Author: Emil Lazarian

The Syrian Army said that one of its military bases in Hasakah province in the country’s northeast was targeted by five rockets launched from territory of neighboring Iraq.

The Syrian SANA news agency reported citing the military that the base near al-Yarubiyeh in northeastern Hasakah province was struck by a missile attack on Monday, with forces put on full alert.

The army’s operations command said five missiles were launched from near Tal al-Hawa village, about 20 km (12 miles) inside Iraqi territory.

The command added that the army is coordinating with Iraqi authorities, where military forces have begun search operations to track down those responsible, according to SANA.

IQAir has announced the release of its 8th annual World Air Quality Report, offering a comprehensive analysis of global air pollution data from 2025 and highlighting persistent health risks, emerging regional trends and critical monitoring gaps worldwide.

For this year’s report, IQAir said it analyzed data from monitoring stations across 9,446 cities in 143 countries, regions and territories.

The report adds 12 countries and territories not included last year, seven of which appear in the dataset for the first time ever—marking continued expansion of global air quality monitoring coverage.

Comparing this year’s report to the previous year, 54 countries experienced increases in annual average PM2.5, 75 saw declines, two remained unchanged and 12 were newly represented in this year’s dataset.

Key findings from the 2025 World Air Quality Report published on the IQAir website:

Only 14% of global cities met the World Health Organization (WHO) annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 µg/m³, down from 17% the previous year. Only thirteen countries or territories met the WHO annual average PM2.5 guideline: French Polynesia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Barbados, New Caledonia, Iceland, Bermuda, Réunion, Andorra, Australia, Grenada, Panama, and Estonia. 130 out of 143 countries or territories, representing 91%, exceeded the WHO annual average PM2.5 guideline value.

The five most polluted countries were Pakistan with 67.3 µg/m³, Bangladesh with 66.1 µg/m³, Tajikistan with 57.3 µg/m³, Chad with 53.6 µg/m³, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 50.2 µg/m³. Loni, India, was the most polluted city, recording an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 112.5 µg/m³, which is a nearly 23% increase from 2024 and more than 22 times the WHO guideline. Nieuwoudtville, South Africa, was the world’s cleanest city, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 1.0 µg/m³.

The world’s 25 most polluted cities were all located in India, Pakistan, and China, with India home to three of the four most polluted. The most polluted major U.S. city was El Paso, Texas. Southeast Los Angeles, California, was the most polluted region in the United States. Seattle, Washington, was the cleanest major U.S. city.

The year 2025 marked the second consecutive year in which no cities in East Asia met WHO PM2.5 guidelines. Pollution patterns in China indicated a westward shift in elevated concentrations. Europe saw mixed air pollution trends in 2025, with 23 countries recording higher PM2.5 concentrations and 18 seeing declines. Winter wood burning, summer smoke from Canadian wildfires, and Saharan dust worsened seasonal pollution in Europe.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, air quality trends were largely positive. 208 cities recorded decreases in annual average PM2.5 concentrations, 95 cities saw increases, nine remained unchanged, and 13 new cities were added to the monitoring network. Oceania remained one of the world’s cleanest regions, with 61% of cities meeting the WHO guideline, although record-breaking cold in New South Wales, Australia, in June 2025 led to seasonal PM2.5 spikes.

According to the report, wildfires, intensified by climate change, played a major role in degrading global air quality in 2025. Record biomass emissions from Europe and Canada contributed to approximately 1,380 megatons of carbon. Canada was the most polluted country in Northern America for just the second time in this report’s eight-year history, as its second-worst wildfire season on record affected air quality across Canada, the United States and parts of Europe.

In the United States, annual average PM2.5 levels increased to 7.3 µg/m³. Smoke from wildfires in both Canada and the U.S. raised averages across parts of the Great Lakes states in the summer and in the Pacific Northwest in the fall.

The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Arsen Torosyan, announced on Tuesday a 30% salary increase for staff at various care institutions operating under the ministry.

 “I would like to share some good news, especially for care institutions operating under the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, as well as for day care centers. Starting April 1, the salaries of all employees at care centers under our authority—serving children, the elderly, and citizens with mental health conditions—as well as staff at children’s day care centers, will increase by 30 percent. We have achieved this through budgetary discipline and effective management. Therefore, in May, dear colleagues, you will already receive a 30 percent increased salary. As minister, I expect you to deliver better performance and to invest greater effort in working with, caring for, and providing services to our thousands of citizens. Your working conditions are a priority for me—they have been since day one—and I will do everything possible to gradually improve them,” Torosyan said in a statement on social media. 

The US Department of State has issued a ‘worldwide caution’ alert, urging Americans to remain vigilant while traveling abroad, particularly in the Middle East, amid rising tensions since the U.S. and Israel launched their attacks on Iran on February 28. 

“The Department of State advises Americans worldwide, and especially in the Middle East, to exercise increased caution.  Americans abroad should follow the guidance in security alerts issued by the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.  Periodic airspace closures may cause travel disruptions.  U.S. diplomatic facilities, including outside the Middle East, have been targeted.  Groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or locations associated with the United States and/or Americans throughout the world,” it said.

The U.S. and Israel launched what they described as a pre-emptive strike against Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran was developing a nuclear weapon and posed a threat—an allegation Iran has denied. In response, Iran launched counterattacks, firing missiles and drones at Israel, as well as at U.S. assets and other targets across the Middle East.

Armenia and Pakistan are in the process of reciprocally establishing non-resident embassies, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Monday.

Mirzoyan briefed Members of Parliament on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ 2025 report during a meeting of the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs.

He recalled that last year Armenia established diplomatic relations with three countries: Lesotho, the Solomon Islands, and Pakistan.

“Particularly in the case of Pakistan, there had been a longstanding issue, partly connected to Armenia-Azerbaijan and Armenia-Türkiye relations. Last year, we managed to reach a mutual understanding. The Pakistani side also marked this development quite ceremoniously. We established diplomatic relations and will accredit ambassadors — initially as non-resident — but the process is underway,” Mirzoyan said.

Armenia and Pakistan signed the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations in August 2025 during the SCO summit in Tianjin, China.

Armenian government officials briefed lawmakers on Monday on the progress of ongoing EU-funded projects in Armenia.

At a session of the parliamentary committee on European integration affairs, opposition MP Armen Gevorgyan from the Armenia faction recalled that over the past few years there have been announcements of €3 billion in assistance, including the €2.6 billion Economic and Investment Plan, a €270 million project, and the recently announced additional €140 million in EU aid. Gevorgyan asked government officials to specify exactly how much of the pledged funds have reached Armenia and been reflected in the economy.

Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan responded that several projects are ongoing, with most pertaining to infrastructure.

“Numerous projects have been implemented, with the bulk pertaining to the funding of the North-South road,” he said, adding that the Resilient Syunik and other programs are ongoing.

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan presented specific figures. He said that €1.496 billion from the €2.6 billion Economic and Investment Package has been distributed. He added that €62.5 million from the €270 million envisaged under the Resilience and Growth Plan has been spent, while the distribution of nearly €210 million has been confirmed.

During the discussion, the qualitative impact of investments was also addressed. Gevorgyan asked what effect these programs have on Armenia’s economic structure.

Finance Minister Hovhannisyan noted that, on average, capital investments have approximately a 1.4-fold impact on GDP growth, but each project is evaluated individually based on feasibility studies.

“For example, if we talk about the programs we are implementing with the European Union, there is no doubt that the work currently underway on the southern section of the North-South road will also have a significant impact on the implementation of the Crossroads of Peace project. I believe these are important projects both economically and strategically, although their full impact will only become visible once the infrastructure is actually constructed.

The same applies to the Resilient Syunik Program, which aims to create diverse infrastructure, including kindergartens, hospitals, water systems, and more,” Hovhannisyan emphasized.

Kostanyan, in turn, added that EU support also includes the development of standards and institutional infrastructure, which could yield more significant results in the medium and long term.