Leisurely News

Iran War Live Updates: Uncertainty Surrounds U.S.-Iran Talks as Cease-Fire Nears End

Vice President JD Vance was set to return to Pakistan for peace talks, U.S. officials said, though Iran has not confirmed that its negotiators will attend.

Tuesday, April 21

The damaged destroyer Cole being taken out of the Port of Aden by tugboats after it was attacked in October 2000.

How the Cole Disaster Drove the U.S. to Develop New Warship Defenses

The Navy destroyers enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports carry weapons fielded after an American warship was attacked and nearly sunk more than 25 years ago.

By Nicholas Kulish, John Ismay and Constant Méheut · Tuesday, April 21

The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said he was not told about a security vetting team’s concerns about Peter Mandelson.

Fired U.K. Official Describes ‘Pressure’ From Starmer’s Office for Envoy’s Appointment

The prime minister’s office was “dismissive” of security concerns about Peter Mandelson, a Jeffrey Epstein associate who became ambassador to Washington, the official said.

By Michael D. Shear · Tuesday, April 21

A Japanese marine unit takes part in exercises in Tokunoshima, Japan, in 2023.

Japan to Sell More Weapons Abroad, Breaking With Postwar Pacifism

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reversed limits on arms exports as Japan faces rising threats from China and unpredictability from its main ally, the United States.

By Javier C. Hernández · Tuesday, April 21

A sign warning travelers of strike-related delays at the Stratford Underground station in London on Monday.

London Braces for Disruption From Tube Drivers’ Strike

The dispute over working conditions and hours is expected to cause widespread delays, stopping service on two lines.

By Stephen Castle · Tuesday, April 21

Workers clearing debris from a damaged bridge on Tuesday after torrential rain in South Karori in Wellington, New Zealand.

New Zealand Declares Emergency in Capital After It Was Battered by Torrential Rain

There were landslides, flash floods and the closure of more than 100 schools in Wellington and the surrounding region.

By Laura Chung · Tuesday, April 21

The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, in Washington last fall. The prince’s plans and ambitions have grown more rapidly than the state’s financial capacity.

A Leaner Saudi Arabia Turns From Grandiose Plans to Pragmatism

A decade after Mohammed bin Salman unveiled his “Vision 2030” program to transform the country’s economy, the kingdom is facing financial strains and reassessing its trajectory.

By Vivian Nereim · Monday, April 20

Javier Milei in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in January at the Derecha Fest, a large right-wing gathering.

Javier Milei Wants to Rewire the Argentine Mind

Argentina’s right-wing president has tamed the country’s runaway inflation. Now he wants to transform its values.

By Emma Bubola and Sarah Pabst · Monday, April 20

Ukrainian soldiers training with an unmanned ground vehicle in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine last year. The country is eager to highlight its advances in technological warfare.

The Killer Robots Are Coming. The Battlefield Will Never Look the Same.

Ukraine is using unmanned ground vehicles armed with bombs, guns or rockets to carry out attacks and keep its soldiers out of harm’s way.

By Maria Varenikova · Monday, April 20

A photograph released by the UK Parliament showing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain at the House of Commons on Monday.

Starmer Voices Fury Over Being Kept in the Dark on Mandelson Vetting

During intense grilling in Parliament, Prime Minister Keir Starmer blamed civil servants for not telling him that Peter Mandelson had been rejected for top security clearances.

By Michael D. Shear · Monday, April 20

Pakistan’s Leaders Try to Contain Rising Anger Over Iran War at Home

With deep spiritual ties to Iran, Pakistan’s minority Shiites are angry about the killing of Iran’s top clerics in U.S.-Israeli strikes, complicating Pakistan’s role as mediator.

By Zia ur-Rehman and Asim Hafeez · Monday, April 20

A tsunami warning is displayed on a television in Japan after a strong earthquake off the country’s northern coast on Monday.

Tsunami Warnings Downgraded in Japan After Strong Offshore Earthquake

The 7.7-magnitude undersea quake occurred off Iwate Prefecture, on the northeastern coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu.

By Javier C. Hernández · Monday, April 20

Rumen Radev, Bulgaria’s former president, at a polling site in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sunday. His coalition, Progressive Bulgaria, secured a majority of seats in Parliament in Sunday’s election.

A Decisive Win Raises Bulgarians’ Hopes for Change

An election victory by a former president, Rumen Radev, gives the country a chance for stability and to clean out the corruption that has stymied its growth.

By Carlotta Gall · Monday, April 20

Israeli Soldier in Lebanon Sledgehammered a Statue of Jesus

The military is investigating the soldier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed regret for any hurt caused to “believers in Lebanon and around the world.”

By David M. Halbfinger · Monday, April 20

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, attending a meeting with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi in Beijing last week.

Xi Calls For Hormuz to Reopen as China Balances Its Gulf Interests

The comments on the Strait of Hormuz by China’s leader, Xi Jinping, reflect Beijing’s complex relations with Iran and other Persian Gulf nations.

By David Pierson and Berry Wang · Tuesday, April 21

Here’s the latest.

By Elian Peltier, Tyler Pager, Farnaz Fassihi, Erika Solomon and Aurelien Breeden · Tuesday, April 21

Iran’s Nonnuclear Deterrent

Disrupting the Strait of Hormuz turned out to be a powerful weapon. It might be a new way for Iran to keep adversaries at bay, even without a nuclear program.

By Katrin Bennhold · Monday, April 20

A woman walking by a mural showing Iranian missiles attacking a U.S. ship, in Tehran in April.

Facing Hard-Liners at Home and Bluster From Trump, Iran Sends Mixed Signals on Peace Talks

Publicly, Iranian officials refuse to confirm a second round of negotiations with the United States, even as they privately say they are making plans to attend.

By Erika Solomon · Monday, April 20

Police officers at the Pyramid of the Moon at the Teotihuacán pyramids in Mexico after a deadly shooting on Monday.

Gunman Kills Canadian Tourist and Wounds Several Others at Mexican Pyramids

A gunman opened fire at the Teotihuacán archaeological site outside Mexico City before killing himself, the authorities said. Six Americans were among those injured, including two from gunshots.

By Emiliano Rodríguez Mega and Cyntia Barrera Díaz · Monday, April 20

Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad, Pakistan, this month during a previous round of negotiations between the United States and Iran.

U.S. and Iran Peace Talks Appear on Track to Resume

With the two-week cease-fire almost over, Vice President JD Vance was expected to head to Pakistan on Tuesday for the second round of negotiations.

By Erika Solomon, Farnaz Fassihi, Tyler Pager and Zolan Kanno-Youngs · Monday, April 20

A screenshot of a video posted by U.S. Central Command on Sunday that was described as showing a U.S. Navy destroyer near an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Arabian Sea.

Iranian-Flagged Ship Seized by U.S. Forces Was Under Sanctions

The container ship, the Touska, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury over links to Iranian weapons programs.

By Leo Sands · Monday, April 20

A suspected methamphetamine processing lab discovered in northern Mexico’s Chihuahua state.

Mexico to Investigate Security Role of 2 U.S. Officials Killed in Crash

President Claudia Sheinbaum said the inquiry would focus on whether the involvement of the Americans in a drug-fighting operation violated Mexico’s national security laws and sovereignty.

By Paulina Villegas · Monday, April 20

The Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, last week.

U.S. Has Turned Back 27 Ships Since Strait of Hormuz Blockade Started

Marines are searching thousands of containers aboard the Touska, an Iranian cargo ship that the Navy disabled and seized on Sunday.

By Eric Schmitt · Monday, April 20

Elon Musk speaking in Switzerland in January. He has previously denounced the French investigation.

Elon Musk Ignores French Prosecutors, Widening Tech Rift With Europe

Prosecutors investigating his social media company, X, had summoned him for a meeting. His no-show reflected a broader dispute over regulation.

By Catherine Porter · Monday, April 20

A Lebanese boy is welcomed by his aunt and uncle after crossing a destroyed bridge with other family members, in the background. They were crossing over the Litani River in the south of Lebanon near the village of Tayr Felsay, on Monday.

In Lebanon, residents of the south make their way home over signs of war.

Some of the million people displaced by the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon are flooding back home since a 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon took hold.

By David Guttenfelder · Monday, April 20

How Bruce the Parrot Landed Atop the Pecking Order, Without a Beak

The kea gained fame for learning to use a pebble to groom himself. Scientists were astounded by his next innovation.

By Carl Zimmer · Monday, April 20

Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, on Monday.

Strait of Hormuz Traffic Is at a Standstill Again

Few vessels are crossing after Iran reversed course on reopening the vital waterway and ships came under attack.

By Jenny Gross · Monday, April 20

Map: Strong Earthquake Strikes Near Japan

View the location of the quake’s epicenter and shake area.

By William B. Davis, Madison Dong, Judson Jones, John Keefe, Joey K. Lee and Bea Malsky · Monday, April 20

Here’s the latest.

By Tyler Pager, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Farnaz Fassihi and Max Bearak · Monday, April 20

A floating fuel station selling diesel last month in the Mekong River delta. Vietnam has been hit hard by rising fuel costs because of the war in Iran.

The Forces of Scarcity Hitting Asia May Soon Spread Across the World

The Asia-Pacific was hit hard and quick by the war in Iran and its energy bottlenecks. Scenes of crisis there indicate that problems are multiplying and spreading.

By Damien Cave · Monday, April 20

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey in Antalya on Friday, where he said the global system was in “a moral and existential crisis.”

In Turkey, Middle Powers Ponder Diplomacy With a Rogue U.S.

The U.S. remains an essential player. The problem, one analyst said, is how to deal effectively with a power that is “indispensable, coercive and unpredictable at the same time.”

By Ben Hubbard · Monday, April 20

4 Drug Lab Investigators Die in Car Crash in Mexico

Two of the victims were American and two were Mexican, the authorities in Chihuahua said. The accident took place on a treacherous mountain road.

By Paulina Villegas · Monday, April 20

The 5-foot-5 humanoid robot Lightning, with its approximately 3-foot-long legs striding, showed its form in a half-marathon race on Sunday in Beijing.

Humanoid Robot Wins Half-Marathon and Smashes Humans’ Record

The android won a race featuring robots and humans on Sunday in Beijing, achieving a technological milestone while finishing faster than any person in history.

By Adeel Hassan · Sunday, April 19

Messy War, Happy Stock Markets

On the surface, the recent rally doesn’t seem to make sense: Oil prices are high and a peace deal with Iran remains elusive. Here’s what’s going on.

By Katrin Bennhold · Sunday, April 19

Can U.S. Blockade Iranian-Linked Ships Anywhere in the World? Yes, But …

Maritime and military law experts say an expansion of the naval blockade announced last week raises legal and practical questions but has ample historical precedent.

By Ephrat Livni · Sunday, April 19