Latest news for 10 April 2026

IRAN

Ceasefire?

The two-week ceasefire is still technically holding between the US and Iran, though it looks fragile both on Israel-Hezbollah (where hits continue) and Hormuz (mostly at a standstill). But President Trump says he’s optimistic, amid reports he’s asked Israel to cool it, while reiterating his demands for Iran to reopen the Strait. (NBC)

Comment: As we explored yesterday, the sides are still far apart, making a sustainable long-term agreement still seem pretty tough to reach.

PHILIPPINES

What’s mine is not yours.

The Philippine coastguard has opened its first dedicated district command on Thitu Island, which China still claims via its unlawful ‘nine-dash line’. (NBC)

Comment: As these two frenemies continue to harden their ‘mixed-use’ facilities on disputed islands, it’s a reminder that even as the energy crisis forces them to re-examine overlapping South China Sea oil and gas claims, any substantive rapprochement still feels far off.

KYRGYZSTAN

All in favour.

In a Brussels courtroom, Kyrgyzstan’s Bakai Bank has won its high-stakes defamation case against a Poland/Belgium-based NGO that accused the bank of helping Russia evade Western sanctions. (The Times of Central Asia)

Comment: Zooming out beyond this specific bank, the Kyrgyz numbers are pretty damning — since EU sanctions blocked direct routes to Russia, ‘high-priority’ exports to Kyrgyzstan have soared 800%, while related ✌️Kyrgyz✌️ exports on to Russia have soared by a similar amount. So this court case isn’t about whether sanctions evasion is happening, but rather about backing any specific accusations with evidence.

UKRAINE

An Orthodox pause?

Russia’s Putin has taken up Ukraine’s Zelensky on his offer to pause the fighting for 32 hours to observe Orthodox Easter this weekend. (Guardian)

Comment: Call us cynical, but this lets Putin play his ‘defender of civilisation’ card while buying time for his failing invasion and shifting blame when (not if) this pause breaks.

INDONESIA

Bargains.

More Singaporeans are doing their shopping on Indonesia’s adjacent Batam Island to avoid price surges back home caused by the Iran war. But plot twist: the ferry between the two islands is having to cut back on routes amid soaring fuel prices caused by… yes, the Iran war. (The Straits Times)

Comment: It’s actually a neat little illustration of the way energy-driven stagflation eventually even eats its own loopholes.

VENEZUELA

Welcome capitalism!

Venezuela’s legislature has approved changes that’ll allow private and foreign investment in the country’s vast mining resources. (AP)

Comment: Subject to promulgation (a formality at this point), it’s evidence of continued US-pushed liberalisation of the economy, though it’s still unclear whether even that’s enough for foreign capital, long spooked by Chavista politics.

TANZANIA

Cutting back.

Tanzania’s authoritarian president (Hassan) has had to trim back her famously-long presidential convoy amid surging fuel prices, with her trailing entourage now forced to follow along in “small buses” to reduce costs. (BI Africa)