2 d. ago ‘Strategic’: why are drones taking off among South China Sea claimant states?

Across the strategic waterway of the South China Sea, claimant countries are increasingly relying on long-endurance aerial drones to carry out continuous patrols – overcoming the geographic and logistical limitations of traditional aircraft and ships. The US Marine Corps last month deployed MQ-9A Reaper drones to the Philippines, at Manila’s request, to “support Philippine regional maritime security through shared maritime domain awareness”, according the US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific. The...

Events

4 d. ago Ukraine’s Zelensky reinforces European support as he eyes Trump talks on US deal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he expected to discuss “key issues” with Donald Trump as the American-led push to end Russia’s war on Ukraine accelerated, with the US president’s envoy heading to Moscow. Ukraine’s negotiator Rustem Umerov said “significant progress” had been achieved in two days of talks with US officials on Trump’s plan to end the war, even though more work was needed on “challenging” issues. The comments came as US envoy Steve Witkoff was due to meet...

Politics

4 d. ago Zelensky reinforces European support as he eyes Trump talks on US deal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he expected to discuss “key issues” with Donald Trump as the American-led push to end Russia’s war on Ukraine accelerated, with the US president’s envoy heading to Moscow. Ukraine’s negotiator Rustem Umerov said “significant progress” had been achieved in two days of talks with US officials on Trump’s plan to end the war, even though more work was needed on “challenging” issues. The comments came as US envoy Steve Witkoff was due to meet...

Politics

1 week ago Trump eyes possible Xi reunion at Apec as diplomacy shifts into high gear

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that Donald Trump may travel to China in November 2026 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, one of four possible in-person meetings between the US president and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the coming year. As with many features of the Trump presidency, this level of contact would be unprecedented, matched only by Trump’s four meetings with Xi in 2017 during his first term. Speaking on CNBC shortly before US markets opened,...

Politics

3 w. ago US needs ‘better understanding of China’ to shift the dial, former diplomat says

The tone was “constructive” at the US-China leaders’ summit but the two powers remain at odds on key issues – and that will not change unless Washington changes its approach, a former American diplomat said. David Firestein, inaugural president and CEO of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, said American policy must be grounded on a better understanding of China. And he said Washington needed “smarter policies that work better for the American people”. In a speech at the...

Politics

3 w. ago In the Middle East’s diplomatic drama, Turkey takes centre stage

Turkey is closing out 2025 as a pivotal Middle Eastern power broker, its influence resurgent amid shifting alliances that have pushed Ankara to the centre of diplomacy spanning from Syria to Gaza. Twelve months ago, few could have predicted the speed – and irony – with which the tides would turn in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s favour. Just five years after the US imposed sanctions on Turkey for its military campaign against Kurdish separatists in Syria, Washington is now throwing its...

Politics

4 w. ago Trump grants Hungary’s Orban, a Putin ally, exemption from oil sanctions

US President Donald Trump handed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban an exemption from sanctions to keep buying Russian oil on Friday, as the right-wing allies held a chummy White House meeting. As Orban and Trump heaped praise on each other, the Hungarian nationalist said it would take a “miracle” for Ukraine to beat Moscow, underscoring the gulf between him and other European leaders on the war. Trump, meanwhile, wholeheartedly backed Orban on the touchstone issue of migration, saying that...

Politics

4 w. ago Shein eyes US$2 billion profit in 2025 despite Trump tariffs

Shein Group has told investors that it is expecting a bumper US$2 billion in net income in 2025, after higher profit margins through price increases and cost-cutting helped overcome a drop in online traffic caused by US President Donald Trump’s punitive tariffs. The Singapore-based e-commerce giant is also forecasting mid-teen percentage growth in sales, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as the targets are private. The US$2 billion net income guidance...

Economics

4 w. ago Trump Vows to Make U.S. 'Bitcoin Superpower', Eyes China Rivalry

Trump Vows to Make U.S. 'Bitcoin Superpower', Eyes China Rivalry  Bitbo

Politics