Flu’s spread across Asia prompts Hong Kong groups to join vaccination appeal Medical organisations and politicians in Hong Kong, Macau and other parts of Asia have issued a joint appeal to take preventive steps against the spread of influenza across the continent, with a local expert calling on residents to get vaccinated early. Dr Mike Kwan Yat-wah, president of the Asian Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases, said on Sunday that influenza was spreading not only in Hong Kong, but in countries such as Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Singapore. “After the Covid-19...

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Flu’s spread across Asia prompts Hong Kong groups to join vaccination appeal

Paediatric infectious diseases specialist Dr Mike Kwan says ‘timings of flu outbreaks have changed’ after Covid-19 pandemic.

US business leaders eye Hong Kong as ‘springboard’ to mainland China, Asia American business leaders are looking to use Hong Kong as a “springboard” for tapping markets in China and Asia despite geopolitical tensions amid a wider reassessment of the mainland’s technological innovation, the city’s finance chief has said. Reflecting on his trip to New York and Washington last week, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also said on Sunday that his exchanges would “lay the foundation” for further cooperation with the United States, even as Hong Kong got caught up in the...

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US business leaders eye Hong Kong as ‘springboard’ to mainland China, Asia

Following his US trip, finance chief Paul Chan also says American partners are reassessing Chinese technology given its leapfrogging ability.

China accuses US of carrying out cyberattacks on national time centre China’s top counter-espionage agency has accused the United States of conducting cyberattacks against the country’s national time centre, which it said could have had a severe impact on the orderly functioning of society. In a social media post on Sunday, the Ministry of State Security said the US National Security Agency was behind a number of cyberattacks against China’s National Time Service Centre. The centre – affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and based in Xian, Shaanxi...

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China accuses US of carrying out cyberattacks on national time centre

Ministry of State Security claims American intelligence agency stole sensitive data and attacked the centre’s internal networks.

Hong Kong TCM hospital to collect data on Chinese, Western medicine interactions Hong Kong’s first traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospital aims to co-develop the world’s first clinical database on interactions between its healing practices and Western treatments to help provide evidence-based therapy guidelines. Dr Cheung Wai-lun, project director of the Health Bureau’s Chinese Medicine Hospital Project Office, said on Sunday that no such database currently existed and hoped the launch of the institute would help to fill that gap. The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong...

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Hong Kong TCM hospital to collect data on Chinese, Western medicine interactions

Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong will open on December 11 and is intended to showcase TCM’s capabilities.

Nobody ‘cares’: a crocodile caused barely a ripple at an Australian resort pool A crocodile took a dip in a luxury hotel pool in northeastern Australia this weekend but failed to stir guests who relaxed in the sun a few steps away. Video posted on social media showed the juvenile carnivore lying on the bottom of the pool at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort in Port Douglas. “I don’t want to alarm anyone but there is a crocodile in the Sheraton pool,” TikTok user Lisa Keller said in a video showing the scaly predator. A handful of tourists could be seen taking it easy on sun...

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‘Nobody cares’: crocodile causes barely a ripple in Australian resort pool

Video posted on social media showed the scaly predator laying on the bottom of the pool of the luxury hotel in Port Douglas.

Trump’s Thailand-Cambodia peace prize play puts Asean in a precarious position The camouflage-clad soldiers who patrol the rice fields around Wichien’s village are a daily reminder that peace along Thailand’s border with Cambodia is perilous, despite the recent truce. For the Thai farmer, the prospect of a lasting settlement is welcome. But US President Donald Trump’s involvement is not. “Trump isn’t here seeking peace, he’s only after recognition … a Nobel Prize. It’s about serving his own ambitions, not helping us,” said Wichien, who asked to be identified by only one...

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Trump’s Thailand-Cambodia peace prize play puts Asean in a precarious position

Malaysia, as summit host, finds itself caught between a US president hungry for a Nobel and a key trading partner in China.

Can Hong Kong’s southbound travel policy for motorists be a tourism driver? Shenzhen resident Angela Lyu was excited about the recent news that Guangdong motorists will be able to drive and stay in Hong Kong for three days under a cross-border travel scheme, but balked at the prospect of high parking fees and a required detour. The “Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles” scheme is due to open for applications in November, and successful applicants will be able to drive into the city by the end of the year. In a post on mainland Chinese social media platform RedNote,...

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Can Hong Kong’s southbound travel policy for motorists be a tourism driver?

'Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles’ scheme is due to open for applications in November, with motorists able to drive into city by year end.

Tropical Storm Fengshen: Hong Kong Observatory could issue T3 on Monday evening This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The Hong Kong Observatory could issue the No 3 typhoon warning on Monday evening, as Tropical Storm Fengshen edges closer to the city. The forecaster also said it would issue the strong monsoon signal on Sunday evening as local winds strengthened under the influence of a northeastern monsoon. “With Fengshen edging closer to the coast of Guangdong gradually...

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Fengshen: Hong Kong may issue T3 typhoon signal between 5pm and 7pm on Monday

Forecaster also issues strong monsoon signal as local winds strengthen.

Taiwan’s leader proposes missile shield like Israel’s Iron Dome. Will it work? Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te wants the island to build a “T-Dome” missile shield – modelled after Israel’s Iron Dome. But his proposal has sparked debate over feasibility, given Taiwan’s disparate missile systems. Lai unveiled his “T-Dome” plan during a Double Tenth Day address marking the 114th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China – Taiwan’s official title. He described it as a “multilayered air defence network” to protect critical infrastructure and population centres...

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Taiwan’s leader proposes missile shield like Israel’s Iron Dome. Will it work?

Proposal seen to underscore Lai’s resolve to show loyalty to US strategic agenda, but critics question whether idea is workable for Taiwan.

US strike in Caribbean kills Colombian fisherman, stoking sovereignty row Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Saturday that the United States had violated Colombia’s sovereignty over its waters and killed a fisherman during its recent anti-drug trafficking military campaign in the Caribbean. “US government officials have committed murder and violated our sovereignty in our territorial waters. Fisherman Alejandro Carranza had no ties to drug traffickers and his daily activity was fishing,” the leftist leader said on social media. Carranza was reportedly killed in...

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US strike in Caribbean kills Colombian fisherman, stoking sovereignty row

President Gustavo Petro demanded answers from Washington over the September attack that left Alejandro Carranza dead.

2 men sent to hospital after 3-car collision on Hong Kong country park road Two men were taken to hospital on Sunday morning following a three-car collision on a road running through Hong Kong’s Plover Cove Country Park. Police said the accident took place at around 7.50am along Bride’s Pool Road in Tai Po. Photos from the scene show that at least two vehicles had sustained major damage to their front sections. One of the vehicles had a probationary driver’s plate displayed in the windscreen. Smoke could also be seen coming from one of the damaged vehicle’s engines. The...

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2 men sent to hospital after 3-car collision on Hong Kong country park road

Photos from scene show at least two vehicles sustained major damage to front sections after crash along Bride’s Pool Road in Tai Po.

Takaichi clears path to be Japan’s first female PM after new coalition deal Japan’s ruling party and main opposition are set to form a coalition to enable Sanae Takaichi to become the country’s first female premier, local media reported on Sunday. Takaichi became leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party earlier this month, but her bid to become premier was derailed by the collapse of her ruling coalition. Since then, the LDP has been working to cobble together a different alliance, putting her chances back on track. Takaichi and her counterpart Hirofumi Yoshimura...

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Takaichi clears path to be Japan’s first female PM after new coalition deal

LDP’s Sanae Takaichi and JIP chief Hirofumi Yoshimura are set to sign a coalition agreement on Monday.

China’s new hope in breaking reliance on foreign chipmaking machines AMIES Technology, a new Chinese lithography equipment manufacturer that showcased its latest chipmaking products at an industry event in Shenzhen last week, is offering renewed optimism in the nation’s drive to reduce its dependence on Dutch giant ASML. The company presented a wide range of products – including compound-semiconductor lithography machines, laser-annealing systems, advanced inspection tools and solutions for packaging and wafer bonding – at the WeSemiBay Semiconductor Ecosystem...

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China’s new hope in breaking reliance on foreign chipmaking machines

Advanced lithography remains a significant bottleneck for China, but a new company founded in February offers new optimism.

‘Work from the air’: Chinese airline offers free Wi-fi to lure back travellers China’s biggest airlines have started offering free Wi-fi to passengers on a growing number of domestic flights, as they vie to win back business travellers who now often prefer to shuttle between cities on high-speed trains. China Eastern Airlines on October 11 launched a free “basic” Wi-fi service on all its widebody aircraft operating on domestic routes, said a company representative who spoke anonymously per company rules. The planes cover a total of 37 routes serving major Chinese cities...

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‘Work from the air’: Chinese airline offers free Wi-fi to lure back travellers

China’s airlines face growing competition from the country’s high-speed rail network, which many passengers prefer for intercity travel.

Is it time for property investors to end their love affair with Japan? As Japan enters a new era with the likely election of Sanae Takaichi as the first female prime minister of Asia’s second-largest economy, is it time for property investors to end their enduring love affair with Japanese real estate? The 64-year-old Takaichi emerged last week as the leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, paving the way for her to seek the premiership, although uncertainties remain following the collapse of a coalition with the party’s allies. Under an anticipated...

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Is it time for property investors to end their love affair with Japan?

Under new leadership, Japan is likely to delay tightening its monetary policy, which presents both opportunities and challenges, CBRE says.

Wake up Britain, your pressing problem is hardly Chinese espionage The collapse of the so-called China spy case in the UK has sparked a storm of headlines. Accusations of “spying for China”, allegations of improper government involvement in the dropping of the case, White House anger – the story ticked every box for front-page drama. Criticism of the government’s handling of the case was amplified by opposition politicians and commentators who never miss an opportunity to cast suspicion on closer ties with Beijing. This is not the first time people have been...

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Opinion | Britain’s obsession with ‘Chinese spying’ says more about the UK than China

The paranoia over people with connections to China tells us less about the scale of any real threat and more about the anxieties shaping Britain’...

Chinese man stabs wife after suspecting her of infidelity with butcher over meat discount A jealous Chinese man tried to stab his wife of 30 years to death because she received a discount from the local butcher. The victm, surnamed Zhao, later pleaded for leniency by saying that her husband always “brings all his money home”. The attack happened in March in Songyuan, Jilin province, northeastern China, when Zou, driven by unfounded suspicion, tried to murder his wife in their living room. Zou became convinced that Zhao was having an affair simply because she received a discount from...

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Chinese man stabs wife after suspecting her of infidelity with butcher over meat discount

Cut-price premium cuts send jealous husband into murderous rage, leading to brutal attack on wife; court jails man for 10 and a half years.

Half of Hong Kong children aged 6 to 10 own smartphones, non-profit urges delay A Hong Kong non-profit group is stepping up a campaign for parents to delay giving their children smartphones until the age of 14, with a survey revealing more than half of youngsters between the ages of 6 and 10 in the city already own one. Look Up Hong Kong released the survey findings on Sunday in support of its push for parents to wait until their children turn 14 before getting them a smartphone and until 16 for granting them access to social media. The results coincide with an ongoing...

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Half of Hong Kong children aged 6 to 10 own smartphones, non-profit urges delay

Parent-led group Look Up Hong Kong calls for families to wait until age 14 before giving children devices.

Why a US$70 day trip to Johor is now Singaporeans’ favourite leisure hack Every month, Rachel Tan, a 53-year-old Singaporean tutor, boards a bus across the 1km (0.6 mile) causeway for a day trip to Malaysia’s Johor state, where she stocks up on groceries and treats herself to lunch and a film. Thanks to streamlined immigration procedures, she rarely needs to present her passport, using a QR code to pass the checkpoint before catching a complimentary shuttle bus that whisks her to R&F Mall. The entire day out, including shopping, typically costs her about 300 ringgit...

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Why a US$70 day trip to Johor is now Singaporeans’ favourite leisure hack

Singapore residents made more than 11 million trips across the causeway in the first seven months of this year, fuelling a retail boom.

‘Potassium railway’: China’s hidden card in the trade war Landlocked in the heart of Southeast Asia, Laos ranks among the world’s poorest nations. However, for over a decade, China invested heavily to build a dual-purpose passenger and freight railway through the thick rainforest between Kunming and Vientiane, the Laotian capital. This 1,000km (621-mile) rail line, with speeds of up to 200km/h (124 mph), has been operating quietly for four years. According to a Chinese government study released this month, this railway has become a critical conduit for...

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‘Potassium railway’: China’s hidden card in the trade war

China’s strategic investment in transport infrastructure is helping it access Laotian reserves, securing food supply for its 1.4 billion people.