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Trump admin proposes barring Chinese airlines flying...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

The Trump administration on Thursday proposed banning Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on flights to and from the United States, saying the practice puts American carriers at a disadvantage.US airlines have long criticised the decision to allow Chinese carriers to fly over Russia on some flights because it gives them the advantage of decreased flying time and lower fuel consumption. The US Transportation Department said on Thursday in its proposed order “this imbalance has become a...

How National Palace Museum’s anniversary became a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

On October 10, 1925, the Forbidden City in Beijing became the Palace Museum. The massive complex of ancient imperial palaces that was home to the royalty of the Ming and Qing dynasties for centuries became a museum for the people. Today, there are four Palace Museums: the original in Beijing, the National Palace Museum in Taipei, with a Southern branch in Chiayi which opened in 2015, and the Hong Kong Palace Museum which opened in 2022. In this series, we explore the stories behind the

How China is engineering Asia’s rise as the world’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

After years of rapid expansion, Chinese carmaker BYD saw sales fall for the first time in over five years in the third quarter of this year on an annual basis. Amid fierce competition at home, BYD’s vehicle sales in September alone fell by 5.5 per cent year on year. This comes after a 30 per cent profit drop in the second quarter. The company’s sales and profit drops reflect the fortunes of many other Chinese carmakers as domestic demand for electric vehicles slows. But what does this mean

Letitia James, NY attorney general and Trump foe,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a long-time foe of US President Donald Trump, was indicted for bank fraud on Thursday, a person familiar with the matter said, as the administration seeks to use government power against those who have pursued investigations into him or publicly resisted his agenda. The details of the indictment, returned by a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia, were not immediately clear. The US Justice Department has been probing mortgage fraud

US launches financial rescue of Argentina, as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Thursday that the United States has agreed to extend major assistance to Argentina, after the embattled South American nation failed on its own to stabilise its exchange rate. Washington has finalised a US$20 billion currency swap framework with Argentina’s central bank, Bessent said in a social media post. He also said that the US on Thursday directly bought Argentine pesos as part of its support for the country – a step that American

Trump threatens to halt Chinese imports – but counts...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

With Beijing curbing rare earth exports and shunning American soybeans, US President Donald Trump is raising pressure on China ahead of a planned meeting with Xi Jinping, threatening to halt imports while vowing to reopen its market to US farmers. During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, when asked what he hoped to achieve from potential in-person talks with Xi later this month, the America-first president emphasised the US market’s leverage over China. “We import from China massive amounts, and...

Trump says Gaza hostages should be released on Monday...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the Gaza hostages should be released on Monday or Tuesday and that he hopes to attend a signing ceremony in Egypt and address the Israeli Knesset. Trump opened a White House cabinet meeting by discussing a deal reached on Wednesday under which the hostages held by Hamas militants are to be released in the first phase of a broader Gaza plan. He said he believed it would lead to “lasting peace.” Trump said under the plan, Gaza is going to be

US imposes sanctions on China refinery over Iran oil...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

The US has imposed sanctions on about 100 individuals, entities and vessels, including a Chinese independent refinery and terminal, that helped Iran’s oil and petrochemicals trade, the administration of President Donald Trump said on Thursday. The US Treasury Department sanctioned Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group, which it said is an independent teapot refinery in Shandong Province that has bought millions of barrels of Iranian oil since 2023. It also sanctioned China-based Rizhao Shihua...

French court ups jail term for man who challenged...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

A French appeal court handed a man a 10-year prison term on Thursday for raping Gisele Pelicot, increasing his original nine-year sentence. Husamettin Dogan, 44, was the only one to have maintained his appeal after the first trial last year of 51 men, including Pelicot’s husband Dominique Pelicot, in the case of mass sexual abuse. The former husband of 72-year-old Pelicot has admitted to drugging her with sedatives and inviting dozens of strangers to rape and abuse her over nearly a decade in

BYD opens massive Brazil plant, its biggest...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

Chinese carmaker BYD inaugurated what it describes as its largest electric vehicle plant outside Asia on Thursday, highlighting Brazil’s bid to lead South America’s shift towards clean mobility while drawing renewed scrutiny of Beijing’s expanding industrial footprint. The opening of the vast Camacari complex in Bahia state brought together President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, state and local officials and dozens of industry figures. It coincided with the

Palestinian Authority plans for major role in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

The Palestinian Authority (PA) expects a significant role in post-war Gaza, even though President Donald Trump’s plan sidelines it for now, and is banking on Arab support to secure its position despite Israeli objections, Palestinian officials say. Gaza’s future governance has moved into focus with a ceasefire due to begin on Thursday, the first step in Trump’s bid to end two years of war. The next phase of the deal must tackle thorny issues, including demands that the Islamist militant group...

US-India relations at risk: Democrats sound alarm...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

More than two dozen Democrats warned US President Donald Trump in a letter this week that his “America First” tariffs are pushing India towards China. Republicans refused to join them, underscoring deep political divisions and testing Washington’s long-held bipartisan support for New Delhi. The letter, which squarely blamed Trump’s policies for “creating negative consequences for both countries”, was signed by Ro Khanna, an Indian-American from California, Deborah Ross of North Carolina, and

Action plan to develop Hong Kong’s low-altitude...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

Hong Kong will roll out an action plan next year to develop its low-altitude economy, and passenger drone trials could begin once approved by the civil aviation chief, the deputy financial secretary has said. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun announced the plan at the International Low-Altitude Economy Summit on Thursday, while lawmaker Elizabeth Quat Pei-fan said after the event that a key challenge for the sector was turning projects from the government’s regulatory sandbox

Japanese-themed race days a winner for Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has expanded its popular Japanese-themed race days from two to four this year, a move aimed at drawing more spectators, including mainland Chinese and overseas visitors, by adding cultural elements from one of residents’ favourite travel destinations. The expansion of the “Japan Nights” event series was highlighted on Thursday in conjunction with the opening of the 2025 “Japan Autumn Festival in Hong Kong”, a two-month programme marking its 10th anniversary. Hanane...

Israel and Hamas sign ceasefire and hostage deal,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed an agreement on Thursday to cease fire and free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the war in Gaza.Israelis and Palestinians alike rejoiced after the deal was announced, the biggest step yet taken to end two years of war in which over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, and return the last hostages seized by Hamas in the attacks that unleashed...

Why new EU steel tariffs to curb Chinese imports are...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

A proposed increase to EU steel tariffs has already sown alarm among the continent’s car manufacturers, with stocks of major players plunging in the immediate aftermath of the announcement and industry insiders warning the measures could worsen cost pressures already weighing down growth in the sector. Following a Tuesday statement from the European Commission that it would cut tariff-free quotas for imported steel products by nearly half and double duties on excess shipments to 50 per cent –

Hong Kong Science Park aims to double number of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

The Hong Kong Science and Technology Park aims to double the number of start-ups joining its upgraded incubation programme, with some companies saying the scheme will help to speed up the commercialisation of their products. The park on Thursday launched its new life and health tech-focused incubation programme Incu-Bio, which is designed to offer start-ups support, such as assistance with laboratory research, regulatory activities and the advancement of research to a preclinical stage over a...

China sanctions US firms; ‘super golden week’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China sanctions US defence firms, chip data provider in latest curbs Beijing has announced sanctions on a slew of Western companies and institutions in the defence sector and a leading semiconductor data analysis provider, marking its latest salvo amid ongoing trade tensions with the United States. 2. China says foreigners are using its rare earth

Putin admits Russian missiles downed Azerbaijan jet...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Azerbaijan’s leader that two Russian missiles had detonated beside an Azerbaijan Airlines plane last year after Ukrainian drones entered Russian airspace, and promised compensation to those affected. Flight J2-8243, en route from Baku to the Chechen capital Grozny, crash-landed on December 25, near Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from southern Russia, where Ukrainian drones were reported to be attacking several targets. At least 38 people were...

‘They’re coming back’: Israelis await return of Gaza...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/09

Thousands of jubilant Israelis gathered in a Tel Aviv square on Thursday, hopeful for the return of hostages held in Gaza, after two years of fear and worry. Many wore stickers reading “They’re coming back”, waving Israeli and US flags and clutching photos of the hostages after Israel and Hamas reached a hostage release and truce deal in a major step towards ending the war. A group of beaming Israelis sang, clapped and jumped in a circle in Hostages Square, which has been the scene of weekly...

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