The United States has said that it could maintain a naval blockade of Iran ‘’indefinitely’’ and would ratchet up economic pressure on Tehran as ceasefire talks have floundered, global oil supply is dropping and regional tensions are rising.

A person in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic has been fined 50,000 kroner ($5,255) for using a foghorn to wake a sleeping polar bear, local officials said Thursday.

A powerful explosion rocked an ammunition factory near Rome but no injuries were reported, emergency services and the factory owner said.

A fire tore through several homes, residents were evacuated and “extensive” damage reported as firefighters battled multiple blazes in central England, which experiencing its hottest day of the year.

Some sailors have reportedly tried throwing themselves into the sea, basic supplies can run short and sanitation is going awry: life on America’s giant Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is increasingly difficult as the Iran war drags on.

Russia has dismissed the idea of a ceasefire with Ukraine in the Black Sea, saying it saw no grounds for “half-measures that merely grant the Kyiv regime a temporary breathing space”.

Federal murder and weapons charges were previously dismissed on legal grounds 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that the US military has the capability to maintain a naval presence in the region to enforce its blockade of Iran

Keeping oil and gas cheap for Americans all over the country is goal number one, says JD Vance

Russia struck Ukraine’s largest Danube grain shipment port overnight, causing damage and setting off a fire, authorities said yesterday, after President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine needed more US air defence missiles to get through winter.

The West Bengal government yesterday withdrew the Banga Bibhushan award, the state’s highest civilian award, conferred upon BJP MP Nagendra Ray, popularly known as Ananta Maharaj, for alleged derogatory remarks about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

The Strait of Hormuz is “under Iran’s control and management”, the recently appointed head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary unit said yesterday, a day after US President Donald Trump said the United States had “total control” of the strategic waterway.

Iran yesterday warned of environmental degradation in the Strait of Hormuz after an oil spill reached its southern Qeshm island, calling for compensation from those responsible.

Paramilitary drones yesterday attacked the Sudanese capital Khartoum for the second day in a row, an AFP correspondent and witnesses reported.

Eleven people were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly organizing hundreds of sham marriages for foreigners seeking US residency, mostly Chinese nationals, officials said.

Former Nepal prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, facing arrest for alleged corruption, returned home yesterday, six months after leaving for medical treatment abroad.

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday visited a disputed island close to Japan prompting a strong condemnation from Tokyo, which said his actions had made any improvement of relations between the countries difficult.

Israel officially reopened the West Bank settlement of Ganim yesterday more than 20 years after it withdrew from the community, emblematic of current government’s policy of rapid settlement expansion.

Almost all countries agreed 4 years ago to protect 30% of the planet by 2030

Spain deployed a massive police contingent and set up special viewing spots across rural areas that offered the best views of the spectacle.