Chinese villagers hit by worst floods in generations say they had no warning
The residents of Pingtou, a small village in China's southern Guangdong province, are grappling with the worst floods in living memory. While the regi...
Gulf states hosting major U.S. military bases were placed on high alert Sunday after American airstrikes destroyed Iran’s main nuclear sites, raising fears of regional retaliation and a broader conflict that could engulf key energy exporters and destabilise global security.
President Donald Trump confirmed that U.S. forces had "obliterated" key Iranian nuclear sites with bunker-busting bombs during early morning operations. He warned Tehran of further strikes unless it agrees to peace, escalating fears of a broader confrontation.
Heightened military and civilian alerts
In Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, high-level security measures were immediately enacted, sources told Reuters. In Bahrain, where the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet is based, residents were urged to avoid main roads. The interior ministry issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) urging the public to limit travel for safety and to ensure accessibility for emergency services.
Bahrain's Civil Service Bureau also ordered 70% of government employees to work remotely until further notice. At the same time, the kingdom activated its national emergency plan, launched an emergency operations centre, tested sirens, and opened 33 shelters for civilian use.
Kuwait's defence council, meanwhile, declared a state of continuous session and began preparing shelters in major ministry compounds, as reported by the state news agency.
Nuclear safety and U.S. military assets at risk
Authorities in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates confirmed there were no immediate signs of nuclear contamination as a result of the U.S. strikes. However, the risk of retaliation remains high.
Tehran has previously vowed to target U.S. assets in the region, including major military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, if attacked.
"The direct involvement of the United States marks a critical threshold," said Hasan Al Hasan, senior fellow for Middle East Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "This risks drawing the Gulf states, particularly those hosting major U.S. military installations, into a wider and potentially protracted conflict."
Aviation disruptions intensify
The fallout has extended to global air travel. Singapore Airlines cancelled its scheduled flights to Dubai, while British Airways suspended routes to and from Dubai and Doha. The ongoing missile exchanges and instability have led multiple airlines to reroute flights away from Iranian, Iraqi, Syrian, and Israeli airspace.
As Gulf states heighten their emergency responses, the region remains on edge. The escalation following U.S. strikes on Iran is testing the resilience of regional security frameworks and threatening to disrupt both global energy supplies and civilian life in key partner states.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
Chinese automaker Chery has denied an industry-ministry audit that disqualified more than $53 million in state incentives for thousands of its electric and hybrid vehicles, insisting it followed official guidance and committed no fraud.
The peace agreement to be signed by Azerbaijan and Armenia on Friday will be accompanied by bilateral deals on energy, technology, trade, infrastructure, border security and economic cooperation, the White House said.
Russia’s aircraft industry has produced only one of 15 scheduled commercial jets this year, data shows, as sanctions, supply chain gaps and rising interest rates hinder domestic aviation ambitions.
President Donald Trump said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will join him at the White House on Friday for what he called an “Historic Peace Summit,” aimed at formally ending years of conflict.
The U.S. says it is too early to discuss details of any documents that may emerge from an upcoming Azerbaijan-U.S.-Armenia meeting.
On 7 August, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan met in Washington with Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy of the U.S. President. The two leaders witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between SOCAR and ExxonMobil.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment