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South China Morning Post

All the latest breaking news from Hong Kong, China and around the world

Passengers recall terrifying escape from fire on Singapore-bound cruise ship

May Lau was jolted awake by loud, urgent knocking on her cabin door in the early hours of Friday – and she knew immediately something was wrong. “They were knocking so loudly, I thought there was no way this was a drill,” she said in Mandarin. “They told us to get up as soon as we could. I could smell the smoke in the air and I knew there was a problem. We didn’t even have time to take our...
China applauds North Korea on party conclave in ‘new historical period’ of ties: Xinhua

China has joined Russia in congratulating North Korea on the conclave of its ruling party, hailing economic achievements under the leadership of Kim Jong-un and pledging to work with Pyongyang to promote regional peace. According to Xinhua, the Central Committee of China’s Communist Party sent a congratulatory letter on Thursday, asserting that the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea had in recent...
Why Prabowo’s push for clay roofs in ‘rusty’ Indonesia may face a brick wall

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has called for a nationwide drive to replace corrugated zinc roofs with clay tiles, saying he wants the country to shed what he describes as a “rusty” image while also cooling homes, reviving a struggling industry and making the country more attractive to tourists. But analysts warn that the plan – dubbed gentengisasi, or mass roofing – could strain the...
China grandma spends hell money without complaints from vendors due to kind personality

A video clip of a woman in her 70s using ritual hell money or toy cards to “buy” snacks at a food street in eastern China without any trouble has touched mainland Chinese internet users. The story unfolded on a food street in Zaozhuang, Shandong province where a poorly dressed grandma often uses her special currency to buy roasted chicken drumsticks, cakes and steamed stuffed buns, the local...
China-Germany ties ahead of Merz’s visit

As German Chancellor Friedrich Merz prepares for his high-stakes visit to Beijing from February 24 to February 27, he faces a new reality – China has become less reliant on Germany. While China is once again Germany’s top trading partner, the relationship has become distorted by a record €89 billion (US$105.6 billion) trade deficit. China’s economic slowdown has cut demand for German exports...
Hongkongers make 1.4 million outbound trips over Lunar New Year break, up 20% from 2019

Hongkongers made more than 1.4 million outbound trips over the Lunar New Year holiday, up 20 per cent from 2019, while the number of arrivals over the same period remained lower than pre-pandemic levels. Immigration Department data released on Friday showed that from Lunar New Year’s Eve to the third day of the holiday, residents made 1.44 million trips out of the city, about 20.4 per cent more...
Hong Kong Observatory detects tremors felt by residents

The Hong Kong Observatory detected locally felt tremors from a 4.0-magnitude earthquake in Guangdong province on Friday afternoon, confirming more than 100 reports from residents. The weather forecaster’s initial analysis indicated that the 4.0-magnitude earthquake occurred at 2.28pm in Guangdong’s Yangjiang, with the epicentre located about 260km (161.6 miles) west-southwest of Hong Kong. The...
Takaichi vows to make Japan ‘strong and prosperous’, rules out ‘reckless’ fiscal policy

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged on Friday to make Japan “strong and prosperous”, while hitting out at China and pledging to keep “hitting the growth button” following her party's landslide election win. “China is intensifying its attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, while also expanding and stepping up its...
Over 1,000 Kenyans recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine war: report

More than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight on Russia’s side in the war in Ukraine, according to a Kenyan intelligence report presented to lawmakers this week, five times more than authorities had previously estimated. The Russian embassy in Nairobi denied on Thursday that Moscow was involved in illegally recruiting Kenyans to fight in Ukraine, though it said ‌foreign citizens could...
The next interface race: how AI is bringing smart glasses into focus

The artificial intelligence boom has swept through consumer electronics – from smart wearables and AI-powered home devices to voice-interactive toys and robotic pets – but its most significant impact may be on the interface itself. Technology is moving off the screen and onto the face, with smart glasses increasingly seen as the next frontier. “The next interaction revolution will happen right...