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Malaysians urged to tighten their belts as Iran war...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/14

Malaysia’s government has urged the public to be ready to tighten their belts over an extended period, with the full effects of the energy crisis triggered by the Iran war expected to kick in as soon as June after the country’s economic buffers run their course. Domestic gas production and costly fuel subsidies have so far shielded the country’s population of 34 million from most of the fallout from the war, which has choked supply for 25 per cent of global seaborne oil trade and nearly a

Who profits most from a US-Israel-Iran stalemate?

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/14

The conventional indictment runs like this: blinded by ideology and captured by special interests, the US and Israel have blundered into a region they never understood, sowing instability they neither anticipated nor desired. It is a damning argument. It also happens to be, in one important respect, too generous. The more unsettling possibility, supported by two decades of observable behaviour, is that these policies produce not disorder as a side effect but something far more useful: a

French minister seeks ban of Kanye West concert in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/14

France’s interior minister is seeking to block US rapper Kanye West from performing in the southern city of Marseille in June due to his antisemitic remarks, a source close to the minister said on Tuesday. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez is “highly determined” to ban the June 11 concert at Marseille’s Velodrome stadium and is exploring “all possibilities”, the source said. West, 48, has been heavily criticised for making antisemitic remarks and voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler. Britain has...

Hong Kong retiree gets 1 year in jail for seditious...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/14

A Hong Kong retiree has been jailed for a year under the domestic national security law over seditious remarks on social media, after suggesting that last year’s Wang Fuk Court fire could trigger unrest similar to the 2019 anti-government protests. Former salesman Raymond Chong Wai-man, 61, pleaded guilty on Tuesday at West Kowloon Court to knowingly publishing 53 seditious Facebook posts that denigrated the central and local authorities between March 26, 2024 and November 29 last year. Chong,

Hong Kong, mainland China sign ‘milestone’ MOU on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Hong Kong authorities have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with mainland China’s top internet regulator to promote the digital economy, with the city’s leader pledging to contribute to building a strong technological nation.The MOU was signed on Sunday by Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong and Wang Jingtao, deputy director of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), and covers topics including artificial intelligence (AI) promotion, cross-boundary data...

How a Chinese company said it used AI to track US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

A Chinese company has tried to use AI analysis to track US aerial refuelling missions to detect the strike patterns of bombers over Iran. MizarVision, a private geospatial intelligence firm, published a report earlier this month analysing the activities of US KC-135 and KC-46 tanker aircraft during Operation Epic Fury. The report detailed critical links between known tanker movements and strikes against Iranian targets. Analysts said the tankers could be tracked through Automatic Dependent...

Israeli bombardment kills infant in Lebanon during...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Wrapped in bloodied bandages, seven-year-old Aline Saeed barely survived the Israeli strike on her home in south Lebanon last week. She was there to bury her father as hopes of a truce spread across the region, but a new strike killed her infant sister and other relatives. The strike on the Saeed family home in the village of Srifa took place on Wednesday, the first day ‌of a US-Iran ceasefire that many in Lebanon hoped would apply to their country, too. Instead, Israeli strikes killed more

‘Blown to hell’: Trump announces US blockade of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

US President Donald Trump has announced a sweeping naval operation targeting the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit chokepoints, in a move that risks deepening a global crisis and further complicating ties with Beijing in the countdown to next month’s summit. “Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in a social media

Why China is looking to Central Asia as Middle East...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

The war in Iran is not just a regional crisis. It is reshaping global energy flows, disrupting shipping routes and forcing governments to reassess the vulnerability of their supply chains. For China, the conflict has exposed an increasingly urgent problem: the risks of heavy reliance on maritime energy imports from the Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical chokepoints, carrying roughly a fifth of global oil and gas under normal conditions. Any sustained disruption

Progress hailed as Hong Kong, Shanghai link digital...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Hong Kong and Shanghai have taken a significant step in the digital integration of the two financial hubs by linking authentication systems, while five mainland Chinese enterprises have established operations in the city, officials have said. Both sides highlighted the progress on Sunday during the first annual meeting of the Working Group on Shanghai and Hong Kong Digital Cooperation. They gathered in Hong Kong to review a deepening partnership over the past year aimed at tackling technical...

Ireland police remove farmers, blockades protesting...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Police broke up a blockade in the centre of Dublin by fuel protesters who have brought much of Ireland to a standstill during the past week, as the government on Sunday prepared to approve cost-cutting measures they hope will end the six days of disruption over soaring costs at the pump. As tractors and trucks that had blocked O’Connell Street were rolling out of the capital, protests continued elsewhere, with police on the other side of the country clashing with demonstrators at the Galway...

Trump faces a dilemma in the aftermath of failed...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

The failure of the weekend US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan has left US President Donald Trump with a tough choice on resuming strikes, according to Chinese analysts. With midterm elections looming, further conflict would be unpopular in the United States but no military action would mean a continued stalemate over access to the Strait of Hormuz. The strait and Iran’s nuclear issues were among the main points debated during 21 hours of talks in Islamabad, according to Iranian officials. Those...

380 Wang Fuk Court households seek second visit to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

About 380 households from Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged housing estate in Tai Po have expressed a desire for a second visit to their homes to retrieve belongings, ahead of the first session starting from April 20, an official has said. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said on Sunday that dedicated social workers had notified more than 1,730 families from seven of the eight Wang Fuk Court towers about retrieving items between April 20 and May 4. Authorities expected 98 per cent of

Helper, 35, arrested in Hong Kong after allegedly...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Hong Kong police have arrested a 35-year-old domestic helper on suspicion of child abuse after she allegedly pulled a baby girl’s hair in a village house on Lantau Island. Officers said they received a report at noon on Sunday from the infant’s mother, who suspected the helper of mistreating the child at their home off Shek Mun Kap Road in Tung Chung. The baby had reddening on her head and was taken to North Lantau Hospital for treatment. Police said the 35-year-old Indonesian helper was...

‘You cannot lose if you do not have a goal’: the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

For millennia, the wisdom of Chinese strategist Sun Tzu has guided leaders. His sayings, most famously collected in The Art of War, emphasise deception, careful preparation and understanding both your enemy and yourself. “Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.” “Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” Today, a new master strategist has arisen, though his aphorisms emphasise careless blundering. “If you do not know what...

Sumud aid flotilla departs Spain for Gaza to break...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

A second flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza was due to set sail on Sunday from the Spanish port of Barcelona to try to break the Israeli blockade. About 30 boats planned ‌to leave the Mediterranean port city laden with medical aid and other supplies on the Global Sumud Flotilla, and more vessels are expected to join along the route towards Palestine. The Israeli military halted the roughly 40 boats assembled by the same organisation in October last year as they

Why Cantopop star Hins Cheung’s new mentor role has...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Hong Kong singer Hins Cheung’s new role as a mentor and volunteer for the Security Bureau’s youth rehabilitation programme has sent shock waves through his fan base. For years, the singer was celebrated not just for his vocal skills but also for his perceived alignment with backers of the city’s social movements. The South China Morning Post unpacks how the controversy exploded. 1. Who is Hins Cheung? Born in 1981 in Guangzhou, Cheung moved to Hong Kong in 2002 to launch his Cantopop career

War of words: China and the US battle it out for the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

The world’s two superpowers are waging an information war to influence the minds of Africa’s young and media-savvy demographic, with articles pitched by the United States and China designed to show each other in an unflattering light. On March 31, Africa Defence Forum magazine, a publication of the US Army’s Africa Command, ran an article called: “China’s floating fish factories plunder Guinea Bissau’s resources”. It detailed illegal operations by Chinese fishing trawlers in the West African...

Celestial craftsmanship: discoveries from China...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

The archaeological site of Sanxingdui in southwest China’s Sichuan province has yielded remarkable discoveries, including insights recently revealed by Chinese researchers about how the inhabitants forged an axelike tool from a meteorite. While meteorite artefacts are not entirely unheard of – China boasts 13 known meteorite objects – this discovery underscores that the people of Sanxingdui were part of a distinct regional culture, separate from their contemporaries further north. “The

Fire breaks out at Hong Kong columbarium, injuring 2...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Heavy use of a joss paper burner led to a fire at a Hong Kong columbarium that sent ashes flying, injuring at least two people on Sunday. Police said that they received a report at 11.37am that a fire had broken out at Diamond Hill Columbarium. A preliminary investigation found that the fire was caused by an overheated exhaust fan connected to a joss paper burner, the force said. Firefighters arrived and put out the flames, which were classified as a No 1 alarm fire, the lowest in Hong Kong’s...

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