South China Morning Post

• the search,
• Breaking news
• World news
• Facebook
• Twitter
• headlines

All the breaking news and latest world news from South China Morning Post, with Twitter and Facebook search trends.

Twitter Search News Trending

Tweets by SCMPNews

Facebook Search News Trending

1. As US-Iran conflict flares, thousands of Middle East flights cancelled, airspace closed

   Flights across the Middle East were being cancelled on Saturday as several countries slammed their airspace shut after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates all announced at least partial closures of their skies in the hours after smoke began rising over Tehran and Iran began retaliatory attacks in the...

2. Hi-tech aids proposed to help elderly climb stairs to fire-ravaged Tai Po flats

   Some anxious residents of fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court have urged Hong Kong authorities to help them climb stairs using makeshift aids when they return to their high-rise homes to collect personal belongings next month. Some lawmakers also proposed on Saturday that the government deploy wearable walking robots, stair-climbing trolleys or wheelchairs to assist elderly residents of the Tai Po...

3. Why US money may not be enough to break China’s rare earths dominance

   The United States was out in force in Cape Town this month, throwing down a direct challenge to China at Africa’s biggest mining conference, the Investing in African Mining Indaba. While Chinese firms showed their technological leadership with automation and green energy solutions, officials from the State Department, the Department of Energy and several US development agencies were among the...

4. Global powers divided as China expresses ‘deep concern’ over US-Israel strikes on Iran

   The world woke to a drastically altered Middle East as global powers and regional neighbours scrambled to respond to “Operation Epic Fury”, a “massive and ongoing” joint military assault by the United States and Israel against Iran. Beijing joined a growing chorus of international alarm on Saturday, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry issuing a stern response to the strikes. However, in a display...

5. Missiles streak across Gulf skies as Iran responds to US-Israel attack

   Iran responded to Saturday’s attacks by the United States and Israel as it had been threatening to do for months - by first launching a wave of missiles and drones targeting Israel. It followed with strikes targeting US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the capital of the United Arab Emirates killed one person, state media said. The...

6. Applications fall short of target as 670 Hongkongers settle in UK with BN(O) visa

   Nearly 670 Hongkongers have been granted settlement in the United Kingdom under its bespoke BN(O) visa pathway, although the total number of applicants has fallen short of the British government’s lowest “core” estimate five years after its launch. While tens of thousands of Hongkongers are set to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain, or settled status, this year, experts suggested that...

7. US-Israeli strike on Iran signals new phase of global escalation

   The coordinated US and Israeli strikes inside Iran mark more than another episode in a long-running confrontation. They represent a structural escalation – one whose consequences extend well beyond the Middle East. This is not the start of a new war. It is the next stage in a conflict that has been unfolding since October 2023, gradually shifting from proxy exchanges and shadow operations to...

8. Cathay Pacific suspends all Middle East operations after US-Israeli attack on Iran

   Hong Kong flagship carrier Cathay Pacific Airways suspended all passenger and cargo flights to and from the Middle East on Saturday following a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran. The move was announced on Saturday evening after Hong Kong’s Airport Authority said that at least nine flights have been cancelled or postponed, while the government issued a fresh warning against travel to Iran. The...

9. Taiwan is buying expensive US weapons systems, but are they the right ones?

   Taiwan’s procurement of three US arms packages has come under renewed scrutiny, with military experts now questioning their effectiveness in deterring Beijing. The debate has sharpened after opposition parties repeatedly blocked a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget in the legislature’s procedure committee last month. At the centre of the latest criticism are three...

10. US-Israel attack on Iran: how it unfolded

    Starting before his first term, Donald Trump has issued a litany of threats against Washington’s arch-enemy Iran, while also urging it to talks. He warned in late January that “time is running out”, urging Tehran to “make a deal”. After indirect talks resumed between the two nations, he threatened Iran on February 12 with “very traumatic” consequences, giving them “10, 15 days, pretty much...