Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, updates from Yemen and Germany. Plus, Trump’s first 100 days in office. Locally, Pakistan-India tensions escalate, Rubio to speak with foreign ministers today, Mahrang Baloch ends hunger strike after legal progress.

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Around The World

Updates from Yemen. Britain’s military launched airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Tuesday with US forces, in the first public joint operation since the Trump administration escalated the campaign against the militant group. The strikes targeted “a cluster of buildings” south of Sanaa used by Houthis to manufacture drones, which the group uses to attack ships at sea. The UK said the operation was planned to minimise civilian casualties, though no figures were provided.

Gang’s back together. Germany’s center-left Social Democrats have approved a deal to join a new coalition government, paving the way for parliament to elect conservative leader Friedrich Merz as the country’s new chancellor. The deal gives the Social Democrats the crucial finance, justice, and defense ministries, among others. The Social Democrats will join a coalition led by Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, which won Germany’s election in February with 28.5%.

Trump 101. US President Donald Trump celebrated the 100th day of his second term in office with a campaign-style speech, touting his achievements and targeting political foes. 

Trump has delivered a dramatic fall in the number of migrants crossing illegally into the US, but the economy is a potential political vulnerability as he wages a global trade war. Earlier in the day, he also softened tariffs on the import of foreign cars and car parts, after US car-makers warned of the danger of rising prices.

According to Gallup, Trump is the only post-World War Two president to have less than half the public's support after 100 days in office, with an approval rating of 44%. But the majority of Republican voters still firmly back the president. And the rival Democratic Party is also struggling in the polls.

Pakistan

Tete a tete. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan has intelligence indicating India may conduct military action within 24 to 36 hours. He warned that any aggression would be met with a decisive response, calling India’s accusations over the Pahalgam incident “baseless” and “politically motivated.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to speak with the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan “as early as today or tomorrow” to urge restraint.

Simultaneously, state media reported that Indian Rafale fighter jets were forced to retreat after Pakistan Air Force aircraft scrambled in response to their patrol over Indian-held Kashmir. The jets did not cross the Line of Control, but their presence prompted immediate action from the PAF, which reportedly caused the Indian aircraft to flee. Separately, Pakistani forces shot down two Indian drones that violated airspace in Bhimber and Satwal sectors of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The military said the drones were conducting aerial surveillance and were intercepted and destroyed.

A slight push. Jailed Baloch rights activist Mahrang Baloch ended her hunger strike after the Balochistan High Court agreed to hear a petition challenging her detention. Arrested last month on terrorism and sedition charges, Mahrang began the strike on Thursday with four fellow Baloch Yakjehti Committee members to protest police misconduct. Her lawyer, Imran Baloch, said she ended the strike after the court admitted the petition and issued notices to the government, following a meeting with her family and legal team.

Cloudy with a chance of hailstorms. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecasted a shift in weather from May 1 to 4, with wind, thunderstorms, rain, and isolated hailstorms expected to bring an end to the ongoing heatwave in many parts of the country. A westerly wave is set to reach the northern regions on the evening of April 30, bringing moist air from the northeast into Punjab. Dust storms and thunderstorms will also impact southern areas from May 2 to 5, with occasional gaps in the weather. The PMD has issued a warning that severe weather conditions could cause damage to structures such as electric poles, trees, vehicles, and solar panels.

What Else Is Happening?

✈️Amazon launched 27 Project Kuiper satellites to low-Earth orbit yesterday, designed to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink internet network.

🛍️OpenAI has announced that users will soon be able to buy products through ChatGPT. The rollout of shopping buttons for AI-powered search queries will come to everyone, whether they are a signed-in user or not.

Today In History

On April 30, 1975, the Vietnam War ended as the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to Communist forces.

Also on this date in 1789, George Washington took the oath of office at Federal Hall in New York as the United States' first president.

In 1803, the United States completed its purchase of the 828,000 square mile (2,140,000 square km) Louisiana Territory from France for 60 million francs, the equivalent of about $15 million.

In 1945, as Soviet troops approached his Berlin bunker, Adolf Hitler took his own life, as did Eva Braun, whom Hitler married the previous day.

In 1993, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced that the World Wide Web was free for anyone to use and released its source code to the public domain.