France Leads New Recognition of Palestinian State
Syrian Leader Presses US To Drop Sanctions
Duterte Charged With Crimes Against Humanity
US Sanctions Brazilian Judge’s Wife Amid Bolsonaro Fallout
Drone Sightings Halt Flights in Copenhagen and Oslo
Russia Accused of NATO Airspace Violations at UN
Hungary Defies Trump Demand on Russian Oil Imports
Russia Offers One-Year Extension of New START Treaty
Trump Warns Against Tylenol, Cites Autism Link
Jimmy Kimmel Reinstated After Suspension Over Remarks
On this day …..
On this day in 1932, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was proclaimed.The creation of the kingdom reshaped the Arabian Peninsula and laid the foundations of a regime that would become central to global politics.
Oil discoveries in the 1930s turned Saudi Arabia into a pivotal energy power. Its monarchy has since tried to balanced tradition and modernisation, while its wealth and religious influence have extended far beyond its borders. The unification of 1932 remains a decisive moment, shaping both Middle Eastern geopolitics and the kingdom’s continuing role on the world stage.
France has formally recognised a Palestinian state, joining Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra and Monaco in a move that adds momentum to a broader international push. The announcement came at a high-level summit in New York co-hosted with Saudi Arabia, where leaders said the time had come to revive the two-state solution.
The UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal had confirmed their own recognition a day earlier, leaving more than 80 percent of UN member states now aligned in support of Palestinian statehood.
President Emmanuel Macron declared that “right must always prevail over might” as he called for an end to the war in Gaza and pledged that France would support a stabilisation mission.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, addressing the meeting by videolink after being denied a US visa, urged other countries to follow suit and pressed for full UN membership. The US and Israel boycotted the summit, with both governments arguing recognition rewards Hamas.
Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has renewed his call for Washington to lift sanctions imposed under the 2019 Caesar Act during his visit to New York, where he is attending the UN General Assembly. It is the first time in nearly six decades that a Syrian leader has appeared at the gathering, following Sharaa’s overthrow of Bashar al-Assad last year.
Although most sanctions were eased after his meeting with US President Donald Trump in May, the Caesar Act remains law and continues to restrict Syria’s recovery.
Sharaa met Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, with both sides discussing counterterrorism, missing Americans and regional security. Congressional debate is ongoing over whether to repeal the sanctions, with some lawmakers pushing to include repeal in the National Defense Authorization Act.
Meanwhile, Sharaa has said talks with Israel over security have reached an advanced stage, though disputes over occupied Syrian territory remain unresolved.
Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera
Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has been charged by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court with three counts of crimes against humanity linked to his anti-drugs campaign. The charges, made public in The Hague on Monday, allege Duterte’s involvement in at least 76 murders committed between 2013 and 2018.
He is accused of co-perpetrating 19 killings while mayor of Davao City, overseeing 14 murders of “high value targets” after becoming president, and responsibility for 43 deaths during clearance operations against alleged drug users and dealers.
Prosecutors said these killings were part of a broader pattern that left thousands dead during the crackdown. An arrest warrant issued in March had already cited one charge of crimes against humanity.
Duterte, now 80, has been held in ICC detention since March after being flown from Manila to the Netherlands. His lawyer has asked the court to postpone proceedings indefinitely, citing claims of severe cognitive impairment.
Sources: The Guardian, ABC News
The United States has widened sanctions on Brazil, targeting the wife of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over the criminal case of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Viviane Barci de Moraes and a family-controlled financial entity were sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act, while visas were revoked for Solicitor General Jorge Messias and several other judicial officials.
The measures follow Bolsonaro’s conviction this month for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election, for which he was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
Washington accused de Moraes of weaponising courts and restricting free expression, allegations denied by Brazil. The sanctions are the latest step in a wider dispute that also includes 50 per cent tariffs on most Brazilian exports. Brazil’s government condemned the actions as unilateral attacks undermining sovereignty and judicial independence, while de Moraes said the judiciary would remain firm despite external pressure.
Sources: South China Morning Post, Associated Press
Flights at Copenhagen Airport were suspended overnight after police reported sightings of two to three large unidentified drones in the area. The closure, which began late Monday, forced departures to be cancelled and incoming flights diverted to airports in Denmark, as well as to Gothenburg and Malmö in Sweden. The airport reopened shortly after midnight, though delays and cancellations continued into Tuesday.
A similar disruption occurred at Oslo Airport on Tuesday morning after another drone sighting. Norwegian police later arrested two foreign nationals accused of flying drones over a restricted area near the Akershus Fortress, though authorities said there was no link to the Copenhagen incident.
Europe has been on heightened alert after recent Russian incursions into NATO airspace, but investigators have not yet determined who was behind the Scandinavian sightings.
Sources: Associated Press, CNN
Western governments clashed with Russia at the UN Security Council after repeated incursions into NATO airspace. Estonia reported that three Russian MiG-31 jets crossed its territory for 12 minutes last week, while Poland said more than 20 Russian drones entered its skies earlier this month.
NATO fighters shot some of them down. Estonia’s foreign minister displayed radar printouts and photographs, stressing the jets were armed and combat-ready. Russia denied the allegations, calling them baseless and provocative.
At the UN meeting, Britain, Poland and other allies warned that any further violations would be met with force. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the incursions risked direct confrontation, while Poland’s leadership vowed to shoot down aircraft without hesitation.
The United States’ new envoy, Michael Waltz, reaffirmed that every inch of NATO territory would be defended. The incidents, described as reckless and dangerous, have intensified fears that Moscow is testing the alliance’s resolve.
Sources: Reuters, The Guardian
Hungary has rejected US President Donald Trump’s call for NATO allies to halt Russian oil purchases, with Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó insisting the country cannot ensure secure supplies without them. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Szijjártó said alternative options were a “nice dream” given Hungary’s infrastructure, which relies on the Druzhba pipeline carrying some 5m tonnes of crude annually to Hungary and Slovakia.
Trump has tied new sanctions on Moscow to NATO states cutting Russian energy imports, but Budapest and Bratislava remain the only EU buyers. While most of Europe ended purchases after the 2022 invasion, Hungary and Slovakia have resisted pressure, prompting EU discussions on possible trade measures. Szijjártó dismissed European officials as “fanatics” and praised Trump as a friend, contrasting Washington’s stance with Brussels. Poland and Finland, however, backed Trump’s call, saying Hungary must end its dependence on Russian oil.
Sources: The Guardian, Bloomberg
President Vladimir Putin has proposed extending the New START nuclear arms treaty for one year beyond its 2026 expiry, provided the United States takes the same step. Speaking at a security council meeting, he said Russia would voluntarily continue to observe the treaty’s limits on deployed warheads and delivery systems, while stressing the offer was conditional on US reciprocity.
The treaty, which restricts both countries to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and 700 delivery vehicles, is the last remaining arms control accord between Washington and Moscow. It was previously extended once in 2021 under former US president Joe Biden. The White House said Putin’s proposal “sounded pretty good,” though President Donald Trump has yet to respond. Arms control advocates called the offer positive, warning that failure to extend the pact could risk a new arms race as both sides modernise their arsenals.
Sources: South China Morning Post, NHK
President Donald Trump has urged pregnant women not to take Tylenol, claiming without evidence that the drug is linked to autism. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration commissioner Marty Makary joined him in promoting the theory, despite studies remaining inconclusive. At a White House briefing, Trump also questioned infant vaccination schedules, saying babies receive too many shots and suggesting a delay of the Hepatitis B vaccine, contradicting medical consensus.
The Food and Drug Administration later clarified that no causal relationship had been established between acetaminophen and autism. Leading medical groups defended the use of the drug to treat fever in pregnancy, noting that risks arise from untreated high fevers. Trump and Kennedy nonetheless announced new funding for research into environmental factors in autism, alongside FDA approval of leucovorin, a B-vitamin-based drug, for a subset of patients. Critics said the statements risked fuelling confusion and undermining trust in health guidance.
Sources: New York Times, Le Monde
Jimmy Kimmel will return to his late-night show on Tuesday after Disney lifted a suspension imposed following jokes he made about the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. The company said the move came after “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel and was aimed at calming tensions during a sensitive national moment.
The suspension followed threats from the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission to revoke ABC’s licence. The decision drew strong backlash, with critics, unions and Hollywood figures calling it censorship and a violation of free speech. Prominent actors, comedians and advocacy groups rallied to Kimmel’s defence, while some urged boycotts of Disney’s services.
Sinclair and Nexstar, two major broadcasting groups, had already said they would not air the show. Disney has not confirmed whether all affiliates will carry Kimmel’s reinstated programme, while the presenter himself has yet to publicly comment on the controversy.