POLITICS & POLICY

LONDON — King Charles III marked a quiet Easter Sunday on April 5, 2026, attending the traditional Matins service at St. George's Chapel in Windsor with Queen Camilla and senior royals, but Buckingham Palace confirmed he will not deliver a formal Easter message this year, drawing some criticism after recent Ramadan greetings.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito became ill during a Federalist Society event in Philadelphia on March 20 and was taken to a hospital for treatment of dehydration before returning home the same night, the high court confirmed Friday in response to previously unreported details of the episode.

Bahrain — Bahrain International Airport stayed closed to all commercial flight operations on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, as the kingdom's airspace remained fully shut down under orders from the Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs for safety reasons tied to ongoing regional conflict.

President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that the U.S. military successfully rescued a highly respected colonel and crew member officer who had been trapped behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, describing the operation as one of the most daring search-and-rescue missions in American history.

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Elon Musk threw his weight behind El Salvador President Nayib Bukele on Sunday, replying "Exactly" to a viral video clip in which Bukele questioned why some activists seem more concerned with the human rights of killers than with the rights of women who don't want to be raped or children who want to play safely in parks.

The U.S. military pressed ahead Saturday with a high-stakes search-and-rescue operation for a missing American airman after Iran shot down a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet on Friday, while Iranian state media urged citizens in rugged southwestern provinces to hunt for the "enemy pilot" and hand him over alive in exchange for a "precious prize."

Major corporations and financial firms continued shifting operations and talent out of New York City in early 2026, with low-tax states like Florida and Texas emerging as prime destinations amid concerns over taxes, regulations and quality of life.

More than five weeks into Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-led military campaign against Iran that began Feb. 28, 2026, a range of advanced weapons has shaped the conflict's deadly course. U.S. and allied forces have unleashed precision strikes on Iranian military targets, while Iran has responded with ballistic missiles, drones and air defenses that claimed at least one American aircraft.

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday, marking the first confirmed loss of an American manned combat aircraft since the outbreak of direct hostilities between the United States and Iran in late February 2026, U.S. officials and multiple news outlets reported.

Paula White Cain, President Donald Trump's longtime spiritual adviser and head of the White House Faith Office, has called on Christians to honor God by tithing the first 10% of their gross income to her ministry, which directs part of the funds toward humanitarian and reconstruction projects in Israel.

Iranian air defenses shot down a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet over central Iran on Friday, U.S. officials confirmed, as Tehran released images of wreckage that appeared to match the twin-engine strike fighter and escalated claims of capturing the crew.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the U.S. Army's top uniformed officer to step down and retire immediately, the Pentagon announced Thursday, in a surprise leadership shake-up as American forces continue airstrikes and other operations against Iran in a conflict now in its fifth week.

LONDON — Britain convened a virtual summit Thursday with about 40 countries to explore ways of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the vital Persian Gulf chokepoint effectively shut down by Iran during the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war, as global oil prices climbed on fears of prolonged disruption to nearly one-fifth of the world's seaborne crude and liquefied natural gas supplies.

President Donald Trump made several notable remarks about Australia throughout 2026, ranging from praise for bilateral trade and defense deals to pointed criticism over Canberra's level of support during the U.S.-led military operation against Iran.

President Donald Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night from the White House, offering his first prime-time update on the ongoing U.S. military operation against Iran and declaring that core strategic objectives are "nearing completion" while pledging continued "extremely hard" strikes over the next two to three weeks.

KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait International Airport stayed shuttered to commercial passenger flights Wednesday as authorities battled a major fire at fuel storage tanks following the latest in a series of Iranian-linked drone attacks that have crippled the Gulf nation's key aviation hub.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The strategically vital Strait of Hormuz stayed largely closed to normal commercial traffic Tuesday as the month-long Iran conflict continued, with only a handful of vessels transiting daily under tight Iranian oversight while the U.S. and allies debated military options to restore freedom of navigation and global oil flows.

JERUSALEM — Israel's parliament, the Knesset, approved a contentious law on Monday night making death by hanging the default sentence for Palestinians convicted in military courts of deadly terrorist attacks, a move championed by far-right ministers that critics condemned as discriminatory and a violation of international norms.

Usha Vance, the Second Lady of the United States and wife of Vice President JD Vance, has emerged as one of the most accomplished and low-profile figures in the current administration. Born Usha Bala Chilukuri to Indian immigrant parents, she has built an elite legal career while raising a growing family and supporting her husband's rise from author to vice president.

CANBERRA, Australia — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Monday that Australia will temporarily halve its fuel excise tax for three months, cutting the cost of petrol and diesel by about 26.3 cents per liter as global crude oil prices surged above $116 a barrel amid escalating conflict in the Middle East.

PHOENIX — More than six months after his assassination in September 2025, the words of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, remain a rallying point for conservatives across the United States, with tributes, calendars and social media posts keeping his message of faith, freedom and personal responsibility alive into March 2026.

PHOENIX — Arizona will not rename the Loop 202 freeway after conservative activist Charlie Kirk following Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs' veto of a Republican-backed bill on Friday, March 27, 2026, in a move that reignited partisan tensions over public memorials and the legacy of the slain Turning Point USA founder.

WASHINGTON — More than 2,000 people have been killed since the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, igniting a high-intensity conflict that has seen Iranian retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the Middle East, with civilian deaths in Iran forming the vast majority of the toll.

WASHINGTON — As U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) ramps up her campaign for Tennessee governor in 2026, the 73-year-old lawmaker continues to captivate attention with a career that blends small-business grit, entertainment industry roots and staunch conservative advocacy.

MELBOURNE, Australia — HESTA, one of Australia's largest industry superannuation funds serving health and community sector workers, is navigating leadership upheaval with the announcement that its third C-suite executive in under 12 months is departing, even as the $100 billion-plus fund delivered solid investment gains for members in 2025 and advocates for major retirement system reforms.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Air travel across the Middle East remains in turmoil as of late March 2026, with major airports operating under severe restrictions or partial closures following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory actions that triggered widespread airspace shutdowns.

Iran has begun charging some commercial vessels up to $2 million per voyage to pass through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, effectively establishing an informal toll on one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints as the US-Iran war disrupts global oil flows and shipping routes.

Kuwait International Airport (KWI) is not open for regular commercial passenger operations today, with all civilian flights suspended indefinitely due to ongoing security threats and damage from multiple Iranian drone strikes, including a fresh attack on a fuel tank that sparked a fire on March 25, authorities and aviation officials confirmed.

The ongoing US-Iran war, now in its fourth week, has triggered the largest global energy supply disruption in decades through attacks on infrastructure and threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz