Germany
(John Kampfner – Politico) “It is up to us to determine whether Germany will remain a strong country. No one else gets to decide. Not the White House, not the Great Hall of the People — and certainly not the Kremlin. We decide,” declared Lars Klingbeil, Germany’s vice chancellor, minister of finance and co-leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). “Doing this will pose challenges for each and every one of us. We will have to break habits, overcome gridlock; 2026 will require courage,” he added. But has the floundering man with three jobs finally found his courage? If he doesn’t want his party to disappear into the fringes, and possibly bring down the coalition with it — he needs to. Let’s look at the numbers: 2026 is Germany’s “super-election-year,” and the SPD — Germany’s oldest party and possibly the oldest center-left party in the world — kicked things off by being trounced. – Germany’s center left is on the brink of oblivion – POLITICO
Hungary
(Max Griera – Politico) Gábor Iványi performed Viktor Orbán’s wedding and later baptized two of his children in the 1990s, little suspecting his friend’s government would one day put him on trial. Now, the prime minister is seeking to extend his 16-year rule over Hungary in an election on April 12, casting himself as the candidate who will protect traditional Christian values. But Iványi, a 74-year-old Methodist pastor who has known Orbán since the 1980s, doesn’t buy into the prime minister’s blend of Christianity and nationalism, which he says “has nothing to do with the Bible, with the essence of the Bible.” – Hungary’s Orbán is selling Christian nationalism. His former pastor isn’t buying it. – POLITICO
War in Iran/Middle East/Gulf and beyond
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Monday that US President Donald Trump’s threats to strike power plants and bridges in Iran could amount to war crimes. – Iran deputy FM says Trump threats to hit civilian sites could be war crimes
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Gold prices fell on Monday, pressured by a stronger dollar as elevated oil prices on the back of a protracted Iran war and stronger-than-expected US jobs data dampened hopes for interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Spot gold slipped 0.5 percent to $4,652.89 per ounce by 0452 GMT, while US gold futures for April delivery held steady at $4,678.70 in thin trade, with many markets in Asia and Europe closed for a holiday. – Gold falls amid US-Israel war on Iran
(Al Arabiya) Abu Dhabi authorities responded to an incident involving falling debris in the Musaffah area on Monday, leaving a Ghanaian national with moderate injuries, officials said. Authorities said debris fell on the Raneen Systems company in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi (ICAD) following the successful interception of an aerial threat by air defense systems. – One injured in Abu Dhabi as debris falls after air defense interception in Musaffah
(Al Arabiya) Gas outages hit parts of Tehran after a strike on a university, Iran’s state broadcaster reported on Monday. The attack “hit the Sharif University gas station and we are facing a temporary gas outage in the Sharif neighborhood,” state broadcaster IRIB quoted the head of Tehran’s District 9 neighborhood as saying. – Gas outages hit parts of Tehran after strike on university: Iran state TV
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Israeli firefighters were searching for two missing people in the rubble of a residential building in the northern city of Haifa after it was struck by an Iranian missile that killed two others, authorities said Monday. The direct hit on a seven-story building tore through sections of the structure which has partially collapsed, the military and rescue services said. – Israeli authorities say two dead after Iran missile hits residential building in Haifa
(Al Arabiya) Authorities in the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah said on Monday that they were responding to an “incident” after a drone from Iran was launched toward the building of “du” telecommunications company. – Fujairah authorities respond to incident targeting ‘du’ building with drone from Iran
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Kuwait’s army said Monday its air defenses were working to intercept missiles and drones fired towards the Gulf nation’s territory. – Kuwait says air defenses responding to Iranian missile, drone attack
(Barak Ravid – Axios) The U.S., Iran and a group of regional mediators are discussing the terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the war, according to four U.S., Israeli and regional sources with knowledge of the talks. The sources said the chances for reaching a partial deal over the next 48 hours are slim. But this last-ditch effort is the only chance to prevent a dramatic escalation in the war that will include massive strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure and a retaliation against energy and water facilities in the Gulf states. President Trump’s 10-day deadline to Iran was expected to expire Monday evening. But on Sunday, Trump extended his deadline by 20 hours and posted on Truth Social a new deadline of Tuesday at 8pm ET. Trump told Axios on Sunday that the U.S. is “in deep negotiations” with Iran and that a deal can be reached before his deadline expires on Tuesday. “There is a good chance, but if they don’t make a deal, I am blowing up everything over there,” he said. – US, Iran mediators discuss potential 45-day ceasefire, sources say
(Ben German – Axios) Brent crude oil climbed more than 1% to above $110 per barrel when markets opened Sunday and remained high into the night amid mixed signals about the Iran war that’s creating unprecedented disruption to global energy flows. President Trump is signaling major escalation, but also told Axios’ Barak Ravid that the U.S. is in “deep negotiations” with Iran. Trump is threatening to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges starting Tuesday if the regime doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz. – Oil rises amid Trump’s mixed messages on Iran war
(Rebecca Falconer – Axios) Pope Leo XIV and the top U.S. Catholic bishop for the military both used Easter Sunday to emphasize Jesus’ message of peace amid the escalating Iran war. The first U.S.-born pope urged those who “unleash wars” to lay down weapons as President Trump continued his increasingly aggressive wartime rhetoric on Sunday to demand that Tehran “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”. Leo and U.S. Roman Catholic leaders have voiced moral opposition to Trump’s policies, notably on the the Iran war and immigration. – Pope Leo calls for peace, Trump vows hell for Iran on Easter
War in Ukraine
(Luca Léry Moffat – The Kyiv Independent) Explosives have been found near a gas pipeline in Serbia that transports Russian natural gas to Hungary, leaders from the two countries said on April 5. “Serbian authorities have found a powerful explosive device, along with the equipment needed to detonate it, at critical gas infrastructure linking Serbia and Hungary,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on April 5 in a post on X. The Serbian military reported discovering an explosive device weighing around 4 kilograms (9 pounds) near Kanjiza, a town south of the Serbian-Hungarian border. – Serbia, Hungary claim explosives placed on Russian gas pipeline, Ukraine denies involvement
(Volodymyr Ivanyshyn – The Kyiv Independent) Three people, including a child, were killed and another 10 were injured in a Russian attack on Odesa overnight on April 6. A residential building was struck in the Russian attack, Odesa City Military Administration head Serhii Lysak said in a Telegram post. Among the injured victims are a toddler and two teenagers. Another two of the 10 injured have been hospitalized in serious condition. – 3 killed, including child, another 10 injured in Russian attack on Odesa
(Volodymyr Ivanyshyn – The Kyiv Independent) Over 340,000 subscribers in northern Ukraine’s Chernihiv Oblast were left without power overnight on April 6 following Russian attacks on energy infrastructure in the region. An energy facility in the Novhorod-Siverskyi district of the oblast was damaged, and “(m)ore than 10,000 subscribers in the same district were left without power,” a statement by local energy company Chernihivoblenerho read. Later, another facility in the Nizhyn district was struck, leaving 340,000 without power, including subscribers in the cities of Chernihiv and Pryluky, the company said. – Over 340,000 left without power in northern Ukraine’s Chernihiv Oblast following Russian strikes
(Sonya Bandouil, Volodymyr Ivanyshyn – The Kyiv Independent) Explosions were reported overnight on April 6 in the southern Russian port city of Novorossiysk, with local residents reporting a drone attack at an oil terminal and damage to a residential building. The Sheskharis oil terminal was struck by drones, independent Russian Telegram news channel Astra reported, citing an open-source analysis of eyewitness footage. The site is a major oil export terminal that serves as the endpoint for pipelines run by Russia’s state-run Transneft, the world’s largest oil pipeline company. – Ukrainian drones reportedly strike major oil terminal in Russian city of Novorossiysk
