New Delhi [India], August 13 (ANI): Noting that the Congress and other opposition parties have now started 'expressing themselves and it is unstoppable now', Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hit out at the BJP-led government, saying the opposition parties will keep Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah 'awake' till they step down and 'the battle is for the country's ethos and culture'.
WASHINGTON -- As Washington once again wrestles with the question of how far the United States should go in supporting Ukraine, a resolution from one of the country's most geographically distant states has added a new voice to the debate.
The Caspian Sea is falling by as much as 20 centimeters a year and stands at its lowest level in two centuries, an Iranian environment official said, a warning that lands just as Tehran reopens the argument over how to divide a sea that is shrinking on all five of its owners.
UK withholds information on Israeli firm accused of targeting Scottish first minister in elections Submitted by Imran Mulla on Thu, 08/13/2026 - 11:59 The British government refused an FOI request, saying releasing documents may 'prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and any other state' Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham meets Scottish National Party (SNP) First Minister John Swinney in Glasgow, 23 July 2026 (AFP) Off The British government has refused to publish any information it holds on an Israeli firm suspected of interfering in the Scottish parliament elections, on the grounds that doing so may "prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and any other state". In June, the French disinformation watchdog Viginum accused Israeli cyber firm BlackCore of meddling in elections in New York City and Scotland , as well as in France ’s local elections. Viginum chief Marc-Antoine Brillant said investigations had led the watchdog to suspect BlackCore of being "used to carry out foreign digital interference operations in other countries or regions, such as Angola, Togo, the elections in Scotland, and the 2025 municipal election in New York".
Tehran [Iran], August 13 (ANI): Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday hit back at US President Donald Trump's claim that Washington has 'total control' over the Strait of Hormuz, accusing the US of repeated intelligence failures and warning against what he described as a bigger miscalculation over the strategic waterway.
Exclusive: UK Charity Commission gives 'regulatory advice' to synagogue that hosted Great Israeli Real Estate Event Submitted by Imran Mulla on Thu, 08/13/2026 - 10:47 The event in June held at the Edgware United Synagogue promoted properties in illegal Israeli settlements The Israeli settlement of Pisgat Zeev (foreground) in East Jerusalem and Israel's separation wall in the Palestinian town of Hzma (background) in the occupied West Bank on 7 August (AFP) Off The UK 's Charity Commission has issued "regulatory advice" to trustees of the Edgware United Synagogue in London, which hosted a real estate event that promoted properties in illegal Israeli settlements in June, Middle East Eye can reveal. On 15 June MEE reported that properties in illegal Israeli settlements were advertised at the Great Israeli Real Estate Event. The event's organisers later admitted properties in Israeli settlements were promoted at the synagogue, saying it happened "by mistake".
New Delhi [India], August 13 (ANI): Former diplomat Vidya Bhushan Soni weighed in on the recently announced trilateral security arrangement between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan--and underlined that it reflects Washington's dimming influence in the region.
Iran attacks US failures as scepticism grows over Israeli role in Trump 'assassination plot' Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Thu, 08/13/2026 - 10:57 Washington’s Iran blockade comes under strain as morale crisis grips the USS Abraham Lincoln A replica of an Iranian air force F-4 Phantom fighter aircraft is displayed in a city square in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on 10 August (AFP/Atta Kenare) Off Iran has accused the US of allowing faulty intelligence to drive it into war, as new reports revealed that CIA analysts doubted an Israeli warning that triggered a secret security operation during President Donald Trump’s visit to Turkey . Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that Washington “has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures”, including when it launched its war on Iran. He said US actions in the Strait of Hormuz represented “an even bigger miscalculation”.
A plan to sell petrol at a much higher “refinery cost” rate in southern Kerman province was halted hours before it was due to begin, the provincial fuel distribution company said on Thursday.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ayatollah Ahmad Marvi, the chief custodian of the holy shrine of the eighth Shiite Imam in Iran’s Mashhad, called on the Iranian nation to preserve national unity and cohesion, saying the country should continue its path toward “dignity, greatness, glory and independence”.
Mecca Defence Agreement will include political and military coordination, Turkey says Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will form political and military mechanisms under a defence pact signed between the regional powers last week, Turkey's defence ministry said, adding the alliance would also deepen defence industry cooperation. At a weekly briefing in Ankara, the ministry said the mechanisms would include the three countries' defence ministers, foreign ministers, and military chiefs. It added that joint military exercises were also being planned under the pact, while cooperation could include joint production and technology sharing in the defence industry.
Washington DC [US], August 13 (ANI): US intelligence officials had low confidence in an Iranian threat against US President Donald Trump before he was secretly moved to an alternate aircraft while departing Turkey after the NATO Summit last month, according to a report by The Washington Post.
Polls open in crunch Clacton contest between Reform's Nigel Farage and Count Binface Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 08/12/2026 - 14:39 The Reform leader was elected MP for Clacton in 2024 but resigned last month to trigger the by-election, but a satirical candidate offers his biggest challenge The two main candidates in Thursday's by-election are Nigel Farage and Count Binface (AFP) Off Voters are heading to the polls on Thursday in the seaside town of Claton, on England's east coast, to vote in one of the most unusual by-elections in recent British history. The two main candidates are Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, which was until recently dominating in the national polls, and Count Binface , a man dressed as a bin. Farage was elected MP for Clacton in 2024 but resigned last month in order to trigger the by-election.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Zionist regime’s claims over the occupied Golan Heights and rejection of an independent Palestinian state, stressing that such positions violate historical and legal realities and international law.
CIA had ‘low confidence’ in Israel's claims of Iranian threat to Trump: Report US intelligence officials were sceptical of an alleged Iranian assassination threat against Donald Trump that was relayed by Israel, sources told The Washington Post. The threat was relayed by the Israeli government to the CIA, but analysts had doubts about the credibility of the information and conveyed their thoughts to the Trump administration, one official indicated. Another official described the reports of threats against the US president's life as "Israeli-derived, not U.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei warned that the environmental damage caused by the US military presence and operations in the Persian Gulf must be addressed in any future arrangements governing the Strait of Hormuz.
Mohsen Rezaei’s appointment as Iran’s new security chief has opened a battle over its political meaning, with ultra-hardliners portraying the removal of his predecessor as evidence that the balance in Tehran has shifted against advocates of negotiations with Washington.
Saudi Arabia opposed Egypt's inclusion in Mecca agreement, sources say Saudi Arabia opposed Egypt joining the security pact signed with Turkey and Pakistan last week, despite Ankara's push for Cairo to be included, three Saudi sources familiar with the discussions told Middle East Eye. One of the sources, a former senior adviser to the Saudi monarchy, said Riyadh did not want Egypt to join the agreement "at least for now". All three sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, said the Saudi position was driven by a growing frustration with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's government and a belief in Riyadh that Egypt no longer offered the strategic or military value it once did.
Lebanon passes sweeping amnesty law for prisoners, wanted people Lebanon's parliament on Wednesday passed a sweeping and long-awaited amnesty law that should benefit thousands of prisoners and wanted people, in the first legislation of its kind since 1991. The law, which had been a demand of various political factions and a topic of debate for years, aims to reduce prison overcrowding, with many inmates awaiting trial for years. The office of the country's parliament speaker announced the "approval of a draft law aimed at granting a general amnesty and exceptionally reducing the terms of certain sentences".
