PODCAST

News - South China Morning Post

All the latest breaking news from Hong Kong, China and around the world

All Episodes

Australia investigates after car with Hanukkah sign...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/25

Australian police are investigating a “suspicious fire” after a car carrying a sign celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah was set ablaze on Thursday in Melbourne. The empty car, which had a “Happy Chanukah” sign fixed to the roof, was scorched by the fire while parked in a house driveway, images on national broadcaster ABC television showed. It was set alight in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda East, Victoria police said in a statement, describing

Southern California drenched by powerful Christmas...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/25

Flash flood warnings were in effect in Los Angeles and most of southern California on Wednesday as one of the worst Christmas storms in recent memory brought heavy rain and fears of deadly mudslides. Driven by an atmospheric river known as “the Pineapple Express”, which moves heavy moisture from the tropical climes of Hawaii to rain on the West Coast, the storm is expected to deliver months’ worth of rain over the next few days. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency

Singapore’s viral moments of 2025: politician...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/25

From political gaffes and diplomatic stumbles to courtroom fury and security breaches, many of Singapore’s viral moments in 2025 showed how quickly everyday incidents in the city state could turn into national focal points. Passionate online discussions have revealed deep concerns about power, accountability and how the country sees itself – and is seen by others. Locker-room rage Singapore’s acting sports minister came under fire after he was caught calling the Hong Kong men’s football team...

9 held over use of 45 fake surveying equipment...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/25

Hong Kong police have arrested nine employees of a company suspected of using surveying equipment with 45 forged certificates in five hospital expansion projects and a government construction site. The force said on Thursday that it had apprehended six men and three women, aged 23 to 48, from acoustic and environmental services consultancy Novox for allegedly forging at least 45 certificates from four testing centres since 2022. The surveying equipment was used to measure air quality, noise

China’s AI toy boom: Huawei, JD.com, UBTech make big...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/25

Huawei Technologies in late November sold more than 10,000 units of its artificial intelligence toy, Smart Hanhan, in the first week of its release, as similar smart playthings seize a growing share of consumer spending worldwide. Shenzhen-based Huawei’s AI-powered emotional support plush toy, which costs 399 yuan (US$57), provides a user with interactive companionship via movement recognition, voice and touch. For example, when a user asks Smart Hanhan to count sheep, it often adds playful...

Malaysia arrests 2 over video of man in headscarf...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/25

Two people have been arrested in Malaysia after a viral video showing a man wearing a headscarf while drinking alcohol at a hair salon triggered religious sensitivities in the Muslim-majority country. The 28-second clip widely shared across social media showed a man wearing a green headscarf drinking a can of beer, prompting public anger over what many viewed as a mockery of Islamic practices. Alcohol is considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam, and the headscarf is commonly associated with...

Free for all or fees for all? Hong Kong’s legal aid...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/25

“Justice is open to all – like the Ritz” is a quote often attributed to Sir James Mathew, a 19th-century Irish judge.This is another way of saying that while in theory justice and the courts are open to everyone, in practice only those who can afford to pay the hefty fees can get their day in court. The adversarial system, which is the model adopted in common law jurisdictions, has proved extremely popular in many countries and regions. In particular, cross-examination, which has sometimes

Hong Kong’s new legislators must strengthen child...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/25

The Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance becomes operational in Hong Kong on January 20, and will enhance child protections. It contains a mechanism for the early and effective detection of child abuse cases. It requires particular professionals to report if, during their work, they come to suspect a child has been suffering serious harm, or is at real risk of it. The acts considered serious harm include inflicting physical injury, forcing or enticing a child to participate in a

Guest house rates hit 5-year high as tourists flock...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/25

Tourists planning to spend Christmas in Hong Kong have fuelled a surge in guest house bookings since October, driving occupancy and room rates to their strongest levels in five years. But those arriving without reservations may end up paying double the price, according to an industry leader. David Leung Tai-wai also told the Post that the government’s push to promote the “mega-event” economy risked wasting public funds if officials failed to equally promote affordable lodging. The founder and...

Chinese team tackles a century-old puzzle in physics:...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/25

Chinese researchers have proposed a simple yet powerful theory to explain one of physics’ oldest puzzles: why time only moves forward and why travelling to the past remains impossible. Physicist Cai Qingyu and his team at Hainan University in southern China have developed a fresh explanation at the quantum level for why we cannot unscramble an egg or grow younger, even though the laws of physics perfectly allow time to go backwards. Unlike earlier theories, their framework does not rely on...

China mall installs glass windows on men’s toilet...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/25

A shopping centre in southern China has installed special glass on the doors of men’s toilet cubicles that becomes transparent when people smoke inside, winning applause online. The move involving bathrooms at Shenzhen’s Shuibei International Centre and Shuibei Jinzuo Building, two jewellery shopping malls in Guangdong province, trended on social media on December 16. The glass uses a special technology that is normally opaque and cuts off the power in a few seconds after it detects smoke,...

Safety gaps, outdated facilities hobbling Malaysian...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/25

Traveller safety and outdated facilities remain pressing issues that could undermine Malaysia’s tourism ambitions if left unaddressed, according to Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing. Tiong said many attractions lack basic infrastructure upgrades, particularly in destinations frequented by repeat visitors. “Some foreign visitors tell us that when they came 10 years ago, the facilities were like this, and 10 years later, nothing has changed,” he added. While Malaysia has

Pope Leo celebrates first Christmas as pontiff

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/24

Pope Leo held the first Christmas mass of his pontificate on Wednesday, greeting thousands of faithful in St Peter’s Square before the service. During the mass, Leo said Christmas was a feast of “faith, charity and hope” and criticised a “distorted economy” that “leads us to treat human beings as mere merchandise”. Before, he spoke in front of St Peter’s Basilica to offer Christmas wishes and thank those who had come to follow the mass on outdoor screens despite rainy weather. “St Peter’s is...

Why has Beijing turned down the heat in the Taiwan...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/24

All eyes are on how Beijing’s “Chinese dream” of eventual Taiwan reunification will unfold at a time when the leader of the United States – Taipei’s top international backer – appears less likely to intervene in case of a cross-strait conflict. In the third of a three-part series, Amber Wang looks at how PLA activity may reflect the wider political picture. In the past five years, People’s Liberation Army activity near Taiwan has been seen by many observers as a key indicator of when and

Trump-backed Nasry Asfura declared winner of Honduras...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/24

Donald Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura won Honduras’ presidential election, electoral authorities said on Wednesday, ending a weeks-long count that has whittled away at the credibility of the Central American nation’s fragile electoral system. The election is continuing Latin America’s swing to the right, coming just a week after Chile chose the far-right politician Jose Antonio Kast as its next president. Asfura, of the conservative National Party, received 40.27 per cent of the vote in

Trump’s Justice Department says may have found a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/24

The US Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a “few more weeks” to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline. The Christmas Eve announcement came hours after a dozen US senators called on the Justice Department’s watchdog to examine its failure to meet the deadline. The group, 11 Democrats and a...

Trump hits out at ‘dead man walking’ Stephen Colbert...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/24

Just before Christmas, US President Donald Trump has unleashed a fresh blast of vitriol at late-night comedy talk shows, saying comedian Stephen Colbert is a “pathetic train wreck” who should be “put to sleep”. Colbert’s The Late Show is scheduled to end in May 2026, a decision his fans say smacks of censorship. In a late-night social media post, Trump said that Colbert “has actually gotten worse” since being “terminated by CBS, but left out to dry”. “Stephen is running on hatred and fumes –

Bethlehem celebrates first festive Christmas since...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/24

Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit. The giant Christmas tree that was absent during the Israel-Gaza war returned on Wednesday. The city where Christians believe Jesus was born had cancelled Christmas celebrations for the past two years. Manger Square instead had featured a nativity scene of baby Jesus surrounded by rubble and barbed wire in homage to the situation in Gaza. Cardinal Pierbattista...

Brazil weighs visa-free travel for Chinese nationals...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/24

Brazil is preparing to waive visa requirements for Chinese citizens travelling for tourism and business, local media reported on Wednesday citing government sources, in a move that would mark a significant shift in policy and deepen ties with its largest trading partner. The planned measure, expected to be announced in early 2026, would put Brazil on a reciprocal footing after China unilaterally granted visa-free entry to Brazilians for short stays. According to local newspaper Valor

Trump vs EU: the European laws curbing big tech and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/24

The European Union is back in the crosshairs of the Trump administration over its tech rules, which Washington denounced as an attempt to “coerce” American social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose. The US State Department said on Tuesday it would deny visas to a former EU commissioner and four others, saying they “have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states – in each case targeting American speakers and American companies”. Trump has vowed to punish countries

21,911 results