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Hong Kong parents should have their children vaccinated against respiratory infections as the city faces a triple threat from influenza, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a medical expert has said. Dr Mike Kwan Yat-wah, an honorary clinical associate professor in the University of Hong Kong’s department of paediatrics and adolescent medicine, warned on Saturday that the current summe...
The world might be dividing into rival camps and competing trade blocs, but international capital flows remain footloose and fancy free. In so doing, they pose a threat to what remains of stability in the real economy. A good example of this growing potential for international contagion is the influence of the weak yen on global stock prices. The Japanese currency is expected to remain weak for th...
Hong Kong should follow international peers in legislating to bar children under 16 from social media to combat cyberbullying and addiction, education experts and lawmakers have said, while stressing the need for broad social consensus. At a panel discussion on Saturday to examine proposals to restrict social media access for under-16s, educators and lawmakers argued that legislation was needed to...
An artificial intelligence (AI)-generated actress has amassed 400,000 followers on a leading social media platform in China within just two months, with a miniseries she stars in garnering an astonishing 250 million views. The success of the virtual star Fang Taozi, who is claimed to be 20 years old, has sparked intense discussion and widespread anxiety within the industry regarding the potential ...
South Korea’s national football association apologised on Saturday after a media report alleged it had provided “sexual services” to foreign referees when they were in the country for international matches more than a decade ago. South Korean broadcaster JTBC reported on Thursday that the Korea Football Association (KFA) had provided such services to foreign referees on multiple occasions in 2...
Hong Kong’s commerce chief is set to lead a delegation of mainland Chinese and local firms to Malaysia next week, noting that about 200 enterprises from across the border have already set up offices in the city since last year, using it as a stepping stone to go global. Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah also said on Saturday that the city was eyeing emerging mar...
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched ballistic missiles and drones at displacement camps and residential neighbourhoods in the city of Marib on Friday, killing two people and wounding 14, state news agency SABA reported, citing local authorities. Yemen’s army said early on Saturday it had responded against Houthi forces on several fronts. The army did not give details of the operations or say whe...
Two hikers, including a seven-year-old girl, were airlifted to hospital after falling ill on Saturday as Hong Kong experienced its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit). At about 2.30pm, police received a report that a 28-year-old man surnamed Wen had begun feeling unwell while hiking near Po Pin Chau in Sai Kung. He was airlifted by helico...
Hong Kong’s weather forecaster recorded its highest temperature of the year at its headquarters as parts of the city exceeded 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) on Saturday. The Hong Kong Observatory said Severe Typhoon Dolphin’s outer subsiding airflow was driving extremely hot conditions across Guangdong and Hong Kong, with the heat expected to persist into early next week. “As of 4pm, the maxi...
Hong Kong’s weather forecaster recorded its highest temperature of the year at its headquarters as parts of the city exceeded 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) on Saturday. The Hong Kong Observatory said Severe Typhoon Dolphin’s outer subsiding airflow was driving extremely hot conditions across Guangdong and Hong Kong, with the heat expected to persist into early next week. “As of 4pm, the maxi...
Temperatures exceeded 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) in parts of Hong Kong on Saturday as the city’s forecaster warned that extremely hot weather would persist over the coming days. The Hong Kong Observatory said Severe Typhoon Dolphin was bringing high temperatures to the region, with the heat expected to continue into early next week. “With [Severe Typhoon] Dolphin moving towards the vicini...
The president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has said “the path is open” for the revival of the institution’s main student union, so long as it registers with authorities in accordance with the law. Dennis Lo Yuk-ming also pushed back on claims that the university was overreliant on intake from mainland China, arguing that it was making strides in diversification. In an interview wi...
Flights serving eastern China were disrupted on Saturday as Typhoon Dolphin approached the coast, with some services cancelled and airlines offering flexible rebooking and refund options for affected passengers. Most of the typhoon-related flight disruptions have been reported at airports in the cities of Ningbo, Wenzhou, Taizhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai, according to Chinese media. Some travellers ...
India’s first test of its Kusha long-range surface-to-air missile system is seen as a milestone that could pave the way for New Delhi to bolster its home-grown air defence network and meet the challenges of future conflicts. Developed by the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation, the system is expected to become a key part of the two-phase Mission Sudarshan Chakra, Prime Minister...
Hong Kong police are investigating an attempted murder and suicide case after a man allegedly attacked his upstairs neighbour with a cleaver in a lift before falling to his death at a public housing block in Wong Tai Sin. Police said they received a report from a security guard at 7.19am on Saturday that a man was attacking another man inside a lift in Chiu Sin House at Upper Wong Tai Sin Estate. ...
Hong Kong police are investigating after a man with multiple knife wounds was found in a lift at a public housing block in Wong Tai Sin, seven minutes before another man was discovered to have fallen to his death at the same building. Police received the first report at 7.19am on Saturday after the injured man was found inside a lift at Chiu Sin House in Upper Wong Tai Sin Estate. The man, who had...
The Hong Kong Bar Association has said it “broadly supports” a dedicated offence for persistent child sexual abuse, after concerns over evidential issues in such cases were resolved in other jurisdictions in the past two decades. Vice-chairman Martin Hui Siu-ting said that while the association had reversed previous reservations it expressed when the city last discussed such a proposal in 2001, th...
In recent years, Thailand’s capital has discovered a surprising new attraction to add to its temples, shopping malls and street food: urban greenery. Unlike the others, which took decades to develop, Bangkok’s green credentials are a more recent phenomenon, emerging only during the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite their novelty, the city’s greening efforts are already bearing fruit. Visitors returning t...
For centuries, the Yangtze River has been China’s vital lifeblood, yet its floods have claimed countless lives. To tame its waters, flood-control systems have evolved from ancient dykes to the engineering marvel of the Three Gorges Dam. But a new study has uncovered a paradox: some human interventions may have inadvertently worsened the very flood risks they were built to mitigate. “We show that f...
Palestinian Christians call themselves “living stones” and say they have lived continuously in the Holy Land for the last 2,000 years. Maybe not for much longer, believes Reverend Mitri Raheb. “If the current conditions continue, there will not be a single Palestinian Christian left by 2050,” said Raheb, founder and president of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jes...
Sensing frustration among many Russians towards the Ukraine war, Russia’s liberal Yabloko party is hoping to use parliamentary elections this September to raise its profile, casting itself as the only opposition group in favour of a ceasefire. Elections in Russia are tightly controlled – every parliamentary vote since 2003 has been won by the ruling “United Russia” party, which supports President ...
China’s high-stakes race to build next-generation artificial intelligence models is entering a critical new phase, where a less visible yet far more existential threat is coming into view: a severe shortage of high-quality training data. While the US chokehold on advanced computing chips has dominated headlines, Chinese AI experts increasingly warn that running out of quality data could prove to b...
Thailand launched its Siam Silica framework last week, a national road map that stamps the Southeast Asian country’s stake in the semiconductor race by building a domestic ecosystem and positioning it as a key hub within an integrated supply chain among Asean member states. However, analysts say that the country will have much ground to cover as it trails behind neighbours Malaysia and Singapore. ...
The leader of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has called for greater financial support to develop a proposed 300-hectare (741 acres) university town near the border with mainland China, including funding for local institutions to build campuses, arguing that expansion will help navigate future challenges. In a wide-ranging interview with the South China Morning Post, CUHK president Denn...
A 111-year-old grandmother in eastern China has captured the attention of social media by attributing her remarkable longevity to simple habits, such as viewing housework as a form of daily exercise. Wang Gaiying lives in Rugao, Jiangsu province, which is renowned as one of the country’s “longevity capitals.” As of February, the area was home to 672 centenarians, according to the Jianghai Evening ...
Taiwan’s plan to dissolve the pro-Beijing Chinese Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) has sparked controversy over whether the independence-leaning authorities are using security concerns to suppress political dissent. The island’s interior ministry is seeking a Constitutional Court order to declare the CUPP unconstitutional and dissolve it, marking the first such action against a political party i...
Debate over the price of a burrito is causing indigestion for President Donald Trump’s Republican Party, which fears being punished for the high cost of living in November’s midterm elections. The Mexican speciality – rice, beans, meat and other toppings wrapped in a tortilla – is beloved by many Americans as a comforting, filling and inexpensive meal. Not any more, argues Andrew Kolvet, a spokesm...
When Malaysian artist Darwisy Mustafani received a commission to paint the country’s king and queen, he did not reach for an ordinary canvas. Instead, the 25-year-old from the northeastern city of Kota Bharu transformed songket – the lustrous handwoven fabric once reserved for Malay courts and ceremonial dress – into a portrait of the sultan and his wife before a golden-domed palace. The portrait,...
Kim Ji-soo wrapped up a visit to the coastal city of Qingdao in northern China just last weekend, but she is already contemplating where she will go on her next visit. “It seemed affordable, nearby and I wanted to visit a new city,” said the 57-year-old Seoul resident, who had been to Beijing before. “I enjoyed the food and the vast space the most,” Kim said, adding that the city’s bustling energy...
The football that Diego Maradona used to score his infamous “Hand of God” goal during Argentina’s win over England in the 1986 World Cup is expected to sell for US$10 million at a US auction this month. Maradona’s goal in the quarter-final match at the Estadio Azteca saw him punch the ball past the England goalkeeper, with the South Americans ultimately winning 2-1. After the game, the Argentine s...
