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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.
A man drags a traditional boat across a dried-up channel in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. The UN has warned countries to prepare for severe droughts. Photo: AFP
Extreme weather

‘On our doorstep’: UN warns world to prepare for El Nino extreme weather

UN chief warns that the phenomenon, expected within months, will ‘pour fuel on the fire’ of global heating.

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Cambodia

Cambodia starts UN-backed process for maritime dispute with Thailand

US, Israel war on Iran

US-Iran diplomacy mired in uncertainty as Trump claims Lebanon de-escalation

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US-China relations

Xi-Trump aftermath, space tactics, AI policy change: 7 US-China relations reads

From Xi-Trump meeting analysis to soybean worries and tech plans, here are highlights from our correspondents in the second half of May 2026.

China[s President Xi Jinping gestures as he meets with US President Donald Trump during a visit to Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on May 15. Photo: AFP
Middle East

Israeli forces capture historic castle in deepest push into Lebanon in decades

Troops take over the medieval fortress of Beaufort, returning to the strategic peak occupied by Israel from 1982 to 2000.

My Take

My Take | Why China-bashing is being replaced by China-maxxing

Young Westerners embracing Chinese habits and culture started as a meme. But under it is a serious political signal.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation isn’t Nato for Iran

Central Asian members in particular see bloc’s main value as preserving their sovereignty rather than enabling collective military action.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
War and conflict

Israel, Russia hit back after being added to UN blacklist for sexual violence in conflicts

UN documentation of alleged abuses sparks furious denials from both nations.

US-China relations

China, US at ‘historical crossroads’, Beijing’s envoy tells New York gala event

Nixon, Bush and Rockefeller families are among evening’s honorees, along with former Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa.

Middle East

Israel launches deadly strike near Beirut as it widens offensive in Lebanon

Escalating hostilities in Lebanon strain a fragile ceasefire ahead of crucial negotiations in Washington.

The aftermath of an Israeli strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

America at 250: how Trump’s foreign policy is redefining the US story

‘Even if the US comes back, it will not return to the position it once held,’ while China could play a bigger role, analyst Wu Xinbo says.

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Under Donald Trump, the US alliance system has come under “unprecedented strain” and it will never return to what it once was, according to a Chinese international relations expert. Photo: TNS
Climate change

Earth is hot and getting hotter: UN warns next 5 years likely to smash records

Climate agencies predict planet will experience a new hottest-ever year before 2031.

Africa

Uganda shuts border with DR Congo to curb surging Ebola outbreak

Defying WHO guidelines, temporary closure follows exposure of Ugandan health workers to the rare virus strain.

Japan

Japan eyes new rules to curb US, China and Russia space arms race

Japan is ‘best placed’ to establish new rules given its space capabilities and strong support for nuclear non-proliferation, analysts say.

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An illustration shows a military satellite shooting a laser at the Earth. Photo: Shutterstock
China-Latin America relations

Panama encourages dialogue at UN as canal tensions with China simmer

Panama’s foreign minister uses UN speech to help defuse tension after deterioration in Panama-China relations due to canal dispute.

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Containers sit at the Balboa terminal, formerly run by CK Hutchison’s Panama Ports, after the Panama government ordered the occupation of the port following a court ruling that the concession was unconstitutional. Photo: AP
US-China relations

China’s Wang Yi tells UN multilateralism must be protected in swipe at US

Beijing’s top diplomat says ‘world peace and security are in great jeopardy’ and that UN Charter should be safeguarded at all costs.

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Hong Kong society

Opinion | Northern Metropolis is Hong Kong’s chance to show the best of urbanism

Hong Kong has an opportunity to affirm that, rather than being opposites, technological advancement and human-centric design go hand in hand.

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European Union

Pope calls for ‘disarming’ of AI, technology should be ‘human friendly’

Pope Leo called for the ‘disarming’ of artificial intelligence, and warned of ‘new forms of slavery’ behind its rise.

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Pope Leo XIV attends the presentation of his first Encyclical Letter ‘Magnifica Humanitas’, focused on the rise of artificial intelligence, in The Vatican on Monday. Photo: AFP
China’s military

China boosts peacekeeping budget share amid warnings UN may be sidelined

SIPRI says Beijing’s participation in such UN missions helps ‘project an image of itself as a responsible major power’.

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War and conflict

Global tensions, funding crisis threaten peacekeeping missions, SIPRI warns

Alarm as peacekeeping deployments fall to lowest levels in at least 25 years.

Middle East

Yemen family eats boiled tree leaves as aid dies out

‘We have no sugar, no flour, nothing.’ The nation, ravaged by civil war for over a decade, is seeing less and less humanitarian funding.

Displaced Yemeni woman Saeedah Mohammed feeds one of her grandchildren with boiled tree leaves. Photo: AFP
China education

‘Natural’ choice: why Unesco’s new STEM education centre is based in Shanghai

China is working with the UN agency to help the world’s least developed countries advance technical education and grow their talent pools.

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President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the Unesco headquarters in Paris on March 27, 2014. Photo: AFP
Iran

UN event on nuclear non-proliferation treaty stumbles, US and Iran clash

There was no consensus among the 191 parties to the NPT, the third failure in a row at a conference reviewing the treaty.

US-China relations

China’s top diplomat to visit US and Canada to boost ties, pave way for Xi trip

Wang Yi set to chair UN Security Council meeting in New York this month before travelling to Ottawa for talks with Canadian counterpart.

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Africa

WHO raises risk assessment as DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak spreads ‘rapidly’

Chief of the UN health agency said the risk remains high for regional spread and low at global levels.

A medical worker checks temperature for a local journalist in Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua
Indonesia

‘So rough’: father of Indonesian on Gaza flotilla claims Israeli mistreatment

Nine Indonesians were among those detained when Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla on Monday.

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Alliance of Independent Journalists members rally for the return of Indonesians on board the Global Sumud Flotilla in Surabaya on Thursday. Photo: Andre Yuris
Asean

Over 4,300 Southeast Asian species face extinction threat

Tigers, giant catfish, gibbons and pangolins are among the thousands of ‘critically endangered’ or ‘endangered’ species in the region.

Afghanistan

New Taliban law in Afghanistan implies that child marriage is permitted, UN says

UN says the new family code tacitly permits union with minors, despite Kabul claiming forced weddings are banned.

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