Orban’s exit. The Hungarian prime minister conceded defeat hours after the conclusion of yesterday’s parliamentary election, which saw the highest turnout on record. A near-complete vote count suggested center-right Péter Magyar’s party would win the two-thirds majority needed to reverse many of Orbán’s policies. Orbán has been in power for sixteen years and recently acted to block European aid to Ukraine.
Peru’s election delay. Election authorities extended voting into today for a small number of districts in Peru’s presidential election following logistical difficulties during yesterday’s vote. A partial result based on half the votes counted showed conservative Keiko Fujimori leading a large pool of candidates. The election is expected to go to a runoff.
Djibouti’s continuity. President Ismail Omar Guelleh won a sixth term in office in Djibouti’s presidential election Friday, securing 97.8 percent of votes, according to preliminary official results. Most of the opposition boycotted the election. Guelleh recently oversaw a constitutional revision to scrap the age limit of seventy-five for presidential candidates.
U.S.-Australia mineral investments. The two countries have jointly committed more than $3.5 billion to critical minerals projects since pledging to cooperate on the issue six months ago, Australia’s trade and resources ministers said. The funding exceeds their initial pledges of at least $1 billion each. Some of the investments include a nickel mining project and a rare earths refinery.
Beijing’s overtures on Taiwan. China said that it would push to increase cross-strait flights and Taiwanese food imports following a visit by Cheng Li-wun, the head of Taiwan’s main opposition party. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council accused China of sowing divisions in Taiwan at the news, saying that cross-strait affairs should be negotiated between the Chinese and Taiwanese governments.
Philippines warns Meta. The Philippines instructed Meta Friday to address the spread of “false, misleading, and panic-inducing content” related to the energy crisis or face legal action. The content threatens “public order, economic stability, and national security,” the government said. Meta did not immediately comment.
Trump-Pope tensions. Trump called Pope Leo “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy” in a social media post yesterday. Leo has criticized the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and Trump’s restrictive immigration policies. He told reporters today that he had “no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel.”
Iraq-Saudi Arabia dispute. Saudi Arabia summoned the Iraqi ambassador due to drone attacks launched from Iraqi territory, the Saudi foreign ministry said yesterday. It delivered an official note of condemnation for the attacks and called on Iraq to address them.
