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Iran's ability to throttle tanker traffic through the Hormuz acts as a strategic, nuclear-like weapon without physical destruction, and the US must find a way around this particular challenge.

The investigation by RKS Global examined 30 widely used apps in Russia, including those run by T-Bank, Sberbank, Yandex and VKontakte.

Scientists have long been sounding the alarm, warning that cell phone addiction is associated with shortened attention spans and anxiety.

An aspiring orthopedic surgeon used generative AI tools to design everything - from the woman's face and body to her captions. 

Conservative host says he’s ‘tormented’ by previous support for Trump – could this presage his own run for president?He can’t live with him and can’t live without him. But, finally, the conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson seems to have made up his mind about Donald Trump. Their up-and-down marriage of political convenience is heading for the divorce court.On Tuesday Carlson admitted that he will be “tormented” for a long time by his support for Trump in the 2024 US presidential election “and I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people”. What he did not say is whether this presages his own run for president in 2028. Continue reading...

Cargo ship reportedly attacked northwest of Iran after earlier reports that the IRGC had fired at a gunboat off the coast of OmanTrump announces ceasefire extensionWhy Trump’s erratic commentary is the real block to an Iran dealIf you’re just joining us, here’s the main news of the day. It is 9.30am in Tehran, 9am in Jerusalem and Beirut, and 2am in Washington DC.Donald Trump unilaterally said he is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request while awaiting a “unified proposal” from Tehran, even as the US military maintains its blockade of Iranian ports.Trump made the announcement as ceasefire talks looked increasingly uncertain with a two-week truce set to expire on Wednesday. Both countries had said they were prepared to resume fighting if no deal is reached.Trump said he would “extend the ceasefire until such time as [Iran’s] proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other”.Trump later claimed in a Truth Social post that Iran is “collapsing financially” and was losing $500m every day that the strait of Hormuz is effectively closed.Iran has yet to decide whether to join the negotiations in Pakistan, a foreign ministry spokesman said earlier on Tuesday, and will only take part if Tehran believes the discussions would yield results.A container ship has reported being fired at by an IRGC gunboat, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. The incident occurred 15 nautical miles north-east of Oman. The vessel sustained “heavy damage” to its bridge, the master of the ship said. All crew members were reported as safe.Shares were mixed in Asia as markets waited to see if the US and Iran may resume talks. Brent crude edged higher to $98.51 a barrel, while US benchmark crude fell 0.4% to $89.29 a barrel.One person was killed and two others wounded in an Israeli drone strike overnight on the outskirts of al-Jbour in Lebanon’s western Bekaa Valley, Lebanese state media reported. Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire on Friday.Since the war started, fighting has killed at least 3,375 people in Iran and more than 2,290 in Lebanon, the Associated Press reported. Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US service members throughout the region have been killed.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened to prevent oil production in the Middle East if the Islamic republic faced attacks launched from its Gulf neighbours’ territory. Continue reading...

Pat McFadden repeatedly declined to say that he thought the sacking of Foreign Office’s top official over Mandelson vetting was fairIn his interview with Sky News, while not saying he fully supported the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US, Pat McFadden did say that he could “see the rationale” for it.Asked if he was worried when he heard about the appointment, he replied:No, because I could see the rationale for it … This was an unusual appointment, a political appointment, in fact they happen on occasion, not very often.But I could see the rationale for this appointment because you were dealing with a very new kind of US administration, trade was going to be at the heart of our relationship with this administration.I do know Olly Robbins. And as I said, I think very highly of him. I think if the prime minister has made the judgment that he’s not got confidence in the head of the Foreign Office, then it’s difficult to continue.That is not to say that Olly Robbins is not an extremely distinguished civil servant. I think what this really came down to was a disagreement on judgment. Continue reading...

Shell Australia says campaign needed to ‘counter-balance’ claims by levy advocates – but Ed Husic urges industry ‘do not spend millions defending the indefensible’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe gas giants are mounting a multi-million dollar advertising campaign to fight against a new export tax, prompting Labor MP Ed Husic to accuse the industry of “defending the indefensible”.Shell Australia is among half-a-dozen oil and gas companies contributing around $1m to an Australian Energy Producers (AEP) campaign that attempts to justify the amount of tax the industry pays, a parliamentary inquiry heard on Wednesday. Continue reading...