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News - South China Morning Post

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Hong Kong wants to become a global gold vault. Does...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

The US-Israeli war on Iran has unleashed sharp swings across global energy and financial markets, fuelling demand for safe-haven assets, with Hong Kong emerging as a potential beneficiary across gold, property and capital markets. In the first of a three-part series, we examine Hong Kong’s bid to position itself as Asia’s bullion hub.War in the Middle East has intensified global demand to diversify gold storage, creating a strategic window for Hong Kong to tap its unique status and evolve

Chinese robo-diving suit could help users consume...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

Chinese scientists have created a diving suit that could help users glide through the sea with ease. In tests, the exoskeleton reduced the diver’s oxygen consumption by nearly 40 per cent. The flexible suit not only provides physical assistance but also syncs precisely with the swimmer’s own rhythm, dramatically boosting underwater agility. In tasks ranging from seabed surveys and pipeline inspections to salvage operations and even covert military missions, divers must constantly change the

China eatery sparks outrage for ‘beating wife’ sales...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

A Chinese noodle restaurant has come under fire for displaying a slogan that appears to condone domestic violence. The restaurant in Xining, northwestern China’s Qinghai province put up a banner which read “beaten wife, kneaded dough”. The slogan refers to an old saying from the Guanzhong plain region, which goes “the more a dough is kneaded the better the noodles taste, the more a wife is beaten the more docile she gets.” The shop was slammed across mainland social media for trying to...

Public opinion a factor in government’s decision to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

Hong Kong authorities will take public opinion into account when deciding whether to trigger a new investigation mechanism to hold senior officials accountable, the city’s civil service minister has said. Permanent secretaries of bureaus, who are not covered by the proposed “Heads of Department Accountability System”, will also face scrutiny if they are found to be involved in management failures, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan said on Saturday. Under the new

Magnitude 5 quake hits Japan’s Nagano prefecture

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.0 struck the northern part of Nagano prefecture in central Japan on Saturday, the country’s weather agency said. The 1.20pm quake in Omachi registered an upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, strong enough ‌to make movement difficult without support. It occurred at a depth of 10km (six miles), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. It was ‌not ‌immediately clear whether there ‌was any damage. Earthquakes are ⁠common in

‘Take a long-term view’: Hong Kong minister says...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

Hong Kong’s investments in the Middle East will not be derailed by ongoing conflicts, the commerce minister has said, expressing confidence in the region’s economic prospects and urging businesses to take a long-term view. “The geopolitical situation has a temporary impact, but in the long term, we remain hopeful about development in the Middle East,” Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah told a radio programme on Saturday. “We have many strengths in areas such

US court lets Trump resume work on US$400 million...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

A US appeals court allowed President Donald ⁠Trump’s administration on ⁠Friday night to continue construction ⁠of a US$400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, setting a June hearing to review a Washington judge’s order halting the project. An order by a three-judge ‌panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit put the lower court’s preliminary injunction on hold for now, giving the panel time to consider the US Justice Department’s...

South Korea’s AI shamans foretell a future in old...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

The sound of tinkling bells drifts through an alley in central Seoul, an unmistakable sign that a shaman is near – although in this case the mystic is a robot powered by artificial intelligence. Many South Koreans still place great value in shamanic traditions, which purport to divine a person’s future based on the day and time they were born. Practitioners, known as mudang, wear long, colourful robes and perform dances and chants to commune with the gods – sometimes even walking on sharp

Donald Trump predicts meeting with Xi Jinping will be...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

US President Donald Trump said on Friday night he was looking forward to his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping next month and predicted it would be “special”. Hours after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz had reopened, Trump posted on social media: “China’s President Xi is very happy that Strait of Hormuz is open and/or rapidly opening; I look forward to meeting Xi. “Our meeting ‌in China will ‌be a special ⁠one and, potentially, Historic. I ⁠look forward to being with

Faulty devices, low battery: some taxi drivers cook...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

Some passengers have been unable to use any mandatory e-payment options on Hong Kong taxis, as cabbies cited faulty machines or battery problems, reasons that customers have deemed as excuses as the “cash is king” mentality persisted. Experts said this week that many taxi drivers still held a deep-seated fear of having a traceable income record, which could lead to taxation or the loss of eligibility for public housing. Lawmaker Mark Chong Ho-fung told the South China Morning Post that many...

Hospitals face glove shortage as Malaysian makers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

Rubber glove makers have raised prices and warned of production cuts as the Iran war chokes supplies of key inputs, raising concerns for the healthcare sector. Glove makers have already hiked the average price of synthetic rubber gloves by around 40 per cent to as high as US$29 for a box ‌of 1,000, according to Oong Chun Sung, an equity research analyst at CIMB Securities. Sustained disruption to supply chains from the conflict could lead to glove shortages by late May, analysts at Malaysia’s...

As China’s biotech firms shift gears, can AI floor...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

A quarter featuring multiple eye-popping deals is no longer unusual for China’s pharmaceutical industry – in fact, it may soon be considered a slow season. In recent months, companies including CSPC Pharmaceutical and RemeGen have struck out-licensing agreements worth up to US$18.5 billion and US$5.6 billion respectively, while Haisco Pharmaceutical Group has added two of its own — most recently a deal worth up to US$745 million. Under the terms of the deal, the Beijing-based Haisco granted

‘Red flag’ recruits: how record US$75 billion ICE...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

Their backgrounds stand out. And not in a good way. Two bankruptcies and six law enforcement jobs in three years. An allegation of lying in a police report to justify a felony charge against an innocent woman – an incident that led to a US$75,000 settlement and criticism of his integrity. A third job candidate once failed to graduate from a police academy, then lasted only three weeks in his only job as a police officer. Their common bond: all were hired recently by US Immigration and Customs...

Japan warned of ‘hellish summer’ as energy fears mount

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

Japan is hoping further US-Iran talks will ease tensions in the Middle East and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz permanently, but there is also mounting anxiety over what a failure could mean for the country as summer approaches. On Friday, Iran said it would reopen the strait for commercial shipping following a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, while US ⁠President Donald Trump added that a US naval blockade of Iran’s ports would ‌remain until a deal with Tehran was struck. The fear in Japan,...

Air New Zealand invites economy passengers to join...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

Sleep on a long-haul flight in economy class has always been a fantasy for many travellers. Air New Zealand will soon offer a solution that involves climbing into a triple-tier bunk bed wearing special socks. The airline will soon open bookings for four-hour stints in the Skynest sleep pods and says they will be the first lie-flat beds for budget air travellers. Fliers will get cosy with their fellow passengers, however, so crumbs, strong perfumes and bed-sharing are forbidden. The curtained...

In Malaysia, unlicensed street photography becomes...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

While many Europeans are considering putting long-haul flying on the back burner as jet fuel costs and airfares climb, those with a trip already booked for Malaysia may need to watch out if ambling around with a camera slung across a shoulder. Following an early April warning about unlicensed street photography, city authorities in Kuala Lumpur, the country’s capital, have confiscated equipment from six people, five of them non-Malaysians, pending payment of fines levied under street hawking...

ByteDance, Tencent step up AI talent battle amid...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

As China’s artificial intelligence sector accelerates, competition for top talent has intensified among major tech companies, with firms increasingly poaching from rivals while also attracting researchers from overseas hubs such as Silicon Valley. A reported high-profile personnel move involving DeepSeek researcher Guo Daya recently drew attention to the sensitivity surrounding AI hiring in China’s tech sector. Guo, a lead researcher on DeepSeek’s R1 model, joined ByteDance’s Seed AI

Hong Kong Tourism Board invited 1,730 influencers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

The Hong Kong Tourism Board invited more than 1,700 influencers from around the world to the city between 2023 and last year, with the internet personalities having a combined following exceeding 1.6 billion. Responding to an inquiry from lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said the board had invited 1,730 influencers to come to the city over two years, with itineraries tailored to their markets and audiences. “In 2026-27, [the board] will continue to develop themed...

Japan ditches decades of arm export curbs as US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

Japan is set to take another step away from its long-standing limits on arms exports, a move analysts say will strengthen the domestic defence industry, spur innovation, deepen security ties and reduce Tokyo’s reliance on the US at a time when Washington is increasingly seen as a less reliable partner. The Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday that revisions to the Three Principles on the Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology would be approved at a cabinet meeting next week. The

Why China is urgently looking to North Africa as the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/18

The war in Iran and ensuing closure of the Strait of Hormuz has exposed the risks of over-reliance on the Persian Gulf for oil, turning Beijing’s Mediterranean infrastructure plans from long-term goals into urgent strategic necessities. From Algerian oilfields to Moroccan battery factories and Egypt’s industrial base, China might now fast-track these projects to create a Mediterranean hub for a green-energy supply chain, observers said. Beijing aims to create a strategic backup that protects

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