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.
Terrorism in 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.
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.
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.
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.
Russia–United Kingdom relations In an emergency conference, British defence secretary John Healey says Russian Navy submarines have launched military action against the UK in the North Sea and says counter-measures are underway.
The United Kingdom says Russia has launched a sabotage operation on its navy and critical infrastructure, including pipelines.
Middle Eastern crisis 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 in response to Israeli and American violations of the ceasefire linked to the Iran war.
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.
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.
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.
Protests against the 2026 Iran war Anti-war protesters gather outside the U.S. embassy in Ottawa, Canada, to protest against the Iran war, the war in Lebanon, and the Gaza Genocide.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war Oil prices plunge below US$95 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average surges past 1,000 after the ceasefire announcement.
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.
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.
U.S. president Donald Trump threatens to impose 50% tariffs on countries that supply military weapons to Iran.
Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes 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.
Middle Eastern crisis An Israeli airstrike in Sheikh Ijlin, Gaza City, Palestine, kills two people, including Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Wishah.
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.
The Israeli military says that it has halted strikes against Iran, but state that they will continue fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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.
Bahrain, Iraq, and Syria reopen their airspace after weeks of closure. The Damascus International Airport and the Bahrain International Airport begin resuming flights.
Iran closes Strait of Hormuz maritime traffic to oil tankers over Israeli attacks in Lebanon, claiming that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire.
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".
Thailand confirms the three crewmen on a vessel that was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz in March have died.
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.
After the announcement of a ceasefire and Israeli violations of the terms, Iran launches ballistic missiles at Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Kuwait's interior ministry reports fires at several oil facilities, power plants, and desalination plants after an Iranian drone attack.
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."
After the announcement, an Israeli military spokesperson states that Israel is still launching attacks on Iran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt states that Netanyahu and Trump will continue discussions on potentially including Lebanon in a ceasefire arrangement.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Protests against the 2026 Iran war Citizens in Ilam, Iran, form a human chain protest against Trump's threats against key infrastructure in the country.
Human chain protests are held across bridge and power plant structures in Iran to protest against Trump's threats against civilian infrastructure.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Iraq–Kuwait relations Protestors storm the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra, Iraq, after a rocket attack launched from Kuwait killed three people in Basra.
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.
Cuba–United States relations 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.
Natural disaster The death toll from natural disasters, including heavy rain, storms and floods, rises to 188 in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
TGV 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.
Kawasaki Three people are killed and another is reported missing after a scaffolding collapse at a steel plant in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Petrochemical plant 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.
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.
''Wireless'' Festival 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.
Japan The Japanese House of Councillors enacts the country's largest state budget in history worth ¥122.3 trillion (€664 billion).
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.
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.
Current 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".
Middle Eastern crisis Israel deploys the 98th Division to southern Lebanon, raising the force there to five divisions.
The Israeli military says that 36 soldiers were injured over the past two days, bringing the total casualties to 411.
Three people are killed and several are injured by an Israeli airstrike in Maarakah, Tyre District, Lebanon.
U.S. and Israeli warplanes strike Iranian military targets on Kharg Island that results in several massive explosions.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel has struck bridges and railways in Iran allegedly used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The semi-official Mehr News Agency reports that a suspected Israeli–U.S. missile struck a synagogue in central Tehran.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
An Iranian ballistic missile strikes a Thuraya building in the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, injuring two Pakistani nationals.
Four people are injured by falling debris in Muraikh, Qatar, after the Qatari military intercepts Iranian missiles.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh is officially advising 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 is warning of security risks such as rocket and drone attacks.
Vance says that the war in Iran will conclude "very shortly", claiming that the U.S. military has achieved all objectives.
"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".
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).
It is reported that U.S. vice president JD Vance would serve as the U.S. interlocutor in ceasefire talks.
Trump tells Fox News that the U.S. is in "heated negotiations" with Iran after being briefed about the proposal.
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".
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.