FirstUp: France, UK to co-host Strait of Hormuz talks and other headlines today

Good morning.

You are reading Firstpost’s FirstUp edition for April 17, 2026.

France and the UK are set to host a joint conference together, with the objective of bringing more than 40 countries to the Strait of Hormuz talks aimed at restoring freedom of navigation.

Also, the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt are expected to meet Turkey’s top diplomat to hold talks amid tensions with Iran today (April 17).

Let's take a closer look at all the stories.

France and UK to co-host talks on securing Strait of Hormuz

France and the UK will bring together more than 40 nations at the Hormuz talks, mainly aimed at restoring freedom of navigation.

According to their office, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will co-host a videoconference today (April 17) to map out a plan to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

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"The two leaders are to lead talks on forming a multilateral and purely defensive mission" that would help restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," the Elysée Palace asserted in a statement, according to Politico.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt & Turkey to hold FMs talks

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt are set to hold a Quad foreign ministers’ meeting today, focusing on efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Iran–US conflict.

The development comes after President Asif Ali Zardari praised Pakistan’s role in facilitating the recent US–Iran dialogue, whereas PM Shehbaz Sharif briefed him on diplomatic progress.

Lavrov to visit Turkey 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is to start his visit to Turkey today (April 17) and continue until April 18. Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the press.

“It is expected that the talks would focus on developments in the Middle East, the Southern Caucasus and the Black Sea, along with international issues and relations with third countries," said Zaharova.

First Spain-Brazil summit

Today, (April 17), Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will preside over the first Spain-Brazil high-level summit in Barcelona.

This meeting underscores a significant strengthening of bilateral ties between the two countries and aims to bolster strategic cooperation and trade.

Rajya Sabha set to elect Dy Chairman

The election for the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is scheduled for today (April 17), which the opposition is expected to boycott, according to Congress' Jairam Ramesh.

"First, the Modi Government has not appointed a Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha for 7 years. This has never happened before. Second, the Deputy Speaker's counterpart in the Rajya Sabha is the Deputy Chairman. Harivansh's second term ended on April 9th," he wrote on X.

Adding, "A day later, he was nominated by the President of India as a member of the Rajya Sabha, and he is now the NDA's candidate for Deputy Chairman for a third term. Never before has a person nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha been considered for the post of its Deputy Chairman. Third, all this is being done without any meaningful consultations with the Opposition."

Parliament special session Day 2

It's day 2 of the Parliament session. Intense debate is expected to take place on Women's Reservation & Delimitation.

While backing the women’s quota, opposition parties are expected to strongly oppose the accompanying Delimitation Bill, which proposes raising the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850, arguing that it hurts southern and smaller states.

With inputs from agencies