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China told the European Union that it is willing to increase purchases of EU goods to help pare a massive trade gap, potentially easing the risk of a trade war. Commerce Minister Wang Wentao suggested that China is open to purchase agreements covering European goods in trade talks this week with EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic, the South China Morning Post reported, citing unidentified people briefe...
Average training hours per employee in Hong Kong hit a 14-year high as local companies pushed for technology adoption and workforce upskilling, a new survey released on Friday showed. According to the 2025-26 survey on workforce development needs conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management, the average annual training hours per employee reached 19.4 hours in 2025. This repres...
Johor’s caretaker chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi has criticised Malaysia’s federal government for delays in the launch of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) master plan, arguing that it is needed to sustain the initiative’s momentum. In response, Economic Minister Akmal Nasir, who oversees the project at the federal level, has maintained that the government remains committed to the...
Hong Kong’s top ministers and other political appointees have received a 1.3 per cent pay rise, authorities have confirmed, after the government announced in June that civil servants would get a 2 per cent salary bump. In a reply to the South China Morning Post, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said on Friday that the decision was based on recommendations by an independent commission...
Hong Kong’s top ministers and other political appointees have received a 1.3 per cent pay rise, authorities have confirmed, after the government announced in June that civil servants would get a 2 per cent salary bump. In a reply to the South China Morning Post, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said on Friday that the decision was based on recommendations of an independent commission...
Experts agree that humans can only comfortably survive in the thermoneutral zone, a surprisingly narrow Goldilocks range between 17 and 24 degrees Celsius. This gives us a problem as climate change pushes up summer temperatures alarmingly, resulting in record heatwaves around the world. Already, about 12 per cent of the Earth’s land area is uninhabitable due to deadly climate conditions. This is s...
Groups of Hong Kong students on Friday had a lesson aboard two PLA Navy warships moored at Stonecutters Island’s Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks on Friday. They toured guided-missile destroyer Nanning and guided-missile frigate Hengyang, which arrived for a five-day port call that started on Thursday. The port call marked the 29th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty on July 1. Pui Ki...
Chinese tea chain Molly Tea has been ordered to pay Louis Vuitton 10.3 million yuan (US$1.5 million) in damages for the unauthorised use of a logo similar to the French luxury brand’s four-petalled floral monogram. The Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, ruled this week that Shenzhen-based Molly Tea must pay the amount within 10 days. It said the compensation i...
Iranian leaders began paying their respects on Friday before the coffin of the country’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral. Khamenei’s body arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions. A coterie of foreign dignitaries is also due to atte...
The body of Iran’s supreme leader, killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of his funeral, state media reported. Millions of people and a coterie of foreign dignitaries were expected to attend Saturday’s official ceremony for Ali Khamenei, with Tehran’s chief negotiator calling for a massive turnout to avenge his death. Pho...
Unitree Robotics has secured approval from China’s securities regulator for a Shanghai initial public offering that is poised to set a valuation benchmark for China’s sizzling embodied AI sector. The nod from the China Securities Regulatory Commission came about a month after the Hangzhou-based company cleared a review by the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s listing committee. Unitree is now finalising i...
A corruption investigation into Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meals programme has widened after prosecutors named an active police brigadier general as a suspect and referred a case involving a military officer to the country’s military crimes unit. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) on Thursday identified Lalu Muhammad Iwan Mahardan, a police brigadier general who serves ...
Germany’s ruling coalition has pledged to take a tougher line on defending trade at the continental level, signalling a potential shift by a country long seen as the European Union’s main brake on stronger action against China. The pledge formed part of a 34-point package to revive Germany’s ailing economy that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition agreed to on Thursday. While the document ...
Following a surge in bear attacks in Japan, people are arming themselves with sprays while authorities have started installing cameras in mountainous areas in the north to monitor the animals. However, a recent effort to stay safe backfired, resulting in five people injured – not by bears but by the spray after it was accidentally discharged in a post office in Nagoya on Wednesday. Vietnamese nati...
Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday rejected allegations that her government reacted too slowly to destruction caused by two earthquakes which killed more than 2,000 people, after days of widespread criticism of the official response. Civilians of all stripes - including survivors, family members, volunteer paramedics and foreign rescue teams - have descended on disaster are...
Two Hong Kong men convicted of violating the Beijing-decreed national security law have said they joined a pro-independence group either to obtain asylum in Canada or “out of curiosity”. Courier Chan Tai-sum, 27, and waiter Ng Chi-tung, 25, pleaded guilty in the District Court on Friday to conspiracy to commit secession for their involvement with Taiwan-based Hong Kong Democratic Independence Unio...
China has issued a legal warning to Japan and the Philippines over their planned maritime border talks, calling the move “internationally wrongful” and saying it had the right to hold both nations accountable. It is the latest protest from Beijing after Manila and Tokyo agreed in May to launch formal negotiations to delimit the maritime boundary of the exclusive economic zones and continental shel...
A superstitious man in central China suffered a retinal detachment after repeatedly slapping his twitching right eyelid, fearing it was an omen of misfortune. The belief stems from a popular Chinese saying: “A twitching left eye brings wealth, while a twitching right eye brings disaster.” The man, identified only as Le, lives in Wuhan in Hubei province. He had been troubled by a twitching right ey...
Maria believed she was romancing a prince from Dubai, captivated by his flirtatious smile and declarations of affection he showered on her during live video calls. But the suitor was an AI deepfake, making her yet another victim of an online romance scam. The case illustrates how fraudsters posing as the real-life crown prince of Dubai ensnare victims by cultivating online relationships before swi...
Like plenty of local boys before him, Neil has come home to the stretch of Australian coast where he was born. Unlike most of them, he trails fame, fans and property damage in his wake. He is also a 1,000 kg (2,200lb) elephant seal. In June, the bellowing and blubbery five-year-old mammal hauled himself onto land for his twice-yearly tour of beachside towns in southern Tasmania state after months ...
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese tech makes desalinating seawater cheaper than producing bottled water Desalination has always been an energy-hungry way of tur...
Indonesia has intensified supervision of digital nomads, lifestyle influencers and travel content creators on the resort island of Bali, warning that even unpaid barter deals with local businesses would be classified as illegal work if they visit the country on tourist visas. For years, the Hindu island has been popular among players of the aesthetic economy, thanks to its beaches, unique rituals ...
A demonstration wheat plot in China’s vast Taklamakan Desert has produced a harvest nearly double the national average yield recorded in 2025, according to a project announcement. The wheat, known as Jingmai 189, was developed by the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences to withstand drought, saline soil and nutrient-poor land. The trial on a managed, heavily saline plot produced a ...
Singapore would be opening selected sectors and occupations to workers from East Timor next year, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on Friday. “This will create new opportunities for Timorese while strengthening our business and people-to-people links,” Wong said at a joint press conference with East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao in Dili. The visit, the first by a Singapore prime ministe...
An “unforgettable” tribute to America, or a health hazard that will terrorise animals and pollute the environment? That is the question as Washington prepares to break the record for the world’s largest fireworks display on the United States’ 250th birthday on Saturday. The Trump administration’s “Freedom250” project has hired Pennsylvania-based Pyrotecnico to launch more than 850,000 fireworks sh...
Chinese short video giant Kuaishou said on Thursday evening that its artificial intelligence video arm, Kling AI, was seeking to raise around US$3 billion in its first external fundraising round, according to a filing to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing. The funding round, first reported by the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, was backed by a long list of investors, spanning Chinese technolo...
This article was first published on July 3, 2006. Workers more efficient over five days: civil service chief by Ng Kang-chung Civil servants can work more efficiently and serve citizens better by not having to work on Saturdays, the city’s 6.9 million residents have been promised on the eve of implementation of a five-day week. The new working week would also help save citizens time and travel exp...
Hong Kong lawmaker William Wong Kam-fai has resigned from the Legislative Council and again apologised after his arrest over alleged drink-driving and a hit-and-run. His announcement on Friday came hours after the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) suspended Wong, also the associate dean of the engineering department, from administrative duties. “I sincerely apologise for the distress caused t...
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has suspended engineering associate dean William Wong Kam-fai, who is also a lawmaker, from administrative duties after his arrest over alleged drink-driving and a hit-and-run. A CUHK spokeswoman said on Friday, two days after the arrest came to light, that the university was aware of and deeply concerned about the incident involving a staff member. “The ...
Singapore is banking on lavish beachfronts, canopy walks, a transformed port and even water taxis to upgrade its holiday island, Sentosa, into a major tourism draw over the next two decades – but observers say the challenge will be in guaranteeing distinctiveness. On Friday, the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) unveiled plans to rejuvenate the 5 sq km resort and theme park island, which is lo...
