Iran says Hormuz reopening depends on conditions as Oman talks progress
Oman has said talks with Iran on securing a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz are progressing, while Tehran has warned that any agreement would not mean an immediate reopening of the waterway. The latest comments suggest movement in discussions over one of the world's most sensitive maritime chokepoints, but they also underline that a final deal remains unresolved. The strait is a critical route for global oil and natural gas flows, so any change in access has implications well beyond the two countries involved.Oman's foreign ministry said the discussions were positive and warned against attacks on shipping that... [Continue Reading]
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Day News Recap: Ukraine hit by deadly strikes as Hormuz tensions and regional shocks mount
Russian strikes killed at least six people across Ukraine, including four in the Kyiv region and a child in Brovary, as local authorities reported attacks in several areas while Kyiv kept up strikes on Russian logistics targets. ๐ ๐Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz deepened after Iran set out demands it says the United States must meet before the waterway can fully reopen to shipping, while the UAE said an ADNOC tanker was struck by a missile and Gulf states condemned the attack. ๐ ๐ADNOC later said 15 vessels had been attacked in the strait, with one fatality and 20... [Continue Reading]
Drone explodes near Bulgaria's Trans-Balkan gas pipeline close to Romanian border
A drone has exploded in Bulgaria near the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, in an incident that has added to concerns about unidentified unmanned aircraft appearing in European airspace. The explosion happened near the Kardam border crossing with Romania, according to Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev. He said the blast took place close to a strategic energy route that links Turkiye to Ukraine.Radev said the drone exploded in the immediate vicinity of the border crossing on Saturday. He added that the site was about one kilometre, or 0.62 miles, from the compressor station of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline. The incident was described... [Continue Reading]
Trump renews effort to remove Fed governor Lisa Cook amid mortgage-fraud allegations
The White House has revived efforts to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, sending her a letter that says the president is considering dismissing her from office. The move comes as Donald Trump continues to press for faster interest-rate cuts, despite inflation remaining a concern. It also reopens a direct challenge to the independence of the US central bank.According to the letter, Cook was given three weeks to respond to unproven allegations that she committed mortgage fraud. The letter was signed by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino and warned that the alleged offence could carry a prison... [Continue Reading]
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Day News Recap: Middle East tensions deepen as Yemen, Iran and Gaza dominate a volatile day
Yemen saw the deadliest fighting in this window, with Houthi missile and drone attacks on military sites in Marib and Hadramawt killing at least 58 members of the internationally recognised government forces, while a separate Houthi strike on government held Marib killed two civilians and injured 14 others. ๐ ๐The fighting also fed fears of wider spillover, as reports said Saudi Arabia was being affected by the conflict and preparations were under way for a possible mine clearing operation in the Strait of Hormuz using uncrewed surface vehicles, underwater drones and explosive laden robots. ๐ ๐Iran remained at the centre... [Continue Reading]
Iran and Oman agree shipping-route coordinates as Trump says war may end soon
Iranian officials are reviewing a preliminary bill that would bar US, Israeli and other "hostile" vessels from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports cited by a parliamentary source. The development comes as Iran and Oman said they had agreed on coordinates for shipping routes through the strait, a waterway that remains central to global energy and maritime security. The latest comments also follow remarks by Donald Trump that he believes the war with Iran is nearing an end and that he is involved in negotiations.The reported bill is being examined by an Iranian parliamentary committee, while Iran's Fars... [Continue Reading]
Iran accuses Trump of 'theatre diplomacy on loop' as Hormuz talks continue
Iran's parliament speaker has accused Donald Trump of using what he called "theatre diplomacy on loop" after the US president said planned strikes on Iran were cancelled and claimed a deal was close. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made the remarks in a social media post on Thursday, saying Washington was switching between military threats and negotiation offers as a pressure tactic. He urged the US to acknowledge the facts and honour its commitments.Trump said on Saturday that he had called off a planned large-scale military attack on Iran, claiming that Tehran and other countries in the region had asked for the... [Continue Reading]
Day News Recap: Ebola outbreak tops 4,000 as Middle East tensions and Ukraine war intensify
Health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo said the Ebola outbreak has passed 4,000 confirmed cases, prompting a major escalation in the response as there are concerns the virus may be mutating. ๐In the Middle East, tensions around the Strait of Hormuz deepened as Iran enforced a near total closure of the waterway while indirect talks with Oman continued, and shipping groups warned against any compulsory transit charges. ๐ ๐ Iran also tightened internal security at home, while President Masoud Pezeshkian said contact with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was very difficult after the reported wounding of the leader.... [Continue Reading]
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Trump signals ongoing U.S. action against Venezuela and Iran, while backing Hegseth
President Donald Trump made multiple posts on Truth Social in the last hour: - "The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing. Everything has been extraordinary, including our attack on Venezuela, where the result was accomplished in less than one day, allowing us to bring one of the worst criminals anywhere in the World, Nicolas Maduro, to Justice! Likewise, Iran, where the country has been decimated for the purpose of NOT ALLOWING IT TO EVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, is going very well! Pete... [Continue Reading]
UNICEF says child deaths in Gaza continue despite ceasefire, as toll passes 300
UNICEF says at least 300 children have been killed in Gaza in the roughly 300 days since the October 10, 2025 truce between Israel and Hamas was announced. The agency said that amounts to an average of one child killed each day, despite the ceasefire framework that was meant to halt the fighting. It said hundreds more children have been wounded, many of them severely, as violence has continued.In a statement issued on Thursday, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, said a ceasefire that leaves an average of one child dead every day is... [Continue Reading]
Breakfast News Recap: Ukraine ports hit, Middle East tensions rise and markets rally on risk-on mood
Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea ports, with Odesa among the main targets, damaging port infrastructure and adding pressure on export routes that are already under strain. NATO says it is working urgently to supply Ukraine with air defences after Kyiv failed to intercept any of the Russian ballistic missiles fired in Wednesday's overnight strike. ๐ ๐In the Middle East, Israel said two reserve soldiers were killed in combat in southern Lebanon as fighting with Hezbollah continued near the border. The Israeli military also said it would keep operating proactively in Gaza, even as Prime... [Continue Reading]
Trump warns Iran over Strait of Hormuz as deal may be near
US President Donald Trump has said a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could come as soon as today or tomorrow, while warning that Iran would be hit very hard if negotiations fail. His comments came as the strategic waterway remained at the centre of talks involving the United States, Oman and Iran over traffic through the passage. The latest remarks add urgency to a dispute that has already unsettled global energy markets and shipping.Trump said negotiators had a very good day and told reporters in California that the strait would be open very soon, or Iran would face... [Continue Reading]
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Iran boosts military strength during ceasefire with US as talks continue
Iranian military officials say they are using the ceasefire period to accelerate missile and drone production, repair damaged systems and bring new equipment into service. The comments come as Tehran says it is preparing for the possibility that war could resume if negotiations fail. The developments are taking place in Tehran, where officials are also describing the ceasefire as a window to recover and adapt.Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said this week that Iran had made "maximum use" of the ceasefire and of a now-suspended memorandum of understanding signed with the United States in June. He said efforts included inducting existing... [Continue Reading]
Qatar says regional mediation with US and Iran is in advanced stage amid escalation fears
Qatar says efforts to reach a short-term resolution between the United States and Iran are now at an advanced stage, with draft language circulating through regional mediators. Foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said in Doha that Qatar is working with Oman and Pakistan to exchange ideas and proposals between Washington and Tehran. He said the aim is to avoid further escalation, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reopen the door to diplomacy.Al Ansari said there are no direct US-Iran talks scheduled, but that mediation is continuing and that the parties remain in contact through intermediaries. He said the whole... [Continue Reading]
Four killed in Crimea shooting as investigation continues
Russian-installed officials in Crimea said four people were killed when a soldier opened fire in the village of Khmelnytske, in an incident that also left three others injured. The attacker was detained, and the motive was still being investigated, according to the regional governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev. Officials said the gunman first shot at fellow soldiers, killing one and wounding another, before turning the weapon on civilians.Razvozhayev said the civilian dead were two men aged 71 and 59, and a 64-year-old woman. He said doctors were "doing everything possible to save" those injured, while urging people to rely only on official... [Continue Reading]
Cargo vessel hit by unknown projectile in Strait of Hormuz off Oman
A cargo vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre. The incident was reported on Tuesday and took place in one of the world's most sensitive shipping corridors. Authorities are investigating the strike, and the vessel has not been named.UKMTO said the ship reported being hit about 20 nautical miles, or 37 kilometres, northeast of Al Khasab in northern Oman. The agency did not provide details on the type of projectile, the extent of any damage, or whether anyone was injured.... [Continue Reading]
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Romania uses controlled blast to divert Danube water to nuclear reactor amid drought crisis
Romanian naval forces have carried out a controlled explosion on the Danube to help redirect cooling water towards the country's remaining working reactor at the Cernavodฤ nuclear plant. The operation took place as record-low river levels continued to disrupt power generation in Romania and neighbouring Hungary. Authorities said the measure was intended to keep the reactor operating during an acute water shortage linked to drought and heat.The blast used 180kg of explosives, according to a report cited in the supplied material, to move a large rock that was restricting the flow of water. Officials said the action would allow a... [Continue Reading]
Moscow restaurant bombing death toll rises to five as Russia blames Ukraine
Russia has blamed Ukraine for a bombing at an upmarket restaurant in central Moscow that killed five people and injured 19 others. The blast happened on Saturday evening near the entrance to Balzi Rossi, an Italian restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square, in one of the capital's Stalin-era skyscrapers. Authorities said an unidentified woman carrying an improvised explosive device was stopped by a security guard before the device detonated moments later.Russia's foreign ministry accused Kyiv of carrying out the attack, while investigators continued to examine who planned it and who may have been the intended target. Reports cited by Russian and independent... [Continue Reading]
Ukrainian drone attack sets Wildberries warehouse on fire in Russia's Vladimir region
A Ukrainian drone attack has caused a fire at a warehouse belonging to Wildberries in Russia's Vladimir region, according to the company. The incident took place on Monday and prompted the evacuation of staff from the site. Firefighters were still working at the scene as the company said it had rerouted logistics operations to other facilities.Regional governor Alexander Avdeyev said a young man suffered a non-life-threatening head wound and was being taken to hospital. He also said a woman living nearby had minor injuries to one leg. The company said deliveries and shipments were continuing through other warehouses, indicating an... [Continue Reading]
Greece wildfire response hit by helicopter collision west of Athens as one crew survives
Two firefighting helicopters collided in mid-air on Sunday while responding to a wildfire in Greece, leaving two crew members dead and two others alive after an emergency landing and a crash in a ravine. The incident happened about 65 km west of Athens, near the Attica-Boeotia border, as crews were working on a large blaze in the area. Video from the scene showed one Bell helicopter striking the propellers of the other before one aircraft caught fire and went down.The Greek Fire Service said the helicopters were leased and were taking part in efforts to tackle the wildfire. The dead... [Continue Reading]
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Ukraine and Russia exchange deadly strikes as death toll rises to at least 14
Officials in Ukraine and Russia said a fresh exchange of strikes has killed at least 14 people in total, with deaths reported in several regions on both sides of the border. Ukrainian attacks on Russia killed at least nine people, while Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least five, according to the supplied reports. The incidents were reported on 2 August and affected areas including Belgorod, Saratov and Udmurtia in Russia, and Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv in Ukraine.Russian regional officials said four people were killed in Belgorod region, including a 13-year-old girl near a playground, while two more died in... [Continue Reading]
Fear the Shia, Arm the Sunnis: The Uncomfortable Numbers Behind Americaโs War Narrative
โWhen fear is managed carefully enough, a nation can be taught to look away from the blood on the floor and stare instead at the shadow on the wall.โ A friend of mine, whose name I will not reveal because he asked me not to, sat across from me over dinner and placed a question on the table that would not leave me alone. He was born into a Muslim Shia background, and for the angle of this article, that detail matters, not because I wish to reduce a man to a sect, but because sect has become one of... [Continue Reading]
The Mirage of the Umbrella: The Shifting Sands of the U.S.-Israel-GCC Alliance
As I sat in a recent debate at the historic Carlton Club in London, listening to Faisal Abbas, the Editor-in-Chief of Arab News, I felt a tangible shift in the room, not because a new fact had been revealed, but because an old illusion had finally lost its last breath. The old-world order has not merely changed, it has evaporated, leaving the Gulf to realize it is no longer watching a distant fire from the safety of marble towers and air-conditioned ministries, but is instead standing directly inside the smoke. The GCC today is caught in a lethal crossfire between... [Continue Reading]
The Madness of Power, From Balfour to the Edge of World War Three
A Voice in the Wilderness of War: Who Still Dares to Speak Truth While Empires March There are moments in history when the world suddenly accelerates toward disaster, moments when anyone who has studied history can feel the temperature rising even before the explosions reach their peak. The current escalation in the Middle East is one of those moments. According to the facts we now see unfolding, the United States and Israel made the unilateral decision to attack Iran without the approval of the United Nations, without a global coalition mandate, and without the support of most of the international... [Continue Reading]
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