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• Pennsylvania Film Commissioner Gino Anthony Pesi announced that the state has awarded $117 million in tax credits to a record 59 film and television projects for 2025-2026. • These productions are expected to inject $1.11 billion into the economy and create 11,700 jobs across 35 different counties. • High-profile projects receiving funding include season 5 of Paramount’s *Mayor of Kingstown*, season 3 of Netflix’s *Tires*, and the second season of HBO’s *Task*.

• The Netherlands equaled their record for the most goals scored in a single FIFA World Cup match, netting five goals for the fourth time in their history. • This performance marks the most goals the Dutch have scored in a World Cup game since their 5-1 victory over Spain in 2014. • Sweden became the first team since Türkiye in 1954 to win by four or more goals (5-1 vs Tunisia) and subsequently lose by four or more in the same tournament.

John Ray, 17th-century botanist who coined words petal and pollen, was a tutor at Cambridge when he created his first gardenHe coined the terms petal and pollen, helped to lay the foundations of modern biology and is widely regarded as the greatest English naturalist of the 17th century.But it was while he was a young college tutor at Cambridge in the 1650s that the botanist John Ray – also known as “the father of natural history” – created his first known garden and began to systematically study plants for the first time. Continue reading...

ABF’s bakeries arm would be likely to exit the market entirely if the deal did not proceed, CMA findsBusiness live – latest updatesThe owner of Kingsmill’s £75m deal to buy Hovis to create the UK’s biggest bread brand has been cleared by the competition watchdog.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled that Associated British Foods’ proposed takeover of Hovis did not raise competition concerns because if the deal did not go ahead “the most likely outcome” would be ABF’s bakeries arm leaving the UK market entirely. Continue reading...

Some titles that once backed the Tories now ‘flirting with Farage’ as they try to gauge where readers standIt was a Mail on Sunday headline with all the ferocity usually reserved for general elections, directed squarely at a political opponent. But in this case, the traditionally Conservative-supporting title was not targeting Labour.The party in its crosshairs was Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain, the vehemently rightwing outfit that regards Nigel Farage’s Reform UK as too weak on deporting migrants. Continue reading...

• Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director and President of Microsoft India Development Center, stated in a blog post on Thursday that AI will create more job opportunities than it disrupts. • Kumar highlighted that the rapid evolution of technology is significantly shortening the lifespan of technical skills, necessitating a shift toward continuous learning. • The shift emphasizes the importance of engineers upskilling and adapting their workflows to collaborate effectively with AI technology rather than being replaced by it.

• Industry experts warned at a regional forum in Tokyo on Thursday that the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence is escalating cybersecurity risks across Asia. • AI is being used to create more sophisticated and harder-to-detect threats, specifically ranging from advanced scams to high-quality deepfakes. • These evolving methods are creating a significantly larger negative impact on businesses, as traditional security measures struggle to keep pace with AI-driven attacks.

David Rush, who was arrested in May, stole millions from US government through ‘special access program’, officials sayA former executive intelligence agent who is accused of stealing more than $40m in gold bars from the CIA reportedly created a fake spy program to siphon money, the latest on his fraudulent activity, the Washington Post first reported.David Rush, who was a senior-level employee of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for 17 years, was arrested in May after FBI agents discovered Rush had taken 303 bullion bars, each about 2.2lbs, dozens of luxury watches, and more than $2m in foreign currency from his government office. Continue reading...

Growing numbers of people are seeking improbable cosmetic surgery based on chatbots’ recommendationsPlastic surgeons are increasingly concerned about the rise of “AI face”, as more and more clients arrive in their offices with unrealistic AI-generated visions of what they want to look like.Dr Nora Nugent, a cosmetic surgeon from Tunbridge Wells, has seen this first hand. Clients have started coming to her office with photos of themselves beautified by AI and a false expectation that those results are achievable with surgery. She is also the president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, and says many colleagues are having similar experiences. Continue reading...

• France is seeking to join a joint British-German initiative to develop long-range missiles capable of striking deep into Russian territory, according to the Financial Times. • Trilateral negotiations regarding Paris' accession to the missile program are expected to take place soon to strengthen European defense capabilities. • Separately, Norway's Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård has expressed interest in a plan to facilitate the rapid transfer of military personnel and equipment across the EU during crises.

DHS issued ‘Bolo’ for Ben Palmer, whose videos of calls with members of the public who thought they were reporting immigrants went viralThe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has circulated a “Be on the Lookout” alert to law enforcement nationwide, targeting a comedian whose satire of US immigration enforcement went viral.The subject of the alert, known as a “Bolo”, was Ben Palmer, a Nashville-based standup comedian and prankster who created a parody anti-immigration tip website. His revealing videos of calls with members of the public who thought they were reporting immigrants to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have garnered millions of views on TikTok and YouTube. Continue reading...

• Google Threat Intelligence Group announced its first detection of a zero-day exploit generated using artificial intelligence, marking a significant cybersecurity milestone. • The proactive measures by Google's team successfully prevented a mass exploitation attempt, though specific details on the vulnerability or attacker were not disclosed. • This development highlights the growing risks of AI-assisted attacks, potentially accelerating the need for AI-native defenses in the cybersecurity landscape.

• Asia's diverse economic stories across countries are generating attractive opportunities in fixed income markets despite geopolitical headwinds. • Regional credit markets have shown strong resilience weathering recent stresses related to US-Iran ceasefire uncertainties and oil price volatility. • Investors are targeting these discrepancies for yield advantages as central banks navigate inflation and rate paths differently.

Exclusive: Push to register unaffiliated party with identical name to grassroots group follows Avi Yemini’s plan to use ‘Free Palestine party’ to funnel votes to One NationGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMuslim Votes Matter (MVM) has complained to the Victorian Electoral Commission over an anonymous bid to register a political party under the same name ahead of the state election, accusing it of deliberately misleading voters.MVM was established before the 2025 federal election as a grassroots advocacy and lobbying movement, responding to concerns about the lack of political representation for Muslim and minority groups in Australia. Continue reading...

Comedy debuts at Versailles featuring dialogue, music, costumes and scenery created with help of AI tool Le ChatEurope live – latest updatesMolière is to the French, what Shakespeare is to the English; the last word in historical literature, drama, wit and satire.Now, more than 350 years after his death, the 17th century dramatist has been revived after scholars at the Sorbonne University in Paris used artificial intelligence to help write an experimental play in his style. Continue reading...

Acquisition would result in combined company serving about 9.6 million households if given regulatory approvalBusiness live – latest updatesThe German energy group E.ON has agreed to buy struggling UK rival Ovo in a deal that would create Britain’s biggest gas and electricity supplier.The combined company will serve about 9.6 million customers, overtaking the market leader, Octopus, which serves almost 8m households in the UK. Continue reading...

Wes Streeting says legislation in King’s Speech will save lives, but GPs are concerned about liability for errors introduced by other providersGPs and hospitals will be required to share patient data under legislation to be announced in the king’s speech on Wednesday.Legislation to create a single patient record (SPR) for each person, which would be used across all healthcare providers, is part of a £10bn digitisation of the health service. Continue reading...

After backlash, including from actor and avid golfer Mark Wahlberg, state says ‘we’ve worked to increase offering from 9 holes to a 12-hole course’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSydney golfers will be able to play on a 12-hole course in the inner city after the state government compromised on its plan to halve Moore Park’s 18-hole golf course to create more public green space.The Minns government announced on Thursday its final plan for the 45-hectare Moore Park golf course site after a years-long battle over its future. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Scale model found in Christo’s studio leads to London realisation of internally lit Package on a CeilingChristo once wrapped up the Reichstag, suspended a curtain across a Colorado valley and covered up the Pont Neuf in Paris. Now, six years after the artist’s death, a London gallery is to create a monumental installation he designed in 1968, using a detailed scale model and drawings that had been presumed lost until their chance discovery.Christo had imagined a vast, internally illuminated suspended form, like a cloud, but technical constraints meant the plan was never brought to fruition. Continue reading...

Cryptocurrency ATMs also face ban, after public inquiry found Canada lacked anti-money-laundering strategyCanada is to establish a new and powerful law enforcement agency to investigate financial crime, in stark contrast to the US, where weakened federal investigators have struggled to pursue fraudsters and the White House has pardoned convicted money launderers.A bill to create the Financial Crimes Agency (FCA) completed its first reading in parliament this week. The legislation was introduced by the governing Liberals and with their parliamentary majority, the party is likely to move the it through both levels of government quickly. Continue reading...

Royal Navy chief says unified naval force will deter future Russian threats from the ‘open sea border’ to the northBritain has agreed to create a unified naval force with nine European countries to deter future Russian threats from the “open sea border” to the north, the head of the Royal Navy has announced.Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins insisted that despite the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, where the strait of Hormuz remains closed after the US-Israel war in Iran that “Russia remains the gravest threat to our security”. Continue reading...

Home secretary is challenging high court decision that PA’s proscription interfered with freedom of speechThe ban on Palestine Action has created a “culture of fear” among those campaigning for Palestinian rights and judges were right to deem it unlawful, the court of appeal has heard.Shabana Mahmood is challenging the high court’s decision in February that Palestine Action’s proscription, the first of a direct action protest group, represented a “very significant interference” with the rights to freedom of speech and assembly. It also found that the ban, which remains in place pending the appeal, was a breach of the home secretary’s own policy on proscription. Continue reading...

Critics hit out at ‘dire’ situation in the country which has the strictest laws around abortion in western EuropeRights campaigners have affixed lockboxes containing abortion pills to sites across Malta, in a campaign designed to highlight the country’s near-total ban on abortion.The 15 black boxes aim to provide practical help to women grappling with the EU’s strictest abortion laws; anyone who is less than nine weeks pregnant and in need of an abortion is invited to send an email to obtain the location and codes to access the pills. Continue reading...

Section of state’s electoral act that introduced caps on political donations but carved out an exemption for major parties ruled unconstitutional The high court has ruled Victoria’s political donation laws are unconstitutional, in a move that has been described as “enshrining a level playing field”.The unanimous decision, handed down by Australia’s highest court on Wednesday, struck out an entire section of Victoria’s electoral act that introduced caps on political donations but carved out an exemption for major parties. Continue reading...

Record temperatures led to colourful displays of tulips, hyacinths, wisteria and daffodils as gardeners prepare for showsColourful tulips, hyacinths, wisteria and daffodils have made a remarkable display across England after a heatwave followed by a cold snap caused excellent conditions for spring blooms.There were record temperatures last week in many parts of the UK as the country recorded one of the hottest April days in the last 80 years. Continue reading...

Developing countries face possible shelving of crucial green action plan at IMF and World Bank spring meetingsGovernments desperate for cash to protect their citizens from the growing impacts of the climate crisis are being put in a “beyond absurd” situation this week at global finance talks: they are being urged not to mention the climate, even as they address the current oil crisis.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) spring meetings take place this week amid a fragile ceasefire in Iran and upended geopolitics. One of the priorities was to forge a new “climate change action plan” (CCAP) for the world’s biggest provider of funds to developing countries, to replace the current strategy, which expires in June. Continue reading...

Customers make hundreds of thousands of dollars as records show substantial bets made before announcementA group of new accounts on the prediction market Polymarket made highly specific, well-timed bets on whether the US and Iran would reach a ceasefire on Tuesday, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits for these new customers.These bets were made even though, in the hours before a two-week ceasefire was announced on Tuesday, Donald Trump’s rhetoric had escalated sharply and there were few signals that a ceasefire deal was imminent. Early in the day Trump had issued a warning on social media that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not meet his demand to open the Ssrait of Hormuz by his 8pm ET deadline. Continue reading...

New unitary councils will replace 43 counties and districts under latest round of local government overhaulFifteen new councils will be created in the south and east of England under the latest round of a major local government overhaul, aimed at boosting economic growth and accelerating mass housebuilding plans.The new unitary councils will replace 43 counties and districts across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Hampshire, with hundreds of councillors’ roles axed. A decision on future arrangements for East Sussex and West Sussex has been delayed. Continue reading...