A possible diplomatic breakthrough is taking shape in the Middle East, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying the United States and Iran have agreed on a framework for peace and finalized the text of a deal meant to end months of conflict. Pakistan is now preparing for an electronic signing expected within the next 24 hours, followed by technical-level talks next week, Mr Sharif said. Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the agreement could still change at the margins, but argued the emerging…

Thailand is mourning the death of Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the king's eldest daughter, who has died at 47, the royal palace said, more than three years after she was first hospitalised following a sudden illness. The princess had been in hospital since December 2022, when she suddenly lost consciousness because of a heart condition while visiting Nakhon Ratchasima in the country's northeast. Bajrakitiyabha was airlifted by helicopter to Bangkok, where doctors began treating her. She died yesterday evening after her…

A US strike has killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores — better known as Niño Guerrero — the alleged head of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, President Donald Trump said, announcing the operation in stark terms. "At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Nino Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren de Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty terrorist organisations on the planet," Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social.. "This action was…

A possible end to the US-Iran war appeared within reach, as both governments signaled they were nearing an agreement, with a senior US administration official saying the two sides had settled on a text and Washington expects an initial deal to be signed within days. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said revisions to the draft were still possible, but argued the tentative accord already showed Iran had come out of the conflict in a stronger position. "Iran is the winner of the war with the US," he said on state…

A fatal shooting outside a Barcelona police station on one of the city’s busiest streets has triggered an active investigation, according to several local media reports. The attack took place at about 10am local time on Wednesday on Carrer de Balmes, which was 9am Irish time. The station at the centre of the investigation handles passports and other identity documents. Catalan news outlet Diari de Catalunya said police identified the victim as a middle-aged man. A short distance from the scene, authorities later found what…

A long-awaited link between the US and Canada has hit an unexpected pause: the two countries have agreed to delay the opening of the new $4.7 billion bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, just days before it was due to welcome traffic, after US President Donald Trump earlier this year threatened to block the crossing. Invitations reviewed by Reuters showed a formal ribbon-cutting for the Gordie Howe International Bridge had been scheduled for today. "Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the…

A draft memorandum aimed at stopping the Gulf war appears to hand Tehran many of the gains it has long sought, according to Western, Pakistani and Iranian sources — a prospect that quickly drew fire from US President Donald Trump, who dismissed the reports as wrong. Reuters reviewed multiple versions and descriptions of the ⁠memorandum from Western officials, Pakistani mediators and senior Iranian sources. Iranian media also carried accounts of the proposal. All of the sources cautioned that the text remains unfinished. A…

A Spanish lottery vendor has been handed a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence after a court found he cheated the winner of a €4.7 million jackpot out of the prize in 2012, according to court documents. The court in A Coruña, in northwestern Spain, said the vendor understood the scale of the win when the customer asked him to check the numbers. Instead of telling the truth, however, he misled the ticket-holder and said that none of the numbers had matched. Judges found that the vendor then attempted to claim the jackpot…

A second heavy prison sentence has landed on former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol, this time over prosecutors’ claims that he sent drones into North Korea to help manufacture the crisis atmosphere that preceded his ill-fated 2024 martial law declaration. Special prosecutors said in April that Yoon had tried to "fabricate wartime conditions" through the drone flights, arguing that the operation compromised national security. The latest punishment follows an earlier life sentence imposed on Yoon for leading what the…

A possible opening in one of the world’s most volatile flashpoints emerged on Friday, with US President Donald Trump saying Washington and Tehran could sign a peace deal as soon as this weekend that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. Iran, however, quickly cautioned that no final decision had yet been made. If it goes ahead, the agreement would mark the biggest diplomatic advance so far toward ending the three-month-old war, a conflict that has killed thousands and driven global energy prices sharply higher.…