By Mohammad Yunus Yawar

KABUL, June 25 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban government has ordered a nationwide ban on civil servants' smartphone use, a military court order showed, prompting warnings from rights activists that the move could further restrict access to information.

The court order seen by Reuters states that smartphone use by "all officials of the military and civilian institutions, including judges" will be prohibited from June 16.

Violators will have their cellphones smashed and face punishment under the law, the order said.

By Ali Hankir and Mohamed Azakir

BEIRUT, June 25 (Reuters) - A long-awaited ceasefire has brought relative calm to Lebanon, but it hasn't brought peace of mind to Hussein Merhi.

He is among tens of thousands who remain displaced because their homes were destroyed in Israeli strikes or their hometowns fall within a swathe of the south occupied by Israel's military — or, as in his case, both.

Tunisia's humiliating exit from the 2026 World Cup after two heavy losses against Sweden and Japan delt a blow to Eagles of Carthage fans, who say it laid bare years of dysfunction within the football federation.

The team, which had made history in 1978 by becoming the first African nation to win a World Cup match, had hoped for a better tournament this summer.

But with nine goals conceded in two games and French head coach Sabri Lamouchi sacked after the first -- a 5-1 defeat to Sweden -- many Tunisians were faced with a different reality.

By Tala Ramadan, David Morgan and Patricia Zengerle

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, June 25 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell to pre-war levels on Thursday as the United States said flows through the Strait of Hormuz were nearing normal and its top diplomat completed a Gulf tour aimed at shoring up support for a preliminary Iran deal.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Wednesday shipments through the strait were approaching levels seen before the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, with at least 20 million barrels exiting the strait in the previous 24 hours.

DUBAI, June 25 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Iran and Oman stressed the need for continued bilateral coordination on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz during a phone call on Thursday, Iranian state media reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and his Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi discussed recent regional developments, including maritime arrangements in the strait and temporary measures set for a 60-day period, a statement on Araqchi's Telegram account said.

Inside a Gaza City culinary academy that has been bombed and rebuilt twice during the war, students chop, whisk, and plate dishes with quiet determination, committed to mastering their craft despite the hardships that surround them.

At Smile Kitchen Culinary Academy, men and women receive training that brings a semblance of normal life in the otherwise devastated Palestinian territory, as well as valuable skills in an economy battered by years of war.

An attack on a ship Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz led the UN to suspend efforts to evacuate trapped mariners as the United States warned against Iran charging fees for passage through the vital waterway.

The New York Times and other US media reported that Iran struck a container ship in the strait, and the Iranian agency that claims to regulate traffic there issued a warning after the incident.

"Any passage through routes outside the framework designated by PGSA will not be covered by safe passage guarantees," Persian Gulf Strait Authority said on X.

BEIRUT, June 25 (Reuters) - Senior Israeli and Lebanese officials denied on Thursday that there had been any Israeli withdrawal from occupied southern Lebanon, after a U.S. official said Israel had pulled some of its troops back in a good faith gesture toward Lebanon's government.

Israel and Lebanon have been discussing a U.S.-backed proposal for Israeli forces to transfer some of the Lebanese territory invaded in their war with Hezbollah to Lebanon's military, in a possible step toward restoring Lebanese control of occupied territory.

By Ali Sawafta

SEBASTIA, West Bank, June 25 (Reuters) - An Israeli bill that would extend civil control over ancient sites in the West Bank has drawn criticism from Palestinians and Israeli rights groups who say it is tantamount to annexation of occupied land and would expand Jewish settlements.

The "Heritage Authority in Judea and Samaria" bill passed one of three votes by Israel's parliament in May, but it is unclear whether the final vote will be held before parliament disperses ahead of an election expected by October 27.

BAGHDAD, June 25 (Reuters) - Iraq will be compelled to consider all available options if its OPEC quota is not significantly increased, a senior Iraqi oil ministry official told Reuters on Thursday.

Separate sources told Reuters Iraqi officials had considered leaving OPEC, but the current plan was to remain a member and seek a higher quota.

The prospect of Iraq considering an exit from OPEC would be a further blow to the group after the departure of the United Arab Emirates this year. Iraq is one of five founding members and the group was formed in the Iraqi capital.