Targeting

• President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order imposing targeted sanctions on several Cuban regime officials and entities the administration alleges have supported repression and human‑rights abuses. • The White House says the action sends a message of solidarity with Cuban dissidents and complements broader efforts to pressure authoritarian regimes in Latin America. • Critics in Congress, including some Democrats and even a few Republicans, argue the move could backfire by tightening U.S. leverage ahead of upcoming negotiations on migration and regional security.

Students taking part in university’s annual ritual say images of them in swimwear are being published without consent in national newspapersWhen the sun rises at dawn on Friday, hundreds of St Andrews University students will brave the chilly North Sea for the annual May Dip, an undergraduate ritual said to bring good luck in exams. But the students won’t be alone at the beach. In recent years this quirky ritual has become a target for agency and freelance photographers looking to cash in on images of students in bikinis, including some who camp out overnight on the East Sands dunes near the Fife coastal path.“It ruined my night,” said Anna, one of the students whose photo appeared in a spread published by the Scotsman. “Now when I think about that May Dip, I think about that image, and that’s it.” 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...

• The European Commission introduced draft legislation on April 18 to impose stricter sanctions on Russian oil, gas, and refining infrastructure, aiming to reduce EU energy dependence by 35% within two years. • The proposal includes price caps on Russian liquefied natural gas imports and expanded restrictions on third-party shipping companies, targeting the "shadow fleet" used to circumvent existing penalties. • EU energy ministers debated the plan in Brussels, with Hungary and Slovakia expressing concerns about potential economic costs to their economies, though Germany and Poland voiced strong support.

Officials confirm misfire as Amnesty gives death toll after speaking to survivors of strike on market in Yobe stateA Nigerian air force strike targeting jihadist rebels hit a market in north-east Nigeria, killing more than 100 people and injuring many others, Amnesty International and local media have said.Officials confirmed a misfire had occurred but did not provide details. Continue reading...

Expert stresses importance of keeping routers updated and checking for unusual activity, as hackers could ‘take you to fake sites’Russian hackers are exploiting commonly sold internet routers to harvest information for espionage purposes, the UK’s cybersecurity agency has said.The hack could allow attackers to obtain users’ credentials, redirect them to fake sites, and potentially access other devices on their home network such as phones and PCs, said Alan Woodward, a professor at the University of Surrey. Continue reading...

• NIH awarded $500 million in grants on April 7, 2026, to 15 US institutions for CRISPR-based gene therapies addressing 100,000 Americans with sickle cell disease. • Phase 2 trials at Boston Children's show 94% pain crisis reduction; total funding supports 200 patients over five years. • Initiative responds to 17% US mortality drop goal by 2030; 'Breakthrough for underserved communities,' per NIH Director.

International law experts ‘seriously concerned’ about ‘strikes on schools, health centres and homes’ in contravention of Geneva conventionsDonald Trump, other senior US officials and their cheerleaders appear to be embracing attacks – and threats of attacks – on Iranian civilian infrastructure, which legal experts say appears to constitute serious war crimes under international law.In his rambling national address on Wednesday, the US president warned that if Iran did not reach an unspecified deal with him, US forces would “hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants” and “bring [Iran] back to the stone ages – where they belong”. Continue reading...

• NATO formally condemned coordinated Russian cyber attacks launched against critical infrastructure in three alliance member states, including Estonia, Lithuania, and Romania, on April 1-2, 2026. • The attacks targeted power grid control systems and financial networks, with NATO officials attributing the operations to Russian GRU military intelligence with "high confidence" based on forensic analysis and technical signatures. • The incident prompted emergency meetings of the NATO Cyber Defence Centre in Tallinn and triggered Article 5 threat assessment protocols, though military responses remain under deliberation among member states.

• Treasury Department imposed sanctions on April 1 against firms linked to hacks on Australian and Japanese defense networks, stealing terabytes of data. • Targets include Huawei subsidiary and two state-backed hackers, freezing $1.2 billion in US assets. • Action escalates tech war, with FBI reporting 40% rise in state-sponsored attacks on US firms.

• Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) introduced the Cost-of-Living Emergency Act on March 27 to combat rising essentials prices outpacing wages. • Bill mandates DOJ-FTC task force for emergency enforcement against price gouging, fixing, and discrimination on goods like utilities. • Invokes Defense Production Act for supply chain fixes backed by data to lower costs, plus creates 12-member bipartisan Congressional Cost-of-Living Commission for expedited relief proposals.

• ARM unveiled its first proprietary AGI CPU for AI data centers, shifting from licensing designs to manufacturing its own silicon. • Early adopters include Meta, OpenAI, Cloudflare, and Cerebras, positioning ARM directly in the AI infrastructure market. • This move underscores the intensifying competition in AI hardware, where control over end-to-end production is becoming critical for major players.

• Semiconductor design giant Arm revealed on March 25, 2026, it will market its own chips for the first time, aiming for $15 billion in annual sales. • CEO Rene Haas discussed the move in exclusive interviews, marking a shift from licensing designs to direct competition in AI and data center markets. • The announcement boosted SoftBank shares and highlights re-industrialization trends in U.S. tech supply chains amid AI demand.

Medics and officials say there is systematic use of double-tap strikes in campaign to make the south uninhabitableLebanese healthcare workers and officials say Israeli bombings have deliberately targeted medical workers and facilities in south Lebanon, including through the use of double-tap strikes, in what they describe as a systematic effort to make the area unlivable.Since the war began on 2 March, Israel has struck at least 128 medical facilities and ambulances across south Lebanon, killing 40 healthcare workers and wounding 107, according to the Lebanese ministry of health. The war started when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, triggering an Israeli military campaign. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration announced plans to halt billions in federal Medicaid payments to California, Florida, Maine, and New York, following similar actions against Minnesota involving over $2 billion in withheld funds and $260 million clawed back. • Officials cited alleged Medicaid fraud as the basis for these unprecedented measures, potentially creating a national playbook for pressuring states over program spending. • This escalation impacts public health insurance jointly funded by states and federal government, raising concerns about access for low-income Americans amid ongoing political tensions.

The anonymous leaflets display pictures of LGBTIQ+ people along with accusations of crimes such as drug trafficking and paedophiliaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice in Western Australia are investigating flyers distributed to homes across Perth targeting members of the state’s LGBTIQ+ community.The flyers, which are anonymous, display photographs of LGBTIQ+ people and falsely accuse them of crimes such as paedophilia. Continue reading...

The United States and Israel have conducted the largest attacks yet against Iran on the 14th day of the conflict, hitting approximately 15,000 targets since the war began. President Donald Trump announced that American forces executed "one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East," destroying military targets on Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, while threatening to target Iranian oil infrastructure if Tehran continues blocking energy flows. Trump stated the U.S. would continue its campaign "as long as necessary" and indicated the Navy would begin escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz "very soon," signaling further escalation of the two-week regional conflict. The joint international decision to release record oil reserves this week appeared to have minimal impact on crude prices, while the U.S. simultaneously moved to ease Russian oil sanctions over a 30-day period to alleviate rapidly rising energy costs.