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

Israel-Gaza war

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

China economy

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

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.

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.

Myanmar electoral officials count ballots at a polling station in Yangon on Sunday. Photo: EPA
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.

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.

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.

Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, walks with his wife Barbara near Kampala, Uganda, on the day of the general election earlier this month. Photo: Reuters
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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US President Donald Trump (right) greets leaders as he arrives for a Board of Peace charter announcement at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22. Photo: AP
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.

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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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during the 56th annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
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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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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The World Health Organization logo is seen outside the agency’s headquarters in Geneva in December 2021. Photo: AFP
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.

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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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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US President Donald Trump speaking in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday. Photo: AP
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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A wooden boat carrying suspected Rohingya migrants is detained in waters off the island of Langkawi, Malaysia, in 2020. Photo: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency/AP
United States

Trump lays out Greenland-Arctic deal framework, pauses February tariffs

In his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the US president vowed not to invade Greenland while slamming Nato and Europe.

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World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

At Davos, Singapore’s Tharman calls for US-China rivalry to ‘benefit’ world

The city state’s president urges nations to build resilient global alliances and, at a separate panel, calls for ways to boost job creation.

Israel-Gaza war

3-month-old dies of cold in Gaza tent as Trump talks peace at Davos

While Trump pitches his new Board of Peace in Davos, a 3-month-old becomes the 9th child to die of hypothermia in a Gaza tent this winter.

Displaced Palestinians warm themselves by a fire outside their shelter in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip in December 2025. Photo: EPA
US-Asean relations

Foot in the door or trap? Risks of Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Southeast Asia

Nations are likely to try to avoid early commitment while steering clear of outright rejection to minimise US retaliation, analysts say.

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US President Donald Trump speaks to the media on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday. Photo: EPA
Donald Trump

Trump could lead his Board of Peace for life after leaving White House

Donald Trump’s signature diplomatic initiative is drawing resistance from fellow leaders who see it as an undisguised challenge to the UN.

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Israel-Gaza war

Israel’s demolition of UN compound in East Jerusalem raises legal concerns

Israel banned UNRWA in October 2024 over alleged Hamas ties. The agency says demolition of sites that stored Gaza aid violates international law.

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