Tesla’s European sales plunge amid backlash over Musk’s politics.
Source: Reuters
🇫🇷 France:
Q1 drop: -41.1%
🇸🇪 Sweden:
Q1: -55.3%
🇳🇴 Norway:
Q1: -12.5%
🇩🇰 Denmark:
Q1: -55.3%
🇳🇱 Netherlands:
Q1: -49.7%
Plus side:
🇪🇸 Spain: +34.3% in March
🇵🇹 Portugal: +2.1%
🇮🇹 Italy: +51.3% in March — but still -6.8% for Q1
Source: Reuters
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NEW: U.S. senators threaten 500% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil, gas, and uranium if Moscow rejects peace talks.
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China’s top diplomat called on the US to remove tariffs it imposed on Chinese goods for Beijing’s alleged role in America’s fentanyl crisis before holding any talks on the matter, deepening a stalemate weighing on trade ties between the world’s two largest economies.
Source: Bloomberg
“If the US side really wants to solve the fentanyl problem, then it should cancel the unjustified tariff increase and engage in equal consultation with the Chinese side,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
Source: Bloomberg
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Clash Report
UPDATE: Myanmar Earthquake Rebel forces declared a 2-week ceasefire in quake-hit zones to allow aid access. Rebels will maintain defensive actions only during the pause. Death toll reaches ~1,700, with 3,400 injured and 300 missing.
NEW: Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has rejected ceasefire proposals from rebel groups seeking to facilitate aid to areas impacted by the deadly earthquake.
Source: Bloomberg
Source: Bloomberg
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Clash Report
Chinese concept sketches illustrate how the new invasion barge system could be used to land heavy equipment on a beach, supported by landing ships and army aviation.
China has unveiled three large barges designed to create a mobile pier or bridge from offshore to shore. These barges can link together to form a 2,700-foot causeway, allowing vehicles and troops to move from ships to land without needing a traditional port or beach.
Source: NYT
Features and Strategic Implications:
• Built near Guangzhou, the barges have retractable stilts that anchor into the seabed for stability.
• Each barge extends bridges to link to others and to the shore.
• Satellite imagery shows practice drills involving civilian ferries and cargo ships unloading alongside them.
• These barges could help China overcome one of its biggest logistical challenges in any invasion of Taiwan: the lack of enough naval vessels and suitable landing points.
• The western Taiwanese coastline is rugged and well-defended; these barges offer flexibility to land elsewhere, including less fortified areas.
• Though China may still lack sufficient gray-hulled warships, these dual-use vessels (commercial + military) add a new dimension to its amphibious strategy.
Source: NYT
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Australia is boosting its defence budget and rethinking its defence plans as strategic competition between the US and China heats up in the Indo-Pacific region.
The government announced plans to invest A$50 billion (US$32 billion) in defence over ten years. Defence spending is set to reach 2.4% of GDP by 2033-34. Defense spending is projected to grow from A$55 billion in 2024-25 to A$100 billion in 2033-34.
Source: WSJ
The government announced plans to invest A$50 billion (US$32 billion) in defence over ten years. Defence spending is set to reach 2.4% of GDP by 2033-34. Defense spending is projected to grow from A$55 billion in 2024-25 to A$100 billion in 2033-34.
Source: WSJ
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White House studying cost of Greenland takeover, long in Trump’s sights
The White House is preparing an estimate of what it would cost the federal government to control Greenland as a territory, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.
Officials have recently calculated the financial implications of Greenland becoming a U.S. territory, including the cost of government services for its 58,000 residents.
Two sources say that White House budget office staff have sought to understand the cost of maintaining Greenland. They are also trying to estimate revenue from Greenland's natural resources.
One option is to offer Greenland a better deal than Denmark, which currently subsidises services on the island to the tune of about $600 million per year.
"This is a lot more than that," said one official familiar with the plans, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that are still in the works. "The point is, 'We'll pay you more than Denmark.'"
Source: WP
The White House is preparing an estimate of what it would cost the federal government to control Greenland as a territory, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.
Officials have recently calculated the financial implications of Greenland becoming a U.S. territory, including the cost of government services for its 58,000 residents.
Two sources say that White House budget office staff have sought to understand the cost of maintaining Greenland. They are also trying to estimate revenue from Greenland's natural resources.
One option is to offer Greenland a better deal than Denmark, which currently subsidises services on the island to the tune of about $600 million per year.
"This is a lot more than that," said one official familiar with the plans, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that are still in the works. "The point is, 'We'll pay you more than Denmark.'"
Source: WP
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U.S. call for Europeans to spend 5% of GDP on militaries prompts talk of including more fields linked to modern warfare
At a meeting of NATO’s governing council last Wednesday, the U.S. prodded other members to agree to 5% of GDP as their new goal, according to people briefed on the conversation. Diplomats say there is already a consensus building among allies to move toward a 3.5% spending target.
Separately, European allies are also discussing broadening what should count under NATO’s definition of military spending, which could come on top of the 3.5%.
Source: WSJ
At a meeting of NATO’s governing council last Wednesday, the U.S. prodded other members to agree to 5% of GDP as their new goal, according to people briefed on the conversation. Diplomats say there is already a consensus building among allies to move toward a 3.5% spending target.
Separately, European allies are also discussing broadening what should count under NATO’s definition of military spending, which could come on top of the 3.5%.
Source: WSJ
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NEW: China's embassy in Australia rejected reports linking the transit of a Chinese research vessel south of Australia with the country's upcoming federal elections, saying the vessel's passage had "nothing to do with China-Australia relations".
What happened?
What happened?
The Tan Suo Yi Hao, a high-tech Chinese research vessel, recently passed off the Victorian coastline after completing a joint survey with New Zealand.
Australia's opposition leader said he believed the ship was gathering intelligence and mapping the route of Australia's submarine cables.
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Joel Rayburn, who will serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs at the US State Department:
• We reject foreign intervention in Syria
• The US has its priorities and it is the Syrian people who will judge the new government
• All sanctions were imposed on the previous regime and need to be reviewed and are being reviewed
• We have seen that the new government is a government of technocrats
Source: Syria TV
• We reject foreign intervention in Syria
• The US has its priorities and it is the Syrian people who will judge the new government
• All sanctions were imposed on the previous regime and need to be reviewed and are being reviewed
• We have seen that the new government is a government of technocrats
Source: Syria TV
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Interesting: Amid rising tensions with Iran and continued strikes on the Houthis, the U.S. has moved 2 Patriot batteries and 1 THAAD battery from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East.
WSJ adds more Patriots, F-35 jets, and MQ-9 drones have also been deployed to the region.
WSJ adds more Patriots, F-35 jets, and MQ-9 drones have also been deployed to the region.
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Clash Report
BIG: Qatar Hosts Indirect Talks between M23 and DRC Following efforts to mediate between Presidents Félix Tshisekedi of the Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Qatar is hosting an indirect negotiation process between the M23 rebel group and the Congolese government.…
Congo and M23 rebels plan to hold first direct talks on April 9
The Congo government and M23 rebels aim to hold direct talks on April 9, sources from both camps said.
The meeting in Doha would be the two sides' first direct negotiations since M23 fighters captured eastern Congo's two largest cities.
One Congolese official said that talks were scheduled for April 9 "unless the other side misbehaves".
A source inside M23 confirmed the date and said it would present Kinshasa with its demands. Both sides have agreed not to publicly discuss the substance of the talks, the sources said.
Source: Reuters
The Congo government and M23 rebels aim to hold direct talks on April 9, sources from both camps said.
The meeting in Doha would be the two sides' first direct negotiations since M23 fighters captured eastern Congo's two largest cities.
One Congolese official said that talks were scheduled for April 9 "unless the other side misbehaves".
A source inside M23 confirmed the date and said it would present Kinshasa with its demands. Both sides have agreed not to publicly discuss the substance of the talks, the sources said.
Source: Reuters
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Liberal Judge Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court in Blow to Trump, Musk
Liberal judge Susan Crawford has won a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, defeating conservative Brad Schimel in the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history — over $100 million was spent.
Her victory maintains a 4–3 liberal majority on the court, which is expected to shape future rulings on abortion, redistricting, and labor rights.
The race drew national attention — and money — with billionaires Elon Musk and George Soros backing opposing sides.
Crawford:
Liberal judge Susan Crawford has won a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, defeating conservative Brad Schimel in the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history — over $100 million was spent.
Her victory maintains a 4–3 liberal majority on the court, which is expected to shape future rulings on abortion, redistricting, and labor rights.
The race drew national attention — and money — with billionaires Elon Musk and George Soros backing opposing sides.
Crawford:
I never could have imagined that I’d be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin, and we won!
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