Chinese arms makers urged to embrace AI technology in weapons development Chinese arms makers should explore the use of artificial intelligence in the development of weapons to improve efficiency and quality, according to a state-run defence industry magazine. But the article in the latest issue of Modern Weaponry also noted that AI technology had risks and challenges and its use should be approached with caution. “Artificial intelligence will leverage its self-learning capabilities in the development of weapons and equipment, serving as an advisory tool that provides...

South China Morning Post

Chinese arms makers urged to embrace AI technology in weapons development

State-run defence industry magazine says the tech can be used to improve efficiency and quality, though it should be approached with caution.

Will Indonesia’s plan to join Brics bank lead to heavier debt burden? Indonesia’s plan to join the Brics-led New Development Bank (NDB) and fulfil a payment requirement for membership has spurred a debate on whether the move is feasible given the country’s strained finances to fund President Prabowo Subianto’s priority projects. Earlier this year, Prabowo announced that Indonesia was planning to join the NDB “to boost the national development transformation” after he met the bank’s chairwoman, Dilma Rousseff, in Jakarta. “The Indonesian government has decided to...

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Will Indonesia’s plan to join Brics bank lead to heavier debt burden?

With Indonesia having to pay to join the New Development Bank, it should tap foreign investors for project financing instead, analysts say.

Hong Kong’s first TCM hospital sets outpatient fee at HK$180 ahead of debut Outpatient services for Hong Kong’s first hospital dedicated to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) will start at HK$180 (US$23.10) per visit, with the operator describing the fees as both affordable and competitive. The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong in Tseung Kwan O also said on Wednesday that staff recruitment had been smooth and there would not be any manpower shortages affecting its launch on December 11. Dr Cheung Wai-lun, project director of the Chinese Medicine Hospital Project...

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Hong Kong’s first TCM hospital sets outpatient fee at HK$180 ahead of debut

Operator of city’s first hospital dedicated to traditional Chinese medicine, which opens on December 11, says fees are affordable.

Can Thailand’s tourism recover from a drop in Chinese arrivals? Once a bright spot in the economy, Thailand’s tourism sector appears to be losing its shine. Even with an expected bump in foreign arrivals during the peak travel season at the end of the year, the country’s main tourism body still expects just 33.4 million visitors for 2025, an almost 6 per cent drop from 35.5 million last year. That’s the first decline in a decade outside the pandemic, and underscores the country’s challenge in trying to revive tourist arrivals, which remain below pre-Covid...

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Can Thailand’s tourism recover from a drop in Chinese arrivals?

The kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing in Myanmar via Thailand led to Lunar New Year trip cancellations. A strong baht has also been a factor.

South Korea’s Yoon and wife ask for their pets to get special treatment in Paris Former South Korean first couple Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee requested special treatment for their pets from South Korea’s embassy in Paris during their visits to France in 2023, an opposition lawmaker has revealed. The couple “planned to bring their dogs on two visits to France in 2023 and asked the embassy to prepare protocol arrangements for them”, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Jae-jung said during a parliamentary audit on Monday, The Korea Times newspaper reported. “There were...

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Did South Korea’s Yoon make ‘absurd demands’ for pet treatment on Paris trips?

Yoon and his wife asked the South Korean embassy in Paris to make space for their dogs inside a hotel suite and for a separate pet vehicle.

China gears up to build giant South China Sea lab in hunt for ghost particles Chinese researchers have tested a submersible vehicle designed to help them build one of the world’s largest neutrino observatories in the South China Sea – a facility that will study the ghostly subatomic particles that stream through the cosmos with barely a trace. The Subsea Precision Instrument Deployer with Elastic Releasing (Spider) uncoiled a 700 metre (2,300ft) string of 20 sensor balls at a depth of about 1,700 metres (5,580ft), according to the team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s...

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China gears up to build giant South China Sea lab in hunt for ghost particles

Inspired by a spider’s control of its silk, scientists have solved the most complex engineering problem in neutrino astronomy.

Hong Kong police arrest 2 men for alleged HK$440,000 fake gold swindle Hong Kong police have arrested two men who allegedly used fake gold items to swindle pawn shops across the city out of HK$440,000 (US$56,587), as prices for the precious metal reached record-breaking highs amid broader growing global economic concerns. The force said on Wednesday that officers from its Wong Tai Sin branch had earlier this week arrested a 27-year-old and a 54-year-old on charges of “obtaining property by deception” and “attempting to obtain property by deception”. During the...

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Hong Kong police arrest 2 men for alleged HK$140,000 fake gold swindle

Suspects accused of pawning ‘highly realistic’ fake gold objects at shops in Kowloon and New Territories between July and September.

China court grants woman divorce 6 years after husband pushed her off Thai cliff A court in China has granted the divorce application of a woman who survived after being pushed off a cliff in Thailand by her husband six years ago, sparking massive cheers on social media. Wang Nan, 38, better known online as Wang Nuannuan, suffered severe injuries after Yu Xiaodong pushed her off a 34-metre-high cliff while they were on holiday in a national park in Thailand in June 2019. She was pregnant for three months at the time and thus lost her unborn child in the autumn. Yu, who...

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China court grants woman divorce 6 years after husband pushed her off Thai cliff

Her then-husband earlier demanded US$4 million for ‘emotional suffering, loss of youth,’ asserting he would not agree to a divorce otherwise.

Indonesia aims to export shrimps to US again after radiation scare Indonesia has said that its shrimp shipments to the US can continue following stricter rules in response to a radiation scare, as business executives call for a global campaign to restore the reputation of the product and diversify the local industry’s markets, apart from the world’s largest economy. The Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry in Jakarta said on Saturday that exports to the US, the biggest buyer of Indonesia’s shrimps, could resume for companies based on Java island and Lampung...

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Indonesia aims to export shrimp to US again after radiation scare

Shrimp exporters in affected regions in Indonesia have to get safety certification before they can sell to the US, their biggest market.

How outdated power grids are hobbling Southeast Asia’s green energy boom Southeast Asia must urgently modernise its electricity grids to sustain its economic boom and unlock the full potential of renewable energy, according to a new report. Without sweeping investment in digitalised “smart” networks, the region’s industrial competitiveness and climate goals are at risk, warns the report from the independent global energy think tank Ember. Over the past decade, renewable capacity across the 10-nation Asean bloc has more than doubled, but this rapid growth has been...

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How outdated power grids are hobbling Southeast Asia’s green energy boom

Without more investment in smart grids, Southeast Asia could lose US$2.3 billion annually by 2040, an energy think tank warns.

‘I’m heartbroken my son did this,’ Malaysia school stabbing suspect’s dad says The father of the 14-year-old student who stabbed a girl to death at a school in Bandar Utama, Malaysia’s Selangor state, said he was heartbroken over the incident. “I am heartbroken my son did this. “I know that no matter what I say, it’s useless. No matter what I do, I can’t get their daughter back. I don’t know how to face them,” said the emotionally distraught man, according to China Press. The father said that his son was introverted and didn’t talk much. He couldn’t believe his son would...

South China Morning Post

‘I’m heartbroken my son did this,’ Malaysia school stabbing suspect’s dad says

The 14-year-old student is accused of stabbing a girl to death at a school in Selangor’s Bandar Utama.

How a volunteer trip to Cambodia grew into a Hong Kong youth-led NGO When a Hong Kong teacher took a handful of students to Cambodia for some voluntary work six years ago, he never imagined that it would grow into a lasting organisation. Co-founded by Chan Yik-yeung, vice-principal of Yan Chai Hospital Law Chan Chor Si College, youth volunteer group Dream Compassioneers has mobilised more than 1,000 students in service projects across Asia since its establishment in 2020. The initiative has earned the team a place as a finalist in this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong...

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How a volunteer trip to Cambodia grew into a Hong Kong youth-led NGO

Youth volunteer group Dream Compassioneers has been nominated in the teamwork category of Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.

‘Heartbroken’: Malaysia’s smokers and drinkers brace for a ‘sin tax’ shock As the workday grinds on in Kuala Lumpur, 23-year-old office worker Adib finds solace in a few quiet cigarettes, but his unhealthy habit is about to come at a higher price. From next month, a new government policy will drive up the price of tobacco and alcohol in Malaysia as higher so-called sin taxes take effect. Unveiled by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in last week’s budget, the measure aims to improve public health. Yet it has also raised concerns about the rising cost of living. It...

South China Morning Post

‘Heartbroken’: Malaysia’s smokers and drinkers brace for a ‘sin tax’ shock

The tax increase, aimed at improving public health, will make cigarettes and alcohol costlier, hitting lower-income Malaysians the hardest.

Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: educator helps seniors unleash their hidden potential An award-winning journalist turned educator is teaching Hong Kong how to age well – not through textbooks, but through life stories. At Ginger Innovation, founder Chen Yimin trains older adults to become storytellers and mentors, helping them rebuild confidence and inviting society to redefine ageing as a form of continued learning. When Chen left journalism in 2020 after more than a decade covering social and ageing issues, she carried with her a realisation that would change her career: no one...

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Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: educator helps seniors unleash their hidden potential

Ginger Innovation founder Chen Yimin earns a place as a finalist in Spirit of Hong Kong Awards in the nurturing category.

How Hong Kong Disneyland enchants guests with unique storytelling and immersive experiences If you have plans to visit Main Street, USA at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in the coming weeks, you may be in for a surprise. There is a party which you can attend – but not everyone will be invited … and that is not going down well with a group of particularly feisty Disney personalities. The resort’s seasonal “Disney Halloween Time” returns with the new “Uninvited! A Villains Takeover Party”, “Let’s Get Wicked” – The Musical Spectacle, “Jack Skellington’s The Nightmare Before Dinner” and other...

South China Morning Post

How Hong Kong Disneyland enchants guests with unique storytelling and immersive experiences

Operations team reveals some of innovative ideas and product strategies in use to help resort mark its 20th anniversary celebrations.

Hong Kong Disneyland seeks new head after Michael Moriarty assumes global role The head of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort will assume a new global position as chief financial officer for the company’s experiences division, with a search now under way for his successor. Michael Moriarty has been appointed executive vice-president and chief financial officer for Disney Experiences, according to the company’s announcement on Tuesday. “We are thrilled that Michael Moriarty will become Disney Experiences’ next CFO and look forward to his continued leadership in this global role,”...

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Hong Kong Disneyland seeks new head after Michael Moriarty assumes global role

‘We are now preparing for Michael Moriarty’s transition and plan to announce his successor in the near future,’ park says.

Apple taps China’s BYD to build HomePod with screen, tabletop robot Apple is preparing to expand its manufacturing operations in Vietnam as part of a push into the smart home market and an ongoing effort to lessen its dependence on China. The company is developing a range of new home devices for next year, including indoor security cameras and a display designed to control appliances and serve as a house command hub. A more advanced tabletop robot – capable of using motors and sensors to move – is slated to follow in 2027. All three products are on track to be...

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Apple taps China’s BYD to build HomePod with screen, tabletop robot

BYD, known for its electric vehicles, will handle the final assembly, testing and packaging of Apple’s new home devices.

Major US news outlets reject new Pentagon press access policy At least 30 news organisations declined to sign a new Pentagon access policy for journalists, warning of the potential for less comprehensive coverage of the world’s most powerful military ahead of a Tuesday deadline to accept new restrictions. The policy requires journalists to acknowledge new rules on press access, including that they could be branded security risks and have their Pentagon press badges revoked if they ask department employees to disclose classified and some types of...

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Major US news outlets reject new Pentagon press access policy

Many outlets refuse to sign rules, meaning they could be stripped of their press access credentials.

From ‘love hotel’ meetings to abuse, Japanese politicians get mired in scandals As Japan grapples with an uncertain leadership transition, a rash of domestic scandals risks further contributing to its political circus. In recent months, a female mayor has been accused of repeatedly taking a male subordinate to a nearby “love hotel”, another dissolved a city council after it was discovered that she had falsified her academic records, and a male mayor from Okinawa is accused of sexually harassing female staff. Elsewhere, a female mayor stepped down after being accused of...

South China Morning Post

From ‘love hotel’ meetings to abuse, Japanese politicians get mired in scandals

Among them, Mayor Akira Ogawa has refuted reports of her impropriety, saying her ‘love hotel’ check-ins with a male colleague involved work.

Trump says US strike on another alleged drug boat off Venezuela kills 6 The United States struck another small boat accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela, killing six people, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. Those who died in the strike were aboard the vessel, and no US forces were harmed, the president said in a social media post. It was the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean as Trump’s administration has asserted it was treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force. US Defence Secretary...

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Trump says US strike on another alleged drug boat off Venezuela kills 6

US president announces the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean, releasing video of a vessel exploding.