Latest News
Iran says it attacked US Navy ships after they targeted Iranian tanker
The Iranian military has said it retaliated against United States Navy ships after US forces targeted an oil tanker in Iran’s territorial waters, a major escalation that puts further strain on the fragile truce between Washington and Tehran.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters added on Thursday that the US also violated the ceasefire by carrying out air strikes on civilian areas, including Qeshm Island, “in cooperation with some regional countries”, without identifying them.
“The American aggressor, terrorist and bandit army, violating the ceasefire, targeted an Iranian oil tanker,” the statement said.
The statement also claimed that the Iranian response caused “significant damage” to US ships.
“The criminal and aggressor America and its supporting countries should know that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as powerfully as in the past, will give a crushing response to any aggression without the slightest hesitation,” the Iranian military said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said Iranian forces used “various types of ballistic and antiship cruise missiles and destructive drones with high-explosive warheads” in response to the US violations of the truce.
But the Central Command (CENTCOM) of the US military said it “intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks” and responded with “self-defence strikes”.
“No US assets were struck,” it said.
CENTCOM added that it “does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces”.
The clashes represent the first military Iranian response to the US blockade of the country’s ports. Over the past weeks, the US military has seized several Iranian vessels and ordered dozens more to turn around.
The naval siege has been the spearhead of Trump’s pressure campaign against Iran since the ceasefire came into effect last month.
Several Iranian state-affiliated news outlets reported that blasts were heard at the ports of Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas and the southern coastal city of Minab.
Iran’s semiofficial news agency Tasnim also cited a senior source as saying that three US Navy destroyers came under Iranian fire and fled towards the Gulf of Oman.
The skirmishes come amid reports that Washington and Tehran are in advanced talks to end the war.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump ordered an operation to break Iran’s blockade on Hormuz, leading to heightened tensions that pushed the ceasefire to the brink.
On Monday, the US said it shot down seven small Iranian drones, and Iran renewed its drone and missile attacks against the United Arab Emirates.
[Aljazeera]
Latest News
Landslide Early Warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Matale and Ratnapura
The Hational Building Research Institute (NBRI) has issued landslide early warnings to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Matale and Ratnapura valid from 2200 hrs on 03rd October upto 2200 hrs on 04th October 2026.
Accordingly,
LEVEL II (AMBER) landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Udu Dumbara and Minipe 8n the Kandy district, Dehiowita in the Kegalle district, and Ambanganga Korale and Matale in the Matale district.
LEVEL I (YELLOW) landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Rambukkana in the Kegalle district, Rattota in the Matale district, and Eheliyagoda in the Ratnapura district.
The head of Turkiye’s football refereeing body and four other officials have been placed in pretrial detention by a court as part of a corruption investigation, the state news agency Anadolu reports.
Ferhat Gundogdu, head of the Central Referees Committee, and six others appeared before a judge over allegations of manipulation of the referee administration process, Anadolu said on Saturday.
They appeared on Friday before a judge at Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse on several charges, including forgery of official documents, breach of trust and illegal acquisition of personal data, the report said.
The judge remanded five people in custody and granted the other two conditional release, Anadolu said.
It was the latest scandal to shake football in Turkiye, coming exactly a year after the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended 149 referees on charges of illegal betting.
On Thursday night, police from the illegal betting and sports crime unit also detained Yasin Kol, a referee from Turkiye’s top-flight Super Lig, as well as an assistant referee, media reports said.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said prosecutors are examining claims about “interference in the processes of referee classification, assignments, scoring and appointments as well as the exams on rules”.
During raids on Tuesday, police searched the VAR room at TFF’s headquarters in Istanbul. Observers said the investigation was likely linked to last year’s betting scandal and would have implications for the federation.
“It does seem to be a continuation of 2025, and it looks like it will continue further,” sports journalist Ayhan Sensoy told the AFP news agency.
Sensoy, who wrote a 2024 book on the issue called The Gambling Pit, said it was unlikely that federation bosses “have any chance of staying in office”.
So far, the TFF has not directly addressed the arrests as its top officials are due to fly home on Saturday after attending Friday night’s Belgium-Turkiye UEFA Nations League clash in Liege, which Turkiye lost 3-0.
[Aljazeera]
A car has crashed into a crowd of rugby league supporters in the eastern Australian city of Newcastle, injuring 10 people, including three children.
New South Wales police said on Saturday that two of the injured – a five-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man – were in a critical condition and the other eight were in stable condition in hospital.
Police said they had arrested the 18-year-old man driving the vehicle and were investigating what happened. They said the crash was not believed to be related to “terrorism”.
The crowd had gathered to farewell the local rugby league side, the Newcastle Knights, ahead of their grand final against the Sydney Roosters on Sunday.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Gavin Morris said the driver, a rugby league fan, had lost control of his vehicle and had been taken into custody.
“He was revving the car, he was excited, he was a supporter, he was there for the joy of the moment,” Morris told the national broadcaster ABC.
“Somehow he lost control of the car … and he’s gone into the crowd,” he added.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “My thoughts are with everyone injured or involved in the horrible incident this morning in Newcastle.”
“Rugby league brings people together, and this should have been a weekend of excitement and pride for Newcastle fans,” he wrote in a social media post.
[Aljazeera]
Landslide Early Warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Matale and Ratnapura
No handshakes and a delayed ceremony as India beat Pakistan at Asian Games
Showers or thundershowers will occur in most parts of the island after 1.00 p.m
Lanka enters new phase of prosecutions as hurdles clear
Police warn: Court evaders face property seizure
Nearly 20 Iranian tankers stranded off Lanka amid US sanctions
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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