Israel intercepts Gaza-bound flotilla off Crete: 175 activists detained

Today's headlines: Oil prices hit 2022 highs amid rumours of possible US military action in the Strait of Hormuz; Further sentence reduction for Aung San Suu Kyi (but prison term remains 18 years with no proof of her survival); China bans the sale and entry of drones into Beijing for ‘security reasons’; Ambani’s son wants to bring Pablo Escobar’s hippos from Colombia to India.

GAZA-ISRAEL

The Israeli navy has intercepted off the coast of the Greek island of Crete 175 activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, the naval convoy of activists from around the world heading towards the Gaza Strip to challenge the naval blockade imposed by Israel with humanitarian aid. In total, 21 of the 58 vessels were intercepted during the night; the remaining vessels were ordered to change course, otherwise they too would be intercepted. As was the case with a similar initiative last year, the activists will be taken to an Israeli prison, before being deported.

IRAN-UNITED STATES

Oil prices have risen to their highest levels since 2022 following reports of possible new US military action against Iran. US Central Command is reported to have drawn up plans for rapid strikes to break the deadlock in negotiations with Tehran, a claim not confirmed by the White House. Brent crude rose by almost 7%, exceeding 6 a barrel, the highest level since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

MYANMAR

Following renewed pressure from ASEAN, Myanmar’s former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has secured a further one-sixth reduction in her sentence under an amnesty, the second in two weeks. Her sentence has now been reduced from 33 years to just over 18 years. Arrested following the 2021 coup led by Min Aung Hlaing, Aung San Suu Kyi – now 80 years old – remains detained in a secret location with no direct contact with family or lawyers. This is why proof of her being alive had been requested in recent days, but this has not been provided.

CHINA

From 1 May, new rules come into force in Beijing that ban the sale, hire and entry of drones and essential components into the capital. Owners will have to register the devices with the police and obtain permits to use them. These measures are part of a gradual tightening of regulations, justified on security grounds. Despite the restrictions, drones remain central to the so-called low-altitude economy, a strategic sector that could exceed 2 trillion yuan (€250 billion, ed.) in turnover by 2035. In other Chinese cities, they are already widely used for deliveries, agriculture and building maintenance.

INDIA

Anant Ambani – the son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man – has offered to help Colombia resolve a problem it has faced for years: a herd of hippos linked to drug lord Pablo Escobar. Following his death in 1993, the illegally imported animals have bred rapidly. Attempts to control the population, including castration, have failed, and the country has decided to cull around 80 of them. Ambani has proposed transferring them to his private Vantara Zoo in India, offering them lifelong care. The hippos, originally from Escobar’s Hacienda Nápoles estate, have spread along the Magdalena River.

RUSSIA

The Faculty of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ has been opened at Moscow State University (MSU), headed by Vladimir Putin’s youngest daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, who has long been interested in the subject, and will be funded by one of Russia’s most prominent oligarchs, Oleg Deripaska. It is expected to attract 36 undergraduate students, comprising both state-funded and fee-paying places, and the same number for the master’s programme, with Professor Ivan Oseledets, a leading expert in the field, serving as dean.

KYRGYZSTAN

The Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign Affairs has protested against the inclusion of Kyrgyz companies in the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, intended to prevent the circumvention of other sanctions, a measure that “undermines the atmosphere of mutual trust”, whilst Bishkek maintains the need for an “open, responsible and constructive” dialogue to uphold mutual interests, and calls for Kyrgyz positions to be taken into account in such situations.

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