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World
US charges Iraqi suspect in alleged Iran-backed attack campaign
Federal prosecutors say an Iraqi man linked to Iran-backed groups helped direct attacks in Europe and plotted violence against U.S. Jewish sites in a case spanning several countries.
Trump, Xi agree Strait of Hormuz must remain open
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed during a summit in Beijing that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to energy transit and that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon, the White House said on Thursday.
Iran answers US ceasefire offer as Gulf drone attacks spread
Iran has formally answered a U.S. ceasefire proposal, but new drone attacks and shipping alerts across the Gulf show the regional crisis is still deepening.
Trump, Xi meet in Beijing as Iran war tests diplomacy
Trump and Xi reached a joint pledge on Iran's nuclear programme and Hormuz shipping in a high-stakes Beijing summit that also saw Xi deliver a blunt warning on Taiwan.
Trump says Iran ceasefire on 'life support' as Beijing summit looms
President Trump says the Iran ceasefire is on "massive life support" and warns of potential combat operations days before departing for a Beijing summit with Xi Jinping.
Trump to Meet Xi as Iran Ceasefire Falters, Hormuz Remains Blocked
President Trump heads to Beijing for a three-day summit with Xi Jinping as the Iran ceasefire teeters and the Strait of Hormuz stays blocked, pushing oil above $104.
Nigerian fishermen feared dead in Chad strikes on Boko Haram
More than 40 Nigerian fishermen are feared dead after Chadian air strikes targeting Boko Haram camps struck islands on Lake Chad where both militants and fishing communities live.
Trump Says Iran Ceasefire on 'Massive Life Support'
President Donald Trump said Tuesday the month-long ceasefire with Iran is surviving on "massive life support," comparing the truce to a patient whose doctor has delivered a near-certain terminal prognosis, after Tehran submitted a 14-point counter-proposal Trump rejected as "totally unacceptable."
Trump eyes Italy and Spain for next round of NATO troop cuts
President Trump is weighing further US troop withdrawals from Europe, with Italy and Spain in the frame after 5,000 service members were pulled from Germany. Allied capitals are bracing for the announcement and coordinating contingency plans as Madrid faces particular pressure.
Taiwan officials press Trump for reassurance ahead of Xi summit
Senior Taiwanese officials have pressed the Trump administration for reassurances ahead of his state visit to Beijing this week. Their concern is not declared U.S. policy but an off-script remark to Xi Jinping that Beijing could read as a rhetorical concession on the island.
Suicide bombing kills 14 police officers in northwest Pakistan
A suicide bomber and gunmen attacked a police post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing at least 14 officers and wounding three. A newly formed militant faction linked to the Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility.
Putin says Ukraine war coming to an end as ceasefire holds
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believes the war in Ukraine is coming to an end, his first public signal of a possible off-ramp since a US-brokered three-day ceasefire took effect and both sides began exchanging 1,000 prisoners each.
Cargo ship hit off Qatar and Kuwait reports drones as ceasefire frays
A cargo ship caught fire after being struck off Qatar's coast and Kuwait reported a drone incursion overnight, the sharpest test yet of the month-old ceasefire over the Strait of Hormuz as Washington awaits Tehran's reply to its latest terms.
China holds rare earths and Hormuz cards as Trump heads to Beijing
President Donald Trump is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on May 14 for a state summit with Xi Jinping. Analysts and Taiwan officials say critical-minerals leverage, the Middle East energy fallout, and a contested Taiwan policy stack the meeting on Beijing's side.
US awaits Iran ceasefire response as Rubio meets Qatari mediators
The United States was waiting for Iran to deliver a formal ceasefire proposal on Saturday as Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Miami. A Qatari LNG tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz in a confidence-building test.
Iran warns of attack on US bases after tanker strikes test ceasefire
Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy threatened a heavy assault on US bases if its oil tankers are attacked again, as a fragile month-old ceasefire in the Strait of Hormuz appeared to hold. The warning followed a US strike on two Iranian vessels on Friday.
Trump rejects Iran ceasefire response as totally unacceptable
President Donald Trump rejected Iran's ceasefire response on Sunday as 'totally unacceptable,' hours after Tehran demanded war reparations and sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. The breakdown raises the prospect of renewed U.S. military operations to reopen the key oil shipping lane.
One Nation wins Farrer, taking first lower-house seat in Coalition rout
David Farley took 57.3 per cent of the two-candidate-preferred vote in the southwestern New South Wales seat, ending a Coalition hold that had stood since the late 1940s and giving Pauline Hanson's One Nation its first directly elected House of Representatives seat.
Trump Rejects Iran Ceasefire Response as Drones Hit Gulf Shipping
President Donald Trump rejected Iran's response to a US ceasefire proposal as drones struck commercial shipping off Qatar and entered UAE and Kuwaiti airspace. Tehran demanded a permanent end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and guarantees for shipping security.
US Strikes Two Iranian Tankers as Trump Threatens Escalation
U.S. Navy warplanes struck and disabled two Iranian-flagged oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, as the Trump administration awaited Tehran's reply to an American proposal for ending the 10-week-old war. President Donald Trump threatened to escalate beyond the existing naval patrols if no deal materialised.
Iran war pushes tariff and rare earth talks down Trump-Xi summit agenda
The May 14-15 Beijing summit was meant to lock in tariff and rare-earth deliverables. The Iran war has rewritten the agenda. Hormuz, not soybeans, will dominate leader-level time as Trump becomes the first US president back in China since 2017.
Trump pledges to raise Jimmy Lai case in Xi summit talks
Donald Trump heads to Beijing this week pledging to raise the case of jailed Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai in talks with Xi Jinping. Activists call the meeting a narrow window to free the 78-year-old before his 20-year sentence runs.
Reform UK candidate exposed for racist posts wins Sunderland council seat
Glenn Gibbins, exposed days before polling for Facebook posts demanding Nigerians in his town be 'melted down' to fill potholes, was elected to Sunderland City Council on Reform UK's slate. Reform took 58 of 75 seats and ended a 52-year Labour grip on the authority.
Putin holds stripped-back Victory Day parade as Ukrainian drones loom
President Vladimir Putin marked the 81st anniversary of Soviet victory over Nazi Germany on Friday without the tank columns and missile launchers that defined past Red Square parades. The Kremlin tightened anti-drone defences over Moscow as a Trump-brokered three-day ceasefire formally began with no signal of de-escalation.
Britain deploys HMS Dragon to Hormuz as Iran ceasefire frays
The British Ministry of Defence will deploy HMS Dragon to the Middle East to pre-position for a UK and French coalition mission to safeguard Strait of Hormuz shipping, even as a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran shows fresh signs of strain.
Iran ceasefire holds as Bahrain detains 41 over Revolutionary Guard ties
A tenuous ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared to hold on Saturday after US strikes on two Iranian tankers, while Bahrain said it had arrested 41 people accused of links to Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
UAE engages Iranian missiles and drones as Hormuz ceasefire frays
UAE air defences engaged Iranian missiles and drones on Friday, hours after three US Navy destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz under fire, leaving the four-week ceasefire visibly strained.
US disables two more Iranian tankers in Strait of Hormuz as ceasefire frays
U.S. forces disabled two more Iranian oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, hours after Tehran fired ballistic missiles and drones at targets in the United Arab Emirates. The exchange was the most serious since the May 1 ceasefire and pushed Brent crude back above $103 a barrel.
China sends only embassy officials to Moscow May 9 parade as guest list thins
Beijing will skip its government delegation to Russia's Victory Day parade and rely on its embassy alone, while several Central Asian leaders confirmed attendance only at the last minute and Red Square will go without tanks for the first time in nearly two decades.
Three US Navy Destroyers Came Under Iranian Fire in Strait of Hormuz
Three US Navy destroyers came under missile and drone fire from Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the most serious breach of the month-old ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. No American vessels were struck, and the US military responded with self-defense strikes against Iranian launch sites.
Iran seizes oil tanker in Gulf of Oman as US disables two Iranian ships
Iran seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, hours after the US military fired on and disabled two Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. It was the most serious escalation between the two sides since the ceasefire began.
Senedd count begins as Labour faces end of 27-year rule in Wales
Welsh Labour faces the end of a 27-year run in government as the Senedd count begins, with First Minister Eluned Morgan's own seat under threat and Plaid Cymru and Reform UK vying for first place.
China gives former defence ministers suspended death sentences for graft
Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were sentenced to death with reprieve by a military court on graft charges in the harshest anti-corruption penalties yet for senior PLA officials.
Trump announces three-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia starting May 9
President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia starting May 9, calling the agreement a breakthrough after months of diplomatic pressure on both capitals to halt fighting.
Israel strikes Beirut for first time since Lebanon ceasefire, targets senior Hezbollah commander
Israel hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday for the first time since the April 17 Lebanon ceasefire, saying the strike targeted a Hezbollah Radwan force commander. The attack landed as Iran reviews a US peace plan that aides on both sides describe as the closest the war has come to a deal.
Iran weighs US-backed truce framework as Pakistan signals deal close
Pakistani Foreign Ministry says deal is near. Iran is examining the package while Trump revives Project Freedom convoy and presses UN resolution.
US fires on Iranian oil tanker as Trump threatens 'much higher' strikes if talks fail
A US fighter jet shot out the rudder of an Iranian-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump warned Tehran of a heavier bombing campaign if a peace deal slips. Project Freedom is on hold.
Rupiah hits record low as Bank Indonesia tightens FX rules for third time in two months
Bank Indonesia cut the threshold for undocumented dollar purchases to $25,000 on Tuesday after the rupiah closed at a record 17,445. Reserves are draining across emerging Asia, and the post-1998 playbook is showing its age.
Trump revives Project Freedom convoy as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait restore US airspace access
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American destroyers are on station after Riyadh and Kuwait City reversed earlier restrictions blocking US sorties.
Trump motorcade arrives in Beijing as Xi summit goes ahead through Iran war
Armoured Secret Service vehicles spotted on Beijing highways and four C-17s already on the ground signal that the May 14 Trump-Xi summit is on track, even as US forces remain engaged against Iran.
China's top envoy meets Iran's foreign minister in Beijing, calls for full Hormuz reopening
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Beijing on Wednesday and called for a 'comprehensive ceasefire' and full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, days before President Donald Trump arrives in the Chinese capital for a summit with Xi Jinping.
US ships $2.1bn in cheap APKWS rockets to Israel, Qatar and UAE as Iran war drains stockpiles
The State Department on May 1 cleared three emergency foreign military sales totalling $2.1 billion for the APKWS guided rocket, a Korean War-era weapon retrofitted as the West's cost-effective answer to Iranian Shahed drones. Israel and Qatar each get 10,000 rounds; the UAE gets 1,500 air-to-air guidance sections.
UAE's exit from OPEC redraws the global oil order
The UAE's withdrawal from OPEC, made effective May 1, has knocked the third-largest producer out of the cartel and tilted Gulf geopolitics toward Washington. ADNOC accelerated $55 billion in project awards as it pushes capacity to 5 million bpd by 2027.
Starmer faces leadership plot rumours as gilts hit 28-year high before Thursday vote
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is bracing for a politically catastrophic set of local elections on Thursday amid open reports that Labour MPs are plotting to oust him, with British government borrowing costs reaching their highest level in 28 years on Tuesday.
US tables tougher UN resolution threatening Iran with sanctions over Hormuz
The United States and a group of Gulf nations circulated a draft Security Council resolution on Tuesday that threatens Iran with sanctions and "other measures" if it does not stop attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the most concrete diplomatic step yet to break a four-week stand-off over the world's most strategic oil chokepoint.
Trump tells Iran to 'wave white flag' as Hormuz ceasefire frays
Donald Trump on Tuesday demanded Iran 'wave the white flag of surrender,' calling its military 'totally gone' even as Iranian missiles again struck the United Arab Emirates and a four-week-old ceasefire showed fresh signs of strain.
Taiwan defense budget stalls for third time as Trump-Xi summit nears
Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties on Tuesday failed for the third time to break a deadlock over a NT$1.25 trillion ($40 billion) special defense budget, with the latest negotiation collapsing days before US President Donald Trump's mid-May trip to China for a summit with Xi Jinping.
Putin and Zelensky declare rival Victory Day ceasefires as 26 die in fresh strikes
Russia and Ukraine declared rival ceasefires on Monday in the runup to the May 9 anniversary of the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany, even as overnight Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least 26 people across Ukraine and Kyiv accused Moscow of 'utter cynicism.'
Iran ceasefire on the brink as world leaders press Tehran after Hormuz attacks
World leaders piled pressure on Tehran on Tuesday after a salvo of Iranian attacks on the United Arab Emirates and a US-Iran exchange of fire in the Strait of Hormuz left a four-week-old ceasefire on the brink of collapse.
