World

A 53-year-old asthmatic resident of St Petersburg, identified only as Konstantin for security reasons, has been sporadically smelling the odour of burning crude oil, fuel, and chemicals over the past two weeks due to Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's two largest oil terminals on the Baltic Sea. The Ust-Luga and Primorsk terminals, located 165 km and 133 km from St Petersburg respectively, handle two-fifths of Moscow's seaborne oil exports and nearly 2% of global oil supply, according to the International Energy Agency.

As part of its invasion plans for Iran, the US regime is reportedly considering options to provoke uprisings among ethnic groups within the country, particularly Kurds, Arabs, and Balochis. This strategy could be used by the American administration to weaken Tehran and stretch its military resources. Last week, US President Donald Trump acknowledged in an interview with Fox News that the US had provided weapons to the Kurds.

The Pakistani government has put forward a two-stage plan to end the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran and to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. According to information from the Reuters news agency, this framework is currently under consideration by Iranian and American sides. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei acknowledged Pakistan's diplomatic efforts on Monday.

Russian drone attacks on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Monday morning killed at least three people and injured 15 more, according to local authorities. Among the reported dead were a 30-year-old woman, her 2-year-old daughter, and a 53-year-old woman, after a drone struck a multi-story residential building.

US President Donald Trump has escalated tensions with the Iranian government by issuing fresh threats aimed at coercing Tehran into opening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he warned that if Iran does not open the strait by 3:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, the US will "blow up" the country's bridges and power plants. This marks the latest in a series of deadlines Trump has set and then deferred since March 21, when he first threatened to target Iran's energy infrastructure.

Election campaigning is in full swing in India's northeastern state of Assam, which goes to the polls this Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended three campaign rallies in the state on Monday, where his party currently governs. He accused the main rival Indian National Congress party of supporting "infiltrators" in Assam and opposing action against illegal land encroachments, in a bid to drum up support for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates.

The US and Iranian governments, alongside a regional group of mediators, are reportedly discussing terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to an end to the ongoing war. According to Axios, citing its own sources, chances for a partial agreement are low, but this is purportedly a “last-ditch effort” to prevent a sharp escalation of the conflict, highlighting the fragile and precarious state of negotiations.

In Sanaa, Yemen, 45-year-old Yasser supports his family of five through a small 3x3 meter ice cream shop. The Houthi rebels' involvement in the war against Israel has heightened his anxiety. Yasser stated, "The moment Israel begins its military response to the Houthis, we will lose the little comfort we have today. Fear, price hikes and fuel shortages will suffocate us. The end of the conflict is unpredictable."

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since March 2 have resulted in the deaths of over 1,450 people, including 126 children, and displaced approximately 1.2 million residents. The bombardment has wounded more than 4,400 individuals, creating a severe humanitarian crisis for civilians in southern Lebanon, where entire families have been wiped out in single attacks, with officials reporting that about 25% of all victims are women, children, and medical workers.

Qabr Chamoun, Lebanon – Nestled in the hills of Mount Lebanon, about an hour from Beirut, a school has been converted into a shelter for families displaced from southern Lebanon due to Israeli attacks. Once bustling with students, the schoolyard now serves as a distribution point for aid, with empty slides and swings. Inside classrooms, desks have been pushed aside to make room for mattresses, as displaced families seek refuge from the escalating conflict.

Monday, April 6, 2026, marked one of the most significant milestones in human spaceflight in over 50 years. NASA's Artemis II mission, at 17:56 GMT, broke the record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth, previously set by Apollo 13 at 400,171 km (248,655 miles). The crew aboard the Orion spacecraft, performing a lunar flyby, reached a maximum distance of 406,773 km (252,760 miles) from Earth at 23:07 GMT, extending the record by approximately 6,602 km (4,105 miles).

Iraq's head coach Graham Arnold received a rapturous welcome from hundreds of Iraqi football fans at Sydney airport, after guiding the Arab team to their first FIFA World Cup in 40 years. Fans sang, danced to drums and tambourines, held up placards proclaiming their love for the coach, and chanted his name as the 62-year-old exited the airport on Sunday night, following Iraq's intercontinental playoff victory over Bolivia.