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South Korean youth hooked on easy access to drugs online

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Buying illegal drugs has become as easy as ordering a pizza in South Korea – especially for teens and young adults who have grown up in the digital age – as drug trafficking has increasingly moved online. On platforms like Telegram and the dark web, users familiar with drug-related slang can easily locate dealers. Consumers simply place an order, pay with bitcoin, and, once the transaction is complete, receive a message with instructions on where to collect their purchase. Pickup locations

Hong Kong government must guard against exploitation...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

The Hong Kong government must ensure its massive HK$1.8 billion (US$229.8 million) subsidy for diesel to mitigate record-high oil prices for the transport sector is not exploited by fuel companies through discount manipulations, an industry leader and a lawmaker have cautioned. Their warnings came shortly after authorities announced a two-month, HK$3-per-litre (38 US cents) diesel relief measure on Thursday to cushion the impact on transport companies amid the ongoing Middle East conflict,

Pentagon plays down rift with Vatican despite Pope...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

The Pentagon and the Vatican denied allegations of a rift following Pope Leo’s criticism of the Trump administration and a news report of a contentious meeting between a papal envoy and a top US defence official. In separate statements, the two sides both professed an eagerness to get along, saying the meeting that occurred in January was frank but polite. The Defence Department issued a statement that said “we have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy...

2 years on: China proves its ‘desert wheat farms’ are...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Growing wheat in sand may be regarded as impossible in most countries. But China’s “desert wheat farms” have survived repeated sandstorms and continue to grow following an initial trial in the country’s largest desert, as part of an ongoing effort to combat desertification and unlock the land’s potential for strengthening national food security. Two years ago, on the fringes of the Taklamakan Desert in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, China launched an unprecedented project to plant

Jardine Matheson to exit Swire’s Taikoo Place,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Jardine Matheson is giving up its remaining office space in FWD Tower at Taikoo Place and plans to relocate staff back to Jardine House in Central as part of operational consolidation, sources said. The move reflects a wider trend of companies consolidating into the core district, where demand for premium office space has been strengthening. The group’s primary office at Jardine House, part of its own property portfolio, “is now undergoing renovations to create a modern workspace that will...

Sara Duterte leads early 2028 Philippine presidential...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Her father is in custody at The Hague, her alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has collapsed into bitter rivalry and she is fighting to halt impeachment proceedings before the Supreme Court. Despite all of that, Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio is still, by a distance, the early favourite to be the country’s next president. A new survey by Manila-based pollster WR Numero found 36 per cent of Filipinos would vote for Duterte-Carpio if the 2028 election were held today – a...

Peace is a common wish, Xi Jinping tells Taiwan’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Communist Party chief Xi Jinping and the chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition party both highlighted the message of peace across the strait on Friday, in the first meeting of the sitting leaders of the two parties in nine years. “Compatriots on both sides are both Chinese, and we need peace, we need development, we need communication, and we need cooperation. This is a common wish,” Xi has told Cheng Li-wun, head of the Kuomintang (KMT). In the meeting, Xi expressed full confidence that

Why Japanese firm’s tie-up with Ukrainian drone maker...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Russia’s protest over a proposed investment by a Japanese company in a Ukrainian drone maker signals its concern that Tokyo may be supporting closer cooperation with Kyiv’s defence sector and planning to lift a long-standing ban on weapon exports, according to an international relations expert. On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko registered Moscow’s protest in a meeting with Akira Muto, the Japanese ambassador to Russia. Muto “rebutted” the protest, according to a

Israel plans talks with Lebanon as violence imperils...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he authorised direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbours. Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Netanyahu later stressed that there was no ceasefire between them. In a video statement, he said Israel will keep...

Tai Po probe: fire department to propose law changes,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades held its 10th day of evidential hearings on Friday. The Fire Services Department’s handling of shutdown notices for the fire safety systems of the devastated Tai Po housing estate where 168 people lost their lives in November is expected to be the focus of the...

Asian economies face ‘formidable test’ as Middle East...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Economic growth across Asia is likely to slow even if oil prices stabilise in the coming months, as the impact of war in the Middle East ripples through industries from manufacturing to tourism, according to the Asian Development Bank. The US and Israeli war on Iran is projected to halt developing Asia’s economic upswing, with the region’s gross domestic product expansion seen moderating to 5.1 per cent this year from 5.4 per cent in 2025, the ADB said in its outlook report on...

‘No offensive role’ for Australia as clock ticks...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

US Vice-President J.D. Vance will travel to Islamabad for the first round of talks on Saturday morning local time with Iran to end the war in the Middle East, according to the White House. The US Secret Service has already arrived in the Pakistani capital to make security arrangements ahead of his visit, which marks the most significant face-to-face, high-level US–Iran contact since 1979. The American delegation is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday local time, with negotiations likely

Alibaba’s Qwen family captures over 50% of global...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Alibaba Cloud captured more than 50 per cent of global open-source model downloads as of March following the release of its Qwen 3.5 model series, a new report has found. The finding underscores the dominance of Chinese models in the global open-source artificial intelligence landscape, though some US companies including OpenAI and Nvidia are also making early gains. Qwen reached nearly 1 billion cumulative downloads by March, far surpassing rivals like Meta Platforms’ Llama and DeepSeek,...

Solid-state battery firms in China and US line up...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Three solid-state battery developers across China and the US are moving towards initial public offerings (IPOs), as geopolitical tensions and elevated oil prices fuel demand for more energy-efficient technologies. Qingtao (Kunshan) Energy Development Group became the latest to join the queue, filing for a Hong Kong listing on April 8. Earlier, Beijing WeLion New Energy began the pre-listing tutoring process ahead of a planned application to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, while US-based

Why Trump’s Hormuz rebuke won’t derail South Korea’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

US President Donald Trump’s public rebuke of South Korea for refusing to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz is an uncomfortable moment for a 70-year alliance, piling fresh pressure on a Seoul government already uneasy about Washington’s appetite for confrontation in the Middle East. But analysts believe the relationship can withstand the strain, pointing to deep institutional ties between the two militaries, broad elite and public support in both capitals, and the reluctance of other US...

Can a ‘community with a shared future’ prevail over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

With the coming summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump back on schedule for May, the two leaders present two starkly different paths for the world: one defined by a “community with a shared future” and the other driven by unpredictable impulses of rivalry and division. While Trump postponed the April summit to engage Xi without the distractions of the war he launched on Iran, a swift resolution before their meeting does not seem likely – despite the newly...

Thailand snatches US$260 million from cross-border...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Thai authorities have seized assets worth 8.3 billion baht (US$260 million) belonging to people behind an alleged money-laundering network linked to transnational cyber scam operations in Cambodia. The latest seizure by the Anti-Money Laundering Office included cash, cars, bank deposits and other securities, bringing the total value of assets confiscated in the widening probe to more than 20 billion baht, officials said at a briefing in Bangkok on Thursday. The network of offenders included...

Public outrage as Chinese man takes part in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

A Chinese man who joined a matchmaking event while his wife had briefly gone to the bathroom, then claimed he was single, has sparked outrage online. On April 1, during “Auntie Wang’s Matchmaking” event in Bengbu, Anhui province, central China, a man who claimed to be single went on stage to find a partner was exposed on the spot. The event, which originally took place in Kaifeng, Henan province, also in central China, has attracted much attention on mainland social media. Those taking part

Filmmaker accuses school of ‘blatantly lying’ in row...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Clashes over the screening of a controversial, award-winning Hong Kong coming-of-age documentary at an Italian film festival have escalated, with the director accusing the secondary school at the centre of the dispute of “blatantly lying” about the arrangement for the showing. Acclaimed filmmaker Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting slammed Ying Wa Girls’ School over the documentary’s screening in Italy, expressing shock and “intolerable” disappointment after her alma mater distanced itself from the...

Is oil crisis just the start of economic pain for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/10

Hong Kong bus company boss Martin Lau feels overwhelmed as he attempts every option possible to minimise mounting losses wrought by runaway fuel prices. He has done everything he can think of, from trying to reduce services to doing his own repairs on his fleet of more than 20 coaches. Lau, managing director of ABC Touring Car Company, told the South China Morning Post that he and his team had no choice for now but to absorb the losses as there was no help he could access. “The reality is

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