Live Updates: Thousands of Lebanese Try to Head Home After Israel-Lebanon Truce

Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia Israeli forces are battling in Lebanon, avoided mention of the 10-day cease-fire but appeared to be adhering to it. A truce could remove an obstacle in U.S.-Iran peace talks.

Published: April 17, 2026, 2:00 pm

Iran War Live Updates: Strait of Hormuz Is ‘Completely Open’ After Lebanon Deal, Iran and U.S. Say

Published: April 17, 2026, 2:03 pm

The 27-Year-Old Diplomat Waging Trump’s Cultural War With Europe

Five years out of college, Samuel Samson has driven the Trump administration’s push to upend America’s postwar relationship with Europe.

Published: April 17, 2026, 9:07 am

Trump Tries to Stop Drug Smuggling From South America. Drug Smugglers Invent New Tactics.

Authorities are using drones, troops and A.I. to crack down on cocaine smuggling. But gangs are finding new ways to move record amounts of drugs across the world.

Published: April 17, 2026, 9:00 am

‘I Just Want to Be Back’: Thousands Rush South in Lebanon Under Cease-Fire

Stuck in standstill traffic, Lebanese people who had been displaced by fighting expressed a mix of excitement and uncertainty about a pause in Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah.

Published: April 17, 2026, 12:24 pm

Starmer Fires Senior U.K. Civil Servant Over Mandelson Revelations

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office confirmed that Peter Mandelson, a Jeffrey Epstein associate, failed security checks before he became Britain’s envoy to Washington.

Published: April 17, 2026, 11:49 am

Iran War Forces America’s Friends in Asia to Court Its Rivals

The severe disruption of oil supplies from the Middle East as a result of the war has prompted South Korea and the Philippines to make deals with Russia and Iran.

Published: April 17, 2026, 6:59 am

Lebanon Cease-Fire Leaves Netanyahu in an Uncomfortable Spot

Most Israelis wanted the fight against Hezbollah to continue. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s critics say he is showing that he cannot, or will not, stand up to President Trump.

Published: April 17, 2026, 12:27 pm

‘I Would Rather Be a Dwarf’: A Comic in Botswana Prizes His Difference

Johnson Masase has found local fame, and self acceptance, through performances that play on people’s ignorance about his genetic condition and his 3-foot-4 inch frame.

Published: April 17, 2026, 9:00 am

Myanmar Frees Ousted President, but Not Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

U Win Myint is a close ally of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s civilian leader. Both were forced from power by the military in a 2021 coup and imprisoned.

Published: April 17, 2026, 9:04 am

Lebanon’s Cease-Fire Buys Time, Not a Way Out

The country’s leaders secured a truce through risky talks with Israel, but the government now finds itself caught between competing pressures.

Published: April 17, 2026, 10:10 am

Got $100 Million? Ukraine Has Just the Fertilizer Plant for You.

An effort to privatize the facility is a key test of whether Kyiv can overcome concerns about Russian attacks and corruption to attract foreign investment.

Published: April 16, 2026, 1:03 pm

The Costa Rican Mountain Town Offering Sanctuary to Families Deported by Trump

In a cloud forest village, a network of residents, foreigners and pacifist Quakers offered a precarious yet vital sanctuary for families expelled by the U.S. government.

Published: April 16, 2026, 6:32 pm

Pope Leo, Amid Standoff With Trump, Says ‘Woe to Those Who Manipulate Religion’

For days, Pope Leo XIV has attracted criticism from President Trump and his allies for refusing to back the war in Iran. On Thursday, he reiterated his calls for peace.

Published: April 16, 2026, 6:27 pm

Strait of Hormuz Is Open During Cease-Fire in Lebanon, U.S. and Iran Say

Published: April 17, 2026, 1:46 pm

Israel-Lebanon Cease-Fire: What to Know

The pause in fighting would remove a major hindrance to the U.S.-Iran peace talks, if it holds.

Published: April 17, 2026, 11:19 am

In northern Israel, relief at the cease-fire is overshadowed by unease.

Residents are wary that the truce may offer only a temporary reprieve after weeks of rocket fire by Hezbollah.

Published: April 17, 2026, 12:25 pm

Iran Resisted a Powerful Attacker. Taiwan Can Too.

By holding off America’s more powerful military, Iran showed how Taiwan can deter or defeat China.

Published: April 17, 2026, 9:02 am

Here’s the latest.

Published: April 17, 2026, 1:13 pm

Trump says he might go to Pakistan if an Iran deal is signed there.

Published: April 17, 2026, 9:50 am

10-Day Cease-Fire Between Israel and Lebanon Goes Into Effect

The pause in the fighting between Israeli forces and Iranian-allied Hezbollah militants may help smooth the way to a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran.

Published: April 16, 2026, 10:40 pm

Bitcoin’s Greatest Mystery

The creator of Bitcoin has hidden behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto for 17 years.

Published: April 17, 2026, 4:50 am

The cease-fire goes into effect after Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire.

Israeli and Lebanese officials had confirmed they would implement the truce. Hezbollah acknowledged the cease-fire, but did not directly address whether it would follow it.

Published: April 16, 2026, 10:39 pm

Forced into a corner by the U.S., Netanyahu agrees to a cease-fire in Lebanon.

Published: April 16, 2026, 10:26 pm

Mandelson, a Friend of Epstein’s, Became U.S. Ambassador Despite Failing Security Vetting

Britain’s foreign office overruled vetting officials in granting Peter Mandelson, a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, the highest level of security clearance, the government said.

Published: April 16, 2026, 8:35 pm

Despite Cease-Fire, Iran’s Hackers Haven’t Logged Off

Tehran’s digital warriors have continued to seek ways to gain an advantage in the conflict in a new phase of cyberspace operations.

Published: April 16, 2026, 8:20 pm

The Long-Term Plan to Scrub Carbon From the Sky

Microsoft is pulling back from efforts to remove carbon from the atmosphere. But the nascent industry’s proponents say they are thinking in decades, not years.

Published: April 16, 2026, 7:44 pm

Bahrain Charges Intelligence Officer in the Death of a Detainee

The officer was charged with assault leading to death, in the case of a man who was accused by Bahraini authorities of espionage during a domestic crackdown tied to the war in Iran.

Published: April 16, 2026, 6:56 pm

U.S. Completes Handover of Military Bases in Syria

The transition signals the end of a formal U.S. military presence in Syria for the first time in more than a decade.

Published: April 16, 2026, 9:41 pm

How Trump’s Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz Works

Our business reporter Peter Eavis breaks down how American military ships have blocked Iranian-linked vessels from using the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. encourages other vessels to make the passage.

Published: April 16, 2026, 6:49 pm

Hegseth Again Threatens Attacks on Iran’s Civilian Infrastructure

The U.S. blockade of shipments through the Strait of Hormuz would last “for as long as it takes,” the defense secretary said.

Published: April 16, 2026, 11:34 pm

White House Declines to Offer Congress an Estimate of Iran War Cost

Russell T. Vought, the White House budget director, said the fluctuating nature of the U.S.-Israeli war made it difficult to pinpoint expenses.

Published: April 16, 2026, 9:37 pm

A Timeline of the Lebanon-Israel Relationship

Israeli and Lebanese officials this week met in Washington for direct talks between two nations, which have technically been at war since 1948.

Published: April 16, 2026, 4:39 pm

Rohingya Refugee Recounts Rescue From Capsizing Boat That Left Nearly 250 Others Missing

Hundreds of migrants from Bangladesh, including Rohingya refugees, are feared dead after a boat to Malaysia overturned.

Published: April 16, 2026, 4:36 pm

White House Shrugs Off Shaky Economy as War Exceeds Trump’s Timeline

Stocks may be soaring again, but the war in Iran has started to pinch the finances of many Americans.

Published: April 17, 2026, 7:54 am

Why China Isn’t Pushing Iran to Accept U.S. Demands to End War

Despite the economic risks from the war, Beijing will likely stick to a hands-off approach. It is wary of being entangled in a conflict it opposed and has little sway over.

Published: April 17, 2026, 4:40 am

Sri Lanka Uses U.S.-Iran Cease-Fire to Repatriate Iranian Sailors

Sri Lanka had been refusing to send back the Iranian Navy personnel, including survivors from a warship that the United States torpedoed, during active hostilities.

Published: April 16, 2026, 11:51 am

South African Politician Julius Malema Is Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

The leftist lawmaker has been a prime target of President Trump’s attacks on South Africa. The ruling, handed down after a conviction on gun charges, leaves Mr. Malema’s political future in doubt.

Published: April 16, 2026, 2:40 pm

Pakistan Looks to Play Peacemaker Between U.S. and Iran, Again

After talks in Islamabad last weekend led to a two-week cease-fire, Pakistan is offering to host another round in an attempt to sustain continuing peace efforts.

Published: April 16, 2026, 7:53 pm

What the U.S. Blockade Means for Iran’s Economy

Putting a stop to Iranian shipping will further add to Iran’s economic pain, analysts said, but it might not be enough to force concessions or lessen the global energy crunch.

Published: April 16, 2026, 6:08 pm

Marco Rubio and Lebanese President Discuss Cease-Fire Efforts

President Trump had said that Israeli and Lebanese leaders would speak directly, but a Lebanese official said the country’s president had rejected the idea.

Published: April 16, 2026, 3:29 pm

Xi Alludes to Trump’s Policies to Make a Case for Closer Ties to Vietnam

China used a visit by the Vietnamese leader to show a deepening of security ties that analysts say far outpaces U.S. defense ties in the region.

Published: April 16, 2026, 12:05 pm

Orban’s Defeat Punctures Europe’s Far Right, but Also Offers It a Road Map

Corruption and economic mismanagement brought down Hungary’s authoritarian leader. Will his political disciples avoid those pitfalls?

Published: April 16, 2026, 1:35 pm

Carbon Removal Industry Reels as Microsoft Retreats

Once held up as a key solution to climate change, a field that aims to remove carbon from the atmosphere is struggling to catch on.

Published: April 16, 2026, 2:33 pm

Russian Strikes Kill at Least 15 in Ukraine in Biggest Attack in Months

Moscow is again ramping up missile and drone attacks on civilian targets, dispelling any notion that a temporary cease-fire for Orthodox Easter might become more lasting.

Published: April 16, 2026, 2:00 pm

Here’s the latest.

Published: April 16, 2026, 10:24 pm

3 Killed in Boat Strike in the Pacific, Pentagon Says

It was the third such attack by the U.S. military in three days, and the 51st attack in a campaign against people who the United States has accused of smuggling drugs.

Published: April 16, 2026, 4:15 am

China’s G.D.P. Stronger Than Expected, Led by Infrastructure Spending

A steep slide in housing prices has left consumers less prosperous and less willing to spend, but the government is pouring money into new rail lines and other projects.

Published: April 16, 2026, 2:19 pm

Iran Will Be in U.S. for World Cup, FIFA’s Infantino Says

The comments come as peace talks between Iran and the United States have not yet resumed and a cease-fire is set to expire next week.

Published: April 16, 2026, 2:15 am

Shakespeare Bought One Property in London. Now We Know Exactly Where.

In confirming the precise location of William Shakespeare’s Blackfriars house, a British scholar raises fresh questions about what he intended to do with it.

Published: April 16, 2026, 2:28 pm

Sudan Enters Fourth Year of War Amid World’s Most Severe Humanitarian Crisis

Fighting that erupted in 2023 has forced millions from their homes and left widespread hunger that is now being compounded by strife in the Middle East.

Published: April 16, 2026, 1:16 am

The Pope in Africa

The continent is crucial to the future of the church, but it’s also the center of long-running tensions over some of Catholicism’s most charged issues.

Published: April 16, 2026, 4:42 am

Saudi Fund to Back Away From LIV Golf Under Mounting Financial Pressures

The Saudi league, established in 2022, attracted some of the sport’s biggest stars with huge contracts.

Published: April 16, 2026, 1:20 am

Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé Detained by ICE in Alabama Is Released

Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé, 85, who was arrested amid an inheritance dispute, has returned to France, its foreign affairs minister said. She came to America last year after reconnecting with and marrying a former G.I.

Published: April 17, 2026, 1:45 pm

Texas Democrat James Talarico Is Out-Raising His G.O.P. Opponents

James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, has been amassing campaign cash as Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton still battle each other.

Published: April 17, 2026, 1:59 pm

A Family Feud at an Oregon Winery Turns to Vinegar Over A.I. Slop

She wanted to pry her late mother’s vineyard from two of her brothers. Instead, her lawyers were fined nearly $110,000 for citing bogus case law generated by artificial intelligence.

Published: April 17, 2026, 9:02 am

She Made Sure Her Baby Was Born an American. Then Federal Agents Separated Them.

Diana Acosta Verde, who came into the United States illegally when she was six months pregnant, had to leave her baby at a hospital while she returned to a detention center.

Published: April 17, 2026, 9:01 am

Texas Restaurant Owners Call for Work Permits as Immigration Crackdown Strains Industry

Restaurant operators say labor shortages, rising costs and worker fear have prompted an unusual alliance of industry and political leaders in Texas to call for legal pathways to hire immigrants.

Published: April 17, 2026, 11:12 am

House Votes to Extend Expiring FISA Surveillance Law for 10 Days

The Senate would need to also approve the stopgap measure that passed the House early Friday. Libertarian-leaning House Republicans had balked at a long-term extension.

Published: April 17, 2026, 7:15 am

Trump Promotes ‘No Tax on Tips’ in Las Vegas and Brushes Off Iran War Inflation Concerns

At an economic event, the president sought to downplay the financial hardship that has followed his war with Iran, saying that “we’re having some fake inflation because of the fuel, the energy prices.”

Published: April 17, 2026, 3:38 am

Acting ICE Director Says He Plans to Resign in May

Todd Lyons said he would leave to spend more time with his family. He has spoken about a surge in threats against ICE officers, saying that he knew the reality firsthand.

Published: April 17, 2026, 1:34 am

Former Navy Service Member Charged in Georgia Killing Spree

The suspect is accused of carrying out a string of attacks in the Atlanta area that killed two women and injured a homeless man. The authorities described the attacks as random.

Published: April 17, 2026, 12:22 am

F.A.A. Caps Flights at O’Hare Airport in Chicago to Cut Delays

Set to be in place throughout the summer, the limit aims to ease congestion after less than 60 percent of flights ran on schedule.

Published: April 17, 2026, 1:14 am

Officials Investigate Bomb Threat at Home of Pope’s Brother

The police in suburban Chicago said they found no explosive devices. The investigation comes amid a public dispute between the pope and President Trump over the Iran war.

Published: April 16, 2026, 11:39 pm

Michigan’s Dam Crisis Shows Decay of U.S. Infrastructure, Whitmer Says

Workers in Cheboygan hurried to shore up a dam in danger of being overtopped, part of a “slow-moving disaster” threatening communities across the state.

Published: April 16, 2026, 11:55 pm

Trump to Pick Ousted FEMA Head to Lead Agency Again

Cameron Hamilton is a former Navy SEAL who ran unsuccessfully for Congress.

Published: April 16, 2026, 10:24 pm

How Gavin Newsom Boosted His Book Sales With $1.5 Million From His PAC

Gov. Gavin Newsom offered supporters who gave any amount a copy of his book. Roughly 67,000 donors received the memoir, accounting for about two-thirds of its total print sales.

Published: April 16, 2026, 11:41 pm

Despite Cease-Fire, Iran’s Hackers Haven’t Logged Off

Tehran’s digital warriors have continued to seek ways to gain an advantage in the conflict in a new phase of cyberspace operations.

Published: April 16, 2026, 8:20 pm

Are You an International Student Looking for Work?

We want to understand how international students are navigating the current job market in the United States.

Published: April 16, 2026, 6:59 pm

Woman Who Took 15 Tequila Shots on Carnival Cruise Gets $300,000 in Damages

The woman, who fell and injured herself, said in a lawsuit that bartenders had been negligent for serving her while she was visibly intoxicated.

Published: April 16, 2026, 6:59 pm

House Votes to Preserve Deportation Protections for Haitians, Rebuking Trump

The action was largely symbolic since the president would be all but certain to veto the bill, but the bipartisan vote reflected resistance within his own ranks on his signature issue.

Published: April 16, 2026, 7:48 pm

Panel Advances Trump’s Triumphal Arch, Even as Key Member Suggests Changes

The Commission of Fine Arts, a Trump-aligned advisory body, granted preliminary approval. But its vice chairman suggested losing statues atop the structure and other revisions before a final vote.

Published: April 17, 2026, 12:31 am

Hegseth Again Threatens Attacks on Iran’s Civilian Infrastructure

The U.S. blockade of shipments through the Strait of Hormuz would last “for as long as it takes,” the defense secretary said.

Published: April 16, 2026, 11:34 pm

Judge Again Halts Aboveground Construction on Trump Ballroom

A federal judge wrote that an exception he made for work on security features did not cover most of the construction on the larger ballroom project Trump has proposed.

Published: April 16, 2026, 10:17 pm

Venezuelan Doctor Ezequiel Veliz in Texas Is Released From Detention

Dr. Ezequiel Veliz, a family physician who worked in an area that has a doctor shortage, was detained for 10 days. Another Venezuelan doctor remains locked up.

Published: April 16, 2026, 9:07 pm

ICE Agent Charged With Assault After Motorists Say He Brandished Gun

Minnesota prosecutors have spent weeks investigating the conduct of immigration agents who took part in an immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities. This is the first case they have brought.

Published: April 16, 2026, 8:27 pm

House Again Thwarts Challenge to Trump’s Authority to Continue Iran War

The G.O.P. narrowly blocked a Democratic war powers resolution, but a senior Republican suggested that backing for the conflict is not open-ended and could wane as a statutory deadline approaches in weeks.

Published: April 16, 2026, 7:34 pm

ICE Has Detained Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé, an 85-Year-Old Widow

After Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé’s husband died, an inheritance battle exploded. Her stepson then used his influence to have her arrested, an Alabama probate judge said.

Published: April 16, 2026, 8:18 pm

Two Magicians Warn the Supreme Court About Junk Science

Penn & Teller filed a Supreme Court brief questioning the use of “investigative hypnosis” in a death-penalty case in Texas.

Published: April 16, 2026, 4:02 pm

Justice Dept. Appealing Surveillance Court Ruling Amid Congressional Impasse

The court had barred national security agencies from using certain tools to process Americans’ data gathered under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expires on Monday.

Published: April 16, 2026, 3:38 pm

White House Shrugs Off Shaky Economy as War Exceeds Trump’s Timeline

Stocks may be soaring again, but the war in Iran has started to pinch the finances of many Americans.

Published: April 17, 2026, 7:54 am

Chicago Teachers Union, Brandon Johnson Feuding Over School on May Day

Mayor Brandon Johnson, whose ties to the Chicago Teachers Union helped him win office, has signaled support. The school district and some parents object.

Published: April 16, 2026, 4:28 pm