10 Things Global News - 28th April 2026
No visible progress towards peace in the Middle East as pressure continues to manifest in other areas
Trump Questions Iran Strait Reopening Proposal
Suspect Charged Over Trump Dinner Attack
Loaded LNG Tanker Appears to Exit Hormuz
Merz Says US Being “Humiliated” By Iran
NATO Weighs Fewer Summits After Trump Strains
UN Nuclear Talks Open Amid Arms Race Fears
King Begins US Visit Amid Security Strain
Mali Attacks Expose Limits of Russian Backing
Beijing Blocks Already Done AI Deal
China Warns EU Over Industry Law
President Donald Trump has told advisers he is dissatisfied with Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which would have paused discussion of Tehran’s nuclear programme while calling for the United States to end its naval blockade. The offer was delivered by Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and reviewed in White House discussions on Monday.
US officials said the proposal did not meet Mr Trump’s demand that Iran end enrichment and commit never to develop a nuclear weapon. Negotiations are continuing, with the White House expected to consider counterproposals in the coming days.
The debate inside the administration reflects wider uncertainty over leverage, with some officials favouring continued blockade pressure while others support a deal to reopen the strait. Mr Trump has also threatened to resume bombing Iran if talks to end the war fail.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, New York Times
A California man has been charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump after allegedly trying to storm the White House correspondents’ dinner with firearms and knives.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, appeared in federal court on Monday on three charges: attempted assassination of the president, transportation of firearms to commit a felony, and unlawful discharge of a firearm during violence. Prosecutors said he carried a pump-action shotgun, a pistol and three knives when he tried to break through security at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night.
Officials said Trump was rushed to safety, one officer wearing a ballistic vest was shot in the chest, and no one was killed. Allen did not enter a plea and is due to return for a detention hearing on 30 April and a preliminary hearing on 11 May.
Sources: The Guardian, Le Monde
A loaded LNG tanker managed by ADNOC appears to have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, potentially marking the first such transit since the Iran war began on 28 February.
Ship-tracking data showed the Mubaraz, which had loaded cargo from ADNOC’s Das Island facility in the United Arab Emirates around early March, reappeared off India after several weeks without signal. The vessel is now signalling a terminal in China as its destination, with an estimated arrival by 15 May.
The possible crossing offers an early signal to energy markets after traffic through Hormuz dwindled to almost zero during rival US and Iranian blockades. The closure of a waterway carrying roughly a fifth of global LNG supply has tightened the market and lifted prices, but analysts warned that one tanker would not guarantee more crossings.
Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has accused Washington of being humiliated by Iran and lacking a clear strategy to end the war, in unusually direct criticism of President Donald Trump’s handling of negotiations.
Speaking to students in western Germany on Monday, Merz said Iranian negotiators were proceeding skilfully and that the United States had no convincing strategy. He said Iran was stronger than expected, the conflict had no immediate prospect of ending, and lessons from Afghanistan and Iraq showed the difficulty of bringing wars to a close.
Merz said German and European leaders had not been consulted before the US-Israeli assault on Iran began on 28 February. He added that the war was having a direct impact on Germany’s economic performance and must be brought to an end as soon as possible.
Sources: Bloomberg, Politico Europe
NATO is considering ending its recent practice of annual summits, a move that could reduce the risk of tense encounters with President Donald Trump in his final year in office.
Six sources said some members want to slow the tempo after repeated criticism from Trump’s administration of other alliance members. Leaders have met every summer since 2021 and are due to gather in Ankara on 7 and 8 July, but officials said some countries favour meetings every two years. No decision has been taken, and Secretary General Mark Rutte will have the final say.
Officials and analysts said annual summits can create pressure for eye-catching results that distracts from longer-term planning. The debate follows Trump’s criticism of allies over Iran, his questioning of NATO’s mutual defence pact and his claim to Greenland.
Sources: Reuters, Internazionale
Restacking this post will help it reach more readers interested in the world.
Signatories to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty have opened a four-week review conference at the United Nations as fears of a renewed arms race grow and atomic powers clash over safeguards.
UN Secretary General António Guterres warned on Monday that the drivers of nuclear weapons proliferation were accelerating, while Do Hung Viet, the conference president, said the gathering was unlikely to resolve underlying strategic tensions. The treaty has 191 parties and is reviewed every five years.
The meeting opened with a clash between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear programme and Iran’s election as one of 34 vice-presidents of the conference. A State Department official, Christopher Yeaw said the appointment was an embarrassment to the conference’s credibility, while Iranian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Reza Najafi called US allegations baseless and politically motivated.
Sources: South China Morning Post, The Independent
King Charles III and Queen Camilla have begun a four-day US state visit under unusually tight security after the shooting incident in Washington on Saturday.
President Donald Trump and Melania Trump greeted the royal couple at the White House on Monday, where the visitors had tea in the Green Room and were shown a newly expanded beehive. The visit is being carried out on behalf of the UK government as a soft power attempt to strengthen relations during the US 250th anniversary year.
King Charles is expected to address Congress on Tuesday, express sympathy over the attack and call for reconciliation and renewal in the US-UK partnership. His speech is also expected to defend democratic values and urge support for those beliefs through Nato and Ukraine, after a rocky period in relations over the UK’s reluctance to join the conflict in Iran.
Sources: BBC, New York Times
Mali’s ruling junta is facing its worst security crisis in more than a decade after Tuareg separatists and al Qaeda-linked jihadists launched coordinated attacks across the country.
Insurgents struck areas around Bamako and Kati, killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara and claimed control of Kidal, where Russia’s Africa Corps confirmed its withdrawal on Monday. General Assimi Goita, Mali’s military ruler since the 2020 coup, has not appeared publicly since hostilities began.
The attacks are a major setback for a junta that seized power promising to restore security and later turned to Moscow after relations with France collapsed. Analysts said the offensive exposed the fragility of the regime’s military hold and raised questions over whether Russian forces can provide the kind of security support African governments facing insurgencies are seeking.
Sources: France 24, The Guardian
China has moved to block Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of Manus, a Chinese-founded artificial intelligence startup that had relocated its headquarters and most operations to Singapore.
The state planner demanded on Monday that the two parties unwind the deal after a probe launched earlier this year. The acquisition had been announced in late December, and Manus executives had already joined Meta while the startup was integrated into the company’s internal systems. Meta said the transaction complied fully with applicable law and anticipated an appropriate resolution.
The decision reflects Beijing’s concern that key AI technology could move to the United States amid a wider tech war. Analysts said unwinding the transaction would be complicated in practice and could warn other Chinese startups considering relocation or overseas capital that advanced technology deals remain under close scrutiny.
Sources: Bloomberg, CNN
China has warned the European Union it will take countermeasures if Chinese companies are hurt by a proposed law aimed at strengthening the bloc’s industry against cheaper imports.
The Industrial Accelerator Act would restrict foreign investments above €100mn from countries with more than 40 per cent of global production in strategic sectors including batteries, solar panels and nuclear power. The rules would require at least half of workers to be from the EU, involve local companies in manufacturing and transfer technological knowhow to European partners.
Beijing’s commerce ministry said the proposal would discriminate against Chinese investors and harm expectations for investment in Europe. The European Commission said its policies were carefully calibrated for citizens and businesses. The proposals must still be negotiated with member states and the European parliament before becoming law.
Sources: FT, France 24
On this day …
On this day in 1967, Muhammad Ali refused induction into the United States Army during the Vietnam War, citing religious conviction and opposition to the conflict.
He was immediately arrested, stripped of his heavyweight title, and barred from boxing for more than three years at the peak of his career.
The decision made him one of the most prominent public figures to challenge U.S. war policy, linking civil rights activism with anti-war protest in a way that reshaped the political role of athletes.
Over time, his stance helped shift public debate about military service, dissent, and citizenship.
When does dissent become part of a nation’s political tradition rather than a challenge to it?