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• Senate Armed Services Committee 已推进 National Defense Authorization Act 的草案版本，其中包括阻止由与 sequester 框架相关的某些预算手段触发的军人自动减薪的条文。 • 该条款的出台背景是 Pentagon 官员警告人为减薪可能导致征兵和留用问题，且多个倡导团体游说立法者要求永久废除 sequester 上限。 • 参议员 Adam Smith 和委员会其他成员辩称，军人不应成为政治预算斗争中的附带损害。

• 缅因州州长 Janet Mills 周四宣布，她将撤回原定的参议院竞选计划，退出民主党初选，并实际上为州参议员 Ben Chipman 参加这一公开职位的竞争扫清了道路。 • Mills 将家庭因素和备受瞩目的参议院竞选带来的重负列为主要原因，并表示在她继续第二个任期之际，缅因州州长办公室“需要稳定的领导”。 • 她的退出重塑了该州的政治版图，在这个近期在全国大选中呈现“紫色”摇摆趋势的州，此举可能会使民主党免于一场激烈的党内初选。

• 周四发布的这份长达 155 页的中期报告显示，关于 12 月 14 日的枪击事件，公众所知甚少，且能分享的信息也极其有限 • 获取我们的 breaking news email、免费应用或每日新闻播客 • 如果从 royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion 的 155 页中期报告中能明确一件事，那就是关于 Bondi 大屠杀仍有很多未知之处，而已知的情况中能向公众公开的也微乎其微

• 一个参议院委员会准备推进 Trump 的提名人选，而关于美联储独立性以及 Powell 未来去向的疑虑依然存在。 • Donald Trump 选定的美联储领导人 Kevin Warsh 将于周三通过一个关键的程序性审核，这将为其在未来几周内接替 Jerome Powell 铺平道路。与此同时，白宫正采取前所未有的努力试图控制这家全球最强大的中央银行。 • 参议院银行委员会定于东部时间上午 10 点 (1400 GMT) 投票，将 Warsh 的提名提交至由共和党控制的参议院全体会议进行表决。在北卡罗来纳州参议员 Thom Tillis 放弃反对之后，该委员会的所有 13 名共和党人都预计将支持 Warsh。此前，司法部周五决定结束对 Powell 的刑事调查，而 Tillis 此前认为该调查是对美联储政治独立性的威胁。

• 美国总统的言论可能会让英国君主的助手们感到尴尬，因为君主通常保持中立。 • 唐纳德·特朗普坚持认为，查尔斯国王同意他的观点，即绝不能允许伊朗拥有核武器。 • 特朗普是在周二白宫为访问的查尔斯和卡米拉举行的国宴上发表上述言论的，此前两人当天早些时候进行了双边会谈。阅读更多...

伊朗冲突已进入类似于冷战的阶段，金融制裁和海军拦截导致局势陷入紧张的僵局。预计高能源价格将持续，且升级风险依然存在。据报道，Trump总统正在权衡是采取新一轮打击还是加强制裁，旨在迫使伊朗进入核计划谈判。

• 孟加拉国已开始为其首座核电站装载燃料。 • 该电站位于 Ruppur，由俄罗斯原子能公司 (Rosatom) 建设。 • 此举标志着该国在实现能源多样化和减少对化石燃料依赖方面迈出了重要一步。

Two months after the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran started the war, peace talks are on hold, with control of the Strait of Hormuz and the future of Iran's nuclear program as the two main points of contention.(Image credit: Vahid Salemi)

Australia is dependent upon UK’s ability to deliver new submarines, but report finds ‘cracks are already beginning to show’ “Cracks are already beginning to show” in the UK’s funding for the Aukus agreement that could derail the ambitious nuclear submarine plan, a British parliamentary inquiry has found, highlighting a threat to Australia’s security.UK shipbuilding has been under-funded for decades and the country’s submarine availability is “critically low”, the House of Commons defence committee’s report found. Continue reading...

Former prime minister says policies will lose support without continued lower prices, while Malcolm Turnbull points to some progress in USGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKevin Rudd has described Donald Trump’s cuts to support for green industries as “unfortunate”, warning that Australians would conclude the clean transition was “bullshit” if it did not offer tangible benefits to their lives.But – in some of his first comments since finishing his term as Australia’s ambassador to the US – the former prime minister said climate policies would have staying power if they delivered affordable prices, a reliable energy supply and new job opportunities. Continue reading...

• Iran has announced the resumption of uranium enrichment to 80% purity at its Natanz facility, signaling a breakdown in ongoing ceasefire negotiations with the United States. • International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors confirmed the announcement on Friday; Iran's move violates terms of previous diplomatic agreements and heightens regional security concerns. • The escalation comes as negotiators report deadlocked talks over sanctions relief, with both sides blaming the other for refusing compromise on nuclear program restrictions.

• A military confrontation along the Kashmir border escalated Friday when Pakistani forces fired on Indian positions near Uri, killing 12 Indian soldiers and wounding 18 others in the deadliest incident in two years, Pakistani military sources confirmed. • India's military responded with retaliatory strikes, with New Delhi claiming to have neutralized three Pakistani military positions; Pakistan denied casualties on its side but acknowledged defensive operations. • Regional analysts expressed alarm that the incident could spiral into broader conflict, warning both nations possess nuclear arsenals and recent diplomatic tensions have left few de-escalation channels open.

In February 2025, a cheap Russian drone tore through Chornobyl’s confinement shelter. Workers warn the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident is not safe yetThe dosimeter clipped to your chest ticks faster the moment you step off the designated path inside the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Step back, and it slows again – an invisible line between clean ground and contamination.Above rises the “new safe confinement” (NSC) – the largest, movable steel structure ever built, taller than the Statue of Liberty, wider than the Colosseum, its arch curving overhead like an aircraft hangar built for giant planes. Continue reading...

Lack of a sustained plan to end the war has convinced US allies that the White House is running out of ideasNearly eight weeks after Donald Trump launched his assault on Iran, the White House has shifted from a strategy of shock-and-awe bombardments and leadership decapitation to a plan of sustained economic pressure as it tests the wills of a regime practiced over decades at wars of attrition.Since the negotiations stalled, the White House has begun to shift its messaging to say it is willing to wait to strike a more durable deal with Iran – despite the growing economic toll inflicted on the world economy by the closure of the strait of Hormuz. The reason, senior officials have said, is because of the joint US-Israeli strikes were so successful that they have fractured Iran’s leadership and prevented a new consolidation of power. Continue reading...

• North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile from its western region Tuesday evening, the sixth such test in the past three months despite frozen nuclear diplomacy with the US. • US officials assessed the missile demonstrated improved guidance systems, suggesting continued weapons development despite economic sanctions and international isolation. • The test complicates efforts to restart dialogue, with South Korea calling for emergency trilateral talks involving Japan to address escalating regional security threats.

Christopher Trybus, of Swindon, also found not guilty of coercive and controlling behaviour towards Tarryn BairdA man has been cleared of waging a campaign of domestic abuse and sexual violence on his wife, who went on to take her own life.Christopher Trybus, 43, was charged with manslaughter, as well as with two counts of rape and coercive and controlling behaviour, but was found not guilty after a seven-week trial at Winchester crown court. Continue reading...

Unwanted vessels left to decay release fibreglass shards into the water, harming marine life. Steve Green – with his trusty van Cecil – is determined to clean things upSteve Green, a boat engineer from Cornwall, was pulled over by the police just before Christmas. He was driving a decrepit-looking VW campervan and towing an even more dilapidated yacht up to Truro. He hadn’t broken any laws, but he admits that Cecil the campervan, which runs on donated chip oil from local pubs and has a crane and a winch on the front, “wasn’t quite what VW intended”.Green (and Cecil) are on a mission to rid the beautiful hidden creeks of Cornwall’s Helford and Fal rivers of 166 abandoned fibreglass yachts, which are leaking plastic and toxins into the predominantly marine waters. Marine biologists have likened the thousands of shards of fibreglass they have found embedded in the flesh of sea-creatures in areas with wrecks such as these to asbestos, a substance known to have a noxious effect on humans.Green uses a detachable crane system at the front of his van to move around bags of plastic after they have been weighed. Cecil is upholstered in recycled denim Continue reading...

Ministers hope tobacco and vapes bill, which will become law next week, will create a ‘smoke-free generation’A bill banning anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco in the UK has completed its progress through parliament in a move that ministers hope will create a “smoke-free generation”.Under the tobacco and vapes bill anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be able to be legally sold tobacco across the UK, in an effort to save lives and reduce the burden on the NHS. Continue reading...

Washington reportedly limits satellite data after minister spoke publicly about suspected facility in North KoreaThe US has partly restricted intelligence sharing with South Korea after the country’s unification minister publicly identified a suspected North Korean nuclear site, according to reports in South Korean media.Chung Dong-young told lawmakers in March that North Korea was operating uranium enrichment facilities in Kusong, a north-western area that had not previously been officially confirmed as a nuclear site alongside the known facilities at Yongbyon and Kangson. Continue reading...

The 82-year-old was accused of abusing girls in the 1960s but was acquitted in Perth despite judge finding the alleged victim was telling the truthGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe former champion footballer Barry Cable has been acquitted of a slew of historical child sexual abuse charges despite a judge finding the alleged victim was likely telling the truth.The 82-year-old faced a judge-only criminal trial over allegations he abused a girl aged about eight or nine at his family home in the late 1960s. Continue reading...

• US President Donald Trump warned Iran of 'no more Mr Nice Guy' and threatened new strikes if no deal is agreed by Wednesday, following stalled talks over nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz. • Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz until the US lifts its blockade, with Revolutionary Guard navy confirming the move amid risks to global oil shipments; 13 US service members killed in related conflict. • Negotiations in Islamabad saw US propose 20-year Iranian nuclear suspension, countered by Iran's 3-5 year halt offer; Tehran reports progress but fundamental gaps remain per speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

• President Trump signals he will not extend Iran's ceasefire deadline if a comprehensive deal is not reached by Wednesday, warning of renewed military action including 'dropping bombs' if negotiations fail. • Trump declares the Strait of Hormuz now open due to a U.S. Navy blockade and pointedly rejects NATO's offer of assistance, highlighting America's unilateral stance in Middle East tensions. • The escalating pressure on Iran represents a significant shift in Trump administration foreign policy and challenges traditional alliance structures in addressing regional security threats.

The defence minister insists that increases in spending did not happen because of thinktanks, retired generals ‘or washed-up bureaucrats’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIf there’s anyone who knows just how much pressure Donald Trump is heaping on allies to lift defence spending, it’s Richard Marles.The message was received loud and clear when he met his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, in Singapore nearly a year ago. Continue reading...

Pyongyang making ‘very serious’ progress on producing weapons, with rapid rise in activity at main nuclear complexNorth Korea has made “very serious” progress in its ability to produce more nuclear weapons, the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has warned, in another sign that the regime is seeking to use its nuclear arsenal to ensure its survival.North Korea is thought to have assembled about 50 nuclear warheads, although some experts are sceptical of its claims that it is able to miniaturise them so they can be attached to long-range ballistic missiles. Continue reading...

Chancellor ‘frustrated and angry’ at decision to attack Iran ‘without being clear what the objectives are’UK politics live – latest updatesMiddle East crisis – live updatesRachel Reeves has hit out at the “folly” of Donald Trump’s decision to go to war against Iran without a clear exit plan.Speaking to the Mirror before a trip to Washington for the International Monetary Fund spring meeting, the UK chancellor renewed her criticism of the war, which has pushed up oil prices and threatens a new jump in inflation across the west. Continue reading...

Lisa Nandy says there are no grounds to refer Axel Springer deal to Ofcom, ending almost three years of uncertainty for titlesBusiness live – latest updatesThe culture secretary has cleared Axel Springer’s £575m takeover of the Telegraph, paving the way for the end of almost three years of uncertainty over the ownership of the titles.Lisa Nandy said that she does not believe there are grounds to intervene and refer the deal to the media regulator, Ofcom, for an in-depth regulatory investigation. Continue reading...

• President Trump announced on April 12 that the U.S. Navy would begin a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and intercept any vessel that has paid tolls to Iran to transit the strait safely, following the failure of 21-hour nuclear negotiations. • Vice President JD Vance confirmed in Islamabad that no agreement was reached, with Iran's refusal to abandon its nuclear program cited as the primary sticking point. • Iran's state-affiliated Fars news agency reported the country has no plan for a next round of negotiations, marking a significant escalation in the U.S.-Iran conflict.

• Vice President JD Vance announced at a press conference in Pakistan on April 12 that 21 hours of negotiations with Iran have concluded without reaching an agreement, with the primary sticking point being Iran's refusal to abandon its nuclear program. • Vance characterized the lack of progress as "bad news for Iran," while Iran's state-affiliated Fars news agency reported that Tehran has "no plan for a next round of negotiations" according to sources close to the negotiating team. • The failed talks carry significant implications for Middle East stability and global security, with experts examining how the diplomatic breakdown affects ongoing regional conflicts and US-Iran relations.