Tests

Trump appears to have crossed a line with his Christian supporters. Will it come back to bite him in the midterms?Donald Trump’s depiction of himself as Jesus Christ and recent spat with Pope Leo XIV could come back to bite him and the Republican party in the midterm elections, according to experts, with some newly aggrieved Christian groups set to play an outsized role in key races across the US.The president’s Trump-as-the-Messiah Truth Social post sparked immediate criticism among some Christians, including some on the right. Trump, 79, said he thought the AI image of him administering an ethereal light to a stricken man’s head as translucent figures descended from the heavens represented him as a doctor. Continue reading...

• The CDC has suspended dozens of diagnostic tests as part of agency downsizing, disrupting testing capabilities for critical infectious diseases including rabies and mpox. • The testing pause has left pharmacists and state health departments scrambling to identify alternative diagnostic pathways and coordinate emergency responses. • Public health officials and pharmacy professionals have raised alarms about the implications for disease surveillance, outbreak detection, and timely clinical decision-making.

Corruption scandals and a surging opposition have turned the vote into the biggest test yet for the long-serving populist leaderThe drone footage showed a sprawling residence in northern Hungary, complete with manicured gardens, a swimming pool and an underground garage. But it was what came next that captured much of the country’s imagination: zebras darting across the countryside. Continue reading...

Hauliers and farmers block motorways and bring parts of Dublin to a standstill in fourth day of actionMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesProtests over fuel prices have caused chaos in Ireland and spread to Norway in a knock-on effect from the conflict in the Middle East.Hauliers, farmers and other groups blocked motorways and brought parts of Dublin to a standstill on Friday in a fourth consecutive day of action. Continue reading...

• US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire on April 8, 2026, ending 38 days of intense conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran involving major military exchanges. • Iran maintained leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route, while the US pushed Iran to negotiations based on Tehran's 10-point framework against Washington's 15-point demands on nuclear activity and regional influence. • Israel rejected parts of the ceasefire scope and continued operations in Lebanon, prompting Iran to warn of withdrawal if attacks persist, highlighting the truce's precarious nature amid high regional tensions.

Legislative change backed by libertarian president makes it easier to extract metals in frozen parts of the AndesArgentina’s congress has approved a bill promoted by the libertarian president, Javier Milei, that authorises mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost, and has outraged environmentalists.The amendment to the so-called glacier law, which was already approved by the senate in February, would make it easier to mine for metals such as copper, lithium and silver in frozen parts of the Andes mountains. Continue reading...

• Arizona State University's Extreme Environments Lab tests semiconductor technologies under harsh conditions mimicking those in low Earth orbit, where temperatures swing from minus 85°F to over 250°F and radiation exposure exceeds 100 times natural Earth levels annually. • The lab supports the Southwest Advanced Prototyping (SWAP) Hub, serving government and industry partners designing technologies for demanding applications including space stations, missile defense systems, and geothermal energy equipment. • This research capability extends to supporting radiation therapy, nuclear energy systems, and advanced scientific tools such as quantum computers, addressing critical reliability challenges for space-based microchips that cannot be serviced for a decade or more.