US-Iran peace talks are underway in Pakistan amid a fragile ceasefire and Trump's warnings of fresh strikes, while Israel's continued actions in Lebanon and Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz create significant global tension and economic uncertainty.

• Iran War Live Updates: Iranian Delegation Arrives at Peace Talks, With Vance en Route — New York Times World -
• Here’s the latest. — New York Times World -
• What the Cease-Fire Means for Iran — New York Times World -

• With U.S.-Iran Peace Talks Set to Begin, Prospects for Long-Term Deal Uncertain — New York Times World -
• JD Vance dispatched to negotiate Iran peace with few cards to play — The Guardian -
• Lebanon and Israel officials to meet in US on Tuesday — BBC World -
• New Evidence Further Implicates U.S. Missiles in Strikes That Killed 21 Civilians in Iran — New York Times World -
• Iran’s South Africa Mission Trolls Trump Amid Hormuz Ceasefire — New York Times World -
• Middle East crisis live: Trump warns of fresh Iran strikes if talks fail; Lebanon and Israel agree to meet in US — The Guardian -
• Israel and Lebanon Plan Talks in D.C. as War Threatens U.S.-Iran Cease-Fire Deal — New York Times World -
• Facing Many Crises, Pakistan Tries to End a Big One — in Iran — New York Times World -
• Only two ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. — New York Times World -
• Iran Demands Release of ‘Blocked Assets’ Before Peace Talks — New York Times World -
• What We Know About the U.S.-Iran Cease-Fire Talks in Pakistan — New York Times World -
• ‘God does not bless any conflict’: pope issues new rebuke over Iran war — The Guardian -
• What to Know About Israel’s Strikes on Lebanon — New York Times World -
• The five big sticking points in US-Iran talks — BBC World -
• Vance Faces Test of His Negotiating Skills With Iran Talks — New York Times World -
• Islamabad prepares to host US-Iran negotiations as Trump casts doubt on ceasefire | First Thing — The Guardian -
• War has given Iran new leverage for nuclear programme, say US former envoys — The Guardian -
• Islamabad, Pakistan’s quiet capital, steps into the diplomatic spotlight. — New York Times World -
• With Iran Setting Limits, Strait of Hormuz Remains Thorny Politically — New York Times World -
• What to Know About the U.S.-Iran Cease-Fire — New York Times World -
• Lebanon: Images of a Nation Uprooted by War — New York Times World -
• How Iranians Feel Now — New York Times World -
• Gulf states rethink security in light of US-Israel war on Iran — The Guardian -
• Israel Agrees to Talks With Lebanon but Keeps Striking Hezbollah — New York Times World -
• Islamabad prepares to host historic negotiations between Iran and the US — The Guardian -
• Greens say Australia should step up pressure on Israel over ‘disastrous, illegal, immoral war’ on Lebanon — The Guardian -
• Hezbollah launches rockets at Israel – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Netanyahu says there is no ceasefire in Lebanon as Israel launches fresh strikes — The Guardian -
• Trump says Iran's handling of Strait of Hormuz is 'not the agreement we have' — BBC World -
• Iran’s Battered Leaders Emerge From War Confident — and With New Cards — New York Times World -
• Here’s What Happened in the War in the Middle East on Thursday — New York Times World -

Melania Trump's controversial statements on Jeffrey Epstein and sexual assault allegations against a California governor candidate highlight domestic political scandals, while the Trump administration's policies on immigration and debates over presidential stability continue to draw national attention.

• California governor candidate Eric Swalwell faces calls to quit after ex-staffer reportedly accuses him of sexual assault - live — The Guardian -
• Survivors of Epstein’s abuse accuse Melania Trump of ‘shifting burden’ on to victims — The Guardian -
• Trump Is Racing to Redefine ‘America First’ in a Time of War — New York Times World -

• Ex-NYPD sergeant jailed for up to nine years over man’s death on scooter — The Guardian -
• Former New York City mayor Eric Adams obtains Albanian citizenship — The Guardian -
• Kamala Harris ‘thinking about’ running for president again in 2028 — The Guardian -
• Melania Trump's speech propels Epstein crisis back to forefront — BBC World -
• Bard College president tells staff he will soon be cleared in inquiry over Epstein ties — The Guardian -
• California coffee chain faces backlash after pledge to remove Pride flags — The Guardian -
• Trump administration releases new renderings of so-called ‘Arc de Trump’ — The Guardian -
• Trump posts graphic video of woman’s killing in Florida — The Guardian -
• Trump Officials Push Allies to Pursue Antifa and Far Left as Terrorist Threats — New York Times World -
• Trump’s war and Melania’s Epstein statement, with US editor Betsy Reed – The Latest — The Guardian -
• Four men deported by US to Eswatini have right to see lawyer, court rules — The Guardian -
• Texas court overturns sentence for man on death row for nearly 50 years — The Guardian -
• Human rights groups decry US plan for Guantánamo camp for Cuban migrants — The Guardian -
• Canadian mother held by ICE with daughter, 7, speaks out on families ‘suffering greatly’ in detention — The Guardian -
• Alarm as acting CDC director delays report showing Covid vaccine benefits — The Guardian -
• Trump ‘reaping bitter fruit’ of thinking Iran intervention as easy as Venezuela, says former diplomat — The Guardian -
• ‘Illegal’ forest service overhaul risks causing ‘chaos’ across US public lands, union claims — The Guardian -
• Trump to break bread with journalists at annual dinner amid threats to jail them — The Guardian -
• ’He’s mentally unstable’: Iranian American in Congress condemns Trump’s war and pushes for his removal — The Guardian -
• Melania Trump denies ties to Jeffrey Epstein and urges hearing for survivors — BBC World -
• US has let in 4,499 refugees since October - all but three were South African — BBC World -
• Welcome to Y’all Street: bullish Dallas aims to steal New York’s financial crown — The Guardian -
• Could Trump be forced out of office? – podcast — The Guardian -
• White House staff told not to place bets on prediction markets — BBC World -
• Melania Trump’s surprise Epstein statement prompts bafflement — The Guardian -
• White House Secures Foreign Steel for Trump’s Ballroom Project — New York Times World -
• Smithsonian museum director to move to Guggenheim: ‘a moment of change’ — The Guardian -

The Middle East conflict is driving soaring US inflation and fuel price protests across Europe, causing jet fuel shortages and prompting Australia to secure energy pledges to mitigate the widespread economic fallout.

• Fuel-price protests cause chaos in Ireland and spread to Norway — The Guardian -
• Fuel Protests Cause Transport Chaos in Ireland as Iran War Spikes Prices — New York Times World -
• Why Opening the Strait of Hormuz Won’t Immediately Lower Gas Prices — New York Times World -

• Middle East War Triggers Higher Prices in China — New York Times World -
• Why Investing in Wind and Solar to Avoid Gas Shocks Hasn’t Added Up for Some — New York Times World -
• Fears of UK and EU flight cancellations as airports warn of jet fuel shortages — The Guardian -
• US inflation soars in March as war on Iran drives economy into uncertainty — The Guardian -
• I.M.F. Says Iran War Will Drag Global Growth Lower — New York Times World -
• Soaring Fuel Prices Squeeze China’s Frugal Truckers — New York Times World -
• Australia fuel watch tracker: check current petrol and diesel prices, service station outages and shipments – in charts — The Guardian -

Hungary's pivotal election sees a strong challenge to Orbán, while the UK debates post-Brexit rights and faces NHS doctor strikes, with Keir Starmer criticizing Trump and Putin for their impact on European energy costs.

• Prince Harry Is Sued for Libel by a Charity He Founded — New York Times World -
• Crispin Odey drops £79m libel claim against FT over sexual misconduct allegations — The Guardian -
• Romford boy, 16, charged with murder of Eghosa Ogbebor, 14, in south London — The Guardian -

• Reform UK local election candidate was twice disciplined by Tories over ‘racist comments’ — The Guardian -
• Orbán and rival Magyar hold rallies as Hungary election campaigns enter final stretch – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Remaining in Nato is in best interests of US, says Keir Starmer — The Guardian -
• Labour MPs propose specialist sexual offences courts to help trials backlog — The Guardian -
• Man arrested after four die trying to cross Channel in small boat — The Guardian -
• Doctors’ leader claims new reduced pay offer killed chances of ending strikes in England — The Guardian -
• Home Office starts crackdown on EU citizens’ post-Brexit rights to live in UK — The Guardian -
• ‘I’m Fed Up.’ Frustrated With Trump, Starmer Embraces Other Allies. — New York Times World -
• Peers vote to ban pornography depicting sex acts between stepfamily members — The Guardian -
• Starmer implies he didn’t tell Trump he was ‘fed up’ about his impact on rising UK energy bills – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Starbucks’s retail arm gets £13.7m tax credit even as sales increase — The Guardian -
• Met police accused of favouring Tommy Robinson far-right rally over Palestine march — The Guardian -
• Man arrested after baby killed in suspected dog attack in Yorkshire — The Guardian -
• Peter Mandelson faces fixed-penalty notice for urinating in public — The Guardian -
• US should judge UK on its actions in Gulf, not on Trump’s social posts, says defence secretary — The Guardian -
• Not just about Gaza: the Muslim voters turning from Labour to the Greens — The Guardian -
• Domestic abuser jailed in Scotland for killing wife who took her own life — The Guardian -
• German transgender far-right extremist arrested in Czech Republic — BBC World -
• This Hungarian Town Explains Why Orban Could Lose on Sunday — New York Times World -
• ‘An abomination’: the Lancashire town kicking up at stink from reopened landfill — The Guardian -
• Starmer says he is ‘fed up’ with Trump and Putin’s impact on UK energy costs — The Guardian -
• Reform UK voters least likely to see social media posts from family and friends, study finds — The Guardian -
• ‘Nobody’s in charge’: is power sharing still working in Northern Ireland? — The Guardian -
• Who is Péter Magyar, the man leading the polls as Hungary prepares for election? — The Guardian -
• In Germany’s East, the Far Right Could Soon Take Power. This Is Its Plan. — New York Times World -

Significant child abuse cases in France and Australia alongside international sextortion campaigns reveal widespread social concerns, while a University of Ottawa lockdown and Venezuelan migrant passport issues highlight diverse humanitarian and safety challenges globally.

• University of Ottawa in Lockdown Amid ‘Violent Incident’ — New York Times World -
• Wyoming man who injured wolf, taped its mouth shut and then killed it receives probation — The Guardian -
• Worker who allegedly set fire to California warehouse compares self to Luigi Mangione — The Guardian -

• Gunmen kill at least four people at Afghanistan picnic spot — BBC World -
• French man charged with locking son in van for more than a year — BBC World -
• Should Churches Remove Art by a Priest Accused of Sexual Abuse? — New York Times World -
• Michigan Man Is Arrested in Disappearance of Wife in Bahamas — New York Times World -
• Venezuela Approves New Law to Open Mining to Foreign Investors — New York Times World -
• Man accused of coercing wife into sex with 120 men goes on trial in Sweden — BBC World -
• Dutch police urge victims of 'international sextortion campaign' to come forward — BBC World -
• Popular Tanzanian musician Matonya charged with rape in Kenya — BBC World -
• Many Venezuelans Want to Go Home. But They Can’t Get Passports. — New York Times World -

China's Xi Jinping holds rare talks with Taiwan's opposition leader to discuss peace, while Australia faces an EV recall due to battery fire risks and a war crimes scandal at its War Memorial.

• Labor’s planned gambling ad limits have influencer ‘blind spots’, experts warn — The Guardian -
• Xi Meets Taiwan Opposition Leader for First Time in a Decade — New York Times World -
• Victim of ‘disgusting paedophile’ serving Australia’s longest sentence for child sex abuse tells of ‘lost decades’ — The Guardian -

• Cutting fuel to Australia ‘won’t happen’, says Singapore PM, as Albanese secures pledge from our largest petrol source — The Guardian -
• Taiwan opposition leader meets Xi Jinping in Beijing — BBC World -
• Australian War Memorial updates Ben Roberts-Smith museum display – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Australian War Memorial amends Ben Roberts-Smith display after former soldier charged with war crimes — The Guardian -
• Xi tells Taiwan opposition leader people on both sides of strait are Chinese in rare meeting — The Guardian -
• Man who allegedly claimed partner died in ‘crash with kangaroo’ in NT charged with murder — The Guardian -
• Thousands of electric vehicles recalled in Australia due to battery fire risk — The Guardian -
• Jimmy Sullivan, Queensland state MP, dies at 44 — The Guardian -

Elon Musk's xAI is suing Colorado over new AI regulations, as US bank chiefs discuss AI cyber risks, and major tech companies criticize the EU for a lapse in a child sexual abuse law.

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home targeted with molotov cocktail — The Guardian -
• US summoned bank bosses to discuss cyber risks posed by Anthropic’s latest AI model — The Guardian -
• ‘Irresponsible failure’: Google, Meta, Snap and Microsoft slam EU over child sexual abuse law lapse — The Guardian -

• Elon Musk’s xAI sues Colorado over new rules for artificial intelligence — The Guardian -
• India proposes new rules to regulate news and political posts on social media — BBC World -

The Artemis II crew returns to Earth after a record-setting lunar mission, while Russia and Ukraine agree to an Orthodox Easter truce, and Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts, alongside other diverse global developments.

• Repurposed drug may extend survival in aggressive ovarian cancer, trial shows — The Guardian -
• One dead and 27 injured after bus with British passengers crashes in Canary Islands — The Guardian -
• South Korea deploys thermal imaging cameras in search for escaped zoo wolf — BBC World -

• Concerns raised about motorbike tourist trail after death of British teenager in Vietnam — The Guardian -
• Chimpanzees in Uganda locked in vicious 'civil war', say researchers — BBC World -
• Anger as swifts’ nesting holes in Derbyshire rail viaduct ‘blocked up’ — The Guardian -
• Peruvians to go to polls hoping to break cycle of instability — The Guardian -
• Russia and Ukraine agree to Orthodox Easter truce — BBC World -
• The Hit Erotica Writers Outwitting Nigeria’s Religious Censors — New York Times World -
• Weather tracker: Cyclone Maila batters Solomon Islands with 115mph winds — The Guardian -
• See You in Pyongyang: Russia Pushes Its People to Embrace North Korea — New York Times World -
• Coachella 2026: Justin Bieber launches a major comeback in the desert — The Guardian -
• Artemis II crew to end record-setting mission with Pacific Ocean splashdown — The Guardian -
• Putin Announces Orthodox Easter Cease-Fire, but Ukraine Is Skeptical — New York Times World -
• Take down bird feeders this summer to cut spread of avian disease, says RSPB — The Guardian -
• South African Writer Mfundi Vundla Gets Personal in His New Play — New York Times World -
• Lava bursts forth as Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts — The Guardian -
• Why the UK banned Kanye West - podcast — The Guardian -
• Artemis II crew hails ‘golden age of space travel’ as they prepare for return — The Guardian -
• Hip-hop pioneer, Afrika Bambaataa, dies aged 68 — BBC World -