🇮🇳India cuts rates as Trump's tariffs put growth at risk
India's central bank has cut interest rates by 0.25% amid a spate of downgrades to growth following Donald Trump's tariff announcements.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reduced repo rates from 6.25% to 6%, a second cut since February when rates were brought down after nearly five years.
The repo rate is the level at which the central bank lends to commercial banks, influencing borrowing costs.
The RBI also brought down its growth projections for this year from 6.7% to 6.5%. It said India's gross domestic product (GDP) will grow at 6.5% next year as well.
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🇳🇱Dutch vote to ban New Year's fireworks, but not just yet
The Dutch parliament has voted to ban people buying and setting off fireworks, but not until after next New Year's Eve.
A majority of MPs backed a consumer ban but supported a separate motion postponing it because of potentially enormous compensation claims from fireworks suppliers.
Fireworks have been a New Year tradition for decades in the Netherlands, but the scale of injuries and damage on the night has spiralled in recent years.
Last New Year's Eve, two people were killed and 1,162 people needed emergency treatment for a range of injuries including burns and eye damage.
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🇷🇺🇺🇸Russia not on Trump's tariff list
One country that did not feature on Donald Trump's list of tariffs on US trade partners was Russia.
US outlet Axios quoted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as saying this was because existing US sanctions on Russia "preclude any meaningful trade" and noting that Cuba, Belarus and North Korea were also not included.
However, nations with even less trade with the US - such as Syria, which exported $11m of products last year according to UN data quoted by Trading Economics - were on the list.
The US imposed large-scale sanctions on Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Trump has generally taken a friendlier approach to Russia since his return to the White House.
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🇺🇸🇮🇪Trump tariffs: Ireland expected to be among hardest hit
Ireland is expected to be one of the most affected countries when President Trump announces a new round of tariffs later this week.
EU goods are expected to face a tariff of about 20% when entering the United States.
Among EU countries, Ireland is the most reliant on the US as an export market.
In 2024, Irish goods exports to the US were worth €73bn (£61bn), almost a third of the country's total exports.
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🇹🇫Shock Le Pen verdict rocks French far right
"Incredible." That was the single word uttered under her breath by Marine Le Pen as she stormed out of a Paris courtroom on Monday morning.
She left the court early – just before hearing that she was barred from running for office for five years after being found guilty of embezzlement of EU funds – almost certainly ruling her out from standing in the 2027 French presidential election.
Without even waiting for the judge to pronounce the full details of the sentence, the head of the National Rally knew that her political goose was cooked.
There would be no reprieve pending appeal. The bar on running for office was real and immediate.
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🇹🇷Protesters return to Istanbul's streets for huge rally
Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators have returned to the streets of Istanbul, Turkey, to show support for the city's jailed mayor.
Ekrem Imamoglu, who is seen as the main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on corruption charges last week, sparking mass protests.
He denies the charges and says his arrest was politically motivated.
Saturday's crowds were so large they spilled from the site of the protest into a neighbouring park. The chairman of Imamoglu's Republican People's Party (CHP) addressed demonstrators, reading out a letter from the jailed politician who is being held in solitary confinement.
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🇵🇱Polish presidential candidate ridiculed for donning disguise to promote book
They say writers are their own worst critics - but for the man who could become the next President of Poland, nothing could be further from the truth.
Karol Nawrocki has been widely ridiculed after it emerged that several years ago he donned a disguise to praise his own book on TV.
Written by a mysterious author called Tadeusz Batyr, the book documented the life of a gangster from 1980s communist Poland.
But it has now been revealed that Tadeusz Batyr was a pseudonym created by Nawrocki, a historian and former museum director who is backed by the right-wing Law and Justice party (PiS) in the upcoming presidential election.
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🇮🇪Irish finance minister delivers warning over US tariffs
Ireland's minister for finance is "extremely concerned" about the potential effect proposed US tariffs on pharmaceutical exports could have on Ireland's economy.
Speaking to Irish broadcaster RTÉ, Paschal Donohoe said the Irish government was preparing for "real and significant" difficulties if US President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on drug imports.
Speaking on Thursday, President Trump suggested there would be specific tariffs on pharmaceuticals as the US "doesn't make anything" in terms of drugs and medicines.
Earlier in March he told the Taoiseach (prime minister) Micheál Martin Ireland had the "entire US pharmaceutical industry in its grasp," during his visit to The White House.
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🇸🇸South Sudan VP Machar under house arrest, his party says
South Sudan's First Vice-President Riek Machar, a long-time rival of the country's President Salva Kiir, has been placed under house arrest, his party says.
An armed convoy led by top security officials, including the defence minister, entered Machar's residence in the capital, Juba, and disarmed his bodyguards late on Wednesday, said the Sudan People's Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM/IO).
"Technically, Dr Machar is under house arrest, but the security officials initially tried to take him away," said Reath Muoch Tang, chairman of the party's foreign relations committee.
The government is yet to comment.
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🇵🇱Poland suspends migrants' right to apply for asylum
Poland has temporarily suspended the right of migrants arriving in Poland via its border with Belarus to apply for asylum.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced it would be happening after the controversial bill, which will allow Polish authorities to suspend this right for up to 60 days at a time, was signed into law by President Andrzej Duda.
Tusk had said it would be adopted "without a moment's delay" while Duda said the changes were needed to strengthen security on the country's borders.
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🇰🇷At least 18 dead in South Korea's 'worst ever fires'
At least 18 people have been killed and 19 injured as wildfires continue to ravage South Korea's south-east region.
The "unprecedented" crisis remains critical and is "rewriting the record books for the worst wildfires in our nation's history", said acting president Han Duck-soo.
Many of those who died are in their 60s and 70s and more than 23,000 people have been evacuated, authorities said.
The fires gutted the 1,300-year-old Gounsa temple in Uiseong city, where many cultural relics were removed and transported to safer ground.
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⚠️Hundreds join Gaza's largest anti-Hamas protest since war began
Hundreds of people have taken part in the largest anti-Hamas protest in Gaza since the war with Israel began, taking to the streets to demand the group step down from power.
Masked Hamas militants, some armed with guns and others carrying batons, intervened and forcibly dispersed the protesters, assaulting several of them.
Videos shared widely on social media by activists typically critical of Hamas showed young men marching through the streets of Beit Lahia, northern Gaza on Tuesday, chanting "out, out, out, Hamas out".
Pro-Hamas supporters defended the group, downplayed the significance of the demonstrations and accused the participants of being traitors. Hamas is yet to comment.
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🇺🇸🇻🇪Trump threatens tariffs on buyers of Venezuelan oil
President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of 25% on US imports from countries that purchase oil from Venezuela.
Trump described the move as a "secondary tariff" aimed at punishing the Latin American country "for numerous reasons", including allegedly "purposefully" sending gang members to the US.
Separately, Trump suggested he was softening his plans for tariffs on imports from other countries, saying he "may give a lot of countries breaks".
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🇰🇷South Korea court reinstates PM as acting leader
South Korea's constitutional court has dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating him as the country's acting president.
Han took over as acting leader last December when President Yoon Suk Yeol was suspended from duties and impeached by parliament after he attempted to declare martial law.
However, Han only lasted two weeks in power before lawmakers voted to impeach him as well. Since then, South Korea has been led by deputy prime minister Choi Sang-mok.
South Korea has been roiled by political chaos since Yoon's botched attempt to impose martial law.
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🇹🇷Istanbul mayor arrested ahead of selection to run against Erdogan
The mayor of the Turkish city of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, has been formally arrested and charged with corruption.
Imamoglu, a rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was detained on Wednesday, days before he was due to be selected as a 2028 presidential candidate.
Imamoglu denies the allegations, and protests against his detention - some of the largest the country has seen in more than a decade - have raged on for four nights.
Erdogan has condemned the unrest and accused Imamoglu's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) of trying to "disturb the peace and polarise our people".
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🇺🇸US court orders White House to restore access for AP journalists
A US judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore the Associated Press's access to presidential events after the White House blocked the news agency in a dispute over the term "Gulf of America".
District Judge Trevor McFadden on Tuesday said the administration's restriction on AP journalists was "contrary to the First Amendment", which guarantees freedom of speech.
The dispute arose when the AP refused to adopt the administration's renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" in its coverage, following an executive order by President Donald Trump.
The ban has meant that the AP has been unable to access press events at the White House as well as Air Force One.
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💵Global stocks slide as Trump tariffs hit markets
Stocks around the world sank on Thursday as questions about how businesses and households will swallow the cost of new, sweeping tariffs in the US raised concerns about economic downturn.
In the US, the S&P 500, which tracks 500 of the biggest American firms, opened more than 3% lower, and losses accelerated over the morning, with big consumer names such as Nike and Apple among the hardest hit.
The UK's FTSE 100 share index fell 1.5% and other European markets also dropped, echoing falls seen earlier in Asia.
While stocks fell, the price of gold, which is seen as a safer asset in times of turbulence, touched a record high.
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🇬🇧Harry hopes watchdog will uncover 'truth' in charity row
The Duke of Sussex says he hopes the Charity Commission will "unveil the truth" as the watchdog announced an investigation into the bitter dispute surrounding the Sentebale charity he co-founded.
"What has transpired over the last week has been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal," said Prince Harry.
The watchdog said it had opened a case to examine "concerns raised" about Sentebale, following claims made by its head Sophie Chandauka.
Ms Chandauka told the BBC she welcomed the move by the commission, which comes after she said she had "blown the whistle" on issues including bullying and harassment.
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🇿🇼Zimbabwe shuts down amid calls for protests
A national protest meant to pressure Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa to resign turned into a shutdown as citizens opted to stay away rather than take to the streets amid a heavy security presence.
Only a handful of protesters took part in the planned march, spearheaded by a group of disgruntled war veterans who have accused Mnangagwa of corruption and wanting to cling on to power, and they were dispersed by the police.
Following the reports of a low turnout, protest leader Blessed Geza urged Zimbabweans "not to be cowards" in a post on X.
Mnangagwa became president in 2017 following a coup against long-time leader Robert Mugabe and is currently serving his second and final term.
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🇫🇷Marine Le Pen found guilty in EU funding embezzlement case
France's Marine Le Pen has been found guilty of misappropriating European funds to finance her far-right National Rally (RN) party, in a case which could lead to her being barred from standing in the 2027 presidential election.
The judge has not yet said what the sentence will be.
Prosecutors last year said Le Pen's punishment should be not just a €300,000 (£250,000) fine and prison term, but also ineligibility from running for public office for five years.
Crucially, he said the ineligibility should kick in straightaway – and not be suspended pending the appeal that Marine Le Pen is expected to file if convicted.
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🇬🇳Guinea's ex-military ruler pardoned over stadium massacre
Guinea's ruling junta has pardoned former military leader Moussa Dadis Camara, less than a year into a 20-year sentence for crimes against humanity linked to one of the country's worst massacres.
A decree read on state TV said the pardon had been granted for health reasons.
In 2009, troops under his command opened fire during a rally calling for a return to civilian rule, killing more than 150 people. Scores of women were also raped.
Camara seized power when long-time President Lansana Conté died in 2008. He fled following an assassination attempt not long after the massacre, but returned in 2022 to face justice, insisting he was innocent.
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🇺🇸Columbia University president steps down amid Trump's crackdown
Columbia University's interim president has resigned her role just one week after the Ivy League university agreed to change several policies to satisfy demands from the Trump administration.
Katrina Armstrong had led the university since August, after the previous president resigned over her handling of protests against Israel's military operation in Gaza.
Columbia has drawn ire from Donald Trump, who claims that it and other schools have tolerated antisemitism and the harassment of Jewish students.
Trump has already threatened to withhold some $400m (£309m) in federal funding for the school as his administration continues to target those involved in campus protests with deportation.
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🇲🇲🇹🇭Over 150 dead in Myanmar and Thailand after huge earthquake
A huge 7.7 magnitude earthquake has hit central Myanmar, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
At least 144 people have died and 732 have been injured so far in the country, Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing said.
The epicentre was 16km (10 miles) north-west of the city of Sagaing, sending strong tremors that were felt as far as south-west China and Thailand.
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🇺🇸Trump announces 25% tariffs on car imports to US
President Donald Trump has announced new import taxes of 25% on cars and car parts coming into the US.
Trump said the latest tariffs would come into effect on 2 April, with charges on businesses importing vehicles starting the next day. Taxes on parts are set to start in May or later.
The president said the measure would lead to "tremendous growth" for the industry, promising it would spur jobs and investment in the US.
But analysts have said the move is likely to lead to the temporary shutdown of significant car production in the US, increase prices, and strain relations with allies.
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🇳🇪Niger coup leader sworn in as president for five years
Niger's military ruler has been sworn in as the country's president for a transitional period of five years.
Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani has led the country since 2023, after he deposed Niger's elected President, Mohamed Bazoum.
On Wednesday, Gen Tchiani took the presidential office under a new charter that replaces the West African country's constitution.
He was also promoted to the country's highest military rank of army general, and signed a decree ordering that all political parties be dissolved.
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🇮🇳India accused of meddling in Canada's Conservative Party race
Canada's Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has said he won his leadership "fair and square" after reports emerged that India allegedly meddled in the party's contest.
Citing a source with top-security clearance, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported allegations that Indian agents were involved in fundraising and organising within Canada's South Asian community for Poilievre in the 2022 leadership race.
There is no evidence that Poilievre or his team were aware of the alleged interference.
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🇺🇸Trump's national security team's chat app leak stuns Washington
There are few US presidential actions more sensitive, more fraught with peril, than when and where to use American military force.
If such information were obtained by American adversaries in advance, it could put lives – and national foreign policy objectives - at risk.
Fortunately for the Trump administration, a group chat with information about an impending US strike in Yemen among senior national security officials on the encrypted chat app Signal did not fall into the wrong hands.
Unfortunately for the Trump administration, the message thread was observed by an influential political journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg.
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🇹🇷Sixth night of protests in Turkey as Erdogan hits out at unrest
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed opposition parties for provoking a "movement of violence" as protests in the country continued for a sixth night.
Unrest began in Istanbul last Wednesday when the city's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan's main presidential rival, was detained on corruption charges.
Imamoglu said the allegations against him were politically motivated, a claim denied by Erdogan.
Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party's (CHP), said the demonstrations will end on Tuesday, without saying what the next steps would be.
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🇨🇦Trump looms over Canada's election as campaign begins
Canada's newly appointed Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a snap election, sending the country to the polls on 28 April.
The election comes as Canada faces a trade war with the US and calls from President Donald Trump for it to become the 51st American state, issues which are expected to be top of mind for voters.
It also comes nine days after Carney, a Liberal, was sworn in as Canada's prime minister following Justin Trudeau's resignation.
Carney must now face Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, whose party had been leading in national polls since mid-2023, though recent polls suggest the race is now neck-and-neck.
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🇺🇸Trump revokes security clearance for Harris, Clinton, and critics
US President Donald Trump revoked security clearances from his previously defeated Democratic election rivals, Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton, as well as a number of other former officials and critics.
Trump said in February he was revoking security clearance for his predecessor Joe Biden. His order confirmed that decision, adding that he was also revoking the security clearance of "any other member" of the Biden family.
"I have determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information," Trump's memorandum read.
Former US presidents and top security officials usually keep their security clearance as a courtesy.
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