11 h. ago China girl who begged with blind dad gained national profile; gets university place

A young Chinese woman who was forced to beg on the streets with her blind and poverty-stricken father at the age of seven has been admitted to university, sparking widespread attention online and a national discussion. In 2013, Zhang Yan, from Nanjiang county in Bazhong, Sichuan province, southwestern China, captured national attention when it was reported that she led her blind father, Zhang Shiming, begging on the streets for survival. In 2010, her father injured one of his eyes on a rusty...

Politics

12 h. ago Hong Kong woman, 58, gives birth to girl as congratulations flood social media

A 58-year-old Hong Kong woman whose pregnancy at an advanced age earlier caught citywide attention has safely given birth to a girl, her family announced on social media over the weekend. Chan Lai-lai, the wife of local actor Brian Wong Chak-fung, delivered her second child on August 22 after conceiving through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), a type of assisted reproduction treatment. In a heartwarming video posted on social media on Saturday, Wong is seen cutting the umbilical cord in the...

Events

15 h. ago China dad donates liver part to save baby girl, recovers at home to save money

A young Chinese father has moved countless people online after he donated part of his liver to save his baby daughter. The father, surnamed Shen, then doubled down on his loving and selfless act by staying at home in his rented flat and changing his own bandages post-surgery to cut costs. Shen and his wife, surnamed Tao, who were both born after 2000, married in 2024 in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, in southeastern China. They soon welcomed a daughter, Yiyi, who developed persistent jaundice after...

Society

23 h. ago US woman who registered dog to vote in 2 elections charged with 5 felonies

A Californian woman accused of registering her dog to vote and casting two ballots in the dog’s name has been charged with five felonies, authorities said on Friday. Laura Lee Yourex, 62, allegedly registered her dog, Maya Jean Yourex, to vote and cast two mail-in ballots – in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election of California Governor Gavin Newsom and the 2022 primary election, Orange County District Attorney spokeswoman Kimberly Edds said. The first ballot was counted; the second...

Politics

35 h. ago ‘Mosquito’s eyes’ video of China toddler’s daily antics viewed 360 million times

A video featuring a two-year-old girl in China, filmed from a “mosquito’s-eye view” perspective, has garnered 360 million views and 41 million likes, with many internet users declaring it the cutest clip in the world. The footage was initially published in April by the toddler’s mother, who lives in Beijing, before being shared by a domestic camera producer on Instagram, as reported by the Shenzhen-based news portal Dute News. What sets this clip apart from many others showcasing children’s...

Politics

44 h. ago Reflections | After Fan Bingbing’s Malaysia award, a history of Chinese official honours

Reflections | After Fan Bingbing’s Malaysia award, a history of Chinese official honours  South China Morning Post

Politics

45 h. ago ‘Nobody said anything’: Malaysia confronts its deadly school bullying problem

The guilt hangs heavily over Jerry* whenever his mind drifts back to his school days in Kota Kinabalu and that quiet “awkward kid” he once tormented. Sitting at the back of the classroom, the boy was an easy target for Jerry and his friends, who delighted in humiliating him by stealing his shoes, tugging down his trousers or meting out the occasional beating. They were only 12, behaving as children do, he once thought. But more than two decades later, Jerry feels the weight of what those moments...

Events

47 h. ago China’s biotech industry is gaining on the US. Can tariffs hold them back?

In the summer of 2015, a time when China’s pharmaceutical market was in a phase of rapid expansion, a sudden regulatory change sent tremors through the industry: drug companies would need to audit the clinical trial data for all pending applications. If withdrawn within a month of the announcement, firms could avoid penalties for submitting flawed applications, but hiding or falsifying data would court severe punishments, including multi-year filing bans. The response from the industry indicated...

Economics

61 h. ago Hong Kong activist wins appeal against riot conviction after trial judge’s error

A former Hong Kong political activist has won an appeal against his riot conviction due to the trial judge’s error in allowing prosecutors to substantially alter their allegations midway through proceedings. The Court of Appeal on Friday ordered the dismissal of Alvin Cheng Kam-mun’s conviction over his alleged role in the violence at Polytechnic University at the height of the 2019 anti-government protests. Cheng, who now runs a logistics company, was an assistant to former opposition lawmaker...

Events

63 h. ago Hong Kong Observatory could issue T1 warning on Friday night

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. The Hong Kong Observatory has said it may issue the typhoon standby signal No 1 on Friday night at the earliest, as the forecaster warned of unstable weather from Sunday onwards. An area of low pressure near Luzon, which is currently about 800km (497 miles) away from Hong Kong, is expected to...

Events

64 h. ago Asylum seeker convicted in UK of sex assault on teen that sparked protests

An Ethiopian asylum seeker, whose arrest in July sparked angry protests outside the hotel near London where he and other migrants were being housed, was found guilty on Thursday of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman. The protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, about 30km (20 miles) north of the British capital, became a touchpaper for a string of country-wide demonstrations amid rising tensions over immigration. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was convicted at Chelmsford...

Events

64 h. ago Asylum seeker convicted of sex assault on teen that sparked UK protests

An Ethiopian asylum seeker, whose arrest in July sparked angry protests outside the hotel near London where he and other migrants were being housed, was found guilty on Thursday of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman. The protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, about 30km (20 miles) north of the British capital, became a touchpaper for a string of country-wide demonstrations amid rising tensions over immigration. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was convicted at Chelmsford...

Events

65 h. ago Diplomatic tour de force: China's Xi shows he's 'totally in charge'

Diplomatic tour de force: China's Xi shows he's 'totally in charge'  Reuters

Politics

3 d. ago Alarm as ‘dangerous’ Madeleine McCann suspect set to be freed in Germany

German law enforcement authorities have voiced alarm that the “dangerous” chief suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British three-year-old Madeleine McCann will soon leave prison and could flee the country. Prosecutors believe Christian Brueckner, 48, killed the girl in a Portuguese resort in a missing persons case that has captivated the world and remains unsolved. But lacking sufficient evidence to lay charges, they are helpless as Brueckner – who has a history of violent sex crimes – is due...

Events

3 d. ago Hong Kong could face windy, wet weekend as potential tropical cyclone forms

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong could experience windy and wet weather from the coming weekend under the influence of a low-pressure area that may become a tropical cyclone, according to the city’s weather forecaster. The Hong Kong Observatory said on Thursday that the low-pressure area might turn into a tropical...

Politics

3 d. ago China family left let down after spending US$140,000 on lavish panda

The experience of a Chinese family who spent an extravagant 960,000 yuan (US$140,000) on a luxury “Panda Express” train tour has shocked many people online. The lavish purchase has sparked a lively discussion because of claims that the experience promised in promotional materials fell far short of the reality. On August 25, a Chinese netizen posted a video revealing that their family, from Jilin province in northeastern China, embarked on a 17-day “Panda Express Tour” in July. The 26-member...

Economics

3 d. ago China family feel let down after spending US$140,000 on lavish panda

The experience of a Chinese family who spent an extravagant 960,000 yuan (US$140,000) on a luxury “Panda Express” train tour has shocked many people online. The lavish purchase has sparked a lively discussion because of claims that the experience promised in promotional materials fell far short of the reality. On August 25, a Chinese netizen posted a video revealing that their family, from Jilin province in northeastern China, embarked on a 17-day “Panda Express Tour” in July. The 26-member...

Economics

3 d. ago Shein hit with US$175 million fine by French watchdog over cookies

Online fast-fashion retailer Shein received a €150 million (US$175 million) fine on Wednesday from France’s data protection authority over the improper use of cookies, a decision the company contested and said it would appeal. The Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL), a government body charged with enforcing consumer data protection, said Shein’s website failed to comply with regulations in collecting consumers’ data without consent. When users browsing Shein’s French...

Economics

3 d. ago China starts aviation training for Southeast Asia amid C919, home

China is training representatives from Southeast Asia this month in an effort to promote its home-grown civilian aircraft, as the region leads the world in accepting Chinese deliveries despite Airbus and Boeing’s dominance. Twenty participants from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are taking part in the 2025 China-Asean Civil Aviation Management Capacity Enhancement Workshop in Beijing, which started Monday. Organised by the Civil Aviation...

Politics

3 d. ago China Future Tech webinar | How US tactics could boost China’s chip self

Date and time: Friday, September 19, 2025 10.30am-11.30am (HKT) The webinar will be live streamed on this page on Friday, September 19. Bookmark this page or add it to your calendar to stay informed. Submit your questions to the panel and get them answered during the webinar. Questions from SCMP Plus readers will be prioritised. Upgrade your standard SCMP subscription or start your free trial to enjoy the priority. The US-China chip war is escalating, with Washington’s goal of limiting Beijing’s...

Politics