Emerges

• Startup paytech lintas batas Latitude yang berbasis di AS keluar dari fase stealth minggu ini dengan pendanaan seed senilai $8 juta yang dipimpin oleh NEA untuk mengatasi transfer uang bisnis yang lambat dan mahal. • Pendanaan tersebut mendukung misi Latitude untuk menyederhanakan pembayaran internasional, memposisikannya sebagai penantang di ruang fintech di tengah meningkatnya permintaan untuk transfer B2B yang efisien. • Peluncuran ini bertepatan dengan lonjakan fintech pada April 2026, menyoroti kepercayaan investor pada inovasi paytech meskipun ada ketidakpastian ekonomi akibat harga energi dan kebijakan Fed.

• Tel Aviv-based Capsule Security exited stealth on April 14, 2026, securing a $7 million Seed round led by Lama Partners with participation from Forgepoint Capital International to develop runtime security for enterprise AI agents. • The company positions itself as a "trust layer for agentic AI" designed to block manipulation, misbehavior, and silent data exfiltration during agent execution. • Capsule was selected as 1 of 6 finalists from nearly 1,000 startups in the CrowdStrike, AWS, and NVIDIA Startup Accelerator at RSA Conference, indicating strong industry recognition.

• Pakistan has positioned itself as a primary mediator between the United States and Iran following the recent Middle East war, leading efforts to end hostilities after Trump's threats prompted a White House reversal. • Peace talks are set to begin in Pakistan on April 10, welcomed by India, as the two-week ceasefire takes hold amid reshaping West Asian strategic landscape. • China supports Pakistan's role, having jointly submitted a five-point truce plan with Islamabad to reopen the Strait of Hormuz before escalation.

• Artificial intelligence-driven observability startup Sazabi Inc. emerged from stealth mode this week, launching a platform that uses logs and AI agents to replace traditional observability stacks. • The platform challenges conventional monitoring tools by leveraging AI to analyze logs more effectively for faster issue detection in complex systems. • This development signals growing investor confidence in AI-native alternatives to legacy enterprise software amid rising demand for efficient cloud infrastructure management.

• Following Darrell Issa's exit from Congress, Democrats are eager to flip his San Diego House seat, reshaping a key race in a swing district. • Democrats are clashing among themselves over candidacy while a stronger Republican challenger has emerged to compete for the seat. • The race in California's 48th congressional district is shaping up to be highly competitive, with both parties viewing it as a priority.

• Türkiye positions itself at the center of diplomatic initiatives and alternative energy transit routes as U.S.-Israel-Iran hostilities enter their second month. • Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan conducted intense phone diplomacy and Gulf trips, coordinating with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan on ceasefire frameworks. • Ankara prioritizes preventing escalation, staying outside direct hostilities while warning against conflict expansion amid surging global oil prices.

• Fiber AI, founded in November 2022, leads AI startups with 720 monthly searches and +4400% growth rate as of April 1, 2026. • The company's rapid rise highlights surging interest in AI solutions among US investors and developers. • It outpaces 1027 emerging AI firms, signaling robust market demand for innovative tools.

Younger conservatives say they are disappointed by Donald Trump’s decision to launch war against Iran. Key US politics stories from 29 MarchA generational divide over the Iran war has emerged between older attendees and their political heirs at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas, as the group’s leaders pleaded for unity ahead of a challenging midterm election year for Republicans.Younger conservatives spoke of disappointment and even “betrayal” over Donald Trump’s launch of strikes against Iran, saying that the president’s actions run counter to his many pledges to oppose foreign entanglements. Continue reading...

• Younger conservatives at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas express betrayal over President Trump's Iran war, clashing with his America-first promises, while older attendees defend it as a pragmatic response to threats. • A Pew Research Center survey shows nearly 80% of Republicans approve of Trump's war handling overall, but support drops among younger Republicans and conservative-leaning independents who gained Trump support in 2024. • Critics like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly oppose the conflict; attendee Joseph Bolick, a 30-year-old veteran, withdrew support citing economic suffering and focus on foreign wars.

• Younger conservatives at CPAC in Grapevine, Texas, expressed betrayal over Trump's Iran strikes, clashing with his America-first stance, while older attendees defend as pragmatic. • Some young voters report slipping support amid troop deployment fears; media figures divided ahead of midterms. • Split underscores challenges for Republican unity on foreign policy.

NSW premier says latest distribution calculation, with a reduction in the state’s share of revenue relative to its population, is unfair and ‘past its use-by date’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s richest state will receive an extra $5.5bn in GST revenue thanks to a sweetheart deal struck with Western Australia in 2018, as the New South Wales premier attacked the latest distribution calculation as unfair and “past its use-by date”.The Commonwealth Grants Commission on Friday released its recommendations on how a projected $102.5bn in goods and services tax should be carved up between the states and territories in 2026-27. Continue reading...