PODCAST

News - South China Morning Post

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

All Episodes

US judge allows Trump to implement mail-in voting...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

A US judge on Thursday declined ⁠to block President Donald ⁠Trump’s executive tightening rules on mail-in ⁠voting in a loss for the Democratic Party, whose lawyers argued that it could disenfranchise millions of voters. The decision comes as Trump’s Republicans are locked in a tight battle to keep control ‌of both houses of the US Congress in the November midterm elections. Trump has for years pushed the false claim that his 2020 election defeat was the result of widespread voter fraud and

China’s top military officials face ‘ironclad’ rules...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

China’s top military command has issued strict measures to enforce discipline among senior officials of the People’s Liberation Army, marking its latest bid to further tighten controls over the behaviour of the top brass. The Central Military Commission (CMC), led by President Xi Jinping as chairman, issued the “measures on strengthening the education, management and supervision of senior military cadres” recently, state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday. In a front-page commentary on...

How tofu evolved from an accidental discovery to one...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

In China, few foods are as modest yet culturally resonant as tofu. Its origins are most often traced to Liu An, the King of Huainan during the Western Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 9), a nobleman fascinated by the search for immortality. According to legend, Liu gathered alchemists on a mountain in Anhui province, central China, where they experimented with spring water, soybeans and gypsum in an attempt to create an elixir of life. What they produced instead was tofu. The story survived because...

Malaysia’s navy faces rough waters in South China Sea...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

Oslo’s ban on a missile system for Malaysian warships may lead to further bottlenecks in the country’s crucial naval modernisation project due to a scramble for a replacement and hamper its capability to counter vessels encroaching on its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, according to analysts. The Malaysian navy has spent more than a decade waiting for its new littoral combat ships (LCS), a flagship upgrade meant to enhance its presence in the contested waters. A dispute over...

Philippine senator ‘Jinggoy’ Estrada faces arrest on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

A Philippine senator and son of a ⁠former president could ⁠soon face arrest after an ⁠anti-corruption body charged him on Thursday with receiving illicit payouts in an infrastructure scandal that has slowed economic growth and hammered consumer and investor confidence. The Office of the Ombudsman said Senator Jose “Jinggoy” ‌Estrada has been indicted for plunder and violating anti-corruption laws after he earned “kickbacks” amounting to 573 million pesos (US$9.3 million) from a scheme that...

Court jails professor who took HK$40,000 bribe to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

A Hong Kong court has sentenced a former university professor to 20 weeks in jail after he accepted a HK$40,000 (US$5,110) bribe and offered two colleagues red packets to help an unqualified student gain admission to a postgraduate programme, with the judge condemning his actions for tarnishing the city’s reputation. Liu Hongbin was sentenced on Thursday for abusing his authority as chair professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s (HKUST) department of ocean science to...

Fire at Kenyan girls’ school kills 16

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

At least 16 students died in an overnight fire that started in the dormitories of a girls’ boarding school in Kenya, a government official said, in the latest such incident to rock the East African nation. Education Minister Julius Ogamba said on Thursday that 79 others were injured at the Utumishi Girls School, which has more than 800 students in the Gilgil area of central Kenya. The cause has not yet been established. Ogamba said authorities would investigate whether the school’s fire

Europe plans tougher response to China Shock 2.0

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

The European Union’s executive arm is set to back a tougher line against Chinese imports at a key meeting on Friday as a flood of low-cost competition undermines local industries. Potential measures include requiring companies in key sectors to have at least three suppliers from two or more countries in a bid to pare reliance on China, the South China Morning Post reported. Industry commissioner Stephane Sejourne will back broader use of regulations designed to prevent foreign companies...

China plans to embed AI in energy infrastructure to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

With victory in the global race to build artificial intelligence capacity heavily dependent on resilient power systems, China is urging domestic enterprises to launch pilot projects that integrate the cutting-edge technology into the energy sector. To support the plan, Beijing has released an official list of application scenarios ranging from smart grids to autonomous coal mines. Energy enterprises would be able to partner with artificial intelligence providers and jointly submit proposals

China accuses the Philippines of ‘selective and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

Beijing has accused Manila of “selective and discriminatory” law enforcement against Chinese nationals, demanding case-by-case briefings following a string of arrests and detentions by Philippine authorities. In a statement on Wednesday, China’s embassy in the Philippines said it had “immediately lodged solemn representations with Philippine authorities for each incident”, and demanded that Manila inform Chinese consular posts of developments within four days. The statement urged Manila to...

Beautician who repeatedly doxxed, blackmailed...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

A beautician who doxxed and blackmailed a married finance director after having a brief affair with him has been sentenced to four years and four months in prison, with the Hong Kong judge condemning her exposure of the affair online and demand for HK$2.6 million (US$332,000) in payouts as “despicable”. Deputy District Judge Ivy Chui Yee-mei on Thursday handed down the sentence to Li Yanlin, who was earlier found guilty of uploading four videos to YouTube exposing her former lover’s identity

Consort Wan’s dark story, the good and bad with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. The dark story of Consort Wan, 17 years older than the emperor who loved her Wan Zhen’er became a beloved consort of Emperor Chenghua against all conventions, but records indicate a pernicious side to her tale. 2. The story of Snow Garden, Hong Kong restaurant loved by the rich and famous Frequented by people such as...

Beijing praises actress Lin Chi-ling for quitting...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

Chinese authorities praised the decision of Taiwanese actress and model Lin Chi-ling to quit her position as a new board member of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), after her appointment drew backlash. Chen Binhua, a spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a press conference on Wednesday that TAICCA had orchestrated and funded films and television productions in recent years that “distort history and hype the ‘mainland threat’”. “It serves as a political tool for the...

Hong Kong sets up international commercial court to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

Hong Kong has established an international commercial court specialising in adjudicating major cross-border disputes, with the justice chief saying it will strengthen the city’s role as a global legal hub under the national plan. The Hong Kong International Commercial Court (HKICC) was launched on Thursday as a dedicated platform for global enterprises to resolve high-value disputes amid a volatile geopolitical landscape. The court, to be set up as a division of the High Court within the

BTS fans blast ‘obscenely high’ room prices ahead of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

South Korean religious groups, universities and public institutions are offering free or affordable accommodation options for BTS fans who have become targets of price gouging ahead of the supergroup’s June concerts in Busan, but supply remains limited, leaving many to stick with their existing plans. Busan is hosting BTS’ June 12 and 13 concerts as part of its “Arirang” world tour. As June 13 is also the K-pop group’s 13th debut anniversary and the first in many years after their historic...

Merge Hong Kong’s 2 cross-boundary ferry piers to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

Lawmakers have urged transport authorities to merge Hong Kong’s two cross-boundary ferry piers to optimise capacity and cater to the rising demand from luxury yachts, amid growing alternative transport options for travelling to mainland China. Their comments came on Thursday after the China Ferry Terminal and the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal recorded a year-on-year drop of 6.5 per cent to 7.74 million passengers in 2025, with the transport secretary stressing that “prudent examination” was...

‘Smells like hell’: Chinese woman disappears owing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

When a property agent in China went to check a flat leased by a woman who had defaulted on two months’ rent, he discovered she had disappeared leaving the room filled with rubbish and an abandoned dog. A shocking video showing the one-bedroom flat in Nanning, southwestern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in a complete mess went viral after the agent, surnamed Tang, shared it on social media on May 22, the Guizhou TV reported. There was also an Alaskan malamute in the room, barking

Imee Marcos backs Sara Duterte, slams Philippine...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

Senators seeking to lock impeached Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte out of politics for good may face an uphill battle with one of her staunchest supporters calling the movement against her family “insane and wicked”. Senator Imee Marcos, the older sister of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, said it was a “tragedy” that her own family had been given a second chance and “instead of grabbing it and leveraging it into great development and prosperity for the Filipino people, we’ve just

European leaders get ready to ‘act now’ amid rising...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

European Commission leaders are preparing to harden the EU’s economic stance towards China at a pivotal debate on Friday, opening the door to a new wave of trade and industrial measures later this year. Sources indicated that a majority – though not all – of the 27 commissioners, including President Ursula von der Leyen, are supportive of a more robust trade and industrial policy, amid rising fears of de-industrialisation, in what is now widely described in Brussels as the “China shock...

Earth is hot and getting hotter: UN warns next 5...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/28

In the next five years, the Earth is overwhelmingly likely to surge again and again past the international climate threshold set as safe and shatter its hottest-year record along the way, according to new United Nations climate projections. The World Meteorological Organization also forecasts an overheating Arctic that warms nearly 1.66 degrees Celsius (3 Fahrenheit) between now and 2030 and a dangerous drought with potential wildfires for the Amazon, a crucial part of Earth’s natural

23,314 results