South China Morning Post — World
Latest crypto news and market updates from South China Morning Post — World.
Will the Trump-Xi wartime ally nostalgia prompt a Japanese rethink on China ties?Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is reportedly trying to arrange a phone call with Donald Trump following the US president’s nostalgic invocation of the alliance with China during World War II, references that sent shock waves through Tokyo. Trump made the references as he welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday for his first state visit to Washington in over a decade. Both Trump and Xi repeatedly invoked their nations’ wartime alliance against Japan in their...South China Morning Post — World
TikTok settles lawsuit with Alabama for at least US$100m, to apply safety stepsAlabama said on Friday it had reached a settlement with TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, that requires the social media platform to impose new usage limits and enhanced age-verification measures for users in the US state, resolving claims that the platform endangered children and misled consumers about its safety. The agreement, which came days before a scheduled trial, calls for TikTok to implement changes for teenagers in Alabama including a two-hour daily time limit, pauses...South China Morning Post — World
Black woman Tasia Fortune’s hanging was ‘staged’ after her death, Mississippi police sayInvestigators believe Tasia Fortune was already dead before the black woman’s body was hanged from a tree behind an abandoned home in the Mississippi capital this summer, a detective testified on Friday. The hanging of Tasia Fortune’s body, which was found on August 3, was “staged”, Jackson police detective Samuel Dukes testified, citing the medical examiner’s opinion. Authorities have not disclosed the exact cause of Fortune’s death, but they did rule it a homicide and have arrested two men,...South China Morning Post — World
Japan says Trump voiced concern over weak yen in summit with PM TakaichiUS President Donald Trump raised concerns about yen weakness at a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Friday, offering an unusually detailed account of the leaders’ talks on currencies. “At the recent Japan-US summit meeting, President Trump expressed concern about the yen’s weakness,” Katayama said at a regular news conference, adding that she was disclosing the exchange for the first time after consulting with the Prime...South China Morning Post — World
3 injured after explosion causes building collapse in Athens’ tourist centreAn explosion caused a residential building to collapse in the crowded tourist centre of Athens on Friday, injuring three people and damaging houses, shops and cars across a historic neighbourhood. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast in the two-storey building in Plaka near some of Athens’ most popular sites including the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus, sending rocks and broken glass as far as three blocks away. Police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou said that the fire...South China Morning Post — World
Malaysia’s Najib ‘has no money’ to pay fine for house arrest, lawyer saysFormer Malaysian leader Najib Razak has no money to pay the fine to secure his transfer to house arrest, his lawyers have said, as they question the delay in releasing the full details of the conditional pardon granted by Malaysia’s king last week. King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar last Friday decreed that Najib would be allowed to serve out the remainder of his sentence at home, on condition that he pay his 50 million ringgit (US$10.3 million) fine. The decision triggered widespread outrage among...South China Morning Post — World
Flood-ravaged Nepal pushes for climate deal with India, ChinaNepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah proposed a climate alliance with neighbouring India and China, urging action to protect the fragile Himalayan ecosystem after catastrophic flooding across the region. “Glaciers and floods do not travel with stamps and passports,” Shah told world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “As an urgent first step, we propose that we establish the Himalaya climate resilience mechanism, led by Nepal, India and China, so the Himalayas become a...South China Morning Post — World
UK will not ‘tolerate intimidation’, foreign secretary tells IranUK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has told Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in a face-to-face meeting that Britain will “not tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activity on UK soil” from groups linked to his country. Miliband met his Iranian counterpart in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday. The Foreign Office said the pair discussed the war in the Middle East, the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the UK’s “unwavering resolve to...South China Morning Post — World
Croatian court approves extradition of Nord Stream blast suspect to GermanyA Croatian court has approved the extradition of a Ukrainian man who is wanted in Germany in connection with the 2022 undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines, state media said on Thursday. The report from HRT Television quoted the suspect’s lawyer Ljubo Pavaskovic as saying that he will appeal the September 18 ruling. It was not immediately clear when the man could be handed over to Germany. He was arrested on a European warrant in the northern Croatian town of Pula in...South China Morning Post — World
UK far-right activist arrested after migrant boat slashed in English ChannelA far-right activist who had led protests against migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats has been arrested for allegedly slashing a dinghy in the water, police said Thursday. The incident comes as agitators against immigration adopt a confrontational new tactic of trying to stop the boats landing on England’s shores, clashing with police and rescuers in the process. A video posted on Tuesday on social media appears to show Daniel Thomas, 37, taking a knife to an inflatable boat,...South China Morning Post — World
What can Asia, Global South learn from India’s new digital payment fee?For millions of Indians, buying a cup of chai or groceries from roadside vendors has come to mean reaching for their phones rather than wallets – a habit made possible by a system that has so far charged consumers nothing for such everyday transactions. Now, a decade after the government launched the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), India is asking some merchants to pay for the hugely popular system – raising questions over whether it can preserve the low-cost model that drove its mass adoption...South China Morning Post — World
Alibaba unveils ‘pragmatic’ AI road map to drive monetisation, infrastructure efficiencyThe artificial intelligence road map presented at its flagship Apsara Conference this week showcased a pragmatic pivot by Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group Holding, offering a clearer path to monetisation despite a sharp escalation in capital expenditure, analysts said. The conference, which ran from Tuesday to Thursday under the theme “Intelligence goes beyond”, highlighted “Alibaba’s disciplined execution across its full-stack AI ecosystem”, said Cathy Chan, an analyst at CCB International. She...South China Morning Post — World
American AI development ‘cannot separate itself from China’: Zheng YongnianChina and the United States must prevent their AI competition from escalating into a cold war, a top Chinese policy adviser has warned, while asserting that a complete decoupling would be difficult. The remarks from Zheng Yongnian, a leading political scientist and dean of the school of public policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, come ahead of the Xi-Trump summit in Washington, where artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to be among the top items on the agenda. Chinese...South China Morning Post — World
Indonesia commissions first aircraft carrier, bolstering sea defenceIndonesia’s navy commissioned its first aircraft carrier on Thursday after acquiring the former Italian vessel to strengthen its maritime defences and disaster response. The Italian flag on the former ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi was replaced with the Indonesian flag on the carrier renamed the KRI Sriwijaya-100 as part of its official transfer at the ceremony held at Tanjung Priok seaport in North Jakarta. “The ship, which previously served in the Italian navy, now bears the name KRI Sriwijaya-100,...South China Morning Post — World
Milei renews Argentina’s Falklands claim, rails against ‘useless’ UNArgentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed Argentina’s claim to sovereignty over the islands known to Britain as the Falklands and to Argentines as the Malvinas, calling it a key issue for his nation and urging the parties to find a “peaceful solution” as tensions with London over the disputed archipelago grow. “The Malvinas for us is a national cause,” Milei, a strong ally of US President Donald Trump, said Wednesday while addressing the UN General Assembly in New York. Milei accused the...South China Morning Post — World
Thailand’s Nene Royal wins America’s Got Talent, pocketing US$1 millionThailand’s teenage guitar sensation Nene Royal won the US$1 million top prize on America’s Got Talent, capping a viral run that made the 16-year-old a national celebrity and drew support from across her home country. Rattikarn Amloy, better known by her stage name Nene Royal, was crowned the winner during Wednesday’s live results show, beating nine other finalists after emerging as the clear favourite before the finale. During Tuesday’s final, she sang and played guitar on a rendition of “Seven...South China Morning Post — World
Grief and pain flow at hearing for Canadian suicide poison vendor Kenneth LawRelatives of people who committed suicide using poison sold by a Canadian man gave wrenching accounts of pain and loss on Wednesday in court before a judge tasked with deciding the former chef’s prison term. Kenneth Law pleaded guilty in May to aiding in the suicide of 14 people in Canada after prosecutors determined they lacked evidence to convict him of murder over his online forums where he advised people on how to end their lives. Law has admitted that he proactively looked for customers,...South China Morning Post — World
Farage’s Reform UK gets second record £36 million donation in 48 hoursCryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne said on Saturday he had donated £36 million (US$49 million) to Britain’s anti-immigration Reform UK, matching an already record contribution to Nigel Farage’s party a day earlier as it prepares for the next election. The donation gives the veteran Brexit campaigner’s party £72 million from two donors in less than 48 hours at a time when it is confronting allegations about irregularities in its funding, which it denies. The figure exceeds what...South China Morning Post — World
Internal splits threaten to slow Brics’ progress as bloc looks back on 20 years of growthLeaders from some of the world’s largest emerging economies are gathering in New Delhi this weekend for a summit marking the 20th anniversary of Brics, a fast-expanding group of developing nations. Chinese President Xi Jinping, along with his Russian and Iranian counterparts Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian, are among those meeting in the Indian capital for one of the group’s most closely watched gatherings in years. Brics can point to some achievements over that time, with analysts...South China Morning Post — World
Saudi pipeline that bypasses Hormuz shut after attacksThe East-West pipeline has proved to be a critical lifeline for Saudi Arabia’s oil exports, which were disrupted by the war in Iran.South China Morning Post — World
US boy, 15, rescued after clinging to capsized boat for days in Alaska’s Bering SeaThe teen’s brother and cousin died after the small skiff flipped, and their bodies were found after he was hoisted to safety.South China Morning Post — World
Emma Bonino, Italian politician who fought for abortion rights, dies aged 78Emma Bonino’s life in politics began with a crime. In 1974, at a time when abortion was illegal in Italy, she travelled to a clandestine clinic in Florence to terminate an unplanned pregnancy. “Coming back by train at night, I decided that never, never, never again should anyone have to suffer this humiliation,” she later recalled. A year later, determined to drag abortion out of the shadows, she handed herself in to police, turning her private “offence” into a public act of defiance. The...South China Morning Post — World
Tiananmen vigil leaders jailed up to 7 years, as group is fined HK$1.5 millionThree former leaders of the now-disbanded alliance behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil have been sentenced to up to seven years and three months in jail under the national security law for inciting subversion by calling for an end to “one-party dictatorship” in mainland China. Three High Court judges on Friday also imposed a HK$1.5 million fine on the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, bringing the high-profile trial at West Kowloon Court to a...South China Morning Post — World
25 years ago, America faces ‘darkest hour’ as 9/11 terror attacks unfold – SCMP archiveThis article was first published on September 12, 2001. America’s nightmare by Greg Torode in Washington President George W. Bush this morning (September 12, 2001) told the United States that thousands had lost their lives after two hijacked airliners destroyed New York’s World Trade Centre and another smashed into the Pentagon in the most brutal terrorist attacks in the nation’s history. Mr Bush, in a televised address to the nation, condemned the “despicable” attacks, saying: “These acts...South China Morning Post — World
China rebuts top US diplomat Marco Rubio over ‘Communist Party-backed projects’ in PeruEmbassy in Lima defends US$30 billion investment stock and takes aim at visa curbs as Fujimori joins Trump’s Shield of the Americas.South China Morning Post — World
Yemen’s Houthis seize port city Mocha, closing in on control of Bab el-Mandeb StraitBlocking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would isolate Gulf oil-producing countries from their main shipping routes after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz.South China Morning Post — World
Trump says Iran war will end right after US midterm electionsThe president says Tehran is trying to influence the vote but will not be able to hold out for longer.South China Morning Post — World
UN nuclear watchdog board reports Iran to Security Council for first time in 20 yearsThe UN atomic watchdog’s board on Wednesday reported Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years, citing it for failure to cooperate in a long-running investigation into uranium traces detected by inspectors at undeclared sites. Western officials suspect that the traces could provide evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons programme until 2003. Iran says that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons and that its programme is entirely peaceful. Reporting Iran to the Security...South China Morning Post — World
Police widen criminal probe into Reform UK over foreign funding claimsBritish police said on Wednesday a criminal investigation into the populist Reform UK party would be widened to include allegations made in a documentary that officials planned to break electoral law on foreign funding. Reform, led by veteran Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, denied any wrongdoing and a spokesman for the party said it would “fully cooperate” with the investigation. Farage, under investigation by a parliamentary watchdog about earlier donations, was forced to sack two of his...South China Morning Post — World
14 killed as explosion rocks Syria arms depot: authoritiesAn explosion at an arms depot in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province killed 14 people on Wednesday, the local health department said, without specifying the cause of the blast. “The toll from the explosion in a temporary storage for collecting weapons and war remnants near the city of Sarmada ... registered 14 killed and 11 injured in a preliminary count,” the Idlib health department said. The Syrian defence ministry’s media department earlier told state television that several of the ministry’s...South China Morning Post — World
EU plan aims to help cities crack down on Airbnb, holiday rentalsEuropean cities will gain more leeway to curb short-term rentals such as Airbnb under new EU plans that aim to bring down housing costs in tourism hotspots. The European Commission laid out conditions on Wednesday under which local authorities can limit short lets, under a proposal seeking to address Europe’s “housing crisis”. “Short-term rentals are a part of the problem in many cities,” Dan Jorgensen, the 27-nation bloc’s housing commissioner, told a press conference in Brussels. Though hugely...South China Morning Post — World
More than 1,000 children dead in Bangladesh measles crisisThe death toll from measles in Bangladesh topped 1,000 children since March, health officials said on Wednesday, admitting that failures in a vaccination drive could have fuelled the outbreak. The South Asian nation of 170 million has recorded 1,002 deaths and 187,484 infections among children, making this year’s outbreak the country’s deadliest in decades, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Measles is highly contagious, spreading through coughs and sneezes, and has...South China Morning Post — World
Norwegians bid final farewell to King Harald V, ‘grandfather of the nation’Norway observed a nationwide minute of silence on Wednesday at the funeral of King Harald V, a modern and unifying figure whose end of reign was tarnished by scandals. His son and heir King Haakon VIII, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Britain’s Prince William and other foreign dignitaries stood in silence in the halls of Oslo’s Lutheran cathedral in memory of the late monarch, who died on August 28 aged 89. The funeral procession had left the royal palace an hour earlier, the king’s...South China Morning Post — World
Houthi offensive on Bab el-Mandeb Strait threatens new Red Sea shipping crisisA battle for control of Yemen’s coastal plains overlooking the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, launched on Friday by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, is rapidly intensifying into an all-out war with Saudi-backed government forces. A wave of Houthi missile and drone strikes launched against four cities in southern Saudi Arabia early on Tuesday, injuring 73 civilians, may prove to be the tipping point in the conflict, analysts say. Coinciding with an escalating battle of attrition between the United...South China Morning Post — World
Thailand probes clinic linked to UK influencer’s penile filler deathThai authorities said on Wednesday they are investigating a Bangkok clinic where a Nigerian-born British businessman and influencer underwent a penis enlargement procedure that led to his death. A coroner in London last month ruled that the March 6 death of Igho Ubiribo, 43, in the Thai capital was caused by the hyaluronic acid injection he received hours earlier. The case has reignited debate about medical tourism, with Thailand a leading destination for visitors from abroad seeking healthcare,...South China Morning Post — World
Iran says captured US underwater drone in Strait of HormuzPentagon plays down the seizure, saying it was an older unmanned vehicle that had malfunctioned.South China Morning Post — World
Hong Kong students drop in global rankings for maths, science and literacyHong Kong secondary school students’ performance has fallen in an international assessment focused on three core subjects, with their science score dropping out of the global top 10 for the first time in the study’s history. Experts said on Tuesday that the decline in Hong Kong scores in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) was partly due to the post-Covid impact on study habits and learning motivation. Held every three years, Pisa is a worldwide study by the Organisation...South China Morning Post — World
Black boxes recovered from Amazon cargo plane crash in MiamiInvestigators with the US National Transportation Safety Board said on Monday they had recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane that overran the runway and crashed while landing in Miami on Sunday, killing five people on the ground. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the two devices, commonly referred to as the black boxes, were being returned to the agency’s headquarters in Washington on Monday night for evaluation. The 32-year-old...South China Morning Post — World
UK’s Burnham risks Trump anger with new sanctions on IsraelUK Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government is expected to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Tuesday as he seeks to adopt a stronger policy on an issue that is important to his governing Labour Party but may anger US President Donald Trump. A new sanctions regime targeting Israel but limited to Jewish settlements in the West Bank will be announced by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, according to people familiar with the matter. Burnham and Trump spoke by phone on Monday,...South China Morning Post — World
North Korea’s Kim launches second nuclear destroyer as US-South Korea-Japan drills startNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un commissioned his second naval destroyer and called for building a more reliable nuclear deterrent, state media reported on Monday, as the US, South Korea and Japan began a trilateral military exercise he views as a security threat. The development comes as North Korea dials up pressure on the US after rebuffing President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back a major military drill with South Korea in a conciliatory step towards Kim. Observers say North Korea wants...South China Morning Post — World