https://www.scmp.com/rss/519389/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Guatemala’s president on Sunday declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency to combat criminal gangs after authorities accused the groups of killing eight police officers and holding hostages at three prisons. The killings occurred in the Guatemalan capital and surrounding areas a day after gang-affiliated inmates took 46 people hostage in the three prisons across the country to demand incarcerated gang leaders be moved to lower security facilities. President Bernardo Arevalo said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3340418/guatemala-declares-30-day-state-emergency-after-gangs-kill-8-police-officers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3340418/guatemala-declares-30-day-state-emergency-after-gangs-kill-8-police-officers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:24:23 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good on a Minneapolis street served in a multitude of law enforcement roles during a two-decade career that also included military service. Federal court records show Jonathan Ross’ career includes US military experience and mostly high-level federal law enforcement positions. The details of his tenure are revealed in a federal criminal case against a driver who seriously injured Ross after dragging him 100 metres... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339466/who-jonathan-ross-ice-agent-who-killed-us-woman-renee-nicole-good?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339466/who-jonathan-ross-ice-agent-who-killed-us-woman-renee-nicole-good?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Jan 2026 22:33:56 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United States, which on Saturday attacked Venezuela and is said to have abducted its president, has a long history of military interventions and support for dictatorships in Latin America. On multiple occasions the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and his successor Nicolas Maduro – who Donald Trump says is now in US hands – accused Washington of backing coup attempts. Here are the main US interventions in Latin America since the Cold War. 1954: Guatemala On June 27, 1954, colonel Jacobo... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338634/us-interventions-latin-america-history-coups-and-conflicts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338634/us-interventions-latin-america-history-coups-and-conflicts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 15:16:04 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press An intermunicipal bus veered off a road in Guatemala and fell into a deep ravine, killing 15 passengers and injuring at least 15 others, authorities said on Saturday, declaring three days of national mourning. The accident happened on Friday night outside the town of Totonicapan along a route known as the Inter-American Highway. Officials said it took rescuers more than two hours to recover the bodies from the crash site and rescue injured passengers. Fifteen people were still being treated for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3337914/bus-crash-kills-15-guatemala-government-declares-3-days-national-mourning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3337914/bus-crash-kills-15-guatemala-government-declares-3-days-national-mourning?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 19:58:38 +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 Reuters Reuters President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he was scrapping US tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruits and a broad swathe of other commodities – a dramatic move that comes amid mounting pressure on his administration to better combat high consumer prices. Trump has built his second term around imposing steep levies on goods imported into the US in hopes of encouraging domestic production and lifting the economy. His abrupt retreat from his signature tariff policy on so many staples key to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332898/trump-cuts-tariffs-beef-coffee-and-other-foods-inflation-concerns-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332898/trump-cuts-tariffs-beef-coffee-and-other-foods-inflation-concerns-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 22:32:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The White House on Thursday announced trade agreements with Argentina, Guatemala, Ecuador and El Salvador, the latest deals since US President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs around the world. Bananas and coffee are among the groceries whose prices could fall for stretched US consumers, it said, amid growing discontent about the cost of living under Trump’s second presidency. The four countries, all in America’s backyard in South and Central America, agreed to open their markets to US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332715/bananas-and-beef-white-house-unveils-latin-america-trade-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332715/bananas-and-beef-white-house-unveils-latin-america-trade-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 23:38:19 +0000 Reuters Reuters Guatemala is ready and willing to receive some 150 unaccompanied minors per week of all ages from the United States, President Bernardo Arevalo said on Monday, a day after a US federal judge halted the deportation of 10 Guatemalan children. US President Donald Trump’s administration said in a court filing on Monday that the 10 children, who had been boarded on to planes when the court responded to an emergency predawn appeal, had since been returned to shelters run by the Office of Refugee... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323973/guatemala-prepared-receive-hundreds-deported-minors-us-president-arevalo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323973/guatemala-prepared-receive-hundreds-deported-minors-us-president-arevalo?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 19:31:14 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te is planning a US “stopover” trip in August that could take him to New York and Texas en route to South America, sources said, a move that is bound to anger Beijing. On Monday, Paraguayan President Santiago Pena confirmed that Lai would visit his country next month. Paraguay is the only country in South America and one of only 12 worldwide to recognise the self-governing island, down from 22 a decade ago. Analysts said Lai might add Guatemala and Belize, two... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318239/taiwanese-leader-said-be-planning-us-stopover-thats-set-anger-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318239/taiwanese-leader-said-be-planning-us-stopover-thats-set-anger-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 05:00:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A divided US Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to restart swift removals of migrants to countries other than their homelands, lifting for now a court order requiring they get a chance to challenge the deportations. The high court majority did not detail its reasoning in the brief order. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by the other two liberal justices, issued a scathing dissent. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin suggested third-country... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3315558/supreme-court-allows-trump-restart-deportation-migrants-away-home-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3315558/supreme-court-allows-trump-restart-deportation-migrants-away-home-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jun 2025 22:25:27 +0000 Guatemalan authorities evacuated around 1,000 people Monday after Central America’s most active volcano erupted, spewing lava, ash and rocks. By night, however, the eruption was declared over, and evacuees were allowed to begin returning to their homes. Residents with traumatic memories of a deadly eruption in 2018 sought refuge early Monday after Volcan de Fuego (Volcano of Fire) exploded spectacularly 35km (22 miles) from the capital Guatemala City. “We heard the rumblings and then a strong... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3301855/residents-evacuated-guatemalas-fuego-volcano-erupts-spewing-lava-ash-and-rocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3301855/residents-evacuated-guatemalas-fuego-volcano-erupts-spewing-lava-ash-and-rocks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Mar 2025 21:05:53 +0000 At least 55 people were killed in Guatemala on Monday when a bus crashed through a guard rail and plunged into a ravine, authorities said, one of the worst road accidents in Latin America in years. The bus was carrying around 70 people when it fell into a river contaminated with sewage in Guatemala City, creating difficult conditions for rescuers trying to retrieve bodies. “So far, 53 people have died at the scene,” a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office, Moises Ortiz, told... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3298124/least-50-die-guatemala-after-bus-plunges-bridge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3298124/least-50-die-guatemala-after-bus-plunges-bridge?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Feb 2025 15:58:34 +0000 Guatemala’s president said on Wednesday after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that his country will accept migrants from other countries being deported from the United States. Under the “safe third country” agreement announced by President Bernardo Arévalo, the deportees would then be returned to their home countries at US expense. “We have agreed to increase by 40 per cent the number of flights of deportees both of our nationality as well as deportees from other nationalities,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3297529/guatemala-strikes-deal-rubio-accept-migrants-deported-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3297529/guatemala-strikes-deal-rubio-accept-migrants-deported-us?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Feb 2025 18:43:39 +0000 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make his first international trip since taking office on Saturday, visiting five Central American countries – a first in more than a century for a top American diplomat’s inaugural tour – as Washington moves to counter China’s deepening influence in the region. Rubio will travel through Thursday to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic and meet senior officials and business leaders to “promote regional cooperation”, according... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3296992/eyeing-china-marco-rubio-makes-central-america-his-first-trip-abroad-top-us-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3296992/eyeing-china-marco-rubio-makes-central-america-his-first-trip-abroad-top-us-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Jan 2025 18:11:15 +0000 A sport where Hong Kong’s mixed doubles pair Doo Hoi-kem and Wong Chun-ting are legitimate medal contenders, most of the gold is expected to go to China. South Korea’s An Se-young may have something to say about that in the women’s singles, while world No 1 Viktor Axelsen is the defending men’s champion. Athletes to watch Beiwen Zhang (United States): After winning the women’s singles gold at the 2023 Pan American Games, the 33-year-old is the best shot at the first American badminton medal at... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3269840/paris-olympics-what-know-and-who-watch-during-badminton-competition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3269840/paris-olympics-what-know-and-who-watch-during-badminton-competition?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jul 2024 06:00:08 +0000 Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday he had been “scared” by Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro’s warning of a “bloodbath” if he loses elections on Sunday. “I was scared by Maduro’s statements that if he loses the election there will be a bloodbath,” Lula told international news agencies in Brasilia, as the Venezuelan leader prepares to seek a third six-year term amid accusations of foul play and opposition persecution. “Maduro has to learn: if you win, you stay [in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3271477/lula-scared-maduros-bloodbath-warning-ahead-venezuela-vote-president-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3271477/lula-scared-maduros-bloodbath-warning-ahead-venezuela-vote-president-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jul 2024 18:40:10 +0000 Two years ago, Francis Ford Coppola stopped at the Georgia Film Academy on the hunt for apprentices for his film Megalopolis. Jordan Holifield, then a 23-year-old student, did a double take when he saw one of the application questions – did he know how to disassemble Ikea furniture? Months later, Holifield, one of four selected apprentices, pulled up to Coppola’s hotel – which was originally a Days Inn motel. But gone was the Ikea furniture from the old motel. Now the All-Movie Hotel is... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3271387/francis-ford-coppolas-first-us-hotel-full-props-his-movies-open-georgia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3271387/francis-ford-coppolas-first-us-hotel-full-props-his-movies-open-georgia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jul 2024 08:20:08 +0000 Chinese success in Paris is virtually guaranteed with the likes of Chen Yufei leading the charge, but high rankings do not necessarily translate into medals at the Olympics, where the pressure to perform is unlike any other competition. The Tokyo Games three years ago delivered a series of dramatic upsets, near misses and high emotions – from Guatemalan Kevin Cordon’s stunning run to the semi-finals to the early exit of Japanese top seed Kento Momota. Not one top-ranked player or pair won gold... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3269579/paris-olympics-badminton-gold-not-guarantee-china-despite-favourites-tag?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3269579/paris-olympics-badminton-gold-not-guarantee-china-despite-favourites-tag?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jul 2024 07:26:45 +0000 Lisa Lim Lisa Lim World Chocolate Day offers a licence to indulge. Your pick is likely to be a European or American brand: Swiss, French, Italian and Belgian chocolatiers are ranked as producing the world’s finest, while multinational corporations dominating global chocolate are based in the US, UK, France, Italy and Japan. Yet Europeans had no knowledge of chocolate – nor the word for it – before their 16th-century voyages to the Americas. Chocolate is, after all, made from the cacao bean (technically, a seed) –... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3269439/where-chocolate-and-cacao-came-words-history-and-why-europe-was-late-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3269439/where-chocolate-and-cacao-came-words-history-and-why-europe-was-late-party?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jul 2024 00:15:09 +0000 On December 7, 1970, German chancellor Willy Brandt famously fell to his knees after laying a wreath of white flowers at the foot of the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, in Warsaw, Poland. This gesture of penance, on behalf of Germany for crimes committed by the Nazis, was one of the first political apologies that was broadcast on television for the public to see. Today, that video clip constitutes the opening of Apologies, a three-channel video installation by Taiwanese-American artist and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3269036/pope-macron-world-leaders-apologies-compiled-artists-hong-kong-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3269036/pope-macron-world-leaders-apologies-compiled-artists-hong-kong-show?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jul 2024 08:15:09 +0000 A court in New York on Wednesday sentenced former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez to 45 years in prison after he was convicted of trafficking hundreds of tonnes of cocaine into the United States. Anti-Hernandez protesters gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse ahead of sentencing brandishing placards decrying the former head of state’s crimes with one declaring “Narco government – makes the people emigrate”. “The role of Mr Hernandez was to use his political power as president of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3268185/us-jails-ex-honduras-president-juan-orlando-hernandez-45-years-drugs-charges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3268185/us-jails-ex-honduras-president-juan-orlando-hernandez-45-years-drugs-charges?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jun 2024 19:52:39 +0000 While researching for this article, I came across unitedfruitcompany.com, a highly informative website run by Jonathan T. Reynolds, Regents Professor of History at Northern Kentucky University. He wrote this intriguing passage: “Despite contemporary Western misconceptions of there being only one kind of banana, there are actually over 1,000, with most varieties found in Africa and Southeast Asia.” But why? The history of American imperialism and the US firm the website was named after, United... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3266471/americas-banana-imperialism-still-haunts-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3266471/americas-banana-imperialism-still-haunts-world?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:00:10 +0000 Trouble is brewing for drinkers of coffee, one of the world’s most traded commodities, as climate change affects farmers, reshaping production patterns. Amid a worsening drought in Vietnam, the world’s second-biggest coffee producer and leading supplier of the robusta bean (commonly used in instant coffee), news that its coffee exports may fall by 20 per cent this year sent prices soaring, with robusta futures hitting record highs. Coffee plays a sizeable role in Vietnam’s economy, bringing in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3263711/climate-change-threat-more-storm-vietnams-coffee-cup?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3263711/climate-change-threat-more-storm-vietnams-coffee-cup?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 May 2024 21:30:10 +0000 Jason Momoa is officially off the market again! On Monday the Aquaman star took to Instagram to hard launch his relationship with Puerto Rican-Guatemalan actress Adria Arjona, as reported by JustJared. “Japan, you are a dream come true you blew my mind. we’re so thankful for everyone who opened their homes, making memories with new friends and old friends, sharing another amazing adventure with mi amor. On the roam motorcycles and mayhem. All my aloha,” he captioned a series of pics which... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3263524/meet-jason-momoas-actress-girlfriend-adria-arjona-aquaman-stars-new-flame-daughter-singer-ricardo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3263524/meet-jason-momoas-actress-girlfriend-adria-arjona-aquaman-stars-new-flame-daughter-singer-ricardo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 May 2024 11:00:16 +0000 The US on Wednesday said it was monitoring the situation in Taiwan hours after the strongest earthquake to hit the island in more than two decades struck and prompted an outpouring of support from Taipei’s allies. The 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the eastern side of the island around the county and city of Hualien on Wednesday morning. It left more than 900 injured, at least nine dead and 56 people trapped in two coal mines, tunnels and damaged roads. “We are monitoring reports of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3257772/taiwan-earthquake-us-other-taipei-allies-send-messages-support-rescue-efforts-continue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3257772/taiwan-earthquake-us-other-taipei-allies-send-messages-support-rescue-efforts-continue?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Apr 2024 17:00:27 +0000 The US port city of Baltimore has been in America’s top headlines for nearly a week. Expect it to stay there for a while, as the Francis Scott Key Bridge wreckage becomes a political vortex into which ideologues will pour their vitriol about America’s immigration and infrastructure woes. Given the striking footage of such a massive structure collapsing into a heap of twisted metal and the miraculous effort to block drivers – on just a few minutes’ notice – who would otherwise have been on the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3257427/baltimore-bridge-collapse-shows-how-us-needs-yet-neglects-immigrants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3257427/baltimore-bridge-collapse-shows-how-us-needs-yet-neglects-immigrants?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:30:07 +0000 The bodies of eight Chinese migrants were found on a beach in southern Mexico after the boat they were travelling in capsized, officials said on Saturday. The seven women and a man were aboard a boat operated by a Mexican that left Tapachula in Chiapas state, on the border with Guatemala, on Thursday, the prosecutor’s office added. The shore where the bodies were discovered on Friday in the state of Oaxaca which sits along a route frequently used by people trying to reach the United... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3257347/bodies-8-chinese-migrants-found-beach-mexico-after-boat-capsized?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3257347/bodies-8-chinese-migrants-found-beach-mexico-after-boat-capsized?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Mar 2024 22:02:52 +0000 The US government awarded the state of Maryland US$60 million in federal emergency relief on Thursday in response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, an extraordinarily fast disbursement after such a disaster. The bridge came tumbling down early on Tuesday after a massive cargo freighter that had lost power ploughed into the structure in Baltimore Harbour. Two bodies have been recovered and four other missing people are presumed dead. Maryland Governor Wes Moore had... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3257159/us-awards-us60-million-emergency-relief-maryland-after-bridge-collapse-source-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3257159/us-awards-us60-million-emergency-relief-maryland-after-bridge-collapse-source-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Mar 2024 22:13:56 +0000 The pilot of the cargo freighter that knocked down a highway bridge into Baltimore harbour had radioed for tugboat help and reported a power loss minutes earlier, federal safety officials said on Wednesday, citing audio from the ship’s “black box” data recorder. The head of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also said that Francis Scott Key Bridge, a traffic artery over the harbour built in 1976, lacked structural engineering redundancies common to newer spans, making it more... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3257008/divers-retrieve-2-bodies-harbour-after-baltimore-bridge-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3257008/divers-retrieve-2-bodies-harbour-after-baltimore-bridge-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Mar 2024 02:03:31 +0000 The construction workers who went missing in the Baltimore bridge collapse all hailed from Mexico or Central America before they settled in the Maryland area. Police managed to close bridge traffic seconds before a cargo ship slammed into one of the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s supports early on Tuesday, causing the span to fall into the frigid Patapsco River. There was no time for a maintenance crew filling potholes on the span to get to safety. At least eight people fell into the water and two... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3256996/central-american-and-mexican-families-mourn-missing-workers-baltimore-bridge-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3256996/central-american-and-mexican-families-mourn-missing-workers-baltimore-bridge-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Mar 2024 19:32:56 +0000 US federal safety investigators recovered the black box from the freight ship that crashed into a Baltimore bridge, the agency chief said on Wednesday, as rescuers looked for the remains of six workers missing in the bridge collapse. A highway team also will be looking at the twisted remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge as they try to determine how and why a container ship smashed into a pillar of the 2.6km (1.6 mile) span in early morning darkness on Tuesday. Investigators from the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3256860/baltimore-bridge-collapse-6-presumed-dead-after-singapore-ship-rammed-structure-rescue-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3256860/baltimore-bridge-collapse-6-presumed-dead-after-singapore-ship-rammed-structure-rescue-work?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Mar 2024 02:44:15 +0000 Middle powers dominate the headlines. They entangle superpowers in wars. Their friendshoring opportunities lure global companies. They challenge unfair trade practices, press for climate change mitigation and seek redress for humanitarian wrongs. Their leaders anxiously court each other to amass power through alliances. Their monopolies over critical resources roil the global economy. Some have forced unprecedented migration from their lands while others have offered shelter to diasporas. This... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3255194/era-middle-powers-yes-and-no?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3255194/era-middle-powers-yes-and-no?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Mar 2024 08:30:12 +0000 Have you noticed the deafening silence on trade following last week’s long-awaited World Trade Organization ministerial conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi? No, I thought not. It seems the nearly 4,000 trade officials gathered together by UAE Trade Minister Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi failed to find agreement on anything of substance. Instead, they lifted the carpet and discretely brushed all hoped-for reforms under it. Nothing resembling global trade liberalisation in any form can be expected any... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3254832/trade-reforms-swept-under-carpet-wto-meeting-achieves-little?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/world/article/3254832/trade-reforms-swept-under-carpet-wto-meeting-achieves-little?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2024 12:30:12 +0000 After decades in California, Steve Chen, the multimillionaire co-founder of YouTube, has returned to his birthplace of Taiwan with plans to harvest the island’s untapped tech talent by forging connections with Silicon Valley. Chen is putting together a project to support Taiwanese people to hatch mega-companies he says could grow quickly with Silicon Valley’s relationships, capital and know-how. He plans to launch the project, possibly in the form of a start-up incubator, in the second quarter... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3252026/youtube-co-founder-steve-chen-returns-taiwan-tap-tech-talent-link-island-silicon-valley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3252026/youtube-co-founder-steve-chen-returns-taiwan-tap-tech-talent-link-island-silicon-valley?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Feb 2024 04:00:12 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan started the year with 13 formal allies. With the loss of Nauru, that number fell to 12 last month, and now another – Guatemala – could be about to make the switch in diplomatic recognition to Beijing. It is a change that does not seem to faze the island’s public but some politicians and observers warn that people should be worried about the growing prospect of Taiwan’s allies dwindling to single digits – or even zero. Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martinez told Reuters this... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3251552/guatemala-considers-trade-ties-mainland-china-taiwanese-warned-worry-about-loss-allies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3251552/guatemala-considers-trade-ties-mainland-china-taiwanese-warned-worry-about-loss-allies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Feb 2024 06:00:15 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen Mainland China said on Tuesday that Guatemala must break up with Taiwan “as soon as possible” if it wants to develop ties with Beijing. The central American country, one of a handful countries that still has official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, is reportedly looking to develop a trading relationship with mainland China while keeping relations with Taipei. Guatemala to keep Taipei ties while seeking better Beijing relations But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the one-China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3251169/beijing-tells-guatemala-break-ties-taiwan-soon-possible-if-it-wants-trading-relationship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3251169/beijing-tells-guatemala-break-ties-taiwan-soon-possible-if-it-wants-trading-relationship?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Feb 2024 13:30:52 +0000 Fireworks erupted in El Salvador’s capital Sunday as President Nayib Bukele claimed a massive first-round re-election victory on the back of a “war” on gangs credited with slashing homicide rates in the violence-weary country. Bukele, 42, claimed to have won more than 85 per cent of the presidential vote and his party Nuevas Ideas 58 of the 60 seats in parliament. In a victory speech given to cheering, flag-waving crowds from a balcony of the National Palace before final official results were... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3250943/el-salvadors-president-nayib-bukele-declares-record-victory-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3250943/el-salvadors-president-nayib-bukele-declares-record-victory-election?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Feb 2024 04:28:47 +0000 At first it sounds like a typical case of bad behaviour aboard aeroplanes. The Mexico City International Airport acknowledged in a statement on Friday that a man had opened an emergency exit and walked out on a wing of a plane that was parked and waiting for take-off on Thursday. The airport said the man had been turned over to police. But dozens of fellow passengers signed a written copy of a statement saying the airline made them wait for four hours without ventilation or water while the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3249990/angry-passengers-back-man-who-opened-emergency-exit-and-walked-planes-wing-mexico-airport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3249990/angry-passengers-back-man-who-opened-emergency-exit-and-walked-planes-wing-mexico-airport?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Jan 2024 03:15:03 +0000 China will support Jamaica to play a bigger role in world affairs, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has pledged, as the two countries aim to strengthen strategic alignment. The message from China’s top diplomat came as he wrapped up a six-nation tour with a visit to the Caribbean country. Meeting Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness in the capital Kingston on Saturday, Wang said China looked forward to expanding cooperation in trade, investment, new energy, agriculture, digital economy and the “blue... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3249235/chinese-foreign-minister-wang-yi-vows-help-jamaica-play-bigger-role-world-stage-hails-one-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3249235/chinese-foreign-minister-wang-yi-vows-help-jamaica-play-bigger-role-world-stage-hails-one-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Jan 2024 11:00:13 +0000 Anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arévalo was sworn in as Guatemala’s president in the early hours of Monday after a chaotic inauguration that was delayed for hours by a last-ditch attempt by Congress opponents to weaken his authority. The latest in a series of legislative setbacks triggered by opponents underscored the challenges Arévalo faces as leader of Central America’s most populous nation, to which he has pledged to bring sweeping reforms and tackle the rising cost of living and violence,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3248460/guatemalas-bernardo-arevalo-sworn-president-after-congress-opponents-delay-inauguration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3248460/guatemalas-bernardo-arevalo-sworn-president-after-congress-opponents-delay-inauguration?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jan 2024 06:59:45 +0000 Her daughter’s school shut down, Yomara said, after a shoot-out between rival gangs competing for control of drug and migrant trafficking routes in their southern Mexican town of Chicomuselo. Then, she said, produce vendors cleared out of the market after they faced demands to affiliate with the gangs; she feared her husband Carlos would be forcibly recruited if he turned up for his job on a construction site. After the assassination of a prominent local peace activist, Yomara and Carlos, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3245279/rise-mexican-cartel-violence-fuels-record-migration-us-everyone-fleeing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3245279/rise-mexican-cartel-violence-fuels-record-migration-us-everyone-fleeing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Dec 2023 01:00:23 +0000 When he was 13 years old, Joseph Baena discovered that his father is Hollywood star and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger. But instead of riding the fame train, he opted to keep his mother Mildred Baena’s surname, a move that was one of the most defining moments of his life. Joseph, 26, has since followed in his father’s footsteps though, not only entering the acting industry, but also taking fitness tips from him. The resemblance between father and son is uncanny: on Monday, Joseph set the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3241013/meet-joseph-baena-arnold-schwarzeneggers-lookalike-son-his-dad-shocked-world-cheating-ex-wife-maria?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3241013/meet-joseph-baena-arnold-schwarzeneggers-lookalike-son-his-dad-shocked-world-cheating-ex-wife-maria?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Nov 2023 12:00:16 +0000 Hong Kong police and customs officers have confiscated cocaine worth HK$390 million (US$49.9 million) in a marshmallow shipment from South America, the biggest seizure of the drug this year. Senior Inspector Chu Siu-lun of police’s narcotics bureau on Thursday said two men – a city resident and an Ecuadorean – were arrested after sneaking into a cargo vessel to allegedly guard the 318kg (about 700 pounds) cocaine haul hidden in some of the Asia-bound containers on board. The drugs were sealed in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3240957/hong-kong-police-customs-seize-hk390-million-cocaine-haul-hidden-marshmallow-shipment-south-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3240957/hong-kong-police-customs-seize-hk390-million-cocaine-haul-hidden-marshmallow-shipment-south-america?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Nov 2023 12:14:44 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Guatemala’s president-elect Bernardo Arévalo on Tuesday reiterated his commitment to maintaining his country’s ties with Taiwan while seeking better trade relations with Beijing. “It is in our interest to maintain and explore relations with China. We are going to continue the relationship with Taiwan and, at the same time, expand commercial ties with Taiwan,” he told the South China Morning Post in Washington. Arevalo, who unexpectedly defeated former first lady Sandra Torres in August, made... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3236712/guatemala-keep-taipei-ties-while-seeking-better-beijing-relations-arevalo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3236712/guatemala-keep-taipei-ties-while-seeking-better-beijing-relations-arevalo?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Oct 2023 02:59:11 +0000 Two children and four adults were found dead on Monday after a river swollen by heavy rains swept away shacks built on its banks in the Guatemalan capital, authorities said. Thirteen people, including eight children, were still missing after the river tore through the Dios es Fiel (God is Faithful) shantytown in the early morning hours, according to the Conred disaster relief agency. Hundreds of firemen, police, soldiers, and volunteers were taking part in the rescue efforts. The Naranjo river... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3235790/ten-dead-24-missing-guatemala-and-mexico-after-heavy-rains-and-flash-floods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3235790/ten-dead-24-missing-guatemala-and-mexico-after-heavy-rains-and-flash-floods?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Sep 2023 21:18:31 +0000 With the pandemic having accelerated innovative ways of working, Japan is now keen to appeal to a new generation of digital nomads who combine work with travel. The Portuguese island of Madeira was a pioneer in recognising this emerging trend, opening the world’s first digital nomad village in 2021. Since then, remote working has become a way of life for tens of thousands of mostly young and tech-savvy workers around the world. Digital nomads are individuals with online-based jobs who travel... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3234717/japan-calling-foreign-digital-nomads-embrace-work-and-travel-lifestyle-tokyo-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3234717/japan-calling-foreign-digital-nomads-embrace-work-and-travel-lifestyle-tokyo-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Sep 2023 01:30:10 +0000 August has not been a good month for Taiwan. It was ejected from the Central American Parliament. Then Taiwan’s presidential hopeful William Lai Ching-te, who has openly declared that the island is “already an independent country” and was hoping to make a splash during his “stopovers” in the United States, was forced to keep a low profile. Meanwhile, Guatemala’s president-elect Bernardo Arevalo, who has just won a landslide victory, has declared he wants his country to have closer ties with... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3232202/august-month-taiwan-may-prefer-forget?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3232202/august-month-taiwan-may-prefer-forget?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Aug 2023 13:00:24 +0000 Taiwan has withdrawn from the Central American Parliament after the six-member body voted to oust Taipei so that Beijing can take its place as a permanent observer. The parliament, known as Parlacen, voted on the proposal to revoke Taiwan’s observer status – which it had held since 1999 – during a meeting in the Nicaraguan capital Managua on Monday. There were 73 in favour, 32 against and nine abstained from the vote. Parlacen comprises Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, the Dominican... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231933/taiwan-withdraws-central-american-parliament-after-vote-favour-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231933/taiwan-withdraws-central-american-parliament-after-vote-favour-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Aug 2023 13:00:14 +0000 The People’s Liberation Army response over the weekend to Taiwan’s vice-president visiting the United States was more restrained than after the island’s leader met senior US officials, according to analysts. Large-scale live-fire war games were held around the self-ruled island in August 2022 and in April in protest at official contact between President Tsai Ing-wen and US House speakers. Beijing was again angered last week when William Lai Ching-te, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3231820/pla-drills-around-taiwan-after-william-lais-us-trip-seen-more-restrained?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3231820/pla-drills-around-taiwan-after-william-lais-us-trip-seen-more-restrained?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Aug 2023 14:00:10 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai Guatemala can best serve its own interests by switching recognition from Taipei to Beijing, China’s foreign ministry said on Monday after the presidential victory of a candidate who has previously said he favours closer commercial ties with mainland China. But Bernardo Arevalo, who was elected on an anti-corruption ticket on Sunday in a result that came as a shock to many observers, has previously said he has no plans to ditch Taiwan. Taiwan has paid US$900,000 for ally Guatemala to lobby US... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231835/guatemala-urged-ditch-taiwan-after-presidential-race-won-candidate-who-called-stronger-trade-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231835/guatemala-urged-ditch-taiwan-after-presidential-race-won-candidate-who-called-stronger-trade-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Aug 2023 13:29:52 +0000