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TOPIC COLLECTION

Middle East

Included topics:
Two Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft are seen in the Baltic Sea in April 2016. The Iranian pilots were also flying Su-24s. Photo: US Navy via AP,
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran urges Qatar to release pilots shot down in Middle East war

The trio were allegedly captured after their Su-24 fighter jets went down during a sortie to the Gulf state in March.

Middle East

Israeli air strikes on Lebanon kill 11 people in another test to truce

Saudi Arabia

Russia’s role in Middle East politics endures, shifts to being ‘secondary power’

Rodriguez’s Castro tribute tests Venezuela’s balancing act between US and China

Beijing retains commercial interests in Venezuela even as analysts see Washington curbing its political and strategic influence.

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Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s tribute to late Cuban leader Fidel Castro drew an angry response from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo: AP

51st strait? Trump says he’ll soon declare Hormuz to be US territory

The US president said he would do so after Iran was defeated, urging Americans to accept higher fuel prices for now.

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Nato jets shoot down foreign drone after it enters Latvian airspace

Latvia’s military said a foreign drone had entered its airspace as a result of Russia’s electronic warfare activity over the Balvi region.

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Malaysian F1 fans vent fury over sales process, organisers cite ‘high traffic’

The Sepang International Circuit is hosting the race for the first time since 2017 as the Bahrain leg was cancelled due to the Iran war.

The official F1 website shows that tickets in several categories for the race in Malaysia in October were sold out. Photo: F1

US shifts Iran war goal, says cheaper oil for Americans is top priority

In a bid to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Treasury Secretary Bessent threatened to subject Tehran to unprecedented economic sanctions.

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Cramped, stressed, food shortages: life aboard Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier

The Lincoln faces multiple problems, including suicide attempts aboard the ship, due to a lengthy time at sea.

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US accuses 9 Latin American countries of helping China avoid Trump’s tariffs

More than 40 countries targeted for helping Beijing illegally avoid tariffs by rerouting trade via nations with lower American import duties.

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Chinese container ship Cosco Shipping Rose docks at the Panama Canal’s Cocoli locks in Panama City. The White House has accused nine Latin American economies of helping Beijing illegally evade US tariffs by rerouting trade through countries with lower US import duties. Photo: AP

Opinion | How Mecca defence pact changes China’s calculations in the Middle East

Defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan presents a complex strategic calculus for Beijing, demanding a masterclass in balance.

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

New aircraft carrier heads to Mideast amid concerns over USS Abraham Lincoln

Reports have emerged about mental health and supply issues on the current ship after a long deployment in support of the Iran war.

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‘Struggling to help’: surging waters leave Mekong communities without aid

Tens of thousands have been displaced in Laos and Myanmar, with rescue efforts hampered by threadbare resources.

Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan Mecca pact ‘far from’ Nato-style defence alliance

Observers say diverging strategic interests and a weak mutual security capacity will be the main challenges facing the agreement.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left), Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Mecca on Friday. Photo: AFP

Trump turns to economic pain as US bombings fail to sway Iran

Sustained naval blockade, more sanctions and making it harder for Tehran to sell its oil among the options to tighten the screws.

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Flames and smoke rise at the site of a strike carried out during the 40-day US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, in March-April. Photo: Reuters

Letters | 5-year plan must take mental health seriously for the economy’s sake

Readers discuss why mental health ought to be positioned as a strategic asset, and how the city is well-placed to build health resilience for the world’s most impoverished.

China offers Colombia quake aid as new government pivots towards US

Beijing pledges help after the magnitude 7.4 earthquake, but its ambassador’s request for a coordinator remains unanswered.

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In Focus | Singapore and South Korea eye science opportunity as US-China ties shatter

New research hubs are emerging in other countries in response to Washington’s restrictions – but there are likely to be few winners overall.

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Illustration: Davies Christian

Eurovision to bar countries at war from hosting

No country was singled out, but five countries boycotted this year’s competition over Israel’s participation.

1 killed in Israel’s first Gaza strike in over a week

The attack comes days after Netanyahu publicly rejected a Trump-backed ceasefire deal.

Erdogan wants Turkey-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defence pact to draw more countries

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Istanbul expects Egypt to join the pact ‘in the next stage’.

Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sign the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on August 7. Photo: PPI /ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

China is sending scientists to Iran for rare earth ‘exploration and processing’

Chinese and Iranian natural science foundations include the strategically sensitive metals in this year’s joint workshop programme.

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A display of rare earth elements at the National Museum in Beijing. China holds the largest reserves of the metals in the world. Photo: Reuters

China’s glueball ‘triumph’; SpaceX rocket debris on video: 7 science highlights

From China’s plan against desertification to nuking a ‘doomsday asteroid’, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting.

Factions in Iran openly fight over war’s direction amid Khamenei’s absence

Hardliners opposing talks with the US demand President Pezeshkian’s resignation, deepening political tensions over how to end the war.

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Trump says Secret Service, military insisted on Air Force One decoy in Turkey

The US president confirmed he covertly switched planes upon his departure from Ankara, saying ‘I guess there was a threat out there’.

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US President Donald Trump switches planes at an airbase in Suffolk, eastern England, on his way back to Washington from the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, last month. Photo: AP

US says it has fired on ship in Gulf of Oman to enforce Iranian ports blockade

A US Navy helicopter fired on and disabled the Panama-flagged ship after the crew ignored warnings from US forces, said US Central Command.

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The Panama-flagged container ship M/V Vela Nova. On Tuesday, the US Navy said it had fired on the ship after it attempted to break the US blockade of Iran’s ports. Photo: Vladimir Tonic / Handout via Reuters

Israel and Venezuela renew consular ties after 17 years of no diplomacy

Move comes after Israel sent aid to Venezuela following recent earthquakes. Venezuela broke ties with Israel after the start of the Gaza war.

Rights groups sue the Trump administration over ICC sanctions

Lawsuit says Trump’s executive order targeting the International Criminal Court for investigating Israeli crimes in Palestine is ‘illegal’.

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Middle East
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Middle East. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.