Week In Review (WIRE) News 04.13.2026

Edited by Mary Wahn, Grey Cohen, John Gooden, Emma Grace Jarvis, Ethan Joyce, Bianca Orfila-Molinet, and Meera Srinivasan

Asia and the Pacific

Written by Jesse Vu

Sri Lanka and the IMF Struck an Initial $700 Million Deal

As the war in Iran has dragged on over the past few weeks, the economic crisis in Sri Lanka has deepened. Since the country imports up to 60% of its energy needs, which has become increasingly difficult due to the war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, citizens of Sri Lanka were limited to about five gallons a week. For Sri Lankan citizens, this shortage of energy supply follows a prolonged period of paying for a much higher price at the pumps, and the tourist industry, a crucial economic sector of the country, has been halted as a result of the war. 

While the war between Iran and the U.S. worsened the energy crisis in Sri Lanka, the country has been in an economic crisis for some time now, dating to at least the COVID-19 pandemic. While the country’s GDP grew moderately over the past few years, over a quarter of its population remained under the poverty line in 2023, causing the United Nations to issue a humanitarian emergency warning the year prior. Since the warning, there have been recovery efforts led by the IMF and others to relieve the crisis. In 2023, the Sri Lankan government secured a $3 billion funding bailout from the IMF. Combined with further financial support from India, the total support landed around $4 billion. While these funds did help relieve the crisis, the recent war between Iran and the U.S. plunged the country into another one.

As a result of this, the IMF reached a staff-level deal to provide further funding to Sri Lanka on April 9. Once the deal is approved by the IMF Executive Board, Sri Lanka is bound to receive an extra $700 million in funding, raising the total IMF support to $2.4 billion since the beginning of the recovery efforts. While it is early to say, the IMF expects the deal to be essential for relief amid the Sri Lankan economic crisis. 

Central America and the Caribbean

Written by Gabriella Ramirez

Prisoners Released in Cuba Amidst Visit by U.S. Lawmakers and Damage to Panama Canal

Cuba’s government announced it would release 2,010 prisoners in what it deemed “humanitarian gestures” ahead of Holy Week. The move comes as the Trump administration continues to put pressure on the island’s government with a stifling oil blockade. However, human rights groups are criticizing the releases, claiming they fall short of real change around the criminalization of protesting. Many prisoners that the activist organization Prisoners Defended has registered as detained for political reasons were protesters from the 2021 mass demonstrations on the island, which were met with widespread arrests. The Cuban government said Thursday’s announcement was the fifth prisoner release since 2011, and that it has freed more than 11,000 people. 

Two U.S. lawmakers called for a permanent solution to Cuba’s crises after witnessing the effects of the U.S. energy blockade during an official visit to the island. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-D) and Rep. Jonathan Jackson (IL-D) met with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, and members of Cuban Parliament during a five-day trip. Jayapal believes the two countries are ready for negotiations and denounced U.S. actions as economic bombing of the infrastructure of Cuba. Meanwhile, hundreds of Cuban women gathered in Havana to criticize a U.S. energy embargo and other measures imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump in an effort to suffocate the island. The rally was organized by the Federation of Cuban Women, a massive organization with close ties to the government and the Communist Party. The crowd gathered, holding signs that read “Down with the Blockade” and carrying images of Fidel Castro and Espín. 

Europe

Written by Ethan Joyce

Leaked Audio of Hungarian Foreign Minister Shows Collaboration With Russia

Earlier this week, phone calls between Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov were uncovered by investigative reporters. These phone calls demonstrate how Budapest weaponized Hungarian minority rights in the EU to stall Ukrainian accession and overturn EU sanctions related to Russia. 

The first phone call uncovered was from December 14, 2023, in which Szijjarto called Lavrov to update him on the state of negotiations related to Ukraine's EU accession. Lavrov reportedly said that “sometimes good-willed direct blackmailing is the best option.” In addition, the leaked audio recordings show that Szijjarto offered to share confidential EU documents related to Ukrainian accession with Moscow. 

Separate reporting uncovered calls from August 2024, where just hours after returning from St. Petersburg, Szijjarto received a call from Foreign Minister Lavrov requesting help removing oligarch Alisher Usmanov's sister, Gulbahor Ismailova, from EU sanctions lists. Szijjarto confirmed to Lavrov that he and Slovakia were jointly submitting a delisting proposal to the EU the following week. The two ministers also bonded over shared contempt for the EU and pro-Ukraine member states, with Szijjarto pledging he was "always at your disposal" to Russia and discussing efforts to repeal broader EU sanctions packages. Several months later, in early 2025, Ismailova was removed from the sanctions list.

All of this comes amidst the backdrop of an intense election between incumbent Viktor Orban and challenger Peter Magyar, where Hungarian allegiances to Russia and Brussels will be tested. On April 12, Orban officially conceded defeat to Magyar, who will be sworn in once the newly elected Parliament meets. 

Middle East and North Africa

Written by Ansley Hovater

Israel Breaks Ceasefire With Airstrikes Against Hezbollah

In the wake of the newly declared ceasefire on April 7 between the United States, Israel, and Iran, Israel initiated a wave of airstrikes against Lebanon. The airstrikes sparked an international debate concerning the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, with Iran claiming that the strikes violated the agreement while Israel and the U.S. arguing that the attack did not break the peace.

Tuesday brought a ceasefire between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, beginning a two-week truce amidst the war that left over 3,500 dead and over 40,000 wounded. On Wednesday, Israel launched airstrikes against Lebanon, killing more than 250 people across the country. Hezbollah promptly retaliated, carrying out four attacks that targeted northern Israel and justified these attacks by claiming that Israel violated the ceasefire made two days prior. While Iran claims that this act violates the ceasefire agreement and threatens that these actions will incur strong consequences, Israel and the U.S. fail to acknowledge that these conditions were addressed in the ceasefire agreement. 

This is not the first time Israel has attacked Lebanon in recent years. On September 24, 2024, Israel unleashed a series of air strikes across Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah and labeling the attack as a new phase of the war in Gaza. Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that once dominated the Lebanese government and still holds 13 seats in Parliament, gained popularity during the Lebanese Civil War. The group, heavily supported by Iran, opposes Western powers and involvement in regional affairs. Currently, the group serves as a government for the regions that remain under its control, and entities such as the U.S., the United Kingdom, and the European Union consider the group a terrorist organization. 

The events of this past week raise concerns related to the alarming abandonment of international norms and further global entanglement. The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran halted U.S. bombings for two weeks, yet the U.S. and Iran disagreed on the terms of the ceasefire the day after its completion. The U.S., along with Israel, claims that the ceasefire did not include Lebanon, while Iran argues the opposite and claims that the Israeli bombings against Hezbollah in retaliation for strikes that Hezbollah initiated at the beginning of the Israel-Iran war violate the agreement. Meanwhile, Iran’s chokehold on the rest of the world persists as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. With the continued disagreement between Iran and the U.S., the possibility of the Strait reopening dwindles, further escalating the global energy crisis. 

Sub-Saharan Africa

Written by Alex Whirley

Kenya-France Defense Pact Ratified

On April 9, the Kenyan National Assembly ratified a bilateral defense agreement with France, underlining Paris’ strategic shift away from its traditional West African sphere of influence. Kenya signed the agreement back in October 2025, and the accord establishes a five-year framework designed to “enhance Kenya’s defence capability through access to French training, technology, and expertise” in areas of maritime security, intelligence sharing, peacekeeping, and disaster relief. For France, this is a rebranding of its African military presence, but for Kenya, it is a step toward diversifying its security dependencies beyond the UK and the US.

On March 15, around 800 French soldiers arrived in the port of Mombasa for joint training and security exercises under the agreement. While the Kenyan government views the pact as a win for military modernization, it faced significant pushback in the National Assembly due to sovereignty concerns. One of the most contentious clauses gives France the “primary right” to prosecute its own soldiers if they commit crimes on Kenyan soil. Critics also questioned provisions allowing for the duty-free import of equipment and personal belongings for French personnel.

Kenya has traditionally held a more pro-Western outlook and pragmatic strategy of defense compared to other African states, and since Kenya’s independence from the UK in 1963, it has maintained an informal security umbrella with the British.