Iran’s parliament on Wednesday ratified a sweeping 20-year strategic partnership with Russia, signaling a significant deepening of ties between the two heavily sanctioned nations.

Oman’s foreign minister announced that a fifth round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States is set for Friday in Rome, continuing Oman’s quiet role as a mediator between the two rivals. The announcement, made on X, has yet to be confirmed by either Tehran or Washington.

Legislators of the European Union prepared for an urgent debate on Hungary’s proposed new transparency law that they fear will lead to a Russia-style crackdown on critics by the “increasingly authoritarian” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Hungary’s parliament approved legislation Tuesday to withdraw the country from the International Criminal Court (ICC) after Prime Minister Viktor Orbán condemned the institute’s alleged bias toward Israel.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday formally adopted a historic Pandemic Agreement aimed at improving global readiness and response to future pandemics, following the devastating COVID-19 outbreak that claimed thousands of lives between 2020 and 2022.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress on Tuesday that there is no military solution to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

A historic water spring that has supplied Damascus for thousands of years is now reduced to a trickle, following the driest winter Syria has seen in decades, raising alarms over worsening water shortages across the capital.

The European Union and Britain have introduced new sanctions against Russia without waiting for the United States to join them, after the U.S. and Russian presidents talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war were inconclusive.

China’s state broadcaster has announced the impending test flight of the Jiu Tian drone “mothership,” a massive UAV platform touted as a breakthrough in drone warfare. However, Western observers and defense analysts have dismissed the reveal as “propaganda,” warning of the platform’s limited survivability in modern combat environments.

The European Union on Tuesday formally adopted its 17th round of sanctions against Russia, targeting nearly 200 vessels in Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet” used to circumvent restrictions on oil sales. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced the measures during a meeting of foreign and defense ministers in Brussels, calling the vessels “dilapidated, uninsured, with unclear ownership.”

Scores of unidentified corpses have been discovered in a hospital in Libya’s capital after the fiercest clashes Tripoli had seen in years between two armed groups.

France plans to move Islamic militants and drug traffickers to a maximum-security prison it is building near a former penal colony in French Guiana despite an outcry among local people and officials.

The United Kingdom and European Union have announced a major reset in relations, signing a broad agreement that covers trade, defense, fishing rights, youth mobility, and regulatory cooperation. “We’re turning a page,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “We’re opening a new chapter.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched a blistering attack against U.S. President Donald Trump during a televised address in Tehran, denouncing the American leader as a liar and warmonger, while supporters chanted “death to America,” “death to England,” and “death to Israel.”

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday via a Truth Social post that he held a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he claims will lead to immediate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine toward a ceasefire and an end to the war.