https://www.scmp.com/rss/32319/feed The UN is an international organisation founded after World War II that aims to provide a dialogue platform between countries, fortifying international corporation and preventing future wars. There are currently 193 members led by five permanent members of the Security Council - US, Russia, UK, France and China. The organisation currently has six principal organs: General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Secretariat, International Court of Justice, and the Trusteeship... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A second French soldier died on Wednesday from wounds suffered in a weekend ambush against UN peacekeepers in Lebanon blamed on Hezbollah, President Emmanuel Macron said. A first soldier, staff sergeant Florian Montorio, was shot dead in the Saturday ambush, for which Hezbollah has denied responsibility. “Corporal Anicet Girardin … brought home yesterday from Lebanon, where he was badly wounded by Hezbollah fighters, died this morning of the consequences of his wounds,” Macron posted on X. One... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351049/second-french-peacekeeper-dies-after-ambush-blamed-hezbollah?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351049/second-french-peacekeeper-dies-after-ambush-blamed-hezbollah?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:19:43 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United Nations voiced alarm on Wednesday at the number of people being executed in Singapore for drug-related offences, saying it was incompatible with human dignity. UN rights chief Volker Turk said there had been a general shift away from the use of capital punishment in Asia, and Singapore was one of only a few countries imposing the death penalty for drug-related crimes not involving intentional killing. The death penalty is mandatory in Singapore for drug trafficking above certain... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3351031/un-alarmed-singapore-executions-drug-related-offences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3351031/un-alarmed-singapore-executions-drug-related-offences?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:21:43 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China has launched what it calls the world’s first “panoramic” carbon accounting system, a model that revises down the country’s emissions compared to other estimates and raises them for the United States. Unlike other models that assign responsibility for emissions based on total carbon output from facilities such as power plants and factories, the new model gives greater weight to the consumers of products. Developed by the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3351009/how-chinas-new-ai-carbon-accounting-model-points-finger-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3351009/how-chinas-new-ai-carbon-accounting-model-points-finger-us?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:21:20 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau The geopolitical fallout from the Strait of Hormuz chokehold in the Middle East is just a “dry run”, with the Pacific being where the real action will occur if superpowers were to clash, Singapore’s top diplomat has warned. Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also revealed on Wednesday that Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia shared an interest in keeping the Strait of Malacca open, even under the spectre of tolls being imposed on the strategic Southeast Asian waterway. His stance however... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350983/singapores-balakrishnan-warns-hormuz-just-dry-run-if-us-china-clash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350983/singapores-balakrishnan-warns-hormuz-just-dry-run-if-us-china-clash?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 06:45:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A notorious North Korean hacking group is likely behind the theft of nearly US$300 million in cryptocurrency over the weekend, an affected party has said, in the biggest known crypto heist this year. It is the latest such incident linked to North Korea, whose sophisticated cybercrime programme uses stolen cryptocurrency to help fund its nuclear weapons development, according to a United Nations panel. Digital currency news site CoinDesk said the heist on the vault of online investment tool... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350964/north-koreas-lazarus-suspected-stealing-us290-million-kelpdao-cyberattack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350964/north-koreas-lazarus-suspected-stealing-us290-million-kelpdao-cyberattack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:12:23 +0000 Jinghan (Michael) Zeng Jinghan (Michael) Zeng A year ago, after more than a decade in the United Kingdom and several years in the United States – including time working for the United Nations in New York City – I returned to Asia and arrived in Hong Kong expecting it to also be a leading hub for international relations. Hong Kong is often described as a “superconnector” between China and the world. Yet in one crucial domain – the study and practice of international relations – the city remains a paradox: globally connected, intellectually... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350702/how-hong-kong-can-actively-shape-foreign-policy-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350702/how-hong-kong-can-actively-shape-foreign-policy-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are working closely together to keep vessels moving safely through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Tuesday, stressing the three countries’ shared responsibility for keeping the waterways open and secure. “The Straits of Malacca and Singapore are used for international navigation, and therefore the rights of transit passage similarly apply,” said Gan, who is also trade and industry minister, speaking on the opening... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350838/singapore-malaysia-indonesia-unite-secure-safe-passage-crucial-straits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350838/singapore-malaysia-indonesia-unite-secure-safe-passage-crucial-straits?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 05:59:40 +0000 Reuters Reuters Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission strongly criticised the military ⁠on Monday as it ⁠investigated the killing of 12 civilians ⁠last week during an operation against rebels in Papua province. The military said it had no information about the deaths, but the state-run rights commission said over the weekend that 12 people including women and children had been ‌shot dead during an operation against separatists in central Papua on Tuesday. Dozens of others sustained serious injuries, it... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350688/indonesian-rights-body-military-clash-over-reports-papua-civilian-killings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3350688/indonesian-rights-body-military-clash-over-reports-papua-civilian-killings?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 06:17:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US federal prosecutors said on Sunday an Iranian national was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly trafficking arms to Sudan on behalf of Tehran. Shamim Mafi, 44, is charged with “brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan”, US Attorney Bill Essayli wrote in a social media post. A resident of the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, Mafi “is an Iranian national who became a lawful permanent... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350660/woman-charged-us-trafficking-arms-sudan-iranian-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350660/woman-charged-us-trafficking-arms-sudan-iranian-government?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 22:38:32 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Sven Biscop is a Belgian political scientist and strategist specialising in the foreign affairs and security of the EU and its relations with great powers. He is a director at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels and a professor at Ghent University. He is also a senior research fellow at Renmin University in Beijing, where he teaches in the summer. Biscop is the author of many books, including 2024’s This Is Not a New World Order: Europe Rediscovers Geopolitics,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350626/saying-youre-geopolitical-actor-doesnt-make-it-so-sven-biscop-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350626/saying-youre-geopolitical-actor-doesnt-make-it-so-sven-biscop-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 22:00:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea on Sunday, its neighbours said, days after the UN’s nuclear watchdog warned that North Korea was making “very serious” advances in efforts to build nuclear weapons. The missiles fired from the North’s Sinpo area flew about 140 kilometres (87 miles) each towards the country’s eastern waters, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It said South Korea maintains a readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea and is... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350644/north-korea-launches-ballistic-missiles-un-warns-nuclear-advances?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350644/north-korea-launches-ballistic-missiles-un-warns-nuclear-advances?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 13:54:15 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. The victory of Chinese motorcycle brand ZXMOTO in two races in the World Supersport class of the Superbike World Championship round in Portugal at the end of March is more than just a sporting achievement, it is a story of grit. Zhang Xue, ZXMOTO’s founder, left school at 14 to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3350496/chinese-motorcycle-brand-zxmotos-victory-more-sporting-achievement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3350496/chinese-motorcycle-brand-zxmotos-victory-more-sporting-achievement?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 03:30:09 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji The global balance of power has tilted to major emerging economies such as China and India as US hegemony is increasingly undermined – much of it by its own actions, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. In his speech on Saturday at the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Lavrov argued that the foundations of globalisation powered primarily by America had “come to an end”. He added that the trend had been under way during former US president Joe Biden’s administration, and that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350598/russias-lavrov-says-balance-power-shifting-emerging-economies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350598/russias-lavrov-says-balance-power-shifting-emerging-economies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:42:35 +0000 Nilufer Oral Nilufer Oral On February 28, the United States and Israel bombed Iran. In response, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to the passage of all shipping. This has caused a crisis in energy supply chains, with serious economic consequences for countries, including Asian ones, that rely heavily on the strait for their energy supplies. To compound matters, US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping blockade of Iranian ports, which would impede the passage of all maritime traffic entering and exiting the strait.... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3350493/passage-through-strait-hormuz-right-war-and-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3350493/passage-through-strait-hormuz-right-war-and-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 05:30:08 +0000 dpa dpa Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip killed more than 38,000 women and girls between October 2023 and the end of 2025, a UN report published on Friday showed. Palestinian health authorities put the estimated total death toll by the end of 2025 at just over 71,000, rising to more than 72,000 by mid-April as Israel continued sporadic attacks despite a ceasefire with the Islamist group Hamas. According to the analysis by UN Women, this means over half of all the victims in Gaza by the end of 2025 were... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350527/israeli-attacks-killed-over-38000-women-girls-gaza-october-2023-un-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350527/israeli-attacks-killed-over-38000-women-girls-gaza-october-2023-un-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:42:52 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday that the war in Iran had laid bare the urgency of long-delayed UN reforms, arguing that the world body must be strengthened if multilateral diplomacy is to help restore global peace and security. “We have been talking about that for a long time, but only talking happens,” Tokayev told the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. “Everybody is feeling the impact of the Iran war and everybody is suffering.” At the three-day summit ending... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350505/un-reforms-cant-wait-any-longer-kazakhstans-tokayev-says-amid-fragile-iran-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350505/un-reforms-cant-wait-any-longer-kazakhstans-tokayev-says-amid-fragile-iran-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:43:43 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Washington’s senior envoys to the United Nations took a victory lap in Senate testimony on Wednesday over the US-inspired cuts and efficiency drive at the multilateral agency, even as they slammed its inability to end the conflict in Ukraine, stem the Iran war started by the US and Israel or curb China’s growing clout. Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the UN, touted the US$570 million in UN budget cuts, 3,000 fewer jobs and the US decision to pull out of several UN agencies, even as he defended US... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350229/us-envoy-waltz-touts-america-first-policy-budget-cuts-senate-swipe-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350229/us-envoy-waltz-touts-america-first-policy-budget-cuts-senate-swipe-un?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:29:48 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Famine. Massacres. And now badly needed food and other supplies are under strain. Sudan on Wednesday enters a fourth year of war that is being called an “abandoned crisis” as a new conflict in the Middle East throws into shadow the fighting that has forced 13 million people to flee their homes. Sudan has been described as the world’s largest humanitarian challenge, notably in terms of displacement and hunger. There is no end in sight to the fighting between the military and the paramilitary... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350197/sudan-enters-4th-year-war-abandoned-crisis-grows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350197/sudan-enters-4th-year-war-abandoned-crisis-grows?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:45:07 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao Amid escalating turmoil in the Middle East and mounting global uncertainty, Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged China and Russia to elevate their strategic partnership to new heights by deepening “all-round cooperation” and reinvigorating the authority of the United Nations. During a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Beijing on Wednesday, he cast the growing bilateral relationship as a stabilising force in a volatile world, rooted in history, driven by strategic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350167/strong-china-russia-relations-are-stabilising-force-turbulent-landscape-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350167/strong-china-russia-relations-are-stabilising-force-turbulent-landscape-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:01:36 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ghana said France was open to having ⁠discussions with a coalition ⁠of countries that are calling ⁠for reparations for transatlantic slavery, following a meeting last week with President Emmanuel Macron. Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama, accompanied by Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and other officials, held talks with Macron in Paris on Wednesday. Ablakwa said on X after the meeting that Macron had indicated France was open to discussions on reparations, including the return of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349925/france-open-engaging-slavery-reparations-says-ghana?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349925/france-open-engaging-slavery-reparations-says-ghana?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:50:32 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Sunday he was working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war, even as Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in south Lebanon that the fight there was far from over. The Lebanese Red Cross said in a statement that one of its paramedics had been killed in the south. They said its teams had been “directly targeted by an Israeli drone” while on a humanitarian mission, even though “the ambulances and their crews bore the protective Red Cross... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349819/israels-netanyahu-south-lebanon-says-threat-invasion-removed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349819/israels-netanyahu-south-lebanon-says-threat-invasion-removed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 19:10:38 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The gap between rich and poor nations is growing even wider as actions agreed to by many countries last year, including overhauling the major global financial institutions, remain unfulfilled promises, a UN report has concluded. The report assessing the blueprint adopted in Seville, Spain, last June to narrow the gap and achieve UN development goals for 2030 was issued ahead of next week’s spring meetings in Washington of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the main global... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3349731/global-wealth-gap-grows-aid-worlds-poorest-sees-record-drop?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3349731/global-wealth-gap-grows-aid-worlds-poorest-sees-record-drop?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 05:34:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters North Korea fired several ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, following a separate launch detected a day earlier as Pyongyang doused Seoul’s hopes of an easing in tensions. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the unidentified short-range missiles were launched at around 8.50am from near Wonsan on the North’s east coast. The missiles flew 240km (150 miles), the JCS ‌said, adding that South Korean and US authorities were... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3349336/north-korea-launches-fifth-missile-test-after-dousing-souths-reconciliation-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3349336/north-korea-launches-fifth-missile-test-after-dousing-souths-reconciliation-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 05:46:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz that had been repeatedly watered down in hopes those two countries would abstain. The vote – 11-2, with two abstentions from Pakistan and Colombia – took place shortly after US President Donald Trump issued an unprecedented threat that a “whole civilisation will die tonight” if Iran does not open the strategic waterway and make a deal. But late Tuesday, less than two hours before the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3349309/iran-war-russia-and-china-veto-un-resolution-reopen-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3349309/iran-war-russia-and-china-veto-un-resolution-reopen-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:25:04 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado,Lucy Quaggin,Orange Wang Teresa Elena Frontado,Lucy Quaggin,Orange Wang Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz under a ceasefire agreement with the United States brokered by Pakistan, as the two sides also agreed to start negotiations in Islamabad on Friday for a peace deal. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the US would pause its bombing campaign in Iran for two weeks, calling it a “double-sided ceasefire” requested by Pakistani mediators in a last-minute bid to create space for diplomacy. In a social media post, Trump said the suspension of military action was... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3349299/trump-agrees-suspend-bombing-iran-2-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3349299/trump-agrees-suspend-bombing-iran-2-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:28:16 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China is expanding its agricultural trade with Ukraine with further opening of its wheat flour market, a move that underscores its pragmatism and balanced diplomacy as it also increases energy imports from Russia. On Monday, China’s ambassador to Ukraine, Ma Shengkun, signed a protocol with Ukrainian officials regarding inspection, quarantine and sanitary requirements for the export of Ukrainian wheat flour to China, the embassy in Kyiv said in a social media post . The agreement would broaden... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349256/beyond-russian-oil-china-also-increases-appetite-ukrainian-wheat-flour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349256/beyond-russian-oil-china-also-increases-appetite-ukrainian-wheat-flour?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:00:12 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo “T he United States has become a rogue state.” That’s the title of a recent column in the Foreign Policy magazine. I generally agree with the author, but would dispute the title. The US has always been a rogue state. And yet, something does seem to have changed fundamentally under Donald Trump, especially with his second term in office. So what gives? “The United States is now acting like a predatory hegemon, exploiting positions of leverage built up over decades to exploit allies and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3349185/america-has-always-been-rogue-state-and-even-more-so-under-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3349185/america-has-always-been-rogue-state-and-even-more-so-under-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 13:15:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Samira Muhammadi hopes an international investigation can “extinguish” her pain after a Pakistani bombing killed her son and hundreds of other Afghans in the capital Kabul last month. The March 16 attack hit a drug treatment centre and killed 411 people, according to Afghan officials. A United Nations source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had verified at least 250 killed, with more still missing. “There should be investigations on this … Like me, many mothers lost their sons,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349110/pakistani-strike-killed-her-son-rehab-now-afghan-mother-demands-answers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349110/pakistani-strike-killed-her-son-rehab-now-afghan-mother-demands-answers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 01:14:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Three Indonesian peacekeepers killed in two separate explosions in southern Lebanon last week were laid to rest in their hometowns on Sunday. Peacekeeper Farizal Rhomadhon, 28, died when a projectile exploded on March 29 in southern Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war. Two other blue helmets, Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, 33, and Muhammad Nur Ichwan, 26, died a day later when an explosion struck a logistics convoy of the UN Interim... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349076/indonesia-lays-rest-peacekeepers-killed-lebanon-prabowo-condemns-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349076/indonesia-lays-rest-peacekeepers-killed-lebanon-prabowo-condemns-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 07:18:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Trump administration has revoked the green cards or US visas of at least four Iranian nationals connected to the current or former Iranian government, including two who have been detained by immigration authorities and are to be deported. The latest actions were taken just this week when Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined they were no longer eligible for either lawful permanent resident status, or to enter the United States. The steps follow a move late last year in which the visas of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349055/us-arrests-niece-and-grandniece-slain-iran-general-qassem-soleimani?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349055/us-arrests-niece-and-grandniece-slain-iran-general-qassem-soleimani?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 17:01:54 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Israeli military said on Saturday it had begun striking “Hezbollah infrastructure” in Beirut after it destroyed a bridge in eastern Lebanon to prevent the Iran-backed group’s reinforcements from crossing. Two loud explosions were heard in the capital within half an hour early on Saturday, with smoke billowing from one of them. Local media reported two strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a locality that has been a target of Israeli strikes in recent days as the military presses on with its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349021/israel-targets-iran-backed-hezbollah-sites-lebanon-fresh-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349021/israel-targets-iran-backed-hezbollah-sites-lebanon-fresh-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 05:16:02 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The compound is modern with air conditioning in every room. Inside are a medical clinic, massage parlour, and Vietnamese barbecue, Chinese hotpot and halal eateries – a full range of conveniences. Yet the residents are gone – and they appear to have fled in haste. Clothes still hang out to dry, while the stench of rotting food lingers. Located in a secluded area in Kampot province near Cambodia’s border with Vietnam, the site is believed to be a telecoms scam centre. Cambodian authorities said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348930/game-whack-mole-how-could-scam-industry-bring-china-and-us-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348930/game-whack-mole-how-could-scam-industry-bring-china-and-us-together?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen In a rare condemnation of its strategic partner, China has come out in opposition to Iran’s attacks on Gulf nations, calling for a ceasefire and a guarantee of the safety of shipping lanes. Addressing a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said: “China does not support Iran’s attacks on Gulf Cooperation Council nations and condemns all indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians and non-military targets. The security of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348986/china-europe-and-why-beijing-took-swing-iran-over-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348986/china-europe-and-why-beijing-took-swing-iran-over-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:00:16 +0000 Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan After avoiding much of the churn, firings and senior official turnover that marked his first term, US President Donald Trump on Thursday added to the string of high-profile departures in recent days, as bad news heaped more pressure on the White House. The administration announced that US Attorney General Pam Bondi was leaving to be replaced by her deputy, Todd Blanche, in an acting capacity. “We love Pam,” Trump wrote on social media. “She will be transitioning to a much-needed and important... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348858/trump-fires-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-amid-epstein-files-furore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348858/trump-fires-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-amid-epstein-files-furore?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:20:46 +0000 Aisyah Llewellyn Aisyah Llewellyn Bali’s reputation as a carefree tropical escape has been shaken by a string of brutal crimes, including the kidnapping and dismemberment of a Ukrainian man and the fatal stabbing of a Dutch visitor. The cases – some involving foreign suspects and bearing the hallmarks of organised or premeditated violence – have fuelled growing alarm, prompting residents and visitors to the Indonesian holiday island to ask: Is Bali becoming a stage for international crime? Observers say the cases do not indicate... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3348805/bali-rocked-spate-murder-cases-indonesian-island-more-dangerous-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3348805/bali-rocked-spate-murder-cases-indonesian-island-more-dangerous-now?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:30:07 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump-Xi summit will be very amicable, predicts former Biden official US President Donald Trump’s focus on short-term deliverables and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s bid for bilateral stability are likely to mean an exceptionally amicable summit when they finally sit down, despite “unusual”... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3348587/trump-xi-summit-hopes-un-manipulation-stand-comedy-7-us-china-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3348587/trump-xi-summit-hopes-un-manipulation-stand-comedy-7-us-china-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:30:08 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar The killing of three Indonesian peacekeepers in southern Lebanon is a stern test of Jakarta’s Middle East policy, with analysts saying the incident has raised questions over the risks of overseas deployment in Gaza and the region, as well as limits to global accountability. Several Indonesian lawmakers and observers said the deaths had exposed how little protection diplomatic positions could offer during a spiralling conflict, arguing that Jakarta should reassess its role in Lebanon and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348679/indonesian-peacekeepers-deaths-spur-calls-middle-east-exit-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348679/indonesian-peacekeepers-deaths-spur-calls-middle-east-exit-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:13:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Israel’s parliament on Monday passed a law approving the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis. The bill’s passage marked a major victory for Israel’s far-right, which has pushed hard for the measure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to the chamber to vote yes in person. The law makes the death penalty – by hanging – the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted for nationalistic killings. The law also gives Israeli courts the authority to impose... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348454/israeli-parliament-approves-death-penalty-palestinians-convicted-murdering-israelis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348454/israeli-parliament-approves-death-penalty-palestinians-convicted-murdering-israelis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:49:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Israeli military has suspended a battalion whose soldiers assaulted a CNN crew in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in a rare case of punishment for soldier misconduct. The army announced on Monday it was suspending the Netzah Yehuda battalion after soldiers were filmed assaulting the CNN crew last week. Netzah Yehuda is a unit of ultra-Orthodox soldiers that has been linked to abuses of Palestinian civilians in the past, including the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian American man after his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348440/israel-suspends-military-unit-assaulted-cnn-crew-west-bank?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348440/israel-suspends-military-unit-assaulted-cnn-crew-west-bank?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:41:57 +0000 Reuters Reuters Three United Nations peacekeepers from Indonesia were killed in two separate incidents in ⁠southern Lebanon after a bloody weekend in which Lebanese journalists and medical staff were killed in Israeli strikes. Two peacekeepers were killed on Monday after an explosion from an unknown origin destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan in south Lebanon, the United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL said in a statement. Two other soldiers were wounded in the blast. Earlier, another Indonesian soldier... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348348/indonesian-killed-lebanon-while-un-peacekeeping-mission?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348348/indonesian-killed-lebanon-while-un-peacekeeping-mission?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 03:40:26 +0000 Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Every violation of international law invites the next. From Afghanistan to Iran, and across Iraq, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Gaza and Venezuela, the line between what is permitted and what is prohibited has been steadily blurred by the complicit inaction of the United Nations Security Council. Wielding the veto as both a shield and a weapon, its permanent members act without grounding in the UN Charter. They play with the fate of millions, leaving a trail of death and destruction. Until recently,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3348274/un-security-councils-inaction-tearing-world-apart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3348274/un-security-councils-inaction-tearing-world-apart?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 02:30:09 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a test of a high-thrust solid-fuel engine for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching targets around the globe, touting the development as elevating the country’s “strategic military power to the highest level”, state media said on Sunday. The test of the engine made of composite carbon fibre material produced a maximum thrust of 2,500 kilonewtons, up from 1,971 kilonewtons recorded during a similar experiment last September, the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348280/north-tests-powerful-missile-engine-will-icbm-launch-follow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348280/north-tests-powerful-missile-engine-will-icbm-launch-follow?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 05:49:05 +0000 Andrew Sheng Andrew Sheng After eight decades of relative peace following the end of World War II, we now find ourselves in the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine entering its fourth year and escalating violence between Israel, the US and Iran. After 12 days of fighting last June, the latter conflagration has erupted again in a widening war that has killed Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and closed the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices to near record highs. In 1984, American historian Barbara... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347982/time-confront-folly-iran-war-and-irrational-us-spending?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3347982/time-confront-folly-iran-war-and-irrational-us-spending?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that they had turned back three ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz, adding the route was closed to vessels travelling to and from ports “belonging to allies and supporters of the Zionist-American enemies”. “This morning, following the lies of the corrupt US president claiming that the Strait of Hormuz was open, three container ships of different nationalities … were turned back after a warning from the IRGC Navy,” the Guards said on their... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348177/iran-says-hormuz-closed-shipping-and-enemy-ports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348177/iran-says-hormuz-closed-shipping-and-enemy-ports?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:48:54 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The deadly bombing of an Iranian school spurred “visceral horror”, the UN rights chief said Friday, urging Washington to conclude its investigation and demanding justice “for the terrible harm done”. Speaking at the start of an urgent debate in the UN Human Rights Council focused on the February 28 strike on an Iranian junior school in Minab on the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Volker Turk said that “whatever differences countries have, we can all agree they will not be solved by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348157/un-tells-us-swiftly-finish-probe-visceral-iran-school-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348157/un-tells-us-swiftly-finish-probe-visceral-iran-school-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 09:38:18 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Massive carbon emissions from military activities and war-driven fossil fuel dependence are undermining the global energy transition, climate advocates warn as they point to the ongoing Iran conflict exacerbating this long-standing blind spot. Activists from Climate Action Network Southeast Asia, Oxfam and the Fossil Fuel Treaty convened in Kuala Lumpur earlier this week to discuss strategies to protect the global environment at the Southeast Asia-South Asia Preparatory Meeting for the Santa... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348144/wars-threaten-global-climate-activists-push-cop31-discuss-defence-spending?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348144/wars-threaten-global-climate-activists-push-cop31-discuss-defence-spending?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 08:57:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The UN General Assembly on Wednesday designated the transatlantic African slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity”, despite opposition by the United States and some European countries. In a move advocates hailed as a step towards healing and possible reparations, the resolution was adopted to applause by a vote of 123 in favour, three against and 52 abstentions. The US, Israel and Argentina opposed the measure, while Britain and EU member states abstained. Ghana’s President John... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3347954/un-designates-african-slave-trade-gravest-crime-against-humanity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3347954/un-designates-african-slave-trade-gravest-crime-against-humanity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 05:37:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters The United States on Wednesday offered ⁠a reward of up to US$3 million and possible relocation in exchange for information on the financial activities of Haiti’s Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif criminal groups. Washington has designated both groups, which bring together hundreds of gangs in the capital Port-au-Prince, agricultural Artibonite ‌region and central Haiti, as terrorist organisations. The US announcement marks a shift in tactics as previous bounties have been focused on individual gang... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3347917/us-offers-us3-million-bounty-information-finances-powerful-haiti-gangs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3347917/us-offers-us3-million-bounty-information-finances-powerful-haiti-gangs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:14:00 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israel will occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, an area Defence Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday described as a “security zone”, spelling out for the first time Israel’s intent to seize territory amounting to nearly a 10th of the country. At a meeting with the military chief of staff, Katz said Israeli forces would “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani,” a river that meets the Mediterranean about 30km (20 miles) ‌north of Israel’s border. Lebanon’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347801/israels-military-occupy-swathe-southern-lebanon-amid-widening-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347801/israels-military-occupy-swathe-southern-lebanon-amid-widening-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 04:48:04 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press French financial prosecutors said on Tuesday that searches were carried out at several locations, including the Paris arm of Swiss private bank Edmond de Rothschild, as part of an investigation tied to revelations from the files on Jeffrey Epstein. France’s national financial prosecutor’s office said searches were carried out last Friday as part of a preliminary investigation opened last month. Investigators are examining suspicions of bribery involving a foreign public official and complicity... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347767/french-authorities-search-paris-arm-swiss-bank-epstein-linked-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347767/french-authorities-search-paris-arm-swiss-bank-epstein-linked-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:37:53 +0000