- Amid blockade, U.S. destroyers shadow laden Iranian tankers The Washington Post
- Five Iran Tankers Headed to Malaysia Turn Around to Avoid U.S. Navy WSJ
- Five tankers seen loading oil on Iran's Kharg Island, Bandar Mahshahr port The Jerusalem Post
- Iran Continues to Sell Oil Out of its Floating Storage Reserve The Maritime Executive
- How ships carrying Iranian oil circumvent sanctions IslanderNews.com
Middle East crisis live: Iran warns it will close strait of Hormuz if US blockade continues
Iranian parliamentary speaker also says passage through waterway will depend on Iranian authorisation and accuses Donald Trump of multiple falsehoods
A convoy of tankers was seen departing the Gulf and transiting the strait of Hormuz on Saturday, vessel-tracking data showed.
The group comprised four liquefied petroleum gas carriers and several oil product and chemical tankers, with more tankers following from the Gulf, according to MarineTraffic data cited by Reuters.
Continue reading...Israel accuses Hezbollah militants of violating ceasefire – Euronews.com
- Israel accuses Hezbollah militants of violating ceasefire Euronews.com
- Israeli military publishes map of south Lebanon territory under its control Reuters
- Does Israel’s ‘Yellow Line’ violate the Lebanon ceasefire? Al Jazeera
- IDF reveals Forward Defense Line in southern Lebanon The Jerusalem Post
- 'Like Gaza': IDF Razes South Lebanon Villages During Cease-fire, Sources Say Haaretz
Green MP: Labour caricatures working-class people over greyhound racing
Hannah Spencer says minister ‘continuously offends people by saying working-class people don’t care about dogs’
Labour is “offensively caricaturing” working-class people by saying they do not want a greyhound racing ban in England, the Green party MP Hannah Spencer has said.
The sport has traditionally been associated with working-class culture and has historically been popular in so-called red wall areas, which Labour insiders suggest is part of the reason why there are no plans for England to follow bans announced last month in Scotland and Wales.
Continue reading...Winners and judges out of pocket as £20,000 writing awards appear to have closed
The Plaza Prizes offered 10 awards in 2025 but some judges say they were not paid, while a number of winners hit back over AI accusations
A competition for new writers that promised a £20,000 prize fund appears to have shut down, leaving winners and judges, including a Booker prize-winning novelist, out of pocket.
Established in 2022, the Plaza Prizes last year offered 10 awards that were judged by the “finest poets and writers in the world”.
Continue reading...Iran mediators meet in Turkey to discuss peace push – Axios
Curry, Warriors knocked out of NBA play-in tournament by Suns
Stephen Curry struggled with just 17 points as the 2026 NBA champions season was ended by the Phoenix Suns in play-in.
One of the world’s most wanted men is arrested, ending years-long hunt – The Washington Post
- One of the world’s most wanted men is arrested, ending years-long hunt The Washington Post
- One of world’s most wanted cartel leaders captured New York Post
- Kinahan, alleged crime boss and ex-boxing promoter, arrested ESPN
- Daniel Kinahan, alleged leader of Irish organised crime group, arrested in UAE The Guardian
- Daniel Kinahan: how the cartel boss was finally arrested The Times
New Zealand defends military patrol flight near China – Reuters
- New Zealand defends military patrol flight near China Reuters
- China's complaint over NZDF 'harassment' could be sign of other concerns: Expert RNZ
- The boomerang effect Global Times
- Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun’s Regular Press Conference on April 17, 2026 fmprc.gov.cn
- NZDF statement in response to China’s claims regarding P-8A aircraft flight NZDF
Six great reads: Iran’s social media memes, an abandoned department store and a 1,200-year-old record of cherry blossoms
Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days
Continue reading...Two weeks that pushed Trump to the edge. Is his presidency unravelling?
The president has opened fissures in his base by starting a war he couldn’t finish with Iran, stoking inflation and offending Christians. Barred from running again, he may feel he has nothing to lose
Lance Johnson voted for Donald Trump three times. Now he is feeling buyer’s remorse. “I haven’t been too happy with the third time around,” said the 47-year-old contractor, sitting at a bar in Crescent Springs, Kentucky. “We’re supposed to not start any new wars. Prices were supposed to come down. We were promised a lot of things and we’re not getting them.”
Johnson is not the only Trump voter having doubts about a US president who, after defying political gravity for a decade, finally seems to be crashing back to earth. The past two weeks have arguably been the most bruising of Trump’s two terms in office, suggesting that his tried and trusted playbook could finally be falling apart.
Continue reading...By Conservative Metrics, the Iran War Is a Monumental Blunder – RealClearMarkets
- By Conservative Metrics, the Iran War Is a Monumental Blunder RealClearMarkets
- Seven Myths About the Iran War Tablet Magazine
- Who’s actually winning the wars in the Middle East? The Spectator
- War on Iran: Why Israel and the US are the ultimate losers Middle East Eye
- The War With Iran Offers a Snapshot of Trump World. It’s Not a Pretty Picture. Politico
Trump says he has ‘good news’ on Iran as tankers cross Strait of Hormuz – Reuters
- Trump says he has 'good news' on Iran as tankers cross Strait of Hormuz Reuters
- Iran war updates: Trump voices optimism about deal; Tehran cautious Al Jazeera
- Politics The Economist
- Trump’s Iran war victory boast has echoes of Bush’s ill-fated ‘mission accomplished’ claim The Guardian
- Trump Frames Iran War as All but Over in Optimistic Social Media Flurry The New York Times
Australia, Japan sign contracts to start $7 billion warship deal – Reuters
- Australia, Japan sign contracts to start $7 billion warship deal Reuters
- Japan’s MHI awarded contract to build three Upgraded Mogami-class Frigates navalnews.com
- Australia Signs Deal For First Batch of Warships From Japan Bloomberg.com
- Japan seals largest-ever defense contract with frigate sale to Australia The Japan Times
- VIDEO: Stephen Dziedzic reports from Melbourne at Aus-Japan defence contract signing Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Al-Noor centre: A lifeline for blind children in Gaza
Al-Noor is a UNRWA centre in Gaza providing education and support for visually impaired children.
New Jersey announces $150 transit tickets to reach the World Cup
Transit fares from New York to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for World Cup matches will rise to $150.
Elderly Passenger Overboard From Carnival Splendor Triggers Major Operation, Next Sailing Delayed – Cruise Hive
- Elderly Passenger Overboard From Carnival Splendor Triggers Major Operation, Next Sailing Delayed Cruise Hive
- Frantic search after passenger goes overboard News.com.au
- Search resumes for man missing from cruise liner, after woman from same ship drowns Brisbane Times
- Search underway for man missing from cruise ship off Brisbane coast Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- Carnival Splendor Sydney Departure Delayed After Hours Long Search Operation Cruise Hive
Trump Spat Gives Spain Leader Pedro Sánchez a Political Lifeline – The New York Times
- Trump Spat Gives Spain Leader Pedro Sánchez a Political Lifeline The New York Times
- Global leftist leaders gather in Spain to mobilise against far right Reuters
- Sánchez seeks to rally global left against rise of far right politico.eu
- Lula and Sánchez to ‘work for peace’ at gathering of progressive leaders in Barcelona AP News
- Brazil's Lula and Sánchez of Spain headline meetings of progressive leaders in Barcelona NBC News
A Mild-Mannered Pope Finds His Voice – The New York Times
- A Mild-Mannered Pope Finds His Voice The New York Times
- When is a war a ‘just war’? CNN
- Pope Leo XIV denounces the 'delusion of omnipotence' he says is fueling the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran PBS
- Maybe Republicans are right. Has the pope even read the Bible? | Opinion USA Today
- The USCCB’s Just War Error First Things
‘A defeat for Putin’: Ukrainians hope Magyar’s victory will mark new era with Hungary
As Orbán is rejected, there is cautious optimism new leader can restore ties – but issues such as EU accession loom large
Like many Ukrainians, Oleh Kupchak was delighted when Péter Magyar won Hungary’s election last weekend, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16-year grip on power. “We were euphoric. Everyone was following the results closely. There were toasts,” said Kupchak, who has visited Budapest several times. “We didn’t love Orbán,” he added.
Ukraine celebrated Orbán’s landslide defeat in a series of jokes and memes. Several likened him to the Star Wars character Jabba the Hut, and shared an image of Orbán fleeing from a drone. Others portrayed him sitting on a bench in Russia, alongside Ukraine’s pro-Kremlin former president Viktor Yanukovych, and his exiled Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad.
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