Rabia Ali
28 April 2026•Update: 28 April 2026
Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday, including the suspect in the White House correspondents' dinner shooting charged with attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump, four killed and 51 injured in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, and Iraq’s largest bloc naming Ali Al-Zaidi as prime ministerial candidate.
TOP STORIES
Cole Allen, the suspect in Saturday's shooting outside the White House Correspondents' dinner, was arraigned Monday in federal court on charges including attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump
Other charges Allen faces include transporting firearms and ammunition across state lines, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Attempted assassination of a US president carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Allen will remain detained pending a hearing on longer-term detention scheduled for Thursday. Allen, a 31-year-old California man, was apprehended after rushing a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton Hotel, where the annual dinner was being held.
At least four people were killed and 51 injured in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Monday, the Health Ministry said, despite a ceasefire being in place.
The ministry said a woman was among the dead, while the wounded include three children and six women.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli warplanes carried out a strike targeting the town of Majdal Zoun in Tyre district.
The Israeli army also conducted demolition operations in Hanin and carried out another large-scale blast in Chihine.
More than 2,500 people have been killed and over 1.6 million displaced by Israeli attacks across Lebanon since March 2, according to official Lebanese figures. Israel started the offensive soon after Hezbollah retaliated to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The Coordination Framework, Iraq’s largest parliamentary bloc, named Ali Al-Zaidi as its nominee for prime minister.
In a statement carried by the state news agency INA, the bloc said it held an “important” meeting at the government palace in Baghdad, describing the venue as “symbolic of the continuity of state institutions and the seat of the executive authority derived from the will of the Iraqi people.”
The bloc leaders hailed the performance of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s government over three and a half years.
It also praised the “responsible historical positions” of State of Law Coalition leader Nouri Al-Maliki and Sudani, head of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, for withdrawing their candidacies to lead the next government. Maliki was previously nominated by the alliance to become Iraq’s next prime minister, but the nomination was opposed by US President Donald Trump.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- A US warship prevented a crude oil tanker from sailing to an Iranian port over the weekend, the Central Command (CENTCOM) announced.
- Trump met his national security team to discuss Iran’s latest proposal, the White House said.
- Death toll in collision of two trains in the city of Bekasi in Indonesia’s West Java province rose to 14, with 84 injured.
- The UN reported 299 firing incidents originating from Israeli forces south of the Blue Line in Lebanon, marking "one of the highest volumes" recorded since the April 17 ceasefire.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz doubled down on criticism of the US and Israel over the prolonged war with Iran, and vowed that Europeans would step up diplomatic efforts to find a solution.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz amid stalled US-Iran peace talks.
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa is shifting its focus as the foundations of the international order begin to erode.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in St. Petersburg.
- Lebanon informed the US "from the very first moment" that a ceasefire is a necessary first step for any subsequent negotiations with Israel, President Joseph Aoun said.
- China said it opposes violent acts, after US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were evacuated from an event at the Washington Hilton following a shooting incident on Saturday night.
- Amnesty International has described the upcoming state visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla to the White House as “an act of national humiliation,” urging the UK government to adopt a firmer stance on human rights and international law.
- South Korea called for swift international action to address North Korea’s nuclear program, describing it as the most pressing threat to the global nonproliferation system.
- Iran's ambassador to the UN accused the US and Israel of waging an “unwarranted large-scale war of aggression” against his country, blaming them for escalating tensions and disrupting maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Israeli occupiers burned a Palestinian home and forced a family out after storming houses and attacking residents in the village of Jalud south of Nablus.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there are "promising signs" that the Palestinian group Hamas will demilitarize, noting the "entirety" of President Donald Trump's plan for the besieged Gaza Strip hinges on the action.
- Trump called for the immediate sacking of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for cracking a “despicable” joke about first lady Melania and their son Barron during a segment on his ABC program.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Commercial shipping traffic remained low around the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours ending at 1200GMT on Monday as talks between the US and Iran remained stalled.
Six vessels passed through the strait from the Arabian Gulf to the Oman Gulf, while four traversed from east to west.
According to AIS data, vessels passed through the strait from west to east included Barbados-flagged bulk carrier Kaia, from Iran to Oman, Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged bulk carrier Kaiser, from Iraq to Oman, Iran-flagged bulk carrier Bavand, from Iran to India, and others.
Europe has had to pay €27 billion ($32 billion) more for oil and gas imports since the start of the US and Israel’s war against Iran, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.
Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, von der Leyen said Europe is experiencing its second serious energy crisis in the last four years, and EU member states have to draw lessons from it.
“In 2022, (Russian President) Putin cut off our gas supply, and now it’s the Strait of Hormuz,” she told reporters. “Our heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels makes us vulnerable. We must reduce this dependence,” she said.
