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August 11, 2026
 

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Timour Azhari
A member of Houthi security forces at the site of an anti-Saudi rally amid an escalation with the kingdom, in Sanaa, Yemen, on July 31
WORLD
Aug 7, 2026
Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia wounds 11 civilians as kingdom warns of wider threat
A Saudi spokesman accused the Iran-aligned Houthis of indiscriminately shelling civilian areas in violation of international humanitarian law.
A drone view shows vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on June 15.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 6, 2026
Proposed Hormuz deal would give Iran control of inbound traffic, sources say
Before the war, the strait was freely open to all ships with no fees.
A beach in Bandar Abbas, Iran, on May 22 with vessels in the Strait of Hormuz in the distance
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jul 30, 2026
Can China restrain Iran? Gulf states test Beijing¡¯s influence
The Gulf push for a bigger Chinese role is driven by growing frustration, Gulf sources say.
A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on July 16. Oman's proposals are meant to serve as a basis to end the disruption to trade through the strait caused by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 29, 2026
Oman presents Iran with Gulf-backed plan for voluntary fees to use Hormuz
A U.S. official again rejected the idea of tolls or fees for ships transiting the strait, reiterating that it is an international waterway that should be free of Iranian control.
Men gesture as they express their affiliation and support for the Houthi movement while standing over a depiction of the U.S. flag during a demonstration by university students amid escalating tensions with Saudi Arabia, at the Sanaa University campus in Yemen's Houthi-held capital Sanaa on July 22.
WORLD
Jul 28, 2026
Houthis pushing to model Iran¡¯s Hormuz control in Red Sea, Yemeni FM says
The Red Sea has become a new front in the Iran ?war, with the Houthis firing missiles and drones Saudi Arabia and declaring a blockade ?on Saudi shipping.
F-15SA fighter jets in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 25, 2017. The Saudi strikes on Iraq were carried out by Saudi ?air force fighter ?jets on Iran-linked militia targets near the kingdom's northern border with Iraq, one Western official says.
WORLD
May 14, 2026
Saudi warplanes struck militias in Iraq during war, sources say
The strikes are part of a broader pattern of military responses around the Persian Gulf that stayed mostly hidden during a conflict that began with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
A Saudi fighter jet accompanies Air Force One, carrying U.S. President Donald Trump, on approach to the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on May 13, 2025.
WORLD
May 13, 2026
Saudi Arabia launched covert attacks on Iran as regional war widened, sources say
The attacks mark the first time that Riyadh is known to have directly carried out military action on Iranian soil and show it is becoming much bolder in defending itself.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on May 13. In his upcoming visit to the White House, the crown prince is seeking security guarantees and wants access to artificial intelligence technology and progress toward a deal on a civilian nuclear program.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 18, 2025
Saudi crown prince to visit U.S. with defense, AI and nuclear energy on agenda
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is seeking security guarantees from the U.S. and wants access to AI technology and progress toward a deal on a civilian nuclear program.
Bedouins, many of whom were displaced by fighting in the Sweida region, receive donated bread in the village of Umm Walad, Syria, on July 28.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 16, 2025
Sectarian violence risks dividing Syria despite al-Sharaa¡¯s diplomacy
The country¡¯s Alawite, Christian and Druze minorities have voiced anger at the president¡¯s Islamist administration following outbreaks of sectarian violence.
Men work at a makeshift oil refinery site in the town of Marchmarin, in Syria's Idlib province, in December 2015.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 19, 2025
U.S. firms to develop Syria energy master plan after Trump lifts sanctions
The partnership is aimed at rebuilding the country¡¯s energy infrastructure after it was shattered by 14 years of civil war.
Members of Syrian security forces stand on a road as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jul 18, 2025
U.S. does not support Israel¡¯s Syria strikes as al-Sharaa vows to protect Druze
Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus on Wednesday, saying it aimed to protect Syrian Druze, a part of a minority that also has followers in Lebanon and Israel.
An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria on May 4.
WORLD / Politics
May 28, 2025
Syria and Israel in direct talks focused on security, sources say
The contacts mark a significant development in ties between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (right) greets interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa (left) as U.S. President Donald Trump looks on in Riyadh on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2025
Syrian leader¡¯s path from global jihad to meeting Trump
The meeting is a huge boost for Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa as he tries to bring the fractured country under his control and revive its economy.
Damascus seen from Mount Qasioun on Jan. 7
WORLD / Politics
May 13, 2025
Syria makes bid to meet Trump, hoping for sanctions relief and reset with Israel
Syria has struggled to implement conditions set out by Washington for relief from U.S. sanctions, while Israel has escalated air strikes and occupied Syrian territory.
A drone view shows the car market in Sarmada town, Idlib, Syria, on March 17.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 30, 2025
A tale of two Syrias: Free-market opening sows resentment of new rulers
Bashar Assad¡¯s mismanagement helped push the country of 24 million into an economic tailspin, amid Western sanctions and brutal civil war.
Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa in Damascus on March 10
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2025
Saudi Arabia to pay off Syria¡¯s World Bank debts, paving way for further funding
Plans would be the first known instance of Saudi Arabia providing financing for Syria since Islamist-led rebels toppled former leader Bashar al-Assad last year.
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (right) and Syrian Democratic Forces commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi signing an agreement to integrate the SDF into the state institutions, in Damascus on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 13, 2025
U.S. steered Syrian Kurds toward Damascus deal, sources say
The deal aims to stitch back together a country fractured by 14 years of war.
A Russian military vehicle heads toward Hmeimim air base in Latakia, Syria, on Dec. 15.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 3, 2025
Russia gambles to keep military bases in post-Assad Syria
Syria¡¯s interim president wants to renegotiate the 49-year lease for one base and an indefinite lease for the other to secure better terms.
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Jan. 16
WORLD / Politics
Jan 30, 2025
Syria¡¯s al-Sharaa declared president for transition, consolidating his power
Al-Sharaa said the first priority in Syria was to fill a vacuum in government ¡°in a legitimate and legal way.¡±
A Syrian fighter with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham patrols the gate as men wait outside a reconciliation center in Damascus on Dec. 30.
WORLD
Jan 11, 2025
Western powers warn Syria over foreign jihadis in army
HTS and allied groups have hundreds of foreign fighters in their ranks, many of them followers of hard-line interpretations of Islam.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.
How Â鶹´«Ã½ racehorses find second careers away from the track
TCC Therapy Park is supported financially by racing organizations as well as donations from members of the public.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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