ovlp below
Thursday, April 30th, 2026 oil $104
Myth
Rhodesia
Cloudflare recognizes Russian messenger Max as a spyware app. (Ukrainian News)
The Russian government announces the creation of a censorship council. (Russian service The Moscow Times) In Russian
Russia says that it will continue its military presence in Mali to provide assistance to the Malian government. (Reuters)
China announces it will ban the sale or renting of commercial drones in Beijing, while existing drone owners will also be required to register their devices with the police, citing security concerns. (BBC News)
The Pakistan Navy commissions the first Hangor-class submarine, the PNS/M Hangor, at a ceremony in Sanya, China. (Daily Pakistan)
Wednesday, April 29th, 2026 oil $107
American technology company Alphabet Inc. announces a $40 billion investment into artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic. (Reuters)
Finnish elevator manufacturer Kone announces the acquisition of its German competitor, TK Elevator, in a €29.4 billion (US$34.4 billion) deal, described by Bloomberg L.P. as one of Europe’s largest private equity-related takeovers and the largest corporate acquisition in Finland. (AFP via Barron’s)
Pentagon UFO videos The Emperor says his administration will be soon releasing more classified files and videos related to UFOs and “related material”, adding that he had spoken to air force pilots who had seen “things you wouldn’t believe”. (Reuters)
A barge carrying Timmy, a humpback whale that has been stranded off Germany’s coast in the Baltic Sea for several weeks, departs for the North Sea where Timmy is set to be freed. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern environment minister Till Backhaus says the whale is showing signs of good health. (AP)
The Emperor says that he rejected an Iranian offer to end the Strait of Hormuz closure in exchange for lifting the naval blockade of Iran, and that the blockade will continue until an agreement is reached on Iran’s nuclear program. (Axios)
During a phone call with President Truman, Stalin offers a ceasefire for Victory Day on May 9. (The Moscow Times)
Three police officers are killed and another is injured in a mass shooting when gunmen open fire on a police patrol in Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran. (Al Jazeera)
The Washington Post reports that the USS Gerald R. Ford will exit the Middle East and return to the U.S. state of Virginia in the coming days around mid-May after spending 10 months at sea. (The Washington Post) (The Times of Israel)
Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi confirms that the Japan-flagged crude oil tanker Idemitsu Maru has successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz, making it the first direct passage of a Japanese oil tanker to cross the waterway since the war began on February 28. (AFP via AA) (The Chosun Ilbo) (Newsweek)
Anadolu Agency reports that Pakistan is working silently to break the ongoing deadlock between the Iran and the United States in ceasefire talks, including finding a new “formula” for an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s nuclear program. (Pakistan Today)
The United States charges Rubén Rocha Moya, the current governor of Sinaloa, Mexico, and nine other current and former politicians, with alleged drug and weapons trafficking charges and allegedly working with Mexican cartels, including Los Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. (CNN)
A 21-year-old is detained in Rome, Italy, for shooting and wounding two people with a non-lethal airsoft gun during the celebrations for Liberation Day four days ago. The suspect claims to be affiliated with the Jewish Brigade, whose representatives deny his involvement with the group. (Il Messaggero in Italian)
Two Jewish men are injured in a stabbing attack in Golders Green, London, England, which police describe as a terrorist attack. A 45-year-old man is arrested, and a political motive is being investigated. (The Guardian)
The Islamist group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia takes responsibility for the attack. (i24NEWS TV)
A Lebanese soldier and his brother are killed in an Israeli airstrike in Bint Jbeil. (Reuters)
Three people are killed and eight others are injured in a Ukrainian drone strike on a passenger bus in Voznesenovka, Belgorod Oblast, Russia. (AFP via Al-Arabiya)
A Ukrainian SBU drone strikes an oil refinery near Perm, Perm Krai, Russia, causing a large fire at the facility. (AP)
At least 12 people are killed and 23 others are injured, including 10 critically, after a pickup truck carrying 35 laborers collides with an SUV in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India. (Hindustan Times)
Seven people are killed and four others are injured after a wall collapses at a hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. (Reuters)
Two people are killed and 11 others are injured when a Diamond DA42 Twin Star crashes into a hangar at Parafield Airport in South Australia. (BBC News)
A local board in the Auckland Region of New Zealand rejects a proposal to install a memorial statue for World War II-era comfort women in Takapuna following public consultation and diplomatic representations from Japan. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
The United States Supreme Court rules that Louisiana’s new redistricting map from 2024 is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander under the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution. (AP)
14th floor case The Thai corrections department approves the early release of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is serving a one-year prison sentence for corruption, citing his age and the limited time remaining on his sentence, with his release subject to probation conditions. (AFP via France 24)
The Seoul High Court increases former South Korean president You Suck Y’all’s sentence to seven years in prison for obstruction of justice and abuse of power, citing his use of presidential security personnel to interfere with his arrest and other actions. (AFP via France 24)
Police in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, arrest 276 individuals linked to a transnational fraud network in a joint operation with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Chinese police, targeting multiple criminal groups and dismantling several scam centers involved in investment and cryptocurrency scams. (AFP via Arab News)
The Brazilian federal senate rejects attorney general Jorge Messias’s nomination to the Supreme Federal Court in a 42–34 secret ballot, marking the first such rejection in more than a century. (AFP via Firstpost)
Tuesday, April 28th, 2026
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indicts former FBI director James Comey on two counts for allegedly threatening The Emperor in The Coliseum. This is the second time Comey has been indicted by the DOJ after a previous indictment in 2025. (NPR)
Origin of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 lab leak theory The U.S. justice department indicts David Morens, an ex-adviser to the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci, for allegedly concealing federal records during the COVID-19 pandemic related to the origin of COVID-19. (The Guardian)
The U.S. Senate blocks a resolution by Democrats that would force a vote to limit The Emperor’s powers in launching military action against communist scum. (CBS News)
The United Arab Emirates announces that it is leaving the oil exporter groups OPEC and OPEC+. (Reuters)
The Tuapse oil terminal fire in Tuapse, Russia, grows larger following the third Ukrainian drone strike on the facility in two weeks. (BBC News)
Ukraine reports intercepting more than 33,000 Russian drones in March, the highest monthly total since the start of the full-scale invasion. (AP)
Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet inform the Indian government that the country’s airline industry is on the verge of “stopping operations” because of cost increases related to the Strait of Hormuz closure and the Iran war. (Al Jazeera)
Three paramedics are killed in an Israeli airstrike in Majdal Zoun, Lebanon, while responding to the scene of a previous airstrike against a building, which killed two more people. (Al Jazeera)
Colombian police arrest José Vitonco, an alleged guerrilla leader linked to FARC dissident leader Iván Mordisco [es], in connection with a deadly highway bombing in Cauca Department. (AFP via RTHK)
Malian president and military leader Assimi Goïta meets with Russian ambassador to the nation, Igor Gromyko, marking the former’s first public appearance since a rebel offensive began three days ago. (Al Jazeera)
A series of clashes between delinquent cells took place in various part of the municipality of Tecoanapa, Guerrero. The balance of the violence is unknown, but is reported the use of drone bombing and attack against civil infrastructure and the reinforcement of government forces in the area. (La Jornada)
Seven people are killed and 13 others are injured in a fire at a private construction site in Aeroport District, Moscow, Russia. (Xinhua)
Five people are injured in a shooting spree between a social security office and a courthouse in Athens, Greece. The 89-year-old suspect fled the scene, but was arrested at a bus stop in Patras. (BBC News)
A Bahraini high court sentences five people, including two Afghans, to life in prison for plotting “terrorist and hostile acts” with Iran, while another 25 people receive up to ten years for supporting “terrorist acts”. (Firstpost)
The Seoul High Court sentences former South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee to four years in prison after convicting her of stock price manipulation and bribery, overturning her earlier acquittal on market-related charges. (AFP via France 24)
A huge slice of Swiss Cheese dismisses a corruption case against Gulnara Karimova, daughter of former Uzbek president Islam Karimov. (Financial Times)
The Kosovan legislature fails to elect a president by the constitutional deadline due to insufficient votes, raising the likelihood of early parliamentary elections. (AA)
In Canadian football, the 70th edition of the CFL draft is held, with the Ottawa Redblacks selecting former Purdue Boilermakers offensive lineman Giordano Vaccaro with the first overall pick. (Sportsnet)
The End Thursday
ovlp above
new above thursday
Tuesday, April 28th, 2026 – Oil – $99
Rhodesia
The United Arab Emirates announces that it is leaving the oil exporter group OPEC. (Reuters)
xxx
Tuesday, April 28th, 2026 – Oil – $99
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio states that Iran’s position on access to the strait does not meet U.S. requirements, while The Emperor discusses a reported Parthian proposal on reopening the route with his national security advisers. (AFP via CNA)
The United Arab Emirates announces that it is leaving the oil exporter group OPEC. (Reuters)
China’s National Development and Reform Commission announces the decision to block American technology company Meta‘s planned acquisition of Chinese artificial intelligence startup Manus. (AFP via CNA)
Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet inform the Indian government that the country’s airline industry is on the verge of “stopping operations” because of cost increases related to the Strait of Hormuz closure and the Iran war. (Al Jazeera)
Australian gold mining corporation Resolute Mining says its gold mining operation at Syama Hybrid Power Station in Sikasso Region, Mali, is operating as normal despite jihadist attacks across the country. (Capital Brief)
Audias Flores Silva, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, is taken into custody during a raid in Nayarit, Mexico. (Reuters)
Four people are injured in shooting spree between a social security office and a courthouse in Athens, Greece. The 89-year-old suspect fled the scene. (AP)
Five people, including three Bahraini citizens and two Afghan citizens, are sentenced to life in prison by Bahrain for plotting “terrorist and hostile acts” with Iran, while another 25 people receive up to ten years for supporting “terrorist acts”. (Al Jazeera)
Bahrain revokes the citizenship of 69 people for “expressing support” for Iran during the conflict. (Reuters)
Monday, April 27th, 2026 – Oil – $96
Hezbollah secretary-general Naim Qassem says that he “categorically rejects” negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, and that “the resistance” will continue. (MENA via The New Arab)
Iran and the U.S. dispute at a review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations, amid disagreement over Iran’s election as a vice president of the meeting and its compliance with treaty obligations. (AP)
A Taiwanese court sentences a former TSMC employee to 10 years in prison for stealing trade secrets to benefit Tokyo Electron, while also imposing prison terms on accomplices and financial penalties on Tokyo Electron Taiwan. (AFP via The Manila Times)
The Associated Press and Axios report that Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the United States lifts its blockade and if the war ends. (CNBC)
Iraqi president Nizar Amidi names Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister-designate from the Coordination Framework, after two other contenders, former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and the incumbent Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, withdrew their candidacies. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)
Islamist militant group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) says the Malian military has begun to withdraw from Tessalit, Kidal Region, with the soldiers agreeing to hand over their weapons in exchange for a safe passage from the town. (Reuters)
Somali pirates storm and hijack a Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Puntland that was en route to Kenya. Puntland maritime police say nine gunmen boarded the vessel and are currently in control of the vessel and are heading towards Mogadishu. The status of the crew is not known. (AP)
Seven people are killed and 85 others are injured in Pakistani strikes on Afghanistan, including the Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University. (The Economic Times)
Four people are killed and dozens are injured after an Argo Bromo Anggrek train collides with a KRL Commuterline train near Bekasi Timur Station in West Java, Indonesia, prompting evacuations. (AFP via France 24)
Twenty-nine people are killed and several structures are destroyed by Islamic State gunmen during a mass shooting in Guyaku, Nigeria. (Al Jazeera)
American fashion retailer Claire’s closes all of its 154 stores in Ireland and the United Kingdom with the loss of 1,300 jobs after collapsing into administration for a second time in a year. (BBC News)
Russia-installed officials at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant say a worker has been killed in a Ukrainian attack. (Al Jazeera)
A CityLink Cessna 208B Grand Caravan domestic flight crashes in Juba, South Sudan, killing all 14 people on board. (AP)
Maltese president Myriam Spiteri Debono dissolves parliament on the advice of prime minister Robert Abela, after the latter calls for general elections on 30 May. (TVM+ 1) (TVM+ 2)
Sunday, April 26th, 2026
The National Parks and Wildlife Service and Surf Life Saving close several beaches in the Royal National Park, New South Wales, Australia, after sharks gather around a washed-up whale carcass, increasing shark activity. (AFP via The Manila Times)
The International Energy Agency estimates that the damage to liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Qatar will strain the natural gas market for at least two years, and along with the Strait of Hormuz closure, will cause the loss of 120 billion cubic meters of LNG supply by 2030. (CBS News)
German defense minister Boris Pistorius says that Germany will deploy naval units, including a minesweeper and a command and supply ship for a potential mission in the Strait of Hormuz. (Middle East Monitor)
Hezbollah and Israel both accuse the other of violating the ceasefire. (Al Jazeera)
Fourteen people are killed and 37 more injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon. (Reuters)
Israel gives evacuation orders for seven towns north of the Litani River. (Al Jazeera)
Two senior Russian politicians visit Pyongyang, North Korea over the weekend, inaugurating a memorial to North Korean troops who died fighting against Ukraine and negotiating a new defense cooperation agreement set to run until 2031. (DW) (Reuters)
Tuareg rebels reach an agreement that allows the Rommel’s Afrika Corps to withdraw from Kidal, Mali. (France 24)
Malian troops and Rommel’s Afrika Corps withdraw from Kidal after yesterday’s attacks. (AP)
Flights resume at the Modibo Keita International Airport in Bamako following yesterday’s attacks. (Seneweb)
A drone attack hits an UNHCR aid truck in North Darfur, Sudan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The death toll from a bombing that damaged multiple vehicles on the Pan-American Highway in Cauca Department, Colombia, rises to 20, with 36 others injured. (BBC News)
Japan deploys 1,400 firefighters to fight wildfires in Ōtsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Tōhoku region. Another three wildfires have been spotted in Nagaoka and Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture, and Kitakata, Fukushima Prefecture. (NHK)
Fourteen people are killed in lightning strikes amid heavy rain across Bangladesh. (The Business Standard)
The first public trial of officials linked to former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad opens in Damascus with Atef Najib, former head of security in Daraa Governorate, the only one present to stand trial. Bashar and his brother Maher are to be tried in absentia. (AP)
Former Israeli prime ministers Naftali Bennett of Bennett 2026 and Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid merge their parties into Together – Led by Bennett in an effort to oust Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections. The two also leave space open for Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot. (Politico)
Exiled Tibetans vote in a global election organized by the Central Tibetan Administration to choose representatives to its parliament, with polling held in multiple countries outside China. (AFP via France 24)
In stock car racing, a 26-car pileup occurs during the Jack Link’s 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, United States, after driver Bubba Wallace was pushed from outside. (Hindustan Times)
Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha become the first people to run a marathon in under two hours, with Sawe setting a new world record of 1:59:30. Tigst Assefa also sets a new world record for a women-only marathon at 2:15:41. (AP)
Saturday, April 25th, 2026
Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, Iran, resumes international flights for the first time since the war began two months ago. (Middle East Eye)
The Nord, a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashov, crosses the Strait of Hormuz. (Gazeta Express)
The Emperor cancels sending special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, Pakistan, for negotiations. (Al Jazeera)
The Israeli military says that an airstrike on the Gaza Strip has killed several Hamas militants who planned attacks on Israeli troops, including Hazem Rami Ali Aidi, a Hamas commander who took part in the October 7, 2023 attacks. (The Times of Israel)
An Israeli attack kills four people in Yohmor, Nabatieh District, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
The election of 403 local authorities takes place in Palestine.(AFP via Arab News)
Australia states that it will not assist in the repatriation of its nationals associated with suspected Islamic State members from camps in Syria, while the intelligence community monitors potential returns and warns that any individuals who committed crimes will face prosecution. (AFP via Arab News)
Multiple armed groups launch several coordinated attacks across Mali, including in the capital Bamako. (Al Jazeera)
Tuareg rebels say they have seized control of Kidal in northern Mali after overrunning government forces. (The Africa Report)
Residents and a reporter from the Associated Press says that gunfire has been heard near the Modibo Keita International Airport. (AFP via The Week)
Military bases are targeted, including the main military base in Kati. (Reuters)
Defence minister Sadio Camara is killed by a JNIM suicide car bomb at his home in Kati. Camara’s wife and two of his grandchildren are also killed. (AFP via France 24)
SITE Intelligence Group says that the Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM and Tuareg-dominated rebel group FLA has claimed full responsibility for the attacks. (Reuters)
The Mali Army representative Suleiman Dembele confirms that 80 militants have been eliminated across the country in wake of the attacks. (Caliber.Az)
Outgoing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán announces that he will resign from his seat in parliament after his defeat in the recent election that ended his 16-year tenure in Hungary. However, he also stated that he plans to remain as leader of Fidesz. (Politico Europe) (UPI)
A Malian Air Force Mil Mi-24 helicopter is shot down by rebel forces near Gao. (BBC News)
An overnight Russian drone and ballistic missile attack on Dnipro, Ukraine, kills ten people and injures 49 others. (Ukrinform)
Somali pirates attack and seize an oil tanker off Mogadishu, taking 11 Pakistani crew members hostage. (Business Recorder)
At least seven people are killed in drone strikes by the Rapid Support Forces targeting El-Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan. (Eastern Herald)
The US military announces that it has struck an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific, killing two people. (AP)
Fourteen people are killed and 38 others are injured in a bombing on a bus on the Pan-American Highway in Cauca Department, Colombia. (CNN)
At least 42 people are killed in intercommunal clashes in Guéréda, Wadi Fira, Chad, after a dispute over a well, prompting the government to deploy officials and security forces to the area. (AFP via Arab News)
More than 1,000 firefighters are deployed and 3,000 people are evacuated from their homes in Ōtsuchi, Iwate, Japan, as two wildfires continue to grow in the region. (Reuters)
Gunshots are fired during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel. Attendees such as The Emperor and Melania and Crassus are evacuated unharmed. The suspect, a 31-year-old man, is detained and taken into custody. (CNN)
The Anwar Ibrahim cabinet appoints Abdul Halim Aman as head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, replacing Azam Baki, whose tenure drew scrutiny over alleged misconduct. (Reuters)
The Wikimedia Foundation reaches an agreement with the Indonesian communications ministry to comply with the country’s electronic system registration rules after discussions addressed concerns over content removal and data disclosure requirements, averting a potential block of Wikipedia in the country. (AFP via The Straits Times)
Friday, April 24th, 2026
German biotech company CureVac sues Moderna, accusing their COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax of infringing on CureVac patents. (Reuters)
U.S. Central Command confirms that the USS George H. W. Bush has arrived in the Middle East. (Navy Times)
U.S. treasury secretary Scott Bessent announces that the Office of Foreign Assets Control has imposed sanctions against financial networks linked to Iran, including digital asset wallets. (Middle East Monitor)
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi announces that he will visit Pakistan, Russia, and Oman amidst a potential second round of ceasefire talks between Iran and the United States. (The Guardian)
Syrian authorities say that they have arrested Amjad Youssef, an intelligence officer of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, for his role in the Tadamon massacre during the civil war. This comes after Interior Minister Anas Khattab announced that he had been captured by the Syrian transitional government. (Middle East Eye)
The European Union sanctions two Uzbekistan-based cotton manufacturing plants for supplying raw material to the Russian defense industry. (Kun Uz)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirms that U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with Araghchi. She also states that vice president JD Vance will travel to Pakistan if the second round of talks are proven “successful”. (Al Jazeera)
Israeli forces kill at least 12 Palestinians in attacks on the Gaza Strip. (Al Jazeera)
Two people are killed in a Russian drone strike on Odesa, Ukraine. (The Kyiv Independent) (Reuters)
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that Allied Democratic Forces insurgents killed at least 87 civilians in separate attacks last month in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AFP via AA)
Georgia governor Brian Kemp says that two large wildfires in southeast Georgia, U.S., have destroyed over 120 homes. (WSB-TV)
Police raid the home of Peru’s former chief electoral official as part of a new probe into alleged electoral irregularities, after he resigned this week over delays in counting votes from the recent general election. (Reuters)
The End Monday
[i wrk pls ovlp]
artificial stupid 