China/North Korea
(Global Times) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday that China is willing to work with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and two countries, and to promote practical cooperation, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK. – China willing to work with DPRK to promote practical cooperation: Chinese FM – Global Times
China/Taiwan
(Global Times) Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday met with the visiting delegation led by Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, in Beijing. This reunion of leaders of the CPC and the KMT, after a gap of 10 years, has attracted great attention and carries profound significance. Xi stressed that no matter how the international landscape and the situation across the Taiwan Straits may evolve, the overarching trend toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will not change, and the prevailing momentum for the Chinese on both sides of the Strait to come together will not change. His sincere and heartfelt words have pointed the way forward for relations between the two parties and for cross-Straits relations. Xi made four points about the development of cross-Straits relations – forging closer bonds across the Straits by upholding a correct understanding of identity, safeguarding the shared homeland through peaceful development, fostering the well-being of the people through exchanges and integration, and making joint efforts to achieve national rejuvenation. – Keep the future of cross-Straits ties firmly in Chinese people’s own hands: Global Times editorial – Global Times
Estonia/Russia
(Lucy Pakhnyuk – The Kyiv Independent) Estonia will not detain Russian shadow fleet vessels in the Baltic Sea due to concerns about potential military escalation, a senior naval commander said April 10. “The risk of military escalation is just too high,” Estonia’s Navy Commander Ivo Vark told Reuters. Russia’s shadow fleet — a network of oil tankers used to circumvent international sanctions — helps sustain the export of Russian oil in the global market. The network relies on shell companies, deceptive registration practices, and shifting national flags to obscure Russian ownership. – Estonia says risk of detaining Russian shadow fleet vessels ‘too high’
Hungary
(Paul Kirby – BBC) On the eve of Hungary’s bitterly fought and highly significant election, the two main rivals are taking their campaigns to the wire, as Péter Magyar attempts to end 16 years of continuous rule by Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party. “We’re at the gates of a two-thirds majority victory. Let’s gear up and push for the last 100m!” he told cheering supporters, before mingling for selfies. His final campaign stop will be in the second city, Debrecen, in the north-east, while Orbán, who trails in most of the polls, will address a rally in Budapest. But perhaps the biggest rally of all came on Friday night, when tens of thousands of Hungarians crammed the capital’s Heroes’ Square and surrounding streets for an anti-Fidesz concert. “I feel it in my bones something’s going to change,” said first-time voter Fanni, who came with her mother from a village two hours’ drive away in the south. “I don’t believe I’d vote for [Magyar] in an ideal situation, but this is our only chance.” – Final push for votes as challenger to Hungary’s Orbán scents victory
(Abbey Fenbert – The Kyiv Independent) U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 10 that his administration is prepared to “strengthen Hungary’s Economy’ if Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wins the country’s upcoming parliamentary election. Trump’s statement comes two days ahead of Hungary’s April 12 election, a key vote that could unseat Orban and his ruling Fidesz party after 16 years in power. “My Administration stands ready to use the full Economic Might of the United States to strengthen Hungary’s Economy, as we have done for our Great Allies in the past, if Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the Hungarian People ever need it,” the U.S. president wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. – Trump sweetens pro-Orban endorsement with promises of economic aid to Hungary
Lebanon
(UN News) With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday. Speaking from Beirut, where he witnessed Wednesday’s attacks first-hand, the World Health Organization (WHO)’s representative in the country Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar, said that according to the latest figures from Lebanon’s Ministry of Health some 300 people were killed in the strikes – one of the highest single-day death tolls since the renewal of full-scale hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants on 2 March. A further 1,150 were injured. “Many more people actually are still missing,” Dr Abubakar told reporters in Geneva. “They’re believed to be under the rubble.”. Many body parts are also waiting to be identified, he said. – Lebanon airstrike casualties ‘still under the rubble’ as ambulances, hospitals face new threats | UN News
Russia
(Abbey Fenbertv – The Kyiv Independent) Russia’s Justice Ministry added Stanford University to its list of “undesirable organizations” on April 10, putting anyone affiliated with the school at risk of criminal prosecution. The designation is part of the Kremlin’s crackdown on civil society, international organizations, and Western universities — a campaign that has intensified throughout the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian government did not explain why Stanford was deemed “undesirable.” The label could expose anyone linked to the university, including students, to a four-year prison sentence. – Russia labels Stanford University ‘undesirable’ in escalating crackdown on Western schools
Sudan
(UN News) As Sudan approaches the third anniversary of a brutal civil war, millions remain displaced and hungry while the health system lies in ruins, with no end to the violence in sight, UN agencies said on Friday. Speaking from Khartoum, the representative of the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, in the country Marie-Helene Verney told reporters that since the start of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April 2023, some 14 million people, or a quarter of the population, have been forced to flee, with 9 million remaining displaced inside Sudan and 4.4 million across borders, primarily in Chad, South Sudan and Egypt. “Unfortunately, we are not seeing clear progress towards any resolution,” she said, stressing that fighting is still ongoing in large parts of the country: the Kordofans, Darfur and Blue Nile State. “One thing to note is the increased use of aerial bombardments and drone attacks,” she added. – Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue as war enters fourth year | UN News
US/Latin America
(Gonzalo Zegarra – CNN) Nearly 50 percent of Latin America’s population will go through a presidential election this year, and US President Donald Trump is poised to impact every contest in some form, given his record in the region. Campaigns across Central and South America — voting has started in Costa Rica and continues this weekend in Peru — are already marked not only by security concerns and political volatility but also by Trump’s heightened assertiveness. In his second term, Trump has sought to expand the White House’s influence on the region. He has pressured some Central American countries to receive deported migrants from other nations, deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, sought to engineer the demise of the Cuban regime in part through an oil blockade and openly threatened countries that don’t elect his preferred candidate. – Trump seeks sphere of influence through Latin American presidential races | CNN
US/Russia
(Alex Raufoglu – RFE/RL) The United States has condemned Russia’s latest actions against independent media following reports of new detentions and a high-profile newsroom raid in Moscow. “We have seen the recent reports of two more journalists detained in Russia. The United States condemns any attempts to intimidate, harass, and punish journalists and independent voices for exercising fundamental rights to free speech and a free press,” a State Department spokesperson told RFE/RL on April 10 in response to an inquiry about the developments. “The United States considers freedom of expression to be a foundational component of a functioning democracy, a belief also reflected in Russia’s own constitution,” the spokesperson said, pointing specifically to Article 29, which guarantees “the freedom of ideas and speech” and protections for media from censorship. – US Condemns Russia Over Targeting Journalists, Urges Respect for Free Speech
War in Iran/Middle East/Gulf and beyond
(Daniel Bush – BBC) In the middle of an Easter lunch at the White House, President Donald Trump went off script to address speculation about JD Vance’s role in securing a deal to end the war in Iran. “If it doesn’t happen, I’m blaming JD Vance,” Trump joked, drawing laughter at last week’s East Room event attended by senior administration officials including the vice-president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. And “if it does happen,” Trump added, “I’m taking full credit.”. The remarks perfectly captured Vance’s predicament as he leads a US delegation holding talks with Iran in Pakistan. It is the most challenging assignment of Vance’s vice-presidency so far – one with a limited upside and plenty to lose if negotiations fail. Vance’s diplomatic mission to Islamabad is a political minefield. To make progress in reaching a permanent agreement to end the war, he will have to satisfy several stakeholders with competing interests, and who all distrust each other after a six-week military campaign that has engulfed the Middle East and roiled the global economy. US allies are watching Vance closely to see how he’ll perform, one European official said. Vance “needs to step into the room and deliver something,” added the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Otherwise he will be diminished.” – Trump has handed JD Vance his most difficult mission yet
(Alex Raufoglu – RFE/RL) US Vice President JD Vance has stepped into the most consequential diplomatic challenge of his tenure, heading to Islamabad to lead high-stakes negotiations with Iran. These talks may ultimately determine whether a fragile, two-week cease-fire holds, or the region collapses back into renewed conflict. The American delegation includes special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as officials from the National Security Council, State Department, and Pentagon. They face an Iranian team led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. – Vance Leads Critical Diplomacy With Iran As Cease-Fire Hangs In The Balance
