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Chinese surveillance tech rolled out in Africa with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

Across major African cities such as Nairobi, Lusaka, and Abuja, governments are using surveillance technologies and credit lines from China to monitor public spaces and curb crime, a new survey shows. The UK-based Institute of Development Studies (IDS) said Chinese banks were increasingly funding African governments to build and maintain digital infrastructure – including surveillance cameras and command and control centres – under the “safe city” project, also known as “smart city”, which is...

Iran war: Senegal limits foreign visits for ministers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

The Senegalese government has banned all but essential foreign trips for government ministers as part of cost-saving measures triggered by the energy crisis linked to the Iran war. Senegal, like many African countries, imports most of the petroleum products it consumes, leaving its economy vulnerable to supply disruptions such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has sent the price of crude soaring. For millions in the region, soaring fuel prices have worsened the hardships they

1 dead in Peru football stadium tragedy, dozens injured

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

At least one person died and 60 others were injured in what seemed to be a crush of fans at a popular football team’s stadium in the Peruvian capital on Friday night, authorities reported. Police said officers rescued people trapped as a result of an influx of Alianza Lima fans in the south stands of the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium the night before their team’s scheduled game against their biggest rival, Universitario. Earlier, the Ministry of Health had reported the collapse of a wall

Why China is worried by Japan’s plans to change rules...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

Japan is considering plans to relax its rules on the sale of offensive weapons in a move that one Chinese analyst said may open the door to it exporting weapons to war zones and possibly to Taiwan. Currently, Japan can only export military equipment designated for five defensive purposes: rescue, transport, warning, surveillance or minesweeping. But a draft government document, reportedly seen by the news agency Kyodo, would scrap this rule and these categories. Kyodo said the new regulations...

Afghanistan quake kills 12, including 8 from family...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

An earthquake that struck Afghanistan overnight killed 12 people, including eight members of the same family, a government official and the Afghan Red Crescent Society said on Saturday. A neighbour who helped in rescue efforts said that the eight who died, on the outskirts of Kabul, were a refugee family recently returned from neighbouring Iran. The 5.8-magnitude quake struck at 8.42pm (1612 GMT) on Friday at a depth of 186km (115 miles) at the epicentre in northeastern Badakhshan province,...

Hong Kong’s John Lee pledges to expand after-school...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has promised to allow more children from low-income families to enjoy after-school care on campus by further expanding a government scheme following positive feedback from participants. Social workers and educators welcomed the initiative on Saturday, proposing the government widen the scheme’s coverage to include more pupils and encourage more schools to join through subsidies. The scheme, launched as part of the government’s targeted measures to tackle...

Hong Kong IP festival Con-Con draws crowds on opening...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

Fans and cosplayers flooded an intellectual property (IP) festival that debuted in Hong Kong on Saturday, featuring pop culture exports such as the hit franchise Godzilla as well as local designs and trademarks. Long queues formed at Con-Con Hong Kong 2026, a two-day event at AsiaWorld-Expo bringing together exhibitions, music performances, licensing showcases and IP business matching opportunities. Visitors stocked up on exclusive merchandise at booths and took pictures of the latest

Strike near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant kills 1,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

The ⁠International ⁠Atomic Energy Agency ⁠on Saturday said that it has been informed by Iran ‌about a projectile striking close to the premises of the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The IAEA said in ⁠an X post that one ‌of the site’s physical protection staff members was ‌killed by a projectile ⁠fragment ⁠and that a building on site ‌was affected by shock waves and fragments. “No increase ‌in ‌radiation levels was ‌reported,” the IAEA said. Rafael Grossi, head of the agency, voiced “deep

New Guangzhou rule on handmade dim sum sparks debate...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

A new rule in Guangzhou requiring teahouses to declare whether their traditional dim sum is freshly handmade has sparked debate and calls for transparency over how similar meals are made in Hong Kong. Guangzhou authorities on Wednesday released new regulations on morning tea heritage protection, effective on May 1, which mandate that operators must explicitly indicate whether their dim sum dishes are made using traditional on-site methods or through non-traditional means. The mainland Chinese...

Is Taiwan’s opposition KMT splitting into pro-US and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) is showing signs of internal strain ahead of its leader’s planned visit to mainland China, with divisions over defence spending and ties with Washington and Beijing raising questions over the party’s strategic direction. KMT chairwoman Cheng Li-wun is set to go to mainland China with a delegation from April 7 to 12 on a trip that could include a meeting with Communist Party leader Xi Jinping. The trip comes as the party remains divided over a

Compound Chinese surnames come from historical...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

While most Chinese people’s surnames are only one character long, there are also millions of people who have compound surnames which are considered rare and precious. You might have come across some Chinese celebrities with surnames more than one character, such as Taiwan-born actress and cellist Ouyang Nana, Hong Kong-American stand-up comedian and actor Jimmy O. Yang. In fact, these two celebrities have the same compound surname, Ouyang, which is currently China’s most used compound

Iran demands explanations from Saudis and UAE after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

Iran has demanded explanations from two Gulf states equipped with Chinese-made Wing Loong II drones after one was reportedly shot down in the war with the United States and Israel. Both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are known to have the reconnaissance and precision strike drones in their arsenals. The drone was shot down over the city of Shiraz on Thursday, according to Esmail Baqaei, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry. Baqaei posted photos of drone wreckage on social...

Iran war: 5 EU nations urge tax on energy firms’ profits

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

Five European Union finance ministers are calling for a tax on windfall profits of energy companies in reaction to rising fuel prices due to the Iran war, according to a letter from ‌the ministers to the EU Commission seen by Reuters on Saturday. The finance ministers of Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Austria made the joint call in a letter dated Friday, saying such a measure would be a signal that “we stand united and are able to take action”. “It would also send a clear message that

1 ticket wins HK$81 million in Hong Kong’s Mark Six...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

One winning ticket took the HK$81.14 million (US$10.35 million) first prize in Hong Kong’s Mark Six Easter snowball draw on Saturday. According to the Hong Kong Jockey Club, four units each won HK$1.51 million for the second prize, while 225.5 units each scooped the third prize of HK$71,510. The total turnover reached HK$154.5 million, falling short of the HK$402.3 million recorded during the Chinese New Year draw on February 21. The winning numbers drawn were 20, 28, 32, 35, 40 and 45, with

Malaysia mourns death of former transport minister...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

Former Malaysian transport minister Ling Liong Sik died on Saturday. He was 82. Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) president Wee Ka Siong confirmed the news to Bernama when contacted on Saturday. “We received the sad news of Tun Dr Ling’s passing today. Further details will be announced from time to time,” he said. Ling’s death was also conveyed in a message sent to the trustees of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, where he served as chancellor. In a statement to The Star on Saturday, Wee said

Hongkongers crossing border for Easter break wowed by...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

Hongkongers crossed the border into Shenzhen in droves on the second day of the Easter holiday on Saturday, drawn by a wider range of bargain-priced shopping, dining and entertainment options, as well as new landmark attractions including a futuristic tech museum. While bracing for heavy rain, many travellers cited mainland China’s broader selection of shopping centres and restaurants, along with more affordable prices as key draws. Some also said neighbouring Shenzhen boasted fresh cultural

UAE squeezes Iranian economic lifeline in retaliation...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

The United Arab Emirates has begun retaliating against Iran’s incessant air strikes on its industrial infrastructure by squeezing the economic lifeline it has long extended to the sanctions-bound Islamic Republic. Rather than taking sweeping measures that would signal an escalation beyond its purely defensive posture, the UAE this week quietly banned most Iranians from entering the country or transiting its airports. The UAE is home to more than half a million Iranians, many of whom are...

Rights groups raise alarm after Iran executes 2 more...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

Iran on Saturday executed two men convicted of membership in a banned opposition group and carrying out disruptive actions aimed at overthrowing the Islamic Republic, the judiciary said. The executions were the latest in a series targeting members of the banned People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), after four other convicted members of the group were put to death earlier in the week. They also come against the backdrop of Iran’s war with the United States and Israel, sparked by...

China team releases world’s first bamboo drone flight...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

A team of researchers in China has unveiled what they describe as the world’s first open-source flight control system designed specifically for bamboo-frame drones, offering a potential breakthrough in the push for low-cost, eco-friendly unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).The system, developed by researchers at Northwestern Polytechnical University’s school of civil aviation, aims to solve a long-standing bottleneck in sustainable drone design: integrating non-traditional materials such as

Chinese woman whose pet dog was poisoned, killed by...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/04

A Chinese woman who sacrificed her job and life to get revenge on a neighbour who poisoned her pet dog to death has shown her face publicly for the first time. After her beloved pet dog Papi, a 13-year-old white West Highland Terrier, was poisoned and killed in a children’s playground in her residential compound in Beijing in 2022, Li Yihan has dedicated her life to defending the animal’s rights. Police found a 65-year-old man surnamed Zhang, who lived in the neighbourhood, to be the...

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