World Echo

Iran's state TV on Wednesday said Tehran had obtained a draft of an initial, unofficial framework for a memorandum of understanding with the United States on ending their conflict. Under the framework, Iran would restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month, while the US would withdraw military forces from Iran's vicinity and lift a naval blockade. State TV said the framework, which excludes military vessels and envisages Iran managing ship traffic through the strait in cooperation with Oman, was not yet finalised and that Tehran would take no steps without "tangible verification". It added that if a final agreement was reached within 60 days, it could be approved as a binding United Nations Security Council resolution. The emerging US-Iran MoU stems from indirect talks launched after the war that began in February, with Pakistan playing a central mediating role between Tehran and Washington. The war erup...

Muslim faithful took part in the climactic ritual of the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Wednesday, symbolically stoning the devil near Makkah. From dawn, crowds of pilgrims gathered in the valley of Mina, southeast of the holy city of Makkah, to throw pebbles at concrete pillars symbolising the devil. It reenacts Prophet Ibrahim's (AS) stoning of the devil at three places where Satan is said to have tried to dissuade him from obeying God's command to sacrifice his son, Prophet Ismail (AS). More than 1.7 million people are taking part in the Hajj this year. The pilgrimage is a requirement for all Muslims to perform at least once in their life if they have the means. Read: Pak pilgrims slam Hajj arrangements The most important festival in Islam has, for the third year in a row, been overshadowed by war — this time the United States-Israeli conflict with Iran that has drawn in the Gulf nations. A fragile ceasefire, in place since April 8, has mostly brought a halt to th...

Muslims around the world are celebrating Eidul Azha with prayers, animal sacrifice, and togetherness. The occasion commemorates the willingness and devotion of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) to sacrifice for the sake of Allah, teaching us lessons of obedience, patience, generosity, and faith. Across the world, Muslims gathered to observe the occasion, filling mosques and streets with activity. Eidul Azha brings the traditional sacrifice of animals such as goats, with those of the Muslim faith distributing the sacrificial meat among their loved ones, neighbours, and friends. People offer Eidul Azha prayers at the Railway Ground in Karachi, Pakistan, on May 27, 2026. Photo: Reuters A drone view shows Muslims offering mass prayers during Eidul Azha at the Great Mosque of Al Azhar in Jakarta, Indonesia, on May 27, 2026. Photo: Reuters Muslims gather to perform Eidul Azha prayer in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on May 27, 2026. Photo: Reuters A drone view shows Albanian Muslims a...

Indian officials investigating last year's deadly Air India crash are preparing an ​interim report rather than a final one ahead of the anniversary of the Boeing 787 accident that killed 260 people, said a person with direct knowledge ‌of the matter. The interim report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will be "more comprehensive" than the preliminary report put out last July and will examine possible primary causes and other contributing factors, the person said. The 15-page preliminary report into the aviation industry's deadliest disaster in a decade showed the Dreamliner's engine fuel switches flipped almost simultaneously and starved the engines of fuel shortly after the flight from Ahmedabad to London took off on ​June 12, 2025. A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots supported the view that the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines, according to US officials' ​early assessment rep...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called United States State Secretary Marco Rubio to advise him to evacuate US citizens and diplomats from Kyiv, as the Kremlin plans to continue heavy strikes on the Ukrainian capital, according to a statement published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday, Bloomberg reported. According to the report, citing the statement, the Russian foreign minister called his US counterpart at the request of President Vladimir Putin to tell him that Russia was launching systematic and consistent strikes against facilities in Kyiv as well as against the relevant “decision-making centres”. Bloomberg wrote that Russia had bombed Ukrainian cities regularly, Kyiv included, since 2022. However, it added that this Sunday, Ukraine came under a massive Russian drone and missile barrage that included an Oreshnik ballistic missile. 🇷🇺🇺🇸📞 On May 25, Russia's FM #Lavrov & US Secretary of State @SecRubio spoke over the phone Lavrov off...

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that securing a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory remains a national priority. “The path to a complete Israeli withdrawal remains a steadfast national demand, one that the Lebanese state is working to achieve through negotiations,” Aoun said in a statement carried by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA). The remarks came as Lebanon marked Resistance and Liberation Day, commemorating Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 after 22 years of occupation. Read: Israel pounds Lebanon despite truce Aoun said negotiations with Israel “will not be an act of concession or surrender,” but instead represent Lebanon’s effort to assert its sovereign right to protect its territory through the country’s military and security institutions. Beirut and Tel Aviv have held three rounds of direct talks mediated by the United States since mid-April in efforts to establis...