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South China Morning Post

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

Turkey says Iran feels ‘betrayed’ by US attacks during nuclear talks

Turkey’s powerful foreign minister said on Saturday that there is no serious initiative to resume negotiations between the United States and Iran but that he believes Iran is open to backchannel talks. The comments by Hakan Fidan came as Ankara is striving to stay out of the widening war in the Middle East. Ankara, which has good relations with both Washington and Tehran, had attempted to...
Playing the harp amid sirens: why a Hongkonger refuses to flee the Middle East

While hundreds of Hongkongers stranded in the Middle East have scrambled for flights home after the US-Israel war on Iran broke out, a devoted Christian from the city has chosen to stay, saying she has experienced far worse before. The outbreak of war was unsettling, but Gloria Mok Chong-ngar said she found a way to maintain her inner peace in Jerusalem’s bomb shelters. “The sirens kept ringing...
Japan hotels keep luring Hong Kong families, global investors despite geopolitical strains

For Hong Kong’s Topaz Family Office, investing in hotels in Japan holds up as a sound decision even as a Middle East war clouds the macroeconomic environment. The wealth manager has made Japan a central plank of its pivot into hospitality and real estate over the past two years, driven by a sharp post-pandemic tourism rebound. The investment thesis now looks increasingly robust thanks to...
Inside the coconut cartel: how Chinese money squeezes Thai farmers

Hands knotted by a lifetime of hard work, Supon Haochareon says Thai farmers in his position do not get to retire. Instead, the 81-year-old and his wife Lamduan, 74, must tend more than 300 trees in Samut Sakhon, an hour west of Bangkok, agonising each year as prices slump and their coconuts grow smaller in the withering heat. This month brought the lowest prices on record: two baht (six US...
Why Japan’s Type-12 missile deployment may complicate China’s regional strategy

Japan has deployed its domestically produced long-range missiles near the East China Sea – a move that could be interpreted by Beijing as crossing a “strategic threshold”, analysts said. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said on Monday that the upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles would be deployed at Camp Kengun in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Kumamoto by the end of...
Chinese bubble tea chain Mixue straps in for theme park project

A budget bubble tea chain from China best known for its cheap ice creams and drinks may soon be adding roller coasters and immersive shows to its menu. Mixue, boasting more stores than McDonald’s and growing rapidly outside China, is planning to build a theme park at its headquarters in Zhengzhou, the capital of central China’s Henan province. The park will be based on its Snow King mascot, a...
To stay competitive, Hong Kong must embrace nature-based solutions

When people picture Hong Kong, they often imagine a relentless concrete jungle – a vertical city where glass and steel dominate the skyline. Yet a quiet revolution is beginning to reshape how our city develops. Last week, the Civil Engineering and Development Department and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department jointly launched the Hong Kong Nature-based Solutions Design Guidelines....
‘AI may know me better’: why Hongkongers turn to chatbots for mental health help

Joe*, a 20-year-old Hong Kong student, began seeking emotional support for dating advice, family relationships and stress management a few months ago to ease his anxieties. He asked questions during his commute to school, while studying in the evening and even when he could not sleep late at night. His go-to chatbot: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which he accesses through the artificial intelligence (AI)...
‘Cyber heartbreak’ wave sweeps China social media as users grieve ‘loss’ of AI partners after updates

A wave of “cyber heartbreak” has swept social media in China as young people “mourn” loving artificial intelligence (AI) partners suddenly “cancelled” by system upgrades or entirely wiped out by server shutdowns. The bizarre phenomenon, dubbed “cyber widowhood”, sees devastated users write eulogies on social media as the tech industry pivots away from emotional companionship towards cold,...
Southeast Asia’s scam compound survivors suffer in stigma and silence

For many of those rescued from Southeast Asia’s scam compounds, escape is not the end of the ordeal. They leave behind the locked gates, surveillance and violence, but often return home carrying injuries, trauma and the stigma of having been forced to scam others. Just as difficult is what comes next: trying to explain the experience to the people waiting for them. “Some of them are not able to...