Can Hong Kong’s southbound travel policy for motorists be a tourism driver? Shenzhen resident Angela Lyu was excited about the recent news that Guangdong motorists will be able to drive and stay in Hong Kong for three days under a cross-border travel scheme, but balked at the prospect of high parking fees and a required detour. The “Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles” scheme is due to open for applications in November, and successful applicants will be able to drive into the city by the end of the year. In a post on mainland Chinese social media platform RedNote,...

South China Morning Post

Can Hong Kong’s southbound travel policy for motorists be a tourism driver?

'Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles’ scheme is due to open for applications in November, with motorists able to drive into city by year end.

Tropical Storm Fengshen: Hong Kong Observatory could issue T3 on Monday evening 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 could issue the No 3 typhoon warning on Monday evening, as Tropical Storm Fengshen edges closer to the city. The forecaster also said it would issue the strong monsoon signal on Sunday evening as local winds strengthened under the influence of a northeastern monsoon. “With Fengshen edging closer to the coast of Guangdong gradually...

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Fengshen: Hong Kong may issue T3 typhoon signal between 5pm and 7pm on Monday

Forecaster also issues strong monsoon signal as local winds strengthen.

Taiwan’s leader proposes missile shield like Israel’s Iron Dome. Will it work? Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te wants the island to build a “T-Dome” missile shield – modelled after Israel’s Iron Dome. But his proposal has sparked debate over feasibility, given Taiwan’s disparate missile systems. Lai unveiled his “T-Dome” plan during a Double Tenth Day address marking the 114th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China – Taiwan’s official title. He described it as a “multilayered air defence network” to protect critical infrastructure and population centres...

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Taiwan’s leader proposes missile shield like Israel’s Iron Dome. Will it work?

Proposal seen to underscore Lai’s resolve to show loyalty to US strategic agenda, but critics question whether idea is workable for Taiwan.

US strike in Caribbean kills Colombian fisherman, stoking sovereignty row Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Saturday that the United States had violated Colombia’s sovereignty over its waters and killed a fisherman during its recent anti-drug trafficking military campaign in the Caribbean. “US government officials have committed murder and violated our sovereignty in our territorial waters. Fisherman Alejandro Carranza had no ties to drug traffickers and his daily activity was fishing,” the leftist leader said on social media. Carranza was reportedly killed in...

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US strike in Caribbean kills Colombian fisherman, stoking sovereignty row

President Gustavo Petro demanded answers from Washington over the September attack that left Alejandro Carranza dead.

2 men sent to hospital after 3-car collision on Hong Kong country park road Two men were taken to hospital on Sunday morning following a three-car collision on a road running through Hong Kong’s Plover Cove Country Park. Police said the accident took place at around 7.50am along Bride’s Pool Road in Tai Po. Photos from the scene show that at least two vehicles had sustained major damage to their front sections. One of the vehicles had a probationary driver’s plate displayed in the windscreen. Smoke could also be seen coming from one of the damaged vehicle’s engines. The...

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2 men sent to hospital after 3-car collision on Hong Kong country park road

Photos from scene show at least two vehicles sustained major damage to front sections after crash along Bride’s Pool Road in Tai Po.

Takaichi clears path to be Japan’s first female PM after new coalition deal Japan’s ruling party and main opposition are set to form a coalition to enable Sanae Takaichi to become the country’s first female premier, local media reported on Sunday. Takaichi became leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party earlier this month, but her bid to become premier was derailed by the collapse of her ruling coalition. Since then, the LDP has been working to cobble together a different alliance, putting her chances back on track. Takaichi and her counterpart Hirofumi Yoshimura...

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Takaichi clears path to be Japan’s first female PM after new coalition deal

LDP’s Sanae Takaichi and JIP chief Hirofumi Yoshimura are set to sign a coalition agreement on Monday.

China’s new hope in breaking reliance on foreign chipmaking machines AMIES Technology, a new Chinese lithography equipment manufacturer that showcased its latest chipmaking products at an industry event in Shenzhen last week, is offering renewed optimism in the nation’s drive to reduce its dependence on Dutch giant ASML. The company presented a wide range of products – including compound-semiconductor lithography machines, laser-annealing systems, advanced inspection tools and solutions for packaging and wafer bonding – at the WeSemiBay Semiconductor Ecosystem...

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China’s new hope in breaking reliance on foreign chipmaking machines

Advanced lithography remains a significant bottleneck for China, but a new company founded in February offers new optimism.

‘Work from the air’: Chinese airline offers free Wi-fi to lure back travellers China’s biggest airlines have started offering free Wi-fi to passengers on a growing number of domestic flights, as they vie to win back business travellers who now often prefer to shuttle between cities on high-speed trains. China Eastern Airlines on October 11 launched a free “basic” Wi-fi service on all its widebody aircraft operating on domestic routes, said a company representative who spoke anonymously per company rules. The planes cover a total of 37 routes serving major Chinese cities...

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‘Work from the air’: Chinese airline offers free Wi-fi to lure back travellers

China’s airlines face growing competition from the country’s high-speed rail network, which many passengers prefer for intercity travel.

Is it time for property investors to end their love affair with Japan? As Japan enters a new era with the likely election of Sanae Takaichi as the first female prime minister of Asia’s second-largest economy, is it time for property investors to end their enduring love affair with Japanese real estate? The 64-year-old Takaichi emerged last week as the leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, paving the way for her to seek the premiership, although uncertainties remain following the collapse of a coalition with the party’s allies. Under an anticipated...

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Is it time for property investors to end their love affair with Japan?

Under new leadership, Japan is likely to delay tightening its monetary policy, which presents both opportunities and challenges, CBRE says.

Wake up Britain, your pressing problem is hardly Chinese espionage The collapse of the so-called China spy case in the UK has sparked a storm of headlines. Accusations of “spying for China”, allegations of improper government involvement in the dropping of the case, White House anger – the story ticked every box for front-page drama. Criticism of the government’s handling of the case was amplified by opposition politicians and commentators who never miss an opportunity to cast suspicion on closer ties with Beijing. This is not the first time people have been...

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Opinion | Britain’s obsession with ‘Chinese spying’ says more about the UK than China

The paranoia over people with connections to China tells us less about the scale of any real threat and more about the anxieties shaping Britain’...

Chinese man stabs wife after suspecting her of infidelity with butcher over meat discount A jealous Chinese man tried to stab his wife of 30 years to death because she received a discount from the local butcher. The victm, surnamed Zhao, later pleaded for leniency by saying that her husband always “brings all his money home”. The attack happened in March in Songyuan, Jilin province, northeastern China, when Zou, driven by unfounded suspicion, tried to murder his wife in their living room. Zou became convinced that Zhao was having an affair simply because she received a discount from...

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Chinese man stabs wife after suspecting her of infidelity with butcher over meat discount

Cut-price premium cuts send jealous husband into murderous rage, leading to brutal attack on wife; court jails man for 10 and a half years.

Half of Hong Kong children aged 6 to 10 own smartphones, non-profit urges delay A Hong Kong non-profit group is stepping up a campaign for parents to delay giving their children smartphones until the age of 14, with a survey revealing more than half of youngsters between the ages of 6 and 10 in the city already own one. Look Up Hong Kong released the survey findings on Sunday in support of its push for parents to wait until their children turn 14 before getting them a smartphone and until 16 for granting them access to social media. The results coincide with an ongoing...

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Half of Hong Kong children aged 6 to 10 own smartphones, non-profit urges delay

Parent-led group Look Up Hong Kong calls for families to wait until age 14 before giving children devices.

Why a US$70 day trip to Johor is now Singaporeans’ favourite leisure hack Every month, Rachel Tan, a 53-year-old Singaporean tutor, boards a bus across the 1km (0.6 mile) causeway for a day trip to Malaysia’s Johor state, where she stocks up on groceries and treats herself to lunch and a film. Thanks to streamlined immigration procedures, she rarely needs to present her passport, using a QR code to pass the checkpoint before catching a complimentary shuttle bus that whisks her to R&F Mall. The entire day out, including shopping, typically costs her about 300 ringgit...

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Why a US$70 day trip to Johor is now Singaporeans’ favourite leisure hack

Singapore residents made more than 11 million trips across the causeway in the first seven months of this year, fuelling a retail boom.

‘Potassium railway’: China’s hidden card in the trade war Landlocked in the heart of Southeast Asia, Laos ranks among the world’s poorest nations. However, for over a decade, China invested heavily to build a dual-purpose passenger and freight railway through the thick rainforest between Kunming and Vientiane, the Laotian capital. This 1,000km (621-mile) rail line, with speeds of up to 200km/h (124 mph), has been operating quietly for four years. According to a Chinese government study released this month, this railway has become a critical conduit for...

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‘Potassium railway’: China’s hidden card in the trade war

China’s strategic investment in transport infrastructure is helping it access Laotian reserves, securing food supply for its 1.4 billion people.

Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire after Doha peace talks Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire during talks hosted by Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry announced early on Sunday, after the South Asian neighbours extended a ceasefire following a week of fierce border clashes. Qatar’s foreign ministry said Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to the ceasefire during a round of negotiations mediated by Qatar and Turkey on Saturday. It said they also agreed to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days “to ensure the sustainability...

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Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire after Doha peace talks

The two sides are seeking a way forward after border clashes killed dozens and wounded hundreds.

Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt will stay closed, Israeli PM says The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until further notice, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, adding its reopening will depend on Hamas handing over bodies of deceased hostages. Netanyahu’s statement came shortly after the Palestinian embassy in Egypt announced that the Rafah crossing, the main gateway for Gazans to leave and enter the enclave, would reopen on Monday for entry into Gaza. Hamas, in a statement late on Saturday, said...

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Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt will stay closed, Israeli PM says

The crossing is a key gateway into Gaza, and Hamas says the closure prevents entry of equipment needed to find more hostage bodies.

Gangs in China exploiting US gift cards to move stolen cash, DHS says Gift cards, one of the most basic financial products in the US retail market, have become the backbone of a billion-dollar criminal economy that investigators say is moving American money into China. Homeland Security Investigations agents say Chinese organised-crime groups have built a laundering network that uses US retailers, mobile wallets and cryptocurrency to steal and export wealth. Operatives inside the US drain compromised gift cards, buy high-value goods such as iPhones and laptops,...

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Gangs in China exploiting US gift cards to move stolen cash, DHS says

Stolen cards are used to buy goods like iPhones, which are then sold in China, with the proceeds converted into digital currency.

15 dead after Brazil bus crashes and flips on side A passenger bus in northeastern Brazil crashed into a sand embankment and flipped on its side, killing 15 people, local authorities said Saturday. The bus was carrying about 30 passengers, police said. The number of injured, who were taken to nearby hospitals, was not immediately clear. The vehicle departed from the state of Bahia and crashed in Saloa, a city in the neighbouring state of Pernambuco. Police said the driver lost control of the bus, crossed into the opposite lane and hit rocks on...

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15 dead after Brazil bus crashes and flips on side

Police are investigating how the driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to strike a sand embankment and overturn.

US braced for nationwide ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump Protesting against the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people will gather on Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the United States for “No Kings” demonstrations – what the president’s Republican Party is calling “Hate America” rallies. This is the third mass mobilisation since Trump’s return to the White House and it is expected to be the largest. It comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programmes and...

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Anti-Trump protesters out in force for ‘No Kings’ rallies across US

Over 2,600 demonstrations are planned, with top Democrats including Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders joining in.

Flight delays, diversions after fire at Bangladesh airport cargo terminal Flights out of Bangladesh’s main airport were delayed or diverted on Saturday after a major fire broke out in the cargo terminal, officials said. Thirty-six firefighting units were working to douse the flames, said Talha Bin Zasim, an officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defence Media Cell. Operations at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were suspended, airport official Masudul Hasan told reporters, adding all aircraft were safe. There was no immediate information as to what may...

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Flight delays, diversions after fire at Bangladesh airport cargo terminal

Firefighting units are working to douse the flames, with operations at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport suspended.