☰
Get the full BangkokScoop experience on your smartphone app.
For the first time in 37 years, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei skipped a traditional annual meeting with air force commanders—a ceremony he has led since 1989. His absence, coming amid rising tensions and heightened military pressure from the United States, has drawn global attention and speculation.
India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal says the interim trade agreement with the United States carefully protects agricultural and sensitive farm interests. He emphasized that key sectors like dairy, grains and other staples remain shielded, and Indian farmers’ needs were prioritised while expanding export opportunities.
India’s move to negotiate a trade pact with six Arab Gulf countries aims to boost business ties, expand exports and imports, and attract investment. The Gulf bloc is a major source of energy, hosts millions of Indian workers and remains a key trading partner, making the deal strategically and economically…
Chinese President Xi Jinping held rare back-to-back calls with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump to reinforce China’s role in global diplomacy. He balanced strengthening ties with Russia while engaging the U.S. on trade, Taiwan and other key issues, showing China’s strategic influence amid global uncertainty.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said former royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should be ready to testify before the US Congress about his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. His call follows the release of new Justice Department files, including images that have revived attention on Andrew’s past associations.
