News

The US National Park Service (NPS) is removing Martin Luther King Jr Day and Juneteenth from its list of fee-free entrance days. The move is part of President Donald Trump’s “modernisation” of the park service, which, beginning in 2026, also includes changing the parks’ cost structure to favour American citizens over foreign visitors, following a July executive order from Trump. In addition to removing the two holidays that celebrate civil rights leader MLK Jr and the end of slavery in the US,

Tech giant Meta said Thursday it is starting to remove under-16s in Australia from Instagram, Threads and Facebook ahead of the country’s world-first youth social media ban. Australia is requiring major online platforms, also including TikTok and YouTube, to block underage users by December 10, when the new law comes into force. Companies face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$32 million) if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to comply. “While we are working hard to remove all users who we unde

The US Department of Justice has dismissed eight immigration judges in New York City, the association representing them said Tuesday, amid tensions with the courts as President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on undocumented migrants. According to the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ), which confirmed media reports, the eight judges all worked at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. The address houses a court that reviews cases of migrants attempting to regularize their stat

US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that the airspace above and near Venezuela should be considered closed, the latest escalation in a standoff with leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network, “please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.” The US president did not elaborate. Trump’s administration is piling pressure on Venezuela, with a major milit

A visit to the Louvre museum in Paris is set to become significantly more expensive for travelers from outside Europe, with officials announcing plans to hike the price of tickets by 45%. From January 14, 2026, an individual ticket for visitors from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) — a grouping of nations that comprises the European Union member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway — will cost 32 euros ($37), a spokesperson for the Louvre told CNN on Friday. Those visiting as

Families of the scores still missing after Hong Kong‘s worst blaze in decades scoured hospitals Friday as firefighting operations ended, with the death toll at least 94. Flames had moved quickly through the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po district on Wednesday afternoon, spreading through the eight high-rises and transforming the densely packed complex into an inferno. A new time-lapse video shows just how dramatic and intense the fire was. The death toll is 83, with many still missin

A couple who decided to save their local church took just two days to raise the money to make the purchase thanks to donations from well-wishers around the world.  Andrew and Kirsteen Michell crowd-funded £70,000 to buy Applegarth Church near Lockerbie following an appeal to members of Clan Jardine, whose ancient family seat lies within the tiny hamlet.  Descendants from the United States, South Africa and Canada put their hands in their pockets to help secure the future of the building.  The

Jimmy Cliff, one of reggae’s most transformative figures, has died at 81. His wife, Latifa Chambers, shared the news on his official Instagram page. She said he passed away after complications from a seizure and pneumonia. Her announcement marked the end of a career that helped carry Jamaican music from Kingston dancehalls to stages across the world. Chambers thanked fans, family, and colleagues who supported Cliff throughout his life. “I want to thank everyone who has shared in his legacy. To

During a brief exchange with reporters, Donald Trump chose unusually cautious phrasing when recalling a 2022 dinner with Kanye West. He referred to him only as “somebody” before eventually naming him. His response came as journalists pressed him about Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with Nick Fuentes. This renewed attention to Trump’s past encounters with the far-right commentator. Trump revisited the Mar-a-Lago dinner with characteristic brevity. “I didn’t know he was coming, and he was with

South Korean conglomerate Samsung unveiled on Sunday a plan to invest $310 billion over the next five years mostly in technology powering artificial intelligence, aiming to meet growing demand driven by a global boom. The business group’s flagship Samsung Electronics is already one of the world’s top memory-chip makers, providing crucial components for the AI industry and the infrastructure it relies on. South Korea is also home to SK hynix, another key player in the global semiconductor market

It's a Veterans Day they won't soon forget.  On a balmy 70-degree day in the nation's capital this past weekend, former President Barack Obama boarded an Honor Flight filled with veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars that had just touched down from Madison, Wisconsin.  "Hello, everybody," his voiced boomed over the loud speaker. "What!" exclaimed one person. Another veteran gasped, his mouth wide open. The Honor Flight Networks "I just wanted to say thank you," the former president contin

Syria will join the international coalition to combat the Islamic State group, marking a shift in US foreign policy in the Middle East, a senior Trump administration official has confirmed.  The announcement came as President Donald Trump met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House - the first such visit from a Syrian leader in the country's history. In an interview with Special Report on Fox News, al-Sharaa said the visit was part of a "new era" in which the country would co-opera

The director general of the British Broadcasting Corporation announced his resignation Sunday following a row over the editing of a documentary about US President Donald Trump. Tim Davie and the BBC’s head of news, Deborah Turness, resigned after accusations that a documentary by its flagship Panorama programme edited a speech by Trump in a misleading way. “Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable,” Davie said in a statement

A children’s cancer charity has thanked comedian Alan Carr for his “commitment, compassion and drive” after he donated the £87,500 prize pot from his Celebrity Traitors victory. View this post on Instagram A post shared by New Dope (@newdopehq) Neuroblastoma UK told the Chatty Man star “we can’t tell you how grateful we are” after he was crowned the winner of the hit BBC spin-off series during Thursday night’s tense final. Carr, who has been patron of the charity since 2016, said it was

Dick Cheney, who became one of the most powerful vice presidents in US history as George W. Bush’s number two during 9/11 and catastrophic wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, died Monday. He was 84. Cheney forged an unusually muscular job in the traditionally inconsequential role and was seen by many as a major power behind the throne, as Bush thrust America into the so-called war on terror, with a dark underbelly of renditions, torture and the controversial Guantanamo prison site. A hate-figure to

Former US president Barack Obama hit the campaign trail Saturday for fellow Democrats ahead of closely-watched state elections, laying into Donald Trump over his “shambolic” policies and warning of the dangers facing American democracy. Obama, who remains a powerful figure in today’s Democratic Party, took the stage to robust applause in Virginia and then New Jersey to stump for two candidates in gubernatorial elections seen as critical bellwethers ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The 64-ye

In an unprecedented situation, millions of Americans could lose access to a crucial food assistance programme next week amid the federal government shutdown. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said it does not have the money to pay $8 billion in food stamp benefits for November amid the funding impasse on Capitol Hill that led the government to shut down on October 1. The agency argues it cannot tap into its roughly $6 billion contingency fund to cover next month’s benefits, though Democra

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is “not allowed” to run for a third term, acknowledging the limits laid out in the US Constitution. Trump and his supporters have repeatedly raised the question of a 2028 presidential run for the 79-year-old, drawing concern from his foes and cheers from backers. “I have my highest poll numbers that I’ve ever had and, you know, based on what I read, I guess I’m not allowed to run, so we’ll see what happens… It’s too bad,” Trump said on Air Force One. T

Microsoft hit the milestone a second time, while Nvidia marched toward $5 trillion. Apple on Tuesday became only the third company to break through the $4 trillion market value milestone. Apple shares rose fractionally in early trading, just enough to briefly push the company’s value above the historic level. It ended the trading day at $3.99 trillion. Nvidia and Microsoft crossed the $4 trillion threshold in July. Nvidia’s market valuation has grown even more since then, hitting $4.88 trilli

The U.S. has reached a framework agreement with China to avoid imposing an additional 100 per cent tariff on Chinese imports, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday. The development comes during the first leg of President Donald Trump’s diplomacy tour in Asia, easing tensions before this week’s highly anticipated meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.  Beyond trade talk, Trump is expected to urge Xi to join the US pressure campaign against Russia. Trump spent the first day of h

Suspects have been arrested over the brazen jewellery heist at the Louvre, just as one of them was about to fly out of France, the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday. Two men in their 30s and originally from the capital's Seine-Saint-Denis suburb - which includes some of the country's most deprived areas - were detained on Saturday evening, according to Le Parisien newspaper, which first broke the story. They were known to French police and one of the suspects was about to fly to Algeria from Cha

Changpeng Zhao, founder of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has been pardoned by US President Donald Trump. Zhao, also known as "CZ", was sentenced to four months in prison in April 2024 after pleading guilty to violating US money laundering laws. Binance also pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $4.3bn (£3.4bn) after a US investigation found it helped users bypass sanctions. The pardon reignited debate over the White House embrace of cryptocurrency as the Trump family's

The US has announced new sanctions targeting Russia's two largest oil companies in an effort to pressure Moscow to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine. The announcement came one day after US President Donald Trump said a planned meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Budapest would be shelved indefinitely. "Every time I speak to Vladimir, I have good conversations and then they don't go anywhere," Trump said. While the economic impact to Russia is likely to be minimal, it repres