World

The Iranian government is developing a new vetting and registration system for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, as it shifts to a "selective" blockade of the strategic waterway, according to Lloyd's List. The system is being implemented by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with several countries, including India, Pakistan, Iraq, Malaysia, and China, reportedly in direct talks with Tehran to transit through its territorial waters. This move comes amid heightened tensions following the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran three weeks ago, which has severely disrupted global shipping routes.

Slovenia's parliamentary election on Sunday is shaping up as a tight contest between the ruling center-left Freedom Movement (GS) and the right-wing opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), with smaller parties likely holding the balance of power in coalition negotiations. This vote highlights deep societal divisions within the European Union member state.

The US Federal Fine Arts Commission has unanimously approved the design of a commemorative gold coin featuring former President Donald Trump. The coin, minted from pure 24-karat gold, is planned for release to mark the country's 250th anniversary of independence on July 4. It depicts Trump with his fists on a table, a pose that has sparked debate over its symbolic implications.

The US Department of Justice has charged three individuals associated with AI server maker Super Micro Computer, including its co-founder, with allegedly helping smuggle at least $2.5 billion worth of US AI technology to China in violation of export laws. According to an indictment unsealed in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday, Yih-Shyan Liaw, Ruei-Tsang Chang, and Ting-Wei Sun are accused of orchestrating a complex scheme to divert servers through Taiwan to Southeast Asia before shipping them to China.

In Rubaya, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, heavy rains triggered another deadly landslide at a mining site, following a collapse in March that killed hundreds. Official reports state that 200 people, including 70 children, died in the Kasasa mine disaster on March 3. Fifteen-year-old Mishiki Nshokano survived that incident and is now recovering in Goma, but says he must return to the mines soon as he has "no other choice" to support his family.

Kuwait's largest oil refinery, Mina al-Ahmadi, was hit by a second drone strike, part of a broadening Iranian campaign against Gulf Arab states. The attacks occurred early Friday morning, causing fires across multiple units at the refinery, though no casualties were reported. Kuwait's national oil company stated that several units had been shut down, while the country's military said its air defences were actively intercepting incoming missile and drone threats.

Iranian state TV has reported that the spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Ali Mohammad Naini, was killed in US and Israeli strikes. The Guards announced on their Sepah News website that Naini "was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn." This marks another high-level casualty in the conflict, though there has been no immediate confirmation from Israel or the US.

India has informed the United Nations that it is suspending the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, with its permanent envoy Parvathaneni Harish stating the agreement will remain "in abeyance" until Pakistan "unconditionally abjures terrorism as an instrument of its state policy." Harish accused Pakistan of violating the treaty's spirit through "three wars and thousands of terror attacks," adding that India's "patience" has not changed Islamabad's approach.

Ukraine has dispatched more than 200 experts to assist Gulf countries in defending against Iranian drones and is preparing to send nearly three dozen more, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week. Addressing the UK Parliament on Tuesday, Zelenskyy stated, “What is happening around Iran today is not a faraway war for us – because of the cooperation between Russia and Iran. And we do not believe we have the right to be indifferent.”

The Iranian government has issued a stark warning, stating it will show 'zero restraint' if its energy facilities are attacked again. This declaration comes a day after Israel struck the South Pars gasfield and Tehran launched retaliatory attacks on energy sites across the Gulf. These developments heighten regional tensions, raising concerns about potential escalation and its impact on international stability, as the conflict between Iran and Israel intensifies.

A significant fire broke out at an auto parts manufacturing plant in Daejeon, South Korea. According to the Yonhap news agency, the blaze started around 13:17 local time, resulting in injuries to at least 50 people, with 35 of them reported to be in critical condition.

While global attention is fixed on the war in Iran, Israel has quietly tightened its chokehold on Gaza, further restricting the flow of goods and aid. As Eid al-Fitr begins, a time meant to be marked by joy and family gatherings, millions in Gaza are struggling under deepening shortages and rising hardship. What should be a moment of celebration has instead become one of anxiety, as the worsening crisis strips Eid of even its simplest pleasures.