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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visits China...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is visiting China as the country seeks support for its efforts to mediate in the conflict between Iran and the United States. The visit also coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic ties between the two countries, which are expected to use the occasion to upgrade their already close relationship. One Chinese analyst said Beijing was willing to offer its support for the peace efforts – and also help resolve Pakistan’s...

Ebola spreads in eastern Congo as contact tracing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

Ebola is spreading faster than responders can track it in eastern Congo, where health workers managed to follow up with barely one in five identified contacts in a single day. Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reported 83 confirmed infections, 746 suspected cases and 1,603 identified contacts as of May 21, according to the health ministry. Yet health workers were able to follow up with only 342 contacts that day – about 21 per cent of the total under monitoring – according

Why China is looking to coal waste as a source of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

China is turning coal waste into a source of critical metals including lithium, gallium and germanium, leveraging its advantages in extraction technology and industrial infrastructure. Coal mining and burning produce large amounts of waste, including coal gangue, the rock embedded in coal seams, and fly ash, the fine particulate ash captured after burning. Traditionally both are used only as low-value cement additives, while their stockpiling consumes land and causes environmental...

Hong Kong’s justice department rejects ‘despicable’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

Hong Kong’s justice department has rejected online accusations about the newly promoted public prosecutions director and a colleague, labelling the allegations “despicable behaviour” and an attempt to “defame public officers”. In a statement on Saturday, the department said it had referred the case to law enforcement agencies for further investigation, vowing to “severely punish lawbreakers in accordance with the law”. US-based Hong Kong fugitive activist Frances Hui Wing-ting has accused the...

Nearly 10,000 Hongkongers granted permanent UK...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

Nearly 10,000 Hongkongers have been granted permanent residence in the UK under a bespoke British immigration pathway launched in January 2021, making them eligible to apply for citizenship next year. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the British National (Overseas) visa pathway, which allows successful applicants and their dependants to live, work and study in the United Kingdom for up to five years. “Since the scheme began, there have been a total of 9,804 grants of settlement to...

Pope Leo urges end to pollution, criticises profits...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

Pope Leo on Saturday called out companies who seek “dizzying” profits at the cost of environmental pollution, on a visit to an area in Italy known as a hotbed for illegal dumping of toxic waste. On a visit to Acerra, ‌about 220 km (137 miles) south of Rome, the first US pope urged the world to “reject temptations of power and enrichment linked to practices that pollute the land, water, air, and social coexistence”. Leo said he wanted to come to the area near Naples known as the “Land of Fires”

New pay model for native English-speaking teachers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

An association representing native English-speaking teachers (NETs) in Hong Kong has warned that less-attractive pay offered under a new hiring scheme risks lowering the quality of recruits and standards, with the contracts of some experienced educators not being renewed. Most public primary and secondary schools seeking NETs have decided to switch to the flexible scheme, which no longer ties remuneration to years of service and generally offers substantially lower pay. But the Native English...

Why the largest-ever US-Philippine drill, and Japan’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

A US and Philippine-led military drill seen as targeting China grew this year into the largest yet, prompting Chinese experts to warn that the annual event will exacerbate regional instability amid heightened tensions in the Indo-Pacific. The decades-old drill called Balikatan, which means shoulder to shoulder, reached record highs in terms of scale, scope of participation and training complexity this year, according to a report published by the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing...

Will China’s residency changes to social insurance...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

China’s decision to ease residency restrictions on social insurance applicants will help unleash positive, long-term economic growth, according to analysts. The new measures announced on Friday by the State Council are part of China’s broader push to create a unified national market by removing barriers to the free flow of capital and talent. Under the new policy, workers can enrol in social insurance programmes in the cities where they are employed, regardless of their official household...

Dignity for the dead: 6 Hongkongers form city’s first...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

A group of Hongkongers have started the city’s first corpse restoration team, aiming to provide affordable reconstruction services for badly disfigured bodies so the dead can be buried with dignity and their families can find some comfort. The six-member team, under local funeral information sharing platform RIPHK, has handled more than 10 cases since it started operations last December, including victims who died in the Tai Po fire in November. After the disaster, a professional corpse...

2 notable women in ancient China broke barriers, made...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

In ancient China, women were largely denied formal education and confined to the roles of dutiful wives and mothers. Against this restrictive social order, two women pushed beyond the limits and left notable marks on medicine, astronomy and mathematics. About 1,500 years ago, during the Southern dynasties, Zhang Xiugu is believed to have made an early contribution to pathological anatomy in China. According to The History of the Southern Dynasties, Zhang lived in what is now Anhui province in...

Bordering Russia, Norway adopts ‘total defence’ mode...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

War is now a possibility in Norway, by the prime minister’s own admission. The country, which borders Russia, has gone into “total defence” mode, preparing its population for the worst in light of the fighting in Ukraine. Dug beneath a peaceful park, the St. Hanshaugen air raid shelter, one of Oslo’s largest, can take in 1,100 people behind its heavy metal doors if ever the worst comes to pass. The air is chilly, the lights dim, and the toilets basic: it is far from cosy, but it is designed

Fatal subdivided flat fire highlights need to tackle...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

A fatal fire at a subdivided flat on Thursday has highlighted the need to eradicate substandard housing in Hong Kong, the housing minister has said, noting that affected residents had an average living space of just five square metres (54 sq ft).Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin was referring to Thursday’s blaze in a subdivided flat that killed one resident and injured four others, saying it underscored the importance of the new Basic Housing Units Ordinance. “In the flat [where the...

Why Sara Duterte is changing her tone on Philippines’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio has twice in recent weeks urged the country’s armed forces to defend its sovereignty, in a carefully calibrated attempt to sound more assertive on the South China Sea issue without directly challenging Beijing, according to analysts. While Duterte-Carpio did not name China, her repeated calls marked a tonal shift from her earlier approach, when she either avoided the issue or warned against letting it define Manila’s broader relationship with...

As France tries to reset relations with Africa,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

France has committed €23 billion (US$26.7 billion) to Africa’s private sector in a bid to counter Chinese dominance and rebuild its influence on the continent. Speaking at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi earlier this month, President Emmanuel Macron pitched the investment as a “jolt” to reset relations, positioning Europe as a partner for Africa’s “strategic autonomy” as the geopolitical race with Beijing heats up. The move marks a major shift as Paris tries to win over anglophone

New law could require displaying odds, licensee info...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

Hong Kong authorities will consider requiring operators to display the odds of winning on claw machines, while remaining open to increasing the prize value and maximum payout per game under a proposed regulatory regime, the home affairs minister has said. “The most important thing is to protect players and consumers, ensure they play in a safe environment, and prevent addiction. These are our priorities,” Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen told a radio programme on...

Israel thrusts reluctant UAE into open over defence ties

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

For months, the United Arab Emirates had denied Iran’s accusations that it was in league with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or hosting his country’s military personnel. Then, US ambassador to Israel Mick Huckabee handed Tehran a propaganda gift and Abu Dhabi a diplomatic headache all in a single sentence. Israel sent Iron Dome air defence batteries to the UAE amid the ongoing war on Iran to help protect it from Iranian attacks, Huckabee confirmed at a conference in Tel Aviv on May...

90 killed in China’s worst coal mine accident for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

At least 90 people have been killed in a blast at a coal mine in the central Chinese province of Shanxi. State news agency Xinhua reported that the gas explosion happened in Qinyuan county, about 520km (320 miles) southwest of Beijing, on Friday after the mine issued a carbon monoxide alert late in the day. There were 247 workers underground at the time of the blast. It was unclear whether other workers remained trapped. Earlier reports had listed only eight dead, and the sudden rise in the...

10 injured in severe turbulence on Cathay Pacific...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

Ten passengers and crew members were injured when a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong was hit by severe turbulence early on Saturday morning, with one traveller describing the terrifying experience as similar to “free-falling from a drop tower”. Cathay Pacific confirmed on Saturday that flight CX156 from Brisbane to Hong Kong encountered turbulence, and 10 people, including two Australians, were injured and sent to hospital for treatment. “Six cabin crew and four...

How can Hong Kong help mothers of infants reverse...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/23

For Hongkonger Annyee Chan, the decision to stop breastfeeding her son at eight months was a pragmatic response to a city that often feels at odds with the needs of nursing mothers. Returning to work just one month after childbirth, the self-employed wealth management professional faced a gruelling logistical challenge, navigating a city with sparse nursing facilities while lugging heavy pumps, bottles and coolers on her daily commute. “I managed to breastfeed my child quite well, and I...

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