https://www.scmp.com/rss/268514/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters The head of the World Health Organization on Monday concluded his visit to Democratic Republic of Congo by briefing the president on the response to the Ebola outbreak, which an aid agency warned was likely much larger than official figures show. The outbreak, already the third-largest on record, persisted for weeks undetected, say health officials, who are now behind the curve and ‌struggling to bring it under control. Arriving in DR Congo last week, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3355662/who-chief-ends-dr-congo-visit-group-warns-ebola-likely-spread-undetected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3355662/who-chief-ends-dr-congo-visit-group-warns-ebola-likely-spread-undetected?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 06:37:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russian air attacks on major Ukrainian cities such as Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv killed at least nine and wounded more than 60 early on Tuesday, authorities said, following days of warnings that Moscow was planning a major assault. Russia has targeted Ukraine’s power supply and infrastructure while Ukraine has stepped up attacks this year on Russian ‌oil facilities in a war now more than four years old, sometimes causing casualties, but both deny targeting civilians. Five people were killed and 25... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355645/major-russian-attack-kyiv-other-ukraine-cities-kills-least-9-wounds-dozens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355645/major-russian-attack-kyiv-other-ukraine-cities-kills-least-9-wounds-dozens?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 05:09:39 +0000 Reuters Reuters Denmark’s Social Democratic leader ⁠Mette Frederiksen said on Monday ⁠she has agreed to form a centre-left coalition government, maintaining her grip on power amid a crisis in ties with US President Donald Trump over the future of Greenland. The deal to form a minority cabinet gives Frederiksen a third ‌consecutive term as prime minister, ending months of uncertainty after a March election in which 12 parties won seats in the Danish parliament. “I have been to see His Majesty the King and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355638/denmarks-prime-minister-secures-third-term-after-marathon-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355638/denmarks-prime-minister-secures-third-term-after-marathon-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 04:41:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim on Monday slammed the Trump administration for potentially allowing advanced American AI chips to ‌be sent to overseas units of Chinese firms, and called on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify to Congress on the issue, according to a statement. In a surprise move, the Department of ⁠Commerce, which oversees US exports, on Sunday issued guidance to ‌close a potential loophole that may have led companies to export the world’s most advanced... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355616/senators-blast-trump-allowing-ai-chips-be-sent-overseas-units-chinese-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355616/senators-blast-trump-allowing-ai-chips-be-sent-overseas-units-chinese-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:53:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s nearly US$1.8 billion fund to compensate victims of alleged government “weaponisation” has been put on hold after the White House faced fierce opposition from Republicans in Congress, three sources familiar with the plan said on Monday. The rare rebuke of Trump demonstrated some Republicans’ increased willingness to flex their political power against the president, particularly after his endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Senator John... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355614/trumps-us18-billion-weaponisation-fund-hold-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355614/trumps-us18-billion-weaponisation-fund-hold-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:49:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters China’s SAIC Motor plans to set ⁠up a car ⁠factory in Spain’s ⁠northwestern region of Galicia that would be its first production facility in the European Union, the regional government said on Monday. Galicia’s leader Alfonso Rueda said his administration ‌had given strategic priority to the project, with an initial investment envisaged at around €200 million (US$232 million). The project, which includes a logistics hub, still requires the central government’s approval for foreign direct... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355613/chinas-saic-plans-build-first-eu-car-plant-spains-galicia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355613/chinas-saic-plans-build-first-eu-car-plant-spains-galicia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:28:46 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ⁠ordered attacks on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday, signalling further escalation of a war that has complicated mediation towards resolving the US-Iran conflict. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Monday that Israeli attacks in Lebanon were among factors causing a delay to the diplomatic process to end the US-Iran war, reiterating that a Lebanon ceasefire was an integral part of any... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355575/netanyahu-orders-strikes-beiruts-southern-suburbs-clouding-iran-mediation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355575/netanyahu-orders-strikes-beiruts-southern-suburbs-clouding-iran-mediation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:56:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Bruce McLaren, in a ⁠1964 eulogy for late friend and fellow driver Timmy Mayer, ⁠said “life is measured in achievement, not in years alone” and more than 60 years later, his team are still living by the maxim. Founded by the late New Zealander with barely a handful of employees, McLaren celebrate their 1,000th Formula 1 start in Monaco this weekend as only the second outfit after Ferrari to reach such a mighty milestone. They stand alone in getting there as champions. In terms of achievement,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/formula-one-f1/article/3355539/mclaren-join-ferrari-only-formula-1-teams-make-1000-grand-prix-starts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/formula-one-f1/article/3355539/mclaren-join-ferrari-only-formula-1-teams-make-1000-grand-prix-starts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:43:01 +0000 Reuters Reuters Five people died and two others were injured on Monday after an explosion and fire on a production line for rocket propellant at a factory in South Korea operated by Hanwha Aerospace, officials said. The two survivors, including one who was badly burned, had escaped from the facility themselves, a fire official told a briefing. “Authorities have yet to identify ⁠the victims because their bodies were severely damaged,” a health official told the same briefing. A fire official said that an... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3355514/explosion-kills-5-hanwha-aerospace-factory-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3355514/explosion-kills-5-hanwha-aerospace-factory-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:57:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US said it struck Iranian military sites at the weekend and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday it had targeted a US base in response, the latest exchange of attacks amid negotiations to end the three-month-old war. The US and Iran have sporadically exchanged strikes ‌since their ceasefire took effect in early April as diplomacy aimed at a more durable agreement drags on. A similar exchange occurred last Thursday and was described in near-identical terms by both sides. The weekend US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355512/us-says-struck-iran-military-sites-tehran-responds-targeting-base?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355512/us-says-struck-iran-military-sites-tehran-responds-targeting-base?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:48:21 +0000 Reuters Reuters Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3) The boys from Brazil danced on a bus, and the girls from Mexico showed off their trophy at the Street Child World Cup. The event, held this year in Mexico, combined music, football and celebration. It was the fifth year of the tournament. Young people living on the streets from 28 teams across 20 countries came together for the tournament last month. The Irish rock band U2 added star power to the finals, with drummer Larry Mullen Jnr flipping the coin before the... https://www.scmp.com/posties/kids/eye-news/article/3354032/street-child-world-cup-unites-cultures-joyful-celebration-soccer-and-music?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/posties/kids/eye-news/article/3354032/street-child-world-cup-unites-cultures-joyful-celebration-soccer-and-music?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Department of Commerce on Sunday moved to close a year-old potential loophole it had created that may have led companies to export ‌the world’s most advanced chips – such as Nvidia’s most sophisticated Rubin and Blackwell processors, as well as AMD’s MI350x – to Chinese entities located outside China. The unexpected guidance suggests the United States’ best artificial intelligence chips may have been making their way to the subsidiaries of Chinese AI firms based in places such as Malaysia... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355492/us-takes-step-halt-nvidia-ai-chip-shipments-chinese-firms-outside-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355492/us-takes-step-halt-nvidia-ai-chip-shipments-chinese-firms-outside-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 21:46:33 +0000 Reuters Reuters Syrian President ⁠Ahmed al-Sharaa held a phone ⁠call with US President Donald Trump in which they discussed supporting the Syrian economy and the latest regional developments, the Syrian presidency said ‌on Sunday. During the call, Sharaa said lifting the remaining US sanctions on Syria was essential to reviving the economy and attracting investments, according to the statement. The United States says some sanctions remain in ⁠place despite dismantling most of its Syria sanctions regime and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355491/syrias-sharaa-holds-phone-call-trump-syrian-presidency-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355491/syrias-sharaa-holds-phone-call-trump-syrian-presidency-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 20:26:38 +0000 Reuters Reuters India ⁠has signed ⁠a deal with Vietnam under which it will supply BrahMos missiles which it has jointly ‌developed with Russia and is in “final stages” for a similar deal with Indonesia, India’s Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on ⁠Saturday. India has a strong commitment ‌to Asean nations, Singh said, without disclosing more details ‌of the deals related to BrahMos. Singh ⁠was ⁠speaking at Asia’s premier defence forum, ‌the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. India, which has been... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3355438/india-seals-brahmos-missile-deal-vietnam-eyes-indonesia-next?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3355438/india-seals-brahmos-missile-deal-vietnam-eyes-indonesia-next?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 02:51:47 +0000 Reuters Reuters The boys from Brazil danced on a bus, and the girls from Mexico showed off their trophy at the Street Child World Cup. The event, held this year in Mexico, combined music, football and celebration. It was the fifth year of the tournament. Young people living on the streets from 28 teams across 20 countries came together for the tournament last month. The Irish rock band U2 added star power to the finals, with drummer Larry Mullen Jnr flipping the coin before the boys’ Shield final, while Bono,... https://www.scmp.com/spark/news/world/article/3355096/street-child-world-cup-mexico-unites-cultures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/spark/news/world/article/3355096/street-child-world-cup-mexico-unites-cultures?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 02:00:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russia’s state ⁠nuclear energy company Rosatom said on Saturday that a Ukrainian drone had struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest, causing no damage to key equipment, but the Kyiv military ‌denied it. Rosatom’s head Alexei Likhachev called the incident “deliberate” and said it left a hole in the wall of a turbine hall. “This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No 6, resulting in ⁠a subsequent detonation,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3355434/russia-says-ukraine-drone-struck-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3355434/russia-says-ukraine-drone-struck-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2026 21:31:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump ⁠will headline an event commemorating the ⁠nation’s 250th anniversary on the National Mall next month after several musical performers scheduled to appear in the celebration cancelled, citing concerns about its association with him Danielle Alvarez, an adviser to Freedom 250, ⁠told The Washington Post that “Trump will ⁠personally kick off this historic celebration on Wednesday, June 24 in an opening ceremony celebrating America’s 250th birthday”. The president had said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355433/trump-may-cancel-freedom-250-concerts-give-speech-after-artists-pull-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355433/trump-may-cancel-freedom-250-concerts-give-speech-after-artists-pull-out?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2026 17:34:58 +0000 Reuters Reuters ⁠A judge on Friday ordered the removal of US President Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Centre for the ‌Performing Arts, ruling that the iconic Washington venue cannot be renamed without an act of Congress. US District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington directed the ⁠Trump administration to take down all physical signage ‌bearing Trump’s name and to eliminate any references to a “Trump Kennedy ‌Centre” from official materials within 14 ⁠days. “The ⁠Kennedy Centre’s organic statute makes... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355385/us-judge-orders-trumps-name-removed-kennedy-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355385/us-judge-orders-trumps-name-removed-kennedy-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 20:00:48 +0000 Reuters Reuters China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi said ‌on Friday that Canada could surpass its goal of increasing exports to China by 50 per cent by 2030 during a meeting with Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand. Wang said he thought Canada’s exports to China could increase by 100 per cent, building on momentum between the countries. “Canada is focused on growing our economy and diversifying our trading relationships,” Anand said during the meeting. “The Canada-China economic relationship is... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355384/canada-might-double-exports-china-chinese-fm-wang-yi-says-during-rare-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355384/canada-might-double-exports-china-chinese-fm-wang-yi-says-during-rare-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 19:39:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters Finance ministers ⁠from the EU’s six ⁠biggest economies (E6) have agreed a ⁠common position on a European Commission proposal for joint capital markets supervision, Germany’s finance ministry said on Friday. The push for financial market players to be supervised at a European Union rather than national level is part ‌of a bid to boost the bloc’s competitiveness as it struggles with weak growth and fierce competition from the United States and China. Supervision of significant market... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355370/eus-6-biggest-economies-agree-capital-markets-supervision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355370/eus-6-biggest-economies-agree-capital-markets-supervision?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 14:18:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Kenyan authorities have arrested eight students on suspicion of arson over a fire at a girls’ boarding school that killed 16 students, ‌police said on Friday. The fire at the Utumishi Girls’ Academy Senior School in Gilgil in west-central Kenya broke out in the early hours of Thursday and also injured 79 students. Fires are common at Kenyan schools, with many set by students protesting harsh discipline and poor conditions, researchers ⁠have found. “Preliminary investigations have identified... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3355335/kenya-arrests-8-students-suspected-arson-deadly-school-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3355335/kenya-arrests-8-students-suspected-arson-deadly-school-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 11:21:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nato member Romania said on Friday that a drone injured two people in a southeastern city during an overnight Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine, the first time in the war that a drone had hit a densely populated area in Romania and caused injuries. The incident in Romania, also a member of the European Union, ‌was likely to increase tensions on Nato’s eastern flank at a time when Ukraine’s allies were worried about Russia’s war on its neighbour spilling over its borders. Nato accused Moscow... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355301/nato-and-romania-accuse-russia-after-drone-hits-block-flats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355301/nato-and-romania-accuse-russia-after-drone-hits-block-flats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 07:53:41 +0000 Associated Press,Reuters Associated Press,Reuters The World Cup has catapulted one New Zealand footballer into unlikely stardom, while another was left wondering how to tell his fiancée they needed to cancel their wedding. Squad selection for the world’s biggest sporting spectacle can throw up lots of stories, and few have been as quirky as those involving two relative unknowns from the Land of the Long White Cloud. In one tale, Kiwi defender Tim Payne has become an unlikely superstar after a football influencer from Argentina called on his... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3355298/new-zealand-world-cup-player-finds-social-media-stardom-another-has-cancel-wedding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3355298/new-zealand-world-cup-player-finds-social-media-stardom-another-has-cancel-wedding?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 07:39:17 +0000 Reuters Reuters An uncrewed Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded on a Florida launch pad during a test on Thursday, in a major setback for Jeff Bezos’ space venture as it seeks to narrow the gap with Elon Musk’s IPO-bound SpaceX. Video posted by NASASpaceflight, which live-streams launches from Florida, showed the towering New Glenn rocket igniting on the pad before erupting into a massive fireball that billowed skyward, sending a towering plume of flames and smoke into the air. Blue Origin was preparing the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355248/blue-origin-rocket-explodes-launch-pad-during-hotfire-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355248/blue-origin-rocket-explodes-launch-pad-during-hotfire-test?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 03:02:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he had directed Israel’s military to take more of Gaza, initially by seizing 70 per cent of the Palestinian territory, where the population is already penned into a tiny strip of land along the coast. Israel effectively controls an estimated 64 per cent of the tiny coastal strip, bombarded to ruins by Israel’s two-year military assault that followed the 2023 Hamas ‌attack on southern Israel. Under an October US-brokered truce that has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355233/netanyahu-directs-israeli-forces-expand-gaza-control-70?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355233/netanyahu-directs-israeli-forces-expand-gaza-control-70?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 23:40:01 +0000 Reuters Reuters Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called for a “new partnership” with the United States to “help make America great again”, in a speech delivered in New York on Thursday. Carney said that while the world is ‌undergoing a “rupture” as the US transforms its commercial relationships, working closely with Canada in specific sectors, including aluminium, cars and critical minerals, would strengthen both countries. Asked about his January trip to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Carney... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355227/carney-seeks-new-us-canada-partnership-world-undergoes-rupture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355227/carney-seeks-new-us-canada-partnership-world-undergoes-rupture?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 19:49:38 +0000 Reuters,Associated Press Reuters,Associated Press Jannik ⁠Sinner’s bid for a maiden French Open title and career grand ‌slam went up in smoke as he experienced physical issues in his second-round match against ⁠Juan Manuel Cerundolo and fell ‌to a 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 ‌defeat on a scorching ⁠Thursday. Sinner ⁠won the opening two sets ‌with ease and was up 5-1 ‌in ‌the third set before ‌dropping three games and ⁠asking for medical treatment off ⁠the court, only to lose two straight ‌sets before ‌going down in the decider. Sinner was on a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3355212/french-open-naomi-osaka-makes-fashion-statement-2nd-round-win-chinas-wu-yibing-exits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3355212/french-open-naomi-osaka-makes-fashion-statement-2nd-round-win-chinas-wu-yibing-exits?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 13:32:28 +0000 Reuters Reuters France ⁠will reimburse the cost of weight-loss drugs prescribed to severely obese patients from mid-June in a first for a European Union country, Health Minister Stephanie Rist said on Thursday. Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro medications have led a boom ‌in anti-obesity treatment, attracting interest from governments keen to address rising overweight levels worldwide. Rist estimated the annual cost to the state at around €100 million (US$116 million) at full roll-out. Patients in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355179/france-becomes-first-eu-country-reimburse-anti-obesity-drugs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355179/france-becomes-first-eu-country-reimburse-anti-obesity-drugs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 10:34:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters A US judge on Thursday declined ⁠to block President Donald ⁠Trump’s executive tightening rules on mail-in ⁠voting in a loss for the Democratic Party, whose lawyers argued that it could disenfranchise millions of voters. The decision comes as Trump’s Republicans are locked in a tight battle to keep control ‌of both houses of the US Congress in the November midterm elections. Trump has for years pushed the false claim that his 2020 election defeat was the result of widespread voter fraud and has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355176/us-judge-allows-trump-implement-mail-voting-executive-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355176/us-judge-allows-trump-implement-mail-voting-executive-order?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 10:02:35 +0000 Reuters Reuters A Philippine senator and son of a ⁠former president could ⁠soon face arrest after an ⁠anti-corruption body charged him on Thursday with receiving illicit payouts in an infrastructure scandal that has slowed economic growth and hammered consumer and investor confidence. The Office of the Ombudsman said Senator Jose “Jinggoy” ‌Estrada has been indicted for plunder and violating anti-corruption laws after he earned “kickbacks” amounting to 573 million pesos (US$9.3 million) from a scheme that... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355171/philippine-senator-estrada-faces-arrest-corruption-charges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355171/philippine-senator-estrada-faces-arrest-corruption-charges?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 09:37:39 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israel’s military on Wednesday declared a new swathe of southern Lebanon as a combat zone and said residents in the area should move north, warning it would act “with great force” against Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the zone. The military’s statement, posted on X, ‌appeared to signal further escalation after more than 120 strikes on Tuesday hit Lebanon’s south and east, despite a ceasefire announced on April 16. “We advise residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate to the north of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355107/israel-declares-new-swathe-lebanon-combat-zone-imperilling-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355107/israel-declares-new-swathe-lebanon-combat-zone-imperilling-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 03:05:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the writer who accused US President Donald Trump of ‌raping her in the mid-1990s, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The probe was focused on whether Carroll committed perjury in testimony tied to two civil lawsuits that she won against Trump – one tied to her allegations that he sexually abused her in a New York department store and another over defamation in 2019, said the ⁠source, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355104/us-justice-department-launches-criminal-probe-trump-rape-accuser-e-jean-carroll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355104/us-justice-department-launches-criminal-probe-trump-rape-accuser-e-jean-carroll?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 02:36:47 +0000 Reuters Reuters The United ⁠States and Iran have reached an outline ⁠agreement to extend their ceasefire pending the approval of President Donald Trump, according to an Axios report, after Iran targeted a US air base in Kuwait on Thursday in the wake of US strikes on what Washington described as an Iranian drone operation. According to ‌the report by Axios, the two sides agreed on a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend the truce and launch negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program but the plan still needed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355100/us-military-launches-new-strikes-against-targets-inside-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355100/us-military-launches-new-strikes-against-targets-inside-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 01:05:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Norway will open talks with ⁠France on joining its nuclear ⁠umbrella, French President Emmanuel Macron and Norwegian ⁠Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Wednesday, reflecting growing European concerns about relying on the US for security. The move signals a shift by Norway, long a staunch Atlanticist that has relied heavily on Nato and the US nuclear umbrella, towards closer defence cooperation ‌within Europe. Macron and Stoere announced the plan at a meeting in Paris, where they also... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355095/norway-join-frances-nuclear-umbrella-move-away-us-reliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355095/norway-join-frances-nuclear-umbrella-move-away-us-reliance?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2026 22:50:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters The personal assistant who ⁠injected Friends star Matthew Perry ⁠with a fatal dose of the hallucinogenic ⁠drug ketamine was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison on Wednesday, bringing to a close the prosecution of five people who admitted to playing roles in the actor’s death. Judge Sherilyn Garnett delivered the sentence for Kenneth Iwamasa, the person who ‌found Perry floating face down and lifeless in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home in October 2023. Federal prosecutors said Iwamasa... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355090/assistant-who-gave-matthew-perry-fatal-ketamine-dose-gets-41-months-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355090/assistant-who-gave-matthew-perry-fatal-ketamine-dose-gets-41-months-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2026 19:42:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former Democratic US president Joe Biden sued ⁠the US Department of Justice on Tuesday, seeking to bar the release of audio recordings and transcripts of private conversations with his biographer in 2016 and 2017. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, DC, comes ahead of the department’s planned June 15 ‌release of the materials to the US House Judiciary Committee and the conservative Heritage Foundation. The foundation sought them after they were used as part of then-special counsel... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355085/us-ex-president-biden-sues-doj-over-release-interview-audio?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355085/us-ex-president-biden-sues-doj-over-release-interview-audio?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2026 16:01:29 +0000 Reuters Reuters At a sprawling bazaar ⁠on the outskirts of Vietnam’s capital, the trade in counterfeit goods is bustling despite government crackdowns and the threat of US tariffs over the issue, two visits by Reuters journalists to the market found. “Police come once a year with a TV crew. They film the seizure of a shop, and then it’s business as usual,” said a seller at her stall displaying fake Ralph Lauren polos at Hanoi’s Ninh Hiep ‌wholesale market. Ninh Hiep is among about 30 “notorious markets”... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355009/notorious-vietnam-market-defies-raids-us-tariff-threats-sell-luxury-knock-offs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355009/notorious-vietnam-market-defies-raids-us-tariff-threats-sell-luxury-knock-offs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2026 07:45:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Dozens of Palestinians carried the body of Hamas’ armed wing chief through the streets of Gaza City in a funeral procession on Wednesday, a day after Israel killed him as it moves to eliminate the militant group’s top brass despite a ceasefire. The Israeli military said Mohammad Odeh was killed in a targeted attack on Tuesday night, just over a week after his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, was killed in an Israeli strike on a Gaza residential block. The deaths mean ‌there are few militant... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355013/israel-says-it-killed-hamas-new-armed-wing-chief-gaza-strike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355013/israel-says-it-killed-hamas-new-armed-wing-chief-gaza-strike?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2026 07:38:49 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israel pounded Lebanon with more than 120 air strikes on Tuesday in one of the heaviest days of bombing in weeks, Lebanese security sources said, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military was deepening its operations in the country. The bombing raids further strained a ceasefire announced on April 16 that was meant to halt fighting between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and ‌came as Iran said the United States had violated a separate truce by striking... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354986/israel-pounds-lebanon-heaviest-bombing-blitz-weeks-expands-ground-operations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354986/israel-pounds-lebanon-heaviest-bombing-blitz-weeks-expands-ground-operations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2026 04:49:02 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday proposed asking federal employees to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA) with the goal of preventing them from sharing confidential information with journalists. The Office of Personnel Management, the human resources office for the ‌US government, released a draft NDA designed for federal agencies to use with new and existing employees. Under the draft agreement, the administration could pursue civil and criminal penalties against employees... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354945/trump-moves-punish-us-government-workers-who-leak-information-reporters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354945/trump-moves-punish-us-government-workers-who-leak-information-reporters?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 15:17:28 +0000 Reuters Reuters Indonesia has blocked predictions market ⁠Polymarket as part of its crackdown on online gambling, its communications and digital ministry said, days after the site took bets on a premature end to Prabowo Subianto’s presidency. Gambling is illegal in Indonesia and authorities have been clamping down on online betting. “The government will not allow any form of online gambling in Indonesia,” the ministry said in a statement. Ministry official Alexander Sabar late on Friday said Polymarket was... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3354944/indonesia-bans-polymarket-following-bets-prabowo-presidency-end-date?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3354944/indonesia-bans-polymarket-following-bets-prabowo-presidency-end-date?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 15:05:41 +0000 Associated Press,Reuters Associated Press,Reuters Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka took advantage of the heatwave at the French Open to impose her attacking game in the first round on Tuesday. Daniil Medvedev struggled, though, in a five-set loss to 97th-ranked Australian opponent Adam Walton. Walton, who received a wild card invitation from tournament organisers, beat Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4. Also advancing was 17th-seeded Iva Jovic, who beat good friend Alexandra Eala of the Philippines 6-4, 6-2. Another Southeast Asian knocked out on... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3354941/french-open-sabalenka-takes-advantage-heatwave-southeast-asians-eala-tjen-exit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3354941/french-open-sabalenka-takes-advantage-heatwave-southeast-asians-eala-tjen-exit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 13:54:41 +0000 Reuters Reuters Palestinian shepherd Sameeha Rasheed was planning for the sacred ritual of sacrificing her family’s sheep for the Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the holiest occasions in Islam, but West Bank Jewish settlers stole them in a predawn raid, she said. Instead of celebrating, Rasheed has been left with nothing and has also been deprived of the income she would have received from selling the sheep not used by her family. The settlers stole around 45 sheep from her home in Masafer Yatta, a collection of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354939/west-bank-settlers-steal-palestinian-familys-sheep-herd-ahead-eid-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354939/west-bank-settlers-steal-palestinian-familys-sheep-herd-ahead-eid-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 13:29:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters Jonathan Andic, son of Mango founder Isak Andic, said on Tuesday he was stepping down temporarily as the fashion group’s vice chair after being named a suspect in an investigation into his father’s death, while strongly asserting his innocence. “The attention and focus that my defence in the judicial process currently requires do not allow me to maintain the high level of commitment demanded by my role at the company,” Andic said in an open letter to staff. “A public narrative has been... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354930/mango-founders-son-steps-down-vice-chair-amid-probe-fathers-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354930/mango-founders-son-steps-down-vice-chair-amid-probe-fathers-death?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 12:09:33 +0000 Reuters Reuters A ⁠section of ⁠an overpass under demolition in the South Korean capital of Seoul collapsed on Tuesday, killing three people who were ‌conducting a safety inspection and injuring three others, fire and city officials said. Television footage showed emergency workers conducting a search-and-rescue operation as a long segment ⁠of the structure lay collapsed on the street below, near a railway crossing in central Seoul. Workers noticed that a part of the structure had slightly sunk while concrete... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3354901/3-killed-south-korea-after-ageing-overpass-collapses-during-safety-check?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3354901/3-killed-south-korea-after-ageing-overpass-collapses-during-safety-check?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 09:44:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters Saxophonist Sonny Rollins, who spent more than two years practising in solitude as a young man on a windswept New York bridge to reinvent his playing and ⁠become one of the giants of jazz, died at the ⁠age of 95 on Monday, his publicist said. Rollins had recorded the confidently titled Jazz Colossus album ⁠in 1956. But the saxophonist remained wracked with self-doubt. So, in the summer of 1959, he began to play on the windswept pedestrian walkway of New York’s Williamsburg Bridge. Initially a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354829/sonny-rollins-legendary-saxophone-colossus-dead-95?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354829/sonny-rollins-legendary-saxophone-colossus-dead-95?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 02:56:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters 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 the White House, including the ballroom”, adding that it was vital for national security. It also... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354818/us-justice-department-seeks-lift-injunction-ballroom-project-after-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354818/us-justice-department-seeks-lift-injunction-ballroom-project-after-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 21:55:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters ⁠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 decision was unknown. “The decree aimed at restoring internet access to its pre-January state was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354813/irans-president-orders-reopening-international-internet-access-state-media-reports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354813/irans-president-orders-reopening-international-internet-access-state-media-reports?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 19:18:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters 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 further heavy attacks on Kyiv. Tsikhanouskaya, an opponent of Belarus’ President Alexander... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354812/exiled-belarus-opposition-leader-visits-ukraine-kyiv-warns-escalation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354812/exiled-belarus-opposition-leader-visits-ukraine-kyiv-warns-escalation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 19:02:29 +0000 Reuters Reuters African leaders and financiers gathered for the African Development Bank’s annual meeting on Monday as the continent faces shrinking aid flows, with this week’s event in Congo Republic overshadowed by an Ebola outbreak across the border. Overseas development aid from the world’s richest nations to poorer countries dropped by nearly a ‌quarter last year to US$174.3 billion. The US led the cuts, including reduced funding to the concessional lending arm of the AfDB – Africa’s largest development... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3354795/african-development-bank-meets-shrinking-aid-ebola-cast-long-shadows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3354795/african-development-bank-meets-shrinking-aid-ebola-cast-long-shadows?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 13:37:06 +0000