Minimalist News

Trump Jokes "I'd Be The Greatest Communist In History" As Democratic Elites Panic Over Socialist Hijack A series of high-profile Democrats and party strategists this week sounded the alarm that socialists have hijacked the Democratic Party, with radical left-wing revolutionaries increasingly gaining power not just in local elections across the country, but most notably in far-left-controlled New York City. Let's begin with President Trump's overnight comments on Truth Social, in which he told the anti-American, pro-globalist radical left: The Communists are finally making their move. I've been waiting and preparing for this for a long time . It's easy to

Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' To Permanently Close, Gov. DeSantis Says Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times, Florida permanently closed the temporary illegal immigrant holding center “Alligator Alcatraz” June 25 after transferring federal detainees to other facilities, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced. “Alligator Alcatraz now has zero detainees,” DeSantis told reporters at a press conference outside the facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Florida Everglades, about 50 miles west of Miami. “It has helped remove many, many dangerous people from the street and get them out not only the state of Florida but the United States of

American Benevolence During World Cup Erases Anti-American Propaganda Authored by Armando Simon via AmericanThinker.com, The World Cup, as everyone knows by now, has been taking place across several cities in stadiums that have surprised foreign visitors by being gigantic and air-conditioned. As usual, fans have been having a lot of fun. Many of the visitors have come to the United States for the first time. Social media has been filled with countless postings from visitors relating their experiences in this country. Overwhelmingly, they are blown away by the abundance of food, both in restaurants and in grocery stores, not just

Polestar Barred From Selling Future EVs In US Under Connected-Vehicle Rule The U.S. has become increasingly irrelevant to Polestar's growth story. The Geely-backed EV maker said Thursday that it is "increasing its strategic focus on Europe," where much of its growth is now centered. The shift follows a decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security not to authorize Polestar to sell future model-year vehicles in the U.S. under connected-vehicle rules aimed at limiting Chinese-linked technologies on American highways. "This follows a decision from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security to not

No Accountability Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance I honestly don’t know where Bitcoin is going from here. It could be substantially higher a year from now. It could be substantially lower. It could spend the next five years frustrating both the bulls and the bears. I’ve learned over the years that making precise price predictions about speculative assets is a fool’s errand, and I’m not interested in pretending otherwise. This article isn’t a referendum on Bitcoin, Ethereum, or digital assets generally. It’s also not an attempt to settle the endless debate between Michael Saylor and Peter Schiff. It’s about accountability,

Trump Says Iran Violated Ceasefire With Hormuz Drone Attack On Cargo Ship Update (11:55am ET) : While today's announcement by Dubai that the UAE was under missile attack proved to be a false alarm, the US ceasefire it nonetheless becoming increasingly unstable. Following yesterday's attack by Iran drones on a cargo ship next to Oman, we were wondering how long until Trump responds (and how), and he did just that moments ago when he posted on Truth Social that Iran shoting "at least four One Way Attack Drones at Ships transversing the Strait of Hormuz" is " a foolish violation

Volkswagen CEO Plans 100,000 Job Cuts In Generational Overhaul German business news outlet Manager Magazin reports that Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume is eyeing a major restructuring that could eliminate as many as 100,000 jobs. The latest VW earnings show just why: Europe's largest automaker remains bloated in a world of weak demand, a softening Chinese market, rising Chinese competition in Europe, and low margins. "Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume is getting serious. He plans to drastically intensify job cuts, actually phase out production at four German plants, and spin off the VW brand into a new company. Volkswagen is to become

Amazon Prime Day Household Spending Underwhelms, Survey Finds The massive four-day shopping event for Amazon Prime members kicked off Tuesday and runs through the end of the week, but early survey data suggest the sales event is off to a sluggish start, with average household spending on day one tracking below last year's pace. Bloomberg cited high-frequency data from market research firm Numerator, which surveyed thousands of Prime members and found that the average household had spent about $89 as of 4 p.m. Tuesday , the first day of Prime Day. That average total sales ticket was down about 16%

How Resilient? By Bas van Geffen, senior macro strategist at Rabobank A cargo ship was hit by an unknown object near the coast of Oman yesterday. The vessel took some damage, but the company reported that “crew, vessel, and cargo are all safe.” The ship has since left the strait, and tankers continue to transit. Still, these attacks force a rethink about the safety of the Strait of Hormuz, just as shipping from the Gulf region was starting to pick up again. The International Maritime Organization temporarily halted its evacuation plan for ships leaving the Gulf, and several tankers changed

John Bolton Pleads Guilty To Retaining National Security Information John Bolton , former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of retaining national security information related to his work during the first Trump administration. Bolton appeared Friday morning for a re-arraignment in Greenbelt, Maryland before Obama-appointed judge Theodore D. Chuang. He faces a prison sentence of up to 60 months and has agreed to pay $2.25 million , according to prosecutors. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 28. Bolton was originally charged in October of 2025 with eight counts of transmission of national defense

Did Trump Make the Right Deal With Iran? Curt Mills vs. Will Chamberlain Debate Tonight President Trump's agreement or MOU with Iran has infuriated the likes of Mark Levin, Ben Shapiro, and Randy Fine while earning praise from the America First camp: Joe Kent, Steve Bannon, Jack Posobiec, etc. Voters (both republican and democrat) seems content with the deal and the hope it may usher in a “return to normal”. as admin officials share positive polling towards Trump’s MOU. Here’s deputy assistant to the President Pat Adams: Poll reveals President Trump’s approval rating has surged as voters deliver verdict on

World Cup Pundit Branded Racist For Calling African Team's Performance "Wild" Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News , Bastian Schweinsteiger, the former Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Germany midfielder, has been accused of racism by Ivory Coast manager Emerse Fae for comments he made as a pundit ahead of one of the team's 2026 World Cup matches. While previewing Germany's group-stage match against Ivory Coast, Schweinsteiger described the opponents' style as "a bit African football, a bit unorthodox, a bit wild, a bit perhaps also not so conditioned by tactics" and warned that Germany "must be prepared for it

UMich Sentiment Rebounds From 46-Year Record Low In June, Inflation Fears Fade Further Having rebounded from record (46 year) lows in preliminary June data , University of Michigan's final June Sentiment survey was expected to show further improvement as gas prices have fallen since the US-Iran 'peace' MoU signing. And it did with the headline index rising from 48.9 flash and 44.8 prior to 49.5 (but that was below the 50.0 expectation )... Both Current Conditions and the Expectations Index also rebounded with the former outperforming... Consumer sentiment confirmed its early-month reading, rising about 10% above May as gas prices

Musk's Starlink Plots To Become A Mobile Carrier; TD Cowen Sees Possible T-Mobile Buyout The signs were already in plain sight that Elon Musk’s Starlink was positioning itself to challenge the big three U.S. wireless operators: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. One of the clearest signals was SpaceX's $17 billion deal for EchoStar wireless spectrum last year, followed by a recent trademark filing for "Starlink Mobile." We noted in December: SpaceX Trademark Filing Signals "Starlink Mobile" May Soon Take Aim At AT&T, Verizon Now, the Financial Times reports that SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell told institutional investors during the IPO

UAE Retracts Warning About "Potential Missile Threat" Update: it appears the earlier warning by the UAE was a false alarm: UAE SENDS ALERT SAYING 'PLEASE DISREGARD THE PREVIOUS WARNING' UAE ASKS PEOPLE TO IGNORE PREVIOUS WARNING * * * Earlier Is the ceasefire over (again)? Moments ago stocks hit session lows and oil jumped from post-war lows after the UAE issued a phone alert warning of potential missile strikes. Iran's Tasnim promptly followed up, saying that according to news sources, there were explosions heard in Dubai. And while the initial report sent futures to session lows... ... , and oil

Vance: Iran Agreed To Establish A Direct Line Between IRGC & US Military Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com, Vice President JD Vance has said that during talks in Switzerland, Iranian officials agreed to establish a direct line of communication between Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the US military. Vance told Sohrab Ahmari , the US editor for UnHerd , that one of the things the US wanted to "come out" of the talks with was a "channel on the Iranian side" for reducing conflict . Reuters/Pool "Which we did. They were like, 'OK, fine, we’ll send somebody

Mamdani's Rent-Freeze Approved By NYC Guidelines Board The New York City Rent Guidelines Board voted 7–1 to freeze rents on about 1 million rent-stabilized apartments for up to two years, giving tenants a win on a central campaign promise from Mayor Zohran Mamdani while revealing tensions over the board’s independence . The board set the annual increase at zero percent for both one-year and two-year leases starting in October. The affected apartments house roughly 2.5 million residents. The board’s 2025 study found the average monthly rent in regulated units was $1,599 last year, far below the $3,950 that listings agency

Futures Drop, Chips Resume Slide As OpenAI IPO Delay Dents Sentiment Futures point to a lower start for cash trading on the last day of the week, as tech stocks dragged global indexes lower following renewed selling in chipmakers, while a report that OpenAI could postpone plans to go public also weighed on sentiment . The volatility reflects a valuation test, profit‑taking and flow-driven positioning, according to Christian Stocker, equity strategist at UniCredit, who suggests it’s a “temporary correction within a still-intact long-term AI growth trend.” As of 8:00am ET, Nasdaq 100 futures slid 1.1%, while those on the S&P

Warships, Helicopters, Transport Planes: US Military Shifts Assets To Quake-Ravaged Venezuela Venezuela's massive twin-earthquake disaster, which unfolded on Wednesday evening, has left dozens of apartment towers and other structures in ruins. The death toll has climbed to about 235, with at least 4,300 people injured. On one independent monitoring platform, the number of missing topped 50,000 overnight . The sheer scale of the disaster across several districts of Caracas has prompted an international response, with the U.S. Southern Command deploying military assets to the quake-ravaged country. The disaster also marks a major test for acting President Delcy Rodríguez in a

IAEA Chief Confirms Nuclear Inspectors Returning To Iran, No Timeline Given For the first time since the US-Iran MoU was signed earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced it will have access to Iran for official inspections of the country's nuclear facilities. However, a precise timeline for when the inspections are expected to commence was not given. "There is an agreement and to comply with that agreement, the IAEA will have to have access and inspect,” UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said at a news conference in Japan. "We hope to be there soon." "The inspections

Delcy Rodríguez says foreign rescue teams are arriving as anger grows at official response and limited resources Survivors tell of ‘brutal and fast’ Venezuela quake as hunt for survivors goes on Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has vowed to fight to save “as many people as possible” as the official death toll from the country’s worst earthquake in more than a century almost doubled, but frustration was growing at the perceived sluggishness of the government’s response. Rodríguez’s brother, Jorge, who is the president of the national assembly, said on Friday that the official number of dead had risen to 920.

Various issues – including a rodent infestation and mould – have left the historic, sprawling Ottawa estate empty 10 Downing Street has two things: mice and a chief mouser . For more than a decade, an officially recognized feline has kept rodent infestation in the British prime minister’s residence to a minimum. Over a similar period, the official residence of Canada’s prime minister has seen an unchecked explosion of rodents. Continue reading...

Worst incident of its kind in country for more than 125 years leaves many searching for family members – and pleading for international help Venezuela death toll doubles as interim president vows to save ‘as many people as possible’ Nearly all of Ligia Level’s family lived in a trio of apartment blocks along Hotel Avenue, a seafront sweep of palm-specked resorts and high-rise condos along Venezuela’s Caribbean coast. When a powerful “doublet” of earthquakes jolted the region on Wednesday afternoon, those buildings and the lives within them came crashing down. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here China’s president Xi Jinping said Beijing was ready to provide Venezuela with “disaster relief and reconstruction” assistance. Xi sent a message of condolence to Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez today, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. Continue reading...

Experts worked in ocean midwater off Brazil at near-record speeds thanks to cutting-edge tech A marine biology expedition in international waters off the coast of Brazil has discovered 31 new species in just two weeks. The researchers believe the speed at which the species were found and identified may be a record, in part because of the cutting-edge technology designed and built by the science and engineering team. For the first time on board a ship, the researchers were able to observe the living 3D cellular structure of microbial life thanks to a technological breakthrough nicknamed the Squid. Continue reading...

Austrian Grand Prix declares heat hazard as dramatic rise in temperatures forecast in central and northern Europe Temperatures are forecast to rise dramatically in parts of central and northern Europe this weekend as the intense heatwave continues . In Germany and Poland, highs up to or exceeding 40C (104F) are expected on both Saturday and Sunday, days after swathes of France experienced similar extreme temperatures. The Austrian Grand Prix, taking place this weekend in Spielberg, has declared a heat hazard , the first race to do so this season. Temperatures are expected to rise into the low 30s celsius during

All branches of the military will be taught how to use technology that has become a ‘game changer on the battlefield’, says defence minister All of South Korea’s military forces will be trained as drone operators in a sweeping overhaul of its warfare strategy, the defence minister has said. “All soldiers should be able to use drones like a second personal firearm,” Ahn Gyu-back, who heads the defence ministry in Seoul, said on Friday. Continue reading...

China’s leader wants to promote his alternative to the current world order, and his efforts are being assisted by a capricious US Xi Jinping meets Bangladesh’s new prime minister on Friday, the latest in a wave of world leaders to visit Beijing this year as the Chinese leader builds his influence and economic ties, and seeks to “shift the balance of power” away from the west. Xi’s meeting with Tarique Rahman comes less than two weeks after the Chinese leader welcomed Myanmar’s military chief-turned-president, Min Aung Hlaing, in Beijing. Continue reading...

Kennedy repeatedly said 2019 Samoa trip had ‘nothing to do with vaccines’. An email from his then colleague says they were on a vaccine-related ‘mission’ New evidence has emerged that Robert F Kennedy Jr was on a vaccine-related “mission” when he visited Samoa ahead of a deadly measles outbreak in 2019, raising further questions about whether the US health secretary lied to the US Senate when he said the trip had “nothing to do with vaccines”. Records obtained by the Guardian show Kennedy’s colleague told Samoan officials in an email that he and Kennedy were coming as part of a

Oxfam predicts PNG will be worst-hit country in Pacific from the weather pattern, with up to 3 million people affected nationwide Families across Papua New Guinea’s Highlands are facing depleted harvests and the threat of hunger after the El Niño weather pattern brought frost and prolonged dry conditions that have destroyed food gardens providing sustenance and income for thousands of households. The effects of El Niño emerged in recent weeks, bringing drought conditions, falling water levels and frost that are threatening food security in some of the country’s most agriculturally productive regions. Continue reading...

While Anthony Albanese calls ousted British PM Keir Starmer his mate, the pair share very different political fortunes Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese channelled Paul Keating as he spoke to government MPs in Canberra this week, reflecting on the tough work of reform. Keating, Albanese said, considered Labor to be a bit like a bicycle. “It only stands up when you pedal,” the party grandee once warned, suggesting that without ideas, direction or momentum, the whole show falls over. Continue reading...

The LNP’s unapologetic moves on crime, transgender healthcare and police-led suppression of protests are a throwback to days many thought had come and gone Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A sign stopped Aunty Sandra King in her tracks. The elder of the Yagara, Quandamooka and Bundjalung people, now in her 70s, spoke at a protest last month against plans to build an Olympic stadium in the heart of Brisbane’s Victoria Park. In the crowd a man held aloft a homemade placard with the words “I Preferred Joh”. Continue reading...

Minns government waited on federal approval of carbon credit scheme before proceeding with long-awaited great koala national park Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A long-promised New South Wales great koala national park is set to go ahead after the Albanese government greenlit the state to receive hundreds of millions of dollars for protecting native forests previously earmarked for logging. The assistant climate change minister, Josh Wilson, said the government had approved a regulatory change that allowed state governments to earn carbon credits by storing

This blog is now closed Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Albanese says Stefanovic saga ‘unfortunate’, but ‘words do matter’ The prime minister was asked by the ABC about Karl Stefanovic’s departure from Nine. He had this to say: It’s a matter, of course, for Channel 9, but words do matter, and what people who are very prominent in our public discourse do, and how they conduct themselves, matters as well. And it’s unfortunate, the way that what has been a very big career has ended in this way. It will be an important

New structure to be built above 194-year-old Mitchells Causeway as residents face months of delays to reopening of Victoria Pass section of highway Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A vital road connecting Sydney with New South Wales’ central west will remain shut for at least another year, leaving Blue Mountains and Central Tablelands residents facing extended travel times and detours for longer than expected. Transport for NSW closed the Victoria Pass section of the Great Western Highway in March after critical structural cracks were

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here: UK June heat record broken for third day in a row Fourth child dies in France as brutal heatwave forecast to shift east Over in the UK, firefighters are still trying to bring a large wildfire in Derbyshire under control. The blaze, which has burned over 500 square metres of moorland and woodland on Tintwistle Moor, near Glossop, broke out on Wednesday evening, with fire crews from Manchester and Derbyshire deploying a water-dropping helicopter and six fire engines on Thursday. Continue reading...

Scientists say hot spell is worst ever, with nearly half of region’s 850 largest cities facing unprecedented heat stress The number of deaths in France linked to the heatwave has climbed to four toddlers and more than 55 drownings, as the brutally hot conditions sweeping Europe were forecast to shift east, choking 150 million people under 35C (95F) temperatures. Scientists said the heatwave was the most severe and widespread ever, leaving nearly half of the region’s 850 largest cities grappling with unprecedented heat stress. They said the extreme temperatures had been made possible by the climate crisis driven by fossil

German firm reportedly considering doubling previously announced staff reductions amid Chinese competition Business live – latest updates Germany’s Volkswagen is to cut up to 100,000 jobs and reduce and eventually stop production at some plants, according to reports. The company has refused to comment on reports of a management presentation at a board meeting outlining dramatic cost cutting, but if it goes ahead it would mean Volkswagen doubling previously announced staff reductions. Continue reading...

As temperatures soar across Europe, cities are struggling to adapt, further exacerbating socioeconomic divisions The heatwave afflicting western Europe is the worst ever , with the combination of heat and humidity fuelled by the climate crisis making scores of cities feel unliveable. While for some the adverse impacts amount to disturbed sleep and sticky days in the home office, low-income families are often worse affected by cities’ lack of adequate adaptation measures, with women at the sharp end. “[It] throws a grenade into every vulnerability you already have,” says Asad Rehman, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, pointing out

RJ Scaringe says firms focused on selling fossil fuel engines risk being ‘woefully behind’ on technology by end of decade Carmakers that focus on selling fossil fuel engines are at risk of being “woefully behind” on technology by the end of the decade, according to the boss of Rivian, an Amazon-backed US electric carmaker. RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s founder and chief executive, said the car industry has reached a “fork in the road” in the choice between short-term profits and the heavy investments, particularly in software, that will be required to survive. Continue reading...

US president calls it ‘foolish violation’ of ceasefire agreement after drone damaged ship’s upper deck US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump on Friday blamed Iran for carrying out a drone strike on a cargo ship in the strait of Hormuz, calling it a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire agreement with the US. One drone damaged the upper deck of the ship but the ship was able to proceed, the US president said. The US shot down three other drones aimed at the ship, he said. Continue reading...

International Maritime Organization says safety guarantees must be confirmed before ships can move again A United Nations agency has paused the evacuation of ships through the strait of Hormuz after the British military said a vessel was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman following the passage of several tankers that used a route backed by the UN. The head of the UN’s International Maritime Organization said on Thursday that the plan to move stranded ships out of the Persian Gulf through the strait would be on hold until the agency could confirm safety guarantees for the ships

Blocking of proposal backed by Oman signals new threat to free passage through strait vital to world economy Iran has rejected UN-backed plans for the mass evacuation of ships through the strait of Hormuz, creating a new threat to the free passage of commercial ships through the strait. The proposal, backed by Oman, was potentially the first phase of a broader Omani proposal to consult on setting up a new management of the strait based on voluntary fees and modelled on the Malacca and Singapore strait mechanism. Continue reading...

Dr Mazen Al-Rantisi, a 71-year-old physician well known for providing care to low-income Palestinians, was arrested in the occupied West Bank Israeli forces on Sunday arrested a prominent 71-year-old Palestinian physician known as the “doctor of the poor” in a pre-dawn raid on his home in the occupied West Bank, prompting widespread condemnation. Dr Mazen Al-Rantisi, a physician widely known for providing care to low-income Palestinians, was arrested in the al-Tira neighbourhood of Ramallah. Continue reading...

Stock markets on both sides of Atlantic up as concerns ease over prospect of another inflationary shock Business live – latest updates Oil prices have fallen to pre-Iran war levels as more oil tankers exited the strait of Hormuz. Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell to a low of $72.24 a barrel on Thursday, slightly lower than the day before the US and Israel launched missile attacks on Tehran on 28 February. Prices have fallen more than 20% this month. 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...

Husband arrested after Sylvie Yasmina, 54, and five children found at home in north-western province Pakistan police say they have rescued a French woman and her five children after she told authorities she had been held captive by her husband for more than a decade and subjected to years of domestic abuse in the country’s north-west. The woman, identified as 54-year-old Sylvie Yasmina, was rescued earlier this week from a mud-brick home in Bara, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border, the district police chief, Waqar Ahmad, said. Continue reading...

Rights campaigners and MEPs say meeting would normalise regime that erases women from public life Rights campaigners and MEPs have warned that a meeting between EU officials and a Taliban delegation in Brussels risks normalising a regime that has banned girls from school beyond the sixth grade and sought to erase women from public life, while its ranks include two leaders accused of crimes against humanity. A spokesperson for the Afghan foreign ministry confirmed that a delegation representing the ⁠Taliban had travelled to Brussels after the Belgian foreign ministry issued five single-day visas. Continue reading...

Directive aimed at government workers, but reports of wider implementation spark warnings of future Afghanistan-wide prohibition The Taliban have ordered a sweeping ban on the use of smartphones by government officials – in what some analysts say could foreshadow broader, population-level restrictions. In a directive issued by the Taliban’s military courts and reviewed by the Guardian, the ban was to take effect this week and prohibits “high rank, low rank, general mujahideen, or service staff” from using mobile phones. Continue reading...

Campaigners welcome announcement cutting levies on menstrual health items, but say their work to end period poverty is ‘far from over’ Pakistan plans to abolish “period tax”, in a victory for young campaigners who had taken the government to court over the charges. Finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced that sanitary towels and related items were “daily necessities that are indispensable for women’s health, dignity and full participation in social activities”, and said he intended to remove the sales tax. Continue reading...

Home secretary speeds up major part of bill governing asylum and refugees as new prime minister set to take over Shabana Mahmood will seek to shore up support for her controversial immigration bill on the progressive left of Labour, as she sets out plans to speed up the opening of new safe and legal routes that will permit thousands of refugees to come to the UK. The home secretary, who is the leading contender to stay in her job if Andy Burnham becomes prime minister, will next week introduce the legislation , which will also set new limits on immigration

Row between Shabana Mahmood and Mike Tapp broke out after he wrote unauthorised article about migration The migration minister, Mike Tapp, is to be denied access to sensitive documents and meetings without approval from the home secretary, as she called for the prime minister to sack him. Shabana Mahmood has demanded that Tapp be fired for writing an unauthorised article in the Times calling for overseas care workers to be exempt from changes to the immigration rules. Continue reading...

The monarch’s declaration does not tell us much, except that his bill is lower than for people with much smaller fortunes The veil of secrecy that surrounds the royal finances was nudged aside a little on Thursday to allow the release of a new piece of information. We learned for the first time how much the king’s annual tax bill comes to. This was not a full tax return. It was a two-sentence declaration, stating his tax payable amounted to £12.9m in 2024-25, and a slightly smaller sum the year before. His total tax payable since accession comes to £30m.

New member for Makerfield and expected next prime minister joins other MPs who donate some or all of their pay Andy Burnham has said he will be donating 15% of his MP’s salary to local causes in his constituency of Makerfield. An MP’s salary currently stands at £98,599 and a number of MPs donate all or part of their salary to charities and causes in the areas they represent. Continue reading...

Despite £369m upgrade, King Charles will never live in palace but aides stress it will remain ‘buzzing hive’ of activity Not all modern British monarchs have viewed the prospect of moving into Buckingham Palace with unalloyed joy. So in announcing he will never live there, after the completion of its £369m upgrade next year, King Charles has at least grasped that nettle. Queen Victoria was initially dismayed by the damp, dingy and disorganised building that greeted her and her husband, Prince Albert, in 1837. It was Albert who refashioned it into “Monarchy HQ”. After his death in 1861, Victoria retreated

US president revives threat against European countries discussing tax measure despite repeated court rulings against his tariffs Sign up for the Breaking News US email Hayes went on: As national security adviser to the president of the United States, Mr Bolton had access to and was responsible for safeguarding the most sensitive national defense information, including classified material. Mr Bolton knew how to handle classified information, where it should be stored, how it should be stored, and with whom he could share that information. Continue reading...

California governor calls for national tax on super-wealthy and suggests the US should own a stake in AI companies US politics live – latest updates California’s governor, Gavin Newsom , called for a national “billionaires tax” on Friday as he fights a ballot measure targeting the ultra-wealthy in his home state. Newsom, who is expected to run for president in 2028, published his proposal the day after California officials certified a ballot proposal to levy a one-time 5% tax on residents worth more than $1bn. The proposal, called the California Billionaire Tax Act, was brought by the Service Employees International

Critics say mandating Bible reading for over 5m students breaches constitutional separation of church and state The Texas education board has approved a broad new statewide reading list that, for the first time, will make passages from the Bible required reading for more than 5 million public school students. Under the new initiative, Bible stories will become mandatory reading for millions of public school students in addition to a more standard collection of books, renewing debate over growing efforts in the US to increase the role of religion in classrooms. Continue reading...

Government asks justices to allow people who have lived in US for years to be held without chance to seek bond The Trump administration on Friday asked the US supreme court to let it detain people arrested in ⁠its immigration crackdown without ⁠a chance to seek ​bond, even if they have lived in the country for years. The administration made that request in a filing made public on Friday, asking the court to ⁠overturn a May decision by a federal appeals court, which had rejected its reinterpretation of a decades-old immigration law that now underlies its mass detention policy. Continue

High commissioner for human rights calls for ‘those responsible for violations of the law’ to be held to account US politics live – latest updates The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, on Friday raised the alarm internationally about deaths in US government immigration custody and called for “prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigations”. Türk’s call came as the Trump administration faced investigations by watchdogs at its own Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into deaths and use of force against people detained in its expanding immigration detention system across the country. Continue reading...

Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to illegally retaining classified information, sealing a deal with federal prosecutors that could allow him to avoid a prison term. Bolton, who became an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump after serving in the Republican’s first administration, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 28 by US District Judge Theodore Chuang in Greenbelt, Maryland. Bolton, 77, pleaded guilty to a single count of...

The official death toll from twin earthquakes that flattened parts ‌of Caracas and surrounding areas rose to 920, the authorities said on Friday. The government has estimated hundreds of people still trapped and missing nearly two days after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors struck about 160⁠km (100 miles) west of Caracas. International search and rescue teams from at least 17 countries are being scrambled to Venezuela to help look for survivors of Wednesday’s devastating twin earthquakes, the...

Leaders of the G7 rich nations might have gone into this month’s summit in France hoping for a united front against China. But, overshadowed by the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine and alienated by a mercurial US President Donald Trump, the lacklustre gathering came up short. There was no public agreement on how to address the so-called China shock 2.0, the supposed overcapacity issues and currency manipulation that is considered to be the cause of Chinese exports flooding into Europe. Instead of...

A deadly European heatwave that has saturated hospitals as temperatures soared to record highs was shifting east on Friday, with authorities warning of more misery on a continent not used to stretches of punishing heat. At least 101 million Europeans have roasted for several days in temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius, with an estimated few hundred people, including children, thought to have died as a result, many drowning as they sought respite from the inferno. Scientists said in a study...

Russian air defences intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones in a major nighttime attack on 12 Russian regions as well as the Russia-held Crimean peninsula, the Black Sea and the Azov Sea, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday. The authorities in Crimea on Friday declared an “emergency situation” in a bid to ease the fallout from increasing aerial attacks on the illegally annexed peninsula. “A decision has been made … to sign decrees declaring a regional-level emergency situation in the Republic of...

Who would have imagined that just over 100 days could so change the world? The US-Israeli “war of choice” on Iran has fundamentally – perhaps, permanently – shifted the global balances of economic, military and political power, and not in America’s favour. Mix the direct impact of this gratuitous military conflict with the broader effects on global security, efforts to mitigate climate change, contain soaring public debt and “de-risk” after America’s unilateral efforts to unravel globally agreed...

Former Israeli defence chief Gadi Eisenkot is emerging as the main rival to incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, months ahead of the nation’s parliamentary elections. Eisenkot’s new centrist party, Yashar! (Hebrew for “Straight!”), has rapidly been gaining popularity in opinion polls. It is currently second behind Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud. Israelis must elect a new parliament by October 27 at the latest, although the vote was most likely to be held on October 20. Opinion polls...

Iran and the United States may have entered a temporary ceasefire, but uncertainty over the agreement continues to cast a shadow over the operations of Chinese businesses across the Gulf region. While the deal has raised hopes that business activity could gradually resume, many traders and investors remain reluctant to make long-term commitments. For Abbas Shi, a Chinese businessman who has been helping connect Chinese companies with Iranian partners since 2024, the immediate priority is...

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. A crisis ‘defused’ as blockade lifted, assets to be returned to Iran after Swiss talks Statements from the US and Iran following talks in Switzerland have cooled tensions that nearly derailed the peace process, signalling an intention...

A New York City housing board voted on Thursday to freeze the rents for about one million regulated flats for up to two years, fulfilling a central campaign promise of Mayor Zohran Mamdani only months into his term. The 7-1 vote by the city’s Rent Guidelines Board set increases at zero on both one-year and two-year leases from October. Hundreds ‌of tenants who crowded into a Manhattan museum auditorium cheered and blew whistles at the result. “This is a historic victory for New York City...

“Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin, published the sayings of Confucius in his colonial newspaper and today’s sculpture recognising that ancient Chinese age is carved into the face of the United States Supreme Court very proudly,” said US President Donald Trump in Beijing last month. It took two-and-a-half centuries for an American president to explicitly acknowledge the profound Chinese impact on the US founding fathers. Trump’s recent declaration could be a historical first. Unless archival...

The US Supreme Court on Thursday backed a Trump administration move to strip deportation protections from some 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians living in the United States. The 6-3 ruling by the conservative-dominated court could have implications for more than one million beneficiaries of so-called Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from more than a dozen countries. Justice Samuel Alito, whose majority opinion was joined by the five other conservative justices, said the Department of Homeland...

Venezuela has received offers of rescue teams and humanitarian aid from across the Americas, including from right-wing governments that had broken off diplomatic relations with Caracas less than two years ago, in the wake of this week’s deadly twin earthquakes. The quakes, of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 and 39 seconds apart, struck the north of the country on Wednesday evening and were the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez declared a nationwide state...

King Charles will not live at Buckingham ⁠Palace after its 10-year refurbishment finishes next year, royal officials said on Thursday, ending nearly two centuries of the central London landmark serving as the British monarch’s primary residence. Officials at the same time disclosed the king paid £12.9 million (US$17.04 million) in tax in 2024/25 – the first time the figure has been made public – placing him among Britain’s ‌top 100 taxpayers. Members of the royal family have promised greater...

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Khushboo Razdan separates the signals from the noise in the US debate over drones. Whether responding to a wildfire or searching for a missing person, Battalion Chief William Marsiglio of Chesterfield, Virginia, relies on one tool...

The European Union is offering Brazil a “more beneficial” partnership on critical minerals than the United States or China, the bloc’s international partnerships commissioner said on Thursday, promising investment in domestic refining and technology as Brussels works to cut its dependence on Chinese supply chains. European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela made the case during a week-long visit to Brazil that included a stop on Saturday at a rare earth research and...

Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings on Thursday and rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by a pair of powerful earthquakes that officials say killed at least 235 people and left some 4,300 injured. The number of dead and injured is expected to rise with thousands reported missing from the 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that struck Wednesday evening – among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century and felt throughout the region. The previous reported...

The controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention centre – a costly Florida facility that became a symbol of US President Donald Trump’s deportation drive – has shut down after less than a year in operation, officials said Thursday. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, appearing at the remote Everglades site with White House border tsar Tom Homan, said the facility no longer held any detainees and had fulfilled the emergency role it was built to serve. The facility drew fierce criticism...

A liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a US$16 million rehabilitation project, a top official at the National Park Service said. The US Park Police responded June 9 to a complaint by the park service, said Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the park service. Lands made the statement in a court document filed late Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by a...

The UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) paused its operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after a vessel reported an attack, reigniting concerns about whether a preliminary deal to end the Iran war will hold. Nevertheless, at least four tankers including three huge crude carriers, which can each carry up to two million barrels of oil, entered the Gulf to load up, ship tracking data from LSEG and MarineTraffic showed on Friday. Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine said...

Harvey Weinstein avoided a fourth trial on a New York rape charge after his accuser said she could not endure testifying again, leading prosecutors to drop the #MeToo-era case on Thursday. The film mogul still stands convicted of another sexual felony in New York and others in California, and he remains behind bars. But the New York rape charge had remained unresolved after an overturned conviction followed by two hung juries. The judge formally dismissed the charge on Thursday. Weinstein had a...

The United States is mounting a large-scale humanitarian operation in Venezuela after twin earthquakes devastated the South American country, putting to the test Washington’s role as the most influential international partner in the country’s post-Maduro transition. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was deploying search-and-rescue teams, military logistics and humanitarian help after Wednesday’s magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, which have killed at least 235 people and injured...

US consumer spending accelerated in May even as prices rose at the fastest pace in more than three years, suggesting Americans are powering through the fallout from the Iran war. The personal consumption expenditures price index rose 4.1 per cent last month from a year earlier, the most since April 2023, Bureau of Economic Analysis data out on Thursday showed. Excluding food and energy, prices were up 3.4 per cent from a year earlier. Inflation-adjusted consumer spending rose 0.3 per cent from a...

EU governments’ ministers gathered for a long day’s discussion of climate change policies on Thursday were surprised by a fresh-faced participant at their negotiating table: a three-month-old baby. Swedish Climate Minister Romina Pourmokhtari brought her son, Adam, to the EU council meeting in Luxembourg, to ‌highlight the benefits of parental leave policies which do not force women to choose between work and family responsibilities. “I wanted to showcase being an example of not having to make...

A German doctor admitted to having killed 12 patients nearly a year since the start of his high-profile trial at the Berlin Regional Court on Thursday. The 40-year-old palliative care doctor is charged with killing 15 patients in total – 12 women and three men – between September 2021 and July 2024. He is alleged to have administered a “lethal mixture of various drugs” to the victims, who were between 25 and 87 years old. Prosecutors also believe he set fires in some cases to try to obscure his...

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Gulf allies on Thursday that any deal with Iran would take their interests into account, as he wrapped up a Middle East trip aimed at winning over regional partners with deep reservations about the preliminary accord. Speaking at a meeting of Gulf Arab foreign ministers in Bahrain – home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet – Rubio said Washington was seeking an ‌enduring peace with long-time foe Iran that would not come at the expense of the security of allies in...

The European Union has disbursed the first €3 billion (US$3.4 billion) tranche of a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, the country’s prime minister announced on Thursday at the opening of a conference on Ukraine’s post-war recovery in Poland. The conference, attended by key European leaders including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is both a fundraising forum and a message to Russia that Ukraine’s Western supporters are in it for a long...

A three-year-old has died after finding himself trapped in a car in the Paris region in extreme heat, a prosecutor said on Thursday, the third such fatality this week. The boy had slipped into the family car while his father thought he was napping, then found himself unable to get out with the child lock in the town of Saint-Gratien, the prosecutor said, after a police source and civil defence also reported the death. France on Wednesday recorded the hottest day since measurements began in 1947,...

There is a one in five chance that a packet of coffee beans sold in Europe contains residues of pesticides thought to have been erased during roasting, and in some cases include banned sprays that cause cancer, according to new research. There is a “systemic pattern” of pesticides showing up again and again in beans from most major production regions, says Coffee Watch, a US-based non-profit organisation seeking to reform the global coffee industry. Coffee Watch partnered with Pesticide Action...

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday it may never be known who was at fault for a deadly strike on a girls’ school in Iran on February 28, the first day of the Iran war, that killed scores of children. Reuters first reported in March that an initial internal US military investigation showed US forces were likely responsible for the fatal strike in Minab in southern Iran. The Pentagon has since elevated the probe but it has not acknowledged any preliminary findings. “I don’t know that they...

US President Donald Trump was dismissive of Andy Burnham, who is set to become the next UK prime minister, saying he was unfamiliar with him and has only heard that he is “extremely liberal”. The US president was asked by a reporter on Wednesday about what he knew about Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester who is poised to succeed Keir Starmer in Britain’s latest leadership shake-up. “I don’t know anything. I see that he was, I guess, the mayor of a town. I hear he’s extremely...

US President Donald Trump opened 16 days of celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary Wednesday with a rally-style speech – turning a national commemoration into a highly politicised showcase for his second-term agenda. The address, on Washington’s National Mall, underscored how Trump has reshaped the anniversary around his own brand of politics and showmanship, blurring the line between official celebration and campaign-style spectacle. The Republican leader eventually invoked the grand...

The market realignment over the past week starkly captures the self-defeating logic of America’s technology containment strategy. The momentum began on June 15, when the shares of Chinese artificial intelligence pioneer Zhipu AI, which trade in Hong Kong under Knowledge Atlas Technology, surged by 48 per cent intraday after it announced the open-source release of its GLM-5.2 foundation model. The rally continued this week, with Zhipu’s shares trading at an intraday high of HK$2,980 (US$380) in...

⁠Thousands of Venezuelans were feared dead on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes wreaked havoc in and ⁠around the capital Caracas, trapping people beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings and setting off powerful aftershocks. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160km (100 miles) west of Caracas on Wednesday afternoon, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the US Geological Survey. Emergency workers scrambled over the debris of collapsed buildings in...

The US Army’s commander of its forces in Europe and Africa – who was famously the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021 – is unexpectedly stepping down from his post after just 18 months in the job, the Army confirmed late on Tuesday. General Christopher Donahue, commanding general of US Army Europe and Africa and commander of Nato’s Allied Land Command, will relinquish his command on July 2, according to an Army statement. He is the latest in a line of nearly two dozen top military...

Right-wing ⁠candidate Keiko Fujimori said on ⁠Wednesday she would seek to ⁠unite a Peru “split in two” if she takes office, after razor-thin election results gave her enough votes to secure what appears to be an insurmountable lead in the presidential run-off. Fujimori, a four-time presidential hopeful and the daughter of late former president Alberto Fujimori, said ‌she would make an “open call” to experienced technocrats to form her first cabinet, as she seeks to fulfil campaign promises to...

The war in Iran is effectively over. Although the dust has yet to settle, some lessons are already visible. First, US President Donald Trump has waged a personal war at the world’s expense. Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu warned that arms are ill-omened tools, employed only as a last resort. Trump, who has admitted he doesn’t like to read, may not realise this. Few people know why he ordered a strike on Iran. Maybe kidnapping president Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela was too easy or Israeli Prime...

What is the secret ⁠to a long life? Three ⁠Brazilian sisters with a combined age ⁠of 316, who were named by Guinness this month as the oldest living trio of siblings in the world, may help researchers find out. The DNA Longevo Project, a study led by scientist Mayana Zatz from the University of Sao Paulo, aims to investigate the biological factors ‌behind ageing. Findings from the three sisters’ case could help scientists better understand why some people remain physically and cognitively...

On a sunny day in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighbourhood, punters piled into the fifth floor of Time Out Market to Portugal House – part food court, part bar, full-blown World Cup party. The room was awash with Portuguese team jerseys, filled with fans sipping cold beer and soft drinks, proudly singing Portugal’s national anthem before their match against DR Congo. “Hopefully, one day I can sing the Chinese national song in a World Cup stadium,” said Zhai Yibo, a 20-year-old Chinese student studying in...

Brazil’s federal police detained a Spanish citizen in Sao Paulo’s international Guarulhos airport for racism on Wednesday, the latest in a series of high-profile arrests of foreign tourists on similar grounds. Brazil has some of the strictest anti-racism laws in Latin America. Insulting a person on the basis of race carries a penalty of imprisonment from two to five years and a fine. The crew of a Latam airlines flight arriving from the northeastern city of Sao Luis called police, who arrested...

A US federal judge asked on Wednesday for an explanation for why a tarpaulin continues to cover the facade of the Kennedy Centre where President Donald Trump’s name was recently removed. District Judge Christopher Cooper gave the board of trustees of the performing arts venue until the end of July to explain “the purpose for and status of the tarp and scaffolding that defendants have erected on the front portico of the centre”. Trump’s name was removed from the Kennedy Centre on the orders of...

President Donald Trump cancelled his plan to sign a bipartisan affordable housing bill on Wednesday in an effort to pressure his fellow Republicans to pass a long-stalled package of US national voting restrictions that has aggravated party fissures and shown the limits of his power. “Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency,” Trump wrote in a social media...

A positive case of Ebola virus has been identified in France in a doctor travelling back from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the French Ministry of Health said Wednesday. The individual, who has not been identified, returned from a humanitarian mission in one of the virus transmission zones in the DR Congo and was taken into care at a specialised facility in France. The person is in stable condition, the ministry said. The Congolese health ministry said on Wednesday there are 1,094 confirmed...

A key road named after US President Donald Trump in India’s opposition-ruled tech hub of Hyderabad has drawn criticism from ‌Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party, which dismissed the move as “hypocrisy”. US-India ties have deteriorated during Trump’s second term, with Washington imposing high tariffs on Indian goods, punishing New Delhi for purchasing Russian oil, and engaging closely with India’s arch-rival Pakistan. The road in the capital of the southern state of Telangana, ruled by...

The resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer has once again plunged British politics into uncertainty. Britain is now poised to welcome its seventh prime minister in a decade: after David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and now Starmer, yet another successor is waiting in the wings. For a country that often presents itself as a model of political stability and democratic governance, such an extraordinary turnover of leadership raises questions about the...

Mr. Bolton admitted to mishandling classified information and could face time in prison, in an inquiry that spanned the Trump and Biden administrations.

President Trump’s priorities seem increasingly detached from the concerns of voters and his party.

The vice president said that the scandal that ended Richard Nixon’s presidency would be “like a 12-hour news story” if it happened today and that the “deep state” had taken down Nixon.

The university hired a high-powered law firm to try to reach an agreement with the Justice Department over claims its admissions practices hurt white and Asian applicants.

Thousands of men and boys gathered in central Washington for masculinity, Christianity and right-wing politics.

Residents in the Caribbean enclave in Brooklyn worried about returning to a crime-ravaged country after President Trump was allowed a path to deport them.

The Telemundo announcer Andrés Cantor must train to deliver his famed scoring celebration for the World Cup, where he could call 20 games in about a month.

What’s most surprising is that Tesla and SpaceX have entered that elite group. A vast majority of companies weren’t worth owning, a long-running study shows.

Price cuts and low-interest-rate loans are luring buyers, including people offended by the company’s chief executive.

Crowds in the capital’s central business district fled as the crash sent debris falling into the streets below.

Britain may have lost the Revolutionary War, but London still holds the blueprints of the American Revolution. Follow in the founders’ footsteps at these notable places.

The presentation of an original German-language translation in Berlin is an opportunity to consider the shared history of the United States and Germany.

Where is Chief Justice John Roberts? And why isn’t he putting limits on this administration?

Four young Cubans grapple with what it means to stay on an island facing unprecedented migration.