News - South China Morning Post

European countries have agreed to release diesel stocks, US President Donald Trump said on Friday, after the White House pressured governments to do so, in a bid to cool surging fuel prices linked to the Iran war. “Europe has just agreed to release a massive amount of their heavily stocked diesel oil. The process will begin immediately,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. Trump’s statement fol...

US President Donald Trump is planning to attend the Asean summit next month, the South China Morning Post understands, as Washington vies with Beijing for influence in the region. If the trip happens, Trump’s appearance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting, expected to run from November 16-18 in Manila, will be his second consecutive appearance at the gathering during this term. T...

US President Donald Trump wants to retire one of the technology sector’s most recognisable acronyms, arguing that the term “artificial intelligence”, or AI, is no longer fit for purpose. On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order directing US federal agencies to replace “artificial intelligence” and “AI” with “super intelligence” and “SI” in official communications and non-statutory documents. He...

China is ramping up its efforts to bring young Americans to China, and ready to be seen as a country concerned with environmental protection, lifting people out of poverty, protecting minority cultures and building the technology of the future. During his trip to the United States last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country aimed to welcome 100,000 young Americans on exchange or study...

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering global relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump condemns ‘sick conspiracy’ against AI, says he is only guardrail needed US President Donald Trump downplayed growing concerns about artificial intelligence, claiming America already has gua...

A second attempt to guide a shark stranded in a canal in the South Korean port city of Busan back to the open sea ended without success on Friday, with the animal staying in the waterway into its third week. Rescuers, who had been using a net to try to coax it out, had to end the operation after a two-hour chase due to ‌the risk of their huge net getting caught on rocks. They now hope that the sha...

US job growth slowed more than expected in September, but that likely does not signal a material shift in the labour market, with the weakness likely related to a calendar quirk. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 29,000 jobs last month after ‌a downwardly revised 133,000 rise in August, the Labor Department’s closely watched employment report showed on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast...

A reported move by the United States to restrict exports of aircraft parts to China would place another speed bump on production of the C919 – a Chinese passenger jet designed to compete with Airbus and Boeing – as alternative sources of critical components for the plane are not readily available, according to analysts. The US Commerce Department has slowed export licensing for civilian aeroplane...

The Airport Authority has averted a “lose-lose situation” by terminating a nearly 50-year contract with Hong Kong developer New World Development for the 11 Skies commercial project, with most facilities set to open in 2028, according to the organisation’s directors. The authority’s executive director for finance, Julian Lee Pui-hang, said on Friday that it could no longer work with a debt-ridden...

The Japanese government on Friday announced additional sanctions against Russia amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, targeting a so-called shadow fleet of vessels engaged in transporting sanctioned oil from Russia. Joining international efforts to crack down on sanctions evasion by the fleet, Japan has decided to impose restrictions on the provision of services to 35 vessels, according to the For...

The MTR Corporation will hand over HK$2.25 billion (US$287 million) to the Hong Kong government as a one-off settlement for the delayed completion of the high-speed rail line, while reaching a consensus to avoid a payout over hurdles affecting the Sha Tin to Central Link. While the transport firm oversaw the design, construction, testing, and operation of the two projects, both are owned by the go...

The Indian airline captain who helped thwart an apparent attempt to crash a Flydubai flight described on Friday how he fought for his life in the minutes after his co-pilot stabbed him and the plane began a steep descent. Captain Smit Machchhar, recovering in an Abu Dhabi hospital, told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a televised video call that he knew he had to get back on his feet to sav...

As “long-dormant old money” steps back into Hong Kong’s retail property market, McDonald’s has sold the property housing its first New Territories restaurant for HK$120 million (US$15.3 million), extending its year-long sell-down of self-owned shops. The property at 10-22 Tsuen Wan Market Street, spanning the ground floor to the second floor, was sold to Keen Charm Holdings (HK) Limited, with the...

China has set up several new institutions at military academies to train specialists in hi-tech and discipline inspection as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) works towards its centennial modernisation goals. The College of Unmanned and Intelligent Engineering, the College of Combat Support NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) and the College of Equipment Support NCOs were established within the PLA...

Chinese semiconductor plants amassed hundreds of immersion lithography machines worth billions of dollars in recent years, according to former US officials, who urged Washington and its allies to shut down further exports. Chinese-owned fabs had acquired an estimated 343 immersion deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems by early 2026, said a report published in late September by the Centre for...

Hong Kong lawmakers have urged the government to widen the scope of a proposed statutory cooling-off law to cover more types of wellness market trends after the abrupt shutdown of the Hotstone Yoga chain, as claimed financial losses by customers rose to HK$3.9 million (US$497,030). Their calls followed the government’s commitment to introduce a bill in the Legislative Council in the first half of...

Around 150 Chinese language teachers in the Philippines are returning home following mounting criticism from Philippine security officials that educational exchanges involving China could pose national security threats. The withdrawal affects teachers stationed at schools including the Immaculate Conception Academy in Greenhills and Jubilee Christian Academy in Quezon City, both in Metro Manila, a...

India’s opposition parties and the youth-led “cockroach” movement took to the streets on Friday, demanding action over alleged irregularities in voter rolls and calling for the resignation of the country’s chief election commissioner, as the combined pressure from the two groups poses a new challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The protests have brought the opposition closer to...

Taiwan has hailed the much-delayed arrival of two F-16V fighter jets as a demonstration of continuing US military support, despite the summit between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump. The two single-seat aircraft, which reached Chihhang Air Base in the eastern county of Taitung on Friday, are the first new F-16s received by the island since deliveries of its original F-16A/B flee...

A 60-year-old woman in southern China has defied public stereotypes surrounding senior citizens by becoming a popular e-game live-streamer. Zhong Juanjuan, affectionately known as Auntie Juan by internet users, has amassed 527,000 followers on social media. She hosts two daily live-streaming sessions, each typically attracting around 10,000 viewers, as reported by Beijing News. Zhong, who lives in...

AirAsia co-founder Tony Fernandes has caused a stir online after taking aim at Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) in-flight meals, claiming the food served by the carrier lagged behind his own airline’s offerings. “Just flew with Singapore Airlines, couldn’t get AirAsia, service was great, internet amazing, food was poor, Santan is far far better and crew admitted. Great flight but we are not far off,” Fer...

French high school students lit fires outside schools and faced off with police on Friday as a protest movement that has forced the closure of some 400 establishments showed no sign of abating. The movement, which began last week in the Paris region and rapidly spread nationwide, has seen teenage pupils at lycees in their final years of schooling block access to buildings and clash with police. Th...

Malaysia’s long-standing strategy of non-alignment amid US-China rivalry in the South China Sea could soon be tested, with the eastern state of Sabah sitting near a potential flashpoint involving Philippine territory. Observers pointed to comments by Malaysian Defence Minister Khaled Nordin, who last week voiced concern that a conflict or “unexpected incident” in the maritime region could spill ov...

Hong Kong authorities have raised the minimum wage for foreign domestic helpers by more than 2 per cent to HK$5,220 (US$665) per month, while their food allowance will be unchanged, citing “more favourable” socioeconomic factors. The government announced on Friday that the current minimum wage of HK$5,100 for foreign domestic helpers, or FDHs, would be increased by 2.35 per cent, and the adjusted...

Hong Kong stock debuts are losing steam as a deluge of initial public offerings (IPOs) overwhelms investor appetite. Seven of September’s 12 IPOs fell on the first day of trading, raising the third-quarter total to 15 flops out of 31, based on Bloomberg data. By contrast, there were only 14 declines among 77 debuts in the first half of the year. Medcaptain Medical Technology led September’s first-...