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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.
Cui Jianchun, commissioner of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, addresses a summit of the International Organisation for Mediation held in Hong Kong last Friday. Photo: Xinhua
US, Israel war on Iran

Is China’s new mediation body gaining steam as Western brokers’ influence wanes?

Summit encourages countries to join Beijing-led initiative as stalled US-Iran peace talks reveal limits of traditional solution mechanisms.

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Israel-Gaza war

‘No nation’: Palestinians in Gaza mark anniversary of 1948 mass expulsion

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Africa

Africa calls multi-nation health meeting amid fatal Ebola outbreak

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Diplomacy

Opinion | North Korea is not Iran. The same pressure tactics won’t work

North Korea’s nuclear reality and the overlapping interests of the US, China and Russia make tension reduction a prerequisite.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
European Union

EU won’t ban LGBTQ ‘conversion therapy’ but will push states to act

Such bans already exist in eight of the EU’s 27 nations.

Singapore

Strong international sea laws ‘vital’ for small nations like Singapore: Wong

The prime minister warns of a direct impact on Singapore’s trade if the international law framework is weakened.

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US-China relations

Opinion | US maximum pressure tactics unlikely to work with China

As the Trump-Xi summit approaches, China will be going into negotiations with a new diplomatic posture.

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A US Air Force C-17 lands at Beijing Capital Airport on May 11, ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP
My Take

My Take | The path to the future is renewables, but not in Donald Trump’s America

China is leading the world to make the transition but Washington is stalling under a president whose energy motto is ‘drill, baby, drill’.

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United States

Opinion | Thanks to Trump, the gloves are off. There may be no new global order

With the UN, IMF and World Bank mired in old power structures, universities could be the platform to shape how the global future unfolds.

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Hantavirus

‘Not another Covid’ says WHO, as new suspected hantavirus cases found

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO chief, is in charge of MV Hondius’ evacuation; latest patient sat on plane near woman infected during cruise.

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Sant Joan university hospital, where a woman with symptoms consistent with a hantavirus infection is being treated, is seen in Alicante, Spain, on Friday. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

China plan to be global arbitration hub fighting Western distrust: experts

China’s newly revised Arbitration Law marks the most significant overhaul of the country’s commercial dispute framework since 1994.

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China’s newly revised Arbitration Law took effect in March. Photo: Shutterstock
The Philippines

Philippines shifts defence strategy with Japan, eyes wider security focus

Defence chief Gilberto Teodoro says the Diaoyu Islands are now considered a ‘serious concern’ and the Balikatan drills will also be expanded.

Science

Will Iran war threaten next harvest? Which countries are most at risk?

As the Hormuz blockade cuts off vital agricultural inputs, Food and Agriculture Organization official views China as key food security partner.

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Disease

Nations race to trace passengers of hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Cruise operator says 29 passengers left the MV Hondius in St Helena on April 24, after the first death.

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A person in a white hazmat suit disembarks a medical aircraft in Amsterdam on Wednesday. Photo: ANP via AFP
North Korea

‘Groundless’ claims: North Korea says nuclear status is not up for debate

Since withdrawing from the non-proliferation treaty in 2003, North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests and built up an arsenal of warheads.

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North Korea launches a hypersonic missile from an undisclosed location on January 6, 2025. Photo: KCNA/AFP
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

The global commons of the seabed is in effect being governed by private actors with the capital and tech to build and maintain cable systems.

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North Korea

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

Reports suggest North Korean-produced phones periodically capture screenshots that are stored in hidden folders accessible to authorities.

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Domestically produced Jindallae mobile phones are displayed during the Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair on Monday. Photo: AFP
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.

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.

Posters for the proposed Golden Dome for America missile defense shield are displayed before an event with US President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in May 2025. Photo: AP
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 Xi-Trump 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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