The political organization No Labels has contemplated requiring a donation of at least $100 in order to cast a ballot at the group’s upcoming nominating convention

Australia's oldest city, Sydney, is reviewing statues of its colonial figureheads after an Indigenous leader raised concerns about "offensive"...

The deaths of two people, heat-related illnesses and other misfortunes have left legions of Taylor Swift fans angry and disappointed in the three-day Rio de Janeiro leg of the pop superstar’s Eras Tour

The bosses of the biggest UK banks have been called to a meeting later this week with the

North Dakota's Republican-led Legislature has convened special session to begin fixing a budget mess

Perhaps the most unlikely feature of high-stakes budget negotiations going on in Washington is a debate over permitting

Jurors have begun deliberations at the rape retrial of “That ‘70s Show” actor Danny Masterson

Mayim Bialik's support for Zionism came to light after an organization called StandWithUs shared a quote said by her in 2019 in support of Israel

Thailand’s populist Pheu Thai party says it plans to form a new government with an 11-party coalition that includes two pro-military parties affiliated with outgoing Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha

Anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr has revived an antisemitic conspiracy that blames Jewish people for the emergence of Covid-19, a claim that follows a string of offensive statements and falsehoods elevated by the long-shot candidate for the US presidency. During a press event in New York City on 11 July, Mr Kennedy baselessly stated that “there is an argument to be made” that the disease is “ethnically targeted”. “Covid-19 is targeted to attack Cucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese,” he said, according to video of the event from The New York Post. “We don’t know whether it was deliberately targeted or not but there are papers out there that show the racial or ethnic differential and impact.” His remarks follow antisemitic conspiracy theories that circulated at the onset of the pandemic, and follow other statements from the candidate elevating spurious conspiracy theories surrounding Covid-19 and vaccines that have fuelled his campaign. “The claim that Covid-19 was a bioweapon created by the Chinese or Jews to attack Caucasians and Black people is deeply offensive and feeds into sinophobic and antisemitic conspiracy theories,” according to a statement from the Anti-Defamation League. “Layer upon layer of antisemitism,” wrote Jonathan Weisman, author of (((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump. “If you still think there is a left or even non-insane case for supporting or even indulging RFK Jr then you have been conned or have conned yourself,” wrote MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan. “Madness. Racist, conspiratorial, dangerous madness.” “We have no words for this man’s lunacy,” wrote nonprofit US watchdog Stop Antisemitism. Mr Kennedy responded to the reporting on Saturday morning, and a statement from a campaign spokesperson to The Independent claimed that the Post “got it wrong”. “I have never, ever suggested that the Covid-19 virus was targeted to spare Jews,” Mr Kennedy wrote on Twitter before echoing his claim that the US and other governments are “developing ethnically targeted bioweapons”. He pointed to a 2020 National Institutes of Health study finding that the impacts of the disease are disproportionately felt among Black people and people with cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions, cancer and other risk factors. “In that sense, it serves as a kind of proof of concept for ethnically targeted bioweapons,” Mr Kennedy stated. “I do not believe and never implied that the ethnic effect was deliberately engineered.” Mr Kennedy’s campaign, an insurgent effort for the Democratic nomination boosted by right-wing media to drive a wedge among Democratic voters, has painted a dark and conspiratorial worldview amplifying debunked and misleading claims and outright falsehoods. Earlier this year, US Holocaust Memorial Museum shot down his suggestion that life is worse for people today than it was for Anne Frank. “Making reckless comparisons to the Holocaust, the murder of six million Jews, for a political agenda is outrageous and deeply offensive,” the organisation said. “Those who carelessly invoke Anne Frank, the star badge, and the Nuremberg Trials exploit history and the consequences of hate.” Mr Kennedy and his organisation Children’s Health Defense also have promoted James Corbett, a prominent conspiracy theorist who has claimed that “Hitler was a Rothschild” and “Hitler and the Nazis were 100 per cent completely and utterly set up” by the “international banking community and the international crony capitalists.” His connections to Mr Corbett join a long list of associations with and appearances on right-wing media platforms with far-right pundits. Read More Who is running for president in 2024? Robert F Kennedy Jr calls interviewer ‘unfair’ for spelling out his laundry list of conspiracy theories White House rejects Lauren Boebert’s claim that antisemitism plan will be used ‘go after conservatives’

The suspect in a hostage standoff at Caesars Palace has been identified as 35-year-old fugitive Matthew Mannix, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. A probable cause affidavit obtained by The Independent revealed that Mr Mannix was experiencing “drug-induced” schizophrenia when he allegedly held a 26-year-old woman hostage inside a room on the 21st floor of the resort on Tuesday. Hotel security first informed authorities of a domestic dispute in room 2128 around 9.30 PDT. Mr Mannix was arrested nearly five hours later after allegedly claiming that he “had a magazine full of rounds” and “would pull the trigger” — no mention of firearms recovered from the scene was made in official records. He was charged with kidnapping in the first degree, coercion with force, destroying property, resisting arrest without a firearm and disregard for the safety of a person. Following Mr Mannix’s arrest, the hostage victim told law enforcement that she was afraid to leave the room because her alleged captor had a knife and she also thought he would throw her out of the window he broke in the room. According to the incident report, Mr Mannix and the victim previously knew each other and had been experiencing a “transient lifestyle” on the Las Vegas strip and binging on narcotics for several days. As crisis negotiators talked with Mr Mannix, he allegedly spoke over the woman and threatened to “cut her tongue out of her mouth” so she wouldn’t engage with law enforcement at the scene. After she was rescued, police noted that the victim had cuts and bruises on her legs, some of which could have been caused by a beating. Employees at Caesars Palace first tried to check on the guests after receiving several complaints of noise coming out of room 2128, which they believed to be a domestic dispute. When security approached the room, they reportedly found a man believed to be Mr Mannix barricaded inside and threatening to “shoot someone” if police tried to breach the room. The threats continued and at some point, a female also yelled that the man “had a knife.” Las Vegas Police, a SWAT team and medical responders arrived at the scene to handle the hostage situation. Mr Mannix reportedly refused to let the 26-year-old woman out of the room and continued to open and close the door while allegedly threatening to “pull the trigger.” The woman eventually attempted to reach the door, but Mr Mannix then allegedly dragged her to the bed “as he body slammed her ... and began to have intercourse with her.” Mr Mannix is also accused of throwing large objects out of the window of his hotel room, sending guests on the pool deck running for cover. Bystander video showed broken glass and debris littering various decks at the Caesars as guests ran for safety. An investigator noted that the pool deck was left littered with furniture and glass and the property damage inside the room was “some of the most severe I have seen in my 18 years as a detective.” The damage caused is estimated to be upwards of $50,000. Mr Mannix was finally taken into custody at 2.40pm PDT. He reportedly told investigators during questioning that the victim was her “girlfriend and he loved her” and that “he would pay for everything that he damaged.” “[Mr Mannix] was so high that he was paranoid and had a schizophrenic episode where he was yelling random comments and numbers and saying that he would pay for everything because he has a lot of money,” the affidavit read. Las Vegas police also said that Mr Mannix is wanted in Colorado and has four protection orders against him. He appeared in court on Wednesday and his bail was set at $750,000. Mr Mannix is being held at the Clark County Detention Center. Read More Suspect in Caesars Palace hostage standoff identified as wanted fugitive Matthew Mannix - live Caesars Palace hostage-taker named as fugitive Matthew Mannix

Canada has expelled a top Indian diplomat as it investigates what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called credible allegations its government may have had links to the assassination in Canada of a Sikh activist, an accusation that India rejected as “absurd.”