[QUICKREADS]

Meet the 3 scientists who were awarded Nobel Prize in physics 2022
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 was awarded to Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger on Tuesday at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. The result was that quantum mechanics could not be replaced by a theory that uses hidden variables, the Nobel Prize committee said. His research demonstrated a phenomenon called quantum teleportation, which makes it possible to move a quantum state from one particle to other at a distance.
Stormy Daniels: Woman at center of Trump indictment is porn star-turned…
Stormy Daniels has built a successful career and fanbase around her alleged sexual encounter with former President Donald Trump in 2006. Daniels, an adult film star, has earned a reputation for her breezy retorts to those who cast her as an immoral woman, and has successfully capitalized on the attention around her connection to Trump. News of Trump's indictment in a case involving a $130,000 hush payment she received in the waning days of his 2016 election campaign has reportedly boosted her popularity and profits, with "#Teamstormy merch/autograph orders pouring in."

Tornado hits Arkansas, leaves 24 injured; over 78,000 people left without power
A "catastrophic" tornado tore through the southern US state of Arkansas on Friday, causing "widespread damage" and leaving 24 people hospitalized. No immediate fatalities were reported. The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for parts of the nearby states of Tennessee, Illinois and Iowa. Tornadoes are common in the United States, especially in the center and south of the country. A week ago, a tornado swept through Rolling Fork, a small town in Mississippi, killing 13 people and causing extensive property damage. President Joe Biden visited the area on Friday.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen is in the running to be new NATO head: Report
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is reportedly a leading candidate to become the next head of NATO, according to a diplomatic source cited by The Sun newspaper. A number of NATO member states have apparently suggested von der Leyen for the role, which is set to become vacant in October when current Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg steps down. However, the report also suggests that the UK would veto von der Leyen's appointment due to her record as Germany's defence minister.

Donald Trump raises over USD 4 million in 24 hours after hush money indictment
Former US President Donald Trump's office has said he raised over $4m in 24 hours after a grand jury in Manhattan voted to indict him for his role in paying hush money to a porn star. The campaign said over 25% of donations came from first-time donors to Trump Campaign, further solidifying his status as the clear frontrunner in the Republican primary. ?This incredible surge of grassroots contributions confirms that the American people see the indictment of President Trump as a disgraceful weaponisation of our justice system by a Soros-funded prosecutor,? said the campaign.
China erodes Hong Kong’s judicial independence: US Secretary of State
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has criticised China for undermining the independence of Hong Kong's courts. The State Department has published a report condemning Beijing's crackdown on dissent in the financial centre. Blinken's comments underline criticism that the legal system, which has helped make the city a hub for multinational firms, has been damaged by efforts to quash the democracy movement of 2019. A Hong Kong government spokesman has rejected the report, saying the city's judges are "independent and impartial" and "free from any interference".
US government to appeal Obamacare ruling over insurance coverage
The US Justice Department is appealing a Texas judge's decision that blocked United States President Joe Biden's 100-day moratorium on most deportations of illegal immigrants. The judge granted a preliminary injunction on the policy last week, saying the Biden administration had failed to provide "a rational explanation" for the moratorium. The appeal will be heard by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Andrew Tate released from Romania jail, to be put under house arrest
Andrew Tate, the internet personality who has spent months in a Romanian jail on suspicion of organised crime and human trafficking, has won an appeal to replace his detention with house arrest, an official said Friday. Tate was initially detained in late December in Romania’s capital Bucharest, along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women. All four won an appeal Friday, and will remain under house arrest until Apr. 29, Bolla said. None of the four have yet been formally indicted.

IMF approves $15.6 billion loan for Ukraine
The International Monetary Fund has approved a four-year $15.6bn financing package for Ukraine as part of a $115bn total international support package. The decision is expected to mobilise large-scale concessional financing from Ukraine's international donors and partners to help resolve the country's balance of payments problem, attain medium-term external viability, and restore debt sustainability. The new Extended Fund Facility will allow the immediate disbursement of around $2.7bn to the country.

North Korea executed pregnant woman for pointing at founder's portrait: Report
North Korea committed horrific human rights violations including the execution of a six-month pregnant woman who pointed at the portrait of Kim Il-sung, the country's founder. The report was released by South Korea's Unification Ministry which handles inter-Korean affairs. The 450-page report includes testimony collected from 2017 to 2022 from more than 500 North Koreans who fled their country. The report detailed the violent actions of the North Korean regime saying that the pregnant woman was killed after a video showed her pointing at a portrait of the late Kim Il-sung while she was dancing in her home.

11 women, children killed during stampede at Ramadan food distribution centre in Pakistan. Video
At least 11 people, including eight women and three children, have died in a stampede at a food distribution center during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Karachi, Pakistan. Videos of the incident shared on social media showed a large number of people gathered near a waterlogged pathway. The incident comes a day after authorities ordered additional police deployment at Ramadan food distribution centers to avoid overcrowding. The factory owner who organised the food distribution center had not alerted the police about the plan, said a police official.

Two trains derail in seperate incidents in Switzerland; several injured
Two separate train derailments have occurred in northwestern Switzerland, north of the capital Bern. In one incident, the rear carriages of a train derailed, while the other derailment took place around 40km away. Several people have been injured in both incidents. Emergency services are currently at the scene.

Ex-Indian students facing deportation from Canada over fake documents protest
Former international students from India are protesting their potential deportation from Canada. Roughly 50 of the affected students demonstrated in front of a Federal immigration office in downtown Toronto, holding banners reading "We are victims, not culprits" and calling for justice. The majority of those affected are from Punjab, and arrived in Canada between 2017 and 2019. They face an exclusion order from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which could result in a five-year ban on entering the country. Many of the affected students were represented by an agent from EMSA Education and Migration Services Australia.

Bodies of two Romanian, Indian families trying to enter US from Canada found
The bodies of six unidentified people, including an Indian family, have been found in a marsh near the St Lawrence River on the Canada-US border. Reports suggest that the two families may have tried to illegally enter the US from Canada. One of the victims was an infant with Canadian citizenship. In April 2018, six Indian nationals were rescued from the freezing St Regis River in the same area. Four members of another Indian family died in January 2018 due to exposure to extreme winter conditions in Manitoba, near the US border.

Senegal reports outbreak of H5N1 bird flu on farm: WOAH
Senegal has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu on a poultry farm in the northwestern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Friday. The outbreak occurred on March 18 on a farm located in the village of Potou near the town of Louga, not far from the Langue de Barbarie National Park where an H5N1 outbreak was diagnosed on March 12. The outbreak killed 500 birds in the 11,400-strong flock, with the remaining animals culled.

Trump to face New York indictment in arraignment on Tuesday
Former US President Donald Trump is set to appear in court for arraignment after being indicted in New York City over hush money paid during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence allegations of an extramarital sexual encounter. The indictment has been kept sealed until the arraignment, with Trump denying the allegations and denouncing the investigation as a ?scam?. As no ex-president has ever been charged with a crime before, it is unclear how Trump's arrest and arraignment will be handled. Trump was asked to surrender on Friday but his lawyers said the Secret Service needed more time to make security preparations.