live Hormuz shipping slows as Iran's Araghchi sets conditions for resumption
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill over the weekend, with five commodity vessels transiting Saturday and none on Sun...
Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit North Korea as early as next week, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported late on Wednesday (21 May) quoting a senior government official.
Another government source cited by Yonhap said a team of Chinese security service and protocol officials had recently been in Pyongyang and that a visit by Xi in late May or early June was likely.
The senior official was quoted as saying Xi, who hosted U.S. President Donald Trump last week, would try to act as a mediator between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
South Korea's foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the report.
China is a key economic and political ally of North Korea, and the two countries have made efforts to reinforce ties that had cooled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
North Korean leader Kim visited Beijing last year and stood alongside Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a major military parade.
Trump, who met Kim three times in his first term to negotiate the North's nuclear programme, has said he would be open to meeting the North Korean leader again and that he had a good relationship with him.
Meanwhile, North Korea said U.S. arms sales to South Korea and other regional allies were fuelling military tensions on the Korean peninsula and across the Asia-Pacific, state media KCNA reported on Thursday.
North Korea's Foreign Ministry said such "reckless" military build-ups would only prompt Pyongyang to further strengthen its own military deterrent to "overwhelm" them, KCNA said.
At least 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, among the deadliest since a June ceasefire. Meanwhile, Qatar denied holding Iranian pilots. It said it had found the remains of one pilot after an airspace violation and had contacted Iran to coordinate a handover.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill over the weekend, with five commodity vessels transiting Saturday and none on Sunday. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington must meet Tehran's conditions for shipping to resume.
A wildfire in Croatia driven by strong winds descended on the tourist town of Omis overnight, engulfing houses, forcing about 1,000 people to evacuate to safety and injuring dozens, fire brigade and health officials said on Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to make the Strait of Hormuz part of U.S. territory have been mocked by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, who said the sea passage "cannot be seized by tweet."
Residents of villages in eastern Indonesia hit by a deadly earthquake that killed at least 54 people were awaiting aid on Monday as rescuers prepared to comb through collapsed buildings in search of people trapped beneath the rubble.
Nearly a week after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, hopes of finding more survivors are fading as rescue teams search collapsed buildings and communities confront widespread destruction.
Central Asia has become a major focus for Eurasian transport investment, with $71.7 billion committed to 114 projects, according to the Eurasian Development Bank’s 2026 Transport Observatory.
The European Union is preparing what foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has described as its most far-reaching sanctions package against Russia since the war in Ukraine began.
Weeks after thousands of students protested in New Delhi over alleged failures in India’s examination system, the so-called Cockroach movement is taking its campaign to the grassroots, launching audits of state-run schools.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany visited Ukraine for the first time since taking office, meeting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv on 15 August to discuss protecting the country’s cultural heritage amid continued Russian attacks.
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