US and Iran Trade Fire, Tennessee Redistricting, US Boat Strikes In Caribbean Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today's top stories The U.S.
Cargo ships, including bulk carriers and general cargo vessels, sit at anchor offshore as a small motorboat passes in the foreground, in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Monday, May 4 , 2026.
The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna hasn't even started yet — and yet it has been at the center of heated debates for months. At issue isn't so much the spectacular pop shows themselves as the political tensions that, despite the competition's long-standing claim that it is apolitical, are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Currently, diplomatic efforts are running parallel to ongoing violence. In mid-April in Washington, historic talks between Israel and Lebanon took place for the first time since 1993. Officially, the two nations have been at war since 1948.
Trump's Iran Progress Claims, Oil Industry Profit From Iran War, Rubio Meets Pope Leo Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
Authorities in Australia said on Wednesday that 13 Australians linked to alleged members of the extremist "Islamic State" (IS) group plan to return home from Syria. The returnees include four women and nine children, who had been living in Syria's Roj camp.
Is a secure escort of tankers and merchant ships by US forces in the Strait of Hormuz possible? DW has compiled the most important questions and answers regarding the transport of oil and gas shipments through the waterway, which connects the Gulf with the Arabian Sea. What do we know about "Project Freedom"?
Over the past year Syria’s image has shifted from a war-torn pariah to a potential transit corridor linking the Gulf and Europe.
The minesweeper Fulda has set sail from the Kiel-Wik naval base on the Baltic Sea bound for the Mediterranean where it will initially be integrated into a NATO mine countermeasures group.
A neighborhood of Beit Lahia was destroyed in Israeli strikes in October 2024, including a strike on a building that killed 132 members of the extended Abu Naser family. Anas Baba/NPR hide caption toggle caption Anas Baba/NPR Editor's note: This story contains descriptions of human remains.
Members of Australian families at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, housing people with alleged ties to Islamic State militants, prepare to leave for Damascus as part of a second repatriation effort by Syrian authorities, Friday, April 24, 2026.
Skip next section Iran war: What you need to know now May 5, 2026 Iran war: What you need to know now The Strait of Hormuz remains closed de facto despite Donald Trump's "Project Freedom" intiative.