This week, the results of China’s National Higher Education Entrance Examination, or gaokao, will be released. Within days, candidates will submit their prioritised preferences for universities and majors. Families will have to make the most conseq...

During an inspection of shipbuilding and nuclear power firms in China’s heavy industrial hub in the northeast, Premier Li Qiang pushed state-owned firms to achieve breakthroughs in high-end equipment manufacturing and to bolster the nation’s core...

The US has overtaken South Korea as the Philippines’ top source of foreign tourists this year, helped by diaspora travel and closer ties between the long-time allies, giving Manila a boost as it tries to close the gap with more popular destinations...

A taxi driver and a passenger were injured after the vehicle collided with a truck on Kwun Tong Road in Hong Kong on Tuesday afternoon. Police said the crash occurred at about 12.25pm on the eastbound carriageway of the road, near Ping Shek Estate in...

Hotel bookings in Singapore are surging ahead of K-pop boy band BTS’ highly anticipated concerts in December, with some reporting demand jumping by as much as 50 times. The spike mirrors a broader trend across Asia, where cities on BTS’ tour sche...

This article was first published on June 24, 2003. WHO gives the all-clear by Jimmy Cheung, Chow Chung-yan and Benjamin Wong Hong Kong is ready to spend $1 billion to rebuild its battered image and lure back tourists and businesses after it was offic...

Malaysian lawmaker Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has fired back at Tunku Ismail Ibrahim after the Johor crown prince took a swipe at the former sports minister, describing him as the “most Hollywood” among populist politicians. Tunku Ismail told ...

On Monday morning, ⁠Keir Starmer emerged into the sunshine in Downing Street flanked by his staff and ⁠wife, his voice thick with emotion as he said he was no longer the right person to lead Britain. Starmer, who won one of the biggest landslides...

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s pushback against China signals a calculated bid to fend off accusations of Tokyo’s “new militarism” by Beijing to ensure that the label does not stick and slow Japan’s security reforms. His comme...

As China’s relationship with African countries has deepened, the country’s influence is spreading into more areas. In the latest of a series of articles, Dulue Mbachu investigates the extent of Chinese investments in the continent and Beijing’s...

A dog-rental platform has sparked both curiosity and concern as China’s urban pet economy takes an unexpected turn. Launched on social media in March, the mini-programme known as “Wangbu,” which loosely translates to “dog walk,” enables res...

Luxury electric vehicle (EV) brands from China are poised to enter the same elite tier as established European marques by leveraging their disruptive technologies, according to Chinese EV maker Zeekr. “There is a gap between the demand for electric...

Chinese scientists have developed a tiny, ceramic-based lithium-ion battery that can withstand extreme heat, offering a safer power source for smart sensors, aerospace gadgets and military applications. Unlike flammable traditional lithium-ion batter...

Hong Kong must step up efforts to export its food culture and promote its culinary heritage, industry leaders have said after a recent study found that Cantonese restaurants have borne the brunt of the sector’s slump. Data released this month by th...

The breaking point for former Singaporean lawyer Dominic Low was when he had just got home past midnight and his boss asked him to respond to an international client. This meant he had to return to the office and work till 2am. He was into his second...

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Washington’s National Mall is set to be drained again for repairs after algae and peeling paint appeared just weeks after a US$14.7 million renovation, while President Donald Trump threatened prison time for ...

Senior officials from the European Union and Hong Kong are in talks to launch a financial services dialogue, with companies from the bloc keen to explore opportunities in the Northern Metropolis, its top representative in the city has said. Ambassado...

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Malaysian tourists ...

A luxury superyacht seized from fugitive financier Benjamin Mauerberger is due for auction at a starting price of US$18 million on Tuesday, as authorities seek to claw back money from powerful money laundering networks across Thailand. Mauerberger an...

Victims of violent acts and threats by loan sharks have been urged to come forward under a nationwide initiative led by the Malaysian Chinese Association’s Public Services and Complaints Department. MCA chief Michael Chong said the party’s youth ...

Ningxia is a perfect example of how the East meets the West. Located in the northwest inland region of China, it is the intersection of the Eurasian steppe and Chinese farmlands. Fudan University, in collaboration with the Ningxia Institute of Cultur...

A Malaysian donor whose organs and tissues went to five patients has drawn tributes online after a local hospital corridor send-off was shared widely on social media. Normah Sabar, remembered by Malaysia’s national mapping agency as the country’s...

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. Hong Kong’s next Kai Tak C...

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. Hong Kong will build on the ...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un criticised Japan as turning into a “war state”, in a speech during a three-day meeting held through Monday, according to official news media. “Japan, a defeated country in Asia, has openly turned itself into a wa...

A recruitment advertisement from a zoo in central China seeking individuals to pose as black bears, offering an annual salary of 100,000 yuan (US$15,000), has gone viral on social media, generating a wave of humorous responses among internet users. L...

Chinese tourists are expected to be among the hardest hit by Japan’s fivefold visa fee increase, a move analysts warned could further strain already tense relations between Beijing and Tokyo. For the first time since 1978, the Japanese government h...

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) appears sudden and revolutionary, yet its origins stretch deep into history, revealing a profound and forgotten intellectual exchange between China and the West. Long before Alan Turing, Claude Shannon, or e...

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. Hong Kong should focus on be...

A passenger on a Singapore Airlines flight molested an air stewardess, with his friends laughing in response. When the woman went to report the incident to her supervisor, the culprit followed her into the galley, stood extremely close to her and cor...

South Korea’s AI-driven semiconductor boom has sent exports, corporate profits and stock prices to record highs, but a senior policymaker has warned that the windfall could fuel property speculation and deepen inequality if its gains remain narrowl...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer conceded on Monday that he had lost the support of his rank-and-file Labour Party members in Parliament and that he will step down once his successor as party leader is chosen, possibly as soon as the middle of Jul...

A notorious mob hitman who once testified against John “Junior” Gotti before cleaning up his life and becoming a councilman in New Jersey has been arrested on extortion and loan sharking charges that, if proven, reflect a return to the lifestyle ...

US President Donald Trump criticised outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday after the Labour leader announced he would resign, saying he had “really hurt himself” over energy, immigration and his handling of relations with Washing...

Japan seized the spotlight at last month’s Shangri-La Dialogue, stepping into a vacuum left by the Chinese defence chief – who skipped the forum for a second year – and using the stage to sharpen its warnings over Beijing’s military rise. Spe...

US President Donald Trump said on Monday “I will do what I have to do” if Iran does not stick to its agreement with ‌Washington. “If Iran doesn’t live up to their agreement, or if they’re not behaving, I will do what I have to do,” Trum...

The US strike on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman earlier this month did more than kill three Indian sailors and severely undercut US-India relations. It has also cast further doubt on the unity of the Quad, an informal bloc made up of the United St...

The Hong Kong government has launched a two-month public consultation for the city’s first five-year plan, marking an important milestone in its development. The blueprint provides the city with a clearer vision for the future and a systematic appr...

A suspect armed with a long gun opened fire on Monday at a Montreal hotel, killing a police officer before officers returned fire, killing him, police said. A civilian also died but it was not immediately clear who fired that shot. Police Chief Fady ...

China, which now conducts more clinical drug trials than the US, still lags in the quality and commercial reach of its biomedical science, according to a recent survey of senior US leaders in industry and academia. The ‌poll, conducted by Cure Inno...

Beijing’s latest restrictions on US rare earth companies, imposed in response to the Pentagon’s designation of leading Chinese firms, are testing the durability of the fragile US-China truce, analysts said. China’s export controls, targeting 10...

At ⁠least 18 people died in France, including two children left in a hot car, as a heatwave hung over Europe, smashing temperature records in several cities on Monday. As schools in France closed or modified timetables, forecasters in Britain predi...

Beijing congratulated Colombia on its presidential run-off and said it would work with the incoming government of Abelardo de la Espriella, the far-right lawyer who has promised to pull the country back towards the United States. Foreign ministry spo...

European Central ⁠Bank President Christine Lagarde ⁠on Monday urged global leaders to discuss undervaluation of the Chinese currency as a facet of the imbalances endangering the global economy. China has ‌consistently denied that it manipulates...

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that her country seeks to restart oil shipments to Cuba soon, a move that could provide much-needed relief as the island’s crises deepen given a lack of petroleum. Sheinbaum said her administration...

Clive Davis, a former corporate lawyer who became one of the most influential figures in American rock and pop music as he fostered the careers of Bob Dylan, Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen and other stars, died ⁠o...

A rare shooting at a public high school in the central Philippines that left three students dead and seven injured has gripped the country amid concerns over campus safety and the mental well-being of young people. Two Grade 9 students, aged 14 and 1...

An independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has ruled out seeking statutory powers to compel witnesses to testify, a move that has left some survivors concerned that key figures may avoid scrutiny. Committee chairma...

Russian-held Crimea, a popular tourism destination, suspended children’s summer camps and tourist activities until September 1, its governor said on Monday, as the peninsula reels from a fuel crisis due to Ukrainian attacks on its supply routes. Su...