Top World News

Apr 17, 2026 - World

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that if a deal with Iran to conclude the war is reached and signed in Islamabad, he might go, and that Iran has agreed to almost everything.

Apr 17, 2026 - World

US-Iran War Live: The Iran war began when the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host US bases.

Apr 17, 2026 - World

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Pope Leo was free to say what he wanted but that it was important for him to understand that Iran could never have a nuclear weapon.

Apr 17, 2026 - World

Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia secures extra fertilizer and 100m extra litres of fuel, PM saysAlbanese has also provided an update on Australia’s talks with its allies in Asia to shore up imports of fuel and other goods affected by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.The advice that we have received today is that 80% of diesel production is continuing, 80% of aviation fuel is continuing, ongoing.It has been slowed down just slightly because of the circumstances which are there, but 60% of petrol production [is] proceeding today as well. Continue reading...

Apr 17, 2026 - World

António Guterres welcomes truce and says through spokesperson he hopes halt in fighting will ‘pave the way for negotiations’In case you’re just joining us, here are the latest developments to bring you up to speed. It’s 9am in Beirut and Jerusalem, 9.30am in Tehran and 2am in Washington DC.A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has come into effect, pausing fighting in a devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 2,100 Lebanese people and displaced more than 2.1 million. The agreement was announced earlier by Donald Trump, who said he had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, and invited both leaders “for meaningful talks” at the White House. Both leaders welcomed the agreement.Israel and Hezbollah have both maintained their right to defend themselves if the truce is broken – here’s our full report.Netanyahu called the truce a “historic” opportunity for peace but refused to withdraw his troops from southern Lebanon during the pause in fighting. “We are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,” he said, due to the “danger of an invasion” and to prevent fire into Israel. “That is where we are, and we are not leaving.” Netanyahu maintained that his key demand was dismantling Hezbollah.UN chief António Guterres welcomed the ceasefire, which took effect at midnight on Thursday (2100 GMT) in Lebanon, and urged “all actors” to fully respect the truce. He hoped the halt to fighting would “pave the way for negotiations”.The Lebanese army warned people displaced from southern Lebanon about returning home because of intermittent shelling that was reported after the ceasefire came into effect.The Israeli military warned residents of southern Lebanon not to return south of the Litani River despite the ceasefire coming into force.Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson welcomed the ceasefire and stressed it was already part of the original Iran-US agreement brokered by Pakistan.Israel and Hezbollah continued to exchange fire in the hours before the truce took effect.Asian stocks were poised for a second week of strong gains and oil prices were pinned below $100 a barrel with investors hopeful for a near-term resolution to war in the Middle East.The UK and France will chair a meeting of about 40 countries on Friday aimed at signalling to the US that some of its closest allies are ready to play a role in restoring freedom of navigation in the strait of Hormuz once conditions allow.European countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and France have mine-clearance capacity which could help secure passage through the strait of Hormuz, France’s defence minister has said.Turkey is hosting a high-stakes forum on Friday bringing together the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, as Islamabad pushes diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war. Continue reading...