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US-Iran talks leave Gulf states on edge about the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

The Gulf’s six Arab monarchies, battered by Iranian drones and missiles because of a war they never wanted, are watching with trepidation to see what Pakistan-hosted US-Iran negotiations will yield for their collective future. After China and Russia vetoed the Gulf Cooperation Council’s bid to attain UN Security Council approval for “defensive” measures to force open the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, analysts say the GCC states have little sway over what is about to transpire in...

Move over, Hercules: China’s new Y-30 aims to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

China’s new-generation medium-lift transport aircraft will surpass America’s best counterpart, the C-130J “Super Hercules”, in most performance metrics, according to a Chinese military magazine. The four-engine turboprop aircraft, frequently referred to as the Y-30 or Y-15, conducted its maiden test flight in December last year. It is developed by Shaanxi Aircraft Industry Corporation, a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The Chinese “new medium-lift

Foreigners flock to China spas to enjoy unique...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Foreign visitors have been flocking to spa centres in China to try a unique cultural experience at an affordable price. Many foreigners have been amazed by the bathhouses in the country because they operate on a 24-hour basis. Not only can people take a bath at hot springs, but they can also enjoy everything from fruit, drinks, ice cream and a buffet, to singing Karaoke, playing with game machines, billiards and mahjong. Some places also provide libraries and mini cinemas, the China News...

Hong Kong bookstore owner fined HK$32,000 for using...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

A Hong Kong independent bookstore owner has been fined HK$32,000 (US$4,085) for holding a Spanish class in his shop after a court ruled the course took place at an unregistered school. Pong Yat-ming, 52, was convicted on Friday of violating the Education Ordinance by organising a Spanish course in April last year at Book Punch, a bookstore he founded in Sham Shui Po in 2020. Kowloon City Court earlier heard Pong’s defence at his trial, where he testified that he held the basic language course

Gaza marks 6 months of ceasefire. Does it offer...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Friday marks six months since Gaza’s ceasefire deal took effect, a milestone largely lost in the confusion over the new and even more fragile ceasefire in the Iran war. The ravaged Palestinian territory of 2 million people has seen the most intense fighting stop between Israeli forces and Hamas-led militants. But most of the ceasefire work remains to be done, from disarming Hamas and ending its two-decade rule to deploying an international stabilisation force and beginning vast

Hong Kong awards stablecoin licences to HSBC,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

HSBC and a joint venture led by Standard Chartered have been awarded Hong Kong’s first stablecoin issuer licences, marking the city’s latest step towards embracing cryptocurrency’s most-traded cash substitute in its bid to become a global digital asset hub. Eight months after Hong Kong’s Stablecoin Ordinance, one of the world’s first such laws, took effect, HSBC and Anchorpoint Financial, the Standard Chartered-led group, received the green light from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA)

Xi holds landmark Taiwan meeting, Iran war ceasefire,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Communisrt Party chief Xi Jinping said he was “fully confident” of closer ties with Taiwan as he met a leader of the island’s opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party for the first time in almost a decade. “The historical trend that compatriots of both sides of the strait will get closer and get together will not change,” Xi said at the start of his discussion with Cheng Li-wun. “This is a certainty of history, and we are fully confident.” Cheng called for a “systemic solution” to avoid war in the...

My love-hate relationship with Apple as an Android user

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Last week, on April 1 to be exact, Apple reached the grand old age of 50 (almost exactly a year younger than Microsoft), one of a tiny proportion of S&P-listed companies that have stayed the course for half a century. It is a company with which I have had a special connection and a love-hate relationship for most of my adult life. Not that I have ever owned an Apple product (I have always been a loyal Android man) nor any Apple shares; heavens, I wish I had. No. My special connection is more...

Takeaways from Cheng Li-wun’s press conference about...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan’s biggest opposition party, the Kuomintang, highlighted the need for peace as she spoke to the media in Beijing on Friday afternoon after her historic meeting with Communist Party chief Xi Jinping. It is the first time the leaders of the KMT and the Communist Party have met in nine years and comes at a time of heightened cross-strait military tensions. Here are the main takeaways from the press conference. A ‘choice of war or peace’ In a clear reference to

Is China about to launch a rocket from South China...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

China plans to launch its first rocket from open waters in the South China Sea, in a display of a more flexible, long-range maritime launch capability. The 31-metre (102-foot) tall, solid-fuelled Jielong-3 is expected to lift off at 7.30pm on Saturday from the Dong Fang Hang Tian Gang, a converted barge operating in international waters, according to a leaked schedule circulating on Chinese social media. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all the islands and rock features in the South

Malaysian business lobby says working from home will...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

A Malaysian association has come under fire after warning that wider work-from-home arrangements would hurt urban businesses, with critics accusing it of prioritising city-centre takings over the government’s effort to cut fuel use across the country and rein in soaring subsidy costs. The backlash comes days before Malaysia begins a phased work-from-home roll-out for eligible civil servants on April 15, part of a wider effort to cut fuel use and manage rising costs tied to disruptions caused

China healthcare stocks outgain Hong Kong market as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

China’s healthcare sector has been drawing offshore capital to Hong Kong-listed stocks as investors look for safe havens amid global volatility in commodities. The Hang Seng Healthcare Index, tracking some of China’s most innovative pharmaceutical companies including Akeso and Innovent Biologics, has surged about 13 per cent since March 23, outpacing the benchmark Hang Seng Index’s about 6 per cent gain over the same period. “Although the Middle East conflict has created a lot of uncertainty

Japan’s Sanae Takaichi tickled pink to meet UK band...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Legendary British rock band Deep Purple made ⁠Japanese Prime Minister ⁠Sanae Takaichi’s day with a brief ⁠visit to their high-profile superfan on Friday as they returned to the country they first toured more than half a century ago. Takaichi’s reputation as an amateur drummer and fan of hard rock and heavy metal has been ‌well documented, and she has referred to Deep Purple as one of her favourite bands along with the likes of Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. “You are my god,” a giddy Takaichi...

Hong Kong authorities spend HK$34 million on Tai Po...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Hong Kong housing authorities have spent HK$34 million (US$4.3 million) on recovery efforts following the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court, including removing damaged scaffolding, conducting structural assessments and strengthening works. The Housing Bureau said on Thursday evening that the expenditure was the main reason for the 22.1 per cent increase in the revised building control expense estimate for the 2025-26 financial year. “This is mainly due to the expenditure on follow-up works...

Indonesia’s richest man loosens grip on Petrindo,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Indonesia’s richest man has begun selling small stakes in his listed companies as tighter ownership rules push firms to increase shares available to public investors. Billionaire Prajogo Pangestu sold a 0.56 per cent stake in coal and mining holding Petrindo Jaya Kreasi to boost the company’s free float, according to a stock exchange filing late Thursday. Prajogo-affiliated Green Era Energy this week also sold a fraction of its stake in his Barito Renewables Energy. Regulators are

151 Hong Kong civil servants dismissed for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

More than 150 Hong Kong civil servants were dismissed for serious misconduct or criminal convictions over the past three financial years, with police accounting for the largest number of cases. In a written reply to a lawmaker’s inquiry on Thursday, the Civil Service Bureau said 151 civil servants were dismissed for serious misconduct or criminal offences between 2022 and 2025, with the number of dismissals dropping steadily from 60 in 2022–23 to 51 in 2023–24 and 40 in 2024–25. Of the total,

Cheng hopeful to invite Xi Jinping to Taiwan if the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), spoke to the press in Beijing at 2.22pm on Friday, hours after her historic meeting with Communist Party chief Xi Jinping. It was the first meeting between leaders of the two parties in nine years after then-KMT chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu visited the mainland in November 2016. During the meeting on Friday morning, both Xi and Cheng highlighted a message of peace across the strait. “Compatriots on both sides are...

Hong Kong police on the hunt for man who robbed bank...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Hong Kong police are searching for a man who robbed a bank in Wan Chai, with the force’s preliminary investigations revealing HK$36,000 was stolen.Police received a report at 12.26pm after a man robbed a branch of Bank of East Asia in Harbour View Centre before fleeing the scene on a bicycle. Preliminary investigations showed HK$36,000 was stolen but police said they were still calculating the losses. A number of officers were seen searching for evidence at Gloucester Road, near the scene of...

US travellers mistakenly think China ‘happy funeral’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Two Americans travelling in China who mistook a “happy funeral” banquet in rural China for a trendy restaurant were unexpectedly given a warm welcome by the locals. Well-known American YouTuber Ludwig Anders Ahgren, who is widely known as Ludwig, has amassed over 6.8 million followers. Recently, he set off on a motorcycle journey across China with his friend, travelling from Guangdong province in southern China to Inner Mongolia in the north. On the fifth day of their trip, while passing...

Fisherman catches Chinese drone; Iran war’s lessons...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

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. Indonesian fisherman nets surprise catch – a Chinese underwater drone A Chinese underwater drone was caught by an Indonesian fisherman near a key waterway leading to Australia, local media reported. 2. What is the war on Iran

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