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US-Israel war on Iran

US-Israel war on Iran
Latest news and updates on the US and Israel's strikes on Iran, in which Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, and Iran's responses.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced it will be leaving the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and Opec+ from May 1. Photo: EPA
UAE

Breaking | UAE to leave Opec, Opec+ oil groups, for national interest, global demand

Opec’s third-largest producer earlier this year, the UAE said it would bring additional supply to market ‘responsibly’ after its exit.

Fifa

Iran, expanded World Cup under spotlight as Vancouver hosts Fifa congress

China energy security

China orders maritime security research as Hormuz crisis exposes trade risks

China GDP

Unpacking China’s April Politburo statement

SCMP Plus annotates the readout from the April meeting of China’s top decision-making Politburo, which resolved to accelerate measures to limit the economic fallout from the Iran war.

Unpacking China’s April Politburo statement
Asean

Why Malacca Strait tolls are unlikely despite Indonesia’s maritime push

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are united in upholding the principle of free passage but this must be ‘actively maintained’, analysts say.

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China GDP

China’s Politburo steps up policy response as Iran war shakes global economy

China’s leadership vows to push forward with infrastructure projects, boost tech self-reliance and safeguard energy security.

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Hong Kong property

Hong Kong home prices rise to 28-month high as buyers shrug off war fears

Prices of the city’s residential property rose by 1.4 per cent, showing strong resilience despite economic turbulence caused by the Iran war.

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As a thick fog gathered over Yuen Long, Hong Kong’s property prices rose by 1.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2026 and rents grew for the fifth month in a row. Photo: Eugene Lee
Thailand

‘Hard to breathe’: Southeast Asia’s workers reel from warmer offices, heatwave

‘The canteen and even the 7-Eleven downstairs are cooler than our office, which is why people end up gathering there,’ a Thai worker says.

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King Charles III

UK king begins historic US state visit shadowed by transatlantic tensions

The monarch’s four-day visit comes as relations remain strained between Donald Trump and the UK government.

Middle East

Lebanese minister backs Hezbollah disarmament, but warns it will take time

Haneen Sayed in Washington says the process must be gradual as a ceasefire continues to be marred by deadly violations.

Smoke rises following explosions in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Religion

Pope meets first female Archbishop of Canterbury in symbolic Vatican encounter

Sarah Mullally, the first woman to serve as spiritual leader of the Church of England, and the pope exchanged gifts and prayed together.

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Pope Leo meets Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally at The Vatican on Monday. Photo: Simone Risoluti / Vatican media / AFP
Abbas Araghchi

Trump and Iran trade red lines as Putin enters the diplomatic crossfire

Message via Pakistan outlines terms on nuclear work and Strait of Hormuz, as Moscow signals support and Washington considers next move.

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Nato

Nato considers end to annual summits to shield alliance from Trump

Nato summits have seen scenes of tension with the US president, and some members want fewer of them, possibly none in 2028.

Mainland China

2 months into the Iran war, who holds the upper hand?

Analysts are divided on who has the most to lose as the conflict drags on.

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The war in Iran is dragging on in part because both sides remain confident that time is on their side, according to one analyst. Photo: AFP
Iran

Video | Over 20,000 seafarers stranded by Strait of Hormuz shutdown

20,000 seafarers on around 1,600 ships are stranded in the Persian Gulf due to transit risks.

Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, April 20, 2026. REUTERS
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Iran

Opinion | Reopen Strait of Hormuz by reframing Iran’s tolls as reconstruction

The deeper issue is whether post-war reconstruction and security in the Gulf will be handled through negotiation or recurring coercion.

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China manufacturing

China’s industrial profits hit 6-month high amid Iran war price spikes

Fuel-processing sector pivots to profit while tech gains shield margins from modest revenue growth, highlighting an efficiency-led rally over a demand recovery.

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Japan

In hot water: Japan’s bathhouses struggle to stay afloat as oil prices spike

“Sentos” have cut operating hours and welcomed fewer customers, with some deciding to fold amid the energy crisis.

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A customer washes his hair at a public bathhouse in Tokyo. Photo: Reuters
Middle East

Lebanon reports bloodiest day since ceasefire as Israel targets Hezbollah

Ceasefire has reduced but not stopped attacks, as Hezbollah vows to keep fighting Israeli troops in Lebanon.

Family offices

How the Middle East war is boosting family offices, private banking in Hong Kong

Conflict prompts rich investors to diversify, boosting Hong Kong’s role as a hub for family offices and private banking.

Diplomacy

Opinion | 122 years on, Mackinder’s ‘heartland’ remains geopolitically decisive

Conflicts in Ukraine and Iran have returned strategic focus to the idea of Eurasia as central to the global power contest, challenging the viability of the Indo-Pacific pivot.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Cuba

China is poised to reap rewards as energy shock heats up the race for renewables

The US war on Iran may have inadvertently triggered a global transition that will favour Beijing’s green leadership, analysts predict.

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Solar panels on a residential building in Matanzas, Cuba. Photo: AFP
China economy

Opinion | For the US dollar, a subtler shift than a ‘petroyuan’ order is underfoot

Talk of a dollar collapse or ‘petroyuan’ order arriving amid the Iran war misses the mark. The larger shift is subtler and no less consequential.

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Energy

Opinion | Trump’s oil crisis is accelerating the end of the fossil fuel era

Ironically for president ‘drill, baby, drill’, this crisis may prove an irreversible tipping point for clean energy.

Hong Kong property

Frenzy for Hong Kong luxury homes seen continuing after 156% sales rise

Stock-market gains and attractive prices will continue to lure wealthy buyers including mainland Chinese investors, agents say.

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Luxury homes and residential buildings on Mount Kellett Road, The Peak. Photo: Roy Issa
South Korea

Will South Korea or Japan develop a nuclear deterrent of their own?

Seven in 10 South Koreans tell pollsters they want the bomb. Japan’s PM refuses to rule it out. Is ‘friendly proliferation’ next?

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An nuclear-capable Minuteman III ICBM sits inside a silo at an air force base in the US last year. Photo: US Air Force/Handout
Energy

Editorial | Learn from Chernobyl as the world turns to nuclear energy again

Forty years on, the legacy of Chernobyl is a reminder that energy security cannot come at the expense of public trust.

Middle East

New Israeli strikes reported in Lebanon after Netanyahu orders attacks

The Israeli army has accused Hezbollah militants of breaching the recently extended ceasefire between the two countries.

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