World

US and Chinese presidents held a ‘good meeting,’ discussing expanding market access for American businesses in China, the White House says.

Deep divisions within BRICS over the Middle East war and criticism of Western powers have raised uncertainty over whether the meeting will produce a joint statement.

Iran’s control of the waterway remains a major sticking point in negotiations with the US, which have yet to produce a breakthrough.

US Congressman Ed Case said Washington lost 39 aircraft during the war with Iran, citing a defence publication report that Pentagon officials have not independently confirmed.

Previously undisclosed Saudi air strikes inside Iran marked a dramatic escalation in the regional war, officials said, before backchannel diplomacy helped curb direct Iranian attacks on the kingdom.

Intelligence findings show Tehran has regained operational access to most of its missile sites, including 30 of the 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz.

The UAE struck a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in early April, according to anonymous sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, in what was reportedly one of a series of attacks carried out by Abu Dhabi during the war.

Global attention has focused on the disrupted oil and gas trade, but the UN warns that the blockade also threatens global food security, particularly in Africa and Asia.

US President Trump also says that he is considering renewing a US attempt to escort oil and other commercial shipping through Hormuz.

Scientists confirmed the outbreak was caused by the rare Andes variant of hantavirus, the only known strain capable of human-to-human transmission.