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The ageing dilemma: why robots can’t save us but...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

A top US medical anthropologist believes the United States and China must transcend geopolitical tensions and spur a global revolution in “social technology” to survive the looming ageing crisis. Arthur Kleinman, a physician-anthropologist with joint appointments at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School, proposed that the US learn from China’s recent efforts to build a long-term care insurance system, while in return China can take lessons from the US nursing home model. “We have

Russia’s inching advance in Ukraine approaches...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

Russian troops are inching towards the city of ⁠Kostiantynivka in Ukraine’s eastern ⁠Donetsk region, trying to establish ⁠a foothold close to a heavily defended area, Ukraine’s top army official said on Saturday. Kostiantynivka, along with other cities, forms a so-called fortress belt in the country’s east – an area well-fortified by the Ukrainian military. “We ‌are repelling the Russian occupiers’ persistent attempts to gain a foothold in the outskirts of Kostiantynivka using infiltration...

Hong Kong set for thunderstorms on Sunday as cold...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong is expected to experience thunderstorms on Sunday, as a cold front sweeps across the coast of Guangdong and brings temperatures down to as low as about 21 degrees Celsius (69.8 Fahrenheit) a day later. The Observatory said on Saturday that the weather would turn bad late on Sunday, with a trough of low pressure over central China developing into

China Eastern says sorry for boarding bridge...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

China Eastern Airlines apologised to passengers on Saturday after one of its aircraft struck a boarding bridge on arrival at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. The Shanghai-based airline said “a mechanical malfunction occurred” as the flight from Chengdu was taxiing slowly towards its gate and the aircraft hit the bridge. The collision was minor and all passengers on board the aircraft were safe, it said. “The flight crew immediately handled it according to established procedures,”

300 verbal warnings issued to Sharp Island visitors...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

Hong Kong authorities issued 300 verbal warnings to people visiting Sharp Island on the first day of mainland China’s Labour Day “golden week” holiday, when thousands flocked to see attractions in the city’s Unesco Global Geopark. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said on Saturday that the 3,000 visitors to Sharp Island a day earlier had “exceeded expectations”, prompting the deployment of additional frontline staff. Sai Kung district has become a popular tourist

New Mexico trial citing ‘public nuisance’ laws...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

A trial beginning ⁠in New Mexico on Monday could prompt a judge to order sweeping changes ⁠to how Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp operate – a move Meta Platforms has warned could force it to withdraw from the state. The case, which will be tried before a judge in Santa Fe, stems from a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, accusing the social media giant of designing its products to addict young users and failing to protect children from sexual exploitation on...

Rescuers search for man who went missing while hiking...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

Hong Kong authorities are searching for a 28-year-old man who went hiking and lost contact with his family after a dispute with his girlfriend, with a helicopter deployed to aid in the operation. Police said on Saturday that they received a report at 11.30am from a man who said his younger brother had lost contact with his family after arguing with his girlfriend the evening before. The caller added his brother last posted on social media that he was hiking along the fourth section of the...

China trip will go ahead as planned – and it will be...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

US President Donald Trump said he is still planning to travel to China as scheduled this month despite the stalemate in the negotiations with Iran. When asked about the trip to Beijing, Trump told reporters on Friday: “It is going to be amazing. The visit with China and Chairman Xi [Jinping] – that’s going to be great. “We have the trip with China coming up. And I think it will be an amazing event.” Trump had initially planned to visit Beijing in late March, but put the trip back to May 14

New Fanling Bypass section to prevent road congestion...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

Hong Kong authorities expect the eastern section of the HK$7 billion (US$893 million) Fanling Bypass, which opens to traffic on Sunday, will prevent congestion ahead of residents moving into a nearby new development area later this year. At the opening ceremony on Saturday, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said the 4km (2.49 miles) dual two-lane carriageway was completed just in time to support the Fanling North New Development Area, which is set to welcome its first public...

Upscale Shouson Hill house burgled, HK$1.1 million in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

A home in the upscale Shouson Hill area in Hong Kong’s Southern district has been burgled, with luxury watches and foreign currency worth more than HK$1.1 million (US$140,400) stolen. Police are looking into whether the burglars scaled the wall of a vacant neighbouring detached house at Orchid Hill to enter 26 Shouson Hill Road in Deep Water Bay, the South China Morning Post learned. The force responded to a call from a domestic helper at 10.11am on Saturday, after she discovered signs of

Trump-EU rift spurs Germany to boost military, add...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

A planned drawdown of US troops from Germany should spur Europeans to strengthen its own defences further, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday, following the latest salvo from Washington against transatlantic ties. The Pentagon announced on Friday that ‌the United States would withdraw 5,000 soldiers from Germany, its largest European base, as a rift over the Iran war and tariff tensions place further strain on relations between the US and Europe. Pistorius said the move

UAE’s Opec exit signals aim to accelerate foreign...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

The United Arab Emirates is expected to continue making high-risk geopolitical moves with potentially high rewards, following its exit from the Opec oil cartel, as the small but extremely wealthy Gulf state strives to become a global power. Framed by Emirati officials as an orientation towards strengthening economic autonomy, the UAE’s decision to leave the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) on Tuesday coincided with the downgrading of its diplomatic participation in the

China’s live music boom spreads to smaller cities as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

Dianjiang, a small county tucked away in southwestern China’s Chongqing, was transformed into a bustling live music hub in April as fans flocked to a concert headlined by Mandopop stars, including Jeff Chang. Such scenes are no longer unusual. Once the preserve of megacities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, high-profile concerts are now breathing life into lesser-known venues. As China endeavours to make consumption its main growth driver and targets untapped markets, entertainment

Hong Kong records 13% rise in mainland Chinese...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

Hong Kong recorded a 13 per cent year-on-year increase in mainland Chinese visitors on the first day of the “golden week” Labour Day holiday, with more than 300,000 inbound trips made throughout the day. Meanwhile, the number of Hongkongers leaving the city on Friday also surged by 45 per cent compared with last year, reaching more than 430,000 outbound journeys. Labour Day is a statutory public holiday in Hong Kong and marks the start of the mainland’s five-day break from May 1 to 5. The

Why are modern Chinese audiences shying away from...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

At the December premiere of the Chinese-dubbed 1957 Billy Wilder classic Witness for the Prosecution in a Shanghai cinema, dubbing artist Qiao Zhen voiced a more immediate mystery: “Do you still enjoy Chinese-dubbed films?” When audience members, mainly nostalgia-seeking fans, responded with applause and shouts of “Yes!”, the 83-year-old veteran became emotional, offering a moving defence of his art form. “Several years ago we felt this profession had fallen into a low point,” he told the...

Mini-crises sparked by the Iran war may add up to a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

Not a sudden, major crash but a series of mini-crises. That, according to some, is the prospect facing the global economy and financial system in the wake of conflict in the Middle East. But what if these mini-crises cascade into a collective collapse? And what if the Trump administration emerges as the only winner in the conflict by virtue of the fact that it has, in engineering the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, locked Europe and Asia into a desperate dependence on US oil and gas,

Death of China celebrity cat leads to hospital...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

A celebrity cat in China which died following a medical blunder has prompted the hospital involved to offer compensation and provide free sterilisation for stray cats. The feline’s owner, Deng Feng, a Shenzhen-based cattery operator and pet influencer with 5 million social media followers, breeds rare-coloured British Longhair and Shorthair cats. Since 2017, his cattery, GoldenTales, has produced world-champion felines. In 2024, Deng donated three million yuan (US$440,000) to a fund for

How Trump is inadvertently bringing Japan, South...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

Japan and South Korea are closing ranks as they prepare for high-level meetings aimed at steadying ties amid growing regional volatility, with analysts saying the diplomatic push reflects shared concern over China, North Korea and the reliability of US commitments under President Donald Trump. Both countries appear willing to put past differences aside, at least for now, as they confront an assertive China and an unpredictable US administration that has unsettled long-standing allies and...

UK PM Starmer says some pro-Palestinian marches could...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an interview broadcast on Saturday that banning some pro-Palestinian marches could be justified, especially when they call for the intifada to spread. Labour leader Starmer is under pressure to act after a spate of antisemitic incidents, including this week, when two men were stabbed in the north London suburb of Golders Green, which is home to a large Jewish community. A 45-year-old British national who was born in Somalia was remanded in custody...

ByteDance’s drug unit presents AI-designed therapies...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/02

ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, is pushing deeper into artificial intelligence with Anew Labs, a drug-discovery unit that has begun presenting its AI-designed therapies at international conferences. The unit – also known as Anew Therapeutics or ByteDance AI Drug Discovery – operates from Shanghai, Singapore and San Jose, California. Its official website listed 36 core members, as well as big names on its “scientific advisory board”: Liu Yongjun, former president of Innovent Biologics,

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