Ships in the Gulf have received a warning from Iran's navy that any vessels seeking to cross the Strait of Hormuz without permission "will be targeted and destroyed", the shipping brokerage firm SSY has confirmed to BBC Verify.
A two-week ceasefire was agreed on Tuesday evening on the condition that "safe passage" through the narrow waterway is guaranteed - but only a few vessels have since crossed.
The strait has become a focal point of the US-Israel war with Iran after Tehran effectively choked off
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he wants to create Europe's strongest conventional army
Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius says men of military age in Germany do not need to report lengthy stays abroad.
His statement comes after a controversy broke out over the possible consequences of a new law which re-introduced military service in Germany.
The Military Service Modernisation Act, which came into force on 1 January, aims to boost defences following threats from Russia in the aftermath of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine
Very few people have ever been prosecuted over attacks that have mainly taken place in northern Nigeria
Nigeria has begun the prosecution of more than 500 people accused of involvement in militant attacks in one of the country's largest ever terrorism trials.
The suspects face charges linked to aiding and abetting terrorism, particularly in the north-east where an insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamist group began 17 years ago.
Since then insecurity has spread to many other areas of the West African nation, leaving communities
According to Ukrainian intelligence, individuals from 36 African nations have been reruited to fight for Russia
Sixteen Cameroonians have been killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine, the BBC has confirmed after a foreign ministry source verified that a recently leaked diplomatic note circulating on social media about the deaths was authentic.
The government has faced criticism over its prolonged silence on the issue - and this marks the first recognition of the involvement of its nationals in the conflict.
A recent report by All Eyes on Wagner, a group that investigates mercenary activities
Greece says the move aims to tackle rising anxiety and sleep problems among young people
Greece has announced plans to ban access to social media for under-15s, becoming the latest European country to restrict children's exposure to online platforms.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the move was aimed at tackling rising anxiety and sleep problems among young people, as well as what he described as the "addictive design" of social media.
The restriction will come into force from January of next year
A man has been fined $300 (£223) by a Thai court after breaking into the enclosure of Moo Deng, an endangered baby pygmy hippo and internet sensation, the zoo's director said.
Narongwit Chodchoy, who runs Khao Kheow Open Zoo, told AFP that the man, who entered Moo Deng's pen last month, had been found guilty by a local court.
News of the state of emergency has reportedly led to panic buying at some petrol stations
Madagascar has declared a two‑week nationwide state of energy emergency amid severe fuel shortages caused by the US and Israel's war in Iran.
The presidency said the decision was taken following Tuesday's cabinet meeting over fears the situation could lead to public disorder.
Last year, persistent power and water shortages in Madagascar led to youth-led protests, which escalated to broader political unrest, resulting in a military takeover.
Érick Valencia Salazar was arrested in Mexico in 2012 but released five years later, he was re-arrested in 2022
The co-founder of the Mexico-based Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Érick Valencia Salazar, has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced.
The Drug Enforcement Administration said Valencia Salazar "helped build CJNG into a ruthless organisation that uses violence as a business model -
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