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US can take Strait of Hormuz ‘with more time’, says...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

President Donald ⁠Trump on Friday said the ⁠US can open the Strait of Hormuz with a little more time, as pressure mounts for his administration to find a ‌quick resolution to a war against Iran. “With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL,& MAKE A FORTUNE,” he said in a post on Truth Social. Nearly ⁠five weeks after it started with a joint US-Israeli aerial ‌assault, the war in Iran continues to spread chaos across the region and roil ‌financial markets,

East Asia’s crisis of confidence in the US is...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

The dust and debris of the US-Israeli war on Iran have yet to settle, but its strategic shock waves have reached East Asia. From Tokyo to Taipei, a reassessment is under way. The conflict, intended to project American resolve, has been a brutal stress test for the US-led order – with catastrophic results for Washington’s credibility. Far from cementing its primacy, America’s misadventure has revealed a superpower that is overstretched, vulnerable and seen as an unreliable partner. This

Pakistanis face up to 54% rise in fuel prices

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

Pakistanis faced record fuel price increases on Friday, as petrol and diesel prices rose by up to 54 per cent driven by the war in the Middle East that has caused global oil prices to surge. The increase adds pressure to a cash-strapped nation already grappling with high inflation, as economists warned the hike would push up food prices and living costs. Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Pervez Malik said late on Thursday that the increase was “unavoidable”. He said the government was forced to...

China, Europe and why Beijing took a swing at Iran...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

In a rare condemnation of its strategic partner, China has come out in opposition to Iran’s attacks on Gulf nations, calling for a ceasefire and a guarantee of the safety of shipping lanes. Addressing a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said: “China does not support Iran’s attacks on Gulf Cooperation Council nations and condemns all indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians and non-military targets. The security of...

Tencent expands OpenClaw suite with enterprise tool...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

Tencent Holdings has launched a new OpenClaw tool for enterprises that promises easy deployment of the artificial intelligence agent as part of the Chinese internet giant’s efforts to capitalise on the “lobster” frenzy in the country. ClawPro, launched in public beta by Tencent’s cloud unit on Thursday, works as an AI agent management platform for enterprises, allowing them to deploy OpenClaw templates, select models and agents, track token consumption and manage security settings. Tencent

Malaysia drops appeal on abducted activist’s case,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

Malaysia has given the family of missing pastor Raymond Koh access to a long-classified government report after dropping a legal challenge, but questions remain unanswered over his case, according to rights groups and lawyers. The situation surrounding Koh has revived memories of other Malaysians who are believed to be victims of enforced disappearances in the country. Koh has not been seen after the then 62-year-old was abducted in broad daylight in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, on February 13,...

No more ‘cold peace’ across Taiwan Strait: former KMT...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

The former chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), has called for cross-strait dialogue to break the state of “cold peace”, rebuild trust and avoid conflict. “The key to cross-strait relations lies not in radical confrontation, but in profound mutual trust,” Hung Hsiu-chu wrote on a popular mainland online platform on Thursday. She also called for a return to the 1992 consensus, an unofficial agreement between Beijing and the then-ruling KMT in Taiwan. It states

Washington launches export initiative to ensure...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

The US government has unveiled an AI export initiative designed to cement American technological leadership while countering China’s growing influence in the sector. Washington is inviting US companies to form “preset” consortiums to offer full-stack artificial intelligence solutions around the world. Applications will be accepted until the end of June, the International Trade Administration (ITA), an agency under the US Department of Commerce, said in a news release issued on Wednesday. The...

Xiaomi lifts handset prices as memory chip crunch...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

Xiaomi has raised prices on several smartphone models, joining a broader wave of increases across China’s handset makers as surging memory chip costs ripple through the global consumer electronics supply chain. The company said on Friday that prices for three models would rise by about 200 yuan (US$29), with the adjustments taking effect next Saturday. The move follows similar increases by domestic peers including Oppo, Vivo and Honor in March. Xiaomi attributed the hike to “continued sharp...

China watching ‘like a hawk’ as US Artemis 2 crew...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

China would be closely watching the US Artemis 2 lunar fly-by mission, which has already encountered challenges, including a malfunctioning toilet soon after launch, an expert said. As China gears up to bring astronauts to the moon, the first human return to lunar orbit since the Apollo era over 50 years ago could offer Beijing valuable technical insights. Quentin Parker, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Hong Kong, described China as watching the Artemis 2 mission “like a...

Hong Kong documentary pulled from cinemas 3 years ago...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

An award-winning documentary capturing the lives of six girls over 10 years by Hong Kong director Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting will be screened at a film festival in Italy, three years after it was pulled from local cinemas due to a lack of consent from interviewees. To My Nineteen-year-old Self, which centres on Ying Wa Girls’ School, was one of the four special screenings revealed in the Far East Film Festival’s line-up on Thursday. The film festival, to be held between April 24 and May 2 in

New Zealand doctor bills US embassy for rising fuel...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

A New Zealand doctor has sent the US embassy in Wellington an invoice for his clinic’s fuel bills, saying that President Donald Trump and his administration should take responsibility for starting a war that has sent oil prices spiralling. Shane Dunphy asked the embassy to reimburse him for the NZ$2,790.95 (US$1,600) in petrol vouchers he gave staff at Onslow Medical Centre in the capital so that they could travel to work, The Guardian newspaper reported. “Because of the current fuel crisis,...

Human remains found on Thai ship attacked by Iran in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

Human remains have been found aboard a cargo ship struck by Iran while transiting the Strait of Hormuz last month, the vessel’s owner said on Friday, after three crew members were reported missing following the attack. US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February prompted Tehran to respond by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for global oil supplies. The Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree was struck in March while travelling through the strait after departing Khalifa port in

Ma Xingrui becomes China’s third Politburo member...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

Ma Xingrui, a member of China’s Politburo and the former Communist Party boss of Xinjiang, is being investigated by the anti-corruption watchdog, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday. He is the third member of the ruling party’s elite political body to come under investigation in the current term that began in 2022, a situation unseen in decades. He Weidong, former vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), is also being investigated and was expelled from the

With an eye on China, Japan looks to kamikaze drones...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

Japan plans to introduce a fleet of kamikaze drones and low-cost missiles to boost deterrence against regional threats including China, according to Japanese media reports. The Yomiuri newspaper and Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday that the strategy was focused on “integrated attacks” from unmanned aerial vehicles and long-range stand-off missiles, citing government and ruling coalition sources. They said the drones and missiles would be used to break down enemy air defences and...

Malaysia urged to take more aggressive action to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

Malaysia has so far been spared the worst of the regional energy crunch, but experts say the government needs to move quickly and take more aggressive measures to prevent a worsening economic crisis if the Iran war becomes a drawn-out conflict. Much of Southeast Asia has been hit hard by the energy crisis, with thousands of motorists ditching their vehicles over the lack of fuel and governments burning through billions of dollars and scrambling to find alternative fuel sources to rein in

Rats versus pets: Hong Kong dog owners want rodent...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

Hong Kong pet owners have called for environmental authorities to place rat poison in boxes instead of hanging them in transparent bags, with one owner saying his dog had to visit the veterinarian three times in recent months after accidentally consuming pellets that spilled from broken bags onto the pavement. In response to queries by the South China Morning Post, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said rodenticides were used “only when warranted”, and had adjusted the...

Why ‘dung collector’ was a highly lucrative...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

In ancient China, a highly lucrative and fiercely competitive profession known as the “dung collector” brought its exponents significant profits. These people were responsible for gathering human waste, otherwise known as night soil, from residents’ chamber pots. Due to a lack of modern toilets and flush systems, people stored human waste in chamber pots and were not allowed to dispose of it freely. Waste from each household was collected by specialised workers known as “dung collectors”. At...

Hong Kong committed to helping mainland China’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

Hong Kong is committed to helping mainland China’s medical and health standards “go global”, with a local minister hailing the city’s first time hosting a national medical conference as an event of “great significance”. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said Hong Kong was striving to meet the mainland’s certification requirements for a local stroke centre, following the accreditation of a heart disease treatment facility under national standards last year. Lo officiated at the opening of...

Israel strikes over 3,500 Lebanon targets in month...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/03

The Israeli military said Friday it had struck more than 3,500 targets across Lebanon in the month since fighting with the Hezbollah militant group began. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 after Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel to avenge the US-Israeli attack that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel has responded with massive strikes across Lebanon and a ground offensive. The Israeli military said on Friday it had killed about 1,000...

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