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United Nations

United Nations
The UN is an international organisation founded after World War II that aims to provide a dialogue platform between countries, fortifying international corporation and preventing future wars. There are currently 193 members led by five permanent members of the Security Council - US, Russia, UK, France and China. The organisation currently has six principal organs: General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Secretariat, International Court of Justice, and the Trusteeship Council.
Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Opinion | Beijing must be clear-eyed about its national interests abroad

As the US disrupts international norms, China should reconsider its place in the world system to protect its overseas investments.

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Asean

Asian Angle | ‘Old order is not coming back’: Trump’s US, not China, threatens status quo

Americas and the Caribbean

Venezuela proposes to free hundreds of prisoners, close ‘torture’ prison

Israel-Gaza war

Israel offers ‘limited’ Rafah reopening after nearly 2-year Gaza border shutdown

The reopening is part of phase two of the US ceasefire. Previously, it was Gaza’s main crossing for people and trade with Egypt.

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian territories. Photo: dpa
Middle East

US envoys to Israel blocked ‘apocalyptic’ Gaza warning in 2024: report

Leaked reports reveal US diplomats killed internal memos detailing dead bodies and famine in Gaza to avoid a ‘lack of balance’ in policy.

China-Latin America relations

Open Questions | How China’s 15-fold rise in Latin America dents US influence: Francisco Urdinez

A leading scholar says US action in Venezuela shows how Beijing’s economic ties now face rising geopolitical pushback.

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Ukraine war

Ukraine war military casualties ‘near 2 million’ as more crunch talks loom

CSIS study estimates nearly 1.2 million Russian and 600,000 Ukrainian casualties, as the US tries to broker a deal between the warring sides.

A billboard in St Petersburg advertising contract Russian military service. It reads: ‘New. Irreplaceable. Unmanned Systems Troops’. Photo: EPA
Israel-Gaza war

Unicef delivers school kits to Gaza after 2.5-year Israel blockade

Thousands of school kits reach Gaza as Unicef confirms Israel lifts blockade that left children learning without pencils or books.

China economy

Opinion | How a rising China is becoming a provider of global public goods

When China provides the hi-tech, low-cost hardware of development and multilateral banks provide regulatory oversight, the Global South wins.

Indonesia

Peace or chaos? Indonesia’s participation in Trump-led board stirs debate

Critics say the decision runs contrary to Jakarta’s support for Palestine and decades-old foreign policy strategy of multilateralism.

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US President Donald Trump (left) talks to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the “Board of Peace” meeting in Davos on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Human rights

Hundreds feared missing or dead in Mediterranean shipwrecks, UN says

IOM investigates reports of vessels being impacted by bad weather after departing from Tunisia and Libya for Europe.

Crew members of the ‘Ocean Viking’ ship take part in a night rescue exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. Photo: AFP
Cambodia

Fear of Thai border action steers Cambodia towards UN law of sea after 43 years

Cambodia’s smaller and weaker navy will find safety in numbers and rule of law now that it has ratified Unclos, according to analysts.

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Myanmar

‘What was the point?’: Myanmar’s loaded election brings win for junta allies

Disenfranchised citizens and migrants dismiss the election as a meaningless exercise designed solely to validate the military’s iron grip.

Israel-Gaza war

Israel launches ‘large-scale operation’ to locate last hostage in Gaza

Israel’s Netanyahu conditions the opening of Gaza’s vital southern border on the recovery of Ran Gvili’s remains.

People hold signs with a photo of Ran Gvili, during a rally in Tel Aviv, Israel on Friday. Photo: AP
US-Venezuela conflict

Venezuela frees dozens of political prisoners as leader tells US ‘enough orders’

Rights group says it has verified the identities of 104 of those freed as Venezuela navigates life after Maduro.

Foro Penal estimates there are about 800 political prisoners in the South American country. Photo: AFP
Africa

Uganda opposition leader’s wife in hospital after soldiers invade home

Incumbent ruler Yoweri Museveni, 81, president since 1986, was declared winner of the January 15 election, but Wine alleged extensive fraud.

United States

Macroscope | Distracted at Davos, leaders are ignoring one critical issue

More attention needs to be paid to the state of US and global finances.

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2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

Letters | When conflicts disrupt education, societies lose

Readers discuss education for crisis-affected children, how Donald Trump is reshaping global politics, and the truth about Europe.

A boy stands among adults waiting to collect supplies at Batthkav refugee camp, amid clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, in Chong Kal, Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia on December 12. Photo: Reuters
China-Latin America relations

Xi, Lula stress UN’s value in call as US actions unsettle regional diplomacy

China reaffirms commitment to international law, negotiated diplomacy in region, while Brazil eases visa requirements for Chinese nationals.

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World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

As Trump shakes world order, Western countries recalibrate approach to China

At Davos, world leaders take veiled swipes at the US, while China frames itself as defender of the post-war system, analysts say.

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Indonesia

Indonesia’s defence deal with Bosnia signals Asian middle power’s clout

The deal is in line with Jakarta’s goal to pursue an ‘active and free’ foreign policy beyond its Western partners.

President Prabowo Subianto (third from left) and Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin (left) at the military academy in Magelang, Central Java in 2024. Photo: AFP/Indonesia’s presidential palace
United States

Outside In | Why Trump’s Davos farce may come to be seen as a watershed

Whatever his motivations, he’s alarmed allies and made clear the old order based on a benign US is gone, even as his popularity slips at home.

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US President Donald Trump speaks during a Board of Peace charter announcement at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22. Photo: AP
Canada

Trump withdraws invitation to Canada’s Carney to join his Board of Peace

The American president made the announcement in a brief post on his online platform Truth Social, without giving a reason.

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United States

US walks away from WHO, leaving unpaid tab of US$260 million

Without its top donor, the UN health agency’s work to contain diseases like HIV, polio and Ebola is at risk.

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Ukraine war

Trump sends message to Putin ‘war has to end’ after ‘good’ meeting with Zelensky

Trump’s comments come after crucial Davos talks with Ukraine’s leader, as peace efforts intensify amid fresh strikes and high-stakes diplomacy.

US President Donald Trump attends the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday. Photo: AP
World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

‘For the world’: Trump launches his Board of Peace that some see rivalling UN

The US president signed the board’s charter at a ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

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US President Donald Trump holding a signed founding charter with leaders and representatives from other countries. Photo: AFP
World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

Watch Trump showcase his ‘Board of Peace’ in Davos

Donald Trump has extended invitations to dozens of nations and hinted at the board’s future role as conflict mediator - with him as chairman.

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Malaysia

Rohingya refugees at risk of removal as Malaysia begins biometric documentation

Rohingya are often undocumented as Myanmar’s authorities refuse to recognise them as a legitimate community.

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