Xiaomi open-sources AI model spanning autonomous driving and robotics Xiaomi has open-sourced a new foundation model that integrates autonomous driving and embodied artificial intelligence, as the Chinese smartphone and electric-vehicle (EV) manufacturer seeks to enhance its AI capabilities. MiMo-Embodied, which comes after Xiaomi’s first large language model MiMo launched in April, was described as the “first open-source vision-language model” that combined autonomous driving and embodied AI tasks. Technical reports and project files are available on platforms...

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Xiaomi open-sources AI model spanning autonomous driving and robotics

EV and AI initiatives have become an increasingly important part of Xiaomi’s business.

Hong Kong to build on National Games success with GBA cities: official A senior sports official has said that Hong Kong’s performance in co-hosting the National Games is satisfactory and that the city will explore running more events with Greater Bay Area neighbours after the region was named a candidate for future Olympic Games. Yeung Tak-keung, head of the National Games Coordination Office in Hong Kong, said on Saturday that city authorities and their counterparts from Guangdong province and Macau could conduct a comprehensive review of their experience...

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Hong Kong sets sights on bay area bid for Olympics after National Games success

Joint bid with Guangdong and Macau will be a ‘super-strong alliance’, sports chief Rosanna Law says after ex-IOC chief backs region as host.

Siobhan Haughey dives in as Hong Kong Victoria Harbour race seeks expanded entry Organisers of the Hong Kong Victoria Harbour Race are considering recruiting mainland Chinese lifeguards to increase the participant limit to beyond 10,000 after more than 3,700 swimmers, including National Games medallist Siobhan Haughey, joined Saturday’s annual event. Hong Kong China Swimming Association President Ronnie Wong Man-chiu told the media after the event that the key factors in raising the quota were the number of available lifeguards and the amount of time competitors spend in the...

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Siobhan Haughey dives in as Hong Kong Victoria Harbour race seeks more swimmers

National Games medallist among this year’s 3,700 swimmers, as organisers consider more lifeguards to boost future sign-ups to beyond 10,000.

Ireland business chamber welcomes Chinese investment despite US, EU pressures Chinese investment is still being actively welcomed in Ireland, the head of a major business organisation said, even as the wider European Union adopts a more cautious attitude and Dublin walks a tightrope to maintain ties with both the US and China amid a wide-ranging rivalry between the world’s two largest economies. “We’re firmly open for business within the EU rules, that is an unambiguous position,” Mary Rose Burke, CEO of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, told the Post in an interview last...

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Ireland business chamber welcomes Chinese investment despite US, EU pressures

Dublin Chamber of Commerce CEO says country welcomes business ties ‘within EU rules’, notes existing partnerships in tech and pharmaceuticals.

China’s UN envoy pours fresh scorn on Japan’s ‘unrepentant’ Takaichi China’s ambassador to the United Nations has doubled down on his criticism of Japan, calling Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi’s earlier comments on Taiwan “highly dangerous” and damaging to the post-war international order. According to state broadcaster CCTV, Fu Cong said in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday that Japan was “unrepentant” for the “blatantly provocative” remarks of its prime minister. He said Takaichi’s comments marked the first time a Japanese leader had...

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China’s UN envoy pours fresh scorn on Japan’s ‘unrepentant’ Takaichi

Fu Cong says the Japanese PM’s remarks seriously violate international law and the basic norms of international relations.

Mexico arrests 7 bodyguards of assassinated mayor over ‘aggravated homicide’ Authorities on Friday arrested seven bodyguards suspected of being involved in the assassination earlier this month of a popular mayor in west-central Mexico whom they were supposed to be protecting. At least five of the suspects were seen being arrested by state and federal authorities in Uruapan on Friday, steps away from the site where Mayor Carlos Manzo was killed during Day of the Dead festivities on November 1. Later, the Michoacan state prosecutor’s office said in a brief statement that...

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Mexico arrests 7 bodyguards of assassinated mayor over ‘aggravated homicide’

The prosecution has focused on Carlos Manzo’s bodyguards after they failed to stop a lone teenage gunman who shot the mayor.

Could Osaka be Japan’s second capital? Takaichi appears to demur on ally’s plan When Japan’s then incoming leader Sanae Takaichi was scrambling in October for a new coalition partner so the Liberal Democratic Party could remain in power, she seemed open to requests put forth by the Japan Innovation Party in return for its support. One of the key demands of the JIP was that Osaka should be officially elevated in status to the nation’s “second capital”, with additional infrastructure for the city to enable it to become the seat of government in the event of a natural disaster...

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Could Osaka be Japan’s second capital? Takaichi appears to demur on ally’s plan

A key demand of the Japan Innovation Party in its alliance with the Liberal Democratic Party is for Osaka to be Tokyo’s backup capital.

Japanese consumers fear curbs on eel delicacy ahead of global wildlife forum At an eel restaurant near Tokyo, four friends sit down to eat a Japanese delicacy now the subject of a heated international debate as its numbers decline. The eel, hugely popular across Japan, is also endangered and will be discussed at a key global forum that regulates the trade of threatened wildlife, starting in Uzbekistan on Monday. “It’s a luxury dish that we eat to treat ourselves or to celebrate an occasion,” Yukiko Takahashi, a 52-year-old saleswoman, said as she tucked into her food at...

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Japanese consumers fear curbs on eel delicacy ahead of global wildlife forum

The endangered eel will be discussed at the forum that regulates the trade of threatened wildlife in Uzbekistan next week.

For Chinese invested in Japan, public sentiment is a factor to watch amid row For Gu Chuan and his wife, relocating from China to Japan appeared to be a logical choice. Last year, when China’s economy slowed and optimism about job prospects dimmed, the Beijing-based tech worker did not want his family to put all its eggs in one basket. The couple considered several options. Hong Kong was ruled out as too far from home, and so was the United States because of its slew of disputes with Beijing. They finally decided that Gu’s wife would go to Japan to study for an MBA and he...

South China Morning Post

For Chinese in Japan, life goes on – but with an eye on public sentiment

Chinese report little visible protest activity to date but memories of 2012 China-Japan tension over disputed Diaoyu Islands linger.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, ex-Trump loyalist, says to resign from Congress Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a once-loyal supporter of US President Donald Trump who later became a critic, has said she is resigning from Congress in January. Greene, in a more than 10-minute video posted online, explained her decision on Friday and said she was “always been despised in Washington, D.C., and just never fit in”. Greene’s resignation followed a public fallout with Trump in recent months, as the congresswoman criticised him for his stance on files...

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Marjorie Taylor Greene, ex-Trump loyalist, says to resign from Congress

US President Donald Trump says Greene’s resignation is ‘great news for the country’, according to ABC News.

‘Limited alternatives’: why Japan will struggle to replace China’s tourists Japan will find it hard to replace the revenue lost if Chinese tourists keep avoiding the country amid a diplomatic row over Taiwan, a subsidiary of the data provider Fitch Solutions warned on Friday. A sustained drop-off in visitor numbers from China would “significantly impact” Japan’s retail and tourism industries, as Chinese tourists were not only Japan’s largest source of overseas visitors but were also higher-than-average spenders, subsidiary BMI said in a research note. In the short term,...

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‘Limited alternatives’: why Japan will struggle to replace China’s tourists

China is Japan’s top source of international tourists, and Chinese travellers also tend to be big spenders, analysts say.

Meet Dr Toilet, the 78-year-old ‘supoohero’ fighting for Hong Kong loos For Henry Hung Chi-kuen, a veteran of the plumbing and drainage industry with more than 60 years of experience, toilets are not only how he earns his living but also something of an obsession. “Wherever I go [around the world], the first place I go [to] is the public toilet,” he said enthusiastically. The 78-year-old also buys toilet-themed souvenirs from different countries, proudly displaying them behind his desk. Often referred to as “Dr Toilet”, Hung is a founding member and president of a...

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Meet Dr Toilet, the 78-year-old ‘supoohero’ fighting for Hong Kong loos

Henry Hung is founding member and president of Hong Kong Toilet Association, best known for annual surveys ranking best and worst public loos.

Malaysia suspends funding for football association over documentation scandal Malaysia’s embattled football association has been plunged deeper into crisis after the government suspended fresh funding over a document-forgery scandal that has embarrassed the football-mad nation. Football’s governing body, Fifa, has issued fines and player bans and launched criminal complaints after it found the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had cheated by faking documents of seven foreign-born players. Two of the players scored in a victory over Vietnam in an Asian Cup qualifier...

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Malaysia suspends funding for football association over documentation scandal

The government says funds allocated to FAM could not be diverted to finance its legal challenge against Fifa’s ruling in the scandal.

2 arrested as Hong Kong police reclassify scaffolding accident as manslaughter Hong Kong police have arrested two men after reclassifying an industrial accident involving a collapsed scaffolding that killed two workers and injured three others last year as manslaughter. A 48-year-old foreman and a 58-year-old worker, who were apprehended on Thursday and jointly charged with two counts of manslaughter over the incident in Ngau Tau Kok, were brought to the Kwun Tong Court for mention on Friday morning. On February 20 last year, police received a report that a large...

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2 arrested as Hong Kong police reclassify scaffolding accident as manslaughter

Foreman Lai Cheuk-yuen, 48, and worker Fong Man-hung, 58, taken into custody over incident in Kai Tak that killed two workers last February.

Hong Kong will set KPIs for government-owned firm focused on San Tin Technopole Hong Kong authorities will set key performance indicators (KPIs) for the government-owned company set up to drive the development of the San Tin Technopole and grant its subsidiaries greater flexibility to meet enterprises’ needs. Kevin Choi Kit-ming, Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, also said on Friday that a strategically reserved “white space” in one part of the technopole could support its future expansion and support the development of the city’s university town,...

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Hong Kong to set KPIs for government-owned firm focused on San Tin Technopole

Permanent secretary for innovation, technology and industry also says strategic ‘white space’ will be reserved for future expansion of hub.

Marcos’ cousin faces plunder charges in Philippine corruption scandal Plunder, corruption and bribery charges were recommended against Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s cousin for his alleged involvement in a corruption scandal. The Department of Public Works and Highways sought these charges against former House speaker Martin Romualdez during a filing at the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday. The same charges were also recommended for resigned lawmaker Zaldy Co, who was formerly head of the House of Representatives’ appropriations committee. Romualdez...

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Marcos’ cousin faces plunder charges in Philippine corruption scandal

The government also auctioned off luxury vehicles linked to corruption in flood infrastructure in a bid to recover stolen public funds.

Singapore minister’s apology, China’s tourists cancel Japan trips: 7 highlights 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. 491,000 Japan-bound air tickets cancelled as China warns people to avoid travel Chinese airlines have recorded about 491,000 cancellations of tickets to Japan since Saturday – roughly 32 per cent of their total bookings to the...

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Singapore minister’s apology, China’s tourists cancel Japan trips: 7 highlights

From an apology over remarks about Hong Kong’s football team to tourists avoiding Japan, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Hong Kong hedge fund founder pays US$74.3 million for luxury Shouson Hill home A company associated with Vincent Gao Leyi, the founder of Hong Kong-based hedge fund CoreView Capital, has bought a luxury home in the city’s Southern district for about HK$579 million (US$74.3 million), according to official records. Matrix Properties was identified as the buyer of House 6 at the upscale development No 15 Shouson Hill in one of the city’s most exclusive enclaves, Land Registry documents showed. According to the Companies Registry, Gao serves as a director of Matrix Properties...

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Hong Kong hedge fund founder pays US$74.3 million for luxury Shouson Hill home

Matrix Properties, in which CoreView Capital’s Vincent Gao Leyi is a director, snaps up House 6 at the upscale No 15 Shouson Hill.

China accuses US of undermining ties with Greece in envoy’s Piraeus port remarks China has accused the United States of trying to undermine its relations with Greece after the US ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle urged Athens to sell the Chinese-operated port of Piraeus. Guilfoyle called the presence of China’s state-owned shipping giant Cosco at the port in the south of Greece “unfortunate”, in an interview last week with Greek broadcaster Antenna TV. “But I think there are ways around it, that something could be worked out, whether you pursue a path of enhancing output in...

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China accuses US of undermining ties with Greece in envoy’s Piraeus port remarks

Washington’s ambassador under fire after urging Athens to sell the ancient port operated by Chinese shipping giant Cosco.

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...

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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.