US halts asylum cases after troop killing as Trump steps up migrant crackdown The United States is freezing all asylum decisions, officials said on Friday, as President Donald Trump hardens his anti-migrant stance after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard members this week in Washington. Wednesday’s attack on the soldiers – one of whom died from her injuries – has ignited a fresh crackdown on foreigners in the United States, with Trump also pledging to suspend migration from “third world countries”. Joseph Edlow, director of the US Citizenship and...

South China Morning Post

US halts asylum cases after troop killing as Trump steps up migrant crackdown

A US official says the immigration agency will ensure ‘every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible’.

Hongkongers mourn fire victims at citywide condolence points; toll at 128 This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. What we know so far: 128 people, including a firefighter, confirmed dead 79 injured, including 12 firefighters Status of 200 people unclear The eight residential blocks in the estate had been undergoing renovations since July 2024, covered in bamboo scaffolding and green...

South China Morning Post

Filipino helper among victims of Hong Kong fire – as it happened

Anti-corruption agency arrests three men who were earlier detained by police on suspicion of manslaughter.

Difficult to say if fire-ravaged Hong Kong buildings can be fixed: experts The government should take the lead in assessing the structural safety of the estate engulfed by Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades before deciding whether it should be restored or redeveloped, experts have said, warning of liability problems and a long road ahead. The future of Wang Fuk Court, where a massive fire raged through seven of its eight blocks for more than 43 hours before largely being put out, remains uncertain, with residents taking shelter or moving into temporary housing arranged...

South China Morning Post

Difficult to say if fire-ravaged Hong Kong buildings can be fixed: experts

Government should take lead in assessing structural safety of Wang Fuk Court buildings to help flat owners decide, experts say.

Why Chinese women like me are done being quiet and ‘appropriate’ In China, girls are taught early to be “appropriate” – to listen, not lead; to speak gently, not loudly. We grow up believing that quietness is likeability, and likeability is safety. But something is shifting. When Chinese writer Jiang Fangzhou said to me during a recent interview, “I can’t be waiting for some influential man to say, ‘I’ll give you an hour to talk about literature’. You can’t be waiting for a seat, for a microphone”, it struck a chord far beyond us. It was a generational...

South China Morning Post

Being Chinese | Why Chinese women like me are done being quiet and ‘appropriate’

Chinese women are praised for gentleness. Our tone must please; our anger must be graceful. But a new generation is speaking out.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy: what you need to know We have put together seven stories on everything you need to know about Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Hong Kong families endure unimaginable loss as fire death toll rises Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has torn apart families as the death toll increased early Friday morning, with many heavy-hearted relatives continuing to search for missing loved ones. 2. ‘Hongkongers are capable’: deadliest fire in...

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy: what you need to know

From the impact of the tragic Tai Po fire on residents to ways you can help those affected, here are seven stories from our recent reporting.

Bird flu could risk pandemic ‘worse than Covid’ if it mutates The bird flu virus that has been spreading among wild birds, poultry and mammals could lead to a pandemic worse than Covid-19 if it mutates to transmit between humans, the head of France’s Institut Pasteur respiratory infections centre has said. The highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has led to the culling of hundreds of millions of birds in the past few years, disrupting food supplies and driving up prices, though human infections remain rare. “What we fear is the...

South China Morning Post

Bird flu could risk pandemic ‘worse than Covid’ if it mutates

French institute warns that a bird flu pandemic could be severe, and affect healthy people, including children.

A new test for consent: reforming Hong Kong’s approach to sexual crimes Hong Kong has seen a number of amendments to its criminal law in recent years aimed at strengthening the response to sexual crimes. Notable examples are the new offences in the Crimes Ordinance regarding voyeurism, upskirting and the publication of intimate images without consent. There has also been discussion, including in this column, regarding how the law can adapt to the new phenomenon of pornography generated by artificial intelligence and deepfakes. It is essential that the law,...

South China Morning Post

Legal Tales | A new test for consent: reforming Hong Kong’s approach to sexual crimes

Efforts to update the city’s sexual offence laws aim to reflect evolving views on consent and improve prosecution outcomes.

Beijing freezes Japan youth exchange programmes over Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks Beijing has frozen youth exchange programmes with Tokyo amid continuing fallout over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan, a diplomatic source said, raising concern that the bilateral rift could affect generations to come. The Japanese side was told about the cancelled programmes in recent weeks after China launched retaliatory measures against Japan over Takaichi’s comments earlier this month, according to the diplomatic source. “Usually, November and December are the...

South China Morning Post

Exclusive | Beijing freezes Japan youth exchange programmes over Takaichi Taiwan row

All youth programmes have been called off, diplomatic source says, as ties between the two countries fray.

MAMA Awards in Hong Kong to be downsized, Mirror withdraws, in wake of fire Asia’s largest K-pop award show, scheduled for Friday evening and Saturday at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium, will be downsized in light of the Tai Po fire, with boy band Mirror becoming the latest performers to pull out of the event. The group announced on Friday that they would not appear at the two-day 2025 MAMA Awards, following earlier withdrawals by film stars Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-fat. Makerville, the 12-member group’s management company, made the announcement on Mirror’s Instagram...

South China Morning Post

MAMA Awards in Hong Kong to be downsized, Mirror withdraws, in wake of fire

12-member boy band announces it will not appear at Asia’s largest K-pop award show, set to take place at Kai Tak Stadium on Friday, Saturday.

Marcos’ sister says Philippines has leadership ‘vacuum’ in new jab at president Senator Imee Marcos, the estranged sister of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, said there is a void in the nation’s leadership as politicians grapple with a growing corruption scandal and instead is backing his deputy as a potential replacement. “There is a vacuum at the top,” Imee Marcos said during an interview in her Manila office on Thursday. “And that’s a problem because all sorts of sinister and malignant forces have jumped in to fill that void.” Tensions between the siblings...

South China Morning Post

Marcos’ sister says Philippines has leadership ‘vacuum’ in new jab at president

Imee Marcos said they ‘kind of boxed me out’ when she raised her brother’s alleged cocaine addiction with the family.

Peru ex-president Castillo sentenced to over 11 years in prison Peru’s Supreme Court on Thursday sentenced leftist ex-president Pedro Castillo to more than 11 years in jail for trying to dissolve Congress and rule by decree to avoid impeachment. Dubbed Peru’s first poor president, the former rural teacher, who had never held elected office before winning the presidency, was impeached by Congress and jailed following his attempted power grab in December 2022. He had repeatedly clashed with an opposition-dominated Congress during his 16 months in power,...

South China Morning Post

Peru ex-president Castillo sentenced to over 11 years in prison

Pedro Castillo joins a growing list of former leaders jailed in the South American country.

Public outrage over Chinese man placing hell money in Japanese temple donation box A Chinese man who placed joss paper into a fortune-drawing money collection box at Japan’s Sensoji Temple has sparked online outrage and criticism of bad tourist behaviour. A video that circulated on social media in November showed the unidentified man putting a piece of joss paper, also known as “hell money”, into the box on the desk where fortune sticks are drawn. Visitors are required to put 100 yen (US$1) into the box to draw from 100 bamboo sticks in a tube. They then need to find the...

South China Morning Post

Public outrage over Chinese man placing hell money in Japanese temple donation box

Amid rising tension between Tokyo and Beijing, mainland tourists’ use of fake cash to seek good fortune sparks anger online.

National Games underscored ties that bind Hongkongers with rest of China China’s National Games marked a historic milestone this year: for the first time since the event’s inception in 1959, competitions were held throughout the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area – a clear sign of the region’s increasing connectivity and spirit of cooperation. Hong Kong achieved its highest medal tally, with nine golds, two silvers and eight bronzes, fostering pride in a city discovering a new level of confidence through sport. Behind every medal lies a personal story of...

South China Morning Post

Opinion | National Games underscored ties that bind Hongkongers with rest of China

Through tears and celebrations, the Games highlighted the importance of connectivity and the shared spirit among China’s peoples and regions.

Italy’s Leonardo unveils ‘Michelangelo Dome’ air defence system Italy’s defence and aerospace group Leonardo on Thursday presented plans for a new multilayered air defence system, as European countries step up military capabilities to bolster defences against Russia and other threats. The “Michelangelo Dome” is an integrated defence system that uses artificial intelligence to neutralise a range of threats, from hypersonic weapons to drone swarms and naval attacks, in a bid to strengthen its role in European multi-domain security. Named for the Renaissance...

South China Morning Post

Italy’s Leonardo unveils ‘Michelangelo Dome’ air defence system

The system uses predictive AI to help position assets and shorten response times against threats like hypersonic weapons and drone swarms.

Jack Ma Foundation pledges US$4 million for Hong Kong fire victims The Jack Ma Foundation said on Thursday it would donate HK$30 million (US$3.9 million) to support families, firefighters and rescuers affected by a deadly fire at a housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district. In a statement, the foundation – established by the founder of Alibaba Group Holding and Ant Group – expressed solidarity with all those affected by the tragedy. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. The donation follows a further commitment of HK$20 million from Alibaba and HK$10...

South China Morning Post

Jack Ma Foundation pledges US$4 million for Hong Kong fire victims

The foundation extends its condolences to the victims’ families and praises the bravery of the firefighters and emergency personnel.

Chinese man marries woman 4 hours after blind date, spends US$34,000 in a month A 40-year-old man has stunned mainland Chinese social media by marrying just four hours after a blind date arranged by multiple matchmakers, subsequently depleting his entire savings of over 240,000 yuan (US$34,000) within a month of marriage. Huang Zhongcheng, hailing from Hengyang in Hunan province, southern China, went on a blind date on the morning of August 21. During the matchmaking process, nine different matchmakers introduced him to the same woman, who works in a beauty salon. “On the...

South China Morning Post

Chinese man marries woman 4 hours after blind date, spends US$34,000 in a month

Huang says she typically would not respond when he reached out, but whenever she did, it was always about money.

China has 3 reusable rockets lined up for launch as they vie to make history The race to launch China’s first reusable rocket is heating up, with three contenders now lined up at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the country’s northwest for flights that could make history. On the pads stand the state-owned Long March 12A, LandSpace’s Zhuque-3, and Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-3 – all three of which are expected to be used to build China’s massive internet satellite constellations and to compete internationally on low-cost, rapid-turnaround missions. Both the Long March...

South China Morning Post

China has 3 reusable rockets lined up for launch as they vie to make history

The Long March 12A, Zhuque-3 and Tianlong-3 are expected to be used to build the country’s massive internet satellite constellations.

Hong Kong developers Sino Group, NWD delay home sales after deadly Tai Po fire Hong Kong’s developers have postponed property sales scheduled for Friday as the city mourns the deaths of dozens of residents in a devastating fire that broke out in Tai Po. Sino Group and New World Development announced on Thursday that the sale of 150 units at One Park Place in Yau Tong, and 63 units at the Austin Bohemian project in Tsim Sha Tsui, respectively, would be deferred. Both Sino Group and NWD did not disclose the reason for the postponement or when the sales would be...

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong developers Sino Group, NWD delay flat sales amid Tai Po fire grief

Developers defer sales of a total of 213 units in Yau Tong and Yau Ma Tei scheduled for Friday.

11 killed, 2 hurt after test train crashes into workers in southwestern China A test train crashed into railway workers in China’s southwestern Yunnan province early on Thursday morning, killing 11 people and injuring two, state media said. The test train No 55537, which was used to test seismic equipment, collided with construction workers entering the railway line on a curve at Luoyangzhen Station in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Railway and local government authorities immediately activated their emergency response to manage...

South China Morning Post

11 killed, 2 hurt after test train crashes into workers in southwestern China

Chinese news outlet says preliminary investigations indicate crash may have occurred when workers headed onto the track early.

‘Forced to hide just to sleep’: Indonesian helper rescued after years of abuse An Indonesian domestic worker forced into unpaid labour was rescued by Malaysia’s Immigration Department after a raid at a home in Batu Caves, Selangor state. In a statement on Wednesday, immigration director general Zakaria Shaaban said the victim was rescued during an operation on Monday. He said the operation followed information gathered by sources. “During the inspection, the woman was found hiding under a four-wheel drive vehicle at the premises,” he said. Zakaria said investigations...

South China Morning Post

‘Forced to hide just to sleep’: Indonesian helper rescued after years of abuse

The victim was told to hide under a vehicle to avoid detection during a raid at a home in Batu Caves.