Portal:Current events/2026 April 20

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
        • A Iranian official says that Iran may attend ceasefire talks with the United States in Islamabad, Pakistan, following moves by Pakistan to end the blockade of Iranian ports. However, a decision has yet to be made. (Al Jazeera)
        • Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says that Iran is not going to negotiate while it is being threatened. (Al Jazeera)
        • U.S. president Donald Trump says that he is "highly unlikely" to renew the ceasefire when it expires in two days. (AP)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • The cruise ship Aroya arrives in the Gulf of Oman, becoming the latest of six cruise ships in the Middle East to cross the Strait of Hormuz since the war started on February 28. (Seatrade Cruise News) (People)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • The Israeli military launches airstrikes in southern Lebanon against individuals that it accused of posing a threat to northern Israel or to Israeli troops. (NBC News)
    • 2026 Israel–Lebanon peace talks
      • The United States announces that another round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will be held in Washington, D.C., on April 23. (Al Jazeera)
      • Lebanese president Joseph Aoun announces that he is appointing a new negotiator for the next talks, former ambassador Simon Karam. (Al Jazeera)
  • Gaza war
    • Israeli strikes kill at least five Palestinians in ​separate incidents in the Gaza Strip. (Reuters)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Crimea attacks
    • Ukrainian forces say they have struck two Russian Navy landing ships docked at Sevastopol Naval Base in Russian-occupied Crimea. Separately, a Ukrainian drone attack on Tuapse oil terminal in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, kills one person and causes several large fires at the facility. (Al Jazeera)
  • Terrorism in Russia
    • Russia's Federal Security Service says it has arrested a German woman and a Central Asian man in Pyatigorsk, Stavropol Krai, and seizes an improvised explosive device, alleging they planned an attack on a law enforcement facility on instructions from Ukraine. (AFP via The Straits Times)
• Colombian conflict
  • FARC dissidents launch drone strikes on the Colombian army in Ipiales, Nariño Department, killing three soldiers and wounding two others. (AP)

Business and economy

• Apple Inc. announces that Tim Cook will step down as chief executive officer with senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus taking on the role from September 1. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Earthquakes in 2026
  • 2026 Sanriku earthquake
    • An earthquake on a scale of 7.7 is measured off the coast of Sanriku, Japan. A subsequent 80-centimetre (2.6 ft) high tsunami is reported in Kuji, Iwate prefecture. (AP) (Kyodo News)
• At least 21 people are killed and 45 others are injured when a passenger bus rolls into a gorge in Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. (Hindustan Times) (Al Jazeera)
• Six people are killed in a fire on two residential buildings in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, Philippines. (Xinhua via The Star)

Health and environment

• Several Central European countries, including Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, begin pulling baby food produced by Hipp Holding from supermarket shelves after rat poison was detected in some jars over the weekend. (AP)

International relations

• Argentina–Israel relations
  • 2026 state visit by Javier Milei to Israel
    • Argentine president Javier Milei receives the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honour from president Isaac Herzog. (The Times of Israel)
• Pakistan–Saudi Arabia relations, Pakistan–Sudan relations
  • Pakistan places on hold a proposed US$1.5 billion arms and aircraft supply agreement with Sudan after Saudi Arabia withdraws financing and requests its termination. (Reuters)
• Philippines–United States relations
  • The Philippines and the United States begin the 19-day Balikatan military exercises, described as the largest to date in terms of participating countries, involving more than 17,000 troops from seven nations and additional observers. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• 2026 Teotihuacan shooting
  • A man opens fire around the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacán Municipality, Mexico, killing a Canadian tourist and wounding 13 other people, before killing himself. (Al Jazeera)
• Lebanese liquidity crisis
  • France is investigating allegations that two Lebanese banks transferred billions of U.S. dollars out of the country despite strict capital controls. (Naharnet)
• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • At least 62 U.S. military veterans are arrested by police inside the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., during a anti-war protest against the Iran war after occupying the Cannon House Office Building. (The Hill) (Latin Times)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Bulgarian parliamentary election, Bulgarian political crisis
  • Preliminary results from yesterday's election in Bulgaria reveal that the left-wing nationalist and populist Progressive Bulgaria coalition, led by former president Rumen Radev, secured a majority of seats in the National Assembly. (AP) (DW)
• The Royal Palace of Cambodia announces that King Norodom Sihamoni underwent surgery for prostate cancer in Beijing, China. (AFP via The Straits Times)
• In Romania, the Social Democratic Party withdraws support for prime minister Ilie Bolojan of the National Liberal Party, a move that could lead to the collapse of the coalition government. (Xinhua)