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China says Afghanistan and Pakistan agree to explore comprehensive solution in peace talks

BEIJING, April 8 (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed during peace talks in Urumqi to explore a comprehensive solution to the conflict that broke out between the two countries last October.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily press briefing that both countries agreed at the meetings in China not to take actions that would escalate or complicate the situation.

Mao added that China would continue to communicate with both countries and provide a platform for dialogue.

A man stands on the debris at the site of a drug rehabilitation hospital destroyed in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani air strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Sayed Hassib

Lebanese man scours home bombed by Israel for mementos of his slain family

By Jihed Abidellaoui

TYRE, Lebanon, April 8 (Reuters) - Almost every day for the last month, Hussein Saleh has made a somber pilgrimage to the plot of land in south Lebanon where his home once stood, scouring the earth for trinkets that belonged to his wife, daughter and six other relatives killed in an Israeli strike.

"Every day or two I come here, I check on things, I look around to find memories, to find a phone, to find anything that can soothe my heart and make things lighter," said Saleh, 34.

Hussein Saleh, 34, stands on the rubble of his house destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, which killed members of his family, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 7, 2026. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Hezbollah pauses attacks under US-Iran ceasefire, sources close to group say

BEIRUT, April 8 (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah halted fire on northern Israel and on Israeli troops in Lebanon in the early hours of Wednesday as part of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire announced earlier, three Lebanese sources close to the group told Reuters.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key intermediary in ceasefire talks, said the two-week ceasefire would include Lebanon, where a new war between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel broke out on March 2.

Reuters reported last month that Iran wanted Lebanon included in any deal it made with the United States.

FILE PHOTO: Rockets being launched from Lebanon towards Israel as seen from the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran,  March 3, 2026. REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu/File Photo

Greece expected to announce social media ban for children under 15

April 8 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected on Wednesday to announce a ban on access to social media for children under the age of 15, according to a government briefing.

Slovenia, Britain, Austria and Spain have also said they are working on similar bans after Australia became the first country in the world to block access to children under 16.

(Reporting by Antonis Pothitos; Editing by)

A girl checks social media posts on her phone, as Greece is set to ban under-15s from social media in European crackdown, in Athens, Greece, April 1, 2026. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki

War in the Middle East: latest developments

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Lebanon declares day of mourning -

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared Thursday a national day of mourning after Israeli strikes pummelled the country, killing at least 182 people and wounding 890, according to the health ministry.

The strikes were Israel's heaviest on neighboring Lebanon -- including in densely packed central Beirut -- since the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah joined the war in early March.

- Hezbollah fires at Israel -

The Red Cross' head of delegation in Lebanon said Israeli strikes 'plunged the country into panic and chaos'

UK's Starmer heads to the Gulf to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz

LONDON, April 8 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to the Gulf on Wednesday to hold talks with partners to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open permanently after a U.S.-Iran ceasefire, his office said.

"I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world," Starmer said in a statement.

"Together with our partners we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and re-open the Strait of Hormuz."

FILE PHOTO: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer gives an update on the situation in the Middle East at Downing Street Briefing Room, in London, Britain, March 05, 2026. Jaimi Joy/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Trump agrees to two-week ceasefire, Iran says safe passage through Hormuz possible

By Steve Holland, Parisa Hafezi, Enas Alashray, Ahmed Tolba and Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON/DUBAI/CAIRO, April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on its civilian infrastructure.

The clock inside the Grand Central Terminal shows 8 PM (ET), the postponed deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face widespread attacks on its civilian infrastructure, in New York City, U.S., April 7, 2026. REUTERS/Adam Gray

Trump says US will help with traffic buildup in Strait of Hormuz

April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States will help with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We'll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just 'hangin' around' in order to make sure that everything goes well," Trump said.

"There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made. Iran can start the reconstruction process," he also said.

FILE PHOTO: Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Middle East war: ceasefire reactions

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, with both sides claiming victory.

Here are reactions from across the globe:

- Pakistan -

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, having earlier welcomed the ceasefire, said violations between the United States and Iran had already reported.

"I earnestly and sincerely urge all parties to exercise restraint and respect the ceasefire for two weeks, as agreed upon, so that diplomacy can take a lead role towards peaceful settlement of the conflict," Sharif said on X.

Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square in Tehran