Malaysia is “playing a dangerous game” as US attention over alleged illicit money flows is often a precursor to harsh measures if remediation is not quick and clear, analysts say.

After being sentenced to eight years in prison, the award-winning Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof says he’s fled to Europe shortly ahead of the Cannes Film Festival premiere of his latest film.

Middle East veteran Chang Hua makes the move after Beijing brokered a deal between the two countries to restore diplomatic relations last year.

Success of the US$17 billion Iraq Development Road depends on Iraq-Turkey ties, which have been fraught over oil exports and militant issues, analysts say.

The concerns come as a US delegation in Kuala Lumpur holds talks with officials over Tehran’s alleged underhanded selling of oil through service providers.

The US Treasury’s top sanctions official said Washington saw Iranian oil being transferred near Singapore and throughout the wider region.

Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators, but Israel said the terms did not meet its demands.

Malaysia has been accused by the West of helping Tehran evade sanctions through the supply of Iranian oil to China via a “dark fleet” in its waters.

Israel’s prime minister denounced a ‘volcano of antisemitism’ and international criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Brian Nelson, the Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will visit the region as Washington looks to combat funding for Iran and its proxies as well as evasion of its sanctions on Russia.

The arrival of Russian personnel in the West African country came in the wake of a decision by Niger’s junta to expel US forces from the country.

The visit by John Bass to Islamabad comes a week after Iran and Pakistan held talks on restarting their long-delayed gas pipeline.

The United States and Saudi Arabia are said to be nearing a pact that would offer the kingdom security guarantees and lay out a possible pathway to diplomatic ties with Israel if it brings the war in Gaza to an end.

Ebrahim Raisi, the first Iranian leader to visit Sri Lanka since 2008, says the project marks his country’s ability to share knowledge with other nations.

‘Serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield’ for Ukraine, said Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Kyiv on Monday.

The move is in line with Pyongyang’s efforts to attract Iran to an alliance against the US and boost cooperation for mutual benefit, analyst notes.

Trade, Ukraine among topics on the agenda, with Blinken expected to pressure China to urge its firms to stop supplying dual-use goods to Russia or face more punitive measures.

A strike on the most advanced air defence system Iran possesses and uses to protect its nuclear sites sends a message, experts say.

Israeli cross-party delegation meets representatives of island’s current and incoming governments, visits science park and attends Holocaust Memorial Day event.

As the Gaza war drags into its seventh month, conflict on Sunday was focused on Lebanon and the West Bank, but Israeli officials said further fighting in Gaza has been authorised.

The overnight strikes on Rafah city killed 22 people, most of them children, with one of the victims only 18 months old.

Experts say Washington’s plan to rely on surge troops could be tested now the arch-foes have broken the taboo of open military strikes against each other.

‘China’s goal is to enjoy the fact that the US is getting bruised here, but also to use the conflict in Gaza as a way to rally the Global South against the United States,‘ one says.

New Delhi has urged de-escalation on both sides, reflecting deep concerns over regional instability

Readers discuss China’s response to Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel, and how Chinese cultural exports can play a role in promoting goodwill