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• President Trump notified Congress that hostilities with Iran have been terminated, marking a significant shift in the ongoing conflict. • The administration stated it is "not satisfied" with Iran's initial proposal to end the war, but negotiations appear to be continuing through diplomatic channels. • Trump considers continued criticism of the US war effort as "treasonous," signaling a hardline stance on national security messaging.

Actors Richard E Grant, Michael Sheen and Bella Ramsey among celebrities hoping for victory this year as BBC’s hit spin-off series returns to screensConsidering the Traitors is a game of murderous treachery played out in a castle, the Shakespearian actors in the cast of the new celebrity spin-off series should be well set.Oscar-winner Richard E Grant, acclaimed actor Michael Sheen and The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey are among the thespians vying for victory this year, all of who have the Bard on their CV. Continue reading...

• The Supreme Court of India granted bail to Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera in a case involving alleged derogatory remarks against a Union minister. • The court flagged possible political motivations behind the FIR filed against Khera, raising questions about the timing and intent of the legal action. • This ruling highlights ongoing tensions between the ruling BJP and opposition Congress ahead of key elections, potentially influencing public discourse on judicial independence.

• The Trinamool Congress (TMC) moved the Supreme Court on Friday for an urgent hearing challenging the Election Commission of India's decision to appoint only central government employees as counting supervisors for West Bengal Assembly elections. • Chief Justice of India Surya Kant directed an urgent hearing for Saturday, with the plea to be heard by a bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi, indicating high-priority consideration of the electoral dispute. • The challenge reflects ongoing political tensions in West Bengal regarding electoral fairness and governance, with TMC opposing what it views as potential bias in vote counting procedures.

• India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections increased 8.7% to ₹2.42 lakh crore, demonstrating continued economic strength despite recent market corrections and global uncertainties. • The strong GST collection figures reflect robust consumer spending and improved tax compliance across India's formal economy, providing crucial revenue for government budgets. • This economic indicator comes amid broader market volatility, with Wall Street posting its best month since 2020, suggesting potential stabilization in global financial conditions affecting Indian markets.

• Singapore and Thailand topped rankings as the world's 'least miserable' economies in the 2026 HAMI index by Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke, due to low inflation, steady employment, manageable borrowing costs, and income growth.• Southeast Asia identified as one of the 'healthiest economic neighbourhoods' globally, with households experiencing minimal economic strain amid positive indicators.• The index highlights regional resilience, contrasting with higher misery levels elsewhere, boosting consumer confidence and investment appeal.• Future editions may track if these trends persist amid global uncertainties.

As a Mast of Fraternity and Memory is unveiled in Nantes, calls are growing for Macron to announce framework for discussionsIn the French port city of Nantes, once France’s largest departure point for ships that trafficked enslaved Africans across the Atlantic, a new wooden mast rises 18 metres into the sky from the waterside.The Mast of Fraternity and Memory, inaugurated this month, marks a turning point in France’s complicated relationship with the legacy of its history of enslavement – just as the French president, Emmanuel Macron, comes under pressure to make key announcements on a process of reparatory justice. Continue reading...

The US sanctions target people operating in broad sections of Cuban economy, including energy, defence and miningCuba’s government has said new sanctions imposed on the island by Donald Trump amounted to “collective punishment”, as an enormous 1 May procession outside the American embassy in Havana vowed to “defend the homeland”.In an executive order on Friday, the US president said he would impose sanctions on people involved in broad sections of the Cuban economy, as he seeks to put more pressure on Havana after ousting Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, earlier this year. Continue reading...

Marvel praises Conway’s ‘undeniable and indelible impact’ of celebrated comic book writer who also worked for DCGerry Conway, a renowned comic book writer who helped create characters and stories for Marvel and DC, including the Punisher character in the Spider-Man comics, has died. He was 73.In a Monday statement announcing his death, Marvel described Conway as a legendary comic book writer with a prolific career. He died of pancreatic cancer on Sunday in Thousand Oaks, California, his wife, Laura Conway, told the Associated Press. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Defense Department announced AI procurement contracts with seven companies: Amazon Web Services, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, SpaceX, and Reflection AI, which raised $2 billion in funding last year. • The AI products will be deployed in Impact Level 6 and 7 Defense Department systems capable of storing classified information, with access provided through an internal portal called GenAI.mil. • Anthropic notably was excluded from the contracts after the Trump administration designated it as a supply chain risk in February, though the Pentagon reportedly continues using Anthropic's Claude Mythos Preview model.

• The Environmental Protection Agency has classified microplastics and antidepressants as drinking water contaminants, responding to advocacy from the MAHA movement and public health concerns. • The classification marks a significant regulatory step in addressing emerging contaminants in U.S. water supplies that have raised concerns among health experts and environmental advocates. • The designation may prompt future regulatory actions to establish drinking water standards and treatment requirements for these substances.

President seemed to suggest that legislative deadline to approve war no longer applies as Democrats push backUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailDonald Trump said in a letter sent to congressional leaders on Friday that hostilities with Iran have “terminated”, suggesting that the 60-day deadline to seek approval from the legislative branch no longer applied.Friday marks 60 days since the US president notified members of Congress that the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28 February. Under the War Powers Act of 1973, the president can deploy troops to respond to an “imminent threat” but must receive congressional approval within 60 days to continue military operations. Continue reading...

PM said the repost was ‘disgraceful’ after Green leader apologised and said he had shared tweet ‘in haste’Keir Starmer has condemned Zack Polanski as “disgraceful” and unfit to head a political party after the Greens leader shared a social media post critical of the way police tackled the suspect in the Golders Green stabbings.The prime minister said any criticism of the police involved in the arrest was unfair on officers having to make split-second decisions in a moment of potentially grave danger. Continue reading...

Israeli foreign ministry denounce ‘shameful act’ after footage shows man pushing woman to the ground and kicking herA video of an attack on a French Catholic nun and archeological researcher in Jerusalem has caused widespread revulsion and has been denounced as a “shameful act” by Israel’s foreign ministry.In the video, a man runs up behind the nun as she walks down a street and pushes her over with force, so that the victim comes close to hitting her head on a block of stone. After walking away a few paces, the attacker, who appears to be Jewish, returns to kick the nun as she lay on the ground and only stops when a passerby intervenes. Continue reading...

Denny Adán González, 33, whose death is being investigated as suicide, is 18th person to die in ICE custody this yearA Cuban immigrant died inside an immigration detention center in Georgia earlier this week, according to a congressional notification sent on Friday and reviewed by the Guardian.The Cuban man, identified as 33-year-old Denny Adán González, died inside the privately run Stewart detention center. His death is being investigated as a suicide. Continue reading...

Leah Spasova from Oxfordshire fought for 10 years to obtain tubal ligation procedure, while men could get vasectomiesAnalysis: questions over how accessible procedure should beA woman denied a permanent form of birth control on the NHS over fears she might regret it, while men were allowed contraceptive procedures, has won her case with the health ombudsman.Leah Spasova, a psychologist from Oxfordshire, spent a decade fighting to obtain female sterilisation at her local trust, a procedure that blocks or seals the fallopian tubes to prevent pregnancy. By contrast, men can undergo a vasectomy, a procedure that stops sperm from being released. Continue reading...

Walkouts, marches and other gatherings planned for ‘May Day Strong’ demonstrations across the countryThousands are set to join an economic blackout for International Workers’ Day on Friday, as part of 3,500 “May Day Strong” events across the country. Organizers are calling for “no school, no work, no shopping” with walkouts, marches, block parties and other gatherings planned into the evening.May Day has long been an annual day of protest for the labor movement, and this year, many active movements are converging to fight for “a nation that puts workers over billionaires”. Demanding no ICE, no war, and taxing the rich, the May Day Strong coalition includes labor unions, immigrants rights groups, political organizations such as the Democratic Socialists of America, and the organizers behind the No Kings protests. Friday’s economic disruption builds on a similar coordinated effort out of Minnesota in January, when tens of thousands of Twin Cities residents took off from school and work to flood the streets in protest of federal immigration agents storming the city. Continue reading...

Pete Hegseth argued that a ceasefire agreement with Iran more than three weeks ago ‘means the 60 day clock pauses, or stops’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxHello and welcome to our live coverage of the day.Today marks 60 days since the Trump administration notified Congress that it was carrying out strikes on Iran – meaning that under the War Powers Act of 1973, today is the deadline for Donald Trump to either end the Iran war or seek congressional authorization to extend it.Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington DC, released edited security-camera video of the incident at the White House correspondents’ dinner amid questions about whether or not the suspected gunman, Cole Allen, fired his weapon before being subdued. While the video shows four muzzles flashes from the agent’s gun as he fired at Allen, it was not immediately clear that it does show Allen discharging his weapon after he pointed it at the agent.Sean Curran, the director of the US Secret Service, told Fox News that Allen was stopped not by secret service gunfire, but by a box used to transport a metal detector, which he tripped over.Congress has passed a 45-day extension of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a law that grants US intelligence agencies warrantless spying powers.Trump has threatened to withdraw troops from Spain and Italy, two countries that countries have been vocally critical of his war in the Middle East. This comes after Trump suggested reviewing US military presence in Germany after the country’s chancellor said America was being “humiliated” by Iran. Continue reading...

Rise of 3% in April, the fastest annual pace in 11 months, leaves typical property worth £278,880, says NationwideBusiness live – latest updatesHouse price growth in the UK has surprised estate agents and economists by jumping in April at the fastest annual pace in 11 months, according to Nationwide.The UK’s biggest building society said its mortgage data showed that house prices unexpectedly rose by 3% in April on a year earlier, from 2.2% in March, leaving the typical UK property worth £278,880. Continue reading...

• Maine Governor Janet Mills announced on Thursday that she will withdraw her planned Senate bid, removing herself from the Democratic primary and effectively clearing the way for state Senator Ben Chipman to enter an open contest. • Mills cited family considerations and the toll of a high‑profile Senate race as key reasons, saying that Maine “needs steady leadership” in the governor’s office as she continues her second term. • Her exit reshapes the state’s political map, likely sparing Democrats from a bruising intra‑party primary in a state that has recently trended purple in national elections.

• A Pennsylvania state court ordered election officials to draw a new congressional map by June 2026, ruling that the current Republican‑backed map unlawfully diluted the voting strength of Black and Latino communities in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. • The judge found that the existing districts concentrated minority voters into a handful of “safe” Democratic seats, limiting their influence in neighboring competitive districts and violating state constitutional protections for equal representation. • The decision threatens Republican hopes of holding a narrow House majority in 2026 and could force the legislature into a court‑supervised redistricting process if lawmakers cannot agree on a replacement map.

• The U.S. Congress passed a 45‑day stopgap extension of a controversial law granting warrantless surveillance authority under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, giving lawmakers more time to debate limits on bulk data collection. • The extension narrowly averted an automatic lapse of the surveillance regime, which intelligence officials say underpins roughly half of the National Security Agency’s counterterrorism and counter‑espionage operations. • Civil‑liberties groups criticized the short‑term fix, arguing that the U.S. government continues to collect vast amounts of Americans’ digital communications without individualized warrants, while the White House pressed Congress to restore full Section 702 powers.

• The Trump administration has announced 'Operation Economic Fury,' implementing a comprehensive blockade against Iran as part of an expanded sanctions campaign. • The initiative represents a significant escalation in economic pressure against Iran, marking a shift in US foreign policy toward more aggressive measures. • This action comes amid broader geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and follows months of diplomatic tension between the US and Iran.

Essa Suleiman charged after two men stabbed in north London, say police Essa Suleiman has been charged with attempted murder after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London, on Wednesday, the Metropolitan police has said.The 45-year-old has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place over the incident, police said. Continue reading...

• Meta reported $107bn in contractual commitments for Q1 2026 cloud services to fuel AI model development. • Aggressive investments include datacenter expansions and supply chain deals for AI hardware components. • Company expects AI breakthroughs later in 2026, pushing to monetize advanced research.

President Lula’s veto of the bill was overturned by Brazil’s congress and senate, meaning it now awaits confirmation by supreme court Brazil’s largely conservative congress has approved a bill reducing the prison sentence of the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted last year of attempting a coup.The bill had initially been passed by congress in December, but president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva vetoed it in January in a symbolic move marking three years since Bolsonaro supporters ransacked the capital, Brasília. Continue reading...

Lawmakers agree 45-day extension but Republican and Democratic critics urge reform of surveillance programThe US Congress has passed a 45-day extension of a law that grants US intelligence agencies warrantless spying powers.Bitter infighting over section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in the Republican wing of Congress has repeatedly tanked conservative leaders’ plans to renew the controversial surveillance law for multiple years. The deadlock continued on Thursday, as the Republican House speaker Mike Johnson refused to include key reforms pushed by hardliners in his party and progressive Democrats. Continue reading...

Coroner says none of the five civilians killed in incident in Belfast during Troubles should have been shotBritish army soldiers “lost control” and used force that was “not reasonable” in the killing of five civilians in Northern Ireland in 1972, an inquest judge has ruled.Four of the victims – two teenagers, a father of six and a Catholic priest – posed no risk when they were shot in the Springhill and Westrock areas of west Belfast on 9 July 1972, Mr Justice Scoffield said on Thursday. Continue reading...