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News - South China Morning Post

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China Santa Claus: how Qing dynasty military figure...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

The once-feared Qing dynasty military commander, Oboi, is being transformed into a charming figure by young people in China, becoming a local version of Father Christmas. A recent video circulating on mainland social media showcased Oboi, portrayed by an actor, as Santa Claus at a tourist resort in Zhanjiang, in southern China’s Guangdong province. The resort was adorned with traditional Christmas decorations including artificial snowflakes, Santa hats, and festive gift boxes, which

Chinese or Western medicine? Hong Kong to help...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

Hong Kong health authorities will guide residents on when to seek Chinese medicine treatment, identifying conditions where it is considered more effective than Western practice under a new blueprint for the sector’s development. Commissioner for Chinese Medicine Development Vincent Chung Chi-ho said on Saturday that only 9 per cent of the city’s about 10,000 Chinese medicine practitioners were using eHealth, the government’s electronic medical record platform. He added that authorities would...

Gaza’s fragile ceasefire brings Christmas joy to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

At midnight on Christmas Eve, the words of the traditional hymn “The Night of Christmas” will ring out in the tiny grotto in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born. “On the night of Christmas, war is buried, On the night of Christmas, love is born,” a local choir sings each year during the midnight service. As they rehearsed ahead of this year’s service, many choir members said the words echoed with deeper meaning following the...

‘Outraged’ Philippine doctors call on Congress to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

“Outraged” medical professionals across the Philippines are urging Congress to curb or scrap what they call “medical pork” – tax money for patient assistance that is channelled through politicians via personally signed guarantee letters – as lawmakers finalise the 2026 national budget. At least 72 medical and health professional organisations have signed a joint petition denouncing the practice, arguing it allows politicians to influence who receives state medical aid in ways that can be used...

Hong Kong district officer apologises over outfit...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

A Hong Kong district officer has apologised for the clothing she wore at the funeral of firefighter Ho Wai-ho, who died battling the Tai Po blaze, after her choice of attire drew criticism from many online. In a social media post on Saturday, the Home Affairs Department said that following Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades – which killed at least 161 people – Tai Po district officer Eunice Chan Hau-man and her team had been doing their best to deal with the aftermath. “However, the choice of...

Iran executes man as Israeli spy, rights group says...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

Iran executed a man convicted of spying for the Israeli intelligence and army on Saturday, state media reported. State TV identified the executed man as Aghil Keshavarz, saying he had “close intelligence cooperation” with Mossad and took photos of Iranian military and security areas. Keshavarz was arrested while taking pictures of a military headquarters in the northwestern city of Urmia, some 600km (370 miles) northwest of the capital Tehran in May. He was accused of carrying out more than

Operation Santa Claus: Hong Kong Disneyland spreads...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

Hong Kong Disneyland has joined an annual fundraising drive to bring holiday warmth to communities across the city, extending a partnership that began in 2019. Operation Santa Claus (OSC), jointly established by the Post and public broadcaster RTHK in 1988, invites supporters to build connections across different parts of society. Disneyland has participated through a blend of creative merchandise, guest engagement and staff involvement. The Holiday Wishes Postcards, first introduced in 2019,...

‘No leniency’: Hong Kong minister vows tougher...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

Hong Kong’s development chief has vowed to tighten building safety laws to punish those exploiting loopholes, warning that authorities will show no leniency towards the construction sector that has come under public scrutiny after the deadly Tai Po fire. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho also said on Saturday that the government would take over incomplete building renovations posing safety risks, following delays caused by new inspection requirements implemented after the...

Bearly any time left for Japan’s panda lovers? Row...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

For more than half a century, giant pandas have helped serve as ambassadors for China around the world, but their time in Japan appears to be drawing to a close with the last two in the country set to return next month. Hopes of receiving new ones soon appear dim given the tensions between the two countries. Tokyo’s metropolitan government has reportedly been in talks with China about receiving new pandas, but there is no sign of agreement in the wake of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae

Turkish court rules man liking women’s posts could...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

A court in Turkey has ruled that a husband repeatedly liking online posts made by women other than his wife could break marital trust, thereby serving as grounds for divorce. The landmark decision came from a case in the central city of Kayseri. According to a local media outlet, Haberler, a woman identified as HB accused her husband of constantly verbally humiliating her and failing to provide financial support. The woman also noted that her husband spent a lot of time on social media,...

Trump tries to allay voter anxiety by touting...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

US President Donald Trump began a rally on Friday night in North Carolina talking about crime and then highlighted his efforts to combat economic uncertainty – while also steering clear of addressing new disclosures involving the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In front of hundreds of people at Rocky Mount Event Centre in eastern North Carolina, Trump cited a high-profile crime that galvanised his base and went through recent consumer price index data, recounting stories of

Mexico’s 50% tariff shock shuts Asia’s North American...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

For much of the past year, Asian exporters have been racing to stay ahead of a global tariff storm – re-routing shipments, reconfiguring supply chains and absorbing rising costs as the United States tightened its trade barriers. Now another pressure point is emerging. From the start of next year, Mexico plans to impose import duties of up to 50 per cent on a wide range of goods from Asia, threatening to choke off a key workaround companies have relied on to maintain access to the North

Malaysia allows halal hotels, eateries to deck halls...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

Halal-certified hotels and food premises in Malaysia are allowed to display Christmas decorations, according to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Hasan. He clarified that there are no restrictions against halal certification holders from displaying festive decorations linked to religions other than Islam, provided that halal standards are upheld. “The position is in line with a decision made by the Islamic Development Department Malaysia (Jakim) in 2023,...

Vietnamese lead influx of migrants to South Korea as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

South Korea’s foreign resident population has climbed to an all-time high, driven by a sharp rise in young migrants and a particularly strong influx from Vietnam, according to new data. The 2025 Immigrant Residence and Employment Survey, published Thursday, shows that as of May, the number of foreign residents aged 15 or older exceeded 1.69 million, up from 1.56 million a year earlier, an increase of around 8 per cent. The figure accounts for about 3.3 per cent of South Korea’s total

US-based scientist Valery Fokin wins Vyzov Prize,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

A US-based chemist has been awarded one of Russia’s top science honours, prevailing over a competitive field of applicants from 40 nations, including some of the “strongest applications” from China, according to the prize chair. Valery Fokin, a professor at the University of Southern California (USC), was awarded the Vyzov Prize in the Discovery category for inventing a reaction that redefined the concept of click chemistry and transformed molecular science and the chemistry of living...

Centrist Hong Kong lawmaker says win will spur more...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

The sole lawmaker-elect of the centrist Roundtable party in Hong Kong has said his victory in the recent Legislative Council election could embolden more moderate and outspoken politicians to contest future polls. Mark Chong Ho-fung also called on the government to strengthen oversight to improve public trust, citing two cases: the bottled water scandal and the use of substandard scaffolding nets suspected to have exacerbated the rapid spread of last month’s catastrophic fire in Tai Po. The...

Japanese drone school develops AI system to track...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

A drone school in northeastern Japan is developing a new system that uses drones and artificial intelligence to identify and automatically track bears amid a surge in bear-related incidents. The new system being developed by D-Academy Tohoku in Gojome, Akita prefecture, will be able to detect bears hidden from view in mountainous or urban areas and share their locations via smartphones. It is expected to be available next year, and local authorities are already showing a keen interest. The...

Death toll in Hong Kong fire rises to 161 after new...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

One more person has been confirmed dead in Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire, bringing the death toll to 161, the police chief has said, citing results of further forensic analysis. “Further forensic tests found the DNA of another person in one of the bodies, identified as belonging to a couple. This means the death toll has increased to 161,” Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said on Saturday after a passing-out parade at the Hong Kong Police College. “DNA tests are being carried out. We do not...

African teen who raised Macron’s ire with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

A Burkinabe teenager who used artificial intelligence to post fake news of a French coup on social media got more than he bargained for. As well as millions of views and tens of thousands of “likes”, he also acquired a certain notoriety – and French President Emmanuel Macron, for one, was not amused. And what he had planned as a moneymaking scheme netted him only €7 (US$8), he said. But he has no regrets. “Coup d’etat in France,” declared the video posted by the 17-year-old, showing what...

More Japanese favour having an empress as Princess...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/20

Nearly 70 per cent of Japanese want the law to be changed to permit an empress, with observers suggesting that the recent emergence of Princess Aiko on the international stage is fanning a groundswell of support for her to become a future monarch. A poll by the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun published last Sunday showed that 69 per cent of respondents favoured revisions to the Imperial Household Law to allow a woman to assume the Chrysanthemum Throne, with a further 24 per cent undecided on the...

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