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      Ecuador’s Noboa re-elected in presidential vote seen as test of his ‘war on drugs’

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 14 April

    Noboa placed the armed forces at the centre of his rule, which initially led to a drop in crime but also a surge in reports of rights violations

    In an election seen as a referendum on his “war on drugs”, Ecuador’s right-wing president, Daniel Noboa, won Sunday’s presidential runoff, defeating leftist candidate Luisa González.

    With 92.61% of ballots counted, the incumbent had secured 55.85% of the vote, compared to 44.15% for the former congresswoman.

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      Ta-Nehisi Coates on why stories matter in the age of Trump – podcast

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 14 April

    The award-winning writer Ta-Nehisi Coates on why US liberals have misunderstood the role culture plays in shaping politics

    “This is a cultural president. Make no mistake about it.”

    For Ta-Nehisi Coates , the award-winning writer and journalist, the US president, Donald Trump, and his allies clearly understand the power of story-telling in politics. Coates has recently written a new book, The Message, and he tells Michael Safi that the stories told in TV, films, literature and beyond are not a distraction from politics today but are actively shaping it.

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      Mario Vargas Llosa, giant of Latin American literature, dies aged 89

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 14 April

    Nobel laureate, a star of the international boom in Latin American literature, also once ran for president in Peru

    Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa, one of the pivotal figures who ignited a global boom in Latin American literature, has died aged 89.

    His death on Sunday was announced in a statement from his children, Álvaro, Gonzalo and Morgana Vargas Llosa.

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      Trump news at a glance: Deep confusion as Trump signals new tariffs on smartphones and computers

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 14 April

    President says he will lay out new levies on Monday and relief on electronics will be short-lived – key US politics stories from 13 April at a glance

    Donald Trump ’s tariff war has dived deeper into chaos after a cabinet official telegraphed new levies on semiconductors – a crucial component in electronic goods – just days after the Trump administration exempted computers and smartphones from reciprocal tariffs.

    Trump’s commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, said in an interview with NBC that the tariff exemption on several electronic devices was just temporary and that new duties would come in “a month or two”. Semiconductors would be targeted with new tariffs, he said.

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      Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy to Trump – come and see Putin’s war for yourself

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 14 April • 3 minutes

    Impose ceasefire on Russia, says France’s Macron, as leaders condemn deadly Palm Sunday strike on Sumy. What we know on day 1,146

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, has urged Donald Trump to visit Ukraine to “understand what Putin did”. In a CBS interview broadcast on Sunday, Zelenskyy said: “Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead.”

    Russia’s missile strike on Sunday on the Ukrainian city of Sumy showed the urgent need to impose a ceasefire on Russia, declared the French president, Emmanuel Macron. “Everyone knows it is Russia alone that wants this war. Today it is clear that Russia alone wants to continue with it, showing its scorn for human life, international law and diplomatic efforts made by President [Donald] Trump,” said Macron. “Strong measures are needed to impose a ceasefire on Russia. France is working tirelessly toward this goal, alongside its partners.”

    At least 34 people were killed, writes Luke Harding , and 83 others wounded by the Russian ballistic missile strikes in Sumy on Sunday morning. Two missiles landed in the crowded city centre as people went to church for Palm Sunday . One hit a trolley bus full of passengers. Two of the dead were children.

    Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, called it “a perfidious act … and it is a serious war crime, deliberate and intended”. Merz, speaking to broadcaster ARD, said: “That is the response, that is what [Vladimir] Putin does to those who talk with him of a ceasefire. Our willingness to discuss with him is interpreted not as a serious offer to make peace, but as weakness.” Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said she condemned this “new horrible and cowardly Russian attack … which goes against all real engagement in favour of peace”.

    The EU chief, Antonio Costa, said: “Russia continues its campaign of violence, showing once again that this war exists and endures only because Russia chooses so.” The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said he was ‘appalled at Russia’s horrific attacks on civilians in Sumy” and the Russian president “must now agree to a full and immediate ceasefire without conditions”.

    Zelenskyy called on allies to put “strong pressure” on Russia or it would continue to drag out the war . “It’s been two months since Putin ignored America’s proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said. “Unfortunately, they in Moscow are confident that they can afford to keep killing. We need to act to change the situation.”

    Dan Sabbagh analyses whether the civilian toll in Sumy could force the Trump administration to toughen its line in peace talks with Russia that have “hardly developed in two months”. Washington’s approach, under Trump, has been to try to negotiate an end to the war by talking directly with Moscow, while remaining mostly silent on Russian attacks on civilians.

    There was some condemnation from the Trump administration on Sunday . Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, said: “The United States extends our deepest condolences to the victims of today’s horrifying Russian missile attack on Sumy. This is a tragic reminder of why President Trump and his administration are putting so much time and effort into trying to end this war and achieve a just and durable peace. The US special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg – who has played little visible part in trying to bring about a ceasefire – said: Today’s Palm Sunday attack by Russian forces on civilian targets in Sumy crosses any line of decency.”

    Military representatives of Turkey and foreign nations will meet in Turkey on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss Black Sea security in the event of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia , the Turkish defence ministry said on Sunday. It did not specify the countries attending.

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      ‘Invasion’ barges, subsea cable cutters and surprise naval drills: how China is testing Donald Trump

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 14 April

    China has been flexing its maritime muscle in the Indo-Pacific – moves that pose a challenge for the US president

    In the space of just five weeks, China held live-fire drills on the doorsteps of Australia, Taiwan and Vietnam. It tested new landing barges on ships that could facilitate an amphibious assault on Taiwan. And it unveiled deep-sea cable cutters with the ability to switch off another country’s internet access – a tool no other nation admits to having.

    China has been flexing its maritime muscle in the Indo-Pacific to send a message of supremacy to its regional neighbours, experts say. But it’s also testing the thinking of a bigger rival further afield: Donald Trump.

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      Trump warns exemptions on smartphones, electronics will be short-lived, promises future tariffs

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 14 April

    The US president has said no one is ‘getting off the hook’, as he promises to launch a national security investigation into the semiconductor sector

    The exemption of smartphones, laptops and other electronic products from import tariffs on China will be short-lived, top US officials have said, with Donald Trump warning that no one was “getting off the hook.”

    “There was no Tariff ‘exception’, Trump said in a social media post on Sunday. “These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket.’”

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      With a little boldness and a lot of luck, McIlroy banishes ghosts of 2011 | Andy Bull

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 14 April

    For somebody who makes golf look sublimely easy, the world No 2 made winning the Masters look hellishly difficult

    Has there ever been an athlete who made playing look so easy, and winning seem so hard?

    On Sunday morning, everyone in Augusta was asking variations on the same single question. “Gonna be his year this year?” the man on the bag check asked. “Do you think he’ll get it done?” the woman guarding the crosswalk asked. “This time, huh, this time?” the man on the door asked.

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      Rory McIlroy secures career grand slam after dramatic Masters playoff win over Justin Rose

      news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 14 April

    • Northern Irishman shot 73 before playoff
    • Secures first major since 2014 PGA Championship

    Rory McIlroy, Masters champion. Four words that belie what this remarkable Northern Irishman achieved on a spine-tingling afternoon at Augusta National. They ignore, too, the tortuous process he endured to realise this lifetime goal.

    Did he win the 85th Masters the hard way? Too right he did. From a seemingly untouchable position, McIlroy was dragged back into a scrap he was so desperate to avoid. He emerged from it on the first extra hole, where the unlikely adversary of Justin Rose was nudged aside. Rory McIlroy, Masters champion.

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