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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A teenage boy shot dead two staff members and injured two other people, including a student, at a school in northeast Brazil on Tuesday, prompting panicked students to try to escape over a wall, authorities and a witness said. A 13-year-old boy was arrested over the attack at Sao Jose Institute in Rio Branco, the capital of Acre state, the local government said in a statement. Eduardo Rodrigues Cavalcante, who works as a receptionist at a hotel next to the school, said that when the shooting... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3352546/boy-13-shoots-2-dead-brazil-school?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3352546/boy-13-shoots-2-dead-brazil-school?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 23:50:26 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing that was dumped at a nearby public golf course has tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals, the National Park Service said. An interim report by a Virginia engineering firm says the toxic metals, along with PCBs, pesticides, petroleum by-products and other chemicals were detected at levels above laboratory reporting limits in soil at the East Potomac Golf Links, a historic golf course that US President Donald Trump plans... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352545/trump-admin-sued-over-dumping-white-house-debris-tests-show-toxic-metals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352545/trump-admin-sued-over-dumping-white-house-debris-tests-show-toxic-metals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 23:00:09 +0000 Mohamad Zreik Mohamad Zreik For decades, the Strait of Hormuz has been a narrow passage with a big footprint. Whenever it comes under tension, the world is reminded that energy security is less a policy construct than an everyday reality for Asia’s economies, factories and prices. For China, Japan, South Korea, India and Southeast Asia, it has always been more than just a Middle Eastern problem. It is an Asian economic issue. This is why we should not interpret the latest Gulf tensions solely in terms of naval forces,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352077/how-china-gulf-ties-can-turn-energy-vulnerability-sustainability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352077/how-china-gulf-ties-can-turn-energy-vulnerability-sustainability?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that it suspects some rare human-to-human transmission of the deadly hantavirus took place between very close contacts on board a luxury cruise ship hit by seven confirmed or suspected cases. Human-to-human transmission is not common, and the UN health agency reiterated that the risk to the wider public was low from a disease typically spread from contact with infected rodents. A Dutch couple and a German national have died, while a British national... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352543/deadly-hantavirus-may-have-spread-between-humans-luxury-cruise-risk-low-who?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352543/deadly-hantavirus-may-have-spread-between-humans-luxury-cruise-risk-low-who?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 20:12:38 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of Pope Leo, potentially complicating a fence-mending visit that Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to make this week to the Vatican. In an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, Trump said the first American-born pontiff is helping Iran and also making the world less safe with his comments about the importance of not treating immigrants with disrespect. “The pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s OK for Iran to have a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352541/trump-renews-attacks-pope-leo-just-days-rubios-vatican-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352541/trump-renews-attacks-pope-leo-just-days-rubios-vatican-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 18:55:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ⁠said on ⁠Tuesday that fake images ⁠of her generated by artificial intelligence were circulating online, warning that such false photos could deceive the public and target people unable to defend themselves. Meloni said ‌in a statement that several fake photos of her had been created with AI and passed off as real by political opponents. She posted one such image appearing to show her sitting on a bed wearing underwear. ⁠The original post included outraged... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352540/italy-pm-meloni-warns-over-ai-deepfakes-after-false-photos-her-circulate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352540/italy-pm-meloni-warns-over-ai-deepfakes-after-false-photos-her-circulate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 18:25:58 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Panama’s foreign minister has called on a group of opposition lawmakers visiting China to deliver a firm message defending the country’s sovereignty, as tensions over a wave of detentions of Panamanian-flagged vessels show no signs of easing. Javier Martinez-Acha Vasquez said on Monday that the lawmakers should relay a clear message to their Chinese counterparts on Panama’s behalf. “I can only suggest that you convey that Panama respects China, but Panama first respects the Constitution of our... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3352539/panama-minister-blasts-chinas-ship-crackdown-tells-deputies-demand-answers-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3352539/panama-minister-blasts-chinas-ship-crackdown-tells-deputies-demand-answers-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 18:01:22 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and successive US presidents have spent the better part of the past three decades warning that a nuclear-armed Iran would threaten the whole world. Now, thanks to the illegal US-Israeli war, Iran may have to go nuclear by claiming self-defence. After all, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Israel would justify its clandestine nuclear weapon programme, which dates back to the 1950s, by claiming Arab states wanted to exterminate it. Well,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3352328/thanks-trump-and-netanyahu-everyone-now-wants-go-nuclear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3352328/thanks-trump-and-netanyahu-everyone-now-wants-go-nuclear?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 12:30:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Sweden’s government said on Tuesday it would push forward with a plan to form a new spy agency targeting overseas threats, part of a wider reset prompted by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The new agency would be called Sweden’s foreign intelligence service (UND) and would start operations in January 2027, Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told a press conference. “During the ongoing war in Ukraine, it has become very clear that an information advantage and the ability to rapidly and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352505/sweden-form-new-spy-agency-ukraine-war-reset?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352505/sweden-form-new-spy-agency-ukraine-war-reset?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 09:43:00 +0000 Matt Terrell Matt Terrell When it comes to artificial intelligence, the United States still dominates the headlines – and, by most conventional measures, the technology itself. American institutions continue to produce a large share of high-impact AI research, and private investment reached over US$109 billion in 2024, nearly 12 times China’s total, according to the Stanford Institute for Human-Centred AI. At the same time, the economics of AI are rapidly improving. Training and deployment costs have fallen dramatically... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352235/america-builds-ai-china-uses-it-gap-may-decide-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352235/america-builds-ai-china-uses-it-gap-may-decide-future?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Agencies Agencies A hantavirus outbreak tied to a cruise ship off Cabo Verde has grown to seven cases, including two confirmed infections, the World Health Organization said on Monday, with three deaths among those linked to the voyage. The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius is carrying 147 passengers and crew from 23 countries. Among the passengers are 17 Americans, 19 Britons and 13 from Spain. Sixty-one crew members are also on board. Of the seven cases identified, one British passenger in intensive care in Johannesburg... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352473/deadly-hantavirus-outbreak-traps-150-cruise-ship-who-identifies-more-cases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352473/deadly-hantavirus-outbreak-traps-150-cruise-ship-who-identifies-more-cases?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 07:28:22 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong When a South Korean cargo ship exploded and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz late on Monday, Donald Trump wasted no time declaring what he thought it meant. “Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!” the US president wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, invoking the incident as fresh justification for Seoul to send naval forces to the embattled waterway. Seoul’s answer, for now, has been a polite but firm no – or at least, not yet. The explosion occurred... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352462/south-korea-rebuffs-trumps-project-freedom-call-after-hormuz-ship-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352462/south-korea-rebuffs-trumps-project-freedom-call-after-hormuz-ship-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 06:30:46 +0000 Reuters Reuters Sudan’s armed forces blamed a drone attack ⁠on Monday that targeted Khartoum airport on the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia, the latest in a barrage of assaults in recent days that has shattered months of relative calm in Sudan’s capital, three years into its civil war. Reuters could not independently verify the claims. Neither country immediately commented on the allegations made late on Monday. Sudan has often accused the UAE of supporting Rapid Support ‌Forces (RSF) paramilitaries, a charge... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352452/drones-shatter-months-relative-calm-sudans-capital-international-airport-targeted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352452/drones-shatter-months-relative-calm-sudans-capital-international-airport-targeted?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 05:33:46 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Colombian girl celebrating her 10th birthday was among three people crushed to death at a monster truck display when a vehicle veered out of control and ploughed into spectators, authorities said on Monday. Hellen Velarde was attending Sunday’s exhibition in the southwestern city of Popayan as a birthday gift when she was crushed by the truck in an incident that caused widespread anger. A second girl and a young woman were also killed, local media reported. Images circulating on social media... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3352422/birthday-girl-10-among-3-dead-colombia-monster-truck-crash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3352422/birthday-girl-10-among-3-dead-colombia-monster-truck-crash?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 23:29:34 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain is in talks to join the European Union’s €90 billion (US$105.13 billion) loan to Ukraine to qualify for Kyiv’s defence orders that ‌the loan finances but will have to cover some interest payments on the borrowing to be eligible, the European Commission said. “Today marks the first high-level discussion on the UK’s potential participation in the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan, following technical exchanges between the UK Government and the Commission,” a Commission spokesman told... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352421/uk-eyes-joining-eus-eu90-billion-ukraine-loan-tap-defence-orders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352421/uk-eyes-joining-eus-eu90-billion-ukraine-loan-tap-defence-orders?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 23:09:24 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Coverage of the Trump administration dominated the Pulitzer Prizes announced on Monday as the prize committee unleashed a searing attack on US President Donald Trump’s attempts to limit freedom of reporting. “We stand for civil discourse and against censorship,” said Pulitzer Administrator Marjorie Miller ahead of the announcements, which honoured coverage of Trump’s immigration crackdown and his enrichment of his allies. “Unfortunately, this bears repeating now, as media access to the White... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352420/pulitzers-honour-damning-coverage-trump-and-his-policies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352420/pulitzers-honour-damning-coverage-trump-and-his-policies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 22:20:05 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat As the Middle East conflict spreads uncertainty among farmers around the world, Chinese farmers are carrying out their spring ploughing as usual and appear largely untroubled. “The supply of chemical fertilisers for spring ploughing is ample,” an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said at a news conference last month, adding that domestic fertiliser prices were “far lower than international prices” and spring sowing was proceeding as normal. While policymakers around the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352366/how-middle-east-crisis-expanding-chinas-agrochemical-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352366/how-middle-east-crisis-expanding-chinas-agrochemical-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An armed man was shot by US Secret Service (USSS) agents in downtown Washington on Monday, officials said, prompting a brief lockdown of the nearby White House. The shooting near the National Mall took place just after a motorcade carrying Vice-President J.D. Vance had passed by the area, USSS Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said. Quinn told reporters he did not believe that the vice-president was an intended target and said he could not speculate if it was related to recent attempts on the life... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352419/person-shot-officers-near-washington-monument-secret-service-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352419/person-shot-officers-near-washington-monument-secret-service-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 21:56:37 +0000 Zhou Xiaoming Zhou Xiaoming In global discourse, a script has been handed to us: the United States and China are locked in a “tech race”. But this is really a misnomer. True competition requires a level playing field. When one runner trips the other to ensure victory, it’s not a competition; it’s cheating. So, when Washington deploys an arsenal of sanctions, export controls and diplomatic strong-arming to hamstring China’s technological ascent, it is not competing. It is an act of suppression. This reflects a deliberate... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352098/how-us-tech-hegemony-locking-out-global-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352098/how-us-tech-hegemony-locking-out-global-south?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a two-day ceasefire in the conflict with Ukraine on May 8-9 to mark Russia’s World War II victory, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky countered with his own proposed pause in fighting starting earlier, on the night of May 5-6. Putin had first spoken of a possible ceasefire coinciding with commemorations of the 81st anniversary of the victory ‌in a phone conversation last week with US President Donald Trump. Ukraine had been wary of the notion... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3352417/russia-orders-ceasefire-ukraine-war-may-8-and-9-coincide-victory-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3352417/russia-orders-ceasefire-ukraine-war-may-8-and-9-coincide-victory-day?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 19:44:31 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China’s top diplomat on the US-Mexico border denounced protectionism as a dead end at the weekend, delivering a pointed defence of open trade just weeks before Mexico, the United States and Canada sit down to review the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that governs North American commerce. Consul General Fu Xinrong told a business gathering in Tijuana that unilateralism benefits no one and called on nations to build economic ties based on sovereignty and mutual respect rather than... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352418/chinas-consul-tijuana-calls-protectionism-dead-end-trade-tensions-us-escalate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352418/chinas-consul-tijuana-calls-protectionism-dead-end-trade-tensions-us-escalate?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 19:40:46 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Troubled pop princess Britney Spears on Monday admitted to reckless driving involving alcohol, in a plea deal that means she will avoid jail. The “Toxic” singer was arrested in March after police spotted her driving erratically on a freeway in Ventura County, near Los Angeles. She was initially charged with DUI – driving under the influence – but under the plea deal confirmed Monday she admitted to a lesser charge of reckless driving involving alcohol, drugs or both. A court in Ventura sentenced... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352416/britney-spears-admits-reckless-driving-plea-deal-avoid-jail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352416/britney-spears-admits-reckless-driving-plea-deal-avoid-jail?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 19:02:42 +0000 Agencies Agencies Chloe Zhao, Demi Moore and Stellan Skarsgard are among the jurors who will decide the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, organisers announced on Monday. Just about a week before the 79th Cannes begins May 12, organisers unveiled the nine-member jury that will deliberate on the films in competition at the annual French Riviera festival. As already announced, South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) is president of the jury. Moore, 63, along with Chinese filmmaker Zhao, whose... https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/3352415/chloe-zhao-stellan-skarsgard-and-demi-moore-among-cannes-film-festival-jurors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/3352415/chloe-zhao-stellan-skarsgard-and-demi-moore-among-cannes-film-festival-jurors?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 18:37:50 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday pressed China to ramp up diplomatic pressure on Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz even as he stressed that the US has “absolute control” over the strategic waterway. “Let’s see [China] step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait,” Bessent said in a Fox News interview. “Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism and China has been buying 90 per cent of their energy, so they are funding the largest state sponsor of... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3352414/us-bessent-urges-china-help-open-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3352414/us-bessent-urges-china-help-open-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 17:42:44 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The China Eastern Airlines plane that crashed into a hillside in 2022, killing all 132 people on board, had its fuel supply cut mid-flight, newly released investigative material shows, which bolsters the theory that the aircraft was intentionally brought down. While China still has yet to release a final report on the accident, findings released by the US National Transportation Safety Board this month show that levers controlling the flow of fuel to the jet’s engines were switched to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3352413/fatal-2022-china-eastern-airlines-plane-crash-points-deliberate-fuel-cut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3352413/fatal-2022-china-eastern-airlines-plane-crash-points-deliberate-fuel-cut?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 17:27:57 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A man suspected of ploughing a car into a crowd in the eastern German city of Leipzig, killing two people, had recently been treated for mental health problems, reports said on Tuesday. The 33-year-old German national allegedly drove the vehicle Monday at high speed down a main street in the historic centre of the eastern city, leaving two people dead and many others injured. The driver, a 33-year-old German man, was arrested at the scene and officials have said they do not believe he had a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352412/2-dead-2-injured-after-car-ramming-german-city-leipzig?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352412/2-dead-2-injured-after-car-ramming-german-city-leipzig?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 16:29:24 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A German woman convicted of keeping her young daughter locked up at home for years was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday. The woman, who had kept her daughter confined to the home of the girl’s grandparents, was found guilty of kidnapping, abduction of a minor and mistreatment of a vulnerable person, according to a court spokeswoman. The grandmother was given a two-year suspended sentence for the same charges, while the grandfather also received a suspended sentence as an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352410/germany-jails-mother-locking-daughter-7-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352410/germany-jails-mother-locking-daughter-7-years?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 16:00:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters World Liberty ⁠Financial, the crypto venture co-founded ⁠by US President Donald Trump and his sons, said on Monday it had filed a defamation lawsuit against Hong Kong-based crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, in the latest escalation of a dispute ‌between the project and one of its most prominent backers. World Liberty posted a copy of its lawsuit on X in which it accused Sun of launching a “public smear campaign” including claims that it said were false. The crypto project – one of several... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352408/trump-familys-crypto-project-sues-billionaire-backer-justin-sun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352408/trump-familys-crypto-project-sues-billionaire-backer-justin-sun?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 15:42:44 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Supreme Court on Monday restored broad access to the abortion pill mifepristone, blocking a ruling that had threatened to upend one of the main ways abortion is provided across the nation. The order signed by Justice Samuel Alito temporarily allows women seeking abortions to obtain the pill at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor. Those rules had been in effect for several years until a federal appeal court imposed new restrictions last week. Most abortions... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352406/us-supreme-court-restores-access-abortion-pill-mifepristone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352406/us-supreme-court-restores-access-abortion-pill-mifepristone?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 15:13:57 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering global relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Quad summit plan turns uneasy as India pushes ahead without top leaders: sources A stretch of awkward diplomacy was unfolding in the Indo-Pacific in April: New Delhi was planning to host a foreign ministers’ meeting that could have been framed as a leaders-level discussion, even if the top... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351918/awkward-india-diplomacy-us-nato-crisis-strait-hormuz-woes-7-global-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351918/awkward-india-diplomacy-us-nato-crisis-strait-hormuz-woes-7-global-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 14:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US stock market is holding tentatively near its record heights on Monday, while oil prices climb with uncertainty about when oil tankers can resume crossing the Strait of Hormuz and restore the world’s flow of crude. Duelling claims about a possible Iranian strike on a US Navy vessel in the strait heightened the tensions. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1 per cent, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 216 points, or 0.4 per cent, as of 9.35am Eastern time, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352398/wall-street-dips-oil-prices-rise-reports-strike-us-navy-vessel-near-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352398/wall-street-dips-oil-prices-rise-reports-strike-us-navy-vessel-near-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 12:44:31 +0000 Nikola Mikovic Nikola Mikovic Amid the trade war with the United States, the last thing China needs is an economic confrontation with the European Union – Beijing’s major export destination. But with the EU seemingly determined to protect its market by introducing measures that many see as controversial, an economic stand-off appears inevitable. When European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen blamed China last June for showing an “unwillingness to live within the constraints of the rules-based international system”,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352160/made-europe-law-sets-stage-economic-showdown-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352160/made-europe-law-sets-stage-economic-showdown-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Austria declared three Russian diplomats personae ⁠non gratae over ⁠an “antenna forest” on the roofs of ⁠diplomatic buildings that could be used for spying, the government said on Monday. Numerous satellite dishes placed on buildings used by the Russian state in Vienna, particularly a residential complex for diplomatic staff, have long attracted ‌the attention of Austria’s main domestic intelligence service, which has warned for years they could be used to intercept other states’ satellite... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352390/austria-expels-3-russian-diplomats-over-signals-spying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352390/austria-expels-3-russian-diplomats-over-signals-spying?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 12:01:44 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A weekend shooting at a lakeside park in Oklahoma that left nearly two dozen people injured erupted when a group began arguing at an unsanctioned party packed with young adults, a witness said on Monday. Authorities were continuing to search for suspects on Monday in the shooting that critically injured at least three of those hurt. No arrests have been made. It was not clear how many of the injured had been shot, police said on Monday in a statement. It provided few answers about what had... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352381/shooting-us-party-sends-least-12-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352381/shooting-us-party-sends-least-12-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 10:50:14 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg A drone hit a residential tower in an upscale Moscow district in a rare strike near the city centre ahead of the traditional World War II Victory Day parade. Moscow air defences repelled an attack by two Ukrainian drones, and one hit the building on Mosfilmovskaya Street, according to a post on Monday by Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Emergency services were sent to the scene, and there were no reports of casualties. Mosfilmovskaya is about 6-8km (about 4-5 miles) from the Kremlin, and local media... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3352345/drone-hits-upscale-moscow-tower-russian-capital-readies-victory-day-parade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3352345/drone-hits-upscale-moscow-tower-russian-capital-readies-victory-day-parade?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 07:35:55 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Durian Express? China brings in cheaper fruit with new Southeast Asia train 2. ‘Structural shift’: new routes for Middle East freight to bypass Hormuz 3. ‘Nowhere to go’: helpers pushed out of parks spend day off in tents at bus terminus 4. Why Beijing now wants its spies executed in Taiwan back... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3352312/cheaper-durians-china-hong-kong-helpers-camp-tents-5-weekend-reads-you-missed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3352312/cheaper-durians-china-hong-kong-helpers-camp-tents-5-weekend-reads-you-missed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 04:34:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A United Airlines jet with 231 passengers and crew escaped a major disaster on Sunday after one of its wheels clipped a light post and truck on a highway while on final approach to land in New Jersey. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials said the Boeing 767 landed safely at Newark Liberty International Airport after arriving from Venice, Italy, and the agency would investigate the incident. A preliminary investigation from New Jersey State Police said “while a United Airlines Aircraft... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352305/united-airlines-boeing-767-jet-hits-light-pole-truck-while-landing-newark?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352305/united-airlines-boeing-767-jet-hits-light-pole-truck-while-landing-newark?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 02:23:49 +0000 Alice Wu Alice Wu Congratulations to Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po for getting the city’s budget to sail through the Legislative Council. It wasn’t always such smooth sailing and Chan would do well to acknowledge as much. When Chan was first given the keys to the city’s coffers, they were full. Successive financial secretaries faced political pressure of a very different kind. There weren’t many issues that opposing parties saw eye to eye on. However, accusing the government of hoarding cash and not giving... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3352150/paul-chan-should-welcome-lawmakers-budget-scrutiny-not-dismiss-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3352150/paul-chan-should-welcome-lawmakers-budget-scrutiny-not-dismiss-it?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 01:30:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani is hospitalised in critical but stable condition, his spokesperson said Sunday, days after the Republican hoarsely told his talk show audience that his voice was “a little under the weather”. The spokesperson, Ted Goodman, did not say what sent Giuliani, 81, to the hospital, how long he has been there or what his prognosis is. “Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he’s fighting with that same... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352298/former-new-york-mayor-rudy-giuliani-hospitalised-critical-condition-spokesman-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352298/former-new-york-mayor-rudy-giuliani-hospitalised-critical-condition-spokesman-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 23:54:00 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press One Palestinian man was killed and four others seriously wounded during an Israeli military raid in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the man’s wife was in labour at a local hospital when she was informed of his death. The Red Crescent said five people were hit by gunfire during an Israeli military operation. Nayef Firas Ziad Samaro, 26, was killed, according to the Health Ministry, and his body was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3352297/israeli-raid-west-bank-leaves-1-palestinian-dead-and-4-wounded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3352297/israeli-raid-west-bank-leaves-1-palestinian-dead-and-4-wounded?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 23:12:55 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Two US service members are missing in southwestern Morocco after taking part in annual multinational military exercises in the North African country, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) said on Sunday. The service members are US Army soldiers who went missing while on a hike, a US defence official told Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to speak publicly about the issue. “They were not actively taking part in any training. The day’s exercises had concluded... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352296/2-us-army-soldiers-missing-after-african-lion-military-exercises-morocco?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352296/2-us-army-soldiers-missing-after-african-lion-military-exercises-morocco?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 22:02:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he must accept that US President Donald Trump does not share his opinions to work with the United States within Nato but stressed there ‌was no link between their rift and a planned troop drawdown. Merz dismissed suggestions that his criticism of US war planning in Iran had sparked Washington’s Friday announcement that the US would reduce its military presence in Germany, its largest European base, by 5,000 soldiers, and repeated his commitment to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352295/german-chancellor-downplays-row-trump-after-troop-drawdown-announced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352295/german-chancellor-downplays-row-trump-after-troop-drawdown-announced?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 20:45:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean killed three people, including an elderly married couple, and sickened at least three others, the World Health Organization and South Africa’s Department of Health said on Sunday. The WHO said an investigation was under way, but that at least one case of hantavirus had been confirmed. One of the patients was in intensive care in a South African hospital, the UN health agency said, and it was working with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352294/3-dead-atlantic-cruise-ship-suspected-hantavirus-outbreak-who?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352294/3-dead-atlantic-cruise-ship-suspected-hantavirus-outbreak-who?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 20:02:56 +0000 Reuters Reuters Jean-Luc ⁠Melenchon, the leading figure in ⁠the hard-left France Unbowed (La France Insoumise) political party, will stand in next year’s presidential election, he said on Sunday. “Yes, I am a candidate,” Melenchon told TF1 ‌TV. Melenchon, 74, has been a fixture of the French left for decades, holding ministerial posts in past governments when he was a Socialist Party member. He ran for president in 2012, 2017 and 2022, coming third that year behind ⁠far-right leader Marine Le Pen and President... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352293/french-hard-left-politician-melenchon-stand-2027-presidential-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352293/french-hard-left-politician-melenchon-stand-2027-presidential-election?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 19:38:38 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Pope Leo on a trip to Rome this week, in the wake of the pontiff’s clash with US President Donald Trump, a Vatican source said on Sunday. The source confirmed Italian media reports about the meeting, which newspapers said would take place on Thursday in an attempt to “thaw” relations. It comes just weeks after Trump’s extraordinary criticism of Pope Leo over the Catholic leader’s anti-war rhetoric. The private visit with the top US diplomat, who is a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352292/rubio-visit-rome-meet-pope-leo-after-trump-row-attempt-thaw-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352292/rubio-visit-rome-meet-pope-leo-after-trump-row-attempt-thaw-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 18:14:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The United States will launch an effort on Monday to “guide” stranded ships from the Iran-gripped Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump said, as two ships around the strait reported attacks. Trump gave few details about what could be a sweeping attempt to help hundreds of vessels and some 20,000 seafarers. Iran quickly denounced the move as a ceasefire violation. Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that “neutral and innocent” countries have been affected by the Iran war, and “we have... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3352291/cargo-ship-near-strait-hormuz-reports-being-attacked-iran-makes-new-peace-proposal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3352291/cargo-ship-near-strait-hormuz-reports-being-attacked-iran-makes-new-peace-proposal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 17:04:40 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A state-backed Nigerian militia, operating alongside the military, killed scores of ethnic Fulani herders in a raid, local sources have told journalists. The herders were killed in an operation that also involved vigilantes from Benin, just across the border from Niger State, after the herders were accused of being informants for the jihadist group Ansaru. The Nigerian vigilantes from Bussa district raided herding Fulani settlements around Kabe, in neighbouring Borgu, in a massacre that also saw... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352287/vigilantes-nigeria-kill-herders-amid-jihadist-tensions-kidnapping-gangs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352287/vigilantes-nigeria-kill-herders-amid-jihadist-tensions-kidnapping-gangs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 13:06:51 +0000 Ran Guo Ran Guo At the end of March, China inaugurated the World Data Organisation in Beijing, a body with a stated mission of “bridging the data divide, unlocking data’s value and powering the digital economy”. The move is the latest signal of a broader trend: over the past several years, Beijing has developed a distinct data governance strategy to drive artificial intelligence (AI) development as it reshapes the terms of technological competition. Since late 2025, Beijing has pursued an aggressive AI adoption... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3351972/world-may-find-itself-very-chinese-time-data-governance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3351972/world-may-find-itself-very-chinese-time-data-governance?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A small boat carrying migrants trying to cross the English Channel ran aground on a beach in northern France, leaving two dead and 16 people injured, including three with serious burns, authorities said on Sunday. The vessel, carrying 82 people, set out overnight from Hardelot beach, a few kilometres south of the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, but the engine failed and it began to drift, Christophe Marx, Secretary General of the Pas-de-Calais prefecture, told reporters. A French maritime gendarmerie... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352277/2-dead-after-boat-runs-aground-france-failed-crossing-uk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352277/2-dead-after-boat-runs-aground-france-failed-crossing-uk?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 11:28:58 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla who were brought to Israel for interrogation appeared before an Israeli court on Sunday, according to the rights group defending them. The flotilla of more than 50 vessels had set sail from France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking an Israeli blockade of Gaza and bringing supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory. They were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece early on Thursday, with Israel saying it had... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3352266/gaza-flotilla-activists-detained-israel-face-extreme-brutality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3352266/gaza-flotilla-activists-detained-israel-face-extreme-brutality?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 08:34:08 +0000