The head of the UN maritime agency appealed on Tuesday for help for thousands of seafarers stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as the Middle East war paralyses the vital shipping route.

Russian forces have taken 1,700 square km (656 square miles) of territory in Ukraine this year and are advancing on its so-called fortress belt in Donbas, Moscow’s top general said while inspecting his forces.

Japan will ease decades-old arms export curbs, the government said yesterday, in a major policy shift that paves the way for the sale of lethal weapons overseas as Tokyo ramps up its defence ambitions.

Around 7,900 people died or disappeared on migration routes in 2025, taking the total dead and missing since 2014 beyond 80,000, the United Nations’ migration agency said yesterday.

A former top foreign ministry official yesterday said he had faced “constant pressure” from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office to speed up the appointment of his pick as the ambassador to the US, deepening a row that threatens the British leader.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli settler gunfire killed two people, including a 13-year-old child, in an attack on Tuesday in a village in the central occupied West Bank.

The leaders of the United States, Israel and Russia are seeking to impose a new “predatory” world order while most countries are too cowardly to stop them, rights group Amnesty International said yesterday.

Trump is demanding Iran give up its uranium stockpile and end attempts to control the strategic Hormuz waterway

Just hours remain until the two-week ceasefire struck between the warring sides expires

Greek maritime risk firm MARISKS warns of scam messages demanding Bitcoin or Tether

Senior Iranian official says Tehran ‘positively reviewing’ participation, but no decision yet

The White House said Vice President JD Vance was ready to fly back to the Pakistani capital Islamabad

Aid agencies warn children are bearing the brunt as food shortages worsen and humanitarian funding declines

The gunman, whose nationality was unknown, killed himself after opening fire at the popular tourist destination in central Mexico

Apple marks its 50th anniversary this year as artificial intelligence challenges the Silicon Valley legend to prove it can deliver yet another culture-changing innovation

The talks will take place at the State Department in Washington, again at the level of ambassadors.

The policy shift which ends Japan's self-imposed restraint on sales of lethal arms comes as Tokyo seeks to enter the international arms market, hoping to bolster national defence as well as boost economic growth

Pakistan source said Trump was told US blockade is obstacle to talks

Trump wrote in a social media post after concerns expressed by Democrats and some nuclear experts that he is rushing negotiations

Traffic has again seized up in the Strait of Hormuz as both Tehran and Washington impose separate blockades