https://www.scmp.com/rss/522033/feed Jeffrey Epstein was an American financier who built a significant fortune and cultivated an extensive network of high-profile individuals, including politicians, celebrities, and royalty. He began his career at Bear Stearns before establishing his own investment firms, notably managing wealth for billionaires like Leslie Wexner. Despite his financial success and expertise in wealth management, his business dealings were often opaque. Epstein gained notoriety as a convicted sex offender, involved... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan After avoiding much of the churn, firings and senior official turnover that marked his first term, US President Donald Trump on Thursday added to the string of high-profile departures in recent days, as bad news heaped more pressure on the White House. The administration announced that US Attorney General Pam Bondi was leaving to be replaced by her deputy, Todd Blanche, in an acting capacity. “We love Pam,” Trump wrote on social media. “She will be transitioning to a much-needed and important... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348858/trump-fires-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-amid-epstein-files-furore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348858/trump-fires-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-amid-epstein-files-furore?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:20:46 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bank of America has agreed to pay US$72.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that the bank facilitated a sex-trafficking ring orchestrated by Jeffrey Epstein, court documents showed on Friday. Bank of America said separately that while it continued to deny supporting Epstein’s crimes, “this resolution allows us to put this matter behind us and provides further closure for the plaintiffs”. The suit, filed by an unidentified woman on behalf of herself and other alleged victims,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348228/bank-america-pay-us725-million-settle-epstein-sex-trafficking-lawsuit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348228/bank-america-pay-us725-million-settle-epstein-sex-trafficking-lawsuit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 03:33:21 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press French financial prosecutors said on Tuesday that searches were carried out at several locations, including the Paris arm of Swiss private bank Edmond de Rothschild, as part of an investigation tied to revelations from the files on Jeffrey Epstein. France’s national financial prosecutor’s office said searches were carried out last Friday as part of a preliminary investigation opened last month. Investigators are examining suspicions of bribery involving a foreign public official and complicity... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347767/french-authorities-search-paris-arm-swiss-bank-epstein-linked-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347767/french-authorities-search-paris-arm-swiss-bank-epstein-linked-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:37:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit said in an interview broadcast Friday that she was “manipulated” by convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whom she accused of extorting others. A commoner who married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, Mette-Marit’s name appears multiple times in Epstein documents released by the US Department of Justice earlier this year. The files revealed an unexpectedly close friendship between the pair and raised questions in Norway about whether Mette-Marit can become... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347382/norway-crown-princess-says-she-was-manipulated-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347382/norway-crown-princess-says-she-was-manipulated-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:16:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters A US congressional committee said ⁠on Tuesday it has ⁠issued a subpoena to Attorney General ⁠Pam Bondi to testify behind closed doors in its probe of the late convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein. Bondi faces accusations that the Justice Department has concealed the names of powerful associates of Epstein in its release ‌of millions of documents related to the late financier. Under the subpoena, Bondi would give a sworn deposition to the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on ‌April... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346938/us-house-panel-subpoenas-pam-bondi-testify-epstein-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346938/us-house-panel-subpoenas-pam-bondi-testify-epstein-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:29:38 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle Veteran British politician Peter Mandelson’s visit to Hong Kong in 2024 came as a new era dawned, both for relations between the UK and China and his own career. Speaking at the University of Hong Kong in September that year, soon after the Labour Party’s election victory, the former trade minister expressed optimism that the new government would engage with Beijing and forge closer ties. He spoke highly of Hong Kong. Mandelson played down suggestions he would soon be appointed Britain’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3346620/mandelson-scandal-could-be-tipping-point-costs-starmer-his-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3346620/mandelson-scandal-could-be-tipping-point-costs-starmer-his-job?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 14:16:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A photograph of Britain’s former prince Andrew and veteran politician Peter Mandelson sitting in bathrobes alongside late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was unearthed on Friday in previously published documents. The image is believed to be the first known photograph of the two men with Epstein. They are both currently engulfed in scandal in the UK over their ties to their mutual friend. The undated photograph, first reported by ITV News, shows King Charles’ disgraced brother and Britain’s former... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346566/uks-andrew-and-peter-mandelson-pictured-bathrobes-jeffrey-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346566/uks-andrew-and-peter-mandelson-pictured-bathrobes-jeffrey-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 19:04:36 +0000 dpa dpa British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has taken responsibility for his “mistake” in sending Peter Mandelson to Washington as ambassador, as Downing Street denied there was a “cover-up” in the release of files related to the appointment. The prime minister is facing fresh questions about his judgment in giving Mandelson the ambassadorship despite being warned of a “general reputational risk” because of his relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In his first public appearance since the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346415/uk-pm-starmer-admits-his-mistake-appointing-mandelson-us-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346415/uk-pm-starmer-admits-his-mistake-appointing-mandelson-us-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:38:12 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Documents released on Wednesday by the British government show officials believed there was a “reputational risk” to appointing Peter Mandelson as the US ambassador because of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The concerns were raised in a document sent to Prime Minister Keir Starmer in December 2024 before he appointed Mandelson to the role, seen as vital to establish a good relationship with the administration of US President Donald Trump. The document also spelled... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346267/uk-pm-starmer-was-warned-reputational-risk-appointing-mandelson?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346267/uk-pm-starmer-was-warned-reputational-risk-appointing-mandelson?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:50:35 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Republican candidate backed by US President Donald Trump will advance to a run-off against a Democrat in the Georgia race to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in the US House of Representatives, after a special election on Tuesday seen as a test of Trump’s sway over his party. Trump’s preferred candidate, former district attorney for four northwest Georgia counties Clay Fuller, will face Shawn Harris, a moderate Democrat who has sought to court disillusioned Trump voters, in ‌the April 7... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346176/us-special-election-replace-marjorie-taylor-greene-leads-run?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346176/us-special-election-replace-marjorie-taylor-greene-leads-run?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 04:41:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Investigators in New Mexico began searching ⁠on Monday the ⁠former ranch of Jeffrey Epstein where ⁠the late financier and his acquaintances are accused of sexually abusing women and girls, state authorities said. Democratic-run New Mexico is acting on new information in documents released in January by the US Department of Justice, including an accusation that Epstein ‌ordered the bodies of two foreign girls buried in hills near the secluded property. The search follows New Mexico Attorney... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346127/us-investigators-search-epsteins-new-mexico-ranch-amid-allegations-buried-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346127/us-investigators-search-epsteins-new-mexico-ranch-amid-allegations-buried-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 11:40:37 +0000 dpa dpa Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for former British prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be removed from the royal line of succession over his “deplorable” links to Jeffrey Epstein. The former duke was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office following allegations he shared sensitive information with the paedophile financier while serving as the UK’s trade envoy. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Carney said: “I certainly think his actions are deplorable and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345792/canadas-carney-wants-andrew-removed-uk-line-succession-over-epstein-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345792/canadas-carney-wants-andrew-removed-uk-line-succession-over-epstein-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 05:00:13 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo I am a sucker for all kinds of humour, including tasteless jokes. But I draw the line at sick jokes being reported as serious news. As far as those jokes go, the Monday appearance of US first lady Melania Trump as chair of a United Nations Security Council meeting takes the cake. The topic of her speech? Children, technology and education in conflict. She declared that the US “stands with all of the children throughout the world”. Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up. The cynicism and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3345518/why-melania-trumps-un-speech-affront-decency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3345518/why-melania-trumps-un-speech-affront-decency?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Justice Department on Thursday released additional Jeffrey Epstein files involving uncorroborated accusations made by a woman against US President Donald Trump that the department said had been mistakenly withheld during an earlier review. The department said last week that it was working to determine if any records were improperly withheld after several news organisations reported that the massive tranche of records that had been made public did not include some files documenting a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345657/us-government-releases-epstein-files-include-uncorroborated-claim-about-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345657/us-government-releases-epstein-files-include-uncorroborated-claim-about-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 03:43:20 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The House Oversight Committee voted on Wednesday to subpoena US Attorney General Pam Bondi to answer questions over the Justice Department’s handling of files regarding the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation. Five Republicans joined Democrats to support the subpoena proposed by Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace in a sign of continued frustration among conservatives with the department’s review and release of a tranche of documents related to the disgraced financier. The move... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345486/us-lawmakers-vote-subpoena-pam-bondi-over-epstein-files?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345486/us-lawmakers-vote-subpoena-pam-bondi-over-epstein-files?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 23:40:47 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Will Iran collapse without Khamenei or can its regime endure? 2. Why US strikes on Iran just made North Korea less likely to play ball 3. Viral video of child being shoved at Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya Crossing stokes anger 4. Indonesia is getting an aircraft carrier. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3345210/outlook-iran-leadership-philippines-investigates-epstein-ties-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3345210/outlook-iran-leadership-philippines-investigates-epstein-ties-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 04:00:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former US president Bill Clinton said in sworn testimony released on Monday by a US congressional committee that he had no knowledge of the sex crimes of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Clinton also said President Donald Trump, a one-time close friend of Epstein, “never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper with regard to Epstein either”. Bill Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, were deposed last week by the Republican-led... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345193/us-house-panel-releases-video-clintons-epstein-depositions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345193/us-house-panel-releases-video-clintons-epstein-depositions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 22:32:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The UN rights chief on Friday decried mounting threats to women’s rights worldwide, highlighting rampant femicide and horrific abuse exposed in cases like that of US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Volker Turk denounced “social systems that silence women and girls” allowing powerful men to abuse them with impunity. “Violence against women, including femicide, is a global emergency,” the High Commissioner for Human Rights told the UN’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3344952/un-rights-chief-slams-violence-against-women-calls-it-global-emergency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3344952/un-rights-chief-slams-violence-against-women-calls-it-global-emergency?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 03:15:35 +0000 Reuters Reuters Bill Clinton told American lawmakers on Friday that he “saw nothing that gave me pause” when he spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, as the former US president gave closed-door testimony about his relationship with the late sex offender. In a prepared statement, Clinton told the House of Representatives Oversight Committee that he would not have flown on the late financier’s plane if ‌he had known about his alleged sex trafficking of underage girls, and would have reported him if he did. “We are... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344938/bill-clinton-grilled-over-epstein-ties-us-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344938/bill-clinton-grilled-over-epstein-ties-us-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:40:35 +0000 dpa dpa British Defence Secretary John Healey has ordered a review of military files for any evidence that Jeffrey Epstein used airbases to traffic girls into the UK. Healey has tasked officials with trawling through more than two decades of Ministry of Defence (MoD) records and handing over to police any flight logs linked to the late paedophile financier. It comes after former prime minister Gordon Brown wrote to six police forces demanding investigations into whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor used... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344921/uk-probes-if-epstein-used-airbases-trafficking-girls-amid-andrew-scrutiny?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344921/uk-probes-if-epstein-used-airbases-trafficking-girls-amid-andrew-scrutiny?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 12:34:11 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Indian investigators have seized a US$410 million luxury condominium building owned by Anil Ambani as part of a widening investigation into alleged bank fraud by the tycoon. The Enforcement Directorate, India’s anti-money-laundering agency, said on Wednesday that it had provisionally taken Ambani’s 17-storey property, known as “Abode,” in the upscale Pali Hill neighbourhood. The agency alleged Ambani had defaulted on over 400 billion rupees (US$4.4 billion) worth of loans from Indian and foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3344800/indian-tycoon-anil-ambanis-us410-million-building-seized-billion-dollar-fraud-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3344800/indian-tycoon-anil-ambanis-us410-million-building-seized-billion-dollar-fraud-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 02:07:52 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s ⁠government has agreed a framework with the police on which documents relating to the late 2024 appointment of former ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson ‌can be released, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) said on Thursday. Mandelson, 72, was released from custody after the Metropolitan Police arrested him on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following revelations over his ties to ⁠Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein is at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344789/uk-government-agrees-framework-publishing-mandelson-vetting-documents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344789/uk-government-agrees-framework-publishing-mandelson-vetting-documents?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 20:18:48 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Hillary Clinton used her forced appearance Thursday before a Republican-led panel probing Jeffrey Epstein to go on the offensive and demand US President Donald Trump testify about his own links to the sex offender. Clinton said after her deposition when asked if she was confident that her husband did not know of Epstein’s crimes, Clinton said “I am”. “I don’t know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein,” she added. “I never went to his island, I never went to his homes, I... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344784/hillary-clinton-calls-trump-testify-she-faces-us-house-epstein-panel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344784/hillary-clinton-calls-trump-testify-she-faces-us-house-epstein-panel?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:39:02 +0000 Reuters Reuters The president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende, said he was stepping down on Thursday, a few weeks after the forum launched an independent investigation into his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Brende, who became president of the WEF ‌in 2017, announced his decision in a statement following disclosures from the US Justice Department that showed the Norwegian had three business dinners with Epstein and had also communicated with the disgraced financier via email... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344763/world-economic-forum-ceo-borge-brende-resigns-over-epstein-revelations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344763/world-economic-forum-ceo-borge-brende-resigns-over-epstein-revelations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:50:07 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As Manila scrambles to investigate links between convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and a Philippines-based team he allegedly hired to scrub his criminal history from the internet, the revelation has cast an unwelcome spotlight on a relatively obscure industry. Emails released by the US Department of Justice have alarmed lawmakers in the Philippines over the potential exploitation of Filipino gig workers handling shady online-reputation work. The Philippine Department of Information and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3344635/did-philippine-gig-workers-help-jeffrey-epstein-clean-his-online-image?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3344635/did-philippine-gig-workers-help-jeffrey-epstein-clean-his-online-image?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 03:00:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers has resigned from his teaching post at Harvard University over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Ivy League institution said on Wednesday. Summers, who ran the US Treasury under former president Bill Clinton, was revealed in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice to have had extensive exchanges with the now-deceased financier. Clinton will testify before a congressional committee on Epstein on Friday while his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344654/ex-us-treasury-chief-larry-summers-quits-harvard-over-epstein-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344654/ex-us-treasury-chief-larry-summers-quits-harvard-over-epstein-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:51:04 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bill Gates has admitted making a “huge mistake” in associating with Jeffrey Epstein, telling staff at his charity foundation that he had affairs with two Russian women but denying involvement in the disgraced financier’s crimes. The Microsoft co-founder is among the prominent names appearing in documents released by the US Justice Department that revealed close friendships, illicit financial dealings and private photos with convicted sex offender Epstein. In a town hall on Tuesday with staff at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344646/bill-gates-says-he-had-affairs-2-russian-women-denies-ties-epsteins-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344646/bill-gates-says-he-had-affairs-2-russian-women-denies-ties-epsteins-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 15:30:08 +0000 dpa dpa Norway’s former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland has been admitted to hospital due to the stress caused by the Epstein scandal, the NTB news agency and others cited his lawyer as saying on Tuesday. Jagland is one of the most prominent figures to have been implicated by the release of files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Norwegian authorities are investigating allegations of serious corruption. The former top politician is said to have stayed at Epstein’s apartments in Paris and New... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344532/norways-former-prime-minister-hospital-following-epstein-files-disclosures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344532/norways-former-prime-minister-hospital-following-epstein-files-disclosures?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 02:43:15 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo It has been a sad time for the legions of fans of Noam Chomsky, having to see their hero in a photo hobnobbing with the late paedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein inside the latter’s private jet. The picture and their email exchanges were part of millions of pages released by the US Justice Department from its so-called Epstein files. So far, the most high-profile fallouts have been, understandably, the arrest of the former Prince Andrew, the public disgrace of British Labour Party... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3344334/chomskys-legacy-should-be-understood-beyond-epstein-files?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3344334/chomskys-legacy-should-be-understood-beyond-epstein-files?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The UK government said on Tuesday it supported the release of documents on ex-prince Andrew’s past role as a trade envoy, hours after a veteran politician was quizzed by police in the widening Jeffrey Epstein scandal. US authorities last month published millions of files related to the late sex offender Epstein, containing revelations that have rocked British political and royal circles. It has ramped up pressure on Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government to release its own vetting... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344511/uk-eyes-releasing-files-arrogant-andrew-clean-away-epstein-scandal-stain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344511/uk-eyes-releasing-files-arrogant-andrew-clean-away-epstein-scandal-stain?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:34:28 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former British ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson was arrested ⁠by London police on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following revelations over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, 72, was fired from the most prestigious posting in Britain’s diplomatic service in September, when the depth of his friendship with Epstein started to become clear. Police earlier this month began a criminal investigation into Mandelson after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344381/uks-peter-mandelson-arrested-london-after-revelations-over-his-ties-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344381/uks-peter-mandelson-arrested-london-after-revelations-over-his-ties-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:42:28 +0000 Vincenzo La Torre Vincenzo La Torre King Charles’ appearance at the fall/winter 2026 show of British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker dominated headlines at London Fashion Week. While this is not the first time a royal has shown up at a London Fashion Week event, King Charles attended Coker’s show hours after the arrest of his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The former Prince Andrew was detained on Thursday and questioned over allegations that he sent confidential government... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3344286/london-fashion-week-2026-simone-rocha-chet-lo-erdem-and-tolu-coker-king-charles-front-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3344286/london-fashion-week-2026-simone-rocha-chet-lo-erdem-and-tolu-coker-king-charles-front-row?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 02:35:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters London police officers assigned to King ⁠Charles’ younger brother ⁠Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were instructed to provide ⁠security for a dinner party at Jeffrey Epstein’s residence in New York in 2010, British media reported on Sunday. The Sunday Times, which first reported the story, cited emails from the Epstein files that ‌appear to detail arrangements for Mountbatten-Windsor to stay with the late convicted sex offender in December 2010, along with his two protection officers from London’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344277/uk-protection-officers-instructed-guard-2010-epstein-dinner-party-reports-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344277/uk-protection-officers-instructed-guard-2010-epstein-dinner-party-reports-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 17:12:16 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The flying visit to Hong Kong paid by Prince Andrew, as he was then, in October 2010, was a relatively low-key affair. His trip merited a brief item in the South China Morning Post noting that he would meet with the then chief executive and financial secretary, the MTR chief and tycoon Li Ka-shing, while also attending a British Chamber of Commerce lunch. This was, it seemed, a routine trip for the then prince in his capacity as Britain’s special representative for international trade and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3344226/arrest-shows-no-one-above-law-not-even-former-british-prince?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3344226/arrest-shows-no-one-above-law-not-even-former-british-prince?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:30:10 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo When you buy a stock, you are paying for future profits, not current earnings. It seems that a similar principle applies to countries. The fact that a company or a country is at the top now means nothing if the main indicators are flashing red. I am reminded of this investment adage by a new article in Foreign Affairs, titled “The Multipolar Delusion and the Unilateral Temptation”. It argues there has been, and still is, only one hegemonic pole in the international order, and that is the United... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3344011/america-without-independent-institutions-cannot-stay-no-1?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3344011/america-without-independent-institutions-cannot-stay-no-1?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Slumped in the back seat of his Range Rover, a visibly shaken man once referred to ⁠as the “Playboy Prince” stares ahead of him ⁠as the car leaves Aylsham police station in ⁠Norfolk, England. The photo, taken by Reuters photographer Phil Noble, went viral when it was published late on Thursday. It shows Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles, after he was released from police custody following a day of questioning over allegations he sent confidential government... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344186/andrews-downfall-how-viral-photo-disgraced-ex-prince-was-captured?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344186/andrews-downfall-how-viral-photo-disgraced-ex-prince-was-captured?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 21:16:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s government will consider new legislation to remove the former prince Andrew from the line of royal succession once the police investigation into his ties with Epstein is over, a UK official has said. Any changes to the line of succession – Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is eighth in line to the throne – would require consultation and agreement with other countries where King Charles ‌is head of state, the official, who asked not to be identified, said on Friday. The former prince was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344185/uk-consider-removing-ex-prince-andrew-royal-line-succession?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344185/uk-consider-removing-ex-prince-andrew-royal-line-succession?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:27:00 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Until Thursday morning, it had been nearly four centuries since the arrest of a senior British royal. On his 66th birthday, the late Queen Elizabeth’s favourite son was detained on suspicion of misconduct in public office. By evening, the former prince was released from police custody. But the ongoing investigation will unpick years of lurid allegations about Andrew’s ties to the disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein that have heaped embarrassment on his brother, King Charles. The arrest of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344093/first-royal-arrest-centuries-presents-existential-crisis-uks-most-powerful-family?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344093/first-royal-arrest-centuries-presents-existential-crisis-uks-most-powerful-family?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 05:53:52 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Britain’s typically pro-royal public welcomed the arrest of the former prince Andrew, whose friendship with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has turned him into an outcast. Some on Thursday appeared delighted that police were holding King Charles’ brother, arguing it sent the right message that the royal family was not above the law. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, called the arrest “very sad”. “I think it’s a shame. I think it’s very sad. I think it’s so bad for the royal family.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344051/uk-public-cheers-ex-prince-andrews-arrest-trump-calls-it-very-sad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344051/uk-public-cheers-ex-prince-andrews-arrest-trump-calls-it-very-sad?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 21:42:45 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The former prince Andrew was arrested and held for hours by British police Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his links to Jeffrey Epstein, an extraordinary move in a country where authorities once sought to shield the royal family from embarrassment. It was the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal was placed under arrest, and it underscored how deference to the monarchy has eroded in recent years. King Charles, whose late mother lived by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344019/andrew-mountbatten-windsor-was-arrested-suspicion-misconduct-public-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344019/andrew-mountbatten-windsor-was-arrested-suspicion-misconduct-public-office?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 10:22:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bill Gates has cancelled his speech that was scheduled for Thursday at a major AI summit in India, the Gates Foundation said, after the Microsoft co-founder was named in the Epstein files. “After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI summit’s key priorities, Mr. Gates will not be delivering his keynote address,” the foundation said in a statement. “The Gates Foundation remains fully committed to our work in India to advance our shared health and development goals,” it... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3343971/bill-gates-cancels-india-ai-impact-summit-speech-amid-epstein-storm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3343971/bill-gates-cancels-india-ai-impact-summit-speech-amid-epstein-storm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 04:59:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Retail tycoon Les Wexner told US lawmakers on Wednesday that he was “conned” by Jeffrey Epstein and denied any knowledge of his crimes, as Democrats pressed him over his decades-long relationship with the notorious sex offender. The 88-year-old founder of L Brands – the former parent of Victoria’s Secret – gave closed-door testimony from his home in New Albany, Ohio, after being subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into Epstein and his associates. “I was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343948/ex-victorias-secret-ceo-les-wexner-says-he-was-conned-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343948/ex-victorias-secret-ceo-les-wexner-says-he-was-conned-epstein?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 23:37:43 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has accused President Donald Trump of orchestrating a “cover-up” over files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to an interview with the BBC. “Get the files out. They are slow-walking it,” Clinton, who is due to testify before a Congressional committee on the issue, told the British broadcaster in an interview in Berlin published on Monday. The US Department of Justice last month released the latest cache of so-called Epstein files –... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343783/hillary-clinton-accuses-trump-epstein-cover-insists-nothing-hide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343783/hillary-clinton-accuses-trump-epstein-cover-insists-nothing-hide?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 03:15:27 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Jeffrey Epstein committed at least US$113,000 to American scholar Ben Goertzel – known for popularising the term “artificial general intelligence” – to help him secure at least HK$8.9 million in Hong Kong government grants at a top city university, a South China Morning Post investigation has found. The almost two-decade relationship between Epstein and computer scientist Goertzel, who previously built artificial intelligence (AI) architecture at Polytechnic University (PolyU), was disclosed in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3343645/epstein-funded-ai-pioneer-helped-him-get-hk89-million-hong-kong-government-grants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3343645/epstein-funded-ai-pioneer-helped-him-get-hk89-million-hong-kong-government-grants?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:30:22 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Long after Jeffrey Epstein was known as a convicted sex offender, he was also a top contributor to an elite cluster of groups founded by Harvard University students. For years, he was able to fill a table with “girls” at an annual gala that featured celebrities, billionaires and cultural luminaries. Annual donations of at least US$50,000 to the Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770 – a non-profit umbrella for a social club, theatre troupe and a cappella singers – qualified him as a “Guardian of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343658/hello-girls-epstein-was-hasty-pudding-donor-years-after-sex-conviction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343658/hello-girls-epstein-was-hasty-pudding-donor-years-after-sex-conviction?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 23:39:15 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words It seems the world is caught up in the story of Jeffrey Epstein, as more are revealed to have been “friends” or “associates” with the now infamous financier and predator. But I wonder whether we’re missing something so obvious that we’ve become blind to it. And that is that... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3343411/are-we-missing-real-story-jeffrey-epstein-saga?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3343411/are-we-missing-real-story-jeffrey-epstein-saga?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 03:30:07 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg In early 2013, Jeffrey Epstein’s girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, was stressed about her US visa status. Later that year, she married an American citizen and her worries were gone. A Green Card followed, and in 2018, citizenship. Then Shuliak divorced her spouse: a woman named Jennifer who had been in a relationship with Kimbal Musk – Elon Musk’s brother – after Epstein connected them. “now that she’s an american you should throw her a big ole party,” one of Epstein’s go-to immigration lawyers... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343600/epsteins-girlfriend-married-woman-showing-how-he-gamed-immigration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343600/epsteins-girlfriend-married-woman-showing-how-he-gamed-immigration?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 17:30:38 +0000 Reuters Reuters Goldman Sachs’ chief legal ⁠officer Kathy Ruemmler has resigned, CEO David Solomon said on Thursday, after recent documents by the US Justice Department showed she accepted gifts from late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and advised him on how to address media inquiries regarding his crimes. The departure of Ruemmler, who was among the top executive officers of the Wall Street firm, was the most high-profile banking exit after the release of the latest Epstein documents by the US Justice Department... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343405/top-goldman-sachs-lawyer-resigns-after-epstein-disclosures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343405/top-goldman-sachs-lawyer-resigns-after-epstein-disclosures?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 03:55:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The UK’s top civil servant resigned on Thursday, the third senior aide to Prime Minister Keir Starmer to quit in a matter of days in fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. “Chris Wormald will stand down as the cabinet secretary and head of the civil service by mutual agreement from today,” said a joint statement released by the government. His departure came after two top aides quit earlier this week over the row triggered by the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343379/uks-top-civil-servant-quits-pm-starmer-tries-calm-epstein-storm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343379/uks-top-civil-servant-quits-pm-starmer-tries-calm-epstein-storm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 18:10:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters A Republican US lawmaker on Wednesday accused Attorney General ⁠Pam Bondi of concealing the names of powerful associates of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as she faced questions about the Justice Department’s handling of investigative files in a charged hearing before a House of Representatives panel. Congressman Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, who helped lead the effort to require the files’ release, accused the Justice Department of a “massive failure”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343237/us-lawmakers-accuse-bondi-hiding-names-epstein-associates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343237/us-lawmakers-accuse-bondi-hiding-names-epstein-associates?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:42:28 +0000