Asia

The Kuwaiti flag is flying high on Sahafa Street to celebrate 65 years since the founding of Kuwait Times, the country's first print newspaper, and 20 since the launch of the digital Kuwait News; they stem from a deep sense of national responsibility

New deals and new impulse to the stalled Greater Sunrise gas project have been announced in a joint media conference by PM Xanana Gusmão and Australia's counterpart Anthony Albanese, alongside his visit to East timor

Risks in ballot transport, counting and certification are a post-vote test for elections: past annulments and court interventions fuel concern among analysts and civil groups; Polls show pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai Party leading, opposition still competitive

EU armies have been designated as ‘terrorist groups’ by Iran's authorities, in retaliatory move following a EU decision to label the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a ‘terrorist organisation’

EU's decision to add Iran's Revolutionary Guards to the list of terrorist organizations has been welcomed by Yemen, describing it as a timely step to deter one of the most dangerous sources of international conflict and instability in the region

The UN Security Council’s renewal of the UN peacekeeping force mandate until 31 December 2027 has been criticized by the North, with its ‘foreign ministry’ urging UN to abandon the federal model and adopt a two-state solution based on sovereign equality

A new round of diplomatic appointments has been carried out, with seven chargé d'affaires named in world capitals; Syria currently counts 54 diplomatic missions and the move is part of ongoing efforts to reorganize the country's diplomatic structure

The election process has begun with the publication of the decree calling for elections in the Official Gazette: expats would vote abroad on 1 and 3 May, election workers would vote in Lebanon on 7 May and resident voters would vote on 10 May

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh honored Omar Yaghi, the Saudi scientist and recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, with a reception at its headquarters in Riyadh

Textiles and wigs reign supreme in North Korea-China trade in 2025: the countries exchanged over $18 million in sanctioned goods and DPRK’s rice imports hit multi-year high in December

1st International Conference on the Archaeology of Oman Peninsula will open on 1 February at Sultan Qaboos University; The three-day event will welcome around 100 scientists, researchers, and archaeologists