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Received today — 11 May 2026 World - South China Morning Post

Lawsuit blames ChatGPT maker OpenAI for helping plan Florida university shooting

11 May 2026 at 19:50
The widow of a man killed in last year’s mass shooting at Florida State University is suing ChatGPT maker OpenAI, blaming the company’s artificial intelligence chatbot for giving advice on how to carry out the rampage. The lawsuit comes after state authorities disclosed that ChatGPT gave information to the shooter about what time and location would maximise victims on campus, as well as the type of gun and ammunition to use. Authorities say he was also told that an attack can get more media...

Israeli soldiers jailed for desecration of Virgin Mary statue in Lebanon

11 May 2026 at 18:50
Two Israeli soldiers will spend weeks in military prison for desecration of a Christian object after one stuck a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon and the other photographed it. The photo of the soldier, a cigarette dangling from his own mouth, went viral and sparked widespread outrage. It was the latest act by Israeli forces to be denounced as anti-Christian in southern Lebanon, where Israel launched a ground invasion earlier this year to target the...

Bolivia’s Evo Morales held in contempt after missing court in trafficking trial

11 May 2026 at 18:20
⁠A Bolivian ⁠judge on Monday held former President Evo Morales in contempt after he failed to appear in court ‌for a trial where he faces charges of trafficking a minor, local newspaper La Razon reported. Morales served three terms as Bolivia’s first ⁠indigenous president from 2006 to 2019. He ‌resigned following a disputed election that plunged the country into ‌turmoil. He is accused of having a relationship with a teenager and having a child with her in 2016 while he was in office. Thousands...

Heatstroke suspected among 6 found dead in train carriage at Texas rail depot

11 May 2026 at 16:57
A South Texas medical examiner believes heatstroke may have led to the death of six people thought to be immigrants who were found on Sunday afternoon inside a argo train carriage at a Union Pacific rail depot near the Mexico border in Laredo, Texas. The people were found on Sunday as workers were inspecting one of the cars, said Jose Baeza, a spokesman for the Laredo Police Department. Police and fire crews arrived at the scene soon after. They confirmed that there were six people dead,...

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  • UK sanctions 85 people and entities over ‘pro-Kremlin narratives’ dpa · dpa
    Eighty-five Russia-linked people and entities have been sanctioned as part of a UK government crackdown on “pro-Kremlin narratives abroad”. The sanctions, imposed on Monday, were designed to target 29 individuals and organisations thought to have helped Russia forcibly deport and militarise Ukrainian children. More than 20,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia and the territories which it has occupied, according to the UK Foreign Office. A further 56 individuals and organisations have
     

UK sanctions 85 people and entities over ‘pro-Kremlin narratives’

By: dpa · dpa
11 May 2026 at 16:31
Eighty-five Russia-linked people and entities have been sanctioned as part of a UK government crackdown on “pro-Kremlin narratives abroad”. The sanctions, imposed on Monday, were designed to target 29 individuals and organisations thought to have helped Russia forcibly deport and militarise Ukrainian children. More than 20,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia and the territories which it has occupied, according to the UK Foreign Office. A further 56 individuals and organisations have...

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  • Trump gala shooter pleads not guilty to all charges Reuters · Reuters
    The ⁠man accused of attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump at a White House reporters’ gala last month pleaded not guilty ‌to all charges on Monday. Cole Allen, 31, of California, did not speak in court as his lawyer Tezira Abe entered the plea on his behalf. The charges include attempted assassination of the president, assault on ⁠a federal officer and firearms offences. Prosecutors allege Allen fired ‌a shotgun at a US Secret Service agent and stormed a security checkpoint ‌in a..
     

Trump gala shooter pleads not guilty to all charges

11 May 2026 at 14:01
The ⁠man accused of attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump at a White House reporters’ gala last month pleaded not guilty ‌to all charges on Monday. Cole Allen, 31, of California, did not speak in court as his lawyer Tezira Abe entered the plea on his behalf. The charges include attempted assassination of the president, assault on ⁠a federal officer and firearms offences. Prosecutors allege Allen fired ‌a shotgun at a US Secret Service agent and stormed a security checkpoint ‌in a...

China deepens footprint at AI conference despite NeurIPS dispute, US tensions

11 May 2026 at 14:00
Chinese technology companies and researchers turned out in force at a leading global artificial intelligence conference, despite mounting questions over whether they might avoid the event as a consequence of tense relations between Beijing and Washington. Papers with contributors from mainland China and Hong Kong accounted for over 51 per cent of accepted submissions, compared with just under 32 per cent from the United States, according to statistics compiled from the listed affiliations for...

Poland’s ex-minister facing prosecution at home travels from Hungary to US

11 May 2026 at 12:45
A former Polish justice minister sought in his homeland for alleged abuse of power says he has travelled from Hungary to the US, prompting prosecutors in Poland to say on Monday that they are investigating whether he was assisted in evading liability. Zbigniew Ziobro was a key figure in the government led by the nationalist conservative Law and Justice party that ran Poland between 2015 and 2023. That administration established political control over key judicial institutions by stacking higher...

Latin America is reassessing the benefits of warm ties with Beijing

Beijing’s position in Latin America is far from collapsing, looking at the number of countries in the region that have switched diplomatic ties to it from Taipei. But in parts of the continent, governments are increasingly reassessing what their relationships with Beijing are delivering economically and politically. The shift is becoming visible in countries such as Honduras, Venezuela and Cuba, where economic strain, energy instability and geopolitical pressure are exposing the limits of...

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  • UK’s Keir Starmer told by home secretary to set out timeline for his departure Reuters · Reuters
    British ⁠Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been told ‌by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and other senior cabinet ministers ⁠to consider setting out ‌a timeline for his departure, ‌the Times newspaper ⁠reported ⁠on Monday. The newspaper ‌reported that Mahmood was ‌one of ‌at ‌least three cabinet ministers ⁠to suggest that ⁠the prime minister needs to consider ‌his ‌position. Starmer came under renewed pressure on Monday when four ministerial aides stepped down and more than 60 Labour lawmakers...
     

UK’s Keir Starmer told by home secretary to set out timeline for his departure

11 May 2026 at 10:45
British ⁠Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been told ‌by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and other senior cabinet ministers ⁠to consider setting out ‌a timeline for his departure, ‌the Times newspaper ⁠reported ⁠on Monday. The newspaper ‌reported that Mahmood was ‌one of ‌at ‌least three cabinet ministers ⁠to suggest that ⁠the prime minister needs to consider ‌his ‌position. Starmer came under renewed pressure on Monday when four ministerial aides stepped down and more than 60 Labour lawmakers...

Canada labels Sikh extremism a threat while accusing India of meddling

11 May 2026 at 09:00
A report from Canada’s spy agency that identifies Khalistani extremism as a national security threat may accelerate a diplomatic reset with India, even as analysts say allegations of interference by New Delhi continue to cloud the relationship. Delhi has long complained that a small number of Sikh separatist extremists have used Canadian soil to organise, raise funds and support violence connected to the push for “Khalistan”, a proposed independent Sikh state in India’s Punjab. The report by the...

More passengers from hantavirus-hit cruise ship test positive

11 May 2026 at 08:47
A French woman and an American national evacuated from the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak have tested positive, officials said on Monday, as the complex operation to repatriate those on board continued. The French woman, one of five passengers from France flown back from the MV Hondius and placed in isolation in Paris, started to feel unwell on Sunday night, and “tests came back positive”, said Health Minister Stephanie Rist. One of 17 American passengers repatriated from the...

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