All news: Thursday 9 April 2026

2026 Iran war ceasefire

After pressure from the United States, Israel agrees to hold direct talks with Lebanon in Washington, D.C., but refuses to observe the Iran war ceasefire in Lebanon.

2026 Iran war ceasefire

German chancellor Friedrich Merz announces that Germany will resume direct negotiations with Iran to support a ceasefire between Iran and the U.S., with talks planned in Islamabad, Pakistan, involving a German delegation.

2026 Iran war ceasefire

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian says that supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the ceasefire.

2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain

The Bahraini military intercepts seven drones from Iran.

2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait

The Kuwaiti military reports that drones attacked several vital facilities and caused significant damage to a national guard base.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announces alternative routes for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, citing risks of sea mines in the main shipping channel.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company CEO Sultan Al Jaber says that the strait is still not open because Iran has been restricting and controlling traffic.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

Gabon-flagged oil tanker MSG crosses the Strait of Hormuz according to MarineTraffic, making it the first non-Iranian oil tanker to cross the waterway since the ceasefire was announced.

Iranian officials killed during the 2026 Iran war

Former Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi dies from injuries sustained during an Israeli–U.S. airstrike on his home on April 1.

2026 Lebanon war

Hezbollah launches rockets at the Israeli kibbutz of Manara, citing Israeli and American violations of the ceasefire linked to the Iran war.

2026 Lebanon war

At least seven people are killed by a wave of Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling across Lebanon.

2026 Lebanon war

The Israeli military says that it has killed Lebanese Resistance Brigades commanders Maher Qassem Hamdan and Ali Yusuf Harshi, personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem.

2026 Lebanon war

Hezbollah says that its fighters are engaged in "point-blank clashes" with Israeli troops in Bint Jbeil, Lebanon.

2026 Lebanon war

Lebanese authorities update the losses from the previous day's attacks to 303 killed and 1,150 injured.

Russia–United Kingdom relations

British defence secretary John Healey says three Russian Navy submarines engaged in covert operations against the UK in the North Sea near its undersea cables and says counter-measures are underway.

Russo-Ukrainian war

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War says that Russia has returned 1,000 bodies of fallen individuals to Ukraine as part of repatriation efforts.

Russo-Ukrainian war

Russian president Vladimir Putin declares a ceasefire for the weekend in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter.

Darfur campaign

The Sudan Founding Alliance says that over 56 civilians, including 17 children, are killed and 107 are injured in a Sudanese drone strike on a wedding celebration in Kutum, North Darfur, Sudan.

Sudanese civil war

The World Food Programme announces the return of its Sudan office in Khartoum for the first time in three years amidst a hunger crisis caused by the war.

European migrant crisis

Four people are killed and 38 are rescued after an inflatable dinghy of migrants capsized near Calais, off the coast of northern France.

Cuba–Russia relations

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov meets with Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel in Havana to discuss bilateral relations amid ongoing tensions between Cuba and the U.S. over energy and economic measures, and following the recent arrival of a Russian oil shipment to Cuba despite U.S. restrictions.

India–Qatar relations

Indian oil and gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri visits Qatar to discuss the prioritization of energy exports, as the country is India's largest supplier of liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas.

Iraq–United States relations

United States deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau summons the ambassador of Iraq to protest the Iraqi government's failure to prevent militia attacks on American personnel.

The Supreme Court of Russia designates the human rights group Memorial as an extremist organization and bans its activities following a petition by the Ministry of Justice.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announces plans to allocate €5 billion to support economies affected by the Iran war, focusing on financial systems, businesses, and infrastructure in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

Gulf Air, the flag carrier of Bahrain, announces a plan to return its operations hub to Bahrain International Airport after having relocated to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, during the Iran war.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

Oil prices rebound amidst concerns about the ceasefire, with U.S. and Brent Crude oil back up to nearly US$100 per barrel.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

Saudi Arabia reports that the recent Iranian attack on a pumping station of the East–West Crude Oil Pipeline reduced its throughput by 700,000 barrels per day.

Mining in Venezuela

Venezuela's National Assembly approves a reform of mining laws that allows greater private investment in the country's mineral sector, with the bill advancing to constitutional review. The measure forms part of broader economic changes aimed at increasing foreign participation in natural resource industries.

USAID in the second Trump administration

The OECD reports that official development assistance from its member states declined by 23.1 percent in real terms to US$174.3 billion, marking the largest recorded annual decrease, with the reduction largely driven by cuts from the United States.

Corruption in Nepal

Nepal issues an arrest warrant for former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, former foreign minister Arzu Rana Deuba, for alleged money laundering.

Pakistan enforces a lockdown in the Capital Territory to prepare for Iran–U.S. ceasefire talks.

International Space Station program

Isar Aerospace's "Onward and Upward" mission, which had been due to launch from Andøya Space port in Andøya, Norway, is postponed for a third time due to a possible leak.

Ngogo chimpanzee war

A study published in the Science journal finds that 28 chimpanzees, including 19 infants, have been killed during an ongoing chimpanzee war in Kibale National Park, Uganda.

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction

The Korean Central News Agency reports that North Korea has tested various military technologies throughout the week, including a surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile identified as Hwasongpho-11 Ka.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall, and other holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem reopen for the first time since the war with Iran started on February 28 after being closed by authorities due to security concerns.