Qatar, Iran discuss creation of temporary shipping corridor through Strait of Hormuz
Qatari and Iranian foreign ministers discussed on Thursday the establishment of a temporary shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz and the implementation of a joint project to clear the strait of mines, according to a statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry.
Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held talks in Tehran with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on a proposed interim framework for the strait, the ministry said.
During the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed stressed "the need to respect the sovereignty of neighboring countries and freedom of navigation," while underscoring the importance of continuing diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and address differences through dialogue.
359 dead, 910 missing in Nepal's floods
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Authority said that as many as 359 bodies had been recovered from flood-hit areas by Thursday evening, with 910 people still missing.
Rescue and search operations are continuing in the affected areas, with authorities working to locate missing people and recover more bodies.
Nepal Tourism Board said that 31 foreign nationals were rescued from the affected areas.
DR Congo launches Ebola vaccination under compassionate-use framework
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Thursday launched Ebola vaccination with the Ervebo vaccine under a compassionate-use framework in the northeastern province of Tshopo, as the country steps up efforts to contain the ongoing Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak.
DRC health minister Roger Kamba officially launched the vaccination in Kisangani, capital of Tshopo Province, with health care and frontline workers among the first groups to receive the vaccine. "We have decided to use the Ervebo vaccine to protect first those who are on the front line, therefore our health care providers, but also people who have been in contact with patients," Kamba said.
More than 50,000 doses of Ervebo have been received, Kamba said, quoted by the DRC official news agency ACP.
Houthis fire missiles at Red Sea islands: media
Yemen's Houthi group fired missiles at government-held islands overlooking international shipping lanes in the Red Sea on Thursday, the state-run Saba TV channel reported.
Citing a military source, the channel said the Houthis targeted the islands with ballistic missiles, without identifying them or providing information on casualties or damage.
The attack came after the Yemeni Navy thwarted a Houthi attack on the same islands. Late Wednesday, naval patrols confronted five Houthi boats attempting to approach the islands, forcing them to retreat toward Houthi-held Hodeidah, and shot down a Houthi reconnaissance drone ahead of the boats, according to Saba.
Cuba condemns U.S. blockade extension through September 2027
The Cuban government on Tuesday condemned the United States' decision to extend for another year economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba until September 2027.
"Cuba condemns in the strongest terms the extension for one more year of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the U.S. government, a genocidal policy maintained against our people for more than six decades," Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on X.
Rodriguez said the renewal of the embargo until September 2027 "is not a minor administrative act," but confirms what he called Washington's continued aim to "suffocate an entire nation."■
