Minnesota Republicans reveal which far-left candidate they want to challenge in open Senate race

April 17, 2026 7:30am EDT / Fox News

The NRSC and House Majority Whip believe Flanagan’s record makes her more vulnerable than Rep. Angie Craig in 2026 race

By Leo Briceno, Fox News

Published April 17, 2026 7:30am EDT | Updated April 17, 2026 7:32am EDT

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan visited the Karmel Somali market. (Credit: Somali TV Minnesota)

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Republican strategists and lawmakers are hoping that when voters head to the polls in November to elect the next U.S. Senator of Minnesota, they’ll be forced to choose between either a Republican candidate — or Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.

In a Democratic primary that has yet to play out, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., believes Flanagan would give Republicans better odds than her opponent, Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn.

“You’ve got the radical Left that is really upending the party. It’s that crazy Marxist anarchist group that is in Minneapolis, especially with a primary,” Emmer said in an interview with local media.

“Think about this. You’ve got Angie Craig, who will have all the money. But she knows that her numbers are in the tank against this radical, wild, wild-eyed Peggy Flanagan, the current lieutenant governor. So, guess who shows up [to the primary]? All the crazies from Minneapolis.”

EX-NFL REPORTER LAUNCHES GOP SENATE BID, REVEALS HOW SHE WILL FLIP SCRIPT ON STATE’S ‘CRISIS OF LEADERSHIP’

Minnesota Lt. Gov. and candidate for U.S. Senate Peggy Flanagan, left, pictured alongside her Democratic challenger Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., right.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; David Berding/Getty Images)

“Peggy Flanagan is likely going to be their candidate, and that is good for us,” Emmer said.

The assessment isn’t unique to Emmer.

The Democratic race began in February of last year when Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., sparked a four-way Democratic primary with news that she would not pursue reelection in 2026.

In addition to Craig and Flanagan, Billy Nord, an anti-establishment activist, and Melisa López Franzen, a former minority leader of the Minnesota Senate, announced bids for the seat. But it didn’t take long for Craig and Flanagan to emerge as the clear-cut frontrunners.

Craig, a former journalist, businesswoman and a current four-term U.S. congresswoman, has $4.8 million in cash on hand, according to FEC records.

Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor for the past seven years, has $1.1 million cash on hand.

Nord has not reported contributions with the FEC and López dropped out of the race in May of last year.

DEMOCRAT IN KEY SENATE PRIMARY SAYS SHE ‘REGRETS’ VOTE ON LAKEN RILEY ACT, DRAWS GOP BACKLASH

ST. PAUL, MN. – NOVEMBER 2018: Minnesota DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Laborer Party) Lieutenant Governor-elect Peggy Flanagan and Governor-elect Tim Walz arrived at their transition offices in the State Capitol Thursday morning, November 8, 2018, in St. Paul, Minn.(Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune)

While Republican onlookers believe both frontrunners can be described as “far-left,” many have pointed out Flanagan shares platform similarities with more polarizing, high-profile Democrats — such as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and has shared the same platform as Gov. Tim Walz, who she has called an “incredible partner.” Walz was hammered during his failed 2024 vice presidential bid for all of his far-left proposals.

In the view of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, that makes for a Republican advantage.

“She, too, supports Medicare for All, wants to ‘re-imagine’ policing and attended anti-ICE protests where she called on people to “put their bodies on the line” to defend illegal immigrants from ICE,” the NRSC said in a press release.

More notably, Republicans believe Flanagan’s greatest liability is a tenure that overlaps with recent revelations of up to $9 billion in fraud through government benefit programs.

Through scores of schemes, fraudsters in Minnesota allegedly siphoned funding from government programs like daycare centers and health clinics while returning no benefits, greatly exaggerating their services and pocketing government funding.

The fraud revelations made national news last year, raising questions about how state leadership could have missed the sheer size of the losses.

DFL party Chair Mike Erlandson told the Minnesota Star Tribune he believes fraud will remain front-and-center in the minds of voters.

“I don’t think there’s any way that this issue isn’t still being talked about in November. And anybody that was a party to it, whether you’re a legislator or Lt. Gov. Flanagan, if she’s the nominee, is going to have to answer questions around it,” Erlandson said.

NRSC Chairman Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., echoed that sentiment.

“From allowing billions of dollars in fraud to vilifying law enforcement, the Walz-Flanagan administration has failed Minnesotans,” Scott wrote in a post to X.

For her own part, Flanagan’s campaign told Fox News Digital she likes her chances to win in a general election, pointing to Minnesota’s solidly-blue track record of sending Democrats to the U.S. Senate.

“Minnesota hasn’t voted for a Republican statewide in over 20 years – with Trump in the White House and the chaos ICE inflicted on Minnesotans, this is not going to be Craig’s or the GOP’s year,” Alexandra Fetissoff, a Flanagan campaign spokeswoman, said.

“Peggy Flanagan is the only candidate in this race who has won statewide, the only candidate not taking corporate money and the only candidate that hasn’t enabled Trump’s ICE. Minnesotans know Peggy and trust her leadership and that’s why she’ll be the next Senator from Minnesota.”

MICHELE TAFOYA SAYS MINNESOTA NEEDS POLITICAL OUTSIDER ‘WITH A SPINE’ IN REPUBLICAN SENATE BID

ST. PAUL, MN. – JUNE 2022: Minnesota DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Laborer Party) Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan speaks during a press conference Saturday, June 25, 2022 in St. Paul, Minn. U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith joined Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan at the State Capitol for a Press Conference with Planned Parenthood North Central States CEO and President Sarah Stoesz a day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade.(Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune)

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When asked if he stood by his comments on the Minnesota primary, Emmer said he believes Republicans will run a competitive race, regardless of the Democratic nominee.

“Minnesotans will reject both of these far-left, fraud-enabling radicals who would only dig our state into an even deeper hole than it’s already in. Good luck to Flanagan and Craig as they continue fighting tooth and nail to win over the cop hating, open-border extremist base while alienating commonsense Minnesotans,” Emmer said.

Craig and Flanagan will face off in the primary on Aug. 11. Fox News Digital reached out to Craig for comment.

Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.

韩国首尔文创商店Vinaida推出人工智能（AI）机器人占卜服务，这些虚拟萨满教巫师拥有语音识别和AI聊天功能，能像真人般与顾客互动。

顾客可在电脑上输入自己的姓名、性别和出生日期，并与虚拟巫师对话，后者则会根据“八字”为顾客算命。顾客可以扫描收到的二维码，查看详细运势。

虚拟巫师可用韩语、华语、日语和英语交流。商店经理说，自2月开业以来，这项服务每天可吸引100名顾客，每次服务价格最高为8000韩元（约6.9新元）。（法新社）

OpenAI推出药物研发AI模型 挑战谷歌

2026年4月17日 17:50 / 联合早报

OpenAI推出药物研发AI模型 挑战谷歌

美国人工智能研究公司OpenAI推出名为GPT-Rosalind的模型，旨在加速药物研发。 （路透社）

美国人工智能研究公司OpenAI正推出一款旨在加速药物研发的人工智能（AI）模型早期版本，与其他科技公司竞相证明AI可推动更多科学突破。

OpenAI星期四（4月17日）说，这个模型名为GPT-Rosalind，面向生命科学研究，例如帮助从海量数据中提取见解，将科研转化为面向患者的医疗应用。OpenAI称，GPT-Rosalind将首先以研究预览形式向部分企业客户开放。首批用户包括制药商安进、疫苗制造商莫德纳以及生物科学研究非营利机构Allen Institute。

彭博社报道，OpenAI、Anthropic以及Alphabet旗下的谷歌正日益聚焦AI在科学和医疗领域的应用，包括辅助新药研发、分析个人医疗数据等。

消息公布后，从事药物研发的公司股价大幅下跌，Recursion Pharmaceuticals和Schrodinger股价跌幅均在5%以上。

Hidden cave, prehistoric hippo bones found under Welsh castle called a “once-in-a-lifetime discovery”

April 17, 2026 / 7:35 AM EDT / CBS/AFP

A prehistoric hidden cave and hippo bones found beneath a Welsh castle could transform understanding of ancient life in Britain, researchers said Thursday, calling the site a “once-in-a-lifetime discovery.”

Previous small-scale excavations at Pembroke Castle – the birthplace of Henry Tudor and a popular tourist attraction – have already uncovered evidence of early humans and animals, including a now extinct hippopotamus that roamed Wales 120,000 years ago.

A major five-year archaeological project led by the University of Aberdeen will investigate the “enormous” cave, accessed via a spiral staircase from the 11th Century castle.

“There is no other site like it in Britain — it is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery,” said Rob Dinnis, who will lead the project.

The cave, previously thought to have been emptied by the Victorians, is now described as “one of the most important prehistoric archives in Britain.”

Excavations at Pembroke Castle. University of Aberdeen

“Despite the limited work done so far, we can already say that Wogan Cavern is a truly remarkable site,” Dinnis said in a statement. “Not only is there extremely rare evidence for early Homo sapiens, there are also hints at even earlier human occupation, probably by Neanderthals.”

“We have also found hippo bones, which probably date to the last interglacial period, around 120,000 years ago,” he added.

Earlier finds have revealed bones of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, reindeer and wild horse, alongside stone tools and evidence of human occupation across multiple periods.

“Bones of mammoth and reindeer have been found alongside stone tools left behind by some of the earliest Homo sapiens ever to occupy Britain,” the castle said in a statement.

A woolly rhino molar found at Pembroke Castle University of Aberdeen

With larger-scale excavation due to resume in May, the researchers said they hope to gain “insights into past climate change, extinct species, and the multiple periods when humans called the cave their home.”

They said the site could chart a long sequence of human activity, from hunter-gatherers after the last Ice Age around 11,500 years ago to some of Britain’s earliest Homo sapiens between 45,000 and 35,000 years ago, and possibly even earlier Neanderthal presence.

“Wogan Cavern provides a unique chance to use all the scientific techniques now available to archaeologists,” said professor Kate Britton of the University of Aberdeen.

“Because the bones are well preserved, we can learn a lot about past environments and ecosystems,” she added.

At Pembroke Castle, staff say the discovery adds a new dimension to the site’s long history as a medieval fortress and birthplace of Henry VII in 1457.

“This is incredibly exciting news for everyone at the castle,” said castle manager Jon Williams. “We are thrilled that work on this wonderful cave will continue.”

Pembroke Castle University of Aberdeen

The project adds to recent scientific revelations about our ancestors.

A study released earlier this year concluded that fossils discovered in Morocco dating back more than 773,000 years bolster the theory that Homo sapiens originally appeared in Africa. Neanderthals mostly lived in Europe, while more recent additions to the family, the Denisovans, roamed Asia.

In November, scientists said recently discovered fossils prove that a mysterious foot found in Ethiopia belongs to a little-known, recently named ancient human relative who lived alongside the species of the famous Lucy.

In 2022, researchers concluded that Neanderthals and humans lived alongside each other in France and Spain for up to 2,900 years, giving them plenty of time to potentially learn from or even breed with each other.

美国人工智能研究公司OpenAI推出名为GPT-Rosalind的模型，旨在加速药物研发。 （路透社）

美国人工智能研究公司OpenAI正推出一款旨在加速药物研发的人工智能（AI）模型早期版本，与其他科技公司竞相证明AI可推动更多科学突破。

OpenAI星期四（4月17日）说，这个模型名为GPT-Rosalind，面向生命科学研究，例如帮助从海量数据中提取见解，将科研转化为面向患者的医疗应用。OpenAI称，GPT-Rosalind将首先以研究预览形式向部分企业客户开放。首批用户包括制药商安进、疫苗制造商莫德纳以及生物科学研究非营利机构Allen Institute。

彭博社报道，OpenAI、Anthropic以及Alphabet旗下的谷歌正日益聚焦AI在科学和医疗领域的应用，包括辅助新药研发、分析个人医疗数据等。

消息公布后，从事药物研发的公司股价大幅下跌，Recursion Pharmaceuticals和Schrodinger股价跌幅均在5%以上。

Companies scramble for tariff refunds as US prepares to launch claim process

2026-04-17 / Reuters

By Timothy Aeppel, Nicholas P. Brown and Christoph Steitz

April 17, 2026 10:01 AM UTC Updated 10 mins ago

节点运行失败

[1/3]CEO Jason Cheung of toy manufacturer Huntar Company Inc poses amongst partially empty shelves at the U.S. office in Union City, California, U.S. May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Brittany Hosea-Small/File Photo

• Summary
• Companies

• New system for filing import refund claims goes live Monday
• Many worry system could crash or encounter other glitches
• Question remains whether consumers will see any part of the tariff payback

April 17 (Reuters) – Jay Foreman said he’s “locked and loaded” for the U.S. government’s launch on Monday of a new system to refund up to $166 billion in illegally collected tariffs, but he and many other importers are realistic that much could ​still go wrong.

“You have to be worried about what they could possibly do to jam things up,” said the CEO of toymaker Basic Fun, which sells Tonka trucks, Care Bears and K’Nex ‌construction toys.

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The refund system is the latest twist in a drawn-out battle over tariffs collected over the past year as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to restructure U.S. trade relations with almost every nation on earth. The constantly shifting tariffs roiled global business as companies rushed to shift supply chains to avoid them as well as figure out who would ultimately pay the taxes.

The U.S. Supreme Court in February struck down the tariffs President Trump pursued under a law meant for use in national emergencies, handing the Republican president ​a stinging defeat.

In a court filing on Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it had completed development of the initial phase of the refund system, known as CAPE. The system will consolidate refunds so importers ​will get one electronic payment, with interest when applicable, rather than processing refunds on an entry-by-entry basis. Critics of Trump’s tariffs had pushed for a streamlined process.

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Customs officials said ⁠as of April 9, some 56,497 importers had completed the steps necessary to receive electronic refunds, an amount totaling $127 billion, or more than three-quarters of the total eligible to be refunded. More than 330,000 importers paid the tariffs ​at issue on 53 million shipments of imported goods, according to court filings.

Matt Field, CFO of heavy truck maker Oshkosh, is one of them. The Wisconsin-based manufacturer doesn’t disclose how much it paid in emergency tariffs, but Field said ​it’s an “impactful” amount. “I’m a CFO, so I do chase every dollar,” he said.

Field said he’s prepared to file for a refund as soon as the customs portal opens but may wait for the “system to settle.”

Multiple importers reached by Reuters said they are concerned about the durability of the new filing system, at least in the opening phase as thousands rush to upload their claims.

节点运行失败

“It’s not like Taylor Swift tickets going on sale,” said Basic Fun CEO Foreman, who is seeking $7 million in refunds, but with so many companies looking ​for a refund at the same time, there’s “no telling if it crashes the portal.”

‘THERE ARE WRINKLES’

There are plenty of potential logistics glitches. Jason Cheung, CEO of Huntar Co., a U.S.-based toymaker with a factory in China, said, “It’ll be ​nice to get that money back,” but added, “it looks like the government is trying to make it difficult.”

Cheung noted that registration requires entering bank account information even though the government already has it for customs payments. And company names must be exact. “It ‌took me five ⁠tries before we could get registered due to minor differences like ‘company’ versus ‘co,’” Cheung said.

Still, he said, “we are very used to filling out forms” and have “no concerns” about ultimately getting a successful refund.

That sentiment was echoed by Rick Woldenberg, CEO of educational toy maker Learning Resources, one of the key plaintiffs in the court case that led to the tariffs’ undoing.

“There are wrinkles, of course, but I am pleased to see the government do the right thing,” said Woldenberg, whose company is seeking more than $10 million.

Refunds can be claimed by any company that is the legal entity that paid the taxes, so the issue reaches beyond U.S. borders. German fan manufacturer ebm-papst told Reuters it was already registered on the ​portal.

But as the system “is a new functionality created by ​U.S. Customs, it remains to be seen how well ⁠the system will actually handle the bulk processing of refund claims,” a spokesperson for the Mulfingen, Germany-based company said.

Companies prepping claims also said they worry about a last-minute legal move by the Trump administration that could also slow the process. Customs has until early May to appeal the Court of International Trade’s order requiring they create the tariff ​refund portal.

Meanwhile, the refund process opens a different challenge for many importers. “The real complexity here is how to deal with my customers, assuming we get the tariffs ​back,” said Austin Ramirez, CEO of ⁠Husco International in Waukesha, Wisconsin, a producer of hydraulic components used in automotive and off-road equipment like bulldozers.

“The question is what we do with it, do we keep it, pass it on to them?” It’s a unique situation with each customer, he noted.

Just who gets the refunds has become a political issue after U.S. consumers endured a year of tariff-elevated prices. The system is set up to refund the importer of record, not ultimate end users who paid higher goods prices as a ⁠result.

At a congressional ​budget hearing on Thursday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer – a key architect of the tariffs struck down by the high court and of ​the new import levies the administration is scrambling to install in their place – was asked if the administration had any plans for refunds for households.

The attorneys general for the Democratic-led states who filed one of the lawsuits decided by the Supreme Court “asked for the money to go back ​to the companies,” Greer said. “The Democrat attorneys general asked for this and they’re getting what they asked for.”

Reporting by Timothy Aeppel; Nicholas P. Brown; and Christoph Steitz; additional reporting by Tom Hals; Editing by Daniel Burns and Anna Driver

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

减重药热潮席卷韩国 健身行业受冲击

2026年4月17日 18:20 / 联合早报 姜贵瑛 首尔通讯员

减重药Mounjaro与Wegovy在韩国日益受欢迎，甚至连体重正常的人都使用，引发关注。 （路透社）

韩国减重药物市场持续升温，Mounjaro与Wegovy等产品的处方量快速攀升。在以“瘦至正常体重”为目标的美容性需求推动下，市场迅速扩张，同时也引发医疗资源被挤占及合理用药的担忧。

韩国执政党议员徐美花从健康保险审查评价院获取的资料显示，今年3月Mounjaro处方量达22万8199件，创去年8月上市以来单月新高，较首月1万8579件增长1128%。

按每月约30万韩元（约260新元）计算，单月销售规模约685亿韩元。医疗界指出，单月处方量即达如此规模，增长势头“异常迅猛”。

从累计数据看，今年第一季度Mounjaro处方量为58万2945件，上市八个月累计达97万7310件。另一款减重药Wegovy同期处方约104万5360件，两类药物累计规模已超过200万件，显示市场需求持续增长。

上班族金仁善（28岁）说，使用Mounjaro后已减重约五公斤，“能控制食欲，效果令人满意”。

体重正常人群也服药

然而，非医疗用途也逐渐普遍。记者观察到，不少体型正常人群也开始使用相关药物，一名身高168公分、体重不到60公斤的40多岁女性律师，仍持续进行减重治疗。

需求激增背后，超适应症用药（也称超说明书用药）问题日益凸显。按规定，相关药物主要适用于体质指数（BMI）30以上，或BMI27以上且伴有并发症的患者，但在实际医疗现场，部分体重正常人群也可获得处方。

随着需求集中，部分剂量规格已出现短缺，最低剂量2.5毫克产品甚至一度断货。食品医药品安全处拟将相关药物列为“滥用风险药品”，强化警示与处方管理，但医疗界普遍认为短期内难以抑制需求。

药物减重使运动需求减弱

值得注意的是，减重药物热潮也对健身行业造成冲击。

数据显示，去年申报停业的健身中心达553家，为历史第二高，仅次于2024年的567家，明显高于疫情时期水平。

分析认为，跑步在二三十岁人群中越来越受欢迎，加上近期韩国新建公寓社区健身设施普及，已削弱传统健身房竞争力，而减重药物的流行进一步加剧行业压力。

一名健身中心相关人士说，会员对药物减重的兴趣明显上升，运动需求相对减弱。

专家指出，年轻群体追求效率的消费倾向，是推动药物替代运动的重要因素。

减重药热潮席卷韩国 健身行业受冲击

2026年4月17日 18:20 / 联合早报 姜贵瑛 首尔通讯员

减重药Mounjaro与Wegovy在韩国日益受欢迎，甚至连体重正常的人都使用，引发关注。 （路透社）

韩国减重药物市场持续升温，Mounjaro与Wegovy等产品的处方量快速攀升。在以“瘦至正常体重”为目标的美容性需求推动下，市场迅速扩张，同时也引发医疗资源被挤占及合理用药的担忧。

韩国执政党议员徐美花从健康保险审查评价院获取的资料显示，今年3月Mounjaro处方量达22万8199件，创去年8月上市以来单月新高，较首月1万8579件增长1128%。

按每月约30万韩元（约260新元）计算，单月销售规模约685亿韩元。医疗界指出，单月处方量即达如此规模，增长势头“异常迅猛”。

从累计数据看，今年第一季度Mounjaro处方量为58万2945件，上市八个月累计达97万7310件。另一款减重药Wegovy同期处方约104万5360件，两类药物累计规模已超过200万件，显示市场需求持续增长。

上班族金仁善（28岁）说，使用Mounjaro后已减重约五公斤，“能控制食欲，效果令人满意”。

体重正常人群也服药

然而，非医疗用途也逐渐普遍。记者观察到，不少体型正常人群也开始使用相关药物，一名身高168公分、体重不到60公斤的40多岁女性律师，仍持续进行减重治疗。

需求激增背后，超适应症用药（也称超说明书用药）问题日益凸显。按规定，相关药物主要适用于体质指数（BMI）30以上，或BMI27以上且伴有并发症的患者，但在实际医疗现场，部分体重正常人群也可获得处方。

随着需求集中，部分剂量规格已出现短缺，最低剂量2.5毫克产品甚至一度断货。食品医药品安全处拟将相关药物列为“滥用风险药品”，强化警示与处方管理，但医疗界普遍认为短期内难以抑制需求。

药物减重使运动需求减弱

值得注意的是，减重药物热潮也对健身行业造成冲击。

数据显示，去年申报停业的健身中心达553家，为历史第二高，仅次于2024年的567家，明显高于疫情时期水平。

分析认为，跑步在二三十岁人群中越来越受欢迎，加上近期韩国新建公寓社区健身设施普及，已削弱传统健身房竞争力，而减重药物的流行进一步加剧行业压力。

一名健身中心相关人士说，会员对药物减重的兴趣明显上升，运动需求相对减弱。

专家指出，年轻群体追求效率的消费倾向，是推动药物替代运动的重要因素。

Airline adding triple-decker bunk beds for economy-class travelers on long-haul flights

2026-04-17 06:54:53 EDT / CBS News / AP

Wellington, New Zealand — Sleep on a long-haul flight in economy class has always been a fantasy for many travelers. Air New Zealand will soon offer a solution that involves climbing into a triple-tier bunk bed wearing special socks.

The airline will open bookings for four-hour stints in the Skynest sleep pods and says they will be the first lie-flat beds for budget air travelers. Fliers will get cozy with their fellow passengers, however, so crumbs, strong perfumes and bedsharing are forbidden.

The curtained berths will be available to economy and premium economy fliers on the airline’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft from November. The planes will service the Auckland to New York route, one of the world’s longest commercial flights that currently leaves economy passengers sitting upright for a marathon 16 to 18 hours.

Instead, travelers will have the option of a pre-booked four-hour spot in a curtained pod, with costs starting from 495 New Zealand dollars ($291) on top of the price of their economy tickets. But use of the six pods, arranged in a triple-bunk style layout between cabins, will put fliers in close proximity to others, prompting the airline to publish etiquette notes.

This photo provided by Air New Zealand shows sleeping pods in a mock-up of a plane cabin in Auckland, New Zealand. Air New Zealand via AP

Rules prompted by pods’ close-quarters

Passengers must refrain from snacking in the pods, which can’t be used by children or any additional visitors.

“That means solo snoozes only please, no musical nests or tag-teaming,” Air New Zealand’s website says. For those worried about cleanliness, the airline assures travelers that the pillows, blankets and sheets supplied “are all refreshed” between four-hour naps.

Fliers are also required to change into specially provided socks to enter the pod, fasten their seatbelts over their blankets and forgo dousing themselves in any smelly “perfumes or potions.” Passengers will be woken by a gentle change in lighting at the end of their four-hour stint in the bunk – or by a flight attendant, possibly less gently, if they don’t rouse in time.

Each berth is about the length of a regular bed – 80 inches – but the pods don’t leave headroom for sitting up and access “requires bending, kneeling, crawling, or climbing into the space,” the aircraft’s website says. The bunks are 25 inches wide at shoulder height, tapering to 16 inches at the foot of the beds.

Seats or couches that convert into beds in the sky aren’t a new offering for business and first class travelers, but Air New Zealand believes its lie-flat bunks for economy travelers will be a world first.

The offering from New Zealand’s national carrier is the latest from airlines seeking to sell seat upgrades and other add-ons to economy travelers. Air New Zealand first announced the economy beds were in development in 2020.

The airline has increased fares and cut some domestic flights from its schedule in response to increased jet fuel costs during the war in the Middle East. In March, it suspended its earnings outlook due to fuel price volatility and warned that more changes to its routes were possible.

But on one of its longest flights, travelers might finally get some shut-eye – although they should expect snoring, for which earplugs are provided, the airline said.

“Statistically, someone’s going to do it,” Air New Zealand’s website reads. “It might be you.”

分析：以色列向美压力低头 以黎若停火破裂恐搅黄美伊谈判

2026年4月17日 18:35 / 联合早报

以色列总理内坦亚胡早前誓言，以黎会谈期间，以方的首要目标是瓦解真主党。然而他突然同意暂停与真主党交战，招致国内政界和舆论质疑。 （路透社档案照片）

以色列总理内坦亚胡同意与黎巴嫩停火，令全球意外；受访学者指最主要外部原因是美国总统特朗普的直接施压与斡旋。美国如能在10天缓冲期内与伊朗谈妥，或足以迫使黎巴嫩真主党分阶段解除重武装；但若以黎冲突再起，恐连带导致美伊谈判破裂。

内坦亚胡立场骤变 以色列国内买不买账？

美伊上周同意暂时停火后，以色列反而立刻加大对黎境内真主党目标的打击力度，内坦亚胡一再拒绝将黎巴嫩纳入美伊停火范围。

如今他却突然改变立场同意暂停与真主党交战，令以色列国内措手不及，一些以色列安全内阁成员甚至是看到新闻才得知这个消息。

新加坡国立大学中东研究所研究员林婧接受《联合早报》采访时指出，这个局面暴露出决策过于仓促，以色列政府内部仍存分歧。

以色列民间同样哗然，很少人相信这次停火能真正化解与真主党的矛盾，不满内坦亚胡再屈服于美国压力。

居住在以色列北部城镇的学生加尔告诉英国广播公司（BBC）：“我觉得政府骗了我们。他们承诺这次会有不同的结果，但看起来又是一份毫无作用的停火协议。”

以黎停火为何对以色列“利大于弊”？

林婧分析，内坦亚胡同意停火，“最直接外部原因是特朗普的直接施压与斡旋”；但无论从战术或内政层面来看，这个决定对以色列都是“利大于弊”。

她说：“对以色列来说，停火条件并未实质削弱己方的军事或战术优势：以军大可利用这10天的休战期，让连续作战的士兵休整，也可修复受损的坦克和装甲车，补充弹药库存。以色列空军和情报单位也可利用这段时间密集收集情报，优化对真主党短程火箭弹和无人机的拦截方案。”

现在停火，也能让频遭轰炸的以色列北部边境居民得以喘息。以色列政府还可借机在北部加紧部署防空掩体等基础设施，缓解民怨。以军已表明不会撤出黎南边境沿线的10公里“安全区”。

综合这些考量，林婧认为，这次停火更像是以色列在美国压力下的“战术休整”，既给了美方下台阶，也并未在安全底线上做出实质让步。

特朗普急于止战 岂容以色列搅局？

美伊停火两周准备和谈，伊朗多次要求停火范围必须涵盖黎巴嫩。虽然美国一再否认向以方施压，并强调以黎停火与美伊和谈无关，两者实则高度绑定。

林婧分析：“如果特朗普与伊朗能达成一项‘好协议’，真主党将清楚意识到，自己面临被伊朗切断资金和武器支持的风险，这有可能会迫使真主党最终同意分阶段解除重武器。反之，若这10天内以黎再爆发严重冲突，美伊的谈判桌极有可能被直接掀翻。”

以黎曾在2024年11月达成停火协议，但没能有效执行，这次停火估计也难以落实。

不过，特朗普恐怕不会任由以色列继续打击黎巴嫩。

英国伦敦国王学院的中东安全问题专家布雷格曼（Ahron Bregma）告诉《联合早报》：“特朗普急于结束这场灾难性的对伊战争，绝不会让以色列破坏谈判成功的机会。”

黎巴嫩内部分裂 是以黎停火谈判最大挑战？

美国国务院说，以黎10天停火期限可以延长，以色列保留在停火期间采取一切必要自卫措施的权利。真主党则表明，任何停火都必须覆盖黎巴嫩全境，且不允许以色列在黎境内自由行动。

经过以军一系列重创，加之黎南地区平民伤亡不断加剧，真主党如今处境尴尬。林婧认为，黎巴嫩民众如在停火期间重返南部家园，真主党想再主动重燃战火，势必面临国内巨大政治压力。

目前真主党尚未受邀加入谈判。但黎政府实力相对薄弱，无法有效制衡真主党。《纽约日报》报道，内坦亚胡的保守派利库德党内部有人质疑，黎政府究竟能否代表真主党谈判。

《华尔街日报》分析，若真主党缺席谈判，以黎停火恐怕难以维系，后续和谈也岌岌可危，黎巴嫩甚至可能走向内战。

政策研究机构世纪国际（Century International）驻贝鲁特研究员海勒（Sam Heller）指出：“以当前谈判的走向来看，如果继续推进，局势只会更加紧张。黎巴嫩的内部稳定与凝聚力存在很实在的风险。”

曾任以色列国家安全官员的智库Mind Israel副总裁戈洛夫（Avner Golov）也预言：“要成功瓦解真主党，要么由以军实现，要么由黎内战促成。”