南華早報

Christa Pike out of hospital after surviving US execution a…

Christa Pike, who survived Tennessee’s attempt to execute her by lethal injection, has been moved back to prison, her lawyers said on Saturday. Pike, 50, was discharged from the hospital and is back at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Centre, the women’s prison where she was housed for 30 years, her lawyers said in a written statement. “She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances. She is continuing to receive medical care at...

• #United States
• #Crime
• #Human rights

Palestinian leader Abbas postpones elections to September 2…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday postponed legislative elections due next month until September 11, 2027, and called a presidential poll for the same date, blaming Israel and ‌the security situation in the Palestinian territories for the delay. Abbas’ decree cited “obstacles posed by Israeli measures” and the need to establish suitable political, security and on-the-ground conditions for “free, fair and inclusive elections”, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. The...

• #Israel
• #EU
• #Palestinian President
• #Palestinians
• #France
• #Abbas

Home favourite Zheng Qinwen charges into China Open final w…

A resurgent Zheng Qinwen charged into the China Open final on Saturday, beating Elise Mertens 7-5, 6-2, and will play Mirra Andreeva for the title at her home tournament. It is another step in the Olympic gold medallist’s injury comeback, following a gritty showing at last month’s US Open, where she reached the quarter-finals. Zheng, a former world No 4, had struggled with her form since needing elbow surgery in 2025 and is a wild-card entry in Beijing. “I had a great performance tonight,” said...

• #US Open
• #Elena Rybakina
• #Aryna Sabalenka
• #China Open
• #Nikola Bartunkova
• #Zheng Qinwen

Are Chinese military aircraft already using a new joint air…

Chinese military aircraft may already be using a new joint aviation facility in Laos, with satellite imagery showing twice as many K-8/JL-8-family trainer aircraft there as the Laotian air force is assessed to possess. Eight of the two-seat trainer and light-attack aircraft were visible at Ban Keun Airport in commercial satellite imagery taken on September 30, according to Reuters, which first reported the images. More than two dozen military and support vehicles were also visible. The image was...

• #Chinese
• #Laos

Loud blast heard at Riyadh airport as airlines cancel more…

A loud ⁠blast was ⁠heard at the airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday, an eyewitness and people briefed on the matter ‌said, amid an escalation of missile strikes on the kingdom by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group. The Saudi government’s media office and the Saudi civil aviation authority did not ⁠immediately respond to requests for comment. King Khalid International Airport ‌urged passengers to contact their airlines directly and check their flight ‌status before heading to the...

• #Aviation
• #Yemen
• #Qatar
• #Middle East
• #United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• #Saudi Arabia

SCMP Best Bets: Dragon a Force to be reckoned with at Sha T…

Jay Rooney TITAN PEGASUS - R10 (2) Trialled like a horse ready to strike first up and has drawn well   Owen Goulding DRAGON SKY FORCE - R6 (3) Promising debut and has since won a trial, step up in trip will suit   Paul Lally TITAN PEGASUS - R10 (2) Group Three winner in Australia who has trialled well ahead of his return   Phillip Woo HAPPY INDEX - R9 (3) Looks fresh and ready from the trials and is drawn ideally to strike   Trackwork Spy CELESTIAL HERO - R10 (9) Step up in trip looks ideal...

Russian attacks kill 15 in Ukraine after Trump-Putin diesel…

Russian strikes killed at least 15 people in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday, a day after US President Donald Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel that Kyiv warned would help bankroll Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Three children were among those killed when Russian aerial bombs hit residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Saturday. At least 16 people were wounded in the attack. Russia and Ukraine are locked in a...

• #Ukraine war
• #Ukraine
• #Russia
• #Vladimir Putin
• #Donald Trump
• #Volodymyr Zelensky

2 men die in float festival accidents in Japan

Two men died and more than a dozen others were injured Saturday when floats overturned during annual festivals in Osaka Prefecture. In Izumisano, a 51-year-old man became trapped beneath a float that overturned while he was riding it with other participants, police said. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital, while seven others were injured. A float at a different event in Izumiotsu also toppled, killing a 48-year-old man who was among those trapped underneath, according to the prefectural...

• #southwestern part
• #yarimawashi
• #Accidents
• #Sakai
• #danjiri
• #Osaka Prefecture

Civil servants may face disciplinary action over Tai Po fir…

Senior public servants found accountable for last year’s deadly Tai Po fire could face disciplinary action if named in an investigation report that a government-appointed panel is expected to submit this month, Hong Kong’s civil service chief has said. Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan also said on Saturday that a support unit was being set up to assist the Public Service Commission if investigations into officials’ “administrative responsibilities” were eventually...

• #George Tsoi Kin-pan
• #Wang Fuk Court
• #Public Service Commission
• #Benjamin Mok Kwan-yu
• #Hong Kong
• #Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan

China’s Zhejiang province calls to curb tech giants’ online…

Communist Party officials in eastern China’s Zhejiang province have called for greater oversight of major internet platforms and their “traffic power”, warning that online traffic and algorithms had evolved into a force capable of shaping public discussion and sentiment. The publicity department of the Zhejiang provincial party committee published the commentary on social media on Thursday, saying traffic could no longer be viewed simply as a data resource. Zhejiang’s capital city, Hangzhou, is...

• #china

127 arrested as Hong Kong police bust Vietnamese-led loan-s…

Hong Kong police have arrested 127 people in a six-month undercover operation against a Vietnamese-led crime syndicate accused of running loan-sharking rackets charging interest rates of up to 3,700 per cent, as well as illegal gambling and unlicensed bars in West Kowloon. The syndicate is also alleged to have helped illegal immigrants find shelter and work, with police raiding eight premises on October 8 and 9. Among those arrested were 10 alleged core members, including the suspected leader, a...

• #Crime in Hong Kong
• #Hong Kong
• #Vietnam
• #China

Nearly 80, Korean artist Kang Myonghi talks about ‘What Rem…

At nearly 80, South Korean artist Kang Myonghi retains the creative energy of her youth. She remains active in her studio, with her commitment to international projects undiminished. In recent months, she has visited Hong Kong twice to prepare for “What Remains to be Seen”, her first solo exhibition at a gallery in two years. The only pause in her working routine came during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns. Travel restrictions did little to stem her creative output, however. Being confined to Jeju...

• #Art
• #What to do in Hong Kong
• #Hong Kong
• #South Korea

Verstappen wins Singapore GP sprint race after Russell cras…

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen tasted victory in Singapore for the first time on Saturday as the pole sitter won a chaotic sprint after the start was delayed by more than 30 minutes because of heavy rain, while nine cars retired – a record for sprint races. The victory was the first of any kind ‌for the Dutchman in Singapore as he took the chequered flag ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. “I want to win tomorrow. I don’t see this as a win in terms of actually winning a Grand...

• #Formula One (F1)
• #Singapore Grand Prix
• #Max Verstappen
• #Lewis Hamilton
• #Oscar Piastri
• #Lando Norris

Who is Olivia O’Brien? Singer slams Pete Davidson over thei…

Amid online backlash over his recent comments on female influencers, Pete Davidson is getting called out by singer-songwriter Olivia O’Brien, who labelled the Saturday Night Live alum “an absolute joke of a human being”. During an interview with Variety, Davidson mocked influencers and said that he finds the career path “insane” and “lame”. The comedian went on to specifically target female influencers. “It’s bad, and it makes me sad, you know,” Davidson said in the interview. “And girls are...

• #Fame and celebrity
• #Social media
• #Sex and relationships
• #Get to Know
• #Music
• #Hollywood

Poland’s police detain 76, check 50,000 schools after 2 att…

Police on Saturday said they detained 76 people across Poland and checked nearly 50,000 schools nationwide as part of efforts to prevent further violence following two school attacks earlier in the week. On Friday, schools across Poland stepped up security, with some suspending classes, many parents keeping children at home and police patrols deployed to educational institutions after two attacks at schools earlier in the week left one person dead and several others wounded, including...

• #Poland
• #Crime
• #European Union
• #Internet
• #Donald Tusk

Cracks in security? Qing dynasty ceramics damaged in Britis…

Two Chinese ceramics at the British Museum have been damaged while on display and are being restored, sparking fresh debate over how museums should safely exhibit fragile cultural treasures. The museum confirmed on Friday that a bowl had fallen from its shelf and landed on a small box on the bottom shelf, damaging both pieces. “Both objects are already with our expert conservation team for complete restoration,” the museum said. The museum, which said the incident occurred on October 4, noted...

• #China-UK relations
• #Chinese culture
• #Chinese history
• #History
• #China
• #Britain

Who is Skyler Gisondo? Meet Ella Rubin’s rumoured boyfriend…

Skyler Gisondo, who starred in A24’s psychological thriller Primetime alongside Robert Pattinson, is no stranger to viral fame. His 2015 red carpet photo became an internet meme, and recently he returned to the spotlight as the media speculates about his romantic life. Gisondo is rumoured to be dating Sterling Point’s Ella Rubin. The pair have been spotted attending events together since January 2024, when the 30-year-old actor accompanied Rubin to the premiere of her Apple TV miniseries...

• #Get to Know
• #Fame and celebrity
• #Hollywood
• #Robert Pattinson
• #TV shows and streaming video
• #Internet Culture

Retired China Olympic diver sparks ‘toxic parenting’ debate…

A former Chinese Olympic diving champion’s quest for independence has struck a chord online, after her mother’s controlling behaviour drew widespread criticism following their appearance on a reality TV show. Zhang Jiaqi, 22, grew up in a modest Beijing family and went on to win gold in the women’s synchronised 10-metre platform event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Her youthful charm and exceptional talent have also attracted 3.3 million followers on Douyin. Zhang began diving at six, won her...

• #China
• #Chinese
• #toxic
• #parenting
• #mother
• #mum

Hong Kong records 21 mpox cases since August, high-risk gro…

Hong Kong has recorded 21 cases of mpox since August, accounting for 70 per cent of this year’s total, prompting health authorities to urge people who engage in high-risk sexual contact to take protective measures and get vaccinated to reduce their risk of infection. The latest case, involving a 29-year-old man, brought the total number recorded in Hong Kong this year to 30, comprising 23 local cases and seven imported ones, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Saturday. Twenty-one...

• #high-risk sexual contact
• #Centre for Health Protection
• #Mpox vaccination
• #Department of Health
• #Mpox
• #Hong Kong

Taiwanese leader hails Washington and Beijing’s talks ‘to r…

Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te has welcomed talks between Washington and Beijing aimed at reducing the risk of conflict. Lai’s annual Double Tenth address, marking the anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name, also called for democracies to work together to safeguard regional peace and for the Taiwanese people’s right to exist to be respected. But Beijing said he had shown his true colours and accused him of “stirring up confrontation across the...

• #Taiwan
• #William Lai Ching-te
• #United States
• #China

Hong Kong police smash alleged Thai prostitution ring, seiz…

Hong Kong police have dismantled a local syndicate allegedly running a vice ring involving Thai women, seizing HK$13 million in cash (US$1.66 million) and freezing HK$5 million in suspected crime proceeds. The force said on Saturday that it arrested five local men and two foreign men, aged between 44 and 54, for allegedly running a prostitution ring in the Tsim Sha Tsui district by luring Southeast Asian women to work as sex workers in Hong Kong. Four core members, including three brothers and...

• #Crime in Hong Kong
• #China
• #Thailand
• #Hong Kong

Richards taking slow approach as Cool Boy begins path towar…

Jamie Richards still has Classic Series aspirations for Cool Boy as the promising galloper gets his campaign up and running in the Class Three San Tin Handicap (1,200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. The Per Incanto galloper built on an encouraging debut last November by completing a brilliant 1,200m hat-trick, which culminated in a dominant performance where he travelled all over his rivals from the back of the field. Three runs afterwards saw him draw nightmare draws in stalls 10, 13 and 14...

Guangdong yachts to sail into Hong Kong from Friday under s…

Guangdong-registered yachts will be allowed to sail into Hong Kong waters from next Friday under a new travel scheme, the city’s transport minister has confirmed. Writing in her weekly blog on Saturday, Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said the maiden voyage ceremony for the Southbound Yacht Travel Scheme would be held on launch day. “Building on the groundwork laid by the Northbound Yacht Travel Scheme, the maiden voyage ceremony for the Southbound Yacht Travel Scheme marks a...

• #Hong Kong transport
• #Macau
• #Hong Kong
• #Zhuhai
• #Greater Bay Area
• #China

Indonesia weighs nickel smelter freeze: what it means for C…

Chinese investors could face significant disruption if Indonesia imposes a moratorium on new nickel smelters to curb global overproduction and protect local industries across its vast minerals sector, analysts said. Indonesia was weighing a halt to the construction of smelters that produce semi-finished nickel products amid a global supply glut that had driven down commodity prices, state news agency Antara reported, citing energy and mineral resources minister Bahlil Lahadalia. Semi-finished...

• #Chinese offshore investment
• #China-Asean relations
• #Asean
• #Indonesia
• #China
• #Prabowo Subianto

China unveils smart robot designed to help farmers breed be…

China has unveiled a smart robot prototype designed to assist with wheat breeding in the latest step in its ongoing drive to advance agricultural technology and bolster food security. The robot made its public debut at a recent seminar on wheat breeding, state-run China Science Daily reported on Friday. Traditional wheat breeders rely on a wealth of accumulated experience to identify and select strains with superior traits from tens of thousands of hybrid offspring. But this requires manual...

• #Science
• #Robotics
• #China
• #China Agricultural University
• #Artificial intelligence (AI)

Between Steps: Kim So-hyun, Choo Young-woo lead slow-burn r…

Lead cast: Kim So-hyun, Choo Young-woo Latest Nielsen rating: 2.36 per cent Kim So-hyun (My Lovely Liar) and Choo Young-woo (The Tale of Lady Ok) share the screen in this university-set slice-of-life drama, which teases a slow-burn romance between two frustrated young adults trying to find their place in a society that does not always play by the rules. Between Steps is notably the final drama from veteran director Ahn Pan-seok, whose credits include the romance Something in the Rain and the...

• #Korean drama reviews
• #K-drama news
• #What's hot in Korea
• #South Korean celebrities
• #Fame and celebrity
• #TV shows and streaming video

Opinion | Better protection needed as violent cryptocurrenc…

Cryptocurrency’s promise of financial freedom carries a cost the industry must confront: growing wealth can make its owners more attractive targets for violent criminals. Protecting digital assets while treating the physical safety of their holders as a personal matter is an inadequate approach to financial security. The industry must take responsibility for designing products and services which account for the reality that people can be threatened into surrendering their assets. The rise in...

• #US
• #physical attacks
• #wrench attacks
• #financial security
• #Ledger
• #Hung Hom

China, EU to explore cooperation in AI and new energy follo…

Chinese and European Union representatives agreed to explore cooperation in areas including new energy and artificial intelligence during their just concluded trade talks, which Beijing described as “equal, professional and constructive”. The two economies “have huge cooperation potential in new energy, AI, services trade, the digital economy and green low-carbon fields”, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in an interpretation released on Saturday, following the second round of China-EU trade...

• #China-EU relations
• #Electric & new energy vehicles
• #Artificial intelligence (AI)
• #China trade
• #European Union
• #China

Can China’s dancing robots swing some new business partners…

At events marking China’s National Day in Africa on October 1, robots provided the entertainment. In Luanda, Angola, dancing robots amused guests and ambassador Zhang Bin called the industry “a small snapshot of the Chinese economy’s move towards innovation and higher-quality development”. In Brazzaville, Congo, nearly 400 guests – including Congolese officials and Chinese business representatives – watched on as a robot dog performed. Guests also interacted with a robot dog at a Chinese New...

• #China-Africa relations
• #Morocco
• #Africa
• #South Africa
• #Angola
• #Global South

How DNA ‘fingerprinting’ is keeping Malaysia’s green turtle…

As dawn breaks on Mataking Island off Sabah’s east coast, a tiny green turtle crawls across the sand, driven by instinct towards the surf before disappearing into the ocean on a journey that could cover thousands of kilometres. Where it goes is impossible to know, but with a huge dose of luck on its epic travels, it may return to the same Malaysian beach decades later to lay eggs of its own. The hatchling is one of tens of thousands that emerge from Sabah’s beaches each year, as the species...

• #DNA
• #Malaysia

A fortune, a HK$72m flat and a family feud: inside the Abby…

A bitter family dispute over the proposed sale of a HK$72 million flat allegedly led a retired police officer and his two sons to murder socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung three years ago, a Hong Kong court has heard. The trial over the 28-year-old model’s killing, which shocked Hong Kong and attracted international attention, started after a one-week delay caused by unresolved preliminary issues and jury selection. Choi’s mother, Cheung Yin-fa, told the High Court how her relationship with her...

• #Abby Choi - murder of a model
• #Hong Kong courts
• #Crime in Hong Kong
• #Hong Kong
• #Infamous Hong Kong Murders
• #Abby Choi Tin-fung

New mechanism to strengthen oversight of renovations after…

A three-tier dispute resolution mechanism could help Hong Kong homeowners strengthen oversight of major renovation projects and prevent exploitation by “unscrupulous traders”, according to the home affairs minister. The city’s building management challenges came under the spotlight after the deadly blaze at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court in November 2025. The estate was undergoing a HK$330 million renovation when the fire broke out, killing 168 people and displacing nearly 5,000 residents. An...

• #Fire

Trump casts doubt on live broadcast of US military firing s…

US President Donald Trump cast doubt on Friday on whether authorities will live-stream the firing squad execution of the perpetrator of a deadly attack on American soldiers, a plan that has drawn broad and bipartisan condemnation. Nidal Hasan’s execution – scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, where he gunned down 13 people in 2009 – is set to be the first by a US military firing squad since 1945. A Pentagon official said on Thursday that the execution would be streamed live, after US...

• #Donald Trump
• #United States
• #J.D. Vance
• #TikTok
• #Amnesty International
• #Meta Platforms

Opinion | Truth needs a treaty in this age of AI disinforma…

Imagine this: one major power launches an operation against another’s ship in a sensitive strategic zone, acting on intelligence that the vessel is carrying sanctioned goods. The operation sparks a major international incident that brings the two powers to the brink of war. Unlikely as this may sound in today’s hi-tech world of sensory awareness, it did almost happen. In mid-September, it was reported that the US military was on the verge of launching an operation against a Chinese ship near...

• #AI
• #opinion
• #Truth

How Gen Z collectors helped power global art market back to…

Gen Z high-net-worth collectors have overtaken older generations as the art market’s biggest spenders, with average fine art expenditure more than twice that of older collectors, helping drive a global sales rebound to nearly US$60 billion, according to the latest Art Basel and UBS market insights. The surge came as mainland China and Hong Kong continued to play pivotal roles in the global art market’s growth, according to the Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2026, released earlier...

• #Wealth management
• #Gen Z
• #Millennials
• #Hong Kong
• #China
• #Art

How to zoom through new Huanggang Port crossing at Hong Kon…

The Huanggang Port will open on Monday after more than six years of redevelopment and rounds of preparatory drills. The 24/7 checkpoint will be the first to adopt the “joint clearance” model, where passengers can complete both departure and entry clearance in a single three-gated automated channel. As the final checks are carried out, the South China Morning Post explains what you need to navigate the new checkpoint. 1. Do I need to register for ‘joint clearance’? Yes, Hong Kong and mainland...

• #Hong Kong transport
• #Hong Kong
• #Shenzhen
• #China

Hong Kong to expand community recycling after shelving wast…

Hong Kong will strengthen its community recycling network with measures such as round-the-clock automated collection points after scrapping the waste-charging scheme due to strong public backlash, the environmental chief has said. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan on Saturday also pledged to review the permitted profit levels of the city’s two power companies when their control agreements with the government expire in 2033. He added the government would boost clean energy...

• #Hong Kong society
• #Hong Kong environmental issues
• #Recycling and waste reduction
• #Hong Kong
• #Environment
• #China

Alibaba chairman says open source AI approach could be blue…

Embracing the open-source approach is the only way for Europe to achieve technological independence, Alibaba Group Holding chairman Joe Tsai said, pointing to China’s own open-source drive as a blueprint for innovation under constraints. For Europe, which shares China’s deep roots in traditional manufacturing, the open-source approach presented a unique opportunity, Tsai said, highlighting that factories in the region possessed highly valuable manufacturing data. “You don’t want to feed it into...

• #Artificial intelligence (AI)
• #Alibaba
• #Joe Tsai
• #European Union
• #China
• #United States

South Korea: 38 injured as ceiling collapses during Daegu s…

Thirty-eight people suffered minor injuries on Saturday when part of a ceiling collapsed at a building in South Korea’s southeastern city of Daegu, fire authorities said. According to local authorities and fire officials, the incident occurred at around 10.16am on the second floor of a four-storey building in Gwaneum-dong. At the time, a vendor was selling kitchenware and other goods to elderly customers when a section of the ceiling’s finishing material fell down. All 66 people inside evacuated...

• #South Korea
• #Lee Jae Myung

Leung sings Mo’s praises as in-form duo look to continue ho…

Derek Leung Ka-chun has made a rapid start to the season in tandem with in-form trainer Cody Mo Wai-kit and is looking to continue that strong partnership with a pair of strong chances at Sha Tin on Sunday. Leung has stormed to nine winners after nine meetings, posting a 15 per cent strike rate and only sitting behind champion jockey Zac Purton in the jockeys’ premiership. Five of those winners have come for Mo and a further two have been in partnership with Manfred Man Ka-leung, who sits atop...

• #Duo

Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: explorer inspires youth through…

When Wilson Cheung took Hong Kong secondary school students into the Swiss Alps this summer, terrain he had once been able to reach had become inaccessible. Glacier melt and thawing ground had destabilised parts of the mountain, while rockfall made fieldwork more hazardous. Only weeks earlier, Cheung had completed a roughly 1,700km (1,056-mile) scientific snowkite traverse across Greenland in 2026. The journey took him across the ice sheet while he continued collecting data in one of the world’s...

• #Hong Kong society
• #Spirit of Hong Kong
• #Spirit of Hong Kong Awards
• #Switzerland
• #Greenland
• #China

Could Indonesia’s ‘content governor’ rival Prabowo for the…

Dressed in his trademark white shirt and traditional Sundanese headcloth, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi stood near the barren slopes of Mount Wayang. Announcing a new initiative to pay hundreds of local farmers to replant its forests and shield the region from flooding, he delivered a line perfectly pitched for the cameras tracking his every step. “I am a leader who does not want obedience caused by poverty,” he declared on September 26. “I want obedience caused by prosperity.” It is this...

• #Indonesia
• #Prabowo Subianto
• #Joko Widodo
• #Social media
• #Asia elections
• #Gibran Rakabuming Raka

At a Shenzhen market, Golden Week tourists flock to buy dis…

For Xiao Lei, a gold seller in Shenzhen’s Shuibei district, China’s week-long National Day holiday has meant a rush of customers and a heavier workload, as shoppers flock to buy jewellery at lower prices. Shuibei, a sprawling gold and jewellery trading district in a city better known for its technology industry, is one of China’s largest wholesale hubs for the precious metal. Xiao said customer traffic at her shop had risen sharply during the holiday. “We’ve had all kinds of customers, including...

• #China consumption
• #Golden week
• #Chinese tourists
• #Tourism
• #Commodities
• #Consumers

Bling Empire’s Dorothy Wang is back. This time, it’s her we…

For Dorothy Wang, documenting her life is hardly new territory. After years of appearing on reality television, including Rich Kids of Beverly Hills, Bling Empire and Bling Empire: New York, the socialite-entrepreneur and heiress – her father Roger Wang is the billionaire founder of Chinese real estate company Golden Eagle International Group – has spent much of her adult life sharing her life with the public. But when she met lawyer Brandon Yankowitz through mutual friends in 2022, she found...

• #TV shows and streaming video
• #Fame and celebrity
• #Reality TV
• #Weddings
• #Sex and relationships
• #Italy

Worker prospects in hair, beauty sector not cut and dried a…

Hongkonger Terrence Wu Chung-ting puts on an apron, picks up a comb and massages hair essence into a client’s scalp during a treatment for hair loss. But eight years ago, Wu’s job could not have been any more different. A finance graduate from one of the city’s top universities, he was then a marketer for beauty products and focused on sales. But when he saw untapped potential in Hong Kong’s hairdressing industry, he boldly switched careers from a white-collar to a blue-collar profession,...

• #Hong Kong economy
• #Hong Kong
• #Jobs
• #Hong Kong society

The hidden heartbreak of losing a pet in Singapore and Mala…

Growing up in a Malay family in Singapore, Hafeez Hassan feared dogs. He never expected to mourn one like a sibling. “Maybe that is what I have been grieving all along … The experience of loving something that I was taught I was not supposed to love,” he said. Even as an adult, walking his former partner’s husky Pieces in public made Hafeez anxious that a relative might see him, or that he might be judged for being close to an animal whose saliva and waste are regarded as ritually impure by many...

• #Singapore
• #Malaysia
• #Animals

Australia says it won’t buy Russian fuel despite Trump’s di…

Australia has no need to buy fuel from Russia and said that purchases from there would remain barred so that the country did not benefit from the invasion of Ukraine. “We don’t need or want Russian fuel in Australia,” Chris Bowen, Australia’s minister for climate change and energy, said on Saturday at a press conference in western Sydney. “We do not want Vladimir Putin to benefit from this war in the Middle East. What the United States does is a matter for them, but we won’t be changing our...

• #Australia
• #Russia
• #Ukraine
• #Ukraine war
• #United States
• #Donald Trump

Letters | Before we trust AI, we must trust each other

Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. The artificial intelligence race is often regarded as a purely technical issue. It is a prisoner’s dilemma instead. As algorithms play a larger role in domains ranging from credit scoring to military operations, the main risk stems not from malfunctioning code but from...

• #AI

Singaporean teenager flown to hospital after falling ill du…

A Singaporean girl has been flown to a hospital after falling ill during a hike with two other friends at Hong Kong’s Lion Rock, according to police. The force received a report on Saturday from the mother of one of the hikers at about 6.50am. Her daughter called for help after the 17-year-old Singaporean friend vomited and experienced chills during their hike at Lion Rock, a 495-metre-high mountain. Police later arrived at the scene while the Government Flying Service deployed a helicopter to...

• #Ruttonjee Hospital
• #Singaporean
• #Wan Chai
• #Hong Kong
• #Lion Rock
• #Government Flying Service

Will Taiwan derail Washington and Beijing’s latest reset? A…

Recent interactions involving the US and Taiwan are not expected to derail the current momentum in relations between Washington and mainland China, according to diplomatic analysts. Beijing was taking a pragmatic approach to navigating the complexities of the Taiwan issue, they said, but the fate of a US$14 billion arms package for the island remained a key concern. During President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to the United States, Xi urged his hosts to “adhere to the correct position of opposing...

• #2026 Xi-Trump summits
• #US-China relations
• #United States
• #Taiwan
• #China
• #Tsai Ing-wen

Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: Blind musician with birth disea…

A year after a seven-hour surgery in Hong Kong in 2025, Cassie Li Pui-ying was on stage at Queen Elizabeth Stadium, playing the drums before an audience of more than 2,500 people. She heard the applause but could not see who it came from. That March night was organised by Live Theatre, which her mother Marine Mak also helps run. Li sang, spoke and played the drums. The group gives visually impaired students a stage to perform on. Despite having been through several serious health scares, what...

• #Hong Kong society
• #Spirit of Hong Kong Awards
• #Spirit of Hong Kong
• #Hong Kong
• #Sino Group

Trump slams Norway and Nobel committee after missing out on…

US President Donald ⁠Trump reiterated his complaints on Friday about not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, calling it a disgraceful and embarrassing decision that had left a ‌stain on Norway, which hosts the Nobel committee. Trump unleashed on Norway hours after the committee awarded this year’s prize to Navi Pillay, a former International Criminal Court judge who oversaw a UN report that concluded Israel ⁠committed genocide in Gaza. Trump called Pillay a “mystery person” during ‌a campaign rally...

• #Donald Trump
• #Norway
• #North Korea
• #United States
• #Japan
• #South Korea

In Focus | Womb for rent: why are some Chinese cities hubs…

It was like something out of a movie: blindfolded, her cellphone confiscated, Miranda was being driven in a van carrying only other women. When she attempted to strike up a conversation with the passenger next to her, the driver made her move to another seat. The silence stretched for 45 minutes before the blindfolds were removed and the vehicle pulled up at what appeared to be a resort-style compound. “I only knew the site lay on the city’s outskirts, nothing more,” said Miranda, who declined...

• #China's population
• #China birth rate
• #China
• #Hong Kong
• #In Focus
• #Shanghai

Japanese brewer designs “wobbly” beer glass to encourage re…

A craft beer producer in central Japan is hoping that its U-shaped “wobbly” glass will encourage people to drink water along with their beer, in a bid to prevent excessive alcohol consumption and dehydration. The “Wobbly Beer Glass by Yona Yona Ale”, produced by Yoho Brewing based in Nagano prefecture, has been on sale since August amid growing awareness of the need for responsible drinking. The idea is that the glass, divided into two sections, will tilt if a balance between beer and water is...

• #August
• #Yona Yona Ale
• #Nagano Prefecture
• #responsible drinking
• #water
• #Japan

Malaysia urged to police its firms in Indonesia as haze shu…

Malaysia is facing renewed pressure to clamp down on its companies over their alleged links to forest fires abroad, as recurring haze from Indonesia continues to disrupt schools and daily life despite years of regional efforts to tackle the problem. On Thursday, Malaysia ordered schools to close across several states, including Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and the Rompin district in Pahang, while sporting events scheduled for the weekend were cancelled. The latest...

• #Malaysia
• #Indonesia
• #Environment
• #Singapore
• #Asean
• #Extreme weather

Chinese police cracks ‘Breaking Bad’ drug lab; ex-professor…

Police in eastern China recently dismantled a cross-border drug-trafficking gang that allegedly involved a retired chemistry professor and a master’s degree holder in producing narcotics. The case went viral in China, where social media users dubbed it “China’s Breaking Bad,” after the American crime drama that aired from 2008 to 2013. The series is widely regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time. In China, all five seasons scored above 9 out of 10 on the country’s best-known ratings...

• #China
• #Chinese
• #drug
• #manufacturing
• #trafficking
• #drug lab

Why a Communist Party boss had a coffee shop date with Chin…

The setting may have been casual but the choice was not when the Communist Party boss of a northeastern Chinese province sat down with digital content creators at a coffee shop on Wednesday. Jilin province party secretary Huang Qiang invited the influencers to the relaxed setting of the Songyuan Coffee Shop in Changchun to encourage them to “actively promote mainstream values and spread positive energy”. According to a local government statement, Huang and the participants also exchanged views...

• #China’s Communist Party
• #Communist Party politics
• #China

New Taipei-Hong Kong subsea route opened to cut risk and me…

One of the world’s biggest network service providers has opened a new subsea route between Taipei and Hong Kong to strengthen the system against repeated underwater cable disruptions around the island. Britain-headquartered RETN said the new route would take its total to six serving Taiwan: four connecting Taipei and Hong Kong, and two linking Taipei and Tokyo. “Like many island economies, Taiwan’s international connectivity relies heavily on subsea cables, which creates exposure to risks such...

• #Science
• #Hong Kong
• #Taiwan

Lack of heat plan leaves Hong Kong’s vulnerable residents a…

Environmentalists and academics have criticised the omission of a systemic heat-health action plan in Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and latest policy address, warning that relying on “common sense” is failing to protect vulnerable residents from rising temperatures. Their comments came as new research from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) found that extreme heat may have contributed to as many as 3,238 excess deaths in the city over the past decade. In response to the South China Morning...

• #Hong Kong environmental issues
• #Hong Kong
• #John Lee policy address 2026
• #Hong Kong’s first 5-year plan
• #Hong Kong politics
• #John Lee

Central Delhi locked down as youth protest targets India el…

Central Delhi was sealed on Saturday, with thousands of police and paramilitaries on patrol, metro stations shut, mobile internet suspended and markets closed to guard against a youth protest demanding India’s chief election officer quit. The protest, called ‌by the “cockroach” youth movement, hopes to draw thousands of demonstrators who want Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to quit over a revision of voter lists that critics say favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata...

• #India
• #Narendra Modi
• #Bharatiya Janata Party