Cambodia jails 6 Chinese men for South Korean student’s torture and murder
A Cambodian court sentenced six Chinese men, reportedly from a scam-linked crime ring, to life in prison on Wednesday for the murder of a South Korean student last year. The torture and killing of the...
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1h ago
Celebrity ‘Trump’ buffalo spared sacrifice, sent to Bangladesh zoo
A buffalo in Bangladesh nicknamed “Donald Trump” for its flowing blond hair has been spared from sacrifice after shooting to fame, and will instead be cared for at the national zoo. Muslim-majority Ba...
2h ago
US ex-president Biden sues DOJ over release of interview audio
Former Democratic US president Joe Biden sued the US Department of Justice on Tuesday, seeking to bar the release of audio recordings and transcripts of private conversations with his biographer in 2...
2h ago
3 scientists win Hong Kong’s Shaw Prize for developing therapy for rare leukaemia
Three life scientists from mainland China and France have won Hong Kong’s Shaw Prize for developing a therapy that has turned a rare form of leukaemia from deadly to widely curable. Professor Emerita...
2h ago
Uganda closes border with DR Congo as cases of rare Ebola type surge
Ugandan authorities on Wednesday ordered the closure of the border with Congo “with immediate effect” as suspected cases surge near 1,000 in its neighbour of a rare type of Ebola and as others emerge...
3h ago
Stamp of approval sought on HK$4.6 billion lifeline for struggling Hongkong Post
Hong Kong authorities are seeking to inject HK$4.6 billion (US$587 million) into the government-owned postal service provider to sustain its operations for the next three years, following eight years...
4h ago
Peking University unveils 3D design tool to power Huawei’s chip ambitions
Researchers at Peking University have claimed a breakthrough in microchip design software, purportedly offering critical support to Huawei Technologies as the tech giant attempts to build cutting-edge...
4h ago
Chinese scientists use supercomputer to cut new drug screening time from years to seconds
China has unveiled an artificial intelligence platform for drug discovery that can screen a vast library of chemical compounds, cutting the initial drug screening phase from months or years down to te...
4h ago
Blade concealed between Citybus double-decker seats sparks police probe
Hong Kong police are investigating after a blade was discovered between two seats on a Citybus double-decker, the second such incident to be reported in recent days. A male passenger alerted the drive...
4h ago
China unveils auto industry blueprint to set EV, AI vehicle and semiconductor standards
China is seeking to expand its influence over the future of the global auto industry through a sweeping regulatory blueprint covering core technologies ranging from vehicle chips, AI and batteries to...
5h ago
Why there’s no point in signing a fourth China-US communique
Despite recent signs that US-China ties are stabilising, veteran China watcher Li Cheng argues that the two superpowers should not rush to sign a new joint communique, suggesting this would add little...
5h ago
China’s drug regulator clears wave of home-grown innovative medicines amid biotech boom
Home-grown innovative drugs make up most of the medicines China’s drug regulator has approved for sale so far this year, underscoring the country’s biotech boom. Of the 19 innovative drugs cleared by...
5h ago
Philippine ex-president Duterte’s ICC trial to start on November 30
Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will face a crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court from November 30, the presiding judge said on Wednesday. Duterte faces three...
5h ago
What to watch at Shangri-La Dialogue after Trump’s China visit resets ties
The results of the Xi-Trump summit and their implications for regional security will take centre stage this week during Asia’s largest defence forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, according to...
5h ago
China’s weaving of a web of ties makes it a diplomatic superpower
Beijing hosted the presidents of the United States and Russia within days of each other recently. China’s rising diplomatic standing is no accident. It is grounded in a tradition of relational diploma...
6h ago
Hong Kong private tutor jailed for 4½ years over repeatedly molesting boy
A convicted paedophile has been jailed for 4½ years for committing obscene acts against a seven-year-old boy while working as a private tutor in Hong Kong more than two years ago. Ng Tin-yu, 24, was s...
6h ago
AI deepfakes expose legal vacuum in India’s celebrity rights protection
A wave of AI-generated deepfakes and fake endorsements has pushed Indian celebrities, from cricket stars to Bollywood actors, towards the courts seeking stronger protection for their name, image, voic...
6h ago
5 of 7 villagers trapped in flooded Laos cave found alive
Five of the seven villagers trapped deep in a flooded cave in Laos were found alive on Wednesday afternoon, Thai divers said, in a mission that included some of the same expert cave divers who saved a...
6h ago
China warns against ‘third party’ influence as Panama Canal port dispute simmers
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday said Beijing was ready to deepen cooperation with Panama City and that third countries should not influence their bilateral ties. “China has always maintain...
6h ago
Bangladesh probes hospital deaths of 6 newborns
At least six newborn babies died in the same hospital ward in Bangladesh within hours of each other on Wednesday, said health officials, who launched an investigation. The newborns, aged between one a...
6h ago
Samoan suspect confesses to hired hit in Vietnam on Sydney gangster
One of the two Samoan men arrested by Vietnamese police over the killing of an Australian with reported links to Sydney’s criminal underworld outside a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City has admitted that...
6h ago
Hong Kong overtakes Switzerland as world’s largest cross-border wealth hub, BCG finds
Hong Kong has overtaken Switzerland as the world’s largest cross-border wealth hub, driven by an initial public offering (IPO) bonanza and capital inflows from mainland China, according to Boston Cons...
6h ago
Hong Kong braces for Friday scorcher as mercury climbs to 33.7 degrees
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong recorded its hottest day of the year so far as the...
7h ago
More villagers evicted from land earmarked for Northern Metropolis
Hong Kong authorities have evicted more residents from a village in the New Territories to make way for the Northern Metropolis megaproject, with one family complaining they only received the notice t...
7h ago
China’s date with once-sanctioned Dutch trade minister on cards for early July: source
A Dutch minister who was previously sanctioned by Beijing will lead a business delegation to China in early July, according to a source familiar with the planning, as the two nations navigate thorny b...
7h ago
Beijing hails Hong Kong astronaut’s selection as result of ‘one country, two systems’
Beijing has hailed the inclusion of Hong Kong’s first astronaut in the Shenzhou-23 mission as the “fruitful result” of the “one country, two systems” framework, while expressing hope that more young p...
7h ago
India tells filmmakers to drop ‘China-bashing’ as ties warm
As India and China work to steady their relationship after years of border tension, Indian filmmakers say projects inspired by the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes are being reworked, delayed or shelved fol...
7h ago
Spanish police search headquarters of PM Sanchez’s ruling party
Spanish police are searching the headquarters of the ruling Socialist Party as part of an ongoing investigation into possible financial wrongdoing, the Civil Guard said on Wednesday. The raid on the o...
7h ago
Ride-hailing cap of 10,000 ‘prudent’ start for Hong Kong, transport minister says
Hong Kong’s cap of 10,000 vehicle permits for ride-hailing services is a “prudent and safe starting point” and the government will dynamically adjust the quota based on operational data, the city’s tr...
7h ago
Hong Kong justice secretary fears possible leak in allegations against prosecutor
Hong Kong’s secretary for justice has raised concerns that online accusations against the new public prosecutions director may have been based on information that came from inside his department, urgi...
7h ago
Japan enacts law centralising intelligence gathering amid privacy fears
Japan’s parliament enacted a law on Wednesday to establish a new National Intelligence Council to centralise information gathering in response to overseas threats, marking a first step in plans to boo...
7h ago
Can AI help Hongkongers quit smoking? Health authorities are giving it a go
Hong Kong health authorities have deployed an AI chatbot developed by a local university to help residents quit smoking, after missing their target despite a clampdown on tobacco products. The Tobacco...
8h ago
Alibaba’s new AI model scores higher than OpenAI, Google rivals in coding ranking
Alibaba Group Holding’s latest artificial intelligence model has clinched a top-tier spot on a major global coding leaderboard, making the Chinese technology giant the only developer other than Anthro...
8h ago
AI is massively increasing China’s new weapon development speed: scientists
While much of military AI globally focuses on autonomous weapons and large language models, a new study suggests Beijing may also be pursuing a quieter transformation: embedding artificial intelligenc...
8h ago
Controversial China ‘dead or alive’ app transforms into valuable personal safety tool
A controversial Chinese app with the allegedly offensive name “dead or alive” has been transformed into a government-backed safety tool. The app, called Sileme, or “Are you dead?”, went viral in Janua...
8h ago
Huawei seeks to match best chips without best chipmaking gear
Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies said it had found a way to make semiconductors on a par with the best worldwide without having to use cutting-edge chipmaking equipment it is unable to access du...
9h ago
Hong Kong to roll out 2-month subsidy on LPG to ease burden on transport firms
Hong Kong authorities will offer a subsidy of HK$0.50 per litre on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from this Sunday to July 30 to ease the pressure of soaring fuel prices caused by the Middle East war o...
9h ago
South Korea aims to join China, US at top tier of ‘loyal wingman’ combat drone race
South Korea’s programme to develop engines that can power flying drones to serve as loyal wingmen for fighter jets suggests that Seoul has set its sights on competing at the top level in the global ma...
9h ago
Kuaishou beats estimates as Kling AI video generator’s revenue jumps 300%
Chinese short-video company Kuaishou Technology beat estimates with 33.7 billion yuan (US$5 billion) in revenue in the first quarter, driven by the rapid commercialisation of its flagship artificial i...
10h ago
Failed M1-Simba merger prolongs Singapore’s cutthroat telco price war
The unravelling of a S$1.43 billion (US$1.12 billion) merger between Singapore mobile operators M1 and Simba has highlighted the city state’s brutally competitive telecoms market, revealing a potentia...
10h ago
Meet He Tingbo: Huawei’s ‘chip queen’ trying to rewrite China’s semiconductor playbook
When He Tingbo took the stage in Shanghai this week to unveil Huawei Technologies’ Tau (τ) Scaling Law, the message was about more than a new chip development framework. It was also a statement, showi...
10h ago
Top industrialist Sunny Chai picked to head firm developing San Tin Technopole
Veteran industrialist Sunny Chai Ngai-chiu has been appointed as chairman of a government-owned company set to be tasked with developing Hong Kong’s San Tin Technopole – a key pillar of the Northern M...
10h ago
‘Notorious’ Vietnam market defies raids, US tariff threats to sell luxury knock-offs
At a sprawling bazaar on the outskirts of Vietnam’s capital, the trade in counterfeit goods is bustling despite government crackdowns and the threat of US tariffs over the issue, two visits by Reuter...
10h ago
Israel says it killed Hamas’ new armed wing chief in Gaza strike
Israel said on Wednesday it had killed Hamas’ newly appointed armed wing chief in Gaza, days after it killed his predecessor, while intensifying military pressure in Gaza and expanding operations in...
10h ago
Man jailed 9 years for attempted rape after following victim from wet market
A 67-year-old jobless divorcee with a history of criminal offences has been jailed for nine years for sexually assaulting a woman during a brazen daytime break-in at a public rental flat in Hong Kong...
10h ago
Xpeng’s driverless cabs; Tesla launches FSD in China; Nio slams price wars: 7 EV reads
We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider su...
11h ago
Construction worker struck by falling chain hoist in critical condition
A 68-year-old construction worker is in critical condition after being struck by an electric chain hoist at a Hong Kong government site undergoing drainage replacement works on Wednesday morning. The...
11h ago
After years in tiny cages, 27 moon bears in Laos finally taste freedom
For two years, some of them never touched the ground. Locked in tiny wire cages and destined for a life of being drained of bile through syringes or surgically implanted taps, the 27 Asiatic black bea...
11h ago
Suspended policeman faces 7 years in jail over red paint vandalism, data access
A Hong Kong policeman accused of throwing red paint at the front door of a residential flat and accessing the force’s internal systems without authorisation could face up to seven years in prison afte...
11h ago
4 schools to close, 8 to merge with others after failing to meet enrolment quota
Four out of 15 public primary schools in Hong Kong with insufficient enrolment will cease operations, eight will merge with other schools, while two others will operate self-financing Primary One clas...