https://www.scmp.com/rss/323567/feed Crime news including the latest on murder cases, the hunt for serial killers, triads, court cases and trials, shootings, burglary, armed robbery and corruption. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Tribune News Service Tribune News Service The bomb placed outside a US Air Force Base visitors centre in Florida last month was built inside two 2-litre cherry Pepsi bottles, according to federal prosecutors. Alen Zheng, 20, of Land O’Lakes, is accused of planting the bomb and lighting the fuse at the base on March 10. He drove the explosive to MacDill Air Force Base in the boot of his Mercedes SUV, according to a document filed by prosecutors Friday. The bomb did not detonate. US Attorney Gregory Kehoe has said it had the “potential to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349057/bomb-allegedly-left-us-base-alen-zheng-was-built-inside-2-pepsi-bottles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349057/bomb-allegedly-left-us-base-alen-zheng-was-built-inside-2-pepsi-bottles?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 23:32:24 +0000 CNA CNA A Workers’ Party disciplinary panel looking into secretary general Pritam Singh’s conduct has completed its investigation into whether the chief had contravened the party’s constitution, after his court conviction for lying under oath to a parliamentary committee. “The panel will present its finalised report and recommendations to the Central Executive Committee in April,” Singapore’s opposition party said in a statement on Saturday. “The Notice of the Special Cadre Members’ Conference will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349015/singapores-workers-party-finishes-investigation-chief-pritam-singhs-conduct?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349015/singapores-workers-party-finishes-investigation-chief-pritam-singhs-conduct?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 03:43:15 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial For decades, Hong Kong has prided itself on being one of the world’s cleanest cities, where corruption is swiftly punished and the rule of law firmly upheld. However, a persistent rot has been left to fester in the building renovation sector – a problem recently linked to a horrific blaze that claimed 168 lives at a Tai Po housing estate last November. In this respect, two recent high-profile actions by the Independent Commission Against Corruption serve as a welcome reminder of Hong Kong’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348921/moves-clean-hong-kong-building-renovation-sector-cant-come-too-soon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348921/moves-clean-hong-kong-building-renovation-sector-cant-come-too-soon?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 23:15:14 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The compound is modern with air conditioning in every room. Inside are a medical clinic, massage parlour, and Vietnamese barbecue, Chinese hotpot and halal eateries – a full range of conveniences. Yet the residents are gone – and they appear to have fled in haste. Clothes still hang out to dry, while the stench of rotting food lingers. Located in a secluded area in Kampot province near Cambodia’s border with Vietnam, the site is believed to be a telecoms scam centre. Cambodian authorities said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348930/game-whack-mole-how-could-scam-industry-bring-china-and-us-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348930/game-whack-mole-how-could-scam-industry-bring-china-and-us-together?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A 12-year-old has been arrested in connection with the death of a classmate who was hit in the head with a metal water bottle during an alleged bullying incident at a Los Angeles school, authorities said Friday. The juvenile, whose age and gender have not been made public, was arrested on suspicion of murder on Thursday, Los Angeles Police Officer Charles Miller said. The arrest stems from the February 25 death of 12-year-old Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa. The Los Angeles County District... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349009/us-girl-dies-after-being-hit-head-metal-water-bottle-classmate-arrested?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349009/us-girl-dies-after-being-hit-head-metal-water-bottle-classmate-arrested?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 21:19:13 +0000 Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing Police have arrested a domestic helper on suspicion of child neglect following the death of a six-month-old baby in northern Hong Kong. The force said it received a report from the baby girl’s family at 11.39am on Friday that she had been found unconscious on a bed at home in the Fairview Park development in Yuen Long. Emergency personnel rushed the infant to Pok Oi Hospital in Yuen Long for treatment, police said. She was transferred to Tuen Mun Hospital, where she was later certified dead. A... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349003/domestic-helper-arrested-after-6-month-old-girl-dies-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349003/domestic-helper-arrested-after-6-month-old-girl-dies-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 16:24:46 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Hong Kong customs officers seized 6.5kg of suspected drugs worth about HK$3.4 million (US$433,800) and arrested two men in separate cases earlier this week. The Customs and Excise Department said on Friday the first arrest occurred two days earlier at Hong Kong International Airport when officers found 3.1kg (6.8lbs) of suspected ketamine in the baggage of a man, 43, who arrived from Bangkok. The department said the suspected drugs were concealed inside food packaging in the baggage. In the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348994/hong-kong-customs-seizes-hk34-million-worth-suspected-drugs-arrests-2-men?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348994/hong-kong-customs-seizes-hk34-million-worth-suspected-drugs-arrests-2-men?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:45:31 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Malaysia has given the family of missing pastor Raymond Koh access to a long-classified government report after dropping a legal challenge, but questions remain unanswered over his case, according to rights groups and lawyers. The situation surrounding Koh has revived memories of other Malaysians who are believed to be victims of enforced disappearances in the country. Koh has not been seen after the then 62-year-old was abducted in broad daylight in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, on February 13,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348987/malaysia-drops-appeal-abducted-activists-case-family-still-seeks-answers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348987/malaysia-drops-appeal-abducted-activists-case-family-still-seeks-answers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 11:41:39 +0000 Fiona Sun Fiona Sun Hong Kong customs officers have seized about 162kg of suspected dried shark fins from protected species worth about HK$280,000 (US$35,720) from Panama at the airport. The Customs and Excise Department said on Friday that officers inspected an air consignment declared as dried fish maw arriving from the country the day before. Upon inspection, officers found six boxes of suspected scheduled dried shark fins, weighing about 162kg (357lbs), inside the consignment. The case has been handed over to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348940/hong-kong-customs-seizes-hk280000-worth-dried-shark-fins-panama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348940/hong-kong-customs-seizes-hk280000-worth-dried-shark-fins-panama?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 08:31:17 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof An Indonesian woman who spent nearly 15 years on death row in a Malaysian prison for drug trafficking has returned home after receiving clemency, in a case rights groups say highlights the exploitation of poor migrant women in cross-border drug operations. Ani Anggraeni, also known as Asih, boarded a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta late on Thursday after being freed from custody. In a video message shared with This Week in Asia while en route, the 66-year-old said she was still struggling to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348886/indonesian-grandmother-freed-malaysian-death-row-returns-home-feels-unreal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348886/indonesian-grandmother-freed-malaysian-death-row-returns-home-feels-unreal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 04:49:18 +0000 CNA CNA A Malaysian electrician was recruited by a syndicate and travelled to Singapore to set up devices in a rented house that would blast thousands of automated scam calls, with call origins masked to appear like they were being made locally. The devices transmitted over 50,000 call sessions over a 50-minute period, linked to around 18,000 phone numbers, 40 of which later featured in 42 police reports. The call sessions contained automated voice messages perpetuating scams from purported government... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348867/50-minutes-50000-calls-us12-million-lost-singapores-high-speed-scam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348867/50-minutes-50000-calls-us12-million-lost-singapores-high-speed-scam?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 01:27:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press After crashing his SUV last week in Florida, Tiger Woods took out his phone and told a deputy, “I was just talking to the president,” according to body camera footage released Thursday showing Woods’ arrest on a DUI charge. The phone conversation was not captured on video, but Woods could be heard saying, “Thank you so much,” as he hung up and the deputy approached. It was not clear if Woods was referring to US President Donald Trump, whose former daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump, is dating... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348863/after-car-crash-tiger-woods-told-officer-he-was-talking-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348863/after-car-crash-tiger-woods-told-officer-he-was-talking-president?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 23:33:45 +0000 Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan After avoiding much of the churn, firings and senior official turnover that marked his first term, US President Donald Trump on Thursday added to the string of high-profile departures in recent days, as bad news heaped more pressure on the White House. The administration announced that US Attorney General Pam Bondi was leaving to be replaced by her deputy, Todd Blanche, in an acting capacity. “We love Pam,” Trump wrote on social media. “She will be transitioning to a much-needed and important... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348858/trump-fires-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-amid-epstein-files-furore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348858/trump-fires-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-amid-epstein-files-furore?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:20:46 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Four children were stabbed to death on Thursday at a kindergarten in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, police said. The male suspect, in his thirties, gained access by posing as a parent before attacking children aged around two and three with a knife, police said. “We confirm a tragic incident at the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program school in Makindye Division, Kampala City, where a male suspect brutally stabbed and killed four juveniles,” police spokeswoman Racheal Kawala said. The suspect... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3348855/man-stabs-4-children-death-uganda-kindergarten?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3348855/man-stabs-4-children-death-uganda-kindergarten?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:14:57 +0000 dpa dpa The suspected leader of an isolated forest community on the Mediterranean island of Sicily has been arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting child abuse, Italian news agencies ANSA and Adnkronos reported on Thursday. The suspect is a man of German-Indian origin. He is said to have led a community of 15 people, including two children, who lived in a forest near Cefalu on Sicily’s northern coast. The two children, aged 7 and 11, were reportedly not vaccinated, did not attend school and had to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348845/italy-arrests-german-indian-guru-child-abuse-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348845/italy-arrests-german-indian-guru-child-abuse-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:12:02 +0000 Aisyah Llewellyn Aisyah Llewellyn Bali’s reputation as a carefree tropical escape has been shaken by a string of brutal crimes, including the kidnapping and dismemberment of a Ukrainian man and the fatal stabbing of a Dutch visitor. The cases – some involving foreign suspects and bearing the hallmarks of organised or premeditated violence – have fuelled growing alarm, prompting residents and visitors to the Indonesian holiday island to ask: Is Bali becoming a stage for international crime? Observers say the cases do not indicate... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3348805/bali-rocked-spate-murder-cases-indonesian-island-more-dangerous-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3348805/bali-rocked-spate-murder-cases-indonesian-island-more-dangerous-now?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:30:07 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A Malaysian minister visited and provided financial aid to the widow of a motorcyclist who was killed in a drink-driving accident that threatened to inflame racial tensions in the country. Transport Minister Anthony Loke visited the family of the late Amirul Hafiz Omar, 33, on Sunday, accompanied by Road Transport Department Director General Aedy Fadly Ramli. He gave Amirul’s 32-year-old widow, Nor Nadia Abdul Majid, money from his own pocket to help the family with expenses. “However, no amount... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348794/malaysian-minister-offers-personal-aid-family-man-killed-drink-driving-crash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348794/malaysian-minister-offers-personal-aid-family-man-killed-drink-driving-crash?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 08:30:25 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades wrapped up its first round of hearing sessions on Thursday, with the role of the property management firm at blaze-hit Wang Fuk Court under scrutiny. Lam Man-yan, technical officer with ISS EastPoint - the property manager of the Tai Po housing estate when the fire... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348730/tai-po-fire-hearing-committee-chairman-says-good-progress-made?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348730/tai-po-fire-hearing-committee-chairman-says-good-progress-made?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 03:14:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Utah officials announced on Wednesday that they were ⁠closing a five-decade-old ⁠case after finding “definitive proof” that American ⁠serial killer Ted Bundy killed a 17-year-old Utah girl. The girl, Laura Ann Aime, went missing on the night of October 31, 1974, after leaving a party alone to make a purchase from a convenience store, the ‌Utah County Sheriff’s Office said. Her body was found by two college students on Thanksgiving Day that year, according to authorities, who added that her body... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348723/dna-links-serial-killer-ted-bundy-unsolved-murder-17-year-old-us-girl?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348723/dna-links-serial-killer-ted-bundy-unsolved-murder-17-year-old-us-girl?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 22:33:14 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok A housewife in Hong Kong has lost nearly HK$2.5 million (US$320,500) in an online shopping scam after she tried to buy collagen drinks for HK$530, according to police. The victim saw a Facebook post advertising collagen drinks and transferred HK$530 via Faster Payment System, police said on their CyberDefender Facebook page. The seller later claimed the item was out of stock and offered a refund, sending the woman a link to a fake Facebook page that asked for her online banking... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348716/hong-kong-woman-loses-hk25-million-online-collagen-drinks-scam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348716/hong-kong-woman-loses-hk25-million-online-collagen-drinks-scam?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:03:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters France suspects a pro-Iranian group known as HAYI to be behind a foiled attack on Bank of America’s Paris offices, its anti-terrorism prosecutor said on Wednesday, while stressing the link has not yet been formally established. HAYI, which stands for Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, or ‌Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam, had posted a video on social media on March 23 targeting Jewish interests and communities in France and Europe, the prosecutor’s office said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348711/france-suspects-link-pro-iranian-group-foiled-paris-bomb-plot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348711/france-suspects-link-pro-iranian-group-foiled-paris-bomb-plot?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:30:19 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The BBC defended on Wednesday its handling of a DJ sacked years after he was the subject of a police investigation into allegations of sexual offences against a teenage boy. The controversy surrounding former radio host Scott Mills, 53, is the latest involving a high-profile presenter to roil the publicly funded broadcaster. London’s Metropolitan Police said this week that it questioned Mills in 2018 over allegations of “serious sexual offences” against a boy under the age of 16. The case was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348708/bbc-defends-action-new-sex-abuse-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348708/bbc-defends-action-new-sex-abuse-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:54:11 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency on Wednesday offered to pay for the flight of a London-based key witness to help with its investigation into possible corruption linked to a US$250 million deal signed last year between the government and British chip design firm Arm Holdings. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has for the past month been on the hunt for former government aide James Chai, whom it said was a key witness in its probe on possible abuse of power, fraud and governance... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348631/malaysian-anti-corruption-body-offers-pay-key-witness-flight-chips-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348631/malaysian-anti-corruption-body-offers-pay-key-witness-flight-chips-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:45:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Scottish crime boss is to be deported to Spain on Wednesday after he was arrested on the Indonesian resort island of Bali in connection with large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering, authorities said. The 45-year-old, identified as Steven Lyons, was taken into custody by immigration officers at Ngurah Rai International Airport on Saturday on arrival from Singapore, Untung Widiyatmoko, head of Indonesia’s branch of Interpol, said on Tuesday. The immigration system had flagged him as... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348595/scottish-man-linked-gang-arrested-indonesias-bali-after-interpol-issues-red-alert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348595/scottish-man-linked-gang-arrested-indonesias-bali-after-interpol-issues-red-alert?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 01:08:04 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Japanese prosecutor who publicly accused her boss of rape condemned her office on Tuesday for failing to protect victims, after it rejected her request for an independent probe into harassment within the organisation. Very few women in Japan speak out about sexual assault but Hikari (not her real name) came forward in 2024 to accuse Osaka’s then top prosecutor of raping her six years earlier. Kentaro Kitagawa, head of the Osaka District Public Prosecutor’s Office, was arrested and admitted the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3348575/japan-rape-accuser-condemns-prosecutions-failure-protect-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3348575/japan-rape-accuser-condemns-prosecutions-failure-protect-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:58:54 +0000 Reuters Reuters A Malaysian court on Tuesday ⁠ordered jailed former ⁠prime minister Najib Razak ⁠to pay US$1.3 billion to a former unit of scandal-tainted state fund 1MDB, state media reported. The Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Najib was liable for losses incurred by ‌SRC International, a former subsidiary of sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, state news agency Bernama reported. High Court judge Ahmad Fairuz Zainol Abidin ruled that Najib breached his fiduciary duties, abused his position... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348554/malaysia-court-orders-ex-pm-najib-pay-us13-billion-1mdb-unit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348554/malaysia-court-orders-ex-pm-najib-pay-us13-billion-1mdb-unit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 10:20:34 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Public hearings by a judge-led independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades entered their sixth day and focused on the deactivation of the fire alarm systems at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate. Chung Kit-man, director and engineer of Victory Fire Engineering, the contractor responsible for the estate’s fire services equipment,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3348467/tai-po-fire-hearing-contractor-admits-negligence-over-problems-water-tanks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3348467/tai-po-fire-hearing-contractor-admits-negligence-over-problems-water-tanks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 03:16:16 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu A knife-wielding attacker with suspected mental illness who was shot twice by police in Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung has died after 10 days in hospital in a critical condition. The government on Tuesday confirmed the 43-year-old suspect, surnamed Chung, was pronounced dead at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung at 8.47pm on Monday. The incident occurred in the early hours of March 21 at the Kwai Chung section of Castle Peak Road, when three officers fired five rounds in total at the construction... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348463/knife-wielding-man-shot-hong-kong-police-dies-after-10-days-critical-condition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348463/knife-wielding-man-shot-hong-kong-police-dies-after-10-days-critical-condition?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 01:05:37 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A man who crashed his pickup truck into a Detroit-area synagogue earlier in March was carrying out an attack inspired by the Iran-backed group Hezbollah and had sought to inflict as much damage as possible, the FBI said on Monday. Ayman Ghazali made a video before the attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, saying he wanted to “kill as many of them as I possibly can”, said Jennifer Runyan, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Detroit, who announced new information more... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348458/fbi-says-man-who-crashed-his-truck-michigan-synagogue-was-inspired-hezbollah?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348458/fbi-says-man-who-crashed-his-truck-michigan-synagogue-was-inspired-hezbollah?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:00:41 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A French court on Monday issued an arrest warrant and a one-year prison sentence against the Chinese captain of a suspected Russian “shadow fleet” tanker over failing to comply with orders to stop his ship. Chen Zhangjie, 39, was sentenced in absentia after the French navy boarded the Boracay tanker in September before releasing the vessel and its crew days later, in what Russian leader Vladimir Putin condemned as “piracy”. The court in the western city of Brest also ordered Chen to pay a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348452/french-court-convicts-chinese-captain-oil-tanker-linked-russian-shadow-fleet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348452/french-court-convicts-chinese-captain-oil-tanker-linked-russian-shadow-fleet?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:21:28 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press French authorities are investigating a suspected link to Iran after thwarting a bomb attack outside a Bank of America building in Paris at the weekend, the interior minister said on Monday. The authorities suspect a link to Iran due to similarities to other recent attempted attacks in Europe which a pro-Iran group claimed responsibility for, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. On Saturday morning, Paris police officers spotted two suspects carrying a shopping bag near the Bank of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348451/france-investigates-possible-iran-link-after-bomb-attack-foiled-outside-bank-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348451/france-investigates-possible-iran-link-after-bomb-attack-foiled-outside-bank-america?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:31:44 +0000 Matthew Cheng,Leopold Chen Matthew Cheng,Leopold Chen Fire alarm and firefighting pump systems at the housing estate engulfed in Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades were found to have been switched off a week before the tragedy struck, with no action taken to reactivate them, an evidential hearing has been told. An independent committee investigating the Tai Po blaze, which broke out on November 26 last year and killed 168 people, on Monday also called on the public to provide information on whether systemic problems – such as collusion – had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348444/fire-alarm-pump-systems-switched-tragedy-tai-po-blaze-panel-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348444/fire-alarm-pump-systems-switched-tragedy-tai-po-blaze-panel-told?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:32:19 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Swedish prosecutor on Monday charged a man, suspected of selling his wife’s sexual services to over 120 men, with aggravated pimping, several rapes and assault. The man, 62, was arrested in late October after his wife reported him to police in northern Sweden. He has been held in custody since then. According to the charge sheet, the man had for years benefited financially from pressuring his wife “to perform and submit to sexual acts”. The man was accused of creating ads online, setting up... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348435/sweden-charges-monster-man-selling-wife-over-120-men?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348435/sweden-charges-monster-man-selling-wife-over-120-men?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:47:39 +0000 Chen Xiaofeng Chen Xiaofeng On March 23, Hong Kong’s government brought into force amended implementation rules for Article 43 of the national security law. This is not a new power grab or an expansion of authority. It is a technical, evidence-based refinement of the 2020 implementation rules that have governed national security enforcement since the law took effect. Rooted in common law principle and aligned with global legislative practice, the amendments clarify operational gaps, strengthen procedural certainty and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3347880/lets-be-clear-national-security-law-update-not-power-grab?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3347880/lets-be-clear-national-security-law-update-not-power-grab?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Gunmen killed at least a dozen people in Jos, the capital of Nigeria’s restive Plateau state, sparking retaliation from a mob that killed 10 more, locals said on Monday. Plateau state, in central Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, experiences recurring violence in the countryside, mostly linked to land disputes between farmers and herders. Jos has seen bouts of sectarian violence in the past, but deadly, mass casualty attacks in the crowded city have been rare in recent years. At least 12 people were... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3348391/mob-retaliates-after-gunmen-kill-12-nigeria-bar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3348391/mob-retaliates-after-gunmen-kill-12-nigeria-bar?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:43:35 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof A horrific road crash in Malaysia’s port city of Klang that left a motorcyclist dead on Sunday has spiralled into racially charged commentary after initially being treated as a drink-driving case. Police said the crash happened at about 11.40am on Jalan Raya Barat, when an allegedly speeding Honda City driven by a local man in his twenties overtook several vehicles, crossed into the opposite lane and struck a motorcycle coming from the other direction. The rider, a local man in his thirties, was... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348378/drink-driving-death-malaysia-spirals-race-baiting-inflames-ethnic-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3348378/drink-driving-death-malaysia-spirals-race-baiting-inflames-ethnic-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 07:30:26 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has arrested 10 people on suspicion of working as part of a crime syndicate that used triad connections to take control of a HK$160 million (US$20.4 million) renovation project, among other offences. The operation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption also led police to arrest 32 suspects in raids on multiple New Territories premises believed to be controlled by the syndicate’s triad elements. The watchdog said on Monday it had arrested the owner... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348355/icac-arrests-42-hk180-million-crackdown-triad-linked-renovation-projects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348355/icac-arrests-42-hk180-million-crackdown-triad-linked-renovation-projects?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 05:28:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australian police said on Monday that they shot dead a fugitive gunman wanted for killing two officers, ending a seven-month manhunt for one of the country’s most-wanted criminals. Desmond Freeman fled into dense bushland in August last year after shooting and killing two police officers on a rural property in Victoria state. Hundreds of police have pursued Freeman through the region’s rugged terrain over the past seven months, pouring resources into one of Australia’s largest manhunts. Police... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3348332/australian-police-killer-shot-dead-after-7-month-manhunt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3348332/australian-police-killer-shot-dead-after-7-month-manhunt?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 01:03:27 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The traumatic memories of Hong Kong’s deadliest high-rise inferno are being revived as an independent review of the November tragedy gets down to business. The harrowing details of the blaze presented in the first few public hearing sessions are disturbing as are the contributing human factors and systemic failures identified. The rigorous fact-finding process should continue with full support from all parties concerned so that lessons are learned and reforms are undertaken to tackle an array of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348139/time-confront-uncomfortable-truths-about-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348139/time-confront-uncomfortable-truths-about-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 23:15:20 +0000 dpa dpa A man has been charged with stabbing his wife, daughter and son in the western German city of Witten, resulting in the death of the 13-year-old boy, prosecutors said on Sunday. A judge at the district court in the nearby city of Bochum issued an arrest warrant on suspicion of murder and the man has been remanded in custody. The suspect has made no statement, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office said. The 40-year-old German national was detained on Saturday. Police said an argument... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348325/man-charged-germany-after-fatal-stabbing-his-13-year-old-son?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348325/man-charged-germany-after-fatal-stabbing-his-13-year-old-son?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 20:11:28 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Authorities in Vietnam have arrested more than 70 people, including government officials, accused of falsifying data from air and waste water monitors at power plants and other major emitters, state media said Sunday. The state-run People’s Police newspaper said police had identified “nearly 160 environmental monitoring stations that had been tampered with, altered and had their data falsified” – accounting for more than half of the total number of stations nationwide. Police arrested 74 people,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348320/vietnam-arrests-74-over-falsified-environmental-waste-water-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348320/vietnam-arrests-74-over-falsified-environmental-waste-water-data?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:24:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters French anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened an investigation into a suspected attack targeting Bank of America’s Paris headquarters after the reported overnight arrest of a man who allegedly tried to ignite an improvised explosive ‌device outside the US bank’s premises. In an emailed statement to reporters, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said the investigation involves the suspected attempted destruction by fire or other dangerous means in connection with a terrorist plot, as... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348307/french-prosecutors-open-terror-probe-after-bank-america-attack-attempt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348307/french-prosecutors-open-terror-probe-after-bank-america-attack-attempt?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 11:45:58 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Mongolia’s ruling party selected a new candidate for prime minister on Sunday after the last head of government, Zandanshatar Gombojav, resigned after only nine months on the job. Uchral Nyam-Osor, the current party chairman who is serving as speaker of the Parliament, was nominated at a meeting of the Mongolian People’s Party, according to state news agency Montsame. Uchral first joined the party in 2009, and is seen as a compromise candidate amid different party factions. Zandanshatar’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3348300/mongolian-parliament-selects-new-prime-minister-amid-corruption-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3348300/mongolian-parliament-selects-new-prime-minister-amid-corruption-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 10:35:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A huge shipment of KitKat chocolate bars has been stolen in Europe, the brand said, warning that the heist risked causing shortages in stores right before Easter. KitKat, owned by Swiss food giant Nestlé, confirmed in a statement on Saturday that “a truck transporting 413,793 units of its new chocolate range has been stolen during transit in Europe”. The shipment, weighing around 12 tonnes (13.2 tons), disappeared last week while heading between production and distribution locations, it... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348270/over-400000-kitkat-bars-stolen-thieves-make-break-12-tonne-shipment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348270/over-400000-kitkat-bars-stolen-thieves-make-break-12-tonne-shipment?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 19:12:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris early on Saturday when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the case said. The incident occurred around 3.30am in front of a Bank of America building in the chic 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets from the Champs-Elysees. Police grabbed the man just after he placed a device, made of five litres of liquid (1.3 gallons), believed to be fuel, and an ignition... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348268/french-anti-terror-prosecutors-probe-foiled-paris-bomb-plot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348268/french-anti-terror-prosecutors-probe-foiled-paris-bomb-plot?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 15:42:47 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Singapore has seized over 830kg (1,800 lbs) of Asian pangolin scales hidden in a shipment bound for Cambodia, authorities said on Saturday, calling it the largest haul of its kind discovered in the city state. Falsely declared as “dried fish skin”, the scales – estimated to be from more than 2,200 pangolins – were found in 30 bags on December 29 after officials intercepted an inbound truck carrying sea cargo, Singapore’s National Parks Board said in a statement. The announcement came as... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348253/singapore-seizes-record-asian-pangolin-scales-disguised-dried-fish-skin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348253/singapore-seizes-record-asian-pangolin-scales-disguised-dried-fish-skin?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 09:59:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Henry Lee, the famed forensic scientist who helped bring modern crime scene investigation into the public spotlight through his involvement in high-profile cases like the O.J. Simpson murder trial, has died. He was 87. Lee “passed away peacefully” on Friday at his home in Henderson, Nevada, following a brief illness, according to a statement from his family and the University of New Haven, where he taught for more than 50 years. Lee rose to fame after his testimony in Simpson’s 1995 trial, in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348221/henry-lee-forensic-scientist-who-testified-oj-simpson-trial-dies-87?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348221/henry-lee-forensic-scientist-who-testified-oj-simpson-trial-dies-87?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 23:46:24 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow A Hong Kong court has remanded in custody another 10 people in connection with the HK$1.6 billion (US$205.8 million) in JPEX cryptocurrency scandal, bringing the number prosecuted in the city’s largest alleged financial fraud in recent years to 26. The latest development came nearly three years after the scandal broke out in 2023, when police revealed that more than 2,700 people had fallen victim to the alleged scam involving losses of more than HK$1.6 billion. Twenty-three counts of money... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348180/10-defendants-remanded-custody-jpex-cryptocurrency-fraud-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348180/10-defendants-remanded-custody-jpex-cryptocurrency-fraud-case?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 11:18:26 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A man who fled to China and his sister have been charged after an explosive device was left outside a gate at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa this month. Their mother was detained for deportation, having overstayed her visa, a federal prosecutor said on Thursday. Alen Zheng, 20, and Ann Mary Zheng, 27, were charged Wednesday in separate federal indictments. The sister was arrested upon her return from China, where she flew with her brother after the threat. Both have US citizenship, US Attorney... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348056/siblings-who-fled-china-charged-over-bomb-planted-outside-us-air-force-base?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348056/siblings-who-fled-china-charged-over-bomb-planted-outside-us-air-force-base?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 19:47:20 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin Hong Kong police have charged another 10 people in connection with the HK$1.6 billion (US$205.8 million) JPEX cryptocurrency scandal – the city’s largest alleged financial fraud in recent years. Four men and six women were charged on Thursday after investigations identified abnormal transactions in suspicious accounts linked to the case, police said. The suspects, aged between 26 and 47, will appear in Eastern Court on Friday charged with money laundering and conspiracy to launder money. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348049/police-charge-another-10-people-over-hk16-billion-jpex-cryptocurrency-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348049/police-charge-another-10-people-over-hk16-billion-jpex-cryptocurrency-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:21:29 +0000