Ukraine

The decisive victory of Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu's party in Sunday's parliamentary elections was not anticipated by many. This individual's victory in the presidential election the year prior was due to an accident.  During that period, the 45-year-old mayor of the capital Male abruptly registered as a proxy candidate for the presidency, after the opposition leader, former President Abdulla Yameen, was disqualified from running by the Supreme Court on account of a bribery conviction.

According to the largest mortgage lender in Britain, pre-tax earnings decreased by 28% in the first quarter of 2024. Nevertheless, it maintained that the decline was consistent with anticipated outcomes. Profits at Lloyds Banking Group have decreased since the company posted record-breaking results the previous year.

Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov was apprehended by Russia on charges of organized corruption, constituting the most prominent case since the commencement of Russia's full-scale military campaign against Ukraine.  Russia's Investigative Committee issued a brief statement on Wednesday, attributing the arrest to a statute that prohibits accepting gratuities "on a particularly large scale" and stating that the incident occurred overnight.

Despite projections that 85,000 additional childcare places will be required by September 2025, the National Audit Office has expressed "uncertainties" regarding the sector's ability to expand and provide sufficient places due to a dearth of qualified personnel and suitable space. A report has identified a potential "compromisal of quality" in the government's free daycare initiative, while activists urge immediate action to fulfill the "virtually impossible" commitment the program made to working parents.