A third of train workers expected to walk out

Protesters hold flares during a demonstration outside the Saint Charles train station, in Marseille, southern France, last Thursday. Photo / AP file

France: Millions of French commuters and holidaymakers face another wave of crippling transport stoppages as rail workers protest at President Emmanuel Macron's economic reform plans and some unions warned they could step up strike action. Train staff last week kicked off three months of nationwide rolling strikes in a dispute over the Government's planned overhaul of state-run rail firm SNCF, in the biggest challenge yet to Macron's attempts to modernise the French economy. Just over a third of workers needed to make the train network run smoothly were expected to walk out tonight, a dip in participation compared to the last 48 hours of walk-outs lastweek, the SNCF said.

Hungary: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is expected to win his third consecutive term, and fourth overall since 1998, as voting stations opened across the country for the election of 199 parliamentary deputies. Polls agree on the triumph of Orban's Fidesz Party and its allied Christian Democrats, but a splintered opposition and Hungary's complex electoral system make the margin of victory hard to predict. Orban's campaign has been based near exclusively on his unyielding anti-migration policies, though voters say they are more concerned with poverty, corruption and the country's underfunded healthcare system. His main challengers are Gergely Karacsony, the candidate of the Socialist and Dialogue parties, and Gabor Vona from the nationalist Jobbik party.

Malaysia: Prime Minister Najib Razak unveiled a lavish election manifesto with cash benefits targeting rural ethnic Malays, his key voting bloc, as he faces an unprecedented challenge from a revived opposition led by his former mentor, Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Najib, 64, is seeking a third term in office under pressure to improve his National Front coalition's performance after support eroded in the last two elections. He has been dogged by a massive corruption scandal involving the 1MDB state fund, which is under investigation in the US and other countries for allegations of cross-border embezzlement and money laundering. The 220-page election manifesto, which includes 364 pledges, was launched yesterday, the day Parliament was dissolved to pave the way for national polls expected in early May. His campaign slogan "Make my country great with BN" — the Malay acronym for the National Front — has similarities with President Donald Trump's 2016 election motto "Make America great again."

One political candidate in Hungary appeared in a chicken costume, drank water and clucked as a commentator asked him questions. https://t.co/tdjgJMcb4P

— NPR (@NPR) April 8, 2018

Najib Razak is fighting to win a third term at the head of his ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, which has governed Malaysia since independence in 1957 but has seen support drop in recent years https://t.co/CAPNbMWvwr

— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 7, 2018

APRIL HEAT: Adelaide's forecast for 5 days in a row above 30 degrees hasn't happened during April for 11 years. If the mercury climbs above 34.4 degrees - it will be the hottest day on record this late in the season. pic.twitter.com/ITXfM0f7JS

— Kate Freebairn (@katefreebairn) April 5, 2018

Australia: Residents south of Adelaide are being urged to flee their homes or enact their bushfire survival plans as fierce winds and record-breaking temperatures take their toll across the state. The Country Fire Service has issued a watch and act warning for Inman Valley - near Stockwell Rd and Kemmiss Hill Rd - saying lives could be threatened as the out-of-control fire moves north. The CFS also declared a total fire ban for the Mount Lofty Ranges district following a forecast for hazardous fire weather conditions. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Peter Webb said the temperature had already hit 34C in Adelaide, with a forecast of 35C and 33C over the next two days. "That has never ever happened before in April," he told AAP. He said the temperature would soar tomorrow with parts of the north and west of the state expected to hit 39-40C.

Iran: Hackers have attacked networks in a number of countries including data centres in Iran where they left the image of a US flag on screens along with a warning: "Don't mess with our elections". "The attack apparently affected 200,000 router switches across the world in a widespread attack, including 3500 switches in our country," Iran's Communication and Information Technology Ministry said. Iran's IT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi posted a picture of a computer screen on Twitter with the image of the US flag and the hackers' message. He said it was not yet clear who had carried out the attack. Azari-Jahromi said the attack mainly affected Europe, India and the United States, state television reported.

- agencies