Put away the Aperol and raise a glass to Hugo spritz, the drink of the summer

• The IDF issued warnings on April 2, 2026, of potential coordinated rocket attacks by Iran and Hezbollah toward Israel as rocket sirens sounded across the country on Passover eve. • Hezbollah reported a top commander killed in a Beirut strike, escalating tensions amid broader Middle East conflict. • This development heightens risks of multi-front escalation, directly impacting US ally Israel and regional stability critical to American interests.

Ticket bought in Bexley expires after 180-day claim period, despite extensive search for holderFor someone in south-east London the thought of winning the lottery and becoming an overnight millionaire would have been a wonderful dream. Now, however, that dream is a nightmare after missing the deadline to claim a jackpot of more than £10m.National lottery players have 180 days to claim their winnings, but are entitled to nothing after the deadline has passed. Despite an “extensive search”, the national lottery said no valid claim had been made for a jackpot worth £10.6m for a Lotto ticket bought in Bexley on 4 October last year. Continue reading...

Havana calls releases a humanitarian Holy Week gesture as Russian tankers allowed to reach oil-starved islandCuba has announced plans to pardon 2,010 prisoners as a “humanitarian” gesture during Holy Week, amid heightened US pressure on the government in Havana.The announcement on Thursday came days after Donald Trump eased a de facto oil blockade of Cuba by allowing a Russian tanker to deliver crude oil to the nation. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Group of MPs and animal charities call for end to practice after Scotland and Wales vote to phase it outKeir Starmer is coming under pressure from backbench Labour MPs to ban the “cruel” practice of greyhound racing.The Welsh and Scottish governments voted last month to phase out the practice. Animal welfare groups say thousands of dogs in the UK have died in recent years owing to racing in the “inherently dangerous” sport. Continue reading...

Decision came after hearing in which Subramanyam Vedam, 64, said he didn’t kill Thomas Kinser when he was 19A judge has cleared the way for the potential release of an Indian citizen who was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody last year after his Pennsylvania murder conviction was overturned following four decades in prison.The decision came the day after the four-hour hearing in which Subramanyam Vedam insisted he did not fatally shoot Thomas Kinser in 1980 and was questioned by a US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lawyer. Vedam participated in the hearing remotely from the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. Continue reading...

Trump announced deputy attorney general, who was his former personal attorney, would act up until permanent replacement is confirmedPam Bondi’s swift dismissal on Thursday underscores a reality that has met Trump loyalists from Jeff Sessions to Kristi Noem – no amount of loyalty is enough to save oneself from being dumped by Donald Trump.Since the president assumed office last year, there have been few people more important to his effort to remake government than Bondi, his longtime friend. Continue reading...

For this year’s Formula Student competition, the UK’s most prestigious university team are designing the fastest race car possible At the Oxford Brookes Headington campus, more than 100 students are busy building the fastest, best designed race car possible for this year’s Formula Student competition.Oxford Brookes Racing (OBR) is the UK’s most prestigious Formula Student team. They’ve won more design awards than any UK university, and frequently occupy the international race’s top spots. Continue reading...

Biggest rises were in vegetable oil and sugar prices, which increased by 5% and 7% respectivelyVisual guide to the Gulf fertiliser blockadeFood prices rose sharply in March as war in the Middle East drove up energy prices and freight costs around the world, a UN report says.An index of food commodity prices by the UN’s food and agriculture organisation increased by 2.4% in March, its second consecutive monthly rise. Continue reading...

St Michael’s Mount and the people who live near it are still healing from the scars left by storm’s 100mph windsThree months after Storm Goretti battered St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, the signs of the storm’s power are still evident in the scars left by uprooted trees, piles of logs and the shaking of heads from islanders who have lived there for decades and never seen the like.“It really was something,” said Jack Beesley, a senior gardener. “We were shocked the morning after when we saw what had happened. We had been caring for these trees for years and to see so many of them down was very sad. We’ve worked hard to get the place ready for the Easter visitors but it will still be a month or more until we’re back straight.” Continue reading...

Bondi and Kristi Noem the only two cabinet members to be removed despite string of scandals involving male officialsDonald Trump has been accused of running a “misogynistic administration” after making Pam Bondi the second woman to be fired from a cabinet already dominated by men.The US president dismissed the attorney general on Thursday amid mounting frustration with her performance, especially over the release of files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...

Country is torn between those who hope for end to Tehran’s influence and those loyal to Islamic republicOf all the countries being pulled into the US-Israeli war on Iran, it is Iraq – a country that still bears the emotional and physical scars of the last time the Americans tried to reshape the region by force – where the conflict has exposed some of the deepest rifts.The war is dividing those who see the attacks on Iran as a way to end Tehran’s longstanding influence over Iraqi politics from the self-declared loyalists of the Islamic republic, and cutting through state institutions, armed forces and Shia Islamist parties. Continue reading...

Min Aung Hlaing seized control five years ago and plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaosMin Aung Hlaing, the military general who plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaos when he took power in the 2021 coup has been appointed president, months after widely condemned sham elections.Min Aung Hlaing, who is wanted by the prosecutor of the international criminal court for crimes against humanity against the Rohingya Muslim minority, was voted president by lawmakers on Friday. Myanmar’s parliament is dominated by the pro-military party, which won a landslide in one-sided elections earlier this year. Continue reading...