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Great Britain has pulled off a major upset in the Billie Jean King Cup, defeating Australia 3-0 to secure a spot in the finals. The British team, led by Jodie Burrage and Harriet Dart, won the decisive doubles match 6-3, 6-4 against Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez. The victory marks a significant achievement for Great Britain, who were missing their four best players due to injuries and scheduling conflicts. Dart, ranked world No 173, led the British charge with a stunning upset over Kimberly Birrell, while 17-year-old debutant Mika Stojsavljevic also secured a win over Talia Gibson. Australia, who were strong favorites going into the tie, failed to recover from a 2-0 deficit on Saturday. The Australians had the weight of history against them, with only nine teams ever coming back from 2-0 down to win since the best-of-five format was introduced in the BJK Cup in 1995. In a dead-rubber singles match, Australian rising star Emerson Jones, 17, restored some pride for the beaten home team, beating Katie Swan 7-5, 6-3. Jones became one of the youngest BJK Cup debutants in the competition's history.

Rory McIlroy says the intensive scouting trips he made to Augusta National in the weeks before the Masters were pivotal to his dominant performance. His second‑round 65, which featured six birdies in the final seven holes, set a new tournament record and made him the first defending champion to lead by six strokes at the halfway mark. Rather than using his three‑week break from the PGA Tour to rest, McIlroy leveraged his private jet to maximize time on the course. He described a routine of dropping his daughter Poppy at school, flying to Augusta, playing a round, then returning home for dinner with his wife Erica. He believes this blend of family time and focused practice was more valuable than a traditional tournament warm‑up in Houston or San Antonio. “I’ve been on this golf course so much the last three weeks,” McIlroy explained. He spent the period honing his chipping and putting, playing a single ball to explore the course’s nuances, and locating “weird places” that most players never encounter. He credits this immersion as a major factor in his record‑setting round. Looking ahead, McIlroy says the size of his lead will not dictate his mindset for round three. He will be joined by Sam Burns on Saturday, with Patrick Reed and Justin Rose slated for the penultimate group. “I’ve built up a nice cushion,” he noted, adding that his focus remains on “playing two good rounds again” and keeping his “foot on the gas.” McIlroy also dismissed any notion that he is trying to intimidate his rivals. “Golf is the most amazing game because it’s you, your ball and the course,” he said, emphasizing that external pressure should not affect a player’s performance.

A 20‑year‑old male was taken into custody by the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) after a Molotov cocktail was hurled at the North Beach residence of OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman in the early hours of Friday, around 4 a.m. local time (11:00 GMT). The incendiary device ignited part of an exterior gate before the suspect fled on foot.Police confirmed that the suspect was located about an hour later, approximately 4.8 kilometres (three miles) from the scene, near OpenAI’s headquarters, where he allegedly threatened to set the building ablaze. No injuries were reported.OpenAI released a statement thanking the SFPD for its rapid response and emphasizing that the company is fully cooperating with investigators. “Thankfully, no one was hurt,” the spokesperson said, adding that the incident highlights the need for continued vigilance in protecting employees.The attack arrives amid a wave of security concerns targeting OpenAI’s facilities. In November, a separate threat prompted a temporary lockdown of the company’s San Francisco office, and activists have increasingly singled out Altman and OpenAI for the perceived risks associated with advanced artificial intelligence.Critics also point to OpenAI’s recent partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, arguing that the collaboration intensifies scrutiny of the firm’s role in military technology. Public sentiment toward AI remains divided; a recent NBC News poll indicated that AI is viewed less favorably than the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.Despite the controversy, OpenAI’s growth trajectory remains robust. The company announced a valuation of $852 billion following a funding round that raised $122 billion. Its flagship product, ChatGPT, continues to dominate the consumer AI market with over 900 million weekly active users and roughly 50 million subscribers. Usage of OpenAI’s search features has also tripled over the past year.While the motive behind the Molotov attack remains unclear, the incident underscores the escalating security challenges faced by leading AI firms operating at the intersection of technology, public policy, and national defense.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has faced a fresh wave of controversy after it overturned Senegal's 1‑0 victory over host nation Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final, recording a 3‑0 win for Morocco and stripping Senegal of the championship.Speaking in Rabat, CAF President Patrice Motsepe categorically rejected the Senegalese government's accusations of corruption. “If anybody wants to initiate legal action alleging that there is corruption in CAF, I don’t only welcome that, I encourage them,” he said.Motsepe emphasized the federation’s respect for the legal frameworks of Africa’s 54 member nations, adding, “There’s nothing to hide. We respect enormously the judicial and legal sovereignty of every single one of our 54 nations on the African continent.”He also affirmed that CAF will abide by the outcome of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), stating, “I’m confident that whatever the decision of CAS will say, we will respect it and we will implement it.”The dispute stems from the January 18 final, when Senegalese players, coach Pape Thiaw and staff walked off the pitch after Morocco was awarded an added‑time penalty – a chance that forward Brahim Diaz ultimately missed. CAF cited regulations on abandoning the field to justify a 3‑0 forfeit in Morocco’s favour, a ruling announced on March 17.In response, the Senegalese Football Federation has lodged an appeal with CAS, while Senegal’s government has called for an international investigation into alleged corruption within CAF.Motsepe’s remarks come at a tense moment for the governing body, which must now navigate legal scrutiny, the appeal process, and mounting pressure from a disgruntled Senegalese public.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a strong rebuke on Friday after Israel’s security cabinet secretly approved 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, describing the action as a direct contravention of international law. Israeli rights organization Peace Now disclosed that the decision was made in early April, a fact later corroborated by multiple Israeli media outlets. The OIC’s general secretariat emphasized that Israel, as the occupying power, has no sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Al‑Quds (Jerusalem), and that any measures intended to alter the region’s geographic or demographic reality are null and void under international statutes. According to the OIC statement, the approval of these settlements adds to 68 settlements already sanctioned since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right‑wing coalition assumed power in 2022. The body warned that the accelerating settlement policy, coupled with land confiscation and settler‑related violence, jeopardizes the viability of a two‑state solution and infringes on the rights of the Palestinian people. Turkey echoed the OIC’s condemnation, labeling the move a “serious violation of international law and UN resolutions.” Meanwhile, Israel’s own Channel 24 reported that the security cabinet’s decision was taken “secretly” and marked the largest number of settlements ever approved in a single session. Ynet cited military chief Eyal Zamir, who warned that the Israel Defense Forces could “collapse” under the strain of expanding settlement demands, including the retroactive legalization of dozens of outposts. Of the 34 approved sites, 10 are existing outposts that were previously illegal under Israeli law but will now be legitimized; the remaining 24 are slated for construction. All settlements in the occupied West Bank are deemed illegal under international law. The decision has not been formally published by any Israeli governmental body. Since the 1967 occupation, more than 500,000 Israeli settlers now reside in the West Bank alongside roughly three million Palestinians. Settlement expansion has been a consistent policy of successive Israeli governments, but it has accelerated markedly under the Netanyahu administration, especially after the Gaza war that began in October 2023 and has resulted in over 72,000 Palestinian deaths. By highlighting the legal and demographic implications of the new settlements, the OIC aims to rally international opposition and reinforce the call for a negotiated two‑state solution, warning that continued expansion could further destabilize an already volatile region.

Jonathan Freedland contends that the record of Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent wartime conduct is one of stark failure, despite the spotlight it has received alongside former U.S. President Donald Trump.While Trump has dominated headlines with his rhetoric on Iran and a self‑announced cease‑fire, Netanyahu has quietly overseen a continuation of hostilities across the region. Israel’s air campaign on Lebanon—the most lethal single strike in recent memory—targeted roughly 100 sites in a ten‑minute window, leaving at least 303 dead and more than 1,150 injured, many of them civilians.Israel maintains that the U.S.‑brokered deal with Tehran does not extend to Lebanon, a claim disputed by Iran and Pakistani mediators. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has pledged to sustain “full‑force” attacks on what Israel labels Hezbollah launch positions, even as he publicly agrees to diplomatic talks with Beirut.Internationally, Netanyahu is already wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza, and his reputation abroad is that of a war‑time villain. Domestically, his supporters still view him as a security hawk, a perception that matters most as Israel faces elections no later than 27 October.Freedland highlights that the October 7, 2023 Hamas onslaught—Israel’s deadliest terrorist attack—occurred under Netanyahu’s watch, a fact that would have toppled most leaders in comparable democracies. Yet the prime minister promised “total victory” over Hamas, a promise that remains unfulfilled after a two‑year bombardment that has claimed roughly 70,000 lives in Gaza while leaving Hamas in control of the enclave’s unoccupied areas.Claims of having neutralised Hezbollah have also proved hollow. Although Israel announced the death of the group’s leader, Hezbollah continues to rebuild its arsenal and resumed rocket fire, undermining the narrative of a decisive Israeli triumph.Similarly, the 12‑day 2025‑2026 confrontation with Iran—branded by Trump as an obliteration of Tehran’s nuclear programme and by Netanyahu as a historic victory—has not diminished Iran’s strategic capabilities. The nation still possesses enriched uranium, a robust missile stockpile, and the ability to threaten global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, effectively holding a lever over the world economy.Freedland argues that Netanyahu’s doctrine of perpetual military pressure yields only temporary relief, likening it to repeatedly cutting off a snake’s head only for it to regrow. Former Israeli general‑turned‑politician Yair Golan is quoted as saying that Netanyahu “does not know how to translate battlefield successes into lasting political security.”The human cost of this approach is evident not only in the casualties of Gaza, the Bekaa Valley and Israeli cities, but also in Israel’s deteriorating diplomatic standing. Recent legislation in the Knesset—pushed by far‑right minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir and supported by Netanyahu—introduces a death‑penalty provision for Palestinians convicted of terrorism, a move condemned internationally as discriminatory.As Israelis endure nightly bomb‑shelter drills and semi‑lockdown conditions, the electorate faces a stark choice. Polls suggest that even if Netanyahu is ousted, his successor may continue a similar hard‑line stance, albeit with different execution. Freedland concludes that Israel’s long‑term security cannot rely solely on force; a negotiated accommodation with neighbours, especially the Palestinians, may finally become politically viable after the exposure of Netanyahu’s repeated strategic failures.

The recent threat by the US President to commit genocide against Iran is a stark reminder of the dangers of normalizing violence and aggression. This threat comes on the heels of Israel's continued bombing in Lebanon, which has resulted in the killing of over 200 people in a single day.The connection between these events and the situation in Gaza is clear. The destruction of Gaza, which has been described as a "civilization wiped out", has been normalized by western politicians and media outlets. The killing of thousands of Palestinians, including 20,000 children, has been met with relative silence and inaction.The article highlights the role of lobbying and strategic interests in shaping western policy towards Israel and Palestine. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has spent $221m since December 2021, influencing political campaigns and shaping public opinion.The author argues that the normalization of genocide in Gaza has paved the way for the current war with Iran. The use of similar rhetoric and tactics, such as the targeting of critical infrastructure and the dehumanization of enemies, has created a template for violence that is now being applied to Iran.The article concludes that the price of cowardice and complicity in these atrocities will be paid by innocent civilians in the Middle East and beyond. The normalization of genocide and violence has created a world where barbarism is accepted and the line between the permissible and the unthinkable is constantly shifting.

In an era where pop stardom is measured by a patchwork of streaming figures, award nods and high‑profile support slots, Holly Humberstone has built a credible résumé without ever cracking the singles chart. The 26‑year‑old from Lincolnshire has leveraged a Brit Rising Star award, a coveted opening for Taylor Swift, and four million monthly Spotify listeners to cement her place in the contemporary pop landscape.Her second album, ‘Cruel World’, marks a decisive shift from the gothic melancholy that defined her debut, Paint My Bedroom Black. The new record embraces an 80s‑inspired synth‑pop palette brimming with ear‑catching hooks, delivering lyrics that are both earnest and conversational, reminiscent of Swift’s confessional style.Highlights include the sun‑soaked breakup anthem ‘To Love Somebody’, which builds to a stadium‑ready pre‑chorus, and the irresistibly catchy ‘White Noise’, a nostalgic nod to disco that channels the energy of early‑2000s Kylie Minogue. Even the cheeky, self‑aware line on “Drunk Dialling” – “I’m gonna shake my nonexistent ass to this shitty song” – showcases Humberstone’s willingness to blend humor with polished production.The album’s production is consistently confident, featuring a surprising happy‑hardcore breakdown on the closing track “Make It All Better.” Combined with Humberstone’s knack for crafting crowd‑pleasing melodies, these elements suggest she is poised for a long‑term pop career that can thrive in both traditional and modern market models.

York City, affectionately known as the Minstermen, are on the cusp of achieving a significant milestone in their football history. With 101 points on the board and an impressive 109 goals scored, they are firmly in the sights of a Football League return, a decade after their relegation.Their journey to this point has not been without its challenges. A near miss last season served as a catalyst for the current campaign, which has seen them dominate the National League. A recent last-gasp win against Altrincham has put them two points clear of Rochdale at the top of the league with three games to play. The tantalizing prospect of a final-day shootout for the one automatic promotion spot against Rochdale on April 25 has their fans on the edge of their seats.Despite their attacking prowess, York's run-in has required a different skillset, with their past three games delivering narrow wins: 2-1, 1-0, and 1-0. The team's resilience and determination are evident in the words of defender Malachi Fagan-Walcott, whose 96th-minute header clinched the recent victory. He emphasized the team's never-say-die attitude, stating, 'We never stop until the final whistle.'As the pressure mounts, York's manager, Stuart Maynard, insists that the team's approach has not changed, but acknowledges that opponents are now more focused on stopping them. The upcoming match against Tamworth on Saturday will be a crucial test of their resolve.The heartbreak of last season's failure to secure promotion has driven the team forward, with Fagan-Walcott highlighting the learning curve and the team's newfound robustness. The majority owners, Julie-Anne and Matthew Uggla, have played a pivotal role in turbocharging the club's fortunes, investing in both the team and the city.York's captain, Ollie Pearce, has been instrumental in their success, top-scoring with 32 National League goals and providing nine assists. With York just eight goals shy of eclipsing the National League scoring record for a single season, their fans are eagerly anticipating what could be a historic moment for the club.