US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that Washington was expanding the scope of Iran metals sanctions to target Iran’s nuclear, military or ballistic missile programmes. Pompeo called the move a “major expansion” of Iran metals-related sanctions administered by the State Department, allowing Washington to blacklist those who knowingly transfer 22 specific materials مزید پڑھیں

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday he was taking antibiotics for an infection that left him feeling weak, chuckling in an online video about “mold” in his lungs, having spent weeks in isolation after catching the novel coronavirus. “I just did a blood test. I was feeling kind of weak yesterday. They found a مزید پڑھیں

U.S. President Donald Trump hopes to address the U.N. General Assembly in person in September, his U.N. envoy said on Thursday, while all other world leaders will send videos instead of traveling to New York amid the coronavirus pandemic. The annual high-level gathering had been shaping up to be a weeklong celebration of the 75th مزید پڑھیں

The first five Dassault Rafale fighter jets bought from France in a multi-billion-dollar deal landed in India. The defence minister used their arrival to launch a veiled warning to neighbouring China over territorial tensions. A water-cannon guard of honour greeted the five jets when they landed at the Ambala airbase in Haryana state. An intense مزید پڑھیں

Hong Kong police have arrested four people aged 16-21 for suspected offences under the city’s new national security law, the first such detentions outside of street protests since the legislation took effect a month ago. In a press conference shortly before midnight on Wednesday, a police spokesman said the three men and a woman, all مزید پڑھیں

Washington has said it was withdrawing 11,900 American soldiers from Germany in a move which President Trump described specifically to punish Germany for “not paying the bills” for the defence of Europe. The Pentagon on Wednesday called the move to withdraw the troops “strategic” repositioning, but Trump said was to punish Berlin for its weak مزید پڑھیں

The Turkish Parliament on Wednesday passed a controversial new law regulating social media to comply with any demands by the government to block or remove content. Under the new law, social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter have to ensure they have local representatives in Turkey and to comply with court orders over the مزید پڑھیں

The five-day annual Hajj pilgrimage will begin in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, today as the kingdom strives to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the kingdom. This year’s Hajj will see the number of pilgrims drastically reduced — to 10,000 from last year’s 2.5 million. The kingdom has put strict safety protocols in place with مزید پڑھیں

Spain reacted angrily on Tuesday to recommendations from Britain and Germany that their citizens avoid its islands and beaches because of an increase in coronavirus cases during what should be the height of the tourism season. With advisories piling up on top of a quarantine order from Britain for returning travellers, Spain, which depends on مزید پڑھیں

Government spokesman Ali Rabiei has called on South Korea to abandon its “illegal” policies and release the Iranian assets that it has frozen due to the US sanctions so that Tehran can step up its fight against a deadly coronavirus outbreak. “We expect South Korea to review its illegal approaches and also speed up the مزید پڑھیں