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Iran vows to make US ‘regret’ any ceasefire...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

Iran hoped China could be one of the security guarantors of peace in the region, Iranian ambassador Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said in Beijing on Wednesday. But he also warned of a strong “fightback” from Iran if the United States betrayed its trust again. “We hope different sides could guarantee that the US would not resume the war, we hope the UN Security Council, big countries like China and Russia, as well as mediating countries like Pakistan and Turkey to work together to guarantee peace in...

As AI race with US intensifies, China’s Alibaba...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

China is ramping up efforts in the AI race, as tech giants Alibaba Group Holding and Huawei Technologies deploy massive computing clusters in the push to develop home-grown infrastructure. E-commerce giant Alibaba has announced the deployment of a 10,000-card intelligent computing cluster powered by the Zhenwu AI chips developed by its T-Head semiconductor design arm. Launched in collaboration with China Telecom in the Shaoguan data centre in Guangdong province, the “fully domestic” cluster

‘Neighbours matter more than ever’: China, Australia...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

China and Australia should intensify exchanges on energy security amid complex global geopolitics, Canberra said on Tuesday as spillover from the US-Israel war against Iran continued to endanger the world economy. In a phone conversation on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese Premier Li Qiang discussed the importance of energy security “in light of the current global challenges” and agreed to increase government-to-government communication to support regional

Patagonia faces criticism for ‘earth usage fee’ on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

American outdoor apparel brand Patagonia is facing significant backlash online after implementing an “earth usage fee” for online orders, aimed at curbing excessive returns. Announced on March 30, the fee applies exclusively to purchases made through its Tmall store, a premium online shopping platform operated by Alibaba, which also owns the South China Morning Post. During last year’s Double 11 shopping festival, Patagonia’s Tmall store shipped 16,179 packages, leading to a staggering return...

Madness or bluster? Trump’s apocalyptic language...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

The president who yearned for a Nobel Peace Prize and once revelled in the appearance of solving conflicts turned to the language of annihilation as he struggled to find a resolution to his war of choice in Iran. US President Donald Trump’s latest threat over the Iran war hit a new extreme on Tuesday as he warned “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again”, if Iran failed to make a deal that included reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz. The Republican president’s...

80% of Hong Kong fishing vessels grounded before...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

Up to 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s fishing vessels have suspended operations nearly a month ahead of a planned moratorium, according to a sector representative, as the doubling of “red oil” prices caused by the war in the Middle East has made going out to sea untenable for operators. Representatives for local transport and maritime sectors welcomed the two-week ceasefire announced by the United States and Iran and the subsequent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but called for targeted,

North Korea launches fifth missile test after dousing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

North Korea fired several ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, following a separate launch detected a day earlier as Pyongyang doused Seoul’s hopes of an easing in tensions. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the unidentified short-range missiles were launched at around 8.50am from near Wonsan on the North’s east coast. The missiles flew 240km (150 miles), the JCS ‌said, adding that South Korean and US authorities were...

‘Cautious optimism’ in Asia after US, Iran agree to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

President Donald Trump’s announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran that will see Tehran temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz brought welcome relief to Asian markets on Wednesday. With Trump’s deadline approaching for the Islamic Republic to reopen the waterway or face obliteration, he announced a halt to attacks for two weeks and said he had received a “workable” 10-point proposal. Iran later said it had agreed to safe passage in the strait, through which a fifth

Malaysian corruption watchdog secures arrest warrant...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

A Malaysian court has granted an application by anti-corruption officials to issue an arrest warrant for two sons of former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, after they failed to comply with repeated requests to turn up for questioning over their family’s wealth. Daim and his clan have been at the centre of a years-long probe into alleged abuse of power and corruption by the country’s elites, who critics have accused of colluding with two-time prime minister Mahathir Mohamad to enrich

Peru set to choose from a bewildering array of 35...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

Peruvians will choose from a bewildering array of 35 presidential candidates this Sunday, electing the next leader of an Andean nation beset by crime and a string of short-lived, scandal-tainted presidencies. “Now any old person runs for office,” said 51-year-old teacher Jane Layza, pondering the plethora of presidential hopefuls, and how she will cast her ballot. A few in the field are well known – a popular male comic, the daughter of a brutal autocrat, and a former Lima mayor who likens...

How China’s tax crackdown on undeclared overseas...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

When a friend received a text message from the mainland Chinese tax authorities asking her to ensure that all her declared income – including income from abroad – was accurate, Fan, a finance professional who asked that her full name not be used, was shocked. Her friend was now coordinating with the authorities to settle the outstanding taxes on her overseas trading, she said, adding that “there is no alternative but to comply” with such texts and that the incident had left her on guard about...

Mussolini’s summer villa on Italian coast to be a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

The summer residence of Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini is to be used as a cultural community space featuring exhibitions on history to promote democratic values. Villa Mussolini, situated on the seafront promenade of the seaside resort of Riccione on the Adriatic coast, now belongs to the local council, which spent US$1.3 million to secure the site. The house was built around 1890 in the typical style of holiday homes on the Adriatic coast. The Mussolinis bought it in 1934 and used

Could Philippines’ declining literacy affect its...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

The Philippine call centre industry is a juggernaut, employing over a million and generating billions in revenue. Its workers’ voices are a familiar sound for callers from around the world, the nation’s deep pool of English speakers underpinning the country’s rise into a global hub for customer service outsourcing. Artificial intelligence is shaping up to be a huge disruptive force but another, more insidious problem is emerging – an education system that is producing graduates who were never...

Tai Po probe: fire contractor admits never conducting...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, which claimed 168 lives at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, begins its second round of hearings on Wednesday. Chung Kit-man, director and engineer of Victory Fire Engineering, the contractor responsible for the estate’s fire service equipment, testified again on conflicting...

Woman charged over Singapore crash that killed...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

A 38-year-old woman has been charged over her involvement in an accident which killed a six-year-old Indonesian girl and severely injured her mother at a popular tourist district in Singapore. The woman, who cannot be named due to a gag order, was handed two charges on Wednesday. One was for driving without due care and attention causing death, and the other for driving without due care and attention causing grievous hurt. If found guilty of the first charge, she could be jailed up to three...

Hong Kong to set up company this year to fast-track...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

Hong Kong authorities will set up a company this year to accelerate the development of an innovation hub near the border, with firms already expressing interest in moving into the San Tin Technopole, a senior tech official has said. Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Kevin Choi Kit-ming also told the South China Morning Post that some companies might soon be able to transfer data and biological samples across the border once tailor-made measures were introduced later...

Japan’s deportation drive strikes fear into asylum...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

Japan’s tougher deportation drive is deepening fear among asylum seekers and long-term foreign residents, rights groups say, warning that the government’s push to remove more undocumented migrants is clashing with its duty to protect refugees. Official figures show a record 318 foreign nationals were forcibly deported from Japan under escort in 2025, up 30 per cent from a year earlier, as authorities ramped up the Zero Illegal Foreign Residents Plan (Zero Plan), a government drive launched

Chinese youth are embracing Ching Ming with cultural...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

The Ching Ming Festival, a traditional Chinese festival with a long history, is a time dedicated to paying tribute to deceased family members and ancestors. For me, it is quiet, restrained and deeply personal. There is a rhythm to it: sweeping tombstones, burning incense, offering food and the unspoken conversations that linger in the air. In this context, memory is intimate. It begins with blood ties and extends backwards through generations. And yet, in the past few years, I have witnessed

Singapore says no negotiations for Hormuz safe...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

Singapore will not negotiate for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, as doing so would undermine fundamental principles of international law, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has said. Responding to a parliamentary question on Tuesday by Member of Parliament Fadli Fawzi on whether Singapore would engage Iran or consider paying a toll for its vessels, Balakrishnan stressed that transit through such waterways was a right – not a privilege. “There is a right of transit

Ancient China lavish toilet routines: nobles used...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/08

For most ordinary people in ancient China, using the toilet was a routine necessity. In the imperial court, however, even the most private act became a carefully staged display of status and ritual. Papermaking, one of China’s Four Great Inventions, had emerged by the Han dynasty (206 BC–220), yet paper remained too precious for daily use. Instead of toilet paper, commoners relied on leaves, pebbles, or tiles for personal cleaning, while the elite used silk or cloth. They also employed

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