“China said Sunday it would resume some ties it had suspended with Taiwan such as direct flights to cities across China and imports of Taiwanese aquaculture products as the island’s opposition party leader concludes her visit. The Taiwan Work Office under China’s Communist Party issued a statement saying it would explore setting up a longstanding communication mechanism between the Communist Party and Taiwan’s Kuomingtang Party, and facilitate the import of Taiwan’s aquaculture products, after it banned them in recent years. Cheng Li-wun, the head of the Kuomingtang, and China’s President Xi Jinping held a high-profile meeting Friday during which both called for peace without offering specifics. Taiwan is self-ruled but China claims the island as part of its territory. Relations between China and Taiwan have been tense since 2016 when the Taiwanese public elected Tsai Ing-wen from the Democratic Progressive Party as president.” (04/11/26)
“A Pennsylvania-linked manufacturer has been stripped of control over its Russian operations under a Kremlin order, raising fresh risks for Western companies as Moscow courts renewed economic ties with the United States. CANPACK, a global aluminum beverage can manufacturer owned by a Pennsylvania-based holding company, operates in multiple countries across Europe and North America and said its Russian business — valued at roughly $700 million — was placed under state ‘external administration’ by a Dec. 31, 2025, decree signed by President Vladimir Putin, effectively transferring control of 100% of its shares to state-appointed managers. CEO Peter Giorgi said the company lost all operational authority after administrators arrived in mid-January.” (04/11/26)
“Police have arrested hundreds of people during a mass vigil in central London to oppose the ban on campaign group Palestine Action. More than 1,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square for the demonstration on Saturday, with many holding signs saying, ‘I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.’ Police carried many people away from the demonstration. At one point, an elderly woman with walking sticks was escorted away by police. The Metropolitan Police said they arrested 212 people for allegedly showing support for a proscribed orgnanisation.” (04/11/26)
“A new poll offers insight into a traditionally Republican part of California. In Orange County, a coastal pocket of the state known for conservative views, independents make up the largest percentage of voters, according to a recent poll from UC Irvine. Not only that, but among those independents, 66% think the country is on the wrong track. The poll, released Wednesday by UC Irvine, was conducted as part of an annual survey of Orange County adults to keep track of social, economic and political issues. Even with its right-leaning reputation, the area is still deeply purple, the poll found. Orange County is home to a fair share of Democrats, with 34% of respondents identifying with that party. Republicans made up 30%, and independents made up 36%. This, the pollsters concluded in a report accompanying the results, is why the county remains a very competitive district.” (04/12/26)
“The Honduran family of an 8-year-old girl with a heart condition who died in U.S. custody after crossing the border in 2023 sued the federal government on Friday. Anadith Danay Reyes Alvarez, who had chronic heart problems and sickle cell anemia, got sick with flu-like symptoms and died after being [abducted and] detained for eight days in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility in Donna, then later Harlingen, Texas. An internal CPB investigation found failures in providing proper medical care and that medical personnel did not review documents the mother offered which described the girl’s sensitive condition. In custody, Anadith had a high fever of 104.9 F as well as nausea, breathing difficulties and pain.” (04/10/26)
“The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party is riding high in the opinion polls in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt and could win an outright majority in regional elections there in September. It would be the first time a far-right party has held power in a German state since World War Two. This weekend the AfD officially adopted what has been described as a ‘radical’ and pro-ethnic German government programme for Saxony-Anhalt at a party conference in the central city of Magdeburg. The AfD’s leading candidate in the state, Ulrich Siegmund, a TikTok star who was given a standing ovation by the delegates, said it was an historic moment, not just for Saxony-Anhalt.” (04/12/26)
“Iraq’s parliament voted Saturday to elect Nizar Amidi, a political official with one of the country’s two main Kurdish parties, as president, five months after a parliamentary election that didn’t produce a bloc with a decisive majority. His election comes as Iraq is reeling from the fallout of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Iraq became caught in the middle of the conflict, with Iran-backed militias launching attacks on U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities as well as on critical energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Israel carried out airstrikes targeting the militias, some of which killed members of the Iraqi military.” (04/11/26)
“A 20-year-old man was arrested early Friday after allegedly throwing an incendiary device at a North Beach home belonging to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Open AI spokesperson Jamie Radice confirmed to SFGATE that Friday morning, Sam Altman’s North Beach home had been attacked with a ‘Molotov cocktail’ and threats had been made against the company’s San Francisco headquarters. … San Francisco police responded at 4:12 a.m. on April 10 to a North Beach residence for a reported fire investigation, SFPD spokesperson Allison Maxie told SFGATE in a statement. ‘At the scene, officers learned that an unknown male subject threw an incendiary destructive device at a home, causing a fire to an exterior gate,’ Maxie said. ‘The suspect then fled on foot.'” (04/11/26)
“A U.S. appeals court on Friday declared unconstitutional a nearly 158-year-old federal ban on home distilling, calling it an unnecessary and improper means for Congress to exercise its power to tax. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled in favor of the nonprofit Hobby Distillers Association and four of its 1,300 members. They argued that people should be free to distill spirits at home, whether as a hobby or for personal consumption including, in one instance, to create an apple-pie-vodka recipe. The ban was part of a law passed during Reconstruction in July 1868, in part to thwart liquor tax evasion, and subjected violators to up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.” (04/10/26)
“Negotiators from Iran and the United States prepared Friday for high-level talks planned to start a day later in Islamabad, seeking to steady a ceasefire teetering over Israel and Hezbollah exchanging fire and Tehran’s chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Vice President JD Vance was set to take off from Washington, with Iran still remaining mum over its team as it tried to pressure Washington to halt Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The semiofficial Tasnim news agency, close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, claimed that talks would ‘remain suspended”’ otherwise. Meanwhile, Kuwait said it faced a drone attack Thursday night that it blamed on Iran and its militia allies in the region.” (04/10/26)
