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Hong Kong’s Route 6 set to fully open in 2026,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

A new route connecting Hong Kong’s Yau Ma Tei and Tseung Kwan O will fully open this year, the city’s transport chief has said. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan also said on Saturday that the route, on which construction began in 2017, would be fully connected by the end of the year following the completion of a Kowloon Bay tunnel section linking to the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel. “We are striving to open the entire Route 6 within this year, which will slash travel time

AI scientist Ling Haibin, father of world’s first...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

AI scientist Ling Haibin, the acclaimed computer scientist behind the world’s first mobile plant identification app, has left his position in the United States to take up a full-time role at Westlake University in Hangzhou, eastern China. One of Ling’s PhD research projects, which involved using computers to recognise leaves of different shapes, led to the creation of the identification app LeafSnap. The app teaches users about plant diversity, how to care for houseplants, diagnose disease

Hongkongers urged to get flu shots as city braces for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

Hong Kong health authorities have urged the public to get the latest seasonal influenza vaccine ahead of the next wave of the flu virus, as temperatures in the city dropped to their lowest so far this winter. The appeal by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) on Saturday coincided with similar calls by an infectious disease specialist, who expressed concerns over the low vaccination rates in the population. The warnings came as temperatures at the Hong Kong Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui

China’s Communist Party paper warns of Japanese...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

Japanese militarism is infiltrating culture and sports, a key Communist Party publication has warned, spotlighting table tennis star Tomokazu Harimoto and others in a pointed commentary. According to the article in the Study Times, run by the cadre-training Central Party School, Japanese far-right forces are using cultural and sporting activities to “influence public perception and beautify the history of aggression”. These activities included football player Kaoru Mitoma being photographed

Elon Musk’s Grok AI faces scrutiny over complaints it...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

Elon Musk’s AI platform, Grok, announced on Friday it is scrambling to fix safety flaws after users successfully used the tool to turn photographs of children and women into erotic images. “We’ve identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them,” Grok stated in a post on X, emphasising that “CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) is illegal and prohibited.” The controversy stems from an “edit image” button rolled out in late December. The feature allows users to modify any image on

China doubles down on anti-corruption fight as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

China’s ruling Communist Party has vowed to press ahead with President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign after a record 65 high-ranking officials were detained by the country’s top anti-graft agency last year. In a front-page editorial on Saturday, the People’s Daily stressed that self-reform and anti-corruption efforts were key to ensuring the longevity of the party’s rule over China. “A new year, a new journey begins,” the party mouthpiece said, urging intensified discipline in the

One-armed Malaysian man works hard as food delivery...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

A one-armed man in Malaysia has captivated social media across Asia with his perseverance working as a food delivery rider despite his disability. Ahmad Nabil Rosli, 26, from Terengganu, eastern Malaysia, had his left arm amputated after a road accident in May 2017, according to a report by the local news outlet Sinar Harian. Nosli attracted attention online because of a video clip released in November, which showed him being stopped by a traffic police officer at a checkpoint while he was...

Crowds throng ‘lucky’ store for Hong Kong’s HK$100...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

A long queue has formed outside a “lucky” Hong Kong Jockey Club betting branch in Central ahead of a much-anticipated HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) Mark Six jackpot on Saturday night. More than 100 residents were seen outside the betting shop on Stanley Street, widely known for selling first-prize-winning Mark Six tickets, with the queue stretching beyond one end of the street on Saturday afternoon. According to the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Mark Six New Year Snowball draw on Saturday

Cambodia accuses Thailand of ‘annexing’ Chouk Chey...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

Cambodia said on Friday that Thai forces had taken control of a disputed border village, accusing Thailand of “annexing” the area after a truce halted deadly fighting along their contested frontier a week ago. The decades-old border dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing more than one million on both sides. The two countries agreed a truce on December 27, pledging

Woman arrested for brandishing cleaver at Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

A woman has been arrested for brandishing a cleaver at restaurant staff and police officers after a dispute over a payment issue at a beef noodle shop in northern Hong Kong. Police said they received a report at around 12.15am on Saturday that a female customer at a Sheung Shui restaurant was in an emotional state, brandishing a knife and using it to threaten staff members. When officers arrived, the 32-year-old woman refused to cooperate and continued to wave the 30cm-long (12-inch) cleaver...

Hong Kong remains a top countdown city as 200,000...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

Visitor numbers on New Year’s Eve have shown that Hong Kong remains an attractive destination for countdowns, according to the tourism minister, with sector representatives underscoring the need to direct travellers to different parts of the city. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said on Saturday that close to 200,000 visitors arrived in Hong Kong on December 31 alone, contributing to a 12 per cent year-on-year increase in tourist figures between Christmas and

Japan snowstorm traps 3,000 vehicles in 23km traffic...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

Heavy snowfall caused a traffic jam to form on Friday on a highway in western Japan that stretched for up to 23km (14 miles) overnight, likely involving about 3,000 vehicles, according to the highway operator and local firefighters. An emergency call was received at around 7.20pm Friday, saying that a car with normal tyres got stuck in snow on a section of the Sanyo Expressway in Hiroshima Prefecture, according to local police. People from at least four vehicles made similar calls after

Why China children wear ‘canine-head hats’ and have...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

In a bizarre example of ancient superstition, Chinese parents dress their children in “dog-head hats” and give them strange names, like pig or worm. They did so in the belief that a cheap name could protect the child and ensure a long, safe life. The “dog-head hat,” which first appeared during the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), is so-called because it features fur-lined ear flaps resembling those of a canine. Typically made from brightly coloured silk or woollen fabric, the hats are often adorned...

What are China’s hottest jobs as AI reshapes the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

China’s job market is entering a decisive phase of structural transformation as the country retools its growth model after years of rapid expansion. As jobseekers struggle to reconcile shrinking traditional opportunities with a labour market in flux, Beijing has laid out a road map in the next five-year plan for reshaping its employment landscape amid demographic shifts through innovation-led industries, upgraded services and regionally balanced development. In this explainer, the Post

Trump confirms US captured Maduro, bombed Caracas,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

US military strikes hit Venezuela’s capital before dawn on Saturday, with explosions shaking Caracas as US President Donald Trump claimed that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of the country in a US operation. The escalation followed months of sabre rattling by Washington and warnings from Beijing over growing US military and economic pressure on the oil-producing nation. It also came just hours after Maduro met the special representative of the...

Most patients at Hong Kong A&E departments unaware of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

Most patients visiting Hong Kong emergency departments at public hospitals at night for minor ailments were not aware they could go to evening clinics instead, although securing a booking was difficult and multiple calls were needed before a successful slot could be confirmed. With a new fees regime in public hospitals beginning on Thursday, authorities aimed to divert less urgent cases away from accident and emergency (A&E) departments, encouraging patients to visit public clinics for minor

Operation Santa Claus: victory for rising Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

Up-and-coming Hong Kong tennis player Yandy Shek Cheuk-ying clinched her first title as a professional in her home city’s annual tournament as she and other top competitors helped raise money for charity. Shek was one of more than 1,700 entrants in the 77th edition of the CRC Open, which ended last month after five weeks of competition at the Chinese Recreation Club, Hong Kong (CRCHK) in Tai Hang, near Causeway Bay. Players once again helped raise money for the community by hitting aces

China conflict won’t benefit South Korea, Lee...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

Ahead of his state visit to China, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said that while security cooperation with the US was an “unavoidable reality” for Seoul, its relations with Beijing should not move towards confrontation. In an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Friday, Lee called for more frequent leader-level dialogues – at least annually – to explore mutually beneficial opportunities amid an increasingly complex global environment. His four-day trip to China, set to

China to lead joint naval drills with Brics nations...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

China will lead a joint naval exercise with Brics nations in South African waters next week – the bloc’s first such defence cooperation that is likely to raise alarm bells in Washington. The South African National Defence Force on Wednesday said the exercise – dubbed Will for Peace 2026 – would bring together “navies from Brics Plus countries for an intensive programme of joint maritime safety operations, interoperability drills and maritime protection serials” from January 9 to 16. It said...

Chinese ex-policewoman ‘Hotpot’ addresses workplace...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/03

A former policewoman in China is shining on stage as a stand-up comedian, sharing stories that address stereotypes about women in law enforcement. The comic is also using the limelight to teach women how to protect themselves. The 36-year-old uses the nickname “Hotpot” because of her love for the dish and her previous work habit of remaining anonymous. From the age of 22 to 34, Hotpot was a border policewoman in southwestern China’s Yunnan province. She was born in a village in the

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