Read the latest verified world, politics, business, tech, culture, and local news on BetaVoices.
Middle East diplomacy
Witkoff and Kushner had been expected in Pakistan for talks, but Trump said negotiations can happen by phone as Iran’s foreign minister continued a regional tour
Dental surgery backlog
A Moncton pediatric dental specialist says limited operating-room time has left more than 300 children waiting, including complex cases that cannot be handled in a regular dental office
Crypto litigation
The crypto billionaire says the venture froze WLFI tokens he bought and blocked him from assets he claims were valued at as much as $1 billion
Federal Reserve
Trump’s nominee for Federal Reserve chair told senators he favors trimmed inflation measures. Bank of America says that approach may not always deliver a softer reading
Strait of Hormuz
Two MSC-managed container ships have been taken toward Bandar Abbas after Iranian forces seized them, leaving shipping companies to weigh crew safety amid a widening maritime confrontation
Health
The “Dancing with the Stars” judge said the autoimmune disease went undiagnosed for more than a decade and remains difficult to manage because many symptoms are invisible
Remote health care
Jake Koostachin’s family says his mother waited hours for an on-call doctor while the 11-month-old’s condition worsened in Fort Albany
Opera funding
The proposed arrangement would have offered a major financial lift to the Metropolitan Opera, which has faced a series of financial setbacks
Cancer research
Campaigners say lobular breast cancer accounts for 15% of cases but is too often missed or under-studied because it may not form a typical lump
Health research
A mouse study links excess sodium to an immune response that appears to impair artery function, though researchers cautioned the pathway has not been confirmed in humans
The available source summary frames this month’s horror choices around five films with offbeat threats, including a mad monkey, a boundary-pushing robot and a bloodthirsty playground
The British actor of South Asian descent is stepping into two roles long associated with white performers, according to a New York Times Arts summary
A University of Oklahoma mouse study found FGF21 acts in a brain region also targeted by GLP-1 drugs, but human safety and effectiveness remain unproven
Workplace allegations
Lorrayne Mavromatis alleges sexual harassment, gender bias and retaliation after pregnancy-related leave. Beast Industries says the claims are false and denies wrongdoing
Human evolution
A Harvard Medical School study of ancient DNA suggests variants linked to red hair rose over thousands of years, though researchers say the reason remains uncertain
The H5N1 mRNA vaccine is being tested in at-risk groups as health officials stress the current risk to people remains low
More than 20 seasons into its run, the cooking series is being framed as taking a more humane approach to a high-pressure restaurant world
Art market
The auction house plans a special evening sale of 16 works from the collection of S.I. Newhouse Jr., the longtime Condé Nast chief
Dawn Turner said severe chest pain and breathlessness sent her to emergency care before doctors diagnosed takotsubo syndrome, a stress-triggered condition that can mimic a heart attack
New York retrial
The pared-down trial centers on Jessica Mann’s allegation after an overturned conviction and a later jury deadlock left the Manhattan rape charge unresolved
Employment tribunal
ITN and Channel 5 agreed an undisclosed payment to resolve the tribunal matter, with no admission of liability, after denying the claims in full
Music
The former Jam frontman says family listening helped lead him to cover “What Was I Made For?” as Weller At The BBC Volume 2 arrives Friday
Chornobyl at 40
Four decades after the 1986 reactor disaster, scientists, elderly returnees and soldiers remain in a restricted Ukrainian landscape now shaped by contamination and Russia’s war
Justice Department indictment
Federal prosecutors allege the civil rights nonprofit hid payments to informants in extremist groups; the SPLC denies wrongdoing and says the program saved lives
Trade tensions
The former prime minister cited Bombardier’s C-Series fight as a cautionary example as tariffs strain Canada’s auto sector
Energy infrastructure
The B.C. project would add nearly 140 kilometres of pipe and 300 million cubic feet per day of capacity to Enbridge’s Westcoast system
Diplomacy
The four-day state visit begins Monday as tensions over Iran, energy, immigration and tech taxes test the U.S.-UK relationship
Immigration
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told lawmakers hundreds of applicants are waiting after the administration opened the $1 million residency program in December
IEA outlook
Damage at Qatar’s Ras Laffan and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz will delay LNG supply growth by at least two years, the agency says
Ontario courts
Justice Craig Parry ruled the Crown had not proved Sloka used medical exams as a pretext for assault, ending a years-long criminal trial that drew a strong reaction from former patients and supporters
Energy and Indigenous financing
Energy Minister Tim Hodgson told MPs public money could support Indigenous equity ownership in a potential bitumen pipeline to the Pacific Coast
Virginia redistricting fight
Rep. Rich McCormick’s “Make D.C. Square Again Act” would undo the 1846 retrocession after Virginia voters approved a Democratic-backed congressional map
Federal death penalty
A DOJ memo directs the Bureau of Prisons to broaden death-penalty protocols with pentobarbital injections and firing squads as the Trump administration seeks to restart federal capital punishment
Household finances
A CBS News segment highlights the estimate and shares guidance on navigating the expenses, presented by Kelly O’Grady
IMF sees deep contraction as blockade bites
War damage, a near-shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz and tightening sanctions have cut Iran off from trade, pushing prices higher and the currency to about 1.32 million rials per U.S. dollar, according to IMF and analyst estimates
Summer travel
Jet fuel prices remain elevated, pushing airlines to raise fares and fees. The average domestic round trip hit $358 as of April 13, up 18% from a year ago, according to Kayak
Tariff refunds fallout
A day after Customs opened a portal for importers to claim more than $160 billion tied to the illegal IEEPA tariffs, the president praised firms that hold off and criticized the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling
