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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.
Cambodia’s delegation is seen during the parade of nations at the opening ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games in Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Cambodia

Cambodia quits SEA Games in Thailand amid deadly border clashes

The national team had attended the opening ceremony in Bangkok on Tuesday, but was ordered home less than 24 hours later as fighting surged.

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Africa

63 children among 114 dead in strikes on Sudan kindergarten, hospital: WHO

Middle East

A year after Assad’s fall, can Syria’s new leader deliver lasting peace?

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War and conflict

UN hits out at global ‘apathy’ as it slashes aid appeal for 2026

UN unveils streamlined plan to raise at least US$23 billion to help 87 million people in the world’s most dangerous places.

Destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat camp for displaced Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip. Photo: AFP
Thailand

‘Everyone gets a cut’: why Southeast Asia’s scam industry refuses to die

Authorities are seizing assets and raiding compounds, but analysts warn the clumsy crackdown is merely scattering syndicates to new hideouts.

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European Union

Editorial | Macron’s visit to China a counterpoint to rising tensions

Agreements signed during the trip reflect evolving trade and economic relations, with France now in the market for Chinese technology.

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Nigeria

Nigeria’s government secures release of 100 kidnapped schoolchildren

The fate of dozens of other pupils and staff remains unclear as the country buckles under a wave of mass abductions.

Worried parents of abducted schoolchildren at St Mary’s Catholic school last month. Photo: AP
Israel-Gaza war

Trump UN envoy, EU chief in Jordan to discuss Gaza aid as Israel eyes next phase

Diplomatic visits to Jordan came as Israeli PM Netanyahu says the second phase of the US-sponsored ceasefire could begin soon.

Taiwan

My Take | Japanese PM Takaichi has learned how to do a Washington over Taiwan

“Strategic ambiguity” over the island used to be a benign doctrine, but now it is becoming as dangerous as what US hawks have called “strategic clarity”.

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Climate change

Opinion | Fashion industry must tailor climate plans to Asian suppliers’ reality

Efforts to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions in the fashion industry will not work if they rest on a Western design paired with Eastern sacrifice.

A worker holds a piece of clothing at a factory in Depok, Indonesia, on April 25, 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/ADI WEDA
China-France relations

China and France agree to work together on nuclear issues as Macron visit ends

The two sides express support for non-proliferation and efforts to bring about peace in Ukraine and Gaza.

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French leader Emmanuel Macron, his wife Brigitte Macron, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan pictured during their trip to Dujiangyan in Sichuan. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

China says it is working ‘with all parties’ to prevent escalation in Venezuela

Beijing’s outreach comes amid a US naval build-up and a rare phone call between Trump and Maduro.

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Middle East

Lebanon and Israel hold first direct civilian talks in decades

Talks were held days after the first anniversary of the start of the fragile truce between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Extreme weather

Asia’s floods kill over 1,000, lay bare human cost of climate inaction

From Indonesia’s deadliest disaster since 2018 to a state of emergency in Sri Lanka, Asia reels from a week of climate-fuelled destruction.

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People walk past the ruins of houses in a village affected by heavy flooding in Batang Toru, Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, on Wednesday. Photo: AP
Asean

Thailand, Cambodia clash at UN mine ban talks as ‘fragile’ border truce teeters

Analysts warn relations are in a ‘fragile place’ as the neighbours trade barbs and leverage international law at a UN meeting in Geneva.

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A member of the Thailand Mine Action Centre shows a landmine during a media visit to the border province of Surin, Thailand, in August. Photo: Reuters
Myanmar

Myanmar’s opium poppy growing at 10-year high amid civil war, turmoil

Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan as the world’s main known source of illicit opium.

Central Asia

Afghan boy, 13, executes family’s killer in echoes of worst days of Taliban rule

The public execution, the 11th carried out since the Taliban seized power in 2021, has drawn global condemnation.

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China-Japan relations

Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks ‘greatest challenge’ to ties, China’s UN envoy says

Ambassador Fu Cong sends second letter to UN chief insisting Tokyo must retract comments or bear ‘all consequences’.

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China escalated its diplomatic offensive against Japan at the United Nations, with ambassador Fu Cong sending a second letter to Secretary General Antonio Guterres about Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan. Photo: Getty Images
South China Sea

Senior Chinese diplomat takes swipe at US over deep-sea mining strategy

‘The oceans are not calm,’ vice-minister warns in comments aimed at Trump executive order pushing American exploitation of seabed minerals.

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Africa

African nations push for recognition of colonial crimes and reparations

The economic cost of colonialism in Africa is believed to be staggering, with some estimates putting the cost of plunder in the trillions.

Pakistan

Pakistan rejects UN warning over legal immunity for military chief

A constitutional amendment approved by parliament earlier this month shields Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and other top officials from prosecution for life.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) and President Asif Ali Zardari (centre) jointly conferring the Baton of Field Marshal on Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir during a ceremony at the country’s President House in Islamabad on May 22. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Egypt trains hundreds of Palestinian officers to police post-war Gaza

Palestinian movements have agreed to a force of around 10,000 officers but Israel opposes Hamas or Palestinian Authority involvement in Gaza.

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Armed Palestinian Hamas militants follow a digger which has been supplied by Egypt to search for bodies of killed Israeli hostages in Gaza City on November 2. Photo: AFP
Climate change

Opinion | How Cop30 laid bare the new geopolitics of climate action

Fractures, even among the Global South, show the energy transition is not just a technical challenge but a deeply political negotiation.

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Open Questions series

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on Taiwan, the Ukraine war, China-US ties

Zhou Bo ponders Japanese PM Takaichi’s recent remarks, lessons from the Ukraine conflict and why China won’t be world’s policeman.

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China-EU relations

France’s Emmanuel Macron to meet Xi Jinping during China trip next week

French president will meet his Chinese counterpart as part of a three-day visit from December 3, with two stops in Beijing and Chengdu.

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French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on a state visit to China next week, travelling first to Beijing and then to Chengdu. Photo: AFP
China-Japan relations

Why China took Japan criticism to UN twice but did not raise it at G20

Analysts say Beijing views the UN as a platform to ‘anchor’ its position on Taiwan, particularly because it offers a wider reach.

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Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the UN, has described the comments of the Japanese prime minister as “gravely erroneous” and having a “profoundly malicious nature and impact”. Photo: Reuters
Myanmar

US ends temporary legal status for Myanmar nationals

Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem said the situation in Myanmar has improved and it is safe for citizens to return to the war-torn country.

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Israel-Gaza war

Israeli generals dismissed over failures from Hamas’ deadly attack

The firings come amid growing pressure for an inquiry and revelations of systemic military flaws to prevent the October 7, 2023, assault.

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