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News - South China Morning Post

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Benin election favours continuity amid al-Qaeda...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Benin was voting for a new president on Sunday, with Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni a shoo-in after overseeing a decade of economic growth in the West African country despite jihadist attacks in the north. Nearly eight million voters are eligible to cast ballots to choose a successor to Patrice Talon, who is stepping down after two five-year terms and has endorsed Wadagni as his successor. Turnout will be a crucial factor after a lacklustre campaign hit by voter apathy. “We must vote to

Colleague Skill: AI job fears in China set off viral...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

An open-source artificial intelligence project aimed at harvesting human capabilities into reusable AI “skills” has gone viral in China, gaining traction as a meme among the country’s uneasy young workers as they face growing job insecurity amid rapid AI advances. Supposedly, certain skills of luminaries such as Steve Jobs, spiritual figures like Gautama Buddha and ordinary office workers have been extracted into digital form and uploaded online, making these skills – such as Jobs’ product...

AI pessimism is a luxury the Global South cannot afford

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

No Ethiopian, Pakistani, Indian, Brazilian or other serious policymaker believes artificial intelligence will solve corruption or improve governance overnight. National policies such as Digital Ethiopia 2030, Pakistan’s National AI Policy 2025 or other initiatives in Chile, Argentina and Colombia consider AI as a means to enhance service delivery in healthcare, education, agriculture, taxation and disaster management, rather than as institutional reform. These are practical applications....

Forget Hong Kong and Singapore, Philippines housing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Hong Kong and Singapore routinely top global rankings of unaffordable cities. Yet it is the residents of Manila, Colombo and Yangon who are far more likely to tell pollsters they cannot afford shelter. The Philippines recorded the world’s highest share of people reporting difficulty affording housing in a new survey from US-based firm Gallup, with 55 per cent saying they had struggled to pay for shelter in the past 12 months. Sri Lanka followed at 54 per cent, Myanmar at 49 per cent and

Semiconductor leap: China looks to next-gen ‘2D chip’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Chinese scientists say they have developed a wafer-scale 2D semiconductor growth method with 1,000 times faster growth, paving the way for industry advances. The surging demand for high‑performance, low‑power chips driven by AI and large-language models has intensified the search for next‑generation semiconductor technologies. Moore’s Law predicted a doubling of semiconductor capacity every two years but as chip dimensions continue to shrink, physical limitations make further performance

How China’s fake Titanic sank like a stone – and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

When Su Shaojun launched an audacious plan to build a life-size replica of the Titanic, he felt he was on to a sure-fire winner. After all, James Cameron’s iconic 1997 film had been a worldwide hit – including in China, where it had grossed over US$200 million. At a press event to unveil the project in 2014, Su invited the actor Bernard Hill – who played the captain of the Titanic in the film – to appear alongside him as he told the assembled reporters in Hong Kong that his company aimed to...

Hong Kong balancing financial security, innovation as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Hong Kong has struck a balance between financial security and innovation in its strategic roles as a “testing ground” and “firewall” for the nation’s reform and opening up, the city’s finance chief has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday that security was core to the goal of achieving high-quality development as geopolitical tensions created risks in global financial markets and energy supplies. As Hong Kong rolled out the first batch of stablecoin licences last week, the...

Trump’s 80th birthday bash to feature UFC fight at...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that there would be an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight in the White House grounds to mark his 80th birthday on June 14. Trump, a UFC fan, made the announcement on social media. This year marks the 250th anniversary of US independence and the initial plans were for the fight to take place on July 4, US Independence Day. On Saturday, Trump was attending a UFC fight in Miami with several family members and Secretary of State Marco Rubio,

Citybus driver dies after collapsing, losing control...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

A Hong Kong bus driver died on Saturday night after collapsing while steering his vehicle, causing it to mount a pavement. Police said on Sunday that the 42-year-old man collapsed while driving his empty vehicle along Chung Yan Road in the direction of Tung Chung Road at 10.55pm the previous day. After he collapsed, the bus mounted the pavement. Public transport firm Citybus confirmed the driver was an employee and said no one else was injured. The force said the driver was unconscious and...

Beijing pledges better Taiwan air and travel links...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Beijing has promised to restore direct flights between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan following a visit by the leader of the main opposition party. The 10-point measures, which also include a pledge to ease restrictions on individuals travelling to the island, were announced on Sunday as Kuomintang chairwoman Cheng Li-wun concluded her visit to the mainland. Her trip, which began on Tuesday, included a meeting with Xi Jinping – the first between the leaders of the Communist Party and KMT in...

Minister warns Malaysia will enter ‘critical period’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Malaysia is expected to experience a critical moment with regards to fuel supply by June, according to Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir. He said the government is implementing measures to address the global fuel shortage amid the Middle East conflict, including exploring alternative raw materials. “June and July will be a very critical period in ensuring fuel supplies are available,” Akmal Nasrullah said after attending an event in Johor Bahru. “It will be equally important to

Maisy Ho, daughter of late tycoon Stanley Ho, dies...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Maisy Ho Chiu-ha, a daughter of late Hong Kong and Macau tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun, died on Sunday. Her siblings – Pansy Ho Chiu-king, Daisy Ho Chiu-fung, Josie Ho Chiu-yi and Lawrence Ho Yau-lung – disclosed the news in a statement but stopped short of revealing the cause of death. “We regretfully share that our beloved sister Maisy Ho passed away peacefully on April 12, 2026, surrounded by family,” they said. “We appreciate your condolences and ask for privacy during this difficult

Rehabilitation project open to all 2019 Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Hong Kong authorities will not “draw a line” on which protesters arrested during the 2019 social unrest are eligible for a rehabilitation programme, the security chief has said, while defending the decision to keep the project a secret until recently. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Sunday that the special rehabilitation programme run by his bureau for people arrested in connection with the 2019 anti-government protests had been operating for the past one to two

In Indonesia, horror film posters trigger child...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Promotional posters for the horror film Aku Harus Mati (“I Must Die”) have been taken down in parts of Indonesia after sparking backlash from child protection experts, who say the campaign’s stark language and imagery are especially alarming amid what officials have called a “child suicide emergency”. The row has struck a nerve in a country where concerns over child mental health and suicidal ideation have been mounting, turning what might otherwise have been dismissed as provocative horror...

Chinese firm slammed for using ex-employee’s data to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

A Chinese company has sparked controversy after it reportedly used a former employee’s data to create an artificial intelligence (AI) human to continue working following his resignation. A game company in Shandong province in northern China has attracted attention after turning a former employee into an AI-powered “digital worker” which continued performing tasks after their resignation. The employee, whose personal details remain unclear, previously worked as an human resources (HR)...

In Philippines, LPG price shock reaches bottom of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Filipinos like their pares, a traditional beef stew, served hot – but the soaring cost of liquefied petroleum gas has made that prospect increasingly difficult since war erupted in the Middle East. To save a few pesos, 20-year-old Eric Garcia delicately turned a knob to adjust the flame under his warming trays to the lowest setting as he grapples with fuel costs that have nearly doubled in price. While sticker shock at petrol stations has garnered the biggest headlines since the war forced

Hyundai spearheads foreign EV comeback push in China...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Hyundai Motor has spearheaded a comeback among foreign marques vying for a slice of the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) market, launching a new brand built around local technologies and partnerships. The South Korean carmaker, which reversed a six-year sales decline in 2025, said it would soon introduce production models under the Ioniq brand tailored for Chinese consumers, as it steps up its push into the world’s largest automotive market. “The newly launched Ioniq brand in China evolves beyond

‘A dream come true’: helpers flock to Disneyland for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Hundreds of domestic workers wearing Minnie Mouse ear headbands flocked to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort on Sunday morning after receiving free tickets, with many helpers arriving at least an hour before the theme park opened. The amusement park and the Li Ka Shing Foundation handed out 5,000 tickets to thank the helpers hailing from the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Thailand. Crowds of ticket holders and their friends arrived at Disneyland at 9.15am, with many holding...

Singapore drama sparks Malaysian ire over scam hub...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Singapore’s national media network Mediacorp has responded to criticism from Malaysian organisations over its drama Highway to Somewhere, which some claim portrays the country as a hub for scam syndicates. In a statement, a spokesperson said the production had taken care in its depiction of Malaysia and that the storyline was not meant to target any specific country. The 20-episode Chinese-language series follows a married couple played by Romeo Tan and Jeanette Aw, and four friends portrayed

Controversial Hong Kong documentary pulled from...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/12

Award-winning Hong Kong documentary To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self has been withdrawn by its distributor from an Italian film festival after a dispute among stakeholders worsened. Golden Scene said on Sunday that its documentary would not feature at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, 10 days after the event’s line-up listed the title in its “out of competition” section. “We deeply regret this and reserve all legal rights to protect our company’s reputation and interests,” the company said,...

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