State media reported that several villages were hit as neighbourhoods near the border are being levelled. The IDF maintains that 50 airstrikes conducted over 24 hours specifically targeted Hezbollah infrastructure.

Sources close to the human rights activist say they suspect she had suffered a heart attack in prison and fear her transfer to hospital may be too late.

On Thursday, April 30, at 23:00 local time (Astana), the Baikonur Cosmodrome witnessed the first test launch of the Soyuz-5/Sunkar vehicle. The rocket lifted off from Site 45 as part of flight development tests, according to Kazakhstans Ministry of AI and Digital Development.

The agency has re-routed sea cargo via Jordan's Aqaba Red Sea port and has switched to land corridors including truck routes from Dubai across the Arabian peninsula and Turkey.

Tehran executed 21-year-old karate athlete Sassan Azadvar early Thursday after protest arrest, as UN and rights groups warn of a surge in executions and mass detentions since the start of the Iran war.

The arrest comes as Israel's treatment of religious minorities is under scrutiny, weeks after police limited access for worshipto Muslims and Christians at holy sites.

Earlier this week, authorities issued arrest warrants for 62 people, of whom they deemed 46, including journalists, trade unionists and opposition figures, were "likely to carry out attacks."

The victim once told her relatives that her husband was threatening to "burn you until no trace of you will be left," public broadcaster NHK said, citing investigative sources.

Lawmakers defied President Lula da Silvas veto and moved to adopt a bill that would dramatically reduce former President Jair Bolsonaros 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup following his loss in the October 2022 presidential elections.

Iran effectively closed the crucial waterway when the war broke out on 28 February. Normally one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas transits the waterway. Its closure has sent energy prices skyrocketing around the world.

Iran's World Cup participation controversy has escalated with a diplomatic incident at Canada's borders involving Iranian football officials. Iran's group stage matches are scheduled in the US, and Tehran authorities have asked FIFA to move them to alternative venues. FIFA has refused.

Oil markets face extreme pressure, with Brent crude briefly touching $126 on Thursday morning, as a breakdown in diplomatic negotiations between the US and Iran now seems likely to reignite military action.

Hegseth quizzed for nearly six hours on Iran war in first congressional appearance since war began

Images shared on social media show police tasering and arresting a man with a knife in Golders Green in north London, after two Jewish men were stabbed in an attack. Police declared it a "terrorist incident" and said a 45-year-old man had been arrested, adding that he had also tried to stab officers

Gulf leaders met in Saudi Arabia to address the fallout from the Iran war, projecting unity but stopping short of concrete steps as divisions and uncertainty persist.

Against a backdrop of international tensions, inflation and rising transport costs, the French are planning to travel less this summer and cut back on their spending, according to an Ifop survey for Alliance France Tourisme.

UN has warned that the Tehran regime has executed 21 people and detained over 4,000 since the war began, accusing the Islamic Republic of torture, disappearances and targeting minorities.

Eighty-one sick and injured children accompanied by their families were evacuated from Gaza to receive medical treatment in Jordan. They travelled via the King Hussein Bridge to various government and private hospitals in the capital Amman.

King Charles III addressed US Congress, stressing the importance of the UK-US partnership in facing global challenges. Lawmakers applauded as he mixed humor, history and forward-looking remarks in a rare speech by a British monarch.

Israel has been fighting Hezbollah since early March, sending troops into south Lebanon to battle the Iran-backed militant group, with the violence ongoing despite a shaky ongoing ceasefire.