WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - The State of the World: The Pope, Peace, Presidents, and Preachers

Episode Date: April 25, 2025

The State of the World breaks down top headlines in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere. Key topics include the selection of Pope Francis's successor, peace negotiations in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, and Ecuadorian elections.

Hello, my name is Aaron Osborne, and you're listening to The State of the World on WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale 101.1.1.7 FM, where we discuss foreign policy news around the world in just five minutes. Starting off this week with Europe, countries around the world mourn the death of Pope Francis, who died after months of illness at age 88. The at-time's controversial Pope's 12-year pontificate concluded with the final private audience with American Vice President J.D. Vance. The process to judge a new pope is already underway with the United States. 135 promoting cardinals already at the Vatican. Also in European news, Ukrainian and European officials are expected to meet on April 23rd to discuss ongoing peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. According to the Washington Post, the United States has proposed an agreement which would

recognize Russia's 2014 annexation to the Crimea and freeze the war's front lines while developing security guarantees for Ukraine. The war saw a 30-hour ceasefire for Easter last week. And in Asia, the American Vice President J.D. Vance is in the midst of a four-day trip to India. While there, he's met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announced progress towards a bilateral trade deal. This marks Vance's first trip to India as vice president, and he went with his Indian-American wife and their three children. The Wall Street Journal wrote that some speculate the United States may grow closer to India as a counter to the Chinese Communist Party's growing regional influence. The United States is India's largest trade partner and New Delhi is reportedly working to strike a trade deal prior to the June resumption of reciprocal tariffs between the United States and India.

Also in India, more than 20 have been killed after a gunman opened fire on domestic tourists in the Muslim majority region of Kashmir. Indian ethnic religious tensions have been on the rise with Modi's Hindu presidency, according to the BBC. In the ongoing Israeli military action against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli defense forces have fired a field commander over the deaths of aid workers in late March. The Israeli defense forces launched an internal investigation into the field commander's orders in an increasingly volatile urban warfare environment, although various media outlets questioned Israeli accountability at the time. Just under a week ago, however, Hamas formally rejected an Israeli ceasefire proposal.

which would have seen the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as well as the immediate termination of the war. Rounding off the Middle East for the week, Iran and the United States are gearing up to have another round of nuclear talks in Rome this coming week after Russia and Iran ratified a 20-year strategic partnership document two weeks ago, according to the BBC. So more news on that next week, hopefully. As we turn to Africa, there's been some positive news. this week after American preacher John Sullivan has been safely returned to his church in South Africa. He was taken hostage by a group of armed men and held for just under a week. Sullivan arrived in South Africa in 2018 to plant churches in the region and serve South African minority communities according to CNN. In other news, in the continuing South Sudanese tensions,

the South Sudanese army has recaptured a town in the Upper Nile state. that was previously lost and under the control of an ethnic militia. The town's capture previously contributed to what Reuters called a political crisis, because South Sudan has been in a power-sharing model since 2018's end of civil war. And last but not least, Burkina Faso's military government claims to have foiled a plotted coup, according to the BBC. Shifting to the Western Hemisphere, Colombia has declared a health emergency after more than 30 people have died of yellow fever. Over 75 cases have been confirmed recently, mostly in the eastern part of the Dolima province,

which is known for coffee plantations, according to the BBC. This outbreak has been particularly lethal with almost 50% mortality rates among the infected, according to experts. This is up from a grand total of two cases in 2023 and zero cases between 2019 and 2022. In election news, following the conclusion of the Ecuadorian elections, opposition leader Luisa Gonzalez has requested a review of the vote tallies by an electoral council. Incumbent President Daniel Noboa won the runoff vote, and Reuters noted that widespread fraud allegations have ensued. And last but not least, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is pulling ahead as the Canadians

approached the April 28th election. That's all for this week on the State of the World on WRFH Radio Free Hilsda 101.1.7 FM.