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World
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
