2 h. ago Can Trump’s pragmatism override China hawks to keep ties from rupture?

China’s rocky trade relationship with the United States was on full display this month as US President Donald Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on Chinese imports. Separately, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent denounced China’s move to expand curbs on rare earth exports, calling it “a sign of how weak their economy is”. He also described Li Chenggang, one of China’s trade negotiators, as “pretty unhinged and very aggressive”. Trade ties between the rival powers remain fraught, even...

Politics

14 h. ago Hong Kong plane crash ‘could lead to manslaughter case if negligence found’

Hong Kong authorities could resort to manslaughter charges, which carry a penalty of life imprisonment, if a cargo plane crash that killed two airport staff members is found to have resulted from gross negligence, legal experts have said. Flight EK9788 veered off a runway during landing at Hong Kong airport on Monday morning and ploughed into the waters, knocking a security patrol vehicle into the sea and killing two people inside. All four crew members of the Emirates flight, which was operated...

Events

14 h. ago Plane crash in Hong Kong ‘could lead to manslaughter case if negligence found’

Hong Kong authorities could resort to manslaughter charges, which carry a penalty of life imprisonment, if a cargo plane crash that killed two airport staff members is found to have resulted from gross negligence, legal experts have said. Flight EK9788 veered off a runway during landing at Hong Kong airport on Monday morning and ploughed into the waters, knocking a security patrol vehicle into the sea and killing two people inside. All four crew members of the Emirates flight, which was operated...

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17 h. ago Landmark Studio Recording of Xiaogang Ye’s ‘Song of Farewell’ Starts in China

Landmark Studio Recording of Xiaogang Ye’s ‘Song of Farewell’ Starts in China  OperaWire

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19 h. ago Hong Kong minister admits procurement vigilance ‘below expectations’, vows reform

Civil servants’ vigilance in guarding against potential procurement scams falls short of public expectations, Hong Kong’s treasury minister has admitted, pledging to conduct site visits and prevent the process from becoming a “robotic” arrangement of “checking boxes”. But Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu stressed on Tuesday that the principle of “the lowest bidder wins” did not apply to government procurement procedures this time around and denied that...

Politics

22 h. ago Chinese coastguard patrols reefs controlled by Vietnam in South China Sea

The Chinese coastguard patrolled around disputed sites controlled by Vietnam in the South China Sea last week, vessel tracking information shows. Three patrol ships left a Chinese base on Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands on Thursday and circled around a series of land features – some of which Vietnam has built facilities on – before returning to the reef on Saturday, according to Automatic Identification System data. The purpose of the patrol by the coastguard vessels – identified by the...

Politics

24 h. ago How Hong Kong pair landed in Myanmar scam farm ‘living a life worse than death’

Having lived in safe Hong Kong all her life, Nancy never imagined that an overseas job would lead to forced labour in a scam farm, a harrowing experience that lasted for half a year before she could be reunited with her family. “I was living a life worse than death, surviving purely by willpower,” said Nancy, who is in her twenties. Like thousands of others lured to Southeast Asian scam farms, Nancy was hoping to make some quick money when a “friend” referred her for a job making cross-border...

Events

26 h. ago CK Hutchison gets encouraging signs of a deal with Panama government

A senior Panamanian official said on Monday that Panama will remain flexible and potentially reach an agreement with CK Hutchison as the Latin American country navigates the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China. “We are working on a plan in case that [Panama’s Supreme Court] ruling goes against the extension of the contract” for CK Hutchison, said Jose Ramon Icaza, Panama’s minister of canal affairs. “In that case, we have to step in as the Panama Maritime Authority to take...

Politics

27 h. ago Trump begins White House demolition to prepare for new US$250 million ballroom

Demolition crews were tearing down part of the White House’s storied East Wing on Monday to begin building US President Donald Trump’s ballroom, a project he had said would not interfere with the existing landmark. Large construction equipment was seen picking apart the facade of the building, a part of the White House complex that has housed the first lady’s offices, a theatre and a visitor’s entrance that welcomes foreign dignitaries. The ballroom project is expected to cost upwards of US$250...

Politics

27 h. ago Demolition begins at White House for Trump’s US$250 million ballroom

Demolition crews were tearing down part of the White House’s storied East Wing on Monday to begin building US President Donald Trump’s ballroom, a project he had said would not interfere with the existing landmark. Large construction equipment was seen picking apart the facade of the building, a part of the White House complex that has housed the first lady’s offices, a theatre, and a visitor’s entrance that welcomes foreign dignitaries. The ballroom project is expected to cost upwards of US$250...

Politics

29 h. ago China Brought Something Unexpected Back From The Far Side of The Moon

China Brought Something Unexpected Back From The Far Side of The Moon  ScienceAlert

Politics

31 h. ago US to seek rival bids for Artemis 3 moon landing as SpaceX lags, Nasa chief says

Nasa’s top official on Monday said the US space agency was opening up the contract for its Artemis 3 astronaut moon landing to compete against billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the mission’s current contractor, which was running late. “I’m in the process of opening that contract up. I think we’ll see companies like Blue [Origin] get involved and maybe others,” Nasa administrator Sean Duffy, who also serves as US transport secretary, told Fox News’ Fox & Friends programme. Blue Origin is a SpaceX...

Technology

31 h. ago Nasa opens US moon landing contract to rival bidders as SpaceX lags

Nasa said on Monday it was opening the marquee US moon landing contract to other bidders because Elon Musk’s SpaceX has experienced mounting delays with its Starship lunar lander. The move paves the way for rivals such as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to snatch a high-profile mission to land the first astronauts on the moon in half a century. “I’m in the process of opening that contract up. I think we’ll see companies like Blue get involved, and maybe others,” the US space agency’s acting chief Sean...

Technology

42 h. ago Hong Kong, Elior Group in land talks for Asia’s first aircraft parts centre

City authorities are in talks with a leading French aeronautical services company about the allocation of land to develop Hong Kong into Asia’s first aircraft parts processing and trading centre, with the firm set to start training classes in two months. Daniel Derichebourg, chairman and CEO of France-based Elior Group, said the company was still in talks with the government about solutions that would work best to help Hong Kong grow as a centre for aircraft parts dismantling, recycling and...

Politics

47 h. ago How iPhone Air’s eSIM debut reshapes China’s telecoms landscape

The launch of the iPhone Air as the first eSIM-supported smartphone sold in China marks a pivotal moment in the country’s telecoms history, as state-owned mobile carriers vie for dominance in a changing landscape. Beijing approved “commercial trials” of the handset’s eSIM function by the country’s “Big Three” telecoms operators – China Unicom, China Mobile and China Telecom – last week, and the iPhone Air sold out within minutes of its release on Friday. Domestic brands quickly followed suit....

Politics

49 h. ago 2 dead after cargo plane slides off Hong Kong runway, partly lands in sea

This live blog has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Two people were killed after a cargo plane slid off the north runway of Hong Kong International Airport early on Monday morning, apparently striking a ground vehicle and plunging almost entirely into the sea, police have said. At about 3.50am, Emirates flight EK9788 from Dubai veered off the runway while landing, according to police, who said it is...

Events

49 h. ago 2 dead after Emirates plane veers off Hong Kong runway into sea

This live blog has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. A cargo plane veered off the north runway of Hong Kong International Airport early on Monday morning, struck a ground vehicle and landed partially in the sea, killing two in the process, with authorities later saying the weather and runway were ‘safe’. At about 3.50am, Emirates flight EK9788 from Dubai swerved off the runway during landing and struck a...

Events

50 h. ago China showcases its Black Hawk rival, assault helicopter makes precision maneuvers

China showcases its Black Hawk rival, assault helicopter makes precision maneuvers  Interesting Engineering

Events

50 h. ago 1 dead after cargo plane slides off Hong Kong runway, partly lands in sea

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. One person was killed after a cargo plane slid off the north runway of Hong Kong International Airport early on Monday morning, apparently striking a ground vehicle and plunging partially into the sea, police have said. At about 4am, Emirates flight EK9788 from Dubai veered off the runway while landing, according to police, who said it is suspected to have...

Events

50 h. ago Developing | 1 dead after cargo plane slides off Hong Kong runway, partly lands in sea

Developing | 1 dead after cargo plane slides off Hong Kong runway, partly lands in sea  South China Morning Post

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