Ben

• जिन लोगों के meniscus tears की सर्जरी हुई, उनमें 10 साल बाद सर्जरी न कराने वालों की तुलना में घुटने की कार्यक्षमता खराब और osteoarthritis की स्थिति अधिक खराब पाई गई। • 10-year trial सुझाव देता है कि cartilage damage के लिए की जाने वाली एक सामान्य घुटने की सर्जरी मरीजों को लाभ नहीं पहुँचाती है और इससे परिणाम और भी खराब हो सकते हैं। • इस अध्ययन में meniscus tear के लिए इलाज कराने वाले मरीजों के परिणामों को ट्रैक किया गया, जिन्हें partial meniscectomy दी गई थी, जो सबसे आम orthopaedic surgeries में से एक है। उनके परिणामों की तुलना उन मरीजों से की गई जिन्हें रैंडम तौर पर “sham surgery” देने के लिए चुना गया था, जिसमें कोई भी प्रक्रिया नहीं की गई थी। आगे पढ़ें...

• New York City Council चुनाव में, Zohran Mamdani के समर्थन पर संदेह जताया जा रहा है क्योंकि incumbent कम पोल रेटिंग और विभाजित आधार (split base) के कारण संघर्ष कर रहे हैं। • खराब आंकड़ों के बावजूद, अडिग उम्मीदवार एक centrist प्रतिद्वंद्वी के लिए पीछे हटने से इनकार कर रहा है। • यह स्थानीय चुनाव राष्ट्रीय निहितार्थों के लिए शहरी राजनीति में बदलते Democratic समीकरणों का संकेत देता है।

• Virginia के मतदाताओं ने मामूली अंतर से Democratic समर्थित कांग्रेस के Redistricting प्लान को मंजूरी दी, जो कई Republican Incumbents के लिए खतरा पैदा करता है। • यह कदम प्रमुख जिलों में सीमाओं को फिर से निर्धारित करता है ताकि Democrats को लाभ हो, जिससे 2026 midterm चुनावों का संतुलन बदल जाएगा। • तटीय क्षेत्र की Redistricting की यह लड़ाई निष्पक्ष मानचित्रों और दलीय लाभ को लेकर राष्ट्रीय तनाव को दर्शाती है।

• कंपनियों ने पिछले हफ्ते कहा कि वे अगले साल से कर्मचारियों के लिए पैरेंटल लीव और अन्य लाभों में कटौती करेंगे। • श्रम बाजार विशेषज्ञों के अनुसार, अमेरिकी कंपनियों Deloitte और Zoom द्वारा कर्मचारियों को दी जाने वाली सवैतनिक पैरेंटल लीव (paid parental leave) को कम करने के हालिया कदम कॉर्पोरेट अमेरिका में लाभों में एक बड़ी कटौती का संकेत हो सकते हैं। • यह माना जाता है कि अमेरिकी श्रमिकों के पास दुनिया भर के, विशेष रूप से यूरोप के अपने समकक्षों की तुलना में कम लाभ और श्रम सुरक्षा है। पढ़ना जारी रखें...

• पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री ने कहा कि कीमतों में निरंतर गिरावट के बिना ऐसी नीतियों का समर्थन कम हो जाएगा, जबकि मैल्कम टर्नबुल ने अमेरिका में कुछ प्रगति की ओर इशारा किया। • केविन रूड ने हरित उद्योगों के लिए डोनाल्ड ट्रंप द्वारा समर्थन में की गई कटौती को "दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण" बताया है, और चेतावनी दी है कि यदि स्वच्छ ऊर्जा संक्रमण (clean transition) लोगों के जीवन में ठोस लाभ नहीं पहुँचाता है, तो ऑस्ट्रेलियाई इसे "बकवास" मानेंगे। • हालांकि, अमेरिका में ऑस्ट्रेलिया के राजदूत के रूप में अपना कार्यकाल समाप्त करने के बाद अपनी शुरुआती टिप्पणियों में पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री ने कहा कि यदि जलवायु नीतियां सस्ती कीमतें, विश्वसनीय ऊर्जा आपूर्ति और रोजगार के नए अवसर प्रदान करती हैं, तो वे दीर्घकालिक रूप से प्रभावी रहेंगी।

Roberts-Smith, who has denied five charges of war crime murder, says he was always going to attend: ‘I never thought about not coming’Booing has marred Anzac Day commemorations in Melbourne and Sydney, while on the Gold Coast, the Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith attended the dawn service at Currumbin Beach.One man was arrested at the Sydney dawn service at Martin Place, where there was a small but noisy interjection of booing during the Indigenous acknowledgement of country. Continue reading...

Former soldier says he will ‘pay my respects’ at commemoration in Queensland where he has been living since being released on bailGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBen Roberts-Smith will attend an Anzac Day service in Queensland on Saturday morning, describing the day as “sacred” to him, the first commemoration since he was criminally charged.Roberts-Smith, the recipient of the Victoria Cross and once one of Australia’s most lionised soldiers, faces five charges of the war crime of murder, allegedly committed during his service with the SAS in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. Continue reading...

Partner of soldier accused of war crimes says the couple discussed possibility of moving overseas to ‘create some normalcy in our lives’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBen Roberts-Smith was planning to leave Australia to live overseas and had a business class flight out of the country booked in four days’ time when he was arrested at Sydney airport this month, court documents allege, with investigators telling a court “his willingness to return to Australia to face prosecution cannot be judged”.Roberts-Smith was ultimately granted bail last week under strict conditions, a move opposed by prosecutors who said there was potential concern he was a flight risk and might try to avoid ever having to face trial for a series of alleged murders he committed in Afghanistan. Continue reading...

Government advisers call for review of rules that cause loss of household income when a child takes up job training Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are abandoning valuable job training opportunities because of a little-known welfare “apprenticeship penalty” that can leave their families out of pocket by as much as £340 a week.The problem is caused by benefit rules that classify a 16-year-old apprentice as an “independent worker” who no longer requires parental support. As a result, the parents’ child benefit and child and disability elements of universal credit are withdrawn. Continue reading...

• Florida center Rueben Chinyelu announced his entry into the 2026 NBA Draft on April 22, maintaining his college eligibility to return if undrafted. • The decision follows teammate announcements five days prior, positioning Chinyelu as a promising big man prospect. • This move highlights growing trend of college athletes testing NBA waters without burning eligibility, impacting draft strategies.

The rural Texas region, long spared, is being fast-tracked for the border wall amid bipartisan oppositionTractors suddenly appeared at the entrance to Chispa Road near the US-Mexico border in rural Big Bend, Texas, in late March. Contractors informed Yolanda Alvarado, a cattle rancher, that they were starting work to upgrade the rough county dirt road there into a “highway” – the first step needed for semi trucks to haul the 30-foot steel pillars used to build Donald Trump’s border barrier.“That fence line, that’s where the wall is going to be,” said Alvarado, hopping out of the front seat of her flatbed truck at the gate to the family property located directly along the path of the proposed wall. Continue reading...

• The New York Giants traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the No. 10 overall pick in the NFL Draft, less than two weeks after Lawrence requested a trade. • The deal gives the Giants two first-round picks, opening numerous draft options ahead of this week's selections. • This blockbuster move shakes up draft projections and bolsters Cincinnati's defensive line with Lawrence's elite talent.

Former SAS corporal allegedly placed man on his knees and ordered fellow soldier to shoot him, according to statement of factsAustralian soldiers have told prosecutors they executed unarmed civilians at the orders of Ben Roberts-Smith or in complicity with him, according to a statement of facts tendered to the New South Wales local court.Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient and once one of Australia’s most lionised soldiers, faces five charges of the war crime of murder, allegedly committed while he served in the Australian SAS in Afghanistan.Each victim was unarmed and present in a location where Roberts-Smith could reasonably have suspected insurgents to be located;Each offence was committed in a situation where there was no active engagements with enemy forces and the Australian Defence Force was in control of the environment;Evidence was planted or falsely associated with each deceased to enhance reporting that each of the killings were within the lawful rules of engagement;Each deceased was handcuffed, detained for a period, and questioned prior to their execution;None of the deceased was killed in a situation where the Australian Defence Force did not have effective control of the battlespace. Continue reading...

Former SAS soldier charged with five counts of war crime murder to learn whether he will be be released from Silverwater prisonFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBen Roberts-Smith was planning to move overseas – and had not told authorities investigating him – when he was arrested at Sydney airport last week, at Sydney court has heard.Roberts-Smith made a bail application before Judge Greg Grogin in Downing Centre local court Friday morning. Continue reading...

• Ben Jealous has publicly opposed the NAACP board's decision to terminate his leadership, characterizing the move as "disheartening" and signaling his intent to challenge the removal. • The termination represents internal conflict within the nation's oldest civil rights organization over strategic direction and governance. • The leadership dispute within the NAACP reflects broader debates within civil rights organizations about activism, funding, and political alignment.

Analysis by IFS shows George Osborne’s mortgage schemes launched in 2013 had little effect on social mobilityHigher-income households were the biggest beneficiaries of George Osborne’s Help to Buy mortgage schemes, introduced in the 2010s, according to an analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) thinktank.Launched by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government in 2013, Help to Buy involved two separate schemes aimed at making home ownership more achievable in a period of rapid house price growth. Continue reading...

As president Patrice Talon steps down after a decade, the west African country’s finance minister is favourite to winThis Sunday, just four months after a failed coup, Benin heads to the polls for a presidential election that feels more like a coronation than a contest.Patrice Talon, the businessman turned politician who has been president since 2016, is ineligible to run again after serving two five-year terms. Continue reading...

Conservative leader promises biggest peacetime rearmament effort in UK history if her party is re-electedThe Conservatives would reinstate the two-child benefit cap and use the savings for a wide-ranging spending splurge on defence in what Kemi Badenoch said would be “the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in our country’s history”.Speaking at a defence conference in London, the Tory leader criticised the government for Britain’s “lack of readiness” for war, which has been exposed by recent world events. Continue reading...

Study that reportedly found reduction in ER visits and hospitalizations being reviewed by Jay BhattacharyaA Trump administration appointee has delayed publication of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that shows benefits related to the Covid vaccine, leading to concerns that the administration is engaging in behind-the-scenes tactics to undermine vaccines.Research by CDC scientists found that the Covid vaccine cut the likelihood of emergency room visits and hospitalizations for healthy adults last winter by about half, according to reporting from the Washington Post. The acting CDC director, Jay Bhattacharya, reportedly delayed the report’s publication due to concerns surrounding the research’s methodology. Continue reading...

Text on plaque in Hall of Valour updated to include references to war crime – murder charges and the ongoing legal processThe Australian War Memorial has updated the display dedicated to Ben Roberts-Smith after the former Special Air Service (SAS) corporal was officially charged with five counts of the war crime of murder.The changes, implemented on Friday, mean nearly half of the descriptive plaque in the museum’s Hall of Valour is now dedicated to events occurring after his military service, beginning with the initial reports of misconduct in 2016. Continue reading...

Rhun ap Iorwerth launches party’s manifesto and says he is unconcerned by Reform UK threat in Welsh electionsUK politics live – latest updatesPlaid Cymru’s leader has promised “no more bending to Westminster’s will” as the nationalist party stands on the brink of taking office for the first time in next month’s Senedd elections.Speaking at Plaid Cymru’s manifesto launch in Wrexham on Thursday – chosen because of its football team, which has showcased Wales’s potential to the world – Rhun ap Iorwerth told a packed room of supporters there would be “no more toeing the London party line, no more defending the status quo and no more saying no to Wales”. Continue reading...

Liberal MP makes first public comments since Australia’s most decorated living soldier, whom he served alongside, was charged with war crimes The Liberal MP, Andrew Hastie, says Ben Roberts-Smith is entitled to the presumption of innocence but “none of us are above the law” in his first public comments since Australia’s most decorated living soldier was charged with war crimes.Hastie served alongside Roberts-Smith in Afghanistan and was among the 21 Special Air Service (SAS) who gave evidence in the defamation case he brought against the Nine newspapers. Continue reading...

Delo, pardoned by Trump after violating US banking law, describes himself as champion of free speechA British billionaire convicted in the US for failing to implement adequate anti-money-laundering controls in his cryptocurrency business has given £4m to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.Ben Delo, 42, who is now based in Hong Kong, wrote in the Telegraph that he had made the donation since the start of the year, before the government’s cap on donations to political parties by British citizens living abroad. Continue reading...

Australia’s richest person questions cost and time spent investigating former soldiers as pockets of support emerge for Victoria Cross recipientFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, says “I don’t understand” the justification for prosecuting Ben Roberts-Smith for alleged war crimes, as pockets of high-profile support emerge for the Victoria Cross recipient.Roberts-Smith was arrested in Sydney on Tuesday and charged with five counts of “war crime – murder” in relation to alleged offences in Afghanistan between April 2009 and October 2012. He is yet to enter a plea but is expected to defend the charges. Continue reading...

Former SAS soldier and Victoria Cross-recipient, who has always denied wrongdoing, did not immediately apply for bail on WednesdayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s most decorated soldier, Ben Roberts Smith, has not applied for bail and will remain in custody after being charged with war crimes.The former SAS soldier and Victoria Cross-recipient was expected to make his first court appearance on Wednesday after being charged with five counts of war crime – murder in relation to alleged offences in Afghanistan between April 2009 and October 2012. Continue reading...

Prime minister brings forward trip to Singapore in scramble for petrol supplies; former soldier charged with five war crime murders. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe prime minister has spoken to Chinese premier, Li Qiang, over the phone to discuss energy security, as the government moves to secure fuel supplies with nations across Asia.Anthony Albanese confirmed on Tuesday he would be flying to Singapore this week to lock in fuel imports. Continue reading...

The former soldier’s previous defamation trial presents the rare situation of there being hours of evidence of his alleged crimes already on the public record For almost every day of his marathon defamation trial, Ben Roberts-Smith VC, sat in the same spot in the federal court. A chair by the window, bathed in sunshine, from where he could glare at witnesses giving evidence.He sits now in a very different position. Continue reading...

Queensland senator ‘steadfast’ in her support of former Australian soldier as police charge him with five counts of war crime – murderFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, says she will not “abandon” Ben Roberts-Smith despite his arrest over war crimes, as the Greens declare “no one should be above the law”.As the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, refused to weigh into Roberts-Smith’s arrest at Sydney airport on Tuesday morning, Hanson reaffirmed her long-held support for Australia’s most decorated living soldier. Continue reading...