World

If a photograph is taken of US Vice President JD Vance standing next to Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Islamabad this weekend, it will mark the highest-level face-to-face talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States since the 1979 Islamic Revolution severed their strategic ties. This moment, though unlikely to ease the deeply hostile relationship, would signal a mutual desire to end a war that is sending shocks worldwide, avoid riskier escalation, and turn to diplomacy to broker a deal. However, the path forward is fraught with challenges, as the shaky two-week ceasefire has been contested and broken since its announcement, with Iran keeping everyone guessing until the last minute and Israel insisting on no ceasefire in Lebanon.

Colombia’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism has announced it will raise tariffs on imports from neighboring Ecuador from 30% to 100%. The move, confirmed on Friday, matches the rate Ecuador set a day earlier, marking a significant escalation in the trade and diplomatic dispute between the two South American nations. This tit-for-tat action underscores deepening tensions that threaten regional economic stability.

NASA's Artemis II mission crew has safely splashed down on Earth, completing a landmark mission that carried humans around the Moon and back for the first time in over 50 years. The crew successfully executed a parachute landing in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, following a high-speed re-entry through Earth's atmosphere. Recovery teams were stationed off the coast of California, ready to retrieve the astronauts upon their arrival at 5:07 PM Pacific Time (00:07 GMT).

San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) arrested a 20-year-old man after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman early on Friday morning. Police in the United States said the suspect targeted the property at about 4 a.m. local time (11:00 GMT), allegedly throwing an improvised incendiary device that ignited part of an exterior gate before fleeing the scene on foot. Authorities did not publicly identify the suspect or confirm the address where the attack took place.

Water resources in Central Asia are rapidly diminishing, posing a serious threat to the region's economic and ecological stability. Factors such as glacier melt, changing precipitation patterns, and water shortages during irrigation seasons are exacerbating the situation. In these conditions, not only water volumes but also the ability of countries to reconcile interests, exchange data, and adapt to climate change are of critical importance.

Former Vice President and 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has hinted at a possible return to the presidential campaign trail for the 2028 election, following her defeat by Donald Trump. Speaking at the National Action Network's annual convention alongside civil rights leader Al Sharpton, Harris avoided a firm commitment but stated, "Listen, I might, I might. I'm thinking about it," in response to Sharpton's direct question about her future plans.

The African AIDS charity Sentebale, cofounded by the United Kingdom's Prince Harry approximately two decades ago in honor of his late mother Princess Diana, has filed a defamation lawsuit against him and former trustee Mark Dyer in the High Court of England and Wales. In a statement issued on Friday, the charity stated it seeks "the court’s intervention, protection and restitution following a coordinated adverse media campaign conducted since 25 March 2025 that has caused operational disruption and reputational harm to the charity, its leadership and its strategic partners."

A 61-year-old Swedish man has gone on trial, accused of coercing his wife into providing sexual services to more than 120 men. Prosecutors allege that he used the remoteness of their farm near Kramfors in northern Sweden, along with surveillance cameras and drugs, to force her into sexual acts with men he had found online.

South Korean authorities have intensified the search for a runaway wolf named Neukgu, which has been on the loose for three days after escaping from the Daejeon O-World zoo and theme park in the central city of Daejeon. Officials reported that the two-year-old male wolf burrowed under a fence and fled on Wednesday.

In eastern France, a 43-year-old father has been charged with keeping his nine-year-old son locked in a van for more than a year, since November 2024. The boy was discovered on Monday after neighbors in the town of Hagenbach, Alsace, reported hearing "sounds of a child" emanating from the van, which was parked in the common area of an apartment block.

Gunmen targeted civilians at a recreational area in the Enjil district of Herat province, western Afghanistan, on Friday, resulting in multiple fatalities. Officials and a local doctor reported that unidentified armed individuals on motorcycles opened fire near the village of Deh Mehri, a site typically crowded on Fridays for picnics. Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the provincial head of information and culture for the Taliban government in Herat, stated that the incident occurred around 15:00 local time and that security forces had arrested one suspect in connection with the attack.

The Ngogo chimpanzee community in Uganda's Kibale National Park, known as the world's largest wild group, has split into two factions and been locked in a vicious 'civil war' for the past eight years. Researchers report that since 2018, there have been 24 recorded killings, including 17 infants, though the actual death toll is believed to be higher. The intensity and duration of this violence may provide insights into how early human conflict developed, according to a study published in the journal Science.