Beijing vows ‘zero tolerance’ ahead of Legco poll as Hong Kong’s ICAC charges 3 Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong has pledged to adopt a “zero tolerance” approach in safeguarding next month’s Legislative Council election, as the city’s anti-corruption agency charged three people for allegedly inciting others to boycott the poll. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) charged three individuals for allegedly reposting online messages that urged others not to vote and, on Thursday, issued arrest warrants for two men suspected of making such posts. The...

South China Morning Post

Beijing vows ‘zero tolerance’ ahead of Legco poll as Hong Kong’s ICAC charges 3

National security office in Hong Kong warns against election disruption as action is taken against alleged calls to boycott December 7 poll.

Huge security operation in place for Africa’s first G20 summit South African police and army units held a parade on Wednesday involving helicopters, K-9 dog units and officers on motorcycles in a show of force ahead of expected protests around this weekend’s Group of 20 world leaders summit in Johannesburg. South Africa has deployed 3,500 extra police officers and put the army on standby under its National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure - a body that brings police, army and intelligence services together under one command to provide security...

South China Morning Post

Huge security operation in place for Africa’s first G20 summit

South Africa’s G20 summit will see representatives of 42 countries meet in Johannesburg this weekend, but not the United States.

Hong Kong firefighters rescue boy, 14, from smoke-filled Kwai Chung flat A 14-year-old boy has been rescued after heavy smoke filled a public housing block in Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung, prompting the evacuation of more than 50 residents. Police said they had received multiple reports since 7.41am on Thursday of a suspected fire at Block 8 of the Kwai Shing West Estate. Firefighters rescued the boy from a flat. He was believed to have inhaled dense smoke and was taken to the Princess Margaret Hospital in Lai Chi Kok for treatment. More than 50 residents self-evacuated...

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong firefighters rescue boy, 14, from smoke-filled Kwai Chung flat

Heavy smoke forces more than 50 residents to evacuate from Block 8 of the Kwai Shing West Estate.

Alice Guo gets life term for human trafficking linked to Philippine scam hub A Philippine court found a former mayor guilty of qualified human trafficking and sentenced her to life imprisonment over her role in setting up a scam centre that victimised foreigners, as Southeast Asian governments vow to fight transnational criminal syndicates. A regional trial court issued the verdict against ex-Bamban town chief Alice Guo, according to the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission. There was no immediate reaction from Guo and her lawyers. Guo helped incorporate Baofu...

South China Morning Post

Alice Guo gets life term for human trafficking linked to Philippine scam hub

The verdict comes at a time when Asean leaders have expressed alarm over rising cybercrimes perpetrated by transnational gangs.

Sick China teenager draws train to university as self-encouragement but dies A Chinese teenager who bravely battled a rare disease, even sketching trains to symbolise his university journey for self-encouragement during chemotherapy, died shortly after receiving his admission letter. The student, 18-year-old Zhan from Anqing in eastern China’s Anhui province, succumbed to his illness on November 10 after developing complications following a stem cell transplant. His father shared that during this year’s college entrance examination, or gaokao, Zhan suffered from a fever....

South China Morning Post

Sick China teenager draws train to university as self-encouragement but dies

Throughout his ordeal, dad says son demonstrated remarkable strength, never shedding a tear, maintaining resilience to the very end.

Top NZ diplomat visiting China for US$337 million ferries contract New Zealand’s top diplomat is set to visit China next week to mark a major deal with a state‑owned Chinese shipbuilder to upgrade interisland ferries serving the Pacific nation. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirmed his trip on Wednesday, a month after Wellington said it had secured a deal to source two new ferries from Guangzhou Shipyard International to connect the country’s two main islands across Cook Strait. Peters told a press conference that he would travel to Guangzhou to...

South China Morning Post

Top NZ diplomat visiting China for US$337 million ferries contract

Winston Peters says deal with state-owned Guangzhou Shipyard International is ‘significant’ and a boost to economic ties.

Riding on jet success, South Korea chases US$15 billion UAE arms deal South Korea is stepping up its outreach to Middle Eastern buyers as it pursues potential weapons contracts worth US$15 billion in the United Arab Emirates, seeking to build on its success in Europe and solidify its reputation as a dependable arms supplier. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung flew to Abu Dhabi for a summit with the UAE counterpart Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday, coinciding with the Dubai Air Show where Korea Aerospace Industries showcased its KF-21 fighter...

South China Morning Post

Riding on jet success, South Korea chases US$15 billion UAE arms deal

Seoul showcased the fighter jet at the Dubai Air Show, aiming to boost Middle East defence ties and global export ambitions.

Stranded astronauts return, university ranking ridiculed: 7 science highlights 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. Mathematician Qian Hong, son of top scientific clan, leaves US for China A renowned mathematician who is also part of China’s Qian clan – a surname linked in the annals of Chinese scientific history to national pioneers in science and engineering – has become the latest US-based scientist to return to...

South China Morning Post

Stranded astronauts return, university ranking ridiculed: 7 science highlights

From a new study clearing an ancient queen’s name to a leap in computing power, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting.

Japan’s renewed sovereignty push over disputed islets irks South Korea, China A Japanese cabinet minister has reiterated his country’s claim to Liancourt Rocks, known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea, after Seoul protested against a new museum wing promoting Tokyo’s sovereignty over the islets. “Under international law, Takeshima is clearly an inherent part of Japan’s territory,” Japan’s Minister in Charge of Territorial Issues Jiro Akama said at a press conference on Tuesday, according to Kyodo news agency. “We will work to strengthen the dissemination of...

South China Morning Post

Japan’s renewed sovereignty push over disputed islets irks South Korea, China

China has responded to the row at a media briefing, urging Japan to ‘seriously reflect on its history of aggression’.

India’s debt-backed stablecoin challenge to US dollar dominance explained As governments worldwide debate the merits and dangers of digital currencies, India appears poised to launch its own state-backed stablecoin that uses government debt as collateral. Proponents argue that the Asset Reserve Certificate (ARC) could hasten the global drive towards de-dollarisation, lower India’s borrowing costs and create a “virtuous cycle” for public funding by diversifying the country’s investor base. By tying the token to sovereign debt, developers aim to create a transparent...

South China Morning Post

India’s debt-backed stablecoin challenge to US dollar dominance explained

Advocates argue the ARC token will lower India’s borrowing costs, strengthen the rupee and stem outflows to dollar-backed cryptocurrencies.

Drop in Chinese tourists could cost Japan US$9.59 billion: economist The Japanese economy could lose about 1.49 trillion yen (US$9.59 billion) over the next year if travellers from mainland China continue to avoid Japan over a row that has derailed the growth in arrivals seen earlier this year, an economist at the Tokyo-based Nomura Research Institute has projected. Takahide Kiuchi, the institute’s executive economist, made the calculation after Beijing told Chinese citizens last week to refrain from travelling to Japan following comments about Taiwan by new...

South China Morning Post

Drop in Chinese tourists could cost Japan US$9.59 billion: economist

Beijing has urged Chinese citizens to refrain from travelling to Japan following comments about Taiwan by new Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi.

Beijing tells Tokyo it will suspend Japanese seafood imports: Kyodo News China has told Japan it will suspend imports of Japanese seafood, Kyodo News said on Wednesday, citing a government source, as the bilateral tensions continue to spiral downwards. The suspension comes less than five months after Beijing announced it would lift a nearly two-year import ban on some Japanese seafood. Beijing had cited worries over Japan’s release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. More to follow …

South China Morning Post

Beijing warns Tokyo of ‘further action’ if Takaichi doesn’t budge on Taiwan stand

China has reportedly reimposed an import ban on Japanese seafood just weeks after lifting it.

7 injured after minibus collides with car, crashes into bus stop in Hong Kong Seven people have been injured after a minibus collided with a car in Hong Kong’s Ma On Shan and then crashed into a bus stop. Police said the collision between the green minibus and BYD private car occurred on Ah Kung Kok Street at 9.14am on Wednesday. The injured, who comprised the minibus driver and six female passengers, were taken to Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin for treatment, according to the force. Photos of the accident circulating online show that the front of the private car is...

South China Morning Post

7 injured after minibus collides with car, crashes into bus stop in Hong Kong

Injured comprise minibus driver and six female passengers, according to force.

Israeli strike on Palestinian camp in Lebanon kills 13, deadliest since ceasefire An Israeli air strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed 13 people and wounded several others, state media and government officials said. It was the deadliest strike on Lebanon since a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war a year ago. The drone strike hit a car in the car park of a mosque in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp on the outskirts of the coastal city of Sidon, the state-run National News Agency said. The Lebanese Health Ministry said 13 people were killed...

South China Morning Post

Israeli strike on Palestinian camp in Lebanon kills 13, deadliest since ceasefire

The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas training compound that was being used to prepare an attack.

‘Heartbreaking’: rigging scandal roils Miss Universe ahead of Thailand event Just three days before the annual Miss Universe pageant is set to take place in Thailand, one of the judges has abruptly stepped down. On Tuesday, Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch posted on social media explaining why he suddenly pulled out, saying he felt “deep confusion and concern” after finding out that an “impromptu jury” had allegedly been created to select the top 30 finalists in advance, without the presence of any of the real jury members. “The results of this selection are...

South China Morning Post

‘Heartbreaking’: rigging scandal roils Miss Universe ahead of Thailand event

Musician Omar Harfouch quit the judging panel, alleging that an ‘impromptu jury’ was created to select the top 30 finalists in advance.

Indonesian a thorn in the side for Malaysia’s durian national fruit bid The durian, the king of fruits, is synonymous with Malaysia, right? While every Malaysian will agree, the Indonesians are saying no. They insist that they have a stronger claim to the durian, creating a thorny issue in Malaysia’s bid to make it the country’s national fruit. On Monday, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, known as Zulhas, disagreed with Malaysia’s proposal, citing Indonesia’s larger production as justification. “Indonesia produced almost 2 million tonnes of...

South China Morning Post

‘Durian’s Indonesia’s national fruit’: Malaysia, Jakarta clash over delicacy

A minister cited higher production and rejected Malaysia’s proposal, saying ‘I believe durian is Indonesia’s national fruit’.

Trump attacks female reporters, who he called ‘piggy’ and ‘terrible’ Donald Trump ripped into a reporter from the US network ABC News on Tuesday, just days after calling another woman journalist “piggy” after she asked a question related to the convicted sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump threatened ABC’s broadcast license after reporter Mary Bruce posed questions during a White House visit by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The earlier incident involving Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey happened a few days ago on Air Force One, but only...

South China Morning Post

Trump attacks female reporters, who he called ‘piggy’ and ‘terrible’

US president lashes ABC News and Bloomberg reporters in the Oval Office and on Air Force One.

Hong Kong PolyU’s top AI expert Yang Hongxia eyes ‘last mile of generative AI’ Chinese artificial intelligence scientist Yang Hongxia, a professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), is seeking to democratise large language models (LLMs) by empowering hospitals and various enterprises to train their own AI systems. Yang, who previously worked on AI models at ByteDance and Alibaba Group Holding’s Damo Academy, said in a recent interview with the South China Morning Post that her newly formed start-up, InfiX.ai, envisioned a world in which various businesses could...

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong PolyU’s top AI expert Yang Hongxia eyes ‘last mile of generative AI’

Yang aims to broaden the adoption of LLMs, while expanding AI’s scope of innovation via the most cost-effective means for all enterprises.

What experts say Hong Kong’s new medical school must do to succeed The new medical school set to be run by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) should ride on the institution’s unique technological strengths and catch up on clinical research to become a leading institution, experts and lawmakers have said. Their comments followed the government’s announcement on Tuesday that HKUST had emerged as the top choice to operate the city’s third medical school, taking its place alongside the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the...

South China Morning Post

What must Hong Kong’s new medical school focus on to succeed?

Experts weigh in after government’s announcement that HKUST, with strong strategic and financial position, will operate city’s third medical sc...

Xpeng’s founder headlines SCMP Live’s 2025 Business Awards Xpeng’s CEO He Xiaopeng is among three corporate founders who have been shortlisted as finalists in the 2025 Business Awards organised by SCMP Live, in a reimagination of a series of accolades first introduced in 1990. A total of 43 nominations were received for the awards in six categories, honouring the most noteworthy business owner, corporate executive, company, small-and-medium-sized enterprise (SME), start-ups and the best globalised brand. A discretionary award honouring lifetime...

South China Morning Post

Xpeng’s founder headlines SCMP Live’s 2025 Business Awards

The winners of the awards in six categories will be announced on December 12 in Hong Kong.