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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. Protesters arrested during Hong Kong’s 2019 social unrest will be given priority for case reviews if they demonstrate remorse and a sense of national identity, the security chief has...
A Malaysian paediatrician based in Perth has been remanded on 33 charges of child sexual offences and possession of child exploitation material, widening a case that Australian prosecutors say involves multiple children. The case adds to a list of child sex-related prosecutions involving Malaysian medical practitioners overseas, including a child psychiatrist jailed in Ireland in 2024, and another...
A major legal database affiliated with Peking University has launched a large language model tool it says can accurately retrieve statutes and automatically generate contracts, sending ripples through the legal profession in China. AI-powered legal tools can draft convincing documents in seconds, yet without rigorous oversight they are equally adept at inventing statutes and fabricating precedents...
With the formal handover of its new Hong Kong premises already complete and plans well under way to start moving all local staff there in the fourth quarter of this year, UBS, the world’s largest wealth manager, is showing long-term confidence in the city’s future as an international financial centre. The new headquarters is located near the West Kowloon Cultural District, one of the world’s large...
US President Donald Trump was dismissive of Andy Burnham, who is set to become the next UK prime minister, saying he was unfamiliar with him and has only heard that he is “extremely liberal”. The US president was asked by a reporter on Wednesday about what he knew about Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester who is poised to succeed Keir Starmer in Britain’s latest leadership shake-up. “I...
Hong Kong social welfare authorities have classified baby Danny as a “high-risk” child and recommended he remain in protective care, while Sweden has moved to permanently transfer custody of his elder sister Lily to a foster family, according to the children’s parents. The developments come ahead of a hearing at West Kowloon Juvenile Court on Friday over a protection order for Danny, the two-month...
Hong Kong social welfare authorities have classified baby Danny as a “high-risk” child and recommended he remain in protective care, while Sweden has moved to permanently transfer custody of his elder sister Lily to a foster family, according to the children’s parents. The developments come ahead of a hearing at West Kowloon Juvenile Court on Friday over a protection order for Danny, the two-month...
US President Donald Trump opened 16 days of celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary Wednesday with a rally-style speech – turning a national commemoration into a highly politicised showcase for his second-term agenda. The address, on Washington’s National Mall, underscored how Trump has reshaped the anniversary around his own brand of politics and showmanship, blurring the line between offici...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee has wrapped up hearing testimony from experts on the factors behind Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, with legal representatives to make their closing remarks in mid-July. Polytechnic University professors Asif Usmani and Jiang Lim...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee will wrap up hearing testimony from experts on the factors behind Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, with the legal representatives to make their closing remarks in mid-July. Polytechnic University professors Asif Usmani and Jiang L...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee will wrap up hearing testimony from experts on the factors behind Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, with the legal representatives to make their closing remarks in mid-July. Polytechnic University professors Asif Usmani and Jiang L...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee will wrap up hearing testimony from experts on the factors behind Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, with the legal representatives to make their closing remarks in mid-July. Polytechnic University professors Asif Usmani and Jiang L...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee will wrap up hearing testimony from experts on the factors behind Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, with the legal representatives to make their closing remarks in mid-July. Polytechnic University professors Asif Usmani and Jiang L...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee will wrap up hearing testimony from experts on the factors behind Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, with the legal representatives to make their closing remarks in mid-July. Polytechnic University professors Asif Usmani and Jiang L...
Every booking inquiry that lands in dive operator Richard Swann’s inbox these days carries the same undertow of anxiety. Before his clients commit to a dive trip off Kota Kinabalu, they want reassurance: are Sabah’s reefs still worth the journey? It is a question that would have seemed strange a generation ago, when the waters off Malaysian Borneo were simply assumed to be among the finest on Eart...
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. Resuming extradition agreements with some countries is up to the ones that suspended them, Hong Kong’s security chief has said, calling the loss of such transfer deals a “pity” and s...
Hundreds of China’s top military officials have spent weeks at an unprecedented ideology training camp – studying President Xi Jinping’s speeches, reading corrupt cadres’ confessions and marching in formation – as the anti-corruption drive in the military deepens. The details of the training camp, which concluded last week, were published in the People’s Liberation Army Daily, the military’s offic...
Southbound Stock Connect flows, through which mainland Chinese investors buy Hong Kong listed shares, hit a record high in the past year, reflecting strong confidence in the city’s market on the back of a booming pipeline of initial public offerings (IPO). In the 12 months to March this year, mainland investors snapped up HK$1.19 trillion (US$151.8 billion) worth of shares in Hong Kong, according ...
A Form Two male student died after collapsing during a rugby training session at a secondary school in Telok Mas, Malaysia’s Melaka state. The 14-year-old is believed to have lost consciousness at about 6pm on Wednesday shortly after a break while listening to a briefing by his coach. The victim’s granduncle, Yahya Endut, 64, said he rushed from Alor Gajah after receiving news of the incident invo...
The recent enactment of the Safeguarding National Security (Procedural Matters) Regulation has generated significant interest and commentary on Hong Kong’s legal landscape. It is recognised that maintaining national security is of paramount importance and that there is a constitutional responsibility on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to do so. Under the Basic Law, that responsibility ...
The market realignment over the past week starkly captures the self-defeating logic of America’s technology containment strategy. The momentum began on June 15, when the shares of Chinese artificial intelligence pioneer Zhipu AI, which trade in Hong Kong under Knowledge Atlas Technology, surged by 48 per cent intraday after it announced the open-source release of its GLM-5.2 foundation model. The ...
A boy in southern China accidentally ignited dozens of mobile phones while playing at home, but his father’s remarkably calm reaction has garnered praise online. The father, surnamed Peng, operates a mobile phone shop in Shenzhen and utilises part of his home as a workshop for storing devices, according to the mainland media outlet First Scene. The fire began when Peng’s five-year-old son noticed ...
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. Authorities will arrest and prosecute anyone if there is evidence of their wrongdoing in the Tai Po fire tragedy to ensure justice is served without needing the independent committee...
[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] For five years in a row the Hong Kong Science Fair has worked to build up the talent pipeline that will support scientific discovery and innovation in Hong Kong and across the country. By sparking ideas in children and instilling an entrepreneurial spirit in their formative years, it helps turn young curiosity into real-w...
Hong Kong’s overall prime office vacancy rate fell to a seven-month low in May, driven by spillover demand from Central, where premium offices were close to full occupancy, according to JLL. With Central’s grade A office vacancy rate holding steady at 9.2 per cent, tenants appeared to have found their way to neighbouring Wan Chai and Causeway Bay. Vacancy there edged down to 9.8 per cent in May fr...
Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people and injuring 700 more as buildings collapsed in and around the capital Caracas, interim President Delcy Rodriguez said. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160km (100 miles) west of Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS, using ...
Powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday afternoon, toppling buildings in the capital Caracas, trapping people in the rubble and prompting scientists to warn of potentially heavy casualties and widespread destruction. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160km (100 miles) west of Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, according to the US Geological Survey ...
Strong earthquakes struck west of Venezuela’s capital on Wednesday afternoon, toppling buildings in Caracas, trapping people in the rubble and prompting scientists to warn of potentially heavy casualties and widespread destruction across the South American country. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit about 160km (100 miles) west of Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 tremor, ...
Strong earthquakes struck west of Venezuela’s capital on Wednesday afternoon, bringing down buildings in Caracas and causing scientists to estimate “high casualties and extensive damage” to the South American country. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck about 160km (100 miles) west of Caracas, with a magnitude 7.5 tremor hitting less than a minute later, according to the US Geological Survey (USG...
A strong earthquake shook north-central Venezuela on Wednesday afternoon, west of Caracas, bringing down buildings in the capital, though authorities did not immediately report any casualties. The earthquake registered at a magnitude 7.1, about 160km (100 miles) west of Caracas, at a depth of 13km (eight miles), according to the US Geological Survey. “Some buildings have been brought down [in Ca...
