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After the quake came the blast: Inside Japan’s shopping mall disaster

Courtesy: Dawn News/Reuters/AFP

Video footage shows large sections of the ceiling collapsed, store fronts blown open and furniture strewn across the floor.

Workers in a mall in southern Japan described being thrown to the floor or enveloped in a cloud of dust by a massive 7.1-magnitude quake that rattled the building on Tuesday. They were the lucky ones. An hour later, the real disaster struck.

Hundreds of shoppers and store employees, quickly ushered by staff to evacuate, watched on in horror as an explosion ripped through the building, exposing the structure’s steel beams and catapulting debris across the parking lot.

First responders, initially fearful of entering the wreckage, hauled eight people from the partially collapsed site early on Wednesday, among them three dead. The status of four store workers remains unknown, mall operator Aeon said, adding that it was investigating a possible gas leak.

“I thought a bomb had gone off,” Takateru Sonoda, 41, who runs a combined hair salon and cafe near the mall, told news agency Jiji Press.

“There were people calling on others to evacuate and sirens were ringing out. Nearby roads were gridlocked, it was a state of panic,” Sonoda said.

Japanese soldiers work outside the damaged Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 29, 2026, after an earthquake struck southwestern Japan the previous day. — AFP

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday it was a “race against time” to rescue those still trapped in the mall and others affected by the quake. Around 170 soldiers have been deployed to help with rescue operations at the site.

Mall touted safety features

The mall, the biggest in the prefecture, had just reopened last month as a new and improved shopping and entertainment complex to commemorate its recovery from another deadly tremor a decade ago. After being badly damaged in the magnitude 7.3 Kumamoto earthquake in April 2016, the operator highlighted its seismically reinforced ceilings and overall improvements to safety and resilience as part of its redevelopment.

Still, one worker manning one of the mall’s 200 stores told the Yomiuri newspaper that Tuesday’s temblor shook the building for 10 seconds and brought him to his knees. Another 22-year-old employee at the mall’s cinema told the newspaper that the quake threw up a disorientating cloud of dust.

A general view shows damage to part of the Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 29, 2026, after an earthquake struck southwestern Japan the previous day. — AFP

Despite the chaos, staff promptly followed protocol to evacuate more than 200 shoppers and workers to a car park where many took shelter in their vehicles in sweltering summer heat, the workers said.

Some people, however, went back into the building prior to the explosion, Kyodo news agency reported, citing customers. Kazuya Tsurunaga was stunned by the blast while cleaning up dishes and glasses broken by the earlier earthquake inside a pub about 300 metres from the mall.

“A large cloud of smoke was billowing up, and because the wind happened to be blowing, and the wind direction was toward the shop, it was like volcanic ash was falling around us,” he told broadcaster TBS.

For the first few hours after the blast, police officers and firefighters could not enter the wreckage because of the risk of further building collapse amid a series of aftershocks, a police official said. By the end of Tuesday, more than 100 aftershocks had occurred in Kumamoto.

Gas warnings

Video footage shot by a police officer who braved the wreckage early on Wednesday showed large sections of the ceiling had collapsed, store fronts had been blown open and furniture was strewn across the floor. Some rescue workers reported smelling gas, Japan’s government spokesperson Minoru Kihara told a press conference on Wednesday.

Workers gather outside the damaged Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 29, 2026, after an earthquake struck southwestern Japan the previous day. — AFP

A TV correspondent reporting from the site said an emergency vehicle repeatedly urged people not to get near the mall due to a possible gas leak. Kihara said the mall used LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), which is transported in large canisters rather than via a pipeline.

Piped gas is automatically shut off by network operators if seismic activity reaches a certain threshold or damage is confirmed to the line, a spokesperson for the Japan Gas Association said.

But LPG also has such safety protocols, an official with the Japan LPG sales association said. Microcomputer-controlled metres automatically shut off supply if they detect abnormalities such as leaks or pressure fluctuations, and are designed to cut supply during seismic activity of intensity 5 or higher, the official said.

Gas suppliers and safety service providers can also remotely shut off supply via radio transmission in emergencies, he added.

Aeon declined to comment on its gas supplier or gas safety protocols.

“We would like to express our deepest condolences to those who lost their lives,” the firm said. “We also extend our sincere apologies to the bereaved families and to those who were injured.”

Header image: Journalists gather outside the damaged Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 29, 2026, after an earthquake struck southwestern Japan the previous day. — AFP

Courtesy: Dawn News/Reuters/AFP Video footage shows large sections of the ceiling collapsed, store fronts blown open and furniture strewn across the floor. Workers in a mall in southern Japan described being thrown to the floor or enveloped in a cloud of dust by a massive 7.1-magnitude quake that rattled the building on Tuesday. They were the lucky ones. An hour later, the real disaster struck. Hundreds of shoppers and store employees, quickly ushered by staff to evacuate, watched on in horror as an explosion ripped through the building, exposing the structure’s steel beams and catapulting debris across the parking lot. First responders, initially fearful of entering the wreckage, hauled eight people from the partially collapsed site early on Wednesday, among them three dead. The status of

Netanyahu visits White House for first Trump talks during Iran war

Courtesy: Dawn News/AFP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House on Tuesday for his first in-person talks with President Donald Trump since the Iran war began, as the leaders sought to patch over public disagreements on the conflict.

The meeting, which took place behind closed doors, was expected to be dominated by the war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February but has seen a recent pause in the fighting as Washington says it wants to give negotiations a chance.

Israel has not taken part in the latest round of hostilities between the United States and Iran, which flared earlier this month as an April ceasefire collapsed.

The talks — which the White House described as “positive and productive” — lasted for about an hour and a half.

Karoline Leavitt@PressSec

President Trump has concluded his meetings in the Oval Office with President Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Both meetings were positive and productive!

The meeting is the eighth between the leaders since Trump’s return to office in early 2025 and comes ahead of key electoral tests later this year for both Netanyahu and the US president: national elections in Israel and midterm polls in the United States.

“We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, first and foremost Iran. Naturally, our goal is to safeguard our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us,” Netanyahu said before departing from Israel.

Upon arriving in Washington, Netanyahu attended a private memorial dinner on Monday evening in honour of the late US senator Lindsey Graham, his office said. He was also scheduled to attend the memorial service for Graham later on Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets US President Donald Trump at the White House on July 28, 2026. — X/@FoxNews

Relations between Trump and Netanyahu reached a low point in April during negotiations on the ceasefire with Iran, with Trump unleashing profanity-laced tirades against his Israeli ally.

Trump later described Netanyahu in an interview as a “very difficult guy.” Netanyahu downplayed the exchanges as “tactical disagreements,” saying they were aligned on the goals of the war.

On Tuesday, the leaders were expected to discuss the implementation of a US-sponsored framework deal signed by Israel and Lebanon last month, whose on-the-ground application has been challenging.

The talks were also expected to touch on Gaza, as diplomatic efforts to kickstart the devastated Palestinian territory’s reconstruction are at a standstill.

Nearly three years after the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, and Israel continues to target people the military claims are militants regularly.

‘No break’ in ties
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said on Tuesday that Netanyahu’s visit comes at a “critical time for the Middle East,” with Iran continuing “to choose terrorism over negotiations” and blocking the key Strait of Hormuz waterway.

Yonatan Freeman, an international relations expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said the primary aim of the visit is to dispel reports of a cooling in ties between the allies.

“I think that the main issue … is to show the world, to show Iran, and also even Lebanon and others … that there is no break or any kind of major disagreement between the United States and Israel,” he told AFP. “There’s more in agreement between the two leaders than disagreement.”

For Freeman, any differences between Trump and Netanyahu concern the means — timeline, intensity, immediate objectives of operations — rather than the ends of the war.

He also suggested that Trump would mainly seek to focus on his two regional priorities, namely Iran and the expansion of the Abraham Accords, rather than on Gaza, which he sees as less of a priority.

The Abraham Accords are a series of US-brokered normalisation agreements signed during Trump’s first term, under which Israel established formal diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for the first time, followed by Morocco.

But other observers believe that the talks could address the possible easing of Israel’s military presence in the region, such as in Lebanon, Syria or Gaza.

1- Header image: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets US President Donald Trump at the White House on July 28, 2026. — X/@FoxNews

Courtesy: Dawn News/AFP Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House on Tuesday for his first in-person talks with President Donald Trump since the Iran war began, as the leaders sought to patch over public disagreements on the conflict. The meeting, which took place behind closed doors, was expected to be dominated by the war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February but has seen a recent pause in the fighting as Washington says it wants to give negotiations a chance. Israel has not taken part in the latest round of hostilities between the United States and Iran, which flared earlier this month as an April ceasefire collapsed. The talks — which the White House described as “positive and productive” — lasted for about

Pakistani passport ranks fourth weakest in world

Courtesy: Geo News/AFP

Pakistan’s passport ranks as the world’s fourth weakest, according to the latest Henley Passport Index, placing 101st globally with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 29 destinations.

The UK-based citizenship and residence advisory firm compares 199 different passports across 227 different travel destinations, and calculates the score based on the number of destinations that can be accessed without a prior visa, or with a visa on arrival.

The green passport remains ahead of only Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan on the Henley Passport Index.

Pakistan’s neighbouring countries China, India and Iran are ranked at 60, 81 and 96 on the global rankings, respectively.

This Ggraph shows Pakistan’s ranking on the Henley Passport Index over the years since 2006. —henleyglobal.com/ screengrab

According to the Henley Index, the Green passport holders have free visa access to Barbados, Cook

Islands, Dominica, Haiti, Micronesia, Montserrat, Rwanda, St Vincent and the Grenadines, The Gambia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu.

Visa-on-arrival is available for Burundi, Cambodia, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Maldives, Mozambique, Nepal, Niue, Palau Islands, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, and Tuvalu.

In addition to this, Pakistani citizens can also obtain electronic travel authorisations for Kenya, Seychelles and Sri Lanka.

It is pertinent to mention here that Singapore retains its position at the top of the list with a score of 192, followed by Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continuing to tie for second place at 188 and Sweden in third at 187.

Courtesy: Geo News/AFP Pakistan’s passport ranks as the world’s fourth weakest, according to the latest Henley Passport Index, placing 101st globally with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 29 destinations. The UK-based citizenship and residence advisory firm compares 199 different passports across 227 different travel destinations, and calculates the score based on the number of destinations that can be accessed without a prior visa, or with a visa on arrival. The green passport remains ahead of only Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan on the Henley Passport Index. Pakistan’s neighbouring countries China, India and Iran are ranked at 60, 81 and 96 on the global rankings, respectively. This Ggraph shows Pakistan’s ranking on the Henley Passport Index over the years since 2006. —henleyglobal.com/ screengrab According to the

FIFA World Cup heroes Spain return home ahead of victory parade

Courtesy: Dawn News/Reuters

Spain’s newly crowned FIFA World Cup champions on Monday arrived back in Madrid, where a million fans are expected to greet them after a night of raucous celebrations across the country.

Spain captain Rodri held the World Cup trophy aloft at the top of the stairs as he descended from the Iberia plane that flew the team home from the United States after clinching their second star.

Spain’s 1-0 victory over Argentina in New Jersey on Sunday, secured by a Ferran Torres strike in extra-time, has sparked an outpouring of national pride in the football-mad country, whose only other World Cup triumph came in 2010.

Many younger supporters were not yet born when Andres Iniesta’s extra-time goal against the Netherlands secured Spain’s first World Cup in South Africa 16 years ago.

On Monday morning, the Castellana, Madrid’s main avenue, bore the marks of a boozy evening — the tarmac strewn with trash, beer cans and shards of glass.

Among the last remaining supporters, some slept with grins on their faces on the pavement or on benches, while others were still staggering home as cleaning crews worked from the early hours to prepare the route for tonight’s party.

“I didn’t sleep much, because… (of) the celebration and then the tension of the match — I think it was a little more difficult for all of us to fall asleep,” Madrid mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida told RNE radio.

After landing, the players will be received by King Felipe VI at Zarzuela Palace, on the outskirts of Madrid, according to the mayor.

The team will then be met by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at the government headquarters, La Moncloa.

Spain’s World Cup winners will enjoy an open-top bus parade, starting at Moncloa and heading to Cibeles square, the central government’s representative in Madrid, Francisco Martin, told Spanish public television.

A ceremony involving the players will then be held at the square, the traditional gathering point for celebrations by the Spanish national team and its supporters.

Around one million people are expected to line the parade route, with additional security and transport measures planned to handle the crowds, Martin said.

Some supporters, who already had only a short night’s sleep, are planning to celebrate again, like Bruno Gonzalez del Yerro, a 32-year-old financier.

“We’ll have to celebrate it one way or another, given that it only happens every four years and that Spain hadn’t won it for about [16] years now — it definitely deserves a party,” he said.

Spain’s women’s side won the World Cup in 2023, meaning for the first time a country has both trophies at the same time.

In 2030, Spain will defend their crown on home soil, as one of the World Cup hosts along with Portugal and Morocco.

Spain’s World Cup celebrations were not just heard across the country – they were felt underground.

Spanish World Cup celebrations detected by seismic sensors

Seismometers dotted around Spain detected vibrations caused by fans erupting in joy after Ferran Torres’ goal in Sunday’s final secured the national team’s second World Cup title, scientists said on Monday.

Researchers from the Geosciences Barcelona centre analysed data from the National Geographic Institute (IGN) and the Catalan Geological and Cartographic Institute (ICGC), which showed unusual signals linked to the celebrations in cities including Algeciras, Barcelona, Cadiz and Granada, they said in a statement.

The sensors picked up three clear bursts of activity during the match: after Torres’ goal, a later strike that was ruled out by VAR and the strongest vibration recorded after the final whistle.

Scientists said the movements were an example of “induced seismicity” caused by human activity — in this case, thousands of fans jumping, shouting and celebrating at once.

Sensors detected comparable vibrations during Spain’s Euro 2024 final victory over England, when goals by Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal triggered measurable ground movements in Madrid and Barcelona.

‘All-time’ kings

The Spanish press was running out of superlatives to describe its heroes after they overcame favourites France in the semi-finals before downing Argentina.

“The kings of all-time!” wrote Marca, celebrating a “second star that will now be stitched onto the Spanish jersey after yet another masterclass in collective play”.

On a tragic note, a 13-year-old boy was killed around midnight in the town of Ciudad Rodrigo in the west, after a fountain crumbled under the weight of supporters who had climbed onto it to celebrate.

In Buenos Aires, the initial silence after defeat was striking, and then the tears came once the reality sank in, their hopes of a fourth World Cup were dashed, but hundreds of thousands of people are expected to greet the team on their return at 5pm local time (1am PKT Tuesday).

After more than five weeks of competition with the expanded format and 48 teams, only Spain and Argentina were left standing by the 104th and final match.

The 2022 champions, despite the presence of all-time great Lionel Messi, failed to create clear chances against Spain’s well-organised and more positive side.

Enzo Fernandez’s red card left Argentina with their backs pinned to the wall and Barcelona forward Torres slammed home after fellow substitute Nico Williams teed him up.

“It’s not my goal, it’s the goal of 47 million people,” said Spain’s match-winner.

Messi had a sensational World Cup but drifted through the final like a ghost, shedding tears at the end. In Madrid, tears will also flow on Monday night, but tears of joy.

1- Header image:

Courtesy: Dawn News/Reuters Spain’s newly crowned FIFA World Cup champions on Monday arrived back in Madrid, where a million fans are expected to greet them after a night of raucous celebrations across the country. Spain captain Rodri held the World Cup trophy aloft at the top of the stairs as he descended from the Iberia plane that flew the team home from the United States after clinching their second star. Spain’s 1-0 victory over Argentina in New Jersey on Sunday, secured by a Ferran Torres strike in extra-time, has sparked an outpouring of national pride in the football-mad country, whose only other World Cup triumph came in 2010. Many younger supporters were not yet born when Andres Iniesta’s extra-time goal against the Netherlands secured Spain’s first World Cup

Andy Burnham becomes UK prime minister after meeting King Charles

Courtesy: Geo News/AFP/Reuters

New UK prime minister vows to put forward ’10-year plan’ for Britain later this year

Burnham becomes prime minister after Starmer steps down.
Former Manchester mayor pledges new model of government.
Andy Burnham’s team want to move fast with policy agenda.

Britain’s King Charles III on Monday appointed Andy Burnham as prime minister after outgoing Keir Starmer officially tendered his resignation, the palace said.

“Andrew Burnham MP accepted The King’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement, adding the king had asked him to form the next government.

The Royal Family@RoyalFamily

His Majesty received in Audience the Rt. Hon. Andrew Burnham MP and requested him to form a new Administration. The Rt. Hon Andrew Burnham MP accepted The King’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.

Burnham vowed to put forward a 10-year plan for Britain, saying the country needed to make politics work.

“Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again,” Burnham said just after being appointed by King Charles III to take over from Keir Starmer. He pledged to “issue my first instruction to end rough sleeping in our country” once he starts work.

Promising Britons “some breathing space now”, he said the government would set out some measures to tackle the high cost-of-living, and how it plans to fund them.

Further out, he said: “We will help more young people into work by changing the education system and giving them more support, more mental health support, and we will build more council homes.

“That is the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down, to meet our fiscal rules, and to honour our commitments on defence to our international partners.”

Labour party backs Burnham to push back surging reform UK

On Friday, Burnham described his election to become Labour leader as “the most significant change moment in our politics for 40 years”.

He promised to radically change the political system to help a country hungry for change become one where “life is more affordable and all people and places are lifted from where they are now”.

Labour lawmakers see him as one of the few politicians capable of tackling the threat from veteran Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK — something they doubted the unpopular Starmer could do.

Burnham’s first challenge will be the choice of his cabinet team and especially his finance minister. Friction in this axis of government has brought down previous administrations.

An early frontrunner for the position, energy security and net zero minister Ed Miliband, has been the object of some hostile briefing and interior minister Shabana Mahmood now appears favourite for the job.

On Sunday, Burnham scrapped plans for all employees to be required to hold a digital identity document, a scheme designed to tackle illegal migration but deemed a “fiasco” by a cross-party committee of lawmakers.

More attention will be paid to decisions on taxation and spending, oil and gas, and underperforming utility companies, where Burnham wants stronger public control.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday felicitated Andy Burnham on assuming office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Shehbaz Sharif @CMShehbaz

Heartiest congratulations to @andyburnham on assuming office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I wish Prime Minister Andy Burnham every success in his tenure and look forward to working closely with him to further strengthen the historic and deep-rooted bonds of friendship and cooperation between Pakistan and the UK. These special ties are anchored by millions of proud and vibrant British Pakistanis who serve as a living bridge between our two countries. Together, we will strive to elevate Pakistan–UK relations, in particular, our bilateral trade and investment partnership, to new heights.

In a message on his official X, the prime minister wished Prime Minister Burnham every success in his tenure and looked forward to working closely with him to further strengthen the historic and deep-rooted bonds of friendship and cooperation between Pakistan and the UK.

1- Header image: King Charles welcomes Andy Burnham during an audience at Buckingham Palace, London, where he invited the leader of the Labour Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government. — Reuters

Courtesy: Geo News/AFP/Reuters New UK prime minister vows to put forward ’10-year plan’ for Britain later this year Burnham becomes prime minister after Starmer steps down. Former Manchester mayor pledges new model of government. Andy Burnham’s team want to move fast with policy agenda. Britain’s King Charles III on Monday appointed Andy Burnham as prime minister after outgoing Keir Starmer officially tendered his resignation, the palace said. “Andrew Burnham MP accepted The King’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement, adding the king had asked him to form the next government. The Royal Family@RoyalFamily His Majesty received in Audience the Rt. Hon. Andrew Burnham MP and requested him to form a new Administration. The Rt.

Anniqa Meraj set for Pakistan’s historic Miss World debut

Courtesy: Geo News

24-year-old will represent Pakistan at the Miss World Festival in Vietnam this year

Anniqa Meraj has been crowned Miss World Pakistan 2026 and will represent the country at the 75th Anniversary Edition of the Miss World Festival in Vietnam, marking Pakistan’s debut at the pageant.

The festival is scheduled to be held from August 9 to September 5, according to a post shared by Miss World on Instagram.

Anniqa, 24, has been described as a Business and Economics graduate with academic focus in accounting and auditing.

Sharing her ambitions, Anniqa said: “My future ambition is to achieve my dream of becoming a State-Authorised Public Accountant. And actively advocating for children’s rights and girls’ education to help build a brighter future for Pakistan.”

The crowning ceremony took place at Lahore’s Faletti’s Hotel, where Anniqa was crowned by Dr Shafaq Akhtar, Miss Pakistan Universal 2022, and Attaullah Gujjar, Mr Pakistan World.

Miss Pakistan World described her as a pageant veteran, saying she has participated in six international competitions and brought home four winning titles.

While this will be Pakistan’s first appearance at Miss World, the country has had recent representation at other international pageants, including Miss Universe, where Erica Robin and Roma Riaz have represented Pakistan.

Anniqa’s participation in Vietnam is being presented by organisers as a historic milestone for Pakistan on the Miss World stage.

1- Header image: Miss World Pakistan 2026 Anniqa Meraj can be seen in this undated image. — www.missworld.com

Courtesy: Geo News 24-year-old will represent Pakistan at the Miss World Festival in Vietnam this year Anniqa Meraj has been crowned Miss World Pakistan 2026 and will represent the country at the 75th Anniversary Edition of the Miss World Festival in Vietnam, marking Pakistan’s debut at the pageant. The festival is scheduled to be held from August 9 to September 5, according to a post shared by Miss World on Instagram. Anniqa, 24, has been described as a Business and Economics graduate with academic focus in accounting and auditing. Sharing her ambitions, Anniqa said: “My future ambition is to achieve my dream of becoming a State-Authorised Public Accountant. And actively advocating for children’s rights and girls’ education to help build a brighter future for

Trump says Iran ceasefire over, vows to ‘hit ’em hard’

Courtesy: Dawn News/Reuters/AFP

President Donald Trump said the United States would hit Iran “hard” on Wednesday as he deemed their ceasefire over after fighting flared, but he left the door open to more talks.

Efforts to end the Middle East war have taken a hit following the fighting sparked by Iranian attacks on ships in the vital Strait of Hormuz.

The strategic shipping route remains a flashpoint in the conflict, which began in late February with massive US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Tehran insists on controlling the waterway, saying it will charge fees for passage and threatening to hit vessels that deviate from its authorised route.

Its military struck at least three ships in recent days, prompting extensive US strikes against Iranian targets on Tuesday followed by retaliatory attacks from Iran on Gulf countries.

“We’re gonna hit ’em hard tonight,” Trump said at a Nato summit in Ankara in reference to Iran, adding: “They violate the agreement every day.”

When asked if the truce was intact, he had said earlier on Wednesday that “as far as I’m concerned, it’s over”.

Smoke rises at an unknown location following what the U.S. Central Command says is a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday after three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, in this still image taken from video released July 7, 2026. — Reuters VERIFICATION: – Location and date could not be verified. – No earlier version of the video found posted online before.

“It’s just a waste of time dealing with them,” he added. “I’ll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don’t see it. I don’t like these people.”

Oil prices jumped eight per cent after Trump said the ceasefire was over, having already reached their highest level in two weeks.

Both the US and Iran said they had hit dozens of targets, placing fresh strain on their interim deal to end the war.

Iranian state media reported a wave of explosions around the strait, including six on the island of Qeshm, seven in the city of Sirik and more in the major port city of Bandar Abbas.

It later reported a series of blasts in the coastal city of Bushehr, which hosts the country’s only civilian nuclear power plant and lies near Kharg Island, the main oil terminal through which 90pc of Iran’s crude exports transit.

State media said a member of the military’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) had been killed, while the foreign ministry said monitoring and observation sites had been hit on the southern coast.

‘Anxious’

US Central Command (Centcom) said its forces had struck more than 80 targets, including Iranian air-defence systems, coastal radar sites and 60 IRGC small boats.

The strikes aimed “to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor”, it said.

Mark Rutte, secretary general of Nato, said at the summit in Ankara that the American strikes were “absolutely necessary”.

Tehran’s reply came quickly, with the Guards saying they hit dozens of US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, where an AFP journalist heard blasts.

Kuwait said it intercepted two ballistic missiles and 13 drones, while the Iranian army said it had also attacked US forces at Sheikh Isa air base in Bahrain.

Kuwait News Agency@kuna_en

Statistics on the number of ballistic missiles and UAVs intercepted and destroyed by #Kuwait‘s air defenses in the past 24 hours.

Nawal Saad, a Bahraini civil servant, lamented that “the spectre of war is looming once more”, saying “I do not want to go through that experience of fear and anxiety again”.

Hamad Althunayyan, an assistant professor at Kuwait University, said Tehran views Bahrain and Kuwait “as the most accessible and lower cost pressure points in the Gulf”.

Oman, which sits on the other side of Hormuz from Iran, condemned the targeting of Bahrain and Kuwait as well as the strikes on ships, but without blaming Iran.

The former mediator has not blamed Iran for attacks throughout the war in an effort to maintain its neutrality, which is being tested by talks with Tehran over the administration of Hormuz.

Washington wants free passage for ships, while Iran is insisting on fees and has refused to allow vessels to pass through Omani waters.

All three vessels recently struck were sailing close to Oman, which had proposed a temporary transit corridor hugging its coastline.

‘Hyperbolic rhetoric’

Maritime traffic had tentatively resumed after Washington and Tehran signed the deal last month.

But almost 6,000 seafarers “remain stranded” in the area, International Maritime Organisation chief Arsenio Dominguez said Wednesday.

An analyst told AFP the cost of returning to full-blown war would be too high for both sides.

“I think Trump’s rhetoric is, as usual, hyperbolic, and doesn’t necessarily mean that the MoU has collapsed”, said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group.

“Both sides are trying to negotiate the fine print of the MoU through the use of force because the MoU left a lot of issues either unresolved or ambiguous,” he added.

“When Iran tries to enforce its control over the strait, it doesn’t matter who violates it. They believe this is the most important achievement that they have had in this war. They’ve shed blood for it. And they’re not going to give it away. “

Courtesy: Dawn News/Reuters/AFP President Donald Trump said the United States would hit Iran “hard” on Wednesday as he deemed their ceasefire over after fighting flared, but he left the door open to more talks. Efforts to end the Middle East war have taken a hit following the fighting sparked by Iranian attacks on ships in the vital Strait of Hormuz. The strategic shipping route remains a flashpoint in the conflict, which began in late February with massive US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Tehran insists on controlling the waterway, saying it will charge fees for passage and threatening to hit vessels that deviate from its authorised route. Its military struck at least three ships in recent days, prompting extensive US strikes against Iranian targets on Tuesday followed by retaliatory attacks

Italy’s Meloni says no regrets over trying to woo Trump

Courtesy: Geo News/Reuters

“No, I absolutely don’t regret anything I’ve done,” says Meloni at the end of Nato summit in Ankara

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday she did not regret her efforts to forge close ties with US President Donald Trump, despite a series of public disagreements that have strained relations between the erstwhile friends.

Meloni was once seen as one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe, but in recent months she has become the target of attacks from the White House leader in media interviews and social media posts.

“No, I absolutely don’t regret anything I’ve done,” Meloni said in Ankara, at the end of a Nato summit also attended by Trump, when asked whether she had second thoughts about the political capital she had invested in the US president.

Trump’s first public criticism of Meloni came in April, after she rebuked him for attacking Pope Leo over the pontiff’s condemnation of the Iran war.

In March, Italy denied permission for US military aircraft bound for the Middle East to land at the Sigonella air base in Sicily.

The Italian leader, who was the only European head of government to attend Trump’s inauguration last year, declined to respond to Sunday’s social media post by Trump showing her looking up at him with the caption: “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED”.

“I made that political investment because I believe in the unity of the West. It’s not a strategy I adopted with Trump’s arrival, but one I have pursued with all my counterparts,” she said.

Meloni acknowledged that “things are going the way we have seen” between her and Trump, but stressed that they still shared common ground on issues including immigration and opposition to what she described as “woke culture”.

At the Nato summit, Trump struck a more conciliatory tone, describing Meloni as “a nice person”, while renewing criticism of her for not doing more to support his military attacks on Iran, which are expected to resume.

1- Header image: US President Donald Trump and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attend a NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. — Reuters

Courtesy: Geo News/Reuters “No, I absolutely don’t regret anything I’ve done,” says Meloni at the end of Nato summit in Ankara Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday she did not regret her efforts to forge close ties with US President Donald Trump, despite a series of public disagreements that have strained relations between the erstwhile friends. Meloni was once seen as one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe, but in recent months she has become the target of attacks from the White House leader in media interviews and social media posts. “No, I absolutely don’t regret anything I’ve done,” Meloni said in Ankara, at the end of a Nato summit also attended by Trump, when asked whether she had second thoughts about

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