Hungary
(Paul Kirby – BBC) Hungarians are going to the polls in large numbers, in a vote that could bring down Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after 16 years, and have significant repercussions for the rest of Europe, the US and Russia. Most polls favour Péter Magyar, who formed a grassroots party, Tisza, after splitting from the ruling Fidesz party. After voting in Budapest, he said if he won he would bolster Hungary’s position in the EU and Nato and move against corruption. Orbán told reporters after casting his ballot “I am here to win” and, asked if he had underestimated his rival, said “I don’t underestimate anyone”. Voting takes place until 19:00 (17:00 GMT) and results will start to come through during the evening. After five hours, a record 37.98% % of the electorate had voted, a dramatic 12-point increase on four years ago and an indication that voters are far more mobilised this time around. – Hungarians vote in big numbers on whether to end Orbán rule and elect Magyar
Russia/Ukraine
(Yuliia Taradiuk – The Kyiv Independent) This weekly update from the Kyiv Independent aims to shed light on the situation facing Ukrainians living under Russian occupation and the ever-tightening control of information imposed by the Kremlin. Key news as of April 11: More than 580,000 Ukrainian children forced to study in schools under Russian occupation; Crimean woman accused of treason, sent for psychiatric examination; Occupied part of Luhansk Oblast faces acute shortage of doctors, teachers, civil servants; Ukraine disables last ferry in Kerch Strait supplying Russian forces in occupied Crimea, military intelligence says; Ukrainian drones strike Tor missile system in occupied Donetsk Oblast, General Staff says; Ukraine brings back four children from Russian-occupied territories. – News from occupied Ukraine: Treason accusations in Crimea, doctor shortages, Tor missile system destroyed
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Ukraine and Russia accused each other on Sunday of violating a truce in place for Orthodox Easter thousands of times, as the war dragged on into its fifth year. Both sides had agreed to observe the ceasefire for the religious holiday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordering the truce more than a week after Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a halt to hostilities. – Ukraine, Russia trade easter truce breach barbs
War in Iran/Middle East/Gulf and beyond
(Al Arabiya) Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy said on Sunday that its key East-West oil pipeline and other facilities had been restored following recent attacks. – Saudi Arabia says East-West pipeline, energy facilities restored to ‘operational capacity’
(Ghinwa Obeid – Al Arabiya) US President Donald Trump shared an article on Sunday suggesting that he has the option of enforcing a naval blockade on Iran. This came hours after Vice President JD Vance said a deal was not reached with Iran and that his negotiating team was leaving Pakistan. – Trump signals possibility of Iran naval blockade after talks collapse in Islamabad
(Al Arabiya) Two empty supertankers attempted to make their way through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Arabian Gulf on Sunday, only to make a last-minute U-turn just as peace negotiations between the US and Iran broke down, threatening a fragile ceasefire. A trio of very large crude carriers — all without direct links to Iran — began to approach the narrow waterway from the Gulf of Oman late on Saturday, ship-tracking data show, arriving near Iran’s Larak island early on Sunday. At that effective checkpoint, Iraq-bound Agios Fanourios I and Pakistan-flagged Shalamar, destined for Das island in the United Arab Emirates, turned back. – Two supertankers U turn in Strait of Hormuz as US-Iran talks break down
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that the joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran had succeeded in “crushing” the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and ballistic missile program. Netanyahu’s comments came as Iranian and US officials held face-to-face talks in Pakistan in a bid to end the Middle East war. “We have succeeded in crushing the nuclear program, and crushing the missile program,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement, adding that the war against Tehran had also weakened Iran’s leadership and its regional allies. – Israel PM says war succeeded in ‘crushing’ Iran nuclear, missile programs
(Al Arabiya) Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to deal “severely” with any military vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, state TV reported Sunday, after the US Central Command said two US Navy warships had transited the strategic waterway to clear mines laid by Tehran. – IRGC says will deal ‘severely’ with military ships transiting Strait of Hormuz
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Iran expects to restore most damaged refining and distribution facilities to 70–80 percent of their pre-attack capacity within one to two months, a senior oil official said, as authorities work to recover from a wave of strikes on energy infrastructure. – Iran aims to restore majority of refining capability within two months, oil ministry offic
(Al Arabiya) Iran’s foreign ministry said no one had held any expectation that talks with the United States could have reached an agreement within one session after the negotiations in Islamabad stalled on Sunday. “Naturally, from the beginning we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session. No one had such an expectation,” ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to state broadcaster IRIB. – Tehran says no one had expectation of reaching agreement with US in one session
(Nic Robertson – CNN) We watched the sun go down in Islamabad and then come up again as these marathon talks went on. To end without a deal marks a fundamental blow to nascent hopes of finding an off-ramp to this crisis. These were meetings of huge consequence –– the highest-level talks between US and Iranian officials since the formation of the Islamic Republic in 1979 –– and it’s hard to underestimate just how complex the discussions have been. Beyond what was said in the room, technical papers were exchanged and reviewed repeatedly. But the two sides were simply too far apart, not just in substance, but in style and temperament. The respective delegations went into these talks with vastly different approaches: US Vice President JD Vance appeared to be after a relatively quick solution after the implementation of a two-week ceasefire, but Tehran typically moves much slower, negotiating over the long term. – Failure of US-Iran talks is a blow to hopes of finding an off-ramp to crisis | CNN
(Chris Isidore – CNN) Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is proving to be difficult. But even if the vital waterway fully opens and oil and other necessary cargo sail out, it won’t be enough to return things to normal. That’s because empty ships will need to sail back into the strait to keep the flow of goods moving. Experts say that shipping lines won’t start entering the Persian Gulf through the strait as long as there’s a strong risk that the ceasefire is only temporary. Tankers and ship owners — as well as their insurers — won’t allow their ships to re-enter the Gulf unless they’re sure they won’t be caught there for weeks or longer, said Lale Akoner, a global market analyst at eToro. “A two-week ceasefire and a ceasefire that’s fragile — I don’t think that would give the confidence (to ship operators) that is needed,” she said. – Why reopening the Strait of Hormuz won’t be enough to solve shipping woes and high oil prices | CNN Business
