Israel pounded Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet on Wednesday, killing hundreds of people and drawing a threat of retaliation from Iran, which suggested it would be "unreasonable" to proceed with talks to forge a permanent peace deal with the United States.
Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with Hezbollah broke out last month, killing more than 250 people on Wednesday, as the Iran-aligned group resumed rocket attacks on northern Israel after a brief pause under the two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
Some geographies are small on the map yet immense in history. The Strait of Hormuz is one. About a quarter of global oil trade and a fifth of LNG flows pass through this narrow corridor - around 20 million barrels per day sustaining the global system.
Israel launched its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since hostilities escalated last month, killing over 100 people, even as Hezbollah halted attacks under a disputed U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
China and Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Tuesday aimed at coordinating defensive efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving no agreed international framework for securing the vital route.
As global attention centres on the conflict between Iran and the U.S., violence in Lebanon is intensifying, with Israeli strikes hitting residential areas, causing mounting civilian casualties and deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis.
Uzbekistan and the U.S. are preparing to launch a joint investment platform by the end of the year, alongside the creation of a new bilateral business council aimed at strengthening economic cooperation.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it had stopped firing on northern Israel and Israeli forces on Wednesday as part of a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East brokered between the United States and Iran. However, a Hezbollah lawmaker warned that the pause could collapse if Tel Aviv does not adhere to it.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face U.S. attacks on its civilian infrastructure.
Financial markets experienced a monumental shift as crude valuations tumbled and equity indices surged worldwide.
World leaders have welcomed a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. announced on Wednesday, following a tense day marked by threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to wipe out Iranian civilisation if a deal was not reached.
Kazakhstan has reassigned three CHP plant projects to a Kazakh-Singaporean consortium, formally ending Russia’s involvement, the energy ministry confirmed.
North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles towards its east coast on Wednesday (8 April), South Korea’s military said, in a fresh show of force that underscored rising tensions despite brief signs of a possible thaw between the two sides.
UK's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed a ceasefire between Iran and the United States, that was reached overnight, as he travels to the Gulf to support diplomatic efforts to sustain the agreement and stabilise the region.
The leader of Taiwan's largest opposition party used her first full day in mainland China to publicly pledge reconciliation, invoking the spirit of her party's founder, Sun Yat-sen, to call for unity whilst surprisingly praising the communist mainland’s developmental achievements.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 8 April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Gulf states including Saudi Arabia and the UAE are exploring a $2,500 Ukrainian-designed interceptor drone as a cheaper way to counter Iranian attacks that are depleting stockpiles of U.S.-made missiles, a Japanese firm marketing the technology overseas told Reuters.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance lashed out on Tuesday at what he called "disgraceful" European Union interference in Hungary's election, even as he openly endorsed Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally of both President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, days before the vote.
The head of a body representing global airlines said on Wednesday that even if Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz it would take months for jet fuel supply to recover given disruptions to Middle East refining capacity.
The third Turkish-owned vessel has departed the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Monday.
Iran said on Monday it wanted a lasting end to the war with the U.S. and Israel, and pushed back against pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while U.S. President Donald Trump warned the country could be "taken out" if it did not meet his Tuesday night deadline to reach a deal.
President Donald Trump warned Iran he would target power plants and bridges unless it reopened the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday night - but what actually happened?
U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance began a visit to Budapest on Tuesday by praising Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who faces a closely contested parliamentary election on Sunday.
Taiwan’s opposition leader Cheng Li-wun arrived in China for “peace” talks on Tuesday (7 April). Her visit to the country is the first by a leader of the Kuomintang (KMT), currently Taiwan’s largest opposition party, in more than a decade.
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