Thursday, April 30, 2026

2026 Strait of Hormuz campaign

Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda says that his country may consider joining a U.S. campaign to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, he also states that it will need approval by the government and parliament.

2026 London antisemitic attacks

The United Kingdom raises its national terrorism threat level to "severe" following a series of antisemitic attacks in London, with the most recent being a stabbing attack that injured two Jews in Golders Green yesterday.

2026 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire

Israel carries out a series of airstrikes across multiple locations in Lebanon, killing at least 32 people.

Mali–Russia relations

Russia says that it will continue its military presence in Mali to provide assistance to the Malian government.

2026 Mali attacks

Niger announces that the Alliance of Sahel States conducted airstrikes in Mali against Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists and Tuareg separatists hours after the attacks began.

2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war

Talks between participants from the Taliban government in Afghanistan and Pakistan are held in Istanbul, Turkey under a Track 1.5 format in an effort to lower tensions between the two countries.

Boko Haram insurgency

At least 18 militants are killed in operations by Nigerian troops across Borno State, Nigeria.

World War II bomb disposal in Europe

More than 1,000 homes are evacuated in Plymouth, England, following the discovery of an unexploded World War II-era German SC250 bomb on a building site.

United States–Venezuela relations

The first direct commercial flight from the United States to Venezuela in seven years arrives at the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas.

2026 Antiguan general election

Antiguans and Barbudans vote to elect 17 members of the House of Representatives. Incumbent prime minister and Labour leader Gaston Browne, who is running for a fourth term, is being challenged by United Progressive leader Jamale Pringle.

2026 United States federal government shutdowns

The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approves a bill passed by the Senate to fund the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, FEMA, TSA, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in an effort to end the 76-day government shutdown.

2026 United States federal government shutdowns

The bill is signed by U.S. president Donald Trump, officially bringing an end to the shutdown.

Arrest of Jair Bolsonaro

The Brazilian National Congress overrides a veto by president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to reduce the sentence of former president Jair Bolsonaro for a coup-related conviction.

Censorship in Russia

Russia announces the creation of a censorship council.

Kampala school stabbing

Thirty-eight-year-old Christopher Okello Onyum is sentenced to death by hanging for the murders of four children at a nursery school on April 2 in Kampala, Uganda.

Justice

China announces it will ban the sale or renting of commercial drones in Beijing, while existing drone owners will also be required to register their devices with the police, citing security concerns.

Justice

Myanmar's president Min Aung Hlaing orders the remaining prison sentence of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to be served under house arrest and announces a one-sixth reduction of sentences for all prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

2026 Tuapse oil terminal disaster

Residents of Tuapse in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, upload videos to social media appearing to show oil raining from the sky as authorities say the fire at the Tuapse oil terminal has now been extinguished after days of burning.

July 2025 Central Texas floods

Camp Mystic in Texas, U.S., withdraws an application to reopen during the summer in the wake of the floods last year, which killed 25 campers and two counsellors.

Disasters

Twenty people are killed after a jeep carrying pilgrims plunged off a cliff in Rolpa district, Nepal.

Disasters

Eight people are killed in a collapse at a coal mine in Magadan Oblast, Russia.

Disasters

Five people are killed when a Cessna 421 Golden Eagle airplane crashes into wooden terrain in Wimberley, Texas, United States.

Tariffs in the second Trump administration

United States president Donald Trump announces that he will lift tariffs on all whisky products, including Scotch whisky.

Science

The Pakistan Navy commissions the first Hangor-class submarine, the PNS/M Hangor, at a ceremony in Sanya, China.

Science

American company Cloudflare states that Russian messenger app Max is a spyware app.

61st Venice Biennale

The jury of the Venice Biennale in Italy resigns ahead of the exhibition's opening, amid disagreement involving the government over Russia's participation.

Culture

Reporters Without Borders reports that global press freedom has declined to its lowest level since the index began in 2002, with more than half of countries classified under severe conditions and the share of the world's population living in countries with strong press freedom falling to below one percent.

Iran at the FIFA World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirms that Iran's football team will participate in the upcoming FIFA World Cup, including matches in the United States, despite the Iran war.