Iran's foreign minister arrived in Islamabad on Friday and US envoys headed to the Pakistani capital in a bid to kickstart a new round of peace negotiations amid a fragile ceasefire.

US envoys Kushner and Witkoff to meet Araghchi in Pakistan

The Philippines, chair of the regional bloc Asean, yesterday encouraged more prisoner releases in Myanmar, including ousted former leader Aung San Suu Kyi and said a recent amnesty was a positive step towards inclusive national dialogue.

The return of El Nino weather conditions are expected from as early as May this year, potentially affecting global temperatures and rainfall patterns, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said.

Only five ships, including one Iranian oil products tanker, have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, shipping data showed yesterday, after Iran seized two container ships this week and the US continues to blockade Iranian ports.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni yesterday urged Nato allies to stick together, after a report that the United States was mulling action against Spain over its refusal to support operations against Iran.

Conflict, drought and shrinking aid will keep global hunger at critical levels in 2026, with food insecurity expected to worsen in some of the world’s most fragile countries, according to the 2026 Global Report on Food Crises.

India has criticised as inappropriate a post by US President Donald Trump that called the South Asian country a “hellhole.”

Hope for renewed peace talks between the United States and Iran rose yesterday as reports said Donald Trump was sending his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan for talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating has fallen for a seventh week in a row to 65.6 percent, its lowest level since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to state pollster VTsIOM.

A clear majority of Americans blame President Donald Trump for surging gasoline prices, which is weighing on his Republican Party ahead of November’s congressional midterm elections, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Oil prices had climbed earlier on fears of stalled talks and Hormuz closure

Netanyahu delayed release of his medical report

Between April 22 and early April 23, seven vessels transited the strait, six of which were involved in Iran-related trade

US logistics and security team is already in Islamabad for talks

The first flights to resume will be to Istanbul and Muscat

Official announcement cites the need to ‘end armed terrorism’ and restore ‘the rule of law’

266 million people in 47 countries and territories faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing a safe haven to militants

Trump's remarks 'uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste', says Indian Foreign Ministry