WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Kashmir shooting, UK growth forecast dips, and the rise and rise of VTubers

 
today's international story

Gunmen kill 26 in Kashmir

What happened
At least 26 people have been shot dead after armed men opened fire on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in one of the region's deadliest recent attacks. The shooting occurred near the Baisaran meadow, close to the resort town of Pahalgam, and several tourists were also injured. Indian police have described the incident as a "terror attack".

Who said what
"This attack is much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years," said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the region's top elected official, on social media. A little-known militant group called the "Kashmir Resistance" claimed responsibility for the attack on social media, though the source of the message has not yet been independently verified.

"There has been a long-running insurgency" in the Muslim-majority region since 1989, said the BBC, although "violence has waned in recent years". Kashmir has faced an intensified military crackdown ever since the Indian government stripped the region of its semi-autonomous status about six years ago, but attacks targeting tourists in Kashmir have been "rare in recent years", said Al Jazeera. The last one occurred in June last year when suspected militants fired on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims, causing it to plunge into a deep gorge and killing at least nine people.

What next? 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, decried the "heinous act", pledging that the attackers "will be brought to justice".

 
 
today's economic story

IMF cuts UK growth forecast

What happened
The International Monetary Fund has lowered its UK growth forecast following the introduction of Donald Trump's tariffs and suggested that the Bank of England could cut interest rates up to three more times this year. The financial agency expects a temporary rise in inflation, but believes this still allows for further rate reductions.

Who said what
The IMF expects UK inflation to rise from last year's 2.5% to 3.1% this year before falling to 2.2% next year, largely due to energy price increases that will "fade away", according to its chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas. This leaves room for the Bank of England to cut interest rates by a further three-quarters of a point this year. But "the stance of monetary policy, even with the additional three cuts, remains restrictive", according to Gourinchas.

What next?
Top Bank of England officials have been "wary of jumping to conclusions" about the impact of Trump's trade war on UK monetary policy ahead of their meeting next month, said the Financial Times. Deputy governor Sarah Breeden noted that "overall, tariffs are likely to lower UK growth", but said it was too early to determine their impact on inflation.

 
 
Today's justice story

Police must stop recording 'non-crime hate', Tories say

What happened
The Conservatives are pushing for police in England and Wales to stop recording "non-crime hate incidents" (NCHIs) in almost all cases. The party is trying to amend the Crime and Policing Bill to stop forces from logging these incidents – acts seemingly motivated by hostility or prejudice towards people over specific characteristics such as race or gender. Under the Tories' plan, only senior officers would be allowed to record NCHIs in certain circumstances, such as the prevention or investigation of actual crimes.

Who said what
Non-crime hate incidents have "wasted police time chasing ideology and grievance instead of justice", said Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. "The British public want police on the streets – fighting crime and protecting families – not trawling social media for things someone might find offensive."

But Policing Minister Diana Johnson said the Tories' plan was "unworkable" and "would prevent the police monitoring serious anti-Semitism and other racist incidents".

What next?
Badenoch admitted the Tories were expecting to suffer losses in next week's local elections.

 
 

It's not all bad

A global survey across 125 countries has revealed that 89% of people want stronger climate action from their governments. Many people wrongly believe they're in the minority, leading to a "spiral of silence" that experts say can be broken. The 89% Project, a global journalism initiative, aims to spotlight this overwhelming support and help trigger a social tipping point. "The world is united in its judgment," said Professor Teodora Boneva, who was part of the team behind the survey. "Correcting these misperceptions could be a powerful intervention."

 
 
under the radar

The rise and rise of VTubers

Gawr Gura, the most popular VTuber in the world, has officially announced her retirement. A computer-generated cross between a girl and a shark, she acted as a "torchbearer" of this fast growing internet subculture, according to The Gamer.

VTubers, or virtual YouTubers, use face or body tracking to "puppeteer a digital avatar" anime character and sing, stream and speak often to massive audience bases, said Polygon.

The online community, which started in Japan, has "exploded in popularity" in the past few years and is now gaining fans across the world. Entertainers' real faces and voices never appear online. Instead, fans follow the avatars, the majority of which "derive their visual style from anime".

Fans of VTubers often develop para-social relationships with their favourite entertainers, becoming attached to the real people behind the avatars. In many ways the community mirrors Japan's "idol" culture, in which singers and entertainers are intentionally marketed to fans as role models, friends, or even potential romantic partners.

With millions of subscribers, Gawr Gura decided to retire due to issues with her agency – the largest of a handful that "recruit and foster talent to become virtual entertainers", said Polygon.

The VTuber's decision to retire feels "bittersweet" to long-time fans, said The Gamer. "They weren't just cheering for a cute anime shark girl, but the voice, personality and presence they had come to know."

 
 
on this day

23 April 1993

Eritrea opened three days of voting on a referendum to legally declare its independence from Ethiopia. Relations between the two African nations quickly deteriorated into conflict and at the time it was the biggest war anywhere in the world. Peace was declared in 2018, but tensions are once again threatening to spiral into bloody conflict.

 
 
Today's newspapers

The IMF said Donald Trump's levies have unleashed a "major negative shock" into the world economy, notes The Guardian, with forecasts for US, UK and global growth all cut. "In the arms of God" says the Daily Mirror, alongside a picture of Pope Francis  lying in state. It also notes that Prince William will be attending the funeral in Vatican City. Meanwhile, The i Paper says there's a "dash for cash ISAs", with savers rushing to lock in the best rates following rumours that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will soon roll out reforms.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Flux capacitor fizzles

"Where we're going, we don't need roads," said Doc Brown in "Back To The Future", "immortal words that now reflect the status of the DeLorean", said Sky News. The classic cars are now largely consigned to collectors' garages, new figures from the DVLA show. Forty years on from the film’s release, there are 303 DeLorean DMC-12 cars – known for their gull-wing doors and unpainted stainless steel bodywork – on Britain's roads. At the height of the DeLorean Motor Company's success, about 9,000 vehicles rolled off its assembly line in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland in 1981 before the firm collapsed into insolvency the following year.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Jamie Timson, Harriet Marsden, Abby Wilson, Ross Couzens and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Yawar Nazir / Getty Images; Oli Scarff / Getty Images; Jack Taylor / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images.