A sharp sell-off in Indonesian assets has taken on a political tone online, with some social media users alleging, without evidence, that Singapore stands to gain from a Sell Indonesia narrative around Southeast Asias biggest economy. The rupiah has slipped to multiple record lows and weakened about 8 per cent this year, crossing a key level and trading ...

A Thai police officer who tried to flee after allegedly shooting his wife and her mother with his service weapon outside a gym was chased down and detained by two fitness trainers. Responding to reports of gunshots, officers from Nang Rong Police Station arrived at the two-storey fitness centre owned by the shooters wife behind Sra Ya Ma Market in Buriram ...

Israels foreign minister said on Thursday that he was severing all contact with the European Unions top diplomat Kaja Kallas over reported remarks in which she allegedly compared Israel to the apartheid regime that once ruled South Africa. Diplomatic relations between Israel and the EU have come under heavy strain since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, ...

Chinese state media and influencers have pushed back on criticism of hit indie movie Dear You, which has been described as a tool to expand Beijings influence over the Chinese diaspora. The Chinese medias counterpunch this week came in the countdown to the movies release in Singapore and other Southeast Asian markets on Thursday. The film, which is in the ...

Towngas customers are facing higher bills as Hong Kongs largest piped-gas provider will raise tariffs by 4.4 per cent in August, citing higher operating costs, while pledging no further changes over the next two years. The Hong Kong and China Gas Company (Towngas) said on Thursday that the tariff increase would result in about half of its commercial and ...

More than 90 per cent of mainland Chinese families moving to Hong Kong under the citys talent visa schemes have cited their childrens education as the primary reason for relocating, according to a survey. The survey by Beacon Group, one of the citys largest tutoring and college admissions consultancies, was published on Thursday and showed that nearly 80 ...

Doctors in southern China had to remove two 10cm-long living worms from the arm of an anguished woman after she reported a big lump. The woman, surnamed Wang, said the lump, which first appeared on her arm a year ago, got bigger and bigger. Eventually, it ballooned to the size of a quail egg. Wang said the sharp pain from the swollen mass prompted her to ...

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at Nato allies on Thursday, announcing a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe whose outcome will depend on how fast the Europeans take responsibility for their own security. This will be a real review. It will be designed to ensure that Nato is moving fast and irreversibly towards Europe ...

Hong Kongs Housing Authority will roll out two schemes in September to promote the effective use of subsidised homes by allowing owners to lease properties without paying a premium and encouraging elderly owners to swap properties for a smaller or remote flat. The two initiatives received a green light from the subsidised housing committee of the citys ...

Hong Kong will measure the size of its poor using a new 21-indicator framework, abandoning the previous income-based metric said to have overestimated the number of underprivileged people by ignoring billions of dollars spent on public housing and healthcare. In a 224-page report released on Thursday, the government also raised the concept of social ...

The mother of a 16-year-old girl who died from emaciation following lengthy detention and menacing interrogations by Japanese authorities is seeking compensation, in the latest hostage justice case. The lawsuit, filed with western Japans Kobe district court on Wednesday, argues that the girls 18-day ordeal at a jail traumatised her so much that five months ...

A Hong Kong court has jailed a man for 14 years for his role in an evil bomb plot against the authorities during and after the 2019 anti-government protests. The High Court on Thursday convicted Cheung Lai-ming of four charges after he pleaded guilty to making explosives at his public rental flat in Wong Tai Sin, with a view to carrying out attacks between ...

As Chinese technology giant ByteDance accelerates its shift towards domestic chips for artificial intelligence workloads, a few smaller domestic suppliers stand to benefit if they can deliver at scale amid a void left by Nvidia due to regulatory hurdles. The Beijing-based owner of TikTok is considering turning to a handful of so-called tier-two chipmakers ...

Following is an edited transcript of a conversation between John Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, and South China Morning Post Executive Editor Zuraidah Ibrahim at the SCMP Plus exclusive: meet John Mearsheimer in person event on June 17 in Hong Kong. It was generated using ...

Malaysian police have deported two nationals from India wanted over an explosion on a railway line in Punjab, in a case Indian media have linked to an alleged militant plot tied to the Khalistan separatist movement seeking an independent Sikh homeland. The Royal Malaysia Police said the duo were sent back to India on Wednesday after Indian authorities ...

Homeowners in a Hong Kong subsidised housing estate will need to amend a legal land-use document to permit a cafe on the premises to allow dogs, after the venue was disqualified from a pet-friendly licence scheme despite winning an application ballot. The Housing Department said on Thursday that the owners of Kai Yan Court in Kai Tak must consent to ...

Japanese football fans have gone viral once again for tidying up the stadium after their teams World Cup match against the Netherlands this week, only to prompt a meme criticising the countrys men for not applying the same standards of behaviour while at home. A spoof of a train etiquette poster contrasts an image of a football fan cleaning a stadium with a ...

We have selected five Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. The TCM influencers demystifying ancient Chinese healing practices for Gen Z The rise of Chinamaxxing and a growing appetite for cupping reels and the like has launched traditional ...

Hong Kong has ranked as the second-most globally competitive economy its best performance in seven years climbing one spot from last year to place behind Singapore. The ranking, released by the Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD) on Thursday, put the city ahead of 68 other economies out of 70 surveyed. Hong Kongs ...

Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek closed its first-ever external fundraising in an unusual and high-stakes deal that could not only reshape the countrys AI landscape but also offer a rare glimpse into how one of Chinas most valuable AI start-ups will navigate its next phase of growth, sources and analysts said. Hangzhou-based DeepSeek now ...

Keir Starmer isnt on the ballot, but the UK prime ministers future is on the line in a special election on Thursday. Voters in the Makerfield district of northwest England are electing a new lawmaker, and the leading contender is Andy Burnham of the governing Labour Party, the current mayor of Greater Manchester and oddsmakers favourite to be the next prime ...

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited Russias Kazan with a message about Asean centrality and a more urgent national problem behind it keeping fuel supply secure as global energy uncertainties linger. The two-day Asean-Russia Commemorative Summit has turned into a small but telling test of Washingtons influence in Southeast Asia, according to ...

A Singaporean man is facing jail time for sending an edited photo of Marina Bay Sands (MBS) on fire to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loongs Facebook page while mentioning a bomb. Andie Tan Kok Yong, a 35-year-old Singaporean, pleaded guilty on Thursday to one charge of knowingly sending a false message under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and ...

Young people from China are visiting South Korea for cheaper and better beauty services that last for only one day, reflecting a change in overseas tourism desires. On Chinas social media, many are sharing the three must-do things while travelling in South Korea: colour analysis, make-up and hairstyle and taking an identity (ID) photograph. Unlike the ...

The Middle East conflict has shaken up the global energy supply chain and Beijing needs to do more to protect shipments such as finding alternative routes and boosting escort capabilities, according to industry analysts. Lu Ruquan, president of the China National Petroleum Corporation Economics and Technology Research Institute, said the country should ...