Ekrem Imamoglu, the main rival to Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was formally arrested soon after his party confirmed him as their candidate for the presidential election in 2028 on Sunday. On Wednesday police detained the popular mayor of Istanbul on corruption charges, sparking massive protests. Mr Imamoglu denies these. “I will never bow,” he wrote on X as he remained in custody.
Israel’s cabinet approved a motion of no confidence in the attorney-general, Gali Baharav-Miara, days after it sacked the security chief. It is a first step towards dismissing her. In response, Ms Baharav-Miara accused the government of seeking to operate “above the law”. Meanwhile, families of hostages protested against the resumption of bombings in Gaza by the government. Palestinian officials said that more than 50,000 people have been killed there in the past 18 months.
Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, triggered a snap election by moving to dissolve Parliament. The governing Liberals are expected to win the vote on April 28th. The party has surged in polls since their unpopular leader, Justin Trudeau, said he would resign as prime minister in January. Donald Trump’s tariffs and taunts have also given the Liberals a boost.
Pope Francis made his first public appearance since he was hospitalised more than five weeks ago with a life-threatening case of double pneumonia. The 88-year-old pontiff waved to crowds and offered a brief Sunday blessing from a balcony of his hospital in Rome. He was then discharged for at least two months of rest and convalescence at the Vatican.
China’s prime minister, Li Qiang, said that his country was bracing for “unexpected shocks” from the intensifying trade war with America. Mr Li, China’s top economic official, told global business leaders in Beijing that China’s philosophy differs from America’s. Countries should “open up markets” and companies should “share their resources” more. Donald Trump is expected to announce more tariffs on April 2nd.
Britain launched an investigation into the power failure caused by a fire at an electrical substation that closed Heathrow airport on Friday. Britain’s energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said the operator of the national electricity grid should draw lessons on “energy resilience for critical national infrastructure”. Britain’s largest airport was operating again on Saturday, but travel disruptions are expected for days.
Donald Trump rescinded security clearances and access to classified information for several of his political opponents, including Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. The president also revoked the clearances of top Biden administration officials, including Antony Blinken, the former secretary of state. Mr Biden withdrew Mr Trump’s security clearance soon after he left office in 2021.
Figure of the day: 30. At least that many countries have outlawed all vaping products. Read the full story.
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