Singaporean Chinese ‘least attractive’, Philippines cyclones: 7 Asia highlights We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week 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. Thailand launches air strikes on Cambodia after soldier killed Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military positions on Monday after a Thai soldier was killed, pushing a shaky US-brokered truce to the brink of collapse as it vowed to cripple its neighbour’s...

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Singaporean Chinese ‘least attractive’, Philippines cyclones: 7 Asia highlights

From a viral image prompting a beauty debate to Chinese marriage brokers eyeing Nepal, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Powerful wave at Spanish tourist island sweeps swimmers to sea, killing 4 A powerful wave dragged a group of swimmers out to sea while they were in a popular seawater pool along the rocky, western coastline of the Spanish island of Tenerife, leaving four died and one missing, Spanish authorities said Monday. Crews recovered three bodies on Sunday - a 35-year-old man, a 55-year-old woman and another man - during a major rescue operation that used jet skis and helicopters to locate and pick up all those dragged out to sea. The fourth, a woman, died on Monday, a day...

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Powerful wave at Spanish tourist island sweeps swimmers to sea, killing 4

The foreigners were bathing in a natural swimming pool on the western coast of Tenerife when the huge wave struck.

Hitting China with tariffs should be ‘last resort’, German foreign minister says German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has warned that Europe must be “extremely cautious” about slapping tariffs on China, as it could prompt Beijing to take countermeasures that could turn into a “spiral”. The remarks came after French President Emmanuel Macron said he had told Beijing during his visit to China last week that Europe would be forced to take “strong measures” against Chinese goods if the trade imbalance was not addressed. “I told them that if they do not react, we Europeans...

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Hitting China with tariffs should be ‘last resort’, German foreign minister says

During two-day visit to the Chinese capital, Johann Wadephul also calls for Beijing to recognise Europe’s concerns and ‘take action’.

Can Singapore’s cyber laws keep pace with speed of borderless online threats? Singapore’s approach to curbing foreign interference and cybercrime is being tested by the sheer speed and borderless nature of online threats, according to analysts who say the city state’s legal powers provide important safeguards but are unlikely to fully keep pace with a rapidly evolving digital landscape. They note that while swift takedown orders and targeted legislation have strengthened Singapore’s defences against misinformation and coordinated online harms, long-term resilience would...

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Can Singapore’s cyber laws keep pace with speed of borderless online threats?

Long-term resilience will hinge on complementary measures such as deeper regional cooperation and improved digital literacy, analysts say.

Operation Santa Claus helps Hong Kong children with rare rheumatic diseases Imagine waking up one day and suddenly being unable to use your legs. That was what happened to Rain Shiu Tin-yung in Hong Kong when he was six. “He got up that morning, but his knees hurt so much that he couldn’t walk. He was in so much pain,” Shiu’s mother, Apple Kwok Siu-ping, recalled. The pain only worsened. “All his joints were inflamed. It was so painful he would wake up crying,” Kwok said. “He went from being able to walk to not walking at all.” It took several visits to the doctors and...

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Operation Santa Claus helps Hong Kong children with rare rheumatic diseases

Hong Kong Paediatric Rheumatism Association subsidises medicine and provides support for children with rheumatic diseases and their carers.

Hong Kong insurers move to help fire victims claim payouts on 12,000 policies The Hong Kong Insurance Authority has directed insurers to move quickly to assist victims of the Tai Po fire by directly contacting policyholders to help them claim compensation for about 12,000 insurance policies, according to CEO Clement Cheung Wan-ching. Cheung on Monday updated the figures on insurance policies affected by the 43-hour blaze that started on November 26 at Wang Fuk Court, saying 35 life insurance companies – including AIA and Manulife – had identified 10,000 life, medical and...

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Hong Kong insurers move to help fire victims claim payouts on 12,000 policies

Insurance Authority confirms 12,000 policies impacted, with payouts spanning life, medical, property and accident coverage.

Japan drops out of plans to build major nuclear power plant in Vietnam Japan has dropped out of plans to build a major nuclear power plant in Vietnam because the time frame is too tight, Japanese ambassador Naoki Ito told Reuters, potentially complicating Vietnam’s long-term strategy to avoid new power shortages. Vietnam, home to large manufacturing operations for multinationals including Samsung and Apple, has faced major power blackouts as demand from its huge industrial sector and expanding middle class often outpaces supplies, strained by increasingly frequent...

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Japan drops out of plans to build major nuclear power plant in Vietnam

Japan is not in a position to ‘implement’ the Thuan 2 project plant, Japanese ambassador says.

UK’s bold defence plans face doubt over funding as security challenges rise As Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey talks up his plans to buttress the UK military, doubts over funding and the country’s ability to move fast enough are unsettling the industry and armed forces. Healey in June laid out a 130-page defence review, billing it as the first in a generation that would transform and grow the UK military. He set out plans to rebuild arms stockpiles, expand Britain’s nuclear deterrent and submarine fleet, and invest more heavily in long-range weapons and advanced...

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UK’s bold defence plans face doubt over funding as security challenges rise

Military chiefs worry the UK will have to scale back its defence ambitions amid concerns about what the country can afford.

Hong Kong Legco election, potential Parkinson’s treatment: 5 weekend reads We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Hong Kong Legco election’s 31.9% turnout surpasses record low of 2021 2. Tokyo accuses Chinese fighters of locking on Japanese jets northeast of Taiwan 3. Chinese scientists develop promising stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s 4. The great slowdown: Germany at a standstill as ‘China shock’...

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Hong Kong Legco election, potential Parkinson’s treatment: 5 weekend reads

From Hong Kong’s Legislative Council election to Germany’s stagnant economy, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

Australian bushfires destroy homes in 2 states as firefighter killed An Australian firefighter was killed overnight after he was struck by a tree while trying to control a bushfire that had destroyed homes and burnt large swathes of bushland north of Sydney, authorities said on Monday. Emergency crews rushed to bushland near the rural town of Bulahdelah, 200km (124 miles) north of Sydney, after reports that a tree had fallen on a man. The 59-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and died at the scene, officials said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the...

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Australian bushfires destroy homes in 2 states as firefighter killed

More than 50 bushfires are burning across New South Wales as a massive blaze is contained in Tasmania.

Why Chinese firms are taking operational risks on African projects China’s big money is returning to African infrastructure as its state-owned firms evolve from mere builders into long-term financiers and operators. This is so they have enough “skin in the game”, according to one analyst, as Beijing seeks lasting influence over key transport routes and critical mineral supply chains in Africa. Across the continent, these companies are increasingly financing, building and operating key infrastructure under public-private partnerships (PPP). This financing model...

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Why Chinese firms are taking operational risks on African projects

Public-private partnerships or PPP model for African infrastructure tipped to grow as ‘bankable’ projects can attract global finance.

China woman marries rescuer who plucked her from under quake rubble when she was 11 A Chinese woman who was unexpectedly reunited with the man who rescued her from the rubble of an earthquake more than 10 years ago when she was 11 has tied the knot with him. The story was revealed on November 29, in Changsha, Hunan province, in southern China, during the 5th Annual Han-style Collective Wedding Ceremony, where 37 couples gathered to wed. The special couple, Liang Zhibin, who is 12 years older than his bride Liu Ximei, shared a love story that began over 15 years ago. In 2008,...

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China woman marries rescuer who plucked her from under quake rubble when she was 11

Decade after deadly tremor, fate brings pair together in restaurant; initial meeting sparks ‘excitement and embarrassment’, then love blossoms.

Mamdani tells immigrant New Yorkers about their right not to comply with ICE New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani posted a video to social media on Sunday explaining immigrants’ right to refuse to speak to or comply with agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), days after federal agents carried out a raid in Manhattan. In the video, Mamdani vowed to protect the city’s 3 million immigrants, saying, “We can all stand up to ICE if you know your rights.” He explained that people in the US can choose not to speak to federal immigration agents, film them...

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Mamdani tells immigrant New Yorkers about their right not to comply with ICE

Mayor-elect’s video instructs New Yorkers on their right to remain silent, film agents, and refuse entry without a judicial warrant signed by a j...

Nigerian government secures release of 100 kidnapped schoolchildren, UN reports Nigerian authorities have secured the release of 100 kidnapped schoolchildren taken by gunmen from a Catholic school last month, a United Nations source and local media said on Sunday, though the fate of another 165 pupils and staff thought to remain in captivity remains unclear. In November, 315 pupils and staff were kidnapped from St Mary’s Catholic boarding school in Papiri in north-central Niger state, as the country buckled under a wave of mass abductions reminiscent of the infamous 2014...

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Nigeria’s government secures release of 100 kidnapped schoolchildren

The fate of dozens of other pupils and staff remains unclear as the country buckles under a wave of mass abductions.

While China exudes confidence, Russia is held back by yearning When President Xi Jinping hosted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin earlier this year, the choreography was familiar: smiles, handshakes and talk of a “multipolar world order”. Yet beneath the symbolism lies an imbalance impossible to miss. China radiated the poise of a civilisation sure of its trajectory; Russia exuded the defiance of a power seeking reassurance. The meeting, intended to display Eurasian unity, instead...

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Opinion | Despite their strong ties, Russia and China are emotional opposites

Moscow is haunted by a longing for Western approval in contrast to Beijing, which focuses on borrowing what works and changing what doesn’t.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he has divested his soybean farm US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a major figure in implementing US President Donald Trump’s economic agenda including tariffs, disclosed on Sunday that he has recently divested his interests in a soybean farm to comply with the ethics agreement he signed last January when he joined the administration. The divestiture comes four months after the US Office of Government Ethics informed the Senate Finance Committee in an August 11 letter that Bessent had failed to comply with certain terms of...

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Trump’s Treasury Secretary Bessent says he has divested his soybean farm

Move comes after a US ethics watchdog said that Bessent had not fully complied with his pledge to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

Water leak at Paris Louvre damages books at Egyptian antiquities department A water leak last month damaged hundreds of books in the Egyptian antiquities department at the Louvre, underscoring the deteriorating state of the world’s most visited museum just weeks after a daring jewel heist exposed security flaws. Specialist website La Tribune de l’Art reported that around 400 rare books were affected, blaming poor pipe conditions. It said the department had long sought funds to protect the collection from such risks without success. Le Louvre’s deputy administrator,...

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Water leak at Paris Louvre damages books at Egyptian antiquities department

The leak underscores the deteriorating state of the world’s most visited museum just weeks after a jewel heist exposed security flaws.

UK summit will ‘turn the tide’ on worldwide corruption, foreign secretary says The UK will “turn the tide” on illicit finance at a landmark anti-corruption summit in London next year, the foreign secretary has said. Yvette Cooper confirmed on Sunday that Britain would host the summit at Lancaster House on June 23-24, 2026. The summit, first promised by her predecessor David Lammy, will bring together governments, businesses and campaigners to agree “tough international action” to combat corrupt practices. Cooper said the summit would target illicit gold used to fund the...

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UK summit will ‘turn the tide’ on worldwide corruption, foreign secretary says

Yvette Cooper said the June summit would target cryptocurrency ‘exploited by people smugglers’ and illicit gold used to fund the Ukraine war.

With one small step for AI, Chinese scientists make giant leap for humanity Imagine a robot that could tie your shoelaces to the perfect degree of tightness, or a robotic hand capable of performing abdominal surgery and then suturing the wound with impeccable precision. You might assume these feats would rely on complex electronic sensors, and yet a breakthrough by Chinese scientists has made it possible for robots to rival the skill of experienced surgeons – even with their “eyes closed” – using just a simple knot. The achievement, by an interdisciplinary team from...

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With one small step for AI, Chinese scientists make giant leap for humanity

Researchers give robotic arms the skill and precision of experienced surgeons, all thanks to the inspiration of a simple slip knot.

Indonesian helper’s terrifying 3-hour ordeal as fire ravaged Hong Kong estate An Indonesian domestic helper has recalled how she and her employer’s elderly parents huddled together in a smoke-filled bedroom for an agonising three hours, covering their noses with wet towels as they lay trapped while a deadly inferno engulfed a Hong Kong estate last month. The helper, who gave her name as Olive, recalled to the Post the ordeal the trio went through on November 26, as the devastating fire swept through seven of the eight residential high-rise blocks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai...

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Exclusive | Indonesian helper’s terrifying 3-hour ordeal as fire ravaged Hong Kong estate

Olive says she and her employer’s elderly parents spent an agonising three hours trapped in a smoke-filled bedroom before they were rescued.