‘We were never friends with Orbán’: Hungary’s new era leaves Russia on the back foot 14. April 2026 (14:29) Loss of closest European ally will force Kremlin to consider whether non-autocratic states can ever be reliable partnersEurope live – latest updatesThe Kremlin said on Tuesday it was pleased that Hungary’s prime minister-elect, Péter Magyar, appeared open to pragmatic dialogue, as Moscow adopts a wait-and-see approach after the election loss of its closest partner in Europe, Viktor Orbán.“For now, we can note with satisfaction, as far as we understand, his [Magyar’s] willingness to engage in pragmatic dialogue,” said the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. “In this instance, there is mutual willingness on our part, and we will then proceed to take our cue from the specific steps taken by the new Hungarian government.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Officials who made errors before Southport murders ‘may still be making same mistakes’ 14. April 2026 (14:11) Former victims’ commissioner Vera Baird says disciplinary action is essential to ensure people are held accountable• UK politics live – latest updatesFamilies in Southport cannot be sure that officials who made “catastrophic” errors before the murder of three girls are not still making the same mistakes, a former victims’ commissioner has said.Vera Baird KC said all those who failed to properly monitor the killer, Axel Rudakubana, should be held “personally accountable” and that authorities must not “shrug it off” with an apology. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
United Airlines CEO reportedly pitched merger with American, sparking competition fears 14. April 2026 (14:01) Critics warned of ‘higher ticket prices, more fees, and fewer options’ for passengers if two travel giants try to combineThe CEO of United Airlines is said to have pitched a blockbuster merger with American Airlines during a meeting with Donald Trump, floating the combination of the world’s two largest carriers.Scott Kirby, who leads United, raised the prospect during an encounter with the US president in late February, Reuters reported, citing two unnamed sources. Such a deal would overhaul the global air travel industry – and likely face intense competition scrutiny. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Soham murderer Ian Huntley died from ‘blunt head injury’, inquest told 14. April 2026 (13:43) Child killer was allegedly attacked at workshop at HMP Frankland with metal bar and died in hospitalAn inquest into the death of the Soham murderer, Ian Huntley, has heard he was struck over the head multiple times with a metal bar in prison.Huntley, 52, was an inmate in the maximum-security prison HMP Frankland in Durham, where he was allegedly attacked in a workshop on 26 February. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Telegraph takeover by German buyer cleared by culture secretary 14. April 2026 (13:34) Lisa Nandy says there are no grounds to refer Axel Springer deal to Ofcom, ending almost three years of uncertainty for titlesBusiness live – latest updatesThe culture secretary has cleared Axel Springer’s £575m takeover of the Telegraph, paving the way for the end of almost three years of uncertainty over the ownership of the titles.Lisa Nandy said that she does not believe there are grounds to intervene and refer the deal to the media regulator, Ofcom, for an in-depth regulatory investigation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Survivors ask why Nigeria bombed busy market in effort to target jihadist group 14. April 2026 (13:10) Military has described devastating attack that killed up to 200 people, many of them civilians, as a ‘precision airstrike’Survivors and observers have questioned the Nigerian military’s rationale for a devastating airstrike on a busy market that killed as many as 200 people, many of them civilians.The hit on Jilli market on the border of the north-eastern Borno and Yobe states on Saturday is the latest in a string of attacks by the country’s air force over the past decade with a high civilian death toll. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Anger at ‘bloody unacceptable’ efforts to end Sudan’s war as conflict enters fourth year 14. April 2026 (13:02) A top UN official has criticised lack of global urgency as reports confirm the world’s largest humanitarian crisis is worseningEfforts to end Sudan’s catastrophic war have been criticised as “unacceptable” by the country’s top UN official as a series of new reports confirm that the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis is worsening.Speaking to the Guardian on the eve of the third anniversary of the war, Denise Brown expressed her concern over the apparent lack of political urgency to end a conflict that has forced 14 million Sudanese to flee their homes. Tens of thousands of people are missing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Nothing but tree skeletons’: record-breaking wildfires devastate US cattle country 14. April 2026 (13:00) Rising temperatures and extreme drought are driving more destructive spring fires across the American Great Plains. This year, forces aligned to create the perfect storm in NebraskaIn a normal year, the vast grasslands that roll across the American Great Plains would be starting to green. But at the center of the US, where most of the nation’s beef producers graze their herds, this spring brought fire instead of moisture, leaving more than a million acres black and barren.Multiple blazes raged across Nebraska, where the records for the annual acreage burned were obliterated in a single month. The state logged the largest blaze ever recorded when the Morrill fire cascaded across more than 642,000 acres before it was contained in March. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US states drop Medicaid coverage of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs as demand rises 14. April 2026 (13:00) Experts say any short-term financial benefit will be outweighed by long-term health costs related to obesityFaced with high demand for GLP-1 drugs, some American cities and states that previously covered the cost of the weight-loss medication for low-income residents and public employees have now started to restrict or eliminate coverage.The pullback stems from the dramatic increase in public spending on drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy in recent years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Spanish prime minister’s wife charged with corruption 14. April 2026 (12:58) Pedro Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, and two others charged after investigation triggered by group with far-right linksBegoña Gómez, the wife of Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has been charged with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds at the end of a two-year investigation by a judge in Madrid.Gómez, 55, has been accused of using her influence as the wife of the socialist prime minister to secure and manage a post at Madrid’s Complutense University, and of using public resources and personal connections to further her private interests. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
