Iran on Thursday described as "malicious" fresh U.S. sanctions targeting a shipping empire controlled by the son of a top political advisor to Iran's supreme leader.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a statement called "the new U.S. sanctions against Iran's oil trade a malicious act aimed at undermining the economic development and welfare of the Iranian people".

Canada and Malta announced Wednesday they will recognize the state of Palestine in September, joining France and the United Kingdom in stepping up pressure to end the nearly 80-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement after a Cabinet meeting. Christopher Cutajar, the permanent secretary at Malta's Foreign Ministry, made his country's announcement earlier at the U.N. General Assembly's meeting on a two-state solution to the conflict which was extended to a third day because of the high number of countries wanting to speak.

At least 48 Palestinians were killed and dozens were wounded Wednesday while waiting for food at a crossing in the Gaza Strip, according to a hospital that received the casualties. The latest violence around aid distribution came as the U.S. Mideast envoy was heading to Israel for talks.
Israel's military offensive and blockade have led to the "worst-case scenario of famine" in the coastal territory of some 2 million Palestinians, according to the leading international authority on hunger crises. A breakdown of law and order has seen aid convoys overwhelmed by desperate crowds.

Russia attacked Ukraine's capital with missiles and drones overnight, killing at least six people including a 6-year-old boy and wounding 52 others, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday.
The casualties numbers were likely to rise, Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said. A large part of a nine-story residential building collapsed after it was struck, he said.

President Joseph Aoun said Thursday that Lebanon is determined to disarm Hezbollah, a step it has come under heavy U.S. pressure to take, with the Iran-backed group insisting that doing so would serve Israeli goals.
Hezbollah and Israel recently fought an all-out war that left the militant group badly weakened, though it retains part of its arsenal.

Argan oil runs through your fingers like liquid gold — hydrating, luscious, and restorative. Prized worldwide as a miracle cosmetic, it's more than that in Morocco. It's a lifeline for rural women and a byproduct of a forest slowly buckling under the weight of growing demand.
To make it, women crouch over stone mills and grind down kernels. One kilogram — roughly two days of work — earns them around $3, enough for a modest foothold in an economy where opportunities are scarce. It also links them to generations past.

Iñaki Williams is taking pride in becoming the first Black captain for Athletic Bilbao at a time when he said the "far-right is fashionable."
The 31-year-old Williams, one of the first Black players to ever join the club, will take over as the squad's main caption this season.

Thousands of fans came out to celebrate England's back-to-back Women's European Champions in London on Tuesday as coach Sarina Wiegman and her players were given a homecoming to remember.
Led by a marching band along the iconic Mall and later serenaded on stage by music stars Burna Boy and Heather Small, England's players and staff partied in front of Buckingham Palace.

As President Donald Trump prepares to announce new tariff increases, the costs of his policies are starting to come into focus for a domestic manufacturing sector that depends on global supply chains, with a new analysis suggesting factory costs could increase by roughly 2% to 4.5%.
"There's going to be a cash squeeze for a lot of these firms," said Chris Bangert-Drowns, the researcher at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth who conducted the analysis. Those seemingly small changes at factories with slim profit margins, Bangert-Drowns said, "could lead to stagnation of wages, if not layoffs and closures of plants" if the costs are untenable.

A ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia appeared to hold Tuesday as tensions lingered despite a truce agreement to end deadly border clashes following economic pressure from the U.S.
The ceasefire that was reached in Malaysia was supposed to take effect at midnight, but was quickly tested. The Thai army accused Cambodia of launching attacks in multiple areas early Tuesday but Cambodia said there was no firing in any location.
