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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 US Air Force C-17 lands at Beijing Capital Airport on May 11, ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Opinion | US maximum pressure tactics unlikely to work with China

As the Trump-Xi summit approaches, China will be going into negotiations with a new diplomatic posture.

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My Take

My Take | The path to the future is renewables, but not in Donald Trump’s America

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United States

Opinion | Thanks to Trump, the gloves are off. There may be no new global order

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Hantavirus

‘Not another Covid’ says WHO, as new suspected hantavirus cases found

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO chief, is in charge of MV Hondius’ evacuation; latest patient sat on plane near woman infected during cruise.

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Sant Joan university hospital, where a woman with symptoms consistent with a hantavirus infection is being treated, is seen in Alicante, Spain, on Friday. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

China plan to be global arbitration hub fighting Western distrust: experts

China’s newly revised Arbitration Law marks the most significant overhaul of the country’s commercial dispute framework since 1994.

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The Philippines

Philippines shifts defence strategy with Japan, eyes wider security focus

Defence chief Gilberto Teodoro says the Diaoyu Islands are now considered a ‘serious concern’ and the Balikatan drills will also be expanded.

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Science

Will Iran war threaten next harvest? Which countries are most at risk?

As the Hormuz blockade cuts off vital agricultural inputs, Food and Agriculture Organization official views China as key food security partner.

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Blockades in the Strait of Hormuz have sent the price of urea – a widely used nitrogen-based fertiliser – soaring in the US and Brazil, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Photo: Handout via Reuters
Disease

Nations race to trace passengers of hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Cruise operator says 29 passengers left the MV Hondius in St Helena on April 24, after the first death.

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North Korea

‘Groundless’ claims: North Korea says nuclear status is not up for debate

Since withdrawing from the non-proliferation treaty in 2003, North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests and built up an arsenal of warheads.

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United States

CNN founder Ted Turner dies at 87

Aside from business and sports deals, Turner gained attention for his personal life and his ventures in philanthropy and the environment.

Ted Turner at his desk inside the CNN Center in 1982. Photo: via AP
Diplomacy

Opinion | As power flows through submarine cables, law of the sea must evolve

The global commons of the seabed is in effect being governed by private actors with the capital and tech to build and maintain cable systems.

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An Estonian naval ship sails in the Baltic Sea on January 9, 2025, as part of stepped-up Nato patrols in the region following suspected sabotage of undersea cables. Photo: AP
North Korea

North Korea’s own-brand phone is sleek, colourful – and possibly watching you

Reports suggest North Korean-produced phones periodically capture screenshots that are stored in hidden folders accessible to authorities.

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Central Asia

An Asian alternative to Nato? How Cica is rethinking Middle East security

Chief of lesser-known security forum says it provides ‘architecture for de-escalation’ and allows members to project soft power.

Thailand

Thailand scraps 25-year-old agreement with Cambodia on energy exploration

Cambodia ‌will now initiate a compulsory conciliation ‌mechanism under the ⁠UN Convention on the ‌Law of the ‌Sea.

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Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul speaks during a news conference in Bangkok on Tuesday. Photo: AP
US-China relations

‘Golden Dome’ defence, new space rivals: 7 US-China relations reads

From a bloated UN to ‘red carpet’ visas for Chinese spies, here are highlights from our correspondents in the second half of April 2026.

Posters for the proposed Golden Dome for America missile defense shield are displayed before an event with US President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in May 2025. Photo: AP
Espionage

Austria expels 3 Russian diplomats over signals spying

Vienna, home to a large diplomatic presence, has long had a reputation as a den of spies.

Middle East

Israeli raid in West Bank leaves 1 Palestinian dead, 4 wounded

Nayef Samaro, 26, was one of five hit by gunfire; the Israeli military says troops fired after ‘terrorists’ threw rocks.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

China’s UN envoy blasts US ‘bullying’ as sanctions widen before Trump-Xi talks

Curbs tied to Iran and a fragile ceasefire cast a shadow over the leaders’ planned Beijing summit as tensions between the powers mount.

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China’s UN envoy Fu Cong warns US sanctions on Chinese firms over Iran risk undermining ceasefire efforts and the rule of law in international affairs. Photo: Reuters
China-Japan relations

Why is China warning the UN of a Japanese ‘nuclear breakout’?

Beijing asks the international body to prioritise Tokyo’s ‘dangerous tendency to seek nuclear weapons’ as regional row escalates.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | A world adrift looks to China for institutional anchors. Enter Hong Kong

Amid talk of cities like Beijing and Shanghai hosting UN functions as the US withdraws, Hong Kong must ensure it is part of the conversation.

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US-China relations

UN bloated, costly, but China fears to keep US involved, House committee told

Pulling out of international organisation would see Beijing expand its influence and leave Washington at major disadvantage, lawmakers say.

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Flags of countries at the United Nations’ Headquarters in Manhattan, New York. Photo: Shutterstock
Africa

‘A lot of suicide’: Sudan war’s sexual violence sparks mental health crisis

The horrific scenario includes the shooting and raping of a health worker - with a woman in labour dying - and many suicides to avoid rape.

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A 17-year-old from Sudan holds her child in her arms in a refugee camp in Chad. She became pregnant after being raped outside the refugee camp. Photo: dpa
US, Israel war on Iran

‘Might over right’ imperils international justice, Wang Yi tells UN’s Baerbock

UN General Assembly president meets Chinese foreign minister in Beijing amid Iran war tensions and global energy crisis.

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US-China relations

US conditions for paying UN dues include China curbs, report says

The US owes billions of dollars in unpaid fees to the organisation, which is facing ‘imminent financial collapse’, according to its chief.

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IAEA

Landmark UN nuclear summit opens as world’s warhead count grows

UN chief urges world to ‘breathe life’ into a landmark non-proliferation treaty as nations gather in New York.

An unarmed US Minuteman III missile inside a silo. The US and Russia hold nearly 90 per cent of nuclear weapons globally. Photo: 90th Missile Wing
US-EU relations

Exclusive | Territorial integrity is ‘red line’ for Europe, Finland warns after US Greenland threats

Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen insists on the importance of national sovereignty, saying ‘we react through the means we have’.

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Greenlanders protest against Donald Trump’s threats. Photo: AFP
Africa

Mali’s junta in crisis as defence minister is killed in massive coordinated attacks

Rebel-jihadist offensive leaves Bamako on edge as territory falls and junta leader Assimi Goita remains out of sight.

China-Middle East relations

Iran digs in as US envoys Kushner and Witkoff head to Pakistan for more talks

Trapped in the Persian Gulf, ship crews run low on food, water – and mental health reserves.

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