Why report on ship sunk in WWII may test South Korea-Japan ties
A report due to be released next month by a South Korean foundation will attempt to settle some of the discrepancies over the sinking of a ship repatriating Korean labourers from Japan to Busan in 194...
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6d ago
North Korean air force to gain ‘strategic assets’ amid heightened tensions
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced the country’s air force would be equipped with “new strategic military assets”, state media said on Sunday. Kim made the announcement at an event marking the...
6d ago
What are the right lessons from Hong Kong’s worst fire in 7 decades?
As Hong Kong mourns the victims of the deadly Tai Po blaze and questions emerge on accountability, experts have called for much tighter supervision of building maintenance and fire safety by authoriti...
6d ago
Russian drone strike kills 1 near Kyiv amid flurry of peace talks
A Russian drone attack has killed one person and wounded 11 on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, the regional governor said on Sunday. Mykola Kalashnyk, the Kyiv regional governor, reported “ano...
6d ago
Singapore becomes Plan B for Chinese travellers giving Japan a wide berth
Amid the diplomatic fallout between Tokyo and Beijing, Hunanese accountant Echo He feels relieved she has chosen Southeast Asia for her year-end trip with her husband and colleagues, instead of the po...
6d ago
Why Chinese are cancelling their trips to Japan
Recent weeks have seen a sharp decline in Sino-Japanese people-to-people exchanges. All flights on 12 routes from mainland Chinese cities to Japan had been cancelled as of November 24, reportedly due...
6d ago
Beyond DeepSeek: Moonshot and MiniMax step up as China’s new frontier AI labs
Chinese artificial intelligence start-ups Moonshot AI and MiniMax have emerged as China’s strongest contenders to rival US frontier labs in 2025 – even as DeepSeek has stolen the spotlight as the post...
6d ago
What is ‘second-hand fried chicken’; how snack becomes popular in Philippine slums
A decades-old staple in the slums of the Philippines, known as pagpag or “second-hand fried chicken”, has unexpectedly trended on mainland social media. Videos of Chinese influencers and bloggers film...
6d ago
‘She kept crying for me to rescue her’: victims’ families mourn fallen in Hong Kong
The eight milk tea-coloured towers of Wang Fuk Court were special sentinels to many locals in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district. Residents say that whenever they saw the blocks emerging into view on the nor...
6d ago
Thailand’s sidelined reformists battle ‘baan yai’ dynasties to repeat poll win
As the pieces of Thailand’s political puzzle begin to fall into place ahead of an election set for early next year, the third incarnation of a reformist party that won the most votes last time around...
6d ago
Taiwan’s plan to acquire drone ‘takeover’ technology sparks security debate
Taiwan’s plan to acquire Israeli “takeover” technology as part of a counter-drone network has set off a debate over its use and the island’s security strategy as it tries to keep pace with rapidly evo...
6d ago
If China can cut its pollution, why can’t India?
Despite years of policy interventions, air pollution in India is rapidly getting worse. By the middle of this month, cities including the capital New Delhi were seeing air quality readings at hazardou...
6d ago
Human washing machine goes on sale in Japan
After wowing World Expo visitors, a human washing machine is now on sale in Japan, a company spokeswoman said on Friday. Users lie down in the pod, close the lid and get cleaned like clothes in a wash...
6d ago
Oscar-winning UK playwright Tom Stoppard dies aged 88
British playwright Tom Stoppard, who won an Oscar for the screenplay for the 1998 film Shakespeare In Love, has died at the age of 88, United Agents said on Saturday. “We are deeply saddened to announ...
6d ago
Hong Kong fire disaster brings victim ID unit’s grim task back into focus
More than 600 officers from the Hong Kong Police Force’s Disaster Victim Identification Unit (DVIU) searched two fire-ravaged blocks of the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po without finding...
6d ago
Ukraine naval drones strike Russian oil tankers in Black Sea off Turkish coast
Ukraine used domestically produced Sea Baby naval drones to strike two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea, an official from Ukraine’s security services said on Saturday. The two oil tankers, Kairos...
6d ago
Hong Kong begins 3 days of mourning as more arrests made over deadly blaze
Hong Kong began a three-day official mourning period on Saturday for victims of the city’s deadliest blaze in decades as residents queued at the site of the tragedy and various halls to pay their resp...
6d ago
Man arrested for alleged sedition in Hong Kong amid warning over fire rumours
Hong Kong’s national security police have arrested a man on suspicion of trying to incite sedition in relation to the deadly blaze in Tai Po, the Post has learned. The move on Saturday came as the cen...
6d ago
3 cats and turtle rescued from Hong Kong residential complex days after fire
Several more pets have been rescued from the burned buildings of a residential complex in Tai Po, as animal charities continued to search for separated owners and expressed concerns that animals still...
6d ago
Sense of sombre unity as Hong Kong mourns 128 killed in blaze
A sense of sombre unity permeated the whole of Hong Kong on Saturday as residents from all walks of life mourned the victims of the city’s deadliest fire in seven decades by signing condolence books o...
6d ago
Israeli drone attack kills two children in Gaza, say medics
An Israeli attack killed two children in Gaza on Saturday, medics and relatives said, in violence that has persisted in the Palestinian enclave despite a fragile ceasefire. The children’s uncle said a...
6d ago
Consider Venezuela airspace ‘closed in its entirety’, says Trump
US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that the airspace above and near Venezuela should be considered closed, the latest escalation in a stand-off with leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. “To all Ai...
6d ago
China takes on US and Russia as it touts J-35 fighter jet in the Middle East
China’s second fifth-generation fighter jet, the J-35, could find buyers in the Middle East as demand grows for advanced stealth aircraft in the region – though its capabilities remain unknown, accord...
6d ago
Hong Kong minister urges NGOs to work more closely with government over fire aid
Hong Kong’s home affairs minister has called on NGOs to better coordinate with the government on their support for residents displaced in the city’s deadliest fire in decades following reported confus...
6d ago
Spain stops pork exports to China after African swine flu cases
Spain’s Agriculture Ministry said it has halted all pork exports to China after two wild boar found dead near Barcelona tested positive for African swine flu, the first cases in three decades. The out...
6d ago
Chinese man wounded in landmine explosion on Cambodia-Thailand border
A Chinese man allegedly attempting to cross illegally into Thailand from Cambodia was injured on Saturday when he stepped on a landmine, the Thai army announced, reiterating its charges that Cambodian...
6d ago
Hong Kong dad saved from burning building asks how to start over with nothing
Watching his young children’s faces light up with excitement, William Li felt relief, but the deep ache in his chest was overwhelming. His son and daughter were happy he had saved their most treasured...
6d ago
Could the PLA use long-range rockets against ships in an attack on Taiwan?
The People’s Liberation Army’s long-range rocket launchers can hit moving targets at sea during island seizure operations, according to mainland Chinese state media. In a report on Thursday, state bro...
6d ago
Portraits of courage: helpers who stayed with their wards during Hong Kong fire
As Hong Kong reels from its deadliest fire in decades, a highly visible community of foreigners is also in mourning as it awaits the fate of at least 80 of its own who remain missing. They are the dom...
6d ago
HK$60,000 fire subsidy only for Wang Fuk Court residents: Hong Kong minister
A Hong Kong government subsidy of HK$60,000 (US$7,710) for victims of the Tai Po fire is only for residents living in Wang Fuk Court, the home affairs minister has clarified amid alleged cases of abus...
6d ago
Death toll climbs above 370 in flood-hit Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia
The death toll from devastating floods and landslides in Southeast Asia climbed past 370 on Saturday as clean-up and search and rescue operations got under way in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Hea...
6d ago
Beijing launches nationwide fire safety drive in wake of deadly Hong Kong blaze
Authorities in mainland China have launched a nationwide campaign to eliminate fire hazards in high-rise buildings, days after Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades tore through a residential complex...
6d ago
‘It is fake’: why US industry leader refused to believe China’s robot march clip
On November 14, Chinese robotics firm UBtech released footage showing hundreds of Walker S2 humanoid robots standing in precise formation inside a warehouse. The machines turned their heads in unison,...
6d ago
‘With you in hour of need’: volunteers rally to help Hong Kong fire displaced
As despair draped the air and hopes dimmed for the scores still unaccounted for, one scene stood out on the second night after Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades: volunteers forming long human chai...
6d ago
Thousands protest in Germany as far-right AfD party starts youth convention
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the western German city of Giessen on Saturday as the far-right Alternative for Germany’s new youth organisation was set to kick off its founding convention. Gro...
6d ago
Chinese biker chases TV crew for 100km to show skills, now owns US$99 million firm
From chasing a TV crew for 100km to showcase his motorcycle skills, a once-poor young man from central China has built a thriving motorcycle empire, raking in 700 million (US$100 million) yuan a year....
6d ago
Russian strikes kill 2 in Kyiv, injure 29, as efforts to end war continue
Russian drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, killed at least two people in the early hours of Saturday, local officials said. The attacks came just before a second round of peace...
6d ago
123 dead, 130 missing in Sri Lanka after cyclone wreaks havoc
The death toll from heavy floods and mudslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka rose to 123, with 130 people still missing, authorities said Saturday. Nearly 44,000 people have been displaced and...
6d ago
‘Utmost inspiration’: Bangladesh ex-PM Khaleda Zia in ‘very critical’ condition
Former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia’s health deteriorated since being admitted to hospital, prompting her family and party members to urge citizens to pray for her speedy recovery on Saturday...
6d ago
In ‘Schrodinger’s Pakistan’, the young feel sidelined by the state
In Pakistan, a nation where power often seems to serve itself above all else, the latest constitutional overhaul has been received with a weary sense of resignation. Pushed through parliament on Novem...
6d ago
China set to benefit as South Africa looks to diversify away from US
South Africa is looking to new export markets in Asia – particularly China – and Europe to diversify away from the United States, as its relations with Washington rapidly deteriorate. America boycotte...
6d ago
Japan security guard’s bond with cat moves many; museum honours feline’s memory
A special bond that was formed between a museum security guard and a black cat that died last year continues to move countless people online. The feline called Ken-chan visited the Onomichi City Museu...
6d ago
China gives disputed Scarborough Shoal a clean bill of health
Coral reefs at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea are healthy and resilient to climate change, but growing thermal stress poses a potential bleaching risk, according to a Chinese en...
6d ago
Hotelier races to shelter Hong Kong fire victims using Grenfell experience
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading...
6d ago
‘Sad but glad to help’: Hong Kong fire teaches children lesson in empathy
Beneath the podium at Kwong Fuk Estate in Tai Po, between rows of relief booths and supply tables stacked with bottled water and meal boxes, a group of children took a break from their volunteering du...
6d ago
China consumers use AI to alter product photos, claim refunds for ‘damaged’ goods
Fake photos generated by artificial intelligence (AI) are being misused to claim refunds from Chinese online shops, sparking moral and legal concerns. As China’s Double 11 shopping festival took place...
6d ago
Peru declares state of emergency as fears of migrant influx from Chile mount
Peru’s government declared a state of emergency at its southern border with Chile on Friday, expecting an influx of people trying to flee far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast’s potential presidency....
6d ago
China’s first own passenger jet Comac ARJ21 debuts in 2015 – SCMP archive
This article was first published on November 30, 2015. By Sijia Jiang After 13 years, China’s own passenger jet enters service China’s ambition of an indigenous plane took wings on Sunday (November 29...
6d ago
Malaysia raids men-only wellness centre, prosecutor among 201 arrested
A total of 201 men have been detained in Malaysia during a joint enforcement operation at a wellness centre after authorities suspected the premises in Kuala Lumpur were being used for illicit activit...
6d ago
Ancient Chinese DNA shows gender bias in human sacrifice ritual 4,000 years ago
Female sacrifice in China dates back thousands of years earlier than previously believed, a study of ancient DNA has revealed. Evidence from elite burials at a large Stone Age settlement in northweste...