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Syria leader arrives in US for Trump visit after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/08

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in the United States on Saturday for a landmark official visit, his country’s state news agency reported, a day after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist. Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. The interim leader met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the US president’s regional tour in May. US envoy to Syria Tom

Hong Kong holds key ‘accelerator’ role as China’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/08

China’s trade has displayed remarkable resilience this year. Its goods trade expanded 4 per cent year on year for the nine months so far in yuan terms, according to customs data. Quarterly growth accelerated from 1.3 per cent at the start of the year, to 4.5 per cent by midyear and finally to 6 per cent. This steady momentum reflects both the robustness of demand and continued refinement of China’s trade structure. But the regional performance has been uneven. Exports to the United States

US unions slam Trump for giving China a pass on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/08

A group of trade unions led by the United Steelworkers slammed the Trump administration for suspending port fees on Chinese ships that workers argued would bring about a revival in the once-dominant domestic shipbuilding industry. The unions expressed “strong disappointment” with the administration’s decision and said it would have negative consequences in the nation’s attempt to restore the US maritime sector, according to a letter sent to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The letter,...

State matchmaking and a PR blitz – is this the way to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/08

In the central Chinese province of Hubei, one small city is going the extra mile to reverse falling birth rates. Grass-roots volunteers in Tianmen are playing matchmaker for its young singles, combing through the details of all unmarried people in the area, putting the information on community posters and offering their services, according to Guangzhou-based Southern Weekend. Video footage posted on social media showed a swearing-in ceremony for the matchmakers in one village. It is one of a...

Shutdown forces some overseas US military bases to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/08

The longest US government shutdown on record is doing more than grind activities to a halt at home; an ocean away in Europe, local workers at US military bases have started to feel the pain. Thousands of people working at overseas bases in Europe have had their salaries interrupted since the shutdown began almost six weeks ago. In some cases, governments hosting the US bases have stepped in to foot the bill, expecting the United States to eventually make good. In others, including in Italy

Powerful Brazil tornado kills 6, injures over 700:...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/08

A tornado killed at least six people and injured more than 700 as it destroyed most of a town in southern Brazil, authorities said on Saturday. The twister on Friday evening flipped cars like toys and wrecked buildings in Rio Bonito do Iguacu, a town of 14,000 people in Parana state, the local weather service reported. The storm lasted only minutes but hit with hail and ferocious winds swirling at up to 250km/h (155 miles). “It destroyed everything. It destroyed the town, houses, schools.

Excitement builds as Hong Kong embraces pivotal...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/08

The National Games officially open in Guangzhou on Sunday, but Hong Kong is already well into its role as co-host and a pivotal centre for the action and organisation over the next two weeks. Tens of thousands of athletes, officials and tourists are expected to descend on the city, which is hosting eight events and there were sell-out crowds at the beach volleyball and men’s handball on Saturday. And while there are tickets still available for sports such as the rugby sevens and triathlon,

EU claims agreement with China to unblock Nexperia...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/08

The European Commission claimed on Saturday to have reached an agreement with China’s Ministry of Commerce to restart the flow of semiconductors that had been disrupted by a crisis surrounding the company Nexperia. EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said on social media that, effective immediately, exports of the company’s chips to the bloc for non-military uses would not be subject to Chinese licensing requirements. “My team and I have been in constant contact with the Chinese authorities, and...

Ukrainian commander charged after Russian strike...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/08

A commander in the Ukrainian army has been charged after he allegedly gathered 100 soldiers for a celebration on the front line despite a ban by the Ukrainian General Staff, making them a target for a deadly Russian attack. Twelve soldiers and seven civilians were killed when Russian missiles and drones struck the gathering in the Dnipropetrovsk region on November 1, the General Prosecutor’s Office said in Kyiv on Saturday. Additionally, 36 soldiers were injured. According to the State...

Hong Kong venues ‘ready’ for National Games, city’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/08

Hong Kong’s competition venues are “ready” to welcome the nearly 4,000 athletes, officials and staff anticipated for the National Games, the city’s No 2 official has stressed. Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said on Saturday that hosting the multi-sport competition would not only attract visitors to Hong Kong but also showcase the city’s capability in organising major events. “Currently, all the competition venues are fully ready for the National Games. We have also devised detailed

Hongkongers can enjoy faster border access under new...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/03

Hongkongers will be able to use facial recognition at more mainland Chinese checkpoints, while more professionals from additional regions across the border will be granted longer stays in the city under new policies announced by national immigration authorities on Monday.According to the National Immigration Administration, Hong Kong residents with a mainland travel permit will, from Wednesday onwards, be able to cross the border through “intelligent” fast lanes at designated mainland ports

Lee Kuan Yew’s home ‘worthy of preservation’ as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/03

The site of 38 Oxley Road was “more than just the home” of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew – it was where Singapore’s independence movement took shape, a government advisory board said on Monday. The Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board assessed the site as having “strong national significance worthy of preservation as a national monument”, describing it as a foundational part of Singapore’s independence that is “not represented by any other site or monument”. The site...

Top Belgian neurologist Steven Laureys joins China’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/03

World-renowned neurologist and consciousness research pioneer Steven Laureys has taken up a full-time university position in eastern China’s Zhejiang province. The 56-year-old Belgian scientist joined Hangzhou Normal University earlier this year as a professor at its School of Basic Medical Sciences, according to a university news release. Before moving to China, Laureys spent decades in Europe and had a brief stint in North America. He is widely recognised as one of the first researchers to

Chinese woman spends US$140,000 entrusted to her by...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/03

A Chinese man who entrusted more than one million yuan (US$140,000) in savings to his girlfriend for safekeeping was shocked when she spent it all on cosmetic procedures. The man, surnamed Jin, and his girlfriend, Min, were in a romantic relationship when the cash was handed over. Min had relocated from southeastern Jiangxi province to Chongqing in southwestern China to live with Jin. To give her a sense of security, Jin entrusted her with more than one million yuan in business earnings over

Chinese film 731’s historical hiccups eclipse...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/03

A Chinese historical film about Japan’s wartime atrocities has drawn criticism not for its subject matter, but over what many viewers have described as a clumsy portrayal of one of the darkest chapters of World War II. 731 – a drama centred on the Imperial Japanese Army’s notorious biological warfare unit that conducted experiments on Chinese civilians under the guise of disease prevention – premiered on September 18 to coincide with the anniversary of the 1931 Mukden Incident, the false-flag...

Japanese woman held for 1999 murder says she lived in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/03

A 69-year-old woman arrested for a 1999 murder in Nagoya, central Japan, told investigators that she had long feared being caught and felt depressed each year as the anniversary of the killing approached, police said on Monday. Kumiko Yasufuku was arrested on Friday on suspicion of killing Namiko Takaba, then a 32-year-old housewife, at the victim’s flat 26 years ago. The suspect was identified by the victim’s husband as his former high school classmate. “I felt uneasy, and my heart sank...

New World Development offers US$1.9 billion debt swap...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/03

Heavily indebted New World Development (NWD) has launched exchange offers for US$1.9 billion of its outstanding perpetual securities and notes to optimise its debt profile, enhance its liquidity and improve its financial position amid a challenging property market. The exchange offers covered a series of existing instruments, including perpetual securities issued by NWD Finance and notes issued by NWD (MTN) and New World China Land, which were guaranteed by NWD, according to a filing to the

Roblox vows to step up monitoring after Malaysian boy...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/03

Roblox has pledged to improve safety through the use of artificial intelligence technology and human monitoring after a Malaysian boy allegedly stabbed his brother over a dispute linked to the online gaming platform. Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the company expressed its willingness to cooperate with the Malaysian government, particularly on data sharing and compliance with regulations. In a social media post on Monday, Yeoh raised her concerns over child safety on the popular...

Hong Kong lawyer pleads guilty to sex with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/03

A Hong Kong lawyer has admitted to having sex with a 12-year-old girl twice and taking more than 200 photographs and videos of the illegal acts. The District Court heard on Monday that Kelvin Luk Kin-ting, 40, befriended the Form One pupil on dating app Heymandi and claimed that he was around 28 to 29 years old when they first met on March 4 last year. Luk, formerly a consultant at local law firm HY Leung & Co LLP, kissed the girl at a Ma Wan beach that morning before taking her to his

Trump says he has assurances from Beijing of no...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/03

US President Donald Trump has said his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping gave him assurances that Beijing would take no action on Taiwan, as long as the Republican leader was in power. In an extract from a CBS News interview first released on Sunday, Trump said the island, which Beijing regards as part of its territory, to be reunited by force if necessary, “never even came up as a subject” when the two leaders met last week. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan

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