Blocks

Broadway star, who is performing on the vessel, expresses shock after authorities ban Scarlet Lady from docking in Kuşadası A cruise ship carrying 2,000 LGBTQ+ passengers and the Broadway performer Patti LuPone has been blocked from entering Turkey after local authorities said their behaviour didn’t “align with the structure of our society and our moral values”.Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady set sail from Athens, Greece, on 5 July for what was billed as “an epic all-gay voyage” over 10 days run by Atlantis, a US company that puts on cruises and vacations for LGBTQ+ people. Continue reading...

• An unprecedented early summer heatwave in Europe has been linked to more than 1,300 excess deaths, according to BBC News. • Germany and 11 other EU member states, including Italy, Poland, and the Netherlands, are calling for a three-year suspension of new methane import regulations. • The push for suspension follows warnings from the US that cracking down on leaks and flares could jeopardize Europe's critical gas supplies.

• President Donald Trump faced multiple setbacks on Monday as the Supreme Court and the Republican-controlled Senate limited his efforts to restrict voting access. • A key Supreme Court decision allows states to continue counting certain ballots that arrive after Election Day, countering Trump's attempts to tighten voting rules. • These legal and legislative "guardrails" matter because they prevent the executive branch from unilaterally making it more difficult for citizens to cast their votes.

• The Supreme Court issued twin rulings clarifying the extent of President Trump's authority to remove independent regulators from their positions. • The Court ruled that the President may fire certain independent regulators for any reason, significantly expanding executive power over administrative agencies. • However, the justices affirmed the independence of the Federal Reserve, ruling that its governors cannot be dismissed at will.

• A US judge has blocked an effort by the Trump administration to implement restrictions on mail-in voting. • The ruling halts a broader drive by the Republican administration to reshape voting regulations and eligibility rules. • This legal decision is critical as it preserves current absentee ballot access ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

• An Obama-appointed judge has blocked an executive order issued by Donald Trump intended to prevent non-citizens from registering to vote in federal elections. • The court ruled that the president exceeded his legal authority by attempting to create a federal voter registration list, as election rules typically fall under different jurisdictions. • This decision marks a significant legal setback for the administration's efforts to implement the SAVE America Act's goals through executive action.

• A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's attempts to implement mail-in voting restrictions and create a national voter database ahead of the midterm elections. • The administration argued these measures were necessary to strengthen election integrity and combat potential voter fraud. • A key point of contention involves a proposed U.S. Postal Service rule that would require states to provide lists of eligible absentee voters to the federal government to ensure ballot delivery.

• A federal judge blocked an executive order from Donald Trump that sought to impose restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the midterm elections. • The ruling stated that the Constitution does not grant the president specific powers over election processes, effectively halting the proposed rules. • The decision prevents significant financial loss for states; for instance, Massachusetts had already spent $3 million on envelopes that would have become non-compliant.

• A judge has issued an injunction blocking a portion of Donald Trump's proposed restrictions on mail-in voting, specifically barring the creation of a national list of eligible voters. • The ruling follows a previous decision where a different judge declined to block the policy because it had not yet been implemented. • The legal action comes after the Postal Service proposed a rule to enact the executive order and Postmaster General David Steiner threatened to refuse ballot deliveries unless states provided voter lists.

Ruling comes amid drive by Republican administration to reshape rules around voting ahead of midtermsThe Trump administration’s plan to deny mail-in ballots to states that would not give their voter rolls to federal officials was blocked Thursday morning by a federal judge in Boston.US district judge Indira ⁠Talwani ruled that the provisions of an executive order issued by Donald Trump on 31 March requiring the postal service to require the use of a barcode tracking system for ballot envelopes tied to US Citizenship and Immigration Services data was unconstitutional. Continue reading...

Ruling is win for democracy advocates who have fought back against Trump’s push to take power over votingA US federal court blocked Donald Trump’s attempt to regulate elections via executive order, a win for democracy advocates who have fought back against the US president’s push to take power over voting.Trump issued an executive order on elections, including a documentary proof of citizenship requirement that would have necessitated that people show passports, birth certificates or other documentation when they registered to vote, or changed their registration. Continue reading...

Investigators said one of the teenagers who allegedly opened fire on students at a high school had regularly used the GoreBox gaming appPhilippine authorities have temporarily blocked the online gaming app GoreBox days after a rare school shooting in the south-east Asian nation killed three students and injured 20 others.Investigators said that of the two teenagers accused of opening fire on students at San Jose National high school in Tacloban city, one had regularly played the game, which allows players to use various weapons and depicts graphic violence. Continue reading...

Judge vacates administrations policies, finding actions of ICE and another government arm ‘arbitrary and capricious’A federal ⁠judge in California vacated the ⁠Trump administration’s ​nationwide policies expanding arrests at immigration courthouses and the duration for detaining noncitizens in short-term facilities, finding the actions of US Immigration ⁠and Customs Enforcement and another government arm “arbitrary and capricious”.US district judge P Casey Pitts of the northern district of California on Tuesday vacated ICE’s ⁠policies that had rescinded previous strictures on arrests at immigration courthouses and allowed detainees to ​be held in short-term cells for up ‌to 72 hours. He ‌did the same for a similar policy undertaken by the US Department of Justice’s ‌executive office for immigration review that removed limits on courthouse arrests. Continue reading...

In a 6-3 opinion, the court says Louisiana prisoner cannot sue guards after he grew his hair for more than 20 yearsThe US supreme court refused on Tuesday to let a Rastafarian man sue ⁠state prison officials in Louisiana ⁠after guards held him ​down and shaved him bald in violation of his religious beliefs, in a landmark case.The case was brought under a federal law designed to protect incarcerated people from religious discrimination. Continue reading...

Emily C Marks finds method proposed to kill Jeffery Lee violates ban on cruel and unusual punishmentA federal judge on Tuesday permanently blocked Alabama from executing a man with nitrogen gas after declaring the method violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment.US district judge Emily C Marks issued the decision a day after an appeals court reversed her ruling that the method is constitutional. Continue reading...

Seven Republican senators joined Democrats to block Fisa extension amid disquiet over nomination of Bill PulteUS politics live – latest updatesSeven Republican senators joined Democrats early on Friday to block the extension of a powerful government surveillance program, a rebuke to Donald Trump for choosing an inexperienced ally as the country’s top intelligence official.The renewal had been in question amid bipartisan concern over the US president’s appointment of Bill Pulte, a major Republican donor and heir to a home construction fortune, to serve as acting director of national intelligence. Continue reading...

Panels of three judges says congressional map was drawn to intentionally discriminate against Black votersAlabama cannot use a new Republican-friendly map in this year’s midterm elections because it was drawn to intentionally discriminate against Black voters, a panel of three federal judges ruled on Tuesday.The decision blocks Alabama from using a congressional map lawmakers passed in 2023 but never went into effect because the same court found it was drawn with intent to discriminate. Alabama was eventually ordered to adopt a map with two majority-Black districts that both elected Democrats After the US supreme court gutted a major provision of the Voting Rights Act in April, Alabama took the extraordinary step of moving its imminent congressional primary and sought to use the 2023 congressional map this year. Continue reading...

Prediction sites, which allow bets on all topics from weather to politics, may be in breach of country’s rulesSpain’s ministry of consumer rights has blocked access to Polymarket and Kalshi while it investigates whether the leading prediction market sites are violating Spanish law by operating without a gambling licence.On Tuesday the ministry said it had launched disciplinary proceedings against the two platforms, which allow users to bet on everything from the weather to political events, amid allegations that they lacked the “necessary administrative authorisation” to operate in Spain. Continue reading...

• Indian authorities have blocked the social media accounts of the "Cockroach Janta Party," a satirical youth political movement. • The party was established as a response to critical remarks made by a top judge regarding the behavior and attitudes of the youth. • This action has sparked a significant controversy regarding the balance between government regulation and the right to free speech.

Exclusive: Scotland Yard had been in talks to use Palantir’s AI technology to automate intelligence analysisA £50m Met police deal with the controversial US tech company Palantir has been blocked by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, with City Hall citing a “clear and serious breach” of procurement rules.Scotland Yard had been in talks, revealed by the Guardian last month, to use Palantir’s AI technology to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations. But Khan intervened on Thursday to stop the flagship contract, which would have been Palantir’s largest yet in British policing. Continue reading...

Case hailed as human rights victory as Tromsø court says Tommy Olsen’s actions are lawful and protected under international treatiesThe decision of a Norwegian appeals court to dismiss the extradition of an activist accused of facilitating the illegal entry of people into Greece has been hailed as a rare victory for human rights.In a judgment described as unprecedented by lawyers representing Tommy Olsen, the Norwegian founder of the NGO the Aegean Boat Report, the court unanimously rejected the request saying his actions were not only lawful but protected under international treaties to which both countries adhered. Continue reading...

• A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's attempt to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemeni nationals, overturning an earlier injunction. • The ruling cited concerns over the administration's procedures and protections for vulnerable refugee populations. • The decision represents a legal setback for the administration's restrictive immigration policies.

• A federal judge issued a ruling blocking the Trump administration's attempt to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemeni nationals, preventing immediate removal of beneficiaries from the program. • The judicial decision came just days after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a related case examining the administration's authority over TPS designations. • The ruling protects thousands of Yemeni nationals currently in the United States who depend on TPS for legal residency and work authorization.

US representatives Jared Huffman and Jamie Raskin earlier this month called agreements outrageous and unlawfulSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Trump administration blocked two permitted US wind energy projects from development this week, with an agreement to pay millions of dollars in refunds to the companies behind them if those funds are reinvested in oil and gas.US Department of the Interior officials framed the canceled agreements as a way to “promote US energy security and affordability” by funneling funds “away from intermittent, higher-cost energy sources toward proven conventional solutions”, in an announcement issued Monday. Continue reading...

Meta, which owns Facebook, acquired Manus in December 2025 for more than US$2 billion in a bid to boost its capabilities in AI agents.

Meta said Monday that the transaction "complied fully with applicable law" and that it anticipates "an appropriate resolution to the inquiry."(Image credit: Jeff Chiu/AP)

• Blocks, an AI startup, secured $20 million in Series A funding led by Entrée Capital to develop autonomous digital workforces. • The funding will support deployment of AI agents capable of handling complex tasks independently. • This investment highlights growing VC interest in agentic AI technologies amid enterprise automation demands.

• Venezuelan security forces restricted opposition parties from entering their campaign headquarters on Monday, raising fresh concerns about democratic conduct ahead of this year's presidential elections. • The blockade prevented opposition candidates and staff from gathering electoral signatures and organizing voter outreach efforts, significantly hampering their campaign infrastructure. • International observers from the Organization of American States expressed alarm over the move, calling it a violation of political freedoms and warning it could undermine the legitimacy of upcoming elections.