20/04/2026

MONDAY | APR 20, 2026

9

Final deal far off, says Iran

OVERCOME DIVISIONS, POPE URGES ANGOLA KILAMBA: Pope Pope Leo urged Angolans yesterday to overcome divisions after decades of bloody conflict in an address to an estimated 100,000 people who flocked to a Mass in a dirt field near the capital Luanda. The pope called Angola, which experienced a bloody, 27-year civil war from 1975 to 2002, a “beautiful yet wounded country”. He urged Angolans to “build together a country where old divisions are overcome once and for all. Angola is one of the leading oil producing countries in sub Saharan Africa, but its population of 36.6 million is still confronting extreme poverty, with more than 30% living on less than US$2.15 (RM8.50) per day. – Reuters BRITISH MINISTERS BACK STARMER LONDON: British government ministers yesterday backed embattled premier Keir Starmer as he struggles to shake off a scandal over Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson. Starmer is due to face lawmakers in parliament today to explain how Mandelson was appointed ambassador to the United States in late 2024 despite failing to pass security checks. Starmer said on Friday that he and other ministers were not told Mandelson had failed the vetting process. He has blamed foreign office mandarins for allowing the appointment against the advice of security officials, and sacked the department’s top civil servant Olly Robins on Thursday. But ex-civil servants have accused Downing Street of scapegoating Robbins and opposition leaders have called for Starmer to quit. – AFP LEBANESE ARMY REPAIRS ROAD, BRIDGE BEIRUT: Lebanon’s military said yesterday it had reopened a road and bridge damaged by Israeli strikes in the country’s south, as a 10-day truce holds between Hezbollah and Israel. The military said it “fully reopened” a road linking the city of Nabatieh with Khardali and had “partially reopened the Burj Rahal-Tyre bridge”. “Work is also underway to rehabilitate the Tayr Falsay-Tyre bridge.” Israeli strikes on bridges that cross Lebanon’s Litani river, which flows 30km north of Israel, have largely cut off the area south of the waterway from the rest of Lebanon. On Friday a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect. – AFP RESPECTFUL DIALOGUE WITH CUBA URGED MEXICO CITY: Mexico, Spain and Brazil voiced concern on Saturday over the “dramatic situation” in Cuba, which has faced months of pressure from the United States, with the trio urging “sincere and respectful dialogue”. Without mentioning the US, the three countries expressed “deep concern on the humanitarian crisis and call for the adoption of necessary measures.” In a joint statement issued by Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they called for a“sincere and respectful dialogue” in line with international law. The purpose should be to “find a lasting solution and to ensure that it is the Cuban people who decide their own future in full freedom,” the statement said. – AFP

TEHRAN: The strategic Strait of Hormuz was again closed yesterday in the stand-off between Iran and the United States, with Iran’s powerful parliament speaker signalling a final peace deal remained “far” off despite some movement in negotiations. As mediation efforts continued following high-level talks in Pakistan that failed to reach a deal, Iran said it will not allow the crucial maritime trade chokepoint to re-open until the United States ends a blockade of Iranian ports. Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a televised address on Saturday night that there had been “progress” with Washington “but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain”. “We are still far from the final discussion,” said Mohammad, one of Tehran’s negotiators in the talks aimed at ending the war launched by Israel and the United States against the Islamic republic. A two-week ceasefire is set to end on Wednesday unless it is renewed. US President Donald Trump said “very good conversations” were going on with Iran but warned Tehran against trying to “blackmail” the United States. On Friday, Tehran had declared the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually transits, open after a temporary ceasefire was agreed to halt Israel’s war with Iran’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. That prompted elation in global markets and sent oil prices plunging, but Tehran reversed course after Trump insisted the US blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a o Uncertainty hangs over Strait of Hormuz

BR I E F S

An Israeli peace activist riding an electric tricycle in Nahariya, northern Israel after a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect on Saturday. – REUTERSPIC

practical relations with Russia based on mutual respect and equal treatment.” Bulgaria has developed rapidly since the fall of communism in 1989 and joined the European Union in 2007. Life expectancy has risen sharply, unemployment is the lowest in the EU, and the economy has greater safeguards since joining the euro zone in January. But Bulgaria lags other EU countries in many metrics, and graft remains endemic, including in elections, where vote-buying is rife. The cost of living has become a particular issue since Bulgaria, a member of Nato, adopted the euro. The previous government fell amid protests against a new budget proposing tax rises and higher social security contributions. That and the recent political crisis appear to be as important to voters as Radev’s calls to improve relations with Moscow or resume Russian oil and gas flows to Europe. “Politicians need to come together and make decisions, not have constant conflicts and arguments, going from one election to another without getting anything done,” said Bogomil Bardarski, a 72 year-old metalworker who voted in the capital Sofia. – Reuters In a third incident, the UK agency said it received a report of a vessel “being hit by an unknown projectile, which caused damage” to shipping containers but no fire. The Indian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the Iranian ambassador to lodge a protest over a “shooting incident” involving two Indian-flagged ships in the strait. On the diplomatic front, Egypt, which has been involved in mediation efforts with Pakistan, appeared optimistic on Saturday with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty saying Cairo and Islamabad hoped to secure a final agreement “in the coming days”. – AFP

parliamentary election in five years, with the clear frontrunner, pro Russian former president Rumen Radev, promising to stamp out corruption and end a spiral of weak, short-lived governments. Radev, a eurosceptic former fighter pilot who opposes military support for Ukraine’s war effort against Moscow, stepped down from the presidency in January to run in the election, which comes after mass protests forced out the previous government in December. A slick social media campaign, deep coffers and a pledge of stability have boosted Radev’s support in the Balkan country of about 6.5 million, where voters are weary of repeated snap polls and a small group of veteran politicians widely seen as corrupt. “We need, finally, a path to democratic, modern European Bulgaria,” Radev said after casting his ballot in Sofia. “We need our very robust programme in the parliament to support the Bulgarian citizens to get out as soon as possible of this very difficult situation.” On relations with Moscow, he said, “I hope that we will develop Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that any attempt to pass through the strait without permission “will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted”. A handful of oil and gas tankers crossed the strait early on Saturday during the brief reopening, tracking data showed, but others retreated and hardly any vessels were crossing the waterway by the late afternoon. A UK maritime security agency said the Revolutionary Guards fired at one tanker, while security intelligence firm Vanguard Tech reported the force had threatened to “destroy” an empty cruise ship that was fleeing the Gulf.

final deal was struck. “If America does not lift the blockade, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be limited,” Mohammad said. Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written message that Iran’s navy “stands ready” to defeat the United States. Trump accused Iran of getting “a little cute” with its recent moves and warned Tehran not to try to “blackmail” Washington by flip flopping on the strait. “We have very good conversations going on,” he told reporters at the White House, adding that the United States was “taking a tough stand”.

Pro-Russia politician leads Bulgaria vote SOFIA: Bulgarians went to the polls yesterday in the eighth

Radev using an electronic voting machine in Sofia yesterday. – AFPPIC