The claimed tribute to Trump forms part of Morocco's larger ambitions in the disputed Western Sahara.
As US-Iran clashes escalate, former US Ambassador to UAE Barbara Leaf warns escalation is ‘fairly pointless’.
A senior Hamas official has told the BBC they have agreed to the Board of Peace's plan. Israel has not commented.
The key roles played by Japan and South Korea in this year’s Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) military exercises led by the US have fuelled speculation whether the two neighbours could set aside differences over their common history and deepen defence cooperation. Held in waters off Hawaii, this year’s Rimpac is the world’s largest maritime exercise involving 30 nations, more than 30,000 troops, various aircraft and an armada of surface ships and submarines. Rimpac, which runs from June 24 to July...
US President Donald Trump said on TruthSocial that an agreement has been reached for Hamas to fully disarm.
US President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the United States’ international broadcasting agency pledged on Thursday to sharpen its media challenge to China, including by expanding into short-form videos, podcasts and diaspora group chats. Sarah B. Rogers told a Senate committee hearing that Asia would remain a top regional priority for the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America (VOA) and funds Radio Free Asia and other international broadcasters. “China is rapacious...
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Antonio Guterres’s successor will be tasked to revitalise an organisation in crisis and with pressure to reform.
The United States sanctioned two China-based companies and a Chinese executive on Thursday over their alleged support for Iran’s Mahan Air, which Washington described as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ “airline of choice” for transporting weapons, military personnel and equipment. The action marked the second consecutive day that Washington targeted mainland China- or Hong Kong-linked businesses accused of supporting Tehran, broadening its latest pressure campaign from Iranian oil...
The United Nations Security Council began the selection process for the next secretary general on Thursday, with a first “straw poll” held behind closed doors to evaluate support for candidates vying for the role at the embattled world body. Antonio Guterres, the current UN chief, is set to complete his second five-year term on the final day of 2026, leaving the high-profile role open for a new leader whose first day would be January 1, 2027. The 15-member Security Council is responsible for...
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister points at Russia for the escalation of attacks in the Black Sea and adjoining areas, which have emerged as the maritime front of the Russia-Ukraine war
Fourteen nations sign up to alliance to protect vital trade and energy routes amid escalating hostilities.
Iran may believe it can control its conflict carefully enough to keep pressure on the US while avoiding an all-out war.
Committee on External Affairs suggests that India should seek ‘member status’ in the Arctic Council as observer countries cannot take part in the decision-making process
PM directs agencies to prioritise safety of Indian seafarers and ensure uninterrupted fertilizer and fuel stocks for domestic needs
As the Trump administration tightens US sanctions, Cuba's healthcare sector struggles with fuel and supply shortages.
American materials scientist Elsa Reichmanis, whose pioneering work helped lay part of the foundation for modern semiconductor manufacturing, said scientific collaboration should transcend rivalry after receiving one of China’s highest honours for foreign experts, describing science as “a universal language” that benefits all of society. Reichmanis, a professor of chemical engineering in Lehigh University’s department of chemical and biomolecular engineering and the director of its Institute for...
India’s invitation to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend a Brics summit in New Delhi in September is being seen as a chance to repair ties after one of the most turbulent periods in relations between the neighbours in years. If Rahman accepts, he will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly for the first time since becoming Bangladesh’s leader after elections in February. Brics is an association of leading emerging national economies whose members include Brazil,...
Beijing accused Manila of “flagrantly infringing” on Chinese sovereignty and undermining regional peace after the Philippines formally presented its bid to the United Nations this week for extended seabed rights in the South China Sea. The rebuttal, issued by China’s mission to the UN on Thursday, followed Manila’s presentation before the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) on Tuesday and Wednesday. Beijing said the filing violated its sovereignty, sovereign rights and...
Mehbooba Mufti urges Pakistan to adopt dialogue and humanity in response to recent violent protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
The alliance aims to defend shipping from attacks by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The Indian Embassy in the U.S. has called out the American daily for referring Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) as ‘Pakistani Kashmir’
Zhou Bo is a retired senior colonel in the People’s Liberation Army, a senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy, and the author of the book Should the World Fear China? SCMP Plus readers get early access to articles in the Open Questions series. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is approaching its 2027 centenary, a major benchmark set by Beijing to achieve military modernisation. What is that goal actually about? China has set two major military...
East Timor has become an unlikely venue for a case alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity by Myanmar’s military leadership, as it moves deeper into Dili’s courts and tests Asean’s uneasy approach to the country’s junta. Brought by the Chin Human Rights Organisation (CHRO), the case is expected to shed light on whether a small, newly admitted Asean member with its own history of occupation and atrocity can use its courts to examine grave allegations against a fellow state’s military...
Rights group says India continues to support the Israeli military despite genocide 'broadcast worldwide on daily basis'.
A parliamentary clash in Wellington has elicited a subtle rebuke from Beijing after New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters told a Chinese-born opposition lawmaker to “go back to your own country”. The comments on Wednesday prompted a rare social media response from Beijing’s envoy in Wellington, adding an international dimension to an already contentious domestic debate over governance and race relations in the South Pacific nation. The controversy erupted during a parliamentary debate on...
US President Donald Trump said he would be “quite disappointed” if his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping broke a personal promise not to arm Iran, even as he revived his accusation that long-time US health official Anthony Fauci helped shield Beijing from scrutiny over the origins of Covid-19. The comments came as Fauci, who led the US response to the pandemic, appeared before a Senate committee. Separately, Reuters has reported that Iran is expected to receive 300 to 400 Chinese-made...
Members of a delegation from the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa paid tribute to their ancestors at the historic Ryukyu Kingdom cemetery in Beijing, highlighting a legacy of ties that China is increasingly leveraging as a counterweight in its frictions with Tokyo. During the visit in June – first made public by the Global Times on Sunday – about a dozen delegates travelled to the site southeast of Beijing, which honours six centuries of ties between China and the former island nation later...
US President Donald Trump has again signalled support for selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkiye.
Decision follows long-running feud between Trump and UN group.
Asean’s optimism in concluding a long-awaited code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea by the end of the year is not shared by observers who highlight that significant gaps remain in perspectives between the bloc and China, particularly between Beijing and the Philippines. Any consensus on the code is likely to be broad and symbolic, and while “negotiation fatigue” could set in, it is still important to keep dialogue flowing, according to analysts. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations...
Riyadh seeks partners to safeguard shipping in Red Sea as strikes on energy tankers expand, pushing oil prices higher.
Canada says that illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territory undermine 'peace, security and stability'.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi cancels first official trip to Saudi Arabia in protest.
Donald Trump’s demands that American allies in the Asia-Pacific region share more of the defensive burden have renewed questions about how far they can rely on the United States to help deter the likes of China and North Korea. Such concerns have led to an increasing focus on developing their own defence industries – but analysts have said that may eventually weaken American dominance in the global arms trade. Questions over Washington’s commitment In the National Security Strategy released in...
The kingdom faces a choice of whether to keep hitting back as a deterrent or to try to de-escalate the situation.
Both leaders expected to attend BRICS summit in Delhi on September 12, 13; Foreign Secretary holds wide-ranging talks in Beijing as Chinese officials arrive in Delhi to oversee security preparations
The United States on Wednesday sanctioned a group of mainland Chinese and Hong Kong shipping companies accused of operating vessels that transported Iranian oil to China, extending Washington’s economic campaign against Tehran alongside its naval blockade. The US State Department said eight companies were designated for operating vessels that moved Iranian crude oil and petrochemical products to China and the United Arab Emirates as part of Iran’s sanctions-evading “shadow fleet”. Six of the...
Riyadh’s position in the Arab and Islamic worlds bears significant weight in the prospect of normalisation with Israel.
Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr has urged greater vigilance over academic exchange programmes with China following reports that language teachers in Manila had been trained by a Chinese university at the centre of a recent controversy over the Batanes Islands. Speaking in Manila on Wednesday, Teodoro cautioned that foreign-linked educational initiatives risked being exploited as conduits for grey-zone influence and state-sponsored disinformation. His remarks followed a report...
China has overtaken the United States in terms of positive perceptions among young Africans, though Washington is still seen as more influential than Beijing, according to a survey published on Wednesday. The African Youth Survey polled 4,901 respondents aged 18 to 24 and split equally between males and females, in 16 of Africa’s 54 countries, asking them which foreign powers had influence on their country. The report said 81 per cent agreed that the US was influential, while 79 per cent...
Iran is proposing a deal that would see it have significantly more control than Oman.
Beijing has launched a drone research hub in Tibet near Mount Everest in an effort to exploit its high-altitude advantage in the ongoing competition for technological dominance between the US and China. The Plateau Drone R&D Application Centre was recently unveiled by Xizang University, state news agency Xinhua reported earlier this month. Xizang is the official Chinese pinyin name for the Tibet autonomous region in western China. Situated on the Chinese side of the world’s highest peak, the...
An American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is set to dock in Da Nang this week, in a visit analysts say shows the durability of US-Vietnam relations despite trade tensions and global upheaval. The USS George Washington, a Nimitz-class carrier currently deployed with the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet out of Yokosuka, Japan, is expected to call at the central Vietnamese port from Thursday to Monday, though officials have yet to confirm the exact date. Its looming arrival “signals that engagement...
Diplomats Jeffrey Feltman and Michael Ratney
Malaysia is finding it increasingly difficult to stay neutral in the US-China rivalry as the superpowers lock horns over trade, investment and the security of advanced technology, according to a top government adviser. “They don’t make us take sides when it comes to foreign policy,” Tengku Zafrul Aziz, senior political adviser to Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, told This Week in Asia. “They ask me to take sides when it comes to security of technology.” Malaysia’s solution was...
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House for the first time since launching the war on Iran.
A senior Pentagon official on Tuesday said US-China military communication was “stronger than it has been in years”, marking a rare bright spot in the broader strategic rivalry between the world’s two most powerful countries. “Under the leadership of Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, we are actively repairing a once broken military-to-military channel and making clear, steady progress,” said Alvaro Smith, deputy assistant defence secretary for China, Taiwan and Mongolia. He made the remarks during a...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend Golden Jubilee celebrations as Guest of Honour; Indian Army and Navy contingents to join ceremonial parade
The European Union’s upgraded partnership with the Philippines signals the bloc’s aim to diversify its Indo-Pacific strategy beyond trade into the security arena. Such a move shows Brussels is seeking a larger role in a region where maritime disputes and challenges to the rules-based order could damage its extensive interests, according to analysts. On Friday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy...
“After a brief pause in the ongoing conflict in the region, there has been a worrying resumption of attacks and escalation of hostilities. This is deeply concerning, and India calls for an immediate de-escalation of tensions,” says Permanent Representative of India to the UN Ambassador
The two leaders sound encouraged after holding back-to-back bilaterals at the White House.
The United States has released a rare photo of the American and Taiwanese coastguards operating together at sea, as Beijing expands maritime law enforcement in waters east of the island. The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) – the de facto US embassy in Taipei – posted the undated image on social media on Tuesday, saying the two sides were coordinating on search, rescue, disaster relief and maritime law enforcement. “The United States appreciates Taiwan’s partnership in maritime security and...
US President Donald Trump has held talks at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Omani proposal is based on the Strait of Malacca model, where ships that use the strait provide voluntary fees.
US-Israel defence cooperation spans decades, including a $33bn, 10-year memorandum of understanding signed in 2016.
The UN refugee agency is under pressure to impose stricter controls amid rising local backlash against Rohingya.
Nepali media had reported that Mr. Shah’s advisor discussed the visit with NSA Ajit Doval during a visit to Delhi in early July; formal invite sent through diplomatic channels after PM Modi’s congratulatory remark
US President Donald Trump voiced irritation with Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of their White House meeting on Tuesday, complaining that details of the Israeli prime minister’s planned talking points on Iran had surfaced publicly, in a fresh sign of strain between the two leaders. Asked about reports that Netanyahu wanted to talk to him about Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified facility buried deep underground near one of Iran’s main nuclear sites, Trump said, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “I don’t need...
Political déjà vu as US President Donald Trump says negotiations with Iran are back on.
A supporter of terrorism, Pakistan cannot lay any claim to a “pluralistic cultural legacy” like the Indus Valley Civilisation, says MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal
Discussions included joint production of Patriot missiles in Ukraine to bolster defence against Russian aerial attacks.
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met on Tuesday ahead of Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral, with the two leaders discussing ways for Ukraine to produce its own powerful weapons and “other ideas that could help” in its continuing war against Russia. The sit-down in the Oval Office, which was closed to the media, followed a consequential meeting at the Nato summit earlier this month in Ankara, Turkey, where Trump announced that the US will give Ukraine a licence...
As US ties fray, Netanyahu's claim to unrivalled influence in Washington is under growing scrutiny.
Iran rejected Trump’s claim that ships damaged by Iran in the Gulf would be compensated from frozen Iranian funds.
US president says Iran talks progressing, reups threats if diplomacy fails before sit down with Israeli prime minister.
Oman presented Iran with a plan backed by Gulf states to manage the Strait of Hormuz, including collecting voluntary fees for using it, a Gulf source and a Western diplomat told Reuters on Tuesday. The plan could serve as a basis to end the disruption to trade through the strait caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran. President Donald Trump, who abruptly called off a two-week US bombing campaign over the weekend in his latest strategic U-turn, said there were “good talks” under way with Iran but...
Negotiators are trying to break the deadlock over transit fees and management of the Strait of Hormuz.
US diplomats walked out of France’s UN Security Council address after France’s UN Mission compared the US to North Korea
In Orwellian totalitarianism, two plus two can equal five. But with American hegemony, things can be A and not A at the same time. Earlier this month, Washington declared war on the International Criminal Court (ICC), whose very existence, it claims, poses an “intolerable” challenge to America’s sovereignty. But, citing an international maritime law, it also led a coalition of 14 mainly Western countries in issuing a joint statement in support of a 10-year-old South China Sea arbitration ruling...
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China and Slovakia should explore cooperation in clean energy, robotics and artificial intelligence, as the European nation navigates growing trade tensions between Beijing and the EU. Xi told his counterpart Peter Pellegrini that mutual trust has continued to deepen between the nations. The Slovak president is on a three-day visit to China, the first by the country’s head of state in 16 years. Slovakia has relatively warm relations with China, as one of...
Ukraine's leader is hoping to firm up US commitments to bolstering Kyiv's anti-ballistic missile defences, as Russia has escalated deadly attacks.
Oval Office meeting on Tuesday is first since US-Israel launched unpopular war with Iran.
During his meeting with Li Wentang, Mr. Misri was briefed about the school's historical significance, intellectual contributions and academic programmes, according to a social media post by the Indian embassy
The Israeli PM's visit to the US comes amid raids in the occupied West Bank, before the October 27 elections.
The row sparked after the US joined North Korea and Russia in voting against extending the term of the UN high commissioner for human rights.
The meeting comes amid signs of friction between the two leaders and decreasing public support for Israel in the US.
Colombia’s far-right president-elect says he'll close or suspend embassies in these countries
‘F*** you Bibi.’ ‘War criminal!’
Settler violence in the occupied West Bank endangers Israel’s future, 550 former officials tell Trump.
We are expanding defence and civil nuclear cooperation, including the adoption of trusted AI and other emerging technologies powering the economy, says U.S. Assistant Secretary of State S. Paul Kapur
The US Senate will vote Tuesday on Russian sanctions, days after Ukraine attacked an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea.
US President Donald Trump says talks with Iran are continuing during a pause in US military strikes
US diplomats walked out as their French counterparts were speaking at the United Nations on Monday after America’s close European ally criticised the Trump administration’s human rights record. The surprise move during a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine followed US opposition to giving UN human rights chief Volker Turk another four-year term. The reappointment on Friday got overwhelming support, including from France. The US walkout reflects not only the more strained relations between...
Republican Senator Lindsay Graham's funeral is bringing the two world leaders to town, where they'll separately visit the White House to discuss their region's wars.
US President Donald Trump called Turkiye 'a great ally' when asked about selling F-35 fighter jets to Ankara.
Iran says US is 'struggling' to end the five-month old war as Netanyahu arrives in Washington, DC, for talks with Trump.
US diplomats walk out of UN meeting during France's speech amid tensions over human rights chief's reappointment.
UN chief Guterres labels settlements 'flagrant violation' of international law amid escalating violence.
The US president says "there is a good chance that something could happen", as Iran denies direct talks are taking place.
Mediators from Qatar and Pakistan work to restart ceasefire talks amid fragile pause in hostilities.
A congressional advisory panel focused on China has returned from a trip to Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou, with commissioners pledging to make the visits an annual event to strengthen engagement and inform their work on US-China relations. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), an independent advisory body established in 2000, provides annual reports and recommendations to lawmakers on trade and national security-related policies. “We are committed to seeking to return at...
Will Britain's new cabinet change the country’s role in Israel’s war on Gaza?
Unreleased documentary footage shows late US Senator Lindsey Graham celebrating the war on Iran.
Why have US-Lebanon direct flights been banned for 40 years?
Marc Lamont Hill speaks with sociologist Ali Kadivar on what history shows about the risk of a US forever war in Iran.
The US-Iran war has slowed, with both sides giving diplomacy a chance through regional mediators.
Andy Burnham, Britain’s new prime minister, welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United Kingdom.