WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - The State of the World: Tariffs, Terrorists, and Trade

Episode Date: April 21, 2025

The State of the World breaks down top headlines in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere. Key topics include European Union travel restrictions, the Ghana gold trade, and the U.S.-Mexico 1944 Water Treaty.

Hello, my name is Aaron Osborne, and this is the state of the world on Radio Free Hillsdale, DWRFH 101.1.7 FM, where we discuss top foreign policy news from around the world in just five minutes. Starting off with Europe today, as the Russia-Ukraine war continues, a Russian missile strike killed 34 in the Ukrainian city of Sumi, just 18 miles from the Ukrainian border. One of the most devastating recent attacks, the strikes come as peace negotiations continue to stall. In addition, the European Union is preparing to suspend certain visa-free travel regulations for 61 countries, including countries that are seeking entrance into the European Union, such as Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The current suspension mechanism began in 2018 to target third-party nationals, overstaying their visa limits, and using travel to seek asylum, according to Radio Free Europe. Next up, it's been a tumultuous week in Asia, where Sino and we have,

American tensions are increasing despite the lessening of tariffs revolving around electronics. A senior Chinese official overseeing Hong Kong and Macau referred to Americans as peasants and called the American tariff on Hong Kong goods a brutally unreasonable and extremely shameless move, according to the Washington Post. China's come under criticism for repression of democracy and free speech in Hong Kong, including the delayed trial of newspaper mogul Jimmy Lai of Apple Daily. China has also increased regional diplomatic posturing, including in Vietnam. The Washington Post reported that Xi Jinping called on Southeast Asian countries to increase regional protectionism against American tariffs, referring to stability and neighborhood diplomacy.

Beijing also released wanted notices for three people saying that they engaged in cyber attacks against China during the Asian Winter Games. Regarding the Middle Eastern country of Yemen, the Yemeni militias are planning a potential. ground offensive against the Houthis after a U.S. recent bombing campaign, according to the Wall Street Journal. American officials have said that they are open to supporting a ground operation led by local forces in the war-torn country. The Houthis began launching attacks on Red Sea shipping in 2023 shortly after the Hamas terrorist invasion of Israel on October 7. The Houthi shipping attacks have prompted economic, environmental, and security concerns for the region.

Shifting to Israel, the Israeli defense forces have secured an estimated third of the Gaza Strip, while Hamas continues to refuse the release of hostages who have been held in captivity since October 2023, according to the Wall Street Journal. Israel renewed its ground operations in Gaza, following Hamas's refusal to accept the terms of ceasefire and hostage release. In Africa, the Sudanese Civil War continues to involve massive violence and civilian casualties. On Friday, the rapid support forces attacked a refugee camp in Sudan, killing an estimated 400 civilians, according to the Washington Post. In addition, 12 aid workers who oversaw the refugee camp were killed. Approximately one-fifth of Sudan's population has been displaced since the war began, with over 70 to 80,000 families residing in this particular refugee camp.

shifting to economic news in Africa, Ghana's government has banned all foreigners from trading in its local gold market after April 30th of this year. After a parliamentary verdict, the country has been attempting to increase national revenue and streamlining the gold sector. As part of the change, the Ghana Gold Board will be the sole party allowed to mine gold, according to the BBC. Ghana is the sixth largest gold population capacity in the world. And in Mexico, President Gabriela Scheinbaum has opened negotiations with northern Mexican states in an effort to provide more water to the United States, according to Reuters. The Mexican government has had an 81-year-old water-sharing treaty with the United States, which began in 1944.

Mexico has sent less than the 30% of the 1.75 million acre feet of water that it is supposed to send by October, per the treaty. The water is sent to the U.S. from the Rio Grande every five years. And in cultural news, the great Peruvian author Mario Vargas Yosa died on April 13th. He was the last living writer of the Latin American literary boom of the 20th century. Also in Peru, ex-president Humala has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for money laundering between 2006 and 2011. His trial lasted over three years. That's all for this week. Thank you for listening to the state of the world on WRFH, Radio Free Hil Still, 101.7 FM.