U.S. Vice President Vance:

India, U.S. will co-produce many defence equipment.

We want India to buy more of our military equipment.

Iraq’s invitation to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa sparks backlash from Iran-aligned militias.

Qais Khazali threatens arrest.

Kataib Hezbollah says “No Jolani.”

MPs call for legal action.

NEW: Expected to visit Nairobi and then Addis Ababa, the head of US diplomacy has cancelled his planned tour, which was to have covered both security and trade issues.

Source: Africa Intelligence

🇨🇳🇯🇵 Chinese Premier Li Qiang sent letter to Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba calling for coordinated response to U.S. tariff measures.

Source: Kyodo

NEW: The U.S. has imposed tariffs as high as 3,521% on solar panel imports from Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, citing unfair subsidies and below-cost pricing.

BIG: Germany’s far-right AfD is the most popular party in Germany now, with a record 26%.

Myanmar's military junta has extended the temporary ceasefire with rebels to April 30 to support earthquake relief effort, state media reports.

21+ Ukrainian soldier wins in hand-to-hand combat, neutralizes Russian soldier with rifle strike and close-range shot.

Chinese Foreign Ministry:

China is willing to further strenghten high level exchanges with the EU to consolidate the foundation of mutual trust and properly manage differences.

Dozens of sharks spotted off the coast of Ashkelon, Israel, a day after killing an Israeli person.

NEW: Trump envoy Witkoff to arrive in Moscow this week.

Chaos at the Pentagon: Inside Pete Hegseth’s Troubled Tenure as Defense Secretary

Since taking office in January 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has faced mounting turmoil.

Three top aides were recently ousted over alleged leaks, while a fourth, John Ullyot, publicly called Hegseth “disloyal and incompetent,” adding, “The building is in disarray.”

Current and former officials describe the Pentagon as gripped by distrust and dysfunction, with shouting matches in meetings and major Trump-era policies like “Iron Dome for America” reportedly stalled.

Further straining the department, Elon Musk’s cost-cutting plan to slash 200,000 civilian jobs has met fierce resistance from Hegseth, who warned it would “cripple critical functions” across logistics, healthcare, and shipyards.

Source: NYT

NEW: Gunmen opened fire on a tourist group in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, killing at least 24.

Officials call it the worst civilian-targeted attack in recent years.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack, vowing justice and stating:

“Our resolve to fight terrorism remains firm.”

US Defense Secretary Hegseth:

I don't have time for the hoax press that peddles old stories from disgruntled employees. We should be talking about the decimation of the Houthis...

The Dow plunged nearly 1,000 points Monday, on track for its worst April since 1932.

The S&P 500 is having the weakest post-Inauguration stretch for any U.S. president since 1928.

Trade tensions and fears Trump may fire Fed Chair Powell are rattling investors.

Source: WSJ

In late 2023, Pope Francis personally secretly funded drones for Ukraine’s 93rd Brigade 'Kholodnyi Yar.'

Source: UNITED24

Russian MoD:

According to preliminary information, there are no casualties in the Vladimir region, the cause of the fire is a violation of safety requirements.

Trump:

I’ve just spoken to Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, relative to numerous subjects including Trade, Iran, etc. The call went very well—We are on the same side of every issue.