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A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan’s Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, May 18, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Israel’s education minister appears to have found a political response to a national schooling crisis: Challenge the data and the body that produced it before the public can fully reckon with the depth of the failure.
The 2025/26 Saudi Pro League title race heads into its final round on Thursday with the champions still to be determined.
The Washington Post reported, citing a Pakistani official, that Iran wants the war to end before any announcement of a nuclear agreement is made.
Sumud Global Flotilla organisers say 38 ships holding 319 activists from dozens of nations were around 250 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza when they were intercepted
SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Finland have opportunities to pursue mutual benefits amid supply chain jitters caused by the Middle East crisis based on their "complementary interests," Finland's economic minister said Tuesday.
The New York Times reported that Iran is embedding missiles beneath mountains and revising its military tactics in preparation for a possible new phase of confrontation.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government has secured three shipments of jet fuel totalling more than 600,000 barrels, or about 100 million litres.
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Latest updatesIran war latest: Trump says Gulf allies persuaded him to call off planned attack against Iran
As fuel prices have climbed amid the conflict with Iran, airfares have followed. Meanwhile, with more people facing a cost of living crisis, the rates for hotels, experiences and even airport sandwiches seemingly creep up every time you look. This means that for many the idea of travelling in 2026 feels like a luxur…
The war may be officially paused but for residents of the Gaza Strip the sense of danger has not lifted.
The first attack targeting an Arab nuclear site has sent a symbolic warning to the United Arab Emirates and its allies, even as Iran and the US remain in negotiations to end the Middle East war, analysts say.
Hello, this is Dylan Butts writing to you from Singapore. Welcome to another edition of the CNBC Daily Open.
PARIS (Reuters) -- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday announced another 30-day extension of a sanctions waiver allowing purchases of Russian seaborne oil to aid "energy-vulnerable" countries hit by the Iran war, reversing plans not to grant an extension.
Hezbollah said on Monday that its fighters carried out 14 attacks against Israeli forces inside southern Lebanon, using explosive drones, rockets and artillery shells.
Qatar condemned the Israeli army’s interception of the Global Freedom Flotilla and the detention of activists aboard aid boats bound for Gaza, describing the operation as a “flagrant violation of international law, humanitarian values, and maritime security”.
President says he has instructed US military to be ready for ‘a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice’ – key US politics stories from Monday 18 May
Topic:Unrest, Conflict and War
In the Middle East, defining moments are not always measured by the size of an explosion or the number of casualties. Sometimes, they are measured by the reaction that follows. After Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the killing of Haddad, one of Hamas’s most prominent military council co…
Oil prices fell Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would postpone a planned military strike on Iran following requests from key Middle Eastern leaders, easing fears of an imminent escalation that could disrupt global crude supplies.
Israeli warplanes launched a violent air strike targeting a building in the al-Mushaqqa area of the Tyre district in southern Lebanon, according to the Palestinian Information Centre.
Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran’s Expediency Council, issued a response after US President Donald Trump said he had delayed a planned military strike on Iran.
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has rejected approval for Israel’s proposed ambassador, citing “policies pursued by the current Israeli authorities,” according to a statement issued by the presidential office on Monday.
SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- Israeli forces have seized a humanitarian aid flotilla carrying a South Korean activist headed for the Gaza Strip, a civic group said Tuesday.
President Lee Jae Myung was set to hold a bilateral summit Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in his hometown of Andong that is expected to cover a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including North Korea and the prolonged US-Iran war in the Middle East.
The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 has surpassed 3,000, Lebanon’s health ministry said on Monday, as cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army continued to escalate.
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US President Donald Trump said Monday he has instructed the US military not to launch an attack on Iran, planned for Tuesday, following requests from the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
El secretario del Tesoro de Estados Unidos, Scott Bessent, habla con reporteros después de una reunión con la primera ministra de Japón, Sanae Takaichi, el martes 12 de mayo de 2026, en Tokio. (AP Foto/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung was set to hold a bilateral summit Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in his hometown of Andong that is expected to cover a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including North Korea and the prolonged U.S.-Iran war in the Middle East.
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Israeli forces have continued intercepting Gaza-bound flotilla vessels in international waters, organisers said on Monday, accusing the Israeli military of seizing additional ships and detaining their crews.
Israeli forces raided several areas in the Ramallah and el-Bireh governorate of the occupied West Bank on Monday evening, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Few had heard of the crude oil-derived chemical until recently, but shortages caused by the blockade of the strait of Hormuz have led to a spike in concern
Asia-Pacific markets were set to open broadly higher Tuesday as oil prices, while elevated, eased slightly following news that President Donald Trump was postponing a scheduled attack on Iran.
Despite a near-halt in daily Hormuz traffic, Bloomberg reports that almost all large non-Iranian tankers that have entered the Persian Gulf during the war appear to have successfully exited with a cargo, underscoring the emergence of a small group of shipowners willing to risk crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Israeli jiu-jitsu fighter Yoav Manor captured a bronze medal over the weekend at the prestigious Abu Dhabi Grand Slam tournament, but the competition ended with a tense scene on the podium involving Kuwaiti gold medalist Jassim Alhatham.
A US foreign policy analyst has said Washington’s stance on Iran is undermining prospects for a diplomatic agreement.
US President Donald Trump has postponed what he described as a planned “very major attack” on Iran, saying Gulf leaders had asked Washington to give negotiations with Tehran another “two or three days.”
US President Donald Trump has postponed what he described as a “very major attack” on Iran, saying Gulf leaders had asked Washington to give negotiations with Tehran another “two or three days.”
A plaque accompanying a new public artwork in New York's historic “Little Syria” neighbourhood has drawn scrutiny, after members of the Lebanese diaspora objected to references describing several renowned Arab-American writers as Syrian rather than Lebanese.
A senior Iranian military commander has issued a stark warning to the United States and its allies, cautioning against any renewed escalation.
Iran is allegedly ready to hand over its highly enriched uranium stockpile to Russia, the Saudi news broadcaster Al Hadath has reported. The idea was floated as part of the latest peace proposal Tehran sent to the US via Pakistan, the outlet said on Monday, citing a leaked document it had obtained.
Iran is allegedly ready to hand over its highly enriched uranium stockpile to Russia, the Saudi news broadcaster Al Hadath has reported. The idea was floated as part of the latest peace proposal Tehran sent to the US via Pakistan, the outlet said on Monday, citing a leaked document it had obtained.
A company owned by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani will pay $275m to resolve a US investigation into alleged breaches of sanctions on Iran, the Treasury Department said.
A foreign policy analyst has challenged Donald Trump’s portrayal of control over the Iran crisis, warning that escalation risks backfiring on the United States.
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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in April announced $10 billion in support for Asian countries facing oil shortages. (Cabinet Office)