Portal:Current events/2026 April 23

April 23, 2026 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
  - 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    - United States president Donald Trump orders the navy to open fire on any Iranian vessels placing mines along the Strait of Hormuz, after the military reportedly observed an Iranian mine-laying operation. (CNN) (Axios)
  - Naval blockade of Iran
    - The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command conducts a boarding operation on the stateless tanker M/T Majestic in the Indian Ocean, alleged to be carrying US-sanctioned Iranian oil. (Al Jazeera)
  - An Israeli security source says that Israel is not conducting airstrikes in Iran following reports of explosions over Tehran, while defense minister Israel Katz states that the country is prepared to resume military action pending approval from the U.S. (AFP via Business Recorder)
- Hezbollah–Israel conflict
  - 2026 Lebanon war
    - 2026 Israel–Lebanon peace talks
      - U.S. president Donald Trump says that the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been extended to three weeks. (Al Jazeera) (AP)
Russo-Ukrainian war
- Dnipro strikes
  - Three people are killed and 10 others are injured in an overnight Russian drone strike on a 13-story apartment building in Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Christianity in Lebanon
- Italian soldiers install a new statue of Jesus in the Christian village of Debel, southern Lebanon, in place of a previous statue given by the Israeli military, who destroyed the previous statue with a sledgehammer, drawing widespread outrage. (OSV News) (UCA News) (The Jerusalem Post)

Business and economy

Japan's Nikkei 225 stock market index surpasses 60,000 points for the first time in a historic high, while South Korea's KOSPI also reaches a record high amid gains in technology shares. (AFP via Channels TV) (Nikkei Asia)
Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed as investors remained cautious despite a three-week extension of the 2026 Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, underscoring lingering geopolitical uncertainty. (CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

Drought in Horn of Africa, Famine in Somalia
- More than 6.5 million, mostly southern, Somalis face hunger amid climate shocks, drought, and conflict, with children facing acute malnutrition risks. (Al Jazeera)
European immigration crisis, African immigration to Europe
- A boat capsizes in waters between Algeria and Spain. At least 17 Somali migrants are killed. (AP)
2026 North Zealand train collision
- Eighteen people are injured, including five critically, when two trains collide near Hillerød, Capital Region, Denmark. (Reuters)
Eight people are killed and two others are injured when a vehicle loses control and plunges into a gorge in Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand, India. (Hindustan Times)
At least 10 people are injured and dozens of houses are leveled in an EF4 tornado in Enid, Oklahoma, United States. (KOCO-TV)
2026 Ōtsuchi wildfire
- Ōtsuchi issued an evacuation order for 1,880 residents. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Law and crime

Corruption in South Africa
- South African president Cyril Ramaphosa suspends national police commissioner Fannie Masemola pending investigation into allegations of procurement violations linked to a R332 million (US$20 million) police health services tender. (AFP via The Peninsula)
Protests against the 2026 Iran war
- Exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi is splashed with red liquid after leaving a federal press conference building in Berlin, Germany in which he criticized the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. (AP)

Sports