Two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla who were brought to Israel for interrogation appeared before an Israeli court on Sunday, according to the rights group defending them. The flotilla of more than 50 vessels had set sail from France, Spa...

Hong Kong should not renew the HK$3 per litre diesel subsidy when it expires at the end of June. Instead, it should use the funds to launch a crash programme to accelerate electrification of public transport, starting with the minibus fleet. The cris...

A woman carrying a knife has been arrested after being tackled by the crowd during the Rain Rave Water Music Festival in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night. In a viral video, a man can be seen attempting to disarm the woman. Several others from the crowd...

As the energy shock unleashed by tensions in the Middle East rippled through Africa, a massive oil refinery in Nigeria’s biggest city of Lagos, owned by Africa’s wealthiest man, came to the rescue. Running at its full capacity of 650,000 barrels ...

A robot in a high-visibility vest carrying a loud hailer while patrolling a park in China’s northeastern Jilin province has caused much amusement online. “We have sprayed pesticides in the park. It is highly poisonous,” the robot was exclaiming...

Astronomers in Japan have recently launched what they say is the country’s first organisation dedicated to the search for alien life, with radio observations planned in the summer next year. “They must exist somewhere in the universe. I’m excit...

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The Hong Kong Observatory has warned that hail may affect the city shortly, after issuing the amber rainstorm...

Hong Kong is set for its strongest quarterly growth in nearly five years, the finance chief has said, citing a 17 per cent rise in visitor numbers and a 5.2 per cent increase in retail and catering spending. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said i...

Singapore wealth-tech firms are increasingly using Hong Kong as their first major overseas expansion market, betting that the city’s large pool of idle savings, deep wealth base and role as a regional financial hub will support the scaling of their...

Across Bangkok, aromas of garlic, chilli and grilled meat drift from roadside stalls and carts, but tighter controls on vendors threaten livelihoods and the street food culture that defines the Thai capital. Convenient, full of flavour and popular am...

Rising youth suicides in Manila, fuelled by emotional distress and digital triggers, have spurred calls to expand support for vulnerable Filipinos, as the deeply religious country begins to confront mental health more openly. In 2018, Macy Castaneda ...

A new US drawdown of roughly 5,000 troops from Germany over the next year prompted strong questions from both Nato allies and Republicans in Congress. A Nato spokesperson said the defence alliance is looking for details on the US effort, which was an...

Perched above the streets of Tai Hang, the 91-year-old Haw Par Mansion has stood as a watchman to Hong Kong’s evolving history. The mansion and its front garden are the only remaining sections of what was once a sprawling estate and theme park buil...

Industry leaders from Hong Kong’s property management sector have said a security staff shortfall of up to 25 per cent persists, as they defended a major housing estate’s recruitment of one-third of its guards from across the border. The owners�...

In December 2010, on the final day of his three-day India visit, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao offered a metaphorical vision for bilateral ties, suggesting that “the dragon and the elephant should tango”. The analogy – dragon for China, elephant f...

China’s smartphone and electronics supply chain is adapting its expertise to support the country’s fledgling but fast-growing humanoid robotics industry, as component suppliers seek new growth beyond a slowing mobile market. The sector received a...

In India, cuddly and colourful animals are paraded across Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channels, where free advice is shared on how to raise a lemur – or what to feed an iguana – in congested megacities far from forest habitats. Cuteness has b...

The eight-year-old son of Guangzhou businessman Terry Fang recently arrived at a blunt conclusion: Chinese tech is “cool”. The boy’s impression was formed not in the classroom, or even online, but through repeated exposure to real-world industr...

Middle Eastern governments are dusting off decades-old proposals for overland oil and gas pipelines, and urgently drawing up plans for new rail-sea transport corridors in a belated response to the wartime disruption of major maritime trade through th...

China has become one of the largest sources of investment in land parcels and other properties in Singapore, as the safe-haven status of Southeast Asia’s top financial hub continues to attract global capital, according to analysts. China-linked dev...

For decades, Hong Kong’s tourism success rested on a clear formula: shopping, dining and urban experiences. That model is losing momentum. Overnight visitor spending has fallen from around HK$193 billion (US$24.6 billion) in 2015 to HK$128 billion ...

Members of unlicensed hiking tours were among the hundreds of visitors who packed into Hong Kong’s Ham Tin Wan campsite on the second day of mainland China’s Labour Day “golden week” break. The sink at the scenic Sai Kung hotspot’s only pub...

Japan and China are Asian powerhouses that should collaborate responsibly for the peace and prosperity of the region. However, bilateral relations have experienced ups and downs since the start of the century and are now at their lowest point after n...

More than 40 years ago, he became the first person from his rural family to study at a university in China. Four decades on he was appointed chancellor of UC Riverside, a prestigious school in the United States. The story of S. Jack Hu, a Chinese-Ame...

When Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto recently visited Seoul for a state visit, one of the most memorable moments was a photo that he took with a 19-year-old Indonesian K-pop idol. Nyoman Ayu Carmenita, better known as Carmen of the girl group H...

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he was reviewing a new Iranian proposal to end the war. “I’ll let you know about it later,” he said before boarding Air Force One, adding that “they’re going to give me the exact wording now�...

As the closest mainland Chinese province to Taiwan, Fujian is a key site for Beijing’s messaging towards the island. In the second of a two-part series, Xinlu Liang looks at how the ancestral home village of William Lai Ching-te has become a focus ...

Driven by intensifying competition in advanced manufacturing, the world is waking up to “China shock 2.0”. The first “shock”, associated with China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, focused on low-tech manufacturing. Of c...

Bankrupt discount carrier Spirit Airlines ceased operations on Saturday, the industry’s first casualty linked to the Iran war, after failing to secure creditor support for a US government bailout plan. The collapse of the carrier following a doubli...

A rescue team on Saturday released from a barge in the North Sea a humpback whale that had been stranded in shallow waters near Germany since March, witnesses said. Nicknamed “Timmy” by German media, the whale was spotted swimming near Germany’...

Hong Kong police have arrested two people on suspicion of burglary after one of them allegedly climbed maintenance work scaffolding at a residential building and prised open window grilles at two homes before stealing HK$6,000 (US$765) in cash. The f...

The US Democrats have pursued “selective Trumpification” since losing power in 2024, but their strategy of borrowing from the president’s agenda and mimicking his abrasive style risks undermining their branding as guardians of American institut...

A 25-year-old Hong Kong woman was cheated out of more than HK$2.25 million (US$287,190) in one month after falling prey to a job scam, prompting calls for tighter rules requiring online employment platforms to verify employers. The victim said on Sat...

Beijing has labelled Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s surprise visit to eSwatini, the island’s sole African ally, a political “stunt”. In a Facebook post on Saturday evening, Lai said he arrived earlier in the day. The eSwatini governm...

A senior Iranian military officer said on Saturday that renewed fighting with the US was “likely”, hours after President Donald Trump said he was not satisfied with an Iranian negotiating proposal. Iran delivered the new draft to mediator Pakista...

Four winning tickets took home over HK$55.7 million (US$7.1 million) each for first prize in Hong Kong’s largest Mark Six jackpot. The Hong Kong Jockey Club, the city’s sole gambling and lottery operator, also said on Saturday that 36.5 units won...

A top US medical anthropologist believes the United States and China must transcend geopolitical tensions and spur a global revolution in “social technology” to survive the looming ageing crisis. Arthur Kleinman, a physician-anthropologist with j...

Russian troops are inching towards the city of ⁠Kostiantynivka in Ukraine’s eastern ⁠Donetsk region, trying to establish ⁠a foothold close to a heavily defended area, Ukraine’s top army official said on Saturday. Kostiantynivka, along with ...

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong is expected to experience thunderstorms on Sunday, as a cold front sweeps across the coast of Guang...

China Eastern Airlines apologised to passengers on Saturday after one of its aircraft struck a boarding bridge on arrival at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. The Shanghai-based airline said “a mechanical malfunction occurred” as the fligh...

Hong Kong authorities issued 300 verbal warnings to people visiting Sharp Island on the first day of mainland China’s Labour Day “golden week” holiday, when thousands flocked to see attractions in the city’s Unesco Global Geopark. The Agricul...

A trial beginning ⁠in New Mexico on Monday could prompt a judge to order sweeping changes ⁠to how Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp operate – a move Meta Platforms has warned could force it to withdraw from the state. The case, which will be tri...

Hong Kong authorities are searching for a 28-year-old man who went hiking and lost contact with his family after a dispute with his girlfriend, with a helicopter deployed to aid in the operation. Police said on Saturday that they received a report at...

US President Donald Trump said he is still planning to travel to China as scheduled this month despite the stalemate in the negotiations with Iran. When asked about the trip to Beijing, Trump told reporters on Friday: “It is going to be amazing. Th...

Hong Kong authorities expect the eastern section of the HK$7 billion (US$893 million) Fanling Bypass, which opens to traffic on Sunday, will prevent congestion ahead of residents moving into a nearby new development area later this year. At the openi...

A home in the upscale Shouson Hill area in Hong Kong’s Southern district has been burgled, with luxury watches and foreign currency worth more than HK$1.1 million (US$140,400) stolen. Police are looking into whether the burglars scaled the wall of ...

A planned drawdown of US troops from Germany should spur Europeans to strengthen its own defences further, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday, following the latest salvo from Washington against transatlantic ties. The Pentagon a...

The United Arab Emirates is expected to continue making high-risk geopolitical moves with potentially high rewards, following its exit from the Opec oil cartel, as the small but extremely wealthy Gulf state strives to become a global power. Framed by...

Dianjiang, a small county tucked away in southwestern China’s Chongqing, was transformed into a bustling live music hub in April as fans flocked to a concert headlined by Mandopop stars, including Jeff Chang. Such scenes are no longer unusual. Once...

Hong Kong recorded a 13 per cent year-on-year increase in mainland Chinese visitors on the first day of the “golden week” Labour Day holiday, but a lawmaker for the restaurant trade noted that tourists’ shift towards more cautious spending resu...