The World Trade Organization (WTO) concluded four days of tense negotiations in Yaounde, Cameroon, without reaching an agreement on taxing international e-commerce, highlighting a prolonged crisis within the body. Talks involving representatives from approximately 166 countries ended early Monday with no major deals signed, despite low expectations set amid current geopolitical and trade tensions.
In the Shaykhantakhur district of Tashkent, an illegal transplant of 108 trees has been uncovered on Abu Ali ibn Sino Street in the "Yunona" neighborhood. According to the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change, an inspection was conducted based on a resident complaint, revealing that 12 juniper and 95 eldar pine trees were transplanted without authorization in a closed collector area.
Uzbekistan plans to test satellite internet in 2026. Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov announced this at the international Digital Qazaqstan 2026 forum in Chimkent. He stated that over the past nine years, the country has achieved significant success in providing network connectivity, nearly fully resolving the issue of digital inequality.
On April 2, 2025, former US President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs against the entire world, declaring 'economic independence' in a move that allegedly aimed to reshape global trade. The so-called 'Liberation Day' tariffs imposed a 10% baseline tariff on all goods exported to the US from every country, with higher tariffs of up to 50% for 85 nations that export more to the US than they import. Economist Haishi Li noted that this decision triggered unprecedented chaos and stock market plunges globally, though Trump publicly insisted that 'big business is not worried about the tariffs'.
US President Donald Trump stated he has "no problem" with Russia or another country delivering oil to Cuba, as the island nation grapples with an acute energy crisis. Despite a de facto American oil blockade on Cuba, the Russian-flagged tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying 730,000 barrels of crude oil, has been allowed to sail toward the Caribbean. Ship tracking data shows the vessel was off the eastern tip of Cuba on Sunday, moving at 12 knots, and is slated to arrive at the port of Matanzas on Tuesday, according to AFP reports.
A United Nations (UN) peacekeeper was killed in an explosion at a UN position in southern Lebanon. The incident, which occurred near the village of Adchit al-Qusayr, also critically injured another peacekeeper. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stated it has launched an investigation to determine the origin of the projectile, as the force finds itself caught between ongoing exchanges between Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Israeli military.
An attack by Sudanese paramilitary forces in South Kordofan province has resulted in the deaths of at least 14 people, including five children and two women, according to a medical group. The Sudan Doctors Network reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allies in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North shelled residential areas in the city of Dilling during an hours-long assault, leaving at least 23 others wounded, among them seven children.
Christians across Lebanon gathered in churches to mark Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, but the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah cast a somber shadow over the celebrations. Services were held in the southern city of Tyre and in Beirut's southern suburbs, despite these areas being largely deserted following Israeli evacuation orders and ongoing air strikes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his country's military to further expand invasions of southern Lebanon, escalating regional tensions amid the United States-Israeli war on Iran. Netanyahu said in a video statement from the Northern Command: "I have just instructed to further expand the existing security buffer zone. We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north [of Israel]", pushing forward his country's stated bid to replicate the "Gaza model" of occupation.
Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders from holding a Palm Sunday mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, an action church officials described as occurring “for the first time in centuries.” Authorities cited security concerns and a ban on large gatherings since the war with Iran began, but the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land jointly condemned the move as “a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.”
▪️ Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has stated that he will “respect” the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding Senegal’s appeal against being stripped of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title. Speaking to reporters in Cairo on Sunday, Motsepe emphasized, “I will respect and implement the CAS decision. My personal opinion regarding the matter is irrelevant.” The appeal follows a controversial overturn by CAF’s appeals body of Senegal’s 1-0 victory over hosts Morocco in last month’s AFCON final.
As the US-Israeli war on Iran entered its 30th day, key regional powers have converged on Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, in a bid to de-escalate the fighting in the Middle East, which has caused a global energy crisis.