The US-Iran Ceasefire Is Over. The Strait of Hormuz Just Shut Down Again.

The number of ships taking the southern route through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed into single figures. Phil Belcher, marine director at Intertanko, the international organisation for independent tanker owners, gave the figures on Thursday morning. A week ago, about 70 ships a day were transiting. Before the war began in February, the normal […]

Marine Le Pen Can Run for President But Must Wear Electronic Tag

PARIS — A French appeal court has upheld Marine Le Pen’s conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds but reduced her ban on public office, clearing the way for her to stand in the 2027 presidential election. The National Rally figurehead was found guilty of diverting €2.8 million (£2.4m) in funds meant for hiring parliamentary assistants over […]

Ukraine Warns of Interceptor Missile Shortage as 19 Killed in Kyiv

Ukraine’s air force has said a “serious shortage” of interceptor missiles meant none of the 23 ballistic missiles fired by Russia at the capital on Sunday night were shot down, as the death toll from the strikes rose to at least 19 people. Thirteen people were killed in Kyiv and six more in the wider […]

Uefa Says Integrity at Stake as Fifa Overturns Balogun Red Card Ban

ZURICH — Uefa has strongly criticised Fifa’s decision to cancel the automatic suspension of United States striker Folarin Balogun, calling the move “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable” and warning that the “integrity of the game is at stake.” Balogun was sent off against Bosnia-Herzegovina after a VAR review and should have missed the last-16 tie against Belgium […]

How Outbreak News Warps Your Brain—Even If You’re Not Infected

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is escalating. Case counts are rising. Response efforts are falling behind. Most people reading this will never come into contact with the pathogen. They are thousands of miles from the outbreak zone. Their bodies require no immunological defence. Their minds are mounting one anyway. The mechanism […]

AI Is ‘Not Smart’: What’s Next for Artificial Intelligence

PARIS — One of the world’s leading artificial intelligence researchers has said current AI systems like ChatGPT are “not smart” and cannot lead to human-level intelligence, as he and other experts pursue a new approach to building machines that can understand the physical world. Yann LeCun, who left his role as chief AI scientist at Facebook-owner […]

Trump Tells National Mall Crowd ‘American Dream Is Back’ in Delayed Speech

President Donald Trump delivered a Fourth of July speech on the National Mall on Saturday night after thunderstorms forced the evacuation of thousands of attendees and delayed the event by several hours. The 40-minute address, staged by the White House-controlled Freedom 250 organisation, combined tributes to veterans and American history with attacks on “communists” and […]

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Marry at Madison Square Garden 

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married on Friday at Madison Square Garden, with the superstar couple’s publicist confirming the news as giant screens outside the arena lit up with the message: “JUST&T MARRIED!” The ceremony was attended by about 1,000 guests including some of the biggest names in music, film, and sport. Actor Adam […]

Instagram Found Running Ads Promoting Child Abuse Material in India

LONDON — A BBC investigation has found that Instagram has been running paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material in India, with the platform’s automated review system approving ads that used terms including “rape video” and “child video.” The ads, seen by the BBC World Service, linked users to channels on the messaging app Telegram where […]

US Marks 250th Independence Day as Heatwave Disrupts Celebrations

WASHINGTON — The United States is marking the 250th anniversary of its independence with celebrations across the country on Saturday, though extreme heat and competing political visions for the holiday have disrupted events in the nation’s capital and beyond. Exceptionally high temperatures and humidity forced the cancellation of Independence Day parades in Washington and Philadelphia, where […]