Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed a key defence deal called the “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement” on Friday amid the backdrop of the Middle East war. The agreement will deepen cooperation between the three countries at a time of growing security concerns. According to the deal, an attack against one of the three countries will…
Aug 6 (Reuters) – Ukraine will provide assistance to farmers hit by Russian attacks on shipping and port facilities, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday. Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, said the measures had been elaborated at a government meeting and would focus on farmers “who are now in a difficult situation because…
WASHINGTON — Iran’s parliament is weighing a sweeping new law that would block ships from the US, Israel and other “hostile” nations from sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Tehran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency. The proposed legislation, dubbed the “Strategic Action for the Security and Sustainable Development of the Strait of Hormuz and…
When the Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft in Sussex announced in January that it would temporarily close to the public as part of a planned pause to work out the institution’s next phase, fans far and wide uttered a collective “Oh no!” The closure took effect the day after the last group exhibition, whose…
Iran has seized de facto control over the strait since the war began An oil tanker reported hearing explosions while transiting the Hormuz strait near Oman, a British maritime agency said Thursday, as Tehran and Muscat hold talks to jointly manage the key waterway. “The Master of a tanker has reported hearing two explosions whilst…
Iran says it’s in the final stage of drafting an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz waterway with Oman, while two Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon. Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East on Thursday. Full coverage can be found here. Iran says it’s…
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine hit more oil facilities deep inside Russia in nighttime attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, as Kyiv kept up its campaign to undermine Moscow’s wartime economy and embarrass the Kremlin. Ukrainian forces hit a refinery in Bashkortostan, more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) behind the front line in eastern…
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 308 people abducted in different attacks in the northern part of Nigeria were rescued, the country’s president said Wednesday. Those rescued include 163 people abducted from Woro community in Kaiama area of Kwara state in February, and 145 people kidnapped mostly from Niger state, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu said…
KARAK, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian durian orchard owner Stephen Chow’s workers spend hours in the fields in the dead of night, donning headlamps to collect freshly ripened fruit coveted by Chinese consumers. But the hard work may not be enough to keep Chow out of the red. Durian lovers prize the Malaysian premium varieties such…
WASHINGTON — Iran’s mysterious, “probably gay” supreme leader is so elusive that even his own president isn’t convinced he met him in a bizarre one-on-one in the back of a dark car. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was whisked to a secret location in Tehran, shoved into the back seat of a dark car with blacked-out…