Hong Kong ‘will deepen technology, industry links under nation’s blueprint’ Hong Kong will promote the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation through opportunities brought by the nation’s blueprint to drive economic growth, the finance chief has pledged, two weeks ahead of the annual budget. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Sunday also said that Hong Kong must better utilise its strengths as an international financial centre to empower and speed up industrial development as the city enters the first year of the national 15th five-year...

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong ‘will deepen technology, industry links under nation’s blueprint’

Finance chief Paul Chan says Hong Kong must make better use of strengths as global financial hub to speed up industrial development.

Woman ejected from Malaysia biker event over ‘too revealing’ dress A woman was told to leave after turning up in a skirt and a low-cut top at the RXZ Forever Legend motorcycling gathering in Kota Baru, Malaysia’s Kelantan state. At the same time, another 30 women were given headscarves to wear after they were found not to be properly covered under the organiser’s dress code guidelines, Sinar Harian reported. RXZ Forever Legend programme director Muhamad Huzaifah Abdul Halim said personnel had been stationed at the entrance to monitor visitors. “The woman that...

South China Morning Post

Woman ejected from Malaysia biker event over ‘too revealing’ dress

Some 30 women were also given headscarves at the RXZ Forever Legend motorcycling rally in Kelantan.

Warm temperatures expected over Lunar New Year holiday in Hong Kong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hongkongers can expect a warm Lunar New Year with maximum temperatures climbing to 23 degrees Celsius when the three-day holiday begins on February 17. According to the Hong Kong Observatory’s nine-day weather forecast, the temperature on the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday will range between 19 and 23 degrees, with mostly cloudy skies and sunny...

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Warm temperatures expected over Lunar New Year holiday in Hong Kong

Observatory says residents can expect temperatures to rise to 23 degrees when holiday begins on February 17.

Indonesia’s 68,000-year-old handprint: the birth of human art? The faint outline of a hand in a cave in Indonesia’s Sulawesi has been recognised as the world’s oldest known rock art, shattering a long-held scientific theory that human artistic expression first flourished in Ice Age Europe. Dating back at least 67,800 years, the faded stencil was found hiding beneath a more recent chicken sketch in Metanduno cave on Muna Island. Researchers say the finding, which was published in the scientific journal Nature on January 21, proves that ancient humans in...

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Indonesia’s 68,000-year-old handprint: the birth of human art?

Found hiding beneath a chicken sketch, the faded outline proves ancient humans were capable of reflecting on their existence, scientists say.

China executed a series of Myanmese crime bosses. What does it say about its regional influence? In less than a week, China conducted a series of executions on a scale rarely seen in recent decades. In all, 16 core members of mafia-like crime syndicates were put to death for a range of crimes, from murder to fraud and human trafficking. While all of the victims in the cases were Chinese nationals, many of the condemned were citizens of Myanmar, a largely Buddhist country not known for executing crime bosses. Yet, China was able to convince authorities in Myanmar to hand over...

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China executed a series of Myanmese kingpins. What does it say about its sway?

The condemned headed family syndicates that trapped Chinese abroad in massive scam centres.

China’s Year of the Horse shoppers let emotional satisfaction take the reins As the Year of the Horse approaches, Chinese consumers are hunting online for mascots, dolls and charms themed after the zodiac animal – a pursuit industry observers say favours soft, round and playful designs over formal styles and places more weight on emotional fulfilment than material possessions or brand prestige. This craze is boosting retail sales for plush toys and gold accessories, as is evident in toymaker Pop Mart’s sold-out Have a Good Run series of plush pendants, as well as brisk...

South China Morning Post

China’s Year of the Horse shoppers let emotional satisfaction take the reins

Brand prestige fades in importance as consumers favour festival-themed toys, playful designs and pet items.

Thailand votes as reformists challenge conservatives amid political turmoil Thais began voting on Sunday in an election pitting the reformist People’s Party against the conservative Bhumjaithai Party, with expectations of a tight race among a divided public craving an end to the country’s long economic drift and political instability. Around 53 million Thais are eligible to vote for 500 lower house lawmakers, 400 directly from their constituencies and the remaining 100 decided on a proportional basis from the number of votes each party gets. Barring a shock landslide...

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Conservatives storm to victory in Thailand’s election

The Bhumjaithai Party is forecast to win nearly 200 seats as People’s Party concedes election.

Hong Kong’s budget should move the city towards ‘inspirational’ development At this time of year, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po’s top priority is finalising the Hong Kong government’s budget for 2026-27, balancing requests for incentives and welfare against calls for a return to fiscal prudence. For decades, budget speeches have followed a familiar structure: a review of past performance, near- and medium-term forecasts, support measures for industries and social services, a report on the government’s fiscal position and financial estimates for the coming year....

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Opinion | Hong Kong’s budget should move the city towards ‘inspirational’ development

The 2026-27 budget speech should explain how the city’s economic direction aligns with global and national trends, defining its place in the indu...

Sanae Takaichi poised for big win as snow-hit Japan votes Japanese voters ‌began casting ballots on Sunday in an election expected to hand Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi a resounding win, although record snowfall in parts of ‍the country could keep many voters at home. The conservative coalition of Takaichi, the nation’s first female leader, could win more than 300 of the 465 seats in the lower house of parliament, according to multiple opinion polls, a large gain from the 233 it is defending. If the coalition of Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party with...

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Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ Takaichi sweeps election with historic win

Sanae Takaichi’s coalition secures 352 seats in parliament’s lower house, handing the prime minister a supermajority.

CK Hutchison set for hard fight to secure Panama port deal compensation: experts Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison could find it hard to secure compensation from Panamanian authorities over their decision to nullify its port operation, legal experts have said, noting that the arbitral tribunal it engaged lacks enforcement power and the issuance of damages may depend on the country’s own courts. The conglomerate, led by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s family, said on Wednesday that its subsidiary, the Panama Ports Company (PPC), commenced arbitration against Panamanian authorities a...

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CK Hutchison set for hard fight to secure Panama port deal compensation: experts

Subsidiary has requested arbitration after Panamanian authorities voided concession contract but securing damages may be difficult, they warn.

Southeast Asian refugees cast out of Trump’s US face exile in unknown lands The tattoo on his arm reads “buc Lao” (Laos boy) but Kham Paneboun is not a Laotian citizen. In fact, he’s not really from anywhere. In February last year, US Homeland Security detained him for a felony committed as a teenager, revoked his work permit and – after decades of legal residence – deported him to Laos, a country he had never set foot in. Kham, 43, was torn from his wife and four children, aged three to 12, who remain in Texas – a family now paying for a “bad mistake” he made in his...

South China Morning Post

‘Deported but not defeated’: the Southeast Asians cast out of Trump’s US

Born in a Thai refugee camp and raised in Texas, Kham Paneboun is now stateless in Laos, one of thousands punished again for old crimes.

Washington Post CEO steps down amid outcry over massive job cuts Washington Post publisher and CEO Will Lewis said on Saturday that he was stepping down, three days after the troubled newspaper said that it was laying off a third of its staff. Lewis sent an email to staff at The Washington Post’s staff saying that “difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post”. Lewis and the newspaper’s billionaire owner Jeff Bezos did not take part in a meeting with staff announcing the lay-offs this week. The paper’s chief...

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Washington Post CEO steps down amid outcry over massive job cuts

Will Lewis was replaced by Jeff D’Onofrio, a former CEO of Tumblr who had joined the paper as chief financial officer last year.

Alo Yoga takes over waterfront commercial space in Hong Kong as Asia play heats up American athleisure brand Alo Yoga has taken over a large waterfront commercial space in Hong Kong after it was vacated by a British luxury food retailer, with analysts saying “experience-led” wellness brands are emerging as rare bright spots in an otherwise uneven retail recovery. The local debut of the brand at the 7,000 sq ft, two-storey space at K11 Musea in Tsim Sha Tsui follows the exit of food retailer Fortnum & Mason on January 25. The move comes amid a prolonged retail downturn and a...

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Alo Yoga takes over waterfront store space in Hong Kong as its Asia play heats up

Company moves into 7,000 sq ft, two-storey space at K11 Musea in latest example of success of ‘experience-led’ brands.

Man arrested over bomb hoax threat targeting Hong Kong’s Admiralty MTR station Hong Kong police have arrested a man for allegedly making a bomb hoax threat targeting Admiralty MTR station on an online war game forum. Inspector Luke Hung Sze-tat of the Central police district said on Saturday that officers had arrested a 31-year-old local man in his Sha Tin home on Friday evening and seized three imitation guns from the flat. “Although the crime only involved one person, his threat to place a bomb in one of the busiest and densest MTR stations in Hong Kong prompted us to...

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Man arrested over threatening to bomb Hong Kong’s Admiralty MTR station

Police say they searched station and found no suspicious objects.

Hong Kong plans to revive privacy law mandating that firms report data breaches Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog plans to consult lawmakers this year about introducing mandatory data breach reporting and related penalties, the body’s chief has said. Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling on Saturday revealed details about the proposed legislative amendments to the city’s privacy ordinance, after authorities stalled the measures in 2024 due to opposition from the business community. “We really hope that we have some specific recommendations this year, so we...

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Hong Kong plans to revive privacy law requiring firms to report data breaches

Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung says watchdog intends to consult lawmakers this year after legislative reform was put on hold in 2024.

India’s Modi hails ‘great news’ after US slashes tariffs as part of new trade deal Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hailed an interim trade agreement with the United States, saying it would bolster global growth and deepen economic ties between the two countries. The pact cuts US “reciprocal” duties on Indian products to 18 per cent from 25 per cent, and commits India to large purchases of US energy and industrial goods. US President Donald Trump, while announcing the deal Tuesday, had said Modi promised to stop buying Russian oil over the war in Ukraine. The...

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India’s Modi hails ‘great news’ after US slashes tariffs as part of new deal

The pact cuts US duties on Indian goods to 18 per cent and commits India to large purchases of US energy and industrial goods.

Taiwan wants to train an effective reserve force. Will live-fire drills do the job? Taiwan is moving to plug one-year conscripts directly into frontline combined-arms operations, mandating joint live-fire training with troops across all services to bolster resilience against a potential attack from Beijing. But the push is facing challenges, with experts saying that the inexperienced recruits could become a battlefield burden while the military also deals with training capacity issues and weakening public resolve on defending the island. The Taiwanese cabinet’s latest policy...

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Taiwan wants an effective reserve force. Will live-fire drills do the job?

Challenges in forging conscripts into fighting force range from inadequate training facilities to eroding public will to defend the island.

Inside Indonesia’s inner circle: Hashim Djojohadikusumo on his brother Prabowo’s vision Hashim Djojohadikusumo is smiling almost beatifically, but the trademark feistiness is unmistakable. We are sitting down for a chat amid the turmoil gripping Indonesia’s capital markets and he says emphatically that “it’s good, it’s good” that it happened. This unvarnished answer is one of several he gives as we talk about his country, nearly two years after his elder brother, Prabowo Subianto, won the presidential election by a wide margin, securing 58.6 per cent of the votes on his third...

South China Morning Post

Exclusive | Inside Indonesia’s inner circle: Hashim Djojohadikusumo on Prabowo’s vision

The Indonesian president’s brother talks ‘fried’ stocks, ‘mosquito’ rivals and MSCI’s Turkmenistan insult in an exclusive interview.

31 killed in Pakistan mosque suicide blast: ‘extremely powerful explosion’ A worshipper at the Shiite mosque in Pakistan’s Islamabad, where dozens of people were killed in a suicide blast on Friday, described an “extremely powerful” explosion ripping through the building just after prayers started. Muhammad Kazim, 52, said he arrived at the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque shortly after 1pm on Friday and took up a place around seven or eight rows from the imam. “During the first bow of the namaz [prayer ritual], we heard gunfire,” he said outside the Pakistan...

South China Morning Post

32 killed in Pakistan mosque suicide blast: ‘extremely powerful explosion’

The attack was the deadliest in Islamabad since September 2008, when 60 were killed in a suicide truck bomb blast at the Marriott hotel.

US funeral home ‘monster’ sentenced to 40 years for stashing 189 bodies A Colorado funeral home owner who stashed 189 decomposing bodies in a building over four years and gave grieving families fake ashes was sentenced to 40 years in state prison on Friday. During the sentencing hearing, family members told Judge Eric Bentley they have had recurring nightmares about decomposing flesh and maggots since learning what happened to their loved ones. They called defendant Jon Hallford a “monster” and “vile” and had urged the judge to give him the maximum sentence of 50...

South China Morning Post

US ‘monster’ who gave grieving families fake ashes jailed for 40 years

Instead of cremating bodies entrusted to them, Jon and Carie Hallford left the corpses to rot around their funeral home, the court heard.