The Islamabad talks between the US and Iran are the story of the weekend. JD Vance has arrived in Pakistan for direct negotiations — the highest-level US-Iran engagement since 1979 — with a fragile 14-day ceasefire as the backdrop. Tehran is insisting on a Lebanon truce and asset unfreezing before substantive talks begin, and Pakistan’s PM Sharif has called it “make or break.” Vance has already warned Iran against playing games, which suggests Washington’s patience is limited.
The economic stakes around the Strait of Hormuz are severe. The FT reports Saudi Arabia and Qatar have both taken significant hits to production capacity, and a separate FT piece asks directly why the UK has been so badly damaged — pointing to over-reliance on imported gas and political uncertainty around Starmer. The UK is hosting a Hormuz meeting next week, bringing together multiple countries to push back on Iran’s proposed transit tolls and restore free passage. The Economist flags that even post-conflict, access through the strait may come at a price.
Hungary goes to the polls and it’s genuinely competitive for the first time in years. Péter Magyar’s opposition is leading in polls, tens of thousands filled Heroes’ Square in Budapest, and corruption scandals — including drone footage of a zebra-stocked private estate — have given the challenge real momentum. A loss for Orbán would be a significant shift in European politics.
The UK has quietly shelved the Chagos Islands deal following Trump’s opposition, with officials saying they’ve simply run out of time. It’s not formally dead, but it’s not moving either — another piece of foreign policy caught between London’s instincts and Washington’s veto.
Artemis II splashed down successfully off San Diego on Friday after a 10-day moon flyby — the furthest humans have travelled from Earth in over 50 years. The mission itself was close to flawless, but BBC and Ars Technica both note the harder work of an actual lunar landing still lies ahead.
Watch: Whether the Islamabad talks produce any framework agreement this weekend, and what comes out of next week’s UK-hosted Hormuz meeting.
Sources
- Middle East crisis live: US and Iranian envoys arrive in Islamabad for conditional peace talks — Guardian
- JD Vance arrives in Pakistan for ‘positive’ peace talks with Iran — FT
- Djibouti’s President Guelleh wins sixth straight term in office — Al Jazeera
- Margo’s Got Money Troubles: Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer ace this taboo OnlyFans comedy — Guardian
- Zebras, wealth and power: Hungary’s election tests Orbán’s grip on power — Guardian
- Blind date: ‘She claimed she was usually shy. I wouldn’t have guessed’ — Guardian
- ‘I got everything I dreamed of - when I had no ability to handle it’: Lena Dunham on toxic fame, broken friendships and her ‘lost decade’ — Guardian
- Iran war: What is happening on day 43 of the US-Iran conflict? — Al Jazeera
- Pakistan ambassador speaks to Al Jazeera on eve of US-Iran talks — Al Jazeera
- Pakistan’s prime minister calls US-Iran talks ‘make or break’ — Al Jazeera
- The damage wrought on the Middle East’s oil and gas supplies — FT
- Only two events have mattered in my 30 years of investing — FT
- The tragedy of leisure — FT
- Dubai, eternal city — FT
- ‘Just the beginning’: Artemis II crew splashes down after record-breaking moon flyby — Guardian
- Melania Trump’s speech propels Epstein crisis back to forefront — BBC News
- The Artemis II mission has ended. Where does NASA go from here? — Ars Technica
- Artemis II splashdown! – in pictures — Guardian
- Four astronauts are back home after a daring ride around the Moon — Ars Technica
- NASA Artemis II splashes down in Pacific Ocean in ‘perfect’ landing for Moon mission — TechCrunch
- Artemis II mission was a triumph. Now comes the hard part — BBC News
- Back to Earth: What happens to the Artemis II astronauts now? — BBC News
- Final push for votes as challenger to Hungary’s Orbán scents victory — BBC News
- Lyse Doucet: Historic US-Iran talks must bridge deep distrust — BBC News
- Grand National pinstickers’ guide to runners — BBC News
- UK shelves Chagos deal after Trump opposition — BBC News
- Californians sue over AI tool that records doctor visits — Ars Technica
- Mamdani’s 100th day — Politico
- How to watch NASA’s Artemis II splash back down to Earth — TechCrunch
- Anthropic temporarily banned OpenClaw’s creator from accessing Claude — TechCrunch
- After the war, how open will the Strait of Hormuz be? — The Economist
- New paper argues history, not mantle plume, powers Yellowstone — Ars Technica
- Prince Harry sued for defamation by charity Sentebale he co-founded — BBC News
- Cover Story newsletter: Donald Trump is the war’s biggest loser — The Economist
- Battery recycler Ascend Elements files for bankruptcy — TechCrunch
- A rom-com ignites a row about tragedy, taste and art — The Economist
- Are sugar substitutes healthier than the real thing? — The Economist
- Why has the UK economy been so badly hit by the Iran war? — FT
- Inside the DNC’s Middle East (not) working group — Politico
- Pope Leo XIV condemns war, rejects claims of divine backing — Politico
Guardian, FT, Al Jazeera, BBC News, Ars Technica, TechCrunch, Politico, The Economist — 2026-04-11