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Gavin Blackburn

Iran

US and Iran announce Strait of Hormuz open, Trump hints at wider deal

Iran and US declare Strait of Hormuz "completely open," but Iran adds that passage is on a "coordinated route" set by Tehran.

Lebanon

Israel says military operation against Hezbollah 'still not complete'

US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire on Friday after a meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors, the first direct diplomatic talks between the two countries in decades.

Bangladesh

Nearly 900 Rohingya refugees dead and missing in shipwrecks in 2025

The Rohingya mainly leave from huge camps in Bangladesh, where more than 1 million refugees forced to flee across the border from Myanmar's Rakhine state live in squalid conditions.

Europe

Swedish rights groups slam 'honest living' criteria for migrants

The Swedish Refugee Law Centre, an organisation that provides legal assistance to asylum seekers, says the proposals will make the process for residence permits unpredictable.

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United Kingdom

Three charged over arson attempt on Persian-language TV channel in UK

Iran International is one of several Persian‑language outlets critical of Iran's clerical leadership operating from abroad.

Europe

Philippine leader says corruption scandal suspect arrested in Prague

The scale of the anomalies and news reports that showed the lavish lifestyles of some of the suspects sparked anti-corruption protests last year in a country where millions still live in poverty.

North Korea

China and Russia ties driving North Korean economic recovery

China has long been the diplomatically isolated country's main economic backer, though Pyongyang has also drawn closer to Moscow since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Europe

Spain immigration officers cancel strike ahead of migrant amnesty

Spain has granted amnesty to immigrants who are in the country illegally before, doing so six times between 1986 and 2005.

Europe

Pope Leo XIV slams 'tyrants' ransacking world on Cameroon visit

On arrival in the country on Wednesday, the pope appealed to Cameroon's leaders to examine their "conscience" and tackle corruption and rights abuses.

Lebanon

Israel and Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire, Trump says

Trump had announced earlier on Thursday that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon would speak about halting the fighting, in what would have been the first direct conversation in more than 30 years.

Iran

US to blockade Iran ports 'as long as it takes,' Hegseth says

The US naval blockade of Iran’s ports came into effect on Monday, with President Donald Trump warning that any attack ships would be “eliminated” if they attempted to break it.

Europe

Europe has 'maybe six weeks of jet fuel left,' IEA chief warns

Last week, the Airports Council International Europe wrote to the European Commission, saying jet fuel shortages could begin at the start of May if tankers do not start passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran

White House says discussing second round of Iran talks in Pakistan

Negotiators are focusing on three key points that derailed last weekend's talks, including Iran's nuclear programme, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages.

South Korea

North Korea boosting ability to make nuclear weapons, IAEA chief says

North Korea, which conducted its first nuclear test in 2006, is under rafts of UN sanctions for its banned weapons programmes.

Europe

Sweden thwarted 2025 pro-Russian cyberattack on thermal power plant

Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said the aim of the operation was to disrupt the functioning of a facility that supplies heating.

Europe

Flotilla carrying activists and aid for Gaza sets sail from Spain

Organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla say that more than 70 boats and 1,000 people from around the world will participate.

United Kingdom

BBC to cut up to 2,000 jobs in next two years to save money

The BBC is funded by the public paying for a licence to view or listen to content and the corporation says 94% of UK adults use its services every month.

Europe

Ukraine and Italy pledge cooperation on defence and drone production

Zelenskyy is pressing European countries to join the PURL programme, launched last year, that allows Ukraine to receive US equipment financed by European countries.

Turkey

Nine dead and 13 injured in second school shooting in Turkey this week

It comes a day after an ex-student opened fire at his former high school in Siverek in southern Şanlıurfa province, wounding 16 people including students before killing himself in a showdown with police.

Iran

Israeli envoy hails 'wonderful exchange' following talks with Lebanon

Lebanon was pulled into the region-wide Iran war on 2 March after Hezbollah attacked Israel, it said in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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