Beirut, Aug 8: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has said that progress had been made on border issues and the return of prisoners during the latest negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Rome.

Speaking at a cabinet session on Friday (local time), Aoun said the Rome talks addressed four main issues: a ceasefire, the demolition and bulldozing of houses, the border, and the return of prisoners and the identification of pilot areas, according to a statement released by the Lebanese presidency.

Aoun said “positive progress” had been made on the border and prisoners’ issues, expressing hope that practical steps would emerge soon, the statement said.

He said the US administration would work to address the remaining issues of a ceasefire and pilot areas, adding that US General Joseph Clearfield would arrive in Beirut soon to follow up on these matters, reports Xinhua news agency.

The remarks came a day after Israeli and Lebanese officials finished three days of negotiations in Rome aimed at advancing security arrangements along their border and implementing a framework agreement reached in Washington in late June, local media reported.

The talks, opposed by Hezbollah, are the seventh round of negotiations between the two governments.

Meanwhile, earlier on Thursday, UN officials announced that UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon reported the sharpest escalation in military activity between Israel and Hezbollah since late June, when a US-Israel-Lebanon framework agreement was signed.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) recorded 113 projectiles fired by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday, the highest daily figure observed since June 21.

UNIFIL did not detect any projectile launches by Hezbollah during the same period, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

UNIFIL also recorded significant aerial activity. On Wednesday, peacekeepers recorded 49 airspace violations, with a cumulative overflight time exceeding 131 hours, the highest level since June 23. They also observed three airstrikes northwest of Al Mansuri, said the spokesperson.

At sea, on Monday, UNIFIL observed IDF patrol boats crossing the Line of Buoys into Lebanese territorial waters before returning south, said Haq.

Tehran, Aug 7: Two explosions were heard on Iran’s southern Qeshm Island in Hormozgan province Thursday night as a result of the Iranian armed forces’ confrontation with “hostile enemy targets” at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

Tasnim cited informed sources as saying that the explosions were heard at around 21:40 local time (1810 GMT), adding that the “achievements” of the Iranian naval forces’ confrontation will be announced in the coming hours.

It also quoted Ahmad Nafisi, Hormozgan’s deputy governor for political, security and social affairs, as saying that no strike or incident had been reported on Qeshm Island and the provincial capital Bandar Abbas.

He added that the relevant authorities are carrying out the necessary investigations to identify the cause of the explosions.

Earlier in the day, Iran and Oman reached an understanding on the outlines of an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, Saudi-based Al Hadath news channel and Al Arabiya news channel reported Thursday, both citing high-ranking sources.

The sources said the agreement, which still needs approval by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and could be announced within days, aims to resume navigation in the waterway, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Vessels entering the strait will use a route close to Iran, while those leaving will take one close to Oman. No transit fees or service charges will be imposed, and regional parties may participate in demining and technical procedures, the sources said.

Following the agreement’s approval, the United States and Iran will return to their peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) and activate Paragraph 5 concerning the reopening and safe navigation of commercial shipping through the strait, the sources said.

Indirect contacts between Iran and the United States remain through mediators and have entered their final stage, the sources added.

Iran tightened its grip on the strait on Feb. 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.

New Delhi, Aug 7: The India-US Counter Narcotics Working Group (CNWG) Pillar I Working Group Meeting was hosted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a hybrid format, aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in combating narcotics trafficking and the diversion of precursor chemicals.

The NCB shared details of the meeting on the social media platform X, stating, “The India-US Counter Narcotics Working Group (CNWG) – Pillar I Working Group Meeting was hosted by the Narcotics Control Bureau on 6 August 2026 in hybrid mode.”

The meeting brought together representatives from several Indian and US agencies. Participants from the Indian side included the NCB, Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Department of Revenue, and Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals.

The US delegation included officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), LEGAT, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the US Department of State.

According to the NCB, the discussions focused on strengthening operational cooperation, preventing the diversion of precursor chemicals, enhancing policy coordination, and advancing capacity building.

India highlighted its robust precursor control framework and ongoing initiatives to further strengthen regulatory and enforcement mechanisms to prevent the diversion of precursor chemicals.

The meeting follows earlier discussions held in March during the 69th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, Austria. During those talks, NCB Director General Anurag Garg and Sara Carter, Director of the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, discussed sharing actionable intelligence to bolster counter-narcotics cooperation. Both sides also explored mechanisms for real-time information sharing to facilitate parallel investigations against transnational drug cartels operating across jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, the Central government informed the Lok Sabha this week that the NCB has strengthened international cooperation in drug control through bilateral agreements with 27 countries and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with 19 countries.

Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in reply to a query, had said that India holds regular Director General (DG) Level/bilateral talks on drug-related matters with countries such as Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Singapore and the US.

Responding to questions by Naresh Ganpat Mhaske and Shrikant Shinde, Rai added that to address the challenge of illicit drug trafficking and abuse of drugs, Vision Document on Narcotics Control (2026-2029) was released on June 26, which lays down a three-year roadmap with clear priorities and time bound targets to be achieved by various stakeholders to control drugs with ‘Whole-of-Government’ and ‘Whole-of-Society’ approach.

The MoS said the NCB has also established a four-tier Narco-Coordination Center (NCORD) mechanism for ensuring better coordination between Central and state drug law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders in the field of controlling drug trafficking and drug abuse in India.