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China’s economy slowed sharply to a 4.3% annualized pace of growth in the April-June quarter, the government said Wednesday.

US Restricts Direct Return Of US Citizens From Congo Over Ebola Outbreak

Non-citizens had already been prohibited from entering the United States within 21 days of being in Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, and now, the Trump administration has begun using federal authority to bar U.S. citizens who have been in Congo from entering the United States until they spend at least three weeks in another country, an official said on July 14.

The administration on Monday started using authorities under a transportation statute called Title 49 to place U.S. citizens who have been in Congo on a “do-not-board” list for commercial flights heading to America, an official told The Epoch Times in an email on condition of anonymity.

Americans who are in Congo or have recently been there “will only be allowed to board a commercial flight to the United States if they have spent at least 21 days outside of the” central African country, the official said.

As Zachary Steiber reports for The Epoch Times, around 24 Americans had been set to board flights to the United States after having been in Congo before the prohibition began.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, states on its website that American citizens may enter the United States even if they have recently been in Congo or nearby countries.

In a May order, the administration began requiring non-citizens who have recently been in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan to spend 21 days outside those countries before entering the United States.

The new restrictions are based on an updated order from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that “highlights the new risk patterns” emerging in Congo for Ebola, the administration official said. That updated order has not been made public but will be in effect for 30 days, according to the CDC’s website.

The State Department will assist those people during the new 21-day waiting period, the official said. The State Department and the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The State Department on July 11 told Americans not to travel to Congo for any reason because of the Ebola outbreak, which as of was up to 1,926 confirmed cases, 702 deaths, and 318 recoveries.

Two Americans have tested positive after working in Congo. One, working with the nonprofit Serge, was transported to a hospital in Berlin for treatment and later discharged. Another person who recently tested positive for Ebola works for Samaritan’s Purse, an aid group, the organization’s CEO Franklin Graham told The Epoch Times. That individual was also flown to a hospital in Germany for treatment.

Health workers and local volunteers carry disinfectant containers and sanitation equipment outside the General Referral Hospital in Mongbwalu, Congo, on May 21, 2026. Michel Lunanga/Getty Images

Many Americans in Congo are working with non-governmental organizations or are there on international business, the administration official said. A smaller subset of Americans is in Congo on their own, according to the Trump administration.

The CDC will provide medical assessments for Americans in Congo “and elsewhere,” the official said.

Tyler Durden Wed, 07/15/2026 - 05:45

Months of language study improve attention, working memory and executive function in older adults, experts say.

Blanche was at the center of a GOP revolt last month over the since-scrapped DOJ $1.776 billion weaponization fund.

The complaint, filed Friday in Manhattan federal court, names seven plaintiffs -- including a blind woman -- who live on the popular main thoroughfare and use wheelchairs, scooters, canes and walkers to get around.

Mystery deepens surrounding the death of a Missouri nurse and wife to a prominent anesthesiologist.

IRGC Vows 'Not A Drop Of Oil & Gas Will Be Exported' From Region Amid Sustained Cross-Gulf Fighting Summary:

• Iran-US fighting is sustained but in tit-for-tat pace, with new reported strikes across the Gulf.
• Trump declares FULL blockade on Iranian ports, while IRGC asserts 'wartime control' of Hormuz.
• Trump drops 20% transit fee plan; oil prices ease.
• Multiple tanker attacks over past day again disrupt shipping & cause casualties.
• Regional conflict expands with reported Houthi missiles on Saudi Arabia.

//--> //--> //--> Strait of Hormuz traffic returns to normal by August 31?
Yes 12% · No 89%
View full market & trade on Polymarket

*  *  *

IRGC: Iran to 'Control Entire Strait in Wartime'

Amid ongoing cross-Gulf attacks today between Iranian and US forces, the IRGC says they targeted enemy weapons and parts storages in Bahrain and Kuwait. This after the US appeared to attack some critical Iranian infrastructure on coastal islands.

The IRGC has issued a fresh statement via state media on Tuesday, saying that "as long as the US evil stays in the region, not a drop of oil and gas will be exported from the region." It said further, per the press release:

• US aggression will have no result other than delaying the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
• Targeted drone ramp in Kuwait's Ali Al Salem air base; today's attacks in response to US attacks on Iran.

ABC is meanwhile reporting during the mid-afternoon (US time) that American airstrikes on Iran have been underway for the last couple of course. And yet still, Iran's IRIB has said that the Islamic Republic "must control the entire Hormuz Strait in wartime".

At 3 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching an additional round of strikes against Iran to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes are taking place as American forces prepare to resume the…

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 14, 2026

The region is being plunged back into full-fledged war, also as fighting between the Saudis and Houthis in Yemen appears to be breaking out.

Footage of a coalition Patriot surface-to-air interceptor self-destructing over Bahrain this evening during an Iranian missile attack. pic.twitter.com/Mo7Sx66Rxn

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) July 14, 2026

Morning warnings from Tehran late Tuesday: Iran's deputy foreign minister says if the US thinks its military attacks and blockade will force them to request negotiations, it's making a mistake.

Trump Backs Off 20% Fee Plan For Hormuz, Asserts 'FULL Blockade' 

It's the return of another TACO Tuesday as President Trump in a lengthy Truth Social missive appears to have reversed his plan to collect a 20% of cargo fee for international vessels wishing to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

Paying 20% on cargo value for this outcome?
pic.twitter.com/qCn1YgbgnP

— Patarames (@Pataramesh) July 14, 2026

"Oil is flowing like never before," he began (except it's not...), before writing, "Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States. Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future." He echoed the same in follow-up with reporters at the White House:

Trump on Strait of Hormuz fees:

I was called by different people, different countries — kings, emirs, and all of the people that we all know.

They said we'd love to do it a different way. We'd love to invest in the United States — billions and billions of dollars. And continue… pic.twitter.com/MHFmQfhxVy

— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 14, 2026

So Gulf allies, and likely officials within his own cabinet, have talked Trump out of the 20% collection scheme idea, which would have likely in the end just shifted leverage back over to Iran, given its own much cheaper passage protocol scheme.

US OIL PARES GAINS, WTI TRADES NEAR $78/BBL

Oil prices decline on the stated reversal in plans:

...amid emerging reports of fresh Iranian attacks on Kuwait:

Smoke columns can be seen in Kuwait near the Iraqi border. https://t.co/FyMw2W4qBD pic.twitter.com/hx2lR04kN4

— Tabz (@TabzLIVE) July 14, 2026

The battle for Hormuz has ramped up after the United States has undertaken three consecutive nights of major bombing raids against Iranian targets.

All the while President Trump is said to be "very serious" about his plan to impose a 20% toll on cargo transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a Semafor report says, citing a White House official who says the president has desired such a plan for months. Both warring sides are insisting that it is their side alone which will be 'guardian' over the strait.

AFP/Getty Images Iran FM Trolls Trump Toll Scheme

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi took some jabs at the proposed US plan soon after Trump unveiled it on Truth Social.

"POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service," Araghchi wrote on X. "20% is of course too much. We will be fair," he added.

Below: ongoing reports that the Houthis are entering the war after Monday missile attacks on the kingdom:

Media: Abha Airport in Saudi Arabia is out of service after being completely destroyed by Houthi shelling. pic.twitter.com/uYp1AsWCx0

— Rojava Network (@RojavaNetwork) July 13, 2026

The same day, a clip of Secretary of State Marco Rubio from late June insisting that "no country" can extract tolls went viral. "That's the law. It's an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway," Rubio said.

"That's existing international law. That's the way it is in international waterways all over the world and that's the way we'll expect it'll be here." He added: "I think all the countries in this region would agree."

Meanwhile Iranian sources continue to warn the West, also with dramatic images of tankers exploding:

Gulf Air Defenses Active Night & Morning

German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd says also agrees that charging fees for what is in reality international waters and thus under the control of no single nation "would be fundamentally wrong".

Even amid a relentless bombing campaign, Iranian forces have not shown signs of backing off their enforcement of their navigation protocol.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has on Tuesday newly "targeted and disabled" two supertankers for switching off navigation systems which involved "ignoring warnings and endangering navigation," according to Tasnim.

Al Jazeera reports early Tuesday, "It's been an active night and morning for air defense systems in several countries in this region because of missiles and projectiles fired from Iran."

"This has affected the ship traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Yesterday, we saw the lowest number of ships passing in five weeks," it continues, adding: "There were only six ships. The day before that, there were 14."

Multiple Tankers Attacked Over Past Day, Casualties

At least three tankers have been struck overnight into Tuesday, with among them:

The tanker Stolt Magnesium has caught ⁠fire after the “explosion of an unidentified external device” as it was ⁠sailing in the Arabian Sea off Oman, its ⁠manager, Stolt Tankers, says.

The incident occurred at 12:40am (20:40 GMT on Monday) and caused a fire in the ‌vessel’s engine room, the company said in a statement.

The UAE and Gulf allies have strongly condemned the 'brazen' attacks on international shipping.

Source: CNN

There are growing deaths among seafarers in what's obviously the world's most dangerous and volatile energy transit water way. India has formally summoned Iran's deputy ambassador after an Indian sailor was killed.

According to the UAE defense ministry, the casualty occurred when two Iranian cruise missiles targeted two UAE vessels in the crucial shipping lane, leaving one Indian national dead and eight others wounded.

Chaos erupts in the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian forces struck three commercial vessels overnight, including two tankers hit by cruise missiles, as a U.S. blockade is set to take effect. pic.twitter.com/yJWuzthTLV

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 14, 2026 More latest developments

via Newsquawk...

• US President Trump reiterated that Iran has no air force, no navy and no military, while he said they will hit Iran very hard on Monday night and on Tuesday. Trump said they had a deal yesterday and that Iran breaks deals, as well as commented that the MoU was built to test Iran and that Iran didn't honour it. Trump also stated that they will hit 'Pickaxe Mountain' pretty soon and have their eyes on the site all the time, which is a good potential target
• US Central Command announced that it conducted and completed a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, with US strikes reported in Bushehr, Bandar Abbas and Bandar Kangan, while explosions were also reported in Iran's Qeshm Island and Kish Island. More recently, there have been reports of explosions have been heard near Bandar Abbas, Bushehr and Choghadak.
• Details of US President Trump’s proposed Strait of Hormuz toll plan are still being finalised, according to Semafor, saying Trump is 'very serious about the tolls.
• Iran's armed forces have begun targeting US naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz with cruise missiles, Al Mayadeen reported.
• Iranian Army Spokesperson said the Strait of Hormuz will not be open with US aggressions and war, SNN reported.
• IRGC said it targeted weapons warehouses, satellite communications centres, and US forces' housing building at Bahrain's Juffair base. Iran's army also targeted US military facilities and equipment in Kuwait with drones, as well as targeted a 'hostile' US vessel with cruise missiles, while it was separately reported that a US military base in Jordan was hit by a missile attack and that a missile attack hit an Iranian Kurdish opposition group site east of Iraq's Erbil.
• UKMTO received a report that a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile 40NM northeast of Qalhat, Oman. UKMTO reports of an incident 13NM southeast of Lima, Oman, the tanker was reportedly hit by a missile transiting outbound on the southern route
• The UAE Defence Ministry reported that two national tankers were targeted by Iranian cruise missiles in the southern Strait of Hormuz, with the incident occurring in Omani territorial waters, although the fires on both tankers were brought under control, and it reserved the right to respond to the escalation.
• ADNOC confirmed tankers "Al Bahyah" and "Mombasa B" were hit in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Oman’s Foreign Minister said complex talks are under way to make a long-term arrangement to guarantee freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Tyler Durden Wed, 07/15/2026 - 05:15

This is the 21st-century twist on socialism: Instead of government owning industry outright, it forces industries to remodel themselves as Washington directs.

Former politician and reality TV contestant Ann Widdecombe was killed in a “targeted attack,” though the motivation is still under investigation, British counterterror police said Tuesday.

“I kept skipping ahead in the video 10-15 seconds at a time, waiting for the tribute."

“I kept skipping ahead in the video 10-15 seconds at a time, waiting for the tribute."

The unclothed, unidentified 5-year-old boy was found wandering around in the middle of the street near his Swatara Township neighborhood just before 7:30 a.m. on Friday, the Pennsylvania State Police reported.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to close "all other export corridors that benefit the US ​and its allies", Iranian media reported, after Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz and the US reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Watch: US Military Unleashes Suicide Drone-Boat Swarm On Iranian Submarine Facility

Three U.S. Navy-backed Saronic Corsair one-way attack sea drones struck Iran's Bandar Abbas Naval Base on Sunday, according to U.S. Central Command.

The operation marks the clearest sign yet that the U.S. military has taken a page directly from Ukraine's maritime warfare playbook, using expendable, autonomous, suicide stealth drone boats to penetrate a heavily defended naval facility - much cheaper than a million-dollar missile.

Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran. Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea… pic.twitter.com/bOM2kmgRxz

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 13, 2026

More broadly, the combat debut of suicide drone boats and AI-enabled loitering munitions shows how technologies once thought to be in the future- perhaps the 2030s - are being pulled forward into the present.

Three weeks into the US-Iran conflict. We briefed readers on the deployment of these suicide drone boats and one-way attack drones that the US military was rapidly deploying.

Read:

• US Deploys Ukrainian-Style Drone Boat In Iran War As AI Weapons Race Accelerates

Now that autonomous strike drones are being deployed, the next phase is the U.S. military procurement cycle, which means tens of thousands, and potentially hundreds of thousands, of these robots will need to be ordered. We have detailed how readers can position into the "Asymmetric Warfare Boom." Read more here.

Tyler Durden Wed, 07/15/2026 - 04:15

UK Adopts 'No Gain, No Loss' Tax Treatment For Crypto Lending And Liquidity Pools

Authored by Micah Zimmerman via BitcoinMagazine.com,

The United Kingdom’s HM Revenue & Customs will treat certain disposals involving cryptoasset loans and liquidity pools as “no gain, no loss,” deferring Capital Gains Tax until a user makes an economic disposal of the underlying cryptocurrency.

The measure, published Monday, takes effect 6 April 2027 and applies to individuals and trustees who enter cryptoasset loan and liquidity pool arrangements, according to the policy paper. 

It amends the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992.

The rules cover three scenarios. In a single cryptoasset lending arrangement, a user who acquires or disposes of an interest in exchange for cryptoassets of the same type as those invested will be taxed on a no-gain-no-loss basis. 

Borrowing arrangements will treat borrowed cryptoassets as acquired at market value at the time of borrowing, with any collateral disregarded for Capital Gains Tax purposes.

For automated market-making arrangements — liquidity pools operated through smart contracts — a user acquiring an interest in exchange for the same type of cryptoasset is also taxed on a no-gain-no-loss basis. On exit, that treatment holds to the extent the user receives the same quantity first invested. Any difference between what was invested and what is received triggers a gain or a loss.

HMRC said the change aligns tax treatment with the economics of these arrangements, recognizing gains and losses only when a participant makes an economic disposal.

HMRC simplifies DeFi crypto tax rules

The measure addresses problems that arose from HMRC’s own 2022 guidance, which stakeholders said produced disproportionate administrative burdens. 

A call for evidence ran from July to August 2022, followed by a consultation between 27 April and 22 June 2023 that sought to align tax with economic substance by not treating crypto used in DeFi lending and liquidity pools as a taxable disposal. 

HMRC published a summary of responses at Budget 2025 and set out its approach at that time.

The change is expected to affect about 700,000 individuals who engage in these transactions, according to the paper. HMRC said users will benefit from a framework that is easier to understand.

The current UK regime treats crypto as an investment asset, with selling, swapping, or spending it counting as a disposal for Capital Gains Tax at 18% for basic-rate taxpayers and 24% for higher-rate taxpayers. The new treatment modifies that disposal rule for certain lending and liquidity pool arrangements.

Final costing will be subject to scrutiny by the Office for Budget Responsibility and set out at a future fiscal event. HMRC said the measure is not expected to have any significant macroeconomic impact.

Tyler Durden Wed, 07/15/2026 - 04:15

A teenager in Mississippi knew the elderly couple he's accused of killing before sparking a standoff with law enforcement, according to new testimony in court.

Oh baby! Nobody will be crying over these deals.

Survivors and family members of victims of a deadly bar fire in Bangkok visited a nearby police station on Wednesday to seek compensation, gather belongings and share statements from the blaze.

EU's Russian LNG Imports Hit Record High Ahead Of 2027 Ban

Authored by Alex Kimani via OilPrice.com,

The European Union imported a record 9.97 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG)  worth €5.96 billion (~$6.82 billion) from Russia's Yamal LNG facility in the first half of 2026, marking a 16% increase compared to the same period in 2025 as they front-loaded Russian energy supplies ahead of impending phase-out bans. 

Kpler data shows that European buyers absorbed over 97% of the Siberian facility's total output during the first half of the year, despite years-long efforts to overcome dependency on Russian energy.

Overall EU imports of Russian LNG increased by 11% Y/Y during the period, while imports of Russian pipeline gas increased 7%Y/Y, according to the data.

Supply bottlenecks in the Middle East, including blockades in the Strait of Hormuz and damage to Qatari infrastructure, forced European buyers to lean heavily on readily available Arctic gas.

The EU's ban on short-term Russian LNG imports went into effect on April 25, 2026, under the REPowerEU Gas Regulation.

However, exemptions built into the regulation have allowed European buyers to maintain or even accelerate their intake of Russian gas before a complete blanket ban takes effect on January 1, 2027.

While LNG faces tighter initial phase-outs, pipeline imports from Russia under short-term legacy contracts were given until June 17, 2026 while long-term pipeline gas remains legally permitted until September 30, 2027.

France, Belgium, and Spain are the largest buyers of LNG from the Yamal facility, while Hungary is the largest buyer of pipeline gas shipments delivered via the TurkStream pipeline.

Meanwhile, Hungary and Slovakia continue to receive Russian crude via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline as they hold official temporary exemptions from the EU's embargo on Russian seaborne oil.

A Russian airstrike damaged the pipeline in Ukraine, entirely halting oil flows to both nations for nearly three months.

Both were forced to rely on emergency reserves and alternative routes such as Croatia's Adria pipeline during the disruption.

In response, Hungary and Slovakia have agreed to construct a new 127 km pipeline exclusively to transport refined oil products between their respective major refineries.

Tyler Durden Wed, 07/15/2026 - 03:30

Dear Abby advises a wife to stop questioning whether her husband loves her and instead ask herself why she's willing to stay in a marriage marked by decades of infidelity and emotional neglect.