DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Naval mines bobbing in the waters of the Persian Gulf, threatening oil tankers. Iranian speed boats raking ships with machine-gun fire in the Strait of Hormuz. And the United States right in the middle of the fight.

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) – A painful fuel crunch and soaring oil and gas prices triggered by the Iran war have nudged the European Union to look hard into funding alternative energy routes in the Middle East to circumvent hot spots like the Strait of Hormuz.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Some Russian influencers recently released public appeals to President Vladimir Putin, criticizing his government and policies, and a number of his loyalists even threatened a revolt – the latest wave of public outcry over the country’s strained wartime economy and mounting internet restrictions.

BANGKOK (AP) – China’s top diplomat on Saturday visited Myanmar’s capital and met with the leader of its military-backed government as part of a regional tour aimed at strengthening Beijing’s political, security and strategic ties in Southeast Asia.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – The European Union’s ongoing push to bolster its own defensive capabilities isn’t intended to spawn an alternative to the NATO alliance but to answer a long-standing U.S. call for the continent to take charge of its own security, the French president said Saturday.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. military said it launched another strike Friday on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people.

Today is Saturday, April 25, the 115th day of 2026. There are 250 days left in the year. Today in history: On April 25, 1898, the United States Congress declared war against Spain. The 16-week Spanish-American War resulted in an American victory, after which the U.S. took possession of the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam.