Minimalist News

California Residents Sue Gas Stations Alleging AI Price Fixing Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times , Three California residents are suing a fuel pricing company and several gas station operators, alleging that they use artificial intelligence-based pricing systems to raise gasoline prices in an uncompetitive manner. Gas prices above $6 a gallon are displayed at a Shell station in Los Angeles on on May 4, 2026. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images " Californians are being forced to pay surcharges that cannot be explained by crude oil costs, refining costs, environmental regulation, or taxes, " said the June 22 class action

SpaceX Builds A Regulatory Moat Around Its Starlink Empire Scotiabank analysts write that SpaceX is using the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) process to transform spectrum rights, service approvals, and satellite rulemaking into a regulatory moat around Starlink. This reinforces its position as the rocket and AI company moves to secure years of dominance as the leading space-based communications provider. Scotiabank's Maher Yaghi and Joey Chan wrote in a note titled "SpaceX at the FCC: Building a Wider Regulatory Moat" that, after reviewing SpaceX's filings from October 2025 through June, there are three major takeaways regarding how the company is "reinforcing

Obama-Appointed Judge Dismisses Federal Government's Lawsuit Challenging Los Angeles Sanctuary City Policy Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times , A California judge has dismissed the federal government's legal challenge to Los Angeles's sanctuary city ordinance that restricts the use of city resources to assist federal immigration enforcement. People in the audience hold up signs as the Los Angeles City Council considers a "sanctuary city" ordinance during a meeting at City Hall in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2024. Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin of the Central District of California said the federal government

Cyberattack Hits Iran's Banking System, Disrupting Card Networks At Three Major Lenders It seems that the United States and Israel have not completely given up on covert efforts toward regime change in Iran, or at least on sabotage efforts to weaken the government's hold over the population. The precursor to Trump's Operation Epic Fury was of course the January economic protests, which saw serious clashes with police and security forces, and left thousands dead. Trump subsequently claimed over 30,000 were killed - a very high, dubious number - according to many independent analysts. At the same time US Treasury Secretary

Randi Whinegarten Authored by Larry Sand via American Greatness , Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, wrote a hyperbolic piece titled " America's Teachers Can't Afford to Teach, " which appeared in Time magazine on June 11. The excessively whiny article is filled with half-truths meant to make readers feel sorry for impoverished, underpaid teachers. Among other things, she asserts that the vast majority of American educators are living paycheck to paycheck, taking on debt to buy groceries, and facing other financial hardships. She maintains that the pay gap between "teachers and other college-educated professionals - known

UN Maritime Agency Initiates Plan To Clear Hormuz Traffic: Hundreds Of Vessels, 11K Sailors The Strait of Hormuz is supposed to be 'open' now, based on the MoU framework, though things are expected to be extremely slow moving, despite signs of life in terms of an increased transit flow becoming evident only this week. The saga of just how hundreds of ships will traverse is developing and tenuous: "The UN's International Maritime Organization says it will begin evacuating more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Gulf due to the Middle East war ," per AFP. via Bloomberg " This large-scale

The Decline Of Mainstream Media: From COVID To Capital Markets Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance Many of my subscribers first found me before the COVID narrative became mainstream, when I was ringing the alarm bells about the stock market in late 2019 and early 2020 and warning people that the virus was going to be a much bigger deal than people thought. At the time, almost nobody cared about COVID. The consensus view was that it was a localized problem in China and that markets would continue marching higher as they always had. By January and February 2020, I was

Supreme Court Sides With Trump Admin On Removing Green Card Holders Accused Of Crimes Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness, In a 6-3 decision Tuesday morning, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration, holding that green card holders can be stripped of their status if they traveled abroad while facing criminal charges involving moral turpitude, finding that pending allegations are sufficient to subject them to removal proceedings. The Court said immigration officials do not need clear and convincing evidence of a crime at the moment a green card holder reenters the U.S. to treat them as

Meta Developing Prediction Market App Called "Arena" To Compete With Polymarket, Kalshi The company formerly known as Facebook which has yet to change its name from the terribly outdated Meta to something more AI-related, even if Meta has so far lost any hope of being a leading frontier model, is developing a new app called “Arena” that mirrors a prediction market platform to compete with the runaway success of Polymarket and Kalshi, according the New York Times . The product - which would operate independently from Facebook and Instagram - would allow users to make forecasts about future events, ranging

Judge Blocks SNAP Restrictions On Sugary Drinks, Candy Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times , A federal judge on Monday blocked the USDA from restricting the use of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ​Program (SNAP) to buy sugary foods or drinks in five states. Bags of candy on shelves at a Target store in Austin, Texas, on June 4, 2025. Brandon Bell/Getty Images U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued the ruling in response to a lawsuit by five SNAP recipients challenging the Agriculture Department's (USDA's) issuance of waivers for Colorado, Iowa, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Nebraska that allow

Ras Laffan Explosion Threatens To Slow Qatar LNG Ramp, Goldman Says A powerful explosion tore through Qatar's key natural gas plant late Sunday, killing at least 13 people and injuring 66 others. While the incident does not appear to have directly impaired LNG export capacity, it has certaintly raised the risk that Qatar may slow the restart of operations as a precaution. The timing could not be worse. The blast at Qatar's giant Ras Laffan energy complex comes just a week or so after the US-Iran interim peace deal was signed and days after the Strait of Hormuz was reopened.

US Senate Passes Housing Bill With Four-Year Fed CBDC Ban Authored by Micah Zimmerman via BitcoinMagazine.com, The U.S. Senate passed a sweeping housing affordability bill Monday night — and tucked inside its pages is a provision that could permanently reshape America’s digital currency landscape: a formal ban on a Federal Reserve-issued central bank digital currency through the end of 2030. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act cleared the Senate 85-5, with Republican leaders insisting the CBDC restriction ride along with one of the most bipartisan bills in years. The House was poised to fast-track a vote as early as

The Burden Of History: Justice Jackson's Curious Call To Overturn Critical 2nd Amendment Precedent Authored by Jonathan Turley , Since her confirmation in 2022, Justice Kentaji Brown Jackson has established a legacy that is fast becoming one of the most radical in the Court’s history . Her sole dissents have drawn sharp criticism from both her conservative and liberal colleagues. However, for critics of some of these decisions, Justice Jackson continues to publish opinions that are not just, as she describes it, cathartic but chilling. Worse yet, the latest judicial jump scare was shared by her colleague, Justice Sonya Sotomayor,

Trump Privately Told Zelensky To Act 'More Boldly' Toward Russia: Ukrainian Media While the globe's attention has been fixated on efforts to finally achieve US-Iran peace, based on negotiations in Switzerland, the Russia-Ukraine war has been quietly (or not so quietly) heating up, as evidenced in the increasingly brazen Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow and Crimea. A slew of Ukrainian publications on Tuesday are reporting that this is in large part due to a White House greenlight to bring the war to Russian territory , in order to finally get significant concessions from Moscow, after over four years of grinding

Average 2Y Auction Stops Through, Has Highest Yield Since Jan 2025 In the week's first coupon auction, moments ago the Treasury sold $69BN in 2Y notes at a high yield of 4.189%, up from 4.071% and the highest yield since January 2025; the auction also stopped through the When Issued 4.192% by 0.3bps, the biggest through since January. The bid to cover was perfectly average at 2.643, unchanged from last month's 2.640 and right on top of the recent average of 2.61. Internals were a bit on the weak side, with Indirects awarded 55.45%, down from 57.60% and the lowest

Kuwait Offers Gulf Oil Loadings In Ports Deep In Persian Gulf As Producers Seek Hormuz Outlet Submitted by Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com Kuwait is offering naphtha for loading at its ports deep into the Persian Gulf in the first such tender in months, as Middle Eastern oil producers seek to raise shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. State-held Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has issued a tender to sell naphtha cargoes to be picked up at Kuwaiti ports by buyers , Bloomberg reported on Monday, quoting a tender document it had seen. The Kuwaiti tender is a sign that the Gulf

MP Materials' Lawsuit Against USA Rare Earth Highlights Battle For America's Future In Minerals USA Rare Earth has dismissed a lawsuit filed by MP Materials, calling the claims "completely without merit" and arguing the case is an attempt to slow its growth. The company said it will deny all allegations that it improperly obtained confidential information from a former MP employee, according to Bloomberg . The dispute underscores intensifying competition in the U.S. rare-earth sector, where both companies are racing to build domestic mining, processing, and magnet-production capabilities. USA Rare Earth said MP is trying to impede its progress as

This Is Only Fifth Time QQQs Gapped Down When Within 2% Of An All Time High In a day of sharp, downward pointing market moves and superlatives, we can add another: according to calculations from BTIG's Jonathan Krinsky, today's 2% gap down in the QQQs is a historic event. " Since QQQ's inception ('99), this is just the 5th time that's happened when the day prior was within 2% of a 52wk high and the VIX was below 20." What happens next? While near-term returns are split, all four of the signals saw QQQ meaningfully lower over the next month.

Trump Insists Iran Caved On Nuclear Inspections, As Tehran Touts US To Unfreeze $12BN; Hormuz Tolls Still Disputed Summary Conflicting Claims Remain: Washington and Tehran continue to dispute whether Iran agreed to extensive IAEA nuclear inspections and the terms of sanctions relief; also, Hormuz tolls remains an issue of contention. $12 Billion Asset Release: Iran says $12 billion in frozen assets will be released initially, with total relief potentially reaching $50 billion if a final deal is reached. Battle Over Fund Control: The US says released funds would be restricted to humanitarian purchases, while Iran insists it will decide how

There’s A Shakespearean Tone To Current Developments By Michael Every of Rabobank Burnham would come to high Done-inane There’s a Shakespearean tone to current developments: tragically, not one of his comedies. The US has introduced a temporary waiver (until August 21) for Iranian oil sales that undoes 40 years of sanctions. Iran can sell what it likes to who it likes, including the US, and receive US dollars . Two months isn’t enough time to sell much, but if the White House wants to show Iran it’s serious about offering new opportunities that’s been achieved. Equally, Iran says an agreement

Assailant behind shooting that left three people dead wrote ‘incel’-like manifesto that was posted by a far-right outlet Police in Canada are warning of possible copycat attacks after three people died in a shootout in Montreal and the assailant’s lengthy manifesto, which called for “a new bloodletting”, was posted online by a far-right outlet. The document contains many of the hallmark grievances of the “involuntary celibacy” – or “incel” – movement in addition racist and misogynistic conspiracy theories. Continue reading...

Attack targeted former Chile ambassador Orlando Letelier and his US colleague Ronni Karpen Moffitt Fifty years after Gen Augusto Pinochet ’s secret police detonated a car bomb in the heart of Washington DC , killing Orlando Letelier, a former Chilean minister and ambassador to the US, and his American colleague Ronni Karpen Moffitt, a Santiago court has convicted three former agents of Moffitt’s murder. Judge Paola Plaza, a special minister for human rights in Chile, sentenced Pedro Espinoza, José Zara, and Raúl Iturriaga to 15 years in prison for their roles in the killing of Moffitt, 25. Continue reading...

Monika Silva Koniuszek died from a blow to the head and strangulation, a postmortem found, despite government claim of suicide Campaigners in Ecuador say a Polish anti-corruption activist who investigated allegations against the family business of the country’s rightwing president was murdered to silence her. Monika Silva Koniuszek, 41, was found dead in her home in Montañita, a coastal town in Ecuador’s Santa Elena province. The single mother of daughters aged four and nine, was found on the floor with a noose around her neck on 8 June. Continue reading...

City’s police force faces investigation of 16 officers accused of disproportionately targeting Black and Arab residents Montreal’s mayor has called for a halt to random police checks as the city’s police force grapples with an internal investigation into racism and racial profiling by 16 officers. Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada told reporters last week that her husband, who is Black, had been repeatedly stopped by police while driving. Continue reading...

Unions condemn ‘insensitive’ internal cybersecurity test sent to healthcare workers in Newfoundland and Labrador For years, healthcare staff in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador have felt overworked and underappreciated. Turnover, burnout and thinning resources were pushing workers in the sector to a breaking point. So when the email titled “June Holiday” arrived in thousands of inboxes, they felt a moment of overdue joy. Continue reading...

Written in 1947, Kiyoshi Tanimoto’s account of the horrors of the atomic bomb attack will be published in August and is being made into a film The memoir of a man who survived the horrors of Hiroshima is to be published for the first time this summer after its discovery in a US archive. The 230-page memoir was written almost 80 years ago by Kiyoshi Tanimoto, who witnessed the city’s destruction after the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. He will now be portrayed in a feature film by Takehiro Hira, whose acclaimed roles include the detective in the Netflix

Rob Jetten acknowledges grief and pain of Moluccan families as crowdfunded monument unveiled in Rotterdam The Dutch prime minister, Rob Jetten, has formally apologised for the “heartless” mistreatment of thousands of Moluccan soldiers who fought for the Dutch colonial army during Indonesia’s struggle for independence. About 12,500 people – men who had served in the Royal Dutch East Indies and their families – came from a group of Indonesian islands to the Netherlands in 1951, many having been given no choice. They thought it would be a temporary evacuation after Indonesia had won independence. Continue reading...

Strong winds and heavy rain batter Slovenia, while France experiences atypical heatwave Severe thunderstorms swept across the Balkans last week, bringing widespread destruction to parts of the region. The storms developed as unstable hot air lingered over the Adriatic Sea while a cold front plunged south-eastward. The front began its journey on 10 June in Slovenia, where the Slovenian Environment Agency recorded 65mph gusts at Ljubljana airport. Heavy rain also fell widely across the region with 23mm reported in Kranj. Continue reading...

Online uproar follows Canadian brand’s use of taiko drum at sponsored festival held to celebrate Chinese culture The activewear brand Lululemon has apologised after a promotional event held on the Great Wall of China appeared to mistakenly feature a Japanese drum, prompting an uproar. The Canadian-headquartered company, known for its upmarket leggings, has been growing rapidly in China and arranged for a yoga festival to take place in late May on a section of the wall near Beijing. Continue reading...

Major operation launched after spate of pet thefts in Ho Chi Minh City, according to local media Police in Vietnam have rescued more than 400 cats in a bust of a cat meat crime ring in Ho Chi Minh City, according to animal welfare groups and local media reports. More than 40 cats were reunited with their owners after the multiday operation last week, but several dozen of those rescued have died due to the harsh conditions in which they were found, the groups said. Continue reading...

Social services minister says Pauline Hanson ‘completely unsympathetic’ to financial stress of having a baby. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Ruston pushes for overhaul to controversial aged care tool Over to her portfolio, the shadow health and aged care minister, Anne Ruston , will introduce a private member’s bill to change the government’s controversial integrated assessment tool. The three things it seeks to do is to restore the discretion of a human assessor to make sure that the algorithm in their professional judgment doesn’t make an error. It also

Airbus to inspect 15 Emirates and one Qantas plane after cracks found in structural wing beam of some jets Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Airbus will inspect 16 A380 planes, five of them immediately, after cracks were found in a key wing component on aircraft used by the Emirates and Qantas airlines. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has ordered urgent inspections requiring airlines to examine the wing-spar structure on the affected jets after inspectors found cracks during routine maintenance checks. Continue reading...

Curtin University researchers use innovative techniques to date three-billion-year-old impact crater in Pilbara region A meteorite that struck Earth three billion years ago left behind a “smoking gun” – evidence of the world’s oldest impact crater in a remote part of Australia. Ancient rocks in Western Australia’s Pilbara region record the event, which occurred during the Archean eon, a period 4 to 2.5 billion years ago, when tectonic plates were beginning to form and early life emerging. Continue reading...

Robinson says Pauline Hanson has ‘carried on fighting’ despite backlash in since-deleted episode of the Karl Stefanovic Show Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Channel Nine TV presenter Karl Stefanovic has praised UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s “tenacity” and “courage” in his latest eponymous podcast episode, in which Robinson rails against “the media and the establishment”, Islam, multiculturalism and hate speech laws. Stefanovic posted a clip on social media on Tuesday morning Australian time in which he is walking down a London street with

Federal government identifies more than 150 native and unique bird species and 10 mammal species at ‘very high risk’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast More than 150 of Australia’s native and unique bird species have been assessed as being at “very high risk” of extinction or major decline if they catch the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain, with Western Australia’s celebrated black swans among the most susceptible. The federal government analysis of Australia’s 800 different birds and 350 mammals reflects the high level of

Great Britain has paid at least six times the normal price for imported power as millions turn on air conditioning and windfarm output sags The heatwave has prompted a sharp rise in electricity prices across European markets as millions turn to air conditioners and electric fans to battle record high temperatures, which have also caused a string of power plant outages across the continent. Great Britain imported electricity from Europe at more than six times the normal price on Tuesday as the high-pressure heat dome has slowed wind speeds, hitting renewable energy generation, and led to outages at multiple gas

Temperature on Tuesday hits high of 34.6C in Surrey, England, with heatwave forecast to get more intense on Wednesday and Thursday Europe heatwave live – latest updates Searing heat has swept the UK with schools, hospitals, transport networks and water companies struggling to cope with the extreme temperatures caused by climate breakdown. Temperatures hit highs of 34.6C in Wisley in Surrey, the Met Office said, with the UN chief warning that London was “cooking”. Reduced rail speeds and services. Hospital patient appointments cancelled. School closures across southern England and Wales. Hosepipe bans in south-east England. Continue reading...

France records hottest ever day as much of Europe endures extreme heat; ‘London is cooking,’ says UN secretary general Tell us: how is the heatwave in the UK and across Europe affecting you? Forty drown across France in heatwave and parts of Spain above 30C at night Italy’s health ministry has declared a red heatwave alert in 15 cities including Milan and Rome on Tuesday and said the number would go up to 16 on Wednesday. During a red alert – the highest level – the ministry advises people to eat light, stay indoors in the hottest parts of the

Ukraine’s president will not attend after sparking Polish ‘outrage’ over naming of military unit Volodymyr Zelenskyy will skip a high-level conference on the postwar reconstruction of Ukraine amid a deepening rift with Poland over his naming of a military unit after one that killed tens of thousands of Poles during the second world war. Ukraine’s president had been expected to co-host the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which begins in the Polish coastal city of Gdańsk on Thursday, but the Ukrainian delegation will instead be led by the prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko. Continue reading...

National weather service, Météo-France, says Tuesday was the hottest day since measurements began in 1947 Europe heatwave live – latest updates France has registered its hottest day on record as 40 people across the country were confirmed to have drowned while swimming in unsupervised areas over the last few days. “There is a tragic scourge of drownings,” prime minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Tuesday. “The latest figures we’ve received are 40 deaths since 18 June. Most of the victims are young people.” Continue reading...

Independent report says by aiming at children Israel is undermining capacity of Palestinian people to exist Israel continues to commit genocide by deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, an ⁠independent UN inquiry has found. The report by the UN independent international commission of inquiry examined violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war in Gaza, and said about 30% of the people killed by Israeli forces have been children. Continue reading...

US secretary of state seeks to reassure UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain over security and US-Iran ceasefire deal The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has said no country, including Iran, would be allowed to charge tolls for shipping in the strait of Hormuz as he sought to reassure US allies in the Gulf that Washington would take a firm line in peace negotiations with Tehran. Rubio is to meet Gulf allies on Tuesday and Wednesday in an attempt to reassure them that the US remains committed to their security and the 60-day ceasefire deal struck with Iran last week will

Iran will be allowed into US 48 hours before crucial game Team Melli have complained about travel conditions The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says it will grant Iran extra time to prepare for their World Cup match against Egypt on Friday. The team had planned to lodge an official complaint with Fifa about the “restrictions imposed by the organisers” at the World Cup . Iran have been training in Mexico and were only allowed to enter the United States 24 hours before their first two matches. Continue reading...

US secretary of state and vice-president said to have discussed ceasefire monitoring body; Trump says Tehran has committed to ‘nuclear honesty’ Oman and Iran said in a statement that the two countries will ⁠form ⁠a ​team to reach an ⁠agreement on “administration of navigation ⁠in ​the Strait ‌of Hormuz ” ‌and associated ‌costs and services, Reuters reports. The two states will hold ⁠talks with ​coastal countries ​and other ​concerned parties, ​the ‌statement ​said. Continue reading...

The vice president said the move represented a ‘major milestone’ in ending Iran’s nuclear programme According to Palestinian news agency Wafa , a high school student was killed and several other civilians were injured earlier today in an Israeli attack on a civilian vehicle in Gaza City. The Gaza health ministry says at least 1,021 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ‘ceasefire’ between Israel and Hamas came into effect in October 2025. In a post on X, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said US-Iran talks have concluded “successfully” ⁠in Switzerland, adding that discussions produced agreement on the

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...

Experts say criminal networks favour Sri Lanka due to ease of getting tourist visas and limited regulation on sim cards and internet connections Experts have warned that Sri Lanka is emerging as a hub for transnational cybercrime, after a crackdown in south-east Asia pushed Chinese-run criminal networks to relocate their vast scam operations. Sri Lankan police spokesperson Fredrick Wootler said the country was witnessing an “alarming increase of cybercrimes” perpetrated by people entering the country as tourists, and then illegally setting up scam operations targeting people across the world. Continue reading...

Relations at lowest ebb in years after Washington refuses to apologise for deaths in strait of Hormuz Fury has continued to mount in India over the US’s refusal to apologise for the deaths of Indian sailors killed in strikes in the strait of Hormuz, further straining relations between the two countries as their leaders meet at the G7 summit in France this week. Last week, three Indian seafarers, who were working on board commercial oil tankers, were killed when the US launched missile strikes on the vessel as it sailed through the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...

Climate Change Committee chair Nigel Topping says U-turns damage investor confidence and disrupt businesses Weakening the UK’s net zero policy would disrupt business and damage the economy, the UK’s chief climate adviser has warned. Nigel Topping, chair of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said: “The U-turns are really damaging to inward investor confidence. If we really want to grow the economy, then investing and getting good at building stuff is essential.” Continue reading...

UK regulator has increased its scrutiny of fashion retailers over potentially misleading environmental statements Ads for Calvin Klein, Adidas and Uniqlo promoting “recycled” clothing and shoes have been banned by the UK watchdog after the advertisers were unable to prove their green claims. Each of the fashion companies ran paid-for Google ads, with Adidas promoting “recycled running shoes”, Calvin Klein “recycled” tops for women, and Uniqlo advertised fleece coats and jackets made from “recycled materials”. Continue reading...

However, Imperial College team also find that pollution has worse health impact than previously understood Deaths linked to air pollution fell by an estimated 40% in London over the five years from 2019, according to new analysis. The city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, welcomed what he called “overwhelming evidence” that his ultra-low emission zone was saving lives. Continue reading...

Decision is one of Makerfield MP’s most significant since his Westminster return as he builds his team for government Andy Burnham has chosen his Blairite former colleague James Purnell as his chief of staff, the Guardian understands, as he begins to finalise his team for government. The Makerfield MP has picked his former cabinet colleague to be his right-hand man in Downing Street, in one of the most significant decisions he has made since returning to Westminster. Continue reading...

Customers report having to use cash at stores such as Tesco and to buy drinks due to outage at payments processor WorldPay Shoppers reported problems with making card payments at British pubs and supermarkets on Tuesday after a power outage affected one of the world’s largest payment processing platforms. Customers said contactless payments were not working at a number of stores including Tesco branches at a time when football fans were watching the World Cup group game between England and Ghana at pubs, screenings and restaurants. Continue reading...

Donald Trump has indicated he will sign rare bipartisan initiative to tackle affordability after 358-32 vote in House The House gave final approval on Tuesday to a broad bipartisan bill aimed at lowering the cost of housing, with lawmakers in both parties eager to show progress on affordability issues ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The 358-32 vote sends the bill to Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law on Wednesday at the Capitol. The Senate passed the legislation 85-5 on Monday. Continue reading...

Firings come less than a week after US president appointed Bill Pulte as acting director after Tulsi Gabbard left the post Several staff members have reportedly been fired from the US office of the director of national intelligence (DNI), multiple outlets have reported. These firings come less than a week after Donald Trump appointed Bill Pulte as the acting director after former director Tulsi Gabbard left the post in late May. According to CNN , who was first to report the firings on Monday, political appointees with ties to Gabbard were among those purged. ABC News reported that cuts to

Christian Miles berated Oklahoma state troopers near Washington DC landmark subject to botched renovation A Washington DC resident arrested this week near the National Mall’s reflecting pool told the Guardian he planned to fight the charges, as Donald Trump continues to blame vandals for the botched renovation of the pool. After the Trump administration spent $14.2m renovating thebody of water in front of the Lincoln Memorial to turn it “American flag” blue in time for the US’s 250th birthday next month, the pool has been beset with algae blooms and peeling polyurethane liner. Trump has claimed, without evidence, that the

Gunman, 18, faces first-degree murder charges after killing two people and injuring a child at library in Butte county An 18-year-old gunman, who police said wanted to carry out a Columbine high school massacre-type shooting, was expected to face first-degree murder charges after killing two people and injuring a child at a northern California library Monday evening. Chico police dispatchers received multiple 911 calls around 5.12pm on Monday where they could hear what sounded like screaming and gunshots, Billy Aldridge, the city police chief, said during a press conference on Tuesday. Aldridge said police were on the scene and had

Four Republicans joined Democrats to back a measure seeking to limit the US president’s military authority The US Senate approved a war powers resolution preventing Donald Trump from continuing hostilities against Iran, delivering the president a significant but symbolic rebuke over a conflict that has proven unpopular with the American public. The resolution passed by a 50-48 vote, with four Republicans – Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Rand Paul of Kentucky – breaking with their party to support its adoption. John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, was the sole Democrat to vote against the

Russia has accused the ⁠US of failing to deliver on “understandings” reached between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at a summit in Alaska last August, a shift that suggests growing frustration in Moscow. In the space of three days, three senior Russian officials have said, without providing specifics, that Washington has not followed through. Their comments follow an intensification of Ukraine’s drone strikes deep inside Russia – including two attacks last week on a Moscow oil...

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday insisted that Iran has agreed to “highest level” nuclear inspections even as Iranian officials disputed his claim, exposing how much remains contested even with a tentative agreement in place. “Despite their protestations and false statements to the contrary … Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!),” Trump wrote on social media on Tuesday morning. “This will insure ‘Nuclear Honesty.’ If...

Russia is considering fuel imports ‌and corresponding subsidies to cap prices as ways to mitigate supply disruptions of petrol and diesel caused by Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, Vedomosti daily reported on Tuesday, citing two unnamed sources. Numerous regions across Russia, the world’s third-largest crude oil producer, have reported restrictions on fuel sales, rising prices of oil products ⁠and long queues at filling stations due to supply shortages. Apart from supplying crude oil...

At the recent Brussels summit, the leaders of all 27 European Union states called on the European Commission to expand the bloc’s trade defence toolbox against “global macroeconomic imbalances”, widely understood to refer to China’s so-called overcapacity. Measures under discussion include mechanisms for sector-wide tariffs and other restrictions in industries such as chemicals and green technology. Europe, long a critic of Washington’s Section 301 tariffs, is now considering instruments that...

Former Scottish National Party chief executive Peter Murrell was jailed for just over five years on Tuesday after admitting embezzling more than £400,000 (US$540,000) of party funds to buy items such as ‌cars, a motorhome and luxury goods. Murrell, 61, is the estranged husband of ex-SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, who suddenly resigned in 2023, shortly before she was arrested as part of the probe into the party’s finances. She was cleared of wrongdoing in March last year. He pleaded guilty last...

Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, and war crimes in the occupied West Bank, an independent UN inquiry said on Tuesday. The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel examined violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October ‌7,...

On Monday morning, ⁠Keir Starmer emerged into the sunshine in Downing Street flanked by his staff and ⁠wife, his voice thick with emotion as he said he was no longer the right person to lead Britain. Starmer, who won one of the biggest landslides in British political history, is out after less than two years. The sixth leader to quit in 10 years. The highest rate of political turnover in almost two centuries. Like his predecessors, Starmer failed to stem popular anger over living standards,...

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Washington’s National Mall is set to be drained again for repairs after algae and peeling paint appeared just weeks after a US$14.7 million renovation, while President Donald Trump threatened prison time for anyone caught ‌damaging the pool. The DC Water authority issued a permit to drain the 609-metre rectangular pool, it said on Monday, while the repair company said it would fix the pool as part of its warranty. Peeling paint and algae growth have been...

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) appears sudden and revolutionary, yet its origins stretch deep into history, revealing a profound and forgotten intellectual exchange between China and the West. Long before Alan Turing, Claude Shannon, or even Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, there was Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz – the German polymath born exactly 380 years ago next week. Among his monumental contributions to science is the binary numeral system, which serves as the bedrock of modern...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer conceded on Monday that he had lost the support of his rank-and-file Labour Party members in Parliament and that he will step down once his successor as party leader is chosen, possibly as soon as the middle of July. Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester whose resounding victory in a special UK election last week set in motion Starmer’s resignation, has confirmed he will put himself forward to be his successor. Burnham is seen as the...

A notorious mob hitman who once testified against John “Junior” Gotti before cleaning up his life and becoming a councilman in New Jersey has been arrested on extortion and loan sharking charges that, if proven, reflect a return to the lifestyle of his youth. John Alite, 63, was arrested on Friday in New Jersey, where he was sworn in early last year as a councillor in the borough of Englishtown. Released after a court appearance on Saturday, Alite is scheduled to return to court for a detention...

US President Donald Trump criticised outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday after the Labour leader announced he would resign, saying he had “really hurt himself” over energy, immigration and his handling of relations with Washington. “I think he’s a lovely man,” Trump told reporters at an Oval Office event, before accusing Starmer of mishandling Britain’s energy policy by failing to exploit North Sea oil and allowing “windmills all over the place”. “The UK buys much of its...

US President Donald Trump said on Monday “I will do what I have to do” if Iran does not stick to its agreement with ‌Washington. “If Iran doesn’t live up to their agreement, or if they’re not behaving, I will do what I have to do,” Trump told reporters. Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed an interim US-Iran deal last week, more than three months after the US and ⁠Israel attacked Iran and Iran responded with its own attacks on Israel and ‌Gulf states with US bases. Trump said on...

A suspect armed with a long gun opened fire on Monday at a Montreal hotel, killing a police officer before officers returned fire, killing him, police said. A civilian also died but it was not immediately clear who fired that shot. Police Chief Fady Dagher said a second officer was seriously injured in the shooting in the city’s Cote-des-Neiges neighbourhood but was in stable condition. The chief said it was the first time in 24 years that a Montreal police officer had been killed in the line of...

China, which now conducts more clinical drug trials than the US, still lags in the quality and commercial reach of its biomedical science, according to a recent survey of senior US leaders in industry and academia. The ‌poll, conducted by Cure Innovation Index, found that China is seen as the clear leader in two out of six sectors: clinical development and supply chain. It found that the US leads in moving experimental products through to large-scale production, capital, and commercialisation...

Forty people have drowned in France over the past few days as they sought to cool down to escape record heat, the government said on Tuesday, as a heatwave swept across much of Europe. Britain, Italy and Spain were also sweltering in extreme heat, with record temperatures in some regions disrupting schools and transport networks. Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, according to the World Meteorological Organization, making such prolonged heat episodes increasingly...

Beijing congratulated Colombia on its presidential run-off and said it would work with the incoming government of Abelardo de la Espriella, the far-right lawyer who has promised to pull the country back towards the United States. Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun made the remarks on Monday, a day after a preliminary count put de la Espriella narrowly ahead of his leftist rival, Senator Ivan Cepeda. “China … congratulates Colombia on the smooth second round of presidential elections,” he...

European Central ⁠Bank President Christine Lagarde ⁠on Monday urged global leaders to discuss undervaluation of the Chinese currency as a facet of the imbalances endangering the global economy. China has ‌consistently denied that it manipulates its currency for trade advantage but its surging trade surpluses are one of several macroeconomic mismatches worrying leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations who met last week in ⁠France, along with chronic US deficits and Europe’s...

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that her country seeks to restart oil shipments to Cuba soon, a move that could provide much-needed relief as the island’s crises deepen given a lack of petroleum. Sheinbaum said her administration would seek to send the oil via commercial and privately owned firms instead of state-owned companies as it has done in the past. Mexico became a key fuel supplier to Cuba after the US attacked Venezuela in early January and halted critical oil...

Clive Davis, a former corporate lawyer who became one of the most influential figures in American rock and pop music as he fostered the careers of Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen and other stars, died ⁠on Monday at the age of 94. Davis, who was known as “the man with the golden ear” for his ability to identify potential hit ⁠songs, died at his home in Manhattan, The New York Times reported, having recently been hospitalised with respiratory...

Russian-held Crimea, a popular tourism destination, suspended children’s summer camps and tourist activities until September 1, its governor said on Monday, as the peninsula reels from a fuel crisis due to Ukrainian attacks on its supply routes. Supplies ‌of fuel and other products to Crimea have become strained as Ukraine has targeted both sea routes and supply roads from the north. The availability of petrol and diesel in Russia, the world’s third-largest oil producer, has also been undermined...

Tehran has agreed to invite International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into the country, US Vice-President J.D. Vance said on Monday, after a first round of US-Iran talks towards ending the Middle East war. “The Iranians have agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back into their country,” Vance told reporters at Switzerland’s isolated Burgenstock resort, where his talks with Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf opened on Sunday. “That is a major milestone for the American people...

China’s exports of green-energy and battery products to the United States have accelerated amid demand in America’s fast-expanding AI sector, as cooling trade tensions and energy-security fears linked to the Iran war boost global appetite for renewable-energy equipment. Energy-related products posted some of the strongest gains among Chinese exports to the US last month, according to the latest customs data. Exports of unassembled photovoltaic cells surged 346 per cent year on year to US$39.96...

Alan Greenspan, hailed as the greatest Federal Reserve chairman when he retired in 2006 but derided for a severe financial crisis that followed barely two years later, died on Monday aged ⁠100, NBC News reported. Greenspan, who exerted a powerful influence on the US economy ⁠during his tenure at the helm of the Fed from August 1987 to January 2006, died at his home ⁠from complications of Parkinson’s disease, NBC reported, citing his wife Andrea Mitchell, who is the outlet’s chief Washington...

Keir Starmer announced his intention to step down as Britain’s prime minister on Monday, succumbing to intense party pressure as his popularity plummeted and rivals manoeuvred to challenge him. “Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party,” an emotional Starmer said in a short speech outside 10 Downing Street in London. Starmer, who up until Monday had resisted calls to stand aside, said he would remain...

China’s proactive role in stabilising global energy and fertiliser markets amid the Strait of Hormuz crisis shows the country is a defender of global supply chains, rather than a disruptive force as “hyped” by the West, Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang said on Monday. “The fact that Chinese manufacturing never falters or fails at critical moments fully proves that China is a participant, a builder and a defender of the global supply chain,” Ding said during the opening ceremony of the fourth China...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. How ‘lying flat’ went from a niche subculture to mainstream phenomenon 2. The hidden cost of China’s electric car boom: a spiralling roadworks bill 3. Sin to salvation: how Singapore’s most notorious mall found God 4. Hong Kong TV host Lillian Sze loses battle with ovarian cancer 5. 100kg dad...

A huge blast at a Qatar gas hub killed 13 people and injured 66 others, the Gulf state’s energy minister said on Monday, one of the deadliest accidents at a Gulf energy facility. Authorities are investigating the cause of the incident, which energy minister Saad al-Kaabi said was “an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature”, after Iranian attacks targeted energy facilities in the Gulf during the war in the Middle East. He announced “the tragic loss of 13 lives of our people who hold...

Canada is deploying two frigates and a submarine to the world’s largest multinational naval exercise this week, in what analysts describe as both a display of Indo-Pacific seriousness and a pointed rebuttal to Washington’s “freeriding” charge. HMCS Ottawa, HMCS Regina and submarine HMCS Corner Brook are slated to join the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise (Rimpac) from Wednesday to July 31, which is expected to draw more than 25,000 military personnel from 31 countries, including Australia,...

A flamboyant US-backed lawyer who has never held public office narrowly won Colombia’s polarising presidential run-off on Sunday, swinging the country hard right and sparking violent protests. With almost all the votes counted, Abelardo de la Espriella held 49.66 per cent of the vote versus left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda’s 48.70 per cent. The 47-year-old’s slender win triggered demonstrations, but will ease ties with Washington and extend a regional right-wing wave centred on “iron fist” security...

People ⁠caught vandalising the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting ⁠Pool on Washington’s National Mall will be fully prosecuted, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on Sunday. President Donald Trump has blamed vandalism for recent problems with the newly renovated pool, including its new ‌blue paint peeling off. Citations for vandalism have been issued, Pirro said on Sunday, adding that even minor crimes must be prosecuted to keep the US capital safe. The peeling paint was visible in the 610-metre-long...

US claims that an individual with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) tried to join the Iran team’s flight to the United States on Saturday are “fabricated and entirely baseless allegations”, the country’s football federation (FFIRI) has said. Markwayne Mullin, the US Homeland Security Secretary, told Fox News on Sunday that someone under the guise of being the Iranian federation (FFIRI) president tried to board the team’s flight to Los Angeles from Mexico for Sunday’s World Cup...

Ramiro Valdes, one of Fidel Castro’s earliest collaborators who was lauded at ⁠home as a hero of ⁠the Cuban revolution, has died at the age of ⁠94, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on social media on Sunday. The president did not provide a cause of death. A top government official for decades after Castro’s rebels came to power in 1959, Valdes held the honorary titles “Hero of the Republic” and “Commander of the Revolution” and formed part of the powerful Political Bureau of the ruling Cuban...

Thousands of Czechs rallied in the capital on Sunday to condemn a plan by the government led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis to overhaul funding for public broadcasters that is considered dangerous for their independence. The protesters gathered in front of the Czech public television offices in Prague, Czech Republic, to voice their support for the media a day before their staff plan to go on a warning strike, and after recent protest marches in the regional capitals and...

The United States expects talks with Iran to continue through the night in Switzerland, a US diplomat told reporters early Monday, as they work to permanently end the Middle East war. The current round of negotiations got off to a rocky start, with the Islamic Republic’s delegation walking out in response to US President Donald Trump’s threats to strike Iran over its support for Hezbollah Sunday. A US diplomat at the Swiss venue told reporters the Iranian delegation was involved in “robust...

Pope Leo on Saturday exalted the first American saint, Mother Frances Cabrini, as a model for Christians today to care for migrants in need, as he visited her birthplace during a day trip to northern Italy. Leo, who has clashed with the Trump administration over its migrant crackdown, urged young people in particular to learn about Cabrini’s life and service, once again confirming history’s first US pope as the heir to Pope Francis in prioritising the plight of migrants. Leo prayed before...

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party (PP) won a landslide victory in legislative polls held June 1, the election commission said on Sunday, giving it almost 90 per cent of the seats. Abiy has led Ethiopia since 2018, and is increasingly criticised for growing authoritarianism, in contrast to his early years when he won the Nobel Peace Prize for mending relations with neighbouring Eritrea. The PP was considered the overwhelming favourite in the country of 130 million, facing a...

Much of Europe was preparing Monday for an already fierce heatwave to intensify even further in the coming days, with some countries taking special measures to mitigate its effects. France recorded heat-related deaths over the weekend. A leading researcher reiterated that human-driven climate change had contributed to the recent record-breaking heatwave. In France, 49 of the country’s 96 mainland departments were on a red alert weather warning, up from 35 over the weekend. Officials announced...

Bolivia began showing signs of returning to normalcy on Sunday, a day after President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency to resolve a 50-day social crisis that ‌had blocked the nation’s main highways. Early on Sunday, the Legislative Assembly overwhelmingly approved Paz’s decree, which aimed to restore transit and supply essential goods after protesting groups cut off key roads for weeks, stranding trucks and choking supplies of food, fuel and medicines to many areas. Sunday’s vote in...

The spectacle of US President Donald Trump thanking China for staying “neutral” with regard to the US-Israeli war against Iran would have been unthinkable a year ago. Yet at the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on June 17, he credited Beijing – alongside Moscow – with preventing a full-blown catastrophe. His observation that China “could have sent in an oil ship with six destroyers alongside of it, on each side” but chose restraint, captured the essence of Beijing’s strategic...

Al Jazeera on Sunday rejected Israeli accusations that one of its journalists, killed in Gaza a day earlier, was a Hamas operative, as family and colleagues mourned the cameraman in the Palestinian territory. The Qatar-based network said in a statement that it “condemns the Israeli occupation army’s baseless accusations, which seek to justify its crimes against Al Jazeera journalists and cameramen in Gaza, most recently the killing of cameraman Ahmed Wishah”. The Israeli military said in a...

A deeply divided electorate will choose Colombia’s next president in a run-off on Sunday that pits a progressive against a conservative outsider, with both candidates tapping into fears of renewed internal conflict in the country. Voters will choose between businessman and lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and Iván Cepeda, a lawmaker and heir to the political movement of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, the nation’s first leftist leader. The two defeated nine other contenders in a May 31...

Three fully laden India-linked supertankers have re-emerged in the Gulf of Oman, adding to increased reports of traffic moving both ways across the northern and southern routes of the Strait of Hormuz, while conflicting narratives over the status of transits persist. The Desh Vibhor, Desh Vaibhav and Sanmar Herald were observed in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea on Sunday, after having been last seen signalling their attempt to cross the Strait of Hormuz late on Friday, according to...

A new round of negotiations over the Middle East war was set to kick off on Sunday as Iranian negotiators and US Vice-President J.D. Vance arrived in the Swiss host city, even as Tehran said it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Before boarding his flight to Europe, Vance told reporters he hoped to “make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. Those are the two big things that I think we’re going to be focused...

US Donald Trump has sparred with most of his fellow Group of Seven leaders at some point. But Italy’s Giorgia Meloni this week did something none of them dared: she escalated. Unlike Spanish Socialist Pedro Sanchez, one of the few leaders in Europe who has made political capital of being berated by Trump, the Italian prime minister had stood out as one of the few Europeans he actually liked: an outspoken conservative at ease talking Maga. But Meloni has also transitioned from a populist...

Images circulated by an activist group reveal bare marble where President Trump’s name once resided. The Kennedy Center previously told a federal judge it had been removed.

The penalties, issued in an attack where a police officer was shot, dwarfed those given to Jan. 6 rioters and appeared to signal that at least some courts will deal aggressively with ICE protesters.

A few Republicans joined Democrats in favor of a measure instructing President Trump to halt military operations against Iran or seek congressional authorization.

President Trump appears to be describing his preferences as fully negotiated deals, in hopes of locking the Iranians in. The question is whether a succession of such disputes will sink the whole venture.

“Jeff” grew up in an insular world, kept company with a few brainy boys and fixated on girls. Was a monster hiding in plain sight?

Damon Landor, a Rastafarian, tried to sue Louisiana prison officials for violating his religious rights.

The court’s decision could have broader implications for whether companies can be held liable for aiding in international human rights abuses.

Ten years after a slim majority voted to leave the European Union, the economic and political effects of that decision continue to disrupt the United Kingdom.

A sound engineer has emerged as an unexpected heartthrob amid Britain’s political tumult.

President Trump has created an exception to his refugee ban for white South Africans, reshaping a program intended for people fleeing persecution and disaster.

The United States is putting together bags with a children’s book on so-called reverse racism, and with a document that defends the country’s founding on the basis of slavery.

The ruling in a class-action lawsuit filed in California applies to immigration courts nationwide.

The experimental app, internally called “Arena,” would be independent of Facebook and Instagram. It could compete for attention with Polymarket and Kalshi, the biggest prediction markets.

Federal officials are urging the lone major tech company holdout to allow government safety evaluations, weeks after ordering Anthropic to pull its latest model.

In the past 50 years, the way we tell the story of the Revolution has become dramatically more complex. Can it still inspire us all?

Let’s remember who we once were, because it’s what we may yet be again.

There is at least a chance that America will not return to war with Iran, but find a way to turn the page on 47 years of animosity and confrontation.

Some patients spend thousands of dollars on these extra ‘add-on’ procedures during fertility treatment.