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• De Bharatiya Janata Party behaalde een overweldigende overwinning in de assemblee-verkiezingen van 2026 in West Bengal, waarbij ze in 200 van de 293 zetels vooraan staan. Dit markeert de eerste regeringsvorming van de partij ooit in de staat en beëindigt de 15-jarige heerschappij van de All India Trinamool Congress. • Het succes van de BJP vertegenwoordigt een dramatische stijging van nul zetels in 2011 naar een dominante positie in 2026, waarbij meer dan 235.000 Central Armed Police-personeelsleden werden ingezet om intimidatievrij stemmen in de hele staat te garanderen. • Premier Narendra Modi prees de overwinning als historisch en stelde dat deze voor altijd herinnerd zal worden, wat duidt op het aanhoudende electorale momentum van de BJP vooruitlopend op de overige deelstaatverkiezingen.

• During a heated Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand directly challenged Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over rising Iran war costs, specifically questioning reports of a potential $200 billion additional spending request. • Gillibrand pressed Hegseth on the lack of evidence that military operations have made Americans safer, arguing the massive spending burden conflicts with domestic economic pressures and inflation affecting citizens. • Hegseth defended the campaign as a necessary and "defined mission" with strategic objectives, comparing it to long-term conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan, highlighting growing Washington tension over war costs and direction.

Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson and Robert Jenrick, among others, have sung the praises of the JCB PotHole Pro Reform UK’s leading figures have repeatedly promoted a new pothole-fixing machine by the construction company JCB, while the party received £200,000 from the British digger maker, the Guardian can reveal.Several Reform politicians including Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson, Robert Jenrick, Zia Yusuf and Richard Tice have sung the praises of the JCB PotHole Pro machine. Continue reading...

Several decades after rap star Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC was shot to death, a man named Jay Bryant pleaded guilty to a federal murder charge, telling a judge he helped other people get into a recording studio to ambush the DJ.

Jay Bryant’s admission came more than two decades after the rapper’s killing, but he didn’t name others involvedSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxNearly a quarter century after rap star Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC was shot to death, a man admitted in court Monday to a role in a killing that stymied investigators for decades.Jay Bryant pleaded guilty to a federal murder charge, telling a judge that he helped other people get into a recording studio to ambush the DJ, born Jason Mizell. Continue reading...

Ministers hope tobacco and vapes bill, which will become law next week, will create a ‘smoke-free generation’A bill banning anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco in the UK has completed its progress through parliament in a move that ministers hope will create a “smoke-free generation”.Under the tobacco and vapes bill anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be able to be legally sold tobacco across the UK, in an effort to save lives and reduce the burden on the NHS. Continue reading...

Zoological Society of London commissions poet laureate for animation to mark its 200th anniversaryOver its two centuries, acclaimed writers and artists have found inspiration at London zoo, from Edwin Landseer’s Trafalgar Square lions, to AA Milne’s naming “Winnie” after resident bear Winnipeg, and Sylvia Plath’s poem Zoo Keeper’s Wife.Plath’s husband, Ted Hughes, who would become poet laureate, worked at the zoo briefly as a dish washer, an experience said to have helped fuel his inspiration for The Thought-Fox. Continue reading...

• Amazon Prime Video approved a 10-season fantasy series adaptation of Rachel Vincent's bestselling novel "The Fractured Crown" with a reported $200 million production budget. • The series stars Saoirse Ronan as the lead character and begins filming in New Zealand in September 2026, with the first season expected in 2027. • This investment positions Amazon as a major competitor to HBO's "Game of Thrones" legacy, with showrunner Beau Willimon ("House of Cards") overseeing the adaptation.

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days 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.

Jay Bryant negotiating plea deal in New York death of Run-DMC star, over which one conviction has been overturnedOne of the three men charged in the killing of Jam Master Jay plans to plead guilty, court records show, in what would be the first admission anyone has made in court to any role in the Run-DMC star’s death in 2002.Jay Bryant pleaded not guilty to murder after his 2023 indictment, but his lawyer and federal prosecutors told the court in recent letters that they were negotiating a plea agreement. Continue reading...

• Between 2009 and 2023, the US recorded at least 402 tetanus cases with 37 deaths, primarily among those unvaccinated or overdue for boosters. • None of the fatalities involved individuals with three or more doses of tetanus-containing vaccine, highlighting booster importance every 10 years. • The analysis underscores ongoing risks from this bacteria despite effective vaccines, with many cases in people lacking full primary series.

Confessions II reunites her with producer Stuart Price and is billed as a study of the dancefloor as ‘a ritualistic space where movement replaces language’Madonna has announced the release of her 15th studio album, Confessions II: a sequel to Confessions on a Dance Floor, her disco-fabulous 2005 release regarded as one of the jewels of her discography.The album will be released on 3 July. Details are still relatively scarce beyond that, but like its predecessor, Confessions II is a collaboration with the British producer Stuart Price.When Stuart Price and I first started working on this record, this was our manifesto:We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies. These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people. Sound, light, and vibration Reshape our perceptions Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time. Continue reading...

Deal will create pensions and savings group with 16m customers and £480bn of assets, while Aegon focuses on USThe Dutch financial services group Aegon has struck a £2bn deal to sell off its almost 200-year-old UK arm to Standard Life, as part of a US push in which the group will be rebranded as Transamerica.Standard Life, previously known as Phoenix Group, said the deal to buy Aegon UK will create a pensions and savings group with 16 million customers and £480bn of assets under administration. Continue reading...

Coach believes there’s no limit to 18-year-old’s talent while athlete himself says he’s ‘ready for more’Having cracked the 20-second barrier with a sizzling run over 200m – and in the process fulled comparisons with the great Usain Bolt – the question now is, how fast can Gout Gout go?“How long’s a piece of string?” said Gout’s coach and mentor, Di Sheppard, after he clocked 19.67sec at the Australian championships in Sydney on Sunday. Continue reading...

• Tiger Woods shot a combined 8-under par (64-65) through two rounds at Augusta National, reaching 13-under and holding a two-stroke lead at the midway point of the Masters. • The performance marks Woods' best 36-hole scoring at Augusta in 17 years, signaling a potential major championship contention. • At age 50, Woods' resurgence comes after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee last November.

• Indonesian authorities evacuated approximately 200,000 residents from coastal regions across Sumatra and Java on April 10 following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean, triggering tsunami warnings across the region. • The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued alerts for 17 countries across Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean basin, with initial sea level measurements showing wave surges of 1.2 to 2.1 meters in Banda Aceh and other coastal communities. • Authorities reported no confirmed fatalities as of press time, with emergency shelters activated and communications being restored in affected areas; officials warned residents not to return to coastal zones until all-clear notices are issued.

Estée Lauder Companies claims Zara collaboration with perfumer breaches long-standing naming agreementThe British perfumer Jo Malone has said she is “surprised and very sad” after being sued for more than £200,000 in damages for using her name on fragrances she created for the fashion chain Zara.It emerged last month that New York-based multinational Estée Lauder Companies, which owns brands M.A.C, Bobbi Brown, Estée Lauder and Jo Malone London, was taking legal action claiming the fragrance entrepreneur infringed trademarks. Continue reading...

Government allocated 0.43% of national income to aid in 2025, with total spend down £1bn on previous yearThe UK government’s spending on foreign aid has hit its lowest level in nearly two decades, figures show, as humanitarian experts warn the cuts are costing lives.Provisional data shows the government allocated 0.43% of national income to official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, a decrease from 0.5% in 2024 and matching the level in 2008. Continue reading...

Tim Friede put his ‘ass on the line’ to help stop snakebite deaths – whose numbers appear to be rising amid the climate crisisAs we overheat and degrade our planet, more people are set to come into contact, sometimes fatally, with venomous snakes. One man hopes to provide an unusual solution to this, after subjecting himself to 200 intentional snakebites to his body.For nearly 20 years, Tim Friede, 58, allowed some of the most lethal snakes in the world to bite him so he could build up an immunity that could one day be developed into a universal antivenom. Continue reading...

• USAID announced $200 million emergency aid on April 8, 2026, for Ethiopia's northern drought affecting 4.2 million people facing acute famine. • Funds will deliver food, water, and medical supplies via UN partners to Tigray and Amhara regions, where child malnutrition rates hit 30%. • The crisis, worsened by conflict and failed rains, threatens Horn of Africa stability; US envoy warned of 'catastrophic' death toll without swift action.

• A norovirus outbreak struck five cruise lines departing from US ports between April 6-7, 2026, sickening 1,237 passengers and 157 crew with vomiting and diarrhea. • Ships including Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas and Carnival's ships reported attack rates up to 12%, with Florida and California ports most impacted. • CDC attributes surges to post-winter travel rebound; experts warn of 20 million annual US cases costing $5.5 billion, urging hand hygiene.

• Meta is eliminating approximately 200 positions in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of team restructuring. • The layoffs support heavy investments in AI infrastructure and long-term tech priorities. • This reflects broader industry shifts where companies trim staff to allocate resources toward generative AI development.

• The FDA has awarded breakthrough device designation to more than 1,200 experimental devices, including AI innovations, since 2016. • Evolving FDA criteria reflect accelerating AI integration in US health tech approvals. • Program speeds market access for transformative devices addressing unmet medical needs.

Former government adviser Polly Billington urges bigger steps to shield people in UK from effects of Iran warMiddle East crisis – live updatesKeir Starmer should convene a global energy summit of the same order as Gordon Brown’s response to the 2008 financial crisis and put Britain on a “war footing” to reduce its exposure to fossil fuels, a Labour MP and former government adviser has said.Polly Billington, who was an aide in Brown’s government, warned that economic pain was “hurtling down the tracks” and a bigger response was needed to protect the British people from the consequences of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Continue reading...

Merlin could disappear in worst-case scenario, with British isles facing ecological ‘point of no return’The merlin, Britain’s smallest bird of prey, is one of more than 200 species that will become extinct in the UK if action is not taken to curb emissions and unsustainable land use, a study has claimed.According to the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), there is a 20-year window in which decisions on climate and land use will determine the fate of dozens of Britain’s native species. Continue reading...

Paul Quinn denies raping woman in case where previous suspect Andrew Malkinson had conviction quashedA man accused of a 2003 rape for which an innocent person spent 17 years in jail has told a court he “wouldn’t be able to live with myself” if he had carried out the attack.Paul Quinn, 51, denies raping the woman, in a case that led to what jurors heard was a “most terrible” miscarriage of justice. Continue reading...

Paul Quinn said he could not explain searches on his phone, including for Andrew Malkinson, wrongly convicted for the crimeA man accused of a 2003 rape that saw an innocent person jailed for 17 years has told a jury he does not know how his DNA got on the victim’s clothes.Paul Quinn, 51, also said he could not explain searches made on his phone for “wrongly convicted cases” and “Andrew Malkinson”, whose rape conviction was quashed in 2023. Continue reading...