WORLD BRIEFING: April 11, 2024
Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh has confirmed that three of his sons and four of his grandchildren were killed in an air strike in Gaza. Hamas-linked media said the car his sons were travelling in was hit in Al-Shati camp near Gaza City. Haniyeh said that the incident would not change Hamas's demands in talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire deal. Israel's military said the sons were members of Hamas's military wing. The group was reportedly on its way to a family celebration to mark the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid. - BBC
Israel has not made any preparations to prepare for humanitarian aid deliveries for Gaza to be received at Ashdod port, according to an Israeli media report. US President Joe Biden claimed that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to allow aid to arrive at Ashdod after a tense phone call last week. But the Israeli military, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) and the Ashdod Port authorities have not received any instructions to prepare the port, according to the Hebrew language Channel 12’s political correspondent Yaron Avraham
Two sources close to Donald Trump said there was no indication that the former president had shifted his stance on funding Ukraine after meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Florida, CNN reported. Cameron was extremely tight lipped about his discussions with Trump when pressed by reporters at a Washington press conference. At least one major British daily called the trip a failure
US European Command Commander General Christopher Cavoli has warned that Russian forces currently have a 5:1 artillery advantage along the frontline but that it could become 10:1 "in a matter of weeks" if the US continues to delay the provision of military aid to Ukraine. The Institute for the Study of War continues to assess that delays in Western military assistance have forced the Ukrainian military to husband materiel and that Ukrainian forces must make difficult decisions prioritizing certain aspects of its defense at the cost of lives and lost territory as well as at the expense of contesting the initiative to constrain Russian military capabilities or planning for future counteroffensive operations.
Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa continued to be subjected to Russian drone and rocket attacks into early Thursday morning. Air raid sirens were triggered several times in the past 24 hours. Just around midnight, large areas of the city center lost power without warning. Other areas of Ukraine were also targeted, especially Kharkiv in the east and regions around Lviv in western Ukraine.
Russian businessman Mikhail Fridman won a legal challenge over the European Union’s decision to sanction him—the highest profile defeat so far for the bloc’s sanctions regime against Russia in response to its war in Ukraine. The EU’s General Court ruled Wednesday that the EU had provided insufficient evidence to show that Friedman and his business partner provided material support to the Kremlin - WSJ
South Korea's liberal opposition party has won a landslide majority in the country's general election to retain control of parliament. The Democratic Party (DPK) and smaller opposition parties jointly won 192 of 300 seats in the National Assembly. The vote is widely seen as a midterm referendum on President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has three years left in office. His party leader Han Dong-hoon has resigned and Prime Minister Han Duk-soo has offered to resign. This is a crushing defeat for Mr Yoon and his People Power Party (PPP), which has been struggling to achieve its agenda in a legislature dominated by the DPK. The DPK's win means they will be able to fast-track and push legislation through parliament - BBC
