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An Israeli minister has boasted his country is the only one that "has been killing Iranians" in comments that come in the backdrop of rising tensions between Western powers and Iran in the Gulf. "Israel is the only country in the world that has been killing Iranians for two years," Israel's Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi said on Sunday in an interview with the Israeli radio station Kan Bet. "We strike the Iranians hundreds of times in Syria. Sometimes we acknowledge it and sometimes foreign reports reveal it," he said. The minister was referring to hundreds of Israeli attacks in neighbouring Syria against what it says are Iranian and Hezbollah military targets. Hanegbi accused Iran,

PANAMA CITY: Panama's maritime authority said on Saturday it had begun the process of withdrawing the registration of an oil tanker called MT Riah, which was towed to Iran after it disappeared from ship tracking maps in the Strait of Hormuz on July 14. Panama began the flag withdrawal process on Friday after an investigation determined the tanker had “deliberately violated international regulations” by not reporting any unusual situation, the authority said in a statement. “We roundly condemn the use of Panamanian flagged ships for illicit activities,” the authority said in a statement. Panama, which has the largest shipping fleet in the world, has recently withdrawn flags from dozens of vessels,

Priyanka Chopra celebrated her 37th birthday by enjoying a luxurious trip to Miami with Nick Jonas. The Hollywood star - who married Nick, 26, last year - was joined by her husband, mother Madhu Chopra and a group of friends as she toasted her birthday on board a yacht. An eyewitness told E! News: "They had a great time going for a sunset sail and being out on the water. "They sat on the deck having drinks and socialising. Priyanka was next to Nick the entire time and they sat close together on one side of the table. "At one point, Priyanka went for a swim in the ocean and took a ride on a wave runner. She was fearless, going very fast and doing quick turns and jumps. She looked happy. "When

LONDON: The Iranian coast guard forced an Algerian tanker to head into Iranian waters on Friday before a confrontation ended, the Algerian state oil and gas company Sonatrach said.  Algeria's state-run news agency APS, quoting Sonatrach, said Saturday the empty tanker "MESDAR" was forced into Iranian waters Friday night as it moved through the Strait of Hormuz. An emergency hotline between Algeria's energy and foreign ministries was quickly put into place and the incident concluded an hour and 15 minutes later. APS quoted Sonatrach as saying that "no human or material incident was registered." It said that the tanker was heading to Tanura in Saudi Arabia to onload oil for the Chinese company

British Airways and Lufthansa have suspended flights to Egypt's capital, Cairo, over unspecified security concerns, giving no details about what may have prompted the move. "We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment," British Airways said in a statement on Saturday. When asked for more details about why flights had been suspended and what security arrangements the airline was reviewing, a spokeswoman responded: "We never discuss matters of security." Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Lufthansa, which operates flights to Cairo from Munich and Frankfurt, said:

Aspen, Colorado - The United States is concerned that a "miscalculation" by Iran could cause an "unintended conflict" in the Gulf, as it prepares to launch a new surveillance and intelligence initiative with its allies to ensure "free and open passage" for ships. "We are starting a concept called Sentinel in which we will have a series of countries engaged to preserve the free and open passage of commerce in the Strait of Hormuz and in the Persian Gulf," US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood said at the Aspen Security Forum on Saturday. The US has had discussions with NATO allies, some "partners in the Gulf" and others to join the effort to keep the "vital waterway" open, said Rood,