https://www.scmp.com/rss/5/feed Breaking news, analysis and opinion from the SCMP's international edition. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agencies Agencies US President Donald Trump has said that leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak on Thursday, as Washington pushes to ease hostilities after the rivals’ first direct talks in decades. Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war on March 2 after pro-Tehran group Hezbollah attacked Israel. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than a million in Lebanon, despite international calls for a ceasefire, and Israeli ground forces have invaded the country’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350251/trump-says-israel-and-lebanon-leaders-hold-talks-thursday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350251/trump-says-israel-and-lebanon-leaders-hold-talks-thursday?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:39:54 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The health of jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is critical after she suffered a heart attack last month, supporters warned on Wednesday. Her Iran-based family and legal team were on Saturday allowed a second in-person visit with Mohammadi in her prison in northern Iran where “clear signs of a deterioration in her general condition were observed, and her physical state was described as critical”, her foundation said in a statement. The latest meeting came after an earlier... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350240/jailed-iranian-nobel-winner-mohammadi-critical-after-heart-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350240/jailed-iranian-nobel-winner-mohammadi-critical-after-heart-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 02:46:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The BBC said on Wednesday that the British broadcasting corporation is set to cut up to 2,000 jobs amid a challenging media landscape. The BBC’s interim director general Rhodri Talfan Davies said in a statement to staff that “while we still have to work through the detail, we anticipate the overall number of jobs will fall by 1,800-2,000”. The BBC reported the cuts on Wednesday afternoon, saying they amount to “almost one in 10” jobs, since it has about 21,500 employees. The acting director... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350235/bbc-slash-2000-jobs-biggest-redundancy-drive-15-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350235/bbc-slash-2000-jobs-biggest-redundancy-drive-15-years?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 01:23:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A US jury on Wednesday found that entertainment giant Live Nation wielded monopoly power at its Ticketmaster business, violating federal and state antitrust laws, according to California’s attorney general. A verdict that could have profound repercussions in the concert world came after four days of deliberations, and remedies could include breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable for anticompetitive conduct that harmed the music industry and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350231/ticketmaster-owner-live-nation-ran-illegal-monopoly-us-jury-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350231/ticketmaster-owner-live-nation-ran-illegal-monopoly-us-jury-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:52:39 +0000 Gabriela Bernal Gabriela Bernal Having invested significant diplomatic capital into ties with Russia in recent years, North Korea now seems to be pivoting back to China. Leader Kim Jong-un said his country places “the greatest value” on improving ties with Beijing. This shift came during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s two-day visit to North Korea last week, where he met Kim and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. Notably, Wang’s visit marked his first to North Korea since 2019. In the intervening years of the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349984/why-north-korea-rekindling-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349984/why-north-korea-rekindling-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 21:30:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Ukrainian unit said on Wednesday that it has carried out more than 100 attacks on the front using ground robots, after President Volodymyr Zelensky recently hailed the capture of a Russian position thanks to this new method. “In total, there have already been over 100 such operations,” said a source within the NC-13 company, which specialises in the use of these combat machines and is part of Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade. “These operations include the elimination of enemy personnel, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3350228/ukraine-unit-says-it-has-launched-over-100-robot-attacks-russias-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3350228/ukraine-unit-says-it-has-launched-over-100-robot-attacks-russias-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:40:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Newly released video shows a high school principal in Oklahoma tackling and disarming a former student who entered the lobby of the school and began firing a pistol. Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore was shot in the leg during the April 7 attack but managed to wrestle the suspect onto a bench, disarm him and remain on top of him until law enforcement officers arrived, according to court records. The video, released by the school district in response to an Open Records Act request,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350226/us-high-school-principal-tackles-and-disarms-gunman-students-flee-dramatic-video-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350226/us-high-school-principal-tackles-and-disarms-gunman-students-flee-dramatic-video-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:21:31 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim The White House on Wednesday dismissed as untrue reports that the US had sought to extend a ceasefire with Iran, while confirming that discussions over a second round of in-person negotiations were under way after marathon talks in Islamabad last week ended without a breakthrough. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that discussions were under way about a further round of talks with Tehran but “nothing is official”, adding that the negotiations would “very likely” be held... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350225/iran-threatens-shut-down-red-sea-shipping-unless-us-lifts-naval-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350225/iran-threatens-shut-down-red-sea-shipping-unless-us-lifts-naval-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:04:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump posted an image of Jesus embracing him on Wednesday, as a war of words between his administration and the pope showed little sign of abating. The image, reposted to Trump’s Truth Social account, shows Trump with his eyes closed, touching temple-to-temple with a similarly posed Jesus. Trump is standing behind a microphone, and behind him is an American flag. The original post ‌had a caption that included the words: “God might be playing his Trump card!” Trump’s repost... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350224/trump-posts-image-jesus-hugging-him-amid-row-pope-over-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350224/trump-posts-image-jesus-hugging-him-amid-row-pope-over-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:44:40 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israel’s security cabinet ⁠will convene on Wednesday to discuss a possible Lebanon ceasefire, a senior Israeli official has said, more than five weeks into a war with Hezbollah that spiralled out of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet would meet ‌at 8pm local time, the official said. Senior Hezbollah official Ibrahim al-Moussawi told Reuters that diplomatic efforts by Iran and other regional states could produce a ceasefire soon, saying... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350220/israeli-security-cabinet-discuss-possible-lebanon-ceasefire-senior-official?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350220/israeli-security-cabinet-discuss-possible-lebanon-ceasefire-senior-official?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:40:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pope Leo has said the world needs to hear a message of peace and coexistence, after US President Donald Trump attacked him for a second time this week on social media. Speaking on Wednesday during his flight from Algeria to Cameroon for the second leg of a whirlwind 10-day ‌Africa tour, the first US pontiff urged respect for all people and said his travels so far had shown the importance of pursuing dialogue between different communities. “Although we have different beliefs, we have different... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350217/pope-leo-stresses-message-peace-and-unity-despite-another-trump-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350217/pope-leo-stresses-message-peace-and-unity-despite-another-trump-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:15:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said he would not “yield” to pressure to join the Iran war after US President Donald Trump threatened to scrap a UK trade deal. “We’re not going to get dragged into this war. It is not our war,” Starmer told parliament. “I’m not going to change my mind. I’m not going to yield. It is not in our national interest to join this war,” the Labour leader added. In a phone interview with Sky News, Trump threatened to alter an agreement struck with Britain... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350216/uk-pm-starmer-says-not-going-yield-trumps-mideast-war-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350216/uk-pm-starmer-says-not-going-yield-trumps-mideast-war-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:35:07 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump has said he will fire Jerome Powell if the Federal Reserve chair does not step down “in time”, adding that he will not drop the Justice Department investigation into the central bank leader. “I’ll have to fire him, OK, if he’s not leaving on time. I’ve held back firing him. I’ve wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Business. “I want to be uncontroversial. But he will be fired,” he said in the interview taped on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350211/trump-threatens-fire-fed-chair-powell-if-he-doesnt-step-down-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350211/trump-threatens-fire-fed-chair-powell-if-he-doesnt-step-down-time?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:45:08 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Though high-level officials in Washington have accused China of undermining global energy security by “hoarding” oil during the US-Israeli war on Iran, import and inventory data suggest Beijing is facing its own supply pressures as the conflict drags on. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday labelled China an “unreliable global partner,” alleging that Beijing has prioritised stockpiling crude over easing global shortages triggered by the war, according to a Reuters report. He also... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350180/us-officials-claim-china-hoarding-oil-what-does-data-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350180/us-officials-claim-china-hoarding-oil-what-does-data-say?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A 14-year-old armed with five guns opened fire at a Turkish school on Wednesday, killing nine people, wounding 13 and sparking scenes of mayhem as students jumped out of windows to escape. The attack in the southern province of Kahramanmaras was Turkey’s second such incident in as many days, shocking a country where school shootings are a rare occurrence. Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci confirmed nine deaths, with 13 wounded – six in intensive care, three of them in a critical condition. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350209/least-4-dead-turkeys-second-school-shooting-2-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350209/least-4-dead-turkeys-second-school-shooting-2-days?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:06:53 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat The US-Israeli war on Iran and the current Iranian and American blockades of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are likely to overshadow China’s first-quarter economic performance, analysts said, with questions looming large about how the world’s second-largest economy will handle their impact. Many observers said they expect the leadership in Beijing will adopt a wait-and-see approach, with little likelihood of an immediate stimulus to guarantee the country’s annual economic target is... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3350181/analysts-doubt-iran-war-will-prompt-china-stimulus-tip-solid-first-quarter-gdp-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3350181/analysts-doubt-iran-war-will-prompt-china-stimulus-tip-solid-first-quarter-gdp-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:00:24 +0000 James David Spellman James David Spellman The fraying of the ceasefire in the US-Israel war against Iran reflects grim patterns of history. Truces are often doomed because they focus on stopping battle-related violence and rarely begin to address the underlying struggles that ignited hostilities. A pause without a shared common endgame often resets the battlefield as reasons harden for prolonging warfare. Viable political solutions seldom follow and take hold for peace to endure. Over the past decade, we’ve seen the perils. The Minsk... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349904/given-history-ceasefires-its-no-surprise-us-iran-truce-fraying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349904/given-history-ceasefires-its-no-surprise-us-iran-truce-fraying?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that an EU-developed age-verification app was ready to go, as the bloc pushes to better protect children from online harm. Brussels has been under pressure to come up with more stringent measures to safeguard children online as several EU capitals move ahead with plans to ban social media under a certain age. To that end, five EU countries including France and Italy last year started testing an age-check app that von der Leyen said on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350202/eu-unveils-age-check-app-amid-efforts-better-protect-children-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350202/eu-unveils-age-check-app-amid-efforts-better-protect-children-online?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Famine. Massacres. And now badly needed food and other supplies are under strain. Sudan on Wednesday enters a fourth year of war that is being called an “abandoned crisis” as a new conflict in the Middle East throws into shadow the fighting that has forced 13 million people to flee their homes. Sudan has been described as the world’s largest humanitarian challenge, notably in terms of displacement and hunger. There is no end in sight to the fighting between the military and the paramilitary... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350197/sudan-enters-4th-year-war-abandoned-crisis-grows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350197/sudan-enters-4th-year-war-abandoned-crisis-grows?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:45:07 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng China’s leading steelmakers are stepping up coordinated efforts to adjust export strategies, compliance systems and pricing models in response to this year’s full implementation of the EU’s tariff-like Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which imposes direct carbon-linked costs on imports. “China’s indirect steel exports to the EU are substantial, and a significant portion consists of high value-added products,” said Jiang Wei, vice-chairman and secretary general of the China Iron and... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350177/chinese-steelmakers-coordinate-response-eus-carbon-linked-import-imposts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350177/chinese-steelmakers-coordinate-response-eus-carbon-linked-import-imposts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:30:10 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain As Islamabad prepares to host a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran, Pakistani mediators are seeking ways to extricate the Gulf monarchies from the conflict, according to a well-placed diplomatic source. While the success of those efforts depends largely on the outcome of talks that US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday could resume by the end of the week, Pakistan’s mediation has produced a second confidence-building phone call in a week between the Iranian and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350175/pakistan-seeks-shield-gulf-states-us-iran-talks-set-resume?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350175/pakistan-seeks-shield-gulf-states-us-iran-talks-set-resume?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:00:04 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Russia can help China and other nations weather energy supply disruptions stemming from the war in Iran, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. “Russia can, without a doubt, compensate for the shortfall in resources that has arisen”, Lavrov told reporters in response to a question about the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. He also said that Chinese-Russian ties are “unshakeable in the face of any storms”. Lavrov confirmed that Russian... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/middle-east/article/3350178/china-cements-russia-ties-both-win-us-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/middle-east/article/3350178/china-cements-russia-ties-both-win-us-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:49:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters Hungary’s election winner Peter Magyar said on Wednesday he will suspend state media news broadcasts, which critics at home and abroad say became a government mouthpiece under Viktor Orban, ‌and restore media freedoms after his cabinet takes power. Magyar’s TISZA (Respect and Freedom) party won a landslide victory in Sunday’s election, ending Orban’s 16-year rule that became a prototype for “illiberal” conservative rulers across the Western world. “Every Hungarian deserves a public service media... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350170/incoming-hungarian-leader-magyar-vows-suspend-state-news-broadcasts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350170/incoming-hungarian-leader-magyar-vows-suspend-state-news-broadcasts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:05:08 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow A leaked plan to grant the US military sweeping overflight access to Indonesia’s airspace has triggered a domestic backlash over concerns that Jakarta is “colluding with the aggressor” amid Washington’s war on Iran. Analysts say the defence document, first reported by New Delhi-based newspaper the Sunday Guardian, raises concerns that President Prabowo Subianto may be trading away Indonesia’s strategic independence. The proposal, which reportedly emerged following a meeting in February between... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350143/indonesia-leaked-plan-us-military-overflights-triggers-sovereignty-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350143/indonesia-leaked-plan-us-military-overflights-triggers-sovereignty-row?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:11:03 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Israel’s spy chief has pledged more covert efforts to try to topple Iran’s government, a tacit acknowledgment the countries’ conflict would continue even as the US pursued a new round of peace negotiations with the Islamic Republic. David Barnea, the head of the Mossad, said Israel had not expected that its bombardment of Iranian military, nuclear and infrastructure sites, waged in concert with the United States, would be enough to end Iran’s 47-year-old clerical-led rule. “Our mission has yet... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350127/mossad-says-israel-will-keep-trying-topple-irans-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350127/mossad-says-israel-will-keep-trying-topple-irans-government?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:20:57 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s King Charles will have tea and a private meeting with ⁠President Donald Trump during his US state visit later this month, as the UK government hopes his “soft power” can heal a damaging rift between the allies caused by the Iran war. The monarch and his wife Queen Camilla head across the Atlantic on April 27, a four-day trip ostensibly to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence from Britain but one that now has far greater significance amid a growing spat between Trump and ‌Prime... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350114/britains-king-charles-charm-trump-state-visit-overshadowed-us-uk-rift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350114/britains-king-charles-charm-trump-state-visit-overshadowed-us-uk-rift?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 03:27:55 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US military said on Tuesday that four people had been killed in a strike on another alleged drug-trafficking boat, the fourth such deadly attack in as many days. US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a post on X that the strike – just as the previous three – occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It posted aerial video on social media showing a vessel bobbing in the water before being struck by a projectile and exploding. The four new fatalities raise the total death toll of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350107/us-military-says-4-killed-fourth-drug-boat-strike-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350107/us-military-says-4-killed-fourth-drug-boat-strike-week?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 02:13:44 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Taiwan’s political pendulum is reversing. The government led by Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) William Lai Ching-te is increasingly discredited, not least for selling out the jewel of its semiconductor industry to the United States under pressure from President Donald Trump. The Legislative Yuan is controlled by the opposition led by the Kuomintang (KMT). Party politics is now institutionalised into a sustained confrontation between the island’s presidency and its legislature. Now, budgets... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3349841/kmt-chief-shows-way-forward-avoid-blind-confrontation-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3349841/kmt-chief-shows-way-forward-avoid-blind-confrontation-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat As the US imposes its own blockade on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following the collapse of talks with Iran at the weekend, we take a look at how major economies in Asia and Europe could be affected by further restrictions on passage through one of the world’s most critical choke points for energy supplies. Who is most vulnerable in this energy crisis? According to a recent report by Japanese investment bank Nomura, the regions most exposed to the tensions in the Persian Gulf are Asian... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350051/which-countries-are-most-vulnerable-us-imposes-its-own-blockade-persian-gulf?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350051/which-countries-are-most-vulnerable-us-imposes-its-own-blockade-persian-gulf?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:17 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The retrial of disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein on a rape charge on which a jury was previously deadlocked started on Tuesday, although he will remain imprisoned for other offences regardless of the verdict. Weinstein is accused of the third-degree rape of Jessica Mann, who starred in the 2015 romantic comedy This Isn’t Funny. The judge declared a mistrial last June after the jury foreman refused to return to deliberate the case amid a jury-room feud. Weinstein is being retried on that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350100/harvey-weinstein-rape-retrial-begins-new-york?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350100/harvey-weinstein-rape-retrial-begins-new-york?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 20:34:19 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Russia and China’s top envoys met in Beijing on Tuesday to discuss the Iran war, Ukraine and Taiwan as Beijing stepped up its Iran war diplomacy and tensions with Washington increased. In a jab at Washington and US President Donald Trump that did not mention either by name, a Chinese readout of the meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov noted that the world is increasingly marked by turmoil and instability. The two top diplomats also discussed plans... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350099/top-russian-and-chinese-envoys-meet-beijing-discuss-iran-ukraine-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350099/top-russian-and-chinese-envoys-meet-beijing-discuss-iran-ukraine-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:59:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Parisian man could not believe his luck on Tuesday when he found out he had won a Pablo Picasso painting worth US$1 million with a US$117 raffle ticket. “How do I check that it’s not a hoax?” said Ari Hodara, 58, after organisers called him following the draw at Christie’s auction house in the French capital. Hodara described himself as an art amateur fond of Picasso and said he bought his ticket over the weekend after finding out about the charity raffle by chance during a meal in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350098/stunned-frenchman-wins-us1-million-picasso-us117-raffle-ticket?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350098/stunned-frenchman-wins-us1-million-picasso-us117-raffle-ticket?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:44:51 +0000 dpa dpa New research suggests that gifted men are less conservative in their political views than men of average cognitive ability. A study conducted in Germany found that men with higher IQs are less inclined to traditional values, but the lead author, psychologist and intelligence researcher Maximilian Krolo of Saarland University said the researchers did not find these differences among women. The study was based on the Marburg Giftedness Project, for which more than 7,000 children in primary school... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350097/men-higher-iqs-are-less-conservative-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350097/men-higher-iqs-are-less-conservative-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:47:35 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump and his wife, Lara, will accompany the president on his trip next month to China, a spokeswoman for the family organisation said on Tuesday. Two sources earlier said members of Trump’s family, including Eric, were ‌considering joining Trump on his highly anticipated May 14-15 visit, potentially to contribute to US-China business relations. The spokeswoman said that Eric, who manages his father’s business empire, would go in a personal capacity. “Eric... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350096/trumps-son-eric-join-fathers-state-visit-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350096/trumps-son-eric-join-fathers-state-visit-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:47:28 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazil will require foreign partners to process rare earth minerals domestically as a condition for access to its reserves, a senior government official said this week, setting terms that could reshape how Chinese and Western firms compete for resources the country has long exported raw. “Our doors of Brazil to foreign investment are open, but our position has matured,” Leonardo Durans, a senior official at Brazil’s industry ministry, said at a press conference with international media on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350094/brazil-demands-rare-earths-be-processed-home-us-and-china-compete?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350094/brazil-demands-rare-earths-be-processed-home-us-and-china-compete?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:37:42 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A German court on Tuesday sentenced a 28-year-old Chinese student to 11 years and three months in jail for repeatedly drugging and raping his girlfriend and filming the abuse. In a case reminiscent of that of France’s Gisele Pelicot, the Munich court said the defendant, named only as Zhongyi J., had assaulted his girlfriend while she was unconscious at least seven times. Zhongyi J. filmed the abuse each time and stored the videos on a hard drive, the court said. In one case, the assault lasted... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350093/germany-jails-chinese-student-pelicot-rape-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350093/germany-jails-chinese-student-pelicot-rape-case?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:46:59 +0000 Dewey Sim,Khushboo Razdan Dewey Sim,Khushboo Razdan Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors held rare face-to-face talks, facilitated by Washington, on Tuesday, with all sides agreeing to launch “direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue”. “Israel expressed its commitment to engage in direct negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues and achieve a durable peace that will strengthen security, stability and prosperity in the region,” as per a readout issued by the US State Department. The statement said that Lebanon called for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350092/israel-lebanon-talks-rare-historic-moment-amid-hopes-conflict-resolution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350092/israel-lebanon-talks-rare-historic-moment-amid-hopes-conflict-resolution?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:41:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni lacks courage and has let Washington down, US President Donald Trump told an Italian newspaper on Tuesday, delivering a blunt public rebuke to one of his closest European allies. Meloni had been a vociferous supporter of Trump, but she distanced herself from him after he went to war with Iran ‌in February, and on Monday she openly criticised him for lashing out at Pope Leo, saying his verbal assault was “unacceptable”. Trump responded in an interview with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350090/trump-turns-italys-meloni-says-he-shocked-her?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350090/trump-turns-italys-meloni-says-he-shocked-her?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:10:35 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered its global economic growth forecast, including for China, citing shocks from the US-Israeli war in Iran. In its flagship World Economic Outlook published on Tuesday, the IMF projected worldwide gross domestic product growth at 3.1 per cent this year, down 0.2 percentage points from its January estimate. China – the world’s second-largest economy – is now expected to expand by 4.4 per cent this year. That would miss the IMF’s January estimate by... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350042/imf-cuts-chinas-gdp-growth-forecast-44-iran-war-pressures-global-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350042/imf-cuts-chinas-gdp-growth-forecast-44-iran-war-pressures-global-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:00:10 +0000 Asad Ullah Asad Ullah The conventional indictment runs like this: blinded by ideology and captured by special interests, the US and Israel have blundered into a region they never understood, sowing instability they neither anticipated nor desired. It is a damning argument. It also happens to be, in one important respect, too generous. The more unsettling possibility, supported by two decades of observable behaviour, is that these policies produce not disorder as a side effect but something far more useful: a conflict... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349970/who-profits-most-us-israel-iran-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349970/who-profits-most-us-israel-iran-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse France’s interior minister is seeking to block US rapper Kanye West from performing in the southern city of Marseille in June due to his antisemitic remarks, a source close to the minister said on Tuesday. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez is “highly determined” to ban the June 11 concert at Marseille’s Velodrome stadium and is exploring “all possibilities”, the source said. West, 48, has been heavily criticised for making antisemitic remarks and voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler. Britain has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350075/french-minister-seeks-ban-kanye-west-concert-marseille?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350075/french-minister-seeks-ban-kanye-west-concert-marseille?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:14:11 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Washington’s naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is threatening to tip Asia into its worst energy crisis in living memory, with peace talks on the Iran war stalled and no clear timeline for when oil flows might resume. The United States moved to seize control of the flashpoint waterway on Monday night, with US President Donald Trump framing the move as a way to force Iran to open the strait and accept a deal to end the war. Iran responded by threatening all ports in the Persian Gulf and the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350057/asias-energy-supply-breaking-point-us-blockades-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350057/asias-energy-supply-breaking-point-us-blockades-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:09:18 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang A leading sovereign wealth fund from Central Asia has cast a vote of confidence in Chinese debt and the country’s currency by becoming the first institution from the region to sell yuan-denominated debt, known as panda bonds, in China’s onshore market. The decision by Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna, to sell 3 billion yuan (US$440 million) in China’s interbank market comes as global investors are looking for safe havens amid geopolitical uncertainties such as the Iran war. The... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350040/kazakh-sovereign-fund-issues-central-asias-first-panda-bond-milestone-sale?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350040/kazakh-sovereign-fund-issues-central-asias-first-panda-bond-milestone-sale?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:00:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A former student opened fire at a high school in southeastern Turkey on Tuesday, wounding at least 16 people, before killing himself, an official said. The 18-year-old attacker, armed with a shotgun, fired randomly inside a vocational high school in Siverek, Sanliurfa province. He later killed himself with the same shotgun after being “cornered by police”, Governor Hasan Sildak said. The attack left 10 students, four teachers, a canteen employee and a police officer hurt, Sildak said. While most... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350044/turkey-school-shooting-wounds-16-attacker-dead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350044/turkey-school-shooting-wounds-16-attacker-dead?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:21:50 +0000 Francis Neoton Cheung Francis Neoton Cheung The world is undergoing a transformation of historic proportions. Geopolitical rivalry, economic restructuring and technological acceleration are converging to reshape the global order. These changes transcend the logic of any single nation, industry or moment in time, exerting profound influence on international politics, geoeconomics, industrial structures, capital flows and investment strategies. For Hong Kong, this “great change unseen in a century” is not an abstraction. It is a pressing... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3349883/hong-kong-must-go-beyond-its-intermediary-role-become-global-anchor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3349883/hong-kong-must-go-beyond-its-intermediary-role-become-global-anchor?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow With millions of Indonesians at risk of being pushed into poverty amid a deepening global energy crisis, President Prabowo Subianto arrived in Moscow this week seeking something straightforward but increasingly scarce: cheap oil. Prabowo’s trip, which got under way on Monday, comes at a moment of acute regional anxiety. Global oil prices have skyrocketed since the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran more than six weeks ago amid the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350002/why-indonesias-prabowo-russia-and-what-he-needs-putin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350002/why-indonesias-prabowo-russia-and-what-he-needs-putin?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 06:04:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse J.D. Vance had two jobs last week: get an Iran deal and keep Hungary’s Viktor Orban in power. Neither happened for the US vice-president. The 41-year-old Vance looked exhausted as he left Pakistan on Sunday after 21 hours that failed to produce an agreement with Tehran to end a war he had never wanted to begin with. At a terse press conference in Islamabad, Vance delivered the “bad news” and took just three questions before getting on a plane for the long flight back home. But just before... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349979/double-defeat-vance-failed-iran-talks-and-orbans-exit-bruise-us-vice-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349979/double-defeat-vance-failed-iran-talks-and-orbans-exit-bruise-us-vice-president?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 03:33:17 +0000 Reuters,Associated Press Reuters,Associated Press Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney returns to Parliament on Tuesday with more power after he secured a majority government by sweeping three special elections. Carney’s Liberals now have 174 of the 343 seats in the House of Commons and won’t need support from opposition parties to pass legislation after winning three districts that became vacant after last year’s election. It would also likely mean Carney, who took office with no political experience and has earned global praise for his efforts... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349976/canadas-carney-secures-majority-government-special-election-wins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349976/canadas-carney-secures-majority-government-special-election-wins?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 03:03:43 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service US President Donald Trump on Monday defended his now deleted social media post that appeared to depict himself as Jesus Christ, contending that it was meant to portray him as “a doctor” after right-wing figures continued a recent trend of pushing back on the president’s recent comments. “Well, it wasn’t a depiction. It was me, I did post it. And I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross,” Trump said during an impromptu event at the White House. “There was a Red Cross worker... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349972/trump-claims-jesus-meme-caused-outcry-was-him-doctor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349972/trump-claims-jesus-meme-caused-outcry-was-him-doctor?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 02:36:41 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Minnesota county is investigating the arrest of a Hmong-American man by federal officers that was captured on video as a potential case of kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment, officials said on Monday. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher said at a news conference they are pursuing information from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that they need for their investigation into the arrest of ChongLy “Scott” Thao, 56, on January 18. Ramsey County includes the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349967/minnesota-investigates-ice-arrest-hmong-american-man-possible-kidnapping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349967/minnesota-investigates-ice-arrest-hmong-american-man-possible-kidnapping?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:57:32 +0000