Situation Reports

U.S. President Donald Trump met in Washington, D.C., with Japan's chief trade negotiator, Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa, with both sides expressing a desire to reach a deal within 90 days and agreeing to a follow-up meeting later in April, according to Akazawa, The Asahi Shimbun reported on April 17.

Kenya's prime Cabinet secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, said the government was looking to secure a new support program from the International Monetary Fund by November, Bloomberg reported on April 16.

Pakistan and Bangladesh held their first foreign secretary-level talks in 15 years in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Geo News reported on April 17.

In a fiscal risks annex to the 2026 budget guidelines bill sent to Congress on April 15, the Brazilian Treasury acknowledged rising risks of public debt rollover and highlighted the need for fiscal consolidation, Reuters reported on April 16.

Thousands of suspected members of Jama'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihad, more commonly known by the acronym JAS or as Boko Haram, were reportedly arrested in Nigeria's Lagos state over an unspecified period, according to Kumar Sanda, former commander of the country's civilian joint task force, Sahara Reporters reported on April 17.

Estonia's parliament approved legislation expanding the Estonian Defense Forces' authority to use force against foreign civilian vessels that threaten submarine cables, and the new legislation also seeks to clarify the chain of command and accountability for such actions, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on April 17.

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered Equinor to halt the construction of its $3 billion, 810-megawatt Empire Wind 1 project off the coast of New York, which had already begun construction, AP reported on April 16.

On a state visit to Malaysia, Chinese President Xi Jinping signed 31 cooperation agreements with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim spanning artificial intelligence, infrastructure, trade, agriculture, media and other subjects, The Edge Malaysia reported on April 16.

At the last minute, the U.S. government extended for 11 months funding for the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database of publicly disclosed cybersecurity vulnerabilities, which U.S. nonprofit MITRE maintains, Forbes reported on April 16.

The U.S. State Department is closing the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Hub, also known as R/FIMI, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X on April 16.