Celebrations in Hungary after Orban ousted in landmark election
Celebrations broke out across Budapest after opposition leader Peter Magyar defeated Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Pope Leo lands in Algeria for historic visit as he starts Africa tour
The pope will also visit Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea during his 11-day trip to the continent.
Iran war: What is happening on day 45 of the US-Iran conflict?
The move to blockade the Strait of Hormuz is the latest escalation in the war after failure to sign peace deal.
Three Tankers Attempt Hormuz Transit After US Flags Blockade – Yahoo Finance
Uber adds fuel surcharge for non-EV fares in Australia amid petrol price rises
Trips in electric vehicles will be exempt from the temporary fee of 5 cents a kilometre, rideshare firm says
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Uber customers in Australia will be charged a fuel surcharge for almost two months from Wednesday unless they ride in an electric vehicle.
Trips in petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles will attract an extra fee of 5 cents a kilometre from 15 April to 8 June, Uber announced on Monday.
Continue reading...I do not fear Trump, says Pope Leo after US president calls him ‘weak’
Leader of Catholic church says he will continue to speak out against war after president’s extraordinary criticism
Pope Leo said he did not fear the Trump administration and would continue to speak out against war after Donald Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against him in which he said he did not think the Chicago-born pontiff was “doing a very good job”, while also suggesting he should “stop catering to the radical left”.
In remarks that have been widely criticised, the US president used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticise Leo while he flew from Florida to Washington on Sunday night, then continued in comments on the tarmac to reporters. “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said.
Continue reading...‘This scene is alive’: Abidjan art week showcases city as growing cultural hub
Late-night gallery tours and new venues signal a city staking its claim as a regional arts capital
On a recent weekday evening, the doors of more than a dozen galleries and museums across Abidjan stayed open till midnight, several hours later than usual, as art enthusiasts went around town on a bus tour. It was the Night of the Galleries, designed for people to drop in after work and enjoy Abidjan art week to the fullest.
The after-hours special showcase was first tested in January 2024 on the sidelines of the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament hosted and won by Côte d’Ivoire. The tradition continued this year during the art week’s third edition, which ran from last Tuesday to Sunday.
Continue reading...Monday briefing: Hungary chooses Péter Magyar over Viktor Orbán
In today’s newsletter: Orbán concedes defeat after 16 years in power, ushering in a new era for Hungary’s relations with the EU, US and Russia
Good morning. The people of Hungary are waking up in an unfamiliar political landscape – one in which Viktor Orbán, who has served as prime minister since 2010, is stepping aside after defeat to Péter Magyar, whose Tisza party has won an election likely to reshape the country’s ties with the EU, the US and Russia.
Less than three hours after polls closed on Sunday, Orbán conceded defeat after what he described as a “painful but unambiguous” result. Magyar, who has pledged to repair Hungary’s strained relationship with the EU, crack down on corruption and channel funds towards long-neglected public services, said Tisza voters had rewritten Hungarian history and that “truth prevailed over lies”.
Middle East | Donald Trump has said the US will begin blockading the strait of Hormuz in an attempt to take control of the strategic waterway from Iran in the aftermath of failed peace negotiations.
Carers | Thousands of unpaid carers will continue to be hit with hefty and potentially unfair benefit repayment demands, as a government initiative gets under way to fix welfare injustices that have drawn comparison to the Post Office scandal
UK news | The Home Office is to announce the closure of 11 asylum hotels this week as part of its pledge to close all such facilities by the end of this parliament.
Ireland | Police have cleared a blockade of central Dublin by farmers and hauliers who were protesting about fuel prices, signalling a possible end to six days of protests that have rocked Ireland.
UK politics | Ministers are planning to reshape Britain’s relationship with the European Union, with new legislation that could result in the UK signing up to EU single market rules without a normal parliamentary vote.
Continue reading...Scores Killed in Nigerian Military Strikes as Clashes With Militants Intensify – The New York Times
- Scores Killed in Nigerian Military Strikes as Clashes With Militants Intensify The New York Times
- Nigeria military to investigate deadly air strike on bustling market Financial Times
- At least 100 dead in Nigeria after air force ‘misfire’ on market, sources say AP News
- Nigerian airstrike hits market, 200 feared dead in northeast Yobe state Reuters
- Jilli air strike: Dozens of Nigerian civilians reportedly killed in Borno market BBC
A stampede at a Haitian mountaintop fortress kills at least 25 people and injures dozens – NPR
- A stampede at a Haitian mountaintop fortress kills at least 25 people and injures dozens NPR
- At least 30 killed in crush at historic fortress in Haiti The Guardian
- Stampede at Haiti’s Citadelle Laferrière Mars a Haitian Source of Pride The New York Times
- At least 30 feared dead in crush at Haitian tourist site BBC
- Stampede at historic fortress Citadelle Henri in Haiti killed at least 25 people CBS News
Merck’s Keytruda: A lifesaving drug, a global divide – dw.com
- Merck's Keytruda: A lifesaving drug, a global divide dw.com
- How Merck turned its wonder drug into a blockbuster — and priced out cancer patients worldwide International Consortium of Investigative Journalists - ICIJ
- The miracle cancer drug that saves lives but costs €8,086 per dose The Irish Times
- Rs 1.5 lakh a shot, ‘magic’ cancer drug leaked from top hospitals, fakes sold to desperate patients The Indian Express
- Keytruda: what’s the true cost of the world’s bestselling cancer drug? TBIJ
Private firms providing services to NHS made £1.6bn profit in two years, research finds
Exclusive: MPs say profit-making levels in England are ‘scandalous’ and call for cap on amount private companies can make from NHS
Private firms providing services to the NHS including healthcare and consultancy have made £1.6bn in profits over the last two years, research reveals.
The findings – on the basis of contracts worth £12bn – have prompted claims of “scandalous” profiteering, concern that the health service is being “taken for a ride” and calls for ministers to impose a cap on maximum profit levels.
£2bn of the £12bn of contracts went to firms with owners based outside the UK.
£533m of that £2bn went to companies owned by people living in tax havens such as Jersey and the Cayman Islands.
Firms, especially those owned by private equity outfits, used £353m of their £12bn NHS income to pay interest on debts.
Continue reading...More than a fifth of UK’s ‘austerity children’ scarred by poverty, study says
Researchers say hardship is a direct legacy of welfare benefit cuts imposed by Tory governments in recent years
More than a fifth of all “austerity generation” British children have been scarred by poverty for at least half their childhood, a direct legacy of the welfare benefit cuts imposed by Conservative governments in recent years, research reveals.
The proportion of children born after 2013 who spent at least six of their first 11 years of life in hardship surged after ministers froze working age benefits levels and imposed policies such as the two-child limit, it found.
Continue reading...Is Gout Gout faster than Usain Bolt? Australian sprinter sets sights on Jamaican great’s 200m record
Coach believes there’s no limit to 18-year-old’s talent while athlete himself says he’s ‘ready for more’
Having cracked the 20-second barrier with a sizzling run over 200m – and in the process fulled comparisons with the great Usain Bolt – the question now is, how fast can Gout Gout go?
“How long’s a piece of string?” said Gout’s coach and mentor, Di Sheppard, after he clocked 19.67sec at the Australian championships in Sydney on Sunday.
Continue reading...Australia names Coyle first woman to lead army – Yahoo
- Australia names Coyle first woman to lead army Yahoo
- Australia appoints woman to lead its army for the first time Reuters
- Australia appoints female army chief for the first time in history Al Jazeera
- Afternoon Update: first female chief of army announced; rapist sacked from One Nation; and a show-stopping poodle The Guardian
- Albanese names new defence force chief Australian Broadcasting Corporation
‘Hungary has chosen Europe’: EU leaders jubilant after Péter Magyar’s victory over Orbán
Congratulations pour in from across EU, with leaders from Spain, Poland, France, Britain, Denmark, Romania, Sweden and beyond hailing a new chapter
EU leaders heaped praise on Péter Magyar after his decisive election victory in Hungary against the long-serving prime minister Viktor Orbán, who many saw as a direct threat to Europe’s peace and prosperity.
The outpouring reflected a deep frustration with Orbán across the EU’s 27 member states and its institutions.
Continue reading...Mysterious Lake District barn joins national treasures on heritage list
Officials grant Grade II* protection to ‘rare building that raises more questions than it answers’
It is an elite list with some of the most significant and beautiful buildings and structures in England, including Battersea power station, Middlesbrough’s Transporter Bridge and the London Coliseum.
Now the Grade II* landmarks are being joined by a mysterious, limestone rubble “barn” on a grassy knoll in the Lake District, which was most recently used as a shelter for sheep and cows.
Continue reading...€1m Picasso painting to be won for €100 in charity raffle
Number of tickets to win Tête de Femme will be capped at 120,000 and proceeds will go to Alzheimer’s research
A raffle in France is offering the chance to win a portrait by Pablo Picasso for the price of a €100 (£87) ticket, with proceeds going to Alzheimer’s research.
Picasso painted the gouache-on-paper Tête de Femme (Head of a Woman) in 1941. The raffle organisers’ online sales platform says the number of tickets will be capped at 120,000, meaning the draw could net €12m if they are all sold.
Continue reading...Spanish premier urges China to take bigger role in multipolar order – Reuters
- Spanish premier urges China to take bigger role in multipolar order Reuters
- Leaders of China, Spain pledge closer ties amid 'crumbling' world order Reuters
- Spain’s Sánchez Calls for Chinese Diplomacy to Solve Iran War Bloomberg.com
- Spain's Sanchez calls China trade imbalance with EU 'unsustainable' France 24
- Xi and Sánchez say China and Spain should help safeguard multilateralism AP News
Leading candidate quits California governor race amid sexual misconduct claims
Top Democratic allies intensified pressure on him to exit the gubernatorial race.