World News Hub

Israel steps up Lebanon strikes as Netanyahu escalates offensive

SCMP • 3 months ago

The Israeli army intensified strikes in southern Lebanon on Monday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to escalate its offensive in an effort to “crush” Hezbollah. The air strikes come as the United States and Iran seek to finalise the terms of an agreement to end the Middle East conflict, which could include the Lebanon front, where Israel and Hezbollah have wag...

Private equity firm Templewater primed as Hong Kong moves to deepen Central Asia ties

SCMP • 3 months ago

Hong Kong private equity firm Templewater is eyeing investment opportunities in Central Asia’s real estate, energy transition and healthcare sectors, while positioning itself as a “superconnector” to channel capital from the Middle East into the emerging market. Cliff Zhang Kun, chairman of Templewater, also stressed the need for businesses to diversify their investments and shift from traditional...

‘New form of war’: an insider view of China’s AI strategy in electronic warfare

SCMP • 3 months ago

China is rapidly advancing an “AI Plus” revolution in electronic warfare to redefine how militaries communicate, jam and dominate the electromagnetic spectrum, according to industrial experts. In a paper published last month, they argued that by fusing artificial intelligence (AI) with the very physics of radio wave propagation, China could win a “new form of war” where communications and radars a...

Trump’s Justice Department seeks dismissal of White House ballroom lawsuit

SCMP • 3 months ago

The US Justice ⁠Department has again asked a ⁠federal judge to lift an injunction holding up progress on President Donald Trump’s ballroom project, saying Saturday’s shooting outside the White House showed an urgent need for improved security. The Justice Department, in ‌a five-page court filing on Sunday, said the incident underscores the critical need for “top level, state of the art security at...

US Justice Department seeks to lift injunction on Trump’s ballroom project after shooting

SCMP • 3 months ago

The US Justice ⁠Department has again asked a ⁠federal judge to lift an injunction holding up progress on President Donald Trump’s ballroom project, saying Saturday’s shooting outside the White House showed an urgent need for improved security. The Justice Department, in ‌a five-page court filing on Sunday, said the incident underscores the critical need for “top level, state of the art security at...

Mexico’s president sees ‘no issue’ with her country hosting Iran’s Fifa World Cup team

SCMP • 3 months ago

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that she has “no issue” with her country hosting Iran’s World Cup team after its training base was moved from the United States to Mexico for the summer soccer competition. The team will still play its group stage matches in the US but its base has been moved to Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, California, a move that Iran’s football fede...

Can the Northern Metropolis balance progress with quality of life?

SCMP • 3 months ago

Slowly but surely, Hong Kong is undergoing various scales of transformation. From the mixed-use development around Kai Tak to the revamped waterfronts on both sides of Victoria Harbour, the new railway extensions to the vehicular bypass tunnels below our busy streets, the adaptive reuse of underutilised spaces and the infusion of art and culture into local neighbourhoods, our city is evolving and ...

Bolivia’s president offers to slash own salary by half to end protests

SCMP • 3 months ago

A tense and tenuous calm fell over La Paz on Monday evening after a day rocked by violent clashes between protesters and police, despite Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz offering to slash his salary by 50 per cent in an effort to end protests. Even as clashes abated, there was no sign that protesters were prepared to clear the streets, with demonstrations likely to continue this week. Protesters hav...

Bolivian leader to slash own salary by 50% in gesture to protesters

SCMP • 3 months ago

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz said on Monday he would slash his salary by 50 per cent to try to end weeks of anti-government protests. But the announcement by the centre-right leader fell on deaf ears, with protesters calling for his resignation and clashing again with police in the Andean city of La Paz. The US-backed Paz has made various gestures aimed at ending a popular revolt that has explod...

French teens held over murder of 11-year-old boy found with towel round neck

SCMP • 3 months ago

Two teenagers were in police custody in northwestern France on Monday, a day after a 11-year-old boy was found dead with a wet towel tied around his neck, prosecutors said. The boy was found on the banks of the Vilaine river in the northwestern city of Rennes with a wet bath towel tied tightly around his neck, prosecutors said on Sunday. On Monday, a 16-year-old boy was detained at his home, while...

French teenagers arrested in connection with murder of 11-year-old boy

SCMP • 3 months ago

Two teenagers were in police custody in northwestern France on Monday, a day after an 11-year-old boy was found dead with a wet towel tied around his neck, prosecutors said. The boy was found on the banks of the Vilaine river in the northwestern city of Rennes with a wet bath towel tied tightly around his neck, prosecutors said on Sunday. On Monday, a 16-year-old boy was detained at his home, whil...

Swedish prosecutor urges prison for man who prostituted wife to dozens of men

SCMP • 3 months ago

A Swedish prosecutor on Monday called for a 10-year prison sentence against a man on trial for allegedly prostituting out his wife to around 120 clients. The court proceedings against the 62-year-old defendant, in the northern town of Harnosand, were largely being conducted behind closed doors. He is accused of having created internet adverts, arranging the paid meetings between the men who answer...

Swedish prosecutor urges prison for man who prostituted wife

SCMP • 3 months ago

A Swedish prosecutor on Monday called for a 10-year prison sentence against a man on trial for allegedly prostituting out his wife to around 120 clients. The court proceedings against the 62-year-old defendant, in the northern town of Harnosand, were largely being conducted behind closed doors. He is accused of having created internet adverts, arranging the paid meetings between the men who answer...

Swedish prosecutor urges prison for man charged with prostituting his wife

SCMP • 3 months ago

A Swedish prosecutor on Monday called for a 10-year prison sentence against a man on trial for allegedly prostituting out his wife to around 120 clients. The court proceedings against the 62-year-old defendant, in the northern town of Harnosand, were largely being conducted behind closed doors. He is accused of having created internet adverts, arranging the paid meetings between the men who answer...

Iran signals moves to reconnect to global internet after wartime blackout

SCMP • 3 months ago

⁠Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued an order to reopen international internet access, Iranian state media reported on Monday, citing an official after a ‌near-90-day blackout in the wake of the war against US and Israel. The report cited the head of public relations at Iran’s Communications Ministry. The mechanism for how and when Iran would reconnect to ⁠the global web following the de...

Iran’s president orders reopening of international internet access, state media reports

SCMP • 3 months ago

⁠Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued an order to reopen international internet access, Iranian state media reported on Monday, citing an official after a ‌near-90-day blackout in the wake of the war against US and Israel. The report cited the head of public relations at Iran’s Communications Ministry. The mechanism for how and when Iran would reconnect to ⁠the global web following the de...

Exiled Belarus opposition leader visits Ukraine as Kyiv warns of escalation

SCMP • 3 months ago

Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited Kyiv on Monday following weeks of mounting warnings from Ukrainian officials about Russian plans to draw Minsk more deeply into the war against Ukraine. Tsikhanouskaya arrived a day after one ‌of the war’s biggest strikes on the Ukrainian capital killed four people and damaged historical sites, and amid Russian threats to launch ...

‘Heat dome’ over Europe scorches UK, France, Italy and Spain

SCMP • 3 months ago

Temperatures hit record highs for May in Britain, Ireland and France on Monday, as forecasters warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat across Europe throughout the week. A so-called “heat dome” of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer. Temperatures in Spain were expected to peak...

Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, France, Italy and Spain

SCMP • 3 months ago

Temperatures hit record highs for May in the United Kingdom and France on Monday, as forecasters warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat across Europe throughout the week. A so-called heat dome of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer. Temperatures in Spain were expected to peak...

Ex-husband of former Scottish leader pleads guilty to embezzlement

SCMP • 3 months ago

The former husband of Scotland’s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon on Monday pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 (US$540,000) from the pro-independence Scottish National Party in a years-long probe into the party’s finances. Sturgeon, the former head of Scotland’s devolved administration in Edinburgh, quit as SNP leader and first minister in February 2023. Her then-husband Peter Mu...

Estranged husband of former Scottish leader pleads guilty to embezzlement from party

SCMP • 3 months ago

The estranged husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon pleaded guilty on Monday to embezzling more than £400,000 (US$540,000) from the Scottish National Party to fund a lavish lifestyle when he was its chief executive. Peter Murrell, 61, who was remanded into custody in the High Court in Edinburgh after his plea, admitted he used the money to buy a motorhome, two cars and luxury goods. “B...

Trump now ties Iran deal to major expansion of Abraham Accords

SCMP • 3 months ago

US President Donald Trump said Monday that any agreement to end the Iran war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered agreements from Trump’s first term aimed at normalising relations with Israel. US and Iranian forces have observed a ceasefire since April 8 while diplomats push for a negotiated...

Trump says Iran deal should include additional countries joining Abraham Accords

SCMP • 3 months ago

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that any agreement with Iran should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey, to join the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered agreements aimed at normalising relations with Israel that were forged during Trump’s first term. In a social media post, Trump said negotiations are “proceeding nicely” but tied any even...

Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge and more: how YCIS guidance open doors to prestigious universities worldwide

SCMP • 3 months ago

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] At Yew Chung International School of Hong Kong (YCIS HK), a university offer is not a finish line but the first step in a life of service. The Class of 2026 demonstrates this belief: as of mid-April, graduates have secured places at Oxford (Law), Cambridge (Geography), Harvard (Environmental Science & Engineering), Stanfor...

Hun Sen pardons detained Cambodia opposition leader Kem Sokha

SCMP • 3 months ago

Cambodia’s acting head of state, former prime minister Hun Sen, pardoned opposition leader Kem Sokha on Monday from a sentence of almost three decades for treason. Kem Sokha, who was convicted of trying to topple the former long-ruling leader’s government and sentenced to 27 years, “is pardoned”, Hun Sen posted on social media alongside a royal decree signed by him. Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for...