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Choking haze has forced Malaysia to move its leader’s annual National Day speech to an indoor venue from a public square, the communications ministry has said, underscoring the severity of cross-border pollution from severe wildfires in the region. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, due to address the country on August 30 on the eve of Independence Day celebrations, will speak from a convention centre ...
A US federal judge on Thursday blocked the US Postal Service from implementing core parts of a new rule it adopted at President Donald Trump’s direction that would tighten mail-in voting requirements ahead of the November congressional elections. US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston issued a temporary restraining order at the behest of Democratic-led states and voting rights groups after th...
Japan plans to provide defence equipment and other supplies to the armed forces of at least 12 like-minded countries under its Official Security Assistance programme in the current financial year, up from eight countries the previous year, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The military of Kenya, which sits on the western Indian Ocean, is expected to be a first-time recipient under ...
Japan plans to provide defence equipment and other supplies to the armed forces of at least 12 like-minded countries under its Official Security Assistance programme this financial year, up from eight countries the previous year, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The military of Kenya, which sits on the western Indian Ocean, is expected to be a first-time recipient under the progra...
When Japan’s embassy in the Philippines extended applications for healthcare jobs on April 15, the pitch was straightforward: 50 positions for nurses and 300 for care workers in Japan, a three- to four-year placement, free Japanese-language lessons in both countries and a daily allowance during training. On social media, the post’s attractive terms drew widespread interest from Filipinos – a remin...
The South China Morning Post has launched a major data project diving into President Xi Jinping’s signature anti-graft campaign. In the fourth part of an accompanying series, Yuanyue Dang and William Zheng delve into the broader reach of the campaign. While economic crimes are often seen as the target of President Xi Jinping’s crusade against corruption, the campaign has become much wider. Thirtee...
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[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Thirty years after Hong Kong established a statutory body to combat discrimination, equal opportunity has become increasingly embedded in laws, workplaces and community. As the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) marks its 30th anniversary this year, its record offers much to reflect on, but the work is far from finished...
Construction work at the White House was a factor in the US presidential helicopter passing too close to a passenger plane in the skies over Washington earlier this month, investigators said Thursday. The close pass happened on August 4 after President Donald Trump took off on Marine One from a temporary site on the Ellipse, outside the grounds of the White House, during the construction of a perm...
This summer, Chinese anti-war film Once Upon a Time in the Middle East has dominated the mainland box office. The film implicitly answers the question: what happens when a story about international conflict is told, not through the sights of an assault rifle, but through a gentler lens? It offers a fundamental restructuring of cinematic narrative paradigms, one that challenges decades of Hollywood...
A more international and upgraded lantern show is set to light up Hong Kong’s Victoria Park during the Mid-Autumn Festival next month, as part of the city’s efforts to entice locals and tourists alike. The International Lantern Spectacular, organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, will be held at the Causeway Bay park between September 17 and 27, complementing other festive activities such as the...
A cinema in northwestern China has gained attention on social media for its unique noon nap service, offering adjustable seats for workers to relax during their lunch breaks. This popular initiative at Lumiai Cinema in Xian, Shaanxi province, has been operational since April last year, according to Jimu News. Priced at 39.9 yuan (US$6) for a single membership and 59.9 yuan for a double pass, the m...
US green card interviews are on hold worldwide, student and work visas are subject to new restrictions, and citizenship is under fresh scrutiny. Here’s what the latest US immigration crackdown means for people planning to study, work or settle in America. Why did the US cancel immigrant visa interviews? US embassies and consulates around the world have postponed immigrant visa interviews so that o...
[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] As populations age and social stressors increase worldwide, cognitive health has become a pressing public-health concern — especially for older adults. 75% of people living with dementia globally receive no formal diagnosis at all1; the minority who do are then faced with an obstacle course of health system access barriers...
[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] The ASEAN Film Festival (AFF) officially opened on August 20 at an event attended by government officials, Consuls-General, cultural partners, and filmmakers from across the region. Running until September 27, this year’s festival serves as a vibrant crossroads where stories from Southeast Asia and beyond converge to bridg...
Deploying artificial intelligence on Hong Kong’s 1823 complaint platform will reduce public frustration and strengthen governance, but authorities must also guard against privacy leaks, lawmakers and an expert have said. They described the AI measures announced on Thursday as a step in the right direction, saying the technology could reduce residents’ waiting times and help direct cases to the app...
Hong Kong’s lived-in home prices fell 0.46 per cent in July, halting a 13-month upswing, according to the latest official data. The index tracking second-hand homes slipped to 321.5 in July from 323 in June, Rating and Valuation Department (RVD) data showed on Thursday. It was the first decline in 16 months, following a drop in April last year. Prices were flat that May, then climbed steadily for ...
Hong Kong’s lived-in home prices fell 0.46 per cent in July, halting a 13-month upswing, according to the latest official data. The index tracking second-hand homes slipped to 321.5 in July from 323 in June, Rating and Valuation Department (RVD) data showed on Thursday. It was the first decline in 16 months – since April last year. Prices were flat in May last year before climbing steadily for 13 ...
Okinawa’s governor election next month is set to be a major test of whether Japan’s ruling party can win over voters from a prefecture that has long opposed its security agenda and the heavy US military presence on its islands. A victory by Genta Koja, the Liberal Democratic Party-backed candidate, would likely help smooth ties between Okinawa and Tokyo and weaken resistance against the planned re...
Tiger Brokers and Futu Holdings, two of the region’s largest online brokerages, posted robust second-quarter growth as they expanded overseas to absorb Beijing’s toughest crackdown yet on illegal cross-border stock trading. UP Fintech Holding, parent of Tiger Brokers, reported on Wednesday that revenue rose 31.4 per cent year on year to a record US$182.3 million. Net income attributable to shareho...
US President Donald Trump on Thursday hinted at sanctioning Chinese banks over their commercial links with Iran, just weeks before Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to visit Washington for a bilateral summit. “Who said I’m not?” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question about why the US had not sanctioned Chinese banks for their dealings with Iranian entities. “Well, I don’t have to anno...
Peter Cullen, a prolific voice actor who enlivened scores of television series, specials and films, including Optimus Prime in the syndicated 1984 series Transformers and Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh cartoon franchise, has died. He was 85. His agent, Kevin Motley, said Cullen died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles. “His family asks that you honour his remarkable legacy by serving your commu...
The United States should take a leaf out of Beijing’s industrial playbook and strategically open up specific sectors to Chinese investment while ensuring that technology transfers occur, US industrial policy and supply chain experts said at an event on Thursday. The assessment comes as Washington mulls new broad restrictions on Chinese technology, including a proposed prohibition on the sale of ca...
Chinese and US officials are discussing whether business leaders will join President Xi Jinping’s delegation to the United States next month, as the two sides prepare to extend a one-year trade agreement reached in Busan last October, according to people familiar with the talks. The negotiations come as Xi is expected to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on September 24. Trump travelled...
In arguably his most important foreign trip, Elbridge Colby, US undersecretary for defence policy, visited key Southeast Asian capitals this month. In a speech in Manila, the Pentagon policy chief extolled America’s “flexible realism”, which he said serves “the practical, concrete interests of regular Americans” and echoes Southeast Asian nations’ commitment to “pragmatism, an openness to dialogue...
New US restrictions on mailed ballots took effect on Thursday, leaving state and local election officials racing to comply – or persuade a federal judge to intervene – weeks before millions of ballots are due to be sent to voters ahead of November’s midterm elections. The US Postal Service rules require election authorities to assign unique bar codes to outgoing and return ballot envelopes, submit...
New US restrictions on mailed ballots took effect on Thursday, leaving state and local election officials racing to comply – or persuade a federal judge to intervene – weeks before millions of ballots are due to be sent to voters ahead of November’s midterm elections. The US Postal Service rules require election authorities to assign unique bar codes to outgoing and return ballot envelopes, submit...
The US Federal Aviation Administration is taking steps to fire two air traffic controllers determined to have left their shifts early before an Air Canada Express plane collided with a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in March, according to people familiar with the matter. The moves are in keeping with a broader push by the Trump administration to crack down on controllers leaving shifts...
Canada has awarded 64 global scholars with C$504 million (US$362 million) in funding to relocate their work to Canadian universities and advance projects in areas such as health and artificial intelligence. Some 48 of the researchers were poached from the US, including from elite institutions such as Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The other 16 researchers are com...
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he was renaming Lake Ontario to be known as “Lake America” in the United States, as he escalated his trade war with Canada. The Republican president signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to update the lake’s name in the US geographic naming service. Trump cannot force Canada to follow along, however. Trump has been floating the ...
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was renaming Lake Ontario to be known as “Lake America” in the United States, as he exacerbates his trade war with Canada. The Republican president signed an executive order that updated the lake’s name for the US geographic naming service. Trump cannot force Canada to follow his preferred naming convention, however. The move is reminiscent of his move...
