TEHRAN, May 13 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran has taken back a 10,000-tonne oil tanker that had been “illegally” used by a foreign company for five years, an Iranian judicial official said, yesterday.

Mojtaba Qahremani, chief justice of the southern Iranian province of Hormuzgan, identified the oil tanker as “Purity,” reported Mizan news agency of the Iranian judiciary.

NIIGATA, Japan (AP) — The Group of Seven’s top financial leaders united Saturday in their support for Ukraine and their determination to enforce sanctions against Russia for its aggression but stopped short of any overt mention of China.

The finance ministers and central bank chiefs ended three days of talks in Niigata, Japan, with a joint statement pledging to bring inflation under control, help countries struggling with onerous debts and strengthen financial systems.

GAZA/JERUSALEM, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli air force continues striking at militant targets in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, as hopes for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas-led militant groups appear to dwindle.

According to a statement released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), several command centers of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) were targeted in a fresh round of airstrikes on Saturday, with mortar shells and rocket launch sites being hit.

ANKARA, May 13 (NNN-XINHUA) – Negotiations to extend a Black Sea Grain Initiative were nearing an agreement, after two days of talks in Istanbul, between Ukrainian, Russian, Turkish and UN officials, Türkiye’s Defence Minister, Hulusi Akar, said yesterday.

“As part of the first information received, the meeting in Istanbul was positive. We are heading towards an agreement on the extension of the grain deal,” Akar said in a statement.

Japanese and South Korean officials held hourslong talks into early Saturday and agreed on a visit later this month by South Korean experts to the Fukushima nuclear plant before it begins the controversial release of treated but radioactive water into the sea. The safety of the water is a major sticking point as the two sides work to improve long-strained ties.

May 13 (Reuters) - The head of Russia's federal crime agency on Saturday suggested that key sectors of the economy should be returned to state ownership to support Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Moscow has already seized assets or acquired them at a heavy discount from some Western firms that have quit Russia or scaled back their activities since the invasion.

ROME (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy arrived in Rome on Saturday for talks with Italian officials and Pope Francis, who has said the Vatican has launched a behind-the-scenes initiative to try to end the war launched last year by Russia.

“Today in Rome,″ Zelenskyy tweeted. ”I’m meeting with President of Italy Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister of Italy @GiorgiaMeloni and the Pope @Pontifex. An important visit for approaching victory of Ukraine! ”

NEW DELHI (AP) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party was set to lose Karnataka, the only southern India state it governs, according to an early vote count Saturday that showed opposition Congress party leading in the crucial state polls.

With vote counting continuing, India’s Election Commission said the Congress was leading in 135 out of the 224 seats in the state assembly. Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was leading in 63 constituencies, while another regional party, the Janata Dal (Secular), was ahead in 21 seats.

OTTAWA, May 13 (Reuters) - Canada's main oil-producing province of Alberta is bracing for another hot and dry weekend, with warnings of more intense wildfires after a week of volatile weather forced thousands to evacuate homes and shuttered energy production.

Special alerts have been declared across western Canada, where officials have urged vigilance as temperatures in some areas are forecast to hit 30° Celsius (86°F), or 10 to 15 degrees more than usual.

WASHINGTON, May 13 (APP):A leading American company in import, manufacture and supply of sea salt plans to invest nearly $200 million in curating, processing, distributing and importing Pink Himalayan Salt, which is mined in Pakistan’s Khewra Salt Mine located in Jhelum district of Punjab, a press release of the Pakistani embassy said on Saturday.

The investment, it said, would be made in preparing feasibility, reserve report, upgradation of mining procedures and processes, construction of world-class processing and packaging facility and community development programs.

KHARTOUM, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government announced Friday that it had allocated three airports to facilitate the arrival of humanitarian aid.

The airports in Port Sudan and Wadi Seidna, as well as Khartoum International Airport, will serve as entry points for humanitarian aid after maintenance, said the Council of Ministers, the cabinet, in a statement.

ST. PETERSBURG, May 13. /TASS/: Over 80 Union State programs to the tune of 56.7 bln rubles (over $734 mln) have been implemented within the framework of the Union State Treaty, Dmitry Mezentsev, State Secretary of the Union State, said at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum on Saturday.