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...
Myanmar's Parliament will has convened for the first in the five years since the current military administration seized power five years ago ousting Nobel winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar's army maintains power and influence in the country after phased elections held over December 2025 and January this year which elected 75% of the parliamentarians.
A quarter of the upper and lower house seats are mandated to be held by serving military officials, in accordance with the 2008 constitution which the army drafted.
The army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party topped the polls, winning 81% of available seats. The election had no viable opposition and turnout was low.
USDP chairman and retired brigadier-general Khin Yi was elected lower house speaker on Monday with Western countries calling the latest elections a sham and a way of helping the controversial military leaders regain legitmacy.
Millions of citizens in Myanmar, ranked one of South-east Asia's poorest countries, have been left starving and in a severe humanitarian crisis since the army ousted the previous administration who was taking office for a second term under Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
They accused Suu Kyi of electoral fraud but presented no evidence. International observers noted no irregularities.
The junta previously suppressed information about the severe food crisis and pressured researchers not to collect data about hunger. They also pressed aid workers to not publish their work and cracked down on journalists reporting.
Around half of the population live below the poverty line with over 3.6 million displaced and at least 6,800 killed in the conflict since the start of the coup. It's expected more than 12 million people will face acute hunger next year, according to the UN World Food Programme.
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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