Category: WORLD

Tehran, Aug 3 (IANS) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran must “compel” the United States to remain committed to the peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries.

He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X, saying that there is a consonance among members of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on the MoU.

Pezeshkian said he believes the MoU will be the focal point of Iran’s foreign relations in the future, reports Xinhua news agency.

“We must strive to compel the enemy to adhere to what it has signed. The security of the country, region and our allies will improve with this MoU,” he said.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Acting Defense Minister Seyed Majid Ebn Al-Reza said Sunday that Tehran perceives every “enemy” threat as “real and noteworthy,” rejecting any characterization of them as mere psychological warfare.

“We will neither be surprised nor remain passive. We use threats as a basis to increase our preparedness, strengthen our deterrence, and develop our power,” Al-Reza wrote on social media platform X after U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier that he had agreed to hold off fresh attacks against Iran.

In his post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States was “locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II,” but held off after being “asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries,” citing a forthcoming deal that would include the “Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.”

Earlier US media reports had suggested US and Israeli strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure could begin over the weekend.

On June 18, Iran and the United States signed the MoU, under which the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within a 60-day period to reach a final agreement. However, the talks’ fate is hanging in the balance due to the recent escalation between them.

The US military launched multiple waves of strikes against Iranian targets last month, saying they were in response to Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and aimed at “degrading Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping.” Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases and facilities in the region.

–IANS

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Washington, Aug 3 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said that negotiations with Iran will begin Monday afternoon, noting that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar had asked the United States to call off planned strikes because “they think there’s a deal.”

“There’s a deal on (the Strait of) Hormuz, and then there will be a deal on the nuclear, or you might call it the denuclearization of Iran,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews.

Claiming that Iran had also asked the United States to pull back the planned strikes, Trump said that “now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation.”

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud spoke on the phone with Trump on Saturday and “expressed concern and asked for clarity” about the proposed plan of action against Iran, a US official told news outlet Axios.

Pakistan, Qatar, the UAE, Turkiye and other countries have also called on the United States and Iran to de-escalate tensions and avoid further conflict, reports Xinhua news agency.

Earlier on Sunday, Trump said the United States had agreed to hold off a planned military attack on Iran after Tehran and several Middle Eastern countries requested a pause, claiming that the framework of a potential agreement had been reached.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US remained fully prepared for military action but had decided to suspend the planned strike to allow diplomacy to move forward.

“The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II,” Trump wrote.

He said Iran and other countries in the Middle East had urged Washington to delay military action because “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

According to Trump, the proposed agreement would include the “Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.”

“Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,” Trump said.

He also claimed that Israel supported the decision to pursue the diplomatic path.

–IANS

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Dergaon (Assam), Aug 3 (IANS) Commonwealth Games Silver medallist Lovlina Borgohain has dedicated her hard-earned medal to the flood-affected people of Assam, triggering widespread celebrations across her home district and the state’s sporting fraternity.

The Indian boxer, who secured the silver medal at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, on Sunday chose to share her moment of glory with those battling the devastating floods that have displaced thousands of people and caused widespread damage across Assam.

Her gesture has been widely appreciated as a mark of solidarity with the affected communities during a difficult time for the state.

After her remarkable achievement, a festive atmosphere has gripped Lovlina’s home district.

People from all walks of life have come out to celebrate the success of their local hero, expressing pride in her accomplishment on the international stage.

The news of her dedication of the medal to the flood victims has further strengthened the emotional connect between the champion and the people of Assam.

Assam Boxing Association Organising Secretary, Dev Baruah, expressed immense joy and pride over Lovlina’s success and congratulated the “daughter of Assam” on winning the silver medal and bringing laurels to the state.

Speaking to IANS, Baruah said, “She (Lovlina Borgohain) has devoted the medal to the flood-affected people of Assam. Unfortunately, she could not come here before the people as she was in Glasgow. But we want to congratulate her.”

“She (Lovlina Borgohain) made her debut from Dergaon soil only and she motivates younger generation and budding boxers whenever she comes. Our Association congratulates her on her grand success in Commonwealth games.”

Baruah’s reaction reflect the collective sentiment of the Assam boxing community, which has long nurtured Lovlina’s talent and watched her rise through the ranks to become one of India’s most consistent performers in the boxing ring.

Her silver medal at the Commonwealth Games adds another significant chapter to her illustrious career and brings further recognition to Assam’s growing contribution to Indian boxing.

The celebrations in Lovlina’s home district underline the deep sense of ownership and pride that Assamese people feel towards their sporting icons.

Despite the ongoing challenges posed by the floods, the news of Lovlina’s achievement has provided a much-needed boost to public morale.

As Lovlina continues her stay in Glasgow, the people of Assam await her return to personally congratulate her and share in the joy of her success.

Her decision to dedicate the silver medal to the flood-affected population has been hailed as a gesture of compassion and responsibility that goes beyond the sporting arena.

The Assam Boxing Association and sports enthusiasts across the state have extended their heartfelt congratulations to champion Lovlina Borgohain, hoping that her success will inspire more young athletes from the region to pursue excellence in boxing and other sports.

–IANS

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Islamabad, Aug 2 (IANS) The death toll in the suicide bombing outside Kabal police station in Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has reached 15, including six police personnel, local media reported.

“Fifteen people were martyred, including six police personnel, while nine civilians were wounded and 25 critically injured people are receiving treatment at Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital,” the District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Ome told The Express Tribune.

According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Malakand, Syed Fida Hussain, police lines facility and other sensitive government buildings were located near the police station.

“Preliminary reports indicated that four police officers were seriously injured in the blast, while two civilians were also wounded,” Hussain said.

The incident happened while hundreds of people were participating in a public demonstration at Kabal Chowk close to the police station.

The injured were shifted to nearby Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital for treatment, while security personnel sealed off the area and launched a search operation.

Earlier this week, at least nine police personnel were killed, and 28 others injured after armed assailants targeted Khazina Banda checkpost in Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, local media reported.

Fitna al Khawarij, a term used by the state for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) Pakistan, were behind the attack, according to the statement released by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General (IG) Zulfiqar Hameed, Pakistan’s daily Dawn reported.

Hameed said that police personnel responded to the attack and additional forces were sent to the site. He said that nine police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), were killed while 28 others were injured during the exchange of fire between police and armed assailants.

The incidents occurred amid a rise in attacks targeting law enforcement personnel in Pakistan, especially in the border provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

–IANS

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Madrid, Aug 2 (IANS) Spain fully deployed a floating sea barrier on Sunday along the maritime border of its North African enclave of Ceuta as the authorities continue to tighten border controls following the recent mass migrant influx from Morocco.

The floating barrier, installed off Ceuta’s Tarajal beach, is now fully operational. The measure is designed to prevent irregular sea crossings after tens of thousands of migrants entered the enclave in recent days, many by swimming, Xinhua news agency reported.

Spanish authorities also said on Sunday that the official death toll linked to the crisis has risen to 72.

Meanwhile, the regional government of Ceuta said 88 bodies are currently being held in the city’s morgue. Local authorities said some of the bodies were recovered from the sea more than two weeks after the migrant surge. The process of identification is still underway.

Although the large-scale arrivals have subsided, Ceuta has yet to return to normal.

Police and military personnel continued security operations across the city on Sunday, detaining migrants found on the streets. Those apprehended were taken to police stations for identification before deportation procedures were initiated.

The migrant surge has become one of the most serious border crises in Spain’s recent history, prompting emergency measures by the Spanish government and renewed debate across Europe over migration management and the protection of the European Union’s external borders.

A meeting of European Union (EU) Interior Ministers on the emergency migrant crisis going on in Spain’s Ceuta enclave has been convened for August 4.

The meeting was requested in a letter signed by 22 European countries, led by Italy and Denmark, but without France and Portugal, the two countries bordering Spain, Italian news agency Adnkronos reported.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen received the letter from the 22 countries and from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, accepting the request for an emergency videoconference to assess the crisis.

She reiterated that combating illegal migration requires solidarity and a united European response.

–IANS

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Kabul, Aug 2 (IANS) The bodies of three Afghan nationals killed by Pakistani men in Italy have been returned to Afghanistan, local media reported.

According to the Taliban Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, the remains arrived in Kabul on July 27 and 28 and were later delivered to the families of the victims in Balkh, Kabul and Parwan provinces, Khamaa Press reported.

In June, two Pakistani nationals were arrested on suspicion of the murder of four migrants — three of them confirmed as Afghans — who were burnt alive in Amendolara town of Italy’s Calabria region.

A survivor from the fire incident told a local journalist that Pakistani men threw gasoline and fire into their car when they refused to pay.

“I saw the horror; I’m alive by a miracle,” the survivor said, who was tracked down by TGR Calabria and interviewed exclusively. The young farm labourer, the sole survivor of Monday’s massacre of farm labourers in Amendolara, is an Afghan citizen who lived with the victims in Villapiana, Italian news agency Adnkronos reported.

“I thought I was going to die,” the man who escaped the incident in which four men were burnt alive told journalist Francesco Salvatore. He claimed that three of the victims were Afghans and that the two arrested, accused of voluntary manslaughter, were the ones who demanded transportation money, which the victims refused to give.

At that point, he said, the two first threw gasoline into the car and then a lighter, burning the four migrants alive. He managed to escape by breaking a window.

The man also said that Pakistanis threatened him and others with knives and guns to get him to work and that they didn’t pay them: “They didn’t give us money, food yes, a house yes, but money no,” he said, adding that there is a “large mafia in Pakistan”.

According to La Milano news, in Amendolara of Cosenza province, four charred bodies were found inside a minivan parked near a gas station along the Ionian State Road 106.

“Following the incident, Taliban’s Foreign Ministry condemned the killings and called for a transparent and fair investigation. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed condolences to the families of the victims and said those responsible would face justice,” Khamaa Press reported.

–IANS

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Islamabad, Aug 2 (IANS) The increasing number of drone attacks in several provinces of Pakistan is destroying the favourite myth of its regime, about military domination guaranteeing security, a report said, detailing the evolving situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

“During the first twelve days of July 2026 alone, at least ten quadcopter attacks were reported, leaving nine people dead and fifty-one injured. Since the beginning of the year, Pakistan’s tribal regions have recorded at least sixty such incidents, with thirty-six fatalities and more than 178 wounded,” a report by Stringer Asia said.

Because of its cost effectiveness and accessibility, the technology has spread quickly and been adopted by Pakistan’s fragmented war zones. These consumer drones can carry small explosives, conduct recon on troop movements and attack checkpoints.

“This pattern is now familiar. Civilians are killed. Local communities accuse the state. The state denies involvement. No independent investigation follows. No chain of command is examined. No officer is prosecuted. No family receives an explanation. Pakistan’s military has perfected the politics of unverifiable violence. The same institution that controls access to conflict zones, intimidates journalists and criminalises dissent then points to the absence of independently collected evidence as proof of its innocence,” the report emphasised.

According to it, the environment in which this technology now thrives was manufactured by Pakistan’s security establishment through decades.

“It armed militant organisations, divided them into useful and hostile categories, tolerated sanctuaries when they served foreign-policy objectives and unleashed military operations when yesterday’s proxies became inconvenient. The quadcopter is merely the latest instrument in a conflict created by the same institution now presenting itself as its victim,” the report noted.

Quadcopters are being deployed against police and security installations by militants because the state has failed to control the weapons, networks and territory through which the insurgency operates.

“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s police chief Zulfiqar Hameed acknowledged in March 2025 that militants possessed modern equipment, including American weapons and drones, while the police lacked adequate counter-quadcopter technology. The admission was extraordinary. After decades of counterterrorism funding, military operations and international assistance, Pakistan’s provincial police were confronting inexpensive commercial drones without the equipment needed to stop them,” the report said.

These flying grenades were bought online, modified in a workshop and sent over villages, resulting in an undeclared drone war where militants attack police stations and security forces bomb suspected hideouts while civilians bury their children and the state denies responsibility.

“The quadcopter war is therefore not simply a tactical evolution. It is the perfect symbol of the Pakistani regime: inexpensive violence descending from above, ambiguous chains of responsibility, civilians trapped between militants and the Army, and a state that demands unlimited authority while refusing to account for its failures,” stressed the report from Stringer Asia.

–IANS

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Taipei, Aug 2 (IANS) The Taiwan government on Sunday reaffirmed its sovereignty claim over islands in the South China Sea after the Philippines shared an official nautical chart of Scarborough Shoal with the United Nations, local media reported.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said any disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully as per international law and the law of the sea, and called for Taipei’s inclusion in the multilateral dispute settlement mechanisms, Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

Taiwan’s MoFA statement comes after the Philippines shared an official nautical chart of Scarborough Shoal with the UN last week to reiterate its claim over the atoll claimed by Manila, Taipei, and Beijing.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said: “The deposit was made pursuant to Article 16 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).” It stated that the Law of the Sea requires coastal states to give publicity to official charts depicting the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured, the CNA reported.

Scarborough Shoal is called Bajo de Masinloc in the Philippines, Democracy Reef in Taiwan, and Huangyan Dao in China, and is claimed by all three nations.

On July 31, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticised the Philippines over delimitation of the so-called “baselines of the territorial sea” of Huangyan Dao, terming it “illegal, null, and void”. It stated that the Philippines’ move was “a grave infringement” upon China’s territorial sovereignty and a serious violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“China firmly rejects and will never accept it. Huangyan Dao is China’s inherent territory. China has indisputable sovereignty over it and its adjacent waters, and has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the relevant waters. China has continuously, peacefully and effectively exercised sovereignty and jurisdiction over Huangyan Dao,” it said in a statement.

“The territory of the Philippines has been defined by a series of international treaties, and Huangyan Dao has never been a part of it. The Philippines’ illegal territorial claim over China’s Huangyan Dao is completely baseless under international law,” it added.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Philippines’ unilateral initiation of the “South China Sea arbitration” violates the fundamental principles of international law, including pacta sunt servanda and estoppel, and international law, including UNCLOS, the bilateral agreement between China and the Philippines and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).

–IANS

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Islamabad, Aug 2 (IANS) At least seven people were killed and 18 others injured in a suicide attack at Kabal police station in Swat district of Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, local media reported.

“According to initial information, seven people were killed, and 18 others were injured. Our police are on high alert and fully prepared to respond to any untoward situation. Security forces have cordoned off the area, and an investigation is underway to collect further evidence,” Swat District Police Officer (DPO) Umar Gandapur said, the daily Dawn reported.

According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Malakand, Syed Fida Hussain, police lines facility and other sensitive government buildings were located near the police station.

“Preliminary reports indicated that four police officers were seriously injured in the blast, while two civilians were also wounded,” Hussain said, as per The Express Tribune.

The incident happened while hundreds of people were participating in a public demonstration at Kabal Chowk close to the police station.

The injured were shifted to nearby Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital for treatment, while security personnel sealed off the area and launched a search operation.

At least nine police personnel were killed, and 28 others injured after armed assailants targeted Khazina Banda checkpost in Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa earlier this week, local media reported.

Fitna al Khawarij, a term used by the state for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) Pakistan, were behind the attack, according to the statement released by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General (IG) Zulfiqar Hameed, the Dawn reported.

Hameed said that police personnel responded to the attack and additional forces were sent to the site. He said that nine police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), were killed while 28 others were injured during the exchange of fire between police and armed assailants.

The incidents occurred amid a rise in attacks targeting law enforcement personnel in Pakistan, especially in the border provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

–IANS

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Athens, Aug 2 (IANS) Two firefighting helicopters collided in midair on Sunday afternoon while battling a massive wildfire in Greece’s western Attica, according to Greek national broadcaster ERT.

The helicopters crashed near the coastal area of Psatha shortly after the collision, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.

The pilot of one helicopter managed to contact the Fire Service’s operations centre and reported that the co-pilot had been injured. Rescue operations were underway, the ERT reported.

There was no immediate information on the crew of the second helicopter, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Thursday the end of the national emergency declared over wildfires in the province of Avila and the Madrid region, as fires in the two areas have largely stabilised, while blazes remain active elsewhere amid a new heatwave and strong winds.

At an emergency command centre in Navaluenga, Avila, Sanchez said the decision followed consultations with regional authorities and technical teams. Management of the emergency will now return to regional governments under a lower, Level 2 operational status.

The Burgohondo fire in Avila has burned more than 50,000 hectares and is considered the largest wildfire ever recorded in Spain. The blaze has been technically stabilised, and residents who had been evacuated have been allowed to return home.

Since the start of the year, nearly 130,000 hectares have burned across Spain, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

Thousands of firefighters, soldiers, police officers and civil protection personnel have been deployed across the affected areas. The Military Emergency Unit continues to play a central role in protecting communities and critical infrastructure while supporting regional firefighting teams.

Spain has also activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, under which Greece and Italy each offered two Canadair firefighting aircraft, together with an additional support aircraft.

–IANS

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