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Indonesia to train next ruling class at elite new university
SCMP

Indonesia to train next ruling class at elite new university

On what was once a palm oil plantation outside Bogor, Indonesia’s government is planting the seeds of a new institution designed to nurture the next generation of leaders. But President Prabowo Subianto’s ambitions for the University of the Republic of Indonesia (URI) do not stop at statecraft – officials have also billed it as the answer to the Southeast Asian nation’s shortage of technological t...

Patrolling robot damaged after falling down staircase at Hong Kong airport
SCMP

Patrolling robot damaged after falling down staircase at Hong Kong airport

Hong Kong authorities are investigating an accident in which a patrolling robot fell down a staircase at the arrival hall of the Hong Kong International Airport and broke into pieces. The Airport Authority Hong Kong told the South China Morning Post on Sunday that the robot had tumbled down a staircase in Terminal One during a test run on Saturday, resulting in partial damage to the robot. It said...

Japan quake victim dies of heatstroke while sheltering in car amid ‘extreme heat’ warning
SCMP

Japan quake victim dies of heatstroke while sheltering in car amid ‘extreme heat’ warning

An elderly woman who developed heatstroke while taking shelter in a car was the latest fatality from a powerful earthquake that struck Japan’s southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto last week, officials said on Sunday as concerns over heat-related illnesses grow in an area that is also suffering extreme temperatures. The woman in her seventies with heatstroke was found in a car, Kumamoto officials sa...

Nepal mourns climber Nirmal Purja after body found on Pakistan’s Broad Peak
SCMP

Nepal mourns climber Nirmal Purja after body found on Pakistan’s Broad Peak

Rescuers have found the body of celebrated mountaineer Nirmal Purja as they sift through a massive avalanche that killed all 10 members of an expedition on Pakistan’s Broad Peak, officials said on Sunday. “The ground rescue team has reached Nirmal Purja ‘Nims Dai’ at approximately 5,700 metres on Broad Peak,” said Naila Kiani, a spokeswoman for the Alpine Club Pakistan. She said the bodies of seve...

Nepal mourns climber Nirmal Purja after death is confirmed on Pakistan’s Broad Peak

Nepal mourns climber Nirmal Purja after death is confirmed on Pakistan’s Broad Peak

SCMP

British-Nepali climber Nirmal Purja, who died in an avalanche in Pakistan’s Broad Peak, was renowned for ascending all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre (26,000-foot) peaks in a record 189 days in 2019. His feat was spotlighted in Netflix’s 2021 documentary, 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. The 43-year-old was leading a multinational expedition of nine other climbers on the world’s 12th-highest mounta...

Trump holds off Iran strikes after Middle East allies outline deal

Trump holds off Iran strikes after Middle East allies outline deal

SCMP

US President Donald Trump in a Saturday evening social media post claimed that Middle Eastern allies had reached the parameters of a deal to end the Iran war and said that he would hold off on ordering new strikes in the five-month-old conflict for now. Trump added that the emerging deal “would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear th...

Public anger in Hong Kong over low signal during 2006 Typhoon Prapiroon – SCMP archive

Public anger in Hong Kong over low signal during 2006 Typhoon Prapiroon – SCMP archive

SCMP

This article was first published on August 4, 2006. Observatory lashed over typhoon signal by Agnes Lam, Clifford Lo and Martin Wong The Observatory was under fire yesterday (August 3, 2006) for not hoisting a storm warning above the No 3 as Typhoon Prapiroon lashed some parts of the city with winds of up to 200km/h. Unions said workers had been put in danger as they had gone to work as required b...

From meteorites to Monet: Shenzhen’s new museums draw Hongkongers beyond dining

From meteorites to Monet: Shenzhen’s new museums draw Hongkongers beyond dining

SCMP

Dinosaur fossils, rare meteorites and French Impressionist masterpieces are among Shenzhen’s newest attractions drawing residents across the border on weekends, as Hong Kong’s northbound spending trend evolves beyond dining into cultural tourism. Shenzhen recently unveiled a series of ambitious, mega-scale cultural facilities. Among them is the Shenzhen Natural History Museum, boasting 35,200 squa...

Are Singaporeans losing faith, or just dropping the labels?

Are Singaporeans losing faith, or just dropping the labels?

SCMP

As a teenager, Ashley Wong spent many Sundays in church, waiting for a feeling that never quite came to her. Family and friends spoke of finding comfort and solace in Christianity during times of trouble, but prayer seemed to offer no such salve for her soul. “There was a detachment that I couldn’t place,” said the 26-year-old marketing executive, who identifies as a freethinker. “I feel like mayb...

Hong Kong must improve urban management to better handle disasters: John Lee

Hong Kong must improve urban management to better handle disasters: John Lee

SCMP

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to improve Hong Kong’s urban management to better handle natural disasters and public complaints, while attending a town hall meeting to gather feedback for the city’s first five-year plan and his fifth annual policy address. The city leader said on Sunday that the two blueprints would leverage Hong Kong’s strengths as an international centre for financ...

Hong Kong must improve urban management to better handle disasters, John Lee says

Hong Kong must improve urban management to better handle disasters, John Lee says

SCMP

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to improve Hong Kong’s urban management to better handle natural disasters and public complaints, as he attended a town hall meeting to gather feedback for the city’s first five-year plan and his fifth annual policy address. The city leader said on Sunday that the two blueprints would leverage Hong Kong’s strengths as an international centre for finance...

Hong Kong must improve urban systems to better handle disasters, John Lee says

Hong Kong must improve urban systems to better handle disasters, John Lee says

SCMP

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to improve Hong Kong’s urban management systems to better handle natural disasters and residents’ complaints, as he attended a town hall meeting to gather public feedback for the city’s first five-year plan and his fifth annual policy address. The city leader said on Sunday that the two blueprints would leverage Hong Kong’s strengths as an international...

John Lee pledges to improve Hong Kong’s urban systems to better handle disasters

John Lee pledges to improve Hong Kong’s urban systems to better handle disasters

SCMP

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to improve Hong Kong’s urban management systems to better handle natural disasters and residents’ complaints, as he attended a town hall meeting to gather public feedback for the city’s first five-year plan and his fifth annual policy address. The city leader said on Sunday that the two blueprints would leverage Hong Kong’s strengths as an international...

‘Especially meaningful’: John Lee on debuting 5-year plan with policy address

‘Especially meaningful’: John Lee on debuting 5-year plan with policy address

SCMP

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said his annual policy address will serve as a progress report on the city’s five-year plan, describing the first simultaneous consultation of the two documents as “especially meaningful”. In his first townhall meeting, held on Sunday as part of a public consultation exercise to gather feedback on Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and his fifth annual policy add...

Trump faces ethics storm for ‘pimping’ fast access to his Truth Social posts

Trump faces ethics storm for ‘pimping’ fast access to his Truth Social posts

SCMP

US President Donald Trump knows the world hangs on his every word. Now he wants you to pay for it. The social media posts of the world’s most powerful man went on sale on Saturday, when his Truth Social business began offering sneak peeks of them to Wall Street traders willing to pay up. The move raises the prospect of big profits for Trump’s company and big questions about insider trading and usi...

As more South Koreans shun drinking, Seoul nightlife reinvents to stay relevant

As more South Koreans shun drinking, Seoul nightlife reinvents to stay relevant

SCMP

On a midsummer Thursday night, the entertainment district of Hongdae in Seoul is slowly coming alive. Short for Hongik University, Hongdae neighbours several university campuses and typically attracts thousands of young people to its flashy streets. Just a few blocks away from the main clubbing area, the atmosphere is quieter with hardly any patrons at a row of pubs and restaurants. “Hongdae is no...

Chinese police AI algorithm tracks bitcoin money laundering with 90% accuracy

Chinese police AI algorithm tracks bitcoin money laundering with 90% accuracy

SCMP

Researchers from China’s national police academy have developed an AI framework that can detect illicit cryptocurrency transactions with nearly 90 per cent overall accuracy, according to a recent study. Cryptocurrency transactions are growing rapidly, but their pseudonymous and cross-border nature can provide channels for money laundering and other illegal activities. In an article published in th...

‘Little Warren Buffetts’: Chinese parents pay top dollar to send kids to financial literacy camps

‘Little Warren Buffetts’: Chinese parents pay top dollar to send kids to financial literacy camps

SCMP

Every summer, mainland Chinese parents send their children to join a variety of costly physical training camps or even travel to Africa to observe animal migrations. Over the past two years, new financial quotient (FQ) training classes aiming to cultivate “little Warren Buffetts” have gained significant popularity among parents concerned about their children’s futures, as reported by Phoenix Weekl...

What Hong Kong’s districts can learn from Sham Shui Po’s governance

What Hong Kong’s districts can learn from Sham Shui Po’s governance

SCMP

Old, dense and diverse, Sham Shui Po exemplifies many practical challenges associated with grass-roots governance in Hong Kong: ageing buildings, narrow alleys, low-income households, elderly residents living alone and routine issues that demand constant attention. As an ancient maxim states: “Government means rectitude. If you set a righteous example, who will dare to act otherwise?” My extensive...

Shady lip service: experts warn against illicit beauty treatments in Hong Kong

Shady lip service: experts warn against illicit beauty treatments in Hong Kong

SCMP

Beauticians from outside Hong Kong are performing illegal cosmetic procedures such as botulinum toxin and filler injections in the city, with middlemen setting up online “secret societies” or chat groups for customers to share information, industry experts have revealed. A beauty industry expert and a plastic surgeon said they had seen or received reports of botched procedures by beauty practition...

New Zealand seals trio of Pacific defence pacts to counter China’s reach

New Zealand seals trio of Pacific defence pacts to counter China’s reach

SCMP

New Zealand’s defence diplomacy has shifted into overdrive this year, with Wellington sealing three major Pacific security agreements in less than four months. Since April, the country has signed a defence pact with Papua New Guinea, locked in a security declaration with the Cook Islands and floated the idea of joining a fledgling Australia-Fiji defence alliance. Analysts say the common thread is ...

Gunman among several dead in shooting at Idaho In-N-Out Burger restaurant

Gunman among several dead in shooting at Idaho In-N-Out Burger restaurant

SCMP

A shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon left multiple people dead and others injured, police said. The shooter was among the dead, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said in a news conference. “We believe the threat to the community is over,” Hicks said, adding that he did not yet know exactly how many were killed or wounded, and officials were still ...

What Negeri Sembilan loss means for Malaysian PM Anwar’s political strategy

What Negeri Sembilan loss means for Malaysian PM Anwar’s political strategy

SCMP

The crushing defeat of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition in the Negeri Sembilan polls has raised doubts about his political strategy, as state rival but federal ally Barisan Nasional (BN) grows in dominance. Analysts say BN’s effective cooperation with opposition party Perikatan Nasional (PN) could reshape Malaysia’s political landscape ahead of the next natio...

Iran’s foreign minister warns of any ‘adventurous action’ by US

Iran’s foreign minister warns of any ‘adventurous action’ by US

SCMP

Iran warned this weekend against any “adventurous action” by the US and said it would retaliate decisively if American forces follow through on US President Donald Trump’s threats of fresh attacks on Iranian targets. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi’s comments in separate phone calls on Saturday with senior Turkish, Pakistani and Saudi officials came just ‌hours after Kuwait’s army said it de...

Sopranos actor Vincent Pastore, known for playing mobsters and tough guys, dies at 80

Sopranos actor Vincent Pastore, known for playing mobsters and tough guys, dies at 80

SCMP

Vincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best known for playing Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, has died. He was 80. Bob McGowan, who had managed Pastore since his run on The Sopranos, told Associated Press that he learned of his death on Saturday from another client and actor on the show, Vincent Curatola. He said Pastore had been found in hi...

From Mao to now: why China’s Communist Party is  intent on control over the military

From Mao to now: why China’s Communist Party is intent on control over the military

SCMP

Having marked its 99th anniversary on August 1, the People’s Liberation Army is now just one year away from its centenary goals, with its evolution highlighting the past, present and future of China’s military strategy. In the third part of a series, Yuanyue Dang and William Zheng examine how Beijing leans on Mao-era doctrines and anti-corruption drives to guarantee absolute party control over the...

China’s next export is the world’s factory itself

China’s next export is the world’s factory itself

SCMP

China’s export boom is reaching its limits. The country’s next phase of growth will come not from shipping more goods abroad, but from exporting its factories, technologies and brands. China is running up against the limits of its old model. It is obvious as the economy looks increasingly K-shaped. Weak consumer confidence and a prolonged property slump continue to sap domestic demand, forcing man...

Tourist plane crashes in Peru, killing 13 people on sightseeing flight

Tourist plane crashes in Peru, killing 13 people on sightseeing flight

SCMP

At least 13 people died when a small plane carrying tourists to view Peru’s famed Nazca Lines archaeological site crashed, police said on Saturday. “We have information that 11 passengers and two crew members have died,” Police Major Jorge Andrade told reporters from the crash site in the country’s south. The incident happened just after 1pm local time after the plane took off from the airport in ...

Trump disputes his own Justice Department’s findings on Reflecting Pool

Trump disputes his own Justice Department’s findings on Reflecting Pool

SCMP

US President ⁠Donald Trump posted on Saturday ⁠that he disagrees with his ⁠own Justice Department’s findings that a flawed installation, not vandalism, caused the lining of the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington to peel. “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of ‌Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Socia...