live Iran closes Strait of Hormuz again over U.S. blockade, state media says- Saturday 18 April
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a Saturday statement that the Strait of Hormuz has...
Canada and the five Nordic countries have agreed to deepen cooperation in military procurement and other areas, in the latest push by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to build new global alliances.
Carney has sought closer ties with China and Middle Eastern countries as well as India and Europe as he tries to reduce his country's dependence on the U.S. and forge a trading order led by what he calls middle-power countries.
The push has found enthusiastic partners in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.
"The old world order is gone and will probably not come back," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters after a meeting of the six nations' premiers in Oslo.
"So we have to build something new and it has to be a world order that is built on the values that we represent," she said.
Frederiksen, who faces a tough re-election battle this month, praised Carney for his speech at the Davos World Economic Forum in January that called for what he called "middle powers" to join forces.
"People in Denmark- and I guess the same goes for the rest of the Nordic countries - have been talking about it; they have been reading your speech," she said.
In a joint statement, the countries said they aimed to work more closely together on defence procurement.
"We all agree that if we individually spend that money or we spend it in an uncoordinated way, it's not going to be value for taxpayers. It also will not protect our people as much as we should," Carney told reporters.
"We will still do a lot of procurement with the United States... but in all cases looking to procure much more in partnership," Carney said.
The group reiterated their support for Ukraine, international trade, building green economies and enhancing Arctic security.
All have territories in the polar region and have condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's push to take over Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the effort showed the middle powers coming up with concrete proposals for cooperation.
"This is not about building new institutions. This is about what Prime Minister Carney calls a variable geometry," he told Reuters.
"So ... in certain areas we go together, we deepen cooperation with different participants," he added, citing Australia, Japan and South Korea as other possible partners.
The past 24 hours of the Russia-Ukraine war have seen a drastic escalation in both aerial bombardment and frontline losses.
Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping on Friday (17 April) for the first time since the U.S. and Israel killed Iran's ex-Supreme Leader in air strikes, triggering the Middle East conflict, at the end of February. A U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, however, remains in force.
Russia published addresses of manufacturers allegedly producing drones or components for Ukraine on Wednesday (15 April), warning European countries against plans to step up UAV supplies to Kyiv.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a Saturday statement that the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its "previous state" under the control of its "armed forces," citing the ongoing U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.
Netflix shares fell sharply on Friday after the streaming group issued a weaker-than-expected outlook and said chairman and co-founder Reed Hastings will step down from the board.
The Trump administration extended a sanctions exemption on some Russian oil as prices continue to skyrocket in the wake of the U.S.- Israeli war against Iran on Friday (17 April).
Australia and Japan signed contracts on Saturday (18 April) launching their landmark A$10 billion ($7 billion) deal to supply Australia with warships, Tokyo's most consequential military sale since ending a military export ban in 2014.
Leaders from across Europe and beyond gathered in Paris on Friday for a summit aimed at managing the global impact of the Middle East conflict.
European leaders have set out plans for a coordinated defensive mission to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, once security conditions allow, following talks involving more than 40 countries.
NeaNearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea off Myanmar in 2025, making it the deadliest year on record, the United Nations Refugee Agency said on Friday.
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