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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c995j57xepmo
A US judge has dismissed a case against the publisher of the Wall Street Journal over a story about ties the US president had to Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump sued the American newspaper and its owners including Rupert Murdoch in a Florida federal court last summer, asking for at least $10bn in damages.

The president claimed the newspaper defamed him in a 17 July report that said Trump's name was in a "birthday book" given to Epstein in 2003. In that message, the Journal reported, Trump included a drawing of a woman's body.

Trump's lawyer told CBS News that the president will refile the "powerhouse" suit.

US District Judge Darrin Gayles said Trump came "nowhere close" to showing the WSJ acted with actual malice.

The case was dismissed without prejudice, though Trump will be allowed to file a new, amended lawsuit by April 27.

Trump's lawyer said the president will "continue to hold accountable those who traffic in Fake News to mislead the American People".


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https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungarians-vote-landmark-election-closely-watched-by-eu-russia-us-2026-04-11/
BUDAPEST, April 12 (Reuters) - Hungary's veteran nationalist leader Viktor Orban conceded defeat on Sunday after a landslide election victory by the upstart opposition Tisza party, in a setback for his allies in Russia and U.S. President Donald Trump's White House.
Results based on 46% of votes counted showed the centre-right, pro-EU Tisza party of Peter Magyar winning 135 seats - or a crucial two-thirds majority - in the 199-member parliament, ahead of Orban's Fidesz party.
"The election results are not final yet, but the situation is understandable and clear," Orban said at the Fidesz campaign offices. "The election result is painful for us, but clear."
Pollsters predicted a record voter turnout, with Hungarian television showing long queues outside some voting stations in Budapest. Data at 1630 GMT, half an hour before polls were due to close, showed 77.8% of voters casting their ballots, up from 67.8% four years earlier.
If the final results confirm the early readings, an end to Orban's period in government after 16 years in power would have significant implications not only for Hungary, but for the European Union, Ukraine and beyond.
It would likely spell an end to Hungary's adversarial role inside the EU, possibly opening the way for a 90 billion euro ($105 billion) loan to war-battered Ukraine blocked by Orban.
Defeat for Orban could also mean the eventual release of EU funds to Hungary that the bloc had suspended due to what Brussels said was Orban's erosion of democratic standards.
Orban's exit would also deprive Russian President Vladimir Putin of his main ally in the EU and send shockwaves through Western right-wing circles, including the White House.
In Hungary, a Tisza victory could open the way for reforms that the party says would aim to combat corruption and restore the independence of the judiciary and other institutions.

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https://news.sky.com/story/donald-trump-shares-ai-image-of-himself-as-jesus-christ-after-attacks-on-pope-leo-13531252
Donald Trump has shared an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ after launching an extraordinary attack on the Pope.

Overnight, the US president accused Pope Leo of being "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy" and claimed that "if I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican".

In a spree of late-night Truth Social posts - including Trump-branded hotels on the Moon and other X posts from supporters - Mr Trump also shared an AI image of himself as Jesus Christ without comment.

Responses on Truth Social were atypically critical, with some followers urging the president to take the post down.

It's not the first time that the US president has shared AI images of himself: Last year, as Mr Trump prepared to order the National Guard to deploy in Chicago, he posted an AI-generated parody image of himself from Apocalypse Now.

The US president has targeted the head of the Catholic Church after he criticised the war in Iran, saying in a speech last month that God rejected the prayers of leaders who start wars and have their "hands full of blood".

He also called the conflict in Iran "atrocious" and urged Mr Trump to find an "off-ramp" and "decrease the amount of violence".


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https://www.axios.com/2026/04/12/trump-naval-blockade-iran-strait-hormuz-peace-talks
President Trump announced the U.S. is imposing a naval blockade on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, several hours after peace talks in Pakistan ended in failure.
Iran has effectively held the strait hostage, imposing a toll and limiting oil exports. Trump's blockade aims to flip that dynamic by denying Iran the leverage it's using as a bargaining chip and preventing it from exporting its oil.
"We want to take this card from the Iranians," a senior U.S. official said.

"Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote on his Truth Social.
He added that he the U.S. Navy will "seek and interdict" vessels that have paid a toll to Iran in order to pass through the strait.
"No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas," he stressed.

Trump noted the blockade will begin "shortly" and added that during the blockade U.S. forces will destroy the mines the Iranians laid in the strait. It is unclear where these mines are located.
He mentioned that other countries are also going to be involved in the blockade.
"Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL! Iran knows, better than anyone, how to END this situation which has already devastated their Country," he said.

The U.S. and Iran didn't reach an agreement during marathon negotiations on Saturday in Pakistan.
The deadlock in the talks puts the two-week ceasefire agreed last week in limbo, with the possibility of renewed and escalating warfare.

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https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/bryan-morales-us-citizen-deport-mexico-b2955205.html

>A U.S. citizen has been deported to Mexico despite telling arresting officers that he had proof of citizenship at home, according to a new report.

>According to Univision’s Lidia Terrazas, 25-year-old Denver-born Brian Morales was threatened with either deportation or prison time following a traffic stop in Texas by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents.

>This is the latest in a string of incidents involving U.S. citizens and Department of Homeland Security agents during the first 18 months of Trump’s second term in office. In addition several American children have been deported alongside their parents, including a child undergoing cancer treatment in the U.S.

>Meanwhile, three U.S. citizens have been killed by federal immigration officers this year.

>A spokesperson for DHS contested Morales’ story, telling The Independent, “CBP did NOT arrest a U.S. citizen. On April 3, U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Rocksprings, Texas Station interviewed Bryan Jose Morales-Garcia after he was encountered by Gillespie County Sheriff’s deputies near Fredericksburg. Agents determined Morales-Garcia was illegally in the U.S. through record checks. Morales-Garcia also admitted he is a Mexican national and he entered the country illegally. He was subsequently removed to Mexico on April 7.”

>“This is exactly what we’ve been warning about for years as the anti-immigrant rhetoric and legislation has heated up,” Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro told Univision.

>“ICE is often ignoring people when they say ‘hey I am a U.S. citizen here’s the proof. It’s because they want people gone.”

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https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/world/middleeast/syria-kidnapping-alawite-woman-girls.html

By Ben HubbardPhotographs by Laura Boushnak
Ben Hubbard and Laura Boushnak met with and spoke to dozens of people with direct knowledge of kidnapping cases, including women and girls who had returned home.

April 3, 2026
A 16-year-old girl left her home in northwest Syria last May to visit a shop and disappeared.

Weeks later, an anonymous stranger phoned her distraught family and said that he had the teenager and would let her go if they paid thousands of dollars in ransom, according to four people involved in her case.

The family paid the ransom and the girl returned in August, more than 100 days after she had been kidnapped. She told confidants that she had been held in a dank basement and was regularly drugged and raped by strangers, the four people said.

A medical exam turned up yet another shock: She came home pregnant.

Since rebels ousted the dictator Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, panicked families and activists trying to help have regularly sounded the alarm on social media that women and girls from Syria’s Alawite minority have mysteriously disappeared or been kidnapped. Many fear that their sect is being targeted as retribution for the brutality of Mr. al-Assad, who also belongs to the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

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http://web.archive.org/web/20260412083934/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/i-wished-death-sexual-violence-israels-prisons-organised-state-policy

‘I wished for death’: Sexual violence in Israel’s prisons is an ‘organised state policy’
Palestinian testimonies reveal how sexual violence, including rape using objects and dogs, is approved by 'highest levels' of Israeli leadership

By Katherine Hearst
Published date: 11 April 2026 11:53 BST

Sexual torture of Palestinian detainees from Gaza in Israeli prisons is an "organised state policy", endorsed by the "highest, political, military, and judicial authorities", a new report has revealed.
The report, seen exclusively by Middle East Eye, is based on testimonies from Palestinian former prisoners gathered by the rights watchdog Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor.
It reveals how the scope of sexual violence of Palestinian prisoners, including rape using objects and trained military dogs, constitutes an "organised state policy", aided and abetted by Israeli institutions and leadership.
One former detainee, a 42-year-old woman from north Gaza who was held in the notorious Sde Teiman detention centre, said she was bound naked to a metal table and repeatedly raped by two masked soldiers over the course of two days.
She recalled that she was left shackled, naked and bleeding throughout the night before the soldiers returned the next day to continue raping her.
She said she wished for death and likened her experience to "another genocide behind walls".
Throughout her ordeal, she was filmed. Soldiers later showed her the footage while she was hung by her wrists under interrogation, threatening to publish the videos if she did not "cooperate".

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https://metro.co.uk/2026/04/12/abhorrent-step-incest-porn-banned-five-years-prison-27947720/
Sir Keir Starmer has backed a ban on ‘abhorrent’ online porn depicting step-relatives and adults role-playing as children.

The U-turn by the prime minister comes after government had previously resisted banning ‘step incest’ videos because many real-life relationships between adult step-relatives are not illegal.

But it has now changed tack after a threat to rebel by a group of Labour MPs.

The Ministry of Justice said that possessing and publishing porn showing incest between family members and sex between step or foster relatives where one person pretends to be under-18 would be a crime.

Anyone caught doing so could face up to 5 years in prison, according to the new rules.
Jess Asato, the Labour MP for Lowestoft, said: ‘After many years of campaigning to ensure online pornographic content is subject to the same rules as offline content, I am delighted the government has announced these clear changes to our law.

‘Step-incest pornography and that which depicts performers as children is abhorrent.

‘Alongside banning strangulation in pornography which the government previously announced, tackling this vile content will make our country a safer place for women and children and shows the UK can lead the world in tackling violence against women and girls.’

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https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/trump-says-us-start-blockading-strait-hormuz-2026-04-12/
MIAMI, April 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the price of oil and gasoline may remain high through November's midterm elections, a rare acknowledgement of the potential political fallout from his decision to attack Iran six weeks ago.
"It could be, or the same, or maybe a little bit higher, but it should be around the same," Trump, who is in Miami for the weekend, told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo" when asked whether the cost of oil and gas would be lower by the fall.
The average price for regular gas at U.S. service stations has exceeded $4 per gallon for most of April, according to data from GasBuddy. Average U.S. gas prices in February hovered just below $3 per gallon, and over the past year never exceeded $3.25 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.
Trump's comments on Sunday came after weeks of asserting that the spike in prices is a short-term phenomenon, though his top advisers are cognizant of the war's economic impacts, officials have said.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump announced on social media that the U.S. Navy would blockade the Strait of Hormuz and intercept any ship that paid a crossing fee to Iran, after marathon talks between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan over the weekend did not yield a peace deal.
"No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas," he wrote on Truth Social media platform.
Several hours after Trump's post, U.S. Central Command said the blockade would be limited to ships going to and from Iranian ports. Ships entering and exiting non-Iranian ports will not be stopped by U.S. forces, CENTCOM said.
A U.S. blockade may add more uncertainty to the eventual resolution of the conflict, which is currently subject to a tenuous two-week ceasefire. The new tactic is in response to Iran's own closure of the strait's critical shipping lanes.

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Allies yank support for Swalwell’s California governor run after sexual assault allegations
https://apnews.com/article/california-governor-eric-swalwell-assault-allegations-aa1d13afe441be38d1d16f648e06d503

Another Democrat hero bites the dust.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell has so far denied calls for him to exit the California governor’s race following allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman twice, including when she worked for him. After prominent supporters withdrew their backing, Swalwell said in a video on social media that he would spend the weekend with family and friends and share an update “very soon.”

“These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They’re absolutely false. They did not happen, they have never happened, and I will fight them with everything that I have,” the congressman said Friday.

Swalwell was among the leading Democrats in the race to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom. But in just hours, he saw his most prominent supporters — including U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and powerful labor unions — drop their endorsements and call for his exit from the race.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who hasn’t endorsed in the race, said the “serious allegations” must be investigated and that she spoke to Swalwell and suggested that be done “outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

The allegations surfaced at a critical stage of the wide-open campaign to lead the nation’s most populous state. Voters will receive mail ballots next month in advance of the June 2 election.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that a woman said Swalwell sexually assaulted her in 2019 and 2024. The newspaper reviewed text messages about the alleged 2024 assault and spoke to people whom she had told about it. She told the newspaper she did not go to police because she was afraid she would not be believed.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cde56g80xp5o
Inflation in the US accelerated last month to its highest rate in nearly two years, as surging oil prices triggered by the US-Israel war in Iran started to spill over into the wider economy.

Consumer prices climbed 3.3% over the 12 months to March, picking up from 2.4% in February, the Labor Department said.

The jump, which was expected, marked the biggest monthly change since 2022, when the world was dealing with an energy shock brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Last month's increase was driven by a spike in prices at the pump, as the war’s shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices soaring.

Annel Villegas, 23, said the cost was "terrible", using an expletive for emphasis.

"I drive a truck, so I fill it up every half tank, and now it's like, $70 (£52), $80," she said, adding that she had tried to limit her driving as much as possible due to the jump in gas prices.

Still, she said: "I have to do what I have to do to live .... I'm just dealing with whatever it brings to me – so, paying more."


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https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-intelligence-indicates-china-preparing-weapons-shipment-iran-cnn-reports-2026-04-11/
April 11 (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence indicates China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran within the next few weeks, CNN reported late on Friday, citing three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments.
The network said there are indications Beijing is working to route the shipments through third countries to mask their origin.
U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to a group of reporters on Saturday afternoon as he departed the White House to fly to Miami, said that "if China does that, China can have big problems."
He did not elaborate.
The U.S. State Department, the Chinese embassy in Washington and China's foreign ministry did not respond to Reuters requests for comment earlier on Saturday.
Beijing is preparing to transfer shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems known as MANPADs, CNN said, citing sources it did not name.
The U.S. and Iran held high-level negotiations on Saturday in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, seeking ways to end their six week-old war.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwywre1e3kvo
The White House has unveiled plans for a gold-accented giant victory arch dubbed the "Arc de Trump", that Donald Trump wants built in the nation's capital.

The 250ft (76m) monument, if approved, would be taller than the US Capitol building and the Lincoln Memorial, and feature a golden Lady Liberty-like torch and crown.

It will be "the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World" Trump wrote on social media. "This will be a wonderful addition to the Washington DC area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!"

The arch is just one of Trump's controversial efforts to reshape Washington's landscape and faces legal hurdles similar to his new ballroom project.
The administration said it has officially filed the plans with the Commission of Fine Arts, a panel made up of Trump allies, which will review the proposal next week.

American taxpayers will help fund the project, according to a publicly available spending plan for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) released by the White House.

As per the spending plan, the NEH will dedicate $2m (£1.5m) in special funds and $13m in matching funds to the project.

Trump has previously said that since his ballroom project was "fully financed", some of the leftover money would be used to fund the arch.

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https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-iran-talks-pause-now-disagreements-remain-2026-04-11/
ISLAMABAD, April 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. and Iran failed to reach an agreement to end their war despite marathon talks that concluded on Sunday in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, jeopardising a fragile ceasefire.
Each side blamed the other for the failure of the 21-hour negotiations to end fighting that has killed thousands and sent global oil prices soaring since it began over six weeks ago.
"The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America," Vice President JD Vance, the head of the U.S. delegation, told reporters shortly before he left Islamabad.
"So we go back to the United States having not come to an agreement. We've made very clear what our red lines are."
The U.S. and Iranian delegations have left Islamabad to return home, Pakistani sources told Reuters.
Vance said Iran had chosen not to accept American terms, including not to build nuclear weapons.
"We need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon. That is the core goal of the president of the United States, and that's what we've tried to achieve through these negotiations."
The talks in Islamabad, after a ceasefire earlier in the week, were the first direct U.S.-Iranian meeting in more than a decade and the highest-level discussions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said that "excessive" U.S. demands had hindered reaching an agreement. Other Iranian media said there was agreement on a number of issues but that the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear programme were the main points of difference.

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On Thursday afternoon, first lady Melania Trump gave a speech in which she said she had no direct associations with disgraced convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, reigniting the Epstein scandal for the Trump administration.

It was known earlier this week that the first lady would be giving a speech, but the subject matter was not announced beforehand. In her missive, Trump said she wanted to speak out against purported “lies” being made about her relating to Epstein and Maxwell.

“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” Trump said, adding that those promulgating the commentaries “are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect.”

Very few, if any, reputable media outlets have pushed the accusations that Trump spoke about, which included rumors about her purportedly being introduced to her husband, President Donald Trump, by Epstein on the latter’s plane. A statement from a former employee of Epstein’s did suggest that the couple met that way, but other past reports demonstrate the two met at a party in 1998, unrelated to the disgraced financier, although Donald Trump was friends with Epstein at the time.

Melania Trump’s statement was unusual, in that she hasn’t faced much in terms of scrutiny, compared to her husband, regarding her personal connection to Epstein.

Trump claimed she never had a friendship with Epstein or Maxwell. She also said a 2002 email to Maxwell from her was an “email reply” that shouldn’t be “categorized as anything more than casual correspondence.”

“My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note,” Trump insisted.

However, the email’s text, revealed in a recent round of the Epstein files being released, suggests it was more personal than Trump lets on.

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