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Hong Kong lawmaker William Wong Kam-fai has apologised for “causing inconvenience” to the public following his arrest for suspected drink-driving, careless driving and failing to stop and report an accident, after allegedly crashing his car into two vehicles. “I sincerely apologise for the traffic incident involving me on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong [CUHK] a few days ago, whi...
Hong Kong lawmaker William Wong Kam-fai has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving, careless driving and failing to stop and report after an accident, after allegedly crashing into two vehicles. A police source said on Wednesday that the 66-year-old, an associate dean at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) Faculty of Engineering, allegedly lost control of his vehicle at about 10.46pm...
This article was originally published on July 2, 2006 ‘Sky trains’ begin first run to roof of the world by Shi Jiangtao The first train from Beijing to Lhasa on the world’s highest railway pulled out of the West Railway Station at 9.30pm, packed with 600 excited passengers and 100 journalists on what some described as a hotel on wheels. Trains earlier left from Golmud and Chengdu. For Lhasa studen...
We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese scientists love Blackpink’s Jennie so much they named a fish after her A popular K-pop star has found an unlikely place in the scientific record after researchers in China named a newly discovered fish s...
China has unveiled a road map to accelerate the development of its industrial internet, setting targets for the expansion of industry-oriented 5G networks and data systems as Beijing seeks to deepen the integration of frontier technologies into manufacturing and bolster the country’s industrial competitiveness. The plan, jointly issued on Tuesday by eight Chinese government agencies led by the Min...
Giant portraits of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s late supreme leader killed in US-Israeli air strikes, have been hung from Tehran’s Grand Mosalla as workers raced to prepare for his grand funeral ceremony. His funeral, initially delayed at the height of the Middle East war, will take place as Iran and the United States observe a fragile ceasefire after signing a preliminary deal to halt the confl...
A year ahead of a major leadership reshuffle, President Xi Jinping has projected strong confidence in the Communist Party’s governance at home and abroad, sending a rallying call to members to remain disciplined and focused amid fast-changing global headwinds. In a major speech marking the organisation’s 105th anniversary, Xi hailed China’s Communist Party as the world’s biggest ruling party, sayi...
President Xi Jinping has projected strong confidence for the Communist Party on both domestic governance and international standing in a speech on Wednesday to mark the 105th anniversary of the founding of the party. In a comprehensive and wide-ranging address, Xi reviewed the history of the party, recounting its historical achievements and summarising the key factors behind its success, including...
One year after lifting its long-standing two-child limit, Vietnam is offering incentives for people to have more babies as the communist country risks getting old before it gets rich. A new population law and regulations coming into effect on Wednesday extend maternity leave from six to seven months for mothers having a second child as well as offering financial help. If Hanoi residents Nguyen Kim...
It was the deadliest reported strike in the US-Israeli war against Iran, and most of the victims were children. Yet over four months since a US missile struck an Iranian primary school, there is no final accounting of what happened. The Trump administration has not directly accepted the blame, though the military possessed evidence almost immediately that the site had been struck, a US official wi...
A Chinese PhD graduate invited his favourite eatery’s owners to his graduation ceremony via a delivery order, receiving enthusiastic response from his invitees. Recently, an eatery owner in southern China’s Guangdong province posted a delivery order she received. In the comment of the order, the customer, surnamed Xiong, invites her and her husband to take graduation photos with him. He wrote: “I ...
The leadership of the Communist Party is a “fundamental safeguard” of Hong Kong’s prosperity, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said amid celebrations to mark the 29th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule and the 105th year of the party. The city leader on Wednesday also set priorities for the final year of his five-year term, stressing that he had changed the culture of the governm...
This article was first published on July 1, 1997 Tung and his team sworn in as Patten bids tearful farewell by Chris Yeung Hong Kong entered its new era at the stroke of midnight, launching a historic experiment with the strongest pledge yet of non-interference from President Jiang Zemin. As June 30 moved into July 1, the flags of Britain and Hong Kong were lowered, and those of China and the SAR ...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will issue the No 1 typhoon signal on Thursday, potentially marking the city’s first storm of the year, as a tropical depression approaches. The Hong Kong Observatory said the storm was expected to enter within 800km (497 miles) o...
The US military has established a robust footprint of US forces in and around Venezuela to support relief operations, with more than 900 personnel inside the country and another roughly 800 in Caribbean hubs Puerto Rico and Curacao, according to the top US general for Latin America. General Francis Donovan, the commander of US Southern Command, said US forces had participated in search-and-rescue ...
The US military has established a robust footprint of US forces in and around Venezuela to support relief operations, with more than 900 personnel inside the country and another roughly 800 in Caribbean hubs Puerto Rico and Curacao, according to the top US general for Latin America. General Francis Donovan, the commander of US Southern Command, said US forces had participated in search-and-rescue ...
Oman Air is looking to capitalise on the Gulf state’s appeal as a largely untapped tourism destination as it launches flights from Muscat to Singapore on Thursday and considers an expansion to North Asia over the next year. The new nonstop Singapore service was underpinned by a lower cost base and the airline’s year-old membership in the Oneworld alliance to aid with connections, as serving th...
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday met his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud in Beijing, reaffirming China’s strong support for negotiations in the Middle East and calling for sustained dialogue despite a fragile ceasefire. “Talking is better than fighting, and dialogue is better than confrontation,” Wang said, according to a statement released by China’s foreign ministry...
Norman Wong sold his Hong Kong flat and relocated to a rented home in Malaysia after concluding the city no longer offered the quality of life he expected for the price. “What am I actually getting for this money in terms of quality of life?” asked Wong, a healthcare professional from Kowloon. “Space is at a premium in Hong Kong that most of us have simply accepted as the norm. When I started seri...
As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead. Hong Kong’s tech chief has warned that AI will “exceed all previous industrial revolutions” and heavily impact graduates and workers in traditional sectors, while pledging to acceler...
Even before the world’s top mathematicians gather in Philadelphia in late July for the International Congress of Mathematicians, a high-stakes battle is unfolding over where the global event will next take place. Spearheaded by 1982 Fields Medallist and Tsinghua University professor Shing-Tung Yau, Hong Kong’s bid to host the 2030 congress faces competition from Glasgow and Tokyo. An inspection de...
In a tiny Tokyo restaurant filled with the smell of Nepalese dumplings, Budhathoki Samjhana surveys the business she built from scratch but may now have to give up as Japan tightens visa rules. Even though Japan has a rapidly ageing population and is suffering labour shortages in many sectors, opposition to immigration is growing and the new rules for business manager visas were introduced by the ...
Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted the leaders of Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Belarus in June. He also travelled to North Korea on his first overseas journey this year and his first visit to Pyongyang since 2019. In total, 20 national leaders have met Xi in Beijing this year, including US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The long list shows China’s growing glo...
China has enacted a sweeping overseas-investment law that aims to safeguard national interests against trade barriers and unauthorised use of advanced technology abroad, though analysts warn that the move could complicate operations for foreign partners. The State Council’s 34-article Regulation on Overseas Investment, taking effect on Wednesday, authorises “necessary and defensive measures” to pr...
An investigation into alleged financial irregularities at a Hindu temple closely associated with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is threatening to tarnish one of his party’s signature projects. Two office bearers at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya have resigned, while police arrested eight officials of the trust managing the site after allegations of embezzlement surfaced earlier this month, a perso...
In the most bearish Chinese car market forecast by an international bank or consultancy, AlixPartners has predicted that deliveries will fall by 10 per cent this year on the back of a shaky economy and softening government support. Weak buying interest was likely to fuel a brutal price war that would ensnare nearly all the country’s 100-odd carmakers, the global consultancy added. It forecast that...
UBTech Robotics, the world’s first publicly traded humanoid robot maker, has launched a consumer humanoid designed for personal companionship, featuring lifelike silicone skin and emotional artificial intelligence, as Chinese tech firms increasingly transition robots from the factory floor to the family living room. The U1, unveiled on Tuesday in Shenzhen, comes in male and female versions, standi...
A viral YouTube video, a one-star review on a delivery app, a heated post on a parenting community – all of these will fall under the same legal standard in South Korea starting next Tuesday. The revised Information and Communications Network Act, widely known as the “fake news” law, introduces punitive damages for YouTubers with more than 100,000 subscribers and high-traffic TikTok accounts if th...
Hong Kong’s first five-year plan will undoubtedly mark a significant milestone for the city. The public consultation launched last month covers a range of issues, such as economic development, innovation and technology, housing, healthcare, education, infrastructure and regional cooperation. The exercise offers a chance not only to discuss what Hong Kong hopes to achieve by 2030, but also how its ...
A technical error caused a Tel Aviv-bound flight to report a hijacking Tuesday that led to Israeli and Bulgarian jets scrambling to intercept the aircraft, Bulgaria’s transport ministry said. An airport official earlier said that the Bulgarian company operating the Airbus A320 blamed pilot error. Bulgaria’s transport ministry said, however, in a statement: “The reason for the diversion is a techni...
