"Live from NPR news in Washington.
round of peace talks between the US and Iran in the coming days. That's according to
“the Associated Press. The AP says Pakistan is proposing a meeting take place before the end”
of the current ceasefire. This follows 21 hours of negotiations in Pakistan last week, which produced no agreement between the US and Iran. The offer comes a day after US Navy ships began a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Israel and Lebanese ambassadors
to the US are scheduled to meet today in Washington to discuss a ceasefire. It's the first
such direct meeting between the two governments in decades. The talks will take place as the Israeli military surrounds a town in southern Lebanon, which Israel describes as a command point for Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters. NPR's Catlonsdorf has more from Bay Route. Israel says that it will have full control of the Lebanese town of Binchibil, quote within days. The town has become the center of intense fighting. It's part of land that Israel
“says it's seizing from Lebanon to create what it calls a buffer zone, so has below campfire”
rockets into Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz both joined invading troops inside Lebanon over the weekend where Katz said Israel would remove the threat "just as we did in Gaza, including demolishing homes so they can't become "terror outposts." Lebanon says nearly 40,000 houses have been destroyed or heavily damaged mainly in the south in the past five weeks. Katlonsdorf and
Bay Route. crude oil prices are hovering near $100 a barrel as the US navy continues its blockade of ships moving in and out of the strait of Hormuz. NPR's Camila Dominozki has more. This past weekend 14 vessels per day passed through the strait of Hormuz, according to the trade data platform Kepler. That's down sharply from the pre-war average of 100
“a day and that's before any US blockade was imposed. Because ships take a long time”
to travel by sea, the world had a bit of a buffer insulating reporters from shortages, but that's gone now. The last ship carrying jet fuel from the Persian Gulf to Europe arrived last week reports the commodity intelligence group Argus. There are no more on the way right now. The oil cartel OPEC remains optimistic that the supply crisis won't take the global economy holding forecasts for economic growth and global oil demand unchanged.
Camila Dominozki and Pianus. The cost of gasoline and diesel fuel in the US have stabilized in recent days after weeks of pricehikes. Triple A says regular is averaging about $4 12 cents a gallon that's two cents cheaper than a week ago. Diesel is averaging $5.65 a gallon the same as it was seven days ago. White House economists have issued a report concluding
the US has a shortage of 10 million houses. It says more construction would help to lower prices.
This is NPR News. Democratic congressman Eric Swallwell of California says he will resign from the House amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. The announcement from the seven-term congressman came on the same day, the House Ethics Committee said it was opening an investigation into him. Republican congressman Tony Gonzalez of Texas says he
plans to retire from congress. The Ethics Committee had opened an investigation into Gonzalez after he acknowledged having an affair with a former staff member who later took her own life. Tomorrow is the deadline across the US for people to file their federal income tax return. NPR's Hansi Lowong says those still planning to mail their return are being advised to show up that a post office. The IRS says it considers a mail tax return to be found on time if it has
a right address enough postage and a postmark date that's honored before the filing deadline. The US Postal Service usually automatically stamps postmarks when a process is mailed that's dropped off. But exactly when that processing happens has become more complicated in more parts of the country. As part of the Postal Service's reorganization, USVS has cut back aloft and picks up mail in certain areas more than 50 miles from one of its regional processing centers.
That means some first-class mail may not get postmarked until the day after it's collected.
To make sure your tax return gets a postmark on the same day you mail it, USVS recommends going to a post office and asking for a free manual postmark at the counter on Zilo Long and Piano's Wall Street Futures are higher this morning down futures are up 85 points. I'm Dave Maddingley NPR News in Washington.
