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Hormuz shipping in focus as Iran-US rhetoric heats up

Analysts say door to diplomacy still open despite exchange of attacks and threats.

Algeria and Mali restore diplomatic ties following yearlong rift

Relations begin to thaw as both countries reinstate ambassadors, reopen airspace closed to each other since April 2025.

China-India diplomats are shaking hands, but it’s no holds barred for web users. Why?

The Chinese ambassador to India’s attempt at bridge-building has triggered a fierce nationalist backlash back home, including accusations that he has lost sight of his role. “The ambassador seems to have forgotten his actual job,” one social media user wrote this month of Xu Feihong, arguing that the envoy’s role was to make Indians more friendly towards China – not the other way round. Another took a xenophobic turn, accusing Xu of “letting hundreds of thousands, even millions, of Indian...

Can the agreement between Iran and the US be rescued?

Latest attacks jeopardise ceasefire and memorandum of understanding.

China boosts North Korea partnership with rare praise during high-profile visit

North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song has begun his three-day trip to China, as Beijing offers rare praise for its socialist neighbour’s economic achievements. Pak, a member of the Politburo Presidium of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, landed at Beijing Capital International Airport on Friday morning accompanied by a joint party and government delegation. He is expected to attend an event marking the 65th anniversary of the signing of Beijing’s only formal defence pact, the China-North Korea...

Venezuela’s turn to Israel is about survival, not conviction

Delcy Rodriguez is courting Israel only to secure Washington’s support and undercut her main rival.

PM Modi meets Australia's Opposition leader, discusses bilateral ties

The Prime Minister landed in Australia on July 8 after completing his visit to Indonesia. From here, he is scheduled to leave for New Zealand — the last leg of his six-day, three-nation tour.

Modi, Albanese call on all parties to ‘exercise restraint’ and de-escalate tensions in the Gulf

PMs say maritime security cooperation is key to peaceful Indo-Pacific; welcome deal for long-term uranium exports from Australia; reiterates “strong support” for India’s membership in Nuclear Suppliers’ Group

The story of India-Indonesia collaboration in the 1940s | Explained

From Nehru’s diplomatic support to Biju Patnaik’s daring mission, India played a significant role in Indonesia’s struggle for independence. Here’s how the partnership took shape in the 1940s

Philippine president backs defence chief over China sanctions

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has broken his silence on China’s sanctions against his defence chief, in remarks seen as a closing of ranks that could complicate diplomacy between Manila and Beijing in the near term. Observers say the president’s public backing of outspoken Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro amounts to a “good cop, bad cop” approach that signals Manila’s resolve and may strengthen defence cooperation with its allies. Speaking to reporters in Vancouver over the...

Beyond payments: India aims to architect Indonesia’s digital future

India’s wildly popular digital payments system, which began as a way for people to send money instantly by phone, could help the country turn one of its biggest domestic technology successes into a tool of diplomacy, analysts say. That opportunity is coming into focus in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, where officials are studying whether India’s low-cost digital systems can be adapted to their own needs. The talks centre on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), India’s instant...

Indian ambassador to China urges deeper economic ties, touts AIIB as model

Creating “new institutional architecture” like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) could ease “security-first” economics globally, New Delhi’s new top envoy to Beijing has suggested, as both countries work to mend ties. Vikram Doraiswami, who took up the post in May, also called for greater access for Indian products to China and more Chinese investment in India, efforts that he said would benefit relations between the two Himalayan neighbours. The senior diplomat said countries were...

Norway urges China to help bring Russia to Ukraine peace talks

Norway wants China to use its ⁠ties to the Russian ⁠leadership to help bring about ⁠a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine, also for the sake of better relations with Europe, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Monday. “China is probably the country with the ‌best and most direct access to the Russian leadership. We expect, hope and strongly urge China to use that channel,” he told reporters after meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Oslo. The biggest chunk of their...

Macron arrives in Syria for talks ahead of NATO summit in Turkiye

The French president is the first leader from western Europe to visit Syria since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

Bangladesh courts China even as ties with India improve

Relations between Dhaka and Delhi, that turned frosty under the interim government, are on the mend.

Trump to meet Ukraine’s Zelensky and Syria’s Sharaa during Nato summit in Turkey

US President Donald Trump plans to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday while attending the Nato summit in Turkey, the White House said. Those discussions will come as Kyiv tries to refocus Trump’s attention on the conflict with Moscow and as Trump has publicly mused about Syria’s role in the Middle East. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly confirmed the meetings in a call with reporters while previewing the summit in Ankara, where Trump...

EAM Jaishankar meets Qatar PM; reviews bilateral cooperation, regional developments

During the ongoing visit, Mr. Jaishankar will meet his counterparts and top leaders of the four Gulf countries to enhance bilateral relations and exchange views on regional developments and issues of mutual interest

How bitter Persian Gulf rivals can make peace the Asean way

“The Emiratis – by far the most hawkish, by far the most pro-Israel country in the [Gulf Cooperation Council] – they’re having conversations with the Iranians that have never happened before,” US Vice-President J.D. Vance told British media outlet UnHerd following the Iran-US negotiations in Switzerland. The Iranians “are certainly talking differently than they have in the past”, he added in a note of cautious optimism, highlighting how both Washington and its allies in the Persian Gulf are...

Chinese foreign minister calls on Sweden to help rebuild trust between the countries

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Sweden to help rebuild trust between the two countries and cultivate a “correct perception” of each other despite their frictions in recent years. “Sweden was the first Western country that established diplomatic relations with China, which showed Sweden’s independence and strategic foresight while setting an example globally,” Wang told Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm on Saturday, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. “Although...

Why US and China are struggling to reach a consensus over future shape of relationship

China and the United States may have agreed to establish a “constructive” relationship characterised by “strategic stability” but deep-seated differences have left the future shape of the relationship looking uncertain, a forum in Beijing heard on Saturday. Looking ahead to President Xi Jinping’s possible US visit later this year, Sun Yun, director of the China programme at US think tank the Stimson Centre, said such trips typically required a list of deliverables, “but to my knowledge, both the...

Lebanon’s Aoun calls on US to keep ‘always standing beside’ his country

In a congratulatory message on US Independence Day, Aoun says he hopes Lebanon can 'open a new page of hope'.

No need for India to take a leaf out of Pakistan’s Iran mediation book, says envoy

Mediating in an “already crowded” field on the Iran crisis would not have benefited India, said Ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami

No need for India to take a leaf out of Pakistan’s Iran mediation book, says envoy

Mediating in an “already crowded” field on the Iran crisis would not have benefited India, said Ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami

Bihar Guv. Hasnain and MoS Margherita attend Ali Khamenei's funeral ceremony in Tehran

Former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid is representing the Congress party at the funeral ceremony

Saudi deputy foreign minister pays respects at Khamenei funeral

Saudi Arabia’s Vice Foreign Minister Walid al-Khuraiji unexpectedly attended the former Supreme Leader's funeral

PM Modi to visit Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand from July 6-11

The first leg of his visit will be to Indonesia, after which he will travel to Australia, where his main engagements will be held in Melbourne and he will conclude the tour with a visit to New Zealand

Merz hits back at Trump for ridiculing Germany’s defence spending drive

Germany ⁠does not have to shy ⁠away from talking up its record on defence spending, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday, when asked about US President Donald Trump calling Germany’s past efforts “ridiculous”. The issue of defence spending has loomed large as Nato leaders prepare to gather ‌next week in Ankara, where Europeans aim to set aside strife with Trump over Iran and Greenland and show they are stepping up to defend the continent. “Germany is doubling its defence budget within four...

Iran’s Khamenei funeral: Which world leaders are attending?

Several heads of state and other government officials will gather in Tehran for Khamenei's state funeral.

Aftermath of Venezuela’s earthquake, China-Colombia ties: 7 Latin America relations reads

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin American relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘I will sell to someone else’: Brazil’s Lula hits back at US after China beef win Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva thanked China for clearing the country’s beef of foot-and-mouth disease and fired a barb at US President Donald Trump, saying “I will sell to someone else”,...

Thailand says photo of Macron kneeling before King Vajiralongkorn is AI-generated

Thailand’s foreign ministry denied on Thursday that French President Emmanuel Macron knelt before the country’s king during his state visit to Paris this week, after an AI-generated picture circulated online. King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida’s trip was the first official visit by a Thai monarch to France since 1960, marking the 170th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between the two nations. During a state dinner at the presidential palace, Macron presented the 73-year-old...

US-Iran talks in Doha: What were the outcomes and what’s next?

Qatar says the next meeting will take place after funeral processions for Iran's former supreme leader.

What Philippine president’s visit reveals about Canada’s Indo-Pacific ambitions

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s trip to Canada underscores deepening ties at a time when Ottawa is seeking to court middle powers and establish itself in the Indo-Pacific. Marcos is in the Canadian capital for a four-day visit that started on Wednesday, where he is set to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney in efforts to strengthen ties on trade, labour, energy and tourism, as well as enhance defence and maritime cooperation. On the list too are Canadian business leaders and investors to...

China’s Wang Yi to test whether transatlantic turmoil can soften Europe’s Nordic hawks

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi kicks off a rare tour of Europe’s Nordic countries on Thursday, as Beijing tests whether it can use shifting geopolitical sands to find openings among some of the bloc’s most China-critical governments. The veteran diplomat will be in Denmark on Thursday and Friday for a series of meetings with Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and a personal audience with King Frederik. In Stockholm he will meet Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister...

Trump sees progress as US and Iran hold talks in Qatar

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that indirect talks with Iran in Qatar were making progress, offering a tentative sign that diplomacy was holding after recent exchanges of fire threatened efforts to end the Middle East war. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who led Tehran’s delegation, later said the talks had concluded and that the sides had agreed to establish a communication channel by Thursday to report and record violations of their initial memorandum of...

Nigeria to seek compensation for property abandoned by citizens fleeing South Africa

Nigeria's High Commissioner says businesses and properties left behind by returnees are being documented.

Secretive Gaza meetings in Cyprus as plan to isolate Hamas gathers pace

Board of Peace talks on Gaza's post-war future face funding crises and warnings of a colonial occupation.

Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Southern India calls on CM Vijay

US, Iran officials hold indirect talks in Qatar to try to end war: diplomat

Indirect talks in Doha, Qatar, between officials from the United States and Iran aimed at ending the Middle East war have started, a diplomat with knowledge of the talks said on Wednesday. The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, confirmed negotiations were under way after they earlier said the US and Iran were to hold “indirect technical talks on Wednesday in Doha with Qatari and Pakistani mediators”. The Doha talks are based “on the memorandum of...

The Possibilist | Ep 8

Veteran mediator William Ury reflects on how the fine art of diplomacy is essential at holding the world together.

US-Iran negotiations: What’s the latest?

Iranian officials are expected in Doha for talks with Qatari mediators, a day after US negotiators arrived there.

China’s Wang Yi reaffirms support for Mideast talks in meeting with top Saudi diplomat

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday met his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud in Beijing, reaffirming China’s strong support for negotiations in the Middle East and calling for sustained dialogue despite a fragile ceasefire. “Talking is better than fighting, and dialogue is better than confrontation,” Wang said, according to a statement released by China’s foreign ministry on Tuesday night. On the evolving regional situation, Wang said the current priority was to uphold...

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker, June 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted the leaders of Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Belarus in June. He also travelled to North Korea on his first overseas journey this year and his first visit to Pyongyang since 2019. In total, 20 national leaders have met Xi in Beijing this year, including US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The long list shows China’s growing global influence amid rising geopolitical tensions. Xi may meet Trump three more times this year. He...

Iran war live: Qatar’s PM meets US envoys; Tehran holds firm on conditions

Iran says talks on a final deal will not begin until hostilities end in Lebanon and US releases frozen Iranian funds.

Trump ally Steve Daines rejects claims of talks with KMT leader

Republican Senator Steve Daines said he did not meet with Cheng Li-wun, the leader of Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang party, during her US visit earlier this month despite Cheng’s statements to the contrary, saying she met only with members of his staff. “She met my staff. She did not meet me,” the conservative lawmaker from Montana told the South China Morning Post on Monday. Cheng visited Washington earlier this month as part of a broader effort to strengthen ties with US policymakers...