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The US and Iran have been exchanging waves of strikes, as a dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz threatens to derail efforts to end their war.BBC correspondent Barbara Plett Usher, reporting from Jerusalem, examines the latest tensions over the key international shipping channel.Over the weekend, Iran announced that the strait was closed, while the US insisted it was not controlled by Iran and that traffic was flowing.The escalation has cast doubt over the preliminary agreement that the US and Iran signed in June to end their four-month conflict and reopen the strait.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 14: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain poses with the Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy following victory against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the Gentlemen’s Singles Final during day fourteen of The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe tennis world could be getting one of its biggest stars back sooner than later.Carlos Alcaraz’s injured wrist is “completely healed,” according to a report from La Verdad.Alcaraz is reportedly targeting a return at the Cincinnati Open (Aug. 13-23), the major hardcourt warm-up to the…

OpenAI’s first foray into hardware devices is reported to be a mobile smart speaker with integrated AI capabilities that can sync with ChatGPT and provide other home AI services. Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the device — which is still currently under development — is designed to be screen-free and is being pitched internally as a “humanlike AI companion that lives in the home.” OpenAI has long claimed that it wants to launch a hardware product — with some rumors being that it wants to launch its own phone, a move that would put it in competition with Apple. OpenAI’s newly…

Recently the SNP MSP Jack Middleton – who represents Aberdeen Central – called for both Rosebank and Jackdaw to go ahead, saying “we should be decreasing our reliance on countries in the middle east and from friends of Vladimir Putin”.He’s a former advisor to John Swinney, and though the Scottish government won’t take a firm stance on any drilling decision, they seem to be entirely relaxed about SNP politicians making interventions like this.Even for the Conservatives, who have always been fairly sympathetic to oil and gas exploration, the rhetoric has been dialled up.Kemi Badenoch has promised to “get Britain drilling”,…

Spain are into the 2026 World Cup final after goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro see them convincingly beat France 2-0 in their semi-final in Dallas.

Yoruba actor Oluwole “Baraka” Cole has reaffirmed his commitment to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term, despite revealing that he did not receive payment for his campaign efforts during the 2023 election. Baraka disclosed during a recent interview with African A-List that politics remains deeply rooted in his community and that his support for the President remains unwavering. His remarks followed expressions of regret from some of his colleagues regarding their decision to campaign for Mr Tinubu ahead of the 2023 general election, citing the failure to receive the expected financial rewards and recognition. PREMIUM TIMES previously…

Gallup poll shows steady drop in Americans’ trust in college across the past decade Concerns about academic rigor and political indoctrination have led to a continued decline in Americans’ confidence in higher education, according to a new Gallup poll. Published Tuesday, the poll shows a steady decline in public trust over the past decade, with those expressing a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education slipping from 57% in 2015 to 38% today. Additionally, “37% of Americans say they have ‘some’ confidence in higher education, while 25% have ‘very little’ or ‘none,’” the poll found. “The…

Wale Igbintade Former President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA), Mrs. Boma Alabi, SAN, has criticised the practice of regional forums endorsing candidates for the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) presidency, describing it as an outdated and divisive tradition that no longer reflects the democratic aspirations of the legal profession. Alabi, who is also the immediate past Chairman of the NBA Section on Legal Practice (NBA-SLP), made the remarks during an interview on key issues surrounding the forthcoming NBA presidential election. She called for open competition, universal suffrage and greater transparency in the electoral process. According to her, while regional endorsements…

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Federal Government has launched the Reform Tracker, Knowledge Repository, and the National Strategy for Public Service Reforms (NSPSR) Dashboard in a move to foster transparency, accountability, performance monitoring and knowledge management across the public service, The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, Tuesday in Abuja, launched the three strategic digital reform applications initiated by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR).Akume, who was represented by his Senior Technical Adviser (STA) Prof. Babatunde Bolaji Bernard, described the three platforms as an integrated digital ecosystem that would fundamentally transform how government reforms are…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Anyone who doubts that technology can give elderly companies a second crack at youth should look at Bank of America. The lender’s revenue increased 15 per cent in the latest quarter, year on year — the same rate analysts expect Microsoft to report to the market later this month. In fees and trading income alone BofA grew 22 per cent, faster than Google.That’s no coincidence. The big banks reporting on Tuesday, which also include JPMorgan, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, are riding high…