Portal:Current events/April 2026

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
        • 2026 Kuwait International Airport drone strikes
          • A fuel storage at Kuwait International Airport in Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait, is hit by Iranian drones, causing a major fire. (Gulf News)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
        • Iran fires three ballistic missiles at Qatar, with two intercepted and a third one hitting a oil tanker registered by QatarEnergy. (Khaama Press)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
        • A Bangladeshi national is killed by shrapnel during a drone interception in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. (AFP via The Daily Star)
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian releases a letter to the American people and suggests that diplomatic engagement is possible. (The New York Times)
      • U.S. president Donald Trump, in his first primetime address since the start of the war, says that U.S. forces will soon "finish the job" and that objectives are "nearing completion". However, he also says that the U.S. would hit them "extremely hard" within the next 2–3 weeks if a deal is not reached to end the war. (AFP via The Daily Star) (AP)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
      • Ten civilians are injured, including a girl from Bnei Brak, Israel, who is in critical condition, after a missile barrage from Iran. (The Times of Israel)
    • A U.S. strike on Tehran reportedly damages the former U.S. embassy, which was converted into a museum following its takeover during the Iranian Revolution. The St. Nicholas Orthodox Church is also damaged. (Iran International) (AFP via The Times of Israel)
    • As confirmed by the U.S. defense department and international media, two more MQ-9 Reaper unmanned reconnaissance drones have been shot down over Iranian territory. (CBS News) (Iran International)
    • The Israeli military says that the air force has completed strikes against vital targets in Iran, including military and nuclear targets. (Ynet)
  • 2026 Lebanon war
    • Israeli airstrikes kill seven people, including the Hezbollah commander for Iraq, Youssef Hashem, and injure dozens more in Beirut and nearby Khalde, Lebanon. (AFP via Naharnet)
  • Red Sea crisis
    • The Israeli military reports a missile launched by Houthi militias is intercepted. (The Times of Israel)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Eastern front of the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • The Russian defence ministry says its forces have taken full control of Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military denies this claim, saying its 3rd Assault Brigade continues to hold a small number of positions near the front line. (AP)
  • A Russian drone strike kills four civilians in Zolotonosha, Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine. (The New Voice of Ukraine)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
  • Talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan are reportedly held in China in an effort to end the current conflict. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Malaysia announces a remote work policy for government officials and employees of state-owned enterprises starting April 15 to reduce fuel consumption amid rising energy costs linked to the Iran war. The government also reduces subsidized fuel quotas while maintaining market-based pricing for unsubsidized fuel. (AFP via CNA)
  • The Taiwanese transport ministry announces that airlines will increase fuel surcharges on international flights by 157 percent starting April 7, following a rise in global oil prices linked to the Iran war. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Disasters and accidents

• A boat carrying Afghan migrants capsizes off the coast of Bodrum, Turkey, leaving at least 19 people dead, according to the Turkish Coast Guard. Twenty other migrants are rescued. (AP)
• Five people are killed and 21 others are injured, including one critically, when a truck crashes into and sets on fire several vehicles at a tollbooth in Cundinamarca Department, Colombia. (Blu Radio in Spanish)
• Four people are killed in a roof collapse at a coal mine in Xing County, Shanxi, China. (China Daily)

International relations

• United States–Venezuela relations
  • The United States lifts sanctions on Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodríguez. (AP)

Law and crime

• Scam centers in Cambodia
  • Cambodia extradites the former chairperson of Huione Group to China, where law enforcement authorities accuse him of involvement in a large-scale online fraud and money laundering network linked to Huione. Investigators identify him as an associate of suspected crime leader Chen Zhi, who was previously extradited in connection with the case. (AFP via The Star)

Politics and elections

• Alice Mina and Vladimiro Selva are sworn in as the new Captains Regent of San Marino. (San Marino RTV)

Science and technology

• Artemis program
  • NASA launches Artemis II from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United States, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, for a flyby of the Moon. (BBC News) (Space.com)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain, 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
        • Minor damage is reported near the Kizad area in Abu Dhabi after the United Arab Emirates air defenses successfully intercepts an Iranian missile. (Khaleej Times)
      • Iran conducts strikes on Amazon Web Services servers in Bahrain and on an Oracle data center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. However, the Dubai government dismisses any reports the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has targeted the Oracle data center and says it's false. (The Caspian Post) (Gulf News)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi says that Iran and Oman are drafting a protocol to oversee maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz. (AA)
      • The United Kingdom hosts a summit with 40 countries to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters)
    • Austria–United States relations
      • Austria denies United States aircraft use of its ‌airspace for military operations against Iran. (Reuters)
    • Karaj B1 bridge attack
      • The B1 highway bridge linking Tehran and Karaj, which was inaugurated earlier this year, is hit by Israeli–U.S. airstrikes. Eight people are killed and 95 others are injured. (Reuters via The Times of Israel) (Al Jazeera)
    • The Pasteur Institute of Iran sustains heavy damage in Israeli–U.S. strikes. (The Telegraph)
  • Gaza war
    • Gaza peace plan
      • Delegation from Hamas holds talks in Cairo, Egypt to follow up on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. (Xinhua)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Foreign involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Kenya reports at least 16 Kenyans are missing after being recruited to fight for the Russian military in Ukraine, while 38 others are currently in Russian hospitals in unknown conditions as they are under restricted access. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi says the men were offered a US$2,700 monthly salary by Russian agents for joining the war. (BBC News)
  • Crimea attacks
    • A Russian Antonov An-72 is destroyed in a Ukrainian airstrike on Kirovske Air Base in Kirovske Raion, Russian-occupied Crimea. (The Kyiv Independent)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Aftermath of the Battle of Khartoum
    • The United Nations reopens their headquarters in Khartoum for the first time since 2023 after it was relocated to Port Sudan following the outbreak of the war in mid-April 2023. (Sudan Tribune)
  • Two Rapid Support Forces drones hit the Al-Jabalain hospital in White Nile State killing 10, including seven medical staff. (Xinhua)

Arts and culture

• Religion in the United Arab Emirates
  • Dubai moves worship services at churches, temples, and gurdwaras online or suspend in-person services due to the Iran war. (Gulf Business)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Air China, China Southern Airlines, and its subsidiary XiamenAir increase fuel surcharges by ¥60–120 (US$8.70–17.50) on domestic flights in response to rising oil prices linked to the Iran war. (AFP via The Standard)
  • Pakistan increases fuel prices, raising petrol by 42.7 percent and diesel by 54.9 percent in response to higher global energy costs linked to the Iran war. (AFP via New Straits Times)
  • United States crude oil surges to over $113 per barrel. (NBC News)
• The Somali Ministry of Ports and Maritime Transport announces that Somalia has registered the Guney (IMO 8230417) ship under the Somali flag, its first national-flagged vessel since 1991. (FTL Somalia) (Anadolu Ajansı)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 North Maluku earthquake
  • One person is killed and another is injured when a building in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, collapses following a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia. (AFP via France 24)
• 2025–26 European windstorm season
  • One person is killed and hundreds are trapped indoors by flooding in Nea Makri, Attica, Greece, amid gale-force winds along the Mediterranean coast. (Reuters)
• Four people are killed when a Cessna 172 crashes into a field in Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico. (PotosíNoticias in Spanish)
• Both pilots are killed when a Beechcraft Model 18 operating on a cargo flight crashes in Coron, Palawan, Philippines. (Xinhua)

International relations

• Argentina–Iran relations
  • Argentina orders Iranian chargé d'affaires Mohsen Soltani Tehrani to leave the country within 48 hours after Iranian officials issued statements that Argentina described as false and offensive. The move follows Argentina's designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. (AFP via LBCI)
• Moldova–Russia relations, Accession of Moldova to the European Union
  • Moldova's parliament approves the country's withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as the government says CIS's core values and principles are no longer respected, such as territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders, and refers to Russia's actions in the region, including the war against Ukraine and the illegal military presence on Moldovan territory. (Moldova Press) (TASS)

Law and crime

• 2025 Drents Museum heist
  • Dutch authorities recover the Helmet of Coțofenești and other treasures from the Dacian royal collection, which were stolen from the Drents Museum in Assen, Drenthe, in 2025. (AFP via CTV News)
• Kampala school stabbing
  • Four children are killed in a mass stabbing at a school in Kampala, Uganda. The suspected perpetrator, an adult man, is arrested. (Al Jazeera)
• Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia, Protests against the Russo-Ukrainian war
  • The Basmanny District Court in Moscow, Russia, sentences German sculptor Jacques Tilly in absentia to eight years and six months in prison for spreading false information about the military and offending religious believers through his public works and statements concerning Russia's actions in Ukraine. (Reuters)
• Twelve people are injured when a masked man detonates two pyrotechnic explosives on a train in Siegburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. A 20-year-old man is arrested by Federal Police and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and violation of explosives law. A right-wing political motive is suspected. (Deutschlandfunk)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Cuban crisis
  • Cuba announces the pardon of 2,010 prisoners, with releases scheduled over the coming months based on criteria such as conduct and health. (AFP via Free Malaysia Today)
• Second cabinet of Donald Trump
  • U.S. president Donald Trump dismisses Pam Bondi as Attorney General, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche replacing her on an acting basis. (BBC News) (CNN)
• General Randy George, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, steps down upon U.S. defense secretary Pete Hegseth's request. (CBS News) (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
        • The United Arab Emirates intercepts 18 ballistic missiles, four cruise missiles, and 47 drones from Iran. Falling debris from the interception kills one person and injures others at the Habshan oil facility in the Abu Dhabi emirate. (Al Jazeera) (AFP via Vanguard)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • Maltese-flagged CMA CGM Kribi, a container ship registered by French shipping company CMA CGM crosses the Strait of Hormuz after departing Dubai, making it the first ship from Western Europe to cross the strait since the war started. (AFP via France 24) (Euronews)
      • Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines says that a liquefied natural gas oil tanker registered in Japan crosses the Strait of Hormuz for the first since the beginning of the Iran war. A third ship also crosses the strait. (Kyodo News) (The Guardian)
    • Aviation shootdowns and accidents during the 2026 Iran war
      • Iranian forces shoot down a U.S. F-15E fighter jet in Iranian airspace. U.S. officials say a search is underway for the two crew members, one of whom, the pilot, is rescued. Iran's state media says a reward will be given to any citizen who helps capture an American pilot. (CNN) (Reuters) (The Guardian
      • Two U.S. military helicopters are hit with small arms fire while conducting a search and rescue operation for the downed F-15E pilots. (Al Jazeera) (BBC News) (New York Post)
      • A U.S. A-10 Warthog crashes near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by Iranian anti-aircraft fire. The pilot ejects and is rescued. (The Guardian) (AA)
    • At least three people are killed in a strike on a residential area in Tehran, Iran. (Al Jazeera)
    • The Kyrgyz emergency ministry says that Kyrgyzstan has dispatched over 100 tons of humanitarian aid to Iran. The shipment is ordered by Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov. (Xinhuanet)
  • 2026 Lebanon war
    • The U.S. embassy in Beirut warns Americans to leave Lebanon due to the situation in the country. (BBC News)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
  • Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning says that peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan are advancing in an effort to end the war. (AP)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Six people are killed and five others, including a child, are injured in Russian drone and missile strikes across Ukraine. (DW)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iran war fuel crisis
    • Pakistan introduces free public transport in Islamabad and Punjab for one month and provides targeted subsidies in other regions to offset the impact of recent fuel price increases. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Jorm earthquake
  • A M_w 5.8 earthquake hits parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, killing 12 people and injuring six others in Kabul and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. (Xinhua) (Express News)
• Four people are killed when a small plane crashes into a restaurant in Capão da Canoa, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. (Nasha Niva)
• One person is killed and at least 47 others are injured when a wall collapses at the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium in Lima, Peru. (The Times of India)
• At least 35 people are injured after a passenger train derails in Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia. (The Moscow Times)

International relations

• Italy–Saudi Arabia relations, 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
  • Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni visits Saudi Arabia to discuss mitigating the impact of the Strait of Hormuz crisis with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. Meloni becomes the first leader from a European Union, G20, and NATO member state to the Middle East since the start of the Iran war. (Euronews)
• Russia–Sweden relations
  • The Swedish Coast Guard boards and seizes an EU-sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Baltic Sea after the vessel caused a 12-kilometer (8-mile) oil spill off the coast of Gotland. (AP)

Law and crime

• Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping
  • The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of China announces that former Party Secretary of Xinjiang Ma Xingrui is under investigation over suspected "serious violation of law and discipline", becoming the third member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party to be investigated by the commission. (Reuters)
• 2026 Cuban crisis
  • Cuba begins releasing political prisoners after announcing it will pardon 2,010 inmates amid U.S. pressure on the Cuban government. (Taipei Times)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Myanmar presidential election
  • Myanmar's military ruler, General Min Aung Hlaing, is elected president by the Electoral College. Min secures 429 votes, against 126 for Nyo Saw and 29 for Nan Ni Ni Aye, who become first and second vice presidents, respectively. (AP) (Xinhua)
• Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid scandal
  • Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reshuffles his cabinet after several officials were implicated in a European Public Prosecutor's Office investigation into alleged irregularities in the allocation of European Union farm subsidies. (Xinhua)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Jordan
        • The Jordanian military says that 261 missiles and drones from Iran aimed at Jordan have been intercepted over the past five weeks. (Jordan News)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
        • Kuwait intercepts eight missiles and 19 drones. (Al Jazeera)
    • Evacuations during the 2026 Iran war
      • Russia in the 2026 Iran war
        • Russia evacuates 198 more staff from Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant as an airstrike kills an Iranian security guard at the plant. (Reuters)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • Iraq in the 2026 Iran war, Iran–Iraq relations
        • Military command spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari says that Iran will allow vessels and ships from Iraq to use the Strait of Hormuz. (AFP via The Manila Times)
      • Iran's military command rejects an ultimatum from U.S. president Donald Trump to re-open the Strait of Hormuz in 48 hours or face more attacks on its critical infrastructure. (Al Jazeera)
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi rejects reports that Iran has declined to meet American officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, amidst stalled ceasefire efforts. He also reaffirms that Iran remains open for peace talks to end the war. (Arab News Pakistan) (CNN-News18)
    • Five people are killed and 170 others are injured in an Israeli missile strike on a petrochemical complex in Bandar-e Mahshahr, Khuzestan province, Iran. (BBC News)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • The Israeli military says on Telegram that it has started striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut after destroying a bridge in eastern Lebanon to prevent them from crossing. (AFP via The Times of Israel)
      • Israeli airstrikes in Habboûch and al-Hawsh, southern Lebanon, kill at least two girls and injure 40 people, while an Israeli soldier is also killed in action. (AFP via Vanguard)
      • Eleven people are injured in an airstrike carried out by Israel in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AA)
  • Gaza war
    • Blockade of the Gaza Strip
      • Around 20 boats from Marseille, Provence, France, set sail with international flotilla in an effort to break the current blockade on the Gaza Strip. (Palestine Chronicle)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Peace negotiations in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Ukraine is willing to hold the next round of peace talks with Russia and the United States. (RBC-Ukraine)
  • Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Five people are killed and 19 others are injured in a Russian drone strike on a market in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Reuters)
• Somali Civil War
  • The Somali intelligence and security agency says that security forces have killed nine al-Shabaab militants in Lower Shabelle, Somalia. (Garowe Online)

Disasters and accidents

• Five people are killed in a fire at a gas lighter factory in Keraniganj Upazila, Dhaka District, Bangladesh. (TRT World)
• At least four people are killed and 18 others are injured, including two children, when a passenger vehicle plunges off a road near Sojha in Himachal Pradesh, India. (Reuters)
• Three people are killed and at least 10 others are reportedly trapped after a four-story hotel collapses in Anuppur, Madhya Pradesh, India. (India Today) (Hindustan Times)
• The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority reports 77 deaths and 137 injuries in flooding, landslides and lightning caused by severe weather in the country over the past 10 days. (AP)

Law and crime

• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • Protests against the 2026 Iran war in Israel
    • The Israeli High Court of Justice orders police to allow anti-war protests in Israel. (The Times of Israel)
    • Police clash with anti-war protesters at the Habima Square in Tel Aviv, defying the recent high court order. This comes after protesters defy a previous order by the Israeli military to limit gatherings to 150 people. (Haaretz) (The Times of Israel)
  • Two demonstrators are arrested outside the RAF Lakenheath station near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. The protest comes after media reports that a U.S. F-15E fighter jet that was shot down took off from the base. (Irish News)
  • Protests break out across provinces in Iraq to demand an end to the aggression and end to the war following calls for protests by Shiite National Movement leader Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr. (SABA)
• Terrorism in India
  • A joint operation between the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh police units arrests ISIS recruiter Rizwan in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, India. (The Times of India)
• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announces that the State Department has revoked the green cards of the niece and grandniece of deceased IRGC Quds Force general Qasem Soleimani following their arrest by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (AFP via Dawn) (NBC News)
• A vehicle crashes into a Lao New Year parade in New Iberia, Louisiana, United States, injuring at least 15 people. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Maldivian constitutional referendum, 2026 Maldivian local elections
  • Maldivians vote to elect members of local councils and decide on a constitutional referendum that proposes holding presidential and parliamentary elections concurrently on the same day in 2028. (Raajje TV)
  • Early provisional results indicate that voters rejected the proposed constitutional amendment, while also allowing the Maldivian Democratic Party to retain five mayoral seats. (Raajje TV) (The Times of Maldives)
• Cameroon's parliament approves a constitutional amendment reinstating the position of vice president, who will assume the presidency if the office becomes vacant and will be appointed by the president for the remainder of the term. (Reuters)
• The term of Vjosa Osmani as President of Kosovo ends and is succeded by the speaker of the Assembly, Albulena Haxhiu, who becomes acting president until a new president is elected. (Telegrafi)

Science and technology

• Cyberwarfare during the 2026 Iran war
  • Planet Labs suspends public release of satellite imagery of Iran and surrounding conflict areas at the request of the U.S. government, shifting to restricted, case-by-case distribution for selected uses. The policy applies retroactively to images from March 9 and follows earlier delays imposed to limit potential military use of commercial imagery. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2025–26 NHL season
  • In ice hockey, the NHL's Buffalo Sabres clinch the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2010–11 season, ending their 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought. (The Athletic via The New York Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
        • The state-owned energy company Bapco Energies reports an Iranian drone attack on one of its storage facilities. An oil tank caught fire as a result. (The Jerusalem Post)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Jordan
        • Jordan's military intercepts two missiles and two drones from Iran. (Al Jazeera)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
        • An Iranian drone strikes the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation building, which also houses the Ministry of Oil. The impact triggers a fire, prompting the evacuation of the entire complex. (The Jerusalem Post)
        • An office complex housing government ministries in Kuwait City is struck by a drone, causing significant property damage. (The Quint)
        • Two power plants and their associated desalination facilities are severely damaged. The electricity and water ministry confirms the failure of two power generation units. (The Quint)
    • 2026 United States F-15E rescue operation in Iran
      • Iranian media claims an American Lockheed C-130 Hercules was shot down in Isfahan, Iran, while on a search and rescue operation for a missing U.S. airman. (Al Jazeera)
      • After heavy fighting, the weapon systems officer from the downed F-15E is successfully recovered by U.S. special forces. (Al Jazeera) (BBC News) (BBC News)
      • Two American C-130 transport aircraft and 4 MH-6 Little Bird helicopters are destroyed at a temporary U.S. base in Iran by withdrawing U.S. troops to prevent them from being captured by Iranian forces. (Türkiye Today)
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Axios reports that Iran, the U.S., and a group of regional mediators are discussing terms ‌for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the war. (Axios) (Reuters)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • The United Arab Emirates declares its willingness to join a U.S.-led international coalition to secure and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked by Iran. (News18)
    • An Iranian missile strike hits a residential building in Haifa, Israel, killing two people, injuring nine others, including one seriously, and leaving two others missing. (Ynet)
    • The Israeli military says that it has killed Mohammad Reza Ashrafi Kahi, the head of trade at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's oil headquarters, in an airstrike in Tehran. (The Jerusalem Post)
  • Israeli–Lebanese conflict
    • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
      • 2026 Lebanon war
        • Hezbollah claims its fighters struck an Israeli military vessel off the coast of Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
        • Five people are killed in an Israeli airstrike on Kfar Hatta, South Governorate, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
        • A Lebanese soldier is killed by an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon. (Reuters)
        • At least four people are killed and forty are injured by Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
        • Israeli military chief of staff Eyal Zamir says that all parts of Lebanon south of the Litani River have been turned into an "operational zone" against Hezbollah. (Al Jazeera)
  • Israeli–Palestinian conflict
    • Gaza war
      • Gaza genocide
        • On Palestinian Child's Day, human rights organizations report that approximately 350 Palestinian children are currently being held in Israeli prisons, citing a systematic deterioration in detention conditions and allegations of torture. (WAFA)
        • A Palestinian is killed and others are injured, including some seriously, in a drone strike on civilians in Gaza City, Palestine. (Wafa)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
  • The Taliban claims six Pakistani soldiers are killed and several others are injured in clashes along the Durand Line in Tani District, Khost Province, Afghanistan. (CNN-News18)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • Nigerian security forces rescue 31 worshippers abducted during Easter services in a village in the Kaduna State, after an attack on churches by armed assailants. The incident results in at least five deaths. (AFP via The Manila Times)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Two people are killed when a cargo ship sinks after being struck by a Ukrainian drone strike in the Sea of Azov near Kerch, Crimea. (TASS)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iran war fuel crisis
    • Nepal announces that government and educational institutions will have two days off work during the week instead of one, as part of an effort to save fuel. (Al Jazeera)
    • OPEC+ agrees to increase oil production quotas by 206,000 barrels per day for a second consecutive month amid concerns over damage to energy infrastructure and disruptions to maritime routes affecting global supply stability. (AFP via France 24)

Disasters and accidents

• Two merchant vessels near the Italian coast rescued 32 migrants from a boat attempting to cross from Libya to Europe over the Easter weekend, and 71 others are still missing at sea. (Reuters)
• Fifteen people are killed and fourteen others are injured over the past 24 hours in Angola, due to heavy rains in several regions of the country. Five people have also been reported missing, including three in Luanda and two in Benguela. (Xinhua)
• Eight people are killed after a bus and a truck collide head-on near Quimistán, Honduras. (infobae)
• Seven people are killed and one injured after a car and a truck collide head-on in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. (News24)
• Three people, including two children, are killed and another is seriously injured after high winds cause a tree to fall onto an Easter egg hunt in Mittelangeln, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. (AP via CTV News)

Health and environment

• Vaccination in Bangladesh
  • Bangladesh launches an emergency MMR vaccine campaign after new health data shows that at least 130 children have been reported dead from measles in the last six weeks. (AA)

Law and crime

• Iran executes two men convicted of attempting to storm a military facility and access the armory during the protests in January. (Reuters)

Sports

• 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
  • 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game
    • In college basketball, the UCLA Bruins defeat the South Carolina Gamecocks 79-51 to win the 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game. (AFP via The Philippine Star) (NBC 4 Los Angeles)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Iraq
        • Iraqi security sources say that two people are killed after an Iranian drone strike in the Darashakran District of the Erbil Governorate. (Al Jazeera)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
        • Debris from a missile defense system falls on a Raneen Systems building in Mussafah, injuring a Ghanaian citizen. (The Times of Israel)
        • The United Arab Emirates is targeted by 12 ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles, and 19 drones from Iran. (Al Jazeera)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
        • Iran claims to be targeting U.S. satellite equipment and ammunition on Bubiyan Island using drones. (Reuters)
        • The Kuwaiti military responds to 14 ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles, and 46 drones from Iran in Kuwaiti airspace. (Al Jazeera)
        • Fifteen Americans are wounded in an overnight Iranian drone strike on Ali Al Salem Air Base. (CBC News)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
        • The Bahraini military announces that it has intercepted 188 missiles and 468 drones from Iran since the start of the war. (Middle East Eye)
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Pakistan in the 2026 Iran war
        • Pakistan proposes a ceasefire plan received by Iran and the United States, reportedly dubbed the Islamabad Accord, which calls for an immediate halt to hostilities, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a 15–20 day period of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. This comes following reported talks between Pakistani army staff chief Asim Munir, U.S. vice president JD Vance, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. The Pakistani foreign ministry says that talks between Iran and the U.S. are ongoing. (Arab News) (Reuters)
        • U.S. president Donald Trump says that Vance, Witkoff, and senior presidential adviser Jared Kushner are talking to intermediaries in Pakistan on ending the war. He also calls the Iran proposal a "significant step" ahead of his Tuesday deadline. (AA) (NBC News)
        • Iran delivers its response to the United States via Pakistan, rejecting a temporary ceasefire and listing its own 10-point demands, which include a solution to all regional conflicts, lifting of sanctions, reconstruction, and a protocol to re-open the Strait of Hormuz. (Al Jazeera) (Moneycontrol)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
      • An Iranian missile strike hits 15 areas in Israel. A woman is seriously injured in Petah Tikva, while two other people are injured in Tel Aviv. In Haifa, four people are also slightly injured by a cluster bomb. (Ynet) (The Times of Israel)
      • Four bodies are found during a search and rescue operation in a house in Haifa that had been destroyed by an Iranian missile. (The Times of Israel)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • The first vessel from Malaysia passes through the Strait of Hormuz after talks between Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian aimed at securing clearance for 7 stranded Malaysian vessels in the waterway. (Daily Express Malaysia)
      • Fars News Agency reports that Iran has allowed 15 vessels to cross the Strait of Hormuz. (Kurdistan24)
    • The mosque and filling station at the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Iran, are damaged in an airstrike, causing a gas outage in the neighbourhood. (Al Jazeera)
    • At least 13 people are killed in an airstrike on a residential building near Eslamshahr, Tehran Province, Iran. (WBAL-TV)
    • Explosions, likely from airstrikes, are reported in the South Pars gas field, in southern Iran. (Al Jazeera)
    • Four people are killed, seven are injured and others are reported missing in a Israeli–U.S. airstrike on a residential area in eastern Tehran, Iran. (Al Jazeera)
    • Israel claims to have killed Asghar Bakri, the commander of Unit 840 of the Quds Force. (Iran International)
    • Israeli defense minister Israel Katz states that the military is attacking Iran's most important petrochemical plant in Assaluyeh, causing severe damage. (Iran International)
    • Strikes hit a petrochemical complex in Marvdasht, Fars province, Iran, causing a fire. (AFP via Dawn)
    • Majid Khademi, head of the IRGC Intelligence Protection, is killed in an American–Israeli airstrike. (Iran International)
    • Nighttime attacks on Bandar Lengeh and Kong, Iran, kill six people and injured 17 others. (AP)
    • Reports indicate that explosions and attacks occurred early this morning at a military compound in northern Iran and in Khorramshahr. (Iran International)
    • The Israeli military claims to have attacked Mehrabad International Airport as well as two smaller airfields, destroying dozens of Iranian aircraft and helicopters in the process. (The Times of Israel)
  • Red Sea crisis
    • 2026 Houthi strikes on Israel
      • The Houthis launch several long-range drones from Yemen at Eilat, Israel, in a coordinated attack with Hezbollah and Iran. (Al Jazeera)
  • 2026 Lebanon war
    • Christian anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces Party official Pierre Mouawad, his wife, and another woman are killed in an Israeli airstrike in Ain Saadeh, a predominantly Christian town east of Beirut, Lebanon. (The Guardian)(Al Jazeera)
    • Multiple people are killed by Israeli attacks in towns across southern Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
    • The Israeli military orders the evacuation of the southern suburbs of Beirut because Israel will strike "Hezbollah infrastructure". (Al Jazeera)
    • The Lebanese government reports that there are 1.2 million displaced people in Lebanon due to the war. (Al Jazeera)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war, Odesa strikes
    • A Russian drone strike kills three civilians in Odesa Oblast, Ukraine, including a woman and her 2-year-old daughter. (Reuters)
  • Foreign involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Cameroon says Russia has confirmed that 16 Cameroonian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine while fighting alongside Russian forces. Cameroon's foreign ministry says "necessary arrangements" had been made to contact the families of the deceased soldiers. (AP)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Kordofan campaign
    • Sudanese Army says that it has reopened the road linking Dilling, South Kordofan and North Kordofan following battles between the Rapid Support Forces and SPLM-N. (Sudan Tribune)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
  • Afghan forces says that they have captured a border post during clashes with Pakistani troops in Khost Province. (Khaama Press)
  • One child is killed and three others are injured after a piece of unexploded ordnance detonated in Khost Province, Afghanistan. (KabulNow)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • AirAsia says that it plans to open a hub in Bahrain despite the Iran war. (Al-Monitor)

Disasters and accidents

• The Afghani National Disaster Management Authority says that the total number of deaths from recent natural disasters in Afghanistan has risen to 110. (KabulNow)
• One person is killed and four people are injured after a tanker explodes on the Bridge of the Americas near the Panama Canal. (Straits Times)

International relations

• Iran–Japan relations, Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
  • Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi says that her government is planning to hold summit talks with Iran amidst the Iran war. (Mainichi)

Law and crime

• Crime in Mexico
  • Canadian mining company Vizla Silver confirms nine of the ten workers abducted from a silver mine in Concordia Municipality, Sinaloa, Mexico, in late January, are dead. (Reuters)
• Corruption in Russia
  • A court in Kursk Oblast, Russia, sentences former governor Alexei Smirnov to 14 years in prison for defrauding the government by embezzling public funds intended for building fortifications along the Russia–Ukraine border. (Bloomberg)
• The Philippine National Police announces the detention of four of its officers and the relief of two commanders in relation to the April 3 shootout in Puerto Princesa, Philippines, where two police officers and a personnel of the Bureau of Corrections were killed. (PNA) (Philippine Daily Inquirer) (The Philippine Star)

Politics and elections

• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • Left-wing activists protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to call for an end to the war in Iran. (Middle East Eye)

Science and technology

• Artemis program
  • NASA's Artemis II spacecraft carrying four astronauts breaks the record for furthest distance humans have ever travelled from Earth surpassing the previous 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) record set by Apollo 13 in April 1970. (AP)

Sports

• 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
  • In college basketball, the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team beats UConn, 69–63, to win the national championship. Michigan also becomes the first team to beat UConn past the Sweet 16 or later since Michigan State in the 2009 tournament. (AFP via SportsDesk) (ESPN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Islamabad Accord
        • United States president Donald Trump announces on his Truth Social that, based on conversations with Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and field marshal Asim Munir, he has agreed to "suspend the bombing and attacks on Iran for a period of two weeks", subject to Iran agreeing to the "complete, immediate and safe opening" of the Strait of Hormuz, and to allow time for an agreement to be reached. (AFP via ABS-CBN News) (Axios)
        • Iranian ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri-Moghaddam says that the Pakistan-mediated framework aimed at a ceasefire to end the war has reached a "critical, sensitive stage". (WION) (ARY News)
        • Trump tells Fox News that the U.S. is in "heated negotiations" with Iran after being briefed about the proposal. (CBS News)
        • It is reported that U.S. vice president JD Vance would serve as the U.S. interlocutor in ceasefire talks. (CBS News)
      • Trump warns that "a whole civilization will die tonight" and will "never be brought back" if Iran does not agree to a deal by noon (GMT). (AP) (Reuters)
      • The New York Times reports that Iran has ended direct contact with the U.S. in response to Trump's latest threat to "end its civilization". However, Tehran Times denies the reports by stating on X that "diplomatic and indirect channels of talks with [the] U.S. are not closed". (AA) (Bloomberg) (Iran International)
      • Vance says that the war in Iran will conclude "very shortly", claiming that the U.S. military has achieved all objectives. (Middle East Monitor)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia
        • Saudi Arabia–United States relations
          • The U.S. embassy in Riyadh advises its citizens to reconsider participating in this year's Hajj. The U.S. has raised its travel advisory for Saudi Arabia to Level 3 and warns of security risks such as rocket and drone attacks. (TRT World)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
        • Four people are injured by falling debris in Muraikh, Qatar, after the Qatari military intercepts Iranian missiles. (Al Jazeera)
        • Iranian drones strike a SABIC petrochemical complex in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, causing a fire. (AFP via The Times of Israel)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
        • An Iranian ballistic missile strikes a Thuraya building in the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, injuring two Pakistani nationals. (Al Jazeera)
      • Iran threatens to launch massive retaliatory strikes against the energy infrastructure of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the event of a U.S. attack on its power plants. (MarketScreener) (MoneyControl)
      • Saudi Arabia closes the King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain for several hours after the Iranian Fars News Agency has published a list of strategic bridges in the Gulf region as potential targets for retaliation. (Al Jazeera)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • China and Russia veto a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on UN member states to "coordinate efforts, defensive in nature" to ensure the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that it was biased against Iran. (Reuters via Al Jazeera)
    • Iraq in the 2026 Iran war, 2026 United States–Israeli conflict with pro-Iranian Iraqi militias
      • Kata'ib Hezbollah announces the release of American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped by gunmen in Baghdad on March 31. The group's condition for Kittleson's freedom is her departure from Iraq. (The Jerusalem Post)
    • At least 35 people are killed in airstrikes across Iran. (Al Jazeera)
    • Reports indicate nighttime attacks in the greater Tehran area, in Ahvaz, Chahbahar, Jask, Shiraz, and Yazd, as well as near Shahid Kalantari Port, Tis Port, and the Imam Ali base. (Iran International)
    • Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel has struck bridges and railways in Iran allegedly used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (The Jerusalem Post) (Reuters via The Standard)
    • U.S. and Israeli warplanes strike Iranian military targets on Kharg Island that results in several massive explosions. (Metro) (NBC News)
    • At least five people are killed after a rocket fired from Kuwait landed in Basra, southern Iraq. (Shafaq)
  • 2026 Lebanon war
    • Three people are killed and several are injured by an Israeli airstrike in Maarakah, Tyre District, Lebanon. (Daily Sabah)
    • One person is killed by an Israeli drone strike in Deir ez-Zahrani, Nabatieh District, Lebanon. (Daily Sabah)
    • One person is killed by an Israeli strike in Zebdin, Nabatieh District, Lebanon. (Daily Sabah)
    • The Israeli military says that 36 soldiers were injured over the past two days, bringing the total casualties to 411. (Al Jazeera)
    • Israel deploys the 98th Division to southern Lebanon, raising the force there to five divisions. (AA)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
  • The Afghan foreign ministry says that talks between the Taliban–led government of Afghanistan and Pakistan in Ürümqi, China, to end the conflict have been "useful". (ABC News)
• 2026 attack on Israeli consulate in Istanbul
  • One gunman is killed, while two other perpetrators and two policemen are injured in a shootout outside of the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. The two injured perpetrators have been captured and detained by police. (Al Jazeera)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • Armed attackers kill at least 50 people in a village in Shiroro, Niger State, Nigeria, including local hunters, militia members, and civilians. (AFP via Macau Business)

Arts and culture

• Destruction of cultural heritage sites during the 2026 Iran war
  • The semi-official Mehr News Agency reports that a suspected Israeli–U.S. missile struck the Rafi'-Nia synagogue in central Tehran. (Dawn)
• This year's Wireless Festival in London, England, is cancelled and all tickets are refunded after its headliner, American rapper Kanye West, is banned from entering the United Kingdom by the Home Office on the grounds that "his presence would not be conducive to the public good" amid controversy over his past antisemitic comments on Jews and Adolf Hitler, and his association with neo-Nazis. (BBC News) (CNN)

Business and economy

• The Japanese House of Councillors enacts the country's largest state budget in history worth ¥122.3 trillion (€664 billion). (Euronews)

Disasters and accidents

• Mediterranean Sea migrant smuggling
  • The International Organization for Migration reports that at least 990 deaths have been recorded in 2026 across the Mediterranean Sea, making it one of the deadliest starts to a year since 2014, with over 180 people feared dead or missing in the latest shipwrecks since 28 March. (AFP via The Daily Star)
• The death toll from a large fire at a petrochemical plant in Tatarstan, Russia, five days ago, rises to 12, including a firefighter. Dozens of others were injured. (Reuters)
• Three people are killed and another is reported missing after a scaffolding collapse at a steel plant in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. (The Japan Times)
• A TGV train collides with a military lorry on a level crossing at Nœux-les-Mines, France. The train driver is killed and 27 people are wounded. (Liverpool Echo)
• The death toll from natural disasters, including heavy rain, storms and floods, rises to 188 in Afghanistan and Pakistan. (AFP via The Daily Star) (Business Recorder)

International relations

• Cuba–United States relations
  • 2026 Cuban crisis
    • Cuban president and First Secretary of the Communist Party Miguel Díaz-Canel warns the United States that his forces will wage a guerrilla warfare campaign if the U.S. military invades and occupies the country. (CBS News)
• Cross-strait relations
  • At the invitation of paramount leader Xi Jinping, Kuomintang chairperson Cheng Li-wun begins the first visit to China by a Taiwanese opposition leader since 2016. (AP)
• Iraq–Kuwait relations
  • Protestors storm the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra, Iraq, after a rocket attack launched from Kuwait killed three people in Basra. (Türkiye Today)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the Afghanistan War
  • War crimes in Afghanistan
    • Australian Army veteran and Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith is arrested by police at Sydney Airport for alleged war crimes committed between 2009 and 2012 during his deployment to Afghanistan. (Reuters)
• Corruption in South Sudan
  • South Sudan president Salva Kiir Mayardit sacks National Legislative Assembly speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba and her deputy Parmena Awerial Aluong after his ruling party backed a no-confidence vote accusing them of corruption and mismanagement. (Pan African Visions) (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • Protests against the 2026 Iran war in the United States
    • A protest is held outside the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., after the ceasefire announcement, calling for President Trump's removal from office and accusing him of war crimes. (India TV)
  • Iran calls on the population to form human chains around critical infrastructure such as power stations and bridges ahead of a U.S. deadline that threatens their destruction. (The Hill)
  • Human chain protests are held across bridge and power plant structures in Iran to protest against Trump's threats against civilian infrastructure. (The Telegraph)
  • Citizens in Ilam, Iran, form a human chain protest against Trump's threats against key infrastructure in the country. (Away The Voice)
• 2026 Vietnamese presidential election
  • The National Assembly of Vietnam re-elects General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Tô Lâm as president for the 2026–2031 tenure, and Lê Minh Hưng as prime minister. (Xinhua) (Viet Nam News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
        • Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi confirms the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States, which includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The ceasefire is ratified by the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). (Shafaq) (Khaleej Times)
        • The SNSC announces that negotiations between Iran and the U.S. will start on Friday in Islamabad, Pakistan, with the U.S. contingent to be led by vice president JD Vance alongside senior presidential adviser Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff. (Axios) (Middle East Eye)
        • Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. president Donald Trump both claim that the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, despite contrary statements from both Iran and Pakistan on their versions of the ceasefire agreement. (Al Jazeera) (BBC News) (The New York Times)
        • White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt states that Netanyahu and Trump will continue discussions on potentially including Lebanon in a ceasefire arrangement. (AFP via Aaj News)
        • After the announcement, an Israeli military spokesperson states that Israel is still launching attacks on Iran. (CNN)
        • Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian says the ceasefire with Israel and the U.S. has been violated as a result of the bombings of Iranian islands and Lebanon. Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf later echoes the remarks, citing the attacks as well as the "denial of Iran to enrich uranium." (CNBC) (Forbes) (G1)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
        • The Bahraini military intercepts six missiles and 31 drones. (Yemen Online)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
        • Kuwait's interior ministry reports fires at several oil facilities, power plants, and desalination plants after an Iranian drone attack. (Middle East Eye)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
        • The Qatari military intercepts seven ballistic missiles and multiple drones. (DPA via Yahoo News)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia
        • Saudi Arabia's East–West Crude Oil Pipeline is hit in an Iranian attack. (Reuters)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
        • The Emirati military intercepts 17 ballistic missiles and 35 drones. (The National)
      • After the announcement of a ceasefire, Iran launches ballistic missiles at Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. (CNBC News) (CNN)
      • Iranian agencies report explosions from the Lavan and Sirri islands of unknown origin. Iran accuses Kuwait and the UAE of the attacks and launches retaliatory attacks against those countries in response. (Ynet) (Wanaen)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • Thailand confirms the three crewmen on a vessel that was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz in March have died. (Al Jazeera)
      • MarineTraffic reports the first ships that have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire announcement, namely the Greek-owned bulk carrier NJ Earth and Liberia-flagged Daytona Beach. (CNBC) (Euronews)
      • Iran closes Strait of Hormuz maritime traffic to oil tankers over Israeli attacks in Lebanon, claiming that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire. (G1) (Forbes)
    • Bahrain, Iraq, and Syria reopen their airspace after weeks of closure. The Damascus International Airport and the Bahrain International Airport begin resuming flights. (Khaleej Times) (BNA) (AA)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • 2026 Israeli Beirut strikes
        • At least 254 people are killed and 1,165 others are injured in a wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon, including in southern Lebanon, Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley. (Al Jazeera) (Al Jazeera) (BBC News)
      • The IDF announces that its strikes in Lebanon are one part of a new operation called "Eternal Darkness". (Ynet)
      • The Israeli military says that it has halted strikes against Iran, but state that they will continue fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon. (The Times of Israel)
      • The Lebanese army closes a bridge in the Tyre District after receiving a warning of a possible Israeli strike on the structure. The bridge is the last crossing linking areas north and south of the Litani River in the area, where many residents remain despite evacuation notices. (AFP via The Times of Israel)
  • Israeli–Palestinian conflict
    • Gaza war
      • Killing of journalists in the Gaza war
        • An Israeli airstrike in Sheikh Ijlin, Gaza City, Palestine, kills two people, including Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Wishah. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes
  • 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict
    • Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning says that Afghanistan and Pakistan has agreed on a comprehensive plan to end tensions after seven days of talks in Ürümqi, China. The two countries also agree to avoid any escalations in their current conflict. (AFP via The Straits Times) (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Tariffs in the second Trump administration
    • U.S. president Donald Trump threatens to impose 50% tariffs on countries that supply military weapons to Iran. (CNBC)
  • Danish shipping company Maersk says that they will take a "cautious approach" for vessels to cross the Strait of Hormuz despite the ceasefire and says that they have not provided security certainty as to when normal operations would resume. (Reuters)
  • German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd says that it still does not plan to resume transiting the Strait of Hormuz despite the two-week ceasefire. They also say that it would need 6–8 weeks for recovery and for normal operations to resume. (Insider Paper) (Reuters)
  • Oil prices plunge below US$95 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average surges past 1,000 after the ceasefire announcement. (AP)

International relations

• Belarus–North Korea relations
  • Belarus plans to open an embassy in North Korea by August 1 after president Alexander Lukashenko visited the country in March following a decree signed by prime minister Alexander Turchin. (Caliber.az)

Law and crime

• 2026 attack on Israeli consulate in Istanbul
  • Turkish police arrest 198 suspects across 34 provinces in operations targeting the Islamic State following a fatal shootout outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7. Several suspects are placed in pre-trial detention as part of the investigation. (AFP via Yahoo News)
• Gilgo Beach serial killings
  • Rex Heuermann admits in court to killing eight women and discarding their bodies between 1993 and 2010 in New York, United States. Heuermann is expected to receive a sentence of life in prison without parole when he is sentenced on June 17. (AFP via RTHK) (NBC News)
• Illegal drug trade in the United States
  • A U.S. court sentences Jasveen Sangha to 15 years in prison for distributing ketamine that resulted in the death of actor Matthew Perry in 2023, as part of a wider investigation into a network supplying controlled substances. Authorities also charge and sentence other individuals, including medical professionals, in connection with the distribution of the drug. (AFP via France 24)

Politics and elections

• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • Anti-war protesters gather outside the U.S. embassy in Ottawa, Canada, to protest against the Iran war despite the ceasefire along with the wars in Lebanon and Gaza. (CTV News)
  • Around 50,000 protestors across over 150 locations, including around 30,000 outside the National Diet Building in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan, protest against the war and proposals by prime minister Sanae Takaichi plan to revise Article 9 of the constitution. (CNN) (Kanagawa Shimbun)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
        • After pressure from the United States, Israel agrees to hold direct talks with Lebanon in Washington, D.C., but refuses to observe the Iran war ceasefire in Lebanon. (Axios) (AA)
        • German chancellor Friedrich Merz announces that Germany will resume direct negotiations with Iran to support a ceasefire between Iran and the U.S., with talks planned in Islamabad, Pakistan, involving a German delegation. (Xinhua)
        • Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian says that supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the ceasefire. (The Times of Israel)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
        • The Bahraini military intercepts seven drones from Iran. (AA)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
        • The Kuwaiti military reports that drones attacked several vital facilities and caused significant damage to a national guard base. (AA)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announces alternative routes for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, citing risks of sea mines in the main shipping channel. (AFP via Arab News)
      • Abu Dhabi National Oil Company CEO Sultan Al Jaber says that the strait is still not open because Iran has been restricting and controlling traffic. (CNBC)
      • Gabon-flagged oil tanker MSG crosses the Strait of Hormuz according to MarineTraffic, making it the first non-Iranian oil tanker to cross the waterway since the ceasefire was announced. (Gulf Today)
    • Iranian officials killed during the 2026 Iran war
      • Former Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi dies from injuries sustained during an Israeli–U.S. airstrike on his home on April 1. (Ynet)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • Hezbollah launches rockets at the Israeli kibbutz of Manara, citing Israeli and American violations of the ceasefire linked to the Iran war. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
      • At least seven people are killed by a wave of Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling across Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
      • The Israeli military says that it has killed Lebanese Resistance Brigades commanders Maher Qassem Hamdan and Ali Yusuf Harshi, personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem. (The Jerusalem Post) (Reuters)
      • Hezbollah says that its fighters are engaged in "point-blank clashes" with Israeli troops in Bint Jbeil, Lebanon. (Al Arabiya)
      • Lebanese authorities update the losses from the previous day's attacks to 303 killed and 1,150 injured. (AA)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russia–United Kingdom relations, Russian sabotage operations in Europe
    • British defence secretary John Healey says three Russian Navy submarines engaged in covert operations against the UK in the North Sea near its undersea cables and says counter-measures are underway. (BBC News)
  • The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War says that Russia has returned 1,000 bodies of fallen individuals to Ukraine as part of repatriation efforts. (Interfax Ukraine)
  • Russian president Vladimir Putin declares a ceasefire for the weekend in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter. (AP)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Darfur campaign
    • The Sudan Founding Alliance says that over 56 civilians, including 17 children, are killed and 107 are injured in a Sudanese drone strike on a wedding celebration in Kutum, North Darfur, Sudan. (The Sudan Times)
  • The World Food Programme announces the return of its Sudan office in Khartoum for the first time in three years amidst a hunger crisis caused by the war. (Sudan Tribune) (Sudan Horizon)

Arts and culture

• The Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall, and other holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem reopen for the first time since the war with Iran started on February 28 after being closed by authorities due to security concerns. (Israel National News) (Middle East Eye) (The Times of Israel)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announces plans to allocate €5 billion to support economies affected by the Iran war, focusing on financial systems, businesses, and infrastructure in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. (Reuters via London South East)
  • Gulf Air, the flag carrier of Bahrain, announces a plan to return its operations hub to Bahrain International Airport after having relocated to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, during the Iran war. (Aerospace Global News)
  • Oil prices rebound amidst concerns about the ceasefire, with U.S. and Brent Crude oil back up to nearly US$100 per barrel. (NBC News)
  • Saudi Arabia reports that the recent Iranian attack on a pumping station of the East–West Crude Oil Pipeline reduced its throughput by 700,000 barrels per day. (CNBC)
• Mining in Venezuela
  • Venezuela's National Assembly approves a reform of mining laws that allows greater private investment in the country's mineral sector, with the bill advancing to constitutional review. The measure forms part of broader economic changes aimed at increasing foreign participation in natural resource industries. (Le Monde)
• USAID in the second Trump administration
  • The OECD reports that official development assistance from its member states declined by 23.1 percent in real terms to US$174.3 billion, marking the largest recorded annual decrease, with the reduction largely driven by cuts from the United States. (AFP via Indo Premier)

Disasters and accidents

• European migrant crisis
  • Four people are killed and 38 are rescued after an inflatable dinghy of migrants capsized near Calais, off the coast of northern France. (Reuters)

International relations

• Cuba–Russia relations, 2026 Cuban crisis
  • Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov meets with Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel in Havana to discuss bilateral relations amid ongoing tensions between Cuba and the U.S. over energy and economic measures, and following the recent arrival of a Russian oil shipment to Cuba despite U.S. restrictions. (AFP via Daily Sun)
• India–Qatar relations
  • Indian oil and gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri visits Qatar to discuss the prioritization of energy exports, as the country is India's largest supplier of liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas. (OilPrice.com) (Reuters)
• Iraq–United States relations
  • United States deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau summons the ambassador of Iraq to protest the Iraqi government's failure to prevent militia attacks on American personnel. (AA)

Law and crime

• Corruption in Nepal
  • Nepal issues an arrest warrant for former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, former foreign minister Arzu Rana Deuba, for alleged money laundering. (AFP via CNA)
• Pakistan enforces a lockdown in the Capital Territory to prepare for Iran–U.S. ceasefire talks. (Times of India)

Politics and elections

• The Supreme Court of Russia designates the human rights group Memorial as an extremist organization and bans its activities following a petition by the Ministry of Justice. (AP via Laredo Morning Times)

Science and technology

• International Space Station program
  • Isar Aerospace's "Onward and Upward" mission, which had been due to launch from Andøya Space port in Andøya, Norway, is postponed for a third time due to a possible leak. (isaraerospace.com) (NRK)
• Ngogo chimpanzee war
  • A study published in the Science journal finds that 28 chimpanzees, including 19 infants, have been killed during an ongoing chimpanzee war in Kibale National Park, Uganda. (NBC News)
• North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
  • The Korean Central News Agency reports that North Korea has tested various military technologies throughout the week, including a surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile identified as Hwasongpho-11 Ka. (Yonhap News Agency)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
        • Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says that peace talks with the United States will not begin until there is a ceasefire in Lebanon and Iranian assets are unfrozen. (Al Jazeera)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
        • The Kuwaiti military reports that several national guard personnel were injured by Iranian drones. (Al Jazeera)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • The Pakistani military evacuates the crew of a merchant vessel in the Arabian Sea following a distress call. (Al Jazeera)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • Israel launches attacks across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, killing at least 21 people, including 13 Lebanese State Security personnel in Nabatieh. (Al Jazeera) (AA) (Al Jazeera)
      • Hezbollah fires at least thirty rockets at Kiryat Shmona, Metula, Misgav Am, and Ashdod Naval Base in Israel, saying that it was a response to ceasefire violations. (Al Jazeera) (Al Jazeera)
      • Israeli chief of staff Eyal Zamir says that the military is in a "state of war" in Lebanon despite the ceasefire with Iran, while visiting Israeli troops deployed near Bint Jbeil. (AA)
      • Preliminary talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials are planned for next week in Washington, D.C., United States. (Al Jazeera)
• Afghan conflict
  • At least 10 people are killed and several others are injured after gunmen open fire in Injil District, Herat Province, Afghanistan. (KabulNow)

Arts and culture

• Over 100,000 Muslims worship at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Temple Mount, East Jerusalem, after it reopens for the first time after Israel closed the site at the start of the Gaza war. (Times of Israel)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iran war fuel crisis
    • Protests over fuel prices are held in Ireland and Norway. (The Guardian)
  • The parliament of South Korea approves a supplementary budget worth ₩26.2 trillion (US$17.7 billion) to address the economic effects of the war, which includes cash assistance to 35 million South Koreans. (AA)

Disasters and accidents

• At least ten people are killed, 13 others are injured, and several are reported missing when a boat carrying a group of devotees capsizes in the Yamuna river in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India. (The Times of India)
• The remains of the two individuals in a Cessna 172 aircraft, which crashed into a mountain in Tubajon, Dinagat Islands, Philippines, while en route to Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte on April 8, are recovered by the authorities. (PNA via Manila Bulletin) (ABS-CBN News)
• An Air Services Limited Cessna 208 Caravan crashes during a national cargo flight in Guyana. (Demerara Waves)

International relations

• Cross-strait relations
  • Paramount leader Xi Jinping tells Kuomintang chairwoman Cheng Li-wun that China will "absolutely not tolerate" independence for Taiwan, in his first meeting with a Taiwanese opposition leader in a decade. (Reuters) (CNBC)
• International recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
  • Mali withdraws its diplomatic recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and endorses Morocco's autonomy proposal for Western Sahara. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• A shooting at the campus bar of Lambton College's Sarnia campus in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, kills one and injures two, with the Sarnia campus closing for the day and all activities being suspended. (CBC Windsor)
• A 20-year old was arrested for throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's home and starting a fire. Altman was uninjured. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Djiboutian presidential election
  • Djiboutians vote to elect a president to serve for the next five years. Incumbent president Ismaïl Omar Guelleh is running for a sixth term. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Artemis program
  • NASA's Artemis II spacecraft completes its mission and splashes down in the northern Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California, U.S. (The Guardian) (Space.com)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
        • The delegations of the Iran and the United States arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan, for ceasefire talks, the highest-level engagement between the two countries since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, with the Iranian delegation led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and the U.S. delegation led by vice president JD Vance. (Arab News PK)
        • The first round of talks end without a peace deal, but is expected to continue into Sunday night. (CNBC)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • U.S. president Donald Trump says that the U.S. has begun "clearing out" naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz. (AA)
      • The U.S. Central Command confirms that the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Frank Peterson and USS Michael Murphy have crossed the Strait of Hormuz to ensure the strait is clear of naval mines. (The Times of Israel) (Reuters) (CENTCOM)
      • India-flagged LPG gas tanker Jag Vikram crosses the Strait of Hormuz, becoming the first Indian vessel to cross the Hormuz since the ceasefire. It is expected to arrive in Mumbai on April 15. (Hindustan Times)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • At least ten people, including three emergency workers, are killed by Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
      • The Israeli army has reportedly encircled Bint Jbeil, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon. (DPA via Yahoo News)
      • Israel rejects a ceasefire with Hezbollah. (Al Jazeera)
      • The Lebanese government reports that the death toll from the war has surpassed 2,000 people. (Middle East Eye)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • 2026 Yobe State airstrike
    • At least 200 people are feared dead after a Nigerian Air Force airstrike accidentally hits a market instead of Boko Haram militants in Yobe State, Nigeria. (Reuters)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Darfur campaign
    • It is reported that a prominent senior North Darfur commander in the Rapid Support Forces has defected to the Sudanese Army. (Sudan Tribune)
• Operation Southern Spear, United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
  • Five people are killed in two airstrikes carried out by the United States Navy against an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific. (The Guardian)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russia and Ukraine announce a 32-hour ceasefire in observation of Orthodox Easter, alongside a prisoner exchange of 175 servicemen. (Reuters)
• Yemeni civil war
  • The Yemeni Army and Houthis engage in intense fighting in the As-Silw district in Taiz Governorate, Yemen, killing two soldiers. Additionally, the Yemeni Army says that it repelled a Houthi attack. (Yemen Monitor)

Disasters and accidents

• Citadelle Laferrière crowd crush
  • At least 30 people are killed after a stampede at the Citadelle Laferrière in Nord, Haiti. (Sky News)
• The Afghan disaster authority says that the death toll from recent floods in Afghanistan rises to 178 with 236 people injured, including 22 more deaths recorded in 24 hours. (Khaama Press)
• At least 13 people are killed and 30 others are injured when a bus crashes into two trucks in Katihar district, Bihar, India. (Hindustan Times)
• Two people are killed and at least three others are injured after a building collapsed in Germasogeia, Limassol, Cyprus. (Xinhua News)
• A speeding truck crashes into at least 22 vehicles and a village gym in Davao City, Philippines, killing six people and injuring six others. (Brigada News)

International relations

• Pakistan–Qatar relations, Pakistan–United Arab Emirates relations, Saudi Arabia–Pakistan relations
  • Pakistan announces that Qatar and Saudi Arabia will provide US$5 billion in financial assistance to support the country's foreign exchange reserves and enable it to repay $3.5 billion of debt to the United Arab Emirates by the end of April. (AA)

Politics and elections

• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iranian diaspora protests
    • Amidst the Islamabad ceasefire talks, Iranian diaspora protesters gather in Bangkok, Thailand to reaffirm their calls for regime change. (Thai Examiner)
  • Anti-war and anti-government protests against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu occur across Israel, including 2,000 protesters at Habima Square in Tel Aviv that exceeded court-ordered limits. Protests also occur in Jerusalem and Haifa. (Times of Israel)
• 2026 Djiboutian presidential election
  • Preliminary results released after yesterday's presidential election reveal that incumbent president Ismaïl Omar Guelleh has won a sixth term in office with 97.81% of the vote, beating CDU candidate Mohamed Farah Samatar, who took 2.19% of the vote. (AP) (France 24)
• 2026 Iraqi presidential election
  • The Council of Representatives elects PUK candidate Nizar Amidi as president of Iraq in the second round, defeating Muthana Amin of the Kurdistan Islamic Union in a 227–15 vote. (Kurdistan24) (AA)

Sports

• 2026 Grand National
  • In horse racing, I Am Maximus, ridden by Irish jockey Paul Townend, wins this year's Grand National at Aintree Racecourse, England, becoming the second horse since Red Rum to win the Grand National twice. (BBC News)
• 2026 Masters Tournament
  • In golf, Shane Lowry becomes the first player to accomplish multiple holes in one in the Masters Tournament. (AFP via The Manila Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • 2026 Strait of Hormuz campaign
        • U.S. president Donald Trump announces a U.S. naval blockade of Iran and the strait "effective immediately," which will "seek and interdict" any vessel that paid Iran's toll to cross the strait. (Axios)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia
        • Saudi Arabia announces the restoration of its East–West Crude Oil Pipeline and other energy facilities following an Iranian attack. (AFP via New Straits Times) (Reuters)
    • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
      • The initial three rounds of ceasefire talks between Iran and the United States conclude in Islamabad, Pakistan, after 14 hours. However, the Iranian government says that negotiations will continue. (AA) (Reuters)
      • U.S. vice president JD Vance, who led the American delegation in the ceasefire talks, says that the two sides have not reached a deal to end the war, with disagreement over nuclear weapon development, and that the U.S. made its "final and best offer" and stated "We'll see if the Iranians accept it". (Al Jazeera) (NBC News)
      • Pakistani deputy prime minister Ishaq Dar urges Iran and the U.S. to uphold their commitment to observe a ceasefire after Vance said that both sides didn't reach an agreement. Dar also says that Pakistan will continue to play its role in facilitating engagement and dialogue between both sides. (Arab News PK)
      • Pakistani sources say that the major disagreements during the talks were Iran's nuclear program, missile program, restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, and calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon. (MENA via The New Arab)
    • The Iranian government updates the death toll in Iran to 3,375 people. (Al Jazeera)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • At least 24 people are killed by Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
  • Israeli–Palestinian conflict
    • Gaza war
      • The Israeli military claims that they have killed several Hamas terrorists who took part in hostage-taking during the October 7 attacks, including Nukhba commander Ali Sami Mohammad Shakra, in a strike in central Gaza yesterday that killed seven people. (The Jerusalem Post) (The Times of Israel)
• Three Pakistan Coast Guard personnel are killed when Balochistan Liberation Army militants open fire on a patrol boat in the Arabian Sea near the Iran–Pakistan border. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• 2026 Laurence Olivier Awards
  • In theatre, Punch wins Best New Play and Paddington: The Musical wins seven prizes, including Best New Musical, at the 2026 Laurence Olivier Awards. (AP) (Reuters)

International relations

• Azerbaijan–Iran relations
  • Azerbaijan's embassy in Tehran resumes its operations during the ceasefire, initially with a limited staff. (AA)
• Iraq–Saudi Arabia relations
  • The Saudi foreign ministry summons the ambassador of Iraq over "continued attacks and threats" against it and other Gulf Arab states from Iraqi territory. (AA)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Peruvian general election
  • Peruvians vote to elect 130 members of the Chamber of Deputies and 60 members of a newly created senate, while also determining the top two presidential candidates that will advance to a run-off election. (AP)
  • Peruvian police and prosecutors conduct searches at the electoral authority's headquarters and a private company as part of an investigation into delays in delivering voting materials that prevent more than 60,000 people from voting. Officials attribute the issue to logistical failures affecting multiple polling stations in Lima. The electoral authority later announces that some polling stations will reopen. (AFP via Free Malaysia Today) (AFP via NAMPA)
  • Exit polls show Popular Force's Keiko Fujimori leading the presidential election with about 16 percent of the vote, with no candidate securing a majority and a run-off expected between Fujimori and Popular Renewal's Rafael López Aliaga. (AFP with Le Monde)
• 2026 Beninese presidential election
  • Beninese citizens vote to elect a president that will succeed the incumbent Patrice Talon and serve for the next seven years. Finance minister Romuald Wadagni and FCBE candidate Paul Hounkpè are the only two candidates on the ballot. (Reuters)
• 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election
  • Hungarians vote to elect all 199 members of the National Assembly. The incumbent prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who was seeking a fifth consecutive term in office, concedes defeat and calls Tisza Party leader Péter Magyar on the telephone to congratulate him on his victory. The pro-European Tisza Party wins two-thirds of the seats in Hungary's legislature. The turnout is the highest since the fall of communism, at 77.8%. (BBC) (The Guardian)
• 2026 Iraqi presidential election
  • Nizar Amidi, elected the previous day, takes office as President of Iraq, succeeding Abdul Latif Rashid. (Qatar News Agency)

Sports

• 2026 Masters Tournament
  • In golf, Rory McIlroy wins back-to-back titles at the Masters Tournament. (The Guardian)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • 2026 Strait of Hormuz campaign, Naval blockade of Iran
        • In a notice to seafarers, the U.S. Central Command announces that a blockade of Iranian ports is now in effect, with all unauthorized vessels in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz subject to interdiction. (Al Jazeera)
      • Three ships successfully cross the Strait of Hormuz since the blockade was announced, including Marshall Islands-flagged vessel New Future, Vietnam-flagged NV Sunshine, and Panama-flagged tanker Auroura, which was recently sanctioned by the United States for its links to Iranian oil trading. (Bloomberg) (Caspian Post)
    • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
      • Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif says that the ceasefire is still in force and efforts are still underway to end the war despite the recent talks ending without an agreement. (Arab News PK)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • Battle of Bint Jbeil (2026)
        • The Israeli army claims to have killed over 100 Hezbollah fighters during the battle in Bint Jbeil. (Al Jazeera)
      • At least six people are killed by Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon, including at an International Red Cross location in Tyre. (Al Jazeera)
• Operation Southern Spear, United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
  • Two people are killed in an airstrike carried out by the United States Navy against an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific. (Reuters)
• Haitian conflict
  • Seven people are killed after a police station in Marigot, Sud-Est, Haiti, was burned during a gang attack. (AP)
• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • Two suicide bombers blow themselves up near a police station in Blida, Algeria, wounding several people. (Le Monde)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • A policeman is killed and four others are injured during an ambush against a polio vaccination team in Hangu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Dunya News)

Business and economy

• 2026 Cuban crisis
  • Spanish airline Iberia announces the suspension of flights to Cuba from June to late October due to fuel supply constraints and reduced passenger demand linked to the U.S.-imposed oil blockade of the country. The airline states that it plans to resume operations in November if conditions improve. (AFP via The Economic Times)
• 2026 Philippine energy crisis
  • Philippine president Bongbong Marcos suspends excises on kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas to reduce household fuel costs amid rising global oil prices linked to the Iran war. (Reuters)
• Chinese property sector crisis
  • A court in Beijing, China, orders the liquidation of Zhongzhi Enterprise Group and more than 300 affiliated companies through a consolidated bankruptcy process, with creditors instructed to submit claims by June 10. (Reuters)
• Chevron Corporation signs two agreements with the government of Venezuela to expand its operations in the oil-producing Orinoco Belt region. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Eleven people are killed after a cement mixer truck collided with a van in Thane district, India. (The Indian Express)
• Five people are killed after two cars collided into each other head-on in Kings County, California, United States. (Fox News)

Health and environment

• Hippopotamuses in Colombia
  • Colombian environment minister Irene Vélez Torres approves the cull of dozens of wild hippos brought to the country by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s with Torres saying up to 80 will be killed out of an estimated population of about 200, citing the need to protect local villagers and native species. (AP)

International relations

• Algeria–Holy See relations, Pastoral visits of Pope Leo XIV
  • Pope Leo XIV arrives in Algiers, marking the first papal visit to Algeria. He will visit Souk Ahras, the birthplace and home of St. Augustine of Hippo, namesake of the Augustinian Order, which Pope Leo is a part of. (AP)
• Bahrain–Iraq relations
  • The Bahraini foreign ministry summons the chargé d'affaires of Iraq over "continued malicious drone attacks" against the country and other Gulf Cooperation Council states from Iraqi territory. (Al Jazeera)
• Iran–Russia relations, Russia in the 2026 Iran war
  • Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov states that Russia is prepared to receive Iran's enriched uranium as part of a potential agreement with the United States, following unsuccessful negotiations between Iran and the U.S. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Law and crime

• Gaza war protests
  • Gaza war protests in the United States
    • Demonstrators in New York City, U.S., are detained during a anti-Israel protest calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel. Protesters also oppose the US-Israel strikes in Iran and Lebanon war. (Reuters)
• Corruption in Spain
  • Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, is charged with influence peddling and corruption in the private sector. (Bloomberg)
• Lafarge scandal
  • A court in Paris, France, convicts cement company Lafarge and several former executives, including former CEO Bruno Lafont, for financing the Islamic State and other Syrian armed groups between 2013 and 2014, imposing fines, asset forfeiture, and prison sentences. (Al Jazeera)
• Three people are killed and four more injured in a mass shooting during a family dispute inside a mosque in Khinjan District, Baghlan Province, Afghanistan. (Amu TV)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Beninese presidential election
  • Provisional results reveal that finance minister Romuald Wadagni won in a landslide victory with 94% of the vote. (Reuters)
• By-elections to the 45th Canadian Parliament
  • Following victories in three federal by-elections, the Liberal Party of Canada wins a majority government nearly a year after the 2025 Canadian federal election. (Reuters)

Sports

• Boycott of Russia and Belarus
  • World Aquatics says that they will allow athletes from Belarus and Russia to compete under their national anthems and flag. (ESPN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
        • Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian tells French president Emmanuel Macron that the Islamabad Talks did not lead to a deal because the United States took "maximalist positions" and had a "lack of goodwill". (Al Jazeera)
        • Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif says that he will visit fellow mediators in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Ankara, Turkey, to push for a second round of talks between Iran and the U.S. (Al Jazeera)
        • U.S. president Donald Trump reportedly tells the New York Post that a second round of talks between Iran and the U.S. could occur within the next two days. (CNBC)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • At least three oil tankers pass through the strait, including the Panama-flagged Peace Gulf, which took the new route through Iranian waters as instructed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (Al Jazeera)
      • Saudi Arabia asks the U.S. to end its naval blockade of the strait. (AA)
  • 2026 Lebanon war
    • 2026 Israel–Lebanon peace talks
      • Israeli and Lebanese officials meet in Washington, D.C., U.S., for the first direct peace talks between the countries in decades, with Israel prioritizing Hezbollah's disarmament and Lebanon limiting its mandate to ceasefire discussions. (AFP via The Economic Times)
      • At the Washington meeting, Israeli and Lebanese officials agree to begin direct negotiations in the future. (AA)
    • Three people are killed by an Israeli raid in Adloun, Sidon District, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
  • Gaza war
    • Palestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip
      • The Israeli military announces that troops from the 205th Brigade and Yahalom have destroyed four Hamas tunnels over the weekend. (The Jerusalem Post)
    • Four people, including a three-year-old, are killed and nine others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a police vehicle in Gaza City. (Reuters)
    • Two people, including a 14-year-old, are killed by Israeli gunfire in North Gaza Governorate. (Reuters)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Darfur campaign
    • Médecins Sans Frontières reports that two people are killed and 56 injured following five drone strikes by the Sudanese military in West Darfur and Central Darfur, Sudan. (ReliefWeb)
  • United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher reports that around 700 people have been killed in drone strikes in Sudan since the year started as the conflict enters its fourth year. (AFP via The Straits Times)
• War on drugs
  • Operation Southern Spear, United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
    • Four people are killed in an airstrike carried out by the United States Navy against an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific. (Al Jazeera)
• Anglophone Crisis, Pastoral visits of Pope Leo XIV
  • Ambazonian militant groups announce a temporary ceasefire in Cameroon after nearly a decade of conflict in anticipation of Pope Leo XIV's visit on April 15. (Vatican News)
• Nigerian bandit conflict
  • Eleven kidnapping victims, including two NDLEA personnel, are rescued and several suspected bandits are arrested by the Nigerian Army in raids across Nigeria. (The Punch)
• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • Four people are killed and at least 25 others are injured in a Russian drone attack in Dnipro, Ukraine. (RTÉ)
• Somali Civil War
  • In a joint operation with international ​support, Somali military and Jubaland regional forces kill at least 27 al-Shabaab militants in the semi-autonomous state of Jubaland. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• English artists Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division / New Order, Oasis, Phil Collins, and Sade, and American artists Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan, are announced as the 2026 inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., in the performers category. (The Guardian)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iran war fuel crisis
    • Oil prices decline, with West Texas Intermediate for May delivery falling 6.2% to US$92.94 per barrel and Brent Crude decreasing 3.77% to $95.61, amid expectations of reduced tensions in the Middle East. (AFP via NAMPA)
    • The Pakistani energy ministry announces daily power outages of about two hours during evening peak demand periods throughout the country, except in Hyderabad and Karachi, to reduce fuel costs and limit tariff increases amid higher energy prices linked to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. (AFP via CNA)
  • American stocks, including the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite, rise amidst the possibility of renewed Iran–U.S. talks. (CNBC)
  • Stocks in the United Kingdom increase amidst hopes of new Iran–U.S. talks. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 20 people are killed and 36 others are severely burnt in an explosion at a privately-owned power station in Sakti district, Chhattisgarh, India. (NDTV)
• Twelve people are killed and hundreds of homes are damaged after heavy rains across Haiti. (AP)
• Eleven people are killed and another is injured when a van collides with a cement mixer in Thane district, Maharashtra, India. (Hindustan Times)

Health and environment

• Climate change in Japan
  • Japan records its lowest-ever net greenhouse gas emissions in fiscal year 2024, falling 1.9% to 994 million tonnes due to reduced energy use and increased reliance on nuclear and renewable energy sources. (AFP via Daily Sabah)

International relations

• Reactions to the 2026 Iran war, Israel–Italy relations
  • Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni announces that Italy is suspending the automatic renewal of an agreement with Israel on exchanging military equipment and technology "in view of the current situation." (Al Jazeera)
• Norway–Ukraine relations
  • The Norwegian government announces that Ukraine will produce drones in the country as part of a bilateral defence cooperation agreement. Norway will support the production of Ukrainian drones, while Ukraine will share data, information and knowledge of the technology with Norway. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Chinese property sector crisis (2020–present)
  • The founder of the property development company Evergrande Hui Ka Yan pleads guilty to several charges, including fundraising fraud and illegally taking public deposits, at a trial in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. (ABC News Australia)
• 2026 Siverek school shooting
  • A 19-year-old man opens fire at a school in Siverek, Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey, wounding 16 people, before killing himself. (CNN)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Irish fuel protests
  • In the Republic of Ireland, the Government of the 34th Dáil wins a no confidence vote tabled by Sinn Féin over its handling of recent fuel protests. (BBC News)
• Constitutional crisis in Somalia, Controversies of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
  • The Somali federal government fails to ensure the timely succession of the Federal Parliament, as its term expired on 14 April. The lapse creates significant uncertainty, with no clear plan for forthcoming elections following a series of constitutional crises. (Bloomberg) (Garowe Online) (Hiiraan Online)
• Greenland's former prime minister Múte Bourup Egede is appointed as the new foreign minister. (Reuters)
• Papuan soldiers block several roads across Port Moresby, protesting the military's recent recruitment controversies. (NBC PNG)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
        • Pakistan in the 2026 Iran war
          • A Pakistani delegation led by military chief Asim Munir arrives in Tehran, Iran, to facilitate the continuation of diplomacy between Iran and the United States. (Al Jazeera)
          • Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif arrives in Jeddah to begin a four-day diplomatic trip through Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey to push for a second round of Iran–U.S. peace talks. (Arab News PK)
        • The U.S. says that it has not formally agreed to extend the ceasefire, although there is ongoing engagement between Iran and the U.S. towards a peace deal. (Al Jazeera)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • 2026 Strait of Hormuz campaign
        • The U.S. Central Command reports that ten vessels have been turned around since the start of the naval blockade of Iran. (NBC News)
      • Iran's military headquarters threatens to close the Red Sea in addition to the strait if the U.S. naval blockade continues. (Al Jazeera)
    • A U.S. official says that over 10,000 additional U.S. military personnel, including sailors aboard USS George H. W. Bush and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit on the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, will arrive in the region later this month. (AA)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • Israeli attacks on the Lebanese health sector during the Israel-Hezbollah conflict
        • At least three paramedics are killed, six others are injured, and one remains missing after Israeli strikes hit incident response teams in Mayfadoun, Nabatieh Governorate, Lebanon. (AFP via LBCI)
      • 2026 Israel–Lebanon peace talks
        • The Israeli security cabinet convenes and does not make a decision about a ceasefire in Lebanon, following the previous day's negotiations. (Times of Israel) (Axios)
      • At least 13 people are killed by Israeli attacks across Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
      • Lebanon's health ministry updates the total casualties to 2,167 killed and 7,061 injured. (Al Jazeera)
  • Israeli military chief of staff Eyal Zamir says that Israel has approved plans for the continuation of military action in both Iran and Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Darfur campaign
    • A drone strike in West Darfur kills three people including Chadian nationals at a border crossing. (Sudan Tribune)
  • The civil war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces enters its fourth year. (AP)
• War on drugs
  • Operation Southern Spear, United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
    • Three people are killed in an airstrike carried out by the United States Navy against an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific. (Reuters)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan War
  • Taliban authorities say that the Markazi High School in the Dangam district, Afghanistan, is damaged by rocket strikes from Pakistan. (KabulNow)
• Russian sabotage operations in Europe
  • Swedish civil defence minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin reports that the Swedish Security Service had prevented a cyberattack on a thermal power station in West Sweden in mid-2025, identifying the perpetrators as a group linked to Russian intelligence, with no significant disruption to operations. (AFP via Macau Business)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iran war fuel crisis
    • China–Russia relations, China in the 2026 Iran war, Russia in the 2026 Iran war
      • Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov states that Russia can supply energy to China and other countries affected by disruptions in shipments through the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war. (AFP via CNA)
    • Iraq–Syria relations, Iraq in the 2026 Iran war, Syria in the 2026 Iran war
      • Syria begins loading the first tanker carrying Iraqi oil at the Baniyas Refinery for export by sea under a bilateral arrangement to reroute shipments amid disruptions to maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. (AFP via SpaceWar.com)
    • Norway records its highest-ever crude oil export value in March, reaching 57.4 billion kroner (US$6.08 billion) for 56.6 million barrels, contributing to a trade surplus of 97.5 billion kroner ($10.3 billion) amid a global fuel crisis. (Bloomberg)
    • South Korea secures imports of 273 million barrels of crude oil (by the end of the year) and 2.1 million tons of naphtha through alternative routes that bypass the Strait of Hormuz, providing several months of supply amid disruptions linked to the Iran war. (AFP via SpaceWar.com)
  • The Iraqi transport ministry announces that Iraqi Airways will resume flights to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, beginning tomorrow and Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday. (Iraqi News)
• The BBC announces that it will cut between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs, around 1-in-10 employees, citing the need to address "significant financial pressures". (Variety)
• Shoe company Allbirds announces it will be pivoting to providing computing infrastructure for artificial intelligence, with plans to rename itself to "NewBird AI". The company's shares rose nearly 600% on the news. (CNBC)
• Funding for the Second Avenue Subway in New York City is restored by the United States federal government following the Trump administration halting funding in the midst of the 2025 United States federal government shutdown and a lawsuit by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. (The New York Times)

International relations

• Evacuations during the 2026 Iran war, Iran–Sri Lanka relations, Sinking of IRIS Dena
  • Sri Lanka repatriates 238 Iranian sailors from the IRIS Bushehr and the wrecked IRIS Dena, after providing temporary shelter on humanitarian grounds. (AFP via The Straits Times)
• Humanitarian impact of the Sudanese civil war
  • Donors pledge €1.3 billion (US$1.5 billion) in foreign aid for Sudan at an international conference in Berlin, Germany, marking the third anniversary of the beginning of Sudan's civil war, as participants also discuss efforts to advance ceasefire negotiations. (Al Jazeera)
• North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
  • International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Grossi reports increased activity at multiple nuclear facilities in North Korea, including the Nyongbyon site, indicating expanded capacity to produce nuclear weapons. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
• Israel–Somaliland relations, International recognition of Somaliland
  • Israel appoints Michael Lotem as the first Israeli ambassador to Somaliland, months after Israel officially recognised the breakaway region in Somalia. Lotem previously served as the Israeli ambassador to Kenya. (Al Jazeera) (Garowe Online) (Horseed Media)

Law and crime

• 2026 Onikişubat school shooting
  • Nine people are killed and 13 others are injured in a mass shooting at a school in Onikişubat, Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey. The perpetrator dies by suicide. It is the deadliest school shooting in Turkish history. (Reuters)
• Antisemitism in the United Kingdom
  • Two people are arrested in Watford on suspicion of arson in an attempted attack on Finchley Reform Synagogue in North Finchley, London, England. The Metropolitan Police are treating the attempted attack as a hate crime. (BBC) (Politico)
• Chinese intelligence activity abroad
  • A Taiwanese court sentences six current and former military personnel to prison terms of four and a half to eight and a half years for espionage offenses, including organizing networks and transmitting classified information to individuals linked to China. (AFP via The Edge)
• Corruption in Papua New Guinea
  • Papua New Guinea tightens security at military bases and imposes movement restrictions after a group of soldiers sets up roadblocks in Port Moresby to protest alleged irregularities in army recruitment linked to former defence minister Billy Joseph, who is under investigation. (AFP via SpaceWar.com)
• Organised crime in Indonesia
  • Indonesian police announce the arrest of six suspects for trafficking endangered Komodo dragons sourced from East Nusa Tenggara and intended for export to Thailand, and detain two additional individuals for smuggling pangolin scales. (AFP via The Straits Times)
• Gabonese intelligence agents arrest former prime minister and opposition figure Alain Claude Bilie By Nze at his residence over an alleged unpaid debt linked to a 2008 public event. (AP)
• A court in Nairobi, Kenya, sentences a Chinese national to one year in prison and imposes a fine after he pleads guilty to attempting to smuggle more than 2,200 ants out of Kenya without authorization. (AFP via CP24)
• Two Filipino household workers are shot dead by their employer during a hostage incident at a residence in Beirut, Lebanon, and police arrest the suspect. (Gulf News)

Politics and elections

• Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
  • The U.S. Senate rejects the War Powers Resolution by a 52–47 vote in the fourth Democratic-led attempt to stop hostilities until they are authorized by the U.S. Congress. (Reuters)
• 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election
  • Hungarian prime minister-designate Péter Magyar urges president Tamás Sulyok to resign as he is "unfit to serve as the guardian of legality [...] and to serve as a moral authority or a role model". (Sky News)
• Christine Fréchette is sworn in as Premier of Quebec, Canada, succeeding François Legault. (The Gazette)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
        • United States defense secretary Pete Hegseth says that the U.S. is prepared to resume combat operations if Iran does not agree to a permanent deal. (Al Jazeera)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • 2026 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire
        • U.S. president Donald Trump announces that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, after his conversations with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun. (NBC News)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Russian attacks on civilians in the Russo-Ukrainian war
    • Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, including on Kyiv and Odesa, kill at least 22 people and wound more than 131 others. (The Kyiv Independent)
  • The Russian defence ministry publishes a list of locations in Europe that are reportedly supporting drone production for Ukraine, including in Germany and Italy, saying the locations are "potential targets for the Russian Armed Forces”. (Euractiv)
• Syrian civil war
  • United States intervention in Syria
    • U.S. troops complete their withdrawal from the Qasrak air base in Hasakah province, ending U.S. involvement in Syria after troops first arrived in 2015 to fight against the Islamic State. (Middle East Eye) (The New York Times)
• Mexican drug war
  • Five gunmen are killed and a state trooper is wounded during a security operation in Los Herreras, Nuevo León, Mexico. Authorities implement coordinated surveillance in the area for more suspects. (Milenio in Spanish)

Arts and culture

• A previously unknown poem by Federico García Lorca is found handwritten on the back of a manuscript. It was discovered by Spanish singer and collector Miguel Poveda. (RTVE in Spanish)
• A mystery location of Shakespeare's London house has been finally uncovered. (Euronews)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • German airline Lufthansa announces the permanent withdrawal of 27 aircraft operated by its CityLine regional subsidiary and plans additional fleet reductions, citing increased fuel costs linked to the Iran war and labor disruptions. (Xinhua)

Disasters and accidents

• Approximately 18 people are killed when a minibus catches fire on a highway near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. (AP)
• A helicopter crashes in Sekadau Regency, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, killing all eight people on board. (Reuters)
• A fire at the major Viva oil refinery near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, halts its gasoline production. (Bloomberg)

International relations

• Argentina–Israel relations, Status of Jerusalem
  • Argentine president Javier Milei announces a trip to Israel where he is expected to receive the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor and meet Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expedite the transfer of the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. (Infobae)
• Venezuela and the International Monetary Fund
  • The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank restore official relations with Venezuela and recognize the administration of acting president Delcy Rodríguez, enabling engagement on economic policy and potential financial assistance. (AFP via France 24)

Law and crime

• 2026 Onikişubat school shooting
  • The death toll in yesterday's school shooting in Onikişubat, Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey, rises to 11, including the perpetrator, after a critically injured victim succumbs to his injuries. (AP)
• Death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez
  • Police arrest singer d4vd in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on suspicion of killing a 14-year-old girl whose remains were previously found in a vehicle registered to him. (BBC News)
• Flood control projects scandal in the Philippines
  • Philippine president Bongbong Marcos says that Czech authorities have arrested former legislator Zaldy Co in Prague after he entered the country without proper documentation, following his designation as a fugitive in connection with graft and malversation charges linked to a flood control project. (AP)
• Trafficking of Chinese nationals to scam centers abroad
  • Sri Lankan customs officials arrest nine Chinese nationals at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo for attempting to smuggle communication equipment concealed on their bodies, which officials say is intended for use in internet fraud operations. (AFP via CNA)
• United Kingdom anti-immigration protests
  • Surrey Police issue a disorder warning in Epsom, England, after protesters clash with riot police in the town. The protesters are demanding the description of men who gang raped a woman outside a Methodist Church the previous weekend. (BBC News)
• In South Africa, Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema is sentenced to five years imprisonment for the unlawful discharge of a firearm at a 2018 rally. (AFP via France 24)
• In the United States, Fairfax County officials say that former Virginia lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax murdered his wife, then killed himself, after the police find them dead at their home. (Hindustan Times)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election
  • Hungarian prime minister-designate Péter Magyar says his election victory over Viktor Orbán will not lead to a policy shift on migration, saying his government will strengthen borders and "protect our country and Europe" from illegal immigration. (Newsweek)
• Corruption in Nepal
  • The Balen Shah cabinet establishes a five-member commission, led by a former Supreme Court judge, to investigate the assets of current and former Nepali public officials. (AFP via The Manila Times)
• Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
  • The U.S. House of Representatives rejects the War Powers Resolution to stop military operations by a 214–213 vote. (Politico)

Sports

• Candidates Tournament 2026
  • In chess, Javokhir Sindarov wins the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus. The Women's Tournament is won by Vaishali Rameshbabu. (FIDE)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • Naval blockade of Iran
        • United States president Donald Trump says that the U.S. naval blockade will remain in effect until a peace agreement is reached with Iran. (Al Jazeera)
        • Fars News Agency reports that the Iranian government considers the continuation of the blockade a violation of the ceasefire and would close the strait again if it is not lifted. (Iran International)
      • Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi announces that the Strait of Hormuz will be open for commercial traffic via a "coordinated route" with Iranian authorities while the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon is in effect. (CNBC)
      • Celestyal Discovery becomes the first cruise ship to successfully transit the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on February 28 after being previously docked in Dubai for 47 days. (Cruise Industry News) (Euronews)
      • An Iranian military official says that vessels must receive permission from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to pass. (Al Jazeera)
      • Maritime tracking data shows that only a few ships have moved through the strait after the announcement. (BBC)
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Iran denies that it agreed to give up its highly enriched uranium. (Al Jazeera) (Al Jazeera)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • Israeli defense minister Israel Katz says that the military will hold all of its positions in southern Lebanon, and that disarming Hezbollah remains its main objective. (Al Jazeera)
      • The Israeli military issues a statement telling residents from southern Lebanon to remain north of the Litani River during the ceasefire. (Al Jazeera)
      • The Lebanese military says that there have been several Israeli attacks and artillery shelling incidents in violation of the ceasefire. (Al Jazeera)
• Moro conflict
  • Ten Maute Group militants, including a leader, are killed in a shootout with soldiers during a raid in Marantao, Lanao del Sur, Philippines. (AFP via The Punch)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iran war fuel crisis
    • China–Turkmenistan relations, Energy in Turkmenistan
      • China and Turkmenistan begin expansion works at the Galkynyş Gas Field, the world's second-largest gas field, to increase production amid the fuel crisis. (AFP via SpaceWar.com)
    • Russia–United States relations
      • The United States issues a one-month sanctions waiver allowing the sale of Russian petroleum products already in transit to help stabilize global energy supply. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
    • A South Korean tanker transports crude oil to the country via the Red Sea for the first time since disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz, as the government implements alternative supply routes to secure energy imports. (AFP via CNA)
  • Oil prices, including Brent Crude and West Texas Intermediate, drop to less than US$90 per barrel, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average increases by over 1,000 points, following Iran's announcement of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• Nine people are killed and several others are injured after a car collided head-on with a private bus in Yadgir, Karnataka, India. (News18) (NDTV)

Health and environment

• Health care in France
  • France announces that its social security system will reimburse the cost of reusable menstrual products for individuals under 26 and those with low income. (AFP via Iosco County News-Herald)

Law and crime

• Aftermath of the Afghanistan War
  • 2020–2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
    • Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell announces that the U.S. Department of Defense has completed a key phase of its investigation into the withdrawal from Afghanistan by conducting a series of interviews with generals who executed the operation including former Marine Corps Commandmant David Berger, former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mark Milley, and U.S. Central Command chief Kenneth McKenzie. (KabulNow)
  • Australian Army veteran and Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith is granted bail with travel restrictions after his previous arrest for alleged war crimes while deployed to Afghanistan during the war. (Reuters)
• 2021 Myanmar coup d'état
  • Myanmar's ousted president Win Myint is released under an amnesty on Myanmar’s New Year’s Day. (Reuters)
• Irish media reports that drug kingpin Daniel Kinahan is arrested by police in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • 2026 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire
        • Israel's military establishes a "yellow line" along southern Lebanon similar to the one in Gaza. Israel conducts strikes against individuals it says approach its forces in violation of ceasefire arrangements, including operations targeting positions and tunnels linked to Hezbollah. (AFP via The Korea Herald) (Al Jazeera)
      • A French soldier is killed and three are injured in a shooting against United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon peacekeepers in Deir Kifa, southern Lebanon. France has accused Hezbollah of being responsible, an allegation that the group has denied. (AP)
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • Iran says that a date for another round of talks with the United States has not been set, pending an agreement on a framework for negotiations. (NBC News)
      • Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says that ceasefire negotiations have progressed but also states that a deal is far from ready. (The Times of Israel)
    • Naval blockade of Iran
      • The U.S. Central Command reports that 21 ships have been turned back since the start of the blockade. (NBC News)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announces that the Strait of Hormuz is closed again until the blockade ends. (NBC News)
      • A tanker is reportedly attacked by Iranian "gunboats" while in the strait. (NBC News)
  • Israel–Palestine conflict
    • Gaza war
      • The Gaza health ministry updates the total Palestinian casualties to 72,549 killed and 172,274 injured, including at least 773 killed and 2,171 injured since the October 2025 ceasefire. (Al Jazeera)
• Terrorism in Ukraine
  • 2026 Kyiv shooting
    • Six people are killed and 15 others are injured, including a child, in a mass shooting in Holosiivskyi District, Kyiv, Ukraine. The gunman barricaded himself inside a supermarket and took hostages before being killed by police. (Sky News)

Arts and culture

• Reactions to the 2026 Iran war, Coachella 2026
  • At the Coachella festival in Empire Polo Club, Indio, California, American rock band The Strokes shows videos accusing the Central Intelligence Agency of enforcing regime change through violence while performing "Oblivius" and also denounce the U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran. (The Independent)

Disasters and accidents

• Thirteen people are killed by lightning strikes across Bangladesh. (The Daily Star)

International relations

• Australia–Japan relations, Australian general purpose frigate program
  • Australia and Japan sign an agreement for the delivery of the first stealth ships under a AU$10 billion (US$7.2 billion) program to supply the Australian navy with a new fleet of warships. (AFP via The Manila Times)
• India–Iran relations
  • India's external affairs ministry summons the ambassador of Iran after an Indian-flagged tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. (Al Jazeera)
• Headed by Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, left-wing heads of government gather at the IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy and Progressive Global Mobilization in Barcelona. Participants include Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Colombia's Gustavo Petro, Kosovo's Albin Kurti, Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, and Uruguay's Yamandú Orsi. (El Constitucional)

Law and crime

• Pakistan in the 2026 Iran war
  • Pakistan tightens major security in Islamabad ahead of potential second round of talks between Iran and the U.S. (Khyber News TV)
  • Rawalpindi shuts down cafés, restaurants, gyms, markets, and marriage halls in preparation of possible Iran–U.S. talks. (Daily Pakistan)
• Two Indian citizens are killed in a shooting outside a Sikh temple in Covo, Province of Bergamo, Italy. (IANS)
• Three people are killed in a stabbing attack during the filming of the TV series Sin senos sí hay paraíso in Laches, Bogotá, Colombia. (People en Español)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • United States president Donald Trump says that negotiations with Iran will be held in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 20, with a U.S. delegation led by vice president JD Vance and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. (Al Jazeera) (CNBC)
      • Tasnim News Agency reports that Iran is undecided as to sending a negotiating delegation to Islamabad while a naval blockade remains in place. (Reuters)
    • Naval blockade of Iran
      • The United States Navy destroyer USS Spruance and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stop and seize control of the Iranian-flagged container ship Touska, in the first direct action during the blockade. (Bloomberg) (Task and Purpose)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • The Israeli military publishes a map of the territory that it claims to control in Lebanon for the first time. (Reuters)
• New People's Army rebellion
  • Toboso encounter
    • Nineteen alleged New People's Army militants are killed in a shootout with the army in Toboso, Negros Occidental, Philippines. (TRT World)
• Operation Southern Spear, United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
  • Three people are killed in an American airstrike against a boat in the Caribbean Sea. (The New York Times)
• M23 campaign
  • The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the March 23 Movement agree to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery and release prisoners within 10 days following talks in Montreux, Switzerland, and sign a memorandum establishing mechanisms to monitor a ceasefire. (AFP via Al-Ahram)
• Terrorism in the United Kingdom, Antisemitism in the United Kingdom
  • A synagogue in North London, England, is targeted in a firebombing attack, which is suspected to be an act of terrorism. (The Independent)
• Mexican drug war
  • Two civilians killed and three wounded in a mass shooting at a bar in San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí. Authorities began to investigate the attack as part of a conflict between delictive cells. (El Universal in Spanish)
  • Five gunmen are killed in a shootout with security forces in the municipality of General Terán, Nuevo León. Authorities start a series surveillance operation in the area. (Milenio Noticias in Spanish)
  • Two Mexican officers and two Central Intelligence Agency agents are killed in a car crash in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. President Claudia Sheinbaum states her government is investigating "potential violations of national security", with their operation to reportedly destroy a clandestine drug lab not pre-approved by the federal government. (CBS News) (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 25 people are killed and 13 others are injured in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, India. (BBC News)
• Eight people are killed, including two children, and three others are injured in two separate drowning incidents in the Kaveri river in Mysore district, Karnataka, India. (Deccan Herald)
• Seven people are killed, including six children, in a propane tank explosion and fire at a house in Lamar Township, Pennsylvania, United States. (WNEP-TV)
• A spectator is killed and two others are injured when a car crashes into spectators at the Codasur South American Rally Championship in Córdoba, Argentina. (Infobae in Spanish)
• A fire destroys about 1,000 homes in a stilt settlement in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia, displacing thousands of residents. (AFP via Gulf News)

International relations

• Argentina–Israel relations
  • 2026 state visit by Javier Milei to Israel
    • Argentine president Javier Milei and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announce the launching of the Isaac Accords to foster cooperation between Israel and the Western Hemisphere. (The Times of Israel)

Law and crime

• 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Internet blackout in Iran, Cyberwarfare during the 2026 Iran war
    • Four people, including two foreign nationals, are arrested in Jolfa, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, on charges related to importing Starlink equipment and alleged intelligence activities involving networks linked to Israel and the U.S. (AFP via New Straits Times)
  • Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
    • King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain announces that Bahraini nationality law will be reassessed so that actions can be taken against anyone who provided assistance to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, such as with espionage. (Arab News)
• 2026 Shreveport shooting
  • Eight children are killed and two women are injured in a domestic violence mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States. The perpetrator later carjacks a vehicle and flees across the Red River to the adjacent Bossier City, where he is fatally shot by police. (Reuters)
• First U.S. attorney Bill Essayli announces that an Iranian woman has been arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport in California for allegedly helping Iran traffic weapons to Sudan. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Bulgarian parliamentary election, Bulgarian political crisis
  • Bulgarians vote for 240 seats of the National Assembly in the nation's eighth election since April 2021. Former president Rumen Radev leads the soft eurosceptic Progressive Bulgaria coalition, the frontrunner of the election according to opinion polls. (AFP via RFI) (AP)
• Pakistan in the 2026 Iran war
  • Several universities across Islamabad and Rawalpindi in Pakistan, including the International Islamic University and Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, will shift to online classes amidst a potential second round of talks between Iran and the U.S. (The Express Tribune)
• Nus Kei, chairperson of the Golkar Party's Southeast Maluku Regency branch in Indonesia, is assassinated at Karel Sadsuitubun Airport. The two perpetrators are subsequently arrested. (CNN Indonesia in Indonesian) (Tempo in Indonesian)

Science and technology

• AI boom
  • Artificial intelligence industry in China
    • A humanoid robot developed by Chinese company Honor completes a half marathon in Beijing involving both robots and human runners in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, faster than the standing human world record. (AFP via RTÉ) (Fox News)
• New Space Race
  • American company Blue Origin successfully launches its New Glenn rocket using a reused booster, which it recovers after liftoff, but the communications satellite it carried for AST SpaceMobile is placed in an incorrect orbit. (AFP via France 24)

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)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
        • United States president Donald Trump announces that the ceasefire will be extended so that Iran can make a "unified proposal", upon Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and field marshal Asim Munir's request. However, Trump also says the blockade will remain. (AA) (CNBC) (The Hill)
    • Naval blockade of Iran
      • The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command announces that it stopped and boarded a stateless tanker, M/T Tifani, which it says is connected to Iran. (Stars and Stripes)
      • Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi calls the blockade "an act of war" and a violation of the ceasefire. (Al Jazeera)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and launches a drone into northern Israel. (The Times of Israel)
      • Two Israeli soldiers are sentenced to 30 days in military prison for destroying a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in the Christian village of Debel, Lebanon. (The Guardian) (The Times of Israel)
    • 2026 Israel–Lebanon peace talks, France–Lebanon relations
      • French president Emmanuel Macron affirms France's support for the territorial integrity of Lebanon, saying that the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the country is a precondition for stability. (Al Jazeera)
  • Israeli–Palestinian conflict
    • Israeli settler violence
      • Two Palestinians are killed and three are injured in an attack towards a school by settlers and Israeli soldiers in Al-Mughayyir, West Bank. (Reuters)
  • Israeli invasion of Syria
    • Israeli troops raid the Quneitra Governorate in Syria, where they detain three people. (AA)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Libya–Sudan relations
    • A United Nations investigation finds that the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar facilitated the transfer of weapons, vehicles and Colombian mercenaries to Sudan to fight for the Rapid Support Forces against government forces. The operation was centred around Kufra, Libya, where LNA forces control Kufra Airport. (AP)
  • Transitional Sovereignty Council leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Omani sultan Haitham bin Tariq hold official talks to focus on regional development and efforts to end the war in Sudan. (Muscat Daily)
• Mali War
  • The Russian defence ministry says the Africa Corps freed a Russian and a Ukrainian citizen abducted in Niger in July 2024 by Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin during an operation conducted in Mali. (AP)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Nepal resumes issuing work permits for its nationals seeking employment in the Middle East after a temporary suspension linked to the Iran war, citing guidance from the foreign ministry and demand from workers. (Reuters)
  • Vitol CEO Russell Hardy says that at least one billion barrels of oil production will be lost because of the war even if it ends immediately, and that the current loss is in the range of 600 to 700 million barrels. (Financial Times)
• Defense industry of Japan
  • Japan approves new rules easing long-standing restrictions on arms exports, allowing the overseas transfer of a broader range of defense equipment, including deadly weapons. (AFP via The Manila Times)

Disasters and accidents

• Thirteen people are killed and 23 injured after an explosion at a fireworks manufacturing unit in Thrissur, India. (The Indian Express) (India Today)
• A shell explodes inside a Type 10 main battle tank from the 8th Division's Western Army Tank Battalion, during a live fire exercise at Hijudai Training Area in Kusu, Ōita Prefecture, Japan, which is under the AOR of 4th Division, killing three soldiers and injuring another. (AP) (Asahi Shimbun Company)

International relations

• Cross-strait relations, Eswatini–Taiwan relations
  • Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te cancels his planned visit to Eswatini after the governments of Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles denied overflight permissions for his aircraft, with Taiwan attributing the decision to pressure from China. (Reuters)
• Ukraine–European Union relations
  • Ukraine completes repairs on the Druzhba pipeline damaged in a war-related strike and prepares to resume operations, while president Volodymyr Zelenskyy links the restoration to progress on a proposed €90 billion European Union support package. (AP)
• Visit by Pope Leo XIV to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea
  • Pope Leo XIV arrives in Malabo, the final leg of his papal visit to Africa, becoming the first pope to visit Equatorial Guinea since John Paul II in 1982. (AP)

Law and crime

• 2025 Indonesian protests
  • A joint investigation by the Indonesian human rights commission, the ombudsman, and the child protection commission finds that police and other state security personnel violated human rights, including arbitrary arrests, torture, and alleged child sexual abuse, during anti-government protests in 2025 that left at least 11 people dead and thousands detained. (Reuters)
• At least five people are killed and 200 others are injured in a prison riot at the Yare Prison in Miranda State, Venezuela. (AFP via New Straits Times)
• South Korean police seek an arrest warrant for Hybe founder and chairperson Bang Si-hyuk over alleged violations of capital market laws related to Hybe's initial public offering, accusing him of misleading early investors and receiving profits through a related private equity fund. (Reuters) (AP News)
• The U.S. justice department indicts the Southern Poverty Law Center on fraud charges related to payments it made to infiltrate white supremacist hate groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations and the American Nazi Party. (The Guardian) (New York Post)

Politics and elections

• Corruption in the United States
  • U.S. House of Representatives member Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigns from her position amid a probe by the House Ethics Committee, following her November 2025 indictment by federal prosecutors for stealing $5 million of COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, some of which allegedly went towards funding her 2022 election campaign. (AFP via SCMP) (CNBC)
• Smoking in the United Kingdom
  • The British parliament passes the Tobacco and Vapes Bill formally banning anyone in England born after December 31, 2008, from buying cigarettes and other tobacco products in an effort to create a "smoke-free generation". The age controls will enter force on January 1, 2027. (AP)
• The Indonesian parliament passes the landmark Domestic Workers Protection Bill into law after 22 years of deliberation. (Bloomberg)
• New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon secures the support of his caucus after initiating and winning a confidence vote on his leadership within the National Party. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Mars Exploration Program
  • NASA announces that the Curiosity rover has detected more than 20 organic molecules on Mars using a chemical analysis method involving tetramethylammonium hydroxide, conducted for the first time on another planet, indicating the long-term preservation of compounds associated with prebiotic chemistry. (AFP via The Manila Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seizes two vessels after attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz. A third vessel is also reportedly "disabled off Iran's coast". (CNN)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on the Kurdistan Region
      • Three members of the Kurdistan Freedom Party are injured in a drone attack in the Khabat District, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The group attributes the attack to Iran. (Al Jazeera)
  • 2026 Lebanon war
    • April 2026 attack on French UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon
      • A French UNIFIL peacekeeper dies from his wounds sustained from an ambush last week blamed on Hezbollah. (AFP via Al Arabiya)
    • Israeli airstrikes kill at least five people across Lebanon, including Al Akhbar journalist Amal Khalil. (Al Jazeera)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • Suspected Boko Haram insurgents on motorcycles kill at least 20 people in shootings in Borno State and Adamawa State, Nigeria. (Reuters)
• Insurgency in Balochistan
  • Ten people are killed and eight others are injured in an attack on a copper and gold mine in Chagai District, Balochistan, Pakistan. A Turkish citizen is among the fatalities, while another is kidnapped. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iran war fuel crisis
    • German airline Lufthansa announces that it will cut 20,000 short-haul flights in Europe this summer, saying rising fuel prices have made many flights "unprofitable" for the company. (BBC News)
  • Stocks in the United States, including S&P 500 and Nasdaq, rise following yesterday’s announcement that the ceasefire would be extended indefinitely. (CNBC)
• Germany–Russia relations, Russia in the European energy sector
  • Russia announces it will halt the transport of Kazakh oil to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline starting May 1, citing technical reasons, while the German economic ministry states that the interruption is not expected to significantly disrupt fuel supply. (AFP via France 24)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 Institute, West Virginia chemical disaster
  • A leak results in a violent chemical reaction involving nitric acid and another substance at a facility in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, killing two people and injuring 19 others. (AP)
• Eleven people are killed, including children, in a multiple-vehicle collision in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, India. (PTI via Deccan Herald)
• Nine people are killed and around 27 others are injured when a bus crashes into a tree on a highway near San Juan del Río and Amealco de Bonfil, Querétaro, Mexico. (Turquesa News in Spanish)
• Two people are killed and 16 others are injured when a passenger bus carrying Ukrainian citizens strikes a group of people and crashes into a ditch in Burgas, Bulgaria. (Ukrainska Pravda)
• 2026 Ōtsuchi wildfire
  • Two wildfires broke out in Ōtsuchi, Iwate, Japan. (NHK in Japanese)

International relations

• Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
  • Pakistan in the 2026 Iran war
    • Islamabad, Pakistan, remains on lockdown ahead of a potential, unconfirmed second round of talks between Iran and the U.S. in the city. (Digital Journal)
  • France and the United Kingdom host a military conference involving over 30 countries in Northwood, London, to discuss the use of military forces for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow. (AA)

Law and crime

• Corruption in Moldova
  • Moldovan oligarch and former politician Vladimir Plahotniuc is sentenced to 19 years in prison for embezzling about US$1 billion from the country's banks. (Reuters)
• International Criminal Court investigation in the Philippines
  • International Criminal Court (ICC) judges dismiss former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's jurisdictional challenge regarding the ICC's authority over alleged crimes committed while the Philippines was still a member, allowing proceedings to continue against Duterte on charges of crimes against humanity linked to his anti-drug campaign. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Balen Shah cabinet
  • Nepali home minister Sudan Gurung resigns to allow an impartial investigation into his financial activities, becoming the second minister to leave prime minister Balen Shah's government following recent elections. (AFP via The Straits Times)
• Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid scandal
  • The Greek parliament votes to lift the immunity of 13 legislators from the ruling New Democracy party to allow investigation into alleged fraud involving European Union agricultural subsidies. (Reuters)
• Presidency of José María Balcázar
  • Peruvian defence minister Carlos Díaz Dañino and foreign minister Hugo de Zela resign following president José María Balcázar's decision to postpone the purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the United States. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • United States president Donald Trump orders the navy to open fire on any Iranian vessels placing mines along the Strait of Hormuz, after the military reportedly observed an Iranian mine-laying operation. (CNN) (Axios)
    • Naval blockade of Iran
      • The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command conducts a boarding operation on the stateless tanker M/T Majestic in the Indian Ocean, alleged to be carrying US-sanctioned Iranian oil. (Al Jazeera)
    • An Israeli security source says that Israel is not conducting airstrikes in Iran following reports of explosions over Tehran, while defense minister Israel Katz states that the country is prepared to resume military action pending approval from the U.S. (AFP via Business Recorder)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • 2026 Israel–Lebanon peace talks
        • U.S. president Donald Trump says that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been extended to three weeks. (Al Jazeera) (AP)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Dnipro strikes
    • Three people are killed and 10 others are injured in an overnight Russian drone strike on a 13-story apartment building in Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• Christianity in Lebanon
  • Italian soldiers install a new statue of Jesus in the Christian village of Debel, southern Lebanon, in place of a previous statue given by the Israeli military, who destroyed the previous statue with a sledgehammer, drawing widespread outrage. (OSV News) (UCA News) (The Jerusalem Post)

Business and economy

• Japan's Nikkei 225 stock market index surpasses 60,000 points for the first time in a historic high, while South Korea's KOSPI also reaches a record high amid gains in technology shares. (AFP via Channels TV) (Nikkei Asia)
• Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed as investors remained cautious despite a three-week extension of the 2026 Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, underscoring lingering geopolitical uncertainty. (CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

• Drought in Horn of Africa, Famine in Somalia
  • More than 6.5 million, mostly southern, Somalis face hunger amid climate shocks, drought, and conflict, with children facing acute malnutrition risks. (Al Jazeera)
• European immigration crisis, African immigration to Europe
  • A boat capsizes in waters between Algeria and Spain. At least 17 Somali migrants are killed. (AP)
• 2026 North Zealand train collision
  • Eighteen people are injured, including five critically, when two trains collide near Hillerød, Capital Region, Denmark. (Reuters)
• Eight people are killed and two others are injured when a vehicle loses control and plunges into a gorge in Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand, India. (Hindustan Times)
• At least 10 people are injured and dozens of houses are leveled in an EF4 tornado in Enid, Oklahoma, United States. (KOCO-TV)
• 2026 Ōtsuchi wildfire
  • Ōtsuchi issued an evacuation order for 1,880 residents. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Law and crime

• Corruption in South Africa
  • South African president Cyril Ramaphosa suspends national police commissioner Fannie Masemola pending investigation into allegations of procurement violations linked to a R332 million (US$20 million) police health services tender. (AFP via The Peninsula)
• Protests against the 2026 Iran war
  • Exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi is splashed with red liquid after leaving a federal press conference building in Berlin, Germany in which he criticized the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. (AP)

Sports

• 2026 FIFA World Cup, Iran at the FIFA World Cup
  • U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio states that Iran's national football team can participate in the upcoming FIFA World Cup, while indicating that entry restrictions may apply to non-athlete delegation members with alleged links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (AFP via FMT)
• 2026 NFL draft
  • In American football, the 91st edition of the NFL draft is held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the Las Vegas Raiders selecting former Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick. (ESPN)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
        • Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi announces that he will visit Pakistan, Russia, and Oman amidst a potential second round of ceasefire talks between Iran and the United States. (The Guardian) (Reuters)
        • White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirms that U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with Araghchi. She also states that vice president JD Vance will travel to Pakistan if the second round of talks are proven "successful". (AP) (Al Jazeera)(Reuters)
  • 2026 United States military buildup in the Middle East
    • U.S. Central Command confirms that the USS George H. W. Bush has arrived in the Middle East. (Navy Times)
  • Gaza war
    • Israeli forces kill at least 12 Palestinians in attacks on the Gaza Strip. (Al Jazeera)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Two people are killed in a Russian drone strike on Odesa, Ukraine. (The Kyiv Independent) (Reuters)
• Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
  • The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that Allied Democratic Forces insurgents killed at least 87 civilians in separate attacks last month in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AFP via AA)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
    • The International Energy Agency estimates that the damage to liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Qatar will strain the natural gas market for at least two years, and along with the Strait of Hormuz closure, will cause the loss of 120 billion cubic meters of LNG supply by 2030. (CBS News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 United States wildfires
  • 2026 Georgia wildfires
    • Georgia governor Brian Kemp says that two large wildfires in southeast Georgia, U.S., have destroyed over 120 homes. (The New York Times) (WSB-TV)

International relations

• International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian war, Uzbekistan–European Union relations
  • The European Union sanctions two Uzbekistan-based cotton manufacturing plants for supplying raw material to the Russian defense industry. (Kun Uz)
• Sanctions against Iran
  • U.S. treasury secretary Scott Bessent announces that the Office of Foreign Assets Control has imposed sanctions against financial networks linked to Iran, including digital asset wallets. (Middle East Monitor)

Law and crime

• Syrian conflict (2024–present)
  • Syrian authorities say that they have arrested Amjad Youssef, an intelligence officer of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, for his role in the Tadamon massacre during the civil war. This comes after Interior Minister Anas Khattab announced that he had been captured by the Syrian transitional government. (Middle East Eye)
• German biotech company CureVac sues Moderna, accusing their COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax of infringing on CureVac patents. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Peruvian political crisis
  • 2026 Peruvian post-electoral crisis
    • Police raid the home of Peru's former chief electoral official as part of a ​new probe into alleged electoral irregularities, after he resigned this week over delays in counting ‌votes from the recent general election. (Reuters)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • 2026 Strait of Hormuz campaign
        • German defense minister Boris Pistorius says that Germany will deploy naval units, including a minesweeper and a command and supply ship for a potential mission in the Strait of Hormuz. (Middle East Monitor)
      • The Nord, a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashov, crosses the Strait of Hormuz. (Gazeta Express) (Ynetnews)
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • United States president Donald Trump cancels sending special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, Pakistan, for negotiations. (Al Jazeera)
  • Israeli–Palestinian conflict
    • Gaza war
      • Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip
        • The Israeli military says that an airstrike on the Gaza Strip has killed several Hamas militants who planned attacks on Israeli troops, including Hazem Rami Ali Aidi, a Hamas commander who took part in the October 7, 2023 attacks. (The Times of Israel)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • An Israeli attack kills four people in Yohmor, Nabatieh District, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
• Mali War
  • 2026 Mali attacks
    • Multiple armed groups launch several coordinated attacks across Mali, including in the capital Bamako. (Al Jazeera)
    • Tuareg rebels say they have seized control of Kidal in northern Mali after overrunning government forces. (The Africa Report)
    • Residents and a reporter from the Associated Press says that gunfire has been heard near the Modibo Keita International Airport. (AFP via The Week)
    • Military bases are targeted, including the main military base in Kati. (Reuters)
    • Defence minister Sadio Camara is killed by a JNIM suicide car bomb at his home in Kati. Camara's wife and two of his grandchildren are also killed. (AFP via France 24)
    • SITE Intelligence Group says that the Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM and Tuareg-dominated ⁠rebel group FLA has claimed full responsibility for the attacks. (Reuters)
    • The Mali Army representative Suleiman Dembele confirms that 80 militants have been eliminated across the country in wake of the attacks. (Caliber.Az)
    • A Malian Air Force Mil Mi-24 helicopter is shot down by rebel forces near Gao. (BBC News)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Dnipro strikes
    • An overnight Russian drone and ballistic missile attack on Dnipro, Ukraine, kills ten people and injures 49 others. (Ukrinform) (Reuters)
• Somali Civil War
  • Piracy off the coast of Somalia
    • Somali pirates attack and seize an oil tanker off Mogadishu, taking 11 Pakistani crew members hostage. (Business Recorder) (AAJ) (Daily Pakistan)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Kordofan campaign
    • At least seven people are killed in drone strikes by the Rapid Support Forces targeting El-Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan. (Sudan Tribune) (Eastern Herald)
• War on drugs
  • Operation Southern Spear
    • The US military announces that it has struck an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific, killing two people. (AP)
• Colombian conflict
  • 2026 Cauca bombing
    • Fourteen people are killed and 38 others are injured in a bombing on a bus on the Pan-American Highway in Cauca Department, Colombia. (CNN)
• At least 42 people are killed in intercommunal clashes in Guéréda, Wadi Fira, Chad, after a dispute over a well, prompting the government to deploy officials and security forces to the area. (AFP via Arab News)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, Iran, resumes international flights for the first time since the war began two months ago. (Middle East Eye)

Disasters and accidents

• Wildfires in 2026
  • 2026 Ōtsuchi wildfire
    • More than 1,000 firefighters are deployed and 3,000 people are evacuated from their homes in Ōtsuchi, Iwate, Japan, as two wildfires continue to grow in the region. (Reuters)

International relations

• Australia states that it will not assist in the repatriation of its nationals associated with suspected Islamic State members from camps in Syria, while the intelligence community monitors potential returns and warns that any individuals who committed crimes will face prosecution. (AFP via Arab News)

Law and crime

• Security incidents involving Donald Trump
  • 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting
    • Gunshots are fired during the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel. Attendees such as U.S. president Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and vice president JD Vance are evacuated unharmed. The suspect, a 31-year-old man, is detained and taken into custody. (CNN) (The Independent) (Reuters) (WTOP)

Politics and elections

• Aftermath of the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election and Magyar government formation
  • Outgoing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán announces that he will resign from his seat in parliament after his defeat in the recent election that ended his 16-year tenure in Hungary. However, he also stated that he plans to remain as leader of Fidesz. (Politico Europe) (UPI)
• Corruption in Malaysia
  • The Anwar Ibrahim cabinet appoints Abdul Halim Aman as head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, replacing Azam Baki, whose tenure drew scrutiny over alleged misconduct. (AFP via Arab News) (Reuters)
• 2026 Palestinian local elections
  • The election of 403 local authorities takes place in Palestine. (AFP via Arab News)

Science and technology

• Censorship of Wikipedia, Internet censorship in Indonesia
  • The Wikimedia Foundation reaches an agreement with the Indonesian communications ministry to comply with the country's electronic system registration rules after discussions addressed concerns over content removal and data disclosure requirements, averting a potential block of Wikipedia in the country. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • 2026 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire
        • Hezbollah and Israel both accuse the other of violating the ceasefire. (Al Jazeera)
      • Fourteen people are killed and 37 more injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon. (Reuters)
      • Israel gives evacuation orders for seven towns north of the Litani River. (Al Jazeera)
• Communal conflicts in Nigeria
  • Boko Haram insurgency
    • Gunmen kill at least 29 people in an attack on a community in Adamawa State, Nigeria, with authorities attributing the violence to Boko Haram. (AFP via The Guardian)
  • Kidnapping in Nigeria
    • Twenty-three people are kidnapped in an attack by gunmen on an orphanage in Kogi State, Nigeria. Fifteen are rescued, while eight children remain missing. (BBC News)
• Mali War
  • 2026 Mali attacks
    • Tuareg rebels reach an agreement that allows the Russian African Corps to withdraw from Kidal, Mali. (France 24)
    • Malian troops and Russian mercenaries withdraw from Kidal after yesterday’s attacks. (AP)
    • Flights resume at the Modibo Keita International Airport in Bamako following yesterday's attacks. (Seneweb)
• Sudanese civil war
  • Darfur campaign
    • A drone attack hits an UNHCR aid truck in North Darfur, Sudan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
• Colombian conflict
  • 2026 Cauca bombing
    • The death toll from a bombing that damaged multiple vehicles on the Pan-American Highway in Cauca Department, Colombia, rises to 20, with 36 others injured. (AFP via RTHK) (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Wildfires in 2026
  • 2026 Ōtsuchi wildfire
    • Japan deploys 1,400 firefighters to fight wildfires in Ōtsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Tōhoku region. Another three wildfires have been spotted in Nagaoka and Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture, and Kitakata, Fukushima Prefecture. (Reuters) (NHK) (NHK) (NHK)
• Fourteen people are killed in lightning strikes amid heavy rain across Bangladesh. (The Business Standard)

Health and environment

• Shark attacks in Australia
  • The National Parks and Wildlife Service and Surf Life Saving close several beaches in the Royal National Park, New South Wales, Australia, after sharks gather around a washed-up whale carcass, increasing shark activity. (AFP via The Manila Times)

International relations

• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • North Korean involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war, North Korea–Russia relations
    • Russian defence minister Andrey Belousov and State Duma chairman Vyacheslav Volodin visit Pyongyang, North Korea, inaugurating a memorial to North Korean troops who died fighting against Ukraine and negotiating a new defense cooperation agreement set to run until 2031. (DW) (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Human rights in Ba'athist Syria, War crimes in the Syrian civil war, National Commission for Transitional Justice
  • The first public trial of officials linked to former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad opens in Damascus with Atef Najib, former head of security in Daraa Governorate, the only one present to stand trial. Bashar and his brother Maher are to be tried in absentia. (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Israeli legislative election
  • Former Israeli prime ministers Naftali Bennett of Bennett 2026 and Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid merge their parties into Together – Led by Bennett in an effort to oust Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections. The two also leave space open for Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot. (Jerusalem Post) (Politico)
• 2026 Central Tibetan Administration general election
  • Exiled Tibetans vote in a global election organized by the Central Tibetan Administration to choose representatives to its parliament, with polling held in multiple countries outside China. (AFP via France 24)

Sports

• 2026 LPGA Tour
  • 2026 Chevron Championship
    • In golf, Nelly Korda wins the Chevron Championship at Memorial Park in Houston, Texas, United States, by five strokes to secure her third major title and regain the world number one ranking. (AFP via The Manila Times)
• 2026 NASCAR Cup Series
  • 2026 Jack Link's 500
    • In stock car racing, a 26-car pileup occurs during the Jack Link's 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, U.S., after driver Bubba Wallace was pushed from outside. (Hindustan Times)
• 2026 London Marathon
  • Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha become the first people to run a marathon in under two hours, with Sawe setting a new world record of 1:59:30. Tigst Assefa also sets a new world record for a women-only marathon at 2:15:41. (AP)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • 2026 Israel–Lebanon peace talks
        • Hezbollah secretary-general Naim Qassem says that he "categorically rejects" negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, and that "the resistance" will continue. (MENA via The New Arab)
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • The Associated Press and Axios report that Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the United States lifts its blockade and if the war ends. (AP) (CNBC) (Axios)
      • U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio states that Iran's position on access to the strait does not meet U.S. requirements, while U.S. president Donald Trump discusses a reported Iranian proposal on reopening the route with his national security advisers. (AFP via CNA)
    • Nuclear program of Iran
      • Iran and the U.S. dispute at a review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations, amid disagreement over Iran's election as a vice president of the meeting and its compliance with treaty obligations. (AP)
• Mali War
  • 2026 Mali attacks
    • Islamist militant group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) says the Malian military has begun to withdraw from Tessalit, Kidal Region, with the soldiers agreeing to hand over their weapons in exchange for a safe passage from the town. (Reuters)
• Somali Civil War
  • Piracy off the coast of Somalia
    • Somali pirates storm and hijack a Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Puntland that was en route to Kenya. Puntland maritime police say nine gunmen boarded the vessel and are currently in control of the vessel and are heading towards Mogadishu. The status of the crew is not known. (AP)
• Russo-Ukrainian war
  • Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis
    • Russia-installed officials at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant say a worker has been killed in a Ukrainian attack. (Al Jazeera)
• 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war
  • Afghanistan claims seven people are killed and 85 others are injured in Pakistani strikes on Afghanistan, including the Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University. (The Economic Times)
• Twenty-nine people are killed and several structures are destroyed by Islamic State gunmen during a mass shooting in Guyaku, Nigeria. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• American fashion retailer Claire's closes all of its 154 stores in Ireland and the United Kingdom with the loss of 1,300 jobs after collapsing into administration for a second time in a year. (BBC News)
• China's National Development and Reform Commission announces the decision to block American technology company Meta's planned acquisition of Chinese artificial intelligence startup Manus. (AFP via CNA)

Disasters and accidents

• 2026 CityLink Aviation Cessna 208 crash
  • A CityLink Aviation Cessna 208B Grand Caravan crashes during a domestic flight south-west of Juba, South Sudan, killing all 15 people on board. (BBC News) (AP)
• 2026 Bekasi train crash
  • Fourteen people are killed and 84 others are injured after an Argo Bromo Anggrek train collides with a KRL Commuterline train near Bekasi Timur Station in West Java, Indonesia, prompting evacuations. (AFP via CNA)

International relations

• Bahrain–Iran relations
  • Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
    • Bahrain revokes the citizenship of 69 people for "expressing support" for Iran during the conflict. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Mexican drug war
  • Audias Flores Silva [es], the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, is taken into custody during a raid in Nayarit, Mexico. (Reuters)
• A Taiwanese court sentences a former TSMC employee to 10 years in prison for stealing trade secrets to benefit Tokyo Electron, while also imposing prison terms on accomplices and financial penalties on Tokyo Electron Taiwan. (AFP via The Manila Times)

Politics and elections

• 2026 Maltese general election
  • Maltese president Myriam Spiteri Debono dissolves parliament on the advice of prime minister Robert Abela, after the latter calls for general elections on 30 May. (TVM+ 1) (TVM+ 2)
• Iraqi president Nizar Amidi names Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister-designate from the Coordination Framework, after two other contenders, former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and the incumbent Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, withdrew their candidacies. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)