Venezuela

Opinion | Are investors spooked by Iran violence? Market response suggests not

6 Mar 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

Trump demands Iran forces surrender or die, wants say on next leader

6 Mar 2026 - 5:40PMvideocam

Opinion | China waits and watches as the US fights all its tigers at once

Far from freeing up resources to focus on China, Trump’s administration finds itself fighting fires on several fronts, sapping its resources.

5 Mar 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

Security forces fire tear gas to disperse a protest against US and Israeli attacks on Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is located, in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 2. Photo: AP

US Senate rejects bid to curb Trump’s Iran war powers despite growing concerns

The bipartisan resolution, which failed by 52-47 votes, was aimed at stifling Donald Trump’s authority to continue military strikes on Iran.

6 Mar 2026 - 7:56AMvideocam

Is the US in decline? After Iran strikes, maybe not, Chinese analysts say

The popular idea in China that American strength is waning may need a rethink, observers say.

4 Mar 2026 - 11:59PMvideocam

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China-Middle East relations

Khamenei’s fall exposes China’s military AI lag versus US: Beijing adviser

Zheng Yongnian cites precision strikes on Iran and earlier Venezuela raid to warn about risks posed by deep AI integration in US military.

4 Mar 2026 - 11:01PMvideocam

Plumes of smoke rise in Iranian capital Tehran following US-Israeli missile strikes on March 1. Photo: AFP

Why China is staying on the sidelines of the US-Iran conflict

Decision based on consideration of Beijing’s own interests as well as its ties with Washington and others, analysts say.

4 Mar 2026 - 8:23PMvideocam

Ukraine war

Trump’s Iran attack sparks calls in Russia to abandon Ukraine talks

Some Russian hardliners are urging Vladimir Putin to double down on the war in Ukraine.

4 Mar 2026 - 6:37PMvideocam

North Korea

North Korea’s hostage strategy packs more bite in post-Iran US shake-up

The Pentagon wants Seoul to shoulder more of its defence burden. Analysts say it may have strengthened Kim Jong-un’s hand instead.

4 Mar 2026 - 5:25PMvideocam

Troops march through Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang for a military parade on February 25. Photo: KCNA/KNS/AFP

China energy security

As US-Iran war threatens oil supplies, will China speed up its green transition?

Beijing is still dependent on fossil fuels but Washington’s recent interventions may prompt officials to fast-track shift, analysts say.

3 Mar 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

Iran announced on Monday announced it had closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz, while Qatar halted liquefied natural gas production and Saudi Arabia shut down its largest oil refinery. The turmoil has hit global energy markets, as oil and gas prices soar. Photo: Reuters

War and conflict

Editorial | Strikes on Iran may complicate US-China ties

No significant impact expected on China’s, or Hong Kong’s, economy from the most recent conflict in the Middle East.

3 Mar 2026 - 7:15AM

Will Iran attack derail Trump’s high-stakes China visit to meet Xi Jinping?

China has condemned killing of Iranian leader as a grave violation of sovereignty and called US incitement of regime change ‘unacceptable’.

2 Mar 2026 - 11:38PMvideocam

China-Middle East relations

Opinion | Attack on Iran normalises global descent into the ‘law of the jungle’

By waging war under the logic of pre-emptive defence, the US and Israel are hollowing out the foundations of international law.

2 Mar 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Iran attack a ‘wake-up call’ for China on electronic warfare and intelligence

Retired PLA colonel urges China to watch out for ‘internal infiltration and intelligence leaks’ and boost ‘security around critical targets’.

2 Mar 2026 - 10:36PMvideocam

An image taken from Israeli military footage shows what it says are large-scale strikes on “the headquarters of the Iranian terror regime” in Tehran on March 1. Photo: Handout

Opposition leader Machado will return to Venezuela in coming weeks

The Nobel Peace Prize winner prepares for a homecoming that the acting president warns will require her to ‘answer’ to the state.

2 Mar 2026 - 10:23AM

Middle East

Burgers, then war: Trump’s bluffs before Iran strikes

The US president gave mixed signals about whether the attack was coming, but his weekend Mar-a-Lago trip may have been the big giveaway.

1 Mar 2026 - 6:55AMvideocam

Trump says US discussing ‘friendly takeover’ of Cuba: ‘they’re in big trouble’

‘They have no money, they have no oil, they have no food,’ the president says, as the US puts pressure on the Communist-run island.

28 Feb 2026 - 2:52AM

Student activists Tampa, Florida, protest against the US oil embargo on Cuba on Thursday. Photo: AFP

North Korea

North Korea’s Kim warns of ‘eternal confrontation’ without US dialogue

As long as Washington acknowledges Pyongyang as a nuclear power, there is ‘no reason not to get along’, the North Korean leader says.

27 Feb 2026 - 8:07PMvideocam

Cuba coastguard kills 4 in firefight with US-registered speedboat

The authorities says shots were fired from the vessel as they approached to identify it.

26 Feb 2026 - 7:19AM

Trump touts US ‘golden age’, avoids direct mention of China before Beijing trip

In nearly two-hour State of the Union speech, American leader focuses on economic strength and global leadership ahead of midterm elections.

25 Feb 2026 - 5:33PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump delivers the first State of the Union address of his second term to a joint session of Congress in the US Capitol in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

5 top takeaways from Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address

In a speech that runs nearly two hours, Trump casts himself as a global peacemaker and touts his economic credentials.

25 Feb 2026 - 12:50PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was the longest to the Congress. Photo: AP

China-Latin America relations

US forces board third Venezuela-linked oil tanker in Indian Ocean

The US military says it tracked the vessel from the Caribbean Sea, before placing it under American control.

25 Feb 2026 - 1:30PM

The View | Venezuela and Panama aren’t the whole story of China in Latin America

While recent events highlight the risks in volatile states, China’s position in Latin America is rooted in deep trade and investment links with the region’s largest economies.

24 Feb 2026 - 6:46PMvideocam

US-China trade war

Open Questions | Abraham Newman on ‘weaponised interdependence’ in ‘neo‑royalist’ Trump era

American political scientist on how ‘interdependence’ can be exploited as part of the rivalry between major powers.

23 Feb 2026 - 10:05AMvideocam

Venezuela approves amnesty law that could free hundreds of political prisoners

Landmark amnesty bill was signed by Venezuela’s interim president nearly seven weeks after the capture of Nicolas Maduro by the US.

20 Feb 2026 - 3:13PM

Relatives of detainees embrace outside a detention centre following the approval of Venezuela’s amnesty law. Photo: Reuters

Peru Congress picks country’s eighth president in a decade

Jose Maria Balcazar installed as Peru’s interim president after Jose Jeri was ousted after barely four months in office.

19 Feb 2026 - 3:58PM