World

Myanmar has entered the sixth year of a brutal civil war initiated by the military regime that seized power in the country in 2021. The military leadership is increasingly confident of winning, but this conflict has plunged the nation into a deep crisis. In 2021, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing ousted the elected government and detained civilian leaders, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. This power grab reversed a decade of fragile democratic transition and produced not only a military dictatorship but also a nationwide uprising.

The Australian government's recently enacted hate speech legislation has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups, who warn it could suppress legitimate advocacy for Palestinian rights. The laws, rushed through the New South Wales federal parliament following a deadly attack on a Jewish celebration in Sydney's Bondi Beach in December, criminalize phrases like "From the river to the sea" and "Globalise the Intifada," with penalties of up to two years imprisonment.

The Costa Rican government has agreed to accept 25 migrants per week deported from the United States as part of an agreement to assist with former President Donald Trump’s policy of deporting immigrants to “third countries.” The Central American nation joins a growing number of countries across Africa and the Americas that have signed contentious, often secretive agreements with the US to accept deportees from other nations. Critics argue that migrants who previously hoped to seek asylum in the US are left in a legal “black hole” in foreign countries where they don’t speak the language.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) convened its 14th ministerial conference in Yaounde, Cameroon, against a backdrop of global economic turmoil fueled by conflict and rising protectionism, with warnings of a potential "disorderly collapse" if it fails to secure a new deal on global trade rules. This gathering marks a critical juncture for the embattled organization, which has struggled with years of stalled multilateral agreements and increasing geopolitical tensions that threaten to undermine its relevance.

▪️ US President Donald Trump has postponed a self-imposed deadline for attacking Iran's power grid to April 6, citing progress in negotiations to end the ongoing conflict. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: "As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 PM, Eastern Time." He claimed talks are "going very well," despite what he called "erroneous statements" by the media.

At least nine people have died and 45 others are missing after a boat carrying more than 300 migrants and refugees sank off the coast of Djibouti, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The Djiboutian coastguard launched an emergency overnight operation after the traditional galba-type vessel, packed with 320 people, went down near Guehere in the north of the country late on Tuesday.

A Dutch court in Amsterdam ruled on Thursday that Elon Musk's xAI company must cease generating and distributing nude images of people without their explicit consent using its Grok artificial intelligence tool and the X platform that hosts it. The court imposed a potential fine of 100,000 euros ($115,350) per day for noncompliance, marking a significant legal intervention amid growing global concerns over AI-generated sexual content. This civil suit decision is among the first judicial rulings addressing xAI's responsibility for tools that can create sexualized imagery, as complaints and investigations into Grok have surged across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

US President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that the pause in strikes against Iran's energy infrastructure has been extended by 10 days, until April 6, purportedly at the request of the Iranian government. Trump also claimed that talks were "ongoing" and "going very well," despite Tehran's earlier denial that any negotiations are taking place.

The Iran-aligned Yemeni Houthi movement, despite threatening last week to intervene in the war in Iran, has so far taken no practical action. Houthi foreign ministry spokesman Abdullah Sabri warned that “Yemen... has its finger on the trigger” and promised “appropriate measures” if the war is expanded or additional foreign forces are deployed. Movement leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi also stated in a video message his support for Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine and readiness at the military level.

The Iranian government has formally responded to Washington’s 15-point proposal to end the ongoing conflict, reasserting its “natural and legal right” over the Strait of Hormuz – a critical waterway through which a fifth of global oil supplies pass. This response contradicts claims by US President Donald Trump that Iran is “begging to make a deal,” highlighting a deepening diplomatic standoff as the war enters its second month.

In a New York court proceeding, attorneys for former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores requested the dismissal of the narco-terrorism case against their clients. The reason cited was that US sanctions have denied them the ability to use Venezuelan government funds to cover defence costs.

Hungary's ruling Fidesz party and the government of Viktor Orban stand accused of mass voter intimidation ahead of parliamentary elections on April 12. The documentary film "The Price of the Vote," presenting a six-month investigation by independent journalists, alleges that voters, mayors, former election officials, and a police officer claim large sums of money and even illegal drugs are being offered to pressure people into voting for Fidesz.