US commits nearly all of stealthy long-range missiles to Iran war

The next steps in the US military campaign against Iran will commit nearly its entire inventory of stealthy JASSM-ER cruise missiles, drawing them from stockpiles devoted to other regions.
The order to pull the US$1.5 million weapon from Pacific stockpiles was issued at the end of March, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.
Missiles at US facilities elsewhere, including the continental US, will be moved to US Central Command bases or Fairford in the UK, said the person, who...



https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349056/us-commits-nearly-all-stealthy-long-range-missiles-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed

Judge quashes subpoenas of Fed chair, says investigation was ‘politically motivated’

A federal judge on Friday quashed US Justice Department subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve in January, a severe blow to an investigation that has already attracted strong criticism on Capitol Hill.
Judge James Boasberg said that a “mountain of evidence suggests” that the purpose of the subpoenas was simply to pressure the Fed to cut its key interest rate, as US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell revealed the investigation on January 11, prompting Senator...



https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346568/judge-quashes-subpoenas-fed-chair-says-investigation-was-politically-motivated?utm_source=rss_feed

2 Tiananmen vigil activists have case to answer in subversion trial, court rules

Two former leaders of a now-disbanded alliance behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil have a case to answer in a high-profile trial after judges ruled the evidence supported prosecutors’ allegations that the activists incited others to overthrow the Communist Party leadership.
Three High Court judges on Friday found that the evidence appeared to suggest Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung committed a subversion offence as leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic...



https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346478/2-tiananmen-vigil-activists-have-case-answer-subversion-trial-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed

HKEX opens door for small innovative firms to list with biggest reforms since 2018

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) has unveiled its biggest listing reforms since 2018, broadening its special listing regime for innovative companies and opening the door for smaller and more diverse firms to list in the city, the bourse operator said on Friday.
HKEX proposed lowering the minimum threshold for companies to list under the weighted voting rights regime to a minimum valuation of HK$20 billion (US$2.6 billion), half the current requirement of at least HK$40 billion.
It will...



https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3346458/hkex-opens-door-small-innovative-firms-list-biggest-reforms-2018?utm_source=rss_feed

‘Two sessions’ webinar

This year’s ‘two sessions’, China’s biggest annual political gathering, featured the announcement of the lowest GDP growth target in decades and official approval for the 15th five-year plan.
SCMP Plus hosted a webinar to discuss these developments with three experts from the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis. Other topics included the upcoming US-China presidential summit, President Xi Jinping’s purge of the military and efforts to reshape the economy.
The panel...



https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/article/3346449/two-sessions-webinar?utm_source=rss_feed

Cambricon, China’s ‘little Nvidia’, to pay maiden dividend after profitable 2025

Cambricon Technologies, a Chinese semiconductor designer seen as a potential alternative to US giant Nvidia, will pay its maiden dividend after posting its first full-year profit since listing in 2020.
Cambricon, dubbed “little Nvidia”, planned to distribute a cash dividend of 15 yuan (US$2.2) for every 10 shares held, totalling more than 632 million yuan, according to its filing to the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Thursday.
Another 20 million yuan would be allocated for share buy-backs, taking...



https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346447/cambricon-chinas-little-nvidia-pay-maiden-dividend-after-profitable-2025?utm_source=rss_feed

China beats US, Japan in carbon-fibre arms race to create world’s first T1200 factory

China has become the first country to mass produce the strongest carbon fibre, which has wide applications for defence industries such as aerospace, drones and robots, state broadcaster CCTV’s military channel reported on Wednesday.
The domestically developed T1200-grade fibre has a tensile strength 10 times greater than ordinary steel, yet it is less than one-tenth of a human hair in diameter, according to the state broadcaster.
Mass production of the ultra-strength fibre at a projected output...



https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3346398/china-beats-us-japan-carbon-fibre-arms-race-create-worlds-first-t1200-factory?utm_source=rss_feed

US returns for WWII dead of Japan’s ‘hell ship’ tomb in the Philippines

They were killed by American bombs. They were held at gunpoint by Japanese guards who fired indiscriminately into the crowded holds and when the ship finally went down, many were left to drown. Eight decades later, the United States is coming back for them.
Hundreds perished when the Japanese “hell ship” Oryoku Maru was sunk in Subic Bay in December 1944. Now, the Pentagon has launched a multi-year mission in waters off the Philippines to retrieve their remains.
As many as 250 Americans are...



https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3346424/us-returns-wwii-dead-japans-hell-ship-tomb-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed

US sanctions 2 firms, 6 individuals for funding North Korean weapons

The United States has imposed sanctions on two companies and six individuals for their roles in operations that used information technology workers in foreign countries to raise money for North Korea.
The Treasury Department said the schemes, orchestrated by the North Korean government, had systematically defrauded US businesses and generated revenue to fund North Korea’s weapons programmes, including nearly US$800 million in 2024.
The department also accused workers associated with North Korea...



https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346426/us-sanctions-2-firms-6-individuals-funding-north-korean-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed

US-Israel war on Iran: Indian homes stockpile electric stoves to beat gas crunch

Indian households are rushing to buy electric induction stoves, draining ⁠stocks online and in stores, ⁠amid fears of a potential cooking gas ⁠shortage tied to the Middle East conflict.
India, the world’s second-largest importer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), has invoked emergency powers to boost supplies for households even as availability tightens for commercial users including canteens, hostels and restaurants.
Meanwhile, consumers are buying electric cooking appliances as a precaution,...



https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3346413/us-israel-war-iran-indian-homes-stockpile-electric-stoves-beat-gas-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed

Swire sells part of Cathay Pacific stake for HK$1.8 billion to boost working capital

Conglomerate Swire Pacific has sold part of its stake in Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways for HK$1.8 billion to raise working capital.
In a rare move, the group revealed on Friday that it sold 153.05 million shares at HK$11.74 each the previous day. This marks a 9.6 per cent discount to the last traded price of HK$12.99 on Thursday.
It marked the latest shareholder to reduce its stake in Cathay, following Air China’s sale in January for HK$1.32 billion.
In a Hong Kong stock exchange...



https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3346425/swire-sells-part-cathay-pacific-stake-hk18-billion-boost-working-capital?utm_source=rss_feed

Ant smuggling rises in Kenya as Chinese national caught with 2,238 insects at airport

A man was arrested with more ⁠than 2,200 live ⁠garden ants in his ⁠luggage at Nairobi’s main airport this week amid a rise in cases of smuggling of the insects in Kenya.
Chinese national Zhang Kequn, 27, was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta ‌International Airport on Tuesday while he was trying to leave the country, court filings on Thursday showed. Immigration officials flagged a “stop order” on Zhang’s passport after he evaded arrest in Kenya last year.
Ant aficionados pay large sums to ⁠maintain...



https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3346382/ant-smuggling-rises-kenya-chinese-national-caught-2238-insects-airport?utm_source=rss_feed