Begins

Terwijl het staakt-het-vuren begint, zegt Zelenskyy: ‘Het Rode Plein is voor ons minder belangrijk dan de levens van Oekraïense gevangenen die naar huis kunnen worden gebracht’

• Assam election results are being counted with the BJP-led NDA aiming for a historic third consecutive victory under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma's leadership. • The election is being closely watched as a key indicator of NDA strength in Northeast India and has political significance for India's broader national political trajectory. • The outcome could influence investor perception of political stability and policy direction in Northeast India's emerging markets and development initiatives.

• Vote counting starts at 8 AM on May 4, 2026, across Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, and West Bengal following high-stakes assembly elections in April. • Key contests include DMK's MK Stalin defending power in Tamil Nadu, BJP eyeing a hat-trick in Assam under Himanta Biswa Sarma against Congress's Gaurav Gogoi, and Trinamool Congress vs BJP in West Bengal's 294 seats. • Results are make-or-break for national players like BJP, Congress, DMK, TMC, and Left, with implications for delimitation debates and Dravidian politics dominance.

Republicans blame Biden administration block on JetBlue deal; Democrats point to fuel price surge amid Iran warSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email US airlines and government officials battled on Saturday to deal with stranded passengers and stricken employees after discount carrier Spirit Airlines abruptly ceased operations – and a political and business blame game got under way over the collapse of the low-cost carrier.“If you have a flight scheduled with Spirit Airlines, don’t show up at the airport; there will be no one here to assist you,” the US secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, warned at a press conference after laying out measures for customers booked with the Florida-based company to obtain refunds or find discounted flights on other airlines. Continue reading...

Financial markets are betting the Reserve Bank will hike interest rates for a third straight meeting next Tuesday•Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastInflation jumped to 4.6% in the year to March, from 3.7% the month before, in what experts say is the start of an Iran war-linked fuel shock that will ripple through the economy over coming months.Financial markets are betting the Reserve Bank will hike interest rates for a third straight meeting next Tuesday, as officials struggle to manage the “nightmare scenario” of containing inflation even as growth is expected to slow sharply. Continue reading...

Claims system launches months after supreme court ruled Trump had no legal authority to impose tariffsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Trump administration began on Monday accepting applications from businesses seeking refunds for more than $166bn in tariffs, months after the supreme court ruled that the president had no legal authority to impose them.The administration launched on Monday the digital claims system, named Cape, which they said in court filings could handle about 63% of affected import filings, with the remainder to follow. Continue reading...

Wilson denies allegations made by Charlotte MacInnes, who she claims told her about uncomfortable situation with producerFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRebel Wilson has been accused in court of hiring a private investigator and having false information published online in order to paint another actor as a “money grabbing opportunist” who withdrew a sexual harassment allegation for financial gain.But lawyers for Wilson insist that the harassment complaint was only withdrawn when Charlotte MacInnes – the star of her film, The Deb – decided to support the woman who had allegedly harassed her. Continue reading...

• Director Denis Villeneuve confirmed production on "Dune: Part Three" has officially begun, with filming taking place in Morocco and Jordan through October 2026. • Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Oscar Isaac are set to return, with newcomers Rebecca Ferguson and Austin Butler joining the expanded cast for the concluding installment. • Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have greenlit a 2027 release date, with Villeneuve stating this final chapter will "definitively conclude Frank Herbert's epic saga."

Hezbollah says it will not abide by agreements that result from the Lebanon-Israel talks in the US; Trump claims Iran wants to make a dealUS starts naval blockade of Iranian ports after deadline passesThe Lebanese militant group Hezbollah will not abide by any agreements that may result from direct Lebanon-Israel talks in the US, negotiations it firmly opposes, a senior Hezbollah official has said.Wafiq Safa, a high-ranking member of Hezbollah’s political council, spoke on the eve of talks expected in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the US.Trump said the blockade would be on all Iranian ports along the strait from Monday onward. About 20% of the global oil and gas supply moved through this waterway before the war. Seafarers as well as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations received advisories indicating Trump’s blockade would apply to all ship traffic, regardless of the vessel’s flag.Trump claimed that Iran wanted to reach a deal. He insisted the US would not agree to any deal that would permit Iran to have a nuclear weapon. “We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world,” he said at a last-minute press conference at the White House on Monday.After receiving a McDonald’s delivery at the beginning of the presser, Trump invoked bellicose language in discussing Iran. “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and we’re going to get the dust back. We’ll get it back, either we’ll get it back from them, or we’ll take it,” he said. At one point, when questioned about some sort of prior ultimatum regarding Iran, Trump said: “I don’t want to comment on that but it won’t be pleasant.”Talks are expected in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the US. It will be the first time in decades that envoys from Lebanon and Israel, which do not have diplomatic relations, will meet face-to-face in direct talks. Lebanese officials are looking to broker a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war.There were reports indicating that US officials were continuing talks with Tehran. One official told CNN: “There is continued engagement between the US and Iran and forward motion on trying to get an agreement.” Meanwhile, some administration officials were having internal talks about how a second sit-down with Iranian officials might look, should the opportunity arise, CNN reported.Trump blasted Pope Leo XIV on social media in response to the pontiff’s call for an end to the war. The president claimed the pope was trying to appease the “radical left”. The pope said he had “no intention to debate” Trump over Iran but would continue to advocate for peace. US vice-president JD Vance urged the Vatican to “stick to matters of morality”. Continue reading...

• India's Reserve Bank of India began its 3-day monetary policy meeting on April 7th, with the decision scheduled for announcement on April 8th, affecting regional market sentiment. • A CNBC TV18 poll indicates market consensus expects no change to repo rates in the upcoming policy decision, suggesting the RBI will maintain its current monetary stance. • The policy meeting comes amid mixed signals from Indian corporate earnings, with HDFC Bank reporting business growth above expectations while Kotak Mahindra Bank fell short.

More than 30 people face charges after collision between two trains that killed 57 people in February 2023A long-awaited trial has begun into Greece’s worst train tragedy, which killed 57 people in 2023, leaving the entire country in shock.Thirty-six people face charges and more than 350 witnesses are due to be heard at the trial that opened in the central city of Larissa, near where a freight train and a passenger train collided on 28 February 2023. Continue reading...

Late-night hosts panned Trump’s joke about the 1941 attack, addressed new unredacted Epstein emails and talked popular puppy namesWith The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on hiatus until at least 27 March, late-night hosts on Thursday discussed Donald Trump’s snafu while meeting Japan’s prime minister, his caginess over Iran, and new findings in the Epstein investigations. Continue reading...

On a staff call, editor-in-chief Bari Weiss emphasized that the cuts do not stem from poor employee performanceSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxCBS News is laying off employees on Friday as part of a strategic restructuring announced in a memo to staffers from its editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, and president, Tom Cibrowski. Employees will be informed by the end of the day if their job has been affected, the two executives said in the memo.“We recognize that this is a difficult time for those who will be leaving CBS News,” they wrote. “Because these aren’t just names on a list. They are talented, committed colleagues who have been critical to our success. We’ll treat them all with care and respect.” Continue reading...

Moon orbit program, preceding planned landing in 2028, has been delayed due to fuel leaks and clogged helium linesFor the second time this year, Nasa moved its moon rocket from the hangar out toward the launchpad on Friday in hopes of sending four astronauts on a lunar fly-around next month.If the latest repairs work and everything else goes Nasa’s way, the Space Launch System could blast off as early as 1 April from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. The Artemis II crew went into quarantine this week in Houston in preparation for blastoff. Continue reading...

• The 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament entered its first round on Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20, with games hosted across multiple venues including Tampa, Philadelphia, San Diego, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, and Portland. • First-round matchups are scheduled for March 19 and 21 in Oklahoma City and Portland, while March 20 and 22 games take place in Tampa, Philadelphia, San Diego, and St. Louis, with teams competing for advancement to the second round. • The tournament follows Selection Sunday on March 15, with the First Four play-in games held on March 17-18, setting the stage for the 68-team competition.

A memorial will be built on the site, with final plans to be revealed in May and completion scheduled for fall 2027Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDemolition of Pulse, the LGBTQ+-friendly nightclub in Florida where 49 people were killed in 2016, began on Wednesday, bringing a symbolic end to an almost decade-long wrangle over the future of the building that some residents and its former owners wanted to be preserved as a memorial for the victims.A new $12m permanent memorial will be built on the site, with final plans expected to be revealed in May, and its completion scheduled for fall 2027. Continue reading...

• The Federal Reserve opened a two-day monetary policy meeting this week with a rate decision expected Wednesday, as officials evaluate the impact of surging oil prices and Middle East conflict on inflation trajectories. • Uncertainty around geopolitical fallout is deepening divisions within the central bank over the interest rate path forward; officials are widely expected to leave rates unchanged on Wednesday despite elevated crude prices. • Rising oil and gasoline prices are weighing on earnings estimates and consumer spending forecasts, creating additional complexity for Fed policymakers balancing inflation and growth concerns.

• UAE's Fujairah oil port sustained damage during escalating Iran war operations as the conflict enters its third week, with regional oil infrastructure becoming a focal point of military action. • Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arashi denied claims that Iran seeks a ceasefire or negotiations, stating "We are ready to defend ourselves for as long as it takes" and rejecting US overtures for talks. • The damage to critical Gulf oil infrastructure underscores the war's impact on global energy markets and regional stability, with implications for worldwide crude supplies.