https://www.scmp.com/rss/519449/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australia has pledged A$2.5 million (US$1.7 million) in aid to Pacific neighbours Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, after tropical cyclone Maila caused devastating floods and landslides that killed 11. Australia stood “shoulder to shoulder” with its neighbours, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday, pledging A$1 million for Papua New Guinea and A$1.5 million for the Solomon Islands, where severe impacts have been felt in remote communities across Western and Choiseul... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3349855/australia-pledges-us17-million-aid-after-cyclone-maila-kills-11-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3349855/australia-pledges-us17-million-aid-after-cyclone-maila-kills-11-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:26:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck in Indonesia’s Northern Maluku Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging buildings and triggering tsunami waves, authorities and witnesses said, though monitoring agencies said the likelihood of further casualties was low. Indonesia’s meteorology agency BMKG said tsunami waves were reported in five locations, the highest at 0.75 metre (2.46 feet) in North ‌Minahasa in North Sulawesi and about 50 aftershocks were monitored, the largest at a magnitude of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348725/tsunami-warning-indonesia-philippines-malaysia-after-maluku-sea-quake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348725/tsunami-warning-indonesia-philippines-malaysia-after-maluku-sea-quake?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:45:58 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Australia and Indonesia’s leaders signed a security deal on Friday, one of a series of agreements that Canberra has secured with neighbouring countries to reinforce ties and limit China’s influence in the region. At a signing ceremony, President Prabowo Subianto met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said before he travelled to Jakarta that the pact was a “watershed moment” in ties. It “represents a major extension of our security and defence cooperation and demonstrates that our relationship... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342607/australia-indonesia-sign-deal-extend-security-cooperation-watershed-moment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342607/australia-indonesia-sign-deal-extend-security-cooperation-watershed-moment?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 04:55:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A red stencil of a hand pressed against the wall of an Indonesian cave is the oldest rock art ever discovered, scientists said on Wednesday, and sheds light on how humans first migrated to Australia. The cave art dates back at least 67,800 years, according to research published in the journal Nature by a team of Indonesian and Australian archaeologists. “We have been working in Indonesia for a long time,” study co-author Maxime Aubert of Australia’s Griffith University said. This time they... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340753/worlds-oldest-cave-art-discovered-indonesia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340753/worlds-oldest-cave-art-discovered-indonesia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 23:51:55 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Senior US officials on Monday pushed back against suggestions of American retreat from the Indo-Pacific, declaring that Washington is recalibrating its foreign assistance to more effectively outcompete China in the strategically vital region while maintaining support for allies through targeted aid and security cooperation. The focus, they said, is shifting away from broad assistance towards targeted partnerships that serve US interests and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific, ranging from... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3336552/us-rejects-claims-indo-pacific-retreat-says-aid-being-recalibrated-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3336552/us-rejects-claims-indo-pacific-retreat-says-aid-being-recalibrated-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 22:15:49 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Australia should lead the creation of a formal Five Eyes-style intelligence club in the Pacific amid China’s growing presence in the region, a prominent foreign policy think tank has suggested. Dubbed “Pacific Eyes”, the proposed intelligence-sharing alliance could help to plug institutional gaps that “external powers” – particularly Beijing – were eager to exploit, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said in a report released on Tuesday. It recommended that the dedicated framework initially consist... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329818/pacific-eyes-intelligence-body-would-offset-chinas-growing-presence-region-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329818/pacific-eyes-intelligence-body-would-offset-chinas-growing-presence-region-report?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 11:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bells rang out on Sunday over St Peter’s Square as Pope Leo XIV created seven new saints, including the first from Papua New Guinea, an archbishop killed in the Armenian genocide and a Venezuelan “doctor of the poor”. Also canonised during the solemn ceremony, under sunny skies in the vast plaza on World Mission Day, were three nuns who dedicated their lives to the poor and sick, and former satanic priest Bartolo Longo. The Italian lawyer born in 1841 subsequently rejoined the Catholic faith and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3329590/nuns-teen-influencer-and-ex-satanic-priest-among-seven-new-saints?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3329590/nuns-teen-influencer-and-ex-satanic-priest-among-seven-new-saints?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 13:54:58 +0000 Christopher Cottrell Christopher Cottrell A new chapter in Pacific security began this week as Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) signed a mutual defence agreement that draws the strategically vital yet volatile Melanesian nation further into Canberra’s sphere of influence – as China watches closely. The “Pukpuk Treaty”, signed in Canberra on Monday by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape, is Australia’s largest Pacific security pact in seven decades. Named after the Tok Pisin... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328115/what-australias-pukpuk-pact-png-means-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328115/what-australias-pukpuk-pact-png-means-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:27:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Papua New Guinea’s cabinet has approved a bilateral defence treaty with near neighbour Australia, paving the way for the nations’ leaders to sign a landmark agreement that US allies hope will curb Chinese influence in the region. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape confirmed on Thursday that the treaty had been formally approved by his cabinet. “Australia has only one other mutual defence treaty of this type and at our request Papua New Guinea will now sign this treaty,” Marape said in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3327653/australia-and-papua-new-guinea-forge-historic-defence-pact-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3327653/australia-and-papua-new-guinea-forge-historic-defence-pact-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 09:52:28 +0000 Lee Min-Yong Lee Min-Yong The Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting is just over a month away. Hosted in the ancient Korean capital of Gyeongju, the summit will bring together leaders from the 21 members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. With both the US and Chinese presidents expected to attend, the gathering is poised to serve as a significant diplomatic stage against the backdrop of mounting tensions on the Korean peninsula and growing uncertainty in global affairs. After North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3326567/apec-offers-stage-china-us-and-two-koreas-make-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3326567/apec-offers-stage-china-us-and-two-koreas-make-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Australia and Papua New Guinea’s defence forces will be integrated under a new security pact that will be signed this week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said. Albanese said on Monday that he and his Papua New Guinean counterpart, James Marape, would sign the pact on Wednesday, a day after celebrating the South Pacific island nation’s 50th anniversary of independence from Australia. US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau will also be in PNG capital, Port Moresby, for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3325557/australia-upgrade-defence-ties-png-chinas-pacific-influence-grows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3325557/australia-upgrade-defence-ties-png-chinas-pacific-influence-grows?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 05:31:04 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Indonesia and the United States launched joint military drills on Monday that will last more than a week, joining allies from 11 countries in exercises aimed at ensuring stability in the Asia-Pacific region. The annual “Super Garuda Shield” drills will take place in the capital, Jakarta, and several locations on the western island of Sumatra and the Riau archipelago until September 4. This year’s exercises focused on strengthening regional ties in an increasingly unstable global landscape, said... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3323032/indonesia-us-start-13-nation-super-garuda-shield-military-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3323032/indonesia-us-start-13-nation-super-garuda-shield-military-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 06:07:14 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow For the first time in its history, Australia’s flagship military exercise has moved beyond its own shores, drawing in Pacific island nations as Canberra and Washington push to “regionalise” strategic deterrence across the Indo-Pacific. Neighbouring Papua New Guinea (PNG) is hosting parts of this year’s Talisman Sabre exercise, which began on July 13 and runs until August 4, with activities involving Australian and US troops. “This is an important demonstration of the deepening integration... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319230/talisman-sabre-australia-us-push-pacific-deterrence-amid-chinas-security-overtures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319230/talisman-sabre-australia-us-push-pacific-deterrence-amid-chinas-security-overtures?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jul 2025 06:00:27 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The largest-ever war fighting drills in Australia, Exercise Talisman Sabre, are under way and expected to attract the attention of Chinese spy ships. Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the United States and Australia. This year, more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, including Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, will take part over three weeks, Australia’s defence department said on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3318087/australias-largest-ever-military-exercise-underway-chinese-spy-ships-expected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3318087/australias-largest-ever-military-exercise-underway-chinese-spy-ships-expected?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 03:42:17 +0000 Papua New Guinea has secured its first-ever conviction for a sorcery accusation that led to the killing of a mother of five in 2023. Campaigners and police say they hope this legal precedent will deter the country’s rampant mob justice that has been fuelled by spurious witchcraft accusations, often born of petty rivalries. Rich in natural gas, rare timber, gold, and fisheries, PNG has become a focal point of international competition in recent years, with Australian and Chinese companies vying... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3304340/pngs-first-glassman-sorcery-conviction-can-it-stop-madness-mob-justice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3304340/pngs-first-glassman-sorcery-conviction-can-it-stop-madness-mob-justice?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:05:08 +0000 Pacific nation Papua New Guinea opened an investigation on Tuesday after losing access to Facebook during a police test of “innovative technology” to regulate online content. Meta’s Facebook and Messenger platforms remained inaccessible to users in the country more than 24 hours after mysteriously going offline on Monday. The government said it had instructed the country’s technology regulator to investigate the “root cause of unsatisfactory access to Facebook during this period”. Meta had... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3303739/pacific-nations-facebook-blackout-tied-content-control-experiment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3303739/pacific-nations-facebook-blackout-tied-content-control-experiment?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Mar 2025 04:32:06 +0000 A defence deal being forged between Australia and Papua New Guinea may signal Canberra’s bid to use the Pacific island nation as a base to keep a closer watch on Chinese naval activities in the region. Observers said the security pact mooted last Thursday in Brisbane between Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and his counterpart Billy Joseph would foster deeper cooperation and counter Beijing’s growing influence in the Pacific. Marles said he wanted to take Australia’s relationship with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3300492/will-australia-use-papua-new-guinea-defence-deal-watchtower-track-chinese-navy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3300492/will-australia-use-papua-new-guinea-defence-deal-watchtower-track-chinese-navy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Feb 2025 04:34:31 +0000 The Australian government has signed a confidential agreement with Papua New Guinea, its second security pact in the Pacific in just under a week, in the latest move by the US ally to attempt to contain China’s growing strategic presence in the region. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stood alongside Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape in Sydney on Thursday to announce a deal that would see the Pacific nation enter a team in Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) from 2028, at the cost... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3290449/australia-seals-papua-new-guinea-security-deal-eye-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3290449/australia-seals-papua-new-guinea-security-deal-eye-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Dec 2024 04:54:32 +0000 Papua New Guinea’s copper- and gold-rich Bougainville region is set to declare independence by 2027, eight years after a landslide vote to secede, its leader said on Wednesday. The region – home to about 300,000 people and a vast, long-closed copper and gold mine – voted 97.7 per cent in favour of independence in a 2019 referendum. But some analysts say it is unclear whether Papua New Guinea will agree to let the region break away any time soon, and what form its future status will take. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3290286/rebel-region-vows-become-pacifics-newest-nation-2027-people-have-spoken?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3290286/rebel-region-vows-become-pacifics-newest-nation-2027-people-have-spoken?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Dec 2024 06:32:20 +0000 Australia will move to stem the exodus of its banks from Pacific island nations, the country’s top economic official said, as concerns mount that China could bolster its influence by filling in the gaps. For years, Western banks have been closing branches throughout the South Pacific, citing political turmoil, wafer-thin profits and the high cost of doing business. State-owned Bank of China has indicated it is eager to step in, stoking worries that Beijing could expand its already considerable... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3286147/chinese-banks-circle-pacific-australia-pushes-anz-stay-island-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3286147/chinese-banks-circle-pacific-australia-pushes-anz-stay-island-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Nov 2024 02:34:30 +0000 Pope Francis urged Papua New Guinea on Saturday to “stop the spiral” of tribal violence that has killed untold numbers of people and displaced tens of thousands more, while saying the country’s natural resources must benefit “the entire community”. “It is my particular hope that tribal violence will come to an end,” the pontiff told a gathering of politicians, diplomats and civic leaders on the first full day of a visit to the South Pacific nation. “It causes many victims, prevents people from... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3277583/pope-calls-papua-new-guinea-end-tribal-violence-urges-fair-share-its-resources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3277583/pope-calls-papua-new-guinea-end-tribal-violence-urges-fair-share-its-resources?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Sep 2024 02:56:57 +0000 Pope Francis embarks on Monday on a 12-day trip to Southeast Asia, the longest and farthest of his papacy that will challenge the 87-year-old’s increasingly fragile health. The pontiff will fly overnight and arrive on Tuesday in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, before heading to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. The distance covered – some 32,000 kilometres – and the time difference of up to eight hours would be enough to make it a testing trip. But Francis – for whom spreading the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3276677/pope-heads-southeast-asia-ambitious-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3276677/pope-heads-southeast-asia-ambitious-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Aug 2024 04:43:54 +0000 Pacific island leaders endorsed a landmark regional policing plan on Wednesday at a summit in Tonga, a contentious move seen as trying to limit China’s security role in the region. Leaders unveiled a plan to create up to four regional police training centres and a multinational crisis reaction force, backed by US$271 million in initial funding from Australia. Under the plan, a corps of about 200 officers drawn from different Pacific island nations could be dispatched to regional hotspots and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3276173/australia-pushes-pacific-police-force-check-chinas-regional-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3276173/australia-pushes-pacific-police-force-check-chinas-regional-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Aug 2024 01:17:39 +0000 Australia could persuade its Anglo-American allies to take a more rational approach to Hong Kong and mainland China in the interests of global peace and stability. Instead, the Australian political elite, seemingly in thrall to the United States, continues to fuel tensions with China. This positions the remote island nation as a potential pariah in its region. Take the Aukus pact, for example, which will see Australia buy American and British nuclear naval capabilities for the first time. This... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3275053/australia-must-stand-us-and-uk-pressure-over-aukus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3275053/australia-must-stand-us-and-uk-pressure-over-aukus?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Aug 2024 21:30:09 +0000 For some lucky Hong Kong invitees, the arrival into port in June of The World – Residences at Sea was a rare opportunity to peek into the world of the tiny elite that lives and travels the globe in what is essentially a floating luxury condominium with the amenities of a swanky country club. Think fancy wine programmes, boutique health and wellness services including physiotherapist and personal trainer, and reciprocal access to a suite of equestrian, yachting and golf clubs far and wide. Owned... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3272335/aboard-world-mega-yacht-you-can-travel-globe-without-leaving-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3272335/aboard-world-mega-yacht-you-can-travel-globe-without-leaving-home?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jul 2024 22:00:16 +0000 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday replaced the government ministers responsible for immigration and national security, overhauling the scandal-plagued portfolios. Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has been under pressure since it was forced to release more than 100 immigration detainees – many convicted of assault, kidnapping and murder – in the wake of a landmark court ruling. Albanese has sought to draw a line under the politically damaging saga, dumping Home Affairs... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3272198/australia-pm-replaces-immigration-national-security-ministers-after-scandals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3272198/australia-pm-replaces-immigration-national-security-ministers-after-scandals?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jul 2024 07:53:43 +0000 Japanese and Pacific island leaders largely focused on climate change at their recent meeting even though Tokyo was keen to discuss security cooperation amid China’s growing military and economic influence in the region. The environmental hot potato was a “major priority” for Pacific island nations while Japan was setting its sights on boosting security initiatives in partnership with its allies, according to observers. At the talks held in Tokyo from Tuesday to Thursday, participants said they... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3271190/japans-talks-pacific-islands-focus-climate-security-issues-take-back-seat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3271190/japans-talks-pacific-islands-focus-climate-security-issues-take-back-seat?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2024 04:00:17 +0000 Many of the refugees previously detained in Papua New Guinea and left behind by the Australian government are at imminent risk of death, Australia’s leading asylum seeker support group has warned. In a new audit report published on Friday, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) said one in five of the 47 refugees still in Papua New Guinea “were so unwell their lives were at imminent risk” and that they needed urgent medical care and immediate evacuation. The ASRC report was released to mark 11... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3271182/australia-urged-act-refugee-health-crisis-intensifies-papua-new-guinea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3271182/australia-urged-act-refugee-health-crisis-intensifies-papua-new-guinea?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2024 02:30:10 +0000 Kevin McSpadden Kevin McSpadden With its brilliant red juice and distinctive colouration of the teeth and gums, betel nuts are a well-known oral stimulant drug in Asia. Chewing betel quids is deeply integrated into various cultures in the region, and a recent discovery in Taiwan offers evidence that the habit has persisted in Asia for thousands of years. A June update from a long-term excavation project in Taiwan said that two skeletons, estimated to be between 2,500 and 2,700 years old, exhibited signs of betel seed... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3270559/2500-year-old-taiwan-human-skeletons-indicate-indigenous-tribes-island-chewed-betel-nuts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3270559/2500-year-old-taiwan-human-skeletons-indicate-indigenous-tribes-island-chewed-betel-nuts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jul 2024 06:00:09 +0000 Pope Francis decried the state of democracy and warned against “populists” during a short visit to Trieste in Italy’s northeast on Sunday ahead of a 12-day trip to Asia – the longest of his papacy. “Democracy is not in good health in the world today,” Francis said during a speech at the city’s convention centre to close a national Catholic event. Without naming any countries, the pope warned against “ideological temptations and populists” on the day that France holds the second round of a snap... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3269501/pope-francis-deplores-state-democracy-warns-against-populists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3269501/pope-francis-deplores-state-democracy-warns-against-populists?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jul 2024 09:35:08 +0000 China has donated a presidential building complex in Vanuatu while Australia and New Zealand inaugurated an airfield worth A$55 million (US$36.55 million) in neighbouring Solomon Islands, amid competition for influence in the Pacific Islands region. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters was in the Solomon Islands on Tuesday to hand over the airfield in Western Province, funded by New Zealand and Australia. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele, also at the ceremony, is expected to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3268798/china-gifts-pacific-nation-vanuatu-sweeping-new-presidential-palace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3268798/china-gifts-pacific-nation-vanuatu-sweeping-new-presidential-palace?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jul 2024 02:31:03 +0000 China’s rugby sevens coaches are confident their women’s team can live up to expectations back home and reach the Paris Olympics via the final qualifying tournament in Monaco, which starts on Friday. And they have a former Hong Kong international helping their cause, in technical coach and video analyst Fan Shun-kei, who is under no illusion about the aspirations held by Chinese officials. Changes have been made since China fell short in their first attempt to qualify, in the Asian qualifier... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3267406/can-china-reach-paris-olympics-rugby-sevens-handling-expectation-key-last-qualifier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3267406/can-china-reach-paris-olympics-rugby-sevens-handling-expectation-key-last-qualifier?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jun 2024 12:12:05 +0000 Head coach Jevon Groves has “backed off” his battle-weary players, as Hong Kong prepare for the “huge ask” of trying to win this weekend’s Olympic repechage tournament in Monaco. Groves’ side has been on the go since August, and last month suffered heartache when a narrow Challenger Series loss to Germany in Munich cost them a place at Madrid’s season-ending grand finals. The past 10 months have featured an Asian Games gold medal as well as the pain of missing Olympic qualification after a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hong-kong-rugby-union/article/3267224/paris-olympics-2024-coach-jevon-groves-rouses-weary-hong-kong-7s-team-final-games-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hong-kong-rugby-union/article/3267224/paris-olympics-2024-coach-jevon-groves-rouses-weary-hong-kong-7s-team-final-games-push?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:30:08 +0000 The United States cricket team have made more history by reaching the second round on their Twenty20 World Cup debut after their last group game against Ireland was washed out on Friday. The co-hosts qualified for the knockout Super Eight stage at the expense of Pakistan without bowling a ball after torrential rain washed out their match at Broward County Stadium in Lauderdale, Florida. The Americans have also automatically qualified for the 2026 Twenty20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The US... https://www.scmp.com/sport/cricket/article/3266739/t20-world-cup-pakistan-out-co-hosts-united-states-make-history-reach-knockout-stage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/cricket/article/3266739/t20-world-cup-pakistan-out-co-hosts-united-states-make-history-reach-knockout-stage?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jun 2024 10:00:19 +0000 New Zealand are on the brink of exiting the T20 World Cup at the group stage after Sherfane Rutherford rescued the West Indies with the bat and their bowlers contained the Kiwis to complete a 13-run victory in a Group C match of the T20 World Cup in Trinidad on Wednesday. Rutherford’s unbeaten 68 off 39 balls (two fours, six sixes) lifted the home side from the depths of 30 for five in the seventh over to a competitive 149 for nine after they were put in by Black Caps skipper Kane... https://www.scmp.com/sport/cricket/article/3266463/t20-world-cup-new-zealand-need-miracle-avoid-early-exit-after-13-run-west-indies-loss?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/cricket/article/3266463/t20-world-cup-new-zealand-need-miracle-avoid-early-exit-after-13-run-west-indies-loss?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jun 2024 09:30:17 +0000 As monsoon rains pounded a hillside village in Nepal’s Dolakha district in August 2018, an early warning system tested just months earlier sprang into action – sounding the alarm and helping nearly 500 people evacuate just minutes before a landslide struck. Now, another group of scientists is piloting an artificial intelligence-powered forecasting system that aims to predict landslides with greater accuracy days, or even weeks, before they occur. SAFE-RISCCS, short for the Spatiotemporal... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3266082/nepal-rolls-out-ai-powered-crystal-ball-predict-deadly-landslides?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3266082/nepal-rolls-out-ai-powered-crystal-ball-predict-deadly-landslides?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jun 2024 09:30:11 +0000 Uganda are training hard for their first-ever Twenty20 World Cup, a “dream come true” in a nation where cricket is overshadowed by football as the most popular sport. But they have a tough road ahead in the tournament, which is being jointly hosted by the United States and West Indies and runs from June 1 to June 29. Among their opponents are New Zealand and West Indies, as well as Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea, with the fixtures being held in Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. Time is not on... https://www.scmp.com/sport/cricket/article/3264373/cricket-t20-world-cup-uganda-enjoy-dream-come-true-they-prepare-face-new-zealand-west-indies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/cricket/article/3264373/cricket-t20-world-cup-uganda-enjoy-dream-come-true-they-prepare-face-new-zealand-west-indies?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 May 2024 07:00:10 +0000 More than 2,000 people were buried alive by a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea last week, the national disaster centre said on Monday, as treacherous terrain and the difficulty of getting aid to the site raises the risk few survivors will be found. The National Disaster Centre raised the number suspected buried to 2,000 in a letter to the UN released on Monday but dated Sunday. A separate UN agency put the possible death toll much lower, at more than 670 people. The variance reflects the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3264228/over-2000-buried-alive-massive-landslide-papua-new-guinea-tells-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3264228/over-2000-buried-alive-massive-landslide-papua-new-guinea-tells-un?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 May 2024 06:12:23 +0000 The International Organization for Migration on Sunday increased its estimate of the death toll from a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea to more than 670 as emergency responders and traumatised relatives gave up hope that any survivors will now be found. Serhan Aktoprak, the chief of the UN migration agency’s mission in the South Pacific island nation, said the revised death toll was based on calculations by Yambali village and Enga provincial officials that more than 150 homes had been... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3264161/papua-new-guinea-landslide-kills-more-670-no-hope-finding-survivors-un-agency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3264161/papua-new-guinea-landslide-kills-more-670-no-hope-finding-survivors-un-agency?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 May 2024 10:06:55 +0000 A massive landslide struck remote villages in Papua New Guinea’s highlands Friday, with many homes buried and scores of villagers feared dead. The disaster hit an isolated part of Enga province at around 3:00am local time, according to government officials, when many villagers were at home asleep. Provincial governor Peter Ipatas said that “there has been a big landslide, causing loss of life and property”. Three bodies have so far been recovered, but there are fears that hundreds more may be... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3263974/massive-landslide-hits-papua-new-guinea-many-feared-dead-mountain-just-collapsed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3263974/massive-landslide-hits-papua-new-guinea-many-feared-dead-mountain-just-collapsed?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 May 2024 08:39:57 +0000 As Australian and New Zealand planes begin evacuating citizens from the embattled Pacific island of New Caledonia on Tuesday after a week of riots, France will continue to come under pressure over its refusal to decolonise the territory, analysts say. Violent protests broke out in the island territory northeast of Australia last week after Paris extended voting rights to French people who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years or more, thus potentially diluting the indigenous Kanak people’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3263541/new-caledonia-riots-inequalities-lack-indigenous-voice-expose-failures-french-democratic-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3263541/new-caledonia-riots-inequalities-lack-indigenous-voice-expose-failures-french-democratic-system?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:10 +0000 Under unprecedented intimidation and interference from Israel and the United States, Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has stood his ground and applied for arrest warrants against the top leaders of Israel and Hamas. While his application still needs to be approved by a panel of ICC judges, it will add significant pressure on Israel and its allies to end the carnage in Gaza. Depending on the outcome, it also may help to restore the effectiveness of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3263504/international-court-prosecutor-rises-historic-occasion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3263504/international-court-prosecutor-rises-historic-occasion?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 May 2024 13:00:37 +0000 Hong Kong failed to shed their “nearly men” tag after a slim Challenger Series semi-final loss to hosts Germany cost Jevon Groves’ team the chance to fight for world series status. The top four Challenger Series finishers qualified for a playoff in Madrid, beginning on May 31, where four spots in next season’s HSBC SVNS Series are up for grabs. Germany snaffled that precious fourth spot after beating Hong Kong 21-14 in a nip-and-tuck last-four match in Munich. Groves’ side were otherwise... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/3263312/heartache-hong-kong-men-loss-germany-costs-chance-join-world-series-china-women-good-shot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/3263312/heartache-hong-kong-men-loss-germany-costs-chance-join-world-series-china-women-good-shot?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2024 04:36:54 +0000 French President Emmanuel Macron’s ambitions to deepen French influence in the Pacific, where China is expanding its security ties, could be put at risk by the heavy-handed response to civil unrest in New Caledonia, Pacific analysts and officials said. Deadly riots erupted this week among indigenous Kanak, after Paris changed voting rules to allow more French residents to join electoral rolls in the Pacific territory. The violence and the arrival of hundreds of police from Paris are reigniting... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3263149/macrons-response-french-territory-new-caledonia-risks-helping-china-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3263149/macrons-response-french-territory-new-caledonia-risks-helping-china-analysts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 May 2024 13:52:28 +0000 Pope Francis will visit Venice on Sunday, his first trip outside Rome in seven months, which will be closely watched amid concerns over the 87-year-old’s fragile health. The Argentine pontiff has toured the world in his 11 years as head of the Catholic Church, but has not travelled since visiting the French city of Marseille in September. He was forced to cancel a trip to Dubai in December, where he was to have addressed UN climate talks, due to a bout of bronchitis. And he pulled out of an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3260661/pope-francis-make-first-trip-outside-rome-7-months-amid-concerns-over-his-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3260661/pope-francis-make-first-trip-outside-rome-7-months-amid-concerns-over-his-health?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Apr 2024 03:02:35 +0000 China will be Cambodia’s “most reliable friend and the firmest supporter”, regardless of the international environment, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Cambodian leader Hun Manet on Monday amid growing tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. During the meeting in Phnom Penh, Wang said China would continue to invest more in Cambodian infrastructure and promote production capacity cooperation, according to China’s foreign ministry. In response, Hun Manet said Phnom Penh’s China policy had been... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3260009/south-china-sea-tensions-mount-china-vows-be-cambodias-side-no-matter-what?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3260009/south-china-sea-tensions-mount-china-vows-be-cambodias-side-no-matter-what?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Apr 2024 06:02:54 +0000 China and Cambodia pledged on Monday to speed up finalising the long-awaited South China Sea code of conduct when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Beijing’s loyal partner. During a meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol, Wang said both Beijing and Phnom Penh had agreed to protect “hard-earned regional peace” under multiple frameworks, such as the China-Asean (Association of Southeast Asian nations) and Lancang-Mekong cooperations. Plans for a code of conduct in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3259931/south-china-sea-china-and-cambodia-vow-move-quickly-conclude-code-conduct-amid-tension-disputed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3259931/south-china-sea-china-and-cambodia-vow-move-quickly-conclude-code-conduct-amid-tension-disputed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Apr 2024 13:00:25 +0000 Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says his nation does not deserve to be labelled cannibals, and urged the US to clear up the remnants of World War Two littered across the Pacific, after comments by President Joe Biden about his missing serviceman uncle. Biden had “appeared to imply his uncle was eaten by cannibals after his plane was shot down over PNG during WWII”, Marape’s office said in a statement late on Sunday. ‘No empty promises’: China’s Wang Yi rejects criticism of aid for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3259842/papua-new-guinea-finds-bidens-cannibal-remarks-hard-swallow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3259842/papua-new-guinea-finds-bidens-cannibal-remarks-hard-swallow?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Apr 2024 02:14:44 +0000 Hong Kong’s men have been drawn alongside Spain, Papua New Guinea and Brazil for the pool stages of the final sevens Olympic qualifying tournament in June. Unlikely to reach the Games in Paris this summer after missing out on the regional qualifying spot to Japan, Jevon Groves’ side have at least avoided South Africa, Canada and Great Britain in the opening rounds. The city’s women have a slightly easier task ahead of them, having been grouped with Uganda, Paraguay and Jamaica for the World... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/international-rugby/article/3259799/paris-olympics-hong-kongs-men-face-spain-last-chance-sevens-qualifier-while-uganda-among-womens-pool?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/international-rugby/article/3259799/paris-olympics-hong-kongs-men-face-spain-last-chance-sevens-qualifier-while-uganda-among-womens-pool?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Apr 2024 09:00:23 +0000 Beijing’s help for Pacific island states has always come without political strings attached, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, amid criticism that China was using aid to expand its influence in the region and falling short on promises. The remarks on Saturday came as Wang arrived in Papua New Guinea following a visit to Indonesia on a trip aimed at deepening engagements with developing countries. Addressing a joint press conference with his PNG counterpart Justin Tkatchenko in the capital... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3259765/no-political-strings-chinas-aid-pacific-island-nations-foreign-minister-wang-yi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3259765/no-political-strings-chinas-aid-pacific-island-nations-foreign-minister-wang-yi?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Apr 2024 15:04:13 +0000