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    US military says it shot down Iranian drones launched toward Strait of Hormuz

    CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wisc. — The U.S. military said it shot down four Iranian drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and then struck some of the Islamic Republic’s coastal surveillance radar sites in response, raising the risk to a shaky ceasefire as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Iran . “The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” U.S. Central Command said on social media. The military is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s chokehold on the crucial corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments, which has sent energy prices spiking and posed political problems for President Donald Trump's Republican Party ahead of the midterm congressional elections. U.S. Central Command said it hit the radar sites, including an island in the strait, “to defend against further attacks.” It was the latest in back-and-forth attacks that have strained the tenuous ceasefire in the war and efforts to reach a deal to extend that truce. Earlier this week, Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger termi

    3 MIN READBy AP
    US military says it shot down Iranian drones launched toward Strait of Hormuz
  • World

    Trump's UFC fight at White House combines punches and politics

    3 MIN READBy Reuters
    Trump's UFC fight at White House combines punches and politics
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    NASA reverses evacuation alert order for astronauts aboard space station

    3 MIN READBy Reuters
    NASA reverses evacuation alert order for astronauts aboard space station
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    Bitcoin drops below $60,000, first since October 2024

    1 MIN READBy AFP
    Bitcoin drops below $60,000, first since October 2024
  • World

    US highlights shared denuclearization goal ahead of Xi's NK trip

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    US highlights shared denuclearization goal ahead of Xi's NK trip
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World

US says its forces ready to restart combat if Iran doesn't agree to deal

WASHINGTON — U.S. forces in the Middle East are postured to restart combat operations immediately if Iran doesn't agree to a peace deal, top American military officials said Thursday. As part of a campaign to pressure Tehran to sign an agreement, U.S. military forces are mounting a blockade on all ships seeking to enter or leave Iran. "Iran, can choose a prosperous future, a golden bridge, and we hope that you do for the people of Iran," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Pentagon briefing. "But if Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy." The Trump administration expressed optimism on Wednesday about reaching a deal to end the war with Iran, while also warning of increasing economic pressure against Tehran if it remains defiant. Hegseth, addressing the Iranian leadership, said "this is not a fair fight, and we know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to." Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces were "ready to resume major combat operations at literally a m

Apr 16, 2026By Reuters
US says its forces ready to restart combat if Iran doesn't agree to deal
World

Iran proposes letting ships exit safely through Oman side of Hormuz, source says

Iran could let ships sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack under proposals it has offered in talks with the U.S., providing a deal is clinched to prevent renewed conflict, a source briefed by Tehran said. The proposal appeared to be more of a gesture than a move that would, on its own, offer an immediate breakthrough for hundreds of ships waiting to pass through the key waterway, which handles about 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows. The source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Iran could be willing to let ships use the other side of the narrow strait in Omani waters without any hindrance from Tehran. "We welcome any moves to permit safe transit of ships through the established traffic separation scheme," said a spokesperson for the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is the United Nations' shipping agency. The proposal marks the first visible step by Tehran to pull back from more combative ideas floated in recent weeks, which included charging ships for passage th

Apr 16, 2026By Reuters
Iran proposes letting ships exit safely through Oman side of Hormuz, source says
World

Russian missiles, drones bombard Ukraine in hourslong attack, killing at least 16 people

KYIV — Russia hammered civilian areas of Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in an attack that stretched for hours from daytime into the night, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 80 others in its biggest aerial barrage in almost two weeks, officials said Thursday. Russia launched nearly 700 drones and dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles, primarily targeting civilians, authorities said. Moscow's forces have hit civilian areas almost daily since its all-out invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago, with the regular assaults occasionally punctuated by massive attacks. More than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have died in the strikes, the United Nations says. The latest bombardment came in the wake of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's 48-hour trip this week to Germany, Norway and Italy in an urgent search for more air defense systems that can stop Russian missiles. Ukraine fears the Iran war is burning through stockpiles of the advanced American-made systems it needs, and has argued against a U.S. temporary waiver on Russian oil sanction

Apr 16, 2026By AP
Russian missiles, drones bombard Ukraine in hourslong attack, killing at least 16 people
World

Hopes for Middle East peace grow with Israel, Lebanon eyeing ceasefire

WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM — Optimism grew on Thursday that the war in the Middle East may be near an end, with a key Pakistani mediator in Tehran and the administration of President Donald Trump talking up hopes for a deal that would open the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Israel's cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss a possible ceasefire in neighbouring Lebanon, a senior Israeli official said, more than six weeks into its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah. Two senior Lebanese officials said they had been briefed that efforts were underway for a ceasefire but had no further details on how long it would last or when it would be announced. Trump said talks between leaders of both countries would take place on Thursday, without providing details. Ending the fighting in Lebanon was a key sticking point in earlier peace talks, along with how to deal with Tehran's nuclear ambitions. U.S. and Iranian officials were weighing a return to Pakistan for further talks as early as the coming weekend, after negotiations ended on Sunday without a breakthrough. Pakistan's army chief and key figure in the mediation,

Apr 16, 2026By Reuters
Hopes for Middle East peace grow with Israel, Lebanon eyeing ceasefire
World

Pakistani army chief visits Tehran in bid to broker renewed talks between US, Iran

CAIRO — Pakistan’s army chief is set to meet with Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday in a bid to ease tensions in the Middle East and arrange a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran after almost seven weeks of war. The White House said any further talks would likely take place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad , though no decision had been made on whether to resume negotiations. The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports continued as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would ramp up economic pain on Iran with new economic sanctions on countries doing business with it, calling the move the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign. Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator after it hosted direct talks between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad that authorities said helped narrow differences between the two sides. Mediators are seeking a new round before the ceasefire expires next week. Meanwhile, Trump wrote late Wednesday on Truth Social that leaders from Israel and Lebanon would speak the next day in a renewed effort t

Apr 16, 2026By AP
Pakistani army chief visits Tehran in bid to broker renewed talks between US, Iran
World

Can Iran legally impose tolls on Strait of Hormuz?

Tehran has sought to tighten its grip over the Strait of Hormuz by charging tolls on vessels to ensure safe passage, in conjunction with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The following explains law governing toll collections and actions that countries opposed to tolls might take. What is the Strait of Hormuz? The Strait of Hormuz is a waterway connecting the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, and located within Iran's and Oman's territorial waters. It is perhaps the world's most important energy shipping lane. About 20 percent of the world's oil passes through it. The waterway is about 104 miles (167 km) long. Its width varies, and at its narrowest point provides 2-mile channels for inbound and outbound shipping, separated by a 2-mile buffer zone. Iran effectively closed the strait following U.S.-Israeli strikes on the country, and has demanded a right to collect tolls as a precondition to ending the war. The status of any toll collections so far could not immediately be confirmed. What law governs passage on the strait? The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, sometimes known as UNCLOS,

Apr 16, 2026By Reuters
Can Iran legally impose tolls on Strait of Hormuz?
World

Trump says Israel, Lebanon leaders to hold talks Thursday

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak Thursday, after they held a high-level face-to-face meeting in Washington Tuesday — the first such negotiation since 1993. "Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow," Trump wrote without specifying who will be involved or offering further details. Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war on March 2 after Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel, and more than 2,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes since.

Apr 16, 2026By AFP
Trump says Israel, Lebanon leaders to hold talks Thursday
World

Back-to-back Israeli strikes kill 4 Lebanese medics as Israel-Hezbollah war grinds on

TYRE, Lebanon — The Israeli military on Wednesday killed four Lebanese rescue workers and wounded six others in three consecutive, targeted strikes, paramedic groups said, a stark illustration of the human cost of the Israeli military campaign against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon a day after it the two countries held historic talks in Washington. The back-to-back Israeli attacks on the southern village of Mayfadoun, near the bigger town of Nabatiyeh, hit the first group of medics responding to a distress call from wounded civilians, a second group trying to assist their wounded colleagues and a third group rushing to aid the first two teams that had been targeted. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on the strikes beyond saying it was “looking into” what happened. It has previously accused the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group of using ambulances as cover for militant activities, without offering evidence. The Lebanese Health Ministry condemned the attacks as a “blatant violation” of international law. Abou Haidar Hayya, an official with the Islami

Apr 16, 2026By AP
Back-to-back Israeli strikes kill 4 Lebanese medics as Israel-Hezbollah war grinds on
World

Ukraine's Zelenskyy pursues more arms deals with allies to help check Russia's invasion

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s top diplomatic priority is securing its allies’ help to buy and build more air defense systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday between meetings with European leaders, as Russia kept up its deadly attacks on civilians and public infrastructure. Russian strikes hit more than a half-dozen areas of Ukraine behind the front line from Tuesday to Wednesday, killing an 8-year-old boy in the central Cherkasy region and a woman who was in a kiosk near a bus stop that was hit in southern Zaporizhzhia, according to Zelenskyy and local officials. “Every day we need air defense missiles — every day Russia continues its strikes,” Zelenskyy said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. With no plans announced for further U.S.-mediated talks with Russia, Zelenskyy was visiting three European capitals in 48 hours, securing promises of further military and financial support from Germany and Norway ahead of his trip to Italy on Wednesday. Germany and Ukraine agreed a defense package valued at 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion), and Norway has pledged 9 billio

Apr 16, 2026By AP
Ukraine's Zelenskyy pursues more arms deals with allies to help check Russia's invasion
World

Student kills 9 in Turkey's second school shooting in 2 days

ANKARA, Turkey — A student opened fire on two classrooms at a middle school in Turkey on Wednesday, killing nine people and wounding 13 others, the interior minister said, in the country's second such shooting in two days. The 14-year-old gunman was killed. He arrived at the school armed with guns believed to belong to his father, a retired police officer, Kahramanmaras provincial Gov. Mukerrem Unluer said. He was carrying five firearms and seven magazines. The motive of the attack wasn't immediately known. It was not clear whether the gunman was killed by police or killed himself. Six of the 13 people wounded were in serious condition, Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said. The attack came a day after 16 people, mostly students, were wounded when a former student opened fire at a high school in nearby Sanliurfa province. The assailant later killed himself. Until this week, school shootings were rare in Turkey. State-run broadcaster, TRT, identified the latest shooter as Isa Aras Mersinli and said his father was detained for questioning. Turkish authorities imposed a ban on the broadcast

Apr 16, 2026By AP
Student kills 9 in Turkey's second school shooting in 2 days
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