Pakistan's arrival in Iran for peace talks and the ongoing US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz highlight intensified diplomatic efforts amidst the Iran-Israel-Lebanon conflict, which continues to escalate with US impeachment articles against the defense secretary and concerns over global economic impact.

• Iran War Live Updates: Pakistani Mediators Arrive in Iran to Keep Peace Talks Alive — New York Times World -
• House Democrats file six articles of impeachment against defense secretary Pete Hegseth – US politics live — The Guardian -
• Trump’s Portrayal of the War in Iran Collides With Reality — New York Times World -

• Pakistani Mediators Arrive in Tehran in Bid to Keep U.S.-Iran Peace Talks Alive — New York Times World -
• Reeves gives more energy bill support to businesses as Iran war pushes up costs — The Guardian -
• Iran could struggle to enforce all of its latest shipping threats, experts say. — New York Times World -
• Lyse Doucet: Under fragile ceasefire, Iranians wonder if US deal can be done — BBC World -
• With Iran War on Pause, Political Battle Resumes Over Israeli Democracy — New York Times World -
• Israel Considering Cease-Fire With Lebanon, Officials Say — New York Times World -
• Frank Gardner: What is China's role in the Iran war? — BBC World -
• Israeli triple-tap strike kills three paramedics in Lebanon, officials say — BBC World -
• Debt Alarms Ring as Countries Rack Up More Emergency Spending — New York Times World -
• Reeves tells Americans Trump’s Iran war is a ‘mistake’ — The Guardian -
• Iran-Linked Ships Slow or Stop as U.S. Navy Enforces Strait of Hormuz Blockade — New York Times World -
• Trump needs a better Iran deal than Obama’s – but faces major hurdles — The Guardian -
• Trump warns US-UK trade deal ‘can always be changed’ with relations in ‘sad state’ — The Guardian -
• Reeves tells Americans she does not know why they launched Iran war – UK politics live — The Guardian -
• Italy Suspends Defense Pact With Israel, Further Straining Ties — New York Times World -
• Kuwait Detained Journalist After Comments on Iran War Images, Watchdog Says — New York Times World -
• Starmer says he's 'not going to yield' to pressure from Trump on Iran war — BBC World -
• Big US banks rake in near $50bn profit as Iran war shakes markets — The Guardian -
• Trump Breaks With Meloni, Italy’s Leader, Amid Dispute Over Pope and Iran — New York Times World -
• U.S. Applies Little Pressure to Israel to Stop the Fighting in Lebanon — New York Times World -
• Israel and Hezbollah continue attacks after Israel-Lebanon talks in US — BBC World -
• Trump’s Blockade Risks Upending an Emerging Détente With China — New York Times World -
• How China’s Weapons Transfers to Iran Have Evolved Over Decades — New York Times World -
• Ship ‘Spoofing’ in Strait of Hormuz May Compound Confusion — New York Times World -
• Here’s how the U.S. blockade of Iranian shipping is taking shape. — New York Times World -
• Economic shock from Iran war risks driving up global debt levels, says IMF — The Guardian -
• Starmer 'not going to yield' to pressure from Trump on Iran war — BBC World -
• US-Iran peace talks could resume in next two days, Trump says | First Thing — The Guardian -
• Europe Is Desperate for More Energy. Can Norway Come to the Rescue? — New York Times World -
• Short-term gains for China from US-Iran war may turn to longer-term pain — The Guardian -
• Sri Lanka repatriates 238 Iranian sailors stranded after US torpedo attack — BBC World -
• U.S. Says Israel and Lebanon Agree to More Peace Talks — New York Times World -
• Kenya fuel prices rise sharply despite reduction in tax due to Iran war — BBC World -
• Usman Khawaja condemns ‘appalling’ Coalition immigration comments – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Trump hints Iran talks could resume this week as US port blockade continues — BBC World -
• China Offers Veiled Criticism of U.S. as Iran War Threatens Oil Imports — New York Times World -
• US talks between Lebanon and Israel end – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Rubio Hosts Israel and Lebanon for Rare Meeting Shadowed by U.S.-Iran War — New York Times World -
• US-Iran peace talks could resume in next two days, Trump says — The Guardian -
• Trump Says 2nd Round of U.S.-Iran Talks Could Take Place This Week — New York Times World -

House Democrats filing impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Iran war, alongside Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's criticism of pro-Trump court orders, indicate heightened political tensions, while Trump threatens to fire Fed chair Jerome Powell and faces activist protests over budget cuts.

• ‘Vought cuts kill people’: Aids activists interrupt Trump budget chief hearing — The Guardian -
• Ketanji Brown Jackson condemns conservative justices’ pro-Trump orders — The Guardian -
• The AI images Trump can’t get enough of — The Guardian -

• Trump threatens to fire Fed chair Powell if he doesn't leave in May — BBC World -
• Fisa surveillance vote sparks fierce debate as Congress splits on warrantless monitoring — The Guardian -
• Bernie Sanders pushes resolutions to block US weapons sales to Israel — The Guardian -
• Trump believes diet soda kills cancer cells, Dr Oz reveals — The Guardian -
• Pope Leo shares message of unity amid spat with Trump: ‘We can live in peace’ — The Guardian -
• Trump threatens to fire Fed chair Jerome Powell amid pressure campaign — The Guardian -
• In Leo, Trump Faces a Different Kind of Papal Opponent — New York Times World -
• ‘Uncharted territory’: uncertainty as US vaccine guidance falls apart under Trump — The Guardian -
• Trump's rift with Pope is playing out in public - it's costing him valuable support — BBC World -
• Trump’s push to cut interest rates has echoes of ‘banana republic’, says Yellen — The Guardian -
• Watch: Vance heckled as he chides Pope — BBC World -
• US DoJ files for overturning January 6 convictions for far-right groups’ members — The Guardian -

Mexico's president confronts a grim reckoning of 133,000 missing people, while Sudan enters its fourth year of war amidst the world's most severe humanitarian crisis, emphasizing global pleas for aid and concerns over human rights in Israeli jails and ICE detention camps.

• Claudia Sheinbaum’s War on Crime in Mexico Faces a Grim Reckoning: 133,000 Missing People — New York Times World -
• Sudan Enters Fourth Year of War Amid World’s Most Severe Humanitarian Crisis — New York Times World -
• France seeks release of 86-year-old French widow detained by ICE — The Guardian -

• Child victims of online sexual abuse in UK inadequately protected, review finds — The Guardian -
• Two arrested over attempted arson attack on synagogue in north London — The Guardian -
• After Fighting for the Rights of Workers, Brazil’s President Lula Faces a Labor Abuse Crisis — New York Times World -
• Attempted arson attack a bid to scare British Jews, says leader of London synagogue — The Guardian -
• More than £1bn pledged for Sudan as humanitarian crisis deepens — The Guardian -
• Sexual harassment is rife on comedy circuit and women lack protections, MPs told — The Guardian -
• Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti facing ‘escalating abuse’ in Israeli jails — The Guardian -
• Peace activist, 91, walks across Ireland in protest against US military stopovers — The Guardian -
• ‘Psychological torture’: outcry over conditions at ICE desert detention camp — The Guardian -
• Australian lesbian group’s fight to bar trans women to return to tribunal after federal court win — The Guardian -
• Three years of messages at once - a chronicle of Sudan's war pours in as trapped reporter's phone turns on — BBC World -
• Three years of messages at once - a chronicle of Sudan's war pours in as trapped reporter's phone turns on — BBC World -
• In Myanmar, Even Flowers Stoke Fear — New York Times World -
• When El Salvador’s Prisoners Are Set Free, She’s There To Pick Them Up — New York Times World -
• Dodging Bombs and Drones, This Postman in Ukraine Still Delivers — New York Times World -
• The human cost of the war in Sudan, three years on — BBC World -
• 250 missing after migrant boat sinks in Indian Ocean — BBC World -
• 250 missing after migrant boat sinks in Indian Ocean — BBC World -
• Justice denied: why families of apartheid victims are still searching for answers — The Guardian -

Hungary's Peter Magyar defeated Viktor Orbán in a landmark election, while NATO urged continued aid for Ukraine, and Turkey experienced its second school shooting in two days, reflecting shifts in European power dynamics and ongoing security concerns.

• South Africa Names Roelf Meyer, Apartheid-Era Negotiator, as U.S. Ambassador — New York Times World -
• Nine killed in second Turkish school shooting in two days — BBC World -
• Top U.S. Diplomat in Venezuela Leaves Post After Arriving in January — New York Times World -

• ‘We Cannot Lose Sight of Ukraine.’ Europeans Promise More Aid to Kyiv. — New York Times World -
• How Peter Magyar Defeated Viktor Orban, a Former Ally, In Hungary’s Election — New York Times World -
• Scottish Labour leader says claim he tried to do Reform deal is ‘desperate lie’ — The Guardian -
• Benin’s Romuald Wadagni Poised to Win Presidential Election — New York Times World -
• ‘Don’t lose sight of Ukraine,’ Nato chief tells European allies – as it happened — The Guardian -
• At Least 4 Dead in Second School Shooting in Turkey in 2 Days — New York Times World -
• King Charles III and Queen Camilla Will Visit D.C., New York and Virginia — New York Times World -
• South Africa names apartheid-era negotiator as ambassador to US — The Guardian -
• Does Viktor Orbán’s defeat signal a wider backlash against ‘the forces of darkness’? — The Guardian -
• Magyar calls for fast handover of power in talks with Hungary's president — BBC World -
• Magyar calls for fast handover of power in talks with Hungary's president — BBC World -
• Hungary’s prime minister-elect vows to suspend ‘propaganda machine’ state media — The Guardian -
• Hungary’s voters shunned Orbán – but it may be too early to celebrate end of Europe’s far right — The Guardian -
• Starmer rejects accusation that Labour is ‘complacent’ on defence funding — The Guardian -
• Labor to boost defence spending by $53bn over next decade – but plan still short of Donald Trump’s demands — The Guardian -
• South Africa names apartheid-era politician as new ambassador to the US — BBC World -
• Balancing UK’s welfare and defence spending ‘not zero-sum game’, minister says — The Guardian -
• North Korea rapidly expanding nuclear weapons capability, UN watchdog warns — The Guardian -
• Hungary’s Populist Paradox — New York Times World -
• Mark Carney Seals a Majority Government and Remakes Canada’s Liberal Party — New York Times World -
• US military says it killed four more people in a boat strike in the eastern Pacific — The Guardian -

Big US banks reported significant profits amid Iran war market turbulence, while Drax faced scrutiny over substantial biomass subsidies, and Live Nation was found to have operated a monopoly, showcasing corporate financial performance, regulatory challenges, and economic impacts of global events.

• Drax claimed record £999m in subsidies for burning trees in 2025, thinktank says — The Guardian -
• Ticketmaster-owner Live Nation ran a monopoly and overcharged fans, jury finds — BBC World -
• Saudi Fund to Back Away From LIV Golf Under Mounting Financial Pressures — New York Times World -

• Shares in Allbirds surge after maker of wool sneakers announces pivot to AI — The Guardian -
• US jury finds Live Nation and Ticketmaster subsidiary operated monopoly — The Guardian -
• BBC Announces Plan to Cut Around 2,000 Jobs — New York Times World -
• BBC to cut up to 2,000 jobs in biggest downsize in 15 years — The Guardian -
• UK’s largest housebuilder to buy less land in blow to Labour’s homes target — The Guardian -
• Madonna announces sequel to her 2005 album Confessions on a Dance Floor — The Guardian -
• Snap Inc blames AI as it lays off 1,000 workers — The Guardian -
• Norwegian group in talks to buy former Liberty Steel works in South Yorkshire — The Guardian -
• Aegon offloads 200-year-old UK business to Standard Life for £2bn — The Guardian -
• AA driving schools ordered to refund 80,000 learner drivers over hidden fees — The Guardian -
• Ignore ‘self-serving’ claims from gas giants and implement 100% tax on windfall profits, Ken Henry says — The Guardian -
• Air New Zealand's economy Skynest bunk beds set for launch — The Guardian -

A Georgia man was charged in deadly attacks, including one on a DHS worker, as a January 6 pipe bomb suspect faces new felony counts, and SantaCon organizers were charged with charity fraud, highlighting diverse criminal activities and law enforcement responses.

• Georgia man charged over attacks that killed DHS worker and other woman — The Guardian -
• Suspect accused of planting pipe bombs on eve of January 6 faces new charges — The Guardian -
• California man shot by ICE arrested by FBI and charged with assault — The Guardian -

• SantaCon organiser charged with stealing $1m from charity pub crawl — BBC World -
• NYC SantaCon charity fundraiser was more con than Claus, authorities say — The Guardian -
• Prosecutors won’t file domestic abuse charges against Taylor Frankie Paul — The Guardian -
• Chinese national given one year in prison for smuggling ants out of Kenya — BBC World -
• Chinese national given one year in prison for smuggling ants out of Kenya — BBC World -
• Camp Mystic official says she still hasn’t reported flood deaths to Texas agency — The Guardian -
• Ant smuggler sentenced to a year in jail by Kenyan court — The Guardian -
• Oklahoma principal shot disarming ex-student with semi-automatic guns — The Guardian -
• American Streamer Johnny Somali Is Sentenced to Prison in South Korea — New York Times World -
• Man convicted in wife’s disappearance arrested over other woman’s unsolved 1990 murder — The Guardian -
• Moment gunman tackled by school principal — BBC World -
• Former Alabama star allegedly impersonated NFL’s Penix, Njoku and McKinney in $20m loan scam — The Guardian -
• Australian pleads guilty to creating deepfake porn in landmark case — BBC World -
• South Korea jails American YouTuber for public nuisance — BBC World -
• South Korea jails American YouTuber for public nuisance — BBC World -

Gray whales are dying at alarming rates in San Francisco Bay, an NAACP lawsuit accuses Elon Musk's xAI of polluting neighborhoods, and a Super Typhoon Sinlaku caused widespread damage in the Northern Mariana Islands, underscoring ecological threats, environmental justice concerns, and climate impacts.

• Gray whales, once rare in San Francisco Bay, dying there at alarming rates — The Guardian -
• NAACP lawsuit accuses Elon Musk’s xAI of polluting Black neighborhoods near Memphis — The Guardian -
• Amazon enters agreements for nine Australian renewable projects to power datacentres — The Guardian -

• Sinlaku rips through Northern Mariana Islands as strongest tropical cyclone this year — The Guardian -
• Heatwave threatens to shatter high-temperature records across eastern US — The Guardian -
• More than half of Britain’s butterfly species in decline, monitoring scheme shows — The Guardian -
• Super Typhoon Sinlaku Slams Saipan, Causing Widespread Damage — New York Times World -
• Orange earthquake: gold miners fled to underground refuge chambers when 4.5-magnitude quake hit central west NSW — The Guardian -
• Tuvalu, tiny Pacific nation at the forefront of climate crisis, to host world leaders before Cop31 summit — The Guardian -

Gina Rinehart was compelled to share her mining fortunes after a lengthy family feud, Victoria's political donation laws were ruled unconstitutional, and Labor lashed the Coalition's immigration plan, reflecting key legal battles, political transparency issues, and contentious policy debates.

• Gina Rinehart has been forced to share her riches. But will she fight on or end the family feud? — The Guardian -
• Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting to pay hundreds of millions’ worth of royalties to rival family in ‘half loss half win’ — The Guardian -
• Victoria left without limits on political donations after high court rules laws unconstitutional — The Guardian -

• Labor lashes Coalition immigration plan as Usman Khawaja calls policy ‘appalling’ — The Guardian -
• Gina Rinehart’s son says he wants to be a ‘united family’ in olive branch to mother after court ruling — The Guardian -
• Usman Khawaja condemns ‘appalling’ Coalition immigration comments – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Queensland ebike laws could cripple Uber Eats, DoorDash and shared e-vehicle schemes, industry warns — The Guardian -
• Sydney judge overturns bail conditions limiting anti-Herzog protester from entering CBD — The Guardian -
• Australia's richest person must share part of her mining fortunes, court rules — BBC World -

Madonna announced a sequel to her 'Confessions' album, Kanye West postponed concerts in France due to potential bans, and a Picasso painting was won in a charity raffle, illustrating developments in music and art, challenges to free expression, and unique cultural events.

• Shakespeare Bought One Property in London. Now We Know Exactly Where. — New York Times World -
• The Pope in Africa — New York Times World -
• Catholicism Thrives in Africa, but Pope’s Cameroon Visit Highlights a Divide — New York Times World -

• Getting the Pope to Answer a Pointed Question at 30,000 Feet — New York Times World -
• From divvy to dinlo: index of insults aims to record Britain’s diverse dialects — The Guardian -
• Game of Thrones and Euphoria given age ratings as BBFC deploys new AI tool — The Guardian -
• In Defense of Dumb Dogs — New York Times World -
• Paris art enthusiast wins €1m Picasso painting in €100 charity raffle — The Guardian -
• Bridget Jones statue becomes permanent resident of Leicester Square: ‘She makes Londoners feel seen’ — The Guardian -
• Kanye West Postpones Concert in France as Government Considers Banning It — New York Times World -
• Meghan to appear as guest judge on MasterChef Australia — BBC World -
• Scottish ultrarunning champion dies during Highlands record attempt — The Guardian -
• Kanye West postpones France gig following UK ban — BBC World -
• How a £2m bitcoin order made Nigel Farage the political face of UK crypto — The Guardian -
• Kanye West postpones France gig until further notice — BBC World -
• How a Times Reporter Has Covered a Turbulent Period in Latin America — New York Times World -
• How a Times Reporter Has Covered a Turbulent Period in Latin America — New York Times World -
• ‘Meeting of two worlds’ as Prince Harry joins Wiggles and Australian football stars to put men’s mental health in spotlight — The Guardian -
• Kanye West postpones Marseille concert as France considers blocking him from performing — The Guardian -