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When Elle Middlemas turned 18, she began wondering whether she owned a Child Trust Fund (CTF) – a government‑backed savings account created for children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011. Her search hit a dead end; she could not confirm if she was entitled to any money and an email to HMRC yielded no response.Middlemas, a Whitby college student, explained that the loss of her mother at age 11 left her with little guidance. “My sister is 21 and spent three years looking for a fund and found nothing, so we assumed we didn’t have one,” she said, expressing the frustration felt by many of her peers.She and her sister are part of an estimated 758,000 people aged 18‑23 who have unclaimed CTFs. Collectively, these dormant accounts hold roughly £1.5 bn, a substantial sum that disproportionately belongs to low‑income families who are often unaware of its existence.Advocates are now pressing the government to automatically release CTFs when holders reach 21 years of age. Experts estimate that such a policy could inject up to £286 m directly into the pockets of young people who need it most.Middlemas finally learned of her entitlement after a conversation with a friend’s parent six months after her birthday. She discovered the Share Foundation, a charity that helps reconnect youths with their funds, and located a NatWest account bearing her name.“I had £700 sitting in my bank and thought, ‘What is going on?’ My sister also had one but never knew how to access it,” she recalled. The sisters plan to use the money to support university expenses and repay debts, underscoring the tangible impact of the scheme.The CTF programme was launched by the Labour government in 2005 to encourage parental savings. Every child received a £250 government contribution, with an additional £250 for those from low‑income families or in local authority care. Parents could add up to £9,000 per year, and any investment gains accrued until the child turned 18.If a parent failed to open an account within 12 months of birth, HMRC would create one on the child’s behalf. Today, the average value of a CTF stands at about £2,200.More than two‑thirds of the six million original recipients are now over 18 and eligible to claim their funds, with HMRC‑allocated accounts representing 28 % of all CTFs.Geographically, the North‑East of England has the highest concentration of HMRC‑allocated accounts, totalling £48 m. Across the UK, youths from the most disadvantaged 15 % of families hold accounts averaging £2,900 in value.Gavin Oldham, chief executive of the Share Foundation, warned that the scheme is hampered by poor communication, limited financial education, and “policy neglect”. He indicated the charity is considering a judicial review to compel the government to release the unclaimed assets.Oldham noted that the charity has already linked “well over 100,000 accounts to young adults”, yet the “sheer quantum of these unclaimed accounts remains a major problem”.“It is strange to find a government which expresses concern over youth poverty while doing so little to deliver on a groundbreaking scheme,” Oldham added.The charity’s proposal to release HMRC‑allocated funds automatically at 21 would free roughly £500 m, including £350 mOldham cautioned that a legal challenge, while potentially successful, could delay payouts for years, leaving vulnerable youths “denied their birthright for far too long”.Beyond immediate release, the Share Foundation is urging the creation of a new, targeted scheme for low‑income youths that embeds a financial‑awareness component, allowing participants to top up their funds through education‑linked incentives.Labour MP Laura Kyrke‑Smith echoed these concerns, describing the CTF system as “confusing and opaque” and calling for proactive tracing of account holders and clearer public information.HMRC responded that it is “directly sending every eligible young person information to help them find their child trust fund”, while also raising awareness via social media, broadcast interviews, and an online tracing tool. The agency added that banks, building societies, and investment firms managing the funds share responsibility for communicating with account holders.

Pakistan has put forward a two-phase plan to bring an end to the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, and to reopen the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz. This initiative has been shared with both Iran and the United States, and is currently being considered by both sides.According to sources, Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has acknowledged Pakistan's diplomatic efforts. The plan, tentatively referred to as the 'Islamabad Accord', involves an immediate ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with 15 to 20 days allocated to finalize a broader settlement.The proposed agreement would include Iranian commitments not to pursue nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets. However, Tehran has responded by stating that it will not reopen the strait as part of a temporary ceasefire, and has expressed skepticism about the proposal.The US has not yet responded to Pakistan's plan, while Iran has rejected a 15-point plan put forward by the US last month, describing it as 'illogical'. The conflict has resulted in significant human suffering, with over 2,000 people killed in Iran since the war began on February 28.The situation remains volatile, with Trump threatening 'hell' on Tehran if a deal is not reached by the end of Tuesday. The international community is closely watching the developments, as the Strait of Hormuz remains a critical artery for global fuel supplies, with over 20 percent of the world's oil and gas passing through the waterway.

For Konstantin, a 53‑year‑old resident of St Petersburg, the war in Ukraine has become a literal scent in the air. Over the past fortnight he has repeatedly detected the acrid odor of burning crude, fuel and chemicals drifting from Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia’s two largest Baltic oil terminals. The facilities at Ust‑Luga and Primorsk together handle about 40% of Moscow’s seaborne oil exports and roughly 2% of global oil supply, according to the International Energy Agency. Both ports lie within 150 km of St Petersburg, making the smoke visible – and smelt – to locals. Ukrainian drones have flown more than 1,000 km from the front lines to strike storage tanks and loading infrastructure, igniting fires that have burned for days. The smell, described by Konstantin as a mix of diesel exhaust, burning plastic and rotten eggs, first appeared in late March. These attacks are a key element of Kyiv’s strategy to erode Russia’s “unexpected windfall” from oil exports, a revenue stream that has surged as the US‑Israel campaign against Iran pushed global oil prices higher. Satellite imagery shows extensive damage at both terminals, with Ust‑Luga’s sprawling processing complex blackened by fire. As a result, both ports are currently unable to dispatch cargo, forcing traders to reroute oil to smaller Baltic and Black Sea ports that lack the capacity to absorb the displaced volume. Financial analysts estimate that the disruption has already cost Moscow roughly $1 billion in lost export earnings, according to Bloomberg data released on March 31. Moreover, every $10 rise in global oil prices translates into about $1.6 billion of additional monthly income for the Kremlin. Russian officials have blamed European nations for allegedly facilitating the drone overflights, but Ukrainian experts dispute this claim. Andrey Pronin, a pioneer of Ukraine’s drone warfare, emphasized that the strikes are meticulously planned to stay within Russian airspace, bypassing air‑defence systems. Since the campaign began, Ukrainian forces have targeted 13 oil sites, seriously damaging at least eight refineries from the Baltic coast to the Volga region. The attacks are timed to coincide with the heightened profitability Russia enjoys from the Iran‑related oil price surge, according to researcher Nikolay Mitrokhin of Bremen University. Beyond the immediate economic impact, Kyiv views the strikes as leverage in negotiations with Moscow. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has floated the idea of a temporary moratorium on attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure in exchange for concessions, though the strategy also inadvertently benefits Iran by sustaining higher oil prices. On the tactical side, Ukraine now relies heavily on FP‑1 drones produced by the domestic Firepoint company. These unmanned aircraft can carry up to 120 kg of explosives and travel roughly 1,500 km, enabling strikes deep inside Russian territory. For civilians living near the conflict zones, the nightly “fireworks” of explosions have become a grim routine. Abdulla, a Tatar resident of Crimea, described the constant shelling as a new normal, while analysts note that President Vladimir Putin remains resolute, using the ongoing talks with the White House as a diplomatic façade. Overall, the Ukrainian drone campaign illustrates how modern warfare increasingly intertwines kinetic attacks with strategic economic disruption, reshaping the dynamics of the Russia‑Ukraine war and its broader geopolitical reverberations.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on Monday that removes a procedural obstacle, allowing the Justice Department to proceed with a motion to dismiss the criminal case against Steve Bannon. The case stems from a 2022 conviction on two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. Bannon, a former chief strategist for President Donald Trump, served a four‑month prison term after the conviction. Although the sentence is now complete, the Justice Department argues that dismissing the case is "in the interests of justice" and has asked the high court to overturn the lower‑court ruling that kept the conviction in place. Attorney Evan Corcoran, representing Bannon, welcomed the development, stating, "It has been one battle after another for five years, but today the Supreme Court vacated an unjust conviction, reaffirming that politics and prosecution don’t mix." A dismissal would expunge Bannon’s conviction from the record, but the practical impact is minimal because he has already completed his sentence. The move is part of a broader pattern of the Justice Department taking actions that benefit allies of the former president since his return to office in 2024. Background: Bannon, now 72, was a key adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign and served as the White House’s chief strategist in 2017. After a brief fallout, he reconciled with Trump and was released from Danbury federal prison a week before Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Upon release, Bannon declared himself “far from broken” and resumed hosting his "War Room" podcast, continuing to promote the “America First” brand of right‑wing populism. Legal arguments raised by Bannon’s team centered on claims of executive privilege and challenges to the congressional committee’s authority to issue the subpoena. The case unfolds against a backdrop of numerous pardons granted by Trump to individuals convicted in connection with the Capitol riot and other allies facing charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

South Korean intelligence officials say Pyongyang is deliberately stepping back from its long‑standing partnership with Iran as it seeks to open a diplomatic channel with the United States.The National Intelligence Service (NIS) found no evidence of weapons or material transfers to Tehran since the US‑Israel conflict over Iran erupted at the end of February.Unlike its allies China and Russia, which have issued frequent statements on the Middle‑East war, North Korea’s foreign ministry has released only two muted comments, condemning the US and Israeli attacks but remaining silent on internal Iranian leadership changes.Analysts interpret this restraint as a strategic move to position North Korea for a new diplomatic chapter with Washington once the regional conflict subsides.In a separate revelation, the NIS disclosed that Kim Jong Un appears to be grooming his teenage daughter, Ju Ae—estimated to be around 13 years old—as a potential successor, citing recent footage of her driving a tank.The display mirrors Kim’s own early‑2010s public military appearances, which were designed to showcase his readiness to inherit power.Previously, Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong was considered a leading heir candidate. She recently praised South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for apologising over a January drone incursion, calling the gesture “wise” and “fortunate.”Lee admitted that government officials were involved in the drone incident and expressed regret, part of his broader effort to repair inter‑Korean ties since taking office.Despite these overtures, North Korea has largely ignored Seoul’s diplomatic initiatives, with Kim labeling South Korea the “most hostile state” in a March policy address.

The Escalation of Cyber-Kinetic Threats in the Middle EastIran’s military has signaled a dangerous escalation in the ongoing regional conflict by explicitly targeting critical AI infrastructure. In a video released late last week, Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned that if the United States proceeds with threats to strike Iranian civilian assets, Tehran would retaliate against U.S. energy and technology infrastructure across the region. The video, which went viral on Sunday, explicitly zoomed in on the Stargate data center in the United Arab Emirates, stating that "nothing stays hidden to our sight, though hidden by Google." This marks a significant shift from previous threats, which were largely abstract, to specific, high-value targets.Targeting the Stargate InitiativeThe focal point of the threat is the Stargate project, a monumental $500 billion joint venture announced in January 2025 between OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle. The initiative, originally hampered by funding troubles and tariff costs, is currently seeking to expand its international footprint. The Iranian warning suggests that the war in the region is no longer limited to traditional military assets but is spilling over into the digital backbone of the global economy. This comes at a precarious time for the project, which is attempting to solidify its status as a global leader in AI compute power.Financial and Strategic Implications for Tech GiantsThe threat carries severe financial and operational risks for major technology entities operating in the region. The conflict has already resulted in physical damage to cloud infrastructure, with Iranian missiles striking Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers in Bahrain and an Oracle facility in Dubai. Furthermore, the Iranian military has previously named Nvidia and Apple as potential targets, indicating a broad strategy to disrupt the supply chains and data processing capabilities of Western tech giants. For a project like Stargate, which relies on uninterrupted power and secure facilities, these threats pose existential challenges to its operational continuity.Redefining Data Sovereignty in Conflict ZonesThis development fundamentally alters the landscape of data sovereignty and cloud computing. Historically, data centers have been viewed as neutral commercial zones, but the recent attacks demonstrate that they are becoming legitimate targets in geopolitical warfare. The targeting of Stargate, a project backed by some of the world's most powerful AI companies, implies that the global race for AI dominance is now subject to the volatility of military conflict. This creates a new layer of risk for international investors and tech firms, forcing them to reassess the security of their assets in volatile regions.The Future of AI Infrastructure Under Geopolitical DuressLooking ahead, the convergence of AI infrastructure and military conflict suggests a turbulent period for global technology. We can expect a surge in security expenditures as companies attempt to harden their data centers against physical and cyber-attacks. Additionally, there may be a strategic shift away from locating critical AI infrastructure in high-risk zones like the Middle East, potentially leading to a reconfiguration of the global AI supply chain. The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz and the threat to Stargate signal that the next phase of the conflict will likely involve a battle for control over the digital networks that power the modern world.

A24 marketed Kristoffer Borgli’s second English‑language film as a darkly comic romance, pairing Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a seemingly picture‑perfect couple on the brink of marriage. The studio’s teaser, a faux wedding announcement in the Boston Globe, amplified the buzz that began with the trailer’s release and even earlier Reddit speculation. The narrative follows Charlie (Pattinson) and Emma (Zendaya) through a series of sun‑lit flashbacks that culminate in a tense pre‑wedding dinner. During a “worst‑thing‑you’ve‑done” game, Emma confesses that, as a depressed teenager in Louisiana, she once planned a mass shooting and even practiced with her father’s rifle, though she never pulled the trigger. This revelation serves as the film’s central twist and propels the story into a moral quandary about forgiveness and trust. Critics note that the film’s premise is deliberately provocative. Borgli, known for his satirical take on cancel culture in Dream Scenario, uses Emma’s confession to interrogate America’s obsession with gun violence. By placing the “thought crime” in the hands of a Black woman—contrasting with statistics that over 95% of mass shooters are male and more than half are white—the director forces a reversal of the usual gendered narrative surrounding firearms. The twist has provoked strong reactions from survivors and advocacy groups. Tom Mauser, who lost his son in the 1999 Columbine shooting, called the plot “awful” in a TMZ interview, while 2019 school‑shooting survivor Mia Tretta told USA Today that such a storyline “shouldn’t be joked about.” Parkland survivor Jackie Corin offered a more measured view, urging the film’s stars to use their platforms responsibly and questioning whether the project rises to the ethical standards their influence demands. Beyond the controversy, the film boasts technical strengths. Arseni Khachaturan’s cinematography creates a lush visual palette, and the editing maintains a brisk pace as the wedding day approaches. The climactic ceremony—described by many reviewers as the film’s “pièce de résistance”—forces Charlie and Emma to confront the fallout of Emma’s secret amid a chaotic, alcohol‑fueled toast that lays bare the fragility of their relationship. In the final scene, the couple reconvenes at a diner, echoing the opening “can we start over?” motif. The ambiguous resolution suggests that exposing one’s darkest thoughts may either deepen intimacy or foreshadow further turmoil. Overall, ‘The Drama’ is both a compelling watch and a flashpoint for debate about how cinema engages with the United States’ endemic gun‑culture. Whether the film succeeds as a thought‑experiment or merely courts outrage remains a divisive question that will likely fuel discussions well beyond its theatrical run.

The recent conflict between Israel and Iran has highlighted the consequences of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's promise of an 'easy' war. When Netanyahu met with US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in December, he came with an appeal and a subtle inducement.Netanyahu had suggested a final benefit to Trump: defeating Iran would allow Israel to wean itself off its massive reliance on US military aid. However, the reality of the conflict has been far from easy, with Iran's resilient regime and the ongoing Middle East war showing no signs of abating.The conflict has also had significant implications for global diplomacy, with Emmanuel Macron reflecting a widespread view that US and Israeli strikes on Iran would not provide a durable solution to Tehran's nuclear program. The war has undermined Nato and potentially emboldened China, Russia, and North Korea.The conflict has also led to a decline in support for Israel globally, with polls showing a decline in support for Israel across the political spectrum in the US, particularly among Democrats and young voters. A Gallup survey released recently showed that Americans are more sympathetic to Palestinians than Israelis for the first time since Gallup began measuring that question in 2001.

After a decade of becoming a staple of Augusta National’s gift shops, the beloved 14‑inch ceramic Masters gnome may be facing retirement at the 2026 tournament. While the club has declined to comment, collectors are already scrambling to purchase the final batches before the item potentially disappears from the merchandise lineup.First introduced in 2016 as a hospitality giveaway, the gnome was opened to the public in 2018 and quickly turned into a hot‑ticket collectible. The 2020 “Santa” edition, released during the pandemic‑shifted November Masters, has become especially prized, with complete sets now fetching upwards of $20,000 (£15,000) on the secondary market.According to sporting‑auctions specialist Ryan Carey, a 2016‑era gnome could command around $10,000 at auction, despite its original retail price of just $49.50. Resale platforms routinely list the figures at several multiples of cost, prompting owners to guard their gnomes as if they were cash.The demand is so intense that estimates suggest roughly 1,000 gnomes are stocked each day, yet they sell out within an hour. Fans line up for hours before the gates open, eager to secure the item that can dramatically boost their pension pots. Because attendees may re‑enter the course, many purchase the gnome, park it in their vehicle, and return later, turning the shop into a high‑stakes arena each Masters week.While the gnome trade thrives in a quasi‑black‑market environment, Augusta officials appear unconcerned about the financial implications. The tournament generates an estimated $70 million in annual merchandising revenue, and the removal of the gnome would likely elevate its underground value even further.For 2026, the gnome arrives with a functional umbrella—a whimsical nod to the fair weather forecast—but critics argue that the relentless “gnome‑hunting” may be eroding the overall patron experience. Limits on the number of gnomes an individual can purchase have done little to curb the frenzy.If Augusta decides to discontinue the gnome, its brief but spectacular lifespan will have left an indelible mark on golf culture, turning a simple ceramic figurine into one of the sport’s most coveted memorabilia.