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‘Blindsided’: US farmers strained as fertiliser costs surge on Iran war

On Andy Corriher’s farm in North Carolina, planting and preparations are underway for his corn and soybean crops — but fertiliser costs have surged on war in the Middle East, and orders he placed weeks ago have yet to arrive. The 47-year-old is among US farmers facing a double whammy of soaring fertiliser and diesel prices after US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered Tehran’s blockage of the Strait of Hormuz , a critical waterway for such shipments. “This time of year is when the majority of fertiliser is put out in this country,” Corriher told AFP . “We got hit at the worst possible time, because we’re trying to buy fertiliser when it skyrockets and when the supply also gets cut.” Andy Corriher examines his wheat crop at his farm in China Grove, North Carolina, on April 10, 2026. — AFP The cost hikes strike at a major support base for US President Donald Trump, who won 78 per cent of the 2024 vote in farming-dependent counties, said news service Investigate Midwest . Trump bl...
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High school shooting in Turkiye wounds 16; attacker dead

An ex-student opened fire at his former high school in Turkiye on Tuesday, where school shootings are rare, wounding 16 people, including students, before killing himself, officials said. Special security forces were deployed to the school in southeastern Turkiye’s Sanliurfa province, where students were evacuated, the local governor, Hasan Sildak, told reporters. The former student, 19, used a rifle during the attack, after which those wounded were rushed to a hospital in the Siverek district, Sildak said. Twelve of the wounded were still in the hospital. Local media reported that most of the wounded were students. Television footage showed ambulances standing by outside the school as students fled the building in panic. “He took his own life when cornered by police,” the governor said. “We have evacuated the school and will carry out a thorough investigation into this tragic incident,” he added. from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/pJZwAKm
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‘Liberated’: Hungarian youths celebrate Viktor Orban’s defeat

Hungarian youths danced and sang in the early hours of Monday in central Budapest to celebrate the end of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year “illiberal” rule following a resounding electoral drubbing . Strangers high-fived each others, cars honked, and youths ripped down government and ruling party anti-Ukraine billboards as many said they felt “liberated”. “At long last it feels so good to be Hungarian. It’s like a weight lifted off our shoulders,” Csilla Bekesi, 25, told AFP , celebrating with others on Budapest’s grand boulevard. “I still have goosebumps. My wildest dream came true,” said another youngster, 22 year-old student Andras Szabo, who came back to vote from Berlin. “For as long as I can remember, I have known Orban only as the leader, it was great he left at once,” he said, adding he felt a “novel sense of pride”. Orban, a defender of “illiberal democracy”, conceded defeat to conservative pro-European Peter Magyar, whose party won a two-thirds parliamen...
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Israel seeks to declare Turkiye ‘new enemy’, says FM Fidan after Netanyahu’s remarks on Erdogan

Israel “cannot live without an enemy” and its government is now trying to portray Turkiye as one, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday. “After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy,” Fidan said in a televised interview with Anadolu Agency . “We see that not only Netanyahu’s administration but also some figures in the opposition — though not all — are seeking to declare Turkiye the new enemy,” he said. “This is a new development in Israel… turning into a state strategy,” he added. Turkiye, a fierce critic of Israel, had joined diplomatic efforts with Pakistan and Egypt aimed at de-escalation during the US-Israeli war on Iran. Tensions between Turkiye and Israel have steadily escalated since the latter’s war on Gaza erupted following Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attacks. Netanyahu ‘described as the Hitler of our time’: Turkiye The dispute entered a new phase over the weekend after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned his US counterpart Donald Trump of “possible p...
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What does a US naval blockade of Iran mean for oil flows?

The US military said it would block shipping traffic in and out of Iran’s ports starting at 10am ET (7pm PKT) on Monday, a move that would prevent roughly two million barrels of Iranian oil a day from entering the world’s markets, further tightening global supply. Here are details on the planned blockade and its implications for oil markets. What was announced? After weekend peace talks in Islamabad between negotiators from the US and Iran ended without a deal, US President Donald Trump said the US Navy “will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz”. The US military’s Central Command (Centcom) later said the blockade would only apply to ships going to or from Iran, including all Iranian ports on the Gulf and Gulf of Oman. US forces would not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports and additional information would be provided, it said. Iran’s Revolutionary Gua...
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China offers incentives to Taiwan following opposition leader’s visit

China on Sunday unveiled 10 new incentive measures for Taiwan, including easing tourist curbs, allowing in “healthy” television ​dramas and facilitating food sales, following a visit by the island’s opposition ‌leader. The move comes at the end of a trip to China by Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s largest opposition party. She met Chinese President Xi Jinping and talked about ​the need for peace and reconciliation. The 10 measures, unveiled by the official ​Xinhua news agency, “explore” the establishment of a regular communication mechanism between ⁠the KMT and China’s Communist Party, the full resumption of flights between the ​two sides and permission for individuals from Shanghai and Fujian province to visit Taiwan. A ​mechanism will be established to ease inspection standards for food and fishery products, but that has to be on the political foundation of “opposing Taiwan independence,” Xinhua said. Taiwanese TV dramas, documentaries and ​animation...
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In pictures: VP Vance gets cordial send-off as Islamabad Talks conclude

Direct talks between the United States and Iran were continuing into the early hours of Sunday in Islamabad, but within hours, delegations from both sides were heading home. In the morning, US Vice President JD Vance addressed a press conference, noting there had been “a number of substantive discussions”. However, he said the two sides did not reach an agreement. Dawn takes a look at scenes from the day of the noteworthy US-Iran talks concluding. Freshly printed newspapers featuring a headline about the US and Iran peace talks in Islamabad, are kept on a table at a printing press in Karachi on April 12, 2026. — Reuters Vice President JD Vance arrives for a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran in Islamabad on April 12, 2026. — AFP US Vice President JD Vance and Jared Kushner arrive for a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran, on April 12, 2026, in Islamabad. — Pool via Reuters Vice President JD...
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