https://www.scmp.com/rss/325321/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval. The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352134/facing-60-day-deadline-trump-administration-claims-iran-war-terminated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352134/facing-60-day-deadline-trump-administration-claims-iran-war-terminated?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 07:22:19 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado With Congress again failing to curb US President Donald Trump’s authority over Cuba, the centre of gravity in US policy towards the island is shifting decisively back to the White House – and to a narrower, more consequential question: what comes next? Tuesday’s 51-47 Senate vote to block a Democratic-led war powers resolution on Cuba does not change policy on its own. It was widely expected, reflecting a long-standing pattern in which Congress has struggled to assert its war powers authority... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3352085/senate-vote-leaves-cubas-uncertain-future-dangerous-crossroads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3352085/senate-vote-leaves-cubas-uncertain-future-dangerous-crossroads?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:39:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters The man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at a black-tie press gala in Washington agreed on Thursday to remain in custody while his case moves forward. The suspect, Cole Allen, 31, would ‌not immediately contest prosecutors’ arguments that he was a danger to the community and should remain in jail, his lawyer, Tezira Abe, said during a court hearing. Allen allegedly stormed a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352080/man-charged-trying-kill-trump-agrees-remain-custody?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352080/man-charged-trying-kill-trump-agrees-remain-custody?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:50:34 +0000 Reuters Reuters Global oil prices jumped to a four-year high of more than US$126 a barrel on Thursday, on concerns that the US-Iran war could worsen and lead to a protracted Middle East oil supply disruption that could hurt global economic growth. The market moved higher after Axios, citing unidentified sources, reported late on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump was slated to receive a briefing on Thursday on plans for a series of military strikes on Iran in hopes it would return ‌to negotiations on its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3352041/global-oil-price-hits-4-year-high-concerns-iran-war-could-worsen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3352041/global-oil-price-hits-4-year-high-concerns-iran-war-could-worsen?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:09:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The UK government said on Thursday that the country was facing an antisemitism emergency and pledged to increase security for Jewish communities after a string of arson attacks and a double stabbing that have sparked fear and anger among Jews. The country’s official terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe after Wednesday’s stabbing attack in London, which police have called an act of terrorism with potential links to Iran. Severe is the second-highest rung on a five-point scale... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352030/uk-tackle-antisemitism-emergency-police-probe-double-stabbing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352030/uk-tackle-antisemitism-emergency-police-probe-double-stabbing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:49:05 +0000 Neil Denslow,Raymond Ma Neil Denslow,Raymond Ma Subscribers: The Daily Pulse won’t be published on May 1 because of China’s Labour Day holiday. We will resume publication on Monday, May 4. Crude oil prices jumped to a four-year high after US President Donald Trump suggested that a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could last for “months”. Brent crude, the global benchmark, surged as much as 7.3 per cent, surpassing US$126 a barrel, following reports that Trump met oil executives on Tuesday to discuss ways of extending the blockade and... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/middle-east/article/3352007/oil-surge-trump-blockade-warning-tests-stocks-resilience?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/middle-east/article/3352007/oil-surge-trump-blockade-warning-tests-stocks-resilience?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:00:19 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth Chinese social media reacted with amusement and disbelief as Britain’s King Charles gave US President Donald Trump a World War II-era British submarine bell as a gift, highlighting differing cultural interpretations of the unusual gesture. “Gifting a bell isn’t a big deal in Western culture – but it’s quite amusing, as far as we’re concerned!” a user on Chinese social media wrote. On Tuesday, during his state visit to the United States, King Charles presented Trump with the original brass bell... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352000/why-king-charles-trump-bell-gift-amuses-chinese-internet-users?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352000/why-king-charles-trump-bell-gift-amuses-chinese-internet-users?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:23:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Israeli forces near the southern Greek island of Crete intercepted more than 20 boats from a flotilla of several dozen seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and planned to transport about 175 detained activists to Greece on Thursday, Israeli authorities said. Activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli forces stormed their vessels overnight, smashing engines and detaining some of those on board while they were sailing in international waters near Greece, hundreds of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351997/israel-intercepts-gaza-aid-flotilla-international-waters-greece-detaining-dozens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351997/israel-intercepts-gaza-aid-flotilla-international-waters-greece-detaining-dozens?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:19:37 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times As a rift widens among Republicans over US-Israeli air strikes on Iran, a top Korean-American leader said Seoul must recognise that President Donald Trump is heavily influenced by a faction he calls “new neocons”. Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson broke sharply with the president in a Wall Street Journal interview on Saturday, calling him a “slave” to hawkish interventionists willing to deploy military force. Kim Dong-seok, the 68-year-old head of the Korean American Grassroots Conference,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3351984/could-reckless-trumps-destroy-and-deal-tactics-target-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3351984/could-reckless-trumps-destroy-and-deal-tactics-target-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:41:21 +0000 Reuters Reuters A series ⁠of reversals suffered by Mali’s Moscow-backed military government has dented Russia’s image as ⁠a self-styled security guarantor in Africa and threatens its strategic and economic interests on the continent. The military junta, which turned to Russia for support after expelling French and UN troops following coups in 2020 and 2021, was rocked at the weekend by an offensive by West Africa’s al-Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated separatist group. Mali’s Russia-trained defence... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351955/mali-turmoil-tests-russias-image-security-guarantor-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351955/mali-turmoil-tests-russias-image-security-guarantor-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:13:57 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States is considering reducing the number of its troops in Germany, amid a row with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war. “The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump said on social media. The United States had more than 35,000 troops in Germany in 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351923/trump-may-cut-us-troops-germany-after-merzs-humiliating-iran-comment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351923/trump-may-cut-us-troops-germany-after-merzs-humiliating-iran-comment?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 23:46:31 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier The United Nations is bloated, costly, badly in need of reform, and too often works against US interests, but pulling out of the international organisation would see China expand its influence and leave Washington at a major disadvantage, according to testimony before a House oversight committee on Wednesday. The hearing came as the administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed an “America first” overhaul of international funding, leaving the UN, over the past 18 months, at what... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351920/un-bloated-costly-china-fears-should-keep-us-involved-house-committee-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351920/un-bloated-costly-china-fears-should-keep-us-involved-house-committee-told?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 22:39:41 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim US President Donald Trump spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, discussing the wars in Ukraine and Iran even as Washington pressed ahead with its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Trump told reporters as he met with astronauts from the Artemis II mission ‌in the Oval Office that the conversation was “very good” and that the US was “going to come up with a solution relatively quickly” over its ongoing conflict with Iran. “He told me he’d like to be involved with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351913/trump-says-he-had-good-talk-putin-iran-and-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351913/trump-says-he-had-good-talk-putin-iran-and-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:53:41 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang The two-month war with Iran has cost about US$25 billion, a Pentagon official told lawmakers on Wednesday, as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth defended a record US$1.5 trillion military budget that faces backlash from Democrats. At a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, Jules Hurst, the Pentagon’s chief financial officer, offered the first official estimate of the cost of the war in Iran. He said that most of the US$25 billion in spending went towards ammunition, but the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3351905/iran-war-price-tag-hits-us25-billion-hegseth-defends-record-pentagon-budget?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3351905/iran-war-price-tag-hits-us25-billion-hegseth-defends-record-pentagon-budget?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:14:32 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said that a US naval blockade against Iran could last months, leading oil prices to spike to their highest level in more than four years which held into Thursday. With diplomacy between Iran and the United States at a standstill after false starts, Trump spoke by phone Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned him of “damaging consequences” if the United States and Israel resume their war on Iran. Meeting oil executives, Trump contended that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351904/trump-says-us-blockade-could-last-months-warns-iran-get-smart-soon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351904/trump-says-us-blockade-could-last-months-warns-iran-get-smart-soon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:59:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The widespread use of rape and other sexual violence as a weapon of war in Sudan has spurred a massive mental health crisis, United Nations agencies and local aid groups warned. The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a brutal conflict since April 2023 that has killed tens of thousands and displaced around 11 million people. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières last month said at least 3,396 survivors of sexual violence – nearly all of them women... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351888/sudans-sexual-violence-weapon-war-triggers-huge-mental-health-crisis-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351888/sudans-sexual-violence-weapon-war-triggers-huge-mental-health-crisis-un?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:30:19 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan Cao Jiaxuan China’s top diplomat Wang Yi called for “unity and the safeguarding of international justice” during a meeting with UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday, urging a global front against the “law of the jungle” amid deepening geopolitical tensions. During the talks in Beijing, Wang told Baerbock that multilateralism faced “severe challenges” from unnamed powers prioritising “might over right” – a veiled critique of Washington. “Certain countries pursue a policy of ‘strength... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351883/might-over-right-imperils-international-justice-wang-yi-tells-uns-baerbock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351883/might-over-right-imperils-international-justice-wang-yi-tells-uns-baerbock?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:51:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse New Zealand officials rejected on Wednesday an application to install a statue commemorating so-called “comfort women” enslaved by Japan before and during World War II after Tokyo suggested it could harm diplomatic relations. Japan forced up to 200,000 women from Korea, China and Southeast Asia into sexual slavery from 1932 until 1945 and the issue remains a sore point in Tokyo’s relations with its neighbours. The Korean Garden Trust had sought to install a statue honouring the survivors at... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3351852/new-zealand-officials-reject-statue-remembering-japans-wwii-sex-slaves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3351852/new-zealand-officials-reject-statue-remembering-japans-wwii-sex-slaves?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 09:23:25 +0000 Reuters Reuters The ⁠Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia’s annual Victory Day ‌military parade on Red Square had been scaled back this year and ⁠would not include military ‌equipment due to the risk of ‌what it described ⁠as “Ukrainian ⁠terrorist activity”. The parade, ‌held on May 9, ‌marks the ‌Soviet defeat ‌of Nazi Germany during ⁠World War II, a ⁠conflict Russians call the Great Patriotic ‌War. One of the top holidays on the Russian calendar, it allows the dwindling number of veterans to gather in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351805/russia-hold-equipment-free-victory-day-parade-ukraine-war-grinds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351805/russia-hold-equipment-free-victory-day-parade-ukraine-war-grinds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 06:04:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters The leader of Mali’s military government, Assimi Goita, on ⁠Tuesday made his first public appearance since insurgents launched coordinated attacks over the weekend, vowing in a televised address to “neutralise” those responsible. West Africa’s al-Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated separatist group hit Mali’s main army base and the area near Bamako’s airport in the attacks on Saturday, while also pushing Russian troops supporting government forces out of the strategic town of Kidal in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351799/malis-junta-leader-says-situation-under-control-first-appearance-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351799/malis-junta-leader-says-situation-under-control-first-appearance-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 05:10:30 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s vision for a land bridge splits opinion: some see it as a crucial new Asian trade route for a global economy held hostage by geography, while others view it as an expensive and environmentally ruinous distraction for a kingdom with plenty already on its plate. But to its backers, the proposed road and rail corridor, bookended by ports on the Gulf of Thailand and another 90km (56 miles) away on the Andaman Sea, to bypass a vital chokepoint, has never felt more urgent. Iran’s virtual... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3351797/hormuz-crisis-revives-thailands-land-bridge-plan-business-case-still-lacking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3351797/hormuz-crisis-revives-thailands-land-bridge-plan-business-case-still-lacking?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 05:08:21 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg India’s major airlines warned of a potential suspension in services unless the government lowered jet fuel prices. “The airline industry in India is under extreme stress and on the verge of closing down or of stopping its operations,” the Federation of Indian Airlines, representing carriers including IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet, said in a letter to India’s Civil Aviation Ministry, seen by Bloomberg. They sought a return to pandemic-era cost caps on aviation turbine fuel and a reduction or... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3351782/indias-major-airlines-verge-closing-down-high-fuel-costs-sting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3351782/indias-major-airlines-verge-closing-down-high-fuel-costs-sting?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 04:03:25 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Israel’s reported deployment of its Iron Dome missile defence battery in the UAE signals a “watershed moment” in Middle Eastern security alignments, analysts say, as the war in Iran highlights the critical role of such air defence systems. Israel sent an Iron Dome air-defence system along with troops to the United Arab Emirates “early in the war with Iran”, Axios said in a report this week citing two Israeli officials and one from the US. The Israeli officials, who were not named, told the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3351701/will-israels-use-iron-dome-aid-arab-neighbour-recalibrate-mideast-defence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3351701/will-israels-use-iron-dome-aid-arab-neighbour-recalibrate-mideast-defence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 04:00:16 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo There is a time and a place. Just because you have a right to do something doesn’t mean you should exercise it. The United States and its allies keep claiming they have the right of navigation in international waters by sending their navies through the Taiwan Strait. Their intention to provoke is clear despite their justification under international law. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s row with Beijing over her remarks about militarily intervening in a Taiwan crisis has yet to die down.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3351526/remilitarised-japan-threatens-more-just-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3351526/remilitarised-japan-threatens-more-just-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen The economic divide between the United States and China is projected to widen to US$11 trillion by the end of the decade, yet escalating geopolitics – specifically the war in Iran and the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis – could inadvertently act as a stabilising force for bilateral ties, according to a prominent global strategist. Kishore Mahbubani, former president of the UN Security Council and once a top diplomat from Singapore, has forecast that the gross-domestic-product disparity between... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3351732/us-economic-gap-over-china-widen-iran-might-bring-them-closer-former-un-official?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3351732/us-economic-gap-over-china-widen-iran-might-bring-them-closer-former-un-official?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:00:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters The acting US ambassador ⁠to Kyiv Julie Davis will step down from her post and retire, a US official and the State Department said on Tuesday, amid a lull in US-brokered talks to achieve a ceasefire and end Russia’s invasion ‌of Ukraine. The Financial Times first reported Davis’ departure and said it was because of differences of opinion with President Donald Trump’s policies and that Davis had grown frustrated with her role over his dwindling support for Ukraine. The State Department pushed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351766/trumps-ukraine-envoy-stepping-down-amid-stalled-peace-talks-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351766/trumps-ukraine-envoy-stepping-down-amid-stalled-peace-talks-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 22:49:39 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong As the US-Israel war in Iran drags into its third month, sulphuric acid – a chemical ingredient critical for fertiliser production and metal processing that has seldom grabbed global headlines – has become a keenly watched commodity. The military conflict in the Gulf and the effective blockage of the Strait of Hormuz initially triggered a squeeze on sulphuric acid, with prices on the rise after shipments in the region – which accounts for a quarter of global production – were largely stalled... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351630/how-chinas-reported-ban-sulphuric-acid-exports-could-have-overseas-buyers-reeling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351630/how-chinas-reported-ban-sulphuric-acid-exports-could-have-overseas-buyers-reeling?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 22:00:12 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said the US and Nato were faced with a “marriage crisis” as frustrations mount on both sides of the Atlantic, urging Washington to stand with its allies or risk America’s fall. Francken, speaking at a think tank event in Washington on Tuesday, likened the strained transatlantic relationship, which has held for close to 80 years, to a “crisis”, saying “it’s very difficult”. “I’m convinced that we’re having a marriage crisis … There’s a lot of frustration on... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351763/us-and-nato-faced-frustrating-marriage-crisis-belgian-defence-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351763/us-and-nato-faced-frustrating-marriage-crisis-belgian-defence-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:00:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ukraine used interceptor systems to shoot down more than 33,000 Russian drones of various types in March, a record monthly figure since Moscow launched its all-out invasion more than four years ago, Ukraine’s defence minister claimed. Ukraine has developed cutting-edge and battle-tested drone technology that has proved essential in holding back Russia’s bigger army and has drawn military interest from around the world. Interceptor drones as part of a comprehensive air defence system are now... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351755/ukraine-shot-down-33000-russian-drones-1-month-defence-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351755/ukraine-shot-down-33000-russian-drones-1-month-defence-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:25:46 +0000 Reuters Reuters A Ukrainian drone attack has caused a “large-scale fire” at ‌Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea, forcing the evacuation of nearby buildings, local officials said on Tuesday. The Rosneft-owned refinery delivers oil products mainly for exports but operations have been halted since April 16 following an earlier drone attack, industry sources said. Ukraine did not immediately comment ⁠on the reports. Kyiv has stepped up strikes on Russia since March, with ‌US-brokered talks on the war in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351733/ukrainian-drone-attack-russian-oil-refinery-causes-major-fire-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351733/ukrainian-drone-attack-russian-oil-refinery-causes-major-fire-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:35:37 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg A heatwave sweeping across Southeast Asia is making offices even warmer, as workers continue to adjust to energy-saving measures put in place by governments due to the war in Iran. Many countries have imposed temperature controls at government workplaces since the war began, among other measures to conserve energy. As the prolonged shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz drains energy reserves, relief does not look to be coming any time soon, with parts of the region set to bake in abnormally hot... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3351634/southeast-asias-office-workers-reel-energy-saving-drive-heatwave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3351634/southeast-asias-office-workers-reel-energy-saving-drive-heatwave?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 02:57:28 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang The United States has “no defence against hypersonic weapons or cruise missiles”, a senior Pentagon official told Congress on Monday, as US President Donald Trump’s US$185 billion Golden Dome missile shield faces continued scepticism. “The Golden Dome will strengthen deterrence by denying adversaries the ability to achieve their objectives through coercion or aggression,” Marc Berkowitz, the assistant secretary of defence for missile defence and deterrence policy, told a Senate hearing on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351626/trumps-golden-dome-will-combat-chinas-hypersonic-weapons-cruise-missiles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351626/trumps-golden-dome-will-combat-chinas-hypersonic-weapons-cruise-missiles?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 23:28:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Signatories of the landmark nuclear non-proliferation treaty began a meeting on Monday at the United Nations in New York as fears of a renewed arms race escalate, with atomic powers again at loggerheads over safeguards. In 2022, during the last review of the treaty considered the cornerstone of non-proliferation, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned humanity was “one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation”. On Monday he warned “the drivers” of nuclear weapons... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351625/looming-risk-nuclear-arms-race-un-proliferation-meeting-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351625/looming-risk-nuclear-arms-race-un-proliferation-meeting-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 21:41:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in the United States on Monday for a four-day trip, welcomed by self-proclaimed royal fan Donald Trump even as the US president has differed with the British government over the Iran war. The state visit, by far the most high-profile and consequential of Charles’ reign, marks the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence from British rule, and is the first to the country by a British ‌monarch in two decades. After landing at Joint... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351622/king-charles-arrives-us-trip-overshadowed-iran-quarrel-and-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351622/king-charles-arrives-us-trip-overshadowed-iran-quarrel-and-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 19:23:43 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim Lebanon’s social affairs minister has backed calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah, but cautioned the process would take time before a “political settlement” could be reached, noting that the group is also a “community”. Haneen Sayed told a discussion in Washington on Monday that disarming Hezbollah – an Iran-backed militant group – was a demand of her government and its people, and that it “must happen”. “Of course, we understand that implementation is not easy. It’s not instant coffee. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351621/hezbollah-disarmament-must-happen-senior-lebanese-minister-tells-us-think-tank?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351621/hezbollah-disarmament-must-happen-senior-lebanese-minister-tells-us-think-tank?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:33:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pope Leo and new Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally met for the first time on Monday, in a symbolic encounter at the Vatican in which the leaders of the long-separated Catholic Church and Church of England exchanged gifts and prayed together. Mullally, the first woman to serve as spiritual leader of the world’s 85 million Anglicans, was ‌welcomed by Leo, the first US leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, into his formal office at the Vatican’s ornate apostolic palace. The two, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351618/pope-meets-first-female-archbishop-canterbury-symbolic-vatican-encounter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351618/pope-meets-first-female-archbishop-canterbury-symbolic-vatican-encounter?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:36:06 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Following high-level mediation efforts in Islamabad over the weekend, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Monday. The diplomatic surge comes as US President Donald Trump convened his senior national security team to evaluate a fresh Iranian peace proposal, delivered via Pakistan, aimed at ending the months-long Middle East crisis and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The White House confirmed the proposal called... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351617/trump-weighs-irans-red-lines-tehrans-top-diplomat-engages-russias-putin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351617/trump-weighs-irans-red-lines-tehrans-top-diplomat-engages-russias-putin?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:18:25 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nato is considering ending its recent practice of holding annual summits, six sources told Reuters, a move that could avoid a potentially tense encounter with US President Donald Trump in his final year in office. Trump’s administration has engaged repeatedly in scathing criticism of many of the US-led defence alliance’s 31 other members, most recently berating some for not providing more help to US military operations against Iran. The frequency of Nato ‌summits has varied over the alliance’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351615/bruised-trump-nato-alliance-considers-end-annual-summits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351615/bruised-trump-nato-alliance-considers-end-annual-summits?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:41:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters Two of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s most formidable political rivals said on Sunday they were joining forces in a bid to oust his coalition government in the coming election expected later this year. The former prime ministers - right-wing Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid - issued statements announcing the merger of their parties, Bennett 2026 and There is a Future. “We are standing here together for the sake of our ‌children. The State of Israel must change direction,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351517/netanyahus-biggest-rivals-join-forces-israels-coming-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351517/netanyahus-biggest-rivals-join-forces-israels-coming-election?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 03:55:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes on the country’s south on Sunday killed 14 people, the deadliest day since a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war came into force over a week ago. It came as Israel and the Iran-backed group traded fresh accusations of breaching the fragile truce, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the military was “vigorously” targeting Hezbollah and the group vowing to keep responding to “violations”. Israel’s military has carried out repeated strikes... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351506/lebanon-reports-bloodiest-day-ceasefire-israel-targets-hezbollah?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351506/lebanon-reports-bloodiest-day-ceasefire-israel-targets-hezbollah?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 01:32:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country would continue to support Russia’s policies and he discussed the international political situation with Russia’s defence minister, state media KCNA reported on Monday. A Russian delegation including Defence Minister Andrei Belousov attended a completion ceremony for a ‌‌memorial honouring North Korean soldiers killed while fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces staged an incursion in 2024, KCNA said. Russia launched a full-scale... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3351505/north-koreas-kim-vows-continued-support-russia-memorial-fallen-troops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3351505/north-koreas-kim-vows-continued-support-russia-memorial-fallen-troops?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 01:30:37 +0000 Li Xing Li Xing Geopolitics, at its core, examines how geography shapes international politics, power distribution and security dynamics. One enduring idea is geographer Halford Mackinder’s “heartland” theory, which situates Eurasia as the central arena of global power competition. In 1904, Mackinder argued that the vast land mass of Europe and Asia – what he called the “world island” – contained a pivotal core, the “heartland”, rich in resources, population and strategic depth. His dictum – “Who rules Eastern... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3351015/why-us-led-security-alliances-asia-are-losing-coherence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3351015/why-us-led-security-alliances-asia-are-losing-coherence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The state visit by Britain’s King Charles to the US would take place as planned, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday, following a shooting at a Washington media gala. The incident late on Saturday at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association came less than 48 hours before Charles and Queen Camilla begin a four-day state visit to the United States. The palace said Charles was “greatly relieved” that Trump, the first lady Melania and other guests were unharmed and later on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351501/king-charles-us-state-visit-go-ahead-planned-after-washington-media-gala-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351501/king-charles-us-state-visit-go-ahead-planned-after-washington-media-gala-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 19:29:52 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Mali’s military rulers faced a security crisis on Sunday after coordinated nationwide attacks by jihadist fighters and separatist rebels this weekend killed the defence minister and reportedly left a key northern town in rebel hands. There was no word from the junta leader General Assimi Goita, who has not been seen since the attacks began at dawn on Saturday. The offensive, synchronised by Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition and the jihadist Group for the Support of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351500/mali-junta-crisis-after-defence-minister-killed-and-key-city-captured?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351500/mali-junta-crisis-after-defence-minister-killed-and-key-city-captured?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 18:37:05 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Strikes across Ukraine, Russian-occupied territory and Russia over the past day killed at least 16 people, authorities said on Sunday as the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster prompted new warnings about risks posed by attacks near the plant during Russia’s more than four-year invasion of its neighbour. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the anniversary with a warning that Russian attacks risk repeating history. “Russia is once again bringing the world to the brink of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351499/16-dead-strikes-chernobyl-anniversary-highlights-nuclear-risks-russia-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351499/16-dead-strikes-chernobyl-anniversary-highlights-nuclear-risks-russia-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 17:57:00 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The first public trial in Syria of officials linked to the rule of former President Bashar al-Assad opened in Damascus on Sunday. Atef Najib, a former Syrian army brigadier general who was head of the Political Security Branch in southern Syria’s Daraa province under Assad, and who is also a cousin of the former president, appeared in the courtroom to face charges related to “crimes against the Syrian people,” the state-run news agency SANA reported. Najib was in that position in 2011 when... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351488/syria-begins-long-awaited-first-trial-assad-era-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351488/syria-begins-long-awaited-first-trial-assad-era-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:52:44 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press People streamed into the central square of Slavutych in the early hours of Sunday, placing candles on a large radiation hazard symbol laid out on the ground as a midnight commemoration began for those killed in the Chernobyl disaster 40 years ago and the thousands who risked deadly radiation exposure to contain its aftermath. Residents show up for the vigil each year despite wartime curfews and official warnings against large gatherings during Russia’s war on Ukraine. The April 26, 1986 disaster... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351480/ukrainians-gather-remember-chernobyl-disaster-despite-russias-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351480/ukrainians-gather-remember-chernobyl-disaster-despite-russias-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 10:44:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Two US citizens were among 19 people killed in a raid on an alleged communist stronghold in the Philippines that has sparked a probe by the country’s rights commission, a government task force said. More than 300 residents in the Toboso municipality of Negros Island fled their homes on April 19 as gunfire rang out in the remote sugar cane-farming region, the municipal disaster management office told reporters last week. The number of people killed in the firefight, in which only one soldier was... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3351477/two-us-citizens-killed-raid-philippines-communist-stronghold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3351477/two-us-citizens-killed-raid-philippines-communist-stronghold?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 09:34:59 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Watch a cheap commercial drone destroy a battle tank on the frontlines in Ukraine, or a cut-price Iranian Shahed menace Tel Aviv, then ask yourself why Southeast Asia’s defence ministries are suddenly very interested in unmanned aerial vehicles. The answer was on full display last week at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, where vendors from Abu Dhabi to Pretoria were chasing deals in one of the global arms trade’s hottest emerging markets. “There is huge demand from the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3351322/malaysias-arms-bazaar-drone-dealers-chase-southeast-asian-market-share?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3351322/malaysias-arms-bazaar-drone-dealers-chase-southeast-asian-market-share?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 05:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Lebanese state media reported a series of new Israeli strikes in the country’s south on Saturday night, after attacks earlier in the day killed six people despite a recently extended ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hezbollah. The new attacks followed orders from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military to “forcefully attack Hezbollah targets” after the army accused it of breaching the truce. Lebanon’s health ministry had said earlier that “Israeli enemy strikes on a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351445/new-israeli-strikes-reported-lebanon-after-netanyahu-orders-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351445/new-israeli-strikes-reported-lebanon-after-netanyahu-orders-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 22:16:43 +0000