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Alleged scam-network mastermind Chen Zhi could face the death penalty, with Chinese prosecutors adding intentional injury to the list of charges against him. Chen, 38, was extradited from Cambodia to China six months ago and formally arrested on July 6, according to Chinese business magazine Caixin. He founded the Cambodian conglomerate Prince Group, which authorities say was linked to a sprawling...
Former Hong Kong opposition leader Wu Chi-wai has been granted permission to enter and remain in Britain as a visitor for six months, after UK authorities reversed an earlier decision requiring him to leave the country by Wednesday, the South China Morning Post has learned. Paul Harris, Wu’s lawyer, said immigration authorities had informed his legal team in writing that the former chairman of the...
Former Hong Kong opposition leader Wu Chi-wai has appealed against the UK government’s decision to grant him only seven days’ temporary admission, requiring him to leave the country by Wednesday, the South China Morning Post has learned. A source said on Monday that Wu had written to the British Home Office asking it to reconsider the decision and could potentially seek a judicial review if the ap...
Residents and visitors in Hong Kong can enjoy discounts on dining, shopping, and attractions in August by presenting tickets for five major events, including an exhibition, as authorities seek to boost the retail and catering sectors. The Hong Kong Tourism Board announced on Monday that ticket holders for the selected events in the city would be able to enjoy 5 per cent discounts at more than 100 ...
Germany’s drive to compete with Chinese imports is colliding with its long-standing tradition of Sunday rest, with policymakers and retailers now asking whether a century-old consensus still fits an economy struggling to regain its competitiveness. The latest flashpoint came in early July, when the country’s coalition government unveiled a package of measures to boost Germany’s competitiveness, in...
China’s major chip manufacturers saw their profits skyrocket a staggering 2,579.5 per cent in the first half of 2026, fuelled by unprecedented demand for artificial intelligence and computing power, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday. The state agency attributed the surge to accelerated integration of AI across various fields, which in turn generated massive d...
The Chinese aesthetic practice of wo you, which literally translates to “travelling while lying down,” is an artistic tradition that merges Taoism and Confucianism, enduring for centuries and now embraced by younger generations as a symbol of slow living. The term was originally coined by the 5th-century Chinese painter Zong Bing. Zong had a love for travel in his youth, but as he aged and fell il...
A Singapore fitness instructor linked to former acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs Faishal Ibrahim’s resignation has denied rumours that she was the woman with whom he had inappropriate interactions. Rasidah Caudal told This Week in Asia on Monday that she had filed a complaint with Singapore’s Online Safety Commission, which helps people deal with online harms such as doxxing and harassm...
Five young Pallas’s cats, dubbed the world’s grumpiest feline for their sullen facial expressions, went on display at a zoo in Japan on Thursday. Kobe Animal Kingdom put the four males and one female, all born in May at the facility, on public viewing last week. The animals are believed to be one of the oldest living cat species and are native to the dry, rocky areas of Central Asia. They are not...
Hong Kong exports rose 53.4 per cent year on year in June, their sharpest increase in 42 years, to a record HK$641.1 billion on strong overseas demand for AI-related products. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Monday showed that the total value of exports climbed to HK$641.1 billion (US$81.7 billion) last month, after a 40.8 per cent surge in May. The last tim...
A second suspect detained in connection with a deadly car-ramming attack on Berlin’s Pride celebrations over the weekend has been released, the German federal prosecutors’ office said on Monday. “We continue to investigate broadly,” the prosecutors’ office told Reuters and declined to comment further. Spiegel on Monday cited sources as saying that authorities released the person because init...
Beijing has stepped up its global messaging campaign over East China Sea islets that Tokyo also claims by rolling out a five-part documentary to tell its version of history, as the countries’ relationship continues to be fraught. The state broadcaster’s English-language channel, China Global Television Network (CGTN), released the first part of Diaoyu Dao: Small Islands, Big Stakes on Monday to “e...
Hong Kong’s Urban Renewal Authority (URA) received seven tender submissions for a major waterfront residential redevelopment project in Hung Hom, drawing bids from some of the city’s largest developers despite a subdued land market. The authority said on Monday that seven developers submitted tenders for the project before the noon deadline. A tender review panel under the URA board will assess th...
In the first half of this year, investment in Hong Kong commercial real estate reached HK$24.1 billion (US$3.1 billion), up 56 per cent in annualised terms, according to CBRE data. The education industry was a crucial source of demand, generating HK$10 billion worth of transactions, with many of these deals involving assets for conversion into student housing. At a time when the living sector – wh...
Malaysia has won a small victory in Washington’s tariff wars, securing a 10 per cent rate that leaves it better placed than four of its Southeast Asian neighbours in the scramble for US orders. Economists warn the narrow advantage may prove fleeting, however, as it hinges on Kuala Lumpur fulfilling its promised trade reforms. The new duties, which fall under Section 301 of the US Trade Act and too...
Indonesian police are investigating the unexplained death of a man whom local media reported managed the household of detained former anti-corruption prosecutor Febrie Adriansyah, adding a new layer of scrutiny to one of the country’s most sensitive corruption cases. The man, identified only as Sutrimo, was found unconscious on Thursday on the grounds of Mordent Beauty Clinic in Kebayoran Baru, So...
Many of China’s private firms continue to face tough operating conditions, including intense market competition, persistent payment delays and weak domestic demand, though technology firms have shown stronger momentum, according to fresh survey results. The recent survey of 79 entrepreneurs from medium- and large-sized private firms found that more than 70 per cent of respondents described their c...
A South Korean court on Monday sentenced former president Yoon Suk-yeol to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, after finding him guilty of violating the election law by making false statements during his 2022 presidential campaign. The sentence, if upheld through appeals, could force Yoon’s People Power Party to return 39.7 billion won (US$27.1 million) in election expenses reimbur...
Israel will allow a multinational security force to enter Gaza as proposed under US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for the enclave, an Israeli official said on Sunday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet on Sunday approved the legal framework that would allow the force’s entry to Gaza, the official said. Netanyahu was scheduled to depart for Washington on Monday and was ...
At least 10 people have been injured after a minibus collided with a water tanker in Hong Kong’s Kwun Tong district. Police said on Monday that they received a report of a traffic accident at 12.21pm, near the Yue Man Square Public Transport Terminal, involving a minibus and a truck. The force said two male and eight female passengers in the minibus were injured. The Fire Services Department said ...
As Israel heads into a fiercely contested general election on October 27, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as the principal challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot’s rise comes at a pivotal moment in Israeli politics, with the election widely viewed as a referendum on the long-serving premier’s leadership in the violent aftermath of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack o...
A popular far-right Australian politician failed on Monday to overturn a racial vilification finding that was handed down after she told a Muslim senator to go back to Pakistan. Senator Pauline Hanson has emerged as one of Australia’s most popular politicians, wooing voters with calls for strict immigration curbs, mass deportations of “illegal migrants” and enhanced free speech protections. Hanson...
After decades of fighting desertification with straw, plants and plastic, Chinese researchers have turned to bamboo – one of the most resilient and sustainable materials on the planet. The fastest-growing plant on Earth has the potential to help overcome challenges with current sand-fixing methods including short lifespan, ecological risks and health issues. Beijing on July 22 released a five-year...
Hong Kong property developers are expected to report stronger first-half earnings in the coming weeks, buoyed by a rebound in home sales and improving development margins, as investors look for clues on whether the sector’s recovery is sustainable. Bank of America Global Research expected Hong Kong developers and conglomerates to post average core net profit growth of 8 per cent year on year, excl...
A volunteer from southwestern China tragically died of exhaustion after giving up his holiday to join flood relief efforts in Guangxi. Dang Xinrui, 29, was employed as an integrated control operator at a railway station in Sichuan province, as reported by Guangxi Daily. While holidaying in Yunnan on July 9, Dang encountered an urgent call for volunteers to aid flood-affected areas in Guangxi and s...
Air passengers continued to face disruption on Monday as at least a dozen departures were further delayed due to Typhoon Noul, with authorities saying they expected normal operations to resume in the morning after hundreds of flights were cancelled over the weekend. According to the airport website, as of 12.45pm, 12 departing flights initially scheduled for Sunday had been rescheduled for Monday,...
Air passengers continued to face disruption on Monday as at least a dozen departures were further delayed due to Typhoon Noul, with authorities saying they expected normal operations to resume in the morning after hundreds of flights were cancelled over the weekend. According to the airport website, as of 12.45pm, 12 departing flights initially scheduled for Sunday had been rescheduled for Monday,...
Air passengers continued to face disruption on Monday as at least a dozen departures were further delayed due to Typhoon Noul, with authorities saying they expected normal operations to resume in the morning after hundreds of flights were cancelled over the weekend. According to the airport website, as of 12.45pm, 12 departing flights initially scheduled for Sunday had been rescheduled for Monday,...
Some air passengers remained stranded at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday following Typhoon Noul’s departure from the city, with authorities expecting normal operations to resume by the morning. According to the airport website, as of 12.45pm, 12 departing flights initially scheduled for Sunday had been rescheduled to Monday, including three that were due to depart between 5pm and 11.15pm...
Myanmar’s military has sharply escalated attacks on civilians since a new administration took office in the war-torn country, a conflict monitor said on Monday, even as regional governments ramp up diplomatic engagement. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) said the onslaught was a result of the tactics deployed by Myanmar’s new military chief who took over in late March as hi...
