Trump accused of ‘threatening possible war crimes’ in Iran post | First Thin

Chuck Schumer accuses president of ‘ranting like an unhinged madman’ in threat to obliterate Iran’s power plants and bridges. Plus, Audrey Hepburn’s son Sean on her movies, marriages, good works and fascist parents

Good morning.

Donald Trump has faced sharp criticism after threatening to wipe out Iran’s power plants and bridges in an expletive-riddled social media post yesterday.

How has Iran reacted? Iran’s parliament speaker responded with a warning that the US president’s “reckless moves” would mean “our whole region is going to burn”.

This is a developing story. Follow the liveblog here.

What will they see? During the flyby, which will last about six hours, the crew will have to observe the celestial body with their naked eyes, along with cameras they have onboard. The journey promises views of the moon’s far side that were too dark or too difficult to see by the 24 Apollo astronauts who preceded them.

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Israeli strike kills Christian party official in Lebanon, sharpening divides over Hezbollah – Reuters

  1. Israeli strike kills Christian party official in Lebanon, sharpening divides over Hezbollah  Reuters
  2. ‘They want to create a rift’: Israeli attacks deepen Lebanon fissures  Al Jazeera
  3. At least 15 killed in strikes on Lebanon – as it happened  The Guardian
  4. Lebanon’s Coming Collapse  Foreign Affairs
  5. Israel Steps Up Attacks on Lebanon, Killing Dozens  The New York Times
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Pope calls for peace, and Trump vows hell for Iran on Easter – Axios

  1. Pope calls for peace, and Trump vows hell for Iran on Easter  Axios
  2. Pope Leo XIV Calls for Peace in First Easter Mass  The New York Times
  3. On Easter, Pope Leo delivers commanding message of peace to a world at war  The Washington Post
  4. Not in God’s name: How Pope Leo is pushing back on divine justification of war  cnn.com
  5. Pope Leo XIV urges peace in first Easter Mass, skips naming conflicts in Urbi et Orbi  CNBC
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Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila could hit far north Queensland three weeks after Narelle tore through

While path and strength of storm remain uncertain, BoM warns Cape York could again take direct hit if cyclone makes landfall

Another cyclone may hit the Queensland coast just over three weeks after the same area was smashed by Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

But a meteorologist warned forecasts predicting the path and strength of Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila remained uncertain, with the storm likely to make landfall over the weekend.

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Hormuz Traffic Rises to Highest in Weeks as More Transits Agreed – Bloomberg.com

  1. Hormuz Traffic Rises to Highest in Weeks as More Transits Agreed  Bloomberg.com
  2. Hormuz Traffic Rises to Highest in Weeks  Yahoo Finance
  3. 15 Ships Transit Strait of Hormuz in 24 Hours, Iranian Media Says  WSJ
  4. Beyond oil: 9 commodities impacted by the Strait of Hormuz crisis  The World Economic Forum
  5. Agility at Sea: Geopolitical Shocks Reshape Energy Shipping  The Maritime Executive
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Serbian intelligence chief says Ukraine not involved in explosives plot – politico.eu

  1. Serbian intelligence chief says Ukraine not involved in explosives plot  politico.eu
  2. Alleged explosives find near gas pipeline raises heat days before Hungary’s pivotal election  cnn.com
  3. Hungary alleges plot to blow up gas pipeline ahead of election  BBC
  4. Hungarian PM faces ‘false flag’ claims after Serbia says explosives found near pipeline  The Guardian
  5. Serbia, Hungary say explosives found at Russian gas pipeline  DW.com
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Small UK firms’ energy bills set to more than double due to Iran war

Companies using heating oil have already begun rationing their fuel use, says Federation of Small Businesses

Thousands of independent businesses across the UK are braced for their energy bills to more than double owing to the sharp rise in heating oil costs as the war in Iran pushed Europe’s fuel market prices to fresh record highs.

About 7% of all small and medium-sized companies warm their properties and provide hot water using heating oil, which in some cases has more than doubled in recent weeks.

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‘I just legged it’: teenage shark bite victim recalls lucky escape while surfing in South Australia

Oliver Tokic-Bensley, 16, says he had been in the water mere minutes when a shark bit his foot

A teenage surfer bitten by a shark at a South Australian beach has described how he “flicked it off” and “legged it back to shore”.

Oliver Tokic-Bensley, 16, was bitten on his foot while surfing on Good Friday near his family beach house at Middleton, 80km south of Adelaide.

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New UK farm inheritance tax rule will cause ‘significant challenges’, say accountants

Levy on inherited farms and family businesses worth £2.5m or more comes into force 6 April

A new inheritance tax regime for UK farms and family businesses comes into force on Monday and will present “significant challenges” for those affected, according to accountants.

In October 2024 the government announced plans to levy inheritance tax on farms – prompting an outcry in many quarters.

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A Hidden Russian Hand in Hungary’s Election? Actually, It’s Quite Open. – The New York Times

  1. A Hidden Russian Hand in Hungary’s Election? Actually, It’s Quite Open.  The New York Times
  2. Why Hungary’s Election Could Swing on Roma Votes  The New York Times
  3. Hungary must seize its chance to oust Viktor Orban  The Economist
  4. ‘Feels like history is being made’: will young Hungarian voters oust Orbán?  The Guardian
  5. Younger Hungarian voters spurn Orban, some say they will leave if he is re-elected  Reuters
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‘The original triple threat’: two exhibitions celebrate Marilyn Monroe as creative pioneer

BFI and National Portrait Gallery to mark centenary of the film star’s birth with ‘the summer of Marilyn’

Though often reduced to a sex symbol frozen in time, or a tragic figure at the centre of several scandals, Marilyn Monroe was something far more subversive, according to two exhibitions that will herald what has been nicknamed “the summer of Marilyn”.

To mark the centenary of her birth, Monroe is being celebrated by leading British cultural institutions as a performer of sharp comic intelligence, a canny architect of her own image, and a woman who reshaped the possibilities for female stardom on screen.

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Track current petrol and diesel prices, service station outages and shipments – Australia’s fuel crisis in charts

How much fuel does Australia have left today, and when could we run out? Check how much petrol and diesel prices have risen near you in Sydney, Melbourne and across the country since the US and Israel’s war on Iran began in late February

Hundreds of service stations across Australia have run empty, fuel prices are elevated and oil shipments have been cancelled.

Australia is battling a fuel crisis as Iran’s closure of the strait of Hormuz continues to bite. The federal government has released fuel reserves, cut fuel excise taxes and rolled out a national fuel security plan.

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Man’s body found after being swept away in outback flood waters

Three-day search effort ends after 65-year-old disappeared near Innamincka in remote north-eastern South Australia on Easter Saturday

Police have found the body of a 65-year-old man who was swept into flood waters in South Australia’s far north.

The man – identified only as Tony by South Australia police – disappeared about 12.30pm on Saturday, sparking a three-day search effort.

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People living with incontinence face shortage of sanitary pads as NHS limits supplies

More than half of NHS trusts have cap on availability of products, forcing patients to pay for products themselves

Millions of people across the UK living with incontinence are facing shortages of sanitary products due to supplies being rationed by NHS trusts, according to a coalition of charities.

The shortages are leading to a “pad gap” where people are having to pay for incontinence products themselves, according to an open letter from organisations including the Royal College of Nursing, Prostate Cancer UK, and Bowel and Bladder UK.

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Hungary’s Orbán has long annoyed the European Union. Now some hope he faces defeat – apnews.com

  1. Hungary’s Orbán has long annoyed the European Union. Now some hope he faces defeat  apnews.com
  2. Hungary must seize its chance to oust Viktor Orban  The Economist
  3. Younger Hungarian voters spurn Orban, some say they will leave if he is re-elected  Reuters
  4. Orbán faces an electoral reckoning in Hungary  Financial Times
  5. Who is Viktor Orbán, Hungarian PM fighting to stay in power after 16 years?  BBC
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