Sweden jails man for joining Islamic state, in first under new law
The case is the first conviction for the crime of ‘participation in a terrorist organisation’, under a law that was adopted in 2023.
?itok=2sz41RS0
Putin invites Xi and Trump to Moscow, raising prospects for landmark summit
Xi Jinping will be in the Russian capital for war anniversary but no confirmation from US president.
?itok=lD_pyRfz
Hong Kong’s market watchdog reviews 8 brokerages amid IPO oversubscription frenzy
SFC monitoring brokerages with respect to their risk management of margin financing for new stocks, CEO Julia Leung says.
?itok=YBQeClX-
Hong Kong policeman sentenced to 14 months in jail for ill-treating infant son
Court hears Filomeno Chiang’s son died in 2019 the night his father tried to put him to sleep by covering the crying child with a duvet.
?itok=1iWRBI5z
Sister of North Korea’s Kim, married with children to ‘tall and handsome’ man, defector says
A former North Korean diplomat revealed details about Kim Yo-jong’s marriage and children, shedding light on the secretive life of the powerful sister of Kim Jong-un.
?itok=F2LOBG72
Sun Hung Kai, Sino Land among 4 Hong Kong developers bidding for Tung Chung plot
Government put the plot on the market in 2023 but withdrew it when bids were judged to be underwhelming.
?itok=mPMANrJ1
Pope Francis taken to hospital for bronchitis treatment
Francis, 88, has been pope since 2013 and has suffered from influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years.
?itok=qOR98avH
DeepSeek spurs Baidu, other AI competitors to adopt open-source strategy
Baidu on Friday said the next generation of its Ernie large language models will be open source from June 30.
?itok=4DAbDc1y
Trump’s tough talk with Modi on tariffs signals India is not off the hook
During the two leaders’ meeting in Washington, Narendra Modi calls for a rise in trade between India and the US to US$500 billion by 2030.
?itok=q-XkzXfp
US research hub at heart of brain drain for scientists returning to China, study finds
Cambridge, Massachusetts – home to Harvard and MIT – was the primary source of Chinese researchers who chose to head home.
?itok=rBduDeJC
China daughter makes dummy out of clothes in bid to trick mum she is seated, studying
‘Genius’ girl employs ‘intelligence and creativity’ to skip studies but ‘speechless’ mother smells rat, makes her write essay as punishment.
?itok=PxOfHszr
Armed fighters have raped scores of children in eastern DR Congo, Unicef says
Conflict in mineral-rich region shows no signs of abating, with both government forces and M23 rebels implicated in the atrocities.
?itok=aOgFHTz0
Outrage in India as jilted man threatens to set woman on fire after rejection
Incident in Telangana highlights the rising extreme violence against women in the country.
?itok=JyyOl-RV
China issues US$8.2 billion in bills in Hong Kong to stabilise yuan amid trade tensions
Move is the latest in a series by China’s central bank that support Hong Kong’s status as a global hub for offshore yuan business.
?itok=n7xcOE3_
Humpback whale swallows then spits out kayaker in Chile – and it’s captured on video
Adrian Simancas was paddling off Chilean Patagonia when the giant whale surged out of the water swallowing him and his yellow kayak whole.
?itok=6GVzuPxs
China’s stratospheric airship, Japan’s competitive eater: SCMP’s 7 highlights
From identifying stealth aircraft to pro-Duterte influencers going dark online, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.
?itok=G2BmNf7G
Strokes of genius: why DeepSeek’s AI edge may come from its Chinese lessons
Rich language training data and a colourful cast of characters help power AI into the ‘era of Chinese’, experts say.
?itok=sA-eIcbZ
Japan’s China investment drops 60% in 10 years as firms rethink strategies
Geopolitical considerations and intense competition from domestic firms have led Japanese companies to move their China investments elsewhere.
?itok=Oz_2CEcE
Archaeologists unearth remains of Roman basilica at new London skyscraper site
‘Significant’ discovery provides a glimpse into early Roman London and its governance.
?itok=I8PHrcNh
Ukraine says it won’t accept US-Russia peace deal reached without Kyiv
Zelensky said it was ‘unpleasant’ that Trump called Putin before talking to him, but tried to play down the significance of the move.
?itok=NvROmEYl