https://www.scmp.com/rss/519221/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jean Iau Jean Iau Perched on top of a shoe shelf at the entrance of Veriff’s headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia, is a sign of a cartoon unicorn that reads “Welcome to Unicorn Land!”, serving as a reminder of the identity verification company’s rise from a local start-up to a valuation of US$1.5 billion in seven years. Veriff, which boasts clients including PayPal, Bumble and Visa, was founded by Kaarel Kotkas in 2015. It is one of at least 10 unicorn companies – privately held start-ups valued at more than US$1... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3348736/estonian-start-ups-eye-singapore-natural-gateway-build-digital-trust-asean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3348736/estonian-start-ups-eye-singapore-natural-gateway-build-digital-trust-asean?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 03:13:35 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who has close ties with both US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, fears US-led Ukraine peace talks may be over, he said in an interview published on Thursday. “It may be due to the war in Iran, which is drawing a lot of attention away from the war in Ukraine. But it may also be that the negotiations have come to a halt because they’ve reached the end of the road and are not making any further progress,” Stubb said in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348027/finlands-president-says-ukraine-talks-may-be-end-road?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348027/finlands-president-says-ukraine-talks-may-be-end-road?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:40:05 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow The captain of a Hong Kong-flagged container ship has denied responsibility for severing a critical Baltic Sea gas pipeline linking Estonia and Finland three years ago. Wan Wenguo, 43, from mainland China, pleaded not guilty at Eastern Court on Wednesday to one count of criminal damage relating to the severed section of the 77km (47.8-mile) Balticconnector, a natural gas pipeline that supplies Finland, and to a nearby telecommunications cable linking Finland and Estonia. The damage allegedly... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3343169/captain-pleads-not-guilty-damaging-baltic-sea-gas-pipeline-hong-kong-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3343169/captain-pleads-not-guilty-damaging-baltic-sea-gas-pipeline-hong-kong-court?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 07:44:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Finnish police said on Wednesday they had seized a vessel suspected of damaging a telecommunications cable that runs between Helsinki and Tallinn in the Gulf of Finland several hours earlier. No details about the identity of the vessel were disclosed. The ship is suspected of being “responsible for the damage to the cable”, which is owned by Finnish telecoms group Elisa and located in Estonia’s exclusive economic zone, police said in a statement. Part of the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Finland is... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338336/finland-police-say-ship-seized-after-cable-damage-baltic-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338336/finland-police-say-ship-seized-after-cable-damage-baltic-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 13:28:36 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse From Finland opening diplomatic outposts in Senegal to Czech instructors training Mauritanian security forces, a group of smaller European nations has joined a global scramble for influence in Africa. Estonia, Romania and Malta are among European Union countries that have sought to boost their presence on the continent over the past five years, revamping diplomatic and trade links. “There is a wave of second-generation Africa policy refreshes completed and … under way,” said Alex Vines of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3333849/africa-attracts-smaller-eu-nations-scrambling-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3333849/africa-attracts-smaller-eu-nations-scrambling-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 09:46:06 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou European countries have been forced to boost defence spending because of the “threat” from Russia, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said as he wrapped up a visit to China where he called for the country to put more pressure on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. In an interview with the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, Tsahkna said: “President [Donald] Trump has been very clear that Europe must put skin in the game. Europe must take more responsibility.” Trump had previously... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331995/russia-threat-forced-us-raise-defence-spending-estonian-foreign-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331995/russia-threat-forced-us-raise-defence-spending-estonian-foreign-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2025 10:00:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Lithuania summoned a Russian diplomat in protest over what it said was the entry of two Russian planes into its airspace on Thursday, though Moscow denied any such violation. A Sukhoi SU-30 fighter and an IL-78 tanker from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad passed through Lithuanian airspace for 700 metres (2,300 feet) before leaving it after 18 seconds, probably during aerial refuelling training, according to a short statement from the Nato member country’s military. Later Thursday, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3330127/lithuania-summons-russian-diplomat-after-airspace-incursion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3330127/lithuania-summons-russian-diplomat-after-airspace-incursion?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 19:34:58 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Global cooperation is needed to help smaller and developing nations defend themselves against cyber threats, Singapore has warned, stressing that cybersecurity is “only as strong as its weakest link”. Speaking on Thursday at the Singapore International Cyber Week – a week‑long gathering of global policymakers, industry leaders and cybersecurity experts to address digital governance and threat preparedness – Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said states with fewer resources remained the most... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330053/singapore-urges-cooperation-against-cyber-threats-protect-developing-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330053/singapore-urges-cooperation-against-cyber-threats-protect-developing-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 08:37:30 +0000 Sophie Wushuang Yi Sophie Wushuang Yi The Donald Trump administration is executing not merely a restructuring but a fundamental redefinition of American military purpose. The clearest evidence emerged in June, when the US president deployed 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles alongside 4,000 federalised National Guard troops to confront immigration enforcement protests – without California Governor Gavin Newsom’s consent. A federal judge subsequently ruled that this deployment violated the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3329870/retreating-globally-us-finds-new-arena-flex-power-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3329870/retreating-globally-us-finds-new-arena-flex-power-home?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Alarmed by Russia’s vast military spending since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the three Baltic states were drawing up contingency plans to deal with the possibility of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing a Russian troop build-up or attack. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have long voiced fears to fellow Nato states about possible Russian aggression, citing Russian cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and incursions over the past few months by Russian fighter jets and drones. Russia has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3328502/baltic-nations-planning-mass-evacuations-event-russian-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3328502/baltic-nations-planning-mass-evacuations-event-russian-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 06:45:33 +0000 Thomas O. Falk Thomas O. Falk There is a taxonomy of weakness. At the bottom lies bad policy and worse rhetoric. Above that sits a particular kind of failure that is quietly corrosive: the proclamation of a “red line” that is never enforced. That is what we are now witnessing in Europe. The facts are plain. In one recent Russian assault, Poland shot down 19 objects that penetrated its airspace in one night. Days later, three Russian MiG-31s loitered in Estonian airspace. Drones have flown over Danish military bases,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3327813/nato-must-answer-russian-air-provocations-action-not-ambiguity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3327813/nato-must-answer-russian-air-provocations-action-not-ambiguity?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Europe on Thursday recent drone incursions showed Russia was looking to “escalate” its aggression, as he offered his country’s war-honed expertise to help counter the threat. The warning came at a summit of European leaders from just under 50 countries, who converged on a conference centre in Copenhagen under tight security after mystery drone flights rattled Denmark last month. The drone sightings in Denmark and high-profile aerial incursions by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327694/ukraines-zelensky-warns-europe-russia-looking-escalate-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327694/ukraines-zelensky-warns-europe-russia-looking-escalate-war?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 22:24:46 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse European Union leaders are discussing setting up a “drone wall” of defences after high-profile air incursions by Russia. But the plan appears to mean different things to different countries, and not everyone seems entirely convinced. The first call for the project came last month from EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in the hours after a swarm of Russian drones breached Poland’s airspace. While details were scant, the initial plan appeared clearly focused on helping to shore up the EU’s eastern... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327690/eu-eyes-building-drone-wall-question-what-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327690/eu-eyes-building-drone-wall-question-what-it?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 18:24:29 +0000 Reuters Reuters European Union leaders backed plans on Wednesday to bolster the bloc’s defences against Russian drones as they met in Copenhagen days after airspace intrusions by unmanned aircraft rattled Denmark. European authorities have accused Russia of brazen violations of the region’s airspace, including with recent incursions by drones over Poland and fighter planes over Estonia. “Europe must be able to defend itself,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after the EU summit. “We need to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327558/eu-leaders-discuss-drone-wall-repel-russia-after-airspace-violations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327558/eu-leaders-discuss-drone-wall-repel-russia-after-airspace-violations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:34:11 +0000 Reuters,Bloomberg Reuters,Bloomberg There have been no signals from Kyiv about a possible resumption of negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s RIA state news agency. “No, so far there are basically no signals from Kyiv at all,” Peskov said when asked whether there were any indications about talks resuming between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, according to the RIA report, published on Monday. Peskov’s remarks come as Russia launched hundreds of drones and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327179/facing-nato-warning-russia-says-ukraine-shows-no-signals-it-wants-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327179/facing-nato-warning-russia-says-ukraine-shows-no-signals-it-wants-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 02:03:33 +0000 Reuters Reuters In its 80-year history, the United Nations has never had a woman serve as secretary general – a fact that some world leaders now view as a glaring symbol of gender inequality at the highest level of global diplomacy. With Secretary General Antonio Guterres due to complete his second five-year term at the end of 2026, some at this week’s annual UN General Assembly were vocal in their call for a woman to assume the role. “It is high time for a woman to be chosen as UN Secretary General,” Estonia’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3327058/calls-grow-first-female-un-chief-80-years-lets-make-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3327058/calls-grow-first-female-un-chief-80-years-lets-make-history?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 18:40:36 +0000 Reuters Reuters France recognised a Palestinian state at a United Nations summit in New York on Monday, nearly two years into the war in Gaza, joining Western allies such as Britain and Canada who made the same historic move on Sunday and were rebuked by Israel. While the announcement at the event convened by France and Saudi Arabia could boost the morale of Palestinians in their long search for statehood, it was not expected to deliver change on the ground. The most far-right government in Israel’s history has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3326448/france-joins-other-western-nations-recognising-palestinian-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3326448/france-joins-other-western-nations-recognising-palestinian-state?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 20:57:02 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s Belgorod border region killed two civilians, while Russian shelling of eastern Ukraine left a man dead, officials said on Sunday. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that a woman was killed when shelling struck a private home in the border town of Shebekino, while a man died in a drone strike on the village of Rakitnoe. The Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, has faced frequent cross-border attacks since Moscow... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3326323/ukrainian-and-russian-attacks-kill-3-civilians-zelensky-prepares-meet-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3326323/ukrainian-and-russian-attacks-kill-3-civilians-zelensky-prepares-meet-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 22:10:57 +0000 Reuters Reuters Three Russian military aircraft violated Nato member Estonia’s airspace on Friday for 12 minutes in an “unprecedentedly brazen” incursion, its government said, amid rising tensions on the alliance’s eastern flank. The incident comes just over a week after more than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on the night of September 9-10, prompting Nato aircraft to shoot down some of them and Western officials to say Russia was testing the alliance’s readiness and resolve. It also comes three... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326219/estonia-says-russian-fighter-planes-breached-its-airspace-brazen-incursion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326219/estonia-says-russian-fighter-planes-breached-its-airspace-brazen-incursion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 16:55:59 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press British, Lithuanian and Latvian authorities have detained people on suspicion of carrying out intelligence-related activities on behalf of Russia in the latest of a string of incidents linked to Moscow by Western officials. The Metropolitan Police said on Thursday they arrested three people just east of London on suspicion of spying for Russia. On Wednesday, Lithuanian prosecutors said they uncovered and detained a Russia-linked network of suspects who are alleged to have planned and organised... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326023/uk-police-arrest-3-spying-lithuania-eyes-russia-linked-sabotage-network?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326023/uk-police-arrest-3-spying-lithuania-eyes-russia-linked-sabotage-network?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 11:55:34 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings A member-driven organisation representing European business interests in China is urging policymakers to seize the opportunity – while forming the nation’s next five-year plan – to rebalance the economic-development model and strike at the heart of cutthroat price competition that hurts both foreign and domestic firms. The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, which has more than 1,600 member companies, recommends in its latest position paper that China should use its 2026-2030 plan to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3325859/eu-chamber-china-flags-manufacturing-maladies-urging-course-correction-5-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3325859/eu-chamber-china-flags-manufacturing-maladies-urging-course-correction-5-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 09:01:04 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse European leaders on Thursday spoke to US President Donald Trump after holding a summit with President Volodymyr Zelensky on security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a peace accord to end Russia’s three-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine. The guarantees by the so-called coalition of the willing, which remain under wraps but are expected to include ramped-up training for the Ukrainian army and deployment of troops by some European states, have angered Russia. They form part of a push led by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324387/europe-leaders-call-trump-after-ukraine-security-guarantees-summit-paris?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324387/europe-leaders-call-trump-after-ukraine-security-guarantees-summit-paris?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 13:36:15 +0000 Mark Magnier,Finbarr Bermingham,Khushboo Razdan Mark Magnier,Finbarr Bermingham,Khushboo Razdan US and European leaders reacted with veneration, concern and stiffened resolve on Wednesday to China’s epic military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Over 25 foreign leaders – including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un – joined Chinese President Xi Jinping at the showcase event marked by intimidating weaponry and choreographed troop manoeuvres. “I thought it was very, very impressive, but I understood the reason they were doing... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324250/western-leaders-parse-china-military-parade-displaying-authoritarian-strength?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324250/western-leaders-parse-china-military-parade-displaying-authoritarian-strength?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 20:21:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Bloomberg Agence France-Presse,Bloomberg A plane carrying EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS jamming as it readied to land in Bulgaria on Sunday, Brussels said on Monday, alleging Russia was thought to be behind the incident. The European Commission said Bulgarian authorities suspected the disruption “was due to blatant interference” from Moscow, but it was not clear if the chartered flight was deliberately targeted. “We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming,” Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta told a press... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3323952/eu-chiefs-plane-hit-suspected-russian-gps-jamming-over-bulgaria?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3323952/eu-chiefs-plane-hit-suspected-russian-gps-jamming-over-bulgaria?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 11:55:43 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Nato’s easternmost member states are grappling with a sharp rise in radio and satellite interference, with Baltic governments accusing Russia of positioning equipment for electronic warfare close to their borders. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Baltic Sea region has registered widespread signal jamming, including of the Global Positioning System or GPS, which has affected air and maritime communications. But authorities in the Baltic... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3322958/russia-needles-nato-escalating-signal-spoofing-baltic-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3322958/russia-needles-nato-escalating-signal-spoofing-baltic-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Aug 2025 04:12:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Ukraine should not target Moscow, after the Kremlin charged that a new US plan to supply weapons to Kyiv along with sanctions threats against Russia would delay peace efforts. Trump on Monday gave Russia 50 days to strike a peace deal with Ukraine, voicing exasperation with Moscow, and announcing that Nato members would supply Kyiv with new military aid. In what would be an even more extraordinary shift, the Financial Times reported that Trump spoke... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3318355/trump-says-ukraine-shouldnt-target-moscow-amid-talk-us-supplied-missiles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3318355/trump-says-ukraine-shouldnt-target-moscow-amid-talk-us-supplied-missiles?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 19:41:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he had signed a decree to pull Ukraine out of the Ottawa Convention banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines as a necessary step in view of Russian tactics in their 40-month-old war. Ukraine ratified the convention in 2005. The Ottawa Convention, adopted in 1997, prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of all types of anti-personnel mines, which are considered especially inhumane weapons. More than 160 countries... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3316300/ukraine-track-withdraw-ottawa-anti-personnel-mines-treaty-zelensky-decree-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3316300/ukraine-track-withdraw-ottawa-anti-personnel-mines-treaty-zelensky-decree-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 19:51:52 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas Monday called for what she called “a dose of realism” in its relations with China after EU foreign ministers discussed security aspects of relations with China. The ministers met to set the agenda for a planned July 2 Brussels meeting between Kallas and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi aimed at setting the tone for a July 24-25 EU-China leaders’ summit in Beijing and Anhui. “It is clear that China is one of the largest trading partners, and we have... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3315553/eu-foreign-policy-chief-calls-dose-realism-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3315553/eu-foreign-policy-chief-calls-dose-realism-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jun 2025 19:13:13 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham China’s shipments of hi-tech goods to the European Union went into overdrive last month, coinciding with a big drop in exports of the same goods to the US, suggesting that the superpower trade and tech wars could be affecting trade with Europe. Calculations based on recently published Chinese trade data showed that China in May exported huge amounts of batteries, laptops, smartphones and solar panels to the 27-member bloc, sending import numbers for some countries to unprecedented... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3315546/chinas-shipments-hi-tech-goods-eu-surge-its-exports-us-plunge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3315546/chinas-shipments-hi-tech-goods-eu-surge-its-exports-us-plunge?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jun 2025 16:16:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Finnish authorities have accused senior officers of a Russia-linked vessel that damaged undersea cables last year between Finland and Estonia of criminal offences related to the wreckage. They say the oil tanker, the Eagle S, dragged its anchor to damage the Estlink-2 power cable and communication links between Finland and Estonia on December 25. The Kremlin previously denied involvement in damaging the infrastructure, which provides power and communication for thousands of Europeans. The Eagle... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3314446/finland-accuses-russia-linked-crew-undersea-power-cable-damage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3314446/finland-accuses-russia-linked-crew-undersea-power-cable-damage?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Jun 2025 09:14:32 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong The captain of a Hong Kong-flagged container ship has been remanded in custody on suspicion of severing a critical Baltic Sea gas pipeline running between Estonia and Finland two years ago. Wan Wenguo, 43, appeared at Eastern Court on Thursday to face a count of criminal damage and two charges for alleged violations of local marine by-laws during the NewNew Polar Bear’s voyage from October to December of 2023. Prosecutors held the defendant, who is from mainland China, liable for the damages... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3309618/ship-captain-remanded-custody-hong-kong-over-damaging-baltic-sea-pipeline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3309618/ship-captain-remanded-custody-hong-kong-over-damaging-baltic-sea-pipeline?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 May 2025 13:35:48 +0000 US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed to a partial ceasefire in the Ukraine war during a phone call, stating that a “full ceasefire and permanent peace” would begin with a focus on “energy and infrastructure”, according to the White House. A White House read-out said further talks would include “technical negotiations on the implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea”. US envoy Steve Witkoff said talks were planned for Sunday in the Saudi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3302905/trump-putin-talk-nearly-25-hours-ukraine-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3302905/trump-putin-talk-nearly-25-hours-ukraine-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Mar 2025 17:28:01 +0000 Nato members Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia plan to withdraw from the Ottawa convention banning anti-personnel landmines due to the military threat from their neighbour Russia, the four countries said on Tuesday. Quitting the 1997 treaty, which has been ratified or acceded to by more than 160 nations, will allow Poland and the three Baltic countries to start stockpiling and using landmines again. “Military threats to Nato member states bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3302888/poland-baltic-nations-quit-landmine-treaty-amid-russia-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3302888/poland-baltic-nations-quit-landmine-treaty-amid-russia-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Mar 2025 13:05:28 +0000 Microsoft on Friday announced it was retiring Skype, the online voice and video call pioneer that the tech titan acquired in 2011. “Starting in May 2025, Skype will no longer be available,” said a post from Skype support on social media, directing users to sign into Microsoft’s Teams platform for further use of its services. Skype was founded in 2003 by Scandinavians Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis in Estonia, revolutionising internet communication by offering free voice calls between computers... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3300638/microsoft-retires-skype-internet-call-pioneer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3300638/microsoft-retires-skype-internet-call-pioneer?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Feb 2025 19:52:28 +0000 Volodymyr Zelensky has said he does not want to be remembered as the president who handed Ukrainian land to Russia. Speaking on a panel moderated by Bloomberg Television’s Francine Lacqua on Friday, Zelensky said that he was prepared to engage with US President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the war in Ukraine but he wanted to agree on an approach with allies before confronting Vladimir Putin. “I don’t want to be the person in history who helped Putin to occupy my country,” Zelensky told the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3298794/zelensky-says-he-doesnt-want-be-leader-who-handed-ukraine-land-putin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3298794/zelensky-says-he-doesnt-want-be-leader-who-handed-ukraine-land-putin?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:15:49 +0000 Former NFL star Robert Griffin III is clapping back at the netizens who said his children “aren’t Black” because of their white Estonian-American mother, Grete. “Black women telling my four daughters that they aren’t Black is beyond wrong,” he wrote on social media, in response to the comments. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Robert Griffin III (@rgiii) One user weighed in by writing: “Mixed girl here. I’ve heard this all my life being raised in... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3286385/meet-robert-griffin-iiis-stunning-estonian-wife-grete-mother-3-met-former-nfl-star-instagram-used-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3286385/meet-robert-griffin-iiis-stunning-estonian-wife-grete-mother-3-met-former-nfl-star-instagram-used-be?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Nov 2024 10:00:28 +0000 Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Wednesday he is happy China is cooperating into an investigation into a destroyed Baltic pipeline, but warned it was too soon to say what had happened. He was responding to a question about the admission that a Chinese-owned ship had accidentally destroyed the Balticconnector gas pipe running between Finland and Estonia last October, first reported by the South China Morning Post on Monday. “Finnish and Estonian authorities are working in cooperation... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274505/baltic-pipe-probe-finnish-leader-happy-china-cooperating-says-case-not-closed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274505/baltic-pipe-probe-finnish-leader-happy-china-cooperating-says-case-not-closed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Aug 2024 14:19:17 +0000 Beijing has admitted that a Chinese-owned ship damaged a critical Baltic Sea gas pipeline running between Estonia and Finland last October, but says it was an accident. The South China Morning Post understands that the Chinese authorities conducted an internal investigation and recently communicated the results to governments in the European countries. The Chinese-language report said the accident was the result of a strong storm. Both countries are still carrying out a joint criminal inquiry... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274120/china-admits-hong-hong-flagged-ship-destroyed-key-baltic-gas-pipeline-accident?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274120/china-admits-hong-hong-flagged-ship-destroyed-key-baltic-gas-pipeline-accident?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Aug 2024 09:39:09 +0000 In a single week in August 2022, the top Estonian diplomat in Beijing was summoned to the Chinese foreign ministry not once, but three times. With the ambassador out of town, the unfortunate chargé d’affaires was hauled in twice to discourage the tiny Baltic state from exiting China’s 16+1 grouping with Central and Eastern European countries. On the last occasion, they got a rap on the knuckles after the decision was announced in a move carefully choreographed with neighbouring Latvia. Around... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3273155/why-eus-next-foreign-policy-chief-kaja-kallas-could-be-tougher-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3273155/why-eus-next-foreign-policy-chief-kaja-kallas-could-be-tougher-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Aug 2024 04:00:07 +0000 Finland, once a major transport hub linking China and Europe, has lost much of its allure since severing transit links with Russia over the Ukraine war, the country’s consul general said – an issue compounded by a lack of visa-free access to China for Finns that much of the continent’s population now enjoys. Before the war, Finland had a unique position among European countries as its flights could zip over Russia to China in 9 hours on certain routes, Consul General Timo Kantola told the Post.... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3270262/finlands-once-brisk-china-ties-rattled-russia-sanctions-fracture-travel-trade-links?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3270262/finlands-once-brisk-china-ties-rattled-russia-sanctions-fracture-travel-trade-links?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jul 2024 10:00:16 +0000 China has nominated its ambassador to Israel to be its next envoy to the European Union, aiming to fill a vacancy that has been open since March. Cai Run, a career diplomat, is expected to take up his position in September, the South China Morning Post has learned. He replaces Fu Cong, who left Brussels to become Beijing’s ambassador to the UN in New York four months ago. Cai has been placed in Tel Aviv since 2021, according to a resume posted on the Chinese foreign ministry’s website. Between... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3270144/china-taps-its-envoy-israel-new-european-union-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3270144/china-taps-its-envoy-israel-new-european-union-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jul 2024 18:48:45 +0000 Nato is helping finance a project aimed at finding ways to keep the internet running should subsea cables shuttling civilian and military communications across European waters come under attack. Researchers, who include academics from the United States, Iceland, Sweden and Switzerland, say they want to develop a way to seamlessly divert internet traffic from subsea cables to satellite systems in the event of sabotage, or a natural disaster. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s Science for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3269672/nato-backs-effort-save-internet-diverting-space-event-subsea-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3269672/nato-backs-effort-save-internet-diverting-space-event-subsea-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jul 2024 20:30:25 +0000 When leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization gather in Washington next week to commemorate the enduring unity between Europe and North America, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump will be the names dominating the discussions. A senior official in US President Joe Biden’s administration said on Friday that the negotiations on the final communique of the summit were continuing, but the text in the draft on China was “very solid”. Reiterating evidence of Beijing’s role in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3269412/threats-vladimir-putin-xi-jinping-will-be-focus-upcoming-nato-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3269412/threats-vladimir-putin-xi-jinping-will-be-focus-upcoming-nato-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jul 2024 21:35:31 +0000 Novak Djokovic is poised to mount a one-man battle to preserve the legacy of Wimbledon’s golden generation in the face of an increasingly successful new wave spearheaded by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. However, the odds will be stacked against the seven-time champion and the holder of 24 grand slam titles when the tournament gets under way this week. Arriving in London having recently undergone knee surgery, the 37-year-old has seen his grand slam powers eroded in 2024. He was succeeded as... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3268613/wimbledon-djokovic-fighting-golden-generation-amid-challenge-alcaraz-sinner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3268613/wimbledon-djokovic-fighting-golden-generation-amid-challenge-alcaraz-sinner?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:16 +0000 Thinking of visiting China, India, or Venezuela with a US passport for your summer holiday? Not so fast – or at least not before securing a visa. Some of the best wonders of the world require US citizens to obtain a visa before take-off, an inconvenience in planning that long-awaited international getaway. US passport holders can access 188 countries globally without a visa, putting it in eighth place among world passports on the global mobility spectrum, according to the 2024 Henley Passport... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3268536/singapore-has-worlds-most-powerful-passport-ahead-japan-us-8th-henley-passport-index?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3268536/singapore-has-worlds-most-powerful-passport-ahead-japan-us-8th-henley-passport-index?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jun 2024 22:00:22 +0000 European Union leaders signed off on a trio of top appointments for their shared political institutions, reinstalling German conservative Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission for another five years. At the side of von der Leyen, who heads the EU’s executive branch, would be two new faces: Antonio Costa of Portugal as European Council president and Estonia’s Kaja Kallas as the top diplomat of the world’s largest trading bloc. “Mission Accomplished,” outgoing EU Council... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3268369/eu-leaders-agree-top-officials-who-will-be-face-worlds-largest-trading-bloc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3268369/eu-leaders-agree-top-officials-who-will-be-face-worlds-largest-trading-bloc?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jun 2024 01:23:46 +0000 Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, named on Thursday by fellow leaders to be the European Union’s next foreign policy chief, is a trenchant Russia critic and a stalwart europhile long touted for top international jobs. “This is an enormous responsibility at this moment of geopolitical tensions,” Kallas said after the choice, which still needs to be cleared by the EU’s Parliament. “I will be at the service of our common interests. Europe should be a place where people are free, safe and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3268360/kaja-kallas-estonias-iron-lady-picked-eu-top-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3268360/kaja-kallas-estonias-iron-lady-picked-eu-top-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jun 2024 22:58:24 +0000 The mastermind behind Siobhan Haughey’s Paris Olympics glory bid began coaching to chase the adrenaline rushes that accompany sporting success. Tom Rushton followed in the footsteps of his late dad, Clive, a top-level coach and 100 metres backstroke swimmer at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Rushton’s mum, Moira Brown, swam the 200m butterfly at the same Games. His professional route was far from predetermined, however. An accomplished swimmer at Kenyon College, in the United States, Rushton graduated... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3268183/paris-olympics-inside-siobhan-haugheys-brains-trust-coach-who-reads-personalities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3268183/paris-olympics-inside-siobhan-haugheys-brains-trust-coach-who-reads-personalities?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:45:07 +0000 Visitors to Europe from 60 visa-exempt territories, including Hong Kong, will need travel authorisation from as early as the start of next year, the EU has said. The bloc added the introduction of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) would boost safety without affecting leisure and business visitors. Izabella Cooper, the ETIAS central unit division’s media and outreach team leader from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, said the system was designed “to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3267133/hong-kong-visitors-eu-will-need-travel-authorisation-next-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3267133/hong-kong-visitors-eu-will-need-travel-authorisation-next-year?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jun 2024 00:30:13 +0000 EU leaders punted their final decision on the bloc’s top jobs to an end-of-June summit Monday, but the contours of a deal returning Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission chief were apparent following their talks in Brussels. Briefing reporters afterwards, European Council president Charles Michel insisted the leaders’ dinner was never intended to seal a final deal on the EU’s top three jobs – heading the commission, chairing summits, and stewarding the bloc’s diplomacy. “It was a good... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3266993/ursula-von-der-leyen-tipped-nod-eu-leaders-haggle-over-top-jobs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3266993/ursula-von-der-leyen-tipped-nod-eu-leaders-haggle-over-top-jobs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jun 2024 20:49:57 +0000