Wise investigated in Belgium over money-laundering control concerns

• The closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to war in the Middle East has triggered significant negative consequences for the global economy. • The crisis has highlighted critical structural vulnerabilities and the extreme sensitivity of international trade to disruptions in this strategic maritime corridor.

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli army to expand its military invasion of Lebanon as of Sunday, May 31, 2026. • The escalation is part of a broader conflict involving a war between Israel, the United States, and Iran.

• Middle Eastern states are increasingly utilizing digital diplomacy—including strategic communication and online narratives—to project soft power and manage national images on a global scale. • These digital tools allow governments to bypass traditional media to engage directly with international audiences, manage crises, and connect with their respective diasporas.

• Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stated on Sunday that Tehran will refuse any deal with the United States until the rights of the Iranian people are fully secured. • Separately, official Berri highlighted that the primary obstacle to a ceasefire is not the resistance's position, but the ongoing Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

• The article highlights a contradiction between the rise of nationalist rhetoric among global politicians and the actual public desire for international cooperation. • It argues that global solidarity remains remarkably popular among citizens, despite political efforts to belittle foreign alliances and promote isolationism.

• ACCORD is analyzing the evolving African mediation landscape, questioning if current mediation architectures are failing to keep pace with rapidly changing conflict dynamics. • A critical "seventh shift" identified is geopolitical fragmentation, where global powers have moved away from multilateral norms toward pursuing transactional interests.

Chuck Schumer shares plans to force vote on ‘anti-weaponization’ fund and accuses Trump of ‘corruption’Democrats in the US Senate vowed to force Republicans to vote on a $1.8bn “MAGA slush fund” established as part of a resolution of Donald Trump’s long-shot lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.The US president has described the secretive and loosely controlled “anti-weaponization fund” as a means of paying the victims of politicized prosecutions. Members of his own party are among those who have expressed alarm. Continue reading...

Vickrum Digwa, 23, who fatally stabbed Henry Nowak, 18, to serve at least 20 years before being eligible for paroleA man with a “weapon obsession” has been jailed for life for murdering a university student with a 21cm-long knife that he claimed to be carrying for religious reasons.Vickrum Digwa, 23, who stabbed 18-year-old Henry Nowak five times, will serve at least 20 years before being eligible for parole. Continue reading...

Powell says central bank has been facing ‘stress test’ under Trump, as supreme court weighs decision on Fed governor that president tried to fireSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailJerome Powell, the former chair of the Federal Reserve, has warned that a single act of political interference in monetary policy could permanently destroy public trust in the central bank.As Donald Trump’s administration continues to test the Fed’s longstanding independence, Powell said in a speech on Sunday night that the institution was in the midst of a “stress test”. Continue reading...

Miami-Dade county officials agreed to pay HRP Group more than double the price for land on Fisher Island to protect fuel depot used by the cruise industryA three-way tug-of-war erupted in recent months over ownership of a property on Fisher Island – one of the wealthiest zip codes in the United States – that sits in Biscayne Bay opposite the skyline of downtown Miami. When TransMontaigne Partners, a Denver-based global energy company, put the parcel on the market in May 2024, interest ran high because that land represented the last remaining piece of real estate available for development on the island.The eventual winner of the bidding war was a Chicago-based developer called the HRP Group, which purchased the property for $180m in late September last year. The developer then announced ambitious plans to build condominium towers on the property at an estimated cost of $2bn. Continue reading...

Former Liberal senator initially labelled ruling by parliamentary expenses authority ‘patently ridiculous’, saying visits were necessaryGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFormer Liberal senator Linda Reynolds has paid back nearly $8,800 in parliamentary expenses after her partner claimed family reunion allowances to visit his son in Melbourne while en route to meet her in Canberra.Reynolds accepted the ruling of the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) but initially disputed their ruling, saying her partner’s visits to his son – her stepson – were necessary after “high profile (and false) 2021 workplace allegations made against me”, seemingly a reference to her long-running court dispute with former staffer Brittany Higgins. Continue reading...

Instead of relying on tax-enhanced speculation, investors must now look at established properties based on actual profitability – leaving space for first home buyers Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFor decades, Australia’s property market has been defined by relentless price rises, reinforcing the old adage that real estate investment is “as safe as houses”.There’s now a wrinkle in that wisdom. Continue reading...