Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi stated that no date has been set for the second round of talks between the United States and Iran. Speaking at a weekly briefing on Thursday, he said discussions between the two countries are ongoing on nuclear and other issues. Andrabi emphasized that Pakistan would not comment on the positions of Tehran or other parties involved and that maintaining confidentiality about the talks is essential.

He urged the media to refrain from speculation about the discussions. Andrabi added that decisions regarding participants and the size of delegations for the next round would be made by the parties themselves, and the schedule would be announced once finalized.

The statement comes as a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which began on April 8 following more than a month of conflict, is set to expire on April 22.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has welcomed the recently declared ceasefire in Lebanon, expressing hope that it will contribute to lasting peace in the region. In a post on social media platform X, he described the ceasefire as the result of ‘courageous’ diplomatic efforts led by Donald Trump.

Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s firm support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding that Islamabad will continue to back all initiatives aimed at achieving sustainable peace in the region. The statement came as Sharif is on a regional tour, having arrived in Qatar on Thursday for meetings with regional leaders. He previously visited Saudi Arabia and plans to travel to Turkey next.

According to the report, Pakistan has already hosted the first round of talks between the United States and Iran as part of a potential new phase of dialogue, with a second round expected in the coming days.

US President Donald Trump announced that Washington and Tehran are close to reaching an agreement, claiming that Iran has agreed to hand over its uranium. This development addresses one of the main obstacles in the ongoing negotiations between the two countries. Earlier, the United States had warned of renewed airstrikes and maintained naval blockades on Iranian ports if no agreement was reached.

At the same time, a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has come into effect. The Israeli military reported retaliatory strikes following rocket fire from Lebanon just before the truce began. Both countries’ prime ministers welcomed the ceasefire. Separately, the United States and Iran had also agreed to a different ceasefire arrangement.

Pakistan continues diplomatic efforts to facilitate dialogue between Washington and Tehran. On Thursday, Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir met Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, who led Iran’s delegation in the first round of talks last week that ended without agreement.

Gaza’s Civil Defense agency reported that four Palestinians, including a nine-year-old child, were killed in Israeli attacks across several areas of the enclave. The incidents occurred despite a ceasefire that has been in effect since October 10. According to the agency’s spokesperson, the child, Saleh Badawi, died after being shot in Gaza City’s Zeitoun area. Two brothers were killed in a drone strike near a school in Beit Lahia, and another man, Mohsin Oda al-Dabbari, was shot dead near Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

The Israeli military confirmed that it had killed two “terrorists” in Beit Lahia, claiming they crossed the “Yellow Line” and posed a threat to soldiers. It said it was still verifying reports about the deaths of the child and another person in southern Gaza. The ceasefire was implemented more than two years after the war began in October 2023, following Hamas’s cross-border attack.

According to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, at least 766 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, a figure the United Nations considers reliable. The Israeli military reported five soldiers killed during the same period, though AFP said it could not independently verify the casualty numbers due to restricted media access.

The White House has confirmed that it is reviewing reports concerning the mysterious disappearances and deaths of at least ten American scientists. Many of these individuals had access to classified information related to nuclear or space research. Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt stated at a Wednesday briefing that she had not yet spoken with relevant agencies but indicated that the administration believes a formal investigation may be necessary.

The list of missing persons includes senior researchers and contractors from some of the country’s most sensitive scientific institutions. Among them are Monica Jacinto Reza, a senior aerospace engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who disappeared in June 2025 while hiking in California, and Steven Garcia, a government contractor from the Kansas City National Security Campus who went missing in August 2025. Former Los Alamos National Laboratory employee Anthony Chavez and retired Air Force Major General William ‘Neil’ McCasland also vanished between 2025 and early 2026.

Reports also mention the unexplained deaths of several prominent scientists, including NASA’s Frank Maiwald in 2024 and Michael David Hicks in 2023, both from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with causes of death not publicly disclosed.

Bangladesh’s domestic borrowing has increased significantly over the past year, reaching Tk 10.94 trillion by the end of January 2026, up from Tk 9.42 trillion a year earlier. According to a Bangladesh Bank report released on Thursday, the government borrowed Tk 726.47 billion from domestic sources between July and January of the current fiscal year, compared with Tk 401.44 billion during the same period of the previous year.

The report shows that Tk 649.23 billion was borrowed from the banking sector and Tk 77.23 billion from non-bank sources during the first seven months of the fiscal year. Sector insiders said the borrowing occurred under the interim government to cover election expenses, new bank investments, and operational costs, as revenue collection fell short of targets. The government’s budget deficit for the fiscal year was set at Tk 2.21 trillion, or 3.5% of GDP, with plans to borrow Tk 1.25 trillion domestically.

By March 30, 2026, the government had already borrowed Tk 1.06 trillion, surpassing its full-year domestic borrowing target, with most loans sourced from the banking system.

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.

US President Donald Trump announced that Iran has proposed not to pursue nuclear weapons for more than 20 years. Speaking at the White House on Thursday, he said the United States and Iran were close to reaching an agreement, with the next round of talks possibly taking place on Saturday. Later in Las Vegas, Trump expressed hope that ongoing tensions could soon end.

He noted that earlier talks in Islamabad had stalled over disagreements about Iran’s nuclear program, but now the situation appeared more positive. Trump added that a potential deal could stabilize global energy markets, lower oil prices, and reduce inflation and nuclear risks. He also mentioned that it was still uncertain whether the two-week ceasefire that began on April 8 would be extended, though Tehran seemed interested in reaching an agreement.

The conflict intensified after a joint US-Israeli strike on February 28, which caused thousands of deaths and pushed oil prices above $100. Analysts believe a US-Iran deal could mark a major diplomatic success for the Trump administration and help keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz open.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed the ceasefire in Lebanon announced by US President Donald Trump. The ceasefire follows weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that began last month. The Saudi statement was released through the country’s official news agency, emphasizing support for peace efforts in Lebanon.

According to the ministry’s statement, Saudi Arabia praised the political leadership of Lebanon for its constructive role during the crisis. The statement specifically commended President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for their positive contributions toward achieving the ceasefire.

The announcement reflects Saudi Arabia’s endorsement of diplomatic efforts to stabilize Lebanon after the recent escalation of violence. The ministry’s remarks align with broader regional calls for de-escalation and political dialogue.

The Ministry of Education has dismissed as false a rumor circulating on social media and online portals claiming that the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination schedule would not be released to prevent cheating. In an official statement issued on Friday, the ministry clarified that no such decision had been made and that the reports were entirely baseless.

According to the ministry, a fabricated news item had spread online suggesting that students would only learn their exam subjects upon entering the examination hall. The ministry emphasized that this information was untrue and urged the public not to believe or share such misinformation.

The clarification aims to prevent confusion among students and parents ahead of the upcoming SSC examinations, ensuring that official updates will continue to come directly from the ministry.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah stated that there is no question of granting any reservation based on religion. He made the remark on Thursday, April 16, while presenting the Women’s Reservation Bill, the Delimitation Bill, and amendments to Union Territory laws in Parliament. Shah emphasized that the Indian Constitution does not permit religion-based reservations and reaffirmed the government’s position that providing such benefits to Muslims would be unconstitutional.

Following his statement, Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav asked whether Muslim women would be included under the proposed reservation framework. In response, Shah said that the Samajwadi Party could nominate Muslim women candidates if it wished, and the government would have no objection. During the discussion, Shah also mentioned that the government’s work on the national census is ongoing and that a caste-based count has been decided.

The remarks, reported by The Times of India, underline the government’s firm stance on constitutional limits regarding religion-based quotas and its ongoing demographic initiatives.

International Energy Agency (IEA) chief Fatih Birol has said that energy production across the Middle East, heavily damaged by the ongoing Iran war and subsequent attacks, could take about two years to return to normal levels. Speaking to a Swiss media outlet, Birol explained that the recovery timeline will vary by country, with some nations requiring more time than others to restore their energy infrastructure.

Birol noted that Iraq, for example, will need significantly more time than Saudi Arabia to resume pre-war production levels. He emphasized that, overall, the region’s energy output is expected to take roughly two years to reach the levels seen before the conflict began.

The IEA’s assessment highlights the scale of disruption caused by the conflict and underscores the challenges facing regional energy recovery efforts.

Jamaat-e-Islami has finalized its candidates for the reserved women’s seats in the upcoming 13th National Parliament. The party has given a green signal to seven nominees and instructed them to complete necessary preparations. Nomination forms have already been collected from the Election Commission, and the selected candidates are expected to submit them on Monday, a day before the deadline.

According to party sources, the women’s wing proposed a list that was reviewed and approved at the central executive council meeting on April 14. Confirmed nominees include women’s wing secretary Nurunnisa Siddika, assistant secretary Marzia Begum, human resources and legal affairs secretary Advocate Sabikun Nahar Munni, and regional representatives Mahfuza Siddika from Sylhet, Merina Sultana from Chattogram, Sajeda Samad from Bogura, and Mardia Momtaz from Dhaka. The party’s assistant secretary general Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair confirmed that the candidates have been instructed to prepare their documents for submission on April 20.

Jamaat-led 11-party alliance is expected to receive 13 reserved seats proportionally, with one seat allocated to the National Citizen Party and the rest to Jamaat. Final decisions on other alliance partners’ allocations are expected soon.

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.

French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin has said that European countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, and France possess mine-clearing capabilities that could help secure navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. In an interview with TF1 television, she stated that European nations are capable of escorting ships passing through this strategic waterway. She added that the issue would be raised at a meeting scheduled in Paris on Friday, aimed at demonstrating that U.S. allies are prepared to support free maritime movement through the strait.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical maritime routes, through which nearly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies are transported. The French minister’s remarks highlight ongoing international attention to maintaining security and freedom of navigation in this vital corridor.

The Paris meeting is expected to focus on coordination among allied nations to ensure safe passage for commercial vessels, reflecting broader efforts to safeguard global energy supply lines.