The United Kingdom has re-established diplomatic relations with Syria for the first time in over a decade, Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed on Sunday during a landmark visit to the Syrian capital, Damascus. Marking the first visit by a British minister to Syria in 14 years, Mr Lammy described the development as a “renewed hope for the Syrian people” and pledged Britain’s support for rebuilding the war-torn country. “It is…

Brussels is entering a critical week as EU leaders scramble to secure a last-minute trade agreement with Washington in a bid to stave off punitive US tariffs that could reach as high as 50%. With only two days of negotiations remaining before President Donald Trump’s 9 July deadline, tensions are mounting on both sides of the Atlantic. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on Friday that talks, which continued through…

Israel has continued its air assault on Gaza, launching fresh waves of strikes just hours after Hamas announced it was ready to enter immediate talks on a US-backed 60-day ceasefire proposal, raising cautious hopes of a pause in hostilities that have now stretched into a 21-month war. The militant Islamist group’s announcement on Saturday fuelled optimism that a temporary truce, and perhaps the foundation for a permanent settlement, could be…

Pete Hegseth, the United States defence secretary, has reportedly halted a crucial shipment of military aid to Ukraine, citing unsubstantiated fears that America’s weapons stockpiles have become dangerously depleted. The aid package, which included air defence missiles and precision munitions, had been pledged during Joe Biden’s presidency to support Ukraine’s resistance against Russia’s full-scale invasion, launched in 2022. The Pentagon’s sudden reversal, however, has sparked widespread concern and confusion among…

World leaders from India, the United States and Taiwan paid tribute on Sunday to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, as he marked his 90th birthday, a milestone that casts a renewed spotlight on the future of Tibet and rising tensions with China. The revered figure, who calls himself a “simple Buddhist monk”, celebrated the occasion in India, where he has lived since 1959 after fleeing Tibet during…

In a striking shift that raises questions about the ideological direction of BRICS, neither Russia’s President Vladimir Putin nor China’s President Xi Jinping will attend the upcoming summit in Brazil, set to begin on Sunday. This marks a rare absence for both leaders, who have historically been staunch advocates of the bloc once seen as the developing world’s alternative to the G7. Xi, 72, has been a fixture at BRICS…

³Donald Trump has announced that discussions with China over a possible deal involving TikTok are set to begin on Monday or Tuesday, stating that the United States “pretty much” has a deal in place for the sale of the popular short-video app. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, the US president said, “I think we’re gonna start Monday or Tuesday … talking to China, perhaps President Xi…

U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law a massive package of tax and spending cuts at the White House on Friday, staging an outdoor ceremony on the Fourth of July holiday that took on the air of a Trump political rally. With military jets flying overhead and hundreds of supporters in attendance, Trump signed the bill one day after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the signature legislation of the president’s second term.…

Hamas has said it responded on Friday “in a positive spirit” to a US-brokered ceasefire proposal for Gaza and expressed readiness to enter fresh talks on implementing the deal, which includes the release of hostages and the beginning of negotiations toward a permanent end to the nearly 21-month conflict with Israel. The announcement followed President Donald Trump’s unveiling of what he described as a “final proposal” for a 60-day ceasefire.…

More than 20 people, including nine police officers and a firefighter, were injured on Friday morning following a massive explosion at a petrol station in the Prenestino district of eastern Rome

Ukraine has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “publicly humiliating” Donald Trump after Russia launched a record-breaking overnight missile and drone assault on Kyiv, just hours after a phone call between the two leaders. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the seven-hour attack as a “deliberate act of terror” that offered a chilling glimpse into “how Moscow interprets diplomacy”. The timing, he said, made it clear that the strike was a direct…

The executive director of UNAids has issued a grave warning that HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are set to soar in the coming years following what she describes as “seismic” cuts to US aid spending. Winnie Byanyima, head of the global agency tackling HIV and AIDS, said in an interview at the UN international development summit in Seville that if the funding loss becomes permanent, the world could face an…