https://www.scmp.com/rss/519162/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Ambrose Li Ambrose Li Diamond-studded necklaces, golden pectorals and ceremonial small swords are among about 200 jewellery and decorative pieces, covering 4,000 years of history across five continents, to be showcased in Hong Kong from Wednesday. Titled “Treasures of Global Jewellery from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Body Transformed”, the show at the Hong Kong Palace Museum marks the US institute’s first major travelling showcase of its jewellery collection. About 200 exhibits have been selected from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350059/met-museums-global-jewellery-exhibition-make-dazzling-hong-kong-debut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350059/met-museums-global-jewellery-exhibition-make-dazzling-hong-kong-debut?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:18:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Peru’s Keiko Fujimori looked set to face a run-off against a conservative rival after a troubled first-round presidential election on Sunday marred by logistics foul-ups, police raids and allegations of fraud. First counts and exit polls showed the 50-year-old daughter of disgraced former president Alberto Fujimori ahead in the 35-candidate race, but she was well short of the 50 per cent needed to win outright. Her nearest rival was far-right Rafael “Porky” Lopez Aliaga – who has vowed to “hunt”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349823/peru-extends-voting-president-and-congress-amid-delays-polling-sites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349823/peru-extends-voting-president-and-congress-amid-delays-polling-sites?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 21:56:40 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Peruvians will choose from a bewildering array of 35 presidential candidates this Sunday, electing the next leader of an Andean nation beset by crime and a string of short-lived, scandal-tainted presidencies. “Now any old person runs for office,” said 51-year-old teacher Jane Layza, pondering the plethora of presidential hopefuls, and how she will cast her ballot. A few in the field are well known – a popular male comic, the daughter of a brutal autocrat, and a former Lima mayor who likens... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349325/peru-set-choose-bewildering-array-35-presidential-hopefuls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349325/peru-set-choose-bewildering-array-35-presidential-hopefuls?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 04:12:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The United States has formally reopened its embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, after the restoration of full diplomatic relations with the South American country following the Trump administration’s removal of then-president Nicolas Maduro in early January. The State Department announced on Monday that it had resumed normal operations at the embassy in Caracas – which had been in need of significant repair, including remediation from mould – after a seven-year closure that began during US President... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3348456/us-reopens-embassy-venezuela-months-after-military-operation-remove-maduro?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3348456/us-reopens-embassy-venezuela-months-after-military-operation-remove-maduro?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:45:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters A Colombian military plane crashed in a take-off disaster on Monday, killing 66 people as rescuers shuttled dozens of survivors to nearby hospitals and searched for four who were still missing, according to a top official. The Lockheed Martin-built Hercules C-130 transport plane was carrying 128 people, including 11 Air Force members, 115 army personnel and two national police officers, according to ‌Hugo Alejandro Lopez, head of the nation’s armed forces. The death toll was nearly double that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3347639/dozens-soldiers-feared-dead-after-colombian-military-plane-crashes-take?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3347639/dozens-soldiers-feared-dead-after-colombian-military-plane-crashes-take?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 18:58:24 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words In 53 BC, General Surena of the Parthian empire handed Rome one of its most humiliating defeats in the Battle of Carrhae. Surena used horse archers to rain showers of arrows from a distance on the Romans, supported by a sophisticated camel-train logistics system that allowed for a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3345545/us-attacks-iran-ancient-battle-carrhae-offers-lessons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3345545/us-attacks-iran-ancient-battle-carrhae-offers-lessons?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 03:30:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Tuesday he had escaped an assassination attempt hours earlier, after months of warnings about an alleged plot by drug traffickers to target him. On Monday night, Petro’s helicopter was unable to land at his destination on the Caribbean coast because of fears that unspecified people “were going to shoot” at it, he said. “We headed out to open sea for four hours and I arrived somewhere we weren’t supposed to go, escaping from being killed,” Petro said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3343152/colombias-president-says-he-escaped-assassination-attempt-while-helicopter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3343152/colombias-president-says-he-escaped-assassination-attempt-while-helicopter?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 05:13:35 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian Luckin Coffee, mainland China’s largest coffee chain by store count, marked its milestone 30,000th outlet on Sunday in Shenzhen, with plans to boost global supply chain integration by sourcing premium beans from top producing regions worldwide. Headquartered in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian province, Luckin’s store network spans more than 300 cities nationwide, and its international footprint is expanding fast, with operations in overseas markets like Singapore, Malaysia and the US. It... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3342941/luckins-30000th-store-milestone-adds-buzz-chinas-brewing-coffee-battle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3342941/luckins-30000th-store-milestone-adds-buzz-chinas-brewing-coffee-battle?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:04:28 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Colombian President Gustavo Petro and US President Donald Trump appeared to bury the hatchet on Tuesday, after a year of sparring that culminated in threats by Trump to topple the left-wing leader like in Venezuela. “My impression of the meeting a few hours ago is first and foremost that it was positive,” Petro told reporters after meeting Trump at the White House behind closed doors. Trump said he “got along very well” with the leader whom he recently accused of pumping cocaine into the United... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3342295/trump-makes-colombias-petro-fireworks-free-meeting-hes-been-very-nice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3342295/trump-makes-colombias-petro-fireworks-free-meeting-hes-been-very-nice?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 21:40:23 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A small plane crashed on Wednesday in a rural area of Norte de Santander province in northeast Colombia, killing all 15 people on board including a member of congress, authorities said. Satena, the state-owned airline that operated the flight, said local officials in the community of Curasica notified authorities about where the plane had gone down and a rescue team was deployed to “assess the condition of the passengers.” Colombia’s Transportation Ministry later released a statement saying that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3341603/plane-crash-colombia-kills-15-including-politician?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3341603/plane-crash-colombia-kills-15-including-politician?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 23:07:29 +0000 Reuters Reuters Spanish police have broken up a vast cocaine trafficking operation ‌that used speed boats to bring the drug ‍onshore from floating bases in the Atlantic, seizing around 10 tonnes of the drug and arresting 105 suspects. Police said on ⁠Monday that a year-long investigation in cooperation with law enforcement in countries including Cabo Verde, formerly known as Cape Verde, Colombia, France, Portugal and the US showed the group brought an estimated 57 tonnes ‍of cocaine to Europe in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341349/spain-busts-cocaine-trafficking-operation-used-floating-bases-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341349/spain-busts-cocaine-trafficking-operation-used-floating-bases-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:15:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder pleaded not guilty to running a billion-dollar drug trafficking ring and orchestrating multiple killings, as one of the FBI’s top fugitives made his first US court appearance on Monday since he was arrested in Mexico last week and flown to California. US authorities say Ryan Wedding, who competed in a single event for his home country in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, had been hiding in Mexico for more than a decade. He was added to the FBI’s 10... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341317/ex-olympic-snowboarder-pleads-not-guilty-running-billion-dollar-drug-smuggling-ring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341317/ex-olympic-snowboarder-pleads-not-guilty-running-billion-dollar-drug-smuggling-ring?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 23:28:33 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong Gold surged to an all-time high of US$5,100 an ounce on Monday, with analysts forecasting further gains as the precious metal is increasingly viewed as a strategic hedge amid heightened geopolitical risks linked to the current US administration’s foreign policy shifts and a growing push for de-dollarisation. “We see the recent move as justifiable, given the rise in geopolitical risks and [the] macro environment,” said Alexandra Symeonidi, a senior corporate credit and sustainability analyst with... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341217/gold-surge-has-analysts-eyeing-new-highs-after-us5000-record-amid-trump-era-geopolitics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341217/gold-surge-has-analysts-eyeing-new-highs-after-us5000-record-amid-trump-era-geopolitics?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 05:10:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder for Canada who was among the FBI’s top fugitives and faces charges related to multinational drug trafficking and the killing of a federal witness, was arrested on Friday, two people familiar with the matter told Associated Press. Wedding, 44, is accused of running a drug trafficking operation and officials say he orchestrated several killings to further the drug crimes. He was on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list and authorities had offered a US$15 million... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341065/ryan-wedding-arrested-ex-olympian-fugitive-fbis-most-wanted-list-caught-mexico?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341065/ryan-wedding-arrested-ex-olympian-fugitive-fbis-most-wanted-list-caught-mexico?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:00:39 +0000 Bernard Chan Bernard Chan The recent drama surrounding US action in Venezuela, its renewed interest in Greenland and tariff threats on governments that object, along with comments on Cuba, Colombia and Mexico, appear disjointed – part diplomacy, part law enforcement, part political theatre. Like many observers, I rely on the news to try to make sense of the policy logic and what it may mean for those who have to live with its consequences. Washington’s rationale for its actions in Venezuela was initially framed as law... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340704/venezuela-greenland-trump-using-us-power-rewrite-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340704/venezuela-greenland-trump-using-us-power-rewrite-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji US President Donald Trump’s threats of military action against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia are adding a new layer of uncertainty for Asian exporters shipping to the Americas, analysts have said, compounding the strain from higher import tariffs and already fragile supply chains. Trump has issued explicit warnings about possible strikes in both countries following a major US operation in Venezuela earlier this month, as part of an escalated regional strategy to counter drug trafficking... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3340564/why-trumps-mexico-military-plan-blow-asian-exporters-americas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3340564/why-trumps-mexico-military-plan-blow-asian-exporters-americas?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:00:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned airlines on Friday to exercise caution when flying over Mexico, Central America and parts of South America, citing the risks of potential military activities and GPS interference. The FAA said it had issued “Notices to Airmen” covering Mexico and Central American countries, as well as Ecuador, Colombia and portions of airspace within the eastern Pacific Ocean. They say: “Potential risks exist for aircraft at all altitudes, including during... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3340243/us-airlines-warned-potential-risks-when-flying-over-mexico-south-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3340243/us-airlines-warned-potential-risks-when-flying-over-mexico-south-america?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 04:34:51 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words I refer to your report, “Hong Kong’s religious communities unite in prayer to mourn Tai Po fire victims” (December 5), which described a picture of unity in diversity, as Muslims from Hong Kong and diplomats from South Asia gathered at Kowloon Mosque to pay their respects to the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3340121/south-asians-have-unique-place-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3340121/south-asians-have-unique-place-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 03:30:08 +0000 Terry Su Terry Su We had barely entered the new year when Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a brazen raid on the orders of US President Donald Trump. In the early hours of January 3, the couple were taken from their residence in Caracas, Venezuela, and flown to the US in a military operation impeccably executed in the name of countering narcoterrorism. Beijing, for one, was “deeply shocked” by Washington’s “hegemonic behaviour” and strongly condemned it. At a UN... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3339058/how-trumps-raid-caracas-deepens-us-china-strategic-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3339058/how-trumps-raid-caracas-deepens-us-china-strategic-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:30:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a leftist his administration has long belittled, will visit the White House next month as he voiced optimism for ties. Trump just days ago had threatened Petro in the wake of the US attack that removed Venezuela’s leader, but Trump appeared to have a change of heart after the two spoke by telephone on Wednesday. “I look forward to having a meeting with Gustavo Petro, the President of Colombia, in the White House,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339410/trump-says-colombias-petro-visit-us-abrupt-switch-threats-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339410/trump-says-colombias-petro-visit-us-abrupt-switch-threats-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 19:59:47 +0000 Gabriela Bernal Gabriela Bernal The US removal of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro from power has reverberated far beyond Latin America. In Pyongyang, where regime survival is the paramount concern and every US action is scrutinised for hostile intent, the deposing of a sitting head of state sends an unmistakable message: dialogue with Washington is a dangerous gamble, and only nuclear weapons guarantee survival. The Venezuela operation may have killed the prospects for meaningful US-North Korea diplomacy in 2026 before they even... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3338953/maduros-fate-venezuela-hardens-north-koreas-nuclear-resolve?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3338953/maduros-fate-venezuela-hardens-north-koreas-nuclear-resolve?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump abruptly changed his tone on Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, saying they had exchanged a friendly phone call and he had even invited the leader of the South American country to the White House. “It was a Great Honor to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements that we have had,” Trump posted on his social media site. “I appreciated his call and tone, and look... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3339116/trump-invites-colombias-president-white-house-after-threat-military-strike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3339116/trump-invites-colombias-president-white-house-after-threat-military-strike?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 02:45:44 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Washington warns that enemy groups south of the border are terrorising nearby areas and causing trouble. Military actions would be taken to deal with the problem, including sending the US military into the territories of another sovereign country, which is being blamed for failing to control drug cartels. That does sound like Donald Trump, who has been accusing Mexico of failing to contain its drug cartels and threatening to send in US troops to take care of them. The US president repeated his... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3338762/monroe-doctrine-20-portends-end-us-empire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3338762/monroe-doctrine-20-portends-end-us-empire?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong Washington’s abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro last week has been characterised by many – including US President Donald Trump – as an attempt to gain control over the South American nation’s oil industry. But analysts said the crisis was also about Washington’s need to secure access to critical minerals – and that other resource-rich nations should be on guard. In addition to its vast oil reserves, Venezuela has significant deposits of an array of precious metals and other valuable... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338894/behind-venezuela-crisis-us-china-tussle-over-critical-minerals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338894/behind-venezuela-crisis-us-china-tussle-over-critical-minerals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 08:00:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Venezuela is open to negotiating an agreement with the United States to combat drug trafficking, the South American country’s President Nicolas Maduro said in a pretaped interview aired Thursday on state television, but he declined to comment on a CIA-led strike last week at a Venezuelan docking area that the Trump administration believed was used by cartels. Maduro, in an interview with Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet, reiterated that the US wanted to force a government change in Venezuela... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3338465/venezuelas-maduro-open-talks-us-drugs-and-oil-silent-cia-strike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3338465/venezuelas-maduro-open-talks-us-drugs-and-oil-silent-cia-strike?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 04:22:24 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The definition of “luxury travel” is changing. As hotels by big-name interior designers with outposts of renowned restaurants get copy-pasted all around the world, they’re coming off as overly predictable and even cookie-cutter. With demand at the top end of the luxury travel market higher than ever, hotels have to work harder to stand out. That means the most anticipated hotels for 2026 have one of two things in common: a true independent spirit or an ability to raise the bar in unquestionable... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/travel-hotels/article/3338293/four-seasons-aman-11-most-exciting-luxury-hotel-openings-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/travel-hotels/article/3338293/four-seasons-aman-11-most-exciting-luxury-hotel-openings-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 06:00:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two people familiar with details of the operation who requested anonymity to discuss the classified matter. The first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the US began strikes in September marked a significant escalation in the administration’s months-long pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government. The strike has not been... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3338268/cia-behind-drone-strike-drug-boat-loading-facility-venezuela-sources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3338268/cia-behind-drone-strike-drug-boat-loading-facility-venezuela-sources?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 06:28:11 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang Hong Kong has signed a comprehensive avoidance of double taxation agreement (CDTA) with Norway, marking its fourth such pact this year as the city steps up efforts to strengthen its appeal as an international business and investment hub. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu signed the agreement with the Government of the Kingdom of Norway in Beijing on Tuesday. Hui had visited Norway to discuss the matter in June. Under the agreement, Hong Kong residents who... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3336653/hong-kong-signs-tax-treaty-norway-marking-fourth-such-agreement-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3336653/hong-kong-signs-tax-treaty-norway-marking-fourth-such-agreement-year?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 10:47:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Honduran President Xiomara Castro on Tuesday denounced what she called an “electoral coup” unfolding amid a chaotic vote count from the November 30 presidential election, as hundreds of protesters gathered in the streets of the capital Tegucigalpa to demand clarity over the situation. The election has been marked by technical failures, unsubstantiated fraud claims and a shadow cast by US President Donald Trump, who has threatened to withdraw funding for the Central American nation if his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3335835/honduras-turmoil-grows-president-alleges-electoral-coup-amid-chaotic-vote-count?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3335835/honduras-turmoil-grows-president-alleges-electoral-coup-amid-chaotic-vote-count?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 03:03:20 +0000 Igor Patrick,Robert Delaney Igor Patrick,Robert Delaney Lawmakers from both parties are warning that Chinese criminal groups have helped build what officials call a “Silk Road of crime”, a global network that launders Latin American cartel profits and supplies the chemicals used to make fentanyl bound for the United States. At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, members of the Caucus on International Narcotics Control said Chinese money brokers and Latin American cartels have merged their operations into a system that blurs the line between trade and... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335821/us-senators-warn-china-cartel-links-forming-global-silk-road-crime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335821/us-senators-warn-china-cartel-links-forming-global-silk-road-crime?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 23:21:36 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said any country trafficking illegal drugs into the United States could be attacked. “Anybody that’s doing that and selling it into our country is subject to attack,” Trump told reporters during a cabinet meeting at the White House, after raising the issue of cocaine from Colombia. Colombian President Gustavo Petro shot back at Trump in a social media post, arguing the South American nation destroys a drug-producing laboratory every 40 minutes – “without... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334971/trump-says-any-country-trafficking-drugs-us-could-be-attacked?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334971/trump-says-any-country-trafficking-drugs-us-could-be-attacked?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 22:53:57 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety”, but gave no further details as Washington ramps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government. “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump said in a social media post. US officials contacted were surprised by Trump’s announcement and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334635/venezuela-airspace-considered-closed-its-entirety-says-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334635/venezuela-airspace-considered-closed-its-entirety-says-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 14:23:01 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Chinese President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed Beijing’s steadfast support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, sending a congratulatory letter on the eve of the embattled leader’s birthday that pledged continued backing for the South American country’s sovereignty amid mounting regional tensions and US military pressure. In the message, released by Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry over the weekend, Xi described China and Venezuela as “intimate friends, dear brothers and good partners”. He vowed to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334007/xi-jinping-pledges-support-nicolas-maduro-and-criticises-us-actions-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334007/xi-jinping-pledges-support-nicolas-maduro-and-criticises-us-actions-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 20:05:26 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Immigration authorities in Colombia have taken 17 children into protective custody after they were rescued from an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect whose members have been accused of sexually abusing and kidnapping minors in several countries. Gloria Esperanza Arriero, the director of Colombia’s national immigration service, said on Monday that her agency questioned nine members of the Lev Tahor sect during a hotel inspection on Sunday. “We will likely deport them,” Arriero said, “because there are no... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334005/colombia-raids-hotel-hosting-ultra-orthodox-jewish-sect-members-rescues-17-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334005/colombia-raids-hotel-hosting-ultra-orthodox-jewish-sect-members-rescues-17-children?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 19:10:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press International airlines increasingly cancelled flights to Venezuela on Sunday after the US Federal Aviation Administration warned pilots to use caution when flying in the country’s airspace because of worsening security and heightened military activity. Marisela de Loaiza, president of the Airlines Association in Venezuela, said six carriers have indefinitely suspended flights: TAP, LATAM, Avianca, Iberia, Gol and Caribbean. Turkish Airlines suspended flights from November 24 to 28. She did not... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333872/airlines-cancel-flights-venezuela-after-us-faa-warns-poor-security-military-activity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333872/airlines-cancel-flights-venezuela-after-us-faa-warns-poor-security-military-activity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 21:05:22 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for a high-level security meeting with the United States, China and regional partners, arguing that recent US military deployments and strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific are escalating tensions in the region. Joining other regional voices condemning the operations, he stressed that Latin America and the Caribbean should be treated with respect and repeated his proposal for talks in Pearl Harbour, noting that he... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3333166/colombia-pushes-talks-include-china-over-us-military-build-near-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3333166/colombia-pushes-talks-include-china-over-us-military-build-near-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 19:06:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Colombia’s human rights ombudswoman said on Saturday that seven children were killed in a controversial air strike against a rebel group in the country’s south earlier this week, as the administration of President Gustavo Petro steps up efforts to regain control of rural areas in Guaviare province. In a statement, ombudswoman Iris Marin said the minors killed in the strike against the Farc-EMC rebel group had been forcibly recruited and were being used as “human shields”. Marin called on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332955/7-children-killed-air-strike-against-colombia-rebel-group-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332955/7-children-killed-air-strike-against-colombia-rebel-group-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 20:57:46 +0000 Ishani Sarkar Ishani Sarkar Everyone’s favourite real estate reality show, Selling Sunset, is back on Netflix. The show’s ninth season premiered on October 29 – and the Oppenheim Group is busier than ever, with multimillion-dollar properties on the line and tensions rising between cast members Chrishell Stause, Nicole Young and more. To shake things up even further, a new agent has joined the team: Sandra Vergara. Sandra Vergara is Sofía Vergara’s cousin who was adopted by the Modern Family actress’ mother. “My family... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3332352/meet-sofia-vergaras-lookalike-cousin-and-adopted-sister-sandra-vergara-who-just-joined-selling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3332352/meet-sofia-vergaras-lookalike-cousin-and-adopted-sister-sandra-vergara-who-just-joined-selling?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 03:03:54 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US forces have killed six more people in strikes on alleged drug-running boats, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday, bringing the campaign’s total number of deaths - which critics describe as illegal executions - to 76. Hegseth, in a post on X, said the United States had carried out the strikes on Sunday in international waters in the eastern Pacific, targeting two boats “carrying narcotics” with three people on board each. “All 6 were killed. No US forces were harmed,” he said. As... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332245/hegseth-confirms-new-us-strikes-kill-6-pacific-drug-boats-prompting-investigation-calls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332245/hegseth-confirms-new-us-strikes-kill-6-pacific-drug-boats-prompting-investigation-calls?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 13:57:10 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Fallout from lethal police raids in Rio de Janeiro and mounting regional fears about US military intervention in Venezuela are threatening to overshadow the major United Nations climate summit set to begin in Brazil. The Cop30 gathering in the northern city of Belem was supposed to provide President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a chance to showcase the environmental challenges facing the Amazon rainforest while spurring an aggressive response to climate change. Instead, the pair of crises sparked... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3331733/rio-raids-venezuela-crisis-threaten-overshadow-brazils-un-climate-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3331733/rio-raids-venezuela-crisis-threaten-overshadow-brazils-un-climate-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 06:00:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump on Friday denied he was considering strikes inside Venezuela, appearing to contradict his own comments from last week and amid intensifying expectations that Washington may soon expand drug-trafficking-related operations. The US has built up a large military presence in the Caribbean in recent months, with fighter aircraft, warships and thousands of troops. That presence will significantly expand in the coming weeks with the arrival of the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3331134/trump-says-not-considering-strikes-within-venezuela-contradicting-earlier-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3331134/trump-says-not-considering-strikes-within-venezuela-contradicting-earlier-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 17:27:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the US military carried out three strikes on Monday in the waters of the Eastern Pacific against boats suspected of carrying drugs, killing 14 and leaving one survivor. The announcement, made on social media on Tuesday, marks a continued escalation in the pace of the strikes, which began in early September spaced weeks apart. This was the first time multiple strikes were announced in a single day. Hegseth said Mexican search and rescue authorities... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3330675/us-strikes-3-narco-terrorist-boats-kill-14-1-day-eastern-pacific-hegseth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3330675/us-strikes-3-narco-terrorist-boats-kill-14-1-day-eastern-pacific-hegseth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 14:55:48 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United States on Friday announced sanctions on Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, who Washington has accused of failing to curb illicit drug trafficking, alongside his wife and eldest son. “President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity,” said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement unveiling the move. “President [Donald] Trump is taking strong action to protect our nation and make clear that we will not tolerate the trafficking of drugs... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330286/us-sanctions-colombia-president-over-drugs-amid-escalating-row-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330286/us-sanctions-colombia-president-over-drugs-amid-escalating-row-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 21:37:15 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump has said that “the land is going to be next” in his campaign to halt the flow of drugs into the US from Venezuela, the clearest indication yet that he was preparing to broaden strikes that have so far been limited to targets at sea. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday, Trump directed US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to notify Congress of the administration’s plans. He did not discuss targets, though, he has repeatedly suggested he could order the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330168/trump-vows-escalate-drug-war-land-targets-were-just-going-kill-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330168/trump-vows-escalate-drug-war-land-targets-were-just-going-kill-them?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 05:03:54 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Colombia’s leftist president ramped up denunciations of Donald Trump’s anti-drug air strikes and swatted aside US threats to freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in aid Thursday. Fuelling a spat that threatens to shatter ties between the long-allied nations, Gustavo Petro said: “Mr Trump has slandered me and insulted Colombia”. Petro accused Trump of “carrying out extrajudicial executions” that “violate international law” by striking alleged drug-trafficking boats. The US has destroyed nine... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330125/colombian-president-accuses-us-executions-caribbean-and-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330125/colombian-president-accuses-us-executions-caribbean-and-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 18:13:49 +0000 Agencies Agencies The United States has announced strikes on two alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Pacific Ocean that left five people dead, expanding the Trump administration’s campaign against drug trafficking in South America. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the two strikes on boats in the Pacific - one on Wednesday and another the day before - in social media posts showing the vessels being engulfed in flames. “Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329991/us-widens-anti-drug-campaign-deadly-strike-boat-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329991/us-widens-anti-drug-campaign-deadly-strike-boat-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2025 19:01:30 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press An appeals court on Tuesday overturned the conviction of former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe for bribery and witness tampering for which he had been sentenced to 12 years of house arrest. Uribe, 73, has denied any wrongdoing. He was sentenced in August following a nearly six-month trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that he attempted to influence witnesses who accused the law-and-order leader of having links to a paramilitary group in the 1990s. The court on Tuesday said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329857/colombia-court-overturns-ex-president-uribes-conviction-bribery-and-witness-tampering?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329857/colombia-court-overturns-ex-president-uribes-conviction-bribery-and-witness-tampering?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 21:34:30 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service For decades, Colombia and the United States have been devoted allies, sharing military intelligence, a robust trade relationship and a multibillion-dollar fight against drug trafficking. Now that is all at risk as the US ramps up deadly air strikes off Colombia’s coast and the leaders of both nations trade scathing verbal attacks. US President Donald Trump called Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla fighter and Colombia’s first leftist president, an “illegal drug dealer”. Petro called Trump “rude”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329762/air-strikes-and-insults-trumps-feud-colombia-threatens-decades-long-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329762/air-strikes-and-insults-trumps-feud-colombia-threatens-decades-long-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 06:25:46 +0000 Reuters Reuters Colombia said on Monday it has recalled its ambassador from Washington after US President Donald Trump said he would raise tariffs on the South American nation and stop all payments to it, intensifying a feud stemming from US military strikes on vessels allegedly transporting drugs. Trump also called Colombia’s leftist President Gustavo Petro an “illegal drug leader” on Sunday, which Petro’s government described as offensive. Colombia’s currency fell 1.4 per cent to 3,889 pesos per US dollar in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329709/colombia-recalls-ambassador-us-trump-petro-feud-over-tariffs-drugs-intensifies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329709/colombia-recalls-ambassador-us-trump-petro-feud-over-tariffs-drugs-intensifies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 13:47:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The United States will slash assistance to Colombia and enact tariffs on its exports because the country’s leader, Gustavo Petro, “does nothing to stop” drug production, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday, escalating the friction between Washington and one of its closest allies in Latin America. In a social media post, Trump referred to Petro as “an illegal drug leader” who was “low rated and very unpopular”. The Republican president warned that Petro “better close up” drug operations “or... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329594/trump-calls-colombias-petro-illegal-drug-dealer-and-says-he-will-slash-us-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329594/trump-calls-colombias-petro-illegal-drug-dealer-and-says-he-will-slash-us-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 17:34:18 +0000