- Hungary's new leader has vowed to wean his country off Russian energy. It will be a painful transition. CBS News
- Ukraine war briefing: Hungary’s new leader says he would ask Putin to end the killing in Ukraine The Guardian
- Hungary May No Longer Be Putin’s Ally, but It Can’t Afford a Full Break The New York Times
- Magyar calls on Orbán to lift veto on Ukraine loan before his exit Euronews.com
- Hungary's Magyar will talk to MOL leadership, focus on fuel supplies Reuters
Hamas refuses to give up weapons, demands Board of Peace change Gaza ceasefire plan – The Jerusalem Post
- Hamas refuses to give up weapons, demands Board of Peace change Gaza ceasefire plan The Jerusalem Post
- US and Hamas hold first direct talks since Gaza truce as ceasefire process stalls CNN
- Hamas rejects Gaza disarmament plan, Palestinian official says BBC
- US officials join direct talks with Hamas in Cairo, per ‘CNN’ JNS.org
- Facing a Tuesday Deadline, Hamas Still Opposes Board of Peace's Disarmament Plan Haaretz
Peace activist, 91, walks across Ireland in protest against US military stopovers
Lelia Doolan, who finished 220km trek at parliament gates, says use of Shannon airport violates Irish neutrality
A 91-year-old peace activist has crossed Ireland on foot and arrived in Dublin to petition the government to bar US military flights.
Lelia Doolan completed a two-week, 220km (138 mile) trek on Wednesday, ending at the gates of parliament accompanied by throngs of supporters.
Continue reading...Prominent Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti assaulted three times in a month, family says
The Israeli Prison Service says the allegation that Barghouti was subjected to physical violence by prison guards are "false and baseless".
Israeli settlers block Palestinian kids’ path to school with tear gas and barbed wire – AP News
- Israeli settlers block Palestinian kids’ path to school with tear gas and barbed wire AP News
- Settlers block Palestinian pupils' path to West Bank school with barbed wire Reuters
- Israeli forces fire teargas at schoolchildren holding West Bank sit-in The Guardian
- Israeli settlers block Palestinian students' path to West Bank school with barbed wire The Jerusalem Post
- Israeli Soldiers Tear-Gas Palestinian Children After Settlers Block Access to School Democracy Now!
Chinese national given one year in prison for smuggling ants out of Kenya
Zhang Kequn was arrested in March while trying to travel to China with more than 2,000 live ants.
Putin Demands Answers as Russia’s Economy Undershoots Expectations – The Moscow Times
- Putin Demands Answers as Russia’s Economy Undershoots Expectations The Moscow Times
- Russia's Putin scolds top officials for economic contraction Reuters
- Putin Demands Officials Explain Why Russian Economy Is Slowing Bloomberg.com
- Meeting on economic issues Президент России
- Russia spends $130 billion to circumvent sanctions over four years of war – intelligence Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency
Starmer says he’s ‘not going to yield’ to pressure from Trump on Iran war
It follows a warning from the US president that America's trade deal with the UK "can always be changed".
Suspicion surrounds death of US influencer Ashly Robinson in Zanzibar
Lifestyle influencer died while on vacation with boyfriend, who local officials say has since had his passport ‘withheld’
Ashly Robinson, a US lifestyle influencer, died last week while on vacation in the Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar with her boyfriend, Joe McCann. Robinson’s death on 9 April, just days after her birthday and a marriage proposal from McCann, has sparked suspicion on social media, with users doubtful of the current narrative surrounding her death.
No arrests have been made, and police previously said that McCann was not suspected of wrongdoing. But officials in Zanzibar released a statement on Tuesday saying that McCann’s passport has been “withheld”.
Continue reading...Vietnam’s new leader meets China’s Xi on his first overseas trip – AP News
- Vietnam’s new leader meets China’s Xi on his first overseas trip AP News
- Xi Courts Vietnam With His Authoritarian Vision of Security The New York Times
- China's Xi calls for strategic clarity, political security with Vietnam Reuters
- Xi tells Vietnamese counterpart they should ‘jointly oppose unilateralism’ South China Morning Post
- How cultural exchanges foster the China-Vietnam friendship news.cgtn.com
South Africa names apartheid-era negotiator as ambassador to US
Appointment of Roelf Meyer seen as attempt to improve relations amid false US accusations of ‘white genocide’
South Africa has appointed a former apartheid government chief negotiator during the talks that ended white rule in the 1990s as ambassador to the US, in what is seen as an attempt to improve the deeply strained diplomatic relationship between the two countries.
Roelf Meyer replaces Ebrahim Rasool, who was expelled in March 2025 after he criticised the Trump administration.
Continue reading...Gina Rinehart has been forced to share her riches. But will she fight on or end the family feud?
A 15-year court battle costing millions of dollars ended in a partial defeat for the tycoon. Will she now bury the hatchet or double down and keep fighting her children and rivals?
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Gina Rinehart does not like to lose.
Engaged in bitter legal battles for most of the past 35 years, Australia’s richest person has shown her propensity to fight tooth and nail to retain control of her family’s iron ore empire – and the riches that flow from it.
Continue reading...Amid Iran War, Companies Look to Extend a Record Profit Run by Raising Prices – The New York Times
- Amid Iran War, Companies Look to Extend a Record Profit Run by Raising Prices The New York Times
- $30m an hour: big oil reaping huge war windfall from consumers, analysis finds The Guardian
- Big Oil Brings in Extra $30 Million an Hour in Windfall Profits Due to Iran War Truthout
- EU considering excessive profit taxes on oil and gas companies, foreign profits remain unclear Euronews.com
- Call for an EU-wide windfall profit mechanism in response to the energy crisis transportenvironment.org
Sinlaku rips through Northern Mariana Islands as strongest tropical cyclone this year
More than 1,000 people were in shelters across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands as Sinlaku moved away
Super Typhoon Sinlaku hammered the Northern Mariana Islands, flipping over cars, toppling utility poles and ripping away tin roofs.
Authorities were just beginning to assess the damage left behind by the typhoon, which first hit the islands on Tuesday night local time and continued with a barrage of fierce winds and relentless rains for hours on Wednesday. So far, there have been no reports of deaths.
Continue reading...Ant smuggler sentenced to a year in jail by Kenyan court
More than 2,200 ants were found in Zhang Kequn’s luggage at Nairobi airport, with baggage destined for China
A Chinese national has been sentenced to a year in prison and fined by a Nairobi court for attempting to smuggle thousands of ants out of Kenya, a lucrative trade in east Africa that was exposed last year.
The insects are mostly destined for China, the US and Europe, where they become pets and can be worth about $100 each.
Continue reading...Ship ‘Spoofing’ in Strait of Hormuz May Compound Confusion – The New York Times
In Defense of Dumb Dogs – The New York Times
In Defense of Dumb Dogs The New York Times
Israel boxes Paris out of Lebanon talks, halts arms buys as French disconnect grows – The Times of Israel
- Israel boxes Paris out of Lebanon talks, halts arms buys as French disconnect grows The Times of Israel
- U.S. Applies Little Pressure to Israel to Stop the Fighting in Lebanon The New York Times
- Lebanese, Israeli diplomats hold rare face-to-face meeting in Washington The Washington Post
- Hezbollah official says the group won't abide by any agreements from Lebanon-Israel talks in the US AP News
- Macron under fire over Iran, Hezbollah policy as Trump admin hosts Israel-Lebanon talks Fox News
Iran War Live News Updates: Blockade of Iranian Ports Is ‘Fully Implemented,’ U.S. Says – WSJ
- Iran War Live News Updates: Blockade of Iranian Ports Is ‘Fully Implemented,’ U.S. Says WSJ
- Live updates: US says blockade of Iranian ports ‘fully implemented’ as Trump hints at further peace talks CNN
- Mediators move closer to extending US-Iran ceasefire, regional officials tell AP AP News
- Iran war updates: Trump teases more talks; Israel, Lebanon meet in US Al Jazeera
- US, Iran Seek Further Talks as Hormuz Standoff Intensifies Bloomberg.com
What are Iran’s $100bn in frozen assets and where are they held?
Iran wants the US to release its frozen assets as part of talks. The money could help it rebuild its battered economy.