![\"Monacan](\"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2026/06/30/192825fc-53de-4682-8ef0-6ff589a7f341_d3b2f1ad.jpg\")
The parents of a seven-year-old Michigan boy who weighed 116 kilograms (255 pounds) when he died have been charged with murder, torture and child abuse, prosecutors said.
\u201cClearly the parents were feeding the child improperly, to say the least,\u201d Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said on Monday. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t getting the nutrition he needed.\u201d
Casper O\u2019Brien died in November after first responders were called to the family\u2019s home in Flint because he had stopped breathing, prosecutors said.
His parents \u2013 Damien O\u2019Brien, 40, and Jessica O\u2019Brien, 41 \u2013 have each been charged with second-degree murder, torture and three counts of second-degree child abuse.
The couple were arraigned last week and are being held on no bond in jail in Genesee County, about an hour\u2019s drive northwest of Detroit. A probable cause hearing is set for Thursday.
The child, who was 128cm (4ft, 2.5 inches) tall, was medically classified as obese, according to the Genesee County Medical Examiner\u2019s report.
His cause of death was listed as dilated cardiomyopathy, with his weight being a contributing condition.
", "summary": "The parents of a seven-year-old Michigan boy who weighed 116 kilograms (255 pounds) when he died have been charged with murder, torture and child abuse, prosecutors said.
\u201cClearly the parents were feeding the child improperly, to say the least,\u201d Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said on Monday. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t getting the nutrition he needed.\u201d
Casper O\u2019Brien died in November after first responders were called to the family\u2019s home in Flint because he had stopped breathing, prosecutors said.
His parents \u2013 Damien O\u2019Brien, 40, and Jessica O\u2019Brien, 41 \u2013 have each been charged with second-degree murder, torture and three counts of second-degree child abuse.
The couple were arraigned last week and are being held on no bond in jail in Genesee County, about an hour\u2019s drive northwest of Detroit. A probable cause hearing is set for Thursday.
The child, who was 128cm (4ft, 2.5 inches) tall, was medically classified as obese, according to the Genesee County Medical Examiner\u2019s report.
His cause of death was listed as dilated cardiomyopathy, with his weight being a contributing condition.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T15:17:28Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T09:30:01Z", "authors": ["Associated Press"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3358818/police-hunt-fugitive-monaco-after-3-wounded-deliberate-explosion?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3358818/police-hunt-fugitive-monaco-after-3-wounded-deliberate-explosion?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "Police hunt fugitive in Monaco after 3 wounded in \u2018deliberate explosion\u2019", "content_text": "", "content_html": "Three people, including a teenager, were wounded on Monday in an explosion at a residential building in Monaco, which authorities described as a \u201cdeliberate\u201d act.
A source close to the investigations who asked not to be named told Agence France-Presse that one of those wounded was a Ukrainian oligarch, Vadym Yermolaiev.
The territory\u2019s Minister of State Christophe Mirmand initially told Agence France-Presse the blast at a residential building appeared to be \u201can attack\u201d, but later dropped that term, describing it as a \u201cdeliberate explosion\u201d.
An aide to France\u2019s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police were working \u201cto find the perpetrator, who has fled\u201d.
The explosion struck at around 9pm local time in a residential building on a street along the border with France.
Public prosecutor Stephane Thibault said a suspect had left a bag or package in the building\u2019s lobby before leaving.
Three people, including a teenager, were wounded on Monday in an explosion at a residential building in Monaco, which authorities described as a \u201cdeliberate\u201d act.
A source close to the investigations who asked not to be named told Agence France-Presse that one of those wounded was a Ukrainian oligarch, Vadym Yermolaiev.
The territory\u2019s Minister of State Christophe Mirmand initially told Agence France-Presse the blast at a residential building appeared to be \u201can attack\u201d, but later dropped that term, describing it as a \u201cdeliberate explosion\u201d.
An aide to France\u2019s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said police were working \u201cto find the perpetrator, who has fled\u201d.
The explosion struck at around 9pm local time in a residential building on a street along the border with France.
Public prosecutor Stephane Thibault said a suspect had left a bag or package in the building\u2019s lobby before leaving.
Peru\u2019s conservative president-elect Keiko Fujimori vowed on Monday to restore \u201corder and hope\u201d after defeating left-winger Roberto Sanchez in the latest victory for a resurgent Latin American right.
Fujimori won the June 7 presidential run-off by the slimmest of margins, outpolling Sanchez by fewer than 50,000 votes out of the more than 18 million ballots cast, the final results showed.
\u201cEach time we draw closer to starting on the path of order and hope for all Peruvians,\u201d she wrote on X after being proclaimed the winner.
The 51-year-old daughter of late president Alberto Fujimori secured the top office on her fourth attempt.
The election was fought on rising crime and chronic political instability, which has seen the Andean country burn through eight presidents in a decade.
With extortion gangs and contract killings on the rise, Fujimori vowed a strong hand, like that of her autocratic father.
", "summary": "Peru\u2019s conservative president-elect Keiko Fujimori vowed on Monday to restore \u201corder and hope\u201d after defeating left-winger Roberto Sanchez in the latest victory for a resurgent Latin American right.
Fujimori won the June 7 presidential run-off by the slimmest of margins, outpolling Sanchez by fewer than 50,000 votes out of the more than 18 million ballots cast, the final results showed.
\u201cEach time we draw closer to starting on the path of order and hope for all Peruvians,\u201d she wrote on X after being proclaimed the winner.
The 51-year-old daughter of late president Alberto Fujimori secured the top office on her fourth attempt.
The election was fought on rising crime and chronic political instability, which has seen the Andean country burn through eight presidents in a decade.
With extortion gangs and contract killings on the rise, Fujimori vowed a strong hand, like that of her autocratic father.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T14:26:28Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T08:30:01Z", "authors": ["Agence France-Presse"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3358816/over-100-venezuelans-deported-us-hours-earthquakes-are-missing?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3358816/over-100-venezuelans-deported-us-hours-earthquakes-are-missing?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "Over 100 Venezuelans deported from the US hours before the earthquakes are missing", "content_text": "", "content_html": "More than 100 people just deported from the United States were being held in a hotel when earthquakes struck Venezuela, setting off a scramble to find survivors and bodies buried in the rubble, according to survivors.
A deportation flight from Miami arrived in Caracas hours before Wednesday\u2019s earthquakes. On board were 146 Venezuelans, including 19 women and seven children, according to ICE Flight Monitor, an initiative of Human Rights First, which tracks deportation flights.
Lisbeth Portillo, 58, said she escaped the rubble from the hotel with about 20 other deportees who walked the streets looking for help. They saw people running, some naked and others barefoot as they emerged from the rubble of the building in La Guaira, one of the areas that was hardest hit in Wednesday\u2019s 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes.
\u201cWe walked about 5km, and I cried and cried \u2026 there was no communication,\u201d Portillo said in a phone interview from her home in Maracaibo, Venezuela.
They reached a National Guard building, where they had a chance to call relatives.
\u201cI was born again; God gave me a second chance,\u201d said Portillo. \u201cI am traumatised,\u201d she said after a pause, weeping.
", "summary": "More than 100 people just deported from the United States were being held in a hotel when earthquakes struck Venezuela, setting off a scramble to find survivors and bodies buried in the rubble, according to survivors.
A deportation flight from Miami arrived in Caracas hours before Wednesday\u2019s earthquakes. On board were 146 Venezuelans, including 19 women and seven children, according to ICE Flight Monitor, an initiative of Human Rights First, which tracks deportation flights.
Lisbeth Portillo, 58, said she escaped the rubble from the hotel with about 20 other deportees who walked the streets looking for help. They saw people running, some naked and others barefoot as they emerged from the rubble of the building in La Guaira, one of the areas that was hardest hit in Wednesday\u2019s 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes.
\u201cWe walked about 5km, and I cried and cried \u2026 there was no communication,\u201d Portillo said in a phone interview from her home in Maracaibo, Venezuela.
They reached a National Guard building, where they had a chance to call relatives.
\u201cI was born again; God gave me a second chance,\u201d said Portillo. \u201cI am traumatised,\u201d she said after a pause, weeping.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T14:02:53Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T08:30:06Z", "authors": ["Associated Press"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3358796/why-chinese-american-success-stories-still-provoke-prejudice-and-fear?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3358796/why-chinese-american-success-stories-still-provoke-prejudice-and-fear?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "Why Chinese-American success stories still provoke prejudice and fear", "content_text": "", "content_html": "By Ling Xin
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Ling Xin and Meredith Chen look at how the fight against discrimination continues to this day.
The rise of the United States to superpower status was fuelled by the untold millions of immigrants who arrived from foreign shores.
Among them were the Chinese who crossed the Pacific in search of opportunity and a better life \u2013 only to become the builders of modern America, who remain too often forgotten and even excluded.
One well-known photograph taken in 1869 to celebrate the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad showed a cheering crowd made up of entirely white faces. Meanwhile, Chinese workers, who made up as much as 90 per cent of the workforce and endured the most dangerous labour, were kept well away from the spotlight.
Frank Wu, the president of Queens College, City University of New York, said Chinese-Americans had long been seen as \u201cperpetual foreigners\u201d whose achievements sparked suspicion from the very beginning.
\u201cThe very success of Asian-Americans has been held against them,\u201d he said, adding that since their arrival, fear had driven others to view their hard work not as a contribution to American progress but as \u201cunfair competition\u201d.
\u201cThe more they do well in different domains, the more important it is to ensure they do not dominate politically or socially,\u201d said Wu, a former chair of the Committee of 100, a New York-based non-profit organisation formed by prominent Chinese-Americans.
", "summary": "By Ling Xin
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Ling Xin and Meredith Chen look at how the fight against discrimination continues to this day.
The rise of the United States to superpower status was fuelled by the untold millions of immigrants who arrived from foreign shores.
Among them were the Chinese who crossed the Pacific in search of opportunity and a better life \u2013 only to become the builders of modern America, who remain too often forgotten and even excluded.
One well-known photograph taken in 1869 to celebrate the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad showed a cheering crowd made up of entirely white faces. Meanwhile, Chinese workers, who made up as much as 90 per cent of the workforce and endured the most dangerous labour, were kept well away from the spotlight.
Frank Wu, the president of Queens College, City University of New York, said Chinese-Americans had long been seen as \u201cperpetual foreigners\u201d whose achievements sparked suspicion from the very beginning.
\u201cThe very success of Asian-Americans has been held against them,\u201d he said, adding that since their arrival, fear had driven others to view their hard work not as a contribution to American progress but as \u201cunfair competition\u201d.
\u201cThe more they do well in different domains, the more important it is to ensure they do not dominate politically or socially,\u201d said Wu, a former chair of the Committee of 100, a New York-based non-profit organisation formed by prominent Chinese-Americans.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T14:00:22Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T08:30:11Z", "authors": ["Ling Xin,Meredith Chen"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3358815/chinese-venezuelans-turn-community-networks-lifeline-after-earthquakes?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3358815/chinese-venezuelans-turn-community-networks-lifeline-after-earthquakes?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "Chinese Venezuelans turn community networks into lifeline after earthquakes", "content_text": "", "content_html": "Lutao Cen was swimming off Margarita Island, where he has lived for four decades, when twin earthquakes measuring above magnitude 7 struck northern Venezuela within two minutes.
Only after returning to shore did he learn what had happened.
Messages flooded his WeChat feed. Friends in Caracas, Valencia and Maracay described buildings collapsing and streets filled with dust. Then came the news he had feared most.
A close friend in La Guaira, chairman of the local Chinese association, had been seriously injured after his shop collapsed. Three workers were killed. His 13-year-old daughter died beneath the rubble.
\u201cI was devastated,\u201d Cen said.
For generations, Chinese migrants built businesses in Venezuela. After the country\u2019s deadliest earthquake in decades \u2013 which has killed nearly 1,500 people, injured more than 3,100 and displaced over 12,700 \u2013 they responded not as outsiders but as Venezuelans, drawing on community networks that stretched from Guangdong to Caracas to deliver aid when it was needed most.
![\"Lutao](\"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2026/06/30/64423196-dea2-4047-9604-6ebebb7ff631_da8c8f17.jpg\")
Lutao Cen was swimming off Margarita Island, where he has lived for four decades, when twin earthquakes measuring above magnitude 7 struck northern Venezuela within two minutes.
Only after returning to shore did he learn what had happened.
Messages flooded his WeChat feed. Friends in Caracas, Valencia and Maracay described buildings collapsing and streets filled with dust. Then came the news he had feared most.
A close friend in La Guaira, chairman of the local Chinese association, had been seriously injured after his shop collapsed. Three workers were killed. His 13-year-old daughter died beneath the rubble.
\u201cI was devastated,\u201d Cen said.
For generations, Chinese migrants built businesses in Venezuela. After the country\u2019s deadliest earthquake in decades \u2013 which has killed nearly 1,500 people, injured more than 3,100 and displaced over 12,700 \u2013 they responded not as outsiders but as Venezuelans, drawing on community networks that stretched from Guangdong to Caracas to deliver aid when it was needed most.
By Ningrong Liu
The recent visit of Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, carried the task of accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis. This is not another urban expansion, but a strategic test of whether Hong Kong can reinvent its role in the nation\u2019s innovation landscape.
At its core, the Northern Metropolis bears a dual mission. For Hong Kong, it must become a growth engine, creating a third curve of development, beyond finance and real estate, by nurturing original innovation, driving technological breakthroughs and attracting high-end talent. For the nation, it must serve as a global centre for science and technology, talent and frontier research.
This task makes the university town uniquely important. Given the limited land available, its success depends on creating a new type of university governed through a consortium model. It is neither a campus relocation nor a conventional expansion zone, but a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape Hong Kong\u2019s economic foundation and strengthen China\u2019s innovation autonomy.
Despite its strategic mission, early signs of concern have surfaced. In June, the Education Bureau announced that 19 local institutions had submitted proposals for the Northern Metropolis. The response was enthusiastic, but the common requests were clear: relieve campus pressure and improve facilities.
Two contradictions define the challenge. First, a mission mismatch: conceived as a science and innovation hub, the Northern Metropolis is being treated as an expansion site, with land intended for research \u2013 or a platform where frontier research meets industrial incubation \u2013 diverted to classrooms and dormitories. Second, a mechanism gap: while Hong Kong\u2019s universities excel in basic research, they lack pathways to translate discoveries into industry or feedback loops that connect market demand to research priorities.
These contradictions strike at the heart of the Northern Metropolis\u2019 mission. Without clear direction, the project risks drifting into a patchwork of expanded campuses rather than rising as the world-class innovation hub Hong Kong and the nation urgently need.
", "summary": "By Ningrong Liu
The recent visit of Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, carried the task of accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis. This is not another urban expansion, but a strategic test of whether Hong Kong can reinvent its role in the nation\u2019s innovation landscape.
At its core, the Northern Metropolis bears a dual mission. For Hong Kong, it must become a growth engine, creating a third curve of development, beyond finance and real estate, by nurturing original innovation, driving technological breakthroughs and attracting high-end talent. For the nation, it must serve as a global centre for science and technology, talent and frontier research.
This task makes the university town uniquely important. Given the limited land available, its success depends on creating a new type of university governed through a consortium model. It is neither a campus relocation nor a conventional expansion zone, but a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape Hong Kong\u2019s economic foundation and strengthen China\u2019s innovation autonomy.
Despite its strategic mission, early signs of concern have surfaced. In June, the Education Bureau announced that 19 local institutions had submitted proposals for the Northern Metropolis. The response was enthusiastic, but the common requests were clear: relieve campus pressure and improve facilities.
Two contradictions define the challenge. First, a mission mismatch: conceived as a science and innovation hub, the Northern Metropolis is being treated as an expansion site, with land intended for research \u2013 or a platform where frontier research meets industrial incubation \u2013 diverted to classrooms and dormitories. Second, a mechanism gap: while Hong Kong\u2019s universities excel in basic research, they lack pathways to translate discoveries into industry or feedback loops that connect market demand to research priorities.
These contradictions strike at the heart of the Northern Metropolis\u2019 mission. Without clear direction, the project risks drifting into a patchwork of expanded campuses rather than rising as the world-class innovation hub Hong Kong and the nation urgently need.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T13:30:05Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T08:00:06Z", "authors": ["Ningrong Liu"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3358812/true-crime-saga-continues-alex-murdaugh-returns-court-murder-retrial-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3358812/true-crime-saga-continues-alex-murdaugh-returns-court-murder-retrial-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "True-crime saga continues as Alex Murdaugh returns to court for murder retrial hearing", "content_text": "", "content_html": "Alex Murdaugh was back in court Monday on charges he killed his wife and son, appearing silently at a pretrial hearing that was mostly short on substance but long on spectacle as the true-crime sensation continues to captivate.
Murdaugh\u2019s murder convictions and sentence of life in prison were overturned last month by the South Carolina Supreme Court. On Monday, a new judge laid out a timeline for hearings set the retrial to begin April 5. She also nailed down deadlines for making sure the defence and prosecution have exchanged evidence, a process called discovery.
Dozens of media outlets, from international agencies and local television stations to podcasters, were inside the 200-person Lexington County courthouse to again chronicle every forehead rub and quizzical look from the once-rich and imposing Southern lawyer.
\u201cI see we have a full house,\u201d Judge Debra McCaslin said as the hearing began.
For many, it was a rare glimpse of how life in state prison has changed the 58-year-old Murdaugh. After pleading guilty to stealing about US$12 million from clients and his family\u2019s law firm, he is serving a 40-year federal sentence at the same time as a 27-year state sentence.
Unlike just about everyone else in the courtroom, the judge said she was new to the story, which combines a grisly double murder with the fall of a powerful legal dynasty.
", "summary": "Alex Murdaugh was back in court Monday on charges he killed his wife and son, appearing silently at a pretrial hearing that was mostly short on substance but long on spectacle as the true-crime sensation continues to captivate.
Murdaugh\u2019s murder convictions and sentence of life in prison were overturned last month by the South Carolina Supreme Court. On Monday, a new judge laid out a timeline for hearings set the retrial to begin April 5. She also nailed down deadlines for making sure the defence and prosecution have exchanged evidence, a process called discovery.
Dozens of media outlets, from international agencies and local television stations to podcasters, were inside the 200-person Lexington County courthouse to again chronicle every forehead rub and quizzical look from the once-rich and imposing Southern lawyer.
\u201cI see we have a full house,\u201d Judge Debra McCaslin said as the hearing began.
For many, it was a rare glimpse of how life in state prison has changed the 58-year-old Murdaugh. After pleading guilty to stealing about US$12 million from clients and his family\u2019s law firm, he is serving a 40-year federal sentence at the same time as a 27-year state sentence.
Unlike just about everyone else in the courtroom, the judge said she was new to the story, which combines a grisly double murder with the fall of a powerful legal dynasty.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T12:53:28Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T07:00:01Z", "authors": ["Associated Press"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3358811/switzerland-returns-famed-benin-bronzes-nigeria?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3358811/switzerland-returns-famed-benin-bronzes-nigeria?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "Switzerland returns famed Benin Bronzes to Nigeria", "content_text": "", "content_html": "Swiss authorities on Monday returned 18 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria in a ceremony at the National Museum in Lagos, the latest addition to the nation\u2019s growing collection of repatriated treasures.
Countries across Africa have been pushing in recent years for the restitution of artefacts and artworks taken during the colonial period \u2013 including Nigeria\u2019s famed Benin Bronzes, which were looted as spoils of war by the British and today are scattered in museums and private collections across the world.
Hundreds of the priceless sculptures and plaques were taken from the royal palace in the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now part of modern-day Nigeria, after British forces attacked Benin City in 1897.
Monday\u2019s restitution represents the return of \u201cevidence of civilisation that already mastered bronze casting to a standard of technical, artistic and extremely intricate sophistication\u201d before colonisation, Nigeria\u2019s culture minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said at the ceremony.
The handover also included a bronze bracelet and four Ikom monoliths from the Niger Delta region, \u201cseized in Switzerland as part of criminal proceedings and subsequently transferred to the state\u201d, Switzerland\u2019s federal department of home affairs said in a statement.
The bronzes came from the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich, the Museum Rietberg and the Musee d\u2019Ethnographie de Geneve.
\u201cThe artefacts returned today carry a painful history,\u201d Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, a Swiss federal councillor, said at the ceremony.
", "summary": "Swiss authorities on Monday returned 18 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria in a ceremony at the National Museum in Lagos, the latest addition to the nation\u2019s growing collection of repatriated treasures.
Countries across Africa have been pushing in recent years for the restitution of artefacts and artworks taken during the colonial period \u2013 including Nigeria\u2019s famed Benin Bronzes, which were looted as spoils of war by the British and today are scattered in museums and private collections across the world.
Hundreds of the priceless sculptures and plaques were taken from the royal palace in the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now part of modern-day Nigeria, after British forces attacked Benin City in 1897.
Monday\u2019s restitution represents the return of \u201cevidence of civilisation that already mastered bronze casting to a standard of technical, artistic and extremely intricate sophistication\u201d before colonisation, Nigeria\u2019s culture minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said at the ceremony.
The handover also included a bronze bracelet and four Ikom monoliths from the Niger Delta region, \u201cseized in Switzerland as part of criminal proceedings and subsequently transferred to the state\u201d, Switzerland\u2019s federal department of home affairs said in a statement.
The bronzes came from the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich, the Museum Rietberg and the Musee d\u2019Ethnographie de Geneve.
\u201cThe artefacts returned today carry a painful history,\u201d Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, a Swiss federal councillor, said at the ceremony.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T12:21:44Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T06:30:01Z", "authors": ["Agence France-Presse"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3358810/torture-memos-professor-joins-doj-probe-alleged-conspiracy-against-trump?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3358810/torture-memos-professor-joins-doj-probe-alleged-conspiracy-against-trump?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "\u2018Torture memos\u2019 professor joins DOJ probe into alleged conspiracy against Trump", "content_text": "", "content_html": "A conservative law professor known for his expansive views of presidential power and for decades-old memos that justified harsh interrogation techniques after the September 11 terror attacks says he will be advising a team of prosecutors investigating whether former police and intelligence officials conspired against US President Donald Trump.
John Yoo confirmed in an email to Associated Press on Monday that he would be helping Joe diGenova, the former Justice Department prosecutor who was assigned in April to investigate whether officials, who over the last decade scrutinised Trump, took part in a criminal conspiracy against the Republican president.
\u201cHe\u2019s a lawyer. He\u2019s going to be helping us,\u201d diGenova said in a brief telephone interview about Yoo. He did not elaborate.
A law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Yoo was a senior Justice Department official in the George W Bush administration who served as a lead author of the so-called torture memos that government officials used to justify using \u201cenhanced interrogation\u201d techniques on potential terror suspects. The Justice Department later rescinded the memos.
In the years since, he has remained a prominent proponent of broad executive authority, telling Associated Press in a 2020 interview that he had told Trump administration officials multiple times that a Supreme Court ruling which rejected Trump\u2019s effort to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, or DACA, opened the door to enormous new presidential power.
The conspiracy investigation is being conducted in Florida but the scope is unclear, as is whether any criminal charges will be brought.
", "summary": "A conservative law professor known for his expansive views of presidential power and for decades-old memos that justified harsh interrogation techniques after the September 11 terror attacks says he will be advising a team of prosecutors investigating whether former police and intelligence officials conspired against US President Donald Trump.
John Yoo confirmed in an email to Associated Press on Monday that he would be helping Joe diGenova, the former Justice Department prosecutor who was assigned in April to investigate whether officials, who over the last decade scrutinised Trump, took part in a criminal conspiracy against the Republican president.
\u201cHe\u2019s a lawyer. He\u2019s going to be helping us,\u201d diGenova said in a brief telephone interview about Yoo. He did not elaborate.
A law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Yoo was a senior Justice Department official in the George W Bush administration who served as a lead author of the so-called torture memos that government officials used to justify using \u201cenhanced interrogation\u201d techniques on potential terror suspects. The Justice Department later rescinded the memos.
In the years since, he has remained a prominent proponent of broad executive authority, telling Associated Press in a 2020 interview that he had told Trump administration officials multiple times that a Supreme Court ruling which rejected Trump\u2019s effort to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, or DACA, opened the door to enormous new presidential power.
The conspiracy investigation is being conducted in Florida but the scope is unclear, as is whether any criminal charges will be brought.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T11:33:36Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T06:00:01Z", "authors": ["Associated Press"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3358809/couple-detained-france-after-15-month-old-twin-girls-die-dehydration?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3358809/couple-detained-france-after-15-month-old-twin-girls-die-dehydration?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "Couple detained in France after 15-month-old twin girls die of dehydration", "content_text": "", "content_html": "French police on Monday detained a couple after their 15-month-old twin daughters died of suspected dehydration, a source close to the investigation said.
The couple\u2019s four other children, aged three, four, five and six, were hospitalised with dehydration but were not in life-threatening condition, the source said.
The parents alerted emergency services in the northern town of Beuvrages after discovering the twins in their beds, a police source said. Preliminary findings indicate that the children died of dehydration.
The town\u2019s mayor, Ali Ben Yahia, said the community was \u201cdeeply shaken by the tragedy that has struck a family in Beuvrages\u201d, in a message posted on Facebook.
\u201cAn investigation is currently underway to establish the circumstances of this tragedy,\u201d he wrote, noting that the family was \u201cwell integrated into the life of our community\u201d.
France saw a spike in deaths last week during a record-breaking heatwave, which disrupted daily life. Several small children died in locked cars during the extreme heat.
![\"A](\"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2026/06/30/d899c3fb-78a6-4c40-98dd-63e63ec00308_3c334126.jpg\")
French police on Monday detained a couple after their 15-month-old twin daughters died of suspected dehydration, a source close to the investigation said.
The couple\u2019s four other children, aged three, four, five and six, were hospitalised with dehydration but were not in life-threatening condition, the source said.
The parents alerted emergency services in the northern town of Beuvrages after discovering the twins in their beds, a police source said. Preliminary findings indicate that the children died of dehydration.
The town\u2019s mayor, Ali Ben Yahia, said the community was \u201cdeeply shaken by the tragedy that has struck a family in Beuvrages\u201d, in a message posted on Facebook.
\u201cAn investigation is currently underway to establish the circumstances of this tragedy,\u201d he wrote, noting that the family was \u201cwell integrated into the life of our community\u201d.
France saw a spike in deaths last week during a record-breaking heatwave, which disrupted daily life. Several small children died in locked cars during the extreme heat.
In a bid to cool searing trade tensions, the European Union and China have launched a new ministerial-level platform for solving grievances, with Brussels insisting that disputes over trade imbalances, export controls and intellectual property must deliver \u201ctangible results\u201d by October.
On Monday, in the middle of marathon talks in the Belgian capital, the sides issued a rare joint statement, in which they announced four initial workstreams, focused on trade and investment balancing, export controls, intellectual property rights and World Trade Organization reform.
As part of this, and amid a rancorous debate about the impact of Chinese industrial overcapacity on Europe\u2019s economy, Beijing agreed to establish a \u201cjoint monitoring mechanism of trade flows\u201d, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said during a break from an all-day negotiating session with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.
This will see them use the same agreed trade data to monitor surges in imports that would cross into a \u201cred\u201d zone, and quickly escalate to political talks, which would appear to be a departure from Beijing\u2019s public dismissal of Europe\u2019s complaints about trade imbalances and overcapacity.
Sefcovic said talks had been \u201cintensive, focused and constructive\u201d, but warned that the bloc would be forced to take action should meaningful progress not be achieved before the autumn.
\u201cThere is much more understanding for the common challenges for the European situation from our Chinese counterparts than we had before,\u201d Sefcovic told reporters, adding that he would travel to Beijing again in the autumn to assess progress.
", "summary": "In a bid to cool searing trade tensions, the European Union and China have launched a new ministerial-level platform for solving grievances, with Brussels insisting that disputes over trade imbalances, export controls and intellectual property must deliver \u201ctangible results\u201d by October.
On Monday, in the middle of marathon talks in the Belgian capital, the sides issued a rare joint statement, in which they announced four initial workstreams, focused on trade and investment balancing, export controls, intellectual property rights and World Trade Organization reform.
As part of this, and amid a rancorous debate about the impact of Chinese industrial overcapacity on Europe\u2019s economy, Beijing agreed to establish a \u201cjoint monitoring mechanism of trade flows\u201d, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said during a break from an all-day negotiating session with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.
This will see them use the same agreed trade data to monitor surges in imports that would cross into a \u201cred\u201d zone, and quickly escalate to political talks, which would appear to be a departure from Beijing\u2019s public dismissal of Europe\u2019s complaints about trade imbalances and overcapacity.
Sefcovic said talks had been \u201cintensive, focused and constructive\u201d, but warned that the bloc would be forced to take action should meaningful progress not be achieved before the autumn.
\u201cThere is much more understanding for the common challenges for the European situation from our Chinese counterparts than we had before,\u201d Sefcovic told reporters, adding that he would travel to Beijing again in the autumn to assess progress.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T10:12:07Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T04:30:01Z", "authors": ["Finbarr Bermingham"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3358807/penelope-keith-star-classic-british-sitcom-good-life-dies-86?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3358807/penelope-keith-star-classic-british-sitcom-good-life-dies-86?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "Penelope Keith, star of classic British sitcom The Good Life, dies at 86", "content_text": "", "content_html": "Penelope Keith, a comic performer who shone as flinty but lovable upper-crust characters in British sitcoms The Good Life and To the Manor Born, has died aged 86.
Keith\u2019s family said on Monday that she had been diagnosed with cancer and died at her home in Surrey, near London.
Keith began her acting career onstage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963 but she found her greatest fame on television.
She won a Bafta (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award in 1977 for The Good Life, playing Margo Leadbetter, a snobbish suburbanite appalled by her back-to-the-land neighbours Tom and Barbara Good, played by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal.
Kendal called Keith a \u201ccomic genius\u201d.
\u201cShe was a joy to know and work with, and she will be much missed,\u201d Kendal said.
", "summary": "Penelope Keith, a comic performer who shone as flinty but lovable upper-crust characters in British sitcoms The Good Life and To the Manor Born, has died aged 86.
Keith\u2019s family said on Monday that she had been diagnosed with cancer and died at her home in Surrey, near London.
Keith began her acting career onstage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963 but she found her greatest fame on television.
She won a Bafta (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award in 1977 for The Good Life, playing Margo Leadbetter, a snobbish suburbanite appalled by her back-to-the-land neighbours Tom and Barbara Good, played by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal.
Kendal called Keith a \u201ccomic genius\u201d.
\u201cShe was a joy to know and work with, and she will be much missed,\u201d Kendal said.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T09:54:09Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T04:00:01Z", "authors": ["Associated Press"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3358804/belarus-lukashenko-courts-moscow-and-beijing-ukraine-tensions-simmer?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3358804/belarus-lukashenko-courts-moscow-and-beijing-ukraine-tensions-simmer?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "Belarus\u2019 Lukashenko courts Moscow and Beijing as Ukraine tensions simmer", "content_text": "", "content_html": "By dpa
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has visited Russia and then China following a series of public exchanges with Ukraine, meeting President Xi Jinping in Beijing and Russian President Vladimir Putin at his Valdai residence.
Lukashenko told Xi that being in China was for him \u201clike coming home\u201d, Belarusian journalists accompanying the delegation reported on Monday.
Xi said China supported Belarus in preserving its state sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, according to statements from the Chinese side.
China and Belarus must maintain their strategic dialogue and continue to develop bilateral relations at a high level, Xi said.
Lukashenko had previously spent two days in talks with Putin at the Russian president\u2019s residence in Valdai, between Moscow and St Petersburg.
The visit, which was initially not publicly announced, was accompanied by widespread speculation given the recent history of tensions with Kyiv.
Ukraine\u2019s leadership believes Russia wants to pressure its ally Belarus into more direct involvement in the war \u2013 something Lukashenko is seeking to avoid, even though he allowed Russian forces to use Belarusian territory for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
", "summary": "By dpa
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has visited Russia and then China following a series of public exchanges with Ukraine, meeting President Xi Jinping in Beijing and Russian President Vladimir Putin at his Valdai residence.
Lukashenko told Xi that being in China was for him \u201clike coming home\u201d, Belarusian journalists accompanying the delegation reported on Monday.
Xi said China supported Belarus in preserving its state sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, according to statements from the Chinese side.
China and Belarus must maintain their strategic dialogue and continue to develop bilateral relations at a high level, Xi said.
Lukashenko had previously spent two days in talks with Putin at the Russian president\u2019s residence in Valdai, between Moscow and St Petersburg.
The visit, which was initially not publicly announced, was accompanied by widespread speculation given the recent history of tensions with Kyiv.
Ukraine\u2019s leadership believes Russia wants to pressure its ally Belarus into more direct involvement in the war \u2013 something Lukashenko is seeking to avoid, even though he allowed Russian forces to use Belarusian territory for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T09:28:35Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T03:30:01Z", "authors": ["dpa"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3358803/us-supreme-court-rejects-trumps-unprecedented-bid-fire-fed-governor-lisa-cook?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3358803/us-supreme-court-rejects-trumps-unprecedented-bid-fire-fed-governor-lisa-cook?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "US Supreme Court rejects Trump\u2019s unprecedented bid to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook", "content_text": "", "content_html": "By Reuters
The US Supreme Court refused on Monday to let Donald Trump \u2060fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook as it stood firm to preserve the central bank\u2019s cherished independence against an unprecedented challenge by the Republican \u2060president.
The court, in a 5-4 ruling, blocked Trump\u2019s bid to become the first president to remove a Fed official since Congress created the central bank in 1913. In his second term as president, \u2060Trump has tested the limits of presidential power in numerous other ways as well.
Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts and fellow conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh were in the majority, along with the court\u2019s three liberal justices. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett dissented.
Roberts, who wrote the ruling, said Trump \u201cfailed to afford Cook the procedural protections to which she was entitled by statute. Without such protections, she could not properly dispute the charges the president laid against her\u201d.
Canvassing the history of the Federal Reserve System and its predecessor central banks since the founding, including the Bank of North America and the First and Second Banks of the United States, Roberts emphasised that all have featured independence from the president.
\u201cLike the directors of its three predecessors, however, the Federal Reserve\u2019s Governors do not serve at the president\u2019s pleasure \u2013 they instead serve staggered 14 year terms, and may be removed only \u2018for cause\u2019,\u201d Roberts wrote.
", "summary": "By Reuters
The US Supreme Court refused on Monday to let Donald Trump \u2060fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook as it stood firm to preserve the central bank\u2019s cherished independence against an unprecedented challenge by the Republican \u2060president.
The court, in a 5-4 ruling, blocked Trump\u2019s bid to become the first president to remove a Fed official since Congress created the central bank in 1913. In his second term as president, \u2060Trump has tested the limits of presidential power in numerous other ways as well.
Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts and fellow conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh were in the majority, along with the court\u2019s three liberal justices. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett dissented.
Roberts, who wrote the ruling, said Trump \u201cfailed to afford Cook the procedural protections to which she was entitled by statute. Without such protections, she could not properly dispute the charges the president laid against her\u201d.
Canvassing the history of the Federal Reserve System and its predecessor central banks since the founding, including the Bank of North America and the First and Second Banks of the United States, Roberts emphasised that all have featured independence from the president.
\u201cLike the directors of its three predecessors, however, the Federal Reserve\u2019s Governors do not serve at the president\u2019s pleasure \u2013 they instead serve staggered 14 year terms, and may be removed only \u2018for cause\u2019,\u201d Roberts wrote.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T08:53:38Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T03:00:01Z", "authors": ["Reuters"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3358802/hong-kong-cocaine-haul-hits-361kg-days-after-police-raid-another-yacht?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3358802/hong-kong-cocaine-haul-hits-361kg-days-after-police-raid-another-yacht?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "Hong Kong cocaine haul hits 361kg in days after police raid another yacht", "content_text": "", "content_html": "By Danny Mok
Hong Kong police have seized a second cache of suspected cocaine worth about HK$90 million (US$11.4 million) from a pleasure boat in Aberdeen, days after uncovering HK$180 million of the drug in another yacht at the site.
Officers from the narcotics bureau on Sunday raided the six\u2011metre (20-foot) yacht moored near boats targeted in last week\u2019s operation and found about 120kg of cocaine bricks on board.
Together with the previous seizure of 241kg of cocaine in a yacht in Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter on Friday, the latest discovery brings the total amount of the drug seized in the area to about 361kg, with a total street value of HK$270 million.
It marked the largest cocaine trafficking case recorded by police over the past year.
The packaging and weight in the latest seizure matched the earlier haul, leading investigators to believe the narcotics were part of the same batch and that the vessel was being used as an additional storage site by the trafficking syndicate.
A 45-year-old local woman, listed as the registered owner of the yacht, was arrested on Monday. Police said she was unemployed and was being held for questioning.
", "summary": "By Danny Mok
Hong Kong police have seized a second cache of suspected cocaine worth about HK$90 million (US$11.4 million) from a pleasure boat in Aberdeen, days after uncovering HK$180 million of the drug in another yacht at the site.
Officers from the narcotics bureau on Sunday raided the six\u2011metre (20-foot) yacht moored near boats targeted in last week\u2019s operation and found about 120kg of cocaine bricks on board.
Together with the previous seizure of 241kg of cocaine in a yacht in Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter on Friday, the latest discovery brings the total amount of the drug seized in the area to about 361kg, with a total street value of HK$270 million.
It marked the largest cocaine trafficking case recorded by police over the past year.
The packaging and weight in the latest seizure matched the earlier haul, leading investigators to believe the narcotics were part of the same batch and that the vessel was being used as an additional storage site by the trafficking syndicate.
A 45-year-old local woman, listed as the registered owner of the yacht, was arrested on Monday. Police said she was unemployed and was being held for questioning.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T08:45:15Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T03:00:07Z", "authors": ["Danny Mok"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3358800/us-supreme-court-rejects-trumps-push-reject-e-jean-carroll-sex-abuse-verdict?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3358800/us-supreme-court-rejects-trumps-push-reject-e-jean-carroll-sex-abuse-verdict?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "US Supreme Court rejects Trump\u2019s push to reject E. Jean Carroll sex abuse verdict", "content_text": "", "content_html": "The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a push by President Donald Trump to throw out a jury\u2019s finding that he sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll at a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her.
The High Court declined to take up the case in a brief, unexplained order, as is typical. There were no noted dissents.
Trump\u2019s lawyers had argued that allegations leading to the US$5 million verdict were propped up by \u201chighly inflammatory\u201d evidentiary rulings, including those that allowed the testimony of two other women who accused Trump of sexual abuse decades ago.
Trump has denied all three women\u2019s allegations.
Trump\u2019s lawyers argued the judge had broken federal evidence rules in the case. They framed it as a distraction from Trump\u2019s unique duties as president, though the verdict came before his return to the White House.
\u201cThis mistreatment of a President cannot be allowed to stand,\u201d Attorney Justin D. Smith wrote in court documents.
", "summary": "The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a push by President Donald Trump to throw out a jury\u2019s finding that he sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll at a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her.
The High Court declined to take up the case in a brief, unexplained order, as is typical. There were no noted dissents.
Trump\u2019s lawyers had argued that allegations leading to the US$5 million verdict were propped up by \u201chighly inflammatory\u201d evidentiary rulings, including those that allowed the testimony of two other women who accused Trump of sexual abuse decades ago.
Trump has denied all three women\u2019s allegations.
Trump\u2019s lawyers argued the judge had broken federal evidence rules in the case. They framed it as a distraction from Trump\u2019s unique duties as president, though the verdict came before his return to the White House.
\u201cThis mistreatment of a President cannot be allowed to stand,\u201d Attorney Justin D. Smith wrote in court documents.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T07:43:06Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T02:00:01Z", "authors": ["Associated Press"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3358799/hong-kong-proposes-sweeping-overhaul-sex-crime-laws?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3358799/hong-kong-proposes-sweeping-overhaul-sex-crime-laws?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "Hong Kong proposes sweeping overhaul of sex crime laws", "content_text": "", "content_html": "By Lo Hoi-ying
Hong Kong authorities have proposed a major overhaul of outdated sexual offences laws, including criminalising same-sex rape, introducing new offences and establishing a uniform age of consent at 16 while removing gender-specific provisions and increasing penalties.
In a 59-page consultation paper submitted to the Legislative Council on Monday, the Security Bureau proposed a series of measures to strengthen protection for minors and mentally incapacitated people from sexual exploitation and abuse.
The government said the review was necessary to modernise sexual offence laws, two decades after the Law Reform Commission (LRC) set up a subcommittee in 2006 to examine the issue.
Eight proposed new crimes involving minors under 16 would target non-consensual sexual offences, abuse of vulnerable groups such as children, and offences of a preparatory nature aimed at early prevention of sexual exploitation.
In the document, the bureau proposed creating a new offence of having sex with a child under 16, regardless of gender, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Under existing law, sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment but if the victim is under 16, the maximum jail term is five years.
", "summary": "By Lo Hoi-ying
Hong Kong authorities have proposed a major overhaul of outdated sexual offences laws, including criminalising same-sex rape, introducing new offences and establishing a uniform age of consent at 16 while removing gender-specific provisions and increasing penalties.
In a 59-page consultation paper submitted to the Legislative Council on Monday, the Security Bureau proposed a series of measures to strengthen protection for minors and mentally incapacitated people from sexual exploitation and abuse.
The government said the review was necessary to modernise sexual offence laws, two decades after the Law Reform Commission (LRC) set up a subcommittee in 2006 to examine the issue.
Eight proposed new crimes involving minors under 16 would target non-consensual sexual offences, abuse of vulnerable groups such as children, and offences of a preparatory nature aimed at early prevention of sexual exploitation.
In the document, the bureau proposed creating a new offence of having sex with a child under 16, regardless of gender, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Under existing law, sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment but if the victim is under 16, the maximum jail term is five years.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T07:33:44Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T02:00:06Z", "authors": ["Lo Hoi-ying"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3358782/what-signal-china-sending-first-official-footage-sixth-generation-fighter?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3358782/what-signal-china-sending-first-official-footage-sixth-generation-fighter?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "What signal is China sending with first official footage of sixth-generation fighter?", "content_text": "", "content_html": "China\u2019s military apparently released the first official footage of its sixth-generation fighter over the weekend \u2013 a move that analysts said might suggest Beijing was ahead of its competitors, including the US, in developing the next generation of warplanes.
China Military Bugle, the official press account of the People\u2019s Liberation Army, published a four-minute video on Sunday marking the 10th anniversary of China\u2019s first heavy transport aircraft, the Y-20, entering service.
In the video\u2019s closing sequence, the Y-20\u2019s co-pilot asked the captain: \u201cWho are we refuelling today?\u201d He replied: \u201cFirst the \u2018Master Six\u2019, then the \u2018Little Six\u2019.\u201d
The camera then shifted to the view outside the cockpit window, capturing a fleeting, blurry silhouette of a tailless plane widely believed to be a sixth-generation fighter.
\u201cMaster Six\u201d is an informal nickname used by Chinese defence enthusiasts for the H-6 strategic bomber, but the nickname \u201cLittle Six\u201d \u2013 a clear reference to the sixth-generation fighter \u2013 had not appeared in official military media before.
The brief sequence, which generated widespread discussion online, was significant because it was the first implicit acknowledgement of the sixth-generation fighter in official military media.
", "summary": "China\u2019s military apparently released the first official footage of its sixth-generation fighter over the weekend \u2013 a move that analysts said might suggest Beijing was ahead of its competitors, including the US, in developing the next generation of warplanes.
China Military Bugle, the official press account of the People\u2019s Liberation Army, published a four-minute video on Sunday marking the 10th anniversary of China\u2019s first heavy transport aircraft, the Y-20, entering service.
In the video\u2019s closing sequence, the Y-20\u2019s co-pilot asked the captain: \u201cWho are we refuelling today?\u201d He replied: \u201cFirst the \u2018Master Six\u2019, then the \u2018Little Six\u2019.\u201d
The camera then shifted to the view outside the cockpit window, capturing a fleeting, blurry silhouette of a tailless plane widely believed to be a sixth-generation fighter.
\u201cMaster Six\u201d is an informal nickname used by Chinese defence enthusiasts for the H-6 strategic bomber, but the nickname \u201cLittle Six\u201d \u2013 a clear reference to the sixth-generation fighter \u2013 had not appeared in official military media before.
The brief sequence, which generated widespread discussion online, was significant because it was the first implicit acknowledgement of the sixth-generation fighter in official military media.
", "image": null, "banner_image": null, "date_published": "2026-06-29T07:00:06Z", "date_modified": "2026-06-29T01:30:01Z", "authors": ["Meredith Chen"], "tags": [], "language": null, "attachments": ["\n {\"url\": string, \n 'mime_type': string, \n 'title': strinrg,\n 'size_in_bytes': int,\n 'duration_in_seconds': int\n "]}, {"id": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3358798/russian-strikes-ukraine-kill-least-11-injure-40-heatwave-attacks-too?utm_source=rss_feed", "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3358798/russian-strikes-ukraine-kill-least-11-injure-40-heatwave-attacks-too?utm_source=rss_feed", "external_url": null, "title": "Russian strikes on Ukraine kill at least 11, injure 40, as heatwave attacks too", "content_text": "", "content_html": "Russian missiles and drones killed at least 11 civilians and injured 40 others in Ukraine on Monday in what President Volodymyr Zelensky described as \u201chorrific attacks\u201d, while the nation\u2019s energy grid buckled under temperatures in excess of 36 degrees Celsius, hit by the deadly heatwave that has afflicted much of Europe.
Russian drone and missile attacks have decimated Ukraine\u2019s energy network since Moscow invaded in February 2022, causing tens of billions of dollars worth of damage and leading to frequent power outages in the coldest and hottest parts of the year, as it cannot handle surges in demand.
Some customers in eight Ukrainian regions were left without power on Monday after Russian strikes, while very hot weather drove up electricity use as people turned on air conditioners, grid operator Ukrenergo said.
Ukraine\u2019s record temperature is 42 degrees Celsius, recorded in the eastern city of Luhansk \u2013 now under Russian occupation \u2013 in August 2010.
Current scorching temperatures are a \u201ca serious test for equipment that has been operating under wartime conditions for more than four years and has withstood numerous attacks\u201d, said Sergii Kovalenko, CEO of the Yasno energy company, speaking over the weekend.
![\"People](\"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2026/06/29/8a232f52-4e8f-4437-921e-d5fd01db1278_af7f8a10.jpg\")
Russian missiles and drones killed at least 11 civilians and injured 40 others in Ukraine on Monday in what President Volodymyr Zelensky described as \u201chorrific attacks\u201d, while the nation\u2019s energy grid buckled under temperatures in excess of 36 degrees Celsius, hit by the deadly heatwave that has afflicted much of Europe.
Russian drone and missile attacks have decimated Ukraine\u2019s energy network since Moscow invaded in February 2022, causing tens of billions of dollars worth of damage and leading to frequent power outages in the coldest and hottest parts of the year, as it cannot handle surges in demand.
Some customers in eight Ukrainian regions were left without power on Monday after Russian strikes, while very hot weather drove up electricity use as people turned on air conditioners, grid operator Ukrenergo said.
Ukraine\u2019s record temperature is 42 degrees Celsius, recorded in the eastern city of Luhansk \u2013 now under Russian occupation \u2013 in August 2010.
Current scorching temperatures are a \u201ca serious test for equipment that has been operating under wartime conditions for more than four years and has withstood numerous attacks\u201d, said Sergii Kovalenko, CEO of the Yasno energy company, speaking over the weekend.