Thailand’s sidelined reformists battle ‘baan yai’ dynasties to repeat poll win
As the pieces of Thailand’s political puzzle begin to fall into place ahead of an election set for early next year, the third incarnation of a reformist party that won the most votes last time around...
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3h ago
Taiwan’s plan to acquire drone ‘takeover’ technology sparks security debate
Taiwan’s plan to acquire Israeli “takeover” technology as part of a counter-drone network has set off a debate over its use and the island’s security strategy as it tries to keep pace with rapidly evo...
3h ago
If China can cut its pollution, why can’t India?
Despite years of policy interventions, air pollution in India is rapidly getting worse. By the middle of this month, cities including the capital New Delhi were seeing air quality readings at hazardou...
6h ago
Human washing machine goes on sale in Japan
After wowing World Expo visitors, a human washing machine is now on sale in Japan, a company spokeswoman said on Friday. Users lie down in the pod, close the lid and get cleaned like clothes in a wash...
6h ago
Oscar-winning UK playwright Tom Stoppard dies aged 88
British playwright Tom Stoppard, who won an Oscar for the screenplay for the 1998 film Shakespeare In Love, has died at the age of 88, United Agents said on Saturday. “We are deeply saddened to announ...
7h ago
Hong Kong fire disaster brings victim ID unit’s grim task back into focus
More than 600 officers from the Hong Kong Police Force’s Disaster Victim Identification Unit (DVIU) searched two fire-ravaged blocks of the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po without finding...
7h ago
Ukraine naval drones strike Russian oil tankers in Black Sea off Turkish coast
Ukraine used domestically produced Sea Baby naval drones to strike two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea, an official from Ukraine’s security services said on Saturday. The two oil tankers, Kairos...
8h ago
Hong Kong begins 3 days of mourning as more arrests made over deadly blaze
Hong Kong began a three-day official mourning period on Saturday for victims of the city’s deadliest blaze in decades as residents queued at the site of the tragedy and various halls to pay their resp...
9h ago
Hong Kong’s national security police question man over fire response petition
Hong Kong’s national security police have questioned an individual who allegedly launched a petition calling on the government to address four demands following the deadly blaze in Tai Po, the Post ha...
9h ago
3 cats and turtle rescued from Hong Kong residential complex days after fire
Several more pets have been rescued from the burned buildings of a residential complex in Tai Po, as animal charities continued to search for separated owners and expressed concerns that animals still...
9h ago
Sense of sombre unity as Hong Kong mourns 128 killed in blaze
A sense of sombre unity permeated the whole of Hong Kong on Saturday as residents from all walks of life mourned the victims of the city’s deadliest fire in seven decades by signing condolence books o...
10h ago
Israeli drone attack kills two children in Gaza, say medics
An Israeli attack killed two children in Gaza on Saturday, medics and relatives said, in violence that has persisted in the Palestinian enclave despite a fragile ceasefire. The children’s uncle said a...
10h ago
Consider Venezuela airspace ‘closed in its entirety’, says Trump
US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that the airspace above and near Venezuela should be considered closed, the latest escalation in a stand-off with leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. “To all Ai...
11h ago
China takes on US and Russia as it touts J-35 fighter jet in the Middle East
China’s second fifth-generation fighter jet, the J-35, could find buyers in the Middle East as demand grows for advanced stealth aircraft in the region – though its capabilities remain unknown, accord...
11h ago
Hong Kong minister urges NGOs to work more closely with government over fire aid
Hong Kong’s home affairs minister has called on NGOs to better coordinate with the government on their support for residents displaced in the city’s deadliest fire in decades following reported confus...
11h ago
Spain stops pork exports to China after African swine flu cases
Spain’s Agriculture Ministry said it has halted all pork exports to China after two wild boar found dead near Barcelona tested positive for African swine flu, the first cases in three decades. The out...
12h ago
Chinese man wounded in landmine explosion on Cambodia-Thailand border
A Chinese man allegedly attempting to cross illegally into Thailand from Cambodia was injured on Saturday when he stepped on a landmine, the Thai army announced, reiterating its charges that Cambodian...
12h ago
Hong Kong dad saved from burning building asks how to start over with nothing
Watching his young children’s faces light up with excitement, William Li felt relief, but the deep ache in his chest was overwhelming. His son and daughter were happy he had saved their most treasured...
12h ago
Could the PLA use long-range rockets against ships in an attack on Taiwan?
The People’s Liberation Army’s long-range rocket launchers can hit moving targets at sea during island seizure operations, according to mainland Chinese state media. In a report on Thursday, state bro...
12h ago
Portraits of courage: helpers who stayed with their wards during Hong Kong fire
As Hong Kong reels from its deadliest fire in decades, a highly visible community of foreigners is also in mourning as it awaits the fate of at least 80 of its own who remain missing. They are the dom...
12h ago
HK$60,000 fire subsidy only for Wang Fuk Court residents: Hong Kong minister
The Hong Kong government’s HK$60,000 (US$7,710) subsidy for victims of the Tai Po fire is only for residents living in Wang Fuk Court, the home affairs minister has clarified amid alleged cases of abu...
13h ago
Death toll climbs above 370 in flood-hit Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia
The death toll from devastating floods and landslides in Southeast Asia climbed past 370 on Saturday as clean-up and search and rescue operations got under way in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Hea...
13h ago
Beijing launches nationwide fire safety drive in wake of deadly Hong Kong blaze
Authorities in mainland China have launched a nationwide campaign to eliminate fire hazards in high-rise buildings, days after Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades tore through a residential complex...
13h ago
‘It is fake’: why US industry leader refused to believe China’s robot march clip
On November 14, Chinese robotics firm UBtech released footage showing hundreds of Walker S2 humanoid robots standing in precise formation inside a warehouse. The machines turned their heads in unison,...
14h ago
‘With you in hour of need’: volunteers rally to help Hong Kong fire displaced
As despair draped the air and hopes dimmed for the scores still unaccounted for, one scene stood out on the second night after Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades: volunteers forming long human chai...
14h ago
Thousands protest in Germany as far-right AfD party starts youth convention
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the western German city of Giessen on Saturday as the far-right Alternative for Germany’s new youth organisation was set to kick off its founding convention. Gro...
15h ago
Chinese biker chases TV crew for 100km to show skills, now owns US$99 million firm
From chasing a TV crew for 100km to showcase his motorcycle skills, a once-poor young man from central China has built a thriving motorcycle empire, raking in 700 million (US$100 million) yuan a year....
15h ago
Russian strikes kill 2 in Kyiv, injure 29, as efforts to end war continue
Russian drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, killed at least two people in the early hours of Saturday, local officials said. The attacks came just before a second round of peace...
16h ago
123 dead, 130 missing in Sri Lanka after cyclone wreaks havoc
The death toll from heavy floods and mudslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka rose to 123, with 130 people still missing, authorities said Saturday. Nearly 44,000 people have been displaced and...
17h ago
‘Utmost inspiration’: Bangladesh ex-PM Khaleda Zia in ‘very critical’ condition
Former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia’s health deteriorated since being admitted to hospital, prompting her family and party members to urge citizens to pray for her speedy recovery on Saturday...
17h ago
In ‘Schrodinger’s Pakistan’, the young feel sidelined by the state
In Pakistan, a nation where power often seems to serve itself above all else, the latest constitutional overhaul has been received with a weary sense of resignation. Pushed through parliament on Novem...
17h ago
China set to benefit as South Africa looks to diversify away from US
South Africa is looking to new export markets in Asia – particularly China – and Europe to diversify away from the United States, as its relations with Washington rapidly deteriorate. America boycotte...
17h ago
Japan security guard’s bond with cat moves many; museum honours feline’s memory
A special bond that was formed between a museum security guard and a black cat that died last year continues to move countless people online. The feline called Ken-chan visited the Onomichi City Museu...
18h ago
China gives disputed Scarborough Shoal a clean bill of health
Coral reefs at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea are healthy and resilient to climate change, but growing thermal stress poses a potential bleaching risk, according to a Chinese en...
18h ago
Hotelier races to shelter Hong Kong fire victims using Grenfell experience
A hotelier is drawing on her experience sheltering survivors of London’s Grenfell Tower disaster to spearhead a relief operation at Hong Kong’s former Covid-19 isolation centre as she races to source...
18h ago
‘Sad but glad to help’: Hong Kong fire teaches children lesson in empathy
Beneath the podium at Kwong Fuk Estate in Tai Po, between rows of relief booths and supply tables stacked with bottled water and meal boxes, a group of children took a break from their volunteering du...
19h ago
China consumers use AI to alter product photos, claim refunds for ‘damaged’ goods
Fake photos generated by artificial intelligence (AI) are being misused to claim refunds from Chinese online shops, sparking moral and legal concerns. As China’s Double 11 shopping festival took place...
19h ago
Peru declares state of emergency as fears of migrant influx from Chile mount
Peru’s government declared a state of emergency at its southern border with Chile on Friday, expecting an influx of people trying to flee far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast’s potential presidency....
19h ago
China’s first own passenger jet Comac ARJ21 debuts in 2015 – SCMP archive
This article was first published on November 30, 2015. By Sijia Jiang After 13 years, China’s own passenger jet enters service China’s ambition of an indigenous plane took wings on Sunday (November 29...
19h ago
Malaysia raids men-only wellness centre, prosecutor among 201 arrested
A total of 201 men have been detained in Malaysia during a joint enforcement operation at a wellness centre after authorities suspected the premises in Kuala Lumpur were being used for illicit activit...
21h ago
Ancient Chinese DNA shows gender bias in human sacrifice ritual 4,000 years ago
Female sacrifice in China dates back thousands of years earlier than previously believed, a study of ancient DNA has revealed. Evidence from elite burials at a large Stone Age settlement in northweste...
21h ago
Hotels hit back as Tokyo plans to hike lodging tax with percentage-based system
Tokyo’s hotel sector is fighting plans to replace the city’s long-standing flat-rate lodging tax with a percentage-based levy that could significantly increase costs for tourists and short-term visito...
21h ago
Congo and Rwanda presidents to meet in US to sign peace deal
Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi will travel to the US next week to sign a final agreement with his Rwandan counterpart aimed at securing peace in eastern Congo, the Congolese government said on Fri...
21h ago
US halts asylum cases after troop killing as Trump steps up migrant crackdown
The United States is freezing all asylum decisions, officials said on Friday, as President Donald Trump hardens his anti-migrant stance after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard membe...
22h ago
Hongkongers mourn fire victims at citywide condolence points; toll at 128
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading...
22h ago
Difficult to say if fire-ravaged Hong Kong buildings can be fixed: experts
The government should take the lead in assessing the structural safety of the estate engulfed by Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades before deciding whether it should be restored or redeveloped, experts...
22h ago
Malaysia’s Sabah begins voting as Anwar faces test over coalition’s performance
Voters in Sabah began casting their ballots on Saturday, in a state election seen as a referendum on Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership midway into his first term. Anwar, who came to...
23h ago
Shanghai to shore up manufacturing while eyeing global financial status
Shanghai, mainland China’s top finance and trade hub, is set to double down on efforts to prevent the “hollowing out” of its manufacturing sector even as it pursues global financial centre status. The...
23h ago
Hong Kong reaps the fruits of fintech seeds sown nearly 10 years ago
When Alvin Kwock, co-founder of digital insurer OneDegree, took part in the inaugural Hong Kong FinTech Week in November 2016, it was held at a venue suitable for only a few hundred people. “As it was...
23h ago
Why Chinese women like me are done being quiet and ‘appropriate’
In China, girls are taught early to be “appropriate” – to listen, not lead; to speak gently, not loudly. We grow up believing that quietness is likeability, and likeability is safety. But something is...