Category: World

The response came after a report by The Wall Street Journal claimed that an Iranian delegation had entered Islamabad to begin talks with US officials.

Iran has denied reports that a negotiating team has reached Islamabad for talks with the United States, calling the claims “false.

According to Iran’s state-affiliated Fars News Agency, Tehran said it has no plans to engage in negotiations with Washington in Pakistan at this stage.

“Until a ceasefire is established in Lebanon, Iran has no plan to participate in peace negotiations in Islamabad with the American side,” Fars News quoted.

The response came after a report by The Wall Street Journal claimed that an Iranian delegation had entered Islamabad to begin talks with US officials.

Rejecting the report, Fars News said, “The Wall Street Journal claimed a few minutes ago in a news report that an Iranian delegation has entered Islamabad to start negotiations with Washington, which is false.”

On the other hand, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said that “negotiations are suspended” and that reports of an Iranian negotiating team arriving in Islamabad are false.

The new agency mentioned: “As long as the US doesn’t fulfill commitment to the ceasefire in Lebanon and the Zionist regime continues its attacks, negotiations are suspended.”

Tasnim news agency further mentioned that neither Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi nor Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has left the Islamic Republic for talks.

Sources, however, told News18 that a team from Iran has reached Islamabad for negotiations.

Talks Scheduled In Pakistan

A two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran showed signs of strain on Friday, ahead of planned talks in Pakistan, as Washington accused Tehran of failing to honour commitments on the Strait of Hormuz while Israel carried out fresh strikes in Lebanon.

There were no indications that Iran had eased its near-total blockade of the strait, which has significantly disrupted global energy supplies. Tehran has cited ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon, including some of the heaviest strikes of the conflict earlier this week, as a key obstacle.

US President Donald Trump said in a social media post late Thursday that Iran was doing a “very poor job” of allowing oil shipments through the strait, adding, “That is not the agreement we have!”

In a separate post, he said oil flows would resume soon, without specifying any potential US action.

Data showed that in the first 24 hours of the ceasefire, announced by Trump on Tuesday, only one oil tanker and five dry bulk carriers passed through the strait. The route typically handles about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, with around 140 vessels transiting daily before the conflict.

Fresh Attacks

Israel’s military said early Friday it had struck 10 launchers in Lebanon that fired rockets towards northern Israel a day earlier. It also said Hezbollah launched a missile towards Israel, triggering air raid sirens.

The missile was intercepted, according to The Times of Israel. Hezbollah said it had targeted Israeli military infrastructure in the northern city of Haifa.

While the US and Israel have maintained that the ceasefire does not extend to Lebanon, Iran and Pakistan — which has acted as a mediator — have said Lebanon is part of the agreement.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/iran-denies-reports-of-negotiating-team-reaching-islamabad-calls-claims-false-ws-l-10025061.html

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded to Pakistani Minister’s remarks and said that the latter’s “call for Israel’s annihilation is outrageous.”

Ahead of scheduled US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad, Israel on Friday (local time) hit out at Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Asif after the latter accused Jerusalem of committing genocide in Lebanon.

In a post on X, the Defence Minister of the country which is mediating the US-Iran ceasefire negotiations, dubbed Israel “evil and a curse for humanity, “cancerous” and “to get rid of European jews.”

Asif claimed that as “peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon. Innocent citizens are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated.”

“I hope and pray people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land to get rid of European jews burn in hell,” he added.

Israel Reacts

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded to Pakistani Minister’s remarks and said that the latter’s “call for Israel’s annihilation is outrageous.”

“This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace,” it said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also criticised Asif’s remarks, calling them openly antisemitic and inappropriate for a country that says it wants to mediate peace.

He also agreed with the Prime Minister’s Office, saying that describing Israel as “cancerous” is essentially the same as calling for its destruction.

Sa’ar added that Israel will continue to defend itself against groups that threaten to destroy it.

Meanwhile, the stage is set as Pakistan prepares to host delegations from the United States and Iran for negotiations over the ongoing war in West Asia. As per the talks schedule, arrivals of delegations are set to begin late Friday night and continue into Saturday.

The White House has said that US Vice President JD Vance will lead the American delegation to Islamabad “this weekend” for the talks. Along with Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner will be part of the delegation. Senior officials from the White House and the Pentagon will also be part of the negotiation team.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/israel-denounces-mediator-pakistan-over-khwaja-asifs-remarks-on-lebanon-ws-l-10024979.html

A serious message got lost in translation as social media (and Elon Musk) zoomed in on one unfamiliar term

A statement made by a Canadian Member of Parliament has led to strong reactions online after she used a long and unfamiliar acronym while speaking about a serious issue. The clip quickly spread across social media, with many people expressing confusion, while others stepped in to explain what the term actually means.

Leah Gazan is at the centre of the discussion after a clip from her speech was shared online. In the video, she speaks about budget cuts affecting Indigenous organisations and raises concern over violence faced by certain communities.

During her speech, she says, “deal with the ongoing genocide of MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+. This is abhorrent.”

The clip was posted on X (formerly Twitter) by a user named Samantha Smith, who wrote, ““MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+” The Canadian government just dropped this absolute monstrosity (and no, it isn’t satire).”

Within hours, the video gathered millions of views and sparked a wave of reactions. Many people focused on the long acronym, saying they found it difficult to understand.

Elon Musk also reacted to the clip. He wrote, “Canada is cooked.”

Every month, Rebecca Michalski takes a deep breath before opening her electric bill. She lives on a fixed income, and heating her small house this winter has been staggering: Her February charge was $940.08 — more than her check.

It makes no sense. She turns the lights off during the day and only burns one lamp with an energy-efficient bulb in the living room at night, but she keeps falling further behind on payments. In desperation, she took out a loan after getting a cut-off notice during an extended arctic blast that kept the state’s heaters cranking when temperatures regularly dipped below zero.

“Every time you see that power bill, you’re just sick,” Michalski said, rifling through a stack of statements totaling thousands of dollars. “I already know before I open it. I just dread seeing how much.”

She’s taken to social media, demanding answers alongside thousands of other West Virginians, including those who have been posting screenshots of their monthly charges. They are angry and perplexed over soaring utility costs that are sometimes surpassing rents and mortgages in one of the most energy-rich, yet poorest, corners of America, where families have been forced to choose between paying for food or heat.

President Donald Trump, as part of his campaign pitch to “make America affordable again,” promised to cut Americans’ electricity bills by half during his first year to 18 months in the White House.

“And if it doesn’t work out, you’ll say, ‘Oh well, I voted for him, I still got them down a lot,’” he said. “You will never have had energy so low as you will under a certain gentleman known as Donald J. Trump.”

It hasn’t worked out.

Instead, electricity increased 4.8% in February nationwide and piped natural gas prices rose 10.9%, both compared with a year earlier, according to the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index. That surpassed inflation even before the attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel sent energy costs ballooning.

It’s becoming an increasingly aggravating issue for some voters. Rising electricity bills emerged as a campaign issue in recent elections, including during gubernatorial races won by Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia. Cost concerns are expected to surface during midterms this fall, and an analysis by the nonprofit PowerLines found residents are not likely to get a break any time soon because new gas and electricity rate hike requests could affect more than 80 million Americans. An AP-NORC poll conducted in March also found 35% of U.S. adults were “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford electricity in the next few months.

“It’s breaking me. And there’s nothing that can be done for it, unless the president does something,” Michalski said about her skyrocketing power bills, adding she no longer supports Trump. “And I don’t see him doing it. He’s had plenty of time.”

Increased demand, extreme weather and events, upgrading and maintaining aging infrastructure and rising natural gas prices are pushing electricity bills higher. Rising energy costs — including gas pump sticker shock now topping an average $4 per gallon nationally — could further be exacerbated by the war in Iran along with the Trump administration’s push to export higher volumes of liquefied natural gas — which, in turn, depletes domestic supply. Ratepayers are also wary as more power-gobbling data centers for artificial intelligence and cloud computing are being built or warmly embraced by politicians in places like West Virginia — where residents deep in Trump country have gone from having the cheapest electricity rate nationwide in 2005, to experiencing one of the fastest increases in the country, far outpacing the national average, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

All in a place where people are living atop vast deposits of coal, oil and gas.

King Coal

Coal remains king here, but it wears a pricey crown. The state is an outlier nationwide because of its stubborn resistance to adopting cleaner, cheaper sources of energy, such as nuclear power, natural gas — even though it’s one of the nation’s top producers — and renewables like wind and solar. Instead, West Virginia clings to aging coal-fired electric plants more than anywhere else in the country — about 87% of all production. Its supermajority Republican-led government — there are only 11 Democrats in the House and Senate — has doubled down on this reliance, blaming past Democratic administrations for a war on coal fueled by increased federal regulations and restrictions, while Trump poses for photo ops with coal miners at the White House and regularly touts “beautiful, clean coal.”

“Lowering electricity prices is a top priority for President Trump,” said White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers, blaming former President Joe Biden for the problem. “He is aggressively unleashing reliable energy sources like coal and natural gas.”

Trump has forced unprofitable coal-powered plants to remain open, rolled back pollution standards for them and provided hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to improve them. He’s also streamlined permitting and regulations to push for mining expansion when coal mines have been shutting down in the state, including several operations this year that eliminated more than 700 jobs.

“If you’re not 100% in on coal, then you’re a traitor. … It’s like a measure of patriotism,” said Jamie Van Nostrand, policy director at the nonprofit Future of Heat Initiative and a former West Virginia University professor who wrote a book about the state’s reliance on coal energy. “I think if you went to the average West Virginian and said, ‘Yeah, we understand you want to support the coal industry, but do you want to support it to the extent that you’re OK paying twice as much as you should be for electricity?’”

The state’s average household electricity rate per kilowatt-hour has surged 73%, natural gas has increased 51% per 1,000 cubic feet and water has risen 45% per 1,000 gallons from 2015 to 2025, according to West Virginia’s Public Service Commission, a three-member panel. It includes a former power company lobbyist and the former head of the state coal association — appointed by the governor and charged with approving rate hikes.

Even though monthly bills remain higher in other states, salaries in West Virginia have simply not kept pace — it’s the only place in the country where the median inflation-adjusted household income was lower in 2023 than it was in 1970, according to the Urban Institute. That means residents are seeing larger chunks of their paychecks going to utilities compared to people in other places.

Michalski, who’s disabled and uses a walker to get around, said she tries not to run anything in her house that can suck electricity, including her air conditioning in summer. But she simply can’t turn off the heater. During the past year, her statements totaled over $5,000. She asked family for help paying the bill this winter, but said she’s now out of options.

She knows what’s next.

“They come and cut off your power. Then you’re sitting in the dark. And I see that happening,” she said. “And I think for a lot of other people, it’s gonna happen too.”

“It only makes the rich richer”

Isolated by its beautiful, rugged mountains, West Virginia sits entirely within Appalachia and has long been listed at the bottom of a laundry list of failings, including poor health and a lack of education. Many residents from rural areas have lived on the same land for generations, watching a cycle of outside companies profit from extracting the state’s resources — from timber to coal and oil and gas — only to pollute and abandon communities afterward. Its people are known for being fiercely independent and proud despite their hardships, including a lack of clean drinking water that has persisted for decades in some areas, forcing residents in the southern coal fields to ferry jugs to and from roadside springs or abandoned mines while spending up to $250 a month for bottled water to cook with and drink. They also pay for public water piped into their homes that often runs black, yellow and brown.

Some, including those living in scenic areas where tourism is a major revenue driver, are protesting Big Tech companies rushing to build enormous data centers, fearing they could lead to the next cycle of outsiders taking advantage of the state’s resources. They have been loud over a lack of public input and transparency around plans to build the complexes, questioning noise pollution, huge water consumption and the effect on ratepayers’ electricity prices.

“We just roll back regulations and we keep being promised that deregulating and privatizing our systems is gonna fix everything, and it never does,” said Caitlin Ware, a pastor who advocates for clean water in southern West Virginia — her thoughts briefly interrupted as the electricity abruptly went off in her Sandyville United Methodist Church. “It only makes the rich richer, and it only puts us in a worse situation.”

In February, Gov. Patrick Morrisey proudly announced plans to build a data center on nearly 550 acres in Berkeley County.

“This $4 billion investment is a historic win that proves West Virginia can compete at the highest level for the global tech economy,” he said in a statement. It did not explain where the water or electricity would come from to run the 600 megawatt, 1.9 million square foot facility.

Morrisey’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Skyrocketing electricity costs and the growth of data centers, which can use enough power to run 100,000 homes, faced voter backlash in Georgia last fall where Democrats ousted two Republicans on the state’s utility regulatory commission for the first time in nearly two decades. Trump recently tried to ease Americans’ concerns by announcing a “ratepayer protection” pledge at the White House with Big Tech companies promising to bear the cost and produce their own energy, though it’s not clear how that would be enforced.

The reasons behind nationwide utility price hikes are complex and vary among regions. They include adding new transmission, distribution lines and power poles; increased brutal high and low temperatures; extreme weather events such as hurricanes and wildfires; and volatility in fuel costs such as surging gas prices during the war in Ukraine.

These all play a huge role in rising bills that have left some 80 million Americans struggling to pay their monthly gas and electric bills, said Charles Hua, founder of consumer advocacy organization PowerLines that found investor-owned gas and electric utility companies asked for nearly $31 billion in increases last year nationwide, double the amount requested a year earlier. He said utility costs have become the new affordability issue akin to soaring egg prices that previously enraged consumers, making it a possible player in this fall’s elections to control Congress.

“Electric bills have gone up 40% over the last five years,” he said. “This is likely to continue to rise. This is definitely something that the Trump administration and President Trump are very concerned about.”

In West Virginia, all 55 counties voted for Trump in 2024. But it was a Democratic stronghold for decades prior to the switch when coal mines were the lifeblood, and unions were virtually unbreakable. The state has struggled immensely under both parties: It has experienced a major brain drain, a devastating opioid epidemic, a growing elderly population and its coveted coal industry jobs have dried up with nothing to replace them. That leaves people who work minimum wage jobs, those on fixed incomes and even college-educated middle-class families with two paychecks being pushed to the breaking point with affordability issues, including rising car insurance, grocery bills, health care and housing.

Ashley Nicole Dixon of Danese works as a manager at a Dollar General store and has a teenage daughter at home and another in college. She flipped through bills on her phone totaling more than $5,000 charged last year for electricity in her house that’s just over 1,000 square feet, even though her air conditioner didn’t work last summer. She voted for Trump, but said she’s done with him because he and other Republican politicians in West Virginia’s Capitol aren’t looking out for her interests.

“I love West Virginia because it’s beautiful. But anymore, it’s just a sham from the local government all the way up to Charleston,” she said, adding she believes the state’s Public Service Commission should be elected, and Trump should send her a check since he promised to cut electricity bills in half.

“I have no choice. It has to be paid,” she said. “And that’s what makes me sick because now I’m going to have to go … take more money out of my savings account just to keep the lights on.”

“Why is this so high?”

The coldest winter months were the hardest. Some people confined themselves to one room with small space heaters or used generators when they got behind on their electricity bills and were disconnected. Others were forced to choose between food, medicine and warmth, with some turning their thermostats down to 60 degrees and bundling up or coming out of retirement to take part-time jobs.

For some, the spiral began in November when their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits were put on hold due to the federal government shutdown. United Way’s Central West Virginia helpline saw more than a 1,300% increase during that time, and calls for help paying utilities were second only to housing last year.

More than one in three West Virginia households is considered energy burdened, spending more than 6% of their income on electricity and other fuel costs. Of those, about 20% are low-income residents who shoulder some of the highest energy costs in the state.

Last year, Trump fired the staff of a federal program that assists millions of low-income Americans with heating bills in the winter and proposed eliminating all of its funding in his budget — a move repeated this year. Congress allocated money for it, but billions of dollars were delayed due to the shutdown. However, many West Virginians falling behind on bills are not eligible to apply because they make just a little too much money.

Jennifer Brown of Kingwood lands in that category. She’s employed at West Virginia’s federally funded Head Start program for low-income children and her husband is a postal worker. They have four kids and during the winter months, their combined utilities can climb to $1,000 a month, eclipsing their $798 mortgage. They were on a payment plan for their gas this winter after receiving a shut-off notice, and she said they were still paying off a water bill from their previous home.

“Every month we get our utility bills, I’m so angry. I’m like, ‘Why is this so high?’” she said, adding it’s not unusual to pay $200 to $300 for electricity and the same for water, sewage and garbage combined every month. “And we can’t figure it out. Nothing seems to be wrong … and we’re not wasteful.”

Bills introduced that would have temporarily frozen electricity rates in West Virginia or helped those who are most vulnerable went nowhere this year in the state legislature even though increased energy costs are often passed on to ratepayers. The Public Service Commission has approved a flurry of rate hikes in recent years as private utilities grapple with maintaining profits while improving infrastructure in a mountainous, sparsely populated state.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/electricity-utility-bills-west-virginia-trump-coal-38ad648f99a42eb2c73d7affaddadbcb

Afrika Bambaataa, one of the founding figures of hip-hop culture, has died at the age of 68, the Hip Hop Alliance has confirmed.

In a statement, the organisation said Bambaataa helped shape a “global movement rooted in peace, unity, love, and having fun”, paying tribute to his role in the emergence of hip-hop as both a musical genre and a cultural force.

Born Lance Taylor in the Bronx, Bambaataa grew up during the era of the black liberation movement. In 1973, he co-founded the Universal Zulu Nation, an international hip‑hop awareness group.

In his later years, Bambaataa’s reputation was overshadowed by allegations of child sexual abuse and trafficking, which he denied.

TMZ, which was first to report his death, said the artist died in Pennsylvania due to complications from cancer on Thursday.

Bambaataa was born to Jamaican and Barbadian immigrant parents.

As a teen, he became a member of the Black Spades gang, parlaying his leadership abilities to form the Universal Zulu Nation, that sought to channel youth culture away from violence and towards creativity.

His 1982 hit Planet Rock, won him global recognition and is credited with shaping hip-hop in the 1980s.

His vision for hip-hop transformed the Bronx borough into “the birthplace of a culture that now reaches every corner of the world”, said Reverend Dr Kurtis Blow Walker, the executive director of Hip Hop Alliance.

Throughout the 1980s and beyond, he continued to collaborate widely, working with musicians including James Brown and John Lydon, and contributing to politically conscious projects such as the anti-apartheid song Sun City in 1985.

Bambaataa led Universal Zulu Nation until 2016, stepping down after allegations of sexual abuse surfaced from the 1980s and 1990s.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2evppm30p7o

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Syria was not only a diplomatic gesture but motivated by strategic considerations regarding Russia, once a strong supporter of the Middle Eastern state.

During his tour of the Middle East early this month, Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Syria, a country that until recently was a close ally of Russia. The Ukrainian president’s visit to the Syrian capital Damascus and his talks with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa mark the resumption and strengthening of Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts in the region.

“We agreed to work together to provide more security and opportunities for development for our societies,” Zelenskyy said in a statement. “We discussed the situation in the region and prospects for improving it. We also discussed the circumstances of Russia’s war against Ukraine — I am grateful for the support. There is strong interest in exchanging military and security experience.”

Zelenskyy also pointed out that they had discussed Ukraine’s role as a food supplier, and strengthening food security across the entire region.

“We clearly understand the energy and infrastructure challenges that Syria is currently facing,” he added.

Resumption of diplomatic relations between Syria and Ukraine

“For decades, Syria was a strongly pro-Russian country, with corresponding propaganda and a Moscow-centric worldview among the elites and the general population. And now [there is] such a geopolitical break,” Serhiy Danylov from the Kyiv-based Association of Middle East Studies (AMES) told DW.

The Ukrainian and Syrian presidents met for the first time in September 2025 at the UN General Assembly in New York, when their respective foreign ministers signed a declaration on the resumption of diplomatic relations between Syria and Ukraine. These had been severed in June 2022 after the previous Syrian regime of Bashar Assad recognized the sovereignty and independence of the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine after pro-Russian separatists established so-called “people’s republics.”

During Zelenskyy’s visit to Syria, an agreement was also reached to open diplomatic missions in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and in Damascus in the near future.

Dmytro Levus, who heads the Ukrainian Meridian Social Research Center, told DW that Zelenskyy’s visit to Syria was a sign of the extent to which Russia’s ambitions had collapsed. He said that for a long time the Middle Eastern state was regarded as an unshakeable bastion of Russian influence, but now the situation has completely changed.

“Ukraine has entered a geopolitical arena that Russia has always considered its own, with a monopolistic influence. This is clearly a blow to the Kremlin,” Levus told DW.

Ukraine asks Middle East to stop buying stolen grain from Russia

For Danylov, food security could serve as the basis for a fresh start in Syrian-Ukrainian relations. “Under Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Syria consumed Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia from the occupied regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea. That is how the Russians legalized the grain,” he explained.

He said that the situation was now changing and that Ukraine had demanded that countries in the Middle East stop purchasing stolen food so that it could supply them legally. Egypt has already agreed, he said, and Syria was the next step.

Food was not only a commercial instrument but a political one, he explained: “Food markets are part of government lobbying. There are examples of such lobbying in favor of Ukrainian interests at state level.”

Danylov went on to speculate that Ukrainian food supplies could help allay fears of another “Arab Spring” breaking out, since rising food prices had been one of the factors that had led to mass protests and uprisings across the Middle East in 2011.

“In Syria, Jordan and especially in Egypt, inflation and rising fuel prices are currently driving up the cost of living,” he said, adding that the poorer Arab states in particular were “very concerned about social stability” and determined to avoid social unrest.

Ukrainian military technology to support Syria

Mykhailo Honchar, from the Strategy XXI Center for Global Studies, told DW that military technology was also an important area of cooperation between Ukraine and Syria. He said that Ukraine had gained some unique experiences of combat and made a variety of technological advances since 2022, which included long-range drones and interceptor drones, which Syria was also interested in.

“This is a sensitive issue for Israel, however, as it is generally very distrustful of the current Syrian government,” Honchar pointed out, adding that this was not a reason for Ukraine to not sell them to Syria. “We must act in our national interests, and there is hope of further cooperation.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-and-syria-tighten-relations/a-76727981

The death of activist Vigario Luis Balanta, found with signs of extreme violence, has triggered protests and accusations against Guinea-Bissau’s military rulers, raising concerns over repression and media freedom.

At the end of March, residents discovered a lifeless body in a remote, swampy area about 30 kilometers (19 miles) outside Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau.

It was “covered in blood,” “wounded all over with a bladed weapon” and there were “two bullet holes in the head,” a witness told the AFP news agency.

The victim was Vigario Luis Balanta, a 35-year-old teacher and a prominent critic of Guinea-Bissau’s military leadership that had seized power in a coup four months earlier, ousting outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embalo.

Balanta was a leading figure in the civil society movement Po di Terra (Dust of the Earth) who, according to Radio France Internationale (RFI), had previously been reported missing before being released.

In late March, he was kidnapped in the Pilun district of Bissau. Two days later, his body was discovered. The United Nations called it a “brutal killing.”

In Balanta’s last public interview with DW in January, he remained defiant.

“We will keep going,” he said. “We have to act strategically and mobilize the people.”

He described Po di Terra as a movement rooted in love for the country and a determination to defend it.

“Despite the fear in the population, support is strong,” Balanta told DW.

Accusations against military-linked forces

Civil society groups, including Po di Terra and the Bissau-Guinean League of Human Rights, have accused the transitional military regime — or forces aligned with it — of orchestrating Balanta’s killing.

Seif Magango, spokesperson for the UN human rights office (OHCHR), said in a statement that Balanta’s death “comes amid a progressive reduction of civic and democratic space, which has accelerated in Guinea-Bissau since the November 2025 coup.”

“Members of the opposition and human rights defenders have been arbitrarily detained, assaulted, harassed and intimidated, demonstrations dispersed and radio stations suspended,” Magango added.

Activist Sumaila Jalo described the killing as a warning to all who oppose the regime.

“We are afraid, but we will not be silent. The fight for justice continues,” he told DW.

The military government condemned the killing, calling it a crime “under particularly violent circumstances” and pledging to investigate thoroughly, holding both the perpetrators and their potential backers accountable. The pledge has been met with skepticism from critics.

Funeral protest highlights growing public anger

Balanta’s funeral in early April became a protest against the military rulers. Hundreds gathered at Antula Cemetery in Bissau, chanting: “We are all Vigario,” “We want justice,” and “Down with the dictatorship.”

The Guinean diaspora also organized solidarity demonstrations, including in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, calling for accountability.

Political tensions have risen after the government ordered private radio stations in Bissau to close, citing unpaid licensing fees of 5 million CFA francs (around $9,000). While broadcasts resumed after talks with Prime Minister Braima Camar, negotiations continue, leaving the state of press freedom uncertain.

At the same time, residents report severe fuel shortages, with long lines outside gas stations. The government denies there is a shortage.

The prime minister has publicly warned against “misinformation,” and observers say some citizens reporting shortages have faced intimidation. Tensions in Bissau remain high.

The military under General Horta N’Tam, has announced plans to hold presidential and legislative elections in December and return to civilian rule.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/guinea-bissau-on-edge-after-activists-killing/a-76704388

The Indian government has proposed changes to extend its regulatory framework to a wider range of online news voices, including influencers and podcasters on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and X.

Last week, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) suggested amendments to India’s IT rules – which govern digital media content – to include “users who are not publishers” who share content related to “news and current affairs” within a “code of ethics” it currently applies to registered news publishers.

Experts say this will potentially give the government more power over news-related posts shared by ordinary users, including independent journalists and podcasters.

The government has proposed requiring social media platforms to follow orders and guidelines if they want to keep “safe harbour” protection – legal immunity from liability for content posted by users.

The proposed amendments have alarmed digital rights activists and independent news creators, who say they could enforce near-total compliance with state-led censorship on social media platforms. They also warn the rules could be misused to target critics and clamp down on dissent.

The government says the amendments will strengthen existing IT rules and curb fake news, hate speech and deepfakes, and has invited public feedback by 14 April.

But critics remain sceptical of the government’s stated intentions.

Akash Banerjee, who runs the YouTube channel The Deshbhakt with more than six million subscribers, says the rules could create a climate of fear, pushing many creators toward self-censorship.

“Interestingly, despite the many laws regulating online content, hate speech and fake news haven’t reduced in the country. Meanwhile, posts that are critical of the government – even if they’re satirical – are increasingly being blocked or removed,” Banerjee says. The authorities reject the charge.

But last month, X blocked about a dozen accounts, many known for satirical posts about the government, acting on orders issued under Section 69A of India’s IT Act.

Kumar Nayan, whose X account @Nehr_who? has about 242,000 followers, told the BBC he received neither prior notice nor an explanation for the block.

Nayan said his account was restored this week by a court order, but 10 posts remain blocked in India pending review by a government-appointed panel. The BBC has seen the posts, all of which either mock Prime Minister Narendra Modi or criticise his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

“No reasonable person will say that these posts threaten the nation’s security or disturb communal harmony. They are just funny posts, so why does the government want them taken down? Nayan asks.

He added that by challenging the order in court, his identity is now public, raising concerns about his safety.

“I have lost the anonymity offered by social media, which is a double-edged sword but also shields whistleblowers and critics from threats and harassment,” he says.

Nayan has moved home since his identity became public.

The BBC has shared a list of questions with MeitY.

Meanwhile, a recent US government report noted that since 2021, US social media firms had been subjected to an “increasing number of takedown requests for content and user accounts related to issues that appear politically motivated”.

Nikhil Pahwa, a digital rights activist, says the proposed amendments to the IT rules only strengthen the government’s existing “infrastructure for mass censorship”.

In an article co-authored with Apar Gupta, founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation, in the Times of India newspaper, Pahwa traces how successive amendments to the IT rules – introduced in 2021 – have expanded the government’s control over online content and diminished users’ rights.

A 2021 amendment brought digital news outlets under government oversight, while a 2025 change strengthened the federal home ministry’s Sahyog portal – a centralised platform that allows a number of agencies to issue takedown notices to social media companies with limited transparency and fewer safeguards, say the authors.

This portal functions as a parallel mechanism for removing content, distinct from the blocking powers granted to the federal government under Section 69A of the IT Act.

The IT rules were amended yet again in early 2026, where the window for social media firms to comply with government blocking orders was reduced from 36 to three hours, severely reducing the scope for legal review.

“Keen to preserve market access in India, platforms comply. Citizens whose speech is restricted receive no notice, no hearings, no reasons, and neither government nor platforms can be held to account by a legal system being outpaced by regulatory agility,” Pahwa writes.

MeitY Secretary S Krishnan has defended the IT rules and the recently proposed changes saying that guidelines issued by his ministry are in keeping with the law and the Constitution.

He told the BBC that there “needed to be a common policy or common framework” to govern news and current affairs’ content as such content is no longer shared only by news publishers but also ordinary citizens.

Sandeep Singh, whose X account @ActivistSandeep (with 100,000+ followers) was among those blocked in March, says he began posting critical views after feeling mainstream media was “biased” in favour of the BJP.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce9mx2j3xlxo

Japan is dependent on the Middle East for some 95 per cent of its oil.

Japan plans to release 20 days’ worth of oil reserves from May, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told a cabinet meeting on Friday (Apr 10), to ensure stable domestic supply while searching for non-Middle East barrels as conflict in the region disrupts global supply.

The United States and Iran have agreed on a two-week ceasefire to the war that began in late February, but there is no sign of Iran lifting its near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused the worst-ever disruption to global energy supplies.

Japan is dependent on the Middle East for some 95 per cent of its oil.

It began releasing reserves on Mar 16 unilaterally and in coordination with other nations under a plan to make available enough oil to last 50 days. The 20 days’ worth is additional.

As of Apr 6, Japan had enough oil for 230 days in its reserves, including 143 days in its public stockpile.

The new release would come from the public stockpile, Takaichi said. By May, Japan should be able to secure more than half of its oil imports via routes that do not include the Strait of Hormuz, she added, without naming the sources.

Japan is bringing substitute oil supply from the US, its closest ally, and those levels will be four times higher in May than a year earlier, a document released by the industry ministry showed on Friday.

Last May, Japan was importing around 189,000 barrels of oil per day from the US, or some 8 per cent of its total crude oil purchases that month, according to customs data, and US officials have called on Japan to buy more.

Japan has also contacted suppliers in countries across the world, including Malaysia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Nigeria and Angola, the industry ministry has said.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/japan-release-20-days-oil-reserves-extra-may-takaichi-iran-middle-east-6048161

JUSTIN Bieber’s highly anticipated appearance at Coachella is causing chaos this year, as festival-goers complain of price gouging and last-minute Airbnb cancellations.

Justin, who has barely performed in four years, will headline the major music festival this weekend and the following in Indio, California.

Residents near the festival grounds, at Empire Polo Club, have gotten creative in attempts to cash in, with one trying to rent out a laundry room to sleep in for $1,300.

An insider told The U.S. Sun, “Coachella is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and everyone wants to see Bieber; it seems to have more buzz than when Beyonce headlined.

“He has not toured in many years, and now the whole world is watching. Both weekends sold out in record time.”

Tickets for the festival, two hours outside of Los Angeles, sold out in 45 minutes, surpassing the previous record of one hour, set in 2022.

The source, who has had VIP access to the festival for years, claimed prices for artist guest passes, available through industry insiders attached to stars, have also sky-rocketed.

“Some buyers have been told they are being given refunds for ones they bought months ago, and that there is now a new price because of the demand this year,” he said.

“The price of artist guest passes has also gone up a lot for weekend two; it’s just crazy.”

He went on, “Most of the Coachella parties used to be open bar, but I’ve been told this year that a lot of them are charging.

“The price of accommodation also seems to have soared, and I know many are dealing with cancellations and scrambling to get something booked.

“I saw someone was renting out a laundry room, while others are trying to earn money from people camping in their backyards.”

The U.S. Sun verified a listing, which has now been removed, from one Airbnb host trying to rent out their laundry room for around $1,380 for three days.

Influencer Emma Fuller shared screenshots of the original post, saying, “My friend just got tickets to Coachella, and she’s looking for a place to stay, and she’s literally been showing me the craziest Airbnbs.

“Somebody put ‘laundry room for you to crash in’. There was another one of someone who put like a tent over their truck, listing it as an Airbnb for like a $1,000, and the laundry room is like $1,300.

“And this is why I’m just, I’m good, I’m perfectly fine with skipping out on all of that because what the f***.”

The same Airbnb host, living in Thermal, California, also added a listing, “Crash in my living room during Coachella,” which no longer has availability but still appears on the site.

The U.S. Sun has reached out to the host for comment and understands Airbnb removed the laundry room post.

Influencer Jourdan David, who goes by @jourdanunbothered, also exposed price gouging on Instagram, saying friends had their Airbnbs canceled last-minute – only for owners to re-list for higher prices.

He shared screenshots with The U.S. Sun of booking details from pals he has been helping, including a spot booked three months in advance for $7,500 for four nights.

“The owner canceled just last week, which is two weeks before the festival, by saying he sold the house,” he said.

“Then he re-listed it for two and a half times the price the next day.”

He shared further screenshots of other examples and appealed to Airbnb to take action.

Jourdan told The U.S. Sun, “The festival has been on an upward trajectory for years, and factors driving increased interest, whether it’s the lineup or broader cultural buzz, are known well in advance.

“Pricing should reflect that upfront, not shift in a way that penalizes people who planned early.

“Many attendees organize these trips months ahead of time, budgeting carefully and coordinating with groups.

“When a host cancels last minute, it creates a ripple effect – financially and logistically – that can be very difficult to recover from, especially given the limited availability of accommodations during that time.”

He added, “Coachella itself has done a strong job of keeping ticket pricing relatively accessible while continuing to deliver a high-quality experience.

“The issue is increasingly with the surrounding ecosystem – short-term rentals and transportation – which can make attending far less attainable.”

A spokesperson for Airbnb claimed they ban hosts for canceling and re-listing at higher prices.

They said, “Festival-goers trust Airbnb for their Coachella stays because we offer options that fit all budgets and are reliable, with protections against rare issues like cancellations.

“We are not seeing any notable uptick in cancellations over Coachella weekends and we’ve reached out to a small number of guests who raised concerns on social media to provide support.

“We know host cancellations can disrupt plans, which is why we have deterrents–including cancellation fees, calendar blocks to prevent rebooking, and a ban on re-listing for a higher price—as well as 24/7 guest support.”

They added, “We require that all listings and hosts meet our high standards, and we support affordability with pricing tools for hosts as well as price filters and upfront total price transparency for guests, so travelers can easily find options that fit their budget and book with confidence.”

Posts on Reddit from other festival-goers show alleged cancellations this week.

One wrote, “Host just canceled on us with no reason … he only said he can no longer accommodate us.

“[What] hurts the most is that we had found a really good deal at 500$ for the entire weekend for 3 people… now I’m going to be out a couple of grand to find another spot last minute.”

There was no proof that the resident had reposted at a higher price.

A second Redditor shared a price hike two weeks ago, claiming, “We had booked an Airbnb in late January for wk1 of Coachella and the host had cancelled the booking when we originally had reserved it and messaged us that the listing had already been booked and accommodated us to another with the same price.

“Now comes today, and the host is saying the reservation we have already is not available and is telling us he knows another host, but we would have to pay extra. Does anyone know what we can do can do?”

Meanwhile, influencer Coco Mocoe took to Threads to complain that her Coachella ticket had been canceled three days before the event on StubHub.

“They are telling me there are no tickets available for replacement but have the same type of GA ticket listed for $900+ more dollars than I bought them for,” she wrote.

She later revealed on Instagram that she was scrambling to get new tickets, and told The U.S. Sun she felt “dejected.”

“I understand, though, that this Coachella was insanely popular because of Justin Bieber,” she added.

After being alerted of the situation, StubHub told The U.S. Sun, “StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee ensures that every order is protected. In the rare instance something goes wrong, we make it right.

“In this case, we were able to resolve the customer’s issue and ensure they can enjoy the event as planned.”

Coco added, “I’ve been to Coachella five times in the past and I’ve truly never seen so much pandemonium trying to get tickets and lodging.

“I am assuming it’s because Justin Bieber doesn’t perform live often so this will feel like a unique, legacy performance.”

Bieber fever has been spreading amid the star’s major live comeback, as the festival marks his first full concert in about four years after health issues and time away from touring.

He’s expected to perform music from his new albums, Swag and Swag II, alongside older hits.

In 2022, he revealed he’d been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare condition caused by a virus that attacks nerves in the ear and face, leaving him with partial facial paralysis.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/16188706/coachella-ticket-airbnb-prices-surge-justin-bieber/

THE world’s longest outdoor escalator is now open and it covers an insane distance and takes more than 20 minutes to ride to the top.

The 3,000ft “Goddess” escalator soars up the top of a “cyberpunk city” – and tourists can’t get enough.

Riders of the brand new structure in Wushan, Chongqing, China, will navigate 21 individual escalators, eight elevators, four moving walkways and several pedestrian bridges.

It carries pedestrians up 800 feet in elevation—around the height of an 80-story skyscraper.

The metropolis is known for its unusual futuristic architecture so this wacky escalator fits right in to the surroundings.

The city has buildings, streets and public spaces vertically arranged around countless staircases, sometimes creating a disorienting landscape.

Project design lead Huang Wei told The Financial Times it’s the first of its kind.

“As far as I know, there are no similar projects nationwide, either exceeding or equal to ours, either under construction or already started,” he said.

The area is famous for its extreme verticality making it notoriously difficult to move around.

Schindler China – the installation company – already installed 1,400 escalators across the metro area to ease movement up and down the city.

Conveniently for commuters, the escalator hangs above streets that take about an hour to drive during rush hour.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16202212/world-longest-outdoor-escalator-unveiled/

Welcome to New York, it’s a big wedding for you.

A source tells Page Six that the save-the-dates for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding have gone out.

And the big day is set for the Big Apple on July 3!

The news comes as a surprise, as there have been several reports that the pop superstar and the Kansas City Chiefs champ were eyeing Rhode Island — where Swift owns a large estate next door to a hotel — for the nuptials.

However, a source told Page Six back in November that the pair was thinking about scrapping that idea and going “all out” at a totally different venue that can accommodate more attendees.”

The couple would be joining a long lists of celebs who have tied the knot here.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z said “I do” in their Tribeca apartment in 2008.

Others include Hailey and Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey and Tommy Mottola, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas.

July Fourth is famously Swift’s favorite holiday. This year is also the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

Swift has close ties to the city that never sleeps.

She moved into two adjacent penthouses in Tribeca in 2014, converting them into one large duplex. From there she has expanded further, buying the townhouse next door and a 3,500-square-foot loft in the same building.

In 2014, she wrote the song “Welcome to New York” as an ode to the city.

“Like any great love, it keeps you guessing / Like any real love, it’s ever-changing / Like any true love, it drives you crazy / But you know you wouldn’t change anything, anything, anything,” she sings.

Swift even served as New York City’s Global Welcome Ambassador for 2014–2015, with the song used to promote NYC tourism.

She rented a spot on Cornelia Street in 2016 while the Franklin Street place was being renovated. A song of the same name appeared on her 2019 album “Lover.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/04/09/entertainment/taylor-swift-and-travis-kelces-wedding-date-and-location-revealed-as-save-the-dates-go-out/?_gl=1*1lwdsad*_ga*MTg2NjYyMzM1MC4xNzczODEwMTg2*_ga_0DZ7LHF5PZ*czE3NzU3ODk3MzMkbzU1JGcxJHQxNzc1Nzg5NzU4JGozNSRsMCRoMA

A fragile two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran showed further strain on Friday, a day before they are ​to negotiate in Pakistan, as Washington accused Tehran of breaching promises on the Strait of Hormuz and Israel struck Lebanon with attacks that Iran has ‌claimed violate the truce.
There was no sign Iran was lifting its near-total blockade of the strait, which has caused the worst-ever disruption to global energy supplies. Tehran cited Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon, which included the heaviest strikes of the war on Wednesday, as a key sticking point.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post late Thursday that Iran was doing a “very poor job” of allowing oil to go through ​the strait. “That is not the agreement we have!”
In a separate post, he said oil would start flowing again, without saying what actions the U.S. might take.
In the ​first 24 hours of the ceasefire, which Trump announced on Tuesday, just a single oil products tanker and five dry bulk carriers sailed ⁠through the strait, which typically carries a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows and 140 ships a day before the war.

FRESH ATTACKS

Israel’s military said early on ​Friday it had struck 10 launchers in Lebanon that fired rockets toward northern Israel on Thursday evening, and that Iran-allied armed group Hezbollah launched a missile at Israel, triggering air sirens.

The ​missile was intercepted, according to the Times of Israel. Hezbollah said it had targeted Israeli military infrastructure in the northern city of Haifa.
The U.S. and Israel have said the latest ceasefire does not include Lebanon, which Israel invaded last month – in parallel with the war on Iran – to root out Hezbollah.
But Iran and Pakistan, which acted as mediator, say Lebanon was explicitly part of the deal. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer ​Qalibaf, expected to head the Iranian delegation opposite U.S. Vice President JD Vance, said on social media that Lebanon and the rest of Iran’s “axis” of regional allies were inseparable parts ​of any ceasefire.
In a defiant statement, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that Iran would exact retribution for the war.

“We will certainly not leave unpunished the criminal aggressors who attacked our ‌country. We ⁠will undoubtedly demand compensation for every single damage inflicted,” he said in the statement.
The agreement for a two-week truce, mediated by Pakistan, came just hours before a deadline that Trump said would trigger U.S. attacks on Iran’s power plants and bridges and the destruction of “a whole civilization.”

U.S.-IRAN TALKS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY

In Pakistan, authorities were preparing for the first round of U.S.-Iran talks on Saturday aimed at settling the conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.
Iran released on Wednesday a 10-point proposal for a settlement to the war ​that included maintaining control of the Strait ​of Hormuz, acceptance of Iran’s right to ⁠nuclear enrichment, lifting of sanctions and ending the war, including against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

While he said Israel would continue attacks on Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government rebuffed an offer for direct talks with Lebanon last month, said on Thursday he had given instructions ​to start peace talks as soon as possible, which would include disarming Hezbollah.
“The negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful ​relations between Israel and ⁠Lebanon,” he said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-iran-ceasefire-deal-shows-strain-ahead-talks-with-oil-flows-squeezed-2026-04-10/

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told European governments that U.S. President Donald Trump wants concrete commitments within days to help ​secure the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats said on Thursday, as the alliance faces U.S. threats to leave.
Rutte, known in Europe as a “Trump whisperer”, is working ‌to defuse a crisis after Trump said he was considering withdrawing from the 32-member transatlantic alliance, arguing that European allies have relied on U.S. security guarantees while providing inadequate support for the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran.

Three diplomats told Reuters that Rutte, who met with the U.S. president at the White House on Wednesday, conveyed Trump’s demands to European countries.
European leaders are now under pressure to show they are quickly making tangible plans ​to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, which is a vital oil transit point that Iran has effectively blocked during the conflict.
Speaking in Washington a day after meeting Trump, ​Rutte said that some alliance members were initially “a bit slow” to provide assistance to the U.S. in Iran and “a bit surprised” but that now ⁠there is a “massive amount” of support including basing and logistics.

“Nearly without exception, allies are doing everything the United States is asking. They have heard and are responding to President Trump’s requests,” ​Rutte said in a speech hosted by the Ronald Reagan Institute.
Multiple European allies have said they’re willing to help in the Strait of Hormuz but only once there is a durable ​cessation of hostilities and an agreement with Iran that their ships will not be attacked.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said on Thursday: “The secretary general is in contact with allies about his discussions in Washington” and “it’s clear that the United States expects concrete commitments and action to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”.
The tensions over the Iran war follow a series of challenges for the alliance, including Trump’s stepped-up threats in ​January to take Greenland from Denmark.

On Thursday, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called on NATO allies to stand together to defend international law as he pushed back against Trump’s latest comments about ​the Arctic island.
In his speech, Rutte said the alliance is undergoing a shift but growing stronger.
“Allies recognise, and I recognise, we are in a period of profound change in the transatlantic alliance. Europe is assuming ‌a greater ⁠and fairer share of the task of providing for its conventional defence,” Rutte said.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ IN FOCUS

Although Trump said on Tuesday the attacks on Iran would be paused under a two-week ceasefire, the fallout from the conflict has continued to strain ties within NATO.
“We note the frustration in Washington, but they did not consult allies either before or after starting this war,” said one of the diplomats.
“NATO as such would not play a role in the war against Iran, but allies want to be helpful in seeking longer-term solutions for Hormuz. With negotiations ongoing with Iran, this ​could be helpful,” the diplomat said.
Trump posted on ​Truth Social after meeting Rutte on Wednesday ⁠in capitalized letters that “NATO wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again.”
A senior European official said, “The NATO community is more worried right now than confident,” and “the meeting did not take the worry away”.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/natos-rutte-told-allies-trump-wants-hormuz-commitments-within-days-diplomats-say-2026-04-09/

Pakistan is under huge pressure to pull off what some diplomats regard as mission impossible: broker a peace deal between Iran and the United States to stabilize the world economy while safeguarding delegates already arguing over a fragile ​truce.
Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif engaged in weeks of diplomacy to halt a war that could deepen instability along Pakistan’s western border ‌with Iran and Afghanistan, with which it has recently exchanged fire.

Authorities effectively locked down parts of the capital Islamabad on Thursday as Iranian officials flew in, with the U.S. delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, arriving on Friday.
Once they have brought Washington and Tehran to the negotiating table on Saturday, the Pakistani officials will try to steer the talks toward a lasting agreement, analysts say.
“Pakistan does not want anarchy in Iran as an outcome of continued warfare, which would greatly exacerbate ​the pre-existing acute security situation on its western flank,” said Kamran Bokhari, senior resident fellow with the Middle East Policy Council.

Pakistan’s role marks a stunning reversal in fortunes, with the country ​relegated to the diplomatic margins until only a year ago. Success in Saturday’s dialogue would go a long way toward maintaining its newfound prominence, while failure ⁠could erode the veneer of success.
“Pakistan has publicly invested political capital in mediation; if talks collapse, it risks being seen as overpromising and underdelivering,” said Muhammad Faisal, a security analyst at the University ​of Technology Sydney.

EXTRA PRECAUTIONS

Authorities in Islamabad have fortified the streets around the luxury Serena Hotel, where two sources said the talks are set to take place. The hotel has been cleared of guests and placed ​under government control, while roads leading to the area have been sealed. Checkpoints, barricades and patrols have been stepped up across the city and extra security forces deployed.

The scale of the precautions points to how exposed Pakistan feels, not only to militant violence at home but also to the risk that any disruption could derail a delicate diplomatic opening. Security officials said the measures went beyond routine arrangements for a high-profile visit, with airspace surveillance enhanced and emergency services ​placed on standby.
While attacks in Pakistan’s major urban centers have become increasingly rare, militancy has risen along its border regions with Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power there in 2021.
A suicide attack in Islamabad ​in February magnified concerns and was among the reasons Pakistan launched airstrikes on Afghanistan days later, leading to weeks of fighting with its once-close ally.
“Given those risks, the lack of preparation time, and the high-profile nature of these ‌talks, this is ⁠a very challenging visit from a security perspective and speaks to the importance this administration places on the negotiations,” said Elizabeth Threlkeld, director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center.

The challenge for Pakistan is not just to protect the venue, but to prevent the diplomacy from being overtaken by forces outside the room, security analyst Zahid Hussain said.
“There are indications that Israel has accepted the ceasefire rather conditionally,” he said, adding that any renewed escalation could quickly narrow the space for meaningful negotiations.

ACTIVE ROLE IN NEGOTIATIONS

Hours before the two-week ceasefire was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, mediation efforts to ​end the conflict appeared to have fallen apart.
But ​a last-ditch effort by Pakistan’s military and civilian ⁠leadership brought Iran back to the negotiating table.
Bokhari said Pakistan’s role had evolved from relaying messages into playing an active part in the negotiating process.
“Islamabad has the ability to shape perceptions on both sides,” he said.
“The Trump White House chose Munir, Shehbaz et al. because the Americans knew that the Pakistanis ​could not just talk to them but actually influence the thinking of the Iranians. As the process unfolds, the Pakistanis also gain greater trust ​of the Americans, which creates ⁠an opportunity for Islamabad to shape U.S. thinking as well.”
On Saturday, Islamabad will likely raise the grievances of Gulf nations allied with the U.S. that were hit by Iranian strikes during the conflict, analysts said.

Source :https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistans-high-stakes-iran-peace-bid-is-fraught-with-risk-2026-04-09/

Attacks on Saudi energy facilities have cut the kingdom’s oil production capacity by around 600,000 barrels per ​day and throughput on its East-West Pipeline by about 700,000 bpd, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Thursday, citing an official source ‌at the Ministry of Energy.
The ministry source did not specify who launched the attacks, but Saudi Arabia has intercepted many Iranian missiles and drones in recent weeks. The latest attacks, including previous strikes on some facilities, also disrupted operations at key oil, gas, refining, petrochemical and electricity sites in Riyadh, the Eastern Province and Yanbu Industrial City, SPA said.

Saudi Arabia had not previously provided details about ​the impact to oilfield production, refineries and pipeline flow from attacks occurring during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which began in late February.
Benchmark Brent ​crude futures rose in post-settlement trade on Thursday after settling up $1.17 or 1.2%, at $95.92 a barrel.
“The East-West pipe is diverting so ⁠much of the Saudi crude not able to leave via the Strait of Hormuz,” said Kpler analyst Matt Smith. “Any pullback on volume is going to add to ​the tight situation. It is not great news for markets.”
The two-week ceasefire announced this week appeared tenuous at best, with Israel continuing its attacks on Lebanon and ​Iran showing few signs that it was lifting its near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, conduit for nearly a fifth of global energy supplies.

With the strait blocked, the East-West Pipeline has been Saudi Arabia’s only crude export route. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Iran attacked the pipeline just hours after the ceasefire was agreed upon.

SAUDI NATIONAL KILLED IN ATTACKS

One Saudi national from industrial ​security staff of the Saudi energy company was killed and seven other Saudi employees were wounded in the attacks, SPA said.
Saudi Arabia has come under attack from hundreds of ​Iranian missiles and drones since the start of the war, most of which were intercepted, authorities have said.
Tehran has launched strikes on Israel and Gulf Arab states that host U.S. ‌military installations.
One ⁠pumping station on the East-West Pipeline was hit, reducing throughput by about 700,000 bpd, the ministry source said. The source described the pipeline as currently a main route for supplying global markets.

The Manifa oilfield was also hit, reducing production capacity by around 300,000 bpd, while a previous attack on the Khurais facility cut a further 300,000 bpd, bringing the total reduction in Saudi production capacity to about 600,000 bpd, the source added.
It was unclear how long the Manifa and Khurais production could be ​offline, Smith said.

DAMAGE TO MAJOR REFINERIES

The attacks ​also hit major refining facilities, including ⁠SATORP in Jubail, the Ras Tanura refinery, the SAMREF refinery in Yanbu and the Riyadh refinery, directly affecting exports of refined products to global markets, SPA said. Processing facilities in Ju’aymah were also hit by fires, affecting exports of liquefied petroleum ​gas and natural gas liquids.

French oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), holds an interest in SATORP, and U.S. major Exxon Mobil has a ​stake in SAMREF. TotalEnergies ⁠did not immediately respond to request for comment and Exxon referred to the operator for comment.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/operational-activities-halted-several-energy-facilities-saudi-arabia-state-news-2026-04-09/

A lobbying firm led by one of Donald Trump Jr.’s hunting buddies helped a Chinese company make its case to a U.S. national security watchdog, public filings show.
The case involved a U.S. startup that was seeking to have the Chinese firm removed as one of its investors. The watchdog rejected the U.S. firm’s request for a national security review of the Chinese firm’s investment, according to a document seen by Reuters, handing a rare win to a Chinese company in ​Washington. The decision has not previously been reported.

The lobbying firm, Checkmate, helped a lawyer for China’s Grand Pharmaceutical Group (0512.HK), clinch a meeting with the head of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) in early January, according to two people familiar with the matter. During the meeting, ‌the lawyer argued that the case was a commercial disagreement with no national security implications, one of the people said.
At the end of January, the watchdog rejected the filing by Minnesota-based startup FastWave for reasons unrelated to national security, effectively siding with the Chinese firm, according to a document seen by Reuters.

FastWave, which had been granted calls with CFIUS staffers rather than senior officials that month, has been brought to the brink of bankruptcy, the company told CFIUS.
Reuters could not determine if the meeting Checkmate set up played a role in the CFIUS decision. There was no indication that Donald Trump Jr., President Donald Trump’s eldest son, was involved. A representative for Don Jr. did not respond to requests for comment.
Such lobbying, by foreign or domestic companies is “very typical,” according to Tim LaPira, a professor of political science at James Madison ​University. “If you want to speak to the party in power, you are going to need to hire somebody that has those partisan connections,” he added.
Six China experts and three Democratic lawmakers who were informed of the situation by Reuters said the case raised concerns that Chinese companies could gain influence over the Trump administration by ​hiring lobbyists close to his orbit.

Michael Sobolik, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, said that if a Chinese company can lobby the U.S. government into siding with it against an American firm on a national security matter, “that is the ⁠height of the swamp.”
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said it was “troubling that Chinese companies are hiring Trump-connected lobbyists to influence independent decisions about American national security,” calling for answers on who made the decisions and what CFIUS’s risk assessments of the deal found.
The White House rejected the criticism.
“Nothing has changed with CFIUS’s diligence, investigation, or enforcement operations, which continue to ​robustly and vigilantly safeguard America’s national security interests,” said Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, adding that any implication that the Trump administration would weaken CFIUS at the behest of special interests was “categorically false.”

Chris LaCivita Jr., a spokesperson for Checkmate, said Grand Pharma was “an investor in American companies that Checkmate briefly helped navigate a regulatory issue,” adding that the firm “does ​not pose a national security threat.”

COMMERCIAL DISPUTE OR NATIONAL SECURITY RISK

Checkmate is led by Ches McDowell, who appears in social media posts hunting with Don Jr. and co-owns a property with him. Checkmate’s LaCivita said McDowell, though listed on Grand Pharma’s lobbying disclosure, did not personally work on the matter. Reuters found no evidence to the contrary.
Grand Pharma hired Checkmate in December, and paid the firm $30,000 for two weeks of work on CFIUS matters that month, filings show.
The CFIUS rejection came weeks after the early January meeting that Checkmate secured for Jeff Bialos, Grand Pharma’s lawyer, with Chris Pilkerton, newly confirmed by the Senate at the time to lead CFIUS, according to the two sources.
FastWave’s counsel sought a call with Pilkerton on two occasions in January, but it was only able to arrange calls with CFIUS staffers, according ​to documents seen by Reuters.
Bialos, a former senior Pentagon official now a partner at the Eversheds Sutherland law firm, and Checkmate’s LaCivita acknowledged Checkmate arranged a meeting with senior Treasury officials, but declined to say with whom. In an interview with Reuters, Bialos said he could have arranged the meeting himself. Treasury did not respond to questions about Pilkerton.
Bialos described ​the process as “a lengthy fact-based investigation” whose outcome was not “politically driven.” He said the case amounted to “a private commercial dispute… being squeezed into the CFIUS box.”
FastWave CEO Scott Nelson told Reuters “the opaque and highly irregular procedural decisions” from CFIUS made it difficult for his company to protect its critical technology from a Chinese investor.
To lobby CFIUS on its behalf, FastWave hired Corcoran Partners, whose managing ‌partner, Matthew Blair, is ⁠the brother of White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair, filings show. Corcoran did not respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Treasury, which leads CFIUS, said CFIUS could not comment on individual cases. The Chinese Embassy in Washington declined to comment.

LASER SHIPMENTS REGULATED

In 2021, Grand Pharma invested $12 million in FastWave, which later started manufacturing a special catheter to treat calcium build-up in arteries using a laser.
U.S. shipments of that laser to China are regulated because they could also be used to enhance the Chinese military’s warfare capabilities, according to U.S. rules.
FastWave, which initially welcomed Grand Pharma’s investment, asked CFIUS in 2025 to review it. Fastwave hoped the committee would force Grand Pharma to divest its 40% stake or make it a passive investor, fearing that the Chinese firm could be seeking to steal its intellectual property and was blocking its attempts to raise money, according to the documents seen by Reuters.
In its 2021 agreement, Grand Pharma gained veto rights over future capital raises, a common investor request to avoid diluting its position.
FastWave became concerned about potential theft of its intellectual property after ​it saw a press release on Grand Pharma’s website disclosing a new partnership with ​Jiangsu Zhenyi Medical Technology Co., Ltd, a Chinese rival to FastWave, FastWave said.
Jiangsu Zhenyi ⁠Medical Technology could not be reached for comment. Bialos said Grand Pharma was merely distributing the device for it and that the relationship did not violate Grand Pharma’s commitments to FastWave. Reuters could not independently establish whether the relationship violated FastWave and Grand Pharma’s agreements.
CFIUS in January rejected FastWave’s filing in the case, stating that FastWave’s responses included “material misstatements,” according to a letter CFIUS sent to FastWave and seen by Reuters. For example, one of the alleged misstatements concerned the extent to which Grand Pharma engaged in negotiations with FastWave ​over its efforts to raise capital.
In its letter, CFIUS accused FastWave of contradicting itself by telling the committee in July 2025 that Grand Pharma had not provided “substantive feedback” on a financing round, while in August saying that Grand Pharma had in fact ​engaged in “substantive discussion.” FastWave, in its response to CFIUS ⁠in February 2026, countered that Grand Pharma’s feedback — edits on a termsheet — was not substantive and came only after FastWave’s July statement to CFIUS.
In its rejection, CFIUS did not address any potential national security risks posed by the deal.
In a statement to Reuters, Treasury emphasized that CFIUS may reject any filing for “material misstatements.”
FastWave could technically file a fresh petition to CFIUS but the company’s “significant financial distress” means such a filing would not be feasible, FastWave said in a response to CFIUS in February.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinese-firm-hired-lobbyists-with-ties-don-jr-then-scored-win-washington-2026-04-09/

Tesla (TSLA.O), is developing an all-new smaller, cheaper electric SUV, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The automaker has contacted suppliers in recent weeks to discuss details of the plan for the compact SUV – which would be a new vehicle and not a variant of Tesla’s current Model 3 or ​Y, the people said. The conversations involved the manufacturing process and specifications for various components, they said.

Three of the people said the compact SUV would be produced in China, and one said Tesla also aims to expand ‌production to the United States and Europe. The car would be 4.28 meters in length, or about 14 feet, two of the sources said. That’s significantly shorter than Tesla’s top-selling Model Y SUV, which is about 15.7 feet long.
The effort follows a decision by Chief Executive Elon Musk to scrap a highly anticipated low-cost EV project in 2024 and pivot the company to focus on robotaxis and humanoid robots. A key question is whether this latest effort to develop a smaller SUV signals a strategy shift back to mass-market human-driven EVs or whether the new model would align more with Tesla’s vision for fully autonomous vehicles.

Such ​a model could potentially serve both purposes, according to one of the people familiar with the new-vehicle project and a Tesla employee with knowledge of its current product philosophy. The Tesla employee declined to confirm or deny details of any specific ​vehicle but said, in general, the automaker now aims to build models that would be driverless but offer a human-driven option.
While aiming for full autonomy across its lineup, the person said, Tesla realizes ⁠many global markets won’t see meaningful adoption – nor regulatory acceptance – of driverless vehicles for years. Preserving the option to build a particular model with or without driving controls could enable more sales and help ensure Tesla can keep its car factories running near capacity, the ​person said.
As Tesla chases a driverless future, some analysts predict a third-straight year of declining sales for the traditional EVs that provide the vast majority of its revenue. So far, Tesla operates a small number of robotaxis only in Austin, Texas, many with human safety monitors ​in the passenger seat.

Tesla didn’t respond to requests for comment about plans for a new vehicle.
The four people familiar with the project said it remained in an early development stage. Reuters couldn’t determine whether Tesla has given the green light for the car’s production.
The automaker has a history of starting development on products that end up long delayed or canceled. Tesla showed off concept vehicles for a Roadster supercar and a Semi freight truck in 2017, for instance, but still hasn’t produced the sports car or mass-produced the Semi.
Two of the sources said Tesla aims to offer the new vehicle at a substantially lower ​price than its entry-level Model 3 sedan, which starts at $34,000 in China and about $37,000 in the United States. They said Tesla planned to save costs in part by using a smaller battery, which would mean a shorter driving range compared with 306 to 327 miles ​for the Model Y.

One of the people added that the automaker would also offer a single electric motor instead of two, a performance option on current Tesla models. Tesla also wants to make the car much lighter, this person said, at about 1.5 metric tons compared with about two ‌tons for the ⁠Model Y.
Three of the people said the new model would be produced at Tesla’s Shanghai factory. While the timing remained unclear, the car’s production is unlikely to begin this year, the people said.

TESLA’S START-AND-STOP HISTORY ON AFFORDABLE EVs

For years after Tesla started in 2008 producing luxury electric cars, Musk said the company’s real mission was to produce affordable, mass-market electric-vehicles that would be critical to fighting the climate crisis. But start-and-stop efforts to deliver on that goal have so far fallen short.
Beginning in 2020, Musk said Tesla aimed to sell 20 million vehicles annually by the end of the decade, nearly double that of Toyota (7203.T), the current global sales leader. A project Musk touted to produce a $25,000 EV, often called the “Model 2” by Tesla fans and investors, was expected to drive explosive vehicle-sales growth.
Then in 2024, Reuters reported that Tesla ​had abandoned plans for the Model 2, although it still planned ​a driverless robotaxi on the same platform. Tesla’s biggest EV ⁠rivals in China had already started producing much cheaper EVs. Later that year, Musk said it would be “pointless” and “silly” for Tesla to make a $25,000 EV for human drivers because the company would soon offer driverless vehicles.
A former Tesla manager said an all-new cheaper traditional car would represent a significant departure from the company’s philosophy through mid-2025. Until then, the manager said, Tesla had dropped the effort to mass-produce an entry-level ​car in favor of robotaxis as the key to lowering costs per mile for riders and the car owners charging them for trips.
After scrapping the Model 2, Musk and other Tesla executives ​described different plans for new, “more affordable” EVs ⁠in vague terms. When the vehicles arrived last fall, however, they were stripped-down versions of the current Model 3 and Y offered in new “standard” trim levels at only a modest discount.
U.S. prices of $36,990 for the Model 3 Standard and $39,990 for the Model Y struck some investors as too high to attract a new class of buyers and haven’t yet made a significant difference in Tesla’s overall sales.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-is-developing-new-smaller-cheaper-ev-sources-say-2026-04-09/

First lady Melania Trump denied on Thursday that she had any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and said she was not one of his victims, thrusting the Epstein matter back into the spotlight ​after her husband had sought to put it behind him.
She denied online speculation that the disgraced financier and sex offender had introduced her to Donald Trump, saying she had met ‌her husband at a New York City party in 1998, two years before crossing paths with Epstein at another event she attended with Trump.

She also urged Congress to hold public hearings for Epstein victims to tell their stories under oath, raising the prospect of further public attention on an issue the president wants to go away.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” Melania Trump said, reading a statement and declining to take questions from reporters.
“I am not ​Epstein’s victim,” she said, responding to what she said were false smears against her.
Her extraordinary address, delivered under the presidential seal in the White House foyer, renews scrutiny of the Epstein case that ​has roiled Donald Trump’s presidency as even some supporters say his administration mishandled disclosures from government files.

Last week, the president fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, who had drawn the ⁠ire of Trump loyalists over the Justice Department’s slow release of millions of Epstein‑related files.
Trump, a onetime friend of Epstein who said he cut ties with the financier in the early 2000s, is among many ​famous people – celebrities, politicians and intellectuals – named in the government files.
Melania Trump did not say why she chose to speak out on Thursday, resurrecting an issue that had largely slipped from the headlines amid the U.S.-Israeli ​war against Iran.
But Marc Beckman, her senior adviser, told Reuters in a statement: “First Lady Melania Trump spoke out now because enough is enough. The lies must stop.”
A spokesperson for the first lady said Trump’s aides were made aware of her plans for Thursday’s statement.

“THIS TOOK GUTS”

While first ladies have occasionally addressed the nation on political issues, Melania Trump’s statement was exceptional.
“A first lady in contemporary times has not publicly addressed controversy in this way, and certainly never from the state floor of ​the White House, so this took guts,” said Michael LaRosa, former press secretary to first lady Jill Biden.
“Melania is very intentional and deliberative on the frequency of her appearances, and I think this event is going ​to speak so loudly that I don’t think she will need to address this again,” LaRosa added in an interview.

The first lady said she had never had a relationship with Epstein or his convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell, with whom ‌she said she ⁠had only a casual correspondence.
Melania Trump said she first “crossed paths” with Epstein in 2000 at an event she attended with Donald Trump, five years before their marriage.
“At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings,” she said.
Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to two Florida felonies, including procurement of a minor for prostitution, was facing federal charges of sex-trafficking minors in 2019, when he died in jail in what was ruled a suicide.
“I have never been friends with Epstein,” Melania Trump said. “Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is ​common in New York City and Palm Beach.”
The first ​lady sidestepped a question this year about the ⁠victims of Maxwell at an event with former captives of Hamas in Gaza.
The president has sought for months to move past discussions about Epstein.
“I think it’s really time for the country to get on to something else, really, now that nothing came out about me,” Trump said in February.

RELEASE OF THE FILES

The Trump administration, ​under pressure from the president’s political base, ordered the U.S. Justice Department to release files tied to criminal probes of Epstein in compliance with a ​transparency law passed by Congress.
The ⁠files include a 2002 email from Melania Trump to Maxwell about a New York Magazine piece on Epstein.
“Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great on the picture,” the email reads. “Give me a call when you are back in NY.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/melania-trump-says-she-never-had-relationship-with-epstein-2026-04-09/

Thailand’s dependence on gas is coming under renewed scrutiny as rising costs and global disruptions expose economic and environmental risks embedded in its power system.

The tiny fishing hamlet on a stretch of land that juts into the Gulf of Thailand looks just like countless others that dot the country’s coastline.

It has the brightly coloured boats, the packs of street dogs and the delicate waves lapping onto the sands.

But this one, in Rayong province south-east of Bangkok, has a unique perspective. It stares straight into the heart of Thailand’s largest industrial gas complex.

Map Ta Phut, one of Southeast Asia’s biggest petrochemical hubs, dominates a vast coastal area here.

Within the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), a special economic zone, it handles a significant share of Thailand’s energy imports, gas processing and petrochemical production.

It depends heavily on pipeline natural gas and imported liquefied natural gas (LNG), much of which is tied to global supply routes, including shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, now disrupted by the Iran conflict.

Map Ta Phut has permanently altered the coastal views here, and its waters and air. It has also irrevocably shaped the country’s power system, now at the frontline of a global energy shock.

Thailand is one of the most gas-dependent power systems in Asia. Gas generates roughly 55 to 60 per cent of the country’s electricity and is also widely used as a petrochemical feedstock.

Thailand’s reliance on gas is being tested on two fronts at once. As geopolitical tensions disrupt global supply and push up prices, the cost of keeping the country powered is rising sharply.

Gas is no longer the cheap “bridge fuel” it once was. LNG prices have roughly doubled during the latest Middle East tensions.

At the same time, recent expert analysis suggests that the very system driving those costs is also contributing significantly to air pollution, especially in the densely populated areas where most gas infrastructure is located – around Bangkok and the EEC.

Together, they expose a deeper problem: a fuel that is neither as cheap nor as clean as once believed, experts told CNA.

The Middle Eastern crisis has revealed short-term price shocks and long-term risks embedded in its decades of energy planning that increasingly pivoted towards gas, said Tara Buakamsri, an independent energy policy advocate.

“It has become a perfect storm for the energy system here in Thailand,” he said.

One immediate outcome for households will be increased electricity prices. Last week, the Energy Regulatory Commission approved a new average electricity tariff of 3.95 baht per kilowatt-hour for the May-August billing cycle, up from the current 3.88 baht.

Up to the start of April from the onset of the Iran conflict, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) had absorbed close to 36 billion baht (US$1.1 billion) on behalf of the public.

Even though only about 6 to 7 per cent of Thailand’s gas supply is coming through the Strait of Hormuz, the government is scrambling to secure fuel with its predominant LNG source market Qatar currently impacted, said Raksit Pattanapitoon, a senior analyst for Rystad Energy.

Nearly two-thirds of Thailand’s gas comes from its domestic supply, with about 9 per cent pipelined from Myanmar. The rest is LNG from multiple sources including Qatar, Australia, the United States and Malaysia.

“It’s not too bad at the moment, but we’re still using a lot of gas, and a lot of it is coming from LNG,” he said.

Thai officials and executives from state-owned PTT, the country’s largest energy company, held talks in March with a US LNG producer, Cheniere Energy, to increase long-term supply and accelerate deliveries, with the aim of mitigating disruptions due to the ongoing war.

“Thailand will be able to navigate this crisis together,” Energy Minister Atthapol Rerkpiboon said at the time.

Meanwhile, the EGAT set up a “war room” to monitor the Iran conflict’s impact on energy supply, while the government’s other measures included reviewing oil exports and increasing national oil reserves.

FROM ABUNDANCE TO DEPENDENCE

In the 1980s, Thailand was riding on a wave of offshore gas discovery.

After energy shocks during the previous decade, its unearthed domestic resources allowed the country to build its own energy base and reduce reliance on imported oil.

As it pushed away from coal, natural gas became the backbone of its power system. Gas infrastructure was rolled out at scale, embedding the resource at the centre of both electricity generation and industrial growth.

Yet even as domestic gas supply declined in more recent years, the country has doubled down, building out pipelines, power plants and LNG terminals, and signing long-term contracts to secure supply.

Though renewable energy sources like solar and wind gained global traction, the government showed few signs of pivoting significantly away from what had proven to be a cheap and reliable energy source, Raksit said.

The cost of this dependence is becoming increasingly visible, according to Daniel Nesan, a Southeast Asia analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

During the current crisis, Thailand has become more exposed not only to global price swings, but also to the economic burden of maintaining vast gas infrastructure even when it is underused, he said.

“Now they’re a bit stuck. They have all these gas plants, but they don’t have the gas to run them.”

Yet because of its vast investments, Thailand is somewhat locked into its gas pathway, experts said, even if it is looking expensive and unreliable.

Gas looks set to remain the primary source of energy going forward. But the country does have options, should it choose to take them, Raksit said.

“The most logical next step for Thailand is to ramp up renewable capacity addition as fast as it can,” he said, even though some existing infrastructure might suffer from lower utilisation.

“And yes, everyone will still need to be paying for that. But there is no argument for us to build any more gas capacity than what is already done.”

Thailand’s long-awaited new power development plan remains delayed, with final approval tied up in political transition following the national election in February and ongoing revisions.

It is expected to shape the country’s energy mix for the next few decades.

Thailand’s draft power plan aims to more than double renewable energy from around 20 per cent of electricity generation today to 51 per cent by 2037.

Manun said an expectation from environmental groups is a shift to 70 per cent renewables, in order for the country to make good on pledges to decarbonise its economy and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

But long-term contracts with gas operators mean she sees “very little grid capacity left” to support more solar energy, despite Thailand’s potential.

Thailand’s power-sector emissions have nearly doubled since 2000 as gas generation met rising demand, according to Ember, a global energy think tank.

Tara said he does not expect major changes to the way Thailand’s economy will be powered in the years to come.

“Gas has become the king of energy in Thailand. I think it will stay. The energy shock might not shift the throne,” he said.

While Raksit anticipates more renewables will enter the mix, he agreed that Thailand can afford to push harder in the green energy space.

“My argument would be, we can actually afford to be even more ambitious, given the situation in the Middle East. It’s a good opportunity to make the argument that relying on other countries in this fragmented world is leaving you vulnerable in terms of energy security and resiliency,” he said.

“(But Thailand is) pushing the narrative around gas being a destination fuel, meaning that it will play an entrenched role in the energy mix in the future.”

EGAT has maintained that natural gas and LNG are “essential” for the energy transition to provide stability and grid balance alongside renewables.

Across Southeast Asia, Thailand is not the only country facing challenges around its gas reliance. Malaysia is also gas-heavy but has vast domestic resources, as does Indonesia, the region’s largest gas supplier.

Singapore is the region’s second-largest gas importer, with about 45 per cent of its LNG from Qatar. The Philippines has been rapidly adopting LNG, constructing four new terminals to import gas as its own domestic fields deplete.

For energy affordability, and even security, the long-term solutions for these economies will be more renewables, Raksit said, even though different countries would naturally move at different paces with unique considerations about their energy mix.

“Maxing out your pace of renewable deployment domestically is the very obvious low-hanging fruit,” he said.

And beyond cost, there are growing concerns about the environmental impact of gas close to Thailand’s urban population.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thailand-lng-gas-energy-prices-air-pollution-6043386

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that Singapore further welcomes the commitment under the ceasefire to restoring shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Singapore said on Wednesday (Apr 8) that it welcomed the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, and urged both countries to adhere to the temporary truce.

The agreement was reached on Tuesday, shortly before US President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

The truce will see the suspension of US attacks on Iran for two weeks, and Tehran will in turn temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil thoroughfare, according to Washington.

“We are encouraged that the parties involved have taken this important step towards de-escalation and commend the efforts of the mediators, in particular Pakistan,” said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson in a statement.

“We urge all parties to adhere to the ceasefire, halt all attacks on non-belligerent states, and engage in negotiations in good faith that will bring about a lasting resolution to this conflict.”

The ministry added that Singapore further welcomes the commitment under the ceasefire to restoring shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We call on all parties to uphold their obligations under international law, restore safe and unimpeded transit passage in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and ensure the safety of seafarers and ships,” said the spokesperson.

Iran effectively shut the strait after US and Israeli strikes on Tehran on Feb 28 sparked the conflict.

The closure sparked higher fuel and electricity prices as about 20 per cent of global oil and nearly a fifth of the world’s gas supply flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

Asia, which is the primary destination for energy supplies shipped through the waterway, was hit hard by the closure, and some countries have implemented export restrictions on fuel or fuel rationing measures.

Singapore has not had to take more drastic measures than those seen in neighbouring countries, as it does not see a need to do so for now, said Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam on Tuesday.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/iran-war-welcomes-temporary-ceasefire-mfa-6044346

THE MET Gala is fast approaching, and some of the biggest names in fashion, music and film will be gracing the red carpet in their finest designer looks.

The May 4 event will be hosted this year by co-chairs Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour.

This year’s Met Gala will be held on May 4 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, with the theme Costume Art and official dress code Fashion Is Art.

Insiders speculate that Beyoncé’s presence could be a big factor in convincing other stars to step out on the iconic Met steps this year.

“The so-called ‘Beyoncé effect’ is expected to be enough of a pull to draw a number of A-list attendees such as Rihanna, Jay-Z and Adele,” celebrity PR powerhouse, Kayley Cornelius, told The U.S. Sun.

“Beyoncé stepping back in as co-chair for the Met Gala for the first time in a decade is set to completely shift the energy of the night.

“When someone of her status is involved, it instantly raises the bar and turns the event into a must-attend moment.”

Beyoncé hasn’t attended the event since 2016, when she wore an iconic peach latex dress for the theme Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology.

Kayley speculated that Beyoncé’s presence could influence big stars, including Adele, who has never made a Met appearance.

Kim Kardashian and Hailey Bieber, both Met mainstays, are expected to make appearances, Page Six reported.

Though it’s unknown if the rest of Kim’s family or Hailey’s husband Justin will be hitting the carpet.

Other stars on the carpet could include include Oscar-winner Jessie Buckley, Zendaya, and Lady Gaga.

The ultra-exclusive guest list could also include a reality TV addition: Maura Higgins, who was known for her fashion during her time on season 4 of The Traitors.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/16196377/met-gala-2026-guest-list-kim-kardashian-beyonce/

Rue getting ruthless?

The dynamic between Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney was apparently far from euphoric at the “Euphoria” Season 3 premiere in Los Angeles Tuesday night.

The co-stars avoided each other at the star-studded event — which allegedly came as no surprise to some of their colleagues.

“‘Euphoria’ bosses are all too aware the pair do not get along. There were tensions way back … Their paths barely crossed during the making of Season 3,” an insider alleged to the Sun. “During the press tour, any interactions between the pair are being kept to a minimum to avoid any awkward encounters on camera. There is a complete ban on ­journalists asking about tensions between Zendaya and Sydney.”

A main reason for their alleged feud involves none other than Zendaya’s fiancé, actor Tom Holland.

“It was an open secret that Sydney had the hots for Tom and was flirty with him when he would come to set,” the source claimed. “That did not go down well with Zendaya. They have not really hung out socially since then.”

Zendaya and her “Spider-Man: Homecoming” co-star Holland, both 29, have reportedly tied the knot, but have yet to confirm the news.

Once friendly, Zendaya and Sweeney’s alleged tension appears to have built up over the years. Last month, fans noticed how Sweeney was noticeably missing from a “Euphoria” group photo promoting the new season.

“There will be a sigh of relief when ‘Euphoria’ is over and they can go their separate ways,” the source said of the actresses. “But they both have decades left in Hollywood and this rivalry will inevitably run and run.”

According to the Sun, their political differences have also caused a wedge, as Sweeney is a registered Republican.

“It’s not like they have had a big bust-up, but Zendaya has quietly distanced herself from Syd. Their politics are wildly different,” the insider told the Sun. “It’s a bit of a headache because Zendaya doesn’t want to be associated with a Trump supporter.”

In 2020, Zendaya posted on Instagram, “Vote this MF out,” about President Trump, according to the Sun. Two years later, Sweeney, 28, shared photos from her mom’s 60th hoedown-themed birthday party where guests were decked out in MAGA-style hats.

In July, the “Christy” actress even got a shout-out from Trump after her American Eagle denim partnership caused a stir. Titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” the campaign sparked a debate about Western beauty standards and “woke culture.”

“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. “The jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ’em Sydney!”

Despite the fallout, Sweeney was all smiles while hitting the red carpet at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Tuesday night. She snapped pics with fellow cast members including Maude Apatow, Alexa Demie and Hunter Schafer as they made their way down the interview line.

Zendaya, meanwhile, arrived fashionably late, narrowly avoiding a run-in with Sweeney. Their co-star and a former flame of Zendaya’s, Jacob Elordi, was also late to the carpet, skipping interviews and only posing for photos.

Zendaya also skipped the cast’s official after-party at Chateau Marmont later in the night.

The distance was a striking contrast to when Zendaya and Sweeney posed together at the Season 1 and Season 2 premieres of the HBO series. And Sweeney praised Zendaya’s leadership during an interview with “Access Hollywood” in 2022.

“I’m really lucky because last season I didn’t get to work with her as much,” Sweeney said of the “Euphoria” lead. “It’s been amazing to be able to watch her and to see how much of a boss [she is].”

While Holland stayed home Tuesday night, Sweeney was joined at the premiere by boyfriend Scooter Braun. She and fiancé Jonathan Davino broke up after nearly seven years in March 2025.

Despite Sweeney and Zendaya keeping their distance from each other, an insider close to the situation shut down the report, telling us any rumors of a feud are not accurate.

“They’re both in high demand and working continuously,” the source told Page Six.

Another insider told us that, like Elordi, Zendaya actually missed run-ins with the cast due to her aforementioned late arrival. She arrived much later than Sweeney, Demie, Apatow and Schafer.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/04/08/entertainment/zendaya-sydney-sweeney-narrowly-avoid-each-other-on-euphoria-season-3-red-carpet-amid-feud-rumors/

Global oil prices have fallen sharply and stock markets jumped after the US and Iran agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire deal that includes the reopening of the key Strait of Hormuz waterway.

The global benchmark oil price initially sank 15% to just under $92 (£67) before climbing back up slightly while US-traded oil dropped to about $96.

However, oil prices remain higher than before the conflict started on 28 February. At the time, it was trading at around $70 a barrel.

The cost of energy has jumped as oil and gas supplies from the Middle East have been severely disrupted after Iran threatened to attack ships trying to use the strait in retaliation to US and Israeli airstrikes.

Stock markets in the US surged higher despite ongoing questions about the strength of the ceasefire deal, following sharp rises in Europe and Asia.

The S&P 500 index of the largest firms listed in the US ended the day up 2.5%, while the Dow and Nasdaq closed 2.8% higher.

In London, the FTSE 100 share index closed up 2.5%. In France, the CAC 40 ended the day 4.5% higher while Germany’s Dax had climbed 4.7%.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed up nearly 5.4% while South Korea’s Kospi jumped more than 6.8%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended 3% higher, while the ASX 200 in Australia gained 2.5%.

In a social media post on Tuesday evening, Trump said: “I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks… subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz”.

He had set a deadline for 20:00 EDT on Tuesday (00:00 GMT on Wednesday), threatening that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” if no deal was reached.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media that Tehran will agree to a ceasefire “if attacks against Iran are halted”, adding that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz “will be possible”.

Despite his threats, Trump was likely to be wary about letting energy prices “skyrocket” by escalating the conflict, said Xavier Smith from market research firm AlphaSense.

That could have led to a “self-inflicted economic wound” that few would risk, especially given the looming pressure of approval ratings on Trump’s leadership, said Smith, a research director.

In recent days, some ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz, although far fewer than usual.

If more oil tankers stranded near the strait pass through the waterway during the ceasefire it could provide some relief for markets in the coming weeks, said analyst Saul Kavonic from financial services firm MST Marquee.

But already on Wednesday there were reports that attacks in the region were continuing, which Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said undermined “the spirit of peace process”.

Kavonic said that while a ceasefire is in place, it is still unlikely that energy production in the Middle East will fully resume until there is confidence of a lasting peace deal.

It could also take months for production to restart due to damage done to energy infrastructure in the region, he said.

Iran has targeted energy and industrial infrastructure across the oil-rich region in retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes.

Exxon said on Wednesday that its oil production in the Middle East had dropped 6% in the first three months of the year, compared with 2025, as a result of the conflict.

In Qatar, owners of the Ras Laffan industrial hub, which produces about a fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas, have warned that attacks have reduced the country’s export capacity by 17% and that it will take up to five years to repair the damage.

All told, it could take years to fix the damage and cost more than $25bn, according to research firm Rystad Energy.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8r40y3rv75o

Authorities in Nigeria’s restive north put the death toll at three, but residents and humanitarians point to a higher toll. The attack occurred in an area where kidnapping gangs and Islamist militants are active.

The attack occurred in Niger’s Shiroro district about 250 kilometers (155 miles) or a four-hour drive from the capital, Abuja. Kidnapping gangs and Islamist militants are active in the area.

What do we know about the Shiroro attack?

Gunmen invaded the villages of Bagna and Erena on Tuesday, Niger state police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said.

Abiodun put the death toll at three: two community guards and a driver. But several local sources, including residents, a health facility and a community organizing group, reported to the media the far higher death toll of 20.

Apart from the kidnappings, the attackers also destroyed homes, causing many to flee to neighboring villages. Residents said the attckers operated for several hours, overwhelming security forces.

“They came on motorbikes and began shooting. It was a surprise attack, because it was in the early hours of the morning,” the Associated Press news agency quoted Jibrin Isah, who lives in Erena, as saying.

At least 40 killed in militant attacks since Sunday, locals say

Africa’s most populous country has for years battled an insurgency in its Muslim-majority north.

Local clergy told the French AFP news agency on Wednesday that over 40 people were killed across several remote villages in northwest Nigeria this week alone, starting late on Sunday.

At least nine villages in Kebbi and Niger states were affected.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/nigeria-at-least-20-killed-in-attack-residents-say/a-76711053

Pakistani man Muhammad Shahzeb Khan pleads guilty in US court to ISIS inspired plot for mass shooting at Brooklyn Jewish center, planned for Oct 7 attack anniversary

A 21-year-old Pakistani national has pleaded guilty in a US federal court for plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on a Jewish center in New York, authorities said.

The accused identified as Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, admitted to attempting to carry out a mass shooting at a Jewish religious centre in Brooklyn. He was charged with attempting to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries.

According to the US Department of Justice, Khan planned the attack to coincide with the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault on Israel, with the “explicit goal of killing as many Jews as possible”.

‘Planned A Mass Shooting At Jewish Center In NYC’

“Khan planned a mass shooting at a Jewish center in New York City, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attacks, with the explicit goal of killing as many Jews as possible,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.

“Khan declared that New York City was the ‘perfect’ venue for his attack because of its large Jewish population and boasted that his plot could be the largest attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. The National Security Division will work tirelessly to ensure that terrorists like Khan face the full weight of American law,” read an official statement released by the Office of public affairs, US Department of Justice.

The statement further said that Khan began posting on social media and communicating with others about his support for ISIS, including by distributing ISIS propaganda videos and literature. He subsequently started”planning terrorist attacks in the United States in support of ISIS, including by communicating his plans with two individuals who, unbeknownst to Khan, were undercover officers (the UCs). Khan told the UCs that he and a U.S.-based associate (Associate-1) had been planning to carry out a terrorist attack in a particular U.S. city (City-1) using AR-style assault rifles to “target[] Israeli Jewish chabads . . . scattered all around [City-1].”

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/planned-a-mass-shooting-pakistani-man-charged-with-plotting-to-attack-jewish-centre-in-us-pleads-guilty-ws-l-10022793.html

An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island was attacked shortly after a ceasefire was announced between Iran, the U.S., and Israel. Firefighters responded to the blaze, with no injuries reported.

An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island came under attack Wednesday, hours after a ceasefire in the war was announced, Iranian state television reported. The report said firefighters were working to contain the blaze and that no injuries had been reported. It did not say who carried out the attack.

The incident came shortly after Iran, the United States and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire, an 11th-hour deal that appeared to pull back from a wider escalation.

Within hours of the announcement, reports of fresh hostilities emerged across the region. Missile alerts were issued in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait after the ceasefire announcement. A gas processing facility in Abu Dhabi was ablaze after incoming Iranian fire, officials said. The fire stopped for a time, but then restarted.

The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday afternoon its air defenses fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Kuwait’s military said its forces responded to an “extensive wave” of drone attacks.

The UAE’s Ministry of Defense said that on Wednesday UAE air defense engaged 17 ballistic missiles and 35 UAV’s launched from Iran. Since the onset of the blatant Iranian attacks, UAE air defenses have engaged a total of 537 ballistic missiles, 26 cruise missiles, and 2,256 UAV’s. No fatalities were reported, it said.

“These attacks resulted in injuries to 3 individuals, all of whom sustained minor injuries, bringing the total number of injuries to 224, involving individuals of various nationalities, including Emirati, Egyptian, Sudanese, Ethiopian, Filipino, Pakistani, Iranian, Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Azerbaijani, Yemeni, Ugandan, Eritrean, Lebanese, Afghan, Bahraini, Comorian, Turkish, Iraqi, Nepalese, Nigerian, Omani, Jordanian, Palestinian, Ghanaian, Indonesian, Swedish, Tunisian, Moroccan, and Russian,” a press statement issued by UAE read.

“No martyrs or fatalities have been reported in the past hours. Since the onset of the blatant Iranian attacks, the total number of martyrs has reached 2, in addition to the martyrdom of a Moroccan civilian contracted with the Armed Forces. The total number of civilian fatalities stands at 10, from Pakistani, Nepalese, Bangladeshi, Palestinian, Indian, and Egyptian nationalities.

The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country, in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability and safeguards its interests and national capabilities,” it added.

US Vice President JD Vance described the agreement as “a fragile truce.”

Questions also remained over the terms of the deal. Iran said the agreement could allow it to formalise charging fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, though it was unclear if other countries had accepted such a provision or how it would be implemented.

Pakistan, which helped mediate the agreement, said the ceasefire could extend to fighting in Lebanon, where Israel is battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. However, Israel said the deal does not apply to its operations there.

In Tehran, pro-government demonstrators gathered after the announcement, chanting slogans against the United States and Israel and burning their flags, reflecting strong opposition among hard-liners.

Donald Trump had earlier warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if no deal was reached, but later said Iran had proposed a “workable” plan. He also suggested U.S. warships would remain near the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil route.

Iran’s demands for ending the war include the withdrawal of U.S. forces, the lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen assets, conditions that are likely to face resistance from Washington and its allies.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/middle-east/iran-lavan-island-refinery-hit-video-us-iran-ceasefire-article-154026785

A Long Island architect who led a secret life as a serial killer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murdering seven women and admitted he killed an eighth in a string of long-unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings.

Rex Heuermann, 62, entered the pleas in a courtroom packed with reporters, police and victims’ relatives, some of whom wept as he detailed his murders. He will be sentenced in June to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Heuermann’s guilty pleas — to three counts of first-degree murder and four of intentional murder — bring finality to a case that bedeviled investigators, tormented victims’ families and tantalized a true-crime obsessed public for years. Although he wasn’t charged in her death, he also admitted that he killed Karen Vergata in 1996.

“This has been a long journey of hope — hope that one day we would stand here and say her name with justice beside it,” Melissa Cann, the sister of victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes, said at a news conference hours after the hearing as she fought back tears. “Today, that long, painful journey brings us to this moment.”

In court, Heuermann admitted that he strangled all eight victims and dismembered some of them before dumping their bodies.

Wearing a black suit coat and white button-down shirt, Heuermann appeared matter-of-fact and unemotional as he answered questions from Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney and the judge. He never looked back at the packed courtroom gallery.

The women, many of them sex workers, were killed over a 17-year span.

Prosecutor credits the victims’ families and investigators

“This defendant walked among us play-acting as a normal suburban dad when in reality, all along, he was obsessively targeting innocent women for death,” Tierney said at the post-hearing news conference.

He thanked the victims’ relatives, including some standing alongside him, for helping bring their loved ones’ stories to life. And he praised members of the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force, which cracked the case with the help of clues that included DNA lifted from a discarded pizza crust.

Gloria Allred, an attorney for some of the victims’ families, described several of the women as young mothers who were just trying to earn extra money to support their children.

“Little did they know that the defendant, Rex Heuermann, did not care about their hopes and dreams, or that they had families and friends who loved them,” Allred said at the news conference.

Elizabeth Baczkiel, whose daughter Jessica Taylor was murdered by Heuermann, said: “I am glad that this is over as far as him pleading guilty. It took a big chunk of stress off of me and my family.”

Killer’s ex-wife calls it a ‘difficult time’

Heuermann’s ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and their daughter attended the hearing and were mobbed by reporters as they entered and left the courthouse. Ellerup said her thoughts and prayers were with the victims’ families and she asked for privacy for her own family during what she called a “very difficult time.”

Ellerup and her daughter, Victoria, had no knowledge of or involvement in the killings, said their lawyer, Robert Macedonio.

Heuermann’s attorney, Michael Brown, said it was Heuermann’s decision to plead guilty, in part because he wanted to spare victims’ relatives and his family from the ordeal of a trial.

Asked by a reporter whether Heuermann was sorry, Brown responded, “I would hope so. … I would expect at sentencing he would have something to say.”

As part of his guilty plea, Heuermann agreed to cooperate fully with the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit as part of an academic and scientific exercise.

A shocking find

The discovery of numerous sets of human remains along Long Island’s South Shore beginning in late 2010 set off a search for a potential serial killer that attracted global interest and spawned a Hollywood movie.

Remains of six victims — Melissa Barthelemy, Brainard-Barnes, Amber Lynn Costello, Valerie Mack, Taylor and Megan Waterman — were found in the scrub along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. The remains of another, Sandra Costilla, were found more than 60 miles (100 kilometers) away in the Hamptons.

Police also identified the remains of Vergata, which were found on Fire Island, more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) west, in 1996, and near Gilgo Beach in 2011.

But despite the attention, including a documentary series and the 2020 Netflix film, “Lost Girls,” the investigation dragged on for more than a decade, punctuated by fleeting leads and dashed hopes.

A fresh look yields results

In 2022, six weeks after a new police commissioner formed the Gilgo Beach task force, detectives identified Heuermann as a suspect by using a vehicle registration database to connect him to a pickup truck that a witness reported seeing when one of the victims disappeared in 2010.

Heuermann lived for decades in Massapequa Park, about a 25-minute drive from where the women’s remains were found. Some of the victims were believed to have disappeared from that community and their cellphones were found to have pinged towers in the area, authorities said.

After the truck discovery, a grand jury authorized more than 300 subpoenas and search warrants, allowing the task force to dig in to Heuermann’s life.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/gilgo-beach-serial-killings-guilty-plea-fdfbb6aace18e89bd5f7593859825eef

Israel continued military operations in Lebanon and against Hezbollah, killing 89 and wounding 722, which prompted protests from Iran.

Less than 24 hours after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran, the Islamic Republic has closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, the Associated Press reported, citing local media.

The US and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire early Wednesday, as part of which Iran agreed to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, potentially restoring global energy supplies. However, the Israeli military launched more than 100 air strikes within a 10-minute window in Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly shown support for the United States’ decision for a ceasefire with Iran but said that it does not include Lebanon.

“Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks subject to Iran immediately opening the straits and stopping all attacks on the US, Israel and countries in the region,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

However, in a separate post, he stated, “The United States has told Israel that it is committed to achieving these goals, shares by the US, Israel and Israel’s regional allies, in the upcoming negotiations. The two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon.”

Israel continued military operations in Lebanon and against Hezbollah, killing 112 and wounding 837, which has prompted protests from Iran.

US Response

The United States said Wednesday that Iran must open the Strait of Hormuz “immediately, quickly, and safely” after reports that the strategic waterway had been shut down despite the US-Iran ceasefire.

Any closure “is completely unacceptable,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

“I will reiterate the president’s expectation and demand that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened immediately quickly and safely.”

Trump Has Backed Israeli Strikes On Lebanon

Trump, earlier today, backed Israel’s ongoing military operation in Lebanon, stating that Hezbollah “was not included” in the recent ceasefire deal between Washington and Tehran, which halted the conflict in West Asia for two weeks.

Speaking to PBS News, when asked about Lebanon still being targeted despite the ceasefire announcement, Trump said, “Yeah, they were not included in the deal.”

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-iran-war-us-iran-ceasefire-donald-trump-iran-closes-strait-of-hormuz-in-response-to-israeli-strikes-on-lebanon-11330466?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Nearly six weeks of war in Iran have ended, for now, with President Donald Trump claiming victory, but the U.S.-Iran ceasefire locks in a harsh reality: an entrenched, radical government with control over the Strait of Hormuz and a powerful lever over global energy ​markets and Gulf rivals, analysts say.
The shockwaves have rippled outward, contributing to global economic strains and bringing conflict to Gulf neighbours whose economies depend on stability.

“This war will be remembered as Trump’s grave strategic miscalculation. One whose consequences reshaped the region in unintended ‌ways,” Middle East scholar Fawaz Gerges told Reuters.
Before the war, the Strait – a narrow passage carrying around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas – was formally treated as an international waterway. Iran monitored it, harassed shipping and intermittently intercepted vessels, but it stopped short of asserting outright control.
In the new reality, Tehran has moved from shadowing tankers to effectively dictating terms. It currently functions as the de facto gatekeeper of the shipping route, selectively deciding on passage and on what terms. Iran wants to charge ships for safe passage.

Additionally, Iran has demonstrated resilience under sustained attack and retained the capacity to escalate further, projecting influence across multiple fronts and strategic choke points. Its reach extends through Lebanon and Iraq ​via Hezbollah and Shi’ite militias, and into the Bab el-Mandeb in the Red Sea, leveraging the sphere of influence of its Houthi allies.
At home, Iran’s leadership remains firmly in control – even though the country’s economy is in tatters and great swathes of infrastructure in ruins from American ​and Israeli bombs.
“What did the U.S.–Israeli war actually achieve?” asked Gerges. “Regime change in Tehran? No. The surrender of the Islamic Republic? No. Containment of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium? No. An end to Tehran’s support for ⁠its regional allies? No.”

Iran has absorbed the blows while retaining – and in some cases strengthening – its core instruments of power, said four analysts and three Gulf government sources who spoke to Reuters for this story.
As well as Iran’s control of Hormuz, the political picture now, they noted, is of a ​more brutal, empowered establishment, unaccounted nuclear material, continued missile and drone production, and ongoing support for regional militias.
Echoing Trump, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said Washington had won a decisive military victory, and that Iran’s missile programme had been functionally destroyed. Iran was still able to launch missiles prior to ​the ceasefire.
In response to requests for comment, the State Department and White House referred Reuters to a press briefing in which White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump’s priority was reopening Hormuz without limitations, but she did not rule out a future in which Iran and the United States shared toll revenue.
The United States, Israel and Iran on Tuesday agreed to the two-week ceasefire and U.S. and Iranian officials are expected to hold talks from Friday to discuss a long-term settlement.
While the ceasefire may halt the fighting, the Gulf officials said its durability hinges on addressing the deeper conflicts shaping the region’s security and energy landscape.
Any deal that falls short of a comprehensive settlement risks entrenching Iranian leverage rather than ​constraining it, they add.
Ebtesam Al‑Ketbi, president of the Emirates Policy Center described the truce as a fragile pause – one likely to institutionalize new forms of instability unless it expands well beyond a narrow cessation of hostilities.
“This ceasefire is not a solution; it is a test of intentions,” Ketbi told Reuters. “If ​it does not evolve into a broader agreement redefining the rules of engagement – in Hormuz and across proxy theatres – it will amount to little more than a tactical pause before a more dangerous and complex escalation.”

“If Trump reaches a deal with Iran without addressing core issues – ballistic missiles, drones, proxies, nuclear concerns, and the rules ‌governing Hormuz – then ⁠the conflict is effectively left unresolved and the region exposed,” said Ketbi.

HORMUZ IS RED LINE FOR GULF COUNTRIES

Iran, for its part, has put forward to Washington terms that include sanctions relief, recognition of enrichment rights, compensation for war damage and continued control over the Strait – underscoring just how far apart the sides remain.
Trump acknowledged receiving the Iranian plan and called it “a workable basis to negotiate”.
For Gulf countries who rely on Hormuz to export their oil, the Strait remains a non-negotiable red line, added Saudi analyst Ali Shihabi. “Any outcome that leaves the waterway effectively in Iranian hands would be a defeat for President Trump”, with the potential repercussions of high energy prices extending into the midterm elections, he said.
What the war may nonetheless open up for Tehran, Shihabi added, is the prospect of a negotiated settlement – potentially including sanctions relief.
From a Gulf perspective, the picture is deeply unsettling. Mistrust of Iran is running high following Tehran’s strikes ​on energy facilities and commercial hubs across the region. More troubling still, ​the war has transformed Hormuz into an explicit instrument of leverage ⁠and coercion, analysts say.
The economic stakes are equally stark. Iran wants to charge fees for ships passing through the Hormuz shipping lanes as part of any permanent peace deal, a move that would reverberate far beyond the Gulf, hitting global energy markets and the economic lifelines of states along the opposite shore.
“If Iran can extract millions per ship, the implications are enormous – not just for the Gulf, but for the global economy,” Ketbi said. “In that sense, the ​outcome is not just a regional setback, but a systemic shift with worldwide consequences.”
More broadly, the analysts warned, it would signal a fundamental change in the regional order – from a strait governed by international norms ​to one effectively policed by a hostile state ⁠emboldened, not weakened, by war.

GULF DEMANDS

The ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, followed a war launched on February 28 by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said they aimed to curb Iran’s regional power, dismantle its nuclear programme and create conditions for Iranians to topple their rulers.
Both sides declared victory. Trump called the ceasefire a “total and complete victory,” saying U.S. forces had achieved their objectives, while Iran’s Supreme National Security Council claimed Trump had accepted its conditions.
But the war has yet to deprive Iran of its stockpile of near‑weapons‑grade enriched uranium or its ability to strike neighbours with missiles and drones. The leadership, which faced a mass uprising ⁠months ago, withstood the ​superpower onslaught with no sign of collapse.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-claims-victory-iran-emerges-bruised-powerful-with-leverage-over-hormuz-2026-04-08/

Former U.S. Attorney General ​Pam Bondi does not plan to appear for a planned interview with a House of Representatives ‌committee on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files following her firing by President Donald Trump, the Justice Department told Congress on Wednesday.
Bondi was subpoenaed last month to testify in her formal role as attorney general, rendering the demand invalid now that she no longer ​holds that title, a Justice Department official wrote in a letter to the House Oversight chairman, Republican ​Representative James Comer of Kentucky. Trump fired Bondi last week, in part over discontent ⁠with her management of the release of records related to Epstein, the late financier and sex offender who died ​in jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

“The Department’s position is that the subpoena no longer obligates her ​to appear on April 14. We kindly ask that you confirm that the subpoena is withdrawn,” Assistant Attorney General Patrick Davis, the DOJ’s top liaison with Congress, wrote in the letter, which was seen by Reuters.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Bondi ​for questioning on the Justice Department’s compliance with a bipartisan law passed in November that required DOJ to ​release nearly all of its files on Epstein. Lawmakers have complained that redactions in the files appear to exceed what is ‌allowed in ⁠the law and that the Justice Department publicly released names of victims in some documents.

A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee said the panel will contact Bondi’s personal lawyer to “discuss next steps regarding scheduling her deposition.”
A Justice Department spokesperson said the DOJ “remains committed to working cooperatively” with the committee but the subpoena to Bondi “no longer applies.”
The panel’s ​top Democrat, Representative Robert Garcia ​of California, threatened to ⁠begin contempt proceedings against Bondi if she did not appear before the panel, a move that would require Republican support to advance.
“Now that Pam Bondi has been fired, ​she’s trying to get out of her legal obligation to testify before the Oversight ​Committee about the ⁠Epstein files and the White House cover-up,” Garcia said in a statement.
The House Oversight Committee has been conducting a wide-ranging probe into Epstein’s ties with wealthy and powerful individuals and the Justice Department’s handling of criminal investigations into Epstein ⁠and his ​former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/bondi-will-not-appear-house-interview-epstein-files-doj-says-2026-04-08/

North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea Wednesday in its second launch event in two days, South Korea’s military said, hours after a senior North Korean official released crude insults against Seoul’s hopes for warmer relations.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles lifted off from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area and flew about 240 kilometers (150 miles) each in a direction toward the North’s eastern waters. It said South Korea maintains a readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea under a solid military alliance with the United States.

Seoul later said North Korea fired an additional ballistic missile toward its eastern waters without giving further details.

The South Korean military said it had also detected the launch of an unidentified projectile around North Korea’s capital region Tuesday. It said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were analyzing details of Tuesday’s launch.

South Korean media reported the previous projectile, also likely a ballistic missile, disappeared from South Korean military radars after displaying an abnormal development in the initial launch stage. This indicated the launch ended in a failure, according to the reports.

The back-to-back launches came after North Korea made it clear that it has no intentions of improving ties with South Korea, whose liberal government has steadfastly expressed its hopes to restore long-dormant dialogue.

On Tuesday night, Jang Kum Chol, first vice minister at Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry, said South Korea would always remain the North’s “most hostile enemy state.” He derided South Korea as “world-startling fools” engaged in wishful thinking over a recent statement by Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

After South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over alleged civilian drone flights into North Korea, Kim Yo Jong late Monday praised him for what she called honesty and courage, but reiterated a threat to retaliate if such flights recur. South Korean officials responded by describing Kim Yo Jong’s statement as meaningful progress in relations.

Jang said her statement was intended as a warning. He cited Kim Yo Jong as calling South Korea “the dogs affected by mange that blindly bark to the tune of neighboring dogs” as she criticized it for recently co-sponsoring of a U.N. human rights resolution on the North’s purported human rights violations.

North Korea has refused to return to talks with South Korea and the U.S. and pushed to expand its nuclear arsenal since Kim Jong Un’s diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. In a ruling Workers’ Party congress in February, Kim Jong Un threatened to destroy South Korea, if provoked. He left open the door for dialogue with Trump but urged Washington to drop demands for the North’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks.

Earlier this week, North Korea said Kim Jong Un had observed a test of an upgraded solid-fuel engine for weapons and called it a significant development boosting his country’s strategic military arsenal.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-launch-south-korea-098ca1f60e71fe6aa25539d8a9e14c96

Hundreds of Cuban women gathered Tuesday in Havana to decry a U.S. energy embargo and other measures imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump that are strangling the Caribbean island.

The rally was organized by the Federation of Cuban Women, a massive organization with close ties to the government and the Communist Party, to honor the late Vilma Espín, the federation’s founder, a guerrilla fighter and Raúl Castro’s wife.

The crowd that gathered at a park commemorating a 19th-century independence patriot waved Cuban flags, held signs that read “Down with the Blockade” and clutched pictures of Fidel Castro and Espín.

Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman and Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal led the demonstration along with Mariela Castro, daughter of Espín and former President Raúl Castro.

“This policy of abuse has to stop,” Vidal told The Associated Press. “The Cuban people don’t deserve this. It’s the most comprehensive, all-encompassing, and longest-running system of coercive measures ever imposed against an entire country.”

Vidal, a key negotiator in a historic rapprochement between Cuba and the United States in 2014 under the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama, added: “It subjects us to collective punishment, recognized as such under international law, and we couldn’t fail to be here.”

In early January, the U.S. attacked Venezuela and arrested its then-leader, disrupting critical oil shipments to Cuba. Later that month, Trump threatened tariffs against any country that sells or supplies oil to the island.

However, Trump said he didn’t mind when a Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of crude oil arrived in Cuba last week, marking the island’s first oil shipment in three months. Russia has since said it would send a second tanker.

Cuba produces only 40% of the fuel it consumes, and the shortage has paralyzed the Caribbean nation, affecting its health system, public transportation and the production of goods and services, and deepened an economic crisis that has plagued the island for the past five years.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/cuba-womens-march-espin-trump-blockade-protest-d90123810256fad9afb4b4f7351508ae

Turkish lawmakers kicked off a debate Tuesday on a draft law package that includes restricting access to social media platforms for children under 15, making Turkey the latest country to seek measures to protect young people from dangerous online activity.

If it becomes law, the bill would force social media platforms to install age‑verification systems, provide parental control tools and require companies to rapidly respond to content deemed harmful. It’s unclear how long the parliament debate will last.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’s government says the proposal aims to mitigate the online risks to children’s safety and privacy.

“Protecting our children from all kinds of risks, threats and harmful content is our top priority,” Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas, Turkey’s minister for family and social services, said earlier this year.

The main opposition party — Republican People’s Party or CHP — has criticized the proposal, saying children should be protected “not with bans but with rights-based policies.”

Under the draft proposal, digital platforms — such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and others — would have to block children under 15 from opening accounts and introduce parental controls that would manage children’s access.

Online game companies will also be required to appoint a representative in Turkey to ensure they abide by the new regulations. Potential penalties include internet bandwidth reductions and fines imposed by Turkey’s communications watchdog.

The Turkish government has a recent record of restricting online platforms as they have grown as a means of expressing dissent. Online communications were widely restricted during last year’s protests in support of Istanbul’s jailed opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.

Restrictions on social media access for children under 16 first began in December in Australia, where social media companies revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/turkish-parliament-social-media-ban-children-ef12784008e4bb78f8372c809d7b564c

Exclusive photos obtained by Page Six appear to show the New England Patriots‘ head coach Mike Vrabel and the New York Times’ top NFL reporter holding hands and hugging at a luxurious hotel.

Vrabel and Dianna Russini — a former anchor on ESPN’s flagship “SportsCenter” who now holds the official title of “senior NFL insider” at the Gray Lady’s sports publication, the Athletic — were spotted two weekends ago at the Ambiente in Sedona, Arizona, a boutique resort set against the breathtaking Brins Mesa mountain range.

A Page Six spy tells us that the pair — both married to other people — had breakfast on the patio of the hotel restaurant around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, before spending a leisurely hour or so together at the pool and lounging side-by-side in a hot tub.

Our spy spotted Vrabel and Russini again that evening on the private rooftop of one of the hotel’s bungalows, which feature glass walls offering panoramic views of the state’s famed Red Rock formations.

Roofs are only accessible from the two-person bungalows, which cost up to $2,160 a night.

Photos show the two hugging at sunset, and weaving their fingers together as they stand face-to-face. The spy said they saw the pair briefly dance together.

Both Russini and Vrabel insist they were there with friends and say they simply weren’t visible in the pictures. A source close to Russini says she was staying at the hotel during a hiking trip with two female pals. One of Vrabel’s friends told Page Six that they and the coach drove up to Sedona for the day with another pal and that they all drove back to their own hotel, some two hours away, after hanging out with Russini and her gang.

But three other eyewitnesses told us that they did not see anyone else with Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43. Asked if the Pats coach visited the hotel with a group of friends, one eyewitness said: “No, he was with a girl.” And our sequence of photographs taken at various points during the day show only Vrabel and Russini.

Vrabel attended a scouting event at Arizona State University in Tempe on Friday, March 27, before traveling 125 miles to the Ambiente.

The adults-only Ambiente prides itself on being a romantic getaway, boasting on its website about the 158 proposals that took place and the thousands of anniversaries and honeymoons that have been celebrated at the hotel.

After being seen with Russini, Vrabel headed to the Biltmore hotel in Phoenix for a meeting of the NFL Competition Committee, a group of owners and coaches who oversee the game’s rulebook.

Russini was among many NFL reporters at the Biltmore on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of last week when media had access to owners, executives and coaches.

On Thursday, the Athletic published a dispatch about the Biltmore meetings written by Russini and Jacob Robinson.

Russini has been one of the more prominent football reporters in the country for more than a decade and routinely covers the Patriots as part of the gig.

She joined “SportsCenter” in 2015 and has appeared on ESPN’s popular “NFL Countdown” and “NFL Live” shows.

In 2023, she joined the Athletic, the once-independent site that was acquired by the Times and now provides the paper’s sports coverage. Russini hosts its “Scoop City: Inside the NFL” podcast.

Vrabel, who played eight seasons as a linebacker for the Patriots, took over as the team’s top coach in January 2025 and stunned the league by taking the team to the Super Bowl this year.

The six-time Super Bowl-winning Patriots are ranked by Forbes as the fourth most valuable team in the NFL, worth around $9 billion with an annual revenue of $762 million. Vrabel is believed to earn around $15 million a year.

He and Russini go way back.

Covering the Tennessee Titans was Russini’s first NFL beat at ESPN. She was the network’s boots on the ground in Nashville by the time Vrabel came in as head coach in 2018.

“They went from being [a team] nobody thought about to Mike got them playing really well,” she said of the 2018 Titans on the “Patriots Unfiltered” podcast in February. “And then, of course, they went to the AFC championship game” in 2020.

In 2015, Russini weathered a controversy when the wife of the Washington Commanders (then the Redskins) GM Scot McCloughan publicly accused them of having an affair.

After the reporter broke a story about Kirk Cousins replacing Robert Griffin III as the Redskins’ starting quarterback, Jessica McCloughan reportedly wrote on Twitter, “I’m pretty sure this info is coming from my husband to his new side chick, Dianna.”

Jessica deleted the tweet and her account and apologized to Russini.

“I deeply apologize for the disparaging remarks about an ESPN reporter on my personal Twitter account. The comment was unfounded and inappropriate, and I have the utmost respect for both the reporter and ESPN,” she wrote at the time.

“I regret that my actions have brought undeserved negative attention to the Redskins organization and its leadership. My comments in no way reflect the opinions or attitudes of the organization and I regret that my behavior has in any way negatively impacted the team and its loyal fan base.”

ESPN also defended its reporter in a statement, saying, “Dianna is an excellent reporter who should never have to be subjected to such vulgar comments. We are obviously extremely disappointed by today’s developments.”

The expectations on Russini have been sky-high since she joined the Athletic.

“To think Dianna Russini will almost certainly make more money than Maggie Haberman or David Brooks— Times legends — and, crazily, might earn more than them combined, is a sign of the strange sports journalism times we live in,” NBC’s Peter King wrote of her signing. “Stars who cover the NFL make crazy salaries compared to the money people make covering news that truly matters.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/04/07/celebrity-news/new-england-patriots-mike-vrabel-and-top-ny-times-nfl-reporter-dianna-russini-hold-hands-and-hug-at-luxury-hotel/

This summer’s Wireless Festival has been cancelled after headliner Kanye West was blocked from coming to the UK.

The government refused permission for West, now known as Ye, to travel to the UK after backlash to his planned set at the London festival this summer.

For the last several years, West has caused outrage for a string of antisemitic, racist and pro-Nazi comments.

In a statement, Wireless Festival said it was cancelled and refunds would be issued to all ticket holders. It added that “multiple stakeholders” had been consulted ahead of booking West, “and no concerns were highlighted at the time”.

It continued: “Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had.

“As Ye said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish community in the UK.”

Presale tickets for Wireless Festival were released at midday on Tuesday and are believed to have sold out, while the general sale was due to open at midday on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Home Office told the BBC the rapper had made an application on Monday to travel to the UK via an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

It said the decision to refuse permission was made on the grounds that his presence would not be conducive to the public good.

Visitors to the UK need an ETA if they do not need a visa for short stays of up to six months, or do not already have a UK immigration status.

West has faced criticism for his previous comments. In 2022, he posted on social media saying he would go “death con 3 On Jewish people”.

Later the same year, he appeared on a podcast hosted by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and said: “I see good things about Hitler.”

In May 2025, West released a song called Heil Hitler and sold T-shirts featuring swastikas.

The rapper has been seeking a return to mainstream public view after apologising for his actions in a lengthy statement published in the Wall Street Journal in January.

Just last week, he played two sold-out concerts in Los Angeles, telling the crowd at the SoFi Stadium: “Tonight we’re going to put all this behind us, ain’t that right LA?”

West had said on Tuesday that he “would be grateful” to meet members of the Jewish community in the UK in person “to listen” after controversy over his booking.

“I know words aren’t enough,” added the star.

“I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.”

Melvin Benn, the managing director of Festival Republic, the company behind Wireless, previously said attempts had been made to reach out to Jewish groups after the concerts were announced, but “they have refused a meeting”. He said that the approach had been made over the past couple of days.

In response, a Board of Deputies spokesperson told the BBC: “Neither the Board of Deputies nor, we understand, the Jewish Leadership Council has refused any request to meet with the Wireless festival organisers.

“When the Board of Deputies received a letter from Melvin Benn on 6 April, proposing to meet, in response to a letter we sent setting out our concerns, we responded positively.”

The board said that, regardless of any meeting, they had been clear that the invitation for West to perform “should be rescinded”.

That decision has now been taken out of West’s hands, and those of Festival Republic, which runs other major UK festivals including Reading and Leeds.

Benn had hinted that West’s appearance may be in jeopardy when speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday morning.

“It may be that the home secretary does rescind his visa… if she does, the issue is over,” he told the Today programme.

Benn, who is a major UK music industry figure and event promoter, agreed that West’s past behaviour was “abhorrent” and “disgusting”.

But the promoter highlighted the role that the star’s mental health may have played, and asked for understanding.

“Mental health is not something that disappears overnight,” Benn said.

“People suffer psychotic behaviour, suffer bipolar behaviour, for many, many years… And I think people are forgetting that.”

However, Jewish groups criticised Benn’s support for the star.

The Community Security Trust (CST), which aims to protect British Jews from antisemitism, described the government’s decision to stop West travelling to the UK as “a sensible outcome to what has been yet another bruising episode for British Jews”.

Its statement added: “Anti-Jewish hatred should have no place in society and cultural leaders have a role to play in ensuring that is the case.

“People who show genuine and meaningful remorse for previous antisemitic behaviour will always receive a sympathetic hearing from the Jewish community, but that process must come before this kind of public rehabilitation.”

Gideon Falter, chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, has called for an apology from the organisers of Wireless.

He told the BBC that the booking of West represented a pursuit of “profit over principle” and that it was a pity that it took government intervention for “sense to finally prevail”.

“Nobody knows what would have come out of Kanye West’s mouth next if you would have given him the stage at Wireless Festival,” Falter said.

Five days before Hungarians vote in elections that could bring down Viktor Orbán after 16 years in office, US Vice-President JD Vance has intervened in the campaign to give the Hungarian prime minister a ringing endorsement, while delivering another blistering attack on the EU.

Standing beside Orbán, Vance said he was in Budapest “to help him in this campaign cycle” although he conceded the US would “work with whoever wins this election”.

Orbán’s main rival Péter Magyar is well ahead in most opinion polls.

The veteran prime minister is a key European ally of the Trump administration, as well as being Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest partner in the EU.

After winning four elections in a row since 2010, Orbán faces the toughest challenge in a political career going back almost 40 years.

In a last-ditch bid to boost the prime minister before the 12 April vote, Vance and his wife Usha arrived in Budapest for the first top-level US visit to Hungary for 20 years. They were welcomed by Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who said Orbán’s friendship with President Donald Trump had created a “new golden age” in relations.

Péter Magyar responded to the visit by saying his Tisza party welcomed Vance to Budapest, and that when his party came to office it would consider the US as a prominent partner, both as a Nato ally and as an economic partner.

Following talks with Orbán, Vance launched a bitter attack on the European Union and Ukraine.

He accused the EU of “one of the worst examples of foreign election interference that I have ever seen or ever even read about… because they hate this guy”.

Vance added that “part of the reason” for his visit was because “interference that’s come from the bureaucracy in Brussels has been truly disgraceful”.

Speaking later at an Orbán campaign rally, he said: “We want you to make a decision about your future with no outside forces pressuring you or telling you what to do. I’m not telling you exactly who to vote for but what I am telling you is that the bureaucrats in Brussels, those people should not be listened to.”

He ended his speech urging those present to “go to the polls in the weekend, stand with Viktor Orbán, because he stands for you”.

EU leaders have been frustrated for weeks that Orbán has slapped a veto on billions of euros of essential funding for Ukraine, even though he agreed to it last December. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke of “a gross act of disloyalty”.

However, they have carefully avoided getting caught up in the Hungarian election campaign.

Vance’s remarks were reminiscent of a speech he gave in Munich in February 2025, when he accused European leaders of placing restrictions on freedom of speech.

He also repeated unsubstantiated claims that Kyiv had become involved in the election campaign, without giving details, alleging “elements within the Ukrainian intelligence services [had] tried to put their thumb on the scale of American elections, on Hungarian elections. This is just what they do”.

Orbán has made hostility to Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, a cornerstone of his campaign.

When the government of Serbia – Hungary’s neighbour to the south – announced that explosives had been found and neutralised near the TurkStream gas pipeline, close to the border with Hungary, Orbán and pro-government media labelled the incident a terror attack on Hungary’s energy supply. Ukraine swiftly declared it had nothing to do with the incident, suggesting it was a “Russian false-flag operation”.

Former intelligence sources in Hungary, and the opposition leader Péter Magyar, accused Orbán of staging the incident with the help of the Serbian President Alexander Vucic to boost his chances of re-election next Sunday.

Trump’s friendship with the Hungarian leader goes back to 2016, when Orbán was the first and only EU leader to support him in the US presidential election. He strongly backed Trump for re-election in 2024, and was in Washington last October to secure an exemption for Hungary from US sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil.

Trump later made clear that the exemption was a personal deal between himself and Orbán – implying that if Orbán lost this election, his successor would have to re-apply.

On Tuesday, he spoke to those at Orbán’s campaign rally on speakerphone after Vance called him, describing the prime minister as “a fantastic man” and saying that the pair “have had a tremendous relationship”.

Hungary, almost alone among EU countries, has defied calls from Brussels to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels. In Washington, Orbán also committed to buying more US liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as US nuclear technology and fuel. Hungary depends heavily on Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline from the east, and on Russian gas through the TurkStream pipeline from the south.

Both sources are now problematic. No oil has reached Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukraine, since the end of January. Orbán blames Ukraine for failing to restore the pipeline after a Russian attack on oil infrastructure in western Ukraine on 27 January.

To prevent shortages, Hungary has been forced to release fuel reserves and import non-Russian oil through an alternative pipeline from Croatia.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyv16lq2rp1o

A HORRIFYING photo shows a seven-year-old girl in a FedEx truck just moments before the driver murdered her.

The harrowing image of little Athena Strand was taken from inside her killer’s delivery truck as he drove her to her death.

The little girl has an opened mouth and confused expression as she sits up on her knees in the back of the truck.

The CCTV image taken from just above the driver’s head shows Athena grabbing the sides of the cabin to support herself just a foot behind where her murderer is sat.

Former FedEx driver Tanner Horner, 31, shockingly pleaded guilty on Tuesday to accidentally hitting Athena with his truck, abducting her, and then strangling her to death.

He is facing the death penalty after admitting to killing her on November 30 2022 after abducting her from her dad’s home in Paradise, Texas.

The stunning admission came in a court room outside Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas at the very beginning of Horner’s trial.

Now, a jury is deciding whether Horner will be sentenced to capital punishment or rot in jail for the rest of his life.

The court heard how Horner told cops the little girl wasn’t seriously injured after he accidentally hit her during a delivery – but he panicked and put her in his van anyways.

He didn’t want her to tell her dad what happened, so he tried to snap her neck.

When that didn’t work he strangled her to death, an arrest warrant states.

Prosecutors said that version of events was just part of a “pattern and web of lies” from Horner.

The sick ex-driver was delivering a Barbie, which was going to be a Christmas present for Athena, when he struck her while backing out of the driveway.

Athena was missing for two days before her body was recovered and detectives homed in on Horner.

Horner pleaded guilty to two counts: capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.

After the shock plea, prosecutors told the jury that the first words Horner said to Strand were: “Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you”.

Jurors were then warned they would be played audio and video from the day of her death.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16191809/athena-strand-tanner-horner-guilty-plea-killing-fedex/

IRANIANS are forming human shields around power plants, as the clock ticks down on Trump’s deadline for the regime to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The US president has threatened to wipe out “a whole civilisation” if Tehran does not agree to his demands by 8pm tonight.

Posting on Truth Social Trump said: “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.

“However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?

“We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end.”

Iran cut off direct communications with the US in response, though talks with cease-fire mediators continue.

Images show crowds forming human chains across bridges and around power plants after an Iranian official called on youngsters to “sacrifice their lives”.

The US has today launched an attack on the key Kharg Island, which processes 90 per cent of the rogue state’s crude.

Blasts reportedly ripped through the dock area, Revolutionary Guard Corps base and airport, causing several explosions and large smoke plumes.

Iran’s bloodthirsty IRGC responded with fury, saying “restraint is over”.

The US previously wiped out nearly 100 military targets on Kharg Island, with Trump renewing threats of a full-on ground invasion to seize the territory this weekend.

Three people have also been killed and two wounded in a strike against the Yahya Abad railway bridge in central Iran, according to state media.

The US is closing in with a deadline for the regime to meet all demands by 8pm Eastern Time tonight – 1am Wednesday BST.

Trump has demanded the rogue nation accept a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz or face a fresh wave of strikes that will obliterate every bridge and power plant in the country.

The furious president issued a chilling threat to Iran in a social media post that warned: “Open the f***ing Strait, you crazy b*****ds – or you’ll be living in hell”.

If Tehran fails to make a deal, Trump also threatened to seize their oil.

It comes after a bombshell US intelligence report revealed the reeling regime’s Supreme Leader is “unconscious”.

An assessment, believed to be based on US-Israeli intelligence, says Mojtaba Khamenei is being treated in the holy city of Qom, 87 miles south of Tehran.

It is the first time the Supreme Leader’s location has been revealed.

The Sun previously reported the 56-year-old son of assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was in a coma after being wounded in an airstrike.

According to The Times, the memo reads: “Mojtaba Khamenei is being treated in Qom in a severe condition, unable to be involved in any decision making by the regime.”

Iran has confirmed Khamenei was wounded in the same air strike that killed his father, mother, wife and one of his sons on the first day of the war that has exploded across the region.

As the clock ticks on Trump’s ultimatum, US “doomsday planes” have been spotted circling above a key Nebraska air force base.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16187207/iran-leader-unconscious-us-intelligence-reveals-location-trump-deadline/

SIR Lewis Hamilton has taken his relationship with Kim Kardashian up a gear — going Instagram official.

The Formula 1 great took his girlfriend for a spin in a Ferrari in Tokyo and shared a video of it on social media.

It showed the reality star grinning in the passenger seat.

After drifting down a road and spinning, he brought the car to a stop and Kim, said: “That’s insane.”

She flew out to Asia to be with him at the end of last month for the Japanese Grand Prix, but did not attend the race itself.

The Sun first told in February how Brit Lewis, 41, had struck up a romance with The Kardashians star, 45, with the couple spending a weekend at Estelle Manor in the Cotswolds.

They have since been seen together in Paris and the US, but this is the first time either has publicly posted about the other on social media.

Kim, who was four kids with disgraced rapper Kanye West, 48 — who she was married to from 2014 to 2022 — said last October she could not imagine herself dating another famous man.

She told a podcast that the person “would have to be someone super- special” for her to start another relationship.

Kim explained: “I don’t know if I have the energy or whether I’ve met the right person that I would want to blend my family with.”

On whether she might date another musician or athlete, she added: “Neither. We’re going, like, lawyers and longevity scientists who would give me all their secrets.”

After splitting from Kanye, she dated comedian Pete Davidson and then NFL player Odell Beckham Jr until things fizzled out in April 2024.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/16190966/kim-kardashian-lewis-hamilton-instagram-official-tokyo-trip/

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the ceasefire plan would require “continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, acceptance of enrichment, and lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions.”

The US military has paused its strikes on Iran after President Donald Trump announced he has agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Tehran in a last-minute offramp, allowing him to delay his threat to obliterate Iran’s power grid and bridges. Trump said the proposal, extended by Pakistan, would include opening the Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of the world’s energy supplies pass in peacetime– while Washington and Tehran tried to negotiate a peace deal.

Tehran also said it has accepted the proposal, with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi saying that if the US and Israel halt their attacks, Iran will also suspend its “defensive operation” for two weeks. Araghchi– a veteran of past nuclear negotiations with the United States– said that the Iranian military will coordinate the passage of vessels through the critical waterway during the two-week ceasefire but insisted that “Iran’s Armed Forces” would retain control of the passage.

Iran Claims Victory

Tehran also claimed victory in the war that started after US-Israeli strikes on February 28 and said it forced the United States to accept its 10-point plan, including lifting sanctions and accepting its nuclear enrichment. In a statement, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the ceasefire plan would require “continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, acceptance of enrichment, and lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions”.

Other key demands in the blueprint, offered through mediators in Pakistan, include US military withdrawal from the Middle East, an end to attacks on Iran and its allies, the release of frozen Iranian assets and a UN Security Council resolution making any deal binding.

“It is to be noted that the adoption of such a resolution shall render all these agreements binding under international law and shall constitute a significant diplomatic victory for the Iranian nation,” the country’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.

Crucially, the plan also calls for expanded Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for around a fifth of the world’s oil that has been effectively blocked to maritime traffic since the start of the five-week conflict.

‘Demands Workable’

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that he has received a “workable” 10-point ceasefire proposal from Iran. He said the reason for agreeing to the proposal is that the US has already met and exceeded all military objectives and is very far along with a “definitive agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East.”

“Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double-sided CEASEFIRE!” Trump said.

“The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East. We received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate,” he added.

Trump said that Iran has agreed to almost all the various points of past contention, and this extension will allow time for a permanent agreement to be finalised.

“Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two-week period will allow the Agreement to be finalised and consummated. On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this long-term problem close to resolution,” he said.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-us-war-news-ans-10-ceasefire-conditions-uranium-enrichment-hormuz-control-donald-trump-says-proposal-workable-11326086?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Bill Gates has admitted making a “huge mistake” in associating with Jeffrey Epstein.

Billionaire Bill Gates is to testify on June 10 before a congressional committee investigating the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, a source close to the matter told AFP on Tuesday.

The Microsoft co-founder is among the prominent names appearing in documents released by the US Justice Department that revealed close friendships, illicit financial dealings and private photos with Epstein.

The source said Gates would sit for a “transcribed interview,” signaling his testimony would take place in the same closed-door setting used for that of former president Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and senator.

Gates “welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee,” a spokesperson for Bill Gates said in an email to AFP.

“While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work.”

Gates has admitted making a “huge mistake” in associating with Epstein, telling staff at his charity foundation in February that he had affairs with two Russian women but denying any involvement in the disgraced financier’s crimes.

In a draft email among the documents released by the Justice Department, Epstein alleged Gates had engaged in extramarital affairs, writing that his relationship with Gates ranged from “helping Bill to get drugs, in order to deal with consequences of sex with Russian girls, to facilitating his illicit trysts, with married women.”

Gates, 70, admitted at a town hall to two affairs.

“I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities,” he said.

But he denied any involvement with victims of Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls.

“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates told the town hall.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bill-gates-to-testify-in-front-of-us-house-panel-on-jeffrey-epstein-report-11325115?pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

US journalist Shelley Kittleson was released by Kataib Hezbollah after being kidnapped in Baghdad on March 31

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed early Wednesday that American journalist Shelley Kittleson, who was kidnapped last week in Iraq, has been released.

Kittleson was abducted by the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah from a street corner in Baghdad on March 31. Rubio said in a statement posted on X, “We are relieved that this American is now freed and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq.”

He thanked Iraqi authorities, as well as the FBI and U.S. Defense Department and other U.S. agencies for their work toward securing Kittleson’s release.

The development came after the powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement earlier in the day that it had decided to free Kittleson, who was abducted on March 31. Its condition was that that Kittleson must “leave the country immediately” upon her release.

Two officials within the militia, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, told The Associated Press that in exchange for freeing Kittleson, several members of the group who had previously been detained by Iraqi authorities would be released.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Typically, the State Department does not confirm the release of Americans abducted abroad until they have been transferred to U.S. government hands or have safely left a country.

In Wisconsin, Kittleson’s mother said she was unsure if her daughter was free.

According to one of the two Iraqi officials, Kittleson was freed in the afternoon. The officials, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, did not share her current whereabouts but said that prior to her release, Kittleson had been held in Baghdad.

In its statement, Kataib Hezbollah said its decision came “in appreciation of the patriotic stances of the outgoing” Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, without giving more details.

It added that “this initiative will not be repeated in the future.”

In Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, Kittleson’s mother told a reporter who knocked on her door that FBI agents were at her home. A number of people could be seen sitting at Barb Kittleson’s kitchen table.

Initially she said that her daughter had not yet been freed, but when a reporter returned later, she said she did not know if her daughter had been released or not.

Caroline Clancy, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Milwaukee field office, declined to comment.

Kataib Hezbollah had not previously acknowledged that it was the one responsible for Kittleson’s abduction, although both U.S. and Iraqi officials had pointed fingers at the group.

Kittleson, 49, a freelance journalist, had lived abroad for years before the kidnapping, using Rome as her base for a time and building a respected journalism career across the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria. Like many freelancers, she often worked on a shoestring budget and without the protections afforded by large news organizations to staff.

She had entered Iraq again shortly before her abduction. U.S. officials have said that they warned her multiple times of threats against her, but that she did not want to leave.

Iraqi officials have said that two cars were involved in the kidnapping, one of which crashed while being pursued near the town of al-Haswa in Babil province, southwest of Baghdad. The journalist was then transferred to a second car that fled the scene.

Three other Iraqi officials said earlier Tuesday that attempts to negotiate her release had run into obstacles. The two Iraqi security officials and one official from the pro-Iran Coordination Framework political bloc spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the sensitive case publicly.

According to one of the security officials, a member of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-backed militias that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military, had been tasked with communicating with the abductors to secure Kittleson’s release but had run into difficulties in communicating with the Kataib Hezbollah leadership.

“The primary challenge is that the leaders of the Kataib militia – specifically, the commanders of the battalions – are nowhere to be found. No one knows their whereabouts, and the process of establishing contact with them is extremely complex,” the security officials said.

“These leaders have gone underground, maintaining no active lines of communication, out of fear of being targeted,” they added.

According to the officials, a message had been sent to the Kataib leadership to determine their demands in exchange for releasing Kittleson. Iraqi authorities were willing to release six Kataib Hezbollah members who are currently detained, most of them in connection with attacks on a U.S. base in Syria, they said.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/kidnapped-us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-released-from-iraq-after-a-week-11326034?pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

The post by Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, shared before Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire, has gone viral.

A fresh controversy involving Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif has erupted on social media. In an X post shared prior to Donald Trump’s announcement of a two-week ceasefire, Sharif urged the US president and Iran “for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East.” The controversy started when social media users flagged what appears to be an earlier version of the tweet with an extra phrase.

What did the Pakistan PM post?

“Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future. To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks. Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture. We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region,” tweeted Shehbaz Sharif on April 8.

What is the ‘Edited X post’ row?

However, social media quickly shifted its attention to the tweet’s “Edit history”. A click on the option shows what appears to be an earlier version of the post shared with an extra line: “Draft – Pakistan’s PM Message on X.” It is timestamped a minute earlier than the latest post on PM Shehbaz Sharif’s X profile.

Screenshots of what many labelled the “original version” of a later-edited tweet have flooded social media, with many questioning whether Pakistan’s diplomatic message was crafted independently or influenced by external factors.

Social media reacts:

The post has prompted varied responses on social media, including a few hilarious ones. An individual wrote, “Learn to post properly first.” Another commented, “Another prime example of why you should be checking before copying and pasting things.”

A third posted, “This isn’t some grand conspiracy — it’s just embarrassing incompetence. The edit history proves they copied and pasted an entire draft without basic proofreading. Governments worldwide make mistakes, but when your PM’s official statement on war and deadlines has it, it raises serious questions about message discipline and staff quality.” A fourth expressed, “Bro is doing a copy-paste job being PM of Pakistan.”

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/us/draft-tag-in-pakistan-pm-shehbaz-sharif-s-x-post-edit-history-raises-questions-101775609137831.html

Israel reluctantly accepts Trump backed ceasefire with Iran, despite more targets planned, US strikes seen as warning, Israeli officials doubt truce will last

An Israeli source familiar with the matter said that Israel will abide by the ceasefire decision taken by US President Donald Trump but is doing so reluctantly, according to CNN.

The source said Israel still has additional military targets inside Iran and broader strategic goals it had intended to pursue, indicating unease within the Israeli establishment over pausing operations at this stage.

Despite these reservations, Israeli leadership has publicly aligned with Washington. When asked in March whether Israel would halt its attacks if the US reached a ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stopped short of a direct answer but acknowledged the US President’s leadership.

“Ultimately, President Trump makes his own decisions, and do I respect them? Yes, I do,” Netanyahu said during an interview earlier in March.

US Signals Through Strikes

A synagogue in Tehran was reported as “completely destroyed” following overnight strikes attributed to the US and Israel, resulting in over a dozen fatalities across Iran. The Rafi-Nia Synagogue, significant for the local Jewish community, was hit during attacks that also damaged nearby residential buildings.

A synagogue in Tehran was “completely destroyed” in overnight strikes reportedly by the United States and Israel, Iranian media reported Tuesday, as attacks across the country killed more than a dozen people. The Rafi-Nia Synagogue in central Tehran was destroyed during the strikes, according to the Shargh newspaper, which cited preliminary information. Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency said the damage occurred after a projectile hit a residential building adjacent to the synagogue.

Footage from the scene showed civil defence workers searching through rubble, with Hebrew-language books scattered across the ground. Reports said the narrow streets in the area amplified the impact, leaving nearby buildings severely damaged inside and out. There was no immediate word on casualties at the synagogue site, reports Al Jazeera.

In a video shared by state-run IRIB News, Homayoun Sameh, a Jewish representative in Iran’s parliament, condemned the attack. “The Zionist regime showed no mercy to this community during the Jewish holidays and targeted one of our ancient and holy synagogues,” he said. “Unfortunately, during this attack, the synagogue building was completely destroyed and our Torah scrolls were left under the rubble.”

Judaism is one of Iran’s officially recognised minority religions, and the country is home to a small Jewish community. While no official figures are available, estimates suggest a few thousand Jews remain in Iran, with many having left after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Shargh described the Rafi-Nia Synagogue as one of the most important gathering places for Jews from the northeastern Khorasan region.

The strikes were among a series of US-Israeli attacks overnight, in which at least 15 people were killed across Iran, local media reported. Six bodies have been recovered from under the rubble of buildings in the city of Pardis, east of Tehran, Mehr reported.

Local officials said nine people were killed in an Israeli air attack on a residential neighbourhood in the city of Shahriar in the west of Tehran province, reports AL Jazeera.

Meanwhile, Israel carried out a new wave of attacks on Iran early Tuesday, while Iran responded with missile fire against Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbours. A gunfight erupted outside the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday. The exchange with police left two assailants dead while a third was captured. One police officer sustained injuries.

More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, but the government has not updated the toll for days.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/middle-east/us-israel-strikes-destroys-synagogue-in-tehran-15-killed-in-overnight-strikes-across-iran-article-154018199

The FBI warned U.S. state and ​local law enforcement of an elevated threat posed by Iran’s government to targets in the United States last month even as ‌the White House sought to downplay the likelihood of an attack, a law enforcement intelligence report reviewed by Reuters shows.
In the March 20 report, the FBI and other federal intelligence agencies cautioned that Iranian government “poses a persistent threat” to U.S. military and government personnel and buildings, Jewish and Israeli institutions, and Iranian dissidents in the U.S. Despite those warnings, ​the FBI and National Counterterrorism Center had not identified broad threats to the American public, the report said.

President Donald Trump publicly has minimized ​the possibility of Iranian attacks on American soil in response to other intelligence assessments in recent months. When asked ⁠outside the White House on March 11 whether he was worried about Iran perpetrating an attack in the U.S., Trump said, “No, I’m not.”
The Republican president ​escalated his rhetoric around the conflict this week, saying on Tuesday that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not meet his demands but later delaying the ​threatened assault by two weeks.
The March 20 report – titled “Public Safety Awareness Report” – was issued weeks after Reuters and other news outlets reported that the White House blocked the release of a similarly described intelligence product. At the time, the White House said it was ensuring any information was properly vetted before release.

“The entire Trump administration is working together to protect ​the homeland and the American people – as they always do,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “Media outlets should not attempt to ​irresponsibly sow fear by reporting on individual law enforcement memorandums that may lack broader context.”
The FBI and NCTC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ali Karimi Magham, a ‌spokesperson for ⁠the Iranian mission to the United Nations, declined to comment.

MOST AMERICANS OPPOSE THE WAR, WANT QUICK END

Americans have had negative views of the war, with two-thirds saying the U.S. should end its involvement quickly, a Reuters/Ipsos poll last month found, making the public perception of any threat especially relevant.
The March 20 FBI report was obtained through open records requests by the national security transparency nonprofit Property of the People and shared with Reuters.

The report highlighted “the potential for elevated ​physical threats” to targets in the ​U.S. by the Iranian government following ⁠the start of the conflict.
“Violent extremists with a variety of ideological backgrounds, including those who oppose the U.S. or Israel, also may see this conflict as a justification for violence,” the report stated.
The report said Iranian security services ​have attempted to kidnap and kill Americans in recent years. While it says most plots in the U.S. have ​involved firearms, other ⁠methods included “stabbings, vehicle rammings, bombings, poisoning, strangling, suffocation, and arson.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/intelligence-report-warned-irans-persistent-threat-us-white-house-downplayed-2026-04-08/

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 800 people following tips ​shared by federal airport security officials from the start of Donald Trump’s presidency through February 2026, internal ICE data reviewed by ‌Reuters show, a figure far above what was previously publicly known.
The leads came from the Transportation Security Administration, which supplied ICE with records on more than 31,000 travelers for possible immigration enforcement, the data showed.

Reuters could not determine how many arrests took place inside airports, although the TSA tips would mainly be useful in determining when a person would ​be traveling.
ICE and TSA are part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The agencies have historically shared information related to national security ​threats, but they began focusing on routine immigration arrests last year as part of Trump’s mass deportation effort.

TSA PROGRAM ⁠WAS DESIGNED TO COUNTER TERRORISM

The 31,000 traveler records were gathered by TSA’s Secure Flight Program, which was created in 2007 to allow the agency to ​review passenger information for people who may be on U.S. government watchlists. The program was intended as a counter-terrorism measure, not to track down immigration offenders, ​according to the regulation outlining, its purpose.

DHS did not respond to questions about TSA providing passenger information to ICE, but said that under Trump, TSA “is pursuing solutions that improve resiliency, security, and efficiency across our entire system.”
Figures for arrests and traveler records that TSA shared with ICE before Trump’s current term were unavailable.
U.S. airports and immigration enforcement have been ​at the center of a partisan funding fight since mid-February, when Democrats refused to support additional money for the Republican president’s immigration crackdown without reforms to ​scale back aggressive tactics.
The standoff blocked the passage of a bill to fund DHS, which caused TSA security officers to miss at least two full paychecks. After some unpaid ‌TSA officers ⁠began calling in sick, Trump deployed ICE officers to more than a dozen airports in March to aid security efforts.

Democrats have criticized the deployment and called on the Trump administration to remove them. A group of more than 40 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives wrote in a letter to recently installed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin last week that ICE officers “will cause confusion and fear” if allowed to remain in airports.

REPORTS OF UNEXPECTED AIRPORT ARRESTS

Several cases ​of ICE officers arresting travelers in U.S. ​airports have sparked backlash.
ICE officers detained ⁠a college student traveling from Boston to Texas to celebrate Thanksgiving in November and arrested a sobbing mother at San Francisco International Airport the day before Trump’s airport deployment began.
DHS defended both arrests and said they were subject to final ​orders of removal.
Reuters spoke with three immigration attorneys who said they were familiar with cases of people without ​legal immigration status ⁠being arrested in airports.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/ice-arrested-more-than-800-people-after-tips-us-airport-security-agency-2026-04-07/

At the edge of one of the many pig farms spread across the vast, unbroken floodplains of Taizhou, a two-hour drive northwest of ​Shanghai, a pair of square, four-metre pools of acrid-smelling ochre liquid hold the key to cutting costly soybean use in half.
The pools hold a swill of cheaper, locally sourced ingredients, which ‌can include brans, pumpkin vines and wine lees. But it is fermented – like yogurt – so the proteins are already broken down and easy to digest, lessening the need for the higher-quality proteins in soy, 80% of which China imports.

For the farm’s owner, 47-year-old Gao Qinshan, the motivation is entirely monetary. Feed accounts for 70% of pig rearing costs, and soybean prices have jumped – squeezed by Beijing’s trade stand‑off with Washington and compounded by war in the Middle East.
“Soybean prices have become so unstable,” Gao lamented.
With the industry already hobbled by oversupply and weak ​consumer demand, “pig farming has become unprofitable,” he said. “Everyone is thinking about how to cut costs.”
The grassroots fixation on overheads belies Beijing’s more strategic motivations: long‑term food security and increased self‑reliance.

The government sharply accelerated a drive ​to expand protein sources for livestock in March of last year, just as trade tensions ramped up early into President Donald Trump’s second term. Soybeans quickly became a ⁠key bargaining chip.
Reuters interviews with dozens of livestock and feed producers, state researchers and industry experts revealed Beijing is moving faster than previously thought to deploy new technologies and promote fermented feed.
It’s the agricultural equivalent of Beijing’s campaign to build ​domestic capabilities in microchips and artificial intelligence, catalysed by Washington’s stringent controls on advanced technology exports to China.
In terms of agriculture, “the biggest national policy goal right now is soymeal reduction,” said Fu Zhenzhen, a feed analyst at Beijing Orient ​Agribusiness Consultants.

“The most direct reason for that is the trade war with the United States,” she said. “Fermentation is essential.”

MOTIVATING FARMERS TO SWITCH

China is the world’s biggest buyer of soybeans, and imported $52.7 billion of the oilseed in 2024, $12 billion of which came from the U.S., the latest figures from the World Bank show.
Last year, inbound shipments increased 6.5% from 2024 to a record 111.8 million metric tons, according to Chinese customs data.
Fermented feed currently accounts for 8% of industrial feed in China, up from 3% in 2022, and is likely to ​hit 15% by 2030, industry experts predict. That could help China cut soybean imports by up to 6.3% from last year’s levels, according to Reuters calculations.
Pig farmers are just one piece of Beijing’s food security puzzle, albeit an important ​one, with pork a traditional staple of the Chinese diet – China is home to half the world’s pigs – and swine more dependent on soymeal than poultry or cattle.

Farms like Gao’s raise a third of livestock in China, the world’s biggest meat producer.
However, ‌the switch to ⁠fermented feed requires a heavy commitment, often entailing the overhaul of entire feeding systems. Gao struggled initially, with feed growing mould and going to waste. Many farmers simply give up.
Beijing, characteristically, is leaving nothing to chance, offering incentives to every sector of the industry, and every link in the supply chain.

TARGETING THE ENTIRE SUPPLY CHAIN

China’s Muyuan Foods (002714.SZ), the world’s biggest pig farmer, has reduced soymeal in its feed from 10% six years ago to 7.3% now using synthetic amino acids produced from fermented corn starch, Zhang Meng, director of the company’s feed division, told Reuters.
Agribusiness giant New Hope Liuhe (000876.SZ), has developed soymeal-free chicken and duck feeds by fermenting duckweed and other cheap protein sources, according to people familiar with ​the matter. New Hope did not reply to a ​Reuters request for comment.
Working with the government, China’s two ⁠biggest dairy producers, Yili (600887.SS), and Mengniu (2319.HK), have cut the amount of soymeal in cattle feed by 20%, according to sources at the state-backed National Center of Technology Innovation for Dairy. Yili declined to comment, and Mengniu did not reply to a request for comment.
All of the figures on soymeal reduction are being reported for the first time.
China has ​also attracted foreign investment, with Dutch-based trading house Louis Dreyfus planning to build its first fermented feed production line in the northern port city of Tianjin.
“China is standing ​at the forefront of fermentation ⁠technology,” said Shambhu Nath Jha, principal consultant at Fact.MR.
The U.S.-headquartered consultancy estimates that the value of China’s fermented feed market vaulted to $6 billion last year, catching up fast on Europe’s leading but more mature market, worth $7 billion. The U.S. market, by contrast, is worth just $2.5 billion, because soybeans and corn are more readily available.
For poultry, China’s 25% fermented feed adoption rate already surpasses Europe’s 20%, according to Fact.MR.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinese-pigs-fed-new-menu-beijing-weans-farmers-off-us-soy-2026-04-07/

An Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 people and wounded several others outside a school housing displaced Palestinians on Monday (Apr 6), health officials said, in the latest violence overshadowing the fragile US-backed Gaza ceasefire deal.

Before the strikes, some Palestinians had clashed with members of an Israeli-backed militia, who they said attacked the school in an attempt to abduct some people, medics and residents said.

In the midst of the clashes, east of the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Israeli drones fired two missiles into the area, killing at least 10 people and wounding several others, they added.

It was not immediately clear how many civilians had been killed in the strikes, which hit in a closely packed neighbourhood of mostly displaced Palestinians.

Ahmed al-Maghazi, an eyewitness, said their area was attacked by members of the Israeli-backed militia who operate in the territory adjacent to where the Israeli forces are in control, before the militia opened fire.

“The residents tried to defend their homes, but the occupation forces targeted them directly,” he told Reuters.

Later on Monday, a leader of one of the Israeli-backed militias said in a video, which Reuters couldn’t immediately authenticate, that they killed around five Hamas members.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas, which brands those groups that operate in areas under Israeli control as “Israeli collaborators”.

In the midst of the clashes, east of the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Israeli drones fired two missiles into the area, killing at least 10 people and wounding several others, they added.

It was not immediately clear how many civilians had been killed in the strikes, which hit in a closely packed neighbourhood of mostly displaced Palestinians.

Ahmed al-Maghazi, an eyewitness, said their area was attacked by members of the Israeli-backed militia who operate in the territory adjacent to where the Israeli forces are in control, before the militia opened fire.

“The residents tried to defend their homes, but the occupation forces targeted them directly,” he told Reuters.

Later on Monday, a leader of one of the Israeli-backed militias said in a video, which Reuters couldn’t immediately authenticate, that they killed around five Hamas members.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas, which brands those groups that operate in areas under Israeli control as “Israeli collaborators”.

Medics said that Israeli forces killed another Palestinian when they opened fire on a vehicle in central Gaza, taking Monday’s death toll to at least 12.

The Israeli military said they fired at the “unmarked vehicle”, which continued to accelerate toward troops despite “warning shots”.

The World Health Organization’s chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said a contractor in Gaza was killed during a security incident, prompting the organisation to suspend medical evacuations from Gaza via Rafah to Egypt until further notice.

The Israeli military said two local employees of WHO were injured and that the incident was under review. WHO said that two of its staff members were present but were not injured in the incident.

The Palestinian group Hamas, which has run Gaza since 2007, and Israel have traded blame over violations of the ceasefire that kicked off in October.

The Gaza health ministry says Israeli fire has killed at least 700 people since the ceasefire began. Israel says four soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza over the same period.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/palestine-gaza-hamas-israel-strikes-refugee-camp-6039426

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Monday (Apr 6) regret expressed by Seoul over a January drone incursion into the North is “wise behaviour”.

Earlier in the day, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret to Pyongyang over drones sent into the nuclear-armed North earlier this year, actions he called “irresponsible”.

“The ROK president personally expressed regret and talked about a measure for preventing recurrence. Our government appreciated it as very fortunate and wise behaviour for its own sake,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, using the official name of South Korea.

Seoul initially denied any official role in the January drone incursion – with authorities suggesting it was the work of civilians – but Lee said a probe had revealed government officials had been involved.

The North warned in February of a “terrible response” if it detects more drones crossing the border from the South, prompting Seoul to investigate the claims.

Pyongyang said it downed a drone carrying “surveillance equipment” in early January.

Photos released by state media showed the wreckage of a winged craft scattered across the ground alongside grey and blue components that allegedly included cameras.

“It has been confirmed that a National Intelligence Service official and an active-duty soldier were involved,” Lee told a Cabinet meeting.

“We express regret to the North over the unnecessary military tensions caused by the irresponsible and reckless actions of some individuals,” he said.

He added that South Korea’s constitution bans private individuals from conducting acts that could “provoke the North”.

“Such actions, even when deemed necessary for national strategy, must be approached with extreme caution,” he said.

Kim Yo Jong said her brother had taken Lee’s remark “as a manifestation of a frank and broad-minded man’s attitude”, but warned Seoul to “stop any reckless provocation against the DPRK and refrain from any attempt at contact”, using the initials of the North’s official name.

“The ROK side should be mindful that it will be forced to pay a price … if such a provocation as violating the inalienable sovereignty of our state occurs again,” she warned.

“MOST HOSTILE STATE”

Lee has sought to repair ties with North Korea since taking office last year, criticising his predecessor for allegedly sending drones to scatter propaganda over Pyongyang.

His repeated overtures, however, have gone unanswered by the North.

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol is standing trial over charges that his administration sent drones into the North to provoke a backlash and create a pretext for declaring military rule.

Yoon was impeached and ousted from office in April last year and has been sentenced to life in prison over his declaration of martial law.

Lee’s expression of regret follows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un labelling Seoul as the “most hostile state” in a policy address in March in which he vowed to “thoroughly reject and disregard it”.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/kim-yo-jong-kim-jong-un-sister-seoul-regret-drone-wise-behaviour-6039171

CARDI B’s ex-husband Offset has been rushed to hospital after being shot near a casino in Florida.

The 34-year-old rapper was involved in a shooting on Monday.

“We can confirm he was shot and is currently at the hospital receiving medical care.

“He is stable and being closely monitored,” a spokesperson for the rap star told The U.S. Sun in a statement.

TMZ first broke the news about the incident, which occurred near the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.

A rep for the Seminole County Police told the outlet that “two individuals have been detained” and “there is no threat to the public.”

Further details about the shooting are unknown at this time.

It comes nearly four years after Offset’s Migos bandmate Takeoff was fatally shot after an argument erupted outside of a Houston Bowling alley.

Hours before the latest shooting involving the Bad and Boujee rapper, Cardi, 33, shared videos on Instagram of their kids jumping for joy as they hunted for Easter eggs at her home.

The estranged pair share three children: a daughter, Kulture Kiari Cephus, born in 2018; a son, Wave Set Cephus, born in 2021; and a daughter, Blossom, born in September 2024.

Offset – real name Kiari Kendrell Cephus – is also a father to three other children from other relationships.

Cardi – birth name Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar – filed for divorce from Offset in August after seven years of marriage and is reportedly seeking primary custody of their kids.

The Bodak Yellow rapper had previously accused her ex of cheating, though insiders claimed to Page Six that the reason for their split was they’d “grown apart.”

Aside from their children, the former couple appeared to have abandoned all other connections they’d had to one another.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/16186807/offset-shot-florida-casino-cardi-b/

The army ​said the attack had occurred ‌during Easter celebrations at a church in northwestern Kaduna state. Northwest Nigeria has struggled with violence for years.

“Through a swift response, (troops) have successfully foiled a terrorist attack leading to the rescue of 31 civilians abducted during an Easter church service” in Ariko village, the military said in a statement.

It added that the troops engaged the attackers in a “firefight,” forcing the “terrorists to abandon 31 hostages.”

What else do we know about the church attack in Nigeria?

Local media reported that a Catholic and an evangelical church were attacked.

The chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria for Kaduna state, ​Caleb Maaji, also said that assailants targeted two churches in Ariko village on ⁠Sunday.

​He added that ​seven people were killed and several others were abducted. The military, however, said five victims were found dead at the scene.

The attack in Ariko village, located around 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the capital, Abuja, took place despite the police chief ordering a “massive security deployment” including at places of worship during Easter.

Rising violence in Nigeria

For years, several states in northwest and central Nigeria, including Kaduna, have been terrorized by criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, which carry out mass kidnappings for ransom and ⁠village ​raids.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has continued to see a rise in violence despite the army beefing up security in the region to combat the groups.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/nigerias-army-rescues-31-hostages-after-church-attack/a-76675665

Fatme A. is trying to maintain some semblance of a normal life in between the improvised tent shelters, stacked mattresses and all the other families sheltered close by.

She is staying in the Azarieh buildings, in the middle of Beirut’s commercial center — the buildings have become a shelter for hundreds of displaced Lebanese. Around 250 families are living here in makeshift tents. There’s water, a communal kitchen and goods distributed by aid organizations. But there’s not much space, let alone peace or privacy.

Fatme spends most of her time inside her tent. She isn’t even that keen to go to the bathroom here. “You have to queue and everybody looks at you,” she confides. “I get embarrassed.”

That’s why she sits inside her cloth shelter, amid bags, blankets and the small number of personal belongings she was able to carry with her when she was forced to flee home.

She lives here together with her husband, their 7-year-old daughter and her mother, sharing what little space they have. Her husband, a carpenter, has been helping others in the building. He repairs, builds and organizes. “Because he is able to help, we managed to get two tents,” Fatme explains.

During the day she tries to carry on as usual. But the nights are more difficult. “The explosions are so loud,” she tells DW. “A lot of people here are afraid and sleep fully dressed.”

Conflict expanding in Lebanon

The Iran war arrived in Beirut some time ago, and lately it has moved from beyond what are recognized as conflict zones to other parts of the Lebanese capital.

Israel has expanded its targeting and has also started hitting areas that are beyond what are known as neighborhoods that support the Lebanese group, Hezbollah — that includes central city areas. Sometimes the Israeli attacks come without any warning.

Hezbollah has both a military and political wing, plays a major role in Lebanese society and politics and is opposed to Israel. The group, which is allied with Iran, is categorized as a terrorist organization by the US, Germany and a number of Sunni Muslim countries. Europe considers Hezbollah’s armed wing a terrorist organization.

At the same time that Israel is attacking from the air, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has also said a buffer zone will be set up inside southern Lebanon and that Israel will keep security control over it even when the Iran war ends.

Katz has said the area to be occupied by Israeli forces would go right up to the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (around 18 miles) from the Lebanese border with Israel. Katz also said all houses in Lebanese villages near the Israeli border would be destroyed.

In response, Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa said Katz’s remarks showed Israel’s “clear intention to impose a new occupation of Lebanese territory, forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of citizens, and systematically destroy villages and towns in the south.”

A joint statement signed by the foreign ministers of 10 European countries, alongside the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas, urged Israel to respect Lebanon’s territorial integrity.

‘Nowhere is safe’

But for Lebanese locals impacted by the Israeli invasion, those words bring no comfort. They feel there is nowhere safe for them at the moment.

“We fled [our homes] but we know that there’s nowhere that’s really safe. But there’s nothing more we can do,” Fatme explains.

Only a few weeks ago, Fatme and her family were living at home in Ouzai in the south of the city. It’s a dense, mixed-use neighborhood that belongs to the part of Beirut known as Dahiyeh.

Dahiyeh — in Arabic, the word simply means “suburb” — is an area that is almost as big as central Beirut itself. Over the past few decades, Dahiyeh has grown thanks to migration and displacement. A lot of people have moved here simply because they couldn’t afford to live in other parts of the increasingly expensive city. Others arrived thanks to war, political crises or a lack of state support elsewhere.

For some outsiders and for Western observers, Dahiyeh is often only seen as a Hezbollah stronghold, a political and military space. But for the people who actually live there it is also a totally normal, often bustling area, filled with shops, restaurants and supermarkets. And above all, it is their home.

“We had a normal family life there,” Fatme recounts. “My daughter went to school, my husband worked as a carpenter and I ran the house. Our life was good there.” The family felt secure and stable, she adds.

No real ceasefire

But in late February the US and Israel began attacking Iran and killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Hezbollah is supported by Iran and had pledged allegiance to Khamenei. At the beginning of March, the group joined the war, explicitly linking their participation to Khamenei’s assassination. They began firing rockets and drones into neighboring Israel and Israel has responded with aerial sorties. Since then, violence and fighting in Lebanon has only escalated.

After fighting started, Fatme’s family got in their car and left. They managed to return to their home twice and stayed there for two nights. But it was clear things were getting more dangerous.

“We were just afraid,” Fatme says, explaining that they decided to leave again, mostly for their daughter’s sake.

“It took me five years to get pregnant,” Fatme continues, saying she was worried about losing her only child. “And my daughter is still suffering from the war in 2024. She is often afraid and scared to go anywhere alone. Whenever there’s any loud noise, she covers her ears.”

Even after the official ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was arranged in November 2024, there was still violence with continuous Israeli attacks, explosions and ever more insecurity.

According to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, and the Lebanese government itself, there were more than 15,400 ceasefire violations by Israeli forces, and more than 370 people killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon by February 2026 — that was despite the November ceasefire.

“The continuing Israeli attacks don’t just destroy houses and infrastructure; they erode the pillars of daily life and recovery,” Jeremy Ristord, head of programs in Lebanon for the group Doctors Without Borders, said in a statement in late February.

That was why Fatme’s daughter was still so scared. The explosions and frightening loud noises never stopped, nor did her fear. For Fatme’s family it was clear they had to leave. They packed only necessities. As they drove away, they still didn’t know where they were heading. They just left.

They ran into heavy traffic jams because other people in the area had had the same idea. At first the family slept in their car but then they managed to find some accommodation in the Azarieh buildings, which have been turned into accommodation for displaced locals.

“I really miss my own home,” Fatme says. “My life, my things, my routine. Just a month ago, everything looked so different. Our lives have been turned upside down.”

Even inside the buildings, Fatme’s daughter still gets scared at loud noises and cries a lot. When that happens, Fatme pulls her closer. “That’s when I forget my own fear and try to comfort her,” she says.

Uncertain future

It’s unlikely that things are going to get better any time soon. At a March 31 meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Tom Fletcher, the UN’s emergency relief coordinator, said 1,240 people had been killed and a further 3,500 injured in Lebanon. That number included women, children and first responders.

At the same time, over 1.1 million people have been displaced, including hundreds of thousands of children.

“A cycle of coercive displacement is unfolding,” Fletcher warned. “Displacement is not a solution, but a painful last resort […] a temporary way to preserve dignity.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/displaced-in-lebanon-lives-turned-upside-down/a-76662137

The Great Gatsby is synonymous with parties, glitz and glamour – but this is just one of many misunderstandings about the book that began with its first publication a century ago, in April 1925.

Few characters in literature or indeed life embody an era quite so tenaciously as Jay Gatsby does the Jazz Age. Almost a century after he was written into being, F Scott Fitzgerald’s doomed romantic has become shorthand for decadent flappers, champagne fountains and never-ending parties. Cut loose by pop culture from the text into which he was born, his name adorns everything from condominiums to hair wax and a limited-edition cologne (it contains notes of vetiver, pink pepper and Sicilian lime). It’s now possible to lounge on a Gatsby sofa, check in at the Gatsby hotel, even chow down on a Gatsby sandwich – essentially a supersize, souped-up chip butty.

Incongruous though that last item sounds, naming anything after the man formerly known as James Gatz seems more than a touch problematic. After all, flamboyant host is just one part of his complicated identity. He’s also a bootlegger, up to his neck in criminal enterprise, not to mention a delusional stalker whose showmanship comes to seem downright tacky. If he embodies the potential of the American Dream, then he also illustrates its limitations: here is a man, let’s not forget, whose end is destined to be as pointless as it is violent.

Misunderstanding has been a part of The Great Gatsby’s story from the very start. Grumbling to his friend Edmund Wilson shortly after the novel was published in April 1925, Fitzgerald declared that “of all the reviews, even the most enthusiastic, not one had the slightest idea what the book was about”. Fellow writers like Edith Wharton admired it plenty, but as the critic Maureen Corrigan relates in her book So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures, popular reviewers read it as crime fiction, and were decidedly underwhelmed by it at that. Fitzgerald’s Latest A Dud, ran a headline in the New York World. The novel achieved only so-so sales, and by the time of the author’s death in 1940, copies of a very modest second print run had long since been remaindered.

Gatsby’s luck began to change when it was selected as a giveaway by the US military. With World War Two drawing to a close, almost 155,000 copies were distributed in a special Armed Services Edition, creating a new readership overnight. As the 1950s dawned, the flourishing of the American Dream quickened the novel’s topicality, and by the 1960s, it was enshrined as a set text. It’s since become such a potent force in pop culture that even those who’ve never read it feel as if they have, helped along, of course, by Hollywood. It was in 1977, just a few short years after Robert Redford starred in the title role of an adaptation scripted by Francis Ford Coppola, that the word “Gatsbyesque” was first recorded.

Along with Baz Luhrmann’s divisive 2013 film extravaganza, the book has spawned graphic novels, an immersive theatrical experience and a television film, broadcast in 2000, with Paul Rudd, Toby Stephens and Mira Sorvino. And since the novel’s copyright expired in 2021, enabling anyone to adapt it without permission from its estate, the Gatsby industry has exploded. Early calls for a Muppets adaptation may have come to nothing (never say never), but a musical with songs by Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine premiered in Massachusetts last year; a separate, Tony-winning musical, The Great Gatsby, is still running on Broadway and is about to open in London; and author Min Jin Lee and cultural critic Wesley Morris both wrote fresh introductions to 2021 editions of the book.

If this all leaves Fitzgerald purists twiddling their pearls like worry beads, it’s quite possible that while some such projects may further perpetuate the myth that throwing a Gatsby-themed party could be anything other than sublimely clueless, others may yield fresh insights into a text whose very familiarity often leads us to skate over its complexities. Take, for instance, Michael Farris Smith’s new novel, Nick. The title refers, of course, to Nick Carraway, the narrator of Gatsby, who here gets his own fully formed backstory. It’s the tale of a Midwesterner who goes off to Europe to fight in World War One and comes back changed, as much by a whirlwind love affair in Paris as by trench warfare. There’s room for an impulsive sojourn in the New Orleans underworld before he heads off to Long Island’s West Egg.

An impossible dream?

Like many, Smith first encountered the novel in high school. “I just completely didn’t get it”, he tells the BBC, from his home in Oxford, Mississippi. “They seemed like a lot of people complaining about things they really shouldn’t be complaining about.” It was only when he picked it up again while living abroad in his late 20s that he began to understand the novel’s power. “It was a very surreal reading experience for me. It seemed like something on almost every page was speaking to me in a way I had not expected,” he recalls.

Reaching the scene in which Carraway suddenly remembers it’s his 30th birthday, Smith was filled with questions about what kind of a person Gatsby’s narrator really was. “It seemed to me that there had been some real trauma that had made him so detached, even from his own self. The thought crossed my mind that it would be really interesting if someone were to write Nick’s story,” he says. In 2014, by then a published author in his 40s, he sat down to do just that, telling neither his agent nor his editor. It was only when he delivered the manuscript 10 months later that he learned copyright law meant he’d have to wait until 2021 to publish it.

Smith points to a quote from one of Fitzgerald’s contemporaries as having provided the key to understanding Carraway. “Ernest Hemingway says in [his memoir] A Moveable Feast that we didn’t trust anyone who wasn’t in the war, and to me that felt like a natural beginning for Nick.” Smith imagines Carraway, coping with PTSD and shellshock, returning home to a nation that he no longer recognises. It’s a far cry from the riotous razzmatazz of all that partying, yet Carraway is, Smith suggests, the reason Fitzgerald’s novel remains read. “Maybe it’s not the champagne and the dancing, maybe it is those feelings of wondering where we are, the sense that anything can crumble at any moment, that keep Gatsby meaningful from one generation to the next.”

William Cain, an expert in American literature and the Mary Jewett Gaiser Professor of English at Wellesley College, agrees that Nick is crucial to understanding the novel’s richness. “Fitzgerald gave some thought to structuring it in the third person but ultimately he chose Nick Carraway, a first-person narrator who would tell Gatsby’s story, and who would be an intermediary between us and Gatsby. We have to respond to and understand Gatsby and, as we do so, remain aware that we’re approaching him through Nick’s very particular perspective, and through Nick’s very ambivalent relationship to Gatsby, which is simultaneously full of praise and full of severe criticism, even at some moments contempt,” he says.

Like Smith, Cain first encountered the novel as a student. It was a different era – the 1960s – but even so, little attention was paid to Nick. Cain recalls instead talk of symbolism – the legendary green light, for example, and Gatsby’s fabled automobile. It’s a reminder that, in a way, the education system is as much to blame as pop culture for our limited readings of this seminal text. It may be a Great American Novel but, at fewer than 200 pages, its sublimely economical storytelling makes its study points very easy to access. Ironically, given that this is a novel of illusion and delusion, in which surfaces are crucial, we all too often overlook the texture of its prose. As Cain puts it, “I think when we consider The Great Gatsby, we need to think about it not just as a novel that is an occasion or a point of departure for us to talk about big American themes and questions, but we have to really enter into the richness of Fitzgerald’s actual page-to-page writing. We have to come to Gatsby, yes, aware of its social and cultural significance, but also we need to return to it as a literary experience.”

Cain re-reads the novel every two or three years but frequently finds himself thinking about it in between – in 2020, for instance, when US President Biden, accepting the Democratic nomination at the DNC, spoke of the right to pursue dreams of a better future. The American Dream is, of course, another of Gatsby’s Big Themes, and one that continues to be misunderstood. “Fitzgerald shows that that dream is very powerful, but that it is indeed a very hard one for most Americans to realise. It feeds them great hopes, great desires, and it’s extraordinary, the efforts that so many of them make to fulfil those dreams and those desires, but that dream is beyond the reach of many, and many, they give up all too much to try to achieve that great success,” Cain points out. Among the obstacles, Fitzgerald seems to suggest, are hard-and-fast class lines that no amount of money will enable Gatsby to cross. It’s a view that resonates with a mood that Cain says he’s been picking up on among his students – a certain “melancholy” for the American Dream, the feeling fanned by racial and economic inequalities that the pandemic has only deepened.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210209-the-worlds-most-misunderstood-novel

Conspiracy theorist and ex-National Counterterrorism Center boss Joe Kent has been called out for promoting wild Iranian propaganda that suggested the United States was actually trying to kill a downed American airman — just hours before he was dramatically rescued.

Kent, who abruptly resigned from his Trump administration position last month in protest over Iran, got into a war of words with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday after the former counterterror honcho was called out for peddling the false claims.

He had shared an article from Iranian state media over the weekend that claimed the US was actively bombing the same area where the missing airman was believed to be.

The pro-regime outlet was reporting that the Trump administration had “lost hope” of finding the American soldier and was now trying to kill him before he could be captured by Iranian forces.

Kent shared the post before President Trump revealed hours later that the crewman had finally been rescued in a daring operation behind enemy lines.

Tapper, for his part, was quick to ridicule Kent “nonsense” post — arguing his theory hadn’t aged well.

“Former National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent sharing Iranian state-linked outlet nonsense claiming, falsely, that the US was trying to kill the then-lost US pilot,” Tapper posted on X.

“Aged rather poorly, I think it’s fair to say.”

A defensive Kent quickly fired back, accusing Tapper and other media outlets of trying to “promote this foolish war & attack anyone who points out how this war isn’t in our nation’s interest.”

“Read independent media, Iranian media & US media – always question those cheering on wars & always pray for our troops,” he added.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/04/06/us-news/conspiracy-theorist-joe-kent-promotes-disturbing-iranian-propaganda-claiming-us-tried-to-kill-stranded-soldier/

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez enjoyed her paid vacation in a suite at the Yankees game Sunday — as tens of thousands of federal workers marked six weeks without a paycheck because of the Democrat-led government shutdown.

The firebrand “Squad” member was all smiles as she posed for selfies with admirers, who gushed about their encounters on social media.

“I met @AOC I’m never going to fail,” wrote one fan on X alongside his photo with Ocasio-Cortez, who donned a Yankees cap and dark navy and white striped sweater for the afternoon game against the Miami Marlins, which was delayed more than three-and-a-half hours due to rain.

“BREAKING: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was just spotted looking gorgeous at the Yankees game tonight,” wrote another devotee.

Sources told The Post the Democratic darling took in the game from one of the suites.

“She was not sitting down in the bleachers with her constituents,” the source said.

Given her warm reception, it’s unlikely either of the selfie-takers are among the 35,000 federal workers who haven’t received a paycheck in 48 days as the longest partial government shutdown in history drags on.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/04/06/us-news/aoc-enjoys-yankees-game-from-suite-during-shutdown/

The stunning fireball display was witnessed by residents, who called it “mysterious” and “meteor-like”.

The government authorities in Indonesia issued a clarification after a massive fireball was spotted streaking across the skies over Lampung and Banten provinces on Saturday (April 4), the new agency Antara reported. According to the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the cluster of burning objects has been confirmed as space debris.

“Residents in Lampung and Banten were shocked by a bright burning object they saw in the sky, which later broke into pieces. We can confirm that it is space debris,” Thomas Djamaluddin, who is a BRIN astronomy professor, said as quoted by the agency on Sunday.

The debris is believed to be from a Chinese CZ-3B rocket, which re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and broke apart, creating a spectacular display of fireballs in the sky.

“As the object entered the dense atmosphere, it continued moving while burning and breaking apart. This phenomenon was observed by residents in Lampung and Banten,” Djamaluddin added.

The news agency mentioned that the space debris was travelling from India towards the Indian Ocean when it entered Earth’s atmosphere at an altitude of approximately 120 km at 7.56 pm (local time). It was reportedly visible to residents along the western coast of Sumatra.

The friction caused the object to burn and break apart, creating the fireball display witnessed by residents, who called it “mysterious” and “meteor-like”.

The authorities have reassured the public that such re-entries are monitored and pose minimal risk, with most debris burning up or falling into oceans or uninhabited areas.

Space debris re-entry is a common occurrence, with NASA estimating an average of one “catalogued piece” of debris falling back to Earth daily.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/mysterious-fireballs-over-indonesian-skies-go-viral-government-agency-reveals-what-it-was-11319437?pfrom=home-ndtv_lateststories

Tehran reportedly holds between 400 and 450 kilograms of enriched uranium, an amount that could contribute to the production of nuclear weapons.

On April 5, the US Military pulled off the most daring search and rescue operation in American history to recover the airman who went missing in Southwest Iran after Tehran downed an F-15E Strike Eagle, a twin-engine, two-seat interdiction fighter jet.

What followed was Iran’s attempt to downplay the success of the operation. On Sunday, Iran said the US rescue operation had been “foiled.” By Monday, the account had shifted entirely. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the operation may not have been a rescue at all.

“The possibility that this was a deception operation to steal enriched uranium should not be ignored at all,” he said, adding that there were “many questions and uncertainties” surrounding the mission.

“The area where the American pilot was claimed to be present in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province is a long way from the area where they attempted to land or wanted to land their forces in central Iran,” Baqaei said. He called the operation “a disaster” for the United States.

Why Tehran’s Uranium Matters

Tehran reportedly holds between 400 and 450 kilograms of enriched uranium, an amount that could contribute to the production of nuclear weapons.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump was considering a ground operation in Iran specifically to extract enriched uranium.

Trump has also encouraged advisers to press Tehran to surrender the material as a condition for ending the war, the report said, citing a source familiar with his thinking.

Trump has indicated to political allies that Iran cannot keep the nuclear material and has discussed seizing it by force if Tehran refuses to hand it over at the negotiating table.

Before the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in June 2025, the Islamic Republic was believed to hold more than 400 kilograms of 60 per cent highly enriched uranium and nearly 200 kilograms of 20 per cent fissile material, which can be readily converted into 90 per cent weapons-grade uranium.

Much of it is now believed to be buried under the rubble of a mountain facility hit in US bombings, which Trump claimed had “obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear programme.

However, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi has said Iran’s nuclear material is mainly stored at two of the three sites the US attacked: an underground tunnel at the nuclear complex in Isfahan and a cache at Natanz.

How Did The US Pull Off The Rescue Op?

On April 3, an F-15E Strike Eagle, a twin-engine, two-seat interdiction fighter jet, was downed over southwestern Iran. The pilot on board the aircraft was recovered shortly after the jet was hit, but the search for the weapons systems officer stretched across two full days. The rescue mission, carried out in the south of Isfahan province, cost the US close to $500 million.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-iran-war-f-15-pilot-rescue-bid-or-uranium-heist-irans-big-claim-on-daring-us-op-to-save-airman-11319747?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

President Donald Trump was on the verge of a crisis in the Iran war, faced with the rare instance of an American airman shot down and stranded ​deep inside enemy territory.
Then, the airman’s daring Easter weekend rescue gave the U.S. president the chance to quickly flip the script.

Standing ‌before cameras on Monday, Trump recast the perilous operation as a providential military triumph, leaning in to its cinematic elements to project strength and command of a five-week-old war that remains deeply unpopular with U.S. voters.

“We have incredibly talented people, and if the time comes, we move heaven and earth to bring them home safely,” Trump told reporters at the White ​House. “God was watching us.”
It was the second time in less than a week that the president had scheduled time to directly deliver ​his message on Iran to the public, taking on the role of executive producer and chief publicist of his ⁠presidency in his uniquely Trumpian way.
He has struggled to explain his rationale for the bombing campaign, including during a muddled prime-time address last week. His profanity-laced tirade ​on social media on Easter Sunday further pushed past the normal bounds of presidential communications and prompted questions from reporters about the 79-year-old president’s mental ​fitness.

The scene in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on Monday offered a familiar display of Trump’s political instincts: seizing a high-profile moment to tell the story on his terms and using it as a unifying rallying cry to win support from war-weary Americans.

RESCUE DETAILS DOMINATE BRIEFING

He detailed an intricate rescue mission that he conceded was bolstered ​by luck. Trump administration officials, normally loath to discuss internal deliberations, over the weekend helped reporters write vivid accounts of the stunning operation.
Trump described a ​bleeding officer who evaded capture in Iran for two days, and search-and-rescue teams scaling mountains and trying to lift aircraft out of wet sand before destroying machinery that ‌might otherwise ⁠fall into enemy hands.
“Hundreds of people could have been killed,” Trump told reporters, noting that some military officials advised him against the operation.

“How many men did you send altogether?” Trump asked the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, who was standing nearby.
“I’d love to keep that a secret,” Caine said.
“I’ll keep it a secret, but it was hundreds and hundreds of these people,” Trump said.
Reporters squeezed into the crowded room, blocking aisles and ​an entryway, and verbally sparred with ​one another to gain a more ⁠advantageous position in the president’s line of sight.
Though Trump seemed to revel in the details of the military’s prowess – suggesting at a separate White House event earlier on Monday that the rescue might someday be depicted in a ​movie – he also threatened to jail a journalist at an unnamed news outlet who first reported that one airman ​had been successfully ⁠rescued before the second missing airman was found.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-seizes-rescue-downed-airman-recast-unpopular-iran-war-2026-04-06/

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would demand that the journalist who ​first reported that an airman in Iran had been rescued reveal how they ‌got that information, and threatened to jail them if they refused.
Trump’s remarks at a White House press conference represented a significant escalation of the administration’s attacks on the press. The president has ​privately complained to aides in recent weeks that media coverage of the ​U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has been too negative, and Trump and his ⁠allies have publicly criticized some news organizations’ coverage.

After a U.S. fighter jet was shot down ​over Iran on Friday, several media outlets reported that one of the two airmen ​onboard had been successfully recovered by U.S. rescue forces.
Trump said the disclosure had threatened the security of the ongoing operation to rescue the second airman, though that airman was eventually successfully recovered.

“We didn’t ​talk about the first one for an hour. Then somebody leaked something, which, ​we will hopefully find that leaker. We’re looking very hard to find that leaker,” Trump said.
“We’re ‌going ⁠to go to the media company that released it, and we’re going to say, ‘National security, give it up or go to jail.'”

It was not clear which media outlet or reporter Trump was referring to. Several media outlets appeared to report ​on the rescue ​of the first ⁠airman within a short period of time, including The New York Times, CBS News and Axios.
The White House did not ​immediately respond when asked which reporter Trump was threatening.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-threatens-jail-reporter-who-revealed-iran-airman-rescue-2026-04-06/

The four astronauts of NASA’s Artemis II mission flew deeper into space on Monday than any ​humans before them, as they cruised through a rare flyby of the shadowed far side of the moon that revealed a lunar surface under cosmic bombardment.
The six-hour survey of the normally hidden ‌hemisphere of Earth’s only natural satellite was highlighted by the astronauts’ direct visual observations of “impact flashes” from meteors pelting the darkened and heavily cratered lunar surface.

About two dozen scientists packed a conference room adjacent to mission control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to record the lunar phenomena witnessed by the Artemis crew in real time as their Orion spacecraft, about the size of an SUV, sailed around the moon roughly a quarter million miles (402,000 km) from Earth.
The six-hour flyby, which swooped to within 4,070 miles of the lunar ​surface, came six days into a spaceflight marking the world’s first voyage of astronauts to the vicinity of the moon since NASA’s Cold War-era Apollo missions more than half a century ago.
Six of those missions ​landed two-man teams on the moon between 1969 and 1972 – the only 12 humans ever to walk on its surface.

Artemis, a successor to the Apollo program, aims to repeat ⁠that achievement by 2028, ahead of China’s first landing, and to establish a long-term U.S. lunar presence over the next decade, including a moon base to serve as a proving ground for potential future missions to Mars.
While designed ​as a crewed dress rehearsal for future lunar excursions, Artemis II generated a wealth of new material for lunar scientists to study, including meteor impact flashes recorded during Monday’s flyby that were reminiscent of sparks and streaks of light ​described by some of Apollo’s astronauts.
The Artemis II crew, riding in their Orion capsule since launching from Florida last week, began their sixth day of spaceflight as they awoke on Monday to a pre-recorded message from the late NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, who flew aboard the Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 moon missions.

“Welcome to my old neighborhood,” said Lovell, who died last year at age 97. “It’s a historic day, and I know how busy you’ll be, but don’t forget to enjoy the view… good luck and Godspeed.”
Hours later, the crew ​consisting of U.S. astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, made spaceflight history by venturing farther from Earth than any humans have before, at 252,756 miles.
The previous record, roughly 248,000 miles, ​was set in 1970 by Apollo 13 after a nearly catastrophic spacecraft malfunction cut short that mission, forcing Lovell and his two crewmates to use the moon’s gravity to help return them safely to Earth.

NAMING CRATERS

En route to the far side of ‌the moon, the ⁠Artemis astronauts spent some time assigning provisional new names to lunar features that previously lacked official designations.
In a radio message to mission control in Houston, Hansen suggested one crater be dubbed Integrity, after the name given to the crew’s Orion capsule, and that another be named in honor of Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020.
“A number of years ago we started this journey, our close-knit astronaut family, and we lost a loved one,” Hansen said of the mission commander’s late spouse, his voice choking with emotion as he described the position of her lunar namesake. “It’s a bright spot on the Moon, and we would like to call that Carroll.”
Hansen later said the crew had viewed ​a number of lunar features that “no human has ever ​seen before, not even in Apollo.”
As Orion hurtled around ⁠the moon’s far side, the astronauts photographed a rare moment in which Earth, dwarfed by their record-breaking distance from the planet, set and rose with the lunar horizon as they swung around the moon, a striking celestial reversal of the rising and setting moon typically seen from Earth.
Because the moon rotates at the same speed as it revolves ​around the Earth, its far side always faces away from our planet and only the Artemis and Apollo astronauts have ever gazed directly on its surface.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/science/artemis-crew-reaches-moon-approaches-record-breaking-distance-earth-2026-04-06/

Iran said on Monday it wanted a lasting end to the war with the U.S. and Israel, and pushed back against pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while ​U.S. President Donald Trump warned the country could be “taken out” if it did not meet his Tuesday night deadline to reach a deal.
Responding to a U.S. proposal through mediator Pakistan, Tehran rejected a ceasefire and ‌said a permanent end to the war was necessary, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The Iranian response consisted of 10 clauses, including an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, lifting of sanctions and reconstruction, the agency added.
The Pakistani-brokered framework for ending the war proposed an immediate ceasefire, followed by talks on a broader peace settlement to be concluded within 15 to 20 days, a source aware of the proposals said.
Trump, who has threatened to rain “hell” on Tehran if it did not make a deal by 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday (midnight GMT) to open ​the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies, rejected the Iranian response and said his deadline was final.

At a news conference, Trump said Iran could be “taken out” in one night “and that night might be tomorrow night,” ​referring to Tuesday. He vowed to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges, brushing off concerns that such actions would be a war crime or alienate Iran’s 93 million people.
Without an agreement ⁠with Tehran, Trump said “every bridge in Iran will be decimated” by midnight EDT (0400 GMT) on Wednesday and “every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again.”

STRIKES ON UNIVERSITY

Iran’s top joint military command in turn said ​Trump was “delusional” and called Trump’s warnings “rude, arrogant rhetoric and baseless threats,” according to a statement by spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaqari on state TV.
After Trump’s latest comments, Iran’s deputy sports minister, Alireza Rahimi, called on artists and athletes to form human chains at power plants ​across the country on Tuesday.

“We will stand hand in hand to say: Attacking public infrastructure is a war crime,” Rahimi said on X.
Iran’s envoy the United Nations said on Monday Trump’s social media post warning about U.S. strikes on Iranian infrastructure constituted “direct incitement to terrorism and provide clear evidence of intent to commit war crimes under international law.”
Independent experts have also said strikes on civilian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges would constitute war crimes. Trump said Iranians are “willing to suffer that in order to have freedom” and the U.S. has intercepted messages asking for bombings.
After the U.S. ​and Israel attacked on February 28, Iran effectively closed Hormuz, a conduit for about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply. The waterway’s stranglehold on the global economy has proved a powerful bargaining chip, and Tehran is reluctant to relinquish ​it too easily.
Iran also threatened to avenge a U.S.-Israeli attack early Monday on Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, one of the country’s top science institutions, where Iran’s WANA news agency said an artificial intelligence data centre and other facilities were damaged.

“Aggressors will see our might” in ‌response to the ⁠Sharif bombing, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X. Iran’s science minister has accused the United States and Israel of attacking some 30 universities in the war.

RESCUE MISSION

At the news conference, Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth praised the successful weekend retrieval from Iran of a U.S. airman whose jet was shot down on Friday.
Hegseth, who has faced scrutiny for outspokenly blending his evangelical religious faith with military operations, described the rescue in explicitly Christian terms, comparing it to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The rescue mission came amid rising concern about the nearly six-week-long war’s effect on the global economy, including a sharp rise in fuel prices. The conflict has also hit Trump’s approval ratings and intensified anxiety among Republicans about November’s midterm elections.
Further aerial strikes were reported across the region ​on Monday. Hegseth said Monday would have the most strikes since ​the start of the war, and Tuesday would see ⁠even more.
The Israeli military said early on Tuesday that it completed a wave of airstrikes targeting Iranian government infrastructure in Tehran and other areas across Iran, adding that further details would follow.
A residential area in Iran’s capital Tehran was hit in an attack on Tuesday and rescue teams were searching through rubble, Iranian Red Crescent news site reported.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to destroy ​Iran’s infrastructure and hunt down its leaders “one by one.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike on a petrochemical facility in southern Iran was part of dismantling Iran’s Revolutionary Guards “money machine”.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/trump-vows-hell-iran-if-strait-stays-shut-says-deal-is-possible-2026-04-06/

Oil prices were little changed in choppy trade on ‌Monday, as investors awaited clarity on the status of talks between the U.S. and Iran even as they remained wary about sustained supply losses due to shipping disruptions.
Brent crude futures rose 76 cents, or 0.7%, to $109.79 a barrel at 0656 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude ​futures were trading 53 cents, or 0.5% lower, at $111.01 per barrel.

The pricing moves in Asia trading on Monday ​were dwarfed by an 11% surge for WTI and an 8% rise for Brent during the ⁠previous trading session on Thursday, the biggest absolute price increase since 2020.
On Sunday, Trump ratcheted up pressure on Tehran, threatening ​in an expletive-laden Easter Sunday social media post to target Iran’s power plants and bridges on Tuesday if the strategic ​Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. Still, prices were largely unchanged on Monday.
Iran and the United States have received a plan to end hostilities that could come into effect on Monday and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a source aware of the proposals said on Monday.

The Strait of ​Hormuz, which carries oil and petroleum products from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, remains ​largely closed due to Iranian attacks on shipping after the war began on February 28.
“Not being able to open the Strait of Hormuz is ‌becoming ⁠more a question of political victory,” said Mukesh Sahdev, founder and CEO at consultancy XAnalysts.
Because of the Middle East supply disruptions, refiners are seeking alternative sources for crude, particularly for physical cargoes in the U.S. and Britain’s North Sea.
Some vessels, however, including an Omani-operated tanker, a French-owned container ship and a Japanese-owned gas carrier, have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since Thursday, shipping data showed, ​reflecting Iran’s policy to allow ​passage for vessels from countries ⁠it deems more friendly.

The war threatens to linger on as Iran has officially told mediators it is not prepared to meet with U.S. officials in Islamabad in the coming days ​and efforts to produce a ceasefire have reached a dead end, The Wall Street ​Journal reported on Friday.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/oil-prices-open-higher-us-israeli-war-with-iran-continues-disrupt-supply-2026-04-05/

U.S. special forces rescued an airman in a high-risk mission deep inside Iran while President Donald Trump threatened to rain “hell” on Tehran if it did not ​reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday for oil flows vital to the world economy.

Trump announced the rescue in the early hours of Sunday in a social media post that ‌described the operation in a mountainous area as “one of the most daring” such missions in U.S. history.

The airman, the weapons officer of an F-15 jet shot down on Friday, was wounded but “will be just fine”, Trump said in a message on X. The jet’s pilot was rescued later that day.
In another post laden with expletives, Trump told Iran to open the Hormuz waterway, the conduit for around a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply that has been largely shut down since the war began five ​weeks ago.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” he said on his Truth Social platform, threatening strikes on energy and transport infrastructure that critics say would ​violate international law.

“There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President ⁠DONALD J. TRUMP”
Adding to the pressure, Washington’s ally in the war, Israel – which attacked a major petrochemicals facility in Iran on Saturday – was preparing to attack energy facilities next week and was awaiting U.S. approval, a ​senior Israeli defence official said.
In the kind of mixed messaging that has baffled supporters, foes and financial markets alike, Trump told Fox News on Sunday that Iran was negotiating, with a deal possible by Monday.
After reports of explosions across ​Iran’s capital Tehran on Monday morning, a U.S.-Israeli strike on a residential building killed at least five people and left several people buried under rubble in Qom, south of the city, a deputy governor told the semi-official SNN news agency.

IRAN CONDEMNS ‘RECKLESS’ US, HITS GULF

Tehran is demanding an end to hostilities and its parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf condemned Trump’s threats, saying he was being misled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Your reckless moves are dragging the United States into a living HELL for every single ​family, and our whole region is going to burn because you insist on following Netanyahu’s commands,” he posted on X.
Showing it still had fight despite the U.S.-Israeli pounding, Iran expanded attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure, launching drone ​and missile strikes on petrochemical facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
The Revolutionary Guards also said they hit an Israeli‑linked vessel at Dubai’s Jebel Ali port.
In Kuwait, drones sparked fires and caused “severe material damage” at petrochemical plants operated by affiliates of ‌state oil firm ⁠Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, the company said.

The strikes underscored Iran’s ability to sustain cross‑border attacks and disrupt infrastructure across multiple Gulf states, exposing vulnerabilities in energy and maritime hubs.
In Israel too, media showed search-and-rescue teams combing debris in the northern city of Haifa after an Iranian missile hit a residential building. Israeli paramedics said nine people were being treated.

HOSTAGE CRISIS AVERTED

With the impact from the strait’s closure on the global economy deepening by the day, the rescue of the U.S. airman removed the risk for Trump of a hostage crisis further souring the mood of an American public already sceptical of the war.
Under cover of darkness, U.S. commandos slipped deep into Iran, undetected, scaled a 7,000‑foot (2,100-metre) ​ridge and took the stranded American weapons specialist to ​safety, moving the airman toward a secret rendezvous ⁠point before dawn on Sunday.
Two MC-130 aircraft that had ferried some of the roughly 100 special operations forces into rugged terrain south of Tehran suffered a mechanical failure and could not take off, a U.S. official told Reuters.
Their commanders made a high-risk decision, ordering additional aircraft to fly into Iran to extract the group in waves — a ​decision that left the elite commandos waiting for a couple of tense hours.
The rescue force was pulled out in stages, and U.S. troops destroyed the disabled ​MC‑130s and four additional helicopters inside ⁠Iran rather than risk leaving sensitive equipment behind.
Iran said several U.S. aircraft were destroyed during the operation, including two military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters. Footage posted on social media showed burned-out aircraft wreckage, which Reuters verified was in the area.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/trump-israel-pressure-iran-ahead-deadline-search-continues-missing-us-airman-2026-04-04/

President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials cast the rescue of a U.S. airman in Iran ​as an “Easter miracle” on Sunday, framing the operation in religious terms that portrayed the war as a just cause and divinely ‌blessed.
In the past, administrations typically issued postcard-style Easter greetings, and critics said officials’ messages this time had blurred the line between faith and policy by invoking religion to justify the war and shape the military’s conduct.

“The rescue was an Easter Miracle,” Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” and some cabinet members followed with messages of their own.
In a separate message that ​invoked religion in another way, Trump threatened on social media to strike power plants and bridges, urged Tehran to open the Strait of ​Hormuz, “you crazy bastards” or face “living in Hell,” and signed off with the phrase “Praise be to Allah.”
In a social media message, ⁠Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent drew on the symbolism of Easter, the day Jesus was resurrected from the dead.
“The Easter miracle is considered the greatest victory ​in history,” Bessent said on X. “And so, it (is) fitting on this holiest of Christian days that a brave American warrior was rescued from behind enemy lines ​in one of the greatest search and rescue missions in military history.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote “God is good” on his private account on X on Sunday, reposting a social media post by Trump about the success of the rescue mission in Iran.
Axios, citing an interview with the Republican Trump and an unnamed U.S. defense official, reported that was the phrase ​uttered by the rescued officer over the radio after he ejected from his aircraft.

FAITH AND POLICY LINKS DRAW CRITICISM

Trump said at his inauguration in 2025 ​that God enabled him to survive an assassination attempt during the 2024 election campaign. “I felt then and believe even more so now that my life was saved for a ‌reason. I ⁠was saved by God to make America great again,” he said then.
But his blending of religious references with threats of military action drew some criticism on Sunday.
Republican former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, writing on X, accused Trump of betraying Christian values. She said Christians in the administration should be “pursuing peace” rather than “escalating war” and argued that Jesus’ teachings emphasized forgiveness and love, including toward enemies.

The Council on American‑Islamic Relations also condemned Trump’s language, saying in a statement that his “mocking ​of Islam and his threats to attack ​civilian infrastructure” were reckless and ⁠dangerous.
CAIR said the casual use of “Praise be to Allah” in the context of violent threats reflected a willingness to weaponize religious language while showing contempt for Muslims and their beliefs.
Last month, a group of 30 Democratic U.S. lawmakers asked ​Defense Department Inspector General Platte Moring to investigate reports that some within the U.S. military had sought to justify ​the war in Iran ⁠by invoking “biblical end-time prophecies.”
“At a time when billions of dollars and untold numbers of lives hang in the balance while the Trump administration wages a war of choice in Iran, the imperative of maintaining strict separation of church and state and protecting the religious freedom of our troops is especially critical,” the letter to the ⁠inspector general ​said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-invokes-religious-rhetoric-praise-iran-rescue-drawing-criticism-2026-04-05/

The White House on Friday sought $152 million to return the former Alcatraz prison island to ​active duty, following up on President Donald Trump’s call ‌last year to transform the popular San Francisco Bay tourist destination.
The request was tucked into a proposed budget the White House released ​to fund the government for the 2027 fiscal year. ​Such spending requests are typically treated by lawmakers ⁠in Congress as suggestions.

The budget seeks funds for the ​Federal Bureau of Prisons to cover the first-year costs of ​rebuilding Alcatraz into “a state-of-the-art secure prison facility.” It closed in 1969 and has been under the National Park Service’s auspices.
Trump in May announced ​on social media that he was directing the Bureau ​of Prisons, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other agencies to “reopen a ‌substantially ⁠enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.”
Alcatraz, which opened in 1934, had been billed as America’s most secure prison given the island location, frigid ​waters and ​strong currents. No ⁠successful escapes were ever officially recorded, though five prisoners are listed as “missing and presumed ​drowned.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-seeks-152-million-reopen-alcatraz-active-prison-2026-04-03/

An Israeli ​airstrike on Kfarhata, a village in south Lebanon, killed seven people on Sunday, ‌including a 4-year-old child, Lebanon’s health ministry said in a statement.
Another Israeli attack on the Jnah neighbourhood in Beirut killed four people and injured 39 others, the ministry added.

The strike on Kfarhata followed an overnight evacuation order ​by the Israeli military instructing residents to leave the village.

As Lebanese Christians, who make ​up roughly a third of the population, marked Easter Sunday, the country experienced ⁠one of its most violent days since fighting with Israel erupted early last month.
Throughout the ​day, Beirut echoed with the sounds of strikes and the screech of low-flying planes overhead. The southern ​suburbs of the capital were hit by eight airstrikes, state media reported.
Earlier on Sunday, the Lebanese army said a soldier had been killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon.
On Saturday, the Israeli military issued an evacuation ​warning targeting Lebanon’s Masnaa border crossing with Syria, the main entry point connecting the two ​countries, alleging it was being used by the Lebanese Hezbollah armed group for military purposes.

Lebanon was drawn into the ‌Middle ⁠East conflict when Iranian-backed Hezbollah began to launch rockets at Israel on March 2 in support of Tehran.
Israel has launched strikes on Lebanon and invaded the south in what has become the most violent spillover of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
By late March, more than 400 Hezbollah fighters had been ​killed, sources told Reuters. At ​least 10 Israeli ⁠troops have been killed in southern Lebanon in the same period, the Israeli military has said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/least-11-killed-israeli-airstrikes-lebanon-easter-sunday-2026-04-05/

The airman had a communication device and a tracking beacon with him in addition to a handgun.

When the missing US airman finally made contact from somewhere in the mountains of southwestern Iran, the message he sent was so short and so unexpected that it made Washington suspicious of a possible Iranian trap.

“Sounded Like Something A Muslim Would Say”

Trump told Axios that the weapons systems officer sent a short, unusual message over his radio after ejecting from his F-15E Strike Eagle. “He said: ‘Power be to God,'” Trump said.

“What he said on the radio sounded like something a Muslim would say,” Trump told Axios, adding that people who knew the officer later explained he was a religious person, and that it made sense for him to say that.

A US defence official confirmed Trump’s account to Axios but said the exact phrase used was “God is good.” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth posted the same words on X.

The airman had a communication device and a tracking beacon with him in addition to a handgun. While Iranian and US forces raced to find him, he hid in a mountain crevice, kept moving, and at one point hiked up a 7,000-foot ridgeline to stay ahead of the forces closing in. His location remained unknown even to the United States for more than 24 hours.

The CIA eventually located his hiding place, using what the New York Times described as “unique capabilities” to track him as he moved through mountainous terrain and evaded locals.

Once his precise location was confirmed, the CIA shared it with the White House, the Pentagon and the US military, and a special forces team was inserted nearby on Saturday night.

How The Airman Ended Up In The Mountains

On 3 April, an F-15E Strike Eagle, a twin-engine, two-seat interdiction fighter jet, was shot down over southwestern Iran. The pilot was recovered shortly after the aircraft was hit. The search for the weapons systems officer stretched across two full days.

Announcing the rescue operation, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour.”

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-f-15-pilot-rescue-donald-trump-iran-war-news-3-word-message-that-f-15-airman-sent-to-us-after-iran-downed-plane-11315551?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Gunfire reported near the White House trigger a large overnight security response. Authorities search for a person of interest but find no suspect at the scene. Security stays tight as the investigation continues in Washington DC.

Authorities in Washington DC are looking for a person of interest after reports of gunfire near Lafayette Park, which sits just north of the White House. The incident took place shortly after midnight, prompting a rapid response from federal and local law enforcement agencies.

The United States Secret Service confirmed that officers responded to reports of gunfire in the area overnight. A full search of the park and nearby streets followed. Authorities did not find a suspect at the scene. No injuries were reported.

The White House remained secure during the incident. US President Donald Trump reportedly spent the weekend at the residence at the time. Officials did not release an immediate comment from the White House.

Security teams kept operations running as usual, though they increased protective measures in the surrounding area.

The ongoing conflict in the Gulf, sparked by a US-Israeli offensive against Iran, has severely impacted Pakistan’s economy, leading to high inflation and energy shortages. As Iran retaliates by targeting Gulf nations and closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Pakistan faces dire consequences that are becoming a question for its survival.

The Iran war, that has more became a wide conflict in the Gulf and Middle East, has entered its second month. The offensive first started on February 28 when United States and Israel launched more than 30 bombs eliminating Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, several of his key aides and family members. The two nations together has been hitting Iran, attacking its energy infrastructure, military assets, missile production units, civil nuclear and alleged nuclear weapon sites inflicting very heavy damages to the economy of an already struggling nation. Iran in retaliation is leaving no opportunity to hit back, especially targeting Gulf nations including United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar among others including Israel to pressure the United States. Not just launching missiles, but Tehran has closed down Strait of Hormuz – a strategic energy trade route in the region, brining world oil and gas trade to a standstill. The closure of Hormuz has affected and disrupted almost every nation due to the uncertainty over availability of energy, but Pakistan seems to be the worst hit nation, economically, without even getting directly involved in the war. Not just the Hormuz, but Islamabad is also rattled that the war is showing no signs of deescalation and a thought of sending its troops to Saudi Arabia, flashing like a nightmare.

From high inflation, scarcity over energy security, and a fear that it may be hit next by Tehran is leading to panic-like situation. More than Israel, Iran or America, it is the Pakistan that is pushing for a possible ceasefire by offering to host a meeting of all the stakeholders, displaying that not Tehran, but it is Islamabad that is more eager for a peace deal. But why Pakistan is more desperate for a ceasefire than the actual nations who are fighting against each other including US, Israel and Iran.

Trump’s profanity‑laden warning to Iran has sparked a wide‑ranging reaction in the US with Democrats, media and citizens alarmed by the tone and implications of the message.

As Iran shows no sign of backing down, US President Donald Trump’s frustration is becoming increasingly visible in his public messaging. In a profanity-laced Easter Sunday post, Trump issued a stark warning to Tehran, threatening strikes on key infrastructure if it did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump’s Post Sparks Outrage Across America

The remarks drew strong criticism from political leaders, commentators, and media figures, many flagging both the language and the implications of targeting infrastructure.

Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer, one of the most powerful opposition voices in Washington, criticised Trump in unusually blunt terms.

“Happy Easter, America… the President of the United States is ranting like an unhinged madman on social media,” Schumer wrote on X, warning that such rhetoric risks alienating allies and escalating tensions.

The criticism also came from within Trump’s broader political orbit. Anthony Scaramucci, once a close ally who later turned critic, reposted the message and called for his removal, invoking the 25th Amendment.

“It was at this point that our Founders thought… to remove a mad man who has the executive office,” he wrote.

Even within Trump’s support base, there were signs of unease. Marjorie Taylor Greene, once among his most vocal allies before a public fallout over policy and political differences, urged members of his administration to “intervene”, calling the remarks “madness”.
“On Easter morning, this is what President Trump posted. Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshipping the President and intervene in Trump’s madness. I know all of you and him and he has gone insane, and all of you are complicit,” an excerpt of her X post reads.

US media outlets, including CNN, also highlighted the unusually explicit language. Anchor Jake Tapper read out the remarks on air, warning viewers about the graphic nature of the President’s words and describing them as highly unorthodox for official communication.

Source : https://www.news18.com/viral/potus-is-ranting-like-unhinged-madman-trumps-easter-sunday-iran-warning-sparks-outrage-in-us-ws-l-10015902.html

“Are you a lobster?” is the first question Wang had for the BBC.

He had been so consumed recently by the AI assistant OpenClaw – which in China has earned the name “lobster” – that he wondered if he was talking to AI, rather than a journalist.

After being assured he was not, the young IT engineer explained how he had “fallen deep into” AI and, especially, OpenClaw.

Driven by encouragement from the very top of China’s leadership, the world’s second-biggest economy has embraced artificial intelligence, sparking both curiosity and concern.

OpenClaw, built by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger, is an example of how this is playing out.

Because it is built on open-source data and tech, the code is available to those who want to customise it to work with Chinese AI models. And that is a huge advantage, because Western models such as ChatGPT and Claude are not accessible in China.

So OpenClaw stirred up a frenzy as more people experimented with its code.

Wang was one of them. He did not want to share his full name because of his side gig running an online shop selling digital gadgets on TikTok, which is banned in China.

“Are you a lobster?” is the first question Wang had for the BBC.

He had been so consumed recently by the AI assistant OpenClaw – which in China has earned the name “lobster” – that he wondered if he was talking to AI, rather than a journalist.

After being assured he was not, the young IT engineer explained how he had “fallen deep into” AI and, especially, OpenClaw.

Driven by encouragement from the very top of China’s leadership, the world’s second-biggest economy has embraced artificial intelligence, sparking both curiosity and concern.

OpenClaw, built by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger, is an example of how this is playing out.

Because it is built on open-source data and tech, the code is available to those who want to customise it to work with Chinese AI models. And that is a huge advantage, because Western models such as ChatGPT and Claude are not accessible in China.

So OpenClaw stirred up a frenzy as more people experimented with its code.

Wang was one of them. He did not want to share his full name because of his side gig running an online shop selling digital gadgets on TikTok, which is banned in China.

When he first saw what his “lobster” – built on OpenClaw’s code and altered for his use – could do, he said he was stunned.

Uploading products to the TikTok Shop is a grind: adding images, writing titles and descriptions, setting prices and discounts, signing up for campaigns, and messaging influencers. Usually he can manage about a dozen listings a day.

His “lobster”, which he was still testing, can do up to 200 in just two minutes, he claimed. “It is scary, but also exciting. My lobster is better than I am at this. It writes better, and can instantly compare my prices with every competitor – something I would never have time to do.”

OpenClaw had already exploded in the global tech community – Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called it “the next ChatGPT” and its developer Steinberger recently joined OpenAI.

But the enthusiasm that turned OpenClaw into something “trendy” was “uniquely Chinese”, said Wendy Chang, from the MERICS think-tank.

Wang called OpenClaw “the AI era’s answer for ordinary people”.

Chinese tech giants seemed to agree because they were releasing apps built on OpenClaw. From the southern tech hub of Shenzhen to the capital of Beijing, hundreds of people – from secondary school students to retirees – were lining up outside the headquarters of Tencent and Baidu for free customised versions.

Pepsi has announced it is withdrawing as main sponsor of the Wireless Festival in London this summer after news that Kanye West is to headline the three-day event.

The US rapper, now known as Ye, has drawn widespread criticism for antisemitic comments he made in recent years and for which he issued an apology in January.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said earlier that it was “deeply concerning” West was set to headline Wireless.

In comments first reported by the Sun on Sunday, Sir Keir said that West had been booked “despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism”.

“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears,” the prime minister said.

“Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe.”

West, 48, was announced earlier this week as the headliner for all three days of the rap and R&B festival in north London in July.

The festival is marketed as Pepsi presents Wireless – the brand was the main sponsor.

Drinks giant Diageo has withdrawn its support for the festival “as it stands”. Two of its biggest brands, Johnnie Walker whisky and Captain Morgan rum, had been listed on the Wireless website as partners of the festival.

“We have informed the organisers of our concerns and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival,” a spokesperson for the company said.

As of Sunday evening, the festival website still showed Pepsi, Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan as partners. However, a section giving partner details appeared to have been taken offline, displaying instead an error message which read: “There’s nothing to see here.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said on Thursday that the government should ban West from entering the UK, arguing “we need to get tougher on antisemitism” and describing West’s planned appearance as “extremely serious”.

The Home Office has not yet received an application for West to enter the UK, BBC News understands.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told LBC: “We are seeing a huge increase in antisemitism all across the world and we need to do everything we can in order to stop the rise in hatred of Jewish people.

“That does mean not platforming people who make antisemitic statements or who put out anything that will incite violence and hatred towards Jews.”

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “Personally I wouldn’t buy a ticket.”

Last year West was blocked from entering Australia after releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler”, glorifying the Nazi leader.

He also declared himself a Nazi earlier in the year, retracting an earlier apology he had issued over antisemitic comments, and sold T-shirts featuring a swastika on his clothing website.

In November 2025, West held a meeting with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto where he reportedly apologised for his past antisemitic comments.

He went on to take out a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal in January, apologising for his antisemitic behaviour.

“I am not a Nazi or an antisemite,” he wrote.

He said bipolar disorder meant when “you’re manic, you don’t think you’re sick” and that he had “lost touch with reality”.

“I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state,” he added.

West’s X account was banned multiple times in 2022 due to posts that violated the platform’s rules.

It came after he posted a series of offensive tweets, including an image appearing to show a symbol combining a swastika and the Star of David and saying he would go “death con 3 On Jewish people”.

In the same year, he drew criticism after wearing a “white lives matter” T-shirt during Paris fashion week.

His actions saw clothing brand Adidas part ways with the rapper, which said at the time it does “not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech”.

He has not performed in the UK since 2015 when he headlined Glastonbury.

Three songs from his latest album Bully, released in March, are in the UK’s top 100 singles chart.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp86942yj97o

Fatme A. is trying to maintain some semblance of a normal life in between the improvised tent shelters, stacked mattresses and all the other families sheltered close by.

She is staying in the Azarieh buildings, in the middle of Beirut’s commercial center — the buildings have become a shelter for hundreds of displaced Lebanese. Around 250 families are living here in makeshift tents. There’s water, a communal kitchen and goods distributed by aid organizations. But there’s not much space, let alone peace or privacy.

Fatme spends most of her time inside her tent. She isn’t even that keen to go to the bathroom here. “You have to queue and everybody looks at you,” she confides. “I get embarrassed.”

That’s why she sits inside her cloth shelter, amid bags, blankets and the small number of personal belongings she was able to carry with her when she was forced to flee home.

She lives here together with her husband, their 7-year-old daughter and her mother, sharing what little space they have. Her husband, a carpenter, has been helping others in the building. He repairs, builds and organizes. “Because he is able to help, we managed to get two tents,” Fatme explains.

During the day she tries to carry on as usual. But the nights are more difficult. “The explosions are so loud,” she tells DW. “A lot of people here are afraid and sleep fully dressed.”

Conflict expanding in Lebanon

The Iran war arrived in Beirut some time ago, and lately it has moved from beyond what are recognized as conflict zones to other parts of the Lebanese capital.

Israel has expanded its targeting and has also started hitting areas that are beyond what are known as neighborhoods that support the Lebanese group, Hezbollah — that includes central city areas. Sometimes the Israeli attacks come without any warning.

Hezbollah has both a military and political wing, plays a major role in Lebanese society and politics and is opposed to Israel. The group, which is allied with Iran, is categorized as a terrorist organization by the US, Germany and a number of Sunni Muslim countries. Europe considers Hezbollah’s armed wing a terrorist organization.

At the same time that Israel is attacking from the air, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has also said a buffer zone will be set up inside southern Lebanon and that Israel will keep security control over it even when the Iran war ends.

Katz has said the area to be occupied by Israeli forces would go right up to the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (around 18 miles) from the Lebanese border with Israel. Katz also said all houses in Lebanese villages near the Israeli border would be destroyed.

In response, Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa said Katz’s remarks showed Israel’s “clear intention to impose a new occupation of Lebanese territory, forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of citizens, and systematically destroy villages and towns in the south.”

A joint statement signed by the foreign ministers of 10 European countries, alongside the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas, urged Israel to respect Lebanon’s territorial integrity.

‘Nowhere is safe’

But for Lebanese locals impacted by the Israeli invasion, those words bring no comfort. They feel there is nowhere safe for them at the moment.

“We fled [our homes] but we know that there’s nowhere that’s really safe. But there’s nothing more we can do,” Fatme explains.

Only a few weeks ago, Fatme and her family were living at home in Ouzai in the south of the city. It’s a dense, mixed-use neighborhood that belongs to the part of Beirut known as Dahiyeh.

Dahiyeh — in Arabic, the word simply means “suburb” — is an area that is almost as big as central Beirut itself. Over the past few decades, Dahiyeh has grown thanks to migration and displacement. A lot of people have moved here simply because they couldn’t afford to live in other parts of the increasingly expensive city. Others arrived thanks to war, political crises or a lack of state support elsewhere.

For some outsiders and for Western observers, Dahiyeh is often only seen as a Hezbollah stronghold, a political and military space. But for the people who actually live there it is also a totally normal, often bustling area, filled with shops, restaurants and supermarkets. And above all, it is their home.

“We had a normal family life there,” Fatme recounts. “My daughter went to school, my husband worked as a carpenter and I ran the house. Our life was good there.” The family felt secure and stable, she adds.

No real ceasefire

But in late February the US and Israel began attacking Iran and killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Hezbollah is supported by Iran and had pledged allegiance to Khamenei. At the beginning of March, the group joined the war, explicitly linking their participation to Khamenei’s assassination. They began firing rockets and drones into neighboring Israel and Israel has responded with aerial sorties. Since then, violence and fighting in Lebanon has only escalated.

After fighting started, Fatme’s family got in their car and left. They managed to return to their home twice and stayed there for two nights. But it was clear things were getting more dangerous.

“We were just afraid,” Fatme says, explaining that they decided to leave again, mostly for their daughter’s sake.

“It took me five years to get pregnant,” Fatme continues, saying she was worried about losing her only child. “And my daughter is still suffering from the war in 2024. She is often afraid and scared to go anywhere alone. Whenever there’s any loud noise, she covers her ears.”

Even after the official ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was arranged in November 2024, there was still violence with continuous Israeli attacks, explosions and ever more insecurity.

According to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, and the Lebanese government itself, there were more than 15,400 ceasefire violations by Israeli forces, and more than 370 people killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon by February 2026 — that was despite the November ceasefire.

“The continuing Israeli attacks don’t just destroy houses and infrastructure; they erode the pillars of daily life and recovery,” Jeremy Ristord, head of programs in Lebanon for the group Doctors Without Borders, said in a statement in late February.

That was why Fatme’s daughter was still so scared. The explosions and frightening loud noises never stopped, nor did her fear. For Fatme’s family it was clear they had to leave. They packed only necessities. As they drove away, they still didn’t know where they were heading. They just left.

They ran into heavy traffic jams because other people in the area had had the same idea. At first the family slept in their car but then they managed to find some accommodation in the Azarieh buildings, which have been turned into accommodation for displaced locals.

“I really miss my own home,” Fatme says. “My life, my things, my routine. Just a month ago, everything looked so different. Our lives have been turned upside down.”

Even inside the buildings, Fatme’s daughter still gets scared at loud noises and cries a lot. When that happens, Fatme pulls her closer. “That’s when I forget my own fear and try to comfort her,” she says.

Uncertain future

It’s unlikely that things are going to get better any time soon. At a March 31 meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Tom Fletcher, the UN’s emergency relief coordinator, said 1,240 people had been killed and a further 3,500 injured in Lebanon. That number included women, children and first responders.

At the same time, over 1.1 million people have been displaced, including hundreds of thousands of children.

“A cycle of coercive displacement is unfolding,” Fletcher warned. “Displacement is not a solution, but a painful last resort […] a temporary way to preserve dignity.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/displaced-in-lebanon-lives-turned-upside-down/a-76662137

The army ​said the attack had occurred ‌during Easter celebrations at a church in northwestern Kaduna state. Northwest Nigeria has struggled with violence for years.

“Through a swift response, (troops) have successfully foiled a terrorist attack leading to the rescue of 31 civilians abducted during an Easter church service” in Ariko village, the military said in a statement.

It added that the troops engaged the attackers in a “firefight,” forcing the “terrorists to abandon 31 hostages.”

What else do we know about the church attack in Nigeria?

Local media reported that a Catholic and an evangelical church were attacked.

The chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria for Kaduna state, ​Caleb Maaji, also said that assailants targeted two churches in Ariko village on ⁠Sunday.

​He added that ​seven people were killed and several others were abducted. The military, however, said five victims were found dead at the scene.

The attack in Ariko village, located around 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the capital, Abuja, took place despite the police chief ordering a “massive security deployment” including at places of worship during Easter.

Rising violence in Nigeria

For years, several states in northwest and central Nigeria, including Kaduna, have been terrorized by criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, which carry out mass kidnappings for ransom and ⁠village ​raids.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has continued to see a rise in violence despite the army beefing up security in the region to combat the groups.

In January, for instance, gunmen attacked churches during mass in Kaduna and rounded up more than 170 worshippers.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/nigerias-army-rescues-31-hostages-after-church-attack/a-76675665

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday (Apr 5), after arriving in Damascus alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

The visit follows Zelenskyy’s trip to Turkey on Saturday and a Gulf tour last week, against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East, where he sought to clinch security deals and exchange Ukrainian drone expertise for air defence missiles.

Zelenskyy said in an X post that the two leaders “went over the circumstances of Russia’s war against Ukraine – I am grateful for the support. There is strong interest in exchanging military and security experience.”

“We also touched on Ukraine’s role as a reliable supplier of food products and discussed joint opportunities to strengthen food security across the region,” he added.

Ukraine, which is battling relentless Russian drone and missile barrages daily, urgently needs US Patriot air defence ammunition and fears supplies may sink due to the Middle East war.

Kyiv has therefore sought to leverage its expertise in countering Russian drones, similar to those Iran has used in retaliatory attacks across Gulf nations.

Last week, Zelenskyy visited several Middle Eastern countries and signed defence agreements with Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Russia was a key ally of Sharaa’s predecessor Bashar al‑Assad, now exiled in Moscow, during Syria’s 14‑year civil war, supporting him with airstrikes.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/zelenskyy-meets-syrian-president-damascus-6037811

North Korea previously said that drones sent from the South had violated its airspace, accusing Seoul of a serious provocation and saying it had shot them down.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday (Apr 6) expressed regret to North Korea over a drone incursion that he said was carried out by a South Korean individual without government approval, stressing Seoul’s commitment to preventing future incidents.

“Although it was not our government’s intention, we express our regret to the North over the fact that unnecessary military tensions were caused by the irresponsible and reckless actions of some individuals,” Lee said in a Cabinet meeting.

Lee said an investigation by South Korean authorities found that a National Intelligence Service employee and an active-duty military official were involved in the case, adding that the constitution forbade individual acts of provocation against North Korea.

Pyongyang said in January that drones sent from the South had violated its airspace, accusing Seoul of a serious provocation and saying it had shot them down.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/south-north-korea-drone-incursion-lee-jae-myung-6038151

A MAJOR imbalance in American Idol’s Top 14 has producers quietly sounding the alarm behind-the-scenes, The U.S. Sun has learned.

What should have been a celebratory moment for American Idol has turned into growing concern behind the scenes as the newly revealed Top 14 has exposed a stark gender divide that producers did not see coming.

At the top of this week’s episode, host Ryan Seacrest announced what 14 singing hopefuls would continue in the competition – slashing six people from the Top 20.

The Season 23 Top 14 results skewed heavily male, with only 4 out of the 14 contestant being women – which has sparked fears of an all-men endgame for both the audience and show producers, an insider claimed.

“Production is already discussing how the women who are left can feel highlighted and really shine.

“Worst case scenario will be the women being cut one by one and a Top 8 of all men,” a source close to the show exclusively told The U.S. Sun.

As far as how production will go about the remainder of the season, the source said that there’s only so much they can do to “not give special treatment” to any one individual, but that the women will have their “full support.”

“The show cannot give special treatment to select people – but they will do everything they can to keep the women in the competition.

“This is not what anyone who works at the show wanted – but it’s America’s vote. Their hands are tied.”

The four women who made it through to the Top 14 of Season 23 are: Keyla Richardson, Hannah Harper, Rae, and Kyndal Inskeep.

The 10 men who are still in the running to be the next American Idol are: Brooks, Jesse Findling, Lucas Leon, Daniel Stallworth, Philmon Lee, Jake Thistle, Braden Rumfelt, Julián Kalel, Jordan McCullough, and Chris Tungseth.

The shocking imbalance, which came at the hands of America’s vote and not from judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, or Carrie Underwood, comes during an already messy week for the long-running ABC hit.

Monday night’s episode was supposed to deliver the highly anticipated Top 12 – but instead descended into chaos after technical difficulties disrupted the live voting process.

Producers were left scrambling backstage as the show struggled to verify results in real time, ultimately forcing them to delay the elimination announcement altogether.

Contestants were left in limbo – and insiders say the unexpected hiccup only intensified existing concerns about how the season is unfolding.

Now, producers are said to be quietly strategizing ways to elevate the remaining female contestants – without crossing the line into interference.

“They’re very aware of optics,” the insider added.

“They want the women to stand out and connect with the audience – but they have to be careful. They can’t impact the vote.”

Viewers aren’t staying quiet about the results – with many already calling out the imbalance online and accusing the show of becoming “predictable” and “male-heavy.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tv/16176595/american-idol-top-14-producers-panic-male-contestants/

Last week Trump announced to extend the pause on strikes targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure for an additional 10 days.

In a fresh ultimatum to Iran, US President Donald Trump on Saturday said Iran has 48 hours to strike a deal or reopen the Strait of Hormuz ‘before all hell will reign (rain) down on them’. Sharing a message on Truth Social platform, Trump reminded Tehran of his 10-day deadline over Hormuz blockade.

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out-48 hours before all Hell will rain down on them. Glory be to GOD! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” his post read.

On March 26, US President stated that he is extending the pause on strikes targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure for an additional 10 days, until Monday, April 6, 2026, as part of the ongoing diplomatic talks between the two sides.

In a post on Truth Social, the US President claimed that the announcement comes as per a “request” from the Iranian Government and further stated that the negotiations with Tehran were “going very well”.

“As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time. Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well,” the post read.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters on Friday issued a sharp warning, emphasising that any assault on the country’s bridges, power plants, or energy facilities will trigger severe retaliatory measures.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/48-hours-to-make-a-deal-or-open-hormuz-trumps-reminds-iran-of-deadline-in-fresh-warning-ws-l-10014744.html

The conflict entered its sixth week with scant prospect of peace talks in sight and polls showing low public support in America.

US President Donald Trump has warned Tehran that time was running out on his latest deadline for a deal to end the war, which he said was 48 hours.

According to reports, the Pakistan-mediated talks between the US and Iran to end the war that began on February 28 have stalled. On top of it, the prospect of a US service member alive and on the run in Iran raised the stakes for Washington as a crew member of an F-15E aircraft went missing after Iran downed the US Air Force jet over its airspace on Friday.

The conflict entered its sixth week with scant prospect of peace talks in sight and polls showing low public support in America.

What can happen in the next 48 hours?

A lot can happen in the next 48 hours, as Donald Trump has continued to give out mixed signals about the war. He has been doing that since the conflict began with a US-Israeli bombardment of Iran, switching between hinting at diplomatic progress to making threats to bomb the Islamic Republic “back to the Stone Ages”.

On Saturday, the Republican leader repeated his threats to intensify attacks on Iran if it failed to reach a deal or open the Strait of Hormuz strategic waterway.

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them. Glory be to GOD!” he said in a post on Truth Social.

Israel also followed up on Trump’s ultimatum with a senior defence official saying that Tel Aviv was preparing to attack Iranian energy facilities, and was awaiting the green light from Washington. This seems to be an apparent move to heap further pressure on Tehran.

The timeframe for such attacks would be within the next week, the official told Reuters. Trump has previously threatened to hit Iranian power plants if his demands were not met.

Iran remains defiant

Iran’s leadership has been defiant since the start of the war, although its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, left the door open in principle for peace talks with the US via mediation from Pakistan. But he gave no sign of Tehran’s willingness to bow to Trump’s demands.

“We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to go to Islamabad. What we care about are the terms of a conclusive and lasting END to the illegal war that is imposed on us,” Araghchi said on X.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/what-donald-trumps-48-hour-deadline-means-all-that-can-unfold-in-the-next-2-days-in-us-iran-war-101775330667454.html

US President Donald Trump is seeking $152m (£115m) to reopen the infamous Alcatraz prison as part of his proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year.

Located near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the site, also known as The Rock, was once regarded as one of America’s most notorious prisons, but has served as a tourist attraction in recent years.

The budget request is seeking money “to rebuild Alcatraz as a state-of-the-art secure prison facility”, with funds covering the first year of costs.

The plan has been met with scepticism by a number of politicians in California, with questions raised about the final cost of the project and the challenges of running Alcatraz as an active prison.

The maximum security facility was closed in 1963. As a tourist site, it is currently run by the National Park Service.

Former speaker for the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said the budget proposal from the Trump administration was “absurd on its face and should be rejected outright”.

“Rebuilding Alcatraz into a modern prison is a stupid notion that would be nothing more than a waste of taxpayer dollars and an insult to the intelligence of the American people.”

The request will need to be approved by the US Congress.

Previous criticism of Trump’s plan has pointed to the lack of running water and sewage on the island, and the fact all supplies are required to be brought in by boat.

By the time Alcatraz closed, it was three times more expensive to operate than any other federal prison, according to the US Bureau of Prisons.

Pelosi also raised a concern echoed by other San Francisco politicians, that turning Alcatraz back into a functioning prison would mean the loss of an iconic landmark.

According to the National Park Service, the facility currently brings in $60m (£45m) in revenue as an attraction.

Money being sought to reopen the prison as an active facility is part of a $1.7bn (£1.3bn) investment into the Bureau of Prisons.

Announcing his plans on Truth Social last year, Trump said was directing “the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3dlpk0zzy1o

In mid-20th Century Bengal in eastern India, some of the biggest female stars on stage were actually men.

Foremost among them was Chapal Bhaduri – better known as Chapal Rani – the reigning “queen” of jatra, a travelling theatre tradition that once drew vast, fervent crowds.

Male actors playing female roles were a familiar trope across global theatre, from Europe to Japan and China.

In Bengal, the form flourished in jatra – a rural, open-air spectacle of music, myth and melodrama that often rivalled cinema in reach, though not in rewards. Rooted in epic and devotional storytelling, it played out on all-sided stages, driven by heightened voice, gesture and costume.

In a new book, Chapal Rani: The Last Queen of Bengal, writer Sandip Roy traces Bhaduri’s journey from stardom to obscurity – and, in doing so, captures a vanishing world where gender itself was an act.

For decades, female roles in jatra were played by men known as purush ranis, or male queens.

But even at its height, the form carried a certain stigma.

Colonial-era urban elites in Calcutta, influenced by European tastes, often dismissed jatra as rustic or unsophisticated. A 19th-Century Anglo-Indian journal derided the voices of boys playing women as “discordant”, comparing them unfavourably to “howling jackals”.

By the time Bhaduri entered the stage in the 1950s, that world was already shifting. Women had begun to take up acting roles. The space for female impersonators was narrowing. Still, Bhaduri stood out.

Born in 1939 in north Kolkata to stage actress Prabha Devi, Bhadhuri grew up around performers. He began acting at 16. “I had girlish manners, a girlish voice,” he would later say.

On stage, he transformed. He played queens, courtesans, goddesses and brothel madams with a studied grace.

His costumes were carefully assembled and sometimes improvised. Early on, he used rags to shape the silhouette of his bosom. Later, he turned to sponge. His beauty routine included creams, small rituals in pursuit of an illusion he took seriously.

“Femininity was always a part of me,” Bhaduri said.

His performances were not comic turns or caricatures. They were immersive, often deeply felt. In a theatrical culture where queer-coded characters were frequently played for ridicule, Bhaduri’s work carried a different weight.

Roy writes, “In Indian performing art where playing gay or queer was in the form of characters who are ridiculed, Chapal morphed into a woman and played his roles with honesty and an act of bravery.”

Off stage, Bhaduri’s life was more complicated.

He did not openly identify as gay given the complication of social life in middle class Bengal in the times he lived in. Admiration was not lacking though. He received letters proffering affection and proposals for affairs and offers of relationships came from fans and lovers alike.

Bhaduri was picky and proud but emphatically said, “I refuse to apologise for love.”

His one long relationship lasted over three decades, even as his partner married and had children.

Bhaduri remained on the margins, present, but never fully acknowledged and in the end more of a housekeeper.

The decline of his career came not with a single event, but a series of shifts.

As women became more common on stage, audiences began to reject male actors in female roles. The very convention that had once sustained jatra began to unravel.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the “moustachioed queens of jatra” were pushed out, writes Roy.

Bhaduri experienced that rejection first hand. In one performance, playing an older female role, he was booed off stage with a clay cup thrown at him. The audience, now accustomed to female performers, found his presence unsettling.

Many of Bhaduri’s contemporaries faded into poverty. One former jatra star became a seamstress. Another ran a tea stall and sold peanuts. Some took to manual labour. One died by suicide. Their stories, for the most part, went unrecorded.

Bhaduri survived through odd jobs like cleaning and dusting in libraries and, at one point, performing as the Sitala – a Hindu folk goddess worshipped as the protector against infectious diseases – on the streets, part of a folk tradition where performers offered blessings in exchange for food or small change.

There were brief returns to visibility in the last decade. Bengali filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly cast Bhaduri in his films.

Earlier, in 1999, Naveen Kishore, theatre impresario and publisher of the Kolkata- based publishers Seagull Books, documented Bhaduri’s life in a film and exhibition. A younger generation, encountering him through these works, began to see him differently.

For some, he became a queer elder; a figure who had lived a life outside easy definition.

As Roy writes, “The LGBTQ+ movement was young in India. Hungry for a queer history, it seemed to have seized on Chapal Bhaduri to be its fairy godmother.”

Yet, Bhaduri himself resisted labels. He did not identify with terms like “third gender”. Off stage, Roy notes, he dressed like any other Bengali man in kurta and pyjamas.

That resistance complicates contemporary readings of his life.

“He was a queer survivor,” observes Roy.

Today, as conversations around gender and identity gain visibility worldwide, Bhaduri’s story offers a different lens.

It points to histories of performance where gender was fluid in practice, if not always in name.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0rl52z3dzo

Widespread flooding, landslides and lightning strikes triggered by heavy rain and storms across Afghanistan have left 77 people dead and 137 injured over the past 10 days, the country’s Disaster Management Authority said Saturday.

More rain has been forecast for the coming days throughout Afghanistan, and the authority warned the public to stay away from river banks and areas prone to flooding.

So far this year, dozens of people have died due to extreme weather in Afghanistan, an impoverished country that is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events. Earlier this year, heavy snowfall and flash floods left dozens of people dead across the country.

The recent toll includes 26 people killed over the past 48 hours, the disaster authority said. Overall, 793 homes have been completely destroyed and a further 2,673 have been damaged, while floods and landslides have destroyed 337 kilometers (about 210 miles) of roads, it said.

Businesses, agricultural land, water wells and irrigation canals have also been damaged, with more than 5,800 families affected overall, the authority said.

Several highways connecting the country’s capital to the provinces have also been damaged by floods and landslides, forcing travelers to take long, circuitous routes to reach Kabul, Public Works Ministry spokesman Ashraf Haqshinas said Saturday.

They include the Kabul to Jalalabad highway, which is the main route linking the capital to the Pakistani border and eastern Afghan provinces. A landslide and rockfalls, as well as flooding, shut the highway on Thursday morning, and Haqshinas said crews were working to re-open the road.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-extreme-weather-flood-landslide-rain-storm-750d2cc1d9b4905a41e03c1cefbc1cf0