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Diplomacy

America offers US$4 million bounty for arrest of Chinese money launderer

Daren Li fled the US after admitting he conspired to launder funds obtained from victims in cryptocurrency scams and fraud in Southeast Asia.

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Chinese national Daren Li, 43, fled the US in December. He was convicted and sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison in February. Photo: Handout

People

Bangladeshi YouTuber’s death sparks mourning amid Malaysia’s DUI crisis

Muzahid Millad was killed in a crash involving an allegedly drunk Malaysian soldier, prompting calls for justice and stricter laws.

Bangladeshi YouTuber Muzahid Millad was killed in a crash on a Malaysian expressway on Wednesday. Photo: Facebook/AdvanceGaming

Chinese culture

Inside the 14k, the Hong Kong triad that went global

From its roots in mainland China to expansion in Hong Kong and beyond, we look at the history of one of the most notorious triad societies.

Police arrest suspected 14K triad members at a restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, in 1995. The 14K began life as an openly pro-Kuomintang society in mainland China before becoming a global criminal organisation based in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP

Cricket

New Zealand cricket great Suzie Bates aiming to bow out on World Cup high

The 38-year-old batting star confirms she will call time on her 20-year international career following this year’s T20 World Cup in England.

Current New Zealand skipper Amelia Kerr embraces Suzie Bates after taking a wicket during the White Ferns’ 2024 T20 World Cup final win over South Africa. Photo: Reuters

China

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

World leaders are flocking to Beijing, seeking new ties amid rising geopolitical tensions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Mozambique President Daniel Chapo. Photo: Xinhua
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Politics

A Delhi-Dhaka thaw? India opens door to Sheikh Hasina extradition talks

The former Bangladeshi leader and close Indian ally, remains “a strategic asset for Delhi’, an analyst says.

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Sheikh Hasina speaks to the media after casting her vote in Dhaka on January 7, 2024. Photo: AP

China Business

Huawei earmarks US$11.7b for training of autonomous-driving systems

Company claims it will outspend all rivals combined to boost computing power, which is essential to enhance advanced driving systems.

Richard Jin, CEO of Huawei’s intelligent automotive solutions business unit, introduces the company’s latest advanced driving system in Beijing on April 23, 2026. Photo: Reuters

Southeast Asia

Indonesia rules out collecting transit fees from ships in Malacca Strait

‘As a trading nation, Indonesia supports freedom of navigation and expects open sea lanes,’ Foreign Minister Sugiono says.

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A container vessel sails through the Malacca Strait in Port Klang, Malaysia, on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

Big Tech

Developing | DeepSeek releases next-gen AI model with ‘world-leading’ cost efficiency

The company claims its much-anticipated V4 model is competitive with top closed-source models from OpenAI and Google DeepMind.

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The logo of Hangzhou-based AI start-up DeepSeek. Photo: Reuters

Military

Could thousands of US ‘hellscape’ drone boats mess with PLA plans for Taiwan?

Maybe, analysts say, but there are big barriers to fielding the uncrewed vessels on the scale needed.

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Taipei’s military has proposed large-scale purchases of drones and uncrewed boats under a planned special defence budget. Photo: AP
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Society

Tai Po probe: fire chief says authorities could have collaborated better

Andy Yeung tells committee that Fire Services Department will amend laws, tighten oversight of fire services installation contractors.

The fire at Wang Fuk Court killed 168 people and displaced about 5,000 residents. Photo: Jelly Tse

Politics

How fake job ads in Philippines led to alleged spy recruitment pipeline

The ads, some of which experts say were linked to China, aimed to get unsuspecting Filipino defence specialists to give up key information.

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The Janes ads appeared to be part of efforts linked to China to draw unsuspecting Filipino defence specialists into giving up key information. Photo: Handout

Lifestyle

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, April 24-26

Take part in a yoga session doubling as a dog adoption day, explore Chinese fashion at an exhibition and indulge in desserts.

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The Hive, in collaboration with Stray Friends Sai Kung, will host a dog adoption day and puppy yoga on April 25, 2026. Photo: the Hive Sai Kung/eventbrite

East Asia

Japan injects new life into Fukushima with nuclear plant ‘hope tourism’

Visitors flock to barely inhabited towns, attracted for the most part by the very catastrophe that drove their residents away.

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Foreign journalists are guided along with tanks containing treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Okuma town, northeastern Japan, in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

China Business

China’s hottest stock market hits a 16-year high, outpacing rivals after reforms

Buying sentiment on ChiNext companies ignited after the market regulator unveiled a package of reforms earlier this month.

Bull statues are seen in front of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on November 17, 2024. Photo: Getty Images
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Leisure

Style Edit: Poly MGM Museum celebrates East-West cultural ties

The museum hosted the Silk Roads Cultural Exchange Programme 2026 and will debut the ‘Confluence in Glass’ exhibition later this year.

Michele Marieschi’s Ca’ Foscari and Palazzo Balbi on the Grand Canal (c.1738-1740). Photo: Fotostudio Rapuzzi

Hong Kong

Man dies after fainting on Cathay Pacific flight from UK to Hong Kong

Police receive report of man’s collapse shortly before flight from Manchester lands at Hong Kong International Airport at 6.35am.

A Cathay Pacific plane approaches Hong Kong International Airport in Chek Lap Kok earlier this month. Photo: Eugene Lee

Lifestyle & Culture

This retiree in the Philippines downloaded an app. Then he lost his life savings

Industrial-scale malware is replacing ‘pig-butchering’ as Cambodia’s scam hubs pivot to high-speed digital heists.

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“Malware-as-a-service” seizes control of a user’s phone after gaining entry through a fraudulent app, monitoring use in real-time and harvesting data such as fingerprints. Photo: Shutterstock

China Opinion

Opinion | Engine dilemma lies at heart of successful take-off for China’s C919

Launching the aircraft with the imported LEAP-1C engine has led to bottlenecks and dependence but developing a convincing home-made engine will take time.

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A model of the Leap-1C engine by CFM International, a joint venture of America’s GE Aerospace and France’s Safran, on display at China International Import Expo in Shanghai on November 8. Photo: Frank Chen

China Personalities

‘Phone booth princess’: China grandma spends 3 decades managing public service kiosk

Octogenarian spends 11 hours a day manning two landlines in busy tourist area of Shanghai, says the job staves off loneliness.

A Shanghai grandmother, affectionately known as the “telephone booth princess,” has dedicated 33 years of her life to managing a public telephone booth. Photo: SCMP composite/Xinhua/kankanews
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Hong Kong Economy

Hongkongers find value, space and style in Shenzhen’s new cultural hotspots

Short cross‑border getaways emerging as the ‘quick escape’ of choice, with the newly opened Shenzhen Bay Culture Square adding to appeal.

Illustration: Henry Wong

China Business

Chinese EV makers bet on in-house chips to make cars smarter and more autonomous

Chinese EV makers are showcasing advanced in-house chips at Auto China, powering smarter vehicles and challenging global tech leaders.

Hesai CEO David Li speaks at the lidar maker’s tech open day in Shanghai, on April 17, 2026. Photo: Reuters

Tech

Tech war: US Congress rolls out ‘largest’ export control upgrade against China

US lawmakers push export controls to limit China’s tech access in a bid to protect the US semiconductor industry.

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ASML’s High NA EUV machine. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Australia signs US$7 billion Japan warship deal to boost firepower against China

The formalised deal offers Canberra a strategic alternative to uncertain US defence ties, analysts say.

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A Mogami-class stealth frigate from Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force docks in Darwin, Australia, on June 6, 2025. Photo: Kyodo/AP

Football

Japanese team with school coach to cap remarkable AFC Champions League journey

Tokyo club Machida Zelvia, who had never played in Japan’s top flight until 2024, are one win away from becoming Asian club champions.

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Machida Zelvia’s Yuki Soma (left) scores the winning goal in his team’s 1-0 Asian Champions League Elite semi-final win over Shabab Al-Ahli in Jeddah on Tuesday. Photo: Kyodo
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Culture

Poison books: Hong Kong joins the search for Victorian-era arsenic-laced tomes

Victorian-era books may contain arsenic in their bindings. One Hong Kong University book conservator went on the hunt for such toxic volumes.

Melissa Tedone, assistant professor of library and archives conservation at the University of Delaware, in the United States, holds a copy of Marmion, a Victorian-era book with a vibrant green, arsenic-based binding. Photo: Getty Images

United States & Canada

Trump’s ‘gold card’ visa granted to just 1 person so far

This appears to fall short of an earlier claim that the scheme had brought in US$1.3 billion ‘worth’ in just days.

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A poster showing the Trump Gold Card is seen as US President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office in September 2025. Photo: AP

Opinion

Editorial | Hong Kong Sevens proves to be in rude health on 50th anniversary

The rugby tournament has emerged from the pandemic and a venue change with record attendance and a bright future.

Rugby fans in the south stand celebrate on Day 3 of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens at Kai Tak Stadium on April 19. Photo: Sam Tsang

Entertainment

Profile | The wild journey behind Tony Leung Ka-fai’s Hong Kong Film Awards record

Tony Leung Ka-fai’s fifth HKFA best actor win cements his legendary cinema status amid years of resilience, reinvention and cultural impact.

Tony Leung Ka-fai poses on the red carpet during the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2016. His fifth best actor win at the HKFA cements his legendary Hong Kong cinema status. Photo: SCMP

Global Economy

Brazil beckoned: China now has stock and bond ‘connect’ schemes in 5 regions

Strategic financial corridors now bridge mainland bourses with global hubs, enabling more seamless investment through specialised fund vehicles and receipts.

An electronic board is seen at the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange in Brazil. Photo: AFP