PODCAST

News - South China Morning Post

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

All Episodes

Over 150 tonnes of counterfeit cigarettes seized in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

More than 150 tonnes of counterfeit cigarettes were seized from the largest illegal factory ever discovered in Italy, customs police said in a statement on Saturday. An underground bunker housed the 1,600-square-metre (17,000 square feet) factory near the town of Cassino southeast of Rome, which produced more than seven million cigarettes a day – around 2.7 billion a year – police estimated. The illegal factory was accessed via “a sophisticated hydraulic mechanism that perfectly concealed the...

China’s anti-spy agency warns of foreign bids to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

China’s top anti-espionage agency has warned of foreign attempts to bypass Chinese export controls to obtain rare minerals essential for cutting-edge military applications. The resources are also central to China’s push for self-reliance amid its intensifying power rivalry with the United States. The warning from the Ministry of State Security on Saturday came as it revealed two antimony smuggling cases, one involving a family-run criminal network and the other a group of

Denmark confirms new drone sightings at its military...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

Unidentified drones flew over Danish military sites including its biggest base overnight following a slew of earlier sightings that Copenhagen has termed a “hybrid attack”, hinting at possible Russian involvement. Neighbouring Norway was also investigating “possible sightings of drones” early on Saturday near its biggest military base, Orland, where its F-35 fighter jets are parked. Copenhagen will host a European Union summit gathering heads of government on Wednesday and Thursday. Denmark

Iran recalls envoys to UK, France, Germany after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

Iran has recalled its ambassadors to Britain, France and Germany, according to its state media. The move came hours after the UN Security Council voted down a resolution backed by China and Russia seeking to prevent the reimposition of global sanctions against the Islamic republic. China and Russia tabled a draft resolution on Friday aimed at halting the snapback mechanism under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) of 2015. This mechanism, initiated by the United Kingdom, France and...

Hongkongers caught using suspicious qualifications...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

Several Hongkongers applied for a Canadian immigration pathway using illegitimately obtained academic qualifications, including a candidate found to have finished a year’s worth of coursework in just two weekends, according to court papers. The cases came to light in documents from Canada’s Federal Court, which has rejected at least seven open work permit applicants from Hong Kong over suspicious educational qualifications. The permits are required as part of a bespoke settlement pathway for...

Iran braced for UN ‘snapback’ sanctions amid food...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

As Iran’s ailing economy braced itself on Saturday for the reimposition of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear programme, it is ordinary people who increasingly find themselves priced out of the food they need to survive and worried about their futures. Iran’s rial currency already sits at a record low, increasing pressure on food prices and making daily life that much more challenging. That includes meat, rice and other staples of the Iranian dinner table. Meanwhile, people worry about

Can fridge door sensors help Hong Kong authorities...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

Technology capable of detecting when a flat or refrigerator door opens could help Hong Kong authorities remotely check on whether all is well with elderly residents living alone, a minister has said. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han also said on Saturday that the government was testing using wearable devices as part of early detection measures for high-risk cases. He raised the idea just days after another elderly resident was discovered dead in their home, the latest in a...

Dim sum trolleys go silent as Hong Kong’s Metropol...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

Customers have lamented the “end of an era” as Hong Kong’s Metropol Restaurant marked its final day of operation after decades of serving handmade dim sum on trolleys, with the venue set to become a teaching facility under a local university. Dozens of diners stayed until the end of lunch service on Saturday afternoon to bid their goodbyes to the Admiralty restaurant. Many regular customers shook the hands of staff, saying on their way out: “Thank you for your hard work all these

At least 44 dead in Gaza as Israel ignores ceasefire...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 44 people across Gaza, health officials said on Saturday, as international pressure grew for a ceasefire but Israel’s leader remained defiant about continuing the war. Among the dead were nine from the same family in a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to staff at Al-Awda Hospital, where the bodies were brought. Five others were killed when a strike hit a tent for the displaced, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the...

Man grabbed off Hong Kong street, bundled into car...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

Hong Kong police have found a suspected kidnap victim near the border with mainland China about 4½ hours after he was abducted in Kowloon. The mainland man, 37, was grabbed off a street in Hung Hom at 10.38pm on Friday night, according to police. A friend of the man had reported the case to the force. Three men wearing black clothes and surgical masks bundled him into a car, which then sped away. Police said on Saturday that the vehicle was later recovered outside Choi Ping House in Choi Yuen...

Japan man saves US$440,000 by not using air con,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

A 67-year-old Japanese man who has focused on saving money for decades, including not using an air-conditioner and shunning restaurant meals, says he regrets doing so after his wife passed away. Known by the alias Suzuki, the man has trended on social media after it was reported by the asset management news outlet THE GOLD ONLINE. Suzuki was born into a poor family and started to earn money in secondary school when he worked part-time in restaurants. After getting a full-time job, he rented

Singapore’s drug makers may be shielded from US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

New US levies on pharmaceuticals may not have an “immediate impact” on Singapore’s drug makers, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong has said, adding the city state may pursue a ceiling on tariff rates similar to deals that Washington has with other countries. Gan, who is also minister for trade and industry, told reporters on Saturday that most pharmaceutical companies in Singapore had built capacity in the US or had plans to do so. That could allow them to be exempted from the coming US...

Hongkongers snap up tickets to visit PLA naval ships...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

The first batches of free tickets to visit two PLA naval ships during their stop in Hong Kong next week have been quickly snapped up, as enthusiasts welcome the second port call by Chinese warships in three months. The Type 680 training vessel Qi Jiguang and Type 071 amphibious landing ship Yimeng Shan will be open to the public at the Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base on Wednesday and Thursday as part of the October 1 National Day celebrations. The 11,000 tickets are up for grabs through the PLA

Typhoon Bualoi brings windy weather and swells to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s Observatory has warned of windy weather and swells for the rest of the weekend under the effects of a typhoon in the South China Sea, but stressed it will pose a limited threat to the city. The weather forecaster said on Saturday afternoon that Typhoon Bualoi – named after a

Hong Kong picks 3 departments to test if AI can boost...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

Three key government departments have been picked to test the use of AI to improve efficiency without incurring additional costs, Hong Kong’s innovation chief has said, urging the public not to equate its usage with job cuts. Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong revealed on Saturday that the Companies Registry, the Transport Department and the Buildings Department would be tasked with applying artificial intelligence (AI) to administrative procedures. In his policy

Hong Kong must be clear-eyed about Saudi Arabia’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

As it recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, Hong Kong desperately needs new trading partners and new markets. The government has been building bridges to the Arab world, and in particular, Saudi Arabia. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po and West Kowloon Cultural District CEO Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee have led delegations to Riyadh, promoting commercial and cultural exchange. Lee is pushing for the creation of an economic and trade office in Riyadh. Meanwhile,...

Hong Kong to learn from Ragasa, boost flood...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

Hong Kong’s development minister has vowed to learn from the experience of Super Typhoon Ragasa and review coastal facilities, saying that flood mitigation measures will be introduced for high-risk areas such as Tseung Kwan O and Aberdeen. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho made the pledge on Saturday, three days after Ragasa inundated low-lying and coastal areas, with restaurants along a Tseung Kwan O promenade and the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Aberdeen among those hit by...

China’s focus turns to advances in women’s rights as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

As Beijing gears up to host a global summit on gender equality and women’s empowerment, Chinese authorities and non-governmental organisations have been engaging in discussions on issues ranging from traditional family values to the rights of women in the digital age. The summit is understood to be planned for some time in October, although details have yet to be announced. The foreign ministry said on Monday that the event would take place “soon”, but did not elaborate. Stressing that

With US backing, Israel’s rising global isolation is...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

After two years of warfare with Hamas that the United Nations says has brought genocide and famine to Gaza, Israel finds itself more isolated than ever, as it remains intransigent in pursuing its goal of defeating the militant group and rejecting rising global support for Palestinian statehood. Many of its Western allies, including Australia, Britain, Canada and France, have recognised – albeit conditionally – the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority as the government of a non-existent...

China girl’s lost diary becomes legendary tourist...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/09/27

A girl from southern China accidentally left her diary notebook at a tourist hotspot in New Zealand, only for it to become an unofficial guestbook for people from around the world to sign. Six-year-old Zi Handong from Shenzhen went on a family trip to Lake Tekapo with her family in January. On the first page of her blue-coloured diary, she wrote about her experience in Chinese characters and pinyin. “Today, my mum, dad, brother and grandma went on a jet boat. I thought it was one of those...

15,154 results