World News

ROME, April 14 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump told an Italian newspaper on Tuesday he was “shocked” by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and had expected her to be more courageous, delivering a blunt public rebuke to one of his closest European allies.

Meloni had been a vociferous supporter of Trump, but she has criticised his decision to go to war with Iran, and on Monday, denounced his weekend criticism of Pope Leo as “unacceptable”.

Trump responded in an interview with Corriere della Sera, saying Meloni was “very different from what I thought” and denouncing her for refusing to help re-open the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked by Iran.

“I’m shocked by her. I thought she had courage. I was wrong,” he is quoted as saying in the Italian-language article posted online.

The White House declined to comment on the reported quotes. Meloni’s office also declined to comment.

The criticism marks a dramatic change in tone toward Meloni, who was the only European leader to attend the president’s inauguration in 2025.

Only last month he told Corriere della Sera that Meloni was “a ​great leader”, but on Tuesday he accused her of failing to back U.S. efforts over energy security and Iran, and said Italy wanted America “to do the job for her.”

Asked about her condemnation of his comments on Pope Leo, he said: “She is the one who is unacceptable, because she does not care whether Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow Italy up in two minutes if it had the chance.”

Meloni had hoped that her close relationship with the U.S. president would strengthen her standing at home and abroad, but instead it risks becoming a political liability.

Some 66% of Italians now hold a negative view of the U.S. leader and pollsters say Meloni’s ties to the White House may have contributed to her defeat last month in a referendum on judicial reform.

The war in Iran has pushed up energy prices in Italy, which is heavily dependent on oil and gas imports.

“They (Italy) pay the highest energy costs in the world and are not even ready to fight for the Strait of Hormuz… They depend on Donald Trump to keep it open,” Trump said.

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer, additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Editing by Ros Russell)

source

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia will jointly make combat drones with Israel, populist President Aleksandar Vucic was reported as saying Tuesday, as the Balkan country seeks to boost its military and weapons production.

Vucic said that “we will have the best drones in this part of the world,” according to the Tanjug news agency. He added that the drones won’t be cheap but will be highly efficient in destroying armored vehicles, the report said.

Vucic didn’t specify details of the future production, according to the report.

“We don’t know how to make drones as Israel does,” he said. “I am proud of that (plan,) we will do it together, it will be half-half, 50-50.”

Serbia “will get innovation and (educate) our people who will be able to do it in the future,” Vucic said.

The Balkan country’s Yugoimport SDPR state arms producer will open a drone plant with Elbit Systems, according to Serbia’s BIRN news service. The report said the Israeli company will own 51% of the future plant.

Vucic’s government has sought to strengthen its military. Serbia ordered 12 French-made Rafale jets in 2024 in a bid to modernize its fleet.

Belgrade also has acquired military equipment from China and Russia, maintaining close ties to those two countries despite formally seeking membership in the European Union.

Serbia has pledged to stay out of NATO, which bombed the country in 1999 to stop a war in Kosovo following a decade of wars in the volatile Balkan region.

source

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The trial of seven health care professionals accused of negligence in the death of soccer great Diego Maradona resumed on Tuesday, nearly a year after the original proceedings collapsed when a presiding judge stepped down after appearing in a documentary about the case.

The negligence case centers on seven medical professionals accused of failing to provide adequate care in the weeks leading up to Maradona’s death five years ago at a home outside Buenos Aires. Maradona, widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, died at age 60 from cardiac arrest while recovering from a procedure to treat a blood clot on his brain.

The seven defendants are charged with culpable homicide, a crime similar to involuntary manslaughter that alleges that the accused were aware that their reckless conduct posed a risk and failed to prevent it. If convicted, they face prison sentences ranging from eight to 25 years.

Defense attorneys argue that the captain of Argentina’s 1986 World Cup-winning team suffered from multiple serious medical conditions and that no crime was committed.

Maradona had suffered a series of medical problems, some because of an excess of drug and alcohol consumption. He was reportedly near death in 2000 and 2004.

Among those on trial are physician Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s personal doctor during the final years of his life, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov and psychologist Carlos Díaz.

Hearings will take place twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Slightly less than 100 witnesses are expected to testify, including family members, people close to the former player, medical professionals and police officers.

Judges Alberto Gaig, Alberto Ortolani and Pablo Rolón are expected to deliver a verdict in early June.

Fernando Burlando, attorney for Maradona’s two eldest daughters and plaintiffs in the case, Dalma and Giannina, told reporters before Tuesday’s hearing that he had confidence in the new panel.

“We place enormous trust in them,” Burlando said. ”They are judges with extensive experience and backgrounds.”

He said that Maradona’s daughters remain “very exhausted.”

“It is very difficult,” Burlando said. “They are Maradona’s daughters, and that alone is not easy, and the fact that they cannot even have a moment of relief to know what happened to their father … although we are convinced of what happened.”

The initial trial ended in a mistrial last May after Julieta Makintach, one of the three judges overseeing the proceedings, stepped down following criticism over her participation in a documentary about the case.

Makintach withdrew after prosecutors presented footage showing her featured prominently in the documentary “Divine Justice,” which covered events from the aftermath of Maradona’s death, when allegations and suspicions of foul play first emerged, through the start of the trial.

“I present my resignation with serenity, without renouncing the right to exercise my defense in the appropriate arenas,” Makintach wrote in a letter sent to judicial authorities in June.

Maradona died on Nov. 25, 2020, weeks after undergoing surgery for a subdural hematoma. He had been admitted earlier that month to a clinic in La Plata, suffering from anemia and dehydration, before being transferred to Clínica Olivos, where he underwent the procedure. After being discharged on Nov. 11, he moved to a home outside Buenos Aires, where he remained under medical supervision.

A 20-member medical panel appointed to investigate Maradona’s death released a report in 2021, where they accused Maradona’s medical team of acting in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless manner,” leaving him in agony and without help for more than 12 hours before his death.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

source

LONDON (AP) — Ireland ‘s government could face a no-confidence vote Tuesday in Parliament over how it has handled a week of fuel protests that blocked access to oil supplies and a major port and caused massive traffic jams.

Prime Minister Micheál Martin announced new tax cuts to try to end the crisis that began after the U.S.-Israel war on Iran led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital channel for the world’s oil. But opposition parties blasted the government for failing to respond sooner and criticized the aid it offered.

Sinn Fein, the largest opposition party, called for the no-confidence vote scheduled Tuesday evening. But Martin’s coalition government has scheduled an earlier vote of support that could make the no-confidence motion moot if passed.

The passage of a no-confidence vote would force the ruling government to resign and lead to either Parliament voting on a new prime minister to form a government or triggering a new general election. The Social Democrats, Labour, People Before Profit, Aontu, The Green Party and Independent Ireland have said they would back the motion.

Protests began April 7 with slow-moving convoys clogging roadways. They grew as word spread on social media as truckers, farmers and taxi and bus operators blocked key infrastructure and the main thoroughfare in the capital, Dublin.

Demonstrators called for price caps or tax cuts to alleviate soaring fuel costs they said will drive people out of business.

Martin said the government can learn from the protests, but defended the response by police and military to clear roadblocks at the country’s sole oil refinery at Whitegate in County Cork and at several depots. They caused more than a third of gas pumps to run dry.

“We had to clear Whitegate and the ports because we export about 90% of everything we make in this country,” Martin said. “The ports are the lifeblood of economy, and if the ports were blockaded for any length of time, people would have lost jobs, part-time production would have ceased, and it would have been very, very serious.”

The demonstrations were tolerated until the weekend, when police used pepper spray in clashes with some protesters and an army truck knocked down a log barricade at the Galway port. Many protesters said they achieved their goal in getting the government to compromise.

Lawmakers were also scheduled to vote Tuesday on the fuel support package amounting to 505 million euros ($595 million) that Martin said will ease some cost-of-living pressures.

The package would include direct payments to truckers and school bus operators and fuel subsidies for agricultural and fishing industries. The relief measure would follow a 250 million euro tax break approved three weeks ago.

Sinn Fein criticized the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael coalition government for failing to protect people from the fuel price spike, not recalling Parliament to discuss the crisis over a holiday break and responding with what it called half-measures.

source

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) – The United States made a lot of progress in talks with Iran, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said in an interview on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier on Monday.

Vance, asked whether more talks were coming, said the ball was in Iran’s court.

He added that the U.S. expects Iran will make progress on opening the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the negotiation would change if Tehran does not.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward; Writing by Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Christian Martinez)

source

COTONOU, April 13 (Reuters) – Benin’s Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni secured a landslide victory in the West African nation’s April 12 presidential election, garnering over 94% of votes, provisional results from the electoral commission showed on Monday.

Sacca Lafia, head of the country’s independent electoral commission, announced on national television that the result was based on more than 90% of votes counted, highlighting Wadagni’s insurmountable lead.

Voter turnout for the election stood at 58.78%, Lafia added.

Opposition candidate Paul Hounkpe conceded defeat nL8N40W1TO earlier on Monday.

(Reporting by Bate Felix; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

source

Rocket Strike Damages Building in Nahariya, 60-Year-Old Woman Wounded   

Following a barrage of fire from Lebanon toward the western Galilee, a building in Nahariya was hit on Monday.  Magen David Adom (MDA) teams were dispatched to conduct searches and arrived at the scene, providing medical treatment to a woman in her 60s who was lightly injured by glass shards and blast impact, as well as to a person suffering from anxiety. There was also extensive damage to the building and the surrounding area.  

MDA paramedics who responded to the scene said they were dispatched following reports of an impact and arrived within minutes with ambulances, intensive care units, and motorcycles, encountering extensive damage, shattered glass across the ground, and smoke.  

Firefighting and rescue teams from the Nahariya station, dispatched to the scene, reported that upon arrival, they found a three-story building with heavy damage, but there was no fire. The team determined there were no people trapped under rubble.   

The strike comes as the IDF has stepped up operations in Lebanon, targeting the terror group’s stronghold in Bint Jbeil. Direct talks between Israel and Lebanon are scheduled for Tuesday in Washington.   

source

BOGOTA, April 13 (Reuters) – Colombia’s newly raised tariff of 100% on goods from Ecuador will not apply across the board, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said in a televised cabinet meeting on Monday.

Petro said that there would be subsidies and “smart tariffs” put into place. Colombia last week raised its tariffs on Ecuadorean goods, mirroring a measure implemented by Ecuador a day earlier, amid a trade and diplomatic spat between the neighboring countries.

(Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra and Carlos Vargas; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

source

By Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) – A 59-year-old Michigan man was released by police following the disappearance of his wife while sailing in The Bahamas, Bahamian Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles told Reuters on Monday.

Brian Hooker’s release follows his arrest https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bahamian-police-arrest-michigan-man-after-wifes-disappearance-2026-04-09/ by Bahamian police on April 8 after he was initially questioned as a witness in the disappearance.

His lawyer, Terrel Butler, has denied any wrongdoing on his part. Butler said Hooker was transferred from Abaco, where he was questioned by police, to Grand Bahama, the archipelago’s second most populous island.

Hooker’s wife, Lynette, 55, went missing while the Michigan couple were traveling from Hope Town, Abaco, to Elbow Cay on April 4, police said in an initial report on the incident.

The pair were sailing on an 8-foot (2.4 m) hard-bottom dinghy, called “Soulmate,” when Lynette fell overboard with the boat’s keys, according to police. Police said Brian paddled to shore after losing sight of his wife.

After arriving on shore, according to the report, he informed an individual of the incident and the police were alerted.

In the days that followed, police took Hooker by boat to search the Soulmate, his lawyer said, adding he remained handcuffed “despite the choppy and dangerous sea conditions.”

Hooker was injured during the search after he “lost his footing and fell overboard,” Butler said. She said Hooker sustained an injury to his knee and an abrasion.

He was taken to a Grand Bahama hospital where he received treatment, Butler said.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Chris Reese)

source

SAO PAULO (AP) — A Brazilian senator said on Monday that the country’s former intelligence agency chief Alexandre Ramagem was arrested by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and is pleading for him to get political asylum in the United States.

Ramagem, also a former lawmaker, was sentenced in September to 16 years in prison for his role in the coup attempt by supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in 2023. Brazil’s federal police said he fled the South American nation before he would have started serving his sentence.

Sen. Jorge Seif said in his social media channels that he had informed the U.S. embassy in Brasilia that Ramagem should not remain in custody for he was being persecuted at home. Seif did not give details as to why the former Brazilian intelligence agency chief had been put under custody.

On Monday, Ramagem appeared as in custody in ICE’s online detainee database, although where he is being held was not specified.

“The political persecution against President Bolsonaro, his sons and his allies is now hitting an elected lawmaker in foreign soil,” Seif said. “In our document (to the U.S. embassy) we showed all the reasons that justify and defend the concession of political asylum to Ramagem and his family.”

Ramagem was stripped of his seat in Brazil’s congress in December as a consequence of his conviction in the coup case one month earlier.

Earlier on Monday, Brazil’s federal police said in a statement that a “fugitive of the country’s justice was arrested” in Orlando, but did not mention Ramagem by name.

Brazil’s federal police also said the unnamed fugitive was recently sentenced by the country’s top court for the same three counts as Ramagem’s conviction.

ICE and Ramagem’s lawyer did not respond a request for comment from The Associated Press.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

source