Dip

• President Trump kondigde de nominaties aan van voormalig gouverneurskandidaat voor Arizona, Kari Lake, en de Republikeaan Doug Mastriano uit Pennsylvania voor diplomatieke functies, waarmee hij de banden van zijn administratie met Republikeinse loyalisten versterkt. • Lake, die in 2022 de race voor het gouverneurschap van Arizona verloor, en Mastriano, een controversiële Trump-aanhanger, vertegenwoordigen Trumps aanhoudende vertrouwen in MAGA-georiënteerde figuren voor belangrijke overheidsfuncties. • De nominaties signaleren Trumps strategie om politieke bondgenoten te belonen met internationale posities, ondanks hun gebrek aan traditionele diplomatieke ervaring.

• De Iraanse en Egyptische ministers van Buitenlandse Zaken hebben op zondag 10 mei 2026 een telefoongesprek gevoerd om de laatste regionale ontwikkelingen en de lopende diplomatieke inspanningen tussen Teheran en Washington, onder bemiddeling van Pakistan, te bespreken. • De discussies vinden plaats te midden van toenemende onzekerheid over de diplomatie rond het staakt-het-vuren, nadat Amerikaanse president Donald Trump de laatste reactie van Iran op een Amerikaans voorstel als "totaal onaanvaardbaar" bestempelde. • Dit contact signaleert de potentiële rol van Egypte bij het overbruggen van de kloof tussen Iran en de VS, te midden van escalerende spanningen in het Midden-Oosten waarbij Pakistan optreedt als belangrijke tussenpersoon.

• Luchthaven rapporteert daling van 5%, maar transitpassagiers stijgen omdat reizigers hub gebruiken om luchthavens in het Midden-Oosten te vermijden • Business live – nieuwsupdates • Het aantal passagiers dat vorige maand vanaf London Heathrow vloog, is gedaald doordat de oorlog in het Midden-Oosten de vraag naar internationale reizen beïnvloedde.

• De Verenigde Staten hebben hun consulaat in Peshawar, Pakistan, gesloten en alle diplomatieke functies en verantwoordelijkheden overgedragen aan de hoofdambassade in Islamabad. • De consolidatie weerspiegelt de herstructurering van de diplomatieke aanwezigheid van de Amerikaanse overheid in Pakistan en is erop gericht de operaties te stroomlijnen. • De stap heeft invloed op de diplomatieke betrokkenheid in het noordwesten van Pakistan, een strategisch belangrijke regio die grenst aan Afghanistan.

• Laos intensiveert de regionale diplomatie voorafgaand aan de 48e ASEAN-top in Cebu op 7-8 mei, waarbij minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Thongsavanh Phomvihane Indonesië bezoekt voor bilaterale gesprekken. • De discussies gingen over handel, investeringen, toerisme, ontwikkeling van menselijk kapitaal en bredere ASEAN-prioriteiten, inclusief bijeenkomsten met zakengroepen en het ASEAN-secretariaat. • Premier Sonexay Siphandone zal Laos leiden tijdens de top, waarbij de focus ligt op eenheid te midden van geopolitieke spanningen in Zuidoost-Azië.

• De Chinese president Xi Jinping ontving in april 2026 de Secretaris-Generaal van de Vietnamese Communistische Partij, To Lam. Dit was de eerste internationale reis van To Lam in zijn nieuwe rol en onderstreept de nadruk van Peking op partij-tot-regeringrelaties met Hanoi. • De twee landen tekenden 32 bilaterale overeenkomsten, meer dan het dubbele van de 14 overeenkomsten tijdens het bezoek van To Lam in 2024, variërend van handel en investeringen tot strategische samenwerking in meerdere sectoren. • Peking maakt gebruik van het socialistische governance-model van Vietnam als gemeenschappelijke basis om de banden te verdiepen, terwijl het tegelijkertijd streeft naar verbeterde regionale connectiviteit via infrastructuurprojecten, zoals de East Coast Railway Line in Maleisië, om Zuidoost-Azië nauwer aan China te binden.

• Nasdaq en S&P 500 daalden op 4 mei 2026, nadat de VAE meldde Iraanse raketten te hebben onderschept te midden van escalerende regionale spanningen. • Deze beweging doetten de winsten van vorige week teniet, waarbij de NASDAQ een winstreeks van 10 dagen boekte, aangestuurd door mega-cap tech dankzij AI-optimisme en winstcijfers. • Olie en de Amerikaanse dollar stegen, terwijl goud en zilver daalden omdat beleggers de voorkeur gaven aan risicoactiva ondanks zorgen over het conflict.

• Infosys rapporteerde een stijging van de nettowinst in Q4 met 21% naar Rs 8.501 crore, hoewel de aandelen met 3,6% daalden door zwakke omzetverwachtingen. • De IT-sector staat onder druk door zwakte in BFSI en hogere kosten, wat ook concurrenten zoals Cyient beïnvloedt. • De resultaten benadrukken gemengde kwartaaluitkomsten in de techsector te midden van verschuivingen in de wereldwijde vraag.

Students taking part in university’s annual ritual say images of them in swimwear are being published without consent in national newspapersWhen the sun rises at dawn on Friday, hundreds of St Andrews University students will brave the chilly North Sea for the annual May Dip, an undergraduate ritual said to bring good luck in exams. But the students won’t be alone at the beach. In recent years this quirky ritual has become a target for agency and freelance photographers looking to cash in on images of students in bikinis, including some who camp out overnight on the East Sands dunes near the Fife coastal path.“It ruined my night,” said Anna, one of the students whose photo appeared in a spread published by the Scotsman. “Now when I think about that May Dip, I think about that image, and that’s it.” Continue reading...

Iran's foreign minister arrived in Russia on Monday, after a whirlwind weekend of diplomacy, seeking to gain political leverage and foreign backing as peace talks with the U.S. remain on hold.(Image credit: Dmitry Lovetsky)

• Turkey and Greece opened negotiations on Monday in Athens to address longstanding maritime boundary disputes and resource rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, marking the first high-level talks in eighteen months. • Both countries appointed senior diplomats to address competing claims over exclusive economic zones and the status of disputed islands, with the EU facilitating discussions. • U.S. State Department officials welcomed the resumption of dialogue, calling it essential for regional stability and noting that resolution could improve NATO cohesion in Southeast Europe.

• Russia's Mikhail Ulyanov stated in Vienna that US tactics of strength, blackmail, ultimatums, and deadlines fail against Iran and undermine talks. • Hours before Araghchi's Moscow meeting with Putin, Ulyanov criticized Washington's approach amid broader Eurasian conflicts involving Ukraine and Iran. • The remarks align with Iran's regional tour, including Pakistan and Russia, as Tehran coordinates with allies against US pressure.

• The S&P 500 index closed at 6,450.06, down 16.52 points or 0.26%, reflecting cautious trading in US equities over the past day. • Broader market showed divergence with Dow Jones ETF down 0.16% at 492.21, while S&P ETF rose 0.77% to 713.94 and Nasdaq QQQ gained 1.88% to 663.88. • Gold prices fell to 4,725.40 per ounce, down 15.50, amid shifting investor risk appetite ahead of economic data releases.

• Iran has announced the resumption of uranium enrichment to 80% purity at its Natanz facility, signaling a breakdown in ongoing ceasefire negotiations with the United States. • International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors confirmed the announcement on Friday; Iran's move violates terms of previous diplomatic agreements and heightens regional security concerns. • The escalation comes as negotiators report deadlocked talks over sanctions relief, with both sides blaming the other for refusing compromise on nuclear program restrictions.

• The United States has suspended a $150 million military aid package to the Philippines following tensions over Manila's softened stance on South China Sea disputes with China. • State Department officials cited the Philippines' decision to reduce joint naval operations in disputed waters as the reason for the suspension, marking a significant shift in regional alliance strategy. • The move reflects US frustration with shifting regional dynamics and concerns that strategic partners may be accommodating Beijing's territorial claims under economic pressure.

• The United States announced Friday a temporary suspension of certain oil-sector sanctions against Venezuela pending the outcome of renewed diplomatic negotiations scheduled to begin Monday in Mexico City, marking the first high-level talks in 18 months. • State Department officials stated the measure aimed to create "negotiating space" for discussions on political prisoners, election transparency, and humanitarian access, with hopes of establishing a pathway toward normalized relations. • Venezuela's government welcomed the development but demanded complete lifting of financial sanctions, which have contributed to severe shortages of food and medicine affecting 28 million citizens, according to UN estimates.

Family found creature under a bridge and are documenting its recovery in a fish tank on TikTokAn injured axolotl is on the road to recovery after being rescued from a river in Wales. “Dippy” was found under Dipping Bridge on the River Ogmore near Bridgend, south Wales, by a family who had stopped for a break while travelling on holiday last week.Evie Hill, 10, told the BBC she lifted up a discarded mat in the shallows of the river, and nestled in the rocks was a 9in (22cm) axolotl, an aquatic salamander native to Mexico. It was pale in colour, with speckles, and had injuries to its tail and stomach believed to have been caused by a predator. Continue reading...

Iran’s goal is to maintain chokehold on global economy even as some say it could run out of oil storage by SundayMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump’s indefinite shelving of the plan to bomb Iran’s bridges and power station on Tuesday night is being widely described as leaving the conflict in limbo, but that is anything but the truth.Pakistan insists the prospect of talks in Islamabad has not evaporated, and positive messages are still being exchanged, but in the meantime the site of kinetic activity has switched from land to sea. Both sides are vying to prove they can enforce their blockade of the strait of Hormuz more effectively than the other. It has become a form of gunboat diplomacy brought to life in the most significant geopolitical waterway in the world. Continue reading...

Fauci was joined by actor Jesse Eisenberg and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer in reading for DC Climate WeekWhen Anthony Fauci put on a pair of sunglasses, the hall erupted in cheers and applause. “Ah, how terrible it is to know when, in the end, knowing gains you nothing,” Fauci said. “I knew this once, but must have somehow forgotten, or else I never would have come.”At the age of 85, the scientist, doctor and public servant who rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic was making his debut as an actor. Fauci played Tiresias, the blind prophet (hence the sunglasses), in a dramatic reading of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King at Georgetown University in Washington on Tuesday night. Continue reading...

US president’s hubristic and contradictory social media statements are key stumbling block to ending the warDonald Trump’s blend of threats and hubristic commentary, often casually dismissive of Iran, has, as much as the continuation of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, been the key stumbling block to restarting peace talks between the two countries under Pakistan’s mediation in Islamabad.However much the Iranian foreign ministry insists it would not respond to every social media utterance issued by the US president on Iran, and sometimes there are as many as seven a day, Tehran cannot ignore them all, even if they contradict what the Iranians are being told in private about Trump’s true intentions. Continue reading...

• Venezuelan authorities arrested opposition coalition leader Juan Carlos López on Friday on unspecified treason charges, immediately drawing condemnation from the US State Department and international human rights organizations. • The arrest coincides with leaked documents suggesting López coordinated with US officials regarding potential sanctions strategies, which the Maduro government claims constitutes betrayal of national interests. • The US Ambassador to the UN called for López's immediate release and warned of additional sanctions against Venezuela if detention continues, escalating diplomatic friction in the region.

Sir Simon McDonald says Olly Robbins was ‘thrown under a bus’ by the prime minister and the decision feels ‘wrong’The Peter Mandelson security vetting scandal is the biggest crisis for the diplomatic service in decades, a former Foreign Office chief has said.Sir Simon McDonald, who was the permanent under-secretary of the government department until 2020, has spoken out in defence of Sir Oliver Robbins, saying the civil servant was “thrown under a bus” by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, when he was dismissed from his role on Thursday. Continue reading...

• The U.S. and Iran agreed on Tuesday to a two-week ceasefire, marking a potential diplomatic breakthrough after 47 days of conflict. • Under the agreement, both Iran and Oman will be permitted to participate in the pause in hostilities, with U.S. military personnel and weaponry remaining positioned in and around Iran until a peace deal is finalized. • The ceasefire emerges as negotiators push for a next round of talks, though tensions remain high with shipping disruptions continuing in the Strait of Hormuz.

John Feeley says US president was ‘flush with victory’ of Maduro capture and could make same mistake in CubaDonald Trump is “reaping the bitter fruit” of erroneously thinking that the capture of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, offered a blueprint for toppling the Iranian regime, according to one of the US state department’s most respected former Latin America experts.John Feeley, a Marine helicopter pilot who later served as the US ambassador to Panama, believed Trump had been “flush with the victory from Venezuela” when he made the ill-fated decision to attack Iran in February, leaving a trail of destruction across the Middle East and dealing a hammer blow to the global economy. Continue reading...

• The State Department ordered the expulsion of 15 Venezuelan embassy staff on April 8, 2026, accusing them of meddling in US elections via disinformation campaigns. • Evidence includes $2 million in funding traced to Caracas for bot networks amplifying anti-US narratives on social media. • This diplomatic rupture heightens bilateral tensions, affecting oil imports from Venezuela that supply 10% of US refinery needs.

Pakistani officials defy the skeptics to lead a breakthrough in negotiations and help avert catastrophe in Iran Middle East crisis – live updatesPakistan’s leaders had almost lost hope. After more than two weeks of frantic negotiations, phonecalls and diplomatic summits to try to end the US-Israeli war with Iran, it looked like the conflict might instead be escalating into Islamabad’s worst nightmare.In a cabinet meeting held around 5pm on Tuesday, Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif was morose. “We should brace ourselves for the impact of the war,” he told his cabinet ministers. “The situation has really become very bleak. The chance of peace has become dim.” Continue reading...

• The U.S. State Department announced the release of American journalist Shelly Kittleson, marking a key diplomatic achievement. • The press statement highlights ongoing efforts to secure the freedom of detained U.S. citizens abroad amid heightened global tensions. • This development follows recent foreign policy shifts, potentially signaling improved negotiations with adversarial governments.

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with EU foreign ministers in Brussels on April 4, 2026, to discuss a potential ceasefire framework for the Russia-Ukraine war amid escalating frontline clashes. • The proposal includes Russian troop withdrawal from Donbas regions captured since 2022 and $50 billion in reconstruction aid funded by frozen Russian assets, as outlined in leaked diplomatic cables. • Diplomats emphasized the plan's role in preventing NATO direct involvement, with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas stating, 'This is our best chance to freeze the conflict without capitulation.'