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China, US agree to preliminary deal in Malaysia ahead...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

China and the United States agreed on Sunday to a preliminary framework deal after two days of talks in Kuala Lumpur, signalling a de-escalation of tensions in the lead-up to a potential meeting between the presidents of the world’s two largest economies.The talks in the Malaysian capital, led by Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, came on the heels of a fresh surge of tensions in the volatile bilateral relationship and ahead of the November 10 expiration of

Putin: Russia’s new nuclear-powered missile can evade...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Russia has successfully tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a nuclear-capable weapon Moscow says can evade any defence system, and will move towards deploying the weapon, President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday. Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of Russia’s armed forces, told Putin that the missile travelled 14,000 km (8,700 miles) and was in the air for about 15 hours when it was tested on October 21. Russia says the 9M730 Burevestnik

‘Slave’ to AI: Nobel Prize winners warn against...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

A pair of Nobel Prize winners have warned against overhyping the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) at a speaking event in Hong Kong, with one urging young people not to be a “slave” to the emerging technology. Professors David Gross, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics in 2004, and Arieh Warshel, winner of the chemistry prize in 2013, also commended Hong Kong’s education system and the city’s focus on scientific research and innovation. Gross and Warshel were speaking at a talk...

Hong Kong property: Grand Mayfair III, Woodis see...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Brisk transactions in Hong Kong’s primary residential market continued apace, with two projects recording robust sales over the weekend. Buyers had acquired 71 of the 138 units by late Sunday afternoon at the 680-unit Grand Mayfair III on 29 Kam Tin Road in the New Territories in the second round of the project’s sales on Sunday, according to agents. The project, jointly developed by Sino Land, K Wah International, China Overseas Land and Investment and MTR Corp, sold all 138 units in the

Hong Kong reports first local chikungunya fever case...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Hong Kong has recorded its first local chikungunya fever case in at least 11 years, with health authorities warning that the 10,000 people who live in the same neighbourhood as the 82-year-old patient face higher risks of infection. Authorities also announced on Sunday that anti-mosquito work would be stepped up across the city, especially around Fung Tak Estate in Diamond Hill, where the patient lives. The woman, who had not travelled outside Hong Kong in the past 1½ months, was diagnosed

Can Legco veterans’ exit really invigorate Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

The seventh-term Legislative Council has officially ended. I am sure few people had expected the attention Legco received over the past month, beginning with the news of Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen’s retirement. Amid a wave of retirements, legislators over 70 years old – including stalwarts – might be forgiven for feeling the pressure to step aside to make room for new blood. The announcement over the weekend by the New People’s Party’s Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee and Lai Tung-kwok that...

‘This is history’: tears as East Timor completes...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

When the red, black and yellow flag of East Timor was hoisted alongside the colours of its new Southeast Asian peers inside the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Sunday, several Timorese journalists in the media gallery broke into tears. After more than a decade of waiting since it first applied in 2011, the small half-island nation – Asia’s newest country – on Sunday formally joined Asean as its 11th member. The ceremony at the 47th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,

Officials ‘failed to flag problems with firm in Hong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Problems with a company involved in a bottled water procurement scandal were not flagged by the Hong Kong government’s logistics department to a central board that approved the tender, a senior official has revealed, stressing that a probe into the case will also review the roles of those who gave the green light. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu also said on Sunday that the Government Logistics Department (GLD) was tasked with promoting fair

Science drives China’s westward expansion in Africa

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

For decades, China’s influence in Africa has been concentrated in the eastern part of the continent. In recent years, a clear westward expansion has emerged, drawing attention from the United States and several western European nations. Many analyses have framed this shift as geopolitically driven – a strategic effort by Beijing to erode Western nations’ traditional interests on the continent, with particular attention paid to political and military cooperation between China and West African...

Chinese man quits ‘great job’ to provide therapy dogs...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

A speech by a prominent exponent of dog therapy in China, who gave up a well-paid job to focus on his canine passion, has gone viral online. Wu Qi, known as “the father of China’s therapy dogs”, pioneered a scientific animal-assisted public welfare programme in the country. The 44-year-old’s recent speech about his experience went viral online, raising awareness of the social value of therapy animals and the importance of scientific pet training. Wu, from eastern China’s Zhejiang province,...

India’s army to boost deterrence along borders with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

India has taken a big step in enhancing its military’s deterrence capabilities along its borders with Pakistan and China through the creation of new commando and drone units. The army will also be equipped with carbines designed for close-quarter battles and the latest anti-tank weapons, in a move that analysts say will significantly strengthen the country’s border security and defence sector. Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar, director general in the...

Somali piracy has waned, so why is China’s navy still...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

A Chinese naval fleet including a guided-missile destroyer, missile frigate and comprehensive supply ship set sail earlier this month from a port in eastern Qingdao, heading to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters. It was the 48th escort task group to be sent to the region in a Chinese navy programme that has been helping to protect commercial ships and counter Somali piracy since 2008, when there were numerous attacks by Somali pirates. Since 2013, however, there have been very few Somali

Thailand, Cambodia sign ceasefire pact as Trump hails...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

A triumphant Donald Trump on Sunday presided over a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia on the first trip to Southeast Asia of his second presidency, applauding his own peacemaking skills while warning that American trade was contingent on the durability of the truce between the two nations. Dubbed the Kuala Lumpur Accords, the declaration calls for a demilitarisation of the tense shared Thai-Cambodia border and a loosely worded commitment towards reaching peace to end a border dispute,...

Profits of small Chinese exporters at risk as buyers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

At the ongoing autumn session of the Canton Fair, China’s largest and longest-running trade exhibition, many Chinese exporters say that overseas buyers’ demands for extended payment terms are becoming one of their biggest challenges in maintaining profits. The pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – across a range of industries – is particularly acute. “A regular client suddenly demanded 90-day post-shipment payment because other suppliers offer longer terms,” said Kevin Huang,

China boxer survives Australia attack, divorces wife...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

A violent attack on a Chinese boxing champion and his wife in Australia left the fighter in a coma and his partner with multiple bruises. The athlete later decided to divorce the woman, saying he had failed to protect her. Born in central China’s Henan province, 25-year-old Zhou Runqi started out in martial arts before turning to boxing. In 2023, he clinched the WBC Asia super flyweight title with a knockout win in Thailand, making him China’s first continental champion born in the 2000s. A...

Hong Kong minister dismisses concerns that the city’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Hong Kong’s youth minister has dismissed concerns that young people are “lying flat”, after an outgoing lawmaker voiced worries that the city’s limited development options have caused them to lose hope. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said on Sunday that her bureau’s youth engagement schemes had seen a doubling in the number of applicants, reflecting the effectiveness of the government’s initiatives to support young people. Her remarks came days after social welfare...

Singapore, China pledge to fight for free trade as Li...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

China and Singapore pledged to uphold multilateralism and strengthen bilateral trade amid growing protectionism as Chinese Premier Li Qiang began his two-day visit to the city state on Saturday. The trip, the first visit by a Chinese leader to Singapore since 2018, comes as the two countries celebrate 35 years of diplomatic ties. The premier’s visit follows a June trip by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to Beijing, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping. “Currently, the...

Hong Kong expat police association sails into sunset...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Hong Kong’s expatriate police association has been disbanded after 78 years, but its last chairman has said the contribution of overseas officers will remain part of the force’s legacy forever. Chief Inspector Anthony William Lothian, also known as Tobi, told the Post in an exclusive interview that the Overseas Inspectors’ Association had been disbanded on Friday as he, as its last chairman, would retire at the end of the month. “It’s quite an emotional affair. We were the first association

From fashionista to caring mother, Thailand mourns...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

The year-long funeral ceremony of Thailand’s former Queen Sirikit started on Sunday, with grieving royalists set to salute the procession bringing her remains to lie in state at Bangkok’s Grand Palace. The royal family is venerated in Thailand, treated by many as semidivine figures and lavished with glowing media coverage and gold-adorned portraits hanging in public spaces and private homes nationwide. Former Queen Sirikit, the mother of the current King Vajiralongkorn and wife of the

Sino-Dutch dispute over chipmaker Nexperia puts car...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia’s homebase in Nijmegen – the biggest city in Gelderland, the Netherlands’ largest province – offers few clues that it sits in the eye of a storm that threatens to disrupt the global car industry’s supply chain. Dutch daily newspaper De Gelderlander, for example, featured more local stories including an explosion at a neighbourhood cannabis store, referred to as “coffeeshop”. There were no banner headlines to be found about talks in Brussels on Tuesday

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