Iran said on April 20 it had not decided whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States, while President Donald Trump vowed no let-up in a blockade and threatened to start bombing again.
The White House said Vice-President J.D. Vance was ready to fly back to Pakistan, which was noticeably preparing for a second round of talks on ending the war that has engulfed the Middle East and shaken global markets.
But Tehran’s cleric-run government kept up uncertainty on its participation, accusing the United States of violating a soon-to-expire ceasefire through its blockade of Iranian ports and seizure of a ship.
“We have no plans for the next round of negotiation, and no decision has been made in this regard,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.
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PHOTOS: EPA
Apple has named hardware chief John Ternus as the iPhone maker’s next leader, with Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook shifting to the role of executive chairman.
Mr Ternus will become CEO on Sept 1, the company said in a statement on April 20. The Apple veteran was head of hardware engineering since 2021 and has spent 25 years focused on product development at the iPhone maker. Bloomberg News previously reported that Mr Ternus was Mr Cook’s heir apparent.
Mr Ternus’ purview over hardware will be assumed by longtime chip chief Johny Srouji, who is being named chief hardware officer and will oversee hardware engineering and silicon development.
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PHOTO: REUTERS
The refund system set up to allow companies to recover illegally collected tariffs from the US government went live on April 20 as thousands of companies rushed to file claims.
“So far, so good” – though the system is a little glitchy, said Mr Jay Foreman, CEO of toymaker Basic Fun, which had a team in its “war room” at its headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, ready to start filing when the system went live at 8am US Eastern time (8pm Singapore time).
Mr Foreman said the system didn’t crash as some had feared it might under the onslaught of attempted submissions – but rather would sometimes not allow an upload and force them to retry. The company has over 500 files it needs to upload to the system, although the system permits these to be uploaded in batches.
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PHOTO: AFP
More than US$71 billion (S$90 billion) will be needed over the next decade for recovery and reconstruction in war-ravaged Gaza, according to an EU-UN assessment published on April 20.
In their final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), the United Nations and the European Union said that more than two years of war in the Palestinian territory “has led to unprecedented loss of life and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis”.
“Recovery and reconstruction needs are estimated at around US$71.4 billion,” said the assessment, developed in coordination with the World Bank.
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PHOTO: AFP
Embattled UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologised for his appointment of Mr Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington, as he criticised civil servants for failing to inform him that the Labour grandee had failed security vetting.
“I should not have appointed Peter Mandelson,” Mr Starmer told the House of Commons on April 20. “I take responsibility for that decision, and I apologise again to the victims of the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who were clearly failed by my decision.” Mr Starmer also said he’d followed the standard process in naming Mr Mandelson to the post before he had been vetted.
Mr Starmer is heading for a showdown with the senior official he fired over the saga, former Foreign Office chief Olly Robbins, who approved Mr Mandelson’s security clearances despite the failed vetting. Mr Robbins is due to speak to Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee at 9am on April 21, a moment of potential danger for the premier if he reveals damaging new details about the Mandelson appointment.
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