https://www.scmp.com/rss/327770/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage The war in Iran and ensuing closure of the Strait of Hormuz has exposed the risks of over-reliance on the Persian Gulf for oil, turning Beijing’s Mediterranean infrastructure plans from long-term goals into urgent strategic necessities. From Algerian oilfields to Moroccan battery factories and Egypt’s industrial base, China might now fast-track these projects to create a Mediterranean hub for a green-energy supply chain, observers said. Beijing aims to create a strategic backup that protects its... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350427/why-china-urgently-looking-north-africa-energy-crisis-rolls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350427/why-china-urgently-looking-north-africa-energy-crisis-rolls?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 01:00:14 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang The two-week ceasefire the United States agreed to with Iran on Tuesday not only sets a deadline to seal a deal with Tehran, but leaves just days before the expiration of the 60-day legal limit for waging war without congressional authorisation that is set out under America’s War Powers Resolution. This has left open the question of how the conflict will proceed if diplomacy fails and the legal clock runs out. “Almost all the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3349437/us-ceasefire-iran-sets-diplomatic-clock-war-powers-deadline-nears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3349437/us-ceasefire-iran-sets-diplomatic-clock-war-powers-deadline-nears?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 21:17:26 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press French former president Nicolas Sarkozy maintained his innocence on Tuesday, telling an appeal hearing in Paris that not a single cent from Libya helped fund his 2007 presidential campaign. “I owe the truth to the French people,” Sarkozy told a three-judge panel during a hearing in the case that led him to spend 20 days in prison before being granted release pending appeal. “I’m innocent,” he said. Sarkozy, 71, is challenging his conviction after being found guilty in September of criminal... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349294/france-ex-president-sarkozy-challenges-conviction-over-alleged-libya-funding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349294/france-ex-president-sarkozy-challenges-conviction-over-alleged-libya-funding?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:14:24 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu The Iran war has cut off a fifth of global oil and LNG supply, handing African producers “a structural advantage” in supplying global markets, although their capacity is hampered by factors beyond the Middle East conflict, according to analysts. “West and North African exports are largely insulated from the conflict, meaning barrels from Nigeria, Angola, Gabon, Algeria and Libya are viewed as lower-risk alternatives,” said Grace Goodrich and Anne-Laure Klein of Energy, Capital & Power, a Cape... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347841/african-producers-may-have-energy-edge-during-iran-war-if-they-can-overcome-hurdles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347841/african-producers-may-have-energy-edge-during-iran-war-if-they-can-overcome-hurdles?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:00:08 +0000 Dulue Mbachu Dulue Mbachu The ripples of the US-Israel on Iran are fuelling inflationary pressures across Africa through higher energy and fertiliser prices, threatening a fragile economic recovery. Most of Africa’s 54 countries depend on fuel imports and have experienced sharp increases in fuel prices, driven by disruptions to Middle East exports and the surge in global prices. Most are just getting over the price shocks caused by Russia’s war with Ukraine, which started in 2022 and has hurt many African countries that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347572/iran-war-delivers-new-inflation-stress-african-economies-emerging-older-shocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347572/iran-war-delivers-new-inflation-stress-african-economies-emerging-older-shocks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:13:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The first two months of 2026 saw a record number of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, despite fewer crossing attempts towards Europe, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). At least 655 people died or went missing in January and February - more than double the 287 recorded for the same period last year. NGOs and researchers said the reasons were multiple: storms, complications for rescue operations and border closures. Frontex, the EU’s border control... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347136/hundreds-die-crossing-mediterranean-2026-already-smashes-records?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347136/hundreds-die-crossing-mediterranean-2026-already-smashes-records?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 07:07:11 +0000 Andrew Sheng Andrew Sheng The US-Israeli attacks on Iran have profound implications for the global governance order. For America, the world’s mightiest power, to attack another nation without congressional or UN approval condemns the rules-based order to the dustbin of history. Governance is about checks and balance by rules, self-restraint or simply a humble appreciation that waging “forever wars” often ends up in self-destruction. War is such an extreme and costly measure it should only be undertaken after careful... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3346410/us-israeli-war-iran-makes-mockery-global-governance-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3346410/us-israeli-war-iran-makes-mockery-global-governance-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Tian Shichen Tian Shichen At the opening of the Munich Security Conference this year, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that the rules-based international order is eroding before our eyes. His remarks echoed the conference’s annual report, which painted a picture of fragmentation and disorder. His remarks also echoed a growing anxiety across Europe: that the system built after 1945 is eroding under the weight of geopolitical rivalry, economic coercion and military confrontation. However, to many observers, Europe’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3343834/why-europe-must-accept-blame-erosion-global-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3343834/why-europe-must-accept-blame-erosion-global-order?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain The United Arab Emirates is rapidly eclipsing Hong Kong and emerging as a credible rival to Singapore as Asia’s most dynamic trading hub, thanks to an ambitious post-pandemic campaign of economic diplomacy. Defying global headwinds from war and instability across its own region, the UAE’s non-oil trade almost doubled between 2021 and 2025 to reach 3.8 trillion dirhams (US$1.03 trillion), Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum announced on January 31. That surge – powered by an aggressive... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343514/uae-surpassing-hong-kong-challenging-singapore-global-trade-crown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343514/uae-surpassing-hong-kong-challenging-singapore-global-trade-crown?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 06:00:22 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China has appointed a new ambassador to Libya after its embassy in Tripoli reopened in November, more than a decade after it was shuttered over security concerns. Ma Xueliang’s appointment was confirmed when he met Libyan charge d’affaires Khaled al-Sayeh in Beijing on January 27 in his new capacity before he left for Tripoli, according to the state-owned Libyan News Agency. China had closed its embassy in Tripoli in 2014 and moved its diplomatic mission to Tunisia because of the security... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342900/china-sends-envoy-libya-after-embassy-shuttered-more-decade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342900/china-sends-envoy-libya-after-embassy-shuttered-more-decade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 08:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US has arrested a person suspected of ‍playing a central role in the 2012 attack on its consulate in Benghazi, Libya, Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday. Bondi said Zubayar al-Bakoush has been ⁠extradited to the United States and will face murder, arson and terrorism-related charges. Four US personnel were killed in the September 11, 2012, incident, which was initially thought to be a spontaneous reaction to protests ‍but was later identified as a deliberate attack carried out by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342732/us-arrests-suspect-2012-benghazi-consulate-attack-bondi-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342732/us-arrests-suspect-2012-benghazi-consulate-attack-bondi-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 16:51:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s late long-time ruler, was killed on Tuesday by gunmen who stormed his home in western Libya’s Zintan, his French lawyer Marcel Ceccaldi said. “He was killed today at 2pm ... in Zintan in his home by a four-man commando,” Ceccaldi said. Saif al-Islam, 53, had been seen by some as his father’s successor, despite being targeted by a warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity. In 2021, he announced he would run for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342304/son-libyas-late-ruler-gaddafi-killed-gunmen-who-stormed-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342304/son-libyas-late-ruler-gaddafi-killed-gunmen-who-stormed-home?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:12:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Hundreds of migrants may be missing at sea or feared dead following reports of multiple deadly shipwrecks in the central Mediterranean in recent days, the UN’s migration agency warned on Monday. The International Organisation for Migration said it was “deeply concerned” by the reports, which it was currently verifying. “Several boats are believed to have been involved over the past 10 days, with preliminary information suggesting that hundreds of people may be missing at sea or feared dead,” a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341356/hundreds-feared-missing-or-dead-mediterranean-shipwrecks-un-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341356/hundreds-feared-missing-or-dead-mediterranean-shipwrecks-un-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:55:18 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Pakistan is increasingly confident of making billion-dollar arms sales, headlined by the JF-17 fighters its co-produces with China, as up to six Muslim-majority countries look to upgrade their air forces amid growing geopolitical turbulence and civil wars. A preliminary deal worth US$4 billion was struck last month with the Libyan National Army for an unspecified number of JF-17s and other training aircraft manufactured by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Reuters reported, citing Aamir Masood, an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339961/pakistans-arms-deals-cleared-take-jf-17-orders-soar-muslim-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339961/pakistans-arms-deals-cleared-take-jf-17-orders-soar-muslim-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 04:52:11 +0000 Gabriela Bernal Gabriela Bernal The US removal of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro from power has reverberated far beyond Latin America. In Pyongyang, where regime survival is the paramount concern and every US action is scrutinised for hostile intent, the deposing of a sitting head of state sends an unmistakable message: dialogue with Washington is a dangerous gamble, and only nuclear weapons guarantee survival. The Venezuela operation may have killed the prospects for meaningful US-North Korea diplomacy in 2026 before they even... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3338953/maduros-fate-venezuela-hardens-north-koreas-nuclear-resolve?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3338953/maduros-fate-venezuela-hardens-north-koreas-nuclear-resolve?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Washington’s allies in the Middle East and beyond are facing the prospects of joining rival blocs in alignment with the different visions of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates following a rare clash between the two countries over war-torn Yemen. The Saudi bombing of an arms shipment reportedly provided by the UAE to separatists in southern Yemen last week has exposed the two Arab heavyweights’ divergent foreign policy approaches in the strategically important Red Sea and Horn of Africa,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339089/us-allies-saudi-arabia-uae-risk-split-middle-east-over-competing-visions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339089/us-allies-saudi-arabia-uae-risk-split-middle-east-over-competing-visions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 04:00:10 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen Pakistan is selling warplanes it jointly developed with China to the Libyan National Army (LNA), a move analysts said could serve as a gateway for Beijing to expand its influence into North Africa. In one of Pakistan’s largest-ever arms deals, 16 of the JF-17 “Thunder” fighters were listed among the over US$4 billion worth of military equipment sold to the force led by Khalifa Hifter, which controls the east of the country. The deal included other land, sea and air equipment, such as 12 Super... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337888/china-pakistan-warplane-deal-libyan-faction-may-help-expand-beijings-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337888/china-pakistan-warplane-deal-libyan-faction-may-help-expand-beijings-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A private jet carrying Libya’s military chief, four other officers and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after take-off from Turkey’s capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane. The Libyan delegation was in Ankara for high-level defence talks aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries, Turkish officials said. Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the death of General... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3337550/libya-army-chief-killed-turkey-plane-crash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3337550/libya-army-chief-killed-turkey-plane-crash?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2025 20:34:58 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Tom Barrack, the United States special envoy for Syria, recently made waves at an international forum in Doha, Qatar, by suggesting that “benevolent monarchies” might be the most effective form of government for the Middle East. He also suggested that Israel was not a democracy. His remarks were probably welcomed in some parts of the region, but probably less well received by the US and other Western media, which all but consider themselves guardians of proper world opinion. Barrack was just... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335998/would-world-be-safer-if-military-were-charge-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335998/would-world-be-safer-if-military-were-charge-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 12:30:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Trump administration on Tuesday said it paused all immigration applications, including green card and US citizenship processing, filed by immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing concerns over national security and public safety. The pause applies to people from 19 countries that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June, placing further restrictions on immigration – a core feature of US President Donald Trump’s political platform. The list of countries includes... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334983/us-pauses-all-immigration-applications-19-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334983/us-pauses-all-immigration-applications-19-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 02:16:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press France’s top court on Wednesday upheld Nicolas Sarkozy’s conviction for illegal campaign financing of his re-election bid in 2012 in another blow to France’s former president’s legacy and reputation. The decision by the Court of Cassation makes definitive Sarkozy’s conviction to a year in prison, half of it suspended, for fraudulently overspending on the failed campaign. Under French law, the sentence can be served at home, monitored with an electronic bracelet or other requirements set by a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334272/ex-french-president-sarkozys-2012-campaign-finance-conviction-upheld?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334272/ex-french-president-sarkozys-2012-campaign-finance-conviction-upheld?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:04:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Lebanese authorities released the son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Monday after he paid a US$900,000 bail, ending his 10-year detention for allegedly withholding information about a missing Lebanese cleric, security officials and a member of his defence team said. One of Hannibal Gaddafi’s lawyers, Charbel Milad al-Khoury, told Associated Press that Gaddafi was released on Monday evening after necessary paperwork was finished. Two security officials, speaking on condition of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3332293/gaddafis-son-released-bail-after-10-years-lebanon-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3332293/gaddafis-son-released-bail-after-10-years-lebanon-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 05:05:55 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse France’s ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy became the first former head of an EU state to be jailed Tuesday, proclaiming his innocence as he entered a Paris prison. France’s right-wing leader from 2007 to 2012 was found guilty last month of seeking to acquire funding from Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya for the campaign that saw him elected. The 70-year-old - who has appealed the verdict - left his home, and after a short drive flanked by police on motorbikes, entered the La Sante prison in the French... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3329795/kiss-then-goodbye-frances-ex-president-sarkozy-enters-jail-proclaiming-innocence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3329795/kiss-then-goodbye-frances-ex-president-sarkozy-enters-jail-proclaiming-innocence?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 08:54:12 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Nicolas Sarkozy is next week set to become the first former French president in the modern era to go to jail, following his conviction for taking part in a criminal conspiracy to seek covert funding from Libya’s late dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He was told on Monday by prosecutors that he would be incarcerated on October 21, according to BFM TV, which added that the former president would be held in the Paris prison of La Santé. The date was confirmed by a person familiar with the matter who spoke... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3328910/sarkozy-set-become-frances-first-ever-jailed-ex-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3328910/sarkozy-set-become-frances-first-ever-jailed-ex-president?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 05:09:05 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The date for Nicolas Sarkozy’s imprisonment will be set on Monday, after the former French president was sentenced to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his winning 2007 campaign with funds from Libya. Sarkozy, 70, says he is innocent. He denounced the verdict as “a scandal” and filed an appeal. He is the first former president of modern France sentenced to actual time behind bars. Sarkozy, who was involved in several other legal cases, was France’s president... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3328731/french-ex-president-sarkozy-will-serve-prison-time-despite-appeal-libya-funding-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3328731/french-ex-president-sarkozy-will-serve-prison-time-despite-appeal-libya-funding-case?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 20:38:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Paris court on Thursday sentenced former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to five years in prison after finding him guilty of criminal conspiracy in an alleged scheme to finance his 2007 campaign with funds from Libya. In a surprise decision, the court ruled that he will be incarcerated even if he appeals. But it also said the sentencing date would take place at a later time, sparing the 70-year-old the humiliation of being led from the courtroom in handcuffs. The court found Sarkozy guilty of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326836/frances-ex-president-sarkozy-convicted-criminal-conspiracy-gaddafi-funding-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326836/frances-ex-president-sarkozy-convicted-criminal-conspiracy-gaddafi-funding-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Sep 2025 09:01:17 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo In a beauty pageant, the three winners would hold appeal to different members of the audience who would naturally focus on their favourites. I wonder if something similar happened as the world looked on last week while Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un stood together at the massive military parade in Beijing. If you are a grand geostrategist, you might be fascinated or astonished by the three leaders standing together like long-lost brothers. If you were Donald Trump, you might be... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3324661/kim-jong-un-beijing-shows-why-it-good-have-nuclear-bombs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3324661/kim-jong-un-beijing-shows-why-it-good-have-nuclear-bombs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 13:00:15 +0000 Mark Magnier,Frank Chen Mark Magnier,Frank Chen Adapting his “flood the zone” tactic to foreign trade, US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday another flurry of take-it-or-leave-it letters imposing tariffs on Brazil and six smaller economies that have resisted him or are too small to merit individual negotiating attention. Late Wednesday, the US president threatened to slap a 50 per cent tariff on Brazil in part as retaliation for its ongoing prosecution of his ally, the country’s former president Jair Bolsonaro. This represented a... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3317603/trump-announces-new-tariffs-six-smaller-economies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3317603/trump-announces-new-tariffs-six-smaller-economies?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jul 2025 16:57:45 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage For over two decades, Chinese companies have been known to demonstrate a notable risk tolerance, often venturing into overseas markets that Western counterparts avoided. This is evident in the conflict-ridden yet mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo, where Chinese mining enterprises had in the past decade made vast investments as foreign-owned companies exited, positioning the country as the world’s largest producer of cobalt and second-largest producer of copper. This pattern of investment... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3315136/growing-risks-chinese-companies-conflict-ridden-african-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3315136/growing-risks-chinese-companies-conflict-ridden-african-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jun 2025 02:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel increasingly appears eager to oust the clerical leadership that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, but is taking a gamble given the Iranian opposition is divided and there is no guarantee new rulers would be any less hardline, analysts say. By striking targets other than nuclear or ballistic facilities, such as Iran’s IRIB broadcaster, expectations have grown that Israel has goals beyond degrading Iranian atomic and missile capabilities and eyes removing supreme leader... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3315118/if-irans-khamenei-falls-what-would-replace-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3315118/if-irans-khamenei-falls-what-would-replace-him?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jun 2025 13:48:01 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong As missiles fly in the Middle East and the world’s attention fixes on Israel vs Iran, the shock waves are being felt in Pyongyang – where North Korea’s leaders, ever watchful, see yet another reason to cling to their nuclear arsenal. While views differ on precisely how Pyongyang is reading the escalating conflict, observers are united on one point: if there is ever to be a chance of drawing North Korea back to the table for denuclearisation talks, the diplomatic door must remain ajar. Since... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3314895/how-middle-east-conflict-hardens-north-koreas-nuclear-resolve?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3314895/how-middle-east-conflict-hardens-north-koreas-nuclear-resolve?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jun 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain With President Donald Trump poised to determine whether the United States will plunge into the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, anxiety over the possible consequences is sweeping across the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday broadened his demands for Iranian capitulation, moving beyond calls to dismantle the Islamic Republic’s nuclear enrichment programme. Now, he is insisting Iran scraps its ballistic missile arsenal and abandons support for its... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3314858/another-iraq-fears-mount-us-joining-israel-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3314858/another-iraq-fears-mount-us-joining-israel-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jun 2025 03:22:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A convoy of buses and private cars departed for Gaza from Tunisia’s capital on Monday as part of efforts to spotlight Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid to the territory, even as Israeli authorities stopped a high-profile flotilla from landing there. The overland effort – organised independently but moved up to coincide with the flotilla – is made up of activists, lawyers and medical professionals from North Africa. It plans to cross Tunisia, Libya and Egypt before reaching Rafah, the border... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3313757/convoy-sets-gaza-north-africa-protest-against-israels-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3313757/convoy-sets-gaza-north-africa-protest-against-israels-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jun 2025 17:03:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump’s sweeping new travel ban came into effect early Monday immediately after midnight, barring citizens from a dozen nations from entering the United States and reviving a divisive measure from his first term. The move was expected to disrupt refugee pathways and further restrict immigration as the Trump administration expands its crackdown on illegal entries. Many of the nations covered by the restrictions have adversarial relations with the United States, such as Iran... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3313605/trumps-new-travel-ban-takes-effect-citizens-12-nations-barred-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3313605/trumps-new-travel-ban-takes-effect-citizens-12-nations-barred-us?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jun 2025 04:53:29 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump’s travel ban on seven African nations could dampen economic and diplomatic ties, a continental bloc warned. Trump on Thursday signed a proclamation that restricts travel by foreign nationals from 12 countries, including Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan, citing the need to counter the threat of terrorist attacks and safeguard the public. The African Union “remains concerned about the potential negative impact of such measures... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3313383/africa-warns-trump-travel-ban-could-dampen-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3313383/africa-warns-trump-travel-ban-could-dampen-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jun 2025 09:47:30 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump on Wednesday resurrected a hallmark policy of his first term, announcing that citizens of 12 countries would be banned from visiting the United States and those from seven others would face restrictions. The ban takes effect on Monday at 12.01am EDT, a cushion that avoids the chaos that unfolded at airports nationwide when a similar measure took effect with virtually no notice in 2017. Trump, who signalled plans for a new ban upon taking office in January, appears to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3313101/trump-signs-proclamation-banning-travel-12-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3313101/trump-signs-proclamation-banning-travel-12-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:58:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters At least 58 unidentified corpses were found on Monday in a hospital in Tripoli that was under the control of a militia whose leader was killed last week, the interior ministry said. The corpses were found in a morgue fridge in Abu Salim Accidents Hospital in the densely populated Abu Salim neighbourhood, following a report from the hospital, the ministry said in a statement. Pictures of corpses with numbers and censored faces were posted by the ministry, showing remains in various states of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3310987/least-58-unidentified-corpses-found-libyan-hospital-interior-ministry-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3310987/least-58-unidentified-corpses-found-libyan-hospital-interior-ministry-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 May 2025 23:19:45 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo A sketch from the late 2000s British comedy show That Mitchell and Webb Look became one of the internet’s most viral memes. In the skit, a Nazi officer suddenly realised the cause he had been fighting for might not be good after all. “Are we the baddies?” he asks in astonishment. I wonder if US senators Dan Sullivan, Jeff Merkley and John Curtis or House representatives Young Kim and Jim McGovern have ever seen it. It probably makes no difference, though. Your typical American politician doesn’t... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3310826/worlds-biggest-rogue-state-looks-sanction-little-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3310826/worlds-biggest-rogue-state-looks-sanction-little-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 May 2025 13:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from expelling Asian migrants to war-torn Libya after an emergency appeal from the would-be deportees’ lawyers. District Judge Brian Murphy said such deportations would violate his previous order that migrants being sent to a country other than their own first be given a “meaningful” opportunity to challenge their removal in court and show that they may face persecution. Murphy’s ruling came in response to an emergency... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3309500/us-judge-temporarily-blocks-deportation-asian-migrants-libya?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3309500/us-judge-temporarily-blocks-deportation-asian-migrants-libya?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 May 2025 02:41:47 +0000 Libya’s suspension of 10 international humanitarian groups, part of a broader crackdown on African migrants, is aimed at masking domestic failures and securing external concessions, particularly from Europe, analysts have said. Libya’s Tripoli-based authorities announced on Wednesday a decision to suspend the Norwegian Refugee Council, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Terre des Hommes, CESVI and six other groups, accusing them of a plan to “settle migrants” from other parts of Africa in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3305357/libyas-crackdown-ngos-distraction-internal-failures-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3305357/libyas-crackdown-ngos-distraction-internal-failures-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Apr 2025 12:20:59 +0000 Libyan authorities uncovered nearly 50 bodies this week from two mass graves in the country’s southeastern desert, officials said on Sunday, in the latest tragedy involving people seeking to reach Europe through the chaos-stricken North African country. The first mass grave with 19 bodies was found on Friday in a farm in the southeastern city of Kufra, the security directorate said in a statement, adding that authorities took them for autopsy. Authorities posted images on its Facebook page... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3297958/libya-finds-2-mass-graves-nearly-50-bodies-southeast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3297958/libya-finds-2-mass-graves-nearly-50-bodies-southeast?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Feb 2025 08:37:34 +0000 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday she had been placed under judicial investigation following a government decision to release a Libyan police officer wanted by the International Criminal Court. Osama Elmasry Njeem was freed last week and flown home by an Italian state aircraft just days after being detained in the northern city of Turin under an ICC arrest warrant for alleged crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and rape. The ICC has demanded an explanation,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3296644/italys-meloni-under-investigation-over-release-libya-war-crimes-suspect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3296644/italys-meloni-under-investigation-over-release-libya-war-crimes-suspect?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jan 2025 22:29:01 +0000 The International Criminal Court demanded answers from Italy over why it freed a Libyan man suspected of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence. Italy detained Osama Elmasry Njeem, also known as Osama Almasri Njeem, on Sunday in Turin after receiving a tipoff from The Hague-based ICC, which had issued an international arrest warrant against him. However, the Italian government unexpectedly freed him on Tuesday because of a legal technicality,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3295922/icc-seeks-answers-after-italy-frees-libyan-accused-war-crimes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3295922/icc-seeks-answers-after-italy-frees-libyan-accused-war-crimes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jan 2025 04:58:54 +0000 Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, already convicted twice in separate cases since leaving office, on Monday goes on trial charged with accepting illegal campaign financing in an alleged pact with the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The career of Sarkozy has been shadowed by legal troubles since he lost the 2012 presidential election. But he remains an influential figure for many on the right and is also known to regularly meet current French President Emmanuel Macron. The fiercely... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3293503/frances-ex-president-sarkozy-trial-over-alleged-gaddafi-pact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3293503/frances-ex-president-sarkozy-trial-over-alleged-gaddafi-pact?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Jan 2025 11:05:40 +0000 The Cour de Cassation, France’s highest court, upheld on Wednesday former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s conviction for corruption and influence peddling. Sarkozy had appealed against the 2021 conviction for corruption and influence peddling, in which he had been handed a three-year prison sentence. Two of the years were suspended and Sarkozy would wear an electronic monitoring bracelet instead of going to prison for the last year. Patrice Spinosi, lawyer for Sarkozy, said Sarkozy would appeal to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3291422/nicolas-sarkozy-wear-electronic-bracelet-after-french-corruption-conviction-upheld?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3291422/nicolas-sarkozy-wear-electronic-bracelet-after-french-corruption-conviction-upheld?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Dec 2024 14:02:32 +0000 Clashes broke out Sunday between armed groups in a western Libyan city, trapping residents in their homes and causing fires in the country’s second largest oil refinery, officials said. The fighting in the coastal city of Zawiya, about 47 kilometres (about 30 miles) west of capital Tripoli, pitted gunmen loyal to the Shurafaa tribe against warlord Mohamed Kushalf, according to local media. Kushalf was sanctioned by the UN Security Council in 2018 for his alleged involvement in human... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3290900/gunmen-clash-libya-fires-erupt-nearby-oil-refinery-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3290900/gunmen-clash-libya-fires-erupt-nearby-oil-refinery-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Dec 2024 13:38:52 +0000 On his way back from the G20 summit in Brazil last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a quick, but important, stop in Morocco. There, he met the 21-year-old Moroccan Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, with the pair reaffirming their joint commitments to deepen ties between the two countries. It may have been a flying visit, but it was also a strategic one. According to observers, Morocco and other countries in the Maghreb region, which takes in western and central North Africa, are pivotal to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3288608/what-xis-flying-visit-morocco-means-chinas-ev-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3288608/what-xis-flying-visit-morocco-means-chinas-ev-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Nov 2024 09:00:10 +0000 A Russian state museum is mounting an exhibition of artwork by the daughter of slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, dedicated to her father’s memory. Aisha Gaddafi, 47, is the fifth child and only biological daughter of the dictator who ruled the North African country from 1969 until he was captured and killed in 2011 by rebels during the Nato-backed uprising that toppled him. On October 18, the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow opened a six-week exhibition of dozens of her artworks,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3283030/gaddafi-daughters-art-painted-slain-libyan-leaders-honour-unveiled-moscow-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3283030/gaddafi-daughters-art-painted-slain-libyan-leaders-honour-unveiled-moscow-show?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Oct 2024 05:15:07 +0000 A ship carrying the first group of migrants to be processed in Albania under a deal with Italy arrived in the port of Shengjin on Wednesday morning, setting in motion Rome’s controversial plan to process thousands of asylum seekers abroad. Italy has built two reception centres in Albania, in the first scheme by a European Union nation to divert migrants to a non-EU country. The plan aims to deter irregular arrivals to Italy, but has been criticised by rights groups who say it restricts migrants’... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3282621/italy-sends-first-migrants-albania-under-new-deal-european-dream-ends-here?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3282621/italy-sends-first-migrants-albania-under-new-deal-european-dream-ends-here?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Oct 2024 10:49:20 +0000 Oil surged as the market braced for the possibility that Israel’s retaliation against Iran for its recent missile barrage will include strikes on the country’s oil industry. West Texas Intermediate soared about 4 per cent to around US$73 a barrel after US President Joe Biden was asked if he would support Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities. “We’re discussing that,” Biden responded. “I think that would be a little – anyways.” The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3280998/oil-soars-biden-remarks-about-possible-israeli-strike-iran-facilities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3280998/oil-soars-biden-remarks-about-possible-israeli-strike-iran-facilities?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Oct 2024 19:55:22 +0000