Shifting Geopolitical Alliances and Instabilityactive

Ukraine is interested in a long-term and mutually beneficial partnership with Sweden and is ready to share its experience and technologies, as well as expand cooperation in the defense-industrial sector.

The Secretary of Foreign Affairs (SRE), headed by Roberto Velasco Álvarez, announced that President Claudia Sheinbaum will participate in the IV Summit for the Defense of Democracy this Saturday, April 18th, along with various heads of state, as part of her visit to Barcelona, Spain. In a statement, the SRE detailed that, during her visit, the federal leader will meet with the following heads of state: Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain; Gustavo Petro Urrego, President of Colombia; Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil; Yamandú Orsi, President of Uruguay; and Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados. It is also anticipated that the President will meet with the Mexican community residing in Spain, and subsequently, on Sunday, April 19th, President Sheinbaum will visit the National Supercomputing Center, where she will have a meeting with academics and officials, and will take a tour of the facilities. Also read: "Welcome, President Claudia Sheinbaum"; Mexicans in Spain express their support for her visit. According to the SRE, the President is accompanied on this working trip by Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco; the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra; the Chief of Staff of the Presidency of the Republic, Lázaro Cárdenas Batel; and the Mexican Ambassador to Spain, Quirino Ordaz Coppel. The President addressed the public yesterday…

More than a million civilians in Lebanon have been displaced since the war in the Middle East erupted at the end of February. Among them are thousands of young mothers and pregnant women, many forced to give birth in makeshift camps or other inadequate conditions. This report from our colleagues at France 2, by Camille Nedelec, takes a closer look.

In 1926, migrant workers in Paris formed a small political group named North African Star, the first movement to call for Algerian independence and freedom from French rule – decades before decolonisation became a reality.

BRUSSELS — There is “no indication” of jet fuel shortages causing widespread flight cancellations in Europe, Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said Friday, speaking hours before Iran lifted its Strait of Hormuz blockade. Jet fuel prices in Europe have more than doubled since the U. S. and Israel launched their war against Iran on Feb. 28; Tehran retaliated by blocking most shipping through a strait responsible for about a fifth of the world’s crude oil imports. The aviation industry warned of a looming kerosene supply crunch and International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol told the AP on Thursday that Europe has “maybe six weeks or so of jet fuel left.” But the EU doesn’t agree. “There have been some reports in these two previous days suggesting Europe could be close to running out of jet fuel. That is not an accurate reflection of the situation,” Tzitzikostas said during a press conference in Nicosia. Some European airlines like Lufthansa, KLM and SAS have cut back on flights, while ticket prices are rising in response to the fuel price surge. Airlines “have chosen in these past days to cancel some of their lines because they were already not profitable,” Tzitzikostas said. Even if Iran’s Friday announcement restores normal shipping out of the Gulf, it could take “a period of months” for normal fuel levels to be restored, Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, said earlier this month. Birol, who spoke a day before the Iranian decision, based his comments on the IEA’s latest oil market report, which looks at jet fuel supply risks in EU member countries. France and Germany were identified as the most exposed among big EU countries. Birol warned that “if we are not able to open the Strait of Hormuz … I can tell you soon we will hear the news that some of the flights from city A to city B might be canceled as a result of lack of jet fuel.” Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the European Commission’s transport spokesperson, said Friday that if fuel flows from the Gulf don’t resume, Brussels “will be preparing to launch possible coordinated action as regards to jet fuels.” Lennart Roos contributed to this report.

Iran announced on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz will remain “fully open” until the end of the ceasefire with the United States, which is in effect until April 22 and could be extended depending on the outcome of negotiations scheduled for this weekend. The government of the Islamic Republic justified the decision to open one of the key maritime routes for the global supply of hydrocarbons on the entry into force of the truce in Lebanon, which has led to a significant drop in oil prices and a major relief in the markets. However, the U. S. naval blockade against Iranian ports will remain in place. Seguir leyendo

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, recommended this Friday that NATO allies stay "away" from the Strait of Hormuz "unless they only want to load their oil tankers," after Iran announced the complete reopening of the waterway. "Now that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz has ended, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need help. I told them to stay away, unless they only want to load their oil tankers," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. The Republican leader added that the allies were "useless when they were needed, a paper tiger." In other posts, he thanked the "help" of his partners from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, as well as Pakistan, which is acting as a mediator between Washington and Tehran. Trump has been very critical of the Atlantic Alliance for its refusal to join Washington in a military coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil trade that was blocked by Iran in retaliation for the U.S. and Israeli offensive, a conflict from which Europeans distanced themselves, claiming it was not their war. Iran announced this Friday that the Strait of Hormuz will remain "completely open" until the end of the ceasefire with the United States, next Wednesday, as a result of the beginning of the truce in Lebanon announced on Thursday. Trump thanked this announcement, but then...

The war in Iran and a spat between two of the world's most influential Americans has forced Giorgia Meloni to choose sides, potentially pushing the Italian prime minister to align herself with Europe's center-right.

President Donald Trump said Iran agreed to suspend its nuclear program indefinitely, and will not receive any frozen funds from the US.

Meeting in Paris, the leaders said that a neutral mission may still be needed to safeguard shipping and prevent renewed disruption in the vital trade route.

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, announced this Friday the launch of a naval mission with a "neutral" character that will "escort and protect" merchant ships transiting the Persian Gulf, as part of a diplomatic effort by a group of allies to contribute to the freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Following a meeting organized by Macron at the Élysée Palace, which brought together nearly 50 world leaders, mostly via video conference, to discuss the crisis in Hormuz, the French President announced the launch of this naval operation, coinciding with the reopening of navigation to merchant ships announced by Iran, a move that the United States has welcomed, although it has stated that it will maintain its perimeter closure until an agreement is reached with Tehran to end the conflict. "We will strengthen and accelerate the planning work that we have already begun, in coordination with the United Kingdom, to enable the implementation of a neutral mission, clearly distinct from a belligerent mission, with the aim of escorting and protecting merchant ships transiting the Gulf," said the French President, who noted that a further planning meeting in London will advance the structure of the mission. Macron emphasized that this work will be accompanied by "diplomatic efforts and coordination" with the United Kingdom...

Gabriel Boric Font will make his international debut as former President of Chile this Saturday in Barcelona, at the event "In Defense of Democracy," convened by Spain in its capacity as the 2026 host country. This event follows a previous edition held in Santiago in July 2025, during the previous administration, which brought together various progressive intellectuals and politicians, including the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez; the President of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi; the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva; and the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro. The former head of state's attendance was announced on April 8th, when he sent a letter to the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Jorge Alessandri (UDI), requesting permission to leave Chile and begin his first international engagement after handing over power to José Antonio Kast. The objective of the forum is to foster "a democratic diplomacy that promotes cooperation among leaders with shared principles, such as respect for the rule of law, human rights, and the strengthening of multilateralism." This initiative has had three significant milestones: the First High-Level Meeting within the framework of the 79th General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) in 2024; the preparatory meeting "Democracy Always," which took place in Santiago; and the Third High-Level Meeting at the 80th General Assembly of the United Nations in September of the same year. Boric will participate as a co-founder and will moderate the …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday urged the United States and Iran to guard against any provocations by Israel and use their current ceasefire to push for lasting peace. “We must not allow weapons to again replace words,” he told the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. “Let it not be forgotten, the shortest path to peace is dialogue and diplomacy. Peace is not a one-winged bird.” His remarks came as Washington and Tehran weighed the next steps after a temporary halt in fighting,...

Oil prices dropped dramatically on Friday as Iran announced that it was opening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping lane. International benchmark Brent crude plummeted 12 percent while U. S. benchmark WTI fell an even more dramatic 14 percent as of Friday morning. The war in Iran and subsequent closure of the Strait sent oil prices skyrocketing in…

The EU is prepared to send additional warships as part of a mission to protect shipping in the Middle East and keep the Strait of Hormuz open "once a ceasefire takes hold," the bloc's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said Friday. Dozens of European leaders, including those of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, convened in person and by video call to discuss organizing a joint maritime force to secure the strategically vital waterway, through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas is transported and which Iran has effectively closed in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes launched in February. "Europe will play its part in restoring the free flow of energy and trade, once a ceasefire takes hold," Kallas said on social media after the meeting. "The EU's Aspides naval mission is already operating in the Red Sea and can be quickly strengthened to protect shipping across the region. This could be the fastest way to provide support." European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called fully reopening the strait "an urgent, shared priority," adding that the EU could contribute by "reinforcing Operation Aspides," the EU's naval mission in the Middle East. The mission's mandate covers the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Oman but stops short of the Strait of Hormuz. EU leaders rejected expanding it at a summit in March, and Kallas and von der Leyen did not say Friday whether doing so now was under consideration.

China's President Xi Jinping has broken a six-week silence about the war in Iran, vowing to take a "constructive" role in efforts to end the conflict. Beijing is wary of being drawn into a war it took no part in, and faces a delicate balancing act between its long-term partnership with Iran and its strategic interests in the Middle East and beyond. Yuka Royer speaks with Ja Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore, about what's behind Beijing's calculations.

The Turkish leader noted that "the international system is undergoing a crisis of legitimacy and has become incapable of resolving conflicts"

Trump envoy Morgan Ortagus says Antoun Sehnaoui is a committed Zionist, even as Israel attacked Lebanon.

Pakistan's civilian and army leaders shuttle between key capitals as Trump says he may visit Islamabad to sign a deal.

Keir Starmer is facing fresh calls to resign as the Peter Mandelson scandal roars back to life. Alex Morgan explains what it means for the prime minister and UK bonds. (Source: Bloomberg)

Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé, from France, and Bill Ross, from the United States, met when they were young, in the 1950s. She was a secretary, and he was a soldier in the U.S. Army, stationed at a NATO base in France at the time. In 1966, Bill had to return to his country. They then lived separate lives: they met other people, got married, and even started families. However, a couple of years ago, when they were both widowed and in their 80s, they decided to reconnect. After several visits and a long-distance relationship, the French woman decided to move to Alabama, USA, to marry him in April 2025. What seemed like a legendary love story ended in tragedy. In January 2026, Ross passed away unexpectedly from natural causes. The woman decided to stay in the country to resolve her immigration status, and also because she became embroiled in a legal battle over her late husband's inheritance with his two children. Things worsened when, on an unthinkable day in April, a group of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents violently broke into her home and arrested her. She didn't even have time to change out of her pajamas. According to a probate judge in the county overseeing the former soldier's estate, it was one of Ross's children who reported Marie-Thérèse to the immigration authorities. The arrest of the 80-year-old French woman by ICE in the United States. After the arrest, Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé, the French woman, was…

A new technical paper, “Emulation-based System-on-Chip Security Verification: Challenges and Opportunities,” was published by researchers at University of Florida. Abstract “Increasing system-on-chip (SoC) heterogeneity, deep hardware/software integration, and the proliferation of third-party intellectual property (IP) have brought security validation to the forefront of semiconductor design. While simulation and formal verification remain indispensable, they often struggle to expose vulnerabilities that emerge only under realistic execution conditions, long software-driven interactions, and adversarial stimuli. In this context, hardware emulation is emerging as an increasingly important pre-silicon verification technology because it enables higher-throughput execution of RTL designs under realistic hardware/software workloads while preserving sufficient fidelity for security-oriented analysis. This paper presents a comprehensive survey and perspective on emulation-based security verification and validation. We organize the landscape of prior work across assertion-based security checking, coverage-driven exploration, adversarial testing, information-flow tracking, fault injection, and side-channel-oriented evaluation. We provide a structured view of emulation-enabled security verification workflows, including instrumentation, stimulus generation, runtime monitoring, and evidence-driven analysis. We also examine practical challenges related to observability, scalability, property specification, and the definition of security-oriented coverage metrics for emulation-based verification. Finally, we discuss emerging directions such as AI-assisted emulation, digital security twins, chiplet-scale security exploration, automated vulnerability assessment, and cloud-scale secure emulation. Overall, this paper positions emulation as a promising foundation for the next generation of pre-silicon hardware security assurance.” Find the paper here. April 2026. arXiv:2604.15073. Authors: Tanvir Rahman, Shuvagata Saha, Ahmed Y. Alhurubi, Sujan Kumar Saha, Farimah Farahmandi, Mark Tehranipoor The post Emulation-based SoC Security Verification (U. of Florida) appeared first on Semiconductor Engineering.

Claudia Curiel Icaza, Secretary of Culture, celebrated the approval of the Film and Audiovisual Law and the amendments to the Federal Copyright Law, stating that "these laws have a broader framework based on cultural rights." During the morning press conference in the Treasury Hall of the National Palace, Curiel Icaza pointed out that "more than ever, filmmaking takes place in different locations; filming can occur in one place, special effects can be created in another part of the world, and post-production can be completed elsewhere. This chain of events needed an update to the law." In this regard, she explained that the film industry needed a law based on cultural rights, not solely focused on the market, "but one that includes the rights of the public, promotes equity, and strengthens each sector." Also read: "Cine México," a book that offers new perspectives on the industry. The official highlighted the progressive increase in funding for the film industry, "which reflects the interest and relevance of this industry within various communities and the importance of film as a tool for national sovereignty." She added that the law maintains the 10% quota for films shown in theaters, "which is increased for Mexican films, and the minimum period for films in theaters is extended from 7 to 14 days. This will be monitored on a semi-annual basis to ensure greater visibility for national films compared to major international productions." Additionally...

Friday’s statements that the strait is now open raised investors’ hopes that oil and gas would start flowing out of the Persian Gulf in significant volumes again.

The tanker is expected to take two million barrels of oil on board and sail to India

WASHINGTON, April 17 (Yonhap) -- U. S. President Donald Trump on Friday thanked I...

The discussion touched on the geopolitical situation in the world, the situation in individual countries, including the conflict in the Middle East

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Marie-Thérèse Ross in Alabama on April 1st. The 86-year-old woman had overstayed the 90-day validity of her visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She is currently being held in a federal immigration detention center in Louisiana. Her arrest has prompted a reaction from the French government, which has mobilized to secure her release. The French Consul General in New Orleans, Rodolphe Sambou, has visited Ross on two occasions, and efforts are underway to pressure U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to repatriate her to France, according to the AP news agency. "Given her age, we really want her to get out of this situation as soon as possible," a French official told the Politico news outlet. The French citizen, originally from the town of Le Pouliguen in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, was arrested violently at her residence, according to information provided by her family to French media. "She was handcuffed like a dangerous criminal," her son told the Ouest-France newspaper. [Image of a tweet from Le Parisien about a 86-year-old French woman arrested by ICE due to lack of a green card.]

Starmer, however, sought to contain the fallout by expressing anger on Friday at not having been informed about Mandelson's vetting status.

A temporary ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon went into effect at midnight local time on Friday after weeks of fighting.   Iran announced on Tuesday morning that the Hormuz Strait was “completely open” amid the ceasefire, though it wasn’t immediately clear what that means for a U. S. blockade on the corridor. The deal came…

The announcement by Donald Trump.

The dollar plummeted amid market optimism regarding the future of the war in Iran. The dollar's decline is erasing much of the gains it made since the conflict in the Middle East began, following this year's U.S. attack on Iran. Earlier in the day, the dollar fell by $12.25 compared to Thursday's closing price, reaching a value of $875.70 per unit, its lowest level since February 27th ($871.20), the day before the start of the war. As a result, since the beginning of the conflict, the dollar has only increased by $4.25. During this period, the highest exchange rate for the dollar in Chile was $931.50 on March 30th. More to follow.

The Strait of Hormuz, the waterway crucial for global trade that Iran has effectively closed since the beginning of the U. S.-Iran conflict, has reopened after a 10-day ceasefire was called between Israel and Lebanon, President Donald Trump and a top Iranian official said on Friday. “In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on X. He added that ships must follow routes coordinated by Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization. President Donald Trump thanked Iran for reopening the key waterway in a post on social media, writing in all caps, “IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE. THANK YOU!” The status of the strait has been one of the major sticking points in negotiations between the U. S. and Iran. The U. S. has been blockading the strait for ships heading to or from Iranian ports.

As people across India celebrate traditional agrarian spring festivals, climate change has become an unwanted guest at the table. How are communities rising to the pressure on harvests, water, and rural life?

Iran expanded its control of the Strait of Hormuz over the course of the war with the United States.

As a 10-day ceasefire deal between Lebanon and Israel took effect, the Israeli military said its forces are going to remain in southern Lebanon. Iran and Donald Trump say the Strait of Hormuz is now open. DW has more.

This Friday, April 17th, President Claudia Sheinbaum will travel to Barcelona, Spain, to participate in the IV Summit for the Defense of Democracy. "La Mañanera del Pueblo" (The People's Morning Briefing) will be led by the Secretary of the Interior, Rosa Icela Rodríguez. You can follow "La Mañanera del Pueblo" live from the Treasury Hall of the National Palace. Join our channel! EL UNIVERSAL is now on WhatsApp! Stay informed about the most important news of the day, opinion pieces, entertainment, trends, and more, all from your mobile device.

The price of oil experienced a sharp decline following Iran's announcement regarding the temporary opening of the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire agreed upon with the United States. The price of Brent crude fell significantly, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures also showed a substantial decline, all within a context marked by diplomatic negotiations and expectations of de-escalation in the Middle East. On Friday, international markets exhibited volatile behavior after Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global hydrocarbon trade, would remain open to navigation for the duration of the ceasefire. This news triggered immediate reactions in global benchmark prices, with declines of around 10%. Brent closed at $89.43 per barrel, a decrease of $8.77 and a decline of 8.93%. Meanwhile, WTI finished the day at $81.53, losing $11.65 compared to the previous day. This downward trend reflected investor expectations of a potential agreement between the United States and Iran. The possibility of negotiations over the weekend and the implementation of a ten-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel reinforced optimism in the markets regarding a possible resolution of the conflict in the region. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, expressed confidence that the conversations with…

Iran said it would open the Strait of Hormuz for the duration of a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, increasing the prospect of a wider peace deal.

The blackout has become the longest nationwide internet disruption ever recorded worldwide

The Iranian regime announced this Friday that the Strait of Hormuz will be open to navigation during the ceasefire agreed with the United States. "In accordance with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remainder of the ceasefire period, along the coordinated route previously announced by the Organization of Ports and Maritime Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran," stated Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Developing story.

France is planning to replace Windows software with open-source alternative Linux across government computers, in a move aimed at reducing its dependence on American tech giants – but experts warn the transition will be costly and slow.

With war in Iran on hold, the world's largest industrial trade fair opens in Hannover. And Brazil, this year's partner country, is pulling out all the stops to convince visitors it's a reliable technology leader.

Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia Israeli forces are battling in Lebanon, avoided mention of the 10-day cease-fire but appeared to be adhering to it. A truce could remove an obstacle in U. S.-Iran peace talks.

Saeed Khatibzadeh said the current situation in the region "necessitates this, not only for security reasons, but also to ensure safe passage and address environmental concerns."

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will on Friday host a video conference with their European allies to discuss the possible deployment of a multinational force to the Strait of Hormuz once the war in Iran is over. The force would help ensure safe and secure passage through the crucial waterway. France24 journalist Carys Garland reports from the Elysée Palace.

According to Dmitry Peskov, the duration of the truce "can hardly be predicted"

Pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer is growing over his naming of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite red flags. The PM says he was not told that Mandelson failed a background check before the appointment.

Progressive leaders from around the world are gathering in Spain on Friday to coordinate a response to the rise of far right and nationalist movements from Europe to the U. S. — with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the center of the push. More than 3,000 participants from over 100 organizations are convening in Barcelona for the launch of the “Global Progressive Mobilization,” a new initiative aimed at strengthening international cooperation among left-leaning parties and activists. The experiment is about organizing internationally, Stefan Löfven, president of the European Socialist Party (PES), told POLITICO. “Democracy is increasingly under pressure, and progressives are stepping up globally.” The two-day event aims to build a counter to advancing authoritarian and far-right forces, from the nationalist right in Europe — including parties aligned with the Patriots for Europe bloc — to global politics in the age of U. S. President Donald Trump. “This is not an isolated trend,” Löfven said. “It’s a shared challenge that requires a coordinated global response.” The Barcelona program includes a leaders’ dinner on Friday followed by a day of events featuring Socialist group chief Iratxe García and European Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera as well as Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum. The gathering also gives Sánchez — the event’s host — a platform to elevate his international profile as a central figure of a renewed global socialist movement. “He’s not just acting as a Spanish leader,” said a senior European Parliament official, granted anonymity to speak freely. “He’s trying to exercise European leadership.” Sánchez could be eyeing a future role in Brussels, potentially challenging European Council President António Costa when the post comes up for mid-term review in 2027, the official said. Costa, who is expected to attend the Barcelona meeting, is widely seen as the favorite to retain the position, but Sánchez’s growing visibility could complicate that outlook. The Spanish leader’s international ambitions come at a sensitive moment at home. Spain is due to hold elections by 2027, with polls pointing to a fragmented political landscape and a tight race between his Socialist Party and the conservative opposition. Still, allies see him as a driving force behind the broader progressive push. Sánchez is “the great progressive catalyst of the world,” Vice President of Socialist International and event organizer Hana Jalloul Muro said, pointing to his recent diplomatic activity — including a high-profile trip to China and clashes with Trump-aligned figures — as evidence of his expanding role.

Widespread voter dissatisfaction in the Finnish government is propelling the opposition one year before a general election.

Oil prices fell after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that the war in Iran "should end pretty soon," while a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon raised expectations of a decrease in supply disruptions. The U.S. WTI crude for May delivery retreated 1.44%, to $93.33 per barrel, while Brent crude for June delivery fell 1.29%, to $98.1. On Thursday, Trump stated that "the war in Iran is going very well," reiterating his projections about the end of the conflict that began on February 28. Hours earlier, the president indicated in a post on Truth Social that a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon would begin at 5:00 PM (ET). The U.S. president added that the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, would be invited to the White House for what he described as the first significant talks between the two countries since 1983. The U.S. Department of State stated that both sides are seeking to create conditions for a lasting peace, including mutual recognition of sovereignty. The initiative includes improvements in border security and reaffirms Israel's right to self-defense. The department also expressed shared concerns about non-state armed groups that could undermine Lebanon's sovereignty. In that regard, …

Three vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz towards the Persian Gulf and the same amount towards the Gulf of Oman

An 85-year-old Frenchwoman who was arrested by ICE after her American veteran husband died, has returned to France, the foreign ministry announced Friday. The detention of Marie-Thérèse Ross – who had moved to the US to marry her long-lost love and was still waiting for her Green Card application to be approved – has caused an uproar in France.

Iran can defeat the United States in the sense that it will not allow the US to achieve the goals it has set for itself in the war, Alexey Pushkov noted

Stuck in gridlocked traffic, Lebanese people who had been displaced by the fighting expressed a mixture of excitement and uncertainty about a pause in Israel's campaign against Hezbollah.

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday that the war in Iran had highlighted the urgent need for long-delayed UN reforms, arguing that the world body must be strengthened if multilateral diplomacy is to help restore global peace and security. "We have been talking about that for a long time, but only talking happens," Tokayev told the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. "Everybody is feeling the impact of the Iran war and everybody is suffering." At the three-day summit ending...

European public service broadcasters are under growing political and financial pressure, while also having to contend with fake news and propaganda.

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, expressed his support on Friday for the announced ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, but also voiced his "concern" that the agreement "may already be weakened" due to "military operations" in the past few hours. "I fully support the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, as announced yesterday by President (Donald) Trump. I also express my concern that it may already be weakened by the continuation of military operations," he stated in a message on social media. "I call for the safety of the civilian populations on both sides of the border between Lebanon and Israel," Macron said, emphasizing that "Hezbollah must renounce its weapons" and that "Israel must respect Lebanese sovereignty and stop the war." The message was published a few hours after the Lebanese Army reported "several violations" of the ceasefire by Israel shortly after it came into effect. They criticized "several Israeli attacks, in addition to intermittent bombings affecting several villages" in the south of the country. For its part, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated in a message released shortly after the agreement came into effect that they would maintain their positions in southern Lebanon. In fact, they requested that residents of southern Lebanon "...

The former NATO Secretary General noted that some disagreements between the US and other NATO nations persisted at present, however, these states could feel secure only by staying together

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is on a visit to Ukraine, currently staying in the western city of Lviv.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is typically seen in carefully planned meetings with presidents, kings, and regional leaders in Putrajaya. It was therefore striking to see him instead riding through the city on a casual live stream with Sneako, the controversial 27-year-old American streamer and Muslim convert whose appeal to mainly young male audiences has made him an unlikely cultural figure. For more than an hour on Friday, the live stream gave Anwar a rare chance to promote Malaysia and...

Political scientist Vali Nasr, 65, is widely regarded as one of the leading global experts on Iran, Shiism, the Islamic Republic, and U.S. policy in the Middle East. Nasr is a professor at Johns Hopkins University and the author of seminal works on his native country. But his work extends beyond academia: between 2009 and 2011, he served as senior advisor to Richard Holbrooke, Washington's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. During that period, he also advised the State Department and President Barack Obama on Iran.

According to an official statement from the British government, around 40 countries will participate in the conference

Asian airlines are reducing the number of flights, increasing fares, and reorganizing their routes as the war in Iran causes jet fuel prices to skyrocket, forcing carriers across the region to scramble to protect their profit margins and maintain vital routes. Aviation analysts say that the impact has been particularly severe in Asia because many economies rely heavily on fuel supplies from the Middle East, and some regional carriers are less protected from sudden price increases than their counterparts in Europe or the United States. "The impact has been...

The impact of the situation in Iran is spreading to various sectors within the country. We interviewed people working in different areas, including regional railways that operate diesel vehicles and manufacturers that handle chemical fibers derived from petroleum, all of whom are concerned about the future.

To sharpen its competitive edge in the world’s next-generation vehicle market, China has pledged to fast track automotive technical standards to build its status as a global rule-setter. The carmaking powerhouse would drive high-quality development of the auto sector through the formulation and enhancement of core standards during the next five years, officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) told state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing on...

The LIV circuit, for which Riyadh invested $5 billion, causing a global rift, may be halted after this season if it doesn't attract new investors. In May, a tournament will be held in Virginia on a course owned by the American president.

The Chinese government on Friday praised the ten-day ceasefire announced in Lebanon and called for a "sense of responsibility" in negotiations that would lead to an end to the conflict. "China applauds all efforts that lead to a ceasefire and an end to hostilities," said Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the agreement was confirmed, following contacts between the two countries mediated by the United States. He emphasized that "China hopes that the relevant parties will act with a sense of responsibility, maintain the momentum of the ceasefire and negotiations, and resolve their disputes through political and diplomatic means," according to the Chinese newspaper 'Global Times'. The latest large-scale hostilities erupted on March 2, when Hezbollah launched projectiles against Israel in response to the assassination of the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during an offensive launched on February 28 by Israel and the United States against the Asian country. Israeli forces then launched a new large-scale offensive and a ground invasion of Lebanon, resulting in nearly 2,200 deaths since then. Previously, the parties had agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024 after thirteen months of continuous fighting following the attacks of October 7, 2023, although since then, Israel has continued to launch frequent bombings against the country, arguing that it is acting...

TOKYO — On top of the tariffs, wars and inflation upending the global economy, US chieftains are grappling with a new question: which tech companies might get “BYD-ed” next? The reference here is to the Chinese electric-vehicle juggernaut that’s zoomed past Elon Musk’s Tesla and its peers to become No. 1 globally. The idea that […] The post China Shock 2.0 jolts global economy as Trump does Xi’s work appeared first on Asia Times.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it’s “unforgivable” that he was not informed Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting during his appointment as ambassador to the US, and pledged to lay out all the facts around the scandal to Parliament on Monday.

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, April 17: We take a look at how papers are reacting to the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Next: the UK suffers food shortages "from Trump's war". Also: did Pete Hegseth really quote from "Pulp Fiction" in his latest war prayer? Finally, we take a look at the latest dating trends.

Hong Kong’s food hygiene authorities have deployed drones to help dismantle an illegal slaughterhouse in Yuen Long, arresting its 67-year-old operator and seizing 7.4kg of goat meat and offal with an estimated market value of HK$3,000 (US$380). Acting on a tip-off earlier this week, officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department identified a suspicious farm in Kam Tin, Yuen Long. The unlicensed premises were allegedly used to keep and slaughter goats, with the meat to be sold in Kam...

The country’s leaders secured a truce through risky talks with Israel, but the government now finds itself caught between competing pressures.

The report noted that the incidents involved eight passenger ships, eight tugs, six private and fishing vessels, five merchant ships, and three search-and-rescue vessels, among others

The Iran war is risking America’s global security ties and damaging its reputation, especially among the world’s Muslims, according to a set of State Department cables obtained by POLITICO. The cables, dated Wednesday, described the fallout of the war for America’s standing in three countries in different parts of the world: Bahrain, Azerbaijan and Indonesia. U. S. diplomats at embassies in the countries’ capitals painted damning portraits of an America under siege in multiple media spheres by pro-Iranian actors that are exceptionally agile in the digital space. In Azerbaijan, what had been a significantly improving relationship has hit a plateau at best, and appears to be faltering. Bahrain’s government is facing questions about whether the U. S. abandoned it to fend for itself against Iranian drones and missiles. And Indonesia’s leader could face growing calls to reduce security ties with the U. S. Some of the cables describe anti-U. S. sentiment that is having an immediate impact, while others raise concerns that relationships could be in danger if the war continues much longer. Taken together, the cables paint a picture of countries where the U. S. is losing the population’s trust, and potentially that of their governments. The cables carry veiled requests for the Trump administration to free up American embassies to fight such negative narratives online and in traditional media. Embassies need to “have the freedom for flexible, quick and proactive social media to meet the challenge of making an impact in an overcrowded digital space,” argues the embassy cable from Jakarta, Indonesia. U. S. embassies have been instructed not to create original content about the Iran war to share publicly and instead are largely limited to reposting approved messaging from the White House or the State Department headquarters online, according to a U. S. diplomat and other documents obtained by POLITICO. The fact that the cables were sent at all suggests the situation in the countries is increasingly dire. That’s because many U. S. diplomats have become afraid to speak up under the Trump administration after it largely sidelined them from key foreign policy decisions, fired numerous members of the Foreign Service and emphasized “fidelity” for those left, two U. S. diplomats said. As a result, “posts are being very careful in selecting their topics and how they phrase things,” one of the diplomats said, having been granted anonymity like the other because they feared retribution. Iran’s Islamist leadership, by contrast, is using bots, memes and other tools on a vast array of platforms to undermine the U. S. in the media space. Its diplomats have also been turning to their contacts in religious, cultural and social spheres to build sympathy for Tehran. Asked for comment, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said: “President Trump’s actions are making the United States, future generations, and the entire world safer by preventing the Iranian regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon. That’s the reality, and the entire administration is lockstep in that effort.” Questioning U. S. loyalty in Bahrain Bahrain and the U. S. are stalwart allies, and the Middle Eastern country hosts an American military base that serves as headquarters for the U. S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. But the Iran war has led to public perceptions that the U. S. abandoned Bahrain to focus on protecting Israel instead, according to the cable from the Bahraini capital, Manama. Some pro-Iran social media accounts suggested that the U. S. military presence “had turned Bahrain into a target” and that U. S. forces should leave the country, the cable says. “One widely circulated tweet asked, ‘Why are U. S. forces being placed in hotels among civilians? Does America, which has abandoned the Gulf for Israel’s security and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s objectives, deserve for you to put the Bahraini people at risk?’” according to the cable. Part of the problem, U. S. diplomats writing the cable suggest, is that America’s messaging during the Iran war has been weak, while the pro-Iran social media and other messaging tools have moved quickly and often creatively. Bahraini officials and other contacts “tell us they worry that, in the absence of regular, local U. S. messaging, these misperceptions — amplified by Iranian propaganda and incomplete reporting in both local and international media — risk eroding public confidence in the U. S. commitment to Bahrain’s security,” the cable states. It didn’t help that traditional Bahraini media — “whose reporting is heavily controlled by the government” — focused much more on what the Bahraini military did to intercept Iranian drones and missiles “while omitting mention of U. S. support.” Official Bahraini government statements also didn’t acknowledge the equipment and training the U. S. had given the country’s armed forces, the cable states. Still, the cable also notes that such Bahraini neglect to mention the U. S. may have partly stemmed from a “desire to protect and maintain the operational security of U. S. personnel and materiel.” While the cable never directly says the embassy itself failed on messaging, it points out that the British Embassy’s highly active social media presence “created a distorted perception of the scale of British assistance and an impression that the U. K. was stepping up where the United States was retreating.” Bahrain’s ambassador in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did spokespeople for the British Embassy in Washington. Undermining gains in Azerbaijan The Iran war may be damaging progress the U. S. has made in its relationship with Azerbaijan since Trump oversaw a peace summit between Azerbaijan and Armenia last August, according to a cable from the U. S. Embassy in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital. After that summit, Azerbaijani media, which is heavily dominated by pro-government outlets, began giving more positive coverage to the United States. There also were signs of growing pro-U. S. sentiment in the majority-Muslim Azerbaijani population. In the first month after the U. S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Azerbaijani media kept a largely neutral tone, mirroring the government position. An alleged Iranian drone strike on Azerbaijan on March 5 even briefly led to furious nationalist commentary accusing Iran of terrorism. But in April, the Azerbaijani media turned more critical of the U. S. “Most local outlets blamed the United States and Israel for starting the conflict and for allegedly lacking a clear strategy or goal to end it,” the cable says. Some Azerbaijani press reprinted international news stories this month that include criticisms of Trump and his family. Such reprinting, the cable notes, is often a “test balloon” by the government before it starts directly using similar language. The recent ceasefire in the Iran war has helped cool tensions somewhat, with the Azerbaijani media coverage shifting to “technocratic but still critical analyses of the agreement, and to speculation of U. S., Israeli, and Iranian political calculations.” The truce, which expires April 22, has led many Azerbaijanis to “hope this would spell the end of the conflict, amid rising prices and regional travel disruptions.” The cable notes that although the majority of social media commenters in Azerbaijan have been deeply critical of U. S. and Israeli actions, such sentiments don’t appear to have led to more pro-Iranian feelings in Azerbaijan. Much of the Azerbaijani public is secular-minded and disdainful of the Islamist regime in Tehran, the cable states. Azerbaijan government officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Losing ground with Muslims in Indonesia Iran is mounting a major influence operation in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority democracy, according to the cable from the U. S. Embassy in Jakarta. On traditional media and platforms such as Telegram and Facebook, Tehran is stressing Muslim solidarity while appealing to anti-colonial sentiment in Indonesia by casting Israel and the U. S. as imperialists. The Iranian efforts are often creative; some use Morse code to convey a pro-Iran message, encouraging user interaction, the cable states. The Iranian Embassy’s posts “now generate thousands more views, positive comments, and pick-ups from local media” than before, while the Iranian ambassador has upped his public engagement, including meeting with many Indonesian political and religious “elites.” The Jakarta cable argued that if the war drags on and anti-U. S. sentiment grows, it would put cooperation between the two countries at risk. For the U. S., “the most dangerous near-term risk is not that Iranian messaging will be believed wholesale, but that it will amplify existing anti-American sentiment to a degree that constrains President Prabowo’s political room to continue to maneuver on regional security cooperation,” the cable states. Indonesia has made a number of security-related moves to gain favor with President Donald Trump, including offering to send troops to help with security in Gaza and joining Trump’s Board of Peace. On Monday, the government of Prabowo Subianto signed onto a “major defense cooperation partnership” with the U. S. The cable points out that, since the start of the war, the Iranian ambassador has called on Indonesia to quit the Board of Peace. There’s no indication the Indonesian government is prepared to go that far, although it reportedly has put a pause on discussions with the U. S. related to the board. The embassy carefully argues for more freedom to fight back on the media front. “Post welcomes additional public diplomacy initiatives that promote U. S. policy in the Middle East and counter anti-American messaging to engage Muslim-majority audiences in the current environment,” the cable says. Indonesian officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The London Metal Exchange’s benchmark has climbed to a fresh record as aluminium prices surge on fears of a severe and lasting shortfall in global supply following disruptions in the Middle East.

U. S. President Donald Trump commented on developments in the Ukraine peace process, saying that while progress is being made, the United States is currently focused on resolving the situation with Iran.

The last person on the list is former US Air Force retired Major General William McCasland, who went missing on February 27, 2026

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing calls to resign over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US, after it was revealed that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office had granted Mandelson security clearance despite objections from vetting officials. Bloomberg’s James Woolcock reports.

For journalists, access to the internet is central to reporting the news. When governments shut it down, reporters find ways around the blackout, but the work comes at a cost. Here are the experiences of journalists working in Iran, India, Ethiopia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

Donald Trump has said that another round of talks between the United States and Iran could take place as soon as this weekend. Meanwhile, this Friday, the French and British leaders are due to chair a meeting of around 40 countries focused on securing the Strait of Hormuz. France24 International Affairs Editor Philip Turle shares his insights on this meeting.

There is a sense of both caution and hope. Although the Lebanese army had warned residents who fled the south not to return, footage shows vehicles already moving back toward the area. Six weeks of Israeli strikes displaced well over a million people—around one-fifth of Lebanon’s population. The conflict has also hit a country already struggling with a severe economic crisis, and with limited government support available, private organisations have stepped in to help fill the gap. France24 Senior Reporter Cyril Payen reports the latests from Lebanon.

The Ministry of Finance is preparing legislation allowing Finnish municipalities to levy a tax on domestic and foreign tourists.

In Rome, the ninth leg of the program designed to promote Italian entrepreneurial excellence.

Five years out of college, Samuel Samson has driven the Trump administration’s push to upend America’s postwar relationship with Europe.

By holding off America’s more powerful military, Iran showed how Taiwan can deter or defeat China.

Trump administration has riled head of Catholic church over use of theology to justify conflict in Iran The contrast in experience between the two men disagreeing over war and theology was striking. On the one side was Pope Leo XIV, the first North American to head the Catholic church and the first cleric from the Augustinian order, who this week visited the modern Algerian city where Saint Augustine once lived. For Leo, who wrote his doctoral thesis on Augustine’s ideas, it was the culmination of a lifelong intellectual interest. Continue reading...

Property tycoon Pan Shiyi issued a rare critique of China’s real estate sector, describing its development model as a “Ponzi scheme” and urging the industry to restore integrity and better protect homebuyers, just days after a fraud trial saw a guilty plea from the founder of China Evergrande – the US$300 billion debt juggernaut whose 2021 collapse triggered a systemic property meltdown. Writing from the United States on Thursday via his personal WeChat account, Pan reflected on the trajectory...

The China-US trade war bubbled away this week, even as the Strait of Hormuz shutdown dominated global headlines. The US is finalising a multinational agreement on trade and critical minerals to break China’s grip on vital resources, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told lawmakers on Thursday. He also sought a higher budget to support more trade investigations, and suggested potential action to pare US farmers’ reliance on Chinese orders. “We’re not just going to lay down and let the...

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced mounting pressure to quit on Friday over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as envoy to Washington, after it emerged the veteran politician had failed security vetting. The affair has haunted Starmer for months amid growing anger over Mandelson’s 2024 nomination to the top diplomatic post despite his close ties to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, a long-time insider with Starmer’s ruling Labour Party, has held multiple ministerial posts since...

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office confirmed that Peter Mandelson, the former envoy to the United States, had been appointed despite failing to pass security vetting checks.

Helsinki's new Crown Bridges will fully open to pedestrians at 2pm on Saturday and to cyclists at 5pm.

On July 17th, the ambassadors from the 30 member states of NATO, who are stationed at the organization's headquarters in Brussels, visited the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in Japan to inspect a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. This visit aimed to deepen their understanding of the role that the U.S.-Japan alliance plays in strengthening security in the Indo-Pacific region.