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1. Australian smuggler jailed record 8 years for mailing lizards in popcorn bags

   A Sydney man who tried to post native lizards, dragons and other reptiles out of Australia in bags of popcorn and biscuit tins has been sentenced to eight years in jail, authorities said on Tuesday. The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said. A district court in Sydney gave the man, 61-year-old Neil Simpson, a non-parole...

2. Hong Kong’s first 4 babies of Year of the Horse include fifth child for a couple

   Hong Kong has welcomed at least four new babies as it enters the Year of the Horse, including a girl whose father is a talent visa holder from mainland China and a boy who is the fifth child of a local couple. Four babies were born at midnight on Tuesday: a girl and a boy at Union Hospital in Tai Wai; a boy at Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei; and a girl at St Teresa’s Hospital in Kowloon...

3. Can chatbots tell Hongkongers’ fortunes or just make them up out of thin AI-r?

   Artificial intelligence (AI) is unlikely to replace feng shui masters despite a growing trend of people turning to chatbots for fortune-telling, Hong Kong soothsayers have said, warning against blindly trusting such software as it may produce “dangerous” predictions. Feng shui masters told the South China Morning Post that such chatbots, trained on existing datasets, could make errors,...

4. Why big power rivalry is the ‘main threat’ to Asean maritime security

   If there is one big threat to maritime security in Southeast Asia, it is the growing wariness between the big players in the region. That was the assessment from Kao Kim Hourn, secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), at the just-concluded Munich Security Conference. “Overall the main threat would be the increasing strategic mistrust between and among the major...

5. Taiwan singer visits over 100 mainland Chinese cities to help farmers sell produce

   Taiwan singer Kenji Wu has received official praise for his grass roots charitable activities in mainland China. Wu, better known as Wu Kequn in China, shot to fame more than two decades ago for his romantic songs. He has a large fan base across the country. In the past two years, he returned to the spotlight for viral short videos showing him travelling to more than 100 mainland cities and...

6. India’s huge new megaport off Southeast Asia gets green go-ahead

   India’s environmental court has given the go-ahead to the strategically significant Great Nicobar infrastructure project despite widespread concerns of ecological damage to the island in the Andaman Sea. The National Green Tribunal on Monday dismissed a batch of petitions objecting to the megaproject on ecologically sensitive Great Nicobar island – around 160km (100 miles) northwest of...

7. Hong Kong crowds flock to Tai Po wishing tree for Lunar New Year blessings

   Local residents and tourists flocked to the wishing tree in Tai Po on the first day of the Lunar New Year to pray for good health, happiness and prosperity for Hong Kong. Despite intermittent showers and temperatures of around 18 degrees Celsius (64 Fahrenheit) marking the first day of the Lunar New Year, the conditions did little to dampen visitors’ enthusiasm for hanging their wishing placards...

8. How Hong Kong will signal gallop towards prosperity with Lunar New Year fireworks

   Hong Kong will welcome the Year of the Horse with a 23-minute Lunar New Year fireworks display on Wednesday, showcasing vibrant elements inspired by the energy and spirit of horses. Themed “Prosperity Gallops Across Hong Kong”, the fireworks show is solely sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, at a cost of HK$19 million (US$2.4 million). The South China Morning Post takes a closer look at the...

9. Strong Lunar New Year demand fuels China’s gold jewellery market

   In the run-up to Lunar New Year, Chinese consumers were busy choosing gold jewellery, a traditional gift with deep cultural connotations, as strong market sentiment overshadowed sharp fluctuations in gold prices and assessments of the sector’s outlook by investment banks remained upbeat. Jewellers offered small discounts to boost holiday sales. For example, Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, China’s...

10. Ukraine’s Olympic sign bearer was a Russian woman: ‘I have to be worried’

    Anastasia Kucherova, a Russian living in Milan, voiced her opposition to Russia’s war against Ukraine with a highly symbolic, if anonymous, act: carrying the Ukraine team placard during the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Winter Games. Kucherova was swathed in a long, hooded silver puffer coat, her eyes covered with dark glasses – like all the other placard bearers for the 92 nations...