Asia

Iran

Iran delegation in Qatar seeks deal on frozen assets and Hormuz

A high-level Iranian delegation led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, FM Abbas Araghchi and central bank chief Abdolnaser Hemmati arrived in Doha on Monday to discuss US accords and the unfreezing of blocked assets, according to anonymous sources familiar with the talks.

25/05/2026

Kazakhstan

Tokyo governor urges capitals to share best practices on Astana visit

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike discussed hydrogen energy, AI cooperation and urban resilience during visits to the Netherlands and Kazakhstan.

25/05/2026

Saudi Arabia

Muslim pilgrims begin hajj as Iran peace deal hangs in the balance

Despite the uncertainty triggered by the Iran war, Saudi officials noted over the weekend that more pilgrims had travelled from abroad to participate in this year’s hajj than in 2025.

25/05/2026

No Comment

Panic at Tokyo luxury mall after man sprays unidentified substance

Firefighters, police and hazmat crews surrounded a luxury shopping mall in Tokyo’s Ginza district after a man sprayed an unidentified substance inside, with 19 people taken to hospital.

25/05/2026

Bangladesh

Truck overturns in central Bangladesh, killing at least 15 people

Road accidents kill thousands every year in the nation of more than 170 million people because of lax oversight of traffic rules, bad road conditions and unskilled driving.

25/05/2026

Space

What to know about China’s year-long Shenzhou-23 space mission

The astronauts will be testing how a year in space affects their body and will be conducting more than 100 experiments, like growing embryos and rice.

25/05/2026

Azerbaijan

Housing crisis is a matter of governance and not funding, city leaders tell World Urban Forum

Mayors from Turkey to Malaysia told Euronews at the World Urban Forum in Baku that poor coordination between local and central governments is blocking housing delivery worldwide.

25/05/2026

United Arab Emirates

Hormuz turmoil 'serious' risk for Europe, top UAE adviser warns

UAE presidential adviser Dr Anwar Gargash said at a conference in Prague that the Strait of Hormuz is a European energy problem, not a distant regional one, as the region continues to face the worst instability in decades.

25/05/2026

Europe

Vučić defends Serbia's Chinese ties on controversial visit to Beijing

Xi Jinping has welcomed a run of world leaders in recent months, including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

25/05/2026

Iran

Iran executes two over protests, war and sentences four more to death

Iran executed two men over the January protests and the war while a Tehran court sentenced four to death in a 2022 protest case amid UN condemnation.

25/05/2026

Iran

Iran says charging fees for 'navigational services' through Hormuz

Iran effectively shuttered the crucial waterway in the early days of the war and in mid-April the US responded by imposing its own blockade on Iranian ports.

25/05/2026

No Comment

Climbers race up giant bun tower at Hong Kong’s colourful Bun Festival

Contestants climbed a 14-metre tower covered in thousands of steamed buns during Hong Kong’s annual Bun Scrambling Competition, one of the highlights of the traditional Cheung Chau Bun Festival.

25/05/2026

Philippines

Four dead, 17 still missing after collapse of hotel in Philippines

Officials said up to 70 people were employed at the construction site, though most had gone home for the weekend.

25/05/2026

Japan

Around 20 people injured after spraying incident in Tokyo mall

Roads around the building in the shopping district of Ginza, where the mall is located, were blocked off following the incident, and fire trucks lined the street.

25/05/2026

Pakistan

Pakistan train bombing kills at least 24

Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said he strongly condemned the "heinous bomb explosion" and sent his condolences to the victims' families.

24/05/2026

Iran

Trump says agreement to end Iran war 'largely negotiated'

The US president announced on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that a deal with Tehran to end the Iran war was "largely negotiated" subject to approval, ending speculation over the possible resumption of strikes against Iran and broader conflict in the region.

23/05/2026

Iran

US and Iran 'getting a lot closer' to an agreement, Trump says

The US and Iran are close to signing a Pakistan-drafted framework agreement to end the war, with a decision expected within 48 hours, according to officials who spoke in anonymity. The proposal sets a 30-to-60-day window to negotiate details, though nuclear issues are excluded.

23/05/2026

China

Xi Jinping urges 'all-out rescue' after coal mine explosion kills 82

Six emergency rescue teams consisting of 345 personnel have since been sent to the scene, the Xinhua state news agency reported on Saturday.

23/05/2026

Iran

Pakistan's army chief in Tehran as Rubio signals peace talks progress

US President Donald Trump has described the stop-start negotiations this week as teetering on the "borderline" between a deal and renewed attacks.

23/05/2026

Travel News

Anime fans boost tourism across Asia with pilgrimages to attractions

An anime-inspired ‘set-jetting’ travel trend is surging in Asia, with Trip.com reporting a 195% year-on-year rise in searches for anime and comic-related tourism experiences.

23/05/2026

Uzbekistan

UAE-backed programme broadens assessment of public institutions

Joint Uzbek and Emirati evaluation teams reviewed ministries and agencies using criteria including transparency, digitalisation and service delivery. Officials say future assessments will place greater emphasis on measurable results.

22/05/2026

Azerbaijan

Bigger than ever: WUF13 ends with global call for action

As the World Urban Forum ended in Baku on Friday, the debate on the future of cities evolved beyond architecture, infrastructure and skylines to the urgent global question of how can cities withstand conflict, climate change, rapid urbanisation and inequality without leaving communities behind.

22/05/2026

No Comment

Lebanon opens seafront tent camp in Beirut as Israeli strikes displace 1 million

Lebanon has opened a large tent camp on the seafront in Beirut to shelter civilians displaced by Israeli bombardment and fighting linked to Hezbollah, as more than one million people have now been forced from their homes.

22/05/2026

Business

Egypt to ship Cypriot gas to Europe in QatarEnergy deal

QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil have signed a deal with Egypt to pipe Cypriot offshore gas to Egyptian liquefaction facilities for export to Europe — the latest sign that Egypt is becoming the Eastern Mediterranean's dominant energy hub.

22/05/2026

Focus

One Turkic Vision: AI, connectivity and a tech-driven future

In partnership with MDQ

Held in the historic city of Turkistan, the informal summit of the Organisation of Turkic States focused on building a shared digital future across the Turkic world.

22/05/2026

Taiwan

No notification from US on pause to €12bn arms sale, Taiwan says

Like other countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Beijing, the US doesn't recognise Taiwan as a country, but Washington remains the island’s strongest backer and arms supplier.

22/05/2026