Author: Admin

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A former government insider has emerged as the strongest challenge to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s lengthy rule, leading in polls just days before critical elections this Sunday.

Péter Magyar, a 45-year-old attorney who leads the opposition Tisza party, has experienced a remarkable political transformation since entering the public spotlight in early 2024. Over the past two years, he has energized Hungarian voters nationwide who view him as the most viable candidate to end Orbán’s 16-year dominance.

Magyar’s background tells the story of someone who once thrived within Orbán’s political structure. He joined the prime minister’s nationalist-populist Fidesz party in 2002 and spent years navigating its inner workings, securing influential positions at government-controlled organizations and building relationships with key power brokers.

Current polling data shows Tisza holding a substantial double-digit advantage over Fidesz — marking the first time any opposition group has achieved such numbers since Orbán regained control in 2010. While some Magyar supporters express concern about his previous government connections, others argue that his insider knowledge makes him uniquely qualified to dismantle the current system.

Magyar, born in 1981, has spoken about his early fascination with politics. During his childhood in the waning days of communist Hungary, he looked up to Orbán and his young liberal democratic allies who were confronting Soviet influence as the Cold War concluded.

As a student, Magyar reportedly watched parliamentary proceedings on television and joined his parents at political rallies. Deeply involved in conservative political circles, he became a Fidesz member at 21 in 2002, developing close relationships with future party leaders including Gergely Gulyás, who eventually became Orbán’s chief of staff.

Following his 2003 law degree from a Catholic institution, Magyar entered legal practice. During Fidesz’s opposition period in 2006, he offered free legal services to anti-government protesters who faced arrest during violent demonstrations against the Socialist administration.

That year also marked his marriage to attorney Judit Varga, who would later become a prominent Orbán cabinet member. In 2009, the couple relocated to Brussels, where Varga served as an advisor to a Hungarian European Parliament representative.

While living abroad, Magyar balanced diplomatic work for Hungary’s Foreign Ministry and its EU mission with time as a stay-at-home father to their three children.

Upon their 2018 return to Hungary, Magyar assumed leadership positions at multiple state-connected institutions. Simultaneously, Varga’s political profile grew within Fidesz, culminating in her 2019 appointment as justice minister. Along with Katalin Novák, an Orbán supporter who became Hungary’s youngest and first female president in 2022, Varga was considered a potential Orbán successor.

However, a 2024 political crisis would dramatically alter Magyar’s personal and professional path, reshaping Hungarian political dynamics.

After returning from Brussels, Magyar and Varga’s marriage crumbled, ending in divorce in 2023.

The following year brought a scandal that shook Hungary when revelations surfaced that President Novák had pardoned someone convicted of assisting in child sexual abuse. The shocking decision prompted Novák’s resignation, while Varga, who had supported the pardon, also resigned from her position.

The day after Varga’s resignation, Magyar participated in an extensive interview with Partizán, a prominent Hungarian YouTube channel, publicly severing ties with Fidesz and alleging widespread government corruption serving only a narrow group of political and business elites.

The interview became an instant sensation, accumulating over 2 million views in a nation of less than 10 million people, catapulting Magyar from relative obscurity to national prominence overnight.

In subsequent weeks, he escalated his government criticism and began organizing public gatherings. On March 15, Hungary’s national holiday, he spoke to thousands of supporters in Budapest, announcing his intention to create a new political organization that would become the Tisza party.

By June, Tisza captured 30% of votes in European Parliament elections, securing Magyar a seat as an EU legislator.

Shortly after his government break, Varga publicly accused Magyar of abusive conduct during their marriage. Magyar has rejected these claims, characterizing them as a political smear campaign following his opposition to the ruling party.

In recent political interviews, Magyar has described himself as someone who frequently expressed dissent even while working within the Fidesz framework, claiming he consistently voiced criticism and advocated for internal discussion.

His political emergence has reinvigorated significant portions of Hungarian society who, frustrated with previous generations of divided and ineffective opposition movements, have long searched for a credible Orbán alternative.

Additionally, while Orbán’s campaign emphasizes various external dangers facing Hungary, including the conflict in nearby Ukraine, Magyar has concentrated on everyday concerns affecting regular Hungarians: rising prices, inadequate wages, declining public healthcare and transit systems, and widespread corruption.

Though Magyar has successfully united Orbán opponents across the political landscape, his support doesn’t always stem from ideological agreement. Some liberal voters remain skeptical of his confrontational approach and conservative positions.

Seeking to avoid errors made by previous opposition figures who provided Fidesz with attack opportunities, Magyar has deliberately refrained from taking definitive stances on controversial topics such as Orbán’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and whether Hungary should increase Ukrainian support.

Beyond his substantive critiques of Orbán’s governance, Magyar has achieved a level of political stardom rarely witnessed in Hungarian politics outside of Orbán himself. Following his rallies, crowds frequently rush toward the stage for selfies, patiently waiting as he poses individually with supporters.

His swift rise has inspired a documentary film released in Hungarian theaters this year. “Spring Wind — The Awakening,” which has dominated box office charts, chronicles Magyar’s transformation from an obscure insider to the political figure now challenging Orbán’s administration.

BEIJING – Chinese government officials have called in executives from seven major online travel booking companies to issue warnings about their use of automated ticket-purchasing systems, according to an announcement made Friday by the country’s Cyberspace Administration.

The travel platforms targeted in the crackdown include Trip.com, Meituan, Tongcheng, and Alibaba’s Fliggy service. Officials told these companies they are “prohibited from using automated programs to conduct large-scale, high-frequency ticket-snatching operations that interfere with the security verification measures” and disrupt the normal functioning of China’s official railway booking system called “12306.”

The issue has become particularly problematic as China’s rail system handles enormous passenger volumes, with more than 4.6 billion passenger journeys recorded in 2025. During busy travel seasons like the Lunar New Year holiday – considered the world’s largest annual mass migration – passengers often struggle to secure tickets through official channels and turn to third-party software that promises better odds of obtaining hard-to-get reservations.

The highest court in Eswatini has delivered a victory for four men who were sent to the African nation by U.S. authorities last July, ruling they can now access in-person legal representation after being denied such meetings for nine months while confined in a maximum-security facility.

The men had been held at Matsapha Correctional Complex since their deportation under a Trump administration initiative that sends migrants to third-party nations rather than their countries of origin.

While an initial court decision had authorized local attorney Sibusiso Nhlabatsi to visit the detained men on behalf of their American legal team, Eswatini’s government quickly challenged that ruling.

Thursday’s Supreme Court decision rejected government claims that the four deportees had no desire to meet with Nhlabatsi and dismissed arguments that legal representation wasn’t warranted since no local criminal charges had been filed against them.

The African kingdom operates as the continent’s sole remaining absolute monarchy under royal rule, with authorities facing criticism for harsh treatment of democratic reform advocates.

Attorney Alma David from Novo Legal Group, representing two of the four detained men, issued a statement Friday highlighting the significance of the prolonged legal battle. “The fact that it took nine months of litigation to allow the men to meet with a lawyer speaks volumes about how hard the government of Eswatini is fighting to deny these men the most basic of rights,” David said.

The detained individuals, who originated from Cuba, Yemen, Laos and Vietnam, have maintained telephone contact with their U.S.-based legal representatives throughout their confinement.

At least eight African countries have entered into agreements with Washington to accept migrants who cannot easily return to their home nations, part of an immigration enforcement strategy designed to expedite removals of individuals without legal status in America.

Opponents of these arrangements argue they enable violations of deportees’ fundamental rights in nations with poor human rights records, particularly when those being deported have no connection to the receiving countries.

While U.S. officials maintain proper procedures were followed in these deportations, they have largely transferred responsibility for deportee treatment to the host nations.

Government representatives in Eswatini declined immediate comment on the court’s decision.

According to U.S. authorities, all four men had completed prison terms for serious criminal convictions and were subject to deportation orders. However, their attorneys contend the continued detention in Eswatini violates legal standards since no charges have been filed against them in that country.

State Department records reveal the U.S. agreed to provide $5.1 million to Eswatini’s government for accepting deportees. Since July, at least 19 individuals have been sent to the country in multiple groups, with officials indicating they could face detention for up to one year. Two deportees have since returned to their native countries.

The remaining seven African nations participating in similar deportation agreements include South Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Congo.

Public documentation shows varying financial arrangements, including a $7.5 million payment to Rwanda. South Sudan reportedly requested sanctions relief for a corruption-accused official and assistance prosecuting an opposition figure in exchange for accepting deportees, though there’s no evidence the U.S. entertained these proposals.

Democratic senators have raised concerns about a $7.5 million transfer to Equatorial Guinea, whose leadership faces allegations of widespread corruption and authoritarian practices. Many aspects of these international agreements remain classified, including detention locations and duration for some African deportees.

A February analysis by Democratic Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff found the Trump administration allocated at least $40 million to deport approximately 300 migrants to countries other than their homelands, spanning Africa, Central America and other regions.

Associated Press reporting previously revealed 47 third-country deportation agreements had been finalized or were under negotiation based on internal government documents.

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Viktor Orbán, who has controlled Hungarian politics for over twenty years, faces a critical election Sunday that could end his remarkable transformation from young democracy advocate to authoritarian strongman.

The 62-year-old leader, who currently serves as the European Union’s most enduring prime minister and frequent critic, trails significantly in polling data despite receiving a campaign boost from a recent visit by U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Orbán’s challenger comes from the center-right Tisza party, led by the increasingly popular Péter Magyar. In response to this threat, the incumbent has launched misleading information campaigns, artificial intelligence-created attack advertisements, and apocalyptic warnings that economic collapse and military conflict would devastate Hungary under new leadership.

The current prime minister’s journey began in 1963 in the small village of Felcsút, located roughly 20 miles from the capital. As an academically gifted youth with a passion for soccer, he pursued legal studies before attending Oxford University on a scholarship from George Soros’s foundation — ironically, the same billionaire Orbán would later vilify as a national threat.

Orbán helped establish Fidesz in 1988 as a liberal organization opposing communist rule. One year later, the 26-year-old law student delivered a passionate address to massive crowds, boldly calling for Soviet military withdrawal from Hungarian territory during the communist system’s final phase.

Following his 1990 parliamentary debut as Fidesz’s leader, he achieved the distinction of becoming Europe’s youngest prime minister when voters elected him in 1998 at age 35. However, as Hungary’s political landscape evolved and competing liberal movements gained ground, he gradually repositioned Fidesz toward conservative nationalism.

Political analysts often point to his 2002 electoral loss to the Socialist party as the moment that fundamentally altered Orbán’s governing philosophy. Addressing party members following that defeat, he outlined his strategy for future dominance.

“We’ve only got to win once, but we’ve got to win big,” he said.

That decisive victory materialized eight years later. Capitalizing on public frustration over the 2008 financial crisis and Socialist government scandals, Orbán reclaimed the prime minister’s office in 2010 with Fidesz securing a parliamentary supermajority.

This overwhelming mandate enabled sweeping institutional changes. Fidesz unilaterally drafted a new constitution, restructured election laws, and installed loyalists throughout the judiciary.

Simultaneously, Orbán directed European Union-funded government contracts toward allied businesses. These supporters subsequently acquired hundreds of media companies while forcing others to shut down. By decade’s end, analysts estimated that Fidesz-aligned entities controlled approximately 80% of Hungary’s private media landscape.

Leveraging state resources, Orbán converted public broadcasting into a party propaganda tool and invested billions in government-sponsored messaging through billboards, advertisements, and direct mail campaigns. The organization Reporters Without Borders has labeled him a press freedom “predator.”

While EU officials and international monitoring groups have raised alarms — with the European Parliament designating Hungary an “electoral autocracy” in 2022 — Orbán’s base celebrates him as a champion of Christian principles and national independence against globalization, mass immigration, and what he characterizes as EU oppression.

Seemingly energized by disrupting European Union consensus, Orbán constructed border barriers and implemented strict immigration policies, portraying migrants and asylum seekers as instruments of a globalist conspiracy to “replace” Europe’s white majority.

At a 2022 party event in Romania, he declared: “we do not want to become peoples of mixed-race.”

His administration has repeatedly confronted Brussels over corruption allegations, media freedom restrictions, judicial independence, and anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Most recently, it has blocked EU initiatives supporting Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia following its comprehensive invasion.

The European bloc has suspended billions in Hungarian funding due to rule-of-law violations. Orbán has responded by intensifying anti-EU rhetoric, drawing comparisons between Brussels and the Soviet system that controlled Hungary for over four decades.

The Hungarian leader has also developed strong relationships with ideologically similar figures including U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has aligned with Euroskeptic, far-right movements while forecasting a “patriotic” conquest of EU institutions.

His independent foreign policy approach, which contradicts Western consensus, has prompted allegations that he serves Moscow’s interests.

As Sunday’s election nears, media investigations have indicated Russian intelligence services may be interfering to support Orbán’s campaign, claims Russia has rejected. Additional reporting revealed that Orbán’s foreign minister routinely disclosed confidential EU meeting information to his Russian counterpart.

Opposition candidate Magyar has highlighted the prime minister’s Moscow connections, with rally attendees chanting: “Russians go home!”

Magyar, whose victory remains uncertain, describes Sunday’s vote as a choice between Hungary’s continued slide toward authoritarianism or its return to European democratic norms.

A former United States Ambassador has provided analysis on whether America’s security has improved following military action against Iran initiated during the Trump presidency. NPR correspondent Leila Fadel conducted an interview with Nicholas Burns, who previously served as a U.S. Ambassador, to examine the implications of the Iranian conflict on national safety.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia revealed on Friday that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will remain in China to receive medical treatment for the condition.

The 72-year-old monarch shared the news through a post on his Facebook page, which was also distributed by Cambodia’s official news agency AKP. According to his statement, doctors discovered the cancer during a routine medical examination at a government hospital in Beijing. The king had traveled to China in late February alongside his mother, Queen Mother Norodom Monineath, for their annual health screenings.

The king’s announcement did not provide details regarding the severity of his diagnosis. Medical experts note that prostate cancer typically responds well to treatment when caught in its early phases. The American Cancer Society reports that roughly one out of every eight men will face a prostate cancer diagnosis at some point in their lives.

This health challenge follows a similar path taken by Sihamoni’s father, the late King Norodom Sihanouk, who also sought medical care in China. The elder king received his own prostate cancer diagnosis as far back as 1993 but continued to live for nearly two more decades, passing away in Beijing in 2012 at the age of 89.

King Sihamoni assumed the throne in October 2004, just one week following his father’s decision to step down. His position operates primarily in a ceremonial capacity, and he typically stays out of the public spotlight.

Prior to his royal duties, Sihamoni worked as Cambodia’s representative to UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural organization, and gained recognition as a performer in classical ballet. He remains unmarried and has no offspring.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Following the announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and the United States, officials in President Donald Trump’s administration have been asserting that Iranian military and weapons capabilities have been nearly eliminated after weeks of combat operations.

However, there is also recognition that Tehran still possesses some defensive and offensive capabilities.

General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated this week that American forces have targeted over 13,000 locations. He provided high percentage figures for successful attacks on Iran’s air defense systems, naval forces, and munitions manufacturing facilities.

Nevertheless, these numbers fall short of the complete “decimation” of Iran’s military capabilities that the Republican president has claimed.

Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project, an American organization that monitors global conflicts, indicates that Iranian attacks continued at a fairly consistent and uninterrupted rate from the war’s start on February 28 through Wednesday.

The following breakdown shows what US officials report has been targeted, degraded, or remains of Iran’s military assets:

Caine informed Pentagon reporters Wednesday that American forces have attacked over 1,500 air defense installations, more than 450 facilities storing ballistic missiles, and 800 storage sites for one-way attack drones. “All of these systems are gone,” he stated.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made similar assertions, declaring that “Iran no longer has an air defense” and “we own their skies” before acknowledging shortly after that Iran “can still shoot — we know that.”

Hegseth further explained that while Iranians might “have a system here or there,” they no longer possessed an air defense “system that’s capable of defending their skies.”

Both Caine and Hegseth failed to specify what the remaining 20% of Iran’s air defenses consisted of or which regions of the country retained the ability to conduct the intermittent firing they described.

Caine provided no additional information about the type of weapon Iranians used to bring down an American F-15E Strike Eagle last week. This marked the first downing of a US military aircraft during the conflict, demonstrating Tehran’s ongoing ability to retaliate despite administration claims.

Trump characterized it Monday as a “handheld shoulder missile, heat-seeking missile.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters Wednesday that the Iranian navy was “completely annihilated.”

Although 150 Iranian vessels “are at the bottom of the ocean,” Caine noted, only half of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s small attack craft — vessels the government employed to swarm and harass military ships and merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz — have been destroyed.

Caine also reported that following more than 700 attacks, military officials believe they have eliminated over 95% of Iran’s naval mines.

Since the US has not disclosed the size of Iran’s pre-war stockpile, the number of naval mines comprising the remaining 5% is unknown. Semi-official Iranian news outlets published a diagram Thursday indicating the Revolutionary Guard deployed sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil trade passage, during the conflict.

This messaging likely serves as a negotiating tactic as Iran, Israel, and the United States prepare for talks this weekend in Pakistan. Independent experts report no changes in commercial shipping through the strait since the fragile ceasefire began this week.

Caine declared Wednesday that military forces “destroyed Iran’s defense industrial base” while highlighting that the US and allies targeted “approximately 90% of their weapons factories.”

He also stated, “nearly 80% of Iran’s nuclear industrial base was hit, further degrading their attempts to attain a nuclear weapon.”

While noting that Iran could no longer manufacture certain components like solid rocket motors, he avoided saying Iran couldn’t eventually reconstruct facilities or obtain weapons through alternative means, or that the targeted factories had been completely destroyed or made inoperable.

Trump recognized this possibility when he cautioned nations against supplying arms to Iran.

“A Country supplying Military Weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately,” Trump posted on social media Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Israel’s military highlighted how many drones or missiles it has successfully intercepted. Officials reported an interception rate exceeding 90% through their aerial defense networks.

Over decades, Israel has built an advanced system capable of identifying incoming threats and responding only when projectiles target populated areas or critical military or civilian infrastructure.

Israeli officials say the system isn’t completely foolproof but credit it with preventing major damage and numerous casualties.

A naval installation in Halifax, Canada recently displayed the Transgender Pride flag on its flagpole to mark the Transgender Day of Visibility in late March, according to reports. The flag-raising at the Canadian naval base reportedly surprised some military personnel, with one service member expressing astonishment to LifeSiteNews.com, stating “I was shocked.”

Canadian military officials have defended the decision, issuing a public statement explaining their position. “Recognizing the courage of transgender people can help create a welcoming and respectful environment for all,” the Canadian armed forces said in their official response to the incident.

With Peru preparing for its presidential election this Sunday, the United States is launching its most significant diplomatic campaign in years to strengthen relationships with the South American nation that has become increasingly aligned with China, according to government officials and business executives.

The diplomatic initiative, spearheaded by recently appointed U.S. Ambassador Bernie Navarro, represents a notable change following ten years during which China surpassed America as Peru’s primary trading partner, especially in mining operations and infrastructure development.

Sunday’s election features more than 30 presidential candidates with no clear leader, potentially providing Washington an opportunity to restore diplomatic ties while protecting access to essential minerals and countering China’s expanding influence across South America.

“The relationship with the U.S. is really strengthening,” stated Felipe James, leader of Peru’s manufacturing industry chamber, who participated in February meetings with Navarro to establish a working group focused on enhancing trade and investment opportunities.

This past January, the White House granted Peru major non-NATO ally status, a designation that will enhance defense collaboration and broaden access to trade and security initiatives. The following day, the State Department authorized an equipment package designed to help upgrade a naval facility near Callao port.

Peruvian representatives joined former U.S. President Donald Trump and his key regional partners in Florida last month to establish a new alliance targeting Latin American drug trafficking organizations. Additionally, American defense contractor Lockheed Martin is competing against Swedish and French companies to provide Peru with fighter aircraft.

Navarro’s outreach to Peruvian stakeholders demonstrated Trump’s “commitment to strengthening the U.S.-Peru partnership on shared priorities including economic growth and security cooperation,” according to a State Department representative.

SECURITY CONCERNS

Peru ranks as the globe’s third-largest copper producer and serves as a significant source of other essential minerals utilized in semiconductors, defense equipment, and renewable energy technologies. The country’s commerce with China reached a record $50 billion in the previous year, far exceeding the approximately $19 billion in trade with the United States.

Instead of focusing on trade volume, Washington has emphasized the transparency and dependability of American companies operating in Peru, business leaders report, while Ambassador Navarro has encouraged Lima officials to address judicial uncertainties and confront public safety issues amid rising organized criminal activity.

“He has clearly called for legal certainty and stronger public security to attract investment,” explained Julia Torreblanca, director of mining and energy association SNMPE and corporate affairs vice president at Cerro Verde, a copper mining operation managed by Freeport-McMoRan.

Navarro has also highlighted Peru’s recent political instability as an increasing threat to the business climate. The nation has experienced eight different presidents since 2018.

“The United States will never interfere in Peruvians’ right to self-determination, but stability is needed,” he stated during an interview with local radio station RPP last month.

The U.S. Embassy refused to provide Navarro for an interview.

With Peruvian leaders frequently preoccupied with surviving regular impeachment threats rather than developing coherent geopolitical strategies, experts noted that China’s economic influence has overshadowed traditional American connections.

“There’s a correlation between those last ten years of political instability and more Chinese investments being able to trickle to Peru,” observed Martin Cassinelli from the Atlantic Council.

TRADING PLACES

Washington’s renewed diplomatic efforts coincide with Peru establishing itself as a portal for Chinese commerce throughout South America.

The Chinese-constructed Chancay megaport located north of Lima, managed by Cosco Shipping, has reduced shipping times to Asia and is starting to function as a distribution center for products including electric vehicles destined for regional markets.

The facility, which opened in late 2024, has generated concerns in Washington regarding foreign oversight of critical infrastructure.

Former U.S. Southern Command leader General Laura Richardson has cautioned it could function as a “gateway” for Chinese military and intelligence operations throughout South America.

Attempts by Peruvian officials to enhance regulatory supervision were prevented earlier this year when a court sided with Cosco’s argument that Chancay represents private investment. The ruling is currently being appealed.

Peru’s economic connections to China will prove difficult to reverse.

Trade imbalances have increased in recent months, with Peru returning to a deficit with the U.S. following a temporary surplus in 2024. Lima officials are working to eliminate tariffs implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump, which they claim breach a bilateral free trade agreement active since 2009.

“China is not leaving,” stated Margaret Myers from the Inter-American Dialogue, who indicated U.S. efforts will likely concentrate on areas connected to national security interests rather than trying to replace China’s economic significance to Peru.

The outcome will depend on Sunday’s election results. All candidates are polling under 15%, making a June runoff virtually inevitable.

Conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori, who received her education in the U.S. and is considered a top contender, has positioned herself as a more reliable partner for Washington than opponents she connects to Beijing, while conservative Carlos Alvarez has balanced support for renewed U.S. involvement in Latin America with recognition of Chinese investment value.

“They say: do you want a gringo hamburger or some chifa (Chinese fusion)?” Alvarez told Reuters during an interview.

Alvarez indicated he would choose a local dish: fried guinea pig.

TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi experienced a rock fan’s dream come true Friday when she welcomed the iconic British band Deep Purple to her official Tokyo residence.

The enthusiastic leader greeted the legendary musicians with open arms, exclaiming her disbelief at their presence. “Welcome to Japan… Oh I can’t believe Deep Purple are here,” Takaichi expressed as she entered the guest quarters with visible excitement. “I have always admired Deep Purple.”

During the memorable encounter, Takaichi presented drummer Ian Paice with a special gift of signed TAMA drumsticks manufactured in Japan, telling him “You’re my god.” Paice responded warmly, saying “You’re a drummer, we are friends.”

The Prime Minister’s passion for hard rock and heavy metal music stems from her college years when she actively played drums. Her devotion to Deep Purple spans more than five decades, beginning when she discovered their 1972 “Machine Head” album during elementary school, which featured classic tracks including “Highway Star” and “Smoke on the Water.”

Takaichi shared her musical journey with the band, explaining how she performed keyboards in a Deep Purple tribute group during middle school before transitioning to drums in college. She even revealed a personal anecdote about her current drumming habits: “Nowadays, when I have a fight with my husband, I play drums on ‘Burn’ and put a curse on him.” She has previously identified “Burn” as a favorite track that helps “clear my mind.”

This lighthearted meeting provided a welcome respite for Japan’s first female prime minister, who faces significant challenges including deteriorating relations with China, complications from Middle Eastern conflicts, and domestic inflation concerns.

Takaichi expressed her admiration for the band’s enduring legacy, stating “I express my deepest respect for you for making rock history and continuing to take on new challenges and producing even more compelling music today.” She extended wishes for their successful concert tour launching Saturday in Tokyo.

Even during this personal moment, the Prime Minister maintained her official duties, emphasizing that cultural content promotion remains a cornerstone of her administration’s economic development plans.

BANGKOK — The military leader who orchestrated Myanmar’s 2021 coup was formally installed as president Friday, marking another chapter in the Southeast Asian country’s troubled political landscape.

Min Aung Hlaing, 69, took the presidential oath after winning what international observers and human rights organizations have denounced as a fundamentally flawed electoral process. The December and January voting excluded Aung San Suu Kyi’s widely supported National League for Democracy and numerous other opposition groups.

The ceremony represents what analysts describe as a calculated move to maintain military dominance while creating an appearance of civilian governance. This pattern mirrors historical precedents where Myanmar’s military rulers have sought to validate their authority through manipulated democratic processes.

Following his parliamentary selection on April 3, Min Aung Hlaing will serve a five-year presidential term. The swearing-in ceremony also installed 28 new cabinet ministers, nearly all of whom are active or retired military officers, representatives from the military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party, or veterans of previous military administrations.

Military-backed politicians now control approximately 90% of legislative seats across both parliamentary chambers.

“Myanmar is back on the path to democracy and moving toward a better future,” Min Aung Hlaing declared during his inaugural address.

The new president also committed to pursuing peace negotiations with armed ethnic opposition groups and rebuilding diplomatic ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has imposed pressure on Myanmar due to ongoing political turmoil.

The inauguration took place in Naypyitaw’s recently restored parliament facility, which sustained earthquake damage last year. Min Aung Hlaing was joined by First Vice President Nyo Saw, a former military commander and trusted advisor, along with Second Vice President Nan Ni Ni Aye, an ethnic Karen representative from the USDP.

International election monitors delivered harsh assessments of the voting process, noting significant geographical limitations due to active conflict zones.

“The junta’s elections were held in only 42% of Myanmar’s territory, under a restrictive legal framework that barred legitimate political competition to the advantage and benefit of the military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party,” stated the Asian Network for Free Elections, a Bangkok-based nonpartisan organization, in Friday’s analysis.

“Every aspect of the staged elections, from its election management body to the design of the electoral system and the selection of political parties, was carefully engineered to ensure a predetermined outcome,” the report continued.

Constitutional requirements forced Min Aung Hlaing to step down from his senior general position and military leadership role before assuming the presidency. General Ye Win Oo, a close associate, has assumed command of the armed forces.

Min Aung Hlaing’s military career includes overseeing a brutal 2017 operation targeting the Rohingya Muslim population under Suu Kyi’s administration, which forced hundreds of thousands to flee to Bangladesh. International authorities have characterized the campaign as potentially genocidal.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a human rights monitoring organization, reports that military actions since the 2021 takeover have resulted in nearly 8,000 civilian deaths and left approximately 22,208 political prisoners in detention. Experts believe total casualty figures from the ongoing conflict are significantly higher.

Eighty-year-old Suu Kyi remains imprisoned on a 27-year sentence stemming from charges critics dismiss as fabricated and politically driven. Her party achieved overwhelming victories in 2015 and 2020 before being forced to disband in 2023 when it refused compliance with new military registration requirements.

Emergency vehicles rushed to a Beirut medical facility Thursday, heading directly to the morgue rather than the emergency department as weary medical staff removed bags containing remains for family members to identify.

Search and rescue teams continued working around the clock to pull victims from the debris of collapsed buildings, nearly a full day after Israel launched its most devastating assault on Lebanon’s capital in recent memory. Wednesday’s bombardment claimed more than 250 lives throughout Lebanon, including strikes on downtown Beirut that occurred without advance notice.

Kheir Hamiyeh, 54, lost his brother and teenage nephew in an attack on Hay el-Sellum, a crowded neighborhood in Beirut.

“We are waiting because there’s so many people, there are so martyrs… all of them children and women,” Hamiyeh said while standing outside the morgue at Rafik Hariri University Hospital.

The Israeli bombardment, which Israel claims targets the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant organization, leveled their residence and injured his young niece Khadija, who stood beside him with facial bandages.

“Her father was killed. Her brother was killed. She has one brother left. What are we supposed to do?” Hamiyeh said.

Zeinab, Khadija’s mother, spoke to Reuters through tears, describing how she had to transport the remains of her husband and 13-year-old son to the building’s ground level by herself.

Lebanon’s emergency response agency reported that Israeli strikes killed at least 92 people in Beirut proper on Wednesday, with another 61 fatalities in the city’s southern districts.

One rescue worker stationed outside Rafik Hariri Hospital described spending both Wednesday and Thursday extracting casualties from demolished residential towers throughout the city.

“We’re piecing people together because they’re all cut up into different body parts. I’ve never seen anything like this,” the rescuer told Reuters, requesting anonymity since he lacked authorization to speak with media.

Family members waiting outside the morgue wept openly, making phone calls to inform other relatives when they successfully identified a deceased loved one. Three women sat huddled together on the pavement, supporting each other to prevent collapse.

“The numbers are high, the situation is disastrous and painful,” hospital director Dr. Mohammad al-Zaatari said during a press briefing.

While al-Zaatari wouldn’t specify the morgue’s current capacity, a rescue worker informed Reuters that at least 100 bodies were housed inside.

Al-Zaatari advised anyone seeking missing family members to contact Beirut’s medical facilities, noting that DNA analysis would begin later to identify remains too damaged for visual recognition.

Rescue teams told Reuters they faced significant challenges reaching certain bombed structures due to narrow streets that prevented ambulances and heavy machinery from accessing the sites.

Nada Jaber informed Reuters that her nephew died in a strike, but rescue workers only retrieved his body Thursday morning. “The houses just blew up,” she explained.

Prior to the attacks, Israeli military forces issued widespread evacuation alerts for Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, though they didn’t specify exact target locations. No advance warnings were provided for central Beirut, which also came under bombardment.

Abdelrahman Mohammed, a 24-year-old Syrian resident who has lived in Beirut since conflict began in his homeland in 2011, lost five family members.

He had just brought his sister home when an Israeli strike hit their area.

“I came back and didn’t find the building. I didn’t find my sister, and I didn’t find my family. Any of them,” he told Reuters.

“I don’t have any sisters anymore… I came from Syria in 2011 and now I’m going back to Syria carrying five martyrs who are my family,” Mohammed said.

Reuters interviewed several other Syrians who reported losing relatives in the bombardment.

“There are many Syrian martyrs, not just my family. A lot. Go ask. It’s full of Syrian martyrs. Lebanese and Syrian blood are mixed,” Mohammed said.

Israel, which launched a ground operation in Lebanon last month to eliminate Hezbollah while simultaneously conducting its war on Iran, maintains that its Lebanese operations fall outside the ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday by President Donald Trump. Pakistan, which assisted in mediating the U.S.-Iran negotiations, has indicated the truce would encompass Lebanon.

A judicial panel in Eswatini has determined that five migrants sent to the African kingdom under Trump administration deportation policies are entitled to legal counsel, following their transfer from American custody to a Swazi detention facility last July without attorney access.

The three-judge panel dismissed government claims that the detained individuals had not explicitly asked for representation from human rights attorney Sibusiso Nhlabatsi, who has been attempting to advocate for the migrants while being prevented from meeting with them.

“There can be no real harm in granting the Respondent access to the detainees,” the judicial panel stated in their ruling, which Reuters obtained and reviewed.

“If they do not wish to see the Respondent (they can) tell this to the Respondent to his face,” the judges added.

These five individuals are part of a larger group of at least 19 third-country nationals from Africa, Asia, and the Americas who were sent to Eswatini under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. Similar deportation arrangements have been established with other nations as well.

While this ruling specifically covers the initial five deportees who were the subject of the original legal challenge, it may establish a legal framework for the remaining detainees. Under the absolute rule of King Mswati III, Eswatini has freed only two individuals from custody – a Jamaican national in the previous year and a Cambodian citizen last month.

Legal representatives in both Eswatini and the United States have questioned the validity of the $5.1 million agreement between the two nations, arguing that it results in deportees being imprisoned in the southern African country even after completing criminal sentences in America.

Last month, the nation’s high court dismissed a separate legal challenge filed by a local human rights attorney targeting the deportation agreement itself, though that decision is currently under appeal.

Citizens in Djibouti headed to polling stations Friday to choose their next president, with 78-year-old Ismaïl Omar Guelleh positioned to claim his sixth consecutive term after more than two decades in power.

The election comes after parliamentary leaders removed age restrictions for presidential candidates last year, clearing the way for Guelleh to continue his rule over the Horn of Africa nation of approximately one million people. In the previous 2021 contest, Guelleh captured nearly 99% of all votes cast.

Only one opponent challenges the incumbent this time: Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former member of the ruling political party. Political experts say the contest lacks meaningful competition, as opposition movements regularly refuse to participate in elections due to what they call limits on political liberties. Government supporters counter that their leadership provides stability in an unstable region, while critics argue the political system remains under strict control.

Guelleh took power in 1999 when he replaced his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, continuing a family dynasty that has controlled the nation’s government for many years.

The small country plays an outsized role in international affairs due to its location along crucial shipping lanes connecting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Military installations from the United States, China, France and Japan operate within its borders, generating significant revenue alongside port fees from landlocked Ethiopia’s trade operations.

However, this economic strategy creates vulnerability to outside disruptions. The nation relies heavily on Ethiopian commerce through its ports, while global shipping problems and Red Sea security issues threaten income streams. Growing international rivalry and debt obligations, especially to China, create additional long-term challenges.

Election monitors from the African Union and Intergovernmental Authority on Development observed the voting process.

“The scrapping of term limits in Djibouti is less about electoral competition and more about preserving regime continuity in a highly strategic state,” Mohamed Husein Gaas of the Raad Peace Research Institute told The Associated Press.

“While it raises concerns about democratic backsliding, external actors are likely to prioritize stability given Djibouti’s critical role in Red Sea security and global trade routes, especially amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East,” he said.

MUNICH — German police say they believe anti-Jewish hatred drove an attack on an Israeli restaurant in Munich, where explosive devices shattered windows during the early morning hours of Friday. The incident left no one hurt.

Law enforcement officials confirmed to the German news agency dpa that the restaurant owners are Jewish.

Photos from the scene reveal the targeted establishment as the Eclipse Grillbar, though authorities have not officially disclosed the restaurant’s name. According to the business’s website, it operates as Munich’s first genuine Israeli restaurant. The establishment has not responded to requests for comment.

Police say they suspect explosive materials, possibly fireworks, were hurled at the restaurant, shattering glass in three separate locations. Officers responding to the scene around 12:45 a.m. found no suspects in the vicinity, and the identity of those responsible remains unknown. Authorities estimate the destruction at several thousand euros.

Germany has experienced a surge in antisemitic incidents following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led assault on Israel, during which militants killed approximately 1,200 people, predominantly civilians, and captured 251 hostages. While Israel and the United States have recently targeted Iran, a two-week ceasefire remains active. However, Israel has significantly intensified its military operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, the Iranian-supported militant organization.

Demonstrations against escalating fuel costs in Ireland have stretched into their fourth consecutive day Friday, raising alarm about potential shortages and impacts on emergency response teams as protesters continue blocking roadways and fuel distribution centers nationwide.

Irish officials plan to convene with farmers, truckers and agricultural contractors Friday to address the mounting crisis, which stems from increased gasoline and diesel prices linked to Middle Eastern conflicts that have limited regional oil exports. Although protest leaders have indicated they would end their coordinated demonstrations if officials agree to negotiations, their participation in Friday’s discussions remains uncertain.

The demonstrations launched Tuesday with slow-moving vehicle convoys that restricted traffic flow on Dublin’s busiest thoroughfares while protesters established blockades at fuel terminals serving half the nation. Many demonstrators remained in their vehicles through the night, insisting on direct dialogue with government representatives.

More than 100 gas stations across the country have exhausted their fuel supplies, with industry group Fuels for Ireland warning through national broadcaster RTE that the number could reach five times that amount by Friday night if distribution disruptions persist.

On Thursday, government officials requested military assistance to clear vehicles from obstructed roadways, expressing worry that the blockades could hinder police, fire department and ambulance emergency response capabilities.

The widespread disruption evolved from individual demonstrations in Ireland’s major metropolitan areas, all centered on demands for additional reductions to skyrocketing fuel expenses.

Officials had previously enacted several cost-cutting measures, including temporary reductions in motor fuel excise taxes, expanded diesel rebates for trucking companies and bus operators, and extended assistance programs helping low-income residents with heating expenses.

A wolf’s dramatic escape from a South Korean zoo has become an international sensation, drawing attention from the country’s president and even inspiring the creation of a digital currency bearing the animal’s name.

The 77-pound male wolf named Neukgu managed to break free from O-World zoo in Daejeon by digging beneath a fence barrier on Wednesday morning, according to zoo representatives. The approximately two-year-old animal has remained at large for three days despite extensive search efforts.

Authorities have mobilized more than 100 searchers, including fire department personnel, law enforcement officers, and military members to locate the missing wolf. Search teams have deployed drones equipped with heat-detecting cameras to aid in the hunt, city officials confirmed Friday.

As a safety measure, a local elementary school temporarily shut down while the search continues in the area.

The incident has reached the highest levels of government, with President Lee Jae Myung addressing the situation on social media platform X. In his Thursday post, which garnered over 1,400 shares, he expressed his concerns for public safety while also showing compassion for the animal.

“I hope no human casualties occur, and I pray that Neukgu also returns home safely,” the president wrote.

The wolf’s escape in Daejeon, located roughly 105 miles south of Seoul, has sparked widespread public fascination and online engagement. Internet communities have rallied around the story, with an English-language social media group dedicated to the wolf attracting nearly 500 members.

Perhaps most surprisingly, the incident has entered the cryptocurrency world with the launch of a digital token called “Neukgu” on decentralized trading platforms such as PumpSwap. The meme coin has generated approximately $140,000 in trading activity over the past day.

Neukgu, born in 2024, plays an important role in conservation efforts as part of a program aimed at bringing back the Korean wolf, a species that no longer exists in the wild.

This escape joins a series of notable zoo breakouts in South Korea, including a 2023 incident where a zebra roamed Seoul’s streets for several hours before being recaptured.

International financial markets are closely monitoring a series of crucial elections taking place around the globe this year, with voting in Hungary and Peru among the most watched contests.

HUNGARY

This Sunday’s elections in Hungary present the most significant challenge to nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year leadership. The center-right opposition party Tisza currently holds the lead in most polling data.

To win over voters in an economy that has underperformed compared to neighboring countries, Orban has reduced taxes and increased salaries. His decision to block financial assistance to Ukraine has also created tension with much of Europe.

According to investors, a victory for Tisza’s Peter Magyar could unlock access to approximately 18 billion euros ($21 billion) in EU funding that remains frozen due to democracy-related concerns.

Goldman Sachs economists predict this outcome would “likely lead to a notable appreciation of Hungarian assets.”

PERU

Two conservative candidates are leading in Peru’s first-round presidential election scheduled for Sunday, though Bank of America noted that most candidates “do not seem to represent a major threat” to Peru’s traditional economic approach. Congressional seats are also being decided.

Since 2018, Peru has seen eight different presidents due to ongoing impeachment proceedings and corruption issues, yet economic expansion across nearly every sector has strengthened the nation’s finances.

Bank of America cautioned that electoral chaos similar to the troubled 2021 contest, which featured disruption and fraud claims, could prompt investors to pull their money out.

A runoff election is set for June 7 if no candidate achieves a majority.

UNITED KINGDOM

While local elections typically don’t draw international investor interest, the UK’s May 7 contests might be different. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is falling behind both the populist Reform UK and left-wing Green Party in polling, while struggling to fulfill economic growth commitments.

Bond markets are particularly watching for indications that the fiscally conservative Starmer could be removed from office, which might also weaken the pound.

The ongoing Iran conflict has reduced expectations of Starmer’s immediate removal. However, online betting platform Polymarket places the odds of such a change at 56% before year’s end. The next nationwide election must occur by August 2029.

COLOMBIA

Colombia’s presidential contest remains competitive following mixed results in March’s congressional voting, with the first round set for May 31.

Leftist President Gustavo Petro has disagreed with the central bank and attempted to implement emergency economic measures. Some market participants have welcomed the improved prospects of center-right candidate Paloma Valencia.

“We are inclined to hold a constructive view, as political conditions still support a swing toward pro-market policies,” Barclays economist Alejandro Arreaza wrote in a research note.

ETHIOPIA AND ZAMBIA

Both Ethiopia and Zambia, nations that have failed to meet debt obligations, will conduct summer elections with economic issues as primary concerns.

Market observers have praised Zambia’s economic restructuring and expanding copper output, while Ethiopia’s increasing gold and coffee exports along with currency reforms have improved its economic outlook.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party appears virtually guaranteed to win in June due to opposition boycotts and security issues that may limit voter participation.

Zambia’s current President Hakainde Hichilema is favored to win in August, though energy and fertilizer cost increases linked to the Iran conflict could create challenges. Credit rating agency S&P warns the election could threaten policy stability just as government budget tightening begins showing positive results.

ISRAEL

October’s expected parliamentary elections in Israel are being viewed as a judgment on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership.

Pre-war polling indicated Netanyahu’s conservative coalition would face difficulty securing enough seats for government formation, and surveys suggest the Iran conflict has not significantly improved his position.

Israel’s economy had recovered in 2025 and was projected to continue improving in 2026 before the war started. The political uncertainty could increase fluctuations in the shekel and government debt securities.

BRAZIL

Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is running neck-and-neck in October’s race against right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Lower house positions, two-thirds of Senate seats, and all 27 state governorships are also being contested.

While inflation has decreased and unemployment reached record lows in December, last year’s 2.3% economic expansion was the poorest since the COVID pandemic, and household debt payments are at their highest level since tracking began in 2011.

Oxford Economics’ Felipe Camargo suggested a center-right Bolsonaro administration could create a “goldilocks scenario for markets” with emphasis on reducing inflation and addressing rising debt levels.

UNITED STATES

November’s midterm elections will decide Congressional control and represent a significant challenge for President Donald Trump.

Trump’s approval numbers have reached historic lows, putting his Republican Party’s slim Congressional majorities at risk. Polling indicates substantial American opposition to Middle Eastern military involvement and frustration with rising fuel costs.

Market experts suggest pre-election uncertainty could pressure the dollar and stock markets, though the Iran situation will likely overshadow electoral concerns for now.

“If Trump wants a chance to get affordability back down, well in advance of the midterms… the timing is very tight,” said Grant Johnsey, head of market solutions at Northern Trust.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The Gaza Strip reached a significant milestone Friday as its ceasefire agreement completed six months since taking effect, though this achievement has been overshadowed by attention to the newer and more unstable truce in the Iran conflict.

The Palestinian enclave, home to 2 million residents, has experienced an end to the heaviest combat between Israeli military forces and Hamas-led fighters. However, the majority of ceasefire implementation work still lies ahead, including dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities, ending their 20-year governance, establishing an international peacekeeping presence, and launching massive rebuilding efforts. Gaza’s population remains in uncertainty, with restricted humanitarian assistance arriving through just one border crossing under Israeli oversight.

These obstacles may preview what lies ahead for the newest conflict, as President Donald Trump’s peace strategy seems focused on halting bombardments while delegating broader solutions to other parties.

Whether Trump can push through similar agreements regarding Iran, given the increased number of stakeholders and global economic sensitivity to every development, remains uncertain.

Attention to agreement specifics proves essential. The Iran conflict’s two-week truce has already generated fatal misunderstandings regarding Lebanon, with Israel maintaining the accord excludes Lebanese territory and continuing strikes against Iranian-supported Hezbollah, while Iran claims coverage extends there and warns of potential agreement collapse. Israel unexpectedly announced Thursday its authorization of direct talks with Lebanon, despite absent diplomatic relations.

Recently, the U.S.-established and Trump-directed Board of Peace launched with $7 billion in commitments and ambitious goals to address not only Gaza but additional conflicts emerging worldwide.

Nine days following the board’s first session, the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran.

The Board of Peace has not reconvened, and continues awaiting Hamas’ response to its disarmament proposal, representing a significant compromise and potentially the most difficult requirement. Hamas’ founding document advocates armed opposition to Israel.

A U.S. official indicated Hamas has not received a specific response deadline but noted that “patience is not unlimited.” The official lacked authorization for public statements and requested anonymity.

The absence of deadlines may reduce pressure for action. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts focus on addressing various crises.

Board of Peace director Nickolay Mladenov informed the U.N. Security Council last month that Gaza should not be forgotten as new warfare emerged. The Gaza situation presents a choice between “a renewed war, or a new beginning; the status quo, or a better future,” he stated. “There is no third option.”

Palestinians might propose an alternative: abandonment.

Six months after the Gaza truce began on Oct. 10, minimal changes have occurred beyond the mostly quieted explosions.

Extensive temporary camps shelter most territorial residents. Additional inhabitants take refuge in damaged residential structures. Medical personnel and humanitarian workers report minimal advancement in anticipated increases of medical resources and other assistance.

The U.S. 20-point Gaza ceasefire framework is mostly unsuccessful regarding humanitarian aspects, according to five international relief organizations in a report released Thursday. They indicated conditions have worsened in Gaza since the Iran conflict started.

“During the first two weeks of March 2026, trucks entering Gaza declined by 80%, and the price of basic goods increased dramatically,” they reported. Medical evacuations have stopped.

Palestinians voiced diminishing expectations for immediate life improvements.

“There is pollution and disease. It’s as if there’s no ceasefire at all,” said Maysa Abu Jedian, a displaced woman from Beit Lahiya.

“The war is still ongoing and life is still terrible as it is,” said Eyad Abu Dagga, also sheltering in a camp in Khan Younis.

Temporary shelters moved in the wind, and children played in sand with destroyed buildings in the background.

Although the most intense combat has decreased, Israeli forces have conducted air attacks and shot at Palestinians near military-controlled areas. Fighters have executed shooting assaults on soldiers, and Israel has stated its strikes respond to these and other ceasefire breaches.

Through Thursday, Israeli operations have resulted in 738 deaths during the six months since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, operating under the Hamas-led administration, keeps comprehensive casualty documentation considered generally accurate by U.N. organizations and independent analysts. It does not separate civilian and fighter casualties.

In total, the ministry reports 72,317 Palestinians have died since Gaza warfare began with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on Israel.

Consistent attention to Gaza, previously central to intense international concern, has diminished with the emergence of new regional warfare. This has also reduced pressure for ceasefire advancement.

The humanitarian organizations’ assessment observes that any progress on aid matters in the Palestinian territory has “generally required sustained diplomatic pressure at the highest levels, particularly from the United States. That pressure, however, has not been applied consistently or at the scale needed to secure full implementation.”

The Trump administration is not alone in being diverted. The entire Middle East, including important Gaza mediators Egypt and Qatar, now concentrates on Iran and that conflict’s economic impacts.

With additional uncertainty regarding Israel’s resumed conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, even fewer nations may be willing to provide forces for a Gaza stabilization mission. Among the limited confirmed troop providers, Indonesia has already lost three peacekeepers in southern Lebanon in recent days.

CAIRO (AP) — Citizens across Iran are experiencing cautious relief following a delicate ceasefire agreement that halted weeks of devastating bombardment, though many remain deeply concerned that hostilities could resume at any moment. The emotional toll has been compounded by President Donald Trump’s earlier threats to obliterate their ancient culture, issued just hours before he changed direction and supported the temporary truce.

The cessation of hostilities that began Wednesday has restored relative calm to Tehran, the nation’s capital, following more than a month of intensive airstrikes that primarily hit government facilities and security installations while also leveling numerous civilian residences.

Significant underlying conflicts persist, and the fragile agreement has already shown signs of strain amid Israel’s continued military operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon and Tehran’s unwillingness to completely reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage for global energy transport.

“Everyone I’ve spoken with, it’s given them a new life,” a university student told The Associated Press in an audio note via WhatsApp, speaking on condition of anonymity over fears for his safety.

“Everyone is really happy,” he said.

But “Tehran has seen a lot of damage,” he added, and there’s widespread concern the fighting would resume.

AP spoke to half a dozen residents, despite an ongoing nationwide internet shutdown imposed during mass protests before the war.

Maryam Saeedpoor, a photographer living in downtown Tehran, said she tried to take up painting to keep busy as blasts echoed across the city during the war, “but then I saw my hand was shaking, and I can’t.”

She said she’s taken little comfort from the truce or Trump’s decision to back off from threats to destroy critical infrastructure and bridges — messages from the president that culminated in a social media post saying: “A whole civilization will die tonight.”

She fears the strikes have already done lasting damage to industries and infrastructure that helped the country weather decades of international sanctions. She said the two-week truce is merely a “pause,” with no guarantee the war is over.

“Tehran is the warmest, the most beautiful city in the world in my opinion, but now its face is full of sadness, pain,” Saeedpoor said via WhatsApp audio note. “They say they wanted to take out government leaders, but so many innocent people have been killed.”

Well before the ceasefire, in a street near her own home, she said she saw rescue teams searching for survivors in the rubble of damaged residential buildings.

A photo she posted on Instagram captured the aftermath of another strike, days before the deal. “The building’s residents, by chance, weren’t home that day. All the homes along the street had been destroyed because they’d hit a police station,” she said.

The strikes killed over 1,900 people and wounded more than 5,700, according to the latest figures from Iranian authorities, who do not distinguish between soldiers and civilians. Iran’s Red Crescent first responders say thousands of residential buildings were damaged.

For several hours Tuesday, it appeared as if the war would intensify.

Iranians stocked up on water or relocated to safer areas after Trump’s threats, and many passed a sleepless night until the truce was announced shortly before the deadline he’d imposed.

A man in his late 20s who works in advertising said he jolted awake before dawn. When he didn’t hear the thud of air defenses, he knew there had been a truce and went back to sleep “with a laugh and a smile,” he told the AP via audio note on the messaging app Telegram, also on condition of anonymity over safety fears.

Iranians are deeply divided over their government, and hundreds of thousands took to the streets in January before the mass protests were crushed.

But they take deep pride, not only in thousands of years of Persian civilization, but in the modern state that predates the 1979 Islamic Revolution — all of which appeared under threat from Trump.

Tehran is ringed by snow-capped mountains, and its 19th-century rulers built long, broad avenues lined with plane trees and water channels known as jub that still function today. Iran’s oil wealth funded a construction boom before the revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. Now the scars of the latest war are everywhere.

Persian civilization is known, perhaps above all, for its literary legacy, and many ordinary Iranians can quote famed poets. A local journalist recently posted on his X account a photo of a stack of eggs on sale at a shop, with a sign above them reading: “Recite poetry, get a discount.”

Ali Jafarabadi, the head of Book City, Iran’s largest bookstore chain, said that many turned to reading as they spent more time inside during the bombardment. Sales of historical fiction set during past wars, self-help books and adult coloring books were up, he said.

At least six of his branches across Tehran were damaged in the war, he said. One blast from a nearby strike ripped through the group’s main branch on the famous Shariati Street, shattering the front windows and driving a metal rod through a line of books in Jafarabadi’s office.

The stores closed for the first few days of the war but soon reopened, and he told AP they have done brisk business in recent weeks.

“It shows people are craving books, people are craving culture, people are craving a safe space where they can come and connect with each other,” Jafarabadi said in a phone call. “That is the people of Iran.”

A woman who works as a physical trainer and social media influencer told AP she had recently taken to riding her motorcycle around the city “as a form of civil resistance.” In addition to requiring women to cover their hair — though enforcement of that mandate is easing — Iran’s theocracy has also long frowned on women riding motorcycles.

In her travels, she described seeing two faces of the city, and of modern Iran. In Tehran’s wealthy northern hills, life often seemed to unfold as normal, with people packing into elegant cafes. Downtown, she visited cheaper, traditional cafes where hookahs were served and the clientele was mostly men. Strikes have hit both well-to-do and working-class parts of the city.

“The streets where a building has been damaged and destroyed, or the houses around it, are different,” the trainer said, also speaking on condition of anonymity over fears for her safety. “Silence. The smell of death.”

Iran’s divisions also were reflected in people’s reactions to the truce. Many who despise the government had hoped the war would topple it. Some government supporters were disappointed that Iran had agreed to halt a war they felt it was winning.

The man who works in advertising said most people were somewhere in between.

“Most people in Iran, unlike what you find on a platform like Twitter, are moderates,” he said. “Everyone is looking for an improved situation, not a radicalized situation at any cost.”

GWACHEON, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s top justice official has committed to improving judicial access for those harmed by government-sponsored abuses, particularly international adoptees who endured adoption processes corrupted by extensive fraud during earlier military administrations.

In remarkably harsh terms for a high-ranking South Korean government figure, Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho characterized the nation’s historical adoption practices as “forced child trafficking.” He announced that authorities will mostly avoid challenging court decisions in compensation cases filed by abuse victims. Jung made these statements during a Thursday roundtable discussion with select media representatives.

Numerous Korean adoptees living in Western countries have already asked a fact-finding panel examining historical human rights violations to investigate their situations. This commission was restarted in February following the expiration of its prior authorization in November. The previous Truth and Reconciliation Commission determined that government officials were accountable for an adoption system plagued by corruption and misconduct, motivated by desires to reduce social welfare expenses and executed by state-approved private organizations that routinely falsified children’s backgrounds.

Many adoptees are hopeful the commission’s discoveries will establish legal foundations for compensation lawsuits targeting the government or adoption organizations. However, other government abuse survivors acknowledged by the commission have frequently faced extended court proceedings after state attorneys challenged favorable verdicts, referencing expired limitation periods or questioning the commission’s conclusions.

President Lee Jae Myung delivered an apology in October regarding South Korea’s historical adoption issues.

Jung, who maintains close ties with Lee, stated the administration is prepared to broaden legal remedies and accelerate compensation for government abuse victims whose situations have received commission verification.

Through new legislation that became effective in February, abuse victims now have a three-year period to file damage claims even after limitation periods have lapsed. Jung’s department, which defends the government in legal proceedings, announced last week its intention to withdraw time-based appeals in over 800 cases.

Jung indicated his department will apply similar methods to future adoptee lawsuits.

“Once the truth commission firmly establishes the basic facts (regarding the abuses), we intend to cooperate to ensure the process moves swiftly,” Jung said.

Several adoptees, including Yooree Kim, who was placed with a French family in 1984 without her birth parents’ approval and reports suffering abuse from her adoptive parents, have pursued compensation through the state compensation system. This framework theoretically permits victims to seek claims without prolonged legal proceedings. However, despite having four weeks to decide on requests, the Justice Ministry has delayed responses for over six months, according to adoptees’ attorney Choi Jung Kyu.

Jung promised to direct staff members to resolve these delays but doesn’t believe a separate expedited compensation system is necessary, despite advocacy group recommendations.

From the 1970s through the early 2000s, South Korea annually sent thousands of children to the United States, Europe and Australia, reaching a high point of over 6,000 yearly during the 1980s. Military leadership at that time viewed population increases as major obstacles to economic objectives and considered adoptions a method to decrease the population requiring government support.

The earlier truth commission’s conclusions matched previous Associated Press reporting. AP investigations, conducted with Frontline (PBS), utilized thousands of documents and numerous interviews to demonstrate how South Korea’s government, Western nations and adoption agencies collaborated to send approximately 200,000 Korean children abroad, despite ongoing evidence that many were obtained through corrupt or illegal practices.

Jung also addressed initiatives to fight trafficking and forced labor at salt production facilities and other locations, plus widespread mistreatment of migrant workers, which has generated persistent criticism of South Korea’s exploitation of some of Asia’s most vulnerable populations.

These concerns have become more pressing following the Trump administration’s launch of investigations last month into dozens of nations accused of inadequately addressing forced labor.

This action was part of efforts to establish new tariffs and trade restrictions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned President Donald Trump’s previous tariffs based on emergency authorities. The United States also blocked imports from a major South Korean salt facility accused of utilizing slave labor last year, marking the first trade partner to impose punitive measures against a decades-old problem at salt farms on islands near the country’s southwestern coast.

Jung pledged to intensify efforts to “uproot” trafficking and labor violations, including directing prosecutors to pursue stronger penalties for infractions and enhancing oversight of businesses employing foreign workers.

“We cannot monitor every corner of the private sector, but I think we are capable of supervising these matters more thoroughly than almost any other country,” Jung said.

A fresh survey from Budapest reveals that Hungary’s center-right Tisza party has moved ahead of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s governing Fidesz party as Sunday’s parliamentary election approaches, according to polling data released Friday by the newspaper Nepszava.

The longtime nationalist leader confronts what appears to be his most significant political threat in a decade and a half, though a substantial portion of voters remain uncommitted, making the election’s final result difficult to predict.

According to the Publicus Institute survey, Tisza party, under the leadership of former government official Peter Magyar, captured 52% support among voters who have made their decision, while Fidesz secured backing from 39% of this group.

When examining the complete voter pool of 1,000 respondents, the polling data revealed 38% support for Tisza compared to 29% for Fidesz. A significant 25% of those surveyed indicated they remained undecided about their voting intentions.

Recent polling trends from multiple organizations show consistent patterns, with surveys from March and early April demonstrating Tisza maintaining leads over Fidesz across different research firms. The data spans from March 17 through April 9, with undecided voters consistently representing between 18% and 26% of respondents across various polls.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that Ukrainian military troops intercepted Iranian-made Shahed drones across several Middle Eastern nations during recent conflicts with Iran, marking the first time he has publicly confirmed such overseas military activities.

The Ukrainian leader disclosed these operations during a Wednesday press conference with journalists, though his comments were held under embargo until Friday’s release.

According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian personnel participated in active military missions beyond their borders, deploying Ukraine-manufactured interceptor drones that have been proven effective in combat situations. He characterized these interventions as part of Ukraine’s broader strategy to assist allied nations in defending against the same drone technology that Russia regularly deploys in its ongoing assault on Ukraine.

PULA, Croatia (AP) — Evening approaches along the Adriatic coastline as Marijan Jakopovic readies his vessel and fishing gear for another night at sea, continuing a routine he’s followed for three decades. However, the 55-year-old Croatian fisherman says the industry has never faced such challenging circumstances.

Escalating fuel costs triggered by the Iranian conflict are devastating Croatia’s commercial fishing sector, compounding existing challenges including depleted fish populations, regulatory restrictions, and competition from imported frozen seafood.

These fishermen supply fresh catch during Croatia’s busy summer tourist months, and they’re cautioning that another spike in fuel prices could spell disaster if the Iranian ceasefire fails.

“This is turning into an almost hopeless situation,” said Jakopovic, who operates from Lanisce, a small community on Croatia’s northern Istrian peninsula.

The cost of blue diesel—specialized fuel exclusively for agricultural and fishing operations—has skyrocketed approximately 70% within 30 days in Croatia. Official statistics show prices jumped from 0.80 euros ($0.94) per liter on March 8 to 1.36 euros ($1.59) per liter by April 7.

While Croatia’s administration implemented temporary price controls, these measures couldn’t completely shield the industry from financial impact. Neighboring nations have experienced similar effects despite implementing government subsidies and pricing restrictions.

Vedran Spehar, a high-ranking official from Croatia’s Ministry of Economy, told state-run Croatian Radio this week that blue diesel would have cost at least 2 euros ($2.34) per liter without government intervention, which also prevented supply shortages.

Croatia joined the European Union in 2013 and switched to euro currency in 2023, a change that coincided with widespread price increases. The economic consequences of Ukraine’s war had already elevated energy and food costs before the Iranian conflict began.

Currently, Croatia experiences the EU’s highest inflation rate at 4.8% annually.

According to Jakopovic, mounting expenses now force some fishing crews to allocate up to 70% of their income toward fuel costs, varying by vessel type. This doesn’t include additional expenses for crew wages, boat maintenance, and fishing equipment.

These difficulties aren’t recent developments.

Croatia’s commercial fishing has struggled for years despite booming tourism along the nation’s spectacular coast and islands—over 20 million visitors came to the country last year alone.

Fish prices at Croatian markets and restaurants may increase this year.

Almira Raimovic sells seafood at Pula’s northern market. She anticipates that if fishermen increase their prices to offset fuel expenses, both retail and wholesale costs will rise accordingly.

Raimovic previously worked as a fisher but switched to a more lucrative business—using her former fishing vessel for tourist excursions. While Mediterranean populations will continue purchasing fish, consumer behavior may need to adapt, she noted.

“The focus will likely shift to cheaper fish, sardines and anchovies, which are still more affordable than other (fish),” she said. “Rising fuel prices will affect everyone, inflating the cost of living and of food across all sectors, not just fishing.”

Fishing crews have previously voiced concerns about declining fish populations, seasonal prohibitions on certain species, catch quotas, and protected marine areas established to safeguard threatened wildlife.

As an EU member nation, Croatia follows the organization’s stringent sustainable fishing regulations.

These factors require fishermen to travel greater distances and remain at sea longer, increasing fuel usage. This destructive cycle threatens to eliminate many operations since each fishing expedition now involves excessive financial risk, Jakopovic explained.

“We don’t know how much longer we will be able to keep working,” he said.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — American and Iranian diplomats made final preparations Friday for crucial talks set to commence Saturday in Islamabad, as both nations work to stabilize a fragile ceasefire amid ongoing Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities and Iran’s continued restrictions on the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.

Vice President JD Vance was scheduled to depart Washington to lead the American delegation, while Iran has yet to announce its representatives as it continues demanding that the U.S. stop Israeli military operations in Lebanon. The Tasnim news agency, which has ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, warned that discussions would “remain suspended” without such action.

Kuwait reported Thursday evening that it was targeted by a drone strike, which it attributed to Iran and its regional militia partners. While Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has denied conducting the attack, the organization has previously executed similar operations throughout the Middle East without claiming responsibility.

Alongside the Iran discussions, Israel-Lebanon talks are also scheduled to commence next week at the State Department in Washington, potentially strengthening regional ceasefire initiatives, according to a U.S. official and an informed source who requested anonymity given the sensitive nature of the discussions.

This development follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Thursday announcement that he has given approval for direct talks with Lebanon “as soon as possible” with goals of dismantling Iranian-supported Hezbollah forces and establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The two nations have remained technically in a state of war since Israel’s founding in 1948, and Netanyahu later emphasized that no ceasefire currently exists between them. Israel’s decision to pursue Lebanese negotiations comes amid disputes over whether the ceasefire agreement includes halting Israel-Hezbollah combat, and follows Israel’s devastating airstrikes on Beirut that marked the most lethal day in Lebanon since hostilities began February 28.

The Washington discussions are anticipated to include U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa representing America and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter speaking for Israel, according to the informed source.

Lebanese officials had not issued a response by Friday morning, and Lebanon’s representative remains unclear. Axios initially reported the timing and venue details.

Following ceasefire victory declarations, both Iran and the United States have seemingly increased pressure on one another. Iranian semi-official media outlets have suggested military forces have placed mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil transport waterway that Tehran has effectively closed. Trump has cautioned that American forces would strike Iran more forcefully than previously if it fails to honor the agreement.

Thursday evening, President Donald Trump questioned the ceasefire’s success, posting on his social media platform: “Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz.”

“That is not the agreement we have!” Trump wrote regarding the limited number of vessels Iran has permitted through the essential waterway.

Demonstrating Iran’s ongoing strait control, a Botswana-flagged liquefied natural gas vessel that attempted to exit the Persian Gulf following Revolutionary Guard instructions suddenly reversed course and returned early Friday, according to ship-tracking information.

Saudi Arabia reported that recent attacks have harmed a critical pipeline within the kingdom. The Saudi Press Agency, citing an unnamed official, stated that the important East-West pipeline, which transports oil to the Red Sea while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, sustained damage during recent strikes.

Uncertainty persists regarding Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile at the center of regional tensions, the timeline for normal strait traffic restoration, and Iran’s future missile capabilities and proxy support throughout the region.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, cautioned in a Thursday social media message that continued Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon would result in “explicit costs and STRONG responses.”

Qalibaf has been mentioned as a potential negotiator who might meet with Vance in Islamabad. The White House confirmed Vance would head the delegation for Saturday’s talks.

Trump revealed Thursday that he has requested Netanyahu reduce the intensity of Lebanese strikes.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli strikes on central Beirut and other Lebanese areas Wednesday resulted in over 300 deaths and more than 1,100 injuries. Israel stated these strikes targeted Hezbollah, which entered the conflict supporting Tehran.

Early Friday, Israel’s military announced it had struck approximately 10 rocket launchers in Lebanon that had fired projectiles toward northern Israel Thursday.

Four oil tankers and three bulk carriers passed through the strait Thursday, increasing the total vessels crossing since the ceasefire to at least 12, according to data firm Kpler.

Iranian semi-official news outlets published a Thursday chart suggesting the Revolutionary Guard deployed sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict — potentially a message designed to pressure the United States.

The chart, distributed by ISNA news agency and Tasnim, displayed a large circle labeled “danger zone” in Farsi covering the shipping route through the strait, which previously handled 20% of all traded oil and natural gas.

Sultan al-Jaber, head of the United Arab Emirates’ major oil company, stated that approximately 230 oil-laden ships await passage through the strait and must be permitted “to navigate this corridor without condition.”

The strait’s effective closure has driven oil prices dramatically higher, impacting gasoline, food, and other essential goods costs well beyond the Middle East. Brent crude’s spot price, the international benchmark, reached around $96 Friday, representing a 35% increase since the war’s beginning.

BEIJING — In a significant diplomatic development, Taiwan’s opposition party leader held a historic meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, marking the first high-level encounter of this nature in more than a decade. The meeting focused on maintaining stability and peace surrounding the self-governing island that Beijing considers part of its territory.

During the gathering, both Xi and Cheng Li-wun, who leads the pro-Beijing Kuomintang Party, expressed their commitment to pursuing peaceful reunification between Taiwan and mainland China, although the specific path to achieving this goal remains undefined. Despite talk of peace, China continues to maintain that military action remains an option and has intensified its military activities near Taiwan, deploying naval vessels and military aircraft closer to the island while systematically reducing Taiwan’s diplomatic partnerships worldwide.

Xi greeted Cheng and her delegation to enthusiastic applause from attendees on both sides. “The larger trend of compatriots on both sides of the strait walking nearer, closer, and together will not change. This is a historical necessity. We have full confidence in this,” he said.

“Although people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait live under different systems, we will respect each other and move towards each other,” Cheng said, adding: “We will seek systemic solutions to prevent and avoid war.”

Cheng’s visit to Beijing began Tuesday following stops in Shanghai and Nanjing.

The Kuomintang leader has consistently positioned herself as an advocate for peaceful relations between Taiwan and China. She has resisted significant increases to Taiwan’s military budget, and her party continues to obstruct President Lai Ching-te’s special defense funding proposal for weapons procurement, including development of the Taiwan Dome air defense system with missile interception capabilities.

The island has maintained separate governance from China since 1949, following a civil conflict that brought Communist forces to power in Beijing. The defeated Kuomintang military and political leadership retreated to Taiwan, establishing their own administration there.

Both leaders expressed support for the 1992 Consensus while rejecting Taiwan’s independence.

The 1992 Consensus represents an informal understanding, never officially documented, acknowledging that both Taiwan and China belong to one China. The KMT interprets this as “One China” with different understandings of what constitutes China, though the Communist Party has never recognized this distinction.

Cheng stated that both parties would collaborate to ensure “the Taiwan Strait will no longer be a flash point with the possibility of conflict, and will not become a chess piece played by the outside world.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that his nation will endure significant challenges both on the battlefield and in diplomatic circles during the upcoming spring and summer months as the war continues.

Speaking to reporters in comments released Friday by his office, Zelenskyy revealed that international allies have requested Ukraine to decrease its attacks on Russian oil infrastructure as worldwide energy prices have climbed due to Middle East conflicts and Iran-related tensions. The Ukrainian leader did not identify which specific partners made these requests.

“This spring–summer period will be quite difficult politically and diplomatically. There may be pressure on Ukraine,” Zelenskyy stated. “There will also be pressure on the battlefield.”

“I believe it will be very difficult for us until September,” he added.

The Ukrainian president outlined conditions for potential de-escalation, stating that Russia must stop attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure and agree to participate in three-way peace negotiations facilitated by the United States. However, he acknowledged that Washington appears hesitant to invest additional time in Ukraine’s peace process at this time.

Over recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have intensified strikes against Russian energy facilities, targeting oil revenue streams as Moscow has benefited from rising petroleum prices and relaxed U.S. sanctions. Ukrainian military officials have taken credit for more than twelve attacks on Russian oil installations, with major strikes targeting Baltic ports Ust-Luga and Primorsk, which serve as Russia’s primary petroleum export terminals.

“Russians now have major problems with some of their facilities. After any strike on our energy sector, we respond – and that is entirely fair. If Russians want this to stop, they must stop their strikes, and then we will act in kind,” Zelenskyy explained.

The Ukrainian leader disclosed that during Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, partner nations requested Ukraine to reduce its Russian oil facility attacks, but he countered that Russian petroleum has minimal global market influence.

Zelenskyy emphasized his desire for renewed international sanctions pressure on Russia. With a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran announced Tuesday, he expressed optimism that American sanctions on Russian oil, which were temporarily relaxed during the Middle East conflict, would be fully restored.

In March, the United States granted a 30-day exemption allowing nations to purchase sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products to help stabilize global energy markets disrupted by the Iran conflict.

For diplomatic progress, Zelenskyy suggested that three-way discussions on ending the war should occur within the next three months if Russia seeks de-escalation. This year’s three rounds of trilateral negotiations have produced minimal advancement, with Ukraine rejecting Russian demands to surrender remaining eastern Donbas territories that Moscow has failed to capture.

Combat continues along more than 1,200 kilometers of front lines, with both nations escalating drone strikes on targets distant from active fighting zones.

President Donald Trump has expressed skepticism about a two-week Middle East ceasefire’s success amid Iran’s ongoing control of the Strait of Hormuz, as Kuwait pointed fingers at Iran and allied groups for Thursday drone attacks that violated the truce.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard paramilitary forces rejected Kuwait’s accusations of conducting strikes against Gulf nations following Kuwait’s public statement.

In a development that could strengthen regional peace efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his approval for direct negotiations with Lebanon. As of Friday morning, Lebanese officials had not issued a response.

Netanyahu’s statement followed Israel’s Wednesday bombardment of Beirut that resulted in over 300 deaths. Sources indicate the discussions are planned for next week in Washington.

Major uncertainties persist regarding Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile that sits at the center of regional tensions, the timeline for restoring regular shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran’s future capacity for missile launches and proxy group support.

Diplomatic discussions between Washington and Tehran aimed at resolving the crisis are set to commence Saturday in Islamabad, with the White House confirming Vice President JD Vance will head the American team.

Throughout Thursday night and into Friday morning, residents in Tehran and surrounding Iranian regions reported hearing sounds consistent with air defense systems and explosions.

Iranian officials, however, made no public statements acknowledging any attacks during this timeframe.

Similar incidents have occurred following previous military exchanges with Israel, as forces remained in heightened alert status.

Japan announced plans to release an additional 20 days’ worth of oil reserves in May, marking the second round of releases to address Middle East supply concerns.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated the government reserve release would begin in early May, following last month’s initial release.

Japan began tapping approximately 50 days’ worth of oil reserves in March from government, private sector, and Gulf nation holdings.

According to the Natural Resources and Energy Agency, Japan maintained 230 days’ worth of oil reserves as of April 6, with 143 days stored in government facilities.

Takaichi noted her administration’s efforts to establish oil import routes bypassing the Strait of Hormuz while working to expand supplier diversity.

Pakistani officials announced Friday they would provide arrival visas for individuals traveling to Islamabad for the Iran-U.S. negotiations, acknowledging significant international media attention surrounding the talks.

Financial markets are showing signs of tension as the recently brokered ceasefire between the United States and Iran faces mounting challenges, according to market analyst Gregor Stuart Hunter’s Friday assessment of global trading conditions.

The fragile peace agreement appears increasingly unstable following Israeli military operations in Lebanon that sparked retaliatory strikes from Hezbollah, while shipping traffic through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz remains severely restricted, drawing sharp criticism from President Trump.

Market investors displayed caution as Iranian officials claimed Israel’s military actions in Lebanon breach the terms of the U.S.-Iran deal, dampening the positive market sentiment that had emerged after the ceasefire announcement. Friday trading showed S&P 500 electronic futures holding steady, while the MSCI Asia-Pacific stock index excluding Japan climbed 0.8%.

Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday his intention to pursue diplomatic discussions with Beirut, following what military analysts described as the most devastating Israeli bombing campaign of the conflict, which resulted in over 300 Lebanese casualties. Hezbollah’s response came Friday with a missile launch targeting Israel, activating emergency sirens across multiple cities including Tel Aviv.

President Trump took to Truth Social to express frustration with Iran’s handling of maritime traffic, criticizing the country for doing a “very poor job” of facilitating ship passage through the waterway. “That is not the agreement we have!” Trump posted on the social media platform.

The Strait of Hormuz previously handled approximately 20% of worldwide oil and natural gas shipments before the conflict began. Current vessel traffic has dropped to less than 10% of typical volumes as ships must navigate both explosive devices and complex approval processes, with Iranian authorities requiring permission for each individual vessel.

The virtual shutdown of this critical shipping lane during the six-week military engagement between U.S.-Israeli forces and Iran has created widespread disruption in international markets, driving oil prices higher and creating energy supply shortages globally.

Economic ripple effects from the conflict are spreading beyond the immediate region, with Chinese manufacturing prices recording their first increase in three and a half years during March, according to government statistics released this week.

Oil markets reflected ongoing supply concerns as Brent crude prices increased 0.7% to reach $96.57 per barrel. In response to energy security worries, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced Friday that Japan will begin releasing strategic petroleum reserves equivalent to 20 days of consumption starting in May.

Japanese financial markets showed strength with the Nikkei 225 advancing 1.6%, boosted by record-setting performance from Fast Retailing shares after the Uniqlo parent company reported quarterly profits that exceeded analyst projections.

European market indicators pointed to positive opening sessions, with continental futures up 0.6%, German DAX contracts gaining 0.6%, and FTSE futures rising 0.2% in pre-market trading.

LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II firmly believed that for a monarch to be effective, the public needed to see them clearly. This philosophy led her to introduce innovative fashion choices, including a transparent plastic rain jacket that allowed crowds to spot her even during England’s unpredictable storms, rather than hiding behind a traditional dark umbrella.

This distinctive raincoat is among nearly 300 clothing pieces and fashion items now featured in a new exhibition opening Friday at Buckingham Palace’s King’s Gallery. The display honors the late queen’s legacy as Britain approaches what would have been her 100th birthday celebration. This comprehensive showcase represents the most extensive collection of her fashion choices ever assembled, documenting Elizabeth’s journey and her influence on British style.

“I think she had a definite sense of what suited her,” exhibition curator Caroline de Guitaut said. “She absolutely knew how she wanted to appear.”

Many pieces will seem familiar since Elizabeth ranked among history’s most photographed individuals. However, seeing her elegant evening gowns, classic tweed ensembles, and signature scarves displayed on museum figures rather than the queen herself creates an unusual viewing experience.

The collection also features truly unique pieces.

Among them is the outfit, including matching undergarments, worn by Elizabeth’s body double during the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. The spectacular sequence showed the 86-year-old monarch apparently jumping from an aircraft into the stadium with actor Daniel Craig portraying James Bond. To maintain the surprise, the real queen later appeared in the audience wearing an identical ensemble.

Both outfits, created by Elizabeth’s trusted designer Angela Kelly, are presented together, though the stunt performer’s version features a large back zipper to accommodate parachuting equipment.

The display, selected from approximately 4,000 pieces from the queen’s personal collection, demonstrates how clothing became one of her most effective communication methods as she transformed from a young royal into Britain’s longest-serving sovereign.

This strategic approach often appeared in her color selections and decorative elements, exemplified by the green and white Norman Hartnell evening gown she selected for a state dinner during her 1961 Pakistan visit, showing respect by wearing the host country’s national colors.

“The queen had an intimate understanding of how fashion could lend itself to diplomacy, a trait which, while its origins certainly lay in earlier reigns, the queen developed into nothing short of an art form,” de Guitaut said. “Color or embellishment communicated messages of respect to her host nation before she had even uttered a word in her speech.”

Especially in her later years, Elizabeth chose vibrant or unusual colors for major public appearances to ensure easy visibility, guaranteeing attendees could claim they had actually seen their monarch.

The exhibition also features the queen’s casual wardrobe. Tweed suits from Balmoral Castle, the royal family’s Scottish highland retreat, are shown alongside clothing for horseback riding, walking, and other outdoor activities. A heavy wool coat designed by Kelly during Elizabeth’s final years appears next to pieces from Burberry and British designer Hardy Amies.

Garments from significant moments throughout the queen’s extensive life are featured, ranging from her baptismal gown, originally ordered by Queen Victoria for future King Edward VII’s christening, to outfits from her marriage ceremony and coronation.

The display includes design sketches and personal notes revealing the queen’s hands-on involvement in creating her wardrobe.

Naomi Pike, commissioning editor for Elle UK, believes the collection properly acknowledges Elizabeth’s fashion icon status, despite other royals like her younger sister Princess Margaret and daughter-in-law Princess Diana receiving more style attention during her lifetime.

“I think we’re very quick in this day and age to afford people icon status. … It’s thrown around so easily,” Pike said. “But I think in the case of the queen, she was an icon and so much of that comes down to having a very strong sense of personal style.”

While the formal gowns may attract the most attention, the exhibition offers unexpected discoveries. Among items showing “what the monarch wore,” curators included a well-worn fairy costume created from a ballet tutu with attached wings.

This piece particularly delights Cecilia Oliver, a textile conservator at the King’s Gallery, who called it the “cutest thing in the world.”

“I think what I love most about it is that it was bought for Elizabeth as a child, and to think of her as this tiny little girl that then grew up into this magnificent woman with all this weight of responsibility on her shoulders, it just feels very, sort of sentimental,” Oliver said.

Oliver became emotional describing the months spent preparing the exhibition and the honor of working with so many items connected to someone recognized worldwide but truly understood by few.

“As a conservator, I have a really intimate knowledge of these pieces. I’ve been able to touch them. I’ve been able to smell them. I’ve been able to understand them,” she said. “And through that, I felt really close to her.”

Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style continues through Oct. 18 at the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace.

The week spanning April 3 through 9, 2026, witnessed significant religious and political events throughout Latin America and the Caribbean region.

In Mexico, the sacred period of Holy Week continued with traditional observances as religious devotees in Atlixco participated in Good Friday ceremonies, donning chains as part of their spiritual penance rituals.

Meanwhile, civil unrest erupted in Venezuela where law enforcement officers confronted demonstrators who were calling for increased wages, improved retirement benefits, and enhanced worker compensation packages.

Political activity also made headlines in Peru, where supporters gathered in Lima to attend a campaign event for Rafael López Aliaga, the presidential hopeful representing the Popular Renewal political party.

The photographic collection highlighting these events was assembled by Silvia Izquierdo, a photographer working from Rio de Janeiro.

TOKYO (AP) — The ancient art of Japanese Kabuki theater centers around a time-honored tradition where stage names pass from father to son across generations, with elaborate ceremonies marking these transitions every few years.

Currently, this sacred ritual unfolds as Kazuyasu Terajima, 48, receives the prestigious title of eighth Kikugoro from his 83-year-old father, the seventh Kikugoro, who inherited the same name from his own father decades earlier.

“Taking on the name is about taking on the spirit and responsibility that’s created and getting passed down over generations by those who came before us,” the younger Kikugoro, Kazuyasu Terajima, told reporters recently.

“The job of the Kabuki actor is to carry on and develop in the present what we have inherited from our predecessors and make sure it gets passed on to those who come after us.”

The Danjuro family represents another renowned Kabuki dynasty, with the 13th Danjuro receiving his inherited name during ceremonies in 2022.

This theatrical art form, which originated in the 1600s, remains vibrant in contemporary Japan. The Oscar-nominated film “Kokuho,” recognized for makeup and hairstyling, demonstrates Kabuki’s enduring appeal, achieving record-breaking box office success as Japan’s highest-grossing domestic live-action film.

Traditional Kabuki performances feature intense tales of honorable samurai seeking vengeance through secret identities, or beautiful women transforming into serpents, blending live musical accompaniment, choreographed movement, and vocal performances with highly stylized acting techniques — with male performers portraying every character, adorned in vibrant costumes and elaborate face paint.

Male actors specializing in female characters earn the designation “onnagata,” while versatile performers like Kikugoro master both masculine and feminine roles.

Western audiences often find Kabuki’s complete rejection of naturalistic representation striking, as performers abandon any pretense of realistic behavior. Actors freeze in dramatic poses called “mie” mid-dialogue to emphasize themes of bravery or escape, with these pivotal moments highlighted by rhythmic wooden clappers resembling claves.

Performers deliver dialogue in melodic, poetic cadences. Live musical accompaniment creates atmospheric effects, with massive drums mimicking thunder when struck forcefully or gentle snowfall when played softly. Delicate bells might represent fluttering butterflies.

Rotating stage sets provide spectacular backdrops, including cherry trees releasing cascades of pink paper blossoms. Some productions incorporate acrobatic elements, such as wire-suspended actors portraying joyful foxes dancing overhead.

Kabuki’s theatrical magic includes on-stage costume and character transformations performed before audiences, converting human characters into demons with assistance from stage assistants wearing anonymous black garments called “kurogo.”

Striking similarities exist between Kabuki and Shakespearean drama. The beloved play “The Love Suicides at Sonezaki” depicts young lovers choosing death together, echoing Romeo and Juliet themes.

These resemblances occurred coincidentally. Chikamatsu Monzaemon, who created this work for Japan’s Bunraku puppet theater, lived during the isolationist Tokugawa era of the 18th century and likely never encountered Shakespeare’s writings, though Shakespeare had penned his similar romance decades before Chikamatsu’s birth.

For the new Kikugoro, 48-year-old Terajima embraces a destiny determined at birth, following his predecessors’ path. Despite lifelong training from childhood, he expresses no reluctance about his predetermined role as Kikugoro.

“I totally adored and admired my predecessors,” he said at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Tokyo last month.

“First of all, I am filled with gratitude to our predecessors who created great works that continue to be loved by generations that came after. So I am grateful to be born into the family of such ancestors.”

Terajima appeared alongside his 12-year-old son Kazufumi, who will inherit his father’s previous title, Kikunosuke — the traditional name for younger family members, passed down through generations like the Kikugoro designation.

Young Kikunosuke expresses passion for Kabuki performance, though like typical children, he enjoys video games and the Japanese rock group Mrs. Green Apple.

The demanding training requires significant dedication, including daily morning runs, strict dietary discipline, and early bedtimes.

“It’s not only hard physically. It’s also pretty hard mentally, and I sometime took it out on my parents,” he said with a smile, carrying himself with a controlled professional pose way beyond his age.

The name-succession ceremony, known as “shumei,” began last year with father and son performances across Japan and continues throughout this year.

American scholar James R. Brandon, who dedicated his research to Kabuki, characterizes it as following a specific code, “a theater in which the art of acting is central, and in which playwright and actor cooperate to achieve the unique style of performance found only in Kabuki.”

Japanese tradition emphasizes proper methodology, called “kata,” which becomes the template for future generations pursuing this art form, according to Brandon.

Despite concerns about Kabuki’s future survival, the new Kikugoro maintains faith in Kabuki’s “kata,” believing no changes are necessary since the art form’s essential spirit remains eternally relevant.

“By using kata, what we want to truly communicate the most in the tradition of Kabuki is human compassion, that spirit of caring for others,” he said.