Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Bishkek on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. Modi also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

PM Modi Holds Bilateral Talks With Kyrgyz President Japarov

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Bishkek on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. Modi also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a bilateral meeting with Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov in Bishkek.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George were also present during the discussions.
Earlier, PM Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Kyrgyz capital.
Modi also held a bilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across several areas, including defence, economics, pharmaceuticals, science and technology, culture and education.
They also exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the situation in West Asia.
PM Modi reiterated that India looked forward to working closely with Armenia to further deepen and expand bilateral ties.
Later in the day, PM Modi is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He is also scheduled to attend the official opening ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.
On Sunday, PM Modi interacted with members of Kyrgyz communities in Bishkek ahead of his participation in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
The bilateral meetings come after PM Modi arrived in Bishkek on Sunday for the SCO Summit.
His visit to Kyrgyzstan marks the next leg of his two-country tour after concluding his state visit to Uzbekistan.
PM Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov.
The 26th SCO Summit will bring together leaders of member states to discuss regional and international issues.
The leaders are also expected to deliberate on ways to further strengthen cooperation within the grouping.
PM Modi's participation in the Bishkek summit is expected to further strengthen India's engagement with the SCO and its Central Asian partners.
The summit comes as the organisation marks 25 years of its existence.

Editorji Technologies has launched Hook Global, a digital-first international news brand delivering concise, context-rich coverage of geopolitics, business, technology, world affairs, and global developments through original video journalism.

Editorji Launches Hook Global, Its International Digital News Brand

Editorji Technologies has launched Hook Global, a digital-first international news brand delivering concise, context-rich coverage of geopolitics, business, technology, world affairs, and global developments through original video journalism.

Editorji Technologies Private Limited has officially launched Hook Global, a digital-first international news brand focused on making geopolitics, world affairs, business, technology, and global developments more accessible for digital audiences.
Hook Global has been created to serve a global audience with concise, context-rich journalism across major digital platforms, including YouTube and Instagram. The platform combines live news coverage, explainers, interviews, and original reporting to help viewers better understand the stories shaping the world.
Built with a digital-first approach, Hook Global focuses on producing content designed for today's online audience while maintaining high editorial standards and factual reporting.
"Hook Global represents the next phase of our global digital news strategy. As audiences increasingly consume news on digital platforms, our goal is to build a trusted international news brand that delivers reliable journalism in formats people prefer," a spokesperson for Editorji Technologies Private Limited said. Since its launch, Hook Global has attracted millions of viewers worldwide and continues to expand its international presence through original video journalism and live news programming.
Hook Global operates as an editorial brand under Editorji Technologies Private Limited and is managed by the company's editorial and digital publishing teams. Official Platforms
* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HookGlobal * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hookglobal
About Editorji Technologies Private Limited
Editorji Technologies Private Limited is a digital media company focused on building innovative news and information products for digital audiences. Through its portfolio of brands, the company delivers news, analysis, and original content across multiple platforms, serving audiences in India and around the world. Editor's Note: Hook Global is an editorial brand owned and operated by Editorji Technologies Private Limited. All official social media accounts, including @hookglobal, are managed by Editorji Technologies Private Limited.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his resignation following mounting pressure within the Labour Party. Former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has emerged as the leading contender to replace him and become the UK's next prime minister.

Starmer resigns as UK PM, Burnham favourite to take over

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his resignation following mounting pressure within the Labour Party. Former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has emerged as the leading contender to replace him and become the UK's next prime minister.

UK leader Keir Starmer announced he was quitting Monday following months of pressure, with veteran Labour politician Andy Burnham the frontrunner to become the country's seventh prime minister in a decade.
Burnham could be installed in 10 Downing Street in just over three weeks after would-be rival Wes Streeting said he was backing the ex-Manchester mayor for the premiership.
Starmer's voice cracked during an emotional speech outside his official residence, as he conceded he had lost the support of his Labour party MPs after just two years in office.
He said he had informed head of state King Charles III of his decision to resign so that a new Labour leader, and therefore prime minister, could be elected.
"I will remain in post as prime minister until the contest is complete, and I will do everything I can to ensure an orderly handover of power," Starmer said, choking back tears when he thanked his wife Victoria and two children.
Starmer said he had asked Labour's National Executive Committee to set out a timetable for his replacement, with nominations due to open on July 9 before closing on July 16.
If Burnham is unchallenged, then he is likely to become prime minister on either July 17 or 18, UK media said, just days before a crunch summit UK-European Union summit in Brussels on July 22.
Starmer -- well-respected abroad for his involvement in supporting Ukraine, NATO, opposing the United States on Iran and pushing closer ties with Brussels -- returned Labour to power after 14 years in opposition with a landslide general election victory over the Conservatives in July 2024.
But his premiership quickly became characterised by domestic policy U-turns, deep public unpopularity, ministerial resignations and a scandal over his ill-fated decision to appoint a known associate of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as the UK's ambassador to Washington.
His domestic authority all-but evaporated after Labour endured a drubbing in local and regional elections in May, with clamour growing for Burnham to replace him.
 - 'Country I love' -
Labour lawmakers ultimately decided Starmer is incapable of fighting off the rise of the hard-right anti-immigration Reform UK party, which leads national opinion polls.
He had vowed to fight any leadership challenge, but several senior ministers reportedly told him the game was up after Burnham won a parliamentary by-election last week, allowing him to run for leader.
Burnham, a former Labour minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown who has been mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017, travelled to London by train Monday -- a journey tracked by TV cameras in helicopters.
Burnham, who has twice failed to become Labour leader previously, then took up his seat in the House of Commons, ditching his trademark black t-shirt for a suit and tie.
During his resignation speechr, Starmer said he accepted "with good grace" the view of Labour lawmakers that he should not lead them into the next general election, expected in 2029.
"Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party," he added, as senior ministerial colleagues looked on.
 - 'Forces of nationalism' -
Starmer hugged his wife after finishing his speech, which a prominent anti-Brexit campaigner tried to drown out by playing the European Union anthem "Ode to Joy" from a nearby street.
Energy minister Ed Miliband praised Starmer's "great dignity", while EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said he had made European and Ukrainian security "stronger".
Burnham called for "orderly and responsible" transition, writing on X: "I will put myself forward as part of this process."
Quickly afterwards, former health secretary Streeting, who previously said he would join a leadership race, instead suggested Burnham could become leader without any formal contest.
Streeting said he had spoken to Burnham in recent days and was convinced he "can win the fight of our lives against the forces of nationalism".
Burnham would likely face questions about the extent of his mandate, with Reform leader Nigel Farage swiftly calling for a snap general election.
Burnham, from the so-called soft-left wing of Labour, defied national trends by easily beating the hard-right, populist Reform UK party's candidate in Makerfield.
But he has provided little detail about his plans for government if he wins power, causing concern among some MPs.
UK media say he intends to replace finance minister Rachel Reeves, while retaining interior minister Shabana Mahmood.
Starmer had promised stability and economic growth after the Conservatives churned through five prime ministers following the 2016 Brexit referendum, with its tenth anniversary falling on Tuesday.
"I still don't have much confidence in the government, so fingers crossed he (Burnham) gets it right," 27-year-old store worker Lauren Kenworthy told AFP in Manchester.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump met briefly on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, marking their first in-person interaction in nearly 18 months.

G7 summit: PM Modi holds brief conversation with US President Trump

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump met briefly on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, marking their first in-person interaction in nearly 18 months.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump exchanged pleasantries and held a brief conversation on Tuesday at a gathering of G7 leaders, marking their first in-person encounter in 16 months amid continuing strain in bilateral ties.
In Evian-les-Bains, the site of this year's G7 summit of the powerful grouping, Modi and Trump shared a warm handshake followed by a short conversation.
A full bilateral sit-down is slated for Wednesday on the sidelines of the gathering.
While details of their brief exchange were not known, the encounter sets the stage for their high-stakes talks.
Following US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to India last month, the two sides are now looking at rebuilding the bilateral ties.
The relations witnessed a major downturn after Washington imposed punitive tariffs on India and President Trump made controversial assertions regarding his role in de-escalating the India-Pakistan military clashes last May.
Over the next few months, the US president repeatedly and publicly claimed that he had resolved the military conflict between the two neighbours and saved millions of lives as it was heading toward a full-scale war.
New Delhi stoutly maintained that the cessation of the hostilities was a result of talks between India and Pakistan, and the US involvement had nothing to do with it.
Washington's new immigration policy and its decision to increase the H1B visa fee also contributed to the slide in India-US ties.
However, both sides made efforts in the last few months to repair the ties and even moved forward to firm up a mutually beneficial trade deal soon.
Last week, the relations came under fresh strain after three Indian sailors were killed following the US military's attacks on three merchant vessels off the coast of Oman.
Three Indians from one of the vessels were killed in the strikes following which New Delhi summoned the US charge d'affaires Jason Meeks and told him that the American military's "lethal and deadly" strikes on commercial vessels with Indian crew members is "unacceptable".
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also raised the issue with Rubio.
The US Central Command said it initiated action to disable three vessels, Marivex on June 8, Settebello on June 9 and MT Jalveer on June 11, saying they were trying to violate the US blockade of Iranian ports.
The Modi-Trump encounter was their first since the prime minister travelled to Washington DC in February last year to meet the US President.
In their meeting on Wednesday, the two leaders are expected to take stock of the entire gamut of bilateral ties, including the ongoing negotiations for the bilateral trade deal and steps being taken to boost defence cooperation.
The trade pact is expected to be an important step towards a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement, as envisaged during PM Modi's visit to Washington DC in February last year.
Modi and Trump may also exchange views on pressing global challenges, including the West Asia crisis and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Rubio, during his meeting with the prime minister last month, had invited him on behalf of Trump to visit the White House in the "near future".
The top American diplomat described India as the "cornerstone" of Washington's approach towards the Indo-Pacific.
Modi has travelled to France for the G7 summit as India was invited as a guest country to the summit.
The Group of 7 (G7) brings together seven of the world's most advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union is also a member of the bloc.
The G7 serves as the forum of choice for its members to discuss and coordinate action in response to major economic, financial and geopolitical challenges on the global stage.

US President Donald Trump arrived at the G7 summit in France after announcing an agreement aimed at ending the US-Iran conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The deal is expected to dominate discussions with world leaders.

Trump arrives at G7 summit looking for momentum after announcing a deal to end Iran war

US President Donald Trump arrived at the G7 summit in France after announcing an agreement aimed at ending the US-Iran conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The deal is expected to dominate discussions with world leaders.

President Donald Trump arrived in the French Alps on Monday to meet with fellow world leaders at the Group of Seven summit after announcing an agreement he says will bring an end to the US war with Iran.
Trump and Iranian officials had been saying for days they were making progress toward reaching a deal, but even on Sunday, things appeared to be on shaky ground after a new round of strikes between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
With the agreement, the Republican US president arrived in Evian-les-Bains on Monday with the wind at his back for talks with G7 leaders, including some who've been sharply critical of his managing of the 15-week-old conflict, which has led to a surge in global energy prices.
Polls show American voters largely disapprove of the conflict, which has made some Republicans nervous about the political impacts it could have on November's midterm election.
&ldquo;Ships of the World, start your engines," Trump said in a social media post celebrating the deal that he said would lead to the US ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 per cent of the world's crude had flowed before the conflict.
&ldquo;Let the oil flow!&rdquo;
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, however, said the Iranian closure of the strait would continue until the agreement is signed.
Neither the White House nor Iran published the final agreement or revealed many details.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country served as a mediator in the negotiations, said there would be &ldquo;pre-implementation discussions&rdquo; this week to lay the ground for 60 days of technical talks on Iran's nuclear program.
Vice President JD Vance told CNBC on Monday that the White House hopes to release the text of the agreement in the coming days.
Deal could change G7 dynamic
Sealing an agreement before jetting off to the summit could change the dynamic of the gathering for Trump.
He's had friction with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over failing to consult them before the decision to go to war.
Meanwhile, Trump has pushed back on the four European leaders &mdash; members of the NATO military alliance &mdash; for their lack of support for the US in the conflict.
Trump is expected to discuss with leaders the demining of the Strait of Hormuz, the White House says.
Britain and France have expressed interest in assisting with the demining once the conflict is paused.
Fear of potential mines is among the reasons tanker traffic has come to a halt during the war, and quickly clearing them will be crucial to regaining the confidence of commercial vessels.
Macron on Monday said France was ready to move &ldquo;very quickly&rdquo; to deploy assets, including mine-clearing vessels, to the region to help.
He added that a French aircraft carrier and an accompanying strike group are already in the region and would be ready to assist within days of the US and Iran signing the agreement.
Macron, the summit's host, invited the leaders of three nations that aren't part of the G7 &mdash; Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates &mdash; to take part in a session on the Middle East on Tuesday, when Iran is expected to be a central focus.
The leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada issued a joint statement welcoming the agreement as a &ldquo;moment of opportunity to restore regional stability and stabilize the global economy.&rdquo;
In a separate development, Trump, ahead of departing for the summit, told the New York Post he's warned Macron the US will &ldquo;have no choice&rdquo; but to slap 100 per cent tariffs on French wines unless Paris eliminates its digital tax on American tech companies, renewing a long-running threat from him that dates to his first administration.
Wines and spirits exported to the US from the European Union currently face a 15 per cent tariff.
In an interview with broadcaster TF1, Macron said Monday that it's not &ldquo;for the United States to decide what European or French law should be.&rdquo;
Trump is scheduled to meet with Macron later Monday.
Following their meeting, Macron and Trump will join the other leaders for a working dinner.
Trump faces questions about financial incentives for Tehran
Trump had fiercely criticized President Barack Obama for the 2015 nuclear agreement, which Trump argued failed to stop Tehran from advancing toward a weapon and funneled billions of dollars into the Islamic Republic's coffers.
In 2018, Trump exited the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union were also signatories to the pact.
Trump in an interview on Sunday with The New York Times pushed back on comparisons to the Obama-era nuclear deal.
&ldquo;We negotiated from strength,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;He was basically paying them off.&rdquo;
But Trump hasn't detailed how his agreement will address some key issues about Iran's nuclear program, including who will be in charge of verifying that Iran is complying with the agreement and who will destroy or remove 972 pounds (441 kilograms) of highly enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites that were badly damaged by US strikes last summer.
The deal is also expected to include some sanctions relief and economic incentives for Tehran as it meets certain benchmarks aimed at assuaging White House concerns, senior administration officials said ahead of the two sides reaching an agreement.
Some Democrats and hawkish critics say Trump has failed to explain how the financial relief in his agreement will differ from what Obama did in the 2015 nuclear deal.
&ldquo;For all his critique of JCPOA, we had international observers, we actually had an alliance there that included the Europeans, and Russia and China were all signatories,&rdquo; Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CBS' &ldquo;Face the Nation&rdquo; on Sunday.
&ldquo;Now it is America going alone or going with Israel only, and that does not make us safer.&rdquo;
Republican Sen Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump and an Iran hawk, expressed skepticism, saying that Congress will need to review and vote on any nuclear deal with Iran, and said he expects Vance &mdash; &ldquo;the architect of the deal&rdquo; &mdash; to present it.
&ldquo;I am somewhat concerned that Iran's view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming,&rdquo; Graham said on social media.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico elevated India-Slovakia relations to a Comprehensive Partnership and signed 11 agreements covering defence, labour migration, digital technology, education and quantum communication.

India, Slovakia upgrade ties to comprehensive partnership; ink 11 pacts

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico elevated India-Slovakia relations to a Comprehensive Partnership and signed 11 agreements covering defence, labour migration, digital technology, education and quantum communication.

India and Slovakia on Monday elevated their ties to a comprehensive partnership and firmed up 11 agreements to expand the bilateral cooperation in a range of areas such as migration, digital technology and defence following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico.
The two leaders also agreed to work towards the "earliest" implementation of the India-European Union free trade agreement that is expected to significantly shore up the bilateral economic engagement.
Modi is in Bratislava as part of his weeklong visit to Europe. It is the first visit to the European nation by an Indian prime minister.
"We have decided to elevate our relations to the status of a Comprehensive Partnership. This symbolises our shared beliefs, shared priorities, and shared future," he said in his media statement.
The comprehensive partnership aims to take bilateral relations to a new level, strengthen existing cooperation mechanisms and explore new avenues for deepening cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
The prime minister said he and Fico discussed ways to give a "new direction" to the ties.
Modi and Fico also agreed to enhance cooperation in the energy sector with a view to promoting energy security, sustainability and resilience through diversification of energy sources, including nuclear energy and geothermal power.
"Our potential is vast. Our aspirations are even greater. Automobile, railways, advanced manufacturing, and green technologies are areas of particular interest to us," he said.
"Today, we combined our strengths on all these issues and took several important decisions for the benefit of the people of both countries."
Modi also said that the defence cooperation between India and Slovakia is a testament to the "deep mutual trust and strategic convergence" between the two sides.
A Letter of Intent was finalised on defence cooperation following the talks between the two leaders.
The prime minister said it will give new momentum for cooperation between defence industries of the two sides.
"India and Slovakia are also moving forward with close coordination on the global stage. We agree that all disputes and tensions should be resolved peacefully," he said.
"We also agree that global institutions need to redefine themselves to address the realities and challenges of the 21st century. We will work to strengthen global efforts in this regard," he added.
Modi also conveyed his appreciation to PM Fico for the cooperation Slovakia extended in finalising the India-EU free trade agreement.
"We will work towards its earliest implementation so that industries, startups, and traders of both countries can derive maximum benefit from it," he said.
In his remarks, PM Fico hailed the India-EU FTA, describing it as one of the "most ambitious" trade pacts ever signed.
"Slovakia not only welcomes this agreement, but it will take the necessary and practical steps for the implementation of this agreement," he said.
The agreements inked following Modi-Fico talks are set to provide for deeper bilateral cooperation in areas of labour migration, defence, digital technologies, higher education and quantum communication.
In the meeting, the two leaders, recognising the growing geopolitical, economic and technological importance of the Indo-Pacific, acknowledged the value of a stronger partnership between India and Slovakia in support of mutually beneficial cooperation, regional connectivity, open international trade, freedom of navigation, peaceful resolution of disputes, according to a joint statement.
Modi and Fico expressed support for the orderly, safe and legal mobility of skilled professionals and welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of labour migration to facilitate mobility.
The two sides also agreed to work towards the early conclusion of a Social Security Agreement, which would contribute to safeguarding the welfare and social protection of working professionals engaged in mobility between India and Slovakia.

All 22 Indian crew members aboard MT Jalveer were safely evacuated after the tanker came under attack off Oman. The incident marks the third US strike on a merchant vessel carrying Indian sailors in four days.

All 22 crew members evacuated after third vessel with Indians on board was attacked off Oman

All 22 Indian crew members aboard MT Jalveer were safely evacuated after the tanker came under attack off Oman. The incident marks the third US strike on a merchant vessel carrying Indian sailors in four days.

Crew members of a tanker carrying 22 Indians were evacuated on Thursday after the vessel came under attack off an Oman port, Indian officials said.
This was the third instance of a merchant ship with Indian crew members coming under attack from the US military off the Oman coast in the last four days.
A Palau-flagged oil tanker carrying 24 Indian seafarers was disabled by US forces on Monday. All crew members of the vessel MT Marivex were safely rescued.
On Wednesday, the US struck another Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello, killing three out of the 24 Indian sailors on board.
Following Wednesday&rsquo;s incident, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned US Charge d'Affaires Jason Meeks and he was handed a diplomatic note of protest.
The third incident took place on Thursday.
The Indian Embassy in Muscat said in a post on X: &ldquo;The rescue operation with the support of the Omani authorities has been successfully completed and all the 22 Indian crew members have been evacuated ashore. The Mission is coordinating with the Omani authorities on further actions.&rdquo;
The MEA later confirmed that the ship had come under attack.
"These attacks came from the US Navy that is stationed there," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press briefing in New Delhi while responding to a question on the incidents involving the vessels.
"We attach high importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafaring community,&rdquo; Jaiswal said.
The US Central Command said in a statement that it disabled the Guinea-Bissau-flagged MT Jalveer for allegedly violating its blockade against Iran by attempting to transport Iranian oil.
It said a US aircraft struck the vessel's engine room after the crew "repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces".
The MEA said two of the vessels involved in the incidents this week were operating under US sanctions, while one was in the non-compliant category.
India has described the attacks on commercial vessels as "deeply worrisome" and it has strongly taken up the matter with the US.
The US military imposed a blockade on Iranian ports after Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which around 20 per cent of global energy supplies are transported in normal times.

US President Donald Trump warned of powerful strikes against Iran and threatened control over its oil infrastructure as military exchanges between the two countries intensified across the Middle East.

Trump says US will hit Iran 'very hard,' threatens to take 'total control' of its oil industry

US President Donald Trump warned of powerful strikes against Iran and threatened control over its oil infrastructure as military exchanges between the two countries intensified across the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to launch major strikes on Iran and seize control of its oil and gas industries as continuing attacks between the warring countries pushed the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war.
Trump said in a social media post that the US would hit Iran &ldquo;VERY HARD TONIGHT&rdquo; and would &ldquo;assume total control&rdquo; of Iran's oil and gas industries, including the key Kharg Island oil terminal, in the &ldquo;not too distant future.&rdquo; Trump compared his plans for Iran to how the US assumed control of Venezuela's oil sector after capturing then-president Nicol&aacute;s Maduro in January.
The post come after the US and Iran traded strikes for a second straight day. The American attack, which lasted into Thursday morning in Iran, appeared more intense and widespread than the day before.
Iran released little information on the extent of the damage and said it fired back at Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, as it had a day before.
Trump's threats on Thursday, while stark, represented his latest verbal escalation in the Iran war. In April, he warned Iran that &ldquo;a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again&rdquo; if it didn't agree to his terms, before extending a ceasefire in the war.
Kharg Island &mdash; located on the other side of the Persian Gulf from US bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia &mdash; is the beating heart of Iran's oil industry, through which 90 per cent of its exports pass. It is important because Iran's coastline is mostly too shallow for tanker ships to dock.
American troops would be vulnerable on Kharg Island because of its close proximity &mdash; about 33 kilometres (21 miles) &mdash; to the Iranian mainland, from which missiles, drones and artillery could be fired.
US military fires on another merchant ship trying to run blockade
The US military continued to enforce its blockade of Iranian ports, saying Thursday it fired missiles to disable a tanker attempting to transport Iranian oil. An Indian official said a US strike on a different merchant ship earlier this week killed three Indian sailors.
It was the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have rattled the Middle East. The first involved attacks between Iran and Israel, followed by the two rounds of fire between the US and Iran, which hit countries in the region that host American bases.
The new exchange of fire came as efforts to negotiate an end to the war appeared stuck, with US President Donald Trump warning that Tehran would &ldquo;pay the price&rdquo; for stalled negotiations. Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the US attacks had &ldquo;effectively rendered the ceasefire ... meaningless,&rdquo; without saying it was abandoning it.
Central to the negotiations is Iran's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.
Iran announced Thursday that the strait was closed &mdash; but it was unclear what that meant since it has severely restricted traffic through the waterway since early in the war and only a trickle of ships have gotten through. The US military's Central Command disputed the claim &mdash; and Trump said Wednesday that the US has undertaken a secret mission in recent weeks to sneak ships through the passage.
The two sides also remain at odds over Iran's nuclear programme, which Tehran insists is peaceful but which the US and Israel fear could be used to build an atomic weapon due to its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The US and Israel said a major reason they went to war on February 28 was to ensure that Iran would never be able to do that.
Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must also end fighting in Lebanon between its ally Hezbollah and Israel. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing his goal of destroying the militant group.
US strikes Iran and Iran fires back at Gulf states
Central Command said its latest round of airstrikes came &ldquo;in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression&rdquo; and targeted &ldquo;Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defence sites.&rdquo;
It did not elaborate on the damage done by the strikes, which it said ended just before sunrise Thursday in Iran.
Explosions from the strikes echoed around Iran's capital, as well as the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard later said sites hit included a manufacturing complex, a military barracks and a local Guard base outside of Tehran.
Kuwait closed its airspace for several hours because of the attack, but did not elaborate on any damage.
Jordan said it intercepted 20 Iranian missiles fired toward an area that is home to a base hosting US troops, though no one was hurt.
Bahrain's Interior Ministry said an 11-year-old girl was hurt and cars and homes were damaged by debris from interceptions responding to the Iranian attack.
Meanwhile, Israel warned residents in the country's north to seek shelter after the detection of suspected incoming fire from Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group.
Trump says the US is sneaking oil through the Strait of Hormuz
Iran's ability to control the Strait of Hormuz has proved a strong bargaining chip since the narrow waterway's effective closure has severely disrupted the global economy.
Trump said Wednesday that the US military has undertaken a mission since last month to sneak oil shipments past Iran's forces in the strait, aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment.
Trump said as a result more than 100 million barrels of oil have evaded Iran's chokehold.
There was no immediate confirmation of that figure, which equals roughly five days of oil shipments through the waterway before the war began.
But the seas remain dangerous for mariners.
The US military's Central Command said Thursday that it struck a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker attempting to evade the American blockade with a shipment of Iranian oil.
It said Hellfire missiles were launched to disable the M/T Jalveer late Wednesday after the ship's crew failed to obey US orders.
It's the ninth merchant vessel the US military says it has disabled since imposing the blockade in mid-April in waters off Iran.
Two of those ships came under US fire earlier this week.

Iran announced the end of its latest military operation against Israel after renewed missile exchanges but warned of a harsher response if hostilities continue. Diplomatic efforts remain underway.

Iran halts Israel operation after first post-truce clash

Iran announced the end of its latest military operation against Israel after renewed missile exchanges but warned of a harsher response if hostilities continue. Diplomatic efforts remain underway.

Iran on Monday said it was ending its latest military operation against Israel after the first exchanges of fire between the foes since a shaky ceasefire began, but warned it could inflict a more "crushing" response.
US President Donald Trump earlier on Monday told both Iran and key ally Israel to stop fighting, against the background of reports of an increasingly testy relationship between the US leader and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel overnight and Israel responded by targeting military sites in the Islamic republic, sparking fears the escalation could usher in a new full-scale conflict after the April 8 truce.
"Israel and Iran must immediately stop 'shooting.' President DONALD J. TRUMP," the US leader wrote on his Truth Social network.
Minutes later, he added in a new post that "final negotiations" towards peace were proceeding "subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way."
Iran's military command then said it was halting the operation against Israel after delivering a "painful response".
But it warned "that should acts of aggression and hostility continue, including in southern Lebanon, much more severe and crushing measures than before will follow".
Shortly after, Israel's army intercepted three projectiles fired from Lebanon, according to an AFP journalist near their shared border, with the military confirming the munitions had targeted its forces operating in Lebanon's south.
"Some of the projectiles were intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory, and an additional projectile fell near IDF soldiers. No injuries were reported," the military said.
Tehran's earlier strikes followed attacks by Israel against targets of the Iran-backed Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Iran had repeatedly warned it would strike Israel if the Lebanese capital was targeted.
 - 'People frustrated' -
On Monday in Tehran, there was little sign of any return to war, with cafe terraces packed.
Traffic seemed lighter than usual for a weekday, suggesting that some people had stayed home and there were also many more people queuing at gas stations.
Maryam, 41, an accountant in Tehran, described "a sense of uncertainty and confusion."
"You don't know if there's going to be a war, nor do you know if the peace agreement will last. Nothing is clear. People are frustrated," she said.
Residents of Tel Aviv meanwhile went to shelters as sirens went off.
"I hope it will be short, but you can never know. Last time we thought it will be short and then it was a month, so I don't know," said Jonathan Ariel, 30.
Oil prices surged more than five percent on worries that war could break out again, with hopes now punctured of a rapid end to the standoff that has seen shipping limited through the key Strait of Hormuz trade bottleneck.
The strikes also came at a critical moment with diplomatic efforts to end the conflict involving mediator Pakistan on a knife-edge.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei warned at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP that diplomacy was continuing but risked being "affected" by the escalation.
As he was speaking at the foreign ministry, a huge explosion shook the building, followed by repeated explosions believed to be from air defence systems, the AFP reporter said.
Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Tehran to deliver what he said was a "special letter" to Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to Iranian state television.
He has since travelled back to Pakistan, an official Pakistani source said on Monday.
Iranian President Masoud Pezehskian wrote on X that Tehran was still "at the negotiating table".
 - 'Prepared for long-term war' -
No casualties have been reported in either Israel or Iran after the exchange of fire.
The Israeli military said it struck and dismantled Iranian defence systems deployed across several areas in the country. Iran fired nearly 30 missiles towards Israel since Sunday night, an Israeli military official said.
An AFP correspondent also saw a missile fall in agricultural land in the area of Najha, in the countryside of the Syrian capital Damascus, causing a fire around the impact site but no reported human casualties.
"Material damage is minor, but the psychological impact is significant. The area is home to children, farm caretakers, livestock and solar power installations," said Fadil Ataya, a local farmer.
A military source told the Tasnim news agency that "Iran is prepared for a long-term war with the Zionist regime and for strikes against US interests" in the region.
It also remains unclear who is leading decision-making in Tehran with Mojtaba Khamenei, said to have been wounded in a US-Israeli strike, yet to appear in public after taking over from his father Ali Khamenei who was killed on the first day of the war on February 28.
The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas called on both sides to "sit down to a negotiation table and agree", adding that "the region does not need an escalation."

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines, killing at least 35 people, injuring over 130, and triggering tsunami warnings before authorities lifted the alerts.

Major quake off Philippines kills at least 35, dozen still missing

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines, killing at least 35 people, injuring over 130, and triggering tsunami warnings before authorities lifted the alerts.

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake in the southern Philippines on Monday killed at least 35 people, according to provincial authorities, after toppling buildings and sparking tsunami warnings across the region.
National disaster authorities said at least a dozen people were still missing, while 134 had sustained injuries.
Philippine authorities urged people in affected coastal regions to move to higher ground after the offshore quake hit south of General Santos, a city of about 720,000, where the death toll was now 12, according to the tally at a local command centre.
A series of powerful aftershocks rocked the area from about two hours after the first quake, according to the United States Geological Survey, with the largest measuring magnitude 6.5.
As night descended, AFP journalists watched as rescue workers in General Santos used their hands to dig through the rubble of a popular grocery store chain in a desperate bid to reach two employees buried beneath.
Morphy Angcad, a 35-year-old security guard, told AFP he was not ready to accept that his sister, one of the two, was dead.
"We received a call this morning telling us that she was one of the trapped there," he said, adding he had refused a hotel room so he could stand watch.
"I don't want to leave this site until I see the body of my sister&hellip; (but) I'm hoping against hope that she is still alive."
Dioslinda Deluvio told AFP her son Joey, the other employee, had come to visit her just weeks earlier, asking: "Ma, what is your plan for your life? Are you OK?"
"All I can do is cry now, imagining the good things he did in the world," she said.
A few kilometres away, others were preparing to spend the night on a sidewalk.
"I'll be sleeping here outside even if it's uncomfortable, because I'm scared there will be an aftershock," 34-year-old sales clerk Johnson Alerta told AFP.
"I feel safer here."
 - 'So many lives' -
Rene Punzalan, disaster chief for hard-hit Sarangani province, told AFP 14 people had died in Glan municipality alone when a landslide buried their homes at the foot of a mountain.
"The landslide happened immediately after the earthquake, so many lives were lost," he said, adding that some areas had yet to report if they had sustained casualties.
"The greatest challenge is communication. The power was cut, so it's hard to get updates," Punzalan said.
Videos posted to social media and verified by AFP showed a shopping centre with a Jollibee fast food restaurant reduced to rubble in General Santos, while a school building that officials said was unoccupied crumpled in another.
In another video verified by AFP, young schoolchildren could be seen screaming in the arms of their teachers as the quake violently swayed them back and forth on the ground.
 - 'Move to higher ground' -
Sarangani's Punzalan told AFP that more than 2,000 people evacuated due to a morning tsunami warning were now awaiting a green light to return to their homes.
"(Authorities) are still assessing the situation now if it will be OK to send them home," he said.
A notice from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had said tsunami waves were possible along the coasts of the Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea.
But by mid-afternoon, the Philippines and other countries had cancelled their warnings.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, who suspended classes across Mindanao island on what was to have been the first day of school, had called on residents in coastal areas to evacuate immediately.
"Move to higher ground now. Do not wait," he said. "Your life is more important than anything left behind."
Earthquakes are a near-daily occurrence in the Philippines, which is situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
Eastern Mindanao was rocked by a pair of earthquakes of 7.4 and 6.7 magnitude in October that killed at least eight people.
These followed a magnitude 6.9 quake days earlier that killed 76 people in Cebu province in central Philippines.

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The Tate brothers, who were indicted on charges including human trafficking and rape in 2023, were detained for questioning overnight on August 21 after a raid on their four properties. Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terr

Andrew Tate, brother, arrested in new human trafficking case in Romania

The Tate brothers, who were indicted on charges including human trafficking and rape in 2023, were detained for questioning overnight on August 21 after a raid on their four properties. Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism said in a statement that the new probe related to the alleged trafficking of minors, human trafficking, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering.

The Tate brothers, who were indicted on charges including human trafficking and rape in 2023, were detained for questioning overnight on August 21 after a raid on their four properties.&nbsp;

The Tate brothers, who were indicted on charges including human trafficking and rape in 2023, were detained for questioning overnight on August 21 after a raid on their four properties. Romania&rsquo;s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism said in a statement that the new probe related to the alleged trafficking of minors, human trafficking, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek, calling for a shift from “endless wars” towards an end to war. Modi also invited Putin to the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

PM Modi, Putin Discuss Global Issues, India-Russia Ties At Bishkek Meeting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek, calling for a shift from &ldquo;endless wars&rdquo; towards an end to war. Modi also invited Putin to the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, with the two leaders discussing bilateral ties and major international developments.
The meeting also saw Modi underline the need for a shift from prolonged conflicts towards lasting peace.
"We must move away from endless war towards an end to the war," Prime Minister Modi told the Russian President.
The two leaders exchanged a hug and handshake at the meeting, reflecting the longstanding relationship between India and Russia.
Modi also invited Putin to India for the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
"We are eager to welcome you to India for the BRICS Summit in New Delhi this September," PM Modi said, adding that the visit would "further strengthen India-Russia relations."
Putin, in response, thanked Modi for his continued personal attention to bilateral relations.
"I'm very grateful to you for your personal attention to the Russia-India relationship," President Putin said.
The two leaders also reviewed areas of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on pressing global developments.
Putin&rsquo;s Upcoming India Visit
Putin is scheduled to travel to New Delhi later this year for the BRICS Summit in September.
The upcoming visit will follow the previous India-Russia Annual Summit held in New Delhi during Putin's state visit on December 4-5, 2025.
During that summit, the two countries adopted a joint statement titled "India-Russia: A Time-Tested Progressive Partnership, Anchored in Trust &amp; Mutual Respect."
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, 21 announcements were made during the summit, including 16 MoUs and agreements covering areas such as mobility, fertilisers, healthcare, food safety, maritime cooperation, customs, commerce, academic collaboration and media cooperation.
So far, India and Russia have held 23 Annual Summits, alternating between the two countries.
India describes Russia as a longstanding and time-tested partner, with bilateral relations spanning defence, security, trade, economy, science and technology, culture and people-to-people ties.
The partnership was formally elevated in 2010 to a "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership", following the signing of the Declaration on the India-Russia Strategic Partnership in October 2000.
Modi In Bishkek For SCO Summit
Modi arrived in Bishkek on Sunday for the 26th SCO Summit, marking the second leg of his two-country visit after completing his state visit to Uzbekistan.
The Prime Minister is in Kyrgyzstan at the invitation of President Sadyr Zhaparov.
The SCO summit brings together leaders of member countries to discuss regional and international issues and explore ways to strengthen cooperation within the grouping.
The organisation was established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
India and Pakistan became full members in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.
Turkmenistan remains the only Central Asian country outside the SCO, while Afghanistan and Mongolia have observer status. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia are among the grouping's dialogue partners.

India’s specialised tunnel search and rescue team is working with the Nepali Army at hydropower tunnel sites in Chilime and Langtang as rescue operations continue following devastating flash floods. Nepal’s death toll has risen to 903.

India’s Tunnel Rescue Team Joins Nepal Army In Flood Search Operation

India&rsquo;s specialised tunnel search and rescue team is working with the Nepali Army at hydropower tunnel sites in Chilime and Langtang as rescue operations continue following devastating flash floods. Nepal&rsquo;s death toll has risen to 903.

An Indian specialised tunnel search and rescue team has joined the Nepali Army in efforts to locate people trapped at hydropower facilities affected by the devastating floods in Nepal.
The team is carrying out search operations at underground hydropower sites in the Chilime and Langtang areas, where difficult terrain and debris have complicated rescue efforts.
The deployment comes as authorities intensify efforts to reach workers who may be trapped inside powerhouses and tunnels following the flash floods across the Trishuli basin.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the joint operation on X.
"India's tunnel rescue team joined the Nepali Army in search &amp; rescue operations at hydropower tunnel sites in the Chilime and Langtang areas today," Jaiswal wrote on X.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu also said the specialised team would continue working alongside the Nepali Army.
"The tunnel rescue team from India worked with the Nepali Army's team to conduct search &amp; rescue operations at hydropower tunnel sites in Chilime and Langtang area today. The team will continue to conduct search and rescue operations in close coordination with the Nepali Army."
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava also highlighted the ongoing cooperation between the two countries.
"Specialised team from India for Tunnel Search &amp; Rescue operation worked with the Nepali Army's team at hydropower tunnel sites in Chilime and Langtang area today. The team will continue to conduct search and rescue operations in close coordination with the Nepali Army."
Equipped with specialised technical equipment, the Indian team is assisting rescue personnel in challenging mountainous areas and narrow gorges.
Rising water levels and large quantities of debris have made access to several underground structures particularly difficult.
The joint search operation comes amid a massive rescue effort following the floods.
Authorities said 15 people were rescued from a hydropower site on Sunday, including five Chinese and seven Indian nationals.
 Nepal Flood Death Toll Climbs To 903 The scale of the disaster has continued to grow, with Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) reporting 903 deaths as of Monday.
The figure has risen from the previously reported 788 fatalities.
Around 4,247 people are still missing, while 10,451 people have been rescued so far, according to the latest data.
Chitwan has recorded the highest number of recovered bodies, with 272 casualties, including various human remains.
Nawalparasi (East) has reported 207 deaths, followed by Nawalparasi (West) with 151.
Nuwakot has recorded 95 deaths, while Gorkha reported 62, Dhading 55, Tanahun 37 and Rasuwa 24.
The missing include personnel from several security and government departments.
According to the data, 25 Nepal Police personnel, 45 Nepal Army personnel, 13 Armed Police Force personnel, 15 Customs Office personnel and three Immigration Office personnel remain missing.
 Thousands Still Missing District Emergency Operations Centre data shows that Nuwakot has reported 1,548 missing people, while Rasuwa has recorded 865.
Another 933 people associated with hydropower projects are reported missing.
Makwanpur has reported 65 missing persons, while the number of missing foreign nationals stands at 592.
Rescue teams continue to operate across the affected areas.
The Nepal Army has so far carried out aerial rescues involving 252 foreign nationals and 3,344 Nepali citizens.

Leaders including Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, Masoud Pezeshkian and Shehbaz Sharif gathered in Bishkek for the SCO summit, with discussions focused on regional conflicts, diplomacy, trade tensions and cooperation.

Putin, Xi, Iran's Pezeshkian in Kyrgyzstan for SCO summit

Leaders including Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, Masoud Pezeshkian and Shehbaz Sharif gathered in Bishkek for the SCO summit, with discussions focused on regional conflicts, diplomacy, trade tensions and cooperation.

The leaders of Russia, China, Turkey, India and Iran were in Kyrgyzstan Monday for a two-day summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which seeks to be a counterbalance to the West.
The regional SCO bloc -- which brings together Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, four central Asian countries and Belarus -- is celebrating its 25-year anniversary.
Upon arrival in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, Russian President Vladimir Putin met China's Xi Jinping, Russian media reported.
Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world and present a united front against the West.
Iran's leader Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, India's Narendra Modi and Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif were also in Bishkek.
The summit takes place four-and-a-half years into Moscow's Ukraine invasion and six months into the war between Washington and Tehran.
Speaking after the first exchange of fire between the United States and Iran in a month, Iran's Pezeshkian said continuing the war was not in Tehran's interests.
"We continue to strive for a path of agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is neither in our interest, nor in the interest of the region," he told India's Modi.
Putin, Xi, Pezeshkian, Modi and Sharif are due to take part in a plenary session chaired by Kyrgyz leader Sadyr Japarov.
 - Diplomacy -
The Kremlin has said Putin is due to hold talks with Pezeshkian and Xi.
Russia and Iran -- among the most sanctioned states in the world -- have massively deepened their military and economic ties since Moscow invaded Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump has warned Moscow and Beijing against arming Iran.
Putin's meeting with Pezeshkian will come days after the CIA's director John Ratcliffe made a rare trip to Moscow, with US media speculating he could have discussed Ukraine and Iran with his Russian counterparts.
The SCO has historically focused on economic issues but has gained momentum in recent years under Moscow's and Beijing's leadership.
On top of its 10 members, it now has 15 "dialogue partners", including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
It also has two observer countries: Afghanistan and Mongolia.
The SCO's founding declaration says the group is "not an alliance directed against other states".
But Putin and Xi have repeatedly made anti-Western speeches during its summits.
At last year's gathering, Putin accused Western countries of provoking the Ukraine war, while Xi denounced "acts of intimidation", referring to US-Chinese tensions.
 - Real and trade wars -
The Bishkek summit takes place at a time when some SCO members are in the midst of real wars -- the Ukraine and Iran conflicts -- or trade wars, with the imposition of US tariffs on Chinese and Indian goods.
This month, the US slapped secondary sanctions on Iran's trading partners in the sectors of gold, technology, digital assets, aviation and maritime transport, aiming to cripple Tehran's economy.
Washington has also threatened Iran's allies with sanctions.
China, a major importer of Iranian oil, responded by saying it would "firmly defend" its interests.
Iran, living under sanctions since its 1979 revolution ended with Islamic authorities taking charge, has regularly said it will not cave to economic pressure.
But Pezeshkian has acknowledged his country faces "economic difficulties".
Iran only joined the bloc in 2023.
Mohammad Hassan Najmi, an international relations expert, told AFP that Tehran "believes its membership and active participation in these alliances can enable it to circumvent US and European sanctions".
But concrete benefits of the group are uncertain, he said, as "in times of crisis, these alliances have rarely allowed Iran to resolve its difficulties".
While the bloc claims to represent some 40 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of global GDP, it remains diverse, with some disagreements among members.
Russia and China compete for influence in central Asia, while Beijing has at times had strained relations with India and Pakistan.

Glacial floods from the China-Nepal border have killed more than 900 people, with nearly 5,000 still missing. Rescue teams are battling mud, debris and treacherous conditions while searching for trapped hydropower workers.

Nepal toll surges as rescuers struggle through 'unimaginable' disaster

Glacial floods from the China-Nepal border have killed more than 900 people, with nearly 5,000 still missing. Rescue teams are battling mud, debris and treacherous conditions while searching for trapped hydropower workers.

Rescuers struggled Monday through mud and debris for a sixth day, as the number of missing people soared to nearly 5,000 since tsunami-like glacial floods roared down from the China-Nepal border, creating an "unimaginable" disaster.
The latest confirmed death toll surged above 900, but the number of those unaccounted for is also climbing -- with unidentified bodies buried in mass graves after DNA sampling.
The huge wave of freezing water, rocks and debris that smashed into villages and towns on Wednesday killed at least 903 people in Nepal and in Tibet, in China, with at least 17 bodies pulled from rivers downstream in India.
Late Sunday Nepali Prime Minster Balendra Shah called the disaster "unimaginable and heartbreaking".
Rescue teams are in a race against time in treacherous conditions in a bid to free dozens of hydropower workers believed trapped in tunnels -- digging, drilling and blasting through debris, a non-stop effort supported by teams from China, India and South Korea.
So far, three dead bodies have been pulled out of two tunnels, and the teams have found routes blocked with mud.
Amid the horror, there has been some hope; a six-year-old pulled out of the mud four days after the disaster on Friday was reunited with her parents after police found her crying for her mother.
"Her body was trapped in mud, but her head was outside," Nepali Armed Police spokesman Netra Bahadur Karki told AFP.
"She is out of danger and recovering at a hospital and has reunited with her family."
 - 'Changing climate' -
The disaster was sparked by a glacial collapse, &nbsp;the US Geological Survey said. While the exact cause of that collapse is unclear, climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide, raising the risk of such disasters.
Nepali Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said: "The people of Nepal are one of the major victims of the changing climate and its impact."
Scientists say the Himalayas, the world's highest mountain range, are melting faster as global temperatures rise.
Aid needs are enormous. Entire communities have been swept away, leaving families homeless in heavy rain or sheltering in temporary facilities.
"This is an unfolding disaster," UN children's fund official Abiodun Banire told AFP, saying the needs of the tens of thousands impacted were vast.
Roads have been washed away, power plants destroyed and dozens of bridges smashed.
"We are continuing to work for search, rescue and relief operations," Karki told AFP on Monday, as communications slowly improved. Police initially had to use drones to carry messages into cut-off areas.
"Rescue teams have now reached most areas, by road or by helicopters," he added.
 - 'No response' -
With mortuaries overflowing with the dead, Nepal has begun burying some of the hundreds of bodies recovered after taking DNA samples so families can later retrieve them.
Kathmandu has appealed for international support, saying Nepal needed "more than a thousand" freezer units to store bodies.
Distraught families, desperate for news of missing relatives, are watching images of bodies on screens at community centres in a bid to identify the dead.
Shobha Adhikary, in the southern Nepali city of Bharatpur, told a local coordinator she believed one image showed her childhood best friend.
"It looks like him, for sure," she said, showing a photograph of a smiling, middle-aged man.
"My husband and I are best friends with Rajkumar and his wife Geeta," she said. Geeta has also been missing since Wednesday.
Among Nepal's list of the missing are 592 foreigners, including tourists who had come for trekking in its apparently serene mountains, and Hindu pilgrims seeking spiritual peace at Tibet's sacred Mount Kailash.
Nepali army rescuers said Monday its teams were working to "clear water, mud and sediment" as they dug to reach around 100 workers that the government believes may be alive inside multiple tunnels.
They are among the 933 workers at hydropower plants unaccounted for in Nepal. Workers who managed to get out described horrifying scenes when the disaster struck.
At the Upper Trishuli 3A site, rescuers broke through into the upper part of a mud-swamped tunnel, pumping air inside, then using drilling and excavator machines to dig down.
"When members of the team descended using ropes and called out to those inside, there was no response," Shah said, adding that the rescue operation was continuing.
 - 'Billions of dollars' -
In China, Tibet is largely inaccessible to foreign journalists, and Chinese authorities are the only source of information.
More than 2,000 personnel are part of rescue operations there, but they have faced intense challenges.
Rescuers trying to reach the epicentre of the disaster, Gyirong Port, only advanced 285 metres on Sunday, according to state media.
The glacial collapse caused the formation of huge lakes dammed by unstable debris, posing a further threat to rescue teams.
China has said 16 people died in Tibet, with 546 people missing.
In Nepal, the disaster agency raised the total number of people missing on its side of the border to 4,247, with 903 bodies recovered.
Nepal's economy is already under pressure, and foreign governments have pledged millions of dollars in humanitarian aid.
Kathmandu warns that the reconstruction bill could run into "billions of dollars".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek, discussing bilateral ties, trade and developments in West Asia. 

PM Modi, Iran President Pezeshkian Discuss West Asia Peace & Trade

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek, discussing bilateral ties, trade and developments in West Asia.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
The meeting marked the first interaction between the two leaders in two years, with India reiterating its support for efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.
Taking to X, PM Modi said, "Met President Masoud Pezeshkian in Bishkek. Reiterated our commitment to strengthening India's long-standing friendship with Iran across diverse sectors. We want to expand and diversify our trade basket in the times to come. We had a discussion on the prevailing situation in the region. India will continue to support all efforts aimed at ensuring lasting peace."
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the interaction as a "fruitful meeting."
"The two leaders discussed various aspects of bilateral ties. They reviewed recent developments in the West Asia region. Prime Minister reiterated India's consistent position that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. Prime Minister also underlined the need for continued efforts to ensure peace and stability in the region, and for safeguarding freedom of navigation and commerce," Jaiswal said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and other senior delegates from Tehran also attended the meeting.
The meeting followed a recent telephone conversation between PM Modi and President Pezeshkian, during which the Iranian leader briefed the Indian Prime Minister on developments in West Asia and the way forward.
During the conversation, PM Modi welcomed the understanding reached to end the conflict and stressed the need for continued efforts towards lasting peace and stability.
The two leaders had earlier spoken on March 21, when they discussed the security situation in West Asia in detail.
PM Modi is currently on an official visit to Kyrgyzstan to attend the 26th SCO Summit and the opening ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games.
Earlier on Monday, Modi also held a bilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Bishkek.
The two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation across several sectors, besides exchanging views on the situation in West Asia.
Following the meeting, the MEA said on X, "The two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across various areas including defence, economic, pharma, science and technology, culture and education. They also exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the situation in West Asia."
"PM Narendra Modi reiterated that India looked forward to working closely with Armenia to further deepen and expand bilateral ties," the MEA added.
As part of his engagements in Bishkek, PM Modi also visited the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi and paid tribute to Bapu.
He interacted with members of the Indian community who had gathered at the site to welcome him. The statue was unveiled during Modi's visit to Kyrgyzstan in 2015.
"In Bishkek this morning, paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue in the city. Gandhi Ji's thoughts will always have an unparalleled impact on our minds," PM Modi posted on X.
The Prime Minister also interacted with members of different communities in Bishkek, including Yoga practitioners, academics, ITEC alumni and researchers.
"Happy to see such continuous engagement with India. One of the Yoga practitioners was in Ahmedabad for the World Yogasana Championship and won a medal," PM Modi said on X after the interaction.

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