Morning news brief: West Asia crisis updates; Musk's X back in Brazil, and more

The US and its Gulf allies have reportedly initiated covert talks with Iran to establish a ceasefire in West Asia.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed that Hezbollah's leader-in-waiting, Hashem Safieddine, has been killed by Israeli forces, eventhough the IDF has not confirmed this.

In the UK, MI5 chief Ken McCallum accused Russia of conducting "mayhem" across Europe, involving sabotage and arson.

In Brazil, Elon Musk’s social platform X is set to return after complying with Supreme Court orders regarding hate speech, following months-long stand-off.

Click on the headlines for more

The US and its allies in the Gulf have launched covert talks with Iran to defuse tensions in West Asia, amid a looming threat of retaliatory Israeli strikes on the Shi'ite nation. Israel's Channel 12 news reported that the US and Arab states are in talks with Tehran to reach a comprehensive ceasefire on all fronts, including Gaza and Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday (Oct 8) claimed that Israeli airstrikes had killed two successors of Hezbollah's slain leader Hassan Nasrallah. This is in contrast to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), which said it cannot confirm if Hashem Safieddine, the man expected to succeed Nasrallah, was killed when Israel struck the intelligence compound in Beirut in al- Dahieh neighbourhood.

UK spy agency has warned that Russia is looking to cause "sustained mayhem on British and European streets". The head of MI5 said Russian intelligence agency GRU had carried out "arson, sabotage and more dangerous actions conducted with increasing recklessness" in UK following the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent support offered by London. MI5 chief Ken McCallum was giving an annual update on security threats faced by UK.

Elon Musk's X has been cleared by the Brazil Supreme Court to resume operations in the country. This clearance comes after the social media platform reversed course and began complying with court orders that billionaire owner Musk had previously vowed to oppose.

Watch |Russia-Ukraine War: Villages Of Zolota Nyva and Zoryane Pershe 'Under Russian Control'