Iranian authorities announced on Saturday, April 18, 2026, that they have re‑imposed restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz after the United States indicated it would maintain its blockade of Iranian ports. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy reported that IRGC gunboats fired on an Indian‑flagged crude‑oil tanker and on another tanker 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman as they attempted to transit the strait. Both vessels and crews were reported safe, and investigations are underway. Iran’s Khatam al‑Anbiya joint military command said the strait is now under “strict management and control by the armed forces” and will remain closed unless the U.S. guarantees full freedom of navigation for vessels to and from Iran. Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh reiterated the stance, citing U.S. threats as the cause. The reversal follows a brief reopening after a 10‑day ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon, which had allowed limited tanker traffic. The U.S. President Donald Trump affirmed the blockade will stay in force until a permanent peace deal is reached.

At CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 16 2026, major Hollywood studios unveiled trailers and details for a slate of films slated for release in 2026‑2027. The opening remarks were delivered by Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison, who underscored the industry’s renewed focus on theatrical exhibition. Disney announced “The Mandalorian and Grogu” (May 22), “Toy Story 5” (June 19), “Whalefall” (Oct 16) and “Avengers: Doomsday” (Dec 18). Paramount revealed “Top Gun 3” and “Jackass: Best and Last” (June 26). Warner Bros. previewed “Digger,” starring Tom Cruise (Oct 2), and “Practical Magic 2,” featuring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman (Sept). The studio also confirmed “Dune: Part Three” for Dec 18. Sony presented “Spider‑Man: Brand New Day” (July 31) and “The Social Reckoning” (Oct 9). Universal showcased “The Odyssey” (July 17) and Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” (June 12). Amazon MGM Studios previewed “The Thomas Crown Affair” (Mar 5 2027) and “Spaceballs: The New One” (Apr 2027). The event highlighted upcoming release dates, casts and creative teams, featuring the highly anticipated “Avengers” sequel and “Top Gun” follow‑up among the most talked‑about titles for the next couple of years.

Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz has been reopened to commercial shipping, allowing vessels to transit the waterway that carries about one‑fifth of global oil supplies. Ships are required to follow designated routes and, in some cases, coordinate with Iranian authorities. The United States maintains a naval blockade of Iranian ports that will remain in effect until a comprehensive nuclear agreement is reached. President Donald Trump endorsed the reopening, declaring the strait fully open and ready for business. He made the statement during a speech at a Turning Point USA rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday night, which was part of his western tour that included a recent visit to Las Vegas and a shared stage with Arizona gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs. At the rally Trump also referenced an ongoing dispute with Pope Leo over statements about Iran’s nuclear capabilities. A March Yale Youth Poll showed disapproval of Trump among voters aged 18‑34, with 68 % of 18‑22‑year‑olds, 72 % of 23‑29‑year‑olds, and 75 % of 30‑34‑year‑olds expressing disapproval. A day‑old truce between Israel and Hezbollah is holding after weeks of intense fighting in southern Lebanon that displaced thousands and destroyed tens of thousands of homes. Lebanese civilians have begun returning to the affected area, expressing cautious optimism while remaining uncertain about the durability of the pause in hostilities.

Opposition leader Péter Magyar was declared the winner of Hungary’s parliamentary election held last weekend, defeating incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and ending Orbán’s 16‑year tenure. Magyar secured a landslide victory that gave his Tisza party a two‑thirds majority in the new parliament. Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk called Magyar from Korea to congratulate him, and Magyar announced that his first foreign visit would be to Warsaw and that he sought a “special relationship” with Poland, including pursuing former Polish ministers residing in Budapest for alleged abuses of power. EU officials held informal talks with Magyar’s incoming team in Budapest about reinstating a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, adopting new sanctions on Russia and meeting reforms required for EU funding. Magyar is expected to lift Orbán’s veto on the €90 billion of EU aid to Ukraine, drop Hungary’s opposition to further sanctions against Russia, and discuss Ukraine’s EU accession (without a fast‑track) and the status of the ethnic Hungarian minority in Zakarpattia. Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and parliamentary foreign‑affairs committee head Oleksandr Merezhko, welcomed the result as a win for Ukraine and a strategic defeat for Russia. The new parliament may be inaugurated and Magyar sworn in on 9 May, Europe Day.

BBC Arabic correspondent Carine Torbey reported from Khiam, a border town in southern Lebanon, that the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah entered its second day. The Lebanese army set up a barrier to stop residents from returning to their homes in Khiam after loud explosions continued to be heard in towns partly under Israeli occupation. On Friday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun declared the country was entering a new phase that could transform the temporary ceasefire into a permanent peace settlement.

The daughter of a woman missing in the Bahamas is seeking answers.

On Friday, the U.S. Senate voted by voice vote to extend a portion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until April 30, providing a short‑term renewal of a controversial surveillance program after a five‑year renewal failed in the House. The measure passed with all ayes recorded. Earlier that day, French officials announced that Marie‑Thérèse Ross, an 85‑year‑old widow of an American veteran, was released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after more than two weeks and returned to France; this follows the announced resignation of ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons at the end of May. In California, musician David “D4vd” Burke, 21, was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the death of 14‑year‑old Celeste Rivas Hernández; he remains held without bail pending a prosecutor’s review. Additionally, QVC Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and country‑songwriter Don Schlitz, 73, died.

On Monday, Russian celebrity blogger Victoria Bonya posted an 18‑minute video on Instagram warning President Vladimir Putin that a range of problems – flooding in Dagestan, oil pollution along the Black Sea coast, livestock culls in Siberia, internet blackouts, and rising prices and taxes squeezing small businesses – could spiral out of control. The video, which has garnered 26 million views and more than 1.3 million likes in the past four days, stopped short of directly targeting Putin or the war in Ukraine. On Thursday, Moscow publicly acknowledged Bonya’s criticism, saying work was under way to address the problems she identified. The Kremlin’s response came as Putin’s approval ratings fell for the sixth consecutive week, reaching their lowest levels since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The acknowledgment prompted speculation that it may have been intended to signal that public grievances are being heard before parliamentary elections later this year.

Mariam Allawiya (60) and Kafa Wehbe (67), two grandmothers displaced from southern Lebanon, are living in a vacant building in central Beirut after being forced out of their southern‑suburb apartment by Israel’s current invasion. The invasion began last month after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel, prompting Israeli retaliation that has killed over 350 people, including a massive strike on April 8 that hit central Beirut. On April 16, President Trump announced a temporary 10‑day Israel‑Lebanon cease‑fire, but the grandmothers remain wary and have not returned to their homes. Their displacement echoes earlier forced moves during Israel’s 1982, 2006 and 2024 invasions. The Lebanese government estimates more than one million people have been displaced by the current conflict. The grandmothers, along with 35 relatives, continue to squat in the building while awaiting a safe return to their ancestral village of Maroun al‑Ras, now again under Israeli control.

At a press conference on Thursday, Reid Wiseman expressed his appreciation for his fellow Artemis II astronauts.

The Brazilian president described the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as “Lords of War.”

Kyiv’s mayor reported that a recent incident in the city resulted in at least 15 people being injured. Of those injured, ten—including a child—were transported to hospitals for treatment. The exact number of victims remains uncertain.

Sabrina Carpenter took the stage as the opening headliner for Coachella and brought out Madonna as her surprise guest.

On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy in Providence, Rhode Island, dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration’s Justice Department that sought detailed voter information from the state. The suit demanded data such as dates of birth, addresses, driver’s‑license numbers and partial Social Security numbers, which the DOJ argued were needed for election‑security purposes. Judge McElroy ruled that federal law does not authorize the Justice Department to conduct the “fishing expedition” it proposed, siding with Rhode Island’s top election officials and civil‑rights advocates who argued the request violated privacy statutes. The Justice Department declined to comment on the ongoing litigation. The decision aligns with similar recent rulings in other states that have blocked the DOJ’s attempts to obtain extensive voter data.

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that the Strait of Hormuz was “completely open” for all commercial vessels for the remaining period of the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel. That same day a Malta‑flagged cruise ship, the Celestyal Discovery, successfully transited the strait—the first passenger vessel to do so since the war began—according to MarineTraffic, crossing at UTC and heading for Muscat, Oman, without passengers. The announcement prompted a sharp fall in oil prices, with Brent crude dropping below $90 a barrel, a 10 % decline. U.N. Secretary‑General António Guterres, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders welcomed the reopening, while Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned the strait could be closed again if the U.S. naval blockade persisted.

Authorities say the baby's father forcibly took the 2‑month‑old from the mother and led police on a high‑speed chase.

Al Jazeera reporters on the ground in southern Lebanon observed that Israeli bulldozers continued demolition and land‑clearing operations on Saturday, despite a 10‑day ceasefire that began Thursday night. Israeli artillery also shelled areas around Beit Lif, al‑Qantara and Toul on the same day. Tens of thousands of displaced Lebanese families returned to the south, bringing mattresses and belongings to assess damage; many found homes destroyed or severely damaged, part of an estimated 40,000 homes affected by the conflict, according to Lebanese authorities. The ceasefire follows 46 days of intensified Israeli attacks that included a ground invasion and the establishment of a “yellow line” security zone extending up to 10 km from the border. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that the zone between the security line and the Litani River remained uncleared of fighters and weapons, indicating possible further military activity. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met on Saturday to discuss security, the ceasefire, and upcoming diplomatic talks with Israel.

According to the report, a “pre‑ceasefire missile kills Lebanese man’s whole family.”

One person was killed in a strike on Mykolaivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, local leader Vadym Filashkin said, and at least 26 people were wounded in attacks across northern and eastern Ukraine, including a strike on port infrastructure in the city of Odesa. A Ukrainian drone strike targeted industrial areas in Novokuibyshevsk and Syzran in Russia's Samara region; the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said it hit major oil refineries in both cities and sparked fires at the Vystosk oil terminal in Russia's northwestern Leningrad region and an oil refinery in the southern Krasnodar region, later confirmed by Russian officials. Russia's Ministry of Defense said its forces destroyed 258 Ukrainian drones overnight over 16 Russian regions, as well as over the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and the Black and Azov seas.

Three-time Olympic gold‑medalist and ESPN analyst Aly Raisman appeared on ABC News Live from Texas to provide expert commentary on the gymnastics championship. In the broadcast, Raisman identified and explained the routines she considered must‑watch, offering technical insights for viewers.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned the navy was ready to inflict “new bitter defeats” on the US and Israel.

A confirmed tornado tore through near Rochester, MN, reported by NBC News’ Shaquille Brewster. At the same time, Michigan and Wisconsin are dealing with severe flooding, and the swollen Wisconsin River has led to concerns about the structural integrity of the levee in Portage, WI.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney issued a ruling on Thursday (appearing on the public docket Friday) that largely sided with County Recorder Justin Heap, a Republican elected in 2024. The decision found that the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors unlawfully seized the recorder’s personnel, IT systems, and equipment, exceeding its statutory authority. The judge ordered that the recorder’s office retain responsibility for overseeing in‑person early voting and related duties, while the board remains responsible for selecting Election Day voting locations, supplying polling sites, and hiring poll workers. Board Chairwoman Kate Brophy McGee said the board will consider an “expeditious” appeal. Heap praised the ruling as a victory for the rule of law and for voters. The case stems from Heap’s lawsuit alleging the board’s illegal takeover of election‑administration functions previously managed by his office.

Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, held a press briefing aboard his plane on Saturday, April 18, 2026, while traveling to Luanda, Angola, as part of an 11‑day apostolic journey in Africa. He addressed what he described as an inaccurate narrative concerning remarks that President Donald Trump had attacked on social media. The pope clarified that a speech delivered in Cameroon on Thursday—prepared two weeks earlier—condemned the manipulation of religion for political or military gain and was not intended as a debate with Trump. He stated he has “no interest at all” in debating the president and reaffirmed his commitment to promoting the Gospel’s message of peace. Trump had earlier accused the pope of being “weak” on crime and of supporting Iran’s nuclear ambitions, prompting the papal clarification.

UNICEF reported that on Friday morning, Israeli forces killed two drivers it had contracted to deliver clean water at the Mansoura water‑filling point in northern Gaza, a site that supplies Gaza City. Two other people were wounded in the same attack. UNICEF suspended its activities at the location and called on Israeli authorities to investigate and ensure full accountability, stating that humanitarian workers, essential service providers, and civilian infrastructure must never be targeted under international humanitarian law. The agency noted that more than 750 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the US‑ and Qatar‑brokered ceasefire began in October 2023, and that the overall death toll in the Gaza conflict exceeds 72,000. Separately, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that 25‑year‑old Muhammad Ahmad Suwaiti was shot dead at the scene in Khirbet Salama, West Bank. Israeli military statements described the incident as the elimination of a “terrorist” who carried a knife and infiltrated the illegal settlement of Negohot.

A humanoid robot faceplanted during marathon preparation.

President Donald Trump claimed Iran had “agreed to everything” in talks with the United States, including suspending its nuclear program, halting support for Hezbollah and Hamas, and said the war is “nearly over,” during a week‑long news cycle. In the same period, Trump was “feuding with Pope Leo,” criticizing the pontiff’s condemnation of the war and prompting Vice President J.D. Vance, a recent Catholic convert, to admonish the pope on theological matters. Concurrently, two members of Congress resigned amid sexual‑misconduct allegations: Republican Representative Tony Gonzales (TX), whose case had been “a story in Washington for a long time,” and Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell (CA), who denied rape accusations and stepped down “within roughly 48 hours” of the allegations becoming public. The resignations prompted bipartisan calls for accountability.

Two U.S. Army soldiers were injured on Thursday during a land navigation training exercise in the Arctic Valley area of Joint Base Elmendorf‑Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska. While traversing the mountainous training zone, the soldiers encountered a brown bear. Both soldiers deployed pepper spray on the animal before the incident escalated, resulting in injuries that required medical attention. The soldiers were receiving care as of Friday, with details of their conditions withheld pending family notification. The incident is under investigation, and Army officials are working with local wildlife authorities to assess safety measures. Lt. Col. Jo Nederhoed, spokesperson for the 11th Airborne Division, emphasized the priority of personnel safety and ongoing coordination with wildlife officials.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister said talks with the US cannot happen until the two sides agree on a shared ‘framework’.

Tornadoes and historic flooding hit Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Luanda, Angola, on Saturday, after flying from Yaoundé, Cameroon, where he celebrated a morning Mass before an estimated 200,000 people. The visit marks the third leg of his four‑nation African tour. In Angola, the pope is scheduled to meet President João Lourenço, deliver a speech to government officials, and later travel to the Catholic shrine at Muxima to pray the Rosary. His homily in French emphasized that “respect for human dignity” is a cornerstone of society and called for solidarity during crises. The trip follows his remarks in Cameroon urging youth to have hope and urging elites to stop exploiting land and resources. Angola, a major oil and diamond producer with significant poverty, is also confronting corruption allegations tied to former President José Eduardo dos Santos. Pope Leo’s arrival aims to convey a message of peace, reconciliation, and encouragement to the Angolan people.

ABC News reporter Melissa Adan and Father Sam Sawyer, editor in chief at America Media, discuss the pontiff’s latest remarks in favor of peace.

A live Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United is being covered with real‑time text commentary. The article offers a build‑up to the game, providing “full team news coverage,” and invites readers to “follow the … text commentary stream of the crunch EPL clash.” No date, venue, kickoff time, or lineup specifics are mentioned.

President Trump joked about asking for ibogaine at an executive‑order signing that directs the FDA to review psychedelic drugs designated as “breakthrough therapy.”

A severe windstorm and reported tornadoes struck the Upper Midwest on Friday, causing extensive damage in rural communities. In Lena, Illinois (population ~3,000, ~117 mi NW of Chicago), roofs were ripped off homes and a school gym, windows shattered, and power was lost; no deaths were reported. Stephenson County Sheriff Steve Stovall and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker confirmed the situation and emergency response. In central Wisconsin, tornadoes damaged homes in Kronenwetter and Ringle, briefly trapping residents in basements; Marathon County Sheriff Chad Billeb said he “had not seen this much devastation during his 34 years in law enforcement.” Wisconsin State Rep. Brent Jacobson warned of a long recovery. In Olmsted County, Minnesota, tornadoes damaged at least 30 homes in Marion Township; personnel from Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Rochester Fire and the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office conducted door‑to‑door checks. The National Weather Service said the damage was likely caused by tornadoes and that surveys would be conducted over the weekend.

During a San Francisco Giants game, a woman’s phone fell onto the field while she was “taking photos of her son.” The phone was “recovered by the grounds crew – along with a cool surprise from the team.”

Pope Leo XIV, currently on an 11‑day African tour, publicly rejected the notion that he is debating U.S. President Donald Trump. In a prayer meeting in Cameroon on Thursday, the pope warned that the world is “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” and criticized leaders spending billions on wars. On Saturday, aboard his plane, Leo said the remarks were prepared weeks earlier, before Trump’s recent attacks, and emphasized his lack of interest in debating the president. He reiterated his commitment to promote peace and to accompany Catholics throughout Africa. Trump had earlier called the pope “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” during an NBC interview at Joint Base Andrews. On Monday, Leo told NBC he has “no fear of the Trump administration.” The dispute drew comments from Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday at a Turning Point USA event, urging the pope to be cautious about theological statements and referencing “just war theory.”

Joe Rogan says he sent Trump information on ibogaine.

New Jersey Transit announced a $150 train fare for the World Cup.