March 20 (Reuters) - The Trump administration is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran's Kharg Island to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported on Friday, citing four sources with knowledge of the issue.
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru, Editing by William Maclean)
LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - The family of a British couple detained in Iran said on Friday the pair were being used as "human shields" during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and they accused Britain's government of failing to make progress on their release.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman were sentenced to 10 years in prison last year after Iran charged them with espionage, which they deny.
ATHENS/LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - A manager at London-listed insurer Hiscox faces a criminal charge of providing false testimony during an attempted extradition of a former colleague from Greece to Bermuda, court proceedings and filings seen by Reuters show.
An Athens prosecutor alleges the manager, who cannot be named under Greek law, submitted false evidence in 2019 and 2020 that was sent to Greece to support a request from Bermuda for the extradition of Yuval Abraham, a former CFO of Bermuda-based Hiscox unit Hiscox Services Ltd (HSL), court filings show.
By Hyunjoo Jin
SEOUL, March 20 (Reuters) - South Korean authorities said on Friday that Iranian attacks on Qatar's energy facilities raise uncertainty, but downplayedconcerns about disruption to its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, citing the availability of alternative sources.
State-owned QatarEnergy said it will have to declare force majeure on long-term contracts for up to five years for LNG supplies bound for Italy, Belgium, South Korea, and China after the Iranian attacks knocked out 17% of LNG export capacity.
The 127 cheetahs living in a Somaliland sanctuary were all torn away from their mothers to be kept as pets in the Gulf, survivors of a trade that threatens the very survival of the species.
The long, slender, spotted felines yawn, stretch, and purr loudly as the staff approach the vast, highly protected complex run by Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in the Geed-Deeble savannah of Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia.
President Donald Trump said Friday that he was considering "winding down" military operations against Iran, as the United States temporarily eased sanctions on Iranian oil shipments to stem a global supply crisis.
Iran launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia and Israel meanwhile after supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei claimed to have dealt a "dizzying blow" to his country's enemies.
PARIS, March 20 (Reuters) - The International Energy Agency (IEA), which this month agreed a record release of oil from strategic stockpiles to deal with the effects of the U.S-Israeli war with Iran, outlined on Friday proposals to ease oil price pressures on consumers, such as working-from-home and avoiding air travel.
The U.S-Israel war with Iran has driven up energy prices, causing concerns over inflation across the world.
LONDON, March 19 (Reuters) - Leading European nations, Japan and Canada issued a joint statement on Thursday saying they were ready to join appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and would take steps to stabilise energy markets.
This is the full text of the statement from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada:
When an ancient bronze statue of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius landed back on Turkish soil after decades abroad, it was more than a symbolic homecoming.
It marked the latest victory in Turkey's increasingly assertive push to recover antiquities illegally taken abroad -- a campaign supported by a newly-developed AI tool for identifying cultural assets of Turkish origin.
The life-sized bronze, which dates back to the second- or third-century, was taken in the 1960s from the ancient city of Bubon near Turkey's southwestern Antalya resort.
SYDNEY, March 20 (Reuters) - Protesters heckled and booed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday during a visit to Australia's largest mosque for Eid al-Fitr prayers, voicing anger over his stance on ally Israel's offensive in Gaza.
Some in Australia's Muslim and Jewish communities are angry over a fine line walked by the centre-left government since the Gaza war began, expressing concern for Palestinians, repeatedly urging a ceasefire, and backing Israel's right to self-defence.
