Saudi Arabia extends $5bn support to Pakistan as IMF reforms ease financing pressure
Saudi Arabia has extended a $5 billion financial facility for Pakistan until December 2028, easing the country's external financing pressure as Islama...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 21st May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Day five of the World Urban Forum 13 kicks off in Baku with another full day of events on sustainable housing and urban development. Azerbaijan’s Pavilion will showcase post-conflict reconstruction in Garabagh and East Zangezur. Elsewhere at the conference, there will be sessions on how urban development can include disabled people and the impact of cities on mental wellbeing, as well as countless other events.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas have condemned Israel's treatment of activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla. A video shared on X by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir showed dozens of activists kneeling in rows outdoors with their hands restrained by zip ties. The activists were aboard a flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces on Tuesday (19 May).
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (20 May) that he was preparing to wait a few days to “get the right answers” from Tehran for a peace deal to bring about an end to the conflict between the two countries. But Trump warned that the situation was “on the borderline” and threatened further attacks on Iran if it rejected a peace deal. Iran says it's reviewing the latest response from Washington.
Britain has struck a trade deal with six Arab states worth £3.7 billion ($4.96 billion) per year. The agreement was signed between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping confirmed the strong relationship between the two countries during a meeting in Beijing on Wednesday (20 May). Putin said ties were at an “unprecedentedly high level,” while Xi described relations as “unyielding.” The two leaders criticised U.S. security policy and signalled no shift in position on Ukraine.
French DJ and electropop musician Kavinsky, whose atmospheric sound shaped a generation of electronic music fans, has died at the age of 50, French authorities said on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia said its overnight strikes on Iran-backed group targets in Iraq were carried out in self-defence and warned it would take further military action if the groups launched new attacks against the kingdom.
Yemen warned the Houthis were seeking to replicate Iran's Strait of Hormuz strategy in the Red Sea, as U.S. President Donald Trump said there was a "good chance" of a deal with Tehran but warned strikes could resume if talks failed.
The U.S. military said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran, a two-hour operation that hit dozens of targets. Washington described the strikes as a "powerful response" to Iranian missile attacks targeting U.S. forces in the Middle East a day earlier.
A fire involving two gas vessels at Egypt's Damietta port has prompted conflicting reports over whether the incident was caused by a drone strike or an onboard technical fault. Egyptian authorities said there were no casualties.
Thousands of migrants have crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco, overwhelming border security and prompting local authorities to call for a national emergency and military deployment.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a missile that crashed in eastern Poland overnight was most likely Russian, after the incident prompted the country to scramble fighter jets and place its air defences on high alert.
Tehran and Moscow have discussed a deadly Ukrainian drone strike on an Iranian commercial vessel in Russia’s territorial waters in the Caspian Sea, while also reviewing broader cooperation in the region.
The European Union has released €3.47 billion ($4 billion) to Ukraine to help finance the purchase of drones, missiles, air defence systems and Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets, the European Commission has announced.
Iran is expected to receive its first shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defence missile launchers within weeks, according to three sources familiar with the agreement, in an exclusive interview with Reuters.
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