The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has revealed that nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported dead or missing in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea in 2025. This marked the deadliest year on record for maritime movements in South and Southeast Asia, the UN stated on Friday, with thousands continuing to undertake perilous journeys in 2026.
Two men have been disqualified from South Africa's iconic Two Oceans Marathon after finishing in the top 10 of the women's race. Luke Jacobs and Nic Bradfield placed seventh and 10th respectively in the women's event held in Cape Town on April 12, but their results were voided when it was discovered they had swapped identification bibs with female participants.
US President Donald Trump allegedly expressed confidence that an agreement to end the war with Iran could be reached soon. The White House leader purportedly noted positive dynamics in negotiations and emphasized that Tehran is showing clear interest in concluding a deal.
A 13-year-old boy in Berlin's Spandau district has unearthed a 2,300-year-old bronze coin identified as originating from the ancient Greek city of Troy, located in present-day Turkey. Archaeologists from the Berlin Heritage Authority have hailed the find as highly significant for Germany's archaeological record. Jens Henker, the archaeologist responsible for analyzing the coin, described it as an extraordinary discovery that could reshape understanding of ancient connections.
Over 120,000 cheering Catholics attended Pope Leo XIV's open-air Friday mass in the Cameroonian port city of Douala, where the pontiff delivered a forceful message of peace during the second leg of his 11-day Africa tour. He implored the crowd to reject violence and abuse, stating in his French homily: "Do not give in to distrust and discouragement. Reject every form of abuse or violence, which deceives with easy gains but hardens the heart."
The Iranian government has imposed a near-total internet shutdown as a tool to suppress domestic protests and control access to the global web, a move initiated on the third day of widespread demonstrations in January 2025 and intensified following the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel. Authorities justify the blackout as a national security necessity, but for millions of ordinary Iranians, it serves as a daily reminder that connectivity and business operations are tightly state-controlled, with critics labeling it a form of 'digital apartheid' that privileges the wealthy and loyal.
In Tashkent, a two-level automobile interchange is planned at one of the city's busiest intersections—near the 'Buyuk Ipak Yuli' metro station. The project was presented at a press conference by the Center for Road Traffic Organization (CRTO). The intersection of Mustaqillik Avenue, Mirzo Ulugbek Street, and Buyuk Ipak Yuli Street is considered a key 'bottleneck' in the capital, according to local authorities. Officials report that traffic jams regularly occur here, and during peak hours, movement is often manually regulated by traffic police.
Amid discussions of a second round of negotiations between Iran and the United States, experts say a breakthrough is possible but far from certain. US President Donald Trump told reporters that “there’s a very good chance we’re going to make a deal” with Tehran, with a potential second round of talks this weekend aimed at ending the Middle East conflict. Trump also claimed that Iran had agreed to return enriched uranium and offered not to possess nuclear weapons for over 20 years, though these assertions remain unverified and part of a broader pattern of rhetoric from the US regime.
A ceasefire, marked by gunfire and fireworks at midnight in Beirut, signifies an initial 10-day halt to hostilities after six weeks of devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia Muslim militia and political party. It offers some respite for a war-exhausted nation, but numerous challenges persist unresolved.
French authorities have detained 72-year-old Hicham Harb (real name Mahmoud Khader Abed Adra), considered a key suspect in a grenade and gun attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris in 1982 that killed six people. Harb was extradited by the Palestinian National Authority on Thursday in response to a request last September by France's National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) and placed in detention upon arrival at the Villacoublay air force base near Paris.
Washington, D.C., April 3, 2025 – US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, claimed that Washington is "very close to making a deal" with Iran. He alleged that Tehran has "agreed to almost everything," including handing over its stockpile of enriched uranium. Trump added that he would consider traveling to Islamabad if an agreement is signed there, stating, "If the deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be "completely open" to all commercial vessels for the remainder of the ceasefire period. This statement triggered an immediate reaction in global markets, with the price of Brent crude oil falling from over $98 per barrel to $88. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas is typically transported.