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News - South China Morning Post

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How China and the US felt the weight of history...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Both the United States and China appear keen to present this week’s talks between their respective presidents in Beijing as a “historic” and groundbreaking occasion. The way they have tried to frame the interactions between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping revealed both sides’ eagerness to emphasise the importance of the occasion. The messaging began with one of the choices of venue for their talks: the secluded leadership compound in Zhongnanhai in the heart of Beijing, rather than the Diaoyutai...

China confirms deal to buy US aircraft and engines...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Saturday that it had reached an agreement with the United States over the purchase of aeroplanes, jet engines and components. “The two sides have reached arrangements on China’s purchase of aircraft from the US and the US ensuring the supply of aircraft engines and components to China, and agreed to continue advancing cooperation in related areas,” the ministry said in a statement on its website. The world’s two biggest economies agreed to establish a

Congo Ebola outbreak: constant burials as death toll...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

At least 80 deaths have been reported in Congo’s new Ebola disease outbreak in the eastern Ituri province, authorities said, as health workers raced to intensify screening and contact tracing to contain the disease on Saturday. Officials first announced the outbreak on Friday, with 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases. In Ituri’s capital, Bunia, locals recounted their fears amid constant burials. “Every day, people are dying … and this has been going on for about a week. In a single day, we bury...

Is China’s new mediation body gaining steam as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Global envoys and experts are doubling down on mediation as a preferred way to resolve regional conflicts amid stalled US-Iran peace talks and China’s appeal for more countries to join its new mediation body. According to Cui Jianchun, commissioner of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, mediation ensures “to the greatest extent” the autonomy of disputing parties and its “unique charm” is the high respect given to the will of the parties. Cui made the remarks at a summit in Hong...

Is AI adoption causing ‘utilitarian’ employers to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

University student Harry Dong has spent more than two months sending out roughly 30 to 40 job applications across Hong Kong’s event management, technology and education sectors, but has secured only one interview so far. The 23-year-old University of Hong Kong student, who will graduate in December, said he had only applied for internship positions. “It’s too hard for us to find a full-time job directly. Each company has opened only one to three positions because AI has taken the rest,” Dong...

10 Mexican government, justice officials indicted in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

The former Secretary of Public Security for Mexico’s Sinaloa state appeared in a US court on Friday, days after his arrest in Arizona on charges he and other officials took bribes to help the Sinaloa Cartel smuggle vast quantities of drugs into the US. Gerardo Mérida Sánchez, 66, was not required to enter a plea during his initial appearance in federal court in Manhattan. He was ordered jailed but could request bail at a later date. He is due back in court on June 1. A message seeking comment...

Scalpers list Swatch-Audemars Piguet watches hours...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Many shoppers who queued for days ahead of the launch of a new watch from two Swiss brands have listed the timepieces for sale within hours of buying them, with resale prices nearly seven times their original retail value. A South China Morning Post reporter observed at least 70 people in raincoats and carrying umbrellas queuing in Causeway Bay on Saturday morning, with the line stretching from the Swatch store on Kai Chiu Road all the way around the block to Pak Sha Road. Queues had been...

Man infected with rat hepatitis E, Hong Kong’s first...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Health authorities are investigating a human case of rat hepatitis E – the first recorded in Hong Kong this year – and have urged the public to observe good hygiene practices and use effective rodent control measures. A spokesman for the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Saturday that the case involved a 42-year-old man with chronic liver disease, whose blood sample tested positive for the virus on May 5. “Based on current epidemiological data, the CHP considered that the patient was...

How Taiwan’s Apec attendance could test Beijing’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Taiwan will send its top trade negotiator to next week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) ministerial meeting in mainland China – a rare occurrence since the two sides cut off official communication in 2016. Analysts said the move suggested both sides were still trying to preserve a workable status quo within the regional forum despite worsening cross-strait tensions. The Apec trade ministers’ meeting will be held in Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu province, between May 22 and 23. Yang

After China-US reset, Putin heads to Beijing for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to the Chinese capital next week to reinforce the Sino-Russian “comprehensive strategic partnership”, just days after a tentative US-China reset. Beijing and Moscow announced on Saturday that Putin would visit from May 19 to 20, confirming an earlier report by the South China Morning Post. “At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to China from May 19 to 20,” state news agency Xinhua

Rival pro-Palestine, far-right protests in London as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Two major protests are taking place on Saturday in London, with the Metropolitan Police warning it may be one of its busiest days in recent years. Tens of thousands of people are expected to march for Unite the Kingdom, an event arranged by far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, and the annual pro-Palestine Nakba Day march. London’s Metropolitan Police is drafting more than 4,000 officers to police the two events, a scale of operation it said was

What do travellers need to know when Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Hong Kong airport’s Terminal 2 will reopen later this month, with several airlines to relocate their check-in operations from Terminal 1 as part of expansion plans linked to the three-runway system. The phased move, starting on May 27, will mainly involve regional and low-cost carriers, including HK Express and AirAsia group airlines. Terminal 2 was reconfigured under the airport’s three-runway system project. Here is what travellers need to know. 1. Which airlines are moving to Terminal

Buyers flock to SHKP project in New Territories as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Hundreds of prospective buyers gravitated to a Sun Hung Kai Properties’ (SHKP’s) project in the New Territories on Saturday, keen to view the 121 flats on offer in a fresh sign that Hong Kong’s home market is on a sustained upwards cycle despite risk caution. By 5.30pm, all of the homes at Lime Spark in Tsuen Wan had found buyers, while some bullish investors offered to buy more than one unit, according to property agents. “Despite a 2 to 3 per cent price increase, the next round [of 121

China school slammed for invading privacy with pupil...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

A primary school in China sparked controversy for letting its pupils fill in a detailed questionnaire about their parents’ work. The survey, titled Observation List of Parents’ Occupation, was distributed to pupils at the beginning of May at Huatai Primary School in Tianmen, central Hubei province, Zonglan News reported. The questions regarding their parents’ work coincided with the May Day holiday which is celebrated in mainland China as Workers’ Day. The school said that it aimed to boost...

Hong Kong police officer fires service pistol by...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

A Hong Kong police officer accidentally fired a single round from her service firearm on Saturday morning, with no injuries reported. The force said the incident occurred at the Kai Tak police headquarters at around 7.10am, when the officer was loading her semi-automatic pistol in a designated loading area on Concorde Road. The officer is attached to the tactical unit of the force’s Kowloon East regional headquarters, which will follow up on the case. Police reiterated that they had stringent...

How Trump’s China visit may hint the ‘2 eyes of the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

It is hard not to be impressed by the sheer energy Donald Trump displayed during his whirlwind visit to Beijing. Within just 43 hours, the 79-year-old president held two meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, inspected troops, attended a state banquet and walked around the Temple of Heaven in sweltering heat – not to mention making his characteristic social media postings in the wee hours of the morning. Showing no signs of jet lag, Trump seemed to be in high spirits, glad-handing

Tech features at Hong Kong’s Terminal 2 to enable...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Hong Kong is counting down to the “milestone” launch of the reconfigured second terminal at the airport on May 27, which will feature technology-led services to ease bottlenecks, the city’s transport minister has said. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said on Saturday that Terminal 2 was ready to serve travellers, highlighting new technologies that would streamline departures. The managing Airport Authority expects the revamped terminal to handle about 8 million passenger

2 Hong Kong tourists killed, 2 injured in New Zealand...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Two Hong Kong tourists have been killed and two others injured in a car crash in New Zealand. The Chinese consulate in Christchurch revealed the fatal crash on Saturday, saying it occurred a day earlier. “According to a New Zealand police report, a serious traffic accident occurred on the afternoon of May 15 near the intersection of North Rakaia Road and State Highway 1 in the Selwyn District on the South Island,” it said. “The crash resulted in the deaths of two Hong Kong tourists, while two...

Hong Kong parents warned of injury and choking risks...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

A catapult toy and a tangram set could pose injury and choking risks to children, Hong Kong customs has warned, urging retailers to pull the products from shelves. The Customs and Excise Department said on Saturday that it had seized 700 units of the toys during an operation and issued a prohibition notice banning their sale. The action followed an earlier safety test on various toys bought at Chinese New Year fairs. “To avoid accidents, parents should immediately stop letting their children...

Trump says Isis second in command Abu-Bilal...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

US and Nigerian forces killed a leader of Islamic State in Nigeria in a mission carried out on Friday, US President Donald Trump said. Trump announced the joint operation in Africa’s most populous country in a late-night social media post that offered few details. He said Abu Bakr al-Mainuki was second in command of Isis globally and “thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.” Al-Mainuki was viewed as a key figure in IS...

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