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Israel

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

Capital

Jerusalem

Head of State

President Isaac Herzog

Head of Government

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

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

China-Latin America relations

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.

14 Aug 2026 - 7:34AMvideocam

Laos

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

13 Aug 2026 - 8:31PM

China-Middle East relations

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

13 Aug 2026 - 6:55PMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

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.

13 Aug 2026 - 6:15AMvideocam

Rescuers search for survivors in the rubble of a collapsed building in Cali, Colombia, on Wednesday, two days after a powerful earthquake killed more than 200 people. Photo: AFP

Music

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.

13 Aug 2026 - 4:06AM

Israel-Gaza war

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.

13 Aug 2026 - 1:42AM

Saudi Arabia

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’.

13 Aug 2026 - 12:02AM

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

Science

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.

12 Aug 2026 - 11:42PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

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.

12 Aug 2026 - 4:36AMvideocam

Venezuela

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.

12 Aug 2026 - 2:43AM

A Venezuelan flag waves as people search for bodies in Caraballeda, La Guaira, after earthquakes in June. Israel sent aid to Venezuela following the earthquakes. Photo: Reuters

United States

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’.

12 Aug 2026 - 1:31AM

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: AP

Diplomacy

Opinion | A strong China is the best hope for the ‘long peace’ to endure

If China’s rise shows it rejects hegemonic ambitions, the hope is that it can make a difference and foster a more peaceful world.

11 Aug 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump demands Iran pay compensation as hopes fade for Hormuz agreement

US president says the issue must be included in future negotiations after Tehran sought damages for US and Israeli strikes.

11 Aug 2026 - 5:55AMvideocam

China-Middle East relations

‘Islamic Nato’ may create China opening in Middle East

A new military alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey creates a potential gap with the US and the possibility of greater China influence in the region.

10 Aug 2026 - 5:07PM

Fireworks explode over Islamabad as part of celebrations to mark the signing of a trilateral defence agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump says US ‘low-keying it’ with Iran, playing down urgency over Hormuz

US president calls dealings with Tehran a ‘chess game’ as a diplomatic breakthrough fails to materialise.

10 Aug 2026 - 2:21PM

US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Photo: AP

Middle East

Yemen’s Houthis attack Saudi refinery, testing new defence pact

Rebel strikes hit Jazan oil complex and kill seven in Mocha as Saudi Arabia seals security alliance with Turkey and Pakistan.

10 Aug 2026 - 4:28PM

China-Middle East relations

China waits in wings as Mecca pact signals Gulf move beyond US security umbrella

The Nato-style deal between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey highlights the growing doubts in the region about over-reliance on Washington.

10 Aug 2026 - 1:15AMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

Israel’s Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan endorsed by Hamas

Israeli leader dismisses 15-point document for the future of war-torn Gaza in the latest break with the White House.

10 Aug 2026 - 3:26PM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: dpa

Science

US and Israeli physicists hail China’s glueball discovery as a ‘triumph’

Global experts praise team for solving 50-year-old puzzle, while Chinese social media buzzes with Nobel Prize predictions.

9 Aug 2026 - 6:58PMvideocam

Saudi Arabia

How Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact acts as ‘insurance’ over US disengagement

The Mecca deal may emerge as a third geopolitical ‘centre of gravity’ in the Middle East, with more members joining, analysts say.

9 Aug 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

‘Hopeless’: Palestinian Christians leave West Bank as hardships mount

Christians leave due to the deterioration of the humanitarian and economic situation in the West Bank, clergy members say.

8 Aug 2026 - 11:48AM

Catholic nuns and Christian worshippers attend mass at the Latin Monastery (Deir al-Latin) in the Palestinian Christian town of Taybeh in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Photo: AFP

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump ally Abelardo de la Espriella sworn in as Colombia president

The right-wing ex-lawyer who calls himself ‘The Tiger’ vowed to bomb cocaine labs, build mega prisons and usher in closer ties with the US.

8 Aug 2026 - 2:39PM

Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella salutes after taking the oath of office in Cali, Colombia, on Friday. Photo: AP

China-Middle East relations

Where do China-Israel ties stand after closure of Chengdu consulate?

Amid recent bilateral friction, Beijing has no intention of maliciously damaging relations with Middle East country, analyst says.

7 Aug 2026 - 10:27PMvideocam

Middle East

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan sign joint defence deal

The nations are particularly concerned by the increasingly aggressive military stances of both Israel and revolutionary Shiite Iran.

7 Aug 2026 - 10:53PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran seeks to bar US and Israeli ships in Hormuz deal with Oman

Tehran pushes for strict transit bans and fees in draft waterway pact as Trump claims negotiations are ‘moving along good’.

7 Aug 2026 - 11:24AM

People spend time at a beach as commercial vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Wednesday. Photo: ISNA via AP

US, Israel war on Iran

How US became trapped in ‘dreadful situation’ of its own making over Iran war

With Iran holding firm to its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, Trump faces one of two choices: capitulate or risk a ‘forever war’, experts say.

6 Aug 2026 - 3:21PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16. Photo: Getty Images

Ukraine war

Why Russia’s ballistic missiles are breaking through in Ukraine

Interceptors are running low, warning times are seconds, and only one air-defence system can stop them.

6 Aug 2026 - 1:53PM

United States

Progressive Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan primary in jolt to Democrats

He defeated moderate Haley Stevens, who was backed by the Democratic establishment, in a vote seen as a test of the party’s direction.

6 Aug 2026 - 3:50AM

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Israel

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.

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

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

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.

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’.

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.

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.

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’.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | A strong China is the best hope for the ‘long peace’ to endure

If China’s rise shows it rejects hegemonic ambitions, the hope is that it can make a difference and foster a more peaceful world.

Trump demands Iran pay compensation as hopes fade for Hormuz agreement

US president says the issue must be included in future negotiations after Tehran sought damages for US and Israeli strikes.

‘Islamic Nato’ may create China opening in Middle East

A new military alliance between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey creates a potential gap with the US and the possibility of greater China influence in the region.

Trump says US ‘low-keying it’ with Iran, playing down urgency over Hormuz

US president calls dealings with Tehran a ‘chess game’ as a diplomatic breakthrough fails to materialise.

Yemen’s Houthis attack Saudi refinery, testing new defence pact

Rebel strikes hit Jazan oil complex and kill seven in Mocha as Saudi Arabia seals security alliance with Turkey and Pakistan.

China waits in wings as Mecca pact signals Gulf move beyond US security umbrella

The Nato-style deal between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey highlights the growing doubts in the region about over-reliance on Washington.

Israel’s Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan endorsed by Hamas

Israeli leader dismisses 15-point document for the future of war-torn Gaza in the latest break with the White House.

US and Israeli physicists hail China’s glueball discovery as a ‘triumph’

Global experts praise team for solving 50-year-old puzzle, while Chinese social media buzzes with Nobel Prize predictions.

How Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan pact acts as ‘insurance’ over US disengagement

The Mecca deal may emerge as a third geopolitical ‘centre of gravity’ in the Middle East, with more members joining, analysts say.

‘Hopeless’: Palestinian Christians leave West Bank as hardships mount

Christians leave due to the deterioration of the humanitarian and economic situation in the West Bank, clergy members say.

Trump ally Abelardo de la Espriella sworn in as Colombia president

The right-wing ex-lawyer who calls himself ‘The Tiger’ vowed to bomb cocaine labs, build mega prisons and usher in closer ties with the US.

Where do China-Israel ties stand after closure of Chengdu consulate?

Amid recent bilateral friction, Beijing has no intention of maliciously damaging relations with Middle East country, analyst says.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan sign joint defence deal

The nations are particularly concerned by the increasingly aggressive military stances of both Israel and revolutionary Shiite Iran.

Iran seeks to bar US and Israeli ships in Hormuz deal with Oman

Tehran pushes for strict transit bans and fees in draft waterway pact as Trump claims negotiations are ‘moving along good’.

How US became trapped in ‘dreadful situation’ of its own making over Iran war

With Iran holding firm to its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, Trump faces one of two choices: capitulate or risk a ‘forever war’, experts say.

Why Russia’s ballistic missiles are breaking through in Ukraine

Interceptors are running low, warning times are seconds, and only one air-defence system can stop them.

Progressive Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan primary in jolt to Democrats

He defeated moderate Haley Stevens, who was backed by the Democratic establishment, in a vote seen as a test of the party’s direction.

Opinion | A strong China is the best hope for the ‘long peace’ to endure