World, US, Culture, Market, and Sci-Tech News Aggregation from MSM and Independent News
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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum vowed Tuesday to take a harder line against the U.S. over the deaths of Mexican migrants in its immigration detention centres.
Sheinbaum had previously responded to U.S. President Donald Trump‘s anti-immigration provocations by defending Mexico’s sovereignty while meeting his requests to crack down on drug cartel activity. At the same time, the threat of tariffs and other economic or military-style sanctions loomed.
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Left-wing candidate Roberto Sanchez climbed to second place in Peru‘s presidential election on Wednesday, positioning himself to face conservative Keiko Fujimori in a June runoff, while his nearest challenger threatened protests over alleged voter fraud.
With more than 90 percent of ballots tallied, the daughter of divisive former President Alberto Fujimori has garnered nearly 17 percent of the vote, followed by Sanchez with 12 percent. Ultraconservative Rafael Lopez Aliaga was third with 11.9 percent.
Sunday’s election ran into Monday in parts of the capital Lima because of delays in the delivery of ballots and other materials.
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The U.N. Navy is aggressively enforcing the blockade against Iran, according to a U.S. official who said two oil tankers attempting to leave Iran were intercepted and turned back by an American destroyer on Tuesday.
The unnamed U.S. official told Reuters that two tankers departed from Iran’s port of Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman, only to be intercepted by a U.S. Navy destroyer that instructed them by radio to turn around. Both ships complied with the order.
Chabahar is a port city on the southeastern coast of Iran. It was originally constructed in 1983, to give Iran alternatives to shipping through the Persian Gulf during the long and bloody Iran-Iraq War.
In recent years, the Indian government made about $500 million in investments to expand the two major port complexes at Chabahar, giving them more deep-water berths for large cargo vessels.
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Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hailed the opposition win in Hungary as “the victory of light over darkness,” as he called for “pragmatic, friendly” relations with the new administration.
Speaking alongside the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, Zelenskyy said that he hoped for “pragmatic” and “friendly” relations with the new Magyar government – in sharp contrast with hostile Orbán administration.
“I am sure we will cooperate with Hungary,” he said, expressing hope Ukraine will be able to “build our relations” with the new government based on “cooperation” and “respect for each other.”
He said that the damaged Druzhba pipeline which has been at the heart of tensions between Ukraine and Hungary in recent months will be repaired by the end of April. “Not completely, but enough to function,” he said.
Zelenskyy also briefly commented on the outcome in the Hungarian election, saying:
“The elections when the Hungarian people made their choice were on Sunday, 12 April. In
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Spain’s prime minister is facing a complaint at the International Criminal Court alleging his government enabled Iran’s “terror machine” through dual-use exports, with the legal group behind the filing arguing that responsibility for war crimes extends to those who provide the means.
The complaint, filed Tuesday by Israeli legal advocacy group Shurat HaDin under Article 15 of the Rome Statute, calls on prosecutors in The Hague to open a criminal investigation — and consider issuing an arrest warrant — against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and other senior officials.
The complaint alleges that Spain’s socialist government approved the transfer of approximately €1.3 million in dual-use components to Iran in 2024 and 2025, including materials linked to detonators and explosive systems.
According to the filing, the items were not benign industrial goods but “critical components that enable explosive devices to function,” transferred under circumstances in which their use in attacks against civilians was foreseeable.
At the core of the case is the allegation that materials classified as civilian “dual-use” goods function as essential components in weapons systems.
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AI tool Claude, developed by Anthropic, suddenly announced the rollout of a new identity verification system requiring users to complete a real-time selfie check while holding a government-issued ID.
The move has drawn global attention, but for Chinese users in particular, it feels like a heavy blow that erects a difficult-to-cross “wall” in AI access.
This verification is not being applied universally to all users at once. Instead, it is being introduced gradually in specific scenarios. When users attempt to access certain advanced features, or as part of routine platform integrity checks and other safety and compliance measures, a verification prompt may appear.
The process itself appears simple and typically takes no more than five minutes. However, users must prepare a government-issued photo ID—such as a passport, driver’s license, or national ID card—and use a camera-enabled device to capture a real-time selfie.
For Chinese users, the impact of this mechanism is both broad and profound. The barrier to entry has been significantly raised: individuals without passports are excluded from using Claude.
Even for those who do have passports, older accounts may become valuable assets, while new users face hurdles due to real-name verification requirements, making normal access increasingly difficult.
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Finnish President Alexander Stubb says he exchanges messages with Prime Minister Mark Carney almost every day.
“We’re tight,” Stubb said with a smile.
Now, Stubb and Carney have the opportunity to talk in person.
Stubb is in Ottawa for his first official bilateral meetings with Canada’s prime minister. The pair are working to develop trade and defence ties, according to Carney’s office.
“With shared interests, values and a commitment to international security, I look forward to hosting President Stubb to deepen our partnership to create stability, security and prosperity for both our peoples,” Carney wrote in a statement.
One of the ways Stubb said he maintains that partnership is through regular communication.
He said that being the leader of a “small country” means that “information is power.”
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Don’t look now, but Big Oil is making big moves to secure positions in the expanding Venezuelan oil industry as part of the Trump Administration’s plans to revitalize the country’s economy.
On Monday, Chevron officials signed a pair of deals to expand the company’s footprint in the prolific Orinoco Belt as Shell prepares to ink a major deal of its own later this week.
Make no mistake: These deals didn’t happen in a vacuum. They are the direct result of the Trump administration’s bold decision to remove Nicolás Maduro in January, launch a $100 billion reconstruction plan for the country’s shattered energy sector, and push through sweeping reforms to Venezuela’s hydrocarbon law. After years of socialist mismanagement that turned one of the world’s richest oil nations into an economic basket case, sanity is finally returning.
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Péter Magyar has gone from political outsider to Hungary’s most powerful politician almost overnight.
The 44-year-old lawyer and former insider in former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling party swept to victory in Hungary’s 2026 election, ending Orbán’s 16-year rule and stunning Europe.
“Thank you to every Hungarian at home and around the world!” he wrote on X. “It is an immense honor that you have empowered us to form a government with the most votes ever received, and to work for the next four years for a free, European, functioning, and humane Hungary.”
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TEHRAN, April 16. /TASS/. The Iranian armed forces can sink all US naval ships in the Persian Gulf, which are within range of the country’s missiles, Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran’s Expediency Council, said.
“An extension of the ceasefire is not in our interests at all. That’s my personal opinion. Pressure has to be increased. Our launchers are aimed at these ships at the moment, and we would sink them all. None would escape, ” he told Iran’s state broadcaster in an interview.
According to Rezaei, there are currently reasons to maintain the ceasefire and hold talks simultaneously. “However, it’s a military lull, not a permanent ceasefire. This is how the supreme leader describes it,” he added.
The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit.
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(LifeSiteNews) — A Montreal doctor called on the Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney to support a private members’ bill that will stop a planned expansion of euthanasia to those with mental illness in Canada.
In a Monday press conference on Parliament Hill on Monday, members of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC), including Dr. Peter Blusanovics, who has treated many with mental illnesses, urged support of Conservative Private Members Bill C-218.
Blusanovics, who is a family doctor based in Montreal, said he spoke to be a voice to “provide a voice for our most vulnerable — those who have and are suffering from mental illness.”
“Bill C-218 needs to pass to put a stop to euthanasia for people with mental illness,” said the doctor, adding, “Basic needs are currently not being met in our health care system.”
“Without this bill, we are condoning a bypass towards suicide and blatantly admitting defeat. Mental illness needs to be properly identified and treated,” he said.
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SAN SALVADOR — Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Wednesday signed into law constitutional reforms to permit life prison sentences for people as young as 12, a contentious reform that follows other heavy-handed measures pushed through by the populist leader.
The change was passed last month by the Legislative Assembly, which is controlled by Bukele’s party, and would apply to people convicted of committing or acting as an accomplice to crimes including homicide, femicide, rape and gang membership. The measure was pushed forward by Bukele’s cabinet.
Previously, the maximum sentence in El Salvador was 60 years for adults and less for youths. The reforms slated to take effect April 26 would create new criminal courts to try cases. They also stipulate a mandatory review of life terms decades into the sentences, depending on the age of the convict and the gravity of their crimes.
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International communities like Nigeria and Syria are experiencing seasons of bloodshed. Islamist militants are attacking churches, villages, and Christian neighborhoods while governments do little to stop them.
Ancient Christian communities that have survived for centuries now face extinction.
In parts of Nigeria, being a Christian can be a death sentence. During Easter week, Islamist gunmen unleashed a wave of terror on Christian communities, slaughtering more than 60 believers in villages, businesses, and churches—turning sacred days of celebration into unimaginable horror.
On Palm Sunday alone, armed militants stormed Angwan Rukuba, a predominantly Christian neighborhood in the city of Jos. That night, they fired on villagers, killing at least a dozen innocent people.
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IS IRAN A ‘JUST WAR’? Pope Leo XIV has posted another provocative statement on X, calling for the world to “reject the logic of violence and war, and embrace peace founded on love and justice.”
“Enough of war and all the pain it causes,” he pontificated. It is just the kind of thing one might expect from the leader of the Catholic Church, but to President Donald Trump, it’s left-wing, liberal claptrap.
“Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable?” Trump posted on Truth Social late Tuesday night.
The fact that Trump just won’t let it go has alienated Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, once considered one of Trump’s closest allies, irked Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) among others in Congress, and started a debate over whether Iran is a “just war.”
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The statement was never made by a scientific organisation, nor was it backed up by any study in the field. The statement originated online, where creative content can easily attract the interest of netizens if it is bizarre or sensational enough. The case at hand had elements that sounded believable because of the inclusion of a supposed “leaked document” and an alleged “secret program” of NASA.As reported by The New York Post, there is also no record in history of any scientific venture named “Project Anchor.” There have been no documents authenticated for it, and no scientists or agencies have ever endorsed the idea. This is a classic example of viral misinformation in the age of the internet.
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(FILES) North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump cross south of the Military Demarcation Line that divides North and South Korea, after Trump briefly stepped over to the northern side, in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) on June 30, 2019. A new push to lift aid sanctions on North Korea could kickstart efforts to lure Kim Jong Un into nuclear negotiations with US President Donald Trump, analysts told AFP. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images) (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has warned that North Korea has made “very serious” advances in its ability to produce nuclear weapons.
This comes at a time when nuclear warfare is firmly in the public consciousness, amid ongoing Middle East tensions surrounding what the US claims are Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
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A source has told Al Jazeera that Pakistan is expecting a breakthrough tied to Iran’s nuclear programme as Islamabad helps negotiate an end the US-Israeli war on Iran. Pakistani military and government officials met with Iranian and Saudi leaders on Wednesday.
Published On 16 Apr 202616 Apr 2026
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President Trump says leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak Thursday, as Washington pushes to ease hostilities after the rivals’ first direct talks in decades on Tuesday.
“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” Mr. Trump said late Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, apparently referring to the meeting held in Washington the day before – the first direct negotiations between senior officials from the two countries since 1993 — and to Thursday’s planned discussion.
He didn’t identify Thursday’s participants or give details but said, “It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice!”
Israeli Army Radio, also known as GLZ Radio, said Thursday that, “Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel confirmed in an interview that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.”
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North Korea is showing a “very serious increase” in its ability to produce atomic weapons, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said during a visit to Seoul on Wednesday.
“In our periodic assessments, we have been able to confirm that there’s a rapid increase in the operations” of the Yongbyon reactor, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said in Seoul, where he met South Korea’s foreign minister.
The agency also observed a rise in operations at Yongbyon’s reprocessing unit and light-water reactor, as well as the activation of other facilities, Grossi told reporters.
“All that points to a very serious increase in the capabilities of (the) DPRK in the area of nuclear weapons production, which is estimated at a few dozen warheads,” he said, referring to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the North’s official name.
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As soon as the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran ended without an agreement, President Donald Trump fired a volley of angry social media posts venting his frustration. As a concrete step to force Iranian concessions, he announced a blockade of Iranian ports along the Persian Gulf.
Cut off Tehran’s oil exports, the logic goes, and the regime will have no choice but to bend to Trump’s will.
This thought process is being echoed and amplified by influential Washington voices who should know better. Take Dennis Ross, a former Middle East peace negotiator, who argued that “the blockade always made more sense than seizing Kharg Island. It stops Iran’s exports, its revenues, is a counterpoint to their closing the Straits [of Hormuz].” He also thinks that the measure will “put pressure on China to pressure Iran.”