First Thing: Vance to lead US delegation in Pakistan if Iran agrees to talks 21. April 2026 (13:11) Vice-president would travel with Witkoff and Kushner as ceasefire deadline looms. Plus, how to avoid an AI job scamDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.JD Vance is expected to fly to Islamabad to lead the US delegation on Tuesday if Iran agrees to further talks, as the deadline for the current ceasefire looms.What effect is the war having on developing countries? With food and fuel inflation reaching close to 20%, Fletcher warned: “We will feel the impact for years in sub-Saharan Africa and east Africa pushing way more people into poverty.”What are the impacts on displacement? Sexualized attacks are hastening the displacement of Palestinians, according to the report, with more than two-thirds of households surveyed identifying rising violence against women and children as a tipping point in their decision to leave. Researchers also found it was causing girls to quit school, women to stop working, and had contributed to a rise in early marriage. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The Shreveport shooting shows how Black women and children are at a higher risk of domestic violence 21. April 2026 (13:00) Cerina Fairfax in Virginia and Nancy Metayer in Florida were also killed by their husbands, yet deaths of Black women are least likely to garner calls for policy changeOn Sunday, eight children were shot and killed in the deadliest US mass shooting in nearly two years. The gunman was the father of seven of the deceased children and the cousin of another.Three others were shot and injured: the shooter’s wife, with whom he shared four children, the mother of his other three children, and a 13-year-old boy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘We were terrified they were going to kill us’: fishers who survived US boat strike speak out 21. April 2026 (13:00) An Ecuadorian fishing crew describe their ordeal as victims of Trump’s purported war on ‘narcoterrorists’By 4pm, the light was softening over the Pacific, and the crew of the Don Maca were finishing a long day hauling in lines of swordfish and albacore. Down in the hold, the mood had settled into the familiar rhythm of a fishing day drawing to a close.“We were just working, waiting for the last trawler to return,” Jhonny Sebastián Palacios, one of the fishers, told the Guardian. “Everything was perfectly fine.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU’s top court finds Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ law in breach of key values 21. April 2026 (12:39) ECJ says law passed in 2021 is discriminatory and ‘contrary to the identity of the union’, in early test for new PMThe EU’s highest court has found Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ law to be discriminatory, stigmatising and in breach of basic democratic values, setting up an early test for the incoming government when it takes power next month.In a wide-ranging judgment, the European court of justice said the 2021 law that bans content about LGBTQ+ people from schools and primetime TV was at odds with a society based on pluralism and fundamental rights, such as prohibition of discrimination and freedom of expression. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Liberals and Nationals to preference One Nation in blow to Michelle Milthorpe in Farrer byelection 21. April 2026 (12:06) Independent candidate and One Nation’s David Farley are viewed as the frontrunners in the four cornered-contest for the 9 May pollGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Liberals and Nationals will preference One Nation ahead of Michelle Milthorpe in the Farrer byelection in a potential blow to the independent’s hopes of winning the 9 May race.Milthorpe and One Nation’s David Farley are viewed as the frontrunners in the four cornered-contest, meaning the flow of preferences from the Liberals and Nationals could be crucial in deciding the final outcome in the southern New South Wales seat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kevin Warsh: Trump’s ideal choice to push Fed to cut interest rates 21. April 2026 (12:00) Former Wall Street banker faces questions at confirmation hearing – but his biggest backer is also his biggest liabilityOn the face of it, Kevin Warsh looks like an ideal candidate to chair the Federal Reserve, the world’s most important central bank. The 56-year-old Ivy League economist, former Wall Street banker and presidential adviser ticks all the boxes. Unfortunately for Warsh, as he faces what could be a fraught nomination hearing, his biggest backer is also his biggest liability.In his second term, Donald Trump has attacked the Fed in a manner both unprecedented and unseemly. He has called current chair Jerome Powell – whom he also appointed – a “jerk”, “a stubborn MORON”, and repeatedly threatened to fire him. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Uber for nurses’: gig-work apps lobby to deregulate healthcare, report finds 21. April 2026 (12:00) Growing use of AI tech comes at expense of workers’ rights, protections and pay, report warnsBillion-dollar tech platforms are aggressively pushing for deregulation of the “Uber for nursing” industry in an effort to expand gig work in the healthcare sector, according to a report published Tuesday.The report from the AI Now Institute, Uber for Nursing Part II: How Gig Nursing Companies Are Lobbying States to Deregulate Healthcare, examines the use of artificial intelligence to staff hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump’s Federal Reserve chair pick to face lawmakers at key confirmation hearing – US politics live 21. April 2026 (11:50) The hearing marks a key hurdle Kevin Warsh must overcome in order to succeed Jerome Powell when his term ends on 15 MayJerome Powell’s term as chair ends on 15 May. He said last month that he would remain as chair until a successor is named.Powell also is serving a separate term as a member of the Fed’s governing board that lasts until January 2028. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU optimistic over approval of €90bn loan for Ukraine following Orbán defeat – Europe live 21. April 2026 (11:46) EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirms she expects ‘some positive decisions tomorrow’ on the €90bn loanGerman foreign minister Joseph Wadephul also makes it very clear that he is relieved with the change of government in Hungary, calling it “a breath of fresh air” and a promise of hope for Ukraine.He urged Hungary to drop its “unusual blockade” for policies for Ukraine “as quickly as possible,” pointing to what he argued was a clear pro-European mandate from the electorate in Hungary (it’s a bit more complicated than that, though). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
