ISLAMABAD, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Monday, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.Both sides exchanged views on regional and international developments, including the deteriorating situation in Occupied East Jerusalem, according to the statement.Dar invited Araghchi to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience during the phone call.

ANKARA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- A Turkish cargo vessel was attacked by drones about 30 nautical miles off Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, injuring four crew members, three of them Turkish nationals, Türkiye's Ihlas News Agency reported Monday.The Cameroon-flagged vessel Nadezhda, reportedly owned by Samsun-based Kalyoncu Shipping, was carrying fresh fruits and vegetables from Samsun, Türkiye, to Novorossiysk, Russia, when it came under attack at about 16:30 Turkish time (1330 GMT).The ship's captain, Yalcin Sahin, alleged that Ukraine carried out the attack and said six or seven drones were used, Ihlas reported.Sahin noted that everyone aboard was alive.In recent months, several Turkish vessels have been attacked in the Black Sea, resulting in multiple casualties.

A polar blast brought snow, hail and freezing temperatures to parts of New Zealand on Tuesday, forcing road closures, shutting schools and disrupting ferry services. Snow fell to low levels across parts of the South Island, particularly around Dunedin and Christchurch, while hail was reported in

BRASILIA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's financial market lowered its inflation forecast for this year from 5.12 percent to 5.03 percent, signalling improved expectations for price trends, the Central Bank of Brazil said Monday.The bank's weekly Focus survey of analysts reflected the cooling effect of its restrictive monetary policy on inflation, with the forecast having stood at 5.30 percent four weeks earlier.Brazil's target inflation is 3 percent annually, with a tolerance band of 1.5 percentage points on either side.For 2027, analysts kept their inflation forecast unchanged at 4.22 percent.The survey also showed stable expectations for the benchmark interest rate, which currently stands at 14.25 percent per year. Analysts expect the rate to fall to 13.75 percent by the end of the year and 12 percent by the end of 2027.Regarding GDP, analysts maintained their 2026 economic growth forecast at 1.99 percent, but downgraded their 2027 forecast to 1.57 percent.Meanwhile, the exchange rate forecast remained at 5.20 reals per U.S. dollar for the end of 2026 and 5.28 reals per dollar for 2027.Foreign direct investment inflows are expected to reach 78.45 billion dollars in 2026 and 80 billion dollars in 2027.

LONDON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- A cargo vessel has reported that it had been hit by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said late Monday.According to a UKMTO advisory, the incident occurred earlier on Monday in waters about 20 nautical miles northeast of Al Khasab, Oman, near the eastern entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.The UKMTO said it received a report from military authorities at 2200 GMT on Monday. The cargo vessel reported via VHF radio that it had been struck by an unknown projectile, the warning noted.The UKMTO advised vessels transiting the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity to the agency.As tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated in recent weeks, the UKMTO has reported a series of maritime security incidents, most of which occurred off the coast of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz.

CARACAS, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 6,125, according to an official update released Monday by National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez.The report, posted on Rodriguez's Telegram channel, said the number of people rescued remains at 6,462, while 60,992 people have received hospital treatment.Authorities have delivered 287 homes to families affected by the earthquakes and evaluated 43,679 buildings across the country, the update said.The Venezuelan government has used a traffic-light tagging system to assess building habitability. Green tags indicate habitable structures, yellow tags mark restricted access, while red tags identify high-risk buildings that may be subject to demolition.The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, with epicenters in the western state of Yaracuy and the central state of La Guaira, respectively.