Global News 4/1/19 – Setback for Erdogan, Slovakia elects first female president, and White House threatens to shut border

Supporters of the opposition Republican People’s Party celebrating in Ankara, Turkey, on Sunday. Credit EPA, via Shutterstock

April started off with a bang, with Turkey’s main opposition party winning local elections in Turkey’s two most important cities, Slovakia electing its first female president, and the White House doubling down on threats to close the Mexican border if Mexico didn’t do more to curb migration to the US. Read more below.

• Turkey local elections: Setback for Erdogan in big cities (BBC)

• Zuzana Caputova becomes Slovakia's first female president (BBC)

• Trump aides repeat threat to shut down U.S.-Mexico border over migrant issue (Reuters)

• Leaked reports reveal severe abuse of Saudi political prisoners (The Guardian)

• Brexit could head in a new direction as lawmakers vote for alternative options (CNBC)

• Whistle-blower tells Congress of irregularities in White House security clearances (NY Times)

• Ukraine election: Comedian leads presidential contest (BBC)

• International aid helps Mozambique fight cholera in Beira (AP)

• Pope tells Moroccans “we are brothers and sisters” (AP)

• Venezuela's Maduro announces power rationing amid outages (ABC News)

• North Korea says Madrid embassy raid was 'grave terror attack’ (BBC)

• Afghan VP survives second assassination attempt (BBC)

• Arab leaders to seek U.N. Security Council resolution on Golan (Reuters)

• Gaza border protests: 190 killed and 28,000 injured in a year of bloodshed (The Guardian)

• Exxon faces investor pressure on climate (Axios)

Global News 3/27/19 – EU extends Operation Sophia, top Algeria party backs Bouteflika exit, Saudi airstrike hits Yemen hospital

Federico Scoppa/AFP via Getty Images

This Wednesday, the EU decided to continue Operation Sophia, its anti-smuggling mission; a top Algerian political party backed the military in saying President Bouteflika should resign, and a Saudi airstrike hit a Yemeni hospital. Read these stories and more below.

• EU diplomats tentatively agree to extend Operation Sophia (Politico)

• Algerian party, top union join army in seeking Bouteflika exit (Reuters)

• Secretive group seeking to oust Kim Jong-un claim North Korea embassy raid (The Guardian)

• Tusk urges European Parliament to stay open to long Brexit delay (Politico)

• Saudi airstrike said to hit Yemeni hospital as war enters year 5 (NY Times)

• Calm appears to hold in Gaza despite exchange of fire (AP)

• New York county declares measles outbreak emergency (BBC)

• Road safety: UK, Europe set to adopt vehicle speed limiters (BBC)

• Article 13: Memes exempt as EU backs controversial copyright law (BBC)

• The squeeze of monopolistic platforms (Axios)

• A potential domestic catastrophe as flooding degrades wells in Midwest (Axios)

• Nicaraguan clergy face threats after providing refuge for protesters fleeing gunfire: ‘The church became a type of morgue’ (LA Times)

• IBM accused of violating federal anti-age discrimination law (ProPublica)

• El Salvador considers amnesty for those accused of crimes during its civil war (ProPublica)

• After Boeing crashes, sharp questions about the industry regulating itself (NY Times)