South Korea’s top presidential aide resigns following cabinet reshuffle
SCMP

South Korea’s top presidential aide resigns following cabinet reshuffle

South Korea’s chief presidential policy adviser has resigned, the presidential Blue House said on Tuesday, after President Lee Jae ‌Myung reshuffled his cabinet and senior aides amid a drop in his approval rating. Kim Yong-beom was a key adviser to Lee on economic policy, including on housing and ⁠stock market issues. Kim had offered to step down from the post on Monday, which oversees the adminis...

Thailand’s Pattaya pins hopes on arrival of 5,000 US sailors to boost tourism

Thailand’s Pattaya pins hopes on arrival of 5,000 US sailors to boost tourism

SCMP

After more than 250 days at sea fighting the war on Iran – and amid reports of dire conditions on board – the USS Abraham Lincoln is finally set to dock near Pattaya this week, giving more than 5,000 American sailors and Marines shore leave as the Thai resort city hopes they will spend big during their last pit stop before home. The eastern Thai beach resort, known for its colourful nightlife, has...

China’s top brokerages step up global push as overseas profits surge

China’s top brokerages step up global push as overseas profits surge

SCMP

China’s leading brokerages are accelerating their push overseas, pouring billions of yuan into their international arms as cross-border deals expand and profits from overseas operations grow, according to their latest interim reports. Citic Securities, one of China’s largest brokerages, saw revenue generated outside mainland China rise 45.5 per cent, year on year, to 15.86 billion yuan (US$2.4 bil...

Trump’s ballroom construction can resume at White House, supreme court rules – as it happened

Trump’s ballroom construction can resume at White House, supreme court rules – as it happened

The Guardian

This live blog is now closed.US supreme court allows Trump to keep building $400m White House ballroomSign up for US Breaking News emailsChris HippensteelWe’re watching today as Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, and Kevin Warsh, the chair of the Federal Reserve, deliver their opening remarks at the G20 meetings in Asheville, North Carolina. Continue reading...

Thirty years of waiting, a memoir and a trial: conviction in Tupac Shakur killing brings closure

Thirty years of waiting, a memoir and a trial: conviction in Tupac Shakur killing brings closure

The Guardian

A Las Vegas jury on Monday found Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis guilty in the 1996 murder of the hip-hop iconJury finds Duane Davis guilty of murder of Tupac ShakurThirty years after the killing of Tupac Shakur, conspiracy theories and rumors about the perpetrator’s identity, one man has now been held criminally responsible for the rap icon’s death.A Las Vegas jury convicted Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a 63-yea...

Two people dead and nearly 80 rescued after Grand Canyon flash flood

Two people dead and nearly 80 rescued after Grand Canyon flash flood

The Guardian

Officials say one person still unaccounted for as forecast heavy rain and thunderstorms threaten further floodingA second death was confirmed by National Park Service officials on Monday after a flash flood sent a surge of water and debris through an area of the Grand Canyon over the weekend.Dozens of visitors had to be evacuated by helicopter during the deluge, which consumed trails and infrastru...

Australia news live: police locate parents of toddler found wandering Sydney street alone at 2am

Australia news live: police locate parents of toddler found wandering Sydney street alone at 2am

The Guardian

Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast43 Australians still missing, with concerns growing ‘every day, every hour’ that goes by, Wong saysThe foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says there are still 43 Australian missing after the flooding in Nepal, saying the government holds grave concerns for their safety that only gets worse as the days go by.This is su...

Going big and going green can work together for Hong Kong mega-events

Going big and going green can work together for Hong Kong mega-events

SCMP

Hong Kong’s mega-event economy is thriving. In a blog post last month, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po noted that in the first half of 2026, the city hosted more than 130 mega-events, drawing 1.75 million visitors and injecting roughly HK$5.8 billion (US$739.9 million) into the local economy. These figures are the ongoing dividends of the government’s sustained policy and financial backing. Th...

HKIS settles out of court and breaks ties with US-based church co-founder

HKIS settles out of court and breaks ties with US-based church co-founder

SCMP

An almost year-long legal dispute involving a prestigious Hong Kong international school and its US-based co-founder, a Lutheran church, has been resolved out of court, with the school making a substantial payment and ending its association with the religious body. Harold Kim, chairman of the board of managers of Hong Kong International School (HKIS), announced the move in a letter to parents on T...

HKIS settles out of court and ends association with US-based church co-founder

HKIS settles out of court and ends association with US-based church co-founder

SCMP

A prestigious Hong Kong international school embroiled in an almost year-long legal dispute with its US-based co-founder, a Lutheran church, has been resolved out of court with the school making a substantial payment and ending its association with the religious body. Harold Kim, chairman of the board of managers of Hong Kong International School (HKIS), announced the move in a letter to parents o...

Nepal floods: meet the principal whose quick thinking saved 900 students

Nepal floods: meet the principal whose quick thinking saved 900 students

SCMP

Rajendra Dawadi was inside his classroom when a colleague rushed in with a warning: floodwaters were racing through Nepal’s Trishuli Valley, tearing apart homes, bridges and entire villages. Then a teacher received another warning by phone. Moments later, a parent arrived to take her child home. The danger had not yet been confirmed, but Dawadi, the principal, had little time to act. He rang the s...

US university to pay US$2.1 million settlement over claims it didn’t disclose China ties

US university to pay US$2.1 million settlement over claims it didn’t disclose China ties

SCMP

A prominent American university has agreed to pay a US$2.1 million settlement to resolve allegations that it failed to disclose employees’ ties to China when applying for federal grant funding, the Department of Justice announced on Monday. Ohio State University’s (OSU) settlement relates to Nasa and National Science Foundation (NSF) grants that provided funding to the university from November 201...

The laptop, the social media user and the false alarm in Taiwan over a Beijing ‘spy’

The laptop, the social media user and the false alarm in Taiwan over a Beijing ‘spy’

SCMP

A false espionage alarm about a Taipei subway user has fuelled concerns that growing fears of Beijing are breeding unhealthy suspicion on the island and eroding public trust. The controversy erupted after a social media user posted a photograph of a man holding a laptop on a Taipei Main Station metro platform on Saturday. Seeing the words “2nd Theatre Photosynthesis System” appeared in simplified ...

Chinese schools spark controversy over strict hair policy barring non-compliant male students

Chinese schools spark controversy over strict hair policy barring non-compliant male students

SCMP

Two schools in northwestern China have ignited controversy by enforcing a strict hairstyle policy on students, who may be stopped at the school gate or even turned away if they fail to comply with the requirements. August 23 marked the first day of the new school term at Yinchuan High School and Yinchuan No 24 Middle School in Yinchuan, the capital city of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Viral ...

Nasa scientists grew corn in space and found that microgravity changed root and shoot growth

Nasa scientists grew corn in space and found that microgravity changed root and shoot growth

Times of India

NASA's recent experiments indicate that corn seeds struggle with directional growth in microgravity environments. Without Earth's gravitational cues, the roots and shoots exhibit erratic growth patterns. Similarly, other plants like Arabidopsis thaliana face similar challenges in space. To prepare for longer missions, NASA is actively designing systems to counterbalance the absence of gravity, und...

News live: South Australia says block on telehealth for voluntary assisted dying creates ‘barrier’ for equitable access

News live: South Australia says block on telehealth for voluntary assisted dying creates ‘barrier’ for equitable access

The Guardian

Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast43 Australians still missing, with concerns growing ‘every day, every hour’ that goes by, Wong saysThe foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says there are still 43 Australian missing after the flooding in Nepal, saying the government holds grave concerns for their safety that only gets worse as the days go by.This is su...

Duane 'Keffe D' Davis found guilty in Tupac Shakur murder

Duane 'Keffe D' Davis found guilty in Tupac Shakur murder

France 24

Duane “Keffe D” Davis was found guilty Monday of orchestrating the 1996 murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur, becoming the first person convicted in the decades-old case. The 63-year-old faces a possible life sentence after a Las Vegas jury deliberated for less than three hours.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis found guilty in Tupac Shakur murder

Duane “Keffe D” Davis found guilty in Tupac Shakur murder

France 24

A jury has found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of orchestrating the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur, delivering the first conviction in a case that has captivated hip-hop fans for nearly three decades. Jurors reached their verdict Monday after less than three hours of deliberation.

US Treasury’s Bessent calls on Japan to boost yen through rate increases

US Treasury’s Bessent calls on Japan to boost yen through rate increases

SCMP

Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on Monday she ‌met US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and agreed that orderly yen movement is critical for global market stability. The ⁠two countries also confirmed that ‌continued, cooperative measures would contribute to this common goal, ‌Katayama told reporters after attending the ⁠Group ⁠of 20 finance leaders’ gathering. She declined ‌to comme...

US Treasury’s Bessent calls on Japan to boost yen through interest rate hikes

US Treasury’s Bessent calls on Japan to boost yen through interest rate hikes

SCMP

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he believes Japan’s government and central bank will take action that leads ‌to a stronger yen, signalling a strong chance of a Bank of Japan (BOJ) interest rate hike in September. The remarks to CNBC on Monday followed those by Bessent a day earlier, when said he expected BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda to “do the right thing” on monetary policy to combat yen decl...

Police fatally shoot woman who stabbed two people in Times Square

Police fatally shoot woman who stabbed two people in Times Square

The Guardian

Pamela Cisneros, 49, was wielding two knives when she stabbed a woman, who died in the hospital, and a manNew York City police shot and killed a woman Monday after she stabbed two people in Times Square, city authorities said during a press conference.Jessica Tisch, the New York City police commissioner, described the stabbings as “random and unprovoked” acts carried out by a woman with previous m...