|
Left Rising: Orban Loss, Meloni Setback Signal Left’s EU Return, Ribera Says (Bloomberg)
The defeat of Hungary’s Viktor Orban is a warning to conservative European leaders who may be tempted to align closely with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, according to the European Commission’s most senior Social Democrat official.
“It is the right time to think about a turning point,” Teresa Ribera said in an interview in Barcelona, where she’s attending the Global Progressive Mobilization, a gathering of about 100 left-wing parties hosted by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Ribera, a Spanish socialist herself, said Peter Magyar’s victory in Hungary was only possible due to the “mass mobilization of the left” and the country’s democratic forces. The election result was a “strong wake-up call for parties that have felt tempted by the way President Donald Trump acts, or the interference of President Vladimir Putin,” she said.
Bulgaria Votes: Russia-Friendly Radev Wins Landslide Election (Bloomberg)
Former President Rumen Radev, who opposes sanctions on Russia and military aid for Ukraine, scored Bulgaria’s most overwhelming election victory this century on Sunday and pledged to turn the page on years of political gridlock and corruption.
16 Days Later: French Widow Detained by ICE in Alabama Is Released (New York Times)
After reconnecting with Bill Ross, a former American G.I. whom she had first met as a teenager while they were both working at a NATO base in western France, Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé moved to Alabama and later married him.
When Ross died unexpectedly in January without a will, an “ugly fight” with his adult sons over his modest estate spiraled into her 16-day ICE detention, even though she had been trying to legalize her immigration status.
On April 1, agents removed the 85-year-old French widow from her home in her nightgown, robe and underwear and took her to a detention center in Louisiana, where French officials raised concerns about her age, medical condition and reported “acts of violence” against her. She was ultimately released and returned to France, arriving home still in prison clothes and, her family said, in a state of “physical shock and spiritual exhaustion.”
Gun Violence in Louisiana: Suspect Dead After 8 Children Killed, 2 Women Wounded in Louisiana Shooting
(NBC News)
Higher Ed Takes the Lead: EPA Stopped Tracking Emissions. So This University Stepped In. (Politico)
The University of Maryland published an inventory of US greenhouse gases Wednesday, filling a hole created when EPA abandoned the process last year.
The report by the school’s Center for Global Sustainability was released on the same day EPA used to publish its tally of planet-warming gases in compliance with a 1992 climate treaty — April 15.
The agency stopped making the inventory public last year for the first time since 1997. It never explained why it made the change, but the move came as President Donald Trump shuttered climate programs and withdrew from global pacts to address the problem.
Trump
announced in January
that the US would leave the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, which had obligated the government to compile the annual inventory.
Religious Controversy: Pete Hegseth Recites Fictional Prayer from ‘Pulp Fiction’ at Pentagon Prayer Service (The Guardian)
China Relations: Xi Welcomes Slew of World Leaders as Trump Fights Allies (Bloomberg)
Chinese President Xi has held at least five high-profile tête-à-têtes, despite the lack of any formal gathering in China’s capital last week. Excluding weeks when the country hosted major summits, it’s the quickest tempo since July 2024.
The roster ranged from a US NATO ally — Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez — to a Middle East representative — Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed. The meetings were followed by a visit from the leader of neighboring Vietnam — To Lam, the nation’s president and Communist Party chief, who recently secured a fresh five-year term.
Xi has been positioning his nation as a source of stability and a bulwark of respect for international rules, against the backdrop of Trump’s threat to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages.” Left unclear: Whether China’s leaders, who have long promised benefits from deeper ties to the world’s No. 2 economy, will offer concrete help for countries facing the current energy crisis.
Robo Runner: A Humanoid Robot Sprints to Victory in Beijing, Beating the Human Half-Marathon World Record (Associated Press)
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps.
The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21-kilometer (13-mile) race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, according to a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race kicked off.
That was faster than the human world record holder, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race.
But the competition, which was held alongside a race for humans, wasn’t without hiccups — one robot fell flat at the start line, while another bumped into a barrier.
Today in Massachusetts: Tens of Thousands of Global Runners Lace Up for the 130th Boston Marathon (USA Today)
Rebrand Rules: New York New Jersey Stadium? Why MetLife Is Changing Its Name for the World Cup (New York Times)
FIFA, the organizers of the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, don’t want the companies the stadiums are named after to overshadow its own sponsors.
World Cup games this year will be held at the slightly clumsy “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium,” not Levi’s Stadium; “Mexico City Stadium,” not Estadio Banorte; and “Toronto Stadium,” not BMO Field.
MetLife, the insurance company, has four large illuminated signs bearing its name around the stadium, as well as signs inside, that will have to be removed or concealed.
NYC Fine Dining: 9 New York City Restaurants Have Been Added to the Michelin Guide (Time Out)
Another day, another crop of restaurants that have been added to the Michelin Guide. Nine restaurants have joined the ranks of the Michelin Guide, including five Brooklyn-based spots that deserve all the praise.
In Clinton Hill, officials recognized Entre Nous for its stellar natural wine program and Los Burritos Juárez for its El Paso and Ciudad Juárez-style burritos. Pint-sized Cambodian eatery Bong also
made this list, as did Vato
for its house-made burritos, backed by the one Michelin star team behind Corima. I Cavallini, the anticipated follow-up from the group behind The Four Horsemen (who also hold a Michelin star) was also added to the list.
Four restaurants in Manhattan made the cut. New to the list is Le Chêne, a contemporary Parisian locale run by a husband-and-wife team, and the ultra-intimate, 22-seater counter from chef Sungchul Shim, Hwaro. With
two Michelin-starred locations in D.C. and Miami, chef Juan Manuel Barrientos’s Elcielo was
added to the list for its tasting menu that pulls from Latin America and Colombia. Chef Flynn McGarry’s California cuisine at Cove also topped the list for its tasting and a la carte menu.
|
