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US Iran War, Peace Talks LIVE Updates: The leader of Iran's joint military command threatened Wednesday to halt trade in the Gulf region if the U.S. does not lift its blockade of Iranian ports. Even so, US President Donald Trump said the war in Iran was "very close to over" in an interview that aired Wednesday. Separately, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the US is preparing to ramp up economic pain on Iran by levying secondary sanctions on financial institutions that do business with the Middle Eastern nation. Bessent called the measure the "financial equivalent" of the bombing campaign. Mediators' efforts to extend a US-Iran ceasefire made progress as the two sides are expected to hold another round of negotiations, regional officials said. But a senior US official said Washington has not formally agreed to extend the ceasefire. A Pakistani delegation arrived for talks in Tehran in the latest diplomatic move. Israel, meanwhile, is pressing ...

An ancient Greenland shark, thought to be at least 150 years old, has been found on an Irish beach in what experts call a "very rare" event. The nearly 9.5-foot carcass was found in Finisklin, County Sligo, by two locals named Hammad Chaudhry and James Winters O'Donnell, who were out for a stroll along the beach. Initially believed to be a basking shark, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) confirmed the rare find, noting it is the first recorded stranding of its kind in the Emerald Isle. "On the evening of Saturday, April 11th, the IWDG Live Stranding hotline received a report of a two-metre dead basking shark. Photos confirmed however, that this was not a basking shark and indeed a very rare and interesting stranding," read the statement by IWDG. The Greenland shark can have a lifespan of more than 500 years, the longest of any known vertebrate. They typically reach a length of four to six metres. "Little is known about the elusive Greenland Shark ...

Days after the US-Iranian talks in Pakistan failed, US President Donald Trump said that negotiations could resume "over the next two days." Speaking to the New York Post on Tuesday, Trump confirmed that the venue is going to stay the same -- Pakistan. "...It's more likely that we go back there," he said, adding, "Why should we go to some country that has nothing to do with it?" Trump said that Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal, Asim Munir, was "fantastic" and "doing a great job", which is why the US and Iran would go back to the talks in Islamabad. Earlier, Trump had told the Post that the US would not be returning to Pakistan for any future talks with Iran but later called them back with the update. The Republican leader had hinted at a European country as a mediating country previously. When asked if it was Turkey that the US was considering as the next location for talks, Trump said, "No, somebody more central. Euro...

A man accused of sexually exploiting at least 180 minor girls and recording over 350 obscene videos has been arrested in Maharashtra's Amravati, in a prompt action by the police following a complaint by a BJP MP. Mohammad Ayaz, alias Tanveer, a resident of Paratwada city, allegedly lured the girls into a "love trap," took them to Mumbai and Pune, and filmed obscene videos of them. These videos were allegedly used to blackmail the girls and force them into prostitution. Some were widely shared online too. The minors were systematically targeted through WhatsApp and Snapchat groups, according to a memorandum submitted by Rajya Sabha MP Anil Bonde to Superintendent of Police (Rural) Vishal Anand. Bonde also warned of staging protests in front of the SP's office on Wednesday morning if a Special Investigation Team (SIT) is not constituted. Even some members of the Muslim community visited the police station to demand strict action against the accused, stressing the n...

As tensions escalate around the Strait of Hormuz, where the US is intensifying pressure on Iranian-linked maritime activity, a parallel development in Southeast Asia is drawing attention. A fresh defence arrangement between the United States and Indonesia has triggered speculation that the US' focus may be widening toward the Strait of Malacca, which is another critical artery of global trade. The agreement, finalised earlier this week, gives US military aircraft expanded operational access to Indonesia's airspace. Although it is officially framed as a step toward deeper defence cooperation, it could also enhance Washington's surveillance and operational reach over the Malacca Strait, which links the Indian Ocean with East Asia. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore collectively manage this passage, which facilitates a significant portion of global trade transit. However, the timing of the deal has raised questions about whether the US is recalibrating its Indo-Pacific strat...

Two very large crude carriers loaded with Iranian oil have reached Indian ports, ship tracking data from LSEG shows, as local refiners utilise a temporary waiver granted by the United States last month to resume purchases from Tehran for the first time in seven years. The current waiver is due to expire on April 19. The Iran-flagged Felicity has reached Sikka Port in western India, while the Curacao-flagged Jaya is at the eastern port of Odisha, the data shows. A VLCC carries 2 million barrels of oil. India, the world's third-biggest oil importer and consumer, has not received a cargo from Iran since May 2019 after coming under U.S. pressure not to buy the country's crude. Indian Oil Corp, the country's top refiner, has bought Iranian oil loaded on the Jaya, a vessel under U.S. sanctions, Reuters reported last week. India has also allowed Reliance Industries Ltd, the operator of the world's biggest refining complex, to buy Iranian oil loaded on the Comoros-flagged...