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6 European activists held in Turkey while...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

Turkey has arrested six European activists who came to the country to examine prison conditions of political detainees, their lawyer said on Friday. They were detained in Istanbul on Thursday after meeting a legal collective called the Office of People’s Rights (HHB), said Naim Eminoglu, head of the Istanbul section of the Progressive Lawyers Association (CHD), who is defending them. The six were from Italy, France, Spain, Belgium and Russia, he said. Known for defending individuals seen as...

Pax Sinica vs Pax Silica: how China-US mineral war is...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

If 2026 were a chess match, critical minerals would be the opening gambit, and both China and the United States are going all out. On January 28, China’s Zijin Mining announced a US$4 billion takeover of Allied Gold’s three African mines. On February 3, Swiss mining giant Glencore entered talks to sell a 40 per cent stake in its Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) copper and cobalt operations to the US-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium. Between the two announcements, US Secretary of

Bangladesh faces daunting post-election challenges in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

The biggest challenges that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has to tackle following its recent victory in the general election are the country’s sluggish economy, high inflation and unemployment. Speaking at a webinar, panellists said voters would judge the new government on its ability to create jobs, tame inflation and steady relations with key partners, even as they commended the peaceful election. Zafar Sobhan, editor of Counterpoint, said: “Let us not forget this was a key driver

China scrambles fighters to confront US warplanes...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

US and Chinese fighter jets have engaged in a rare stand-off over the Yellow Sea, according to media reports in South Korea. This comes at a time when the United States has been trying to shift the focus of its troops stationed in the country away from North Korea to concentrate more on China. The incident on Wednesday involved around 10 US F-16s, which took off from Osan Air Base around 65km (40 miles) south of Seoul and flew west over the Yellow Sea as part of a training operation,

Police probe suspected poisoning of 4 dogs, with 2...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

Hong Kong police are investigating the suspected poisoning of four dogs on farms in the northern New Territories, with an animal welfare group saying another canine was missing and describing the cases as “heartbreaking”. The Sai Kung Stray Friends Foundation said on Friday that the incidents were among at least 19 cases documented by the group and linked to poisonings in the local area since last year. The group added that lethal poison baits had been placed on farms in areas such as Kwu

Law firm asks court to block access to files seized...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

A law firm has asked a Hong Kong court to bar police from inspecting privileged documents seized during a raid earlier this month as part of an ongoing investigation into the rising number of “crash-for-cash” scams. In a written application for judicial review on Monday, Raymond Lam & Associates asked the High Court to issue an order for police to return 66 files that reportedly contained confidential letters and medical documents belonging to at least 61 clients. The court filing, seen by

Water prisons, torture: UN urges crackdown on brutal...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

The UN human rights agency on Friday called on governments to clamp down on scam centres, which have mushroomed in Southeast Asia and where hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked into forced labour. The agency released a report documenting torture, sexual abuse, forced abortions, food deprivation, solitary confinement and other abuses. “The litany of abuse is staggering and at the same time heartbreaking,” UN Human Rights high commissioner Volker Turk said, calling on

Hong Kong’s jobless rate edges up by 0.1 percentage...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

Hong Kong’s jobless rate edged up by 0.1 percentage point over the past three months to 3.9 per cent after holding steady since the August to October period last year, with unemployment rising in the insurance, construction and finance sectors. But labour authorities expressed optimism, saying the growing economy would support the job market going forward. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Friday showed the unemployment rate for the November to January...

How Chinese artificial intelligence put a new spin on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

As American figure skater Ilia Malinin launched into a quad – a jump with four airborne revolutions – at this month’s Winter Olympics, millions of television viewers witnessed something brand new: a replay of the jump separated into frames that appeared to orbit the athlete. It was just one of many new perspectives offered to viewers thanks to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, where the technology is not only enhancing broadcasts but also

10 arrested over Russian plot to kill top Ukrainian...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

Kyiv said on Friday that 10 people were arrested in Ukraine and Moldova on suspicion of planning to assassinate senior Ukrainian political figures on Moscow’s orders, with payouts of up to US$100,000. Kyiv has previously accused Russia, which invaded Ukraine four years ago, of plotting to kill several senior officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky and the head of Ukraine’s intelligence service. “As part of the work of a joint investigative team of Ukrainian and Moldovan law

North Korea’s Kim opens rare party congress with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to lift living standards as he opened a landmark congress, state media said on Friday, offering a glimpse of economic strains within the sanctions-hit nation. The supreme leader took centre stage with a speech to start the Workers’ Party congress, a gathering that directs state efforts on everything from house building to war planning. Held just once every five years, the days-long congress offers a rare glimpse into the workings of a nation where even...

Hong Kong’s property market to build on gains in the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

Hong Kong’s residential property market made gradual and steady gains in the Year of the Snake, with the momentum set to continue in the Year of the Horse, according to the city’s largest real estate agencies. “The Year of the Snake marked the end of three years of decline and a strong rebound fuelled by policy easing and wealth effect [from the Hong Kong stock market’s gain],” said Derek Chan Hoi-chiu, head of research at Ricacorp Properties. “The Year of the Horse will build on the

PLA, Chinese firm release satellite images showing US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

China’s military and a tech firm have released high-resolution satellite imagery showing the US military build-up around Iran, amid reports that Washington may strike Tehran as soon as this weekend. Images posted on social media on Thursday by Chinese commercial satellite analysis company MizarVision show the latest American deployments at bases in Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The images from Jordan show 18 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters and six EA-18G Growler electronic warfare

‘Blood moon’ lunar eclipse expected on March 3 in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong astronomy enthusiasts can expect a “blood moon” lunar eclipse early next month, with residents able to view the phenomenon with the naked eye from some places. The global event will take place in the city on the evening of March 3, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. “The total eclipse process can be directly observed with [the naked] eye

Trump’s name cleared to land on Palm Beach airport...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

An airport in Florida will soon be renamed after US President Donald Trump, after a bill proposing the change was approved by the state’s legislature on Thursday. Trump, a real estate mogul who has plastered his name on buildings around the world, has sought to leave his mark on the country in an unprecedented image and building campaign. Florida’s Republican-led legislature approved a bill to rename the Palm Beach International Airport as the President Donald J. Trump International Airport,...

What would blocking the Strait of Hormuz mean for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

Iran partially and temporarily closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz during a military drill on Tuesday, thrusting the vital shipping route under the global spotlight once again. The hours-long suspension was the first time Tehran had restricted traffic through the strait since US President Donald Trump’s warning last month that Washington could take military action over Iran’s nuclear programme, with tensions still high between the two sides despite recent bilateral talks in Geneva. Here, we...

Attack on Hong Kong man in Sapporo caused by ‘dining...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

An attack on a Hong Kong man in the Japanese city of Sapporo that triggered travel warnings from Chinese authorities was reportedly caused by a dispute over “dining etiquette”. According to Japanese media this week, a 50-year-old company executive was arrested by local police officers on suspicion of striking the tourist with a bottle on Wednesday. The attack prompted the Chinese consulate in Sapporo to issue a warning advising against travel to Japan. The Hong Kong government contacted the...

US trade deficit widens, Spring Gala performances,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

The US trade deficit widened sharply in December and the annual goods trade deficit rose by 2.1 per cent year on year to a record US$1.24 trillion in 2025, despite the widespread imposition of tariffs, US Commerce Department data showed. The goods trade deficit with China fell to a 21-year low. The gap between US exports and imports of goods and services hit US$70.3 billion in December, up 32.6 per cent from November, contributing to a full-year deficit of US$901.5 billion, down just 0.2 per...

Tai Po fire owners to receive buy-back offer of up to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

Hong Kong authorities are set to offer flat owners who lost their homes in the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire buy-back options at higher-than-expected prices in a resettlement plan to be announced as early as Saturday, the South China Morning Post has learned. Government sources said on Friday that the acquisition prices for properties without land premiums could be HK$8,000 (US$1,204) per sq ft, while properties with land premiums could exceed HK$10,000 per sq ft. Authorities had valued the...

China applauds North Korea on party conclave in ‘new...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/20

China has joined Russia in congratulating North Korea on the conclave of its ruling party, hailing economic achievements under the leadership of Kim Jong-un and pledging to work with Pyongyang to promote regional peace. According to state news agency Xinhua, the Central Committee of China’s Communist Party sent a congratulatory message to Pyongyang on Thursday, asserting that the ruling Workers’ Party had in recent years helped to develop the North Korean economy and improve the lives of its...

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