Malaysia could struggle to preserve some domestic air links if low-cost carrier AirAsia is forced to scale back operations, analysts have warned, as rival airlines would have little commercial incentive to take over unprofitable routes. That reality could leave the government facing a stark choice: allow domestic flight services to shrink or step in with ...

This article was first published on September 18, 2006. Breezy launch is on the cards By Dennis Eng The Ngong Ping 360 cable car will open today in one of the windiest months of the year, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. Windy conditions with gusts reaching 90km/h occur on 5.5 days for a total of 52 hours in September on average, according to ...

The opening of Chinas first new river-to-sea canal since 1949 which will boost trade links with Southeast Asia could transform the economy of the countrys landlocked southwestern interior in ways comparable to the Yangtzes role in Shanghais rise, according to its operator. The 134.2km (83.4 mile) Pinglu Canal, which opened on Wednesday, links a major ...

China is seeing a fresh fundraising boom for AI drug developers, with start-ups including a ByteDance spin-off raising hundreds of millions of dollars this week as investors rush to back domestic challengers to Anthropic and Isomorphic Labs. Anew Labs, a Shanghai-based AI drug discovery firm that was formerly a unit of Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has ...

Hong Kongs redeveloped Huanggang Port could begin operations as early as October 12, allowing cross-border travellers to complete Hong Kong and mainland Chinese immigration procedures in a single inspection under a new joint clearance system. The South China Morning Post learned on Friday that authorities were targeting the date for the launch, although ...

A 13-year-old boy from eastern China has garnered significant attention online for his ability to leverage artificial intelligence and programming to solve everyday challenges. Yang Xizhe, a junior secondary school student from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, stands at an impressive 1.9 metres tall and has amassed a following of over 500,000 on mainland social ...

Australias major airlines have backed a proposal to close Sydney Airports control tower overnight to free up air traffic controllers, the latest step to address a persistent labour shortage that is disrupting flights and raising safety concerns. It sounds like an opportunity we should absolutely explore, said Stephen Beckett, chief executive officer of ...

For fishermen like Joey Marabe in the Philippine province of Zambales, the geopolitical contest playing out in the South China Sea can be measured in dwindling catches and shrinking incomes, as the presence of Chinese vessels around a contested shoal increasingly limits where they can work. Its a huge drop. Before, a lot of us who could go out to ...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Hong Kong is preparing for many more electric vehicles on its roads. The citys First Five-Year Plan, announced alongside the Policy Address, calls for the steady electrification of vehicles and safe, efficient charging networks, with around 10,000 fast chargers expected by 2035 to ...

Waymo plans to launch its robotaxi service in Singapore in 2028, giving the US company its first foothold in Southeast Asia. Fully electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles were due to arrive in the city state in the coming months, ahead of preparations for a commercial launch, the company said on Friday. From 2027, trained autonomous specialists will manually drive ...

At the heart of Hong Kongs first five-year plan lies the Northern Metropolis a massive tract of land spanning roughly a third of our entire city. Much ink has been spilled over what this project represents and why it matters, but if I had to summarise it in a single sentence, I would call it the Shenzhen of Hong Kong. To me, Shenzhen stands as the most ...

A recently issued official circular has put Chinas long-running problem with hidden local government debt back in the spotlight. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) jointly outlined six typical cases spanning six provinces where local authorities had fallen short of targets to resolve ...

A Singaporean climber died on Nepals Mount Manaslu, the worlds eighth highest peak, expedition organisers said. Lau Wee Seng, 50, felt unwell as he was descending from Camp II at around 6,000 metres after an acclimatisation rotation, according to The Himalayan Times newspaper. He passed away this morning; arrangements have been made to airlift his body, ...

This is the first part of a Factsheet series on Hong Kongs debut five-year plan and the 2026 policy address, click here for part two. The series was produced with support from the Hong Kong SAR government. To see the South China Morning Posts coverage of the five-year plan, click here. This Factsheet will be available in the SCMP print edition on September ...

Nestled between the Tianshan Mountains and the Gobi Desert, the Hami oasis in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is a land of little rain, battered by wind and sand year-round. It is also home to the regions oldest known burial site, the Tianshanbeilu cemetery, located around 500km (310 miles) east of Urumqi, the regional capital. More than 700 Bronze Age ...

This is the second part of a Factsheet series on Hong Kongs debut five-year plan and the 2026 policy address, click here for part one. The series was produced with support from the Hong Kong SAR government. To see the South China Morning Posts coverage of the five-year plan, click here. This Factsheet will be available in the SCMP print edition on September ...

Hong Kong police will establish a high level of security for this weekends state funeral of the citys first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, including guarding the three top Beijing officials attending the event, the South China Morning Post has learned. However, the original public memorial service will instead be limited to invitation-only due to venue ...

Polands delivery of Black Hawk helicopters to the Philippines has given Warsaw a foothold in Manilas defence market as it seeks to expand exports from its growing defence industry, with analysts saying drones, air defence and potentially co-production could pave the way for a broader partnership. Polish deputy foreign minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski said on ...

Britains King Charles sounded like a lottery winner after the death of his late first wife Diana, her brother writes in his forthcoming book, new extracts of which were published on Thursday. Dianas brother Charles Spencer said the then-Prince Charles was giddily elated in the immediate aftermath of Dianas death in 1997, possibly because he felt it meant he ...

Hong Kong shopping mall operators are extending a strategy used during this years Fifa World Cup into the Asian Games, leveraging major sporting events to draw visitors and support tenant sales as retailers face competition from Shenzhen, overseas shopping and online spending. Sino Group is among the landlords expanding the strategy beyond tournament ...

As technological developments augur an era of renewed space exploration, China is aiming to become a major player. In the second part of this two-part series, Wency Chen and Ben Jiang examine the countrys strategy and progress on reusable rockets a field where the US has a tremendous lead. US commercial space firm SpaceX has been eager to tout its ...

Chen Youlin, a Chinese-American scientist, travelled back to China in October 2024 for a month-long holiday, including to celebrate his mothers 80th birthday. As he prepared to leave, authorities arrested him at the airport in Beijing. For more than 670 days, his wife, Rong Yufang, and other family members have not been able to see or speak with him. ...

The Himalayan disaster that tore through the China-Nepal border last month was a human calamity before it became a media story. A torrent of ice, rock, mud and debris swept through valleys, destroying key infrastructure, severing roads and communications, and leaving families desperate for news. In Gyirong county in the Tibet autonomous region, the disaster ...

The US has approved a US$24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 stealth warplanes to Saudi Arabia, the State Department said Thursday, the kingdoms latest major arms purchase since the start of the Iran war. Saudi Arabia has long sought to buy F-35s, but officials from Israel currently the only country in the Middle East to operate the jets have voiced concern ...