The people of 21 April

United States president Donald Trump announces that the ceasefire will be extended so that Iran can make a "unified proposal", upon Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and field marshal Asim Munir's request. However, Trump also says the blockade will remain.

Conflict · 21 Apr · with Shehbaz Sharif, Asim Munir

Two Israeli soldiers are sentenced to 30 days in military prison for destroying a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in the Christian village of Debel, Lebanon.

Conflict · 21 Apr

U.S. House of Representatives member Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigns from her position amid a probe by the House Ethics Committee, following her November 2025 indictment by federal prosecutors for stealing $5 million of COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, some of which allegedly went towards funding her 2022 election campaign.

Politics · 21 Apr

Transitional Sovereignty Council leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Omani sultan Haitham bin Tariq hold official talks to focus on regional development and efforts to end the war in Sudan.

Conflict · 21 Apr · with Haitham bin Tariq

South Korean police seek an arrest warrant for Hybe founder and chairperson Bang Si-hyuk over alleged violations of capital market laws related to Hybe's initial public offering, accusing him of misleading early investors and receiving profits through a related private equity fund.

Crime & Justice · 21 Apr

French president Emmanuel Macron affirms France's support for the territorial integrity of Lebanon, saying that the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the country is a precondition for stability.

Conflict · 21 Apr

A United Nations investigation finds that the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar facilitated the transfer of weapons, vehicles and Colombian mercenaries to Sudan to fight for the Rapid Support Forces against government forces. The operation was centred around Kufra, Libya, where LNA forces control Kufra Airport.

Conflict · 21 Apr

Pope Leo XIV arrives in Malabo, the final leg of his papal visit to Africa, becoming the first pope to visit Equatorial Guinea since John Paul II in 1982.

World · 21 Apr · with Pope John Paul II

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi calls the blockade "an act of war" and a violation of the ceasefire.

Conflict · 21 Apr

Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te cancels his planned visit to Eswatini after the governments of Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles denied overflight permissions for his aircraft, with Taiwan attributing the decision to pressure from China.

World · 21 Apr

Ukraine completes repairs on the Druzhba pipeline damaged in a war-related strike and prepares to resume operations, while president Volodymyr Zelenskyy links the restoration to progress on a proposed €90 billion European Union support package.

World · 21 Apr

New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon secures the support of his caucus after initiating and winning a confidence vote on his leadership within the National Party.

Politics · 21 Apr

Vitol CEO Russell Hardy says that at least one billion barrels of oil production will be lost because of the war even if it ends immediately, and that the current loss is in the range of 600 to 700 million barrels.

Business · 21 Apr