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Foreign buyers at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou say they have greater bargaining power in deals with Chinese suppliers amid the trade war. Photo: Xinhua
US-China trade war

Desperate for sales, China’s traders chase risky deals in emerging markets

With the US market closed off, Chinese exporters are scouring the globe to find new buyers – with mixed results.

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Donald Trump

Trump blocked Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear sites to avoid military clash

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Middle East

Iran ‘not far’ from having nuclear bomb, UN watchdog chief says

Iran

Iran’s military power non-negotiable in US talks, Revolutionary Guard says

The warning comes as Tehran and Washington are set for another high-level nuclear talks in Oman.

Missiles displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Reuters
Missiles displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Reuters
Israel-Gaza war

Hamas offers ‘serious prisoner swap’ for guarantees Israel will end Gaza war

Hamas proposed releasing all Israeli hostages for a significant prisoner swap and an end to the Gaza conflict, demanding guarantees to ensure Israel’s compliance.

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United States

Is Global South poised for worldwide reset as faith in multilateral blocs wanes?

New mechanisms are needed to vest more powers to emerging countries, say participants at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

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Middle East

Houthis say US air strikes kill 6, claim Reaper drone shot down over Yemen

The rebels said a ceramics factory in Sanaa was hit overnight, as they reported their fourth downing of a US drone in two weeks.

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The wreckage of an American MQ-9 Reaper drone is seen in April last year after the Houthis said they had shot it down. Photo: Houthis Media Centre/EPA-EFE
The wreckage of an American MQ-9 Reaper drone is seen in April last year after the Houthis said they had shot it down. Photo: Houthis Media Centre/EPA-EFE
Malaysia

Iran’s meth cartels target Australia via Malaysia’s Port Klang

Experts say crime syndicates from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan are using Malaysia as a transshipment hub for drugs destined for Australia.

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US-Iran tensions

US Pentagon chief says military ready to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear bomb

Pete Hegseth said Trump hoped to avoid military option ‘but if we have to, we will to prevent the nuclear bomb in Iran’s hands’.

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Israel-Gaza war

Hundreds of patients evacuated as Israel strikes hospital for fifth time

The attack, on one of the enclave’s few functioning hospitals, was against Hamas fighters exploiting the facility, Israel said.

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A Palestinian doctor at the site of the destroyed Al Ahli Baptist hospital on Sunday following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City. Photo: EPA-EFE
Israel-Gaza war

Israel expanding Gaza offensive, seizes key corridor

The IDF also launched strikes in the Khan Younis area after ordering tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.

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Palestinians flee areas in the eastern part of Gaza City after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Palestinians flee areas in the eastern part of Gaza City after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Middle East

US in hurry for nuclear deal, Iran says after high-stakes talks, Trump threats

Iran’s foreign minister briefly spoke face-to-face with the US president’s special envoy, and says discussions will resume next week.

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Ukraine war

Ukraine keen to end war with Russia soon: foreign minister at diplomacy forum

Kyiv’s Andrii Sybiha and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov both attended the three-day platform in Turkey but were never on the same panel, offering starkly different views on the conflict.

Middle East

Turkey accuses Israel undermining Syria, stirring up tensions

Turkey is a key backer of Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group led the rebel coalition that ousted Bashar al-Assad in December.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the opening of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Türkiye, on Friday. Photo: Xinhua
Indonesia

Indonesia’s Prabowo: Gaza violence undermines world’s rules-based system

Indonesian president says violence and unilateral decisions by the West are only leading the world towards unrest with little say for emerging nations.

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Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto takes part in a panel discussion during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on Friday. Photo: Handout
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto takes part in a panel discussion during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on Friday. Photo: Handout
Iran

Last chance for diplomacy? US, Iran open decade-defining nuclear talks

With Trump’s threats and a tight two-month deadline, analysts warn that failure to compromise could trigger a dangerous escalatory cycle.

Israel-Gaza war

Judge rules US can deport Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil

The pro-Palestinian activist was the first person arrested under Trump’s crackdown on students taking part in campus protests over Gaza.

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United Nations

World leaders urge Global South inclusion amid US-China tensions, Gaza conflict

World leaders at Turkey’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum urged for greater Global South inclusion and a two-state solution in Gaza, amid rising geopolitical tensions.

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The Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey discussed cooperation n in a new era of a fragmented world. Photo: Facebook/@ Antalya Diplomasi Forumu
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey discussed cooperation n in a new era of a fragmented world. Photo: Facebook/@ Antalya Diplomasi Forumu
Middle East

Taliban’s morality police arrest men for skipping mosque or wrong hairstyles

During the holy fasting month of Ramadan, men’s attendance at mandated prayers was closely monitored, leading at times to arbitrary detention.

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Israel-Gaza war

Hamas hides identities of top commanders to evade Israeli strikes

The move aims to shield leaders and maintain power amid calls for the group to relinquish control of Gaza.

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Iran

US moves B-2 bombers to Indian Ocean base in message to Iran

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth insists Tehran ‘should not have a nuclear bomb’.

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B-2 bombers are equipped to carry the heaviest US bombs and nuclear weapons. Photo: Reuters
Donald Trump

Trump says he’d use US military to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons

The US president says Israel would be ‘the leader’ of such a strike if necessary.

A woman walks past a mural depicting the US flag with the stars replaced by skulls and the white and red stripes with silhouettes of soldiers firing assault rifles, painted on the outer walls of the former US embassy in Tehran on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
A woman walks past a mural depicting the US flag with the stars replaced by skulls and the white and red stripes with silhouettes of soldiers firing assault rifles, painted on the outer walls of the former US embassy in Tehran on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
Banking & finance

Exclusive | Qatar wealth fund chief seeks to speed up deal for China Asset Management stake

‘The talks went smoothly and the stakeholders are supportive of the deal,’ a source says.

Israel

Hezbollah says ready to discuss disarming if Israeli troops leave Lebanon

The group said it was open to talks with Lebanon’s president if Israel retreated from from five hilltops and halted its strikes.

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Israel

‘No court run this way’: chaos at Israel hearing over sacking of security chief

Protests disrupted proceedings as an Israeli court heard petitions against the sacking of security chief Ronen Bar amid claims of political motives.

Supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and of the dismissal of Ronen Bar, protest outside the high court during a hearing on the government’s dismissal of the head of the domestic intelligence service. Photo: Reuters
Open Questions series

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

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29
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

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4
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
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