https://www.scmp.com/rss/91/feed All the latest breaking news from Hong Kong, China and around the world en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Meredith Chen Meredith Chen China has moved to ease residency restrictions that prevent migrant workers from accessing social insurance where they work, in a sweeping effort to expand coverage and strengthen labour protections nationwide. The new measures were announced on Friday by the State Council, China’s cabinet. The move is part of China’s broader push to create a unified national market by removing barriers to the free flow of capital and talent. Under the new policy, workers can enrol in social insurance programmes... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3354575/china-removes-hukou-hurdle-migrant-workers-social-insurance-shake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3354575/china-removes-hukou-hurdle-migrant-workers-social-insurance-shake?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 14:31:38 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse France’s former prime minister Gabriel Attal said on Friday he would run for president next year when Emmanuel Macron steps down, becoming the second prominent centrist to challenge the far-right. “I can’t take this kind of French politics anymore, where it’s just 50 shades of managing decline,” said the 37-year-old, who was France’s youngest prime minister when he served in 2024. He announced his bid under a blazing sun in the southern village of Mur-de-Barrez – the kind of rural area where... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354577/frances-youngest-pm-attal-run-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354577/frances-youngest-pm-attal-run-president?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 14:27:15 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao The original think tank paper was published in Chinese. SCMP Plus members can read an English translation here. A Chinese state think tank has offered a detailed road map to steer China and the US towards peaceful coexistence, as the competition between the two powers has entered a new strategic stalemate. In a paper published on May 13 – the same day US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for a high-stakes visit – the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (Cicir)... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354576/how-china-and-us-can-coexist-peacefully-while-locked-strategic-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354576/how-china-and-us-can-coexist-peacefully-while-locked-strategic-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 14:17:35 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s coming trip to New York and Canada is expected to lay the groundwork for President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the US and warmer ties with Ottawa. China’s foreign ministry said on Friday that Wang would chair a high-level meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on May 26, followed by a visit to Canada from May 28 to 30. The New York leg of Wang’s trip follows less than two weeks after the Beijing summit between Xi and US President Donald Trump. There,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354572/chinas-top-diplomat-wang-yi-visit-us-and-canada-boost-ties-pave-way-xi-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354572/chinas-top-diplomat-wang-yi-visit-us-and-canada-boost-ties-pave-way-xi-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 13:21:04 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The head of the World Health Organization said on Friday that the Ebola outbreak in Congo is “spreading rapidly” and now poses a “very high” risk at the national level. WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN health agency was revising upwards to “very high” its assessment of the risk within Congo, which had previously been deemed as high. The risk remains high for regional spread and low at global levels, he told reporters. The WHO chief noted that 82 cases have been... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3354571/who-raises-risk-assessment-congos-ebola-outbreak-spreads-rapidly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3354571/who-raises-risk-assessment-congos-ebola-outbreak-spreads-rapidly?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 13:10:56 +0000 Eric Jiang Eric Jiang The expanded second passenger terminal at Hong Kong International Airport will be crucial to the city’s role as a global aviation hub, with its departure concourse set to open at the end of next year, the managing authority has said. The Airport Authority said on Friday that Terminal 2 would open on May 27 and travellers would check in, clear immigration and undergo security checks before proceeding to Terminal 1 for departure. The dedicated departure concourse and boarding gates were slated to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3354569/launch-terminal-2-will-boost-hong-kongs-aviation-hub-status-airport-authority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3354569/launch-terminal-2-will-boost-hong-kongs-aviation-hub-status-airport-authority?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 13:02:00 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung HK Electric customers are set to pay more for their energy bills next month after the Hong Kong company announced a 20.4 per cent rise in its fuel surcharge as the ongoing war in the Middle East contributed to volatile oil prices. The energy provider, which mainly serves Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island, also warned on Friday that the fuel surcharge was expected to continue going up “in the coming months”. HK Electric announced it would adjust its fuel clause charge for June to 31.3 HK cents... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3354568/hk-electric-customers-set-steeper-bills-june-over-volatile-oil-prices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3354568/hk-electric-customers-set-steeper-bills-june-over-volatile-oil-prices?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 12:47:18 +0000 Zhou Bo Zhou Bo On the face of it, US President Donald Trump’s China visit can be characterised by five Bs: beef, beans, Boeings, a board of investment and a board of trade. No wonder Trump rated his visit a “12 on a scale of one to 10”. Just the 200 Boeing aircraft China has agreed to buy is worth the presidential visit. China has achieved no less. Compared with beef, beans and Boeings, the boards of investment and trade that both sides agreed to set up are perhaps more significant. With this institutional... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3354413/why-trumps-china-visit-could-set-new-tone-sino-us-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3354413/why-trumps-china-visit-could-set-new-tone-sino-us-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 12:30:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters French ⁠President Emmanuel Macron said on ⁠Friday that the government will invest an additional €1 billion (US$1.16 billion) in its quantum strategy and €550 million to support the microelectronics sector, as global powers race to be first to leverage ‌emerging technology. “I’ll say it out loud. We have the means to be the winners of this race,” Macron said while announcing the funding. On Thursday, US President Donald Trump’s administration unveiled plans to take US$2 billion in equity stakes... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354566/france-invest-eu15-billion-quantum-computing-advanced-microchips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354566/france-invest-eu15-billion-quantum-computing-advanced-microchips?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 12:27:40 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji On Great Nicobar, a remote island located closer to Indonesia than mainland India, New Delhi is embarking on one of its biggest developments in decades. The US$9 billion project is intended to transform the country’s southernmost tip into a major transport hub comprising a transhipment port, an international airport and associated logistical facilities. Spread across 166 sq km (64 square miles), the project in India’s Andaman and Nicobar archipelago is slated for completion over three decades,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354565/indias-us9-billion-island-megaport-sharpens-chinas-malacca-dilemma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354565/indias-us9-billion-island-megaport-sharpens-chinas-malacca-dilemma?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 12:18:17 +0000 Albee Zhang,Alcott Wei Albee Zhang,Alcott Wei All three of China’s aircraft carriers could soon be able to operate the country’s J-35 stealth fighter, which Chinese experts say would “significantly” bolster the PLA Navy’s combat abilities. Currently, only China’s most advanced carrier, the Fujian, can host the J-35 as it has an electromagnetic catapult to assist the fifth-generation fighter into the air. The Liaoning and Shandong carriers launch J-15 fighters from an upwardly curved “ski-jump” deck. However, there are signs that the two... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3354563/could-all-chinas-aircraft-carriers-soon-operate-j-35-stealth-fighters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3354563/could-all-chinas-aircraft-carriers-soon-operate-j-35-stealth-fighters?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 12:00:11 +0000 Enoch Yiu Enoch Yiu Standard Chartered global CEO Bill Winters on Friday said he was “sorry” for comments describing “lower-value” workers, made while announcing job-cut plans earlier this week. Winters apologised in a LinkedIn post as he tried to cool debate among upset employees after he announced on Tuesday a 15 per cent cut of back-office staff at the lender by 2030. Winters said that AI adoption would replace some “lower-value human capital”. The CEO first made a LinkedIn post explaining his comments from... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3354558/i-am-sorry-standard-chartered-ceo-bill-winters-apologises-comments-over-job-cuts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3354558/i-am-sorry-standard-chartered-ceo-bill-winters-apologises-comments-over-job-cuts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 11:09:56 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Two Indian climbers have died on Mount Everest during a record-breaking period of ascents via Nepal’s southern route, as experts warn of overcrowding on the world’s highest peak. “They fell ill while descending at high altitude. We are working out how to retrieve the bodies,” Nivesh Karki, director at Pioneer Adventures, said. He named them as Sandeep Are, who he said summited on Wednesday, and Arun Kumar Tiwari, who reached the peak on Thursday. Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 10 highest... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3354557/2-climbers-die-everest-record-breaker-warns-overcrowding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3354557/2-climbers-die-everest-record-breaker-warns-overcrowding?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 11:05:18 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang An alleged Myanmar crime boss and members of his syndicate were put on trial this week in the latest stage of Beijing’s sweeping crackdown on cross-border scam networks. Wei Huairen, also known as Wai San, faces charges including fraud, murder, extortion and organising illegal border crossings, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday. Prosecutors allege that from 2019 onwards, the syndicate used the Wei family’s military and political influence in Myanmar’s Kokang region to operate... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3354555/myanmars-wei-family-put-trial-latest-phase-chinas-crackdown-scam-compounds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3354555/myanmars-wei-family-put-trial-latest-phase-chinas-crackdown-scam-compounds?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 10:36:57 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thousands of protesters in Bangladesh clashed with police in a bid to seize a suspect accused of raping a four-year-old girl, officials said on Friday. In recent months, the South Asian country has seen a spike in reported cases of violence against women and children, fuelling widespread anger. Police said the suspect, Monir Hossain, was detained by locals in Bangladesh’s second-largest city of Chattogram and was being handed over to the authorities on Thursday when tensions boiled over among... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3354554/bangladesh-protestors-clash-police-over-alleged-child-rape?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3354554/bangladesh-protestors-clash-police-over-alleged-child-rape?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 10:31:39 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng China’s top economic planner denied pressuring domestic tech companies to turn down foreign investment amid rising concerns sparked by its recent blocking of Facebook owner Meta Platforms’ proposed buyout of Chinese-founded AI start-up Manus. “We have never required Chinese tech firms not to accept foreign investment,” Li Chao, spokesman for the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said at a press conference on Friday. “We support Chinese firms to integrate into the global... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3354547/despite-blocking-metas-manus-deal-china-says-door-open-foreign-tech-investment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3354547/despite-blocking-metas-manus-deal-china-says-door-open-foreign-tech-investment?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 10:30:04 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin K-pop boy band BTS will perform at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium for three days in March next year as part of their comeback tour, with tickets to sell for up to HK$3,299 (US$420) each. The dates for the boy band’s performances in the city were announced by event organiser Live Nation HK on Friday. The shows are part of the group’s “Arirang” world tour, which marks their return to the global stage after all seven members recently completed mandatory military service in South Korea. The band is set... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3354540/k-pop-stars-bts-hold-3-concerts-hong-kongs-kai-tak-stadium-2027?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3354540/k-pop-stars-bts-hold-3-concerts-hong-kongs-kai-tak-stadium-2027?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 10:15:23 +0000 Johannes Nugroho Johannes Nugroho After three agonising days with no word from his son, Warsono finally saw the face he had been waiting for. The 60-year-old Indonesian from Bandar Lampung in Sumatra spoke by video call on Thursday evening to his son, Andre Prasetyo Nugroho, following the 27-year-old journalist’s release from Israeli detention in Gaza. “To my great relief, I could see he was in one piece, albeit somewhat worse for wear,” he said, adding that his son had bruises on his hands from being tightly zip-tied and,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3354548/freed-indonesian-gaza-flotilla-tells-father-rough-treatment-israeli-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3354548/freed-indonesian-gaza-flotilla-tells-father-rough-treatment-israeli-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 10:00:47 +0000 Chao Kong Chao Kong For decades, publishing a paper in Nature was regarded as the ultimate academic achievement in China – a fast track to promotions, research grants, hospital appointments and elite national talent programmes. But a growing wave of academic fraud allegations could be turning that prestige into a liability. Over the past two months, Chinese social media platforms have been flooded with accusations targeting papers published in Nature and its subsidiaries, including Nature Cancer, Nature Cell... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354318/will-string-science-scandals-ruin-century-old-journal-natures-reputation-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354318/will-string-science-scandals-ruin-century-old-journal-natures-reputation-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 10:00:08 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan A Chinese woman who has planted trees in the deserts of Inner Mongolia for decades has contacted an American man who donated US$5,000 to her and invited him to visit a forest that came into being because of his funding. Yin Yuzhen, 60, was awarded as a National Model Worker by China’s State Council in 2000 for her long-term anti-desertification efforts. Hailing from a poor family in northwestern Shaanxi province, Yin married a man who lives in Maowusu Desert in Inner Mongolia in the 1980s. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/environment/article/3354182/american-donated-us5000-china-farmer-tree-planting-decades-ago-invited-view-forest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/environment/article/3354182/american-donated-us5000-china-farmer-tree-planting-decades-ago-invited-view-forest?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 10:00:06 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Beijing reaffirmed its opposition to arms sales to Taiwan after the acting secretary of the US Navy said Washington was pausing a US$14 billion weapons purchase by the self-governed island. “China’s firm opposition to US arms sales to China’s Taiwan region is consistent, clear and unwavering,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday. On Thursday, acting US Navy head Hung Cao told a congressional hearing that “right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354539/us-navy-signals-pause-taiwan-arms-sale-drawing-swift-reaction-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354539/us-navy-signals-pause-taiwan-arms-sale-drawing-swift-reaction-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 09:52:01 +0000 SCMP Plus SCMP Plus This report was translated from Chinese into English using Alibaba’s Qwen3, then checked and tweaked for accuracy by a South China Morning Post journalist. It is for reference only, and is not the official English version of the original Chinese document. Alibaba owns the SCMP. https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354538/chinas-views-achieving-constructive-strategic-and-stable-ties-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354538/chinas-views-achieving-constructive-strategic-and-stable-ties-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 09:51:06 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones The Javan and Sumatran rhinos are down to their last few dozen, just like the Cat Ba langur of Vietnam, while the soala living in Laos’ Annamite mountains may already be gone for good. Southeast Asia’s remarkable biodiversity is under severe threat from the encroachment of cities and farms, deforestation, warming seas and the trafficking of rare wildlife for food, traditional medicines and as pets. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) told This Week in Asia that more than... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3354526/thousands-aseans-endangered-species-face-trafficking-consumption-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3354526/thousands-aseans-endangered-species-face-trafficking-consumption-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 09:16:24 +0000 Karen Tian Karen Tian Funding for China’s artificial-intelligence-related start-ups jumped nearly threefold year on year in the first quarter, as investors poured capital into large language models (LLMs) and embodied AI amid growing optimism over the country’s technology ecosystem. AI-related start-ups secured more than 110 billion yuan (US$16.2 billion) in the first three months of the year, representing a 185 per cent surge from the same period last year, according to data released on Thursday by Beijing-based... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3354502/chinas-ai-start-funding-triples-us16b-first-quarter-amid-bets-llms-robotics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3354502/chinas-ai-start-funding-triples-us16b-first-quarter-amid-bets-llms-robotics?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 09:00:06 +0000 Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow China criticised the United States for filing criminal charges against former Cuban president Raul Castro, as the Trump administration stepped up pressure on the Communist-ruled Caribbean island. “The United States needs to stop wielding the big stick of sanctions and judicial measures against Cuba, and stop threatening Cuba with force at every turn,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Thursday. Russia also said that US actions “cannot be condoned”. The US on Wednesday... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354503/cuba-clash-putin-visits-beijing-xi-may-go-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354503/cuba-clash-putin-visits-beijing-xi-may-go-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:56:26 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Hong Kong film producer and actor Raymond Wong Pak-ming has been found guilty of sharing insider information with his sister to trade shares of an entertainment company he chaired in 2017, netting her more than HK$1 million (US$127,650) in profit. Magistrate Ko Wai-hung at Eastern Court on Friday found Wong had made “absurd and illogical” explanations for his messages to younger sister Jenny Wong, ruling he had knowingly advised her to buy shares in Transmit Entertainment, a television series... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3354517/hong-kong-producer-raymond-wong-found-guilty-hk1-million-insider-trading?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3354517/hong-kong-producer-raymond-wong-found-guilty-hk1-million-insider-trading?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:50:10 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell Perhaps the most fascinating and important aspects of US President Donald Trump’s jolt to the global economy have been its unintended consequences, especially the impact on relations between China and India. Two consistent aspects of Trump’s meandering narrative are to “make America great again” by bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US, and to hobble China as an economic and strategic threat. A decade later, there has been negligible progress on either objective. Instead, the unintended... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3354474/india-and-china-are-cautiously-getting-closer-thanks-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3354474/india-and-china-are-cautiously-getting-closer-thanks-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Bowing to pressure ⁠from within its ranks, the Democratic National Committee released on Thursday its long-withheld “autopsy” of Kamala Harris’ loss to Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race – only to quickly disavow it. The report found that Democrats have ceded ground to Trump’s Republicans through underfunding of state parties and a “persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all ‌voters”. In particular, Democrats underperformed among male voters, non-college voters, irregular... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354511/democrats-release-2024-us-election-loss-autopsy-only-disavow-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354511/democrats-release-2024-us-election-loss-autopsy-only-disavow-it?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:16:49 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Former Malaysian economy minister Rafizi Ramli’s breakaway gamble is unlikely to bring down Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on its own, analysts say, but it could still wound the ruling coalition by peeling away reformist voters who helped Pakatan Harapan (PH) take power in 2022. Rafizi and former natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad announced on Sunday that they would quit Anwar’s People Justice Party (PKR), vacate their parliamentary seats and take over... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354510/why-rafizis-party-bigger-threat-malaysias-anwar-opposition-coalition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354510/why-rafizis-party-bigger-threat-malaysias-anwar-opposition-coalition?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:16:18 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Scientists from China and the Netherlands have created a corn protein-based biopolymer with a process inspired by spider silk that could offer a sustainable alternative to plastics based on fossil fuel. “Plant-derived biopolymers may become sustainable alternatives to fossil-based polymers, yet their poor material performance has so far limited their adoption,” the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications on May 11. The scientists, inspired by how spiders... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354488/chinese-and-dutch-scientists-turn-corn-sustainable-plastic-inspired-spider-silk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354488/chinese-and-dutch-scientists-turn-corn-sustainable-plastic-inspired-spider-silk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Brazilian head of a victims’ association for the 2009 crash of Flight 447 from Rio to Paris said that justice has yet to be served in France’s worst aviation crash after a Paris appeals court found Airbus and Air France guilty of manslaughter. Air France and Airbus, two of France’s most emblematic companies, said in separate statements that they would appeal Thursday’s ruling, potentially prolonging the legal battle for years. Brazilian Nelson Faria Marinho, who lost his son in the crash... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354499/air-france-2009-crash-verdict-sparks-mixed-emotions-among-victims-families?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354499/air-france-2009-crash-verdict-sparks-mixed-emotions-among-victims-families?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 07:39:14 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele On Cenang Beach, Mohamad Zaki Najmi sells jet ski rides and boat tours in Langkawi’s turquoise water: adventure activities that have powered the Malaysian island’s tourism economy for years. But costs are rising fast on the popular resort island, and the sea sports operator has been forced to pass them on to customers – a last resort for tourism players in Malaysia as competition for international visitors hots up across Southeast Asia. Higher fuel prices, triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3354496/malaysias-tourism-dependent-langkawi-fears-rising-costs-are-deterring-visitors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3354496/malaysias-tourism-dependent-langkawi-fears-rising-costs-are-deterring-visitors?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 07:15:28 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Financial news outlet Bloomberg harboured “unprecedented” malice in the publication and handling of an article about the purchase of good class bungalows in Singapore, lawyers for two Singaporean cabinet ministers alleged on Friday during closing statements in a defamation lawsuit. Senior counsel Davinder Singh said the case was unprecedented in terms of ill intent and aggravation, seeking damages exceeding those against The Online Citizen chief editor Terry Xu, who was ordered to pay S$574,000... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354490/bloomberg-accused-unprecedented-malice-singapore-ministers-defamation-trial-ends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354490/bloomberg-accused-unprecedented-malice-singapore-ministers-defamation-trial-ends?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:58:38 +0000 SCMP SCMP The presidents of the United States and Russia visited Beijing on separate trips in May to meet with President Xi Jinping. The South China Morning Post produced extensive coverage of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s summit meetings in Beijing. Here are some of the highlights of our coverage, taking you behind the headlines and beyond the summit stages to show the politics, symbolism and moments that shaped Xi’s meetings with Trump and Putin. If you would like to see more of our reporting,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354442/selfies-and-symbolism-behind-scenes-xis-summit-trump-and-putin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354442/selfies-and-symbolism-behind-scenes-xis-summit-trump-and-putin?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:30:06 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London can continue its “legitimate activity”, the UK government has said, despite political pressure after a British court found two men linked to the office guilty of spying on activists. But the UK government also said on Thursday that anyone in any organisation found to be helping a foreign state to undermine British security would be brought to justice. The government’s remarks came two weeks after Bill Yuen Chung-biu, the London office’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3354483/hong-kong-trade-office-can-continue-legitimate-activity-uk-official-tells-critical-mps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3354483/hong-kong-trade-office-can-continue-legitimate-activity-uk-official-tells-critical-mps?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:18:03 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is expected in Brussels for crunch talks with EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic on June 29 and 30, as trade tensions between the sides threaten to reach fever pitch. Wang’s trip – confirmed by people familiar with the planning – will come on the heels of several top-level debates in the Belgian capital about how the bloc should tackle the perceived threat of an industrial shock to its economy attributed to China’s policies. Next week, the European Commission will hold... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354481/chinas-commerce-chief-wang-wentao-expected-brussels-june-29-and-30-sources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354481/chinas-commerce-chief-wang-wentao-expected-brussels-june-29-and-30-sources?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:04:33 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Paul McCartney led an all-star line-up for the final episode of The Late Show as frontman Stephen Colbert bowed out after broadcaster CBS cancelled his show as it courted US President Donald Trump. But one A-lister who eluded the comic to the end was the pope, whom Colbert, a devout Catholic, had long touted as his dream guest. “The pope, who was definitely my guest tonight, has cancelled,” Colbert joked, blaming a dispute over hot dogs before McCartney appeared to rapturous cheers. The show,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354480/stephen-colbert-hosts-late-show-finale-after-controversial-cancellation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354480/stephen-colbert-hosts-late-show-finale-after-controversial-cancellation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:01:44 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has launched a US$10 billion facility to support members affected by conflict in the Middle East, the multilateral development lender announced on Thursday. The Energy, Food Security and Economic Resilience Facility, sitting alongside the bank’s existing financing tools, offers up to US$10 billion over two years to help members tackle urgent needs around energy security, food security and economic resilience, according to a statement published by... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3354457/aiib-offers-us10-billion-support-members-hit-iran-war-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3354457/aiib-offers-us10-billion-support-members-hit-iran-war-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:00:12 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang China’s “most devoted fraudster” has returned to public attention after mainland media revisited his case of forging hospital payment slips to keep his wife alive. Liao Dan, a former factory worker in Beijing with only a secondary school education, had been living on the margins of the city with his wife, Du Jinling, and their son after their workplaces shut down. Their hardship worsened in 2007, when Du was diagnosed with severe uraemia and told she needed dialysis three times a week to... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3354243/china-most-devoted-fraudster-fakes-records-give-wife-free-dialysis-reignites-medical-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3354243/china-most-devoted-fraudster-fakes-records-give-wife-free-dialysis-reignites-medical-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:00:07 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has charged a 62-year-old woman for allegedly offering a bribe to a Legal Aid Department clerk in an attempt to secure custody of her grandson. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said on Thursday that Wen Congmei allegedly offered HK$10,000 (US$1,280) to the clerk in September last year. Wen faces one count of offering an advantage to a public servant and was granted HK$2,000 cash bail at West Kowloon Court on Friday. She was barred from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3354476/hong-kongs-icac-charges-woman-over-alleged-hk10000-bribe-custody-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3354476/hong-kongs-icac-charges-woman-over-alleged-hk10000-bribe-custody-case?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 05:35:23 +0000 SCMP SCMP This article was first published on May 23, 1976. Australia’s long distance swimming heroine, Linda McGill, staggered ashore at crowded Repulse Bay beach yesterday afternoon (May 22, 1976) after completing her round Hong Kong Island swim and said: “I’d do it again – for A$20,000 (HK$883,817 in 2026).” Linda, looking exhausted and close to collapse after just over 17 hours in the water, fell into the arms of her fiance, Dr Bruce Logan, and hundreds of spectators clapped and cheered. With cameras... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3354073/australias-linda-mcgill-makes-first-swim-around-hong-kong-island-1976-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3354073/australias-linda-mcgill-makes-first-swim-around-hong-kong-island-1976-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 05:30:05 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li Hong Kong’s medical watchdog and the Coroner’s Court will examine an incident in which a young girl was left in a vegetative state and later died after a delayed blood transfusion during an operation at a public hospital. Eddie Chau, the father of the late Chau Tin-yu, said on Friday that the Medical Council inquiry would take place from October 27 to 30 and he would attend as a witness. The Coroner’s Court also notified him that it had decided to open an inquest into Tin-yu’s death, with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3354468/coroners-court-watchdog-probe-delayed-blood-transfusion-girl-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3354468/coroners-court-watchdog-probe-delayed-blood-transfusion-girl-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 04:50:45 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Substance for Putin, ‘face’ for Trump as China, Russia deepen strategic alliance Days after US President Donald Trump’s visit framed around managing risks, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3354444/leaders-xi-putin-meet-over-tea-rare-earth-find-northeast-china-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3354444/leaders-xi-putin-meet-over-tea-rare-earth-find-northeast-china-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 04:34:12 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Vietnam auctioned off two Hermes handbags owned by real estate tycoon Truong My Lan, convicted in the nation’s largest fraud case, for 14.21 billion dong (US$539,000) as efforts to claw back billions of dollars in ill-gotten wealth accelerate. The government is auditing assets owned by Lan and her affiliates to recoup billions in losses after courts ordered her to repay US$27 billion in damages. Lan has so far repaid a total of more than 12 trillion dong to about 42,000 bondholders with more... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3354462/vietnam-sells-disgraced-tycoons-hermes-bags-recoup-us27-billion-damages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3354462/vietnam-sells-disgraced-tycoons-hermes-bags-recoup-us27-billion-damages?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 04:11:09 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela A leading Chinese university has given a Russian banker sanctioned by the United States a prestigious honorary academic title, soon after they signed a partnership agreement on innovative development. German (also known as Herman) Gref, CEO and chairman of Russia’s Sberbank, has been given the title of “distinguished visiting professor” by Tsinghua University, according to Russian state news agency Ria on Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the matter. Gref was part of the delegation... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354420/chinas-tsinghua-university-honours-german-gref-russian-banker-sanctioned-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354420/chinas-tsinghua-university-honours-german-gref-russian-banker-sanctioned-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 04:00:12 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China’s landmark Pinglu Canal has entered its final phase of construction and is set to begin trial operations as early as September, with a first shipping route linking the country’s heartlands to the free-trade port of Hainan, according to Chinese state media reports. The Pinglu Canal – China’s most ambitious waterway project in centuries – will stretch 134km (83 miles) from Nanning, capital of the southern Guangxi region, to the Gulf of Tonkin, known as the Beibu Gulf in China. The aim is to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354380/chinas-vast-new-canal-link-southeast-asia-set-open-earlier-expected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354380/chinas-vast-new-canal-link-southeast-asia-set-open-earlier-expected?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 03:00:06 +0000 The Star The Star A scam syndicate has been renting a bungalow in an upmarket area in Malaysia’s Johor state and using AI to carry out job scams all the way in Spain. Police uncovered their activities when they arrested a total of 35 Chinese nationals during a raid at the bungalow in Gelang Patah at 11.50pm on May 14. Iskandar Puteri OCPD Assistant Commissioner M. Kumarasan said the suspects, aged between 21 and 39, used artificial intelligence technology and ready-made language templates to communicate with... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3354452/chinese-gang-caught-using-ai-malaysia-bungalow-spanish-job-scam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3354452/chinese-gang-caught-using-ai-malaysia-bungalow-spanish-job-scam?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 02:41:51 +0000 Josephine Ma Josephine Ma Dr Evan Medeiros is the Penner family chair in Asia studies and the Cling family distinguished fellow in US-China studies at Georgetown University. He has served as the National Security Council’s director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, and later as special assistant to the president and senior director for Asia. Medeiros was former president Barack Obama’s top adviser on the Asia-Pacific and was previously a policy adviser to Hank Paulson when he was Treasury secretary. He has also held senior... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354449/china-us-stability-may-not-last-ex-asia-adviser-obama-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354449/china-us-stability-may-not-last-ex-asia-adviser-obama-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 02:26:26 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li A Hong Kong resident was killed and four others were injured after a fire broke out late on Thursday in an old building under renovation in Jordan, prompting the evacuation of about 300 people. Police said on Friday that they received a report at 10.49pm the previous day of a fire at a subdivided flat in the 62-year-old Man Yuen Building on Man Wai Street. The Fire Services Department deployed 20 fire engines, 10 ambulances and 106 personnel, and extinguished the blaze at 11.53pm. The department... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3354448/1-dead-4-injured-hong-kong-subdivided-flat-fire-forces-300-be-evacuated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3354448/1-dead-4-injured-hong-kong-subdivided-flat-fire-forces-300-be-evacuated?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 02:14:42 +0000 Fan Hou,Haining Gao Fan Hou,Haining Gao – https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3354445/china-russia-energy-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3354445/china-russia-energy-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 01:37:07 +0000