News - South China Morning Post

A massive attack involving 650 drones targeted Moscow overnight, leaving at least two dead, Russian authorities said on Tuesday. Most of the drones were destroyed by air defences at long range, including 105 intercepted as they approached the capital, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram. Russian state news agency Tass reported it was the second-largest drone attack on the capital region...

A railway station in southern China’s hub city Guangzhou has set a national record for trips in a single day and drawn attention for the frequency of train departures – one every 40 seconds – during this month’s holiday period, according to the provincial government. Guangzhou South Railway Station handled 1,252 train services and just over 1 million trips on October 1, the start of the seven-day...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi defended her absence from a Group of Seven online meeting, responding over social media to some critics who questioned why she did not attend despite her apparently free schedule. “This was a last-minute meeting arranged by the chair, France, and allowed for substitute representatives. I understand that UK Prime Minister Burnham did not attend in person and h...

Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to provide guests attending this month’s Apec Finance Ministers’ Meeting with a “high-quality” experience, as the city works closely with Beijing to assist delegations with the registration process. About 500 guests, including finance ministers and senior officials from the 21 member economies, are expected to attend the annual meeting on October 20 and 21, which wil...

Hong Kong’s leader has urged residents to pay close attention to a coming three-day debate on the city’s inaugural five-year plan and latest policy address in the legislature. The debate on the two policy documents is set to begin on Wednesday morning and continue until Friday, according to the Legislative Council’s agenda. “I look forward to tomorrow’s Legislative Council debate, during which gov...

Hong Kong authorities have made “a series of preparations” to implement reforms and pursue accountability ahead of the Tai Po fire inquiry panel’s final report due later this month, the city’s leader said, pledging to act “as soon as possible”. The government reportedly established a dedicated task force under the Public Service Commission, led by former commissioner for sports George Tsoi Kin-pan...

Turkmenistan has added the FK-2000 missile-and-gun system to its growing arsenal of Chinese-made air defences, highlighting Beijing’s expanding role in the Central Asian weapons market once dominated by Russia. At least 10 FK-2000 vehicles – along with an array of other Chinese-made military equipment – could be seen in footage of Turkmenistan’s Independence Day parade in Ashgabat on September 27....

US F-35 stealth fighters have joined Indian warplanes for military exercises near the Pakistan border in recent days, marking the first time America’s most advanced multirole combat aircraft has taken part in joint drills in India. The US jets’ participation in the drills “signals a degree of military confidence and interoperability that is difficult to manufacture through communiques”, Sushant Si...

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. AirAsia chief mocks Singapore Airlines’ food – and social media hits back AirAsia co-founder Tony Fernandes has caused a stir online after taking aim at Singapore Airlines...

Hong Kong will strengthen its regulatory regime and impose stiffer penalties to ensure strong deterrence against building violations, the city leader has pledged, following a series of substandard construction scandals including the latest controversy involving a luxury residential development in Stanley. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu vowed to safeguard the high professional standards of the ci...

The father of 16-year-old Irene Sofiya said he drew comfort from Malaysia’s Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah and her assurance that she would do what she can to help seek justice for his daughter. Mohd Khairool Faisal Khyar, 42, said he deeply appreciated the queen’s concern and words of encouragement during her visit to the family home in Kampung Selamat, Johor, on Monday. “Raja Zarith Sofiah was very co...

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US President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist who shot dead 13 people at a military base in 2009, the Pentagon said on Monday. Hasan’s execution for the attack at Fort Hood in Texas – which also wounded more than two dozen people – will be the first carried out by the US military since 1961. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth “has recommend...

From a humble working-class family in northeast China to becoming a celebrated actress on the Hollywood stage, 53-year-old Li Bingbing’s ascent has never been a solo journey. At the heart of her decades-long career is her younger sister, Li Xue, 51, who transitioned from journalism to become Li Bingbing’s manager. Together, they co-founded Hesong Entertainment, a talent company that has represente...

Bangkok is preparing for possible flooding as more than 15,000 delegates are due to arrive for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group. The Thai capital could receive about 50mm (two inches) of rain a day from October 11-13, coinciding with the start of the week-long gathering of finance ministers, central bankers, executives and other delegates from the institu...

In 2019, President Xi Jinping became the first Chinese leader to publicly call for the exploration of detailed proposals for governing Taiwan after reunification. Seven years later, the first proposals from a handful of the mainland’s leading research institutes have either been finalised or are nearing completion, the South China Morning Post has learned. Rather than setting out a single fixed mo...

Beijing’s push to accumulate gold serves a larger goal: yuan internationalisation. In this series, Part I traces China’s path to becoming a gold superpower, while this article explores Hong Kong’s key role in safeguarding the nation’s financial security. In 2013, one-third of the world’s traded gold passed through Hong Kong. That year, the city imported 1,158 tonnes of bullion, overtaking India, t...

Temperatures in Hong Kong dropped to about 23 degrees Celsius (73 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday morning, the lowest so far this autumn. According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the cooler weather was caused by a dry northeast monsoon. “A dry northeast monsoon will bring mainly fine weather to the coast of Guangdong in the next couple of days. It will be windier and slightly cooler in the morning over the...

Hong Kong’s building authorities should consider inspecting the remaining properties in a luxury residential development and tightening work process documentation after one house was found to have used insufficient steel bars during construction, experts have said. Their suggestions followed the Buildings Department revealing at the weekend that it had launched an investigation into work quality i...

The alleged murder of an Okinawan woman by a US marine has put newly elected Governor Genta Koja under intense pressure, raising questions about whether the incident could deepen opposition against the American military presence just as Okinawa assumes greater importance in Japan’s regional security strategy. Koja only took office on September 30 after campaigning on economic issues rather than th...

US President Donald Trump on Monday said that he would pay for television advertisements himself or with money raised ‌from the Maga political committee after pushback over the use of taxpayer-funded television ads featuring him just before the November congressional elections. Ethics experts and lawmakers from both parties ⁠have criticised the three nationally broadcast ads, which ‌celebrate a “g...

Amid concerns over rising interest rates and a weak retail property market, a long-time investor has sold a portfolio of prime street shops in Tsim Sha Tsui – held for more than four decades – and locked in a profit of nearly HK$237 million (US$30.2 million) despite accepting a deal more than 40 per cent below his original asking price. The portfolio of retail shops in Cheung Lee Commercial Buildi...

The US Justice Department (DOJ) is seeking to revoke the citizenship of a former Navy sailor convicted of spying for China and a Florida man convicted of conspiring to act as an agent of Beijing, it announced on Monday. Jinchao Wei and Ping Li are among 40 people facing denaturalisation actions in what the department described as the largest batch of such filings under the Trump administration. Th...

The United States has accused mainland China of hiring an American citizen of Chinese origin to surveil the family of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te, days after President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington. The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Sunday arrested 34-year-old Zhang Wanying at Los Angeles International Airport, alleging that she attempted to flee the country and charged her...

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that a threat linked to Iran ⁠had prompted the removal of American B-1 bombers from a British airbase. The planes had been stationed at RAF Fairford, the preferred European base for US bombers, and had recently been used in US strikes on Iran. Last week, five British men were arrested near the base – which Iran’s Revolutionary Guards previously said was a l...