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• Lu Jianwang werd beschuldigd van het exploiteren van een ‘geheim politiekantoor’ in Chinatown in Manhattan in opdracht van Beijing • Een man uit New York is woensdag schuldig bevonden aan het optreden als niet-geregistreerde agent van de Chinese regering, nadat hij werd beschuldigd van het exploiteren van een “geheim politiekantoor” namens Beijing in de wijk Chinatown in Manhattan. • Federale aanklagers in Brooklyn stelden dat Lu Jianwang (64) de Amerikaanse procureur-generaal had moeten informeren dat hij een Chinese agent was toen hij in 2022 hielp bij het openen van het zogeheten politiekantoor.

• Het aanhoudende conflict in het Midden-Oosten heeft de olieprijzen opgedreven, wat volgens een analyse van Deloitte naar verwachting de economische groei van de VS zal vertragen in vergelijking met een basisscenario zonder conflict. • Ondanks de druk van verhoogde energiekosten is het onwaarschijnlijk dat Amerikaanse bedrijven hun investeringsplannen materieel zullen verminderen, dankzij de veerkrachtige groei in de AI- en technologiesectoren. • Hogere olieprijzen zullen Amerikaanse consumenten raken via gestegen kosten, hoewel de bredere economische veerkracht door AI-investeringen sommige effecten kan verzachten.

De voormalig advocaat die door Trump als ‘zeer getalenteerd’ werd omschreven, was eerder deputy commissioner for food bij de FDA De nieuwe waarnemend commissaris van de US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), die door Donald Trump werd beschreven als een “zeer getalenteerd persoon”, is een voormalig bedrijfsadvocaat die eerder een populaire producent van babyvoeding verdedigde tegen claims dat hun product vroeggeboren baby's zou schaden. Kyle Diamantas, die onlangs diende als FDA deputy commissioner for food, zal het stokje overnemen als waarnemend FDA-commissaris. Lees verder...

• JPMorgan analysis shows markets repricing oil-driven inflation risks, with global equities adjusting to potential rate hike scenarios amid recent oil price surges. • Central banks are providing clearer signals on monetary policy, suggesting rate hikes may not materialize as aggressively as feared despite elevated energy costs. • The divergence highlights inflation fears running ahead of underlying economic reality, potentially creating buying opportunities if data moderates.

• Fortinet highlighted a 389% increase in ransomware victims, driven by AI-enhanced cybercrime tactics disrupting global operations including in India. • The company's threat intelligence efforts are transforming awareness into actionable insights to counter sophisticated AI-powered attacks. • This surge underscores rising cybersecurity risks for Indian enterprises as AI tools enable more convincing phishing, deepfakes, and automated assaults.

• India emerged as top global investment destination, surpassing China with strong capital inflows per Quant Mutual Fund report. • Nominal GDP growth outpaced China's, bolstered by stable fiscal policies, liquidity support, and credit expansion. • Investor shift to large-caps with selective mid/small-cap plays follows equity correction stabilization and improving earnings outlook.

At a rally in Florida, the US president tells a cheering crowd ‘we took over the ship’Middle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has said the US navy acted “like pirates” as he described an operation seizing a ship amid the tit-for-tat American blockade of Iranian ports.“We … land on top of it and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” said Trump at a rally in Florida on Friday. Continue reading...

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has also rewritten rules on international film eligibilityThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a number of major changes for the Oscars on Friday, including a new policy allowing multiple nominations for a single actor in one category, as well as barring acting and writing awards for work done by AI.According to new statutes decreed by the group’s board of governors, only performances “demonstrably performed” by humans with their consent will be eligible for acting Oscars, while only human-authored screenplays can be up for any writing awards. Continue reading...

Islamabad has reportedly switched to lower-profile role but believes peace can make progress without face-to-face meetingsPakistan is passing proposals between Iran and the US to keep talks alive behind the scenes and inch towards a peace agreement, officials and experts say.Pakistani officials say that they are conscious of the fact that at stake is not only regional peace, but the health of the global economy and the livelihoods of millions of the poorest people in the world – including in Pakistan, whose monthly energy import bill has almost tripled as a result of the war. Continue reading...

Lawsuit alleges DoJ breached transparency law by withholding records on Jeffrey Epstein and over-redacting disclosuresTodd Blanche, the acting attorney general, engaged in a “brazen, shocking, and ongoing violation” of a law requiring the justice department (DoJ) to release the entirety of the so-called Epstein files, a lawsuit filed in Washington DC alleges.The action on Monday by Katie Phang, an investigative journalist and legal analyst, seeks to hold Blanche personally responsible for the DoJ’s alleged failure to publish all the documents the government holds about Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender. A full release was mandated by a landmark transparency act passed by Congress in November, with a deadline of 19 December. Continue reading...

Trump and first lady were safely evacuated and police arrested Cole Tomas Allen of southern California at eventThe gunman who tried to breach the ballroom at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington DC on Saturday night is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, the acting US attorney general, Todd Blanche, said on Sunday morning.Blanche also said officials believe that the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where he checked in as a guest at the hotel where one of the capital’s glitziest annual events was being held, the Washington Hilton. Continue reading...

Fauci was joined by actor Jesse Eisenberg and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer in reading for DC Climate WeekWhen Anthony Fauci put on a pair of sunglasses, the hall erupted in cheers and applause. “Ah, how terrible it is to know when, in the end, knowing gains you nothing,” Fauci said. “I knew this once, but must have somehow forgotten, or else I never would have come.”At the age of 85, the scientist, doctor and public servant who rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic was making his debut as an actor. Fauci played Tiresias, the blind prophet (hence the sunglasses), in a dramatic reading of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King at Georgetown University in Washington on Tuesday night. Continue reading...

Lyons, who led agency since March 2025, to resign after turbulent year carrying out Trump’s immigration agendaTodd Lyons, the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is stepping down after a turbulent year carrying out Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.Lyons, who has been leading the agency since March 2025, will resign at the end of May and move to the private sector, Markwayne ​Mullin, the Department of Homeland Security secretary, said in a statement on Thursday. Continue reading...

• Alec Baldwin, 68, admitted the 2021 Rust shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has changed his career outlook, stating he no longer wants to work. • In July 2024, a Santa Fe judge dismissed his involuntary manslaughter case due to prosecution withholding evidence; the incident injured director Joel Souza. • Baldwin's comments reflect ongoing trauma from the New Mexico set tragedy where assistant director Dave Halls called the gun a 'cold gun.'

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...

• President Trump fired U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on April 3, 2026, amid frustration over her failure to prosecute his political enemies. • Trump named his former criminal defense lawyer, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, as acting attorney general, marking the second Cabinet firing since retaking the White House after former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March. • Bondi, a Trump loyalist, oversaw the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files; Lee Zeldin, current EPA head, is a top contender to replace her permanently.

US moves towards reestablishing working relations between two countries after abducting President Nicolás MaduroThe US has lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, in the latest step towards normalising relations between the two countries after US forces abducted her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife.The couple were taken to New York after their abduction in January to face charges of alleged drug trafficking, to which both have pleaded not guilty. Continue reading...

Ha Nguyen McNeill testified before House committee about airport wait times amid DHS funding shutdownThe acting head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said on Wednesday that airports across the country are experiencing the “highest wait times in TSA history”, as the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enters its sixth week.At a House homeland security committee hearing, Ha Nguyen McNeill said her agency has been shut down for 50% of the fiscal year so far – a stretch that includes last year’s record-breaking 43‑day lapse in federal funding. She told lawmakers that by Friday, TSA employees will have missed $1bn in paychecks as a result of the closures. Continue reading...

The American Lung Association's 24th annual State of Tobacco Control report warns of potential cuts to federal tobacco programs in 2026, as smoking remains the top preventable killer with 490,000 U.S. deaths yearly. Adult smoking rates fell to 11.6% in 2022 per CDC data, but policy changes could limit quitlines and youth protections. ALA CEO Harold Wimmer stated, 'These decisions directly affect whether people can access quitline counseling and kids are protected from next-generation products.' States are urged to bolster local efforts amid federal uncertainties.

Adobe reported Q1 2026 earnings on March 13 beating top and bottom lines but faced declines in annual recurring revenue for its traditional stock photo segment due to AI-generated imagery competition. AI disruption battered the segment, leading to a tough post-earnings stock reaction. ARR imagery revenue fell notably as users shift to generative tools. This underscores AI's transformative pressure on creative software markets.