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Taiwan names senior DPP politician new cross-strait...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

Taiwan has appointed a senior Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politician and former liaison officer to Japan to head the semi-official group that manages cross-strait ties – a move Beijing has met with scepticism. Su Jia-chyuan, former head of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association under Taipei’s foreign ministry, will chair the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), according to Karen Kuo, spokeswoman for the office of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te, on Tuesday. The SEF is managed by...

Video-generation boom sees China’s Kling AI post...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

Generative artificial intelligence service Kling AI in December recorded more than US$20 million in sales, which corresponded to an annualised revenue run rate (ARR) of US$240 million, according to Chinese operator Kuaishou Technology. That was more than double Kling AI’s US$100 million ARR in March last year, according to a statement on Tuesday from Bejing-based Kuaishou. ARR is a financial metric used to project a company’s 12-month revenue by extrapolating earnings from a shorter period,

China factory production error gives toy horses’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

A production blunder at a factory in eastern China has turned toy ponies into viral crying-faced horses which have become popular mascots for the Year of the Horse. In January, a netizen shared a picture of a pony with a crying face and the retailer, amused by the mistake, offered to exchange it. The toy was made in Yiwu International Trade City, which is known as the world’s largest wholesale market for small commodities. The 20cm tall horse which costs 25 yuan (US$4), symbolises the Year

Iran signals fast trials and executions for detained...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

The head of Iran’s judiciary signalled on Wednesday there would be fast trials and executions ahead for those detained in nationwide protests despite a warning from US President Donald Trump.The comments from Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei come as activists had warned hangings of those detained could come soon. Already, a bloody security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,571, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. That figure...

China’s bid for 200,000 satellites; 2,000-year-old...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

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 builds a record-breaking hypergravity machine to compress space and time China is set to break its own record in hypergravity research with a colossal new centrifuge that can spin multi-tonne samples at unmatched intensities. 2. China applies to put up 200,000 satellites after calling Starlink a crash...

Hong Kong man who claimed to be reincarnated Thai...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

A Hong Kong man who claimed to be the reincarnation of a late Thai king has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the gruesome murder of an elderly man four years ago. The High Court on Wednesday sentenced 35-year-old Mang Yat-lam to mandatory life in prison after a seven-member jury unanimously rejected his claim that he had been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the random attack. Mang, who was unemployed, told the court he did not know his victim, 70-year-old Cheung...

Elderly man dies in fire at Hong Kong public housing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

A 78-year-old Hongkonger has died after a fire broke out at a public housing estate in Kwai Chung. Police said they received a report at 12.41pm on Wednesday that a fire had broken out at Cho Yiu Chuen estate’s Kai Him Lau block. The blaze was extinguished quickly, but first responders found the elderly resident and confirmed him dead at the scene. The building was not evacuated and no other injuries were reported, the force said. Police and the Fire Services Department were investigating the...

Anti-crash bollards in Hong Kong shopping area...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

A HK$5 million (US$641,000) plan to install anti-crash barriers in Hong Kong’s busy Causeway Bay shopping area will enhance pedestrian safety, but their exact location, size and number must be further discussed, with installation possibly worsening crowds, a district councillor has said. Wan Chai district councillor Peggy Lee Pik-yee agreed on Wednesday with the government’s plan to introduce about 60 safety bollards in the area, but said the move needed to meet residential and commercial

KPop Demon Hunters leads to record exports of Korean...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

South Korea’s exports of food and agriculture-related products, referred to as “K-food Plus”, hit a record annual high of US$13.62 billion in 2025. The country’s Agriculture Ministry also reported on Monday that Korean ramyeon or instant noodles posted the largest export gains, surpassing US$1.5 billion. The surge came amid the runaway success of KPop Demon Hunters, which ended 2025 as the most-watched film ever for the Netflix streaming platform.

Chinese short-video giant Kuaishou taps global debt...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

Chinese short-video platform Kuaishou Technology is pitching its debut offshore bond sale to professional investors, joining a wave of domestic tech companies raising funds in the global debt market. The Beijing-based company, which is offering senior unsecured notes in US dollars and Chinese yuan, said on Wednesday that it planned to use the proceeds from the issuance for general corporate purposes. The two offerings were separate and not inter-conditional, meaning each could proceed...

Man fined US$2,200 in Malaysia for masking Singapore...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

The man who was caught on video pumping subsidised RON95 fuel into his Singapore-registered car in Johor was on Wednesday fined 9,000 ringgit (US$2,217) for obstructing the registration number of his vehicle. Malaysian Long Sa Kow, who is a Singapore permanent resident, was charged under Section 108 (3) (E) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for allegedly exhibiting an altered or tampered vehicle registration number. The offence carries a fine of between 5,000 ringgit and 20,000 ringgit, a prison...

Chinese risk study finds space solar power stations...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

As China pushes to take the global lead in building space-based solar power stations, a new study warns that powerful lasers beaming energy back to Earth could pose serious risks to other satellites in the increasingly crowded low-Earth orbit. If these beams miss their targets – because of tracking errors or system malfunctions – they could strike nearby spacecraft, overheat solar panels or trigger electrical discharges, according to a team from the Beijing Institute of Satellite Environment...

China entrepreneur promises football team players a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

An entrepreneur in China has come under fire for promising to gift a car to every member of a city’s football team if they won an important competition, then reneging on her promise when they did. While many people criticised the woman, the local football association said it would not push the woman to fulfil her promise, saying they understood her financial predicament. The response was viewed 22 million times on one mainland social media platform alone. It also attracted praise from the

At least 4 migrants have died in US immigration...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

Four migrants died while in custody of US immigration authorities over the first 10 days of ‍2026, according to government press releases, a loss of life that followed record detention deaths last year under US President Donald Trump. The deaths included two migrants from Honduras, one from Cuba and another from Cambodia, and occurred from January 3-9, according to US Immigration and ⁠Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Trump administration was aiming to ramp up deportations and has increased the...

Crane collapses on moving train in Thailand, killing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

A crane at a China-backed high-speed railway project in Thailand collapsed onto and derailed a passenger train on Wednesday, killing at least 22 people and injuring dozens, local authorities said. Footage from the scene showed the crane’s broken structure resting on giant concrete pillars, with smoke rising from the wreckage of the train below. Rescuers worked to extract passengers from the tilted carriages in Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast of the capital, Bangkok. The crane first fell

Trump vs Iran: Gulf allies fear US ‘help’ may unleash...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

Washington’s Middle East allies are bracing for what they fear could be “catastrophic” consequences if the United States moves militarily against Iran – a possibility US President Donald Trump again dangled this week by promising Iranian protesters that “help is on its way”. Despite Trump’s vow of support, analysts warn that even a sustained US air campaign would be unlikely to unseat Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime. The US president’s rhetoric has followed a now-familiar arc, echoing his...

‘Strategic patience’ key for Beijing in South China...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

Beijing should exercise “strategic patience” in managing its maritime disputes, with provocations to be expected from the Philippines in the South China Sea and Japan in the East China Sea, according to a leading Chinese analyst. Hu Bo, director of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), delivered his message in an article published this month in the latest issue of defence journal Modern Ship. There have been continuous tensions between Beijing and its uneasy...

New Zealand central bank chief told to ‘stay in her...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters rebuked the country’s new Reserve Bank governor, Anna Breman, for wading into US domestic politics after she signed a statement with other global central bankers backing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. “The RBNZ has no role, nor should it involve itself, in US domestic politics. We remind the governor to stay in her New Zealand lane and stick to domestic monetary policy,” Peters wrote on social media. He added that the Ministry of

Uganda shuts down internet as Museveni seeks to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

Ugandan authorities shut down internet access nationwide on Tuesday, two days ahead of elections in which President Yoweri Museveni has overseen a crackdown on the opposition as he seeks to extend his 40-year rule. The 81-year-old leader, who once said African rulers should not overstay their time in office, was widely expected to win a seventh term on Thursday due to his total control over state and security bodies. But he was taking no chances against a popular opponent, Bobi Wine, a...

As China’s US exports plunge in 2025, Beijing banks...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/14

China’s exports soared to record highs in 2025, defying trade tensions with Washington as Beijing’s diversification strategy successfully mitigated a decline in US-bound shipments. However, that resilience could face a new test this year, analysts warned. Full-year exports for 2025 climbed 5.5 per cent from a year earlier to US$3.77 trillion, according to customs data released on Wednesday, higher than the 5 per cent growth projected by financial data provider Wind. Imports for the same

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