Former US ambassador Donald Heflin has said that while there is optimism about a possible second round of talks between the United States and Iran, the process will not be easy. Speaking about the prospects of negotiations between Washington and Tehran, Heflin explained that the discussions would not simply result in an immediate ceasefire or a comprehensive written agreement to end hostilities.

He described the process as one that would move forward in stages, with partial agreements and occasional setbacks. Heflin noted that misunderstandings and accusations of bad faith could arise during the talks, yet both sides have incentives to reach a lasting ceasefire. He expressed confidence that such an outcome is achievable despite ongoing tensions.

Heflin also mentioned that US Vice President JD Vance is en route to Islamabad and suggested that Iran is likely to send representatives to participate in the discussions.

A new study titled “Assistance Reduces Persistence and Hurts Independent Performance” has found that while artificial intelligence (AI) tools can boost immediate task performance, they may harm long-term cognitive abilities such as independent thinking, persistence, and problem-solving. The research, jointly conducted by teams from the United States and the United Kingdom, involved 1,222 participants across multiple randomized controlled trials. After only ten minutes of AI use, participants showed signs of dependency, and when AI assistance was withdrawn, their accuracy and willingness to continue solving problems dropped sharply.

The study used an OpenAI GPT-5-based system to assist one group in solving fraction-based math problems, while another group worked without help. When AI support was removed midway, performance among AI users declined significantly, a pattern repeated in larger follow-up tests. Co-author Rachit Dube of the University of California, Los Angeles, warned that rapid AI adoption in education could create a generation unaware of its own capabilities, potentially harming creativity and innovation.

Researchers noted a positive finding: participants who used AI for hints or explanations, rather than direct answers, maintained better independent performance. The study has not yet undergone peer review and is considered preliminary.

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that no tolls will be accepted in the Strait of Hormuz. He made the remarks on Friday while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. When asked whether any restrictions or tolls would be imposed on vessels passing through the strait, Trump firmly replied that no tolls would be allowed under any circumstances.

Meanwhile, Iran announced that it will not impose any traditional fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the country is considering introducing a new type of fee to cover security-related expenses. According to Iranian National Security Committee spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei, Tehran will not apply conventional fees, but the parliament is currently drafting a bill to discuss the introduction of a security assurance fee for the strait.

The statements from both sides highlight differing positions over maritime charges in one of the world’s most strategic waterways, with Iran exploring legislative options while the U.S. rejects any form of toll.

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Chinese President Xi Jinping is 'very happy' about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said Xi was pleased that the vital maritime route had reopened quickly. The statement was published on April 18, 2026, according to the report.

Trump also commented on his upcoming visit to China, describing his planned meeting with Xi as 'special and possibly historic.' He added that he is looking forward to meeting the Chinese leader and expects significant achievements from the encounter.

The remarks come amid renewed attention to the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping passage, and ahead of a high-profile diplomatic meeting between the leaders of the United States and China.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has called on the global shipping industry to remain cautious following Iran’s recent claim that the Strait of Hormuz remains open. In an interview with BBC NewsHour, Dominguez said that while any progress is welcome, he is still verifying the circulating information about the situation.

Dominguez highlighted that around 20,000 sailors and nearly 2,000 ships remain stranded, describing this as the main concern. He emphasized that when vessel movement through the Strait resumes, it must do so safely. The IMO chief also noted that he currently has no specific security assurances regarding the area.

Until the situation becomes clearer, Dominguez urged all maritime operators to maintain heightened vigilance and prioritize safety in their operations through the region.

The International Monetary Fund has lowered its global growth forecast for 2026 from 3.3 to 3.1 percent, citing the economic fallout from the United States-Israeli war on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has disrupted vital energy exports and damaged Gulf infrastructure, while a prolonged war could push global growth down to 2.5 percent. Low-income and developing nations are expected to suffer most from rising energy and commodity prices, and global shipping faces additional strain.

Despite the downturn, several industries are thriving amid the turmoil. Wall Street banks such as Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan Chase reported double-digit profit increases in early 2026, driven by heavy trading activity. The crypto-based prediction platform Polymarket has also surged, earning millions in daily fees from users betting on geopolitical outcomes. Meanwhile, global defence firms are benefiting from rising military spending, and the AI sector remains resilient, with Taiwan’s chip exports and TSMC’s profits reaching record highs.

The war has also accelerated the global shift toward renewable energy. Governments across Asia are implementing emergency measures and new incentives to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, driving a 70.92 percent annual rise in the S&P Global Clean Energy Transition Index.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has described Iran’s decision to fully open the Strait of Hormuz for the remainder of the ceasefire as a “right step.” In a statement cited by BBC, Guterres said that the full restoration of international navigation rights and freedoms in the Strait must be respected by all parties.

The statement added that Guterres hopes this measure, alongside the ongoing ceasefire, will help build trust among the involved parties. He also expressed optimism that it would strengthen the dialogue currently being mediated by Pakistan.

The UN chief’s remarks come amid efforts to maintain stability in the region and ensure the free movement of international maritime traffic through one of the world’s most critical waterways.

Britain and France have announced a joint international mission aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made the announcement after a meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, stating that the mission will begin once conditions are favorable. The initiative is described as peaceful and defensive, focusing on protecting commercial vessels and assisting in mine clearance at sea.

Starmer called on other nations to join the mission, noting that at least a dozen countries have already pledged resources and equipment. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital route for global energy trade, and recent tensions have heightened concerns over maritime security in the area.

According to Starmer, maintaining the safety of this route is a collective responsibility of the international community to protect global trade interests.

Factory, a startup developing autonomous AI coding agents called Droids, is in discussions to raise $150 million at a $1.5 billion valuation. The funding round will be led by Khosla Ventures, with venture capitalist Keith Rabois joining the board. Other investors include Sequoia Capital, Insight Partners, and Blackstone. Factory’s technology allows its Droids to switch between AI models such as OpenAI’s GPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and China’s DeepSeek, depending on task complexity and customer needs.

The company’s flexibility has attracted enterprise clients including Morgan Stanley, Ernst & Young, and Palo Alto Networks. Factory’s CEO and co-founder, Matan Grinberg, said the ability to dynamically route between models has proven valuable, especially during outages at Anthropic. The startup positions itself as an enterprise-focused AI agent developer, contrasting with competitors like Cursor, which targets individual developers.

Grinberg, who left his PhD program at the University of California, Berkeley after being encouraged by Sequoia investor Shaun Maguire, founded Factory in 2023. The company now competes with Cursor, Cognition, and major AI labs developing their own coding tools.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is currently verifying recent announcements regarding the reopening of the Hormuz Strait for commercial navigation. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated on Friday that the organization is focusing on ensuring freedom of navigation for all commercial vessels and adherence to the IMO’s Traffic Separation Scheme to guarantee safe passage. He emphasized that under international law, no country has the right to close this international waterway.

Earlier, Iran and the United States had separately declared that the Hormuz Strait would remain open to commercial ships, particularly during the ongoing ten-day ceasefire in Lebanon. Tehran confirmed that there would be no restrictions on maritime trade during this period. Dominguez added that the safe repatriation of around 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor are among the IMO’s top priorities.

He called on all parties to engage in constructive diplomatic dialogue to calm the situation and restore normal maritime supply routes, stressing that reopening this vital route is essential for global stability and energy security.

Canva has announced a new integration with Anthropic Labs’ Claude Design, combining the Canva Design Engine and Visual Suite with Claude’s AI drafting capabilities. The collaboration allows users to transform AI-generated drafts and ideas from Claude into fully editable designs within Canva. These designs can then be customized, branded, and shared collaboratively, streamlining the process from concept to publication.

The update also introduces HTML importing and artifact editing, expanding Canva’s drag-and-drop editor to support interactive code and AI-generated content. This makes Canva the first platform to unify visual, document, and interactive content in one collaborative environment. Users can now edit coded creations from Claude directly in Canva, adjust layouts, and embed them into presentations or websites without regenerating code.

The announcement follows the launch of Canva AI 2.0 and builds on two years of collaboration between Canva and Anthropic. It reflects Canva’s broader goal of becoming the design layer of the internet, enabling users to refine and scale AI-generated content efficiently.

YouTube has introduced a new update allowing users to completely turn off the Shorts feed on its mobile app. The platform now lets users set the 'Shorts Feed Limit' to zero minutes, effectively removing short-form videos from their feed. This change expands on a feature first launched in October of the previous year, when the minimum limit was 15 minutes and users were prompted to take breaks after reaching that duration.

According to YouTube, the feature was initially part of parental controls but is now available to all users. When the setting is changed, some users may still see individual Shorts even if scrolling is paused. To activate the feature, users must go to Settings > Time Management > Daily Limit > Shorts Feed Limit and select zero minutes. The update also allows users to set a maximum viewing limit of up to two hours.

The new option aims to give users more control over their viewing habits and time management within the YouTube app.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer jointly chaired a meeting on Friday to discuss forming a multinational force to secure the Strait of Hormuz after the ongoing conflict between Iran, the United States, and Israel ends. The video conference, held at noon GMT, included nearly 30 European leaders and several others from outside the region. According to the Élysée Palace, the mission would ensure freedom of navigation and protect commercial shipping once conditions allow.

The discussions followed Iran’s blockade of the vital waterway after the U.S. and Israel launched military action against Tehran on February 28, which sharply increased global oil prices. Although a fragile ceasefire is in place, the U.S. continues to enforce its own blockade on Iranian ports. European leaders fear prolonged restrictions could worsen inflation, food shortages, and fuel disruptions. France’s foreign minister warned that the blockade is severely affecting the global economy and French citizens’ daily lives.

Officials said the proposed mission would only deploy after the war ends. Macron and Starmer are also leading efforts to form a European force to support Ukraine once its conflict with Russia concludes.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Iran will participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States despite ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Speaking at an economic conference organized by CNBC, Infantino said he remains confident that Iran will play its scheduled matches on U.S. soil. He emphasized that sports should remain separate from politics and expressed hope that the situation in the region would stabilize before the tournament begins.

Infantino explained that Iran earned its place in the tournament and represents its people, adding that FIFA’s role is to maintain bridges even during political tensions. His remarks followed Iran’s earlier request to change the World Cup venue due to its conflict with the United States and Israel, a proposal FIFA rejected.

According to the tournament schedule, the World Cup will open on June 11, 2026, across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Iran is set to begin its campaign on June 15 in California against New Zealand, followed by matches against Belgium and Egypt later in the group stage.

International oil prices declined after Asian markets opened, driven by optimism that the ongoing Middle East conflict could end soon following the implementation of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. As of 00:21 GMT on Friday, Brent crude futures dropped by more than one percent to 98.05 dollars per barrel, while U.S. crude prices fell below 94 dollars.

Earlier in March, oil prices had surged nearly 50 percent to record highs amid tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. Recently, prices have fallen below 100 dollars, though they have remained around the 90-dollar range throughout the week. The easing of geopolitical risks has contributed to the latest downward trend.

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that American officials may meet Iranian representatives in Pakistan this week, a potential diplomatic initiative that has drawn investor attention and added a positive tone to market sentiment.