World

Polar bears may be adapting to survive warmer climates, UK researchers have suggested. A study, by scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA), found that some genes related to heat-stress, ageing and metabolism are behaving differently in polar bears living in southeastern Greenland. The experts believe they might be adjusting to their warmer conditions.  Lead researcher Dr Alice Godden, …

The Treasury has targeted the shipping sector and blacklisted President Nicolas Maduro’s nephews The US has blacklisted six Venezuelan shipping companies and six vessels as part of a pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro. US President Donald Trump has accused the Maduro government of helping cartels smuggle drugs into the US – a claim Maduro denied and said was being …

A 6.7-magnitude earthquake occurred off northern Japan on Friday, the weather office said, days after a 7.5-level tremor in the same region injured at least 50 people. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), upgrading its initial estimated magnitude of 6.5, also warned that tsunami waves of up to one metre (three feet) could hit the northern Pacific coastline. The United States …

A Ukrainian drone struck an apartment block in Tver, a city northwest of Moscow, on Friday, injuring at least seven people, officials said. Video from the scene shows fire and smoke coming from a nine-story building. Acting Tver Region Governor Vitaly Korolyev said that evacuation was underway and that seven people, including a child, have been hospitalized. Local media reported …

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. A cold front is expected to begin affecting Hong Kong on Saturday, bringing intensifying winds and pushing temperatures to around 15 degrees Celsius (59 Fahrenheit) the following day, …

The Ukrainian forces seemingly have no strategy and are attempting to hold onto land “at any price,” Thomas Roeper has told RT After the liberation of Seversk there is no other fortress city to stop the Russian advance in the Donetsk People’s Republic, author and war correspondent Thomas Roeper told RT on Thursday. The capture of the stronghold, announced by …

The European Union (EU) is reportedly set to abandon plans to ban selling new petrol cars in a U-turn that could have an impact on Britain. The EU planned to reach an 100% fall in passenger vehicle carbon emissions by 2035, effectively banning the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by that year. However, Manfred Weber, president of the …

A teenager was rushed to hospital after suffering a stab wound near a Christmas market, police said. The attacker, who was known to the victim, fled the scene and a manhunt has been launched. The 16-year-old victim was stabbed on a street near the Christmas market in Herford, located in the North Rhine-Westphalia area of Germany, on Thursday (December 11). …

The senior Democrat on a US congressional committee focused on China is urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to fill the State Department’s vacant post for Arctic affairs, citing intensifying competition with Beijing and adding to growing pressure to address the vacancy. The Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs leads US engagement with the eight-country Arctic Council and coordinates American interests related …

One of Britain’s most consequential contributions in 1940 was the technology behind “Chain Home,” an early, revolutionary radar network. A constellation of radio stations sent out beams whose returns revealed the direction, altitude, and approximate numbers of incoming Luftwaffe aircraft during the Battle of Britain. Integrated with human observers and command-and-control stations, the system allowed RAF leaders to deploy their …