The Hindu

Kyiv struck oil facilities in the southern town of Tuapse on April 20, triggering a huge blaze and sending plumes of thick black smoke into the sky over the coastal city.

The MEA response came after Opposition members and former diplomats criticised the government for not offering a stronger response to theU.S.

No reason was given for the unexpected departure of the Navys top civilian official, coming as the sea service has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports.

Concern among health officials in Karachi with the festival of Id al-Azha due next month

In todays episode, we look at the key election trends in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, tracking major shifts ahead of polling. We also cover the political row in the United States over birthright citizenship, rising tensions in West Asia around the Strait of Hormuz, and a significant change in West Bengals campaign landscape, and more

After voting for the first phase of Assembly polls in West Bengal,the campaignhas picked up for the final phase onApril 29

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said that it was the highest percentage of polling in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. [The] ECI salutes each voter of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, he said

Pentagon blasted as cherry picking and false a news report saying that the dept. assessed it could take six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian-laid mines

The seizure comes a day after Iran attacked three cargo ships in the strait, capturing two of them, in a move that intensified its assault on shipping in the key waterway through which 20% of the world's traded oil passes in peacetime.

The son of Irans oustedshah called on Europeans to do more to support Iranian people; alleged perpetrator detained

At the moment, we are making our contribution to stabilizing prices and minimizing the consequences of the global energy crisis. Russia continues its oil supplies, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a daily conference call with reporters.

A 2024 study by the National Association of Corporate Directors found that just 3% to 4% of the Russell 3000 index was comprised of firms where insiders constituted a board majority

The U.S.-mediated ceasefire has yielded a significant reduction in violence, but attacks have continued in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops have seized a self-declared buffer zone

The meeting comes amid stepped-up diplomatic engagements aimed at bringing Tehran and Washington to the negotiating table, possibly by the weekend

About 40 militants on motorcycles and other vehicles stormed the mining project site of Pakistani company NRL in the Darigwan area of Chagai district on April 22

While strikes around the region have mostly ceased since the truce began, there has been no letup in the pressure around the crucial trade route, with the two sides exercising their economic leverage in a bid to force the other to back down.

If Donald Trump wants a negotiated exit, he should lift the blockade in return for Iran easing its restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran, too, should step back from maximalist positions and be ready to make concessions on the nuclear front in exchange for sanctions relief and security guarantees. What West Asia needs is economic and strategic stability, not forever wars.

At the AWS Summit in Bengaluru, Irina Ghose, Managing Director of India at Anthropic, highlighted the importance of customers trust and reliable products that serve all users

A Pakistani astronaut in orbit ahead of an Indian one is at minimum a reversal of the usual regional optics

The U.S. Congressman Brad Sherman remembered the victims of the Pahalgam attack on the first anniversary of the incident

Lebanon meets Israel in Washington to request truce extension

Here is a select list of stories to start the day

Mr. Phelan's departure also comes just weeks after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army's top officer, Gen. Randy George, as well as two other top generals in the Army

A chemical gas reaction occurred at the plant involving nitric acid and another substance, an official said

The Baramati bypoll holds significance, as these will be the first elections since the death of the eight-time MLA from the constituency, Ajit Pawar

Diplomats said the definitive sign-off should come by Thursday (April 23, 2026) as Budapest waits for Russian oil to arrive through the Druzhba pipeline after Kyiv said operations had restarted

Ahead of the talks on Thursday (April 23, 2026), Israel called on the Lebanese government to work together with it against Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah

It is the first instance of a Taiwan President having to cancel an entire foreign trip due to denial of airspace access, representing a new Chinese strategy as its steps up efforts to stifle the islands efforts to engage internationally

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's remarks in Parliament came as the beleaguered premier faced fresh calls to step down over his admitted error of judgement in appointing veteran former politician Peter Mandelson to the coveted post

As diplomatic talks have stalled and neither side has made a breakthrough on the front, Moscow and Kyiv have both stepped up their long-range drone attacks, firing swarms of the unmanned explosive-packed devices at each other on a nightly basis

In todays video, we cover the upcoming Tamil Nadu and West Bengal Assembly elections as attention turns to polling day. We also bring you the latest on the IranIsrael conflict, a significant court ruling in the 2006 Malegaon blast case, and revisit Pahalgam a year after the attack.

Debris, including a partially submerged inflatable life raft was spotted about 110 miles from the ship

Iran opened fire on a container ship in the strait, and a second was attacked a short time later, according to the British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre

A court sentenced Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan to 15 years in prison in September last year, saying the company's practices had prioritised profit over worker safety

The Ministry commented in response to a media report that Washington has threatened to halt security talks unless Seoul provided legal guarantees for the safety of Coupangs Chairman Kim Bom during a probe into the leaking of customer information at the company

We asked the Turks about it, we asked some other capitals, says Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha

Japans negative actions concerning the shrine grossly trample on human conscience, and China is very indignant at these heinous acts and strongly condemns them, says a spokesperson for Beijings Foreign Ministry

Mehdi Farid... was hanged this morning for extensive cooperation with the terrorist spy service Mossad after the case was examined and the final verdict was approved, the judiciary's Mizan Online website said.

The Pentagon plans to triple drone spending to over $74 billion and invest more than $30 billion in critical munitions, including missile interceptors, due to low stockpiles during the Iran war

It said the move came in defence of Lebanon and its people and in response to the blatant Israeli ceasefire violations, including attacks on civilians and the destruction of their homes and villages

Israel and Hezbollah trade fire with talks expected this week, even as more talks are expected in Washington this week after a 10-day ceasefire went into effect last Friday

The U.S. President said he was acting at the request of Pakistan to hold off attacks until Iranian leaders and representatives could come up with what he called a unified proposal

Iranian government sources told The Hindu that they plan to first reallow overflight operations that will bring a huge respite to all international airlines connecting Europe with Asia, including Indian carriers

In 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including starvation as a method of warfare, in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

Starmer has said he was wrong to appoint Mandelson to the role and has expressed regret

The U.S. negotiators laid out several conditions for negotiations with Cuba to continue, including the release of prominent political prisoners

Todays Above the Fold episode, take a closer look at the tragic blast in Thrissur, Kerala. We begin with Indias outreach to West Asia, including a key visit to Saudi Arabia, followed by the end of campaigning ahead of the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal Assembly polls. In global news, Apple is set for a leadership change, and more.