China

The owners of an independent Hong Kong bookshop have been released on bail two days after being arrested by national security police on suspicion of sedition and money laundering, the South China Morning Post has learned. A source familiar with the matter said the two owners of Hunter Bookstore – former district councillor for the now-disbanded Civic […]

A Hong Kong court has granted the guardianship of home-born baby Danny to social welfare authorities for three years after his parents were earlier arrested for alleged child neglect. Danny’s father, Tsang Wai-bong, revealed on Friday that their two-month-old son would be under the Social Welfare Department’s care after the Juvenile Court granted the […]

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency and police have jointly arrested 19 people, including serving footballers and coaches, over illegal bookmaking, with one player accused of both fixing matches and handling illicit bets. Principal investigator Bill Ng Siu-kei of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said on Friday that the agency and police […]

New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): The emergence of low-cost artificial intelligence (AI) models is unlikely to slow AI investments. Instead, it could increase demand for computing infrastructure, according to a report by global brokerage Jefferies.The report said the launch of Chinese AI company Z.ai's GLM-5.2 model marks another key development in the AI […]

US and European firms continued to expand their footprints in Hong Kong in the first half of the year, adding new momentum to the city’s role as a superconnector. A total of 413 companies either set up local entities or expanded their presence in Hong Kong in the first six months of 2026, representing a year-on-year increase of 9 per cent, government […]

(260626) -- VICTORIA, June 26, 2026 (Xinhua) -- A member of the 20th Chinese medical team in Seychelles examines a patient at a hospital in Victoria, Seychelles, June 25, 2026. China has dispatched 20 batches of medical teams to Seychelles over the past four decades, helping to train more than 2,000 medical personnel. (Xinhua/Xie Jianfei)

A Hong Kong beautician has admitted tricking two women into forced labour and confinement in Southeast Asia by offering them free flights and accommodation and promising a lucrative reward for transporting 48 million baht (US$1.4 million) more than a year ago. Poon Sum-yi, 33, pleaded guilty at the District Court on Friday to a count of fraud for luring the […]

A 50-year-old woman died and three other people were hospitalised after a fire in a Hong Kong flat on Friday that authorities said was caused by a malfunctioning power strip. Police said the blaze broke out at Valiant Court in Ho Man Tin at around 10.04am. Fire services were immediately deployed to the scene and the blaze in the 11th-floor flat was quickly […]

Hong Kong authorities have officially extended the buy-back offer to the only block spared in the deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze after more than three-quarters of households indicated their intention to sell their flats to the government. Owners of 78 per cent of the flats at the other seven blocks at the Tai Po estate have already signed letters of acceptance […]

New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will focus on innovation, domestic consumption, industrial upgrading, green energy and further opening up to the world, speakers said at the World Economic Forum's 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian.The plan is expected to provide the policy direction for businesses, […]

* Early modeling from the USGS estimates that the final death toll could reach between 10,000 and 100,000, while economic losses could amount to between 2 percent and 10 percent of Venezuela's gross domestic product.* With aftershocks continuing and rescue teams still combing through debris, officials warned that the number of casualties could rise further […]

A penthouse at CK Asset Holdings’ luxury residential project in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels has been sold via tender for HK$380.77 million (US$48.5 million), according to a statement from the flagship property developer of tycoon Li Ka-shing, underscoring the rebound in the city’s high-end residential segment. Unit 10 on the 20th floor of 21 Borrett Road […]

Hong Kong police have arrested a minibus driver for dangerous driving after his vehicle fatally hit a cyclist in North district. Police received a report of the incident in Ta Kwu Ling at 6.27am on Friday. Emergency personnel found the man unconscious at the scene, having sustained serious head injuries. He was taken to North District Hospital in Sheung […]

Hong Kong authorities plan to expand the medical watchdog, increase the proportion of lay members to one-third and cut the complaint-handling process from 42 months to 29, while making the set time frames public. The proposed overhaul of the Medical Council unveiled on Friday also called for replacing the existing disciplinary system with four levels of […]

As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead. Allowing all doctors without permanent residency to work in Hong Kong will not threaten the careers of local practitioners, the health […]

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. A man has been injured after being struck by lightning while hiking on Lantau Peak during unsettled weather, as rapidly changing rainstorm warnings […]

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond 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. A crisis ‘defused’ as blockade lifted, assets to be returned to Iran after Swiss talks […]

CARACAS, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's government on Thursday expressed gratitude for offers of assistance and humanitarian aid from various countries after two powerful earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck on Wednesday, causing widespread destruction.In a televised address to the nation on Thursday, acting President Delcy Rodriguez briefed […]

Hong Kong’s labour authorities are investigating a fatal accident in which a worker died after being run over by a construction vehicle at a sports ground. Police received a report at about 8.58am on Friday that a man had been hit by a vehicle at Kowloon Bay Sports Ground at Kai Lok Street and was trapped beneath it on the running track. The victim’s […]

In the first of a two-part series on the economy as Hong Kong marks 29 years since its return to Chinese rule, Denise Tsang and Vivian Au look at efforts at transformation, including the city’s bet on the Northern Metropolis, and the challenges ahead. Molly Lam lives alone in a public housing flat in Tsuen Wan but fear is a constant companion as she […]

GUIYANG, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The unlikely success of an instant noodle formula is adding a more diversified flavor to the current matcha boom in southwest China's mountainous Guizhou Province -- the latest product to do so.In May, a sweet potato instant noodle product from Sinan County in Tongren became a consumer hit after adding a matcha flavor to its […]

New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Former Union Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar has said that Indo-Pacific is a historical reality which cannot be erased by a Pentagon pencil.Responding to a question by ANI on US renaming Indo-Pacific Command to US Pacific Command, he stated that 'America is being unwise.''The Indo-Pacific is a historical […]

(260626) -- OSLO, June 26, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Frode Kvalo, a maritime archaeologist at the Norwegian Maritime Museum and project leader of the Porcelain Shipwreck, shows a piece of Chinese porcelain recovered from the wreck in Oslo, Norway, June 18, 2026. TO GO WITH "Feature: Chinese porcelain from deep-sea wreck sheds light on 18th-century Europe-Asia trade" […]

At 102, a Flying Tigers pilot still recalls wartime flights over the Hump and the taste of eggs in Kunming, and remains convinced that the friendship between America and China "matters more than ever."by Xinhua writer Yang ShilongNEW YORK, June 25 (Xinhua) -- At the age of 21, Jack Goodrich flew the Hump into China, a lifeline through which the Allies […]

As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead. Hong Kong is on a global talent hunt for its own drug approval body which is expected to be launched by the fourth quarter of this year […]

Hong Kong is seizing every opportunity to consolidate its role as a global financial centre, leveraging unique advantages and national strategies. This piece, the second in a miniseries focusing on the city’s financial industry ahead of the handover anniversary, explores the likelihood of an “IPO Connect” that could inject much-needed liquidity into […]

Last week, while preparing a lecture on the visual culture of the Global South, I caught Google’s Gemini in a double hallucination. Cross-referencing a historical event between English and Chinese data sets, I found the English AI to be authoritative but inventing citations. In Chinese, the fabrications vanished but so did global context, replaced by an […]

Panaji (Goa) [India], June 26 (ANI): Host nation India has advanced three teams into the semifinals of the 5th Bonus Asia Cup Bridge Championships, held under the recognition of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) and with the support of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), following the conclusion of the round robin stages at the Taj Cidade […]

New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said that facing interwoven conventional and non-conventional security threats, it is the right time for BRICS countries to enhance dialogue and cooperation on security affairs.Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong on Thursday said in a statement that from June 22 to 23, Director Wang […]

(Photo credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images)At the FIA's Extraordinary General Assemblies in Macau this week, an overwhelming majority of member clubs and delegates from around the world voted to remove term limits for the FIA presidency, currently held by Mohammed Ben Sulayem.The move paves the way for Ben Sulayem to run for another term and is […]

(260625) -- DAR ES SALAAM, June 25, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports Paul Makonda speaks during the film screening event in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, June 24, 2026. TO GO WITH "Chinese, Russian embassies in Tanzania mark anniversary of partnership with cultural event" (Xinhua/Emmanuel Herman)

Taipei [Taiwan], June 25 (ANI): Taiwanese academics, government officials and civic organisations have voiced growing alarm over China's newly enacted Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, warning that its sweeping extraterritorial provisions could expose Taiwanese citizens to legal and political risks beyond China's borders, as reported by The Taipei […]

LONDON, U.K.: Shopify will ban all vape sales on its platform as early as this week, following pressure from a bipartisan group of U.S. state attorneys general seeking to curb online sales of illegal e-cigarettes, according to two sources familiar with the plans. The move would make Shopify one of the most prominent e-commerce platforms to cut off an […]

(260625) -- DAR ES SALAAM, June 25, 2026 (Xinhua) -- A doctor from the 28th Chinese medical team to mainland Tanzania uses an otoscope to examine the ear of a patient in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, June 24, 2026. The 28th Chinese medical team to mainland Tanzania has provided free medical services to Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) workers and […]

From monks and empires to memes and wars, the ethnic group remains Europes most paradoxical civilizationAre Slavs just meme people?According to a popular theory, there is a direct link between the ethnonym 'Slav' and the Greek word σκλβος (sklabos), meaning 'slave'. This has nothing to do with the Slavic character or will for independence but is […]

(260625) -- BEIJING, June 25, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Beate Meinl-Reisinger in Beijing, capital of China, June 25, 2026. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Washington, DC [US], June 25 (ANI): Highlighting the deep strategic alignment between Washington and New Delhi, US Under Secretary of Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg has lauded India as a pivotal partner in securing the global technological future, describing the ties between the two democracies as one of the most vital partnerships of this century.Speaking […]

(260625) -- ONDANGWA, June 25, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (3rd L) and Zhang Tao (4th R), general manager of China National Nuclear Corporation, unveil the Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah Science Exhibition Hall in Ondangwa, Namibia, June 24, 2026. Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah attended a ceremony on Wednesday in the […]

BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Gears are among humanity's oldest inventions. One turns, the next follows. If any single gear jams, the whole machine stops. Global supply chains work the same way. They are woven together, and smooth operation depends on each link meshing with the next.China has long been both a participant and a contributor to global supply […]

(260625) -- URUMQI, June 25, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin, who is here for the 9th China-Eurasia Expo, in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous […]

(260625) -- URUMQI, June 25, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Kyrgyz Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Erlist Akunbekov, who is here for the 9th China-Eurasia Expo, in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang […]

(260625) -- URUMQI, June 25, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, who is here for the 9th China-Eurasia Expo, in Urumqi, northwest China's […]

Washington, DC [US], June 25 (ANI): US Under Secretary of Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg highlighted the critical need for global collaboration in building secure technology frameworks at the two-day Summit for Pax Silica partner economies.Addressing delegates, Helberg emphasised that nations around the world are facing identical structural challenges as […]

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 25 (ANI): The West Bengal government is working on modalities to support the revival of the Calcutta Stock Exchange (CSE), one of India's oldest stock exchanges, with the aim of preserving its legacy and strengthening Kolkata's position as a financial centre, State Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta said.In an exclusive […]

DALIAN, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Young entrepreneurs who see themselves as a generational bridge between emerging technologies and real-world applications are making their voices heard at Summer Davos, a gathering where seasoned policymakers, scholars and business leaders typically take center stage.For many digital natives attending this year's annual meeting, […]