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Stories in this section cover various issues and stories from all around the world.

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Chinese using Linkedin to recruit agents in UK

Chinese using Linkedin to recruit agents in UK

An alert issued to MPs, peers and parliamentary staff by security services identified two LinkedIn profiles, which it says are used on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS). It says they act as "civilian recruitment head-hunters", targeting individuals working in British politics to solicit "insider insights". UK Security minister Dan Jarvis has said the government will not tolerate "covert and calculated" attempts to interfere with the UK's sovereign affairs, after MI5 warned MPs of the risk from Chinese spies. Jarvis announced a package of measures in the House of Commons to tackle espionage threats to the UK.
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UN Security Council approves Gaza Peace Plan

UN Security Council approves Gaza Peace Plan

Unlike earlier drafts, the resolution references a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood. It is language several council members pushed for. Israel strongly opposes the creation of a Palestinian state - a significant hurdle in the path to future statehood. Key Arab states had pressured drafters of the resolution to include Palestinian self-determination in the text. The UN secretary general's spokesperson stressed that the resolution needed to "translate... into concrete and urgently needed steps on the ground" and lead to "a political process for the achievement of the two-state solution". The US, the Palestinian Authority, and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have called for the quick adoption of the resolution. The Palestinian Authority (PA) said in a statement that the resolution's terms needed to be implemented "urgently and immediately". Russia and China did not exercise the vetoes they possess, but abstained to allow the resolution to pass, largely because the PA and eight other Arab and Muslim nations backed it.

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Editor's choice
News
Israel accepts US proposal for temporary Gaza ceasefire

Israel accepts US proposal for temporary Gaza ceasefire

Israel has accepted a new U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, the White House said on Thursday. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Israel “backed and supported” the new proposal. Hamas officials gave the Israeli-approved draft a cool response, but said they wanted to study the proposal more closely before giving a formal answer.
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Syria and Israel in direct talks focused on security

Syria and Israel in direct talks focused on security

Israel and Syria are in direct contact and have in recent weeks held face-to-face meetings aimed at calming tensions and preventing conflict in the border region between the two longtime foes, according to an exclusive Reuters report. The contacts mark a significant development in ties between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades, as the U.S. encourages the new Islamist rulers in Damascus to establish relations with Israel and Israel eases its bombardment of Syria.
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Russia, Ukraine complete record prisoner exchange amidst Russian barrage of drones against Ukraine

Russia, Ukraine complete record prisoner exchange amidst Russian barrage of drones against Ukraine

Russia announced on Sunday it had exchanged another 303 Ukrainian prisoners of war for the same number of Russian soldiers held by Kyiv, the last phase of the largest-ever such swap between the warring countries. Russia and Ukraine have over three days "carried out the exchange of 1,000 people for 1,000 people", the defence ministry said. Meanwhile,  US President Donald Trump called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "crazy" on Sunday after Moscow launched a deadly barrage of drones against Ukraine.
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Monday Commentary
The tragedy in Gaza will haunt the West for a long time to come

The tragedy in Gaza will haunt the West for a long time to come

In the last few days, the EU and the UK took the first public steps to censure Israel for its actions in Gaza. It was done ever so gently that one could not be blamed for not noticing, but politically it was a seismic step taken after much consideration and soul-searching, and it will have long-term implications. But for many, it is too little, too late. Gaza is a tragedy that the West has been unable to prevent. It will haunt the West, particularly Europe for a long time to come.
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Trump recommends 50% tariff on the European Union, starting 1st June

Trump recommends 50% tariff on the European Union, starting 1st June

US President Donald Trump on Friday said he is “recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union” after complaining that trade negotiations have stalled. The steep new import duties would start on 1st June, Trump wrote on Truth Social. The EU “has been very difficult to deal with,” Trump wrote. “Our discussions with them are going nowhere!”
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Monday Commentary
Controlling the narrative

Controlling the narrative

Donald Trump’s second presidency in the United States has been marked by a series of outrageous statements and actions that have gripped world attention. Some, like the demand that Canada becomes the 51st state, will never happen, others, like the threat to invade Greenland, are unlikely to happen and, on some, President Trump will change his mind, as he often does. Regardless, they provide a distraction to other acts that, whilst equally outrageous, received less attention, even if they form part of Trump’s core strategy. In this category, one can put the dismissal of Carla Hayden as the Librarian of Congress and Colleen Shogan as Archivist of the United States. Their replacement with Trump loyalists is a signal of Trump’s determination to control the narrative about his presidency, define what is truth and what is a lie, and make sure future generations will depend on a doctored history.
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Russia and Ukraine agree prisoner exchange but no progress made in peace talks

Russia and Ukraine agree prisoner exchange but no progress made in peace talks

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange but failed to reach a breakthrough during their first direct peace talks since 2022, held in Istanbul without either Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelensky. Sitting down under pressure from the US president, Donald Trump, Ukraine had pushed for a 30-day ceasefire before the talks. Moscow rejected this, appearing to stick to its maximalist demands, including sweeping restrictions on Ukrainian sovereignty.
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US lifts sanctions against Syria and urges normalised relations with Israel

US lifts sanctions against Syria and urges normalised relations with Israel

US President Donald Trump met with Syria's president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and urged him to normalise ties with longtime enemy Israel, after an announcement that US would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government. Trump met the Syrian president before a summit between the United States and Gulf Arab countries. They shook hands in the presence of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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President Trump signs $142 billion arms package during visit to Saudi Arabia

President Trump signs $142 billion arms package during visit to Saudi Arabia

The US has agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, according to a White House fact sheet that called it "the largest defence cooperation agreement" Washington has ever done. The agreement, signed during US President Donald Trump's visit to the Saudi capital Riyadh, covers deals with more than a dozen U.S. defence companies in areas including air and missile defence, air force and space advancement, maritime security and communications, the fact sheet said. Saudi Arabia is the largest customer of U.S. arms.