China
(Isaac Yee – CNN) A hacker has allegedly stolen a massive trove of sensitive data – including highly classified defense documents and missile schematics – from a state-run Chinese supercomputer in what could potentially constitute the largest known heist of data from China. The dataset, which allegedly contains more than 10 petabytes of sensitive information, is believed by experts to have been obtained from the National Supercomputing Center (NSCC) in Tianjin – a centralized hub that provides infrastructure services for more than 6,000 clients across China, including advanced science and defense agencies. Cyber experts who have spoken to the alleged hacker and reviewed samples of the stolen data they posted online say they appeared to gain entry to the massive computer with comparative ease and were able to siphon out huge amounts of data over the course of multiple months without being detected. An account calling itself FlamingChina posted a sample of the alleged dataset on an anonymous Telegram channel on February 6, claiming it contained “research across various fields including aerospace engineering, military research, bioinformatics, fusion simulation and more.”. The group alleges the information is linked to “top organizations” including the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, and the National University of Defense Technology. CNN has reached out to China’s Ministry of Science and Technology as well as the Cyberspace Administration of China for comment. – A hacker has allegedly breached one of China’s supercomputers and is attempting to sell a trove of stolen data | CNN
Hungary
(Max Griera – Politico) Few outside Hungary’s tight political circles had heard of Péter Magyar — until he unleashed a blistering critique of the government, complete with a secret audio recording of his wife, then Justice Minister Judit Varga. The 2023 recording — made without Varga’s knowledge — captured her describing alleged government interference in a corruption case. It helped fuel an explosive scandal that propelled Magyar from a mid-level civil servant into a political force, setting him up to mount the most serious challenge yet to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s 16-year grip on power. As Magyar rides a commanding lead in the polls ahead of the April 12 parliamentary election, he has galvanized disillusioned voters across the political spectrum, turning his upstart Tisza movement into a vehicle for those seeking to end Orbán’s rule. – Péter Magyar’s revolt: The insider challenging Hungary’s Viktor Orbán – POLITICO
Hungary/Russia
(Gabriel Gavin and Zoya Sheftalovich – Politico) More evidence is emerging of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s attempts to turn eastward and plug Hungary economically and politically into Russia — something his opponent is using against him in the run-up to Sunday’s election. The Hungarian government signed an agreement with Russia to expand the two countries’ economic, trade, energy and cultural ties, according to documents drawn up by the Russian government and obtained by POLITICO. They starkly underscore how close Budapest and Moscow hope to become. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko signed a 12-point plan laying out areas of cooperation after the two met for talks in the Russian capital in December, the documents show. The text, which has not previously been made public, sets out the extent to which the two governments would align in areas as diverse as nuclear fuel, education and sport. – Hungary and Russia struck 12-point plan for closer ties, documents show – POLITICO
Russia/Ukraine
(Alex Raufoglu – RFE/RL) Western nations “must keep Ukraine as a priority” and increase pressure on Russia amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, which is drawing attention away from Europe’s deadliest conflict since 1945, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told RFE/RL in an interview. Following US President Donald Trump’s vocal criticism on the Western alliance over other members’ reluctance to get involved in the Iran war, Tsahkna said that “nobody truly believes the US will withdraw from NATO” but that the conflict “is now also a NATO topic.”. Estonia is ready to discuss a potential contribution, but the United States has made no request for the Baltic nation’s support in connection with the Iran war, he told RFE/RL by phone on April 7. – Ukraine Must Remain A Priority Amid Iran War, Estonian FM Margus Tsahkna Tells RFE/RL
US
(Holmes Lybrand – CNN) During his first news conference Tuesday, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche showcased his loyalty to President Donald Trump while declining to answer specific questions about the war with Iran, why Attorney General Pam Bondi was fired or other investigations into the president’s enemies. “I love working for President Trump. It’s the greatest honor of a lifetime,” Blanche said when asked whether he wanted to be nominated as the full-time attorney general. “If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say: ‘Thank you very much, I love you, sir.’”. When asked why Bondi was fired and how the DOJ will change, Blanche was dismissive. “I’m going to lead the way that I’ve been leading as the deputy attorney general,” said Blanche, a former Trump defense attorney. – Todd Blanche: Acting AG says ‘Nobody has any idea why’ Pam Bondi was fired except for Trump | CNN Politics
War in Iran/Middle East/Gulf and beyond
(Anthony Zurcher – BBC) Whether such a jaw-dropping threat from an American president pressured Iran to agree to the kind of ceasefire they had previously rejected is uncertain. What is clear is that Trump’s astounding, inflammatory declaration – just two days after a similar obscenity-laced Truth Social demand – is unlike anything a modern US president has ever levelled or hinted at. And even if the two-week ceasefire does result in a permanent peace, the Iran war – and Trump’s recent words – may have fundamentally altered the way the rest of the world views the US. – Iran ceasefire deal a partial win for Trump – but at a high cost
(Kelly Ng, Khashayar Joneidi, Daniel De Simone – BBC) Iran and the US have agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire, during which shipping traffic will be allowed through the Strait of Hormuz. This comes more than a month after the US and Israel launched co-ordinated attacks on Iran, and hours after US President Donald Trump threatened “a whole civilisation will die tonight” if Iran did not reopen the Strait. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been mediating negotiations, said early on Wednesday that the ceasefire was effective immediately. – What we know about the US and Iran’s ceasefire deal
(Osmond Chiaand, Peter Hoskins – BBC) Global oil prices have fallen sharply and stock markets have jumped after the US and Iran agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire deal that includes the reopening of the key Strait of Hormuz waterway. The price of benchmark Brent crude fell by about 13% to $94.80 (£70.73) a barrel, while US-traded oil was more than 15% lower at $95.75. But oil prices remain higher than before the conflict started on 28 February. At the time, it was trading at around $70 a barrel. The cost of energy has jumped as oil and gas supplies from the Middle East have been severely disrupted after Iran threatened to attack ships trying to use the strait in retaliation to US and Israeli airstrikes. Major stock indexes in the Asia-Pacific region rose on Wednesday morning. – Oil slides after US-Iran ceasefire deal to open Strait of Hormuz
(Alex Raufoglu – RFE/RL) US President Donald Trump and Iran have agreed to a two-week Pakistani-brokered cease-fire, pulling back from the brink to allow the two sides time to negotiate a peace deal. Trump, who early on April 7 wrote that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran fails to reach a deal, said in a social media post that he had received a 10 point proposal from Tehran and he believes “it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.”. The Tasnim news agency, which is close to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), confirmed a cease-fire has been “established” between the two sides “with specific conditions.” – Trump, Iran Reach Last-Minute Agreement On Two-Week Cease-Fire
(Jacob Wendler and Paul McLeary – Politico) President Donald Trump announced Tuesday evening that the U.S. had reached a two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran ahead of a looming deadline, averting what the president previously described as an attack that would lead to the death of a “whole civilization.”. “The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.”. Trump — who said the ceasefire was subject to Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz — added that “almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran,” but he said the two-week ceasefire period “will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated.” – Trump announces Iran ceasefire ahead of 8 p.m. deadline – POLITICO
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face widespread attacks on its civilian infrastructure. The announcement on social media was the latest example of Trump backing down from severe threats, after he warned Iran earlier on Tuesday that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if his demands were not met. – Trump says he has agreed to two-week ceasefire with Iran
(Sean Lyngaas – CNN) Iran-linked hackers have successfully targeted and caused disruptions at multiple US oil and gas and water sites in recent weeks, according to a federal advisory released Tuesday and three sources familiar with the investigation. The hacking campaign marked an escalation of the cyberattacks launched by Tehran since the US-Israeli war with Iran began because it tested the safety systems at US industrial plants that protect human life. The hacks have caused some industrial processes at the sites to shut down, forcing them to operate manually, the sources said. That downtime has caused financial losses for some of the victims, the federal advisory said. The hackers have in some cases tried to use destructive malware, or “wipers,” to delete data from victim companies, but it was unclear if they were successful, two of the sources said. The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security’s cyber agency and others said Tuesday they were “urgently warning” US critical infrastructure firms about the ongoing hacking campaign, which officials said was aimed at causing “disruptive effects within the United States. – Iran-linked hackers have disrupted multiple US industrial sites | CNN Politics
