Islamabad entered a state of lockdown on Friday as Pakistan’s capital prepared to host high-stakes negotiations to end the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Army and paramilitary personnel guarded the roads around Serena Hotel, the venue of the talks, as police beefed up security across the city. On Wednesday, the luxury hotel’s management had asked its guests to check out by 5pm as the government had requisitioned the property for an “important event from this evening until Sunday”.

Pakistan’s political and military leaders achieved a major diplomatic breakthrough by mediating a ceasefire between the US and Iran early on Wednesday. The ceasefire was declared less than two hours before the deadline on US president Donald Trump’s threat to obliterate a “whole civilisation” if Iran did not open the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route that usually carries a fifth of the global supply of oil and gas.

Although the truce was immediately threatened by Israel’s deadly strikes on Lebanon which killed hundreds of people, it paved the way for American and Iranian diplomats to gather in Pakistan and negotiate an end to nearly six weeks of intense fighting.

The diplomats will be under great pressure to pull off what some analysts are describing as “mission impossible” – a deal that brings peace to the Middle East and stabilises a world economy battered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

In preparation for the meeting, the government declared public holidays on Thursday and Friday while police imposed strict traffic restrictions in Islamabad.

“The Red Zone and surrounding areas are closed to all types of traffic except official vehicles. Citizens are requested to avoid unnecessary travel,” the city police said in an advisory.

The Red Zone is a city landmark housing key government offices and foreign missions.

The heightened security measures are informed by the threat of terrorism, which remains real and present. There was a suicide bombing in Islamabad as recently as February and it was one of the triggers for the Pakistani airstrikes that fuelled weeks of fighting with neighbouring Afghanistan.

Islamabad accuses the neighbouring country of sheltering Islamist and ethnic insurgents responsible for carrying out terror attacks on its soil. Kabul denies the allegations.

“Given those risks, the lack of preparation time and the high-profile nature of these talks, this is a very challenging visit from a security perspective and speaks to the importance this administration places ⁠on the negotiations,” Elizabeth Threlkeld, director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center, said.

The US is expected to send a delegation headed by vice president JD Vance to conduct the talks in Islamabad, while Iran is set to be represented by foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Gulf nations such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, both of which are parties to the conflict, may also send delegations to Islamabad and hold talks on the sidelines.

Pakistani interior minister Mohsin Naqvi assured US chargé d’affaires Natalie Baker of elaborate arrangements for the visiting diplomats.

The newspaper Dawn reported that a 30-member US team was already in Islamabad to assess the security preparations.

Security analyst Zahid Hussain said the challenge for Pakistan was not just protecting the venue but to prevent diplomacy from being overtaken by forces outside the room.

Aside from this, analysts say, there isn’t much Pakistan can do. “What it lacks is meaningful leverage to compel ​concessions if the US and Iran are not willing to come to terms,” Ms Threlkeld said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The largest monthly jump in gas prices in six decades caused a sharp spike in inflation in March, creating major challenges for the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve and heightening the political challenges of rising costs for the White House.

Consumer prices rose 3.3% in March from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Friday, up sharply from just 2.4% in February and the biggest yearly increase since May 2024. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.9% in March from February, the largest such increase in nearly four years.

It’s the first read on inflation to capture the effects of the Iran war.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.6% in March from a year earlier, up from 2.5% in February. But last month core prices rose a modest 0.2%, suggesting that rising gas prices haven’t yet spread to many other categories.

The gas price shock stemming from the Iran war has shifted inflation’s trajectory, from a slow, gradual decline to a sharp increase further away from the Fed’s 2% target. As a result, the central bank will almost certainly postpone any cut in interest rates for months and many Fed officials have said a rate hike may be needed if inflation doesn’t cool. Gas prices are also a highly visible cost that has outsize impacts on consumer confidence and political sentiment.

Higher gas prices sap consumers’ ability to spend on other goods and services and as a result could also slow economic growth. At least in the short run, many Americans can only make limited changes to their daily driving habits, which are largely determined by where they live, shop, and work. As a result, most people will pay higher prices for gas, and potentially cut back elsewhere.

Gas prices averaged $4.15 a gallon nationwide Friday, up from $2.98 on the day before the war began, according to motor club AAA.

The big question for consumers and the economy is whether the surge in oil and gas prices will create a sustained, broader inflation shock, similar to what occurred in the aftermath of the pandemic in 2021-2022. Inflation reached a peak of 9.1% in June 2022, as COVID-19 snarled supply chains and several rounds of stimulus checks pushed up consumer demand. Prices soared for groceries, furniture, restaurant meals and many other goods and services.

This time, economists say the job market and consumer spending are weaker, and there are no large government stimulus checks being issued to spur demand. The unemployment rate is low, at 4.3%, but companies aren’t scrambling to hire the way they were when the economy emerged from the pandemic, which led many firms to offer sharp pay increases to attract and keep workers.

Still, the large jump in inflation — which is almost certain to continue for several months — has already shifted the debate at the Federal Reserve, which began the year expecting to cut its key interest rate at least a couple of times. But a growing number of Fed officials are now willing to consider hiking rates instead if core inflation doesn’t cool noticeably.

Most officials are almost certain to support keeping the Fed’s key interest rate unchanged in the coming months, at about 3.6%, as they evaluate how the economy evolves. Investors now don’t expect the Fed to cut rates until late 2027.

Higher gas prices are tricky for the Fed because they can also slow growth by weighing on consumer spending, potentially causing layoffs. The Fed would typically cut its rate to encourage more spending if unemployment rises, while it raises rates to combat inflation.

More expensive oil and gas will also likely lift grocery prices, creating more pain for consumers who have already absorbed a roughly 25% jump in food costs since the pandemic. Nearly all groceries are shipped by diesel-fueled trucks, and diesel fuel prices have risen even more than those for regular gas. Still, analysts don’t expect food prices to accelerate for another month or two.

He added: “I’ve benefited from individual, national security briefings, which I’m grateful for, but I think we need to have more partnership, more dialogue, more engagement, because, as we saw with the Bella 1 tanker, it didn’t take long for something that happened on the high seas to come right into the Moray Firth and be an issue that we had to wrestle with.”

The actress starred in the ITV soap alongside Philip Lowrie and Martin Shaw

Former Coronation Street and Casualty star Angela Pleasence has died, aged 84.

Angela appeared in Coronation Street in early 1968 as Monica Sutton. Although her role as Monica was a guest appearance across four episodes, viewers will recall her days in the long-running soap. Born in South Yorkshire, she was the daughter of acting legend Donald and his wife, Miriam Raymond.

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The Sheffield actress sadly died aged 84-years-old. In a statement shared on social media, her agency said: “We are very sad to announce the passing of our dear client, Angela Pleasance. We were honoured to represent Angela, who built a career of quiet distinction spanning more than five decades.

“After training at RADA, she made her stage debut in 1964 as ‘Titania’ in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

“She went on to perform at the National Theatre and in the West End in productions including Ghetto, The Hothouse, and The Cherry Orchard.

“Angela also became closely associated with classic British horror, delivering memorable performances in films such as From Beyond the Grave, The Godsend, and Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York. In these roles, she brought remarkable depth and unease to complex, often enigmatic characters.”

It concluded: “While never defined by any one genre, her contribution to the British industry remains a distinctive and much-admired part of her legacy. Our thoughts are with her family at this very sad time.”

Outside of the Weatherfield cobbles, the actress was known for her role as Catherine Howard in the 1970 BBC television series The Six Wives of Henry VIII, she also appeared in The Possessed, A Legacy, Murder at the Wedding, The Walls of Jericho, The Barchester Chronicles, Mansfield Park, Casualty, The Bill, Whitechapel and Happy Valley.

Angela also starred as Queen Elizabeth I in the 2007 Doctor Who episode “The Shakespeare Code”, and Winnie in the BBC drama Happy Valley.

Carly Madison Gregg, 15, was convicted of killing her mum and attacking her stepfather in a chilling assault captured on surveillance video in Mississippi

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An “evil” 15-year-old girl murdered her mother before playing with her dogs beside the corpse – and then attempted to kill her stepfather.

Carly Madison Gregg’s heinous acts were captured in harrowing CCTV footage from her family home.

During five days of shocking evidence, jurors witnessed Gregg hiding a weapon behind her back while pacing through her Mississippi home, reports ABC news.

The crack of gunfire echoed through the recording. Prosecutors stated she shot her mother, Ashley Smylie, in the face on March 19, 2024. Smylie was a 40-year-old secondary school maths teacher.

Prosecutors claimed her appalling attack began after a mate informed Gregg’s mum about the teenager’s cannabis consumption. Gregg’s legal team maintained she was experiencing a mental health breakdown, reports the Mirror US.

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Following the shooting of her mum, Gregg is captured returning to the kitchen as though nothing had happened. Gregg is then filmed messaging on her mobile and frolicking with her pet dogs.

When her stepfather, Heath Smylie, returned home Gregg launched her attack on him as well – firing a bullet in his direction.

He succeeded in wresting the firearm from his stepdaughter and placed a frantic emergency call. “She killed her mom,” he can be heard telling operators.

His heartbreaking 999 call was also broadcast to jurors. Heath Smylie testified that the “gun went off in my face before the door was open.”

The 15-year-old wept in court on hearing her sentence.

She was condemned to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. “Carly Gregg is evil and that’s not easy to say, but the truth of the matter is that sometimes evil comes in young packages,” said Rankin County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett.

“She doesn’t know what was going on at that time. We’re asking you to find her not guilty by reason of insanity,” Gregg’s defence solicitor Kevin Camp implored the jury before their verdict.

“I put three in my mom and I got three – I got three more waiting for my stepdad,” state prosecutor Kathryn Newman reenacted. “You think that sound like an insane person? No.”

After just two hours of deliberations, the jury found Gregg guilty on all counts. The defence announced their intention to appeal.

In September, Gregg’s lawyer James Murphy, who spoke to the Clarion Ledger about “mistakes” which resulted in an “unjust outcome” in Gregg’s “unfair” murder trial, lodged an appeal.

Gregg’s legal team argued the case went to trial on an “exceptionally compressed schedule and under a series of statutory and constitutional errors that tainted both sentencing and the overall fairness of the proceedings.

“Carly was indicted barely two months after the incident and brought to trial within six months-effectively a ‘rocket docket,’” the brief stated.

“In a case of this magnitude requiring collection and review of extensive medical and mental-health records, multiple evaluations, substantial family/background history, and a disputed motive-such acceleration is extraordinary in Mississippi criminal practice.”

Gregg’s legal team has petitioned for oral arguments before the state’s supreme court, hoping to overturn her conviction and sentences or return the matter to the lower court for fresh proceedings and sentencing.

Asked why the slogan focuses on the Prime Minister, as opposed to a Reform policy, Mr Farage told reporters the upcoming elections “are in some of Labour’s strongest areas in the country, and the offering that he gave the country back in 2024, frankly, has been ignored completely”.

Stojsavljevic, 17, is the second-lowest ranked player in a Great Britain team missing Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal, Katie Boulter, and Fran Jones – all of whom are ranked inside the world’s top 100 for singles.

But the 2024 US Open junior champion, described by Great Britain captain Anne Keothavong as “not your average 17-year-old”, was unfazed by her underdog status and the Australian crowd, holding her nerve to clinch the first set in a tie-break after letting a 3-1 lead slip.

She later saved five break points in the penultimate game of the match before converting her first match point.

“It feels amazing. I can’t believe it. I can’t even remember the last point,” Stojsavljevic said. “I had amazing support from the side and managed to get through.

“Going into it, I knew she’d have the home ground. I’m grateful to the people supporting GB today.

“It was a good match. We have very similar games, both quite aggressive, so I’m happy I got through it.”

Keothavong added: “She’s not your average 17-year-old. For some, it can be overwhelming, but I think for Mika, she’s really taken it into her stride. I also have to credit her team-mates. They’ve shown her the ropes.

“Being able to express whether you feel nerves, that’s OK, because your opponent’s probably going to feel exactly the same, if not more because let’s face it, the pressure was on Talia [Gibson] and any player going on court against her.”

Dart’s meeting with world number 80 Birrell was characterised by service struggles, with no fewer than 16 breaks of serve and 27 break-point opportunities across the match.

After losing the opening set 6-4, the turning point for Dart came in the fifth game of the second when she held to 15 to end a run of four consecutive dropped service games. She then won three of the next five games, including a crucial second hold, to force a deciding set.

At 3-3 in the third, the 29-year-old broke Birrell for the eighth time before winning the next two game to secure the win.

The object was thrown “full force” at the windscreen of a passing car.

A six-year-old child was left “covered” in shattered glass after a “brick” was thrown from a bridge in Glasgow. A motorist was forced to slam on the brakes after the object smashed into their windscreen while travelling along Springburn Road.

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 7.50pm last night after the driver managed to pull over safely. No injuries were reported following the incident but police are now investigating, reports Glasgow Live.

The No1seems2care Facebook page shared images of the “extremely dangerous” incident. In a post, they said: “Imagine driving a car with a 6-year-old child on board and youths throw a brick full force at your windscreen from the bridge at Springburn.

“The child was covered with fragments of glass and absolutely terrified. Not only could this have seriously injured or killed the child, the sudden impact and shock could have caused the driver to lose control and crash the vehicle into other vehicles.

“This was an extremely dangerous thing to do! This isn’t the first time this has happened at the bridge at Springburn and the bridges on the M8 near the Royston area.

“This has to stop before people get seriously injured or killed. This could happen to you or your loved ones. Please talk to your children about this. Thank you.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed they are investigating the incident.

The spokesperson said: “Around 7.50pm on Thursday, April 9, we received a report of a windscreen being damaged from an item thrown from an overbridge on Springburn Road, Glasgow.

“There were no reported injuries and enquiries are ongoing.”

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Hotel chiefs are blaming a slump in international visitors for World Cup bookings on a ‘Trump slump’ as key venues, such as Boston where England play Ghana, have not seen the expected economic boost

US hotel chiefs are blaming a ‘Trump Slump’ for a downturn in bookings for the World Cup.

Key venues such as Boston, where England take on Ghana on June 23, have not seen the expected economic boost from the tournament. It is claimed that international visitors have been put off travel to the US.

Now, an expert in hospitality has said that he would be “surprised” if there was a last minute boost of international fans travelling to the US because of “the way everything is now”. And one hotel chief revealed that World Cup room holds have been returned, ‘without a single reservation’.

READ MORE: England fans fume after ANOTHER outrageous World Cup expense confirmed – ‘Disgusting’READ MORE: World Cup ‘beyond reach’ of most families as England superfan pays £20k for trip

Alan Fyall, professor at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, told Forbes business magazine: “I would be surprised if there’s a big influx of international fans at the last minute this time. It’s not so easy to get here at the last minute, the way everything is now.”

Jan Freitag, a national director at CoStar, the industry analytics firm, warned: “We are seeing much more muted optimism about the hotel results.” Harry Carr, Pivot Hotels & Resorts’ senior vice president, said FIFA returned some of the company’s room-block holds ‘without a single reservation’. He added: “We are much less bullish about the World Cup than we were three months ago.”

HRI Lodging’s Bay Area hotels chief commercial officer Lior Sekler, said the demand for reserved room blocks has been “very lacklustre”. Only 15 percent of FIFA’s reserved rooms were picked up.

Fans’ groups have criticised the soaring costs of tickets and hotels. Some host cities are not holding fan fests. The Football Supporters Association (FSA) described the costs of the World Cup – including the most expensive final ticket – as ‘absolutely staggering’.

Spokesman Thomas Concannon said: “It comes as no surprise after everything that has happened over the last few months. But the price final ticket is still absolutely staggering. I don’t know any supporters who can afford that. It is beyond the reach of ordinary fans.”

The FSA, which represents around 600,000 supporters across the UK, has been on a fact finding mission to the States and Mexico. Trains to the Boston venue, where England play Ghana on June 23, are rising from $20 to $80.

Garford Beck, 64, of London, has hardly missed an England game since 1980 and this summer will be his 8th World Cup. He manages the England fans’ team, which held a minute’s silence for former FA Chairman Lord David Triesman a their last game.

He warned that working-class fans were being ‘taken to the cleaners’ on everything from match tickets to shirts. He said: “They give so much to the game, yet the door is being closed on them. It is incredibly sad.”

New Jersey has dropped plans to hold one.

Lijnders made the comments after City’s 4-0 FA quarter-final win against Liverpool last weekend, with Guardiola unable to fulfill media duties as he was serving a touchline ban.

“You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don’t exist,” said Lijnders.

“But every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months – there are only six weeks – and has a good farewell.”

Silva, a 2017 signing from French club Monaco, made his 450th appearance for City in the EFL Cup victory against Arsenal last month.

The 31-year-old was made club captain last summer following the departure of Kevin De Bruyne.

“He is not the tallest one, the most muscular one, or score 50 goals or make 50 assists a season,” said Guardiola.

“These are the type of players that are spotlighted and everyone talks about. From nine years, I know him quite well and for what a manager requires.

“All managers would say how much they love him because he is incredibly competitive, has a fire inside him always. In the toughest moments and on the biggest stages, he is always there.

“He has been an incredible signing for us, incredible. I love this club and I would love if he could stay and finish his career here but I do not know. He will decide what he will decide. It is his decision.”