The US struck five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Iran’s Kharg Island after accusing Tehran of targeting a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over two days. The attacks prompted Iran to retaliate with missile strikes on an American base in Jordan, sharply escalating the ongoing war. US Central Command posted a video showing strikes on the five Iranian oil carriers. The US action followed accusations that Iran had targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles. Tehran responded by firing missiles at US forces stationed at Jordan’s Al Azraq base. The strikes mark a fresh escalation in the ongoing confrontation between Washington and Tehran.

US forces have struck multiple Iranian oil tankers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after further attempted missile attacks on US Navy ships, according to a US official cited by Reuters. Iranian media reported strikes near Kharg Island and Jask. In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that oil vessels in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports hosting American forces would be targeted and urged crews to evacuate. The escalation follows earlier US strikes that disabled or destroyed three Iran-linked tankers. Meanwhile, Iran and the US continue exchanging attacks, while Iran-backed Houthis also struck targets in southern Saudi Arabia, widening the conflict across the Gulf. (PC: India Today)

The UK has announced sanctions targeting illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, accusing Israel’s government of failing to stop settler violence against Palestinians. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the measures would ban settlement goods and target companies and individuals involved in settlement expansion. The UK will introduce a comprehensive sanctions regime over the next six to nine months and ban advertising West Bank settlements. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called Miliband’s allegation of “ethnic cleansing” an “outrageous lie” and announced the closure of the UK consulate in East Jerusalem. France and Canada also joined the sanctions announcement, citing support for a two-state solution. (PC: BBC)

More than 600 flights were cancelled across the UK on Tuesday after a technical issue affected Britain’s air traffic control system, Flightradar24 reported. National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said the problem was identified in its flight processing system and that engineers were working urgently to fix it. NATS later said it had “implemented a fix” and that the system was beginning to recover. About 425 flights to and from UK airports, including Heathrow, were cancelled, affecting airlines such as British Airways, EasyJet, KLM and Lufthansa. Heathrow, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham and Scottish airports reported disruptions. Arriving flights appeared unaffected, while the cause remained unclear. (PC: NDTV)

OpenAI says a new AI model helped 10,000 AI agents make significant progress on the 90-year-old Navier-Stokes problem in just 88 hours. The problem, which concerns how fluids move and is linked to turbulence, has remained partly unsolved for decades. OpenAI said the agents exchanged nearly 3 million messages and used 130 billion output tokens while working on the problem. The company said its solution addresses two of the four statements required for the $1 million Millennium Prize. However, the proof has not been independently verified or accepted by the Clay Mathematics Institute. OpenAI also faces questions over its timing. (PC: BBC)

Kanpur-based engineer Chandan Gupta has been released after being detained in Russia and has safely returned home, his wife Sneha Gupta confirmed. She said Chandan was detained late Saturday, with his phone and passport taken away. After learning about his detention, she contacted his employer, UFlex Ltd, whose Russian team stayed in touch with her and arranged legal assistance. A lawyer hired by the company helped secure his release. Earlier, Sneha had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for help, expressing concern that her husband could be pressured to join the Russian military. The circumstances remain unclear.

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Tibet on Wednesday, with tremors felt in Nepal, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre. The quake occurred at a depth of 35 kilometres, while India’s National Centre for Seismology recorded it at magnitude 5.0. There were no immediate reports of deaths, injuries or significant damage. The earthquake came less than two weeks after devastating floods and a glacial and mountain collapse hit the Nepal-Tibet border region on August 26. Nepal’s disaster authority said the flood death toll had reached 1,357, with 5,326 people still missing. Rescue teams continued searching for survivors and missing people. (PC: HT)

Iran-backed Houthi fighters launched missiles and drones at southern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, wounding 73 people and setting oil-related facilities and utilities on fire. Saudi authorities said women and children were among those injured. The attacks targeted areas including Abha, Jazan, Najran and Khamis Mushait, with the Houthis saying they struck oil, economic and military sites. Facilities linked to Saudi oil giant Aramco and a military airbase were among the reported targets. Fires were reported at several sites, including the Jazan refinery. The attacks followed renewed fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen, raising fears of a wider regional escalation.

Five young orangutans were rescued from a casuarina forest near Badapai village in Odisha’s Balasore district on Tuesday after local residents spotted the unusual animals. Forest officials brought the primates to the Udayapur forest section office, where they were kept under observation and examined by veterinary teams. Orangutans are native to Southeast Asia and are not found in the wild in India, raising questions about how they reached Odisha. Officials suspect the animals may have been abandoned by poachers or suppliers after being transported illegally, but their exact origin remains unclear. Authorities have launched an investigation and intensified surveillance in the area. (PC: The Hindu)

A police complaint has been lodged in Kolkata against Bageshwar Dham chief Dhirendra Shastri over remarks urging Hindus to avoid non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja. South Kolkata Congress president Pradip Prasad accused Shastri of hurting Bengali sentiments and creating social disharmony. Shastri had called Bengalis eating fish and meat during Navratri “pakhandis” and urged people to boycott them. The remarks sparked criticism across Bengal. Bengal BJP leaders distanced themselves from the food diktat. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said Shastri had no right to decide what Bengalis eat, while minister Dilip Ghosh said people should be free to choose their food. (PC: The Telegraph)