Tea, Treaties and Taiwan: Trump–Xi Summit Ends With Symbols, Signals and Unanswered Questions

The final scene was almost cinematic. After three days of high-level diplomacy, President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping sat down for tea inside the White House before travelling to the National Archives, where the two leaders viewed some of the documents that helped define the United States. There were no dramatic announcements. No...

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Hormuz Becomes the Price of a Nuclear Deal as Tehran Draws a Red Line

For Washington, the Strait of Hormuz is a global artery. For Tehran, it has become something more: a bargaining table. Iran has made clear that reopening the strategically vital waterway will not come cheaply. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that even if the United States accepts Tehran’s proposal to reopen the strait, Iran is...

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The Middle East’s Next Fault Line: Saudi Arabia, Hormuz and a Region Searching for an Exit

The Middle East is entering another dangerous phase — and this time the warning signs are coming from several directions at once. In New York, the United Nations Security Council issued an unusually united condemnation of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, citing strikes that have affected civilian and energy infrastructure and injured civilians, including women...

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The Strait at the Centre of a Dangerous Diplomatic Chessboard

The latest chapter in the Iran crisis is no longer being written only on battlefields. It is being negotiated in presidential meetings, foreign-minister offices and diplomatic corridors stretching from Washington and Beijing to Doha, Islamabad, Moscow and New York. At the centre of it all sits a narrow strip of water whose importance reaches far...

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Italy’s Classrooms Become the New Battleground Over Migration

A school classroom has become the latest stage for Italy’s increasingly heated argument over migration — and the timing is raising as many questions as the policy itself. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has approved measures that would limit the proportion of newly arrived students with insufficient Italian-language skills in classrooms, require some parents to...

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When the UN Stage Became a Political Battlefield

The United Nations General Assembly was supposed to be a platform for diplomacy. Instead, Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest appearance became a collision point between Israel’s defence of its Gaza war, international legal pressure and an increasingly divided global audience. As the Israeli prime minister delivered his address, dozens of delegates walked out in protest. Outside the...

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From Daraa to Kfar Shuba, Southern Frontiers Face Renewed Pressure

The landscape along Israel’s northern frontiers is once again becoming a map of movement, checkpoints and gunfire. In southern Syria, an Israeli military patrol entered the Wadi al-Ruqad area of western Daraa province on Friday and opened fire, according to Syrian state media. No casualties were immediately reported, but the incident reportedly unsettled residents of...

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Xi’s Message in Washington: Keep the Rivalry, Avoid the Collision

The most revealing moment of Xi Jinping’s White House visit may not have been the ceremony, the state dinner or even the warm handshakes. It was the metaphor. Standing before an audience in Washington, the Chinese president described China-US relations as a “giant ship” that must be steered toward the future. The message was strikingly...

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An Empty Chamber, a Defiant Speech: Netanyahu Faces a UN Showdown

NEW YORK — For a speech designed to project strength, the most powerful image came before Benjamin Netanyahu had even finished his first sentence. As the Israeli prime minister stepped onto the United Nations stage on Thursday, September 24, dozens of delegates rose from their seats and walked out. The chamber, already surrounded by controversy,...

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Saudi Arabia’s Warning Bells Ring as Houthi Missiles Push Yemen War Toward a Wider Front

The latest Houthi missile attacks have turned Saudi Arabia’s warning systems into a stark reminder that Yemen’s war is no longer confined to Yemen. Saudi authorities said six ballistic missiles were intercepted on Thursday after emergency alerts were issued across several regions, including Makkah, Taif, Jeddah, Yanbu and Tabuk. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said...

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Hormuz Becomes the Bargaining Table: Washington and Tehran Test a Fragile Path Out of War

For nearly seven months, the conflict between the United States and Iran has been fought not only with missiles and sanctions, but with something far more consequential: leverage. Now, in New York, that leverage is being placed on the negotiating table. According to sources familiar with the talks, US and Iranian negotiators are exploring a...

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The War Is Spreading: Missiles, Maritime Chokepoints and a Region Under Pressure

The latest developments across the Middle East suggest that the conflict is no longer confined to a single battlefield. From Saudi Arabia’s skies and Yemen’s front lines to the Red Sea, the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Indian Ocean, the geography of confrontation appears to be expanding — while diplomacy struggles to keep pace....

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The War Is Spreading: Missiles, Maritime Chokepoints and a Region Under Pressure

The latest developments across the Middle East suggest that the conflict is no longer confined to a single battlefield. From Saudi Arabia’s skies and Yemen’s front lines to the Red Sea, the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Indian Ocean, the geography of confrontation appears to be expanding — while diplomacy struggles to keep pace....

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