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Alibaba cloud growth forecast to accelerate with AI...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

Alibaba Group Holding’s cloud and artificial intelligence unit is expected to remain a prime engine for the March quarter, with the growth rate forecast to accelerate as the company steps up AI monetisation and reshuffles its AI businesses, according to analysts. Cloud revenue growth was projected to increase to around 40 per cent during the period, up from 36 per cent in the December quarter, analysts said. The growth momentum was expected to be supported by “a robust surge in token usage”,...

China’s role in the Iran-US ceasefire reflects its...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

On April 7, less than two hours before US President Donald Trump’s declared deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz expired, a two-week ceasefire was announced after being floated by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The deal followed Iran’s delivery of a 10-point proposal to the United States through Pakistani mediators on April 6. According to Iranian officials, Tehran’s acceptance came after a last-minute intervention by China. The breakthrough came seven days after China

Why US-Iran truce may not end high airfares and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

Buffeted by six weeks of war in the Middle East, airlines have scrambled to trim routes and costs as fuel bills explode and wary clients think twice about their travel plans, a situation that could persist even if a fragile truce holds. Carriers have largely halted flights in the Gulf region, with Air France announcing this week that it was extending its suspensions until May 3 – a decision a source said was made before this week’s ceasefire between the United States and Iran. With no

China deploys new battlefield AI in command tent. It...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

The scene: a command tent during a simulated amphibious assault. Radios crackle with static, reports flood in from the beachhead, and the pressure to make life-or-death decisions weighs heavily on the commander’s shoulders. In this haze of uncertainty – the “fog of war” – a new digital soldier is quietly proving it might think faster than any human. The Chinese military has reportedly deployed an artificial intelligence (AI) agent designed to sit beside battalion-level commanders – and act as

Ex-Hong Kong leader’s Chinese medicine platform to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

Former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying has launched a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) trading platform aimed at connecting mainland Chinese manufacturers with international markets by leveraging the city’s testing and certification systems. Leung, also a vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said on Thursday that the platform, an independent third party, aimed to promote the centralisation, standardisation, marketisation and...

Police hunting man who stole 2 Pokemon cards worth...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

Hong Kong police have launched a search for a man who posed as a customer and snatched two Pokemon trading cards worth HK$250,000 (US$31,917) from a shop in Tsim Sha Tsui. The force said the man entered Light TCG, a ground-floor shop on Granville Road, on Thursday and asked to view two rare Pokemon collector cards, priced at HK$130,000 and HK$120,000 respectively. When the shop assistant handed them over, the man grabbed them and bolted. He fled towards Chatham Road South and disappeared,

Taiwan should learn from mainland AI, KMT head Cheng...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

Taiwan can learn from the way mainland China uses artificial intelligence, Taiwanese opposition leader Cheng Li-wun said during her visit to Shanghai. The Kuomintang (KMT) chairwoman visited the headquarters of Meituan on Wednesday, where she was welcomed by founder and CEO Wang Xing. The company, which goes by Keeta outside the mainland, operates China’s biggest online takeaway platform, as well as offering grocery delivery, bike rental and other services. The company uses AI extensively to...

Indonesian activists target Myanmar’s president in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

A genocide complaint filed with Indonesian prosecutors against Myanmar’s newly elected President Min Aung Hlaing marks a further step by rights activists to hold the country’s military rulers accountable for their alleged international crimes, regardless of where they were committed. The complaint, lodged on Monday with Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office (AGO), accuses the former military chief of genocide against the Rohingya, including mass rape, forced eviction, killings and arson

No let-up in Israeli attacks on Lebanon as US-Iran...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

Israel bombed more targets in Lebanon on Thursday, putting the Middle East ceasefire in further jeopardy after the biggest Israeli attacks of the war on its neighbour killed more than 250 people and threatened to torpedo US President Donald Trump’s truce. In Pakistan, authorities locked down the capital Islamabad in anticipation of the war’s first peace talks, cutting off all access to a 3km (2-mile) zone around the five-star luxury Serena Hotel. Both the US and Iranian delegations are

The Strait of Hormuz is closed again. Could the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

Iran’s reclosure of the Strait of Hormuz has strained its tenuous ceasefire with the United States but will not necessarily send the two countries sliding back into war, according to analysts. However, Israel was a wild card, they said, following renewed Israeli strikes on Lebanon. The US and Iran agreed to the ceasefire on Tuesday, just before US President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the strait or risk being sent back to the “Stone Ages”. Trump said he agreed to “suspend the...

US to remain key ally of Asean despite Iran war...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

The US war on Iran has triggered the worst energy crisis in memory and punched a hole in Southeast Asia’s energy-importing economies. Still, a top former US diplomat insists America remains a dependable ally and will be central to the region’s trade and security for years to come. The Trump administration’s attack on Iran had inflicted pain on Southeast Asian allies dependent on Middle Eastern energy imports, said Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink, a former assistant secretary of state for East...

China authorities probe ‘national-level bullying’ of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

Malicious and hateful online attacks on China’s diving queen Quan Hongchan, including one which likened her to a “pig”, will form part of a major investigation into an organised cyberbullying campaign against the Olympic athlete. Other hurtful attacks said the gold medal winner “looks like a man” and even questioned her right to be a champion, saying she only won because “the judges were biased”. Another online bully said Quan looked “countrified” while others called on her to “retire...

Trump-Xi summit set for limited trade-focused agenda

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

Next month’s US-China presidential summit will focus on trade rather than investment, reflecting a reluctance to remove all economic constraints, according to the top US trade official.“I don’t think we’re at the point in our relationship with the Chinese where we want to talk about the investment programmes either way, right?” United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Tuesday at a Hudson Institute event in Washington. He cautioned against “premature discussions” as the...

Will Philippine ex-president Duterte stand trial at...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is expected to issue a written decision by April 28 on whether former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte will stand trial on charges of crimes against humanity over his war on drugs. However, even if the judges decide to proceed with the trial, observers predict that the proceedings will progress at a “glacial pace”, potentially taking years to reach a ruling. Duterte, who governed the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, was surrendered to the ICC in March...

Japanese band One OK Rock cancels Hong Kong concerts...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

Japanese rock band One OK Rock has abruptly cancelled the Hong Kong leg of its Asian tour in early May due to “unforeseen circumstances”, leaving local fans disappointed. The announcement on Thursday followed a similar move in early March, when the band cancelled its May 9 concert in Shanghai. Led by frontman Taka, the band, which has 3 million Instagram followers, was originally slated to perform at the Central Harbourfront Event Space on May 2 and 3 as part of its “Detox” Asia Tour

China’s energy storage tech exports: a buffer against...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

China’s exports of energy storage equipment are expected to keep rising as the US-Israeli war in Iran renews global calls for energy independence, industry insiders and analysts said. The total export value of Chinese inverters – key components in energy storage systems – jumped 57 per cent year on year to US$1.66 billion for the first two months of 2026, Chinese customs data showed. Inverters convert electricity generated from batteries and solar panels into usable power for homes,

Citic tops Asia-Pacific banking fees as mainland...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

Investment banking fees across Asia-Pacific excluding Japan reached US$5.3 billion in the first quarter of 2026, with China’s Citic Securities ranking as the region’s top earner. The total in the first three months fell 5 per cent from a year earlier, as growth in equity capital markets underwriting was offset by weaker debt capital market and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, according to an LSEG Data and Analytics report on Thursday. Helped by strong fees from its bond underwriting...

China strengthens oversight of state-owned assets...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

China’s state assets watchdog has established a new department to oversee foreign investments, as firms continue to expand their global footprint amid an increasingly turbulent geopolitical outlook. The new bureau, launched by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) on Wednesday, will guide state-owned enterprises in their international operations, according to its website. It will also be responsible for helping firms optimise and...

China team introduced plant-based photosynthesis in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

A team of Chinese scientists has found a way to introduce plant-based, light-activated nanoparticles into animal cells to improve their health and lifespan. When the team’s photosynthetic nanoparticles were transplanted into rats and rabbits with degenerative disease conditions, they helped boost energy production and restore disrupted cell interactions. By integrating their plant-based system with implantable, wirelessly powered lights, the team also proposed an approach for deep tissue...

Israeli military says it has killed nephew of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/09

Israel’s military said Thursday it had struck and killed a close adviser to Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem in Beirut a day earlier, when Israeli strikes pummelled Lebanon. “Yesterday, the IDF struck in the Beirut area and eliminated Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem,” a military statement said. Harshi was “a close associate and personal adviser to... Qassem and played a central role in managing and securing his office”, it added. The...

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