The Guardian

New Orleans man named Santa Claus arrested in child predator sting

Police allege the 75-year-old tried to meet someone he believed was a 15-year-old boy after explicit online chatsSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA New Orleans man who legally changed his name to Santa Claus was jailed recently on allegations that he tried to use a dating app to sexually prey on someone he believed to be an underage boy.Claus, 75, initiated contact through the app with an undercover detective who was posing as a 15-year-old boy as part of a sting operation being

general  Jun 30, 2026

NY Times World

After U.S.-Iran War, Oman Is Said to Propose Strait of Hormuz Fee Plan

Under the proposal, Iran and Oman would collect payment for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to officials and diplomats with knowledge of the matter.

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Florida woman swimming in river killed in rare alligator attack at state forest

Officials say 31-year-old woman’s arm was severed in attack at a river in Seminole county’s Little Big Econ forestA woman swimming in a Florida river was killed recently in a rare alligator attack that severed one of her arms, state officials said.The deadly attack took place at Seminole county’s Little Big Econ state forest, about 25 miles north-east of Orlando, on Sunday as the 31-year-old victim was in the Econlockhatchee River. Continue reading...

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Rocky week for AI as shares slump but no sign of crash – yet

The markets are souring on artificial intelligence, but is this the bubble being burst? Meanwhile, California proposes a tax on billionairesHello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m Blake Montgomery, US tech editor at the Guardian, writing to you after fending off sunburns at the beach. Today, we’re discussing a rocky week for the AI industry’s finances and how California’s proposed billionaire’s tax is changing the political posture of the state’s governor.Impact of social media ban for under-16s in

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

ICE releases Texas nun intercepted walking to church dressed in her habit

Diocese officials in south Texas say a nun was released after members of Congress intervenedA Roman Catholic nun was released from the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the agency arrested her while she walked to mass in her habit in south Texas.Sister Leticia Ugboaja was walking to Our Lady of Sorrows church in McAllen, Texas, just a few miles from the US-Mexico border on Sunday when she was detained by ICE officers, the church said in a statement on social media. Co

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

UK ‘minded to’ intervene in Paramount’s $110bn takeover of Warner Bros Discovery

Lisa Nandy to ask regulators to assess mega-merger involving Channel 5, CNN and TNT Sports on grounds of media plurality and competitionThe UK culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, intends to ask the British media and competition watchdogs to examine Paramount’s $110bn (£85bn) acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.The WBD takeover deal will create a media powerhouse controlling assets including: the Hollywood studios behind franchises including Superman, Batman and Top Gun; the UK’s Channel 5; news chan

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

One million migrants in Spain apply to regularise status in new scheme

Programme defending benefits of immigration attracts double number of applicants expectedMore than one million undocumented migrants and asylum seekers have applied to regularise their status in Spain under a government programme to harness and defend the benefits of immigration at a time when most European countries are pulling up the drawbridge.Although the massive regularisation initiative, announced by the socialist-led government in January, was originally intended to benefit around 500,000

general  Jun 30, 2026

BBC World

Canadians share hopes and wishes for America's 250th birthday

For America’s 250th birthday, BBC journalists asked Canadians across the country what they would gift the US and what birthday wishes they’d send their southern neighbour.

general  Jun 30, 2026

NY Times World

The 1968 Pact on Shipping Routes in the Strait of Hormuz That Iran Is Rejecting

For decades, a maritime agreement negotiated by Iran and Oman has governed the main pathways through the strait.

general  Jun 30, 2026

NY Times World

Parcel Bomb Explodes in Monaco, Injuring 3

The blast seriously injured three people, including a child, according to the authorities, who said the assailant was on the run.

general  Jun 30, 2026

BBC World

Flooding hits Ghana's capital killing 13 people - with another storm forecast

People have been urged to relocate to high ground or stay indoors as more rain is expected to come.

general  Jun 30, 2026

NY Times World

More Than 1 Million Migrants Apply for Legal Status in Spain

Since late April, the Spanish government has allowed undocumented migrants a path out of legal limbo, making Spain a beacon to the global left.

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

First Thing: Supreme court backs Trump’s ability to fire agency chiefs but rules against him on mail-in ballots

Decision in case concerning Rebecca Slaughter overturns decades of precedent curbing executive power. Plus how one man survived eight days lost in the Pacific OceanGood morning. Yesterday the US supreme court handed Donald Trump – and all future presidents – the power to fire leaders of independent agencies or commissions, overturning 90 years of court precedent curbing executive power.While Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social as a “big win”, labor advocates, unions, and consumer advoc

general  Jun 30, 2026

WSJ World News

Japanese Yen Falls to 40-Year Low, Pleasing Tourists but Worrying Tokyo

The latest slide has put foreign-exchange traders on high alert for a fresh round of yen buying by Japanese authorities.

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

China is a clear winner from Trump’s war in Middle East, report concludes

Beijing, whose stockpiles and renewables industry allowed it to withstand energy shock, is now gaining from global solar and EV pushChina has emerged as the sole winner in Asia from the strait of Hormuz crisis, according to a report published on Tuesday.The report by the Asia Group thinktank concluded that China had weathered the storm of the global commodities crisis resulting from the closure of the Middle Eastern waterway, and also stood to gain from the economic and geopolitical trends spark

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Reform MP chair of Welsh environment committee may ‘undermine scrutiny’, says thinktank

Climate campaigners question choice of James Evans for role given past criticism of green energy projectsUK politics live – latest updatesThe appointment of a Reform UK MP as the chair of a key Welsh environmental committee could “undermine the hard graft of ministerial scrutiny”, a green thinktank has warned.James Evans, a former Conservative party MP who defected to Reform UK in January last year, has been appointed chair of the Welsh climate change, environment, sustainability and rural affai

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Nuclear weapons storage in spotlight as US plans $4bn boost for its UK airbases

Exclusive: Pentagon files suggest some new facilities will store nuclear arsenal, with $163m also earmarked for secretive spy baseMore than $4bn (£3bn) is to be spent upgrading the US government’s military and spy bases in the UK, according to official documents that shed light on the UK’s apparent role as a secretive site for American nuclear weapons.The construction plans include building new bunkers in Suffolk, which will seemingly be used to store nuclear weapons, and modernising facilities

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Did US drug agents allow lethal fentanyl to hit New Mexico’s streets?

Explosive AP story based on whistleblower testimony suggests agents ‘sat back and watched’ in hopes of securing larger drug-trafficking bustDid the Drug Enforcement Agency break the law and gamble with public safety when it permitted large quantities of fentanyl pills to be trafficked in New Mexico in the hopes of getting a larger drug-trafficking bust?That is the question at the heart of an explosive story published in the Associated Press, based on information provided by a former DEA agent tu

general  Jun 30, 2026

WSJ World News

Beyond Politics: A China-Born Journalist’s American Story

Plus, a professor’s lesson: The First Amendment favors verifying facts over accepting government claims

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

UK watchdog plans to break Apple and Google’s ‘effective duopoly’ on mobile app stores

CMA says developers should be able to steer users away from app stores for payments to increase competitionBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK’s competition watchdog is challenging Apple and Google’s “effective duopoly” over mobile platforms by allowing developers to steer users away from their app stores to make purchases.The Competition and Markets Authority argues that consumers and app owners are being let down by Apple and Google restrictions on spending money outside their app stores. Con

general  Jun 30, 2026