Saturday, April 25, 2026

BIG Wrap

Trump administration approves firing squads for death penalty

(New York Times) The Trump administration said on Friday that it would allow firing squads and readopt lethal injection as part of a broader push to revive the death penalty. In an accompanying report, Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said that decisions by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to pull back on capital punishment “inflicted untold damage on victims of crime, and, ultimately, to the rule of law itself.” The Justice Department, he said, had...

UK assisted-dying bill fails after delays; advocates vow to try again

(Al Jazeera Media Network) A UK bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales will not become law after efforts by unelected lawmakers to stall its passage through Parliament. Time ran out for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Friday after hitting a parliamentary quagmire of more than 1,200 bill amendments tabled by appointed lawmakers in the House of Lords. The bill, which proposed legalising euthanasia for adults with less than six months to...

More than 500 people killed in Tanzania election violence, inquiry finds

(BBC News) A total of 518 people died in Tanzania from "unnatural causes", including 197 who were shot dead, in the widespread protests that followed last year's general election, the commission of inquiry set up to investigate the violence has announced. However, commission chairman Mohamed Chande Othman did not say who was responsible for the deaths, recommending further investigations. This is the first time the authorities have said how many people died. Opposition parties and human rights...

Ukraine says Druzhba pipeline running Russian oil to Europe can resume work

(Al Jazeera Media Network) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said a pipeline carrying Russian oil to Europe is ready to resume operations after being damaged during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he expected the completed “repair work” on the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline running through his country would lead to the release of a much-needed 90-million-euro ($106-million) European Union loan hitherto blocked by Hungary, which depends on the Russian oil. Ukraine says the pipeline was damaged...

Japan loosens arms-export rules in break from post-WW2 pacifism

(BBC News) Japan has relaxed decades-old restrictions on its arms exports, clearing the way for it to sell weapons to more than a dozen countries. The announcement on Tuesday marks a milestone in Tokyo's shift away from the pacifism that has characterised its post-war defence policy. It comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region. Restrictions that limit arms exports to just five categories – rescue, transport, warning, surveillance and minesweeping – will be...

Gunman kills Canadian woman, injures six at Mexico’s Teotihuacan pyramids

(Al Jazeera Media Network) A gunman has fatally shot ⁠a Canadian woman and injured six ⁠others at Mexico’s Teotihuacan pyramids, a ‌popular tourist and archaeological site outside of Mexico City, authorities say. The perpetrator later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Monday, local officials said. The State of Mexico said four of the injured ⁠victims were shot and two others suffered from falls. “Care is being provided to the people who were affected, and the presence...

Trump says U.S. seized Iranian ship trying to get past blockade near Hormuz

(Al Jazeera Media Network) US President Donald Trump has said United States forces have seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to get past his country’s naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz. There was no immediate comment from Iran. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump said the ship, named Touska, was warned by a US Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman to stop, but its “crew refused to listen”. He added...

Ukraine police chief resigns after officers allegedly fled deadly shooting

(BBC News) The head of Ukraine's patrol police, Yevhen Zhukov, has resigned after two of his officers faced criticism for allegedly fleeing a deadly mass shooting in the capital, Kyiv. Six people died and 14 others were injured on Saturday after a man opened fire on people in the street in Kyiv's southern Holosiivskyi district before taking others hostage in a nearby supermarket. He was later killed in a shootout with police. Footage has since been...

Strait of Hormuz closed again, Iran says, as ships attacked

(BBC News) Iran says it is closing the Strait of Hormuz again to commercial vessels and that any ship that approaches it will be targeted. The closure came as reports emerged of vessels in or near the strait, including a tanker, were targeted by Tehran on Saturday. The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) blamed a continuing US blockade for its decision, which comes a day after Iran's foreign minister announced the key global shipping channel had...

Oil prices drop as Iran says Strait of Hormuz ‘open’ during ceasefire

(BBC News) Oil prices have plummeted after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz would be "completely open" to commercial ships for the remainder of the ceasefire in the US-Israel war with Iran. The cost of a barrel of Brent crude fell to $88 per barrel after the announcement, having been above $98 earlier on Friday. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow strip of water south of Iran through which a fifth of the world's oil...