About 250 missing after boat carrying Rohingya refugees capsizes in Andaman Sea 14. April 2026 (20:31) Trawler set off from Bangladesh and reportedly capsized due to heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowdingAbout 250 people are missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, according to the UN’s refugee and migration agencies.The agencies said the trawler carrying more than 250 men, women and children reportedly sank due to harsh weather and overcrowding. It had departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran war escalation could trigger global recession, IMF warns 14. April 2026 (20:26) Growth forecasts cut for US and global economy, while UK suffers sharpest downgrade in G7Reeves arrives at IMF with little leeway to prove its UK downgrade wrongA further escalation in the Iran war could trigger a global recession that would affect the UK more than any of the other G7 nations, the International Monetary Fund has warned.Against an increasingly volatile backdrop, the Washington-based fund said the economic damage from the Middle East conflict was steadily rising as it cut its growth forecasts for 2026 based on the impact from the war so far. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US-Iran peace talks could resume in next two days, Trump says 14. April 2026 (20:01) US president says negotiations could restart in Islamabad under ‘fantastic’ Pakistani army chief Asim Munir• Middle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has said that US-Iranian peace talks could resume in Islamabad over the next two days, and complimented the work of Pakistan’s army chief as mediator.The US president was speaking on Tuesday to a New York Post reporter who had gone to Islamabad for the first round of ceasefire talks over the weekend. After an interview discussing prospects for negotiations, the reporter said the president had called her back “with an update”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
China now the ‘good guy’ on AI as Trump takes ‘wild west’ approach, MPs told 14. April 2026 (19:56) Experts say China is backing attempts at global governance, while US has set up race between profit-hungry companiesChina is now the “good guy” on AI rather than Donald Trump’s US, where the technology is being pursued in a dangerous “wild west” manner, a former UN and UK government adviser has told MPs.Prof Dame Wendy Hall, who was a member of the UN’s AI advisory board and co-wrote a review of AI for Theresa May’s government, told the House of Commons business and trade committee that China was backing multinational attempts to introduce global governance of AI, in contrast to America, which had set up a race between profit-hungry companies that relied on hype. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
South East Water chief executive to forgo his bonus over ‘unacceptable outages’ 14. April 2026 (19:46) David Hinton will receive only his £400,000 salary this year after thousands of customers were left without waterThe chief executive of South East Water has said he will forgo his bonus in an act of penitence for “unacceptable outages” that left thousands of customers in Kent and Sussex without water.David Hinton told MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs select committee that he had decided not to accept an additional “performance payment” this year. Instead, he will receive only his £400,000 salary. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New accuser says Eric Swalwell sexually assaulted her in 2018 14. April 2026 (19:45) Lonna Drewes alleges Democratic congressman drugged and raped her at Beverly Hills hotelSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAnother woman has come forward to accuse Eric Swalwell of sexual assault, claiming the California Democrat drugged and raped her in 2018.At a press conference in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, Lonna Drewes said she was working as a model in Beverly Hills, was interested in local politics, and owned a fashion software company when she met the now 45-year-old congressman. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK woman fears being stranded in Spain over new Home Office border rules 14. April 2026 (19:33) Natasha Cochrane de la Rosa was refused boarding on flight to London because she was not aware of the rule changeA British woman has told how she fears being stranded in Spain for months after being refused boarding a on flight back home to London because she was not aware of new Home Office border rules.Natasha Cochrane de la Rosa, 26, was born in the UK to a British father and a Spanish mother, but because of archaic laws she was not entitled automatically to British citizenship because her parents were not married. Other women born to unmarried parents have called the rules an “illegitimacy tax”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reeves arrives at IMF with little leeway to prove its UK downgrade wrong 14. April 2026 (19:27) Chancellor faced with fund’s forecast that impact of Iran war will leave Britain as G7’s biggest loserIran war escalation could trigger global recession, IMF warnsThe Iran war is bad news for the global economy. But for some countries, the unfolding conflict is having a bigger impact than for others. The International Monetary Fund’s verdict is that Britain is the G7’s biggest loser.Amid the rising damage from the Middle East war, the Washington-based fund warned UK economic growth rate would be 0.5 percentage points lower this year than it had predicted back in January – the biggest downgrade among the club of wealthy nations. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
French woman, 86, held by ICE after moving to US to marry 1950s sweetheart 14. April 2026 (19:18) The family of Marie-Thérèse, from Brittany, fear for her health after she was cuffed and placed in a detention centreAn 86-year-old French woman who moved to the US to marry her 1950s sweetheart is being held in a crowded detention centre in Louisiana after she was arrested by immigration agents and cuffed by her hands and feet.The family of the woman, named only as Marie-Thérèse, said they feared for her health as French consular officials attempted to secure her release. One of her sons told the Ouest-France newspaper that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had treated his mother like a hardened criminal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US edges closer to popular vote deciding winner of presidential elections 14. April 2026 (19:12) Virginia signs national popular vote bill into law, joining interstate compact with 17 other states and District of ColumbiaA national majority vote for president is one step closer to reality after the Virginia governor, Abigail Spanberger, signed the national popular vote bill into law, joining an interstate compact with 17 other states and the District of Columbia.Under the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, states would assign their presidential electors to the winner of the popular vote, regardless of the results within the state. The compact takes effect when states representing a majority of electoral votes – 270 of 538 – pass the legislation and thus would determine the winner of the presidential contest. With Virginia, the compact now has 222 electors. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
