AI infrastructure on the front line: Lessons for Asean from the Iran war
On March 1, after Israel and the United States initiated attacks against Iran, Amazon Web Services reported drone strikes against data centre facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The st...
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2h ago
Iran war: US amphibious assault ship arrives in Mideast amid talk of ground operation
The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli has arrived in the Middle East, US Central Command said on Saturday, as speculation soared about the possible deployment of US ground troops in Iran. The ship a...
3h ago
Over 400,000 KitKat bars stolen, as thieves ‘make a break’ with 12 tonne shipment
A huge shipment of KitKat chocolate bars has been stolen in Europe, the brand said, warning that the heist risked causing shortages in stores right before Easter. KitKat, owned by Swiss food giant Nes...
5h ago
Hong Kong airport caps power banks to 2 per passenger in line with global rule
All passengers departing from Hong Kong International Airport are now prohibited from carrying more than two power banks, effective immediately, the Airport Authority announced on Saturday night. Citi...
6h ago
French police foil Paris bomb attack outside US bank
French police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris early on Saturday when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the cas...
7h ago
Boy’s heart stops for 16 minutes after tube comes loose in Hong Kong hospital
A probe has been launched into a serious medical incident in which a six‑year‑old boy’s heart stopped for about 16 minutes at Hong Kong Children’s Hospital after his breathing tube came loose from the...
7h ago
1 month, 2 straits, more strikes: how long will the US-Israeli war on Iran last?
As the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its second month, another major shipping lane is at risk of closure but the chances of a prolonged conflict remain slim, according to Chinese analysts. The assessm...
8h ago
As US-Israel war on Iran rages on, millions angry with Trump expected to fill US streets
Massive nationwide protests against US President Donald Trump are expected on Saturday as millions of people vent fury over what they see as his authoritarian bent and other forms of cruel, law-trampl...
8h ago
Hong Kong MTR track intrusion prompts calls for tougher penalties, education
Hong Kong railway experts have called for heavier penalties and increased publicity to prevent the misuse of emergency exits on trains after a recent intrusion incident on the MTR East Rail line track...
9h ago
‘Like a horror movie’: Hongkonger rescued after forced labour ordeal in Myanmar
A Hongkonger has been rescued from Myanmar and transferred to Thailand after being held captive and forced to do illegal work, in an ordeal he described as a “horror movie”. The Security Bureau on Sat...
9h ago
Beijing tightens drone rules, citing ‘low-altitude security’ concerns
Citing security concerns, Beijing will significantly restrict drone sales, storage and transport after tightening regulation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Chinese capital’s airspace, accor...
10h ago
Hong Kong police seize 1,600 litres of diesel, arrest 1 in raid of illegal fuel site
Hong Kong authorities seized 1,600 litres (423 gallons) of diesel from an illegal fuel station in Sai Wan on Saturday as part of a continuing crackdown on illicit fuel sales, amid rising oil prices dr...
11h ago
AI ‘collusion’ forcing down wages a bigger threat than job-stealing robots: ILO economist
The threat to employment posed by artificial intelligence was not a “robot apocalypse” that would steal jobs, but “algorithmic collusion” that could quietly erode wages and workplace safety, Ekkehard...
12h ago
Cambridge top architect Francois Penz relocates to China from UK
Francois Penz, former head of the department of architecture at the University of Cambridge and a pioneer in the interdisciplinary field of architecture and film, has joined Nanjing University on a fu...
12h ago
Why Chinese pour leftover TCM medicine onto roads, hoping others will walk, drive over it
While walking along China’s roads, it is not uncommon to see leftover herbs scattered on the surface. This is not some random dumping problem, it is in fact Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) leftover...
12h ago
Singapore seizes record Asian pangolin scales disguised as ‘dried fish skin’
Singapore has seized over 830kg (1,800 lbs) of Asian pangolin scales hidden in a shipment bound for Cambodia, authorities said on Saturday, calling it the largest haul of its kind discovered in the ci...
12h ago
Singapore’s Lawrence Wong meets tycoons, leaders as he wraps up Hong Kong visit
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has met Hong Kong political heavyweights and business leaders – including former Chief Justice Andrew Li Kwok-nang and Richard Li Tzar-kai, the son of tycoon Li...
13h ago
4 held as Hong Kong seizes HK$92 million of illicit cigarettes from cargo vessel
Hong Kong customs has seized about 20 million illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of HK$92 million (US$11.46 million) from a cargo vessel during a joint anti-smuggling operation with aut...
13h ago
Hong Kong breaks ground on Northern Metropolis data centre to power AI push
Construction has begun on a major data centre in Northern Metropolis, with Hong Kong’s innovation and technology minister saying the project will supercharge the city’s computing power and drive the n...
13h ago
For Asia, the worst effects of Trump’s war on Iran are yet to come
The law of unintended consequences, a theory popularised by American sociologist Robert K Merton, has rarely been more applicable to any situation than to US President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. Th...
14h ago
Asean countries warned against exploiting US-China tensions for short-term gain
A prominent Chinese political scientist has cautioned Southeast Asian countries against leveraging China-US tensions for short-term benefits, saying this strategy could backfire. Speaking on the sidel...
14h ago
Hong Kong defends 3-hour limit for Wang Fuk Court residents to collect belongings
Hong Kong authorities have insisted that the three-hour time limit is sufficient for residents of the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court to retrieve their belongings, with discretion to be exercised for thos...
14h ago
Hong Kong police searching for driver on the run after hitting railing and bus
Hong Kong police are searching for a driver who fled the scene after crashing a car into a barricade and hitting a bus on Saturday. The force said it received a report at about 9.20am that a car had c...
15h ago
Trump’s Iran gamble falters as war drags on amid concerns of long-term chaos
A month after the US and Israel launched the war with Iran, nothing seems to be going according to President Donald Trump’s plan for a conflict lasting four to six weeks. Despite the assassinations of...
15h ago
US-based Iranian’s cloth works at Art Central reflect complex fabric of her identity
A series of artworks featuring six coats with distinctive features created by an Iranian-American artist for the Art Central festival will allow Hongkongers to reflect on themes of memory and conflict...
16h ago
Pope Leo heads to swanky Monaco with pro-poor message
Pope Leo heads on Saturday to the Mediterranean principality of Monaco, a millionaires’ playground on the French Riviera that is the pontiff’s surprise pick for the first western European trip of his...
16h ago
Chinese lithium battery electrolyte could double EV range and run in extreme cold
Chinese scientists have created an all-weather electrolyte that could improve lithium batteries, allowing them to operate more efficiently at room temperature and in extreme environments. The research...
16h ago
From rural girl to tycoon: China woman, 55, marries lover, 25, with US$7.3 million dowry
A 55-year-old Chinese medical aesthetics tycoon has shocked the internet by marrying her 25-year-old husband, reportedly with a 50 million yuan (US$7.3 million) dowry. Yu Wenhong, 55, was born into a...
16h ago
Indonesia begins social media ban for children under 16
Indonesia on Saturday began implementing a new government regulation approved earlier this month that bans children younger than 16 from access to digital platforms that could expose them to pornograp...
16h ago
Hong Kong government defends changes to national security law after US alert
Hong Kong authorities have defended legal changes that have made it illegal to withhold smartphone passwords from police in national security investigations, after the United States sent a new alert t...
17h ago
As Vietnam leads on AI rules, Southeast Asia risks ‘economic own goal’
Southeast Asian countries are racing to assert control over their data flows, driven by a potent mix of nationalist sentiment and security anxieties. But analysts warn that while certain measures may...
17h ago
Hong Kong prison department’s IT system hacked, 6,800 employees’ data compromised
A computer system containing Hong Kong prison employees’ personal data has been hacked, compromising the information of 6,800 current and former staffers. The Correctional Services Department said on...
18h ago
Can ‘reliable friend’ China fill the gap as US pressures allies to snub South Africa?
China pledged to continue its support for South Africa on the same day that it emerged that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had been disinvited from this year’s Group of Seven (G7) summit in F...
18h ago
Why SD cards and hard drives are the new ‘digital gold’ in Hong Kong
After Hong Kong photographer Jacky Lau Kin-sang upgraded his camera systems a few months ago, he was shocked to find that the professional-grade high-capacity SD cards for the set-up cost up to HK$3,0...
18h ago
Bank of America to pay US$72.5 million to settle Epstein sex-trafficking lawsuit
Bank of America has agreed to pay US$72.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that the bank facilitated a sex-trafficking ring orchestrated by Jeffrey Epstein, court documents showed on...
19h ago
Nepal’s ex-PM K.P. Sharma Oli arrested over alleged role in crackdown on protesters
Nepal’s former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on Saturday morning over their alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown on protesters in September, poli...
19h ago
First Hong Kong Sevens rugby tourney held in 1976 – SCMP archive
This article was first published on March 29, 1976. By Jack Beattie World ‘sevens’ for HK? A seven-a-side rugby union world cup competition – and possibly staged in Hongkong! That’s the exciting prosp...
19h ago
US special envoy Witkoff predicts Iran talks as war enters second month
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Friday he believed Iran would hold talks with Washington “this week” as the US-Israeli war against Tehran entered its second month. The...
20h ago
How China’s EV makers think they can outrun disastrous price wars
The era of price wars in China’s electric vehicle (EV) market is giving way to a new contest: who can deliver better technology at the same price. On a cloudy evening in March, Shenzhen-based BYD put...
20h ago
Death of South Korean ‘torture expert’ reopens authoritarian era wounds
The death of one of South Korea’s most notorious police officers, known for his torture methods on prisoners, has revived painful memories of human rights abuses during the country’s era of military-b...
20h ago
How to win friends and influence people in ancient China
The way Stephen Selby tells it, Guiguzi (鬼谷子) sounds like the ancient Chinese version of Dale Carnegie’s enduring self-help book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Given its contents and messag...
21h ago
Myanmar travellers take to the trains as fuel prices rise
Myanmar’s ageing railway stations are bustling with life, crowded with passengers as surging fuel prices due to the Middle East war drive commuters to choose trains over costly planes and cars. On a j...
21h ago
Malaysian politicians slam Philippine senator: ‘Sabah not a commodity’ to ease oil woes
“Sabah is not a commodity” to solve issues faced by other countries, a politician from the Malaysian state said on Friday. Azrul Ibrahim of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah Youth said Sabah is part of a sov...
21h ago
MTR Corp’s use of CRRC technology can act as ‘showcase’ for rest of the world
The deployment of mainland China-made rail equipment and technologies by Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation can provide a “showcase” for their applications overseas, a top representative of manufacturing gia...
21h ago
China puts Ma Xingrui protege Guo Yonghang under investigation for corruption
A former top official of Guangdong province, widely seen as a “right-hand man” of former provincial governor Ma Xingrui, is under investigation for corruption. The investigation into Guo Yonghang, Com...
21h ago
Chinese man rescued from ‘zip tie escape challenge’ after delivery man alerts police
A Chinese man who became trapped while taking part in a viral “zip tie escape challenge” at home called for help and was rescued by a passing delivery man. The case involving the man from Guangzhou in...
22h ago
Iran war energy shock revives Asean’s power grid plans: ‘it’s the way to go’
For a few weeks after the bombs started falling on Iran, Southeast Asian governments told their people not to worry. Emergency funds would cushion the blow. Subsidies would hold. Prices would stabilis...
22h ago
Henry Lee, forensic scientist who testified in the O.J. Simpson trial, dies at 87
Henry Lee, the famed forensic scientist who helped bring modern crime scene investigation into the public spotlight through his involvement in high-profile cases like the O.J. Simpson murder trial, ha...
22h ago
Iran strike wounds US troops and damages planes at Saudi airbase
An Iranian missile attack on Friday left at least 10 US service members wounded and damaged several planes at a military base in Saudi Arabia, according to two US officials familiar with the situation...
23h ago
Trump pitches China trade ‘win’ to US farmers ahead of Xi meeting, midterms
As US President Donald Trump heads to a delayed, high-stakes mid-May summit with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, he is already claiming victory, touting on Friday past trade talks with Xi as a win fo...