US-India joint military exercise, Iran successfully tests "domestic" UAV, why Australia buys old Norwegian ship

Asia

XINHUA. Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Inc (USA) announced that it will build a new factory specializing in the production of Megapack batteries in Shanghai, China.

KYODO. Japan's trade ministry is considering ordering four major power companies to improve their business practices after they were found to have formed business alliances that violated anti-monopoly laws.

ANI. Today, April 10, Indian and US special forces began conducting a joint exercise called “Ex CopeIndia” in West Bengal state, focusing on supporting fighter jets.

AFP. First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Emine Dzhaparova visited India , participating in the first direct discussions between the two countries since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine.

REUTERS. A Saudi delegation has arrived in Yemen's capital Sanaa to discuss a new ceasefire deal with Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The UAV called "Meraj-532" is capable of flying 450km, operating at a maximum altitude of 3,650m for 3 consecutive hours.

TASNIM. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has successfully tested a domestically produced unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), equipped with a 50kg warhead.

ISNA. An Iranian technical delegation will visit Saudi Arabia this week to prepare for the reopening of the Iranian embassy in Riyadh.

KUNA. Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah formed a new cabinet , in which Mr. Manaf Abdulaziz Al-Hajri became Minister of Finance, Mr. Bader Al Mulla continued to hold the position of Minister of Oil.

Europe

A Belgian customs officer using a "Raman" scanner reveals what appears to be a chocolate bunny is actually a container containing pure MDMA. (Source: Getty Images)

BRUSSELS TIMES. Customs at Zaventem airport in Brussels, Belgium, seized three fake chocolate rabbits made from MDMA, a synthetic drug that can be processed into ecstasy.

AFP. Poland will temporarily stop importing grain from Ukraine to minimize the impact on prices, Agriculture Minister Robert Telus announced.

BILD AM SONNTAG. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may visit Germany next May, for the first time since Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine.

UKINFORM. Ukraine will receive 200 Rosomak armored personnel carriers (BMPs) from Poland along with self-propelled mortars, missiles and MiG fighter jets.

TND. Belarus has received from Russia the technical documentation necessary for the production of parts of the Su-25 attack aircraft and the possibility of full assembly, according to Belarusian Ambassador to Moscow Dmitry Krutoy.

America

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahya on April 9. (Source: WAM)

WAM. In discussions with UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the urgency of de-escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine, reaffirming the US commitment to a two-state solution.

REUTERS. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned medical staff and health agencies to be on guard against the risk of infection with the Marburg virus - a rare and dangerous virus like the Ebola virus.

AP. A small sports plane crashed into the sea off Mazatlán, in the Mexican state of Sinoala, killing a 2-year-old child and seriously injuring four others.

CTV NEWS. Canada has repatriated four women and 10 children , family members of Islamic State (IS) fighters being held in detention camps in northeastern Syria.

CBC. Experts warn that a wave of retirements among Canadian farmers and a shortage of skilled workers will have a major impact on the country's agricultural industry.

RIO NEWS. Brazil has officially announced that it will rejoin the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), an organization it withdrew from in 2019.

Africa

AFRICA NEWS. The Sudanese government has called on South Sudan to activate joint mechanisms between the two countries to achieve peace and stability in the disputed Abyei border region .

Children stand on a dike at a camp for people displaced by conflict in South Sudan. (Source: UNOCHA)

AFRICA NEWS. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk calls on all parties in Sudan to work towards the rapid restoration of civilian rule.

PULSE NIGERIA. An attack on a refugee camp in Benue state, Nigeria that left at least 37 people dead is the second massacre in the region this week.

AFP. About 20 people were killed in a new attack by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) gunmen linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization in the eastern region.

AFP. The US is preparing long-term support for Ivory Coast, Benin and Togo as concerns grow that jihadist violence in the Sahel region could spread to coastal West Africa.

BBC. At least 27 migrants from countries south of the Sahara desert in Africa have died or gone missing in two boat sinkings off the coast of Tunisia in recent days.

ASHARQ AL-AWSAT. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Abdoulaye Bathily called on military and security leaders in Libya to commit to ensuring a suitable environment for national elections.

Oceania

Testing and certification are being carried out on the 107-metre vessel in Singapore, before it officially arrives in Australia in late 2023 and is renamed the Australian Defence Vessel Guidance (ADVG). (Source: ABC)

ABC. Australia is buying a 10-year-old used ship from Norway for $110 million and converting it into an Australian Defence Force vessel to support future undersea military operations.