Top story: ‘What’s been going on?’ says Obama
Good morning, it’s Warren Murray getting you up to speed.
The previous POTUS has briefly returned to the limelight, making an appearance at the University of Chicago in which he asked: “So, uh, what’s been going on while I’ve been gone?” Barack Obama gave a speech and took part in a panel discussion with activists, students and community organisers.
The 44th president avoided directly criticising the 45th as he spoke of wanting to fix politics and bring a new generation to leadership. While he has been at pains not to commentate on Donald Trump’s presidency, in Chicago he did offer some remarks about immigrants, who he said were “overwhelmingly families who are just looking for a better life for their children … it’s not like everyone in Ellis Island had all their papers straight.” You might find hearing his voice to be something of a tonic given the current state of things.
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Senate summons – Donald Trump has taken the extraordinary step of calling all 100 US senators to the White House for a briefing on how to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. The president is also putting pressure on the UN security council for stronger action against Kim Jong-un’s regime. Meanwhile Trump has been forced into an apparent backdown over his Mexican border wall after facing the threat of a “government shutdown” on his 100th day in office. He wants the budget to include $1.4bn for the barrier but Democrats won’t agree and some Republicans are opposed too. Last night Trump indicated he would postpone his demand until September, meaning the budget can pass and the government coffers will not run empty.
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More laptop bans? – Flights from Britain to the US might be the next hit by a ban on laptop computers in carry-on luggage. Official sources have told the Guardian that the American authorities are considering banning anything bigger than a smartphone on flights out of Europe, and that could include the UK. Flights out of some parts of the Middle East already face restrictions if heading to the US or Britain.
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Two countries … two elections – Marine Le Pen knows she has an uphill battle and is letting it show as mainstream political leaders in France line up to propel Emmanuel Macron into the presidency. As they both head into a runoff election, the far-right, anti-migrant, anti-EU presidential finalist Le Pen has savaged her opponent as a “hysterical, radical Europeanist” who does not believe in French culture or patriotism. Le Pen is standing down as president of the Front National to try to broaden her appeal.
Meanwhile the Open Britain group is seeking to punish MPs who have supported Brexit when their constituents did not. The Tories’ Iain Duncan Smith is on the list of incumbents facing a hostile campaign in their seats. Labour is promising to wipe the Brexit slate clean if it wins and get a deal prioritising free trade and the rights of citizens.
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Colourful dispute – A woman has been told she doesn’t have to repaint her red and white stripy house even though her neighbours hate it.
Zipporah Lisle-Mainwaring, a property developer, had the paint job done after neighbours objected to her plans to demolish the house and build a new home (just a coincidence, she says). The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea ordered her to paint it all white. But the high court has ruled that whether it was done out of “eccentricity or pique”, the council has no control over her choice of colour.
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Tim who? – One of Canada’s greatest brands that you’ve probably never heard of is coming to the UK. Tim Hortons coffee shops are to open in Britain. The chain founded by a 1960s hockey star is a national institution for Canucks (the Briefing can attest to the moreishness of its “Timbits” – jokingly, the bit left over from the doughnut hole). Tim Hortons will seek to dunk into Britain’s £3.4bn retail coffee market, with the first branch opening in Glasgow.
Lunchtime read: Going to new lengths for a drink
India’s supreme court has knocked over the glasses at many of the country’s watering holes after ruling there is to be no alcohol served within 500 metres of a state or national highway. But typically creative proprietors, and local administrators, are fighting back against the drastic road safety initiative.
In Rajasthan, state highways are being reclassified as urban roads to make them exempt, and other jurisdictions are following suit. The Aishwarya Restrobar in Kerala state has built a maze to make sure the bar is a 500-metre walk from the highway. Others, though, including some of India’s most famous restaurants, have been left struggling to survive. Michael Safi examines the ruling and its effects.
Sport
Serena Williams has accused Ilie Nastase of racially abusing her and her unborn baby in her first response to comments by the Romanian former world No1.
Newcastle United secured automatic promotion to the Premier League thanks to a stylish second-half dismantling of Preston North End. Marco Fu won a thrilling last-16 meeting with Neil Robertson to set up a snooker World Championship quarter-final with the defending champion, Mark Selby.
Ched Evans, who was cleared of rape at a retrial last year, is set to rejoin Sheffield United from Chesterfield, two and a half years after the club withdrew an offer for the striker to train with them following a backlash from fans and patrons.
It has emerged that a convicted child sex offender worked at a schools cricket association with written permission from the England and Wales Cricket Board – and also attended junior cricket festivals in the company of an ECB executive.
Business
Asian markets remained buoyant overnight after the big gains seen immediately following the French election first round. Tokyo was up 0.8% by the midday break, Hong Kong also rose by 0.8% and Seoul by 0.4%. Australia is closed for the Anzac Day holiday.
The pound was buying €1.18 and US$1.28 overnight.
The papers
The Mirror has a story about a man who apparently saved his wife from the jaws of a shark. “Husband beat up a shark to save my life,” reads the splash headline. The Mail’s lead is that family GPs are failing to spot cancers in thousands of patients, according to a study.
The Sun’s splash is “Have a go hero Hardy” telling how the actor Tom Hardy chased after and arrested a thief who had crashed a stolen moped in Richmond, London. The Times says its sources have revealed Britain will have to settle a £1.7bn EU demand over its failure to tackle customs fraud before it can agree a post-Brexit trade deal.
The Telegraph splashes on comments by the outgoing head of Ucas in which she says students should wait six months before getting a job after graduation and not get obsessed about a career so soon. Lastly the FT looks at the aftermath of the French elections, saying markets were relieved by the result with most people now predicting a Macron victory in May.
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