Tense pauses and political shocks dominate the day’s world headlines. In Washington, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted the U.S.-Iran ceasefire still holds even as American forces launched “Project Freedom” to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz after fresh maritime clashes. In Eastern Europe, Romania’s pro-EU government fell to a no-confidence vote, plunging a key NATO state on Ukraine’s border into renewed uncertainty, even as analysts say its broader Western alignment is unlikely to change. The war next door remains unsettled: Russia declared a short unilateral ceasefire around Victory Day, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy countered with an earlier-ended truce of Ukraine’s own, underscoring mutual distrust. In China, a devastating fireworks factory explosion in Hunan killed at least 21 people, prompting Xi Jinping to order an investigation, while in Britain, police are reportedly seeking a path to bring Christian Brueckner to trial over Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.