White House Dinner Shooting Escalatesactive

The annual White House Correspondents' dinner was disrupted by gunfire on Saturday evening, causing an emergency evacuation of US President Donald Trump and his administration officials while attendees sheltered under tables. The gunman, who has been detained, reportedly told officials he wanted to shoot members of the Trump administration.

"Within the controlled area" outside the event venue, the perpetrator was apprehended.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer insists he’ll remain in the job and lead the Labour Party into the next elections, even as the controversy over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US refuses to die down.

Security footage posted by President Donald Trump on social media appears to show the shooting suspect running toward White House Correspondents' dinner. Moments later, officials evacuated the area as gunshots were reported outside the ballroom.

Discrepancy in forecasts raises questions over government planning for net zero One vision of the UK’s future involves a decarbonised economy powered by clean, renewable energy. Another involves making the UK an AI superpower. The government departments responsible for these two visions do not appear to have agreed on their numbers. Continue reading...

Two people were killed in the Donetsk region over the past 24 hours as a result of enemy shelling in Druzhkivka and Oleksievo-Druzhkivka.

US President Donald Trump was quickly escorted to safety from the White House Correspondents' Dinner after gunshots were heard at the venue.

Efforts to resume peace talks over the Iran war stalled after US President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip by his top envoys and the Islamic Republic said it won’t negotiate so long as it’s being threatened.

Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is projected to lose seats nationwide in UK local and regional elections on May 7.  Nowhere will that sting more than in the race for the Welsh Senedd.

Conservative television broadcasters are getting bigger under Donald Trump — and thanks to his top communications regulator, they may get enhanced power to mute the president’s critics. The Federal Communications Commission’s approval of a $6.2 billion merger between the TV station owners Nexstar and Tegna is one step toward agency chair Brendan Carr’s goal of boosting local broadcasters’ market heft, a shift that can help them counter the programming decisions of networks such as NBC and ABC. For his next move, Carr is considering ways to make it easier for local stations to preempt network programs without triggering breach-of-contract penalties, he told POLITICO after the FCC’s March 26 meeting. “There’s a very healthy feedback loop when the local broadcasters could not just communicate their concerns to the national programmers but if need be, actually preempt,” said Carr, who has repeatedly expressed a desire to return to an era when stations had greater leverage against the networks. “I think we were better off. We’ve lost that.” FCC spokespeople didn’t respond to a request for comment this week about Carr’s plans or any concerns about the politics involved. Under confidential contracts between the networks and their affiliate stations, stations can face financial consequences if they preempt programming more frequently than the terms allow. Other repercussions could include the loss of valuable network programs such as football games or even an end to their status as network affiliates. Carr has said those contracts have become unduly restrictive — and he has prodded network executives about what he called their attempts “to extract onerous financial and operational concessions” from stations. Meanwhile, Carr’s team is reviewing possible ways the FCC can intervene to help local TV station owners — including, he said, a presumption intended to ensure that local broadcasters can preempt network programs without risking the loss of their affiliate agreements. The additional preemption leeway could be especially powerful in the hands of a station owner such as Nexstar, which under the merger would become the nation’s largest TV broadcaster, owning 259 stations that reach about 80 percent of U. S. households. And it would be yet another move by Carr to check the power of networks that Trump accuses of liberal bias. Nexstar and fellow conservative broadcaster Sinclair already flexed their muscles in September by refusing for nine days to air Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show on ABC, amid criticism by Carr and other Republicans for his remarks about the killing of pro-Trump activist Charlie Kirk. Making it even easier for stations to preempt the networks would help rebalance the media ecosystem, said Daniel Suhr, a conservative lawyer heading the Center for American Rights whose advocacy largely aligns with the FCC chair’s views. “Preemption is really a tool to reflect the values of individual markets that wouldn’t appreciate the content from Hollywood and New York, who find it offensive or insulting,” Suhr said. “It is important at key moments, like we saw with Kimmel. And it’s one tool that does give affiliates some real leverage.” The FCC’s search for a “censorship backdoor” is motivating efforts to enhance local stations’ power over national programming, lone Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez told POLITICO. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Democrats see politics at play. “When the FCC’s campaign to cancel Jimmy Kimmel failed thanks to the loud, public outcry from local communities, the agency quietly went looking for a censorship backdoor,” Anna Gomez, the lone Democratic commissioner, told POLITICO in a statement Friday. “That’s why it is suddenly very interested in using affiliate broadcasters to indirectly pressure networks into dropping programming it dislikes.” Gomez lamented the agency’s “obsession with how broadcasters cover this administration.” A growing giant The merger between Nexstar and Tegna, which the FCC approved last month, is on hold as a federal judge in California considers a legal challenge by Democratic state attorneys general and the satellite broadcaster DirecTV. But it’s gotten a vocal endorsement from Trump. “We need more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in February. He added: “GET THAT DEAL DONE!” U. S. District Judge Troy Nunley extended his stay on the deal last week, leaving the merger in limbo as Nexstar appeals to the 9th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Public interest groups and the conservative cable company Newsmax are separately challenging the FCC’s approval, contending it would hurt media diversity and local journalism and result in higher cable fees. Nexstar has already closed the deal and taken ownership of Tegna, but it says it is complying with the judge’s directives to keep the two companies’ assets separate for now. As part of the FCC’s approval, Carr waved a congressionally imposed cap that says no station owner should be able to reach more than 39 percent of U. S. households. One result of a supersized Nexstar could be more episodes like last year’s standoff over Kimmel, which flared after the ABC host suggested in his monologue that Kirk’s alleged killer had been a member of the “MAGA gang.” (Instead, officials in Utah, where the killing occurred, suggested that the suspect espoused “leftist ideology.”) Carr leaped into the fray, telling a conservative podcaster that Kimmel’s remarks could violate the FCC’s rarely enforced rules against news “distortion,” putting ABC’s affiliate stations at risk of fines and loss of their broadcasting licenses. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said at the time. “These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action, frankly, on Kimmel or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” Within hours, Nexstar and Sinclair said they would refuse to air Kimmel’s show, and ABC suspended the program for six days. Kimmel returned to the airwaves after the network and its parent company Disney faced a viewer boycott amid criticism that they were bowing to pressure from Trump. Days later, Nexstar and Sinclair also restored Kimmel to their line-ups without any apparent concessions from the comedian. But under the changes Carr is contemplating, station owners would have an easier time waging a prolonged protest against shows they object to. In the months since the Kimmel controversy, Carr has repeatedly expressed an interest in making it easier for stations to preempt the networks. “Over the years, folks have told me they have interest in doing it, but they haven’t felt like the FCC’s got their back — they haven’t felt like they would have the ability to do it,” he told POLITICO in November. “We should look at ways of strengthening the right to preempt.” In a letter last summer to Comcast co-CEO Brian Roberts, Carr wrote that “Americans no longer trust the national news outlets to report fully, accurately, and fairly,” citing the results of a Gallup survey and remarks by Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos. In contrast, Carr said, “Americans largely hold positive views of their local media outlets, including local broadcasters.” Carr’s push against national programming echoes Trump’s attacks on what the president views as “fake news,” and accusations that some TV hosts suffer from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” The FCC chief has separately opened investigations into or threatened a range of media companies including NBC, CBS, ABC and public broadcasters like NPR and PBS for a mix of alleged offenses, including running afoul of “equal time” rules for interviewing political candidates. Last month, Carr threatened to revoke the licenses of broadcasters he accused of “running hoaxes and news distortions.” And just this week, he opened the door toward requiring warning labels on TV shows that include discussion of transgender people or gender identity, a frequent target of Trump’s policies. Nexstar CEO Perry Sook, meanwhile, has sharpened his own rhetoric amid the quest to get his merger approved. In a merger commitment letter filed with the FCC last month, Sook complained that “national media organizations increasingly dictate the news agenda.” And on stage this week at a broadcast conference, Sook dismissed the idea that Nexstar is a “behemoth” in a marketplace with rivals like Google and Netflix. He accused the Democratic attorneys general suing to stop the merger of playing politics in a midterm year. Anxiety swirling The prospect of GOP-friendly broadcasters removing content that Trump or his allies view as biased is unsettling parts of the industry, and even some conservatives who say the government shouldn’t meddle in the commercial relationships between networks and their affiliates. It could also further inflame Democrats’ accusations that Carr is abusing his office to muzzle Trump’s critics. Carr’s agenda could expose him to legal action given its apparent political underpinnings, said Stuart Benjamin, who co-directs the Center for Innovation Policy at Duke Law School. “There’s a very serious question about the FCC chair using his regulatory authority to favor some companies over others, in significant part based on his sympathy for their ideology,” Benjamin said. “And that is just not consistent with the First Amendment.” The conservative-leaning group Americans for Tax Reform warned Carr in December against interfering with how local stations handle national programming — a scenario it said is at odds with Trump’s deregulatory agenda. And the Conservative Political Action Coalition Foundation, in its December response to Carr’s request for comments on local broadcasters’ removal of national content, warned that the FCC should intervene in broadcast practices only when there is clear public harm. “The strength of America’s video marketplace lies in its diversity: diverse voices, diverse technologies, and diverse business models,” the group said. “Heavy-handed regulatory expansion threatens that diversity by curtailing the flexibility that has produced tremendous gains for consumers.” Carr has said allowing local broadcasters more freedom to remove national content harkens back to the way the relationship between the two used to work, with prominent examples of extensive preemption throughout the 20th century and as recently as the early 2010s. That period included instances when local stations would run primetime specials by televangelist Billy Graham, or when a Salt Lake City station whose owners have ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints refused to air “Saturday Night Live” over concerns about its appropriateness. Meanwhile, national networks such as NBCUniversal have warned that federal meddling in their affiliate agreements with local stations could drive premium programming to streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime and Netflix. Some communications policy veterans suspect that Carr, as with many of his initiatives, may be seeking to sway the marketplace without imposing any formal rule changes. “I think what he probably is trying to do is influence some of the behavior,” said Jeff Westling, a senior scholar of innovation policy at the International Center for Law & Economics think tank and former legal fellow in Carr’s office. “Just use some of that jawboning style to get the outcomes that he wants.” Still, Westling said Carr should be careful about complicating the terms of private affiliate agreements — a road that could risk unraveling key parts of broadcast TV. “I just worry that if you impose some of those onerous restrictions on them,” he added, “you really try to meddle with it, you’re go…

Hamstring tear will keep Salah out for four weeks, but he will be fit for Egypt at the World Cup, Ibrahim Hassan says.

On April 1, the National Bureau of Statistics of China released the latest GDP rankings for the country’s various provinces and municipalities. The data showed consistent growth across major metropolises, but also revealed a significant geographic shift in the Chinese economy. The data ranked Jiangsu and Zhejiang first and third, respectively, among Chinese provinces by […] The post Geocultural forces reshaping China’s economic map appeared first on Asia Times.

Hong Kong's initial public offering (IPO) market has raised over HK$140 billion (US$17.87 billion) as of April, maintaining its global lead, according to the city's financial chief. He also indicated a renewed effort to develop gold trading in response to increasing demand for risk diversification. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po stated on Sunday that Hong Kong remained the world's leading IPO fundraising hub as of last week, citing the growing number of high-quality companies utilizing the city's robust financing infrastructure.

The enemy attacked four districts of the region. One person was killed, and four others were injured.

President says incident, in which Secret Service agent was saved by bulletproof vest, was ‘totally shocking to me’ White House correspondents’ dinner shooting – follow live Donald Trump said on Saturday night he initially thought that the sound of a gunman charging a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was a tray falling, in his first remarks about what was going through his mind as the incident unfolded. “Actually, it was totally shocking to me, and that never changes,” Trump said, appearing to refer to the assassination attempt against him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a second incident on his golf course in Florida during the 2024 presidential campaign. Continue reading...

The UK is moving ahead with a landmark plan to ban cigarette sales for anyone born after 2008, aiming to create a 'smoke-free generation'. Public reaction is mixed: some welcome it as a good step for public health, while others raise concerns about personal freedom.

The United States' alignment with Israel, France's exclusion and the disregard for the United Nations undermine current negotiations with Lebanon just as much as they did in 1983, writes historian Jean-Pierre Filiu in his column.

Fuel prices in Europe rose rapidly following the US–Israel strike on Iran and peaked shortly afterwards. While prices declined moderately after the ceasefire, both diesel and petrol remain notably higher than pre-strike levels.

“I hate to say I’m honored,” the president says of his repeated brushes with violence, including two assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign.

WASHINGTON.- On Thursday morning, Washington time, a high-ranking Iranian official wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the country's fighters were hidden in coastal caves near the Strait of Hormuz, preparing to "devastate the aggressors." Read the full statement here.

It’s midnight. A call was made to Malaysia’s Fire and Rescue Department about a forest fire in Tanjung Bungah, Penang. Firefighters rushed to the scene only to discover there was no such blaze. the department gets a prank call every other day. Many of these calls are usually made about an hour before or after midnight. Its exasperated director general Nor Hisham Mohammad is now calling for a multiprong approach to deal with the problem. “There should be stricter enforcement, use of technological...

Gunshots fired at media gala with Trump; attacker arrested.

Writing more than 2,000 years ago, the Greek historian Plutarch gave us an eloquent description of what modern historians now call “micro-militarism.” When an imperial power like Athens then, or America now, is in decline, its leaders often react emotionally by mounting seemingly bold military strikes in hopes of regaining the imperial grandeur that’s slipping through their […] The post Trump’s war: the kind of military misadventure that ends empires appeared first on Asia Times.

The British royals are set to arrive on Monday for a visit hosted by President Trump, with a garden party, an address to Congress and a banquet on the schedule.

The problem with ‘windfall’ taxes is that the relatively small amount raised is often not worth the long-term cost

Project Prometheus, the latest AI group, will be establishing a presence in the UK capital as part of its global expansion.

India has reportedly signed a deal to buy Russian missiles that target support aircraft as its arch-rival Pakistan and China continue to integrate their aerial weapons profiles. Russia has cleared the export of around 300 R-37M ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles in a US$1.2 billion deal, according to media reports. Malaysia-based news platform Defence Security Asia said deliveries of the missiles could begin within 12 to 18 months. India is also developing its own Astra Mk 2 and Mk 3 missiles,...

Region’s sovereign wealth funds review their portfolios as Middle East war heightens economic strain

Clearing mines from Gulf waterway will take weeks even if US navy receives help from reluctant European allies

Kremlin crackdown targets even loyal publishing houses

Killhouse is based on real-life story of civilian couple saved from battlefield by Ukrainian drone operators It is being billed as Ukraine’s answer to Saving Private Ryan, updated for an age of drones. The war movie Killhouse is an action thriller which shows off the latest in battlefield technology. Released this week, it features cameos by figures well known in Ukraine, including the nation’s former military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov. One missing person is Donald Trump. The film is conveniently set in 2024, when Washington and Kyiv were allies. Continue reading...

The U.S. government is reinforcing the border wall with Mexico and now describes it as a "smart" one. Following the 2025 passage of Donald Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill," which includes a $46.5 billion budget package for border infrastructure construction, the United States is expanding and erecting new 32-ft-high steel bollard walls (nearly 10 meters), transforming water barriers, building roads, improving lighting, and installing high-tech detection tools such as infrared cameras and motion sensors. In addition, the area will be constantly monitored by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

UK's smoke-free generation law: Five key questions

A video shows Erika Kirk crying as she is being escorted away after a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, April 28.

Donald Trump said the suspect was armed with “multiple weapons” and identified the individual as being from California.

The directive includes criticism of Israel as a factor that can disqualify immigrants from receiving green cards.

After shots at a DC hotel during the WHCD, social media pushed “staged” claims and named a suspect, but officials have not confirmed any details or identity.

White House press secretary's viral video before the Correspondents' Dinner sparks speculation about a shooting incident.

British farmers have delivered another batch of 38 off-road vehicles to Ukraine’s military as part of the Pickups for Peace initiative.

CNN, the American news network, reported breaking news that President Trump left the venue of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner after a loud noise was heard. President Trump had been seated on the stage, but security personnel rushed to surround him. It was reported that President Trump was safe. Subsequently, armed security personnel were deployed on the stage, maintaining a heightened state of alert. At the venue, attendees briefly panicked and crouched under their tables. The details of what happened at the venue are currently unknown.

Journalists were hiding under tables, and the man who fired the shots has been arrested.

After an hour’s drive through the jungle of Borneo, you reach more jungle. Your rental van from the Balikpapan city airport shakes precariously, navigating a partial bridge washout. A roadside sign admonishes against poaching the endangered sun bears. By hour three you’ve arrived at Indonesia’s new capital, which is due to start taking over from gridlocked, polluted and seaward-sinking Jakarta in 2028. Welcome to Ibu Kota Nusantara, known locally as just Nusantara or IKN. Eventually, if all goes...

A long-standing and widely-circulated rumor that the Forbidden City in Beijing uses 600,000 tonnes of pig's blood each year to dispel evil has been debunked. The liquid is actually used as a form of adhesive which is painted on the famous palace's signature red walls and pillars, according to a recently published book. The book "Sitting under the Roof of the Forbidden City: Answering 50 Questions about the Forbidden City" is written by Zhou Qian, a researcher at the palace for 20 years who is also...

Iranian officials have questioned how they can trust the US after US forces began blockading Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.

At the age of 16, David Foenkinos suffered a cardiac arrest and spent several weeks in that precarious state where life can be sustained or lost in the same instant. When he awoke, he was no longer the same person; he knew he wanted to be a writer. Many years later, already a recognized author and a man in his fifties, he published a novel in which a young woman named Clara experiences a similar ordeal. The difference is that she awakens with the gift of clairvoyance instead of the gift of writing. "Everyone Loves Clara" is the title of the new book by the French author, which is being published in Chile by Alfaguara. The novel is based on his experience, we said, but also on his visit to a non-Catholic cemetery in Rome, with his daughter, where he saw a sculpture called "Angel of Sorrow." This marble sculpture, created by the American William Wetmore Story for the tomb of his wife, Emelyn, who died in 1894, represents the devastation caused by the loss of a loved one. With its wings and its body inclined, it embodies the grief associated with death. This pain, rendered in stone, deeply moved the man and inspired him to explore the idea of a novel in which one could return from the dead. And not only return from death, but also write about it, because Clara's father, Alexis, a banker, turns to literature to cope with the experience and enrolls in a writing workshop led by the writer Ruprez. "I was amazed by that sculpture," Foenkinos tells Culto. "In fact, it's..."

President Donald Trump and other top leaders of the United States were evacuated from an annual dinner of White House correspondents on Saturday night after an unspecified threat. There did not immediately appear to be any injuries. The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the banquet hall as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. “Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. More to follow...

The surge in optical module stocks reflects a deeper shift in AI infrastructure: the bottleneck is no longer computing power alone, but how that power is connected.

On the 25th, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met with Azerbaijani President Aliyev, and they agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as defense.

Trump says Iran did not make a satisfactory offer as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departs Pakistan.

An air accident occurred this Saturday at the Sevilla estate, located in the Obero village, within the jurisdiction of Masagua, Escuintla, Guatemala, resulting in the death of the pilot of an aircraft used for agricultural spraying. According to a report from the 9th Company of the Volunteer Fire Department, the emergency was reported at approximately 9:00 a.m. (local time), prompting an immediate response to kilometer 94, inside the Sevilla estate. Upon arriving at the scene, rescuers assessed the pilot of the aircraft, who was unfortunately found to have no vital signs. The aircraft involved in the accident, a Thursh with registration TG-BUA, was performing spraying operations when it crashed. The impact was so severe that it prevented any rescue attempts, confirming the death of the sole occupant. Victim of the Tragedy Later, in a press release, the Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) announced that, upon being notified of the accident, a team of investigators was immediately dispatched to analyze the scene and gather evidence to determine the cause of the incident. The DGAC stated that the deceased pilot was identified as Luis Guillermo Jurado Muñoz, who was performing his professional duties at the time of the accident. In its statement, the DGAC expressed its condolences…

A new wave of bombardments has been reported overnight, even as a recently extended ceasefire with Hezbollah appeared to fray amid mutual accusations of violations.

Ukraine will continue its educational programs for students from Azerbaijan.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (R) on Friday thanked President Trump for meeting with her and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) to discuss wildfire recovery efforts, but noted that other states are "in line" requesting assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Barger told CNN's Elex Michaelson that she spoke with lawmakers about...

New USCIS training materials indicate that green card applicants may face increased scrutiny over political expressions,

This Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a "strong attack" against the Shia militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite a ceasefire that has been in place since April 16th. The decision was communicated through a brief statement from the Prime Minister's office and comes after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that they activated alarm sirens in Shtula, in northern Israel, on Friday, after detecting rocket launches from Lebanon. The military stated that they managed to intercept the rockets and that they killed three Hezbollah members. Furthermore, in response to these attacks, the IDF announced that they had struck military structures belonging to Hezbollah in the areas of Khebert Selem, Deir Aames, and Touline in southern Lebanon. During these hours, reports also emerged of two projectiles being launched from Lebanon towards Israel, which the military described as "a serious violation of the ceasefire agreements by Hezbollah." Previously, Netanyahu spoke in a video posted on his social media, stating that "we maintain complete freedom of action against any threat, including emerging ones." He also blamed Hezbollah for sabotaging negotiations that had begun with the Lebanese government. Meanwhile, from Lebanon, the national news agency reported several Israeli attacks in the south of the country, including in the city of Haddatha and the town of Safa al-Batikh.

Lebanese state media reported a series of new Israeli strikes in the country’s south on Saturday night, after attacks earlier in the day killed six people despite a recently extended ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hezbollah. The new attacks followed orders from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military to “forcefully attack Hezbollah targets” after the army accused it of breaching the truce. Lebanon’s health ministry had said earlier that “Israeli enemy strikes on a...

Negotiations are at a standstill. Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister has reignited tensions with Hezbollah.

In the world of mathematics, the United States is becoming an outlier. The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) – the world’s most important mathematics conference and the venue for awarding the prestigious Fields Medal – is facing worldwide opposition because the US is hosting this year’s event in Philadelphia in July. More than 2,300 mathematicians from at least 76 countries have signed an online petition to “move the 2026 ICM out of the US” and “commit not to participate in the ICM...

President Trump said his administration received a new proposal from Iran after he canceled a U. S. delegation’s trip to Islamabad for a second round of peace deal talks.   “They gave us a paper that should have been better. And interestingly, immediately, when I canceled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was…

In Jerusalem, the protest ended in clashes between demonstrators and police

For the first time, President Trump is attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the annual gala for the media that has been held in Washington for over a century.

On the 25th, Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian concluded meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif and other officials in Pakistan, before traveling to Oman, his next destination. Subsequently, on the same day, U.S. President Trump announced the cancellation of plans to send U.S. special envoy Witkoff and others to Pakistan, indicating a lack of progress in the negotiations.

Chief property and security officer Ian Collard set to submit written answers to foreign affairs committee questions A key figure in the row over Peter Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to Washington will not appear before a parliamentary committee of MPs to give evidence. Dame Emily Thornberry had requested that Ian Collard speak to the foreign affairs committee (FAC) on Tuesday, but confirmed on Saturday that he would submit written answers instead. Whether he felt under pressure to deliver Lord Mandelson’s clearance, after Sir Olly said there was an “atmosphere of pressure” and “constant chasing” from Downing Street. Whether he had seen the cover form for Lord Mandelson’s vetting by UK Security Vetting (UKSV), the agency responsible for checks on candidates for sensitive posts, in which it had ticked two red boxes – meaning they had “high concern” and recommended “clearance denied or withdrawn”. If he was asked by anyone in the Foreign Office, Downing Street or the Cabinet Office for advice about whether Lord Mandelson required vetting for the post given he was a member of the House of Lords. If he advised on how Lord Mandelson should be treated during the period between his appointment being announced and his clearance coming through. Continue reading...

Iran had earlier said there were no plans for a direct meeting with a US delegation led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Gianandrea Gaiani, military expert and editor-in-chief of the Analisi Difesa portal, says that at the same time, within the alliance, member states are increasingly acting independently

DNA is the key that defines how all living beings, including humans, function. Its four letters, A, T, G, and C, form the recipe for building and maintaining life in each cell. This Saturday, April 25th, is DNA Day, commemorating the moment when scientists James Watson and Francis Crick described the double helix structure of DNA in the journal Nature. This happened in 1953, and over time, evidence emerged that the British researcher Rosalind Franklin played a crucial role in this discovery: she obtained X-ray diffraction images, particularly the famous Photo 51, which allowed them to see the actual shape of DNA. This year, World DNA Day is filled with excitement due to a groundbreaking discovery. A group of scientists from Stanford University in the United States discovered a new way to synthesize DNA in bacteria. This advancement changes what was previously thought to be possible. Pujuan Deng, Hyunbin Lee, Carlo Armijo, Haoqing Wang, and Alex Gao were part of the team that published the findings in the journal Science. They suggested that bacteria can synthesize double-stranded DNA without copying a previous template, using specialized proteins. In this way, they revealed a new, natural way to create DNA. In an interview with Infobae, Dr. Gao from the United States explained: "What surprised us the most was that the Drt3b protein was able to synthesize a molecule called poly(AC). We didn't expect it to be possible..."

Pope Leo said he has seen the letter from the parents of more than 100 children killed in the strike, which a preliminary inquiry found resulted from a mistake by the U. S. military.

Pope Leo said he has seen the letter from the parents of more than 100 children killed in the strike, which a preliminary inquiry found resulted from a mistake by the U. S. military.

Lawyers say El Gamal family detained by Trump administration hours after returning home from 10-month detention.

The recent deaths of five US House members, including 80-year-old David Scott, have sparked debate on age limits in Congress.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao on Saturday vowed to build ships after his predecessor, John Phelan, was fired this week amid President Trump’s push for accelerated shipbuilding. Cao posted a video to social media listing his priorities to service members in the Navy, starting off with taking “care of your needs and make sure you…

A group of scientists from various fields – including climate, economics, and technology – announced the creation of the Scientific Panel for the Global Energy Transition (SPGET) this Saturday (25th) during the First International Conference on the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, held in Santa Marta, Colombia. The objective is to advise governments on the global energy transition and to produce evidence-based recommendations to guide public policies and concrete actions towards decarbonization. Related news: The war showed that the energy transition is also a matter of security. Sea turtles reappear in Guanabara Bay. Biologist from Inpa wins the largest prize in Brazilian science. The announcement was attended by prominent figures in international science, including Brazilians Carlos Nobre, a leading expert in Amazonian studies, and Gilberto Jannuzzi, from the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), and the Swedish Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. "The energy transition is complex and involves economics, the environment, and social justice. Science can act as a bridge between countries that are progressing faster and those that are still hesitant. The panel is a way to gradually integrate everyone," said Rockström. Also present was the Colombian Minister of the Environment, Irene Vélez Torres, who defended the initiative as a response to a gap in…

Comedian Bill Maher on Friday joked that the White House Correspondents Dinner was an opportunity for President Trump "to say all sorts of insulting things" to the media. Maher told the panel on his HBO series "Real Time" that he was "very interested" in watching the dinner to see how political the jokes would be.

Abbas Araghchi met senior Pakistani officials in Islamabad and left for Oman to be later bound for Russia.

Pair, believed to be mother and son, recovered from water but died at scene in Elthorne Park, Ealing A woman and her young child have died after getting into “difficulty” in the water at a west London park, police said. Police were called to Elthorne Park in Ealing just before 4.30pm on Saturday, where a woman and child were recovered from the water, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

President Trump scrapped a trip by U. S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan for talks with Iran, leaving himself tough choices over how to force Iran to make concessions and strike a deal.

The “White Angel” police unit has once again evacuated a family with two children from Lyman in the Donetsk region, including a seriously injured 17-year-old boy.

Blazes in US south-east have blown smoke over a wide area, and contributed to at least one death in Florida Two wildfires in south-eastern Georgia that have destroyed more than 120 homes continued to threaten property and lives on Saturday as officials warned that strong winds could spread the flames. The Brantley county manager, Joey Cason, called it a “dynamic situation” in a Saturday-morning video posted to social media and begged residents to “please evacuate” if they are ordered to do so. Continue reading...

"The Constitution guarantees everyone in Italy the right to protest. It's a disgrace."

France justified abstaining on a UN resolution recognising the slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity.

However, within the center-right coalition, there remain significant differences. Schlein stated that the event was "divisive only for those who long for the past."

Steak ‘n Steak is overhauling its ingredients and cooking methods in a move it claims aligns with the Trump administration's health agenda. The chain's newly appointed Chief Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) officer stated on Saturday that this effort is intended to restore "the glory days of fast food." "Our message is simple," said Michael Boes during an…

The Israeli military reported that this Saturday, it launched a series of attacks in southern Lebanon, resulting in at least six deaths, despite the ceasefire agreement between the two countries. The ceasefire was extended the previous day for another three weeks to allow for peace negotiations. The offensive comes amid ongoing clashes between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah along the border. While the agreed-upon ceasefire has been repeatedly violated by both sides, it has led to a significant reduction in hostilities between the two countries. However, Israel and the Hezbollah militia, backed by Iran, have continued to clash along the southern border, where the Israeli military maintains soldiers in the self-proclaimed buffer zone. In light of this situation, Israel reported that it attacked Hezbollah rocket launchers in three locations in southern Lebanon during the night, and in separate actions, targeted several members of the group. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) indicated that three Hezbollah members traveling in an armed vehicle were killed in the south of the country, without specifying the location. They also stated that another member died while riding a motorcycle south of the so-called "forward defense line" (or "yellow line"), a zone in Lebanese territory away from the border and under Israeli control. Later, the same sources reported that two more Hezbollah members were killed in an airstrike in the area...

The Nord chain of stores is owned by Mordashov, who was placed on the U.S. sanctions list in 2022.

Meghnagi: "ANPI promotes antisemitism," Piantedosi to speak in Milan on Tuesday.

In Dnipro, 208 people reported to the police that their property had been damaged as a result of enemy attacks today, April 25.

The ceremony was attended by representatives from the Russia House in Berlin, local officials, and residents of Saxony

Some warned that the president’s blue-tinted resurfacing would distort the experience for visitors and make the national symbol resemble a “large lap pool.”

Over a series of conversations held between 2024 and 2026 with Le Monde, the philosopher and French Resistance member analyzed the contemporary world's upheaval, from the rise of authoritarianism in the West to conflicts in the Middle East, as well as the impact of new technologies and the fate of environmental issues, which have been tragically relegated to the background.

In Dnipro, enemy attacks over the past 24 hours have claimed the lives of eight people, with 49 others wounded.

Marshal Renato Quaglia, from Alessandria, and the most senior officer in the Carabinieri, was born on April 25, 1918. "I enlisted in 1937, but I still feel the weight of those years. Were you afraid of the war? No, not really, because we would have been crushed in a few hours."

On May 14th, he will be at the Sapienza University, following the incident at the university involving Ratzinger.

According to initial reports, the shots were fired by a man on a scooter.

At a ceremony held at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the National University and Higher Education Institutions Association (Anuies) formally launched the 2026 National University Championships, with the participation of thousands of student-athletes from across the country. The event was led by Luis Alberto Fierro Ramírez, General Coordinator for Academic Strengthening at the Association, representing Luis González Placencia, and was attended by Fernando Macedo Chagolla, who represented the host university community. In his opening remarks, Fierro Ramírez emphasized that this sporting event goes beyond competition, representing a way to educate, include, and recognize the dignity of individuals. He stated that university sports serve as a "school of coexistence," where values such as respect for rules and a sense of community are strengthened. Also read: Sheinbaum meets with representatives from Major League Baseball; seeks to strengthen baseball's presence in Mexico. "Talking about university sports also means talking about rights, the right of young people to a comprehensive education and to develop in safe, inclusive, and discrimination-free environments," he noted. The official highlighted that these championships provide real opportunities for talent from all regions of the country to develop, fulfilling a responsibility...

In a display of inter-institutional coordination and tactical deployment, the Guatemalan Army, in direct support of the civil security forces and the Directorate General of the Penitentiary System (DGSP), conducted one of the most significant raids of the year at the Renovación I Maximum Security Prison, located in the department of Escuintla. The operation, which began under the cover of darkness on the morning of April 25th, aimed not only to seize illicit items but also to send a strong message about the restoration of state sovereignty within correctional facilities. Starting at 4:00 AM, elite units of the Army and agents of the National Civil Police (PNC) surrounded the perimeter of the prison, while internal inspection teams proceeded to search each cell, courtyard, and common area. The results of this thorough inspection reveal the ongoing struggle against smuggling within the prisons. The official inventory of items seized includes: Communication Equipment: 8 mid-range and high-end cell phones, 1 high-capacity internet router, and 21 chargers. Energy Logistics: A solar panel designed to charge devices, demonstrating the ingenuity of criminals in maintaining electrical autonomy outside the official power grid. Substances and Narcotics: 26 pieces of suspected cocaine, 49 packages and 60 cigars of suspected marijuana, and 2 packages of crack cocaine. Ar…

The Holy See announced today the appointment of Monsignor Giancarlo Dellagiovanna as the new Apostolic Nuncio to El Salvador. The announcement, officially made through the bulletin of the Vatican Press Office and a statement released by the Apostolic Nunciature in San Salvador, marks the arrival of an experienced Italian ecclesiastical diplomat to the Vatican's representation in the Central American country. Monsignor Dellagiovanna, titular Archbishop of Sistroniana, was born in Voghera, in the province of Pavia, Italy, on September 18, 1961. He was ordained a priest on June 5, 1999, and was incardinated in the diocese of Tortona. He holds a doctorate in Canon Law and is fluent in Italian, Spanish, English, and French, which has facilitated his work in the various diplomatic missions entrusted to him throughout his career. The beginning of his diplomatic career at the Holy See dates back to July 1, 2005, when he entered the diplomatic service. His first assignment was as secretary at the Apostolic Nunciature in Mexico, where he served until 2007. Subsequently, he was appointed secretary at the Apostolic Nunciature in the Dominican Republic, based in Santo Domingo. In September 2008, he assumed duties at the Apostolic Nunciature in Italy, in Rome. His experience at the Vatican's Secretariat of State began on July 1, 2012, when he joined the General Affairs Section. In July…

During a visit to Azerbaijan by a Ukrainian delegation led by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Baku donated five passenger buses to Ukraine as humanitarian aid.