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A police officer stands as people queue to get LPG cylinders, after Tuesday’s violent protests by factory workers demanding wage hikes amid rising living costs linked…
Copies of The Daily Telegraph are displayed on a rack in a supermarket in London. (Reuters/File Photo) The UK government Tuesday gave the green light for German media group Axel Springer to buy British newspaper The Telegraph, ending a drawn-out pursuit of the 170-year-old title.The Labour government’s Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said in a statement that she is “not minded to intervene in this merger” over competition and foreign-ownership concerns.Axel, which owns German newspapers Bild and Welt as well as the Politico news outlet, last month announced it would pay £575mn ($661mn) in cash for The Telegraph’s print and online versions.That came after the UK government in February launched an investigation into an agreed sale of The Telegraph to the owner of the Daily Mail, a rival British right-wing publication, citing competition concerns.That probe has been made redundant by the government’s approval of the German takeover.”After a long period of uncertainty, we can confirm that we will invest significantly in The Telegraph’s editorial excellence and international growth,” Axel Springer chief executive Mathias Dopfner said in a statement Tuesday.”The Telegraph will join a global network committed to independent reporting while retaining its distinct editorial voice and British identity.”An international pursuit of The Telegraph stretches back almost three years.RedBird IMI, a joint venture between US investment firm RedBird Capital and Abu Dhabi’s International Media Investments, had struck a deal for the title in late 2023.However, the previous UK government triggered a swift resale over freedom-of-speech concerns owing to Abu Dhabi’s press censorship record.RedBird then pursued the takeover under a revised structure, but abruptly dropped its bid in late 2025.The Daily Mail then agreed a £500-million deal with US-Emirati consortium RedBird IMI in November for the purchase.Amid the takeover saga, the previous UK Conservative government also amended merger laws to bar foreign states from controlling British newspapers. Related Story Source link
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 14: (L-R) U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel…
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, visit the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Tuesday. (Reuters) Britain’s Prince Harry and wife Meghan landed in Australia Tuesday for a four-day visit with engagements covering sport, mental health and veterans’ affairs. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their trip at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, where they took part in an activity in the hospital’s therapeutic garden spaces.”It was a genuinely meaningful visit for our staff and for the young people receiving care,” said Dr Peter Steer, the hospital’s CEO.Harry, wearing a navy suit and white shirt, spoke to children and posed for photographs with patients in the foyer of the hospital, calling one of the handmade signs welcoming the couple “beautiful”.Meghan, who wore a matching A$1,250 ($885) navy dress by Sydney-based designer Karen Gee, later helped serve food at a women’s domestic violence shelter in the city.The Sussexes stepped down as working members of the British royal family and moved to the US in 2020, citing a desire to be financially independent and to escape what they characterised as media intrusion into their private lives.They last visited Australia in 2018 while still working royals, announcing Meghan’s first pregnancy hours after arriving in Sydney.Their latest visit has captured public attention in Australia, where Britain’s King Charles is the head of state, though a sizeable minority supports becoming a republic. But there was little sign of the ecstatic reception that greeted them on the 2018 trip. Television networks aired footage that they said showed the couple arriving in Melbourne on a commercial flight from Los Angeles, before being taken from the tarmac in a vehicle convoy.The couple’s travel is being privately funded, though local media reported some policing costs associated with the visit would be paid by Australian taxpayers, sparking a protest petition signed by more than 45,000 people.The couple will travel to the capital, Canberra, Wednesday to meet military veterans, attend a mental health summit in Melbourne Thursday and round off the joint leg of their trip with sailing and rugby events in Sydney on Friday.In contrast to their previous visit, the Sussexes will also undertake commercial activities while in Australia, with Meghan remaining in the country to host a wellness retreat at a luxury beachside hotel in Sydney over the weekend.Tickets for the event, which includes yoga, manifestation and sound healing, start at A$2,699 ($1,912) per person. Related Story Source link
At least nine people were killed and 15 others injured in an explosion at a power plant in central India.Local authorities stated that the explosion occurred in Chhattisgarh state, adding that 24 workers sustained serious injuries when a boiler exploded at the plant, located in Sakti district.They added that an investigation will be conducted and the strictest possible measures will be taken against all those responsible for the incident, while noting that rescue teams have begun searching for any missing persons and that the injured have been transported to nearby hospitals for treatment. Source link
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that tensions in the Middle East have had negative global repercussions, most notably rising inflation rates and increased risks of food shortages, in addition to disruptions in supply chains and infrastructure.A statement from the German government quoted Merz emphasizing the importance of expanding long-term economic partnerships between Germany and the African continent, especially in light of current global developments that necessitate closer coordination with international partners.The German Chancellor stated that Africa represents a pivotal strategic partner for his country, explaining that cooperation with the continent would achieve shared interests and provide significant opportunities.Merz’s remarks came during his meeting in Berlin with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, whose visit to Germany is part of preparations for the International Sudan Conference scheduled to be held later today in Berlin. Source link
US President Donald Trump hinted at a new round of negotiations between his country and Iran, saying, “Something could happen over the next two days in Pakistan.”Trump told a New York Post reporter in Islamabad, “You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there.”Asked about the possibility of holding a new round of talks between the two countries in Geneva, the US president said, “Why should we go to some country that has nothing to do with it”The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire but talks in Pakistan last week failed to produce any significant progress. In response, the US president ordered a blockade of Iranian ports to increase pressure on Tehran. Source link
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (Reuters/File photo) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said rising tensions around the Strait of Hormuz made it hard to be optimistic about the fallout from the Iran war, warning that high oil prices and supply-chain strains were likely to persist for some time.Lee told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday the government should treat prolonged disruption in global energy and raw materials markets as a given and reinforce its emergency response system.”For the time being, difficulties in global energy and raw materials supply chains and high oil prices will continue,” Lee said.”I ask that we pursue the development of alternative supply chains, medium- to long-term industrial restructuring, and the transition to a post-plastic economy as top-priority national strategic projects.” Lee also urged ministries to move quickly to deploy a supplementary budget passed in response to the war.At the meeting, ministers outlined steps to contain the economic shock from the conflict, including support for crude imports, controls against hoarding of petrochemical feedstocks and medical supplies, and expanded financial assistance for affected companies.Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz were still affecting supplies and that even if the passage normalises, it could take around 20 days for Middle Eastern cargoes to reach South Korea.The government is prioritising support for the passage of seven South Korea-bound oil tankers stuck in the Gulf area, a document shown during the cabinet meeting said. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told the meeting that the ministry had sent officials to the Congo, Algeria and Libya in a bid to secure energy supplies, in addition to presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik travelling to countries such as Kazakhstan since last week.”I also urge the parties to this war to take courageous steps toward the peace the world so desperately wants, based on the principles of protecting universal human rights and the lessons of history,” Lee said. South Korea’s energy ministry said on Tuesday it would begin rolling out a revised seasonal and time-of-use electricity pricing system to shift power demand away from evening peak hours toward midday, when solar generation is higher. The new rates take effect for large industrial users from April 16 while weekend discounts for electric-vehicle charging will begin on April 18. Meanwhile, Middle Eastern oil producers are in contact with South Korea about using the country’s petroleum storage facilities as disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz continue, a South Korean industry ministry official said on Tuesday, signalling growing interest in offshore crude storage hubs.Yang Ki-wook, a senior official at the industry ministry, told a briefing that Middle Eastern countries were showing increased interest in storing oil outside the strait because a prolonged disruption in logistics would hit their economies and pre-positioning crude could reduce export risks.Yang said that in addition to Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), which already has a joint stockpiling agreement with South Korea, other Middle Eastern producers were also in contact, though he did not identify them. Related Story Source link
Peter Magyar, leader of the pro-European conservative TISZA party, delivers a press conference at the HUNGEXPO Congress and Exhibition Center in Budapest, yesterday. (AFP) Hungarian pro-EU prime minister-elect Peter Magyar pledged yesterday to usher in a “new era” after defeating long-time nationalist leader Viktor Orban in elections seen as a blow to hard-right populism.Orban, a self-described “thorn” in the European Union’s side who was backed by US President Donald Trump and maintained close ties to Moscow, was ousted in Sunday’s ballot after 16 years in power. Hungarians fed up with corruption handed conservative former government insider Magyar a decisive victory, with a two-thirds majority in parliament. The vote saw a record turnout.Magyar, 45, said he would do “everything in our power” to ensure the “beginning of a new era”, adding Hungarians “didn’t vote for a mere change of government, but for a complete regime change.” In power since 2010, Orban has transformed the central European country of 9.5mn people into a model of “illiberal democracy”, making wide-ranging reforms that restricted civil rights and the independence of the judiciary, media and academia.In that, he frequently clashed with Brussels, which has frozen billions of euros in funds over rule-of-law concerns. Magyar said he was “willing to take on” reforms, including anti-graft measures, to seek to unlock the funds.He urged President Tamas Sulyok, an Orban ally, to convene parliament “as soon as possible”. The president has 30 days, or until May 12, to do so.Sulyok on Facebook said he had invited the leaders of parliamentary parties to a meeting tomorrow. “Our country has no time to waste. Hungary is in trouble in every respect. It has been plundered, looted, betrayed, indebted and ruined,” Magyar told reporters.Many EU leaders welcomed Magyar’s win, while the Kremlin said Moscow hoped for “pragmatic” relations with Hungary’s new government and China — which Orban also courted — congratulated Magyar.Magyar thanked both Moscow and Beijing for “being open to pragmatic co-operation, just as Hungary is.” Orban, 62, conceded defeat on Sunday, saying the message was “painful but unambiguous”.Magyar was a supporter of Orban for years before emerging as his most serious challenger. He stepped into frontline politics just two years ago, promising to fight corruption and offering better public services.He garnered support against a backdrop of economic stagnation and despite an electoral system skewed in favour of Orban’s Fidesz. Ahead of the vote, US Vice-President JD Vance, one of the most fervent supporters of far-right parties in Europe, visited Hungary last week to attend a rally with Orban.His boss, Trump, had promised to back Hungary with the United States’ “economic might” if Orban’s party won. The election “could mark a real turning point for Donald Trump’s culture war in Europe”, said Pawel Zerka, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.It gave “confidence (to) pro-European forces across the continent” and meant that association with Trump’s culture war was now becoming “more of a liability than an asset”, he said. Orban, who repeatedly blocked EU moves to help Ukraine fight Russia’s invasion, made Ukraine a central campaign issue, portraying Kyiv as “hostile” to Hungary. Like Orban, Magyar opposes sending EU military aid to Ukraine or offering Ukraine a fast-track route to join the 27-nation bloc. He reiterated that stance yesterday, saying: “We are talking about a country at war. It is completely out of the question for the European Union to admit a country at war.”On election night, jubilant supporters poured into the streets to celebrate in the capital, Budapest.“At long last it feels so good to be Hungarian. It’s like a weight lifted off our shoulders,” Csilla Bekesi, 25, told AFP. Source…
Two very large crude carriers loaded with Iranian oil have reached Indian ports, ship tracking data from LSEG shows, as local refiners utilise a temporary waiver granted by the US last month to resume purchases from Tehran for the first time in seven years. The current waiver is due to expire on April 19. The Iran-flagged Felicity has reached Sikka Port in western India, while the Curacao-flagged Jaya is at the eastern port of Odisha, the data shows. A VLCC carries 2mn barrels of oil.India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, has not received a cargo from Iran since May 2019 after coming under US pressure not to buy the country’s crude. Indian Oil Corp, the country’s top refiner, has bought Iranian oil loaded on the Jaya, a vessel under US sanctions, Reuters reported last week. India has also allowed Reliance Industries Ltd, the operator of the world’s biggest refining complex, to buy Iranian oil loaded on the Comoros-flagged aframax Kaviz, Curacao-flagged VLCC Lenore and Iran-flagged VLCCs Felicity and Hedy, all of which are more than 20 years old and are also under US sanctions. Source link