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• Exclusief: Burgemeester van Greater Manchester Andy Burnham is de voorkeurskandidaat voor een nieuwe leider voor 42% van de ondervraagden • Volledige resultaten uit Engeland, Schotland en Wales • De meerderheid van de Labour-leden geeft aan niet te geloven dat Keir Starmer het tij voor de partij kan keren, terwijl 45% vindt dat de premier moet aftreden.

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection uncovered child sexual exploitation material on five cruise ships in San Diego between April 23-25, leading to the detention of 28 crew members including staff from Disney Magic. • Authorities revoked visas and deported the detained crew members, with passengers witnessing handcuffings during the enforcement operation. • The discovery represents a significant coordinated effort to combat child exploitation in the cruise ship industry.

The group of 13 women and children left Syria for Australia on Wednesday, with authorities saying some adults may be chargedA group of 11 women and children have landed in Melbourne after being detained for more than seven years in Syrian detention camps since the fall of Islamic State.Some the women may face and possible criminal charges – including terrorism and slavery related offences – with the Australian federal police (AFP) expected to provide an update later on Thursday. Continue reading...

La Nación has been critical of Costa Rica president and Donald Trump ally, Rodrigo ChavezThe US state department has canceled tourist visas for more than half the board members of Costa Rica’s leading national newspaper, La Nación, which has been a critical voice against the country’s president and Donald Trump ally, Rodrigo Chaves.During Chaves’s 2022 presidential campaign, La Nación published several articles documenting allegations of sexual harassment against him that had forced him out of his job at the World Bank. The paper also reported on allegations of illegal campaign financing, which Chaves denied. Continue reading...

Several sick crew members are to be medically evacuated from vessel, as Canary Islands government objects to docking plans. Plus: the Mexico City nightclub that charges Americans 90% moreGood morning.Several crew members on the MV Hondius are being prepared for medical evacuation to the Netherlands, as the cruise ship continues to be marooned off the coast of Cape Verde following a suspected hantavirus outbreak that is believed to have killed at least three passengers.What is hantavirus? It is a rare disease that is usually spread from infected rodents typically through urine, droppings and saliva.What is the plan for the ship? It planned to sail to Spain’s Canary Islands, where the Spanish health ministry would work alongside the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and World Health Organization to examine and treat the crew and passengers before repatriating them to their respective countries.On Wednesday, the Canary Islands government said it opposed the plan and was requesting a meeting with the Spanish prime minister over it.What did Project Freedom achieve? The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said the US had successfully secured a path through the waterway and that hundreds of commercial ships were lining up to pass through. So far, however, only two merchant ships are known to have passed through, with hundreds more – carrying up to 23,000 crew members – bottled up in the Persian Gulf.What is the US end game? Rubio said that for peace to be achieved, Iran must agree to Trump’s demands on its nuclear program and to open the strait.This is a developing story. Follow the live blog here. Continue reading...

Heidi Alexander says part of answer to strait of Hormuz crisis is importing more fuel from US and west AfricaA refinery in Nigeria accused of dismissing workers for joining a union has emerged as key to the UK government’s hopes of saving the summer holiday amid a jet fuel shortage.Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said at the weekend that part of the answer to the strait of Hormuz crisis was to import more fuel from the US and west Africa. Continue reading...

Search and rescue operation launched after service members reported missing near south-western city of Tan TanTwo US service members are missing in south-western Morocco after taking part in annual multinational military exercises in the North African country, the United States Africa Command (Africom) said Sunday.The US, Morocco and other countries participating in the African Lion exercise have launched a search and rescue operation, Africom said. Continue reading...

• The Senate Armed Services Committee has advanced a draft version of the National Defense Authorization Act that includes language to block automatic military pay reductions triggered by certain budget gimmicks tied to the sequester framework. • The provision comes after Pentagon officials warned that artificial pay cuts could drive recruitment and retention problems and after several advocacy groups lobbied lawmakers to permanently repeal the sequester caps. • Senator Adam Smith and other committee members argued that service members should not be collateral damage in political budget fights.

Paramount Skydance CEO fetes administration as it weighs $110bn merger with CNN parent WarnerBros DiscoveryDozens of protesters, including members of Congress, gathered along the National Mall on Thursday to protest an “intimate” dinner being held by Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison “in celebration of the First Amendment” and “honoring the Trump White House and CBS White House Correspondents”, and attended by Donald Trump.Paramount has faced criticism for the dinner, which has been seen by some as illustrative of the cozy relationship between the Ellisons and the White House – right as the Trump administration is weighing whether to approve the company’s $110bn merger with CNN parent company WarnerBros Discovery. The dinner comes before Saturday’s White House correspondents’ dinner, which Trump will attend. His defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is expected to sit at one of the many tables bought by CBS News for the event. Continue reading...

Prosecutors say 43 people indicted on charges including murder, kidnapping, extortion and drug traffickingMore than two dozen members and associates of the Mexican mafia were arrested during an early morning crackdown in southern California, federal authorities said on Thursday.The FBI and other federal and local agencies executed search and arrest warrants at locations mostly in Orange county, south of Los Angeles, according to the US attorney’s office. Continue reading...

Human rights groups have warned that the collective prosecutions violate due process and block defendants from accessing legal counselA Salvadoran court on Tuesday began a collective trial of 486 alleged gang members, in one of the biggest mass trials under president Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on gang violence through controversial emergency powers.Prosecutors say the charges against alleged members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, or MS-13, span more than 47,000 crimes committed between 2012 and 2022, including a weekend that was El Salvador’s bloodiest since its civil war. Continue reading...

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth makes announcement and calls military’s flu vaccine mandate ‘broad’ and ‘not rational’Members of the armed services will no longer be required to have an annual flu vaccination shot under a new policy announced Tuesday by Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary.In a video statement posted to social media, Hegseth described the mandate as “overly broad” and “not rational” and the decision to drop the vaccine requirement as “seizing this moment to discard any absurd overreaching mandates that only weaken our war fighting capabilities”. Continue reading...

• NATO's Cyber Defense Centre convened an emergency session Friday evening after Russia launched a sophisticated cyberattack targeting Poland's electrical grid and water treatment facilities, temporarily affecting 2.3 million residents. • Polish authorities attribute the attack to Russian military intelligence, claiming it used previously unknown malware variants designed to evade NATO defense systems and test alliance cyber resilience. • The incident prompted NATO to raise its cyber alert status to level 3, the highest in the alliance's history, and triggered Article 5 consultations regarding collective defense implications.

Authorities identified Kenneth and Barbara Martin and their daughter Barbie from remains in car in Columbia RiverDNA analysis has identified the remains found in a car in the Columbia River as those of an Oregon family that went missing in 1958 while on a trip to find Christmas greenery, authorities said Thursday.The state medical examiner’s office identified Kenneth and Barbara Martin and their daughter Barbie from remains located in the river within the wreckage of the car, according to the Hood River county sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office said it concluded its investigation and found no evidence of a crime. Continue reading...

Filing seeks to overturn seditious conspiracy charges of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers members who laid siege to US Capitol in 2021The US Department of Justice has requested that a federal appeals judge overturn convictions for members of far-right groups Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, who were previously found guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the violent siege of the US capitol in 2021.Jeanine Pirro, the Donald Trump-appointed US attorney for the District of Columbia, signed separate motions on Tuesday to vacate convictions for a slew of individuals, including the Proud Boys’ leaders Ethan Nordean and Joseph Biggs as well as Stewart Rhodes, a former attorney who founded the Oath Keepers’ militia. Continue reading...

Amendment calling for step-incest to be included in ban on harmful content tabled by Conservative peer Gabby BertinThe government has agreed to ban the production of porngraphy depicting sex acts between stepfamily members following a vote in the House of Lords.An amendment calling for step-incest to be included in a ban on harmful content was tabled by Conservative peer Lady Gabby Bertin, who led a review into pornography regulation that was published last year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Survey published days before election in which anti-EU Viktor Orbán risks being ousted after 16 yearsEurope live – latest updatesHungary elections: what is at stake and who is likely to win?After years of relentless EU-bashing by their nationalist, illiberal prime minister, an overwhelming majority of Hungary’s voters back its membership of the bloc, and most – including many of Viktor Orbán’s voters – now want a new approach to Brussels.Days before elections at which Orbán, who has consistently painted the EU as an enemy of the Hungarian people, risks being ousted after 16 years in power, a poll has shown a huge appetite for a recalibration of the country’s relations with the bloc. Continue reading...

Licensed school teacher and one-time police officer among those participating in riot-style gatherings as experts warn of threat to public safetyA network of militant neo-Nazi active clubs from around the US has been participating in riot-style combat events with other white nationalist groups in Virginia as part of what their founder called a “tip-off point for a fascist cultural revolution”.Social media posts and group chats show members of so-called active clubs from Texas, Tennessee and Pennsylvania have in recent weeks and months travelled to Lynchburg, Virginia to train together at a secretive compound. The compound is run by the Wolves of Vinland, which the civil rights watchdog the Southern Poverty Law Center identifies as a neopagan white nationalist hate group. Also present were members of the white supremacist hate group Patriot Front and the neo-Nazi skinhead group known as the Hammerskins. Continue reading...

Lawyers for accused had argued names of family members should be suppressed due to fears for their mental and physical safetyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe alleged Bondi attacker has been denied a suppression order over his family member’s names and home and work addresses after a collective of media organisations won a challenge against the bid.In the Downing Centre local court on Thursday, judge Hugh Donnelly decided to deny the request for a 40-year suppression order, ending an interim suppression order that was granted for Naveed Akram’s mother, brother and sister in early March which banned the publication of their names and addresses. Continue reading...

Potential challengers given only 36 hours to prepare for a rerun after the winner was deemed ineligibleFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMoira Deeming could secure the top spot on a Victorian Liberal ticket – if she still wants it – after potential challengers were given only 36 hours to prepare nominations for a rerun preselection ballot, in what some insiders call a “stitch up”.It came after Deeming was on Sunday ousted from the number one spot for the western metropolitan region by Dinesh Gourisetty. But by Monday night, the Victorian Liberal party executive resolved to hold a fresh preselection, after Gourisetty was deemed ineligible to stand as a candidate at the November state election due to a character reference he provided for a friend convicted of sexually assaulting a child. Continue reading...

• At least 12 U.S. service members were injured, with two in serious condition, after an Iranian missile and drone attack on a U.S. military base in Saudi Arabia. • The attack followed Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and Iran's vow to retaliate against Israeli military actions in the region. • The incident marks a significant escalation in direct Iranian military engagement with U.S. forces in the Middle East conflict.

• HHS and CMS announced new members for the Healthcare Advisory Committee on March 27, 2026, to enhance patient care and modernize U.S. healthcare. • Committee focuses on policy recommendations for efficiency, innovation, and better outcomes nationwide. • Initiative aims to address systemic challenges amid evolving public health needs.

• Reps. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) and Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) introduced the Preventing Real-time Exploitation and Deceptive Insider Congressional Trading Act on March 25, 2026, prohibiting members of Congress, the president, vice president, spouses, dependents, and senior executive branch employees from trading in prediction markets on political events or policy decisions. • The bill imposes civil penalties of 10% of the violating transaction's value plus full disgorgement of profits to the U.S. Treasury, amid rising bipartisan concerns over platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi. • 'The American people are tired of politicians using their influence for personal gain, and the rise of prediction markets has made those concerns even more relevant,' Budzinski stated.

Airline CEOs have urged Congress to restore funding to the TSA as lengthy security lines plague US airportsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDelta Air Lines is partly suspending its speciality service desk for members of Congress until funding for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is restored, the airline confirmed on Tuesday, as security lines stretch for hours at airports across the country due to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.The service desk is used to help members of Congress book flights at special government rates, secure airport escorts and make last-minute changes to flights. Continue reading...

• President Trump stated the US should rethink NATO membership after allies refused to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Israel-Iran war. • Multiple American partners balked at Trump's requests for naval assistance in protecting oil tanker traffic through the vital waterway. • A senior UAE official indicated openness to helping, contrasting with broader allied reluctance that risks one-fifth of global oil flows.

Board members Jørgen Vig Knudstorp and Beth Ford face scrutiny for the coffee chain’s ongoing labor dispute Starbucks shareholders are pushing to remove two board members at the company who they argue have contributed to stalling the coffee chain’s long-fought-over union drive.The SOC Investment Group, Trillium Asset Management, Merseyside Pension Fund, the non-profit Shareholder Association for Research and Education (Share), and the New York state and New York City comptrollers wrote a letter to Starbucks shareholders to vote “no” on the re-election of board members Jørgen Vig Knudstorp and Beth Ford at Starbucks’s annual shareholders meeting on 25 March. Continue reading...

Lawyer acting for alleged Bondi beach terror attack shooter says 24-year-old’s mother and siblings have received death threats since December antisemitic shootingsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLawyers for alleged Bondi beach gunman Naveed Akram have argued the names of his family members should be suppressed due to fears “one or more of them may be killed” after they received death threats.But legal counsel for media organisations, who are challenging the suppression order request, argued there was no evidence before the court of an imminent risk. Continue reading...

US Central Command says crash followed unspecified incident, and second refueling tanker landed safely in IsraelThe names of two of the six US service members who died when the military refueling aircraft they were aboard crashed over Iraq last week were made public Saturday, revealing a father who had recently been promoted and a beloved son.The Ohio air national guard said that three of the service members came from its 121st air refueling wing in Columbus, while a family from Birmingham, Alabama, confirmed that pilot Alex Klinner was killed in the crash. Continue reading...