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World

United States & Canada

Russia & Central Asia

Oil tankers sail near the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Diplomacy

US claims Iran’s new supreme leader ‘wounded’, Strait of Hormuz will not close

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth downplays worries over vital shipping lane but offers few details about US measures to restore oil flow.

2 hours agovideocam

Hormuz has become Iran’s ultimate lever against US. Will Trump ‘blink first’?

3 hours agovideocam

US economic growth slumps to 0.7% in fourth quarter, stoking inflation worries

3 hours agovideocam

Americas

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro in ICU with pneumonia

The ex-president, who is serving a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup, was moved from prison to a hospital in Brasilia.

50 minutes agovideocam

Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro attends a rally in Sao Paulo in June 2025. Photo: AFP

Europe

UK says Russia, Iran trying to ‘hijack global economy’ amid Hormuz closure

Foreign Secretary Cooper said Moscow and Tehran ‘benefit together’ from soaring oil prices.

5 hours agovideocam

Americas

Cuba confirms US talks as island gasps under Trump’s energy blockade

President Miguel Diaz-Canel called the discussion a ‘highly sensitive process’ because it affects bilateral relations of both sides.

5 hours agovideocam

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Middle East

US military refuelling plane crashes in Iraq, killing all 6 aboard

The KC-135 aircraft was part of the operation against Iran but the crash was not due to ‘hostile fire’, US Central Command said.

3 hours ago

A US Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aerial-refuelling aircraft flies over Tel Aviv on March 4. On Thursday, a US KC-135 aircraft crashed in western Iraq . Photo: AFP

Diplomacy

Iran’s new supreme leader defies Trump, says Hormuz must stay blocked

In first declaration since his appointment as the country’s new supreme leader, Khamenei demands that US military bases in region must close.

13 Mar 2026 - 5:44PMvideocam

United States & Canada

Nasa clears Artemis moon rocket for an April launch with 4 astronauts

After critical repairs, the rocket returns to the pad for humanity’s first crewed trip to the moon in over 50 years.

13 Mar 2026 - 1:24PM

Europe

Serbia confirms it owns Chinese supersonic missiles after photo leak

‘We have a significant number of those missiles and we will have even more,’ Aleksandar Vucic said, adding they were ‘extremely effective’.

13 Mar 2026 - 6:47AM

China’s President Xi Jinping, left, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Netanyahu threatens Iran’s new supreme leader, defends joint assault with US

‘I ‌will not detail the actions ‌we are taking. We are creating the optimal conditions for toppling the regime,’ the Israeli PM said.

13 Mar 2026 - 5:31AMvideocam

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and US President Donald Trump. Photo: Getty Images / TNS

United States & Canada

1 dead, 2 injured in shooting at Virginia’s Old Dominion University, police say

The gunman, identified as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, is also dead. The FBI said the incident is being investigated as ‘an act of terrorism’.

13 Mar 2026 - 6:25AM

United States & Canada

Assailant dead after ramming vehicle into Michigan synagogue

Authorities identify the deceased assailant as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali; reports suggest he recently lost family members in Lebanon.

13 Mar 2026 - 1:58PM

Europe

‘The Witch’: British mum who kept woman as ‘house slave’ for 25 years is jailed

The victim, who has a learning disability, was deprived of food, forced to do manual labour and assaulted by Amanda Wixon, the court heard.

13 Mar 2026 - 2:27AM

Amanda Wixon, 56, of Tewkesbury in England, was jailed for 13 years on Thursday for forcing a woman with a learning disability to work as a “house slave” for more than 25 years. Photo: Gloucestershire Constabulary

United States & Canada

California’s Newsom says no imminent threat despite warning of Iran drone attack

In an alert, the FBI recently warned police departments about a possible strike on California if the US conducted strikes against Iran.

13 Mar 2026 - 7:32AMvideocam

California Governor Gavin Newsom. Photo: Getty Images / TNS

Global Economy

Japan taps oil reserves as Iran war spreads. Could it give China leverage?

With Tokyo and Beijing still at loggerheads over Taiwan, analysts warn Japan’s decision exposes its economic vulnerability.

13 Mar 2026 - 6:00PM

World

China’s arms imports plummet, Hong Kong couple’s Dubai exit: 7 highlights

From missile concerns in the Philippines to China’s rejection of Musk’s space-AI plan, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

13 Mar 2026 - 12:12PM

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Politics

The China-US face-off: a visual guide to Xi and Trump’s key people

Discover the power players in Xi and Trump’s teams; the key people setting the agenda on diplomacy, the military, the economy, security and science.

11 Mar 2026 - 10:39AM

The China-US face-off: a visual guide to Donald Trump and Xi Jinping’s inner circles

United States & Canada

Power players: a visual guide to Trump’s team and their views on China

Discover who is in Donald Trump’s inner circle, their backgrounds, stances on China and the roles they will play in shaping the future of the US.

26 Aug 2025 - 10:25AM

United States & Canada

Trump’s ‘racist hate speech’ fuelling rights violations in US, UN panel says

UN watchdog is ‘deeply disturbed’ by dehumanising language and condemns the use of lethal force in recent immigration and protest crackdowns.

12 Mar 2026 - 2:45PM

Diplomacy

Trump threatens ‘death, fire, and fury’ as US destroys 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels

After reports of mine-laying in the Strait of Hormuz, the US unleashes its ‘most intense’ day of strikes on Iran since the war began.

11 Mar 2026 - 5:48PM

An Iranian naval vessel just before it is struck by a projectile ‘near the Strait of Hormuz’, according to the US. Photo: US Central Command via AFP

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Open Questions series

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

12 Jan 2026 - 10:06AMvideocam

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

20 Oct 2025 - 11:18AM

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

5 Oct 2025 - 8:13AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

11 Aug 2025 - 9:13AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

4 Aug 2025 - 11:00AMvideocam

Illustration: Henry Wong

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

10 Feb 2025 - 12:57PMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

12 Jan 2026 - 10:06AMvideocam

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

20 Oct 2025 - 11:18AM

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

5 Oct 2025 - 8:13AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

11 Aug 2025 - 9:13AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

4 Aug 2025 - 11:00AMvideocam

Illustration: Henry Wong

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

10 Feb 2025 - 12:57PMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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Opinion | US-Israeli war on Iran makes a mockery of global governance rules

Andrew Sheng

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Outside In | The end of an era at sea offers us a grim reminder on land

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13 Mar 2026 - 5:28PM

Opinion | Iran war marks return to strongest states assuming special rights

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13 Mar 2026 - 7:59AM

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Opinion | How America’s Iran miscalculation hands China a strategic advantage

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11 Mar 2026 - 9:30AM

As I see it | Iran war exposes the risks of being a US ally

Alex Lo

11 Mar 2026 - 5:30AM

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Thai news anchors dress down to save energy

Thai news anchors dress down

Hong Kong drivers head north for cheaper fuel

Gas prices in Hong Kong rise amid Iran war.

Taiwan hosts world’s first indoor tug of war championships

Taiwans junior mens tug-of-war team competes against the Basque Country in Taipei World Indoor Tug of War Championships, in Taipei on March 12, 2026. (Photo by I-Hwa Cheng / AFP)

Hong Kong airlines raise prices amid fuel shortages

Travellers at Hong Kong International Airport in Chek Lap Kok on Monday afternoon. Cathay Pacific halts Dubai and Riyadh flights until Thursday amid US-Israeli strikes on Iran. 02MAR26. SCMP / Eugene Lee

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