Hong Kong’s top court has dismissed a legal challenge against a law barring calls to boycott the city’s “patriots-only” elections, ruling that the prohibition is necessary to counter “organised campaigns” seeking to undermine the establishment following the enactment of the national security law. In a judgment delivered on Wednesday, five Court of Final Appeal judges unanimously found that criminalising incitement to undermine elections was essential to further Beijing’s objective of ensuring...

Hong Kong plans to introduce mandatory health checks for commercial vehicle drivers aged 65 or above by the middle of next year, tightening both the age threshold and the frequency of assessments to improve road safety. Undersecretary for Transport and Logistics Liu Chun-san told the Legislative Council on Wednesday that authorities would also establish a register of doctors, providing guidance to help drivers choose an appropriate practitioner. Liu said the government planned to lower the age...

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. PLA scientists propose a plan to destroy US carrier groups from 3,000km away As the United States quietly pulls its most precious military assets away from the coasts of Asia, they are falling back to places like Guam in Micronesia, a US island territory far beyond the reach of most conventional missiles. 2....

Veteran Hong Kong filmmaker and actor Raymond Wong Pak-ming has begun serving his five-month prison sentence for insider trading after relinquishing his bail. The 80-year-old told West Kowloon Court on Wednesday that he would spend time behind bars while awaiting an appeal in the High Court. Wong, a prominent figure in Hong Kong’s film industry for decades, was convicted last month of sharing insider information regarding Transmit Entertainment, a television series production company formerly...

A revolutionary who once declared she was “no bird in a cage” became both an assassin and China’s first female doctor of law. Born in 1891, Zheng Yuxiu grew up in an influential household. Her father served the Qing (1644–1912) government, her grandfather was a Hong Kong merchant, and her well-educated mother came from a military family. From childhood, Zheng showed a defiant independence rare for her time. After moving to Guangzhou in southern China, she attended a local school and successfully...

A new political party called Restore Britain is threatening the rise of Nigel Farage’s hard-right group, with a tougher anti-immigrant stance and the backing of tech trillionaire Elon Musk. Led by businessman and ex-football chairman Rupert Lowe, Restore is tipped to deprive Farage’s Reform UK party of victory over the ruling Labour Party in a crunch special election on Thursday. Lowe, 68, formed Restore as an alternative on the right of British politics in February following his split from...

Captain Raman Kapoor was loading oil at an Iraqi port when word reached him that the United States and Iran were at war. Within hours, his tanker was trapped north of the Strait of Hormuz with 24 crew members aboard, as missiles began arcing across the sky overhead. “We were stuck inside the war zone and everyone was so scared and clueless about what to do,” Kapoor, 48, recalled. “We all felt so trapped. We were helpless, totally helpless.” He and his crew would stay that way for 75 days. The...

The leaders of the world’s richest democracies are talking about how to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems this week, but hot mics at the G7 summit revealed that conversations also covered lighter fare. Sports. Cigarettes. The weather. And something about Greenland? As world leaders made their way into conference rooms at a lakeside resort, microphones set up for their weighty discussions about war and trade often caught off-the-cuff banter. Meloni quit smoking Italian Prime Minister...

A group of Malaysian tourists is facing intense backlash for filming strangers and mocking locals in China as “smelly”, sparking debate on travel etiquette and national image. The clips, which also appeared to show the visitors shouting insults in Malay while travelling in the country, were allegedly first posted on TikTok by user @ekyn.wong. They were later deleted from the account when checked by This Week in Asia, but not before going viral on Malaysian social media, where users panned what...

Scientists have known for decades that massive undersea flows called turbidity currents can reshape ocean floors and damage the vital cables which carry global internet traffic. But how they form and behave has remained elusive until now. An international team led by Tsinghua University has found that these flows are more common than previously believed, forming in gentle environments such as reservoirs and lakes, where such currents were thought to be impossible. The findings, along with a...

Hong Kong teachers will have to complete at least 30 hours of digital education training every three years, as authorities unveil a blueprint to boost the use of technology in schools. As part of the initiative, primary and secondary schools will also be required to incorporate digital elements into their annual school development plans, while an innovation and technology curriculum will be rolled out for pupils. The move came as the Curriculum Development Council released the Blueprint for...

A major bakery chain has been hit by a ransomware attack on its internal network, prompting Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog to seek details to assess the risk of a potential data leak. Kee Wah Bakery, known for its local and Chinese pastries, revealed the incident on Tuesday, after its internal network malfunctioned on Friday last week. A preliminary investigation found that a ransomware attack had targeted its system, which contains employees’ personal data as well as information related to...

With the card-collecting hobby turning into a moneymaking venture with thousands of ringgit moved in single transactions, Malaysia’s tax authorities are keeping a close eye out for any tax discrepancies and doing audits to clarify statuses. The Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) said it is aware of the growing market for high-value collectibles, in particular trading cards, and urged collectors to be aware of tax responsibilities if their hobbies are deemed to be business transactions. “We are aware of...

When Celine Teo feels homesick, she visits Singaporean eatery Vanda Room in Beijing’s central business district to enjoy delicacies such as chicken rice and laksa. “Being able to enjoy a familiar dish abroad always brings a sense of comfort and connection to home,” said the 25-year-old undergraduate, who has lived in China for four years. But Teo worries these connections are thinning, as some Singapore-linked F&B players retreat, refocus or struggle to defend their edge in China’s increasingly...

Alcohol has played a central role in human culture for at least 10,000 years, with the earliest known alcoholic beverage – a rice wine – originating from the Henan province of central China. However, much of our understanding of these early adult beverages is superficial at best. Recently, a handful of studies from China are shedding light on what the oldest Chinese residents were drinking and how they crafted these libations. The highlight was the discovery of an unopened bottle of drink from...

Taiwan’s recent launch of Himars rockets westwards towards the Taiwan Strait highlights how the island’s defensive strategy is shifting to the use of mobile strike weapons to disrupt a mainland Chinese attack before it reaches shore. The exercise on June 10 was the first time the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System had been launched in the direction of mainland China. Beijing has yet to respond to the launches. Analysts said the significance of the drill lay in what it revealed about how...

Some may feel a lump in their throats as they watch Hong Kong’s first astronaut, Lai Ka-ying, make history, but few see it as anything more than an inspirational story for our youth. In reality, space, which can feel lofty and far away to pragmatic Hongkongers, could hold the key to our city’s economic future. In my previous column, we discussed why Hong Kong represents China’s best chance to build an alternative global maritime insurance system, but also why that remains mission impossible for...

An asteroid discovered by a Hong Kong-born astronomer has been named after a firefighter who died in the city’s deadliest blaze in decades, with his fiancée expressing gratitude for a move that turned him into an eternal “star”. Ho Wai‑ho, 37, was killed in the Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po last November while helping to evacuate residents. To honour his sacrifice, amateur astronomer William Yeung Kwong-yu, a former president of the Hong Kong Astronomical Society, has named asteroid 34871...

The expected reopening of the Strait of Hormuz under a US-Iran ceasefire framework could ease pressure on South Korea’s energy-dependent economy while creating a thornier diplomatic problem for Seoul: how much should it contribute to securing the waterway? That question is likely to shadow President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to the Group of Seven summit this week in Evian-les-Bains, France, where the wars in Ukraine and Iran are expected to dominate talks among G7 leaders and several invited...

One of US President Donald Trump’s pet beauty projects for Washington was supposed to make the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool look blue, like part of the US flag. Enter Mother Nature. Algae has proliferated in the water, turning it a swampy green. “Can you see it in my photos? Oh well, I’ll just use a filter to hide the algae,” said Farrah Lu, a 43-year-old tourist from China. The invasion comes just days after the completion of the pool repainting project, part of Trump’s drive to put his...

SpaceX roared past Amazon’s market valuation on Tuesday ⁠and briefly topped that of Microsoft, rapidly scaling the list of the world’s most valuable companies on a topsy-turvy trading day fuelled by frenzied action in the firm’s newly listed option contracts. SpaceX shares rose 4.8 per cent to close at US$201.80, giving Elon Musk’s company a market value of roughly US$2.655 trillion – some US$800 billion more than its value when it sold its record initial public offering last week and about...

The race for artificial intelligence has hardened into a two-power contest between the United States and China, fought over rare earths, data and the rules governing the technology, with Latin America and Europe sidelined, Brazil’s top foreign policy adviser said on Tuesday. Celso Amorim, a former foreign and defence minister, made the case at the Forte de Copacabana International Security Conference in Rio de Janeiro, an annual forum run by the Brazilian Centre for International Relations with...

As trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels continue to rise, China’s firms in the European Union have been forced to walk a delicate tightrope: expanding their presence in the lucrative market while grappling with heightened regulatory hurdles and rapid geopolitical shifts. In the second part of this three-part series, we look at whether China and the EU are heading for a full-blown trade conflict. Last week, Beijing gathered more than a dozen Chinese companies in Berlin for a forum with a...

The Russia-India-China (RIC) dialogue is back in the diplomatic conversation. It has not formally restarted, and no summit is on the horizon. But the signals are here. In 2025, Moscow again pushed for reviving the RIC format. India said any meeting would have to be arranged in a “mutually convenient manner”, a cautious but open formula. China said it was willing to maintain communication with Russia and India on trilateral cooperation. This month, Russian President Vladimir Putin again spoke...

The two-week US trip by Taiwan’s main opposition leader offered Washington a different take on cross-Strait relations, although whether it will change anything remains in question, some experts said. Kuomintang (KMT) chairwoman Cheng Li-wun landed back in Taipei early on Tuesday, concluding a five-stop visit she called “beyond expectations”. Cheng began her trip on June 1, visiting San Francisco, Boston, New York, Washington and Los Angeles. She met with representatives from several think tanks...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang – whose work helped enable artificial intelligence – stressed in an interview on Tuesday that society has no choice but to change in the advent of AI. Huang has been optimistic about the technology’s potential to rapidly change society, creating faster economic growth and more scientific breakthroughs. But as the head of a computer chip company now developing AI systems, Huang has felt obliged to respond to critics who warn of job losses and threats to humanity...

US President Donald Trump has invoked the Defence Production Act in a bid to bolster weapons stockpiles that critics say have been strained by the war in Iran and other conflicts. This came as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephone call with his Pakistani counterpart on Tuesday during which they spoke about the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran. That MOU, announced on Sunday with few details, aims at ending the 109-day war started by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister...

A department store in central Paris announced on Tuesday the end of its cooperation with Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant Shein, which, French media reported, could see the e-commerce platform’s first physical store closed by this Christmas. La Societe des Grands Magasins (SGM), owner of the historic BHV Marais, which sits opposite Paris City Hall a few hundred meters from Notre-Dame cathedral, has sold the store to a group of executives, led by Karl-Stephane Cottendin, the group’s outgoing CEO,...

Two passengers were killed late on Tuesday when a truck slammed into their taxi on a wet highway in Hong Kong, with the cab flipping at least six times and tossing both of the victims onto the road. Police said the collision occurred at about 10pm on Tsing Sha Highway in Cheung Sha Wan as both vehicles were heading eastbound. The taxi was struck by the light goods truck near Hoi Lai Estate. The taxi’s two passengers, a man, 38, and a woman, 35, suffered multiple injuries and were pronounced dead...

Russia said one of its warships fired warning shots on Tuesday near a yacht making a “dangerous approach” in the English Channel, though Britain evaluated that the shots were “not aimed at the vessel”. The incident involved the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich and a UK-registered yacht around 20 nautical miles (37km) south of the Isle of Wight, just outside British waters, a UK defence source said. The latest at-sea tension between London and Moscow came after UK commandos intercepted and...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] For modern-day businesses, effective AI adoption is increasingly seen as make or break if they are to stay competitive. Executives do see this potential but frequently reduce it to little more than a tool for drafting reports or creating slides.  And this digital divide is what the Doctor of Business Artificial Intelligence (DBAI) at PolyU Business School of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University sets out to address. As...

A jobless man accused of killing his girlfriend in a Hong Kong village house and illegally disposing of her body four years ago has claimed he mistakenly beat her to death while trying to help her lose weight by keeping her awake at night. Ng Ka-sing, 29, is standing trial at the High Court for allegedly murdering his 30-year-old partner Yip Tsz-ching at their 700 sq ft flat in Galore Garden in Hung Shui Kiu between April 28 and 29, 2022. The defendant had offered to plead guilty to the lesser...

A Hong Kong court has dismissed a HK$12 million (US$1.53 million) claim against actress Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi by her former agent, finding that she had never signed an agency contract she allegedly breached nor received advance payment for her services. Cheung, 46, was involved in a legal battle with Asia Entertainment Group (AEG) president Samuel Yu Yuk-hing for allegedly reneging on her promise to appear in several films produced by the now-liquidated company between 2011 and 2019, pursuant...

US law enforcement said it had foiled an alleged plot to attack the White House during a crowded mixed martial arts event attended by US President Donald Trump. “Multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on Tuesday. The Department of Justice announced charges against five men and said the plotters planned to fly drones armed with explosives over the event, forcing an evacuation when snipers would fire on “high value...

The Iran war has exposed major risks for Southeast Asia that could cost the region billions of dollars, if it does not diversify sources of energy more quickly, according to an International Energy Agency (IEA) report released on Tuesday. An overreliance on oil and gas transported through the Strait of Hormuz left the region particularly vulnerable to shocks from the Iran war, a “stark wake-up call” for its energy security, the report says. It notes that rising sales of electric vehicles, a...

Hong Kong must remain an outward-looking economy and a free port to thrive, current and former leaders of the city’s trade promotion body have said, stressing the importance of working with mainland China and tackling challenges creatively. Hong Kong Trade Development Council chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang and four of his predecessors spoke on Tuesday at a panel discussion marking the organisation’s 60th anniversary. “Hong Kong has to maintain its outward-looking society and economy,” former...

Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed support for Myanmar’s leadership under former junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on Tuesday, reinforcing Beijing’s influence as its southern neighbour struggles to contain a gruelling civil war. Speaking after a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, Xi said Beijing prioritised its ties with Myanmar, which he said held an “important position” in China’s neighbourhood diplomacy. “I am willing to strengthen strategic guidance with you, carry forward our...

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump has an understanding with Xi. His own administration doesn’t like it On a state visit to China last month, US President Donald Trump shocked his political base with a series of rhetorical concessions – and it was not the first time Trump’s softer stance on China clashed with his own...

Hong Kong’s graft buster has received more than 1.5 times as many corruption complaints concerning building renovation in the first four months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, following heightened public concern over bid-rigging after the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire. In response to the surge in complaints, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said on Tuesday that it had doubled the number of investigators to 100 to handle these cases. But Bernard Chan, chairman of...

A floating Chinese platform at Scarborough Shoal has revived fears in the Philippines that Beijing could be taking another incremental step towards turning one of the South China Sea’s most sensitive disputed features into a permanent outpost. The Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Tuesday it would not allow any structure to be built at the shoal, nearly three weeks after satellite images first showed a possible floating platform there. “We are not allowing that to happen. We’re not...

The European Parliament approved on Tuesday cutting duties on many US goods imports to fulfil the European Union’s side of a trade ‌deal struck last year, and avert a new round of tariff conflict between the world’s largest trading partners. US President Donald Trump struck a framework deal with the European Union at his Turnberry golf course in Scotland last July under which the EU agreed to remove import duties on US industrial goods in return for tariffs of 15 per cent on most EU...

Israel’s efforts to phase out American military aid signal the decline of US alliances under the demands of Washington’s “America first” position, according to a prominent Chinese international relations analyst. Zhu Zhaoyi, executive director of the Institute of Middle East Studies at Peking University HSBC Business School, wrote in a commentary published on Monday that factors such as rising financial pressures had fuelled an “America first” approach that demanded Washington’s allies shoulder...

Many people believe Chinese artificial intelligence models are leading the global tech race – even in countries considered key US allies – according to a new poll by the London-based consultancy Public First. However, the poll also revealed that China lags in trust regarding its AI models. The survey, which covered over 18,000 people across 15 countries, found that respondents from 11 nations acknowledged China’s AI leadership. These included Canada, Britain and France, where at least 40 per...

Is the economic decline of Europe worse than the last decades of the Qing dynasty? That’s a question posed by Luis Vassy, director of Sciences Po, one of France’s premier universities. It has caused something of a stir in Europe and China. “The European Union has seen its share of the world economy fall from 30 per cent to 17 per cent between 2008 and 2025, a span of 17 years,” he wrote in Le Grand Continent, a European current affairs publication, last week. “China covered the same distance...

The judge who convicted former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak over the 1MDB scandal said the plunder of the sovereign wealth fund was so vast that it eclipsed the exploits of Attila the Hun, one of history’s most notorious conquerors. “The scale of the plunder that took place (financially speaking, of course) made Attila the Hun look like a choirboy in comparison,” Collin Lawrence Sequerah said in the introduction to his 809-page grounds of judgment. The written judgment was issued on...

Hong Kong police have arrested 150 people in a three-day crackdown on an illegal bookmaking syndicate that handled more than HK$320 million (US$40.8 million) in wagers, as officers warned against unlawful betting during the Fifa World Cup. About 600 officers carried out raids across the city between Friday and Sunday, targeting factory units in Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi, Sha Tin, Kwun Tong and Kowloon City, the organised crime and triad bureau said on Tuesday. The operation shut down four...

A company linked to CSI Properties chairman and founder Mico Chung and his wife has sold a luxury house on The Peak for HK$105 million (US$13.4 million), according to official records. Aqua Sole Company sold the property at 27 Plantation Road to Hu Hanyang in a transaction completed on June 12, according to Land Registry records. Companies Registry filings show that Chung and his wife, Nina Kan Souk-yin, are shareholders of Aqua Sole. The company acquired the property in 1993 for HK$12 million,...

The Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP) and SenseTime, a Chinese artificial intelligence firm headquartered and listed in the city, have partnered to build a home-grown AI data centre by 2030 to support the sector’s industrialisation. The data centre will be built in three stages, with phase one expected for completion by the end of this year, targeting 40,000 petaflops – a measure of computing power used to train AI models – by 2030, the HKSTP said on Tuesday. Terry Wong Ping-sau,...

US President Donald Trump said Russia should make peace with Ukraine after a “very good” meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, in comments that sparked cautious optimism among G7 leaders that a peace deal could be struck. The upbeat mood over the Ukraine war, now deep into its fifth year, stands in stark contrast to Zelensky’s meeting with Trump in the Oval Office last year, when he was told he had no leverage in potential peace talks with Russia. Zelensky and his European allies...

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The Hong Kong Observatory issued an amber rainstorm warning for more than three hours on Tuesday evening. The warning, the lowest level in a three-tier system, was issued at 6.15pm and cancelled at 9.55pm. The alert signals that more than 30mm (1.2 inches) of rain has fallen or is expected to fall across the city within an hour. The forecaster said downpours...

A Swedish court on Tuesday sentenced a 61-year-old man to four years and five months in prison for having “ruthlessly exploited” his wife to have sex with scores of men for payment. The man was convicted of “aggravated pimping” as well as attempted rape, assault and issuing threats, as well as a minor drug offence, the court said in a statement, noting the actions took place over three years. “The district court has found that the man was the one who initiated the woman’s entry into prostitution...

The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps on Australia’s southeast coast beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, according to tender documents and officials. The development of the stockpile, a first for the Marine Corps in Australia, came as the US was keen to leverage the continent’s strategic location in the South Pacific to counter China’s rapid military build-up, analysts said. The US Marine Corps began global pre-positioning of military...

An owner of a Hong Kong private tutorial centre has admitted to molesting five boys and filming some of the offences, claiming he did so out of curiosity. Yu Hey-tsit, 46, pleaded guilty at the High Court on Tuesday to 15 counts of indecent assault and four of making child pornography. The crimes came to light on August 24, 2023, after a 12-year-old boy confided in his grandmother that Yu had kissed and groped him on multiple occasions at the now-closed Prime Solid Learning Education Centre in...

China’s top legislative body will discuss a bill next week to authorise Hong Kong’s jurisdiction over part of the redeveloped Huanggang Port in Shenzhen that will adopt a “co-location” arrangement when it opens next month. Meetings to be held by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee between June 23 and 26 in Beijing were announced on Tuesday after its chairman, Zhao Leji, chaired a discussion at the Great Hall of the People in the capital. According to state news agency Xinhua, the...

China’s largest ground-based arms manufacturer is displaying air defence systems specifically for drone warfare, along with advanced artillery equipment at this year’s Eurosatory exhibition in France. Demand for air defence solutions is skyrocketing, fuelled by the conflict in Ukraine and the US-Israeli war on Iran which have been largely defined by the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and missiles. North Industries Group Corporation (Norinco) is using miniature models to display its...

Indonesia has vowed to overhaul the country’s ambitious free nutritious meals programme following public pressure and recent allegations of corruption – a move analysts described as a “moderate” concession in lieu of an “embarrassing” discontinuation of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiative. The US$15 billion initiative aims to reach 83 million schoolchildren, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers to prevent malnutrition and stunted growth. However, it has been dogged by...

China’s “Goose Leg Auntie” has come under fire after allegedly selling cheaper duck legs as raw materials. Chen Xiufeng, a 56-year-old street vendor in Beijing, built a loyal following with her 16 yuan (US$2) roast “goose legs”, promoted through social media pre-order groups. After arriving in Beijing in 2000 to sell fruit outside university gates, Chen later became known as “Goose Leg Auntie” because students queued at night for her popular goose leg snack. Students from two top universities...

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that ending the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, was “the most important” issue in the peace deal with the United States announced the day before. “The important point I want to emphasise here is that in our view, there are two parties to this memorandum – one side is America and Israel, and the other side is Iran and Hezbollah,” said Araghchi during a briefing with foreign diplomats broadcast on state television. “This is perhaps...

When the ground tore open beneath the Philippines last week, Roldan Dante was working in a nearby town. By the time he could return, his home in Glan, Sarangani province, had collapsed. His wife and two young children were gone. “If only I had known this was going to happen, I would have picked them up,” he told This Week in Asia, as social workers pressed government cash aid into his hands. “I feel traumatised. I’m in shock and I still can’t accept what happened.” Dante’s loss speaks to the...

A 6.7-magnitude earthquake shook part of central Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on Tuesday, causing scattered damage and rattling residents of a city devastated by a quake and tsunami eight years ago. The initial quake was centred inland about 43km (30 miles) east-southeast of Palu, and the US Geological Survey said it was about 10km deep. The strong shaking sent people fleeing into open areas in and around Palu, a city of about 400,000 people and the capital of Central Sulawesi province. Several...

“Overcapacity” has become the buzzword in Washington and Brussels. American and European policymakers insist China churns out far more steel, electric vehicles and green technology than it can absorb, flooding the world with subsidised goods. Yet the economic data tells a different story: of double standards, protectionist impulses and a habit of moving the goalposts. Start with steel. Western officials point to China’s massive output as proof of distortion. But China official data puts the...

China’s ruling Communist Party has announced a new branch of President Xi Jinping’s political thought, which stresses governing the party with discipline and unified leadership. During a national conference on party building on Monday, the concept of “Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building” was hailed as “a milestone in the history of Marxist theory on party building and in the history of Chinese Communist Party building”, according to a report from state broadcaster CCTV. The new phrase was...

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has launched a data privacy academy as part of efforts to align with the national strategy of developing the city into an international high-calibre talent hub. Announcing the news at a summit to mark the 30th anniversary of the watchdog on Tuesday, Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling said her office would also strive to implement and support the city’s first five-year plan. “As an educator and reformer, I am delighted to announce the launch of...

Nisa Mohd did not send her daughter to boarding school unprepared. Before the now 17-year-old left for Melaka, her mother enrolled her in silat, the Malay martial art, and made one instruction clear: report any trouble immediately. She still watches for shifts in her daughter’s mood each time they speak. Millions of parents across Malaysia recognise her vigilance, with the country still following the inquest into the death last year of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir and a steady succession of...

Disney opens Shanghai park, with eye to future By Mandy Zuo (Additional reporting by Nikki Sun) This article was first published on June 16, 2016 China represents “incredible potential” for Walt Disney, said company chairman Bob Iger ahead of the opening of its Shanghai theme park today (June 16, 2016). The US$5.5 billion complex is the first step onto mainland soil by the Western media giant as it seeks to grow its brand beyond already saturated markets back home. And the company was already...

A poultry stall at a Hong Kong market has been disinfected after an environmental sample tested positive for the H9 bird flu virus, with shoppers remaining largely unfazed despite a recent infection involving a two-year-old boy. The affected stall, the only live poultry shop operating inside Sha Tin’s Wo Che Market, temporarily suspended operations on Tuesday morning for cleaning. The shop owner and three staff members were seen scrubbing live chicken cages and wiping down price tags while...

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, one of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, said in an interview published on Monday that Russia and Ukraine must compromise to end the war that has raged for more than four years with no end in sight. Lukashenko, whose ex-Soviet state has been improving ties with Washington, also said that ‌he would not rule out meeting US President Donald Trump. Lukashenko told Al Arabiya television that it was clear that victory on the battlefield was...

Radar-absorbing materials have long been associated with stealth fighters, cruise missiles and other high-end military platforms for which performance often comes at a high cost. But in China, some stealth coatings could be moving into large-scale industrial production and driving prices down fast. A team from Foshan University reported a low-cost microwave-absorbing composite made from expanded graphite and titanium dioxide, according to a peer-reviewed paper published in the Journal of...

Alibaba Group Holding has launched its first suite of artificial intelligence models for robots, joining a global race to move AI out of chatbot windows and into the physical world. The Hangzhou-based tech giant on Tuesday introduced the Qwen Robot Suite, marking its latest foray into “embodied AI” – machines that can perceive, reason and interact with physical environments. Developed by Alibaba’s AI research unit, Tongyi Lab, the suite has already entered pilot testing with selected Alibaba...

China’s Miao ethnic group reveres trees, believing that they symbolise the life of humans; they also worship vegetation at important stages of life. The Miao people, whose population numbers over 10 million, inhabit central and southern China’s Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi provinces, and have a traditional Flower-Jump Festival every year. At this time, people gather around a 10-metre-tall flower tree made by the revered elderly in the village with evergreen tree branches, and dance around it on...

Shipowners ⁠will not resume transit through ⁠the Strait of Hormuz for weeks until they are confident that the US-Iran deal is “material”, the CEO of Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines told the Financial Times in an interview published ‌on Tuesday. The Iran war that began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes largely stopped shipping through the transit route for around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supply, along with products such as aluminium and urea. Mitsui O.S.K., one of...

The drones are grounded, tankers are reportedly moving again through the Strait of Hormuz and an electronically signed memorandum of understanding has formalised the pause. After 108 days, thousands dead and hundreds of billions of US dollars stripped from the global economy, the US-Israel war on Iran has ended – for now. Not with victory. Not with defeat. With a freeze. The United States and Israel assassinated Iran’s supreme leader and many of its top officials, then went on to degrade the...

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs has recognised the local government’s efforts to push ahead with innovation projects in the Northern Metropolis and has called on the city to seize national opportunities. Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, began a two-day study tour on Tuesday with a briefing by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu. It was attended by Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po and selected members of the...

Hong Kong may enter its summer flu season earlier than usual this year, with a peak likely to occur later this month, health authorities have said, urging unvaccinated residents to receive jabs for protection. Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, controller of the Centre for Health Protection, said on Tuesday that influenza activity in the city had increased since May. He noted that the last flu season extended from September to January, and with no winter flu season earlier this year, this summer’s flu...

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Singapore PM Lawrence Wong to visit Russia, first since Ukraine war sanctions Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is set to visit the Russian city of Kazan in a trip that would mark the first high-level talks between leaders from both sides since the city state...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s debut at this week’s G7 summit is an opportunity to turn her rapport with Donald Trump into a bridge between the US president and the bloc’s leaders, analysts say, as she seeks to cement her image as Japan’s “Iron Lady”. At a working dinner on Monday – the opening night of the three-day meeting in Evian, eastern France – Takaichi also proposed a joint strategic stockpile partnership to bolster critical mineral supply chains and reduce China’s dominance in the...

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has charged a former senior staff member of the Chinese University Medical Centre over alleged fraud. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Monday accused Lau Mun-cheung, 65, the former head and consultant physiotherapist at the institution’s Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre, of falsely claiming that he had personally provided professional services, including consultations and procedures, to patients to obtain fees from the...

When Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) held its 11th group wedding for doctoral students on May 31, each of the 187 newlywed couples was presented with a one-carat diamond ring, with the diamonds grown in the university’s laboratory. The gems were developed by Zhu Jiaqi and his team from HIT’s School of Astronautics using a technology that in theory could produce high-purity, single crystal diamonds of any shape and size – from wedding jewellery to a wafer as wide as a basketball. Known as...

When Singaporean Kristen Chng watched Chinese indie film Dear You with his father in Suzhou last month, he was reminded of his grandfather’s journey of sweat and hardship after leaving his ancestral village in Guangdong province with little to his name. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room, he said, as cinema-goers followed the story of a man uncovering his family’s past by tracing remittance letters sent home from Thailand. “My grandfather moved to Singapore in his teens and had a habit of...

The images were difficult to ignore. A viral video showed the body of a 35-year-old Indian seafarer on a vessel off Oman, with crew members using cold water bottles in a desperate attempt to slow the decomposition process. He had died last Thursday from medical complications, but it had not been possible to send help or evacuate him from the ship because of the US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. The previous day, three more Indian sailors were killed when a tanker moored nearby was bombed...

Benjamin Netanyahu bet that his joint war alongside Donald Trump would topple Iran’s clerical rulers and bolster ⁠himself ahead of the election at home, as the architect of a US-Israeli alliance that would reshape the Middle East. Instead, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister is on a collision course with Trump as the US president seeks to extricate himself from the war, with both men’s goals unmet and Israeli military operations tied down in Lebanon. For now, Israeli officials have been...

Many Hong Kong shoppers remain undaunted by a mainland Chinese investigation into the food safety practices of popular supermarket Sam’s Club in neighbouring Shenzhen, saying they will still shop for bargains – but more selectively. Despite reports that Chinese regulators had summoned the warehouse retailer over “frequent food safety issues” on Monday morning, the superstore remained busy in the afternoon even with rainy weather. Some Hongkongers who crossed the border to shop were unaware of...

Taiwan’s new website for mainland Chinese to securely report intelligence-related information has sparked debate over whether it is workable. The self-governed island’s National Security Bureau (NSB) on Sunday said it had established a “contact window” to collect political, military, economic and social intelligence from mainland China. The bureau said the initiative was modelled on the practices of intelligence agencies in the United States, Britain and Israel. It cited public dissatisfaction...

An enterprising 19-year-old student in China heads a start-up tech company and is also a philanthropist who donated 100,000 yuan (US$15,000) to sanitation workers at his school. Wei Siyuan graduated from Baoan Middle School in Shenzhen, southern China’s Guangdong province, last year and was admitted to Hunan University. He also has another identity: the chief executive officer of a company that develops unmanned aerial vehicles and artificial intelligence (AI) powered equipment. As a result, he...

The custody of a Hong Kong couple’s four-year-old daughter remains in the balance after a Swedish court threw out their attempted appeal against the local social welfare administration’s application to transfer her legal guardianship to a foster family. The Swedish Social Welfare Committee said in a report dated June 3 that the child, Lily, had to be protected from a “rootless and insecure existence” under the care of her biological parents Tsang Wai-bong and Kwan Pui-sin, according to documents...

New homes that Hong Kong developers will launch in the coming days and weeks will serve as a crucial test of the impact of Beijing’s latest capital-control measures, amid signs of recovery in the city’s residential property market. “Seemingly, a number of developers have turned more cautious in launching primary projects of late,” said Jack Tong, director of research and consultancy at Savills Hong Kong. Mainland Chinese buyers had accounted for about a third of all home purchases in Hong Kong...

North Korea’s latest spirited defence of its nuclear arsenal signals a strategy that goes beyond rejecting international calls to disarm and instead leans into mounting global superpower rivalry to legitimise its weapons build-up. The verbal offensive comes as North Korea could soon face renewed pressure to return to the negotiating table. Analysts say the winding down of the Iran conflict may allow Washington and its allies to refocus attention on the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang has also seized...

Iranian Americans streamed into the Los Angeles stadium where Iran play their first match at the 2026 World Cup on Monday, with some calling for Iranians to band together and forget politics while others bore symbols protesting the government. The team arrived at the stadium, having flown into the US on Sunday from their training base in Tijuana, ‌Mexico, touching down in Los Angeles just as a deal was announced to end the US-Iran war. They are set to play New Zealand in Group G at 6pm local...

Eight people died when a US B-52 bomber crashed and erupted into a catastrophic fire shortly after take-off at an air force base in California on Monday, officials said. The heavy bomber was on a routine testing mission with a mixture of military, government and civilian contractors on board when it came down in a huge fireball at Edwards Air Force Base, 95km (60 miles) north of Los Angeles. Footage of the aftermath of the crash, which officials said was “unsurvivable”, showed a large charred...

As trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels continue to rise, China’s firms in the European Union have been forced to walk a delicate tightrope: expanding their presence in the lucrative market while grappling with heightened regulatory hurdles and rapid geopolitical shifts. In the first part of this three-part series, we look at a new, complex EU carbon tariff system that has business owners scratching their heads. Neil Miao has been exporting metal hardware to Europe for years. But earlier...

British prosecutors have charged with sanctions contravention offences the Indian captain of an interdicted alleged Russian shadow fleet vessel seized in the Channel, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Monday. It follows British armed forces on Sunday intercepting the sanctioned oil tanker Smyrtos – said to belong to Russia’s shadow fleet – in a dramatic operation hailed by Kyiv and London as a blow to Moscow’s war machine. British commandos boarded the ship off the southern English coast...

Most Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adults believe the United States used to be a great place for immigrants but no longer is, according to a survey released on Monday ahead of the 250th anniversary of American independence next month. “Forty-one per cent of AAPI adults say they have started carrying proof of immigration status or citizenship, or know someone who has, and 34 per cent say the same about changing travel plans because of immigration status,” according to the Associated...

When it comes to the performance of real estate markets in the Asia-Pacific, Japan reigns supreme. Asia’s second largest economy is the deepest, most widely traded, and the safest market in the region. Last year, Japan accounted for 28 per cent of direct investment in Asia-Pacific commercial real estate, data from MSCI shows. The average vacancy rate for grade A offices in Tokyo was 0.7 per cent in the first quarter of this year. Rents have risen for nine straight quarters, increasing 13.2 per...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he was willing to meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the United States, suggesting Putin would find such an offer “harder to refuse”. The Ukrainian leader said he made the proposal in a call with US President Donald Trump, and was waiting to see what came of it. Putin has repeatedly rejected offers for a face-to-face meeting with Zelensky to try to broker an end to more than four years of war. The Ukrainian leader said earlier that...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he intends to run in elections scheduled for later this year, as he faces domestic criticism over his wartime leadership. Netanyahu, 76, is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has led his country through three years of war on multiple interconnected fronts and is currently on trial for corruption. In recent months, he has come under mounting fire from opposition leaders who accuse him of failing to achieve the war aims he set out...

Argentina’s top central banker sat down with his Chinese counterpart in Shanghai, a quiet overture towards Beijing months after Buenos Aires moved to unwind a currency lifeline that Washington had pushed it to abandon. Santiago Bausili, president of the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic, met People’s Bank of China governor Pan Gongsheng on the sidelines of an international symposium organised by the Bank for International Settlements and China’s central bank, according to a statement from...

California ⁠Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday accused US President Donald Trump of directing the Justice Department to undertake a politically motivated investigation of him and his wife. “Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets,” Newsom said in a ‌video statement posted to social media. “He’s coming after me because I am considering running for president.” Federal police officers in Sacramento, California, have been conducting several investigations related to the...

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit by Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, that accused rival Sam Altman’s OpenAI of stealing ‌trade secrets for chatbots. US District Judge Rita Lin in San Francisco, California, said xAI failed to show that OpenAI induced former xAI senior engineer Xuechen Li, a Chinese national, to divulge confidential information related to its Grok chatbot, or that OpenAI engineers knew Li might have disclosed any. Lin ‌dismissed the case with...

Hungary’s parliament approved a ⁠constitutional amendment ⁠on Monday that ⁠allows prime ministers to serve for a maximum of eight years, effectively barring former premier Viktor Orban from holding the role ‌again. Prime Minister Peter Magyar ousted Orban in an election in April after 16 years, gaining a two-thirds majority in parliament that allows his party to roll back or change legislation passed ⁠by Orban’s Fidesz, including the constitution. The amendment was a key campaign promise of...

US President Donald Trump announced plans on Monday for a major “rally” in Washington on the July 4 Independence Day, further imposing his political brand on celebrations of the United States’ 250th anniversary. The announcement comes a day after the Republican billionaire staged a mixed martial arts fight on the White House lawn – on what just happened to be his 80th birthday – with military honour guards and Air Force flyovers. Trump had previously posted that another event on June 24 would be...

A senior US official on Monday said that President Donald Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance had signed the memorandum of understanding electronically with Iran to formally reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the American blockade of Iranian ports. The official also claimed Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf signed the document on Tehran’s behalf. Trump “wanted to sign it personally because he wanted to show his dedication to the process and dedication to seeing this through to...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Last Tuesday (9 June), Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new campus on a slope site at the junction of Sheung Shing Street and Fat Kwong Street in Ho Man Tin, marking the official commencement of the new campus development project and a new chapter for both the University and the surrounding community. Positioned as “A Hub for Community Health and Wellness”, the new campus...

The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on Monday that the bloc has verified reports that China’s military has been “training Russian military personnel to fight in Ukraine”, a development that could deepen tensions between the two sides. Kallas, speaking after chairing a meeting of the EU’s 27 foreign ministers in Luxembourg, said that the EU was “carefully assessing the implications” of the assessment, adding that the ministers had agreed to sanction several Chinese entities...

A sample collected from a market in Hong Kong has tested positive for bird flu H9, days after a two-year-old boy who visited the venue contracted a mild strain of the infectious disease. But the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Monday that the risk of a serious bird flu outbreak was low. The boy, who lives in Sha Tin, became ill after visiting Wo Che Market in the district and was later confirmed to be infected with H9N2 avian influenza, the centre said. He was now in a stable...

The US-Iran peace deal is likely to bring immediate relief but not yet reassurance for Asia, as leaders across the region watch whether the Strait of Hormuz reopens, oil prices ease and the agreement can withstand the nuclear talks and geopolitical distrust still ahead, analysts say. The agreement, mediated by Pakistan and scheduled to be signed on Friday in Switzerland, is intended to end more than three months of war in the Gulf, halt the US blockade of Iran and reopen one of the world’s most...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni agreed on Monday to deepen cooperation in advanced technologies such as semiconductors and strengthen supply chains for critical minerals to bolster economic security while advancing defence ties. The two leaders also welcomed a preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran intended to end their war that triggered global oil supply disruptions, before their planned participation in a Group of Seven...

As plunging oil prices signal broad market optimism following an initial deal between the United States and Iran, attention has turned to whether Chinese firms sanctioned for Iran-related business will see immediate relief, though analysts remain cautious. “New purchases of Iranian oil ostensibly wouldn’t be subject to fresh sanctions, but at the same time, I imagine we won’t see a rush to lift existing sanctions on Chinese importers of Iranian oil,” said Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater...

A Polish doctor has been taken into custody after 34 human fetuses were found buried in the garden of her former home, the authorities said on Monday. Magdalena H. – a 57-year-old medical pathologist with no previous criminal record – is suspected of using the fetuses to perform experiments and now faces up to 12 years in prison. Her case has whipped up a storm in traditionally Catholic Poland, with many questioning how she managed to obtain the unborn babies’ bodies in a country with some of...

One of China’s largest defence contractors displayed a model of a drone assembly line at a leading international defence exhibition, hinting that the firm is planning to make more of the weapons overseas. The state-run North Industries Group Corporation (Norinco) displayed the model during this year’s Eurosatory, one of the world’s largest exhibitions of army weaponry, which is being held in Paris this week. The miniature depicted the manufacture of several Norinco drones, such as the BZK-005E...

Fox Corp is buying Roku in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about US$22 billion in a bet that pairing its sports and news programming with a top TV streaming platform ‌will strengthen its position as audiences shift online. The deal, announced on Monday, gives Fox access to the more than 100 million households using Roku’s streaming platform, potentially helping the cable TV-reliant media company better target ads and reduce reliance on traditional distribution. It is Fox’s first major...

The defacement of the National Bureau of Investigation’s website over the weekend marked an escalation in a wave of attacks on Philippine government pages, with the country’s main investigative agency becoming the third major state body in less than a week to have its site compromised. The incident followed similar attacks on the Senate’s website on Wednesday and the House of Representatives’ page on Saturday, raising questions about the government’s ability to protect even its own law...

In Thaksin Shinawatra’s hometown outside Chiang Mai, neighbours say they hope the royal pardon gifted to the tycoon offers Thailand’s most loved – and quite possibly, most loathed – politician a chance to exit the kingdom’s bear-pit politics ahead of his 77th birthday. But after eight months in jail, a coup against his government, a battery of legal cases, threats to his family, assets – and even his life – those hitched to the Shinawatra bandwagon since Thaksin won his first election in 2001...

Beijing’s long-standing efforts to reinvigorate the domestic economy continue to face headwinds, as the latest credit data points to persistently sluggish consumption and weak investment across China, with the tech sector standing out as a lone bright spot amid the central government’s push for innovation to reduce external reliance. New bank loans totalled 520 billion yuan (US$77 billion) in May, according to People’s Bank of China data released on Friday. The figure trailed the 620 billion...

Japan is falling into a trap in defending its currency against the US dollar, like Thailand in 1996. Japan’s large forex reserves make the yen a juicy target, rather than deterring currency predators. Its fundamentals are weak and deteriorating, making the yen’s further decline inevitable. Japan can’t raise interest rates aggressively to defend its currency due to its high national debt. It could fall into an inflation-devaluation spiral, greatly profiting yen short-sellers. The yen is trading...

A Hong Kong court has awarded HK$6.29 million (US$802,698) in damages to a dancer left paralysed after being struck by a falling giant screen during a concert by Cantopop boy band Mirror four years ago. In a written judgment on Monday, the District Court ruled that Mo Li Kai-yin was entitled to substantial damages from his employer, Studiodanz, under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance after suffering from “catastrophic” injuries in the accident at Hong Kong Coliseum on July 28, 2022. Judge...

Two men were convicted on Monday of a plot last year to set fire to property linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The fires in May 2025 damaged the home Starmer moved out of when he became prime minister, as well as an apartment building he once owned a share of and destroyed his former Toyota SUV. Nobody was injured in the blazes. Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Stanislav Carpiuc, a 27-year-old Romanian citizen, were found guilty of a conspiracy to damage property by...

The announcement of an impending Iran deal could not have been a better birthday gift for President Donald Trump – but celebrations could be short-lived if fragile details of the agreement fail to hold. Obstacles will not be easy to overcome, Chinese observers say. Any lasting framework must navigate uncertainties around the fate of Iran’s nuclear programme under its new regime, the mechanisms of sanction relief for Tehran and a rattled Israel, which has vowed to remove what Prime Minister...

China has achieved a breakthrough in production of an ultra-pure form of silicon, a critical material needed to build silicon-based quantum computers, as Beijing accelerates its drive to cut reliance on foreign technology in strategic areas. State-owned nuclear giant China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said on Monday that one of its research institutes had successfully mass-produced a high-purity silicon-28 isotope with an isotopic abundance above 99.99 per cent. The achievement marked...

China’s official military newspaper has warned of an arms race over low-Earth satellites, citing developments such as SpaceX’s latest contract with the US Space Force. Low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations typically operate at 300km to 1,500km (185-930 miles) above the Earth and are becoming increasingly important in areas such as communications and satellite navigation. But in a series of articles covering a full page on Monday, PLA Daily warned: “The era of the militarised application of...

US President Donald Trump threatened to slap a 100 per cent tariff on French wine and champagne unless Paris removes a digital services tax on tech firms, the New York Post reported on Monday. France imposed in 2019 a three per cent levy on the revenues earned by technology firms – including American giants such as Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google parent Alphabet – within the country’s borders. French President Emmanuel Macron is due to host Trump on Monday before the G7 summit gets underway...

Britain will ban children under 16 from using a range of social media apps including Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube to protect young people from harmful content and excessive screen time, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday. Starmer told a news conference that he will fight back if technology companies resist the move, and acknowledged some teens would try to find their way around a ban. But he said he is “not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children”. “Every...

A domestic helper who admitted to slapping her employer’s eight-year-old daughter while serving dinner was given a three-year bind-over order by a Hong Kong court on condition of good behaviour after an assault charge against her was dropped. Eastern Court on Monday heard that Linne Pramis Pesimo, 48, slapped the girl once as she refused to eat her meal on March 20. The girl’s mother, a single parent, was resting in a bedroom at their Wan Chai home at the time of the assault. After being hit,...

Hong Kong transport authorities will “actively explore” the secure storage of ride-hailing data ahead of new regulations for the industry due to take effect in August, as part of efforts to ensure compliance with national security requirements. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Monday stopped short of revealing whether data about users collected by ride-hailing platforms in Hong Kong would be required to be kept in the city, but stressed the importance of privacy and...

A Chinese ban on German chip giant Infineon Technologies selling gallium nitride (GaN) products in mainland China triggered a spike in domestic semiconductor stocks on Monday, as the landmark patent dispute was expected to reshape the country’s “third-generation” chip sector. A decision by China’s Supreme People’s Court on Friday upheld a lower court’s injunction issued against the German company in May, according to a statement released by domestic rival Innoscience. The lower court found that...

Chen Ailian, who has been dubbed as China’s Wheel Queen with a net worth of 11 billion yuan (US$1.6 billion), has trended on mainland social media as an encouraging role model. Four decades ago, she defied gender stereotypes by driving a tractor. As her enterprise in the east of the country grew into a success, Chen rewarded her key employees with 100 BMW cars, the news portal Sina.com reported. The Zhejiang-based Wanfeng Auto Holding Group, founded by Chen, is the global No 1 manufacturer of...

The Hong Kong government has appointed a former deputy police commissioner to lead the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. Albert Yuen Yuk-kin would lead the department following his retirement from the force, where over 37 years he rose to the rank of deputy commissioner of operations, the government said on Monday. The department post is one of two high-level official positions filled through an open recruitment announced in February. Along with the director of information services...

The United States and Iran are set to sign an interim peace deal on Friday that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and potentially end a nearly four-month-long conflict that has killed thousands and upended the global economy. “The deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” US President Donald Trump said on social media on Sunday, which was also his 80th birthday. “I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz” along with the “immediate removal” of the US...

Three years after its maiden commercial flight as China’s flagship civilian airliner, the C919 is entering a pivotal maintenance phase, with jets across the series being progressively grounded for rigorous inspections. The results of these safety-focused “C-checks” are expected to play a role in convincing European aviation regulators of the aircraft’s long-term airworthiness. State-owned carrier China Southern Airlines finished the first C-check of its C919 fleet at the end of May. The process...

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr did not dwell on warships or water cannons when he rose to speak at the country’s Independence Day celebrations on Friday. Instead, he signalled a new strategy in broaching the topic of the South China Sea: recasting the waterway not as an arena of territorial disputes, but rather as a shared vulnerability. In doing so, analysts say he may have found a way to keep China’s behaviour in the regional conversation without triggering direct confrontation...

A Hong Kong court has issued an arrest warrant for a British tourist who allegedly jumped bail after being charged with vandalising self-check-in kiosks at the city’s airport earlier this year. Youcef Bennoui, 35, failed to appear at West Kowloon Court on Monday to answer charges of criminal damage and possession of a Part 1 poison in connection with the disturbance he allegedly caused at Hong Kong International Airport in the early hours of February 16. Prosecutors told the court that Bennoui,...

Why do some governments consistently turn long-term goals into visible results while others struggle to move beyond policy announcements? The answer often lies not in ideology and planning but in governance: the ability to identify priorities, coordinate action and sustain implementation. As the Hong Kong government begins a public consultation on its first five-year plan, that question deserves careful attention. The city is not short of ideas, research and innovative policy proposals. Yet some...

The Hong Kong government has said it is open to making a controversial labour importation scheme permanent, with tighter hiring rules for the catering industry and stiffer penalties for non-compliant employers to take effect on Tuesday. Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui Chark-shum said on Monday that the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS), launched in September 2023 for 26 low-skilled job categories, would be amended following an extensive review and remain in effect. “Have we made the...

By many historical accounts, the Ming dynasty’s doom was sealed when Li Zicheng, the leader of a peasant rebel army, invaded Beijing in 1644. Less than 24 hours after the rebel forces breached Beijing’s inner defences, Chongzhen, the Ming dynasty’s emperor, hanged himself on Jing Hill behind the Forbidden City. The moment marked the end of 276 years of Ming rule. The Ming dynasty’s eunuch dictatorship, factionalism among civil officials, devastating peasant uprisings and the rise of the Manchus...

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has urged hotels and online booking platforms to clearly outline their responsibilities in cases of reservation changes or refunds, after general complaints neared an annual average of 1,000 over the past three years. The Consumer Council also said on Monday that it had received 3,346 complaints about lodgings in the city since 2023, with 2,670 coming from non-local travellers. For the larger figure, about 58 per cent involved the termination and amendment of...

A new shelter for distressed Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong is ready but awaiting official approval to open, with the Philippines’ labour minister describing the Tai Po villa as “bigger, better and more comfortable” than its predecessor. Hans Leo J. Cacdac, secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers, told the South China Morning Post that the new shelter was ready, while the labour attaché at the Philippine consulate, Cesar L. Chavez Jnr, provided further details. Cacdac made a brief...

A stone’s throw from the barbed wire and minefields that separate the two Koreas, thousands gathered for a music festival this weekend to sing about peace in a place synonymous with conflict. The DMZ Peace Train Music Festival, named after the demilitarised zone that has separated the neighbours for seven decades, gathered artists and fans from around the world. It was the seventh instalment since the inaugural festival was held in 2018 under the slogan: “Let’s dance for a world without...

The stepson of Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon was found guilty of two counts of rape, one count of domestic violence and other crimes and sentenced to four years in prison, after a seven-week trial that has further dented the royal family’s once picture-perfect image. Oslo District Court ruled that 29-year-old Marius Borg Hoiby, who joined the royal family when ‌his mother Mette-Marit married Haakon in 2001, was guilty of two counts of rape including one in the basement of the crown prince’s...

A Mexican man who led an engineering guild has apologised after losing his position over a video showing him making a racist gesture at a South Korean fan during a World Cup match in Guadalajara. Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes came under fire after he was seen pulling at the corners of his eyes – a gesture derogatory towards people of Asian descent – in a video posted by South Korean influencer Yoon Su-jin. Yoon, a YouTuber whose creator handle is InoCat, captured Bernal, who was wearing...

For much of Malaysia’s post-independence history, Malay voters largely faced a binary choice: Umno, the oldest Malay nationalist political party that governed the country for more than six decades until 2018, or the Islamist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). But with two state elections fast approaching, a bevy of breakaway parties flying variations of the same nationalist flag are all chasing those same 13 million or so Malay votes. The newest entrant arrived on Saturday, when former home...

Hong Kong developer Lai Sun Development, chaired by businessman Peter Lam Kin-ngok, who also chairs the city’s Tourism Board, has launched an exchange offer for its outstanding US$493 million worth of 5 per cent guaranteed notes due July 2026, in an effort to relieve short-term liquidity pressures, the company said Monday in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange. Eligible noteholders can swap their existing holdings for new, US dollar-denominated senior guaranteed notes carrying an 8 per cent...

Police shot and killed an Australian child in eastern Pakistan, authorities said, with Canberra calling on Monday for an investigation into the incident that also wounded two of the girl’s family members. Police in Pakistan’s most populous eastern province, Punjab, said that officers responding to a robbery exchanged fire with the suspects who were holding the passengers of a family’s car at gunpoint on Wednesday. “In the ensuing chaos, the officer involved mistakenly assessed that the suspects...

The United States, Iran and their mediator Pakistan each announced on Sunday that Washington and Tehran had reached an agreement intended to end the conflict between them that has lasted more than 100 days. Writing on social media on Sunday, US President Donald Trump stated: “This Great Deal will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region.” Representatives for the warring countries said they would formally sign a document in Switzerland on Friday that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council...

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong’s weather will remain unstable in the coming days before turning bright on Friday for the Dragon Boat Festival and into the weekend, according to the Observatory. The forecaster said that under the influence of an active southwest monsoon and a trough of low pressure, showers would be heavy at times on Tuesday. “The weather is expected to remain...

A Chinese man climbed out of his 27th-floor flat after eating self-cooked jianshouqing mushrooms at home and having hallucinations. The man, surnamed Xue, from southwestern China’s Yunnan province, said he believed his family was inviting him to “train himself to cross the tribulation and attain immortality”, a practice often seen in Chinese fantasy novels. Xue said he unconsciously clambered out of the window of his flat and climbed down a water pipe, scratching his belly as he did so. Luckily,...

A 21-year-old woman who died in dramatic fashion, when two rope jumping instructors threw her from a bridge without first harnessing her to security equipment, was buried on Sunday in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state. Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was going rope jumping on Saturday at Ponte do Esqueleto, an abandoned bridge in the municipality of Limeira where tourists practice extreme sports. The young woman, who aspired to become a physical education teacher, had asked to be launched from the...

Hong Kong aims to publish its first five-year blueprint in the third quarter of this year, the city’s constitutional affairs chief has said, as authorities began a public consultation and rejected concerns that the move signalled a shift towards a planned economy. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Janice Tse Siu-wa launched the two-month consultation on Monday, unveiling a 32-page overview that listed the Northern Metropolis megaproject as the first of six core sections. Tse...

The Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Gaza war has surpassed 73,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, as Israeli military operations continue despite a stalled and fragile ceasefire in place since October. Israel says it is targeting Hamas and other militants who pose a threat, and in response to ceasefire violations, including occasional attacks. Nearly 1,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the ceasefire, the health ministry said on Sunday. Five Israeli soldiers have...

Complaints about Hong Kong claw machine operators have skyrocketed by more than 760 per cent over the past three years, driven by anger over reportedly misleading displays, rigged settings and poor-quality prizes, the city’s consumer watchdog has said. Figures shared by the Consumer Council on Monday showed that the number of reported grievances involving claw machines had risen from 16 in 2023 to 49 in 2024, before surging to 138 last year. Council chief executive Alaina Shum Jiu-fai said the...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 5. How to say ‘tomato sauce’ in Cantonese? Miss Hong Kong hopeful sparks debate 2. Chinese team flags life-threatening weakness in Nasa’s Artemis programme 3. Hong Kong intern doctor released on bail, returns to hospital amid police probe 4. China’s universities cut 12,000 ‘obsolete’ degrees amid...

Starbucks stores across South Korea will close for half a day next week for staff to attend a history lesson following a promotional campaign gone awry, the coffee giant said on Monday. Starbucks Korea, with more than 2,000 stores nationwide, found itself embroiled in public uproar last month when it ran a “Tank Day” promotion evoking a deadly military crackdown on a 1980 pro-democracy uprising. The day of the reusable cup promotion – May 18 – coincided with the 46th anniversary of the Gwangju...

Four people have been arrested in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor after videos circulating online appeared to show an Indonesian domestic worker being slapped, punched and verbally abused inside a private home. The footage has renewed concerns about the treatment of Indonesian helpers in Malaysia – where about 60,000 are registered to work in private homes – and prompted calls for Jakarta to intervene. Two sisters and their husbands, aged 30 to 34, were arrested at a house in Taman Johor,...

The Strait of Hormuz was still largely devoid of shipping traffic in the hours following the announcement of a US-Iran peace deal, as analysts warned it remained uncertain how and when normal operations along the waterway would be restored. The only vessel moving in the strait on Monday morning was broadcasting its status as a patrol ship, according to data from vessel tracking platform MarineTraffic, as hundreds of commercial ships remained stranded in the region. A liquefied natural gas tanker...

This article was published on June 13, 1991. Thousands evacuated after massive explosion in Philippines Volcano’s plume soars 25km by Michael Bociurkiw in San Narciso Theresita Santiago and her neighbours dealt with the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines yesterday (June 12, 1991) the only way they could: they grabbed their children and a few belongings and walked 20 kilometres to sanctuary in Olongapo City. “I’m feeling very nervous right now,” Mrs Santiago said, as her...

Japan fans left the stands spotless after their World Cup opener against the Netherlands in Texas on Sunday, saying it was “Japanese culture” to tidy up after themselves. Spectators stayed behind after the 2-2 draw to make sure they left the stadium as they found it, meticulously picking up litter and stuffing it into blue plastic bags. It was a habit first learned at primary school, Japan fan Eita Tanaka said. “We have to think about everyone. Japanese people think that when we use a certain...

Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs will visit the city on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a check on the progress of the Northern Metropolis as part of his itinerary, while sources say the chief executive will join him as he looks into a cross-border technology cooperation platform. The Hong Kong government announced on Monday morning that Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, would be visiting the city for two days. “[Xia will] inspect Hong Kong’s...

Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine’s biggest cities in a nighttime bombardment that killed at least 11 people and set fire to a renowned religious site, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials said on Monday. The attacks on the capital, Kyiv, and the second-largest city, Kharkiv, came after Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke separately by phone with US President Donald Trump on Sunday. The exchange suggests Washington has not...

HSBC and its subsidiary Hang Seng Bank had resumed mobile phone service operations by early Monday afternoon after an outage in the morning locked customers out of their accounts for several hours. HSBC, the biggest lender in the city with over 7 million customers in Hong Kong, had its mobile banking service interrupted, with many customers complaining they could not log on to the system on Monday morning. More than 10 HSBC customers contacted the South China Morning Post, saying they were...

In China’s premier coal province Shanxi, a massive project that converts ultra-hard coal waste into high-value industrial materials has begun operations, bringing the country’s zero waste goal for the fossil fuel industry a step closer. The project – in Gaoping, a county-level city in Shanxi’s southeast – is producing 1,000 tonnes per day of building and industrial materials, including sand and gravel aggregates used in construction, according to the local government. In an article published in...

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said he is focused on accomplishing much more in the final year of his current term, which he described as a “long period for a lot of things to be achieved” as he shrugged off a question on seeking a second one. Alluding to the adage “a year is a long time in politics”, Lee deflected the question of extending his tenure for another five years and focused instead on what he saw as ensuring continuity in governance. He was “very positive” on the future of Hong...

I’m still reeling from last week’s tragedy in Hong Kong: a mother and her 12-year-old daughter lost their lives to suicide within hours of each other reportedly following an argument about “education problems”. While the causes of suicide are complex, the incident should prompt reflection within the education system. For years, many have tried to point out the impact academic pressure without adequate support has on students’ mental health. We have also noted the effect on teachers and parents....

The case of a seven-year-old Chinese boy who had to be sent to an intensive care unit (ICU) after drinking two iced drinks has triggered a heated online discussion. The boy from central China’s Henan province was admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University recently. He showed symptoms of stomachache and vomiting, and was diagnosed with acute volvulus, a bowel obstruction resulting from a loop of intestine twisting around itself and its supporting tissue. A doctor at the...

The Hong Kong government will conduct a consultation on its slew of pro-baby incentives amid persistently low birth rates, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said, noting that delayed marriage and cultural shifts are limiting the effectiveness of such policies. The number of registered births in Hong Kong hit a historic low of 31,100 in 2025, despite a range of government initiatives aimed at boosting the city’s fertility rate. The HK$20,000 (US$2,552) newborn baby bonus, introduced in 2023,...

The Abu Dhabi government is fast-tracking its push to extensively tap into China’s technologies, from renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs) to robotics, as it pursues a greener economy, according to its energy chief. Abdulla Humaid Al Jarwan, chairman of the Abu Dhabi department of energy, told the SCMP that his department was in talks with 22 Chinese firms, including Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL), during a recent visit to Shanghai, and expected a deepened tie-up with China’s...

Mariko was a teenager the day she found herself alone in a near-empty carriage with a man who sat across from her, exposed himself and began to masturbate. Terrified that fleeing or crying out might provoke something worse, she fixed her gaze elsewhere and waited for the next station. “There was nothing I could do,” said Mariko, now 33, who asked that her family name not be published. “I was terrified that he might attack me, so I kept quiet.” The memory has never entirely left her. It still...

The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) and Hong Kong’s bourse are actively engaging with mining companies in Kazakhstan to explore dual-listing opportunities in the city, following a groundbreaking case last year, the head of the Central Asian country’s special financial zone has said. AIFC governor Renat Bekturov also said several partnership agreements the body had signed with Hong Kong during Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s visit to Central Asia earlier this month marked an...

The United States and Iran have reached a deal to end their war and will hold an official signing ceremony on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on social media early on Monday. “The Deal with ‌the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform shortly after Sharif made his announcement. The agreement was struck despite an Israeli strike on Lebanon on Sunday that drew criticism from both Iran and...

US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Sunday that a landmark agreement has been reached with Iran to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz and end the US naval blockade. “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!” Trump posted on social media without providing any details of the agreement. “I hereby fully authorise the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorise the...

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent Pyongyang visit may ultimately be remembered as a turning point in the international debate over North Korea’s nuclear weapons. While most headlines focused on the visit’s timing and the many pledges made by the two leaders aimed at expanding cooperation, the most significant development may have been what was left unsaid. Throughout the visit, neither side publicly referenced the denuclearisation issue. On the contrary, Xi called for expanded cooperation in...

British anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson ⁠said he was ⁠detained at Heathrow ⁠Airport on Saturday and had his phone seized, after a week when he posted heavily online about racist and anti-immigrant riots in Northern Ireland. Robinson, whose real ‌name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said on social media he was held on Saturday evening for around three hours under the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act. “My phone has been seized by the police,” he wrote. “Please help ⁠kick off my legal fund...

A plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers planning to spend a sunny afternoon skydiving crashed on Sunday in Missouri, killing all aboard, authorities said. Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a statement that troopers were at the crash site, helping the Butler Police Department & Bates County Sheriff’s Office. The crash happened near Butler Memorial Airport. The small town of Butler has a population of around 4,300 people and is roughly 105km (65 miles) south of Kansas City. Missouri Highway...

US ⁠Senator Mitch McConnell was admitted to hospital on Sunday, his spokesman said, but there was no immediate information about why he was there or his prognosis. McConnell, 84, was the longest-serving Senate leader in history before stepping aside from that role while finishing his final term, which ends in January. “Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care,” spokesman David Popp said in a statement without elaboration. It was not immediately...

At least six people died in Brazil on Sunday after two helicopters collided in western Rio de Janeiro, firefighters said. The helicopters crashed into the car park of an electric car showroom, igniting a fire that engulfed at least 20 cars. A statement from firefighters said initial reports pointed to a mid-air collision, adding “six fatalities have been confirmed, all were crew members of the aircraft involved in the accident”. Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere said there were “foreign...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky each held phone calls with US President Donald Trump on Sunday, as Trump marked his 80th birthday and the war in Ukraine remained a flashpoint ahead of this week’s G7 summit. Putin’s call with Trump lasted just under an hour, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters. On Ukraine, Ushakov said Trump emphasised the need to end hostilities and stated his readiness to influence European...

China is capable of a direct missile strike on Australia and the threat is growing as Beijing amasses long-range and hypersonic weapons and builds islands in the South China Sea, an Australian think tank said on Sunday. A Lowy Institute report found the main threat to Australia was from Chinese missiles fired from ships, submarines and a new intermediate-range ballistic missile that could reach the island continent from China. China’s capacity to strike Australia would grow over the next decade...

Protesters in Geneva clashed with police, set a car on fire and smashed the windows of a bank on Sunday to show their discontent with the G7 group of major advanced economies on the eve of a summit in nearby France to be attended by the group’s leaders including US President Donald Trump. Environmentalists and feminists joined foes of imperialism, defenders of independent media, supporters of Palestinian rights and others in a lakeside park in Geneva for a march across the Swiss city. A boat...

US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged no further attacks by anyone after Israel’s military said it launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, potentially complicating efforts to finalise a deal to end the US-Iran war. As smoke rose over the Lebanese capital, Lebanese Civil Defense said it retrieved three bodies and six wounded people from the rubble. Iran threatened a military response, with the foreign ministry saying it holds the US directly responsible for Israel’s ceasefire...

Residents of a luxury home in Hong Kong have lost jewellery worth HK$751,000 after a break-in while they were dining downstairs. Police received a report of the break-in at 9.50pm on Saturday from a 69-year-old man, the owner of the two-storey house at Greenwood Terrace on Sui Wo Road in Fo Tan. He said his master bedroom had been broken into and a jewellery box pried open, with 10 necklaces, 15 rings and six brooches missing. The loss was estimated at about HK$751,000 (US$95,838). The man said...

A lightning strike at a Hong Kong swimming pool has prompted calls for mandatory closures of outdoor public venues during thundery weather and stronger protection measures. One day after the incident on Saturday, experts told the South China Morning Post that extra caution was needed at venues such as swimming pools because water was highly conductive and lightning-protection systems were not foolproof. On Saturday morning, while a thunderstorm warning was in force, lightning struck a diving...

In a packed auditorium steps from the Vatican, Roberto Vannacci – the former Italian army general known to supporters as ‘Il Generale’ – is rallying followers of his fledgling party, casting himself as an outsider while reshaping Italy’s right and challenging Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a close ally of US President Donald Trump. Vannacci’s fast-rising “Futuro Nazionale” party is injecting new uncertainty into the conservative bloc that has underpinned Meloni’s government, exposing tensions...

The Hong Kong Observatory issued an amber rainstorm warning on Sunday night and said that unsettled weather was expected to persist over the next few days. The warning was issued at 9.40pm, signalling that more than 30mm (1.2 inches) of rain had fallen or was expected to fall across the city within an hour. The alert also indicates that downpours are likely to continue. The Observatory said that under the influence of an active southwest monsoon and a trough of low pressure, unsettled weather...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hailed increasing defence cooperation with the UK during a meeting with her British counterpart Keir Starmer on Sunday, amid uncertainty about a new fighter jet programme. “The UK is a very important partner to Japan given the deepening of ties across a wide range of fields, including security and defence,” Takaichi said as she met with Starmer in London. “Given the GCAP project, I think we have reached a level that we can call a near-alliance,” she said,...

Taiwan has for the first time reported mainland Chinese law enforcement vessels near an island it controls in the South China Sea, a development experts say could form the basis of Beijing’s effective control in the waters. The move comes after Beijing accused Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party of inaction in the face of Japan-Philippines maritime delineation talks, which could concern exclusive economic zones claimed by Beijing and Taipei. Two mainland Chinese law enforcement ships –...

Although China has no team on the pitch at the 2026 World Cup, the country’s industrial and technological presence is dominating the tournament’s logistics in Mexico. China has bolstered Mexico’s capacity as a host country with railways and buses, as well as the tournament’s official footballs. And that support comes at a time when the Latin American country is navigating its relations with Beijing amid mounting pressure from Washington. Among the bigger-ticket items on a long list of support...

The Swiss appeared to have voted down a divisive anti-immigration proposal to cap the country’s population, early projections showed on Sunday. Shortly after polls closed at noon, initial projections from the GfS.bern institute indicated around 55 per cent opposition to the initiative, which had sparked warnings of “chaos” and devastating impacts for the Swiss economy and European Union relations. “We are very relieved and happy. This is an important result for our country and for our relations...

Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s flagship property developer CK Asset Holdings has sold a penthouse mansion at a luxury development in Mid-Levels in Central for HK$362 million (US$46.2 million), setting a per square foot price record for first-hand transactions this year. The 2,911 sq ft unit on the 20th floor of the second phase of 21 Borrett Road went for HK$124,356 per square foot via public tender, according to a statement from the developer on Sunday. The unit that was sold “boasts an...

Not long ago, China was the villain of choice in much of India’s public discourse. The 2020 Galwan Valley clashes, in which both sides lost soldiers in hand-to-hand combat over their disputed Himalayan border, changed Indian public sentiment almost overnight. From WeChat to TikTok, Chinese apps disappeared from Indian app stores. Investment rules tightened. Television debates grew more jingoistic after arch-rival Pakistan used Chinese-supplied jets and missiles in a three-day conflict with India...

Hundreds of Hong Kong basketball fans packed a Kowloon Bay cinema on Sunday to witness the New York Knicks secure their first NBA championship in 53 years, joined by seven-time ring winner Robert Horry as the franchise ended one of the longest title droughts in professional sports. Organised by the NBA, the watch party drew fans of both the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, who gathered for the 8.30am Hong Kong time tip-off knowing the series could be decided that morning. A Knicks victory...

A landlord and a tenant have been arrested after a rental dispute turned violent inside a subdivided flat in Hong Kong. Police received a report at about 11 a.m. on Sunday that a man had splashed suspected corrosive liquid on another man at a flat in a building on Prince Edward Road West near Portland Street in Mong Kok. Officers wearing shields rushed to the scene and found a 41-year-old landlord and his 42-year-old tenant scuffling over the lease, during which an unknown liquid was...

A Taiwanese sea search-and-rescue group has called on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to work together on maritime rescue drills. Yin Liu-sheng, secretary general of the Taiwan-based volunteer group Chinese Search and Rescue Association, said in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Sunday that “maritime search and rescue should remain completely above politics” and that Beijing and Taipei should cooperate “to ensure the safety of life and property of vessels navigating the Taiwan Strait”. “Maritime...

In the third of a six-part Health Matters wellness series on cancer in Hong Kong, Elizabeth Cheung looks into the rise in breast cancer cases among women, the changing reproductive and lifestyle patterns behind the trend and what it means for screening and early detection. After a prolonged battle with breast cancer, actress and former Miss Hong Kong Natalie Ng Man-yan died at the age of 51. Ng was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 and suffered a relapse in 2024, with the disease later...

British armed forces intercepted a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel on Sunday, for the first time leading an operation to disrupt the oil revenue ‌that helps fund Russia’s war in Ukraine. The vessel Smyrtos, sailing under the Cameroon flag, was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency (NCA) officials in the early hours on Sunday, with support from Chinook helicopters and other aircraft, a frigate and a minehunter. “This successful operation...

A materials scientist whose career took him from rural China to California is heading for a post in Macau after 30 years in the United States. According to the University of Macau’s website, Pei Qibing has been appointed chair professor and director of the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering. Pei, an emeritus professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, began his studies in a very different world, attending a small rural school on an island in the Yangtze River in...

A powerful earthquake that killed at least 61 people in the Philippines this week raised the seabed by as much as two metres (6.6 feet), exposing coral and harming marine life, the environment department said on Sunday. The 7.8-magnitude tremor in southern Mindanao island on Monday has also left at least 40 people missing, according to updated tolls from the disaster agency. Local residents first reported the geological phenomenon known as “coastal uplift” two days after the quake, which...

Securing health insurance for her autistic son in Hong Kong proved distressing for homemaker Sarah*. The 50-year-old said she approached several insurance companies over about three months, but none could assure her that her son, now 18, would be eligible for cover because of his condition. Sarah added that the uncertainty and frustration made her hesitant to apply, fearing a rejection by a major insurer could trigger blanket refusals from others. “There are so many families in Hong Kong with...

Two Chinese football fans were carjacked shortly after arriving in Mexico to watch the World Cup. The Chinese embassy said one suspect had been arrested while the two victims had returned to China on Friday after less than 48 hours in the country. State news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday that the two men, identified only by their surnames Wang and Li, had landed at Mexico City International Airport on Wednesday evening. Two masked motorbike riders held up their car at gunpoint near the...

Two big issues are bubbling up over Hong Kong’s army of foreign domestic helpers. The whole community will have to sit down and decide how to address them. The first is the availability of places for helpers to congregate safely and freely on their days off without putting too much stress on public facilities, other residents and tourists. The second is figuring out how to provide an acceptable working environment inside the home during hot summer months. Two underlying trends are adding to the...

Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong have launched a month-long fundraising campaign to support families affected by a recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake in the southern Philippines, with organisers saying food, drinking water and medicine are urgently needed. Representatives from the Abra Tingguian Ilocano Society were collecting donations at various locations on Sunday, including outside City Hall in Central, aiming to raise at least HK$20,000 (US$2,550) for affected communities, particularly...

Hong Kong’s older office assets and their struggling landlords could face more challenges as the wider adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) by firms in the city leads companies to relocate to newer buildings that better support their requirements, according to real estate consultancy Knight Frank. AI is poised to usher in more changes in Hong Kong’s commercial office space, and landlords may have to act fast to either refurbish their assets or convert them for new uses, said Lee Elliott,...

The sudden viral rise of India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical movement seeking to push young Indians from online protest into politics, has fuelled speculation that it could mark the start of broader youth-led unrest, similar to the uprisings that shook Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. But while political analysts say the party reflects a deep undercurrent of anger among young Indians, they argue it is unlikely for now to become a mass movement on that scale because it has yet to...

An 18-year-old boy in central China knelt and kowtowed to his adoptive mother after completing the gaokao, thanking her for years of devotion that helped fund his medical treatment. From June 7 to 9, more than 12.9 million candidates sat China’s fiercely competitive national college entrance examination, or gaokao. Among them was Lele, from Xiangyang in Hubei province. Outside the exam venue, his adoptive mother, Ye Huanzhi, waited in a red qipao dress, holding sunflowers and his favourite...

In April, a family from the United Arab Emirates – four adults, three children and a nanny – spent about 300,000 yuan (US$44,228) on a seven-day educational and business tour to China. The trip was nearly cancelled as the Iran war repeatedly disrupted their flights and travel plans, but they eventually arrived in Shanghai. “Their willingness to make the trip was unwavering,” said Lilian Liu at Middle East-focused tour operator UFOX Travel, who hosted the family. Such clients barely existed a few...

The drowning of two university basketball players in the Philippines has raised concerns about the extreme training conditions and pressures surrounding student athletes in the country’s highly commercialised collegiate sports industry. Incoming rookie player Rene Baterbonia, 19, and Nigerian student-athlete Divine Adili, 21, died on Monday during a school-sanctioned “team-building activity” in Dipaculao, Aurora, on the east coast of Luzon island. Both played for the Blue Eagles of Ateneo de...

Hong Kong’s first astronaut is expected to chat with residents from the lofty heights of the Tiangong space station in the next two months, the city’s technology minister has said. Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong also said on Sunday that Hong Kong could formulate a new strategy to better align with the country’s aerospace development. “I hope that within the next month or two, we can arrange a public dialogue with Lai Ka-ying,” he told a radio programme, referring to...

Hong Kong’s first five-year plan will map out ways to tackle the city’s shortcomings, improve residents’ lives and create better jobs, including through leveraging AI, the finance chief has said ahead of a public consultation on the blueprint. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday that a key task for the plan would be upgrading and transforming the city’s economy, while also vowing to make the Northern Metropolis a “spatial carrier” for emerging and future industries. “Hong Kong’s...

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis will adopt a multi-focused strategy to drive advances in technology, industry and education, while helping the city overcome its bottleneck in talent attraction. Lee also said that the megaproject would need early success stories to attract mainland Chinese and international investors, with the Hetao cooperation zone set to be the first such successful draw. Spanning about 30,000 hectares (74,130 acres) near the border...

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pushed for stronger cross-border transport and trade ties during a visit to Mongolia over the weekend as Beijing sought to anchor the country’s newly formed government within its economic orbit. “China’s policy towards Mongolia maintains stability and continuity, and has always placed the development of bilateral relations in an important position in its neighbourhood diplomacy,” Wang said during a meeting with President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on Saturday. “China...

South Korean first lady Kim Hea-kyung remains largely out of the spotlight one year into President Lee Jae Myung’s administration, adopting a low-key public role that contrasts sharply with the high-profile approach of her predecessor, Kim Keon-hee. Kim Hea-kyung has limited her public appearances and stayed away from political issues – a strategy political observers describe as prudent, given that presidential spouses, despite holding no official constitutional role, can shape public...

A four-month-old baby has died after being discovered unconscious at a home in Hong Kong, prompting police to open an investigation. The force said on Sunday that it received a report from the boy’s father at 7.15am, who said the baby was found unconscious in bed at their flat in Tin Shui Wai’s Tin Chung Court. The baby was rushed to Tin Shui Wai Hospital but was later certified dead. Police said they were investigating the cause of the boy’s death.

In the contest for influence in Southeast Asia, the United States and China agree on one thing: the region is indispensable. Yet beneath the flurry of high-level summits lies a quieter divergence in how each cultivates knowledge about the region. The US is hollowing out the university-based programmes that have long trained its students in Southeast Asian languages, history and politics. China, conversely, is elevating area studies into a top-tier, state-backed academic field. Beyond a shift in...

Western allies believe Iran has most likely added new-build Russian weapons to its inventory and reconstituted large swathes of its missile arsenal during the eight-week ceasefire, giving the Islamic Republic the firepower to strike back at nearly full strength if hostilities resume. Tehran has about three-quarters of the munitions it had before the war and can easily build it up further, according to intelligence assessments. That includes unspecified Russian missiles that probably came off the...

Hong Kong authorities have hit out at The Washington Post for making “groundless allegations” about amendments to the city’s home-grown national security law in an editorial, while stressing that foreign businesses have no cause for concern. The government issued a statement late on Saturday night in response to the American newspaper’s piece titled “Hong Kong’s nightmare gets darker”. The editorial described as “repressive” the introduction of a mechanism under the Safeguarding National...

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to push for “further reforms” despite geopolitical risks in the final year of his current term, citing how he had steered Hong Kong through a sustained period of economic growth since taking over in 2022. Noting how the economy had rebounded strongly, the city leader also said that Hong Kong’s first five-year plan would secure policy continuity while making sure the government’s “attention, energy and resources” would be aligned with national and...

The Chinese legal system is grappling with a surge of artificial intelligence cases, but experts have warned that the lack of a unified legislative framework is hampering efforts to tackle the problem. In a recent landmark case, a court in the eastern city of Hangzhou ruled against a tech company that had fired one of its workers after he refused to accept a demotion and pay cut, with the company telling him he could be replaced by AI. The worker had been employed by a fintech firm to evaluate...

It was a gesture that was equal parts diplomacy and theatre: Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul coaxing a melody out of a traditional Vietnamese t’rung xylophone at a Hanoi state banquet on Monday. The real music, however, had been made in the meeting rooms. Two days of talks between Anutin and his Vietnamese hosts produced a pledge to nearly double bilateral trade to US$25 billion within four years – and eventually to double it again. Supply chains would be stitched together across...

Donald Trump celebrates his 80th birthday in a typically forceful style on Sunday, as the oldest US president ever to take office holds a bloody cage match on the White House lawn. The unprecedented “UFC Freedom 250” event will see 14 Ultimate Fighting Championship stars beat each other to a pulp in a giant arena called The Claw. Costing US$60 million, it is linked to this year’s festivities for the 250th anniversary of US independence, but it also happens to fall on the day that Trump enters...

What began as an internal personnel dispute at the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation has evolved into an increasingly bitter and publicly fought battle that is engulfing the former Taiwanese leader whose political legacy it is meant to preserve. Allegations of financial misconduct at Ma’s foundation have spiralled into criminal complaints, publicly traded accusations among long-time allies and an unprecedented intervention by his family. The dispute has also raised broader questions about Ma’s health,...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s latest message of reassurance to Russian President Vladimir Putin, coming shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pyongyang, constitutes a form of strategic hedging, according to observers. The letter suggested that Pyongyang-Moscow ties were evolving beyond a largely transactional relationship into a firm military alliance, even as North Korea sought to rekindle its traditional “blood alliance” with China, they said. In a congratulatory message...

The recent enactment of a subsidiary legislation in Hong Kong regarding the appropriate procedure to be followed in cases of non-national security offences involving national security considerations not surprisingly spurred some to revisit the chief executive’s power, granted under the national security law in 2020, to issue a certificate as to whether an act involves issues of national security. That some people express concern that such an important task is left to the executive and not the...

Hong Kong is determined to expand into new markets while consolidating ties with traditional partners and “will not give up any markets” despite geopolitical pressures, the city leader has said. In an interview with the South China Morning Post reviewing his past four years in office, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the United States remained an important market for Hong Kong despite volatile relations between Beijing and Washington, while also stressing the interactions would mostly be...

A Shanghai man who wanted to gain weight spent 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) on online health products he thought would do the job only to end up losing 6.5kg in a month. The man, surnamed Liu, has trended on mainland social media after his experience was reported by the Shanghai Morning Post. Liu, a truck driver, who is 1.78m tall and weighs 63kg, always thought he was too thin. In March, he saw the social media account of an influencer surnamed Chen who shared her knowledge about helping people put...

Indonesia sits at the confluence of the world’s busiest sea lanes. Its coastline stretches nearly 55,000km (34,000 miles) and its waters encompass the Malacca and Lombok straits, chokepoints through which trillions of US dollars in global trade pass annually. Yet for years the nation’s navy has lacked the subsurface awareness to monitor, let alone counter, what moves beneath the waves. Japan intends to change that. Tokyo confirmed on June 5 that the two countries had agreed to begin formal talks...

Geely Auto, which is locked in a fierce battle for dominance against BYD in China’s crowded automotive market, has pledged to purge excess capacity through an asset restructuring while ramping up its go-global drive with an eye on greater international competitiveness. Chairman Li Shufu said during the Chongqing Auto Show on Friday that the Hong Kong-listed carmaker would assess the oversupply of capacity across all units to determine whether to close, suspend, merge or sell redundant production...

The Tren de Aragua leader killed in a US-Venezuelan raid was a high school dropout who lived in comfort behind bars as he transformed a prison gang into one of the most powerful and extensive criminal organisations in Latin America. Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias Nino Guerrero, or “child warrior”, died at the age of 42 in a raid announced on Friday by US President Donald Trump and later confirmed by Venezuela. Founded in Venezuela in 2014, Tren de Aragua has been designated a...

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he planned to appoint James McDonald as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the federal prosecutor whose office handles many of the most high-profile cases involving Wall Street. McDonald would replace Jay Clayton, whom Trump nominated as US director of national intelligence less than two weeks after a congressional backlash against his interim appointee, housing official Bill Pulte. Trump had tapped Pulte after Tulsi Gabbard, the...

In less than two months, the indie film Dear You has become an unlikely mass hit. Shot in the Teochew language from the Chaoshan region of southern China’s Guangdong province, the movie follows a man uncovering his family’s past by tracing remittance letters sent home from Thailand. As he pieces together his grandfather’s life story, the movie also explores Chinese migration to the region and the diaspora’s struggle to preserve its heritage. In one scene, an elderly schoolmaster risks arrest in...