East-West Connect Kazakhstan’s rising oil output boosts its role as global producer In partnership with MDQ
Scenes Watch: The radio-controlled vehicle enthusiasts flying high in Qatar In partnership with Media City The Qatar RC Sports Centre was opened by Sheikh Mohammed bin Fahd Abdullah Al Thani in 2015. 02/06/2025
Syria Syria's stock exchange reopens as Damascus aims to rebuild economy The move to reopen comes as international restrictions on Syria's financial systems begin to ease in a bid to give the country a chance to rebuild after 14 years of civil war. 02/06/2025
Health news Why deceased donation is struggling to catch on in Central Asia Organ transplantation in Kazakhstan relies heavily on living donors due to distrust in the system and religious beliefs. Only 10 out of 86 families consented to donation after death in 2024. 02/06/2025
South Korea South Korea heads to the polls in snap presidential election The new president, who will take office immediately, faces a number of pressing challenges including repairing domestic divisions, navigating US trade tensions and confronting North Korea’s growing nuclear threat. 02/06/2025
Gaza Israel intensifies military operation in northern and southern Gaza Israeli forces demolished the rear wall of the European Hospital and destroyed northern Gaza's only remaining dialysis centre. 02/06/2025
No Comment Queues for food grow in Gaza amid spiralling hunger Long queues formed outside a charity kitchen in Gaza City on Sunday as desperate families carrying empty pots waited for a ladle of watery soup. 02/06/2025
Economy China accuses US of violating trade truce and vows firm retaliation Beijing’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump said on Friday that China had “totally violated” the agreement. 02/06/2025
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
Green 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