https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/324280/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Houthis launched a deadly missile attack on Thursday on the presidential palace in the Yemeni government’s interim capital of Aden, as Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for the recent dramatic escalation in the long-running war. Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognised government it backs in Yemen have come under sustained Houthi attack of late, shifting the focus of the wider Middle East war that erupted with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. The Iran-backed Houthis have seized swathes... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3371065/houthis-launch-deadly-attack-presidential-palace-yemens-aden?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3371065/houthis-launch-deadly-attack-presidential-palace-yemens-aden?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:41:55 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Trade between Brazil and China reached a record US$143 billion in the first nine months of the year, driven by Brazilian oil sales that surged after the war on Iran disrupted Gulf supply, according to a report by the Brazil-China Business Council. Brazilian exports to China rose 12 per cent to US$84.7 billion between January and September, while imports from China grew 9.9 per cent to US$58.6 billion, the council said in its quarterly analysis of government data. The resulting US$26.1 billion... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3371064/china-bought-half-brazils-oil-exports-iran-war-shut-hormuz-driving-sales-record?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3371064/china-bought-half-brazils-oil-exports-iran-war-shut-hormuz-driving-sales-record?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:23:44 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The US wants to “compete” in resource-rich Central Asia, a senior American official has said as Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares to head to a region of growing Chinese influence. In New Delhi on Thursday, US ambassador to India Sergio Gor said this weekend’s C5+1 ministerial meeting between the five Central Asian countries and the US in Uzbekistan would be an opportunity to “showcase American ingenuity, American technology”. Rubio would be joined by representatives from more than 200... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371033/us-wants-compete-central-asia-ambassador-says-ahead-rubio-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371033/us-wants-compete-central-asia-ambassador-says-ahead-rubio-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2026 11:04:00 +0000 Christina Zhao Christina Zhao China Asset Management (Hong Kong) and Qatar’s Lesha Bank agreed on Wednesday to launch Qatar’s first sharia-compliant China equity fund, highlighting growing efforts by Chinese financial institutions to lure Middle East capital as institutional investors and wealthy families seek safe havens amid geopolitical turmoil. Among the key selling points of the mainland China and Hong Kong stock markets for Middle East investors are the mainland’s rising artificial intelligence capabilities and biotech... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3370965/hong-kong-firm-qatar-bank-launch-chinese-equity-fund-lure-middle-east-capital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3370965/hong-kong-firm-qatar-bank-launch-chinese-equity-fund-lure-middle-east-capital?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2026 07:00:09 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Lorelai Jacinto had worked as a domestic helper in Riyadh for two and a half years before she flew home to the Philippines on September 19, increasingly worried that the conflict in the Middle East was making it unsafe to stay. “When the conflict with Iran happened, I started feeling like it wasn’t safe there any more because I was right there in Riyadh myself, so the bombing, the missiles, were closer to us,” Jacinto told This Week in Asia. “I got worried, I got scared that maybe I wouldn’t be... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/people/article/3370917/filipino-migrants-torn-between-safety-and-survival-risks-amid-middle-east-dangers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/people/article/3370917/filipino-migrants-torn-between-safety-and-survival-risks-amid-middle-east-dangers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2026 04:00:12 +0000 Daisy Wu Daisy Wu As global capital flows towards clean energy and artificial intelligence, Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s business group has expanded its oil exposure in a move analysts see as a buffer against geopolitical risks and a play for steady cash flow. The first major investment move by the widely watched Hong Kong tycoon after a slew of asset sales across the world has stirred curiosity at a time when financial markets are more volatile amid rising fears of inflation, monetary tightening and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/money/wealth/article/3370567/li-ka-shing-empire-expands-oil-interests-turning-heads-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/money/wealth/article/3370567/li-ka-shing-empire-expands-oil-interests-turning-heads-market?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Oct 2026 01:00:07 +0000 Andy Xie Andy Xie Be warned. The global economy is likely to experience a recession next year. War across the Middle East is set to escalate, wrecking energy supplies for many years, even as the artificial intelligence (AI) bubble is ripe to burst. This, however, would also create an energy leadership opportunity for China. High energy prices already fuel demand for Chinese renewable energy products and electric vehicles. But as a leader in building coal-fired power plants, China can also offer the global market... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3370367/can-chinas-coal-industry-ride-rescue-world-oil-shock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3370367/can-chinas-coal-industry-ride-rescue-world-oil-shock?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Oct 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Yemeni government has spoken with Beijing about the Houthis’ alleged attempts to utilise Chinese-made technology for weapons, a Yemeni minister said on Wednesday, as the two sides’ long-running civil war escalates. “The Chinese are partners and we have discussed with them about, you know, the use of dual products,” Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba said in response to an Agence France-Presse question about reports the Iran-backed group was trying to secure Chinese components to help... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370919/yemen-government-says-it-raised-houthis-alleged-use-chinese-tech-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370919/yemen-government-says-it-raised-houthis-alleged-use-chinese-tech-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:16:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Irish author Sally Rooney can no longer sell her books in the UK because of her support for the activist group Palestine Action, her publisher Faber said on Wednesday. Rooney has previously expressed her support for the group, which was banned as a “terrorist” organisation by the UK government in July 2025. It is not banned in Ireland, where Rooney lives. The proscription, which the organisation is appealing against, puts Palestine Action on the same blacklist as militant groups Hamas and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3370918/sally-rooney-books-cant-be-sold-uk-amid-palestine-action-ban-publisher-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3370918/sally-rooney-books-cant-be-sold-uk-amid-palestine-action-ban-publisher-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Oct 2026 16:41:07 +0000 Matthew Cheng,Lo Hoi-ying Matthew Cheng,Lo Hoi-ying Four Hong Kong franchised bus operators have applied to raise fares by up to 17.7 per cent, citing “significant financial pressure” from soaring fuel prices driven by the Middle East conflict. Citybus has sought the steepest increase, at 17.7 per cent, followed by KMB at 16 per cent. Long Win Bus and New Lantao Bus have applied for rises of 8.1 per cent and 9.8 per cent respectively, according to a paper the Transport and Logistics Bureau submitted to the Legislative Council on Wednesday. The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3370836/hong-kong-bus-operators-seek-fare-hikes-177-amid-fuel-price-surge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3370836/hong-kong-bus-operators-seek-fare-hikes-177-amid-fuel-price-surge?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Oct 2026 06:34:00 +0000 Reuters Reuters Asian countries must remind themselves about what happened during the region’s financial crisis in the late 1990s and guard against a recurrence of such shocks, the head of the Philippine central bank said ‌on Wednesday. Before the Asian financial crisis started in 1997, regional economies saw huge capital inflows that prompted the World Bank to describe it as the “East Asian miracle”, Eli Remolona, governor of the central bank, said in an International Monetary Fund panel on the outlook for the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3370829/asia-must-guard-against-repeat-1997-financial-crisis-philippine-central-bank-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3370829/asia-must-guard-against-repeat-1997-financial-crisis-philippine-central-bank-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Oct 2026 05:46:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters An administrative building belonging to Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco in the eastern city of Dhahran was attacked, causing a limited fire, the Energy Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday as fighting between Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthis and the kingdom intensified. Authorities responded to the incident late on Tuesday and took necessary measures, the ministry said, adding that there were no injuries or deaths. A company source told Reuters earlier that a ballistic... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370793/aramco-facility-hit-houthis-and-saudi-coalition-exchange-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370793/aramco-facility-hit-houthis-and-saudi-coalition-exchange-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Oct 2026 01:33:54 +0000 Gabriel Dominguez Gabriel Dominguez Chinese-Pakistani fighter jets and a China-made air-defence system reportedly deployed to Saudi Arabia could be brought into action following Pakistan’s renewed pledge to defend the kingdom after deadly Houthi attacks on Riyadh. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday that Islamabad would cooperate with Riyadh “in every possible way” under their defence agreements, after Houthi strikes on the Saudi capital’s main airport the previous day killed at least 13 people and wounded... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3370713/could-pakistans-chinese-made-weapons-help-protect-saudi-arabia-houthi-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3370713/could-pakistans-chinese-made-weapons-help-protect-saudi-arabia-houthi-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:00:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Houthi official has warned the US it would receive a “painful response” if it entered the war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has reportedly requested Washington’s help in dealing with the group as it weathers repeated attacks. Yemen’s civil war - in which a Saudi-led military coalition supports the government against the Iran-backed Houthis - reignited in July, months into the wider regional conflict that has roiled energy markets and plunged the Middle East into crisis. The Houthis quickly... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370729/houthi-official-warns-us-against-entering-war-yemen-saudis-weather-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370729/houthi-official-warns-us-against-entering-war-yemen-saudis-weather-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:00:25 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi As missiles and drones take a bigger role in modern warfare, major defence contractors gathered in Washington this week to showcase their latest advances in the technologies – and systems to counter them. The three-day Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition, which opened on Monday, is one of the largest ground-based weapons shows in the US. This year there was a strong emphasis on air and missile defence systems, reflecting growing concern about how to counter... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/science-technology/article/3370663/systems-counter-missiles-and-drones-take-centre-stage-us-defence-expo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/science-technology/article/3370663/systems-counter-missiles-and-drones-take-centre-stage-us-defence-expo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Oct 2026 04:00:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford airbase in Britain was “highly likely” to have been coordinated in Iran, and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The RAF Fairford base in southwest England, which had been used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran, became the focal point for a major ‌security response after five British men were arrested nearby in the early hours of September 27 on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3370646/uk-pm-burnham-says-irans-irgc-highly-likely-have-been-behind-raf-fairford-incident?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3370646/uk-pm-burnham-says-irans-irgc-highly-likely-have-been-behind-raf-fairford-incident?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:56:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An Israeli teenager was killed and more than 20 other people injured Monday by a suspected leftover Hezbollah bomb as they hiked near the Lebanese border, officials said. The Israeli military, which dispatched helicopters to the scene, said an initial review showed the explosion was likely caused by an unexploded munition from Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The explosive, which was likely a cluster bomb from a round of fighting three years ago, went off in the hands of a pupil who picked it... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370639/israel-pupil-15-killed-over-20-hurt-after-suspected-leftover-bomb-detonates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370639/israel-pupil-15-killed-over-20-hurt-after-suspected-leftover-bomb-detonates?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Oct 2026 15:41:38 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Saudi Arabia said it was dealing with new drone and cruise missile attacks on Monday, posing fresh security threats to the kingdom following the weekend’s deadly strikes on Riyadh airport. “We have detected and are monitoring a threat involving drones and cruise missiles against the kingdom and the threat is being dealt with,” the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. It cited Defence Ministry spokesman Turki al-Maliki on behalf of a Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthis. The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370628/saudi-arabia-faces-more-drone-missile-attacks-after-houthis-fatal-airport-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370628/saudi-arabia-faces-more-drone-missile-attacks-after-houthis-fatal-airport-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:23:03 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A South Korean container ship has returned from a trial voyage through the Arctic, testing an alternative route opened by melting sea ice as conflict in the Middle East disrupts global shipping. The PanStar Acro made the round trip to Europe in less time than the conventional route through the Suez Canal, officials said. The initiative has drawn concerns that increased traffic could accelerate Arctic ice loss. The Arctic route could also expose operators to sanctions-related risks because it... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3370523/south-korea-hails-success-its-first-arctic-shipping-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3370523/south-korea-hails-success-its-first-arctic-shipping-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Oct 2026 01:53:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse At least 139 migrants died, including 15 children, and 84 went missing when an overcrowded boat sank while heading from Djibouti to Yemen, a UN agency said on Sunday. The vessel was carrying 305 people, most of them Ethiopian, when it capsized north of the Djibouti town of Obock on the night of October 8-9, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement. “Survivors told me that the boat started to sink backwards as soon as they got in it,” Alexandre Coissac, IOM chief of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370522/least-139-migrants-dead-dozens-missing-after-boat-capsizes-djibouti?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370522/least-139-migrants-dead-dozens-missing-after-boat-capsizes-djibouti?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Oct 2026 01:05:42 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A fresh Houthi strike hit Riyadh’s international airport on Sunday, killing one person and wounding 11 others, a day after another deadly attack claimed by the Yemeni group forced authorities to suspend operations there. Saturday’s attack, the deadliest on Saudi soil in more than a decade, was a sharp escalation in the Yemen war, where Riyadh has long militarily supported the internationally recognised government against the Houthis. The Iran-backed group on Sunday claimed multiple attacks over... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370513/riyadh-airport-hit-fresh-houthi-strike-day-after-deadly-attack-killed-12?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370513/riyadh-airport-hit-fresh-houthi-strike-day-after-deadly-attack-killed-12?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Oct 2026 17:52:46 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao China’s investment banks spent decades trying to emulate Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street powerhouse that became a benchmark for the country’s financial ambitions and whose alumni included senior US policymakers like former Treasury secretary Henry Paulson. Today, Beijing’s goal has evolved beyond building a Chinese version of Goldman. At the Central Financial Work Conference in 2023, President Xi Jinping called for cultivating first-class investment institutions as part of China’s ambition to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/markets/article/3370375/chinese-brokers-work-crack-final-code-win-clients-global-stage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/markets/article/3370375/chinese-brokers-work-crack-final-code-win-clients-global-stage?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Oct 2026 14:00:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday postponed legislative elections due next month until September 11, 2027, and called a presidential poll for the same date, blaming Israel and ‌the security situation in the Palestinian territories for the delay. Abbas’ decree cited “obstacles posed by Israeli measures” and the need to establish suitable political, security and on-the-ground conditions for “free, fair and inclusive elections”, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370455/palestinian-leader-abbas-postpones-elections-september-2027?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370455/palestinian-leader-abbas-postpones-elections-september-2027?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Oct 2026 15:09:00 +0000 Reuters Reuters At least 12 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in an attack on Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade, as the Iran-backed Houthis escalate a campaign they launched this summer. The dead from the third attack this week on the airport included four Saudis, two people from Bangladesh and one person each from the US, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt, ‌the Saudi civil aviation authority said. At the latest count, 309 were... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370454/loud-blast-heard-riyadh-airport-airlines-cancel-more-flights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370454/loud-blast-heard-riyadh-airport-airlines-cancel-more-flights?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Oct 2026 14:19:25 +0000 Reuters Reuters An Omani Flydubai co-pilot had intended to seize a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight and crash it into a terminal at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on September 30 in a suicide attack before he ‌was thwarted by the captain, the UAE attorney general said on Friday. Attorney General Hamad Saif al Shamsi’s statement did not appear to implicate Flydubai in any wrongdoing and contained the most detailed account yet from prosecutors about what they believe to have happened. Flydubai was not immediately available for... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370407/omani-flydubai-co-pilot-planned-crash-plane-israeli-airport-uae-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370407/omani-flydubai-co-pilot-planned-crash-plane-israeli-airport-uae-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 17:01:59 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s administration imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court on Friday, hours after one of its former judges won the Nobel Peace Prize, putting Washington on a diplomatic collision course with European allies. The court denounced the move as an “assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order” and called on its 125 member states to take action to defend it. “The court cannot stand alone. Its fate now rests also in the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370403/us-slaps-sanctions-icc-hours-after-ex-judge-wins-nobel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370403/us-slaps-sanctions-icc-hours-after-ex-judge-wins-nobel?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:51:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Saudi Arabia said on Friday that three people were killed including a pilot, in attacks on Riyadh’s international airport, after Yemen’s Houthis claimed a series of attacks targeting the facility. The conflict between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has widened, with the Iran-backed fighters repeatedly attacking Saudi targets since they began a lightning offensive just across the border. While seizing large swathes of territory along the Red Sea coast in Yemen, the Houthis have... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370366/saudi-arabia-says-3-killed-riyadh-airport-yemen-war-expands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370366/saudi-arabia-says-3-killed-riyadh-airport-yemen-war-expands?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 10:08:47 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thousands of emotional reunions unfolded Thursday as the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose lengthy deployment in the Gulf supporting President Donald Trump’s war on Iran sparked fears for its crew’s welfare, arrived back in its home port. Families of servicemen and women had lined the quayside in San Diego, California, for hours, waiting to welcome loved ones they have not seen for almost a year. There were tears of joy as more than 100 new dads met their babies for the first time, or fathers were... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370240/long-deployed-uss-abraham-lincoln-returns-home-san-diego-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370240/long-deployed-uss-abraham-lincoln-returns-home-san-diego-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:21:32 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump said in a social media post that the US would “not be attacking Iran” before November’s midterm elections, citing what he said were “productive discussions” with the Islamic Republic. The president’s comments on Thursday amounted to an unusual blending of national security issues and domestic politics. His decision to lay off on new strikes comes despite Iran escalating attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran-backed militants in Yemen attacking energy... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370235/trump-says-us-will-not-attack-iran-novembers-midterm-elections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370235/trump-says-us-will-not-attack-iran-novembers-midterm-elections?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:39:11 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Washington’s policy towards Taiwan is increasingly tied to its relationship with Beijing, according to former American officials who also warn that the war on Iran is weakening US military readiness for a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait. During a fireside chat in an annual symposium hosted by the Global Taiwan Institute in Washington on Wednesday, Brent Christensen, former director of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), said Washington’s policy towards the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3370204/washingtons-transactional-taiwan-policy-puts-indo-pacific-risk-ex-us-officials-warn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3370204/washingtons-transactional-taiwan-policy-puts-indo-pacific-risk-ex-us-officials-warn?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 15:00:21 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu The World Trade Organization (WTO) has nearly doubled its forecast for merchandise trade volume growth this year amid a stronger than anticipated surge in artificial intelligence-related capital investment. The group raised the forecast to 3.9 per cent from an earlier prediction of 1.9 per cent, it said in its global trade outlook report published on Thursday. “It is somewhat surprising that [merchandise trade growth] is so resilient to all the shocks that have been going on,” said WTO chief... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/article/3370196/wto-nearly-doubles-trade-volume-forecast-ai-surge-counters-middle-east-disruptions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/article/3370196/wto-nearly-doubles-trade-volume-forecast-ai-surge-counters-middle-east-disruptions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 13:00:08 +0000 Asad Ullah Asad Ullah Two summits in five months between US President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping have produced shared language but not an open Strait of Hormuz. After the May meeting in Beijing, there was little sign the two sides agreed on how to end the war. Xi’s visit to Washington yielded no breakthrough on Iran, though Xi backed a return to the interim US-Iran agreement. Last week, Trump rejected a truce proposal from Iran and said he was considering resuming US bombing of Iran after the midterm... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3369792/its-time-china-offer-more-statements-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3369792/its-time-china-offer-more-statements-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:30:06 +0000 Mandy Zuo Mandy Zuo China and other energy-importing countries are expanding clean energy capacity three times faster than energy-exporting nations, according to a recent report on the global energy transition. The shift reflects growing determination among governments to reduce reliance on imported oil and gas, a trend reinforced by disruption of shipping via critical chokepoint the Strait of Hormuz, according to risk-management firm DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook released on Wednesday. Over the last five years,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3370159/china-and-other-energy-importers-lead-shift-oil-clean-energy-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3370159/china-and-other-energy-importers-lead-shift-oil-clean-energy-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 08:00:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain and Israel announced on Thursday that the nearly 200-year-old British diplomatic mission in Jerusalem would stay open at a smaller scale and with a new name, in a compromise after Israel ordered the consulate shut in a sanctions dispute. Under the last-minute agreement, Britain will rename the consulate, founded in 1839, as the “UK Mission” in the city. Israel said 20 British diplomats including the ‌consul general would depart, leaving just seven working at the mission in a limited... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370163/britain-downscales-and-renames-jerusalem-consulate-after-israel-orders-closure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370163/britain-downscales-and-renames-jerusalem-consulate-after-israel-orders-closure?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:27:19 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Saudi authorities said Wednesday three people were killed in attacks on two of the kingdom’s international airports, including in the capital Riyadh, after Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have fired on both transport hubs. The Iran-backed Houthis have claimed a wave of attacks on Saudi civilian infrastructure in recent weeks, which came as Riyadh-backed forces pressed a counteroffensive against the group’s territorial gains. Since Yemen’s civil war reignited in July, more than 200,000 people have... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370112/houthi-strikes-saudi-airports-leave-3-dead-dozens-wounded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370112/houthi-strikes-saudi-airports-leave-3-dead-dozens-wounded?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 01:54:42 +0000 Aldo Giovannitti Aldo Giovannitti For decades, the Gulf superhubs of Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi performed an improbable trick. They redirected millions of people travelling between the West and Asia to connect through their airports. Last year, the three airports handled about 182 million passengers, three times the traffic at Hong Kong airport. Dubai alone handled 95.2 million, the highest ever recorded by an airport. The Gulf’s hub-and-spoke model – funnelling passengers through a central airport to multiple destinations –... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3369927/can-gulf-aviation-superhub-model-survive-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3369927/can-gulf-aviation-superhub-model-survive-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters ⁠Yemen’s Houthis attacked Aden’s international airport with ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones on Wednesday, the country’s transport ministry said, as fighting between the Iran-aligned group and Saudi-backed government forces intensified. Fighting has been focused in recent days on areas around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a shipping route that has become more crucial for energy exports since the conflict between the US and Iran restricted trade through the Strait of Hormuz. This week,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370080/yemens-houthis-attack-aden-airport-fighting-intensifies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370080/yemens-houthis-attack-aden-airport-fighting-intensifies?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:20:05 +0000 Edith Lin,Matthew Cheng Edith Lin,Matthew Cheng Hong Kong’s economy continued to expand in the third quarter of this year, driven by strong exports and tourism, the finance chief has said, while warning of risks including the Middle East war and global inflation. Addressing lawmakers during a debate on the city’s first five-year plan and annual policy blueprint on Wednesday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also reiterated that he was confident the economy would grow by between 3.5 per cent and 4.5 per cent this year. He noted that gross... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3370061/hong-kong-finance-chief-says-economy-grew-third-quarter-warns-external-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3370061/hong-kong-finance-chief-says-economy-grew-third-quarter-warns-external-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2026 10:00:33 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma China halted exports of refined oil products for October in order to boost domestic fuel supplies, according to Reuters, adding to a squeeze in global markets. Regulators didn’t approve any October shipments ahead of a week-long holiday, the news service said, citing unidentified people briefed on the matter. It wasn’t clear whether permits would be given after the break ended on Wednesday. Shipments to Hong Kong and Macau have been authorised. The export shutdown risks worsening price spikes... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3370032/china-curbs-fuel-exports-amid-record-global-diesel-prices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3370032/china-curbs-fuel-exports-amid-record-global-diesel-prices?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2026 09:17:40 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press It’s perhaps the most dramatic wound inflicted on the Gaza Strip by Israel’s military campaign over the past three years: the city of Rafah, once home to a quarter million people, has been erased. Satellite imagery shows the Israeli military has systematically razed the southern city and other towns and districts to the ground and in some places ploughed away the rubble. Demolition, using bulldozers and explosives, has continued unabated since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal reached a year ago,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370017/israel-continues-demolishing-buildings-gaza-year-after-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3370017/israel-continues-demolishing-buildings-gaza-year-after-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2026 08:11:19 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel marked the third anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attack on Wednesday with silent tributes, new strikes on Gaza and intense political debate, weeks before elections in which the country’s deadliest day will be front and centre. At the site of the Nova music festival, where Hamas militants in trucks and paragliders opened fire around dawn on October 7, 2023, family members bowed their heads in silence – although at least one instead put on techno music in tribute to the dead. Both at Nova... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3369994/israel-marks-3-years-october-7-attack-sparked-war-gaza?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3369994/israel-marks-3-years-october-7-attack-sparked-war-gaza?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2026 05:39:41 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma As President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump talked tariffs, agricultural quotas and critical minerals at last month’s closely watched summit in Washington, an “elephant in the room” loomed over the discussion: China’s efforts to gradually diversify away from US dollar assets. Beijing has gradually been cutting its holdings of US Treasuries while pushing to expand the yuan’s global use and developing alternative financial architecture. While these issues may not have featured in the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3369918/after-cordial-xi-trump-summit-could-chinas-us-dollar-pivot-cause-tremors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3369918/after-cordial-xi-trump-summit-could-chinas-us-dollar-pivot-cause-tremors?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump suggested to a crowd of his supporters in Nebraska that Iran could “take out” a major US city like Los Angeles or San Diego, drawing a swift rebuke from California’s Democratic leaders and some fellow Republicans. Trump, speaking at a political rally in the state’s farm belt on Monday, discussed American wartime economic sacrifices and said he was determined to “see a tremendous victory, because it verifies all the things we did”. “And again, remember, with the war,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3369961/trump-says-iran-could-take-out-los-angeles-or-san-diego-drawing-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3369961/trump-says-iran-could-take-out-los-angeles-or-san-diego-drawing-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:34:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press British police on Tuesday arrested a 22-year-old man in London on suspicion of a terror offence over a security incident at a US-run military airbase in England that authorities have linked to Iran. The arrest is the seventh in connection with a suspected plot against RAF Fairford, located 160km (100 miles) west of London, which has been used by American bombers to strike Iran during this year’s war. Five British men in their 20s were detained near the perimeter of the base in the early hours of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369956/uk-police-arrest-seventh-man-linked-security-incident-us-run-airbase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369956/uk-police-arrest-seventh-man-linked-security-incident-us-run-airbase?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:05:43 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Iran and Saudi Arabia are edging dangerously closer to direct conflict, analysts warn, after Riyadh resumed major air strikes on Yemen’s Tehran-allied Houthi rebels this week, ending a four-year lull. More than 100 Saudi warplanes bombed rebel positions on Monday, enabling Yemeni government forces to retake much of the Red Sea coastal territory the Houthis seized last month. The Houthis had been aided by embedded Iranian military advisers. Analysts expect the Houthis to retaliate by intensifying... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369933/saudi-iran-war-risk-grows-riyadh-resumes-yemen-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369933/saudi-iran-war-risk-grows-riyadh-resumes-yemen-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:30:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Monday that a threat linked to Iran ⁠had prompted the removal of American B-1 bombers from a British airbase. The planes had been stationed at RAF Fairford, the preferred European base for US bombers, and had recently been used in US strikes on Iran. Last week, five British men were arrested near the base – which Iran’s Revolutionary Guards previously said was a legitimate target – on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. “We had an idea that there might be a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369843/us-bombers-moved-uk-airbase-due-iran-linked-threats-trump-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369843/us-bombers-moved-uk-airbase-due-iran-linked-threats-trump-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 21:40:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Energy Department will announce US$150 million in new funding for power lines in Alaska on Monday as Vice-President J.D. Vance visits the state, where Republicans are ‌fighting to hold a critical Senate seat in the November midterm elections. Vance is set to rally voters for Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, who is locked in a tight re-election battle with Democrat Mary Peltola. Flipping the seat is key to the Democratic Party’s strategy to take control of the US Senate and recent polls... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3369834/us-announce-us150-million-alaska-power-lines-vance-visits-battleground-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3369834/us-announce-us150-million-alaska-power-lines-vance-visits-battleground-state?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 16:41:39 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed there would be no Hamas rule in Gaza as he attended a memorial event marking three years since the militant group’s October 7, 2023 attack. Monday is a national day of remembrance for the deadliest day in Israel’s history, with flags lowered to half mast on public buildings from 6.29am, the time the attack began. Speaking during a state ceremony at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said “we have achieved enormous... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3369831/there-will-be-no-hamas-rule-gaza-netanyahu-vows-october-7-memorial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3369831/there-will-be-no-hamas-rule-gaza-netanyahu-vows-october-7-memorial?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:05:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces staged a lightning advance on Monday to retake the coast around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait up to the city of Mocha, the government said, pushing the Iran-backed Houthis out of most of the areas they seized last month. In response, the Houthis said they had attacked key locations in Saudi Arabia including the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco refinery in Rabigh, the Abha international airport and the Khamis Mushait military base. The claims... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3369825/yemeni-government-forces-seize-control-bab-el-mandeb-strait-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3369825/yemeni-government-forces-seize-control-bab-el-mandeb-strait-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 13:23:24 +0000 Zoe SL Chan Zoe SL Chan Private equity firms are moving to plug a commercial real estate funding gap as traditional banks pull back, with one fund filing to launch Hong Kong’s first listed property debt vehicle. Gaw Capital, a Hong Kong-based real estate private equity fund which managed US$35.6 billion in assets as of late 2025, filed to list its Gaw Capital Real Estate Private Debt OFC on Friday, seeking to become the first property-focused private debt fund on the Hong Kong stock exchange’s main board. The fund has... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3369764/hong-kong-poised-first-listed-property-debt-fund-banks-pull-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3369764/hong-kong-poised-first-listed-property-debt-fund-banks-pull-back?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 06:03:24 +0000