Section
Foreign Affairs
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.
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.
Trump says Russia and Ukraine agree to three-day ceasefire and prisoner swap
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a three-day ceasefire and an exchange of 1,000 prisoners each, calling it the possible beginning of the end of a war now in its fourth year.
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.
Pentagon puts Iran war cost at $25 billion, defends $1.5 trillion budget
Pentagon Acting Comptroller Jules Hurst III told the House Armed Services Committee on April 29 that the U.S. has spent about $25 billion on its war against Iran, mostly on munitions. Senate Democrats called the figure lowballed and put the actual running cost at $40 billion to $50 billion.
NATO braces for deeper Trump troop pullback after Germany cuts
European allies expect President Donald Trump to follow his 5,000-troop withdrawal from Germany with cuts in Italy and Spain, possibly scrapping a planned long-range missile deployment and rerouting forces to Poland. Diplomats see the moves as punishment for allies that refused help in the Iran war.
Michigan Republican files bill to end Iran war by July 30
Rep. Tom Barrett, a 22-year Army veteran in a Lansing-area swing district, introduced legislation that would authorise the Iran conflict only through July 30 and bar ground occupation, breaking with the Trump White House view that War Powers deadlines no longer apply.
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.
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.
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.
Trump invites Apple, Nvidia and Exxon CEOs on Beijing trade mission
The Trump administration plans to invite CEOs from Apple, Nvidia, Exxon, Boeing and other major US companies to accompany the president to Beijing next week for trade talks with Xi Jinping aimed at extending a truce agreed in October.
US-China undersea rivalry fuses submarine warfare with race for seabed minerals
Ahead of a Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, the two powers are racing to map the ocean floor, deploy drone submarines, and secure access to deep-sea critical minerals in a contest that merges military strategy with resource extraction.
US disables two more Iranian tankers as Hormuz blockade holds
U.S. forces disabled two Iranian-flagged oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Friday after they attempted to breach the American naval blockade, Central Command said. The strike brought to four the number of Iranian tankers disabled since enforcement began and came as the UAE reported intercepting Iranian missiles and drones over its territory.
Bessent to visit Japan and South Korea ahead of Trump-Xi summit
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will stop in Seoul for talks on foreign exchange and economic cooperation before heading to Beijing, where the Iran war is expected to dominate the first summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping since 2017.
China extends zero-tariff access to all African nations
China has extended zero-tariff treatment to all African nations with which it maintains diplomatic relations, expanding a preferential trade programme that has operated for two decades as bilateral trade hit record levels.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Stanford's Fingar calls Trump tariff policy a complete failure ahead of Xi summit
Former US Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Fingar told the Shanghai Forum that the Trump tariff regime has missed every stated goal. Refunds of $166bn loom as the Supreme Court ruling bites.
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 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.
