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Clashes erupt in UK city over racially charged case of police handcuffing dying student
SCMP

Clashes erupt in UK city over racially charged case of police handcuffing dying student

Video of a dying student who was handcuffed by British police after being stabbed by a Sikh man and falsely accused of racially abusing his murderer sparked outrage on Tuesday, with protesters throwing bricks at police. Eighteen-year-old Henry Nowak was heard repeatedly telling officers: “I can’t breathe” in police bodycam footage captured as he lay mortally wounded in December after a night out w...

China to the Philippines: don’t let ‘a few clowns’ sabotage ties with ‘political theatrics’
SCMP

China to the Philippines: don’t let ‘a few clowns’ sabotage ties with ‘political theatrics’

Beijing has condemned remarks by Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro Jnr, saying the comments seriously damaged bilateral trust and showed a lack of gratitude for Chinese aid. China’s foreign ministry on Tuesday called on Manila to take action to prevent “a few clowns” from sabotaging bilateral ties through repeated political theatrics, as ties between the two neighbours remained strained. O...

China to the Philippines: don’t let ‘a few clowns’ sabotage ties with ‘political theatre’
SCMP

China to the Philippines: don’t let ‘a few clowns’ sabotage ties with ‘political theatre’

Beijing has condemned remarks by Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro Jnr, saying the comments seriously damaged bilateral trust and showed a lack of gratitude for Chinese aid. China’s foreign ministry on Tuesday called on Manila to take action to prevent “a few clowns” from sabotaging bilateral ties through repeated political theatrics, as ties between the two neighbours remained strained. O...

Hong Kong pitches Northern Metropolis as ASEAN gateway to Greater Bay Area
SCMP

Hong Kong pitches Northern Metropolis as ASEAN gateway to Greater Bay Area

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Hong Kong is stepping up efforts to position the Northern Metropolis as a platform connecting ASEAN businesses with opportunities across the Greater Bay Area, as diplomats, chamber representatives and business leaders from Southeast Asia were brought on a government-led tour of the mega-development project. The nearly 70-s...

Hong Kong is emerging as a leading capital hub of the multipolar era

Hong Kong is emerging as a leading capital hub of the multipolar era

SCMP

For years, Hong Kong’s obituary has been repeatedly written by international commentators. Geopolitical tensions, pandemic isolation, concerns over capital flight and questions surrounding the city’s future contributed to a narrative of irreversible decline. In many Western analyses, the assumption that Hong Kong’s best days as an international financial centre were behind it became almost automat...

Kuwait airport hit and flights suspended as US and Iran exchange attacks

Kuwait airport hit and flights suspended as US and Iran exchange attacks

SCMP

Gulf hostilities flared again on ⁠Wednesday, with an Iranian missile attack damaging Kuwait’s airport and the US military carrying out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, as diplomacy between Washington and Tehran showed little progress. The latest flare-up, comes with the conflict stalemated in a shaky ceasefire and the Strait of Hormuz largely closed, more than three months after initial US and I...

US and Iran exchange new attacks as sides locked in stalemate

US and Iran exchange new attacks as sides locked in stalemate

SCMP

Gulf hostilities flared anew on Wednesday, ⁠with the US military saying Iranian missile attacks ⁠on Bahrain, Kuwait and other regional targets were either thwarted or ⁠failed as diplomacy between Washington and Tehran showed little progress. Two Iranian missiles shot at Kuwait fell short or broke apart in-flight, several ballistic missiles aimed at regional targets failed and three missiles headin...

More red tape, less progress: China’s cadres struggle to adopt ‘error tolerance’

More red tape, less progress: China’s cadres struggle to adopt ‘error tolerance’

SCMP

Despite repeated directives to ease the burden on local officials and curb formalism, many of China’s cadres still find themselves trapped in a frustrating cycle of working harder yet achieving fewer tangible results, according to state-linked media. Banyuetan, an influential biweekly magazine affiliated with state news agency Xinhua, outlined five symptoms of this “busier-but-emptier” phenomenon ...

China woman uses 60kg chocolate to craft mini 3D replica of ancient painting, earns 1 million likes

China woman uses 60kg chocolate to craft mini 3D replica of ancient painting, earns 1 million likes

SCMP

A woman in China with no formal training in the arts has used 60kg of chocolate to make a 3D miniature copy of the famous painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival. A video showing the chocolate version of ancient Bianjing city released by the blogger, who uses the alias Fan Sumu, in late May has garnered about one million likes, Jimu News reported. The masterpiece was painted by Zhang...

Parents of undocumented Hong Kong baby have DNA samples taken after arrest

Parents of undocumented Hong Kong baby have DNA samples taken after arrest

SCMP

The parents of an undocumented baby had their DNA samples taken for tests required for their son’s birth registration after they were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of child neglect, Hong Kong police have revealed. The development on Wednesday came after the Social Welfare Department on Tuesday night said that it had applied to the court for a protection order in the boy’s best interests and had...

Hong Kong authorities to take over care of undocumented baby after parents’ arrest

Hong Kong authorities to take over care of undocumented baby after parents’ arrest

SCMP

Hong Kong social welfare authorities are expected to take over the care of an undocumented baby for at least a year and may arrange foster care after his parents were arrested over suspected child neglect, a lawmaker has revealed. Legislator Reverend Peter Koon Ho-ming told the South China Morning Post that the Social Welfare Department would later consider placing two-month-old Danny in foster ca...

Singapore arrests 3 Chinese nationals after woman, child locked on hotel balcony in robbery

Singapore arrests 3 Chinese nationals after woman, child locked on hotel balcony in robbery

SCMP

Three men have been arrested after they allegedly robbed a woman and locked her and her child on a balcony at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) in Singapore. The police said on Tuesday that they were alerted at about 7pm the day before to a case of robbery with hurt along Bayfront Avenue. According to preliminary investigations, a 45-year-old woman visited the area after agreeing to exchange S$50,000 (US$39,...

Singapore arrests 3 Chinese nationals after woman, child locked during hotel robbery

Singapore arrests 3 Chinese nationals after woman, child locked during hotel robbery

SCMP

Three men have been arrested after they allegedly robbed a woman and locked her and her child on a balcony at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) in Singapore. The police said on Tuesday that they were alerted at about 7pm the day before to a case of robbery with hurt along Bayfront Avenue. According to preliminary investigations, a 45-year-old woman visited the area after agreeing to exchange S$50,000 (US$39,...

Hong Kong helpers urge employers to relax ‘air-con ban’ in heatwave

Hong Kong helpers urge employers to relax ‘air-con ban’ in heatwave

SCMP

Domestic workers in Hong Kong are routinely banned from switching on air conditioning when working at home alone, union leaders have said, urging employers to allow helpers to use it during very hot weather. The issue surfaced last week after an employer drew widespread online criticism for scolding her domestic helper for switching on an air conditioner an hour earlier than household rules allowe...

Japanese MP’s claim China eyes Antarctic ‘treasure trove’ dismissed

Japanese MP’s claim China eyes Antarctic ‘treasure trove’ dismissed

SCMP

A Japanese lawmaker’s claim that China has its eyes on “a treasure trove” of resource wealth hidden beneath the Antarctic ice sheet has been dismissed by a polar law expert as a misreading of international obligations. But the claims made in parliament by Mitsuhiro Yokota, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, have also raised questions about what might happen to the world’s last great wildernes...

US government appeals against judge’s order for Trump tariff refunds

US government appeals against judge’s order for Trump tariff refunds

SCMP

The Trump administration on Tuesday formally appealed against a judge’s order for refunds of the US president’s global tariffs after they were struck down by the Supreme Court earlier this year. At stake is some US$166 billion in revenue. A refunds system handled by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has already begun to process repayments. Last month, the CBP said in a court filing that it wa...

‘At least 1 firm under Kazakh wealth fund will list in Hong Kong this year’

‘At least 1 firm under Kazakh wealth fund will list in Hong Kong this year’

SCMP

At least one company under Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund will list on the Hong Kong stock exchange this year, the head of the city’s Trade Development Council has said. Council chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang on Tuesday also underscored the country’s huge potential, noting that Kazakhstan was seeking to privatise its state-owned companies and Hong Kong had emerged as the ideal location due to i...

Canada and Mexico tell US they want free trade deal renewed

Canada and Mexico tell US they want free trade deal renewed

SCMP

Canada and Mexico on Tuesday called for a 16-year renewal of the North American free trade agreement with the United States, in hopes of binding the three countries to a pact that US President Donald Trump has openly questioned. The agreement is vital for Canada and Mexico, as the US is their main trading partner and the destination for 75 and 80 per cent of their exports, respectively. In a lette...

How China’s ‘Excalibur of the East’ souvenir swords sparked airport security warning

How China’s ‘Excalibur of the East’ souvenir swords sparked airport security warning

SCMP

During mainland China’s recent May Day holiday, a 2,500-year-old sword went viral on Chinese social media – but not for the reason you might think. Lasting from May 1 to 5, the May Day holiday – also known as “Golden Week” – sees large numbers of domestic tourists flocking to popular travel destinations across China, including the Hubei Provincial Museum, which houses the famous Sword of Goujian. ...

Why China’s C909 jet is rapidly being deployed in Xinjiang

Why China’s C909 jet is rapidly being deployed in Xinjiang

SCMP

China’s domestically made regional jet, the C909, has struggled to compete with market leaders Airbus and Boeing since it launched a decade ago. But there is one place where it is thriving: the far-western Chinese region of Xinjiang. Chinese airlines have rolled out C909s in Xinjiang at a rapid clip over the past few years. The first C909 touched down in the region as recently as June 2023. Now, t...

Trump team abandons US$1.8 billion ‘slush fund’ to compensate supporters

Trump team abandons US$1.8 billion ‘slush fund’ to compensate supporters

SCMP

The US Justice Department on Tuesday dropped a contentious plan to create a US$1.8 billion compensation programme that critics had denounced as a “slush fund” for President Donald Trump’s political allies. “We are not moving forward with the fund,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said during testimony before a House committee. The about-face is a setback for one of Trump’s most divisive secon...

Can China fill funding and leadership gaps after America quit the WHO?

Can China fill funding and leadership gaps after America quit the WHO?

SCMP

Vanuatu had a clear goal at last month’s annual assembly of the World Health Organization in Geneva – securing new international aid for the Pacific island nation. “I’m here to lobby for support,” said Jenny Stephens, Vanuatu’s director of public health. “We are experiencing the global funding cuts – it’s affecting our programmes like malaria, TB and HIV. We’re already struggling.” Vanuatu’s healt...

Trump-Netanyahu relationship under growing strain over Iran: ‘you’re crazy!’

Trump-Netanyahu relationship under growing strain over Iran: ‘you’re crazy!’

SCMP

They went to war together against Iran, but Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s relationship is under strain after the US president reportedly called the Israeli premier “crazy”. Trump unleashed a profane tirade over the phone at Netanyahu over Israel’s threats to bomb the Lebanese capital Beirut, fearing it would undermine talks with Tehran, the Axios news outlet and ABC News reported. It under...

China-Kazakhstan grain-trading deal shows shifting Asian food order

China-Kazakhstan grain-trading deal shows shifting Asian food order

SCMP

In a move that could rattle global grain markets, China and neighbouring Kazakhstan – Central Asia’s largest grain producer and a key Belt and Road Initiative partner – agreed last week to establish a joint grain-trading platform during talks in Astana. The two sides also discussed long-term supply contracts, logistics hubs, dry ports and technology cooperation in storage and processing. Although ...

China clears Brazilian beef of foot-and-mouth disease, but quota limits profits

China clears Brazilian beef of foot-and-mouth disease, but quota limits profits

SCMP

Brazil has won wider access to the world’s biggest beef market after China recognised the entire country as free of foot-and-mouth disease, though a new quota will still cap prices. The decision was announced on Tuesday by China’s General Administration of Customs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and was communicated during Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira’s visit to Beijin...

Trump’s AI order seeks security safeguards without slowing race with China

Trump’s AI order seeks security safeguards without slowing race with China

SCMP

US President Donald Trump signed a long-awaited executive order on artificial intelligence (AI) on Tuesday, which asked technology companies to voluntarily share advanced models before they are released, signalling a shift in the administration’s largely laissez-faire approach to the industry. The voluntary framework allows the government to vet powerful new AI systems up to 30 days before their p...

Rubio says US and China must keep talking despite deep differences

Rubio says US and China must keep talking despite deep differences

SCMP

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “significant irritants” remained in the US-China relationship but that Washington and Beijing needed to keep talking to stop flashpoints from erupting. At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday, Rubio said both countries – the world’s two largest economies and most powerful militaries – must communicate to “de-escalate potential points of con...

Trump to attend press gala dinner rescheduled in wake of shooting incident

Trump to attend press gala dinner rescheduled in wake of shooting incident

SCMP

US President ⁠Donald Trump will attend the rescheduled ⁠White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on July 24, he confirmed in a social media post on Tuesday, after the annual event was postponed following a shooting. The black-tie gathering of journalists and ‌politicians in Washington was postponed after a suspect stormed a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun outside the event on April 2...

White House Correspondents’ Dinner gets new date in wake of shooting incident

White House Correspondents’ Dinner gets new date in wake of shooting incident

SCMP

The White House Correspondents’ Association will hold another dinner on July 24, three months after its annual gala was postponed due to a shooting incident at the venue. The black-tie gathering of journalists and government officials was halted on April 25 when a gunman stormed a security checkpoint just outside the ballroom where guests including US President Donald Trump and members of his cabi...