News in Brief (2022-04-05)

FE Team | Published: April 04, 2022 21:41:25

Orban scores fourth consecutive win
BUDAPEST, Apr 04: Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban scored a fourth consecutive landslide win in Sunday's election, as voters endorsed his ambition of a conservative, "illiberal" state and shrugged off concerns over Budapest's close ties with Moscow. Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine had appeared to upend Orban's campaign in recent weeks, forcing him into awkward manoeuvring to explain decade-old cosy business relations with President Vladimir Putin. — Reuters

DR Congo train derailment kills seven
LUBUMBASHI, Apr 04: At least seven people died when a goods train derailed in the southeast Democratic Republic of Congo, the second accident in the area in a fortnight, a local official said Monday. The accident occurred in the village of Buyofwe, Lualaba province Saturday. In mid-March, a train came off the tracks in the same village, killing at least 75 people and injuring 125, according to the official toll. "Seven people died and 14 were seriously injured" in the latest accident, Lualaba interior minister Deoda Kapenda told AFP Monday. — AFP

Afghan govt bans poppy production
KABUL, Apr 04: Afghanistan's ruling Taliban announced a ban Sunday on poppy production, even as farmers across the country began harvesting the bright red flower that produces the opium used to make heroin. The order warns farmers that their crops will be burned and they can be jailed if they proceed with the harvest. The ban is reminiscent of the Taliban's previous rule in the late 1990s when the religion-driven movement outlawed poppy production. — AP

HK leader won't seek second term
HONG KONG, Apr 04: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, who survived massive protests against her government in 2019 and oversaw the implementation of a tough national security law that quashed dissent, said Monday she will not seek a second term. Her successor will be picked in May. "I will complete my five year term as chief executive on the 30th of June this year, and I will also call an end to my 42 years of public service," Lam said at a news conference. — AP

150 missing after Nigeria train attack
LAGOS, Apr 04: One week after gunmen attacked a train with explosives in northwestern Nigeria, the whereabouts of 168 passengers are still unknown, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has said. At least eight people were killed and others missing on March 28 when gunmen detonated a bomb on the track and opened fire on the train linking the capital Abuja with the northwestern city of Kaduna. — AFP