A woman undertaker in China has trended on social media thanks to the stark contrast between her good looks and her job of dealing with the dead. Pan Meili, in her 30s, has been embalming bodies for 15 years since she graduated from the Changsha Soci...

Malaysia’s opposition was thrown into fresh uncertainty on Tuesday by the surprise resignation of its coalition chairman, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, capping months of internal bickering over leadership with less than two years left bef...

Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP), Hong Kong’s largest developer, has priced the next batch of units on offer at its massive Sierra Sea residential project about 5 per cent higher than previous phases, signalling a welcome improvement in the city’s ...

The death of a senior public works official alleged to have played a central role in the billion-peso flood-control scandal in the Philippines has cast fresh doubt over the future of a months-long corruption probe, with investigators now facing quest...

From Khalil Fong to “Benz Hung” Hui Shiu-hung and Charles Ho Tsu-kwok, Hong Kong bade farewell to notable figures remembered for soul-stirring melodies, unforgettable screen moments, steadfast public service, transformative business visions and s...

India has overtaken Japan as the world’s fourth-largest economy – and officials hope to pass Germany within three years, the government’s end-of-year economic review calculates. Official confirmation however depends on data due in 2026 when fin...

Looking back on 2025, we may be justified in calling it an annus horribilis for the world. There seems to be no end to the bad news: the war in Ukraine, the destruction of Gaza, the terror attack in Australia and the significant economic and politica...

A residential site originally earmarked for a pilot scheme allowing private developers to build subsidised homes will instead be allocated to Hong Kong’s second-largest public housing provider, marking the latest setback for the initiative aimed at...

Hong Kong’s education authorities have commended schools for making significant progress in fostering patriotism among students over the last academic year as compared with the past, with national education now steadily woven into daily teaching an...

About 300,000 Hong Kong residents will be offered free hepatitis B screenings early next year, as the city aims to meet a set of international goals to eliminate the disease as a public health threat by 2030. The screening scheme will run in parallel...

A Hong Kong charity providing free lifelong care for people with severe disabilities will move to a new home next year and offer an even wider array of support, thanks to money from the Operation Santa Claus (OSC) annual fundraising drive. The Home o...

As Asia counts the cost of one of the world’s most expensive years for weather disasters, aid groups and scientists are warning that poorer countries face even greater risks ahead unless global emissions are cut and spending shifts from disaster re...

China has unveiled new legislation to promote ethnic unity and the use of standard Chinese, warning of legal penalties for those who obstruct the use of the national language and linking its approach with national security policy. A draft Law on Prom...

China cannot merely chase the technological frontier – it must seize ownership of it, a prominent economist has warned, urging Beijing to accelerate basic research and master core technologies to gain leverage against Washington’s targeted restri...

The local community came together under the neon Christmas lights illuminating Hong Kong’s Taikoo Place for the annual street market in aid of charity and to also support residents affected by a deadly fire at a housing estate in November. The Whit...

A Hong Kong court has sentenced a suspended policeman to six months in prison for fraudulently persuading a doctor to give him 54 days of additional sick leave during the 2019 social unrest, when he pretended to be a personal trainer who was unfit fo...

Hong Kong’s Hung Shui Kiu industrial park will leverage the advantages of its location to focus on advanced manufacturing, including proprietary Chinese medicine, in a bid to differentiate itself from the San Tin Technopole, according to developmen...

A China-founded start-up that specialises in artificial intelligence agents was acquired by US tech giant Meta Platforms for billions of dollars, marking a landmark deal amid US-China competition in AI technology. The acquisition of Singapore-based M...

US President Donald Trump is pushing to resurrect America’s coal sector by expanding mining and subsidising coal-fired power plants to meet the energy demands in a race against China on artificial intelligence. “Our nation’s beautiful clean coa...

A digger operator in China who painted her vehicle bright pink and adorned it with Hello Kitty decorations has turned heads on a construction site. The 35-year-old woman, surnamed Zhang, from Heze in Shandong province, northern China, is known online...

Jailed former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has filed an appeal against his conviction last week on ‌corruption charges related to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, which saw him ‍sentenced to an additional 15 years in prison, his lawy...

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. How the Peranakan C...

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies and daughter of its founder, hailed the company’s breakthroughs in 2025 in a New Year message that vowed to take advantage of “strategic opportunities” amid a “surge of intelligence...

Chinese artificial intelligence firm Zhipu AI kicked off a share sale on Tuesday to raise HK$4.35 billion (US$560 million), moving closer to becoming the first large language model (LLM) developer listed in Hong Kong amid a surge of technology initia...

Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla on Tuesday over what it described as a shipment of weapons for a separatist force there that arrived from the United Arab Emirates. The kingdom later directly linked the UAE to the separatists’ rec...

Campaigning for Thailand’s February 8 general election has begun with a frenetic three-way battle defined by corruption allegations, a tense border conflict with Cambodia and the emergence of a new frontman for the once all-conquering Shinawatra po...

Actor Idris Elba and ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean were among the hundreds named in British King Charles’ New Year ‌honours list published on Monday. The full list includes more than 1,157 people ‍in politics, sport, the arts o...

Hong Kong authorities have questioned a World Bank report giving the city lower grades for business readiness, saying outdated data has led to unfair comparisons. The Digital Policy Office said early on Tuesday that Hong Kong remained among the top 2...

Washington is securing bilateral health deals with countries across Africa to ensure direct access to critical pathogen data and specimens following the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). Analysts say the US’ stra...

As the Philippines counts down to the new year, authorities are bracing themselves for another familiar increase in injuries and deaths linked to fireworks, despite decades of regulation, annual warnings and stepped-up police raids. Health officials ...

A customs scheme covering the entirety of Hainan, China’s southern island province, appears to have triggered a surge in consumption since its inception last week, with the province’s tourism hub Sanya recording more than 500 million yuan (US$71....

Hong Kong motorists will face stiffer penalties from January 1, when new fines for 19 types of traffic offences take effect. The targeted offences under the Fixed Penalty (Criminal Proceedings) Ordinance include illegal parking, which will carry a fi...

Biotech firm Insilico Medicine, backed by the Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC), is building a “digital Einstein” to revolutionise how scientists discover new medicines, and plans to continue expanding its research base in China to stay ahe...

Bangladesh’s three-time prime minister Khaleda Zia, who hoped to lead her nation one last time after the election next year, died on Tuesday aged 80, her party said. The government declared three days of state mourning, with her funeral to be held ...

The open source approach championed by some Chinese tech companies is preventing monopoly platforms from taking hold in artificial intelligence (AI). The massive investment in AI is justified in the case of repeat monopoly winners from previous waves...

The ringgit’s surge to a five-year high against the US dollar is prompting Malaysians, especially travellers, to exchange the currency early, keeping money changers busy despite the usual post-festive lull. “We had expected the crowd to decline t...

A quartet of singer Jay Chou lookalikes in China has produced a video supporting the pop idol’s new role as a delivery brand ambassador, sending social media into a frenzy of laughter. On December 18, the Chinese delivery giant Meituan unveiled Cho...

The People’s Liberation Army is staging a second day of large-scale drills around Taiwan, including live-firing at targets in waters to the north and south of the island. Mainland China’s coastguard also threatened to block cargo ships carrying U...

Hong Kong’s adoption of preferential packages to fast-track an industrial park that falls under the Northern Metropolis megadevelopment has been given an initial thumbs up. Local developers hailed the new approach as a “one-stop service” to hel...

Long-rumoured allegations surrounding South Korea’s former first lady, Kim Keon-hee, were laid out in unprecedented detail after a special prosecutor concluded a six-month investigation into her conduct, offering official clarity but leaving key qu...

Chinese firms are increasingly anchoring themselves in Dubai’s free trade zones to navigate trade barriers and tap new markets as rising protectionism and supply-chain shifts impact global commerce. Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), state-owned DP World...

US President Donald Trump teased that he has a preferred candidate to be the next head of the Federal Reserve but is in no hurry to make an announcement while also musing that he might fire the central bank’s current leader, Jerome Powell. “I do,...

US President Donald Trump on Monday described Beijing’s large-scale military exercises around Taiwan as routine activities that have occurred “for 20-25 years”, expressing no concern over the escalation and instead citing his personal rapport w...

The United States said on Monday it had approved a US$1.8 billion sale of patrol aircraft to Denmark, despite renewed tension after an envoy of US President Donald Trump called again for seizing Greenland. The State Department said it approved a requ...

Trip.com has started to allow some overseas users to pay for prepaid hotel and flight bookings with the stablecoins USDT and USDC – also known as Tether and USD Coin – in a sign of growing acceptance of the US dollar-pegged tokens. The Shanghai-b...

Nearly two months after Japan’s new prime minister enraged Beijing with her remarks on Taiwan, the issue is not going away. Sanae Takaichi set off a diplomatic firestorm in November when she suggested that Japan could justify a military response if...

Venezuela criticised the United States on Monday over its decision to approve a large-scale arms sale to Taiwan, aligning itself with Beijing as tensions escalated around the island. In a statement issued by the foreign ministry, the Venezuelan gover...

The deadly floods in Sumatra at the end of November that killed more than 1,000 people exposed the devastating effects of deforestation, with massive logs washed downstream. Public pressure has forced the Indonesian government to respond and environm...

US President Donald Trump warned Iran of fresh strikes and said Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it fails to disarm in Gaza, as he presented a united front with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Speaking at a news conference w...

Israeli President Isaac Herzog denied a claim by Donald Trump on Monday that the pair had discussed the US president’s request for a pardon on corruption charges for Israel’s premier. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is accused of accept...