Hong Kong has recorded its fastest economic growth in nearly five years in the first quarter, at 5.9 per cent, driven by strong exports and private consumption despite ongoing unrest in the Middle East. The first-quarter growth exceeded the year-on-y...

Japan and Australia agreed to step up collaboration in areas including critical minerals, defence and energy security, tackling China’s dominance of rare earths and fuel-supply disruptions caused by the Iran war. “Australia and Japan are taking a...

More than 240 owners representing over 12 per cent of households at Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court petitioned the government-appointed administrator in late April to hold an extraordinary general meeting, saying they might seek legal actio...

A Japanese infantry unit has withdrawn a new patch designed by artificial intelligence after it was criticised for being immature, “aggressive” and out of step with the public image of the country’s Self-Defence Forces (SDF). The 1st Infantry R...

Thailand on ⁠Tuesday cancelled a long-standing agreement ⁠with Cambodia to work towards joint offshore ⁠energy exploration, Thailand’s prime minister said, defying calls from its neighbour to stay the course on the 25-year-old pact. The Thai ...

When it comes to artificial intelligence, the United States still dominates the headlines – and, by most conventional measures, the technology itself. American institutions continue to produce a large share of high-impact AI research, and private i...

Four men slipped aboard in the darkness. Armed with knives and moving fast, they descended into the engine room of the Taipan as the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker threaded its way through the Singapore Strait on the night of April 22. The crew mana...

WeRide boss Tony Han Xu believes the first fully autonomous cars may arrive on streets by 2035, as global carmakers and tech firms accelerate the application of self-driving technologies despite roadblocks. The latest setback came when Chinese regula...

As China’s role in Africa’s economy continues to grow, so do the opportunities for locals that can speak Chinese. The change is partially being driven by the expanding footprint of smaller Chinese companies, which would rather hire locally than b...

A tourist has shared photos of herself holding a MacLehose Trail sign apparently removed from its metal stand during the Labour Day “golden week” holiday, drawing criticism from Hong Kong internet users. In one of two photos posted on her RedNote...

A hantavirus outbreak tied to a cruise ship off Cabo Verde has grown to seven cases, including two confirmed infections, the World Health Organization said on Monday, with three deaths among those linked to the voyage. The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius is...

A Malaysian minister urged the country’s police chief to clarify the status of investigations into allegations that a network of businessmen was colluding with anti-corruption agency officials to oust executives. The government has ordered law enfo...

A 12-year-old boy in Hong Kong has been arrested on suspicion of manufacturing explosives and posting about the process online, the South China Morning Post has learned. Police said they were expected to reveal details of the case on Tuesday afternoo...

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has arrested seven people linked to a syndicate that allegedly targeted large maintenance projects through undisclosed conflicts of interest and a contractor who served in a dual role as consultant. The Independ...

The death of a runner from heatstroke after a Penang hill run event has put a spotlight on the rising risks of soaring temperatures in Malaysia, as authorities report a spike in heat-related illnesses and are seeding clouds to trigger rains in the co...

When a South Korean cargo ship exploded and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz late on Monday, Donald Trump wasted no time declaring what he thought it meant. “Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!” the US president w...

Singapore schools used caning as a disciplinary measure only when all other options were inadequate, given the gravity of the misconduct, Minister for Education Desmond Lee said on Tuesday. Responding to more than 20 parliamentary questions on the Mi...

A former senior Hong Kong police inspector has been jailed for six weeks after lying to colleagues to borrow HK$140,000 (US$17,871), as he struggled with debts exceeding HK$2 million. Kwun Tong Court on Tuesday sentenced Tang Chun-ho, 45, after findi...

HSBC, Hong Kong’s largest lender, reported broadly flat first-quarter profit as lower interest rates and provisions linked to the Middle East conflict offset solid growth in its wealth management business. Net profit for the first three months of 2...

A stray dog in central China has gone viral after a group of taxi drivers raised money for his surgery following a car accident. At the high speed rail station in Xuancheng, Anhui province, a yellow dog became a beloved figure among the local cabbies...

A biofuel company backed by the family office of tycoon Peter Lee Ka-kit will invest HK$10 billion (US$1.3 billion) in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production plants in the Greater Bay Area, a project that Hong Kong’s leader has hailed as a “m...

Sudan’s armed forces blamed a drone attack ⁠on Monday that targeted Khartoum airport on the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia, the latest in a barrage of assaults in recent days that has shattered months of relative calm in Sudan’s capital, thr...

Philippine annual inflation accelerated to a ⁠three-year high in April, ⁠as a surge in fuel prices ⁠triggered by the Middle East conflict raises the chance of more policy tightening. Consumer prices rose 7.2 per cent last month, the statistics ...

The operation of claw and pinball machines could be regulated by capping fees and prize values as a first step to curb addiction to automated games, lawmakers have said, while also warning of “deceptive” designs that make winning impossible. Whil...

Brussels is rallying support among EU industry groups for a trade weapon to tackle Chinese overcapacity, as the European Commission races to propose a sweeping new tool this summer. While the contours of the new instrument remain a closely guarded se...

One of the two Hong Kong hikers stranded on a treacherous slope in Japan’s Northern Alps has been found dead, hours after the other was rescued. Gifu Prefecture police dispatched a four-member rescue team, comprising police officers and civilian ex...

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. More Singaporeans a...

Japan’s defence minister is touring Southeast Asia this week with what analysts describe as a clear, if diplomatically understated, mission: turning Indonesia and the Philippines into harder targets for Chinese maritime ambition. Shinjiro Koizumi l...

Fuminori Arita once farmed iyokan, a Japanese citrus variety, but about 10 years ago he switched to growing avocados, revelling in the challenge of producing crops of what he describes as a “sensitive and difficult to grow” fruit. The 67-year-old...

Authorities in Thailand are unravelling a “phantom birth’’ racket involving possibly hundreds of babies – mainly Chinese – falsely registered as Thais by corrupt officials so that their parents can gain land and company ownership rights. Sc...

China has debuted a massive driverless mining truck that can “crab-walk” across difficult terrain, highlighting the country’s push to modernise its mining industry through technology. Despite a kerb weight of nearly 100 tonnes, this advanced mo...

China’s state broadcaster has given a glimpse of the first export variant of the J-35A – the country’s second land-based fifth-generation fighter jet – with Pakistan the most likely recipient, according to reports and analysis. The CCTV clip ...

Hong Kong should adopt a top-down, comprehensive ecotourism policy to safeguard the city’s natural attractions, with a designated authority taking the lead, experts have urged, after a surge in Labour Day “golden week” visitors overwhelmed ecol...

Two marine rescue volunteers died after their boat capsized while attempting to help a yacht in distress off the east coast of Australia, according to New South Wales police. On Monday evening, a member of the public reported that a yacht appeared to...

As Hong Kong prepares for another major push in public works, one question deserves far more attention than it has received: are we buying infrastructure in a way that is sustainable for the construction industry and the public as a whole? In his Feb...

The death toll from a fireworks factory explosion in Liuyang, Hunan province has risen to 26, according to Chinese state media. The explosion occurred at around 4.40pm on Monday in a workshop at the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Compan...

Singapore’s Grab reported first-quarter profit that exceeded analysts’ estimates, helped by resilient demand for ride hailing and delivery in a market rattled by economic and political challenges. Southeast Asia’s biggest ride-hailing and deliv...

Chinese multinational company Landbridge Group’s legal claim regarding Darwin Port – the first case ever brought against Australia at the international tribunal – is likely to yield a multi-year proceeding, which could serve as a buffer to prov...

An ex-Chinese soldier has told how he escaped a Myanmar scam hub after scaling a wall, applying cow dung to mask his scent and subduing an armed guard. Yang Lei, from northeastern China, shared the thrilling story of his escape after he arrived safel...

The independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po blaze has finished 21 sessions of evidential hearings over three rounds, identifying loopholes in the supervision of the estate’s renovation project and the government’s regulati...

The sounds of passing cars and birds chirping broke the morning stillness at Penang’s Northam Road Protestant Cemetery as visitors began filtering in after 8am. Tour guide Zul Harris arrived in a purple shirt, grey trousers and a black flat cap to ...

Robots are beginning to reshape everyday life in China as the country accelerates its embrace of embodied artificial intelligence, handling tasks from cleaning homes and directing traffic to repairing equipment in hazardous factory settings. Embodied...

A Colombian girl celebrating her 10th birthday was among three people crushed to death at a monster truck display when a vehicle veered out of control and ploughed into spectators, authorities said on Monday. Hellen Velarde was attending Sunday’s e...

Britain is in talks to join the European Union’s €90 billion (US$105.13 billion) loan to Ukraine to qualify for Kyiv’s defence orders that ‌the loan finances but will have to cover some interest payments on the borrowing to be eligible, the E...

Chinese self-driving technology firm ZYT is edging closer to mass production of semi-autonomous trucks that can improve fuel efficiency and save logistics costs, likely to benefit the country’s manufacturing businesses amid a global energy crisis. ...

Coverage of the Trump administration dominated the Pulitzer Prizes announced on Monday as the prize committee unleashed a searing attack on US President Donald Trump’s attempts to limit freedom of reporting. “We stand for civil discourse and agai...

As the Middle East conflict spreads uncertainty among farmers around the world, Chinese farmers are carrying out their spring ploughing as usual and appear largely untroubled. “The supply of chemical fertilisers for spring ploughing is ample,” an...

An armed man was shot by US Secret Service (USSS) agents in downtown Washington on Monday, officials said, prompting a brief lockdown of the nearby White House. The shooting near the National Mall took place just after a motorcade carrying Vice-Presi...

In global discourse, a script has been handed to us: the United States and China are locked in a “tech race”. But this is really a misnomer. True competition requires a level playing field. When one runner trips the other to ensure victory, it’...

President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a two-day ceasefire in the conflict with Ukraine on May 8-9 to mark Russia’s World War II victory, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky countered with his own proposed pause in fighting starting ear...