Thursday, April 9, 2026
Afrika Bambaataa, hip-hop pioneer, dies aged 67
The Bronx born rapper and DJ helped introduce hip-hop to the mainstream and was also accused of child sexual abuse
The American rapper and DJ Afrika Bambaataa has died aged 67. The musician died in Philadelphia at around 3am local time due to complications from cancer, TMZ reported.
The Hip-Hop Alliance, a group headed by musician Kurtis Blow, wrote: “Today, we acknowledge the transition of a foundational architect of hip-hop culture, Afrika Bambaataa. As the founder of the Universal Zulu Nation, Afrika Bambaataa helped shape the early identity of hip-hop as a global movement rooted in peace, unity, love, and having fun.
Continue reading...source https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/apr/09/afrika-bambaataa-hip-hop-pioneer-dies
First Thing: Ceasefire in peril as Israel assaults Lebanon and Iran blocks oil tankers
Iran and mediator Pakistan say ceasefire includes Lebanon but Israel and US disagree. Plus, how Korean fried chicken took over the world
Good morning.
The fate of the two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict looked in peril as both sides gave divergent versions of what had been agreed, Israel intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran halted the passage of oil tankers because of an alleged Israeli ceasefire breach.
What has Iran said? In a sharply worded statement, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Israel and the US had violated several clauses of the provisional ceasefire, and he decried Israel’s aggressive bombing of Lebanon and a US demand that Iran should have no right to enrich its own uranium.
This is a developing story. Follow our liveblog here.
What was said in the video about Mamdani? The videos feature the organization’s founder, Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham, describing Mamdani as a “Muslim terrorist” and a “cancer”, and his election as a “harbinger” of “a creeping Islamic takeover of America”.
Continue reading...source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/09/first-thing-middle-east-ceasefire-israel-lebanon-iran-oil
Man charged with US firebomb plot is linked to group whose leaders back violence against Palestinians
Revealed: JDL 613 Brotherhood has platformed a convicted terrorist and its video recordings display an obsessive antipathy to New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani
A man who has been charged with plotting to firebomb a pro-Palestine activist’s home is tied to a group whose leaders support violence against Palestinians and have platformed a convicted terrorist who fundraises for a violent settler movement in the occupied West Bank.
Video recordings by the group, called JDL 613 Brotherhood, also reveal its leaders possess an obsessive antipathy to New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani. They feature the organization’s founder, Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham, describing Mamdani as a “Muslim terrorist”, a “cancer”, and his election a “harbinger” of “a creeping Islamic takeover of America”.
Continue reading...source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/09/jdl-613-jewish-extremist-organization
What we know about the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran
The provisional truce comes more than a month after the US and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
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