US Central Command has published a video said to show a guided-missile destroyer firing at an Iranian-flagged cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz. The USS Spruance fired several rounds into the Touska’s engine room for ‘violating the US blockade’, before marines boarded it.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
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April 19 (UPI) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expected to launch a website on Monday to process refund requests for some Trump administration tariffs, although there are limits to which ones will be processed.
The first phase of tariff refunds comes after the Supreme Court ruled in February that President Donald Trump could not use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to generate revenue by imposing tariffs.
Although Trump decided to use Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to justify new tariffs after the Court’s decision, the administration still is required to refund duties collected under the now-nullified tariffs.
CBP has estimated that it owes about $166 billion in refunds, with the agency’s announcement of phase 1 expected to take care of the vast majority of expected claims, NPR reported.
The website is specifically aimed at letting businesses request refunds, and experts have said that consumers are unlikely to be affected by the refunds, CBS News reported.
“[The Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries] is being deployed in phases, and CBP will launch the first phase of CAPE on April 20,” the agency said in an update last week.
“Phase 1 is limited to certain unliquidated entries and certain entries within 80 days of liquidation,” the agency said.
The refunds are linked to lawsuits filed in December by Costco and other companies — more than 50 companies brought filed suit for refunds — asking for duties to be returned to them if the Supreme Court ruled against the administration.
In March, CBP raised concern in court that it could not immediately handle refunding the duties based on 53 million entries from 330,000 importers who had paid tariffs as of March 4.
Eight people died — all children — and two adult women were injured in a mass shooting early Sunday morning in Shreveport, La. File Photo by Justin Lane/EPA-EFE
April 19 (UPI) — Eight children were killed, and two more injured, in a mass shooting in Louisiana on Sunday morning that police said started as a domestic dispute.
The two survivors are both adult women, with one thought to have been in a relationship with the shooter, who was killed by police after stealing a car and leading them on a short chase, KSLA and NBC News reported.
Officials said they are still investigating the crime scenes to figure out what actually happened, as one of the two women has life-threatening injuries resulting from what is believed to have been a shot in the head.
Some of the children that were killed, who ranged in age from 1 year to 14 years, were related to the alleged shooter, police said.
“This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” Shreveport, La., Police Chief Wayne Smith told reporters.
Police responded to reports of a domestic disturbance on the 300 block of West 79th Street in Shreveport around 6 a.m. EDT to find the widespread crime scene.
The initial shooting, police said, occurred at two houses before the suspect attempted a carjacking around the block and then, after a chase, attempted to escape on foot but was shot and killed by police.
A fourth location, a house where one of the shooting victims ran to, is also part of the investigation.
“This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport,” the city’s mayor, Tom Arceneaux, told reporters.
A motive for the shooting remains undetermined, police said.
April 19 (UPI) — Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket and landed its booster stage, but it delivered a communications satellite into an orbit too low to be useful.
New Glenn-3, the third launch of the company’s rocket, cleared the tower just before 7:30 a.m. EDT on Sunday morning and roughly six minutes later its first stage touched down on the “Jacklyn” drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
The fully reusable booster, called “Never Tell Me The Odds,” was making its second landing as the mission hit its second stage engine cutoff, entered orbit and released AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite successfully.
The release was successful and the satellite powered up properly, but had been placed into “an off-nominal orbit,” Blue Origin said in a post on X.
“During the New Glenn 3 mission, BlueBird 7 was placed into a lower than planned orbit by the upper stage of the launch vehicle,” AST said in a press release.
“While the satellite separated from the launch vehicle and powered on, the altitude is too low to sustain operations with its on-board thruster technology and will de-orbited,” the company said. “The cost of the satellite is expected to be recovered under the company’s insurance policy.”
AST’s BlueBird 7 satellite is part of a space-based cellular broadband network the company is building that will be accessible using normal smartphones.
The satellite would have been the eighth the company has put in orbit for the network, has satellites number through 32 in production and expects BlueBird 8, BlueBird 9 and BlueBird 10 to be completed in the next month.
AST said that it plans to continue launching satellites roughly every other month for the rest 2026 using “multiple launch providers,” with a goal of 45 satellites in orbit by the end of the year.
Blue Origin, in addition to launching satellites for commercial and government entities, is also building a prototype MK1 “Endurance” lander as a test vehicle in an uncrewed moon landing later this year, Space.com reported.
The prototype is a test run for its MK2 lunar lander that will be used in NASA’s Artemis program to explore the moon and establish a permanent human presence there.
Israeli attacks on healthcare across Iran, Lebanon and Gaza
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The latest attack at a Jewish site in the UK capital occurs at Kenton United Synagogue and causes minor damage.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
The United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police are investigating whether a recent spate of arson attacks on Jewish sites in North London could be linked to Iranian proxies.
Counter Terrorism Policing is leading investigations into the incidents, the Met Police said on Sunday, after an arson attack at the Kenton United Synagogue in northwestern London occurred overnight.
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There have been no injuries in the blazes, the latest of which caused minor damage.
Vicki Evans, deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said most of the attacks have been claimed by the Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia group (Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right), often shortened to Ashab al-Yamin.
She said the group has also claimed several incidents at places of worship as well as business and financial institutions in Europe in recent months.
Evans said police were aware of “public reporting that this group may have links to Iran”.
She added that she has spoken before about Iran’s “routine uses of criminal proxies” and police were considering whether this tactic of “recruiting violence as a service” was being used in London.
Ashab al-Yamin emerged online in March and has claimed responsibility for several attacks on Jewish sites in Europe. It also claimed responsibility for an attack on the Persian-language Iran International news channel in London.
Recent arson incidents in London have included a bottle containing accelerant being thrown inside the Finchley Reform Synagogue in North London on Wednesday and Jewish-owned Hatzola ambulances being set alight in the car park of a synagogue in Golders Green on March 23. On Friday night, a man tried to light a bag containing three bottles of fluid outside the former premises of the Jewish Futures charity in Hendon.
The UK’s chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, said the Kenton fire was the third “cowardly” attack on Jewish sites in the British capital in less than a week.
“A sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum,” Mirvis said on X. “Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” by the recent attacks at Jewish sites and those responsible would be brought to justice.
“This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain,” he said in a post on X.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office for failing to disclose that former ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson failed his security check. Pool Photo by Betty Laura Zapata/EPA
April 17 (UPI) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office for failing to disclose that former ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson failed his security check.
Starmer called the official, Olly Robbins, on Thursday and informed him that he had lost confidence in him, as did Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. Starmer said Friday that he was “absolutely furious.”
“I was not told that he failed security vetting,” Starmer said Friday in Paris. “No minister was told that he failed security vetting. Number 10 wasn’t told that he failed security vetting.”
Mandelson was named ambassador to the United States in December 2024 and assumed the role in February 2025.
He was fired in September after the U.S. House Oversight Committee released a batch of files from the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein which included correspondence between Epstein and Mandelson.
The British government said Thursday that Starmer was unaware Mandelson had failed the security vetting process and the Foreign Office defied the recommendation of the Cabinet Office to allow him to assume the ambassador role.
Foreign Affairs select committee chairwoman Emily Thornberry has requested that Robbins speak before the committee on Tuesday about Mandelson. Robbins has been questioned by members of parliament about the Mandelson security clearance incident once before.
Thornberry said members of parliament have only been told “half the story.”
“Perhaps he can tell us — was it his own idea or was he being leant on elsewhere,” Thornberry said of Robbins not alerting of Mandelson’s vetting failure. “Or was he, being a civil servant, was he getting direction from elsewhere, and if so, by whom?”
April 19 (UPI) — South Korea’s Defense Ministry said North Korea test launched multiple, short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, Sunday morning.
“Detailed specifications are currently under close analysis by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities,” officials in Seoul said in a statement, according to ABC News.
“Our military is closely monitoring North Korea’s military activities under a firm combined defense posture and maintains an overwhelming capability and readiness to respond to any provocation.”
The Japan Times said the Defense Ministry of Japan also confirmed the activity.
“North Korea’s series of actions, including the repeated launches of ballistic missiles and other weapons, threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region and the international community,” the ministry said in a statement.
Newsweek said Pyongyang has increased its ballistic missile testing and nuclear weapons development since the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran began nearly two months ago.
Sunday’s missile launches appear to have come from Sinpho, a coastal city in North Korea where submarines capable of launching such weapons are built.
April 17 (UPI) — Nearly one-third of the United States — the northern-most third of the country — could be among areas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said could see the aurora borealis in the sky.
The northern lights are expected to be most visible, for the second night in a row, across 18 states that fall within the expected viewline this evening, USA Today and Space.com reported.
The solar winds hitting Earth at up to 430 miles per second will cause geomagnetic storms that could be visible as far south in the United States as Illinois and Oregon, according to predictions.
NOAA can most closely forecast the aurora borealis within 30 to 90 minutes of the storm’s location and intensity, but offers maps on its website to help people who would like to see it.
“Aurora can often be observed somewhere on Earth from just after sunset or just before sunrise,” NOAA said in its forecast notes.
The northern lights are an indicator of geomagnetic conditions, NOAA said, and awareness of them matter for a number of essential human technologies, including HF radio communication, GPS satellite navigation and, sometimes, ground-induced currents that affect electric transmission.
The states that are most likely to see the aurora are Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
“For many people, the aurora is a beautiful nighttime phenomenon that is worth traveling to arctic regions just to observe,” NOAA said, noting the rarity that it could be visible as far south as it has been forecast.
“It is the only way for most people to actually experience space weather,” the agency said.
US president announces talks in Islamabad and accuses Iran of violating truce, warning Tehran of severe repercussions.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
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Updated: 4 minutes agoUpdated: 4 minutes ago
President Donald Trump has announced that US negotiators will travel to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Monday for talks aimed at ending the US-Israel war on Iran.
In a post on social media on Sunday, Trump didn’t detail which officials the US would send to a second round of in-person talks with Iranian negotiators in Islamabad. Last weekend’s talks, at which Vice President JD Vance led the US delegation, ended without a deal.
In his post, Trump accused Iran of violating a two-week ceasefire that is due to expire on Wednesday by opening fire on Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz. The US president threatened to destroy civilian infrastructure in Iran if it doesn’t accept the terms of the deal being offered by the US.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable deal, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single power plant, and every single bridge, in Iran,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
There was no immediate comment from Iran regarding Trump’s claim of a new round of talks.
Shortly after Trump’s statement, Iran’s foreign ministry said that the US naval blockade on Iranian ports is a violation of the ceasefire as well as an “unlawful and criminal” act.
“The United States’ so-called ‘blockade’ of Iran’s ports or coastline is not only a violation of Pakistani-mediated ceasefire but also both unlawful and criminal,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei wrote in a post on X.
“Moreover, by deliberately inflicting collective punishment on the Iranian population, it amounts to war crime and crime against humanity,” Baqaei added.
The EU’s election observer said the vote met democratic standards despite fraud allegations.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
Peru’s presidential election result will not be finalised until mid-May, with challenged ballots from last Sunday’s vote still being reviewed, says the electoral authority.
With 93 percent of ballots counted, right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori leads with 17 percent, according to officials.
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Under Peru’s electoral system, the top two candidates advance to a second-round runoff. A close contest has emerged for second spot between left-wing candidate, Roberto Sanchez on 12 percent, and ultra-conservative Rafael Lopez Aliaga close behind on 11.9 percent.
The margin between the two widened slightly on Saturday to about 13,600 votes.
Yessica Clavijo, secretary general of the National Jury of Elections (JNE), said the delay was due to the review of more than 15,000 challenged ballots. About 30 percent concern the presidential race, the rest relate to legislative elections.
Lopez Aliaga, a former mayor of the capital Lima, has been the most vocal critic of the delay. He has alleged fraud without presenting evidence and called for the election to be annulled. He urged supporters of his Popular Renewal Party to protest on Sunday.
Sanchez also criticised the election process, telling reporters: “These serious organisational issues must be investigated and there must be appropriate sanctions”.
A record 35 candidates ran for president in Peru, a country that has faced years of political instability. Four of its last eight presidents have been impeached by Congress.
Voting was disrupted by delays in the delivery of election materials, forcing authorities to extend polling into Monday in parts of Lima.
Despite the setbacks, the European Union’s election observer mission said the vote met democratic standards. On Friday, prosecutors raided a warehouse belonging to the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), the body responsible for organising the election. Four officials have been reported to the JNE over alleged offences linked to voting rights.
Defence deal is latest example of deepening ties between Canberra and Tokyo amid shared concerns over China’s rise.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
Australia and Japan have signed contracts for the first three of 11 warships set to be delivered to the Australian navy under a landmark $7bn defence deal, as the two close US allies in the Asia Pacific region deepen defence cooperation.
Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles and Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi Shinjiro made the announcement in Melbourne on Saturday at the signing ceremony for the Mogami-class warships.
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The “Mogami Memorandum” pledges to deepen military ties, including through “closer industrial cooperation” in defence.
Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build three of the stealth frigates in southern Nagasaki Prefecture, while Australia’s Austal will build eight in Western Australia.
The first of the Japanese-built warships is scheduled to be delivered in 2029 and enter service in 2030.
“Our surface fleet is more important than at any time in decades,” Marles said in a statement.
“These general-purpose frigates will help secure our maritime trade routes and northern approaches as part of a larger and more lethal surface combatant fleet.”
Shinjiro said closer defence coordination was becoming more important as Australia and Japan faced an “increasingly severe security environment”.
Australia’s government last year announced that it had chosen Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to build its fleet of next-generation warships, following a bidding war between the Tokyo-based firm and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp.
Australia has committed to a record $305bn in military spending over the next decade, as part of a widespread defence overhaul aimed at boosting the country’s naval power to levels not seen since World War II.
Under the plans, Canberra’s defence spending is set to rise to 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 3033, from about 2 percent now.
Australia and Japan, two of the United States’ closest allies, have ramped up military cooperation in recent years amid shared concerns about shifts in the regional security environment, particularly China’s rising influence. Tokyo and Canberra are also members of the Quad security bloc led by the US.
Israeli attacks have killed at least 57 medical workers in Lebanon since early March. It is a pattern lifted from Gaza.
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People ride on bicycles and scooters on a street, in Shanghai China, 10 April 2026. Photo by ALEX PLAVEVSKI / EPA
April 16 (Asia Today) — China’s economy grew 5.0% in the first quarter, exceeding expectations despite concerns over the impact of the Iran conflict, official data showed Thursday.
The National Bureau of Statistics said gross domestic product rose 5.0% from a year earlier, topping the 4.8% forecast by economists surveyed by Reuters and Bloomberg.
The stronger-than-expected growth was driven by manufacturing and exports. Industrial production rose 5.7% in March from a year earlier, while retail sales increased just 1.7%, highlighting weak consumer recovery.
High-tech industries showed particularly strong momentum. Output in the sector rose 12.5% in the first quarter, with industrial robot production up 33% and integrated circuit output increasing 24%. Manufacturing accounted for about one-third of overall economic growth.
The impact of the Iran conflict has so far been limited. Bloomberg reported that China’s efforts to bolster energy security, along with prolonged deflationary pressures, helped cushion the shock from rising oil prices. However, some effects were visible, including a 2.2% decline in refined oil production in March.
Domestic demand remains a key concern. Real per capita consumption rose just 2.6%, while wage growth slowed. The urban unemployment rate reached 5.4%, the highest level in a year.
Investment indicators were also weak. Fixed-asset investment increased 1.7% in the first three months of the year, while real estate investment fell 11.2%. Private investment declined for the first time outside the pandemic period.
Analysts said China’s economy continues to show an “imbalanced structure,” with growth driven by exports and manufacturing while domestic demand lags. Falling sales of automobiles, home appliances and furniture further point to soft consumption.
Policy responses are expected to remain measured. With growth exceeding expectations, pressure for large-scale stimulus has eased, and the government has set a relatively modest annual growth target of 4.5% to 5%.
Still, targeted fiscal support and cost-cutting measures are likely to continue to address rising energy prices and external uncertainties. Some economists also see room for monetary easing, including a possible reduction in banks’ reserve requirement ratio.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260416010005290
Argentine forward’s brace included the match winner against Colorado Rapids in front of over 75,000 fans in Denver.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
Lionel Messi scored a brace and German Berterame headed another as Inter Miami earned a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday in Denver.
Messi scored the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute. He started a run just inside midfield and went unchallenged until the box, where he blasted into the upper left corner for a 3-2 lead.
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Rafael Navarro and Darren Yapi each scored for Colorado (4-4-0, 12 points) in front of 75,824 at Empower Field, the second-largest crowd in MLS history.
Miami (4-1-3, 15 points) took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute after Colorado goalkeeper Zack Steffen’s pass was intercepted by Yannick Bright. Josh Atencio offered a hard challenge and was shown a yellow card after video review.
Messi took the resulting penalty and rolled his shot straight down the middle as Miami took a 1-0 lead.
Colorado had a solid look at the goal when midfielder Wayne Frederick attempted a one-touch lob. Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair was out of position and well beyond the penalty arc after heading away a loose ball, but Frederick’s attempt sailed over the open net.
In the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Miami extended their lead to 2-0, connecting on a series of passes deep in their attacking third. Messi got the run of play started with a tight touch pass to Rodrigo De Paul.
De Paul sent Mateo Silvetti on a run to the boundary line. His inward-spinning cross floated to the front of goal, where Berterame rose above the Colorado defence and tucked a header under the bar.
Navarro’s goal cut Miami’s lead to 2-1. He started a run in midfield and used a step-over move to get an open shot a few steps into the box that tucked inside the left post past a diving St. Clair in the 58th minute.
In the 62nd minute, second-half substitute Yapi settled on a direct pass from Lucas Herrington and sizzled a shot past St. Clair for the equaliser.
Miami closed the win playing a man down as Yannick Bright was sent off with a red card in the 87th minute.
Jang Dong-hyeok (L), chief of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks during a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council at the National Assembly in Seoul, 02 February 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
April 17 (Asia Today) — Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party, has delayed his return from a U.S. visit by three days at the request of U.S. officials, party aides said Thursday.
Park Jun-tae, Jang’s chief of staff, told reporters at the National Assembly that Jang had originally planned to return later in the day but would now arrive early Sunday.
“While heading to the airport for departure procedures, special circumstances arose, leading to an extension of his schedule,” Park said.
The delay was made at the request of officials from the U.S. Department of State, Park added. He said speculation about possible meetings with Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio remained unconfirmed.
Some members of Jang’s delegation have already returned to South Korea, while others remain in the United States.
Jang departed for Washington on April 11 and was initially scheduled to return Friday via Incheon International Airport.
During the visit, he met with U.S. lawmakers including Bill Hagerty and delivered a speech at the International Republican Institute, where he emphasized the U.S.-South Korea alliance.
He also criticized the South Korean government’s policy toward North Korea, arguing it prioritizes dialogue over deterrence and risks weakening trust in the alliance. Jang called for “peace through strength” to counter North Korea’s nuclear threat.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260417010005446
Bulgarians vote to elect a new parliament, after mass protests brought down the previous Conservative-led government in December.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
Bulgarians have started voting in the eighth parliamentary election in five years after mass protests brought down the previous Conservative-led government in December.
Polling stations opened at 7am local time (0400 GMT) and are due to close at 1700 GMT, according to AFP journalists.
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Sunday’s vote is significant as it could bring to power a left-leaning, pro-Russian former president Rumen Radev – just days after voters in Hungary rejected the authoritarian policies and global far-right movement of Viktor Orban, who cultivated close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The December protests drew hundreds of thousands of mainly young people to the streets. The protesters called for an independent judiciary to tackle widespread corruption.
Radev, a former air force general, has said he wants to rid the country of its “oligarchic governance model” and backed anti-corruption protests late last year that brought down the conservative-backed government.
He has advocated for renewing ties with Russia and criticised sending military aid to Ukraine. He resigned from the mainly ceremonial presidency in January to launch his bid to lead the government as prime minister.
He leads the newly formed centre-left grouping, Progressive Bulgaria. Opinion polls before Sunday’s vote suggested it could gain 35 percent of votes.
Since 2021, the nation of 6.5 million has struggled with fragmented parliaments that produced weak governments. None managed to survive more than a year before being brought down by street protests or backroom deals in parliament.
An F-2 fighter jet flies during a live fire exercise conducted by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) at East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi / EPA
April 17 (Asia Today) — Japan is moving to strengthen a government-wide system to boost defense exports, including creating a centralized control structure and easing restrictions on what military equipment can be sold overseas, according to media reports.
The government plans to establish a director-general-level coordination body involving key ministries to oversee arms export policy and execution, the Asahi Shimbun reported Thursday.
Tokyo is also considering revising guidelines tied to its Three Principles on Defense Equipment Transfers to remove restrictions on five categories – rescue, transport, patrol, surveillance and mine countermeasures – that have limited exports so far.
According to Reuters, the government could move as early as this month to revise the guidelines, with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party already approving the direction at a party meeting Sunday.
The policy shift reflects a broader strategy with two main goals: expanding the range of weapons Japan can export and overhauling how those exports are managed.
Japan has effectively limited defense exports to non-lethal equipment in the past but is now moving to include systems with lethal capabilities. At the same time, the new coordination body would bring together the foreign, defense and industry ministries, along with private companies, to align export approvals, regulatory changes and sales support.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in parliament that easing arms export restrictions would contribute to economic growth, signaling a shift toward treating defense exports as part of industrial policy rather than solely a security measure.
Japanese officials have argued that expanding exports is necessary to sustain the domestic defense industry, maintain production capacity and secure supply chains that are difficult to support through domestic demand alone.
Analysts say the move goes beyond regulatory changes and represents a broader effort to build a national system designed to facilitate arms sales.
If implemented, the revisions would significantly lower barriers to exporting finished weapons, marking a major shift from Japan’s traditionally restrictive defense export framework.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260417010005454
The Strait of Hormuz is closed again, this time by Iran. Two ships have reported being fired on in the strait Saturday. File Photo by Divyakant Solanki/EPA
April 18 (UPI) — Just one day after the Strait of Hormuz was declared open, Iran has blocked the passage again, citing “breach of promise” by the United States, and has begun firing on commercial ships.
Iran accused the United States of “banditry and piracy under the guise of a so-called blockade.”
“Until the United States ends its interference with the full freedom of movement for vessels traveling to and from Iran, the status of the Strait of Hormuz will remain under intense control and in its previous state,” Iran’s semiofficial Fars media said on X.
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz was open after a cease-fire in Lebanon.
But by Saturday morning, that had changed. President Donald Trump said the United States would continue blocking Iranian ships.
Gunboats fired on a tanker in the strait Saturday morning, CNN reported the United Kingdom Maritime Traffic Organization said.
The UKMTO said a tanker captain reported that it was “being approached by 2 [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] gun boats,” about 20 nautical miles off the coast of Oman.
The captain said there had been no radio warning before the ship was fired on.
“Tanker and crew are reported safe,” UKMTO posted.
Just hours later, a container ship was hit by “unknown projectile which caused damage to some of the containers” about 25 nautical miles off the coast of Oman, CNN reported the UKMTO said. In the second event, the UKMTO did not say who was responsible for the attack. No fires or environmental damage have been reported.
Trump reported Saturday that talks between Iran and the United States were continuing but that “Iran got a little cute,” CNN reported.
“We have very good conversations going on,” Trump said. “They got a little cute, as they have been doing for 47 years.”
“They wanted to close up the strait again, as they’ve been doing for years. They can’t blackmail us,” the president said.
“We’re talking to them, and you know, we’re taking a tough stand. They killed a lot of people. A lot of our people have been killed,” Trump said.
On Friday, Trump told CBS News in a phone interview that Iran had “agreed to everything.”
He said that the United States would remove Iran’s enriched uranium but would not involve ground troops.
“No. No troops,” he said. “We’ll go down and get it with them, and then we’ll take it. We’ll be getting it together because by that time, we’ll have an agreement and there’s no need for fighting when there’s an agreement. Nice right? That’s better. We would have done it the other way if we had to.”
“Our people, together with the Iranians, are going to work together to go get it. And then we’ll take it to the United States,” he said.
But hours later, a spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement, “Enriched uranium is as sacred to us as Iranian soil and will not be transferred anywhere under any circumstances. … Transferring uranium to the United States has not been an option.”
IRGC says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US stops blockading Iranian ports.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
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Multiple ballistic missiles fired from eastern Sinpo area in seventh such test this year.
Published On 19 Apr 202619 Apr 2026
North Korea has launched multiple ballistic missiles towards the sea off its eastern coast, according to South Korea and Japan.
The incident on Sunday marked North Korea’s seventh ballistic missile launch this year and its fourth in April.
The missiles were fired near the city of Sinpo on North Korea’s east coast at about 6:10am on Sunday (21:10 GMT, Saturday), South Korea’s military said in a statement. It added that South Korea had bolstered its surveillance posture and was closely exchanging information with the United States and Japan.
Japan’s government posted on social media that the ballistic missiles were believed to have fallen near the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. No incursion into Japan’s exclusive economic zone was confirmed.
South Korea’s presidential office said it has held an emergency security meeting, according to media reports.
Such tests violate United Nations Security Council resolutions against North Korea’s missile programme. The diplomatically isolated country rejects the UN ban and says it infringes on its sovereign right to self-defence.
The launches come as China and the US prepare for a summit in mid-May, in which Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, are expected to discuss North Korea.
North Korea has made “very serious” advances in its ability to turn out nuclear weapons, with the probable addition of a new uranium enrichment facility, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday.
Late last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country’s status as a nuclear-armed state was irreversible and that expanding a “self-defensive nuclear deterrent” was essential to national security.
The FAA is considering bids to develop an artificial intelligence system that could help air traffic controllers predict and correct potential issues hours earlier than they currently can. File Photo by Caroline Brehman/EPA
April 18 (UPI) — The Federal Aviation Administration is working with three bidders to develop artificial intelligence software to help air traffic controllers manage flights across the nation’s airspace.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy discussed the effort during a media event on Friday, and said the goal is to help anticipate schedule conflicts and improve planning for bottlenecks at busy airports.
“This software, as they look at the flight paths, won’t see [potential issues] 15 minutes before it happens .. a controller will get a notice that they could change one of the airplane’s flight paths slightly and they can deconflict it an hour and a half or two hours before the conflict even happens,” Duffy said during a media event hosted by Semafor.
The program is aimed at fundamentally changing how airspace in the United States operates, The Air Current reported, and is a major part of the agency’s efforts at modernization and redesign.
The FAA has mounted an effort to see how AI can improve the functionality and safety of the country’s air traffic control systems, especially amid a growing shortage of controllers, at least partially because political debates that have hampered the agency’s funding.
The system that the FAA is looking to develop — called SMART, which stands for Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories — is part of a $32.5 billion modernization program that includes replacing hundreds of radars and growing its air controller staff, The Next Web reported.
Development of the new system, which follows a series of issues at airports across the country that have seen near-misses and actual crashes that have raised concerns among experts and travelers alike, is being bid on by the companies Palantir, Thales and Air Space Intelligence.
The system could begin to be operational some time later this year, with an update on progress expected from the Department of Transportation and FAA on April 21.