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  • Water crisis grips South Sudan refugees

    Water crisis grips South Sudan refugees

    As conflict continues to drive thousands of Sudanese civilians across the border into South Sudan, a rapidly escalating water crisis has pushed already vulnerable displaced populations to the brink of survival in the remote Upper Nile State settlement of Chemedi Payam.

    Long before the first light of day touches the arid landscape of Chemedi Payam, women and children clutching empty plastic buckets gather in long lines, waiting for water deliveries that may never materialize. For many of these displaced people, the daily fight for clean water consumes every waking hour, pushing other basic needs like meals to the background. “We wake up at 3:00 am local time and come here to look for water,” explained Amna Ibrahim, one of thousands of Sudanese refugees who fled cross-border conflict to seek safety in South Sudan. “We haven’t even had breakfast because we came early to fetch water.”

    Today, Chemedi is home to roughly 58,000 people, the vast majority of whom are Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees fleeing neighboring violence. What makes this crisis particularly stark is that the settlement sits in close proximity to the Nile, one of the continent’s largest and most reliable water sources. Aid workers and local administrators emphasize that the shortage does not stem from a lack of available water, but from a catastrophic gap in critical infrastructure needed to safely extract, purify and distribute water to the scattered communities that make up the settlement.

    Most functional boreholes in the area are out of service, water storage capacity is drastically limited, and no large-scale water treatment systems exist to serve the growing population. Seasonal water collection points dry up entirely during extended dry seasons, leaving residents with two bad options: rely on sporadic water trucking deliveries, or turn to unsafe, unregulated water sources. For most households, consistent access to clean water depends entirely on aid-funded tanker operations, but humanitarian groups warn these life-sustaining services are being choked off by crippling funding shortfalls. “If the tanker doesn’t come, we don’t know what we will do,” said Zainab Yasin, another Sudanese refugee living in the settlement.

    Local authorities note that the sudden, rapid influx of thousands of people fleeing Sudan’s ongoing violence has completely overwhelmed the region’s already overstretched water infrastructure, which was inadequate to serve local populations even before the refugee crisis began. Beyond the immediate threat of dehydration and hunger, the lack of reliable clean water is undermining life-saving critical services, particularly for malnourished children and new and expecting mothers.

    At a primary healthcare clinic supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its implementing partners, medical teams treat dozens of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition every day, alongside hundreds of pregnant and breastfeeding women. “Water is a major gap in Chemedi. Without it, our nutrition services cannot function properly,” said Jansuk Alex Sworo, a nutrition specialist working in the settlement. Sworo explained that the ongoing funding crisis for water services has left both the clinic and surrounding communities in a constant state of crisis. Currently, aid groups haul water 80 kilometers from the town of Renk to Chemedi, but this stopgap measure is financially unsustainable under current funding levels.

    With no other options available, large numbers of residents have been forced to turn to unsafe water sources, including untreated water from shallow unregulated wells and seasonal holding ponds that dry up within weeks of the dry season starting. This puts the entire population at high risk of outbreaks of waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid.

    The impact of the crisis extends far beyond health outcomes, tearing apart access to education for refugee children. At the local primary school, 650 children are enrolled, most of them refugees, but classes are routinely cut short as early as 11 a.m. because of the lack of water for students and staff. “We have an issue with water here, and that is why we release learners at 11:00 am,” said head teacher Awadia Paulo Adowk. Some families have pulled their children out of school entirely, as every able family member is needed to join the daily search for water. “Sometimes we get water, and after two days, we don’t have anything to drink,” said Rasham Mohamed Sheikh Al-Din, a mother of eight whose children no longer attend classes regularly.

    Local government leaders and international aid workers are now urgently calling for expanded global financial and logistical support to address the growing unmet water needs of Chemedi’s vulnerable population, warning that without immediate intervention the crisis could quickly turn deadly.

  • Strait of Hormuz ‘open to commercial vessels’

    Strait of Hormuz ‘open to commercial vessels’

    A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah entered into force on Friday, April 17, 2026, spurring tentative de-escalation efforts across the Middle East that have already cleared the way for the full reopening of the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz to global commercial shipping. The breakthrough, brokered through behind-the-scenes diplomacy between the United States and Iran with Pakistan serving as a neutral mediator, has offered a glimmer of hope to thousands of displaced Lebanese residents, though deep divisions and unresolved core issues leave the truce highly vulnerable to collapse.

    Within hours of the ceasefire taking hold, both Washington and Tehran confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world’s global oil supplies transit daily — is now fully accessible for commercial vessel passage. In a post on Truth Social, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the reopening, emphasizing that the American military’s unilateral naval blockade on Iranian cargo will remain in place until a final bilateral agreement between the two nations is fully finalized. “The Strait of Hormuz is completely open and ready for business and full passage, but the naval blockade will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran, only, until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100 percent complete,” Trump wrote in all caps.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi mirrored the announcement just minutes before Trump’s post, sharing on X that the waterway’s opening aligned with the new Lebanon ceasefire and would remain in effect for the full duration of the truce. Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim al-Moussawi later reinforced the link between the two developments, noting that the ceasefire would not have been possible without Iranian diplomatic pressure on Lebanon’s behalf, and that Tehran views the truce as equivalent to the decision to reopen the strait.

    On the ground in Lebanon, celebratory gunfire rang out across Beirut’s southern suburbs, Hezbollah’s traditional stronghold, as displaced families packed their belongings and began the journey back to their war-ravaged homes in southern Lebanon. For many returnees, the joy of the ceasefire was tempered by the scale of destruction left by weeks of fighting. “There’s destruction and it’s unlivable. We’re taking our things and leaving again,” Fadel Badreddine, who returned to survey his home with his wife and young son, told Reuters. “May God grant us relief and end this whole thing permanently.”

    Despite the initial calm, the ceasefire remains extraordinarily fragile. The Israeli military confirmed it had struck more than 380 Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon in the lead-up to the truce, and remains on high alert to resume offensive operations at a moment’s notice. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out any withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, stating that the full disarmament of Hezbollah is a non-negotiable precondition for any long-term “historic peace agreement” between Israel and the Lebanese state. Al-Moussawi responded that Hezbollah will uphold its end of the truce so long as Israel halts all offensive attacks.

    Multiple regional and global stakeholders have welcomed the ceasefire, including Saudi Arabia and Oman, two key Gulf states with deep interests in regional stability. Riyadh has reaffirmed its unwavering support for Lebanese territorial integrity and national sovereignty, while Muscat has called on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any actions that would violate the truce terms. Iran’s foreign ministry framed the ceasefire as a first step toward a broader regional de-escalation pact reached with the U.S. via Pakistani mediation.

    The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which erupted on March 2, has already claimed more than 2,000 lives to date, displacing hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Political analysts warn that a path to lasting peace remains elusive. Abed Abou Shhadeh, a Jaffa-based Israeli political commentator, noted that Israel has failed to achieve its core goal of disarming Hezbollah, and lacks a clear political roadmap for a lasting settlement with Lebanon. “History over the past 40 years has proven this is not something Israel can achieve,” Abou Shhadeh said. “The military recently acknowledged that fully disarming Hezbollah would require occupying all of Lebanon — a mission it lacks the troop strength to carry out.”

    For his part, Trump has announced that he held “excellent conversations” with both Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and has extended an invitation to both leaders to travel to the White House for high-stakes talks aimed at cementing a long-term deal. The U.S. president also added that if a final U.S.-Iran agreement is finalized in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, he would be willing to travel there to attend the signing ceremony.

    Regional policy experts say Trump’s push for a rapid deal stems from a desire to avoid deeper U.S. entanglement in the Middle East ahead of potential broader fallout for global energy markets. “Trump is seeking an exit ramp from the Iran war before it brings greater repercussions for the US and the global energy market,” said Abas Aslani, a senior fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies in Tehran, speaking to Al Jazeera. “But it wouldn’t secure any strategic outcome for the US. There are some gaps that need to be bridged, but those differences remain.”

    In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly stated that the conflict with Iran will end soon, but independent analysts say there is little concrete evidence to support that claim. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a sharp warning on Thursday, threatening that if Iran rejects a final deal, the U.S. military will launch targeted strikes against Iran’s critical infrastructure, including its national power grid and energy sector. Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland, argued that the current U.S. administration is not positioned to negotiate a comprehensive, lasting settlement. “Trump has a political incentive to claim peace on his terms is imminent. That does not make it a reality,” Ramsay told Xinhua.

  • Haiti crisis worsens as nearly 6m face acute food insecurity

    Haiti crisis worsens as nearly 6m face acute food insecurity

    PORT-AU-PRINCE – A grim new UN-backed assessment published Thursday has laid bare the accelerating collapse of food security in Haiti, confirming that nearly 6 million Haitians will grapple with life-threatening acute hunger in the coming months. The findings underscore how persistent gang violence, mass internal displacement, and crippling economic instability have pushed the small Caribbean nation into one of the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian catastrophes.

    Per the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the international body that tracks global food insecurity, 5.8 million Haitians – accounting for more than half of the country’s total population – are currently classified as facing acute food insecurity. Of this vulnerable group, over 1.8 million have already reached the emergency hunger phase, requiring immediate life-sustaining food assistance to avoid widespread malnutrition and mortality.

    The IPC report attributes the deepening crisis to three interconnected drivers: rapidly deteriorating public security across the country, cascading economic shocks, and repeated breakdowns of local food markets and agricultural activities. Armed gang factions have expanded their territorial control across large swathes of Haiti in recent months, disrupting supply routes, forcing farming communities to abandon their lands, and displacing more than 1.4 million people internally. This mass displacement has stretched already limited local food supplies thin, pushing low-income and vulnerable households into extreme levels of hunger.

    While the latest IPC projection marks a small downward revision from an earlier forecast of 5.91 million acutely food-insecure people, humanitarian agencies caution that any minor progress remains extremely fragile. Analysts attribute the slight improvement to a combination of targeted international food assistance, easing national inflation rates, and better-than-expected harvests in a handful of Haiti’s agricultural regions. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed that consistent, sustained food aid interventions have lifted roughly 200,000 Haitians out of emergency-level hunger since last year.

    Still, aid leaders warn that these fragile gains are at immediate risk of reversal without a significant expansion of international support. In particular, the recent spike in global fuel prices triggered by ongoing tensions around the Iran conflict has driven sharp increases in transportation and agricultural production costs across Haiti, placing additional strain on humanitarian operations and household budgets.

    “Fighting hunger is essential to restoring stability in Haiti. We cannot build peace if families cannot feed their children,” Wanja Kaaria, WFP’s Country Director for Haiti, said in an official statement, emphasizing the urgent need for scaled-up global backing to prevent the crisis from spiraling further out of control.

  • Fuel price rise adds to US dilemma on Chinese EVs

    Fuel price rise adds to US dilemma on Chinese EVs

    Escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have sent global oil prices surging in recent months, creating a sharp, uncomfortable policy dilemma for Washington: rising fuel costs are driving growing consumer demand for affordable electric vehicles, but long-standing US trade barriers continue to block Chinese EV brands that could meet that demand.

    The global benchmark Brent crude climbed 4.7% to settle at $99.39 per barrel this Thursday, a sharp jump from the roughly $70 per barrel price point that held before the Iran conflict intensified in late February. The run-up in crude has pushed retail gasoline prices higher across the United States, making the lower operating costs of electric vehicles far more attractive to cost-conscious car shoppers.

    For years, the US federal government has locked Chinese-made passenger vehicles out of the domestic market through steep tariffs that exceed 100%, with official justifications centered on protecting domestic manufacturing jobs and addressing unsubstantiated national security risks. A 2025 regulatory rule went even further, banning the import and sale of connected vehicles and critical automotive components with ties to China. Nand Mulchandani, a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, points out that intense lobbying from domestic industry groups has been a core driver of these restrictions, noting US legacy automakers have continuously pressured the Biden administration to secure artificial competitive advantages in the domestic market.

    Despite the political and regulatory headwinds blocking their entry, data shows large segments of US consumers are eager for access to Chinese EV brands, drawn by their combination of competitive pricing, innovative features, and strong overall value. A Cox Automotive survey of 802 US consumers planning to purchase a new vehicle within the next two years, conducted between December 29 and January 2, found that 49% of respondents rated Chinese vehicles as offering very good or excellent value for money. Forty percent of all survey participants said they supported allowing Chinese auto brands to enter the US market, with that number jumping to 69% among younger, more demographics.

    The high cost of new vehicles in the US has only amplified this consumer demand. For nearly a year, the average transaction price for a new vehicle in the country has hovered around $50,000, pushing a growing share of buyers to seek lower-cost alternatives that Chinese manufacturers are uniquely positioned to provide. Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal, highlighted this gap in a January 29 column after testing Chinese EVs, noting that leading manufacturers including Xiaomi, BYD and Geely have earned global recognition for delivering longer battery ranges and deeply integrated, user-friendly digital platforms.

    “We’re talking software that feels smooth like a brand-new smartphone, not a screen you have to jab five times to load a map. Plus, they often cost tens of thousands of dollars less than Western competitors. In Europe and Mexico, they’re blowing past Tesla and other EV rivals,” Stern wrote in her column, titled I Test Drove a Chinese EV. Now I Don’t Want to Buy American Cars Anymore.

    That assessment is echoed by EV enthusiasts on social platforms. On Reddit’s popular r/electricvehicles forum, users frequently highlight that Chinese electric vehicles offer premium features including luxury seating, customizable ambient lighting, and intuitive infotainment systems at their price points, delivering far better value than many Western brands. Many commenters note that Chinese EVs’ performance, high-end interior finishes, advanced connectivity, and driver-assist systems match or even exceed those offered by market leader Tesla.

    Yet while consumer sentiment has shifted sharply in favor of greater access to Chinese EVs, the position of US auto industry leadership remains dramatically opposed. Last month, major US auto trade groups sent a formal letter to the White House urging the administration to maintain the full ban on Chinese automakers’ entry into the US market, citing competitive fairness concerns, per a report from Reuters. Notably, President Donald Trump struck a more moderate tone during a January appearance in Detroit, saying he would be open to Chinese automakers establishing domestic manufacturing operations in the US as long as those facilities employed American workers.

    Some automotive industry analysts argue that blocking Chinese EVs entirely is short-sighted, and that US manufacturers could learn critical lessons from China’s agile production model. Steve Greenfield, founder and CEO of automotive technology advisory firm Automotive Ventures, observed that Chinese automakers have compressed development timelines dramatically: new models can move from concept to full production in as little as 18 to 24 months, roughly half the average timeline for many legacy Western manufacturers. Greenfield added that Chinese manufacturers achieve this faster pace while maintaining consistent quality, keeping production costs low through advanced automation and optimized supply chains.

    Greenfield told Automotive News that US legacy automakers would benefit greatly from understanding how Chinese firms deliver affordable, high-quality EVs so quickly, and that strategic cross-border partnerships could deliver widespread gains for the US industry. For his part, Mulchandani noted the ultimate future of Chinese EVs in the US market will depend on a broader policy calculation of costs and benefits for the country as a whole. “If the government does the calculations and thinks that this would be net good for the country and for the consumers, I’m sure they’ll make the right decision,” Mulchandani told China Daily.

  • CSSC’s rotor sail aims to drive global green ship tech

    CSSC’s rotor sail aims to drive global green ship tech

    As the global push for decarbonization reaches every corner of industrial activity, the international shipping sector — a long-contributing source of global carbon emissions — is facing mounting pressure to green its operations. Now, China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC), the world’s largest shipbuilding group, has delivered a major breakthrough in wind-assisted propulsion technology with the development of one of the world’s largest commercially viable rotor sail systems, built to capture growing global demand for sustainable shipping solutions.

    Designed and developed by CSSC’s Luoyang Ship Material Research Institute, an R&D center specializing in advanced shipbuilding materials and engineering techniques, the unnamed new rotor sail has already completed a full suite of ground-based system tests, clearing a key milestone ahead of commercial deployment. Engineers leveraged the institute’s deep existing expertise in green composite materials and wind turbine blade design to refine the system’s performance and durability, resulting in a cutting-edge product that outperforms many smaller existing rotor sail models on the market.

    Standing 35 meters tall with a diameter of 5 meters, the new system ranks among the largest rotor sail designs ever brought to testing phase. Each unit can reach a maximum rotational speed of 180 revolutions per minute, generating over 355 kilonewtons of thrust to help propel fitted vessels. For context, rotor sails — also known as Flettner rotors — operate on a simple but effective physical principle: upright spinning cylinders mounted on a ship’s deck interact with surrounding wind flow to create usable thrust, reducing the need for fossil fuel-powered propulsion.

    First invented in the 1920s, rotor sail technology saw extremely limited adoption for nearly a century, deployed only on a small handful of cargo ships and experimental test vessels before the 2010s. But as the global shipping industry, which moves more than 80% of world trade volume by volume and accounts for roughly 3% of global carbon emissions, has faced growing mandatory decarbonization requirements, the technology has experienced a rapid renaissance. Today, rotor sails are increasingly being integrated into commercial vessels ranging from bulk carriers to roll-on/roll-off ships.

    Feng Wei, project manager for the new CSSC rotor sail, outlined the urgency of decarbonization in a press briefing Friday, noting that the green transition in shipping has evolved from an optional sustainability measure to a mandatory global requirement aligned with international climate goals. “Wind-assisted propulsion represents one of the most promising and practical pathways for the shipping industry to achieve immediate emission reductions,” Feng said.

    Unlike other wind-assisted propulsion technologies, Feng explained, rotor sails offer unique practical benefits that make them ideal for widespread commercial adoption. They take up minimal deck space, do not interfere with standard cargo loading and unloading operations, operate with a high degree of automation, and require almost no modifications to a vessel’s original structure or standard operating procedures. These characteristics make them suitable for installation across most major commercial vessel types, including bulk carriers and oil tankers, with average fuel savings ranging from 5% to 25% per voyage.

    Beyond emission reductions, the system delivers tangible economic benefits for shipowners: it helps buffer against volatile global oil prices and cuts down on future carbon tax expenses that will come into force as international decarbonization regulations tighten. The new design also incorporates a network of smart exterior sensors, boosting its automation capabilities and making it exceptionally easy to control and maintain.

    Industry projections from leading global research organizations cited by Feng forecast that around 7,000 ships worldwide will be fitted with wind-assisted propulsion systems by 2030, with that number jumping to roughly 21,000 by 2050. CSSC’s new large-format rotor sail positions the Chinese shipbuilding giant to capture a substantial share of this fast-growing global green shipping technology market, while supporting the global shipping industry’s collective push to cut carbon emissions and meet international climate targets.

  • Shenzhou XXI crew complete third spacewalk

    Shenzhou XXI crew complete third spacewalk

    China’s ongoing human space exploration program reached a new milestone earlier this week, when the three-person Shenzhou XXI crew stationed at the nation’s Tiangong space station successfully wrapped up their third extravehicular activity, according to official announcements from the China Manned Space Agency.

    The excursion, which concluded at 1:36 a.m. Beijing Time on Friday, saw mission commander Senior Colonel Zhang Lu and spaceflight engineer Major Wu Wu spend roughly five and a half hours operating outside the massive orbiting outpost before returning safely to the Wentian experimental module. The third member of the crew, payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang — a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Sciences — remained inside the space station throughout the spacewalk to coordinate operations and provide critical in-orbit support.

    Working in tandem with ground control teams and leveraging the station’s robotic arm for assistance, the astronauts checked off every scheduled task on their itinerary, including the installation of protective shields designed to mitigate damage from orbital space debris and comprehensive inspections of extravehicular hardware.

    This spacewalk carries special historical significance for China’s human space program: it marks the 27th extravehicular activity conducted by Chinese taikonauts overall, and it is the seventh spacewalk for commander Zhang Lu. With this milestone, the 49-year-old Hunan-born astronaut has become the new record holder for the most spacewalks completed by any Chinese astronaut. Zhang previously completed four spacewalks during his first mission, the six-month Shenzhou XV expedition that launched in November 2022.

    The Shenzhou XXI mission is China’s 16th crewed spaceflight, and the trio has served as the 10th long-term resident crew aboard Tiangong, currently the only operational space station fully developed and operated independently by a single nation. The crew has now lived and worked in low-Earth orbit for more than five months, having arrived at the station on November 1, 2025.

    Over the course of their stay, Zhang Lu and his crewmates have carried out a wide range of work, from cutting-edge scientific experiments in space life science, human physiology and microgravity physics to routine maintenance and operations. These routine tasks include in-orbit environmental monitoring, regular equipment checks and upkeep, and organization of cargo delivered to the station. The team has also completed required emergency preparedness training, including a full-system pressure emergency response drill and on-orbit emergency survival training, alongside all pre-deployment preparations for extravehicular activities.

    In a surprise announcement included in the agency’s news release, officials confirmed that after comprehensive technical analysis and risk assessment, the Shenzhou XXI mission will be extended by approximately one additional month. The adjustment is designed to further test and validate key technologies required for long-duration human spaceflight, and to allow the crew to make full use of additional mission supplies and materials transported to the station by the uncrewed Shenzhou XXII spacecraft.

    Shenzhou XXII launched in late November 2025 on an uncrewed resupply mission to Tiangong, dispatched after a window damage incident affected the return capsule of the earlier Shenzhou XX mission during its reentry. In addition to delivering critical replacement hardware, the spacecraft carried a large volume of additional mission supplies to support extended operations aboard the station.

    Looking ahead, the CMSA confirmed that the Shenzhou XXI crew will continue carrying out their ongoing scientific research and technical tasks for the duration of their extended stay, advancing China’s growing body of knowledge about long-duration human spaceflight and orbital operations.

  • Ningxia eyes big push for intl tourism

    Ningxia eyes big push for intl tourism

    Against the backdrop of a post-pandemic global travel recovery and growing demand for unique, experience-focused cultural getaways, Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is launching an ambitious push to position its one-of-a-kind combination of ancient heritage, world-class wine production, and dramatic natural landscapes as a must-visit destination for international travelers. The strategic initiative comes on the heels of a major milestone for the region: the 2025 inscription of the Xixia Imperial Tombs on the UNESCO World Heritage List, a recognition that has significantly boosted Ningxia’s profile on the global tourism map.

  • Strait of Hormuz ‘completely open’ and Iran will ‘never close’ it again, Trump announces

    Strait of Hormuz ‘completely open’ and Iran will ‘never close’ it again, Trump announces

    In a major development that calms one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, Iran and the United States announced Friday that the Strait of Hormuz — the waterway through which roughly one-quarter of all global oil shipments pass — will resume full commercial passage for all vessels during an ongoing ceasefire period, just days after heightened military tensions between the two nations and an Israel-US strike on Iranian targets.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed the move in a post on X, noting that the decision aligns with the broader ceasefire agreement reached for neighboring Lebanon. “The passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran,” Araghchi wrote.

    US President Donald Trump hailed the announcement as a landmark win for the global community in a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, calling it “A GREAT AND BRILLIANT DAY FOR THE WORLD!”

    Trump clarified that while all commercial traffic is permitted to transit the strait, the unilateral US naval blockade targeting Iranian oil exports, implemented earlier this week, will remain in effect until all terms of the bilateral agreement between Washington and Tehran are fully finalized. “THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS AND FULL PASSAGE, BUT THE NAVAL BLOCKADE WILL REMAIN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT AS IT PERTAINS TO IRAN, ONLY, UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE,” he wrote, adding that most core terms have already been negotiated and the finalization process is expected to move rapidly.

    The US president also claimed Iran had committed to a permanent, future commitment that the strait will never be closed to international shipping, and that Iran has cleared or is in the process of removing all naval mines from the waterway with US support.

    United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres joined in welcoming the reopening, framing the decision as “a step in the right direction” for de-escalating broader regional tensions.

    However, a key caveat has emerged from the Iranian side, an anonymous Iranian official told Reuters: the reopening of the strait remains conditional on the United States upholding all existing ceasefire commitments. This stands in direct tension with Trump’s repeated public insistence that the Hormuz agreement is completely disconnected from the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire he brokered just one day prior.

    Iran had previously demanded that any regional ceasefire deal must include protections for its allied militant group Hezbollah, which has been engaged in cross-border hostilities with Israel for months. Rejecting any linkage between the two deals in his Truth Social posts, Trump wrote, “This deal is not tied, in any way, to Lebanon, but we will, MAKE LEBANON GREAT AGAIN!”

    The US leader also outlined terms of the nuclear component of the agreement, stating that the US will take possession of all enriched uranium dust created by recent US B-2 Bomber strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, adding that “No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form.” He further confirmed that the US will address the Hezbollah situation separately, and that Israel has been prohibited by Washington from conducting further bombing operations in Lebanon, saying “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the USA Enough is enough!!!”

    The Iranian official pushed back on Trump’s characterization of nuclear progress, telling Reuters that no final agreement has been reached on the details of outstanding nuclear issues, and that substantive negotiations are still required to lock in any agreements on that front.

    In his series of Friday social media posts, Trump also thanked several regional and neighboring powers for their mediation and support: he singled out Pakistan for leading mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran, and expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar for their assistance throughout the negotiations. Notably absent from his list of thanks were Washington’s traditional European allies, whom Trump publicly criticized as unhelpful.

    “Now that the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help. I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL. They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger! President DJT,” he wrote.

    Trump’s rebuke came as an international summit focused on Strait of Hormuz maritime security was already underway in Paris, France. Speaking at the summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that roughly 40 countries have agreed to speed up military planning operations to secure permanent freedom of navigation through the strait once a full, permanent end to hostilities is reached.

    The current two-week ceasefire is scheduled to expire next week, though Trump has indicated he is open to extending the truce to allow for further negotiations. Starmer added that full details of the proposed international military security mission will be released publicly next week.

  • Iran, not US, cancels Hormuz blockade after Israel-Lebanon truce

    Iran, not US, cancels Hormuz blockade after Israel-Lebanon truce

    On Friday, Iran formally announced the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical strategic shipping chokepoints, to all international commercial vessels, a move tied to the newly implemented ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon. The announcement came directly from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who clarified that open passage would be maintained for the duration of the ceasefire along the pre-coordinated shipping route already made public by Iranian authorities.

    The development drew an initial response from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who first extended gratitude to Iran via a post on his Truth Social platform. Just 20 minutes after his first message, however, Trump issued a follow-up post that clarified U.S. policy would remain unchanged on one key front: “THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS AND FULL PASSAGE, BUT THE NAVAL BLOCKADE WILL REMAIN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT AS IT PERTAINS TO IRAN, ONLY, UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE. THIS PROCESS SHOULD GO VERY QUICKLY IN THAT MOST OF THE POINTS ARE ALREADY NEGOTIATED.”

    This multi-front ceasefire framework traces back to an agreement reached on April 7 between the U.S., Iran, and Israel, which established a two-week truce. The deal came together after Trump threatened a catastrophic full-scale attack on Iran, warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if an agreement was not reached that same day. All parties have explicitly stressed that the current truce does not mark a permanent end to the broader ongoing conflict across the Middle East.

    Friday’s announcement follows the rollout of a tentative 10-day ceasefire between Israeli and Lebanese forces. The 50 days of heavy Israeli bombardment that preceded the truce have left a devastating humanitarian toll in Lebanon: thousands of Lebanese people have been killed or injured, including hundreds of children, and more than one million have been displaced from their homes.

    A major unresolved question hangs over the truce: how Hezbollah, the Iran-aligned Lebanese militant group that was not included in the ceasefire negotiations, will respond. Hezbollah has launched ongoing rocket and drone strikes on Israeli territory in retaliation for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and its incursion into southern Lebanon, and the weak Lebanese central government currently lacks the capacity to prevent the group from resuming attacks if it chooses to do so.

    The broader conflict that sparked this latest diplomatic push has already had catastrophic consequences across the region. Since the war’s escalation on February 28, thousands of Iranian civilians have been killed or wounded in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. That same day, a U.S. cruise missile strike on a girls’ school in the Iranian city of Minab killed 168 people, the vast majority of whom were children.

    Approximately 30 minutes after his posts addressing the Strait of Hormuz, Trump issued another statement on Truth Social addressing the situation in Lebanon. He wrote: “the USA will, separately, work with Lebanon, and deal with the Hezboolah [sic] situation in an appropriate manner. Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!”

    Within minutes of Trump’s public prohibition on further Israeli bombing, both Lebanese and Israeli media reported that Israel had carried out a new drone strike targeting a motorcycle traveling between the southern Lebanese towns of Kounine and Beit Yahoun, killing one person. The official terms of the ceasefire signed Thursday allow Israel to carry out so-called “defensive” strikes in response to what it frames as planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks. This immediate breach of the truce’s spirit has underscored widespread concerns that the ceasefire is fragile and unlikely to bring a lasting end to violence in the region.

  • Pope Leo XIV’s visit to an African church linked to slavery reflects on his own complex heritage

    Pope Leo XIV’s visit to an African church linked to slavery reflects on his own complex heritage

    On the banks of Angola’s Kwanza River stands a 430-year-old white-washed church that holds a deeply layered, painful history: built by Portuguese colonizers as part of a 16th-century fortress complex, the Church of Our Lady of Muxima long served as a critical node in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Today, as Pope Leo XIV prepares to visit the site during his first papal tour of Africa, the stop has emerged as a symbolic moment of reckoning, reconciliation, and reimagining for the global Catholic Church.