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Malaysia’s new expat salary rules dubbed...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/21

An effort to prod Malaysian employers into hiring more locals for white-collar jobs by doubling the minimum salary for foreign staff has caught expatriates cold and stirred anxiety among some firms over a reduced labour talent pool. From June, the salary threshold for expatriate Employment Pass (EP) holders will be substantially raised as the Ministry of Home Affairs tries to reduce reliance on foreign labour and open pathways to work for its own citizens who are plagued by low wages and...

Calls for probe after Hong Kong official posts about...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/21

The head of Hong Kong’s Tianjin liaison office has posted online about having received alleged perks, including a private ferry cabin and a five-star hotel suite upgrade, prompting calls for an investigation into a potential conflict of interest. Authorities said on Wednesday that the hotel upgrade costs did not involve public funds, adding that an investigation into the private ferry cabin incident was under way. They also vowed to take serious action if any violations were discovered. Ricky...

Japan’s Okinawa loses longevity crown as slow living...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/21

A generation ago, the people of Okinawa in Japan were recognised as among the longest-lived in the world, fortunate residents of one of just five “blue zones” around the planet where a combination of healthy diet, lifestyle and positive attitude enabled them to live to a ripe old age. Today, that longevity has been turned on its head. Life expectancy for both Okinawan men and women is expected to tumble again when the results of a new study, conducted every five years, are released in the

Will Iran’s instability force China to rethink its...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/21

Iran’s streets have once again become a site of uncertainty, but this time the tremors extend far beyond its borders. Unrest that began in late December spread across multiple provinces and continued into January. It was met with a level of repression that has only deepened public anger. What sets this moment apart is not just the scale of repression, but the way sustained instability is beginning to undermine long-held assumptions among Iran’s external partners, especially China. For years,...

China wants chips, US needs power: divergent AI...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/21

China’s government-led push into artificial intelligence (AI) contrasts with the US’ private sector-led approach, with the world’s two largest economies advancing along divergent paths, according to China International Capital Corp (CICC). Chinese investments in AI had focused on underlying technologies, including advanced semiconductors, to address a shortage of computing resources resulting from the country’s restricted access to advanced chips, the state-backed investment management firm

New details of China’s H-6J maritime strike bomber:...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/21

China’s H‑6J maritime strike bomber, equipped with two reconnaissance pods, indicates it has enhanced long-range strike capabilities while supporting peacetime maritime surveillance, according to military analysts. Cai Suliang, identified as a member of an unspecified People’s Liberation Army bomber formation, said that in its external appearance the H-6J, a recent variant of the H-6 bomber series in service for at least five years, differed from the H-6K primarily owing to additional...

‘Not a gym’: Thai temple warns tourists not to do...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/21

A jungle temple in Thailand hailed as a “hidden gem” has urged tourists to stop “inappropriate behaviour” after they were spotted doing gymnastics and wearing revealing clothing at the site. The Wat Pha Lat temple, nestled on a mountain above Chiang Mai in the country’s north, is a popular tourist spot. It also serves as a peaceful place for monks to meditate. On January 15, the temple published a post on its social media account, which has 11,000 followers, urging its visitors to stop...

Global memory chip crunch to persist even as Samsung,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/21

Significant worldwide shortages of memory chips are expected to persist well into 2027, according to analysts, even as the sector’s top manufacturers – Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology – move to boost production capacity. According to a report by Hangzhou-based Zheshang Securities, industry expansion plans through 2026 and 2027 were unlikely to bridge the global supply gap. Micron on Saturday said it aimed to meet global memory chip demand via its US$1.8 billion acquisition

University of Hong Kong ranks seventh globally for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/21

Hong Kong’s oldest university has been ranked seventh in the latest global league table for education, and has placed among the top 20 for medical and health. Renowned British publication Times Higher Education (THE) released its annual subject rankings on Wednesday. The lists cover 11 subject areas and assess them using 18 performance metrics, such as teaching, research and internationalisation. The latest rankings also saw Peking University and Tsinghua University enter the top 10 rankings

China could widen curbs on Japan’s imports, rare...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/21

China could launch anti-dumping investigations into Japanese imports, impose more export bans and discourage consumption of the country’s goods if it escalates a dispute with Tokyo that began in November, according to Morgan Stanley. Beijing might also expand a temporary ban on the sale of rare earth metals – crucial components in hi-tech hardware and automobiles – to target civilian manufacturing, the New York-based multinational investment bank said in a note by a team of researchers, led

Japan’s 1-party era faces ‘unprecedented’ threat from...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/21

Japan is entering one of its most unpredictable election cycles in decades after the surprise formation of a new centrist political alliance that could redefine the balance of power and potentially restore a two-party system to the country’s long-stagnant political landscape. On Thursday, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and Komeito, once a loyal coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, announced they would merge into a new force called the Centrist Reform...

Harbour BioMed stake in US drug developer Spruce...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/20

Shanghai-based Harbour BioMed’s acquisition of a stake in US-based Spruce Biosciences is the latest example of China’s novel drug developers progressing from one-time licensing deals into long-lasting equity partnerships with overseas partners. The deal, detailed in a Hong Kong stock exchange filing on Monday, also showed Chinese firms’ growing clout on the global pharmaceutical stage, analysts said. “The coming years will see more Chinese biotech firms engaging in equity investments and

World leaders show caution on Trump’s broader ‘Board...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Governments reacted cautiously on Sunday to US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace” initiative aimed at resolving conflicts globally, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the United Nations.Only ‍Hungary, whose leader Viktor Orban is a close Trump ally, gave an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitations, which have been addressed to some 60 nations and began arriving in European capitals on Saturday, according to diplomats. “We have, of...

Yemen’s leaders meet in Saudi Arabia after defeat of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Yemeni politicians met on Sunday in Saudi Arabia’s capital in their first public gathering since a southern separatist group backed by the United Arab Emirates was disbanded following weeks of clashes. The meeting in Riyadh discussed the future of southern Yemen ahead of a Saudi-sponsored conference, the dates of which have not yet been announced. The separatist demands in southern Yemen are one element in a complex civil war that has gripped the country since 2014, when Houthi rebels backed

Iran protests: 5,000 dead as judiciary hint at...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

At least 5,000 people have been killed in protests in Iran, including about 500 security personnel, an ‍Iranian official in the region said on Sunday, citing verified figures and accusing “terrorists and armed rioters” of killing “innocent Iranians”. The nationwide protests erupted on December 28 over economic hardship and grew over two weeks into widespread demonstrations calling for the end of clerical rule – resulting in the deadliest unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution. US President...

Hong Kong rolling out tender platform upgraded after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Hong Kong will launch an enhanced government-backed tendering platform for private building maintenance projects in the second half of the year to curb bid-rigging while tightening scrutiny of contractors, consultants and their leaders. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho told the media that authorities aimed to launch the upgraded “Smart Tender” platform in the second half of the year. She added that under the new system, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) would conduct strict...

Why China may need to take the nuclear option for its...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

China’s newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has significant design flaws that future carriers can overcome only by adopting nuclear power, according to a military magazine. The Fujian is the country’s first domestically designed aircraft carrier and was commissioned in November. With a displacement of over 80,000 tonnes, it is the world’s largest conventional warship and the first non-American ship to be equipped with advanced electromagnetic catapults. However, the most advanced US ships –

Syrian government forces take Al-Omar oilfield as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Kurdish-led forces withdrew on Sunday from Syria’s largest oilfield, a conflict monitor said, as government troops extended their grip over swathes of territory in the country’s north and east. The push came after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree granting the Kurds official recognition in an apparent goodwill gesture, even as his Islamist government seeks to assert its authority across Syria after the ousting of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The Kurds’ de facto autonomous...

Greenland’s stress test of Nato will ripple beyond...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

Talk of the United States acquiring Greenland has often been dismissed as rhetorical provocation. But the latest escalation is harder to wave away. President Donald Trump said it would be “unacceptable” if the US did not control Greenland only hours before Vice-President J.D. Vance hosted the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers. When territorial language is paired with senior-level diplomacy, it forces allies to draw public red lines, narrows the space for quiet crisis management, and

‘If you don’t die, it’s an adventure’: Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/18

A Hong Kong travel blogger whose brief disappearance during a solo trip to protest-hit Iran has triggered a heated online debate over the safety of women travelling alone to politically volatile nations. More female solo travellers took to the internet on Sunday to share their experiences and feelings on visiting Iran for leisure, as the country became embroiled in social unrest and was isolated from the rest of the world. Hong Kong authorities on Saturday night confirmed the missing blogger...

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