President

Sementara Charles dan Camilla menjalankan tugas three-line whip, MPs menyaksikan ketidaknyamanan luar biasa dari para civil servants. Kita tidak sering melihat senior civil servants muncul di depan umum. Mereka dijauhkan dari pandangan publik, duduk di balik meja berusaha membujuk menteri mereka agar tidak melakukan sesuatu yang terlalu fatal bagi departemen pemerintah mereka. Mengapa mereka dianugerahi gelar knight atau dame hanya karena menjalankan tugas mereka adalah salah satu misteri kehidupan. Kita semua yang lain harus puas dengan sesekali menerima email dari atasan. Namun dalam sepekan terakhir, dua top civil servants dengan enggan terpaksa memberikan kesaksian mengenai keputusan Keir Starmer untuk menunjuk Peter Mandelson sebagai duta besar US di hadapan foreign affairs select committee, dan hal itu terbukti sangat mencerahkan. Terutama untuk melihat betapa mereka sangat tidak menyukai perhatian tambahan dari publik. Ketidaknyamanan mereka yang nyata saat dimintai pertanggungjawaban sungguh menyakitkan untuk disaksikan. Continue reading...

Veto Presiden Lula terhadap RUU tersebut dibatalkan oleh kongres dan senat Brasil, yang berarti kini tinggal menunggu konfirmasi oleh mahkamah agung. Kongres Brasil yang sebagian besar beraliran konservatif telah menyetujui RUU yang mengurangi masa hukuman penjara mantan presiden sayap kanan Jair Bolsonaro, yang divonis tahun lalu atas upaya kudeta. RUU tersebut awalnya telah disahkan oleh kongres pada bulan Desember, namun presiden Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva memvetonya pada bulan Januari dalam sebuah langkah simbolis untuk memperingati tiga tahun sejak pendukung Bolsonaro menjarah ibu kota, Brasília. Lanjutkan membaca...

• Seorang tersangka didakwa pada hari Senin atas upaya pembunuhan Presiden Trump setelah menerobos jamuan makan White House Correspondents' Association dengan membawa berbagai senjata pada April 2026. • Insiden ini telah memperkuat perselisihan partisan terkait retorika politik dan kekerasan, dengan kedua belah pihak saling menyalahkan bahasa yang digunakan masing-masing dalam berkontribusi terhadap eskalasi tersebut. • Dugaan percobaan pembunuhan ini telah mengejutkan Washington dan memicu perbandingan dengan kekerasan politik bersejarah, yang mendorong diskusi mengenai keamanan dan iklim politik saat ini.

• Presiden Donald Trump dan Raja Charles menyampaikan pernyataan bersama mengenai 'hubungan spesial' bersejarah antara AS dan Inggris. • Diskusi tersebut berlangsung di tengah persiapan perayaan peringatan 250 tahun Amerika Serikat. • Pidato Raja kepada Kongres AS mencakup pesan-pesan bermuatan politik, yang memicu analisis mengenai implikasinya bagi Trump.

• Mantan Direktur FBI James Comey didakwa untuk kedua kalinya pada Selasa, 28 April 2026, terkait unggahan Instagram yang ditafsirkan oleh DOJ sebagai ancaman terhadap Presiden Donald Trump. • Departemen Keadilan memperluas penyelidikannya menyusul pemeriksaan ulang terhadap unggahan tersebut yang digambarkan sebagai pesan berkode yang merujuk pada presiden. • Comey mempertahankan ketidaksalahannya, menyatakan bahwa tuduhan tersebut berasal dari salah tafsir atas aktivitas media sosialnya di tengah ketegangan politik yang sedang berlangsung.

Loyalists of President Mahmoud Abbas won most races ‌in Palestinian municipal elections, election officials said on Sunday, in a vote that for the first time in nearly two decades included a city in the Gaza Strip run by rival Hamas.

A spate of attacks against civilians and military bases in Colombia's southwestern region has raised security concerns as the country heads to a May presidential election.(Image credit: Santiago Saldarriaga)

In January, Kim Keon Hee was sentenced to 20 months for accepting gifts from the Unification Church, which sought political favors. (Image credit: Ahn Young-joon)

• President Donald Trump signed a series of emergency executive orders from the Oval Office on April 25, 2026, enacting the 'World's Most Powerful Reset' to address national security and economic stability. • The orders grant the administration vast new powers over the U.S. economy and financial system, potentially altering the Federal Reserve's role amid foreign threats. • The actions have triggered fierce debate over constitutional authority, with volatile reactions from Democrats and Republicans, and shockwaves in global markets.

• President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are preparing to welcome His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom for an official visit to the White House. • The visit represents a significant diplomatic engagement between the United States and the United Kingdom at the highest levels. • Such state visits typically include formal ceremonies, bilateral meetings, and discussions on international policy matters.

• The White House is ramping up pressure on Cuba for political change following Operation Absolute Resolve, which successfully extracted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. • US military presence is expanding across Latin America and the Caribbean, with a focus on combating drug-trafficking by transnational criminal organizations like Mexican Cartels, MS-13, Tren de Aragua, and Haitian gangs, topping the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment. • Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa seeks stronger US military ties after a failed 2025 referendum on foreign bases, while Paraguay ratified a State of Forces Agreement allowing temporary US troop deployments for training.

• The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the launch of the 2026 class of Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF), showcasing its commitment to hiring top technology talent. • The new PIF class will focus on key Administration priority projects, including developing AI-powered tools to accelerate infrastructure permitting processes. • The initiative demonstrates the federal government's strategy to leverage specialized technology expertise for modernizing government operations and infrastructure development.

ICC judges say there are substantial grounds to believe Duterte guided anti-drugs crackdown that killed thousandsThe former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, will face trial at the international criminal court (ICC) after judges unanimously confirmed charges of crimes against humanity over his “war on drugs”.Pre-trial judges concluded on Thursday that there were substantial grounds to believe Duterte was responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder in relation to anti-drugs crackdowns which led to the killing of thousands of people. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: As political tensions rise abroad and economic pressures mount at home, ​D​onald Trump faces a shifting landscape that is testing the loyalty of his ​M​aga supportersGood morning. Starting a war of choice that is rapidly spiralling out of control, poll ratings at a second-term low, and a cost of living crisis intensifying for millions.Any conventional US president would be in big trouble. But Donald Trump is not a conventional president, and normal rules do not seem to apply to him. More than a third of Americans continue to believe he is doing a good job despite the global chaos he has unleashed.UK politics | Keir Starmer was looking increasingly isolated over the Peter Mandelson scandal as the Guardian learned of concerns around the cabinet table, a senior minister refused to say the dismissal of Olly Robbins was fair and several mandarins called for Robbins to be reinstated. One Labour MP called on Starmer to quit.Middle East | Iranian forces seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz as the US and Iran doubled down on imposing separate blockades of the shipping waterway.West Bank | Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, were killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school, witnesses and local officials said. Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed a journalist after rescuers were blocked from accessing the building where she was buried under rubble because of further Israeli fire, according to several witnesses.UK news | Britain’s high military dependence on the US is “no longer tenable” and the UK has to become increasingly independent of the special relationship, a former Nato chief has said.Palantir | The Metropolitan police has held talks with Palantir that could lead to the London force buying the US spy-tech company’s AI technology to automate intelligence analysis for criminal investigations. Continue reading...

Kevin Warsh, Trump’s ‘central casting’, has a long road ahead of convincing board members to lower interest ratesDonald Trump’s fate is to be frustrated by monetary policy.Even assuming he gets his way and Kevin Warsh succeeds Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve next month, it is unlikely that the president will finally gain control of the Fed. Continue reading...

• The president requires congressional approval to extend a 30-day federal takeover of unspecified operations beyond the initial period. • Lawmakers from both parties debate the scope, with costs projected at millions in taxpayer funds. • Extension could set precedent for future interventions, raising federalism concerns among states.

Lai Ching-te abandons visit after Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoke overflight permission Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, has cancelled his trip to Eswatini, the democratic island’s only diplomatic ally in Africa, after his government said several countries had revoked overflight permits because of “intense pressure” from China.Lai was to leave on Wednesday for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession. Continue reading...

Jose Ramos-Horta urged by opposition to explain diplomatic passport given to businessman behind resort project, who denies any involvement with organised crimeTimor-Leste’s opposition has questioned how foreign investors in a proposed cryptocurrency resort obtained prime beachfront real estate in the country’s capital, and has called on the president to explain why he issued a diplomatic passport to a Chinese businessman involved in the project.Speaking in parliament in Dili on Monday, Fretilin opposition party MP Florentino Ximenes da Costa “Sinarai” raised concerns about the proposed AB Digital Technology Resort, which was the subject of a months-long investigation by the Guardian and Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Continue reading...

Eighth election in five years comes after government collapse in December, with stability and cost of living key issuesBulgarians are voting in the eighth parliamentary election in five years, with the clear frontrunner, the pro-Russian former president Rumen Radev, promising to stamp out corruption and end a succession of weak, short-lived governments.Radev, a Eurosceptic former fighter pilot who has opposed military support for Ukraine, stepped down from the presidency in January to run in the election, which comes after mass demonstrations forced out the previous government in December. Continue reading...

Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV polarizing the diverse community as faith and politics come to a headMaryellen Lewicki meets once a week for Bible study with a group of Catholic women in Decatur, Georgia, in a space they try to keep clear of politics. But Donald Trump’s name arises nonetheless.“We have one person that we pray for during the course of the week,” she said. “What my friend said is that she prays for the president every day, that God will remove that hard heart of his and replace it with a softer one that has love.” Continue reading...

Prime minister elect says he expects new government to be in place by mid-MayElection winner Péter Magyar has confirmed work is under way to form the new Hungarian government by mid-May after holding talks with the country’s president, Tamás Sulyok, a loyalist of the outgoing prime minister, Viktor Orbán.The two leaders discussed the timetable for new parliament, which can be formed not before 4 May when the results of the Sunday’s vote need to be certified by, with Magyar saying he expected the new government to be in place by mid-May.“[Sulyok] is unworthy of representing the unity of the Hungarian nation. He is unfit to serve as the guardian of legality. He is not fit to serve as a moral authority or a role model.” Continue reading...

Sheinbaum has recently been taking a firmer stance with the US, defying pressures where other countries have cavedThe Mexican government has voiced concern about the deaths of its citizens in US custody, with Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum also pushing back against the Trump administration’s decision to impose an energy blockade on Cuba.The progressive Mexican leader has walked a careful line with Trump for more than a year, addressing provocations with a measured tone and meeting US requests to crack down on cartels more so than her predecessors, in an effort to offset threats of tariffs and US military action against gangs. Continue reading...

Sharon Simmons, photographed delivering McDonald’s to Trump on Monday, lobbied for the ‘no tax on tips’ policy in 2025Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe DoorDash delivery driver who had a turn in the national spotlight on Monday by bringing a fast-food order to Donald Trump at the White House has publicly touted the president’s so-called “no tax on tips” policy before – causing some to question the encounter’s authenticity and the company to confirm it was a stunt.Sharon Simmons had lobbied in July 2025 in favor of the policy, which DoorDash supports, testifying in Congress that she was based in Nevada and driving for the delivery platform because her husband’s cancer treatments had made it difficult to make ends meet otherwise. Continue reading...

Push for states to assign presidential electors to winner of popular vote gains momentum in bid to reach 270 thresholdA national majority vote for president is one step closer to reality after Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger signed the National Popular Vote bill into law, joining an interstate compact with 17 other states and the District of Columbia.Under the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, states would assign their presidential electors to the winner of the popular vote, regardless of the results within the state. The compact takes effect when states representing a majority of electoral votes – 270 of 538 – pass the legislation and thus would determine the winner of the presidential contest. With Virginia, the compact now has 222 electors. Continue reading...

Orbán is out in Hungary and talks have failed to end the war in Iran – ill-fated roadtrip has been setback for Maga aimsShortly before JD Vance’s ill-fated week crisscrossing the world, Donald Trump asked him during a private Easter brunch about how the Iran negotiations were shaping up. “If it doesn’t happen, I’m blaming JD Vance,” Trump said to laughs in the room. “If it does happen, I’m taking full credit.”The joke at Vance’s expense contained an unfortunate nugget of truth: this is not an administration that rewards failure. Continue reading...

Lack of ballot papers and defective computers disrupt election that Keiko Fujimori appears to be leadingPeruvians will have to wait at least until the end of Monday to know the result of the presidential election held on Sunday, after the voting process descended into chaos in some polling stations due to a lack of ballot papers or defective computers.In an unprecedented move, Peru’s electoral agency ONPE announced on Sunday night that it would extend voting for an extra day to allow tens of thousands of Peruvians in the country and abroad, who had been unable to vote, to cast their ballots. Continue reading...

Octogenarian incumbent contrasts his health with challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, who fainted during a TV debate The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is seeking to lunge and leg press his way to a historic fourth term, as the octogenarian politician uses a flurry of workout videos to convince voters he is fighting fit ahead of October’s crunch election.Lula looks set to face off against a senator almost half his age in what will be the leftist’s seventh presidential campaign since he first sought Brazil’s top job in 1989, when he was 44. Continue reading...

As president Patrice Talon steps down after a decade, the west African country’s finance minister is favourite to winThis Sunday, just four months after a failed coup, Benin heads to the polls for a presidential election that feels more like a coronation than a contest.Patrice Talon, the businessman turned politician who has been president since 2016, is ineligible to run again after serving two five-year terms. Continue reading...