Emerges

• Actor-turned-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won 107 seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, making it the single largest party but falling 11 seats short of the 234-member assembly's majority threshold. • TVK is likely to be invited by the governor to form the government as the largest party, with confidence among party insiders of securing outside support from Congress, CPI, CPIM, and VCK to reach the required numbers. • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin lost his traditional Kolathur constituency to TVK candidate VS Babu, marking a significant personal setback for the DMK in what was expected to be a stronghold.

• Bhabanipur constituency in West Bengal is the epicenter of the 2026 assembly election, pitting TMC chief Mamata Banerjee against BJP's Suvendu Adhikari after her prior Nandigram loss. • The diverse voter base includes significant Hindi-speaking traders and lower minority concentration compared to TMC strongholds, adding complexity to the high-stakes fight. • Stringent security measures implemented statewide to ensure transparent counting amid political tensions and voter list disputes.

• Pakistan has received an amended peace proposal from Iran as it serves as a crucial backchannel mediator in ongoing US-Iran negotiations, reflecting diplomatic efforts to resolve escalating tensions. • The development indicates continued high-level diplomatic engagement despite stalled formal negotiations and previous ceasefire attempts, with Pakistan playing a strategic intermediary role in the Middle East crisis. • Successful mediation efforts could have significant implications for global markets, crude oil prices, and regional stability, directly affecting India's energy security and economic growth prospects.

• U.S.-relevant cross-border paytech startup Latitude exited stealth mode this week with $8 million seed funding led by NEA to tackle slow, costly business money transfers. • The funding supports Latitude's mission to streamline international payments, positioning it as a challenger in the fintech space amid rising demand for efficient B2B transfers. • Launch coincides with April 2026 fintech surge, highlighting investor confidence in paytech innovations despite economic uncertainties from energy prices and Fed policy.

• Tel Aviv-based Capsule Security exited stealth on April 14, 2026, securing a $7 million Seed round led by Lama Partners with participation from Forgepoint Capital International to develop runtime security for enterprise AI agents. • The company positions itself as a "trust layer for agentic AI" designed to block manipulation, misbehavior, and silent data exfiltration during agent execution. • Capsule was selected as 1 of 6 finalists from nearly 1,000 startups in the CrowdStrike, AWS, and NVIDIA Startup Accelerator at RSA Conference, indicating strong industry recognition.

• Pakistan has positioned itself as a primary mediator between the United States and Iran following the recent Middle East war, leading efforts to end hostilities after Trump's threats prompted a White House reversal. • Peace talks are set to begin in Pakistan on April 10, welcomed by India, as the two-week ceasefire takes hold amid reshaping West Asian strategic landscape. • China supports Pakistan's role, having jointly submitted a five-point truce plan with Islamabad to reopen the Strait of Hormuz before escalation.

• Artificial intelligence-driven observability startup Sazabi Inc. emerged from stealth mode this week, launching a platform that uses logs and AI agents to replace traditional observability stacks. • The platform challenges conventional monitoring tools by leveraging AI to analyze logs more effectively for faster issue detection in complex systems. • This development signals growing investor confidence in AI-native alternatives to legacy enterprise software amid rising demand for efficient cloud infrastructure management.

• Following Darrell Issa's exit from Congress, Democrats are eager to flip his San Diego House seat, reshaping a key race in a swing district. • Democrats are clashing among themselves over candidacy while a stronger Republican challenger has emerged to compete for the seat. • The race in California's 48th congressional district is shaping up to be highly competitive, with both parties viewing it as a priority.

• Türkiye positions itself at the center of diplomatic initiatives and alternative energy transit routes as U.S.-Israel-Iran hostilities enter their second month. • Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan conducted intense phone diplomacy and Gulf trips, coordinating with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan on ceasefire frameworks. • Ankara prioritizes preventing escalation, staying outside direct hostilities while warning against conflict expansion amid surging global oil prices.

• Fiber AI, founded in November 2022, leads AI startups with 720 monthly searches and +4400% growth rate as of April 1, 2026. • The company's rapid rise highlights surging interest in AI solutions among US investors and developers. • It outpaces 1027 emerging AI firms, signaling robust market demand for innovative tools.

Younger conservatives say they are disappointed by Donald Trump’s decision to launch war against Iran. Key US politics stories from 29 MarchA generational divide over the Iran war has emerged between older attendees and their political heirs at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas, as the group’s leaders pleaded for unity ahead of a challenging midterm election year for Republicans.Younger conservatives spoke of disappointment and even “betrayal” over Donald Trump’s launch of strikes against Iran, saying that the president’s actions run counter to his many pledges to oppose foreign entanglements. Continue reading...

• Younger conservatives at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas express betrayal over President Trump's Iran war, clashing with his America-first promises, while older attendees defend it as a pragmatic response to threats. • A Pew Research Center survey shows nearly 80% of Republicans approve of Trump's war handling overall, but support drops among younger Republicans and conservative-leaning independents who gained Trump support in 2024. • Critics like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly oppose the conflict; attendee Joseph Bolick, a 30-year-old veteran, withdrew support citing economic suffering and focus on foreign wars.

• Younger conservatives at CPAC in Grapevine, Texas, expressed betrayal over Trump's Iran strikes, clashing with his America-first stance, while older attendees defend as pragmatic. • Some young voters report slipping support amid troop deployment fears; media figures divided ahead of midterms. • Split underscores challenges for Republican unity on foreign policy.

NSW premier says latest distribution calculation, with a reduction in the state’s share of revenue relative to its population, is unfair and ‘past its use-by date’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s richest state will receive an extra $5.5bn in GST revenue thanks to a sweetheart deal struck with Western Australia in 2018, as the New South Wales premier attacked the latest distribution calculation as unfair and “past its use-by date”.The Commonwealth Grants Commission on Friday released its recommendations on how a projected $102.5bn in goods and services tax should be carved up between the states and territories in 2026-27. Continue reading...