“Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has celebrated what he called ‘a spectacular mandate’ given to his ruling Hindu nationalist BJP. West Bengal had been an opposition stronghold, but the BJP is now poised to govern the state for the first time. Partial results released by the Election Commission of India showed the BJP ahead in at least 190 seats in the 294-member state legislature. … Actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party, is set to win Tamil Nadu’s 2026 Assembly elections, signaling a significant political shift in the state With the majority of votes counted, the TVK is well ahead of the incumbent DMK and the BJP-supported AIDMK — both alliances made up of established parties.” (05/04/26)
“Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced a two-day ceasefire in the war with Ukraine to observe the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The ceasefire would run Friday and Saturday, according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy countered with his own proposed pause in fighting starting earlier, on the night of May 5‑6. … Russia celebrates victory in World War Two on May 9, a major national holiday marking the day the Soviet Union signed Germany’s surrender in 1945. It traditionally holds a military parade, but says this year’s commemoration will feature none of the military hardware frequently put on display at past commemorations because of the threat of increased Ukrainian ‘terrorist’ activity. … Authorities cut off mobile internet services to many customers in Moscow on Tuesday ahead of the parade.” (05/04/26)
“Bitcoin’s break above $80,000 caught the crypto derivatives market badly positioned for the third time in recent weeks, triggering $370 million in total liquidations across 97,235 traders in 24 hours with short sellers absorbing the majority of the damage — a pattern that is beginning to look less like a series of isolated events and more like a structural feature of the current market. Bitcoin briefly tagged $80,594 in early Asian trading Monday — its highest print since January 31 — before pulling back to trade around $79,851 at time of writing. Of the $370 million in total liquidations, $301.93 million came from short positions, according to CoinGlass data, with shorts liquidated at roughly four times the rate of longs. Bitcoin alone accounted for $179 million of the wipeout, with Ether traders contributing $95 million.” (05/04/26)
“The cruise ship at the center of a deadly outbreak of hantavirus has been refused permission to dock, with 149 people still on board — two of them seriously ill. The virus is suspected to have killed three people and sickened three more, with one patient hospitalized in critical condition. … The remaining passengers, who are from 23 different countries, including 17 Americans, are required to follow strict precautionary measures, including isolation and medical monitoring, the cruise operator said. The west African nation of Cape Verde said it had decided not to let the cruise ship, the Hondius, dock at the port of Praia as a precautionary measure, Reuters reported. The cruise operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said in a statement Monday that the ship may sail from Cape Verde to Las Palmas or Tenerife in the Canary Islands and dock there.” (05/04/26)
“An Iraqi court on Monday sentenced four people to six years in prison on charges of promoting the ideas of the banned Baath Party led by former leader Saddam Hussein. The Karkh Criminal Court said in a statement that those convicted were found in possession of the banned materials on their cellphones in Kirkuk province during 2025 and 2026. After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq toppled Saddam’s autocratic rule, the country implemented a broad de-Baathification policy aimed at removing the influence of the Baath Party from state institutions.” (05/04/26)
“Iran[‘s regime has killed] three men charged in connection with political protests this January, authorities have said, the latest in a wave of hangings against the backdrop of the war against the US and Israel. Iranian authorities have carried out [killings] on a near-daily basis in recent weeks in what activists have denounced as a bid to instil fear in society at a time of international and domestic tension. Mehdi Rassouli, Mohammad Reza Miri and Ebrahim Dolatabadi, all considered political prisoners by human rights organisations, were [killed] after being convicted over unrest in the eastern city of Mashhad in January, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency announced on Monday.” (05/04/26)
“GameStop has offered to buy ecommerce giant eBay for $55.5 billion, a tie-up that the video game retailer’s boss believes could produce a ‘legit competitor’ to Amazon. The offer comes amid something of a revival at eBay, which has pushed to reinvent itself in the face of rising competition from the likes of Walmart, Amazon, Shein and Facebook Marketplace. GameStop — which became a household name during the meme stock craze of 2021 — has offered $125 per share for eBay, half in cash and half in stock, the company announced Sunday. That represents a 46% premium to eBay’s closing share price on February 4, the day GameStop started building a 5% stake in the company.” (05/04/26)
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio is slated to travel to Italy to meet with Pope Leo XIV this week, according to a senior Vatican official, marking the first high-ranking encounter between the pontiff and a top administration official since President Donald Trump issued withering criticism of the Chicago-born pope last month. The visit comes amid a deterioration in relations between the United States and the Vatican, as well as Italy, with observers viewing the trip as an attempt to patch up troubled ties. Rubio, a prominent Catholic in the administration, is expected to meet with Leo on Thursday, according to the Vatican official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting that has not yet been made public.” (05/04/26)
“Authorities in Austria have expelled three members of the Russian embassy staff for suspected spying, Austria’s foreign minister said Monday. Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said the diplomats were suspected of using a ‘forest of antennae’ on the roof of the Russian embassy in Vienna to collect illicit data, The Guardian reported. The equipment was allegedly used to collect the data from organizations using satellite internet. … The three suspected spies have left the country, which has now expelled 14 Russian diplomats since 2020, The Guardian reported. Russian officials called this most recent decision ‘outrageous’ and ‘unjustified’ and promised retaliation.” (05/04/26)
“Amazon.com is opening the supply-chain network that has powered its operations for decades to other businesses, pitting it directly against logistics heavyweights such as UPS and FedEx. ‘Amazon Supply Chain Services’ will allow companies across industries such as retail, healthcare and manufacturing to use the tech giant’s freight network spanning ocean, road, rail and air to move, store and deliver everything from raw materials to final products. … With a fleet of more than 100 cargo planes — behind only FedEx and UPS — along with a vast network of warehouses and sorting hubs, Amazon’s move could make it a key logistics player and intensify competition on pricing and speed.” (05/04/26)
