Darfur
(UN News) Twenty years after the conflict in Darfur first sparked global outrage, children in the region are once again trapped in a catastrophic cycle of violence, hunger, and displacement – but this time, the world is failing to take notice. In a new Child Alert report titled Darfur: 20 Years On, Children Under Threat, UN children’s agency UNICEF warns that while the horrors of 2005 are repeating, the scale of need is now far greater, and international attention is dangerously constrained. – Darfur: Two decades on, a new generation of children faces ‘horrific violence’ | UN News
Germany – US
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday his relationship with US President Donald Trump remained good despite a row between the two men over the Iran war, but he reiterated his worries over the economic impact of the conflict. The spat reflects diverging views between the Trump administration and its European NATO allies on Iran and other issues, including the Ukraine conflict. – Germany’s Merz says relations with Trump are good despite spat over Iran
Global Governance
(International Labour Organization) A new International Labour Organization (ILO) report finds that more than half of the world’s economies face governance conditions that create uncertainty for business and investment, highlighting that governance gains are fragile and declines more common than progress. The report, produced by the ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities, analyses governance trends across 208 economies between 1996 and 2024. It shows that, despite ongoing reform efforts, overall performance has changed little over time, with uneven progress across countries and regions. – Governance remains stagnant, with decline more common than progress, ILO report says | International Labour Organization
Global Health
(UN News) Countries are making measurable progress in combatting viral hepatitis, but the disease remains a major global health challenge, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report published on Tuesday. It highlights significant gains made in the fight against hepatitis B and C, which together account for 95 per cent of all hepatitis-related deaths worldwide. These infections claimed 1.34 million lives in 2024. Meanwhile, transmission continues at a rate of some 1.8 million infections annually – or more than 4,900 cases every day. – WHO calls for stepped up action to eliminate viral hepatitis | UN News
King Charles III in the USA
(Dmytro Basmat – The Kyiv Independent) Britain’s King Charles delivered a historic address to the U.S. Congress on April 28, offering a carefully measured response to recent U.S. foreign policy decisions, as questions grow over the country’s future global role under U.S. President Donald Trump. While serving as a symbolic head of state, British monarchs have regularly exercised so-called “soft power” to espouse foreign policy priorities through measured or coded language during their foreign visits. King Charles, whose address marks just the second time a British royal delivered remarks to a joint session of Congress, alluded to the United Kingdom’s longstanding defense cooperation with the United States, amid concerns over the Trump administration’s commitment to the NATO alliance. – In address to US Congress, King Charles urges ‘unyielding resolve’ in support of Ukraine, NATO unity
Middle East, Iran, US, Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon, and beyond
(AFP/Al Arabiya) The US-Israeli war on Iran, which has sent the price of energy and fertilizer soaring, could plunge more than 30 million people into poverty, the head of the UN Development Program said Wednesday. “It’s development in reverse,” Alexander De Croo told AFP on the sidelines of a G7 development meeting in Paris. – Iran war could push 30 mln people into poverty: UN
(Al Arabiya) The US has spent approximately $25 billion so far on the Iran war, a senior Pentagon official told lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Pentagon acting comptroller Jules Hurst made the comments during a hearing with the House Armed Services Committee (HASC). The joint US-Israeli war on Iran, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, commenced on Feb. 28. – US has spent $25 bln so far on Iran war: Senior Pentagon official
(Al Arabiya) Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Wednesday that military action against Iran remains an option if negotiations between Washington and Tehran fail. US President Donald Trump is currently prioritizing a maritime blockade strategy that is “hurting Iran economically,” Saar told Al Arabiya English in an exclusive interview, adding that if US-Iran talks fail again, “then, of course, the military option will be considered.” – Israeli FM says military option on Iran remains if US talks fail
(AFP/Al Arabiya) A UN-backed report said Wednesday that more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon were expected to face acute hunger due to the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah. The figure was announced in a joint statement by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Program and Lebanon’s agriculture ministry. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Some “1.24 million people — nearly one in four of the population analyzed — are expected to face food insecurity” at crisis levels or worse between April and August 2026, they said. – Over 1.2 million people in Lebanon to face acute hunger due to war: Report
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Lebanon’s army said Wednesday that one of its soldiers was among two people killed in an Israeli strike in the country’s south, the latest deadly raid despite a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war. “A soldier and his brother were killed in an Israeli strike that targeted them in the town of Khirbet Selm in Bint Jbeil (district) while they were traveling on a motorbike” heading home from the soldier’s post, the army statement said. The raid comes one day after 11 people including three civil defense personnel were killed in strikes in the country’s south, according to updated health ministry figures, while two army troops were also wounded. – Lebanese soldier killed in Israeli strike in Lebanon’s southern town of Bint Jbeil
(The Associated Press/Al Arabiya) Iran’s national rial currency hit a record low Wednesday of 1.8 million to the dollar as a shaky ceasefire with the US and Israel holds. The rial had remained stable in the early weeks of the war that began Feb. 28, in part because there was little trading or imports. The rial began to slide two days ago. Experts warn that its fall is likely to further fuel inflation in a country where many imported goods, from food and medicine to electronics and raw materials, are affected by the dollar rate. – Iran’s rial currency hits record low as shaky ceasefire with US and Israel holds
(Al Arabiya) President Donald Trump warned Tehran on Wednesday that it should “get smart soon” and capitulate to Washington’s demands for tight controls on its nuclear program, as a US naval blockade turned the screws on Iran’s economy. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth was due to testify before Congress later in the day, but US press reports suggested Trump has already decided to reject Iran’s latest proposed deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. – Trump warns Iran better ‘get smart soon’ and accept nuclear deal
(UN News) Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to send shockwaves through global food systems, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has warned, as a widening crisis across the Middle East continues to strain humanitarian operations and deepen instability. Addressing the agency’s governing body in Rome on Tuesday, Director-General Qu Dongyu said the closure of key maritime routes is disrupting energy supplies, fertilizer flows and agricultural inputs, with potentially far-reaching consequences. “Peace and stability are prerequisites for food security, and the right to food is a basic human right,” he stressed. The Strait of Hormuz – a vital chokepoint for global trade – normally carries roughly a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil, alongside significant volumes of natural gas and fertilizers. But ship traffic has collapsed by almost 95 per cent since late February, delaying millions of tonnes of fertilizer shipments and driving sharp price increases. “The crop calendar is central to understanding the urgency of the fertilizer crisis,” Mr. Qu warned, noting that delays in supply could result in permanent losses in agricultural production. The FAO chief said the crisis is already pushing up food prices, squeezing farmers’ margins and threatening to deepen hunger, particularly in import-dependent countries. Lebanon and Yemen are among those most at risk, with hundreds of thousands already facing acute food insecurity. – From Hormuz to Lebanon, crisis reverberates through trade routes, upending humanitarian networks | UN News
(Xinhua – Global Times) Chinese envoy on Tuesday called on parties in the Middle East conflict to strive for the early restoration of stability in the region. For some time, the Middle East situation has escalated dramatically with widespread consequences, gravely disrupting regional stability and affecting the global economy and energy security. The current situation stands at a critical stage of transition from war to peace, said Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations. “China urges all parties to seize this window of peace, exercise utmost restraint, demonstrate maximum sincerity, and remain steadfast in the direction of a political settlement to prevent any retrogression in the momentum of the ceasefire and negotiations, and strive for the early restoration of stability in the Middle East and the Gulf region,” he said at a Security Council open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. – China calls for efforts to restore stability in Mideast – Global Times
(UN News) The Security Council turns again to the Middle East crisis in New York on Tuesday, with debate focusing on the fragile Gaza ceasefire, a worsening humanitarian crisis there and efforts to advance a US-backed peace plan.UN senior political affairs official Khaled Khiari warned of increasingly dire conditions in Gaza and the West Bank, while former UK Prime Minister and US-led Board of Peace member, Tony Blair, said the council needs to mobilise funds for recovery at this “pivotal juncture”. – SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Gaza ceasefire is ‘increasingly fragile’, UN warns | UN News
North Korea
(Amos Chapple – RFE/RL) As the sun set during an April 26 ceremony opening a memorial to North Korean troops killed in the Ukraine war, “countless white balloons of remembrance” floated into the sky from grave sites to approximately 280 soldiers. Those graves, surrounding Pyongyang’s new Memorial Museum of Combat Feats in Overseas Military Operations, represent a fraction of approximately 2,000 soldiers that South Korean intelligence says fell during the campaign to drive Ukrainian forces out of Russia’s Kursk region. North Korea had earlier commemorated just 101 soldiers fallen in the military campaign in western Russia. Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow have released casualty figures from the Kursk campaign. – North Korea Is Honoring Some Of Its Soldiers Killed In The Ukraine War. But What About The Rest?
Russia
(Lucy Pakhnyuk – The Kyiv Independent) Russia is scaling back its May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow and will not display military equipment at the event, which serves as an annual showcase of its projected military strength. The pared-down parade, held in the Red Square, will not include the traditional column of military vehicles “due to the current operational situation,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said April 28. Officials did not provide further details. The absence of tanks and other heavy equipment — typically a centerpiece of the parade — marks a notable shift for an event where military hardware is ordinarily put on full display. – Russia to hold Victory Day parade without military hardware
Russia – Africa Corps – Mali
(Mike Eckel – RFE/RL) Hundreds of masked Russian soldiers rumbled out of the northern Mali city of Kidal over the weekend, leaving in their wake huge caches of weaponry, equipment, and a downed helicopter — not to mention major questions for the future of the Russian Defense Ministry mercenary group known as Africa Corps. The Russian abandonment of Kidal came amid a lightning offensive by a jihadist militia along with ethnic Tuareg secessionists, who have clashed with Russian forces in the past. The Malian government called the attacks, which also took place in the capital Bamako and other towns, an attempted coup. The pullout came almost 30 months after the Russian mercenaries staged a victorious photo op, hoisting their flag after fighting alongside government forces to capture the city, known as a stronghold of the Tuareg rebels. It was unclear if the pullout was a precursor to a complete withdrawal of the Africa Corps from Mali; Russian military officials suggested it was not. What was clear, experts said, is that the Russian operation is in disarray. – Russia Hoped Africa Corps Would Replicate Wagner’s Success. It’s Not Going Well.
Russia – Ukraine
(Dmytro Basmat – The Kyiv Independent) Moscow is preparing to recruit at least 18,500 foreigners into Russia’s Armed Forces in 2026, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known by its Ukrainian acronym HUR, revealed on April 28. Moscow has been recruiting foreign fighters from developing countries since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022, often under the guise of soldiers receiving high salaries, benefits, and Russian citizenship. Reports of forced coercion and undue pressure have also been documented in the recruitment of foreigners. – Russia preparing to recruit thousands of foreign fighters in 2026 — new intelligence reveals scope
(Lucy Pakhnyuk – The Kyiv Independent) Ukrainian authorities said they have dismantled an illegal arms trafficking network that allegedly funneled weapons to pro-Russian public figures and politicians, including U.S. actor Steven Seagal and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. The National Police of Ukraine said in an April 28 statement that the network sourced weapons from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories and through illegal imports from Slovakia. Some of the weapons were distributed as so-called “prizes” by Denis Pushilin, the head of the Russian-installed administration in occupied Donetsk Oblast. – Ukraine shuts down arms network that supplied weapons to Steven Seagal, other pro-Russian figures
Security and Surveillance
(OHCHR) In a joint statement, UN experts raised serious concerns over the growing global spread of intrusive surveillance technologies, and their normalisation in everyday life, and called for the urgent strengthening of human rights safeguards. “Digital surveillance tools and practices are often incompatible with international human rights obligations. Globally, arbitrary and pervasive surveillance is overwhelmingly used against civil society, human rights defenders, journalists, peaceful assemblies, minorities, political opposition and dissenting voices, thereby undermining free democratic participation. Digital surveillance creates an environment of fear and exerts profound chilling effects on fundamental freedoms, civic space, and the right to express dissent. – UN experts: Safeguard human freedoms from systematic digital interference, surveillance and chilling effects on civic space | OHCHR
South Sudan
(UN News) Conflict and displacement are intensifying South Sudan’s hunger crisis, with 7.8 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity while 2.2 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition, according to a joint statement on Tuesday from UN agencies. Hunger is pushing 56 per cent of South Sudan’s population into high levels of acute food insecurity between April and July 2026, reaching Phase 3 or above on the world’s hunger classification system, the IPC. Among those projected to face acute food insecurity, 73,300 people are facing catastrophic levels (Phase 5), the most severe level under the internationally-backed alert system. This represents a dramatic increase of 160 per cent from the last estimate. UN agencies said the crisis is being driven by escalating conflict, mass displacement, economic decline, climate shocks, flooding and below-capacity agricultural production. Meanwhile, 2.5 million people are in IPC Phase 4 – Emergency level, and 5.3 million are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3). – Over half of South Sudan’s population faces acute hunger crisis | UN News
Tech Strategies
(Singapore Government Agency Website) AI is rapidly transforming how organisations design services, make decisions, and engage users. From automating routine tasks to generating insights at scale, AI offers significant potential, but also real risks. As AI adoption accelerates, issues such as bias, security vulnerabilities, and misuse must be actively managed. In Singapore, where digital services are deeply embedded in everyday life, ensuring AI systems remain secure, reliable, and aligned with societal values is critical. Robust AI governance is therefore foundational to building trust, safeguarding users, and enabling responsible innovation. – Governing AI Responsibly: Building Trusted Digital Systems in the Age of AI | Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech Singapore)
(MIT News) Due to the explosive growth of artificial intelligence, it is estimated that data centers will consume up to 12 percent of total U.S. electricity by 2028, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Improving data center energy efficiency is one way scientists are striving to make AI more sustainable. Toward that goal, researchers from MIT and the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab developed a rapid prediction tool that tells data center operators how much power will be consumed by running a particular AI workload on a certain processor or AI accelerator chip. Their method produces reliable power estimates in a few seconds, unlike traditional modeling techniques that can take hours or even days to yield results. Moreover, their prediction tool can be applied to a wide range of hardware configurations — even emerging designs that haven’t been deployed yet. – A faster way to estimate AI power consumption | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(DigWatch) Meta has announced two energy partnerships to support its AI infrastructure, teaming up with Overview Energy for space solar power and Noon Energy for ultra-long-duration storage, with up to 1 GW reserved under each agreement. Overview Energy operates satellites in geosynchronous orbit, roughly 22,000 miles above Earth, where sunlight is constant. The satellites collect solar energy and beam it to existing ground-based solar farms as low-intensity, near-infrared light, enabling around-the-clock electricity generation without requiring additional land or grid infrastructure. – Meta partners with Overview and Noon Energy to power AI data centres | Digital Watch Observatory
US
(Al Arabiya) US President Donald Trump met with top officials from Chevron CVX.N and other energy companies on Tuesday to discuss a range of topics, including US oil production, oil futures, shipping and natural gas, a White House official said on Wednesday. Among those attending was Mike Wirth, whose presence was confirmed by a spokesperson for Chevron, according to an Axios eport. – Trump meets oil executives at White House amid Iran war energy fallout
US – Anthropic
(Maria Curi, Ashley Gold – Axios) The White House is developing guidance that would allow agencies to get around Anthropic’s supply chain risk designation and onboard new models including its most powerful yet, Mythos, according to sources familiar with the matter. The Trump administration appears to be performing a 180 on a company it previously claimed was such a grave security risk that it had to be ripped out of the federal government. A draft executive action that is currently in the works could, among other steps related to the government’s use of AI, give the administration a way to dial down the Anthropic fight, two sources said. – Trump officials draft plan to bring Anthropic back amid Pentagon fight
US – China – Iran
(Colin Hood – RFE/RL) Beijing has pushed back on a US decision to sanction the Hengli oil refinery, rejecting Washington’s accusations that the company “plays an outsized role” in buying Iranian oil. The US Treasury Department last week sanctioned the Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, based in China’s northeastern Liaoning Province, for having “purchased billions of dollars’ worth” of Iranian petroleum. Washington accuses Hengli of playing an instrumental role in sustaining Iran’s oil economy since US and Israeli air strikes on Iran sparked a war that has spread through the Middle East. Hengli is China’s second-largest “teapot” refinery — the name for independent Chinese oil refineries — and plays “an outsized role in purchasing crude oil from Iran’s armed forces,” according to the Treasury Department. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian rejected the US decision to sanction Hengli at a news conference, saying Beijing has “always opposed illegal unilateral sanctions that are not based in international law.” Lin urged Washington to “stop the indiscriminate application of sanctions.” – Beijing Pushes Back As US Sanctions Chinese Oil Refinery Over Iran Links
US – Cuba
(Kathleen Hunter – Axios) The Senate rejected an effort to advance legislation that would bar U.S. military action against Cuba without Congress’ green light. It’s lawmakers’ latest failed attempt to rein in Trump’s use of military force overseas, underscoring the support he maintains from Republicans who control Capitol Hill. The vote was 51-47 on Tuesday in favor of blocking the resolution from moving forward. Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky voted in favor of advancing the measure. Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman was the only Democrat in opposition. – Senate rejects curb on Trump military action in Cuba
US – Iraq
(AFP/Al Arabiya) The US embassy in Baghdad congratulated Iraq’s new prime minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi on Wednesday, after Washington’s interference scuppered the chances of former candidate Nouri al-Maliki. “US Mission Iraq extends its best wishes to Prime Minister-Designate Ali al-Zaidi as he works to form a government capable of fulfilling the hopes of all Iraqis for a brighter and more peaceful future,” the embassy posted on X. “We stand in solidarity with the Iraqi people aspiring to the shared objectives of safeguarding Iraq’s sovereignty, promoting security free from terrorism,” it added. – US embassy congratulates Iraq’s PM-designate, says hopes for peaceful future
