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Hizbollah attacks Israel after wave of strikes on Lebanon
Hizbollah has launched strikes on Israel, according to a statement published by the group’s media arm. The Iran-backed militia said the attacks early on Thursday were a response to what it called Israel’s violation of the two-week ceasefire agreement in the Iran war. The US and Israel have said Lebanon is not part of the truce, a point Tehran disputes. Shortly after the ceasefire was announced, Israel on Wednesday launched its largest wave of strikes on Lebanon since it resumed fighting with the militant group last month. Israel said it hit more than 100 sites linked to Hizbollah. Financial Times, April 9

Middle East ceasefire threatens to unravel as Israel assaults Lebanon and Iran blocks oil tankers
The fate of the two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict looked in peril on Wednesday as both sides gave divergent versions of what had been agreed, Israel intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran halted the passage of oil tankers because of an alleged Israeli ceasefire breach. Iran and Pakistan, which brokered the 11th-hour truce, both asserted that the ceasefire included Lebanon. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, disagreed and Israeli forces unleashed their heaviest attack of the war so far on more than 100 targets, killing at least 254 people. Donald Trump, after initially remaining silent, said Lebanon was “a separate skirmish” and not part of the deal. The scale of Israel’s attacks on Wednesday was condemned as “horrific” by UN rights chief Volker Turk. The Guardian, April 8

Trump criticises Nato as alliance chief describes meeting as 'very frank'
Donald Trump has again attacked Nato for not supporting the US in the Iran war, following a private meeting with its Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House. In a post shared on Truth Social after the meeting, the US President said: "NATO WASN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON'T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN." Meanwhile, Rutte has described his meeting to CNN with Trump as "very frank" and "very open", despite clear disagreements. Ahead of the talks on Wednesday, Trump had toyed with the idea of quitting the trans-Atlantic military alliance after several Nato countries resisted his calls to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ease rising global oil prices. The White House did not disclose details of the talk. BBC news, April 9

EU will still be hit by ‘stagflationary shock’, Brussels warns
The EU will still be hit by a “stagflationary shock” of low growth and rising inflation despite the US and Iran agreeing a two-week ceasefire, the bloc’s top economic official has warned. EU economy commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the European Commission is preparing to cut its growth forecast for this year as the fallout from the Middle East conflict remains highly uncertain. “It’s certainly a welcome step towards de-escalation and is also expected to bring relief as regards the energy crisis,” Dombrovskis said of the ceasefire in an interview with the FT. But he warned that “on the economic impact of war in Iran, of course, it’s still subject to high uncertainty” and it is “clear that we are facing a stagflationary shock”. The Commission will update its official GDP forecast in May. Before the conflict began, it had forecast EU growth to remain at 1.4 per cent this year and 1.5 per cent in 2027, with inflation slightly above 2 per cent this year and next. Financial Times, April 9

Argentine MPs approve Milei-backed bill to allow mining in glaciers
Argentine MPs approved a bill early on Thursday promoted by President Javier Milei that authorises mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost, and has outraged environmentalists. The amendment to the so-called Glacier Law, which was already approved by the Senate in February, would make it easier to mine for metals such as copper, lithium and silver in frozen parts of the Andes mountains. The Chamber of Deputies, Argentina's lower house of Congress, approved the amendment with 137 votes in favour, 111 against and three abstenations after nearly 12 hours of debate. The law takes effect once it is published in ‌the official gazette. Environmentalists say the reforms will weaken protections for crucial water sources. Thousands of people took part in a demonstration on Wednesday afternoon outside parliament, marked by isolated skirmishes with police. France 24, April 9

France rejects British offer to intercept and return small boats
The French government has rejected a proposal from Shabana Mahmood to deploy British Border Force vessels to intercept small boats and return them to France. The home secretary put forward the option as part of negotiations to renew the multimillion-pound migrant patrol deal during an impasse in talks as the two sides cannot agree new terms. More than a hundred migrants are believed to have crossed the Channel on Wednesday, which would take the total arrivals this year to more than 5,000, as smugglers took advantage of warmer weather and calmer maritime conditions. There are fears of a surge in crossings this summer if France and the UK fail to agree new terms on funding French beach patrols. During the talks British negotiators proposed to deploy assets from its fleet of six 42-metre Border Force cutters and five commercial transfer vessels from its Border Security Command, in addition to rigid inflatable boats in French waters. The Times, April 8

US and Iran agree 2-week ceasefire that will open Strait of Hormuz
The US and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire that would open the Strait of Hormuz, in the first diplomatic breakthrough to end a conflict that has triggered a global energy crisis. The ceasefire was announced late on Tuesday shortly before the latest deadline Donald Trump had set Tehran to reopen the strait, a vital waterway for oil and gas supplies, or face strikes that the US president had warned would destroy “a whole civilization”. In a Truth Social post announcing the agreement, Trump said that a 10-point plan from Iran was a “workable basis” for negotiations. Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that Tehran would allow two weeks of “safe passage” through the waterway while negotiations on a permanent deal began. The agreement sparked a relief rally in global markets on Wednesday, with European stocks up almost 4 per cent. Oil prices fell sharply, with Brent crude down 13 per cent at under $95 a barrel. Financial Times, April 8

‘Iran to charge fees for strait passage’
The two-week ceasefire plan allows both Iran and Oman to charge fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a regional official involved in negotiations said. The strait is in the territorial waters of both countries. Before the war the passage was considered an international waterway and there were no tolls. An official told the Associated Press that Iran would use the money for reconstruction after American and Israeli strikes inflicted widespread damage. Tehran charging money for access to the strait will likely be a controversial condition during negotiations for a permanent end to the war. The Times, April 8

Israeli army renews strikes on southern Lebanon after US-Iran truce agreement
The Israeli military renewed its strikes on southern Lebanon on Wednesday, state media reported, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the US-Iran ceasefire agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz did not include Lebanon. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for Lebanon’s inclusion in the truce deal. France 24, April 8

Keir Starmer heads to Gulf after US and Iran agree two-week ceasefire
Keir Starmer is travelling to the Gulf to meet leaders in the region to discuss diplomatic efforts to support the ceasefire agreed between the US and Iran. The UK prime minister’s visit on Wednesday comes hours after a two-week ceasefire was agreed on Tuesday evening, cancelling a self-imposed deadline by the US president, Donald Trump, for Iran to surrender or face widespread destruction. Starmer said on Wednesday: “I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world. Together with our partners we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and reopen the strait of Hormuz.” Downing Street said the prime minister would discuss diplomatic efforts to support and uphold the ceasefire to bring a “lasting resolution” to the conflict, and protect the UK and global economy, which has squeezed consumers and countries around the world. The Guardian, April 8

JD Vance backs Orbán's re-election bid in Budapest visit and hits out at EU
Five days before Hungarians vote in elections that could bring down Viktor Orbán after 16 years in office, US Vice-President JD Vance has intervened in the campaign to give the Hungarian prime minister a ringing endorsement, while delivering another blistering attack on the EU. Standing beside Orbán, Vance said he was in Budapest "to help him in this campaign cycle" although he conceded the US would "work with whoever wins this election". Orbán's main rival Péter Magyar is well ahead in most opinion polls. The veteran prime minister is a key European ally of the Trump administration, as well as being Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest partner in the EU. After winning four elections in a row since 2010, Orbán faces the toughest challenge in a political career going back almost 40 years … Following talks with Orbán, Vance launched a bitter attack on the European Union and Ukraine. He accused the EU of "one of the worst examples of foreign election interference that I have ever seen or ever even read about … because they hate this guy". Vance added that "part of the reason" for his visit was because "interference that's come from the bureaucracy in Brussels has been truly disgraceful". BBC news, April 7

Russian military hackers reroute British internet users’ traffic
An elite unit of Russian military cyber hackers has been observed breaking into routers that are commonly used in the UK, allowing them to covertly reroute users’ internet traffic through malicious servers under their control, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has warned. The NCSC said on Tuesday that Russian state cyber group APT28, a unit of Russian military intelligence, has exploited vulnerable internet routers to enable domain name system hijacking operations, giving the attackers the ability to intercept traffic and steal passwords, and access tokens from personal web and email services. The security group named two providers of networking devices, TP-Link and MikroTik, as being vulnerable to this method. Paul Chichester, NCSC director of operations, said the findings “demonstrate how exploited vulnerabilities in widely used network devices” can be used by sophisticated cyber hackers, and urged companies and individuals to make sure they protect themselves. Financial Times, April 7