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• Southeast Asia's economic resilience is under pressure from a fragmented global economy, requiring deeper intra-regional integration, according to The Business Times analysis. • Key challenges include trade barriers and supply chain shifts, with ASEAN's intra-regional trade at just 25% of total commerce. • Strategic engagement with partners like the US, China, and EU is essential to mitigate deglobalization risks and sustain growth above 4.5% annually.

Spokesperson calls former New York City mayor ‘a fighter’ but does not say cause of his hospitalizationRudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, is in the hospital in critical condition, his spokesperson said on Sunday evening.Ted Goodman, the spokesperson, posted on social media: “Mayor Rudy Giuliani is currently in the hospital, where he remains in critical but stable condition. Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he’s fighting with that same level of strength as we speak. We do ask that you join us in prayer for America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani.” Continue reading...

Insolvency firm points to tax rises, staff costs and shaky consumer confidence after number increases to 62,193The number of UK businesses in “critical financial distress” has risen by more than a third over the past year, according to insolvency practitioners, as companies contend with a “slew of increased taxes” and the impact of the Middle East conflict.Hospitality and leisure firms have been faring particularly badly because of shaky consumer confidence, and rising taxes and staff costs, according to research by the restructuring company Begbies Traynor. Continue reading...

The prime minister faces a standards investigation over Mandelson affair and testimony from Morgan McSweeneyKeir Starmer has told Labour MPs to “stick together and fight together” as ministers launched a massive operation to shore up his fragile position before a critical day for his premiership.The prime minister faces the double threat of a standards investigation into his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US and a potentially damaging testimony from Morgan McSweeney, his former chief of staff. Continue reading...

• U.S. stock futures fell late Sunday with Dow Jones Industrial Average futures down 130 points or 0.3%, S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq-100 futures also declining after record highs on Friday. • West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 2% above $96 per barrel following collapsed U.S.-Iran talks announced Saturday. • The Federal Reserve's interest-rate committee meets Tuesday-Wednesday, with Chair Jerome Powell's likely final press conference anticipated amid market highs.

• Microsoft issued Patch Tuesday on April 25, 2026, fixing CVE-2026-1234 zero-day in Windows Kernel exploited by Chinese state actors against 15 US agencies. • Vulnerability allowed remote code execution with 9.8 CVSS score, affecting Windows 11 and Server 2025 in 40% of federal endpoints. • CISA urges immediate patching, citing 'active exploitation' in ongoing incident response.

At least 17 people hurt after incident involving two local services north of Denmark’s capitalTwo local trains have collided head-on in Denmark, injuring at least 17 people, four of whom are in a critical condition, according to emergency services.The public broadcaster DR showed images of two yellow and grey trains, both with damage to the front, facing each other in a wooded area. Continue reading...

Member states meet this morning to discuss loan after longstanding disagreement between Kyiv and outgoing Hungarian PM Viktor OrbánAfter four months of very public disagreements between Ukraine and Hungary, today could be the day when the EU finally signs off (for the second time) on the critical €90bn loan for Kyiv.Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed yesterday that the Druzhba pipeline, carrying Russian oil imports to Hungary and Slovakia, has been repaired and is ready to be used again. EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said yesterday she expected “a positive decision” within the next 24 hours. Continue reading...