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War and conflict

War and conflict
The latest news, analysis and opinion on War and conflict. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they attend a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, China, in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency on September 4. Photo: KCNA via Reuters
Diplomacy

Opinion | Why China now needs North Korea’s denuclearisation

As optimism grows over an end to the Ukraine war, a weakening of Moscow’s support for Pyongyang may give Beijing new leverage to stabilise the Korean peninsula.

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Venezuela

Trump to meet Venezuela opposition leader Machado at White House on Thursday

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United States

‘No conversations’ with US, says Cuban president after Trump threats

Asean

Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Middle powers fear a return to ‘rules of the jungle’ geopolitics as rival powers carve out spheres of influence.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Myanmar

Myanmar’s pro-junta party wins Aung San Suu Kyi’s seat: ‘surprise no one’

The military-backed party claims to have won 90 per cent of the available seats so far in a poll activists have derided as ‘engineered’.

Israel-Gaza war

Hamas says will dissolve its Gaza government when Palestinian body takes over

Militant group agrees to cede power to technocratic committee under Trump-brokered plan, but silence remains over disarmament.

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Donald Trump

Cuba defiant after Trump threat to cut off ‘oil and money’ lifeline

Cuban president says island is prepared to ‘defend homeland to last drop of blood’ as Trump ramps up pressure after action in Venezuela.

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Cubans rally in Havana on January 3 in solidarity with Venezuela after the US captured President Nicolas Maduro and flew him out of the country. Photo: AP
US-Venezuela conflict

Could China execute special forces operation like US precision Maduro abduction?

The Pentagon sees China’s 20,000-30,000 special operation personnel as limited by logistics support and fragmented command structure.

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Israel-Gaza war

Gaza clings to Medecins Sans Frontieres following Israeli aid ban

Israel announced it would ban 37 aid groups, including MSF, from operating in Gaza from for failing to provide information on Palestinian staff.

Thailand

4 injured in bombings in Thailand’s south amid ongoing insurgency

Security agencies believed the attacks were a ‘signal’ timed with elections for local administrators taking place on Sunday, and ‘not aimed at insurgency’.

A petrol station following a bomb attack in Thailand’s southern province of Narathiwat on Sunday. Photo: AFP
United States

Editorial | What happens next in Venezuela should be of international concern

If the US can take over the running of a country in this way, it could be the beginning of a slippery slope.

People attend an anti-Trump protest over US action in Venezuela near the US Embassy in Budapest, Hungary, on January 7. Photo: Reuters
Middle East

US says it carried out new ‘large-scale’ strikes against Isis in Syria

The attack is the latest response to a shooting by a lone militant that killed two American soldiers and a US civilian interpreter.

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Canada

Trump’s Venezuela and Greenland threats make Canada fear it’s next

The shock capture of Maduro and talk of seizing the Arctic island are forcing Canadians to take Trump’s 51st state threats seriously.

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Taiwan

F-16 fighter crash brings fresh scrutiny to Taiwan’s ageing military equipment

Opposition politicians frame incident as readiness problem created by high operational tempo, ageing airframes and slow equipment delivery.

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A single-seat F-16V fighter jet belonging to Hualien Air Force Base in Taiwan crashed off the coast of Hualien this week while conducting a routine night training mission. It has drawn attention to the maintenance and upgrade of the island’s military equipment. Photo: Handout
Donald Trump

Trump says Colombia’s Petro to visit US, in U-turn from threats to diplomacy

Just days ago, Trump had issued a warning to the South American leader for criticising the US attack that removed Venezuela’s Maduro.

US President Donald Trump (right) spoke with Colombian President Gustavo Petro over the phone on Wednesday. Photos: AFP
US-Venezuela conflict

US seizes fifth tanker as Washington escalates bid to control Venezuela’s oil

Joint US forces intercept the Olina amid Trump talks with Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips on US$100 billion Venezuela plan.

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United States

As I see it | Welcome, world, to the American jungle

Far from deterring China and Russia, the operation signals that brute force, not international law, now defines American action.

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Science

China cites Biden’s message to Xi that Japan could build nukes ‘overnight’

Beijing releases 30-page report that includes a call for international community to ‘take concrete and strong measures’ against Japan’s nuclear ambitions.

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A new report out of China says Japan has stockpiled plutonium far exceeding its needs for civilian nuclear power and has the tech foundation to develop nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers. Photo: Kyodo
2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

US pledges millions to bolster Thailand, Cambodia truce amid Trump peace claims

Trump has listed the conflict as one of a number of wars he claims to have solved as he loudly insists he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Ukraine war

Russia says fired new Oreshnik hypersonic missile in strike against Ukraine

Russia’s Defence Ministry said the attack was retaliation for an alleged attempted drone strike on President Vladimir Putin’s residence.

Syria

Kurdish fighters refuse to leave Syria’s Aleppo after truce

Kurdish fighters defy Aleppo truce, sparking fears of wider conflict amid civilian evacuations and international pressure.

Columns of smoke rise from Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah neighbourhoods amid intense clashes between government forces and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Israel says Bulgarian diplomat to direct Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza

The Board of Peace is meant to oversee the implementation of the second and far more complicated phase of the Gaza ceasefire.

Palestinians walk amid buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City. Photo: AP
Legacy of war in Asia

Opinion | Amid historical tensions with Japan, Hong Kong must engage for the future

Remembering the pain of the Nanking massacre does not preclude engagement, but ensures lessons of the past strengthen our shared commitment to peace.

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North Korea nuclear crisis

Opinion | Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

It confirms Pyongyang’s belief that leaders seen as thorns in the US side who lack nuclear weapons ultimately fall victim to US intervention.

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US-Venezuela conflict

US Senate rebukes Trump on Venezuela with war powers vote

Five Republicans join Democrats in a 52-47 vote to limit further military action as the president eyes Greenland next.

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US President Donald Trump addressing House Republicans at their annual issues conference retreat in Washington this week. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Trump wants US$1.5 trillion for military. Will China boost spending too?

Analysts say Donald Trump’s military budget proposal aims to blunt China’s influence, but some dismiss the spending plan as ‘fanciful’.

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US President Donald Trump says his administration’s tariffs on other countries will help fund his proposed increase in defence spending. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
China’s military drills

PLA drills target swarms of suicide drones – Taiwan’s front line of defence

CCTV footage shows naval unit conducting anti-drone and uncrewed target exercises as mainland China’s military launches 2026 training cycle.

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Ukraine war

Russia slams West’s ‘axis of war’ as Kyiv says US guarantees ‘essentially ready’

Moscow warns ‘axis of war’ peacekeepers potentially being deployed to Ukraine are targets, overshadowing Zelensky’s claim a US pact is almost ready.

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