News
Uzbekistan’s Mirziyoyev, Azerbaijan’s Aliyev chart new course for $1bn in trade and regional connectivity
The president of Uzbekistan is currently in Azerbaijan for a state visit that signals a deepening strategic alliance between the two countries, as Tashkent and Baku move to elevate annual trade to $1bn and expand cooperation across the board.
Putin congratulates Belarusian President Lukashenko on Independence Day
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko on Belarus’s Independence Day on July 3, highlighting their long-standing cultural ties and emphasising their common fight against the Nazis in WWII.
UPDATE: Kurdish PKK announces plans to surrender fighters' weapons in northern Iraq
The Kurdistan Workers' Party announced on July 3 that its fighters in northern Iraq will begin surrendering weapons in the first concrete step toward disarmament as part of peace efforts
Trump pressure pushes BYD out of Mexico
China’s electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD has shelved plans to build a major manufacturing plant in Mexico, citing geopolitical volatility and the current trade stance of the United States under President Donald Trump.
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Serbia enters fifth day of protests, 79 arrested overnight
Serbian police detained 79 people overnight as student-led protests and acts of civil disobedience entered their fifth consecutive day.
Poland to invest $665mn to boost its domestic ammunition output to 1mn rounds a year
Poland will invest PLN2.6bn ($665mn) to increase its domestic ammunition output, the government announced on July 2, as it seeks to strengthen national defence capabilities and support Ukraine's military needs.
Iran rebuts German criticism over IAEA cooperation suspension
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has dismissed German criticism of Tehran's decision to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Saudi Arabia activates first Thaad missile defence system
Saudi Arabia has activated its inaugural Terminal High Altitude Area Defence missile battery, marking a significant enhancement to the kingdom's air protection capabilities.
Ukraine, allies put on a brave face as US weapons supplies stop
Washington halted the delivery of missiles used in air defence and ammunition to Kyiv on July 1, claiming its own stocks were dwindling causing consternation in Kyiv which is battling to hold off massive Russian drone and missile barrages.
EU taxpayers funnelled up to €5.5bn into Orban's kleptocracy, anti-graft watchdog claims
Between 2011 and 2023, EU taxpayers may have unwittingly contributed €3.2–5.5bn to the consolidation of Viktor Orban’s kleptocratic regime, according to a new study by the Corruption Research Centre Budapest.
Fuel tanker explosion in Jebrin, Syria, kills seven, injures many
A devastating explosion rocked the town of Jebrin in the Hama countryside, central Syria, on July 2 after a fuel tanker caught fire.
3,000 new fighters join Syrian Army’s 76th division following Aleppo academy graduation
The event highlighted the military leadership’s commitment to ongoing development and strengthening the defence institution’s role in securing stability and security.
Serbian police crack down on student protests
Serbian police intensified their crackdown on student-led protests late Tuesday and into the early hours of Wednesday, detaining several demonstrators and dismantling road blockades as a wave of civil disobedience entered its fourth day.
Trump announces Gaza ceasefire progress as Israel agrees to key terms
US President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that Israeli and American representatives have discussed conditions for his Gaza ceasefire plan.
Slovak opposition accuses government of siding with Hungary in ending Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros dispute
Slovak opposition parties accused the left-right cabinet of Prime Minister Robert Fico of securing favourable terms for Hungary by bringing the long-standing Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric power plant System dispute to an end.
Azerbaijan arrests eight Russians as diplomatic crisis deepens over Yekaterinburg killings
Killings of two Azerbaijani brothers by the Russian FSB in Yekaterinburg sparked the most serious confrontation between Baku and Moscow since independence.
UK Foreign Office summons Georgian chargé d’affaires over ruling party crackdown
London officially condemns the Georgian Dream government’s crackdown on civil society, independent media and its political opponents.
Serbia gripped by civil unrest as road blockades continue
Thousands of demonstrators, led by student groups, have blocked key roads and intersections nationwide since June 29.
Russian forces take full control of Luhansk for the first time, advance in other new regions
Russian forces have reportedly taken full control of the region of Luhansk and a village in Ukraine’s east-central Dnipropetrovsk region, marking the first such advance in the area since the war began, reported Reuters, citing Russian media.
€220,000 Rolls-Royce owned by Russia-linked mayor of Kaunas hits pedestrian
Visvaldas Matijosaitis, mayor of Kaunas, Lithuania’s second-largest city and one of the country's richest men, struck a pedestrian with his ca €220,000 Rolls-Royce on June 30 at a pedestrian crossing in the city.