South China Morning Post
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:00:17 +0000Trump’s claim of Chinese and Russian ships near Greenland ‘not supported by facts’
A former president of Iceland has rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that nearby Greenland was surrounded by Chinese and Russian vessels, saying it was “not supported by facts”.
In an interview on the sidelines of last weekend’s Munic...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 09:55:51 +00009 missing in California avalanche as whiteout conditions hamper rescue
A frantic search was under way on Wednesday for nine backcountry skiers missing after an avalanche in the mountains of California, where a huge storm has dumped heavy snow.
Officials said a group of 15 people were caught up in the avalanche on Castle...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 09:00:08 +0000China’s biotech boom sends price of lab monkeys for drug tests climbing
A surge in drug research in China has driven the cost of a laboratory monkey to about 140,000 yuan (US$20,260), a sum that exceeds the country’s average annual wage.
Official government procurement records showed that prices had doubled in the last...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:45:35 +0000South Korea signals cautious support for Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ by attending as observer
South Korea will take part as an observer in the inaugural meeting of the US-led “Board of Peace”, dispatching a former envoy to Thursday’s session in Washington, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Kim Yong-hyun, former ambassador...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:43:56 +0000Hong Kong households hit by water disruptions during Lunar New Year
Thousands of households in Hong Kong had their Lunar New Year celebrations interrupted when their estates were hit by water disruptions, with further repair work in Sau Mau Ping set for Wednesday evening.
A freshwater pipe serving the lower levels of...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:35:06 +0000Chinese tourist arrivals to Japan plunge 41% in January amid simmering tensions
The decline in the number of Chinese visitors to Japan accelerated in January, fuelling the first monthly drop since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, offering the clearest sign yet of economic fallout from tensions between the countries.
Arrivals f...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:19:02 +0000Indian university’s Chinese robot dog claim at AI Impact Summit slammed as ‘shameless’
An Indian professor has falsely suggested a Chinese-made robot dog displayed at a major AI summit was developed by her university, prompting backlash in a situation politicians derided as “embarrassing” on Wednesday.
The silver mechanical dog, a ...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:11:15 +0000Hong Kong marks start of Lunar New Year with surge of visitors
Hong Kong welcomed 10 per cent more visitors on the first day of Lunar New Year against a year ago, with crowds continuing to flock to hiking trails and tourists packing border crossing checkpoints.
The latest Immigration Department data showed that ...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:10:01 +0000Japan to join US-Philippines military drills for first time: ‘knowing your friend’
Japan plans to deploy 300 elite ground soldiers to the Philippines for this year’s Salaknib military exercise, marking the first time the bilateral US-Philippine drills will include troops from additional partners.
Officials and analysts say the mo...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:00:16 +0000China seniors pursue overseas education after retirement to realise unfulfilled dreams
As retired people in China pursue the dream of studying overseas, the country’s education system is facing the challenge of catering for the demands of an ageing population.
Qiu Lianru, 66, became a student of a short-term programme at the Arts Uni...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:00:09 +0000White cars, cheaper insurance: how AI is changing automotive services in China
Owning a white vehicle in China may mean lower car insurance premiums because it is less likely to get in an accident, according to an executive from SunCar Technology Group, which uses artificial intelligence from ByteDance to personalise services.
...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 07:30:07 +0000CATL’s battery game changer, Tesla’s AI training centre in China: 7 EV reads
We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. China becomes Brazil’s biggest veh...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 07:21:37 +0000Chinese missions in Vietnam and Singapore warn citizens to stay away from gambling
Two Chinese diplomatic missions in Southeast Asia have issued warnings urging citizens to stay away from gambling following two deaths allegedly linked to financial losses.
The Chinese consulate in Da Nang, Vietnam said in a statement on Monday that ...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:58:41 +0000First-ever Antarctic sleeper shark footage reveals a giant ‘hunk’ in icy depths
An ungainly barrel of a shark cruising languidly over a barren seabed far too deep for the sun’s rays to illuminate was an unexpected sight.
Many experts had thought sharks did not exist in the frigid waters of Antarctica before this sleeper shark ...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:34:39 +0000Man, 92, dies after apparently choking on glutinous rice balls in Hong Kong
A 92-year-old man has died after apparently choking on glutinous rice balls in Hong Kong, according to sources.
Police received a call for help from the man’s family on Wednesday at around 9am, saying the victim had collapsed and lost consciousness...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:06:08 +0000‘Sentiment is bleak’: bitcoin declines as geopolitical tensions add to risk-off mood
Bitcoin extended a four-week slide as investors returned to a more cautious macro backdrop.
The token dropped as much as 3.2 per cent to US$66,604 on Tuesday, before paring the decline.
Bitcoin, which has traded like a high-beta tech proxy in recent ...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:00:10 +0000China and South Korea find a new shared bond: their rapidly ageing societies
China and South Korea have had a turbulent relationship over the past few years as they compete across a range of hi-tech industries. But the two countries now appear to be bonding over a shared challenge: their rapidly ageing societies.
The issue ha...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 04:37:14 +0000Iran tempts Trump with ‘trillion-dollar’ nuclear deal pitch
After US and Iranian negotiators agreed on Tuesday to a set of “guiding principles” at their nuclear talks in Geneva mediated by Oman, Tehran went further – framing any eventual deal as a commercial proposition, not just a security arrangement....
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 04:34:54 +0000Germany’s Merz chides standing ovation for Rubio at Munich Security Conference
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed irritation over the standing ovation for US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference.
“I wasn’t in the hall and even if I had been, I would have found it difficult to stand up,”...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 04:07:42 +0000Hundreds evacuated after cooking mishap sparks false fire alarm at Hong Kong estate
Hundreds of residents at a Hong Kong public housing estate were evacuated in the early hours of the second day of Lunar New Year over a suspected fire, only to discover that white smoke billowing from a flat had come from a cooking mishap.
The Fire S...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 04:00:09 +0000Budweiser and Heineken face polar opposite fates in China as punters favour home comforts
The world’s two largest brewers faced starkly diverging realities in China in 2025 and rather than it being about taste or popularity, the contrast appears to largely boil down to a shift in the nation’s drinking habits, sparked – in part – b...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 03:37:20 +0000Why Philippines Vice-President Sara Duterte is launching her 2028 presidential bid now
Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio announced on Wednesday that she will run for president in 2028, formally declaring a bid long widely expected as her political camp confronts mounting legal and institutional pressure.
“I offer my life,...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 02:44:22 +0000Zelensky says Trump’s peace demands focused only on Ukraine ‘not fair’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said US President Donald Trump was exerting undue pressure on him in trying to secure a resolution to the nearly four-year-old war pitting Kyiv against Moscow.
Zelensky, in an interview with US website ...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 02:07:23 +0000‘Stay vigilant even in peace,’ Hong Kong rural leader says in Lunar New Year prophecy
Hong Kong must stay vigilant in times of peace and embrace innovation, according to a prophecy drawn by the city’s top rural leader during an annual Lunar New Year ritual.
Kenneth Lau Ip-keung, chairman of powerful rural body the Heung Yee Kuk, dre...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 01:32:25 +0000Chinese and Indian tourists to boost Europe’s travel market amid US slowdown
Chinese and Indian tourists are set to make up for a potential slowdown in growth from US travellers to Europe this year, according to a survey published on Wednesday by the European Travel Commission, with international arrivals to the continent ...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 01:30:14 +0000Japan’s Takaichi steps back from Liancourt Rocks pledge in sign of softer line on South Korea
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will not send a cabinet minister to an annual ceremony calling for the return of the Liancourt Rocks – known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea – stepping back from an earlier pledge and signalli...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 01:30:08 +0000Universities in Japan and China are becoming tools of national strategy
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi entered office with an unusually strong political mandate following her decisive election victory on February 8. Among her early signals was a renewed emphasis on science, including a call for a substantial exp...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:30:08 +0000Hong Kong workers ready to sacrifice Lunar New Year break as scaffold net rules bite
Hong Kong plumber Anson Hui Po-lung is ready to work through his Lunar New Year break to make ends meet, after struggling since the citywide removal of scaffolding nets began in early December in response to the deadly blaze at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Co...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:16:37 +0000US offers more details on claim China conducted secret nuclear weapons test
A senior state department official said that the US would resume nuclear tests to match “opaque” Chinese activity, flagging new details about a 2020 test the US recently accused China of secretly conducting, as US President Donald Trump seeks a n...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:11 +0000South Korea’s Yoon awaits verdict as insurrection rulings mount: ‘the game is over’
Two recent convictions tied to Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-lived 2024 martial law decree have effectively sealed his fate, some legal observers say, as judges prepare to rule on the insurrection charge against the former South Korean president.
On Thursd...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 23:59:33 +0000Trump critic Colbert says CBS blocked interview with Democratic candidate
CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, a critic of the Trump administration, says he was barred from airing an interview with a Democrat seeking a US Senate seat in Texas by network lawyers concerned the appearance would violate federal fairness rules....
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 23:32:54 +000011 killed in US strikes on 3 more alleged drug boats
The US military said Tuesday that it carried out strikes on three boats accused of smuggling drugs in Latin American waters, killing 11 people in one of the deadliest days of the Trump administration’s months-long campaign against alleged trafficke...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 22:18:25 +0000Bipartisan push grows for Quad summit before Trump’s China trip
A bipartisan chorus of lawmakers and national security experts in Washington is calling on the administration of US President Donald Trump to convene a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue leaders’ summit ahead of Trump’s expected meeting with Chinese...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 22:00:18 +0000Chinese military urged to overhaul English teaching to improve language skills
The People’s Liberation Army has been urged to overhaul English language teaching at its military schools and recruit professionals to improve soldiers’ communication skills on the international stage.
Three senior lecturers from the PLA Air Forc...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:52:39 +0000Police arrest man running towards US Capitol with a shotgun
US Capitol Police in Washington arrested an 18-year-old man on Tuesday after he ran from his vehicle toward the west side of the Capitol Building armed with a shotgun.
Capital Police Chief Michael Sullivan said the unidentified man parked a Mercedes ...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:40:18 +0000Trump unveils first Japan investments under trade deal with US
Japan plans to invest US$36 billion in US oil, gas and critical mineral projects, the first tranche of its US$550 billion commitment under the trade agreement it struck with President Donald Trump.
“Our MASSIVE Trade Deal with Japan has just launch...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000Forging robust China-South America ties takes more than just trade
A few weeks ago, while travelling in Buenos Aires, I learned a new word: chino. I already knew its literal meaning – even a poor linguist like me could manage that – but in Argentina the word has taken on a second life. A chino is the neighbourho...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 20:42:42 +0000Canada launches huge defence plan to curb reliance on Trump’s US
Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday launched a multibillion-dollar plan to strengthen the Canadian military and rely less on the United States.
Carney’s announcement of Canada’s first defence industrial strategy built on themes he has emphasise...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 20:09:22 +0000Peru’s President Jose Jeri ousted after ‘Chifagate’ scandal tied to Chinese contractor
Peru’s Congress voted on Tuesday to remove President Jose Jeri from office following a series of undisclosed late-night meetings at a Chinese restaurant with a Chinese state contractor, setting off a political scandal dubbed “Chifagate”, a refe...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 19:53:03 +0000Brazil races to China beef cap as 55% tariff risks price collapse
Brazil is on course to exhaust its annual beef export quota to China by September, industry researchers said on Tuesday, as the government warns that uncontrolled shipments could trigger a collapse in domestic prices and jobs in the cattle sector.
If...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 18:53:11 +0000Top Trump Homeland Security spokeswoman leaving amid backlash over immigration crackdown
US Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin will leave the administration, an agency spokesperson said, a move that comes as public support for President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has dwindled.
McLaughlin became a pr...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 18:30:01 +0000Ukraine and Russia meet in Geneva as Trump piles new pressure on Kyiv
Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia met for the first of two days of US-mediated peace talks in Geneva on Tuesday, with US President Donald Trump pressing Kyiv to act fast to reach a deal.
Trump is urging Moscow and Kyiv to reach a deal to end Europe...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 18:12:26 +0000Texas sues TP-Link, alleging Chinese government access to its devices
Texas has sued TP-Link Systems for allegedly marketing its networking devices deceptively and allowing Beijing to access American consumers’ devices, the state attorney general said on Tuesday.
“Despite its claims of privacy and security, T...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:30:31 +0000Hasan Piker talks about his controversial China trip – and ‘thinking Chinese thoughts’
Hasan Piker knew his first trip to China would provoke backlash. What he did not expect was how quickly the debate would collapse into a binary: propaganda or patriotism.
The live-streamer, and one of the most influential political commentators on th...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:12:43 +0000Israel planning first Jerusalem border expansion into West Bank since 1967: NGOs
Israeli NGOs have raised the alarm over a settlement plan signed by the government which they say would mark the first expansion of Jerusalem’s borders into the occupied West Bank since 1967.
Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967 and later ...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:58:27 +0000Large section of ceiling plunges into Hong Kong estate’s indoor pool
The owners’ committee of a Hong Kong private housing estate has said it is “very concerned” after a large section of the ceiling collapsed into an indoor swimming pool, while the MTR Corporation, which manages the property, said a “detailed i...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:16:53 +0000Sri Lanka ends parliamentary pensions to prune perks for politicians
Sri Lanka’s parliament abolished pensions for all legislators and their widows on Tuesday, in line with a government pledge to prune the perks of politicians.
“When people see the quality of debate and what members say in this House, they don’t...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:00:09 +0000Everything we know about China’s mysterious, futuristic Nantianmen Project
China’s Nantianmen Project – translated as Southern Celestial Gate – has captured widespread attention as a blend of science fiction storytelling and hi-tech military speculation.
Launched in 2017 by a subsidiary of the state-owned Aviation Ind...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 13:31:22 +0000UK court backs London police rule forcing officers to declare Freemasonry
A UK court on Tuesday denied a legal challenge brought by the Freemasons against a new London police policy requiring officers to declare membership of the historically secretive society.
In a 17-page judgment handed down at London’s High Court, ju...
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:44:11 +000011 soldiers, 1 child killed in Pakistan after explosive-laden vehicle rams security post
A suicide bomber backed by a group of gunmen rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the wall of a security post after troops signalled for it to stop in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold in northwestern Pakistan, causing part of the compound to c...