Almost all the talk about Rory McIlroy in the build-up to this year’s Masters related to the pomp.
In comparison, discussion about his game felt somewhat neglected.
When last year’s winner was finally able to focus on his golf on Thursday, McIlroy reminded everyone he is not in Augusta this week simply to serve up the Champions’ Dinner.
He is here to play. And he is here to win.
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The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland shares the first-round lead with American Sam Burns after carding a five-under par 67, ensuring anybody who was sleeping on his chances of going back-to-back had been stirred.
McIlroy was among only 16 players in the 91-man field to finish under par, with conditions expected to get even firmer and faster over the next three days.
England’s Justin Rose, who was agonisingly denied his first Green Jacket by McIlroy in a nerve-jangling play-off last year, is three shots behind the leaders and alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler on two under par.
“I think winning a Masters makes it easier to win your second one,” said McIlroy, who is aiming to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only men to retain the Masters.
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“It’s hard to say because there are still shots out there that you feel a little bit tight with, and you just have to stand up and commit to making a good swing and not worry about where it goes.
“But it’s easier for me to make those swings and not worry about where it goes when I know that I can go to the champions’ locker room and put on my Green Jacket.”
PSNI said: “We will relentlessly pursue those that are trying to delay or deny justice to victims of crime”
Rob Currell Live news reporter
06:30, 10 Apr 2026
A 29-year-old man was extradited from Germany to Northern Ireland to face charges dating back eight years.
He is wanted to stand trial in Northern Ireland for one offence of robbery and one offence of possession of an offensive weapon.
The offences occurred in the Portrush area during November 2018. The male was granted bail at Antrim Crown Court on March 29, 2023 and failed to show up for his trial on September 11, 2023 when a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Sergeant Davey from the International Policing Unit said: “Today’s extradition demonstrates our commitment to tracking down fugitives wanted here in Northern Ireland. In this case we worked closely with national and international partners to locate, arrest and extradite this fugitive.
“Our message is clear to anyone who has skipped bail or left Northern Ireland to avoid the consequences of their actions. We will relentlessly pursue those that are trying to delay or deny justice to victims of crime.”
The suspect was arrested by police in Essen, Germany, on January 22, 2026, following an extradition warrant from Coleraine detectives. The process was finalised today, Thursday, April 9, with his successful return to Northern Ireland.
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He is expected to appear before Antrim Crown Court on Friday April 10.
In 2025, Kyle Winchester’s (Huey Quinn) mum Amy Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson) died during the catastrophic limo crash. As a result of this traumatic death, the Emmerdale youngster is now terrified about losing other members of his family.
Earlier this year, when Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) told his sons about his cancer diagnosis, Kyle’s first thought was that he was going to die like his mum.
Cain did his best to reassure him despite not actually knowing how his future is going to play out. Earlier this week, Kyle found Cain lying unconscious in the road after being hit by a car, and fear led him to believe once again that his dad was going to die.
Amid his worries about his dad’s cancer, Kyle is also aware there’s a very high chance Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) is going to go to prison for the rest of her life. In upcoming episodes, his anxiety over losing his step-mum leads to Kyle running away from the family home.
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Kyle fears losing his dad Cain to cancer (Picture: ITV)
The search to find the lad is led by Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller), but Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) eventually finds Kyle, who explains that he overheard Moira’s plan to plead guilty at the trial.
His guilt increasing over the fact he helped frame Moira in the first place, Robert vows to make things right.
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Later, Aaron is stunned when Robert says that he’s going to turn himself in for Moira.
Moira’s loved ones make a major discovery (Picture: ITV)
Robert agrees to stay at Butler’s one more night. The next day, everything changes as Kammy Hadiq (Shebz Miah) manages to trace Ray’s old car number plate to a storage unit in Hotten.
Fortunately, Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) remembers that all-important HSU107 key from Celia’s farm. The group open the door to the unit, and find what appears to be loads of new evidence.
But will it be enough to save Moira?
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AS a fellow ‘Yorkie’ born and bred, I agree with Mary Morton’s verdict on Shambles in her letter ‘Pun created a stir’, The Press page 20, April 8.
However, at least one improvement can be cited; the ‘potty-emptying’ practice from upper storeys (accompanied by the warning cry, ‘Garde a l’eau!’, which became ‘Gardyloo’), has thankfully ceased.
When I worked at Pickerings bookshop in the street there were a few occasions when watering our hanging baskets we’d splash the occasional passer-by but not like in the ‘good old days’.
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Derek Reed,
Middlethorpe Drive,
York
—
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I had to chuckle
IT’S not often war provides a chuckle, but Tony Fisher stating as a fact that Trump has been lying about the progress of negotiations with Iran the very day a temporary deal is officially struck, did provide me with one.
To wrongly conclude no deal was being worked on, I can only assume he had his ear pressed against the wrong door in the Pentagon.
Dr Scott Marmion,
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Woodthorpe,
York
—
Great day out
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IT was great to see the York Model Railway show over the Easter Weekend at the Knavesmire.
What I liked about it was not only did you have exhibitors from Yorkshire but form the rest of the country as well.
There seems to be a great interest in model railways that you thought that somewhere like the National Railway Museum would after the revamp be able to stage a similar event.
Timothy Wynn Werninck,
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Dodgson Terrace,
Acomb,
York
—
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In praise of the ferret
IT’S nice to read a good news story in the paper – the reuniting of the ferret with its owner.
Ferrets are lovely; very inquisitive and full of mischief, although they sleep between 14 to 18 hours a day – so a bit of a specialised pet.
They are best kept in pairs and relatively easily hand trained and toilet trained to use a litter tray.
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My uncle Fred used to keep them for a while for rabbiting until Myxomatosis (a contagious viral disease effecting rabbits) put paid to that.
Fed on cat food, they also liked bread soaked in milk and fresh raw meat and the occasional dead mouse or bird.
Ferrets are a very interesting and unusual pet.
D M Deamer,
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Penleys Grove Street,
Monkgate,
York
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Tesco is recalling a dessert item as it has been deemed “unsafe to eat”. A Food Standards Agency (FSA) recall notice said that Tesco Finest Summer Edition Chocolate Affogato Dessert may contain pieces of plastic.
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The affected product has a pack size of 538g and best-before dates of up to and including April 2027.
The FSA said: “This product may contain pieces of plastic, which makes the product unsafe to eat. Tesco is recalling the above product and has issued a recall notice to alert customers. These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tell them what to do if they have bought the product.
“If you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to any Tesco store for a full refund. For further information, please visit Tesco’s contact Tesco page at: tesco.com/help/contact”
About product recalls and withdrawals
The FSA explained: “If there is a problem with a food product that means it should not be sold, then it might be ‘withdrawn’ (taken off the shelves) or ‘recalled’ (when customers are asked to return the product).
“The FSA issues Product Recall Information Notices to let consumers and local authorities know about problems associated with food. In some cases, a ‘Food Alert for Action’ is issued.
“This provides local authorities with details of specific action to be taken on behalf of consumers.”
Taking a leap of faith and turning your business dream into a reality is always a risk but it’s one that’s certainly paid off for this busy working mum
06:00, 10 Apr 2026
Olivia’s Haven’s ‘phygital’ business approach
Taking a leap of faith and turning your business dream into a reality is always a risk, never more so than during a global pandemic.
But that’s exactly what busy working mum Olivia Burns did back in 2020. After taking voluntary redundancy, Olivia founded her candle and home fragrance business Olivia’s Haven just as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and the world locked down. She worked through the pandemic from her home studio in her native Coleraine to build the business one candle at a time.
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Six years on, that risk has certainly paid off with a thriving business in the “phygital era”—the fusion of physical store experiences with the more digital TikTok shop approach. After almost a decade working in branding for both big global companies and smaller start-ups, Olivia always desired to create her own brand from start to finish.
A self-confessed candle lover, in January 2019 her fascination with the link between scent and how it helped her recall her own memories grew. She started experimenting with wax and fragrance oils to create the ultimate range of scented candles inspired by her own childhood memories. But it wasn’t just about creating a great range of products for Olivia’s Haven; they also needed to look just as amazing as they smell.
Initially starting online, Olivia went on to establish shops in Coleraine, another on the Belmont Road in east Belfast and a pop-up store on Ann Street in Belfast city centre in the run up to Christmas 2025. Olivia produces her range of soy candles and home fragrance at the firm’s base in Coleraine.
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She told Belfast Live: “This all came about because I just loved home fragrance and candles. I loved having a beautiful home to come back to that just smelt warm and welcoming. But I also wanted to find scents that were totally unique because I found that when you went to the supermarket for example, all the fragrances were pretty boring or samey.
“I wanted something that was totally unique and really exciting but also looked beautiful and looked as good as they smelled—that’s what we’ve worked really hard to do. We started with just six soy wax candles and now we’ve got about 50 scents in our range overall which also includes reed diffusers, wax melts and room sprays.”
Olivia explained how the wide range of scents on offer are all linked to memories and stories: “All of our scents start with the story and then, the scent follows after that. For example we have one called ‘The Potting Shed,’ and the story behind that is my dad and his love of gardening.
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“I really wanted to get that scent completely perfect with that feeling when you walk into a greenhouse or a potting shed and a gorgeous natural smell of greenery, tomato vines, and it’s lovely and earthy as well. The story behind the scent appears on every candle and diffuser box.
“Others in the range like ‘The Wedding,’ I had for my own wedding day and it smells like a beautiful bouquet of summer flowers while ‘The Nursery,’ as you might expect, smells like a beautiful fresh baby powder fragrance. We use soy wax and toxin-free ingredients and eliminate all the nasties from the products, so a lot of people like nice to burn in your home and you’re not breathing in paraffin wax which you do with mass produced candles.
As well as the physical stores, Olivia’s Haven sells its products on its website, as well as online on TikTok.
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She explained: “We’re quite unique in that we have physical stores, plus we have the online and then we really lean into our socials as well. We do a lot on TikTok including live selling and packing our products to send them out across the world. Our beautiful physical stores give people the full experience and one of the reasons we did go down that route was just because we knew people wanted to hold, touch and smell our products and feel that quality as well.
For anyone considering making their business dream a reality, Olivia has this advice: “I had it in my head that I was going to start a business before I was 30. On my 30th birthday I had a big glass of Prosecco and was just like ‘right, I’m just going to put out my first Instagram post and then I’m committed and have to it.’
“Just do it and don’t worry about what other people think. You’ll regret more what you didn’t do than what you did. ‘Take a leap and the net will appear’ was always a little quote that was in my head. It’s really risky, but things tend to work out if you take the risk and put the work in.”
Full fibre broadband is a non-negotiable in today’s fast-moving digital world. Whether it is an online business, a physical store or both, nowadays retailers rely on a steady internet connection to operate and communicate with customers as well as ensuring their day-to-day operations run smoothly.
Colin Hutchinson, managing director of Fibrus Group said: “Reliable, high-speed broadband is now essential to businesses, whether it’s powering card payments and stock systems in store or enabling brands to sell, stream and engage customers online in real time.
“It’s fantastic to see a local business like Olivia’s Haven thriving across physical stores while also embracing the pace and opportunity of platforms like TikTok Shop. At Fibrus Broadband, we’re proud to play a part in supporting ambitious businesses who are pushing boundaries and growing to reach new audiences by combining great in store experiences with strong online performance.”
The incident took place on Good Friday, April 3, on Lee Lane, Horwich, when a car collided with three pedestrians outside the Victoria and Albert Pub, leaving two hospitalised.
A 33-year-old man remains in custody for questioning after being arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm, Greater Manchester Police confirmed this week.
A GMP spokesperson said: “At around 10.53pm on Friday, April 3, we were called to reports of a road traffic collision between a car and three pedestrians.
“Emergency services attended, and two men were taken to hospital for treatment.
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“A 33-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.
“He remains in custody for questioning, and enquiries are ongoing.”
The incident occurred outside the Victoria and Albert pub at around 10.53pm.
The pub did not want to comment on the incident itself due to its sensitivity, but did confirm that one of its staff members had been injured.
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“The event has been traumatic for the staff team,” said Kevin Galbraith of the Victoria and Albert, “so we don’t wish to go over it again.
“We have assisted police with their enquiries.”
Greater Manchester Police issued an appeal for CCTV and dashcam footage to aid them in their investigations.
One anonymous Facebook user posted footage of what is thought to be the driver in question.
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CCTV footage of pedestrians on the street seconds before the incident (Image: Anonymous)
The car in the footage swerves slightly onto the pavement before returning to the road.
It continues driving behind the car ahead of it before swerving to the left back onto the pavement, exiting the dashcam’s frame.
Horwich Cllr Charlotte Moncado-Sears said: “Horwich isn’t a place where we want people driving dangerously – we’re such a small, close-knit town.
“And Horwich is always so busy on Good Friday – everybody goes up Rivington Pike and comes back down into the village for a drink or something to eat.
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“I know it was late, but there could be families and kids there.”
Also shared with the police was CCTV footage showing the moment of the incident, taken from the camera of a nearby business.
Horwich Councillor Ryan Bamforth said: “I really do hope everyone involved in the incident is alright.”
Anybody with information or footage of the incident is advised to contact GMP on 101 or via the online chat facility on the GMP website.
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Anybody not comfortable contacting the police directly can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 to submit their footage/information anonymously.
Police confirmed that they responded to a concern for welfare on East Street just after 1am on Thursday (April 9).
Church Street West had been closed off in both directions with no access to vehicles or pedestrians, and tram services between Bury and Whitefield were suspended for several hours this morning.
Radcliffe Metrolink station had also been taped off.
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Greater Manchester Police confirmed a man was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage following the large emergency presence.
Speaking earlier in the day, a force spokesperson added: “Officers currently responding to a concern for welfare on East Street, Radcliffe, reported at around 1am today (09/04/26).
“Road closures are currently in place while emergency services attend.”
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Pictures from the scene show a large presence in the area, including ambulances and fire crews as well as the police.
One eyewitness reported seeing a person sitting near a bridge on the main road with a cordon in place.
The Bee Network said services on the Bury Metrolink line had resumed at just after 10.30am, and traffic monitoring site INRIX confirmed traffic on Church Street West was open in both directions by 11.15am.
YORK is getting a unique new bakery from today – based in a garden shed with an honesty box for payment.
The Bread Box is a one-of-kind pop-up run by keen baker Rachael Bell.
Rachael is launching the bakery today from her home in Rawcliffe, York.
On the menu will be a range of savoury treats, many with an unusual twist, as well as homemade butter and treats for dogs.
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Rachael, 37, who works full time in HR for an IT firm, told The Press: “I have always worked in the corporate and media industry but always loved baking.
“I tend to do it at the weekend – but there is only so much bread you can eat!”
She got the idea for the pop-up Bread Box after seeing similar enterprises springing up around York where bakers sell cakes and sweet treats from a home setting via an honesty box.
The idea is that customers choose what they want then pay either in cash or via a card machine. Rachael says she also has CCTV installed for everyone’s safety and peace of mind.
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The Bread Box will open at 8am today (Friday April 10) and run through to Sunday, with Rachael topping up low supplies from her kitchen, where the oven will be fired up over the weekend.
Scones at The Bread Box Photo – supplied (Image: SUPPLIED)
The plan is to run the business every weekend from the drive at her home at 65 Manor Park Road in Rawcliffe, York. The location is near St Mark’s Church.
On the menu this weekend are a range of items priced from £2 for a pesto and parmesan twist to £3.50 for a farmhouse boule loaf.
Rachael has been experimenting with flavours too. Look out for a spelt loaf with fig and pumpkin seed, which she says is perfect for cheese on toast.
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Another novelty is the use of Caramilk chocolate and brown butter, which add a caramel flavour and nuttiness to her products.
And she will be launching a ‘Buttered toast cookie’ – where cookie dough is rolled in buttered toast crumbs then baked.
Rachael Bell of The Bread Box, a pop-up she is running from her drive way in Rawcliffe, York, every weekend. Photo – supplied
“I had to find a way to use up all that bread!” she said.
Her favourite bread is her cheddar and hot honey, she added.
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A dog lover – Rachael and her husband have a pet Golden Retriever – she will also be selling treats for dogs.
Rachael said after noticing pop-up home bakeries with honesty boxes springing up across York she thought there was a gap in the market for a bread-focussed one.
“I will be selling bread, scones, pastry and butter. I am self taught and a lot of it is experimental,” she said.
Also for sale will be granola.
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And it has all happened rather quickly too. “I decided to do it and the next day I was doing my Amazon order!”
For all the latest updates, follow Rachael on Instagram at @thebreadboxyork.
The world will be watching on April 12 when Hungarians head to the polls in parliamentary elections that will determine the country’s next prime minister. This may sound exaggerated, but these parliamentary elections are about much more than simply whether the incumbent prime minister, Viktor Orbán, will serve another term as Hungary’s leader.
His main challenger, Péter Magyar, was until two years ago a close ally of the Hungarian prime minister. On some key issues – future oil purchases from Russia, resisting fast-track EU accession for Ukraine – Magyar is a continuity candidate who, at best, signals moderation, rather than radical change.
If he fails to win a two-thirds majority, which would allow him to change the constitution and undo many of the deeply undemocratic changes Orbán has made to Hungary’s political system, Magyar’s hands will also be tied domestically and he may not even be able to deliver on his key campaign promise – to clean up the systemic corruption that has thrived under Orbán.
But – while important in itself – the outcome of the elections is almost secondary in a bigger picture of an election campaign that has revealed much about the broader, and increasingly fraught, geopolitical dynamics of European politics.
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Orbán has been leaning into his close relationship with the US president, Donald Trump. At one level, this is not surprising. Trump has publicly endorsed him twice this year alone – first in February and then again in March. The US president also dispatched both his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and vice president, J.D. Vance, to Hungary to add weight to his candidacy.
Vance, visiting Hungary just days before the elections, praised Orbán’s governance and leadership style as a model for Europe and attacked the EU for trying to influence the outcome of the vote.
Such blatant election interference by the US in a Nato and EU member state is as unprecedented as it is worrying. It signals a new level of determination by the White House to shape alliances with other far-right populists predicated on the vague notion of “moral cooperation … and the defence of western civilisation”, as Vance put it during his visit to Budapest on April 7.
But while Orbán revelled in Washington’s endorsements, his unconditional embrace of Trump is no longer the dominant approach to Washington among many of Europe’s rightwing populist parties. The appeal of the Maga movement is rapidly diminishing in Europe.
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While fulsome in their support for Donald Trump for more than a decade, many European rightwing populists have begun to realise the fraught nature of their association with Trump. “America first” is exactly what it says on the tin. Moreover, Trump’s interpretation of what it means makes it even worse for some of his erstwhile supporters.
For Poland’s president, Karol Nawrocki, Trump’s cosy relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin runs counter to the almost universal perception of Russia as the main threat to Polish security. For the Danish People’s Party, which sits with the far-right Patriots for Europe faction in the European parliament, Trump’s designs on Greenland were so unpalatable that one of its members, Anders Vistisen, told the US president to “fuck off”.
For others, like the French Rassemblement National (National Rally), Trump’s tariff threats have affected some of their core constituencies among farmers. Even more so, Trump’s illegal war against Iran, hugely unpopular across European electorates, highlights the electoral liabilities of an association with the US president.
This does not make these rightwing populist movements more liberal. They still share a broad resentment of liberalism and what it stands for: open societies, open borders and a commitment to global institutions. But many of these parties have staked their political legitimacy on the defence of the sovereignty of their individual nation states. They are now asking themselves whether this sovereignty is perhaps more threatened by Washington – and Moscow – than by Brussels.
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The answer to this question will partly be determined by the outcome of Sunday’s elections in Hungary.
What an Orbán victory would mean
A win for Orbán would, at a minimum, indicate sufficient desire for an autocratic and illiberal model of governance and at least some residual appeal of an alignment with Trump. But that logic may not prevail for long in the face of the conflict in the Middle East and Russia’s continuing onslaught on Ukraine.
Warm relationship: Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, with Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow, November 2025. Sipa US/Alamy Live News
Orbán’s close relationship with Putin – and his persistent obstruction of the EU’s Ukraine policy – is likely to leave him increasingly isolated, even among otherwise ideologically close rightwing populists. This vulnerability became apparent as early as 2022 when Orbán’s long-time ally Jaroslaw Kaczynski, then Polish deputy prime minister, publicly bashed his pro-Russian leanings.
Divisions over the EU’s Russia policy have exposed one significant faultline among rightwing populist movements across Europe between those seeking accommodation with the Kremlin and those seeking deterrence and containment. The far-right Sweden Democrats, for example, threatened to leave the European Conservatives and Reformists parliamentary bloc if Orbán’s Fidesz party had been allowed to join. This is precisely because the Hungarian prime minister was seen as too close to Russia.
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For these Russia-sceptical parties, Orbán’s alignment with Putin is clearly anathema. Trump’s apparently warm relationship with the Russian president is likely to deepen their unease about aligning too closely with the White House. Geographical proximity to Russia and a long history of confrontation with Russia will remain powerful drivers for these parties’ foreign and security policies.
Trump’s endorsement of Orbán may thus more effectively accelerate Orbán’s isolation among rightwing populists in Europe. This will undermine his agenda of building a powerful coalition of like-minded illiberal leaders eroding the EU from within.
These tensions and contradictions at the heart of a supposedly ideologically well-aligned transatlantic populist right movement predate Hungary’s parliamentary elections and they will outlast them. At a time of almost unprecedented global disorder and uncertainty, the battle for Hungary is both an election campaign and, more broadly, a key episode in the ongoing debate over the meaning of the west as a geopolitical project.
Islamabad under lockdown with 10,000 security personnel ahead of US–Iran talks
Islamabad has been placed on high alert, with more than 10,000 security personnel deployed across Islamabad, the capital preparing to host crucial peace talks between the United States and Iran.
Authorities have implemented a sweeping, multi-layered security plan overseen by the military, with support from paramilitary Rangers, as well as Islamabad and Punjab police forces. Traffic and highway police have also been mobilised to manage movement across the city.
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The deployment includes around 6,000 Islamabad police personnel, 900 Frontier Constabulary troops and 3,000 members of the Punjab Constabulary, alongside Rangers and Pakistan Army units. An additional 1,000 traffic police officers have been stationed to control roads and diversions.
Talks are scheduled for Saturday but the delegations are expected to start arriving on Friday.
The Dawn newspaper reported that a 30-member US team has already arrived in Islamabad to review security arrangements.
The US delegation to the Islamabad talks will be led by vice president JD Vance, joined by senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, signa.
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Iran will be represented by foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, reflecting high-level engagement from both sides as efforts continue to stabilise the fragile ceasefire.
Security has been tightened particularly in the city’s high-security “red zone”, where key govepnment buildings and diplomatic sites are located.
Shweta Sharma10 April 2026 05:30
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Albanese meets Singapore PM as Australia seeks fuel security
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese is meeting Singapore counterpart Lawrence Wong on Friday as Canberra looks to shore up fuel supplies amid ongoing disruptions linked to the Iran conflict.
Speaking after arriving in Singapore late on Thursday, Albanese said the talks come at a time when “fuel security is on the agenda right around the globe” due to the crisis in the Middle East.
Singapore – Asia’s key oil trading hub – is Australia’s largest supplier of petrol and a major source of diesel and jet fuel.
Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains near standstill despite a fragile ceasefire, tightening global supply.
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Australia imported about 84% of its petroleum needs last year.
Australia supplies about one-third of Singapore’s liquefied natural gas imports, while importing around 26% of its refined fuel from the city-state.
“Australia and Singapore are strategically aligned… and that is why it’s so important that at difficult times in the world we can rely upon each other,” Albanese said.
Singapore’s own refining sector is also under pressure. Despite a combined capacity of about 1.2 million barrels per day, refineries have cut output due to disrupted crude supplies following the Strait’s closure.
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According to data from road insurer NRMA, Singapore accounted for 54.7% of Australia’s petrol imports – nearly 6 billion litres – with South Korea and India the next largest suppliers.
Shweta Sharma10 April 2026 05:00
Stocks edge higher, oil ticks up ahead of US–Iran talks
Stocks rose on Friday as investors remained cautiously optimistic about the fragile US-Iran ceasefire ahead of planned weekend talks, while oil prices inched higher.
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Asian equity markets extended weekly gains in early trading, with Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei each rising by at least 1 per cent.
Singapore and Manila also posted solid gains, although Sydney slipped.
The positive momentum followed another strong session on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 closed 0.6 per cent higher on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Brent crude climbed 1 per cent to $96.83 a barrel as trading resumed in Asia, reflecting lingering concerns over supply despite the tentative diplomatic progress.
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Shweta Sharma10 April 2026 04:39
US says Iran suffered ‘generational military defeat’
Admiral Brad Cooper, the leader of US Central Command, said in a video posted to social media Thursday, “Iran has suffered a generational military defeat”.
“The United States and Israel systemically destroyed Iran’s ability to conduct large-scale military operations for years to come”, the admiral added.
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Cooper said that while military operations have been paused amid a two-week ceasefire, “We remain present. We remain vigilant and we remain ready if called”.
Rachel Dobkin10 April 2026 04:30
US summons Iraqi ambassador over drone strike on diplomatic facility in Baghdad
The United States has summoned Iraq’s ambassador following a drone strike near key diplomatic facilities in Baghdad, in the latest escalation linked to the Iran war.
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US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau called in Iraqi Ambassador Nizar Khirullah on Thursday after a drone hit an area close to a major US diplomatic installation, the State Department said.
Earlier, the US Embassy in Baghdad accused Iran-aligned “terrorist militias” of carrying out multiple drone attacks near the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center and Baghdad International Airport on Wednesday.
During the meeting, Landau acknowledged efforts by Iraqi security forces to respond, but stressed what Washington described as the government’s failure to prevent the attacks.
The State Department said the US expects Iraq to take concrete steps to dismantle Iran-backed militia groups operating in the country.
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It also alleged that some elements within Iraq’s state apparatus continue to provide political, financial and operational backing to these groups.
Violence has surged across Iraq since the start of the Iran conflict, with dozens reported killed, according to Iraqi health authorities.
The casualties include civilians, members of Iran-linked Shi’ite Popular Mobilisation Forces, US-allied Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, as well as police and army personnel.
Shweta Sharma10 April 2026 04:11
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Analysis: Britain and Nato are pulling away from Trump’s America – to save it from itself
Just a day after Donald Trump floated the idea of turning the Strait of Hormuz into a “joint” tollbooth to enrich the US and Iran, the British government revealed that a joint operation with Norway had been undertaken to protect Nato’s northern flank.
The move, combined with a visit this week by Keir Starmer to the Arabian Gulf, is the latest sign that even Europe’s Anglo-Saxons are pulling away from Washington. The UK and its allies are determined to defend the alliances and principles of international law that the US president and his deputy are keen to destroy.
Sam Kiley10 April 2026 04:00
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Kuwait military base hit by drone attack, officials say
Kuwait’s National Guard said one of its bases was hit by a drone attack, the Associated Press reported.
The attack caused damage to the base, but no injuries were reported.
Rachel Dobkin10 April 2026 03:30
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Trump rants about former MAGA faithfuls who criticized Iran war
Donald Trump has issued a lengthy rant on social media against former MAGA faithfuls he calls “losers”.
“They think it is wonderful for Iran, the Number One State Sponsor of Terror, to have a Nuclear Weapon — Because they have one thing in common, Low IQs”, Trump wrote on Truth Social late Thursday afternoon.
Rachel Dobkin10 April 2026 03:00
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Watch: Starmer says Gulf leaders were ‘shocked’ at the way they were attacked by Iran
Starmer says Gulf leaders were ‘shocked’ at the way they were attacked by Iran
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has denied striking Gulf nations, or any country for that matter, after a ceasefire in the war was announced, The New York Times reported, citing Iranian state media.
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Iran’s paramilitary said it had made “absolutely no launches toward any country” since the two-week ceasefire was announced Tuesday.
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