🇩🇪- Friedrich Merz to become German Chancellor on May 6th

🇺🇸🇮🇱🇵🇸⚡️- The Trump Administration has frozen $2.2 billion in funding for Harvard University after the school administration refused demands by Trump related to campus protests and DEI programs.

🇺🇸🇷🇺🇪🇺⚡- "EU considers returning to Russian gas supplies. Following US President Trump's spontaneous economic decisions, EU countries fear that dependence on US liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies could become a new vulnerability. Against this backdrop, major European companies have begun discussing the possibility of returning to importing Russian gas.

Experts warn that Trump's tariff war could turn American LNG into a geopolitical tool," - Reuters.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- "Iran opposes US plan to transfer its uranium reserves to a third country, such as Russia, as part of Washington's efforts to curtail Tehran's nuclear program. The issue was raised during negotiations in Oman.

Iran says the stockpile, which it has amassed over the past four years, must remain in Iran under strict IAEA control. Tehran sees this as a form of insurance in case the US pulls out of the deal," - The Guardian.

🇮🇷⚡- Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi held separate phone calls with his Turkish, Iraqi and Saudi counterparts, Fidan, Hussein and bin Farhan. Araghchi briefed them on the progress of the nuclear talks talks between Iran and the United States held in Muscat.

🇺🇸🇷🇺🇦🇺⚡- Russia is seeking to establish a military base at Manuhua Air Base, located next door to Frans Kaisiepo Airport on Indonesia's Biak island, Papua region. The airbase is currently out of use and under developed, Russia has proposed upgrading it and stationing Russian bombers at the base.

The US and Australia have both reacted strongly against the move, with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, saying they demand clarification from Indonesia and that Australia does 'not want to see Russian influence in our region'.

The base is less than 1,400 km from the US Darwin Air Base, northern Australia.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡- Israeli assassination strike against a vehicle in Aitaroun, southern Lebanon. Two injuries reported.

🇺🇸🇷🇺⚡- "The US has told G7 allies that it will not support a statement condemning Russia's strike on Sumy because it wants to continue negotiations with Moscow," - Bloomberg.

🇺🇸⚡- Bank of America's Chief Financial Officer says the 'research team doesn't believe we will see a recession'.

🇺🇸🇷🇺🇺🇦⚡- "Trump’s team may tighten sanctions on Russia if he sees no effort to resolve the Ukraine war," - Wall Street Journal.

🇺🇸🇨🇳⚡- "During the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, the US Government launched cyberattacks against the Games’ information systems and critical information infrastructure. The attacks seriously endangered China’s critical information infrastructure, national defense, financial security, safety of society and production as well as the personal information of Chinese citizens.

China condemns the US Government’s malignant cyber activities, and has made our concerns abundantly clear with the US," - China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

🇺🇸🇨🇳⚡- Following US cyberattacks against China, the Chinese authorities have issued a wanted notice for three suspects, who are affiliated with the US National Security Agency (NSA).

🇮🇱⚡- "Ronen Bar is not the head of the Shin Bet, he's the head of a mafia," - Itamar Ben-Gvir.

🇫🇷🇩🇿⚡- Algeria has now confirmed and expelled the 12 French diplomats.

🇮🇷🇲🇦⚡- The Washington Post have now also claimed that Polisario fighters had gone to Syria to undergo IRGC-led training and fought for Bashar al-Assad.

Note, ties between Morocco and Iran were cut in 2018 over the same accusations.

🇮🇷🇲🇦⚡- "Polisario members were arrested in Syria in December in Aleppo after being abandoned by the al-Assad regime forces. They were found in rural Aleppo.

The new Syrian president informed the Algerian government that around 500 members from the Algerian army and the Polisario militias would be under trial along with the remaining Assad forces who were arrested," - Morocco World News, Moroccan outlet.

🇨🇳🇬🇱⚡- "China is very important to us, and we are eager to strengthen our cooperation," - Vivian Motzfeldt, Foreign Minister of Greenland, says Greenland may sign a free-trade agreement with China.