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EU optimistic over approval of €90bn loan for Ukraine following Orbán defeat – Europe live

For what it’s worth, Viktor Orbán also said earlier this week that he would drop his veto on the €90bn loan the moment the oil deliveries were flowing again through the Druzhba pipeline, which had been under repair for months. As this is now expected to happen essentially any moment now, it looks like there could be some movement on the loan even before the government in Budapest changes. Remember: the new Hungarian administration won’t take office before mid-May.

Middle East crisis live: Iran claims it has ‘new cards for battlefield’, and weighs talks in Pakistan

Iranian state TV is reporting that no Iranian delegation has yet departed for Pakistan to attend peace talks with the US. It is not clear yet if they will attend the talks today despite pressure from mediators including Pakistan to do so. The country’s state broadcaster wrote in a post on Telegram that “no delegation from Iran has travelled to Islamabad, neither a primary nor a secondary, neither initial nor follow-up.” Axios, meanwhile, is reporting that the US vice-president JD Vance is due to leave for Islamabad by Tuesday morning for talks with Iran, a day before the ceasefire expires. Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy who often acts like a de facto secretary of state, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and adviser, are also expected to travel to the Pakistani capital for the talks. Iran has been stalling because of possible pressure from the Revolutionary Guards on the negotiators to adopt a firmer line and insist there cannot be diplomacy while the US is blockading the strait of Hormuz, according to the Axios report. Iran holds a deep mistrust of the US as it has been attacked before during previous negotiations.

JD Vance to lead US delegation in Pakistan if Iran agrees to talks

JD Vance is expected to fly to Islamabad at the head of a US diplomatic delegation on Tuesday if Iran agrees to further talks in the Pakistani capital as the deadline for the current ceasefire looms. The US vice-president will travel with Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law – though Iran’s president warned there remained a “deep historical mistrust” of the US. Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran was concerned about “unconstructive and contradictory signals from American officials” and concluded they amounted to an effort to seek the country’s surrender. “Iranians do not submit to force,” he said. However, one senior Iranian official told the Reuters news agency that Tehran was “positively reviewing” its participation, amid reports that its delegation would again be headed by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf if Vance attends. Ghalibaf said later that Iran would not accept negotiations with the US while under threat, adding in the post on X early on Tuesday that “we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield”. He also accused Trump of seeking to “turn this negotiating table – in his own imagination – into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering.” Tehran called for an end to the US blockade of the strait of Hormuz, while Trump repeated a demand that Iran should never be allowed to build a nuclear weapon and even said he would be willing to meet Iranian leaders himself. Earlier, the US president had confused the situation by telling the New York Post that Vance and his team were “heading over now” and he expected them to be arriving in Islamabad that evening. That was quickly corrected by US officials who said while there had been a discussion about Vance leaving on Monday, the vice-president was in fact expected to depart on Tuesday morning if the talks were taking place. A second round of high-stakes discussions to end a war begun by US and Israeli bombing at the end of February could – if they go ahead – take place on Wednesday, with the threat of renewed outbreak of fighting in the background. Trump said he now considers the two-week ceasefire with Iran ends “Wednesday evening Washington time”, extending the pause for an extra 24 hours to allow the critical meeting in Islamabad to take place. In an interview with Bloomberg, he added it was “highly unlikely that I’d extend it” further and indicating bombing could restart shortly after – though in the same conversation the president also insisted that “I’m not going to be rushed into making a bad deal. We’ve got all the time in the world.” Vance led the US team during 21 hours of failed discussions with Iran earlier in the month, which collapsed after Iran would not agree to US demands to end nuclear enrichment and hand over its 440kg of highly enriched uranium. The Iranians had said there remained a deficit of trust with the US, and wanted assurances they would not be attacked again if a final agreement was reached. Though Iran was intensively bombed during the five-week US-Israel joint campaign, Tehran’s leadership does not believe it has been defeated. Pakistan has been preparing for possible negotiations since Sunday, setting up a security lockdown and suspending public transport in the capital. Islamabad’s electricity board also promised that power cuts would be suspended in the city while negotiations continue. Power cuts lasting six to seven hours a day have become typical in cities across Pakistan as the country grapples with oil and gas shortages caused by the double closure of the strait of Hormuz by Iran and the US. Trump had imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Iran’s decision to charge tolls on merchant shipping crossing the strategic waterway, and on Sunday the US military seized an Iranian-flagged container ship trying to cross, raising concerns an escalation of hostilities would prevent peace talks resuming. US central command said the Touska had been seized after its crew had ignored six hours of warnings. Its engines were disabled by fire from a US destroyer and it was then captured by marines from the USS Tripoli, arriving by helicopter and roping down on to the merchant vessel. Though Iran had briefly lifted its own blockade on Friday, it reimposed it again on Saturday because the US would not lift its counter-blockade. One tanker in the region was attacked by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Saturday and a second container ship was struck by an unknown projectile. Commercial shipping was once again at a near standstill in the strait. Three tankers made the crossing on Monday – after 18 ships had transited on Saturday – and the price of Brent crude oil was up by $5 to more than $95 on Monday, reflecting the renewed maritime danger. Israel and Lebanon are due to hold a second round of ambassador level talks in Washington on Thursday, the US state department said, the first discussions between the two countries since a 10-day ceasefire in the theatre was announced last week. Israel also told residents of southern Lebanon to stay out of a zone of territory next to the border, and warned people not to approach the area of the Litani River, as it sought to consolidate its military grip on the area while the ceasefire is ongoing. A map posted by the country’s military on social media marked a red line through 21 villages across the south, covering an area 5km to 10km from the border.

Tuesday briefing: What it might take for lasting peace between the US and Iran

Good morning. The Gulf is stuck in limbo between war and peace. Despite a ceasefire deal between the US and Iran, both sides have ramped up threats once again. A lasting end to the violence feels possible, but so does a renewed round of fighting – and more death, destruction and economic pain. JD Vance, the US vice-president, is expected to fly to Pakistan today if Iran agrees to further talks on ending the conflict. Tehran has given mixed signals about whether they will attend and, at time of writing, it remainds unclear. Meanwhile, time is ticking away on the current two-week ceasefire, which runs out in less than 48 hours. For today’s First Edition, I spoke with Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, to understand if a permanent peace is possible – or whether it is time to brace for a new escalation in the conflict. Five big stories Iran war | JD Vance was expected to fly to Islamabad at the head of a US diplomatic delegation on Tuesday if Iran agrees to further talks in the Pakistani capital as the deadline for the current ceasefire looms. UK politics | Keir Starmer has accused Olly Robbins of deliberately and repeatedly obstructing the truth about the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal before a high-jeopardy appearance of the sacked top official before MPs on Tuesday. Health | Changes to microbes that live in the gut can identify people at greater risk of Parkinson’s disease long before symptoms develop, according to work that also raises hopes for new therapies. Economy | A quarter of a million people could lose their jobs by the middle of next year as Britain “flirts with recession”, analysis suggests, after business confidence was shattered by the US-Israel war on Iran. Technology | Apple announced on Monday that it had named a replacement for Tim Cook as CEO after nearly 15 years, with head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding him on 1 September. Cook will stay at the company in the role of executive chair. In depth: ‘People really need to focus on how dangerous this situation is’ The ceasefire between the US and Iran expires tomorrow. Each country appears to think they have the upper hand, which is fuelling mutual intransigence. Donald Trump has, once again, threatened to destroy civilian infrastructure in Iran if Tehran does not accept US demands to give up its nuclear programme and reopen the strait of Hormuz. The American military will wipe out “every single power plant” and “every single bridge” unless they back down, Trump says, despite many experts warning such an attack would be a war crime. To declare victory, Trump needs a deal that is better than the 2015 nuclear deal reached under Barack Obama, Patrick Wintour tells me. (The same deal that the US, under Donald Trump, exited in 2018.) On the Iranian side, there is a deep mistrust of American claims of a desire for peace. The US has launched attacks during previous negotiations, and Tehran is bracing for more this time. On Monday, Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said the US demands were “unserious”. “Iran thinks it’s winning,” says Patrick. “They’ve realised, and proven, that the strait of Hormuz is, geographically, an incredible asset to have because it has seized up so much of the world economy. And the Iranians can’t stop looking at the price of oil – they love it when it’s over $100 a barrel. The war has shown that they can survive so far.” Early on Tuesday, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is expected to head the Iranian delegation if talks take place, said his country would not attend negotiations while under threat – and warned they were “prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield”. If there is a change in the Iranian stance, Pakistan has been preparing since Sunday to host both sides again. The world will be watching. *** The two big talking points Patrick says two main issues need to be unlocked in talks, and they are unlikely to be resolved in a single round of negotiations. “The first is the longstanding nuclear dispute: what happens to Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium? And will Iran retain the right to enrich uranium on its own soil?” he says. “There’s a debate over how long there should be a suspension of that – mainly whether it would be for five years, or more like 20.” The majority of Iran’s enrichment facilities have been destroyed by the US and Israel, but Iran is still believed to possess around 440kg of uranium enriched to about 60%. America would like Iran to hand it over as part of any deal, either to Washington DC or an agreed third party such as Russia, says Patrick. “The second relates to the consequences of this war. What to do about the strait of Hormuz? Should there be a long-term procedure whereby any ship that passes through would have to pay a toll or seek permission from Iran?” he says. But, as all recent American presidents have found, reaching a lasting agreement with the Iranian regime is not an easy task. *** ‘The scale of what could happen is immense’ A false sense of security has developed around the conflict. Bellicose discourse has quickly become normal – and stock markets still appear relaxed about the state of the conflict. However, there are still major risks to a future escalation, says Patrick. “I find the American rhetoric repulsive. But it’s also quite dangerous, because it’s so apocalyptic and so repeated that you [might not] take it seriously. The US has the power to cause immense destruction, as they’ve shown. There are targets that they haven’t yet hit, including power stations, electricity stations and bridges that are largely intact. If they do attack, the Iranians will bomb desalination plants in the Gulf, which these states are really dependent. Within a matter of days, you could find countries literally running out of water,” he says. “The scale of what could happen is so immense and daunting that people really need to focus on how dangerous this situation is.” The spectre of a global hunger crisis is lurking, too. There are a growing number of warnings about the consequences to the ongoing collapse in fertiliser supplies for the Gulf, which could result in major food shortages around the world. *** ‘It’s all quite doable’ A lasting peace is possible, says Patrick. Allowing Iran to have a civilian nuclear programme in the future and rewarding de-escalation with economic development could become a virtuous circle as sanctions are lifted and the Iranian economy grows, he says. But it can only be achieved through dialogue. “The way Trump has conducted his relations with Iran has been very much influenced by what the Israelis said was possible, including regime change. Now that’s been proven not to work, he needs to go back to the slightly less dramatic but more important path of developing better relations with Iran, and changing them through contact and trade rather than confrontation,” Patrick explains. “I think it’s all quite doable. Iranian politicians would respond to that. Because there’s been so much against Iran, the hardliners are now in charge. That can be reversed if western policy is also reversed.” What else we’ve been reading Victoria Turk unpacks a recent attempt to catfish her with a job offer, and helpfully explains the recruitment scams to look out for. Martin I never miss The pet I’ll never forget our series. This week’s, about Benny the cat, is a heart-warmer. Patrick Philip Oltermann reviews an intriguing documentary about Peter Sichel – the so-called “Jewish James Bond” – in which, from beyond the grave, the CIA spymaster castigates US foreign policy. Martin The photographer Petra Collins is refreshingly candid about her need to make images the way we all need to breathe air, her difficult childhood and how her poor eyesight affects her work. Martin I really enjoyed Amy Fleming’s interview with the psychiatrist Amir Levine, an expert on types of attachment, about how we can all have healthier, happier relationships. Patrick Sport Football | A 0-0 draw between Crystal Palace and West Ham at Selhurst Park leaves Wolves with no way back and Tottenham two points adrift of safety. Snooker | Stan Moody blew his chance to become the first teenager to win a match at the World Snooker Championship since 2005 as he fell to a 10-7 defeat to the 2024 champion, Kyren Wilson. Rugby | State of Origin coaches Billy Slater and Laurie Daley have backed the NRL’s pursuit of a stake in the Super League. The front pages “Starmer on collision course with Robbins over Mandelson vetting” is the Guardian’s take on events. The Mail says “It’s everyone’s fault but his” and the Times has “PM ‘forced Foreign Office to approve Mandelson job’”. “They chose not to tell me” – that’s the Mirror while the Telegraph splashes on “I know many MPs will find these facts to be incredible”. Similarly the Express has “For once you are actually right PM … ‘It beggars belief!’” and the i paper picks up the same theme “Starmer: I know my story sounds ‘incredible’”. The Metro joins in: “Incredible? Yes, prime minister”. The Financial Times says “Starmer claims officials deliberately kept him in the dark over Mandelson”. Today in Focus Starmer addresses the Mandelson vetting saga Jonathan Freedland on what Keir Starmer said – and didn’t say – to the House of Commons about the Mandelson vetting failure. Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad Coventry City is returning to the Premier League after 25 years. The Sky Blues fell three divisions during that time and were forced to play “home” games at Northampton and Birmingham as a protracted stadium ownership saga almost killed the club. Jonny Weeks used to go regularly in the 1990s, and says: “I didn’t truly appreciate how lucky I was to be present for those salad days, and to be there with my dad.” His father’s hobby of collecting footballers’ autographs – a collection “so vast and so impressive, it belongs in a museum” – was something they bonded over. “Whatever happens next season, at least I can live off those precious memories we made together in the 90s – they’re more valuable to me than any autograph.” Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply

Israeli soldiers using sexual assault to force Palestinians out of West Bank, report says

Israeli soldiers and settlers are using gendered violence and sexual assault and harassment to force Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank, human rights and legal experts say. Palestinian women, men and children have reported attacks, forced nudity, invasive and painful body cavity searches, Israelis exposing their genitals, including to minors, and threats of sexual violence. Sixteen cases of conflict-related sexual violence were recorded by researchers for the West Bank Protection Consortium over the last three years, a figure that is likely an under-reporting because of the shame and stigma faced by survivors. “Sexualised violence is used to pressure communities, shape decisions about remaining or leaving their homes and land, and alter patterns of daily life,” the group of international humanitarian organisations said in a report. The study, “Sexual violence and forcible transfer in the West Bank”, details accounts of escalating sexualised attacks and humiliation of Palestinians in their communities and inside their homes since 2023. Other forms of reported violence include urinating on Palestinians, taking and distributing humiliating photographs of bound and stripped individuals, stalking women who are using latrines, and threatening sexual violence against women. The case studies are anonymised because of the stigma surrounding sexual violence. Sexualised attacks were hastening the displacement of Palestinians, according to the report. More than two-thirds of households surveyed identified rising violence against women and children, including sexual harassment targeting girls, as a tipping point in their decision to leave, the consortium said. “Participants described sexualised harassment as the moment when fear shifted from chronic to unbearable. They spoke of watching women and girls endure humiliation and of calculating what might happen next,” the report said. Israeli soldiers present during abuse had repeatedly failed to prevent it or prosecute those responsible. One woman was subjected to a painful internal search by two female soldiers who entered her home with settlers then ordered her to remove her clothes for a full body search. “She described being instructed to open her legs in a way that caused pain, and she described derogatory comments and touching of intimate areas,” the report said. Men and boys were also targets of sexual assault and harassment. Last month, Israeli settlers stripped 29-year old Qusai Abu al-Kebash, from the northern Jordan valley community of Khirbet Humsa, put a zip tie on his genitals and beat him in front of his community and international activists, witnesses said. In October 2023 settlers and soldiers stripped, handcuffed and beat Palestinians from the village of Wadi as-Seeq, urinated on them, attempted to rape one with a broom handle, and took photographs of them naked which they then distributed publicly. Sexual violence and harassment had severe impacts even when communities were not displaced, and women and girls were particularly badly affected. To limit the chance of coming into contact with Israelis who might assault or harass them, girls had quit school and women had stopped working. It had also led to a rise in early marriage, as parents desperate to protect their daughters sought ways to move them away from the threats. At least six families interviewed for the report arranged weddings for girls aged between 15 and 17. The Ramallah-based Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC) has also documented the use of sexualised violence and harassment of Palestinian women and girls to fragment and displace communities. The WCLAC said women in the occupied West Bank had reported sexual assault, including forced penetration during searches, and abuse, including Israeli soldiers exposing themselves to girls at checkpoints and molesting them during searches. Humiliation had included the mocking of girls who were menstruating, she said. “Girls aren’t going to schools, and you see early, forced marriages. These are minors, but we know their mothers and fathers are trying to protect them by sending them out of the area,” said Kifaya Khraim, the advocacy unit manager at WCLAC. “Women lose their jobs because they can’t get to work because of the sexual violence and then deciding to stay at home.” Khraim said she believed her team knew about only a fraction of the cases of sexualised violence by Israeli soldiers and settlers. “This is maybe 1% of the cases, and we had to do a lot of research in local communities just to earn the trust for people to tell us about these cases.” Milena Ansari, the head of the occupied Palestinian territory department at Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, said the rise in sexualised violence and harassment in the occupied West Bank was happening amid a broader culture of impunity for attacks on Palestinians. A recent decision to drop charges against soldiers for the filmed rape of an inmate at the Sde Teiman centre sent a particularly clear message. “Israeli officials are effectively green-lighting the use of sexual violence, when they decide not to prosecute the most high-profile case, which is extremely well documented,” Ansari said. “There is a culture of accepting sexualised assault against Palestinians. “There was a discussion in the Knesset about whether or not it is OK to rape a Palestinian. Even the prime minister didn’t say that Israel opposes raping detainees.” Israel’s failure to prosecute settlers who attacked Palestinians in the West Bank led to the country’s former prime minister, Ehud Olmert, calling for the international criminal court to intervene to save Palestinians from “Jewish terrorists”, in an interview with the Guardian. The report on sexualised violence as a tool of forced displacement drew on 83 interviews with Palestinian communities across the occupied West Bank, including those facing settler violence and movement restrictions. Participants included people at risk, those already forced to flee their homes, women, youth activists and community leaders. The findings are not meant to be a statistically representative sample of the West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces did not respond to questions about allegations of sexual abuse by soldiers. • Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

Canadian woman killed after gunman opens fire at Mexico’s Teotihuacán pyramids

One Canadian tourist has been killed and six other people were wounded by gunfire after an armed man opened fire at one of Mexico’s most famous tourist destinations, the Teotihuacán pyramids near Mexico City. The shooting – the latest violent incident to affect Mexico as it prepares to co-host the football World Cup in June – took place on Monday lunchtime and was captured in mobile phone videos. “A person is opening fire on us, take care friends, send security,” a voice can be heard saying in an unverified video posted on social media. The gunman, whose nationality was unknown, killed himself after opening fire, said Cristobal Castaneda, the security secretary for Mexico state, where the site is located. One witness, Laura Torres, told the newspaper La Jornada she heard more than 20 shots coming from the Pyramid of the Moon, the second largest in the ancient complex of constructions. “First it was sporadic, then one shot after another, then sporadic again,” said Torres, who believed the alleged shooter – who authorities said took his own life – had used a handgun. Mexican media reports said the fatal victim was a 32-year-old female from Canada. Canada’s foreign minister, Anita Anand, called it “a horrific act of gun violence” in a post on X. Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, voiced “deep pain” over the attack on the Unesco world heritage site, which follows a high-profile explosion of violence in February after the killing of a top narco boss known as “El Mencho” near the city of Guadalajara. “I express my most sincere solidarity with the affected individuals and their families,” Sheinbaum said on social media, calling for a thorough investigation. Six people were wounded by gunfire and treated at local hospitals, including a Canadian woman, a Colombian woman and child, a Brazilian and two Americans. Seven more were injured in the scramble for safety and were treated at the scene, including a Russian, a Colombian, a Brazilian and four Americans, authorities said. The midday shooting stunned tourists at one of Mexico’s most visited pre-Hispanic sites. State authorities at the scene seized a firearm, knife and unused ammunition and evacuated tourists from the premises. The British embassy in Mexico City urged UK citizens to follow instructions from local authorities if they were in the area where the shooting took place. Mexico’s foreign ministry said it was in permanent contact with the Canadian embassy in Mexico “and other embassies of affected individuals to provide timely follow-up on these events”. The shooting at the world-famous archaeological site made front-page headlines and caused widespread shock in Mexico, where authorities are gearing up to host 13 games in the World Cup, including its opening match. Concerns over Mexico’s security situation grew after a wave of coordinated cartel attacks followed the killing of El Mencho in February, although that violence was quickly contained. The Teotihuacán complex is one of Mexico’s most visited destinations, drawing close to 2 million tourists each year. Mexico’s nearly 200 archaeological sites are popular with tourists, and although accidents have been reported, this is the first reported case of armed violence in decades. Mexico continues to struggle with frequent drug gang-related violence, but mass untargeted shootings are relatively rare, especially compared with the country’s northern neighbour, the United States. Mexico expects more than 5.5 million visitors for the World Cup in June, when the popular football contest hosts national teams from around the world.

Embattled New Zealand prime minister survives leadership vote and blames media for ‘soap opera’

The New Zealand prime minister, Christopher Luxon, has survived a tense leadership vote six months out from the election as he battles an ongoing slump in opinion polls. Luxon, who has served as prime minister since November 2023, said he had called for the vote at a caucus meeting on Tuesday morning. The meeting in Wellington ran for more than two hours, fuelling speculation that Luxon might be forced out amid poor polling and leaks from MPs about alleged leadership challenges. After the meeting, Luxon delivered a two-minute statement to declare the vote proved support for his leadership, but took no questions. “I moved a formal motion of confidence in my leadership,” Luxon told reporters. “That motion was passed, confirming what I have been saying – I have the support of my caucus as their leader. Caucus has answered clearly and decisively. It has backed my leadership. That matter is now closed, and I won’t be commenting further on it.” He condemned reporters for creating what he described as a “media soap opera”. New Zealand will vote in a national election in November. Media outlet Stuff said MPs were refusing to say if Luxon won the confidence motion with unanimous support from caucus. Luxon said he welcomed the press holding him to account, “but if the media want to keep focusing on speculation and rumour, I am not going to engage”. “Everyday Kiwis will not be losing sleep over political sideshows here in Wellington. They’ll be thinking about their mortgage, their kids’ education, and the safety and security of their community,” he said. Luxon did not mention the flagging public support for him and the National party. In a poll released on Sunday, just 16% of New Zealanders listed Luxon as their preferred leader, which also showed that Luxon’s right-wing coalition would have lost if an election were held last week. National has been trending downwards since it won 38% of the vote to win office in 2023. Concerns from the backbench about Luxon’s performance had reached such a level that the National party whip, Stuart Smith, had felt obliged to raise the issue, and requested a meeting with Luxon, the New Zealand Herald reported last week. However, in what the Herald called a “rare and extraordinary” rebuke, Luxon reportedly “ghosted” Smith and didn’t meet with him. Luxon disputed that a meeting was sought. In March, Luxon shook up his cabinet and re-election team in attempt to shore up his leadership and reverse flagging poll results. The centre-right National party leads a coalition government with ACT, a right wing party, and the populist New Zealand First party. The coalition had campaigned on promises to fix New Zealand’s economy, which was battered by recession and stagnation after the Covid pandemic, but recovery has been slow. With Australian Associated Press

Ukraine war briefing: EU moves to unlock €90bn loan as Orbán exits

European Union countries will on Wednesday move to unlock a €90bn loan for Ukraine as the defeated Viktor Orbán exits power in Hungary. The now-caretaker Hungarian prime minister, friendly to Vladimir Putin, had been blocking the loan but will soon be replaced by Peter Magyar, who won a sweeping electoral mandate. Magyar has promised smoother relations with Brussels and criticised Orbán for bowing to Russian influence. Orbán said that Hungary would lift its objections to the loan as it had “received an indication from Ukraine” via Brussels that Kyiv was ready to restore oil deliveries to Hungary via the damaged Druzhba pipeline that passes through Ukraine from Russia. “Once oil deliveries are restored, we will no longer stand in the way of approving the loan,” said Orbán – who claimed to be blocking the loan because of the pipeline, but had repeatedly impeded European support for Ukraine well before the pipeline became an issue. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said on Monday that with Orbán’s departure, “we can be reasonably optimistic about the sound progress and implementation” of the EU loan. Berlin summoned the Russian ambassador on Monday over “direct threats from Russia” against “targets in Germany”. The threats “are an attempt to undermine our support for Ukraine and test our unity”, Germany’s foreign ministry said. “Our response is clear: we will not be intimidated. Such threats and all forms of espionage in Germany are completely unacceptable.” The Russian embassy declined to comment to Agence France Presse, which reported the news. Russia’s defence ministry last week made a veiled threat as it published a list naming at least three German firms as supplying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for Ukraine, carrying the suggestion they could be targeted. “The European public should not only clearly understand the underlying causes of the threats to their safety, but also know the addresses, as well as the location of ‘Ukrainian’ and ‘joint’ companies producing UAVs and their components for Ukraine in their countries.” It was part of a broader list of 21 companies that Moscow considers either subsidiaries of Ukrainian defence companies or suppliers of key components. On Monday morning, Russian authorities said they had arrested a German woman accused of being part of an alleged Ukrainian-backed plot to blow up a services facility. Russia’s FSB security agency said the woman was arrested in the Caucasus city of Pyatigorsk with an explosive device in her backpack. The German foreign ministry said it was aware of press reports but would not comment further out of privacy concerns. The death toll rose to seven on Monday from a mass shooting in Kyiv as a wounded man died in hospital. A Russian-born man opened fire on passersby with an automatic rifle on Saturday before barricading himself in a supermarket with hostages, where he was shot dead by police. A Europol “hackathon” traced 45 Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia, the EU’s law enforcement agency Europol said on Monday. Kyiv says at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been stolen. The Europol effort saw 40 investigators from 18 countries gather in The Hague for two days last week to use publicly-available information known as Osint (open-source intelligence) to locate some of the children. “In total, information about 45 children was uncovered and shared with Ukrainian authorities to assist their ongoing investigations,” Europol said. “Some of these children have been adopted by Russian nationals, while others are being held in re-education camps or psychiatric hospitals.” The international criminal court (ICC) has issued war crime arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and his “children’s commissioner” Maria Lvova-Belova over the kidnappings.