Kyiv A Russian tanker was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Kerch Strait, briefly halting traffic on the strategic bridge linking Crimea to Russia on Saturday, a day after one of Moscows warships was hit in the Black Sea.

The number of attacks in the Black Sea has increased from both sides since Moscow exited a deal last month that had allowed Ukrainian grain exports via the shipping hub during the conflict between the two countries.

The Russian tanker SIG was hit around 11:20 pm (2020 GMT) Friday south of the Kerch Strait, Russias Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport said.

The SIG suffered a hole at the waterline in the area of the engine room, presumably as a result of an attack by a marine drone, the agency said on Telegram. The ship is afloat.

An oil boom had been placed around the vessel and preparations were under way to patch the damage, it said.

The Marine Traffic vessel-tracking website showed the SIG stationary and attended by tugs just south of the strait.

The oil and chemical tanker is under US sanctions for supplying jet fuel to Russian forces in Syria supporting President Bashar al-Assad.

Russias state RIA Novosti news agency said there were no casualties in the attack, citing the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre of Novorossiysk.

Traffic on the bridge across the Kerch Strait linking the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula to Russias mainland was halted for around three hours and resumed early Saturday, according to the Russian highways information centres Telegram channel.

Warship hit

The latest attack in the Black Sea came a day after Ukraine said it had carried out a seaborne-drone strike on a Russian navy ship at Novorossiysk naval base in southern Russia.

In a video of the purported attack on the warship obtained by AFP, a naval drone is seen speeding towards the darkened silhouette of a military vessel before the connection abruptly cuts off.

A Ukrainian attack targeting the Olenegrorsky Gornyak landing ship was successful, a Ukrainian security source told AFP Friday.

The goal was to show that Ukraine can attack any Russian warship in that zone, the source added.

Russia said it had repelled an attempted attack on the naval base by the Ukrainian armed forces with the use of two unmanned sea boats.

Russias Black Sea Fleet has been targeted since the beginning of Moscows military campaign in Ukraine more than a year ago, but attacks have increased in recent weeks.

Another Russian ship is on the edge of its fall, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said on social media, alongside a video of a military vessel listing heavily to one side. 

The presence of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea will be put to an end, Ukrainian...

Kos When Marias nephew had a car accident last month, the family had to wait around 40 minutes for the only operating ambulance on the Greek island of Kos to pick him up.

The middle-aged woman wondered how many more incidents will take place before health shortages a chronic problem on Greek islands that becomes even more acute with the influx of tourists in the summer will begin to be addressed.

The doctors inside are amazing, but how long will they last? she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In June, a 63-year-old woman had to be loaded on a pick-up truck as the Kos ambulance was occupied elsewhere.

She died on the way to hospital.

Another seven people have since died around the country due to a lack of ambulance availability, according to the victims families.

Over a dozen islands face similar shortages, including global destinations such as Mykonos and Santorini.

Last month on the island of Evia, a local mayor had to personally rush to hospital a 75-year-old who had suffered a stroke.

Tragic shortages

Garifalia Karanassiou, head of the Kos hospital staff association, said the island faces tragic healthcare shortages.

Medical staff are fighting every day with whatever strength they have, they are exhausted, they work extra nights and dont get rest days off, she told AFP.

Medical workers say it takes 11 people to properly staff an ambulance on a 24-hour basis. 

Kos currently has seven permanent and three temporary emergency medics. 

Two of them are going to retire next year, according to hospital employees.

The island has two more ambulances that are sidelined for lack of a crew, while a third is rusting in a parking lot near the hospital.

To address the shortage, the government last month issued a temporary order permitting the use of firefighters, military personnel and municipal staff as ambulance drivers.

Doctors from the Greek state emergency centre EKAV, which operates the largest fleet of ambulances in the country, said the move is ill-advised.

They noted that as trained ambulance drivers are also required to deliver first responder aid on demand, using unqualified staff poses a major health risk.

Makeshift solutions can only go so far, they cannot cure the problem, said Kos Mayor Theodosis Nikitaras.

How can the fire brigade intervene in the summer when the driver might have a fire to deal with? We want permanent solutions, he said.

Promise of reform

Health authorities said that at least three ambulances are needed to cover the island of 40,000 permanent residents, a population which quadruples during the summer.

Airlifts are another option, but they cost between 6,000 and 20,000 euros ($6,500 to 22,000), said Karana...

Riyadh Saudi Arabia was set to host talks on the Ukraine war on Saturday in the latest flexing of its diplomatic muscle, though expectations are mild for what the gathering might achieve.

The meeting of national security advisers and other officials in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah underscores Riyadhs readiness to exert its good offices to contribute to reaching a solution that will result in permanent peace, the official Saudi Press Agency said Friday. 

Invitations were sent to around 30 countries, Russia not among them, according to diplomats familiar with the preparations.

The SPA report said only that a number of countries would attend.

It follows Ukraine-organised talks in Copenhagen in June that were designed to be informal and did not yield an official statement.

Instead, diplomats said the sessions were intended to engage a range of countries in debates about a path towards peace, notably members of the BRICS bloc with Russia that have adopted a more neutral stance on the war in contrast to Western powers.

Speaking on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the wide range of countries represented in the Jeddah talks, including developing countries which have been hit hard by the surge in food prices triggered by the war.

This is very important, because on issues such as food security, the fate of millions of people in Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world directly depends on how fast the world moves to implement the peace formula, he said.

Saudi Arabia, the worlds biggest crude exporter which works closely with Russia on oil policy, has touted its ties to both sides and positioned itself as a possible mediator in the war, now nearly a year and a half old.

In hosting the summit, Saudi Arabia wants to reinforce its bid to become a global middle power with the ability to mediate conflicts while asking us to forget some of its failed strategies and actions of the past, like its Yemen intervention or the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, said Joost Hiltermann, Middle East programme director for the International Crisis Group.

The 2018 slaying of Khashoggi, a Saudi columnist for The Washington Post, by Saudi agents in Turkey once threatened to isolate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdoms de facto ruler.

But the energy crisis produced by the Ukraine war elevated Saudi Arabias global importance, helping to facilitate his rehabilitation.

Moving forward Riyadh wants to be in the company of an India or a Brazil, because only as a club can these middle powers hope to have impact on the world stage, Hiltermann added.

Whether they will be able to agree on all things, such as the Ukraine war, is a big question.

Balancing

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, failin...

Los Angeles NBA All-Star forward Anthony Davis has agreed to terms on a three-year maximum contract extension worth $186 million, a deal with the NBAs richest-ever annual extension at $62 million, ESPN reported Friday.

When completed, the agreement would link Davis to the Lakers through 2028 at a cost of $270 million, according to the agent for Davis, Rich Paul.

Davis, who helped the Lakers win the 2020 NBA crown alongside four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James, was a key factor in the Lakers run to last seasons Western Conference finals, where they were swept by eventual champion Denver.

The 30-year-old American averaged 25.9 points, a career-high 12.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.0 blocked shots and 1.1 steals a game last season while shooting a career-best 56% from the floor in his fourth campaign since being obtained in a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Davis became eligible for the maximum extension on Friday and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka wasted no time in securing the 6-foot-10 (2.08m) star for the club for another five seasons.

It gives him the chance to unite with 38-year-old playmaker James and a strong supporting cast to bring another crown to the Lakers, who share the all-time NBA record with Boston of 17 titles.

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Washington NASA has succeeded in re-establishing full contact with Voyager 2 by using its highest-power transmitter to send an interstellar shout that righted the distant probes antenna orientation, the space agency said Friday.

Launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets and serve as a beacon of humanity to the wider universe, it is currently more than 12.3 billion miles (19.9 billion kilometers) from our planet well beyond the solar system.

A series of planned commands sent to the spaceship on July 21 mistakenly caused the antenna to point two degrees away from Earth, compromising its ability to send and receive signals and endangering its mission.

The situation was not expected to be resolved until at least October 15 when Voyager 2 was scheduled to carry out an automated realignment maneuver.

But on Tuesday, engineers enlisted the help of multiple Earth observatories that form the Deep Space Network (DSN) to detect a carrier or heartbeat wave from Voyager 2, though the signal was still too faint to read the data it carried.

In a new update on Friday, NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which built and operates the probe, said it had succeeded in a longshot effort to send instructions that righted the craft.

The Deep Space Network used the highest-power transmitter to send the command (the 100-kw S-band uplink from the Canberra site) and timed it to be sent during the best conditions during the antenna tracking pass in order to maximize possible receipt of the command by the spacecraft, Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd told AFP.

This so-called interstellar shout required 18.5 hours traveling at light speed to reach Voyager, and it took 37 hours for mission controllers to learn whether the command worked, JPL said in a statement.

The probe began returning science and telemetry data at 12:29 am Eastern Time on August 4, indicating it is operating normally and that it remains on its expected trajectory, added JPL.

Mankinds beacon

Voyager 2 left the protective magnetic bubble provided by the Sun, called the heliosphere, in December 2018, and is currently traveling through the space between the stars.

Before leaving our solar system, it explored Jupiter and Saturn, and became the first and so far only spacecraft to visit Uranus and Neptune.

Voyager 2s twin Voyager 1 was mankinds first spacecraft to enter the interstellar medium, in 2012, and is currently almost 15 billion miles from Earth.

Both carry Golden Records 12-inch, gold-plated copper disks intended to convey the story of our world to extraterrestrials.

These include a map of our solar system, a piece of uranium that serves as a radioactive clock allowing recipients to date the spaceships launch, and symbols that convey...

Nairobi Ethiopias federal government on Friday declared a six-month state of emergency as violent clashes escalate between the national army and local fighters from the northern region of Amhara.

The fresh unrest in Africas second-most populous country comes just nine months after the end of a devastating two-year war in the neighbouring region of Tigray which also drew in fighters from Amhara.

It has become necessary to declare a state of emergency as a situation has emerged where it has become difficult to control this unacceptable movement under current law, the office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a statement posted on social media.

The government communications service later said the measures would cover Amhara for six months but could be imposed nationwide in relation to any situation or movement that aggravates the security problem.

Clashes in Amhara have escalated in recent weeks, prompting travel warnings from foreign governments and the grounding of flights.

Tensions have been rising since April when the federal government announced it was dismantling regional forces including in Amhara, where nationalists feared the move would weaken the region.

On Thursday, local authorities in Amhara asked the federal government for assistance managing security as the situation had become difficult to control and was causing social and economic disruption.

The government said the violence endangered the constitutional order and the decision to invoke a state of emergency was unanimous.

According to the decree, street rallies and gatherings are banned, while anyone found violating its provisions could face imprisonment of between three to ten years.

The decree also allows the authorities to declare curfews and for suspects to be searched and held without a warrant.

Restriction on movement

A resident of Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its 12th and 13th century rock-cut churches, told AFP on condition of anonymity that the town and its airport were both under the control of the local militia Fano. 

There is movement of civilians and people as we speak and there hasnt been any exchange of fire between federal forces and Fano fighters, he said, adding that internet had been restored after an hours-long outage.

A rickshaw driver in Gondar, another city in Amhara, said the internet was down and the mood was tense following fighting on Thursday.

Fano (fighters) are roaming around the city here and possibly preparing for a big fire exchange in case federal troops, which had retreated, return to Gondar.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission on Friday said that civilians had been attacked, with damage reported to property...

London England manager Gareth Southgate says he understands the criticism directed at Jordan Henderson, a vocal supporter of the LGBT community, following his move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq.

The former Liverpool captain has followed other global stars including Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to the oil-rich Gulf state.

The influx has taken place despite frequent criticism that Saudi Arabias lavish spending amounts to sportswashing an attempt to shift the focus from its record on human rights.

Homosexuality is outlawed in Saudi Arabia, prompting questions over how Henderson, 33, can play for a club in the Middle East nation while upholding his support for gay rights. 

Pride in Football, a network of LGBT+ fan groups, said the England midfielder had lost the respect of so many people who valued and trusted him.

But Southgate said the England midfielders beliefs had not changed.

I dont think hes changing his view on what he believes in, he told Talksport radio. So now were in a really complex world where, what are we saying, nobody should go to (Saudi-funded) Newcastle? 

Should nobody work for companies that the Saudis own in London or should nobody buy oil from the Saudis?

I think its very complicated. I completely understand the argument of, you know, youve supported the LGBTQ community and I can understand why they would have a really strong view on it.

I think its so difficult to say, you know, Is Henderson saying he doesnt support that community anymore? Well no, he isnt, but of course people are going to say his actions are the reverse of that.

Southgate said the midfielder had previously expressed concerns to him over whether the move could affect his continued involvement with England.

I spoke to him in the summer, said Southgate. The question he wanted to know was, If I move here, are you going to automatically rule me out?.

We would be stupid to do that. Why would we rule anyone out based on where they are playing? We have got to see how they are playing.

But Southgate admitted: Henderson wont be playing in the Premier League. He wont play in the Champions League, which is the easiest assessment for the level he is playing at.

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Washington Job growth in the United States was lower than anticipated in July, according to government data released Friday, hovering at the slowest pace since late 2020 in encouraging news for policymakers.

The figures suggest that the labor market in the worlds biggest economy is cooling although wage gains remain strong, adding to signs that officials can lower inflation without triggering a major recession.

Analysts have been warning of a downturn as the central bank lifted interest rates rapidly to ease demand and rein in cost-of-living pressures, recently bringing rates to the highest level since 2001.

But hiring stayed solid as the United States added 187,000 jobs last month, slightly above the 185,000 figure in June which was revised downward, said the Department of Labor on Friday.

The jobless rate came in at 3.5 percent, a touch below Junes 3.6 percent figure as well and remaining at a historically low level.

President Joe Biden touted Fridays data as the result of an economic agenda he dubs Bidenomics.

This follows recent news that our economy continues to grow, while inflation has fallen by nearly two thirds and is at its lowest level in more than two years, Biden said. He added that the administration is lowering costs for families.

Overall, job gains occurred in health care, social assistance, financial activities, and wholesale trade, said the Labor Department. The labor force participation rate held steady as well.

Buoyant wage growth

But average hourly earnings rose 0.4 percent in July, the same pace as the month before, according to Fridays report.

Compared with a year ago, earnings were 4.4 percent up, a level that some analysts believe could still be too elevated for the Federal Reserve.

Wages did not ease as expected, which will be disappointing to policymakers, said Rubeela Farooqi, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics.

Despite higher interest rates, consumer spending has remained resilient, in part supported by salary gains. There have also been concerns that growing wages could feed into inflation.

Reflecting the tightness of the labor market, average hourly earnings continue to rise a buoyant rate, said Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic.

This is well above the pre-Covid pace of growth between 3.0 percent and 3.5 percent and not consistent with the two percent inflation rate sought by Fed policymakers, she added.

But EY-Parthenon senior economist Lydia Boussour expects wage growth to eventually fall as hiring eases.

Gently cooling

For now, the latest numbers could lift hopes that the Fed soon ends its cycle of rate increases.

The July jobs report painted the picture of a labor market that is g...

Copenhagen Maersk, the worlds second-largest container shipping firm, said Friday it expects shipping volumes to fall this year as companies continue to reduce inventories. 

The Danish firm had previously expected shipping volumes to be flat or dip slightly this year, but now sees them down one to four percent.

The inventory correction observed since (the fourth quarter of) 2022 appears to be prolonged and is now expected to last through year end, it said, adding it expected its volumes to evolve in line with the market. 

It said market demand would likely remain subdued as long as companies reduce their inventories.

In the second quarter Maersks container ship division saw its revenue halved from the same period last year when companies were trying to stock up to meet pent-up demand following the end of pandemic lockdowns in most countries to $8.7 billion.

The drop was driven by a decrease in freight rates and loaded volumes, it said. 

Overall revenues fell 40 percent to $12.9 billion, in line with analyst expectations. 

Strong demand saw freight rates swell, but these have since fallen back to normal levels.

Net profits fell by 83 percent to $1.45 billion, but were much better than the $686 million analysts expected, which the company put down to measures to reduce costs. 

Cost focus will continue to play a central role in dealing with a subdued market outlook that we expect to continue until end year, said chief executive  Vincent Clerc.

Last year the firm posted a massive profit of $29.19 billion thanks to strong demand and high rates, but had already warned 2023 would see a return to a more normal performance.

Maersk shares sank 4.3 percent in afternoon trading on the Copenhagen stock exchange.

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Tulkarm Hundreds of mourners gathered on Friday for the funeral of a Palestinian teenager killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank earlier that day.

In a statement, the Palestinian health ministry said 18-year-old Mahmoud Abu Saan was killed this morning by live bullets from the occupation (Israel) in Tulkarm.

Abu Saans head was shrouded in the Palestinian flag as his body was paraded through the towns streets ahead of the burial, according to an AFP photographer.

The Israeli army said that while forces were patrolling suspects fired and hurled explosives and stones at the soldiers, who responded with live fire.

Hits were identified, the statement added, specifying that no soldiers were hurt.

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that Abu Saan was shot in the head by the occupation soldiers at zero distance.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War and its forces regularly conduct armed incursions into areas of the territory which are nominally under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

Fridays killing comes three days after a Palestinian gunman wounded six people at an Israeli settlement in the West Bank with gunfire before being shot dead.

Violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has this year killed at least 206 Palestinians, 27 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on both sides.

They include, on the Palestinian side, combatants as well as civilians and, on the Israeli side, three members of the Arab minority.

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Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The volume of trade exchange during the first half of 2023 reached nearly $243.4 million, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The SPA mentioned that the Jadidat Arar port and border crossing between Iraq and Saudi Arabia has been one of the commercial traffic gates between Saudi Arabia and Iraq for the past two years.

A study carried out by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Saudi Northern Border Region on the commercial movement between Saudi Arabia and Iraq revealed that the trade movement grew during March to about $101.5 million compared to approximately $81.3 million in January.

The study indicated that Saudi Arabias exports to Iraq rose to $99.2 million in March after being about $78.3 million in January, while imports from Iraq declined from three million USD in January to nearly $2.3 million in March.

According to a study carried out by the Saudi Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Northern Border Area, the average growth rate of trade exchange between Iraq and Saudi Arabia from the second quarter of 2017 to the second quarter of 2021 is 12.8 percent.

The Saudi volume of exports to Iraq exceeded $227 million during the second quarter of 2021, while the value of Iraqi exports to Saudi Arabia was $2.29 million during the same period.

The goods Saudi Arabia exports to Iraq are mainly aluminum, aluminum products, electrical appliances, grains, flour, dairy products, eggs and animal products.

The Iraqi exports to Saudi Arabia are mainly copper, copper products, resin, plant products and sugar.

The Jadidat Arar port has two areas for exports and imports, an inspection yard and different buildings. It has been developed recently to serve as a regional economic and logistical gateway.

The post Iraq-Saudi Arabia land trade increases to $243 million appeared first on Iraqi News.

Beirut Lebanon on Friday marks three years since one of historys biggest non-nuclear explosions rocked Beirut. Yet nobody has been held to account as political and legal pressures suspend the investigation.

On August 4, 2020, the massive blast at Beiruts port destroyed swathes of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring at least 6,500.

Authorities said the disaster was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where a vast stockpile of industrial chemical ammonium nitrate had been haphazardly stored for years.

Three years on, the probe is virtually at a standstill, leaving survivors still yearning for answers.

The main activist group representing families of those killed has called for a protest march on Friday afternoon, converging on the port.

This is a day of commemoration, mourning and protest against the Lebanese state that politicises our cause and interferes in the judiciary, said Rima al-Zahed, whose brother was killed in the explosion.

The judiciary is shackled, justice is out of reach, and the truth is shrouded, she told AFP.

The blast struck amid an economic collapse that the World Bank has dubbed one of the worst in recent history and which is widely blamed on a governing elite accused of corruption and mismanagement.

Since its early days, the probe into the explosion has faced a slew of political and legal challenges.

In December 2020, lead investigator Fadi Sawan charged former prime minister Hassan Diab and three ex-ministers with negligence.

But as political pressure mounted, Sawan was removed from the case.

Culture of impunity

His successor, Tarek Bitar, unsuccessfully asked lawmakers to lift parliamentary immunity for MPs who were formerly ministers.

The powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group has launched a campaign against Bitar, accusing him of bias and demanding his dismissal.

The interior ministry has refused to execute arrest warrants which the lead investigator has issued.

In December 2021, Bitar suspended his probe after a barrage of lawsuits, mainly from politicians he had summoned on charges of negligence.

But in a surprise move this January, Bitar resumed investigations after a 13-month hiatus, charging eight new suspects including high-level security officials and Lebanons top prosecutor, Ghassan Oueidat.

Oueidat then charged Bitar with insubordination and usurping power, and ordered the release of all those detained over the blast.

Bitar has refused to step aside, yet has not set foot inside Beiruts justice palace for months.

Work (on the investigation) is ongoing, said a legal expert with knowledge of the case, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Bitar is determined to keep his promise to deliver justice for victimsR...

Hong Kong Asian markets were mixed Friday at the end of a volatile week, with a fresh spike in US Treasury yields weighing on Wall Street and traders still concerned about the Federal Reserves interest rate plans.

The euphoria of last week fuelled by optimism the US central banks tightening cycle was over and Chinas pledges of economic stimulus has given way to uncertainty again, as analysts warned the road ahead remained bumpy.

Jobs data over the past few days has reminded traders that while inflation is coming down, the Fed still had a lot of work to make sure it continued to fall in order to hit its two percent target and stay there.

News that jobless claims were still around the lowest levels of the year added to unease, the central bank has warned loosening the jobs market was key to fighting inflation.

That put upward pressure on Treasury yields flagging higher Fed rates down the line compounding Fitchs decision to cut the United States gold-standard AAA rating on Tuesday.

Attention now turns to the release of jobs creation figures later Friday, which could play a key role in the Feds rate decision-making, particularly after officials at the bank said they would be more data-dependent in future.

A forecast-busting reading on private firms hiring spooked investors.

Wall Street sank in response to the higher Treasury yields, extending a sell-off that has marked the week in New York.

And while Asia fared a little better, sentiment remained fragile.

Hong Kong and Shanghai rose, helped by a meeting between the heads of the Peoples Bank of China and several companies that ended with a pledge for fresh support to the troubled property sector.

The gathering and pledge comes after authorities outlined a number of measures to stimulate the economy, including some aimed at real estate.

Developers have had some refinancing troubles again recently, Ding Shuang, at Standard Chartered said. Support will be targeted toward high-quality companies.

Wellington, Manila and Jakarta also rose. 

However, Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore, Seoul and Taipei were in the red.

Analysts said the selling could also be attributable to profit-taking after markets enjoyed a broadly strong July.

SPI Asset Managements Stephen Innes added: August is commonly perceived as a quiet month.

Still, this weeks risk-off tenor reminds you that the market can swing big on unexpected events due to the low liquidity and tepid trading activity.

Oil prices moved in a tight range after rallying more than two percent Thursday following Saudi Arabias decision to extend its voluntary oil production cut of one million barrels per day for another month.

Key figures around 0230 GMT

Tokyo Nikk...

Washington The United States is preparing to deploy sailors and Marines aboard commercial tankers transiting the Gulf as part of efforts to deter Iran from seizing ships, a US official said Thursday.

The security details would provide a further layer of protection for the tankers in addition to the warships and planes operating in the strategically vital area, through which around a fifth of the worlds oil passes.

There is an effort to employ security details composed of both Marines and Navy sailors on commercial tankers transiting in and near the Strait of Hormuz as an added layer of defense for these vulnerable ships, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

An invitation is needed to do so because the ships are private vessels, but we are undergoing preparations to execute should final agreements be in place to do that, the official said.

The United States is boosting its forces operating in the region, announcing last month that it would deploy a destroyer, F-35 and F-16 warplanes, as well as an Amphibious Readiness Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit comprised of some 3,000 personnel.

The US military says Iran has either seized or attempted to take control of nearly 20 internationally flagged ships in the region over the past two years.

Washington said its forces blocked two attempts by the Iran to seize commercial tankers in international waters off Oman on July 5, while Tehran took control of a commercial ship the following day.

In April and early May, Iran seized two tankers within a week in regional waters, and Tehran was also accused of launching a drone attack against an Israeli-owned tanker in November 2022.

There have been a series of such incidents since 2018, when then-US president Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed crippling sanctions on the Islamic republic, sending tensions soaring.

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New York Apple reported modestly higher quarterly profits Thursday despite another dip in revenues, as a record performance in services offset lower iPhone sales.

Profits for Apples third fiscal quarter were $19.9 billion, up 2.3 percent from the year-ago period. Revenues again declined, this time by 1.4 percent to $81.8 billion.

Bright spots in the quarter for the tech giant included an all-time high in services revenue, comprised of the App store, Apple pay and Apple TV and other subscription services.

Apple also won higher revenues in China, an improvement on the prior quarter, when revenues had been lower versus the year-ago period.

Sales also rose in Europe, but fell in the Americas, Japan and the rest of Asia Pacific.

Apple suffered a 2.4 percent drop in iPhone sales, which account for nearly half of total revenues. The company also experienced declines in revenues from the Mac and iPad.

Apple has described ebbing sales in these areas as reflecting macroeconomic weakness, with price inflation straining household budgets.

We are happy to report that we had an all-time revenue record in Services during the June quarter, driven by over one billion paid subscriptions, and we saw continued strength in emerging markets thanks to robust sales of iPhone, said Chief Executive Tim Cook.

Shares of Apple dipped 1.0 percent to $189.28 in after-hours trading.

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New York A married couple from New York dubbed Bitcoin Bonnie and Crypto Clyde pleaded guilty on Thursday to laundering billions of dollars in stolen bitcoin, prosecutors announced.

Ilya Lichtenstein, 35, and Heather Morgan, 33, were arrested in February last year after the US government seized 95,000 bitcoin then valued at $3.6 billion.

Prosecutors said the pair stole the bitcoin in 2016 using advanced hacking tools. Authorities recovered the funds from wallets controlled by the duo. 

Since their arrests, the government has seized another approximately $475 million tied to the hack, the Southern District of New York said in a statement.

In total, the couple admitted to laundering conspiracies arising from the theft of approximately 120,000 bitcoin from Bitfinex, a global cryptocurrency exchange.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors said that Lichtenstein, at times with Morgans help, employed numerous sophisticated laundering techniques.

That included using fictitious identities to set up online accounts and utilizing computer programs to automate transactions.

They deposited the stolen funds into accounts in a variety of darknet markets and cryptocurrency exchanges and then withdrew the money, which confuses the transaction history.

They couple also converted bitcoin to other forms of cryptocurrency and even exchanged a portion of the stolen funds into gold coins, which Morgan then concealed by burying them.

One of Morgans aliases was Razzlekhan while Lichtenstein was known as Dutch.

The couple were dubbed Bitcoin Bonnie and Crypto Clyde by financial newsletter Morning Brew.

The post New York couple plead guilty to bitcoin laundering appeared first on Iraqi News.

San Francisco Amazon on Thursday reported a quarterly profit that trounced market expectations, driven by strong sales helped by its annual Prime discount event.

The tech giant said it made a profit of $6.7 billion in the recently ended quarter, eclipsing earnings forecasts.

It was another strong quarter of progress for Amazon, the companys chief executive Andy Jassy said in an earnings release.

Amazon shares were up more than 6 percent to $137.43 in after-market trades that followed the release of the earnings figures.

Net sales revenue at Amazon increased 11 percent to $134.4 billion, compared with $121.2 billion in the same quarter a year earlier, the earnings report showed.

The e-commerce colossus boasted of having its biggest Prime Day event ever in July, with subscribers to the Amazon service worldwide ordering more than 375 million items.

Order delivery speeds in the US were the fastest ever, with Amazon continuing to work on optimizing efficiency and lowering costs at fulfillment centers, according to the company.

We continued lowering our cost to serve in our fulfillment network, while also providing Prime customers with the fastest delivery speeds weve ever recorded, Jassy said.

Investors are keen to see whether a tightened budget and improved efficiency is paying off for Amazon.

Jassy in March laid out a plan to cut 9,000 more jobs from the online retail giants workforce, following the 18,000 that were axed in January

Jassy told his workers at the time that the extra layoffs were necessary as the company seeks a way to downsize after years of sustained hiring.

The hiring jump was largely caused by the coronavirus pandemic when users in Amazons major markets turned to the internet for shopping and entertainment, in a massive boost to the Seattle-based company.

The layoffs are part of the giants cost-cutting campaign that also saw a pause in plans to open a new company headquarters in the Washington, DC area.

Revenue taken in by the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing unit was increased to $22 billion in a year-over-year comparison, but costs increased as well, resulting in an operating income of $5.4 billion compared with $5.7 billion in the same period in 2022.

Our AWS growth stabilized as customers started shifting from cost optimization to new workload deployment, Jassy said.

AWS has continued to add to its meaningful leadership position in the cloud with a slew of generative AI releases.

The post Amazon profit beats expectations on booming sales appeared first on Iraqi News.

Washington NBA legend Michael Jordans tenure as a majority owner in the league officially ended Thursday as the sale of his stake of the Charlotte Hornets was approved by league governors.

The purchasing group is led by Gabe Plotkin, chief investment officer at Tallwoods Capital LLC, and Rick Schnall, co-president of private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

The sale, which has been approved by the NBA Board of Governors, immediately gives Plotkin and Schnall the controlling interest in the franchise, the Hornets said in a statement.

Plotkin and Schnall said they would serve as co-chairmen of Hornets Sports and Entertainment and will rotate the teams governorship every five years, beginning with Schnall.

The deal, first announced in June, reportedly valued the Hornets at $3 billion.

Jordan acquired a controlling investment in the Hornets in 2010 for $275 million. The franchise had been the leagues sole team with Black-majority ownership.

Jordan, who retained a minority stake in the franchise, said in a statement he was grateful to have the chance to guide the team for more than a decade.

The opportunity to be the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets in my home state of North Carolina for the last 13 years has been a tremendous honor, Jordan said.

Im proud of all that the organization accomplished: the exciting on-court moments, the return of the Hornets name, Charlotte hosting the 2019 NBA All-Star Game and HSE becoming a true pillar of this Community.

Through the years, the unwavering commitment, passion and loyalty of our Hornets fans has been incredible. As I transition into a minority ownership role, Im thrilled to be able to pass the reins to two successful, innovative and strategic leaders in Gabe and Rick.

Often considered the greatest-ever basketball player, Jordan led teams to six NBA titles, won the leagues Most Valuable Player award five times and garnered two Olympic gold medals. He played his last game professionally in 2003. 

However, Jordans tenure as an owner was less successful.

During his 13-year reign, Charlotte reached the playoffs just three times, losing in the first round on all three occasions.

Last season, Charlotte finished one place off the bottom of the Eastern Conference at 27-55.

Schnall and Plotkin said in their joint statement that they hope to build on the stability that Jordan brought to the franchise.

Were excited about the organizations future, they said. Our vision is to take the Hornets to the next level both on and off the court.

The post Jordan proud of Hornets as sale of NBA team fina...

Mexico City At least 17 people were killed and 22 injured Thursday when a bus carrying locals and migrants plummeted into a ravine in northwestern Mexico, authorities said.

Three minors were among those killed, the civil protection agency in Nayarit state reported.

The injured were taken to hospitals in the area, while  one passenger escaped unharmed, it said.

The bus was travelling from Mexico City to northwestern Tijuana, which borders San Diego, from where numerous migrants attempt to seek refuge in the United States.

There was no immediate confirmation of the victims nationalities, though local media reported that citizens of India and Africa were believed to be among them.

Deadly road accidents are common in Mexico, usually due to high speeds, poor vehicle conditions or driver fatigue.

Such crashes are a leading cause of deaths among migrants making the dangerous journey overland to the United States.

In February, migrants from Venezuela, Colombia, and Central America were involved in a bus crash between the southern state of Oaxaca and central Puebla that left at least 17 dead.

In July, at least 29 people were killed when a passenger bus careened off a mountain road and fell into a ravine in Oaxaca.

The post Mexican bus carrying migrants crashes, killing 17 appeared first on Iraqi News.

London Chelsea have agreed a deal with Premier League rivals Brighton to sign goalkeeper Robert Sanchez for 25 million ($32 million) plus add-ons, reports said on Thursday.

Sanchez, who lost his place to Jason Steele during the second half of last season, will offer competition for Kepa Arrizabalaga following the departure of Edouard Mendy to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli.

It is understood the transfer involves an up-front 25 million payment, with an additional sell-on clause included.

Spain international Sanchez, 25, worked with Chelsea goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts when he was at Brighton. Roberts left for Stamford Bridge in September 2022.

New Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino is overhauling his squad following the clubs worst Premier League season in almost 30 years.

Chelsea have also been linked with a move for Seagulls midfielder Moises Caicedo, with Brighton said to be looking for a 100 million fee.

They open their new Premier League campaign at home to Liverpool on August 13.

The post Chelsea agree deal to sign Brighton goalkeeper Sanchez: reports appeared first on Iraqi News.