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‘Even 1 case is too many’: experts warn of lasting...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Severe abuse can leave lasting mental scars and behavioural problems in children, psychologists have warned after two toddlers in Hong Kong were allegedly confined in a dog cage, a case that sparked public outrage and renewed calls for earlier reporting and intervention. The calls for action came as the latest official statistics showed that more than 100 reports had been made since a mandatory reporting requirement for suspected child abuse came into effect in January. Professor Hou Wai-kai,...

Many Asian-Americans feel excluded from ‘true’ US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Matt King, a 34-year-old graphic designer living in New York, has long grappled with his identity as the son of a Canadian-Chinese mother and white father. Despite being born in the US and raised in Los Angeles, he is aware that mainstream US society does not always see him as a bona fide US citizen. “You’ll always get … a sprinkling of this ‘you’re not truly American’,” the 34-year-old resident of Brooklyn, New York, said, prompting him to claim his own definition. “To me, being an American

King Charles’ gift amuses Chinese, anti-spy agency...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US economic gap over China to widen, but Iran might bring them closer: former UN official The economic divide between the United States and China is projected to widen to US$11 trillion by the end of the decade, yet escalating...

HK$1 minimum wage rise unlikely to significantly lift...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Experts have warned that the HK$1 (13 US cents) increase in Hong Kong’s minimum wage, which takes effect on Labour Day, is unlikely to significantly boost low-paid workers’ incomes, but should help preserve purchasing power and ease labour tensions under a new formula. Human resources expert Alexa Chow Yee-ping, managing director of ACTS Consulting, said the latest rise broadly aligned with recent pay trends. “The actual impact is not significant, as the increase is roughly the same as last...

Hong Kong slams attempts to sugarcoat Jimmy Lai case...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Hong Kong authorities have condemned attempts by anti-China forces and foreign media to sugarcoat the criminal acts of jailed former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, while defending the city’s press freedom after the release of a global index. Authorities issued a strongly-worded statement in the early hours of Friday, slamming the attempts to slander, smear and attack the city “by releasing a so-called press freedom index”, saying that “such despicable behaviours totally disregarded the rule

New Banksy statue of man blinded by flag draws crowds...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Elusive street artist Banksy on Thursday confirmed he was behind a new work drawing crowds in central London: a statue of a suited man striding into the void while holding a flag that blocks his view. The monument, which has Banksy’s name scrawled on the base, first appeared on Wednesday just off the central street of Pall Mall. The man depicted is mounted on a plinth, with one leg striding off it, and appears to be blindly stepping off the platform without knowing it, thanks to the flag...

Singapore jails 3 Chinese nationals over social...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Three Chinese nationals who travelled to Singapore to break into houses and steal expensive items after they saw multiple videos on social media about wealthy Singaporeans were sentenced to jail on Thursday. The three men, Yang Chao, Zhou Qifa and He Jiao, conspired to target vulnerable properties in Singapore, break into the houses, steal valuables and leave the country with them. Both Yang, 42, and He, 38, were sentenced to five years and three months in prison, while Zhou, 37, was

UN climate body presses on after US quits, while...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

The UN’s climate science body is pressing ahead with its work despite the US government’s withdrawal from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) earlier this year, the organisation’s top official has said. According to IPCC chair Jim Skea, around 110 to 120 of the UN body’s 195 members typically show up when it meets. “So the US has not been there. It’s one country, more or less,” Skea said on the sidelines of the Regional Ecological Summit in Kazakhstan last week. “The meetings...

Japan’s higher education sector faces reckoning as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Japan’s shrinking youth population is forcing a reckoning in higher education, with the finance ministry pushing for the closure or merger of hundreds of private universities as campuses struggle to fill classrooms. University insiders broadly agree that Japan has too many small, private tertiary institutions battling enrolment shortfalls and financial pressures, but they also argue the education ministry’s own policies contributed to the problem. “The number of universities they are talking...

Why governments beyond Hong Kong are wary of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

After winning legislative backing for the Hong Kong Jockey Club to offer basketball betting – an initiative aimed at drawing punters away from illegal online bookmakers and capturing additional tax revenue – the government has now paused the roll-out. Officials say the rise of prediction markets has altered the landscape and warrants closer examination. So, what is it about prediction markets that unsettles officials? Prediction markets are online platforms where the menu stretches far beyond...

‘Love relay’: lonely China cancer patient orders...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

A lonely cancer patient in southeastern China sparked a viral relay of love after ordering “companionship” through a food delivery platform. Little Li, a 24-year-old woman from Foshan, Guangdong province, is battling a rare blood cancer, according to Southern Daily. After undergoing four rounds of chemotherapy, her condition is stable, though she continues to receive care at the hospital. With her father working away to fund her treatment and her younger brother juggling an internship, Li

Iran ‘dying to make a deal’, US war costs soar:...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

The US-Israeli war on Iran enters a third month and efforts for Washington and Tehran to resume talks remain stalled. These are major takeaways from the events overnight.What did Trump say? US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that Iran is “dying to make a deal”. When asked whether talks with Tehran have stalled, Trump said only a few people know the status of talks with Iran. He also pointed to uncertainty over the Iranian leadership: “We have a problem...

Yacht tourists, hikers drive ‘golden week’ optimism...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Hong Kong’s catering sector and hoteliers are expecting a business boost during the Labour Day “golden week” holiday from May 1 to 5, with industry leaders hoping the growing trend of mainland Chinese visitors hiking and sailing yachts will bring a windfall to seafood restaurants in Sai Kung and the outlying islands. The industry leaders also said on Wednesday that rising tensions in the Middle East, which have pushed up fuel surcharges, had inadvertently benefited Hong Kong, as mainland...

Japan survey finds sexual abuse at 15% of hospitals....

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

More than 15 per cent of hospitals and long-term medical care facilities across Japan have recorded cases of sexual assault or abuse of patients, according to a new government report, as concerns mount that the actual figures may be higher. The Children and Families Agency released the results of the survey – the first of its kind – on Tuesday, with 1,113 institutions of the 5,000 invited to take part providing responses. Many of the incidents involved medical staff in psychiatry and...

Trump says Secret Service agent not shot by friendly...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/30

US President Donald Trump and the ⁠head of the Secret Service said on Thursday that the federal agent injured during the attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner had not been hit by friendly fire, as authorities released a video of the incident. Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for Washington, posted the footage on social media, saying it showed the suspect shooting the US Secret Service officer as he ran through security towards the gala packed with journalists,...

Hong Kong public hospitals to extend time for daily...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/30

Hong Kong public hospitals will extend visiting hours at all rehabilitation and palliative wards from five to nine hours a day by the end of July, with those in central Kowloon and New Territories West expected to roll out the arrangement this month. Danny Tong Wah-kun, the Hospital Authority’s chief manager of nursing, said the authority would also enable round-the-clock visits at all paediatric wards by the end of July, adding to an existing arrangement for one carer to stay overnight in...

From apps to autos: China’s data reach sparks US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/30

China has built a state-driven campaign to harvest American data and weaponise it as a strategic asset that could prove critical in a conflict with the US, including over Taiwan, a key advisory committee to the US Congress heard. Experts told the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission on Thursday that Washington was falling short in countering Beijing’s data-collection drive, one that could have far-reaching implications for American society and the economy, as well as US wartime...

See you in Beijing: the big shift in Xi’s travel...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/30

China’s diplomatic strategy has undergone a conspicuous shift, with Beijing conducting far fewer overseas state visits, opting instead to welcome a steady stream of foreign leaders to the capital. According to data compiled by the South China Morning Post, Beijing is placing greater emphasis on neighbourhood diplomacy and engagement with European middle powers. The changing dynamic reflects Beijing’s shift towards favouring high-level multilateralism, in a sign of growing confidence and an...

Trump says he’s lifting some tariffs on Scotch whisky...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/30

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he was removing certain tariffs on Scotch whisky after this week’s White House visit by the UK’s King Charles and Queen Camilla. “The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!” Trump posted on social media. Trump said people had wanted this change, especially with regard to the wooden barrels in which the spirits of Scotch and bourbon can be aged. His post left it unclear if the tariffs

Brazil MPs slash Bolsonaro prison term in blow to Lula

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/30

Brazil’s Congress on Thursday overturned President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s veto of a law dramatically reducing the prison sentence of his arch-rival Jair Bolsonaro, the second major defeat for Lula in as many days. Former president Bolsonaro, 71, was sentenced last year to 27 years behind bars for coup plotting over his attempt to cling to power after losing the 2022 elections to Lula. The left-wing Lula had attempted to block a subsequent push by the conservative-majority Congress to

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