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News - South China Morning Post

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Call for tougher animal welfare laws after invasive...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/07

Hong Kong animal rights activists have called on the government to create a list of approved pets after an abandoned 85kg (187lbs) alligator snapping turtle was found eating fish in a New Territories pond. They also called on authorities to microchip turtles sold to the public, toughen penalties for letting pets loose in the wild and update the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance before pushing further ahead with a “pet-friendly” society. Bon Chan Chung-pong, founder of Turtle’s Inn,

31 killed in Pakistan mosque suicide blast:...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/07

Funerals will take place on Saturday for some of the victims of a suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad that killed at least 31 people and wounded scores more during Friday prayers. The Islamic State group (Isis) has claimed responsibility for the attack, the deadliest in Islamabad since the 2008 Marriott hotel bombing. City officials said 31 people died and another 169 were wounded in the explosion at the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque on the city’s...

US funeral home ‘monster’ sentenced to 40 years for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/07

A Colorado funeral home owner who stashed 189 decomposing bodies in a building over four years and gave grieving families fake ashes was sentenced to 40 years in state prison on Friday. During the sentencing hearing, family members told Judge Eric Bentley they have had recurring nightmares about decomposing flesh and maggots since learning what happened to their loved ones. They called defendant Jon Hallford a “monster” and “vile” and had urged the judge to give him the maximum sentence of 50...

As traditional US allies hedge their bets, will China...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/07

China’s engagement with traditional US allies amid the turmoil of Donald Trump’s presidency may be a sign that it is moving away from its customary diplomatic approach in favour of a “wedge strategy” that some observers believe may help reshape global dynamics. They point to the ways US partners are trying to keep as many doors open as possible – to insure themselves against both an erratic Washington and increasingly assertive Beijing. At Davos last month, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney...

Waning fortunes: how Western brands are adapting to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/07

“Three Starbucks peach lattes for 84.90 yuan [US$12]”, a live streaming host tells viewers on Douyin, China’s popular short-video platform. “Three, two, one – the link is up. Don’t miss this deal, babes.” As Starbucks’ planned sale of a majority stake in its China business to Boyu Capital, announced three months ago, awaits regulatory clearance, the US coffee chain has stepped up its push into China’s heated live streaming shopping race, using discounts to bring down the cost per cup. The...

Frozen US-North Korea ties may see ‘new progress’,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/07

A top South Korean official has hinted at a possible shift in frozen ties between the United States and North Korea, raising expectations that Washington could articulate a more open security stance on Pyongyang. In an informal meeting with South Korean reporters in Washington on Thursday, the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said “there may be some new progress in a few days”. His remarks come amid speculation that US President Donald Trump could seek a meeting with North Korean...

Fee hikes are only half the equation if Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/07

Hong Kong introduced a public hospital fee overhaul at the start of the year in response to long-standing pressures from an ageing population, rising chronic diseases and growing expenditure. Early data from the Hospital Authority suggests the fee increases are having an effect. From January 1-18, semi-urgent and non-urgent cases at accident and emergency (A&E) departments fell by 21.3 per cent year on year, while critical and emergency cases rose slightly, by 7.7 per cent. This indicates...

What’s behind plan to adopt multi-operator model for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/07

Panama is aiming to mitigate geopolitical risks and respond to US pressure by adopting a multi-operator model for its strategic canal after nullifying the concession granted to Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison to operate two of the ports, analysts have said. Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino was reported to have vowed on Thursday that his country would “never again” grant concession contracts to run the Balboa and Cristobal terminals at each end of the Panama Canal to a single company. The

Japan couple spark child neglect concerns for letting...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/07

A working Japanese couple with six children have sparked outrage by letting their oldest child, 12, babysit his younger siblings every day, leaving no time for himself. The boy’s story was exposed by the Japanese media outlet Asahi Broadcasting Television’s variety show Detective! Knight Scoop which aired on January 23. The programme features letters from the public and offers of help to solve their problems in life. A sixth-grade junior school pupil from Hiroshima Prefecture wrote to the...

Cambodian scam victims’ details found inside compound...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/07

In a Cambodian compound with rooms designed to look like Singaporean and Australian police offices, papers were strewn across desks and floors: the ‌detritus of a fraud factory abandoned in haste. Among the documents were profiles of a 73-year-old Japanese retiree, complete with his phone number and bank account balance, and an American woman who disclosed that she was a victim ‍of domestic abuse. Nearby were scripts to commit love scams and impersonate police, as well as a room set up to...

India’s trade blitz seeks to keep a sinking global...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/07

When India sealed a landmark free-trade pact with the European Union last month, Brussels’ top bureaucrat saw more than an economic deal taking shape. “India has risen and Europe is truly glad about it,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared. “Because when India succeeds, the world is more stable, more prosperous and more secure.” Her words were more than just a diplomatic nicety; they reflected a growing consensus in European capitals that India has become an...

Dow breaks 50,000 for first time, as US stocks rally

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

The US stock market roared back on Friday, as technology stocks recovered much of their losses from earlier in the week and bitcoin halted its plunge, at least for now. The S&P 500 rallied 2 per cent for its best day since May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,206 points, or 2.5 per cent, and topped the 50,000 level for the first time, while the Nasdaq composite leaped 2.2 per cent. Chip companies helped drive the widespread rally, and Nvidia jumped 7.8 per cent to trim its loss for

North Korean soldier in Ukraine fears forced...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

“I would be grateful if they take me. If they don’t, there’s nothing I can do.”At first glance, the North Korean prisoner of war captured in Ukraine looked rather calm as he appeared on MBC’s investigative programme, PD Notebook. But in reality, only one outcome awaits if he fails to make it to South Korea. “I won’t survive,” the prisoner said, describing what would happen to him if he were returned to North Korea. In North Korea, soldiers are taught that being captured is an act of treason

US steps up Apec role after Xi–Trump call as ties...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

Just days after Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump held a two-hour phone call aimed at stabilising bilateral ties, the US confirmed it would play an active role at this year’s first Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) senior officials’ meetings in Guangzhou, signalling intensified engagement with Beijing. The US State Department announced on Friday that a “team of experts”, led by senior US official Casey Mace and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

Epstein’s India link: tycoon Anil Ambani, books and a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

Jeffrey Epstein’s sphere of influence among businessmen, politicians and academics also reached India, with the disgraced financier spending years cultivating a relationship with a scion of the nation’s wealthiest family, according to a trove of documents released by the US Justice Department. Epstein’s messages with the once-influential Indian businessman Anil Ambani stretch from early 2017 through 2019, the documents show, just months before federal prosecutors charged Epstein with sex...

As Beijing and Moscow tout ties, China’s firms keep...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

Across Europe, demand for Chinese goods is soaring as consumers seek quality products at a lower cost. Some goods – particularly electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels – have been shipped from China at a large enough scale that the continent’s lawmakers have begun taking action against an “overcapacity” they feel could throttle domestic industries. But in one European country where multi-day blackouts are commonplace, buyers are rushing to secure a piece of that excess supply,

Why the new US-India trade agreement is a big deal

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

For the India-China-US triangle, the new US-India trade deal, announced with Trumpian flourish on social media on Monday, has potentially significant economic, geopolitical and strategic implications. US President Donald Trump’s post, which came after a phone call with Narendra Modi, said the Indian prime minister had committed to “BUY AMERICAN”, including over US$500 billion of US products. It also said Modi had “agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States

Canada and France open Greenland consulates to show...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

Canada and France, which both oppose US President Donald Trump’s claim to Greenland, opened consulates in the Danish autonomous territory’s capital on Friday, in a show of support for the local government. Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has insisted that Washington needs to control the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island for security reasons. Trump last month backed off threats to seize Greenland after saying he had struck a “framework” deal with Nato chief Mark Rutte

West Wing actor Timothy Busfield indicted for sexual...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

West Wing and Field of Dreams actor Timothy Busfield has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child, a New Mexico prosecutor announced on Friday. The allegations are tied to Busfield’s work as a director on the set of the television series The Cleaning Lady in recent years. Busfield has denied the allegations, initially filed in court by police, and a defence lawyer on Friday said he would “fight these charges at every stage”. Bernalillo County

US accuses China of secret nuclear testing, day after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

The United States accused China on Friday of failing to disclose a 2020 nuclear test, violating what a US official suggested was an understanding involving a 1996 nuclear test ban treaty that both countries signed but neither ratified. This came as Washington called this week for a broad new arms-control treaty to include China, Russia and the US after it declined to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start), the world’s last binding nuclear arms control agreement. Russia had...

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