Emirati airlines resumed some flights to global cities from the war-hit Gulf yesterday, but a Lufthansa jet that was headed to the region diverted over safety fears and an Air France repatriation flight was forced to turn back due to missile fire.

US military investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls’ school that killed scores of children on Saturday but have not yet reached a final conclusion or completed their investigation, two US officials told Reuters.

Iran has spent decades and billions of dollars preparing foreign proxy fighters like A J, a commander in a pro-Iranian paramilitary group in Iraq, for a moment just like this. Since the US and Israel went to war on the Islamic Republic a week ago, A J has been awaiting marching orders from Tehran.

The United States is not in a position to provide enough missiles to the Gulf states and Ukraine to defend themselves, EU defence and space commissioner Andrius Kubilius said yesterday.

The US-Israeli war on Iran is estimated to have cost Washington $3.7bn so far in its first 100 hours alone, or nearly $900m a day, driven largely by the huge expenditure of munitions, according to new research.

Scientists working to cultivate the field of extraterrestrial agriculture have grown chickpeas in dirt made mostly of simulated lunar soil, a step toward enabling astronauts on long-term moon missions to produce their own food.

President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that he would turn to an unspecified project for Cuba, the Caribbean island already facing a US energy blockade, after the war against Iran.

Israel and the United States yesterday stepped up their attacks against Iran and its allies in the sprawling Middle East war, as US President Donald Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” to end the crisis.

The United Nations rights chief yesterday called for cool heads to prevail in the Middle East and urged the warring sides to pull back and “give peace a chance”.

Vessel targeted near borders of Kuwait in Gulf

Shah's rise challenges Nepal's traditional political elite

Trends showed Oli's Communist Party of Nepal was leading in 10 seats and he was losing to Shah in his home constituency

Rapper-turned-mayor Balednra Shah ahead, early trends show

DOJ accused Asif Merchant of trying to recruit people in US

It will be a 'waste of time', he tells NBC

US and Israel pounded Iran and Lebanon yesterday as President Donald Trump encouraged Kurdish opposition groups to go on the offensive against Tehran, potentially opening a dangerous new front in the widening war that may draw in more countries.

Turkey’s defence ministry yesterday said it was “closely” following the actions of Kurdish militant groups over concerns they are being drawn into the war, reportedly by US-led efforts to destabilise Iran.

The United States and Canada detected two Russian military aircraft near the US state of Alaska on Wednesday, the joint US-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said.

China has expressed its anger over Israeli-US strikes on Iran but, despite hits to its oil imports, will not risk its interests by confronting Washington and helping its long-standing partner, analysts say.

Ukraine said yesterday that a Russian drone strike hit a civilian cargo ship in the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk late on Wednesday, wounding several crew members.