German foundations halt Georgia work as grants law deepens EU rift
Four major German political foundations have halted their work in Georgia as tighter rules on foreign grants put pressure on a decades-old partners...
Türkiye and Iran’s foreign ministers spoke by phone after reports that a ballistic missile entered Turkish airspace, with Tehran denying responsibility and insisting its recent strikes targeted only U.S. and Israeli facilities.
Turkish diplomatic sources said Hakan Fidan warned his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that any step that could further escalate the regional conflict - now in its sixth day - must be avoided.
In a statement released by Iran’s foreign ministry, Araghchi said Iran’s missile strikes were “retaliatory” in nature and were directed “exclusively against U.S. and Israeli facilities” used to attack Iran.
In a separate statement issued Thursday, Iran’s military denied firing any missiles towards Turkish territory, stressing Tehran’s respect for Türkiye’s territorial sovereignty.
Earlier Wednesday, an incoming missile was intercepted by NATO air-defence units in the eastern Mediterranean after being detected over Iraqi and Syrian airspace, the Turkish Defence Ministry said.
Debris from the intercepted projectile fell in Türkiye’s southern Hatay province but caused no casualties or damage, the ministry added.
Fidan also spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told his Turkish counterpart that any attack on Türkiye’s sovereign territory would be “unacceptable”.
According to the U.S. State Department, Rubio also said Türkiye - a key NATO member - had the full support of the United States, emphasising the strength of ties between the two countries.
In the immediate aftermath of the missile incident, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Ankara was “leaving nothing to chance” in safeguarding its borders and airspace.
On Thursday, Turkish Defence Ministry spokesman Zeki Akturk said Türkiye reserved the right to respond to hostile actions “regardless of where they come from.”
He added that Ankara was “closely monitoring developments in coordination with NATO and its other allies.”
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), appointed as acting oil minister, according to Iranian state media.
Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a runoff of the presidential election later this month, after he exceeded expectations in Sunday's first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.
Candidates elected to Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-member presidency declared victory after preliminary unofficial results showed Denis Becirovic leading the Bosniak seat, Darijana Filipovic ahead in the Croat seat and Zeljka Cvijanovic likely retaining the Serb seat.
Uzbekistan’s grape exports have grown rapidly. In January-August 2025, the country exported 86,200 tonnes of fresh grapes worth $78.3 million to 19 countries but can it turn these crops into a recognisable international product?
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets seven conditions agreed under a June memorandum, as President Donald Trump signals he may soon decide whether to resume military operations against Tehran.
Four major German political foundations have halted their work in Georgia as tighter rules on foreign grants put pressure on a decades-old partnership and add to tensions between Tbilisi and its European partners.
The U.S. has deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to the Gulf, protecting key energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar as Washington expands its military presence in the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan held talks in Tehran on Monday on bilateral ties and efforts to strengthen peace and security in the South Caucasus.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry says it has conveyed its initial position to the United States through Qatar over Washington’s response to Tehran’s seven-day plan aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
More than 1.2 million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan so far in 2026, with more than 500,000 deported, according to data from the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
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