Palestinian Islamic Jihad praise the residents of Daraa in southern Syria for resisting Israeli forces overnight.

The group calls for greater unity in confronting Israel.

🇺🇸 Trump's new tarrifs: S&P 500 opens down 3.4%, Nasdaq 100 drops 4.1%.

Apple falls 8.5%, losing $255 billion in value.

Nike plunges 13%, hits lowest since Nov 2017.

Russia has agreed to provide arms and military training to a newly formed joint force between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The Kremlin will use military instructors already present in the three West African nations, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow on Thursday.

“Russia is ready to contribute to the Alliance of Sahel States’s joint force.This is a necessary step to equip the trilateral armed force. Our specialists can help develop and arm those forces with specific weapons and machinery,” Lavrov said.

Source: Bloomberg

French President Macron:

Trump's tarriffs are brutal and unfounded.

The US economy and consumers will become poorer and weaker.

BIG: French President Macron urges companies to pause US investments.

Macron calls on Europeans to “stay united,” warns against the temptation to “go it alone”.

U.S. Army General Christopher Cavoli:

Ukraine appears to have resolved some of its shortages of troops fighting against Russia, including by widening the pool of eligible recruits.

USAFRICOM Commander Michael Langley:

China is working to exploit the dismantling of the USAID on the African continent.

Macron:

Indirect consequences of tariffs may lead to other countries in Asia to boost exports to Europe.

Apple lost more than $250bn in market value on Thursday.

Source: FT

Harvard has placed the Palestine Solidarity Committee on probation until 30 June for co-sponsoring an April 1 rally that allegedly blocked entrances + used amplified sound.

The group now can't use campus resources.

Harvard said in an email: 'Free expression must comply with Harvard's policies and rules.

The move comes after the Trump administration threatened to cut $9 billion in federal funding over Harvard's response to anti-Semitism.

Source: Bloomberg

Mining town cut off by M23 rebels ‘has two weeks of supplies left’

Walikale, a mining town in eastern DRC, is facing a severe crisis after being seized by rebels on 19 March. It is cut off by road and air due to fighting, including drone strikes and gunfire.

There is a critical lack of medical supplies. Only two weeks of essential drugs like antibiotics, painkillers, and HIV meds remain, according to MSF. The last shipment was made on 17 January.

An MSF-supported hospital is now sheltering more than 700 civilians as clashes between the army and rebels continue to escalate.

Source: Telegraph

Somali Prime Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre has announced the formation of a National Committee to Support the Fight Against the Khawarij, aimed at dismantling Al-Shabaab and ISIS-Somalia.

Chaired by Second Deputy PM Abdisalan Abdi Ali, the committee includes senior officials such as:

• Ali Yusuf Hosh (Interior Minister)
• Gen. Bashir Mohamed Jama (Environment Minister)
• Dr. Ali Hajji Adan (Health Minister)
• Mohamed Ali Hagaa (State Minister for Internal Security)
• Mohamed Ahmed Amir (Mayor of Mogadishu)
• Mohamud Moalim Hassan (Disaster Management Commissioner)

The team will lead a whole-of-government approach focused on:

• Strengthening military operations with the SNA
• Disrupting terrorist financing
• Promoting deradicalization and community resilience
• Reforming the security sector for better coordination and intelligence-sharing

Source: SONNA

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic has issued a statement:

• EU Trade Chief Maros Sefcovic says the bloc is ready with countermeasures in response to trade tensions.

• He also signals a shift: the EU will diversify trade partnerships globally to reduce reliance on key players.

Source: Bloomberg

Tens of thousands of Palestinian children have lost their parents since the start of Israel’s war on the besieged Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics says.

In a statement the agency said 39,384 children in Gaza have lost one or both parents after 534 days of Israel’s assault, which has ravaged the tiny enclave and displaced most of its 2.3 million strong population.

According to the statement, at least 17,954 children have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, including 274 newborn babies and 876 infants below the age of one year.

Source: Al Jazeera

Canada's Carney:

Canada will impose 25% tariff on some US auto imports.

Canada's Carney:

We need to reset our overall relationship with the US.

Trump will fire several National Security Council officials over concerns they’re not “sufficiently loyal”

Source: AP

The latest round of new tariffs unleashed by Donald Trump will hit almost every industry across the globe, setting an unprecedented challenge for businesses already grappling with weak demand and inflationary pressures.

• Autos: 25% tariffs on non-US-made cars. Prices could rise up to $20K per vehicle. BMW, Mercedes, Subaru hit hard.

• Retail: Tariffs up to 49% on goods from Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. Brands like Nike, Adidas, H&M and Pandora impacted. Shein/Temu hurt by end of duty-free imports.

• Luxury: Tariffs mean 6% price hikes in the U.S. for brands like LVMH, Ferragamo. Wealthy shoppers may pivot to buying abroad.

• Pharma: Exempt for now, but Trump threatens future action. Some firms already shifting production to the U.S.

• Aviation: Higher aircraft production costs expected. Boeing and Airbus likely to pass those on to flyers.

• Logistics: Short-term boost from rush orders, but air freight hit by end of low-value import exemptions. Stocks like Maersk, DHL dropped.

The tariffs will raise consumer prices, shake up global supply chains, and hit sectors unevenly — with U.S. consumers likely the biggest losers.

Source: FT

Mass Displacement in Gaza as Israeli Attacks Expand Towards Rafah

Israeli forces pushed into Rafah triggering one of the largest displacements of the war as hundreds of thousands fled. The city, once a last refuge, is now part of a newly declared “security zone” Israel plans to seize.

Rafah "is gone, it is being wiped out," a father of seven among the hundreds of thousands who had fled from Rafah to neighbouring Khan Younis, told Reuters via a chat app.

At least 97 people were killed in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s health ministry, including 20 in a dawn airstrike in Shejaia, Gaza City.

Source: Reuters

NEW: Israeli warplanes fly over Quneitra, southern Syria.

Source: Syria TV