Latest news bulletin | April 17th, 2026 – Evening

US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday, which has now come into effect to bring a temporary moment of respite after weeks of ongoing Israeli strikes. And though the Iran-backed Hezbollah, whom Israeli forces are fighting, are not party to the deal, Trump says they will abide by its terms. I think they will. I think it's going to be actually it's very exciting because it's 48 years. Uh we're going to be meeting with Bibi Netanyahu, as you know, and the president of Lebanon. And I had a great talk with both of them today. They're going to be having a ceasefire. And that'll include Hezbollah. News of the truce was well received in Lebanon, with people firing tracer rounds in celebration, and also by the international community. We welcome uh steps that would end hostilities and suffering on both sides of the blue line. The United Nations through our political and peacekeeping missions remains ready to support these efforts and continues to urge the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701. Uh and that uh full implementation is towards a permanent ceasefire and long-term solution to the conflict. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the opportunity for peace with Lebanon, but stressed that Israeli troops will not withdraw from their occupied so-called security zone. Israel says it also reserves the right to attack at any time to respond to any threat it perceives, even preemptively. The Lebanese Health Ministry says Israeli strikes since the beginning of the war in Iran have killed at least 1,200 people, injured thousands, and displaced roughly 1.2 million. The Iranian Foreign Minister Sayed Abbas Araqchi declared the Strait of Hormuz completely open for business for the remainder of the 10-day ceasefire brokered yesterday between Israel and Lebanon. Vessels will be allowed to pass along the coordinated route announced by the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran. The announcement came as a coalition of mainly NATO countries were having talks in Paris to prepare a plan to resume navigation through the waterway, a key oil route choked off by the US-Israeli war on Iran. French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting the hybrid meeting, which is also joined by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but not the United States. Sorry. The mission is set to include military ships, mine-clearing operations, and radar capabilities. The leaders spearheading the mission insist it will be strictly defensive. Also, Chancellor Merz said German participation could only occur after a provisional ceasefire and a mandate within a collective security framework, preferably from the United Nations, as well as approval from the German government. The coalition was pushed to create a plan after US President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to NATO allies. The waterway's closure is set to trigger even more economic pain if efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire failed. Europe could face a shortage of jet fuel in the coming weeks, said the head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, on Thursday, warning of a possible flight cancellations soon if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war. We are in Europe, we have maybe 6 weeks or so jet fuel left. If we are not able to open the Strait of Hormuz, if the refineries as a result of start to work, uh I can tell you soon we will hear the news that some of the uh the flights from city A to city B might be canceled as a result of lack of jet fuel. Last week, the Airports Council International Europe wrote to the European Commission saying shortages of jet fuel could begin at the beginning of May if tankers do not begin sailing through the Hormuz. The situation varies considerably across the continent. Austria, Bulgaria, and Poland have comfortable stocks. For Britain, Iceland, and the Netherlands, it is the opposite. France is somewhere in the middle, and the impact won't be the same for all airports and airlines. Airlines for Europe, a trade association that includes Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, and Ryanair, has been urging the European Union to begin providing real-time information on jet fuel stocks at airports. For 1.5 million displaced Palestinians, the choice is between enduring harsh conditions in a tent or returning home to unsafe living conditions, including roofs at risk of collapse. By mid-2025, around 90% of Gaza's population have been displaced from their homes, many of them more than once. Now, thousands returning to neighborhoods face the unprecedented scale of the destruction. The United Nations estimates that around 320,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged, equivalent to 81% of buildings in Gaza. Winter in the strip has further intensified already dire living conditions for Palestinians. Heavy rain has flooded tents, creating cold, damp conditions that leave many vulnerable to hypothermia, but the rain also exposed the fragility of the damaged homes. Water seeping into the soil beneath these damaged structures significantly increases the risk of sudden collapse. In addition to the structural hazards, returning residents face another threat, that of unexploded devices buried beneath the rubble. The United Nations has also warned that Gaza's debris contains hazardous materials, including asbestos, as well as industrial and medical waste. But Gazans face a long road ahead of them. The UN predicts the removal of rubble alone could take up to 7 years, and the reconstruction of Gaza could take decades and is expected to cost over 40 billion US dollars. On this second leg of his African tour, Pope Leo on Thursday traveled to the western Cameroonian city of Bamenda, preaching a message of peace to a region that's been at the epicenter of a separatist conflict that humanitarian groups have called one of the world's most neglected crisis. Jesus told us, blessed are the peacemakers. But woe to those who manipulate religion in the very name of God for their own military, economic, or political gain. Pope Leo's message follows his speech given on Wednesday upon his arrival in the central African country, where he urged the Paul Biya government to root out corruption. President Biya, who at 93 is the world's oldest leader, sat passively as Pope Leo read his speech in French at the presidential palace in Yaoundé. Being the first pope to visit Cameroon since 2009, many cheering Cameroonians gave Pope Leo a raucous welcome, lining the road into the capital Yaoundé from the airport, dancing and waving palm fronds as the pope's motorcade whizzed by. Ahead of the visit, the Vatican had said fighting corruption in Cameroon would be one of the themes of Leo's visit, and the pope did not hold back. They have been waiting for hours. These immigrants in Spain have been queuing to gather all the necessary documents to qualify for the fast-track immigration procedure. Despite the wait and technical issues, these immigrants remain optimistic. Spain's government finalized a migrant amnesty measure that it announced earlier this year, paving the way for immigrants living and working without authorization to apply for legal status. An estimated 500,000 people living in Spain without authorization could be eligible to apply, the government said. Those who meet certain conditions can now apply for 1-year residency and work permit. Bulgaria will on Sunday hold its eighth parliamentary elections in 5 years with former President Rumen Radev's new party leading polls in a vote many hope will end the now chronic political instability. According to the latest polls, Radev's progressive Bulgaria coalition, uh, formed in December, leads with 33% support, positioning him as a key power broker in what is expected to be another fragmented parliament. The election follows 5 years of near-permanent crisis in which no government has survived a full term. Instead, the country has cycled through caretaker administrations, fragile coalitions, and short-lived alliances that have often collapsed amid scandal. The elections also come after that of Hungary, which ended Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule last weekend, and showed that change is possible anywhere in Europe. But analysts fear Radev, an admirer of Orbán, could be the EU's next disruptor in chief.