Foreign

United States (US) President Donald Trump has threatened to declare the Strait of Hormuz as “a territory of the United States” as his administration struggles to conclude the war with Iran. During a speech at a police academy on Long Island, New York, today (Friday, 14 August), Trump said he would “pretty soon” designate the waterway – a crucial chokepoint for global trade, through which about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies typically pass –, a US territory. The comment came as peace talks with Iran remain at an impasse following failed negotiations, with Tehran refusing to reopen…

"On my last day of school it seemed years of effort were now contained in one small piece of paper. Everyone was happy at graduation, holding our certificates, each of us had a different road ahead. Friends wanted to study Medicine, Civil Engineering or Economics. For me, I wanted Aviation – to be a pilot. "We worked hard, preparing for Kankor – the university entry exam – then came the first delay. Coronavirus reached Afghanistan. Everywhere went into quarantine, our exams were postponed. "Eventually, I got into university. On my first day I told myself, 'Shabnam, finally, your efforts were…

*People Were Falling, Being Struck By Things, Cars Were Thrown Around -Eyewitness A pall of grief was thrown over Colombia as over 100 persons perished in a 7.4 magnitude earthquake which struck the South American country today. Reports said the disaster occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time (12:34 GMT). Official figures so far indicate 111 deaths, most of them in the metropolitan area of ​​Pereira and the department of Valle del Cauca. The number of injured is 87. The epicenter was in the west of the country, specifically in the Chocó department, but the effects were felt throughout much of…

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Saturday declared the Strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States (US) “corrects its behavior,” issuing new demands that could shake up talks on a deal to manage the waterway and traffic on it. Iran’s state broadcaster published the statement by the Council’s Secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is also a Commander in the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The US must never threaten Iran again, the statement said, and must permanently end the war with Iran and its armed allies in the region. The US must lift the naval blockade…

Former US President Joe Biden's prostate cancer has spread to other parts of his body and is causing him pain, even as he continues to speak out on public issues, his son Hunter said in an interview. In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC broadcast late on Friday, Hunter Biden grew emotional as he discussed his father’s condition, describing it as very sad to watch. “The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” he said. “It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating in many respects.” Biden, 83, was the oldest man to serve as US President and his…

Apparently seeking fast wealth through criminal means, two human traffickers in Tema, Ghana, have been convicted and sentenced to 20 years each in prison. Kingsley Ndifon, aged 29, and Emmanuel Akong, aged 25, were convicted for human trafficking and causing harm. They were arrested in August 2023 at Sebrepor, a suburb of Tema following a distress call by some of their victims to the police. At the time, 11 Nigerian nationals who were being kept in a house against their will, were freed by the police. Police investigations revealed that the victims had been recruited from Nigeria to Ghana under…

*Injures Several The suspect in a school shooting in the Bang Kruai district of Nonthaburi province in Thailand killed eight people in total today (Friday), police said. First he shot his grandparents dead, using his grandfather’s handgun, then went to his school, the Debsirin Nonthaburi School on Bangkok’s outskirts, and killed three teachers and three students, according to national police. The school is one of a network of Debsirin secondary schools, which were founded by the Thai royal family. Alumni include Prime Ministers, scholars and writers. The Nonthaburi Provincial Police Commander, Lt. Col. Dechrapee Kongdee, confirmed that the ⁠suspected gunman…

*Urge Independent Inquiry Authorities of the University of Cambridge’s deserve blame for the “grotesque racism unleashed” by Jason Arday’s appointment as Professor, according to academics calling for the university to hold an independent inquiry. Senior dons at Cambridge are circulating a joint letter calling for an inquiry into the processes and circumstances around Arday being given the position, with many suggesting the university wanted a “quick fix” to improve the diversity of its staff. The controversy around Arday, who was compelled to resign his appointment yesterday (Wednesday) to pave the way for a probe into swirling allegations of plagiarism levelled…

*Denies Claim, Says 'Even Past Panels Had Cleared Me' *Experienced Difficult Childhood, Couldn't Speak Till Age 11, Among Others Jason Arday, the Cambridge Professor accused of plagiarism and embellishment, has resigned after the university announced he was to face new investigations into his qualifications and career. Arday, who had been dogged by a growing series of questions over his academic work and credentials, issued a statement on Wednesday night, saying the “relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love." Arday has denied all accusations of plagiarism, saying: “There have been…

Hundreds of people living on the slopes of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano have evacuated their homes after a huge eruption spewed lava and plumes of ash. By yesterday (Tuesday), rivers of lava were streaming down the 3,763-metre (12,346-foot) volcano, which is located less than 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Guatemala City. Ash rose six kilometres (3.73 miles) into the red sky. Central America’s most active volcano erupted on Monday morning, with conditions intensifying by nightfall and prompting authorities to issue the country’s second-most severe alert warning. In 2018, 215 people were killed and a similar number left missing when rivers of…