[i orig wrk]

allinall ur just anotha brick in da wall

The British parliament passes the Tobacco and Vapes Bill formally banning anyone in England born after December 31, 2008, from buying cigarettes and other tobacco products in an effort to create a “smoke-free generation”. The age controls will enter force on January 1, 2027. (AP) 

Wednesday, April 22^nd, 2026 

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seizes two vessels after attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz. A third vessel is also reportedly “disabled off Iran’s coast”. (CNN) 

A French UNIFIL peacekeeper dies from their wounds sustained from an ambush last week blamed on Hezbollah. (AFP via Al Arabiya) 

France and the United Kingdom begin a military conference involving over 30 countries in Northwood, London, to discuss the use of military forces for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow. (AA) 

German airline Lufthansa announces that it will cut 20,000 short-haul flights in Europe this summer, saying rising fuel prices have made many journeys “unprofitable” for the company. Among the destinations mostly impacted by the cuts are Heringsdorf, Cork, Gdańsk, Ljubljana, Rijeka, Sibiu, Stuttgart, Trondheim, Tivat, and Wrocław. (BBC News) 

Judges of the International Criminal Court dismiss a jurisdictional challenge filed by former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte regarding the court’s authority over alleged crimes committed while the Philippines was still a member, allowing proceedings to continue against him on charges of crimes against humanity linked to his anti-drug campaign. (Reuters) 

above new wednesday

Tuesday, April 21st, 2026 

NASA announces that the Curiosity rover has detected more than 20 organic molecules on Mars using a chemical analysis method involving tetramethylammonium hydroxide, conducted for the first time on another planet, indicating the long-term preservation of compounds associated with prebiotic chemistry. (AFP via The Manila Times) 

AI boom Artificial intelligence industry in China A humanoid robot developed by Chinese company Honor completes a half marathon in Beijing involving both robots and human runners in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, faster than the standing human world record.  (Fox News) 

Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te cancels his planned visit to Eswatini after the governments of Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles denied overflight permissions for his aircraft, with Taiwan attributing the decision to pressure from China. (Reuters) 

The Emperor announces that the ceasefire will be extended so that Iran can make a “unified proposal,” upon Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and field marshal Asim Munir‘s request. However, Trump also says the blockade will remain.  (CNBC) 

Vitol CEO Russell Hardy says that at least one billion barrels of oil production will be lost because of the war even if it ends immediately, and that the current loss is in the range of 600 to 700 million barrels. (Financial Times) 

The U.S. Department of Justice indicts the Southern Poverty Law Center on fraud charges related to payments it made to infiltrate white supremacist hate groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations and the American Nazi Party.  (New York Post) 

A shell explodes inside a Type 10 main battle tank from the 8th Division‘s Western Army Tank Battalion, during a live fire exercise at Hijudai Training Area in Kusu, Ōita Prefecture, Japan, which is under the AOR of 4th Division, killing three soldiers and injuring another.  (Asahi Shimbun Company) 

Japan approves new rules easing long-standing restrictions on arms exports, allowing the overseas transfer of a broader range of defense equipment, including deadly weapons. (AFP via The Manila Times) 

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command announces that it stopped and boarded a stateless tanker, M/T Tifani, which it says is connected to Iran. (Stars and Stripes) 

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi calls the blockade “an act of war” and a violation of the ceasefire. (Al Jazeera) 

Two Israeli soldiers are sentenced to 30 days in military prison for destroying a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in the Christian village of Debel, Lebanon.  (The Times of Israel) 

Pope Leo XIV arrives in Malabo, the final leg of his papal visit to Africa, becoming the first pope to visit Equatorial Guinea since John Paul II in 1982. (AP) 

Two Palestinians are killed and three are injured in an attack towards a school by settlers and Israeli soldiers in Al-Mughayyir, in the West Bank (Reuters) 

Israeli troops raid the Quneitra Governorate in Syria, where they detain three people. (AA) 

A United Nations investigation finds that the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar facilitated the transfer of weapons, vehicles and Colombian mercenaries to Sudan to fight for the Rapid Support Forces against government forces. The operation was centred around Kufra, Libya, where LNA forces control Kufra Airport. (AP) 

Transitional Sovereignty Council leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Omani sultan Haitham bin Tariq hold official talks to focus on regional development and efforts to end the war in Sudan. (Muscat Daily) 

Thirteen people are killed and 23 injured after an explosion at a fireworks manufacturing unit in Thrissur, India. (The Indian Express) (India Today) 

Ukraine completes repairs on the Druzhba pipeline damaged in a war-related strike and prepares to resume operations, while president Volodymyr Zelenskyy links the restoration to progress on a proposed €90 billion European Union support package. (AP) 

A joint investigation by the Indonesian human rights commission, the ombudsman, and the child protection commission finds that police and other state security personnel violated human rights, including arbitrary arrests, torture, and alleged child sexual abuse, during anti-government protests in 2025 that left at least 11 people dead and thousands detained. (Reuters) 

At least five people are killed and 200 others are injured in a prison riot at the Yare Prison in Miranda State, Venezuela. (AFP via New Straits Times) 

South Korean police seek an arrest warrant for Hybe founder and chairperson Bang Si-hyuk over alleged violations of capital market laws related to Hybe’s initial public offering, accusing him of misleading early investors and receiving profits through a related private equity fund. (Reuters)  

U.S. House of Representatives member Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigns from her position amid a probe by the House Ethics Committee, following her November 2025 indictment by federal prosecutors for stealing $5 million of COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, some of which allegedly went towards funding her 2022 election campaign.  (CNBC) 

The D-Florida US House of Representatives member Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigns from her position after being convicted of stealing $5 million of Covid-19 pandemic relief funds, some of which went towards funding her 2022 election campaign. (CNBC) 

The Indonesian parliament passes the landmark Domestic Workers Protection Bill into law after 22 years of deliberation. (Bloomberg) 

New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon secures the support of his caucus after initiating and winning a confidence vote on his leadership within the National Party. (Reuters) 

Monday, April 20^th, 2026 

New Space Race American company Blue Origin successfully launches its New Glenn rocket using a reused booster, which it recovers after liftoff, but the communications satellite it carried for AST SpaceMobile is placed in an incorrect orbit. (AFP via France 24) 

A man opens fire around the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacán Municipality, Mexico, killing a Canadian tourist and wounding 13 other people, before killing himself. (Al Jazeera) 

The Emperor says that he is “highly unlikely” to renew the ceasefire when it expires in two days. (AP) 

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says that Iran is not going to negotiate while it is being threatened. (Al Jazeera) 

A Iranian official says that Iran may attend ceasefire talks with the United States in Islamabad, Pakistan, following moves by Pakistan to end the blockade of Iranian ports. However, a decision has yet to be made. (Al Jazeera) 

The cruise ship Aroya arrives in the Gulf of Oman, becoming the latest of six cruise ships in the Middle East to cross the Strait of Hormuz since the war started on February 28. (Seatrade Cruise News) 

The Israeli military launches airstrikes in southern Lebanon against individuals that it accused of posing a threat to northern Israel or to Israeli troops. (NBC News) 

The United States announces that another round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will be held in Washington, D.C., on April 23. (Al Jazeera) 

Lebanese president Joseph Aoun announces that he is appointing a new negotiator for the next talks, former ambassador Simon Karam. (Al Jazeera) 

Ukrainian forces say they have struck two Russian Navy landing ships docked at Sevastopol Naval Base in Russian-occupied Crimea. Separately, a Ukrainian drone attack on Tuapse oil terminal in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, kills one person and causes several large fires at the facility. (Al Jazeera) 

Russia’s Federal Security Service says it has arrested a German woman and a Central Asian man in Pyatigorsk, Stavropol Krai, and seizes an improvised explosive device, alleging they planned an attack on a law enforcement facility on instructions from Ukraine. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

An earthquake on a scale of 7.7 is measured off the coast of Sanriku, Japan. A subsequent 80-centimetre (2.6 ft) high tsunami is reported in Kuji, Iwate prefecture.  (Kyodo News) 

At least 21 people are killed and 45 others are injured when a passenger bus rolls into a gorge in Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. (Hindustan Times) (Al Jazeera) 

Several Central European countries, including Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, begin pulling baby food produced by Hipp Holding from supermarket shelves after rat poison was detected in some jars over the weekend. (AP) 

France is investigating allegations that two Lebanese banks transferred billions of U.S. dollars out of the country despite strict capital controls. (Naharnet) 

Apple Inc. announces that Tim Cook will step down as chief executive officer with senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus taking on the role from September 1. (Reuters) 

FARC dissidents launch drone strikes on the Colombian army in Ipiales, Nariño Department, killing three soldiers and wounding two others. (AP) 

At least 62 U.S. military veterans are arrested by police inside the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., during a anti-war protest against the Iran war after occupying the Cannon House Office Building. (The Hill) 

Sunday, April 19^th, 2026 

The Emperor says that negotiations with Iran will be held in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 20, with a U.S. delegation led by vice president JD Vance and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. (Al Jazeera)

Tasnim News Agency reports that Iran is undecided as to sending a negotiating delegation to Islamabad while a naval blockade remains in place. (Reuters) 

The United States Navy destroyer USS Spruance and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stop and seize control of the Iranian-flagged container ship Touska, in the first direct action during the blockade.  (Task and Purpose) 

The End

Friday, April 17^th, 2026 – Crude oil – $82 low for month

Police arrest singer d4vd in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on suspicion of killing a 14-year-old girl whose remains were previously found in a vehicle registered to him. (BBC News) 

A previously unknown poem by Federico García Lorca is found handwritten on the back of a manuscript. It was discovered by Spanish singer and collector Miguel Poveda. (RTVE in Spanish) 

A South Korean tanker transports crude oil to the country via the Red Sea for the first time since disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz, as the government implements alternative supply routes to secure energy imports. (AFP via CNA) 

According to data from Kpler via AFP, three Iranian tankers which loaded oil at Kharg Island have transited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. (The Times of Israel’) 

Australian Army veteran and Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith is granted bail with travel restrictions after his previous arrest for war crimes while deployed to Afghanistan. (Reuters) 

Ten Maute Group militants, including a leader, are killed in a shootout with soldiers during a raid in Marantao, Lanao del Sur, Phillippines. (AFP via The Punch) 

Myanmar’s ousted president Win Myint is released under an amnesty on Myanmar’s New Year’s Day. (Reuters) 

Seven people are killed and several others are injured after a car collided head-on with a private bus in Karnataka, Yadgir, India. (News18) 

Thursday, April 16th, 2026 

United States defense secretary Pete Hegseth says that the U.S. is prepared to resume combat operations if Iran does not agree to a permanent deal. (Al Jazeera) 

The Emperor announces that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, after his conversations with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun. (NBC News) 

U.S. troops complete their withdrawal from the Qasrak air base in Hasakah province, ending U.S. involvement in Syria after troops first arrived in 2015 to fight against the Islamic State. (Middle East Eye) 

The U.S. House of Representatives rejects the War Powers Resolution to stop military operations by a 214–213 vote. (Politico) 

In the United States, Fairfax County officials say that former Virginia lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax murdered his wife, then killed himself, after police find them dead at their home. (Hindustan Times) 

Sri Lankan customs officials arrest nine Chinese nationals at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo for attempting to smuggle communication equipment concealed on their bodies, which officials say is intended for use in internet fraud operations. (AFP via CNA) 

Hungarian prime minister-designate Péter Magyar says his election victory over Viktor Orbán will not lead to a policy shift on migration, saying his government will strengthen borders and “protect our country and Europe” from illegal immigration. (Newsweek) 

Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, including on Kyiv and Odesa, kill at least 22 people and wound more than 131 others. (The Kyiv Independent) 

The Russian defence ministry publishes a list of locations in Europe that are reportedly supporting drone production for Ukraine, including in Germany and Italy, saying the locations are “potential targets for the Russian Armed Forces”. (Euractiv) 

Five gunmen are killed and a state trooper is wounded during a security operation in Los Herreras, Nuevo León, Mexico. Authorities implement coordinated surveillance in the area for more suspects. (Milenio in Spanish) 

German airline Lufthansa announces the permanent withdrawal of 27 aircraft operated by its CityLine regional subsidiary and plans additional fleet reductions, citing increased fuel costs linked to the Iran war and labor disruptions. (Xinhua) 

A fire at the major Viva oil refinery near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, halts its gasoline production. (NOS) 

Argentine president Javier Milei announces a trip to Israel where he is expected to receive the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor and meet Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expedite the transfer of the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. (Infobae) 

The death toll in yesterday’s school shooting in Onikişubat, Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey, rises to 11, including the perpetrator, after a critically injured victim succumbs to his injuries. (AP) 

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank restore official relations with Venezuela and recognize the administration of acting president Delcy Rodríguez, enabling engagement on economic policy and potential financial assistance. (AFP via France 24) 

Philippine president Bongbong Marcos says that Czech authorities have arrested former legislator Zaldy Co in Prague after he entered the country without proper documentation, following his designation as a fugitive in connection with graft and malversation charges linked to a flood control project. (AP) 

Surrey Police issue a disorder warning in Epsom, England, after protesters clash with riot police in the town. The protesters are demanding the description of men who gang raped a woman outside a Methodist Church the previous weekend. (BBC News) 

In South Africa, Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema is sentenced to five years imprisonment for the unlawful discharge of a firearm at a 2018 rally. (AFP via France 24) 

Approximately 18 people are killed when a minibus catches fire on a highway near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. (AP) 

The Balen Shah cabinet establishes a five-member commission, led by a former Supreme Court judge, to investigate the assets of current and former Nepali public officials. (AFP via The Manila Times) 

In chess, Javokhir Sindarov wins the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus. The Women’s Tournament is won by Vaishali Rameshbabu. (FIDE) 

The End

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