The Senate on Wednesday voted to start considering a package to fund immigration enforcement agencies after weeks of delay while Republicans pushed back on the White House’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund.” The 53-46 vote kicks off hours of debate, followed by a series of unlimited back-to-back amendment votes before final passage later this week. The… Source link
Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict which broke out on February 28. The two sides have held a single round of talks so far amid a fragile ceasefire in place since April 8. The truce has come under strain following a likely-Iranian attack near a UAE power plant. The stalled talks and rising tension are also worrying markets. FRANCE 24’s Philip Turle breaks it down for us. Keywords for this article Source link
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait said on Tuesday that Iran launched a failed attack earlier this month on an island where China is helping build a port in the Gulf Arab country. The accusation came just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump was to depart for Beijing on a high-stakes visit over the Iran war and other issues. Trump said he would have a “long talk” about Iran with Chinese President Xi Jinping but said trade would be a bigger focus. As he left for the summit, Trump again threatened Iran if its leaders don’t reach an agreement on its nuclear program. “We have Iran very much under control,” Trump said. “We’re either going to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated. One way or the other, we win.” Iranian state media quoted the country’s foreign ministry as calling “baseless” the allegation by Kuwait, which came under attack by Iran in the war and during the shaky ceasefire that is still holding. But the allegation and ongoing attacks in the region …
Brent crude rises more than 2 percent after Washington and Tehran fail to hold second round of talks in Pakistan. Published On 27 Apr 202627 Apr 2026 Oil prices have climbed higher amid stalled peace talks between the United States and Iran. Brent crude rose more than 2 percent on Sunday after hopes for a second round of ceasefire negotiations between Washington and Tehran unravelled over the weekend. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list After easing slightly, Brent, the primary benchmark for global prices, stood at $106.99 as of 1:30 GMT. Stock markets in Asia shrugged off the impasse to open higher on Monday, with Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s KOSPI gaining 0.9 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively, in morning trading. US President Donald Trump on Saturday cancelled a planned trip to Pakistan by his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, after Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi departed Islamabad before any direct engagement could take place between the sides. Araghchi arrived in Russia’s Saint Petersburg on Monday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials as Tehran seeks a way …
Photo: Ever.green A group of Microsoft suppliers just helped push a small solar farm over the finish line in North Carolina – and it shows how corporate buyers can band together and boost projects that might otherwise stall. A small solar farm with a big hurdle Clean energy marketplace Ever.green says a 5-megawatt (MW) solar project called Baron is now online in Anson County, 45 miles southeast of Charlotte. Headwater Energy will develop, own, and operate the project. Here’s what’s notable about Baron: Instead of one big corporate buyer stepping in, a group of Microsoft suppliers signed long-term contracts for renewable energy certificates (RECs) tied to the solar farm. That group includes Slalom Consulting, Centific Technologies, ImagiCorps, BDA, Eleven 11 Solutions, TASA Analytics, and Visionet Systems. Those commitments helped the project reach financial close – a key hurdle that often trips up smaller solar developments. Advertisement – scroll for more content Why projects like this stall Microsoft has been pushing its supply chain to clean up its energy use. Under its Supplier Code of Conduct, …
Maryland wrapped up its 2026 legislative session without approving two bills targeting sweepstakes-style gaming, keeping a familiar fight unresolved for at least another year. The measures, HB 295 and HB 1226, both cleared the House of Delegates. Neither one made it through the Senate before lawmakers adjourned on April 13, which ended their chances this session. The split mirrors what happened in 2025, when a Senate-backed ban proposal stalled once it reached the House. The result was quickly celebrated by the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance, which represents companies in the sector and argues its members operate legally while providing consumer safeguards. In a statement sent to ReadWrite after the session ended, Managing Director Sean Ostrow said the group spent months pressing that case with lawmakers. “We are pleased with this result in Maryland and want to thank the Maryland lawmakers who took the time to thoroughly consider this issue. “Over multiple hearings and dozens of meetings, SGLA addressed false allegations by casino interests by demonstrating that the Social Plus industry already offers strong consumer protections …
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom won final planning approval on Thursday (Apr 2), but construction remains in limbo following a court order that he needs congressional approval. The National Capital Planning Commission, which has several Trump appointees on its board, greenlit the plans in an 8-1 vote. The project aims to construct a massive ballroom on the site of the White House’s East Wing – previously best known for housing the First Lady’s offices. It was demolished in September. Trump expressed his thanks in a post on his Truth social media platform, saying, “when completed, it will be the greatest and most beautiful ballroom of its kind anywhere in the world.” Planning approval does not, however, mean construction can go ahead unchecked. On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered a halt to construction, saying Trump needed congressional approval. The president is “steward” of the White House, Judge Richard Leon wrote. “He is not, however, the owner!” Will Scharf, the commission’s chairman and a political ally of Trump, addressed the lawsuit before the vote, …
THE SPECIAL BUDGET “IS IMPORTANT”, CURTIS SAYS “I’d like to personally endorse the special defence budget and tell you back in Washington, DC, that my colleagues are watching, that this is important,” he said. “We want to make sure that as we invest in this part of the world, that you are also investing and that we’re in this together.” Taiwan’s opposition-dominated parliament is still debating Lai’s defence spending proposal, though it has already cleared four US arms deals worth about US$9 billion. The United States has strongly supported Lai’s efforts to boost Taiwan’s armaments as part of a push by President Donald Trump’s administration to get allies to spend more on defence. CONCERN OVER CHINA PRESSURE “We are concerned by the increased pressure from Beijing, including military activity around Taiwan that raises the risk of miscalculation,” Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the same briefing. Deputy Minister Hsu Szu-chien, speaking later at government-run weapons developer the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology in Taoyuan, said he hoped …
Despite huge progress in reducing child mortality since 2000, 4.9 million children died of preventable causes in 2024 Source link
Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., along with other members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus of the House of Representatives, are calling for all clinics that get Title X funding to get the same dollars in 2026 as in 2025. Ed Zurga/AP hide caption toggle caption Ed Zurga/AP A group of 128 Democratic members of Congress is calling on the federal government to prevent a funding shortfall for reproductive health clinics in two weeks. The letter, first shared with NPR, was drafted by the House Democratic Women’s Caucus and Reproductive Freedom Caucus and sent to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday. “We call on HHS to immediately award a one-year full funding extension to all current Title X grantees as the funding process cannot be effectively executed before their funding runs out on March 31,” the letter says. Free services for birth control, cancer screening The role Title X plays in keeping communities healthy is practically invisible, explains Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., one of the House members who helped gather co-signers to the letter. “When …
