Iran and the United States yesterday played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough in efforts to end their three-month-old war, with the top US diplomat saying Washington will either get a good agreement or deal with the country in “another way.”

Geopolitical tensions and a funding crisis are jeopardising peacekeeping missions, particularly those under the auspices of the United Nations, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned on Monday.

Pope Leo XIV yesterday issued an unprecedented apology for the Vatican’s role in justifying slavery and said the delay in condemning the practice was “a wound in Christian memory”.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda was outpacing response efforts, giving the latest number of suspected deaths as 220.

The United States and Iran are edging closer to a framework agreement that could transform the current ceasefire into a lasting settlement. Both sides are discussing a “memorandum of understanding” (MoU) that would outline steps to resolve outstanding issues, though officials caution that a final deal is not imminent.

At least eight people have been killed in missile and drone attacks on Russian and Ukrainian territory in the past 24 hours, local authorities on both sides said yesterday, with damage reported to energy infrastructure in Russia’s Belgorod region.

China’s President Xi Jinping yesterday hailed Beijing’s “unbreakable” friendship with Pakistan as he met visiting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, seeking to deepen their “all-weather” partnership.

A small artisanal gold mine collapsed in northern Angola at the weekend, claiming the lives of at least 28 miners, nearly half from one family, reports and officials said.

Deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal, Trump says

The start of the hajj came as US President Donald Trump continued to send mixed signals over a possible agreement to extend an uneasy ceasefire with Iran and a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz

Despite travelling all the way from Egypt for the annual pilgrimage, Gamal said it was just too hot to spend much time outside during the day, where temperatures crossed 40 degrees Celsius

Marco Rubio said a deal to end the war with Iran could materialise "today"

Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa in the past half-century

Rubio: Nuclear deal can’t be done 'on a napkin'

Joint statement calls humiliation a violation of international law

A gunman who fired at a White House checkpoint was shot by officers and died after being taken to the hospital on Saturday evening, the Secret Service said.

More than 1.5 million Muslims will begin the annual hajj pilgrimage in the Saudi holy city of Makkah today.

President Donald Trump said yesterday that he had told US negotiators “not to rush into a deal” with Iran, amid anticipation that an agreement to end the war in the Middle East was close.

Negotiations 'professional and productive' but unresolved issues persist

'Time is on our side,' Trump says