Sunday, April 19, 2026

World

Iran closes Strait of Hormuz, ships attacked

Iran has shut the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly 20% of the world's oil passes — blaming a US naval blockade of Iranian ports that it says violates the ceasefire between the two countries. Iranian military forces have been ordering foreign vessels to abort passage, with video showing an Indian ship turned back. Trump has warned Tehran against 'blackmail' while top Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called the US blockade 'clumsy and ignorant.'

MarketStrait of Hormuz traffic returns to normal by end of April?22%

World

Kyiv mass shooting probed for Russian direction

A gunman killed six people and wounded at least 14 in Kyiv on Saturday before police shot him dead, in what Ukrainian investigators are now examining as a possible Russian-directed terrorist attack. The 58-year-old shooter — a Ukrainian citizen born in Moscow — opened fire on passersby, then barricaded himself in a supermarket and took hostages before being killed. The attack hit the Holosiivskyi district of the capital.

World

North Korea fires seventh missile test of 2026

North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Sunday, the seventh such test this year. The launches originated from the Sinpo area, a site associated with submarine-launched ballistic missile development, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Tech

Tesla expands driverless robotaxi to Dallas and Houston

Tesla has rolled out its fully driverless robotaxi service in Dallas and Houston, with vehicles operating without any human monitor or driver in the front seat. The expansion makes Texas the second major market after the initial rollout, and footage shared by the company shows the cars navigating city streets autonomously.

World

Australian coal lobby secretly funded anti-Labor ad campaign

An ostensibly grassroots group called Energy for Australians, which ran anti-Labor advertisements during Australia's last federal election, was entirely funded by Coal Australia, a coal industry lobby group. The arrangement, revealed by The Guardian, raises fresh questions about undisclosed influence operations in Australian politics ahead of the current election cycle. Coal Australia donated more than $1 million to the group.