Pope Leo Downplays Rift with Trump, Reiterates Peace Message

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday downplayed his feud with US President Donald Trump over the Iran war, saying his remarks have been misinterpreted. Speaking aboard his flight to Angola — the third leg of his 10-day tour of Africa — Leo said a comment he made in Cameroon earlier this week that the world was being "ravaged by ​a handful of tyrants" was not aimed

US strikes on ‘drug boats’ spark legal debate

The US Navy's Southern Command has resumed attacks on what US President Donald Trump's administration says are "drug boats," claimed to be smuggler vessels used by cartels to transport narcotics from South America to the US. This brings the total number of ships sunk to over 50 since September 2025, according to various media reports. British news

Trump: Iran Cannot ‘Blackmail’ Over Strait Closure

Skip next section Iran's sudden Hormuz reversal: What it signals now April 19, 2026 Iran's sudden Hormuz reversal: What it signals now Marianna Evenstein Tehran has reimposed its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, just a day after saying it would reopen the critical waterway. DW asked Middle East expert Simon Mabon what this says

Why UN Peacekeepers Are in Southern Lebanon

A French soldier with the multinational United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was killed on Friday in an ambush. Three others were wounded, two of whom severely, in what UNIFIL and French officials called a "deliberate attack."    "Everything suggests that responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote

Modi Condemns Opposition After Women’s Quota Bill Fails

Skip next section Opposition MPs hit back at Modi over women quota defeat April 18, 2026 Opposition MPs hit back at Modi over women quota defeat There was sharp criticism and strong reactions from Indian opposition lawmakers after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Saturday, a day after the government’s women’s quota bill

North London shop arson probed by counter-terror police

British counter-terrorism police are investigating an arson attack on a shop in an area of London with a large Jewish population, authorities said on Saturday.    The incident happened late Friday in Hendon, in the northwest of Britain's capital. "A man was seen to approach a row ​shops with a plastic bag containing what was later

How Governments Are Responding to Record Fuel Prices

Gasoline and diesel have never been as expensive in Germany as they were this April. According to the website Clever Tanken, diesel prices rose above €2.43 (about $2.80) per liter on average across Germany's 100 largest cities, while Super E10 (unleaded gasoline with up to 10% ethanol) cost more than €2.18. Even during the oil crisis

How We Name Sex Work and What It Reveals

"Lalun is a member of the most ancient profession in the world." With that line, written in his 1888 short story "On the City Wall," English author Rudyard Kipling helped popularize one of the most enduring euphemisms for sex work — a phrase often repeated since, despite its historical ambiguity. Rather than naming the work

Women Drive Tamil Nadu’s Mundu Chile Economy

Rajeshwari, 44, grades the chiles she has picked in the fields. Her sharp eyes spot the pale white pods in the sea of red: "The ones with the rich red color are the best, but even though the paler ones are of poorer quality, we can still sell these at the market." Viraj Nayar for

Ceasefire Nears End as Hormuz Reclosed, No Deal Yet

The sun rises behind a tanker anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. Asghar Besharati/AP hide caption toggle caption Asghar Besharati/AP After briefly reopening the vital economic waterway, Iran has again closed the Strait of Hormuz, saying it will restrict ships from passing through as
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