Iran

US forces set to complete exit from Iraq after 2 decades

Departure from Iraq bases seen as a boost to Iran and its allies, even as Washington wages war against Tehran.

29 Sep 2026 - 3:38PM

A military surplus shop in Baghdad. Around 2,500 US troops had been stationed in Iraq in recent years. Photo: EPA

US-China trade war

‘Missed opportunity’: US soybean farmers question China tariff cuts exclusion

Before the Xi-Trump summit last week, analysts and industry experts expected soybeans to be included in tariff-reduced arrangement.

29 Sep 2026 - 6:48AMvideocam

US set to grant sanctions waiver for Iran-Iraq pilgrim flights

Trump administration to allow Iraqi Airways flights to and from the Shiite holy city of Najaf for one month to ease pressure on Baghdad.

29 Sep 2026 - 1:54PMvideocam

US-China relations

Open Questions | Scott Kennedy on China’s ‘slow tech dragon’ and 2 more Xi-Trump meetings

American adviser on Chinese business and economics highlights different phases of US-China relations over the past 50 years.

28 Sep 2026 - 9:03AMvideocam

US-China relations

Opinion | The US-China relationship has stabilised but on Beijing’s terms

Managed rivalry is not peace; it is a rules-based pause with China largely writing the rules. The test is whether the US can live with it.

28 Sep 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

Netanyahu makes unannounced visit to UAE, meets Gulf state’s president

Reported visit comes with the Middle East still gripped by the Israel-US war launched against Iran in February.

28 Sep 2026 - 3:36PM

Trump says he expects new Iran talks after rejecting proposal

US president muses about resuming full-scale strikes, saying Iran ‘overplayed their hand’.

28 Sep 2026 - 9:12AM

Missiles displayed next to a banner featuring Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in Tehran. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters

Britain

UK arrests 5 on suspicion of terror plot near airbase used by US forces

Police investigate potential link to a foreign state after three suspicious vehicles prompt evacuations outside RAF Fairford.

28 Sep 2026 - 3:11PM

A US B‑1B Lancer bomber at RAF Fairford. Photo: Reuters

United States

My Take | How Beijing is neutralising Washington’s sanctions machine

As alternative networks like China’s CIPS gain traction, the multilateral pushback is steadily eroding US financial dominance.

27 Sep 2026 - 8:30PM

Israel-Gaza war

Hamas leader says Israel to use ‘blood’ of Palestinians as fuel for election

Khalil al-Hayya also said Hamas was ready to engage with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to ‘achieve genuine unity’.

27 Sep 2026 - 9:31AM

Iran says only diplomacy can end Hormuz crisis after Trump rejects deal

Tehran said the proposed pact would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait and a pause in regional fighting.

27 Sep 2026 - 12:53PM

A woman crosses a street near a giant anti-US billboard in Tehran, Iran, on Thursday. Photo: TNS

China-Latin America relations

Why Trump will face a stronger Xi Jinping at November Apec forum in China

Vital host diplomacy leverage and upgraded US-China ties among reasons cited by experts forecasting an even more confident Chinese side.

26 Sep 2026 - 11:00PMvideocam

Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump with first ladies Peng Liyuan and Melania Trump in Washington on September 25, the last day of Xi’s state visit. Photo: AP

Exclusive | China-based Brics bank set for hunger alliance lead role this year, Brazil says

Brazilian minister Wellington Dias tells SCMP a fund to cut borrowing costs for the poor may launch by December as US marginalises the G20.

26 Sep 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

China-Middle East relations

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia test limits of Mecca regional security pact

Turkey and Pakistan are unlikely to intervene despite the deal’s terms, which could hobble its deterrent effect, analysts say.

26 Sep 2026 - 6:00PMvideocam

Pakistan

Why Pakistan’s endless war on militants fails to break the cycle

Tactical wins and retaliatory strikes have not delivered peace, even as two separate insurgencies appear to be converging.

26 Sep 2026 - 1:00PMvideocam

People gather at site of a bomb attack in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on September 18. Photo: Xinhua

Xi-Trump atmospherics welcomed but mask structural rifts: analysts

That two economic and military giants are talking – and pledging to talk some more – suggests some period of relative stability with caveats.

26 Sep 2026 - 8:28AMvideocam

Thailand

Thailand has had enough of foreign tourists behaving badly

Viral misbehaviour, crimes and foreign-ownership scandals are exhausting the patience of a country famous for its hospitality.

26 Sep 2026 - 4:17PMvideocam

Iran offers US plan to reopen Hormuz within 7 days

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the ball is now in Washington’s court, after setting out conditions for ending the war.

26 Sep 2026 - 5:03AM

An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-US billboard in Tehran on Monday. Photo: EPA

Donald Trump

US TV networks back at White House, as Trump hails ‘fair’ coverage of Xi visit

The US president had earlier barred CNN, MS Now and Politico from the grounds, prompting other outlets to halt coverage in solidarity.

26 Sep 2026 - 3:27AMvideocam

A news camera is seen outside the White House on Wednesday. Photo: AFP/TNS

Hong Kong society

HK Electric to cut fuel charge for first time in 4 months as CLP raises rate

Customers of HK Electric are set to pay less for electricity after it cut its fuel charge for the first time in four months.

25 Sep 2026 - 8:50PM

How China’s wartime cooperatives gave us ‘gung-ho’

Trump’s mention of a ‘Chinese phrase’ may have puzzled some, but the US Marine Corps adopted gung-ho from the name of wartime cooperatives.

25 Sep 2026 - 6:42PM

France to protect key Saudi oil terminal as Houthis step up missile attacks

Macron pledges troops and radar systems to defend Red Sea energy hub at Yanbu following aerial barrage.

25 Sep 2026 - 3:38PM

A digital billboard shows a missile as Houthi supporters stage a protest against Saudi Arabia in Sanaa, Yemen. Photo: EPA

Israel-Iran conflict

UK foreign secretary warns Iran against hostile activity on British soil

Ed Miliband presses Tehran over domestic security and demands release of couple held in Evin prison.

25 Sep 2026 - 11:52AM

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband at a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Netanyahu blasts critics at UN, dismissing Gaza genocide accusations

Israeli prime minister denounces walkout delegates as ‘moral cowards’ during a fiery address defending the war against Iran.

25 Sep 2026 - 2:18PM