Iran has warned the US against attempting to seize an Iranian oil tanker in open seas after after its release from Gibraltar.

The tanker, which ash been caught in a standoff between Tehran and the west, was sailing for Greece on Monday, shipping data showed, hours after the British territory rejected a US request to detain the vessel further. MarineTraffic reported its destination as the Peloponnesian city of Kalamata.

Asked whether the US might renew its seizure request after the tanker sailed from Gibraltar, an Iranian foreign ministry said: “Such an action … would endanger shipping safety in open seas. We have issued a warning through official channels, especially the Swiss embassy.” Read more HERE.

Zimbabweans are bracing for fresh unrest after the main opposition party unveiled plans for a series of major rallies starting this week and unions called for strike action.
Any demonstrations or industrial action will pose a new test for the ruling Zanu-PF party, which brutally suppressed a round of protests in January, leading to at least 13 deaths and hundreds of rapes and beatings.

Last month senior Zanu-PF officials said the constitution allowed the government to deploy the army to confront protesters and warned that soldiers were trained to kill. “Forewarned is forearmed,” one said, telling demonstrators to stay at home. Read more HERE.

A leading leftwing politician has sparked a row in Germany by proposing the rail operator Deutsche Bahn scraps first-class carriages to reduce overcrowding and improve energy efficiency.

Bernd Riexinger, the co-leader of Die Linke party, said having two classes of travel in regional trains in particular made no sense when the emphasis should be on energy efficiency and making rail travel more accessible.

“People are standing in the corridors, while in the first class there’s loads of free space,” he told the news network RND. “We are affording ourselves the luxury of dragging along almost empty first-class carriages in overcrowded express trains. All carriages should be open to everyone so that in one stroke we’d have more capacity – and almost without having to pay extra for it.” Read more HERE.

At least 60 people have been killed and 70 injured after a fuel tanker exploded in Tanzania after a collision.

The tanker burst into flames as crowds gathered to siphon petrol from the vehicle in Morogoro, about 125 miles (200km) west of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

Videos circulating on social media showed the burned remains of dozens of young men, while footage from before the explosion showed a large crowd collecting liquid from puddles in jerry cans.

Daniel Ngogo, a witness, told Reuters: “The situation is really bad. Many people died here, even those who were not stealing fuel because this is a busy place. Read more HERE.

Italy appears set for fresh elections that could push the country further toward the far right.

Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister, reiterated his calls for a snap voteon Friday, adding that any attempt to block his wishes and install a new ruling coalition would be unacceptable. His League party said it would present a no-confidence motion in the senate in its push to dismantle the tempestuous coalition with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S).

The developments follow Salvini’s demand for the prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, to reconvene parliament to collapse the administration. Read more HERE.