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Asia
China
(Monday), 11.05.26, 09:42 AM US President Trump will pay an official visit to China from May 13 to 15 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi, the Chinese foreign ministry announced today. Trump would arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening. He will attend a welcome ceremony and bilateral meeting with Xi on Thursday, followed by a visit to the Temple of Heaven and a state banquet. The two leaders are also scheduled to hold a bilateral tea and working lunch on Friday. The talks are expected to focus heavily on tariffs and trade disputes between the world’s two largest economies. Officials from both sides indicated that agreements could be reached on agriculture purchases, energy cooperation, investment mechanisms and Boeing aircraft deals. The US and China are also expected to discuss extending a truce in their trade war that currently allows rare earth minerals to continue flowing from China to the United States. A Chinese commerce ministry statement said the negotiations would be “guided by the important consensus” reached by the two leaders during their previous meeting in Busan, South Korea, as well as in subsequent phone conversations, and would address economic and trade issues of mutual concern. Beyond trade, the Trump-Xi summit is expected to cover several sensitive geopolitical flashpoints, including Iran, Russia, nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence. ’The president has spoken multiple times with General Secretary Xi about the topic of Iran and about the topic of Russia, to include the revenue that China provides to both those regimes, as well as dual-use goods, components and parts, not to mention the potential of weapons exports, one US official said. The Trump administration is also expected to raise concerns about the rapid advancement of Chinese artificial intelligence models and seek the establishment of communication mechanisms to avoid future conflicts linked to AI technologies. The Taiwan issue remains one of the most contentious points in US-China relations. The summit comes amid growing US concern over Taiwan’s defence preparedness after Taiwan’s opposition-controlled parliament recently approved a smaller defence budget than requested by the government. Taiwan has meanwhile expressed confidence in its relationship with Washington but said it hopes there are no surprises concerning the island during the Trump-Xi summit. Washington was disappointed with the reduced spending levels and Taiwan Premier Cho also warned that cuts to defence funding could damage international confidence in Taiwan’s security commitments. We are confident in the stable development of Taiwan-U.S. relations, speaking in Taipei, Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin said. The U.S. government has repeatedly expressed that its Taiwan policy will not change, he added. Beijing continued to raise the Taiwan issue in discussions with Washington, Lin said. Taiwan independence' is the root cause destabilising peace in the Taiwan Strait, and we will absolutely not tolerate or condone it, Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Jiang said over the weekend. Washington is additionally expected to renew efforts to engage Beijing on nuclear arms discussions, though US officials acknowledged China remains reluctant to enter formal arms control talks. Ahead of the summit, both countries announced that Chinese Vice-Premier He will travel to South Korea for trade talks with US Treasury Secretary Bessent on May 12 and 13. Washington plans to host Xi for a reciprocal visit later this year. (Source: The Telegraph – India / Reuters – United Kingdom)
Dubai
3:00pm, 13 May 2026 Nine fraud centres - scam networks - were dismantled and 276 suspects arrested, most of them from Southeast Asia, in a joint operation between FBI, Chinese Ministry of Public Security and Dubai Police ahead of US President Trump’s visit to China. “The operation delivered a decisive strike against three criminal syndicates and dismantled nine fraud centres behind high-yield investment scams (HYIS), ‘pig butchering’ schemes, and virtual currency fraud, all of which are among the fastest-growing forms of financial crime worldwide,” according to the Dubai Police statement released on April 28. The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to crack down on Chinese nationals and others believed to be involved in scam centres accused of defrauding Americans, and more coordination with China to tackle these networks could be on the agenda when Trump meets President Xi in Beijing tomorrow. According to US government figures, Americans lost a record US$20.9 billion in cyber-enabled crimes last year. Chinese and American law enforcement agents have in recent years cooperated to investigate and prosecute crimes like drug trafficking. Olson, a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said strategic concerns could hold back efforts against fraud. Where and when possible, US and Chinese officials will be happy to cooperate in anti-scam operations, he said. ’But given their geopolitical rivalry, there are a number of strategic concerns that could limit the extent of their cooperation, especially in Southeast Asia where the countries compete for influence.’ US officials have accused Beijing of using its campaign targeting cyber scams to expand its influence in Southeast Asian nations like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Olson noted that joint policing efforts could also involve divulging information about surveillance capabilities and techniques that they would prefer not to share. He said the operation in Dubai might have been driven by practical law enforcement needs rather than a broader thaw in US-China relations regarding cyberfraud. “Both sides will proceed with caution.” Alleged Chinese involvement in scams was labelled as a national security risk in a March report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The report also noted concerns that more Americans were falling victim to such scams, as the cybercriminals behind them turned their attention to non-Chinese to avoid angering Beijing. In March, when asked if Trump should raise the issue when he met Xi, commission vice-chair Kuiken said: “Any time American citizens are being victimised by criminal institutions, my answer is yes.” (Source: South China Morning Post)
Iran
11 May 2026 Iran’s latest counterproposal to a US peace plan calls for compensation from the United States and stresses Tehran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state broadcaster Press TV reported early today. The report said it also demands an end to sanctions and the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad. Tehran rejected the US plan because it would have required submission to President Trump’s excessive demands, the report said. Iran’s response also emphasized the fundamental rights of the Iranian nation. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
11 May 2026 09:15 Iranian authorities have secretly executed Shakourzadeh, a 29-year-old political prisoner, satellite technology researcher, and top-ranked aerospace engineering graduate student at Iran University of Science and Technology, at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj at dawn today, following nearly two years of detention on espionage-related charges. Judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency later claimed that he had been accused of collaboration with the CIA and Mossad. He was reportedly subjected to nine months of severe physical and psychological torture in solitary confinement in order to extract forced confessions. The researcher, who worked in the field of satellite constellation control and positioning systems, had been accused by security agencies of transferring scientific information related to satellite projects to foreign intelligence services. The allegations were never proven in a fair trial with access to an independent lawyer. His death sentence had recently been upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court. (Source: Hengaw Organization for Human Rights – registered, headquarters in Norway)
May 10, 2026 15:53 IST Iran produces over three million barrels of crude oil per day, the majority of which flows through its main export terminal at Kharg Island. Amid the war with the US and Israel, Iran is rapidly running out of space to store the unsold crude. Iran revived offshore tanks and floating storage vessels. These ageing vessels, positioned near the island, are now holding excess oil to prevent production shutdowns and keep wells operating. They have seemingly filled quickly. Tehran cannot shut down production, because doing so risks severe and potentially permanent damage to its underground reservoirs. When wells are shut in for extended periods, water and gas can intrude into rock formations, permeability can decline, and sediment or paraffin can clog pores and pipelines. Restarting production later often becomes far more expensive - and in some cases, output never fully recovers. Satellite images near Kharg Island - as reported by Tel Aviv-based YNet and American broadcaster CNN - have raised questions about whether Iran is releasing crude into the sea as its storage fills up under the US blockade. European Space Agency Sentinel imagery has shown multiple suspected oil slicks across the Persian Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks. Patches appeared near the Kuwait coast on March 5, around Lavan Island on April 10, just days after reports of strikes on nearby facilities, off Qeshm Island on April 22, and most recently in a large slick west of Kharg Island on May 6. One slick near Kharg covered more than 120 square kilometres. The suspected slicks have added to concerns over environmental damage and carry real risks for people. The Gulf supports fishing communities, coral reefs and rich marine life that provide food and income for coastal families in the region. Large numbers of dead shrimp washed ashore on beaches in southern Oman's Dhofar region. US President Trump has maintained the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and the Strait of Hormuz, which began in mid-April 2026. It remains fully in effect despite a fragile ceasefire. It's costing Iran significant oil revenue daily. The sustained US blockade might have now forced Iran to dump some of the surplus oil, floating unused in the sea. (Source: India Today)
Iraq
(Tuesday), May. 12, 2026 A report published Saturday by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said that Israel had established a clandestine military outpost in Iraq’s desert shortly before the war with Iran began on February 28, allegedly with US knowledge. In a yesterday statement, Iraq’s Joint Operations Command stated that there is an exaggeration in statements made without knowledge of the facts, affirming that there are no unauthorized forces or bases currently present on Iraqi soil. The military unit also noted that necessary legal measures will be taken against entities who attempt to disseminate misleading information or malicious rumors about Iraqi sovereignty and security institutions. The Iraqi government does not maintain any official relations with nor indeed recognize the state of Israel. In May 2022, the Iraqi parliament passed a law to criminalize the normalization of ties with Israel with a majority vote, with the penalties ranging up to life imprisonment or the death penalty. The Iraqi Army and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) today announced the launch of operation Imposing Sovereignty in the deserts of Najaf and Karbala, following reports of foreign military presence in Iraq’s western deserts. The joint campaign will operate along four axes, and involves carrying out a security sweep extending for a distance of 120 kilometers with the participation of explosives disposal units, intelligence services, and all supporting units. The participating forces are conducting search and sweep operations to a depth of up to 70 kilometers. The campaign is being carried out under the direction of outgoing Prime Minister Sudani and the supervision of the Iraqi Army’s Chief of Staff Yarallah. The developments come after widespread reports of foreign military activity recorded in the desert zone stretching between Najaf and Karbala. (The New Region - Kurdistan Region of Iraq)
Israel
09:34-12 May 2026 Israeli lawmakers approved a bill yesterday, setting up a special tribunal that would try and have the authority to sentence to death Palestinians convicted of taking part in the 2023 Hamas-led attack. The measure passed 93-0 in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament. The remaining 27 lawmakers were absent or abstained from voting. Defendants can appeal their sentences but the appeals have to be heard by a separate, special appeals court rather than regular appeals courts. The bill empowers a panel of judges to hand down the death penalty by a majority vote and requires the trials to be conducted in a livestreamed Jerusalem courtroom. It has drawn comparisons to the 1962 trial of Nazi war criminal Eichmann, which was broadcast live on television. Eichmann was executed by hanging, the last time the death penalty was carried out in Israel. Hamas-led ’fighters’ stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 as hostages. Israel’s ensuing blistering offensive on Gaza has killed over 72,628 Palestinians, including at least 846 killed since a ceasefire took hold last October. Israeli forces also took an unknown number of suspects into Israeli custody where they now await trial. The bill is separate from a law passed in March that approved the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis. That law applies to future cases and is not retroactive so it could not apply to the October 2023 suspects. At least 7,000 Palestinians from Gaza had been held in Israeli custody since October 2023, and 5,000 of them were later released. The country still holds about 1,300 Palestinians from Gaza without charge in its detention facilities. The 1,300 number does not include those held on suspicion of attacking Israel on Oct. 7 or involvement in holding the hostages. (Source: Asharq Al-Awsat - headquartered in London, England, owned by a member of the Saudi royal family)
12 May 2026 Yesterday evening the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) has passed the first reading of a bill that would place heritage sites in the occupied West Bank under direct Israel’s Heritage Ministry control. The bill also proposes to grant the body all the necessary powers to excavate, develop, and manage archaeological and heritage sites, as well as expropriating and acquiring land for this purpose. In February, Israel’s Security Cabinet ordered the repealing of a law barring the sale of Palestinian land to Jews in the West Bank, unsealing land ownership records, and transferring building permit authority from the Palestinian municipality to Israel’s civil administration. Over the past few years, Palestinian and international organizations have indicated that the Israeli government is seeking to annex the West Bank as a fait accompli through a series of settlement measures without a formal declaration of annexation. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Persian Gulf
May 10, 2026 5:10 AM ET A cargo ship caught fire today after being hit by an unknown projectile off Qatar's coast. The attack happened 43 kilometers northeast of Qatar's capital, Doha. In Sunday's naval attack, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said that the strike caused a small fire on the ship, which was extinguished. There were no reported casualties. The Trump administration says the month-old ceasefire remains in effect. On Friday, the U.S. struck two Iranian oil tankers after it said that the vessels were trying to breach its blockade of Iran's ports. Iran has mostly blocked the critical waterway for global energy since joint strikes on Feb. 28 by the U.S. and Israel launched the war. (Source: The Associated Press - United States)
United Arab Emirates
May 11, 2026 4:11 pm ET In a war in which it has been Iran’s biggest target, the United Arab Emirates has secretly carried out military strikes on Iran. Speculation about the U.A.E.’s involvement in the war has swirled since mid-March. Researchers who track publicly available images and other information have pointed to photos purporting to show French Mirage fighters and Chinese Wing Loong drones - both used by the U.A.E. - in action in Iran. The strikes, which the U.A.E. hasn’t publicly acknowledged, have included an attack on a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf in early April, and sparked a large fire and knocked much of its capacity off line for months. Iran said at the time that the refinery had been struck in an enemy attack and launched a barrage of missile and drone strikes against the U. A.E. and Kuwait in response. Iran focused much of its fire on the U.A.E., targeting it with more than 2,800 missiles and drones - far more than any other country, including Israel. The attacks have hammered the U.A.E.’s air traffic, tourism and property market, and have led to a wave of furloughs and layoffs. They also have prompted a fundamental shift in the country’s strategic outlook to one that now sees Iran as a rogue actor bent on undermining the country’s economic and social model based on expatriate talent and a reputation for safety and stability. Gulf countries said ahead of the war they wouldn’t let their airspace or bases be used for attacks. The U.A.E. has since emerged as the most openly confrontational country in the Gulf and has maintained strong military cooperation with the U.S. throughout the war. Its military is well-equipped with Western-made jet fighters and surveillance networks. The U.S. has quietly welcomed the participation of the U.A.E. and any other Gulf states that want to join in the fight. The U.A.E. has a highly trained and capable air force with Mirages and a fleet of advanced F-16 jet fighters supported by refueling planes, command and control aircraft and surveillance drones. After the U.S. and Israel wiped out Tehran’s air defense capabilities, the risk of flying combat missions over the country dropped sharply. In addition to the strikes, the U.A.E. backed drafts of a resolution at the United Nations that authorized the use of force if necessary to break Iran’s chokehold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway. Iran has responded by repeatedly accusing the U.A.E. of joining the U.S. and Israeli campaign. (Source: The Wall Street Journal - U.S.)
Australia
May 12, 2026 Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remained at a standstill today, with oil rising after President Trump rejected Iran’s latest offer and suggested a ceasefire may not hold. Brent crude climbed two per cent to trade above US$106 a barrel. ’The impacts of the war in the Middle East are already serious. There is still a risk that they become quite severe and we’ve tried to give you a sense of that severity’, Treasurer Chalmers told reporters today. Australia’s ruling Labor government conducted scenario analysis in its annual budget under which the war in Iran intensifies, driving oil to US$200 a barrel and throwing the global economy into chaos. ’This could occur if the conflict is protracted or if an escalation further damages energy and export infrastructure across the Middle East and shuts off oil supply from the region, including through the Red Sea trade route,’ the Treasury said in today’s budget papers. Oil prices at that level in the July-to-September period would drive the Australian economy into contraction in that quarter and push domestic inflation to 7.25 per cent in the year through the fourth quarter, with unemployment also moving higher. Higher prices for fuel, fertilizer and other petrochemicals would make some businesses unviable and hit the margins of others, the Treasury said in the report. A prolonged war would also raise the prices of Australian exports of coal and LNG, providing some support to the economy. However, the Labor government’s central forecast is that inflation peaks in the three months through June and then starts to come down as the war ends. That is ’heavily dependent, heavily hostage to developments overseas for obvious reasons, including the duration of the conflict,’ Chalmers said. (Source: Financial Post – Canada / Bloomberg – U.S.)
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