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War and conflict

War and conflict
The latest news, analysis and opinion on War and conflict. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (left) is shown a Vanta system during a Friday visit to STARK, a leading defence tech company in Swindon, to hear how the defence industry is learning lessons from Ukraine. Photo: dpa
Russia

UK’s Keir Starmer says Russia could attack Nato within 4 years

His comments echo similar time frames expressed by other European leaders and Nato chief Mark Rutte.

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Thailand

Thailand to join UN maritime arbitration with Cambodia

Myanmar

Deformed fish in river, pollution from rare earth mines in Myanmar fuel fears

Ukraine war

Putin says Trump ideas could bring peace in Ukraine, urges Kyiv to compromise

Zelensky, meanwhile, proposed face-to-face negotiations in a public letter addressed directly to the Russian leader.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin meets with representatives of international news agencies on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

Opinion | China’s economic inroads in Latin America are hitting political walls

China’s economic gains in the Americas are real, but Donald Trump’s return to the White House shows that political success is another story.

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Middle East

Hezbollah rejects Israel and Lebanon’s ceasefire plan

Hezbollah leader insists that a ceasefire must include southern Lebanon, where Israel ‌has ‌seized a self-declared security zone.

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US, Israel war on Iran

US House votes to stop Iran war in rebuke to Trump

Measure will not end US military attacks on Iran, but it underscores the backlash against Trump over the war.

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A fighter jet on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in May. Photo: US Navy via AFP
Ukraine war

Opinion | Asia has to learn the lessons of war while it still can

The time to learn is before the fire reaches the house. Every war forces us to ask: if this logic came to our region, what would we do?

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European Union

Ukraine, Hungary agree on minority rights, paving way for EU accession talks

The long-running dispute had strained ties between Budapest and Kyiv and complicated Hungary’s support for Ukraine’s EU ambitions.

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Ukraine war

Ukraine drone strikes causing ‘panic’ for Kremlin, EU’s Kallas says

Russia is increasing attacks on civilians because it doesn’t know how to respond to attacks deep in its territory, the top EU diplomat says.

Smoke billows following hits by Ukrainian drones at an oil terminal in St Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday. Photo: Social media via Reuters
United States

Trump says Vance-Rubio team-up for 2028 run would be unbeatable

Trump ‌has continued to fuel the succession talk even as both Vance and Rubio downplay ‌their ‌2028 ambitions.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) and US Vice-President J.D. Vance at the White House in March. Photo: dpa
Diplomacy

Opinion | What Seoul must do to achieve peaceful coexistence with North Korea

South Korea needs to restore communication channels, end the policy see-saw and ensure official rhetoric is consistent with policy objectives.

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Russia

Ukraine drones target St Petersburg as ‘Russia’s Davos’ opens

Black smoke rises over major fuel terminal as city hosts Vladimir Putin’s global economic summit.

New Zealand

Is New Zealand a ‘freeloader’? Wellington rebuffs Hegseth’s Shangri-La remark

Analysts say the US defence secretary’s taunts ring hollow given Washington’s own record of undermining alliance obligations.

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Delegates watch US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s speech on a screen at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Kuwait International Airport hit as US and Iran exchange attacks

Strikes damage terminal and halt commercial flights, sparking a fierce blame game between Washington and Tehran.

Kuwaiti officials inspect damage inside a terminal at Kuwait International Airport following a drone and missile attack. Photo: Kuwait News Agency via Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

‘You’re crazy!’: Trump-Netanyahu relationship under growing strain over Iran

A reported profane phone tirade exposes deep fissures between two allies facing immense domestic strain.

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China-Latin America relations

US’ Cuba-China fears, Panama pressure: Latin America relations reads

From Argentina’s shrinking China lifeline to the US’ Cuba worries, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in May 2026.

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Cambodia

Cambodia starts UN-backed process for maritime dispute with Thailand

The dispute relates to sea space in the Gulf of ‌Thailand that holds trillions of cubic feet of natural gas and large quantities of oil.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (front) attends a parliamentary session in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last month. Photo: Xinhua
Ukraine war

Major Russian air attack on Ukrainian cities kills at least 23, wounds dozens

Ukraine says Russia ⁠launched more than 650 drones and 70 missiles overnight, mainly targeting Kyiv.

United States

Court blocks US military removing transgender troops for now

Appeals court shields current service members from discharge while leaving wider enlisting restrictions in place.

US, Israel war on Iran

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

Israeli leader vows to continue operations in southern Lebanon despite the US president claiming ‘no Troops going to Beirut’.

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An Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Tyre in southern Lebanon on Monday. Photo: AFP
Myanmar

Rescuers dig for bodies after Myanmar explosives blast kills at least 38

The incident has cast a spotlight on Myanmar’s largely unregulated mineral industry and Chinese investment in the country’s extractive industries.

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A damaged building after a blast at an explosives depot in Kaung Tat village, Namkham, northern Shan State, Myanmar on Sunday. Photo: EPA
Middle East

Netanyahu orders strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, clouding Iran mediation

Order came a day after Israeli ground forces seized a historic castle, reaching their deepest point in Lebanon in 26 years.

US, Israel war on Iran

US says struck Iran sites, Tehran responds by targeting base

Kuwait intercepts incoming drone and missile fire as negotiations to end the Iran war drag on.

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Middle East

Syria says Sharaa holds phone call with Trump

Ahmed al-Sharaa tells the US president that ending economic restrictions is essential to reviving Syria’s economy.

US President Donald Trump and Syria’s President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House in November 2025. The two leaders spoke by phone on Sunday. Photo: Syrian presidency via AP
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran says US not to be trusted as Trump toughens deal terms

Ceasefire remains elusive as both sides still remain apart on conditions for peace.

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An anti-US mural in Tehran, Iran. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters
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.

Myanmar

45 killed in Myanmar’s Shan state after blast at mining explosive storage facility

The village in Namhkam township is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an ethnic armed group opposed to the junta.

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