Iran says US comments confirm ‘piracy’ in maritime actions Iran has accused the United States of openly acknowledging unlawful actions at sea, after remarks by the US president on the capture of Iranian vessels. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Washington had effectively admitted to piracy in its handling of maritime operations. Posting on X, Baghaei wrote that the US president had described the seizure of Iranian ships as “piracy” and had “brazenly boasted that ‘we act like pirates’”.
Chronic patients neglected in Lebanon as war strains healthcare, MSF doctor says A doctor with Medecins Sans Frontieres has warned that patients with chronic illnesses in southern Lebanon are going without treatment as hospitals divert resources to cope with mass displacement caused by Israeli attacks. Thienminh Dinh said medical facilities have shifted focus towards emergency care as more than 1. 6 million people have been forced from their homes.
Kuwait halts crude exports in April as Strait of Hormuz blockade bites Kuwait recorded zero crude oil exports in April for the first time since the end of the Gulf War, according to shipping monitor TankerTrackers. com. The data shows that while the country continued producing oil, it did not ship any crude overseas during the month as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted tanker traffic.
Israel accused of destroying Christian convent in Lebanon in latest attack on Christians Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Sat, 05/02/2026 - 21:23 Church leaders warn of growing pattern of Israeli attacks on Christian communities in Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories Cardinal Bechara al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, prays behind an icon of the Virgin Mary with Child at a church at the predominantly-Christian village of Jdeidet Marjeyoun near the border with Israel in southern Lebanon on April 8, 2026. (AFP) Off A Catholic charity has condemned Israel after its forces destroyed a convent in southern Lebanon , in what it saidis as a deliberate attack on a place of worship. The French organisation L'Oeuvre d'Orient said Israeli troops demolished a convent belonging to the Salvatorian Sisters, a Greek Catholic religious order, in the village of Yaroun.
UK Muslim groups slam government for ‘scapegoating’ Gaza anti-genocide protests as antisemitism Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Sat, 05/02/2026 - 19:39 Muslim bodies reject efforts to link Palestine protests to violence and highlight ignored Muslim victim People take part in a protest against the Israeli genocide outside the UK Foreign Office in central London, on June 9, 2025. (Benjamin Cremel/AFP) Off The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has taken aim at the UK government for promoting “inaccurate and counterproductive” narratives linking pro- Palestine marches to antisemitic violence. In a statement on Sunday, the MCB condemned the stabbing of two Jewish men in a northwest London neighbourhood with a large Jewish population, saying it stands “in solidarity with the Jewish community facing an abhorrent rise in antisemitism”.
Months into the US-Israel 'ceasefire', Gaza remains a scene of chaos and terror Submitted by Ghada Ageel on Wed, 04/29/2026 - 16:19 A child is killed on his way to a wedding, while those who survive face blocked crossings and collapsing hospitals as Israel's death reign continues with American backing Mourners weep beside the body of a child at a hospital in Gaza City after Israeli artillery struck homes near Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, killing a woman and her two children, on 25 April 2026 (Omar al-Qattaa/AFP) Off The bomb struck the busy market area of al-Nafaq Street in broad daylight. Along that same street, three-year-old Yahya al-Malahi was leaving a relative's home with his father, dressed in new clothes for a wedding they were about to attend. They had been visiting to help prepare for the celebration.
Israel is making Palestinians disappear in more ways than one Submitted by Belen Fernandez on Wed, 04/29/2026 - 14:30 Reports of missing children and 'evaporated' bodies reveal a widening pattern of erasure in Gaza, where entire families are killed, lost under rubble or reduced to biological traces Civil defence teams search for the bodies of the Salem family under the rubble of their home destroyed by Israeli forces in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, 7 February 2026 (Omar al-Qattaa/AFP) Off On 23 April, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that "dozens of children go missing each week" in the Gaza Strip "against the backdrop of the postwar chaos" - a curious euphemism, no doubt, for the ongoing US-backed genocide in the Palestinian territory, which proceeds apace despite the ceasefire that was ostensibly implemented last year. The article begins with four-year-old Mohammed Ghaban, who disappeared in early April in northern Gaza: "[H]e had been playing with his brother in front of his displaced family's tent. He went inside, asked for a hug, put on his sandals and went out.
Iraq says oil output can return to normal within days of Strait of Hormuz reopening Iraq’s deputy oil minister Basim Mohammed says the country can quickly restore oil production and exports once the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz subsides. Speaking during ongoing disruption to Gulf shipping, Mohammed said Iraq could return to normal output within seven days after conditions stabilise. He added that production currently stands at about 1.
Lebanese, US generals meet in Beirut to discuss security and ceasefire Lebanon’s army chief Rudolf Haykal has held talks with US General Joseph Clearfield in Beirut, focusing on the country’s security landscape and wider regional developments. According to a statement from the Lebanese army, the meeting addressed ongoing tensions and reviewed efforts to stabilise the situation on the ground. Clearfield leads a committee tasked with overseeing a US-backed ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
Gaza death toll rises Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed at least four people and wounded another 26 in the last 24 hours, the enclave's ministry of health is reporting. It added in a statement that the bodies of three people killed in previous attacks had also been recovered. The latest figures bring the overall toll of people killed by Israel in Gaza since October 2023 to at least 72,608, with 172,445 wounded.
China issues injunction to block US sanctions on companies buying Iranian oil The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has issued an injunction to block US sanctions imposed on five Chinese oil refineries accused of buying Iranian oil. State news agency Xinhua reported that the ministry named the five companies as Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group, Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group, Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical and Shandong Shengxing Chemical. After the US Treasure Department imposed sanctions last week on a unit of Hengli Petrochemical, a refiner it said has bought billions of dollars worth of Iranian petroleum, China's Foreign MInistry said that unilateral US sanctions "have no basis in international law" and that it would seek to defend the targeted companies.
Lebanese health officials: 2,659 killed by Israel since 2 March Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,659 people since it launched its fresh offensive on 2 March, the Emergency Operations Center of the country's Ministry of Public Health said on Saturday. The centre added in a statement that another 8,183 people have been wounded in the onslaught.
What exactly is white phosphorus and why is it controversial? Submitted by Daniel Tester on Sat, 05/02/2026 - 14:10 Israel has used the deadly munition extensively in Lebanon and Gaza amid condemnation from human rights monitors An explosion of what appears to be white phosphorus during an Israeli army attack in south Lebanon on 30 April 2026 (Reuters) On Israel has been accused this week of again using white phosphorous in southern Lebanon , firing shells near towns and villages. Human rights monitors say such operations constitute indiscriminate attacks that violate international humanitarian law.
What exactly is white phosphorus and why is it controversial? Submitted by Daniel Tester on Sat, 05/02/2026 - 14:10 Israel has used the deadly munition extensively in Lebanon and Gaza amid condemnation from human rights monitors An explosion of what appears to be white phosphorus during an Israeli army attack in south Lebanon on 30 April 2026 (Reuters) On Israel has been accused this week of again using white phosphorus in southern Lebanon , firing shells near towns and villages. Human rights monitors say such operations constitute indiscriminate attacks that violate international humanitarian law.
Nato seeking to understand US decision to withdraw troops from Germany Nato said on Saturday it was working with the United States to understand Washington's decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany as tensions increase between Europe and the US over the war on Iran. On Friday, US defence minister Pete Hegseth announced the withdrawal of the American troops, following a week in which German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump traded barbs over Iran. The North Atlantic alliance said it was “working with the US to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany.
Pro-Palestine coalition condemns Starmer for suggesting ban on marches A coalition of campaign groups organising pro- Palestine marches in the UK has criticised attempts by politicians and the media to smear the demonstrations, as well as suggestions they could be banned. Confirming that the planned Nakba Day demonstration in London will go ahead on 16 May, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Stop the War Coalition, Friends of Al-Aqsa and other groups stated on Friday night that "the right to protest is a fundamental freedom". "In the wake of the horrific antisemitic attack in Golders Green, politicians and the media have rushed to falsely characterise the marches for Palestine and to call for them to be suppressed," PSC said.
China blocks US sanctions against refineries accused of buying Iranian oil China’s commerce ministry said on Saturday it had issued an injunction to block US sanctions imposed on five Chinese refiners accused of purchasing Iranian oil, state news agency Xinhua reported. The ministry named the five as Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, and the so-called "teapot" refineries Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group, Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group, Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical and Shandong Shengxing Chemical. In April, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Hengli Petrochemical, accusing it of purchasing billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil, in an escalation of Washington’s long-running efforts to curb Tehran’s oil revenues.
Oil tanker hijacked off coast of Yemen, says coast guard Yemen’s coast guard said on Saturday that the M/T EUREKA oil tanker had been hijacked off the coast of Shabwa province by unidentified armed men who boarded the vessel, seized control and steered it towards the Gulf of Aden in the direction of Somali waters. The coast guard added that the tanker’s location had been identified and efforts were under way to track it, take necessary measures to recover it and ensure the safety of its crew, Reuters reported.
UAE says air traffic back to normal as measures lifted The UAE's aviation authority said air traffic in the country has returned to normal, the state news agency reported on Saturday, after precautionary measures implemented on 28 February at the start of the war on Iran were lifted. The decision followed a comprehensive assessment of operational and security conditions in coordination with relevant entities, the General Civil Aviation Authority said.
Pro-Palestine coalition condemns Starmer for suggesting ban on marches Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Sat, 05/02/2026 - 13:01 UK prime minister accused of 'belittling antisemitism' as Palestine Solidarity Campaign says Nakba Day march will go ahead Protesters chant slogans and wave Palestinian flags in central London, on 8 June 2024 (AFP) Off A coalition of campaign groups organising pro- Palestine marches in the UK has hit out at attempts to smear them by politicians and the media and suggestions that the demonstrations could be banned. Confirming that the planned Nakba Day demonstration in London will go ahead on 16 May, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Stop the War Coalition, Friends of al-Aqsa and other groups stated on Friday night that "the right to protest is a fundamental freedom". "In the wake of the horrific antisemitic attack in Golders Green, politicians and the media have rushed to falsely characterise the marches for Palestine and to call for them to be suppressed," PSC said.
