Reuters: World

Iran confirms supreme leader Khamenei is dead after US, Israeli attacks

Iranian state media reported that Khamenei "was carrying out his assigned duties and was present at his workplace (his office)".

"This cowardly attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning", state media said.

"We have lost a great leader and we are mourning him, a leader who was unique in in terms of purity of spirit, strength of faith, resourcefulness in affairs, courage in the face of the arrogant, and jihad in the path of God", a statement from Iran's Revolutionary Guards said. read more

Exclusive: Iran nears deal to buy supersonic anti-ship missiles from China

Iran is close to a deal with China to purchase anti‑ship cruise missiles, according to six people with knowledge of the negotiations, just as the United States deploys a vast naval force near the Iranian coast ahead of possible strikes on the Islamic Republic.

The deal for the Chinese‑made CM‑302 missiles is near completion, though no delivery date has been agreed, the people said. The supersonic missiles have a range of about 290 kilometres and are designed to evade shipborne defences by flying low and fast. Their deployment would significantly enhance Iran’s strike capabilities and pose a threat to U.S. naval forces in the region, two weapons experts said. read more

Police arrest King Charles' brother Andrew over misconduct relating to Epstein

King Charles' younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was on Thursday arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he sent confidential government documents to Jeffrey Epstein.

Mountbatten-Windsor, celebrating his 66th birthday on Thursday, was arrested and questioned by detectives from Thames Valley Police, which this month said it was looking into allegations that he had passed documents to the late convicted sex offender while working as a trade envoy. read more

North Korea says South Korea should take steps to prevent violation of its sovereignty

The sister of North Korea's ruler said on Friday that South Korean authorities should take steps to prevent "reoccurrence of provocative sovereignty violation," state media KCNA reported, referring to a drone flown into its airspace recently.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement she appreciates the South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's expression of his regret over the "drone intrusion" as "sensible behavior," KCNA reported. read more

Iran, US to negotiate in Oman amid deep rifts and mounting war fears

Iran and the United States are set to hold high-stakes negotiations in Oman on Friday over Tehran's nuclear programme, but a dispute over the agenda suggests progress will be hard won amid the threat of a regional Middle East war.

While both sides have signalled readiness to revive diplomacy over Tehran's long-running nuclear dispute with the West, Washington wants the talks to cover Iran's nuclear programme, its ballistic missiles, support for armed groups around the region and its "treatment of their own people", U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday. read more

Paris prosecutor's cybercrime unit searches X office, Musk summoned

French police raided the offices of Elon Musk's social media network X and prosecutors ordered the tech billionaire to face questions in April related to a widening investigation into the platform, the Paris prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.

The raid and the summoning of Musk - which could further increase tensions between Europe and the U.S. over big tech and free speech - are linked to a year-long investigation into suspected abuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction by X or its executives. read more