Iran tightens control of Hormuz

Plus, Trump’s DOJ has cut thousands of law-enforcement jobs.

Get full access to Reuters.com for just $1/week. Subscribe now. Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Kate Turton Hello. Iran tightens control of Hormuz after the US calls off renewed attacks, sources say US Navy Secretary Phelan has been fired, and the Iran war revives European rooftop solar demand to cut energy bills Plus, Trump’s DOJ has cut thousands of law-enforcement jobs while vowing to get tough on crime. We are conducting this short survey to better understand how you interact with the Live blog on Reuters. The survey results will help us to provide our readers with the highest quality products.   Today's Top News   Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz. REUTERS/Stringer Middle East Iran seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz as it tightened its grip on the strategic waterway after US President Donald Trump announced he was indefinitely calling off attacks, with no sign of peace talks restarting. Follow live. The US will host a second meeting between Lebanese and Israeli envoys, with Beirut seeking the extension of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, ‌a day after Israeli strikes killed at least five people including a journalist. In other news Trump's $400 million White House ballroom is drawing ethical scrutiny. Jarrett Renshaw explains why the anonymity of its private donors is a problem. Listen now. Navy Secretary John Phelan has been fired, a US official and a person familiar with the matter said, in ‌another wartime shakeup at the Pentagon coming just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ousted the Army's top general. Britain's King Charles heads to the US next week for the most high-profile trip of his reign so far, on a mission to shore up the future of the two allies' "special relationship" which the Iran war has plunged to its lowest point in 70 years. Two local trains collided head-on north of the Danish capital Copenhagen, injuring 17 people, five of them critically, emergency services said. The veteran leader of Russia's Communist Party has warned parliament that the country's faltering economy risks stoking a revolution and that the government needs to take urgent measures to correct ‌its course. Pope Leo returns to Rome after wrapping up ‌an ambitious four-nation Africa tour in which he forcefully decried the direction of global leadership, and denounced despotism and war. Business & Markets   A farmer harvests a field of lentils in Pullman, Washington. USA Pulses/Handout via REUTERS The US farm economy has been pummeled by low crop prices caused by a grain oversupply, tit-for-tat tariffs triggered by Trump's trade war and skyrocketing prices of fertilizer and diesel. But pulses - which include peas, lentils and chickpeas - have been a bright spot due to rising demand for protein-infused foods. SpaceX is telling prospective investors its board will not need ‌a majority of directors who are independent of the company, according to an excerpt of its IPO filing reviewed by Reuters, underscoring how founder Elon Musk is retaining control of the rocket and artificial intelligence maker. US airlines are seeing their best passenger numbers ever, cramming more people onto their planes and boosting revenues, yet in a cruel paradox, a war thousands of miles away is torching profits through a crushing fuel cost burden. Demand for rooftop solar systems across Europe has surged since the start of the Iran war, as households rush to shield themselves from soaring power prices triggered by the worst global energy disruption in history. Economists gathered this week for the IMF and World Bank meetings amid soaring oil prices. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss how debt-laden countries face an impossible task of managing inflation, higher rates and defence demands while protecting voters. Trump’s DOJ cut thousands of jobs while vowing to get tough on crime   The Trump administration has cut more than 4,000 employees from some of the nation’s top law-enforcement agencies, even as it vowed to crack down on crime, according to records obtained by Reuters. The records, from the US Justice Department’s management unit, show that the total number of employees at the FBI has dropped more than 7% since the government’s ‌2024 fiscal year, a loss of about 2,600 people. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s staff has dropped by about 6%, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives lost about 14% of its workers. Read more And Finally... Motorists take the ramp off Taipei Bridge, at a location known to locals as the Scooter Waterfall, during morning rush hour. REUTERS/Edgar Su Thousands of scooter commuters descend the ramp off Taipei Bridge during morning rush hour, creating a striking cascade known locally as the Scooter Waterfall. View the pictures   Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website   Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. This email includes limited tracking for Reuters to understand whether you’ve engaged with its contents. For more information on how we process your personal information and your rights, please see our Privacy Statement. Terms & Conditions   © 2026 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036

Trump declares Iran ceasefire extension

Plus, Apple's strengths may become its constraints.

Get full access to Reuters.com for just $1/week. Subscribe now. Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Kate Turton Hello. Trump declares an Iran ceasefire extension with the Hormuz strait still blocked, and the US turns to Ukrainian counter-drone tech. Elsewhere, Apple's strengths may become its constraints in the AI era, and how would you feel if your company decided to track your mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes?  Today's Top News   Children play with bubbles at the seafront, amid a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel. Beirut. April 21, 2026. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir President Donald Trump called off attacks on Iran indefinitely, though the Strait of Hormuz remained blocked with three ships reportedly hit by gunfire, and neither side showed up for peace talks in Pakistan. Russia has repeatedly launched drones and missiles on a flight path near the disused Chornobyl nuclear plant during attacks on Ukraine, elevating the risk of a major accident, Ukraine's top state prosecutor told Reuters. The US military has introduced Ukrainian counter-drone technology in recent weeks at a key US air base in Saudi Arabia, according to five people with knowledge of the matter. Pressure is mounting on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after testimony from a former foreign ministry official over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. Elizabeth Piper tells the Reuters World News podcast why Olly Robbins' testimony could be Starmer's undoing.  North America Trump's aggressive campaign to deport immigrants could weigh on his Republican Party in November's midterm congressional elections, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. California’s crowded race for governor will get its first marquee moment since one-time frontrunner Eric Swalwell abruptly exited the contest, with four Democrats and two Republicans set to take the stage together to debate. Democratic US Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned, minutes before a congressional committee was set to hold a hearing on her punishment for ethics violations.  After securing a majority government in Canada last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney faces his biggest challenge: redefining trade with the US under Trump. Business & Markets   British inflation rose to 3.3% in March from 3.0% in February, according to data showing the first impact on prices from the Iran war which the ‌Bank of England fears could lead to a return of the country's persistently high inflation problem. In testimony at the Senate Banking Committee, Federal Reserve Chair nominee Kevin Warsh yielded plenty of insights about both his approach to the job and the heated politics of the moment. Here are five things we learned at his Senate hearing. Meta is installing new tracking software on US-based employees’ computers to capture mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes for use in training its artificial intelligence models. Read our exclusive. When incoming Apple CEO John Ternus takes over from Tim Cook this fall, he will face a question that is key to the company's survival in the AI age, testing the limits of Apple's practice of curating which apps and services can tap into its hardware. The Iran war has caused a shortage of Diet Coke in India, where it is sold only in aluminum cans that ‌have run short because of delayed shipments from the Gulf. Ukraine has told Hungarian oil group MOL that deliveries of ‌Russian crude will resume through the Druzhba pipeline, MOL said, potentially allowing Budapest to unblock a 90 billion euro loan for Kyiv. Syrian minorities refused asylum in Europe as rejections surge   Syrian refugee Mohamad takes boxing classes in Amsterdam. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw Thousands of Syrians' asylum claims have been rejected at a time when European governments are toughening their stance on applications from the country. The shift comes after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, and the end of country's 14-year civil war. According to the European Union Asylum Agency, 27,687 out of 38,407 Syrian asylum decisions in 2025 were negative. It said this was often due to procedural reasons. That's a 28% success rate compared with 90% in 2024. Read more And Finally... Anne Hathaway. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and their "The Devil Wears Prada 2" co-stars stepped out in style as they attended the film's premiere in New York City. View the pictures   Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website   Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. This email includes limited tracking for Reuters to understand whether you’ve engaged with its contents. For more information on how we process your personal information and your rights, please see our Privacy Statement. Terms & Conditions   © 2026 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036