News - South China Morning Post

Iran is trying to hit military sites in the UK and the suspected plot to attack a US-run military airbase in September was “not unique”, the head of Britain’s MI5 spy agency said on Tuesday. Ken McCallum, who leads the UK’s domestic security service, said Tehran was seeking to intensify its attacks in Britain beyond the traditional targets of Iranians opposed to the country’s Islamic authorities....

Hong Kong authorities have renewed the free-to-air licences of the city’s television broadcasters with conditions to boost local production of English-language national education shows and programmes aimed at “telling good stories” of the city. The Executive Council, the city’s top decision-making body, approved the renewal on Tuesday, extending 12-year licences to all three broadcasters. These li...

Courts in China have sentenced three key figures of a notorious Myanmar crime syndicate to death for operating large-scale cross-border telecoms fraud networks and causing the deaths of four Chinese nationals. The Quanzhou Intermediate People’s Court and the Nanan City People’s Court in southeastern Fujian province handed down the rulings against syndicate head Wei Huairen, his nephew Chen Dawei a...

The former father-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung called her a “birthing machine” and tried to assault her before he allegedly plotted with his two sons to kill her three years ago, a court has heard. Choi’s partner, Chris Tam Fong-chun, recounted on Tuesday a bitter argument between the influencer and her former in-laws in what he said was a watershed moment leading to a br...

Hong Kong schools should not require students with special educational needs or severe mental illness to repeat a grade, under revised education authorities’ guidance that warns the practice could worsen their adjustment difficulties. The latest version of the Education Bureau’s School Administration Guide requires subsidised schools considering grade retention for pupils with special educational...

Huawei Technologies has shipped more than 100 million devices powered by its Kirin processors since 2023, when it returned to the smartphone market with a new generation of premium handsets. The company says testing of its next-generation Kirin 2027 chip is also progressing in line with expectations. The company disclosed the figure on Tuesday as it unveiled new details about its flagship Kirin 90...

Chinese-Pakistani fighter jets and a China-made air-defence system reportedly deployed to Saudi Arabia could be brought into action following Pakistan’s renewed pledge to defend the kingdom after deadly Houthi attacks on Riyadh. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday that Islamabad would cooperate with Riyadh “in every possible way” under their defence agreements, after Houthi stri...

The US government’s plan to live-stream the execution of a former Army member convicted in a deadly 2009 mass shooting is raising questions about how effectively Southeast Asian governments can restrict graphic online content. Analysts say while authorities may have powers to restrict access to the live stream, containing clips and altered copies of the killing posted to social media could prove f...

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia kicked off their first visit to Ceuta on Tuesday in a show of solidarity with residents of the Spanish city in North Africa as they grapple with a migration crisis that has strained relations with Morocco. The royal couple will then travel to Melilla, Spain’s other North African exclave, on Wednesday. It will be the first visit by a Spanish monarch to the two citie...

Aviation investigators in Hong Kong are working to determine why a cockpit control on a Boeing cargo freighter moved forward during landing last year, causing the aircraft to veer off an airport runway and kill two security personnel. The Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA), an independent body under the Transport and Logistics Bureau, provided an update on Tuesday on the fatal incident in...

The average loss suffered by elderly victims of investment scams in Hong Kong rose by a third year on year to HK$1.08 million (US$137,600) in 2026, the city’s police chief has said, calling for greater community vigilance against syndicates preying on retirees. Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming on Tuesday also warned of a recent surge in scams involving fraudsters posing as customer service...

Hong Kong actress Angela Yuen Lai-lam has detailed her experiences with sexual harassment over years in the entertainment industry, including an incident where an actor planted an unscripted kiss on her cheek during filming. The revelations by the film star – a two-time Golden Horse Award nominee, including a nod for next month’s ceremony – sparked heated discussion online and swift fallout. On Tu...

A 59-year-old man stabbed at least eight people on Tuesday at a shopping centre in the South Korean city of Incheon, police and fire officials said. One victim was in life-threatening condition and received surgery at a nearby hospital. The suspect attacked shoppers as he moved through the shopping centre before business owners and bystanders subdued him, according to local police and witnesses. T...

US President Donald Trump’s decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports and allow fresh supplies to reach global markets could give India greater leverage in its own dispute with Washington over discounted crude purchases, analysts said. Beyond the energy dispute, they said the move could also open up diplomatic opportunities for New Delhi, from pressing for more consistent treatment by W...

No Chinese carmakers were represented at a dinner on Sunday attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and around 60 European automotive industry players, but they were hard to miss when he visited the Paris Motor Show the next day. Allianz Trade said in a report that Chinese marques comprised half the exhibitors at this year’s show, even as they dealt with the fallout from a China-EU agreement...

Leaders of India’s “cockroach” protest movement were detained again on Tuesday, their second detention in days, as a stand-off with authorities deepened over a contentious overhaul of voter rolls. Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, two prominent faces of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party, were taken into custody with other members after jumping barricades to enter Jantar Mantar, historically one of...

A fire near an MTR track halted train services between Kwun Tong and Tiu Keng Leng stations during the evening rush hour in Hong Kong on Tuesday, leaving commuters stranded on packed platforms and concourses. Services along the Kwun Tong line gradually resumed at roughly 6.40pm after the fire was extinguished, the MTR Corporation said. The fire, reported along the Whampoa-bound line at Lam Tin sta...

A sharp sell-off in Asian memory chip stocks this week signals growing investor doubts over whether the sector’s AI-driven profit boom can last, even as soaring prices drive strong quarterly earnings across the sector. Shares in market leaders Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix plunged in Seoul on Tuesday, extending a days-long slide that has also swept up Chinese rival ChangXin Memory Technologies...

Four elderly women were injured among nearly 180 reports of people being trapped in lifts after a brief voltage dip in CLP Power’s network tripped building safety mechanisms in various districts across Hong Kong on Tuesday. The Fire Services Department said that from 1.10pm to 3pm, it received 179 reports of persons trapped in lifts and 40 fire alarms going off in parts of Kowloon and the New Terr...

A dance move known as the “flash step” recently went viral on Chinese social media, inspiring countless imitations, memes and creative merchandise, including keychains. In September, Chinese netizens jumped on the bandwagon, copying moves from a dance tutorial video made in the 1990s. They were especially taken with three moves featured in the video: the “flash step”, “prodigal kicking the ball” a...

Huang Qifan, former mayor of Chongqing and a survivor of multiple regional graft scandals, is under investigation for corruption, according to state media. State news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday that the Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection was investigating Huang for alleged serious violations of discipline and law, a euphemism for corruption. Huang, 74, was mayor...

An Indonesian official’s claim that the country exports “oxygen” and not just smoke to its neighbours has renewed criticism of Jakarta’s handling of its annual forest fires, with analysts warning that defensive nationalism risks undermining regional cooperation to tackle the recurring haze crisis. The remarks by Syahganda Nainggolan, the newly appointed head of the Government Communication Agency,...

In a first, China’s largest air show will feature a dedicated naval equipment exhibition area, showcasing active-duty hardware in service with the country’s navy, as this year marks the event’s 30th anniversary, the organisers said. The biennial China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, also known as the Zhuhai air show, displays China’s civilian and military aircraft for international...

Drones struck two ships in the Black Sea off Bulgaria on Tuesday, sinking one and prompting emergency rescue operations, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. Rescuers evacuated all 15 crew members from one ship, the Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3, with five receiving treatment for minor injuries, Radev said in a video posted to social media. The crew, which included seven Ukrainian citizens and eight Azerb...

A Houthi official on Monday warned the US it would receive a “painful response” if it entered the war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has reportedly requested Washington’s help in dealing with the group as it weathers repeated attacks. Yemen’s civil war - in which a Saudi-led military coalition supports the government against the Iran-backed Houthis - reignited in July, months into the wider regional...