April 22, 2026

03 World

Diplomatic efforts to end Iran war, reopen Strait of Hormuz intensify on multiple fronts– www.cbsnews.com

pgnewser April 16, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

President Trump says leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak Thursday, as Washington pushes to ease hostilities after the rivals’ first direct talks in decades on Tuesday.

“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” Mr. Trump said late Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, apparently referring to the meeting held in Washington the day before – the first direct negotiations between senior officials from the two countries since 1993 — and to Thursday’s planned discussion.

He didn’t identify Thursday’s participants or give details but said, “It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice!”

Israeli Army Radio, also known as GLZ Radio, said Thursday that, “Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel confirmed in an interview that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.”

North Korea showing ‘serious increase’ in ability to make nuclear weapons, IAEA says– www.euronews.com

pgnewser April 16, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

North Korea is showing a “very serious increase” in its ability to produce atomic weapons, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said during a visit to Seoul on Wednesday.

“In our periodic assessments, we have been able to confirm that there’s a rapid increase in the operations” of the Yongbyon reactor, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said in Seoul, where he met South Korea’s foreign minister.

The agency also observed a rise in operations at Yongbyon’s reprocessing unit and light-water reactor, as well as the activation of other facilities, Grossi told reporters.

“All that points to a very serious increase in the capabilities of (the) DPRK in the area of nuclear weapons production, which is estimated at a few dozen warheads,” he said, referring to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the North’s official name.

Donald Trump’s Blockade Is Headed for a Bust– www.truthdig.com

pgnewser April 16, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

As soon as the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran ended without an agreement, President Donald Trump fired a volley of angry social media posts venting his frustration. As a concrete step to force Iranian concessions, he announced a blockade of Iranian ports along the Persian Gulf.

Cut off Tehran’s oil exports, the logic goes, and the regime will have no choice but to bend to Trump’s will.

This thought process is being echoed and amplified by influential Washington voices who should know better. Take Dennis Ross, a former Middle East peace negotiator, who argued that “the blockade always made more sense than seizing Kharg Island. It stops Iran’s exports, its revenues, is a counterpoint to their closing the Straits [of Hormuz].” He also thinks that the measure will “put pressure on China to pressure Iran.”

US turned down Russian offer to take Iran’s enriched uranium – Kremlin — RT World News– www.rt.com

pgnewser April 16, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Moscow remains open to reviving the proposal if it helps ease Middle East tensions, Dmitry Peskov says

Russia’s proposal to host Iran’s enriched uranium remains on the table despite having been previously rejected by the US, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

The issue of Tehran’s nuclear program has long been a sticking point in talks with Washington. US President Donald Trump has demanded that Iran completely dismantle its nuclear infrastructure and hand over its enriched uranium stockpile, a proposal Tehran has rejected.

Iranian officials say they are not seeking a nuclear bomb but insist that uranium enrichment is their sovereign right and intended for civilian use. Tehran has previously indicated it could send some of its enriched uranium to a third country such as Russia and reportedly floated that idea in negotiations before the US and Israel launched their military campaign on February 28.

Lavrov says Iran has inalienable right to enrich uranium, defying Trump– www.foxnews.com

pgnewser April 16, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said that Iran has an “inalienable” right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes during a state visit to China on Wednesday, according to the Times of Israel.

“The right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes is an inalienable right of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Lavrov said during a Tuesday press conference following a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to the Times of Israel.

Canada Gives Liberals BIG Majority Win

pgnewser April 15, 2026 0

Canada’s coalition government is effectively over after two special elections have secured a simple majority for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party. The possibility of gaining a simple majority happened after five members of opposition parties defected to join the liberals.

Canadian Prime Minister Carney secures majority government with special election wins– japantoday.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney secured a majority government with special election wins Monday night, allowing his Liberals to pass legislation without the support of opposition parties.

Voters cast ballots for three vacant seats of the 343 districts represented in Parliament. In Toronto, Liberal candidate Danielle Martin won the election for the district of University Rosedale and Liberal Doly Begum won the district of Scarborough Southwest. The result for a Quebec district was expected later.

The Liberal Party could stay in power until 2029 after Monday’s results.

Trump sends ‘thousands more US troops to Middle East’ to pressure Iran for deal– www.mirror.co.uk

pgnewser April 15, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

Donald Trump is raising the pressure on Iran ahead of possible new talks by sending thousands more troops to the Middle East.

The US president has said that a second round of talks with Iran could happen “over the next two days” with negotiations held again in Islamabad as diplomats worked through back channels to arrange them.

And the prospect of talks come as the US Central Command says no ships made it past the blockade in the first 24 hours, while six merchant vessels complied with direction from US forces to turn around and re-enter Iranian waters.

More than 10,000 further troops could also be soon arriving in the region including about 6,000 aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and several warships escorting it, said officials, reported the Washington Post.

And about 4,200 others with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Corps task force, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are expected to arrive near the end of the month.

Israel, Lebanon Agree To Direct Negotiations After “Productive” Talks: US– www.ndtv.com

pgnewser April 15, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:
Israel and Lebanon agreed to hold direct negotiations after “productive discussions” between the two sides in Washington, the United States said on Tuesday.

“The participants held productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

“All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue,” he said.

The announcement came after Israeli and Lebanese envoys held more than two hours of talks mediated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“The United States congratulated the two countries on this historic milestone and expressed its support for further talks, and for the government of Lebanon’s plans to restore the monopoly of force and to end Iran’s overbearing influence,” Pigott said.

And it “affirmed that any agreement to cease hostilities must be reached between the two governments, brokered by the United States, and not through any separate track,” he added.

New Defense Deal Could Tighten US Control Over Another Critical Seaway– dailycaller.com

pgnewser April 15, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and his Indonesian counterpart announced a defense deal Monday in Virginia that could strengthen U.S. control in a seaway critical for China.

Hegseth and Indonesian Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin agreed to strengthen an existing agreement between the two countries to a Major Defense Cooperation Partnership (MDCP), according to a War Department (DOW) press release. The MDCP lays the groundwork for greater military cooperation, modernization of defenses and more training, a joint statement read. The Strait of Malacca, a key waterway between the Indian and Pacific Oceans running between the Indonesian island of Sumatra and Malaysia and Singapore, could see a strengthened U.S. presence as a result.

“The two leaders committed to expanding the scope and complexity of bilateral and multilateral exercises … to strengthen collective capabilities and promote Peace through Strength,” the press release read.

The Strait of Malacca is oil tankers’ shortest route from the Middle East to East Asia by sea. Approximately 23.2 million barrels of oil passed through daily during the first half of 20

Trump threatens to ‘punish’ UK by pulling troops out of NATO over Iran support– www.mirror.co.uk

pgnewser April 15, 2026 0

Blurb:

NATO, a 32-member alliance, was formed in 1949 to counter the risk of Soviet attack, and now focusses protecting ally counties by promising that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all

The Trump administration is considering a plan to remove US troops from some NATO ally countries (file image)(Image: Getty)

US President Donald Trump and his administration are considering a plan to remove US troops from NATO ally countries considered to be unhelpful in the US conflict with Iran.

It is understood that the troops would be stationed in countries that have been more supportive of the US military campaign.

The US and Israel have carried out joint strikes on several Iranian sites since February 28. Iran has retaliated by targeting countries across the Middle East, plunging the region into conflict.

Trump on Tuesday, April 7, announced a two-week ceasefire, which appears to be on the brink as Israel continues to strike Lebanon, while Kuwait and the UAE have faced missile and drone attacks on Wednesday.

Nigerian airstrike leaves 200 feared dead in Yobe, councillor and residents say– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser April 15, 2026 0

Blurb:

Civilians have been caught in the crossfire and killed in military air strikes aimed at militants, though the authorities sometimes dispute hitting civilians.

Africa’s most populous country has been fighting a jihadist insurgency for 17 years, since Boko Haram’s 2009 uprising, which has seen the emergence of powerful splinter groups, including Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

A UN security memo seen by AFP, stated that “4 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets launched airstrikes that mistakenly killed at least 56 people and injured 14 others at the Jilli market… on April 11.”

“This occurred during a military operation targeting Boko Haram fighters who visited the market to conduct terrorism activities,” it said.

Amnesty International earlier said on X that there were “more than 100 dead” and 35 people seriously wounded.

Local chief Lawan Zanna Nur, meanwhile, said: “The total casualties, dead and injured, are around 200.”

US says Iranian trade through Strait of Hormuz fully halted — RT World News– www.rt.com

pgnewser April 15, 2026 0

News Source
EXCERPT:

The American military says the blockade of the vital shipping route has been “fully implemented”

American warships have effectively blocked Iranian trade through the Strait of Hormuz, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said.

“A blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as US forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East,” CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

“In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, US forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea,” Cooper added.

Judge postpones termination of temporary protected status for Ethiopians in U.S.– www.cbsnews.com

pgnewser April 15, 2026 0

Blurb:

A federal judge in Massachusetts on Wednesday postponed the termination of temporary protected status for Ethiopians living in the U.S., finding the Trump administration unlawfully attempted to end it. 

In the order, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy said the Trump administration terminated the designation “without regard for the process delineated by Congress.”

Under the Biden administration, thousands of Ethiopian immigrants in the country were granted the status beginning in 2022. The designation allows immigrants to temporarily live and work in the U.S. without fear of deportation because of armed conflict, environmental disasters or other humanitarian emergencies in their home country. The status was extended in 2024.

The Department of Homeland Security announced in December that Ethiopia “no longer met the conditions” for the TPS designation and the protections would terminate on Feb. 13.