Keir Starmer: 'I'm fed up' with Trump and Putin affecting UK energy costs

Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in the war with the U.S. and Israel, creating an oil supply crunch and sending global energy prices soaring.

Middle East crisis live: Trump casts doubt on Iran war ceasefire over continued closure of strait of Hormuz

Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade strikes as Trump tells US media he has asked Netanyahu to be more ‘low-key’ in Lebanon. Follow live news

• Netanyahu says there is no ceasefire in Lebanon as Israel launches fresh strikes

Donald Trump has said that right wing influencers Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones are “not ‘MAGA,’ they’re losers”.

The four had been reliable supporters of Trump for most of his presidency, but in recent weeks have spoken out over their opposition to the war in Iran.

As President, I could get them on my side anytime I want to, but when they call, I don’t return their calls because I’m too busy on World and Country Affairs and, after a few times, they go ‘nasty’.”

Reform UK voters least likely to see social media posts from family and friends, study finds

Thinktank says algorithms are fuelling isolation and division after analysing posts shown to social media users

Reform UK voters are the least likely to see posts from friends and family on social media and most likely to see content from brands and news organisations, a study has found.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) thinktank said algorithms were fuelling isolation and division after its research analysing users’ feeds on Instagram, Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok found that only 13% of Reform UK voters saw content from someone they knew, compared with 23% of Green party voters.

Fortune Feimster: ‘The stage was a crate, the sound system was a karaoke machine. No one enjoyed the show’

The standup on playing a beaver in Zootropolis 2, being inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger and why her mother is a great source of comedy

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
I used to be quite the worrywart. Especially in this business, there were a lot of times where I wasn’t working, it was hard to find a job and I would just worry, worry, worry. My mom would just say: “don’t borrow trouble” – cross those bridges if and when you get there. It freed me up in a way that I’ve appreciated in the later parts of my career.

Who did you admire when you were starting out as a comedian?
I was a huge Carol Burnett fan. My grandmother watched reruns of her show all the time. I loved how silly she was and I was obsessed with the kind of person she was on and off screen.

Fortune Feimster: Takin’ Care of Biscuits is on tour across North America and Europe until 9 August, and is at Hackney Empire, London, on 3 June

Experience: my house was taken over by 70,000 bees

My daughter complained of monsters in her closet – at night she could hear a hum in the wall

It started in September 2023, when my daughter Saylor was three years old. She began having trouble sleeping, and said there were monsters in her closet. She could hear a hum in the wall. We thought it was because she loved the movie Monsters, Inc, given it’s about monsters who visit children’s bedrooms at night. We calmed her down by giving her a bottle of water, which we called monster spray.

But soon she was scared again. By February, she was back in our room. Later that month, I saw a giant cluster of bees buzzing by the attic laundry vent outside the house. I was pregnant with our third child, exhausted, and thought I was hallucinating.

Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair review – the TV magic they’ve created here is absolutely miraculous

This revival does the impossible: it’s effortlessly funny and refreshing, and Bryan Cranston’s performance is unmissable. They have to make more

At this point, Bryan Cranston is firmly entrenched as one of the world’s finest actors. He has seven Emmys, two Tonys and a Golden Globe to his name. History, quite rightly, will remember him as one of the greats. That said – and this really wasn’t a sentence I expected to write a couple of hours ago – there is a distinct possibility that the greatest work of his entire career might be the scene in the Malcolm in the Middle revival where he thrashes around naked as he is overcome by a drug-induced ego death.

Perhaps this does make some small amount of sense. Although Malcolm in the Middle became best known as an absurd counterpoint to Breaking Bad – the sheer dramatic intensity of the latter playing against the generic sitcom daddery of the former – those of us who always loved the show knew that Cranston spent a lot of it going full throttle.

Who is Péter Magyar, the man leading the polls as Hungary prepares for election?

Former Viktor Orbán loyalist and his Tisza party have enjoyed meteoric rise as opposition movement grows

As a child growing up in Budapest, Péter Magyar had a poster of Viktor Orbán – at the time a leading figure in the country’s pro-democracy movement – hanging above his bed. Orbán was one of several political figures that adorned his bedroom, Magyar told a podcast last year, hinting at his excitement over the changes sweeping the country after the collapse of communism.

Now Magyar, 45, is the driving force behind what could be another momentous political change in Hungary: the ousting of Orbán, whose 16 years in power has transformed the country into a “petri dish for illiberalism”.

Judge says Pentagon must restore press access

A federal judge blocked a restrictive new Defense Dept. press policy instituted after previously he ruled Pentagon press restrictions issued last year were unlawful.

Islamabad prepares to host historic negotiations between Iran and the US

In Pakistan’s capital, the army has been deployed, a public holiday has been declared and the streets are eerily empty

• Middle East crisis – live updates

The streets of Islamabad were on strict lockdown as Pakistan’s capital prepared to play host to historic negotiations between Iran and the US that have dangled the promise of an end to war that has devastated the Middle East.

Even as the US-Iran ceasefire looked increasingly precarious, amid Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon and disputes over the terms of the talks, Pakistani officials insisted that the make-or-break peace negotiations would be going ahead over the weekend as planned.

Kevin Warsh Fed chair confirmation plan hits snag as nomination hearing is delayed

President Trump's nomination of Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chair already faced a hurdle by Sen. Thom Tillis over a probe of current chair Jerome Powell.

Cuban president tells NBC he won’t resign under US pressure, as Russia backs old ally

In his first television interview with an American broadcaster, Miguel Diaz-Canel says revolutionaries don’t give up and step down

The Cuban president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, said he would not resign under US pressure in his first television interview with an American broadcaster, while Russia insisted it would never abandon or betray its ally.

Diaz-Canel told NBC News on Thursday: “We have a free sovereign state, a free state. We have self-determination and independence, and we are not subjected to the designs of the United States.

See messages Brian Hooker sent his friend after wife's disappearance

Brian Hooker exchanged Facebook messages with a friend, which CBS News exclusively reviewed, after his wife vanished in the Bahamas over the weekend.

New Zealand ‘comfort women’ statue could jeopardise diplomatic relations, Japan says

Planned statue symbolising the women forced by Japan into sexual slavery during the second world war has raised the ire of Tokyo’s embassy

Diplomatic relations between Japan and New Zealand could be jeopardised if a statue symbolising the thousands of women Japan forced into sexual slavery before and during the second world war is erected in an Auckland garden, the Japanese embassy has warned.

The bronze statue depicts a seated girl next to an empty chair and was given to New Zealand by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance, a non-government organisation, to commemorate survivors of wartime sexual violence.

Lava bursts forth as Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts

Hawaii Volcanoes national park closed due to eruption of one of world’s most active volcanoes, located on Big Island

Amber lava exploded over 200 meters into the air as Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, located on Hawaii’s Big Island, erupted on Thursday.

Lava fountains began to erupt from the volcano after 11 am local time, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). On Thursday evening, plumes of smoke and lava pouring downslope were observable on a livestream camera. So far, the episode has produced 3.6 million cubic yards of lava, USGS said.

Artemis II crew hails ‘golden age of space travel’ as they prepare for return

Crew fielded questions of trip with ‘limitless potential’ from members of the Congress ahead of splashdown

With the crew of Artemis II set to return to Earth on Friday following its historic 10-day lunar flyby mission, the astronauts celebrated their lunar expedition and hailed the “golden age of space travel”, saying they hoped the historic mission would inspire the next generation.

Speaking from on board the Artemis II on Thursday evening, the crew fielded questions from members of Congress as they prepared for their return to Earth.

4/9: The Takeout with Major Garrett

President Trump says he asked Netanyahu to scale back Lebanon strikes; Melania Trump makes a rare statement denying relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Army survivors of deadly attack in Kuwait dispute Pentagon's account

Survivors of an Iranian attack that killed six U.S. service members have disputed the Pentagon's description of events and said their unit in Kuwait was left dangerously exposed.

Will the Iran ceasefire ease U.S. gas prices? Here's what experts think.

Gas prices in the U.S. continued to edge up on Wednesday even as oil prices fell. Here's how long it could take for fuel costs to recede.

Smithsonian museum director to move to Guggenheim: ‘a moment of change’

Melissa Chiu, 54, director of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, led the institution for 12 years

A museum director at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington has announced that she is leaving to take over at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Melissa Chiu has been director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden on the National Mall for 12 years. In an interview on Thursday, she insisted that her departure is not related to Donald Trump’s efforts to interfere with the Smithsonian.

White House staff received email warning not to place bets on prediction markets

White House aides got an email last month telling them not to place bets on prediction markets with nonpublic information, multiple administration officials told CBS News.

Olympic hopeful battles cancer, now pursuing UFC title

A UFC fighter named Tatiana Suarez is competing in UFC 327 this weekend in Miami. Tony Dokoupil spoke with her.

Husband arrested in Bahamas in connection to wife's disappearance

The search for Lynette Hooker is ongoing in the Bahamas, as the U.S. Coast Guard takes the lead on investigative efforts and has launched a criminal investigation, a U.S. official said.

As Artemis II heads back to Earth, crew is staking their lives on the heat shield

Despite problems during the unpiloted Artemis I reentry, the Artemis II crew is confident their heat shield will protect them during a fiery descent to Earth.

U.S. soldier who survived Kuwait strike says unit was "unprepared"

CBS News exclusively spoke with a member of the Army's 103rd Sustainment Command, which is based in Iowa. The soldier survived an Iranian drone strike that killed six others and said their unit was "unprepared" to defend itself. Jonah Kaplan has more.

NASA crew on any concerns about Artemis II reentry: "We've done our homework"

The Artemis II crew is set to splash down on Friday, plunging through the atmosphere at temperatures half as hot as the sun's surface.

California officials make arrests in LA hospice fraud crackdown

California's attorney general filed charges against 21 suspects, accusing the group of defrauding the state of $267 million. Arrests come after a CBS News investigation into hospice fraud.

Bodycam footage shows California police raiding homes in suspected hospice fraud case

Police file charges against 21 suspects in what's described as a $267 million fraud case with zero legitimate patients. Adam Yamaguchi reports.

Husband of missing American questioned over her disappearance in the Bahamas

An American is being held, not yet charged, in connection with the disappearance of his wife. He said she fell off their boat last weekend and was swept away. She has not been found. Cristian Benavides has more.

How Middle East tensions impact prices in U.S.

Kelly O'Grady breaks down why the prices Americans pay in the U.S. often depend on what is happening in the Middle East.

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu says, "there's no ceasefire in Lebanon"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "There's no ceasefire in Lebanon," and that Israel will continue striking the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. However, Netanyahu authorized direct talks with Lebanon starting next week in Washington, D.C. Ed O'Keefe reports.

Melania gives statement on Jeffrey Epstein, diverging from Trump

First lady Melania Trump slams "baseless lies" tying her to Jeffrey Epstein in a rare statement at the White House. Caitlin Huey-Burns has more.

First lady Melania Trump slams "baseless lies" tying her to Jeffrey Epstein

First lady Melania Trump delivered a televised statement denying a relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Rory McIlroy holds share of Masters lead after flying start to his title defence

• Champion shares lead with Sam Burns after opening 67

• McIlroy: ‘I was nervous, I was anxious like I always am’

So this is what Rory McIlroy’s new normal looks like. The defending champion is footloose and fancy-free at Augusta National. He is plainly no longer of a mind to revel in the events of the 2025 Masters. McIlroy returned to Augusta, for so long a place that exacted psychological torture on him, to deliver an emphatic statement. The floodgates are wobbling.

Parallels between McIlroy on day one at this major and his win 12 months ago are valid. In both instances he played swashbuckling, theatric golf (and not always from fairways). Rafa Nadal, anxious to watch every swing from the galleries, must have admired what he witnessed. After round one, McIlroy is firmly on course to become only the fourth man to successfully defend at Augusta. Those who believed the 36-year-old’s history-making concluded with playoff glory over Justin Rose last year may be sorely mistaken.

‘We can’t lose’: all eyes on potential 2028 Democratic contenders at big party gathering for this year’s midterms

Leading party figures gather at the National Action Network convention in New York to strategize for midterm elections

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Some of the Democratic party’s most prominent figures – and possible 2028 presidential contenders – descended on New York City this week for the annual National Action Network (NAN) convention hosted by the Rev Al Sharpton, where discussions centered around the upcoming midterms, affordability, the war in Iran and the future of the Democratic party.

“Now more than ever, it’s on all of us to stand up for the future of our country, doing some public service – at a minimum, everybody has to go vote in this coming election,” the Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, told the crowd on Thursday.

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

There are protests planned at Anfield as Roberto De Zerbi starts his Tottenham tenure and Everton eye Europe

Nuno Espírito Santo has rolled back the years in an attempt to save West Ham. He has gone old-school, switching to a gung-ho 4-4-2 system to give his side more threat in the final third. Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos, both January arrivals, have altered the face of the attack, but neither forward has been prolific. Castellanos has scored three goals in all competitions since joining from Lazio and Pablo, who is yet to open his account in English football, failed to convert during last week’s penalty shootout defeat by Leeds in the FA Cup. As a pair, though, Castellanos and Pablo have been oddly effective. Are they any good? Unclear. Do they run around a lot and give a previously ponderous West Ham more energy? Undoubtedly. Played together, Pablo and Castellanos do a worthy job for the team. Importantly, they create space for the wingers, Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville, who hopes to return from a calf injury for Friday night’s vital home game against Wolves. Bowen and Summerville are the big threats; they are West Ham’s main source of goals, but both are more dangerous with Pablo and Castellanos in the team. Jacob Steinberg

West Ham v Wolves, Friday 8pm (all times BST)

Arsenal v Bournemouth, Saturday 12.30pm

Brentford v Everton, Saturday 3pm

Burnley v Brighton, Saturday 3pm

Liverpool v Fulham, Saturday 5.30pm

Strait of Hormuz oil traffic way down after ceasefire; Hassett says even one tanker is big deal

Trump said the temporary ceasefire is "subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz."

4/9: CBS Evening News

The first lady denies ties to Jeffrey Epstein; VP Vance prepares for a high-stakes diplomatic meeting with Iran.

Melania says her piece about Epstein – doth the lady protest too much?

The first lady unleashed a barrage of denials – and put one of her husband’s biggest political liabilities back on the agenda

• US politics – live updates

• Video: Melania Trump says she ‘never’ had relationship with Epstein

When Donald Trump launched a seemingly random war against Iran, there was a whiff of suspicion of a Wag the Dog ploy to divert attention from how badly the Jeffrey Epstein scandal was going.

So when Trump’s wife Melania made a mysterious appearance at the White House on Thursday to put Epstein front and centre again, was it an elaborate ruse to divert attention from how badly the Iran war is going?

Afrika Bambaataa, hip-hop pioneer, dies aged 67

The Bronx born rapper and DJ helped introduce hip-hop to the mainstream and was also accused of child sexual abuse

The American rapper and DJ Afrika Bambaataa has died aged 67. The musician died in Philadelphia at around 3am local time due to complications from cancer, TMZ reported.

The Hip-Hop Alliance, a group headed by musician Kurtis Blow, wrote: “Today, we acknowledge the transition of a foundational architect of hip-hop culture, Afrika Bambaataa. As the founder of the Universal Zulu Nation, Afrika Bambaataa helped shape the early identity of hip-hop as a global movement rooted in peace, unity, love, and having fun.

‘For the first time I’m the hunter’: Fury relishes return to face Makhmudov

• Fury: ‘I’m going to make an example of him’

• Russian lifts Fury in the air during final face-off

A cheerful Tyson Fury has promised his latest comeback to the ring will begin with a destructive knockout of Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday night. “It’s going to be different because, for the first time in forever, I’m the hunter,” Fury said at the fight’s final press conference. “I’m not the hunted, and we all know that when I’ve always been the hunter in the past, I’ve always fucked people up.

“I actually feel sorry for Makhmudov because I’m going to make an example of him. He’s a big six foot seven lump, 18 or 19 stone. But I’ll knock his head right off his shoulders. I’m going to lay him unconscious like the gamecock on top of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He will be knocked spark out on the canvas looking up, thinking: ‘What just happened there?’ But it’s no shame because he’s fighting the great Tyson Fury.”

Watkins doubles up to punish Bologna and put Aston Villa in driving seat

There was a heady atmosphere in Bologna before this match, with flags flying everywhere and the legend “weareone” plastered on the walls of the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara. Into this fervent atmosphere stepped Aston Villa, with warnings against complacency from their manager ringing in their ears. The Premier League side did not play well and were second best for much of the night, but they did stay supremely cool and turned the nervous energy of their hosts back on them to take a two-goal lead home to Birmingham.

Ezri Konsa opened the scoring after a gaffe by the goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia, before a second-half double from Ollie Watkins determined the outcome of the match and overwrote Jonathan Rowe’s late goal for the hosts. Bologna’s Englishman, a former Norwich City winger, was likely the man of the match, but Watkins’ ability to remain calm in pressured situations will surely prove the more decisive factor in this tie.

Melania Trump blasts claims about Jeffrey Epstein and her

The first lady acknowledged writing an email to Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2002, referencing a New York magazine profile about him.

Comical own goal gives Nottingham Forest edge in hard-fought draw at Porto

On the night Chris Wood returned from six months on the sidelines, a freakish own goal by the Porto defender Martim Fernandes earned Nottingham Forest a draw and fostered optimism of advancing to the Europa League semi-finals.

The New Zealand striker was withdrawn at the interval, Vitor Pereira mindful of the bigger picture with Sunday’s home match against Aston Villa the first of seven matches Forest have to preserve their Premier League status. This all remains a juggling act for Pereira, back here in the red corner for the first time since guiding Porto to successive titles.

Mateta puts Crystal Palace on path to semis in rousing win over Fiorentina

Spring is in the air and it’s all beaming smiles again at Crystal Palace. A sensational performance blew away Fiorentina as Jean-Philippe Mateta scored on his first start since the end of January, Tyrick Mitchell added a second before Ismaïla Sarr’s late header left Oliver Glasner’s side with one foot in the semi-finals in their debut European campaign.

Until now, Palace’s performances in front of their own fans in the Conference League have been far from impressive. But having had the luxury of three weeks to prepare for this match, Glasner showed why he has such a good record in knockout competitions in recent seasons as his team executed their gameplan perfectly.

Melania Trump denies close ties to Jeffrey Epstein in rare public statement

The first lady made a rare public statement on Thursday saying she was not friends with the late sex offender. She also said Epstein did not introduce her to President Donald Trump.

The Miniature Wife review – Matthew Macfadyen is wasted in this pointless comedy

Lower those expectations, Succession fans. The star plays a scientist who shrinks his wife (Elizabeth Banks) to 6in tall, in a screwball sitcom that should have been so much better

I wonder what it’s like to be the go-to actor whenever anyone needs a morally questionable, sappy-looking, fundamentally weak character to play the whipped dog to someone else’s headline character? You’ll always have work but … you’d have to be pretty secure in yourself, no?

But all actors are, of course, so it’s probably OK to be Matthew Macfadyen, who started his career in a 1998 TV film adaptation of Wuthering Heights as Hareton Earnshaw – Heathcliff’s whipped dog – and has been giving us brilliant incarnations of beta cucks ever since. Even when he made it to Mr Darcy (opposite Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Bennet) it was unfortunately 10 years after Colin Firth (opposite Jennifer Ehle and coming out of a lake) had rendered all future versions redundant milksops. Most recently, of course, he gave us the greatest – oh GOD, there is no single word for Tom Wambsgans unless it is in fact “Wambsgans”, so let’s go with that – Wambsgans there will ever be, courtesy of Jesse Armstrong’s masterpiece Succession. Jeremy Strong’s intensity drew the headlines, but Macfadyen’s performance, like a worm twisting round an oiled tightrope, was endlessly clever, subtle and just as astonishing.

Inside Pam Bondi's aggressive push to crack down on animal cruelty crimes

A politically connected nonprofit animal shelter helped steer Bondi on DOJ's approach on animal cruelty crimes and their prosecution.

US conservatives sue to dismantle Native Hawaiian healthcare scholarships

Do No Harm activist group alleges ‘racial discrimination’ in program designed to support under-served communities

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Conservative campaigners are targeting a decades-old federal scholarship program designed to provide Native Hawaiian students with funding to pursue healthcare careers and place practitioners in the state’s most medically under-served communities.

Do No Harm, a Virginia-based advocacy group for healthcare clinicians “focused on keeping identity politics out of medical education, research, and clinical practice”, filed its federal lawsuit challenging the US health department’s Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program (NHHSP) last week.

U.S. Postal Service seeks hike in price of first-class mail stamps to 82 cents in July

The USPS is facing a severe financial crisis and could run out of money early in 2027. The agency has proposed hiking stamp prices along with other measures.

Oil rally loses steam after Israel agrees to negotiate with Lebanon

Oil prices were volatile Thursday as the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement remained fragile.

How an ancient resin traded for centuries got snarled up by the Iran war

It's not just energy supplies that have been disrupted by the Iran war. It's also hitting frankincense, a commodity that's been defining trade routes in the Middle East for thousands of years.

Meta commits to spending additional $21 billion with CoreWeave as AI costs keep rising

Meta's additional spending commitments with CoreWeave will be deployed from 2027 to 2032.

Meta's long-awaited AI model is finally here. But can it make money?

After releasing its first major AI model in a year called Muse Spark, Meta now has to figure out how to turn it into a business.

Property taxes are surging. See what homeowners by state and county.

The average U.S. property tax bill rose 3.7% last year to $4,427, outpacing inflation even as the typical home lost value.

Vladimir Putin announces Orthodox Easter ceasefire with Ukraine

Kremlin proposes 32-hour ceasefire starting on Saturday afternoon – with Ukraine expected to agree to plan

Vladimir Putin has declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, after an earlier call from Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pause.

The president’s decree, released by the Kremlin on Thursday, orders Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting on 4pm Saturday and lasting until the end of Sunday.

Amazon CEO Jassy defends $200 billion AI spend: "We're not going to be conservative"

Amazon shares have struggled so far this year as investors question the company's aggressive AI spending plans.

Automatic U.S. military draft registration planned by December, filing shows

The proposed timetable for automatic military draft registration came weeks after the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran.

U.S. to lead ceasefire talks between Lebanon and Israel in D.C.

The U.S. is convening hastily arranged diplomatic talks next week in Washington, D.C., aimed at crafting a ceasefire in Lebanon​.

NASA drops Artemis II moon mission playlist with astronauts' wake-up songs

The moon music tradition started more than 50 years ago, NASA said as it shared the Artemis II crew's playlist this week.

Israel’s attacks on Lebanon could unravel the US-Iran ceasefire | Mohamad Bazzi

Trump is on the verge of squandering a ceasefire that serves US interests for the sake of an unreliable ally

When Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, announced that the US and Iran, along with their allies, had agreed to an immediate ceasefire on Tuesday night, he made clear that the truce applied “everywhere including Lebanon”. But hours later, the Israeli government insisted that the deal did not include halting its attacks on Lebanon, which had become one of the deadliest fronts of the regional war instigated by the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran.

By Wednesday afternoon, Israel had launched its largest and most destructive attack on Lebanon in years, killing at least 300 people and wounding more than 1,100. Dozens of Israeli warplanes dropped bombs on 100 targets across Lebanon within 10 minutes, with the Israeli military claiming it was targeting Hezbollah “command centers” in an operation it called “Eternal Darkness”. But Israeli warplanes leveled several buildings in crowded residential neighborhoods of Beirut, spreading panic in the Lebanese capital and overwhelming hospitals with hundreds of casualties. Israel also continued bombing Lebanon’s infrastructure, destroying the last remaining bridge that linked southern Lebanon to the rest of the country.

Mohamad Bazzi is director of the Center for Near Eastern Studies, and a journalism professor, at New York University

Melania Trump says she did not have relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

First lady calls on Congress to hold hearing with survivors of late financier’s abuse in statement delivered at White House

• US politics – live updates

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Melania Trump, the first lady, told reporters on Thursday that she “never had a relationship” with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

It was unclear which specific accusations spurred the first lady to respond publicly. She delivered her scripted remarks at a podium in the same room Donald Trump used to address the nation on the war in Iran last week.

US defense official overseeing AI reaped millions selling xAI stock after Pentagon entered agreement with company

Expert said federal law bars officials from taking actions in their jobs that benefit their own financial interests

A high-profile US defense department official who oversees the agency’s artificial intelligence efforts made a profit of up to $24m selling a private investment he held in Elon Musk’s AI company earlier this year, according to government ethics records released this month. The value of his stake totaled a maximum of a million dollars when he joined the department.

Emil Michael, who is the Pentagon’s under secretary for research and engineering under the Trump administration, oversees negotiations with AI companies and has been pushing the defense department to rapidly increase the widespread use of AI.

American Airlines makes bag fees even more expensive for basic economy tickets

American Airlines is joining Delta, United, Southwest and JetBlue in raising its checked bag fees as the industry deals with high jet fuel prices.

710,000 fewer babies were born last year in U.S. compared with two decades ago

The U.S. fertility rate continued its slide to historic levels, due to plunging teen pregnancies and far more women delaying motherhood into their 30s and 40s.

How a cheese sandwich at the Masters is still $1.50 in an era of price hikes

The priciest concessions at the Masters, beer and wine, cost just $6 each. The Georgia golf tournament prides itself on a simple and affordable menu, even as ticket prices continue to climb.

Liverpool announce Andy Robertson will leave at the end of the season

• Left-back who joined in 2017 is out of contract in summer

• Napoli, Juventus, Atlético and Spurs keen on Robertson

Andy Robertson is to bring his illustrious Liverpool career to a close at the end of the season, the club have confirmed.

The 32-year-old is out of contract this summer and will follow another renowned player of the Jürgen Klopp era, Mohamed Salah, in leaving Anfield on a free transfer. Napoli, Juventus, Atlético Madrid and Tottenham are all keen on signing the Scotland captain, who rejected a move to Atlético last summer.

How bad for humans is wildlife trade? A new study has answers

People sell wild animals for food and for traditional medicine — legally and illegally. A study looks at the risks of spillover diseases from those pangolins, giant rats and other exotic critters.

Wild chimpanzees recorded waging ‘civil war’ with coordinated attacks between two groups

New study describes what may be the first case of a unified community of chimps, in Uganda, turning on itself

On a June day in 2015, primatologist Aaron Sandel was quietly observing a small cluster of the Ngogo chimpanzee group in Uganda’s Kibale national park when he noticed something strange. As other members of the chimpanzees’ wider group moved closer through the forest, the chimpanzees in front of him began to display nervous behaviour. They grimaced and touched each other for reassurance, acting more like they were about to meet strangers than close companions.

In hindsight, Sandel said, that moment was the first sign of what would become a years-long bloody conflict between a once close-knit group of chimps.

US accused of pressuring Latin America to cut ties with Cuban doctors program

Cuba accuses US of ‘extorting’ countries in pushing them to axe deals with Havana to send doctors on medical missions

Cuba’s foreign minister has accused the United States of “extorting” Latin American countries by putting pressure on them to cancel decades-old deals with Havana for the supply of doctors.

Bruno Rodríguez said the United States was trying to “strangle” the economy of the communist island, which earns billions from its foreign medical missions, after several countries stopped deploying Cuban doctors.

DOJ probing NFL over games on paid platforms, sources say

The NFL is being investigated for practices that allegedly harm consumers for licensing games to multiple platforms — paid streaming platforms, paid cable networks, and others, sources said.

We can't all be astronauts, but the Artemis II crew has fitness lessons for everyone

The Artemis II astronauts don't have a lot of space to exercise. That's why they've got the flywheel — a small device that can be used for strength and cardio workouts.

The Iran war is a warning: Britain must build resilience – at home and with our allies in Europe | Keir Starmer

We should not be at the mercy of events abroad. That’s why, from energy to defence to key social policies, we aim to remake our country

• Israel’s attacks on Lebanon should not be happening, says Keir Starmer

Britain has been buffeted by crises for nearly two decades now. And from the 2008 financial crash, through austerity, to Brexit, Covid, the Ukraine war and Liz Truss, the response from Westminster has always been the same. Manage the crisis, find a sticking plaster and then desperately try to reassert the status quo.

This time, it will be different. The war in Iran must now become a line in the sand, because how we emerge from this crisis will define all of us for a generation. And instead of hoping to return to the world of 2008, we will forge a new path for Britain – one that strengthens our energy, our defence and our economic security in a new age. Because the reality is the world has changed: no longer do we live in the benign conditions found during the early part of this century. The world today is more volatile and dangerous than at any other point in my lifetime. That will test and test again every element of our security. And over the years, that is a test for which Britain has too often been found wanting.

Keir Starmer is the UK prime minister

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The Guardian view on Hungary’s election: a bellwether contest for the global far right | Editorial

Defeat for Viktor Orbán on Sunday would be celebrated in Brussels, mourned in Washington and Moscow, and would give his country its democracy back

Hungary has a population of less than 10 million and an economy that produces a modest 1.1% of the European Union’s GDP. But on Sunday it will hold the most important election in Europe this year. After 16 years as prime minister, during which he has dismantled the checks and balances customary in a democracy, Viktor Orbán faces the most serious threat to his power in that time. Polls consistently place the centre‑right party led by his main challenger, Péter Magyar, ahead by a substantial margin.

Mr Orbán was once described by Donald Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon as “Trump before Trump”. In his political hour of need, luminaries of the global far right have duly turned up en masse to support him. Last month, Marine Le Pen, Matteo Salvini and Geert Wilders made the pilgrimage to Budapest. This week, the US vice-president, JD Vance, paid a tub‑thumping election-eve visit, as his boss issued apocalyptic threats to have Iran “taken out in one night”. Risibly, given the explicit purpose of his trip, Mr Vance spent much of it inveighing against alleged EU interference in the forthcoming vote.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Independence Arch, or "Arc de Trump," plans include taxpayer funds

The president says the arch will commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary.

Amazon upsets ebook lovers by ending support for old Kindle devices

Up to 2m e-readers made before 2013 will no longer be able to download new titles

Amazon is to stop supporting older Kindle models leaving longtime ebook fans unable to access new content from the Kindle store.

Devices released during or before 2012 will no longer receive updates from 20 May, affecting owners of older Kindles, including the earliest models such as the Touch and some Fire tablets. It is thought that 2m e-readers could be affected.

Kindle: Kindle 1st generation (2007), Kindle DX and DX Graphite (2009 and 2010), Kindle Keyboard (2010), Kindle 4 (2011), Kindle Touch (2011), Kindle 5 (2012) and Kindle Paperwhite 1st generation (2012).

Kindle Fire: Kindle Fire 1st generation (2011), Kindle Fire 2nd generation (2012), Kindle Fire HD 7 (2012), Kindle Fire HD 8.9 (2012).

‘Hyperactive’ Marcus Rashford showing his class, but could Barça be getting even more?

English forward has been the perfect loan signing. And yet, there is an ‘and yet’, absurd though that can seem

At the end of Barcelona’s 2-1 win at Atlético Madrid on Saturday night, as the players stood celebrating before the small pocket of supporters applauding them from high in the north-west corner of the Metropolitano, Diego Simeone approached Hansi Flick, shook his hand and reminded him of something: “You’ve got to come back.” It came as an invitation, born of admiration, and also a warning. This was only the start of a trilogy in which they face each other three times in 10 days, and the concluding chapter there would be different.

A different competition, for a start. Goals from Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski, the latter on 89 minutes, had virtually secured Barcelona the league title but it was going to get bigger and mean more. Atlético, already adrift, had rested players; the last time Barcelona had been there – in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg – they had beaten them 4-0; and the next time the Catalan club came it would be the Champions League quarter-final, second leg. And, back in the Metropolitano, that really would be a battle: tougher than this and, it turns out, tougher than anyone had imagined.

First major forecast for 2026 Atlantic hurricane season is released

Colorado State University has released its annual Atlantic hurricane forecast, predicting 13 named storms and six hurricanes may develop during the 2026 season.

Noa-Lynn van Leuven banned from women-only darts events after transgender ruling

• Van Leuven can no longer play in PDC Women’s Series

• DRA report determines darts is ‘gender-affected sport’

Noa-Lynn van Leuven will be banned from competing in any of the Professional Darts Corporation’s women-only events with immediate effect after a ruling from the sport’s regulatory body stated only biological females can now compete in women’s tournaments.

The Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) has ruled that transgender women will no longer be permitted to compete in women’s events. Van Leuven can therefore no longer participate in the PDC Women’s Series, where she has won six titles, and will be prevented from also competing in the Women’s World Matchplay, which she was on course to qualify for this summer.

This doctor turned a 31-foot RV into one of the country's only mobile OB-GYN clinics

Mary Fariba Afsari's book, Labor, is a portrait of reproductive healthcare in post-Dobbs America. Her book also is about her Iranian heritage and her grandmother's death from an illegal abortion.

Anna Wintour’s Vogue cover is more than a cameo – it’s a power play

Her rare cover appearance with Meryl Streep may be to promote The Devil Wears Prada sequel, but it also marks a shift from elusive editor to carefully curated personal brand

In the world of magazines, when someone announces they’re leaving a job, their colleagues will traditionally present them with their own personalised mock-up of the magazine’s front cover. Perhaps their face is superimposed on the body of a previous celebrity cover star. There are probably some witty cover lines referencing memorable office moments or their favourite snacks. It’s a rite of passage – and this week, Anna Wintour was bestowed with her very own cover. But instead of a jokey imitation bidding her adieu, it was the real, glossy deal, coming to a newsstand near you on 28 April.

In a somewhat surprising effort to promote the forthcoming The Devil Wears Prada 2, Vogue’s May issue sees Wintour share the cover with Meryl Streep, whose steely Miranda Priestly, editor-in-chief of the fictional title Runway, is said to have been inspired by Wintour. “Seeing Double. When Miranda met Anna” reads the cover line. While Wintour has fronted various industry titles, including Interview in 1993 and Ad Week in 2017, it’s the first time an editor has placed themselves as the subject. In another fun twist, both Wintour and Streep are wearing Prada.

Outcome review – Keanu Reeves sends himself up in Jonah Hill’s Hollywood satire

Hill writes and directs in-joke and insider-laden spoof about a nice-guy mega-star actor hiding a drug addiction, whose career is threatened when he’s blackmailed over a compromising video

The famous paparazzi shot of Keanu Reeves sitting alone on a bench spawned “sad Keanu”; this comedy gives us “sad asshole Keanu”. It’s a Hollywood in-joke, in a film written and directed by Jonah Hill who has persuaded his actor mates to appear, including Reeves, who plays Reef Hawk, one of the most well-known actors in the world. Like Reeves, he has a reputation for being Hollywood’s nicest celebrity: kind, humble, possibly vegan. But under the saintly exterior, Reef is a narcissist recovering from a messy heroin addiction, which has been covered up for years by his crisis lawyer Ira (played by Hill with a shaved head and terrifying veneers).

The plot is a whodunnit without a body. Reef is being extorted by persons unknown who claim to have a video of him in a compromising situation. Ira tries to work out what’s in the video (“Have you ever killed anyone? I’m not a judgy person.”) Hill’s dialogue is straight from Hollywood’s inner sanctum, and his script, co-written with Ezra Woods, is frequently though not consistently hilarious. At the bidding of his lawyer, Reef sets off to apologise to everyone he’s ever wronged and to sniff out the blackmailer. His two best friends from high school, played by Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer, tag along.

‘They’re gonna make me cry’: I competed at a speed puzzling championship

You might think of puzzling as leisurely, but it’s now a sport. I entered a national competition and discovered a passionate community

A PhD student in Berkeley. A 12-year-old in Texas. A content creator in Washington. An undergrad at Stanford. A former math teacher turned homeschool mom in Texas. After a three-day competition in Atlanta, Georgia, these people became national champions for a burgeoning hobby: speed jigsaw puzzling.

I have been a lifelong jigsaw puzzle lover. But in recent years, I have observed the quintessential way to slowly pass time transform into a competitive sport. So I traveled to the USA Jigsaw Nationals to test my skill against the best puzzlers in the country.

In the Trump era, everybody's talking about 'soft power.' But ... what is it exactly?

The U.S. government long saw giving international aid as a way to build goodwill throughout the world. Did it work? And what does the reducing of foreign aid mean for that effort now?

JD Vance’s claims about Orbán, the EU and Hungary fact-checked

US vice-president said bloc tried to ‘destroy’ country’s economy, despite it being a net recipient of EU funds

During his visit to Budapest, where he heaped praise on the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, days before the country’s decisive election, JD Vance claimed the EU was responsible for “one of the worst examples of election interference” he had ever seen.

Standing alongside Orbán on Tuesday, the US vice-president said: “The bureaucrats in Brussels have tried to destroy the economy of Hungary. They have tried to make Hungary less energy-independent. They have tried to drive up costs for Hungarian consumers. And they’ve done it all because they hate this guy.”

Jo Malone ‘surprised and sad’ after being sued for £200,000 for using her name on fragrances

Estée Lauder Companies claims Zara collaboration with perfumer breaches long-standing naming agreement

The British perfumer Jo Malone has said she is “surprised and very sad” after being sued for more than £200,000 in damages for using her name on fragrances she created for the fashion chain Zara.

It emerged last month that New York-based multinational Estée Lauder Companies, which owns brands M.A.C, Bobbi Brown, Estée Lauder and Jo Malone London, was taking legal action, claiming the fragrance entrepreneur infringed trademarks.

UK navy foiled Russian submarines surveying undersea cables, defence minister says

John Healey says warship and aircraft forced Russia to abandon activity in North Sea in month-long operation

A British warship and aircraft tracked and monitored Russian submarines trying to survey vital undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic, ensuring they fled the area, the defence secretary, John Healey, has said.

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Healey said the UK operation lasted more than a month and saw a Royal Navy warship and P8 marine patrol aircraft “track and deter any malign activity” by three Russian submarines.

Cannes looks beyond Hollywood as US film-makers mostly fail to make the grade

The 79th edition of the influential festival boasts an auteur-heavy lineup – with one, very big, country conspicuous by its almost total absence

• Gillian Anderson and Cara Delevingne to hit Cannes as auteur heavyweights dominate festival lineup

Has Europe fallen out of love with the US? Has Cannes fallen out of love with Hollywood? Will the festival, like Nato, become a non-American institution? Either way, the annual announcement of the Cannes selection has revealed a list that skews away from Hollywood towards a renewed dominance of world-cinema auteurs and heavy hitters, including Pedro Almodovar, Cristian Mungiu and Asghar Farhadi. There’s certainly nothing to compare with last year’s Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible extravaganza, although there are directorial offerings out of competition for Andy Garcia (also starring) with his crime drama Diamond, and John Travolta directs Propeller One-Way Night Coach, expressing his love of aviation, based on his own novel. There are no British directors announced (as yet), although Polish auteur Paweł Pawlikowski, in competition with his Thomas Mann movie Fatherland, could be cheekily claimed for the UK as he lived here for a long time.

Festival watchers and Cannesologists will be looking for the contemporary relevances and the now familiar talking points. The festival, under director Thierry Frémaux, has stuck to its refusal to admit streamer-only movies and won the argument by seeing its films do well at the Oscars. On the AI debate, perhaps Cannes is less purist. Steven Soderbergh’s documentary John Lennon: The Last Interview is based on John and Yoko’s final three-hour interview for RKO Radio shortly before Lennon’s murder, and for the visuals Soderbergh has reportedly used AI to reconstruct and reimagine the encounter. Some are intrigued, others uneasy.

Trump wants Strait of Hormuz open 'without limitation, including tolls' during Iran ceasefire: White House

Iran is reportedly planning to demand that shipping firms pay tolls in cryptocurrency to let their oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

Kia plans to launch U.S. pickup truck by 2030

Kia plans to release a pickup truck for American consumers in the coming years, as the South Korean automaker plots continued growth globally.

Behind this door is the huge fatberg that can’t stop depositing poo balls on Sydney’s beaches

Guardian Australia tours problematic Malabar wastewater plant where some accumulated fats, oils and grease can’t be accessed – let alone cleared

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“This,” says Fiona Copeman, the hub manager of the Malabar wastewater treatment plant, “is what you would call our four-bus area.”

Copeman is gesturing to a model of the plant on a table inside the facility itself. She’s referring to a 300 cubic metre underground chamber that houses, as Guardian Australia revealed in January, a “fatberg the size of four buses that likely birthed poo balls that closed Sydney beaches”.

Woman with three deadly diseases has ‘remarkable’ recovery after cell therapy

Treatment reset wayward immune system of patient with life-threatening conditions, say scientists, in a world first

A woman who lived with three life-threatening autoimmune diseases for more than a decade has returned to a near-normal life after a cell therapy reset her wayward immune system.

The 47-year-old had had nine different treatments, none of which had a lasting impact, before receiving the therapy last year at University Hospital Erlangen in Germany. At the time, she required daily blood transfusions and permanent blood thinning medication to control her illness.

My father-in-law lives with my young family but I don’t want to ‘sandwich parent’. What should I do? | Leading questions

You don’t have to compromise your or your child’s wellbeing, advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith writes. Whatever happens, you need better information going forward

• Read more Leading questions

At my suggestion, my husband and I moved his father to live in a granny annexe of our home. This was for two reasons. First, he was experiencing health issues and getting visibly older and we thought he’d end up needing to live with us eventually. Second, we wanted to start a family and I naively thought we could have some live-in childcare.

We now have a toddler and although my father-in-law is useful in many ways he isn’t able to provide childcare as he is emotionally and physically frailer than I thought, and we are also having to deal with his very sensitive and difficult moods that are exacerbated by his ageing.

Jimmy Kimmel on US ceasefire negotiators: ‘We’d be better off with Alvin and the Chipmunks’

Late night hosts reacted to Trump’s threats to Iran, unclear war timeline and JD Vance headlining a Viktor Orbán rally

On Wednesday night, late-night hosts reacted to Donald Trump’s threat to wipe out Iran, the trio who are leading ceasefire negotiations in the region and JD Vance’s trip to Budapest in support of Viktor Orbán.

USPS halts contributions to pension plan after warning of "cash crisis"

The U.S. Postal Service, which lost $9 billion in 2025, recently warned that it could run out of money within 12 months.

Inflation held sticky at 3% as U.S. headed into war with Iran, key Fed gauge shows

The gauge released Thursday offers the Federal Reserve a snapshot of conditions leading into the Iran war.

Why colluding with King Donald’s insanity is the only game in town | John Crace

The madness is contagious – and nowhere has this been more evident than in the newly minted two-week ceasefire with Iran

The Madness of King Donald. Unless you’ve spent most of the last few years on a silent retreat – and who could blame you? – it can’t have escaped you that the American president is both not that bright and borderline sociopathic. A lethal combination. Posting “Open the Fuckin’ Strait you crazy bastards or you’ll be living in Hell” on his social media account is not the action of a well man. Certainly not when the Middle East is on a knife-edge.

But what you may have missed is that the madness is contagious. It also affects many of those who come in contact with him. Trying to deal with the madness makes them mad too, as they try to behave as if things that are most definitely not normal are all quite usual. All in a day’s work.

Mahler Symphonies 1–9 album review – Bychkov’s set earns a place in a starry pantheon

Czech Philharmonic/Bychkov
(Pentatone)
Semyon Bychkov’ Mahler symphony cycle with the Czech Philharmonic is meticulous, imaginative and deserves to be placed alongside the very best sets

Semyon Bychkov’s Czech Philharmonic Mahler cycle has been appearing one symphony at a time since 2022. Curiously, Pentatone has decided to cut to the chase, releasing a box set, including the remaining four, all in one go. Previous results have been absorbing, the Fourth and Fifth especially notable, but the freshly released Six, Seven, Eight and Nine symphonies, reviewed here, earns the set a place in a starry pantheon.

With its relentless tread, the Sixth is one of the hardest symphonies to tame. Bychkov leans into the contrasts, the “Alma theme” glowing with inner fire and a slow movement that shimmers like a limpid Austrian lake. The finale is imposing, a considered approach illuminating the darkest of corners.

Overnight by Dan Richards audiobook review – an immersive journey into the night worker’s world

From bakers in London to night ferry operatives in Aberdeen, the author narrates atmospheric behind-the-scenes stories of the people who work while the world sleeps

‘To stay out late, to remain awake and mobile from dusk till dawn, to walk the streets all night as Charles Dickens did during a bout of insomnia in 1860, is to enter an unfamiliar state of being and seeing,” notes Dan Richards in Overnight: Journeys, Conversations and Stories After Dark. An immersive blend of memoir and investigative journalism, the book finds the author unearthing the stories of shift workers and those who do essential labour while the rest of us sleep.

Richards, who reveals he is naturally more owl than lark, meets dock workers in Southampton; outreach workers at St Mungo’s providing support for the homeless; a search and rescue team in Lincolnshire; and night ferry operatives transporting sleeping passengers from Aberdeen to Lerwick in Shetland. In the early hours, he visits The Dusty Knuckle in Dalston, London, a bakery that trains young people with troubled backgrounds in the art of bread making. He also talks to the mothers of newborn babies negotiating night feeds through a fog of hormones and exhaustion.

Paul Dano: ‘Nobody needs to know about my high-school band!’

The actor on singing with Brian Wilson, why War and Peace is the best book ever written and what drew him to his latest film, The Wizard of the Kremlin

You were wonderful as Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy. Did you get any feedback from the great man himself? Fran2016 and Aubrey26
Thank you. I spent a bunch of time with Brian before filming. If you asked him about the world, you might only get a little bit out of him. But if you asked about music, he’d light up. I loved talking with him. I also got to sing with him and his touring band a few times, which was amazing. We filmed in the studio in which they recorded Pet Sounds, and he came on set, which was a trip. I didn’t get much feedback in terms of my performance – it was more getting to know each other and learning about his life.

Which was more challenging in Little Miss Sunshine – the first half where you don’t speak, or the second half where you break your vow of silence? mattyjj
I remember the first few days, filming the dinner table scene where they’re eating chicken and I don’t speak. It felt like the directors were saying: “OK, maybe give us a little more,” because they couldn’t quite see what I was doing. But when they watched it back, they said: “It’s there, we see it,” which was a wash of relief. It’s a great question, because sometimes the words are harder, but stepping into the unknown of not speaking was pretty challenging.

Stephen Lillie on the return of the Artemis II crew – cartoon

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