International News

DUBAI/WASHINGTON/CAIRO, August 10 ------ Iran said that a deal with Oman defining new shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz was in its final stages but reiterated that the waterway would only reopen once the United States met other conditions. A US official told Reuters on Friday that an agreement between Iran and Oman was close and could soon reopen the waterway, which carried a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before Iran blocked it in response to US

SYDNEY, August 10 ------ Asian share markets tracked Wall Street higher after a soft U.S. jobs report pared the risk of ​a near-term rise in borrowing costs, though a lack of progress in Gulf peace talks saw oil prices ‌creep higher. Iran said on Sunday that a deal with Oman defining new shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz was in its final stages but reiterated that the waterway would only reopen once the United States met other conditions. Brent crude added 0.9% to $84.32

VATICAN CITY, August 10 ------ Pope Leo said innocent people are being killed and wounded in Ukraine and Russia, and called for an end to the conflict. "Tragic incidents are multiplying, causing an ever-growing number of civilian victims, including children," the pontiff said before worshippers gathered for Sunday's Angelus prayer. "I renew my heartfelt appeal for international humanitarian law to be respected and for attacks against civilian targets to cease on both sides,"

August 10 ------ President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that establishing domestic production of Patriot air defense systems will take anywhere from 12 months to several years due to lengthy bureaucratic procedures. Speaking during the “United News” national telethon, Zelensky clarified that Washington has already made the political decision to grant Ukraine the necessary manufacturing licenses, but the implementation is stalled by red tape. “The decision is there. It was

NEW YORK, August 9 ------ Parasitic illness cases in 15 states have been linked to iceberg lettuce, U.S. health officials said. Cyclospora cases have been reported in at least 47 states this year, and investigators have continued to probe how many could be linked to a common contaminated source. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of states tied to the deadly outbreak had grown from nine to 15. Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire and

August 9 ------ The US government reportedly plans to expand vetting of the social media accounts of visa applicants, including foreign journalists, as part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reposted an article on X by the Daily Signal that said the State Department is expanding its social media vetting to applicants for more types of visas. The Daily Signal said it had obtained an internal memo outlining the p

TOKYO, August 8 ------ Hundreds of thousands of people in southwestern Japan were ordered to evacuate and more than 500 flights cancelled as slow-moving Typhoon Dolphin approached the region to bring violent winds, heavy rain and high waves. The Category 1 typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 144 kph (89.5 mph) with gusts reaching 198 kph and was nearing a ⁠chain of islands between the Kyushu region and Okinawa prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Auth

TOKYO, August 8 ------ The dollar drifted higher against the yen and euro, building on the previous day's gains as doubts about an Iran peace deal buffed the U.S. currency's appeal as a haven. The greenback also drew support from higher Treasury yields after a Financial Times report citing sources close to Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh pointed to the potential for a September interest rate hike, depending on incoming data. The monthly U.S. payrolls report, due later on