China has launched an anti-dumping investigation against Japan over a crucial chemical for chipmaking, marking a new escalation in tensions between Beijing and Tokyo. The investigation, set to run for one year with a possible extension of six months,...

A 62-year-old woman in China, who has been pregnant for six months and regards the baby as the return of her deceased son, her only child, has trended on social media, sparking a heated discussion. On a leading mainland social media platform, a woman...

A Hong Kong court has sentenced a man to four weeks in jail for secretly taking upskirt photos of a woman on a Cathay Pacific flight from Osaka last year. Japanese IT manager Onishi Ryu, 46, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to unlawfully recording a woman...

Japan is facing a rampant rise in sextortion ensnaring young men, with a support group reminding potential victims of the near-irreversible nature of digital footprints and urging them to avoid sharing explicit content completely to combat the scourg...

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “patience” over North Korea’s nuclear programme, the South’s president, Lee Jae Myung, said on Wednesday. Speaking during a visit to Shanghai, Lee said he had asked Xi to act as a “mediator for peace�...

A robot developed by a Chinese company has successfully performed a biliary surgery on a 30kg pig, using an AI model to perform the procedure autonomously. The experiment, which took place on December 24, was conducted by Shanghai MicroPort MedBot, u...

A World War II British grenade was discovered on Wednesday morning in Aberdeen Country Park, Hong Kong, according to police. The Model 36M grenade, measuring about four inches long and 2.5 inches in diameter, was found by staff from the Agriculture, ...

Doctors have advised against surgery for Mahathir Mohamad’s fractured hip due to his age, according to his son, Mukhriz Mahathir. The 100-year-old former Malaysian prime minister was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) at 9.30am on Tuesd...

China’s central bank has reiterated its commitment to a “moderately loose” policy stance in 2026, pledging stronger countercyclical and cross-cycle adjustments and signalling flexible and efficient use of reserve requirement ratio (RRR) cuts an...

The United States’ forcible removal of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro from power has reignited a debate over international law and sovereignty. But this risks obscuring a more consequential fact: global energy markets are not governed primaril...

Hong Kong pharmacies have begun removing batches of Nestle baby milk formula from their shelves, following a recall prompted by potential contamination with a toxin that can cause nausea and vomiting. Nestle Hong Kong apologised to parents for any di...

Taiwanese rescuers have stepped up the search for a missing airforce pilot who reportedly parachuted out of an F-16V fighter jet on Tuesday evening. The pilot took off at 6.17pm on Tuesday for routine nighttime flight training then parachuted from th...

Hong Kong’s transport minister has directed her team to urgently address prolonged queues and potential abuses of the application system for test-free driving licences, as long lines formed overnight outside a government office for quota slots. Sec...

Beijing has added Taiwan’s interior minister and education minister to its sanctions list of “stubborn Taiwan independence figures” for behaviour it said undermined cross-strait relations and promoted Taiwan independence. Chen Binhua, spokesman...

Malaysian rapper Namewee has returned to the spotlight with his latest Lunar New Year single, his first release since he was recently acquitted of a drug use charge, as police continue to investigate the death of a Taiwanese influencer who had travel...

Chinese researchers have developed a form of hybrid rice that can replicate itself through seeds that are clones, preserving high-yield traits generation after generation, according to the development team. The scientists say their breakthrough could...

Cantopop singer and songwriter G.E.M.’s first novel has been nominated for the prestigious Chinese Galaxy Award for science fiction writing. On January 4, the star whose real name is Gloria Tang Sze-wing announced that her book, The Path of Revelat...

Singapore’s Hwa Chong Institution has defended its new canteen programme after photos of student meals sparked an online backlash, saying the images do not accurately reflect the food standards. However, students interviewed on Wednesday confirmed ...

Hong Kong authorities have been considering a site in Tai Po originally reserved for public housing to resettle residents displaced by the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, a government source has said. The insider also said on Wednesday that the plot o...

We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China’s EV sector doubles down on ...

The United States’ dramatic abduction of Venezuela’s former leader Nicolas Maduro at the weekend has sent shock waves across Asia, where analysts say authoritarian rulers, now deeply wary of Washington’s erratic behaviour, are likely to draw cl...

Hong Kong police have launched a search for a father and his 11-month-old son, who have been missing for nearly two days. The force renewed its appeal for information on Wednesday, with the Sham Shui Po district crime squad taking over the case. “P...

A powerful aerospace simulation tool developed by Chinese researchers may have exposed potential vulnerabilities in the design of the United States’ most advanced stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider. The “all-in-one” PADJ-X software system, based o...

Tatsuji Sugimoto, who stepped down last month as governor of Fukui prefecture in central Japan over sexual harassment, had sent some 1,000 harassing texts to staff, an investigative report by lawyers said on Wednesday. Among the messages were those i...

An elderly cleaner was injured after being struck by a left-hand drive car with a trade licence plate at a Hong Kong public housing estate – the second street-worker accident in just over a week. Police received a report at 6.18am on Wednesday that...

China and South Korea have reignited their economic cooperation after years of relatively muted ties, signing US$44 million in new export deals and dozens of memorandums of understanding (MOUs) in the wake of a high-level summit held amid shifting re...

Indian exporters of products ranging from home decor to leather shoes are worried about missing the US summer shopping season if they are unable to lock in orders in January as trade deal talks drag on between New Delhi and Washington. This will be t...

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Frost may form on the ground in parts ...

China’s new high-power microwave system to counter drones has a longer range than its US military equivalent, according to its developer. The truck-mounted Hurricane 3000 was showcased during China’s huge military parade in September. This week i...

When ships from China and the Philippines encounter each other near the Second Thomas Shoal, most incidents are resolved without diplomatic intervention. No shots fired, no ministerial calls, no carrier deployments. Within days, encounters are logged...

An adorable scene of a Chinese police officer mediating a quarrel among seven primary school children captured hearts on social media. The group visited a police station in eastern China’s Zhejiang province on the evening of December 19. They sough...

Illegal dog trapping and cat smuggling have become alarmingly common, with an animal rescue group reporting that it saved 351 animals in Hong Kong over the past six months – an average of two per day. As Paws Guardian Rescue Shelter, now in its 10t...

Irina Zhou’s five-year-old cat has gained about a kilogram every year for the past three years. She knows the extra weight puts her pet at risk of obesity-related diseases and could even shorten his life. “My parents just can’t bear to see the ...

British aerospace engine maker Rolls-Royce wants India to be more than just a buyer of its engines, proposing to treat the country as a “home market” by building, designing and developing aircraft engines locally rather than simply selling them f...

Shanghai has announced a slew of new investments in hi-tech industries ranging from chips to artificial intelligence (AI) and aviation, becoming the latest Chinese city to unveil ambitious plans to boost local innovation amid an intensifying US-China...

Singapore and Beijing have emerged among the world’s most liveable cities for tech workers, according to Savills’ inaugural Matcha Index, which ranks locations by buzz and by the spaces where these employees can work, connect and spark ideas over...

The man identified by law enforcement as the shooter who killed two Brown University students and an MIT professor had been planning the attack for at least six semesters, according to information released on Tuesday by the US Department of Justice. ...

US President Donald Trump said Venezuela would relinquish as much as 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, worth roughly US$2.8 billion at the current market price, announcing the cargoes would be sold with proceeds benefiting both countrie...

Washington warns that enemy groups south of the border are terrorising nearby areas and causing trouble. Military actions would be taken to deal with the problem, including sending the US military into the territories of another sovereign country, wh...

Ukraine’s Western allies on Tuesday agreed to key security guarantees for Kyiv including a US-led monitoring mechanism and a European multinational force that would be deployed after a ceasefire in Russia’s war against its neighbour. Following th...

The White House said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump was discussing options for acquiring ‍Greenland, including potential use of the US military, in a revival of his ambition to control the strategic island despite European objections. Tr...

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Nicolas Maduro of imitating his dancing, among other crimes, as he celebrated the capture of the Venezuelan leader in a freewheeling speech to Republican lawmakers. Trump’s comments come after a New York...

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday ‌that Republicans must win the 2026 congressional midterm elections - or else he will get impeached by Democrats. “You gotta win the midterms ‘cause, if we don’t win the midterms, ‍it’s just gonna...

Former Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro fell and hit his head during a “crisis” while sleeping inside his prison cell early on Tuesday, his wife said in a social media post. “My husband is not well,” Michelle Bolsonaro said, adding that the im...

Nestle Hong Kong has recalled 21 batches of baby milk formula in the city amid a global scare over potential contamination with a toxin that can cause nausea and vomiting. The Centre for Food Safety said on Tuesday evening that the discovery was made...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Just like every dark cloud has a silver lining, insurers are proficient at managing risks and turning them into opportunities. As an ageing population has become a pressing i...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] When someone says, “I drive an electric vehicle or EV because it protects the environment,” it could be music to the ears of climate advocates. Regardless, EVs have resha...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Although her academic journey began at two of the world’s most prestigious institutions – first as an undergraduate at Peking University, then as a doctoral researcher at...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] In the time of geopolitical tensions, economic volatility and technological upheaval, individuals and businesses face a pressing question: How to thrive amid these constant d...

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that several major medical organisations can move forward with their lawsuit challenging policies adopted under US Health Secretary Robert ‌F. Kennedy Jnr that they say will lower vaccination rates. US District Judg...