What we learned from Bill Gates’s interview with Congress about Epstein
Bill Gates is shown leaving following a closed-door interview before the House’s oversight committee investigating late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in Washington, D.C., on June 10. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters) Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates told a congressional panel that files released by the Justice Department in January only added to his embarrassment over interacting with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Epstein Transparency Act, passed in late 2025, mandated that the U.S. Justice Department release millions of files related to investigations into Epstein, whose death in aRead more
Trump’s D.C. reflecting pool is the butt of online jokes. What happened?
It was big, bold American flag blue. And then it was green. And then it was spotted with chunks of floating paint. U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitious plan to renovate the 600-metre-long Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington, D.C., for the country’s 250th anniversary celebration has backfired spectacularly. The pool’s $14.7-million US renovation and subsequent rapid deterioration has become the butt of internet jokes. Some have dubbed June “ALGAEBTQ Pride Month” or commented that Trump, who promised to “drain the swamp” in Washington, has instead created a swamp. In oneRead more
Deadly ‘Omega’ heat wave breaks more temperature records in Europe
People cool off in the Trocadéro Fountain near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Wednesday. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters) Western Europe was in the grip of a heat wave on Wednesday that claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, shut schools and cultural landmarks, as forecasters warned the extreme temperatures could persist until the end of the week. Smashing previous records, Britain logged its highest temperature for June, reaching 36.1 C in southern England as a heat dome hovered over much of western Europe. France recorded its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago, when temperatures peakedRead more
Trump asks Congress for $87bn, mostly for ‘urgent’ Iran war costs
The White House has asked lawmakers to approve $87.6bn (£66.5bn), mostly for “urgent needs” connected with the US war on Iran, a day after Congress passed a resolution rebuking the military action. The bulk of the funding – $67bn – is for the Defence Department, including $21bn for munitions, $17.3bn for operational costs and $12.1bn for classified programmes, said the White House. The other money is for unrelated measures including $11bn for US farmers and $1.4bn to tackle the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. But the proposal faces an uphillRead more
U.S. says retaliatory strikes on Iran in response to crash of American helicopter have ended
A U.S. army AH-64 Apache helicopter is shown during a joint live-fire exercise with the South Korean army in 2025. Apache helicopters have been a key asset for the U.S. military as it enforces a blockade on Iranian crude oil shipments and tankers. (SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg/Getty Images) The U.S. military said Tuesday it carried out strikes against Iran following the crash of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman that President Donald Trump blamed on the Islamic republic. In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Central CommandRead more
Pope Leo gives Spain’s ‘phoenix’ prime minister another turn in the global spotlight
Pope Leo XIV meets with members of the Spanish Parliament in Madrid on June 8. (Alessandra Tarantino/Pool via REUTERS) Earlier this spring, Spain’s defiance of U.S. President Donald Trump’s war plans in Iran briefly made the country the centre of global geopolitical friction. Now, Pope Leo XIV is visiting, thrusting the country back into the spotlight — only this time, welcoming an American who wields moral authority, rather than military might. Leo, who was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, has been met with near-rapturous crowds in Madrid ever sinceRead more
What’s next for Trump and Netanyahu in war with Iran
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, is greeted by U.S. President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. The priorities of the two around Iran diverge, in part, because of the leaders’ differing domestic political concerns. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press) U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to find a way out of the war with Iran have suddenly become a lot more complicated. The Israel versus Iran part of the conflict dramatically ramped up in intensity over a matter of hours on Sunday, exactlyRead more
Ex-member of top climate body says Alberta pipeline deal is not compatible with net-zero
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith acknowledge the crowd before signing an energy agreement in Calgary on May 15. (Todd Korol/Reuters) A former member of Canada’s top climate body said the pipeline deal Canada signed with Alberta is incompatible with Carney government’s net-zero target. “You can’t be saying these deals are still compatible with net-zero by 2050. They’re not. The deal is not compatible with it,” said Simon Donner, the former co-chair of the Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB), while testifying before the House of Commons environment committee.Read more
Canada’s forestry crisis should be blamed on homegrown problems, not Trump, federal report says
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Canada, Tim Hodgson, makes an announcement regarding liquefied natural gas with B.C. Premier David Eby, in Vancouver on Thursday, May 14, 2026. (The Canadian Press/Jennifer Gauthier) Canada’s forestry sector is the trade “canary in the coal mine” as it faces structural challenges that go beyond Trump-era tariffs, says the federal minister responsible for natural resources. Tim Hodgson made that comment Wednesday as he unveiled close to $130 million in funding for 56 forestry-related projects across the country. Hodgson, who is in Langford, B.C.,Read more