Minimalist News

Interior Department Approves Colorado River Water Reductions In 3 States Authored by Jacki Thrapp via The Epoch Times , The Department of the Interior will cut the amount of water it allocates through the Colorado River to Arizona, Nevada, and California in 2027 and 2028. The cuts were signed off by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum on Aug. 21 as part of the department's 2027-2028 Operating Guidelines for the Colorado River, which provides water to over 40 million people, generates hydropower for seven states, and is a vital resource for 30 tribes and two Mexican states. The Colorado River

Europe Dodges A Rhine Crisis For The Worst Possible Reason Authored by Natalia Katona via OilPrice.com , Rhine freight from ARA to Karlsruhe has surged from €45/t to €215/t as Kaub remains below the 77-cm threshold needed for normal commercial traffic. The squeeze is disrupting 3.1 million t/y of ethylene capacity and product movements from the 320,000-b/d Miro refinery. Europe is avoiding a deeper crisis only because crackers are running at around 70% and fuel demand is weak. The Rhine has slightly risen from its mid-August record low (when Kaub's water level gauge - at the river's decisive chokepoint -

Clean Energy Spending Tracking Toward Record $180 Billion In 2026 Authored by Haley Zaremba via OilPrice.com , U.S. utility-scale battery storage has reached 52 GW after three years of 70 percent average annual growth, with 8.3 GW of that added in the first six months of 2026 alone. Clean energy capital spending hit $74 billion in the first half and is on pace for a record $180 billion this year, even after the rollback of federal incentives. Grid operators have another 54 GW queued through 2028, while China holds roughly half of global capacity and the EU moves to triple

Anti-Social Media Social media may have been built to connect people, but entertainment and diversion now appear to be its main draws. As Statista's Felix Richter reports, according to Statista Consumer Insights , nearly half of U.S. respondents say entertainment is an important criterion when it comes to social media, ahead of passing time and communicating with friends and family. You will find more infographics at Statista Among young adults aged 18 to 29, the social dimension of social media is even less pronounced: 32 percent cite staying in touch with friends and family as important, compared with 37 percent

Israel DM Orders IDF To Escalate Demolitions In Southern Lebanon Authored by Jason Ditz via Antiwar.com , A week after ordering the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to prepare for a "long-term stay" in occupied southern Lebanon, Defense Minister Israel Katz has now also ordered them to escalate the rate at which they're destroying what is being framed as "Hezbollah infrastructure" across the south. The issue with this is the same as it's been throughout the war, that Israel's definition of Hezbollah infrastructure generally boils down to civilian infrastructure at large, with a particular emphasis on the municipalities where Shi'ite Muslims

"Iran Is Losing Its Grip On Hormuz": Strait Traffic Explodes Nearly 400% Summary: Nearly 200 Ships Navigated Strait Last Week , Up From 150 the Previous Week Trump Views Hormuz As " an American Territory " Axios: 40 Tankers Transited Hormuz Friday Night, But Real Crisis Is Diesel Hormuz Commercial Traffic Surges Shortly after President Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz "an American territory " on Friday evening, the New York Post published a new report citing UK Maritime Trade Operations data showing that commercial traffic through the critical waterway has rebounded sharply as more vessels use a US-backed route

MAGA, The DSA, & The Politics Of No Competition Authored by Katherine Gehl via RealClearPolitics , Despite the narrow loss by Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong in the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary last week, DSA candidates have prevailed in primaries this year from Maine to California . The Democratic Party establishment believed it dodged a bullet in Wisconsin, but this threat is not going away any time soon. The roots of the radical left's success were seeded almost a decade ago. In 2017, a writer in a Democratic Socialists of America publication laid out a strategy under a plain title: "

Evergrande Founder Gets Life But Homebuyers, Suppliers Bear The Costs Of China's Property Collapse Authored by Michael Zhuang via The Epoch Times , The sentencing of China Evergrande founder Hui Ka Yan to life in prison has brought a legal reckoning for one of the country's most spectacular corporate collapses. However , for hundreds of thousands of homebuyers, investors, and other creditors, the ruling does little to resolve the financial losses left behind by the property giant. Xu Jiayin, also known as Hui Ka Yan, founder of property developer Evergrande, appears for sentencing at the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court in

Has Trump Turned The Tables On Iran - Or Is Another Round Of War Coming? Authored by Trita Parsi via Antiwar.com , reprinted with permission from Trita Parsi's Substack . The Trump administration believes it has turned the tables on Iran . Washington assesses that the rerouting of maritime traffic through the Omani corridor, combined with a global shift away from Persian Gulf oil, has reduced the effectiveness of Tehran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, the U.S. blockade has sharply constrained Iran's ability to sell its oil. The result, in Washington's view, is a status

Assassination Sing-A-Long: Hasan Piker Mocks The Murdered Charlie Kirk To Cheering Crowd Authored by Jonathan Turley via Jonathan Turley , We have seen protesters on the left around the country mocking the assassination of Charlie Kirk, even reenacting his murder . Hate traffickers like Jennifer Welch have even justified his assassination . It is all shocking and depressing, but none reached the level of Hasan Piker leading a huge crowd in mocking Kirk and his faith. Before he was murdered, Kirk debated Piker and called him a "socialist hypocrite." What is shocking is not the utter depravity and cruelty of

The AI Boom Runs On Tungsten, But Global Supplies Are "Running On Empty" Authored by Almonty Industries CEO Lewis Black [emphasis our own], Plenty to delve into with this edition: a stockpile order nobody can fill, two factory shutdowns that should be on your radar and the awkward truth about how few tungsten projects will ever produce a single tonne . It's a busy one. In we go. Cash in hand but no one's selling Earlier this year America's strategic stockpile did something that should have been routine and instead caused a small panic . The Defense Logistics Agency –

Wary Of Backlash, Pro-Israel GOP Senate Hopeful Asks AIPAC Not To Spend On His Behalf With Israel's standing in the United States crumbling , America's leading pro-Israel organization has become a focal point of anger among those who think the US government is putting Israel's interests ahead of America's. Political candidates have started seizing on this, attacking opponents who are backed by that group -- AIPAC. So for, that's largely been a phenomenon in the Democratic primaries, but now -- in a jarring indication of AIPAC's ballot-box toxicity -- staunchly pro-Israel GOP Senate hopeful Mike Rogers has asked AIPAC not

The Teaser Period: Why The AI Boom Is Hitting A Reset Wall Having laid out, in July , the structural diagnosis that most of the market still refuses to confront: the AI boom is not a technology cycle. It is a credit-driven real-estate-like cycle whose financing architecture depends on the second derivative; the appropriately-named 'Groundbreaker' website has just dropped his next insightful note on what may be the trigger for the market to wake up to the ugly reality beneath the surface of the AI dream. Trillions in signed compute commitments come due in 2027–2028. The underlying mechanics reveal how

Elon Musk's Huge Midterm Investment Widens GOP's Money Advantage Republicans already have a significant financial advantage heading into the 2026 midterm elections, but Elon Musk is preparing to spend up to $200 million to give them an even bigger boost. Wired reports that officials with knowledge of Musk's plans said the range could still change, and that he intends to direct much of that money toward voter-turnout operations in the cycle's most competitive races, with the Texas Senate contest emerging as a likely landing spot. The Texas Senate race between Republican nominee Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico gives Musk

What Makes A Great Entrepreneur? Lessons From The Greats Authored by Rainer Zitelmann via RealClearMarkets , What personality traits distinguish successful entrepreneurs? This question has occupied academic research on entrepreneurship for decades, with scholars examining the relationship between personality traits and entrepreneurial success. When we want to understand or recognize something, we often do so by making comparisons. About 200 years after the birth of Christ, the Greco-Roman historian and philosopher Plutarch wrote a collection of parallel biographies of famous figures from Greek and Roman history. By comparing their characters, decisions, and lives, he sought to reveal similarities and differences

Trump Accuses BBC Of Turning Defamation Case Into 'Jan 6' Investigation Authored by Tom Gantert via The Epoch Times , President Donald Trump is asking a federal judge to reject the BBC's attempt to subpoena three members of his family as part of discovery in his defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster. Trump's attorneys filed a memorandum Aug. 21 opposing the BBC's request for permission to use alternative methods to serve subpoenas on Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner. Trump's lawyers accused the BBC of attempting to transform what they described as a narrow defamation case into a

Temporary Protected Status Ends For 13 Nationalities Authored by Troy Myers via The Epoch Times , A court on Aug. 18 effectively ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the last of 13 nationalities that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) targeted during President Donald Trump's second term. In total, more than a million foreign nationals living in the United States with such deportation protections are now up for removal. The 13 countries included Haiti , Syria , Yemen , Afghanistan, Cameroon , Nepal, Honduras, Nicaragua , Venezuela , South Sudan , Burma , Somalia , and Ethiopia . In June,

Karmelo Anthony Request For New Trial Denied After Disturbing Revelations The narrative of the innocent black kid standing up to "white bullies" is falling apart. Karmelo Anthony, age 19, was convicted in June 2026 of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf (who was also 17 at the time) by fatally stabbing him in the chest during a confrontation at a high school track meet in April 2025. A Collin County jury sentenced him to 35 years in prison. Anthony claimed self-defense; arguing that Metcalf "shoved him" and that he was protecting himself. Anthony's family raised $634,000 from gullible liberals on claims self

WHO Says Pandemic Determinations Can Be Made Without 'Evidence Of Illness' Authored by Jon Fleetwood via Modernity News , The World Health Organization (WHO) says evidence that a person is actually sick is not required for a "laboratory-confirmed" human influenza infection with "the potential to cause a pandemic" to trigger mandatory international reporting. "Evidence of illness is not required for this report," WHO states in its latest Influenza at the Human-Animal Interface assessment, which covered July 8 through August 7, 2026. WHO says countries must "immediately notify WHO of any laboratory-confirmed case of a recent human infection caused by an

The Fed Owns Over 50% Of All Bonds Maturing Between 10 And 15 Years From Now Submitted by Peter Tchir of Academy Securities Treasuries, Treaties, and Treatises Let’s start with Treasuries. We laid out the approach we would take if we were Warsh last weekend in Warsh’s Mark Antony Moment (a play on coming to “bury” inflation, yet having quite the opposite effect, at least in terms of interest rate policy). After Bessent’s “attempt” to drive bond yields lower, we analyzed the possibilities in Treasury, Treasuries, The Fed, and Iran . The primary focus was on bonds, though we had

PM Mark Carney says ‘we got attacked’ as tariffs come into force on items from hockey sticks to tongue depressors The lesson from Canada’s collapsed trade talks with the US: negotiation may be futile Donald Trump has hit back at Canada after a breakdown in negotiations plunged the two countries into a trade war . In his first public comments since negotiations collapsed on Friday in Washington, the US president wrote on social media: “Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!” Continue reading...

Breakdown shows Washington now prioritises its own interests over any semblance of shared economic ground ‘No more!!!’: Trump lashes out after US-Canada talks devolve into trade war The calamitous collapse of trade negotiations between Canada and the United States is a warning to nations worldwide that pursuing any kind of dialogue with the current US administration is doomed at the outset, according to observers who say this recent episode indicates seeking a fair deal is futile. Andrea Lawlor, an associate professor of political science at McMaster University in Ontario, said: “No matter the closeness of the historical relationship, the American

Collapse of trade talks could lead to job losses, but biggest impact on traditional allies is expected to be political The US has imposed 50% tariffs on some goods from Canada, and Mark Carney, the country’s prime minister, has vowed to match them “dollar for dollar” after the collapse of trade talks. The tariffs came into force on roughly $20bn (£14.6bn) of goods – ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors – at 04.00GMT. Trade experts said the tariffs could result in some job losses, but the largest impact is expected to be political, driving a further wedge between the

Audio recording of US vice-president apparently made at New York fundraiser and shared with Canadian Press Leaked audio from a private event has reportedly captured the US vice-president, JD Vance, mocking Canada for apparently capitulating in a trade deal and taunting the prime minister, Mark Carney, for trying to “out-tough” Donald Trump. The recording, which was reportedly made at a fundraiser and shared with the Canadian Press , comes in the last stretch of a difficult negotiation in which the US president has threatened to impose 50% tariffs on Canada. Continue reading...

With plentiful jobs and community support, one Mexico City neighbourhood has become a haven for those who have lived much of their lives in the US With its wide avenues lined with tall palm trees, its quaint cafes and old-school cantinas, as well as the mix of English and Spanish spoken on the street, the Tabacalera neighborhood in downtown Mexico City has a certain US feel – so much so that it is has become known as Little LA . The nickname is about more than appearances, however. In recent years, this corner of the metropolis has become a haven

Test of US rhetoric will rest on whether nations such as India, China and Russia view economic threats as credible Iran has vowed to retaliate against any country that cooperates with the US attempt to impose fresh sanctions against Iran in what the Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, has billed as “the single greatest financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary”. In advance of the US announcement, the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s single biggest trading partner in the Middle East, announced it was ending all trade with Iran, a move Tehran believes was coordinated between Washington and Dubai. Continue reading...

China-based retailer swung to $99m loss in first quarter and faces scrutiny over its environmental footprint Business live – latest updates Shein, which built a fast-fashion empire on what seemed like impossibly low prices , has been forced to lower its own valuation in a cut-price stock market float, after falling into the red earlier this year. The online retailer will list on the Hong Kong stock exchange on 1 September at a valuation of close to $27bn (£19.8bn), significantly down from a near-$100bn private market peak four years ago. Continue reading...

Prime minister Christopher Luxon’s party to introduce bill seeking the ban, citing harm to a generation of children New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon has said his party will introduce a bill in parliament that ⁠seeks to ban children ⁠under ​16 from using social media, proposing fines of up to 10% of a platform’s global revenue for non-compliance. The bill would ⁠require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to verify users’ ages, including by utilising existing account information, facial technology and ⁠digital identity documents. Continue reading...

Boy, seven, had complained of feeling tired so father left him with snacks and a soft drink and continued his climb A man who abandoned his seven-year-old son on Mount Fuji in Japan after the boy complained of feeling tired while on a family hike has been reprimanded by local police. A worker on Japan’s highest mountain discovered the child sitting alone on a bench near the sixth station of the Fujinomiya trail at an altitude of more than 2,000 metres (6,500 feet) on Thursday. Continue reading...

UK Foreign Office condemns use of national security law to convict activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung Two Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils marking China’s deadly Tiananmen crackdown in 1989 have been found guilty of “incitement to subversion” in one of the most high-profile cases in Hong Kong since Beijing imposed its national security law in 2020. Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, “incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power”, a press summary handed out to reporters said. The defendants each face

This blog is now closed Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Alan Jones trial enters its fourth week The Alan Jones trial enters its fourth week today, with a series of witnesses expected to give evidence at Sydney’s Downing Centre local court before Judge Glenn Walsh . Continue reading...

Police arrest five men and search six properties including the union’s Victorian headquarters Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Two men have been charged and Victorian police have seized drugs, guns and cars linked to the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in the building industry. On Monday, detectives from Taskforce Hawk arrested five men and searched six properties including the Victorian headquarters of the union, saying they were investigating secret commissions, fraud and drug trafficking. Continue reading...

Charles Perrottet appeared to be furthering fugitive developer Jean Nassif’s interests by undermining adversaries, a former NSW MP claims Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Dominic Perrottet’s brother shared “dirt” – including a secret pocket phone recording of a minister – to try to help a property developer achieve political outcomes, lawyers assisting a corruption inquiry have alleged. Former New South Wales Liberal MP and staffer Chris Spence told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Monday that Charles Perrottet may have been acting in

Phillip Island’s ‘iconic’ little penguins get first bird flu vaccinations in what is thought to be largest program of its kind Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast More than 1,000 little penguins have received their first dose of bird flu vaccine in Victoria, in what is believed to be the world’s largest vaccination program involving wild birds. Catherine Basterfield, the chief executive of Phillip Island Nature Parks, said vaccinations began early last week and were ramping up. Continue reading...

Radio host’s indecent assault and sexual touching trial enters fourth week, with shock jock Jason Morrison telling court complainant C appeared ‘stuck’ beside Jones Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Fellow shock jock Jason Morrison has told t he Alan Jones trial that guests at a luncheon hosted by the 2GB breakfast presenter were joking that Jones and a young staffer “look like a great couple” as the pair sat next to each other at a Sydney restaurant. Morrison, who often filled in for Jones,

UK PM hits back at Kremlin comment that sharing long-range missile blueprints will ‘add fuel to fire’ by asking ‘who started the fire?’ Here’s the full quote from Kremlin’s Peskov , via AFP: “ Britain is methodically and regularly throwing oil on the fire and methodically and regularly plotting schemes to prevent even the slightest progress in the peace process.” Continue reading...

Updated draft highway code follows several court rulings assigning blame for road accidents to careless pedestrians Italy’s updated highway code will target pedestrians who stare at their mobile phones while crossing the road, as the country’s transport ministry strives to improve road safety by cracking down on perilous distractions. The offence, contained in a draft version of the highway code which is expected to be approved by mid-October, carries fines of €75 or more. Continue reading...

Moscow warns of increased tensions with Britain as Burnham visits Kyiv to offer declassified details of missile components Europe live – latest updates The Kremlin has warned of an escalation in tensions between the UK and Russia as Andy Burnham arrived in Kyiv to present Ukraine with newly declassified blueprints to allow Ukraine to improve its production of long-range missiles. In his first trip abroad as the prime minister, Burnham will give Ukraine previously classified information on the British manufactured components for long-range cruise missiles. Continue reading...

Nidia Webb, who is legally settled in UK, falls foul of ‘known issue’ with Home Office’s digitised immigration process A woman who is legally settled in the UK was left stranded at a Spanish airport after the Home Office’s post-Brexit visa system mixed her up with her twin sister. Nidia Webb fell foul of what she was told was a “known issue” with the eVisa, which was brought in as part of the government’s drive to digitise the UK’s immigration system but has faced problems that have caused concern for thousands of people. Continue reading...

Poll also finds sizeable majorities who believe it should be easier to install air con in homes Given the choice, more people across six major European nations including the UK favour encouraging the adoption of air conditioning over keeping carbon emissions down, a survey has found. After four extreme heatwaves that have caused thousands of excess deaths across the continent, the survey showed between 30% and 52% of people in six countries had feared for their household’s health in temperatures close to or above 40C (104F). Continue reading...

Incident marks apparent escalation by Tehran in its in retaliation against UK over allowing US to use British bases Hackers linked to Iran have been blamed for a cyber-attack that caused a British power plant to be temporarily shut down. The incident involved a small-scale energy generator, according to the UK government, which said that at no point was there a risk to the wider energy system. Continue reading...

Abbas Araghchi says country is unbowed but president Masoud Pezeshkian admits its people face ‘many problems’ Iran’s foreign minister has dismissed the threat of a fresh round of US economic sanctions as a “desperate” ploy, even as its president acknowledged that the Iranian people are facing “many problems” amid Washington’s efforts to isolate and debilitate the country’s economy. Last week, Donald Trump announced a new campaign to increase the pressure on the Iranian economy , calling it “the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country”. The US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, is expected to announce further punitive economic

Grassroots groups to urge PM to break with Starmer policy and impose full arms embargo on Israel Grassroots Labour groups are gearing up for a conference showdown with Andy Burnham over Gaza, as the party’s members seek to force the prime minister to recognise Israel’s actions as a genocide and impose a full arms embargo. Momentum, Labour & Palestine, the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy and Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) plan to ramp up pressure on Burnham before his first Labour conference as prime minister next month. Continue reading...

In letter to Macron and Burnham, more than 100 senior figures accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing and call for measures including trade ban More than 100 French and British former diplomats have said Palestine is being erased in front of the world’s eyes and called for urgent action including trade and arms sales bans to press Israel to accept a Palestinian state. An unprecedented joint letter dispenses with diplomatic language by accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing and warning that the world no longer sees Israel as a genuine democracy. Uphold the decisions of the international court of justice and the

Joint statement issued after IDF said it will not pursue criminal investigations into April 2024 strike that killed seven humanitarian workers Britain, Australia and Canada have called the decision of the Israeli military authorities not to open a criminal investigation into the April 2024 airstrikes that hit a convoy of aid vehicles in Gaza “shameful”. The strikes killed seven humanitarian workers from the US-based World Central Kitchen (WCK) organisation. WCK staff from the three countries were among the casualties of the attack, which prompted global outrage. Continue reading...

Supreme court ordered transfer of ex-leader whose health is reportedly deteriorating, but he was returned to prison several hours later Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan was briefly taken to a hospital in the country’s capital on supreme court orders after weeks of uproar about his deteriorating health. Khan, 73, was transferred to the hospital in the early hours of Friday, but then moved back to Adiala prison in Rawalpindi after a ⁠few hours, a spokesperson for his party said on Friday. Continue reading...

UK has refused resettlement application despite ‘years of loyal service’ that have resulted in ‘constant fear’ of reprisals A man has received threats from the Taliban after his work for the Afghan police was revealed by a Ministry of Defence leak and the UK refused his application for resettlement. Hamid* worked for the Afghan national police special unit and received certificates for his work signed by senior British figures praising his “dedication, unparalleled service and leadership”. His details were also included in an accidental 2022 leak by an MoD official that identified 18,700 Afghans who had worked with or for

Campaigners fear deeper diplomatic contacts are undermining demands for improvements in human rights The Taliban in Afghanistan have launched a diplomatic effort to end their isolation as major regional and international powers show a readiness to engage more closely with the repressive regime despite its systematic human rights abuses. Five years after the Taliban took power , an increasing number of countries are renewing ties or scaling up diplomatic contacts with the hardline Islamists, who seized power in Kabul in 2021 after 20 years of brutal insurgent warfare. Continue reading...

Kyaw Zwar Minn was ousted for declaring loyalty to Aung San Suu Kyi after 2021 coup but refused to leave his home Myanmar’s ousted ambassador to the UK has gone on trial on trespassing charges for refusing to leave a diplomatic residence after being unceremoniously locked out of the embassy in 2021. Shortly after Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021, triggering mass protests that spiralled into a civil war, Kyaw Zwar Minn was locked out of the embassy for declaring his loyalty to the deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Continue reading...

The wild capture and release of a female big cat into a nature reserve is the first step towards reintroducing a population that hasn’t been seen for 70 years On 31 July, “Umit” – which means hope in Kazakh – was released into a nature reserve on the edge of Lake Balkhash after more than a decade of careful planning to return the caspian tiger to the region. With this release, Kazakhstan became the first country to restore its tiger range after they had been thought extinct, with the last reliable sighting in the country recorded more than 70 years

Shelter warn plans would ‘tear communities apart’ as Labour says proposed policy goes after long-term UK residents including NHS staff Reform says it would put foreign-born UK citizens lower on social housing list Lee Anderson, the Reform UK MP for Ashfield, is first up to speak. He says young people in his constituency – and in many areas across the country – have “absolutely no chance” of securing council housing or social housing. He says that Reform’s government would “put British people first” in a housing system he characterises as being unfair. Reform UK will use a press conference that

Luke Pollard says government will force platforms to remove content, after latest deadly crash involving a car driving in wrong direction A minister has pressed social media companies to remove content from their platforms showcasing dangerous driving after a fatal collision that killed seven people in Middlesbrough. The crash in the early hours of Saturday, in which PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough died, occurred when a Volkswagen Passat, containing five individuals aged between 23 and 17, crashed head-on with a marked armed response vehicle while driving the wrong way on the A66. Continue reading...

Campaigners say proposal for £10bn rescue deal in bid to avoid nationalisation is a ‘cosy stitch-up’ Business live – latest updates The group of creditors pursuing a rescue bid for Thames Water have been accused of shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic after proposing an overhaul of the stricken utility’s board. In a bid to stave off temporary nationalisation by Andy Burnham, the lenders said they would appoint Liz Barber, the former chief executive of Yorkshire Water, and Clive Selley, the former chief executive of network operator Openreach, as directors if they are allowed to take formal control of the

Just 8,383 jobs for people leaving university were advertised in July, says recruitment website Adzuna Business live – latest updates Graduate job vacancies in the UK have sunk to their lowest level since they started being tracked a decade ago, according to a recruiting website. Just 8,383 jobs for people leaving university were advertised in July, Adzuna reported on Monday, down 45% compared with the same point last year and the lowest since the company started gathering the data in 2016. Continue reading...

Pair are offspring of two beavers who mysteriously arrived in Pensthorpe nature reserve near Fakenham in December Wild beaver kits have been born in Norfolk for the first time in more than 500 years. The pair of newborns are the offspring of two free-living beavers who mysteriously arrived in Pensthorpe nature reserve near Fakenham in December. Continue reading...

House Democratic leader meets with president’s son-in-law has ignited fury amongst own party Democrats incredulous over Hakeem Jeffries and Jared Kushner meeting Sign up for the US Breaking News email Election deniers are back on the ballot. In most swing states, at least one major Republican candidate has questioned or outright denied the results of the 2020 US presidential election, which Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden. While voters in swing states have previously largely rejected candidates who denied election results, Republicans running for statewide offices across much of the country are trying again. Continue reading...

Watchdog data shared with Guardian shows contributions to Republican Attorneys General Association and others Over a dozen US companies that signed a 2021 letter urging Congress to strengthen the Voting Rights Act continue to contribute to state political groups that are actively working to undermine the legislation, according to a campaign finance watchdog. Researchers at the Center for Political Accountability (CPA), a nonpartisan organization that tracks financial disclosures, found that companies – including Airbnb, DoorDash, Target and Zillow – that signed the letter are contributing to groups known as 527 organizations that prop up key state races, according to data

Algorithms are responsible for fever pitch content surrounding trial, including misinformation, experts say As the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children, starts to wind down, a now international discussion on social media about the case has hit a fever pitch as viewers examine details of the trial and question the state of maternal mental healthcare in the United States. Amateur sleuths and armchair psychologists have been creating content throughout the several weeks of the trial, pointing out perceived discrepancies in evidence. They’ve pointed to Clancy’s last recorded heart rate and body temperature as

Civil liberties groups decry plan to use gloves linked to death of Kentucky man allegedly shocked 27 times in county jail Plans to supply Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers with special gloves that can deliver electric shocks have alarmed experts and drawn scrutiny amid some high-profile lawsuits over their use in local correctional facilities. In one extreme case, a 43-year-old man died after allegedly being shocked 40 times by officers with a combination of the gloves and a Taser in a county jail in Kentucky, and the man’s widow is suing authorities . Continue reading...

The US is scooping up treasury bonds in an effort to raise their price and push yields down – but it’s not working The bond market is driving the Trump administration crazy. Last week, the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, announced that the government would sharply ramp up its purchase of treasury bonds, in an effort to raise their price and thus push down their yield, which amounts to the interest rate the government pays on its debt. It didn’t quite work as planned. Yields on treasurys fell after Bessent’s bond market intervention but soon bounced back. By Friday afternoon, the

Londoners are facing historic levels of subsidence risk after five successive heatwaves dried out the clay soil on which much of the British capital is built. Insurance claims tied to subsidence – a phenomenon associated with bouts of hot, dry weather that shrink the soil and destabilise the foundations on which buildings stand – hit a record last quarter, according to data provided by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). On average, households claimed £20,000 (US$27,200) for the risk,...

A party led by allies of Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev won a landslide in parliamentary elections on Sunday, hours after he hinted that he may stay in power beyond his current term. The Adilet party won 71.2 per cent of votes in the election to a new single-chamber parliament, Kazakhstan’s central election commission said on Monday. The Auyl party representing agrarian interests was second with 6.3 per cent. “I have the right to be re‑elected in accordance with the law,” Tokayev...

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will visit Kyiv on Monday on his first international visit since taking office last month, his office said, as Ukraine marks its 35th independence anniversary. Burnham has vowed to give strong support to Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion. The Labour Party leader’s visit comes as he announced that Britain had “agreed that defence firm MBDA can release classified information on UK components for the long-range missile, SCALP, to establish local assembly...

Syria said it held talks with Israel in Jordan on Sunday on de-escalation after recent Israeli strikes, and on keeping the country out of tensions between Israel and Turkey, an ally of Damascus. The high-level negotiations came after the sides in January agreed to establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism as they edge towards a security agreement. They also came after Israel bombed the disused Abu Al-Duhur airbase in the country’s northwest earlier in the week, claiming it wanted to avert...

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday welcomed Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman for a two-day visit, hosting him at the Esports World Cup before a second day focused on bilateral deals and the situation in the Middle East. A French presidential official said several agreements, on health, transport and energy, will be signed on Monday alongside talks likely to focus on Iran. But the visit kicked off on Sunday evening on a lighter note with the crown prince being...

Tens of ⁠thousands of people have been ⁠evacuated this weekend from the ⁠area of Reno, Nevada, and many others were under orders to leave on Sunday as a wildfire reached the outskirts of the state’s third-most-populous city. About 42,000 residents have been displaced or are under active evacuations with an additional 45,000 ‌in “be prepared to evacuate” status as the Hawk Fire threatened northern Reno, local officials said late on Sunday morning. Local television footage showed flames...

The US special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey on Sunday walked back his comments from two days ago that Israel “still” occupies the Golan Heights in violation of UN resolutions, remarks that went against US President Donald Trump’s position on the disputed territory. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981. The United Nations and most of the international community consider the territory occupied Syrian land and does not recognise...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believes actions taken by dismissed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, including his involvement in mass protests and calls for an election, were misguided, as he publicly detailed their dispute for the first time. Zelensky also alluded to problematic decisions over defence spending and said inaccurate information provided by the Defence Ministry contributed to an awkward encounter with US President Donald Trump over the use of Starlink in...

A landslide at a ⁠landfill in Guinea’s capital killed 30 people, the government said on Sunday, after heavy rains overnight prompted the collapse of a massive mound of waste that engulfed nearby tents and shacks. The incident happened less than a week ‌after the government announced plans to close the site and relocate the waste because of the threat it posed, especially during the continuing rainy season, which causes landslides and fatal flash floods each year in crowded, underdeveloped cities...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country played no role in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe, following the arrest in Croatia of a second Ukrainian suspect sought by Germany. “Ukraine has never even been involved in even the idea of this operation,” Zelensky told reporters during the Ukraine Nordic-Baltic summit in Kyiv on Sunday. “I hope there will be results of the investigation. We are ready to help.” Croatian police arrested a Ukrainian...

The Trump administration on Sunday warned that Canada would be “foolish” to think it could win a trade war with the United States, predicting a “devastating” impact on its northern neighbour. Negotiations between Washington and Ottawa broke down late Friday, putting into force new 50 per cent US tariffs impacting about US$20 billion worth of Canadian goods, or 5.5 per cent of Canadian exports to the US. Canada in retaliation said it would match US tariffs, with new levies notably targeting the...

Ukraine thinks Russia is planning to draft an additional 300,000 troops for its war effort after Russian parliamentary elections in mid-September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. Moscow’s forces are pressing ahead with an effort to capture the rest of eastern Ukraine’s industrialised Donbas region, where its troops have ground ‌forward at what Kyiv says is a great cost. In comments to reporters released on Sunday, Zelensky said Russia could draft more troops in 2027 to reach an...

At a recent Apec digital technology and AI forum in Chengdu, ministers across the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum issued a statement in support of open-source artificial intelligence models – a rare point of agreement in a debate often framed as a zero-sum US-China contest. It pointed towards an AI order that cuts against the assumption of a contest with a single winner, an assumption that still shapes Washington’s alarm over every Chinese AI breakthrough. Across Asia, governments are...

President Donald Trump is betting new sanctions, a naval blockade and ramped-up economic pressure against Iran’s trading partners can accomplish what thousands of bombs and missiles could not: force Tehran to accept a deal to end the war on US terms. But like other US efforts to force Iran into capitulation, there is one main problem: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has claimed control of the vital Strait of Hormuz and sent volleys of attack drones across the Gulf, may be...

Siding with Canadians weary of provocations from Washington, Prime Minister Mark Carney stood up to US President Donald Trump, rejecting what he called an “unfair” trade deal – a gamble that could prove economically risky. “We will not allow any nation to determine our future. We will set our own course to keep building Canada strong for all,” Carney said on Friday, as negotiations for a bilateral trade deal were crumbling. After weeks of talks with US officials in an effort to avoid punitive...

The Panama Canal will cut the number of ships passing through it starting next month because of drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon, the operator of the strategic waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific said on Thursday. From September 3, the number of vessels allowed through each day will fall from 36 to 34 due to low water levels in two artificial lakes that feed the canal, the Panama Canal Authority said. It will drop to 32 from September 15 on, the agency said. Central America is in...

Some of Nvidia’s biggest customers have been told that the prices of servers containing its artificial intelligence chips are going up more than 15 per cent in many cases with memory chip costs soaring. The price rises will go into effect on systems shipped early next year and will impact systems including those with the flagship Vera Rubin and Grace Blackwell chips, according to people familiar with the process, who asked not to be identified commenting on communications that have not yet been...

Iran on Saturday denounced US plans to announce ⁠new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic’s economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners including China. Iran on Saturday warned countries against taking part in the United States’ “economic war” against the Islamic Republic, saying they would be considered enemies. “We declare to all countries … do not join the economic war waged by the United States. Any country participating in the imposition of...

Israel said it targeted a “terrorist” ⁠in southern Syria ⁠on Saturday in ⁠what Syria’s foreign ministry said was a drone strike on a civilian vehicle on the outskirts of Damascus in a “blatant” violation of its ‌territory. The Syrian foreign ministry said the drone had hit a vehicle on a road near Beit Jinn village in the countryside west of the capital, which caused injuries among civilians. Syrian state television ⁠reported one person was injured. The Israeli military said in ‌a statement that...

Seven people, including two police officers, died in a car crash in northeast England on Saturday after a car heading the wrong ‌way down a major road hit a marked police armed response car, the local police force said. Cleveland Police said the incident took place in the early hours of Saturday near the South Bank area east of Middlesbrough and that all occupants of the two cars ⁠died at the scene. “This is an incredibly sad day for Cleveland,” ‌Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller...

Ukrainian drones killed at least 10 people in attacks against targets across Russia and Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, including a warehouse owned by online retailer Ozon and an industrial facility, Russian officials said on Saturday. Russia and Ukraine are both ramping up drone campaigns ‌aiming to cripple each other’s economic infrastructure, often striking targets far beyond the war’s front lines, as fighting on the battlefield grinds towards the four-and-a-half-year mark. On Friday, at...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Saturday he would slap retaliatory tariffs on the United States after walking away from a “bad deal” on trade, deepening the rift between the long-time allies. Negotiations between the neighbouring countries broke down on Friday in Washington, allowing new 50 per cent US tariffs impacting some US$20 billion worth of goods, or 5.5 per cent of Canadian exports to the United States, to come into force. Impacted products range from hockey sticks to...

Swedish police are investigating whether an 18-year-old man who attacked students at a high school with a sword on Friday, killing one, was involved in online communities promoting school violence, a police source said. The attacker struck at a school in the central ‌Swedish town of Fagersta, also severely injuring two teenage boys before being arrested by police. The parents of a 17-year-old girl told local newspaper Fagersta-Posten that their daughter was killed in the attack. Police are...

Somali pirates hijacked an oil products tanker off Yemen, a Somali maritime security official said, the latest in a resurgence of piracy that has seen six commercial vessels seized since April across the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean. Six armed pirates hijacked the Eritrean-flagged M.T. Sibu 1 on Thursday about 136 nautical miles (252 kilometres) east of al-Mukalla, Yemen, and took it towards Somalia’s Puntland coast, the official, who has knowledge of the incident, told journalists on...

Fears of a military confrontation between Israel and Turkey are growing after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to assert dominance over Syria by ordering air strikes on a military airfield near the Turkish border. The eight strikes on the Abu Al-Duhur airbase in northwest Idlib province on Tuesday were characterised by Netanyahu as a warning to Turkey against expanding its military presence in Syria or helping rebuild the Syrian armed forces. Netanyahu’s office claimed Israel and...

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urged US counterpart Donald Trump in a phone call on Friday to resolve their countries’ trade dispute, saying US tariffs were imposed on “baseless” grounds. Washington imposed two new sets of tariffs on the Latin American giant in July, a move that has become a key campaign issue ahead of Brazil’s presidential election in October. Lula – who is seeking a fourth and final term in office – told Trump that the tariffs “negatively affect both Brazil and...

Near the heavily fortified frontier dividing the Korean peninsula, the abandoned Woljeong-ri station is being recast as a symbol of South Korea’s hopes to reconcile with the North. But plans to reconnect South Korea’s northernmost station to the rail network come at an awkward moment, as Pyongyang ignores Seoul’s overtures while the South’s old ally Washington pursues its own talks with Pyongyang. A turbulent few days have raised doubts about the role of South Korea in any diplomatic push,...

A US ⁠judge has struck down a Trump administration ⁠policy suspending the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, saying that the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statutory authority. US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan said on Friday ⁠that the policy that the ‌State Department announced in January was “patently unlawful” and ran afoul of federal immigration law, which explicitly stripped the secretary of state of authority over consular officers’...

The United States imposed 50 per cent tariffs on US$20 billion worth of Canadian products early on Saturday and Canada immediately said it would retaliate, after last-ditch negotiations failed to resolve the latest strain in already tense relations between the historic allies. US President Donald Trump’s import taxes will hit about 5 per cent of what Canada ships to the United States every year, including products ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors. “Canada will match those tariffs...

Japan’s Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife Crown Princess Kiko attended a ceremony on Friday marking 90 years of Japanese immigration to Paraguay, with the prince praising in a speech the contributions made by the immigrants and their descendants to the South American country. In an address at the event near the Paraguayan capital Asuncion, the crown prince, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, touched on how the immigrants overcame hardships and have taken root in Paraguay. Around 650...

At least ⁠16 people were killed ⁠and more than 130 wounded on Friday when several Russian drones struck a shopping centre in central Ukraine, authorities said, with President Volodymyr Zelensky promising a response to what he called an “act of barbarism”. Regional governor ‌Oleksandr Hanzha said that 22 children were among the wounded in the daytime attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih, which is Zelensky’s hometown. “There are 29 people in serious condition, including five children,” Hanzha said. He...

A punishing drought is draining Europe’s great rivers, pushing the Loire, the Danube and the Rhine towards record lows. At the Kaub gauging station, the reference point for shipping on the Rhine – Germany’s economic artery – the water level fell to 17cm (6.7 inches) this month, a low unseen since measurements began in 1880. Meanwhile, wildfires are burning across southern Europe, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands and producing the defining image of a European summer in which...

The US Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to continue construction of his White House ballroom project for now, temporarily pausing a judicial order that would halt much of the development. The court’s action, known as an administrative stay, gives the justices additional time to consider the administration’s formal request to let it continue working on the US$400 million ballroom while a lawsuit by a historic preservation ‌group seeking to stop the project...

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday it was time to end the months-long Middle East war with the US because Tehran appeared to be in a stronger position than Washington. Talks between the long-time foes remain on hold, and the war started by the US and Israel in February has been locked in a stalemate. Tehran is keeping the key Strait of Hormuz partially shut, and Washington is persisting with a naval counter-blockade of Iran. “It is better that we bring the war to an end now as we...

Turkey has sought an international arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of “genocide” linked to Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, the justice minister announced Friday. Turkey has become a virulent critic of Israel’s war in Gaza. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has frequently accused Netanyahu of “genocide”. Israel’s interception of the flotilla carrying some 430 activists in May sparked an international outcry. France, Italy and Australia...

Southeast Asian leaders have long insisted they will not be forced to pick sides in the great-power rivalry between the US and China. But their posture is about to be further tested. This time, the battleground is AI. While Washington wants the region locked into Pax Silica – its bid to build a China-free artificial intelligence supply chain – Beijing wants its neighbours to join China’s own World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (Waico). Sources told the South China Morning Post...

An 18-year-old man armed with a sword attacked students at a Swedish high school on Friday, killing one person and injuring three, and police shot and detained him as media reported the attacker was a former student at the school. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon at the Brinell high school in the central Swedish town of Fagersta, which has about 13,000 residents. The ‌school had just reopened after summer recess, and for some students, it was their first day. Police told a press...

Prince Harry, Elton John ⁠and other high-profile claimants face paying ⁠millions of dollars out of their own pockets to cover the legal costs of the Daily Mail’s publisher after a judge ruled their failed privacy lawsuits were conducted in an unreasonable way. Judge Matthew Nicklin’s judgment on costs, ‌which was published on Friday, also ordered an interim payment from the claimants of £9.54 million (US$13 million), due by August 28, towards the legal costs of Associated Newspapers. Last month,...

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States would temporarily allow a greater volume of foreign beef imports, in his latest bid to lower costs for American consumers as midterm elections approach. The US cattle herd has shrunk to its lowest level since the 1950s – in part due to drought and international competition – with the diminishing herd size pushing cattle prices higher. “As we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers, for the next 90 days, the United States...

Australian police charged a man with foreign interference on Friday for allegedly seeking to pass intelligence about Ukrainian military activities to Russia. The 27-year-old Russian-Australian citizen underwent “military-style” training in Russia and later joined the Ukrainian armed forces, Australian federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett told a news conference. Police allege he travelled to Russia for the training in October 2024, before returning to Australia, where he “maintained...

William and Harry were united in grief as children by the tragic death of their mother, Princess Diana, but their relationship as adults has been ripped apart by anger and hurt. The pair – dubbed “the heir and the spare” from an early age – have failed to put aside their differences, despite their father King Charles’ cancer diagnosis. And as Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, prepares to return to the UK in the coming weeks with his wife, Meghan, and two young children, all eyes will be on...

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese team aims to put ‘smart’ diabetes probiotic on US shelves within 2 years Chinese researchers have engineered a probiotic that could make diabetes care as simple as drinking a cup of yoghurt or swallowing a capsule. 2. Saga of...

The premier of a Canadian province launched a blistering attack on US President Donald Trump on Thursday, calling him a “bad person” and “not to be trusted” and urging Canada to keep fighting rather than rush to make concessions in trade talks with Washington. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Canada has leverage in the talks even as his province weighs restoring US alcohol sales at Prime Minister Mark Carney’s urging to help secure a deal that would avert threatened 50 per cent US...

Russia’s Pacific Fleet said on Thursday it has conducted a missile test off a group of Russian-held, Japanese-claimed islands amid an intensifying row over the disputed territory following President Vladimir Putin’s first-ever visit there last week. While it was unclear exactly when the test was carried out, the announcement comes after the Russian foreign ministry summoned Japanese Ambassador to Russia Akira Muto over Japan’s protest against Putin’s trip to the area. Putin visited Etorofu...

US authorities charged a woman who allegedly supported the Islamic State group with a terrorism offence on Thursday after she told an FBI informant she “wanted to destroy” the New York State Capitol building, court filings showed. Located in Albany near the Canadian border, the New York State Capitol is the nerve centre of the state government and contains both houses of the state’s legislature. Jessica Bowie, 35, was charged with attempting to provide material support to designated “foreign...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to announce an escalation of sanctions aimed at further isolating Iranian trade.

The move to call off the high-profile event was communicated in June, South Korea said. President Trump shortened another joint military exercise earlier this month.

Republicans still have some clear advantages on the map, but President Trump’s unpopularity has opened the door for an outcome that once seemed far-fetched.

From South Dakota to Alaska, independents are challenging incumbent Republicans and eschewing a Democratic label that Western voters find toxic.

A plan to lower tariffs on imported beef and trade tensions with Canada have compounded some G.O.P. worries about a central issue in the midterms.

The pro-Israel group has been preparing to spend big for Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for Senate in Michigan. Does he want that?

After the departure of thousands of federal workers, rural communities report problems obtaining loans, grants, technical assistance and support for infrastructure and other services.

A century ago, Mexican American families came together to build an adobe church near the border. Can its bell toll again as the wall expansion nears?

It was the final, major event planned for the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations. The president took a lap.

The attorney general of California, one of 12 states suing to block the $111 billion deal, accused Paramount of leaking and misrepresenting earlier settlement discussions.

An arbitrator ordered the newspaper to reinstate Karen Attiah, who was fired after posting about “white men who espouse hatred and violence” following Charlie Kirk’s killing.

RJ Shook of Shook Research said he paid Randall Lane, the former top editor at Forbes, for “services and guidance” in partnering with Forbes and later selling his research firm.

At a conservative center for women leaders, interns told stories about their lives. One said a male classmate told her, “I don’t know if women should be lawyers.”

I traveled around the country to find out if “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” still has a place in the classroom.

The class-based violence of the past was part of a broader struggle. Today, the violence is the end in itself.

Mark Carney has chosen suffering, but he did what Canadians elected him to do.

One reporter traveled to understand how it is taught now.

The unusual weather pattern and dried out peatlands, a kind of wetland, have been behind some of the country’s worst fire seasons. This year could be one.