Thirteen people are killed and 23 injured after an explosion at a fireworks manufacturing unit in Thrissur, India.
Source:
India Today 
April 21
Disasters and accidents
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
Politics and elections
The Indonesian parliament passes the landmark Domestic Workers Protection Bill into law after 22 years of deliberation.
Source:
The Straits Times
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
United States House of Representatives member Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigns from her position after being convicted of stealing $5 million of COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, some of which went towards funding her 2022 election campaign.
Source:
CNBC
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:
in Spanish
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:
Reuters
The U.S. Department of Justice indicts the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on federal 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
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
Armed conflicts and attacks
U.S. president Donald Trump announces that the ceasefire will be extended so that Iran's government can make a "unified proposal," at the request of Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and field marshal Asim Munir. However, he also says the blockade will remain.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations2026 Iran war ceasefire
Source:
AA
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 in Lebanon.
Source:
The Guardian
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
Source:
AA
A United Nations investigation finds that the Libyan National Army 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 the Libyan town of Kufra where LNA forces control Kufra Airport.
Source:
AP
Transitional Sovereignty Council leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Oman Sultan Haitham bin Tariq hold official talks to focus on regional development and efforts to end the war in Sudan.
Source:
Muscat Daily
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
Pope Leo XIV arrives in the Equatorial Guinean city of Malabo, beginning the final leg of his apostolic visit to Africa, and becoming the first pope to visit the nation since 1982.
Source:
AP News
April 20
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
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
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
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
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
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
April 19
Disasters and accidents
At least 25 people are killed and 13 others are injured in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, India.
Source:
BBC News
Eight people are killed, including two children, and three others are injured in two separate drowning incidents in the Kaveri river in Mysore district, Karnataka, India.
Source:
Deccan Herald
Seven people are killed, including six children, in a propane tank explosion and fire at a house in Lamar Township, Pennsylvania, United States.
Source:
WNEP-TV
A spectator is killed and two others are injured when a car crashes into spectators at the Codasur South American Rally Championship in Córdoba, Argentina.
Source:
Infobae
A fire destroys about 1,000 homes in a stilt settlement in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia, displacing thousands of residents.
Source:
Gulf News
International relations
Argentine president Javier Milei and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announce the launching of the Isaac Accords to foster cooperation between Israel and the Western Hemisphere.
Source:
The Times of Israel
Armed conflicts and attacks
United States president Donald Trump says that negotiations with Iran will be held in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 20, with a U.S. delegation led by vice president JD Vance and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Source:
CNBC
Tasnim News Agency reports that Iran is undecided as to sending a negotiating delegation to Islamabad while a naval blockade remains in place.
Source:
Reuters
The United States Navy destroyer USS and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stop and seize control of the Iranian-flagged container ship , in the first direct action during the blockade.
Source:
Task and Purpose
The Israeli military publishes a map of the territory that it claims to control in Lebanon for the first time.
Source:
Reuters
Nineteen alleged New People's Army militants are killed in a shootout with the army in Toboso, Negros Occidental, Philippines.
Source:
TRT World
The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the March 23 Movement agree to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery and release prisoners within 10 days following talks in Montreux, Switzerland, and sign a memorandum establishing mechanisms to monitor a ceasefire.
Source:
Al-Ahram
A synagogue in North London, England, is targeted in a firebombing attack, which is suspected to be an act of terrorism.
Source:
The Independent
Two civilians killed and three wounded in a mass shooting at a bar in San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí. Authorities began to investigate the attack as part of a conflict between delictive cells.
Source:
El Universal
Five gunmen are killed in a shootout with security forces in the municipality of General Terán, Nuevo León. Authorities start a series surveillance operation in the area.
Source:
in Spanish
Two Mexican officers and two Central Intelligence Agency agents are killed in a car crash in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. President Claudia Sheinbaum states her government is investigating "potential violations of national security", with their operation to reportedly destroy a clandestine drug lab not pre-approved by the federal government.
Source:
AP
Law and crime
Four people, including two foreign nationals, are arrested in Jolfa, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, on charges related to importing Starlink equipment and alleged intelligence activities involving networks linked to Israel and the U.S.
Source:
New Straits Times
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain announces that Bahraini nationality law will be reassessed so that actions can be taken against anyone who provided assistance to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, such as with espionage.
Source:
Arab News
Eight children are killed and two women are injured in a domestic violence mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States. The perpetrator later carjacks a vehicle and flees across the Red River to the adjacent Bossier City, where he is fatally shot by police.
Source:
Reuters
First U.S. attorney Bill Essayli announces that an Iranian woman has been arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport in California for allegedly helping Iran traffic weapons to Sudan.
Source:
The Guardian
Politics and elections
Bulgarians vote for 240 seats of the National Assembly in the nation's eighth election since April 2021. Former president Rumen Radev leads the soft eurosceptic Progressive Bulgaria coalition, the frontrunner of the election according to opinion polls.
Source:
AP
Several universities across Islamabad and Rawalpindi in Pakistan, including the International Islamic University and Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, will shift to online classes amidst a potential second round of talks between Iran and the U.S.
Source:
The Express Tribune
Nus Kei, chairperson of the Golkar Party's Southeast Maluku Regency branch in Indonesia, is assassinated at Karel Sadsuitubun Airport. The two perpetrators are subsequently arrested.
Source:
Tempo
Science and technology
A humanoid robot developed by Chinese company Honor completes a half marathon in Beijing involving both robots and human runners in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, faster than the standing human world record.
Source:
Fox News
American company Blue Origin successfully launches its New Glenn rocket using a reused booster, which it recovers after liftoff, but the communications satellite it carried for AST SpaceMobile is placed in an incorrect orbit.
Source:
AFP via France 24