U.S. approves Patriot missile deal, but Ukraine faces long wait
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estim...
In a landmark move, U.S. President Donald Trump will welcome the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to the White House on Friday for the signing of a peace framework that includes granting the U.S. exclusive development rights to a strategic transit corridor in the South Caucasus.
According to U.S. officials, the document also provides the United States with exclusive development rights over a strategically important transit corridor in the South Caucasus (the Zangezur corridor). This corridor will be named the 'Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity' (TRIPP).
The framework to be signed aims to establish a 'concrete roadmap to peace' between Armenia and Azerbaijan and to resolve the long-disputed transit corridor issue.
Under the agreement, Armenia has agreed to grant the U.S. long-term infrastructure and management rights. The U.S. will lease the corridor to commercial subcontractors.
U.S. officials say the project will reduce regional tensions and unlock commercial opportunities in a region rich in oil and gas but fractured by ethnic and political divisions.
This breakthrough follows months of U.S.-led diplomacy, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff. Washington believes the peace deal could also pave the way for Azerbaijan’s future participation in the Abraham Accords.
The Middle East conflict remains tense as diplomatic efforts continue alongside renewed Houthi attacks. Iran says it remains open to mediation, while the Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the kingdom.
Evacuations and the provision of humanitarian aid in the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky have begun, a senior Ukrainian official said on Friday. In a statement on Telegram, David Arakhamia said a six-day ceasefire was holding, and that more details would follow.
Rescuers searched the wreckage of two high-speed trains in central Spain on Thursday as the death toll rose to a provisional 74, making it the country's second fatal high-speed rail disaster this year.
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts to reach a deal between the U.S. and Iran, according to an official briefed on the talks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia remains willing to rebuild relations with European countries but warned that any wider conflict on the continent would leave no winners, as he commented on recent diplomatic contacts with Nordic leaders and growing security concerns in the Baltic region.
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan surged by 330 per cent in 2026 despite a four-year ban, the United Nations said on Thursday. Afghan authorities disputed the findings, while Japan urged continued support for farmers seeking alternative livelihoods.
Central Asia could gain up to $640 million a year from closer energy cooperation, but strained electricity grids threaten to limit those gains, with Kazakhstan particularly exposed to regional power shortages and growing pressure on its network.
Georgia and Azerbaijan are stepping up efforts to boost trade, strengthen transport links between Asia and Europe and resolve a longstanding border dispute, as both countries seek to deepen their strategic partnership.
People travelling between Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan could soon be able to pay for purchases using their usual banking apps. Central banks from the five countries are working on linking their national payment systems.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment