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News - South China Morning Post

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Hong Kong to launch licensed ride-hailing services by...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

Hong Kong authorities have said the first batch of licensed ride-hailing platforms is expected to commence operations by the fourth quarter of this year and floated measures to further improve taxi services as part of the government’s latest transport blueprint. The Transport Department on Friday revealed the 124-page transport strategy blueprint, covering areas including the development of the low-altitude economy, autonomous vehicles, and a smart and green mass transit system. In the long

Hong Kong whistle-blower in AI app MediSafe saga...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

The whistle-blower behind a suspected cheating scandal involving an award-winning medical prescription app developed by a student has been arrested for doxxing, the South China Morning Post has learned. A source confirmed on Friday that Hailey Cheng Hei-lam, the student who rose to fame overnight last year after raising concerns about the MediSafe app’s development and patient privacy, was accused of disclosing personal data without consent to cause specified harm. She was apprehended on...

Survivors recount terror of Nigeria massacre where...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

First, the jihadists sent a letter saying they were coming to the village to preach, said Nigerian chief Umar Bio Salihu. When no one attended, they went on a rampage, killing people and torching houses, he said. Salihu is the traditional chief of Woro, a small, Muslim-majority village in west-central Nigeria where alleged jihadist gunmen are reported to have perpetrated a massacre late Tuesday. Details were still emerging from the attack, but it was one of the country’s deadliest in recent...

Malaysian minister’s use of ‘Alhamdulillah’ triggers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

A dispute over a familiar Arabic phrase has erupted in Malaysia’s parliament this week after an opposition MP challenged a Malaysian Chinese minister over his repeated use of “Alhamdulillah” (“praise be to God”) in a debate. The row flared during Nga Kor Ming’s speech in response to the king’s address for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, when Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, an MP from the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), took issue with his use of phrases associated with...

Australian drug lord Tony Mokbel walks free: ‘I don’t...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

One of Australia’s most famous gangsters walked free on Friday after prosecutors said they would drop a planned retrial on drug trafficking charges. Sixty-year-old Tony Mokbel – a key figure in Melbourne’s years-long gangland war – was jailed for 30 years in 2012 after pleading guilty to masterminding an elaborate drug syndicate. But his case fell apart after it was revealed that his high-profile lawyer at the time, Nicola Gobbo, was feeding information to police while supposedly defending

Why traditional Chinese paper horses are burned...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

For hundreds of years, paper horses have been a popular item used in Chinese folk life to communicate with the gods. The creations are a form of woodblock prints of folk gods on coloured paper which have been used for home worship or burned at ceremonies since the Tang dynasty (618-907). Although they are known as “paper horses”, they do not only feature equine images, but all kinds of deities that reflect China’s polytheistic folk religion. One theory behind the name is that in the times...

Barge catches fire at Yau Ma Tei cargo area, second...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

A barge carrying recycled metal caught fire at Hong Kong’s New Yau Ma Tei Public Cargo Working Area early on Friday, marking the second such blaze at the site in less than a week and prompting renewed calls from a lawmaker for stronger safety measures. The Fire Services Department said it received a report at 4.19am that a fire had broken out on a barge moored near the cargo area along Hoi Fai Road. A spokesman said firefighters had launched a marine and land operation to put out the...

Epstein haunts Number 10, creating crisis for UK’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

Keir Starmer never met Jeffrey Epstein. But the British prime minister’s job is under threat because of the fallout from the late sex offender’s global web of relationships. Friendship with Epstein has already brought down a British royal – Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew – and UK ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson, fired by Starmer over his links to the financier. Now, new revelations have plunged Starmer’s centre-left government into turmoil. The prime...

Outrage in Philippines as socialite Heart...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

Filipino actress and fashion influencer Heart Evangelista’s reappearance at Paris Fashion Week following scrutiny over her lavish lifestyle in previous months has drawn sharp criticism amid “unprecedented” public outrage linked to an unfolding corruption scandal plaguing the country. Public sentiment in the Philippines has been particularly negative against influencers such as Evangelista and other “nepo babies”, a term referring to flamboyant family members of wealthy politicians, officials

Australia, Indonesia sign deal to extend security...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

Australia and Indonesia’s leaders signed a security deal on Friday, one of a series of agreements that Canberra has secured with neighbouring countries to reinforce ties and limit China’s influence in the region. At a signing ceremony, President Prabowo Subianto met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said before he travelled to Jakarta that the pact was a “watershed moment” in ties. It “represents a major extension of our security and defence cooperation and demonstrates that our

US destroys another alleged drug boat in Pacific,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

The US military said on Thursday that it carried out another deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. US Southern Command said on social media that the boat “was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations”. It said the strike killed two people. A video linked to the post showed a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames. The strike was announced just hours

China’s expat pilots; Indonesian woman faints after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

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. USS Abraham Lincoln is in the Arabian Sea. So is a Chinese vessel A Chinese research vessel has been operating in Middle Eastern waters close to a US aircraft carrier, according to ship-tracking data, at a time of heightened

Indonesian finance minister says ‘not strong enough...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa pushed back at Moody’s Ratings’ decision to lower the country’s outlook, saying that the nation’s improving growth and controlled deficit were unlikely to result in a credit rating downgrade. “Our economy is improving, deficit is still under control – compared to other countries, we are still in a better position,” Purbaya told reporters in Jakarta on Friday. “There are not strong enough reasons for a downgrade. In fact, we should gradually see...

How can China react to Panama Canal ruling that...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

The recent court ruling giving the United States a win in a tussle for control of the Panama Canal is expected to prove an important “test case” for how China responds to the challenge to its interests and influence across Latin America. Analysts said there were a range of tools it could use, including diplomatic pressure on Panama, using its economic might to seek support from friendly countries and backing a legal challenge to the ruling. Last week, Panama’s Supreme Court voided a 25-year...

400 evacuated after power bank catches fire on Hong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

About 400 passengers were evacuated from an MTR train on the Tuen Ma line on Friday morning after a portable power bank caught fire in a carriage, filling the compartments with thick smoke. Police said they received a report at about 8.35am that an external battery pack had ignited on a train bound for Wu Kai Sha as it arrived at Tsuen Wan West station. No injuries were reported. Footage circulating on social media appeared to show a black bag on fire and emitting thick white smoke inside a...

As Japan enters hay fever season, pollen levels may...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

Japan’s hay fever sufferers have been warned to brace themselves for significantly higher levels of pollen this spring, with some already reporting having runny noses and itchy eyes for days. Hay fever season typically starts in Tokyo and eastern parts of the country in early February, peaks towards the end of the month and eases from mid-March. It affects the southern and other parts of the country slightly later. According to Weathernews, a weather information company which monitors the...

Jimmy Lai to be sentenced on Monday in Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

A Hong Kong court will sentence former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and his associates on Monday for conspiracy to collude with foreign forces in violation of the national security law. Three High Court judges who oversaw Lai’s high-profile trial are expected to hand down penalties on the 78-year-old defendant at 10am, according to the judiciary website. The justices, hand-picked by the city leader to adjudicate national security cases, will also sentence six former senior executives of

Thai election alcohol ban hits tourism revenue during...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

Bangkok restaurateur Sorathep Steve said he was told off last Saturday by customers who had just flown in from the United States and ordered a bottle of wine, only to be told of Thailand’s election-linked ban on alcohol. “They were frustrated and I had to explain the law,” Sorathep said, recalling how the four guests at his Thai cuisine restaurant complained that they had not come to the country to vote, before finally ordering lemon sodas. Under Thai law, it is illegal to sell, pay for or

‘Bad news for South Korea’ as US-Russia nuclear pact...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

Fears over the weakening of global momentum to rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions have mounted with the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New Start) between the United States and Russia, with observers warning that an emboldened Pyongyang could also spark a domino effect regionally. For 15 years, the treaty functioned as a stabilising force between the world’s two largest nuclear powers, setting limits on deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems while...

US-China orbital arms race is forging a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/02/06

If the years 2020 to 2025 were defined by the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution – a period where algorithms helped create tech titans such as Nvidia, OpenAI and Oracle – then 2026 represents a far more exciting and expansive paradigm shift. We are now pivoting from the digitisation of the Earth to the capitalisation and domination of low-orbit space. The golden age of the space economy has arrived, signalled by last month’s announcement that SpaceX is preparing for a June initial public...

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