The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a responsibility to help poorer nations struggling with rising debt, high inflation and price shocks caused by war spillovers, the head of the global lender says. Speaking as the IMF's annual meetings in Bangkok wrapped up on Saturday, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said discussions with global policymakers showed both "optimism and worry". "But AI is also recognised to be a source of worry and so are inflation, high levels of debt, wars, climate risks." Georgieva said vulnerable nations are missing out on the AI investment boom that is driving growth in richer countries while at the same time dealing with higher borrowing costs. Higher global interest rates mean low-income countries now spend 8 to 14 percent of their revenue on debt repayments, up from previous years, she said.

Did Iran capture a US submarine? Iran threatens Gulf data centres: How exposed is the region's internet? Iran's security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, has warned that cables, data centres and artificial intelligence (AI) facilities across the region could be attacked if war with the United States erupts again. The warning comes as the capture of Yemeni territory along the Red Sea coastline last month by the Iran-backed Houthis has raised concerns over the safety of internet cables linking Europe and Asia. Fierce fighting is under way between Yemen's internationally recognised government and the Houthis at several locations, including Bab al-Mandeb, through which nearly one-fifth of global internet traffic passes.

U.S. troops are set to end their military mission in Iraq on Wednesday, closing Operation Inherent Resolve as the ISIS threat wanes but Iran-backed militias remain armed.

Did Iran capture a US submarine? Saudi Arabia has temporarily closed its critical East-West oil pipeline, a 1,200km (746-mile) conduit stretching across the Arabian Peninsula, after it was attacked by drones on Friday. The drones were reported to have been launched from Iraq, where an investigation is under way. No group has claimed responsibility for the strikes so far. It is understood that equipment used to operate the pipeline was also hit.

Iran condemns U.S. plans to announce new sanctions Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stands with members of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces at the grave of Iraqi paramilitary commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed alongside Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020, in Najaf, Iraq, on Friday. CAIRO/WASHINGTON - Iran on Saturday denounced U.S. plans to announce new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners, including China. After nearly six months of war since the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28, the sides are not firing at each other but also showing no sign of pursuing peace talks. Oil shipments are at a virtual standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran threatening to strike any unauthorized oil tankers that try to transit the vital waterway, and Iran's economy is already under immense pressure from sanctions. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

Iraqi Kurdish PM Barzani's office targeted in drone attack The office of the prime minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has been targeted in a drone attack, the region's security agency said, adding that there were no reports of casualties. The statement said the home of the head of the semi-autonomous Iraqi region's security and intelligence agency had also been targeted by drones early on Monday. "Two Hadid-110 drones targeted the private office of the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government and the residence of the Security Directorate", the Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Service said in a statement cited by Iraq's state news agency. The statement confirmed that no casualties were reported. In a post on X, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani condemned the attack as "illegitimate and unacceptable".

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What is Iran's Pickaxe Mountain? A US service member has been killed in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of an explosive device from a downed Iranian drone. The fatality comes a day after two US soldiers were killed and another is missing from an Iranian attack in Jordan. Palestinians celebrate Spain's World Cup victory A bird's-eye view as Donald Trump arrives for the World Cup final

ISIS is quietly rebuilding as the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq nears its Sept. 30 deadline, with a counterterrorism expert warning of a dangerous security vacuum.

What is Iran's Pickaxe Mountain? US soldier killed in Iraq during'controlled detonation' of Iranian drone The United States military has announced the death of another soldier, saying he was killed in northern Iraq "during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance" from a downed Iranian drone. In a statement on Sunday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the soldier died on July 18 and that a second service member suffered mild injuries during the detonation. The death on Saturday brought the number of US service members killed since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran to 17. The war began on February 28.