Cambodia: Thai military deploys armored vehicles, troops to O\u2019Smach crossing, Cambodia rejects claims<\/a><\/span> China: China, Europe and why Beijing took a swing at Iran over the Strait of Hormuz<\/a><\/span> Indonesia: Indonesian Muslim groups rally behind Iran amid escalating war<\/a><\/span> Japan: Japan aims to fill defense \u2018vacuum\u2019 in Pacific to counter China<\/a><\/span> Malaysia: Malaysia urges UN action after deadly attacks on Indonesian peacekeepers in Lebanon<\/a><\/span> Mongolia: Nyam-Osoryn Uchral Appointed as Prime Minister of Mongolia<\/a><\/span> Myanmar: Myanmar junta chief elected as president<\/a><\/span> North Korea: North Korea slams UN resolution on its human rights abuses as a \u2018provocation\u2019<\/a><\/span> Philippines: PH, US, allies discuss Luzon ammo depot<\/a><\/span> South Korea: Lee, Macron pledge joint response to Mideast energy shock, Hormuz security<\/a><\/span> Taiwan: U.S. lawmakers introduce bipartisan bill to protect Taiwan’s undersea cables<\/a><\/span> Vanuatu: ULMWP urges students to reject Indonesia scholarship; Indonesia says programme supports development<\/a><\/span> Bulgaria: Bulgaria requests EU support to fend off election meddling in April vote<\/a><\/span> European Union: Top EU officials\u2019 Signal group chat shut down over hacking fears<\/a><\/span> European Union: \u2018Beyond what we could imagine\u2019: Europe\u2019s coming energy crunch<\/a><\/span> European Union: Five EU nations urge tax on energy firms’ windfall profits<\/a><\/span> Germany: New German conscription law: eligible men may now need approval for trips abroad<\/a><\/span> Hungary: Hungary alleges plot to blow up gas pipeline ahead of election<\/a><\/span> Italy: Camorra boss Roberto Mazarella caught in luxury resort on Amalfi coast<\/a><\/span> Russia\/Ukraine: Risk of death or injury in Russian regiment almost 100% (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,498)<\/a><\/span> Slovakia\/European Union: Slovak PM says EU should drop sanctions on Russian oil and gas to boost energy security<\/a><\/span> Ukraine: Iran Conflict Disrupts Private US Humanitarian Aid For Ukraine<\/a><\/span> Iran: U.S. Commandos Rescue Downed Air Force Officer Deep Inside Iran<\/a><\/span> Iran: US intelligence assesses Iran maintains significant missile launching capability, sources say<\/a><\/span> Iran: Frustration grows as Iran\u2019s wartime internet shutdown breaks grim record<\/a><\/span> Kuwait: Kuwait Petroleum Corp reports damage at units after Iran drone attacks<\/a><\/span> Lebanon: At least 11 killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon on Easter Sunday<\/a><\/span> Burkina Faso: Military and allies committing ‘horrific’ civilian abuses, HRW<\/a><\/span> Burkina Faso: Military leader Traore says ‘forget democracy’<\/a><\/span> Burundi: At least 13 killed, dozens injured in military base blast<\/a><\/span> DRC: Congo in talks with US over third-country deportations<\/a><\/span> DRC: Islamic State-linked rebels kill dozens in eastern Congo<\/a><\/span> Ethiopia: Russia and Ethiopia cement nuclear energy cooperation with new strategic roadmap<\/a><\/span> Gambia: Police fire tear gas at rally over rearrest of siblings<\/a><\/span> Malawi: Rural workers locked out of justice as labour system struggles to reach the majority<\/a><\/span> Nigeria: NHRC reports rising rights complaints, urges probe of Middle Belt violence<\/a><\/span> Somalia: US lawmaker pushes Somaliland recognition after Israel move<\/a><\/span> South Africa: More than 1,000 fuel stations run dry as Easter travel begins<\/a><\/span> Uganda: Law Society challenges ‘dehumanising’ deportation of Ugandans from the US<\/a><\/span> Zimbabwe: Zimbabweans fear planned constitutional change will kill political choice<\/a><\/span> Afghanistan: Pakistan, Afghanistan hold talks in China to end months of conflict<\/a><\/span> Bangladesh: US-Bangladesh relations now matter more than ever: Paul Kapur<\/a><\/span> Bhutan: Work Bank approves USD 25M to strengthen Bhutan’s economy and jobs<\/a><\/span> India: India\u2019s new nuclear powered submarine INS Aridhaman commissioned<\/a><\/span> Kazakhstan: A poet was summoned to the police, and a blogger was arrested. Is freedom of speech shrinking in Kazakhstan?<\/a><\/span> Maldives: India says decision pending on Maldives\u2019 request for long and short term oil supplies<\/a><\/span> Nepal: 12 Nepalis rescued from Cambodia scam operations, repatriated<\/a><\/span> Pakistan: Pakistan says a new round of peace talks with Afghanistan is underway in China<\/a><\/span> Pakistan: Pakistan raises petrol prices amid U.S.-Iran war<\/a><\/span> Pakistan: Pakistan to repay $3.5 billion UAE debt: cabinet minister<\/a><\/span> Tajikistan: “Products are not delivered on time.” The impact of the war in Iran on Tajikistan<\/a><\/span> Tajikistan: Iran said it had built a drone manufacturing plant in Tajikistan. Does it exist?<\/a><\/span> Turkmenistan: Turkmenistan has limited the amount of diesel fuel in tanks exported from the country to 300 liters<\/a><\/span> Argentina: Argentina expels Iranian diplomat amid rift over blacklisting IRGC<\/a><\/span> Costa Rica: Costa Rica Included in New U.S. Greater North America Security Strategy<\/a><\/span> Cuba: As freed prisoners celebrate in Cuba, human rights groups demand clarity and release of protesters<\/a><\/span> Haiti: First foreign troop in new gang suppression force lands in Haiti to replace previous mission<\/a><\/span> Venezuela: US lifts sanctions on Venezuela\u2019s acting president Delcy Rodr\u00edguez<\/a><\/span> The SHU World Review is produced by the Student Research Assistants of the DiploLab<\/a><\/span> at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University. Some summaries may be copied from article text. Back issues are available in Seton Hall\u2019s repository.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" East Asia & the Pacific Cambodia: Thai military deploys armored vehicles, troops to O\u2019Smach crossing, Cambodia rejects claims Khmer Times (Cambodia)\u00a0 The Thai military illegally deployed two armored vehicles and approximately 70 personnel to the\u00a0O\u2019Smach\u00a0International Border Crossing in Oddar Meanchey province on April 2, prompting a strong response from Cambodia, which rejected Thai claims of provocation as \u201centirely untrue and baseless.\u201d China: China, Europe and why Beijing took a swing at Iran over the Strait… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5878,"featured_media":202,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,5],"tags":[31,170,127,109,131,128,191,54,8,154,100,79,112,192,14,38,15,71,80,120,107,9,32,190,63,193,103,165,57,58,150,113,11,34,137,18,147,141,29,59,60,93,157,68,19,115,47,69],"class_list":["post-198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-53","category-issues","tag-afghanistan","tag-argentina","tag-bangladesh","tag-bhutan","tag-bulgaria","tag-burkina-faso","tag-burundi","tag-cambodia","tag-china","tag-costa-rica","tag-cuba","tag-drc","tag-ethiopia","tag-gambia","tag-germany","tag-haiti","tag-hungary","tag-india","tag-indonesia","tag-iran","tag-italy","tag-japan","tag-kazakhstan","tag-kuwait","tag-lebanon","tag-malawi","tag-malaysia","tag-maldives","tag-mongolia","tag-myanmar","tag-nepal","tag-nigeria","tag-north-korea","tag-pakistan","tag-philippines","tag-russia","tag-slovakia","tag-somalia","tag-south-africa","tag-south-korea","tag-taiwan","tag-tajikistan","tag-turkmenistan","tag-uganda","tag-ukraine","tag-vanuatu","tag-venezuela","tag-zimbabwe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5878"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":201,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198\/revisions\/201"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/diplolab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nKhmer Times (Cambodia)\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe Thai military illegally deployed two armored vehicles and approximately 70 personnel to the\u00a0O\u2019Smach\u00a0International Border Crossing in Oddar Meanchey province on April 2, prompting a strong response from Cambodia, which rejected Thai claims of provocation as \u201centirely untrue and baseless.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nSouth China Morning Post (Hong Kong)\u00a0<\/em>
\nIn a rare condemnation of its strategic partner, China has come out in opposition to Iran\u2019s attacks on Gulf nations, calling for a ceasefire and a guarantee of the safety of shipping lanes.<\/p>\n
\nThe Jakarta Post (Indonesia)\u00a0<\/em>
\nIndonesia\u2019s major Islamic organizations have expressed solidarity with Iran, backing the country\u2019s call for a unified response to what it describes as military aggression by the United States and Israel, and urging a swift end to the conflict as tensions in the Middle East escalate.<\/p>\n
\nThe Asahi Shimbun (Japan)\u00a0<\/em>
\nIn light of\u00a0China\u2019s expanding military activities, Japan has created an organization to strengthen defense on the country\u2019s Pacific flank, an area considered a low priority and more vulnerable to incursions. The government plans to incorporate a policy of strengthening Pacific defenses when it revises the three key national security documents within the year.<\/p>\n
\nMalay Mail (Malaysia)\u00a0<\/em>
\nMalaysia has condemned\u00a0in no uncertain terms\u00a0the continued attacks on United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) peacekeepers in southern Lebanon which have resulted in deaths and injuries among UN personnel.<\/p>\n
\nMongolia Weekly (Mongolia)\u00a0<\/em>
\nMongolia\u2019s parliament elected Nyam-Osoryn Uchral as prime minister on March 30, 2026. Uchral received support from 88 of 107 lawmakers.<\/p>\n
\nFrontier Myanmar (Myanmar)\u00a0<\/em>
\nMyanmar’s parliament elected junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as president on Friday, parliament said, with the ex-military commander set to\u00a0maintain\u00a0his rule in a civilian guise after snatching power by force five years ago.<\/p>\n
\nNK News (South Korea)\u00a0<\/em>
\nNorth Korean state media this week denounced the U.N. Human Rights Council\u2019s latest resolution criticizing its human rights record as a \u201cpolitical fraud document\u201d and \u201cprovocation,\u201d issuing a warning to countries who\u00a0participated\u00a0in the \u201cslander\u201d \u2014 which included South Korea.<\/p>\n
\nThe Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines)\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (Apeco) is open to hosting a planned US-linked ammunition facility in its Casiguran site, a proposal that has drawn sharp criticism from China, which earlier warned the move could \u201cbackfire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe Korea Herald (South Korea)\u00a0<\/em>
\nPresident Lee Jae Myung said that he and French President Emmanuel Macron had agreed to coordinate to address the energy shock triggered by the prolonged Middle East war, including efforts to secure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Macron underscored the importance of strengthening security cooperation between Seoul and Paris against the backdrop of a volatile global landscape and the shared values of the two countries.<\/p>\n
\nFocus Taiwan (Taiwan)\u00a0<\/em>
\nThree U.S. House representatives on Thursday introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at strengthening the resilience of Taiwan’s undersea cables and other critical infrastructure against growing threats from China.<\/p>\n
\nDaily Post (Vanuatu)\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has called on Vanuatu students to reject a new Indonesian scholarship program, describing it as propaganda on West Papua and what it terms \u201cchequebook\u00a0diplomacy.\u201d<\/p>\nEurope & Eurasia<\/h3>\n
\nPolitico (United States)\u00a0<\/em>
\nBulgarian officials last week asked the European Union\u2019s diplomatic service to help spot and stop campaigns by foreign actors to manipulate public opinion through social media networks and propaganda websites, using a European approach designed in response to Russian and Chinese threats.<\/p>\n
\nPolitico (United States)\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe European Commission has told some of its most senior officials to shut down a Signal group they were using to exchange information over fears it was a hacking target.<\/p>\n
\nPolitico (United States)\u00a0<\/em>
\nWith the war in Iran threatening to choke off energy flows for the\u00a0foreseeable future, Europe is facing a supply shock that promises to cripple manufacturing, ground airlines, hike up the price of food, spike borrowing costs and send inflation spiraling back to crisis levels.<\/p>\n
\nThe Local (Sweden)\u00a0<\/em>
\nSpain and four other European Union nations have called for a tax on windfall profits of energy companies in response to rising fuel prices due to the Middle East war, Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said.<\/p>\n
\nEuronews (France)\u00a0<\/em>
\nMen aged between 17 and 45 now need approval from the Bundeswehr for longer stays abroad. Under the new Military Service Act, this applies to trips abroad lasting more than three months, the\u00a0Defence\u00a0Ministry has announced.<\/p>\n
\nBBC (United Kingdom)\u00a0<\/em>
\nHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban convened an emergency meeting of the National\u00a0Defence\u00a0Council after explosives were found near a pipeline that transports Russian gas to Hungary.<\/p>\n
\nEuronews (France)<\/em>
\nThe escape of Roberto Mazzarella, head of the eponymous clan that controls Naples, ended in a luxury resort in Vietri sul Mare, in the Salerno area. Carabinieri had been wanted since January 28th, 2025, after having escaped a European arrest warrant for murder aggravated by mafia-related offenses issued by the Court of Naples.<\/p>\n
\nEUObserver\u00a0(Belgium)\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe Russian independent website Dossier Center published information about Russia\u2019s 27th Guards Division, showing how high losses at the front may really be for Russian units. In some sub-units, they may approach 100 percent.<\/p>\n
\nReuters (United Kingdom)\u00a0<\/em>
\nFico said in a statement after a call with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that the EU should renew dialogue with Russia and ensure conditions so member states can get missing gas and\u00a0oil supplies\u00a0from all sources, including Russia.<\/p>\n
\nRadio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty (Czech Republic)\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe flow of volunteer humanitarian aid from the United States to Ukraine is coming under mounting strain, as disruptions linked to the Iran conflict ripple through global shipping networks.<\/p>\nNear East<\/h3>\n
\nThe New York Times (United States)\u00a0<\/em>
\nAn Air Force officer whose fighter jet had been shot down in Iran was rescued by U.S. Special Operations forces in a risky Saturday night mission that took commandos deep into enemy territory, President Trump said on social media early on Sunday. The rescue followed a life-or-death race between U.S. and Iranian forces that stretched over two days to reach the injured\u00a0airman, who is a weapons system officer, current and former U.S. officials said. In the end, Navy SEAL Team 6 commandos extracted the officer in a massive operation that involved hundreds of special operations troops and other military personnel.<\/p>\n
\nCNN (United States)\u00a0<\/em>
\nRoughly half\u00a0of Iran\u2019s missile launchers are still intact and thousands of one-way attack drones\u00a0remain\u00a0in Iran\u2019s arsenal despite the daily pounding by US and Israeli strikes against military targets over the past five weeks, according to recent US intelligence assessments, three sources familiar with the intel told CNN. \u201cThey are still very much poised to wreak absolute havoc throughout the entire region,\u201d one of the sources said of Iran.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)\u00a0<\/em>
\nIran\u2019s state-imposed near-total internet shutdown is now the longest nationwide blackout on record in any country, according to a global monitor. Connectivity to the global internet has been around one percent of pre-war levels since shortly after the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28, according to NetBlocks.<\/p>\n
\nReuters (United Kingdom)\u00a0<\/em>
\nIranian drone attacks hit various targets in Kuwait on Sunday, with state energy company Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reporting \u200cfires and “severe material damage” at some operating units. KPC said in a statement that teams were working to\u00a0contain\u00a0the fires at affiliates Petrochemical Industries Company and National Petroleum Company.<\/p>\n
\nReuters (United Kingdom)\u00a0<\/em>
\nAn Israeli airstrike on Kfarhata, a village in south Lebanon, killed seven people on Sunday, \u200cincluding a 4-year-old child, Lebanon’s health ministry said in a statement. Another Israeli attack on the Jnah neighborhood in Beirut killed four people and injured 39 others, the ministry added. Earlier on Sunday, the Lebanese army said a soldier had been killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\nSub-Saharan Africa<\/h3>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)\u00a0<\/em>
\nA sweeping 316-page Human Rights Watch report found that Burkina Faso’s military and allied militias killed approximately 1,837 civilians across 57 documented incidents between 2023 and 2025, more than twice the number killed by Islamist armed groups during the same period. The report, which also implicated the al-Qaeda-linked group JNIM, found that government forces carried out ethnic cleansing against Fulani communities and named President Traore and six senior commanders as potentially liable under command responsibility. HRW called on the International Criminal Court to open a preliminary examination and urged international partners to impose targeted sanctions.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)\u00a0<\/em>
\nBurkina Faso’s military leader Ibrahim Traore publicly declared that people need to “forget” about democracy, arguing that it “kills,” just three months after his government dissolved all political parties in the country. Speaking on state television, Traore cited Libya as a cautionary example of failed foreign-imposed governance\u00a0while offering no alternative political framework. The remarks mark a definitive break from his\u00a0earlier promises to hold elections in\u00a02024, and\u00a0come as fatalities under his rule have tripled to over 17,000,\u00a0the majority of\u00a0them civilians killed by government forces and allied militias.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)\u00a0<\/em>
\nAn electrical short circuit at Burundi’s main ammunition depot in the\u00a0Musaga\u00a0suburb of Bujumbura triggered a series of\u00a0massive explosions late on March 31, killing at least 13 civilians and wounding 57 others, though security sources told AFP the real toll may be far\u00a0higher. The blast destroyed houses, vehicles, and military infrastructure across multiple neighborhoods, with projectiles\u00a0reportedly landing\u00a0up to\u00a010 kilometers\u00a0away. Firefighting efforts were severely hampered by a water shortage, and Burundian authorities urged citizens not to touch unexploded munitions still scattered throughout the area.<\/p>\n
\nRFI (France)\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe Democratic Republic of Congo is in active negotiations with the Trump administration about accepting deportees from third countries, migrants expelled from the US who are not Congolese nationals,\u00a0according to government sources in Kinshasa and multiple UN officials. The discussions are unfolding alongside separate US diplomatic efforts to\u00a0finalize\u00a0a Congo-Rwanda peace deal and secure American access to Congolese critical minerals, suggesting the deportation arrangement may be part of a broader package of diplomatic leverage. No agreement has been\u00a0finalized, and key details, including nationalities, numbers, and any compensation for Congo, remain unresolved.<\/p>\n
\nAP News (United States)\u00a0<\/em>
\nFighters with the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan Islamist group affiliated with the Islamic State since 2019, killed at least 43 civilians in\u00a0Bafwakoa\u00a0village in\u00a0Ituri\u00a0province, setting houses ablaze and attacking residents with machetes and firearms. Local officials put the toll as high as 56, with several people missing and at least two taken hostage. The attack is part of a broader escalation; the ADF has killed over 260 people and displaced thousands across three provinces since October 2025, as\u00a0the Congolese army struggles to fight multiple armed groups simultaneously, including the Rwandan-backed M23.<\/p>\n
\nENA English (Ethiopia)\u00a0<\/em>
\nEthiopia and Russia signed a Strategic Roadmap for Nuclear Energy Development on March 31, 2026, formalizing an actionable plan for bilateral cooperation between the Ethiopian Nuclear Energy Commission and Russia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom. The signing follows a broader nuclear cooperation agreement reached in September 2025 during Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s visit to\u00a0Moscow and\u00a0reflects Ethiopia’s ambition to diversify its energy mix beyond hydropower. Ethiopia’s foreign minister cited the countries’ longstanding historical ties as a foundation for the partnership, which could include the construction of Ethiopia’s first nuclear power plant.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)\u00a0<\/em>
\nAfter Ousainou and Amie Bojang were acquitted by the High Court of murder charges related to the 2023 fatal shooting of two police officers, they were\u00a0immediately\u00a0rearrested by the state in a move\u00a0that sparked mass protests. Police fired tear gas and water cannons at demonstrators in\u00a0Brufut, injuring some and arresting others, as civil society group GALA mobilized crowds calling for their unconditional release. The siblings were eventually freed following two days of sustained public pressure, but the episode has renewed concerns about executive interference in the judiciary and the fragility of rule of law in Gambia.<\/p>\n
\nMalawi Nyasa Times (Malawi)\u00a0<\/em>
\nThousands of rural Malawians effectively have no access to the country’s Industrial Relations Court, which handles workplace disputes but\u00a0operates\u00a0only in four cities, leaving workers in remote districts facing hundreds of kilometers of travel and unaffordable costs just to file a claim. Cases of unfair dismissal, unpaid wages, and contract violations routinely\u00a0go unresolved as a result, with district labor offices serving as the only realistic point of contact for most workers. Proposed solutions include digital complaint platforms and circuit court sessions in underserved areas, though\u00a0Labour\u00a0Minister Joel\u00a0Chigona\u00a0faces pressure to move beyond proposals and implement structural reform.<\/p>\n
\nGuardian (Nigeria)\u00a0<\/em>
\nNigeria’s National Human Rights Commission recorded over 261,000 human rights violation complaints in a single month in 2025, with killings and kidnappings the most reported categories. The NHRC called on federal and state authorities to conduct independent investigations into persistent violence in the Middle Belt states of Plateau and Benue, noting that 35% of all complaints originated from that region. The commission also flagged chronic underfunding as a structural obstacle, noting that only about 1.4% of complaints were fully investigated due to a budget the government refused to increase despite millions of cases annually.<\/p>\n
\nHorn\u00a0Diplomat (Somaliland)\u00a0<\/em>
\nRepublican Congressman John Rose of Tennessee introduced legislation aimed at deepening US engagement with Somaliland, saying he ultimately hopes it could lead to full recognition of the self-declared republic as a sovereign state. His push follows Israel’s December 2025 recognition of Somaliland, the first by any UN member state, and ongoing diplomatic discussions about the territory’s offer of a Red Sea military base and critical minerals access to the United States. The move remains contested: Somalia has condemned international recognition efforts as a violation of its sovereignty, and President Trump has so far indicated no change in US policy.<\/p>\n
\nScrolla\u00a0Africa (South Africa)\u00a0<\/em>
\nOver 1,000 fuel stations across South Africa ran out of petrol and diesel heading into the Easter long weekend, after a rush to fill up before record-high price hikes took effect on April 1. The crisis was driven by the global oil shock following the US-Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which sent crude prices past $100 a barrel and weakened the rand, resulting in the largest fuel price increases in South Africa’s history. The Fuels Industry Association confirmed the country has enough fuel in storage but cannot move it to forecourts fast enough, with Gauteng accounting for\u00a0nearly half\u00a0of all dry stations.<\/p>\n
\nNile Post (Uganda)\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe Uganda Law Society and the East Africa Law Society filed an urgent court challenge after twelve people were deported from the United States to Uganda under a bilateral third-country agreement, marking the first known transfer of its kind. The legal groups described the process as “undignified, harrowing, and\u00a0dehumanizing,” alleging that Uganda’s Parliament, immigration authorities, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs were never formally consulted. The case raises broader questions about sovereign accountability, the role of private contractors in deportation\u00a0logistics, and whether diplomatic assurances are sufficient legal protection for individuals with no ties to the receiving country.<\/p>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)\u00a0<\/em>
\nZimbabwe held four days of public consultations on Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, a sweeping proposal that would extend presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, replace direct presidential elections with a parliamentary vote, and grant President Mnangagwa expanded appointment powers over the Senate and judiciary. Critics and constitutional experts argue the bill is designed to keep Mnangagwa in power beyond his current 2028 term limit and potentially pave the way for dynastic succession, while the ruling ZANU-PF party frames it as a stability measure. With ZANU-PF holding a supermajority in parliament and hearings widely criticized as stacked and compressed, passage is considered highly likely despite broad civil society opposition.<\/p>\nSouth & Central Asia<\/h3>\n
\nAl Jazeera (Qatar)\u00a0<\/em>
\nPakistan and Afghanistan have confirmed they are holding talks in China. Senior officials from both countries are holding preliminary talks in the Chinese city of Urumqi. Afghanistan\u2019s government has sent\u00a0a mid-level delegation to Urumqi with the intention to hold comprehensive talks with Pakistan describing the negotiations as \u201cworking-level talks\u201d.\u00a0China has been\u00a0attempting\u00a0to mediate a negotiated settlement to the conflict since last month, however with Pakistani strikes on Kabul it led to international condemnation.<\/p>\n
\nProthom Alo (Bangladesh)\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>
\nPaul Kapur, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for\u00a0South\u00a0and Central Asian Affairs has said that relations between the U.S. and Bangladesh are now more important than at any\u00a0previous\u00a0time. During a reception marking Bangladesh\u2019s Independence Day in which he emphasized to\u00a0seek\u00a0to focus cooperation efforts in areas of security, trade, and governance\u00a0to\u00a0make countries more prosperous and secure. However, he emphasized security in which development at sea have implications for the Indo-Pacific region and competition with China.<\/p>\n
\nKuensel\u00a0Online (Bhutan)\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe World Bank has approved USD 25 million in financing to support the Royal Government of Bhutan in strengthening policies aimed at job creation and enhancing economic resilience. The financing is titled the First Growth and Jobs Development Policy\u00a0Financing\u00a0is designed\u00a0to help build a stronger policy and institutional framework to promote private sector-led job creation and aligns with Bhutan\u2019s 13th\u00a0Five Year Plan. However, despite economic growth Bhutan continues to face challenges in creating well-paying jobs with more than 40% in agriculture with this program\u00a0establishing\u00a0efforts in resolving these issues.<\/p>\n
\nThe Times of India (India)\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>
\nDefense\u00a0Minister Rajnath Singh has formally commissioned the indigenous nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine INS\u00a0Aridaman\u00a0into the Indian Navy. This comes as India sharpens its focus on boosting its underwater nuclear powers. It is built with a larger hull and has greater endurance and improved stealth for extended patrols. In addition,\u00a0is\u00a0able to carry a higher number of long-range nuclear capable K-4 missiles.<\/p>\n
\nRadio\u00a0Azattyk\u00a0(Kyrgyzstan)\u00a0<\/em>
\nSeveral journalists, public activists, and bloggers have been prosecuted in the past\u00a0four months, raising the concern that freedom of speech is shrinking in Kazakhstan. Bloggers such as\u00a0Adiletkhan\u00a0Moldakhan\u00a0were detained on charges of \u201cspreading blatantly\u00a0false information\u201d and were sentenced to prison. Journalist Dina\u00a0Elgezek\u00a0believes that all\u00a0of\u00a0this\u00a0indicates\u00a0that freedom of speech is being eroded in the country and highlights that\u00a0freedom\u00a0of speech is in\u00a0a very difficult\u00a0situation.<\/p>\n
\nSun Online (Maldives)\u00a0<\/em>
\nIndia has said it has not yet decided whether it will supply oil to the Maldives as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt global energy markets. Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal has reiterated that the Maldives had asked India for both long and short-term oil supply arrangements and told Reuters that India is still working on a decision.<\/p>\n
\nThe Himalayan Times (Nepal)\u00a0<\/em>
\nTwelve Nepali nationals\u00a0stranded\u00a0in Cambodia after being lured into illegal online operations and other unlawful activities have been rescued through the initiative of the Embassy of Nepal in Bangkok. The embassy has been notified and received information of Nepalis in Cambodia having been engaged in online fraud and other illegal activities.\u00a0The embassy has emphasized citizens to follow government procedures and also media and civil society to disseminate awareness.<\/p>\n
\nNPR (United States)<\/em>
\nPakistan on Thursday confirmed it was holding peace talks with Afghanistan\u2019s government in China. It is unclear who is\u00a0representing\u00a0Pakistan in talks with Afghanistan sending a \u201cmid-level delegation\u201d.\u00a0The\u00a0latest talks in China followed earlier round in Qatar and\u00a0Turkey\u00a0which the two sides agreed to a ceasefire until Pakistan attacked Kabul. Though China has not officially confirmed the talks the government is \u201cactively mediating and facilitating the resolution of conflicts between Afghanistan and Pakistan\u201d.<\/p>\n
\nThe Hindu (India)<\/em>
\nPakistan\u00a0has announced an unprecedented increase of 43%\u00a0and 55% in the prices of petrol and HSD in response to spiking global oil prices amid the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik termed it a \u201cdifficult decision\u201d and said that the\u00a0objective\u00a0was to restrict subsidies to the most deserving segments while\u00a0maintaining\u00a0fiscal discipline and preserving economic stability.<\/p>\n
\nThe Express Tribune (Pakistan)<\/em>
\nPakistan has decided to return the\u00a0$3.5\u00a0billion\u00a0debt of the UAE this month, a senior\u00a0cabinet minister said in a background briefing on Friday, ending speculations about the\u00a0fate of\u00a0the debt that Abu Dhabi has started rolling over only for a month. The government is struggling to boost exports which have fallen 8% during the first nine months of the current fiscal year with the government also struggling to formulate\u00a0a viable\u00a0plan to double exports over the next three years.<\/p>\n
\nOzodi (Tajikistan)<\/em>
\nSome traders in Tajikistan say that after the U.S.-Israeli attacks they are unable to receive Iranian-made products as they could a month ago. The list of products has become smaller, and their prices have increased slightly. Tajikistan imports mostly food products such as fruits, vegetables, construction materials, and cotton fibers. The delay in the arrival of goods from Iran to Tajikistan has led to higher product prices which will decrease trade flows.<\/p>\n
\nOzodi (Tajikistan)<\/em>
\nNearly four\u00a0years ago, after Iran announced the opening of a drone manufacturing facility near the city of Dushanbe,\u00a0its activities and even its existence remain unclear. The Tajik service has\u00a0written\u00a0to the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies is\u00a0awaiting a response. However, senior officials in Dushanbe have said in private conversations that \u201cthis enterprise has never been opened.\u201d With one official saying that such a company does not exist in Tajikistan.<\/p>\n
\nTurkmen News (Turkmenistan)<\/em>
\nFrom April 1, restrictions on the volume of goods came into force in Turkmenistan. Diesel fuel tanks of\u00a0vehicles\u00a0leaving the country must not exceed\u00a0300 liters\u00a0with each liter above this limit will incur a surcharge. This was signed by Turkmen President, Serdar Berdimuhamedov on March 30.\u00a0Corruption in diesel payments is a systemic problem in Turkmenistan and due to significant price difference in Turkmenistan, various underground fuel export schemes are now\u00a0operating.<\/p>\nWestern Hemisphere<\/h3>\n
\nAl Jazeera\u00a0(Qatar)\u00a0<\/em>
\nOn April 2nd, Argentina issued an order expelling Iran\u2019s charge d\u2019affaires in Buenos Aires, Mohsen Tehrani, amid escalating tensions between the two countries.\u00a0\u00a0The Foreign Ministry of Argentina has said the decision was in response to an earlier Iranian statement that rejected Buenos Aires\u2019s designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a \u201cterrorist\u201d group.<\/p>\n
\nThe\u00a0Tico Times\u00a0(Costa Rica)\u00a0<\/em>
\nOn April 1st, U.S. Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, incorporated Costa as part of what he calls the \u201cGreater North America\u201d initiative. The speech of the Monroe doctrine from the Defense secretary highlights calls for a shared security zone where each sovereign nation across the Western hemisphere will be working together to combat cartel activity, drug trafficking and irregular migration as central threats inside that parameter. Costa Rica just last week formally signed an agreement to accept some deported peoples from the United States, which is part of a regional pushed to the previously announced U.S.-backed Shield of the Americas initiative against cartels.<\/p>\n
\nAP News\u00a0(United States)\u00a0<\/em>
\nOn April 2nd, Cuba began releasing prisoners after the government\u2019s promise to release 2,010 prisoners as part of \u201chumanitarian gestures\u201d ahead of Holy Week. Despite the releases going to be one of Cuba\u2019s biggest in years, human rights groups have criticized saying they\u00a0hadn\u2019t\u00a0seen evidence that those who were released included any of the 1,214 people they have registered as being imprisoned for political reasons. The government denies holding political prisoners, and with\u00a0very little\u00a0information provided by the government it still\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0clear how many people were released on Friday.<\/p>\n
\nAP News (United States)\u00a0<\/em>
\nOn April 1st, the first foreign troop tied to a new gang-suppression force backed by the United Nations arrived in\u202fHaiti\u202fto help quell ongoing violence. A team from the central African country of Chad are in Port-au-Prince, Haiti\u2019s capital, where the U.N. Support Office in Haiti will provide them with living space, medical care, supplies, and other\u00a0assistance.<\/p>\n
\nThe Guardian (United Kingdom)\u00a0<\/em>
\nOn April 1st, the United States lifted sanctions on Venezuela\u2019s acting president Delcy Rodr\u00edguez, allowing her to work freely with U.S. companies and investors. This marks the latest step towards normalizing relations between the two countries after US forces abducted her predecessor, Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, and his wife.<\/p>\n
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