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Viral 24-carat gold logo find turns old AC units into...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

A 20-year-old air conditioner has suddenly become the hottest, most sought-after vintage find in South Korea after a video showing that its logo was made of pure gold went viral. The YouTube clip, titled “Is there gold in air conditioners?”, shows a Seoul-based gold shop owner known as Ringring Unnie examining a handful of crumpled metal pieces brought in by a customer. “What is this?” she asks on camera. “It was removed from an LG Whisen air conditioner. It was the logo attached to the front

Hong Kong lawmakers-elect call for more exchanges...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

Hong Kong’s lawmakers-elect have called for more exchanges with senior officials before policy formulation as they welcomed the first sharing session on Thursday, saying it signalled the government valued ties with the legislature. About 70 of the 90 newly elected lawmakers joined the 1½-hour exchange with top government officials, including three secretaries and other bureau chiefs, focusing on two topics: the executive-legislature relationship and Hong Kong’s economic...

Denial, deflection, dodgy data worsen India’s air...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

Recent remarks about pollution from two Indian officials have increased frustration among residents who say policymakers are unwilling to acknowledge the severity of India’s air quality crisis. When Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told parliament earlier this month that India’s capital, New Delhi, has seen 200 days with good air quality readings, pollution experts and opposition leaders said he chose a figure that overlooked the worst pollution months. A week later, Delhi Chief Minister...

‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

Japan will host the leaders of five Central Asian countries in Tokyo this week, a meeting analysts say is meant to show that “Japan is back” as an active player in a region where global powers are competing for influence, minerals and transport routes. The summit with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, is also expected to consolidate Tokyo’s long-standing but “often underestimated role” in Central Asia as a trusted and

After year of shocks, EU faces crunch talks on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

Late last year, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen began her second term in office, a giant purple banner was draped over the side of the EU executive arm’s headquarters, declaring: “United for our Future, 2024-2029.” While unity among the EU’s 27 member states has always been elusive, it has rarely been more critical. Its leaders will gather on Thursday to try to round off the year with a collective bang, but there is growing fear it will end with a series of disparate...

China delivery rider saves US$160,000 in 5 years to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

A frugal food-delivery worker in China who has saved 1.12 million yuan (US$160,000) over the past five years has won admiration online. Zhang Xueqiang, 25, came to Shanghai to take up the delivery job with a major platform in 2020. His move came after a breakfast shop operated by him and his friend in his hometown of Zhangzhou, Fujian province, southeastern China, closed down, leaving him 50,000 yuan (US$7,000) in debt. At the end of November, Zhang released a video on social media showing

Over 700 mainland Chinese drivers apply to enter Hong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

More than 700 mainland Chinese drivers have applied to enter Hong Kong’s urban areas under a new scheme starting on Tuesday, with transport authorities saying the number aligned with their expectations. The Transport Department also said on Thursday it did not expect the scheme would worsen the city’s traffic conditions or prompt road safety concerns. “The booking quota is now set at 100 per day. With that in mind, we think that the more than 700 applications received so far are in line with

Putin vows victory in Ukraine as US and Russia...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in victory for his war in Ukraine during a meeting with senior military officials on Wednesday amid a renewed diplomatic push to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict. He said that more than 300 localities in the neighbouring country have been conquered this year alone. “Among them are also large cities that have been turned by the enemy into fortress nodes with permanent defensive installations,” Putin said. The Russian president

Singapore fines man US$9,300 over vaping videos in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

A 25-year-old man was fined S$12,000 (US$9,300) on Wednesday for posting social media videos and photos of himself holding or using e-vaporisers in Singapore. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said this is the first time it has prosecuted someone for posting images of himself vaping on social media. Krish Khalifa, who uses the account name “Rapperboya”, had posted several of these videos and photos on his YouTube, Instagram and TikTok channels between November 2023 and September 2024. He

1 arrested after currency exchange staff robbed of 1...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

Hong Kong police have arrested one suspect after four armed men robbed the staff of a currency exchange shop of 1 billion yen (US$6.4 million). The force said it received a report at 9.06am on Thursday from a staff member who, together with a colleague, was robbed of foreign currency worth nearly HK$50 million at 181 Queen’s Road Central near Grand Millennium Plaza in Sheung Wan. The four knife-wielding robbers fled in a westward direction along Queen’s Road Central after the theft. Police

Bangladeshi politician’s threat targeting India’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

Dhaka’s already strained relationship with New Delhi has come under fresh pressure after a Bangladeshi opposition leader threatened to shelter separatists targeting India’s sensitive northeast region in retaliation for what he claimed to be election interference. Hasnat Abdullah, a leader of the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), warned at a rally in Dhaka on Monday that he would carry out the move if Bangladesh believed India was trying to influence its election in February. “If...

China’s jobless rate for young people eases to 16.9%...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

China’s youth-unemployment rate ticked lower in November, though competition remains fierce for university graduates trying to find work that matches their qualifications. The jobless rate for those aged 16 to 24, excluding students, fell to 16.9 per cent in November from 17.3 per cent in October, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday. The rate has eased since August, when the graduation of a record 12.2 million university students over the summer pushed

China offers ‘wonderful opportunity’ for scientists,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

China is emerging as a rising powerhouse for scientific innovation at a time when scientific research in the United States faces growing funding instability, according to Belgian neurologist Steven Laureys. Laureys, a pioneer in detecting hidden awareness in patients with severe brain injuries, is expanding his global research network to China, working with Hangzhou Normal University. “There’s a wonderful opportunity for me to work with China. And I’m very happy that China is investing in...

Trump rewrites White House history with plaques...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

The White House has installed new plaques beneath photos of former leaders on US President Donald Trump’s “Presidential Walk of Fame” at the White House that sharply criticise his Democratic predecessors. The plaques were a striking addition because both Republicans and Democrats have traditionally viewed the historic building as a symbol of national unity. Trump, however, has not shied from using the White House as a stage for his more combative style of politics and for rewriting

Trump gives himself high marks in 2025 report card,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

US President Donald Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday, highlighting what he described as his administration’s achievements in 2025 and promising to build on his “Make America Great Again” agenda in the next year. In a defiant 18-minute address from the White House, Trump awarded his administration straight A’s for what he hailed as a year of unprecedented American greatness. “We are making America great again tonight, after 11 months, our border is secure. Inflation has stopped. Wages

BYD ups the ante on L3 autonomous cars, begins...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) leader BYD has reinforced its push to build and sell more cars fitted with level 3 (L3) autonomous driving systems after Beijing took its first step towards deregulating the technology. The company collaborated with authorities in Shenzhen, where it was based, to test some of its cars ahead of mass production, according to China Business News. BYD confirmed the report, adding that it had completed more than 150,000 kilometres of real-world L3 testing. The company...

US forces strike another alleged drug boat in eastern...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

The US military said on Wednesday that it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people on the same day the US House rejected efforts to limit President Donald Trump’s power to use military force against drug cartels. US Southern Command stated on social media that the vessel was operated by narco-terrorists along a known trafficking route. The military didn’t provide evidence behind the allegations but posted a video of a boat moving through

Brazil’s Congress passes bill to cut Bolsonaro’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

Brazil’s Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to slash the prison term of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup after losing re-election to left-winger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.Passed by the lower chamber last week, the bill now heads to Lula, whose expected veto could eventually be overridden by Congress. Bolsonaro, 70, began a 27-year prison sentence in November, and under current rules was expected to serve at least eight years behind bars before...

How Hong Kong charity helps injured workers get back...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

A charity in Hong Kong that quietly helps hundreds of injured workers every year will soon get much-needed financial support to assist more employees and their families. The Hong Kong Workers’ Health Centre (HKWHC) is one of 13 charities selected this year to receive funding from the annual Operation Santa Claus (OSC) fundraising campaign. The funding will enable the centre to help 120 injured workers and their carers through its Care, Support & Connect project next year. “People think that

Housing and scholarship concerns test Hong Kong’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

A semi-private school in Hong Kong has said accommodation arrangements and scholarships have to be addressed when admitting non-local students under a new government trial scheme. Chan Wai-kai, principal of HKBUAS Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School in Sha Tin – one of the schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) – said the sector was generally positive about enrolling non-local students, following the government’s approval for them to do so in the coming academic year. He said his...

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