WASHINGTON (ANP/BLOOMBERG) - De oorlog in het Midden-Oosten raakt de economische groei van landen in de regio, onder meer doordat de Straat van Hormuz vrijwel volledig is afgesloten voor olie- en gastankers. Bovendien zijn energiefaciliteiten beschadigd door aanvallen en het vliegverkeer rond de Perzische Golf is ernstig ontregeld. Dat meldt het Internationaal Monetair Fonds (IMF). Vooral Qatar, Irak en Iran worden hard geraakt.

Het IMF verwacht dat de economie van Qatar, een van 's werelds grootste exporteurs van vloeibaar gemaakt aardgas (lng), dit jaar met 8,6 procent zal krimpen. Voor Irak wordt nu een krimp van 6,8 procent verwacht en voor Iran een krimp van 6,1 procent, aldus het fonds.

De twee grootste economieën van de Golfregio, Saudi-Arabië en de Verenigde Arabische Emiraten, laten nog wel groei zien, maar fors minder sterk dan eerder gedacht. Het IMF voorziet voor die twee landen een groei in 2026 van 3,1 procent. Zij hebben alternatieven om de Straat van Hormuz te omzeilen via andere exportroutes voor olie en gas.

WASHINGTON (ANP/AFP/RTR) - Volgens de Amerikaanse president Donald Trump is Iran akkoord om het "nucleaire stof" over te dragen, waarmee hij lijkt te doelen op het verrijkte uranium waarmee Iran volgens de Amerikanen een kernwapen zou kunnen bouwen.

Hij zei ook dat Iran bereid zou zijn om af te zien van een kernwapen, en dat een deal tussen de VS en Iran "heel dichtbij" is.

conspectus_bs posted a photo:

Kodak Ektar 100 with Mamiya 645 Pro and Sekor 35 mm

De hackers hebben „mogelijk inzage gehad in patiëntgegevens en deze mogelijk in handen gekregen”, aldus het Oogziekenhuis in Rotterdam.

Jay Bryant negotiating plea deal in New York death of Run-DMC star, over which one conviction has been overturned

One of the three men charged in the killing of Jam Master Jay plans to plead guilty, court records show, in what would be the first admission anyone has made in court to any role in the Run-DMC star’s death in 2002.

Jay Bryant pleaded not guilty to murder after his 2023 indictment, but his lawyer and federal prosecutors told the court in recent letters that they were negotiating a plea agreement.

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⚽ Europa League updates; kick-off 8pm BST (first leg: 1-1)
⚽ Aston Villa v Bologna – updates | Live scores | Mail Scott

Forest have five players who are one yellow card away from suspension. Of tonight’s starters, Murillo and Morgan Gibbs-White are on the tightrope; Morato, Igor Jesus and Ryan Yates will also need to watch themselves should they come on.

Six members of the Porto starting line-up are a booking away from missing out on the first leg of the semi should their team make it. Jan Bednarek, William Gomes, Gabriel Veiga, Zaidu, Pablo Rosario and Alberto Costa are all on Behaviour Watch, as is Dominik Prpić should he see action tonight.

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⚽ Europa League updates; kick-off 8pm BST (first leg: 3-1)
⚽ Nottingham Forest v Porto – latest | Live scores | Mail Niall

I noticed on the team sheets that both of tonight’s captains are Scottish: John McGinn and Lewis Ferguson. Has this ever happened before in a European tie – particularly one not featuring a Scottish team? Hey, it’s like a live Knowledge, this. Just don’t ask me anything.

In tonight’s early game, Freiburg are cruising into the semi-finals – after winning 3-0 at home to Celta Vigo last week, they’re repeating the trick in Spain to lead 6-0 on aggregate. The Bundesliga side will face either Real Betis or Braga in the final four.

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Officers looking into attacks on Iran International media offices, synagogue and Jewish charity ambulances

Counter-terrorism investigators are examining three separate arson attacks in London against an Iranian dissident and Jewish targets amid fears the Iranian state may be behind them.

The latest attack happened at about 8.30pm on Wednesday, outside the offices of Iran International, a Persian-language news channel that opposes the regime in Tehran.

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The EU says a new age-verification app is technically ready and could let users prove they are old enough to access restricted online content without revealing their identity or personal data. Deutsche Welle reports: Once released, users will be able to download the app from an app store and set it up using proof of identity, such as a passport or national ID card. They can then use it to confirm they are above a certain age when accessing restricted content, without revealing their identity. According to the Commission, the system is similar to the digital certificates used during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed people to prove their vaccination status.

The app is expected to support enforcement of the bloc's Digital Services Act, which aims to better regulate online platforms. This includes restricting access to content such as pornography, gambling and alcohol-related services. Officials say the app will be "completely anonymous" and built on open-source technology, meaning it could also be adopted outside the EU.

[...] While there is no binding EU-wide law yet, the European Parliament has called for a minimum age of 16 for social media access. For now, enforcement would largely fall to individual member states, but the new app is intended to help platforms comply with future national and EU rules.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Bij de ransomware-aanval op zorgsoftwarebedrijf ChipSoft zijn toch medische patiëntgegevens gestolen, laat het bedrijf weten. Bronnen hadden eerder nog gemeld dat die gegevens veilig waren, maar woensdag werd bekend dat datadiefstal niet viel uit te sluiten.