Blocks

• अमेरिकी प्रतिनिधि Jared Huffman और Jamie Raskin ने इस महीने की शुरुआत में समझौतों को अपमानजनक और गैरकानूनी बताया • अपने इनबॉक्स में न्यूज़लेटर अलर्ट प्राप्त करने के लिए Breaking News US ईमेल के लिए साइन अप करें • ट्रम्प प्रशासन ने इस सप्ताह दो अनुमति प्राप्त अमेरिकी पवन ऊर्जा परियोजनाओं के विकास पर रोक लगा दी, साथ ही उनके पीछे की कंपनियों को रिफंड में लाखों डॉलर का भुगतान करने का समझौता किया है यदि उन निधियों को तेल और गैस में फिर से निवेश किया जाता है।

Facebook की मालिक कंपनी Meta ने AI एजेंट्स में अपनी क्षमताओं को बढ़ाने के प्रयास में दिसंबर 2025 में 2 बिलियन अमेरिकी डॉलर से अधिक में Manus का अधिग्रहण किया था।

Meta ने सोमवार को कहा कि लेनदेन "लागू कानून का पूरी तरह से अनुपालन करता था" और उसे उम्मीद है कि "जांच का उचित समाधान होगा।"(Image credit: Jeff Chiu/AP)

• AI स्टार्टअप Blocks ने ऑटोनॉमस डिजिटल वर्कफोर्स विकसित करने के लिए Entrée Capital के नेतृत्व में $20 मिलियन की सीरीज A फंडिंग प्राप्त की। • यह फंडिंग उन AI एजेंटों की तैनाती में सहायता करेगी जो स्वतंत्र रूप से जटिल कार्यों को संभालने में सक्षम हैं। • यह निवेश एंटरप्राइज ऑटोमेशन की मांगों के बीच एजेंटिक AI तकनीकों में बढ़ते VC (वेंचर कैपिटल) रुझान को दर्शाता है।

• वेनेजुएला के सुरक्षा बलों ने सोमवार को विपक्षी दलों को उनके चुनावी मुख्यालयों में प्रवेश करने से रोक दिया, जिससे इस साल के राष्ट्रपति चुनावों से पहले लोकतांत्रिक आचरण को लेकर नई चिंताएं पैदा हो गई हैं। • इस नाकेबंदी ने विपक्षी उम्मीदवारों और कर्मचारियों को चुनावी हस्ताक्षर जुटाने और मतदाता संपर्क प्रयासों को व्यवस्थित करने से रोका, जिससे उनके अभियान ढांचे को काफी नुकसान पहुंचा। • Organization of American States के अंतर्राष्ट्रीय पर्यवेक्षकों ने इस कदम पर चिंता जताई और इसे राजनीतिक स्वतंत्रता का उल्लंघन बताते हुए चेतावनी दी कि यह आगामी चुनावों की वैधता को कमजोर कर सकता है।

• Sudanese Armed Forces और Rapid Support Forces के बीच जारी सक्रिय लड़ाई ने मानवीय गलियारों की नाकेबंदी को और तेज कर दिया है, जिससे 20 लाख से अधिक आंतरिक रूप से विस्थापित लोग भोजन और चिकित्सा आपूर्ति के बिना फंस गए हैं। • UN World Food Programme ने रिपोर्ट किया है कि भुखमरी की स्थिति अब कई क्षेत्रों को प्रभावित कर रही है, और कुछ क्षेत्रों में बच्चों में कुपोषण की दर 40 प्रतिशत से अधिक हो गई है। • U.S. State Department ने 150 मिलियन डॉलर की अतिरिक्त आपातकालीन मानवीय सहायता की घोषणा की है, लेकिन यह स्वीकार किया है कि असुरक्षा के कारण सहायता पहुंचाना तेजी से कठिन होता जा रहा है।

• China's National Development and Reform Commission prohibited Meta's acquisition of Singapore-based AI startup Manus on April 27, 2026, requiring all parties to withdraw. • Manus, with Chinese roots, was targeted in a security review of foreign investment despite Meta's compliance claims from its California headquarters. • The decision heightens US-China tech tensions, impacting Meta's AI expansion and cross-border M&A in semiconductors and intelligence tools.

• Myanmar's military junta has blocked UN humanitarian corridors to conflict-affected regions, preventing food and medical aid from reaching approximately 2 million people at imminent risk of famine. • UN humanitarian agencies report that supplies have been halted for two weeks; the blockade coincides with intensified fighting between military forces and opposition groups in central Myanmar. • The US has condemned the blockade as a war crime and called for emergency UN Security Council action, though Russia and China have signaled opposition to any intervention.

• The UN Security Council failed to reach consensus on a resolution extending cross-border humanitarian aid to Syria, with Russia vetoing the measure on Friday amid escalating tensions between Moscow and Western nations over the Syrian conflict's humanitarian toll. • Russia's veto marks the third such blocking in two years, preventing critical medical supplies and food assistance from reaching 5.5 million internally displaced Syrians, according to UN humanitarian coordinator statements. • Western diplomats warned the blockade could exacerbate an already severe humanitarian crisis, with aid agencies reporting shortages of vaccines, antibiotics, and nutrition programs across northern Syria.

The injunction pauses policy giving senior Trump official direct sign-off on federal clean energy projectsA federal judge in Massachusetts on Tuesday struck down several Trump administration actions slowing down development of clean energy, including a requirement that all solar and wind energy projects on federal lands and waters be personally approved by the interior secretary, Doug Burgum.Denise J Casper, chief judge of the US district court for Massachusetts, ruled that a coalition of plaintiffs representing wind and solar developers were likely to succeed on the merits of their claims that the administration’s actions violate federal statute and will cause irreparable harm if the court did not intervene. Continue reading...

The satirical website’s parent company will have to pay $81,000 a month to the misinformation platformSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxSatirical website the Onion plans to turn rightwing commentator Alex Jones’s misinformation site Infowars into a parody of itself under a leasing agreement provisionally approved by a Texas court.Under a proposed deal with court administrators, Infowars would be leased by Global Tetrahedron, a Chicago-based company that owns the Onion, for $81,000 a month for six months, with an option to renew for another six months. Continue reading...

• The UN World Food Programme reported on April 9 that active combat in Sudan's Khartoum and West Darfur states has suspended humanitarian operations, cutting off food assistance to approximately 9 million internally displaced persons and vulnerable civilians. • The World Health Organization documented a 40% spike in cholera cases across eastern Sudan refugee camps over the past two weeks, with only five functioning water treatment facilities operational across the country. • International NGOs warn of imminent famine conditions by mid-May if logistics corridors remain blocked, with donor nations unable to guarantee protection for aid workers amid ongoing violence.

• The UN Security Council failed to authorize cross-border humanitarian assistance into Syria after Russia vetoed a resolution supported by 13 member states on Thursday, April 10, blocking aid deliveries to rebel-held northwest regions. • The veto marks the seventh Russian obstruction of Syria humanitarian measures since 2011, leaving an estimated 4.5 million Syrians in need without international UN-coordinated relief channels. • Humanitarian organizations warn the blockade will exacerbate a severe food and medicine shortage, with winter conditions deteriorating access to displaced populations in Idlib province.

Iran and mediator Pakistan assert ceasefire included Lebanon but Israel and US disagree. Plus, how Korean fried chicken took over the worldGood morning.The fate of the two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict looked in peril as both sides gave divergent versions of what had been agreed, Israel intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran halted the passage of oil tankers because of an alleged Israeli ceasefire breach.What has Iran said? In a sharply worded statement, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Israel and the US had violated several clauses of the provisional ceasefire, and he decried Israel’s aggressive bombing of Lebanon and a US demand that Iran should have no right to enrich its own uranium.This is a developing story. Follow our liveblog here.What was said in the video about Mamdani? The videos feature the organization’s founder, Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham, describing Mamdani as a “Muslim terrorist” and a “cancer”, and his election as a “harbinger” of “a creeping Islamic takeover of America”. Continue reading...

Inclusion of Lebanon is significant difference in interpretation of truce agreed at 11th hour on TuesdayMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe fate of the two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict looked uncertain on Wednesday as both sides gave divergent versions of what had been agreed, Israel intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran halted the passage of oil tankers because of an Israeli ceasefire “breach”.Iran and Pakistan, which brokered the 11th-hour truce, both asserted that the ceasefire included Lebanon. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, disagreed and Israeli forces unleashed their heaviest attack of the war so far on more than 100 targets in Beirut and across the country. Continue reading...

Citing the first amendment, judge says president’s executive order is unlawful and unenforceableSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxCiting the first amendment, a federal judge on Tuesday agreed to permanently block the Trump administration from implementing a presidential directive to end federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), two media entities that the White House has said are counterproductive to American priorities.The operational impact of US district judge Randolph Moss’s decision was not immediately clear – both because it will probably be appealed and because too much damage to the public-broadcasting system has already been done, both by the president and Congress. Continue reading...

• U.S. District Judge Rita Lin ruled in favor of AI firm Anthropic, temporarily blocking the Pentagon from branding it a supply chain risk after failed defense contract talks. • The ruling also halts President Trump's directive for federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's Claude AI, following a hearing on March 24 in San Francisco federal court. • Judge Lin criticized the measures as punitive rather than protective, noting the government could simply cease using Claude without broader actions.

• A federal judge blocked sweeping changes to U.S. vaccine recommendations, including reductions in childhood immunizations and removal of COVID-19 guidance for certain groups, in a lawsuit brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups. • The ruling paused a reconstituted vaccine advisory committee and signals a forthcoming decision on broader legal questions, with the case expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court soon. • Changes were driven by RFK's authority over federal vaccine policy, which critics argue lack scientific basis and threaten public health.

• U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled on Friday to block the Pentagon's policy mandating media outlets pledge not to gather information without defense officials' formal authorization, siding with The New York Times. • Friedman wrote, 'Those who drafted the First Amendment believed that the nation’s security requires a free press and an informed people and that such security is endangered by governmental suppression of political speech.' • The decision upholds First Amendment principles amid tensions over government transparency during the shutdown and foreign policy escalations.

• A late-night cloture vote on March 20, 2026, failed to advance the FY-2026 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security, leaving TSA underfunded amid high travel volumes. • Daily TSA passenger throughput exceeds 2.4 million due to spring-break and March Madness demand, with missed connections at 8% versus a normal 1.6%, prompting three-hour early arrivals for domestic flights. • Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer plans a Saturday vote on a TSA-only continuing resolution, but GOP leaders signal they will block it, risking Easter travel chaos.

Lawsuit alleged changes gave DoD free rein to punish reporters and outlets over coverage it did not likeSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration’s restrictive Pentagon press access policy, which threatens journalists with being branded security risks if they seek information not authorized for public release.The lawsuit by the New York Times in the Washington DC federal court alleged that policy changes by the defense department last year gave it free rein to freeze out reporters and news outlets over coverage the department did not like, in violation of the constitution’s protections for free speech and due process. Continue reading...

• Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee, claiming last year's strikes obliterated Iran's nuclear program with no rebuild efforts. • Republican senators blocked a war powers resolution to limit President Trump's Iran attacks, amid questions on an imminent nuclear threat. • Gabbard dodged direct queries during the hearing, drawing criticism from Sen. Jon Ossoff on threat assessments.

Distributor says authorities warned screening Tunisian film-maker Kaouther Ben Hania’s docudrama could harm India–Israel relationsThe Indian release of The Voice of Hind Rajab, the Oscar-nominated Tunisian film about the death of a five-year-old girl during the Israel-Gaza war, has been blocked by the country’s ratings body, according to the film’s Indian distributor.In a report by Variety, Manoj Nandwana of Mumbai-based Jai Viratra Entertainment said that he was told that if the film was released, it would “break up” India-Israel relations. Continue reading...

• A federal judge on Monday blocked HHS from implementing vaccine policy changes made by RFK Jr.'s revamped CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), reversing all recent decisions. • The ruling leaves unresolved the status of the RSV vaccine for infants, potentially making it no longer free for children who need it, as its inclusion was authorized by the current advisers. • Public health experts are scrambling to understand ramifications, with health groups concerned about unintended harms and weakened vaccination recommendations for hepatitis B and COVID-19.

• A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled on Monday to block Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent changes to the nation's childhood vaccine schedule, following a lawsuit by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups. • The plaintiffs argued that Kennedy's alterations to vaccine recommendations and the influential vaccine advisory committee violated federal law, marking a significant setback to his health policy agenda. • This ruling highlights ongoing tensions between the Department of Health and Human Services and medical organizations over public health guidelines and federal compliance.

• A federal judge in Boston on March 16, 2026, temporarily blocked U.S. health officials from reducing the number of universally recommended childhood vaccines, halting changes announced by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in January. • The ruling stems from a lawsuit by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other groups challenging cuts to flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, meningitis, and RSV vaccines, with ACIP meetings postponed as a result. • Medical organizations hailed the decision as restoring science-based policy, while HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon stated 'HHS looks forward to this judge’s decision being overturned,' amid concerns over confusion and weakened protections in 30 states.

Unprecedented changes to routine US immunization recommendations ‘arbitrary and capricious’, court saysSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe appointment of a controversial slate of vaccine advisers by Robert F Kennedy Jr likely violated federal law, and all votes taken by the committee over the past year have been stayed, a federal judge ruled on Monday.The advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP) is not able to meet later this week, since its membership has been invalidated, the judge said. Continue reading...

• A federal judge on March 14, 2026, blocked subpoenas directed at the Federal Reserve by the Justice Department, hitting an institutional guardrail for the Trump administration. • The ruling delays confirmation of Kevin Warsh as next Fed Chair, with Republican Senator Thom Tillis warning of prolonged process; DOJ plans to appeal. • This occurs amid fading confidence in US trade policy and fiscal credibility, maintaining bearish USD views.