https://www.scmp.com/rss/519399/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press A charity co-founded by Prince Harry in Africa to honour his late mother, Princess Diana, has sued him for defamation after he stepped down as a patron last year. Sentebale, which supports young people living with HIV in Botswana and Lesotho, filed suit last month in London’s High Court, according to court records reviewed Friday. Online filings show Harry and his friend, Mark Dyer, a trustee at the charity, are being sued for either libel or slander. No documents were available. Disagreements... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349711/prince-harry-sued-african-charity-he-set-honour-princess-diana?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349711/prince-harry-sued-african-charity-he-set-honour-princess-diana?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:44:09 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Authorities in Mogadishu had cleared the roads for a historic visit, yet on Friday Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi travelled to Tanzania instead of Somalia as planned. It would have been the first high-level Chinese mission to Mogadishu in four decades. The last-minute decision not to include the capital on Wang’s itinerary came as Somalia seeks shows of diplomatic support after Israel recognised the breakaway region of Somaliland last month. A source at the presidential palace told local media... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339584/wang-yi-cites-severe-risks-after-somalia-dropped-africa-itinerary-last-minute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339584/wang-yi-cites-severe-risks-after-somalia-dropped-africa-itinerary-last-minute?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 08:37:40 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim China pledged to deepen cooperation and exchanges with Tanzania on Friday as its top diplomat toured the region, promising that Beijing would “always stand together” with Africa. Wang Yi also called on Tanzania to work with China to uphold international law and multilateralism, in what one observer said would be the Chinese foreign minister’s key message to Africa amid Washington’s apparent retreat from the rules-based international system. Wang will wrap up his six-day tour of the continent on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339490/china-urges-tanzania-back-multilateralism-vows-always-stand-together-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339490/china-urges-tanzania-back-multilateralism-vows-always-stand-together-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 11:00:11 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage China and the African Union issued a joint call to uphold an international law-based order, with particular respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, in a display of unity against Washington’s raid on Venezuela. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and African Union chief Mahmoud Ali Youssouf expressed concerns over the events in Venezuela in a statement released after their meeting in Ethiopia on Thursday. The United States raided Venezuela on Saturday and abducted its leader Nicolas... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339294/china-fm-wang-yi-opens-africa-tour-united-call-rules-based-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339294/china-fm-wang-yi-opens-africa-tour-united-call-rules-based-order?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 06:34:20 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage The apparent collapse of a 25-year tariff-free trade pact between the United States and Africa symbolises an American retreat, according to observers, who say the shift is paving the way for China to deepen its influence across the continent. The Clinton-era African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) expired on September 30 after Congress failed to pass a renewal bill, leaving more than 6,000 African exports, such as apparel and textiles, subject to higher US tariffs. The resulting economic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327837/how-dead-us-trade-deal-pushing-africa-further-chinas-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327837/how-dead-us-trade-deal-pushing-africa-further-chinas-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 02:00:07 +0000 China’s trade with Africa grew by a moderate 2.7 per cent year on year in the first quarter to reach US$72.6 billion despite rising trade uncertainties from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The latest customs data shows a mixed picture, with Chinese exports to Africa climbing 11.3 per cent to US$45.92 billion, while imports from the continent fell 9.4 per cent to US$26.69 billion. The marginal increase comes amid growing trade uncertainties following Trump’s return to protectionist policies,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3307305/moderate-china-africa-trade-growth-seen-win-given-us-tariffs-currency-weakness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3307305/moderate-china-africa-trade-growth-seen-win-given-us-tariffs-currency-weakness?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Apr 2025 09:00:14 +0000 Prince Harry has been travelling without Meghan Markle and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, recently. After making stops in London and New York, where he appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show, the Duke of Sussex arrived in the southern African country of Lesotho on October 1 for what became his eighth solo appearance in as many days, according to The Telegraph. The 40-year-old appeared on Princess Senate Seeiso of Lesotho’s Instagram page shortly after his arrival, as noted by the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3281401/meet-african-princess-who-just-hosted-prince-harry-lunch-senate-seeiso-lesothos-uncle-founded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3281401/meet-african-princess-who-just-hosted-prince-harry-lunch-senate-seeiso-lesothos-uncle-founded?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Oct 2024 21:00:09 +0000 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is finally a free man, reuniting with his family in Australia last week after pleading guilty to violating US espionage law. He arrived by private jet at Canberra airport where his wife Stella Assange, members of the media and supporters awaited him as they cheered on in their droves, Reuters reported. Assange, who has been embroiled in a 14-year legal battle for his freedom, is considered by some a journalistic hero for exposing abuses by US armed forces in... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3268843/who-are-julian-assanges-children-daniel-gabriel-and-max-wikileaks-founder-has-finally-reunited-his?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3268843/who-are-julian-assanges-children-daniel-gabriel-and-max-wikileaks-founder-has-finally-reunited-his?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jul 2024 10:30:11 +0000 He is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with multiple records to his name. Roger Federer retired from tennis in September 2022, but has remained top of mind for many. Whether he is forging ahead with business partnerships or supporting the Springboks at the Rugby World Cup, Federer has shown fans a new side to himself after his tennis success. So what exactly has he been up to since? Roger Federer’s almost-billionaire status At 42, the Swiss maestro’s net worth has continued to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3254689/what-roger-federer-retirement-his-massive-uniqlo-deal-charity-work-africa-performing-coldplay-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3254689/what-roger-federer-retirement-his-massive-uniqlo-deal-charity-work-africa-performing-coldplay-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2024 11:00:14 +0000 Japan has the most pronounced gender gap among the 34 high-income nations of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and ranks just 73rd out of the 190 countries surveyed in a new study conducted by the World Bank. The study, released on Monday, ahead of International Women’s Day on Friday, once again makes grim reading for a nation that has long recognised that it has a significant gender imbalance when it comes to legal rights and opportunities for men and women, yet... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3254554/biased-against-women-japans-gender-gap-widest-among-oecd-countries-world-bank-study-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3254554/biased-against-women-japans-gender-gap-widest-among-oecd-countries-world-bank-study-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 00:00:17 +0000 Hong Kong may be located in the subtropics, but the city has a definite winter, with the mercury normally dropping below 10 degrees Celsius at some point in January – as it has this year. It makes sense then that the best time to acquire a new statement piece of outerwear is in the run-up to the often chilly Lunar New Year. There are also traditions to consider, with wearing new clothing on the first day of the Lunar New Year a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. Though red is often the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3249829/6-chinese-new-year-themed-outerwear-collections-shop-festive-season-north-face-and-canada-gooses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3249829/6-chinese-new-year-themed-outerwear-collections-shop-festive-season-north-face-and-canada-gooses?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jan 2024 02:00:16 +0000 Few gemstones are as lustrous and uniquely saturated as the pink diamond. A wonder of nature, pink diamonds were first discovered in India during the early 17th century in the legendary Kollur mine, one of the largest and most productive diamond mines on the Indian subcontinent during the 16th to mid-19th centuries. A French merchant and adventurer called Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was the first to reference pink diamonds, describing in his travel notes a large pink rough diamond of over 200... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3248191/what-makes-pink-diamonds-special-and-where-do-they-come-most-are-dug-single-mine-australia-which?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3248191/what-makes-pink-diamonds-special-and-where-do-they-come-most-are-dug-single-mine-australia-which?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jan 2024 06:00:19 +0000 Serious, even alarming, levels of hunger are eating away at the Global South, particularly in Africa and South Asia, according to the latest Global Hunger Index, as the undernourished masses grow to 735 million, up from an already worrying 572 million in 2017. Although the triple whammy of Covid-19, climate change and Russia’s war on Ukraine has intensified food insecurities worldwide, the impact has been most deeply felt in sub-Saharan Africa. The nine countries defined as having an “alarming”... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3237976/rich-are-getting-richer-more-people-are-going-hungry-global-south-why?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3237976/rich-are-getting-richer-more-people-are-going-hungry-global-south-why?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2023 12:30:08 +0000 India’s ongoing diplomatic row with Canada points to the United States’ difficulties in maintaining a “united front” in the region, analysts said, adding that the row is a “warning” that New Delhi does not see eye to eye with Washington and its allies on the concept of “shared values”. Last month, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” of India’s involvement in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh separatist leader who was killed by masked... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3236905/india-canada-row-challenges-us-resolve-keeping-united-front-region-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3236905/india-canada-row-challenges-us-resolve-keeping-united-front-region-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Oct 2023 01:30:22 +0000 A heady whiff of smug satisfaction surely accompanies the enjoyment of Drops of God (Apple TV+) – at least that of anyone who has ever felt short-changed having bought expensive French wine. Largely through radical, abrasive French oenologist Alexandre Léger (Stanley Weber), the series puts the boot into the pretence and pomposity that surrounds winemaking and tasting. But being a French-Japanese co-production, its glare is steered by Léger’s disgust at the fact that consumers pay for renowned,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3222592/taut-apple-tv-drama-drops-god-uncorks-wine-snobbery-two-experts-go-nose-nose-tasting-competition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/3222592/taut-apple-tv-drama-drops-god-uncorks-wine-snobbery-two-experts-go-nose-nose-tasting-competition?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jun 2023 10:15:13 +0000 China’s influence in Africa has expanded to law enforcement as it seeks to protect its nationals abroad or arrest those wanted for alleged crimes. From South Africa to the North African nations of Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt, China has signed public security and law enforcement agreements with some 40 African nations, according to a report by Africa-China security expert Paul Nantulya. He gives the example of a joint operation in Uganda that led to the capture and deportation of four Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3222215/how-china-expanding-its-law-enforcement-activities-across-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3222215/how-china-expanding-its-law-enforcement-activities-across-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 May 2023 22:00:17 +0000 China is importing more food products such as avocados, cashews, sesame seeds and chilli peppers from Africa, as agriculture emerges as the new focus of Beijing’s engagement with the continent. In the first two months of this year, Shanghai ports handled more than 40,000 tonnes of African agricultural products worth more than US$100 million, according to Shanghai Customs. By March 3, a total of 1,845 tonnes of African sesame had been imported through Shanghai’s Waigaoqiao Port – 4.3 times more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3214001/chinas-africa-ties-why-food-new-focus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3214001/chinas-africa-ties-why-food-new-focus?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Mar 2023 10:00:18 +0000 The world is confronting multiple, compounding crises, from Covid-19, energy, inflation, debt and climate shocks to unaffordable living costs and political instability. The need for ambitious action cannot be greater. However, the return of failed policies such as austerity, now called “fiscal restraint” or “fiscal consolidation”, and a lack of effective taxation and debt-reduction initiatives threaten to exacerbate the macroeconomic instability and daily hardships that billions of people are... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202657/pandemic-austerity-plans-benefit-few-expense-many-must-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202657/pandemic-austerity-plans-benefit-few-expense-many-must-go?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Dec 2022 04:23:22 +0000 Nearly a year ago, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda requested that the East African country be allowed to export more products tariff-free to the lucrative Chinese market. China’s trade restrictions made it impossible to export some items, he explained. “[Chinese] companies are very active. They [see opportunity] … and they come and invest. So I think that is going very well,” Museveni told Bloomberg in November, ahead of the 8th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation ministerial conference. “The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3199961/china-course-africa-trade-boost-it-offers-duty-free-access-nine-more-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3199961/china-course-africa-trade-boost-it-offers-duty-free-access-nine-more-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Nov 2022 22:00:13 +0000 When a Chinese military delegation visited Harare in 2011 to share experiences with Zimbabwean forces, president Robert Mugabe, who was also commander-in-chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, lavished praise on China. “They have assisted us in our struggle to free ourselves from colonialism,” he said. “China is a great friend of ours in many ways.” Mugabe was deposed five years ago but Zimbabwe remains Africa’s key destination for Chinese military assistance, according to a study published last... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3199382/chinese-aid-african-security-forces-helps-cement-ties-study-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3199382/chinese-aid-african-security-forces-helps-cement-ties-study-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Nov 2022 04:00:10 +0000 Britain’s King Charles said he had been “moved beyond measure” by the outpouring of public sympathy following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth in a message of thanks on the eve of her grand state funeral. King Charles said that he and his wife Queen Consort Camilla had been “so deeply touched” by messages of condolence and support from Britain and around the world. Britain held a minute’s silence on Sunday in a tribute to Queen Elizabeth before Monday’s farewell. “We were moved beyond... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3192953/king-charles-deeply-touched-he-thanks-public-ahead-queen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3192953/king-charles-deeply-touched-he-thanks-public-ahead-queen?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Sep 2022 22:38:34 +0000 Beijing needs to make a “necessary” response to the US over Taiwan, the Chinese foreign minister said, as tensions mounted after a US congressional delegation visited the island barely two weeks after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “In response to each blatant provocation by the United States, China must make the necessary and legitimate response, which is exercising its legitimate right to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as upholding the principle of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3189098/us-provocations-over-taiwan-call-necessary-response-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3189098/us-provocations-over-taiwan-call-necessary-response-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Aug 2022 11:30:15 +0000 Chinese lending to Africa fell by 78 per cent to its lowest level in more than a decade in 2020, with just 11 deals signed worth US$1.9 billion – partly because of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Chinese loans to Africa database, managed by the Boston University Global Development Policy Centre, this compares with 33 loan agreements worth US$8.3 billion in 2019. The 2020 agreements included transport, power, ICT and banking sector projects in eight countries – Burkina Faso, Democratic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3175558/china-slashes-african-infrastructure-loans-ict-funding-holds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3175558/china-slashes-african-infrastructure-loans-ict-funding-holds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Apr 2022 03:00:24 +0000 Julian Assange – the WikiLeaks founder and world’s most famous whistle-blower – married his long-term partner Stella Moris on Wednesday, March 23, in a low-key ceremony at London’s high-security Belmarsh prison. “I am very happy and very sad,” she told those gathered outside the prison afterwards. “I love Julian with all my heart, and I wish he were here. He’s the most amazing person in the world, and he should be free.” Assange has been held at Belmarsh since 2019 as the United States... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3171927/who-julian-assanges-new-wife-stella-moris-south-african?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3171927/who-julian-assanges-new-wife-stella-moris-south-african?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Mar 2022 14:31:44 +0000 It’s no secret that the royal family has an almost celebrity-like status in Britain – and they get on famously with many screen stars too. Princess Diana had friends like Elton John, who has remained close with her sons even in their adulthood. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have plenty of A-lister neighbours in Montecito, California – of course – while Princess Eugenie is friends with Ellie Goulding and Cara Delevingne. Read on for our roundup of celebrities with British royal connections … 1.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3163683/13-celebrities-british-royals-best-friends-meghan-markles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3163683/13-celebrities-british-royals-best-friends-meghan-markles?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jan 2022 22:00:17 +0000