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News - South China Morning Post

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Takaichi clears path to be Japan’s first female PM...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/19

Japan’s ruling party and main opposition are set to form a coalition to enable Sanae Takaichi to become the country’s first female premier, local media reported on Sunday.Takaichi became leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party earlier this month, but her bid to become premier was derailed by the collapse of her ruling coalition. Since then, the LDP has been working to cobble together a different alliance, putting her chances back on track. Takaichi and her counterpart Hirofumi

China’s new hope in breaking reliance on foreign...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/19

AMIES Technology, a new Chinese lithography equipment manufacturer that showcased its latest chipmaking products at an industry event in Shenzhen last week, is offering renewed optimism in the nation’s drive to reduce its dependence on Dutch giant ASML. The company presented a wide range of products – including compound-semiconductor lithography machines, laser-annealing systems, advanced inspection tools and solutions for packaging and wafer bonding – at the WeSemiBay Semiconductor Ecosystem...

‘Work from the air’: Chinese airline offers free...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/19

China’s biggest airlines have started offering free Wi-fi to passengers on a growing number of domestic flights, as they vie to win back business travellers who now often prefer to shuttle between cities on high-speed trains. China Eastern Airlines on October 11 launched a free “basic” Wi-fi service on all its widebody aircraft operating on domestic routes, said a company representative who spoke anonymously per company rules. The planes cover a total of 37 routes serving major Chinese cities...

Is it time for property investors to end their love...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/19

As Japan enters a new era with the likely election of Sanae Takaichi as the first female prime minister of Asia’s second-largest economy, is it time for property investors to end their enduring love affair with Japanese real estate? The 64-year-old Takaichi emerged last week as the leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, paving the way for her to seek the premiership, although uncertainties remain following the collapse of a coalition with the party’s allies. Under an anticipated...

Britain’s obsession with ‘Chinese spying’ says more...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/19

The collapse of the so-called China spy case in the UK has sparked a storm of headlines. Accusations of “spying for China”, allegations of improper government involvement in the dropping of the case, White House anger – the story ticked every box for front-page drama. Criticism of the government’s handling of the case was amplified by opposition politicians and commentators who never miss an opportunity to cast suspicion on closer ties with Beijing. This is not the first time people have been...

Chinese man stabs wife after suspecting her of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/19

A jealous Chinese man tried to stab his wife of 30 years to death because she received a discount from the local butcher. The victm, surnamed Zhao, later pleaded for leniency by saying that her husband always “brings all his money home”. The attack happened in March in Songyuan, Jilin province, northeastern China, when Zou, driven by unfounded suspicion, tried to murder his wife in their living room. Zou became convinced that Zhao was having an affair simply because she received a discount

Half of Hong Kong children aged 6 to 10 own...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/19

A Hong Kong non-profit group is stepping up a campaign for parents to delay giving their children smartphones until the age of 14, with a survey revealing more than half of youngsters between the ages of 6 and 10 in the city already own one. Look Up Hong Kong released the survey findings on Sunday in support of its push for parents to wait until their children turn 14 before getting them a smartphone and until 16 for granting them access to social media. The results coincide with an ongoing...

Why a US$70 day trip to Johor is now Singaporeans’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/19

Every month, Rachel Tan, a 53-year-old Singaporean tutor, boards a bus across the 1km (0.6 mile) causeway for a day trip to Malaysia’s Johor state, where she stocks up on groceries and treats herself to lunch and a film. Thanks to streamlined immigration procedures, she rarely needs to present her passport, using a QR code to pass the checkpoint before catching a complimentary shuttle bus that whisks her to R&F Mall. The entire day out, including shopping, typically costs her about 300

‘Potassium railway’: China’s hidden card in the trade...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/19

Landlocked in the heart of Southeast Asia, Laos ranks among the world’s poorest nations. However, for over a decade, China invested heavily to build a dual-purpose passenger and freight railway through the thick rainforest between Kunming and Vientiane, the Laotian capital. This 1,000km (621-mile) rail line, with speeds of up to 200km/h (124 mph), has been operating quietly for four years. According to a Chinese government study released this month, this railway has become a critical conduit

Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to immediate ceasefire...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/18

Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire during talks hosted by Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry announced early on Sunday, after the South Asian neighbours extended a ceasefire following a week of fierce border clashes. Qatar’s foreign ministry said Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to the ceasefire during a round of negotiations mediated by Qatar and Turkey on Saturday. It said they also agreed to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days “to ensure the

Hamas is planning attack on Gaza civilians in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/18

The US State Department said Saturday that it has “credible reports” that Hamas could violate the ceasefire with an attack on Palestinian civilians in Gaza. If the attack takes place, it “would constitute a direct and grave violation” of the agreement forged by US President Donald Trump to end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas, the statement said. No further details were disclosed about the potential attack. ”Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the...

Survivors of US strike on ‘drug vessel’ to be sent...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/18

The two survivors of an American military strike on a suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean will be sent to Ecuador and Colombia, their home countries, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday. The military rescued the pair after striking a submersible vessel on Thursday, in what was at least the sixth such attack since early September. “It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known

Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt will stay...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/18

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until further notice, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, adding its reopening will depend on Hamas handing over bodies of deceased hostages. Netanyahu’s statement came shortly after the Palestinian embassy in Egypt announced that the Rafah crossing, the main gateway for Gazans to leave and enter the enclave, would reopen on Monday for entry into Gaza. Hamas, in a statement late on Saturday, said...

Vietnam’s defence pact with North Korea a step back...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/18

When Vietnam’s top delegation landed in Pyongyang with seven Politburo members – half the ruling body’s total membership – accompanying General Secretary To Lam, the symbolism could not be clearer. The Vietnamese leadership was not merely extending a hand of friendship; it was making a high-stakes gamble for political survival. According to official reports, Vietnam and North Korea signed five bilateral cooperation documents covering defence, diplomacy, healthcare, trade and information. On

Gangs in China exploiting US gift cards to move...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/18

Gift cards, one of the most basic financial products in the US retail market, have become the backbone of a billion-dollar criminal economy that investigators say is moving American money into China. Homeland Security Investigations agents say Chinese organised-crime groups have built a laundering network that uses US retailers, mobile wallets and cryptocurrency to steal and export wealth. Operatives inside the US drain compromised gift cards, buy high-value goods such as iPhones and laptops,...

15 dead after Brazil bus crashes and flips on side

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/18

A passenger bus in northeastern Brazil crashed into a sand embankment and flipped on its side, killing 15 people, local authorities said Saturday. The bus was carrying about 30 passengers, police said. The number of injured, who were taken to nearby hospitals, was not immediately clear. The vehicle departed from the state of Bahia and crashed in Saloa, a city in the neighbouring state of Pernambuco. Police said the driver lost control of the bus, crossed into the opposite lane and hit rocks

Anti-Trump protesters out in force for ‘No Kings’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/18

Protesting against the direction of the country under Donald Trump, crowds gathered on Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities big and small across the US for “No Kings ” demonstrations that the US president’s Republican Party disparaged as “Hate America” rallies. With signs on display such as “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist Fascism”, in many places the events looked more like a street party. There were marching bands, a huge banner with the US Constitution’s

Flight delays, diversions after fire at Bangladesh...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/18

Flights out of Bangladesh’s main airport were delayed or diverted on Saturday after a major fire broke out in the cargo terminal, officials said. Thirty-six firefighting units were working to douse the flames, said Talha Bin Zasim, an officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defence Media Cell. Operations at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were suspended, airport official Masudul Hasan told reporters, adding all aircraft were safe. There was no immediate information as to what may...

Pakistan, Afghanistan hold peace talks in Qatar after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/18

Pakistan and Afghan officials were holding peace talks in Qatar on Saturday, a day after Islamabad launched air strikes that killed at least 10 people in Afghanistan and broke a ceasefire that had brought two days of calm to the border. The strikes targeted what Pakistan security sources said was a militant group linked to the Pakistani Taliban in the Afghan border areas, following an attack that killed Pakistani paramilitary troops in North Waziristan, a district in Pakistan’s

Man accused of running Cambodian scam farm empire has...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/18

A Chinese-born businessman sanctioned by the US and UK for alleged human trafficking through a Cambodian-based cybercrime empire and scam farm has operations in Hong Kong and a related company owns an office building in the city, the Post has found. The discovery followed an announcement by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, which on Tuesday sanctioned more than 100 business entities including 11 Hong Kong companies linked to Chen Zhi, CEO and chairman of Cambodian conglomerate Prince...

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