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• Beamte untersagten Pavel Talankin die Mitnahme der Statuette für Mr Nobody Against Putin auf einen Flug von New York • Melden Sie sich für die Breaking News US-E-Mail an, um Newsletter-Alerts in Ihrem Posteingang zu erhalten • Die Oscar-Statuette von Pavel Talankin, Star und Co-Regisseur des Oscar-prämierten Dokumentarfilms Mr Nobody Against Putin, ist verschwunden, nachdem Beamte am New Yorker John F Kennedy Flughafen sie vor dem Boarding beschlagnahmten, da sie als Waffe verwendet werden könnte.

Die ehemalige stellvertretende Premierministerin hat seit ihrem Rücktritt im vergangenen September einen schmalen Grat zwischen Loyalität und Interventionismus beschritten. Es ist fast acht Monate her, dass Angela Rayner das Kabinett aufgrund ihrer Steuerangelegenheiten verlassen hat, doch manche würden behaupten, dass ihr Einfluss auf die Regierung nicht verschwunden ist. Und bald könnte sie zurückkehren, sei es als Keir Starmers Retterin oder vielleicht als seine Usurpatorin. Es gibt zunehmende Spekulationen, dass der Premierminister eine kleine Kabinettsumbildung vornehmen könnte, primär um Rayner zurückzuholen, seine ehemalige Stellvertreterin und eines der politischen Schwergewichte von Labour. Weiterlesen...

• Die Federal Reserve stimmte am Mittwoch dafür, den Leitzins für Federal Funds unverändert bei 3,5 % bis 3,75 % zu belassen, und führte Bedenken hinsichtlich steigender Inflation angesichts des Krieges im Iran an. • Dies bedeutet die Fortsetzung der Pause der Fed bei den Zinsanpassungen nach drei aufeinanderfolgenden Senkungen um jeweils 25 Basispunkte im September, Oktober und Dezember 2025. • Fed-Vorsitzender Jerome Powell wird voraussichtlich um 14:30 Uhr ET eine Pressekonferenz abhalten, um die Entscheidung zu erläutern, was seine letzte Zinsbekanntgabe als Vorsitzender der Federal Reserve sein könnte.

Sophie Corcoran fordert die 10,000 Interns Foundation heraus, die mit Menschen aus unterrepräsentierten Gruppen arbeitet • Eine Influencerin zieht eine Wohltätigkeitsorganisation, die Praktika für schwarze Menschen und ethnische Minderheiten organisiert, vor Gericht, da diese keine Programme für weiße Menschen anbietet. • Sophie Corcoran, eine Kommentatorin von GB News, bewarb sich für ein Programm, das die 10,000 Interns Foundation gemeinsam mit dem Bar Council durchführte. • Sie sagte, sie sei „schockiert gewesen festzustellen, dass das Programm auf Bewerber mit einem bestimmten rassischen Hintergrund beschränkt ist“.

• Präsident Donald Trump und König Charles hielten gemeinsame Erklärungen zur historischen „besonderen Beziehung“ zwischen den USA und Großbritannien ab. • Die Diskussion fand im Rahmen der Vorbereitungen für die Feierlichkeiten zum 250. Jahrestag der Vereinigten Staaten statt. • Die Ansprache des Königs vor dem US-Kongress enthielt politisch aufgeladene Botschaften, was Analysen über deren Auswirkungen auf Trump auslöste.

• US-Präsident erklärt angesichts jüngster Spannungen zwischen beiden Nationen, dass die Amerikaner „keine engeren Freunde als die Briten hatten“ • Donald Trump lobte die „besondere Beziehung“ zwischen den USA und dem Vereinigten Königreich während eines zeremoniellen militärischen Empfangs für Charles und Camilla im Weißen Haus. • Vor dem Hintergrund jüngster Spannungen zwischen London und Washington sagte der US-Präsident am zweiten Tag des Staatsbesuchs von König Charles: „In den Jahrhunderten seit unserer Unabhängigkeit hatten die Amerikaner keine engeren Freunde als die Briten.“

• Autofahrer sind gezwungen, bis zu sechs Stunden auf Treibstoff zu warten oder höhere Preise auf dem Schwarzmarkt zu zahlen, während Landwirten der Brennstoff für den Betrieb von Maschinen und die Ernte von Feldfrüchten fehlt.

One Nation outperforms the Coalition for the first time, while the rightwing populist party’s leader has a positive rating among all age groupsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA majority of surveyed Australians approve of Pauline Hanson’s leadership of One Nation, giving her a higher job approval rating than Anthony Albanese and Angus Taylor, as the Guardian Essential poll finds the rightwing populist party is outperforming the Coalition for the first time.The results come as Australians are becoming more pessimistic about the country and the economy, with the majority of respondents saying they expected things to get worse in coming months. Continue reading...

Transition and legal handover of hospital from private operator Healthscope to NSW Health occurs at 7am on WednesdayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSydney’s Northern Beaches hospital is officially entering the public system, ending a troubled eight-year public-private partnership, although uncertainty about the future of private services remains.The transition and legal handover of the hospital from private operator Healthscope to New South Wales Health will occur at 7am on Wednesday. The New South Wales health minister, Ryan Park, said it was a “historic day”. Continue reading...

Former chief of staff who helped bring Mandelson out of Labour shadows for Washington post to be questioned by MPs on vetting processLike many Labour stories, Peter Mandelson’s and Morgan McSweeney’s both start at Lambeth council.Mandelson was in his mid-20s. It was 1979, and he was a new councillor under the leadership of “Red” Ted Knight. He came to despise the local party, describing the Lambeth Labour party’s leadership as “contributing very little to the economic development of south London, instead politicising everything, attacking the police and the Tory government, and making the council go broke.” Continue reading...

The prime minister faces a standards investigation over Mandelson affair and testimony from Morgan McSweeneyKeir Starmer has told Labour MPs to “stick together and fight together” as ministers launched a massive operation to shore up his fragile position before a critical day for his premiership.The prime minister faces the double threat of a standards investigation into his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US and a potentially damaging testimony from Morgan McSweeney, his former chief of staff. Continue reading...

Germany’s chancellor suggests Trump administration is being outwitted at negotiating table by TehranThe US is being “humiliated” by Iran’s leadership, according to Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor, who suggested the Trump administration was being outwitted at the negotiating table by Tehran.Two days ago Donald Trump cancelled a trip by US negotiators to Islamabad for indirect talks with an Iranian delegation. A previous round in the Pakistani capital two weeks earlier, when JD Vance, the American vice-president, led the US delegation, broke up without progress. Continue reading...

• UN International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated that the blockading of ships in the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Iran conflict has turned international shipping and seafarers into leverage in geopolitical disputes. • The crisis highlights how vessels and crews, not involved in the conflict, are being caught up in hostilities between the United States and Iran, disrupting global trade routes. • This development underscores critical weaknesses in global shipping networks, potentially leading to supply chain disruptions, higher costs, and risks to maritime security worldwide.

• China's military conducted unannounced exercises Friday involving naval destroyers and fighter jets near Taiwan's east coast, hours after the US approved a $619 million weapons package for the self-governing island, defense officials on both sides confirmed. • The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued formal diplomatic protests, characterizing the US arms sale as a violation of the one-China principle and warning of "serious consequences" for continued military support to Taiwan. • Taiwan's defense ministry said it is prepared to defend against any military aggression and praised the US commitment; regional analysts warned the escalating military posturing raises risks of unintended conflict.

Sabrina Crawford among those refused because of rule change, which now also affects children of immigrants born in ItalyIn 2025, after a long and arduous journey in her attempts to gain Italian citizenship, including a pivotal genealogical research trip to a village in Calabria, US-born Sabrina Crawford was hoping to fulfil her lifelong dream of building a life in Italy as she edged towards the final hurdle of the bureaucratic process.But her plans were scuppered when Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government enacted a law stopping access to Italian citizenship via distant ancestry. Since May last year, only those with a parent or grandparent who was an Italian citizen at birth, and who did not take on dual nationality, are eligible to apply. Continue reading...

• U.S. Men's National Team fell 3-2 in overtime to Czechia on April 22 in preliminary round of IIHF World Championship. • Goals by American forwards kept game close, but Czechia netted winner late. • Team USA advances to face next opponent Friday, aiming for quarterfinal berth.

• OpenAI and Microsoft announced an expanded cybersecurity partnership aimed at combating emerging cyber threats in the AI era. • The two companies plan to deploy advanced artificial intelligence tools to enhance security capabilities across their platforms. • This collaboration reflects the growing recognition that AI-powered security solutions are essential to address increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

US president says Tehran hobbled by infighting as Pentagon reportedly briefs mine clearance may take six monthsMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has again said that the US has “total control over the strait of Hormuz,” adding that Iran’s leadership was so hobbled by infighting that it was unclear who was in charge.But the US president’s claim seemed questionable in the face of the seizure of two container ships by Iranian commandos and a US report warning it could take six months to clear the strait of mines. Continue reading...

John Phelan firing caused by poor relationship with Pete Hegseth and slow movement on shipbuilding, sources sayThe Trump administration fired its top naval official on Wednesday in a move unrelated to the ongoing naval blockade of Iran’s strait of Hormuz, but instead over over an internal dispute about shipbuilding.The Pentagon confirmed that John Phelan, who ran a private investment fund in Florida and was a Donald Trump donor, had been ousted as the navy secretary. His departure – the first of any service secretary in the Trump administration – came in the same week Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps seized two container ships in the strait of Hormuz, claiming maritime violations and transferring them to Iranian shores. Continue reading...

Government advisers call for review of rules that cause loss of household income when a child takes up job training Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are abandoning valuable job training opportunities because of a little-known welfare “apprenticeship penalty” that can leave their families out of pocket by as much as £340 a week.The problem is caused by benefit rules that classify a 16-year-old apprentice as an “independent worker” who no longer requires parental support. As a result, the parents’ child benefit and child and disability elements of universal credit are withdrawn. Continue reading...

Standoff between Iran and US continues as both impose blockades of critical shipping waterway Iranian forces have seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz, as the US and Iran doubled down on imposing separate blockades of the critical shipping waterway that have choked global energy markets.The standoff over the narrow waterway – through which about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through during peacetime – raised doubts about whether stalled peace negotiations would resume. Continue reading...

• SpaceX's Starship completed its 15th integrated flight test on April 21, achieving full-stack booster catch at Starbase, Texas, and a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean for the Super Heavy upper stage. • The mission marked the first successful reentry and splashdown of Starship with active thermal management systems, demonstrating technological readiness for crewed lunar missions planned for 2027. • Flight duration extended to 68 minutes with multiple payload bay experiments conducted, including deployment of prototype satellite constellations and in-space refueling demonstrations.

• Wolverhampton Wanderers were mathematically relegated from the Premier League to the Championship on Monday, ending their eight-year tenure in England's top flight. • The relegation was confirmed after Wolves' goalless draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, with West Ham's result sealing their fate. • The demotion marks a significant setback for the club, which will compete in the second tier starting next season.

• US naval forces seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Iran to label the action as 'bullying behaviour' and 'act of piracy'. • The operation occurred two days before a two-week ceasefire with Iran was set to expire, amid fragile diplomatic efforts and threats of retaliation. • Tehran insists on securing freedom of navigation in the strait, vital for one-fifth of global oil trade, before engaging in US talks, heightening energy security risks.

• Iran launched drone attacks targeting US warships in retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. • The strikes mark a sharp escalation, with both sides issuing warnings as a fragile ceasefire nears expiry and diplomacy falters. • Fears mount of wider regional conflict disrupting global oil flows through the world's critical waterway.

Despite his explanation and the need for political stability, the PM is still unpopular – and Olly Robbins has yet to give his side of the storyLabour MPs frustrated with the lack of a clear mission from Keir Starmer’s No 10 have often urged the prime minister to be more forceful in his arguments, to prosecute his values, to find an enemy to define himself against.The prime minister has found one: Olly Robbins. Starmer prosecuted his case against the former Foreign Office chief on Monday with the vigour of his former life at the bar. Continue reading...