https://www.scmp.com/rss/325339/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iran on Saturday executed two men convicted of membership in a banned opposition group and carrying out disruptive actions aimed at overthrowing the Islamic Republic, the judiciary said. The executions were the latest in a series targeting members of the banned People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), after four other convicted members of the group were put to death earlier in the week. They also come against the backdrop of Iran’s war with the United States and Israel, sparked by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349026/rights-groups-raise-alarm-after-iran-executes-2-more-opposition-group-members?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349026/rights-groups-raise-alarm-after-iran-executes-2-more-opposition-group-members?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 06:31:17 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Malaysian users are among victims targeted by a newly uncovered iPhone spyware operation that researchers say was used by multiple threat actors across countries, in a sign that sophisticated mobile-hacking tools are spreading through a murkier commercial and criminal ecosystem. The spyware, known as DarkSword, was observed targeting entities in Malaysia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and was uncovered by investigators shortly after they exposed another exploit kit, Coruna, linked to the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3347739/iphone-spyware-darksword-hits-malaysia-exposing-spread-sophisticated-hacking-tools?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3347739/iphone-spyware-darksword-hits-malaysia-exposing-spread-sophisticated-hacking-tools?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:31:37 +0000 Alan Robles Alan Robles At least three Filipinos with ties to the country’s military have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Beijing, allegedly leaking information that sparked maritime confrontations in the disputed South China Sea. The case, which came to light last year during an ongoing multi-agency counter-intelligence effort, marks a new strategy of recruiting Filipinos for espionage instead of planting individuals with fake local identities in the country, according to Philippine Navy Rear Admiral Roy... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347461/philippine-military-uncovers-alleged-new-beijing-spy-tactics-south-china-sea-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347461/philippine-military-uncovers-alleged-new-beijing-spy-tactics-south-china-sea-row?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 05:15:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Two men appeared in a London court on Thursday accused of being tasked by Iran to carry out hostile surveillance on the Israeli embassy, Britain’s oldest synagogue and other Jewish targets. Nematollah Shahsavani, 40, a dual Iranian-British national, and Alireza Farasati, an Iranian national, 22, are accused of being involved in gathering information and undertaking reconnaissance of targets given to them by Iranian spy services over five weeks last summer. As such, the alleged activities... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347207/2-men-charged-spying-iran-uk-jewish-targets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347207/2-men-charged-spying-iran-uk-jewish-targets?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 13:52:23 +0000 Reuters Reuters Iran’s government has been degraded since the war began on February 28, but it ⁠appears to be intact and Tehran and its proxies remain capable of attacking US and allies’ interests in the Middle East, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Wednesday. “The regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded by Operation Epic Fury,” Gabbard said, referring to the US-Israel military campaign against Iran, in her opening statement to the Senate Intelligence Committee’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347085/iran-can-still-attack-us-interests-government-appears-intact-spy-chief-gabbard-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347085/iran-can-still-attack-us-interests-government-appears-intact-spy-chief-gabbard-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:34:49 +0000 Agencies Agencies Sweden’s foreign minister on Wednesday said that Iran had executed a Swedish citizen, after Iranian authorities announced the first execution of a man convicted of spying since the start of its war against Israel and the United States. “It is with dismay that I have received information that a Swedish citizen was executed in Iran earlier today,” Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said in a statement. Since the man’s arrest during in June 2025, Sweden had “repeatedly raised the case at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347042/iran-announces-first-spy-execution-war-israel-us-began?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347042/iran-announces-first-spy-execution-war-israel-us-began?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:16:52 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Azerbaijan on Monday sentenced a Frenchman to 10 years in prison in an espionage case launched during a period of diplomatic tensions between Paris and Baku that have now eased. Martin Ryan was arrested in December 2023 and went on trial in January last year, when relations between Azerbaijan and France had deteriorated to new lows over Paris’ support for Armenia, Baku’s long-time rival. The court found him guilty of spying against Azerbaijan and sentenced him to 10 years. Prosecutors had sought... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346788/frenchman-jailed-10-years-azerbaijan-im-not-spy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346788/frenchman-jailed-10-years-azerbaijan-im-not-spy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:54:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Three men suspected of spying for China were arrested on Wednesday, London police said. One of the three men is the husband of a lawmaker from the governing Labour Party. The three allegedly assisted a foreign intelligence service in violation of the National Security Act of 2023, Metropolitan Police said. Police did not name the suspects because they have not been charged. But they said one was a 39-year-old arrested in London, another was a 68-year-old arrested in Powys, Wales, and the third,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345462/london-police-arrest-3-men-suspicion-spying-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345462/london-police-arrest-3-men-suspicion-spying-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:59:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters The ⁠Philippine government said on Wednesday it had apprehended some of its citizens on suspicion of spying for China in a “serious national security matter” that underscores the need for stricter laws against espionage and foreign interference. Authorities did not provide details about the case, including how many people had been apprehended or whether charges had been filed. “The operations of these individuals acting on the behest ‌of Chinese intelligence have been addressed and terminated,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3345452/philippines-arrests-filipino-nationals-suspected-spying-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3345452/philippines-arrests-filipino-nationals-suspected-spying-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:02:08 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen A spy thriller backed by a Chinese intelligence agency has become one of the biggest box office hits of the Lunar New Year. Scare Out, directed by Zhang Yimou, who is best known internationally for films such as Raise the Red Lantern and House of Flying Daggers, was produced under the direct supervision of the Ministry of State Security, which said the film was based on real-life cases. The film features a tense game of cat and mouse as counter-espionage agents track down a researcher who leaked... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3344033/chinese-state-sponsored-spy-thriller-comes-cold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3344033/chinese-state-sponsored-spy-thriller-comes-cold?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 12:50:17 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A British couple detained in Iran since January last year have been sentenced to 10 years in jail for espionage, their family announced on Thursday, prompting condemnation from the UK government. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both in their fifties, were arrested while travelling through the country on an around-the-world motorcycle journey, according to relatives, and have consistently denied Tehran’s spying claims. Their family say the sentences follow a court appearance last October which lasted... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344009/iran-sentences-british-couple-world-motorcycle-tour-10-years-spying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344009/iran-sentences-british-couple-world-motorcycle-tour-10-years-spying?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 08:47:46 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei One of China’s most anticipated Lunar New Year holiday films features a renowned director, a cast of stars and an unusual creative consultant: the country’s top counter-espionage agency. Scare Out, which will debut in cinemas in mainland China on February 17, is the first film directly supervised by the Ministry of State Security. The ministry said it provided technical guidance for the film and that the script was based on real cases. Directed by the multi-award-winning Zhang Yimou, the film... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343536/will-chinas-state-backed-holiday-thriller-spill-details-little-known-spy-cases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3343536/will-chinas-state-backed-holiday-thriller-spill-details-little-known-spy-cases?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 23:00:10 +0000 Lucy Quaggin,Xinmei Shen Lucy Quaggin,Xinmei Shen The CIA released a provocative recruitment video on Thursday targeting Chinese military officers, a move that exposes the underlying tensions threatening a fragile calm in US-China relations ahead of April’s highly anticipated meeting between the two countries’ leaders. The release of the recruitment video comes on the same day US President Donald Trump boasted about his “very good relationship” with China. It is likely to draw the ire of Beijing in the lead-up to the key diplomatic meeting with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343381/cia-post-new-video-recruit-chinese-military-officers-informants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343381/cia-post-new-video-recruit-chinese-military-officers-informants?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:39:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A US citizen was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison on Wednesday for offering China sensitive information while working as a civilian contractor at a US military base in Germany. The defendant, only partially named as Martin D., was put on trial in a German court in the western city of Koblenz, with proceedings held partly behind closed doors. In 2024, prosecutors charged that Martin D. had “contacted Chinese government agencies several times and offered to pass on sensitive... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343221/german-court-jails-us-military-contractor-china-spy-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343221/german-court-jails-us-military-contractor-china-spy-case?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:05:12 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russia’s Federal Security Service said on Sunday that the man suspected of shooting a deputy chief of Russia’s military intelligence agency in Moscow was detained in Dubai and handed over to Russia. Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev was hospitalised after being shot several times on Friday by an assailant at a residential building in northwestern Moscow, Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said. The attack followed a series of assassinations of senior military officers... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342833/russia-says-suspect-shooting-top-general-detained-dubai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3342833/russia-says-suspect-shooting-top-general-detained-dubai?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 10:31:25 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo While China emerges as an unmistakable superpower, “Great” Britain or the “United” Kingdom increasingly sounds like self-mockery. Much of the UK outside London is threatening to descend into developing-world status. There have been at least a dozen instances of English councils declaring bankruptcy since 2018, while one in four could be insolvent by 2027. Diplomatically, it turns out the American cousin across the Atlantic thinks nothing of the so-called special relationship, as London... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342457/starmer-faces-hysterical-backlash-over-new-chinese-embassy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342457/starmer-faces-hysterical-backlash-over-new-chinese-embassy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 12:30:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters ‌Greek defence authorities have arrested a member ‍of the Greek defence forces accused of leaking “secret information” to “third parties”, the Greek National Defence General Staff (GEETHA) said ⁠on Thursday. Two months ago, Greece’s intelligence service received a tip-off from a Western national security agency that “highly sensitive” information was leaked to China by ‍a member of the country’s military, sources close ‍to the investigation added. The man, a member of the Greek Air Force in ‌the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342573/greece-arrests-soldier-suspected-leaking-secret-information-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342573/greece-arrests-soldier-suspected-leaking-secret-information-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 22:41:21 +0000 Reuters Reuters Two Chinese nationals suspected of trying to intercept satellite communications from ‌a base in an Airbnb rental property in southwestern France have been placed ‍under formal investigation, the Paris public prosecutor’s office said on Thursday. Police were first alerted last week when locals noticed that a roughly two-metre (6.6-foot) wide satellite dish being installed at the property in Gironde, which coincided with an internet outage, the office ⁠said. The two Chinese nationals, and two... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342564/2-chinese-nationals-suspected-spying-french-airbnb-placed-under-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342564/2-chinese-nationals-suspected-spying-french-airbnb-placed-under-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:51:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Four people, including two Chinese nationals, have been arrested in France on suspicion of spying ‌for China and were brought before an investigative judge, the Paris public prosecutor’s office ‍said on Wednesday. The cybercrime division of the Paris public prosecutor’s office has opened a judicial investigation into the affair, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. This followed the discovery that two Chinese nationals had entered French territory with the ⁠aim of capturing satellite... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342431/france-arrests-4-people-suspected-spying-starlink-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342431/france-arrests-4-people-suspected-spying-starlink-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 20:28:17 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan is reeling from a Russian espionage scandal that has laid bare how easily industrial secrets can slip through the country’s grasp, just as Tokyo is pushing to strengthen its laws against spying. Police in the Japanese capital referred a case to prosecutors on January 20 involving a former Russian trade official suspected of violating Japan’s laws on unfair competition. While neither he nor the Japanese employee accused of selling data for cash has been publicly named, the details of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3342169/why-russian-spies-find-japan-such-easy-target-people-are-so-polite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3342169/why-russian-spies-find-japan-such-easy-target-people-are-so-polite?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 04:03:56 +0000 Reuters Reuters Top Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees called on Thursday for US President Donald Trump’s chief spy to brief their panels on why she was ‍present at an FBI raid on an election facility in Georgia. Senator Mark Warner and Congressman Jim Himes told Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in a letter that they were deeply concerned with her presence at Wednesday’s FBI operation, saying that the US intelligence community “should be focused on foreign threats”. “When... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341758/why-was-americas-top-spy-present-fbi-raid-georgia-election-facility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341758/why-was-americas-top-spy-present-fbi-raid-georgia-election-facility?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 02:50:04 +0000 Mark Logan Mark Logan Winston Churchill wrote his four-volume masterpiece, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, at the very moment a new era of world history was taking shape: victory over the Nazis, the birth of the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions. All signalled continuity of Anglo-Saxon leadership in world affairs, the baton passing fairly peacefully from Britain to America. But 80 years on from the end of the second world war, the world is reconfiguring itself once more. And what it means for... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341102/anglosphere-fractures-starmers-china-visit-could-be-historic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341102/anglosphere-fractures-starmers-china-visit-could-be-historic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:30:10 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The European Commission wants to force EU member states to remove Chinese companies Huawei Technologies and ZTE from its mobile networks, as part of a sweeping new cybersecurity act unveiled on Tuesday. While the bloc’s executive arm has recommended that capitals weed equipment from those providers from their 5G networks since 2020, citing cybersecurity risks, only 13 of 27 have so far acted on it, commission sources said. This marks the first time Brussels has attempted to make their removal... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3340610/eu-moves-force-huawei-out-networks-opening-door-wider-chinese-tech-bans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3340610/eu-moves-force-huawei-out-networks-opening-door-wider-chinese-tech-bans?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 15:54:09 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei Chinese state security authorities have warned of the risk of “honey traps” in the defence and technology sectors, saying that in one case a public official was blackmailed into surrendering state secrets following a trip abroad. In an article published on Wednesday, a social media account affiliated with the National Administration of State Secrets Protection said defence industry personnel were becoming targets of honey traps set by foreign intelligence agencies. According to the account... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3340140/china-warns-honey-trap-risks-defence-sector-after-official-jailed-espionage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3340140/china-warns-honey-trap-risks-defence-sector-after-official-jailed-espionage?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 07:45:42 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen A hacker group with links to China recently used Venezuela-themed phishing emails in a malware campaign targeting US government-related entities, as cyberattack campaigns increasingly leverage geopolitical materials, according to Swiss cybersecurity firm Acronis. A malware campaign has used recent developments between the US and Venezuela as “thematic lures” to attack US government and policy-related entities with a back door that has espionage-focused capabilities, including basic remote... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3340071/china-linked-hackers-used-venezuela-themed-phishing-target-us-agencies-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3340071/china-linked-hackers-used-venezuela-themed-phishing-target-us-agencies-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 20:39:20 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han The White House’s top science adviser on Wednesday said that the Biden administration’s decision to get rid of the Justice Department’s China Initiative was “damaging”, though stopped short of recommending that it should be fully brought back. Asked by Florida Republican Daniel Webster whether the termination of the programme aimed at combating alleged economic espionage from Beijing was detrimental, Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said:... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3339936/white-house-says-biden-decision-scrap-china-initiative-flawed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3339936/white-house-says-biden-decision-scrap-china-initiative-flawed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 22:56:19 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A French applied mathematics professor has been charged with allowing a Chinese delegation to visit sensitive sites in a case of suspected espionage, a prosecutor said on Wednesday. The lecturer at a university engineering institute in the southwestern town of Bordeaux was charged on December 16 but released under judicial supervision, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. The charges against him include “providing information to a foreign power” and “colluding with a foreign power”, which can be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339931/france-charges-maths-professor-accused-china-spying-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3339931/france-charges-maths-professor-accused-china-spying-case?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 18:57:44 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang China’s top counter-espionage agency has warned that overseas entities are attempting to steal the country’s geographic data through covert mapping operations that threaten national security. Foreign “anti-China hostile forces” have been deploying “various clandestine methods” to gather, steal and exploit China’s foundational mapping and geographic information, the Ministry of State Security said in a social media article on Tuesday. It said the data, crucial for infrastructure planning,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3339780/china-warns-covert-mapping-foreign-forces-steal-sensitive-geodata?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3339780/china-warns-covert-mapping-foreign-forces-steal-sensitive-geodata?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 01:00:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A former US Navy sailor convicted of selling technical and operating manuals for ships and operating systems to an intelligence officer working for China was sentenced Monday to more than 16 years in prison, prosecutors said. A federal judge in San Diego sentenced Jinchao Wei, 25, to 200 months. A federal jury convicted Wei in August of six crimes, including espionage. He was paid more than US$12,000 for the information he sold, the US Department of Justice said in a statement. Wei, an engineer... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339702/former-us-navy-sailor-jailed-16-years-selling-ship-secrets-chinese-contact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339702/former-us-navy-sailor-jailed-16-years-selling-ship-secrets-chinese-contact?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 06:15:03 +0000 Liu Zhen,Zhao Ziwen Liu Zhen,Zhao Ziwen The extreme precision of the US in its Venezuelan operation shows why nations must be able to execute a complex special surgical strike, according to analysts who said China had long pursued the capability but had yet to master it. In a complex joint endeavour integrating its air force, navy, intelligence agencies and space and cyber units, the US military’s elite Delta Force special mission unit completed its precision raid in Caracas – from infiltration to exfiltration – in less than three... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339503/could-china-execute-special-forces-operation-us-precision-maduro-abduction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339503/could-china-execute-special-forces-operation-us-precision-maduro-abduction?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 14:00:11 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem The Philippines is stepping up efforts to protect undersea cables – the unseen backbone of digital communications – as a string of regional and global incidents has sharpened concerns that seabed infrastructure could be targeted for sabotage or espionage. Officials and analysts say the moves signal that so-called grey-zone activities – coercive actions that fall short of open conflict – beneath the sea are no longer going unnoticed. The concern is not only physical damage to submarine cables but... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339336/philippines-ramps-protection-undersea-cables-amid-growing-grey-zone-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339336/philippines-ramps-protection-undersea-cables-amid-growing-grey-zone-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 09:08:00 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Prosecutors in South Korea have indicted 10 people, including former Samsung Electronics executives, for allegedly leaking the company’s technology to Chinese chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT). The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Tuesday said five people had been arrested, including a former Samsung executive who allegedly recruited key personnel and leaked the company’s proprietary technology to CXMT, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency. They face charges for... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3337835/chinese-chipmaker-cxmt-crosshairs-south-korean-prosecutors-over-samsung-tech-leak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3337835/chinese-chipmaker-cxmt-crosshairs-south-korean-prosecutors-over-samsung-tech-leak?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 23:00:09 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier A mistrial was declared on Monday in the closely watched case of a former senior New York official charged with acting as a Chinese agent after the jury was unable to reach a verdict. The jury remained deadlocked on all 19 counts after several days of deliberation in the case of Linda Sun, a former aide to New York governors Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo, on charges of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (Fara). She and her husband and co-defendant Chris Hu were also charged with... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3337399/mistrial-case-ex-top-aide-new-york-governor-charged-working-china-agent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3337399/mistrial-case-ex-top-aide-new-york-governor-charged-working-china-agent?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 22:13:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Iran executed a man convicted of spying for the Israeli intelligence and army on Saturday, state media reported. State TV identified the executed man as Aghil Keshavarz, saying he had “close intelligence cooperation” with Mossad and took photos of Iranian military and security areas. Keshavarz was arrested while taking pictures of a military headquarters in the northwestern city of Urmia, some 600km (370 miles) northwest of the capital Tehran in May. He was accused of carrying out more than 200... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337168/iran-executes-man-israeli-spy-rights-group-says-confession-extracted-under-torture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337168/iran-executes-man-israeli-spy-rights-group-says-confession-extracted-under-torture?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 06:57:00 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The new head of Britain’s armed forces warned on Monday that “more” Britons will need to be ready to fight for their country due to an increasingly dangerous world. Richard Knighton’s comments came as the UK’s new MI6 spy chief said separately that Russia had propelled the globe into an “age of uncertainty”. “The situation is more dangerous than I have known during my career and the response requires more than simply strengthening our armed forces,” Knighton said in a speech. “A new era for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336548/russia-has-thrust-world-new-age-uncertainty-says-uks-new-spy-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336548/russia-has-thrust-world-new-age-uncertainty-says-uks-new-spy-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 19:03:03 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Britain announced sanctions against Russian media and ideas outlets on Tuesday as the UKs top diplomat warned Western nations must raise their game to combat information warfare from “malign foreign states”. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK was imposing sanctions on the microblogging Telegram channel Rybar and its co-owner Mikhail Sergeevich Zvinchuk, as well as the Centre for Geopolitical Expertise and the Foundation for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335820/uk-sanctions-russian-and-chinese-firms-warns-cyber-threats-and-hybrid-warfare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335820/uk-sanctions-russian-and-chinese-firms-warns-cyber-threats-and-hybrid-warfare?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 23:05:17 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng China’s top espionage official has identified crushing Taiwan independence forces, technology theft, subversion and the defence of strategically important sea lanes as top priorities for the next five years. State Security Minister Chen Yixin identified the issues in an article published in Study Times, the mouthpiece of the Central Party School, which gives ideological and administrative training. In his assessment of international affairs, Chen noted the decline of a “unipolar hegemony”, an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3335625/chinas-state-security-chief-hints-us-decline-and-says-tech-theft-major-concern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3335625/chinas-state-security-chief-hints-us-decline-and-says-tech-theft-major-concern?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 10:14:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin must have ordered the Novichok nerve agent attack on Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in 2018, in a “reckless” display of power that led to the death of an innocent woman, a UK public inquiry concluded on Thursday. Skripal was found along with his daughter Yulia slumped unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city of Salisbury in March 2018 after Novichok was applied to the front door handle of his nearby home. About four months later,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335235/uk-report-blames-putin-reckless-2018-novichok-poisoning-ex-russian-spy-skripal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335235/uk-report-blames-putin-reckless-2018-novichok-poisoning-ex-russian-spy-skripal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 12:53:43 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A high-profile case against two British men accused of spying for China collapsed because of “systemic failures” and not a government conspiracy, a UK parliamentary inquiry concluded on Wednesday. The handling of the case against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry was at times “shambolic” and reforms are needed to prevent “similar issues” happening again, the cross-party committee of MPs and members of the House of Lords said in its report. Ex-parliamentary researcher Cash and China-based... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335089/uks-china-spy-case-collapsed-due-shambolic-failure-not-conspiracy-inquiry-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335089/uks-china-spy-case-collapsed-due-shambolic-failure-not-conspiracy-inquiry-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 12:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced the country’s air force would be equipped with “new strategic military assets”, state media said on Sunday. Kim made the announcement at an event marking the 80th anniversary of the North Korean air force on Friday, accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae, who is understood to be his recognised successor. The country’s expectations for the air force, which “will play a role in the exercise of the nuclear war deterrent”, are truly “great”, state media KCNA... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3334651/north-korean-air-force-gain-strategic-assets-amid-heightened-tensions-peninsula?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3334651/north-korean-air-force-gain-strategic-assets-amid-heightened-tensions-peninsula?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 02:20:54 +0000 dpa dpa British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G20 summit last week amid speculation that he could visit Beijing early next year and the country’s controversial embassy in London will be approved. The two leaders are understood to have greeted each other only briefly during a “brush-by” rather than holding formal bilateral talks, after which a readout covering what was discussed would usually be expected from Starmer’s office. China was represented by Premier Li... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334004/uks-starmer-met-premier-li-qiang-g20-south-africa-amid-beijing-visit-rumours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334004/uks-starmer-met-premier-li-qiang-g20-south-africa-amid-beijing-visit-rumours?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 18:26:57 +0000 Reuters Reuters British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit China at the end of January, Sky News reported on Thursday, in what would be the first visit to the country by a British leader in seven years. Starmer’s Labour government has made improved relations with Beijing a priority as it seeks foreign investment to make good on its election pledge to upgrade infrastructure and grow Britain’s economy. But the relationship has been bumpy, with both countries trading accusations of spying. The prime minister’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333601/uk-pm-keir-starmer-visit-china-january-sky-news-reports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333601/uk-pm-keir-starmer-visit-china-january-sky-news-reports?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:41:28 +0000 Reuters Reuters British defence minister John Healey said on Wednesday that “military options” are ready should the Russian spy ship Yantar become a threat after it directed lasers at British pilots sent to monitor it. Britain’s Royal Navy and Royal Air Force routinely shadow potential threats to national security, and such missions to monitor Russian vessels and submarines have become more frequent since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Healey said directing lasers at RAF pilots was “deeply dangerous” and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333445/uk-warns-putin-russian-military-ship-enters-its-waters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333445/uk-warns-putin-russian-military-ship-enters-its-waters?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 13:30:36 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Britain’s domestic intelligence agency on Tuesday warned lawmakers that Chinese spies were actively reaching out to “recruit and cultivate” them via headhunters or cover companies. Writing to lawmakers, House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said a new MI5 “espionage alert” warned that Chinese nationals were “using LinkedIn profiles to conduct outreach at scale” on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security. “Their aim is to collect information and lay the groundwork for long-term... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333301/mi5-warns-chinese-spies-are-targeting-uk-lawmakers-linkedin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333301/mi5-warns-chinese-spies-are-targeting-uk-lawmakers-linkedin?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 13:25:44 +0000 Samuel Porteous Samuel Porteous Regardless of the outcome of the challenge to US President Donald Trump’s powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act now before the Supreme Court, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has made clear the administration will continue to use national security rationales to enact its disruptive trade measures. It was not always thus. Nations have always had national security interests. Major powers have always engaged in espionage targeting adversaries – even allies. But since the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3332888/weaponising-national-security-trade-against-china-us-breeds-chaos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3332888/weaponising-national-security-trade-against-china-us-breeds-chaos?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:30:10 +0000 Jinghan (Michael) Zeng Jinghan (Michael) Zeng British politics is once again allowing domestic drama to override strategic thinking. The latest hysteria surrounding alleged Chinese spying and Beijing’s plans for a new embassy in London illustrates how Britain’s foreign policy risks being driven less by sober calculation than by political theatre. The consequences could be severe: Britain is edging towards repeating the mistakes of Brexit, trading its long-term national interests for short-term populist gain. In the United States, the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3332033/britain-danger-repeating-brexit-mistakes-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3332033/britain-danger-repeating-brexit-mistakes-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 12:30:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A British man who would “dream about being like James Bond” was jailed on Friday for seven years after trying to spy for Russia. Howard Phillips, 65, was found guilty in July for trying to pass information about former defence secretary Grant Shapps, whom he knew, to two men who he believed were Russian intelligence agents. However, the “agents” were undercover British intelligence agents. “You were prepared to betray your country for money,” Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb told Phillips at his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332006/uk-man-who-dreamed-being-james-bond-jailed-trying-spy-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332006/uk-man-who-dreamed-being-james-bond-jailed-trying-spy-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 17:54:12 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Regional hot-button issues amplified by great power rivalry, such as the South China Sea and Taiwan, have contributed to more Australians “than ever before” being exposed to foreign intelligence operations, Canberra’s top spy has warned. Australia’s social cohesion faced “unprecedented” tests, with international dynamics playing a role, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director general Mike Burgess said in a speech on Tuesday. The country had been among the targets of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331600/hot-regional-issues-south-china-sea-expose-australians-foreign-agents-spy-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331600/hot-regional-issues-south-china-sea-expose-australians-foreign-agents-spy-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 07:34:51 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A French cyclist freed after weeks in a Russian jail for illegally crossing the border on Monday described his time in the country as a “rather strange experience” but said the Russians he met were “friendly”. Sofiane Sehili, 44, was arrested on the Russian-Chinese border in early September while attempting to break the record for the fastest endurance cycle from Lisbon to Vladivostok. Sehili, who describes himself as an ultra-endurance racer and adventure cyclist, had faced two years in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3330536/french-cyclist-freed-russia-says-detention-was-strange-experience?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3330536/french-cyclist-freed-russia-says-detention-was-strange-experience?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 19:03:13 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han A group of US Republican lawmakers is urging President Donald Trump to confront Chinese President Xi Jinping at an expected summit next week about Americans they view as unjustly detained or barred from leaving China, framing Beijing’s use of exit bans and detention as “tools” to gain leverage. In a letter released on Thursday, three Republicans – Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Representatives Chris Smith of New Jersey and John Moolenaar of Michigan – highlighted the cases of two Americans,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3330123/us-lawmakers-urge-trump-press-xi-american-detainees-exit-bans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3330123/us-lawmakers-urge-trump-press-xi-american-detainees-exit-bans?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 16:54:06 +0000