The U.S. military says it carried out another strike Monday, killing two people on a boat accused of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific.

The campaign against alleged drug vessels in Latin American waters, which has now persisted for over seven months, continues despite the U.S. military’s six-week focus on the Iran war.

It was the second consecutive day the U.S. Southern Command reported a strike.

A Sunday announcement detailed two boats destroyed Saturday in the eastern Pacific, killing five, with one survivor whose fate remains unclear.

Monday’s incident brings the death toll from the strikes to at least 170 since the effort began in early September.

This predates the January U.S. raid that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces drug trafficking charges in New York and has pleaded not guilty.

U.S. Southern Command repeated previous statements by saying it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs.

It posted a video on X showing a small boat floating in the water before a huge blast hit it and smoke was seen pouring from the vessel.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and fatal overdoses claiming American lives.

But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”

Trump on Monday appeared to reference the tactic of boat strikes in Latin America while issuing new threats against Tehran as a blockade of Iranian ports took effect.

“Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The standoff between the United States and Iran deepened Tuesday as the U.S. declared it had blockaded Iran’s ports, Tehran threatened to strike targets across the region, and Pakistan said it was racing to bring the sides together for more talks.

Though last week’s ceasefire appeared to hold, the showdown over the Strait of Hormuz risked reigniting hostilities and deepening the region-wide war’s economic fallout.

Talks aimed at permanently ending the conflict — which began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran — failed to produce an agreement last weekend, though Pakistan has proposed hosting a second round in the coming days.

Two Pakistani officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter with the media, said that the first talks were part of an ongoing diplomatic process rather than a one-off effort.

Two U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic negotiations, said on Monday that discussions were still underway about a new round of talks. They said that the venue, timing and composition of the delegations hadn’t been decided, but that talks could happen Thursday.

The war, now in its seventh week, has jolted markets and rattled the global economy as a great deal of shipping has been cut off and airstrikes have torn through military and civilian infrastructure across the region.

The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,000 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.

Blockade takes effect

The U.S. military said on Monday that the blockade applied to vessels going to and from Iranian ports. The blockade could restrict the passage of the few ships that Tehran considers friendly, which have been permitted to traverse the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran has curtailed maritime traffic since the start of the war.

Most commercial vessels have avoided the waterway amid Iranian threats, apart from the few allowed to pass through lanes between Iran’s islands and coastline.

Both the nature of enforcement and the extent to which ships will comply remained unclear during its first full day in effect on Tuesday. But there were early signs of hesitation — at least two tankers approaching the strait on Monday turned around shortly after it took effect, vessel tracker MarineTraffic said in a Monday post on X.

Iran’s effective closure of the strait, through which a fifth of global oil transits in peacetime, has sent oil prices skyrocketing, pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other basic goods far beyond the Middle East.

The blockade is intended to pressure Iran, which has exported millions of barrels of oil, mostly to Asia, since the war began. Much of it has likely been carried by so-called dark transits that evade sanctions and oversight, providing cash flow that’s been vital to keeping Iran running.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said that Iran’s control of the strait amounted to blackmail and extortion as the U.S. blockade took effect. He said in a social media post that Iran’s navy had been “completely obliterated,” but still had “fast attack ships.”

He warned that “if any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED.”

Iran threatened to retaliate against Persian Gulf ports if attacked.

“If you fight, we will fight,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a statement addressed to Trump.

Israel and Lebanon scheduled for talks

Meanwhile, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon were set to begin in Washington on Tuesday, the first such negotiations in decades.

Israel has pressed ahead with its air and ground campaign since last week’s ceasefire in Iran, insisting that it doesn’t apply to fighting in Lebanon. It has, however, halted strikes in the country’s capital since April 8, after a deadly bombardment that hit several crowded commercial and residential areas in central Beirut. It sparked an international outcry and threats by Iran that it would end the ceasefire.

After more than a year of near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon, Israel escalated its offensive in the early days of the war following Hezbollah launching rockets into Israel. The fighting has carved a path of destruction from agricultural towns near the border to Beirut, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing in excess of 1 million others, according to Lebanese authorities.

The talks are expected to be preliminary, focused on setting parameters rather than resolving core issues. Lebanese officials have pushed for a ceasefire, while Israel has framed the negotiations around Hezbollah’s disarmament and a potential peace deal, without publicly committing to halting hostilities or withdrawing its forces.

Israel wants Lebanon’s government to assume responsibility for disarming Hezbollah, much like was envisaged in a November 2024 ceasefire. But the militant group has survived efforts to curb its strength for decades and said on Monday that it won’t abide by any agreements that may result from the talks.

___

Sam Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee in Washington, and Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations, contributed to this report.

What Atletico manager Simeone sold him was a football project that had the striker at the centre of it. Alvarez wanted to feel wanted.

“He told me I could give the club something huge,” he recalls. “That I’d have the space and the opportunity to be my best version.”

The Argentines already at the club helped too – De Paul, Griezmann’s warmth, the Spanish language, a culture that felt closer to home than Paris or Manchester ever could.

In August 2024, Atletico Madrid confirmed the deal – 95m euros (£81.5m), a club record received by City, and a six-year contract. The club announced it with a Spiderman video and Alvarez loved it.

Ask him about the price tag and he almost looks confused by the question.

“It’s more something that gets talked about in the media,” he said. “In the dressing room I’m just one of the group. I like being treated that way.”

His father worked in a cereal factory in Calchin. His mother was a schoolteacher. He grew up knowing that you have to earn respect, or reputation. He is still the same person. It shows on the pitch too – the World Cup winner who sprints back to win the ball, who presses from the front. Simeone rarely singles out individuals, but with Alvarez, he makes exceptions.

Across two seasons in red and white, he has made 102 appearances and scored 47 goals, numbers that tell only part of the story.

His time at Atletico has not been without frustration. In La Liga this season, the numbers have been modest – eight goals in 29 appearances, and just one in 2026.

His strike against Oviedo at the end of February ended a run of 14 league games without a goal, his previous one coming against Sevilla on 1 November. But the Champions League has been a different story, bringing nine goals in 12 appearances this season.

Irish musician and Clannad lead singer Moya Brennan has died, aged 73.

The folk star, often hailed as the First Lady of Celtic Music, was best known as part of the Irish family band, which began performing in 1970 and went on to win a Bafta and a Grammy for their traditional albums.

According to RTÉ, Brennan died peacefully on Monday (13 April) while surrounded by family. She is survived by her husband, Tim Jarvis, and their two children, Aisling and Paul.

Brennan shared in 2020 that she had been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease characterised by irreversible scarring. The condition affected her breathing and meant that she had to rephrase some of her songs, however, she continued to sing – touring and writing music with Aisling and Paul.

The Irish folk singer, who was born Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin, grew up in Gweedore – a remote Irish-speaking parish in County Donegal, Ireland. The eldest of nine children, Brennan formed the band Clannad with her brothers, Pól and Ciarán, and their mother’s twin brothers, Noel and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin, in 1970.

They were joined in 1980 by Brennan’s sister Eithne – who left two years later to become international sensation Enya – as well as siblings Brídín and Deirdre.

The group became one of Ireland’s biggest folk exports, becoming known worldwide after creating the theme for ITV’s 1982 drama Harry’s Game, set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The track reached No 5 in the UK Singles Chart that same year and went to number two in Ireland.

They provided the soundtrack for a number of TV series, winning a Bafta Award for Best Television Music in 1984 for ITV’s Robin of Sherwood. Clannad also picked up a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album after releasing Landmarks in 1999, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Brennan was the band’s lead singer for over 50 years before leaving in 2024, but she also embarked on a successful a solo career during that time, releasing album Máire in 1992.

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She later featured on the soundtrack for 2004 film King Arthur, co-writing the title theme with Hans Zimmer, as well as music for 1997 blockbuster Titanic and Robert Carlyle film To End All Wars (2001). Brennan sold over 20 million records throughout her career and released 25 albums.

Brennan and her family band Clannad are often credited for introducing the Irish language into mainstream music culture, having collaborated with Mick Jagger, Bono and Paul Young among other stars.

Paying tribute to Brennan on BBC Radio Foyle, County Donegal singer Daniel O’Donnell said that she “never forgot her roots”.

“She loved the music, and she loved to see people doing well. Especially in these last few years, she loved giving young singers a chance – that was her focus,” he added.

“Everyone around here loved her, and when you met her, she had a great peace about her.”

A simple but full-flavoured dish to wake up the taste buds, with sweet-sharp citrus and a punchy dressing that’s hot, sour, salty and sweet all at the same time.

Grapefruit can also be used in this salad instead of blood oranges.

Hold on to the recipe for the Thai nam jim dressing here – it’s good for spooning over roast or griddled fish as well.

Emergency services were called to the road at around 2.50pm and the road was taped off, with police and the ambulance service in attendance.

A police cordon was put in place and the road was closed as emergency services dealt with the incident.

Greater Manchester Police has now confirmed that a cyclist died after suffering a suspected medical episode.

A spokesperson for the force said: “We were called at around 2:50pm yesterday to Chorley Road, Blackrod – a cyclist sadly died following a suspected medical episode.”

The road was partially closed until just after 6pm.

Liverpool will be aiming to stage a miraculous comeback when they take on Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie at Anfield on Tuesday night

Liverpool could be missing five players for Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain. The Reds welcome PSG aiming to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg in Paris.

Arne Slot’s side were defeated convincingly five days ago and the margin could have been greater had PSG shown more ruthlessness, having registered 18 shots, six on target, four big chances and generating 2.35 expected goals (xG). Nevertheless, the Reds managed to emerge from the first leg at Parc des Princes trailing by just 2-0 with Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia netting either side of the interval for the hosts.

It still provides them with a genuine opportunity of advancing beyond PSG and reaching the Champions League semi-final for the first time in four years. But Slot is anticipated to be without at least four players for the fixture at Anfield, with Alisson Becker, Wataru Endo, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley still sidelined.

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READ MORE: ‘Mo Salah is an easy scapegoat!’ – Egyptian media tears into Arne Slot’s Liverpool decisionREAD MORE: Virgil van Dijk sends ‘most important’ message to Liverpool fans ahead of PSG showdown

Alisson picked up a fresh injury blow before the March international break and Slot confirmed last week that the Brazilian won’t make his comeback until the closing stages of the campaign. There is optimism that he could feature in the trip to Manchester United at the beginning of next month.

Endo’s season was brought to a premature end after he sustained a season-ending foot injury in the victory over Sunderland in February. The Japanese, though, is aiming for a comeback ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

Leoni damaged his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) on his debut against Southampton in September 2025 and is expected to be sidelined until the beginning of next campaign. Bradley is another long-term casualty after picking up a significant knee issue in the goalless stalemate at Arsenal back in January.

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Curtis Jones is the fifth Liverpool player who could be ruled out of the PSG second leg after the midfielder picked up a muscle problem in the 2-0 victory over Fulham on Sunday. He went down off the ball late in the opening period and was observed clutching his groin before being substituted by Ryan Gravenberch.

Slot provided a concerning update when discussing Jones post-Fulham, stating he doesn’t believe the midfielder is going to be fit to face PSG. He told Sky Sports: “He felt a little bit in his groin. It wasn’t a moment, he felt it already for a few minutes. Let’s hope for the best, but I would be surprised if he is available for Tuesday.”

However, Jones was seen training with his team-mates ahead of the fixture in a significant boost for the Reds. He was among those going through their routines at the AXA Training Centre on Monday lunchtime.

PSG, meanwhile, have received a welcome injury boost ahead of the second leg, with Bradley Barcola returning to the squad. The French international had been ruled out for a month after sustaining a severe ankle ligament sprain during the Champions League last 16 second leg at Chelsea.

Barcola, who has missed PSG’s last three fixtures as well as France’s friendlies in the United States against Brazil and Colombia, has been included in the travelling party for PSG’s visit to Merseyside.

However, Fabian Ruiz and Quentin Ndjantou remain sidelined, bringing the total number of potential absentees across both sides to seven. “The good news is that Fabian (Ruiz) is on ‌the mend and ⁠training with the team,” PSG boss Luis Enrique revealed in his pre-match press conference, as he provided an update on Ruiz’s fitness.

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Glengarry Glen Ross, first known to many through the film starring Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, and Kevin Spacey, is now being brought to life in its original stage form.

A powerful story made famous on film is coming to the stage at the Henderson Theatre in Shotts and this is a rare chance to see it live.

Glengarry Glen Ross, first known to many through the film starring Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, and Kevin Spacey, is now being brought to life in its original stage form.

Seeing it live is more intense, more exciting, and much more real than watching it on screen.

Written by David Mamet, the play tells the story of a group of salesmen fighting to succeed. It is fast, tense, and often funny, with strong language and big emotions throughout.

This new production is performed by Sweet for Addicts Theatre Company.

Rehearsals are going very well, with the cast working hard to bring the story to life.

The show is directed by Mark Traynor, Artistic Director of Spotlight Shotts, who is leading the team to create a bold and exciting performance.

READ MORE: Former care home in Wishaw put up for sale by its owners

Mark said: “Glengarry Glen Ross is a thrilling piece of theatre—sharp, funny, and brutally honest. Seeing it live is a completely different experience from the film.

“It’s immediate, intense, and unforgettable. Experiencing the live show is more like being in the play that watching it. You can hear the actors breathe.

“We’re excited to bring something this powerful to audiences in Shotts.”

Spotlight Shotts is a recently formed Community Interest Company and not for profit organisation, formed in 2023 by local residents who want to provide access for people of all ages from Shotts and the surrounding villages to the best local performers plus theatre, music and art normally accessed in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

READ MORE: North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre receives grant as part of science scheme

The group’s long-term goal is to restore the purpose-built Henderson Theatre in Shotts Community Centre, to its former glory. The play takes place at the Henderson Theatre on Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

Tickets cost £15, £12, £10 by logging onto https://www.tickettailor.com/events/spotlightshotts/1963541

For more information, please contact Margaret McSeveney by emailing spotlightshotts@gmail.com

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HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks were trading higher tracking Wall Street gains and oil fell on Tuesday as expectations rose over a possible second round of talks between the U.S. and Iran on an end to the Iran war.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was up 2.4% to 57,842.72. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 3.4% to 6,004.30.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.4% to 25,759.75, while the Shanghai Composite index climbed 0.6% to 4,010.45. China on Tuesday reported worse-than-expected export growth of 2.5% in March for the first month since the Iran war began.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.3%, and Taiwan’s Taiex rose 2.2%.

Investors are still hopeful for a lasting de-escalation of the Iran war, which is in its seventh week, as the U.S. and Iran are said to be weighing a second round of talks before a temporary ceasefire agreement expires next week. The U.S. military on Monday began a blockade of Iranian ports as Washington steps up its pressure on Tehran, following ceasefire talks between the two sides over the weekend that ended without an agreement.

But U.S. President Donald Trump also suggested on Monday that the United States is still willing to engage with Tehran. “I can tell you that we’ve been called by the other side,” he said, without further elaborating details.

Oil prices continued to pull back on Tuesday from earlier gains. Brent crude, the international standard, was down 1.3% to $98.12 per barrel. It reached nearly $104 early Monday morning over Iran war worries on limited progress from the weekend ceasefire talks.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell 2.2% early Tuesday to $96.92 a barrel.

The global energy shock stemming from maritime traffic disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, where roughly a fifth of the world’s oil is typically transported, has led to surging fuel prices and is threatening to push up inflation in many countries and impact economic growth.

Wall Street rose on Monday. The S&P 500 gained 1% to 6,886.24. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.6% to 48,218.25, and the Nasdaq composite added 1.2% to 23,183.74.

Shares of investment bank Goldman Sachs dropped 1.9% despite its announcement of better-than-expected quarterly profits.

In other dealings, gold and silver prices rose on Tuesday. Gold’s price was up 0.6% to $4,796.60 an ounce, while silver prices gained 1.8% to $77.05 per ounce.

The U.S. dollar fell to 159.08 Japanese yen from 159.45 yen. The euro was trading at $1.1768, up from $1.1759.

___

AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed to this report.

Amponsah Thompson was bailed under investigation for assault – and went on to do it twice more

A serial sex offender who “prowled” the streets of Liverpool city centre in his Mercedes looking for vulnerable teenagers on nights out has been jailed for 23 years.

Amponsah Thompson posed as a taxi driver in order to lure one of the women into his car before assaulting her in the back seat, the Liverpool Echo reported.

The “sexual predator” then preyed upon another lone teen, who he found slumped on the ground, before taking her back to his home and raping her. He also repeatedly raped a third victim and even threatened her with a knife.

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Liverpool Crown Court heard on Monday (April 13) that the first complainant, an 18-year-old woman, had been on a night out in the city centre in August 2024 and was “very drunk”, having visited several bars before leaving alone shortly after 2am.

At this time, Thompson’s white Mercedes was seen passing what was then Alma de Cuba, since reopened as St Peter’s Tavern, where she approached the vehicle and asked the defendant if he was a taxi driver.

David Polglase, prosecuting, described how the 29-year-old “lied and pretended that he was”, at which stage the teenager entered his car expecting to be taken home. But he instead drove the woman to his own address on Rocky Lane in Tuebrook, where he joined her in the rear seats and touched her between her thighs.

However, Thompson “stopped what he was doing” and drove her home when she pretended that her family were phoning her and claimed she had shared her location with them. She was then said to have “insisted on giving him money” for the journey, with police later able trace him via transfers she had made into his bank account.

When interviewed, Thompson denied he had pretended to be a taxi driver and had stopped at his address in order to collect his identification, having apparently been intent on returning to the city centre. He meanwhile maintained he had not entered the back seat of his car and stated he had no physical contact with the victim.

Having subsequently been released on bail under investigation, Thompson then targeted another “extremely drunk and vulnerable” 18-year-old who had been out in central Liverpool in December 2024, visiting several bars before becoming separated from her friends.

He was then seen “escorting her back to his vehicle” at around 3.30am, having previously been “crouched or slumped by a wall”, after which she recalled “zoning in and out of sleep” and being raped, waking up at his flat the next day before being taken home by her attacker.

Thompson, who was said to have been “essentially prowling on both occasions”, later claimed this sexual activity had been consensual when questioned by detectives. Throughout 2025, as investigations into his earlier crimes continued, he then raped a third woman an estimated “six or seven times”, having also subjected her to violent assaults and threatened her with a knife.

Mr Polglase added: “We say that this defendant is manipulative. He is a sexual predator. He has little or no regard for the boundaries of and consent for sex.”

Amponsah had no previous convictions but was previously investigated over an incident in January 2024 when he was alleged to have sexually assaulted a lap dancer. However, this did not result in any charges after the woman withdrew her complaint.

Anthony O’Donohoe, defending, told the court: “Prior to these matters, the defendant was a man of good character with no previous convictions. His immigration status is currently that he has leave to remain, but that is subject to review.

“I simply ask that the sentence is as short as is consistent with your honour’s public duty. It may well be that an extended sentence would be condign and allow further supervision and licence in the community upon eventually release, by extension to what will doubtless be a significant custodial sentence.”

Thompson admitted sexual assault against his first victim and three counts of rape against the third, having been convicted of one charge of rape against the second complainant by a jury following a trial. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool wearing a white Puma t-shirt, he was jailed for 23 years and handed an additional eight years on licence.

Sentencing, Judge Brian Cummings KC said: “My own assessment is that you are a dangerous offender, and there would remain a significant risk to members of the public of serious harm.

“It may be that you will be considered by the appropriate authority for deportation. I make no order in that regard. It is a matter for that appropriate authority to consider.”

Thompson will be required to serve at least two thirds of the 23-year period behind bars before becoming eligible for release by the Parole Board. He was also told to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.