A Hong Kong court has awarded more than HK$251,000 to the family of a domestic helper who was dismissed by her employer in 2019 after being diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer and later died.
The years-long legal battle involving the late helper, Baby Jane Allas, came to an end on Friday when the District Court ordered her former employer, Jamil Bushra, to pay damages. Bushra had fired Allas in February 2019 while she was on medical leave.
Bushra, who was absent throughout the…
Attacks on Chinese citizens and businesses in sub-Saharan Africa tend to increase in the years following a rise in Chinese investment, according to a new study by researchers at the School of Overseas Security and Protection at the Chinese People’s Police University.
However, the authors stressed that the findings should not be interpreted as evidence that Chinese investment itself caused violence.
They argued that Chinese investment was often concentrated in resource-rich but politically...
Expectant mothers in Hong Kong requiring government antenatal services will only need to visit public hospitals, rather than maternal and child health centres, under a change taking effect on Monday.
Health authorities announced on Friday that antenatal services currently provided by maternal and child health centres, managed by the Department of Health, will be transferred to public hospitals under the Hospital Authority.
“After the service integration, the obstetrics department of the…
China told the European Union that it is willing to increase purchases of EU goods to help pare a massive trade gap, potentially easing the risk of a trade war.
Commerce Minister Wang Wentao suggested that China is open to purchase agreements covering European goods in trade talks this week with EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic, the South China Morning Post reported, citing unidentified people briefed on the discussions. Lower tariffs on EU imports were also discussed (see trade talks joint...
Average training hours per employee in Hong Kong hit a 14-year high as local companies pushed for technology adoption and workforce upskilling, a new survey released on Friday showed.
According to the 2025-26 survey on workforce development needs conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management, the average annual training hours per employee reached 19.4 hours in 2025.
This represented a 6.8 per cent increase from 18.1 hours in 2024, marking the second consecutive year of…
Johor’s caretaker chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi has criticised Malaysia’s federal government for delays in the launch of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) master plan, arguing that it is needed to sustain the initiative’s momentum.
In response, Economic Minister Akmal Nasir, who oversees the project at the federal level, has maintained that the government remains committed to the project’s success and the delays have not affected the JS-SEZ as investor numbers have remained...
Hong Kong’s top ministers and other political appointees have received a 1.3 per cent pay rise, authorities have confirmed, after the government announced in June that civil servants would get a 2 per cent salary bump.
In a reply to the South China Morning Post, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said on Friday that the decision was based on recommendations of an independent commission tasked with reviewing the salaries of politically appointed officials, lawmakers and the…
Experts agree that humans can only comfortably survive in the thermoneutral zone, a surprisingly narrow Goldilocks range between 17 and 24 degrees Celsius. This gives us a problem as climate change pushes up summer temperatures alarmingly, resulting in record heatwaves around the world.
Already, about 12 per cent of the Earth’s land area is uninhabitable due to deadly climate conditions. This is set to rise to over 45 per cent by 2100, with at least 44 per cent of the world’s population…
Groups of Hong Kong students on Friday had a lesson aboard two PLA Navy warships moored at Stonecutters Island’s Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks on Friday.
They toured guided-missile destroyer Nanning and guided-missile frigate Hengyang, which arrived for a five-day port call that started on Thursday.
The port call marked the 29th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty on July 1.
Pui Kiu College student Jas Xu said stepping into the ship cabins and observing the interior weapon...
Chinese tea chain Molly Tea has been ordered to pay Louis Vuitton 10.3 million yuan (US$1.5 million) in damages for the unauthorised use of a logo similar to the French luxury brand’s four-petalled floral monogram.
The Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, ruled this week that Shenzhen-based Molly Tea must pay the amount within 10 days.
It said the compensation in the trademark infringement lawsuit included 10 million yuan for economic losses and 300,000…
The body of Iran’s supreme leader, killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of his funeral, state media reported.
Millions of people and a coterie of foreign dignitaries were expected to attend Saturday’s official ceremony for Ali Khamenei, with Tehran’s chief negotiator calling for a massive turnout to avenge his death.
Photos showed mourners carrying Khamenei’s coffin, emblazoned with Iran’s tricolour flag, into the...
Unitree Robotics has secured approval from China’s securities regulator for a Shanghai initial public offering that is poised to set a valuation benchmark for China’s sizzling embodied AI sector.
The nod from the China Securities Regulatory Commission came about a month after the Hangzhou-based company cleared a review by the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s listing committee. Unitree is now finalising its underwriting plan, pricing and share subscriptions for a potential debut as early as late...
A corruption investigation into Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meals programme has widened after prosecutors named an active police brigadier general as a suspect and referred a case involving a military officer to the country’s military crimes unit.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) on Thursday identified Lalu Muhammad Iwan Mahardan, a police brigadier general who serves as deputy secretary for promotion and cooperation at the National Nutrition Agency, as the…
Germany’s ruling coalition has pledged to take a tougher line on defending trade at the continental level, signalling a potential shift by a country long seen as the European Union’s main brake on stronger action against China.
The pledge formed part of a 34-point package to revive Germany’s ailing economy that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition agreed to on Thursday. While the document did not mention China, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said the government was adopting a...
Following a surge in bear attacks in Japan, people are arming themselves with sprays while authorities have started installing cameras in mountainous areas in the north to monitor the animals.
However, a recent effort to stay safe backfired, resulting in five people injured – not by bears but by the spray after it was accidentally discharged in a post office in Nagoya on Wednesday.
Vietnamese national Huynh Nhat Duy, 22, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of obstruction of business for his...
Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday rejected allegations that her government reacted too slowly to destruction caused by two earthquakes which killed more than 2,000 people, after days of widespread criticism of the official response.
Civilians of all stripes - including survivors, family members, volunteer paramedics and foreign rescue teams - have descended on disaster areas, especially the hardest-hit northern state of La Guaira, since the 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude…
Two Hong Kong men convicted of violating the Beijing-decreed national security law have said they joined a pro-independence group either to obtain asylum in Canada or “out of curiosity”.
Courier Chan Tai-sum, 27, and waiter Ng Chi-tung, 25, pleaded guilty in the District Court on Friday to conspiracy to commit secession for their involvement with Taiwan-based Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union between November 2024 and July last year.
Defence lawyers said the pair were both diagnosed…
China has issued a legal warning to Japan and the Philippines over their planned maritime border talks, calling the move “internationally wrongful” and saying it had the right to hold both nations accountable.
It is the latest protest from Beijing after Manila and Tokyo agreed in May to launch formal negotiations to delimit the maritime boundary of the exclusive economic zones and continental shelf between the two countries, which overlap with areas claimed by China.
“The announcement,...
A superstitious man in central China suffered a retinal detachment after repeatedly slapping his twitching right eyelid, fearing it was an omen of misfortune.
The belief stems from a popular Chinese saying: “A twitching left eye brings wealth, while a twitching right eye brings disaster.”
The man, identified only as Le, lives in Wuhan in Hubei province. He had been troubled by a twitching right eyelid for several days. Resting his eyes and applying warm compresses brought no relief.
Convinced...
Maria believed she was romancing a prince from Dubai, captivated by his flirtatious smile and declarations of affection he showered on her during live video calls. But the suitor was an AI deepfake, making her yet another victim of an online romance scam.
The case illustrates how fraudsters posing as the real-life crown prince of Dubai ensnare victims by cultivating online relationships before swindling them out of money, with researchers tracing some of the scams to crime syndicates in...
Like plenty of local boys before him, Neil has come home to the stretch of Australian coast where he was born. Unlike most of them, he trails fame, fans and property damage in his wake. He is also a 1,000 kg (2,200lb) elephant seal.
In June, the bellowing and blubbery five-year-old mammal hauled himself onto land for his twice-yearly tour of beachside towns in southern Tasmania state after months of feeding at sea. That is posing problems now that he weighs as much as a small car and has a...
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond 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. Chinese tech makes desalinating seawater cheaper than producing bottled water
Desalination has always been an energy-hungry way of turning salt water into fresh water, making it largely the preserve of wealthy countries with…
Indonesia has intensified supervision of digital nomads, lifestyle influencers and travel content creators on the resort island of Bali, warning that even unpaid barter deals with local businesses would be classified as illegal work if they visit the country on tourist visas.
For years, the Hindu island has been popular among players of the aesthetic economy, thanks to its beaches, unique rituals and lavish resorts.
Indonesian businesses also collaborate with foreign content creators, who...
A demonstration wheat plot in China’s vast Taklamakan Desert has produced a harvest nearly double the national average yield recorded in 2025, according to a project announcement.
The wheat, known as Jingmai 189, was developed by the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences to withstand drought, saline soil and nutrient-poor land.
The trial on a managed, heavily saline plot produced a harvest of 768kg per mu (about 11.5 tonnes per hectare or 10,278lbs per acre) compared with the...
Singapore would be opening selected sectors and occupations to workers from East Timor next year, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on Friday.
“This will create new opportunities for Timorese while strengthening our business and people-to-people links,” Wong said at a joint press conference with East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao in Dili.
The visit, the first by a Singapore prime minister, comes a year after East Timor became a full Asean member.
Wong laid out several areas where…
An “unforgettable” tribute to America, or a health hazard that will terrorise animals and pollute the environment?
That is the question as Washington prepares to break the record for the world’s largest fireworks display on the United States’ 250th birthday on Saturday.
The Trump administration’s “Freedom250” project has hired Pennsylvania-based Pyrotecnico to launch more than 850,000 fireworks shells across 10 sites around the Lincoln Memorial and Potomac River, starting at 10.30pm and…
Chinese short video giant Kuaishou said on Thursday evening that its artificial intelligence video arm, Kling AI, was seeking to raise around US$3 billion in its first external fundraising round, according to a filing to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing.
The funding round, first reported by the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, was backed by a long list of investors, spanning Chinese technology heavyweights, state-backed investment vehicles and entertainment industry participants.
Baidu,...
This article was first published on July 3, 2006.
Workers more efficient over five days: civil service chief
by Ng Kang-chung
Civil servants can work more efficiently and serve citizens better by not having to work on Saturdays, the city’s 6.9 million residents have been promised on the eve of implementation of a five-day week.
The new working week would also help save citizens time and travel expenses if they switched to using services by fax, mail or internet, Civil Service Secretary Denise...
Hong Kong lawmaker William Wong Kam-fai has resigned from the Legislative Council and issued a fresh apology after his arrest over alleged drink-driving and a hit-and-run.
His announcement on Friday came hours after the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) suspended Wong, also the associate dean of the engineering department, from administrative duties.
“I sincerely apologise for the distress caused to society and the Legislative Council by the recent traffic incident. To avoid impacting…
Singapore is banking on lavish beachfronts, canopy walks, a transformed port and even water taxis to upgrade its holiday island, Sentosa, into a major tourism draw over the next two decades – but observers say the challenge will be making it distinctive.
On Friday, the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) unveiled plans to rejuvenate the 5 sq km (1.9 square-mile) resort and theme park island, which is a 10-minute monorail ride from mainland Singapore and is also accessible by car or bus via…
Australia forecasts a A$38 billion (US$26 billion) lift in its export income as commodity and energy prices rise because of the war in Iran.
The nation’s resources exports are set to rise almost 3 per cent to A$416 billion in the financial year through June 2027, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources said in its latest resources and energy quarterly on Friday. The extra earnings assume trade is disrupted until end-June 2026, with a further A$7 billion windfall possible if that...
When the ground shook off Iwate prefecture at 9pm on Wednesday, the magnitude 6.0 jolt – the latest in a series of sizeable tremors – barely registered in a country still mopping up after two powerful typhoons and bracing for a fresh bout of torrential rain and landslides.
Natural disasters have long been a fact of life in Japan, where schoolchildren rehearse earthquake evacuations the way other nations hold fire drills.
Every September 1, in a ritual as much of collective memory as civil...
The latest child suicide figures from the Education Bureau make for grim reading. For three academic years in a row, suspected suicide cases among primary and secondary school students have remained stubbornly high – 32 in 2023, 28 in 2024, and 31 in 2025.
Despite a deluge of government resources, the three-tier emergency mechanism in secondary schools and public awareness campaigns, these numbers refuse to budge. We must ask ourselves a difficult question: why are we failing our children?
Of...
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 has cancelled the amber rainstorm warning after two hours, and has said the chances of the current No 1 typhoon signal being upgraded are “relatively low”.
The Observatory cancelled the amber warning signal at 4.10pm, but warned that violent gusts could continue to affect some parts of Hong Kong.
The warning means that heavy rain…
A man in China has been refunded by a gym which asked him not to use the premises any more and even offered him a three-month membership card at another gym because management had received too many complaints about his strong body odour.
The man, identified only as Shi, lives in Hangzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province. He spent 6,388 yuan (US$940) on a three-year membership at a gym in May 2025, meaning he could use the facility until the end of April 2028, local media Zhejiang TV...
Two Chinese generals were seated for the first time alongside top People’s Liberation Army officers in a high-profile ceremony this week – a clear sign that they have emerged as front-runners for the leadership of the world’s largest standing army.
During an evening gala marking the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party’s founding on Monday, lieutenant generals Zhang Shuguang and Wang Gang were seated at the front of the section reserved for military leadership.
At the event, attended by...
Hong Kong authorities’ proposed overhaul of the city’s sexual offence laws has gone further than suggestions made by a law reform body, but some advocates remain concerned over a legal defence loophole.
Advocacy groups have welcomed authorities’ proposals to include a list of circumstances that define situations of no consent to a sexual act, as well as adopting gender-neutral wording to cover victims of all genders.
But lingering vagueness over a defence claiming an “honest but mistaken”…
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrived in India this week seeking a deeper economic and security partnership, but analysts say the bigger question is how far New Delhi is prepared to align with Tokyo’s China-focused Indo-Pacific strategy.
Takaichi held talks with her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in Delhi on Thursday, with economic security, strategic cooperation and collaboration on innovative technologies high on the agenda.
Analysts suggest the overarching aim of the three-day...
The Nato summit beginning on Tuesday in Turkey is expected to be low-key as European members track their progress towards increased defence spending goals and Beijing watches intently from afar.
Low-key, that is, with one major caveat. Will the get-along US President Donald Trump show up, or the raging Trump who slammed the alliance, questioned its purpose and threatened repeatedly to take his military and head home?
Early indications suggested it would be the raging one.
“The United States...
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. In this article, Jane Cai and Yuanyue Dang examine Chinese people’s changing attitudes towards the US.
As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary this month – marking its journey from a revolutionary experiment to…
Hong Kong is trapped in a structural economic paradox that threatens both its long-term competitiveness and social stability. Organisations are paralysed by the urgent need for artificial intelligence (AI) transformation, complaining day in and day out that they lack technological talent.
An International Data Corporation (IDC) study last year revealed that 55 per cent of Hong Kong companies face significant challenges in implementing AI – higher than the global average of 48 per cent....
The first act of pop sensation Taylor Swift’s wedding to NFL star Travis Kelce kicked off Thursday, with a rehearsal dinner for 100 guests ahead of a star-studded extravaganza at the famed Madison Square Garden.
The billionaire singer and three-time Super Bowl champion, both 36, have kept fans guessing, but media reports describe an over-the-top celebration befitting one of the world’s most famous couples.
The A-list festivities kicked off Thursday evening with an exclusive dinner for 100...
A growing number of US lawmakers see the tax code as a way to shift corporate America’s reliance on Chinese technology, framing economic ties as a national security risk, seen most recently in a congressman’s comments on Thursday.
Representative Nathaniel Moran said on Thursday that business leaders must remember China is an “adversary”, arguing that the American business world remains trapped in a “toxic relationship” with Beijing.
Speaking at a Hudson Institute event, Moran highlighted...
A former Olympian was indicted on Thursday on a felony charge in what US President Donald Trump has called vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where a renovation project he launched has been riddled with problems.
David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, was indicted on a single count of property destruction in Washington DC court.
District of Columbia US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Hearn ripped up recently installed sealant on the pool in “a deliberate act” that caused more...
Two British teenagers convicted of rape must serve time in custody, an appeal judge ruled on Thursday, after a public outcry over a judge’s decision to spare them detention.
Lower court judge Nicholas Rowland in May sentenced the two 15-year-old boys to three-year youth rehabilitation orders, saying he wanted to “avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily”.
However, the sentences provoked a severe backlash, prompting Attorney General Richard Hermer – the government’s chief legal adviser…
China told the European Union that it is open to exploring ways to cut its massive trade surplus with the bloc during talks in Brussels this week, according to multiple people briefed on the discussion.
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao signalled to EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic that China was willing to consider purchase agreements covering European goods.
The discussions touched on lowering tariffs on EU-made goods, in a rare sign that China recognises that its billion-euro a day trade...
A bomb blast rocked a cafe in Syria’s capital Damascus on Thursday, killing nine people and wounding 20, authorities said, in the latest challenge for the country’s Islamist leaders as they seek stability after more than a decade of war.
The bombing – the deadliest since a suicide attack on a church last year – was not immediately claimed.
It took place near the capital’s Palace of Justice, a key government building, sparking scenes of panic in the busy area.
“The explosion that occurred in a...
The World Health Organization on Thursday declared an end to the deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship which sparked international alarm, after the last person left quarantine.
There were 12 confirmed and one probable case stemming from the MV Hondius, including three deaths.
But while the outbreak is now over, for scientists and experts, the work is only in its early stages, as they try to learn lessons from the episode that triggered a global health alert.
“Today, the final contact of…
Hundreds of rescuers in Venezuela cheered and embraced Thursday after pulling a 43-year-old man alive from the ruins of a collapsed building eight days after deadly twin earthquakes.
The official death toll has risen to nearly 2,600 and huge numbers of people are still missing, which meant the rescue of security guard Hernan Gil after so long under the rubble was greeted as a miracle.
Gil was brought out on a stretcher after a painstaking operation to extract him from the collapsed…
A cyberattack on leading Hong Kong appliance distributor Shun Hing Group has compromised the personal information of more than 1 million people, according to the city’s privacy watchdog.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said on Thursday that it had launched an investigation into the incident after receiving a data breach report from Shun Hing Group on March 23.
The latest information provided by the company suggested that the personal data of as many as 1.05 million...
A Hong Kong court has awarded more than HK$251,000 to the family of a domestic helper who was dismissed by her employer in 2019 after being diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer and later died.
The years-long legal battle involving the late helper, Baby Jane Allas, came to an end on Friday when the District Court ordered her former employer, Jamil Bushra, to pay damages. Bushra had fired Allas in February 2019 while she was on medical leave.
Bushra, who was absent throughout the…
Attacks on Chinese citizens and businesses in sub-Saharan Africa tend to increase in the years following a rise in Chinese investment, according to a new study by researchers at the School of Overseas Security and Protection at the Chinese People’s Police University.
However, the authors stressed that the findings should not be interpreted as evidence that Chinese investment itself caused violence.
They argued that Chinese investment was often concentrated in resource-rich but politically...
Expectant mothers in Hong Kong requiring government antenatal services will only need to visit public hospitals, rather than maternal and child health centres, under a change taking effect on Monday.
Health authorities announced on Friday that antenatal services currently provided by maternal and child health centres, managed by the Department of Health, will be transferred to public hospitals under the Hospital Authority.
“After the service integration, the obstetrics department of the…
China told the European Union that it is willing to increase purchases of EU goods to help pare a massive trade gap, potentially easing the risk of a trade war.
Commerce Minister Wang Wentao suggested that China is open to purchase agreements covering European goods in trade talks this week with EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic, the South China Morning Post reported, citing unidentified people briefed on the discussions. Lower tariffs on EU imports were also discussed (see trade talks joint...
Average training hours per employee in Hong Kong hit a 14-year high as local companies pushed for technology adoption and workforce upskilling, a new survey released on Friday showed.
According to the 2025-26 survey on workforce development needs conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management, the average annual training hours per employee reached 19.4 hours in 2025.
This represented a 6.8 per cent increase from 18.1 hours in 2024, marking the second consecutive year of…
Johor’s caretaker chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi has criticised Malaysia’s federal government for delays in the launch of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) master plan, arguing that it is needed to sustain the initiative’s momentum.
In response, Economic Minister Akmal Nasir, who oversees the project at the federal level, has maintained that the government remains committed to the project’s success and the delays have not affected the JS-SEZ as investor numbers have remained...
Hong Kong’s top ministers and other political appointees have received a 1.3 per cent pay rise, authorities have confirmed, after the government announced in June that civil servants would get a 2 per cent salary bump.
In a reply to the South China Morning Post, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said on Friday that the decision was based on recommendations of an independent commission tasked with reviewing the salaries of politically appointed officials, lawmakers and the…
Experts agree that humans can only comfortably survive in the thermoneutral zone, a surprisingly narrow Goldilocks range between 17 and 24 degrees Celsius. This gives us a problem as climate change pushes up summer temperatures alarmingly, resulting in record heatwaves around the world.
Already, about 12 per cent of the Earth’s land area is uninhabitable due to deadly climate conditions. This is set to rise to over 45 per cent by 2100, with at least 44 per cent of the world’s population…
Groups of Hong Kong students on Friday had a lesson aboard two PLA Navy warships moored at Stonecutters Island’s Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks on Friday.
They toured guided-missile destroyer Nanning and guided-missile frigate Hengyang, which arrived for a five-day port call that started on Thursday.
The port call marked the 29th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty on July 1.
Pui Kiu College student Jas Xu said stepping into the ship cabins and observing the interior weapon...
Chinese tea chain Molly Tea has been ordered to pay Louis Vuitton 10.3 million yuan (US$1.5 million) in damages for the unauthorised use of a logo similar to the French luxury brand’s four-petalled floral monogram.
The Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, ruled this week that Shenzhen-based Molly Tea must pay the amount within 10 days.
It said the compensation in the trademark infringement lawsuit included 10 million yuan for economic losses and 300,000…
The body of Iran’s supreme leader, killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of his funeral, state media reported.
Millions of people and a coterie of foreign dignitaries were expected to attend Saturday’s official ceremony for Ali Khamenei, with Tehran’s chief negotiator calling for a massive turnout to avenge his death.
Photos showed mourners carrying Khamenei’s coffin, emblazoned with Iran’s tricolour flag, into the...
Unitree Robotics has secured approval from China’s securities regulator for a Shanghai initial public offering that is poised to set a valuation benchmark for China’s sizzling embodied AI sector.
The nod from the China Securities Regulatory Commission came about a month after the Hangzhou-based company cleared a review by the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s listing committee. Unitree is now finalising its underwriting plan, pricing and share subscriptions for a potential debut as early as late...
A corruption investigation into Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meals programme has widened after prosecutors named an active police brigadier general as a suspect and referred a case involving a military officer to the country’s military crimes unit.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) on Thursday identified Lalu Muhammad Iwan Mahardan, a police brigadier general who serves as deputy secretary for promotion and cooperation at the National Nutrition Agency, as the…
Germany’s ruling coalition has pledged to take a tougher line on defending trade at the continental level, signalling a potential shift by a country long seen as the European Union’s main brake on stronger action against China.
The pledge formed part of a 34-point package to revive Germany’s ailing economy that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition agreed to on Thursday. While the document did not mention China, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said the government was adopting a...
Following a surge in bear attacks in Japan, people are arming themselves with sprays while authorities have started installing cameras in mountainous areas in the north to monitor the animals.
However, a recent effort to stay safe backfired, resulting in five people injured – not by bears but by the spray after it was accidentally discharged in a post office in Nagoya on Wednesday.
Vietnamese national Huynh Nhat Duy, 22, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of obstruction of business for his...
Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday rejected allegations that her government reacted too slowly to destruction caused by two earthquakes which killed more than 2,000 people, after days of widespread criticism of the official response.
Civilians of all stripes - including survivors, family members, volunteer paramedics and foreign rescue teams - have descended on disaster areas, especially the hardest-hit northern state of La Guaira, since the 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude…
Two Hong Kong men convicted of violating the Beijing-decreed national security law have said they joined a pro-independence group either to obtain asylum in Canada or “out of curiosity”.
Courier Chan Tai-sum, 27, and waiter Ng Chi-tung, 25, pleaded guilty in the District Court on Friday to conspiracy to commit secession for their involvement with Taiwan-based Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union between November 2024 and July last year.
Defence lawyers said the pair were both diagnosed…
China has issued a legal warning to Japan and the Philippines over their planned maritime border talks, calling the move “internationally wrongful” and saying it had the right to hold both nations accountable.
It is the latest protest from Beijing after Manila and Tokyo agreed in May to launch formal negotiations to delimit the maritime boundary of the exclusive economic zones and continental shelf between the two countries, which overlap with areas claimed by China.
“The announcement,...
A superstitious man in central China suffered a retinal detachment after repeatedly slapping his twitching right eyelid, fearing it was an omen of misfortune.
The belief stems from a popular Chinese saying: “A twitching left eye brings wealth, while a twitching right eye brings disaster.”
The man, identified only as Le, lives in Wuhan in Hubei province. He had been troubled by a twitching right eyelid for several days. Resting his eyes and applying warm compresses brought no relief.
Convinced...
Maria believed she was romancing a prince from Dubai, captivated by his flirtatious smile and declarations of affection he showered on her during live video calls. But the suitor was an AI deepfake, making her yet another victim of an online romance scam.
The case illustrates how fraudsters posing as the real-life crown prince of Dubai ensnare victims by cultivating online relationships before swindling them out of money, with researchers tracing some of the scams to crime syndicates in...
Like plenty of local boys before him, Neil has come home to the stretch of Australian coast where he was born. Unlike most of them, he trails fame, fans and property damage in his wake. He is also a 1,000 kg (2,200lb) elephant seal.
In June, the bellowing and blubbery five-year-old mammal hauled himself onto land for his twice-yearly tour of beachside towns in southern Tasmania state after months of feeding at sea. That is posing problems now that he weighs as much as a small car and has a...
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond 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. Chinese tech makes desalinating seawater cheaper than producing bottled water
Desalination has always been an energy-hungry way of turning salt water into fresh water, making it largely the preserve of wealthy countries with…
Indonesia has intensified supervision of digital nomads, lifestyle influencers and travel content creators on the resort island of Bali, warning that even unpaid barter deals with local businesses would be classified as illegal work if they visit the country on tourist visas.
For years, the Hindu island has been popular among players of the aesthetic economy, thanks to its beaches, unique rituals and lavish resorts.
Indonesian businesses also collaborate with foreign content creators, who...
A demonstration wheat plot in China’s vast Taklamakan Desert has produced a harvest nearly double the national average yield recorded in 2025, according to a project announcement.
The wheat, known as Jingmai 189, was developed by the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences to withstand drought, saline soil and nutrient-poor land.
The trial on a managed, heavily saline plot produced a harvest of 768kg per mu (about 11.5 tonnes per hectare or 10,278lbs per acre) compared with the...
Singapore would be opening selected sectors and occupations to workers from East Timor next year, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on Friday.
“This will create new opportunities for Timorese while strengthening our business and people-to-people links,” Wong said at a joint press conference with East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao in Dili.
The visit, the first by a Singapore prime minister, comes a year after East Timor became a full Asean member.
Wong laid out several areas where…
An “unforgettable” tribute to America, or a health hazard that will terrorise animals and pollute the environment?
That is the question as Washington prepares to break the record for the world’s largest fireworks display on the United States’ 250th birthday on Saturday.
The Trump administration’s “Freedom250” project has hired Pennsylvania-based Pyrotecnico to launch more than 850,000 fireworks shells across 10 sites around the Lincoln Memorial and Potomac River, starting at 10.30pm and…
Chinese short video giant Kuaishou said on Thursday evening that its artificial intelligence video arm, Kling AI, was seeking to raise around US$3 billion in its first external fundraising round, according to a filing to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing.
The funding round, first reported by the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, was backed by a long list of investors, spanning Chinese technology heavyweights, state-backed investment vehicles and entertainment industry participants.
Baidu,...
This article was first published on July 3, 2006.
Workers more efficient over five days: civil service chief
by Ng Kang-chung
Civil servants can work more efficiently and serve citizens better by not having to work on Saturdays, the city’s 6.9 million residents have been promised on the eve of implementation of a five-day week.
The new working week would also help save citizens time and travel expenses if they switched to using services by fax, mail or internet, Civil Service Secretary Denise...
Hong Kong lawmaker William Wong Kam-fai has resigned from the Legislative Council and issued a fresh apology after his arrest over alleged drink-driving and a hit-and-run.
His announcement on Friday came hours after the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) suspended Wong, also the associate dean of the engineering department, from administrative duties.
“I sincerely apologise for the distress caused to society and the Legislative Council by the recent traffic incident. To avoid impacting…
Singapore is banking on lavish beachfronts, canopy walks, a transformed port and even water taxis to upgrade its holiday island, Sentosa, into a major tourism draw over the next two decades – but observers say the challenge will be making it distinctive.
On Friday, the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) unveiled plans to rejuvenate the 5 sq km (1.9 square-mile) resort and theme park island, which is a 10-minute monorail ride from mainland Singapore and is also accessible by car or bus via…
Australia forecasts a A$38 billion (US$26 billion) lift in its export income as commodity and energy prices rise because of the war in Iran.
The nation’s resources exports are set to rise almost 3 per cent to A$416 billion in the financial year through June 2027, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources said in its latest resources and energy quarterly on Friday. The extra earnings assume trade is disrupted until end-June 2026, with a further A$7 billion windfall possible if that...
When the ground shook off Iwate prefecture at 9pm on Wednesday, the magnitude 6.0 jolt – the latest in a series of sizeable tremors – barely registered in a country still mopping up after two powerful typhoons and bracing for a fresh bout of torrential rain and landslides.
Natural disasters have long been a fact of life in Japan, where schoolchildren rehearse earthquake evacuations the way other nations hold fire drills.
Every September 1, in a ritual as much of collective memory as civil...
The latest child suicide figures from the Education Bureau make for grim reading. For three academic years in a row, suspected suicide cases among primary and secondary school students have remained stubbornly high – 32 in 2023, 28 in 2024, and 31 in 2025.
Despite a deluge of government resources, the three-tier emergency mechanism in secondary schools and public awareness campaigns, these numbers refuse to budge. We must ask ourselves a difficult question: why are we failing our children?
Of...
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The Hong Kong Observatory has cancelled the amber rainstorm warning after two hours, and has said the chances of the current No 1 typhoon signal being upgraded are “relatively low”.
The Observatory cancelled the amber warning signal at 4.10pm, but warned that violent gusts could continue to affect some parts of Hong Kong.
The warning means that heavy rain…
A man in China has been refunded by a gym which asked him not to use the premises any more and even offered him a three-month membership card at another gym because management had received too many complaints about his strong body odour.
The man, identified only as Shi, lives in Hangzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province. He spent 6,388 yuan (US$940) on a three-year membership at a gym in May 2025, meaning he could use the facility until the end of April 2028, local media Zhejiang TV...
Two Chinese generals were seated for the first time alongside top People’s Liberation Army officers in a high-profile ceremony this week – a clear sign that they have emerged as front-runners for the leadership of the world’s largest standing army.
During an evening gala marking the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party’s founding on Monday, lieutenant generals Zhang Shuguang and Wang Gang were seated at the front of the section reserved for military leadership.
At the event, attended by...
Hong Kong authorities’ proposed overhaul of the city’s sexual offence laws has gone further than suggestions made by a law reform body, but some advocates remain concerned over a legal defence loophole.
Advocacy groups have welcomed authorities’ proposals to include a list of circumstances that define situations of no consent to a sexual act, as well as adopting gender-neutral wording to cover victims of all genders.
But lingering vagueness over a defence claiming an “honest but mistaken”…
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrived in India this week seeking a deeper economic and security partnership, but analysts say the bigger question is how far New Delhi is prepared to align with Tokyo’s China-focused Indo-Pacific strategy.
Takaichi held talks with her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in Delhi on Thursday, with economic security, strategic cooperation and collaboration on innovative technologies high on the agenda.
Analysts suggest the overarching aim of the three-day...
The Nato summit beginning on Tuesday in Turkey is expected to be low-key as European members track their progress towards increased defence spending goals and Beijing watches intently from afar.
Low-key, that is, with one major caveat. Will the get-along US President Donald Trump show up, or the raging Trump who slammed the alliance, questioned its purpose and threatened repeatedly to take his military and head home?
Early indications suggested it would be the raging one.
“The United States...
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. In this article, Jane Cai and Yuanyue Dang examine Chinese people’s changing attitudes towards the US.
As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary this month – marking its journey from a revolutionary experiment to…
Hong Kong is trapped in a structural economic paradox that threatens both its long-term competitiveness and social stability. Organisations are paralysed by the urgent need for artificial intelligence (AI) transformation, complaining day in and day out that they lack technological talent.
An International Data Corporation (IDC) study last year revealed that 55 per cent of Hong Kong companies face significant challenges in implementing AI – higher than the global average of 48 per cent....
The first act of pop sensation Taylor Swift’s wedding to NFL star Travis Kelce kicked off Thursday, with a rehearsal dinner for 100 guests ahead of a star-studded extravaganza at the famed Madison Square Garden.
The billionaire singer and three-time Super Bowl champion, both 36, have kept fans guessing, but media reports describe an over-the-top celebration befitting one of the world’s most famous couples.
The A-list festivities kicked off Thursday evening with an exclusive dinner for 100...
A growing number of US lawmakers see the tax code as a way to shift corporate America’s reliance on Chinese technology, framing economic ties as a national security risk, seen most recently in a congressman’s comments on Thursday.
Representative Nathaniel Moran said on Thursday that business leaders must remember China is an “adversary”, arguing that the American business world remains trapped in a “toxic relationship” with Beijing.
Speaking at a Hudson Institute event, Moran highlighted...
A former Olympian was indicted on Thursday on a felony charge in what US President Donald Trump has called vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where a renovation project he launched has been riddled with problems.
David Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, was indicted on a single count of property destruction in Washington DC court.
District of Columbia US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Hearn ripped up recently installed sealant on the pool in “a deliberate act” that caused more...
Two British teenagers convicted of rape must serve time in custody, an appeal judge ruled on Thursday, after a public outcry over a judge’s decision to spare them detention.
Lower court judge Nicholas Rowland in May sentenced the two 15-year-old boys to three-year youth rehabilitation orders, saying he wanted to “avoid criminalising these children unnecessarily”.
However, the sentences provoked a severe backlash, prompting Attorney General Richard Hermer – the government’s chief legal adviser…
China told the European Union that it is open to exploring ways to cut its massive trade surplus with the bloc during talks in Brussels this week, according to multiple people briefed on the discussion.
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao signalled to EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic that China was willing to consider purchase agreements covering European goods.
The discussions touched on lowering tariffs on EU-made goods, in a rare sign that China recognises that its billion-euro a day trade...
A bomb blast rocked a cafe in Syria’s capital Damascus on Thursday, killing nine people and wounding 20, authorities said, in the latest challenge for the country’s Islamist leaders as they seek stability after more than a decade of war.
The bombing – the deadliest since a suicide attack on a church last year – was not immediately claimed.
It took place near the capital’s Palace of Justice, a key government building, sparking scenes of panic in the busy area.
“The explosion that occurred in a...
The World Health Organization on Thursday declared an end to the deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship which sparked international alarm, after the last person left quarantine.
There were 12 confirmed and one probable case stemming from the MV Hondius, including three deaths.
But while the outbreak is now over, for scientists and experts, the work is only in its early stages, as they try to learn lessons from the episode that triggered a global health alert.
“Today, the final contact of…
Hundreds of rescuers in Venezuela cheered and embraced Thursday after pulling a 43-year-old man alive from the ruins of a collapsed building eight days after deadly twin earthquakes.
The official death toll has risen to nearly 2,600 and huge numbers of people are still missing, which meant the rescue of security guard Hernan Gil after so long under the rubble was greeted as a miracle.
Gil was brought out on a stretcher after a painstaking operation to extract him from the collapsed…
A cyberattack on leading Hong Kong appliance distributor Shun Hing Group has compromised the personal information of more than 1 million people, according to the city’s privacy watchdog.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said on Thursday that it had launched an investigation into the incident after receiving a data breach report from Shun Hing Group on March 23.
The latest information provided by the company suggested that the personal data of as many as 1.05 million...