by Ashifa Kassam and Flora Garamvolgyi in Budapest on (#74Q8C)
The rightwing populist has been in power for 16 years but a new generation of voters are preparing to vote for his opponent, polls suggestAs he rushed to finish off his cigarette before heading to class, Akos, 20, confessed that he has more at stake than most as Hungarians prepare to head to the polls in the coming days.If things remain the same, or get even worse, I can't see a future here," said the aspiring teacher. There are many people who want to try living elsewhere, and that's totally fine, but I'm not one of them. For so long I've dreamed of working and teaching here." Continue reading...
by William Christou and Abbas Abdelkarim in Tyre on (#74Q8D)
As Israel expands its invasion of southern Lebanon, people are having to bury their dead in temporary gravesIn Lebanon, the dead are usually given one last glimpse of their home town before they are laid to rest. Hoisted high above the heads of the living, their casket is slowly marched through the streets where they grew up.It is the hands of their loved ones that guide them into their final resting place, already dug, and gently sprinkle dirt on their body. Continue reading...
Despite hostile rhetoric Trump let a Russian ship break his blockade - could it herald a Venezuela-style outcome?When a sanctioned Russian oil tanker, the Anatoly Kolodkin, docked at Cuba's Matanzas oil terminal on Tuesday, unloading 700,000 barrels of crude, it was not immediately clear why the ship had been allowed to pass through Donald Trump's oil blockade.In January, the US president had proclaimed on social media: THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO!" yet last week he told reporters, If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with it" - and waved the Russian ship through. Continue reading...
Senior figures express concerns over medical union's refusal of pay rise that is higher than offer to other NHS staffTrade unions have privately expressed qualms about the forthcoming doctors' strikes, expressing frustration at the conduct of the talks and the demands of the British Medical Association.The BMA is pushing for a pay rise higher than the 3.5% offered to doctors by the government, with strikes planned for next week. Continue reading...
Initial reports suggested parts of arena's wall had collapsed, but Alianza Lima says there were no structural failuresOne person has been killed and dozens more injured at the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium in Lima, Peru, according to the football club Alianza Lima.Hundreds of fans were attending a flag-waving event" on Friday around the stadium, a day before a derby match between the home team Alianza Lima and local rivals Universitario de Deportes. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent on (#74Q6D)
Fears of Easter chaos over scaling up of new EU border system are eased, with no facial IDs for Eurotunnel and Eurostar passengersPassengers crossing the Channel from the UK to France will not face new biometric checks in the coming weeks, despite an imminent deadline for the complete implementation of the EU's entry-exit system (EES), ports say.Airlines and airports across Europe have feared chaos over the Easter holidays. Continue reading...
Lack of regulation for specialist classes leaves UK fitness enthusiasts at risk, say professional bodiesThe boom in reformer pilates has created a wild west" of studios where poor regulation has resulted in inexperienced teachers and a rise in injuries, professional standards bodies have warned.Pilates is not formally or legally regulated, and as its popularity has surged, industry experts say, so too has the growth of packed reformer-based classes often led by instructors with limited training. Continue reading...
Riccione's leftwing mayor, Daniela Angelini, says public purchase is victory for town and act of love and vision'An Italian council has bought a villa where Benito Mussolini spent his summer holidays, partly to avoid the property falling into the hands of fascist nostalgics".Daniela Angelini, the leftwing mayor of Riccione, a town close to Rimini along Italy's Adriatic coast, said the acquisition of Villa Mussolini through an auction was an act of love and vision" and that bringing it back into public hands was a victory for the entire town. Continue reading...
Man and woman released pending further enquiries after arrests at separate properties in state's north-east on Saturday morningTwo people have been arrested as part of the investigation into how Porepunkah fugitive Dezi Freeman was able to survive on the run for seven months before he was shot dead last week.A man and a woman were arrested at separate properties in north-east Victoria on Saturday morning around 7am, before being later released. Continue reading...
by Bethan McKernan Wales correspondent on (#74Q57)
Reports on English policies seen in Wales as relating to whole of UK contribute to widespread confusion, researchers sayUK media is failing to report properly on devolved issues in Wales, leaving voters ill-informed about May's Senedd elections, a report has found.A Cardiff University study of more than 3,000 news items found repeated patterns in coverage across different broadcasters and platforms, including not signposting whether an issue was relevant to England or England and Wales only, widespread references to the government" rather than the UK government", and the use of you" and your" in contexts that apply only to people living in England. Continue reading...
Ray Blanchette admits he may be a little crazy' as he outlines chain's hopes of building 1,000 outlets globallyI am a little crazy maybe," admits Ray Blanchette, a former TGI Fridays kitchen manager who has taken on the revival of the bar-restaurant chain's UK business in the face of blasting industry headwinds.Blanchette's family investment firm, Sugarloaf, rescued the Dallas-based parent business from administration in 2025. He then went on to pick up its UK arm in January after the local franchisee got into difficulties, retaining 33 UK restaurants but closing 16, with the loss of 456 jobs. Continue reading...
Royal visitors have long been popular in the US, and Charles has decades of diplomacy under his belt. But can soft power save the special relationship?What's the worst that could happen when King Charles visits Donald Trump in Washington at the end of this month? And what will be the best outcome from Keir Starmer's point of view, since it is the prime minister who directed the visit to go ahead in the hope of improving our battered, supposedly special relationship? While the relationship is still apparently meaningful to Britain, to the US it appears to not mean so much - especially now.The king goes where he is told, whether he would prefer to stay at home or not. This time to a land whose president denounces our aircraft carriers as toys and accuses us of cowardice, and whose defence secretary talks derisively of our Royal Navy. Perhaps Charles ought to wear his naval admiral's uniform when he goes to the White House, medals and all. Continue reading...
by Adam Fulton (now); Lucy Campbell, Nadeem Badshah, on (#74PF7)
This blog is closed - our live coverage continues in a new blog hereAuthorities in Abu Dhabi have reported two incidents of debris falling from intercepted aerial threats in the UAE capital, with one sparking a fire at a gas facility,The official Abu Dhabi Media Office said authorities responded to an incident of falling debris at the Habshan gas facilities. Operations have been suspended while authorities respond to a fire," it said in a post on X, adding that no injuries were reported. Continue reading...
Russian advances slowing, thinktank's data shows; 14 killed in Ukraine in massive drone and missile salvo. What we know on day 1,501Russia's army recorded almost no territorial gains on the frontline in Ukraine in March for the first time in two-and-a-half years, according to analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) conducted by Agence France-Presse. The Russian army has been slowing in its advances since late 2025 - because of Kyiv's localised breakthroughs in the south-east of the country. Across the entire frontline, the Russian army seized only 23 sq km (8.9 sq miles) in March, losing territory in some areas, according to the analysis. This figure excludes infiltration operations conducted by Russian forces beyond the frontline, as well as advances claimed by the Russian side but neither confirmed nor denied by the ISW.The Russian army made 319 sq km of gains in January and 123 sq km in February, which was then the smallest advance since April 2024. Its advance in March was the smallest since September 2023. The ISW attributed the slowdown to Ukrainian counteroffensives, but also to Russia's ban on using Starlink terminals in Ukraine" and the Kremlin's efforts to restrict access to Telegram". The messaging app - very popular among Russians, including those fighting on the front - has been barely usable in recent months due to blocks imposed by the authorities. As in February, Russia lost ground on the southern section of the frontline, between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.Russian strikes killed 14 people in Ukraine on Friday, officials said, as Moscow launched the latest in an increasing number of daytime barrages. Moscow has been firing aerial broadsides at Ukraine throughout its more than four-year invasion, mostly at night, but in recent weeks has stepped up daytime attacks. The Russian military used more than 500 drones and dozens of missiles in its salvo on Friday, according to the Ukrainian air force.Russia's Baltic oil export hubs at Ust-Luga and Primorsk remain unable to handle shipments after a series of Ukrainian drone attacks, prompting the country's refineries to find alternative routes for export, industry sources said on Friday. The attacks have damaged port infrastructure and continued through the last two weeks of March, with at least five strikes on Ust-Luga in the space of 10 days. Sources said the export restrictions, along with disruptions at large refineries, could lead to a decrease in oil production in Russia. Traders said refineries had been unable to deliver diesel fuel to Primorsk for export since 22 March, leaving refineries in European Russia and Siberia without their most viable export route. Traders said refineries were having to consider more expensive rail transport routes to other export terminals.Zelenskyy has called on lawmakers to pass key legislation next week to avert a funding crisis, help Ukraine fight the war against Russia, and enact key reforms required for EU accession. Due to lagging reforms and slow legislative progress in late 2025 and early this year, Ukraine missed deadlines to unlock billions from its key lenders, economists said. With the need for external financing standing at $52bn this year - equivalent to about a quarter of annual economic output - the budget situation is desperate. I have a list of key draft laws that are critical for securing funding," the Ukrainian president said in remarks released on Friday. They range from strengthening the court system to reforming energy sector procedures. I believe that members of parliament from all parties must understand the importance of these bills for Ukraine's budget," said Zelenskyy, who has a majority in parliament but its relations with his government have soured. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#74Q21)
Misogynistic abuse of female staff is increasing, leaving teachers feeling traumatised' and humiliated'Teachers' leaders have said a masculinity crisis" is fermenting in schools across the UK, with misogynistic abuse of female staff on the increase, leaving victims traumatised", demeaned" and humiliated".Almost a quarter of female teachers who took part in a union survey said they have been the target of misogyny from a pupil over the past 12 months - the highest proportion in the last four years of surveys. Continue reading...
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Aakash Hassan in Delhi a on (#74Q22)
Ripple effects of oil and fertiliser shortage felt by farmers in India and Sri Lanka despite governments saying there is enough stock to go roundGurvinder Singh never thought the war in Iran would touch his quiet corner of Punjab.Yet looking out over his smallholding, where he alternates between wheat and rice crops in the state known as India's breadbasket, the 52-year-old farmer can barely think of anything else. His anxiety over a conflict playing out thousands of miles away is crippling as he fears what will come of this season's rice crop. Continue reading...
Met police investigate incident, removing five officers from frontline duties after member of the public discovers itemsArmed police officers protecting the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, allegedly left a bag containing guns and a Taser on the street which was discovered by a member of the public.The Metropolitan police said on Friday it was investigating the incident and five officers had been removed from frontline duties while inquiries were being carried out. Continue reading...
Democrat Tammy Duckworth writes letter to TSA calling on agency to reinstate the shoes-off airport security policyNine months after US airports allowed passengers to pass through scanners without taking off their shoes, rescinding the stringent policy after almost two decades, a top senator claimed the reckless" move could put passengers in danger.The policy amounts to a potentially catastrophic security deficiency", according to Tammy Duckworth, Democrat for Illinois, and ranking member of the Senate commerce, science and transportation (CST) aviation subcommittee. Continue reading...
Veteran justice, 76, was treated for dehydration in March; a retirement would give Trump new chance to shape courtUS supreme court justice Samuel Alito was reportedly taken to a hospital after becoming sick at a Federalist Society dinner in Philadelphia in March, further fueling speculation that Donald Trump could have more chances to shape the land's highest court through new appointments.A CNN report said Alito was checked by medical staff and given fluids due to dehydration. He later returned to his home in Virginia that same night with his security detail. In the weeks since, Alito has resumed his duties, including participating in oral arguments. Continue reading...
PM gets widespread backing after president's mocking impersonation takes US-UK relationship to new lowKeir Starmer has been warned his relationship with Donald Trump may be beyond repair after the US president derided the prime minister for consulting his team about military decisions, in a mocking impersonation.In a new low for UK-US relations, Trump appeared to imitate Starmer in a weak voice during an Easter lunch speech at the White House, and said the UK was not our best" ally. Continue reading...
Academics and youth workers say cuts to services, not social media, help explain recent unrest in south LondonIt started with a flyer sent around on Snapchat. Teenagers were invited to gather in a south London basketball court to celebrate the start of the Easter holidays. They were told to bring their own weed and laughing gas because it was going to be a late one.What followed in the hours after was chaos. Hundreds of young people came to the link-up", which happened last Saturday, and then gathered on Clapham High Street. Continue reading...
Victim of Woolwich shooting named as Eghosa Ogbebor as two boys and 18-year-old held on suspicion of murderThree teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 14-year-old boy was fatally shot in Woolwich, south-east London.The Metropolitan police said officers received reports of a shooting on Lord Warwick Street, Woolwich, at about 3.40pm on Thursday. Continue reading...
Petrol has risen 19% and diesel 35%, while in England the north has had the sharpest increasesFuel prices have risen faster in Northern Ireland than in any other UK region since the beginning of the Iran war.Analysis of official data shows petrol has jumped by 19% in Northern Ireland since the end of February, and diesel is now 35% more expensive. The rises are among the largest in Europe. Continue reading...
The telco's sweeping price changes and the closure of its cheaper starter' plan risk putting off many of its loyal customersTelstra has long traded on its claim to have better - and far more expansive - mobile coverage than its rivals to justify a steep pricing premium that has accelerated in recent years.But the telco's latest changes, which include steep price hikes and the closure of its cheaper starter" plan to new users, combined with a dramatic rejection of its coverage claims by the industry regulator, risk putting off many of its traditional customers, according to consumer advocates. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#74PQ7)
NASUWT says full entitlement should be increased to 26 weeks and paternity pay also improvedFull maternity pay for teachers across the UK should be increased to 26 weeks to help stem the exodus of women in their 30s from classrooms, a union leader has said.Matt Wrack, the general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, said it was a national scandal" that so many teachers who quit said inadequate maternity support was one of the reasons. Continue reading...
Shop around, coast downhill, band together - drivers tell of how they're dealing with the costliest gas in the USJack Nooney has pretty much made peace with the traffic since moving to Los Angeles five years ago, but recent soaring gas prices have certainly added another layer of insult to his daily commute. The musician and full-time grocery deli employee drives from his San Fernando Valley apartment to Santa Monica daily. While it's just nine miles each way, with LA traffic that often equates to a whole gas-burning hour.Nooney, who makes $20/hour, says it's become glaringly clear that fuel costs will eat up more of his already tight budget. Angelenos are now paying on average nearly $5.90 a gallon - and some stations are charging a shocking $8 a gallon. The outsized prices are directly related to the Iran war, which has created the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, according to the International Energy Agency. Continue reading...
by Peter Beaumont, Senior international correspondent on (#74PNV)
International law experts seriously concerned' about strikes on schools, health centres and homes' in contravention of Geneva conventionsDonald Trump, other senior US officials and their cheerleaders appear to be embracing attacks - and threats of attacks - on Iranian civilian infrastructure, which legal experts say appears to constitute serious war crimes under international law.In his rambling national address on Wednesday, the US president warned that if Iran did not reach an unspecified deal with him, US forces would hit each and every one of their electric-generating plants" and bring [Iran] back to the stone ages - where they belong". Continue reading...
Research for TUC analyses link between job quality and economic inactivity, as UK youth unemployment risesYoung people in the UK are more likely to leave their job for health reasons and become economically inactive when they work in insecure, low-paid sectors, a study has found.Research carried out for the Trades Union Congress by the consultancy Timewise charts a connection between the jobs young people are most likely to do - in hospitality, retail and care, for example - and the proportion of people leaving work because of ill health. Continue reading...
Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem only two cabinet members to be fired despite string of scandals facing male officials. Plus, why New Yorkers are swapping gas for induction stoves Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Donald Trump has been accused of running a misogynistic administration" after Pam Bondi became the second woman to be fired from a cabinet already dominated by men.Who will replace Bondi? Trump said Todd Blanche, her deputy, would serve as acting attorney general. Lee Zeldin, a former New York congressman who now leads the Environmental Protection Agency, is said to be a top contender to replace Bondi.How badly has Iran been affected? At least 1,900 people have been killed and 20,000 injured in Iran since the start of the war, according to a rough estimate by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Continue reading...
Country is torn between those who hope for end to Tehran's influence and those loyal to Islamic republicOf all the countries being pulled into the US-Israeli war on Iran, it is Iraq - a country that still bears the emotional and physical scars of the last time the Americans tried to reshape the region by force - where the conflict has exposed some of the deepest rifts.The war is dividing those who see the attacks on Iran as a way to end Tehran's longstanding influence over Iraqi politics from the self-declared loyalists of the Islamic republic, and cutting through state institutions, armed forces and Shia Islamist parties. Continue reading...
St Michael's Mount and the people who live near it are still healing from the scars left by storm's 100mph windsThree months after Storm Goretti battered St Michael's Mount in Cornwall, the signs of the storm's power are still evident in the scars left by uprooted trees, piles of logs and the shaking of heads from islanders who have lived there for decades and never seen the like.It really was something," said Jack Beesley, a senior gardener. We were shocked the morning after when we saw what had happened. We had been caring for these trees for years and to see so many of them down was very sad. We've worked hard to get the place ready for the Easter visitors but it will still be a month or more until we're back straight." Continue reading...
by Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent on (#74PKP)
Min Aung Hlaing seized control five years ago and plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaosMin Aung Hlaing, the military general who plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaos when he took power in the 2021 coup has been appointed president, months after widely condemned sham elections.Min Aung Hlaing, who is wanted by the prosecutor of the international criminal court for crimes against humanity against the Rohingya Muslim minority, was voted president by lawmakers on Friday. Myanmar's parliament is dominated by the pro-military party, which won a landslide in one-sided elections earlier this year. Continue reading...
Ibrahim Traore, who took power in 2022 coup, tells state broadcaster we must tell the truth, democracy isn't for us'People in Burkina Faso should forget about democracy as it is not for us", the military president, Ibrahim Traore, told the country's state broadcaster.Traore took power in a coup in September 2022, toppling another junta that had taken power just nine months earlier. He has since stifled opposition and in January banned political parties outright. Continue reading...
Brady Ebert, a former member of the Grammy-winning US hardcore band, allegedly hit the father of Brendan Yates with his carBrady Ebert, the former guitarist of the Grammy-winning US hardcore band Turnstile, has been charged with attempted second-degree murder after allegedly hitting the father of the band's frontman, Brendan Yates, with his car.On 29 March, police found William Yates outside his home with trauma to his lower extremities", with a broken bone protruding from his leg, according to the Baltimore Banner. Continue reading...
Footage shows US president saying UK should be our best' ally and accusing PM of prevarication over sending ships Middle East crisis - live updatesFootage has emerged of Donald Trump mocking Keir Starmer by claiming the prime minister said he would have to consult his team before deciding whether to send UK aircraft carriers to the Middle East.In a new low for UK-US relations, Trump appeared to impersonate Starmer during an Easter lunch speech at the White House. Continue reading...
Bosses write to home secretary and London mayor listing series of incidents staff have faced in past weekMarks & Spencer has called on the government and London's mayor to crack down on retail crime, saying it has become more brazen, more organised and more aggressive", after reporting an increase in shoplifting and violence at its stores.The M&S chief executive, Stuart Machin, has written to the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, and its retail director, Thinus Keeve, has written to the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, saying greater resources are needed for police to tackle the crime effectively and target repeat offenders and crime hotspots. Continue reading...
by Lauren Herdman and Dan Adamson for MetDesk on (#74PHK)
South-east Italy also affected by heavy rain, and snow at higher altitudes, while deadly flooding hits AfghanistanParts of the Mediterranean have been lashed by Storm Erminio this week. Heavy rain, thunderstorms and occasional bursts of hail affected much of Greece throughout Wednesday and Thursday, with the most severe conditions across south-eastern parts of the mainland and several islands in the southern Aegean Sea, including Crete, with streets flooded and vehicles stranded.Some of the heaviest rain fell on Wednesday across Attica, a region encompassing Athens, with one weather station near the city's international airport recording 132mm (5.2 in) in 24 hours. The most intense downpours were overnight, when the coastal town of Nea Makri was particularly badly affected; an unofficial weather station recorded about 50mm falling within just two hours. One person died in the town; a man found beneath a car was believed to have been swept away as he escaped his flooding basement home. Continue reading...
Anna Turley questions revised 25,000 figure for failed attempt to reach Chagos Islands on jet linked to billionaireLabour has queried Nigel Farage's claim that a return trip to the Maldives on a private jet linked to a billionaire donor cost as little as 25,000 as the Reform leader attempted to reach the Chagos Islands.Farage initially recorded his two-day trip to the Maldives as costing 12,500 funded by Thailand-based Reform megadonor Christopher Harborne, before upgrading this to 25,000 in the latest register of interests. Continue reading...
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