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PaperclipPerfector  6d ago (text post)   264 thread views

Transnational Thursday for April 30, 2026

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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Some headlines I'm reading:

Geopolitics

Oil retreats after hitting four-year high @ $126 a barrel on concern of US-Iran war escalation | Reuters

Europe

Middle East

Iran offers to reopen Strait of Hormuz if US lifts its blockade and the war ends, officials say

Iran

Commercial flights from Tehran’s main airport resume amid cautious normalcy US-Israel war on Iran News Al Jazeera

Newly Deciphered Sabotage Malware May Have Targeted Iran's Nuclear Program

Iran 'to end Strait of Hormuz blockade' if Trump accepts major nuclear weapons concession

US official says Iran war truce 'terminated' hostilities for war powers deadline | Reuters

Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed Imam Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei Declares Plan to Establish 'New Legal Rules' in Strait of Hormuz

Asia

Once on the back foot, Myanmar's military now looks set to resume offensive in bloody civil war

China Hosts Pakistan-Afghanistan Talks in Urumqi to Ease Border

Africa

Darfur: Two decades on, a new generation of children faces 'horrific violence' | UN News

Nigeria: Amnesty Raises Alarm Over Alleged Deaths of 150 Fulani Detainees in Kwara Camp

Mali army bases hit in large-scale attacks claimed by al Qaeda-linked militants | Reuters

Biorisks

Antibiotic Resistance Might Get a Boost from Droughts

A.I. Bots Told Scientists How to Make Biological Weapons - The New York Times

9k+ measles cases in South Darfur — vaccinations intensify across Sudan

Since the disappearance of H2N2 from the human population in 1968, global H2 immunity has been decreasing (review article)

Fast and accurate TB test that doesn't need phlegm

Artificial Intelligence

Deploying AI Capabilities for Defensive Cybersecurity

Pentagon AI chief confirms DoD's expanded use of Google Gemini

Google Moves Forward With Pentagon AI Deal Despite Employee Pushback - CNET

Pentagon spending on drones jumps from $225M to $55B in one year

Nvidia Nemotron 3 Nano Omni

More tech

Random github repo

Climate and Nature

Carbon pollution is making food less nutritious, limiting uptake of minerals, perhaps leading to e.g. iron or zinc deficiencies.

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