Patrick Chappatte, Swiss editorial cartoonist and president of the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, at the presentation of the exhibition Cartoons for Peace on International Press Freedom Day, Geneva, 4 May 2026. (Keystone/Salvatore Di Nolfi)

🖊️Famed cartoonist Chappatte calls medium a 'barometer' of freedom. Speaking at the opening of an exhibition and award ceremony in Geneva celebrating political cartooning worldwide, Swiss political cartoonist Patrick Chappatte, said his profession is on the "front line" of a battle for democracy.

🐀Evacuations planned as suspected hantavirus outbreak traps 150 on ship off Cape Verde. Three passengers have died and others have fallen ill in the luxury cruise carrying mostly Spanish, British and German passangers. The World Health Organization assured the risk to wider public spread was low given the rodent-borne virus doesn't transfer easily to humans.

✂️ICYMI: Exclusive: WTO plans 10 per cent budget cut as US falls back into arrears, documents show. The world trade body has proposed cutting 39 short‑term positions, freezing fixed contract hires while expanding its number of interns among other cost-saving measures, according to classified documents ​from a budget committee.

🇲🇽The UN refugee agency’s new boss in Mexico has her work cut out for her. Chiara Cardoletti takes over the role amid funding shortfalls and a deepening migrant crisis in Latin America following the US's sweeping crackdown on migrants.

🗣️Opinion: The perilously high stakes for the next UN leader. In contrast in 2003 when George W Bush's administration sought UN approval in the countdown to the US-led invasion of Iraq, the Trump administration's failure to do the same ahead of its war on Iran highlights the UN's weakened stance, writes the FT's editorial board.