Ruthless Zelensky's killer instinct impresses Trump during secret Oval Office huddle after Iran blitz - as he makes bold ask
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Donald Trump at the Oval Office this morning as their relationship continues to warm.
Helen Flanagan says she 'doesn't like being on her own' as she marks one year of being single - but insists she won't 'settle' for just any relationship
Helen Flanagan was reflecting on a full year of being single as she posted a series of candid thoughts on Instagram on Tuesday.
Alison Hammond faces new blow as Channel 4's Your Song 'looks set to be axed' months after her BBC show Big Weekender is 'shelved'
Alison Hammond's Channel 4 show, Your Song, could be axed, according to reports, after viewers complained it was too similar to The Piano.
Judge Blocks First State Law That Would Have Banned Prediction Markets
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Minnesota, the first US state to prohibit prediction markets, was prevented from enforcing the law by a federal court ruling just days before the ban was scheduled to take effect. But while Minnesota was stopped from enforcing a total ban, the state may ultimately be allowed to prohibit some types of prediction-market wagers. The Trump administration and the two largest prediction markets -- Kalshi and Polymarket -- sued Minnesota after the state enacted the law in May. The cases were consolidated, and a ruling (PDF) issued yesterday imposed a preliminary injunction blocking the law that was scheduled to take effect on August 1.
Minnesota lawmakers saw prediction markets as indistinguishable from gambling, but the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) argues it has exclusive authority to regulate the platforms under federal law. One of the primary legal questions is whether event contracts are "swaps," which are regulated by the CFTC. Swaps are defined broadly in US law to include contracts in which payment "is dependent on the occurrence, nonoccurrence, or the extent of the occurrence of an event or contingency associated with a potential financial, economic, or commercial consequence." US District Judge Katherine Menendez in the District of Minnesota, a Biden appointee, said Minnesota's total ban on prediction markets is likely to violate US law because many trades on Kalshi and Polymarket are swaps.
Menendez wrote: "Specifically, it appears that whether the Minnesota statute is expressly preempted turns on whether the state law attempts to regulate trades in event contracts that qualify as "swaps" within the meaning of the CEA [Commodity Exchange Act]. And there are several examples of event contracts hosted by Kalshi and Polymarket US that fit that definition because they concern the occurrence of events with clear potential economic, financial, or commercial consequences that are neither remote or unattenuated. Kalshi and Polymarket US are designated contract markets, so the CFTC has exclusive jurisdiction to regulate transactions involving those 'swaps.'"
Menendez said the CFTC, Kalshi, and Polymarket met their burden of showing they are likely to succeed on the merits, so she issued "a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of Minnesota's prediction market statute until a final decision on the merits is reached." But she said Minnesota may be able to prohibit some types of event contracts offered on Kalshi and Polymarket because not all of them appear to meet the definition of swaps. For example, Menendez doesn't think prediction-market bets on the outcome of Love Island USA meet the legal definition of swaps. Minnesota could continue litigating the case in district court or ask a federal appeals court to overturn the preliminary injunction.
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Village cricket cheating scandal convulses Middle England as 'Clicky Ponting' fielder's trick fools umpires
A village cricket scandal has gone viral after an amateur fielder was accused of tricking umpires by clicking his fingers to imitate the noise of an edge off the bat.
How to avoid a midlife money meltdown: Women in their 50s are losing their jobs to AI and ending up on benefits at a frightening rate. Follow my 8 steps to build a financial buffer NOW - and come out stronger if your worst nightmare happens
For middle-class women of a certain age, redundancy, divorce and illness are the triplet of financial torpedos that can blow up a previously comfortable existence.
Sports Illustrated model Camille Kostek launches scathing attack on body-shamers
Sports Illustrated model and former NFL cheerleader Camille Kostek hit back at nasty body-shamers on social media - and she didn't mince her words.
Mary Jo Campbell's cause of death revealed 12 days after Kris Jenner's beloved mom died aged 91
Mary Jo Campbell's cause of death has been revealed, nearly two weeks after the mother of Kris Jenner died at 91.
Five states chosen as nuclear dumping grounds as Trump's leaked plan is revealed
Leaked documents have revealed the Trump administration's plan to quadruple US nuclear power by 2050, and five states have already been chosen to host dump sites.
DEF CON Bans Meta-Style 'Pervert Glasses'
DEF CON has banned "Meta-style glasses with recording capabilities," with no exceptions being made even for those with prescription versions. "Be sure to pack non-violating eyewear if you need them," DEF CON said. The Register reports: [The conference's official photo policy] has not been updated since 2023, predating the recent growth of camera-equipped eyewear developed by Meta with EssilorLuxottica under its Ray-Ban and Oakley brands. It states that public photography is permitted but with several caveats that essentially prohibit capturing the image of anyone, except on-stage speakers, unless the photographer obtains consent from the subject(s). "Love to see a 'no pervert glasses' policy at DEF CON," said EFF director of cybersecurity Eva Galperin.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Cricket must throw the book at the club at the centre of 'Clicky Ponting' cheating scandal - there is no place for such disgraceful antics in the 'gentleman's game', writes ALEX BYWATER
It's hard to always agree with Piers Morgan, but he nailed it when being just one of millions to have his say on the incident. Morgan, a big cricket fan, described Saltburn's antics as 'outrageous cheating'.
Karlie Kloss breaks silence on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding after rumored feud and reconciliation
Kloss, 33, was an inner-circle member of Swift's feverishly publicized 'girl squad' of the early 2010s, but they later stopped being seen together in public, triggering an avalanche of speculation.
La Creperie de Hampstead - popular crepe stall loved by celebrities including Kate Moss and Harry Styles - is hit with zero-star hygiene rating
The creperie, which has been hailed 'the no.1 Creperie in Europe' and a 'local landmark', has welcomed legions of celebrity customers since opening in1977.
Frustrated Trump sends a chilling message to Netanyahu and vows to 'take out' Iran's final untouched nuclear site if deal is not reached
Donald Trump lashed out at Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday before vowing to destroy Iran's nuclear facility buried deep inside a mountain.
Revealed: How Naga Munchetty QUIT BBC Breakfast after 'bullying' probe - as insiders say Radio 5 Live move is 'two fingers' to bosses
The experienced broadcaster, 51, is leaving BBC Breakfast in December and will front the 5 Live Breakfast show, taking over from Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards in January 2027.
Serial killer inspired by TV psychopath Dexter guilty of murdering and chopping up two men in woodland shack
James Desborough, 40, was responsible for 'three explosions of fatal violence in less than six months' when he targeted two men he met at a homeless shelter, followed by his prison cellmate.
Hour-by-hour forecast as Essex to reach 34C tomorrow amid heat alert
A fourth heatwave is gripping Essex with temperatures expected to reach 34C tomorrow. Here's an hour-by-hour forecast.
Hour-by-hour forecast as Essex to reach 34C tomorrow amid heat alert
A fourth heatwave is gripping Essex with temperatures expected to reach 34C tomorrow. Here's an hour-by-hour forecast.
GrapheneOS Defends Data-Wiping Function That Blocked US Border Search
GrapheneOS is defending its duress-password feature after an environmental activist used it to wipe his Pixel phone during a U.S. Customs search and was later indicted for allegedly destroying property under government control. The nonprofit says the operating system is "completely legal," cannot recover the erased data, and should not be weakened with encryption backdoors. Meanwhile, the activist faces up to five years in prison if found guilty. PCMag reports: In a post on Saturday, the Canadian nonprofit behind the operating system, the GrapheneOS Foundation, explained that the software offers a range of features to prevent data extraction. For example, one safeguard is the "auto-reboot timer" that'll reboot a locked device after a set period of time to put the data at rest, leaving all files inside encrypted.
The group's post subtly suggests that GrapheneOS phones can withstand law enforcement searches without requiring users to resort to a duress password. "People should carefully consider how to use it in an actual duress situation where there can be physical or legal consequences for wiping the device," the nonprofit wrote. "GrapheneOS doesn't require it to protect data from being extracted from the device, but it takes recovering it completely off the table even with the PIN/password for each profile on the device."
On X, the nonprofit has also said it can do nothing to help US law enforcement recover data from Tunick's phone. "Data cannot be recovered after the key derivation material is reliably wiped. It's not possible and there's nothing we can do to assist with it," the group wrote. "Similarly, it's not possible to assist with bypassing encryption because the hardware and software has been designed to prevent it."
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The Essex area where residents breathe in some of Britain’s dirtiest air
More than one in 20 deaths in Essex are estimated to be linked in some part to air pollution