Friday

In today’s newsletter: ​Global powers​ are focused on oil markets and elections​ but those living through conflict in the Middle East feel abandonedGood morning. It’s been another week of brinkmanship via Truth Social and ceasefires broken before they’ve been announced.While US president Donald Trump claims an agreement with Iran could happen soon, for those living in the Middle East it does not feel like peace is anywhere near. People have seen more bombs dropped in Lebanon this week; and the death toll continues to rise, national economies falter, and displacement abounds.UK politics | Andy Burnham has signalled he would begin transforming the broken social care system this year if he became prime minister, he has said in an interview with the Guardian, accusing Westminster of “flinching away” from tackling difficult policy problems.Environment | Humanity can raise living standards, reduce inequality and keep global heating within a 2C rise, according to a sweeping vision for planetary survival.Ukraine | The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has called for face-to-face negotiations in a public letter addressed directly to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.England news | The poorest and most nature-deprived communities in England will be further left behind in their access to green spaces if proposed changes to planning laws go ahead, a report finds.UK news | Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received private income from subletting three cottages on his Windsor Royal Lodge estate while paying a “peppercorn rent” to the crown estate, a report into royal property arrangements has revealed. Continue reading...

• Indian equities closed largely unchanged as persistent tensions in West Asia dampened investor risk appetite and caused market oscillations. • Broader markets showed resilience and outperformed despite recent corrections, signaling strength in specific segments. • Market analysts have identified 23,500 as a critical resistance level, with key support established between 23,200 and 23,300.

• A diverse range of new movies and shows are launching this Friday across major streaming platforms including Netflix, JioHotstar, Prime Video, and ZEE5. • Key releases include the Tamil thrillers *Kara* and *Leader*, the Malayalam family drama *Cousins & Kalyanams*, and the courtroom comedy *Jolly LLB 3*. • Genre-specific highlights feature a unique superhero experience with *Spider-Noir* and a biographical look at tennis star Rafael Nadal in the project *Rafa*.

• Indian equity benchmarks closed marginally lower for the second straight session, as declines in the energy, IT, and financial sectors outweighed gains in auto stocks. • Technical analysts, including Vatsal Bhuva of LKP Securities, note that the Nifty 50 recently broke out above the 23,800 congestion zone, suggesting improving market momentum. • Market experts expect the Nifty to remain range-bound for Friday's session, identifying immediate support at 23,800 and resistance between 24,000 and 24,100.

In today’s newsletter: As the virus spreads across borders, health workers warn that weakened global support is making a prolonged crisis more likelyEbola is spreading rapidly in parts of east Africa. The deadly disease, which kills around half of those it infects, is suspected to have claimed the lives of at least 240 people since the outbreak began in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this month.Public health officials are scrambling to contain the virus in one of the toughest environments: Ituri province, the centre of the crisis, is a mining hub where thousands of people work in close proximity every day, and a conflict zone, with ongoing fighting between rebel groups. Medical facilities are modest, while waves of displaced people are being forced into overcrowded camps to escape fighting, making it even harder to control transmission. The virus has already spread to other regions in eastern DRC and the Ugandan capital Kampala.UK news | Britain risks a financial hit worth £125bn a year after a rise in the number of young people not in employment or education to more than 1 million.US-Israel-Iran | Donald Trump has circulated a draft peace agreement for the war with Iran among allies including Israel as both sides try to prevent fresh breaches of the ceasefire escalating out of control.UK politics | Andy Burnham has rolled back from his previous calls for ministers to scrap a restriction on immigrants claiming benefits as the Makerfield byelection places greater scrutiny on him.Ukraine | A Russian drone that was part of an overnight attack on Ukraine crashed into an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people, authorities said, in what an official statement condemned as an “irresponsible escalation” by Moscow.Climate crisis | Abandoning net zero and drilling for more oil and gas would be a massive setback for the UK and would not help the economy, leading experts have said in response to Tony Blair. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: As ​the polls tighten a​​round Benjamin Netanyahu, the coming months may redefine Israel’s political order without resolving its most entrenched conflictsGood morning. On Wednesday, Israeli legislators took the first steps towards dissolving parliament and calling fresh nationwide elections. Leading leftwing Knesset member Yair Golan hailed it “the beginning of the end of the worst government in Israel’s history.” Benjamin Netanyahu has spent 20 of the last 30 years as Israel’s prime minister, the last four of which have seen him helm a far-right coalition.Under the incumbent government, settlement building in the illegally occupied West Bank has accelerated, while many international humanitarian NGOs have been banned from the Palestinian territories. Following Hamas’s killing of 1,200 Israelis on 7 October 2023, Netanyahu has orchestrated a campaign of violence in Gaza, wiping out more than 10% of the population, and flattening the strip in what the UN has declared a genocide. Netanyahu remains on trial for three counts of corruption.UK news | The parents of a girl critically injured in the Southport attack were allowed no more than 12 counselling sessions after the atrocity, while others described a “woeful” lack of support.UK politics | Sadiq Khan has blocked a £50m Metropolitan police deal with the controversial US tech company Palantir, sparking a bitter row between the London mayor and Scotland Yard.Israel | Israel has said it has deported all the foreign activists it seized from a Gaza-bound flotilla, after a global outcry over their treatment in custody.UK news | Single-sex toilets and changing rooms in England, Wales and Scotland must exclude transgender men and women, according to a new code of practice from the equalities watchdog.Ukraine | Ukrainian drones hit the Syzran oil refinery more than 800km inside Russia, setting it on fire, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday. Continue reading...

• SpaceX scrubbed the launch of its upgraded Starship rocket from Texas on Thursday after multiple countdown pauses caused by fuel temperature and pressure issues. • The company plans to retry the launch this coming Friday following the technical delays that occurred seconds before the planned liftoff. • Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Cuba that the U.S. remains focused on changing the island's communist system.

Thames at Ham designated as one of 13 new swimming areas across England to be monitored for water qualityThe first designated bathing water area on the River Thames in London will welcome swimmers for the official start of the bathing season on Friday as one of 13 new monitored swimming areas across England.The Thames at Ham, in south-west London, has been designated as a new river bathing water area after campaigners gathered evidence to show thousands of people use the river for swimming throughout the year.Canvey Island foreshore, EssexEast Beach at West Bay, Bridport, DorsetFalcon Meadow, Bungay, SuffolkGranville Parade Beach, Sandgate, KentLittle Shore, Amble, NorthumberlandNew Brighton Beach (east), MerseysideNewton and Noss Creeks, DevonPangbourne Meadow, BerkshireQueen Elizabeth Gardens, Salisbury, WiltshireRiver Dee at Sandy Lane, Chester, CheshireRiver Fowey in Lostwithiel, CornwallRiver Swale in Richmond, YorkshireRiver Thames at Ham and Kingston, Greater London Continue reading...

The scorching heat means parts of the UK could also be warmer than Sydney, Buenos Aires or TunisYou might expect sunshine in Australia, Tunisia or Argentina, but those staying in the UK are likely to see hotter weather, with some parts of the country expected to reach the high 20s before the bank holiday weekend.Temperatures in London and East Anglia could reach 27C on Friday, the Met Office said, marking the warmest day of the year so far. The scorching heat means parts of the UK could be warmer than Sydney, Buenos Aires or Tunis, where highs of between 24C to 22C are forecast. Temperatures could also exceed those in Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, where highs of 26C are predicted. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: The events in Golders Green this week are the latest in a line of attacks on the Jewish community that have led many to question their future in the UKGood morning. It is a terrible fact of life for British Jews that few were surprised by Wednesday’s knife attack in Golders Green, north London, in which two men were stabbed in an area home to a large Jewish community. A 45-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder.The incident is the latest in a string of antisemitic attacks, on people and property, that have struck fear into many British Jews in recent years. John Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, said many in the community are at “breaking point” and feel the UK is no longer a safe place for them to live.Iran | Iran’s supreme leader has broken his recent silence with a defiant statement hailing Iran’s control over shipping in the strait of Hormuz and vowing to guard the country’s nuclear and missile programmes.Environment | Governments have been asked to develop national “roadmaps” setting out how they will end the production and use of fossil fuels, after a landmark climate meeting involving nearly 60 countries.UK news | Winston Marshall, a former member of the band Mumford & Sons and the son of the GB News co-owner Paul Marshall, has said Britain should construct a mine-laden “floating wall” to stop small boat crossings on the Channel.Counter-terrorism | More and more young people are being drawn into the world of violent extremism, a senior police officer has warned, as a young neo-Nazi was convicted of planning a mass gun attack after being caught in an undercover MI5 sting.UK economy | The Bank of England has left interest rates unchanged at 3.75% but said the UK may need to brace for increases later this year, as “higher inflation is unavoidable” as a result of the war in the Middle East. Continue reading...

• Taylor Swift revealed a new surprise album titled 'Evermore Sessions' during her Eras Tour stop in Los Angeles on April 5, featuring 15 re-recorded tracks and collaborations with Bon Iver and The National. • The announcement came via a live Instagram post to 280 million followers, with pre-orders spiking 500% on iTunes within hours, reaching No. 1 globally. • Fans and critics hail it as a bridge between folklore and evermore eras, potentially breaking streaming records amid Swift's dominant 2026 chart presence.

Ray Blanchette admits he may be a ‘little crazy’ as he outlines chain’s hopes of building 1,000 outlets globally“I am a little crazy maybe,” admits Ray Blanchette, a former TGI Fridays kitchen manager who has taken on the revival of the bar-restaurant chain’s UK business in the face of blasting industry headwinds.Blanchette’s family investment firm, Sugarloaf, rescued the Dallas-based parent business from administration in 2025. He then went on to pick up its UK arm in January after the local franchisee got into difficulties, retaining 33 UK restaurants but closing 16, with the loss of 456 jobs. Continue reading...

• U.S. equity markets closed for Good Friday, but S&P 500 futures fell 0.3%, Dow futures dropped 0.2%, and Nasdaq futures declined 0.4% early Friday after a robust March jobs report showing 178,000 additions and unemployment at 4.3%. • WTI crude surged 11.4% to $111.54 per barrel on Thursday amid fears of prolonged Iran conflict, while Brent crude jumped 7.8% to $109.03, with President Trump vowing continued U.S. attacks without an end timetable. • A BMI report warns extended Middle East conflict threatens infrastructure, disrupts Strait of Hormuz oil flows, and delays postwar recovery, spilling price impacts into later 2026.

In today’s newsletter: Bereaved families say the latest findings confirm long-standing concerns about capacity, care and political choicesGood morning. Yesterday lunchtime the UK Covid-19 inquiry published its latest findings – this time on how the NHS, its staff and patients were affected during the pandemic. It delivered a stark verdict: the health service “teetered on the brink of collapse” and only avoided it through the “almost superhuman efforts” of staff.Heather Hallett, the inquiry chair, said healthcare systems “coped, but only just” – and rejected the claim made by Conservative ministers at the time that the NHS had not been overwhelmed. For bereaved families, that language matters.Middle East | Iran said it would show “zero restraint” if its energy infrastructure was targeted again as Qatar revealed that almost a fifth of its liquefied natural gas export capacity had been knocked out in an Iranian strike.Health | Meningitis vaccination has been expanded in Kent after cases linked to a Canterbury nightclub rose to 27. Two people have died, and officials say the outbreak is being contained.Politics | Muslim leaders have condemned Nigel Farage’s call to ban public prayer by Muslims in the UK as bigoted and warned of a “growing tide of hate” after Kemi Badenoch questioned whether the events fitted “within the norms of British culture”.EU | EU leaders have pledged to stand behind Cyprus as it seeks “an open and frank discussion” on the future of the British bases on the island, which have become a target after the outbreak of the latest Middle East crisis.Immigration | A 16-year-old schoolgirl is stranded in Denmark after she was not allowed to board a flight to the UK due to new border rules on dual nationals. Continue reading...

Massive storm tracking a path to Queensland coast, which intensified offshore Thursday morning to category five, fuelled by warm waters in Coral SeaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSevere Tropical Cyclone Narelle is expected to make landfall in far north Queensland on Friday morning as a monster category four storm, bringing destructive wind gusts in excess of 225km/h, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.The severe cyclone rapidly intensified over the past 48 hours and on Thursday morning had built to a category five storm that was barrelling west, sitting about 500km east of the small town of Coen. Continue reading...

The WNBA and its players' union made significant progress in labor negotiations, scheduling the next session for Friday after productive discussions on key issues. Players are pushing for improved salaries, health benefits, and pension plans amid the league's rapid growth. Union president Nneka Ogwumike stated, 'We're closer than ever to a fair deal that reflects our value.' The outcome could impact the 2026 season structure and free agency rules, with both sides expressing optimism for an agreement soon.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average held near 46,702 on March 13, 2026, but is down 1.6% for the week as investors take profits following strong early-year gains. This resilience contrasts with sharper Nasdaq (-0.6% week-to-date) and S&P 500 (-1.1%) drops amid rising oil and geopolitical concerns. The trend reflects normal market consolidation, with analysts viewing it as healthy after rallies in tech and semis. Upcoming focus remains on global oil flows and regional ceasefire talks.

The WNBA and its players' union held 15 hours of advanced negotiations starting Thursday at 11 a.m. ET, making progress on core and peripheral issues without public updates from WNBPA Exec Dir Terri Jackson or Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Talks, totaling nearly 40 hours this week, continued into pre-dawn Friday with increased urgency after the league's March 10 deadline passed, threatening the regular season start. Sources indicate Friday's session mirrors the momentum, as the league builds toward a pivotal moment. Players stand to secure a brighter future if a deal seals soon.