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.

Islamabad, Aug 6: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held nationwide protests to mark three years of PTI founder Imran Khan’s imprisonment, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announcing that the party will again hold a march on September 27 if authorities do not lift the restrictions imposed on the party founder, local media reported on Thursday.

While addressing people in Peshawar on Wednesday, Afridi said that PTI demands included unrestricted meetings with Imran Khan, allowing the PTI founder to receive treatment from his personal physician and expeditious hearings of court cases against him, Pakistan-based leading daily The Express Tribune reported.

Afridi said, “If these demands are not met, we will march on Islamabad on September 27.”

He said that Imran Khan could secure his release from prison with a “single signature”, but he continued to remain in prison for the sake of the country, its people and future generations. He stated that PTI had lost hope in Pakistan’s courts after the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments were implemented by the government.

A large number of PTI’s former Members of Provincial Assembly – Ayesha Banu, Momina Basit, and women from the Women Wing, participated in a rally in Peshawar to mark three years of Imran Khan’s imprisonment.

Protests were held in Quetta on the call given by Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai. Similarly, protests were staged outside Aiwan-e-Adl in Lahore, where members of the Insaf Lawyers Forum and senior party leaders led a rally and called for the immediate release of Imran Khan.

In Karachi, PTI supporters staged a demonstration near Karachi Press Club and traffic disruptions were reported as authorities blocked roads leading to the venue. In response to the protests, police arrested several PTI leaders and workers and used tear gas and baton charges to disperse demonstrators, The Express Tribune reported.

Similarly, Imran Khan’s party also held protests in Nawabshah, Hyderabad, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Mithi and other parts of Sindh, where the demonstrators called for the party founder’s release.

Imran Khan has remained in prison since August 2023 after convictions that his party, PTI, has termed politically motivated. Since his ouster from office in 2022 through a no-confidence vote, Imran Khan has faced several cases, including allegations involving state gifts and an unlawful marriage case.

Last month, UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Alice Jill Edwards, expressed concerns over reports of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s detention conditions and his not getting access to proper medical care. She also urged Pakistan to restore humane conditions and allow the former PM to access medical examination and treatment of his own choice.

In a post shared on LinkedIn, Edwards mentioned that Khan has been kept in near-total solitary confinement for 33 months in a small, windowless cell and is often not allowed to have human contact for over two weeks continuously.

“Fmr PM Imran Khan has now been held in near-total solitary for 33 months in a small, windowless cell under 24-7 CCTV. Often more than 2 weeks continuously, without exercise or meaningful human contact. This far exceeds the MANDELA rules,” Edwards wrote in a post on LinkedIn.

“I am also concerned about reports that he is being denied proper medical and is suffering from serious medical issues that have not been treated appropriately, compounding a spinal injury from a 2013 accident and bullet wounds sustained in a November 2022 assassination attempt. I call on Pakistan to restore humane conditions and allow him his choice of medical examination and appropriate treatment,” she added.