City in pandemic-style limbo as people are told to work from home, public transport is closed and businesses shut Middle East crisis – live updates Across Islamabad, there is lockdown. The streets of the Pakistani capital have been empty for days, shops have been shuttered and public transport closed down. Officials and office workers have been told to work from home, while labourers have found themselves deprived of work.
Lebanese journalist trapped after Israeli strike in south Reporters Without Borders called for immediate international pressure on Israel to allow the rescue of journalist Amal Khalil, who is trapped near the southern Lebanese village of al-Tiri. The group said Khalil, who works for Al-Akhbar, is in danger after an Israeli air strike hit near her vehicle, with ongoing attacks preventing rescue teams from reaching her. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has asked the Red Cross to coordinate with the army and UN peacekeepers to rescue Khalil and another journalist, Zeinab Faraj, as quickly as possible.
Standoff between Iran and US continues as both impose blockades of critical shipping waterway Iranian forces have seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz, as the US and Iran doubled down on imposing separate blockades of the critical shipping waterway that have choked global energy markets. The standoff over the narrow waterway – through which about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through during peacetime – raised doubts about whether stalled peace negotiations would resume. Continue reading...
Liberian ship fired on in Strait of Hormuz A container ship was fired upon while transiting the Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday, its management company said. Technomar said the Liberian-registered Epaminondas was approached and targeted by a manned gunboat about 20 nautical miles off the coast of Oman. All crew members were safe and accounted for, with no injuries reported, though initial inspections showed damage to the vessel’s bridge.
New Delhi [India], April 22 (ANI): India on Wednesday welcomed the extension of the ceasefire between the US and Iran in the ongoing West Asia conflict in order to create space for diplomatic engagement to achieve a complete solution to the hostilities, reiterating New Delhi's consistent call for peace, dialogue, and de-escalation in the region.
Palestine Action defendants wanted to 'destroy as many weapons as possible', court told Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Wed, 04/22/2026 - 15:40 Jurors in London shown photos of what a defendant identified as a 'battle simulator' and quadcopter military drones An image of a quadcopter drone damaged in the raid on the Elbit Systems factory near Bristol (Supplied) Off Palestine Action defendants facing charges in connection with a raid on an Israeli -owned factory wanted to “destroy as many weapons as possible” and “shut the site down”, an English court heard on Wednesday. Defendants Charlotte Head, 29, Jordan Devlin, 31, Fatema Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, Samuel Corner, 23, and Leona Kamio, 30, face charges of criminal damage in connection with a break-in to a factory owned by Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems near Bristol in August 2024. Corner additionally faces a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent for allegedly striking a police officer with a sledgehammer.
Iran’s goal is to maintain chokehold on global economy even as some say it could run out of oil storage by Sunday Middle East crisis – live updates Donald Trump’s indefinite shelving of the plan to bomb Iran’s bridges and power stations on Tuesday night is being widely described as leaving the conflict in limbo, but that is anything but the truth. Pakistan insists the prospect of talks in Islamabad has not evaporated, and positive messages are still being exchanged, but in the meantime the site of kinetic activity has switched from land to sea. Continue reading...
French soldier dies of wounds after attack on UN force in Lebanon President Emmanuel Macron said that a second French soldier had died following an attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon last week. The soldier was severely wounded on 18 April and died of his wounds after being evacuated to France on Tuesday, Macron said in a post on X. One of his colleagues was killed immediately while clearing a road in southern Lebanon in the same attack on the UN peacekeeping mission.
Lebanon says over 62,000 homes damaged or destroyed in Israeli attacks Israeli strikes on Lebanon have damaged or destroyed more than 62,000 housing units, according to a government estimate. Officials said around 21,700 homes were destroyed and 40,500 damaged within about 45 days of fighting. An additional 428 homes were destroyed and 50 were damaged in the first three days of the ceasefire.
Trump has not set a timeline for extension of Iran ceasefire, source says US President Donald Trump has not set a timeline for the extension of a ceasefire with Iran, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.
Israelis blow up house in southern Lebanon 'in memory' of slain soldier Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Wed, 04/22/2026 - 13:10 The home was destroyed in Kfar Kila during mourning period for Israeli soldier killed in Lebanon Destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila as seen northern Israel on 8 March 2026 (Jack Guez/AFP) Off Israel has released footage of the military destroying a home in southern Lebanon "in memory" of a soldier who was killed in fighting in the country. Far-right journalist Yinon Magal posted the video on X, which appeared to show Battalion 7106 remotely targeting a house in the village of Kfar Kila. Magal wrote that the blast was carried out "during the siren yesterday in memory of Lidor Porat, a soldier in our support unit who fell on Motzaei Shabbat", referring to the time in the evening that marks the end of the Jewish holy day.
Tehran [Iran], April 22 (ANI): Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday claimed that its naval forces seized two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, alleging that the vessels violated its territorial waters and tried to exit the strategic waterway without authorisation from Tehran. This comes just hours after US President Donald Trump announced an indefinite extension of a temporary ceasefire.
Israeli strike on car in southern Lebanon kills two, say medics An Israeli strike on a car in southern Lebanon has killed two people, according to medics cited by Lebanese state media.
Iranian hardliners rallied late on Tuesday night as possible talks in Islamabad with the US broke down, with members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards apparently bringing ballistic missiles to parade in Tehran. Donald Trump had earlier said he was extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request, while awaiting a 'unified proposal' from Tehran Middle East crisis live: latest news updates Continue reading...
FedEx targeted by French lawsuit over 'complicity' in Gaza genocide Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Wed, 04/22/2026 - 11:12 French Jewish Union for Peace accuses French subsidiary of delivery company of facilitating transfer of military equipment to Israel The logo of FedEx Corporation in Ennery, northeastern France, on 24 March 2026 (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP) Off A pro- Palestine campaign group in France has filed a legal complaint against FedEx for "complicity in genocide" over its alleged role in the transit of components for Israeli military aircraft operating in Gaza . The French Jewish Union for Peace (UJFP) on Tuesday accused the French subsidiary of the American carrier of "having facilitated the transport, routing and delivery of essential components for fighter jets from the United States to Israel via France". They argued the equipment was used to "maintain and repair F-35 fighter jets used by the Israeli Air Force" in "bombing and surveillance missions in Gaza".
Lebanon 'to request one-month truce extension' during Israel meeting Lebanon will request a one-month extension of the ceasefire during its meeting with Israel in Washington on Thursday, a Lebanese official has told AFP. The official said: "Lebanon will request an extension of the truce for one month, an end of Israel's bombing and destruction in the areas where it is present, and a commitment to the ceasefire. " Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said yesterday that "contacts are underway to extend the ceasefire period", which began last week and is set to expire on Sunday.
The reckless Iran war shows up for most Americans as a number at a gas pump, not as images or moral reckoning The airport in Las Vegas last Friday afternoon was what you might expect for a WrestleMania weekend. Packed terminal. Delays stacking up.
The United States’ decision to extend a fragile ceasefire with Iran has kept a narrow window open for diplomacy, but fresh security incidents in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday underscore the volatility of the situation and the risks to global shipping and regional stability.
