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Indian sailors fear returning to Gulf after Middle East war

Indian sailors shaken by war have finally cleared the Strait of Hormuz after being stranded there for months, but some fear they have little choice but to return to make a living.

The country is one of the largest contributors of sailors to merchant shipping, sending out hundreds of thousands of seafarers to work worldwide.

Thousands of Indian sailors have left the Gulf since the war began, including more than 3,600 aided by the South Asian nation's shipping ministry.

This aerial photograph shows boats anchored off Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula near the Strait of Hormuz on June 27, 2026

South Korea cargo ship Namu to exit Strait of Hormuz after attack in Gulf

SEOUL, July 1 (Reuters) - South Korea's Oceans Ministry said on Wednesday the cargo vessel Namu, operated by HMM, would exit the Strait of Hormuz in mid-July at the earliest once the damage sustained in an attack in May was repaired.

The bulk carrier's hull was hit near the stern in the attack, which Seoul said on May 27 probably involved an Iranian anti-ship missile, summoning the Iranian ambassador to share the results of its investigation and lodge a protest.

FILE PHOTO: The damaged stern of a bulk carrier operated by South Korean shipper HMM, after it was struck by two unidentified objects on May 4 while stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, in this handout picture released on May 10, 2026. South Korean Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

UN chief says UN agency for Palestinian refugees nearing 'breaking point'

By Andrea Shalal

June 30 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged countries to cover a $100 million gap in funding for the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, saying the body was nearing a breaking point after deep cost-cutting and austerity measures.

Guterres told an ad hoc meeting of the General Assembly on voluntary contributions that UNRWA's situation was increasingly precarious given sweeping restrictions throughout occupied Palestinian territory that impeded its work, and the large cash shortfall.

FILE PHOTO: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to delegates during a meeting on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., April 27, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

Rescuers in Venezuela pluck child alive from collapsed building six days after twin quakes

By Vivian Sequera

CARACAS, June 30 (Reuters) - Jordanian emergency workers in Venezuela, which was hit by devastating twin earthquakes last week, rescued a child early on Tuesday, the only reportedsurvivor on the sixth day of rescue efforts, according to Venezuelan authorities.

Klieber Moran was pulled from the Los Corales Garden 1 building in La Guaira state by rescuers from Jordan after spending six days trapped under the rubble, Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez said in a message via Telegram.

A Jordanian team works to rescue a child trapped under rubble following earthquakes in Venezuela, in a location given as Caracas, Venezuela, in this still image obtained from a handout video released on June 30, 2026. Two deadly back-to-back 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes occurred in Venezuela on June 24, 2026. Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS

Next NATO summit in Albania in doubt amid US reluctance and low defence spending

By Lili Bayer, Gram Slattery, Andrew Gray and Fatos Bytyci

BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON/TIRANA, June 30 (Reuters) - As NATO leaders prepare for a summit in Turkey next week, plans for an alliance summit in Albania next year have been thrown into doubt due to resistance from the Trump administration and dissatisfaction among NATO members with Tirana's low defence spending, a NATO diplomat, European official and three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

FILE PHOTO: National flags of NATO members flutter at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

Passengers delighted to ride UAE's first ever passenger train

It's 7:13 am on a sultry June morning and a passenger train pulls into the station in Abu Dhabi, oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates. An unremarkable scene in many cities but here, the first of its kind.

The UAE's inaugural passenger service, from sleepy Fujairah, carried enthusiastic travellers who watched Thursday's sun rise as they sped across the desert, relaxing on brand-new upholstery.

The first route links Fujairah on the UAE's east coast with the capital Abu Dhabi

Netanyahu visits occupied southern Lebanon, says Israel won't leave yet

TEL AVIV, June 30 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday visited Lebanese territory occupied by the Israeli military, telling soldiers that Israel would not withdraw from the country's south as long as Iran-backed Hezbollah continued to pose a threat.

It was the first visit by Netanyahu to occupied Lebanese territory since the Israeli and Lebanese governments reached a security agreement last Friday mediated by the United States under which Israel will hand over two areas to Lebanon's army.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a news conference, following a U.S.-Iran deal, in Jerusalem, June 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool

Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese head home as fighting eases, many still stranded

By Jana Choukeir

BEIRUT, June 30 (Reuters) - Some 400,000 Lebanese uprooted by war have returned to southern Lebanon, with more expected to follow in the coming week, a government minister said on Tuesday, encouraged by a lull in the four-month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Yet many remain unable to go back. Since March, around 1 million people have been forced to flee their homes, and large numbers are still in shelters or temporary housing because their homes are destroyed or uninhabitable, said Hanine El Sayed.

Women walk at a school that has been turned into a shelter for displaced families, following a deal between the United States and Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, June 16, 2026. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

UN says transport infrastructure must adapt to climate

Transport infrastructure across Europe, North America and central Asia must adapt to more adverse climate conditions, the United Nations said on Tuesday, warning that inaction could prove more costly than upgrades.

Roads, railways, waterways, ports and airports will face a greater likelihood of flooding, high temperatures, reduced snow, ice and permafrost, and sea level rise from 2050 to 2080, the UNECE regional agency said.

UNECE covers 56 countries across Europe, North America, the Caucasus and central Asia.

UNECE said early adaptation to climate risks could pay off in the long run