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China couple, 102, born on same day, gain online...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

A centenarian Chinese couple have gone viral for being born on the exact same day, month and year and revealing their simple secret to longevity. Numerous netizens have been captivated by the 102-year-old couple’s remedy for a long life, which is minding your own business. The couple went viral after a family portrait surfaced showing Yuan Guanjin and his wife Yin Hezhen wearing white shirts and red jumpers, sitting with their children and grandchildren. The heartwarming photograph, taken on...

Is South Korea’s ‘metropolitan visa’ for shipbuilding...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has sparked intense debate with his comments on the “metropolitan visa” policy, aimed at supplying foreign labour to the country’s industrial regions. The controversy escalated after President Lee openly criticised the shipbuilding industry’s reliance on low-wage foreign workers during a visit to Ulsan, a hub for the nation’s maritime sector. His remarks have divided stakeholders. Local governments and businesses view the visa as a desperate measure to

The US is working on cheaper munitions. Should China...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

China should consider following the US’ lead by investing in low-cost guided munitions to counter future mass drone warfare, according to a Chinese military magazine. The suggestion surfaced in an article in Ordnance Science and Technology this month, which said the United States was finding it too expensive and unsustainable to use advanced munitions against Houthi drone harassment in the Red Sea and to support Ukraine against large-scale low-cost Russian air strikes. The article said that

Death of Filipino in Russia-Ukraine war sparks fears...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

The first documented case of a Filipino man who died fighting alongside Russian forces in the Ukraine war has raised concerns in the Philippines over coerced recruitment and sparked calls for compensation from Moscow. In a report released on Monday, Ukraine’s intelligence operations identified the body of John Patrick, a Filipino national, among Russian troops killed near the village of Novoselivka in the Donetsk region, marking the first such report of its kind. Kyiv officials said Patrick’s...

Hong Kong’s Exchange Fund reports record earnings in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

The Exchange Fund posted its best annual gain since the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) was set up in 1993, as solid stock market returns and rising gold prices boosted the city’s financial war chest used to defend the local currency. The Exchange Fund’s full-year earnings for 2025 jumped 51 per cent to HK$331 billion (US$42 billion), compared with HK$218.8 billion in 2024, the HKMA said on Wednesday. The returns surpassed the previous record of HK$264 billion set in 2017. “Overall, the...

Hong Kong hit with record cyberattacks in 2025 as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

The number of cyberattacks in Hong Kong hit a record high in 2025, with detected system vulnerabilities tripling, prompting experts to warn that artificial intelligence (AI) could pose a major risk of further attacks this year. Edmond Lai Shiao-bun, chief digital officer of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, warned on Wednesday that AI would pose three of the top five security threats to enterprises this year, urging firms to invest more in cybersecurity defences and staffing. “It may not be...

On EV targets, Europe should take a page from China’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

In the global shift towards carbon neutral mobility, a striking role reversal is taking shape. China, often seen as a top-down planner, has emerged as a pragmatic, market-responsive architect of new energy vehicle (NEV) policy. Europe, a champion of climate ambition, is seemingly executing a retreat amid a disconnect between ambition and reality. The planned dilution of the European Union’s ban on new combustion-engine cars by 2035 to a carbon dioxide output reduction target of 90 per cent is...

As US naval strike force sails near Iran, Trump faces...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

With the recent arrival of a US Navy aircraft carrier task force in the Middle East near Iran, President Donald Trump is set to have all the military assets in place needed to launch a war against Tehran by the end of this week. While a last-minute diplomatic breakthrough is still on Washington’s cards, Trump may soon have to pick one of the plans drawn up by the Pentagon to meet his desired outcomes – none of which have been made public. Washington has maintained diplomatic backchannels open...

Historic EU-India trade deal to slash auto tariffs,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

After nearly two decades of efforts, the European Union and India have formally concluded negotiations in New Delhi for a free-trade deal, shoring up the 27-member bloc’s ambitions to diversify trade ties while navigating tariff pressure from Washington and a ballooning deficit with Beijing. The agreement, announced on Tuesday and praised by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen as “the mother of all trade deals”, is poised to reduce or eliminate tariffs on 96.6 per cent of the

Authorities to seek public views on walkway for New...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Hong Kong authorities will consult the public later this year on building a pedestrian walkway for a waterfront selfie hotspot in Kennedy Town, with the options including small-scale reclamation works. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, speaking at the Legislative Council on Wednesday, said authorities were considering whether they could use “small-scale reclamation” to build a pedestrian walkway or sea wall along New Praya. “To allow tourists at New Praya, Kennedy Town, to

Hong Kong to test firefighting drones in pilot scheme

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Hong Kong authorities will launch a pilot scheme to test firefighting drones, with the aim of deploying the equipment in operations once the technology has matured, the security minister has said. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung made the remarks on Wednesday while answering lawmakers’ questions on fire safety in the Legislative Council, following the Tai Po blaze in November, that claimed 168 lives. Tang said drones in Hong Kong were used only to analyse fire scenes, while

Nipah cases in India raise regional anxiety but...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

A small cluster of Nipah virus infections reported in eastern India has sparked regional anxiety because of the disease’s high fatality rate, prompting countries across Asia to tighten health screening ahead of the Lunar New Year travel rush, even as experts say the outbreak is likely to remain contained. That assessment follows confirmation by Indian authorities of two Nipah cases in West Bengal, but analysts have said the limited numbers, combined with the time that has passed since the...

Nipah virus alarms China, semiconductor fibre...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China’s Shenzhou-20 spacecraft returns to Earth broken and unbroken China’s Shenzhou-20 spacecraft returned to Earth with no astronauts inside – just metal, heat and a cracked window – touching down at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia on Monday. 2. Nipah virus outbreak in India sparks worry in

Hong Kong’s US$8 billion wealth fund eyes fintech,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

The Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) is eyeing investments in fintech, aerospace and artificial intelligence, tapping the city’s strengths and a wave of incoming talent and enterprises as geopolitical shifts create new opportunities, according to its CEO. The city’s wholly owned investment vehicle, which manages HK$62 billion (US$8 billion) in funds, would look at these new sectors in addition to its other focus areas, “playing to Hong Kong’s advantages in the context of the global...

South Korea’s ex-first lady Kim Keon-hee gets 20...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

A South Korean court sentenced former first lady Kim Keon-hee to 20 months in prison for corruption on Wednesday but acquitted her of alleged stock manipulation and other charges. While the ruling marked the first time that both members of a presidential couple were convicted of crimes in South Korea, analysts described Kim’s lighter punishment as a “courtroom victory” after prosecutors sought a 15-year jail term, a 2 billion won fine and 948 million won in forfeiture for the three core...

China new blind box series features cute...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Chinese toymaker Pop Mart’s new blind box series, inspired by the Buddhist ritual instrument called muyu, or “wooden fish,” has become the latest sensation in China following the success of Labubu. The series, titled Pucky Knock Knock, was launched in January and is priced at 99 yuan (US$14) per piece. This plush toy keychain series showcases a charming and fluffy character that holds a wooden drumstick. One can pull out the drumstick to knock on the toy’s head, producing the electronic sound

Top Malaysian football officials quit over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

The entire executive committee of Malaysia’s football association resigned on Wednesday, the latest blow in a damaging eligibility row over forged documents used to field foreign-born players in Asian Cup qualifiers. The move follows Fifa’s investigation last year into the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) over its inclusion of “heritage players” in the national team – foreign-born athletes accused of falsely claiming Malaysian ancestry. “The resignations are to safeguard the reputation

Malaysians lampoon minister over stress-gay link:...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

A Malaysian minister has become the butt of jokes for claiming that work stress can turn people gay, as continued government intervention of what it describes as sexually deviant behaviour piles pressure on the country’s LGBTQ community. The enforcement spotlight fell on Malaysia’s sexual minorities two weeks ago after religious authorities and police acted on complaints from a sultan and Islamist politicians that a camping retreat was promoting the LGBTQ lifestyle. The community came under...

North Korean ex-envoy on Kim Jong-un’s ‘decapitation’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

The dramatic US operation that overthrew Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro this month may have left North Korean leader Kim Jong-un feeling he was also vulnerable to “decapitation”, according to a former Pyongyang envoy to Havana. In a wide-ranging interview, Lee Il-kyu, who served as Pyongyang’s political counsellor in Cuba from 2019 until 2023, said Washington’s lightning extraction in Caracas was a worst-case scenario for his former boss. “Kim must have felt that a so-called decapitation

Hong Kong authorities consider legal action after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Hong Kong authorities have said they may take legal action against a major bakery chain after a government laboratory confirmed that a foreign object found in its toast was a tooth. The case surfaced in December when a customer reported finding what appeared to be a decayed tooth inside a “Rich Milk Toast” bought from a Maxim’s Cakes branch in Sai Wan Ho. The customer described the discovery as “disgusting” in a social media post and said a family member had vomited repeatedly in shock. After...

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