https://www.scmp.com/rss/519134/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Azerbaijan on Monday sentenced a Frenchman to 10 years in prison in an espionage case launched during a period of diplomatic tensions between Paris and Baku that have now eased. Martin Ryan was arrested in December 2023 and went on trial in January last year, when relations between Azerbaijan and France had deteriorated to new lows over Paris’ support for Armenia, Baku’s long-time rival. The court found him guilty of spying against Azerbaijan and sentenced him to 10 years. Prosecutors had sought... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346788/frenchman-jailed-10-years-azerbaijan-im-not-spy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346788/frenchman-jailed-10-years-azerbaijan-im-not-spy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 12:54:18 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Hong Kong’s public airmail services to 24 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia have been affected after a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran forced flight cancellations to two Gulf states and disrupted transit journeys. A Hongkong Post spokesman said on Sunday evening that the department’s airmail services to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were suspended with immediate effect until further notice. “Airmail services transiting through these locations will also be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3345053/hongkong-posts-airmail-services-24-countries-affected-strikes-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3345053/hongkong-posts-airmail-services-24-countries-affected-strikes-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 15:45:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump on Thursday inaugurated his “Board of Peace” to lead efforts at maintaining a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas, insisting that “everyone wants to be a part” of the body that could eventually rival the United Nations – despite many US allies opting not to participate. In a speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump sought to create momentum for a project to map out a future for the war-torn Gaza Strip that has been overshadowed this week, first by his threats to seize... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340873/world-trump-launches-his-board-peace-some-see-rivalling-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340873/world-trump-launches-his-board-peace-some-see-rivalling-un?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:43:33 +0000 Hao Nan Hao Nan As Washington, Kyiv, Moscow and European capitals negotiate an agreement for a Ukraine-Russia ceasefire, debate has snapped back to familiar questions: how much land Ukraine should surrender, what security guarantees can be offered and when sanctions might be lifted. Lost in this argument is a quieter reality. After more than three years of war, the sanctions regime has created a profitable shadow economy from the South Caucasus to the Gulf – one that now has a vested interest in keeping the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3337340/how-wests-sanctions-against-russia-are-fuelling-protracted-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3337340/how-wests-sanctions-against-russia-are-fuelling-protracted-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Jiang Chuqin Jiang Chuqin Hong Kong customs has seized 120,000 suspected counterfeit items in a month-long operation that targeted cross-border transshipments during a major online shopping festival in mainland China, confiscating goods including fake Gucci handbags, Hermes shoes and latest iPhone models. The Customs and Excise Department revealed on Friday that it conducted a special enforcement operation between October 20 and November 14, during which it solved 29 cases and seized counterfeit goods worth an estimated... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3333719/hong-kong-seizes-fake-gucci-hermes-other-goods-worth-hk65-million-during-major-sale?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3333719/hong-kong-seizes-fake-gucci-hermes-other-goods-worth-hk65-million-during-major-sale?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 10:45:34 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Air passengers departing Singapore will pay a green fuel levy of as much as S$41.60 (US$31.95) from next year as the city state locks in a major step in its effort to cut the aviation industry’s emissions. Travellers flying in economy and premium economy, as well as those on short-haul routes, will be charged far less. Those customers will pay an additional S$1 for trips to Southeast Asia and S$10.40 for flights to the Americas, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said on Monday. Business... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3332277/air-travellers-departing-singapore-pay-us32-green-fuel-levy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3332277/air-travellers-departing-singapore-pay-us32-green-fuel-levy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 03:28:03 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bells rang out on Sunday over St Peter’s Square as Pope Leo XIV created seven new saints, including the first from Papua New Guinea, an archbishop killed in the Armenian genocide and a Venezuelan “doctor of the poor”. Also canonised during the solemn ceremony, under sunny skies in the vast plaza on World Mission Day, were three nuns who dedicated their lives to the poor and sick, and former satanic priest Bartolo Longo. The Italian lawyer born in 1841 subsequently rejoined the Catholic faith and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3329590/nuns-teen-influencer-and-ex-satanic-priest-among-seven-new-saints?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3329590/nuns-teen-influencer-and-ex-satanic-priest-among-seven-new-saints?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 13:54:58 +0000 Victoria Burrows Victoria Burrows As I look out the aeroplane window on our descent into Yerevan, Armenia’s ancient capital, and see the snowy cone of Mount Ararat rising up out of ripples of cocoa- and rust-coloured earth, the ghosts of the past take shape, the mountain a solid reminder of a genocide Turkey still contests doesn’t qualify for the term: the killing of what many believe to be at least 1 million ethnic Armenians living within the Ottoman Empire in 1915-16. The Biblical resting place of Noah’s Ark after the Great... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3327610/mount-ararats-shadow-armenia-blends-old-rituals-new-ambition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3327610/mount-ararats-shadow-armenia-blends-old-rituals-new-ambition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 10:15:09 +0000 Abishur Prakash Abishur Prakash Earlier this month, Anthropic, the American artificial intelligence company, entered the US-China fight. It barred companies from using its AI services if they were more than 50 per cent owned by Chinese entities. This was a double punch – China’s access to American technology hit another obstacle, and the global business world was prodded again to reject Chinese investment. Just a few months ago, Anthropic’s move would have knocked the wind out of China. But the recent Shanghai Cooperation... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325174/chinas-moment-rewire-world-arriving-what-will-it-do?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325174/chinas-moment-rewire-world-arriving-what-will-it-do?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 22:30:08 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Two years ago, it was unveiled with much fanfare as a grand riposte to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Today, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor is being steadily eclipsed by regional hostilities and global disinterest. The architects of the US-backed IMEC, envisaged as a bridge linking India to Europe via the Gulf and Israel, have found themselves mired in deepening discord. Instead of capitalising on the corridor’s transformative economic potential, analysts say its stakeholders... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3325366/end-imec-us-backed-answer-chinas-belt-and-road-falters-amid-mideast-strife?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3325366/end-imec-us-backed-answer-chinas-belt-and-road-falters-amid-mideast-strife?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 08:00:19 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi A slew of foreign leaders took China’s signature high-speed railway from the northern port city of Tianjin to Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, having departed from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit to attend a Victory Day parade. Seven state leaders arrived on Monday night: President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Maldives Mohamed... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3324061/foreign-leaders-ride-rapid-rails-chinas-technological-prowess-after-sco-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3324061/foreign-leaders-ride-rapid-rails-chinas-technological-prowess-after-sco-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 09:31:46 +0000 Nikola Mikovic Nikola Mikovic While United States President Donald Trump aims to end – or at least freeze – the Ukraine conflict and portray himself as a peacemaker, China seems to be quietly expanding its influence in Eurasia – a region that Halford Mackinder, “the father of geopolitics”, viewed as the key to global power. The coming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, scheduled to start on August 31 in Tianjin, is expected to provide another opportunity for Beijing to strengthen its political, economic and military... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3323022/beijing-expands-its-influence-eurasia-trump-triggers-geopolitical-shifts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3323022/beijing-expands-its-influence-eurasia-trump-triggers-geopolitical-shifts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 22:30:07 +0000 Edith Mao Edith Mao US President Donald Trump’s methods for mediating international conflicts may backfire and lead to more confrontation, experts in China have warned. Trump’s mediation tactics revealed a power politics approach and constituted ill-advised interference in the long term, Zhang Luwei, a research associate at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said in an article published on the institute’s social media account last week. She said Trump was known for taking a high profile... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322166/trump-being-put-forward-nobel-peace-prize-so-he-must-be-top-mediator-right?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322166/trump-being-put-forward-nobel-peace-prize-so-he-must-be-top-mediator-right?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 14:00:08 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain The shortest Silk Route between China and Europe is set to reopen for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, following last Friday’s agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan to end the conflict that had been blocking the way. Ironically, the obstacle was cleared by China’s nemesis, United States President Donald Trump: his administration’s involvement was key to pushing the framework peace deal across the finishing line. Shoehorned last minute into negotiations by Azerbaijan’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321800/revived-silk-route-allows-us-steam-ahead-china-russia-south-caucasus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321800/revived-silk-route-allows-us-steam-ahead-china-russia-south-caucasus?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 04:12:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The streets were almost deserted in Yerevan on Saturday because of the summer heat, but at shaded parks and fountains, Armenians struggled to make sense of what the accord signed a day earlier in Washington means for them. The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, two countries in the Caucasus involved in a territorial conflict since the fall of the Soviet Union, met on Friday and signed a peace treaty under the watch of US President Donald Trump. In Yerevan, however, few people were... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3321348/armenians-call-trump-brokered-azerbaijan-peace-deal-surrender-document?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3321348/armenians-call-trump-brokered-azerbaijan-peace-deal-surrender-document?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Aug 2025 04:52:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Armenia and Azerbaijan had committed to a lasting peace after decades of conflict, as he hosted the leaders of the South Caucasus rivals at a signing event in the White House. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s long-time President Ilham Aliyev were in Washington for what Trump had touted as a “historic peace summit”. “Armenia and Azerbaijan are committing to stop all fighting forever, open up commerce, travel and diplomatic... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3321288/armenia-and-azerbaijan-sign-trump-route-peace-deal-white-house?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3321288/armenia-and-azerbaijan-sign-trump-route-peace-deal-white-house?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Aug 2025 21:42:57 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump announced he will host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Friday for what he called a “Historic Peace Summit” aimed at ending a decades-long conflict between two former Soviet republics. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan “will join me at the White House for an official Peace Signing Ceremony”, Trump posted Thursday on social media. Baku and Yerevan, sworn enemies for decades, went to war twice over the disputed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3321153/trump-host-armenia-and-azerbaijan-historic-peace-signing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3321153/trump-host-armenia-and-azerbaijan-historic-peace-signing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Aug 2025 00:00:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters Russian national flag carrier Aeroflot was forced to cancel dozens of flights on Monday after a crippling cyberattack claimed by a shadowy pro-Ukrainian hacking group, which one lawmaker called a wake-up call for Moscow. The Kremlin said the situation was worrying and prosecutors confirmed the disruption was the result of a hack and opened a criminal investigation. Senior lawmaker Anton Gorelkin said Russia was under digital attack. “We must not forget that the war against our country is being... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3319882/russias-aeroflot-cancels-flights-after-massive-cyberattack-claimed-pro-ukrainian-hackers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3319882/russias-aeroflot-cancels-flights-after-massive-cyberattack-claimed-pro-ukrainian-hackers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 12:45:08 +0000 Albert Bakhtizin Albert Bakhtizin In recent years, the world has entered an acute phase of geopolitical confrontation, driven by structural problems such as trade imbalances. Historically, such crises have often been addressed through military conflicts aimed at weakening rivals and redirecting financial and trade flows. This logic is examined in The Price of War, a study of conflicts spanning over 150 years. Since most major powers today possess weapons of mass destruction for deterrence, confrontation has largely taken on a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3317625/why-global-balance-power-shifting-chinas-favour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3317625/why-global-balance-power-shifting-chinas-favour?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Once bound by history to Iran and Russia, Azerbaijan has been actively reconfiguring relationships with its neighbours in a bid to stake a claim as a major player in Eurasia – even at the cost of ratcheting up diplomatic friction with its former colonial rulers. Emboldened by the decisive seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia in 2023, Baku has drawn on a web of diverse strategic partnerships to assert its autonomy. No longer content to be a subordinate neighbour, Azerbaijan is pushing back... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317921/how-azerbaijan-defies-russia-and-iran-eurasias-new-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317921/how-azerbaijan-defies-russia-and-iran-eurasias-new-order?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jul 2025 09:00:07 +0000 SCMP SCMP Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Has Apple been trapped by China? Not so fast, analysts say A new book contending that Apple went too far in consolidating its operations in China is prompting debate among analysts of the country – some of whom say the company may have had no realistic alternatives. 2. Armenia looks to deepen ties with China for foreign policy beyond Russia The Armenian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3316856/chinas-first-home-grown-carrier-trumps-shipbuilding-plans-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3316856/chinas-first-home-grown-carrier-trumps-shipbuilding-plans-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:15:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Armenia is looking to deepen ties with China with no limits, its foreign minister said, as the South Caucasus republic intensifies efforts to diversify its foreign policy away from Russia following the Nagorno-Karabakh war five years ago. “Not only is there no impediment and any obstacle on the way of deepening our relations, but also there is openness and readiness to deepen these relations without any limitations,” Armenia’s top diplomat Ararat Mirzoyan told the South China Morning Post in an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3316682/armenia-looks-deepen-ties-china-while-eyeing-foreign-relations-beyond-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3316682/armenia-looks-deepen-ties-china-while-eyeing-foreign-relations-beyond-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 03:11:43 +0000 Thomas O. Falk Thomas O. Falk The recent war between Iran and Israel has laid bare a truth long obscured by Kremlin bluster: Russia is no longer a superpower. Moscow’s muted response to Tehran’s plight is not an anomaly but the latest – and perhaps most telling – chapter in a pattern of strategic neglect that stretches from the Middle East to the Levant and South Caucasus. Driven by President Vladimir Putin’s neo-imperialist fantasies, Russia plunged into Ukraine to find itself in a quagmire that has bled its military,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3316114/attacks-iran-show-russia-can-now-do-very-little-its-allies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3316114/attacks-iran-show-russia-can-now-do-very-little-its-allies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 02:30:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Governments around the world are evacuating thousands of their nationals caught up in the rapidly spiralling Israel-Iran conflict, organising buses and planes and in some cases assisting people crossing borders on foot. Foreigners have rushed to leave both countries after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign last Friday targeting Iran’s nuclear and military facilities, sparking retaliation from Tehran. The evacuations gained new urgency as US President Donald Trump announced on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3315152/air-land-and-sea-nations-race-evacuate-citizens-israel-and-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3315152/air-land-and-sea-nations-race-evacuate-citizens-israel-and-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jun 2025 03:34:07 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for de-escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict to avoid further tensions, while emphasising that Beijing is prepared to “play a constructive role” in restoring peace, according to state news agency Xinhua. “All parties should work to de-escalate the conflict as soon as possible and avoid further escalation of tensions,” Xinhua reported Xi as saying on Tuesday. “China stands ready to work with all parties to play a constructive role in restoring peace and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3314808/chinas-xi-calls-israel-iran-de-escalate-says-beijing-ready-play-peacemaker?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3314808/chinas-xi-calls-israel-iran-de-escalate-says-beijing-ready-play-peacemaker?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jun 2025 12:06:03 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India is reportedly accelerating arms sales to Armenia in what analysts view as part of a broader effort to counter the growing strategic alignment between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistan – a trilateral partnership that has challenged New Delhi’s regional interests and openly backed Islamabad in the wake of their recent cross-border flare-up. Defence ties between Delhi and Armenia’s government in Yerevan have grown steadily since 2020, fuelled by shared strategic interests and the West Asian... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311090/why-india-boosting-arms-sales-armenia-amid-pakistan-turkey-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311090/why-india-boosting-arms-sales-armenia-amid-pakistan-turkey-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 May 2025 03:00:13 +0000 Masses of basalt columns rise vertically from the valley floor for 100 metres and more, as if glued together like gigantic organ pipes. The geological phenomenon in the Garni Gorge is called the “Symphony of Stones”, natural works of art in the country of Armenia, which markets itself as a land of “hidden wonders”. It attracts visitors with mountains, monasteries, ruins and vineyards, but it is not overrun by tourist crowds. Yerevan is the gateway to Armenia. The capital city is a balancing act... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3304840/oldest-christian-country-armenia-offers-monasteries-mountains-and-mouth-watering-food?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3304840/oldest-christian-country-armenia-offers-monasteries-mountains-and-mouth-watering-food?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Apr 2025 08:15:08 +0000 It has recently been revealed that Donald Trump’s FBI boss nominee Kash Patel has a much younger girlfriend. The Daily Mail reports that Patel, 44, who has never married, is dating 26-year-old country-music star Alexis Wilkins, who was present at his senate confirmation hearing in January. What’s more, Patel and Wilkins appear to be a serious item. Here’s what we know about Kash Patel’s girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins. Alexis Wilkins has an international background Wilkins’ father served in the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3297563/meet-kash-patels-girlfriend-alexis-wilkins-26-country-singer-and-capitol-hill-press-secretary-has?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3297563/meet-kash-patels-girlfriend-alexis-wilkins-26-country-singer-and-capitol-hill-press-secretary-has?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Feb 2025 22:00:09 +0000 Cao Li Cao Li Most entrepreneurs in the Asia-Pacific region see huge potential in artificial intelligence (AI) and said they would be willing to invest in it, according to a report published by UBS on Thursday. Around 66 per cent of entrepreneurs in the region believe AI offers the best opportunity to drive business growth, compared with 59 per cent in the Americas and Europe. In Switzerland, which is listed as one of the four regions in the survey, the figure was 70 per cent. The Swiss bank surveyed 156... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3297663/most-asia-pacific-entrepreneurs-see-ai-driving-growth-ubs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3297663/most-asia-pacific-entrepreneurs-see-ai-driving-growth-ubs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:06:43 +0000 Cop29, the UN climate change conference, convenes in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, from November 11-22. Compared to Cop28 host, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), less is known about Azerbaijan – but that is about to change. The South Caucasus country bridging Eastern Europe and Western Asia is poised to be a middle power in a multipolar world. Cop29 will focus on the funds needed to limit global warming to the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. The contentious... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3284353/cop29-azerbaijans-moment-step-global-sunshine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3284353/cop29-azerbaijans-moment-step-global-sunshine?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Nov 2024 21:30:08 +0000 Amid the continued war with Russia, more than 120 athletes from Ukraine will compete in the Paris Games in what will be the country’s eighth consecutive appearance since declaring independence in 1991. While those watching at home do so with the conflict still raging, the nation’s Olympic representatives hope to provide a welcome distraction and hopefully a reason to celebrate. Here are five members of the delegation who could make make an impact on the medal table in the French capital. Zhan... https://www.scmp.com/sport/paris-olympics-2024/aquatics/article/3271012/paris-olympics-ukrainians-hoping-provide-welcome-distraction-during-russia-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/paris-olympics-2024/aquatics/article/3271012/paris-olympics-ukrainians-hoping-provide-welcome-distraction-during-russia-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Jul 2024 02:00:10 +0000 Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian has just revealed that he’s been diagnosed with Lyme disease, despite having no symptoms, ABC News reports. According to the CDC, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is contracted by people through the bite of blacklegged ticks. Symptoms can include fatigue, headaches and skin rashes but if left untreated, it can spread to the joints, the heart and the nervous system. Doing a full battery of health scans, tests, etc, and found out I have lyme... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3271105/meet-serena-williams-husband-alexis-ohanian-co-founder-reddit-he-just-announced-hes-being-treated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3271105/meet-serena-williams-husband-alexis-ohanian-co-founder-reddit-he-just-announced-hes-being-treated?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jul 2024 10:00:22 +0000 Few visitors to Buenos Aires leave without seeing a choreographed tango show, the male performers in sharp suits, the women in slit skirts, stocking tops and towering heels. Street dancers offer to entwine themselves with passers-by, their considerable décolletage pressed close for a moment’s photo opportunity. Couples spin and tilt on handkerchief-sized stages between restaurant tables to draw in customers. But this is a different world to that of the Argentinian capital’s milongas: social... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3270742/why-more-asian-women-are-flocking-buenos-aires-milongas-argentine-tango-beyond-tourist-traps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3270742/why-more-asian-women-are-flocking-buenos-aires-milongas-argentine-tango-beyond-tourist-traps?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jul 2024 11:00:08 +0000 Organisers of the George Town Festival in Penang have apologised after facing backlash over a lack of Malay representation in their promotional video that critics called an “ethnic removal” of nearly half the state’s population. Renowned locally and internationally for its street food and unique blend of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures, along with the hybrid Peranakan culture, Malaysia’s Penang state has long grappled with issues of representation and identity, which are often intertwined... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3270897/malaysias-racial-rift-penang-art-festival-sparks-outcry-over-low-malay-representation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3270897/malaysias-racial-rift-penang-art-festival-sparks-outcry-over-low-malay-representation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jul 2024 05:00:12 +0000 Japan and the United States are on the verge of signing an agreement on the joint development of high-power microwave weapons designed to protect military personnel and equipment from attacks by drones. The deal comes as little surprise given the spectacular successes of unmanned vehicles deployed in conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war, analysts say, with Tokyo particularly keen to develop countermeasures against swarms of drones that are expected to accompany any contingency involving... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3270832/japan-us-near-deal-jointly-develop-high-power-microwave-weapons-prevent-drone-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3270832/japan-us-near-deal-jointly-develop-high-power-microwave-weapons-prevent-drone-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:15 +0000 Mel C and her new boyfriend Chris Dingwall are hard launching their relationship, after going public together at Glastonbury in late June, UK media reports. At the time, he was named a “mystery man” by various outlets since his identity wasn’t yet known. Then just days after debuting their romance to the world, the couple was spotted once again – this time cosying up at Wimbledon last Wednesday. Apparently, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other! Here’s what we know about Sporty Spice’s... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3270450/who-mel-cs-new-australian-model-boyfriend-chris-dingwall-sporty-spice-was-seen-getting-cosy-sydney?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3270450/who-mel-cs-new-australian-model-boyfriend-chris-dingwall-sporty-spice-was-seen-getting-cosy-sydney?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jul 2024 21:00:09 +0000 President Vladimir Putin is on a diplomatic roll at home and abroad, defying efforts by the US and its allies to cast him as an international pariah over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In just two months since he began his fifth presidential term in May, Putin has held more than 20 meetings with leaders from Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Putin has also made six foreign visits, even as his scope for travel has been limited since the International Criminal Court last year... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3269942/russias-putin-considered-international-pariah-sure-meeting-lot-world-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3269942/russias-putin-considered-international-pariah-sure-meeting-lot-world-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jul 2024 09:47:12 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft The artist who inspired a Hong Kong inflatable installation of her works has walked back criticisms about the event’s organisers, days after she called for the “very ugly” pieces be taken down. In a statement issued on Monday and shared by “Inflatable Wonders” organiser Central Venue Management (CVM), Armenian artist Joann said she had granted permission for the creation of the installation and that she had not been involved in “any aspect” of its execution. “The organisers were inspired by my... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3269663/creator-who-inspired-hong-kong-art-installation-walks-back-criticism-show-organisers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3269663/creator-who-inspired-hong-kong-art-installation-walks-back-criticism-show-organisers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jul 2024 15:55:12 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Scorching summer heat may be keeping people away from a Hong Kong art exhibition that has attracted online mockery, some visitors to the show have said, with many unaware of a row between the organisers and the artist who inspired the pieces. A Post reporter counted only a handful of families at the “Inflatable Wonders” at the Central harbourfront at about 3pm on Sunday. But some who spoke to the Post said they were unaware of the controversy and were generally pleased with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3269506/hong-kong-heat-weighs-art-show-most-visitors-shrug-mockery-ugly-pieces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3269506/hong-kong-heat-weighs-art-show-most-visitors-shrug-mockery-ugly-pieces?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jul 2024 10:07:26 +0000 The team behind a Hong Kong art installation mocked by some online users has said it will press ahead with the exhibition despite the artist who inspired the inflatable works saying she wanted the “very ugly” pieces to be removed. Armenian artist Joann, who uses the handle @joooo.an on social media, on Saturday said the “Inflatable Wonders” exhibition was “very ugly”, “not well proportionated” and looked “like an inflatable graveyard”. “They also did not send me anything for approval, before the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3269465/hong-kong-art-installation-organiser-and-creator-clash-over-very-ugly-pieces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3269465/hong-kong-art-installation-organiser-and-creator-clash-over-very-ugly-pieces?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jul 2024 15:38:44 +0000 The team behind a Hong Kong art installation of inflatables that was mocked online for one of the exhibit’s resemblance to gravestones has defended its decisions on how to display the works. The “Inflatable Wonders” exhibition, part of “SummerFest@Central”, was conceived to showcase five large-scale inflatable replicas of world-famous landmarks originally created using artificial intelligence by Armenian artist Joann, who goes by the handle @joooo.an on social media. But some internet users have... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3269197/inflatable-replicas-world-landmarks-defended-hong-kong-art-show-team-after-online-mockery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3269197/inflatable-replicas-world-landmarks-defended-hong-kong-art-show-team-after-online-mockery?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jul 2024 11:32:25 +0000 China has displayed Nato-standard artillery at a leading defence exhibition in France in an attempt to boost its land-based weapons exports, but it faces fierce sales competition from its Western counterparts and geopolitical headwinds, analysts said. Last week, 61 Chinese defence contractors took part in Eurosatory, one of the largest defence exhibitions in Europe, a significant increase from the previous show in 2022 when fewer than 10 companies from China were present at the Paris event. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3267813/chinese-arms-firm-shows-nato-standard-artillery-aim-boosting-weapon-exports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3267813/chinese-arms-firm-shows-nato-standard-artillery-aim-boosting-weapon-exports?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jun 2024 08:01:27 +0000 So, “coolcations” (for want of a less awful word) are a trend. Again. It is hardly surprising that holidaymakers are having second thoughts about beach breaks and crowded city tours as the mercury soars around the globe and the effects of climate breakdown become ever more acute. Extreme early summer heat and record temperatures are being endured across the northern hemisphere this month, following what was the warmest May on record globally, with an average surface air temperature 0.65 degrees... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3267256/cooler-holidays-trending-climate-changes-searing-effects-felt-europe-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3267256/cooler-holidays-trending-climate-changes-searing-effects-felt-europe-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jun 2024 23:45:08 +0000 Russian officer Farkhad Ziganshin had prepared himself for a life of military service since a young age. He could never have imagined that one day he would become a deserter and flee the country. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed everything. “I don’t support what’s happening in Ukraine, I don’t support the government we’ve had for so many years,” Ziganshin, 24, said in Kazakhstan, where he fled in September 2022 after Vladimir Putin ordered Russia’s first military mobilisation since World War... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3267198/ukraine-war-russian-army-deserters-live-fear-they-are-hunted-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3267198/ukraine-war-russian-army-deserters-live-fear-they-are-hunted-home?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jun 2024 07:03:55 +0000 Azerbaijan is the largest of the three former Soviet Socialist Republics sandwiched between the great Caucasus Mountains and, to the south, Iran and Turkey, and hemmed in by the Black and Caspian seas. The commercial exploitation of its vast oil reserves, which began in 1871, has helped the country develop faster than its neighbours, Armenia and Georgia. The largest city – and the national capital since 1920 – Baku stands along the long crescent of the Absheron Peninsula and is known as “the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3266426/baku-oil-rich-azerbaijans-congested-capital-where-asian-and-european-cultures-collide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3266426/baku-oil-rich-azerbaijans-congested-capital-where-asian-and-european-cultures-collide?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jun 2024 10:15:10 +0000 Armenia will leave a Russia-led security bloc, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed for the first time, accusing members of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation of having planned a war against his country with Azerbaijan. Pashinyan, who has tried to cultivate closer ties with the United States and European Union, said in March that Armenia, traditionally a close Russian ally, would leave the CSTO unless the security bloc detailed its commitment to uphold his country’s security in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3266407/armenia-leave-russia-led-security-alliance-pm-says-rift-moscow-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3266407/armenia-leave-russia-led-security-alliance-pm-says-rift-moscow-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jun 2024 03:35:22 +0000 Ukrainian Katerina Silvanova and her Russian co-author Elena Malisova never expected their book about two teens falling in love would be such a hit – and a reason to flee their countries. A coming-of-age story about the love that grows between two boys at a Soviet pioneer camp, the book, with its two engaging star characters Yura and Volodya, is popular in Russia. But following its publication, author Silvanova was forced to flee to her Ukrainian hometown of Kharkiv, despite it being under... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3262511/banned-russia-beloved-tiktok-gay-love-story-soviet-times?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3262511/banned-russia-beloved-tiktok-gay-love-story-soviet-times?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 May 2024 10:03:05 +0000 I got a kick out of reading this headline and news summary the other day from The New York Times. “Campus Protests Give Russia, China and Iran Fuel to Exploit US Divide: America’s adversaries have mounted online campaigns to amplify the social and political conflicts over Gaza flaring at universities, researchers say.” Hmm, I think the US mainstream news media including the self-styled “greatest newspaper in the world” have been doing so much dividing that America hardly needs more help from its... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3262073/subversive-us-influence-over-unrest-georgia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3262073/subversive-us-influence-over-unrest-georgia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 May 2024 13:15:12 +0000 Armenia and Azerbaijan announced on Tuesday they had started fixing their border, as part of normalisation efforts between the arch foes that had been locked in a decades-long territorial conflict. Last month, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed to Baku’s demand to return four frontier villages that were part of Azerbaijan when it was part of the Soviet Union. The two countries reconfirmed last week to advance on border delimitation in the area based on Soviet-era maps – a decision... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3260076/armenia-azerbaijan-begin-marking-border-foes-normalise-ties-after-nagorno-karabakh-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3260076/armenia-azerbaijan-begin-marking-border-foes-normalise-ties-after-nagorno-karabakh-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Apr 2024 10:58:03 +0000 He nicknamed her “Bubbles” – in reference to her cleavage – and sang her a song from The Greatest Showman when they became engaged. But the love story between US senator Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine – and many more details about them – would soon become public after an indictment that saw them accused of being foreign agents for Egypt. The conspiracy case, it emerged, also involved gold bars in the couple’s home, as well as US$500,000 in the senator’s jacket pockets. It might sound like a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3258457/american-hustle-irl-meet-nadine-menendez-wife-us-senator-bob-menendez-how-did-couple-become-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3258457/american-hustle-irl-meet-nadine-menendez-wife-us-senator-bob-menendez-how-did-couple-become-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Apr 2024 23:00:30 +0000