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United Nations

United Nations
The UN is an international organisation founded after World War II that aims to provide a dialogue platform between countries, fortifying international corporation and preventing future wars. There are currently 193 members led by five permanent members of the Security Council - US, Russia, UK, France and China. The organisation currently has six principal organs: General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Secretariat, International Court of Justice, and the Trusteeship Council.
Ted Turner at his desk inside the CNN Center in 1982. Photo: via AP
United States

CNN founder Ted Turner dies at 87

Aside from business and sports deals, Turner gained attention for his personal life and his ventures in philanthropy and the environment.

Diplomacy

Opinion | As power flows through submarine cables, law of the sea must evolve

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North Korea

North Korea’s own-brand phone is sleek, colourful – and possibly watching you

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Central Asia

An Asian alternative to Nato? How Cica is rethinking Middle East security

Chief of lesser-known security forum says it provides ‘architecture for de-escalation’ and allows members to project soft power.

Cica Secretary General Kairat Sarybay speaks to the SCMP on the sidelines of the Regional Ecological Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on April 23, 2026. Photo: Handout
Thailand

Thailand scraps 25-year-old agreement with Cambodia on energy exploration

Cambodia ‌will now initiate a compulsory conciliation ‌mechanism under the ⁠UN Convention on the ‌Law of the ‌Sea.

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US-China relations

‘Golden Dome’ defence, new space rivals: 7 US-China relations reads

From a bloated UN to ‘red carpet’ visas for Chinese spies, here are highlights from our correspondents in the second half of April 2026.

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Espionage

Austria expels 3 Russian diplomats over signals spying

Vienna, home to a large diplomatic presence, has long had a reputation as a den of spies.

The Russian embassy in Vienna. Photo: AP
Middle East

Israeli raid in West Bank leaves 1 Palestinian dead, 4 wounded

Nayef Samaro, 26, was one of five hit by gunfire; the Israeli military says troops fired after ‘terrorists’ threw rocks.

2026 Trump-Xi summit

China’s UN envoy blasts US ‘bullying’ as sanctions widen before Trump-Xi talks

Curbs tied to Iran and a fragile ceasefire cast a shadow over the leaders’ planned Beijing summit as tensions between the powers mount.

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China-Japan relations

Why is China warning the UN of a Japanese ‘nuclear breakout’?

Beijing asks the international body to prioritise Tokyo’s ‘dangerous tendency to seek nuclear weapons’ as regional row escalates.

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A new position paper from China’s foreign ministry accuses Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of engaging in “probing and provocative remarks and actions” on nuclear weapons. Photo: Kyodo
Diplomacy

Opinion | A world adrift looks to China for institutional anchors. Enter Hong Kong

Amid talk of cities like Beijing and Shanghai hosting UN functions as the US withdraws, Hong Kong must ensure it is part of the conversation.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

UN bloated, costly, but China fears to keep US involved, House committee told

Pulling out of international organisation would see Beijing expand its influence and leave Washington at major disadvantage, lawmakers say.

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Africa

‘A lot of suicide’: Sudan war’s sexual violence sparks mental health crisis

The horrific scenario includes the shooting and raping of a health worker - with a woman in labour dying - and many suicides to avoid rape.

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US, Israel war on Iran

‘Might over right’ imperils international justice, Wang Yi tells UN’s Baerbock

UN General Assembly president meets Chinese foreign minister in Beijing amid Iran war tensions and global energy crisis.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Annalena Baerbock, president of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

US conditions for paying UN dues include China curbs, report says

The US owes billions of dollars in unpaid fees to the organisation, which is facing ‘imminent financial collapse’, according to its chief.

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The United Nations logo is seen at the UN headquarters in New York in December 2023. Photo: AFP
IAEA

Landmark UN nuclear summit opens as world’s warhead count grows

UN chief urges world to ‘breathe life’ into a landmark non-proliferation treaty as nations gather in New York.

US-EU relations

Exclusive | Territorial integrity is ‘red line’ for Europe, Finland warns after US Greenland threats

Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen insists on the importance of national sovereignty, saying ‘we react through the means we have’.

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Africa

Mali’s junta in crisis as defence minister is killed in massive coordinated attacks

Rebel-jihadist offensive leaves Bamako on edge as territory falls and junta leader Assimi Goita remains out of sight.

A Malian soldier during an attack on Kati outside the capital Bamako. Photo: Reuters
China-Middle East relations

Iran digs in as US envoys Kushner and Witkoff head to Pakistan for more talks

Trapped in the Persian Gulf, ship crews run low on food, water – and mental health reserves.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Blinding the world with lies makes peacemaking an impossible task

From Iran to the Horn of Africa, disinformation is killing diplomacy. Mediators need facts, not state-sponsored fictions.

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World Health Organization (WHO)

WHO approves first malaria treatment for babies

Up to now, infants have been given formulations for older children – carrying a greater risk of dose errors, side effects and toxicity.

A child receives an oral Malaria vaccine in Lilongwe, Malawi. Photo: Unicef via Reuters
United States

Trump Justice Department adds firing squads for federal executions

Electrocution and gas are also being added as methods, after the US president called for an expansion of the use of the death penalty.

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A firing squad chair (left) and an electric chair are seen in Columbia, South Carolina. The death penalty is normally carried out at the state level, but the federal government can also seek execution for certain crimes. Photo: South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP
US, Israel war on Iran

Why US tanker blockades are raising risks for Southeast Asian strait controllers

The bigger risk is not of the Iran war spilling into their waters, but the strain of operating in more contested sea lanes, analysts say.

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United Nations General Assembly

UN leadership race takes centre stage with first round of interviews

Contenders strike sombre tones during interviews as the next leader faces a huge task to revitalise an organisation in crisis.

France

Second French peacekeeper dies in Lebanon after ambush blamed on Hezbollah

Anicet Girardin is the third French soldier to die since the start of the fighting in the Middle East.

A French contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon patrols the area as displaced residents waving Hezbollah flags make their way back to their homes on a makeshift road, in the southern Lebanese area of Al-Qasmiyeh on Saturday. Photo: TNS
Singapore

UN alarmed by Singapore executions for drug-related offences

UN rights chief Turk said drug-related offences not involving loss of life did not meet the ‘most serious crimes’ standard by international law.

Singapore at sunrise. The death penalty is mandatory in Singapore for drug trafficking above certain quantities, such as 500g (1.1 lb) of cannabis or 15g of heroin. Photo: Shutterstock
Science

How China’s AI carbon accounting model points the finger at the US

The system factors in both production and consumption, lessening the responsibility of exporters such as China.

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Singapore

Singapore’s Balakrishnan warns Hormuz just a ‘dry run’ if US, China clash

Foreign minister also says Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have a ‘strategic interest’ in keeping the Strait of Malacca open.

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