https://www.csmonitor.comGlobal news coverage from The Christian Science Monitor.https://images.csmonitor.com/csm/2024/04/1172291_2_csmlogo_feed_250x30_standard.pnghttps://www.csmonitor.comChristian Science Monitor. All rights reserved.300en-usSat, 25 Apr 2026 11:55:46 EDThttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2026/0425/Iran-Pakistan-U.S.-Middle-East-Hormuz-Strait?icid=rss0c023dd75749c88bbe6b9ed8846560fcU.S. envoys headed to Pakistan on Saturday for another round of indirect talks with Iran. A ceasefire in the Middle East has mostly held, but shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is still blocked, which is being felt across the global economy. Sat, 25 Apr 2026 10:06:52 EDTSaad Sayeed, Ariba Shahid and Steve Hollandhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2026/0424/israel-lebanon-ceasefire-disarming-hezbollah-iran-war?icid=rssb0866090fc410a542d4b081614605027In this latest round of Israel-Hezbollah fighting, Lebanese civilians have once again paid a heavy price. Even as the ceasefire in Lebanon is extended, neither combatant is showing signs of backing down.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:01:55 EDTScott Petersonhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2026/0424/Japan-Takaichi-pacifist-constitution-reform?icid=rss0e919147a84df44c92a5cd306dc28bb4Constitutional reform is something Japan’s ruling party has long debated, but never been able to accomplish. Now, the country’s prime minister is using her popularity to push the matter forward.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:31:21 EDTAnn Scott Tysonhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2026/0424/gaza-elections-hamas-palestinian-unity-democracy?icid=rss06a252a4ae9401b049ed9d68e555191aMunicipal elections are being held Saturday in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, coinciding with voting in the West Bank. It’s the first time since 2005 that Gazans are able to vote. Water and sanitation are on the ballot, as is, symbolically, Palestinian national unity.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:06:47 EDTGhada AbdulfattahTaylor Luckhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2026/0423/India-voter-purge-West-Bengal-elections?icid=rssa30a2cca7520bd2c5e6590a253f521adHow does a government balance its responsibility to guarantee fair and secure elections with the need to protect citizens’ fundamental right to vote? A voter-roll clean-up in India is sparking allegations of suppression.Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:21:43 EDTAakash Hassanhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2026/0422/keir-starmer-peter-mandelson-olly-robbins-parliament-vetting?icid=rssfeda762c27a1936ea3c426dab7d8be91Keir Starmer became British prime minister in 2024, promising to bring stability to the U.K. Now he is under pressure to resign, accused of misleading the public.Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:36:13 EDTArthur Brighthttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2026/0422/haiti-journalism-gang-violence-newspaper?icid=rssd25657309e4dc1e4c76de4d3c64fd564Haiti’s longest-running newspaper has weathered dictatorships and natural disasters. Can it withstand growing criminal-gang control?Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:38:50 EDTLinnea Fehrmhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/2026/0422/mayan-women-softball-hondzonot-mexico?icid=rssa3a33a176f9abefea5b6dcabcb223a68Women were once unwelcome playing on the village ball field in Hondzonot, Mexico. That has changed for the team Las Diablillas.Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:58:31 EDTOscar Espinosa Laura Fornellhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2026/0421/peru-elections-china-chancay-fujimori?icid=rssa3f80744b7389075fa7c0bdedebe190ePeruvians say they welcome U.S. investment – but not at the expense of their relationship with China.Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:02:32 EDTHoward LaFranchihttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2026/0421/uganda-glaciers-melt-climate-adaptation?icid=rss4d39020b7d64fd81c70a06a46ccd017dGlaciers in the tropics are rare and melting quickly, reshaping the lives of the people who depend on them.Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:40:42 EDTSimon Verahttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2026/0420/lebanon-ceasefire-israel-hezbollah-civilians-homes?icid=rss17a13ef5d9863c8239b0e70e8de1ddc5As civilians displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon try to return to their war-damaged homes, a new Israeli occupation zone in the country’s south poses an obstacle for many. Meanwhile, the ceasefire has reduced but not eliminated the fighting.Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:57:14 EDTScott Petersonhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2026/0420/peter-magyar-reform-corruption-viktor-orban-fidesz-tisza?icid=rssde5628914b87c56c86fb45412323122dPéter Magyar is set to take Hungary’s reins with a supermajority’s powers – and experts say he’ll need it to undo Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule.Mon, 20 Apr 2026 14:12:54 EDTMark Sappenfieldhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2026/0420/iran-war-regime-change-hard-line-new-leaders?icid=rss5ffa7d05397b38af7b3dc9fa4cf751e0After the U.S.-Israeli war’s “decapitation” strikes against top Islamic Republic political and military leaders, who is this new generation that has taken the reins in Iran? They are more hard-line than their predecessors, and less willing to compromise.Mon, 20 Apr 2026 05:00:16 EDTScott Petersonhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2026/0420/russia-economy-small-business-entrepreneurs-interest-rates-taxes?icid=rssbfe113ef8a2e455eb9c3ddf93cc75aeaWith the costs of the war in Ukraine growing, the Kremlin has been raising taxes on and rolling back exemptions for Russian small businesses.Mon, 20 Apr 2026 05:00:10 EDTFred Weirhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2026/0419/trump-iran-hormuz-vance?icid=rss64f8cb5daa103c196e7da3a5d3cc14b2President Donald Trump says U.S. negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran. The aim is to extend a fragile ceasefire set to expire by Wednesday. Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:18:04 EDTMichelle L. Price, Samy Magdy and Sam Metzhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2026/0418/iran-hormuz-us-ships?icid=rss0cfc9796cd72957ff5c7cccd2ac7aa0fThe standoff over the Strait of Hormuz has escalated again as Iran reverses its reopening of the crucial waterway and fires on ships attempting to pass. Saturday's developments come after the United States said it would continue its blockade of Iranian ports.Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:14:34 EDTSam Metz and Samy Magdyhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2026/0417/israel-trump-lebanon-ceasefire-hezbollah-iran?icid=rss13859e1d81675ef416170eca2b641fb8The ceasefire in Lebanon left northern Israeli residents saying they felt betrayed, and that Hezbollah was still a threat. Opposition leaders blamed the Netanyahu government for the lack of a clear strategy that meant decisions were taken out of Israel’s hands.Fri, 17 Apr 2026 16:16:07 EDTShoshanna Solomonhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2026/0416/iran-strait-of-hormuz-news-passage?icid=rss0141b9001aaf2b33e0ddbe933d71d500Washington and Tehran are testing the boundaries of international laws that have managed the seas remarkably well, protecting freedom of navigation and facilitating a global economy.Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:01:48 EDTMark SappenfieldMatthew Bellhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2026/0416/cameroon-anglophone-crisis-soccer-bamenda-pope-leo?icid=rss2eb285b94cd26a08e208784cc3349fd7The return of professional soccer to one of Cameroon’s Anglophone regions reflects a cautious optimism about the future in a place upended by war.Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:12:15 EDTMboh Promisehttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2026/0415/saudi-gulf-oil-avoiding-hormuz-iran-threat?icid=rss336c593af1b45e8384e0434f826ad476Iran’s missile attacks and its closing of the Strait of Hormuz have cost the oil-producing Gulf Arab states untold billions. In response, they are moving to arm themselves against a military threat that hasn’t been erased, and construct workarounds to the Hormuz choke point.Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:20:47 EDTTaylor Luck