Iran extends access to airspace for overflights after ceasefire
Iran has expanded access to its airspace for international overflights following a ceasefire with Israel, though flight restrictions remain in...Geostrategy
Iran says IAEA chief request to visit bombed sites suggests ‘malign intent’
Iran on Friday rejected a request by UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi to visit facilities bombed by Israel and...Geostrategy
Iran unveils new ballistic missile with 1,200 km range
Iran on Sunday unveiled a new solid-fuel ballistic missile with a range of 1,200 kilometres (745 miles), state television reported,...Western nations have raised concerns about Tehran's missile capabilities, accusing it of destabilising the Middle East
Iran supports the "axis of resistance" network of militant groups opposed to Israel, including Yemen's Huthi rebels
Huthis report U.S. strikes after missile hits Israel airport, Netanyahu vows revenge and future retaliation
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu warned of future retaliation, saying Israel had acted against Iran-backed Huthis before and “will act in...The Huthi-run Saba news agency said the strikes included two targeting Arbaeen street in the capital as well as one on the airport road, blaming them on "American aggression."
The Huthis, who control swathes of Yemen, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, acting in solidarity with Palestinians
US Fed expected to pause cuts again and wait for clarity on tariffs
Washington, United States -- The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to extend a recent pause in rate cuts this...Most economists expect the tariffs introduced since January to push up prices and cool economic growth, at least in the short run.
Financial markets overwhelmingly expect the Fed to announce another rate cut pause on Wednesday, according to data from CME Group.
Trump’s solar tariffs could drive Asia transition boom
Bangkok, Thailand -- Massive planned US duties on solar panels made in Southeast Asia could be a chance for the...Earlier this month, Washington announced plans for hefty duties on solar panels made in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.
Southeast Asia accounted for nearly 80 percent of US solar panel imports in 2024.
UAE says citizens can again travel to Lebanon
The announcement comes after Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun met with his UAE counterpart Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi on...UAE imposed the travel ban and withdrew diplomats from Beirut in solidarity with Saudi Arabia, after a Lebanese minister criticized the Riyadh-led military intervention in Yemen.
Lebanese citizens were not banned from travelling to the UAE, although some experienced difficulties obtaining visas.
Global rice output in 2024/25 likely to expand by 1.5%: FAO
Rome, Italy -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released a new Cereal Supply and Demand...FAO’s latest forecast for 2025 wheat production is pegged at 795 million tons, on par with the previous year.
FAO’s new forecast for world cereal utilization in 2024/25 stands at 2 870 million tons, a 1.0 percent increase over the 2023/24 level.
Hamas armed wing releases video of apparently injured Israeli hostage
The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, released a video Saturday showing an Israeli-Russian hostage who appeared to have...In the undated four-minute video, the hostage, wearing bandages on his head and left arm spoke in Hebrew, implying he had been wounded in a recent Israeli bombardment
AFP and Israeli media identified the hostage as Russian-Israeli Maxim Herkin, who turns 37 a the end of May. His family urged media not to disseminate the video
Murderer of Palestinian-American boy sentenced to 53 years
Washington, United States - An Illinois man was sentenced to 53 years in prison on Friday for the murder of...Joseph Czuba, 73, was convicted in February of fatally stabbing Wadea Al-Fayoumi and attacking the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen
Czuba was the family's landlord and the attack took place a week after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023
Israel launches new Syria strikes amid Druze tensions
Israel launched more than 20 air strikes inside Syria late Friday, a war monitor said, following up an attack near...The strikes came amid Israeli warnings to the Damascus government not to harm the Druze minority, following recent sectarian clashes
An Israeli military statement said its forces had "struck a military site, anti-aircraft cannons and surface-to-air missile infrastructure in Syria."
Israel says intercepts missile fired from Yemen
The Israeli military said Friday it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, where Huthi rebels recently claimed responsibility for a...Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels have not claimed responsibility for the Friday launch, but said Sunday they had launched a "hypersonic missile" at the Nevatim air base
The Huthis are part of Iran's "axis of resistance" against Israel and the United States, portraying themselves as defenders of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing war
