potential disarmament. Palestinians have heard repeated statements about their fate in the three years since the current war began between Israel and Hamas, so last night’s announcement by Donald Trump wasn’t met with any particular joy or celebration. “There is scepticism and cautiousness among Palestinians,” Mahoud

Donald Trump has declared a breakthrough in negotiations over the disarmament of Hamas in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, but Israeli government officials have voiced scepticism over the deal. Lucy Hough speaks to Julian Borger, the Guardian’s senior international correspondent – watch on YouTube Continue reading...

Rescuers say four bodies found in search for team caught in Broad Peak avalanche, after trackers showed rapid descent The world-renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja – a former British special forces member – is among 11 climbers caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak. The Alpine Club of Pakistan said “seven climbers have been spotted via aerial drone footage” adding that “their identities and condition cannot yet be verified”. Continue reading...

Other members of expedition led by world-renowned climber on Broad Peak also died, climbing company says A world-renowned Nepali mountaineer and former UK Special Forces member has died after being among 11 climbers caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak. Nirmal Purja was killed leading an expedition of 10 other people on the world’s 12th-highest mountain when an avalanche struck at around noon on Thursday. Continue reading...

António Guterres says strengthening El Niño will help push the world’s climate crisis into ‘uncharted territory’ India’s monsoon is in danger and hotter, drier conditions are forecast across much of the world as a stronger El Niño weather system is taking hold, weather experts have warned. António Guterres, the UN secretary general, said the strengthening El Niño was “adding fuel to a planet already on fire” and pushing the world into “uncharted territory”. Continue reading...

Local civil rights group alleges authorities removed evidence of killings amid communications blackout At least 30 people are alleged to have been killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the past two days as part of what has been claimed is a brutal state crackdown that has engulfed the disputed region for weeks. According to a local civil society group, Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), the Pakistani security services fired on tens of thousands of peaceful protesters, killing 25 people on Monday and five more on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Cockroach Janta party says government has broken promise, with detentions in Delhi, Assam, West Bengal and Bihar India’s youth-led “Cockroach” movement, whose nationwide protests forced the resignation of the education minister , has accused the government of backtracking on its promise not to act against student protesters and has threatened to restart demonstrations. The Cockroach Janta party (CJP), which organised mass protests over exam paper leaks and other irregularities, said it had received reports of hundreds of students being detained or “harassed” by police. Continue reading...

From Afghanistan to Taiwan, unprecedented deluge highlights devastating impact of climate breakdown “It rained for 10 days and 10 nights, non-stop – I’d never seen anything like it,” says Anar Gul, a construction worker who lives in the remote district of Dur Baba in eastern Afghanistan. The houses in his village are built from stone and mud, which makes them extremely vulnerable to heavy rains. After days of rain, Gul’s kitchen collapsed and his neighbour, Sayed Afsar Sadat, saw a large part of his house completely destroyed. “Rains like this are coming heavier and earlier each year,” says Sadat. “They

Council leaders say crumbling infrastructure and lack of water are jeopardising government’s plans for new homes The government’s housebuilding agenda is hitting the stark reality of a lack of water and crumbling infrastructure across the east and south-east of England. Half the country was declared to be in serious drought this week, for the second consecutive year, with the Environment Agency warning of dire consequences for the economy, environment and wildlife. Continue reading...

Security lapse leaves sensitive information and contact details of 51 government officials exposed for 40 hours The public body in charge of the UK’s state investments has been pushed to improve its internal security after a data breach left “high-level management information” publicly accessible for nearly two days. UK Government Investments (UKGI), the agency that manages the taxpayers’ interest in a swathe of companies including Channel 4 and the Post Office, said the security failure also left more than 50 government officials’ personal details exposed for nearly 40 hours. Continue reading...

Senior officer behind closure says SDS caused ‘incalculable harm’ by infiltrating groups that posed no threat An undercover police unit that spied on tens of thousands of political activists had to be shut down amid severe criticisms and recriminations, the spycops public inquiry has heard. Jon Boutcher, a senior police officer who took over responsibility for the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) unit, concluded within months that it had to be wound up because it was conducting unjustified surveillance and was badly run. Continue reading...

PM argues for codified model of decentralisation that would fundamentally change centuries-old workings of state Andy Burnham has said his programme of devolution strengthens the case for a written constitution for the UK, a move that would fundamentally alter the workings of the state that have developed over centuries. The prime minister has long believed the UK’s “antiquated” political system needs a dramatic overhaul if opportunity is to be shared equally across the country. Continue reading...

Britons move away from trend of grey paving and pristine lawns in an embrace of colour, with lavender a top choice If you manage to spot a garden in bloom this summer, beyond the strips of bleached and torched grass, there may be one colour you see more than any other: purple, the horticultural hue of the season. Plants such as lavender, salvias and catmint are in vogue, according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which conducted extensive research into the colours Britons best love to see in their gardens. Continue reading...

Police chief say shooter found dead after ‘very chaotic scene’ near busy shopping area in Twin Falls Three people were killed and seven more were injured, some critically, in a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon, a Twin Falls city spokesperson said. Police who responded to the shooting found the body of the suspected gunman in an area near the restaurant, Twin Falls city public information officer Josh Palmer said. He did not know if the suspect was included in the fatality count. Continue reading...

Disclosure from 2021 investigation marks first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald Trump Capital One Financial hit back on Friday against a lawsuit over its ⁠decision to close the Trump ⁠Organization’s bank accounts ​years ago, stating that it did so after a review by anti-money-laundering experts. The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald Trump ’s family business. Capital One is seeking to dismiss the case by casting doubt on claims of illegally debanking – or denying services on religious or political grounds – the Trump Organization. Continue reading...

In Oregon and Washington, low humidity and powerful winds have put officials on alert for wildfire spread A heatwave scorching the western US region has elevated the risk of hazardous fire conditions particularly in parts of Oregon and Washington, where low humidity and powerful winds have put officials on alert for wildfire spread. The National Weather Service has forecast blistering temperatures through early next week that could climb from 110F to 120F across the south-west. In the Pacific north-west, highs reaching into the 90s are expected in the days to come. Continue reading...

Veteran actor best-known for playing Salvatore ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero, friend of Tony Soprano who becomes FBI informant Vincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best-known for playing Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, has died. He was 80. Bob McGowan, who had managed Pastore since his run on The Sopranos, told the Associated Press that he learned of his death Saturday from another client and actor on the show, Vincent Curatola. Continue reading...

Gavin Newsom says new pay floor of $17.40, set to become highest of any US state, will go into effect on 1 January California governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state’s minimum wage will rise to $17.40 next year, a ay floor set to become the highest of any US state. The pay bump will go into effect starting 1 January, Newsom announced on Friday. The state’s current minimum rate is $16.90. In a news release, Newsom touted the move as a salve for working families amid high living costs and took a jab at the Trump administration. Continue reading...

At least 13 people died when a small plane carrying tourists to view Peru’s famed Nazca Lines archaeological site crashed, police said on Saturday. “We have information that 11 passengers and two crew members have died,” Police Major Jorge Andrade told reporters from the crash site in the country’s south. The incident happened just after 1pm local time after the plane took off from the airport in Pisco, located about 240km (150 miles) south of the capital Lima. “Given the severity of the...

US President ⁠Donald Trump posted on Saturday ⁠that he disagrees with his ⁠own Justice Department’s findings that a flawed installation, not vandalism, caused the lining of the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington to peel. “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of ‌Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. “I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM.” In a court...

An explosion at a Moscow restaurant on Saturday that killed three people and wounded 21 more was a bombing, Russia’s national anti-terrorism committee said, the Tass state news agency reported. “A home-made explosive device blew up at a restaurant in Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow, killing three people,” said the committee, quoted by Tass. An unidentified woman who attempted to carry the explosive device into the restaurant died in the blast, as did a security guard and a patron, the news agency...

A truck bomb exploded on Saturday near a Colombian police station not far from the Venezuelan border, wounding 14 people just days before president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella takes office. The government in Bogota blamed rebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN), the country’s largest active guerrilla group, for the early-morning blast in the northern city of Cucuta. Eleven police officers and three civilians were hurt in the incident, according to the latest official toll. Agence...

The White House has used a song by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, a well-known opponent of US President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, as music for a video about operations by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The clip, which shows arrests of migrants, drew criticism on social media and can now only be viewed on TikTok without the music of the song “La MuDANZA” (The Move) from the album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (I should have taken more photos). It is unclear whether the missing...

The Israeli military said on Saturday that it killed several Hezbollah fighters in south Lebanon and that an Israeli soldier was injured there despite a ceasefire. The military said it identified several Hezbollah fighters overnight inside what Israel has labelled a “security zone” in southern Lebanon which its forces occupy. “Following the identification, the soldiers struck the terrorists and eliminated them in order to remove the threat,” the military said in a statement. Israeli forces “will...

US embassies in capitals across the Middle East on Saturday warned American citizens to beware of an “unforeseen escalation” in the regional conflict and urged them to be ready to leave. The warning, posted online by US embassies in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates came a day after US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran “very hard”. Iran and the United States have been at war since February 28. A period of calm...

A man has been killed and three people seriously injured after a severe storm struck the Saxon Switzerland region in the eastern German state of Saxony, police said on Friday. There were no reports of missing people, said a spokesman for the Dresden Emergency Services Control Centre. According to the control centre, a 38-year-old man lost his life near the Felsenbühne open-air theatre in Rathen when a falling tree struck him. Ten other people were injured, according to the centre, and 40 people...

Sweden has introduced tougher penalties for gang-related offences, allowing courts to impose prison sentences up to twice as long as before, as the country cracks down on organised crime. Under the new law, which took effect on Saturday, gang members convicted of certain offences can face sentences up to double the previous maximum. For example, a gang member caught carrying a firearm previously faced a maximum prison term of four years but can now receive up to eight years, according to Swedish...

The United ⁠Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) ⁠said on Saturday it had received reports of two maritime incidents off Oman, including one in which a tanker was struck by ‌an unknown projectile. In the first incident, a tanker was hit about 11 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Lima. The vessel reported it was “struck by an unknown projectile which has caused damage to the engine room” and leaving it ⁠not under command, the UKTMO said. There were no reported ‌casualties nor environmental...

France and Italy bolstered border controls on Saturday after about 60,000 people crossed into Spain’s enclave in North Africa, sparking one of the largest migrant crises for the European Union in recent years. The migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco, the enclave’s regional president Juan Jesus Vivas told reporters, but by Friday evening, officials said more than 48,000 had returned. To cross into Ceuta, many swam around a small border barrier that juts out into the Mediterranean. At least 34...

Russian attacks on Kyiv and its suburbs killed 10 people early Saturday, officials said, as Ukrainian drones sank a huge Russian container ship in the Black Sea. The exchange in attacks come after the United Nations found June was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022. Russia has stepped up long-range strikes ⁠on ⁠the capital in recent months, while Ukraine ‌is chronically short of air defences capable of ‌downing ballistic ‌missiles, which travel at ‌several times the...

The US Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Government lawyers said in a 20-page court filing that information provided since the indictment of David Hearn shows that the damage was the result of a “flawed installation by the contractor” as well as “the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day...

Chinese ⁠government buyers bought at least eight ⁠cargoes of US soybeans on Friday for shipment from US Gulf Coast terminals and six cargoes for shipment from Pacific Northwest ports in October and November, two US traders with knowledge of the deals said. The ‌sales volume of at least 840,000 tonnes was among China’s largest single-day purchases this month after the world’s top soybean importer restarted purchases from the US in late June. China had slowed purchases of American soybeans over...

Google rolled back a new feature on Friday that allowed Google Earth users to generate AI visualisations on top of the service’s satellite imagery, following a furious backlash from researchers and open-source intelligence experts about the potential for disinformation. “We’ve seen geospatial professionals using this feature for a range of useful purposes, however we’ve also seen people sharing screenshots of generated imagery that appear to violate our policies,” a Google spokesman said in a...

The US Marine Corps says the pilot of an F-35B stealth fighter is expected to live after ejecting from the jet before it crashed in California. The jet went down on Friday near the Miramar airbase in San Diego. “The pilot ejected, was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries,” the Marine Corps said in an updated statement. Aerial video from a news helicopter showed a plume of black smoke rising from the wreckage in...

US President Donald Trump said on ⁠Friday that America has not agreed to Ukraine building Patriot missiles, but that talks are ongoing, adding that the US must be “very careful about letting somebody build them”. Trump said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey this ‌month that he was going to give Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors to help defend against Russian strikes, but has since backed away from that pledge despite hosting...

Italy said on Friday it ⁠was suspending the EU’s ⁠border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain for one month in ⁠response to a mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco. Italy does not share a land border with Spain but the measure – which looks certain to anger Madrid – will ‌affect people travelling by plane or boat between the two countries, meaning they will need to show a passport to gain access. Italy’s interior ministry said in a statement it had...

Hungary’s only nuclear power plant will shut down for the first time in its history due to record-low water levels on the Danube River, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Friday, adding that the plant may not come back online for several weeks as the river is expected to continue receding. The Paks nuclear plant, located around 90 km (50 miles) south of the capital Budapest, is operating at less than half its normal capacity, producing 965 megawatts of power rather than the usual 2,000. The...

US President Donald Trump on Friday hailed a “great breakthrough” in the Middle East, saying that the Board of Peace – the body he created to oversee Gaza’s governance, security and reconstruction – will lead the process of disarming Hamas. Speaking at an open-to-press cabinet meeting at Camp David, the presidential retreat that has hosted numerous world leaders, Trump credited the Board of Peace with the latest US-brokered deal, under which Hamas has agreed to disarm amid the lingering conflict...

In America today, many low-income workers and households can’t get adequate healthcare or pay for food. Depending on who you ask, medical costs are the number one cause or at least among the top causes of bankruptcy for families. This is despite the United States spending more on healthcare per capita than any developed economy within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and having the most advanced medical science and technology in the world. Healthcare is one good...

British singer Boy George has pulled out of a West End production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar after facing a backlash for releasing a pro-Israel song, We Will Dance Again. The 65-year-old musician “will no longer be appearing in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium”, his manager Paul Kemsley said on social media. The singer, whose real name is George Alan O’Dowd, rose to fame in the 1980s as the flamboyant singer of the pop band Culture Club. This week he released a song...

The European Union rolled out a new team on Friday to rein in AI companies across the world, in one of the most aggressive regulations the hi-tech sector has so far faced as fears rise over the risks the rapidly advancing technology poses to people, politics and prosperity. Brussels aims to track the use of AI models for violations of its new regulations, like the publishing of sexually explicit material, fake photos and videos, and cyber threats to public infrastructure. When the bloc’s AI Act...

Chinese President Xi Jinping held discussions with the leaders of Slovakia and Namibia in Beijing during July, as well as meeting the heads of Cambodia, Thailand and Kazakhstan in Shanghai on the sidelines of the World AI Conference. Xi also hosted North Korean Premier Pak Thae‑song in Beijing following his state visit and meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June. So far this year, Xi has met with 26 national leaders, including US President Donald Trump. There may be three more...

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese satellite imagery analysis challenges US-Iran war claims Chinese scientists have used detailed satellite imagery analysis to examine damage to US military bases in the Middle East, uncovering discrepancies in both Washington...

Argentine President Javier Milei on Thursday imposed a bar on foreigners who express “hate” towards the Latin American country, which he claims is the target of a sinister campaign. Experts have cast doubt on the legal feasibility of the emergency decree, which is already in force but requires parliamentary approval to remain law. The measure bars or expels foreigners deemed to have “spread or incited hate messages” against the country or its people. In a statement, Milei said the measure was in...

Russia used a North Korean missile for a strike on a village that killed five members of the same family, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday, in what would be the first time such a weapon has been fired in the ‌war in nearly a year. Russia has launched North Korean missiles at Ukrainian targets before, but their first deployment since August points to a fresh stock of weapons that Moscow can draw on as it steps up missile attacks, a military source said. Russia pounded...

A scaremongering narrative has taken root in Western corridors and financial press columns: China, having saturated developed markets, is now aiming to crush fragile industries in developing nations, effectively slamming the door on their industrial dreams. It is a convenient little tale. However, it does not hold up against empirical evidence. The premise assumes that China and the Global South are fighting over the same slice of the global consumption pie – cheap T-shirts, plastic sandals,...

A US government map of Africa mislabelled every country during a State Department presentation at a global conference taking place in Brazil this week, causing a stir among attendees who took screenshots and posted them online. Reuters viewed a ‌video of the presentation given at the Aids 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, which shows the errant map displayed halfway during a presentation about the State Department’s new health agreements. A Reuters analysis found the image of the map included...

The Trump administration is weighing a plan to charge international students US$100,000 to stay in the country and work after graduating, according to a person familiar with the matter, in a potentially devastating move for student visa holders already squeezed by recent immigration crackdowns. The person familiar spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. A White House official said there was no imminent policy change, but did not deny the proposal was under...

A man who gave his son the gun he used to kill two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison. Colin Gray’s sentencing comes days after his son, Colt Gray, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the September 4, 2024, shooting at the school 70km (45 miles) northeast of Atlanta. Colt Gray had pleaded guilty to murder and other charges. A defence lawyer for Colin Gray asked the judge for a sentence that...

At least 34 people died trying to cross from Morocco into Spain’s Ceuta enclave during a massive surge this week in illegal migration, local regional president Juan Jesús Vivas told reporters on Friday. Vivas said around 60,000 people had crossed into Ceuta during the influx, many by swimming around a border barrier stretching into the water. He did not give details on how the victims died. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Ceuta on Friday and said his country had suffered a...

Uefa member federations agreed on Thursday to boycott all Fifa competitions in protest of Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. “Uefa and its national associations will not participate in Fifa competitions,” the European football body said after an urgent online meeting of the 55 members. “Some things are simply too important to sell,” Uefa said in a statement. “The Fifa World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a...

US economic growth slowed in the second quarter amid a widening in the trade deficit, but an acceleration in consumer spending and robust business investment in equipment related to the buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure pointed to underlying strength. Gross domestic product increased at a 1.5 per cent ‌annualised rate last quarter, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said in its advance estimate of second-quarter GDP on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters...

Over the past 10 years, Washington, Brussels and London have made decreasing economic reliance on China a strategic goal. Western economic plans now stress supply-chain resilience, industrial sovereignty, technological leadership and national security. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted weaknesses in global supply networks. Increasing geostrategic tensions, export restrictions and technological rivalry have supported political backing for reshoring and “friendshoring” manufacturing. The objective...

Best known as Viagra, the erectile dysfunction drug sildenafil started off as a treatment for reduced blood flow but soon saw its value spike after its other effects became clear. The blue pill could have more uses, according to research by scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Tel Aviv. The team found indications that it curbs cancer metastasis via a “newly discovered biological mechanism” drawing upon the drug’s blood dilatation effects. Sildenafil curbs the capacity of cancer...

David Cifaldi and his two hiking companions were crossing Montana’s ominous Froze-to-Death Plateau and approaching the top of the state’s highest peak when their adventure took a bizarre and dangerous turn: Cifaldi slipped and impaled himself on his trekking pole as he fell. The 44-inch (112-centimetre) steel-tipped pole passed through the flesh beneath Cifaldi’s left arm, missing any vital organs, and protruded from his back. After conferring with his friends – and considering the high cost of...

Russia pounded Ukraine with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, killing nine people in overnight attacks on Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, decrying shortages of air defence supplies and urging allies to help. Russia launched more than 70 missiles and about 280 drones, Zelensky said in a statement on the Telegram app. The capital Kyiv and the western region of Lviv on Ukraine’s border with Poland were the main focus of the attack, the Ukrainian air force said. Poland, a...

It was important enough to the framers of the US Constitution to be included in the first 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights – that no person “shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself”. Today, that protection – famously known as “pleading the Fifth” – remains one of the most visible and politically charged safeguards in American law. It has seeped into the culture, too. “Pleading the Fifth” has become an idiom in the United States, used jokingly in casual...

Nearly three-quarters of Cuba’s hotels have been closed and the island’s tourism sector has been brought to “almost total paralysis” by US sanctions and fuel shortages, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said on Wednesday. Detailing the scale of the tourism crisis for the first time, Marrero said seven international chains, responsible for about half of all hotel rooms, had left the island. Tourism had been Cuba’s second-largest source of foreign currency earnings, employing more than 300,000 people...

The US military said it struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard targets in Iran, including military command centres and drone facilities, in a two-hour operation launched after Tehran fired ballistic missiles at US forces in the Middle East. “The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighbouring Gulf countries,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Wednesday. Iran’s state media reported that...

Five people have died after powerful gusts of wind in Brazil brought chaos to Rio de Janeiro and parts of Sao Paulo state, cutting power and bringing public transport to a standstill. Residents of Rio de Janeiro were taken by surprise when winds of up to 100km/h hit just before rush hour, felling dozens of trees and leaving thousands stranded as the city’s three subway queues ground to a halt. The fire department said in a statement that two people had died when a wall collapsed in the city of...

Lindsay Clancy sobbed in court on Wednesday as jurors listened to the anguished emergency call her then-husband made after returning from an errand to find she had strangled their three children in their Massachusetts home. On the roughly seven-minute recording, Patrick Clancy can be heard speaking with his wife upon finding her badly injured and bleeding in their yard, after she jumped from the home’s second-storey window. “Look at me,” he says. “Say my name.” He then tells the dispatcher he is...

US President Donald Trump unveiled a US$22 billion plan on Wednesday to rebuild Washington Dulles airport by replacing concourses and adding a large parking garage while preserving the landmark main terminal. The announcement is the latest in a series of major projects he has announced in and around the US capital. “It’s considered one of the ‌worst airports anywhere in the world, we’re going to make it maybe the best with some hard work,” Trump said, arguing it was time “for a major and long...

Brazil overtook Russia and Belgium in the first five months of this year to become the world’s largest importer of Chinese cars, buying US$5.2 billion worth of vehicles as brands raced to land shipments before a tariff increase took effect in July. The figure, drawn from Chinese customs data, is up 146.9 per cent from the US$2.1 billion recorded a year earlier, when Brazil ranked sixth among buyers. Russia bought US$5 billion over the same months this year and Belgium purchased US$3.8...

During a fleeting truce, Iranians covertly devised a plan to raise the war’s costs for President Trump if U.S. forces attacked anew.

The weapon, one of the largest in the U.S.’s arsenal, struck a house in a heavily populated area, according to a Times analysis.

The confrontation, over a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon, challenged a fragile cease-fire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group.

Europe sheltered many refugees in 2015. Its hard-line reaction to a new crisis in Ceuta shows how, 11 years on, the far right has reshaped European attitudes.

Most of the people who surged into Spain on Thursday have since returned to Morocco. A small minority are holed up on a seafront, tired, hungry and vowing to stay.

Most of those who came to the territory, a Spanish exclave in Africa, have returned across the border to Morocco. At least 67 people died trying to enter, the authorities said.

Senator Mitch McConnell’s ongoing hospitalization meant he missed his final chance to attend the signature western Kentucky event while in office.

Senator Susan Collins, who supports abortion rights, endorsed Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court. It has emerged as a major issue in her campaign for re-election.

As a new film evokes his coming-of-age in this bohemian Cape Cod town, Pete Wells goes looking for the people and restaurants that shaped him.

After a lifetime of observing Iran’s revolutionary generation, I know that expecting meekness or diplomatic finesse from them is a dangerous illusion.

To face our own history, we must be honest about it.

A spokesman for Twin Falls cautioned that the number of victims was “expected to be higher.” The police said the shooter was dead.