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News - South China Morning Post

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The mortal risks faced by Hong Kong’s intensely...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/12

Senior Superintendent Raymond Suryanto Chin-chiu has been disposing of bombs in Hong Kong for 18 years, having cleared more than 1,000 explosives, from unexploded wartime bombs to smuggled fireworks. Yet he can never be 100 per cent sure of completing each task without a fatal detonation. A bomb can explode anytime when trained officers use fire to incinerate the explosives inside, which is a risk that cannot be calculated despite meticulous planning, and tried and true methods. “I can only

Why Kenya’s swap of dollar loans for Chinese yuan...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/12

Kenya has converted its US dollar-denominated railway loans from China into the Chinese yuan, not only securing debt relief but also fitting into Beijing’s long-term goal of internationalising its currency. Analysts said the decision, announced by Kenya last week, paved the way for other debt-stressed African countries and could ultimately draw them closer to China. Kenyan Treasury Minister John Mbadi said on Tuesday that the country’s US$5 billion Chinese railway loans had been converted to...

Why ‘garage kit’ toy expos draw huge crowds in China

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/12

More than 120,000 fans gathered in Shanghai on October 2 and 3 to attend one of China’s biggest expos for toys and garage kits – homemade resin model figures. The Wonder Festival, founded by a Japanese toy company and at first only staged in Japan, has also been staged in Shanghai since 2018, attracting thousands of Chinese fans. The Post spoke with fans and exhibitors at the fair to learn more about the event’s appeal.

As Hong Kong retail sales recover, can landlords...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/12

Ever since Hong Kong’s retail sector shook off 14 months of consecutive declines in May, analysts have been speculating whether the city’s landlords and developers can look forward to rental increases sooner rather than later. Hong Kong retailers such as Bakehouse and Korean food and beverage operator Seoul Recipe Group are more optimistic these days, as locals and tourists alike start to spend more in the city. However, a meaningful recovery in rents for high street shops and prime shopping...

CCTV drama Silent Honour marks rare salute to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/12

Patriotic films in mainland China have long celebrated undercover agents of the Communist Party, their operations portrayed as pivotal to securing victory in the 1940s civil war against the Kuomintang and the founding of the People’s Republic. Less known are the clandestine activities carried out by these agents in Taiwan, where their efforts met with a harsh fate. Covert operations there were systematically crushed by the KMT, resulting in the capture and execution of many operatives. But...

6 steps democracies must take to match China on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/12

Global energy investment is projected to reach US$3.3 trillion this year, with some US$2.2 trillion directed towards clean technologies, double the amount flowing into fossil fuels. Yet beneath these impressive figures, a crisis of confidence is unfolding. During the first half of this year alone, companies cancelled or scaled back more than US$22 billion in clean energy projects in the United States. These included high-profile battery facilities, storage systems and electric vehicle

Hong Kong in fight for foreign university students as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/12

The number of international first-year students at Hong Kong’s public universities remained below pre-pandemic levels in the last academic year despite the government doubling quotas for non-locals, with an admissions official saying Singapore has emerged as a growing education powerhouse. The official from a local university also said some overseas students preferred to study in Singapore over Hong Kong because the city state’s strong rankings reflected its educational status. In Hong Kong,...

China woman cancels nuptials, demands US$4,200 ‘hug...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/12

A woman in central China who accepted a betrothal gift of 200,000 yuan (US$28,000) and later regretted the engagement agreed to return the money. However, her already shocked husband-to-be was then doubly taken aback when the woman asked him to deduct 30,000 yuan (US$4,200) as a “hugging fee”, triggering a public backlash against her. The incident, reported by Henan TV, has attracted 23 million views on mainland social media. It is a common practice in China that the groom’s family pays an...

Will China’s next 5-year plan rewrite its...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/11

As China drafts its 15th five-year plan – the next entry in a line of expansive blueprints that have set the tone for the country’s development over more than seven decades – we examine how these documents inform and reflect high-level policy priorities, what to expect in the coming iteration and how infrastructure spending and investment could evolve to meet the demands of a new era. For more stories in this ongoing series, click here. To view SCMP Plus Factsheets on the 15th five-year-plan

US-UAE alliance poses a challenge to China’s AI...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/11

In a global first, China has launched a cutting-edge commercial underwater data centre in Hainan. The facility has the potential to upgrade digital service offerings, increase Beijing’s share of global internet traffic and serve as a magnet for foreign direct investment from global technology giants. To make progress, China must find a competitive edge, given the fast-expanding infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates and the United States, where rivals in the artificial intelligence (AI)

Oscar-winning Hollywood actress Diane Keaton dies at 79

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/11

Actress Diane Keaton, known for her Oscar-winning performance in 1977’s Annie Hall and her role in The Godfather films, has died at the age of 79. Details were not immediately available and Keaton’s loved ones have asked for privacy, a family spokesperson told People magazine, which confirmed that the actress died on Saturday in California. Keaton was a frequent collaborator of director Woody Allen, portraying the titular character in Annie Hall, the charming girlfriend of Allen’s comic Alvy...

Cheers for Trump, boos for Netanyahu as Witkoff...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/11

US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday lauded US President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a Gaza ceasefire in a speech at a rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, with hundreds of thousands attending. “We all owe a debt of deep gratitude to President Trump,” Witkoff said, before being interrupted by prolonged applause and shouts of “Thank you, Trump”. A spokesman for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said there were around 400,000 people in the square, with the rally coming one day...

Trump orders Pentagon to use ‘all available funds’ to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/11

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he has directed the Defence Department to use “all available funds” to ensure American troops are paid on Wednesday despite the government shutdown. Trump said in a social media post that he was acting because “our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th”. The Republican president’s action removes one of the pressure points that could have forced Congress into action, likely ensuring that the shutdown – now

Joe Biden receiving radiation and hormone therapy for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/11

Former US president Joe Biden is undergoing radiation and hormone therapy to fight prostate cancer that was revealed in May, a spokesperson said on Saturday. “As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” the spokesperson said. In May, the 82-year-old ex-president’s office announced that Biden had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones after he experienced

‘Aggressive’: how China’s airlines may become latest...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/11

Chinese airlines could face ticket sale disruptions and higher costs if Washington follows through on a Trump administration proposal to bar them from using Russian airspace on US routes, analysts said – though they were divided over the plan’s feasibility. “If the proposal is really implemented, Chinese airlines might have to bear the losses from already-sold flights being cancelled – such as passenger compensation and wasted capacity,” said Yang Bo, a Chinese aviation analyst, noting that...

Competition heats up for Hong Kong’s Legco poll as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/11

Competition is expected across all three types of constituencies in Hong Kong’s coming Legislative Council election as several veterans will not seek another term and new blood is being “encouraged” to run in only the second poll held since Beijing’s “patriots-only” electoral revamp, the Post has learned. While age has been cited as a reason in some lawmakers’ decision to step away, it is not a factor for others as Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, 75, will seek another term, sources have told the

Beijing names senior editor as deputy director of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/11

Beijing has named a senior editor of the English-language China Daily newspaper as a deputy director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, confirming an earlier Post report. The State Council announced Sun Shangwu’s new role on Saturday. A source earlier said that the new deputy director would be taking charge of publicity work. The Post had reported that Sun, 56, who had been a deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, had been chosen to improve the central government’s...

Key bee and butterfly species in Europe face...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/11

The survival of Europe’s wild pollinators is increasingly at risk, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said on Saturday as it declared dozens of bee and butterfly species as threatened. Almost all flowering plants in Europe depend on wild pollinators, particularly bees, but habitat loss and climate change have driven many vital species to the brink of extinction. Nearly 100 additional types of wild bees have been classified as threatened in the most comprehensive

Hong Kong firms urged to find alternatives due to US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/11

Hong Kong businesses have braced themselves for additional US tariffs, but experts are urging companies to develop alternative strategies due to proposed export controls on American-made critical software, warning of a “painful” adjustment. Industry figures told the Post on Saturday that US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose an additional 100 per cent tariff on Chinese goods from November 1 would not significantly impact Hong Kong businesses, which were used to uncertainties from his...

Global agencies hope for Israel-Hamas truce to hold,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/11

International agencies were preparing on Saturday to pour aid into Gaza, hopeful that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will allow them to put an end to the famine haunting parts of the territory. But optimism was marked with caution. The fragile truce could open access, but aid agencies fear Israel may continue to impose restrictions on access under US President Donald Trump’s plan. Logistical hurdles were far from the mind of displaced father Marwan al-Madhun. The 34-year-old just wanted

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