Asia

Saudi Arabia

Nearly 270,000 pilgrims without permits stopped from entering Mecca

Authorities in Saudi Arabia are cracking down on illegal journeys to Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage after a larger number of deaths last year due to extreme summer heat. They have thus far denied entry to 269,678 Muslims without Hajj permits.

01/06/2025

Gaza

Dozens killed and scores injured in shooting near aid point in Gaza

At least 31 people were killed and 175 wounded on Sunday, according to local health authorities and multiple witnesses, near an aid point in the Gaza Strip.

01/06/2025

Europe News

EU's Kallas warns against Russia and China's growing alliance

EU's foreign policy chief expressed alarm on Saturday over Russia-China ties amid North Korean troops in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned of Beijing's increasing threat, urging higher defence spending.

31/05/2025

Israel

Tehran recruited Israelis to spy on their homeland

Israeli officials say 20 Iran-related espionage cases have been filed in Israel over the past year and 30 indictments have been issued. Although these files have different stories, their pattern and that of the Iranian intelligence services' target society for recruiting sources is nearly identical.

31/05/2025

Gaza

Hamas responds to US proposal by demanding permanent Gaza ceasefire

As part of its counter-proposal, Hamas has agreed to release 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 deceased ones for 125 Palestinian prisoners and 1,111 detained Gazans.

31/05/2025

Iran

IAEA: Iran has amassed more near weapons-grade uranium

In its report, the International Atomic Energy Agency warns that Iran is now “the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material" — something the agency said was of "serious concern.”

31/05/2025

Singapore

Macron warns US not to abandon Ukraine at expense of focusing on China

Macron said that any shifts to developing a more hard-line deterrent stance in the Indo-Pacific is still tied to how the world — and particularly the West — treats other critical issues.

31/05/2025

Earth News

Tajikistan calls for global effort to preserve melting ice glaciers

Tajikistan, home to the majority of Central Asia's glaciers, is urging global action as climate change accelerates glacier melt. At a high-level international conference in Dushanbe, President Emomali Rahmon proposed launching a major glacier study.

30/05/2025

Space

China spacecraft aims to return with 'groundbreaking' asteroid samples

The Tianwen-2 probe, which was launched on Thursday, represents a "significant step in China’s new journey of interplanetary exploration".

30/05/2025

Japan

China to resume seafood imports from Japan after Fukushima disaster

China blocked imports of Japanese seafood because it said the release of the treated and diluted but still slightly radioactive wastewater would endanger the fishing industry and coastal communities in eastern China.

30/05/2025

Syria

So-called IS claims first attack on Syrian forces since al-Assad fall

The extremist group, which once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq, has opposed the new authority in Damascus led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once the head of al-Qaeda's Syria branch.

30/05/2025

Energy Frontiers

COP29 President urges action ahead of COP30 in Brazil

In partnership with Azpromo

As the world prepares for COP30 in Brazil, we speak to COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev about climate finance, political divisions, and how to turn promises into progress.

30/05/2025

No Comment

Tel Aviv protests demand return of Gaza hostages and end to war

Anti-government protests erupted in Tel Aviv on Thursday night, with demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and a halt to the war.

30/05/2025

Europe News

Deals worth €7bn signed in Meloni visits to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan

The Italian prime minister travelled to Kazakhstan's capital of Astana after first visiting Samarkand in Uzbekistan.

30/05/2025

Gaza

US ceasefire proposal does not meet key demands, says Hamas

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Israel “backed and supported” the new proposal.

30/05/2025

Europe News

Macron signs 'tangible roadmap' AI and tech deal during Singapore trip

Emmanuel Macron's visit to Singapore has led to a new partnership focusing on AI, tech and defence, with both nations promoting multilateralism and cooperation.

30/05/2025

No Comment

Kathmandu rally marks 72 years since first Everest summit

A rally wound through the streets of Kathmandu on Thursday, marking 72 years since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first stood atop Everest and drawing attention to growing concerns over safety and overcrowding.

30/05/2025

Gaza

Israel accepts US ceasefire proposal, Hamas considers the draft

It comes after Middle East envoy Witkoff said earlier this week that he was optimistic about brokering an agreement to end more than 19 months of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

30/05/2025

Syria

US reopens ambassador's residence in bid to warm relations with Syria

Washington has yet to formally reopen its embassy in Syria, which closed in 2012 after protests the government of strongman President Bashar al-Assad was met with brutal crackdown, kickstarting the country’s civil war.

30/05/2025

China

China launches probe to collect samples from asteroid near Mars

China earlier returned rock samples from the moon's far side back to Earth in a historic mission and has welcomed international cooperation.

29/05/2025

West Bank

Israel approves construction of 22 new West Bank settlements

The expansion will include the legalisation of outposts already established by Israeli settlers without official Israeli government approval.

29/05/2025

No Comment

Deadly rush at UN food warehouse as Gaza hunger crisis worsens

Hundreds of Palestinians forced their way into a UN food warehouse in central Gaza on Wednesday, desperate for aid as hunger grips the territory after months of border closures.

29/05/2025

Nepal

Nepal marks 72 years since first conquest of Mount Everest summit

Nepal contains eight of the highest peaks in the world and every year hundreds of foreign climbers fly to the country in South Asia to tackle the mountains.

29/05/2025

No Comment

Everest faces pressure from climate change and overcrowding

Nepal says it must protect Mount Everest as rising climber numbers and climate change put pressure on the world’s highest peak.

29/05/2025

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan and Slovenia strengthen ties with new cooperation deals

Uzbekistan is Slovenia's second-largest foreign trade partner in Central Asia, and the two plan to increase trade turnover to €500 million by further expanding the exchange of goods and services.

29/05/2025

Indonesia

Australian man arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine into Bali

The Southeast Asian country has extremely strict drug laws and convicted smugglers are sometimes executed by firing squad.

29/05/2025