Ceasefire order fails to halt fighting in Syria’s Druze heartland
Sweida, Syria - Syrian Bedouin and their allies fought Druze fighters in the community's Sweida heartland for a seventh day...Geostrategy
Trump threatens to sue WSJ over story on alleged 2003 letter to Epstein
Washington, United States - US President Donald Trump threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal Thursday over a story about...Geostrategy
Iran says Israel’s Netanyahu dragging US into ‘disaster’ in region
Tehran, Iran - Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to drag...Araghchi also accused Netanyahu of "attempting to brazenly DICTATE what President Trump can and cannot do in his diplomacy with Iran."
Iran's top diplomat cited US support for Israel in its war in Gaza against Palestinian group Hamas since the unprecedented October 2023 attack by the militants
Pakistan conducts second missile test, India readies civil defence drills
Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistan conducted a second missile test and India ordered civil defence drills in an escalating stand-off over...New Delhi blames Islamabad for backing an attack on tourists last month - the deadliest against civilians on the Indian-administered side of the Himalayan territory for years
Pakistan rejects the accusations, and the two sides have exchanged nightly gunfire since April 24 along the de facto border in Kashmir, the militarised Line of Control
Damascus club shooting sparks fears of restriction on freedoms
A deadly shooting Monday at a Damascus club, days after another attack on the capital's nightlife, has sparked fears, adding...Since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, the international community has been pressing the new authorities to respect personal freedoms
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said gunmen attacked Karawan "with automatic weapons and opened fire, killing a woman and wounding others."
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
