India summons Iranian envoy after ship attack in Hormuz

Two Indian-flagged vessels reportedly forced back as Tehran reverses reopening pledge
18 April 2026

Trump says Iran cannot 'blackmail us' with Strait of Hormuz

Remarks come after Tehran declares key shipping route closed again
18 April 2026

Pope says he regrets his remarks interpreted as a debate with Trump

Says comments on “tyrants” were pre-written, not a response to US president
18 April 2026

Venezuela's Machado doesn't regret gifting Nobel Peace Prize to Trump

Says US action will not be forgotten; Nobel Committee reiterates prize cannot be transferred
18 April 2026

Iranian gunboats fire on tanker in Hormuz strait, UK agency says

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels reportedly opened fire without warning near Strait of Hormuz, as maritime tensions escalate despite earlier assurances on shipping safety
18 April 2026

No date set for next round of Iran-US talks: Iran deputy FM

Saeed Khatibzadeh stresses commitment to diplomacy while Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey intensify mediation efforts amid ongoing tensions with the United States
18 April 2026

Iran closes Strait of Hormuz again over US blockade with ships mid-transit

Uncertainty grows after reopening reversed within hours
18 April 2026

Iran partially reopens airspace: agency

Airlines continue long detours to avoid Iranian skies
18 April 2026

Pakistan's army chief concludes three-day visit to Iran: military statement

Pakistan's powerful army chief completed a three-day visit to Tehran, the country's military said on Saturday, having met top Iranian leaders and negotiators as part of efforts to end the Middle East war
18 April 2026

Trump says he has 'good news' on Iran, offers no clarity on peace deal

Trump says ceasefire may not be extended when it expires on Wednesday
18 April 2026

India fails to pass parliament expansion bill linked to quotas for women

Opposition groups said while they were in favour of quotas for women legislators, the linking of the plan to a mass redrawing of constituency boundaries was a government bid to manipulate the system and get more votes
18 April 2026

UN rights chief urges immediate release of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi

The military has ruled Myanmar by force for almost all of its post-independence history, before a decade-long democratic experiment gave civilian politicians tentative control.
18 April 2026

US to recover uranium from Iran at a 'leisurely pace', Trump tells Reuters

He referred to "nuclear dust" and added that it would be retrieved "very soon."
18 April 2026

Turkey hosts latest diplomatic push on Middle East war

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the shortest route to peace lay in dialogue and diplomacy.
18 April 2026

US renews sanctions waiver for countries to buy Russian oil

The Treasury Department posted the license to its website late on Friday, allowing countries to purchase Russian oil loaded on vessels as of Friday through May 16.
18 April 2026

Iran threatens to close Hormuz anew, if US blockade continues

Oil prices had already been falling on hopes of a negotiated end to the conflict, and the drop accelerated on Friday, with stocks heading upwards as traders drank in the optimism.
18 April 2026

West Bengal election: Delimitation seen as conspiracy to delete voters’ names: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday alleged that linking Bills related to women’s reservation and the proposed delimitation commission was a “conspiracy” to delete voters’ names from electoral rolls and implement the National Register of Citizens.
18 April 2026

US Senate vote on arms sale to Israel shows huge ‘cracks’

A vote in the United States Senate to block military equipment for Israel this week ended in defeat.
18 April 2026

Int’l law ‘matters more than ever’ in chaotic world

International law is more important than ever at a time when even core countries in the global system are calling it into question, the United Nations secretary general said yesterday.
18 April 2026

Strait of Hormuz now open

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi yesterday said the Strait of Hormuz was open following a ceasefire agreed on in Lebanon, while US President Donald Trump said he believed a deal to end the Iran war would come “soon”, though the timing remained unclear.
18 April 2026