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China Voices Concern Over US Seizure of Iranian Cargo Ship, Urges Further Talks

13 April 2026, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaks to journalists. (dpa)
13 April 2026, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaks to journalists. (dpa)
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China Voices Concern Over US Seizure of Iranian Cargo Ship, Urges Further Talks

13 April 2026, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaks to journalists. (dpa)
13 April 2026, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaks to journalists. (dpa)

China has expressed concern over the "forced interception" by the US of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, urging relevant parties to abide by the ceasefire agreement in a responsible ‌manner.

"The situation ‌in the Strait of ‌Hormuz ⁠is sensitive and complicated," ⁠said spokesman Guo Jiakun during a regular press briefing. Parties involved should avoid further escalation and "create the necessary conditions for normal transit through the strait ⁠to resume," he added.

The ‌US said ‌earlier it fired on and seized ‌an Iranian cargo ship that tried ‌to run its blockade of Iranian ports.

Iran's military said the ship had been travelling from China ‌and vowed retaliation against what it called "armed piracy by the US ⁠military."

Beijing ⁠on Monday also urged relevant parties to "continue to maintain the momentum of the ceasefire and negotiations".

"Now that a window for peace has opened, favorable conditions should be created to bring the war to an end as soon as possible," Guo said.

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Russian Strikes Kill 3 Near Ukraine’s Kharkiv

This handout taken and released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on June 9, 2026 shows smoke rising from a fire following Russian strikes in the Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Handout / State Emergency Service of Ukraine / AFP)
This handout taken and released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on June 9, 2026 shows smoke rising from a fire following Russian strikes in the Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Handout / State Emergency Service of Ukraine / AFP)
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Russian Strikes Kill 3 Near Ukraine’s Kharkiv

This handout taken and released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on June 9, 2026 shows smoke rising from a fire following Russian strikes in the Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Handout / State Emergency Service of Ukraine / AFP)
This handout taken and released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on June 9, 2026 shows smoke rising from a fire following Russian strikes in the Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Handout / State Emergency Service of Ukraine / AFP)

Russian strikes killed three people and wounded 10 others in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, its governor said early Tuesday.

"The enemy has hit the city of Chuguiv," Kharkiv regional governor Oleg Synegubov wrote on Telegram, adding that three people had been killed.

"The strikes caused fires and damaged at least 18 vehicles; windows were blown out and building facades damaged in residential multi-storey buildings," Synegubov said.

Separately, Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov reported 10 people were wounded in his city.

Daily Russian attacks that claim civilian lives have intensified in recent months, and Ukraine has hit back with its own drone strikes further into Russian territory, saying these are mainly against military and energy facilities.

According to a UN estimate published in April, at least 15,850 civilians have been killed in Ukrainian zones since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.

More than 2,800 civilians have died in Russian-controlled zones, according to the UN toll, which added that more than 44,800 have been wounded in Ukrainian and Russian-occupied zones.

World

Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Rises to 100 Deaths out of 550 Cases as Conflict Slows Response

A health worker wearing a face mask as part of his personal protection equipment (PPE) looks on at the Mulago National Referral Hospital isolation unit in Kampala, Uganda, on July 8, 2026. (AFP)
A health worker wearing a face mask as part of his personal protection equipment (PPE) looks on at the Mulago National Referral Hospital isolation unit in Kampala, Uganda, on July 8, 2026. (AFP)
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Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Rises to 100 Deaths out of 550 Cases as Conflict Slows Response

A health worker wearing a face mask as part of his personal protection equipment (PPE) looks on at the Mulago National Referral Hospital isolation unit in Kampala, Uganda, on July 8, 2026. (AFP)
A health worker wearing a face mask as part of his personal protection equipment (PPE) looks on at the Mulago National Referral Hospital isolation unit in Kampala, Uganda, on July 8, 2026. (AFP)

At least 100 people have died from Ebola less than a month after authorities declared an outbreak of the disease in eastern Congo, authorities said.

Attacks on health workers from angry residents, skepticism among some locals and armed conflict in hot spots continue to challenge efforts to stop the outbreak declared on May 15.

Out of the 550 cases of the disease confirmed as of Sunday, there have been 101 deaths and 19 recoveries, according to the latest situation report late Monday.

The outbreak is concentrated in Congo’s eastern province of Ituri, which accounts for more than 90% of the cases. Cases have also been recorded in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, and has spread across the border to Uganda.

The number of cases in Congo is believed to be higher because the outbreak was confirmed weeks late, and the response has been challenging also because the virus has no approved vaccine or treatment.

The latest Ebola disease outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which does not have an approved vaccine or treatment unlike the “Zaire virus,” another name for the Ebola virus, responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.

The rapid increase in the number of cases is in part due to the scale up of diagnostic capacities, enabling testing of the backlog of previously collected samples, authorities said.

Frontline health workers, with little pay or rest, have been attacked multiple times by angry residents and have not been able to reach some communities due conflict involving armed rebel groups.

Eastern Congo has for years seen attacks by dozens of separate rebel and militant groups, some of them with links to foreign countries or to the extremist Islamic State group.

Conflict is “constraining access for the response, disrupting surveillance and response activities, and increasing the risk of undetected transmission,” the World Health Organization said Monday.

“Such incidents underline the challenges of the context and the importance of working closely with local leaders and communities,” it added.

World

Report: US Leads Record Rise in Spending on Nuclear Arsenals in 2025

The United States spent $69.2 billion on nuclear weapons (archival - Reuters)
The United States spent $69.2 billion on nuclear weapons (archival - Reuters)
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Report: US Leads Record Rise in Spending on Nuclear Arsenals in 2025

The United States spent $69.2 billion on nuclear weapons (archival - Reuters)
The United States spent $69.2 billion on nuclear weapons (archival - Reuters)

Spending on nuclear weapons by the world's nine nuclear-armed states rose ‌by almost a fifth in 2025 to $119 billion, a report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons said on Tuesday.

The 19% increase from 2024 ⁠produced the highest expenditure on nuclear weapons since the campaign group began tracking the annual nuclear arms expenditure of the US, Russia, China, France, Britain, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel in 2020.

The United States spent $69.2 billion, more than all other nuclear-armed states combined, and recorded the largest increase, with spending rising by 22 percent.

The campaign said the increase reflects broader growth in US military spending alongside efforts to modernize and expand its nuclear arsenal.

China ranked second, increasing its nuclear weapons spending by seven percent to $13.5 billion.

The United Kingdom overtook Russia to become the third-largest spender, with expenditures rising 17 percent to $12.6 billion. Russia spent $9.5 billion, up six percent from the previous year.

The campaign, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017, advocates for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.