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News - South China Morning Post

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China’s military calls for tip-offs as it targets...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

The People’s Liberation Army has made a rare public appeal for tip-offs about procurement problems in its air force, as Beijing presses ahead with its anti-corruption campaign in the military. The announcement was posted on Monday on the PLA’s official procurement website – the main bid information platform for suppliers – seeking information about “irregular” procurement activities organised by air force units. It is the first time such a request has been made about a specific branch of the...

Despite lapses behind Tai Po fire, Hong Kong’s unity...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

I grew up in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district and Wang Fuk Court was a stone’s throw away from my school. In the recent fire, 16 students and one staff member of my alma mater were affected. Fortunately, there were no casualties among them, but homes were destroyed and their loss was profoundly felt. The alumni circle was unanimously grief-stricken and many made every effort to offer whatever modest help we could. In the wake of the fire, messages of sympathy and concern for Hong Kong arrived one...

How young Chinese learned to stop worrying and love...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

After a pandemic that swept through the world, an economic slump and record-breaking unemployment rate, young Chinese have finally learned to love themselves. The hottest recent trend on Chinese social media has got to be “love you, good old self”. At first glance, it might seem a little schizophrenic – all of a sudden, the internet appears to be full of people answering their own questions. One post says, “Old self, I needed to save money, why did you spend it all?” Underneath it, the same...

Bondi Beach attack: Philippines rejects ‘outdated’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

There is no evidence indicating that the two suspects involved in the Bondi Beach attack received any form of military training while in the Philippines, the Philippines’ National Security Adviser said on Wednesday. In a statement, Eduardo Ano said that a mere visit to the country does not substantiate allegations of terrorist training, and the duration of their stay would not have permitted any meaningful or structured training. The alleged father-and-son gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah...

Laos cleared to export fresh durians to China as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

Laos has received approval to begin exporting fresh durians to China, becoming the latest Southeast Asian nation to vie for a slice of the vast Chinese market for the tropical fruit. China’s General Administration of Customs said on its website that Laos was given clearance to begin exports from this past Friday as long as its shipments met phytosanitary standards. Laos could emerge as a challenger in China’s increasingly crowded durian market, as it benefits from cheap labour, logistical...

Stranded China tourist in Japan invited to stay...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

A Chinese tourist stranded in Japan, having been assisted by a local man who invited him to stay the night, sent 300 masks during the Covid-19 pandemic as a gesture of gratitude. Recently, the Japanese variety show The World’s Astonishing News! highlighted a 2016 story of friendship between China and Japan, sparking discussions among netizens in both countries. Shaojin, a Japanese anime enthusiast from Yinchuan city in northwestern China, travelled alone to Takayama, a city in central Japan,

Southeast Asia follows Australia in tightening social...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

As Australia’s new restrictions on social media use by children under 16 take effect this month, governments across Southeast Asia are rolling out or weighing their own measures aimed at protecting young users online. From platform licensing rules in Malaysia to age-based access limits in Indonesia, the moves reflect a broader global push to rein in tech companies over child safety, cyberbullying and harmful content. But analysts say such policies can also open the door to wider regulatory...

Elior Group begins training technicians for Hong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/18

A French aeronautical services company planning to set up Hong Kong’s first aircraft dismantling business has called on the government to support the new industry with measures such as tax breaks, as it launched its training programme for local technicians. The Elior Group, a subsidiary of the Derichebourg Group, expressed optimism that it would be able to secure the land required for aircraft dismantling, parts storage, processing and recycling in Hong Kong by the third quarter of next...

Brown University shooting: police seek witness who...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/17

A manhunt for the mass shooter who opened fire in an exam room at one of America’s top universities stretched into a fifth day on Wednesday with no apparent police progress in identifying a suspect or a motive. The only new information from police at a media briefing on Wednesday was an appeal for a witness believed by investigators to have come close to the suspected gunman on the grounds of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The shooting happened Saturday, when a man with a rifle...

China cements global lead in smart vacuums as Picea...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/17

Chinese robotics manufacturers are set to cement their dominance in the global smart vacuum market with Picea Robotics’ acquisition of Roomba maker iRobot, after the US firm’s proposed sale to Amazon.com last year fell through due to regulatory hurdles. China-based suppliers held the top five spots for worldwide smart robotic vacuum shipments in the first three quarters of 2025, led by Roborock with a 21.7 per cent market share, equal to 3.8 million units, according to data from research firm...

Dan Bongino stepping down as FBI deputy director...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/17

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino will step down from his post next month, he said on Wednesday, ending a short and at times tumultuous tenure as the bureau’s second highest-ranking official. Bongino announced the move on social media hours after President Donald Trump said he thought Bongino wanted to “go back to his show”. He hosted a prominent right-wing podcast prior to joining the FBI. “Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show,” Trump told reporters. Bongino, a former

Why China’s rapid military build-up is ‘hardly the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/17

It has been a turbulent year for the fraught US-China relationship. In the third part of a series looking back at the events of 2025, we examine China’s growing military might and how it’s narrowing the tech gap with the US. US defence chief Pete Hegseth told a conference in Washington this month that America would maintain a “clear-eyed appreciation” of China’s “rapid, formidable and holistic” military build-up. That build-up is being watched globally, with defence experts in recent years...

A complicated new EU-China showdown is quietly taking...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/17

Last month, Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), the world’s largest battery company, started building a massive joint venture plant in Spain. It came weeks after Spain’s King Felipe visited Beijing, seeking a stronger EU-China relationship as US commitments wobble. Except Spain, electrified by the potential job creation, ran into a problem: CATL wants to bring 2,000 Chinese workers to build the plant. What’s happening in Spain is part of a complicated new showdown between the...

Musk ally Isaacman confirmed as Nasa chief amid moon...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/17

The Senate on Wednesday approved US President Donald Trump’s renomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman to head Nasa, following months of backtracking and uncertainty over the space agency’s future. The 42-year-old businessman made his fortune in online payment processing and has a personal passion for space. He will take over as administrator of the US agency at a sensitive time – when it faces major budget cuts and pressure to travel to the moon again and eventually reach Mars. The Trump...

BYD plans giant Brazil factory to scale electric bus...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/17

Chinese carmaker BYD plans to build a new factory in Brazil within the next three years after rising demand for electric buses filled its existing production capacity and forced the company to redraw its manufacturing strategy in the country. The project would sharply expand output, create hundreds of jobs and support exports across South America, with Africa also being considered, as BYD strengthens a business segment that predates its move into passenger electric vehicles. BYD has assembled...

Chinese tourist arrivals to Japan lose momentum amid...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/17

The growth rate of Chinese tourists to Japan significantly slowed in November, according to official data released by Tokyo, as Beijing cut flights and issued travel warnings amid rising tensions with Japan over Taiwan. According to the latest report released by the Japan National Tourism Organization on Wednesday, although Chinese tourists continued to visit Japan in November and the numbers kept growing, it was at a much slower pace than before, both year on year and month on month. In...

Oscars will move to YouTube in 2029, leaving...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/17

In a seismic shift for one of television’s marquee events, the Academy Awards will depart from ABC and begin streaming on YouTube beginning in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday. ABC will continue to broadcast the annual ceremony through 2028. That year will mark the 100th Oscars. But starting in 2029, YouTube will retain global rights to streaming the Oscars through 2033. YouTube will effectively be the home to all things Oscars, including red-carpet...

Son of US filmmaker Rob Reiner in court on charges...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/17

The younger son of Hollywood filmmaker and political activist Rob Reiner made his first court appearance on Wednesday for the two murder charges he faces in the stabbing deaths of his parents, who were found slain in their Los Angeles home over the weekend. The arraignment was delayed until January 7, and Nick Reiner, 32, did not enter a plea. Bearded and wearing a blue protective vest, he made the court appearance three days after his arrest and a day after he was charged with one of the

4 Republicans defy House speaker to force vote on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/17

Four centrist Republicans broke with Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday and signed onto a Democratic-led petition that will force a House vote on extending for three years an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowers health insurance costs for millions of Americans. The stunning move comes after House Republican leaders pushed ahead with a healthcare bill that does not address the soaring monthly premiums that millions of people will soon endure when the tax credits for those who buy insurance...

Jack Smith tells US lawmakers his team had ‘proof...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/17

Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers in a closed-door interview on Wednesday that his team of investigators “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that US President Donald Trump had criminally conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to portions of his opening statement obtained by Associated Press. He also said investigators had accrued “powerful evidence” that Trump broke the law by hoarding classified documents from his first

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