PODCAST

News - South China Morning Post

All the latest breaking news from Hong Kong, China and around the world

All Episodes

Chinese scientists land on Sandy Cay reef as tensions...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

Chinese scientists landed on a disputed South China Sea reef over the weekend in the latest assertion of Beijing’s sovereignty claims. The uninhabited sandbank, Sandy Cay, has become a growing flashpoint following a series of encounters between Chinese and Philippine coastguard, military and fishing vessels. The Philippines said the Chinese-flagged research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 33 had been spotted near the reef on Saturday, escorted by two coastguard ships. Jay Tarriela, a spokesman for the...

Revolt against UK’s Starmer revives bitter debate...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

The thorny question of whether Britain should unwind a decade of estrangement from the European Union is resurfacing as the Labour Party starts to imagine a future beyond Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Two key figures have emerged as potential challengers after a series of political body blows that have left Starmer’s leadership in crisis, and the spectre of rejoining the EU was creeping back into the debate. Wes Streeting, who resigned from Starmer’s government as health secretary last week,...

Rising secondary home prices in China’s major cities...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

Secondary home prices in mainland China’s major cities rose in April, according to official data, offering further encouraging signs that the struggling property sector is bottoming out, analysts said. Used home prices in the first-tier cities rose, led by Shanghai’s 0.7 per cent increase on a monthly basis, followed by a rise of 0.4 per cent in Beijing, data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday showed. Prices in Shenzhen also grew by 0.3 per cent, while Guangzhou

Hong Kong court confiscates HK$674,860 from 3...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

A Hong Kong court has ordered the confiscation of more than HK$674,000 (US$86,000) seized from three defendants in a landmark terrorism trial, finding the funds were raised to finance a plot to kill police during the 2019 anti-government protests. The High Court on Monday declared the money raised by the “Dragon Slaying Brigade” constituted terrorist property under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance, the first such order since the law came into effect in 2002. Team leader...

India has 1.42 billion people – but some Modi allies...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

India may be the world’s most populous country, with 1.42 billion people and challenges like high youth unemployment, but powerful allies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are championing larger families to counter a declining fertility rate. Even though the United Nations projects India’s population would keep rising for ‌about four decades, peaking at around 1.7 billion, some policymakers and Hindu groups say the shift away from smaller families should begin now, including through government...

Hong Kong urged to trigger travel alert to DR Congo,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

Hong Kong authorities should step up preventive measures and issue a travel alert to warn residents against visiting parts of central Africa as an Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo and Uganda threatens to worsen, an infectious disease expert has said. The call by Dr Joseph Tsang Kay-yan, a council member of the Hong Kong Society of Infectious Diseases, came on Monday, a day after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern and local...

‘Occupational bug’: China surgeon goes viral for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

A Shanghai doctor has gone viral because he weighs 150kg, with some internet users jokingly asking whether they should follow such a plump person’s prescriptions. Chest surgeon Xiang Ruilong, who was born in the 1980s, works at Shanghai Yueyang Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western Medicine Hospital. Standing at 1.84m tall, he weighs in at 150kg, the Xinmin Evening News reported. Xiang said he was about 110kg when he started working as a resident doctor over 10 years

Why China rare earth breakthrough in icy northeast...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

Scientists in China have identified a new type of rare earths formation in the frigid northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin – a discovery that could challenge assumptions about how rare earths occur across the country. Unlike the clay-heavy deposits of southern China – which require chemical leaching to release the elements – the northern formations consist of loose sand and gravel formed by natural freeze-thaw cycles. This difference could make extraction more efficient, less

Thailand reels from deadly Bangkok train crash, its...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

Bangkok residents were digesting yet another avoidable tragedy on Monday after eight people were killed when a goods train ploughed into a city bus at a busy level crossing on Saturday afternoon. The train driver, who later tested positive for drugs, had also not received a valid operator’s licence from the Department of Rail Transport. A fireball erupted as the train struck the bus at the Asok-Dindaeng intersection, in a notoriously congested part of Thailand’s capital, igniting the

Trump’s China trip assessed, South Korea’s AI...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

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. Trump leaves China after much pomp and pageantry, but little to show for it 2. Trump and his CEOs want China’s business – but has Asia moved on? 3. What do travellers need to know when Hong Kong airport’s Terminal 2 opens? 4. Reality deficit: how South Korea lost the plot on AI 5. Have

Taxi driver, 65, arrested after crash kills...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

A 65-year-old taxi driver has been arrested after his vehicle collided with a pedestrian, who later died in hospital, marking Hong Kong’s second fatal crash involving an elderly cabby in less than a week. The pedestrian, 87, died after he was struck and trapped beneath the taxi while crossing the road under a footbridge in Tung Chung on Monday. The fatal accident came five days after police arrested a 70-year-old taxi driver who killed a woman and severely injured another after losing control

North Korea to turn southern border into ‘impregnable...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called on top military officials to bolster front-line units and turn the southern border into an “impregnable fortress”, state media reported on Monday. Kim gave the instruction at a meeting on Sunday where a photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) showed him presiding over commanding military officers wearing full-dress uniform. The North Korean leader told the military officials that a “great change” would be made in an effort to deter war

China unveils world’s first titanium-copper medical...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

China has unveiled the world’s first copper-blended titanium implant for orthopaedic surgery after more than a decade of research and development. This innovative material retains the exceptional strength and hardness characteristic of titanium alloy medical devices while significantly reducing the risk of post-operative infection, according to its developers. On April 21, the world’s first bone pin made using the material was approved for market release by China’s National Medical Products...

Singapore softens approach to first-time drug abusers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

First-time drug abusers in Singapore who surrender themselves to the authorities will no longer face detention at the city state’s rehabilitation centre, a government minister has confirmed. All such abusers will now be placed on drug supervision in the community with mandatory case management for their rehabilitation, under changes that took effect on Saturday. The change came after a review to “encourage more first-time abusers to come forward and seek help with their addiction”, Law

‘My way or the highway’ is no way to make informed...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

Hong Kong’s government will launch a consultation exercise on the city’s first five-year plan next month. The plan is set to be released before the end of the year. It’s a monumental task. Lau Siu-kai, a consultant to the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank and former head of the government’s now-defunct Central Policy Unit, has warned as much, saying: “It took years for local governments on the mainland to master the research and strategic thinking...

Hong Kong records 10 tremor reports after magnitude...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

The Hong Kong Observatory received more than 10 reports of a locally felt tremor from a magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck Guangxi early on Monday. According to the forecaster, the epicentre was located about 550km (342 miles) west-northwest of Hong Kong, with a focal depth of about 10km. “The Observatory received more than 10 locally felt reports of the tremor, which lasted a few seconds,” it said on Monday. “Initial estimates put the local intensity at II (two) on the Modified Mercalli...

French bulldog in China known for collecting plastic...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/18

A man in southern China suspected of poisoning an online celebrity dog which is famous for collecting plastic bottles in the street has been caught after its owner called the police. The French bulldog nicknamed Xiaobai won the hearts of millions last year for diligently collecting plastic bottles for its owner. It has earned over 100,000 yuan (US$14,600) over the past five years as its owner, surnamed Zhang, sold the waste bottles. The social media account @gouxiaobai boasts half a million...

How will Beijing judge Trump’s take on Taiwan? Look...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Beijing’s assessment of whether US President Donald Trump can “properly handle” the Taiwan issue and US-China relations will largely come down to arms sales to the island, analysts said.Following the summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Trump said on Friday that he discussed arms sales to Taiwan with Xi and would “make a determination” on the matter soon. A day earlier, Xi had warned him that mishandling the Taiwan question – the most important issue in bilateral relations – could...

New Zealand car crash: how Hongkongers can stay safe...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

Road safety has been thrust into the spotlight after two Hong Kong tourists were killed in a car crash in New Zealand. The Chinese consulate in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Saturday revealed details of the fatal traffic accident that occurred a day earlier. The South China Morning Post outlines what road safety precautions motorists should take following the recent string of traffic accidents involving Hongkongers travelling overseas. 1. What to look out for at a new destination? In Hong

Soybean counters: scope of China-US farm deal depends...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/16

China’s purchase of “double-digit billions” in American agricultural products touted by US officials following President Donald Trump’s state visit to Beijing appears to be a marginal addition after factoring in previous commitments, analysts said, adding that new orders could reduce the country’s reliance on Brazil for soybeans and other items. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on ‌Friday that he expects to see China buy a 10-figure sum in agricultural products annually over the

23,340 results