Web Desk/AFP

This live blog follows updates for Day 52 of the US-Israel war on Iran. For a recap of Day 51, go <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/usisrael-war-on-iran-day-51" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">here</a>.<hr><ul style="list-style-type: square;"><li id="isPasted" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Israel threatens force in Lebanon despite ceasefire tensions</li><li id="isPasted" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">US seizes Iranian ship, escalating maritime confrontation</li><li id="isPasted" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Iran condemns blockade, warns retaliation soon</li><li id="isPasted" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Strait of Hormuz remains high-risk for shipping</li><li id="isPasted" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Diplomatic efforts continue with talks planned in Pakistan.</li></ul><hr> US oil benchmark surges 7.5% as Middle East conflict escalates Published: April 20, 2026 | 00:15GMT | by Web Desk The benchmark US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), surged 7.5% on Monday, as Iran accused the United States of having broken a ceasefire in place since early April. WTI crude was trading up 7.5% at $90.17 per barrel, while international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude gained 6.5% to $96.27 per barrel. Iran&#39;s military said a US destroyer fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade a US naval blockade. Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for the world&#39;s oil and liquefied natural gas, has been virtually closed since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran. <hr> US destroyer fires on, seizes Iran cargo ship trying to evade blockadePublished: April 20, 2026 | 01:21GMT | by Web Desk A US destroyer fired on and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade a US naval blockade, President Donald Trump and the US military said. Trump posted on Truth Social that after the Iranian vessel, Touska, ignored warnings to stop, the guided missile destroyer USS Spruance &quot;stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room.&quot; Separately, the US Central Command released footage of enforcing naval &quot;blockade measures against an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel attempting to sail toward an Iranian port.&quot;

Americas

Middle East

West Texas Intermediate surges 7.5% as Iran accuses US of having broken a ceasefire in place; Iran's military says US destroyer fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade a US naval blockade.

US oil benchmark surges 7.5% as Middle East conflict escalates

MUNICH: Harry Kane scored his 32nd goal of the campaign as Bayern Munich cruised to a 4-2 home win over Stuttgart to claim a record-extending 35th Bundesliga title. Raphael Guerreiro, Nicolas Jackson, and Alphonso Davies joined Kane on the scoresheet, while Chris Fuehrich and Chema Andres scored for the visitors. Borussia Dortmund&#39;s limp 2-1 defeat at Hoffenheim on Saturday, their second in two matches, left the door open for Bayern, who only needed a point at home to secure the title with four games to spare. Coach Vincent Kompany left regular starters Kane, Michael Olise, Manuel Neuer, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah on the bench with Wednesday&#39;s German Cup semi-final at Bayer Leverkusen in mind. Bayern fell behind when Chris Fuehrich scored with 21 minutes gone but roared back, scoring three goals in seven minutes. Jamal Musiala created Guerreiro&#39;s opener before Luis Diaz laid on two goals in four minutes for Jackson and Davies to grab control of the match by the break. Kane grabbed another early in the second-half to ensure another Bundesliga crown was quickly added to his burgeoning team trophy collection. With victory secure, Bayern took their foot off the pedal as an assistant brought bags full with &#39;2026 Champions&#39; t-shirts to the sideline. Andres added a late goal for Stuttgart with two minutes remaining but Bayern were on cruise control with title celebrations in mind. Record-breaking Bayern&nbsp;The title victory once again illustrated Bayern&#39;s modern and historical dominance of German football. The Bavarian giants have now won 13 of the past 14 Bundesliga titles. Bayern have 35 league titles, with no other team reaching double figures. Bayern&#39;s wealth and influence outshine all of their domestic rivals, and this season has been truly remarkable. Bayern have scored 109 goals, the most in Bundesliga history and eight more than the previous record set back in 1971-72, with four games remaining. Free-scoring Bayern have 79 points and a goal difference of 80. If the season ended today, Bayern would become the first team to have a greater goal difference than points tally in Bundesliga history. With four wins in their remaining four games, Bayern could bring up 91 points, equaling the best mark set by their treble-bound side in 2012-13. Then there are the individual records. Kane, who became the first Englishman since 1930-31 to reach a half-century of goals in a season in all competitions on Wednesday, can still reach Robert Lewandowski&#39;s single-season goals record of 41. The England captain has 32 goals from his 27 games this campaign and is in with an outside chance of catching Lewandowski. Michael Olise has 18 assists, three shy of the all-time mark set by Thomas Mueller in 2019-20. Earlier on Sunday, Freiburg pushed last-placed Heidenheim closer to the drop with a 2-1 home win. Johan Manzambi put the Europa League semi-finalists ahead after 24 minutes, but Heidenheim&#39;s Budu Zivzivadze levelled things up just before the hour mark. Freiburg&#39;s Maximilian Eggestein scored the winner with seven minutes remaining to help his side leapfrog Eintracht Frankfurt into seventh spot. The defeat leaves Heidenheim, who hosted Chelsea in the Europa Conference League last season, seven points behind the relegation play-off spot and 11 from safety with four games to play. In Sunday&#39;s late game, Nadiem Amiri converted a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time to snatch a 1- 1 draw for Mainz at Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Football

The Bavarian giants have now won 13 of the past 14 Bundesliga titles. Bayern have 35 league titles, with no other team reaching double figures.



Kane scores as Bayern sink Stuttgart to claim Bundesliga title

MANCHESTER: Martin Odegaard said he still believes Arsenal can win a first Premier League title since 2004 despite their devastating 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.&nbsp;Pep Guardiola&#39;s City will leapfrog the Gunners if they beat struggling Burnley on Wednesday as they hunt a seventh league title in nine seasons.&nbsp;Erling Haaland scored the winner in the second half at the Etihad Stadium after Rayan Cherki&#39;s superb opener was cancelled out by Kai Havertz.&nbsp;Arsenal captain Odegaard said the game was decided on small margins.&nbsp;&quot;We played a good game, I thought we pressed them really well, we had some really good moments there on the high press,&quot; the midfielder told Sky Sports.&nbsp;&quot;And then, especially the second half, we looked a lot more dangerous, we had a few big, big moments there in front of goal.&nbsp;&quot;Small margins to decide a game like this, and we weren&#39;t sharp enough in front of the goals. That&#39;s why we go home with nothing, so I&#39;m disappointed.&quot;&nbsp;Arsenal have suffered seven defeats in 55 matches this season, in all competitions. Three of those came in the first 49 matches, with four in the past six.&nbsp;Odegaard was asked whether Mikel Arteta&#39;s men, who host Newcastle next week, would have the added difficulty of a &quot;psychological barrage&quot; following their collapse in form.&nbsp;&quot;There&#39;s always that in football, there&#39;s always pressure, always noise, and that&#39;s a part of being a football player at this level, so that&#39;s completely normal to us,&quot; said the midfielder.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;re just going to keep going, stay focused on ourselves like we&#39;ve done the whole season -- just look forward to the next game now and bounce back, get a win there and move on.&quot;

Martin Odegaard insists Arsenal can still win the Premier League despite a 2-1 loss to Manchester City, blaming missed chances and small margins while urging focus and recovery.

Arsenal still believe in title hopes despite City loss: Odegaard

WASHINGTON: Eight children were killed in a shooting spree early Sunday in the southern US state of Louisiana, in what police said appears to have been an incident of domestic violence. The gunman, who was not immediately identified, was fatally shot by police after a car chase, officials said. The incident took place in the city of Shreveport, in northwestern Louisiana. &quot;This is a rather extensive crime scene spanning between two residences,&quot; police Corporal Chris Bordelon told a press conference, adding that a third residence was also part of the scene being combed by investigators. The victims ranged in age from one to 14, Bordelon said. &quot;Some of the children inside were his descendants,&quot; he added. Two other people were struck by gunfire, but their conditions were not immediately known. The suspect carjacked a vehicle and led police on a chase before officers opened fire and the assailant was killed. &quot;We do believe him to be the only individual that fired gunshots at these locations,&quot; Bordelon said, calling the incident a &quot;domestic disturbance.&quot; The United States, where firearms are readily available, is a frequent scene of gun violence, with thousands of people killed every year. &quot;It&#39;s a terrible morning in Shreveport and we all mourn with the victims,&quot; Mayor Tom Arceneaux said at the press conference.

Eight children were killed in a shooting spree early Sunday in the southern US state of Louisiana, in what police said appears to have been an incident of domestic violence

Eight children dead in US domestic violence shooting: police

COLOMBES: Bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled underground detonation of a World War II explosive near Paris on Sunday, an AFP journalist reported, after authorities evacuated more than a thousand residents.&nbsp;Nearly 800 police cordoned off the site in the northwest suburb of Colombes, where the device was first discovered on April 10.&nbsp;An AFP journalist heard the explosion around 3:20 pm (1320 GMT) as experts detonated the bomb in a two-meter-deep (6.5-foot) pit.&nbsp;Officials also confirmed the operation had been carried out.&nbsp;The controlled explosion was ordered after specialists had failed in one bid to remove the detonator from the explosive, which measured more than one meter in length, excluding the tail section.&nbsp;Footage of the operation showed rusted metal fragments at the bottom of a sand pit, reinforced with thick timber planks and concrete walls.&nbsp;Residents within a 450-metre radius were told early Sunday to move to local reception centers. Authorities expect to allow them back into their homes later in the day. Some local roads were closed to traffic and public transport.&nbsp;Local official Alexandre Brugere on Thursday had described the operation as &quot;risky&quot; and requiring a &quot;high level of preparation&quot;.&nbsp;Unexploded World War II ordnance is still found across Europe, particularly in Germany where bombs are regularly discovered on construction sites, 80 years after the conflict ended.&nbsp;In 2025, the discovery of a 500-kilogramme wartime bomb halted traffic at the Paris Gare du Nord station, France&#39;s busiest railway terminus.

Europe

Bomb disposal experts detonated a World War II explosive in Colombes Paris after failed defusal attempts. Over 1,000 residents were evacuated, 800 police secured the area, and expect residents to return after the controlled blast.

Experts carry out controlled blast of WWII bomb near Paris

RABAT: Thousands of Moroccans gathered in Rabat on Sunday to voice their support for the Palestinian cause and protest a new Israeli law that would allow the execution of Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks. The crowd of around 5,000 people marched down the capital&#39;s Mohammed V Avenue in the centre of town, with many carrying Palestinian and Moroccan flags, AFP journalists reported. The protest was called by the National Action Group for Palestine, which brings together Islamists from the Justice and Development party and left-wing activists. Marchers chanted &quot;no to the death penalty&quot; and &quot;no to occupation and Zionism&quot;, as well as slogans criticising Israel&#39;s conduct of the war in Gaza. &quot;We&#39;re sending our support to Palestinian prisoners who are threatened by this new law on the death penalty,&quot; said Aziz El Hannaoui, a member of the organising coalition. The Israeli law makes the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank found guilty of intentionally carrying out deadly attacks deemed &quot;acts of terrorism&quot; by an Israeli military court. It also allows the death penalty to be applied in murder cases tried in Israeli criminal courts if the perpetrator intended to &quot;put an end to the existence of the State of Israel&quot;. Critics have said that by effectively creating a separate legal track for Palestinians, the law appears to conflict with Israel&#39;s Basic Laws, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. After its passage, the law was condemned by the Palestinian Authority, activists and several foreign governments, and immediately drew a court challenge. While the death penalty exists for a small number of crimes in Israel, it has become a de facto abolitionist country -- the Nazi Holocaust perpetrator Adolf Eichmann was the last person to be executed in 1962. The protesters in Rabat on Sunday also renewed their criticism of Morocco&#39;s normalisation of ties with Israel in 2020.&nbsp;

Thousands of Moroccans gathers in Rabat to voice their support for the Palestinian cause and protest a new Israeli law that would allow the execution of Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks

Moroccans protest Israel death penalty law at pro-Palestinian rally

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan&#39;s Taliban have built a nationwide system of public executions and mass floggings, carrying out corporal punishment on at least 1,200 people and executing convicted murderers in sports stadiums and provincial squares, according to official Taliban Supreme Court records and data compiled by a local news outlet.&nbsp; Public floggings rose by 92% in a single month, from March 21 to April 19, 2026, as reported by Amu TV based on Taliban court statements. At least 115 people, including 14 women, were punished across 19 provinces.&nbsp;Kabul recorded the highest single-month toll with 24 floggings, followed by Nimroz with 17, and Nangarhar and Khost with nine each. Every capital sentence requires the personal sign-off of Supreme Leader Amirul Momineen Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada before implementation, according to the Supreme Court&#39;s own published records. Official documents describe this final review as an act of &quot;ultimate caution.&quot; The Supreme Leader convenes a council of senior religious scholars to examine each case before issuing the execution order. Executions in stadiums and squares At least four public executions have been documented through official Taliban channels since August 2021. The first took place in Farah province in 2022-23, attended by Chief Justice Sheikh Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, per Supreme Court records. Two men were then executed simultaneously at the Ali Baba football stadium in Ghazni on February 21, 2024, one convicted of a knife killing, another of a separate murder, after what the Supreme Court described as &quot;full and repeated&quot; investigation. In Paktia&#39;s provincial capital, Gardez, Muhammad Ayaz was executed for killing a man with a Kalashnikov rifle. The victim&#39;s family was &quot;repeatedly offered the opportunity for forgiveness and peace&quot; but insisted on execution, per official statements. Most recently, on December 2, 2025, Mangal, son of Tala Khan, was shot in Khost&#39;s sports stadium for premeditated murder, with the court citing a Quranic verse in its official announcement. Floggings by province and offense Supreme Court records from February and March 2026 document the geographic spread of floggings. In Farah&#39;s Balabuluk district, 14 individuals received between 20 and 39 lashes each on sodomy charges, while five others, including one woman, received public punishment for &#39;illicit relations&#39; and theft. In Maidan Wardak, four people, including one woman, were publicly flogged for adultery and sodomy.&nbsp; In Kabul&#39;s Char Asiab district, two people,&nbsp;including one woman, were punished for illicit relations and fleeing home. A theft conviction in Zabul carried 39 lashes and three years in prison; another in Ghazni drew one year imprisonment alongside discretionary punishment, per the same records. The court&#39;s General Directorate of Judicial Research and Studies issued 81 technical legal opinions during Ramadan, February 2026, alone to ensure punishments &quot;conformed to Hanafi jurisprudence,&quot; according to the Supreme Court&#39;s quarterly report. Scale of the apparatus The judicial machinery extends beyond punishment. The Ministry of Justice handled 33,700 property petitions and 57,000 commercial loan disputes in 2022-23 and returned over 308,935 acres of land to state control, according to its annual report. In November 2025, 7,521 prisoners were released or had sentences reduced following inspections ordered by the Chief Justice, according to Supreme Court records. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, whose X account has approximately one million followers, directly announces executions and dismisses UN criticism as &quot;contrary to reality,&quot; according to a Semantic Scholar study on Taliban digital strategy.&nbsp; The Taliban&#39;s supreme leader used the same channels in August 2025 to warn that &quot;God will severely punish Afghans ungrateful for [not accepting the Taliban&#39;s] rule,&quot; as reported by PBS. The United Nations and multiple human rights organizations have condemned the use of corporal punishment and public executions in Afghanistan.

Afghan men armed with guns and rifles march to show their solidarity with Taliban personnel in the Zazai Maidan district of Khost province on March 27, 2026. (AFP)

Afghanistan

Every capital sentence requires the personal sign-off of Supreme Leader Amirul Momineen Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada before implementation, according to the Supreme Court's own published records.

Lashed in public, shot in stadiums: Inside the Afghan Taliban's punishment machine

BEIJING: A humanoid robot competing against flesh-and-blood runners broke the world record at a Beijing half marathon on Sunday, showcasing the rapid technological advancement achieved by Chinese makers. Spectators lined the roads in Yizhuang in the capital&#39;s south to watch the machines and their human rivals race, each group in a separate lane to avoid accidents or collisions. Some of the robots were highly agile, moving like famous runners such as Usain Bolt, while others had more basic capabilities. The winning humanoid, equipped with an autonomous navigation system and running for Chinese smartphone maker Honor, completed the roughly 21-kilometer (13-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, at an average speed of about 25 kilometers per hour, according to state broadcaster CCTV. That was far faster than the top human in Sunday&#39;s race, while also surpassing the current men&#39;s world record of 57:20 held by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo. The result represented spectacular progress from last year, when robot-runners fell repeatedly and the best took more than two hours and 40 minutes to finish. The number of humanoid entries jumped from around 20 last year to more than 100, according to organisers, a sign of the sector&#39;s growing popularity.&nbsp;&#39;Pretty cool&#39;&nbsp;Han Chenyu, a 25-year-old student who watched the race from behind a safety barrier, barely had time to take out her phone and snap a picture of the leading robot as it whizzed past. She told AFP she was enthusiastic about such leaps in technology and thought the event was &quot;pretty cool&quot;. But, she added, &quot;as someone who works for a living, I&#39;m a little worried about it sometimes. I feel like technology is advancing so fast that it might start affecting people&#39;s jobs&quot;, particularly with artificial intelligence growing increasingly sophisticated. Humanoid robots have become a common sight in China in recent years, in the media as well as in public spaces. Xie Lei, 41, who watched Sunday&#39;s race with his family, said robots could &quot;become part of our daily lives&quot; within several years, potentially used for &quot;things like housework, elderly companionship or basic caregiving&quot; or &quot;dangerous jobs, even firefighting&quot;. The humanoid half marathon aims to encourage innovation and popularize the technologies used in creating and operating such machines. In a sign of the industry&#39;s strength, investment in robotics and so-called embodied AI amounted to 73.5 billion yuan ($10.8 billion) in China in 2025, according to a study by a government agency. &quot;For thousands of years, humans have been at the top on planet Earth. But now, look at robots. Just in terms of autonomous navigation, at least in this specific sport event, they&#39;re already starting to surpass us,&quot; Xie said. &quot;On one hand, it does make you feel a little bit sad for humanity. But at the same time, technology, especially in recent years, has given us so much imagination.&quot;

Gadgets

The winning humanoid completed the roughly 21-kilometer (13-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, at an average speed of about 25 kilometers per hour, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Humans far behind as robot breaks record at Beijing half marathon

LONDON: British government ministers on Sunday backed embattled premier Keir Starmer as he struggles to shake off a scandal over long-time Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson. Starmer is due to face lawmakers in parliament on Monday to explain how Mandelson was appointed Britain&#39;s ambassador to the United States in late 2024 despite failing to pass security checks. The prime minister, who has been dogged by the controversy for months, said Friday that he and other ministers were not told Mandelson had failed the vetting process, calling that &quot;unforgivable&quot;. He has blamed foreign office mandarins for allowing Mandelson&#39;s appointment against the advice of security officials, and sacked the department&#39;s top civil servant Olly Robins on Thursday. But ex-civil servants have accused Dowing Street of scapegoating Robbins while opposition leaders have called for Starmer to quit, with accusations ranging from incompetence to wilful misleading of the public. Technology minister Liz Kendall told the BBC on Sunday that Starmer would not have appointed Mandelson had he known that he had not received the appropriate security clearance. Deputy prime minister David Lammy, who was foreign secretary when Mandelson was appointed to Washington, said the same in an interview with the Guardian published late Saturday.&nbsp;&lsquo;Made the right call&rsquo;Kendall said Starmer should remain in his job because he had &quot;made the right call&quot; on big issues, such as building closer relations with the European Union and limiting Britain&#39;s involvement in the US-Israel war on Iran. &quot;I think he is an honest man and a man of integrity who says it was a mistake to appoint him,&quot; she told Sky News. Lammy said it was &quot;inexplicable&quot; that the foreign office had kept Downing Street in the dark, telling the Guardian he had been &quot;shocked and surprised&quot; when he learnt what happened. Starmer, already widely unpopular with the British public due to several policy mis-steps, has faced repeated questions about his judgement for selecting Mandelson whose friendship with Epstein was well known.&nbsp;Mandelson&rsquo;s sacking&nbsp;He sacked Mandelson in September 2025 after new details emerged about the depth of Mandelson&#39;s ties to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges. UK police are investigating allegations of misconduct in office by Mandelson when he was a Labour minister more than 15 years ago. He was arrested and released in February. Mandelson has not been charged and denies criminal wrongdoing.

United Kingdom

Technology minister Liz Kendall says Starmer shall remain in his job because he has 'made the right call' on big issues, such as building closer relations with the European Union and limiting Britain's involvement in the Iran war.

UK ministers back Starmer amid fresh calls to quit

ISLAMABAD: The first Hajj flight under Road to Makkah project departed from Islamabad International Airport on Sunday, according to state-run Radio Pakistan. Pilgrims were seen off by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Sardar Muhammad Yousuf, along with senior officials, at the airport. Addressing the ceremony, Yousuf said Pakistan completed Hajj preparations within stipulated time with the support of the Saudi government, and the country is providing pilgrims with the best possible facilities.&nbsp;Road to Makkah project&nbsp;He highlighted that Road to Makkah project allows pilgrims to complete Saudi immigration and other formalities at their departure airport, making their arrival in Saudi Arabia smoother. This year, the initiative has been expanded to Lahore, in addition to Karachi and Islamabad, and is expected to benefit over 95,000 pilgrims. Pilgrims will also be provided with e-SIM cards, enabling them to remain in contact with their families in Pakistan. Other facilities include modern, comfortable tents and high-speed trains connecting Makkah and Madinah to ease travel. The minister expressed gratitude to Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, and Hajj Minister Tawfiq Bin Fawzan al-Rabiah for their support and guidance in facilitating the Hajj preparations.

Culture

Religious Affairs Minister Yousuf says Pakistan completed Hajj preparations within stipulated time with the support of the Saudi government, and the country is providing pilgrims with the best possible facilities.

US oil benchmark surges 7.5% as Middle East conflict escalates

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Experts carry out controlled blast of WWII bomb near Paris