https://www.scmp.com/rss/5/feed Breaking news, analysis and opinion from the SCMP's international edition. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com SCMP SCMP We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond 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. US economic gap over China to widen, but Iran might bring them closer: former UN official The economic divide between the United States and China is projected to widen to US$11 trillion by the end of the decade, yet escalating... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3352101/king-charles-gift-amuses-chinese-anti-spy-agency-makes-allegation-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3352101/king-charles-gift-amuses-chinese-anti-spy-agency-makes-allegation-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 03:50:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Elusive street artist Banksy on Thursday confirmed he was behind a new work drawing crowds in central London: a statue of a suited man striding into the void while holding a flag that blocks his view. The monument, which has Banksy’s name scrawled on the base, first appeared on Wednesday just off the central street of Pall Mall. The man depicted is mounted on a plinth, with one leg striding off it, and appears to be blindly stepping off the platform without knowing it, thanks to the flag... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352095/new-banksy-statue-man-blinded-flag-draws-crowds-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352095/new-banksy-statue-man-blinded-flag-draws-crowds-london?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 02:54:23 +0000 Bernard Chan Bernard Chan After winning legislative backing for the Hong Kong Jockey Club to offer basketball betting – an initiative aimed at drawing punters away from illegal online bookmakers and capturing additional tax revenue – the government has now paused the roll-out. Officials say the rise of prediction markets has altered the landscape and warrants closer examination. So, what is it about prediction markets that unsettles officials? Prediction markets are online platforms where the menu stretches far beyond... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3351875/why-governments-beyond-hong-kong-are-wary-prediction-markets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3351875/why-governments-beyond-hong-kong-are-wary-prediction-markets?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Agencies Agencies US President Donald Trump and the head of the Secret Service said on Thursday the federal agent injured during the attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner had not been hit by friendly fire, as authorities released a video of the incident. Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, posted the nearly six-minute video on social media amid lingering questions over whose bullet struck the officer. Pirro noted that the security footage captured suspect Cole Tomas... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352091/trump-says-secret-service-agent-not-shot-friendly-fire-attack-video-released?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352091/trump-says-secret-service-agent-not-shot-friendly-fire-attack-video-released?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 23:18:44 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he was removing certain tariffs on Scotch whisky after this week’s White House visit by the UK’s King Charles and Queen Camilla. “The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!” Trump posted on social media. Trump said people had wanted this change, especially with regard to the wooden barrels in which the spirits of Scotch and bourbon can be aged. His post left it unclear if the tariffs were... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352087/trump-says-hes-lifting-some-tariffs-scotch-whisky-after-king-charles-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352087/trump-says-hes-lifting-some-tariffs-scotch-whisky-after-king-charles-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:59:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Brazil’s Congress on Thursday overturned President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s veto of a law dramatically reducing the prison sentence of his arch-rival Jair Bolsonaro, the second major defeat for Lula in as many days. Former president Bolsonaro, 71, was sentenced last year to 27 years behind bars for coup plotting over his attempt to cling to power after losing the 2022 election to Lula. The left-wing Lula had attempted to block a subsequent push by the conservative-majority Congress to reduce... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3352086/brazil-mps-slash-bolsonaro-prison-term-blow-lula?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3352086/brazil-mps-slash-bolsonaro-prison-term-blow-lula?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:39:50 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado With Congress again failing to curb US President Donald Trump’s authority over Cuba, the centre of gravity in US policy towards the island is shifting decisively back to the White House – and to a narrower, more consequential question: what comes next? Tuesday’s 51-47 Senate vote to block a Democratic-led war powers resolution on Cuba does not change policy on its own. It was widely expected, reflecting a long-standing pattern in which Congress has struggled to assert its war powers authority... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3352085/senate-vote-leaves-cubas-uncertain-future-dangerous-crossroads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3352085/senate-vote-leaves-cubas-uncertain-future-dangerous-crossroads?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:39:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US Congress on Thursday approved funding for most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ending a record-breaking partial government shutdown that has disrupted critical agencies for more than two months. The House approved the measure, already passed by the Senate, sending it to US President Donald Trump, who quickly signed it. It will fund key DHS agencies through the end of the financial year on September 30. It does not include new money for immigration and border enforcement,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352084/us-congress-votes-end-record-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352084/us-congress-votes-end-record-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:19:36 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Federal Communications ⁠Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to advance a proposal to bar all Chinese labs from testing electronic devices such as smartphones, cameras and computers for use in the United States. The agency says about 75 per cent of ‌all US electronics are tested in China and plans to adopt a streamlined approval process for devices tested in US labs or labs from countries not posing national security risks. In a separate 3-0 vote, the commission advanced a proposal to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352083/us-telecoms-agency-votes-expand-tech-crackdown-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352083/us-telecoms-agency-votes-expand-tech-crackdown-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:51:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters The man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at a black-tie press gala in Washington agreed on Thursday to remain in custody while his case moves forward. The suspect, Cole Allen, 31, would ‌not immediately contest prosecutors’ arguments that he was a danger to the community and should remain in jail, his lawyer, Tezira Abe, said during a court hearing. Allen allegedly stormed a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352080/man-charged-trying-kill-trump-agrees-remain-custody?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352080/man-charged-trying-kill-trump-agrees-remain-custody?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:50:34 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The first direct commercial flight between the United States and Venezuela departed a bit early on Thursday on its way to the capital of the South American country, seven years after the US Homeland Security Department ordered an indefinite suspension, citing security concerns. The resumption of a commercial flight between the two countries comes months after the US capture of then-president Nicolas Maduro in a stunning night-time raid on his residence in Caracas in early January. It also comes... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352078/first-direct-us-venezuela-commercial-flight-7-years-heads-caracas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352078/first-direct-us-venezuela-commercial-flight-7-years-heads-caracas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:00:52 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Ugandan-American man was sentenced to death on Thursday over the murders of four young children he stabbed to death at a kindergarten in Uganda’s capital. Christopher Okello Onyum was arrested on April 2 as he tried to flee the day care centre in Kampala where he murdered the children aged 15 months to two-and-a-half years. Prosecutors said Onyum, who holds Ugandan and US citizenship, confessed to the crime, believing the “human sacrifice” would help him become rich, though he eventually... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352076/uganda-kindergarten-murderer-sentenced-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352076/uganda-kindergarten-murderer-sentenced-death?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:44:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an ⁠investigation into ⁠a 15-year-old, suspected of having ⁠hacked the country’s ID agency and trying to sell the data of millions of French people on the dark web this month, it said on Thursday. The teenager, whose identity ‌was not revealed, was detained on April 25 and held in police custody for questioning after he was suspected of hiding behind the nickname “breach3d”, a hacker who had put on sale on hacker forums between 12 million and 18 million... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352075/france-probes-teenage-suspect-massive-id-data-breach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352075/france-probes-teenage-suspect-massive-id-data-breach?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:27:38 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US economy accelerated at the start of 2026, expanding at a modest 2 per cent pace from January through March after recovering from last fall’s 43-day federal government shutdown. But the outlook is clouded by the Iran war. The Commerce Department reported on Thursday that gross domestic product – the nation’s output of goods and services – rebounded from a lacklustre 0.5 per cent expansion the last three months of 2025. The federal government’s spending and investment grew at a 9.3 per cent... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352072/us-economy-grows-2-january-march-iran-war-clouds-outlook?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352072/us-economy-grows-2-january-march-iran-war-clouds-outlook?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:50:09 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju Brics’ inability to speak with one voice on the Middle East conflict has become a stern test of India’s leadership of the bloc, exposing the challenge of building consensus among its 10 members with divergent interests and concerns. The bloc could not agree on a common position on the war at a meeting of Brics officials to discuss Middle East and North Africa issues in New Delhi last week. Brics has long sought to present itself as a voice for the Global South as frustrations with the US-led... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352055/iran-war-tests-indias-brics-leadership-political-relevance-questions-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352055/iran-war-tests-indias-brics-leadership-political-relevance-questions-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:49:38 +0000 Reuters Reuters Global oil prices jumped to a four-year high of more than US$126 a barrel on Thursday, on concerns that the US-Iran war could worsen and lead to a protracted Middle East oil supply disruption that could hurt global economic growth. The market moved higher after Axios, citing unidentified sources, reported late on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump was slated to receive a briefing on Thursday on plans for a series of military strikes on Iran in hopes it would return ‌to negotiations on its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3352041/global-oil-price-hits-4-year-high-concerns-iran-war-could-worsen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3352041/global-oil-price-hits-4-year-high-concerns-iran-war-could-worsen?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:09:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The UK government said on Thursday that the country was facing an antisemitism emergency and pledged to increase security for Jewish communities after a string of arson attacks and a double stabbing that have sparked fear and anger among Jews. The country’s official terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe after Wednesday’s stabbing attack in London, which police have called an act of terrorism with potential links to Iran. Severe is the second-highest rung on a five-point scale... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352030/uk-tackle-antisemitism-emergency-police-probe-double-stabbing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352030/uk-tackle-antisemitism-emergency-police-probe-double-stabbing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:49:05 +0000 Neil Denslow,Raymond Ma Neil Denslow,Raymond Ma Subscribers: The Daily Pulse won’t be published on May 1 because of China’s Labour Day holiday. We will resume publication on Monday, May 4. Crude oil prices jumped to a four-year high after US President Donald Trump suggested that a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could last for “months”. Brent crude, the global benchmark, surged as much as 7.3 per cent, surpassing US$126 a barrel, following reports that Trump met oil executives on Tuesday to discuss ways of extending the blockade and... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/middle-east/article/3352007/oil-surge-trump-blockade-warning-tests-stocks-resilience?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/world/middle-east/article/3352007/oil-surge-trump-blockade-warning-tests-stocks-resilience?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:00:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Israeli forces near the southern Greek island of Crete intercepted more than 20 boats from a flotilla of several dozen seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and planned to transport about 175 detained activists to Greece on Thursday, Israeli authorities said. Activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli forces stormed their vessels overnight, smashing engines and detaining some of those on board while they were sailing in international waters near Greece, hundreds of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351997/israel-intercepts-gaza-aid-flotilla-international-waters-greece-detaining-dozens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351997/israel-intercepts-gaza-aid-flotilla-international-waters-greece-detaining-dozens?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:19:37 +0000 Reuters Reuters A series ⁠of reversals suffered by Mali’s Moscow-backed military government has dented Russia’s image as ⁠a self-styled security guarantor in Africa and threatens its strategic and economic interests on the continent. The military junta, which turned to Russia for support after expelling French and UN troops following coups in 2020 and 2021, was rocked at the weekend by an offensive by West Africa’s al-Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated separatist group. Mali’s Russia-trained defence... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351955/mali-turmoil-tests-russias-image-security-guarantor-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351955/mali-turmoil-tests-russias-image-security-guarantor-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:13:57 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse R&B singer D4vd used chainsaws he bought from Amazon to cut up the body of the teenage girl he murdered and left to rot in the trunk of his Tesla, prosecution documents claimed on Wednesday. The internet breakout star killed Celeste Rivas Hernandez because she threatened to reveal their long-standing and illegal sexual relationship, which began when she was just 13, charging papers allege. He then hacked up her corpse, using a plastic paddling pool to contain the blood, and stuffed it into bags... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351933/chainsaws-and-paddling-pool-gruesome-details-alleged-d4vd-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351933/chainsaws-and-paddling-pool-gruesome-details-alleged-d4vd-case?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 02:24:19 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Ant International, the overseas spin-off of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, has connected more than 150 million merchants with over 2 billion consumer accounts around the world, as it positions its payments network as core infrastructure for the emerging AI commerce economy. The figures, disclosed at the company’s MoMents 2026 forum in Kuala Lumpur, which ran from Monday to Wednesday, underscore the scale Ant is seeking to leverage amid the rising adoption of artificial intelligence agents. Ant... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3351926/ant-international-serves-150m-merchants-2b-consumers-bets-ai-commerce-infrastructure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3351926/ant-international-serves-150m-merchants-2b-consumers-bets-ai-commerce-infrastructure?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 01:31:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States is considering reducing the number of its troops in Germany, amid a row with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war. “The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump said on social media. The United States had more than 35,000 troops in Germany in 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351923/trump-may-cut-us-troops-germany-after-merzs-humiliating-iran-comment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351923/trump-may-cut-us-troops-germany-after-merzs-humiliating-iran-comment?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 23:46:31 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier The United Nations is bloated, costly, badly in need of reform, and too often works against US interests, but pulling out of the international organisation would see China expand its influence and leave Washington at a major disadvantage, according to testimony before a House oversight committee on Wednesday. The hearing came as the administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed an “America first” overhaul of international funding, leaving the UN, over the past 18 months, at what... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351920/un-bloated-costly-china-fears-should-keep-us-involved-house-committee-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351920/un-bloated-costly-china-fears-should-keep-us-involved-house-committee-told?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 22:39:41 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Federal investigators say they believe the man who carried out a mass shooting at Brown University and later killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor did not act randomly. Instead, former Brown student Claudio Neves Valente, 48, appeared to target places and people for what they represented in his own life – institutions and individuals he associated with personal failure, missed opportunity and perceived injustice. In a detailed behavioural assessment released on Wednesday, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351919/brown-university-shooter-targeted-symbolic-victims-tied-grievances-fbi-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351919/brown-university-shooter-targeted-symbolic-victims-tied-grievances-fbi-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 22:14:32 +0000 Divya Singhal,Rebecca Chunghee Kim Divya Singhal,Rebecca Chunghee Kim Can tourism be considered successful if arrivals increase, but the local communities – the very soul of the destination – feel strained and excluded? Too often, tourism success is measured in arrivals, occupancy and revenue. These numbers matter. But they tell only a fraction of the story. We must ask: who is this success really for? Traditional growth metrics are no longer sufficient to protect the residents who host the world or the workers who power the experience. To prevent cultural... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3351699/japan-india-overtourism-cries-out-new-success-metrics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3351699/japan-india-overtourism-cries-out-new-success-metrics?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla commemorated victims of the September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attack on New York on Wednesday, laying a floral bouquet at the memorial where the World Trade Centre’s twin towers once stood. The royal visit to lower Manhattan came at a time of tensions between Britain and the US, with President Donald Trump having criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer for what he says is his lack of help in ‌the US and Israel’s war with Iran. Michael Bloomberg, a former New... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351917/king-charles-commemorates-9/11-victims-new-york-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351917/king-charles-commemorates-9/11-victims-new-york-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 20:30:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The extraordinary clash at the Federal Reserve between Jerome Powell and Donald Trump entered new territory on Wednesday when the outgoing US central bank chairman said he would remain on as a governor – and the president lashed him with another insult. Powell said that while his term at the head of the Fed was ending May 15, he would exercise his right to remain on the board “for a period of time to be determined”. Powell appeared concerned about the Fed maintaining its independence in the face... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351915/powell-says-hell-stay-fed-after-chair-term-ends-citing-attacks-trump-team?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351915/powell-says-hell-stay-fed-after-chair-term-ends-citing-attacks-trump-team?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:33:58 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim US President Donald Trump spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, discussing the wars in Ukraine and Iran even as Washington pressed ahead with its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Trump told reporters as he met with astronauts from the Artemis II mission ‌in the Oval Office that the conversation was “very good” and that the US was “going to come up with a solution relatively quickly” over its ongoing conflict with Iran. “He told me he’d like to be involved with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351913/trump-says-he-had-good-talk-putin-iran-and-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351913/trump-says-he-had-good-talk-putin-iran-and-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:53:41 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US Supreme Court on Wednesday sharply limited the use of race in drawing electoral districts, in a decision that could reshape congressional maps nationwide and boost Republican prospects ahead of midterm elections. In a 6-3 ruling split along ideological lines, the conservative-dominated court struck down a map that creates a second majority-black district in Louisiana, finding it amounted to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander despite being drawn to comply with the 1965 Voting Rights... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351910/us-supreme-court-curbs-race-based-voting-maps-landmark-ruling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351910/us-supreme-court-curbs-race-based-voting-maps-landmark-ruling?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:59:00 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The man charged with trying to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and kill US President Donald Trump took a picture of himself in his hotel room just minutes earlier, outfitted with an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife, authorities said on Wednesday in a new court filing. Cole Allen wore black pants, a black shirt and a red tie as he snapped the image in his room at the Washington Hilton, where Trump and hundreds of journalists were meeting for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351907/man-charged-trying-kill-trump-dinner-took-photo-knife-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351907/man-charged-trying-kill-trump-dinner-took-photo-knife-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:35:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said that a US naval blockade against Iran could last months, leading oil prices to spike to their highest level in more than four years which held into Thursday. With diplomacy between Iran and the United States at a standstill after false starts, Trump spoke by phone Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned him of “damaging consequences” if the United States and Israel resume their war on Iran. Meeting oil executives, Trump contended that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351904/trump-says-us-blockade-could-last-months-warns-iran-get-smart-soon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3351904/trump-says-us-blockade-could-last-months-warns-iran-get-smart-soon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:59:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Sweden’s government said on Wednesday it planned to introduce legislation requiring social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat to take down criminal gangs’ ‘murder adverts’ within an hour or face hefty fines. Criminal gangs active in Sweden increasingly use social media to recruit people to commit murders and other violent acts amid a surge in “crime as a service”. The recruits are often children under the age of 15, Sweden’s age of criminal responsibility, meaning the youngsters cannot be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351902/sweden-targets-social-media-giants-over-murder-adverts-recruiting-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351902/sweden-targets-social-media-giants-over-murder-adverts-recruiting-children?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:42:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press London police say the stabbing of two Jewish men on Wednesday has been declared a terrorist incident. Metropolitan Police say they are investigating whether the attack specifically targeted the Jewish community. The force says the incident, in the Golders Green area, left two men, aged 34 and 76, hospitalised with knife wounds. A 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Police are investigating whether the stabbings are linked to recent arson attacks on synagogues and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351899/uk-police-say-london-stabbing-2-jewish-men-terrorist-incident?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351899/uk-police-say-london-stabbing-2-jewish-men-terrorist-incident?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:54:48 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The pace of tropical forest destruction slowed in 2025 after record losses the year before but remained at worrying levels equivalent to 11 football fields per minute, researchers said Wednesday. The world lost 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of tropical primary rainforest last year, down 36 per cent from 2024, said researchers from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland. “A drop of this scale in a single year is encouraging – it shows what decisive... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3351895/tropical-rainforest-loss-eases-after-record-year-still-11-football-fields-minute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3351895/tropical-rainforest-loss-eases-after-record-year-still-11-football-fields-minute?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:35:31 +0000 Frank Chen,Mia Nurmamat Frank Chen,Mia Nurmamat China may gain from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) withdrawing from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), benefiting from additional supply as global oil markets face growing strain three months into the US-Israeli war in Iran, analysts said. The UAE – Opec’s third-largest producer, accounting for about 12 per cent of its total output – will formally leave the bloc on May 1. UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei told CNBC that it was the “right time” to exit, adding... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3351849/why-china-may-benefit-uaes-opec-withdrawal-amid-iran-war-oil-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3351849/why-china-may-benefit-uaes-opec-withdrawal-amid-iran-war-oil-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:00:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The widespread use of rape and other sexual violence as a weapon of war in Sudan has spurred a massive mental health crisis, United Nations agencies and local aid groups warned. The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a brutal conflict since April 2023 that has killed tens of thousands and displaced around 11 million people. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières last month said at least 3,396 survivors of sexual violence – nearly all of them women... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351888/sudans-sexual-violence-weapon-war-triggers-huge-mental-health-crisis-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351888/sudans-sexual-violence-weapon-war-triggers-huge-mental-health-crisis-un?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:30:19 +0000 Marco Vicenzino Marco Vicenzino Even if the immediate phase of conflict subsides, the Gulf is unlikely to return to the status quo. For Asia, the central question is no longer simply whether the Strait of Hormuz is open. It is whether the waterway remains reliable, predictable and politically insulated from coercion. That distinction now matters more than ever. For China and other major Asian importers, it is a question of whether energy flows, shipping routes and sanctions exposure are increasingly being shaped by a crisis... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3351638/why-era-managed-hormuz-disruption-wouldnt-bode-well-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3351638/why-era-managed-hormuz-disruption-wouldnt-bode-well-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters The ⁠Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia’s annual Victory Day ‌military parade on Red Square had been scaled back this year and ⁠would not include military ‌equipment due to the risk of ‌what it described ⁠as “Ukrainian ⁠terrorist activity”. The parade, ‌held on May 9, ‌marks the ‌Soviet defeat ‌of Nazi Germany during ⁠World War II, a ⁠conflict Russians call the Great Patriotic ‌War. One of the top holidays on the Russian calendar, it allows the dwindling number of veterans to gather in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351805/russia-hold-equipment-free-victory-day-parade-ukraine-war-grinds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351805/russia-hold-equipment-free-victory-day-parade-ukraine-war-grinds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 06:04:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters The leader of Mali’s military government, Assimi Goita, on ⁠Tuesday made his first public appearance since insurgents launched coordinated attacks over the weekend, vowing in a televised address to “neutralise” those responsible. West Africa’s al-Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated separatist group hit Mali’s main army base and the area near Bamako’s airport in the attacks on Saturday, while also pushing Russian troops supporting government forces out of the strategic town of Kidal in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351799/malis-junta-leader-says-situation-under-control-first-appearance-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3351799/malis-junta-leader-says-situation-under-control-first-appearance-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 05:10:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse UK King Charles gave US President Donald Trump a taste of his own medicine at a White House state dinner on Tuesday when he joked that without the British, Americans would be speaking French. As the heads of state traded jokes during their dinner toasts, Charles referenced previous comments by Trump aimed at European allies he accuses of freeloading on defence since World War II. “You recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351778/uk-king-charles-roasts-trump-colonial-quip-youd-be-speaking-french?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351778/uk-king-charles-roasts-trump-colonial-quip-youd-be-speaking-french?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 03:25:22 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Asia’s oil import-dependent economies will benefit from the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) exit from Opec, though the ongoing closure of the arterial Strait of Hormuz may not offer any immediate relief from soaring prices, analysts say. Global oil prices continued to surge on Wednesday, with benchmark Brent crude oil prices hitting US$111 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) approaching US$100 a barrel. Before the Iran war, Brent was trading around US$70 a barrel, while WTI was about US$65... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3351776/why-uaes-exit-opec-good-news-asias-energy-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3351776/why-uaes-exit-opec-good-news-asias-energy-security?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 03:23:16 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo There is a time and a place. Just because you have a right to do something doesn’t mean you should exercise it. The United States and its allies keep claiming they have the right of navigation in international waters by sending their navies through the Taiwan Strait. Their intention to provoke is clear despite their justification under international law. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s row with Beijing over her remarks about militarily intervening in a Taiwan crisis has yet to die down.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3351526/remilitarised-japan-threatens-more-just-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3351526/remilitarised-japan-threatens-more-just-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An image of Donald Trump will soon appear in some US passports, officials said on Tuesday, shattering another norm as the president aggressively puts his personal stamp on government institutions. There were few precedents anywhere in the world, let alone in a democracy, of displaying sitting leaders’ pictures in passports, and Trump would be the first sitting US president featured in Americans’ travel documents. The State Department said it would offer the limited-edition passport to mark this... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351767/trump-put-his-picture-us-passports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351767/trump-put-his-picture-us-passports?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 23:16:59 +0000 Reuters Reuters The acting US ambassador ⁠to Kyiv Julie Davis will step down from her post and retire, a US official and the State Department said on Tuesday, amid a lull in US-brokered talks to achieve a ceasefire and end Russia’s invasion ‌of Ukraine. The Financial Times first reported Davis’ departure and said it was because of differences of opinion with President Donald Trump’s policies and that Davis had grown frustrated with her role over his dwindling support for Ukraine. The State Department pushed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351766/trumps-ukraine-envoy-stepping-down-amid-stalled-peace-talks-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3351766/trumps-ukraine-envoy-stepping-down-amid-stalled-peace-talks-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 22:49:39 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong As the US-Israel war in Iran drags into its third month, sulphuric acid – a chemical ingredient critical for fertiliser production and metal processing that has seldom grabbed global headlines – has become a keenly watched commodity. The military conflict in the Gulf and the effective blockage of the Strait of Hormuz initially triggered a squeeze on sulphuric acid, with prices on the rise after shipments in the region – which accounts for a quarter of global production – were largely stalled... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351630/how-chinas-reported-ban-sulphuric-acid-exports-could-have-overseas-buyers-reeling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351630/how-chinas-reported-ban-sulphuric-acid-exports-could-have-overseas-buyers-reeling?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 22:00:12 +0000 Ruqiya Anwar Ruqiya Anwar While the United States and Iran exchange peace proposals in Islamabad, the Middle East remains trapped in a cycle of escalation. Ships burn in the Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon absorbs strikes by Israel and the nuclear gap remains unbridgeable. Calling this moment a ceasefire might be in line with diplomatic language, but on the ground it has the familiar look of war, just repackaged. While US President Donald Trump might have negotiated some sort of ceasefire agreement, the American naval blockade... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3351561/us-iran-ceasefire-cant-paper-over-fires-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3351561/us-iran-ceasefire-cant-paper-over-fires-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said the US and Nato were faced with a “marriage crisis” as frustrations mount on both sides of the Atlantic, urging Washington to stand with its allies or risk America’s fall. Francken, speaking at a think tank event in Washington on Tuesday, likened the strained transatlantic relationship, which has held for close to 80 years, to a “crisis”, saying “it’s very difficult”. “I’m convinced that we’re having a marriage crisis … There’s a lot of frustration on... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351763/us-and-nato-faced-frustrating-marriage-crisis-belgian-defence-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3351763/us-and-nato-faced-frustrating-marriage-crisis-belgian-defence-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:00:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US ⁠has placed specific conditions on releasing billions of dollars it owes to the United Nations, including further cost-cutting, and moves to counter China’s influence at the world body, a development news wire reported on Tuesday. The report by Devex, an independent news organisation covering global development, ‌said two diplomatic notes circulated by the US called for nine “quick-hit” reforms as a condition for releasing more funds. It said these included: Overhauling the UN pension... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351762/us-conditions-paying-un-dues-include-china-curbs-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351762/us-conditions-paying-un-dues-include-china-curbs-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:51:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters After a joke by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel drew calls from the White House for ABC to fire the comedian, the US Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday ordered an early licence review of the network’s television stations. The stand-off between US President Donald Trump’s administration and the global entertainment conglomerate is the first crisis facing Walt Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro. Last Thursday, Kimmel, whose late-night television programme airs on Disney’s ‌ABC, did a send-up of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351761/fcc-orders-review-abc-licences-after-kimmels-trump-assassination-joke?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351761/fcc-orders-review-abc-licences-after-kimmels-trump-assassination-joke?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:45:57 +0000