Vietnamese crab exporterdouble-skinned crabs
Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC
 / location

Afghanistan

Afghanistan
Latest news and updates on Afghanistan, China relations and the Taliban's return to power after the 20-year war with the US and allies.
Capital
Kabul
Head of state
Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada
Head of government
Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada
People gather at site of a bomb attack in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on September 18. Photo: Xinhua
Security officers inspect the blast site following an attack on a mosque in Kohat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on September 19. Photo: EPA
Security personnel fortify a police post with Ukraine-style mesh barriers, as a new line of defence against militant drone and aerial attacks, at Bara in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in August. Photo: AFP
Residents inspect a damaged house following an air strike in a village in Nurgal district of Kunar province, Afghanistan, on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Pakistan

Why Pakistan’s endless war on militants fails to break the cycle

Tactical wins and retaliatory strikes have not delivered peace, even as two separate insurgencies appear to be converging.

videocam
Donald Trump

US prepares sanctions against the ICC: sources

10
Pakistan

31 dead in Pakistan after suicide bomber, gunmen attack police complex

Canada

Ex-Canada PM Chretien tells US: ‘never mistake our generosity for weakness’

His pointed message was issued in Gander, the Canadian town that sheltered thousands of stranded Americans after the September 11 attacks.

Former Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien speaks at the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US in Gander, Newfoundland, on Friday. Photo: The Canadian Press via AP
United States

Americans mark 25 years since 9/11 attacks amid enduring grief, reflection

Nearly 3,000 people were killed on the day that has shaped US society for decades, influencing its foreign policy and domestic politics.

Italy

Emma Bonino, Italy’s activist politician, dies aged 78

Bonino was a passionate advocate for social justice and gender equality who deliberately courted controversy to advance her many causes.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
United States

On This Day | America faces ‘darkest hour’ as 9/11 attacks unfold in 2001 – SCMP archive

Two hijacked planes destroyed the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, leaving thousands dead and a nation in shock.

21
A second hijacked plane approaches the World Trade Centre towers shortly before crashing into the skyscraper on September 11, 2001. Photo: AFP
US Chief of Staff Andy Card informs President Bush about the World Trade Centre attacks while he attends a school visit in Sarasota, Florida, on September 11, 2001. Photo: AP/Doug Mills
The World Trade Centre towers pour smoke across New York City shortly after being struck by two hijacked planes on September 11, 2001. Photo: Reuters
Fire and smoke billows from the north tower of the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. Photo: AP/Richard Drew
Firefighters work at the scene of the destroyed World Trade Centre in New York City on September 11, 2001. Photo: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton
United States

US judge approves order to force-feed suspect who attacked troops

Accused gunman Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been hospitalised since July after refusing food.

SCO

What to expect as China’s Xi Jinping attends SCO summit in Bishkek

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s 25th anniversary summit expected to offer clues to China’s ambitions for a more multipolar Asia, analysts say.

videocam
14
Japan

Why Japan is walking on eggshells over US sanctions on ICC judge

Tokyo has to tread ‘extremely lightly’ on the issue to avoid jeopardising the US security umbrella on which it relies, analysts say.

14
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has described the sanctions on ICC president Tomoko Akane as “deeply regrettable”. Photo: Kyodo
Cambodia

Declining aid threatens landmine clearing efforts in Southeast Asia

Aid cuts and shifting geopolitical priorities leave Cambodian and regional demining groups struggling to remove deadly wartime relics.

A deminer uses a metal detector to clear a landmine field in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in July. Photo: AP
United States

US sanctions International Criminal Court chief Tomoko Akane

Senior ICC lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who was on the prosecution team that sought an arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu, was also targeted.

5
Hollywood

Meet Jill Wagner, who plays Bobby in Taylor Sheridan’s Lioness

The actress studied acting under the Yellowstone creator years before she helped create the spy thriller, which also stars Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman.

Pakistan

Pakistan border sees 724 humanitarian trucks enter Afghanistan

Nearly 14 million Afghans are facing acute hunger after deadly earthquakes last year, several climate-related disasters this year and the return of millions of refugees.

Afghan refugees receive food rations donated by Saudi Arabia, in Kabul on July 30. Photo: EPA-EFE
China-Middle East relations

Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan Mecca pact ‘far from’ Nato-style defence alliance

Observers say diverging strategic interests and a weak mutual security capacity will be the main challenges facing the agreement.

videocam
13
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left), Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Mecca on Friday. Photo: AFP
Taliban

2.4 million Afghan girls banned from schools 5 years after Taliban takeover: UN

The United Nations is urging an end to the ‘discriminatory’ Taliban policy that prevents girls from studying beyond primary school.

videocam
India-Pakistan tensions

Maldives’ plea to restart South Asian bloc hits India-Pakistan brick wall

Calls for reviving Saarc are likely to fall on deaf ears as long as the two neighbours are at loggerheads, analysts say.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Germany

Germany jails man for life over deadly Munich car-ramming

Prosecutors said during the trial that Farhad N., an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, acted out of ‘religious motivation’.

Members of the emergency services work at the scene where a car drove into a crowd in the southern German city of Munich on February 13, 2025 leaving several people injured, police said. Photo: AFP
Crime

Greek police arrest suspect after body of British woman found in suitcase

Afghan national in custody weeks after victim was discovered inside a derelict building in Athens.

Pakistan

At least 14 dead in suicide bomb attack at anti-militant rally in Pakistan

No group claimed responsibility for the attack in the northwestern town of Kabal but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban.

United States

As I see it | Despite immense power, the US delivers neither butter nor bullets

While Americans know they can’t get the welfare benefits they need, their leaders must realise their military can’t give them world domination.

videocam
5
US Army soldiers cross a floating bridge on the Imjin River during a joint river-crossing exercise with South Korea as a part of the Freedom Shield military exercise in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 20, 2025. Photo: AP
United States

As I see it | America declares international law for thee but not for me

While the US is seeking to dismantle the International Criminal Court, it has signed a statement upholding the Hague tribunal’s South China Sea ruling.

21
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends the 33rd Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, on July 23. Photo: AFP
Central Asia

China tests Central Asian land corridors to bypass maritime chokepoints

New Afghanistan link via Uzbekistan highlights diversification push, but critics ask if Taliban can ensure security for stable logistics.

videocam
10
Sexual harassment and assault

ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan removed over sexual misconduct allegations

The UK barrister is accused of having a non-consensual sexual relationship with a junior lawyer working at the International Criminal Court.

Ukraine war

Opinion | Russia’s grinding war in Ukraine shows the impotence of nuclear weapons

Having the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal has not helped Russia on the battlefield.

videocam
Illustration: Brian Wang
China economy

Opinion | China is growing its export channels with railways through Central Asia

Beijing is seeking to diversify its export channels as geopolitical tensions destabilise maritime trade hubs.

videocam
Chinese workers are seen in a tunnel in Kyrgyzstan, on February 13, part of the 523km China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway currently under construction. Photo: Xinhua
Pakistan

‘Mini Kabul’ falls silent as Pakistan targets undocumented Afghans in border province

About 2.3 million Afghans – some who lived in Pakistan for decades – have been sent back since the repatriation drive began in 2023.

Japan

‘Very worried’: US campaign against ICC leaves Japan in a bind

The initiative will make Tokyo weigh its international law commitments against its dependence on the US security umbrella, analysts say.

14
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement