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Time runs out for thousands missing after Venezuela earthquakes

2026-06-26T18:30:01+00:00

The situation has grown more desperate by the hour in Venezuela as people dig through the rubble of collapsed homes and flat blocks three days after the devastating one-two punch of 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes, knowing time is running out to find survivors.

Authorities announced on Friday night that they would block access to La Guaira, the epicentre of the destruction, as chaos and traffic began to hamper search efforts. Officials said anyone who wanted to enter would now have to seek official permits, but provided few details of who would be allowed in.

Venezuelans took the search for missing loved ones into their own hands, citing a scarcity of government rescuers, as the human toll of Wednesday’s quakes climbed to at least 920 dead and more than 51,000 missing. People reported seeing few state rescue teams in the hardest-hit areas, despite authorities projecting an image of a robust government response.

Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours to be a crucial time frame to retrieve people alive, though that can be extended if they have access to food and water.

“Each person saved is a miracle,” said Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly. “We are not going to hide absolutely anything about the magnitude of this tragedy.”

In the state of La Guaira, just north of the capital, Caracas, Nazareth Jimenez sobbed into a loved one’s shoulder as she watched neighbours use hammers and power tools to try to cut through slabs of concrete in a building reduced to a mountain of debris. She was wracked with anxiety as she waited to see if her siblings, nephews, nieces and friends would emerge alive.

French officers of the 7th Civil Security Training and Response Regiment prepare their baggage before flying to Venezuela to provide help after two earthquakes hit the country, at the Marseille Provence Airport in Marignane, southern France, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters.css-mkkf9p{-webkit-flex:1 1 auto;-ms-flex:1 1 auto;flex:1 1 auto;}

India’s late monsoon rains leave cities and fields parched

2026-06-26T18:30:06+00:00

By Associated Press

The late arrival of India’s monsoon season and below-average rainfall have caused problems ranging from planting delays for farmers to water restrictions for construction sites in its largest business hub, Mumbai.

Water shortages have been reported around the country due to the late start of the rainy season, which typically begins in June but has grown erratic in recent years. Climate experts said El Nino, a warming of the Pacific that affects weather around the globe, combined with an already heating planet, is likely to result in weak, scattered rainfall across the country.

While monsoon rains reached Mumbai earlier this week, about two weeks later than normal, water restrictions are in place to bolster the city’s dwindling reservoirs. Forecasters said it was likely to take more than this week’s rains to replenish them. The local government has stopped municipal water supplies to swimming pools and construction sites, where it can be used to mix concrete, so there is more available for essential needs.

Lines are stretching for hours at public water distribution sites due to the shortage.

“To collect just 10 litres (2.6 gallons) of water, I have to wait for two hours. I have to go to work, take care of my children and make sure there is water at home,” said Aishah Khan, a 33-year-old domestic worker in Mumbai.

A slum dweller waits to collect water in a narrow lane of a slum settlement in Mumbai, India, last weekend. Photo: AP.css-mkkf9p{-webkit-flex:1 1 auto;-ms-flex:1 1 auto;flex:1 1 auto;}

Cathay Pacific says sorry to actor Wu Chun over 3-day luggage delay ordeal

2026-06-26T18:30:11+00:00

By Lam Ka-sing

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has apologised to actor and singer Wu Chun after the star, who was featured in its recent promotional campaign, vented his frustration online at the airline’s failure to find his missing luggage despite his “countless” phone calls over three days.

The incident sparked a public outcry against the airline, reportedly prompting the company to apologise and take immediate action to track down his luggage.

The airline confirmed the incident on Saturday.

“Cathay Pacific sincerely apologises for the baggage delay caused by the connecting flight and subsequent transfer arrangements, and for any inconvenience this may have caused to a customer,” the airline said in a reply to the South China Morning Post.

Wu posted a video on Thursday afternoon in France via social media platform Weibo, expressing his anger and describing the incident. The baggage was eventually found.

“I waited in Paris for three days and had no answer, so I decided to post this video. I am sorry,” Wu said.

China ‘Spider-Woman’ single mum cleans, repairs high-rises to support disabled son, ailing mother

2026-06-26T18:30:16+00:00

By Zoey Zhang

A single mother in eastern China has won widespread admiration online for her remarkable dedication, braving a job suspended hundreds of metres in the air to support her family.

In Hefei, Anhui province, Xu Junyun works on the exterior walls of high-rise buildings, secured by two safety ropes.

Known online as “Spider-Woman,” this 36-year-old cleans, repairs, and waterproofs structures to fund her son Xiaoyu’s treatment, who has cerebral palsy.

After graduating from university, Xu initially enjoyed a stable career as a finance supervisor at a five-star hotel, as reported by Xiaoxiang Morning Post.

However, her life changed dramatically in 2016 when Xiaoyu was born prematurely and later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Years of treatment and rehabilitation depleted nearly all the family’s savings.

When Xiaoyu was two, Xu divorced her husband. Reports indicate she has not had any contact with him since, and he has failed to provide child support.

With her elder sister busy with work and her mother in poor health, Xu became Xiaoyu’s sole carer. To finance his treatment, she quit her job at the hotel and sold her home, valued at one million yuan (US$150,000).

Known online as “Spider-Woman,” Xu Junyun, above, engages in a highly dangerous profession that offers flexible hours and better pay. Photo: QQ.com.css-mkkf9p{-webkit-flex:1 1 auto;-ms-flex:1 1 auto;flex:1 1 auto;}

When Xu feels overwhelmed, she draws strength from her son, teaching him to cook, manage household chores, and acquire new skills. Photo: QQ.com

Thousands flock to PLA airbase amid Hong Kong handover celebrations

2026-06-26T18:00:01+00:00

By Ambrose Li

Thousands of residents have braved the scorching heat to watch helicopter demonstrations and try out military equipment at a PLA airbase near Hong Kong’s border.

Military enthusiast Kin Man arrived at Shek Kong with his mother from Tai Po more than an hour before the 9am opening on Saturday.

They were among the first ticket holders in line for the open day, part of celebrations marking the 29th anniversary of the city’s handover on July 1.

“I’m interested in everything military, especially the uniforms,” said the car park porter in his thirties, adding that he has been a member of the Auxiliary Medical Service for 1½ years due to his interest in uniformed groups.

Neither he nor his mother had visited Shek Kong barracks before. Man recalled that his only previous visit to a military facility was a trip to an aircraft carrier when he was in secondary school.

He said he was most excited about trying out weapons such as the R16 rifle.

Malaysia’s Johor election campaign begins as federal allies clash

2026-06-26T17:30:01+00:00

By Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Malaysia’s southern Johor state was braced for a bruising 14-day election campaign on Saturday after 172 candidates were cleared to contest a poll pitting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s federal allies against each other in one of the country’s most economically important battlegrounds.

The state, which borders Singapore, goes to the polls on July 11, with 2.72 million voters eligible to choose representatives for 56 seats. Analysts said the contest would test both the reach of federal partners Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH), and the opposition’s relevance in Malaysia’s industrial south.

More than a dozen parties and six independents were cleared on nomination day, producing 14 straight fights, 27 three-cornered contests, 12 four-cornered battles and three five-way races. The Election Commission said no applications were rejected statewide during nominations, which closed at 10am after candidates filed papers at 56 centres across Johor.

BN and PH sit together in Anwar’s unity government in Putrajaya, but in Johor they are contesting every seat against each other, turning a state poll into a controlled fight between federal partners.

Umno-led BN, the former ruling coalition that dominated Malaysian politics for six decades, is defending the 40 seats it held before the state assembly was dissolved on June 1. PH, Anwar’s multiethnic reform coalition, went into the election with 12 seats, while the Malay-Muslim opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) held three and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) one.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, also chairman of Pakatan Harapan, with Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, president of Umno. Photo: Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia / Handout.css-mkkf9p{-webkit-flex:1 1 auto;-ms-flex:1 1 auto;flex:1 1 auto;}

When Hong Kong hosted its first International Film Festival in 1977 – SCMP archive

2026-06-26T17:30:06+00:00

By SCMP

This article was first published on June 28, 1977.

by SCMP reporter

Hongkong’s First International Film Festival got off to an impressive start last night (June 27, 1977).

It was not quite the glittering social occasion as the Cannes Film Festival and there certainly was not the profusion of topless models and eager starlets that the Mediterranean occasion produces.

But the cocktail party that opened the festival in City Hall yesterday did bring together people who intend to make Hongkong a world-famous film city.

Sir Run Run Shaw said he was honoured with the selection of Shaw Brothers’ “The Last Tempest” for screening at the festival.

But the film’s director, Mr Li Han-hsiang, felt that perhaps more Chinese films should have been selected.

A clipping from SCMP’s June 26, 1977 issue showing the film festival had sold out. Photo: SCMP.css-mkkf9p{-webkit-flex:1 1 auto;-ms-flex:1 1 auto;flex:1 1 auto;}

How does this NGO help Hong Kong fire victims, needy people get a dignified farewell?

2026-06-26T17:30:11+00:00

By Leopold Chen

On a drizzly, windy morning in June, a family gathered before a tombstone at Wo Hop Shek Cemetery in northern Hong Kong to bid farewell to a loved one who died in the Wang Fuk Court fire.

Beneath the muddy grave and scattered stones lies a man surnamed Hung, in his forties, among the 168 victims of the city’s deadliest fire in decades. Last November’s inferno also displaced nearly 5,000 residents.

Unlike many victims who were cremated, Hung’s family insisted on a burial.

“He passed in the blaze, and I don’t want his body to go through fire again,” said his 60-year-old mother, surnamed Yeung.

Yet only one charity was willing to help arrange the burial.

“That is the best we can do for him,” she said.

Filipino teenager, 17, drowns after falling from Peng Chau bridge in Hong Kong

2026-06-26T16:30:01+00:00

By William Yiu

A Filipino teenager has drowned after losing his balance while walking on a bridge and falling into the sea off an outlying island in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post has learned.

According to a source, the 17-year-old boy, who holds a Hong Kong identity card, was chatting with two friends while sitting on the railings of Chau Tsai Bridge on Peng Chau on Friday evening.

At around 7.18pm, he stood on the railings and walked a few steps before losing his balance and falling into the sea, the source said.

The source added that the two friends initially saw him attempting to swim back to the shore, but he eventually vanished from their sight. They immediately called police.

Firefighters deployed to the scene later found the boy unconscious about 20 metres (65.6 feet) from the shore. He was rushed to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said they found no suspicious circumstances and the force’s Cheung Chau division was investigating the case.

Rescuers attempt to locate the teenager. Photo: Handout.css-mkkf9p{-webkit-flex:1 1 auto;-ms-flex:1 1 auto;flex:1 1 auto;}

China removes 6 generals from legislature as military anti-corruption drive continues

2026-06-26T16:00:01+00:00

By Phoebe Zhang

China has removed six senior PLA officers from the country’s top legislative body, a sign that President Xi Jinping’s military anti-corruption campaign is not slowing down.

According to a late-night notice issued by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee on Friday, 13 members of the legislature had been removed and one had resigned.

Away from the military, those removed included a former top financial regulator and the ex-Xinjiang party chief.

There had already been indications that some of the dismissed People’s Liberation Army commanders were under investigation.

General Xu Xueqiang, from the Central Military Commission’s Equipment Development Department, missed a major party meeting in October.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Wang Kangping, from the Eastern Theatre Command, did attend the meeting but was passed over for promotion to full membership of the Communist Party’s Central Committee.

Dozens arrested in Indonesia after anti-government protest turns violent

2026-06-26T16:00:06+00:00

By Agence France-Presse

Indonesian police have arrested dozens of protesters following a rally against President Prabowo Subianto’s policies in the country’s second-largest city, a rights group said on Saturday.

Around 100 people gathered near a government building in Surabaya on Friday, journalists on the scene estimated, to protest a fuel price increase and Prabowo’s flagship free meals scheme.

Some demonstrators hurled rocks towards police and set fire to rubbish in the middle of the road, prompting officers to arrest them, the reporters said.

Fatkul Khoir, a coordinator at rights group KontraS Surabaya, said on Saturday that 24 protesters were arrested.

Police questioned them until 3.30am on Saturday but did not charge them, he said.

Surabaya police chief Luthfie Sulistiawan told reporters late on Friday that officers had taken “firm actions” to push back protesters after some threw projectiles.

He said there had been “dozens” of arrests but did not specify the number.

A student throws a box that has been set on fire at riot police during a protest in Surabaya on Friday. Photo: AFP.css-mkkf9p{-webkit-flex:1 1 auto;-ms-flex:1 1 auto;flex:1 1 auto;}

Baby Danny’s 3-year care order can be cut short if in best interests: Hong Kong minister

2026-06-26T15:30:01+00:00

By William Yiu

Hong Kong’s welfare minister has said a three-year guardianship order granted for home-born baby Danny could be shortened, but only based on professional assessments and the child’s best interests.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Saturday that the two-month-old had developed a fever and was admitted to hospital. He is expected to remain under observation for a period before being transferred to a care home.

Sun said the government would take good care of the baby during the guardianship period granted by the Juvenile Court, but noted that it could end earlier.

“Of course we can apply to the court to shorten the protection order, but everything must be based on the judgment of our professional colleagues and Danny’s best interests,” he said on a radio programme.

He added that Danny’s parents were currently allowed weekly visits, with the arrangement subject to review.

Danny’s parents, Tsang Wai-bong and his partner Kwan Pui-sin, were arrested earlier this month on suspicion of child neglect. The baby has been under protective care since early June.

Iran survived 3 months of war. Can it survive the aftermath?

2026-06-26T15:30:06+00:00

By Tom Hussain

Three months of war with the United States and Israel may not have broken Iran’s resistance, but its economy has been brought to its knees.

Forty days of American and Israeli bombing in March and early April – targeting energy grids, steel mills, petrochemical plants, ports and transport corridors – were followed by a two-month US naval blockade that sealed off much of what remained.

The bill of damages has reached an estimated US$270 billion against a gross domestic product of US$371 billion in 2025.

By that measure, economists say the destruction is almost equivalent in scale to everything Iran lost during its nearly eight-year war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in the 1980s – the last time the Islamic Republic posed a sustained threat to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Now, with negotiators convening in Switzerland and a fragile ceasefire holding, the question is whether economic ruin can do what decades of sanctions and military pressure could not.

US Vice President J.D. Vance speaks to the media after the US and Iran held high-level talks in Switzerland on Monday. Photo: Reuters.css-mkkf9p{-webkit-flex:1 1 auto;-ms-flex:1 1 auto;flex:1 1 auto;}

Hong Kong to expand southbound travel scheme to all 21 Guangdong cities as demand surges

2026-06-26T15:00:01+00:00

By Cannix Yau

Hong Kong authorities have planned to expand a scheme allowing mainland Chinese motorists to drive into the city for leisure to all 21 Guangdong cities by the first quarter of next year, after applications reached about three times the daily quota.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said on Saturday that about 15,000 motorists had applied through mainland authorities for next month’s Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme.

The scheme will be extended to all nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area, up from the current four, while the daily quota for urban trips will double from 100 to 200 starting July 25.

“The number of applicants for entry into Hong Kong’s urban areas next month has reached 15,000, about three times the daily quota, with roughly 60 per cent coming from newly added cities such as Shenzhen, Foshan and Dongguan,” Chan told a radio programme. “This shows there is real demand for the scheme.”

“We are collecting more data and hope to prepare for further expansion. By the first quarter of next year, we plan to extend the scheme to all 21 cities in Guangdong.”

Motorists from Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Huizhou and Zhaoqing will be newly eligible to join. Drivers from Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Jiangmen and Zhongshan are currently allowed to participate.

Approved vehicles can enter Hong Kong via the mega bridge and may use the “Park and Fly” facility if catching flights, drop off or pick up passengers, or apply to drive into urban areas. Photo: Edmond So.css-mkkf9p{-webkit-flex:1 1 auto;-ms-flex:1 1 auto;flex:1 1 auto;}

Prediction markets: Hong Kong ban alone will not solve risks, legal experts say

2026-06-26T14:30:01+00:00

By Jess Ma

Prediction markets occupy a grey area under Hong Kong’s gambling laws, with experts warning that the increasingly popular betting platforms could pose risks related to market manipulation and consumer protection.

Lawyers and a legislator said that while a ban could restrict access to these largely unregulated betting platforms, authorities would face challenges in gathering evidence and prosecuting cases.

“If there were such a ban, we foresee there would be practical challenges for the authorities to crack down on individuals engaging in prediction market transactions online,” said PJ Kaur, counsel in intellectual property at law firm Hogan Lovells.

Prediction markets came into focus locally in April, when the government shelved plans to legalise basketball betting, citing their rapid rise as a significant risk that could indirectly fuel illegal gambling.

Primarily operating on overseas websites, prediction markets allow for crowdsourced trading on a wide range of future events, from tomorrow’s weather to political decisions such as election outcomes and geopolitical developments.

Two of the largest platforms are New York-based Polymarket and Kalshi. Polymarket recorded US$1.1 billion in trades on future outcomes over the past seven days, while Kalshi saw US$2.83 billion, according to DeFiLlama, an open-source database on decentralised finance.

From Kuantan to ‘Oscars of science’: top Malaysian scientist is constantly adapting

2026-06-26T14:30:06+00:00

By Ushar Daniele

For Dr Thein Swee Lay, the only Malaysian scientist to have won the Breakthrough Prize, cracking a code in gene therapy was easier than hunting down an authentic version of her hometown popiah – or spring rolls – in the US, where she has been based for years.

“I have not come across a Malaysian restaurant that sells good popiah. I miss it,” Thein told This Week in Asia in an exclusive interview where she fondly reminisced about her childhood in Malaysia’s coastal town of Kuantan.

Thein, the seventh of nine children, said her large family moved from town to town in then Malaya because of her father’s civil service postings.

The constant relocation taught her to adapt to ever-changing circumstances, said the 74-year-old, who works at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda and has lived in Washington since 2015.

In April, she won one of the 2026 Breakthrough Prizes, dubbed the “Oscars of science”, for work that helped turn a decades-old mystery in blood disorders into a gene-editing discovery.

Kuantan-born Thein Swee Lay is the first Malaysian to take home the Breakthrough Prize. Photo: Jackie Lee.css-mkkf9p{-webkit-flex:1 1 auto;-ms-flex:1 1 auto;flex:1 1 auto;}

Singapore graduates settle for half pay in brutal jobs market

2026-06-26T13:30:01+00:00

By Bloomberg

As the class of 2026 join the race to find jobs, unemployed college graduates in Singapore are taking a last-ditch shot at getting ahead via temporary government-funded gigs that earn them half the median first pay cheque.

The government’s Graduate Industry Traineeships, known as GRIT, offer a stopgap for graduates to gain industry-relevant experience with government agencies or private businesses, earning between S$1,800 to S$2,400 (US$1,400 to US$1,850) per month. The lowest end of that range is less than half the median graduate’s starting salary and around two-thirds the wage of a McDonald’s management trainee, who needs only a pre-university diploma.

“When I started the programme, I thought: ‘Shucks. I’ve finished four years of school and all I’ve got is a job that pays half of what my friends get’,” said Lee Jia En, a 25-year-old graduate from the Singapore University of Social Sciences. “But I felt it was worth it if it could help me get to my next job. So I said OK, let’s eat humble pie.”

Governments around the world have been labouring to prop up a sagging graduate jobs market amid a surge in artificial-intelligence adoption, a post-pandemic slowdown in hiring and lingering economic effects from the US-Israel war on Iran.

Those headwinds run especially strong in trade dependent, energy importing Singapore. “Heightened uncertainty” has made businesses in the city state more cautious about hiring, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said in May. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has warned that some existing jobs “will disappear” because of AI.

Cargo ships are seen in the Singapore Strait on June 1. Economic headwinds run especially strong in the trade-dependent, energy importing city state. Photo: AFP.css-mkkf9p{-webkit-flex:1 1 auto;-ms-flex:1 1 auto;flex:1 1 auto;}

Hong Kong’s Tiu Keng Leng residents win landmark case in 1996 – SCMP archive

2026-06-26T13:30:06+00:00

By SCMP

This article was first published on June 28, 1996.

by Cliff Buddle and Ng Kang-chung

Rennie’s Mill residents won their marathon battle with the Government yesterday (June 27, 1996) when a judge ruled they had been treated unfairly and must be paid damages.

Mr Justice Raymond Sears said the Government abused its powers by breaching a 35-year-old promise to allow the refugees to stay at the Tseung Kwan O site indefinitely.

But the residents were told they must finally bid an emotional farewell to their homes to make way for development.

The community was built by Kuomintang refugees in the 1950s and described in court as a symbol of freedom all over the world. It will be “obliterated” next month and replaced by new tower blocks.

The level of damages to be paid to the 400 people still occupying homes at Rennie’s Mill has not been settled.

Asean’s side deals in Myanmar risk missing where the power truly lies

2026-06-26T13:30:11+00:00

By Yuyun Wahyuningrum

As Asean foreign ministers prepare to meet in Manila from July 21-22, a quiet but significant shift is under way in the bloc’s approach to Myanmar.

Although the Association of Southeast Asian Nations remains formally committed to the “five-point consensus”, several member states appear to be reconsidering the collective pressure strategy adopted since the 2021 coup.

Rather than abandoning the consensus outright, they argue that more direct engagement with Naypyidaw may be necessary to encourage its implementation.

In May, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan travelled to Myanmar for talks with junta-appointed Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe, urging an extension of the military’s temporary ceasefire and presenting engagement as a pathway towards de-escalation and dialogue.

Leo Herrera-Lim, the Philippine undersecretary for foreign policy and leader for Asean senior officials’ meetings, recently co-chaired consultations in Naypyidaw. Indonesia’s foreign minister visited on June 8 and Laos’ did the same a few days later. Thailand, meanwhile, has long advocated a more pragmatic approach towards Myanmar’s military rulers.

This steady trickle of bilateral outreach may yet carve a path for recalibrated regional relations with Naypyidaw. Resigned to the reality that the five-point consensus will remain a matter of words rather than deeds – at least without a new tactical approach – some Asean foreign ministers are now open to including a virtual seat for Myanmar’s highly contested and dubiously credentialed new government in coming talks.

As China’s tech firms adapt to AI era, workers worry they’ll be ‘optimised’ out of a job

2026-06-26T13:30:16+00:00

By Wency Chen

When a friend checked in on a Meituan employee late last month to see if he had survived the latest round of corporate culling at the food delivery giant, he responded drily: “I don’t know whether it will be me next.”

Anxieties were running high at the company then, after chat screenshots circulated on Chinese social media claiming Meituan planned to slash up to half of its product roles by the end of June, coupled with deep cuts to other departments.

While Meituan quickly denied the rumours, the viral speculation struck a sensitive nerve across China’s tech industry. Behind the online claims, employees whisper that a quieter, more insidious form of retrenchment has been under way for months.

For years, tech workers in China have harboured a deep-seated dread of the word youhua – “optimisation”. The term serves as corporate shorthand for painful lay-offs, often masked by euphemisms like “organisational restructuring”.

This year, however, the term carries a chilling new undertone. The increasingly urgent question echoing through office corridors is no longer whether a worker is performing, but whether their job can be done by artificial intelligence.

Meituan is far from an isolated case. From Baidu to Xiaomi, China’s technology giants have been trimming their teams, according to internal sources and tech recruiters.