Pakistan's army chief lands in Iran Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir has landed in Tehran, where he was welcomed by Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. The Pakistani military confirmed the arrival of Munir, who mediated the last round of talks between the US and Iran in Islamabed. Those talks ended on Sunday.
Pope Leo says world needs to hear message of peace after Trump attacks Pope Leo said on Wednesday that the world needs to hear a message of peace and coexistence, after US President Donald Trump attacked him for a second time this week on social media. Speaking on his flight from Algeria to Cameroon as part of a 10-day tour of Africa, the pope reflected on his time in Muslim-majority Algeria by saying that although "we have different ways of worshipping... we can live together in peace".
'The Boys' faces boycott as star Tomer Capone’s past in Israeli army resurfaces Submitted by Hannah. Smith on Wed, 04/15/2026 - 13:03 The actor described his time in the Israeli military, including violence against Palestinians, in a 2016 interview Tomer Capone attends the panel for Amazon Prime's 'The Boys' at San Diego Comic Con in 2024 (Matt Winklemeyer/AFP) Off Calls to boycott the popular Amazon Prime TV show The Boys are circulating on social media after an interview with actor Tomer Capone resurfaced in which he describes his time in the Israeli army. The Israeli actor, who is of French - Algerian descent, plays a French-Algerian character known as "Frenchie" in the series.
Germany not taking part in Iran war but feeling its effects, says minister Although Germany is not involved in the war on Iran, the country is feeling its economic impact directly, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said on Wednesday. Speaking on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meetings in Washington, Klingbeil said that his government already knew that the war was "harming us in Germany in terms of economic growth". Klingbeil criticised the war on Iran and advocated diplomacy with Tehran to stop the nuclear race instead of military action, according to Reuters.
'Frightening milestone': Saudi Arabia hits 2,000 executions since King Salman took power Submitted by Rayhan Uddin on Wed, 04/15/2026 - 14:59 Gulf kingdom's use of death penalty increases fivefold, despite crown prince's promises of reform and modernisation This handout picture provided by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) shows Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Salam Royal Palace in Jeddah on 21 April 2023 (AFP/SPA) Off Saudi Arabia has carried out 2,000 executions since King Salman came to power 11 years ago, in what campaigners have described as a "frightening milestone". In the five years before King Salman took charge in 2015, Saudi Arabia executed an average of 71 people annually. That rate has now increased fivefold.
IMF chief hopes US-Iran ceasefire leads to durable peace The International Monetary Fund's managing director Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday that she hopes that the ceasefire between the US and Iran will lead to a durable peace. Briefing the press during the IMF/ World Bank spring meetings in Washington, Georgieva said the focus of this week's meetings was on how the Fund could best support countries struggling with the energy shock in the wake of the war. The IMF is concerned about the physical breakdown of supply chains as a result of the war on Iran, Reuters reported Georgieva as saying.
Another flight attendant detained in Dubai over Iran war WhatsApp message Another flight attendant has been detained in Dubai after sharing a photo privately on WhatsApp during Iranian attacks on the UAE. The 32-year-old Emirates cabin crew member had just returned to the UAE and was unaware of any warnings against posting footage relating to the war on Iran, campaign group Detained in Dubai said. Woken by an explosion, he sent the image to colleagues to ask if it was safe to go to work.
Israeli security cabinet to discuss possible Lebanon ceasefire The Israeli security cabinet will convene to discuss a possible ceasefire in Lebanon on Wednesday night, according to a senior Israeli official. This comes after the Israeli military renewed an order for people to leave a vast swathe of southern Lebanon, as it continued to bomb the country and engage in fighting with Hezbollah. Lebanese channel Al Mayadeen quoted an Iranian source saying a one-week ceasefire in Lebanon would be announced on Wednesday night.
Israeli army 'using Gaza tactics' while razing southern Lebanon villages Submitted by Mera Aladam on Wed, 04/15/2026 - 12:43 Haaretz reports that the army is building new outposts in Lebanon, signalling an intention to maintain a long-term presence there Israeli soldiers stand on top of a tank in northern Israel, near the Israel-Lebanon boundary, 15 April 2026 (Reuters/Florion Goga) Off The Israeli army is using a "pattern of operations" in Lebanon similar to that deployed in Gaza, including the mass demolition of homes and the establishment of a long-term presence, Haaretz reported on Tuesday. Citing army sources, the Israeli daily said forces equipped with bulldozers are destroying infrastructure in villages near the boundary to clear land for additional military outposts and a so-called buffer zone - a tactic previously used in the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces have maintained five outposts inside Lebanese territory since the 2024 escalation, in violation of the November ceasefire agreed that year.
Turkey rocked by two mass school shootings in two days, at least four dead Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Wed, 04/15/2026 - 14:01 The shooters in both attacks, in which dozens were wounded, killed themselves afterward People wait in front of the school building after a deadly shooting, in the southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, Turkey, 15 April 2026 (IHA via Reuters) Off Turkey has been shaken by two school shootings in two days that have left four dead and dozens wounded. On Wednesday, an eighth-grade student opened fire at a middle school in the eastern city of Kahramanmaras, killing three students and one teacher, the city’s governor, Mukerrem Unluer, said during a live broadcast. Unluer said the student brought five guns and seven magazines to Ayser Calik Middle School in the afternoon and opened fire intermittently into two classrooms before later killing himself.
Trump: Xi will give me a 'big, fat, hug' for opening Strait of Hormuz In a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said China "is very happy I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz". "I am doing it for them, also - And the World. This situation will never happen again," he wrote.
Economy will be slower this quarter because of Iran war, US Treasury chief says US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that the economy will be slower this quarter as the war on Iran continues, but that it is in good shape and will rebound. In an interview with CNBC, Bessent said that oil prices did not appear to be weighing on inflation expectations. He said that the Treasury would watch retail petrol sales for consumers.
Trump says he asked China's Xi not to give Iran weapons US President Donald Trump has told Fox Business Network that he wrote a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping in which he asked Xi not to give Iran weapons. Xi responded by saying that China was not supplying Iran, Trump said. “I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying that, essentially, he's not doing that,” Trump said in the interview, which was recorded on Tuesday.
Iran's foreign ministry says ceasefire extension reports are unconfirmed A spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry has told state media that reports about an extension to the ceasefire in the war on Iran are as yet unconfirmed. AP reported earlier on Wednesday that mediators had moved closer to extending the ceasefire between the United States and Iran and to restarting negotiations to salvage the fragile truce, which expires on 22 April.
Mediators move closer to extending US-Iran ceasefire, AP reports Mediators moved closer Wednesday to extending the ceasefire between the United States and Iran and restarting negotiations to salvage the fragile truce before it expires on 22 April, Associated Press reported, citing regional officials involved in the mediation process. The report said, the parties had given an “in principle agreement” to extend it to allow for more diplomacy. The mediators are pushing for a compromise on Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, one of the regional officials said.
Iran military warns will block Red Sea if US naval blockade continues Iran's military warned on Wednesday it would block trade through the Red Sea, the Gulf and the Sea of Oman if the US naval blockade continues. In a statement carried by Iranian state television, the head of Iran's military central command centre said if the US continues with its blockade and "creates insecurity for Iran's commercial vessels and oil tankers", it will constitute "a prelude" to violating the ceasefire. "The powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea," said Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi.
Stephen Kapos: The Holocaust survivor who leads pro-Palestine protests Submitted by Ashfaaq Carim on Thu, 05/01/2025 - 11:00 In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC we speak with pro-Palestine advocate Stephen Kapos, who survived the Holocaust as a child in Nazi-occupied Hungary. In this candid interview, he recalls his time in a Jewish refugee home, hiding his identity with other children to avoid Nazi detection. He reflects on memory, survival, and the different paths his family took after the war, including his journey to London.
Senior UAE, Iran officials discuss de-escalation in rare call Senior UAE and Iranian officials held a call to discuss de-escalation on Wednesday, UAE state media reported, the first high-level call since ties deteriorated over the US-Iran war. UAE Vice President and Deputy Premier Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan "held a phone call with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran, during which they discussed regional developments and ways to de-escalate tensions in the region", according to a statement released by the WAM news agency.
UNHCR chief calls for 'urgent' support to Lebanon during war United Nations refugee chief Barham Salih on Wednesday called on the international community to provide urgent support to Lebanon, with a fifth of the country's population displaced by the Israel's war on Lebanon. "I call upon the international community to provide urgent support and relief to Lebanon," he said after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. "The humanitarian consequences of this war are immense, and I emphasise the need to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure from the ravages of attack.
Butch Ware: How the US legacy of slavery led us to Trump’s America Submitted by Ashfaaq Carim on Thu, 04/24/2025 - 11:50 In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC we speak with historian Professor Rudolph “Butch” Ware about the global system slavery built - and how its legacy still shapes the modern world. He breaks down the myths we’ve been taught about abolition, the spiritual legacy of resistance, and how white supremacy was not just a byproduct of history, but an architecture that still defines our institutions. We also talk about Gaza, the erasure of truth in public life, and how protest and free speech are being crushed in the US.
