Source:
The Straits Times 
April 23
Disasters and accidents
April 22
Law and crime
Moldovan oligarch and former politician Vladimir Plahotniuc is sentenced to 19 years in prison for embezzling about US$1 billion from the country's banks.
Source:
Reuters
International Criminal Court (ICC) judges dismiss former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's jurisdictional challenge regarding the ICC's authority over alleged crimes committed while the Philippines was still a member, allowing proceedings to continue against Duterte on charges of crimes against humanity linked to his anti-drug campaign.
Source:
Reuters
Disasters and accidents
At least nine people are killed and around 27 others are injured, including three critically, when a bus crashes into a tree on a highway near San Juan del Río and Amealco de Bonfil, Querétaro, Mexico.
Source:
in Spanish
A leak results in a violent chemical reaction involving nitric acid and another substance at a facility in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, killing two people and injuring 19 others, including one in critical condition.
Source:
AP
Two people are killed and 16 others are injured when a passenger bus carrying Ukrainian citizens strikes a group of people and crashes into a ditch in Burgas, Bulgaria.
Source:
Ukrainska Pravda
Armed conflicts and attacks
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seizes two vessels after attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz. A third vessel is also reportedly "disabled off Iran's coast".
Source:
CNN
Three members of the Kurdistan Freedom Party are injured in a drone attack in the Khabat District, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The group attributes the attack to Iran.
Source:
Al Jazeera
A French UNIFIL peacekeeper dies from his wounds sustained from an ambush last week blamed on Hezbollah.
Source:
AFP via Al Arabiya
Source:
Al Jazeera
Suspected Boko Haram insurgents on motorcycles kill at least 20 people in shootings in Borno State and Adamawa State, Nigeria.
Source:
Reuters
International relations
The Pakistani capital Islamabad remains on lockdown to host a potential second round of talks between the U.S. and Iran even despite uncertainty of a second round of talks.
Source:
Digital Journal
France and the United Kingdom host a military conference involving over 30 countries in Northwood, London, to discuss the use of military forces for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow.
Source:
AA
Politics and elections
Nepali home minister Sudan Gurung resigns to allow an impartial investigation into his financial activities, becoming the second minister to leave prime minister Balen Shah's government following recent elections.
Source:
The Straits Times
The Greek parliament votes to lift the immunity of 13 legislators from the ruling New Democracy party to allow investigation into alleged fraud involving European Union agricultural subsidies.
Source:
Reuters
Peruvian defence minister Carlos Díaz Dañino and foreign minister Hugo de Zela resign following president José María Balcázar's decision to postpone the purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the United States.
Source:
Reuters
Business and economy
Russia announces it will halt the transport of Kazakh oil to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline starting May 1, citing technical reasons, while the German economic ministry states that the interruption is not expected to significantly disrupt fuel supply.
Source:
AFP via France 24
April 21
Disasters and accidents
Thirteen people are killed and 23 injured after an explosion at a fireworks manufacturing unit in Thrissur, India.
Source:
India Today
A shell explodes inside a Type 10 main battle tank from the 8th Division's Western Army Tank Battalion, during a live fire exercise at Hijudai Training Area in Kusu, Ōita Prefecture, Japan, which is under the AOR of 4th Division, killing three soldiers and injuring another.
Source:
Asahi Shimbun Company
Science and technology
NASA announces that the rover has detected more than 20 organic molecules on Mars using a chemical analysis method involving tetramethylammonium hydroxide, conducted for the first time on another planet, indicating the long-term preservation of compounds associated with prebiotic chemistry.
Source:
The Manila Times
Armed conflicts and attacks
United States president Donald Trump announces that the ceasefire will be extended so that Iran can make a "unified proposal," upon Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and field marshal Asim Munir's request. However, Trump also says the blockade will remain.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations2026 Iran war ceasefire
Source:
The Hill
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command announces that it stopped and boarded a stateless tanker, M/T , which it says is connected to Iran.
Source:
Stars and Stripes
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi calls the blockade "an act of war" and a violation of the ceasefire.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and launches a drone into northern Israel.
Source:
The Times of Israel
Two Israeli soldiers are sentenced to 30 days in military prison for destroying a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in the Christian village of Debel, Lebanon.
Source:
The Times of Israel
French president Emmanuel Macron affirms France's support for the territorial integrity of Lebanon, saying that the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the country is a precondition for stability.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)Hezbollah–Israel conflict2026 Israel–Lebanon peace talksFrance–Lebanon relations
Source:
Al Jazeera
Two Palestinians are killed and three are injured in an attack towards a school by settlers and Israeli soldiers in Al-Mughayyir, West Bank.
Source:
Reuters
Israeli troops raid the Quneitra Governorate in Syria, where they detain three people.
Source:
AA
A United Nations investigation finds that the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar facilitated the transfer of weapons, vehicles and Colombian mercenaries to Sudan to fight for the Rapid Support Forces against government forces. The operation was centred around Kufra, Libya, where LNA forces control Kufra Airport.
Source:
AP
Transitional Sovereignty Council leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Omani sultan Haitham bin Tariq hold official talks to focus on regional development and efforts to end the war in Sudan.
Source:
Muscat Daily
The Russian defence ministry says the Africa Corps freed a Russian and a Ukrainian citizen abducted in Niger in July 2024 by Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin during an operation conducted in Mali.
Source:
AP
Business and economy
Nepal resumes issuing work permits for its nationals seeking employment in the Middle East after a temporary suspension linked to the Iran war, citing guidance from the foreign ministry and demand from workers.
Source:
Reuters
Vitol CEO Russell Hardy says that at least one billion barrels of oil production will be lost because of the war even if it ends immediately, and that the current loss is in the range of 600 to 700 million barrels.
Source:
Financial Times
Japan approves new rules easing long-standing restrictions on arms exports, allowing the overseas transfer of a broader range of defense equipment, including deadly weapons.
Source:
The Manila Times
International relations
Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te cancels his planned visit to Eswatini after the governments of Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles denied overflight permissions for his aircraft, with Taiwan attributing the decision to pressure from China.
Source:
Reuters
Ukraine completes repairs on the Druzhba pipeline damaged in a war-related strike and prepares to resume operations, while president Volodymyr Zelenskyy links the restoration to progress on a proposed €90 billion European Union support package.
Source:
AP
Pope Leo XIV arrives in Malabo, the final leg of his papal visit to Africa, becoming the first pope to visit Equatorial Guinea since John Paul II in 1982.
Source:
AP
Politics and elections
U.S. House of Representatives member Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigns from her position amid a probe by the House Ethics Committee, following her November 2025 indictment by federal prosecutors for stealing $5 million of COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, some of which allegedly went towards funding her 2022 election campaign.
Source:
CNBC
The British parliament passes the Tobacco and Vapes Bill formally banning anyone in England born after December 31, 2008, from buying cigarettes and other tobacco products in an effort to create a "smoke-free generation". The age controls will enter force on January 1, 2027.
Source:
AP
The Indonesian parliament passes the landmark Domestic Workers Protection Bill into law after 22 years of deliberation.
Source:
Bloomberg
New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon secures the support of his caucus after initiating and winning a confidence vote on his leadership within the National Party.
Source:
Reuters
Law and crime
A joint investigation by the Indonesian human rights commission, the ombudsman, and the child protection commission finds that police and other state security personnel violated human rights, including arbitrary arrests, torture, and alleged child sexual abuse, during anti-government protests in 2025 that left at least 11 people dead and thousands detained.
Source:
Reuters
At least five people are killed and 200 others are injured in a prison riot at the Yare Prison in Miranda State, Venezuela.
Source:
New Straits Times
South Korean police seek an arrest warrant for Hybe founder and chairperson Bang Si-hyuk over alleged violations of capital market laws related to Hybe's initial public offering, accusing him of misleading early investors and receiving profits through a related private equity fund.
Source:
AP News
The U.S. justice department indicts the Southern Poverty Law Center on fraud charges related to payments it made to infiltrate white supremacist hate groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations and the American Nazi Party.
Source:
New York Post
April 20
Politics and elections
Preliminary results from yesterday's election in Bulgaria reveal that the left-wing nationalist and populist Progressive Bulgaria coalition, led by former president Rumen Radev, secured a majority of seats in the National Assembly.
Source:
DW
The Royal Palace of Cambodia announces that King Norodom Sihamoni underwent surgery for prostate cancer in Beijing, China.
Source:
The Straits Times
In Romania, the Social Democratic Party withdraws support for prime minister Ilie Bolojan of the National Liberal Party, a move that could lead to the collapse of the coalition government.
Source:
Xinhua
Armed conflicts and attacks
A Iranian official says that Iran may attend ceasefire talks with the United States in Islamabad, Pakistan, following moves by Pakistan to end the blockade of Iranian ports. However, a decision has yet to be made.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations2026 Iran war ceasefire
Source:
Al Jazeera
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says that Iran is not going to negotiate while it is being threatened.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations2026 Iran war ceasefire
Source:
Al Jazeera
U.S. president Donald Trump says that he is "highly unlikely" to renew the ceasefire when it expires in two days.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations2026 Iran war ceasefire
Source:
AP
The cruise ship arrives in the Gulf of Oman, becoming the latest of six cruise ships in the Middle East to cross the Strait of Hormuz since the war started on February 28.
Source:
People
The Israeli military launches airstrikes in southern Lebanon against individuals that it accused of posing a threat to northern Israel or to Israeli troops.
Source:
NBC News
The United States announces that another round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will be held in Washington, D.C., on April 23.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Lebanese president Joseph Aoun announces that he is appointing a new negotiator for the next talks, former ambassador Simon Karam.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Source:
Reuters
Ukrainian forces say they have struck two Russian Navy landing ships docked at Sevastopol Naval Base in Russian-occupied Crimea. Separately, a Ukrainian drone attack on Tuapse oil terminal in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, kills one person and causes several large fires at the facility.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Russia's Federal Security Service says it has arrested a German woman and a Central Asian man in Pyatigorsk, Stavropol Krai, and seizes an improvised explosive device, alleging they planned an attack on a law enforcement facility on instructions from Ukraine.
Source:
The Straits Times
FARC dissidents launch drone strikes on the Colombian army in Ipiales, Nariño Department, killing three soldiers and wounding two others.
Source:
AP
Business and economy
Apple Inc. announces that Tim Cook will step down as chief executive officer with senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus taking on the role from September 1.
Source:
Reuters
Law and crime
A man opens fire around the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacán Municipality, Mexico, killing a Canadian tourist and wounding 13 other people, before killing himself.
Source:
Al Jazeera
France is investigating allegations that two Lebanese banks transferred billions of U.S. dollars out of the country despite strict capital controls.
Source:
Naharnet
At least 62 U.S. military veterans are arrested by police inside the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., during a anti-war protest against the Iran war after occupying the Cannon House Office Building.
Source:
Latin Times
Disasters and accidents
An earthquake on a scale of 7.7 is measured off the coast of Sanriku, Japan. A subsequent 80-centimetre (2.6 ft) high tsunami is reported in Kuji, Iwate prefecture.
Source:
Kyodo News
At least 21 people are killed and 45 others are injured when a passenger bus rolls into a gorge in Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Six people are killed in a fire on two residential buildings in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, Philippines.
Source:
The Star
Health and environment
Several Central European countries, including Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, begin pulling baby food produced by Hipp Holding from supermarket shelves after rat poison was detected in some jars over the weekend.
Source:
AP
International relations
Pakistan places on hold a proposed US$1.5 billion arms and aircraft supply agreement with Sudan after Saudi Arabia withdraws financing and requests its termination.
Source:
Reuters
The Philippines and the United States begin the 19-day Balikatan military exercises, described as the largest to date in terms of participating countries, involving more than 17,000 troops from seven nations and additional observers.
Source:
Reuters