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Cultural clash: K-pop superstar G-Dragon divides...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/28

K-pop superstar G-Dragon ignited the ire of Chinese netizens with his choice of “Lunar New Year” greetings during a recent performance in Dubai. His reported act of liking a post that supported his terminology afterwards was interpreted as a provocative stance. The controversy emerged on February 17, coinciding with the first day of Chinese New Year. The KRAZY Super Concert, headlined by G-Dragon, featured an array of K-pop artists and pop singers from across Asia, including Indonesian singer...

Once close allies, Pakistan and Afghan Taliban are...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/28

Pakistan has been the Afghan Taliban’s closest friend for decades. It was Islamabad ⁠that helped give birth to the Taliban in the ⁠early 1990s – as a way to give Pakistan “strategic depth” in its ⁠rivalry with India. What’s gone wrong? Pakistan carried out air strikes on Afghanistan’s major cities overnight, officials in Islamabad and Kabul said on Friday, escalating months of border clashes between the Islamic neighbours. The air and ground strikes, which hit Taliban military posts,...

First batch of Hong Kong landlords spend millions...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/28

Some Hong Kong landlords have spent millions renovating their subdivided flats to be among the first to meet the new standards coming into effect on March 1, but many others remain taken aback by the high costs and are unsure whether to proceed. Building experts have also warned of the challenges facing landlords seeking certification under the new law, including meeting waterproofing and fire safety requirements, which will require professional advice and supervision. Matthew Lau Chi-kwong,

Anthropic vows to sue US after Trump’s call to stop...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

President Donald Trump told the US government on Friday to “immediately” stop using Anthropic’s technology after the AI start-up rejected the Pentagon’s demand that it agree to unconditional military use of its Claude models. Anthropic insists its technology should not be used for the mass surveillance of US citizens or deployed in fully autonomous weapons systems, while the Pentagon says it operates within the law and that contracted suppliers cannot set terms on how their products are...

Sherry Xue jailed for funnelling Chinese investor...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

A New York businesswoman was sentenced on Friday to nine years in federal prison over a financial scheme that ripped off more than US$30 million from foreign investors and funnelled some of the stolen money into American political campaigns, including a fundraiser for US President Donald Trump. Sherry Xue Li was also ordered to forfeit US$31.5 million, as well as property at three locations, and to make restitution to her victims. The 54-year-old Oyster Bay resident, who has been detained

5 years and 1 election later, why China’s Myanmar...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

Early in 2021, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw and held talks with both General Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of the armed forces, and Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of the civilian government. The meeting was a chance for China to voice support for Myanmar’s “national conditions” development path and signal China’s long-term pragmatic approach to ties with its southwestern neighbour, irrespective of who was in power. That strategy, however, came under...

Taipei must break free of its abusive relationship...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

If Caligula were the president of the United States, Taiwan’s leader William Lai Ching-te might still kowtow to him. By now, it seems pretty clear that US President Donald Trump has no real policies to speak of, only caprice and vague ideological preferences. That was how bad emperors acted, and Trump obviously sees himself as some kind of king, unrestrained by anything other than his personal inclinations. It’s not surprising there have been “No Kings” protests across the US. From his

Hong Kong pianist Aristo Sham brings music – and a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

In Washington, a city often in the spotlight for domestic and international politics, Hong Kong pianist Aristo Sham views his instrument as a platform that can bridge cultures, transcend politics and connect people across borders. At 28, fresh from a landmark international competition victory, Sham is building a global career where his music often speaks louder than diplomacy. On Wednesday, just before stepping onto the stage at the US capital’s Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium for a Year of the...

Trump says US discussing ‘friendly takeover’ of Cuba:...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

US President Donald Trump suggested a possible “friendly takeover of Cuba” as the White House looks to leverage the Communist-run island’s energy crisis to exert greater influence. “They’re in big trouble, and we could very well do something good, I think, very positive for the people that were expelled, or worse, from Cuba that live here,” Trump told reporters on Friday as he departed the White House for Texas. “You know, we have people living here that want to go back to Cuba.” “We could

BMW to trial humanoid robots at German factory, as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

German carmaker BMW said on Friday that it planned to deploy two AI-powered humanoid robots in a factory in a pilot programme for the first time this year. Dubbed Aeon and developed by the Swedish company Hexagon, the black-and-white robots stand 1.65 metres (5.4 feet) tall, weigh 60kg (132 pounds) and move on two wheels. They can autonomously manipulate and move components within a factory where the space has been previously fully scanned and digitised. A months-long pilot phase will start

Bill Clinton grilled over Epstein ties by US lawmakers

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

Bill Clinton told American lawmakers on Friday that he “saw nothing that gave me pause” when he spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, as the former US president gave closed-door testimony about his relationship with the late sex offender. In a prepared statement, Clinton told the House of Representatives Oversight Committee that he would not have flown on the late financier’s plane if ‌he had known about his alleged sex trafficking of underage girls, and would have reported him if he did. “We are...

Nasa overhauls Artemis mission amid setbacks in moon...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

Nasa is shaking up its Artemis mission to the moon, cancelling a multibillion-dollar Boeing upgrade to the centrepiece SLS rocket and slotting in a test flight closer to Earth as the programme remains beset by delays and cost overruns. The changes announced on Friday mean that Nasa is essentially swapping the actual moon landing for an additional test mission staged closer to Earth – while insisting the 2028 deadline for a lunar touchdown remains unchanged. Artemis III, which was supposed to

Personal data stolen in ransomware attack on Hong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

The operator of Hong Kong’s Ngong Ping 360 cable car attraction has apologised after the personal data of visitors and employees was stolen in a ransomware attack. The company on Thursday detected irregularities in its internal network system and alerted police and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data. “Subsequent investigation confirmed that certain data had been stolen and the company was subjected to a ransom demand,” the operator said on Friday. “Ngong Ping 360 deeply...

China scours for bargaining chips to put on Trump-Xi...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

Beijing has called for all hands on deck to work out what ever-unpredictable US President Donald Trump might demand when he sits down with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a few weeks. Several sources, all speaking on condition of anonymity, said various Chinese government departments had been told to research and assess the US leader’s potential demands and come up with possible concessions Beijing could put on the table. According to the sources, the entities included China’s Ministry

Hong Kong to offer 9 residential sites to developers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

Hong Kong will offer nine residential sites to developers under the government’s land sale programme for the coming financial year, providing about 6,650 flats, after authorities said in the latest budget that the property market had stabilised. Combined with other land sources, such as urban redevelopment, private development and projects linked to railway properties, the potential supply of new flats is estimated to reach an eight-year high of about 22,580 in the 2026-27 financial year. The...

Trump says ‘not happy’ with Iran talks, as US staff...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

US President Donald Trump voiced frustration on Friday with Iran’s stance in nuclear negotiations but said he had not yet decided whether to carry out a threatened attack, as US staff were authorised to leave Israel due to heightened risks. Trump has ordered the biggest military build-up in decades in the Middle East, with the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, approaching the coast of Israel, as he demands Iran agree to sweeping concessions on concerns starting with

Trump’s tariff setback could spark surge in Chinese...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

Importers in the United States are expected to front-load goods from China after the Supreme Court struck down the use of emergency powers as the legal basis for US President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, potentially opening a brief window of relief, analysts said. Companies selling products made in China, or using Chinese raw materials, were likely to place larger orders in the coming weeks amid uncertainty over whether Trump’s pledge to raise a new tariff – from 10 per cent to 15

Chinese scientists may have found battery that could...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

Chinese scientists have developed a promising new battery technology that could dramatically increase the driving range of electric vehicles and allow them to perform more reliably in cold weather. Lithium batteries are essential components in products such as smartphones and EVs, but at present they are approaching their energy density ceiling, which limits the scope to improve their performance. The most common types of liquid-state battery – lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium – are...

China warns citizens in Iran about security risks as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

Beijing has urged Chinese nationals in Iran to take security precautions as the risk of US air strikes grows, with no sign of a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme. In an advisory early on Saturday, China’s embassy in Tehran said there were “external security risks that have risen significantly” and Chinese nationals in Iran should “closely monitor changes in the security situation and strengthen their safety awareness”. Hours earlier, the foreign ministry in Beijing used similar language when

UK probes if Epstein used airbases for trafficking...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/27

British Defence Secretary John Healey has ordered a review of military files for any evidence that Jeffrey Epstein used airbases to traffic girls into the UK. Healey has tasked officials with trawling through more than two decades of Ministry of Defence (MoD) records and handing over to police any flight logs linked to the late paedophile financier. It comes after former prime minister Gordon Brown wrote to six police forces demanding investigations into whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

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