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Ukraine

Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe after Russia, gaining independence from the Soviet Union and declaring neutrality in 1991. In February 2022, Russia's President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine under the auspices of a "special military operation" to "de-nazify" the country. The move turned Moscow into a global pariah, and the Ukrainian army - backed financially and militarily by the US and western European countries - continues to fight off the invading forces. Nuclear-armed Russia has warned of consequences if Nato interferes in the war, while strategic ally China urges a peaceful, diplomatic solution.

Capital

Kyiv

Head of State

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Head of Government

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal

A firefighter works at a site of a Russian strike on Sunday. Photo: Ukraine State Emergency Service/Reuters

Ukraine war

Russia asks North Korea to send 30,000 extra troops for Ukraine war: Zelensky

In return, North Korea has received cash, military technology, food and energy commodities to help it overcome international sanctions.

5 hours ago

Ukraine war

Ukraine insists Japan’s pacifist rules permit Patriot missile help

25 Jul 2026 - 1:23PM

Ukraine war

Meet Iryna Terekh, the trained architect behind Ukraine’s deep-strike drones

25 Jul 2026 - 2:56AM

Ukraine war

Russian attack kills 10, injures almost 100, at Ukraine defence event

A strike hit a drone exhibition site hours after Ukraine’s leader hosted senior staff who work on protecting against aerial attacks.

24 Jul 2026 - 11:52PMvideocam

The site of a Russian missile strike in the Kyiv region of Ukraine on Friday. Photo: Ukrainian Emergency Services via AP

China trade

Beijing to upgrade railway freight services to Europe

Agreement to build first phase of a multifunctional terminal at Kuryk, a Kazakh port on the Caspian Sea, signed in Shanghai recently.

24 Jul 2026 - 6:00PM

Ukraine war

Trump ally Loomer meets Zelensky after dramatic U-turn on Ukraine war

Conservative influencer sat down with the Ukrainian president after an air raid in Kyiv prompted her call for ‘moral clarity’.

24 Jul 2026 - 3:48PM

China-EU relations

Opinion | As the West finds common cause, China prepares for the worst

Far from being able to take advantage of fissures among Western allies, China faces narrowing diplomatic options. But all leverage is not lost.

24 Jul 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

China-EU relations

EU waters down Russia sanctions over fears China could seize key LNG assets

Bloc concludes banning Greek companies from transporting Russian gas to third countries may hand strategic shipping advantages to Beijing.

24 Jul 2026 - 1:44AMvideocam

Ukraine war

Ukraine’s strikes on ‘Russia’s Amazon’ bring war closer to ordinary citizens

Drone attacks hit warehouses belonging to e-commerce giant Wildberries, founded by Russia’s richest woman, Tatyana Kim.

23 Jul 2026 - 1:18PM

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.

22 Jul 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Ukraine war

Zelensky sacks Ukraine army chief Syrsky after days of protests

Ukraine gets a new top commander as protests over defence minister’s ouster spark the war’s biggest military shake-up.

22 Jul 2026 - 2:16PM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr and Oleksandr Syrsky, who has been sacked as army chief. Photo: AFP

US-Iran tensions

What can China learn from the US sea drone strike on an Iranian submarine base?

Experts highlight struggle for conventional systems to detect fast, low-visibility vessels after first combat use of the technology.

21 Jul 2026 - 7:30PMvideocam

China-EU relations

EU lawmakers arrive in China for high-stakes talks to manage mounting tensions

Wang Yi calls on delegation to strengthen exchanges across Chinese society for ‘a genuine, multi-dimensional and evolving perspective’.

21 Jul 2026 - 8:46PMvideocam

Britain

China’s Li congratulates Andy Burnham on becoming Britain’s new prime minister

Li said strengthening dialogue and cooperation between ⁠China and the UK will benefit ‌the nations and ‘inject stability into global ‌peace’.

21 Jul 2026 - 7:01AM

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has congratulated Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Photo: Reuters

Electric & new energy vehicles

Hungary probes deal with China’s BYD after ex-foreign minister takes job there

Peter Szijjarto’s announcement that he would take a job at the world’s top electric carmaker prompted accusations of a conflict of interest.

21 Jul 2026 - 4:49AMvideocam

Hungary’s Peter Szijjarto, right, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Budapest, Hungary on February 11. Szijjarto recently resigned as foreign minister to take an executive position at BYD. Photo: AFP

North Korea

North Korea paves way for possible Kim trip to Moscow

Pyongyang’s top diplomat met Putin to discuss the Ukraine war, munition shipments and a likely Kim visit, analysts say.

20 Jul 2026 - 3:53PMvideocam

Ukraine war

Lockheed Martin launches cheaper Patriot missile as air defence demand surges

The new missiles will cost less than half that of the current ones, which are about US$4 million each, the US defence contractor says.

20 Jul 2026 - 2:35PM

Ukraine war

Ukraine blames Russia for deadly strike on Turkish cargo ship

Ukraine’s navy said 6 died when Russia launched cruise missiles at the Golden Leo as it was ‘leaving the combat zone with a cargo of grain’.

20 Jul 2026 - 7:43AMvideocam

Smoke rises from the grain carrier Golden Leo under the Guinea-Bissau flag after Russian missile strikes in the the Black Sea close to Odesa, Ukraine on Sunday. Photo: AP

Ukraine war

Kyiv pounded in Russian missile barrage as air defences run low

At least one person was killed and 16 were wounded, heaping pressure on Kyiv’s foreign partners to accelerate supply of anti-ballistic defences.

19 Jul 2026 - 8:49PM

China-Russia relations

Opinion | Can Russia and China ever have a truly equal relationship?

In a partnership in which one side relies on the other for both export revenues and critical imports, the notion of equality is questionable.

19 Jul 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)

Did the Ukraine war spark China’s ban on most civilian drone flights in cities?

Strict new rules have disrupted casual users and increased compliance hurdles for industrial applications like power grid inspections.

19 Jul 2026 - 6:04AMvideocam

Malaysia

Malaysian snap poll threatens to chip away at Negeri Sembilan’s tech hub goals

Last year, the state recorded US$4.7 billion in approved investments across 295 projects, almost three times the amount logged in 2024.

17 Jul 2026 - 10:03PM

Barisan Nasional supporters attend the announcement of the party’s slate for the Negeri Sembilan election. Photo: Facebook/barisanasional

Russia

Russian activist arrested a day after predicting Putin will end up in handcuffs

Ilya Remeslo faces charges of spreading fake news about the Russian army under censorship laws introduced when Moscow sent troops to Ukraine.

17 Jul 2026 - 8:07PM

Ukraine war

Is Europe’s anti-missile move with Ukraine ‘insurance’ against unpredictable US?

Europe is ‘quietly planning for the day it might have to stand on its own’ while aligning with US calls to do more on defence, analysts say.

17 Jul 2026 - 3:10PM

Japan

Why Ukraine’s Patriot missile request may be a step too far for Japan

Agreeing to Kyiv’s co-production proposal risks triggering a backlash from Beijing and Moscow, analysts say.

17 Jul 2026 - 7:00AMvideocam

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stands in front of a Patriot missile system during his visit to a military training area in northeastern Germany in 2024. Photo: dpa

Ukraine war

Zelensky faces fury on Ukrainian streets after dropping defence minister

The air force’s deputy commander has resigned in protest, calling Mykhailo Fedorov’s removal ‘a great evil’ for Ukraine’s defence.

16 Jul 2026 - 5:55PM

People protest against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to replace Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

China-EU relations

EU accuses China of seeking to reshape global order in stark new strategy paper

China trying to ‘reshape the global order in line with their interests’, EU says in some of bloc’s strongest official criticism of Beijing.

16 Jul 2026 - 11:29AMvideocam

Britain

‘End of my political journey’: UK’s Starmer takes last questions session

The prime minister, who steps down next week, says he is leaving Britain ‘in better shape than I found it’.

15 Jul 2026 - 9:29PM

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Ukraine

Russia asks North Korea to send 30,000 extra troops for Ukraine war: Zelensky

In return, North Korea has received cash, military technology, food and energy commodities to help it overcome international sanctions.

Ukraine insists Japan’s pacifist rules permit Patriot missile help

Meet Iryna Terekh, the trained architect behind Ukraine’s deep-strike drones

Russian attack kills 10, injures almost 100, at Ukraine defence event

A strike hit a drone exhibition site hours after Ukraine’s leader hosted senior staff who work on protecting against aerial attacks.

Beijing to upgrade railway freight services to Europe

Agreement to build first phase of a multifunctional terminal at Kuryk, a Kazakh port on the Caspian Sea, signed in Shanghai recently.

Trump ally Loomer meets Zelensky after dramatic U-turn on Ukraine war

Conservative influencer sat down with the Ukrainian president after an air raid in Kyiv prompted her call for ‘moral clarity’.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | As the West finds common cause, China prepares for the worst

Far from being able to take advantage of fissures among Western allies, China faces narrowing diplomatic options. But all leverage is not lost.

EU waters down Russia sanctions over fears China could seize key LNG assets

Bloc concludes banning Greek companies from transporting Russian gas to third countries may hand strategic shipping advantages to Beijing.

Ukraine’s strikes on ‘Russia’s Amazon’ bring war closer to ordinary citizens

Drone attacks hit warehouses belonging to e-commerce giant Wildberries, founded by Russia’s richest woman, Tatyana Kim.

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.

Zelensky sacks Ukraine army chief Syrsky after days of protests

Ukraine gets a new top commander as protests over defence minister’s ouster spark the war’s biggest military shake-up.

What can China learn from the US sea drone strike on an Iranian submarine base?

Experts highlight struggle for conventional systems to detect fast, low-visibility vessels after first combat use of the technology.

EU lawmakers arrive in China for high-stakes talks to manage mounting tensions

Wang Yi calls on delegation to strengthen exchanges across Chinese society for ‘a genuine, multi-dimensional and evolving perspective’.

China’s Li congratulates Andy Burnham on becoming Britain’s new prime minister

Li said strengthening dialogue and cooperation between ⁠China and the UK will benefit ‌the nations and ‘inject stability into global ‌peace’.

Hungary probes deal with China’s BYD after ex-foreign minister takes job there

Peter Szijjarto’s announcement that he would take a job at the world’s top electric carmaker prompted accusations of a conflict of interest.

North Korea paves way for possible Kim trip to Moscow

Pyongyang’s top diplomat met Putin to discuss the Ukraine war, munition shipments and a likely Kim visit, analysts say.

Lockheed Martin launches cheaper Patriot missile as air defence demand surges

The new missiles will cost less than half that of the current ones, which are about US$4 million each, the US defence contractor says.

Ukraine blames Russia for deadly strike on Turkish cargo ship

Ukraine’s navy said 6 died when Russia launched cruise missiles at the Golden Leo as it was ‘leaving the combat zone with a cargo of grain’.

Kyiv pounded in Russian missile barrage as air defences run low

At least one person was killed and 16 were wounded, heaping pressure on Kyiv’s foreign partners to accelerate supply of anti-ballistic defences.

Opinion | Can Russia and China ever have a truly equal relationship?

In a partnership in which one side relies on the other for both export revenues and critical imports, the notion of equality is questionable.

Did the Ukraine war spark China’s ban on most civilian drone flights in cities?

Strict new rules have disrupted casual users and increased compliance hurdles for industrial applications like power grid inspections.

Malaysian snap poll threatens to chip away at Negeri Sembilan’s tech hub goals

Last year, the state recorded US$4.7 billion in approved investments across 295 projects, almost three times the amount logged in 2024.

Russian activist arrested a day after predicting Putin will end up in handcuffs

Ilya Remeslo faces charges of spreading fake news about the Russian army under censorship laws introduced when Moscow sent troops to Ukraine.

Is Europe’s anti-missile move with Ukraine ‘insurance’ against unpredictable US?

Europe is ‘quietly planning for the day it might have to stand on its own’ while aligning with US calls to do more on defence, analysts say.

Why Ukraine’s Patriot missile request may be a step too far for Japan

Agreeing to Kyiv’s co-production proposal risks triggering a backlash from Beijing and Moscow, analysts say.

Zelensky faces fury on Ukrainian streets after dropping defence minister

The air force’s deputy commander has resigned in protest, calling Mykhailo Fedorov’s removal ‘a great evil’ for Ukraine’s defence.

EU accuses China of seeking to reshape global order in stark new strategy paper

China trying to ‘reshape the global order in line with their interests’, EU says in some of bloc’s strongest official criticism of Beijing.

‘End of my political journey’: UK’s Starmer takes last questions session

The prime minister, who steps down next week, says he is leaving Britain ‘in better shape than I found it’.

Opinion | As the West finds common cause, China prepares for the worst