‘An intrusion’: data centre fights test Southeast Asia’s AI ambitions
SCMP

‘An intrusion’: data centre fights test Southeast Asia’s AI ambitions

Residents of Section 9 in Kota Damansara thought they knew what was coming to the vacant land opposite their homes. The site, beside a community forest in the Malaysian township, was expected to become a high street retail development. Instead, they learned that Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) had received an application for two three-storey data centre blocks – part of the vast physical infrast...

Debate star and physicist Guo Yanliang leaves a top European quantum lab for China
SCMP

Debate star and physicist Guo Yanliang leaves a top European quantum lab for China

Guo Yanliang, a champion debater who honed his argumentation skills in international contests and on online variety shows, has left one of Europe’s top quantum laboratories to set up his own research group in Beijing. Guo, 33, says he sees scientific research as a debate between different opinions, which made him more compatible with China than Europe. This year, he returned to China to take a pos...

Australia news live: Major Sydney property developer collapses leaving buyers in limbo; Greens senator opts out for 2028 over partner’s health

Australia news live: Major Sydney property developer collapses leaving buyers in limbo; Greens senator opts out for 2028 over partner’s health

The Guardian

West Australian newspaper uses moniker on front page. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNumber of NSW households in urgent need of priority housing hits highest level in over a yearThe number of NSW households in urgent need of priority social housing has reached 13,776, the highest in more than a year.The waitlist has sat [at] around 70,000 since M...

Liberals criticise ‘unimpressive and underwhelming’ rail loop plan as Victorian premier pushes ahead after hinting at pause

Liberals criticise ‘unimpressive and underwhelming’ rail loop plan as Victorian premier pushes ahead after hinting at pause

The Guardian

A day after suggesting other projects were more important to Victorians, Ben Carroll says train line will go ahead but at a slightly reduced costFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Victorian opposition has described Ben Carroll’s plan to scale back new train stations along the Suburban Rail Loop to shave just over 5% ...

Philippine retailers tweak recipe to feed consumer demand for cheaper goods

Philippine retailers tweak recipe to feed consumer demand for cheaper goods

SCMP

From switching ingredients to staggering price increases, Philippine companies are rethinking strategies to cover rising costs without losing customers squeezed by inflation and a weak peso. The Philippines is now grappling with the second-weakest growth and fastest inflation among Southeast Asia’s economies after a corruption scandal weighed on confidence and the Iran war stoked consumer prices. ...

Woolworths’ Ooshies craze causes Coles sales slump with parents shopping at rival supermarket to collect toys

Woolworths’ Ooshies craze causes Coles sales slump with parents shopping at rival supermarket to collect toys

The Guardian

Coles full-year results show that despite gaining market share over past 12 months, sales fell over four weeks of ‘competitor’s collectables campaign’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWoolworths’ latest Disney “Ooshie” collectables have not only captivated Australian children, they have led to a short-term slump in comp...

Chinese woman, 31, faces lifelong walking issues after water-only diet cuts 20kg in weeks

Chinese woman, 31, faces lifelong walking issues after water-only diet cuts 20kg in weeks

SCMP

A woman from central China undertook a fasting regimen for half a month and lost 20kg, but ultimately suffered from a serious brain disorder from which she may never fully recover. The 31-year-old woman from Henan province, who wishes to remain anonymous, was recently reported by local media to have developed walking difficulties and memory deterioration after consuming nothing but water for 15 co...

Mideast live: Iranians line up at gas stations after the US announces expanded sanctions

Mideast live: Iranians line up at gas stations after the US announces expanded sanctions

France 24

Long lines formed at gas stations in Tehran on Tuesday after the US announced expanded sanctions against Iran and its trading partners. China's foreign ministry said Tuesday that Beijing  – which buys some 90 percent of Iranian oil exports – would “firmly safeguard” ‌its own interests. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates. 

Hong Kong needs clearer framework for handling high heat on work sites

Hong Kong needs clearer framework for handling high heat on work sites

SCMP

Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. Public debate over Hong Kong’s recent heatwave has rightly focused on protecting frontline workers. However, one group remains largely absent from the discussion: site managers and...

Woodside scraps long-term emissions and clean energy targets despite windfall oil profits caused by Iran war

Woodside scraps long-term emissions and clean energy targets despite windfall oil profits caused by Iran war

The Guardian

Australia’s biggest oil and gas company recorded a 27% increase in sales profit to $1.67bn in the six-month reporting periodFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWoodside Energy has scrapped its long-term emissions and clean energy targets, even after enjoying a period of windfall oil profits caused by the Iran conflict.Aus...

Gang attack in Haiti leaves at least 47 dead as anger mounts over police failures

Gang attack in Haiti leaves at least 47 dead as anger mounts over police failures

SCMP

At least 47 people were killed and 22 more injured in an overnight gang raid on a neighbourhood overlooking Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince, the UN said on Monday, prompting anger over the lack of protection from repeated deadly attacks. The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti ‌said estimates could still change. The hillside community of Kenscoff, in a strategic position overlooking routes...

Scots College trio who allegedly sexually assaulted teen girl have faced ‘repercussions’, judge says

Scots College trio who allegedly sexually assaulted teen girl have faced ‘repercussions’, judge says

The Guardian

Three boys, two aged 14 and one aged 13, on bail and yet to enter a plea after alleged assault in Sydney’s eastFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThree teenage boys from a prestigious Sydney private school who allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl in an alleyway in Sydney’s eastern suburbs have faced court for the first tim...

Scots College students charged with sexual assault of teen girl appear in court

Scots College students charged with sexual assault of teen girl appear in court

The Guardian

Three boys, two aged 14 and one aged 13, on bail and yet to enter a plea after alleged assault in Sydney’s eastFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThree teenage boys from a prestigious Sydney private school who allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl in an alleyway in Sydney’s eastern suburbs have faced court for the first tim...

Scots college students charged with sexual assault of teen girl appear in court

Scots college students charged with sexual assault of teen girl appear in court

The Guardian

Three boys, two aged 14 and one aged 13, on bail and yet to enter a plea after alleged assault in Sydney’s eastThree teenage boys from an elite Sydney private school who allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl in an alleyway in Sydney’s eastern suburbs have faced court for the first time.On Tuesday, the three boys, two aged 14 and one aged 13, from Sydney’s Scots College had their matter heard in Surry...

Landslide kills 18 people in Hong Kong’s Sau Mau Ping – SCMP archive

Landslide kills 18 people in Hong Kong’s Sau Mau Ping – SCMP archive

SCMP

This article was first published on August 26, 1976. Tragedy hits Sau Mau Ping At least seven people, including four children, were killed by the landslide that hit Sau Mau Ping Estate yesterday (August 25, 1976). Yesterday’s disaster was only a few blocks away from a slope which slipped on June 18, 1972, killing 67 people. Fire Services teams, assisted by the Army, spent the night under search li...

Singapore reports rise in home thefts, shoplifting and molestation

Singapore reports rise in home thefts, shoplifting and molestation

SCMP

The number of theft cases in homes jumped by about 25 per cent in the first half of 2026, even as Singapore’s overall physical crime situation remained stable. There were 459 thefts in dwelling cases at residential premises in the first six months of the year, up 25.1 per cent from 367 cases over the same period in 2025, according to the Singapore police’s midyear crime brief for 2026. Theft in dw...