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Families under pressure to stay silent amid internet blackout as executions reportedly surge with 24 killed in MarchMiddle East crisis – live updatesIran is carrying out near-daily executions of prisoners in secrecy and, in some cases, refusing to hand the bodies of the dead to their families, according to rights groups and sources close to the relatives of the dead.Many families only learn of executions after they have been carried out, with some facing harassment and pressure not to speak publicly on the personal impact of the state killings, the sources said. Continue reading...

Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers breakout, will play legendary chef in a 70s-set drama from BlackBerry’s directorThe first trailer for the Anthony Bourdain biopic, Tony, has been released giving us a sweary look at the late food icon’s younger years.Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers breakout, plays 19-year-old Bourdain as he gets his first job in a kitchen in mid-70s Cape Cod. Continue reading...

Motorists are forced to queue up to six hours for fuel or pay more on the black market, while farmers lack fuel to operate machinery and harvest crops.

Rabbis Charley Baginsky and Josh Levy say criticising Israeli government is not disloyalty but a Jewish obligationThe UK’s most senior progressive rabbis have warned that Israel’s current political direction risks becoming “incompatible with Jewish values”, while insisting that criticism of the country’s government is “a Jewish obligation” rather than an act of disloyalty.Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, co-leads of Progressive Judaism – the newly formed movement representing around a third of synagogues in the UK – said Israel’s trajectory could pose an “existential threat” not just to the country itself but to Judaism. Continue reading...

• The U.S. daily COVID-19 case average increased by 13.3% over the past week, though hospitalizations continue to decline according to federal data. • About 48,000 patients are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, representing a decrease of nearly 104,000 patients over the past eight weeks, with hospital admissions down 11.7% weekly. • Alaska has the highest infection rate in the nation, followed by Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming, while Puerto Rico, Florida, and Hawaii report the lowest rates.

Newspaper broke embargo on confidential briefing note about the royal couple’s movements five days before they arrived in Melbourne for their Australia visitThe Daily Mail’s “aggressive” approach to reporting on Prince Harry and Meghan’s Australian visit has “irreparably damaged” the Sussexes’ ability to brief press ahead of trips, Guardian Australia has been told.The Daily Mail broke the embargo by publishing the royal couple’s movements five days before they landed in Melbourne, despite that information being strictly non-publishable until they arrived. Continue reading...

• The Nasdaq achieved its 12th consecutive daily gain on Thursday, marking the longest winning streak since July 2009, as easing Middle East tensions and strong corporate earnings sustained broad market momentum. • The S&P 500 closed at a new record of 7,041.28, while the VIX declined to 17.94, reflecting reduced market volatility amid improved geopolitical sentiment. • TSMC's blowout Q1 results—with net profit rising 58.3% year-over-year to a record level and revenue of $35.9 billion—added significant momentum, confirming sustained AI-driven chip demand across the technology sector.