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World

United States & Canada

Russia & Central Asia

A vessel is seen in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, in June. Photo: ISNA/WANA via Reuters

Middle East

Trump posts map with Hormuz as ‘new US territory’, says no Iran talks planned

This is not the first time the US president, faced with a foreign policy obstacle, has threatened to annex foreign territory.

29 minutes ago

WHO chief warns DR Congo Ebola outbreak ‘far from being under control’

2 hours ago

‘It’s really bad’: migrant women’s fears of sexual violence in Spain’s Ceuta

1 hour ago

Middle East

Israeli military ‘paralysis’ on settler violence exposed in West Bank siege

The government’s support for extremist settlers puts the military in an ‘impossible situation’, observers say.

1 hour ago

Yousef Hassan (left), whose house was encircled by militant settlers and later taken over by the military, films an Israeli settler (right) who entered the property of Palestinian-American Loui Ridi, in Qusra, Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Global Economy

The Polar pivot? China debuts regular Arctic shipping service as Iran war drags on

Operators are fast-tracking northern routes that bypass vulnerable chokepoints in the Middle East.

2 hours agovideocam

Europe

German court convicts Ukrainian man over Russian sabotage plot

The plot involved posting test packages containing GPS trackers in March last year to Ukraine.

5 hours ago

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Middle East

Syria sentences Assad cousin to death for crimes against humanity

Wassim al-Assad is convicted of multiple murders and ‘murder accompanied by torture and brutality’, says Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan.

6 hours ago

Wassim al-Assad is led into a defendant’s cage in the courtroom for his sentencing, at the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, on Tuesday. Photo: Syrian Arab News Agency / AFP

World

The Milky Way swallowed a smaller galaxy about 11.8 billion years ago

Scientists say the event shows Milky Way grew not only by forming its own stars but also by merging with smaller galaxies caught in its gravitational pull.

18 Aug 2026 - 6:30PM

Russia & Central Asia

Ukraine vows to respond after Russian strike kills 10 in northeast region

Officials say the rocket strike on Pechenihy, a village about 40km from the Russian border, hit a busy intersection and 17 others were wounded.

18 Aug 2026 - 5:30PM

Politics

Myanmar’s president heads to Moscow seeking Russian arms and oil

Fresh off a five-year military deal, Min Aung Hlaing is meeting Vladimir Putin for talks on further economic and security cooperation.

18 Aug 2026 - 5:15PM

Myanmar’s President Min Aung Hlaing waves as he boards a plane bound for Russia on Monday. Photo: Myanmar’s Presidential Press and Information Bureau / AFP

Middle East

Iran conflict boosts appeal of Arctic short cut for Asia-Europe ships

The risk of renewed conflict in the Middle East has heightened interest in using a fuel-saving shipping route via the Arctic Ocean.

18 Aug 2026 - 5:12PM

A Sea Legend container ship sets sail on the first trip for a new service via the Arctic. Photo: Handout via AFP

Middle East

‘We’ll die of hunger’: Iran’s fishermen risk all in Hormuz’s shadow of conflict

Fishermen in Bandar Abbas face financial strain as they return to the vital waterway amid fears of new fighting.

18 Aug 2026 - 3:55PMvideocam

United States & Canada

Trump leans on India’s election playbook in push to change how Americans vote

The US president pressed Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require photo identification to vote.

18 Aug 2026 - 2:49PM

United States & Canada

Trump approval rating falls to 33%, lowest of his presidency, poll finds

The poll by Reuters/Ipsos also found that 80 per cent of Americans expect US involvement in Iran to continue for an extended period.

18 Aug 2026 - 4:13AM

US President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One in Las Vegas in 2018. File photo: AFP

United States & Canada

‘Many of us flame out’: hidden toll of White House women’s ‘Maga perfect’ image

Demanding beauty regime and 24/7 availability have prompted some senior female employees to quit the Trump administration.

18 Aug 2026 - 11:56AM

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to US President Donald Trump at an event in Washington on July 24. Photo: Reuters

Russia & Central Asia

Russia summons Japan envoy over disputed Kuril Islands row after Putin visit

Japanese officials had ‘crossed the line of decency’ in criticising Putin’s recent trip, said Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

18 Aug 2026 - 8:24AMvideocam

Economic Indicators

China trims US Treasury holdings amid Iran war, Fed uncertainty

Beijing cuts exposure to US debt to US$633.4 billion, official data shows, amid broader diversification push.

18 Aug 2026 - 2:21PM

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World

Infographic: a powerful new El Nino cycle begins. Is the world ready?

Discover the history and science behind El Nino, the ‘Pacific fever’ that turbocharges extreme weather globally.

7 Aug 2026 - 5:25AM

Infographic: a powerful new El Nino cycle begins. Is the world ready?

Science

An immersive visual guide to China’s space station

Explore the Tiangong space station and track its simulated orbit in our infographic.

23 Jun 2026 - 5:30PM

China

A comprehensive visual guide to Trump’s 2026 state visit to China

Go inside Donald Trump’s 43-hour whirlwind trip to Beijing through our complete visual breakdown.

16 May 2026 - 9:34AM

East Asia

Visualising Hiroshima and Nagasaki casualties, the world’s first atomic attacks

Explore our infographic showing the human toll of the atomic bombings on Japan 80 years ago.

6 Aug 2025 - 4:30PM

Visualising Hiroshima and Nagasaki casualties, the world’s first atomic attacks

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Open Questions series

Wu Shicun on why Beijing will not rule out Scarborough Shoal construction

13 Jul 2026 - 11:01AMvideocam

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

8 Jun 2026 - 11:21AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

12 Jan 2026 - 10:06AMvideocam

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

20 Oct 2025 - 11:18AM

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

5 Oct 2025 - 8:13AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

11 Aug 2025 - 9:13AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Wu Shicun on why Beijing will not rule out Scarborough Shoal construction

13 Jul 2026 - 11:01AMvideocam

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Economist James Heckman on the value of risk-taking, and China’s ‘common goal’

8 Jun 2026 - 11:21AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

12 Jan 2026 - 10:06AMvideocam

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

20 Oct 2025 - 11:18AM

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

5 Oct 2025 - 8:13AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

11 Aug 2025 - 9:13AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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South Koreans savour last season of legal dog meat

Dogs look on from their cages at a dog meat farm in Hwaseong, South Korea, November 21, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Elderly man shoved for patting child’s head

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Trump orders Pentagon to scale back military drills with South Korea

GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK - AUGUST 14: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks at the David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence on August 14, 2026 in Garden City, New York. President Trump visited the police academy to highlight the FBI’s 2025 Crime Statistics Report and rally support for local Republican candidates ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Samuel Corum/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Samuel Corum / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Survivors face aftermath of Indonesian earthquake

Survivors face aftermath of Indonesian earthquake

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