World News

Iran blockade reinstated, US to charge 20% on Strait of Hormuz cargo: Trump

Donald Trump said the United States would reinstate a naval blockade on Iran and impose a 20 per cent charge on cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz

India's exports to West Asia region evened out in June: Commerce Secy

Indian exporters are using three ports (Duqm, Sohar and Salalah) in Oman to push exports to the region

Dubai housing sales decline 16% in H1 2026, prices rise 6%: Anarock

Residential transactions declined from a year earlier, but average prices rose 6 per cent as Dubai's property market remained resilient despite geopolitical tensions in the West Asia

Inside Israel's secret operation to cultivate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

The yearslong effort to groom the former Iranian prez as an intelligence asset culminated in a dramatic effort to take him to an Israeli safe house in early days of the war. But the plan fell apart

Oil jumps over 3% as fresh US-Iran strikes threaten Hormuz shipments

Oil prices climbed more than 3 per cent after fresh US-Iran military strikes renewed concerns over energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and regional supply risks

What was Meta's Muse AI, the feature pulled days after its launch?

Meta's Muse AI let users generate images using public Instagram profiles. Days after launch, the company withdrew the feature following criticism over consent, privacy and impersonation risks

How Putin turned Japan into a hub for Russian espionage operations

Operating out of a Tokyo high-rise, a military intelligence unit finds the high-tech equipment that Russia needs to wage war

Ex-South Korean President Yoon jailed 2 years in political funding case

The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of illegally receiving free opinion polling services worth 270 mn won (US$180,100) from political broker Myung Tae-kyun during his 2021-2022 campaign

Apple sues OpenAI over 'trade secrets': What the dispute is about

Apple claims OpenAI targeted engineers working on Apple's hardware programmes and encouraged them to share confidential information after they joined the AI company

Akzo Nobel rejects Nippon's $8.6 billion offer for paint business

Nippon Paint shares fell as much as 3.4%, the biggest intraday decline in more than a month, before paring some losses

TSMC posts record second-quarter revenue as AI demand drives 36% growth

Taiwan Semiconductor ​Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is a major supplier to companies including Nvidia and Apple

Hormuz traffic falls to multi-week low amid renewed US-Iran conflict

Six vessels transited the strait on Sunday, ship-tracking data from Kpler showed, the ‌lowest number in five weeks

Bangkok pub fire kills 27: Survivors choked on smoke, found no fire exists

Survivors said dense smoke engulfed the venue within minutes as investigators examined a suspected electrical fault and possible failures in the pub's emergency exits

Kuwait, Jordan activate air defences as Iran retaliates after US strikes

Apart from Kuwait and Jordan, Bahrain twice has sounded its missile alert sirens Monday over Iranian attacks

US ends latest round of airstrikes on Iran after Tehran strikes Gulf states

The US military's Central Command said in a statement that it hit air defence systems, radar sites, missile and drone equipment and small boats

Iran condemns US strikes, warns nations aiding Washington may be targeted

Tehran warned that any country allowing its territory or facilities to be used for attacks against Iran could become a legitimate target of Iranian defensive strikes

How Trump failed to secure Strait of Hormuz in his deal with Iran

President Trump signed an agreement that Iran said gave it control of the waterway - and global energy supplies. Now, Iran's military is violently asserting authority

Missile alert sounds in Bahrain amid US-Iran standoff over Strait of Hormuz

Missile alert sirens sounded at dawn Monday in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet

Nippon Paint offers $8.6 billion for AkzoNobel decorative paints unit

Nippon Paint had previously sought to buy AkzoNobel's entire business along with US-based Sherwin-Williams for €12.5 bn, but the bid was rejected ‌in May, after which the two ​withdrew their offer

Iran expands attacks on Gulf states, says Strait of Hormuz remains closed

The renewed violence casts further doubt on the future of an interim US-Iranian agreement signed last month that aimed to reopen the strait and end the war after a further 60 days of negotiations