16 h. ago What Trump’s visa pause means for Southeast Asia and US regional priorities

The inclusion of four Southeast Asian nations in the United States’ 75-country visa suspension has thrown up questions over Washington’s foreign policy approach, including its interest in the region. Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand are among countries affected by the indefinite suspension, set to take effect on January 21, as the Donald Trump administration continues to roll out punitive measures to drastically restrict immigration. The list, released by the US Department of State on...

Politics

35 h. ago Attack on Venezuela highlights growing US–China rivalry in Latin America

Attack on Venezuela highlights growing US–China rivalry in Latin America  Chatham House

Events

3 d. ago High Seas Treaty a chance for China to lead on marine conservation

On January 17, a quiet revolution will take place across around two-thirds of the world’s oceans. A landmark United Nations agreement known as the High Seas Treaty will formally enter into force, creating the first legally binding global framework to protect marine biodiversity in international waters. For the first time, activities beyond national jurisdictions – from industrial fishing to deep-sea mining and bio-prospecting – will be subject to environmental impact assessments, marine...

Politics

7 d. ago How the US raid in Venezuela has triggered Brazilian fury and a Chinese opening

Last weekend, following the US military operation in Venezuela abducting its leader, Nicolas Maduro, Brazil’s president denounced the attack as a “flagrant violation of international law” and having “crossed an unacceptable line”. “These acts represent a grave affront to Venezuela’s sovereignty and yet another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community,” Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote on social media. Lula, who said attacking countries was “the first step towards a...

Politics

7 d. ago Trump declares US national emergency to protect Venezuela oil money

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order protecting US-held money derived from sales of Venezuelan oil, after the ousting of Nicolas Maduro, the White House said. In an order signed on Friday, Trump – who has made clear that tapping Venezuela’s vast oil reserves was a key goal in the US ousting of Maduro – is acting “to advance US foreign policy objectives”, the White House said in a fact sheet accompanying the order. The action follows a meeting Friday in Washington where Trump...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump says Colombia’s Petro to visit US, in abrupt switch from threats to diplomacy

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a leftist his administration has long belittled, will visit the White House next month as he voiced optimism for ties. Trump just days ago had threatened Petro in the wake of the US attack that removed Venezuela’s leader, but Trump appeared to have a change of heart after the two spoke by telephone on Wednesday. “I look forward to having a meeting with Gustavo Petro, the President of Colombia, in the White House,...

Politics

8 d. ago Malaysia’s Umno seeks Najib’s pardon amid 1MDB scandal, while staying in PM Anwar’s coalition

The United Malays National Organisation (Umno), which for decades dominated Malaysian politics and remains a key member of the ruling coalition, is set to renew a push for the release of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak next week, even as it steps back from threats to quit the government. Resolutions pushing for a full pardon and demanding justice for Najib were the “hottest topic” submitted by the party’s 191 divisions ahead of its annual assembly, Secretary General Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki...

Events

9 d. ago North Korea’s Kim expected to cling to nuclear security blanket after Venezuela operation

The United States’ decapitation operation against Venezuela will reinforce North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, an aspiration that will continue to draw China’s “tacit tolerance”, according to analysts. After the US military abducted Nicolas Maduro during an attack on Venezuela on Saturday, Pyongyang criticised Washington’s actions as “wildly” violating the sovereignty of Caracas. It was one of a slew of countries that issued swift criticism of the US move. In a statement on Sunday, the North Korean...

Events

1 week ago UN accuses Israel of West Bank ‘apartheid’, citing discrimination against Palestinians

The United Nations on Wednesday said decades of discrimination and segregation of Palestinians by Israel in the West Bank were intensifying, and called on the country to end its “apartheid system”. In a new report, the UN rights office said the “systematic discrimination” against Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian territories had “drastically deteriorated” in recent years. “There is a systematic asphyxiation of the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank,” UN rights chief Volker Turk...

Politics

1 week ago Venezuela attack seen as reminder for China to boost air defence, counter

The US operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro serves as a reminder for China to bolster its air defences and counter-intelligence protections, observers say. Analysts in China described Venezuela’s air defences – which rely largely on Russian technology – as “full of flaws and slow to react” amid the modern surveillance, cyber, and electronic warfare displayed by US forces in Saturday’s operation in Caracas. The operation could serve as a further case study for China, which has...

Events

1 week ago Venezuela attack seen as reminder for China to boost air defence, intelligence

Venezuela attack seen as reminder for China to boost air defence, intelligence  South China Morning Post

Events

1 week ago US strike on Venezuela to embolden China, but Taiwan attack unlikely: analysts

US strike on Venezuela to embolden China, but Taiwan attack unlikely: analysts  Taipei Times

Events

1 week ago Trump's bombs were as much an attack on China as they were on Venezuela

Trump's bombs were as much an attack on China as they were on Venezuela  Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Events

1 week ago What does the US attack on Venezuela mean for Russia and China?

What does the US attack on Venezuela mean for Russia and China?  Al Jazeera

Events

1 week ago Trump’s attack leaves China worried about its interests in Venezuela | Amy Hawkins

Trump’s attack leaves China worried about its interests in Venezuela | Amy Hawkins  The Guardian

Politics

1 week ago US attack on Venezuela ‘death certificate’ for UN, will trigger global arms race: analyst

The American attack on Venezuela on Saturday could further undermine international institutions and accelerate a global arms race, analysts warned, with one likening Washington’s actions to issuing a “death certificate” for the United Nations. On Saturday, in a surprise precision operation, the US military struck Venezuela and captured its leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were later placed in detention in New York. President Donald Trump later said the US would run the South American...

Events

1 week ago US attack on Venezuela a ‘death certificate’ for United Nations: analyst

US attack on Venezuela a ‘death certificate’ for United Nations: analyst  South China Morning Post

Events

1 week ago China reacts with condemnation — but no threats — as the fallout from Trump's Venezuela attack begins to ripple

China reacts with condemnation — but no threats — as the fallout from Trump's Venezuela attack begins to ripple  Yahoo Finance

Events

1 week ago Venezuela attack could embolden China and Russia, says Emily Thornberry

Venezuela attack could embolden China and Russia, says Emily Thornberry  The Guardian

Events

1 week ago US captures Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro: everything you need to know

We have put together stories from our coverage of the US-Venezuela conflict. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US scrambles geopolitics with stark attack on Venezuela The US attack reverses a vow US President Donald Trump made when campaigning for his second term that Washington would stop, not start, wars. 2. China is likely to thread the needle after US attack on Venezuela China will be patient and play the long game as it views the new...

Politics