Hamas seeks changes to Trump’s Gaza plan: source Hamas officials want amendments to clauses in US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, including on disarmament, a Palestinian source close to the group’s leadership said on Wednesday. Hamas negotiators held discussions on Tuesday with Turkish, Egyptian and Qatari officials in Doha, the source said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters and adding that the group needed “two or three days at most” to respond. Trump’s plan, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls... image
South China Morning Post
Trump’s Gaza plan: Hamas seeks changes as Israel issues ‘last’ warning
Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south amid heavy bombardment, while Hamas considers Trump’s ceasefire plan.
Chinese coastguards ‘committed to sacred mission’ in Scarborough Shoal dispute China’s coastguards said they were ready to uphold the country’s sovereignty in the disputed Scarborough Shoal, in a message broadcast by state broadcaster CCTV on National Day. The country has a long-running dispute with the Philippines over the reef and other areas of the South China Sea, and Wednesday’s report said the coastguards had resumed “regular patrols” in the area for the next 50 days. Coastguard officer Chen Zhijie told CCTV that protecting the disputed island was his “sacred duty... image
South China Morning Post
Chinese coastguards ‘committed to sacred mission’ in Scarborough Shoal dispute
National Day message for state television says patrols will resume around the South China Sea reef that is also claimed by the Philippines.
Oktoberfest grounds closed as Munich police investigate explosives incident The Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich will remain shut on Wednesday until at least 5pm local time after police said they discovered explosives in a residential building in the north of the city that caught fire and left one person dead. As part of a major operation that police earlier said posed no danger to the public, special forces were investigating an area in the north of Munich where Bild newspaper and multiple other reports said shots and explosions had been heard. Police said the... image
South China Morning Post
Munich’s Oktoberfest briefly closed by bomb threat, deadly family drama
The security threat was linked to a 57-year-old man who set his parents’ home ablaze before being found with an explosives-laden backpack.
Hong Kong leader vows to get rid of ‘bottlenecks’, speed up gains for residents Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to “eliminate bottlenecks” and shorten the time needed to realise economic gains to ensure that residents from all walks of life can benefit from the city’s development. Speaking at this year’s National Day reception on Wednesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also vowed to continually enhance the city’s national security laws to safeguard economic development while promising to ensure the coming Legislative Council election would be held in a fair and orderly... image
South China Morning Post
Hong Kong leader vows to get rid of ‘bottlenecks’, speed up gains for residents
In National Day speech, John Lee also pledges to enhance security laws to safeguard economic development and conduct fair, orderly Legco election.
DR Congo military court sentences ex-president to death for treason A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday sentenced ex-president Joseph Kabila to death in absentia for “treason”. Kabila, 54, who was neither present nor represented at the trial in the capital, Kinshasa, was found guilty of complicity with the M23 anti-government armed group, which has seized swathes of the resource-rich Congolese east with Rwandan help. He left the vast central African country in 2023 and briefly reappeared in M23-occupied Goma in the volatile east in... image
South China Morning Post
DR Congo military court sentences ex-president to death for treason
Joseph Kabila, who ruled from 2001 to 2019, was convicted in absentia of crimes including collaborating with M23 anti-government rebels.
Philippine coastguard finds itself outmatched by politician’s private air fleet As the Philippines’ coastguard struggles to patrol vast, contested waters with a handful of ageing planes and helicopters, a single politician’s larger private fleet has become a lightning rod for public anger over corruption and the chronic underfunding of the country’s defence forces. At the heart of the scandal is Zaldy Co, who until January chaired the powerful House Appropriations Committee – a position that granted him sweeping powers over the national budget. The discovery of six... image
South China Morning Post
Philippine coastguard finds itself outmatched by politician’s private air fleet
Disgraced congressman Zaldy Co’s US$81 million private fleet has become a symbol of chronic underfunding in the Philippines’ defence sector.
Outcry in Malaysia over independent news outlet’s social media suspension Malaysia’s government is facing allegations of muzzling free speech after the social media account of a leading independent news portal was suspended shortly after publishing a story critical of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Prominent online news outlet Malaysiakini revealed that its Facebook pages were temporarily taken down late on Tuesday, hours after it had released an investigative report into the prime minister’s own social media use. The report alleged that more than 260 suspicious social... image
South China Morning Post
Outcry in Malaysia over independent news outlet’s social media suspension
The move came hours after the news portal published a report on a network of suspicious social media accounts boosting the PM’s page.
Hong Kong regulator puts a 50% cap on referral fees for insurance sales Hong Kong insurance companies and brokers from Wednesday are barred from paying excessive referral fees to unlicensed individuals, as the city’s insurance regulator bolsters efforts to curb misconduct and enhance customer protection. The city’s Insurance Authority has put a 50 per cent cap on commissions for referral fees in life insurance policies, a move that provides long-term life protection and dividends to policyholders, according to the regulator’s circular. The cap will not cover... image
South China Morning Post
Hong Kong regulator puts a 50% cap on referral fees for insurance sales
The new regulation addresses a grey area where some brokers pay 90 per cent of commission as referral fees to unlicensed persons.
Why has the US government shut down and what’s next? At 12.01am on Wednesday, US Eastern time (12.01pm Hong Kong time), the US government shut down after Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to reach a funding deal. Here, the Post examines why this happened and what will be affected. Why has the government shut down? Government shutdowns occur when Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress cannot reach a deal to continue government funding by the time current funding lapses – in this case, at the end of the 2025 financial year on... image
South China Morning Post
Explainer | Why has the US government shut down and what’s next?
The shutdown began after congressional Democrats and Republicans could not agree on how to continue funding the federal government.
Houthis claim missile strike on Dutch freighter in Gulf of Aden Yemen’s Houthi rebels early on Wednesday claimed the attack that left a Dutch-flagged cargo ship ablaze and adrift in the Gulf of Aden, underlining the range of their weaponry and their campaign targeting shipping over the war between Israel and Hamas. The attack on Monday on the Minervagracht was the most serious assault by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Gulf of Aden, some distance from the Red Sea where they have sunk four vessels since November 2023. The attack also comes as Israel engages... image
South China Morning Post
Houthis claim missile strike on Dutch freighter in Gulf of Aden
Houthis targeted a cargo vessel it accused of violating the ‘entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine’.