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Biden and the first lady bring holiday cheer to patients and families at a children's hospital

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Biden and the first lady bring holiday cheer to patients and families at a children's hospital

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, brought some Christmastime cheer to patients and their families at a children’s hospital on Friday but a toddler in a light blue jumper entertained, too.

The president and first lady visited privately with patients and their families for photos at Children’s National Hospital before Jill Biden read “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” to a group of patients in the atrium. As she read, the president, seated beside her in a matching red chair, played a game of catch with the toddler. Biden made faces at the child and at one point briefly got him to sit up on his chair.

“Reading and entertainment,” Jill Biden said after she finished reading. The audience laughed.

The president then asked permission to make a brief statement and sought to lift the children’s spirits, saying he knows it’s a “tough time” for them to be in the hospital.

“Keep the hope,” he said. “You’re in our prayers, you’re in our thoughts, and thank you for letting us join you.”

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The visit continued a tradition, dating back to first lady Bess Truman, of presidents’ wives bringing holiday cheer to children who are too ill to be at home for Christmas.

President Biden has joined his wife on all four of her annual visits. It has not gone unnoticed.

“We’ve never had a president join for four years in a row straight, so you have set a high bar,” Michelle Riley-Brown, president and CEO of the hospital, told him.

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Budapest marks 22 years in the EU after political transition

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Budapest marks 22 years in the EU after political transition

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One day after the new parliament convened and Péter Magyar was sworn-in as prime minister, thousands have been celebrating Europe Day in Budapest, along with the 22nd anniversary of Hungary’s accession to the European Union.

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On 9 May 1950, the anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the Schuman Declaration was issued, laying the foundations for the community now known as the European Union. Seventy-six years later, on the same day, Hungary swore in a new prime minister, something that will no doubt reshape the often tense relationship between Brussels and Budapest. The change of government has also left its mark on this year’s Europe Day.

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“We are all very happy. I’ve never come out for Europe Day before, so I can’t compare it, but you can really feel the good mood, especially after yesterday,” said a young woman on Szabadság tér, the main venue for the events.

“I’m really pleased about it, to be honest, and I feel there is a much more enthusiastic and motivated atmosphere. Not least because we now have a chance to set off again on a shared path with Europe,” is how another participant summed up their feelings about the change of government.

The organisers have lined up a host of programmes for Europe Day, including concerts. As tradition dictates, the event was launched with a running race: this time the runners took on a half marathon, but they could also compete in relay teams if they did not want to cover the full 21 kilometres.

The Europe Day programme continues into the evening. The detailed schedule can be browsed here (source in Hungarian), with the band hiperkarma headlining tonight’s programme.

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Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives at Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands

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Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives at Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands

TENERIFE, Spain (AP) — A hantavirus-stricken cruise ship with more than 140 people on board has arrived at Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, off the coast of West Africa, where the passengers and some of the crew are to disembark.

The World Health Organization, Spanish authorities and cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions have said that nobody on board the MV Hondius is currently showing symptoms of the virus. Three people have died since the outbreak, and five passengers who left the ship are infected with hantavirus, which can cause life-threatening illness.

As a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship is set to arrive at Granadilla port in Tenerife, Spain on Sunday morning, the WHO, Spanish authorities and cruise company Oceanwide Expedition are coordinating the disembarkation of passengers and some crew on ground.

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The ship will not dock but will remain at anchor, with people ferried off in small boats. Everyone disembarking will be checked for symptoms, and will only be taken off the ship once evacuation flights are ready to fly them to their destinations.

There are currently people of more than 20 different nationalities on board.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Spain’s health and interior ministers, were to be supervising the evacuation of the ship. Authorities have said the passengers and crew members who will disembark will have no contact with the local population.

Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings and isn’t easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

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North Korea updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated: report

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North Korea updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated: report

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North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, according to a report.

The Telegraph reported the change comes amid heightened global tensions following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials during a recent conflict.

Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran as part of a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military operation earlier this year, Fox News Digital previously reported.

The constitutional revision was approved during a session of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, which opened March 22 in Pyongyang, the outlet said.

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ISRAEL TARGETS IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER IN SWEEPING STRIKES AS US JOINS ‘OPERATION EPIC FURY’

North Korea launched two cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles from the destroyer Choe Hyon on Sunday, April 12, 2026, according to North Korean state media. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP)

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) briefed senior government officials this week on the update, according to the report.

The revised policy outlines procedures for retaliatory action if North Korea’s leadership is incapacitated or killed.

“If the command-and-control system over the state’s nuclear forces is placed in danger by hostile forces’ attacks … a nuclear strike shall be launched automatically and immediately,” the updated provision states.

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KIM JONG UN CALLS SOUTH KOREA ‘MOST HOSTILE ENEMY,’ SAYS NORTH COULD ‘COMPLETELY DESTROY’ IT

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech at the inauguration ceremony of Saeppyol Street in Pyongyang on Feb. 15, 2026. (KCNA via KNS/AFP)

Reuters previously reported that North Korea revised its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and remove references to reunification, reflecting Kim’s push to formally treat the two Koreas as separate states.

That marked the first time North Korea included a territorial clause in its constitution.

Last month, Kim pledged to further strengthen the country’s nuclear capabilities while maintaining a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he has called the “most hostile” state.

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Kim Jong Un reportedly observed missile test launches in North Korea on Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service)

Kim has also accused the United States of “state terrorism and aggression,” and signaled North Korea could take a more active role in opposition to Washington amid rising global tensions.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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