Minimalist News

South China Morning Post

1. French protests underscore concerns over decline amid US, China dominance scmp.com 44 minutes ago by Xiaofei Xu

   Images of burning barricades were shown side by side with the handover ceremony for France’s new prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, on French …

2. France proposes social media ban for under-15s scmp.com an hour ago by Agence France-Presse

   Children under 15 in France should be banned entirely from using social media, and those aged between 15 and 18 should face a nighttime “digit…

3. Financial markets won’t be spared as geopolitical rules are torn up scmp.com an hour ago by Richard Harris

   Witticisms about economists abound. George Bernard Shaw apparently remarked that if all the world’s economists were laid end to end, they stil…

4. Charlie Kirk killing a watershed moment as US political violence rises scmp.com 2 hours ago by Reuters

   The assassination of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk marks a watershed moment in a surge of US political violence, one that some experts fe…

5. Speckled rocks ‘clearest sign’ yet of ancient life on Mars, Nasa says scmp.com 4 hours ago by Agence France-Presse

   Colorful, speckled rocks found on the surface of Mars have offered among the most encouraging evidence yet of ancient life on our neighbouring…

6. Larry Ellison briefly overtakes Elon Musk as world’s richest person scmp.com 6 hours ago by Associated Press

   The battle among billionaires for bragging rights as the world’s richest person got heated on Wednesday with the surprising surge of an old co…

7. Many caught in Hyundai raid appeared to be working legally, US lawyer says scmp.com 10 hours ago by Reuters

   A US immigration lawyer representing more than a dozen workers arrested at a Hyundai facility in Georgia last week said on Wednesday that many…

8. Brazil judge votes to acquit in Bolsonaro coup case, breaking with peers scmp.com 12 hours ago by Reuters

   Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux voted on Wednesday to acquit former president Jair Bolsonaro of forming a criminal organisation and v…

9. Why Asia still hasn’t emerged from the shadows of World War II scmp.com 12 hours ago by Peter T. C. Chang

   Eighty years on, the Global South’s pursuit of a just world order remains overshadowed by the unresolved legacies of the second world war. At …

10. Facing Trump pressure, Mexico to raise tariffs on cars from China to 50% scmp.com 13 hours ago by Reuters

    Mexico said on Wednesday it will raise tariffs on cars from China and other Asian countries to 50 per cent, in a broad overhaul of import levi…

11. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk dead after being shot at US university scmp.com 14 hours ago by Khushboo Razdan

    US President Donald Trump’s confirmation of the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, his close ally, at an event at Utah Vall…

12. Imports from China account for more than 5 million Brazilian jobs, study says scmp.com 14 hours ago by Igor Patrick

    Chinese imports supported 5.2 million jobs in Brazil, more than twice the number tied to exports to China, highlighting both the depth of the …

13. Prince Harry has tea with King Charles in first meeting in over a year scmp.com 16 hours ago by Associated Press

    Britain’s Prince Harry joined his father, King Charles, for tea on Wednesday at his Clarence House home in London, the first time they have me…

14. Kamala Harris says allowing 2024 Biden candidacy was reckless: ‘Joe got tired’ scmp.com 16 hours ago by Reuters

    Kamala Harris believes it was reckless to allow former US president Joe Biden to decide to seek re-election in 2024, but she felt she was the …

15. Israel intercepts missile fired by Houthis after deadly strikes on Yemen scmp.com 19 hours ago by Agence France-Presse

    Israel’s army said it had intercepted a missile on Thursday fired from Yemen, a day after Israeli forces carried out air strikes there that ki…

16. Grim night on English Channel as 3 die, 3 go missing trying to cross to UK scmp.com 19 hours ago by Agence France-Presse

    Three people are believed to have been crushed to death and three others were missing in two separate incidents as migrants attempted to cross…

17. Israel will keep targeting Hamas leaders despite anger over Doha strike: consul scmp.com 20 hours ago by Reuters

    If Israel did not kill Hamas leaders in an air strike on Qatar on Tuesday, it would succeed next time, the Israeli ambassador to the United St…

18. New French prime minister greeted with fiery protests on first day at work scmp.com a day ago by Reuters

    Sebastien Lecornu, the loyalist picked by President Emmanuel Macron to be France’s fifth prime minister in two years, took office on a day of …

19. Why China, not Russia, will gain most from Power of Siberia 2 pipeline scmp.com a day ago by Nikola Mikovic

    After years of negotiations, Russia has finally secured a binding agreement with China for the construction of the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline…

20. Dozens slaughtered in gun and machete attack at DR Congo funeral scmp.com a day ago by Associated Press

    Rebels affiliated with Islamic State killed at least 89 people in a machete and gun attack in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authoritie…

21. After Israel’s Qatar air strikes, the Gulf questions its US dependence scmp.com a day ago by Tom Hussain

    The Gulf Arab monarchies have been left reeling after the United States, their decades-long security guarantor, seemingly did nothing to preve…

22. Trump dines out near White House and says he’ll send troops to another US city scmp.com a day ago by Bloomberg

    US President Donald Trump said he plans to deploy federal troops to another US city, as he made a surprise visit to a Washington DC restaurant…

23. Poland downs Russian drones, a first for Nato member during Ukraine war scmp.com a day ago by Reuters

    Poland shot down suspected Russian drones in its airspace on Wednesday with the backing of aircraft from its Nato allies, the first time a mem…

24. Gaza aid flotilla says second boat hit by suspected drone scmp.com a day ago by Agence France-Presse

    Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists said late Tuesday that another of their boats had been struck i…

25. Trump says he’ll speak to ‘good friend’ Modi soon on US-India trade scmp.com a day ago by Bloomberg

    US President Donald Trump said he intends to speak to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “in the coming weeks” and expressed optimism that th…

26. Israel strike on Hamas leaders in Doha draws rare rebuke from Trump scmp.com 2 days ago by Bloomberg

    US President Donald Trump made a rare public break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the leader’s decision to launch a un…

27. First 2 of 5 judges in Bolsonaro coup trial vote to convict scmp.com 2 days ago by Reuters

    Two Brazilian Supreme Court justices on Tuesday voted to convict former president Jair Bolsonaro of leading a criminal conspiracy to overturn …

28. Iran and UN nuclear watchdog pave way for resuming cooperation scmp.com 2 days ago by Associated Press

    Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency signed an agreement on Tuesday in Cairo to pave the way for resuming cooperation, including on…

29. France’s Macron names loyalist Lecornu as new prime minister scmp.com 2 days ago by Reuters

    French President Emmanuel Macron named loyalist Sebastien Lecornu, a one-time conservative protégé who rallied behind his 2017 presidential ru…

30. Ethiopia opens Africa’s largest dam amid Egyptian protest scmp.com 2 days ago by Reuters

    Ethiopia officially inaugurated Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam on Tuesday, a project that will provide energy to millions while deepening …

31. Global order fracturing, status quo unlikely to return, EU warns in new report scmp.com 2 days ago by Finbarr Bermingham

    After months of being pummelled with trade tariffs and security threats from the United States and years of pushing back against a rising Chin…

32. US job market weaker than thought, Fed rate cuts loom scmp.com 2 days ago by Associated Press

    The US job market was much weaker last year and early this year than originally reported, adding to concerns about the health of the nation’s …

33. Explosions rock Doha as Israeli strike targets Hamas leaders scmp.com 2 days ago by Associated Press

    Israel struck the headquarters of Hamas’ political leadership in Qatar on Tuesday as the group’s top figures gathered to consider a US proposa…

34. 9 pig heads left outside Paris mosques, French police investigate as hate crime scmp.com 2 days ago by Agence France-Presse

    At least nine pigs’ heads were found outside several mosques in the Paris region on Tuesday, the French capital’s police chief said – an incid…

35. Department of War? US defence needs deeper reforms, not a name change scmp.com 2 days ago by Zhengxu Wang,Chu Jianguo

    US President Donald Trump has ordered that the Department of Defence be renamed the Department of War, harking back to pre-1947 America. This …

36. ‘Frankly brutal’: Russian bomb kills 24 Ukrainian civilians waiting for pensions scmp.com 2 days ago by Associated Press

    A Russian glide bomb struck a village in eastern Ukraine as people lined up outside to receive their pensions on Tuesday, killing at least 24 …

37. Bikes, boats in demand as London’s Tube strike puts brakes on city scmp.com 2 days ago by Reuters

    Commuters in London turned to bikes, buses and boats on Tuesday as a staff strike shut down the British capital’s underground Tube network for…

38. Philippines pauses purchase plans for F-16s from US due to funding ‘chokepoint’ scmp.com 2 days ago by Reuters

    The Philippines’ potential purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the United States has been put on hold due to budget constraints, Manila’s ambas…

39. France’s Macron facing critical dilemma after second PM ousted in a year scmp.com 2 days ago by Reuters

    The challenge French President Emmanuel Macron faces in choosing his fifth prime minister in under two years lays bare the depth of a politica…

40. Tunisia denies Gaza aid flotilla boat was hit by drone at port scmp.com 2 days ago by Reuters

    The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) for Gaza said on Tuesday that one of its main boats was struck by a drone at a port in Tunisia, though all six…

41. Trump administration launches immigration crackdown in Chicago scmp.com 2 days ago by Bloomberg

    US President Donald Trump has started his immigration crackdown in Chicago, with federal agents stepping up enforcement in an escalating campa…

42. Israel says to act with ‘great force’ in Gaza City, urging full evacuation scmp.com 2 days ago by Agence France-Presse

    Israel’s military said on Tuesday that it would act with “great force” in Gaza City and told residents to leave as it stepped up its deadly as…

43. ICC postpones ex-Philippine president’s drugs war trial amid health concerns scmp.com 2 days ago by Agence France-Presse,Reuters

    The International Criminal Court has postponed “until further notice” a crimes against humanity hearing concerning former Philippine president…

44. Murdoch family settles succession dispute as Lachlan gets media empire scmp.com 2 days ago by Reuters

    The Murdoch family has reached a deal that will see Rupert Murdoch’s politically conservative eldest son Lachlan Murdoch cement control of the…

45. Viral Coldplay ‘kiss cam’ incident leads to divorce after corporate fallout scmp.com 2 days ago by Tribune News Service

    Kristin Cabot, the woman seen cuddling with former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron during a Coldplay concert, has now filed for divorce. Cabot filed…

46. Norway’s Labour Party claims victory in general election scmp.com 2 days ago by Associated Press

    Norway’s Labour Party of Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere has claimed victory in Monday’s general election with most votes now counted and wit…

47. Man accused of trying to assassinate Trump apologises to potential jurors scmp.com 2 days ago by Associated Press

    The man charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf last year in South Florida stood before a group of potential juro…

48. US crime debate intensifies after Ukrainian refugee’s murder on train scmp.com 2 days ago by Agence France-Presse

    The fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee in the United States has taken on sweeping political dimensions, with the American right denouncing …

49. Brics virtual rally falters as members appear leery of exacerbating US trade war scmp.com 3 days ago by Igor Patrick,Khushboo Razdan

    Members of the Brics nations logged into a virtual summit on Monday, convened by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, intending to t…

50. How Kim Jong-un notched up a big diplomatic win in Beijing scmp.com 3 days ago by Gabriela Bernal

    For over a decade, the name Kim Jong-un has been synonymous with an isolated, economically struggling pariah state. Despite possessing nuclear…