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President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. In March, conflict erupted when the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia fired rockets into Israel in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran. Israel鈥檚 airstrikes in response have killed 2,196 Lebanese people. On social media, Mr. Trump said Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the ceasefire 鈥渋n order to achieve PEACE.鈥� Hezbollah has rejected the first direct talks in decades between Israel and the Lebanese government, which took place in Washington on Tuesday.
Our coverage: After weeks of war, Israel and Lebanon head toward peace talks.

Pakistan works to restart peace talks. Field Marshall Asim Munir met with Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf as the ceasefire creeps closer to its April 22 expiration. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to resume bombing if Iran doesn鈥檛 鈥渃hoose wisely鈥� in accepting a peace deal. The U.S. Navy has turned away 14 ships since its blockade of Iran鈥檚 ports. But according to shipping tracker service Marine Traffic, there鈥檚 been some resumption of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

The House of Representatives narrowly voted against ending hostilities with Iran. A resolution directing President Trump to withdraw forces failed in the House by a vote of 214-213, with one member voting present and three not voting. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden sided with Republicans to block the measure, while Rep. Thomas Massie was the only Republican supporting it. The margin marks a shift in the House鈥檚 approval of the Iran war: a similar resolution failed 219-212 in March. The Senate rejected a war powers resolution on Wednesday.
Our coverage: Senate rejects bill to curb Trump on Iran. That fits a long pattern on war powers.

The U.S. House voted to protect Haitian immigrants. The measure stops the Trump administration from ending their temporary deportation protections. Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts forced a bill onto the floor by getting four Republicans to support a parliamentary move known as a discharge petition. Three additional Republicans voted for the bill, a rare pushback against President Trump鈥檚 immigration policies. The measure would need to pass the Senate before it heads to the president鈥檚 desk.

Young men are more likely than young women to say religion is 鈥渧ery important.鈥� For decades, it was the reverse. But recent data found that young men were just as likely as young women to make that claim. In a report released on Thursday by Gallup, men aged 18-29 surpassed women of the same age group on this metric. Gallup鈥檚 data spans 2024-2025. It鈥檚 the highest point of expressed religiosity by young men in 25 years, a sharp rise that began in 2022. Young women have remained steady during that same period.聽
Our coverage:聽America鈥檚 changing pews: Who shows up at church on Sunday?

America鈥檚 military has choked off shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, hoping to force Iran to negotiate. But the blockade could pose challenges for the U.S., further escalating tensions along the critical transit route.

In the Strait of Hormuz, Washington 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. This war could roll back the clock on maritime norms 鈥� or strengthen them.

A section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, designed to help head off terrorist attacks, is also seen as a threat to civil liberties if misused. Members of Congress have been split across party lines as they wrestle with what to do ahead of a Monday deadline.

Viktor Orb谩n鈥檚 landslide loss happened despite full-throated backing from the Trump administration. Now, even far-right populists in Europe are beginning to see support from the U.S. president as a political liability.

The return of professional soccer to one part of Cameroon reflects cautious optimism about the future in a place upended by a decade of violent conflict between separatists and the government.聽

A brutal conflict is forcing many young Sudanese to starve, fight as soldiers, or toil in mines. At Our Father鈥檚 Cleft, they are instead provided refuge and education in hopes they will become change-makers who bring peace to the country.

When Bobbi Gibb sprang out of the bushes and into the Boston Marathon, she proved women could run 26.2 miles. A new sculpture she crafted at the race start marks her legacy.

Last week, the Monitor reported that, over the past six months, all but three of the 4,499 refugees let into the United States were from South Africa. The Trump administration deems white Afrikaners (descendants mainly of 17th-century Dutch settlers) to be refugees, claiming they are subject to government-sponsored, race-based discrimination in majority-Black South Africa.

This week, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa named a new ambassador to Washington: Roelf Meyer, who is not only an Afrikaner but was also a member of the former apartheid government. The two men worked closely together in the early 1990s to negotiate their country鈥檚 transition from white-minority rule to multiracial democracy.

Mr. Meyer 鈥渨ill represent South Africa very well,鈥� Mr. Ramaphosa said, noting the need to 鈥渞ecalibrate and repair鈥� relations with the U.S.in a 鈥渞espectful manner.鈥�

Appointing a skilled negotiator who also epitomizes the continued role and relevance of white people in South Africa (approximately 7% of the population) is diplomatically astute. The U.S. has sanctioned and boycotted South Africa for the past year, alleging unproven 鈥渨hite genocide鈥� and confiscation of Afrikaners鈥� land.

Yet the nomination also points to enduring national traits Mr. Ramaphosa highlighted 鈥� the willingness to 鈥渞ecalibrate and repair鈥� 鈥� that have sustained South Africa鈥檚 democracy.

Post-apartheid leaders such as the late Nelson Mandela exemplified such readiness to engage in difficult discussions in the pursuit of reconciliation. Mr. Meyer this week recalled the many negotiating 鈥渟kirmishes鈥� he and Mr. Ramaphosa worked through decades ago. As he told eNCA television, they got to the point of agreeing, 鈥淭here鈥檚 not a problem that we can鈥檛 resolve.鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 very powerful,鈥� Mr. Meyer pointed out, because it signifies trust and reliance on one another to jointly find answers.

Such values, Mr. Meyer indicated, are essential to support South Africa鈥檚 ongoing reckoning with race, privilege, and restorative justice and to complete a needed 鈥渟ocial economic transformation.鈥� In tough economic times, he says, people often tend to blame 鈥渢he other. ... It very easily gets a racial or a ethnic connection.鈥�

The average Black household, research shows, owns only 5% of the wealth held by a white household. And the white population is still redefining its place amid social changes and affirmative action that seek to address historical discrimination against Black people.But decaying infrastructure and social services amid rising corruption and violent crime have heightened frustration and fear among South Africans of all races.

And prominent Afrikaners have pushed back against U.S. characterizations of them as victims of persecution. Last November, more than 1,500 signed a letter to the U.S. Congress. It asserted that 鈥渄istorted narratives鈥� about Afrikaners undermine international principles of refugee protection and harm the rebuilding process within South Africa.

Outspoken Afrikaner journalist Max du Preez last year issued a rallying call to South Africans 鈥渢o show ourselves and the world that we can be a harmonious and successful country.鈥澛�

Together, Mr. Ramaphosa and Mr. Meyer, the quiet architects behind South Africa鈥檚 historic transfer of power, might just be up to the task.