https://www.scmp.com/rss/325698/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The UN General Assembly on Wednesday designated the transatlantic African slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity”, despite opposition by the United States and some European countries. In a move advocates hailed as a step towards healing and possible reparations, the resolution was adopted to applause by a vote of 123 in favour, three against and 52 abstentions. The US, Israel and Argentina opposed the measure, while Britain and EU member states abstained. Ghana’s President John... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3347954/un-designates-african-slave-trade-gravest-crime-against-humanity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3347954/un-designates-african-slave-trade-gravest-crime-against-humanity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 05:37:55 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Like many Asian-Americans, US-born Tiffany Chin has faced her share of slights, including being treated as “other” or “foreign” and judged at times by her race rather than her accomplishments. Growing up outside Chicago, she recalls that in primary school her musical talents were attributed to her “Chinese genes”, and she was told, “you’re probably so good at maths because you’re Asian”. And as an adult on a family trip to Florida, people gave her nasty looks when she went jogging, wondering... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/society-culture/article/3347918/asian-americans-say-they-are-still-seen-foreign-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/society-culture/article/3347918/asian-americans-say-they-are-still-seen-foreign-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:50:58 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse British police said on Wednesday they had arrested two men over a London arson attack on four volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation. The arrests came after police said they were investigating an online claim of responsibility by a little-known Islamist group which has possible links to Iran. The ambulances were set on fire early Monday while they were parked next to a synagogue in an area of London with a large Jewish population. The Metropolitan Police said two men aged 47 and 45... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347868/uk-police-arrest-2-men-over-jewish-ambulances-arson-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347868/uk-police-arrest-2-men-over-jewish-ambulances-arson-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 09:40:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse British police said on Monday they were investigating an online claim of responsibility for an arson attack after four volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation next to a London synagogue were set on fire early on Monday. Counterterrorism police have been tasked with the inquiry into what Prime Minister Keir Starmer called a “deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack”. Here is what we know: What happened? The London Fire Brigade said it was alerted to vehicles on fire at Highfield Court... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347618/uk-police-investigate-attack-jewish-ambulances-hate-crime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347618/uk-police-investigate-attack-jewish-ambulances-hate-crime?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:36 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Distrust in Australian police among Queensland’s Indian diaspora is set to deepen after an officer was caught on body camera hurling expletives at an Uber driver, leading the victim to sue the force in federal court. The officer said, “f*****g Indians, mate, they are a bunch of f*****g perverts” to a colleague in 2023, before they charged the man with committing an indecent act for allegedly masturbating in public, court records showed. A court later quashed the charges because two witnesses... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3347022/australian-police-officers-pervert-remark-against-indian-driver-sparks-outrage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3347022/australian-police-officers-pervert-remark-against-indian-driver-sparks-outrage?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 08:50:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters An Afghan immigrant who previously worked with the US military in Afghanistan and later sought asylum in the United States died this weekend in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody less than 24 hours after ‌being detained in Texas, a US veteran-led advocacy group said on Sunday. Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, who was living in a Dallas suburb with his wife and six children while his asylum case remained pending, was arrested by federal agents outside his flat on Friday morning while... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346691/afghan-asylum-seeker-dies-ice-custody-us-advocacy-group-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346691/afghan-asylum-seeker-dies-ice-custody-us-advocacy-group-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:27:44 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A UN-backed panel of independent experts focusing on racial discrimination has said that racist hate speech by US President Donald Trump and other American political leaders, along with a crackdown on immigration in the United States, have led to “grave human rights violations”. The Geneva-based Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination issued its decision on Wednesday and urged the US to suspend immigration enforcement operations at, and near, schools, hospitals, and faith-based... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346322/trumps-racist-hate-speech-fuelling-rights-violations-us-un-panel-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346322/trumps-racist-hate-speech-fuelling-rights-violations-us-un-panel-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 06:08:10 +0000 CNA CNA A 59-year-old man will be charged in a Singapore court on Wednesday over four videos he posted on TikTok between 2023 and 2025, the police and Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office said on Tuesday. The videos contained content which promoted ill will between different racial groups as well as false statements of fact, police and the POFMA Office said in a joint news release. He will be charged with two counts of defamation and one count of attempting to promote... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346164/singapore-man-be-charged-over-tiktok-videos-race-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346164/singapore-man-be-charged-over-tiktok-videos-race-government?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 02:40:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A star of the massively popular Canadian show Heated Rivalry has hit back against an avalanche of hateful online posts, with the hockey drama’s success stirring up a frenzy online. The show about the budding careers and secret relationship of two young male hockey stars – one Canadian, one Russian – over a series of years, has become a global phenomenon. But it has also inspired particularly intense fan engagement across social media, including homophobic and racist comments. Lead actor Hudson... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346146/heated-rivalry-star-hudson-williams-condemns-racist-and-homophobic-fan-comments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346146/heated-rivalry-star-hudson-williams-condemns-racist-and-homophobic-fan-comments?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:36:20 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Muslims in a small town in northern Japan have been rattled by several suspected arson attacks, following months of online agitation targeting the community over purported construction violations. Three fires in just over two weeks have damaged Pakistani-owned businesses and the Ebetsu Masjid, a mosque in Ebetsu, central Hokkaido, prompting police investigations and deepening anxiety among the city’s roughly 700 Muslim residents. “We have women and children in the community, and I can tell you... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3345330/muslim-community-japan-shaken-suspected-arson-attacks-everyone-scared?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3345330/muslim-community-japan-shaken-suspected-arson-attacks-everyone-scared?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 04:00:21 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa Earlier this week, Hybe x Geffen, the management companies behind girl group Katseye, announced that member Manon Bannerman would be taking a hiatus from the group to focus on her health and well-being. Bannerman later addressed concerned fans directly through a statement on Weverse writing, “Hi friends. I want you to hear this from me, I’m healthy, I’m OK, and I’m taking care of myself. Thank u for checking in! Sometimes things unfold in ways we don’t fully control, but I’m trusting the bigger... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3344570/meet-manon-bannerman-whose-hiatus-katseye-sparking-fan-concern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3344570/meet-manon-bannerman-whose-hiatus-katseye-sparking-fan-concern?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 07:08:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The British Academy Film Awards and BBC apologised on Monday for a racial slur that was broadcast during Sunday’s show while two stars of the film Sinners were on stage. The Tourette syndrome campaigner who shouted the slur said he was “deeply mortified” and what he said was “not a reflection of my personal beliefs”. The highly offensive word could be heard as Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, who are both black, were presenting the award for best visual effects during Sunday’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344384/bbc-and-tourettes-advocate-apologise-sinners-stars-racial-slur-during-baftas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344384/bbc-and-tourettes-advocate-apologise-sinners-stars-racial-slur-during-baftas?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 19:48:03 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A new Dutch government took power on Monday, with 38-year-old centrist Rob Jetten sworn in as the country’s youngest-ever prime minister and the first openly gay one. Jetten pulled off a stunning election win in October, coming from behind to dethrone the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) led by firebrand politician Geert Wilders by a razor-thin margin. The snap election was called after the PVV withdrew from the previous coalition, the Netherlands’ most right-wing government in recent history,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344354/new-dutch-government-under-centrist-jetten-takes-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344354/new-dutch-government-under-centrist-jetten-takes-power?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:20:58 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former US president Barack Obama criticised a lack of shame and decorum in the country’s political discourse, responding on Saturday for the first time to a post on Donald Trump’s social media account that depicted him and his wife Michelle as monkeys. The video shared on Trump’s Truth Social account on February 5 sparked censure across the US political spectrum, with the White House initially rejecting “fake outrage” only to then blame the post on an error by a staff member and take it... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343605/barack-obama-blasts-clown-show-after-trumps-racist-monkey-video?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343605/barack-obama-blasts-clown-show-after-trumps-racist-monkey-video?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 02:50:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters ⁠The Trump administration sued ⁠Harvard University on Friday, accusing it ⁠of failing to comply with a federal investigation and seeking documents to determine whether the university had illegally considered race in its admissions process. The move comes less than two weeks after US President Donald Trump said ‌his administration was seeking $1 billion from Harvard to settle probes into school policies, after a news report that said Trump had dropped his demand for a payment from the Ivy League... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343544/trump-administration-sues-harvard-accusing-it-defying-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343544/trump-administration-sues-harvard-accusing-it-defying-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 18:20:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s administration has removed a large rainbow ⁠Pride flag that flew over the ⁠Stonewall National Monument, which marks the birthplace of ⁠the modern gay rights movement in New York. The National Park Service, the federal agency overseeing US national monuments, said that it managed the flagpole at the monument and that the flag had been removed to ensure a “long-standing policy” was applied consistently across its sites. But some elected officials in ‌New York said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343121/trump-admin-removes-rainbow-flag-stonewall-birthplace-us-gay-rights-movement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343121/trump-admin-removes-rainbow-flag-stonewall-birthplace-us-gay-rights-movement?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 23:39:40 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump condemned but did not apologise for a video on his social media account depicting Democratic former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes, a post that triggered swift, bipartisan criticism for dehumanising people of African descent. The White House first defended the racist post on Friday, then deleted it 12 hours after it appeared. The minute-long video shared on Trump’s Truth Social network late on Thursday amplified false claims that his 2020... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342695/trump-stokes-fury-disgusting-monkey-video-obama-wife?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342695/trump-stokes-fury-disgusting-monkey-video-obama-wife?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:19:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Rapper Kanye West on Monday denied being a Nazi and expressed regret over his antisemitic rants, blaming such behaviour – which included recording a song that celebrates Hitler – on his bipolar disorder. The disgraced 48-year-old music star, who has lost fans and business deals in recent years because of his racist or antisemitic outbursts, released his song “Heil Hitler” last May to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. The song has been banned on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341316/kanye-west-denies-being-nazi-blames-bipolar-disorder-antisemitic-rants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341316/kanye-west-denies-being-nazi-blames-bipolar-disorder-antisemitic-rants?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 21:57:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australia passed tougher hate crime and gun laws on Tuesday, weeks after gunmen targeting a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach killed 15 people. Lawmakers in both houses of parliament voted in favour of the legislation in response to the December 14 shooting at Sydney’s most famous beach. Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly attacked a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in the nation’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades. The shooting has sparked national soul-searching about antisemitism,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340599/australia-stiffens-hate-crime-gun-laws-after-bondi-jewish-festival-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340599/australia-stiffens-hate-crime-gun-laws-after-bondi-jewish-festival-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 13:35:59 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s record on legal reforms has come under scrutiny after a journalist was detained under a colonial-era Sedition Act for asking a “sensitive question” linking the Gaza crisis to the treatment of ethnic Chinese in the Malay-majority country. Rex Tan, 31, a journalist for local news site Free Malaysia Today (FMT), was arrested early on Saturday morning after he asked the question at a public debate five days earlier in Kuala Lumpur. Tan is being investigated... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340390/malaysian-reporters-sedition-arrest-casts-doubts-anwars-reform-record?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340390/malaysian-reporters-sedition-arrest-casts-doubts-anwars-reform-record?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 06:04:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters The number of firearms in Australia reached an all-time high of more than 4 ‌million in 2025, the centre-left government reported on Sunday, ‍a day after saying it would introduce a gun reform bill in parliament in response to the Bondi massacre. There were a record 4,113,735 guns in Australia last year, with ⁠1,158,654 of those in the most populous state of New South Wales where the Bondi attack took place, the government said, citing Department of Home Affairs data. The Labour government on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340336/australia-faces-record-guns-bondi-massacre-prompts-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3340336/australia-faces-record-guns-bondi-massacre-prompts-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 12:01:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A man has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of an elderly Thai man whose 2021 killing in San Francisco helped spark a national movement against anti-Asian-American violence. A jury did not find Antoine Watson, 24, guilty of murder when it returned a verdict on Thursday for the January 2021 attack on Vicha Ratanapakdee, 84. Jurors found Watson guilty on the lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter and assault. The office of San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340234/man-found-guilty-involuntary-manslaughter-san-francisco-thai-grandfather?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340234/man-found-guilty-involuntary-manslaughter-san-francisco-thai-grandfather?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 23:51:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters Dilbert comic strip creator Scott Adams, ‍a vocal Trump supporter whose career flagged after a racist rant, died on Tuesday, his former wife said. He was 68. Shelly Miles announced Adams’ passing in an online live stream in which she read a final message ⁠from the artist, whose strip lampooned life in the cubicle farms of corporate America, framed around its titular character, an engineer known for his glasses and perennially bent tie. Adams first announced he had metastatic prostate cancer in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339791/scott-adams-dilbert-cartoonist-and-trump-fan-dead-68?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339791/scott-adams-dilbert-cartoonist-and-trump-fan-dead-68?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 17:15:43 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words The Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney that turned a Hanukkah celebration into a scene of terror and grief was an attack not only on the Jewish community but on the very idea of a cohesive, peaceful society. It is deeply disturbing that 15 people, including a Holocaust survivor, were... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3339291/bondi-response-must-go-beyond-policing-and-towards-rebuilding-unity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3339291/bondi-response-must-go-beyond-policing-and-towards-rebuilding-unity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 03:30:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Eva Schloss, the Auschwitz survivor who dedicated decades to educating people on the Holocaust and was the stepsister of diarist Anne Frank, has died aged 96, her foundation announced Sunday. Her family expressed their “great sadness” at the loss of this “remarkable woman: an Auschwitz survivor, a devoted Holocaust educator, tireless in her work for remembrance, understanding and peace”. Britain’s King Charles, who danced with Schloss at an event in London in 2022, and his wife Camilla, patron... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338704/anne-franks-stepsister-holocaust-survivor-eva-schloss-dies-96?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338704/anne-franks-stepsister-holocaust-survivor-eva-schloss-dies-96?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 23:06:32 +0000 dpa dpa Australian authorities on Tuesday said there would be an increased police presence in Sydney on New Year’s Eve, less than three weeks after 15 people were killed in the Bondi terror attack. More than 2,500 officers will be on high-visibility patrols in Sydney on Wednesday, New South Wales (NSW) Police said in a statement. NSW Premier Chris Minns said Wednesday would see the “largest deployment of police for a New Year’s Eve celebration ever”. The measures are in place to help people feel safe,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3338222/increased-police-presence-sydney-new-years-eve-following-bondi-terror-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3338222/increased-police-presence-sydney-new-years-eve-following-bondi-terror-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 23:00:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse France’s three-time presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen, is to attend the funeral next week of 1950s and 1960s film star Brigitte Bardot, a member of her team said on Tuesday. President Emmanuel Macron – who on Sunday hailed Bardot as a “legend” – would however not attend her funeral, a source in his office said. Bardot, who died aged 91 on Sunday, drew criticism in her later years for her anti-immigration views and for supporting the far-right. She was several times convicted in court for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338214/french-far-right-leader-le-pen-attend-brigitte-bardots-funeral-macron-will-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338214/french-far-right-leader-le-pen-attend-brigitte-bardots-funeral-macron-will-not?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 20:12:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bondi Beach shooting hero Ahmed al Ahmed recalled the moment he ran towards one of the attackers and wrestled the gun from him, saying in an interview published on Monday with a US outlet he wanted to protect “innocent people”. Father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram are accused of targeting a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14, killing 15 people and wounding dozens in what authorities have described as an antisemitic terrorist attack. Despite the tragedy, tales of heroism... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3338050/bondi-beach-attack-hero-ahmed-al-ahmed-wanted-protect-innocent-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3338050/bondi-beach-attack-hero-ahmed-al-ahmed-wanted-protect-innocent-people?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 10:52:43 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The UK prime minister is facing criticism after he celebrated the return to Britain of a human-rights activist who was recently released from an Egyptian prison but whose past social media posts apparently contained violent and antisemitic language. Successive British governments have campaigned for the release of Alaa Abdel-Fattah, a dual national who had been imprisoned in Egypt for most of the past 14 years. He returned to the UK on Friday after Egyptian authorities lifted a travel ban that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337958/uks-starmer-criticised-welcoming-activists-return-egypt-old-tweets-resurface?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337958/uks-starmer-criticised-welcoming-activists-return-egypt-old-tweets-resurface?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 17:56:33 +0000 Reuters Reuters Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was booed by an angry crowd gathered at the famous Bondi Beach on Sunday to honour the victims of a gun attack ‍a week earlier that targeted a seaside Jewish Hanukkah festival event. The nation marked a day of reflection on Sunday to honour the 15 people killed and the dozens wounded in the attack by two gunmen. With security tight and flags at half-staff on government buildings, a minute of silence was held at 6.47pm local time, the time the attack... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337255/australian-pm-albanese-booed-bondi-beach-attack-victims-honoured?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337255/australian-pm-albanese-booed-bondi-beach-attack-victims-honoured?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 22:10:04 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof In Chow Kit, a crowded district of Kuala Lumpur forever caught between progress and prejudice, Amy* moves quietly through narrow alleys – a transgender outreach worker tending to lives the city prefers not to see. Her evenings begin with small rituals: a backpack filled with condoms, test kits and pamphlets; a quick text to let her friends know that she is safe. Then, when she steps out, much of her work happens in passing conversations – careful not to draw too much attention. “The girls know... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3337105/malaysias-lgbtq-community-lives-fear-raids-drive-them-underground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3337105/malaysias-lgbtq-community-lives-fear-raids-drive-them-underground?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 04:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters When a gunman murdered 35 people in Tasmania in 1996, Australia’s political leaders united to implement some of the West’s toughest gun laws. Nearly three decades later, after 15 people were killed at a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, consensus is more elusive. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s call for tighter gun controls is meeting resistance from ascendant right-wing populists and some mainstream conservatives, revealing a more polarised landscape that contrasts with Australia’s response to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337147/australias-albanese-faces-fierce-battle-over-gun-laws-after-bondi-beach-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3337147/australias-albanese-faces-fierce-battle-over-gun-laws-after-bondi-beach-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 01:10:21 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Extremist movements in the Philippines have come under scrutiny since it was revealed that two suspected terrorists had visited the country weeks before they killed 15 people in Australia, but observers argue that such threats have waned and officials should avoid “overreach” in linking the case. Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, had allegedly opened fire on people at Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday. The older man was killed while Naveed was in critical... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337025/philippines-being-unfairly-targeted-australias-bondi-beach-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337025/philippines-being-unfairly-targeted-australias-bondi-beach-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 06:48:02 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japan’s top government spokesman on Thursday expressed concern over images posted online of the winner of a beauty pageant and some lawmakers in Finland showing them pulling back the corners of their eyes, a gesture widely regarded as racially offensive to Asian people. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara also said at a press conference that Japan expects the Finnish government to “appropriately respond” to the matter, which has been dubbed the “slanted eyes” scandal by Finnish media. Kihara... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336883/japan-demands-response-finland-over-beauty-queens-slanted-eyes-photos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336883/japan-demands-response-finland-over-beauty-queens-slanted-eyes-photos?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 07:04:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Finland’s prime minister apologised on Wednesday to citizens of Japan, China and South Korea after MPs sparked outrage by posting pictures of themselves making derogatory squinting gestures. The parliamentarians from the populist Finns Party, which is part of the right-wing coalition government, posted images on social media where they pulled back the corners of their eyes – widely seen as a racist gesture targeting East Asian people. They claimed to have shared the pictures in support of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336814/miss-finland-scandal-finnish-pm-apologises-east-asia-mps-racist-gestures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336814/miss-finland-scandal-finnish-pm-apologises-east-asia-mps-racist-gestures?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 13:20:31 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Like many Australians strolling at Bondi Beach on long, warm summer evenings, Ahmed al Ahmed just wanted a cup of coffee with a friend. Around him, a bloody massacre erupted as two gunmen targeted Jews during Hanukkah festivities at a park close to the shore. Soon al Ahmed was creeping, bent over, between two parked cars, before barrelling directly towards one of the unsuspecting shooters. In footage that has been viewed millions of times around the world, the 44-year-old father can be seen... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336807/bondi-beach-shooting-millions-raised-hero-australia-who-stopped-gunman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336807/bondi-beach-shooting-millions-raised-hero-australia-who-stopped-gunman?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 12:38:40 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Tuesday that a racism scandal that saw the country’s Miss Finland being stripped of her crown and several politicians posting derogatory images was damaging his country’s image. “Yesterday, during a debate in parliament, I said that this has caused damage to our country. That is certainly the case,” Orpo told reporters on Tuesday at the sidelines of a summit gathering leaders of European countries near or bordering Russia. “Personally, I do not accept... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336681/miss-finland-anti-chinese-racism-scandal-damaging-country-pm-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336681/miss-finland-anti-chinese-racism-scandal-damaging-country-pm-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 18:09:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse World leaders voiced horror and revulsion at Sunday’s mass shooting in which 15 people were killed and dozens injured at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the “shocking and distressing” attack, which Australian police are calling a “terrorist” incident, was “beyond comprehension”, after assailants fired on a gathering celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog condemned what he called a “very cruel attack on Jews” by “vile... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336413/world-leaders-express-horror-bondi-beach-terror-attack-vigils-are-held-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336413/world-leaders-express-horror-bondi-beach-terror-attack-vigils-are-held-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 21:49:55 +0000 dpa dpa Following the deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Australia of not taking decisive action to tackle antisemitism. Netanyahu said in a statement that he had warned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a letter four months ago, stating that “the Australian government’s policy was promoting and encouraging antisemitism in Australia”. Australia and other leading nations formally recognised the State of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336411/netanyahu-accuses-australias-pm-inaction-tackling-antisemitism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336411/netanyahu-accuses-australias-pm-inaction-tackling-antisemitism?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 18:41:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters Days after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing some 1,200 people and sparking the devastating war in Gaza, an inverted red triangle was spray-painted on the front of a Jewish bakery in Sydney. It was the first of a string of antisemitic incidents in Australia. Sixteen months and thousands of arson, firebombing, graffiti and hate-speech incidents later, the head of the nation’s main intelligence agency declared that antisemitism was his number one priority in terms of threat to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336409/some-australian-jews-bondi-shooting-feels-inevitable-after-thousands-antisemitic-incidents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336409/some-australian-jews-bondi-shooting-feels-inevitable-after-thousands-antisemitic-incidents?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 15:40:21 +0000 Agencies Agencies Australian police said on Monday that the alleged gunmen behind an attack at a Jewish celebration in Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed 15 people were a father and son duo. One of the gunmen was also killed, bringing the death toll to 16. It was the country’s worst gun attack in about 30 years. The father, a 50-year-old, was killed at the scene, while his 24-year-old son was in critical condition in hospital, police said at a press conference on Monday. Officials have described the shooting on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336385/australia-police-responding-after-gunshots-reported-bondi-beach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3336385/australia-police-responding-after-gunshots-reported-bondi-beach?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 08:40:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Around 1,000 people gathered in London on Saturday for a “Christmas” rally organised by far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson, as bishops said they were gravely concerned by the use of Christian symbols to “justify racism and anti-migrant rhetoric”. People waved Union flags and others that read “Jesus is King” at the rally in the centre of the capital, where a counterprotest was also held. “It’s great to see one is not alone … our Christian faith is important, more than ever, and we have to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336359/hundreds-join-tommy-robinsons-far-right-rally-london-make-christmas-great-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336359/hundreds-join-tommy-robinsons-far-right-rally-london-make-christmas-great-again?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 22:07:12 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press When high school students in the West Hartford Public Schools district study World War II in the coming year, they will learn about more than just the typical hallmarks like Japanese-American detention camps. They will also hear about Sadao Munemori, a soldier who died protecting comrades from a grenade. The 22-year-old posthumously became the first Japanese-American awarded the Medal of Honour. Lessons like this that delve beyond places have left teachers “humbled”, said Jessica Blitzer, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336301/us-schools-embrace-asian-american-history-new-curriculum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336301/us-schools-embrace-asian-american-history-new-curriculum?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 00:33:54 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Christine Choy, a trailblazer for Asian-Americans in independent film and whose documentary on the fatal beating of Vincent Chin was nominated for an Academy Award, has died. She was 73. Choy died on Sunday, according to a statement from JT Takagi, executive director of Third World Newsreel, a filmmaking collective Choy helped establish in the 1970s. No cause of death was given. “She was a prolific filmmaker who made significant films that helped form our Asian-American and American film... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336300/christine-choy-who-made-documentary-killing-vincent-chin-dies-73?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336300/christine-choy-who-made-documentary-killing-vincent-chin-dies-73?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 23:07:40 +0000 dpa dpa The reigning Miss Finland, Sarah Dzafce, has lost her title and crown due to a racism scandal, the organisers of the beauty pageant announced. They said at a press conference on Thursday that they accepted no form of racism or discriminatory behaviour and apologised for the incident in a statement. Tara Lehtonen, who finished in second place in the competition, has already been chosen as the new Miss Finland. “I promise to carry this title with pride and deep respect,” the woman from Helsinki... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336295/miss-finland-loses-her-crown-due-anti-chinese-racism-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3336295/miss-finland-loses-her-crown-due-anti-chinese-racism-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 17:26:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Monday launched the US presidency of the Group of 20 by wiping clean the website of outgoing host South Africa, which he is not inviting to next year’s summit. The G20 website now simply has a picture of Trump in black and white that says “Miami 2026” and “The Best Is Yet to Come”, the title of the song popularised by Frank Sinatra. Trump refused all US attendance at last month’s G20 summit in Johannesburg, denouncing the post-apartheid government’s treatment of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334818/trump-wipes-south-africas-g20-website-clean-ahead-next-years-us-presidency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334818/trump-wipes-south-africas-g20-website-clean-ahead-next-years-us-presidency?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 19:21:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters South African President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed on Sunday US President Donald Trump’s threat to exclude Pretoria from next year’s Group of 20 summit, reaffirming South Africa’s status as a founding member of the group. Washington boycotted the G20 meeting held under South Africa’s presidency in Johannesburg on November 22 and 23, with Trump repeating allegations, widely discredited, that the host country’s black-majority government persecutes its white minority. Trump said last Wednesday that... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3334701/ramaphosa-dismisses-trumps-threat-bar-south-africa-2026-g20-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3334701/ramaphosa-dismisses-trumps-threat-bar-south-africa-2026-g20-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 21:06:51 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would review the immigration status of every permanent resident or “green card” holder from Afghanistan and 18 other countries following the attack on National Guard troops in Washington. The announcement came as US President Donald Trump said that one of the National Guard members, 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, had died of her wounds, while the other, Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was ‘fighting for his life’. US officials have... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334434/trump-admin-reviewing-every-green-card-19-countries-after-washington-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334434/trump-admin-reviewing-every-green-card-19-countries-after-washington-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 23:19:30 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is barring South Africa from participating in the Group of 20 summit next year at his Miami-area club and will stop all payments and subsidies to the country over its treatment of a US government representative at this year’s global meeting. Trump chose not to have an American government delegation attend last weekend’s summit hosted by South Africa, saying he did so because its white Afrikaners were being violently persecuted. It is a claim that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334288/trump-says-hes-barring-south-africa-next-years-g20-summit-miami?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334288/trump-says-hes-barring-south-africa-next-years-g20-summit-miami?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 20:41:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters Australian far-right senator Pauline Hanson wore a burka to parliament on Monday as a political prop in her push to ban the Muslim garment in public, sparking accusations of racism from Muslim senators over the stunt. Hanson wore the burka shortly after she was denied permission to introduce a bill that would outlaw burkas and other full-face coverings in public places in Australia. It was the second time Hanson had used the head garment, worn by some Muslim women, in parliament in an effort to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3333922/australian-senator-slammed-racist-wearing-burka-parliament?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3333922/australian-senator-slammed-racist-wearing-burka-parliament?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 07:33:04 +0000