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Ukraine

Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe after Russia, gaining independence from the Soviet Union and declaring neutrality in 1991. In February 2022, Russia's President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine under the auspices of a "special military operation" to "de-nazify" the country. The move turned Moscow into a global pariah, and the Ukrainian army - backed financially and militarily by the US and western European countries - continues to fight off the invading forces. Nuclear-armed Russia has warned of consequences if Nato interferes in the war, while strategic ally China urges a peaceful, diplomatic solution.

Capital

Kyiv

Head of State

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Head of Government

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal

Chinese workers prepare panels that will be part of a large floating solar farm project in the central Anhui province. Photo: Getty Images

China manufacturing

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Iran

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War and conflict

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Ukraine war

Putin accuses Ukraine of deadly attack on student dorm, vows retaliation

Ukraine says it struck an elite drone command unit in Starobilsk, denying Russia’s accusations.

23 May 2026 - 2:06AM

Flames and smoke rise from the side of a college building in Starobilsk, Ukraine. Photo: Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP

Science

China’s Tsinghua University honours German Gref, Russian banker sanctioned by US

Sberbank CEO accompanied Vladimir Putin during Russian leader’s recent trip to Beijing for summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Singapore

How Singapore’s weaponised drone trials could fuel Southeast Asian tensions

As Southeast Asian militaries adopt cheap, lethal systems, experts warn a lack of established rules could prove dangerous.

21 May 2026 - 9:15AM

Britain

UK relaxes sanctions on Russian oil, leaving Ukrainians ‘very let down’

UK inventories of diesel and jet fuel are set to shrink to their lowest since 2023 this month.

20 May 2026 - 7:28PM

Planes stand on the tarmac at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 as concerns grow over jet fuel supplies linked to the Iran war. Photo: dpa

Hong Kong politics

China will actively help to resolve international conflicts, diplomat says

Han Zhiqiang delivers pledge at Global Prosperity Summit, where political heavyweight Regina Ip also calls for creating Apec think tank council.

19 May 2026 - 8:47PM

China-Russia relations

Putin hails ‘unprecedented’ ties ahead of China visit hot on Trump’s heels

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China-Russia relations

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, pictured at last year’s Victory Day military parade in Moscow. Photo: EPA

United States

US extends Russian oil waiver by 30 days as Hormuz closure chokes supply

US Treasury secretary says reprieve will allow energy-vulnerable nations to access Russian seaborne oil.

19 May 2026 - 12:59PM

Vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran earlier this month. Photo: ISNA via AFP

Ukraine war

Belarus begins nuclear weapons drills with Russia

Minsk claims drills pose no security threats ⁠in the region, but Kyiv urges tightened sanctions in response.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

Unbeatable China? Beijing a focal point amid Russian hopes for Putin-Xi summit

Beijing says both sides will advance ties, while the Kremlin says Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline to be discussed in ‘great detail’.

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World Health Organization (WHO)

‘Crises’: WHO kicks off annual assembly amid Ebola, US withdrawal

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A health official uses a thermometer to screen people outside a hospital in Kampala, Uganda, on Saturday. Photo: AP

North Korea

North Korea to turn southern border into ‘impregnable fortress’

Experts say the plans reflect awareness of drone and other types of hi-tech warfare amid the Russia-Ukraine and Iran conflicts.

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A soldier stands at a fence bordering the demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea in 2017. Photo: AFP

China-Russia relations

After China-US reset, Putin heads to Beijing for Sino-Russian strategic refresh

Latest trip could allow leaders to align positions on recent geopolitical developments days after Donald Trump’s high-profile visit.

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US-China relations

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Ukraine war

36 nations approve tribunal creation to prosecute Russia over Ukraine

The move came on the same day the WHO said Ukraine’s mental health crisis is growing, with ‘work to do until the end of the century’.

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A neighbour hugs a crying woman at the site of a fatal Russian missile attack on a residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday. Photo: AP

Ukraine war

‘Stay inside’: Finland warns of drone scare near capital Helsinki

The early hours warning – the first for the capital city – said a drone could be heading towards an area on the south coast.

15 May 2026 - 5:00PMvideocam

China-Russia relations

Exclusive | Russia’s Putin is heading to China next week, days after Xi-Trump summit

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15 May 2026 - 8:08PMvideocam

Ukraine war

Ukraine arrests Zelensky’s ex-top aide as corruption probe widens

Andriy Yermak was named as an official suspect in a sprawling, multi-episode money-laundering case that has gripped Ukraine for months.

14 May 2026 - 7:11PM

Former head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak appears at court in Kyiv for a hearing on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Ukraine war

Russia unleashes 1,500 attack drones on Ukraine, shattering prospects for peace

Kyiv bears brunt of deadly two-day attack, days after Putin said that he ‌thought the Ukraine war was coming to an end.

15 May 2026 - 9:03AM

The aftermath of Russian missile and drone strikes in Kyiv. Photo: Reuters

Science

‘Basically a Chinese racket’: how China streaked ahead at a global AI conference

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China-EU relations

In a bind over rare earths, Europe watches US-China tussle from the sidelines

As Xi Jinping and Donald Trump prepare to meet in Beijing, one European diplomat says the bloc is aware ‘we have little leverage here’.

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Ukraine war

Zelensky’s ex-chief of staff named as suspect in money-laundering probe

Andriy Yermak was Ukraine’s lead negotiator in talks with the US and left during the scandal.

12 May 2026 - 6:32PMvideocam

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and former head of the presidential office Andriy Yermak in Kyiv in 2024. Photo: Reuters

European Union

EU rejects Putin’s idea of role for ex-German leader in future security talks

EU ministers dismiss proposed role for Gerhard Schroeder, who has cultivated a close relationship with Russia’s president.

12 May 2026 - 1:00PM

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in 2023. Photo: AFP

Britain

UK targets Russian ‘information warfare’ with new sanctions

Sanctions package hits 85 people and entities, two-thirds of them related to alleged Russian propaganda operations.

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Ukraine war

Ukraine and Russia trade blame for breaking US-brokered ceasefire

Attacks reported on the second day of what was supposed to have been a three-day truce announced by Trump.

11 May 2026 - 10:08AMvideocam

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Ukraine

China told the solar industry to cut capacity. Firms built new factories anyway

Beijing has been striving to rein in severe overcapacity in the solar industry. But the sector is still plagued by illegal facilities, an insider says.

UN event on nuclear non-proliferation treaty stumbles, US and Iran clash

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}As I see it | How China wins by avoiding war

Putin accuses Ukraine of deadly attack on student dorm, vows retaliation

Ukraine says it struck an elite drone command unit in Starobilsk, denying Russia’s accusations.

China’s Tsinghua University honours German Gref, Russian banker sanctioned by US

Sberbank CEO accompanied Vladimir Putin during Russian leader’s recent trip to Beijing for summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

How Singapore’s weaponised drone trials could fuel Southeast Asian tensions

As Southeast Asian militaries adopt cheap, lethal systems, experts warn a lack of established rules could prove dangerous.

UK relaxes sanctions on Russian oil, leaving Ukrainians ‘very let down’

UK inventories of diesel and jet fuel are set to shrink to their lowest since 2023 this month.

China will actively help to resolve international conflicts, diplomat says

Han Zhiqiang delivers pledge at Global Prosperity Summit, where political heavyweight Regina Ip also calls for creating Apec think tank council.

Putin hails ‘unprecedented’ ties ahead of China visit hot on Trump’s heels

Russian leader’s trip is widely seen as a move to boost energy relationship with Beijing as the Iran war disrupts global supply.

Vodka, bullet train and boat rides: how Xi and Putin built up a personal rapport

Xi Jinping’s friendship with Vladimir Putin has been cultivated over many visits and informal events, from pancakes to lakeside teas.

US extends Russian oil waiver by 30 days as Hormuz closure chokes supply

US Treasury secretary says reprieve will allow energy-vulnerable nations to access Russian seaborne oil.

Belarus begins nuclear weapons drills with Russia

Minsk claims drills pose no security threats ⁠in the region, but Kyiv urges tightened sanctions in response.

Unbeatable China? Beijing a focal point amid Russian hopes for Putin-Xi summit

Beijing says both sides will advance ties, while the Kremlin says Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline to be discussed in ‘great detail’.

‘Crises’: WHO kicks off annual assembly amid Ebola, US withdrawal

Aid cuts ‘have disrupted health systems, widened inequalities’ said UN chief Antonio Guterres, with WHO budget down by almost US$1 billion.

North Korea to turn southern border into ‘impregnable fortress’

Experts say the plans reflect awareness of drone and other types of hi-tech warfare amid the Russia-Ukraine and Iran conflicts.

After China-US reset, Putin heads to Beijing for Sino-Russian strategic refresh

Latest trip could allow leaders to align positions on recent geopolitical developments days after Donald Trump’s high-profile visit.

AI supremacy, ‘secret police station’, Taiwan propaganda: 7 US-China relations reads

From China’s nuclear weapons to Trump’s summit entourage, here are highlights from our overseas correspondents in the first half of May 2026.

36 nations approve tribunal creation to prosecute Russia over Ukraine

The move came on the same day the WHO said Ukraine’s mental health crisis is growing, with ‘work to do until the end of the century’.

‘Stay inside’: Finland warns of drone scare near capital Helsinki

The early hours warning – the first for the capital city – said a drone could be heading towards an area on the south coast.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Exclusive | Russia’s Putin is heading to China next week, days after Xi-Trump summit

The Russian leader’s one-day visit, tipped for May 20, is unlikely to feature the pomp and elaborate details of the US president’s trip.

Ukraine arrests Zelensky’s ex-top aide as corruption probe widens

Andriy Yermak was named as an official suspect in a sprawling, multi-episode money-laundering case that has gripped Ukraine for months.

Russia unleashes 1,500 attack drones on Ukraine, shattering prospects for peace

Kyiv bears brunt of deadly two-day attack, days after Putin said that he ‌thought the Ukraine war was coming to an end.

‘Basically a Chinese racket’: how China streaked ahead at a global AI conference

Mainland China accounted for 44 per cent of the top 50 institutions contributing to the ICLR in Rio de Janeiro, according to analysis.

In a bind over rare earths, Europe watches US-China tussle from the sidelines

As Xi Jinping and Donald Trump prepare to meet in Beijing, one European diplomat says the bloc is aware ‘we have little leverage here’.

Zelensky’s ex-chief of staff named as suspect in money-laundering probe

Andriy Yermak was Ukraine’s lead negotiator in talks with the US and left during the scandal.

EU rejects Putin’s idea of role for ex-German leader in future security talks

EU ministers dismiss proposed role for Gerhard Schroeder, who has cultivated a close relationship with Russia’s president.

UK targets Russian ‘information warfare’ with new sanctions

Sanctions package hits 85 people and entities, two-thirds of them related to alleged Russian propaganda operations.

Ukraine and Russia trade blame for breaking US-brokered ceasefire

Attacks reported on the second day of what was supposed to have been a three-day truce announced by Trump.

As I see it | How China wins by avoiding war

Exclusive | Russia’s Putin is heading to China next week, days after Xi-Trump summit