https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/516033/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Reuters Reuters Benjamin Netanyahu looked set to ⁠remain Israel’s caretaker prime minister after unexpectedly strong backing among Jewish voters left his opponents little apparent prospect of unseating him, despite his right-wing bloc losing its parliamentary majority. With nearly 86 per cent of votes tallied on Wednesday, Israel’s three main broadcasters projected Netanyahu’s bloc of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties would win 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, well ahead of the 48 for rival Gadi... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3372487/netanyahu-set-remain-caretaker-pm-after-inconclusive-israel-election https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3372487/netanyahu-set-remain-caretaker-pm-after-inconclusive-israel-election Wed, 28 Oct 2026 17:39:33 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Gunmen killed at least seven people and wounded dozens at a church in southern Jordan on Friday, with the king vowing retaliation for the rare attack on Christians in the majority Sunni Muslim kingdom. Assailants stormed the compound of a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hammoud in Karak governorate and opened fire, authorities said. The gunmen got out of a vehicle and started shooting during a funeral procession, the public security directorate said in a statement, adding that a hunt was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3371984/gunmen-kill-7-jordan-church-king-vows-retaliation https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3371984/gunmen-kill-7-jordan-church-king-vows-retaliation Fri, 23 Oct 2026 17:17:41 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump on Sunday endorsed his ally Benjamin Netanyahu as the long-time Israeli prime minister struggles for an edge in next week’s parliamentary election. Trump praised Netanyahu as a “great warrior prime minister” and peace partner, crediting him with joining the United States in launching strikes on Iran in February. The conflict, in its seventh month, has disrupted energy markets globally and wreaked havoc across the Middle East, damaging critical infrastructure and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3371326/trump-endorses-ally-netanyahu-israeli-election-praising-great-warrior-prime-minister https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3371326/trump-endorses-ally-netanyahu-israeli-election-praising-great-warrior-prime-minister Sun, 18 Oct 2026 17:04:13 +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 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 Mon, 12 Oct 2026 15:41:38 +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 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 Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:05:32 +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. Recently, Iran announced seven conditions for restarting negotiations with the United States. As it did in the failed memorandum of understanding signed earlier, Iran has made ending the conflict in Lebanon the first condition. Iran is no longer treating Lebanon only as a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/letters/article/3369157/why-lebanon-crucial-irans-negotiations-us https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/letters/article/3369157/why-lebanon-crucial-irans-negotiations-us Wed, 30 Sep 2026 03:30:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he expects talks with Iran to resume in the coming week, despite his rejection of a truce proposal put forward by Tehran. Iranian officials brought with them to the UN General Assembly in New York a plan for a seven-day truce followed by the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel. Trump dismissed the plan and has mused on resuming full-scale air strikes on Iranian targets, but he told the news platform Axios that he expects negotiations... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368980/trump-expects-new-iran-talks-despite-rejecting-deal-offer https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368980/trump-expects-new-iran-talks-despite-rejecting-deal-offer Sun, 27 Sep 2026 19:16:36 +0000 Reuters Reuters Iran on Sunday insisted that only diplomacy can solve its conflict with the United States and Israel after US President Donald Trump said he rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end fighting. “Our conditions are clear and any move towards reopening the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media. “Only a negotiated solution can get them out of ‌this deadlock.” Iran announced a peace... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3368917/trump-rejects-iran-proposal-deal-reopen-hormuz https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3368917/trump-rejects-iran-proposal-deal-reopen-hormuz Sat, 26 Sep 2026 17:02:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Tehran had offered Washington a plan that would see the Strait of Hormuz reopened to maritime navigation within seven days once agreed. Araghchi met with US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff for talks on Tuesday, and previously set out conditions for ending the war and reopening the vital energy shipping channel. “Iran has conveyed to the United States, through Qatar, a concrete seven-day plan. If the necessary conditions are... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3368872/iran-offers-us-plan-reopen-hormuz-within-7-days https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3368872/iran-offers-us-plan-reopen-hormuz-within-7-days Fri, 25 Sep 2026 21:03:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The UN Security Council will hold a meeting on artificial intelligence next week amid growing international concern over the threat from the fast moving technology, a French diplomatic source said on Monday. The meeting would be held during the United Nations General Assembly when a host of world leaders are at the UN headquarters in New York and France holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council. No details were given on the exact day. “In terms of global affairs, the issue of AI will... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3367511/un-security-council-hold-meeting-ai-next-week-amid-international-concern https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3367511/un-security-council-hold-meeting-ai-next-week-amid-international-concern Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:21:38 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel said Thursday it demolished key tunnels built by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group beneath the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, triggering a 4.1 magnitude tremor. Agence France-Presse journalists in the area heard several explosions. In a video shared by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, a huge fireball can be seen rising into the night sky. The explosion comes a few days after Israeli authorities claimed to have taken control of the Ali al-Taher ridge, saying that the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3367135/israel-destroys-hezbollah-tunnel-network-south-lebanon-triggering-tremor https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3367135/israel-destroys-hezbollah-tunnel-network-south-lebanon-triggering-tremor Fri, 11 Sep 2026 03:19:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Washington and the international community to help stop Israeli attacks, which killed at least seven people on Sunday despite a truce and a framework deal aimed at halting the violence. Israel said it had targeted Hezbollah operatives and sites in response to a drone attack a day earlier by the Iran-backed group on its troops in the vicinity of a strategic south Lebanon ridge. It reported no casualties but accused Hezbollah of a “blatant violation”. Israel... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3366563/lebanons-president-appeals-us-help-israeli-strikes-kill-7 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3366563/lebanons-president-appeals-us-help-israeli-strikes-kill-7 Sun, 06 Sep 2026 17:11:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz in their first military action in a month on Sunday, breaking a lull in fighting during an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. Vowing to retaliate for what it called a deadly attack, Iran later said it had launched missiles at US sites in Jordan. Forces with the Revolutionary Guard Corps were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the strait, according to Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the US... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3365782/us-forces-strike-two-iranian-launchers-irans-larak-island-us-official-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3365782/us-forces-strike-two-iranian-launchers-irans-larak-island-us-official-says Sun, 30 Aug 2026 21:04:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s administration is starting to send staff back to some diplomatic missions in the Middle East that were evacuated ‌or downsized amid tensions with Iran, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The posts in Lebanon, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Baghdad, Iraq, are among those where staff will return, the sources said. Family members will also be allowed to return to the US post in Riyadh, they added. The move suggests Washington sees a lower risk of the conflict... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3365259/us-starts-returning-staff-middle-east-missions-after-iran-war-evacuations-sources-say https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3365259/us-starts-returning-staff-middle-east-missions-after-iran-war-evacuations-sources-say Tue, 25 Aug 2026 23:18:37 +0000 Zhou Bo Zhou Bo The Mecca security pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan stipulates that an armed attack against one shall count as an attack against all three. Yet the real message is directed at the United States: if being an American ally offers no immunity against attack, there is little point in waiting for Washington to honour its security guarantees. That there has been no official White House statement casts some doubt on whether Donald Trump is really “very happy to see that Saudi Arabia,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3364690/could-mecca-defence-pact-be-first-step-new-middle-east-order https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3364690/could-mecca-defence-pact-be-first-step-new-middle-east-order Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Syria said it held talks with Israel in Jordan on Sunday on de-escalation after recent Israeli strikes, and on keeping the country out of tensions between Israel and Turkey, an ally of Damascus. The high-level negotiations came after the sides in January agreed to establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism as they edge towards a security agreement. They also came after Israel bombed the disused Abu Al-Duhur airbase in the country’s northwest earlier in the week, claiming it wanted to avert... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3364997/syria-holds-talks-israel-addressing-de-escalation-and-israel-turkey-tensions https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3364997/syria-holds-talks-israel-addressing-de-escalation-and-israel-turkey-tensions Sun, 23 Aug 2026 23:04:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey on Sunday walked back his comments from two days ago that Israel “still” occupies the Golan Heights in violation of UN resolutions, remarks that went against US President Donald Trump’s position on the disputed territory. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981. The United Nations and most of the international community consider the territory occupied Syrian land and does not recognise... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3364993/us-envoy-walks-back-his-comments-golan-heights-contradicted-trumps-position https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3364993/us-envoy-walks-back-his-comments-golan-heights-contradicted-trumps-position Sun, 23 Aug 2026 19:44:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday it was time to end the months-long Middle East war with the US because Tehran appeared to be in a stronger position than Washington. Talks between the long-time foes remain on hold, and the war started by the US and Israel in February has been locked in a stalemate. Tehran is keeping the key Strait of Hormuz partially shut, and Washington is persisting with a naval counter-blockade of Iran. “It is better that we bring the war to an end now as we... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3364893/iran-president-says-time-end-war-while-tehran-position-strength https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3364893/iran-president-says-time-end-war-while-tehran-position-strength Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:29:22 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people on Saturday, in the deadliest attacks since a truce between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on June 20. Lebanon’s health ministry and state news agency said an air strike that targeted a home on the edge of Ansar village killed seven people, including three children, and wounded two. The second, on the village of Deir al-Zahrani, killed four and wounded 17. Israel and the Lebanese government announced a “framework agreement”... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3364163/israeli-air-strikes-lebanon-kill-11-people-another-test-truce https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3364163/israeli-air-strikes-lebanon-kill-11-people-another-test-truce Sat, 15 Aug 2026 18:15:51 +0000 dpa dpa In a landmark change to Lebanon’s penal system, the country’s parliament on Tuesday approved legislation abolishing the death penalty, replacing it with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour, the state-run National News Agency reported. The vote makes Lebanon the first Arab country to formally abolish the death penalty. Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who attended the parliamentary session, described the vote as a “historic step” for Lebanon. The measure was approved by a majority of the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3363687/lebanon-becomes-first-arab-nation-abolish-death-penalty https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3363687/lebanon-becomes-first-arab-nation-abolish-death-penalty Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:23:29 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Iran will seek to bar US and Israeli ships from the Strait of Hormuz and require compensation from hostile countries before they’re allowed to sail through it, according to local media reports on a proposed Iran-Oman deal to manage the crucial waterway. The agreement has become key to expectations for a reopening of Hormuz and a resumption of energy flows that have been throttled since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February. “That’s clearly not going to go down well in Washington,” said... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3363226/iran-seeks-bar-us-ships-hormuz-deal-oman-advances https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3363226/iran-seeks-bar-us-ships-hormuz-deal-oman-advances Thu, 06 Aug 2026 23:33:20 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain The United States is staring a historic “strategic defeat” in the face five months after launching the Iran war at Israel’s behest, according to Middle East observers. The Islamic Republic is unlikely to fully relinquish its new-found hegemony over the Strait of Hormuz, despite US President Donald Trump’s rhetorical mix of daily ultimatums and optimism about a deal, they say. Doing so would be giving up its leverage over the global economy – by far its greatest weapon in a war it cannot win... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3363142/desperate-trump-running-out-options-iran-war-tehran-exploits-hormuz-leverage https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3363142/desperate-trump-running-out-options-iran-war-tehran-exploits-hormuz-leverage Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:41:10 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth US President Donald Trump on Monday said Iran was facing its “last chance” to reach an agreement with Washington to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the five-month-long war. “This is a last chance for them to sign a good document,” Trump said at the Oval Office in the White House. “I want to give them every last chance before decapitation.” He also claimed that negotiations with Tehran are “going on right now” despite Tehran’s insistence that no direct talks were under way. “We are talking,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3362850/trump-claims-last-chance-iran-strike-deal-latest-warning https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3362850/trump-claims-last-chance-iran-strike-deal-latest-warning Mon, 03 Aug 2026 21:23:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters Iran warned this weekend against any “adventurous action” by the US and said it would retaliate decisively if American forces follow through on US President Donald Trump’s threats of fresh attacks on Iranian targets. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi’s comments in separate phone calls on Saturday with senior Turkish, Pakistani and Saudi officials came just ‌hours after Kuwait’s army said it destroyed hostile drones launched by Iran against several vital facilities. Speaking to Pakistan’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3362669/irans-foreign-minister-warns-any-adventurous-action-us https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3362669/irans-foreign-minister-warns-any-adventurous-action-us Sat, 01 Aug 2026 23:01:42 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Israeli military said on Saturday that it killed several Hezbollah fighters in south Lebanon and that an Israeli soldier was injured there despite a ceasefire. The military said it identified several Hezbollah fighters overnight inside what Israel has labelled a “security zone” in southern Lebanon which its forces occupy. “Following the identification, the soldiers struck the terrorists and eliminated them in order to remove the threat,” the military said in a statement. Israeli forces “will... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3362660/israel-says-it-killed-several-hezbollah-fighters-south-lebanon https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3362660/israel-says-it-killed-several-hezbollah-fighters-south-lebanon Sat, 01 Aug 2026 17:29:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US embassies in capitals across the Middle East on Saturday warned American citizens to beware of an “unforeseen escalation” in the regional conflict and urged them to be ready to leave. The warning, posted online by US embassies in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates came a day after US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran “very hard”. Iran and the United States have been at war since February 28. A period of calm... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3362658/us-embassies-urge-citizens-consider-departing-middle-east https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3362658/us-embassies-urge-citizens-consider-departing-middle-east Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:57:17 +0000 Reuters Reuters The man who stabbed and partially blinded author Salman Rushdie at a speaking engagement in 2022 was found guilty on Wednesday of federal terrorism charges for the attack, which prosecutors said was incited by death threats over Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses. Hadi Matar, 28, already serving a 25-year prison term on state charges of attempted murder for ‌the knife assault, now faces a maximum penalty of life behind bars when he is sentenced on his federal conviction, scheduled for November... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3362314/hadi-matar-convicted-terrorism-trial-over-salman-rushdie-stabbing https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3362314/hadi-matar-convicted-terrorism-trial-over-salman-rushdie-stabbing Wed, 29 Jul 2026 21:33:28 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The man on trial in the stabbing of Salman Rushdie chose on Tuesday not to testify or call any witnesses in the federal terrorism case, which is expected to head to the jury as soon as Wednesday. Hadi Matar’s lawyer told the court that the 28-year-old – who already has been convicted of state-level attempted murder charges – would not take the stand at his trial on charges that include engaging in an act of transnational terrorism. “At this time, the defence rests,” lawyer Nathaniel Barone said.... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3362182/defendant-salman-rushdie-stabbing-declines-testify-federal-terrorism-trial https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3362182/defendant-salman-rushdie-stabbing-declines-testify-federal-terrorism-trial Tue, 28 Jul 2026 19:46:18 +0000 Hei Kiu Au Hei Kiu Au The signature makdous is flying off the menu at Mila’s limited-time Rosewood Hong Kong residency – a fact that surprised even the man who created it. Marc Mahfouz, chef de cuisine of the Michelin-recognised Qatar restaurant, didn’t expect a vegan dish to be the top seller. The stuffed baby aubergine, draped in tarator sauce and topped with walnuts and pomegranate, is entirely plant-based. But Hong Kong diners, he has learned, are full of surprises. “This is the ninth city I’ve cooked in,” says... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3361686/how-dohas-mila-giving-modern-levantine-offerings-local-spin-rosewood-hong-kong https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/100-top-tables/article/3361686/how-dohas-mila-giving-modern-levantine-offerings-local-spin-rosewood-hong-kong Fri, 24 Jul 2026 22:00:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Kozo Okamoto, the Japanese militant who took part in a deadly attack on Tel Aviv’s airport more than five decades ago, died on Thursday in Beirut, the Palestinian group that had been protecting him said. He was 78. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a faction that is the second-largest group in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said that Okamoto had been ill for a long time. Okamoto, who made rare public appearances since he settled in Lebanon after being released from... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3361679/japanese-militant-who-took-part-1972-israel-airport-attack-dies-beirut https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3361679/japanese-militant-who-took-part-1972-israel-airport-attack-dies-beirut Fri, 24 Jul 2026 03:39:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The man convicted of trying to kill Salman Rushdie spent years researching the writer’s whereabouts before stabbing him on a lecture stage, federal prosecutors said Wednesday at the opening of his federal terrorism trial. It is a second trial for Hadi Matar, who was found guilty in a New York state attempted murder case last year. The federal terror charges focus more on Matar’s alleged motive for the attack on the renowned author and free-speech advocate in 2022. Prosecutors started working on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3361512/terrorism-trial-opens-stabbing-author-salman-rushdie https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3361512/terrorism-trial-opens-stabbing-author-salman-rushdie Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:05:15 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Lawmakers called out China’s growing footprint at the United Nations on Wednesday as a vehicle for espionage even as a Congressional hearing over its funding descended into a heated partisan battle over the Iran war started by US President Donald Trump. “The Chinese peacekeeping department is concentrated in strategically sensitive regions, including areas along Belt and Road [Initiative] corridors, near ports, mineral resources, and existing or potential basing locations,” Sheri Biggs, a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3361511/us-lawmakers-accuse-china-using-un-peacekeeping-forces-spy-countries https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3361511/us-lawmakers-accuse-china-using-un-peacekeeping-forces-spy-countries Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:03:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump vowed on Tuesday to help Lebanon “a lot” as its president, Joseph Aoun, sought Washington’s backing for a fragile effort to disarm Hezbollah and forge a path to peace with Israel. Aoun, the first Lebanese president invited to Washington since 2009, asked Trump for political support and continued backing for the Lebanese army, which has begun deploying in southern areas under a US-backed framework agreement with Israel. “We need to support the LAF,” Aoun said, referring... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3361398/trump-vows-help-lebanon-pursue-peace-israel https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3361398/trump-vows-help-lebanon-pursue-peace-israel Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:27:21 +0000 Reuters Reuters Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will make ⁠his first trip to the White House this week to present a plan to US President Donald Trump on how to disarm Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and secure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. Aoun, who served as the commander of Lebanon’s US-backed army before being elected president last year, is the first Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years to visit the White House, where he will meet Trump face-to-face for the first time. Tuesday’s meeting comes... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3361099/lebanons-president-meet-trump-push-israeli-withdrawal https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3361099/lebanons-president-meet-trump-push-israeli-withdrawal Sun, 19 Jul 2026 08:48:44 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao Five months and at least two ceasefires into the US-Israeli war on Iran, hostilities have intensified again, with US President Donald Trump reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports and American forces trading fresh strikes with Tehran. The renewed cycle is testing both Tehran’s resilience and Washington’s appetite for a prolonged conflict, prompting some analysts to draw uncomfortable parallels with the political tolls that past US presidents faced in drawn-out wars such as in Vietnam and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3360711/us-iran-war-trump-falling-vietnam-quagmire https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3360711/us-iran-war-trump-falling-vietnam-quagmire Wed, 15 Jul 2026 15:00:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel will hold national elections on October 27, the last date allowed by law, its parliament said on Sunday, with the vote widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership since the Gaza war erupted. The Knesset, as parliament is known, is set to end its current term on July 17, allowing the ruling coalition to complete a full four-year term for the first time in decades. “Since the current Knesset is expected to serve its full term and the next general election... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3360296/israel-hold-parliamentary-elections-october-27-netanyahu-seeks-another-term https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3360296/israel-hold-parliamentary-elections-october-27-netanyahu-seeks-another-term Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:22:11 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesian authorities are widening their investigation into a case of suspected identity and research fraud at an overseas medical conference, which has exposed gaps in academic oversight and revived concerns about abuses in the nation’s system of publication-driven promotion for academia. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology has set up a team to examine papers previously published by the alleged perpetrators, saying action would be taken if they were found to have used... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/people/article/3359734/how-cheap-ai-undermining-indonesias-academic-credibility https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/people/article/3359734/how-cheap-ai-undermining-indonesias-academic-credibility Wed, 08 Jul 2026 03:00:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike on a car in the country’s south on Monday killed four people, including three women, despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) said a school principal, her mother, a foreign female domestic worker and a male Syrian worker were killed when an Israeli drone targeted their car as they returned from inspecting their family home in Nabatieh al-Fawqa. The Israeli military said on Monday that it identified... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359650/lebanon-says-israeli-strike-south-kills-4-including-3-women https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359650/lebanon-says-israeli-strike-south-kills-4-including-3-women Mon, 06 Jul 2026 23:34:54 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday for the first visit by a Western European head of state since Syria’s new authorities took power. President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been rebooting Syria’s international credentials and seeking to revive his struggling country after toppling long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. “I have come to reaffirm France’s commitment to the Syrian people. To a sovereign Syria, united in its diversity and at peace with its neighbours,”... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359644/frances-macron-syria-first-post-assad-visit-western-leader https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359644/frances-macron-syria-first-post-assad-visit-western-leader Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:45:36 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Vast crowds gathered for the funeral procession of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Monday, with authorities estimating millions were on the streets in numbers that could rival those of his predecessor’s farewell nearly four decades ago. Authorities have yet to give an official turnout figure but huge numbers stretched along major boulevards in the Iranian capital. The ceremonies offer Iran an opportunity to project resilience after war with the United States and Israel,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359558/crowds-fill-tehran-funeral-procession-begins-irans-slain-supreme-leader-khamenei https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359558/crowds-fill-tehran-funeral-procession-begins-irans-slain-supreme-leader-khamenei Mon, 06 Jul 2026 06:41:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that some Christian villages in southern Lebanon had “asked to be annexed to Israel” so that they could be protected from Hezbollah militants. Lebanon was drawn into the wider war in the Middle East on March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, where its troops now occupy... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359505/some-lebanese-christian-villages-asked-be-annexed-israel-netanyahu-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359505/some-lebanese-christian-villages-asked-be-annexed-israel-netanyahu-says Sun, 05 Jul 2026 23:32:20 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump plans to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday while attending the Nato summit in Turkey, the White House said. Those discussions will come as Kyiv tries to refocus Trump’s attention on the conflict with Moscow and as Trump has publicly mused about Syria’s role in the Middle East. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly confirmed the meetings in a call with reporters while previewing the summit in Ankara, where Trump... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3359500/trump-meet-ukraines-zelensky-and-syrias-sharaa-during-nato-summit-turkey https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3359500/trump-meet-ukraines-zelensky-and-syrias-sharaa-during-nato-summit-turkey Sun, 05 Jul 2026 19:30:18 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei Two people were killed and four others injured when a truck carrying ammonium nitrate collided with another vehicle and exploded on a national highway in northern China at around noon on Sunday, state news agency Xinhua reported. Authorities in Inner Mongolia autonomous region said the blast occurred at 11.27am on a section of National Highway 331 in Xilingol League, according to the report. Officials said a truck carrying hazardous chemicals collided with another transport vehicle, leaving two... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3359489/2-dead-4-injured-northern-china-truck-collision-triggers-huge-chemical-blast https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3359489/2-dead-4-injured-northern-china-truck-collision-triggers-huge-chemical-blast Sun, 05 Jul 2026 14:00:28 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday urged the United States to stand by his country, after reaching a US-backed framework deal with Israel aiming to permanently end hostilities after the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. The deal reached in Washington calls for the disarmament of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army there, starting with two “pilot” areas. Hezbollah has rejected the deal, which does not... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359432/lebanons-president-urges-us-solidarity-israeli-troops-occupy-south https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359432/lebanons-president-urges-us-solidarity-israeli-troops-occupy-south Sat, 04 Jul 2026 13:37:56 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that indirect talks with Iran in Qatar were making progress, offering a tentative sign that diplomacy was holding after recent exchanges of fire threatened efforts to end the Middle East war. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who led Tehran’s delegation, later said the talks had concluded and that the sides had agreed to establish a communication channel by Thursday to report and record violations of their initial memorandum of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359088/trump-sees-progress-us-and-iran-hold-talks-qatar https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359088/trump-sees-progress-us-and-iran-hold-talks-qatar Wed, 01 Jul 2026 23:45:01 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A ship ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz while using a route not approved by Iran, state television in Tehran reported on Wednesday. The vessel was identified as a foreign container ship, with no other details. The report appeared aimed at underlining Tehran’s claims to control the strait, which the world has long considered an international waterway. A fifth of all oil and natural gas passed through it in peacetime. Since the US and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28, Iran... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359080/ship-runs-aground-strait-hormuz-iran-state-tv-reports https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3359080/ship-runs-aground-strait-hormuz-iran-state-tv-reports Wed, 01 Jul 2026 18:35:54 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iranian and US technical teams working on the implementation of an interim peace deal are expected to meet in Doha in the coming days, after tit-for-tat weekend strikes threatened to derail the fragile accord. The exchanges have underscored the fragility of a Pakistan-brokered agreement to end the conflict that has killed thousands and snarled the flow of oil shipments through the vital Strait of Hormuz. Although a ceasefire took effect in April, sporadic violence has flared up in the Gulf... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3358681/iran-warns-ships-not-bypass-its-chosen-hormuz-route https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3358681/iran-warns-ships-not-bypass-its-chosen-hormuz-route Sun, 28 Jun 2026 22:27:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that ‌the American military struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar ⁠sites for violating a US-Iran ‌ceasefire agreement. “There may come a point ‌when we are no ⁠longer ⁠able to be reasonable, ‌and will be forced to ‌militarily complete ‌the job that we ‌very successfully started,” ⁠Trump wrote on social media. “If that happens, the Islamic Republic ‌of Iran ‌will no longer exist.” The president’s remarks came soon after US... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3358609/us-ally-bahrain-claims-iran-attacked-navy-base-hormuz-closed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3358609/us-ally-bahrain-claims-iran-attacked-navy-base-hormuz-closed Sat, 27 Jun 2026 10:13:12 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim The US struck Iran on Friday in response to a drone attack a day earlier on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, a provocation President Donald Trump said violated the ceasefire between the two countries. US Central Command said the military struck missile and drone sites, as well as coastal radar locations in Iran, shortly after Trump hinted at retaliation when asked whether Tehran would face consequences. “We’ll find out,” Trump told reporters. Asked whether he still considered the ceasefire... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3358568/trump-says-iran-struck-ship-hormuz-calls-it-foolish-ceasefire-violation https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3358568/trump-says-iran-struck-ship-hormuz-calls-it-foolish-ceasefire-violation Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:10:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Gulf allies on Thursday that any deal with Iran would take their interests into account, as he wrapped up a Middle East trip aimed at winning over regional partners with deep reservations about the preliminary accord. Speaking at a meeting of Gulf Arab foreign ministers in Bahrain – home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet – Rubio said Washington was seeking an ‌enduring peace with long-time foe Iran that would not come at the expense of the security of allies in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3358373/us-rubio-wraps-gulf-tour-allies-share-concerns-over-iran-peace-accord https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3358373/us-rubio-wraps-gulf-tour-allies-share-concerns-over-iran-peace-accord Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:26:38 +0000