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 | Oil surge on Trump blockade warning tests stocks’ resilience Subscribers: The Daily Pulse won’t be published on May 1 because of China’s Labour Day holiday. We will resume publication on Monday, May 4. Crude oil prices jumped to a four-year high after US President Donald Trump suggested that a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could last for “months”. Brent crude, the global benchmark, surged as much as 7.3 per cent, surpassing US$126 a barrel, following reports that Trump met oil executives on Tuesday to discuss ways of extending the blockade and... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Israel intercepts Gaza aid flotilla in international waters off Greece, detaining dozens Activists sailing on dozens of boats attempting to break Israel’s maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid say Israeli forces intercepted them overnight Wednesday into Thursday, detaining the crews while the flotilla was sailing hundreds of kilometres from Gaza near the southern Greek island of Crete. The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail earlier this month from Barcelona. Organisers have said more than 70 boats and 1,000 people from around the world would be participating,... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Mali turmoil tests Russia’s image as a security guarantor in Africa A series of reversals suffered by Mali’s Moscow-backed military government has dented Russia’s image as a self-styled security guarantor in Africa and threatens its strategic and economic interests on the continent. The military junta, which turned to Russia for support after expelling French and UN troops following coups in 2020 and 2021, was rocked at the weekend by an offensive by West Africa’s al-Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated separatist group. Mali’s Russia-trained defence... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Gruesome details alleged in D4vd case: chainsaws, a paddling pool and corpse in Tesla R&B singer D4vd used chainsaws he bought from Amazon to cut up the body of the teenage girl he murdered and left to rot in the trunk of his Tesla, prosecution documents claimed on Wednesday. The internet breakout star killed Celeste Rivas Hernandez because she threatened to reveal their long-standing and illegal sexual relationship, which began when she was just 13, charging papers allege. He then hacked up her corpse, using a plastic paddling pool to contain the blood, and stuffed it into bags... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Ant International serves 150m merchants, 2b consumers, bets on AI commerce infrastructure Ant International, the overseas spin-off of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, has connected more than 150 million merchants with over 2 billion consumer accounts around the world, as it positions its payments network as core infrastructure for the emerging AI commerce economy. The figures, disclosed at the company’s MoMents 2026 forum in Kuala Lumpur, which ran from Monday to Wednesday, underscore the scale Ant is seeking to leverage amid the rising adoption of artificial intelligence agents. Ant... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Trump may cut US troops in Germany after Merz’s ‘humiliating’ Iran comment US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States is considering reducing the number of its troops in Germany, amid a row with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war. “The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” Trump said on social media. The United States had more than 35,000 troops in Germany in 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service,... Source: © SCMP News |
 | UN bloated, costly, but China fears should keep US involved, House committee told The United Nations is bloated, costly, badly in need of reform, and too often works against US interests, but pulling out of the international organisation would see China expand its influence and leave Washington at a major disadvantage, according to testimony before a House oversight committee on Wednesday. The hearing came as the administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed an “America first” overhaul of international funding, leaving the UN, over the past 18 months, at what... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Brown University shooter targeted symbolic victims tied to grievances, FBI says Federal investigators say they believe the man who carried out a mass shooting at Brown University and later killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor did not act randomly. Instead, former Brown student Claudio Neves Valente, 48, appeared to target places and people for what they represented in his own life – institutions and individuals he associated with personal failure, missed opportunity and perceived injustice. In a detailed behavioural assessment released on Wednesday, the... Source: © SCMP News |
 | From Japan to India, overtourism cries out for new success metrics Can tourism be considered successful if arrivals increase, but the local communities – the very soul of the destination – feel strained and excluded? Too often, tourism success is measured in arrivals, occupancy and revenue. These numbers matter. But they tell only a fraction of the story. We must ask: who is this success really for? Traditional growth metrics are no longer sufficient to protect the residents who host the world or the workers who power the experience. To prevent cultural... Source: © SCMP News |
 | UK’s King Charles commemorates 9/11 victims in New York visit Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla commemorated victims of the September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attack on New York on Wednesday, laying a floral bouquet at the memorial where the World Trade Centre’s twin towers once stood. The royal visit to lower Manhattan came at a time of tensions between Britain and the US, with President Donald Trump having criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer for what he says is his lack of help in the US and Israel’s war with Iran. Michael Bloomberg, a former New... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Powell says he’ll stay at Fed as governor when chair term ends, defying Trump The extraordinary clash at the Federal Reserve between Jerome Powell and Donald Trump entered new territory on Wednesday when the outgoing US central bank chairman said he would remain on as a governor – and the president lashed him with another insult. Powell said that while his term at the head of the Fed was ending May 15, he would exercise his right to remain on the board “for a period of time to be determined”. Powell appeared concerned about the Fed maintaining its independence in the face... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Trump hails ‘very good’ Putin call as Iran talks stall and Ukraine war drags on US President Donald Trump spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, discussing the wars in Ukraine and Iran even as Washington pressed ahead with its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Trump told reporters as he met with astronauts from the Artemis II mission in the Oval Office that the conversation was “very good” and that the US was “going to come up with a solution relatively quickly” over its ongoing conflict with Iran. “He told me he’d like to be involved with the... Source: © SCMP News |
 | US Supreme Court curbs race-based voting maps in landmark ruling The US Supreme Court on Wednesday sharply limited the use of race in drawing electoral districts, in a decision that could reshape congressional maps nationwide and boost Republican prospects ahead of midterm elections. In a 6-3 ruling split along ideological lines, the conservative-dominated court struck down a map that creates a second majority-black district in Louisiana, finding it amounted to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander despite being drawn to comply with the 1965 Voting Rights... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Man charged with trying to kill Trump took photo with knife in hotel The man charged with trying to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and kill US President Donald Trump took a picture of himself in his hotel room just minutes earlier, outfitted with an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife, authorities said on Wednesday in a new court filing. Cole Allen wore black pants, a black shirt and a red tie as he snapped the image in his room at the Washington Hilton, where Trump and hundreds of journalists were meeting for a... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Trump warns US naval blockade against Iran could last months, sending oil soaring US President Donald Trump said that a US naval blockade against Iran could last months, leading oil prices to spike to their highest level in more than four years which held into Thursday. With diplomacy between Iran and the United States at a standstill after false starts, Trump spoke by phone Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned him of “damaging consequences” if the United States and Israel resume their war on Iran. Meeting oil executives, Trump contended that the... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Sweden targets social media giants over ‘murder adverts’ recruiting children Sweden’s government said on Wednesday it planned to introduce legislation requiring social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat to take down criminal gangs’ ‘murder adverts’ within an hour or face hefty fines. Criminal gangs active in Sweden increasingly use social media to recruit people to commit murders and other violent acts amid a surge in “crime as a service”. The recruits are often children under the age of 15, Sweden’s age of criminal responsibility, meaning the youngsters cannot be... Source: © SCMP News |
 | UK police say London stabbing of 2 Jewish men is terrorist incident London police say the stabbing of two Jewish men on Wednesday has been declared a terrorist incident. Metropolitan Police say they are investigating whether the attack specifically targeted the Jewish community. The force says the incident, in the Golders Green area, left two men, aged 34 and 76, hospitalised with knife wounds. A 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Police are investigating whether the stabbings are linked to recent arson attacks on synagogues and... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Tropical rainforest loss eases after record year, but still ‘11 football fields a minute’ The pace of tropical forest destruction slowed in 2025 after record losses the year before but remained at worrying levels equivalent to 11 football fields per minute, researchers said Wednesday. The world lost 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of tropical primary rainforest last year, down 36 per cent from 2024, said researchers from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland. “A drop of this scale in a single year is encouraging – it shows what decisive... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Why China may benefit from the UAE’s Opec withdrawal amid Iran war oil crisis China may gain from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) withdrawing from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), benefiting from additional supply as global oil markets face growing strain three months into the US-Israeli war in Iran, analysts said. The UAE – Opec’s third-largest producer, accounting for about 12 per cent of its total output – will formally leave the bloc on May 1. UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei told CNBC that it was the “right time” to exit, adding... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Sudan’s sexual violence as weapon of war triggers huge mental health crisis: UN The widespread use of rape and other sexual violence as a weapon of war in Sudan has spurred a massive mental health crisis, United Nations agencies and local aid groups warned. The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a brutal conflict since April 2023 that has killed tens of thousands and displaced around 11 million people. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières last month said at least 3,396 survivors of sexual violence – nearly all of them women... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Why an era of managed Hormuz disruption wouldn’t bode well for Asia Even if the immediate phase of conflict subsides, the Gulf is unlikely to return to the status quo. For Asia, the central question is no longer simply whether the Strait of Hormuz is open. It is whether the waterway remains reliable, predictable and politically insulated from coercion. That distinction now matters more than ever. For China and other major Asian importers, it is a question of whether energy flows, shipping routes and sanctions exposure are increasingly being shaped by a crisis... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Russia to hold equipment-free Red Square parade as Ukraine war grinds on The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia’s annual Victory Day military parade on Red Square had been scaled back this year and would not include military equipment due to the risk of what it described as “Ukrainian terrorist activity”. The parade, held on May 9, marks the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II, a conflict Russians call the Great Patriotic War. One of the top holidays on the Russian calendar, it allows the dwindling number of veterans to gather in... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Mali’s junta leader says situation ‘under control’ in first appearance since attacks The leader of Mali’s military government, Assimi Goita, on Tuesday made his first public appearance since insurgents launched coordinated attacks over the weekend, vowing in a televised address to “neutralise” those responsible. West Africa’s al-Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated separatist group hit Mali’s main army base and the area near Bamako’s airport in the attacks on Saturday, while also pushing Russian troops supporting government forces out of the strategic town of Kidal in the... Source: © SCMP News |
 | UK King Charles roasts Trump with colonial quip: ‘you’d be speaking French’ UK King Charles gave US President Donald Trump a taste of his own medicine at a White House state dinner on Tuesday when he joked that without the British, Americans would be speaking French. As the heads of state traded jokes during their dinner toasts, Charles referenced previous comments by Trump aimed at European allies he accuses of freeloading on defence since World War II. “You recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Why UAE’s exit from Opec is good news for Asia’s energy security Asia’s oil import-dependent economies will benefit from the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) exit from Opec, though the ongoing closure of the arterial Strait of Hormuz may not offer any immediate relief from soaring prices, analysts say. Global oil prices continued to surge on Wednesday, with benchmark Brent crude oil prices hitting US$111 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) approaching US$100 a barrel. Before the Iran war, Brent was trading around US$70 a barrel, while WTI was about US$65... Source: © SCMP News |
 | A remilitarised Japan threatens more than just China There is a time and a place. Just because you have a right to do something doesn’t mean you should exercise it. The United States and its allies keep claiming they have the right of navigation in international waters by sending their navies through the Taiwan Strait. Their intention to provoke is clear despite their justification under international law. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s row with Beijing over her remarks about militarily intervening in a Taiwan crisis has yet to die down.... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Trump to put his picture in US passports, shattering another norm An image of Donald Trump will soon appear in some US passports, officials said on Tuesday, shattering another norm as the president aggressively puts his personal stamp on government institutions. There were few precedents anywhere in the world, let alone in a democracy, of displaying sitting leaders’ pictures in passports, and Trump would be the first sitting US president featured in Americans’ travel documents. The State Department said it would offer the limited-edition passport to mark this... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Trump’s Ukraine envoy stepping down amid stalled peace talks with Russia The acting US ambassador to Kyiv Julie Davis will step down from her post and retire, a US official and the State Department said on Tuesday, amid a lull in US-brokered talks to achieve a ceasefire and end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Financial Times first reported Davis’ departure and said it was because of differences of opinion with President Donald Trump’s policies and that Davis had grown frustrated with her role over his dwindling support for Ukraine. The State Department pushed... Source: © SCMP News |
 | How China’s reported ban on sulphuric acid exports could have overseas buyers reeling As the US-Israel war in Iran drags into its third month, sulphuric acid – a chemical ingredient critical for fertiliser production and metal processing that has seldom grabbed global headlines – has become a keenly watched commodity. The military conflict in the Gulf and the effective blockage of the Strait of Hormuz initially triggered a squeeze on sulphuric acid, with prices on the rise after shipments in the region – which accounts for a quarter of global production – were largely stalled... Source: © SCMP News |
 | US-Iran ceasefire can’t paper over fires in the Strait of Hormuz While the United States and Iran exchange peace proposals in Islamabad, the Middle East remains trapped in a cycle of escalation. Ships burn in the Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon absorbs strikes by Israel and the nuclear gap remains unbridgeable. Calling this moment a ceasefire might be in line with diplomatic language, but on the ground it has the familiar look of war, just repackaged. While US President Donald Trump might have negotiated some sort of ceasefire agreement, the American naval blockade... Source: © SCMP News |
 | US and Nato faced with frustrating ‘marriage crisis’, Belgian defence minister says Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said the US and Nato were faced with a “marriage crisis” as frustrations mount on both sides of the Atlantic, urging Washington to stand with its allies or risk America’s fall. Francken, speaking at a think tank event in Washington on Tuesday, likened the strained transatlantic relationship, which has held for close to 80 years, to a “crisis”, saying “it’s very difficult”. “I’m convinced that we’re having a marriage crisis … There’s a lot of frustration on... Source: © SCMP News |
 | US conditions for paying UN dues include China curbs, report says The US has placed specific conditions on releasing billions of dollars it owes to the United Nations, including further cost-cutting, and moves to counter China’s influence at the world body, a development news wire reported on Tuesday. The report by Devex, an independent news organisation covering global development, said two diplomatic notes circulated by the US called for nine “quick-hit” reforms as a condition for releasing more funds. It said these included: Overhauling the UN pension... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Trump’s FCC orders review of ABC licences after Kimmel’s ‘expectant widow’ joke After a joke by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel drew calls from the White House for ABC to fire the comedian, the US Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday ordered an early licence review of the network’s television stations. The stand-off between US President Donald Trump’s administration and the global entertainment conglomerate is the first crisis facing Walt Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro. Last Thursday, Kimmel, whose late-night television programme airs on Disney’s ABC, did a send-up of... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Ex-FBI director Comey charged with threatening Trump’s life in Instagram post Former FBI director James Comey has been indicted for threatening the life of Donald Trump, officials said on Tuesday, five months after a previous case against the outspoken critic of the US president was thrown out. The indictment by a grand jury in North Carolina stems from an Instagram post the 65-year-old Comey made in May last year that showed the numbers “86 47” spelled out in seashells. Trump alleged in an interview with Fox News at the time that “86” was slang for kill and “47” was a... Source: © SCMP News |
 | UK PM Starmer avoids parliament probe over Epstein associate Peter Mandelson Embattled UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday survived a bid by opposition politicians to subject him to a parliamentary probe over his controversial appointment of Peter Mandelson as envoy to the US. Members of parliament voted against referring Starmer to a committee to consider if he misled parliament over giving Mandelson, an ex-associate of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the plum diplomatic post. It was the latest development in an unrelenting scandal that has plagued Starmer’s... Source: © SCMP News |
 | King Charles promotes US-UK bond before Congress at a time of deep divisions Britain’s King Charles told the US Congress on Tuesday that despite an age of uncertainty and conflict in Europe and the Middle East, the UK and the US would always be staunch allies united in defending democracy, at a time of deep divisions between the two long-time allies over the war with Iran. “Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Ukraine shot down 33,000 Russian drones in 1 month: defence minister Ukraine used interceptor systems to shoot down more than 33,000 Russian drones of various types in March, a record monthly figure since Moscow launched its all-out invasion more than four years ago, Ukraine’s defence minister claimed. Ukraine has developed cutting-edge and battle-tested drone technology that has proved essential in holding back Russia’s bigger army and has drawn military interest from around the world. Interceptor drones as part of a comprehensive air defence system are now... Source: © SCMP News |
 | UAE to leave Opec after 6 decades, oil cartel unity questioned The United Arab Emirates announced on Tuesday that it will leave the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and the wider Opec+ alliance effective May 1, a move that signals a push for greater control over its production strategy. The decision followed “a comprehensive review” of the country’s production policy and capacity, the Ministry of Infrastructure said in a statement, adding that it was based on national interests and a commitment to help meet global market... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Canada’s push to rebuild ties with China hits a snag: a lack of direct flights Canada plans to allow more flight connections to China, as it seeks to rebuild ties with Beijing and capitalise on rising demand for Canadian travel among Chinese tourists, but airlines may be reluctant to add new routes due to soaring jet fuel costs and a lack of access to Russian airspace. Steven MacKinnon, Canada’s transport minister, announced last week that Ottawa would permit an “incremental” increase in direct passenger combination flights to China and up to 20 cargo flights per week. The... Source: © SCMP News |
 | US green power growth to hit another record in 2026, despite Trump, says report US clean energy installations are forecast to hit another record this year – and account for the vast majority of new power additions – despite facing policy opposition from the Trump administration, according to a trade industry report. The nation’s power sector is expected to add about 60 gigawatts of solar, battery storage and wind capacity in 2026, the American Clean Power (ACP) Association said in its annual market assessment published on Tuesday. That is up 20 per cent from over 50... Source: © SCMP News |
 | China orders maritime security research as Strait of Hormuz crisis exposes trade risks China is stepping up efforts to secure critical sea lanes and protect its overseas assets, as crises at maritime chokepoints – including the Strait of Hormuz – expose growing vulnerabilities in global trade. In response, Beijing has tasked leading industrial enterprises and academic institutions with spearheading research to safeguard strategic trade corridors and overseas port holdings, amid escalating geopolitical tensions linked to the US-Israeli war in Iran and legal disputes over Panama... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Facing US and Chinese pressure, the EU must forge its own strategy Writing in Foreign Affairs, Tsinghua University’s Da Wei argued that China wants Europe to function as an independent pole in a changing global order, but that Europe lacks “a more independent soul”. He is half right. Europe has the assets for independence. What it lacks is the strategy. Europe and the United States face the same rival but carry different exposures. Since 2018, the US has cut its direct imports from China. Europe’s have grown harder to unwind. What appears to be decoupling is... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Greece man, 89, arrested after Athens shooting injures 5 people An 89-year-old man armed with a hunting rifle opened fire inside a Greek social security office in Athens on Tuesday, wounding an employee in the leg, authorities said. The suspect then carried out a second shooting at a courthouse in the city, leaving four more people lightly injured. The attack was reportedly sparked by problems with the man’s pension payments. He was arrested a few hours after the shootings in the port city of Patras, state broadcaster ERT reported. Earlier, local media... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Ukrainian drone attack on Russian oil refinery causes major fire, officials say A Ukrainian drone attack has caused a “large-scale fire” at Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea, forcing the evacuation of nearby buildings, local officials said on Tuesday. The Rosneft-owned refinery delivers oil products mainly for exports but operations have been halted since April 16 following an earlier drone attack, industry sources said. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the reports. Kyiv has stepped up strikes on Russia since March, with US-brokered talks on the war in... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Austria Islamic State man admits plot on Taylor Swift concert in Vienna A man accused of pledging allegiance to Islamic State group and plotting to attack one of superstar singer Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna nearly two years ago pleaded guilty as his trial began on Tuesday, Austrian media reported. The plot was thwarted, but Austrian authorities still cancelled Swift’s three performances in August 2024. The singer’s fans, known as Swifties, who had flown to Austria from across the globe to attend a performance of her record-setting Eras Tour were devastated,... Source: © SCMP News |
 | China’s Politburo steps up policy response as Iran war shakes global economy China has vowed to take a holistic approach in responding to external shocks and safeguarding the country’s energy security, as the economic fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran continues to spread around the world. At a meeting on Tuesday, the country’s Politburo – a major decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party led by President Xi Jinping – also stressed the need to boost the nation’s tech self-reliance and control over its industrial supply chains. The country will push forward... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Mexico captures top cartel leader ‘El Jardinero’ hiding in roadside ditch The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Mexico’s most powerful criminal enterprise, suffered another blow on Monday when the Mexican military captured one of its top leaders in the northwest of the country, two months after the cartel’s leader was killed. Audias Flores Silva, also known as “El Jardinero”, or The Gardener, was seen as a possible successor to the killed leader and the United States had a US$5 million reward out for information leading to his arrest. The CJNG regional commander was... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Landmark UN nuclear summit opens as world’s warhead count grows Signatories of the landmark nuclear non-proliferation treaty began a meeting on Monday at the United Nations in New York as fears of a renewed arms race escalate, with atomic powers again at loggerheads over safeguards. In 2022, during the last review of the treaty considered the cornerstone of non-proliferation, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned humanity was “one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation”. On Monday he warned “the drivers” of nuclear weapons... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Without diplomacy, deterrence in Asia is a path to escalation “Balikatan 2026” is meant to reassure allies and deter adversaries. But the military exercise hosted by the Philippines also reveals a harsher truth: the Indo-Pacific is drifting into a security logic in which deterrence no longer contains risk but multiplies it. Every move taken in the name of stability now invites a countermove. Every display of resolve is answered by another. The result is not equilibrium, but a trap. That is why diplomacy has to return to the centre of regional strategy... Source: © SCMP News |
 | Washington media dinner suspect charged with attempted assassination of Trump The man accused of opening fire at a Washington dinner attended by Donald Trump was charged on Monday with attempting to assassinate the US president and could face life in prison if convicted. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, wore a blue jail-issue V-neck shirt and pants at his first appearance in Washington federal court, two days after authorities said he launched an unsuccessful attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, an annual black-tie gathering of journalists and... Source: © SCMP News |