EU leaders are planning to travel to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in late July.

Source: SCMP

🇺🇸🇵🇦 - US troops will be able to deploy to a string of facilities along the Panama Canal under a joint deal seen by AFP Thursday.

🇩🇪 - Boris Pistorius expected to remain Defense Minister under new German govt, Armin Laschet considered for foreign minister.

🇫🇷 - French parliament adopt crime bill which would, among other things, allows for criminals to lose access to social housing.

🇩🇪 - Germany to lower business taxes from 15 to 10%, to lower the number of civil servants (outside of security services) by 8% and to lower taxes on electricity.

🇺🇸🇮🇷 - Iran considers it unrealistic to reach a nuclear agreement within the next two months.

🇫🇷 - French Finance Minister Eric Lombard says Europe should adapt to the new international environment and lessen the regulatory burden on banks.

🇰🇷 - Liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung leading candidate for South Korean election, wants to boost growth by giving more purchasing power through redistribution, previously supported UBI but toned it down.

🇪🇺 - ECB chief Lagarde hints at interest rate hike ahead of April 17 meeting.

🇫🇷 - European firms remain mired in uncertainty, and U.S. tariffs remain on autos and steel produced in the bloc - Macron

🇫🇷 - With the [European] Commission, and in a spirit of European unity, our goal is simple: to negotiate the withdrawal of these unfair tariffs and ensure a balanced deal, without asymmetry on either side, Macron said.

🇪🇺 - EU hints at taxing ad revenues for companies like Meta and Google should 90 days-talks fail.

🇪🇺 - Illegal crossings into the EU dropped by more than 30 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2024, according to border agency Frontex.

The decrease comes amid an EU crackdown on migration, with Brussels planning harsher measures such as a plan to streamline deportations, tougher penalties for rejected migrants who refuse to leave and the creation of so-called return hubs in countries outside the EU to house people awaiting deportation.

🇺🇸🇬🇭🇧🇯 - African countries like Benin and Ghana tells Bloomberg they are worried that DOGE may cut military aid to these Western African countries facing terrorist threats, potentially paving way for bigger Chinese, Russian involvement in the area.

🇺🇸 - Consumers are spending less due to increased concerns about inflation and the economy, McDonalds says.

🇺🇸 - The Senate confirmed Lt. Gen. Dan Caine as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a 60-25 vote shortly after 2 a.m.

🇺🇸 - Senate Republicans face a major fundraising deficit compared to their Dem counterparts, Axios says.

🇪🇬 - Fuel prices has increased in Egypt by up to 15% in bid to please IMF, as the state subsidies on fuel weighs hard on the nation's budget.

🇻🇳 - Vietnam to push back on Chinese goods being shipped through its territory in bid to avoid US tariffs - Reuters

🇫🇷 - French parliament greenlights new bill authorizing farmers to use spraying of phytosanitary products using drone.