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Erdogan Tells Israel’s Herzog Synergy in Energy Mutually Beneficial

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog shake hands during a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey March 9, 2022. (Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog shake hands during a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey March 9, 2022. (Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)
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Erdogan Tells Israel’s Herzog Synergy in Energy Mutually Beneficial

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog shake hands during a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey March 9, 2022. (Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog shake hands during a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey March 9, 2022. (Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in a phone call that synergy in the field of energy was mutually beneficial for their countries and that he hoped the momentum built in recent talks would continue, his office said on Friday.

Turkey and Israel have in recent weeks been working to mend their long-strained ties, and energy has emerged as a potential area of cooperation.

Herzog visited Turkey last month for talks with Erdogan, and the Turkish leader has said he will send his foreign and energy ministers to Israel for talks.

In a statement, the Turkish presidency said Erdogan had also stressed the importance of allowing Palestinians to enter Israel during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and welcomed steps taken by Israeli officials to allow Muslims to pray at Al-Aqsa mosque.

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World

Iran Urges US to Accept Proposal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 2, 2026. (Reuters)
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Iran Urges US to Accept Proposal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Iran's offer to the United States to reopen the Strait of ‌Hormuz ‌within seven ‌days ⁠is still on the ⁠table, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told ⁠Iranian media outlets ‌on ‌Sunday.

If Washington ‌accepts ‌Tehran's conditions, the strategic waterway would be ‌open within six days ⁠and US-Iran ⁠talks would resume on the seventh day, he added.

World

Congo Confirms Ebola Outbreak Spreads to Eighth Province

Health workers and humanitarian responders on the front lines of the Ebola response gather to receive a vaccination due to their potential exposure to the virus as part of their work with suspected cases, including contacts, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, October 16, 2026. (Reuters)
Health workers and humanitarian responders on the front lines of the Ebola response gather to receive a vaccination due to their potential exposure to the virus as part of their work with suspected cases, including contacts, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, October 16, 2026. (Reuters)
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Congo Confirms Ebola Outbreak Spreads to Eighth Province

Health workers and humanitarian responders on the front lines of the Ebola response gather to receive a vaccination due to their potential exposure to the virus as part of their work with suspected cases, including contacts, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, October 16, 2026. (Reuters)
Health workers and humanitarian responders on the front lines of the Ebola response gather to receive a vaccination due to their potential exposure to the virus as part of their work with suspected cases, including contacts, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, October 16, 2026. (Reuters)

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to ‌an ‌eighth province, ‌North Ubangi, ⁠bordering Central African ⁠Republic, Congo's public health institute confirmed on ⁠Sunday.

Reuters ‌reported on ‌Thursday that ‌two ‌cases were confirmed in North Ubangi, ‌citing two health officials. ⁠There ⁠had not been an official statement by Congolese authorities.

World

Iran Parliament Approves New Defense Minister

Demonstrators wave Iranian flags during a pro-government gathering at a square in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP)
Demonstrators wave Iranian flags during a pro-government gathering at a square in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP)
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Iran Parliament Approves New Defense Minister

Demonstrators wave Iranian flags during a pro-government gathering at a square in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP)
Demonstrators wave Iranian flags during a pro-government gathering at a square in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP)

Iranian lawmakers on Sunday approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi as the country's new defense minister, replacing his predecessor who was killed on the first day of the war with the United States. 

"Members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (parliament) today gave a vote of confidence to Mehrdad Akhlaghi, the nominee for minister of defense and armed forces logistics," state television reported, nearly eight months after the initial US-Israeli strikes that sparked the conflict. 

According to the government website, Akhlaghi "was elected to the post with 237 votes in favor", out of a total of 277 votes cast. 

The veteran defense official replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack on a leadership compound on February 28, alongside former supreme leader Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders. 

"If I receive parliament's vote of confidence, responsibility for the Ministry of Defense will fall to me at a sensitive juncture," Akhlaghi said before the vote, according to the ISNA news agency. 

"Under such circumstances, defending the country requires an accurate understanding of the environment, an understanding of the logic behind developments, the identification of influential trends, and preparedness to face different possible futures," he added. 

Although he does not hold a military rank, Akhlaghi has worked in the defense ministry for 42 years and has headed the Iranian Defense Industries Organization, the state's weapons manufacturer, since 2013. 

The United Nations sanctioned Akhlaghi in 2007 over his alleged involvement in nuclear or ballistic missile activities.