US defense official overseeing AI reaped millions selling xAI stock after Pentagon entered agreement with company

• US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire on April 8, 2026, ending 38 days of intense conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran involving major military exchanges. • Iran maintained leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route, while the US pushed Iran to negotiations based on Tehran's 10-point framework against Washington's 15-point demands on nuclear activity and regional influence. • Israel rejected parts of the ceasefire scope and continued operations in Lebanon, prompting Iran to warn of withdrawal if attacks persist, highlighting the truce's precarious nature amid high regional tensions.

• Pakistan has positioned itself as a primary mediator between the United States and Iran following the recent Middle East war, leading efforts to end hostilities after Trump's threats prompted a White House reversal. • Peace talks are set to begin in Pakistan on April 10, welcomed by India, as the two-week ceasefire takes hold amid reshaping West Asian strategic landscape. • China supports Pakistan's role, having jointly submitted a five-point truce plan with Islamabad to reopen the Strait of Hormuz before escalation.

Prime minister touches down and says two countries ‘strategically aligned’. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA search for a fisherman who disappeared in waters off Coffs Harbour has been suspended, police said last night.Emergency services were called to Emerald Beach, Coffs Harbour, on Monday following reports that a 32-year-old man had been washed off rocks while fishing.There’s been substantial damage in the Gulf and that will have consequences for a period of at least months ahead. Continue reading...

Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez was hit by more than six bullets, says lawyer, with ICE facing scrutiny over shootingA California man shot by US immigration agents said officials have falsely accused him of being a gang member and that officers fired on him without justification during a traffic stop.Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, 36, was pulled over and shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on Tuesday in Patterson, a rural agricultural town in California’s central valley. Patrick Kolasinski, Hernandez’s attorney, visited him in the hospital on Thursday morning and summarized his client’s comments. Continue reading...

Do No Harm activist group alleges ‘racial discrimination’ in program designed to support under-served communitiesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxConservative campaigners are targeting a decades-old federal scholarship program designed to provide Native Hawaiian students with funding to pursue healthcare careers and place practitioners in the state’s most medically under-served communities.Do No Harm, a Virginia-based advocacy group for healthcare clinicians “focused on keeping identity politics out of medical education, research, and clinical practice”, filed its federal lawsuit challenging the US health department’s Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program (NHHSP) last week. Continue reading...

Advocates warn changes could increase risks of pollutants contaminating water and exposure to toxic wasteThe Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed weakened rules governing the safe disposal of ash produced by burning coal. Those regulations were strengthened under the Biden administration as part of a wider crackdown on pollution from coal-fired power plants.The Trump administration proposed easing standards for monitoring and protecting groundwater near some coal ash sites, rolling back rules forcing the cleanup of entire coal properties instead of just places where ash was dumped. The revisions would also make it easier to reuse coal ash for other purposes. Continue reading...

Panel’s decision a blow to progressives who are unhappy with group’s involvement in Democratic contestsUS politics – live updatesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxWhen it comes to addressing how the party should deal with Israel, the Democratic establishment went to their favorite answer: no thanks.The Democratic National Committee’s resolutions committee voted on Thursday to kill a measure targeting the pro-Israel lobby group Aipac and deferred two further resolutions on Middle East policy to a working group that critics say exists mainly to avoid difficult decisions. Continue reading...

Kremlin proposes 32-hour ceasefire starting on Saturday afternoon – with Ukraine expected to agree to planVladimir Putin has declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, after an earlier call from Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pause.The president’s decree, released by the Kremlin on Thursday, orders Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting on 4pm Saturday and lasting until the end of Sunday. Continue reading...

First lady denies being ‘Epstein’s victim’ and says convicted sex offender did not introduce her to Donald TrumpUS politics – live updatesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxMelania Trump, the first lady, told reporters on Thursday that she “never had a relationship” with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.It was unclear which specific accusations spurred the first lady to respond publicly. She delivered her scripted remarks at a podium in the same room Donald Trump used to address the nation on the war in Iran last week. Continue reading...

Authorities said driver and passenger of car had been arrested after they saw large amounts blood and unresponsive man in the rear seatNorthern California law enforcement pulled over the driver of a Chevrolet Suburban on Easter Sunday morning for a suspected registration violation, and came upon a grisly scene that ultimately led them to two homicide victims.The California Highway Patrol said in a statement that two people, the person driving the vehicle and a passenger, had been arrested in connection with the killings. The passenger attempted to flee when officers stopped the SUV in Clearlake, about 100 miles north-east of San Francisco, but was quickly detained, according to CHP. Continue reading...

Singer, 55, said he had broken his sobriety after three ‘devastating’ bereavements and has not drunk alcohol sinceChico Slimani, a memorable X Factor contestant, was found guilty of drink-driving on Thursday, telling the court that his arrest came just hours after he broke his sobriety.The singer, 55, whose real name is Yousseph Slimani, reached the quarter-final of the TV talent show in 2005, later releasing a No 1 single, It’s Chico Time. Continue reading...