https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/325432/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Associated Press Associated Press Russian strikes killed at least 20 people in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday, a day after US President Donald Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel that Kyiv warned would help bankroll Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Three children were among those killed when Russian aerial bombs hit residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Saturday. At least 18 people were wounded in the attack. Missiles also struck Kyiv in a daytime... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3370451/russian-attacks-kill-15-ukraine-after-trump-strikes-diesel-deal-putin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3370451/russian-attacks-kill-15-ukraine-after-trump-strikes-diesel-deal-putin?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Oct 2026 12:25:26 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Australia has no need to buy fuel from Russia and said that purchases from there would remain barred so that the country did not benefit from the invasion of Ukraine. “We don’t need or want Russian fuel in Australia,” Chris Bowen, Australia’s minister for climate change and energy, said on Saturday at a press conference in western Sydney. “We do not want Vladimir Putin to benefit from this war in the Middle East. What the United States does is a matter for them, but we won’t be changing our... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/australasia/article/3370422/australia-says-it-wont-buy-russian-fuel-despite-trumps-diesel-agreement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/australasia/article/3370422/australia-says-it-wont-buy-russian-fuel-despite-trumps-diesel-agreement?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Oct 2026 04:09:39 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong US President Donald Trump has opened the American market to Russian diesel, reversing years of sanctions pressure on Moscow just three weeks after signing a law to punish buyers of its energy, as record fuel prices threaten his party in next month’s midterm elections. Trump said on Truth Social on Friday that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had reached the supply deal in a phone call that had been expected to focus on suspected plague cases in Russia. According to Trump, Russia will... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370409/trump-says-us-get-diesel-russia-stunning-bid-ease-prices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370409/trump-says-us-get-diesel-russia-stunning-bid-ease-prices?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 19:23:30 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China should avoid taking a “confrontational posture” over a new security pact between the United States, Denmark and Greenland as it might end up being excluded from engagement on the emerging Arctic order. That was the warning from Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s National Institute of Strategic Studies (NISS), a Chinese think tank, in a report released on Wednesday. It also said the US was unlikely to turn the northern polar region into its “exclusive strategic backyard”. The report noted that... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370291/why-confrontational-posture-wont-help-china-arctic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370291/why-confrontational-posture-wont-help-china-arctic?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:00:07 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela While Russian authorities have denied the death of a woman who worked in a laboratory at an anti-plague institute in Siberia was connected with the pathogen, the incident has sparked global concern – including in China – over a potential spread of the disease and a lack of transparency. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he planned to speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after it emerged late last week that the 28-year-old female lab technician had been admitted to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3370319/russia-lifts-plague-lab-related-measures-should-china-and-world-be-relieved?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3370319/russia-lifts-plague-lab-related-measures-should-china-and-world-be-relieved?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 09:00:06 +0000 Patrick Mendis Patrick Mendis As Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the final stage of the massive Tsentr-2026 military exercise in the Urals recently, Chinese troops were training alongside forces from Russia, Belarus and other countries. More than 47,000 military personnel joined the exercise, which incorporated lessons from the war in Ukraine. The symbolism extends beyond Chelyabinsk. From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to Chinese military exercises with Belarus – and now China’s participation alongside Russian and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3370030/us-japan-poland-strategic-triangle-can-encourage-peaceful-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3370030/us-japan-poland-strategic-triangle-can-encourage-peaceful-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg A senior Japanese government spokesperson said it was regrettable that the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office had requested that Dutch authorities extradite International Criminal Court president Tomoko Akane and eight other officials. “Time and again we have conveyed to the Russian side that measures targeting individuals connected to the ICC are unfair and unacceptable. We find it regrettable that the Russian side has nevertheless requested various nations to extradite these individuals,”... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3370288/japan-angry-after-russia-seeks-extradition-icc-chief-targeted-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3370288/japan-angry-after-russia-seeks-extradition-icc-chief-targeted-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 05:30:01 +0000 Junjie Wang Junjie Wang Chinese President Xi Jinping was busy travelling abroad last month. In September, he paid a historic state visit to the United States, his first to the country in more than a decade. He also made his first visit to India in seven years, meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Brics summit. China will host the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November, where Xi will meet US President Donald Trump for the third time this year. During the summit, Xi is... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370259/xi-jinping-meets-foreign-leaders-tracker-september-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370259/xi-jinping-meets-foreign-leaders-tracker-september-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 02:39:33 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine after a Russian bomb attack on Thursday killed at least 35 people in the east, sending the two-day death toll from Russian strikes to over 70. Hours after the strike on the embattled city of Kramatorsk tore through two buses, Zelensky criticised Washington’s effort to pursue economic ties with Russia while also seeking to mediate the more than four-year war. City authorities reported a new ‌drone attack in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3370253/ukraines-zelensky-accuses-us-inaction-russian-strikes-kill-nearly-80-2-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3370253/ukraines-zelensky-accuses-us-inaction-russian-strikes-kill-nearly-80-2-days?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 01:49:58 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado The United States has downgraded Hong Kong to the lowest tier in its annual human trafficking report, citing shortcomings in prosecutions and victim identification, an assessment the city’s government rejected as “entirely unfounded”. The US State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, released on Thursday, moved Hong Kong from the Tier 2 Watch List, where it had been listed for two consecutive years, to Tier 3. That places the city alongside mainland China and Macau among 20... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370244/hong-kong-rejects-us-downgrade-lowest-tier-human-trafficking-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370244/hong-kong-rejects-us-downgrade-lowest-tier-human-trafficking-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 21:43:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A UK Royal Navy sailor appeared in a London court on Thursday to face charges of spying for Russia. Teddy Young, 24, has been charged with two offences under the National Security Act, including preparing to disclose protected information between November 2024 and May 2025, London’s Metropolitan Police Service said. During the same period, Young allegedly obtained, copied, recorded or retained protected information for the benefit of a foreign power. Young has been in police custody since he was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3370237/royal-navy-sailor-appears-london-court-charges-spying-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3370237/royal-navy-sailor-appears-london-court-charges-spying-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:11:24 +0000 Reuters Reuters A ⁠Russian bomb attack on ⁠the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk ⁠killed at least 33 people, authorities said on Thursday, describing it as a targeted strike on civilians in the key stronghold sought by Moscow. Another 18 people were wounded in one of the largest single attacks this year, ‌which took place on a street where police said two city buses were operating at the time of the strike. President Volodymyr Zelensky described it as a bus stop. Images posted by police showed bodies strewn... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3370213/least-33-dead-russian-bomb-blast-east-ukraine-stronghold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3370213/least-33-dead-russian-bomb-blast-east-ukraine-stronghold?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:00:21 +0000 Sherry Wang Sherry Wang Most G20 members, including the European Union, signed a US-led joint statement calling for action to eliminate industrial overcapacity, a move experts say reflects a coordinated effort by Washington and Brussels to assemble a “multilateral coalition” to pressure Beijing amid growing trade imbalances. In the statement, issued by the Office of the United States Trade Representative on Wednesday, the US and 14 other economies agreed to “take effective actions” to address structural excess capacity... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/policy/article/3370184/washington-brussels-forge-multilateral-coalition-against-chinas-industrial-surge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/policy/article/3370184/washington-brussels-forge-multilateral-coalition-against-chinas-industrial-surge?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:00:06 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji A second visit by one of the top US naval officers to India this year has raised expectations that the two countries can insulate their growing military ties from trade tensions. US Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, who leads the US Pacific Command, is scheduled to leave India on Thursday after spending six days meeting with senior Indian defence officials and others. The talks, which follow Paparo’s visit to India in February, come as Washington weighs further tariff pressure on India over its... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3370206/india-aims-anchor-military-ties-us-indo-pacific-resident-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3370206/india-aims-anchor-military-ties-us-indo-pacific-resident-power?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:30:08 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang An aide to Russia’s president arrived in China on Thursday for a visit that will be closely watched for signs of preparation for a possible trilateral summit with the US during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ meeting next month. Nikolai Patrushev, who is also chairman of Russia’s Maritime Board, was set to hold talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday. Leading a delegation that included representatives from government... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370170/kremlin-aide-visits-china-amid-speculation-about-potential-xi-putin-trump-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370170/kremlin-aide-visits-china-amid-speculation-about-potential-xi-putin-trump-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 10:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse South Korea said on Thursday it would recall its ambassador to Ukraine in response to a deepening diplomatic row over the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul. The two countries have been at loggerheads since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month disclosed the prisoner transfer, sparking anger in Seoul, which said it had placed their families in North Korea at risk. The recall also comes days after a media report alleged more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3370190/south-korea-recall-ambassador-ukraine-amid-pow-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3370190/south-korea-recall-ambassador-ukraine-amid-pow-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 09:36:55 +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 Maria Siow Maria Siow A newly opened China-backed air force training centre in Laos could unsettle Vietnam, even as it aims to modernise Vientiane’s military and balance defence ties among Beijing, Moscow and Hanoi, observers say. China’s National Defence Ministry said last Tuesday that the joint support and training facility at Ban Keun Airport in the Laotian capital would strengthen the expertise of local air force pilots and was “not directed against any third party”. “The establishment and operation of the two... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3370136/why-chinas-new-air-force-base-laos-could-rattle-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3370136/why-chinas-new-air-force-base-laos-could-rattle-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2026 04:47:35 +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 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The European Parliament voted for a significantly tougher China position on Wednesday, despite strong and long-standing lobbying from Beijing to tone down its official stance. The chamber backed stronger actions against Beijing, stating it is a “decisive enabler” of Russia, calling for a “continuous [European] naval presence and joint exercises” in and around the Taiwan Strait, and urging swift action to counter Beijing’s industrial policy, which it described as an “existential threat to the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370075/no-more-dumping-no-more-spying-european-parliament-hardens-line-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370075/no-more-dumping-no-more-spying-european-parliament-hardens-line-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2026 11:48:55 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse In a Moscow museum that once housed evidence of Stalin-era repression, serene family scenes flickered on a screen as a narrator hailed the tranquillity of pre-World War II life in the Soviet Union. The museum – set up to commemorate the “genocide of the Soviet people” – has elbowed out the award-winning Gulag History Museum, a harrowing collection that had for years cast a light on the killings and imprisonment of millions under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. But since Russia launched its... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3370069/russia-glosses-over-stalin-era-repression-reinvented-museum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3370069/russia-glosses-over-stalin-era-repression-reinvented-museum?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2026 11:25:24 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse At least 24 people were killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine on Wednesday, including four young children who died when a missile slammed into a residential block in the north of the country as they slept. Windows shattered in the powerful blast in Pryluky, in the Chernihiv region, reducing one half of the five-storey building into a smoking pile of charred concrete and twisted metal. President Volodymyr Zelensky said three of the 18 victims of the strike were just 12 months old while another... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369997/russian-barrage-hits-kyiv-hours-after-zelensky-warns-impending-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369997/russian-barrage-hits-kyiv-hours-after-zelensky-warns-impending-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2026 06:04:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russia’s health regulator said on Wednesday there were no risks of an epidemic breaking out in Siberia after a plague institute worker there died, as the World Health Organization pressed Moscow for more information about her cause of death. Russian authorities say the 28-year-old laboratory worker died on Friday from pneumonia of an as-yet unestablished origin, in a case that has ‌prompted international concern, including from US President Donald Trump, and which saw about 200 people initially... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3369967/trump-says-will-speak-putin-plague-after-death-russian-lab-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3369967/trump-says-will-speak-putin-plague-after-death-russian-lab-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 23:42:07 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India’s recent push to become more involved in helping end the Russia-Ukraine war comes as the costs of the conflict continue to mount for New Delhi, amid the threat of US tariffs on major buyers of Russian energy and a recent drone attack on an Indian-owned pharmaceutical plant in Ukraine. Sunday morning’s drone attack destroyed a large part of Kusum Group’s factory in Sumy, killing one person and injuring several others. The company, which has manufactured generic medicines in Ukraine since... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369911/why-india-getting-serious-about-ending-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369911/why-india-getting-serious-about-ending-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 09:30:06 +0000 Agencies Agencies A massive attack involving 650 drones targeted Moscow overnight, leaving at least two dead, Russian authorities said on Tuesday. Most of the drones were destroyed by air defences at long range, including 105 intercepted as they approached the capital, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram. Russian state news agency Tass reported it was the second-largest drone attack on the capital region in the past two years. The dead included a 71-year-old man pulled from under the rubble ‌of a house... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3369888/ukraine-attacks-moscow-region-650-drones-both-sides-step-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3369888/ukraine-attacks-moscow-region-650-drones-both-sides-step-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 06:44:01 +0000 Gabriel Dominguez Gabriel Dominguez Turkmenistan has added the FK-2000 missile-and-gun system to its growing arsenal of Chinese-made air defences, highlighting Beijing’s expanding role in the Central Asian weapons market once dominated by Russia. At least 10 FK-2000 vehicles – along with an array of other Chinese-made military equipment – could be seen in footage of Turkmenistan’s Independence Day parade in Ashgabat on September 27. Developed by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, the FK-2000 is a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3369869/turkmenistan-grows-its-arsenal-chinese-air-defences-russias-role-shrinks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3369869/turkmenistan-grows-its-arsenal-chinese-air-defences-russias-role-shrinks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:00:08 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow US F-35 stealth fighters have joined Indian warplanes for military exercises near the Pakistan border in recent days, marking the first time America’s most advanced multirole combat aircraft has taken part in joint drills in India. The US jets’ participation in the drills “signals a degree of military confidence and interoperability that is difficult to manufacture through communiques”, Sushant Singh, a South Asian studies lecturer at Yale University and former Indian Army officer, told This... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369870/india-sizes-us-f-35-stealth-jets-landmark-first-home-turf?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369870/india-sizes-us-f-35-stealth-jets-landmark-first-home-turf?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 04:47:05 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. The latest meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping ended, yet again, with little to show in the way of a breakthrough. What grabbed international headlines was the pageantry, from Trump’s unprecedented greeting of Xi on the tarmac to a personal... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/letters/article/3369758/trump-xi-meeting-mattered-more-was-first-apparent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/letters/article/3369758/trump-xi-meeting-mattered-more-was-first-apparent?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 03:30:06 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Mainland Chinese prefer coercion over military force to settle the “reunification question” with Taiwan, and their opinion of the US remains low, although they favour engaging with Washington on trade and security. These are the results from the latest survey of mainland citizens, conducted between April 16 and June 26. This straddled the first summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing but came before the second one in Washington last month. “The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369842/mainland-chinese-favour-diplomacy-achieve-taiwan-reunification-caveats-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369842/mainland-chinese-favour-diplomacy-achieve-taiwan-reunification-caveats-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 21:14:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia on Monday sought to play down reports that a laboratory technician had died of plague, even as US President Donald Trump said Washington was closely monitoring the situation and offered US help. Reports on Friday that pneumonic plague had killed a 28-year-old woman named Darya Shipilova, who had been working for the anti-plague institute in Siberia’s Irkutsk region, sparked alarm. “We’re looking at it very strongly, we just heard about it,” Trump told reporters at the White House when... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3369836/after-plague-death-reports-siberia-lab-russia-says-situation-under-control?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3369836/after-plague-death-reports-siberia-lab-russia-says-situation-under-control?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:14:30 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju India has sold its Akash air-defence missile system to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, giving it a foothold in Central Asia as it seeks to become a major global arms exporter. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed the latest sales on Thursday last week, hinting at interest from elsewhere as he called the Akash “one of our success stories”. Developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Akash is a home-grown, short-range surface-to-air missile system that can hit... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369812/why-indias-missile-deals-central-asia-matter-russia-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3369812/why-indias-missile-deals-central-asia-matter-russia-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:31:05 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg India is taking a more direct role in efforts to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, engaging both sides on issues including shipping and reducing hostilities, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar has said. Speaking at a security conference over the weekend, Jaishankar said India in recent months has become “a little bit more involved beyond advocacy”. The comments point to a more active role for New Delhi after years of taking a cautious approach to the war, in part because of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3369747/india-seeks-be-little-bit-more-involved-ending-ukraine-war-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3369747/india-seeks-be-little-bit-more-involved-ending-ukraine-war-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2026 03:47:33 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Bosnian Serb nationalist politician Milorad Dodik has declared victory for his party in an election in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday that was shaped by economic pressures, the prospect of the Balkan nation joining the European Union and ethnic tensions that have divided the country since its brutal 1992–95 war. Dodik is a staunchly pro-Russia politician who, despite not appearing on the ballot, has dominated the campaign and inflamed divisions with separatist rhetoric that have sparked fears... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369733/serb-separatist-dodik-declares-victory-bosnia-vote-ethnic-tensions-eu-hopes-collide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369733/serb-separatist-dodik-declares-victory-bosnia-vote-ethnic-tensions-eu-hopes-collide?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Oct 2026 20:36:54 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Police in Moscow detained about 60 people at a rally on Sunday held by Russia’s Kremlin-friendly Communist Party, the party said. The party said in a statement that the detentions happened as the rally was ending and that its Moscow branch was working to get those who were detained – mostly young people – released. The rally marked the anniversary of the Kremlin’s 1993 crushing of a parliamentary uprising. The Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti said protesters chanted slogans including... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3369729/dozens-detained-rally-moscow-held-kremlin-friendly-communist-party-party-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3369729/dozens-detained-rally-moscow-held-kremlin-friendly-communist-party-party-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Oct 2026 18:17:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday ⁠he believed Russia ⁠may have shared jet-drone technology ⁠with its long-standing ally North Korea. In recent weeks, Russia has sharply increased its use of jet-drones against Ukraine, which so far has no effective means of countering them other than using ‌combat aircraft. Earlier in the war, North Korea supplied Russia with millions of artillery shells and it has since provided ballistic missiles that Moscow regularly uses to attack... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3369727/ukraine-believes-russia-shared-jet-drone-technology-north-korea-says-zelensky?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3369727/ukraine-believes-russia-shared-jet-drone-technology-north-korea-says-zelensky?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Oct 2026 16:45:32 +0000 Themis Qi Themis Qi Most trade ministers from the world’s largest economies disagreed with calls to curb excess industrial capacity at a Group of 20 (G20) trade meeting that ended on Thursday, according to China’s commerce ministry, a view that contrasts with a US statement that a “handful” of countries objected. “The issues related to excess industrial capacity and forced labour have been highly controversial,” a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday about the two-day G20 Trade... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3369703/most-g20-trade-ministers-reject-us-call-curbing-excess-capacity-china-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3369703/most-g20-trade-ministers-reject-us-call-curbing-excess-capacity-china-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Oct 2026 10:38:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia struck a bridge in Kyiv on Sunday soon after Germany’s chancellor arrived in Ukraine’s capital on a surprise visit to demonstrate European support in the face of an upsurge in attacks. Air raid sirens blared across Kyiv, urging residents to shelter soon after Friedrich Merz arrived under tight security, with warnings of approaching Russian attack drones. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko then confirmed that a strike had damaged the road surface on the Northern Bridge – one of several connecting... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369698/russia-strikes-kyiv-bridge-germanys-merz-visits-pledges-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369698/russia-strikes-kyiv-bridge-germanys-merz-visits-pledges-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Oct 2026 09:55:12 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat At a two-day trade exhibition in Hong Kong earlier this week, Vera Nikitina, a representative of Russian confectionery producer Belyov Pastila Manufacture, was looking for new buyers – while also trying to reassure them that the company’s products were genuinely made in Russia. The company made its first attempt to enter China in 2019, before beginning regular shipments and establishing a local office in 2022-23. Its sales grew in 2024 amid booming Chinese demand for Russian consumer goods. That... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3368816/russian-exporters-fight-win-back-chinese-buyers-amid-fallout-over-fake-goods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3368816/russian-exporters-fight-win-back-chinese-buyers-amid-fallout-over-fake-goods?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Oct 2026 09:00:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Latvian lawmakers on Sunday planned to begin negotiations to form a new government following a parliamentary election in which pro-Ukraine Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs ‘s four-party coalition emerged with 35 per cent of the vote. The United List party is expected to take 42 seats in parliament, and a multiparty coalition will be needed to govern in a splintered political landscape. Parties must take at least 5 per cent of the vote to win parliamentary seats. The election saw a voter turnout... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369674/latvian-leader-poised-big-win-election-shadowed-putin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369674/latvian-leader-poised-big-win-election-shadowed-putin?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2026 23:11:44 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press North Korea said on Saturday it test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile that it claimed has manoeuvrable flight capabilities designed to evade missile defences in South Korea and Japan. The latest test comes amid heightened tensions between the two Koreas over border landmine blasts. Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said her brother supervised the test of the missile, which she described as strategic, implying it was designed to deliver nuclear... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3369665/north-korea-test-fires-intermediate-range-missile-amid-mine-blast-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3369665/north-korea-test-fires-intermediate-range-missile-amid-mine-blast-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2026 12:41:52 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng Chinese troops have taken part in a mass multinational exercise in Russia featuring new anti-drone and ground robot systems – drills that Russian state media said “applied lessons” from the Ukraine war. The troops were among more than 47,000 military personnel involved in the Tsentr-2026 – or Centre-2026 – drills in the central western Chelyabinsk region from Monday until Saturday. The Russian Ministry of Defence said the strategic command-and-staff exercise applied combat lessons from the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3369657/chinese-troops-line-russias-tsentr-2026-exercise-military-ties-tighten?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3369657/chinese-troops-line-russias-tsentr-2026-exercise-military-ties-tighten?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2026 11:00:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Latvia will vote on Saturday in an election shaped by concerns over neighbouring Russia and the cost of living, but the result is not expected to steer the country off its pro-European and pro-Ukrainian course. The centre-right United List party of incumbent Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs is at the head of the race, with over 14 per cent of the vote, according to the SKDS institute. His coalition, however, is expected to emerge weakened as populist parties gain ground by focusing on economic... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369655/latvia-holds-election-concerns-over-russia-inflation-dominate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369655/latvia-holds-election-concerns-over-russia-inflation-dominate?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2026 07:46:17 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi The US has conducted a non-nuclear underground experiment to enhance its ability to detect low-yield nuclear explosions that it explicitly linked with a test that Washington suspects China carried out in 2020 – an accusation Beijing denies. The US Department of Energy announced on Wednesday that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) conducted a “subsurface, non-nuclear chemical high-explosive” experiment at the Nevada National Security Site, which it said aimed to “increase the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369638/us-blast-simulation-targets-chinas-alleged-secret-nuclear-testing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369638/us-blast-simulation-targets-chinas-alleged-secret-nuclear-testing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 22:38:41 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva named China as a possible partner in his critical minerals plans, three days before Sunday’s closely fought election. Lula told Flow, one of the country’s most-watched podcasts, on Thursday evening that Brazil should stop shipping out raw ore. “We want to transform them here in Brazil,” he said of the minerals. Asked whether China fit into his plans, Lula said it could be a partner “bringing technology to us”, as could the United States. “[Donald]... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369636/brazils-lula-hails-bold-chinese-investors-rival-pitches-rare-earths-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369636/brazils-lula-hails-bold-chinese-investors-rival-pitches-rare-earths-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 21:04:21 +0000 Reuters Reuters Group ⁠of Seven countries agreed on Friday to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil from emergency reserves and pledged to refrain from energy export restrictions after pressure from US President Donald Trump. The US led a pressure campaign on the European Union to draw down emergency diesel inventories, with the Trump administration warning that failure to act could lead to a US ban on diesel exports. Such a ban could sharply reduce supplies to Europe, which has become... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3369626/trump-says-europe-agrees-release-diesel-stocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3369626/trump-says-europe-agrees-release-diesel-stocks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 14:51:04 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo The Japanese government on Friday announced additional sanctions against Russia amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, targeting a so-called shadow fleet of vessels engaged in transporting sanctioned oil from Russia. Joining international efforts to crack down on sanctions evasion by the fleet, Japan has decided to impose restrictions on the provision of services to 35 vessels, according to the Foreign Ministry. The measures restrict the provision of services including insurance, maritime... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3369616/ukraine-war-japans-new-sanctions-russia-target-oil-exports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3369616/ukraine-war-japans-new-sanctions-russia-target-oil-exports?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Finland is investigating a slew of suspected break-ins at the homes of members of parliament, which the prime minister said could be linked to a foreign power. Following media reports, speaker of parliament Jussi Halla-aho on Thursday said parliament had been made aware of a “significant” number of apparent intrusions at the homes of several politicians. Finland, which shares a 1,340km (830-mile) border with Russia, has been on high alert since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369519/finland-alert-after-significant-number-break-ins-mps-homes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369519/finland-alert-after-significant-number-break-ins-mps-homes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 04:33:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters South ‌Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday threatened unspecified measures against Ukraine unless Kyiv acknowledged what Seoul says was a confidentiality agreement covering the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers and apologised. “If the refusal to acknowledge the facts and issue a public apology continues, we will take additional measures,” Lee said in a social media post. Lee also expressed “grave regret” over what he described as Ukrainian remarks about an imminent ⁠military... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3369514/seoul-ups-ante-ukraine-feud-over-north-korean-pow-transfer-disclosure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3369514/seoul-ups-ante-ukraine-feud-over-north-korean-pow-transfer-disclosure?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 04:06:14 +0000 Eve Qiao Eve Qiao Two giant pandas arrived in the US following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington, continuing a decades-old tradition in which the beloved fuzzy ambassadors have become symbols of China’s ties with countries around the world. Zoo Atlanta announced the arrival of giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang on Sunday, saying it was “overjoyed” to welcome the pair after the zoo’s previous 25-year partnership with China ended in 2024. Xi said during his US visit that the pandas would be sent... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369456/panda-diplomacy-all-countries-currently-hosting-chinas-beloved-ambassadors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369456/panda-diplomacy-all-countries-currently-hosting-chinas-beloved-ambassadors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Oct 2026 22:00:05 +0000