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• Een vastgoedtopman kreeg een onverwachte reactie toen zij sprak over het ‘leven in een tijd van ingrijpende veranderingen’. • Hoewel diploma-uitreikingen op universiteiten meestal bestaan uit een spreker die advies geeft aan studenten, was er tijdens een recente ceremonie een situatie waarbij de studenten de spreker op luidruchtige wijze hun mening lieten horen. • De afstudeerders van de klas van 2026 van de University of Central Florida joueerden toen een vastgoedontwikkelaar sprak over hoe “de opkomst van kunstmatige intelligentie de volgende Industriële Revolutie is” en over het “leven in een tijd van ingrijpende veranderingen”.

Chief Secretary Darren Jones zegt dat de premier ‘luistert naar collega's’, maar zelf beslissingen zal nemen over de weg vooruit

• Warsh zou de aftredende Fed-voorzitter Jerome Powell opvolgen, terwijl Trump zijn pogingen voortzet om invloed uit te oefenen op de Amerikaanse centrale bank. • De Amerikaanse Senaat wordt verwacht Kevin Warsh deze week te bevestigen als voorzitter van de Federal Reserve, terwijl Donald Trump zijn campagne voortzet om invloed uit te oefenen op de belangrijkste centrale bank ter wereld. • De invloed van de Fed op de economie reikt van de arbeidsmarkt tot aan de hypotheekrentes, en elke stap wordt nauwgezet gevolgd door investeerders op Wall Street.

De vermoedelijke drievoudige moordenaar Julian Ingram wordt beschuldigd van het doden van Sophie Quinn, haar nieuwe vriend en haar tante in Lake Cargelligo, ongeveer 450 km ten westen van Sydney.

• Aandelen in Zuid-Korea en Taiwan zijn deze maand wereldwijd het sterkst gestegen, waarbij de Zuid-Koreaanse Kospi-index sinds het begin van het jaar met 78% is gestegen dankzij optimisme over tech-gedreven winsten. • Handelaars positioneren zich erop dat Aziatische technologieleiders de volgende fase van de wereldwijde beursrally zullen aanvoeren, met een focus op halfgeleidings- en elektronicabedrijven in deze markten. • De outperformance onderstreept de cruciale rol van Azië in wereldwijde aandelen, wat het momentum kan behouden als de Amerikaanse en Europese markten stabiliseren.

The Cohutta town council will discuss reinstating the police and consider request for mayor's ‘immediate resignation’The town council in a small mountain community in the US state of Georgia called a special meeting on Friday evening to discuss reinstating the police department after the mayor fired the chief and all the officers.The notice for the meeting, posted outside the Cohutta town hall, says the council will also consider a request for the mayor’s “immediate resignation”. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on after Labour suffered heavy losses in local elections, while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and the Green party made substantial gains. So is the era of two-party politics over? And can the prime minister survive?Lucy Hough speaks to political correspondent Alexandra Topping Continue reading...

• Chinese semiconductor equipment makers CCtech and Nextool Technology are deepening presence in SEA's OSAT centers as Malaysia and Singapore emerge as packaging and testing hubs. • Expansion driven by global supply chain shifts, southbound strategies, surging AI demand, and power electronics growth. • The moves signal a new upcycle for test and packaging equipment amid regional semiconductor boom.

Parties accused of ‘fiscal denial’ and failing to tell voters the scale of the challengeThe next Scottish government will need to make “really difficult” spending decisions soon after taking power, including tackling its large public sector pay bill, senior economists have said.Economists with the Fraser of Allander Institute, at the University of Strathclyde, believe the manifestos published by Scotland’s political parties during the campaign failed to tell voters about the true scale of the challenge. Continue reading...

The PM is clearly not prepared to risk backlash from Asian energy trading partners during a fuel crisis – but his government will face domestic challenges if it doesn’t move eventuallyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo separate events on Monday – one in rain-soaked Canberra, the other in sunny Gladstone – neatly explain why the federal government won’t pursue a new gas export tax in next week’s budget and why it might have no choice but to do so in the future.In the nation’s capital, Anthony Albanese hosted his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, for annual leaders’ talks that coincided with the 50th anniversary of the signing of a landmark treaty between the two nations. Continue reading...

• Malaysia's Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition is almost certain to go solo in the next general election, announced Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. • The decision signals potential shifts in political alliances ahead of the polls, amid ongoing unity government dynamics. • This development could reshape Malaysia's opposition landscape and influence regional stability in Southeast Asia.

The race to succeed Gavin Newsom has teetered wildly, and with Democrats in disarray, the Republican ex-Downing Street adviser is leading in the polls. Can he really pull it off?Few political aspirations have proved more futile over the past two decades than running as a Republican for statewide office in California. Yet Steve Hilton – transplanted Brit, erstwhile business entrepreneur, a former Downing Street adviser to David Cameron and a former Fox News host who says he is friends with half of Donald Trump’s cabinet – is having a remarkably good time of it.With less than six weeks to go before a primary election that has proved to be both dramatic and wildly unpredictable, most polls put Hilton narrowly ahead of a fractured field of Democrats in the race to succeed Gavin Newsom as governor. It is an astonishing turn of events in a state where Democrats enjoy supermajorities in the state legislature and a two-to-one advantage over the Republicans in voter registration. Continue reading...

Hope that sessions of MDMA-assisted therapy could help soldiers fight longer by helping them process traumaAs the war on drugs approaches its end, a new doctrine could soon take hold: psychedelic drugs for active-duty soldiers suffering from PTSD.In two studies funded by the Department of Defense (DoD), 186 service personnel with PTSD will likely next year undergo multiple sessions of MDMA-assisted therapy. Continue reading...

Matthew Pennycook says ending system must be done slowly to avoid hitting housing supply and legal pitfallsA ban on new leasehold properties in England and Wales is unlikely to come into force until after the next election, the housing minister has said, as he defended the government’s piecemeal attempts to dismantle the system.The long-promised end would take years to “switch on”, Matthew Pennycook said, even though the ban of leaseholds on new houses was passed in 2024 and the government intends to pass one on new flats soon. Continue reading...

Rightwing Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid announce new party before Knesset vote expected later this yearTwo of Benjamin Netanyahu’s most formidable political rivals say they are joining forces in an attempt to oust the Israeli prime minister’s coalition government in the election expected later this year.The former prime ministers – rightwing Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid – issued statements announcing the merger of their parties, Bennett 2026 and Yesh Atid (There is a Future). Continue reading...

Prime minister says his job is not at risk over Mandelson vetting as allies back him against claims of wrongdoingKeir Starmer has said he will lead Labour into the next general election as his Downing Street allies denied claims of any wrongdoing over the appointment and vetting of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, told Sky News’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday show that “no wrongdoing by the prime minister has been proven in relation to Lord Mandelson’s appointment”, adding “the whole situation is regrettable”. Continue reading...

• Google Cloud Next 2026 concluded with more than 250 announcements on products, customers, and ecosystem developments focused on AI and enterprise tools. • Key security features include Agent Anomaly Detection using LLMs to flag unusual AI agent behavior in real time and Chrome Enterprise's AI-aware extension threat detections now in preview. • Chrome Enterprise will soon offer shadow AI reporting to identify unsanctioned web-based AI and SaaS use by employees, enhancing visibility into shadow AI risks.

• Google Cloud and Wiz demonstrated integrated security platforms at Google Cloud Next '26 designed to defend against threats operating at machine speed while protecting AI and multicloud environments. • The partnership addresses the convergence of AI deployment, cloud infrastructure expansion, and sophisticated cyber threats, offering coordinated threat detection and response capabilities across distributed architectures. • The showcase reflects industry-wide recognition that traditional security models are obsolete against AI-accelerated attacks and that cloud providers must embed security-by-design into AI and multicloud infrastructure.

There are now 3,110 billionaires but analysis shows ‘deep structural acceleration’ in wealth creation around worldThe number of billionaires in the world could reach nearly 4,000 by 2031, figures suggest, as the super-rich accumulate wealth at an accelerating rate.There are now 3,110 billionaires globally, according to analysis by the estate agent Knight Frank. This is forecast to rise by 25% over the next five years, taking the total to 3,915. Continue reading...

The trend has been accelerated by the US-Israel war on Iran, leaving households – and cafe owners – glum, surveys suggestFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFor many coffee drinkers, takeaway orders are changing from a habitual purchase to an occasional treat, as elevated petrol prices and other living costs leave households feeling glum.This rapid shift in behaviour has disappointed cafe owners and surprised economists, raising an uneasy question: if takeaway coffee sales are falling, is the economy next? Continue reading...

Scott Trust identifies priorities for communities in Jamaica and US Sea Islands with plans to allocate millions of poundsWe asked what repairing the harm of enslavement would look like. This is what we foundThe owner of the Guardian has announced the next phase of its 10-year restorative justice plan to address and atone for the news organisation’s historical links to transatlantic enslavement.The Scott Trust launched the Legacies of Enslavement programme in 2023, acknowledging that the founder of the Manchester Guardian, and his backers, profited from the enslavement of African people in Jamaica and the US. Continue reading...

Hardware engineering executive is a longtime Apple insider, indicating company will continue strategy that has led to record profitsApple has announced longtime company veteran John Ternus as the next CEO of the company, succeeding current CEO Tim Cook, who is set to transition to executive chair of Apple’s board of directors later this year.Ternus’s term as CEO will begin on 1 September. The hardware engineering executive is a longtime Apple insider, indicating the company will stay the course that has led to record profits under Cook’s leadership. Apple’s yearly profit now tops $100bn, and in January it announced record revenue from its iPhones, boosted by renewed demand in China. Continue reading...

Company says ‘sustained outperformance’ merited pay rise as it ups profit guidance by £8m for the year to January 2027Business live – latest updatesThe Next chief executive, Simon Wolfson, took home more than £7m last year, his highest ever pay package, and could be handed up to £9.27m this year after the retailer announced plans to increase his basic salary and bonuses.The listed company said it was increasing its pay deal for the long-term leader of the fashion and homewares retailer, which now controls a string of brands in the UK including Gap, Victoria’s Secret, Cath Kidston, Reiss and FatFace, as his remuneration was 30% below the average for FTSE 100 bosses. Continue reading...

The new strategy to be unveiled by Richard Marles will see defence spending rise to about 2.4% of GDP – but US president has urged allies to spend 3.5%Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor will spend an extra $53bn on defence over the next decade, using the nation’s latest military blueprint to create new special investment programs to fund increases in capability using private capital.The defence minister, Richard Marles, will unveil the new national defence strategy on Thursday, as well as detailing a new integrated investment program for military capability, boosting the current budget by $14bn over the next four years, forward estimates period. Continue reading...

A Pakistani official said he expected talks to restart soon, but it may take longer than Trump suggested. Plus: how to stop catastrophizing? Here’s what experts sayGood morning.Donald Trump has said that US-Iranian peace talks could resume in Islamabad over the next two days.Have Israel and Lebanon had talks yet? Yes. The two held negotiations about their conflict in Washington – their first direct talks in over three decades. The US state department praised the two sides for having “productive discussions” but Hezbollah has said it will not abide by any agreements made by Israeli and Lebanese government negotiators in Washington.For the latest updates, follow our liveblog. Continue reading...

US president says negotiations could restart in Islamabad under ‘fantastic’ Pakistani army chief Asim Munir• Middle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has said that US-Iranian peace talks could resume in Islamabad over the next two days, and complimented the work of Pakistan’s army chief as mediator.The US president was speaking on Tuesday to a New York Post reporter who had gone to Islamabad for the first round of ceasefire talks over the weekend. After an interview discussing prospects for negotiations, the reporter said the president called her back “with an update”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: closures are part of pledge by Labour to end all use of hotels for asylum seekers by end of this parliamentThe Home Office is to announce the closure of 11 asylum hotels this week as part of its pledge to close all hotels by the end of this parliament.The use of hotels to house asylum seekers has been controversial since it became widespread at the start of the Covid pandemic. Anti-migrant protesters have staged demonstrations outside the hotels, claiming asylum seekers are living a life of luxury in the hotels. Continue reading...

• Taylor Swift revealed her 12th studio album 'Evermore Echoes' during a live stream from Nashville on April 9, featuring collaborations with Post Malone and Lana Del Rey. • The 16-track project includes bonus tracks from fan-voted sessions, priced at $13.99 on digital platforms, set for April 17 release. • This marks Swift's quickest turnaround between albums at 18 months, boosting her streaming dominance amid 1.2 billion monthly Spotify listeners.