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How China and Russia could team up to shift global...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Cooperation between China and Russia on science and technology could help stop US isolation and allow the international science community to “return to normalcy” amid geopolitical tensions, according to experts in the US and Russia. It could also offer the world an alternative model of scientific collaboration and signal a shift in the scientific “centre of gravity” from the West to the East. As the leaders of China and Russia met in Beijing, experts said they hoped the summit would provide...

Trump’s H-1B visa squeeze paves way for Indian tech...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

For generations of Indian tech workers, the H-1B visa has been a golden ticket, turning ambitious engineers from Hyderabad and Bengaluru into Silicon Valley professionals, as it transformed Indian IT firms into global powerhouses. Now, a Trump administration proposal to sharply raise the minimum salaries required to qualify for the programme threatens to close that door to the United States, redirecting Indian talent towards Europe, Australia, New Zealand and beyond instead. Under the new...

Jensen Huang’s visit to China spicy noodle shop...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

A noodle shop in downtown Beijing went viral on social media after billionaire Jensen Huang paid it a visit, prompting the outlet to launch a “God of War in leather jacket” set menu the next day. On May 15, the Nvidia CEO was spotted holding a large bowl of noodles and using chopsticks to wolf down food outside Fangzhuanchang No 69 Beijing Fried Sauce Noodles shop in the Nanluogu commercial area in central Beijing. Huang was in China as part of US President Donald Trump’s delegation which

EU picks tungsten, rare earths, gallium for first...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

The ⁠European Union has shortlisted ⁠tungsten, rare earths and ⁠gallium for its first joint stockpile of critical minerals aimed at reducing its reliance on China, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The EU is also talking to major ports ‌including Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the region’s biggest, to store the minerals, one of the three and a fourth source said. The move marks one of the bloc’s most concrete steps to insulate its economy from Beijing’s production dominance

35 families in Hong Kong shoebox flats face eviction...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Thirty-five families living in subdivided flats in Hong Kong have faced eviction in the 2½ months since the government introduced a new regime to eradicate substandard shoebox homes, according to housing authorities. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin also said on Wednesday that another 40 subdivided flat households from Yee Wa Building in Sham Shui Po, which faced eviction last year, were still living in the block and considering their options. The Basic Housing Units Ordinance took...

Xi-Putin summit leaves gas pipeline plan in limbo

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin made little progress on long-delayed plans to to build a new gas pipeline between the two countries at a presidential summit in Beijing. There was still no “clear timeline” and “there are still some details to be worked out”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media. The two countries had reached a “basic understanding”, including on “the route and how it will be built”, he said. Putin arrived in Beijing for his 25th visit

Chinese investment in Europe surges to 7-year high...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Chinese investment in Europe hit a seven-year high of €16.8 billion (US$19.5 billion) in 2025, driven by a strong rebound in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and record greenfield completions, a new report has found. But the annual study, published on Tuesday by Rhodium Group and the Mercator Institute for China Studies, cautioned that the pipeline may be thinning, with newly announced projects falling under pressure from Beijing’s push to retain industrial capacity at home and Europe’s growing...

Philippines’ top court rejects Dela Rosa’s bid to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

The Philippine Supreme Court refused on Wednesday to block the arrest of a fugitive senator wanted by the International Criminal Court over his role in the nation’s deadly drug war. The interim ruling clears the way for the potential arrest of Senator Ronald dela Rosa, the former national police chief who was the main enforcer of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown. “The Supreme Court, in a vote of 9-5-1, denied the prayer for a temporary restraining order and/or status quo ante order

Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing to subsidise liver...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s charity will expand support for liver cancer patients by subsidising surgery fees for 200 patients over the next three years, enabling access to cutting-edge treatment at a cost of HK$50,000 (US$6,380). Announcing the initiative on Wednesday, the Li Ka Shing Foundation said eligible patients would be selected by three partnering private hospitals to undergo histotripsy surgery, which typically costs about HK$260,000 for Hong Kong identity card

China’s Top Numerical Control rides investor fervour...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Shares of Chinese aviation and aerospace parts supplier Shanghai Top Numerical Control Technology ended 80 per cent higher on its debut in Hong Kong on Wednesday, as investors continue to bet on the commercial aerospace sector. Top Numerical Control opened at HK$37 per share on its first day of trading, representing a 40.2 per cent premium to the offer price of HK$26.39. It reached as high as HK$48.40 in afternoon trade, before closing at HK$47.50. The Shanghai-based company issued 65.33

How war-risk marine insurance can set Hong Kong apart

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

As conflict in the Middle East sends marine insurance costs surging, Hong Kong has an opening to prove that it is more than a port city by becoming a trusted centre for risk pricing, legal certainty and maritime resilience. When tensions rise in the Middle East, the first signs of trouble in global shipping do not always appear at sea. Often, they appear in the insurance market. Premiums jump. Underwriters retreat. Shipowners rethink routes. Long before a vessel is struck, the cost of moving...

How Vladimir Putin’s chance encounter with a Chinese...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese engineer Peng Pai on Wednesday, over a quarter century after a chance encounter during his first presidential visit to China, when Peng was 12 years old. Putin, who arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day visit, received Peng at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. According to a Kremlin statement, Putin praised Peng’s decision to study in Russia, saying it was “very pleasing” to him and that he hoped he had found a welcoming environment there. The...

China turns to Russian oil as Gulf supply drops – but...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

While China’s oil and gas imports from Gulf nations plunged in April amid the Strait of Hormuz crisis during the US-Israeli war on Iran, shipments from Russia have provided Beijing with a partial buffer for its growing economy. Russia’s crude shipments to China rose 11.3 per cent year on year to nearly 9 million tonnes in April, according to Chinese customs data released on Wednesday. But market conditions have also shifted. Much of the discount on Russian oil and gas – long a source of cheap...

Final report reveals truth behind deadly Singapore...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Two years after severe turbulence left one passenger dead and dozens injured on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight, investigators have released their final report, addressing major questions about what caused the disaster. Flight SQ321, travelling from London to Singapore, was diverted to Bangkok so passengers and crew could receive medical treatment. In the immediate aftermath, multiple analysts attributed the incident to clear-air turbulence – invisible pockets of air that can occur at high...

Outbreak of rare Ebola strain sparks race to find...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

An escalating outbreak of a rare Ebola strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo has kicked off a race to find vaccines and treatments that can be quickly tested and rolled out to save lives and stem the crisis. More than 130 people have died so far during the outbreak, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, as WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic”. Tedros pointed to the emergence of cases in urban...

What is the political weight of Diaoyutai State...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

When Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday evening for a two-day state visit, he once again returned to his “second home” at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, a royal garden that has hosted dignitaries including Richard Nixon, Boris Yeltsin and Kim Jong-un. Diaoyutai is a familiar setting for Putin, who has visited China more than 20 times and personally met President Xi Jinping on more than 40 occasions since 2013, according to state news agency Xinhua. He usually

‘Mr Ho’ pleads guilty to stabbing ‘Mrs Ho’ as prison...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

A Hong Kong court has denied bail to internet personality “Mr Ho” after he pleaded guilty to stabbing his 45-year-old wife “Mrs Ho” in a domestic violence dispute that escalated into a criminal case. The District Court on Wednesday heard that Ho Huen, 79, pleaded guilty to attacking his 45-year-old wife Ye Xiuding, known as Mrs Ho, with a folding knife as she was leaving their home for mainland China. Both Mr and Mrs Ho were charged with unlawfully and maliciously wounding each other during a...

Could Putin, Trump visits pave the way for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

As energy cooperation tops the summit agenda, back-to-back state visits of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could pave the way for emerging “trilateral coordination” between China, Russia and the United States. That is according to Cui Hongjian, a former diplomat and the head of European studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University. But Cui said the US would remain the biggest uncertainty. During talks with visiting Russian leader Putin on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said both...

Dozens could face criminal charges over London’s 2017...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

British police said on Tuesday they would ask prosecutors to consider charging 57 people and 20 organisations with criminal offences over the Grenfell Tower blaze, almost a decade after the deadliest fire in Britain’s modern history killed dozens. The Metropolitan Police said files of evidence would be submitted to prosecutors by the end of September, with charging decisions by June 14, 2027 – the 10th anniversary of the London tragedy, which killed 72 people. Bereaved families and survivors...

Hong Kong adds 820 extra flights to ease disruptions...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Hong Kong authorities have approved 820 additional flights and fast-tracked 4,100 adjustment applications to help airlines respond to sudden surges in passenger and cargo demand amid the Middle East war. “We are actively engaging airlines to encourage them to deploy extra cargo capacity to connect Hong Kong International Airport with destinations currently experiencing service shortfalls due to the Middle East situation,” Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan told the Legislative...

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