Minimalist News

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

Britain Once Led The World. What Happened? Authored by Damian Pudner via the Foundation for Economic Education, An unsettling look at the economic settlement that the UK now seems willing to accept can be found in the latest fiscal forecast, published on March 3. By the end of the forecast period, borrowing will have decreased from 5.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024–2025 to about 1.6 percent. Public debt stabilizes at roughly 95 percent of national income. At those levels, even small shifts in interest rates matter: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates that a sustained 1-percentage-point move in the Bank

Switzerland Halts Military Exports To US, Citing Iran War Neutrality  Switzerland on Friday announced it is halting all military and defense exports to the United States, citing its neutrality, coming as the Iran war reaches the three week mark. "Exports of war materiel to the US cannot currently be authorized," the government said, as quoted in Bloomberg. The statement specifically referenced Washington's "international armed conflict" in the Middle East. Source: screengrab via Johnny Harris/YouTube The announcement might not be a surprise, given similar past stances by Switzerland; however it comes at a sensitive moment where President Trump has been expressing frustration at Europe and

You Won't Believe What The UK Green Party Wants To Teach Children... Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Radical leftists want a new Department of Migration to push open borders propaganda in schools and fast-track voting rights, free housing and citizenship for illegals. A leaked Green Party dossier has blown the lid off plans to brainwash British schoolchildren into believing they have a ‘moral duty’ to embrace endless immigration. The document, hidden behind a password-locked policy archive normally only accessible to party members, calls for a new Department of Migration to work hand in glove with education chiefs. Its stated goal is to “disseminate knowledge” about

Smith: The Political Left, Multiculturalism, & The Dark Alliance With Islam Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us For 15 years the FBI was engaged in a landmark investigation into the largest Islamic-based charity in the United States, called The Holy Land Foundation. The organization was operating as a front for Muslim terror groups, funneling cash from western countries to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, until they were finally put on trial in 2008. Convicted leaders were known as the “Holy Land Five,” and included Shukri Abu Baker, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdulqader, Abdulrahman Odeh, and Mohammad El-Mezain. Among the documents seized from these individuals

Watch: China Claims Cyborg Breakthrough To Build An "Army Of Centaurs" Researchers at Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen have unveiled a wearable robotic system that adds a pair of independent mechanical legs and a torso framework to a human wearer, forming a four-legged hybrid to assist with carrying heavy loads across difficult terrain such as stairs, ramps, and uneven ground, according to the South China Morning Post. Led by Chenglong Fu, the team of scientists designed the device to combine human cognitive advantages in path planning and decision-making with robotic capabilities for load-bearing and endurance in environments too hazardous

Inside Iran's Internet Access Black Market Amid 3-Week Wartime Blackout Via Middle East Eye Since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Iranian authorities have sharply restricted access to the internet. According to NetBlocks, a group that monitors internet access worldwide, Iran has experienced a near-total blackout for 20 consecutive days. Connectivity has dropped to less than one percent. For those trying to access the internet, options are limited. Some rely on Starlink, which is not widely used. The equipment is expensive and difficult to import. Iranians also believe is easier for the authorities to detect. Others turn to VPNs (virtual private networks) and custom configurations that can

First-Ever Look At America's Classified RQ-180 Stealth Drone? The world is seemingly at war. With multi-front conflicts raging in Eastern Europe and intensifying in the Middle East, this period of elevated World War III risk has coincided with the emergence of some of America’s most advanced stealth aircraft. The latest sighting comes from the Greek news website OnLarissa, which reports that a planespotter captured a "mysterious" stealth-bomber-like aircraft operating near Larissa, Greece, near the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) base. The local outlet stated, "The ferocious warplane was reportedly parked due to a malfunction at the 110th Fighter Wing military airfield," adding that the

Tax Season Will Bring Record Refunds. Use Them Wisely Authored by Marc Cadin via RealClearMarkets, Affordability is the defining economic challenge for millions of Americans. A recent poll found that 70% of Americans report that the cost of living is no longer affordable where they live, a concern that was highlighted in the most recent elections. From rising housing costs to the grocery aisle to the electricity bill, families are struggling to stay afloat.   This year, however, many households will finally get relief thanks to a new federal policy.  Signed into law this summer, the Working Families Tax Cut will deliver one of the largest tax refunds on record.  According

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Almost 60 injured in blaze in Daejeon with footage seemingly showing people jumping from burning building to escape A fire at a car parts factory in South Korea has killed 14 people and injured almost 60 others. Firefighters said all of the missing are now accounted for after a search operation of the wreckage of the three-storey building. Continue reading...

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

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

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

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

Labor secures landslide win, but One Nation vote tops 20%, leaving Liberals devastated and eating into ALP territory in outer suburbs * I’m going to leave you some land mines, Hanson warns premier * One Nation has put meat on the bones of its polling surge * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast South Australia’s Peter Malinauskas has used Labor’s landslide state election victory to urge a kinder and more inclusive politics, reaching out to disaffected One Nation voters and promising to work across politics lines in his second term. The Labor leader increased his majority in

The SA election result is devastating for the Liberals, but there are warning signs for Labor too in One Nation’s startling rise, which has rocked Australian politics Labor secures overwhelming victory in SA election Rarely – perhaps never – has the winner of an election felt more like a subplot to a bigger and more consequential narrative than in South Australia on Saturday night. The ABC called the result for Peter Malinauskas and his Labor government less than 90 minutes after the polls closed, validating the opinion polls that had long forecast a landslide victory. Continue reading...

Roberts, who was the first Aboriginal person to host a prime-time current affairs program, was diagnosed with a rare type of ovarian cancer seven months ago Rhoda Roberts – obituary Rhoda Roberts, the Bundjalung Widjabul Wiyebal cultural leader and arts devotee, has died at the age of 66. In a statement made via Instagram, Roberts’s family announced she had died peacefully in hospital on Saturday afternoon, having been diagnosed with a rare type of ovarian cancer seven months ago. Continue reading...

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

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

Autopsy reveals James ‘Jimmy’ Gracey’s injuries consistent with repeatedly hitting breakwater’s rocks, Spanish media report A University of Alabama student who was found dead in Barcelona after going missing while vacationing evidently fell into the sea on accident in view of surveillance cameras – and an autopsy revealed injuries on his body that were consistent with having repeatedly struck a breakwater’s rocks. Such details about James “Jimmy” Gracey surfaced in the Spanish media as a spokesperson for police in Barcelona told the Associated Press that “all signs point” to the 20-year-old’s death as having been inadvertent. Continue reading...

Bypassing animal health certificate system by using cheaper pet passport issued abroad could backfire, experts say British pet owners who want to take their furry friends elsewhere in Europe have been warned not to try to dodge expensive health certificates by using a pet passport issued abroad. Before Brexit, taking a cat, dog or ferret to the EU was relatively simple: the Pet Travel Scheme meant an animal needed a microchip, vaccination against rabies, a pet passport and, for dogs, there were also requirements concerning tapeworm treatment. Continue reading...

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

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

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

President says US ‘getting very close to meeting our objectives’; missiles fired at joint US-UK military base in Indian Ocean but neither hit Circling back now to Diego Garcia, Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the joint US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean – but neither of them hit, according to news reports citing US officials. The Wall Street Journal said one of the missiles failed in flight, and that a US warship fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other, citing two US officials. It could not be determined if an interception was made, one said. Continue reading...

Weapons fired after PM authorises US to carry out further attacks from UK bases, a move critics say must be approved by parliament * Middle East crisis live – latest updates The Ministry of Defence has condemned Iranian strikes directed towards a US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia. Iran fired the missiles after warning that British lives were “in danger” after Keir Starmer authorised the US to carry out further strikes from British bases. Continue reading...

Some in cabinet in despair over possible impact of war begun by Donald Trump, who branded Nato allies ‘cowards’ * Middle East crisis – live updates Donald Trump has branded the UK and other Nato allies “cowards” as anger grows among cabinet ministers that his war in Iran could jeopardise Britain’s fragile finances. Senior members of the UK government are in despair about the potential effects on the economy, with experts warning of higher energy prices and increased mortgage and borrowing costs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: War has led to 5m tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in two weeks and is draining the global carbon budget faster than 84 countries combined The US-Israel war on Iran is a disaster for the climate, according to an analysis that finds it is draining the global carbon budget faster than 84 countries combined. As warplanes, drones and missiles kill thousands of people, level infrastructure and turn the Middle East into a gigantic environmental sacrifice zone, the first analysis of the climate cost has found the conflict led to 5m tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in its first 14 days. Continue reading...

Washington considers Kharg Island takeover as Donald Trump calls Nato allies ‘cowards’ for refusal to ‘help open’ strait of Hormuz * Middle East crisis – live updates Donald Trump said he was considering “winding down” military operations in the Middle East even as the US is reportedly sending three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2,500 additional marines to the region. The US president’s remarks on Friday followed an Iranian threat to attack recreational and tourist sites worldwide and another day of the airstrikes and drone and missile attacks that have engulfed the region. Continue reading...

At least 400 killed in Pakistan’s strike on drug rehab centre, Taliban say, with families searching unmarked mass graves Sohrab Faqiri spent Eid, the Muslim festival to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, looking for the grave of his brother, killed in a massive Pakistan airstrike on Kabul this week. Pakistan’s bombardment campaign, on what it says is terrorist and military infrastructure in neighbouring Afghanistan, appeared to have gone catastrophically wrong. A rehabilitation centre for drug addicts was hit on Monday night, according to the United Nations and the Afghan authorities. The UN’s preliminary death toll is 143 people,

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

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

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

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

Venezuelan-born dancer posts emotional video saying she plans to take on new projects in other areas Strictly Come Dancing’s longest-serving female professional dancer, Karen Hauer, has quit the show after 14 years. In a video posted on Instagram, Hauer said it was “the right time to close this chapter and take on new projects in other areas I’m passionate about”. Continue reading...

The Woman’s Hour host, who has died aged 75, could talk about hydrangeas, campaign against domestic abuse, then tear a strip off a politician – all within a few minutes Before she took over Woman’s Hour in 1987, Jenni Murray was a presenter on the Today programme. She had joined the BBC in Bristol in 1973, and became a TV reporter and presenter for South Today, so arrived with solid news credentials. But Today in the 1980s was inveterately sexist – the guys took the politics, the women mopped up the rest – that the format was just too small for

FoI request reveals no evidence of testing despite ministers hailing agreement as key to delivering AI-led public service reform When the UK government signed a memorandum of understanding with OpenAI, the tech firm behind ChatGPT, the partnership was hailed as one that could harness artificial intelligence to “address society’s greatest challenges”. But eight months on from the fanfare of that announcement, the government has yet to hold any trials involving the firm’s tech. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Tariq Ahmad says he has raised concerns with party leadership after shadow justice secretary’s remarks The shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, has been accused by a Conservative peer and former counter-extremism minister of “instilling fear” among Muslims with his comments about public prayer. British Muslims were openly talking about leaving the Conservative party, added Tariq Ahmad, who said he had raised his concerns with the party leadership and expected action to be taken. Continue reading...

Nearly 300 of the actor’s items, from designer gowns to everyday basics, to be sold in Los Angeles, with some lots under $100 A customised sunhat. A slogan sweatshirt. A “mom” necklace. An old copy of Cosmopolitan. If these sound like items found in many homes today, they’re actually the castoffs of a household name: Gwyneth Paltrow. Next week, nearly 300 pieces owned by Paltrow will be on sale as part of an auction at Julien’s, the Los Angeles auction house that has sold big-ticket items such as Marilyn Monroe’s so-called “naked” dress and the leather jacket worn by Olivia Newton-John in

Footage shows US musician struggling with field sobriety tests he calls ‘really hard’ before his 2024 arrest in New York Justin Timberlake struggled to perform field sobriety tests requiring him to walk a straight line and stand on one leg after the pop star was pulled over in New York’s Hamptons in 2024 by police officers who suspected him of driving drunk, according to video footage released on Friday. Timberlake tells officers at one point, “these are like really hard tests.” Continue reading...

Joe Kent, who left Trump administration over Iran war, tells Megyn Kelly ‘facts are on my side’ amid FBI investigation * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox The counter-terrorism official who resigned from Donald Trump’s administration over the US and Israel’s war against Iran has said he is bracing for political retribution – but would do it all again anyway. Asked by conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly if he was concerned about a pre-existing FBI search investigating him for leaking classified information, Kent said he was ambivalent. Continue reading...

Anthropic fought against the government’s misuse of its technology, but authorities are buying Americans’ data, enabling them to surveil citizens at scale The FBI declares it can conduct mass surveillance without AI, despite Anthropic’s protest. A central part of the standoff between Anthropic and the Department of Defense has revolved around the artificial intelligence firm’s refusal to allow its technology to be used for mass domestic surveillance. Yet even without the cooperation of AI firms, remarks this week from Kash Patel, FBI director, show how authorities are by any reasonable measure already operating a system that can surveil citizens at scale. Continue reading...

Online searches for electric and hybrid cars increase as war-linked fuel prices hit highest levels in nearly three years * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox US car buyers are showing a surge in interest in electric vehicles after Donald Trump’s decision to attack Iran helped cause a major jump in gasoline prices. The cost to refuel a vehicle in the US is at its highest level in nearly three years, with the average national price of gas standing at $3.90 a gallon on Friday. Continue reading...

Court’s decision to eliminate Save plan and internal shuffling on who handles what when it comes to student loans presents new challenges for borrowers * Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Many Americans with student debt are again facing future upheaval after a federal appeals court recently ordered the end of a Biden-era student loan repayment program, known as the Saving on a Value Education (Save) Plan, a move that coincided with another grim revelation: new education department data shows that by the end of 2025, 7.7 million borrowers had defaulted on

Three weeks into the Iran war, tit-for-tat escalations on multiple fronts have dragged the Middle East to the brink of the region-wide conflict that its governments have repeatedly warned about – and tried to avert – since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023. Israel has launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon in recent days, after Hezbollah entered the conflict in response to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iraq has been turned into a shooting range, as...

A federal jury in California found on Friday that tech titan Elon Musk misled Twitter shareholders in an effort to drive down the company’s share price as he was poised to buy it in a US$44 billion deal. The verdict in a class action securities lawsuit means the world’s richest person could be ordered to pay out as much as US$2.6 billion, according to damages calculated by jurors. Giuseppe Pampena filed the suit against Musk on behalf of people who sold Twitter shares between mid-May of 2022 and...

A US federal judge on Friday ruled as unconstitutional a Pentagon press access policy that withdrew accreditations from a host of prominent media organisations. Elements of the policy are “unlawful because they violate the First and Fifth Amendments of the United States Constitution”, a judge in Washington said in response to a lawsuit brought by The New York Times. US media and a host of international news outlets including Agence France-Presse, Associated Press and Fox News declined to sign...

US President Donald Trump said Friday he was considering “winding down” military operations against Iran three weeks into the war, but warned the Strait of Hormuz would need to be policed by other countries. Trump’s comments were his strongest signal yet of an end to the conflict, although the key oil passage effectively remains closed, as thousands more Marines are headed to the Middle East. “We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military...

During a press conference of the annual “two sessions”, National People’s Congress spokesperson Lou Qinjian referenced the grass-roots football league Suchao or Su Super League, which drew millions of spectators in Chinese stadiums last year. At a time when boosting domestic demand tops Beijing’s economic agenda, discussing an amateur sports tournament at the national podium goes beyond mere cultural commentary. It hints at something broader about how policymakers are approaching the consumption...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Precision strike: China targets US, Japan stranglehold on photoresist supply China’s push for semiconductor self-sufficiency is shifting from broad aspiration to a precision strike on chokepoint materials, with photoresist – the...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As they sought to respond to charges of antisemitism and harassment on campus, administrators and trustees made promises. Many have been kept, but not all.

Lab-made drugs soaked into the pages of letters, books and even legal documents are being smuggled behind bars, killing inmates and frustrating investigators.

The removals followed a New York Times investigation that revealed Chavez sexually abused women and girls.

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

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

The co-founder of the United Farm Workers talked about her relationship with Cesar Chavez, and the night he raped her.

Sandro Castro has drawn scrutiny for his Instagram posts in which he flaunts a life of luxury while using satire to point out the very deterioration his family’s leadership helped create.

The island is dependent on tourism, but a lack of fuel and extensive power outages are forcing many travelers to cancel. Here’s what visitors might face.

The “Nuestra América” humanitarian convoy plans to deliver more than 20 tons of critical supplies to Cuba. Some Cuban exiles view it with suspicion.

The band’s looks, by the Korean brand Songzio, represented a bigger story about Korean culture and meaning.

Japanese members of some K-pop bands have been absent from recent concerts in China. Experts say that’s linked to tension between Tokyo and Beijing.

Whatever short-term gain the president thinks he is getting by lying about the war in Iran is far exceeded by the cost, for him, the country and the world.

We could make college accessible for all Americans, restore health care cuts and pretty much end the worst form of global hunger — and still have billions of dollars left over.

Astronomical spring began yesterday, but the actual change of season is more gradual, a halting and nonlinear progression.

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

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

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

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