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Russia Evacuates Dozens Of Staff From Bushehr

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16:40

EU Finance Ministers Call For Windfall Tax On Energy Companies As Iran War Drives Prices Higher

Finance ministers from Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Austria have collectively urged the European Commission to introduce a blocwide windfall tax on vitality corporations earnings, citing hovering gasoline prices linked to the continuing conflict within the Middle East, Reuters reported.

The ministers stated such a tax might assist ease monetary strain on households and display European solidarity.

In a letter despatched on April 3 to EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, the group stated the present spike in vitality costs displays market distortions attributable to the Middle East battle and argued that companies benefiting from the disaster ought to contribute to reduction measures.

They cited emergency tax measures utilized in 2022 throughout Europes vitality disaster following Russias invasion of Ukraine as a precedent.

The letter comes amid a surge in European gasoline prices. Gas costs have risen greater than 70 p.c since late February, and common EU petrol and diesel retail costs have climbed noticeably, with gasoline up round 14 p.c and diesel about 30 p.c within the weeks following the battle, Marketscreener reported.

As of April 4, Brent crude oil costs had been buying and selling close to $100.50 per barrel, retreating from a excessive of almost $120 per barrel reached in late March.

The ministers stated the proposed windfall tax would assist distribute the monetary burden extra pretty amongst shoppers affected by the battle and referred to as on the European Commission to behave swiftly to implement a authorized framework.

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16:27

Trump Gives Tehran 48 Hours To Make Deal, Open Strait Or Face ‘Hell’

US President Donald Trump on April 4 advised the Iranian regime that point is operating out and that it should make a deal or open the essential Strait of Hormuz to transport or face hell, renewing an earlier risk wherein he vowed to ship Iran again to the stone ages.

Remember once I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is operating out – 48 hours earlier than all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!, he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The remarks got here whilst US forces looked for a lacking crew member after an F-15E jet fighter was shot down a day earlier over Iran. One crew member has been rescued, US officers stated.

Trump has beforehand set deadlines for Iran to make a deal or to open the Strait of Hormuz, by means of which some 20 p.c of worldwide oil and pure gasoline provides cross. Tehran has successfully blocked the passage, resulting in a worldwide vitality disaster.

On March 30, Trump stated that “if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached” US forces will react ” by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!)

Trump on March 21 originally gave Tehran a 48-hour deadline, but then extended it, saying he wanted to give talks a chance to succeed.

Iran has rejected a 15-point US plan presented to it through Pakistani mediators but on April 4 left open the possibility of further negotiations.

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16:21

Russia Evacuates Dozens Of Staff From Irans Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant

Director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi

Russias state-owned nuclear agency, Rosatom, evacuated 198 staff members from Irans Bushehr nuclear power plant on April 4, continuing a withdrawal that began after the conflict escalated in the region in late February, according to Russian news agencies.

The Bushehr plant, Irans only operational nuclear facility, was built with Russian assistance and is jointly run by Iranian and Russian personnel.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on April 4 that Iran had informed it of a projectile striking close to the Bushehr site, killing a guard. The nuclear watchdog said that the main parts of the plant were unaffected and radiation levels remained normal.

The reported strike has not been independently confirmed, and neither the US nor Israeli militaries have confirmed any involvement in an attack on the facility.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a post on X: [Nuclear power plant] sites or nearby areas must never be attacked maximum military restraint is essential to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.

Rosatom chief Aleksei Likhachev said the situation was developing according to a worst-case scenario and confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been informed. It was unclear if the evacuation of personnel was planned or connected to the reported strike close to Bushehr.

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15:45

Iran Claims To Down US F-15E With New Air Defense System

Iran has claimed that a new, advanced air defense system was used to shoot down the US F-15E Strike Eagle over Iran.

During a press briefing on April 3, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson at Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters (the joint operational command headquarters of the Iranian military), said the downing of the jet with a new, advanced defense system showed that US President Donald Trumps claims that Iranian air defenses had been destroyed were incorrect.

We will certainly achieve full control over our countrys skies, Zolfaghari added.

Military analysts have described Iran’s air defense as a layered network that integrates domestically produced systems, including the long-range Bavar-373 and the more mobile, medium-range Khordad-15, along with mobile hit-to-kill technologies capable of firing multiple missiles simultaneously.

Hit-to-kill technology is where an interceptor destroys its target through a high-speed physical collision rather than an explosive warhead. Exactly how Iran utilizes Hit-to-kill is unclear.

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15:18

Iran, US-Israel Continue To Exchange Strikes

On April 4, Iran continued attacks on Western-operated energy facilities in Iraq.

Two drones struck the BP-operated North Rumaila oil field in southern Iraq, wounding three Iraqi workers. Earlier the same day, another drone hit storage facilities near Iraq’s southeastern port of Basra, which is used by foreign oil companies. Reports also indicate that two drones hit the Majnoon oil field in southern Iraq, following the earlier attacks.

The Shalamcheh border crossing between Iraq and Iran was officially closed after an air strike on the Iranian side killed an Iraqi citizen.

On April 4, news agencies reported that US-Israeli strikes in Iran targeted multiple sites, including a nuclear plant, a petrochemical hub, a trade terminal, and a cement factory.

On April 3, Shahid Beheshti University in northern Tehran was hit by an air strike, reportedly damaging parts of the campus. The European Union and other countries have sanctioned the university for what they have said is research relevant to the development of nuclear weapons.

According to AFP, Iranian Science Minister Hossein Simai Sarraf told reporters during a visit to the university that over 30 universities across Iran have been attacked by US and Israeli forces since late February.

US and Israeli forces have not confirmed any attack on the Shahid Beheshti University and Sarraf’s claims can not be independently verified.

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14:36

Some Shipping Traffic Resuming Through Strait Of Hormuz

Reuters and Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, reported on April 4 that Iran has allowed vessels carrying essential goods through the Strait of Hormuz, including humanitarian aid and basic supplies, to reach its ports, provided they coordinate with local authorities.

The strait has been blocked by Iran since February 28.

Since April 3, ships from Oman, Pakistan, Turkey, India, France, and Japan have passed through the strait, according to MarineTraffic and LSEG. Among them, the Sohar LNG, which is Panama-flagged and co-owned by Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, became the first Japan-linked vessel and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier to transit through the strait since the conflict began. Other successful passages included an Indian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker and a French container ship.

Despite this, Japan’s Transport Ministry has said that about 45 Japanese-operated ships remain stranded in the region, primarily in the Persian Gulf. Based on vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic and LSEG, overall traffic is estimated at around 512 percent of prewar levels.

As of April, reports from maritime intelligence firms, news agencies, and government ministries show 2,190 vessels stranded in the region, including 400 oil tankers.

US intelligence sources, cited by Reuters on April 3, warn that Iran is unlikely to fully reopen the strait soon, using control of the waterway as leverage over the United States. US President Donald Trump has suggested US forces could act to reopen the passage if necessary.

The UN Security Council plans to vote next week on a Bahraini resolution to protect shipping. China and Russia have opposed authorizing force, while the draft, backed by the Gulf states and Washington, would allow defensive measures for at least six months.

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10:38

Iran Executes Two More Men On Terrorism Charges

Iran executed two men on April 4 convicted of carrying out terrorist acts and links to the opposition Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), according to the Mizan News Agency, which is close to the country’s judiciary.

The two men were the remaining defendants in a six-person case. The other four men were executed earlier this week.

MEK is an exiled opposition group that seeks to overthrow the Islamic republic and is regarded by Tehran as a terrorist organization. In recent weeks, there has been a surge in executions, particularly targeting members of the MEK.

The two men, Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Bani-Amerian, were reportedly executed “on costs of insurrection by means of involvement in quite a few terrorist acts and explosions led by the terrorist group of the MEK, membership in a insurgent group, gathering and colluding to commit against the law in opposition to the interior safety of the nation.”

Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the verdict, Mizan reported.

Earlier this week, Hamed Bani-Amerian, the brother of Vahid Bani-Amerian, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that “The Supreme Court had raised objections to the decision and the case and returned the case to the courtroom of first occasion to resolve the objections.”

But then, he said — speaking before his brother’s execution — “abruptly we had been confronted with the news of the execution of 4 of my brother’s co-defendants.”

Bani-Amerian was referring to the other four men being tried — Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi, Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi, and Akbar Daneshvarkar — who were executed by Iranian authorities at Ghezel Hesar Prison in the city of Karaj, about 20 kilometers northwest of Tehran. Sangdehi and Daneshvarkar were executed by hanging on March 30; Alipour and Ghobadi were executed a day later.

In recent weeks, Iranian state media have reported increasing numbers of people arrested for being “spies” and “mercenaries.”

Iran has maintained one of the world’s highest execution rates for years, with the numberestimated to have more than doubled in 2025compared to 2024.

UN human rights experts and the UN High Commissioner have expressed grave concern over the recent surge in executions in Iran.

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01:08

We are now closing the live blog for the day. We’ll be back tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.

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01:05

Rescue Mission Races To Find Crew Member Of US Jet Downed Over Iran

WASHINGTON — Rescue teams continue to search early on April 4 for a US crew member missing after their fighter jet was brought down over Iran, one of two American forces planes reportedly knocked out of the sky in the region a day earlier.

A US official told RFE/RL one crew member was recovered while the search is ongoing for the second in the first known loss of an American plane, a two-seat F-15E jet, to hostile fire since the war began.

Separately, a US official later said another US Air Force warplane, an A-10 attack aircraft, crashed in the Persian Gulf and that the lone pilot in that incident was safely recovered. Full details were not immediately available.

Iranian state media also reported the downing of both planes. Iranian officials said they also were searching for the missing crew member of the first plane and urged citizens to report to the authorities any information that could lead to the airman’s capture.

Specifics of the Iran rescue mission were not provided by the US official who spoke to RFE/RL.

To read the full story, clickhere.

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20:41

3.4.2026

US Embassy In Lebanon Warns That Iran, Allies Could Target Universities

The US Embassy in Lebanon on April 3 warned that Iran and its allied groups could attempt to target universities in the country.

“Iran and its aligned terrorist militias could intend to focus on universities in Lebanon,” asecurity alertsaid on the embassy website.

“The safety scenario in Lebanon is risky and unpredictable. Air strikes, drones and rocket assaults happen all through the nation, particularly within the south, the Beqaa, and components of Beirut,” the security alert also said.

The American University in central Beirut is one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the region.

“If you’re within the nation, the Department of State urges U.S. residents to depart Lebanon whereas industrial flight choices stay out there,” it added.

It didn’t determine any particular establishments, but it surely comes days after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to focus on US universities within the Middle East, claiming that US-Israeli strikes had destroyed two Iranian universities.

Lebanon is residence to the American University of Beirut, one of the distinguished US establishments within the area, whose campus and hospital are in central Beirut.

The Israeli navy has been blasting websites in Beirut and southern Lebanon recognized to accommodate belongings of the Iran-backed Hezbollah motion, deemed a terrorist group by the United States.

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Trump Gives Tehran 48 Hours To Make Deal, Open Strait Or Face ‘Hell’

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16:27

Trump Gives Tehran 48 Hours To Make Deal, Open Strait Or Face ‘Hell’

US President Donald Trump on April 4 informed the Iranian regime that point is working out and that it should make a deal or open the essential Strait of Hormuz to delivery or face hell, renewing an earlier risk through which he vowed to ship Iran again to the stone ages.

Remember after I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is working out – 48 hours earlier than all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!, he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The remarks got here whilst US forces looked for a lacking crew member after an F-15E jet fighter was shot down a day earlier over Iran. One crew member has been rescued, US officers mentioned.

Trump has beforehand set deadlines for Iran to make a deal or to open the Strait of Hormuz, via which some 20 % of world oil and pure fuel provides go. Tehran has successfully blocked the passage, resulting in a worldwide power disaster.

On March 30, Trump mentioned that “if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached” US forces will react ” by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!)

Trump on March 21 originally gave Tehran a 48-hour deadline, but then extended it, saying he wanted to give talks a chance to succeed.

Iran has rejected a 15-point US plan presented to it through Pakistani mediators but on April 4 left open the possibility of further negotiations.

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16:21

Russia Evacuates Dozens Of Staff From Irans Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant

Director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi

Russias state-owned nuclear agency, Rosatom, evacuated 198 staff members from Irans Bushehr nuclear power plant on April 4, continuing a withdrawal that began after the conflict escalated in the region in late February, according to Russian news agencies.

The Bushehr plant, Irans only operational nuclear facility, was built with Russian assistance and is jointly run by Iranian and Russian personnel.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on April 4 that Iran had informed it of a projectile striking close to the Bushehr site, killing a guard. The nuclear watchdog said that the main parts of the plant were unaffected and radiation levels remained normal.

The reported strike has not been independently confirmed, and neither the US nor Israeli militaries have confirmed any involvement in an attack on the facility.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a post on X: [Nuclear power plant] sites or nearby areas must never be attacked maximum military restraint is essential to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.

Rosatom chief Aleksei Likhachev said the situation was developing according to a worst-case scenario and confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been informed. It was unclear if the evacuation of personnel was planned or connected to the reported strike close to Bushehr.

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15:45

Iran Claims To Down US F-15E With New Air Defense System

Iran has claimed that a new, advanced air defense system was used to shoot down the US F-15E Strike Eagle over Iran.

During a press briefing on April 3, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson at Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters (the joint operational command headquarters of the Iranian military), said the downing of the jet with a new, advanced defense system showed that US President Donald Trumps claims that Iranian air defenses had been destroyed were incorrect.

We will certainly achieve full control over our countrys skies, Zolfaghari added.

Military analysts have described Iran’s air defense as a layered network that integrates domestically produced systems, including the long-range Bavar-373 and the more mobile, medium-range Khordad-15, along with mobile hit-to-kill technologies capable of firing multiple missiles simultaneously.

Hit-to-kill technology is where an interceptor destroys its target through a high-speed physical collision rather than an explosive warhead. Exactly how Iran utilizes Hit-to-kill is unclear.

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15:18

Iran, US-Israel Continue To Exchange Strikes

On April 4, Iran continued attacks on Western-operated energy facilities in Iraq.

Two drones struck the BP-operated North Rumaila oil field in southern Iraq, wounding three Iraqi workers. Earlier the same day, another drone hit storage facilities near Iraq’s southeastern port of Basra, which is used by foreign oil companies. Reports also indicate that two drones hit the Majnoon oil field in southern Iraq, following the earlier attacks.

The Shalamcheh border crossing between Iraq and Iran was officially closed after an air strike on the Iranian side killed an Iraqi citizen.

On April 4, news agencies reported that US-Israeli strikes in Iran targeted multiple sites, including a nuclear plant, a petrochemical hub, a trade terminal, and a cement factory.

On April 3, Shahid Beheshti University in northern Tehran was hit by an air strike, reportedly damaging parts of the campus. The European Union and other countries have sanctioned the university for what they have said is research relevant to the development of nuclear weapons.

According to AFP, Iranian Science Minister Hossein Simai Sarraf told reporters during a visit to the university that over 30 universities across Iran have been attacked by US and Israeli forces since late February.

US and Israeli forces have not confirmed any attack on the Shahid Beheshti University and Sarraf’s claims can not be independently verified.

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14:36

Some Shipping Traffic Resuming Through Strait Of Hormuz

Reuters and Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, reported on April 4 that Iran has allowed vessels carrying essential goods through the Strait of Hormuz, including humanitarian aid and basic supplies, to reach its ports, provided they coordinate with local authorities.

The strait has been blocked by Iran since February 28.

Since April 3, ships from Oman, Pakistan, Turkey, India, France, and Japan have passed through the strait, according to MarineTraffic and LSEG. Among them, the Sohar LNG, which is Panama-flagged and co-owned by Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, became the first Japan-linked vessel and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier to transit through the strait since the conflict began. Other successful passages included an Indian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker and a French container ship.

Despite this, Japan’s Transport Ministry has said that about 45 Japanese-operated ships remain stranded in the region, primarily in the Persian Gulf. Based on vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic and LSEG, overall traffic is estimated at around 512 percent of prewar levels.

As of April, reports from maritime intelligence firms, news agencies, and government ministries show 2,190 vessels stranded in the region, including 400 oil tankers.

US intelligence sources, cited by Reuters on April 3, warn that Iran is unlikely to fully reopen the strait soon, using control of the waterway as leverage over the United States. US President Donald Trump has suggested US forces could act to reopen the passage if necessary.

The UN Security Council plans to vote next week on a Bahraini resolution to protect shipping. China and Russia have opposed authorizing force, while the draft, backed by the Gulf states and Washington, would allow defensive measures for at least six months.

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10:38

Iran Executes Two More Men On Terrorism Charges

Iran executed two men on April 4 convicted of carrying out terrorist acts and links to the opposition Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), according to the Mizan News Agency, which is close to the country’s judiciary.

The two men were the remaining defendants in a six-person case. The other four men were executed earlier this week.

MEK is an exiled opposition group that seeks to overthrow the Islamic republic and is regarded by Tehran as a terrorist organization. In recent weeks, there has been a surge in executions, particularly targeting members of the MEK.

The two men, Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Bani-Amerian, were reportedly executed “on prices of riot via involvement in quite a few terrorist acts and explosions led by the terrorist group of the MEK, membership in a insurgent group, gathering and colluding to commit a criminal offense in opposition to the interior safety of the nation.”

Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the verdict, Mizan reported.

Earlier this week, Hamed Bani-Amerian, the brother of Vahid Bani-Amerian, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that “The Supreme Court had raised objections to the decision and the case and returned the case to the court docket of first occasion to resolve the objections.”

But then, he said — speaking before his brother’s execution — “all of the sudden we had been confronted with the news of the execution of 4 of my brother’s co-defendants.”

Bani-Amerian was referring to the other four men being tried — Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi, Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi, and Akbar Daneshvarkar — who were executed by Iranian authorities at Ghezel Hesar Prison in the city of Karaj, about 20 kilometers northwest of Tehran. Sangdehi and Daneshvarkar were executed by hanging on March 30; Alipour and Ghobadi were executed a day later.

In recent weeks, Iranian state media have reported increasing numbers of people arrested for being “spies” and “mercenaries.”

Iran has maintained one of the world’s highest execution rates for years, with the numberestimated to have more than doubled in 2025compared to 2024.

UN human rights experts and the UN High Commissioner have expressed grave concern over the recent surge in executions in Iran.

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01:08

We are now closing the live blog for the day. We’ll be back tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.

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01:05

Rescue Mission Races To Find Crew Member Of US Jet Downed Over Iran

WASHINGTON — Rescue teams continue to search early on April 4 for a US crew member missing after their fighter jet was brought down over Iran, one of two American forces planes reportedly knocked out of the sky in the region a day earlier.

A US official told RFE/RL one crew member was recovered while the search is ongoing for the second in the first known loss of an American plane, a two-seat F-15E jet, to hostile fire since the war began.

Separately, a US official later said another US Air Force warplane, an A-10 attack aircraft, crashed in the Persian Gulf and that the lone pilot in that incident was safely recovered. Full details were not immediately available.

Iranian state media also reported the downing of both planes. Iranian officials said they also were searching for the missing crew member of the first plane and urged citizens to report to the authorities any information that could lead to the airman’s capture.

Specifics of the Iran rescue mission were not provided by the US official who spoke to RFE/RL.

To read the full story, clickhere.

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20:41

3.4.2026

US Embassy In Lebanon Warns That Iran, Allies Could Target Universities

The US Embassy in Lebanon on April 3 warned that Iran and its allied groups could attempt to target universities in the country.

“Iran and its aligned terrorist militias might intend to focus on universities in Lebanon,” asecurity alertsaid on the embassy website.

“The safety scenario in Lebanon is risky and unpredictable. Air strikes, drones and rocket assaults happen all through the nation, particularly within the south, the Beqaa, and elements of Beirut,” the security alert also said.

The American University in central Beirut is one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the region.

“If you’re within the nation, the Department of State urges U.S. residents to depart Lebanon whereas industrial flight choices stay out there,” it added.

It did not identify any specific institutions, but it comes days after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to target US universities in the Middle East, claiming that US-Israeli strikes had destroyed two Iranian universities.

Lebanon is home to the American University of Beirut, one of the most prominent US institutions in the region, whose campus and hospital are in central Beirut.

The Israeli military has been blasting sites in Beirut and southern Lebanon known to house assets of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, deemed a terrorist organization by the United States.

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20:23

3.4.2026

UN Security Council Set To Vote On Plan To Open Strait Of Hormuz Amid Divisions

The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote on April 4 on a revised resolution aimed at restoring commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, as global powers remain divided over how far to go in confronting Irans blockade of the critical waterway.

The latest draft, put forward by Bahrain, has reportedly been scaled back after opposition from veto-wielding members China, Russia, and France, who objected to earlier language that would have authorized countries to use all necessary means to secure the waterway. That led to a delay in holding the vote, which was originally scheduled for April 3.

The Associated Pressreportedthat a revised version of the text now allows only for defensive measures to ensure safe passage through the strait and adjacent waters, marking a compromise aimed at avoiding a veto while still enabling some form of coordinated response.

The vote comes at a pivotal moment in the war that began with joint US-Israeli strikes in late February, with Irans effective closure of the strait roiling global energy markets and sparking longer-term fears of fallout from blocked fertilizer and supply chain shipments.

China has remained publicly opposed to any resolution that could legitimize the use of force, with Fu Cong, Beijing ambassador to the UN, saying that “any such authorization would inevitably result in additional escalation and critical penalties” as he urged members to prioritize a political settlement.

Read extraright here.

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Some Shipping Traffic Resuming Through Strait Of Hormuz

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14:36

Some Shipping Traffic Resuming Through Strait Of Hormuz

Reuters and Iran’s Tasnim news company, which is near the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, reported on April 4 that Iran has allowed vessels carrying important items via the Strait of Hormuz, together with humanitarian assist and fundamental provides, to succeed in its ports, offered they coordinate with native authorities.

The strait has been blocked by Iran since February 28.

Since April 3, ships from Oman, Pakistan, Turkey, India, France, and Japan have handed via the strait, in accordance with MarineTraffic and LSEG. Among them, the Sohar LNG, which is Panama-flagged and co-owned by Japan’s Mitsui O.S.Ok. Lines, turned the primary Japan-linked vessel and liquefied pure fuel (LNG) service to transit via the strait because the battle started. Other profitable passages included an Indian liquefied petroleum fuel (LPG) tanker and a French container ship.

Despite this, Japan’s Transport Ministry has stated that about 45 Japanese-operated ships stay stranded within the area, primarily within the Persian Gulf. Based on vessel-tracking information from MarineTraffic and LSEG, general visitors is estimated at round 512 % of prewar ranges.

As of April, studies from maritime intelligence corporations, news companies, and authorities ministries present 2,190 vessels stranded within the area, together with 400 oil tankers.

US intelligence sources, cited by Reuters on April 3, warn that Iran is unlikely to completely reopen the strait quickly, utilizing management of the waterway as leverage over the United States. US President Donald Trump has advised US forces may act to reopen the passage if mandatory.

The UN Security Council plans to vote subsequent week on a Bahraini decision to guard delivery. China and Russia have opposed authorizing power, whereas the draft, backed by the Gulf states and Washington, would enable defensive measures for not less than six months.

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10:38

Iran Executes Two More Men On Terrorism Charges

Iran executed two males on April 4 convicted of finishing up terrorist acts and hyperlinks to the opposition Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), in accordance with the Mizan News Agency, which is near the nation’s judiciary.

The two males had been the remaining defendants in a six-person case. The different 4 males had been executed earlier this week.

MEK is an exiled opposition group that seeks to overthrow the Islamic republic and is regarded by Tehran as a terrorist group. In latest weeks, there was a surge in executions, notably focusing on members of the MEK.

The two males, Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Bani-Amerian, had been reportedly executed “on charges of rebellion through involvement in numerous terrorist acts and explosions led by the terrorist group of the MEK, membership in a rebel group, gathering and colluding to commit a crime against the internal security of the country.”

Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the decision, Mizan reported.

Earlier this week, Hamed Bani-Amerian, the brother of Vahid Bani-Amerian, instructed RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that “The Supreme Court had raised objections to the verdict and the case and returned the case to the court of first instance to resolve the objections.”

But then, he stated — talking earlier than his brother’s execution — “suddenly we were faced with the news of the execution of four of my brother’s co-defendants.”

Bani-Amerian was referring to the opposite 4 males being tried — Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi, Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi, and Akbar Daneshvarkar — who had been executed by Iranian authorities at Ghezel Hesar Prison within the metropolis of Karaj, about 20 kilometers northwest of Tehran. Sangdehi and Daneshvarkar had been executed by hanging on March 30; Alipour and Ghobadi had been executed a day later.

In latest weeks, Iranian state media have reported growing numbers of individuals arrested for being “spies” and “mercenaries.”

Iran has maintained one of many world’s highest execution charges for years, with the numberestimated to have greater than doubled in 2025compared to 2024.

UN human rights specialists and the UN High Commissioner have expressed grave concern over the latest surge in executions in Iran.

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01:08

We are actually closing the reside weblog for the day. We’ll be again tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cowl the most recent occasions throughout the Middle East.

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01:05

Rescue Mission Races To Find Crew Member Of US Jet Downed Over Iran

WASHINGTON — Rescue groups proceed to go looking early on April 4 for a US crew member lacking after their fighter jet was introduced down over Iran, one in every of two American forces planes reportedly knocked out of the sky within the area a day earlier.

A US official instructed RFE/RL one crew member was recovered whereas the search is ongoing for the second within the first identified lack of an American airplane, a two-seat F-15E jet, to hostile hearth because the struggle started.

Separately, a US official later stated one other US Air Force warplane, an A-10 assault plane, crashed within the Persian Gulf and that the lone pilot in that incident was safely recovered. Full particulars weren’t instantly obtainable.

Iranian state media additionally reported the downing of each planes. Iranian officers stated additionally they had been looking for the lacking crew member of the primary airplane and urged residents to report back to the authorities any data that might result in the airman’s seize.

Specifics of the Iran rescue mission weren’t offered by the US official who spoke to RFE/RL.

To learn the total story, clickhere.

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20:41

3.4.2026

US Embassy In Lebanon Warns That Iran, Allies Could Target Universities

The US Embassy in Lebanon on April 3 warned that Iran and its allied teams may try to focus on universities within the nation.

“Iran and its aligned terrorist militias may intend to target universities in Lebanon,” asecurity alertsaid on the embassy web site.

“The security situation in Lebanon is volatile and unpredictable. Air strikes, drones and rocket attacks occur throughout the country, especially in the south, the Beqaa, and parts of Beirut,” the safety alert additionally stated.

The American University in central Beirut is without doubt one of the most prestigious instructional establishments within the area.

“If you are in the country, the Department of State urges U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial flight options remain available,” it added.

It didn’t determine any particular establishments, nevertheless it comes days after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to focus on US universities within the Middle East, claiming that US-Israeli strikes had destroyed two Iranian universities.

Lebanon is dwelling to the American University of Beirut, one of the distinguished US establishments within the area, whose campus and hospital are in central Beirut.

The Israeli navy has been blasting websites in Beirut and southern Lebanon identified to accommodate belongings of the Iran-backed Hezbollah motion, deemed a terrorist group by the United States.

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20:23

3.4.2026

UN Security Council Set To Vote On Plan To Open Strait Of Hormuz Amid Divisions

The United Nations Security Council is anticipated to vote on April 4 on a revised decision geared toward restoring industrial delivery via the Strait of Hormuz, as international powers stay divided over how far to go in confronting Irans blockade of the important waterway.

The newest draft, put ahead by Bahrain, has reportedly been scaled again after opposition from veto-wielding members China, Russia, and France, who objected to earlier language that may have approved nations to make use of all mandatory means to safe the waterway. That led to a delay in holding the vote, which was initially scheduled for April 3.

The Associated Pressreportedthat a revised model of the textual content now permits just for defensive measures to make sure protected passage via the strait and adjoining waters, marking a compromise geared toward avoiding a veto whereas nonetheless enabling some type of coordinated response.

The vote comes at a pivotal second within the struggle that started with joint US-Israeli strikes in late February, with Irans efficient closure of the strait roiling international vitality markets and sparking longer-term fears of fallout from blocked fertilizer and provide chain shipments.

China has remained publicly against any decision that might legitimize using power, with Fu Cong, Beijing ambassador to the UN, saying that “any such authorization would inevitably lead to further escalation and serious consequences” as he urged members to prioritize a political settlement.

Read extraright here.

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19:50

3.4.2026

Egyptian Citizen Killed In Abu Dhabi After Iranian Missile Strike

A citizen of Egypt was killed and 4 individuals suffered minor accidents after particles from an intercepted Iranian missile fell on Abu Dhabi’s Habshan fuel services on April 3, the emirate’s media workplace reported.

The Egyptian was killed in the course of the evacuation of the location, the workplace stated. Four others — two Egyptians and two Pakistanis — sustained minor accidents, it added.

“Significant damage has occurred at the facilities and an assessment is ongoing,” it stated.

With reporting by Reuters

Earlier, authorities in Abu Dhabi — part of the United Arab Emirates — stated 12 individuals had been injured by falling particles within the Ajban space. The injured had been Nepalese and Indian nationals, authorities stated.

Tehran has focused US Gulf Arab allies in retaliation for the US-Israeli air strikes towards Iran that started on February 28.

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17:57

3.4.2026

Italy’s Meloni Travels To Saudi Arabia In Show Of Support Amid Iranian Attacks

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has flown to Saudi Arabia for a beforehand unannounced journey that will even embody conferences with officers from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, a authorities official stated on April 3.

Meloni’s two-day go to is geared toward exhibiting assist for Gulf companions which can be within the Iranian line of fireplace and to guard Italy’s personal vitality provides, the official stated.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (file picture).

Italy is very depending on vitality imports and has been struck by rising vitality costs.

Reuters reported that earlier than the struggle, about 10 % of Italy’s complete fuel consumption was lined by Qatari liquefied pure fuel and that Middle East oil accounted for 12 % of Italy’s complete oil imports final yr.

It wasn’t instantly clear if Meloni would go to Qatar and the UAE or meet with officers whereas in Saudi Arabia.

It is the primary journey by a European Union chief to Saudi Arabia because the United States and Israel launched their air marketing campaign towards Iran on the finish of February.

Tehran has retaliated for the air strikes by launching missile a drone assaults towards Israel and most Gulf Arab states.

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15:42

3.4.2026

France Demands Immediate Release Of Iranian Human Rights Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh

Nasrin Sotoudeh

France has demanded that Iran launch distinguished Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was arrested on April 1 at her residence in Tehran.

“France calls for the immediate release of Nasrin Sotoudeh and all those arbitrarily detained in Iran,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman stated.

Mehraveh Khandan, the lawyer’s daughter who resides outdoors Iran, stated safety forces additionally confiscated Sotoudeh’s private digital gadgets, together with her cell phone and laptop computer.

Reza Khandan, Sotoudeh’s husband, has been in jail since December 2024.

Sotoudeh, who received awards together with the 2012 Sakharov Prize of the European Parliament and the 2020 Right Livelihood award, has been arrested a number of occasions since 2010.

She has campaigned for quite a lot of human rights-related points within the repressive state, together with working to stop the execution of individuals convicted of crimes dedicated whereas minors.

Her detention has included intervals of solitary confinement, highlighting the challenges confronted by human rights defenders in Iran. Tehran has additional cracked down on dissent throughout its present struggle with the United States and Israel.

“This arrest is yet another illustration of the Iranian regime’s systematic policy of persecuting and intimidating human rights defenders, which must stop,” the French ministry spokesman stated.

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13:58

3.4.2026

Britain Deploys Its Air Defense System To Kuwait

Britain is deploying its air protection system to Kuwait, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s workplace introduced on April 3, following an in a single day Iranian drone assault on a Kuwaiti oil facility.

Starmer mentioned the deployment of the UKs Rapid Sentry air protection system to the Gulf nation, throughout a name with the crown prince of Kuwait. The dialog occurred simply hours after a drone assault hit the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, one of the necessary in Kuwait and the broader area.

According to apress launch from Starmer’s workplace,the Rapid Sentry system, which is designed primarily to shoot down drones and different low-flying aerial threats, will defend Kuwaiti and British personnel and pursuits within the area.

The British prime minister condemned the “reckless” in a single day drone assault on the Kuwaiti oil refinery and reiterated that the UK stands with Kuwait and all its allies within the Gulf.

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Small-ball White Sox try for repeat win in opposition to involved Blue Jays

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(Photo credit score: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images)

The Chicago White Sox hope going small will deliver huge outcomes.

The strategy has given them an opportunity to clinch their three-game sequence with the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon. The White Sox used small ball as they defeated the Jays 5-4 of their house opener Friday afternoon after a 1-5 highway journey.

A double steal within the third inning arrange Austin Hays’ two-run single.

In a two-run tenth for Chicago, Derek Hill’s bunt single and an errant throw to first by Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman — who had simply entered the sport after Alejandro Kirk departed with a left-thumb damage — allowed him to achieve second because the tying run. Tristan Peters gained the sport with a single to proper.

‘That bunt was unbelievable,’ Peters mentioned. ‘Just to maintain us within the sport like that. And then I’m simply pondering, I do know Derek could be very quick, so a single scores him. I’m simply attempting to make contact and get it on the grass within the outfield someplace.’

Chicago supervisor Will Venable mentioned the win was essential.

‘We’ve acquired to seek out any approach we will, particularly within the AL Central in April,’ he mentioned. ‘We know there’s going to be wind, climate. Slug is perhaps not a part of our offensive package deal, and we have got to seek out any approach we will.’

‘That’s simply the way in which we form of must play the sport,’ Hill mentioned. ‘We’re not like an enormous slugging crew just like the Dodgers, the place you will have 4 guys that may hit 30 (homers). So we have got to play that small ball, we have got to play clear.’

For the Blue Jays, Kirk’s state of affairs is worrisome. He was to have X-rays after leaving the sport within the tenth after taking a foul ball off his glove hand. The crew didn’t announce the outcomes in a single day.

‘It’s extra the thumb,’ Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider mentioned. ‘It hurts, particularly on a chilly day. We’re hoping that it is nothing severe. He’s about as powerful as they arrive, so for him to come back out, you do not find it irresistible. It was simply all thumb, no wrist.’

Brandon Valenzuela, who’s at Triple-A Buffalo, would get the decision up if Toronto wants one other catcher on Saturday.

The Blue Jays opened the season by sweeping a three-game sequence in opposition to the Athletics. Toronto has dropped three of 4 since, together with shedding two of three to the Colorado Rockies. The sport in Chicago was the Jays’ first on the highway this season.

They have scored a complete of 5 runs of their previous two video games — each 10-inning losses — as their offense has but to click on persistently.

Former Blue Jays left-hander Anthony Kay (0-0, 3.86 ERA) is scheduled to be the majority pitcher for the White Sox on Saturday. He has by no means confronted his former crew.

He pitched for the Yokohama BayStars within the Japan Central League in 2025, going 9-6 with a 1.74 ERA in 24 video games.

In 28 video games (seven begins) for Toronto from 2019-22, he posted a 4-2 file with a 5.48 ERA.

Grant Taylor (0-0, 3.00), who pitched an ideal first inning on Friday because the opener for Sean Burke, is predicted to open once more on Saturday. Taylor threw solely 9 pitches on Friday.

Toronto left-hander Eric Lauer will miss his scheduled begin on Saturday due to sickness and is scheduled to pitch Sunday as a substitute. Toronto will go together with an opener on Saturday, with left-handed reliever Mason Fluharty (0-0, 10.80 ERA) anticipated to steer a parade from the bullpen.

Fluharty’s one profession outing in opposition to the White Sox got here on June 20, 2025. He allowed three runs in a single aid inning in a 7-1 loss.

–Field Level Media

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Alexandersson stresses ‘mindset’ as India gears up for Australian problem in AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup

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Pathum Thani [Thailand], April 4 (ANI): Head coach Joakim Alexandersson emphasised the significance of mindset because the workforce regroups to face Australia of their second Group C match of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Thailand 2026 on Saturday.

According to the All India Football Federation [AIFF], the match will kick off at 14:30 IST on the Pathum Thani Stadium in Pathum Thani, and will probably be streamed stay on FanCode.

After a difficult first outing in opposition to Japan on Thursday, which India misplaced 0-6, the Young Tigresses have shortly shifted their focus to the subsequent check, carrying ahead key learnings whereas sustaining perception of their strategy.

‘The mindset is to maneuver ahead. I instructed the ladies that we carried out very nicely within the first half and have been capable of compete with a superb workforce. We simply must preserve doing that,’ the Swede mentioned.

India confirmed encouraging indicators in phases of the opening match, notably of their potential to match the tempo of the highest opposition as they have been solely narrowly behind at half-time. However, sustaining that stage throughout the complete 90 minutes stays the subsequent step.

‘We want a stronger mindset,’ Alexandersson added. ‘Even once we begin to get drained, now we have to push a bit of extra. I felt we have been dropping duels too simply, so we have been speaking about mindset and in addition about being braver with the ball.’

Standing in India’s manner now’s a bodily imposing Australian aspect, anticipated to current a special dimension regardless of some stylistic similarities with Japan. The Young Matildas received their opening sport 5-0 in opposition to Chinese Taipei.

Alexandersson mentioned, ‘I believe it is going to be fairly much like the Japan sport. They attempt to play in an identical manner. They wish to assault with a number of gamers, in order that’s one thing we will count on.

‘But I additionally assume this workforce is a bit more bodily and aggressive than Japan. It means we have to play a bit sooner and be a bit braver, with extra high quality when now we have the ball,’ he defined. ‘And additionally, we have to defend for 90 minutes this time and never quit duels too simply as we did within the second half.’

Unlike the night kick-off within the opener, India’s subsequent two fixtures will probably be performed at 4 pm native time, including one other layer to the problem. However, Alexandersson stays assured that his aspect can address the situations.

‘We are from India, we’re used to the warmth, and I consider the ladies will handle advantageous. Once once more, it is in regards to the mindset,’ he reiterated.

‘Even in the event you really feel drained due to the warmth, you possibly can all the time push a bit extra. You must push your limits in these video games as a result of this can be a stage we’ve not confronted too typically earlier than.’

With Australia and Chinese Taipei nonetheless to come back, each level carries significance in a tightly contested Group C, the place the highest two groups and the 2 finest third-placed sides throughout all three teams will progress to the quarter-finals. The 4 semi-finalists will earn a spot within the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026.

For India, the main target stays on staying aggressive, executing their sport plan, and rising into the event. (ANI)

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India’s Karandeep Kochhar battles onerous for fourth place at International Series Japan

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Chiba [Japan], April 4 (ANI): India’s Karandeep Kochhar needed to dig deep and buckle all the way down to battle his means for the Tied-4th place after spherical three within the International Series Japan on the Caledonian Golf Club on Saturday.

After two successive bogey-free rounds, the Indian had a blended bag within the third spherical with 5 bogeys cancelling out his 3 birdies for a spherical of 2-over 73, in line with a launch. His present rating of 8-under 205 means that he’s two pictures behind leaders Shugo Imahira of Japan and Korea’s Hongatek Kim, each of whom are at 10-under 203 on the International Series season opener.

Things began effectively for Kochhar after a birdie on the 2nd gap, however back-to-back bogeys within the third and 4th set him again. He tried to battle again with one other birdie on the sixth, however dropped pictures once more on the ninth and twelfth holes. He then birdied 14th and bogeyed seventeenth, and carded 2-over for the day.

Meanwhile, Korea’s Hongtaek Kim saved the lead for the third straight day after a see-saw contest over the closing levels, which noticed Shugo Imahira from Japan be part of him in entrance.

Kim, who began the spherical with a one-shot lead, fired a one-over-par 72 to take a seat on 10-under, with enjoying associate Imahira, in with a 71.

Korea’s Yubin Jang is one again following a 71 at Caledonian Golf Club, exterior Tokyo, with Australian Travis Smyth and Karandeep Kochhar from India, one other stroke behind.

Smyth shot 68 within the first occasion of the season on The International Series – the upper-tier degree of occasions on the Asian Tour that provide a pathway to the LIV Golf League by The International Series Rankings.

Kim did effectively to hold on to the lead on a windy day after a again 9 noticed him make bogeys on 10, 12 and 14, whereas Imahira, Jang and Smyth all birdied 18.

Kim mentioned he carried out strongly on the entrance 9 by dealing with the wind effectively, however struggled to adapt to altering circumstances on the again 9, which made play tougher.

‘I performed very well on the entrance 9, particularly managing the wind, however the circumstances modified on the again 9 and I wasn’t capable of regulate as effectively. That made issues a bit tougher,’ he mentioned.

The 32-year-old is chasing his second win on the Asian Tour, having claimed the GS Caltex Maekyung Open on residence soil two years in the past, whereas success tomorrow could be his maiden title on The International Series.

Shugo Imahira had struggles of his personal on the inward half, dropping pictures on 14 and 15 earlier than his closing birdie.

He is making an attempt to change into the primary participant from Japan to win this title, with Australian Lucas Herbert having received the inaugural version final yr.

Having received 10 instances on the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO), together with the Asia Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup in 2022 – an occasion collectively sanctioned with the Asian Tour – in addition to back-to-back JGTO Money List titles from 2018, he’ll begin as one of many favourites tomorrow.

‘The wind made it actually powerful in the present day, it was swirling and we had some sudden gusts on the market. I actually needed to complete at even, so it was good to make that birdie on the finish. I’m wanting ahead to going into tomorrow with the lead,’ Shugo Imahira mentioned.

Many shall be watching intently to see how Yubin Jang performs tomorrow. He may also be one of many favourites as considered one of Korea’s brightest prospects.

Having turned skilled in 2023, after serving to Korea win the gold medal within the crew competitors on the Asian Games, he went on to win twice on the Korean PGA Tour in 2024 earlier than being chosen to play on the LIV Golf League final yr.

While he was unable to retain his enjoying rights on the League for this yr he appears like a participant who has bounced again from the expertise even stronger.

‘I missed just a few putts early on, and the wind began to select up, so I knew it would not be simple for anybody to go actually low. I simply tried to remain affected person and maintain myself within the spherical. My pictures weren’t at their finest, however I used to be capable of regulate in direction of the tip, which helped me end on a optimistic be aware,’ Yubin Jang mentioned

He shall be paired with Kim tomorrow, a participant he’s aware of, in addition to Imahira.

The identify of Smyth on the leaderboard as soon as once more this season may also have the leaders on alert.

Currently in second place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit following third and fifth positioned finishes within the first two occasions, he additionally wrapped up the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit final month.

It all makes for an thrilling ultimate day at Chiba tomorrow, with simply 4 pictures separating the highest 25 gamers on the leaderboard. (ANI)

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Chase DeLauter embraces scorching begin as Guardians host Cubs

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(Photo credit score: Andrew Dolph / USA TODAY NETWORK through Imagn Images)

Cleveland Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter has appeared in three residence video games in his younger profession, two of them through the 2025 American League wild-card collection, when he made his main league debut.

The fourth look will happen Saturday night time when the Chicago Cubs proceed their three-game set in Cleveland.

Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga (0-1, 7.20 ERA) will oppose Guardians right-hander Slade Cecconi (0-1, 12.46).

DeLauter moved right into a tie for the most important league lead with 5 residence runs, belting a two-run shot and singling residence one other run because the Guardians gained 4-1 of their residence opener Friday.

Before all 4 of his plate appearances, the sellout crowd of 36,396 loudly sang alongside together with his walk-up music, ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ by John Denver.

‘It’s superior listening to that from the primary time; I get chills each at-bat,’ stated DeLauter, who grew up in West Virginia, the place the music is ready. ‘A variety of gamers take a look at it like, ‘Is that walk-up going to catch on?’ So I really like that the group is actual concerned in it right here.’

DeLauter had three hits to boost his common to .346 and his three RBIs gave him eight, together with a 1.293 OPS. He missed Cleveland’s earlier recreation after fouling a ball off his surgically repaired left foot Tuesday in a recreation on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder virtually precipitated one other damage after touching the plate on his homer, excitedly body-checking teammate Steven Kwan in celebration. Kwan was momentarily surprised earlier than smiling.

‘It’s unbelievable what he is doing,’ Guardians supervisor Stephen Vogt stated. ‘Chase is snug, he is not huge eyed, and he is doing an outstanding job for us. It’s a very enjoyable begin for him this 12 months.’

Cecconi spent two years with the Arizona Diamondbacks however has not confronted the Cubs. He was rocked for six runs in 4 1/3 innings on the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, hitting two batters.

Imanaga beat the visiting Guardians on July 2, 2025, giving up three runs in 5 1/3 innings. He is 1-0 with a 5.23 ERA in two profession begins towards Cleveland, permitting 5 homers in 10 1/3 innings.

The 32-year-old from Japan made his season debut towards the Washington Nationals on Sunday, taking the loss with 5 innings of four-run ball. Imanaga struck out seven over 82 pitches.

Chicago’s rotation grew to become a priority for supervisor Craig Counsell when starter Cade Horton threw solely 17 pitches Friday earlier than leaving with proper forearm discomfort. Horton is 12-4 in his first 24 begins within the majors.

‘Any time you are taking a pitcher out of the sport within the second inning, you are involved,’ Counsell stated. ‘He’ll most likely get imaging and that is regarding, as effectively. It’s going to be an (injured checklist) stint, however let’s get extra data earlier than we get too far.’

Career starter Colin Rea labored 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball following Horton and is the most probably candidate to imagine his spot within the rotation. The righty started the season within the bullpen with the Cubs overflowing with arms.

That is not the case with Horton sidelined till not less than mid-April.

‘We’ll see what occurs, however I feel we have got the depth to deal with these innings,’ stated Rea, who has the Cubs’ solely save this 12 months. ‘I’ve achieved it up to now, and we have got some guys constructed up for depth in Triple-A. I simply hope it is nothing too critical with Cade.’

–Field Level Media

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Sports Focus: How a Chinese mechanic builds a world-beating motorbike

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From a teenage dropout chasing a TV crew by means of chilly rain to a world champion motorbike producer, Zhang Xue’s 20-year journey proves that cussed ardour can transfer mountains.

by sportswriters Dong Yixing and Shen Nan

BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) — In a wet day in 2006, 19-year-old motorbike mechanic Zhang Xue rode 100 kilometers by means of muddy mountainous roads in China’s Hunan Province, shivering in soaked garments, to intercept a tv crew.

He simply needed one probability to show he belonged in an expert motorbike racing group. They laughed at him. He crashed. But then he bought again up.

Twenty years later, Zhang Xue made a reputation because the founding father of ZXMOTO, after considered one of his bikes secured two victories on the Portuguese spherical of the Superbike World Championship (WSBK) on March 28 and 29. The Chinese model broke the decades-long monopoly of Ducati, Yamaha and Kawasaki.

How did the world see Chinese bikes earlier than these victories? “Maybe there was no impression,” Zhang instructed Xinhua days after the win. “Do you understand? Your existence or non-existence feels the same to them.”

THE TEENAGE OUTCAST

The 2006 footage that includes him chasing the van has exploded throughout Chinese social media. “I’ll do anything. Wash clothes, cook, fix bikes,” Zhang pleaded into the digicam, figuring out the opposite riders laughed at him.

In 2023, he contacted the tv station and requested for the unique footage. When requested why, he replied with a single phrase: advertising and marketing.

The advertising and marketing labored. That footage turned an abnormal man’s epic battle right into a legend – with out it, no underdog story, no breakout consideration.

Zhang’s story begins in a crumbling mud-brick home in rural Hunan Province, central China. Born in 1987 to divorced dad and mom, he was stuffing plastic sheeting into cracks by age 10 with a youthful sister. He dropped out of college at 14 to work in a restore store, sleeping lined in engine grease, saving each single yuan.

“I never thought about changing careers,” Zhang stated within the interview. “I never had the opportunity to change careers. And since I could still do this thing, I just kept doing it.”

That apprenticeship gave him one thing no engineering diploma may: he noticed each potential method a motorbike breaks. “I know which structures fail most often. When I started building my own bikes, I knew exactly which designs to avoid.”

Around 2009, Zhang had moved to Zhejiang to work at Apollo. There, he discovered to experience like an expert, entered numerous beginner races, and gained just a few trophies. A China Central Television program filmed him making an attempt a water-crossing stunt twice. He failed each instances and injured himself.

But he instructed the digicam: “Even if I don’t succeed this time, I’ll keep trying. Maybe not next time either. But eventually, I will.” The identical present additionally captured him dismantling an engine after which reassembling it blindfolded in simply over an hour.

THE DREAM THAT GOT AWAY

In early 2013, he arrived in Chongqing, the guts of China’s motorbike trade, along with his spouse Chen Xingyi and simply 20,000 yuan (about 2,900 U.S. {dollars}). He went straight to the elements market, blew his total financial savings on parts, and assembled a motorcycle in his personal imaginative and prescient. He posted his progress on on-line boards, grew to become a minor celeb in China’s motorbike circles, offered his first bike, and constructed a greater one. Later that 12 months, he joined Huanghe Motorcycle, serving to develop the 250X and 300X. In 2017, he co-founded Kove Moto.

But the cash by no means lasted. “From the moment he started making his first product in Chongqing, we were borrowing,” Chen later instructed Jiemian News. For 5 years, the couple borrowed from family members and associates, totaling a number of million yuan.

Chen saved a meticulous ledger, marking every debt with a checkmark as soon as repaid. They by no means defaulted. Spring Festival, when money owed are historically settled, was the toughest time. If that they had cash, they paid. If not, they begged for extensions, or borrowed once more, or offered spare elements.

In 2018, Kove Moto launched its first manufacturing bike, the 500X, promoting 800 items that 12 months. “That was when Zhang started to made 10,000 yuan a month,” Chen stated. “I finally felt our life was improving.”

Zhang by no means gave up his personal racing dream. In 2023, he led Kove to the Dakar Rally, turning into the primary producer ever to have all its bikes end on the primary try. That identical 12 months, at China’s Taklimakan Rally, he raced himself. Midway by means of a stage, an off-road automobile clipped him. He was knocked unconscious, and suffered a fractured finger. He wakened and nonetheless completed the day’s stage.

But time catches everybody. In the Xinhua interview, requested if he has any private racing objectives left, Zhang shook his head. “Personally, no. Unless there’s some senior category or recreational class I can join.”

Then why not race anymore? His reply was brutally sincere: “No, it’s that I can’t run anymore. You ask a 40-year-old track athlete if he still competes. What can he say?”

So is he a sportsman or a businessman? “Half and half. Deep down, I wish I could be a pure rider. But realistically, I have to feed all these people. If I don’t make money, everyone starves. Then would I still have a bike to ride? Could I still race? No.”

THE ENGINE THAT COST EVERYTHING

At Kove, Zhang needed to construct an in-house engine, whereas his companions needed to promote present fashions and depend income. When they balked on the threat, Zhang borrowed 10 million yuan (1.45 million {dollars}) from the corporate personally, promising to repay each cent if it failed. The engine labored, however the stress did not go away.

In March 2024, Zhang resigned from the corporate he constructed, strolling away from substantial fairness. “After careful consideration, I have decided to pursue my own path among the stars and the sea,” he wrote on social media.

He began ZXMOTO inside a month. Within a 12 months, the corporate unveiled its first manufacturing mannequin, the 500RR, and started deliveries. By the tip of the 12 months, its output worth reached 750 million yuan (104 million {dollars}).

“We’re professional, we’re efficient,” Zhang stated. “Our company only holds one regular meeting every two years. Any problem that comes up, I can be at the site immediately.”

Just earlier than the 500RR launch, nevertheless, the corporate practically died. It was February 2025, one month earlier than the scheduled launch. Zhang couldn’t pay March salaries.

“I borrowed from my landlord, from my friends, from my suppliers,” he stated. “If I knew you, I’d ask you too.”

He scraped collectively the cash, paid his individuals, and offered the primary batch of bikes. The firm survived. When requested if that counted as an enormous issue, Zhang shrugged. “Not really. You just figure it out.”

Gao Yang, who joined the corporate after being recruited personally by Zhang, described the work atmosphere with a mixture of admiration and exhaustion.

“He’s very intense. He’s in a battle every day. One time he called me at 2 a.m. When I got to the office at 8 a.m., he was already sitting there,” Gao recalled.

But Gao additionally famous Zhang’s uncommon willingness to alter: after seeing a news story a couple of CEO who paid fines for yelling at workers, Zhang introduced he would do the identical for every outburst. “So far, no one has had to pay yet,” Gao stated.

THE BIKE THAT WON

The motorbike that conquered the Portugal circuit, the 820RR-RS, is sort of similar to the bike prospects can purchase for 43,800 yuan (6,361 U.S. {dollars}), a fraction of the value of its European and Japanese opponents.

Zhang pointed to 2 core strengths that got here straight from his design philosophy: light-weight and efficiency setup. That focus gave the 820RR-RS its edge on the observe, permitting Debise to outbrake two Yamaha rivals and energy out of corners with superior low-end torque.

The manufacturing bike that prospects purchase shares these identical elementary traits, constructed not as a race particular however as a machine designed to win from the bottom up.

French rider Debise, who piloted the bike to victory, recalled his first impression in a web based interview with Xinhua.

“From the first time I rode it, the feeling was great. Even with European or Japanese manufacturers, the first test you always have some problems. This time we didn’t have anything.”

Debise admitted he confronted criticism for breaking his contract with one other model to affix an unproven Chinese group.

“I didn’t reply anything. I just waited until now to win the races. Now I make people shut up and prove that Chinese motorcycles are very strong.”

And what satisfied him? “Zhang Xue himself. I wanted to race with this team and nobody else. He does this more for passion than for business.”

THE GLOBAL AMBITIONS

The victories lit up China’s motorbike market. Pre-orders for the 820RR surged 200 p.c in three days. Dealerships reported being flooded with inquiries, a livestream drew 6,000 viewers and restricted version merchandise additionally offered out.

“The sales impact has been very noticeable. That’s why we race,” Zhang acknowledged. “But honestly? I didn’t know we would win. I didn’t know it would bring this much traffic. I didn’t even know if I would earn back the money I spent.”

Next 12 months, Zhang plans so as to add Dakar and MotoGP efforts, the place a single race can price as a lot as a whole WSBK season.

“You have to sell so many motorcycles just to earn back what you spend on racing,” he stated. “It’s too hard to calculate, so I just don’t calculate it.”

For Zhang, the victory is about a couple of firm’s success. Currently, he estimates Chinese manufacturers maintain about 20 to 30 p.c globally, although domestically they’ve already dominated with at the very least 80 p.c of the market.

“Within the next five years, Chinese brands will capture 50 percent of the global large-displacement motorcycle market currently held by international brands. Maybe even 70 percent,” Zhang made no small predictions. “We have stronger performance, better quality and higher cost-performance ratio.”

He can also be reasonable in regards to the gaps that stay. When requested why he did not use a Chinese rider, he was blunt: “Because our Chinese riders aren’t fast enough yet. There’s no training system. There’s no racing culture.”

His firm has launched a assist program providing a a million yuan annual prize pool for younger Chinese riders competing internationally. He hopes to ascertain a full youth academy when annual manufacturing reaches 100,000 items, which he expects in two to 3 years.

Has he ever needed to surrender up to now 20 years? “No. Never.”

His recommendation to younger individuals from nowhere? “Figure out what you want. Be really clear. Then go after it like crazy. That saying online, that some things are impossible no matter how hard you try? That’s not true. If you want it badly enough and you work hard enough, you can achieve it.”

When requested what the 19-year-old model of himself, the one chasing that tv crew by means of the rain, would ask the 39-year-old champion, Zhang paused, his eyes glistened with tears.

“That hypothetical doesn’t really work,” he stated. “But if he met me, I’d tell him to just keep doing what he wants to do. Just keep going.”

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Iran Executes Two More Men On Terrorism Charges

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10:38

Iran Executes Two More Men On Terrorism Charges

Iran executed two males on April 4 convicted of finishing up terrorist acts and hyperlinks to the opposition Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), in accordance with the Mizan News Agency, which is near the nation’s judiciary.

The two males had been the remaining defendants in a six-person case. The different 4 males had been executed earlier this week.

MEK is an exiled opposition group that seeks to overthrow the Islamic republic and is regarded by Tehran as a terrorist group. In current weeks, there was a surge in executions, notably concentrating on members of the MEK.

The two males, Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Bani-Amerian, had been reportedly executed “on charges of rebellion through involvement in numerous terrorist acts and explosions led by the terrorist group of the MEK, membership in a rebel group, gathering and colluding to commit a crime against the internal security of the country.”

Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the decision, Mizan reported.

Earlier this week, Hamed Bani-Amerian, the brother of Vahid Bani-Amerian, informed RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that “The Supreme Court had raised objections to the verdict and the case and returned the case to the court of first instance to resolve the objections.”

But then, he mentioned — talking earlier than his brother’s execution — “suddenly we were faced with the news of the execution of four of my brother’s co-defendants.”

Bani-Amerian was referring to the opposite 4 males being tried — Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi, Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi, and Akbar Daneshvarkar — who had been executed by Iranian authorities at Ghezel Hesar Prison within the metropolis of Karaj, about 20 kilometers northwest of Tehran. Sangdehi and Daneshvarkar had been executed by hanging on March 30; Alipour and Ghobadi had been executed a day later.

In current weeks, Iranian state media have reported rising numbers of individuals arrested for being “spies” and “mercenaries.”

Iran has maintained one of many world’s highest execution charges for years, with the numberestimated to have greater than doubled in 2025compared to 2024.

UN human rights consultants and the UN High Commissioner have expressed grave concern over the current surge in executions in Iran.

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01:08

We at the moment are closing the reside weblog for the day. We’ll be again tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cowl the newest occasions throughout the Middle East.

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01:05

Rescue Mission Races To Find Crew Member Of US Jet Downed Over Iran

WASHINGTON — Rescue groups proceed to go looking early on April 4 for a US crew member lacking after their fighter jet was introduced down over Iran, one among two American forces planes reportedly knocked out of the sky within the area a day earlier.

A US official informed RFE/RL one crew member was recovered whereas the search is ongoing for the second within the first recognized lack of an American airplane, a two-seat F-15E jet, to hostile fireplace for the reason that battle started.

Separately, a US official later mentioned one other US Air Force warplane, an A-10 assault plane, crashed within the Persian Gulf and that the lone pilot in that incident was safely recovered. Full particulars weren’t instantly obtainable.

Iranian state media additionally reported the downing of each planes. Iranian officers mentioned additionally they had been looking for the lacking crew member of the primary airplane and urged residents to report back to the authorities any data that might result in the airman’s seize.

Specifics of the Iran rescue mission weren’t offered by the US official who spoke to RFE/RL.

To learn the complete story, clickhere.

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20:41

3.4.2026

US Embassy In Lebanon Warns That Iran, Allies Could Target Universities

The US Embassy in Lebanon on April 3 warned that Iran and its allied teams may try to focus on universities within the nation.

“Iran and its aligned terrorist militias may intend to target universities in Lebanon,” asecurity alertsaid on the embassy web site.

“The security situation in Lebanon is volatile and unpredictable. Air strikes, drones and rocket attacks occur throughout the country, especially in the south, the Beqaa, and parts of Beirut,” the safety alert additionally mentioned.

The American University in central Beirut is likely one of the most prestigious academic establishments within the area.

“If you are in the country, the Department of State urges U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial flight options remain available,” it added.

It didn’t establish any particular establishments, nevertheless it comes days after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to focus on US universities within the Middle East, claiming that US-Israeli strikes had destroyed two Iranian universities.

Lebanon is residence to the American University of Beirut, one of the crucial outstanding US establishments within the area, whose campus and hospital are in central Beirut.

The Israeli navy has been blasting websites in Beirut and southern Lebanon recognized to accommodate property of the Iran-backed Hezbollah motion, deemed a terrorist group by the United States.

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20:23

3.4.2026

UN Security Council Set To Vote On Plan To Open Strait Of Hormuz Amid Divisions

The United Nations Security Council is predicted to vote on April 4 on a revised decision aimed toward restoring business delivery via the Strait of Hormuz, as international powers stay divided over how far to go in confronting Irans blockade of the essential waterway.

The newest draft, put ahead by Bahrain, has reportedly been scaled again after opposition from veto-wielding members China, Russia, and France, who objected to earlier language that will have licensed nations to make use of all vital means to safe the waterway. That led to a delay in holding the vote, which was initially scheduled for April 3.

The Associated Pressreportedthat a revised model of the textual content now permits just for defensive measures to make sure secure passage via the strait and adjoining waters, marking a compromise aimed toward avoiding a veto whereas nonetheless enabling some type of coordinated response.

The vote comes at a pivotal second within the battle that started with joint US-Israeli strikes in late February, with Irans efficient closure of the strait roiling international power markets and sparking longer-term fears of fallout from blocked fertilizer and provide chain shipments.

China has remained publicly against any decision that might legitimize the usage of power, with Fu Cong, Beijing ambassador to the UN, saying that “any such authorization would inevitably lead to further escalation and serious consequences” as he urged members to prioritize a political settlement.

Read extraright here.

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19:50

3.4.2026

Egyptian Citizen Killed In Abu Dhabi After Iranian Missile Strike

A citizen of Egypt was killed and 4 folks suffered minor accidents after particles from an intercepted Iranian missile fell on Abu Dhabi’s Habshan fuel services on April 3, the emirate’s media workplace reported.

The Egyptian was killed through the evacuation of the location, the workplace mentioned. Four others — two Egyptians and two Pakistanis — sustained minor accidents, it added.

“Significant damage has occurred at the facilities and an assessment is ongoing,” it mentioned.

With reporting by Reuters

Earlier, authorities in Abu Dhabi — part of the United Arab Emirates — mentioned 12 folks had been injured by falling particles within the Ajban space. The injured had been Nepalese and Indian nationals, authorities mentioned.

Tehran has focused US Gulf Arab allies in retaliation for the US-Israeli air strikes in opposition to Iran that started on February 28.

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17:57

3.4.2026

Italy’s Meloni Travels To Saudi Arabia In Show Of Support Amid Iranian Attacks

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has flown to Saudi Arabia for a beforehand unannounced journey that can even embrace conferences with officers from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, a authorities official mentioned on April 3.

Meloni’s two-day go to is aimed toward displaying assist for Gulf companions which are within the Iranian line of fireside and to guard Italy’s personal power provides, the official mentioned.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (file photograph).

Italy is very depending on power imports and has been struck by rising power costs.

Reuters reported that earlier than the battle, about 10 % of Italy’s whole fuel consumption was coated by Qatari liquefied pure fuel and that Middle East oil accounted for 12 % of Italy’s whole oil imports final 12 months.

It wasn’t instantly clear if Meloni would go to Qatar and the UAE or meet with officers whereas in Saudi Arabia.

It is the primary journey by a European Union chief to Saudi Arabia for the reason that United States and Israel launched their air marketing campaign in opposition to Iran on the finish of February.

Tehran has retaliated for the air strikes by launching missile a drone assaults in opposition to Israel and most Gulf Arab states.

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15:42

3.4.2026

France Demands Immediate Release Of Iranian Human Rights Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh

Nasrin Sotoudeh

France has demanded that Iran launch outstanding Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was arrested on April 1 at her residence in Tehran.

“France calls for the immediate release of Nasrin Sotoudeh and all those arbitrarily detained in Iran,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman mentioned.

Mehraveh Khandan, the legal professional’s daughter who resides outdoors Iran, mentioned safety forces additionally confiscated Sotoudeh’s private digital gadgets, together with her cell phone and laptop computer.

Reza Khandan, Sotoudeh’s husband, has been in jail since December 2024.

Sotoudeh, who received awards together with the 2012 Sakharov Prize of the European Parliament and the 2020 Right Livelihood award, has been arrested a number of occasions since 2010.

She has campaigned for quite a lot of human rights-related points within the repressive state, together with working to stop the execution of individuals convicted of crimes dedicated whereas minors.

Her detention has included durations of solitary confinement, highlighting the challenges confronted by human rights defenders in Iran. Tehran has additional cracked down on dissent throughout its present battle with the United States and Israel.

“This arrest is yet another illustration of the Iranian regime’s systematic policy of persecuting and intimidating human rights defenders, which must stop,” the French ministry spokesman mentioned.

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13:58

3.4.2026

Britain Deploys Its Air Defense System To Kuwait

Britain is deploying its air protection system to Kuwait, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s workplace introduced on April 3, following an in a single day Iranian drone assault on a Kuwaiti oil facility.

Starmer mentioned the deployment of the UKs Rapid Sentry air protection system to the Gulf nation, throughout a name with the crown prince of Kuwait. The dialog occurred simply hours after a drone assault hit the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, one of the crucial necessary in Kuwait and the broader area.

According to apress launch from Starmer’s workplace,the Rapid Sentry system, which is designed primarily to shoot down drones and different low-flying aerial threats, will shield Kuwaiti and British personnel and pursuits within the area.

The British prime minister condemned the “reckless” in a single day drone assault on the Kuwaiti oil refinery and reiterated that the UK stands with Kuwait and all its allies within the Gulf.

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12:52

3.4.2026

WHO Raises Alarm Over Risks To Health Facilities

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the battle in Iran and the broader area is impacting the supply of well being providers and the security of well being employees, sufferers, and civilians at well being services.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus mentioned that for the reason that begin of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, “WHO has verified over 20 attacks on health care in Iran, resulting in at least nine deaths.”

In a April 2 X publish, Ghebreyesus highlighted harm to the Pasteur Institute of Iran — a number one Iranian medical analysis heart based in 1920 — saying the power had suffered intensive harm and was not in a position to ship its traditional well being providers.

While greatest recognized for its public well being analysis, together with work on infectious illnesses, the power has confronted worldwide scrutiny previously. In 2007, the Japanese authorities listed it as an entity of concern over potential organic and chemical weapons proliferation.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian, a former coronary heart surgeon, condemned the alleged assault on the Pasteur Institute, urging worldwide well being organizations and physicians worldwide to reply to this “crime against humanity.”

However, a US official denied that American forces struck the Pasteur Institute, and an Israeli navy spokesperson mentioned they had been “not aware” of any IDF strike on the power on that day,in accordance with The Wall Street Journal.

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Trump resets tariffs with pharma push, metals tweak

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WASHINGTON, D.C.: A yr after unveiling sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs, U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a brand new set of commerce measures concentrating on pharmaceutical imports whereas easing some duties on metals, marking a shift in his administration’s tariff technique.

On April 2, Trump ordered tariffs of as much as 100% on sure branded pharmaceutical imports, alongside adjustments to metal, aluminum, and copper duties, because the administration appears to rebuild commerce levies struck down earlier this yr by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The pharmaceutical tariffs are meant to pressure international drugmakers to chop costs and broaden manufacturing within the United States. Under the coverage, corporations should conform to each circumstances to keep away from tariffs completely. Those that shift some manufacturing to the U.S. however don’t adjust to pricing calls for will face a 20 p.c tariff, whereas companies that do neither will probably be topic to a 100% obligation.

The tariffs won’t apply uniformly throughout all international locations. Imports from the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland will face a capped charge of 15 p.c below current commerce agreements. The U.S. and Britain have additionally finalized a separate deal making certain zero tariffs on British-made prescription drugs for at the least three years.

According to an administration official, massive pharmaceutical corporations could have 120 days to conform earlier than the best tariffs take impact, whereas smaller producers could have 180 days.

Alongside the pharmaceutical measures, Trump signed a separate proclamation revising tariffs on metals. Duties on many spinoff merchandise produced from metal, aluminum, and copper will probably be reduce to 25 p.c, whereas tariffs will probably be eliminated completely for items with minimal steel content material.

However, a 50 p.c obligation on core imports of those metals will stay in place. The administration will now apply this charge to the U.S. gross sales worth of the metals somewhat than their declared import worth, which officers stated had typically been understated.

The overhaul is meant to simplify what had turn into a fancy system for figuring out tariffs on merchandise starting from equipment components to family items. Items with lower than 15 p.c steel content material, akin to merchandise with small metal parts, will now not be topic to those duties.

The White House additionally stated tariffs on sure metal-intensive industrial and power-grid tools will probably be lowered to fifteen p.c from 50 p.c via 2027 to help infrastructure and information heart enlargement. The adjustments to metals tariffs are set to take impact simply after midnight on April 6.

The announcement comes precisely one yr after Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, which imposed duties of 10 p.c to 50 p.c on imports from a variety of nations. Those measures triggered retaliatory actions from buying and selling companions and a sequence of authorized challenges.

In February, the U.S. Supreme Court dominated that tariffs imposed below the International Emergency Economic Powers Act have been illegal, resulting in a decrease courtroom order requiring refunds of roughly US$166 billion in collected duties.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer defended the sooner tariffs as a vital reset of worldwide commerce, saying that they had inspired home funding and secured concessions from buying and selling companions.

“The best is yet to come as President Trump’s tariff program incentivizes domestic production, raises workers’ wages, and reinforces our critical supply chains,” Greer stated in an announcement.

Business teams, nevertheless, warned that the newest measures might enhance prices. “A new, complex tariff scheme on pharmaceuticals will raise healthcare costs for American families,” stated Neil Bradley, coverage chief on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

He added that adjustments to metals tariffs might additional pressure industries already dealing with excessive enter prices and provide chain challenges.

Still, some trade representatives welcomed the changes. Steel Manufacturers Association president Philip Bell stated the revisions would higher goal tariffs to help home manufacturing with out broader financial disruption.

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