Latest news for 16 April 2026

IRAN

Latest developments.

China’s foreign minister (Wang) has sounded upbeat about his latest call with Iran’s FM, arguing “a window of opportunity for peace is opening”. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s powerful military chief is in Tehran for consultations towards a possible second round of US-Iran talks. (China’s foreign ministry)

Comment: The diplomacy sounds positive (the markets certainly think so), though the US and Iran still seem far apart on the key issues like nukes and proxies.

HUNGARY

Fast and furious.

PM-elect Magyar isn’t wasting any time: he’s used his first appearance on national public media since 2024 to accuse Hungarian outlets of spouting propaganda for the outgoing Orbán administration, then called for Hungary’s president (a symbolic / constitutional post) to step down for similar reasons, arguing “he is unworthy of embodying the unity of the Hungarian nation”. (Al Jazeera)

Comment: Magyar is running against the clock to unlock billions in EU funds with an August deadline, currently frozen due to Orbán-era rule of law concerns. Given Magyar’s new supermajority, he could push for constitutional changes to ditch the president and other Orbán appointees, and is already warning of exactly that.

JAPAN

Spend money to earn money.

Tokyo has pledged $10B in financial assistance to Southeast Asian nations now struggling with a Hormuz-linked energy squeeze. (AA)

Comment: It’s a strategic move on several levels: a) good PR for Japan’s competition with China, b) it also counters a regional reliance on China, and c) it helps shore up regional supply chains Japan itself needs (eg medical supplies).

ITALY

Israel deal suspended.

Prime Minister Meloni has declined to renew a decades-old defence agreement with Israel regulating the exchange of military kit and defence research. (Politico)

Comment: As always, timing is everything: the decision comes after a) the IDF shot warning rounds at an Italian peacekeeping convoy in Lebanon, b) Italy protested the barring of Cardinal Pizzaballa from an Easter holy site in Jerusalem, and c) Meloni herself just emerged bruised from a referendum defeat last month, and seems to be tacking closer to public opinion on this (plus the Trump spat we explored above).

PHILIPPINES

Cyanide?

Manila is accusing China-based fishermen of dumping cyanide near the contested Spratly Islands, in an attempt to poison the local fish helping sustain Philippine troops in a nearby outpost. Beijing has dismissed the accusations. (BBC)

PERU

Left-field candidate.

Defying the polls, leftist candidate Roberto Sanchez looks poised to clinch second place in last Sunday’s presidential election, taking him to June’s runoff against the conservative-populist Keiko Fujimori. Sanchez, a former minister under jailed ex-president Pedro Castillo, has picked up Castillo’s mantle and promises to change the constitution. (France24)

Comment: The possibility of a Castillo 2.0 will rattle investors in Peru’s vast minerals sector, potentially pausing new projects until after June’s dust settles.

SOUTH AFRICA

New man in town.

South Africa has appointed high-profile Apartheid-era negotiator Roelf Meyer as its new ambassador to the US in an attempt to reset tense DC ties, after the Trump-era spat over South Africa’s approach to white citizens. (Guardian)

UKRAINE

Killer robots.

President Zelensky has claimed his troops seized an enemy position using only unmanned arms (drones and ground systems), while his defence minister has credited drones for inflicting a record 35,000 casualties on invading Russian troops last month. (Euractive)

Comment: This conflict will be studied through history but a few early lessons include a) the way Ukraine is using tech to mitigate Putin’s manpower advantages, and b) the way Putin’s invasion has ended up leaving a tech-advanced military power — not a vassal state — on his doorstep.