Category: Azer News

Bangladesh health authorities on Saturday reported four more child deaths linked to measles and measles-like symptoms in the past 24 hours, pushing the total death toll to 991 since mid-March, AzerNEWS reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Of the fatalities, 100 were confirmed measles deaths after one more child died in the past 24 hours, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Health Ministry.

A total of 464 deaths were recorded in the Dhaka division alone.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry reported 843 new cases involving measles-like symptoms and 74 new confirmed infections, bringing the totals to 163,105 symptomatic cases and 19,641 confirmed cases.

Since mid-March, 143,214 infected children have been admitted to hospitals across the country. Of them, 137,921 recovered and were discharged, according to the DGHS.

The densely populated South Asian country of around 175 million people has been struggling to contain the outbreak amid low vaccination coverage, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Bangladesh historically had herd immunity against measles but has lost it in recent years due to declining vaccination coverage, the WHO said.

Since April 5, the Health Ministry has immunized nearly 19.48 million children through a special program in addition to routine vaccinations.

A new special vaccination campaign, in addition to routine immunization, will begin nationwide toward the end of this month, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain said Friday amid the continuing measles outbreak.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Sunday that there are no concrete plans for a trilateral meeting of President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of the United States and China, but stressed Moscow has not ruled out the possibility of such a summit.

“The idea exists, and it’s been floated, including into the public domain. To say it’s moving into the preparatory phase would be an exaggeration,” Rybakov stated in an interview with Russian agency TASS.

“But a trilateral format involving the leaders of Russia, China, and the United States hasn’t been implemented yet. I can’t rule anything out, of course. But from a practical standpoint, I have nothing to add today to what I just said,” he added.

Iran has warned South Korea that its economic and military interests across the Persian Gulf could become targets of retaliation if Seoul joins a US-led mission to secure navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian academic Mohammad Marandi, speaking on Al Mayadeen’s The Grand Standoff, said Tehran would regard South Korea as an enemy if it became involved in the conflict against Iran.

‘If the South Koreans participate in this war against Iran, Iran will see it as the enemy,’ Marandi said, warning that Tehran would seek to ‘destroy whatever assets South Korea has in this region.’

He said Iranian retaliation would not necessarily be limited to military installations and could target South Korean interests in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

‘So the Koreans are very vulnerable to Iran,’ Marandi said. ‘Iran can hurt them very badly.’

His remarks came as South Korea considers whether to contribute naval or other military assets to international efforts aimed at restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global energy supplies.

South Korea’s presidential office said Friday that various options had been discussed but stressed that no decision had been made regarding an actual deployment.

The options reportedly include combat and noncombat roles as well as search operations. South Korean media reported that Seoul was considering sending military assets to the region and would seek parliamentary approval.

Among the assets under consideration are a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and a naval logistics support ship, according to The Guardian. South Korean broadcasters have also reported that a Navy explosive ordnance disposal team could be deployed.

The presidential office said any new deployment of military personnel would have to undergo review by the National Security Council, receive cabinet approval and subsequently be approved by the National Assembly.

United States President Donald Trump will call his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after briefing the US delegation upon their return from Moscow and Kyiv, sources told Kyiv Independent on Sunday.

After speaking to Putin, Trump is likely to hold a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The calls are most likely to take place tomorrow, September 7, the source told the outlet.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are returning to Washington after their diplomatic visit to the warring countries. Zelensky confirmedthat the next round of talks will include several European states.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Israel’s latest attacks on his country, calling them a “dangerous escalation.”

Aoun stated that the attacks go “beyond the alleged military targets to purely civilian administrations and health centers,” pointing out Israel hit the Ghandour Hospital and caused “severe” damage to the Ministry of Finance building in Nabatieh governate. He also urged the United States to take “urgent action to stop these violations and hold their perpetrators accountable.”

Earlier, Israel confirmed it targeted southern Lebanon, claiming the strikes came in response to Hezbollah’s alleged drone attack on Israeli forces in Lebanon. Lebanese authorities reported that at least four people have been killed and 20 have been wounded in the Israeli attacks.

Israeli officials have opened an Israeli Chamber of Commerce office in Banja Luka, the administrative center of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb-majority Republika Srpska, in a move highlighting growing economic and political ties between Israel and the entity’s leadership.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli attended Thursday’s opening ceremony, along with Israel’s ambassador to Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Galit Peleg, and Republika Srpska officials.

Chikli said the new chamber should serve as a permanent link between Israeli businesses and companies in Republika Srpska and the wider region.

‘The chamber must become a permanent point of contact for Israeli companies seeking opportunities in Republika Srpska and the broader region,’ Chikli said.

Addressing Milorad Dodik, the former president of Republika Srpska and a prominent advocate of greater autonomy for the entity, Chikli described the leadership of Republika Srpska as ‘true friends of Israel and the Jewish people.’

‘We now have the privilege of taking this relationship to a higher level and turning our friendship into action,’ he said, according to the Republika Srpska news agency.

Peleg also attended the ceremony and received a medal from Republika Srpska President Siniša Karan.

The opening comes against the backdrop of increasingly close relations between Israel and Republika Srpska. Dodik has played a prominent role in developing ties with Israel, while Republika Srpska’s leadership has pursued policies seeking greater autonomy from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s central institutions, raising concerns among Bosnian authorities and international officials over the country’s territorial and political cohesion.

The new trade office is intended to facilitate contacts between Israeli companies and businesses in Republika Srpska, although the scale of its potential economic impact remains uncertain.

‘It is not clear how much economic benefit this move brings,’ Vuk Vuksanovic, a lecturer in foreign policy and grand strategy at King’s College London’s Department of War Studies, told Middle East Eye.

‘Still, it does show a continuation of close ties between Israel and Republika Srpska, which have been ongoing for the past 15 years and have intensified over the past three years,’ he added.

Chikli has been a vocal supporter of Israel’s policies in Gaza and has faced international criticism over remarks concerning the displacement of Palestinians from the territory.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has described the situation unfolding in Gaza as ‘horrific,’ saying the UK government must act ‘more decisively’ in response to the humanitarian crisis.

‘I just came out of this meeting talking about Gaza to people who’ve been there and are there on the ground and frankly it was horrific what is unfolding,’ Miliband said in a video released by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

‘You know the stories that people were telling me of medicines being blocked, children dying while waiting for vital life-saving treatment,’ he said.

‘When you hear that account of what is happening, you know that we as a UK government, as the prime minister has said, have got to act and act more decisively than we have,’ Miliband added.

Miliband’s remarks come as the UK government prepares what he described as a ‘comprehensive’ package of sanctions in response to Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Addressing British lawmakers earlier this week, Miliband said the government was examining its wider economic relationship with the occupied territories and the measures available to prevent British companies from supporting Israeli settlement expansion.

‘I want to be very clear: we do not want British companies financing, constructing, or advertising new settlements,’ he said.

Miliband also criticized Israel’s plans for development in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, warning that the project risks undermining the viability of a future Palestinian state.

‘This government will not acquiesce in the destruction of the two-state solution,’ Miliband told MPs.

The proposed E1 development would expand the Israeli settlement network between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim in the occupied West Bank. Palestinians and several governments have warned that the project could further fragment Palestinian territory and complicate the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state.

Miliband also condemned what he described as ‘appalling settler terrorism’ in the occupied West Bank.

His comments have drawn a sharp response from Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar warned that Israel would retaliate if Britain imposed sanctions over Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

‘If Britain acts against Israel, Israel will act against Britain,’ Sa’ar said, without specifying what measures Israel could take.

Latvia and Lithuania are considering suspending the transit of Russian grain through their ports amid a sharp increase in shipments following Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia’s export infrastructure.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Russia has begun redirecting grain exports to ports in the Baltic states after Ukrainian drone attacks disrupted other routes. Shipment volumes could rise sharply in October, the sources said.

The Latvian government plans to discuss a complete ban on such transit routes, according to the report.

Lithuanian authorities, meanwhile, have not yet announced specific restrictions. Lithuanian Prime Minister Sinkyavicius said that exporting Russian grain through Lithuania’s infrastructure was inconsistent with the country’s values.

The potential restrictions come as Baltic countries continue to reassess their economic ties with Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Iran and the United States have exchanged attacks involving military vessels and oil tankers in the region, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it fired several ballistic missiles at a US Navy aircraft carrier and destroyer, claiming that the strikes damaged the vessels and forced them to leave the area.

The US side confirmed that Iranian missiles had been launched but denied that any had struck the American vessels.

According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the aircraft carrier and destroyer successfully evaded several Iranian attacks, and no US service members were injured.

The United States subsequently struck three Iranian oil tankers, according to the information provided. The tanker M/T Downy, off Kharg Island, and M/T Stark 1, off Jask, were disabled, while the unladen M/T Kylo (Noxen) was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman.

The IRGC later announced retaliatory attacks against three additional oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz along routes Tehran considers unauthorized, as well as three vessels Iran said were linked to the United States.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that it struck a United States remotely operated submarine that was trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement, the group insisted that the strait remains under Iran’s control.

Previously, the IRGC claimed it targeted a US aircraft carrier and destroyer.

Azerbaijan and Iran have reviewed the latest state of bilateral relations, as well as cooperation in transit, border infrastructure, oil and gas, and other strategic areas.

According to Iran’s government information portal, the issues were discussed during a telephone conversation between Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh and Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev.

Sadegh highlighted the need to organize joint meetings on gas, electricity and freight transportation, stressing the importance of establishing a joint committee as soon as possible to assess the results of discussions in these areas.

The Iranian minister also said that Iran’s transport infrastructure had sustained damage during the war, adding that damaged roads have since been restored and work to improve road infrastructure under ongoing projects is continuing.

Sadegh attributed the positive trajectory in Azerbaijan-Iran relations to close cooperation and discussions between the two countries’ presidents and officials at various levels.

Mustafayev, for his part, highlighted progress on railway projects between the two countries, noting developments in the construction of the railway toward Aghband in Azerbaijan.

According to Mustafayev, completion of the section connected to Iran could significantly increase the route’s potential for freight transportation and strengthen regional transit connectivity.

He also praised the Iranian government’s efforts to restore and actively maintain transit routes.

The two officials emphasized the importance of further developing strategic and economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran, particularly through transport and energy projects aimed at expanding regional connectivity and trade.