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How AI, quantum and space technologies will define...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

History rarely announces its turning points. More often, we wake up to find that the world we assumed was fixed has begun to shift beneath our feet. That is happening now. Artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and space infrastructure are advancing at a pace that stretches our political instincts – even our imagination. Each is transformative on its own. Together, they are becoming the new architecture of global power, an engine that will determine which nations shape the century

China challenges US containment with global action...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

China’s space agency has released an action plan to take its commercial space sector worldwide, pledging to help integrate commercial projects into its international cooperation agenda. The ambitious plan could challenge a number of US laws and government regulations aiming to curb the expansion of China’s space industry on the global stage. On Tuesday, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) posted guidelines for the promotion of commercial space flight and enterprises through to

Tesla affirms confidence in Chinese partners,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

Tesla does not exclude suppliers based on their country of origin as the US electric-vehicle (EV) maker applies unified and rigorous standards in selecting vendors from around the globe, according to a senior official. Grace Tao, vice-president of the US company, offered a vote of confidence to the more than 400 Chinese manufacturers that supply car components from batteries to heat-control systems to Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory. She made the remarks on Wednesday, in what appeared to be an...

Alibaba to lead AI capital spending among Chinese...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding expects to stay ahead of its Chinese Big Tech peers in artificial intelligence-related capital expenditure, as the firm’s AI and cloud computing unit posted its fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit revenue growth. Alibaba Cloud on Tuesday reported a 34 per cent year-on-year revenue growth to 39.8 billion yuan (US$5.6 billion) in the three months ended September 30, as the Hangzhou-based parent’s overall revenue in its financial second quarter

Bangladesh authorities uncover fugitive ex-PM...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

Anti-corruption authorities in Bangladesh have seized about 10kg (22 pounds) of gold worth about US$1.3 million from bank lockers belonging to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, officials said on Wednesday. Officials from the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) of the National Board of Revenue said the discovery was made after opening lockers that had been seized in September. “Following a court order, we opened the lockers and found about 9.7 kilograms of gold belonging to the former prime...

Taiwanese leader Lai pledges US$40 billion rise in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te has set out plans for an unprecedented rise in defence spending worth US$40 billion over the next eight years, describing it as a historic investment to safeguard the island’s democracy and deter an increasingly assertive Beijing. In an article for The Washington Post published on Wednesday, Lai said his government had committed to “significantly increase” military expenditure to 3.3 per cent of gross domestic product next year, then raise it further to 5...

China’s mega dredger joins ranks of the world’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

China has boosted its strategic capacity from land reclamation to deep-sea mining and pipelines, with the successful completion of sea trials for Asia’s largest trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD). The Tongjun – China’s first domestically designed super dredger – completed its five days of testing in the Yellow Sea off the northeastern Chinese coast on Tuesday, three months after its launch, according to state news agency Xinhua. With a hopper capacity of more than 38,000 cubic metres (1.3...

Japan man defies family, rejects traditional career...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

A man in Japan has defied his family’s expectations by rejecting a civil service examination, wearing women’s clothing and living in a flat filled with rubbish. His 2022 story has recently gained attention in China amid rising reports of extreme parenting. Mizuki, 26, is a graduate of the prestigious University of Tokyo and was raised in a strict, success-driven household, according to Fuji TV. His father, a scholar, kept his distance, while his mother pushed him relentlessly to excel...

Hong Kong retail funds hit record pace, surpass 2024...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

Hong Kong retail funds booked gross sales of US$82.6 billion in the first three quarters of this year – surpassing the full-year total for 2024 – as inflows into fixed-income products surged, according to data from the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association (HKIFA). Gross sales jumped 35 per cent year on year. Net sales reached US$15.7 billion year to date, the highest level in the past decade and 44 per cent higher than a year earlier, exceeding the US$12.3 billion of net inflows recorded

Hiking in China made easy with rental exoskeletons

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

In China’s tech hub Hangzhou, visitors to a country park can rent an exoskeleton to aid their climb for as little as 1 yuan (14 US cents). The exoskeleton is said to make the hiking process almost “effortless”, according to Chinese social media users.

36 dead, 279 missing in Hong Kong housing estate blaze

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. What we know so far: 36 people, including a firefighter, have died. Some 279 are still missing 29 have been hospitalised, seven in a critical condition The eight residential blocks in the estate had been undergoing renovations since July 2024, sheathed in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh Authorities say the rapid spread of fire was “unusual”, with...

Why this is not just another retail downturn for Hong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

There was a time when Hong Kong’s retail landlords looked untouchable. If you wanted a dependable income, you would buy shares in the city’s leading real estate investment trusts (Reits), the steady dividend machines of a service economy built on foot traffic, routine and the long-held assumption that Hongkongers would always shop. These companies were the unshakeable pillars of everyday commerce. They prospered not because the economy was roaring, but because consumers kept showing up. That

Major fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po leaves 2 severely...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

A major fire has broken out in Hong Kong’s Tai Po neighbourhood, with fierce flames tearing through bamboo scaffolding at a housing estate, leaving two people unconscious with severe burns and trapping several residents. Photos circulating online showed dark smoke billowing high into the sky from the scene on Wednesday afternoon. The Fire Services Department received a call at 2.51pm reporting a fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. Police said they received multiple reports of people trapped in

Chinese carmakers boost robotics efforts, Xpeng posts...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China’s Xpeng posts record revenue as robotaxi and humanoid ambitions take shape Leading Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng reported record quarterly revenue and sharply narrowed losses in the third quarter, even as its Hong Kong-listed shares fell on Monday after investors...

How a Beijing-Tokyo chill over Taiwan could solidify...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

No winter lasts forever, but the deep chill in the bilateral relationship between Beijing and Tokyo that was sparked when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made remarks on Taiwan could last a long time.Adding to the complexity and uncertainty of the situation, according to observers, has been Takaichi’s consistently high approval rating since taking office, while US President Donald Trump has remained reluctant to show open support to Japan, America’s closest ally in the region. Against...

Bull shark found stranded in Hong Kong mudflats,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

A bull shark has been found stranded in the mudflats of Pak Nai, with Hong Kong authorities joining residents to rescue the animal and a marine scientist claiming that the sighting was positive news for the city’s marine ecosystem. Khan Cheung, a PhD student at the University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) school of biological sciences who was involved in the rescue, said he and several colleagues were conducting research on the mudflats at about 8.30am when they spotted a woman in the area struggling

2 Hong Kong students stabbed after birthday...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

Two Hong Kong students will undergo surgery after being stabbed at a public housing estate, with police investigating the cause of their injuries. A police source said on Wednesday that the two 18-year-old students were injured after celebrating one of their birthdays on the staircase of the 37th floor of Mei Yue House in Shek Kip Mei Estate the previous day. One student, surnamed Au, suffered knife wounds to his head, back and waist, while the other, surnamed Cheung, sustained injuries to

Japan’s populist debt-fuelled spending plan alarms...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was set to be quizzed by opposition parties in parliament for the first time on Wednesday, as her administration’s colossal new economic stimulus package came under the spotlight. Takaichi’s cabinet signed off on the 21.3 trillion yen (US$136.5 billion) package on Friday, including 17.7 trillion yen in fresh spending – the largest stimulus since the pandemic and her first major economic gambit since taking office. Cash handouts and subsidies form the

US-backed peace plan for Ukraine drew from Russian...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

The US-backed 28-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, which became public last week, drew from a Russian-authored paper submitted to the Trump administration in October, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The Russians shared the paper, which outlined Moscow’s conditions for ending the war, with senior US officials in mid-October, following a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, the sources said. The paper,

Malaysian PM’s war on corruption hits snag as top...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s war on corruption has suffered a setback after a senior aide resigned over graft claims, sparking a fresh crisis for the country’s leader, who is already facing accusations of power abuse that threaten to split his ruling party. Anti-corruption authorities have previously launched a high-profile crackdown against two-time former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, his family and close associates – all once seen as untouchables – as part of Anwar’s pledge

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