Donald Trump is reportedly pressuring officials to issue a $250 banknote featuring his likeness. If implemented, this would mark the first time in over 150 years that a living person's image would appear on U.S. currency. The United States has historically reserved banknote portraits for deceased presidents and founding fathers, with the last living person featured on currency being a Civil War-era figure in the 1860s.
Hungary's ruling Fidesz-KDNP party has endorsed a proposal by the opposition Tisza Party to significantly reduce parliamentary salaries. The Hungarian parliament is set to operate with lower compensation for lawmakers starting in July. The move represents an unusual instance of cooperation between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's governing coalition and the opposition on budgetary matters affecting legislators' pay.
Norwegian Queen Sonja has been released from hospital after being admitted overnight for heart-related issues. The 87-year-old queen, wife of King Harald V, was hospitalized for one night due to cardiac problems but has since been discharged.
Portuguese police searched the headquarters of the Socialist Party as part of a corruption investigation, resulting in the detention of five individuals. The operation represents a significant development in what appears to be a major anti-corruption probe targeting Portugal's ruling political party. The Socialist Party has governed Portugal since 2015 under Prime Minister António Costa, making this investigation particularly significant for the country's political stability.
The Israeli Prime Minister has ordered the army to expand its control over up to 70 percent of Gaza territory, openly violating the agreed ceasefire conditions. The move represents a significant escalation in the conflict with Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs Gaza. The expansion of Israeli military control directly contradicts the terms of the ceasefire agreement that had previously been negotiated between the two sides, raising concerns about the stability of any peace arrangements and the potential for renewed hostilities in the region.
Latvia has formed a new center-right government led by businessman Andris Kulbergs as prime minister. Kulbergs assembled the government in just ten days and built it around a broad coalition of political parties. The formation of this new administration represents a significant political development for the Baltic nation, which is a member of both the European Union and NATO. Latvia's parliamentary system requires coalition governments due to its multi-party political landscape, making the speed of government formation notable in the country's political context.
France's largest renewable energy project has entered the official permitting process, marking a significant milestone for the country's green energy transition. The project is planned to be constructed more than 40 kilometers off the coast of Normandy in the English Channel. While specific details about the project's capacity and timeline were not disclosed, the development represents France's commitment to expanding its offshore renewable energy infrastructure as part of broader European Union climate goals to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy independence.
United Nations experts are urging France to tackle severe overcrowding in its prison system, warning that current conditions violate prisoners' rights. Official data shows France held 88,145 people in custody as of April 1, a record number that has pushed the prison system beyond its capacity. The UN experts characterized the conditions in French prisons as inhumane, highlighting the urgent need for reforms to address the overcrowding crisis that has reached unprecedented levels.
Russian forces struck multiple cultural institutions in Kyiv, with the National Chernobyl Museum suffering the most severe damage. The museum, which preserves the history and artifacts from the 1986 nuclear disaster, was among several cultural sites targeted in the Ukrainian capital. The strike represents part of Russia's ongoing military campaign against Ukraine that has frequently targeted civilian and cultural infrastructure.
Rescue teams in a devastated Ukrainian city are conducting evacuations of civilians who have finally agreed to leave areas destroyed by Russian bombardment. The city has been left without electricity, gas, heating, or running water, with minimal food supplies and few intact buildings remaining. Rescue workers are going door-to-door, looking into windows and shouting "evacuation" from balconies to convince remaining residents to leave. According to reporting by The New York Times, the situation has become so dire that survivors are forced to scavenge through garbage to survive, while Russian forces continue to target civilians in what witnesses describe as hunting behavior. The evacuation efforts represent a desperate attempt to save those who have endured months of bombardment in a city where normal life has become impossible.
The United States economy expanded at a slower pace in the first quarter than previously estimated, according to revised data. The gross domestic product of the world's largest economy still posted year-over-year growth during the January-March period. The revision suggests economic momentum was more modest than initial calculations indicated, though the economy continued its overall expansion trajectory.
A federal judge in the United States has declined to halt Donald Trump's executive order that limits mail-in voting procedures and allows the preparation of a federal voter registry. The ruling permits the former president and current Republican nominee to proceed with implementing stricter voting regulations that could significantly impact future elections across the country. The decision comes amid ongoing national debates over voting access and election integrity, with Democrats typically favoring expanded mail-in voting options while Republicans have pushed for tighter controls on postal ballots.
The head of the World Health Organization is traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo to support medical teams fighting a resurgence of Ebola virus. The WHO director-general expressed confidence that health workers can halt the spread of the deadly disease. The visit comes as the Central African nation faces another outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever that has repeatedly struck the region in recent years, killing thousands in previous epidemics.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the United States and Israel of attempting to destabilize the country following their alleged military failures in the region. The Iranian leader's comments reflect escalating tensions between Iran and its regional adversaries, particularly amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East where Iran supports various proxy groups while the US and Israel have sought to counter Iranian influence. Khamenei's statements come as Iran faces both external pressure from Western sanctions and internal challenges, with the Supreme Leader positioning recent destabilization efforts as responses to military setbacks suffered by Iran's opponents.
Iran fired a ballistic missile and deployed drones against Kuwait in an attack that was successfully intercepted. The United States condemned the assault as a gross violation of ceasefire agreements and warned against further escalation of regional conflict. The incident represents a significant breach of existing peace arrangements in the volatile Middle East region.
A 31-year-old man stabbed three people at a railway station in the Swiss city of Winterthur on Thursday morning. The attack occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m., with emergency services immediately transporting the injured victims to hospitals. Police arrested the attacker at the scene. The motive for the assault remains unknown.
Italian authorities seized luxury assets, companies and bank accounts worth over €200 million belonging to deceased Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro. The financial police announced the confiscation on Thursday as part of a continued crackdown on Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian organized crime syndicate. Three people were also arrested during the investigation. The seizure represents another major blow to Cosa Nostra's financial operations, targeting the wealth accumulated by Messina Denaro, who was one of Italy's most wanted fugitives before his capture and death. The confiscated assets were discovered in various locations including tax havens, demonstrating the international scope of the mafia's financial networks.
Polish authorities have launched a bear capture operation in southern Poland following a deadly attack on a woman. Several bears have been fitted with GPS tracking collars as part of the response, while two problematic female bears have been relocated from the area. The operation represents an escalation in wildlife management efforts after the fatal incident involving the large predators that inhabit the mountainous border regions of southern Poland.
A Slovak analysis describes the logic behind Donald Trump's trade tariff policies as 'gangster-like,' arguing that the United States has abandoned free market principles. The commentary suggests that America's approach to international trade has shifted away from traditional free trade policies that previously guided U.S. economic relations with other countries.
Syrian authorities have discovered extensive stockpiles of chemical weapons left behind by the Assad regime in areas around the cities of Hama, Homs, and Latakia. The weapons found include the same types used in chemical attacks during 2013 and 2017, when the Assad government was accused of deploying such weapons against opposition areas and civilians. Syrian authorities have arrested 18 people in connection with the discoveries. The finds represent significant evidence of the Assad regime's chemical weapons program, which was a major source of international condemnation throughout Syria's civil war that began in 2011 and led to Assad's recent overthrow by rebel forces.