United States
Starmer to visit Middle East after US and Iran reach ceasefire deal
Reuters Keir Starmer welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US as he travelled to meet with leaders of countries in the Gulf on Wednesday. The prime minister is expected to “discuss diplomatic efforts to support and uphold the ceasefire”, according to No 10. He will return to the UK on Friday. The ceasefire comes after Donald Trump threatened “a whole civilisation will die” if Iran did not agree to end the war and unblock the Strait of Hormuz – comments that led Downing Street to call again forRead more
Ukraine, its allies object to U.S. move to exempt Russian oil from sanctions for at least 30 days
The United States issued a 30-day licence for countries to buy Russian oil and petroleum products currently stranded at sea in what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said was a step to stabilize global energy markets roiled by the Iran war. The announcement comes a day after the U.S. Energy Department said that the U.S. would be releasing 172 million barrels of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve in an effort to curb skyrocketing oil prices. That release was part of a broader commitment by the 32-nation International Energy Agency toRead more
US lawmakers accuse justice department of ‘inappropriately’ redacting Epstein files
US lawmakers say files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were improperly redacted ahead of their release by the Department of Justice (DoJ). Members of Congress on Monday were allowed to begin a review of the unredacted versions of the approximately three million pages of files released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) since December. “The core issue is that they’re not complying with… my law, because these were scrubbed back in March by Donald Trump’s FBI,” Democratic congressman Ro Khanna said. At least one document has been unredactedRead more
Under-fire Trump commerce secretary confirms he visited Epstein’s island
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has confirmed he visited Jeffrey Epstein’s island in 2012, contradicting previous claims that he had cut ties with the sex offender years earlier, before he was convicted. “I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation,” Lutnick testified on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. “My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies … We had lunch on the island. That is true. For an hour.” Correspondence about the visit was included in EpsteinRead more
Trump threatens to block opening of US-Canada bridge
The White House has demanded that Canada “share authority” and ownership of a new bridge connecting the two countries after a “clear and direct” call between Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney. The Gordie Howe International Bridge, connecting the Canadian province of Ontario to the US state of Michigan, will not open until Ottawa “treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve”, Trump wrote on social media earlier. The bridge is funded by the Canadian government but will be publicly owned by both Canada andRead more
Kennedy Center to close for two years for renovations, Trump says
The Kennedy Center in Washington DC will be closed for a two-year renovation beginning in July, US President Donald Trump has announced. Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday that the centre would close on 4 July this year “in honour of the 250th Anniversary of our Country”. The move follows several artists cancelling performances at the storied institution after it was recently renamed as the Trump Kennedy Center. Shortly after taking office, the president fired several of the board members at the centre and replaced them with allies, whoRead more
Trump says administration ‘reviewing everything’ after fatal shooting of Minneapolis nurse
EPA US President Donald Trump says his administration is “reviewing everything” after the fatal shooting by immigration agents of 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday. In his comments to the Wall Street Journal, Trump also indicated that he would eventually withdraw agents from the city. But he did not give a timeframe. Protests continued in Minneapolis and other US cities on Sunday, as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz warned that America was at an “inflection point”. The facts around the incident – the second fatal shooting byRead more
Trump trips, a fake video and 10 possible co-conspirators – Takeaways from new Epstein files
The US Department of Justice released its latest – and largest – tranche of Jeffrey Epstein files on Tuesday. The 11,000-plus documents continue a stream of released information that began on Friday, the deadline mandated in a new law that required the department to publicly release all of its investigative files into the deceased paedophile and financier. Many of the documents released on Tuesday are redacted with names and information blacked out, including names of people who the FBI appears to cite as possible co-conspirators in the Epstein case. TheRead more
Congress ups pressure to release boat strike video with threat to Hegseth’s travel budget
Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images US lawmakers are trying to pressure the Trump administration to release video of a controversial “double-tap” military strike by limiting Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget. The incident on 2 September, in which the US carried out a second deadly strike on a boat in the Caribbean, has raised fresh questions about the legality of Trump’s campaign targeting alleged drug-carrying vessels. A provision buried in a lengthy defence spending policy would restrict travel funds for Hegseth’s office until the Pentagon hands over unedited footage. TheRead more