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.
2026 Djiboutian presidential election Preliminary results released after yesterday's presidential election revealed that incumbent President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh 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.
Pakistan–Qatar 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 US$3.5 billion of debt to the United Arab Emirates by the end of April.
Russo-Ukrainian war Ukraine and Russia announce a 32-hour ceasefire in observation of Orthodox Easter, alongside a prisoner exchange of 175 servicemen.
At least ten people, including three emergency workers, are killed by Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon.
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 sea mines.
U.S. President Donald Trump says that the U.S. has begun "clearing out" naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
The delegations of the United States and Iran 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 Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance.
Articles The post-truth and the contextMost of the daily information we see on the mainstream media today is the news equivalent of fast-food.
Artemis program NASA's Artemis II spacecraft completes its mission and splashes down in the northern Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California, U.S.
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.
Lambton College 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.
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.
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.
Air Services Limited An Air Services Limited Cessna 208 Caravan crashes during a national cargo flight in Guyana.
Cessna 172 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.
Yamuna At least 10 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.
Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war 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.
Muslims Over 100,000 Muslims worship at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Temple Mount, East Jerusalem, after it reopened for the first time since the start of the war.
Afghan conflict At least 10 people are killed and several others are injured after gunmen open fire in Injil District, Herat Province, Afghanistan.
Middle Eastern crisis Preliminary talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials are planned for next week in Washington, D.C., United States.
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.
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.
Israel launches attacks across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, killing at least 21 people, including 13 Lebanese State Security personnel in Nabatieh.
The Pakistani military evacuates the crew of a merchant vessel in the Arabian Sea following a distress call.
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.
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.
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.
Supreme Court of Russia 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.
Pakistan Pakistan reinforces security and enforces a lockdown in the Capital Territory in Islamabad to prepare for US-Iran ceasefire talks.
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.
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.
Cuba–Russia relations 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.
National Highway 30 Six people are killed and three injured after two cars collided on the National Highway 30, in India.
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.
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.
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.
Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war 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.
Oil prices rebound amidst concerns about the ceasefire, with U.S. and Brent Crude oil back up to nearly US$100 per barrel.
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.
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.
Al-Aqsa Mosque 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.
Sudanese civil war 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.
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.
Russo-Ukrainian war Russian president Vladimir Putin declares a ceasefire for the weekend in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter.
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.
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.
Middle Eastern crisis Lebanese authorities update the losses from the previous day's attacks to 303 killed and 1,150 injured.
Hezbollah says that its fighters are engaged in "point-blank clashes" with Israeli troops in Bint Jbeil, Lebanon.
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.
At least seven people are killed by a wave of Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling across Lebanon.
Hezbollah launches rockets at the Israeli kibbutz of Manara, citing Israeli and American violations of the ceasefire linked to the Iran war.
Former Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi dies from injuries sustained during an Israeli–U.S. airstrike on his home on April 1.
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.
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.
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.
The Kuwaiti military reports that drones attacked several vital facilities and caused significant damage to a national guard base.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian says that supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the ceasefire.
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.
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.