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Two-time Grammy nominee was one of Bollywood’s most versatile and celebrated voicesThe Indian singer Asha Bhosle, whose voice defined Bollywood cinema and whose career spanned almost eight decades, has died in Mumbai at the age of 92.Bhosle, who recorded more than 12,000 songs, became her country’s pre-eminent exponent of playback singing – recording tracks that were then lip-synced on film by actors. She also boldly embraced cabaret and western-influenced melodies to forge a distinctive musical identity. Continue reading...

The internet was stunned on Saturday night after Vice President JD Vance announced that talks had failed between Iran and the United States — all while President Donald Trump and his family attended a UFC event in Miami. Trump walked into the arena to a largely cheering crowd, though many booed while Kid Rock blared, just as Vance had publicly acknowledged the conversation between the Iranian and American diplomatic teams had not reached an agreement despite the 21 hours of marathon talking. People didn't hold back from sharing their thoughts on social media:"I guess all the Iran experts had to be at the UFC?" Writer and essayist Hari Kunzru wrote on Bluesky. "When I heard that Trump was at a UFC fight tonight while Vance was trying to hammer out the Iran deal at four in the morning, Iran time, I thought it was a joke," writer Mary Pezzulo wrote on Bluesky."How the f--- is the president and Secretary of State at a UFC fight in Miami while war negotiations affecting the world economy are falling apart. And I know that MF-- isn’t going to try to play golf tomorrow too," Ron Filipkowski, Editor in Chief of MeidasNews, wrote on Bluesky."These 2 pics are happening simultaneously: LEFT: Vance after he fails to secure permanent ceasefire to the illegal war Trump launched. RIGHT: Trump attends UFC fight 5 days after threatening genocide of 90M people. This is what happens when you elect a genocidal fascist and an unqualified sycophant," Qasim Rashid, human rights lawyer, wrote on Bluesky."He clearly just wants to run the UFC, not the country. Someone should find a way to make that happen," Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin, founder of The Gaia Leadership Project & The Ripple Effect Institute, wrote on Bluesky."There was never a framework for a deal. I heard someone say, 'Not only does Iran have the cards, but they hold a strait.' Another Trump failure," writer and editor Stephen Simpson wrote on X. "The Strait was open. Trump started an unprovoked, unauthorized war, and now the enemy controls the Strait, and won’t give it back," liberal political commentator Marlene Johnson wrote on X.

President Donald Trump was booed while entering a UFC event on Saturday night with his family walking behind him, just as news broke that negotiations between the United States and Iran had failed.While many in the crowd cheered the president, there were audible boos mixed in with the reception.Vice President JD Vance announced the negotiations had stalled without reaching any agreement over the ongoing war during a speech in Islamabad, Pakistan, while Trump was walking next to Dana White at UFC 327 in Miami. "The bad news is we have not reached an agreement," Vance said. "I think that's bad news for Iran, much more than it is for the United States of America. So we go back to the United States having not made an agreement. We've made very clear what our red lines are, what things we're willing to accommodate them on and what things we're not willing to accommodate them on, and we've made that as clear as we possibly could and they've chosen not to accept our terms."Trump has not yet commented on the negotiations and Vance's recent update.here's Trump entering a UFC event as Vance says that negotiations with Iran have failed pic.twitter.com/gJ2JwpUML1— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 12, 2026

The internet was mocking MAGA followers over how they could respond to a potential loss for Hungary's authoritarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, a far-right symbol. Orbán has served four consecutive terms as prime minister in the Eastern European country since 2010 and MAGA was looking to the Sunday election as a signal of what could happen during midterms in the United States. Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump have also been vocal supporters, with Vance even heading to Hungary to stump for the prime minister and Trump making multiple endorsements of Orbán, who has been referred to as a dictator by outside observers. People offered their predictions of what they think MAGA would do if Orbán is not elected again. "The tears of MAGA will flow like a bitter ocean if their role model Orbán loses," Wajahat Ali, writer, political commentator and host of the "Democracy-ish" podcast wrote on X."The palpable desperation of this… shows you how much MAGA have staked on Orbán being their guy in Europe," commentator Mike Galsworthy, Chair of European Movement UK and founder of Bylines Network and Scientists for EU, wrote on Bluesky. "For Trump and Vance, Orbán must win, because there must only be one inevitable path of history, towards right-wing oligarchy and the end of democracy," Timothy Snyder, University of Toronto professor and modern European history expert, wrote on Bluesky. "When Orbán loses, that exposes the weaknesses of MAGA: talk of peace but need for war; talk of prosperity but fleecing of the working classes; talk of the nation but dependence on an international oligarchical network," Snyder added. "This. Viktor Orbán’s far-right extremist agenda is a model for MAGA. Trump and Vance are all-in on this election. If Orbán loses it would also be a political and ideological loss for the Trump regime and MAGA," Tom Joscelyn, Senior Fellow at Just Security, wrote on Bluesky. "Why does Vance care whether Orban wins? Because if he loses, it will challenge the MAGA belief that history flows in only one direction," Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic, wrote on Bluesky.

Donald Trump's recent comments on Truth Social and during a speech addressing the war with Iran have made the United States look foolish, a Nobel Prize winner claimed. Paul Krugman believes the president has made America look like a laughing stock in recent weeks. But the long-term damage of doing so makes Trump's administration an unreliable ally to world leaders who would previously be reassured by the US as an ally. Not anymore, according to the veteran economist, who says the recent statements made by Trump have undermined America's world standing. Writing in his Substack, Krugman suggested Trump's rhetoric has not only severed close ties with friendly nations but emboldened other, more aggressive countries to take action. "Think about Gulf states that relied on America to protect them and preserve their access to world markets," he wrote. "Now they know that we can’t and won’t, while Iran holds a knife at their throats.""They’re now looking to themselves for security — and starting to buy equipment and technology from Ukraine, which has learned the hard way how to fight a modern war."Think about Asian and European nations that have swallowed Trump’s many insults, and mostly avoided retaliating against his tariffs, because they feared both U.S. power and the loss of U.S. support. Now America’s weakness and unreliability have been laid bare."Krugman went on to suggest previous statements made by Trump, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, had worsened the war. Trump's comments on the importance of oil have only made it harder for his administration, the veteran economist suggested. "In Trump’s mind, control over fossil fuels is the essence of national greatness," Krugman wrote. "In his inaugural address, Trump declared that 'We will drill, baby, drill … We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help to do it.'""But this was obvious nonsense. For one thing, the narrative that woke environmentalists had hobbled U.S. fossil fuel production was at odds with the reality that fracking had in fact caused a boom in oil and gas production that began under Obama and continued under Republican and Democratic administrations alike.""Trump has been doing all he can to block development of wind and solar power, in the apparent belief that this will empower America. But what it actually does is empower regimes that are in a position to disrupt world oil supply, while having little to lose from chaos in the world economy. Which means, above all, Iran."

In Pakistan’s capital, the army has been deployed, a public holiday has been declared and the streets are eerily emptyMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe streets of Islamabad were on strict lockdown as Pakistan’s capital prepared to play host to historic negotiations between Iran and the US that have dangled the promise of an end to war that has devastated the Middle East.Even as the US-Iran ceasefire looked increasingly precarious, amid Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon and disputes over the terms of the talks, Pakistani officials insisted that the make-or-break peace negotiations would be going ahead over the weekend as planned. Continue reading...

Israeli PM says he will continue to attack Hezbollah ‘with full force’ after attacks that killed more than 300 peopleMiddle East crisis – live updatesBenjamin Netanyahu has said there is “no ceasefire in Lebanon” and Israel would continue “to strike Hezbollah with full force” as the country’s military launched fresh strikes. The Israeli prime minister’s remarks and latest attacks on what the IDF called “Hezbollah launch sites” came shortly after Donald Trump said he had asked Netanyahu to be more “low-key” in Lebanon.Later on Friday, a US state department official said Israel and Lebanon will hold talks in Washington next week. The announcement came as Netanyahu ordered his ministers to seek direct talks with Lebanon focused on disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump stunned political observers and analysts on Thursday by officially endorsing Hungarian dictator Viktor Orbán for reelection. Trump posted on Truth Social that Orbán is a "truly strong and powerful Leader, with a proven track record of delivering phenomenal results" and urged voters to support him during the April 12 election. Trump's post came at a time when Orbán, who has been in office for the past 16 years, is facing one of his toughest reelection bids yet."Viktor works hard to Protect Hungary, Grow the Economy, Create Jobs, Promote Trade, Stop Illegal Immigration, and Ensure LAW AND ORDER!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Relations between Hungary and the United States have reached new heights of cooperation and spectacular achievement under my Administration, thanks largely to Prime Minister Orbán. I look forward to continuing working closely with him so that both of our Countries can further advance this tremendous path to SUCCESS and cooperation."Political analysts and observers reacted to the endorsement on social media. "Bizarre and inappropriate," writer Zaid Jilani posted on X. "No American president in history has campaigned this hard for a politician in an allied democracy," Matt Welch, editor at large for Reason Magazine, posted on X. "'Be sure to attend the Budapest caucuses,'" journalist Michael McGough quipped on X. "We should not be directly interfering in another country’s election to this extent. It’s fine to have a preference, but this goes way too far. Ironically, though, this may only hurt Orban’s re-election chances as other countries Trump interfered w/ have seen blowback from it," attorney Blake Allen posted on X.