5 h. ago Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

For much of the modern era, power was easy to recognise. It belonged to the states that could win wars decisively, enforce sanctions effectively and impose political outcomes far beyond their borders. That definition no longer works. The world is moving towards what scholars have described as a form of “distributed multipolarity”, a landscape in which no single actor – not the United States, not China, not Russia – can fully shape events in the way great powers once expected. Tools once seen as...

Events

13 h. ago Beijing Geekplus Technology Announces EGM to Vote on Key Resolutions

Beijing Geekplus Technology Announces EGM to Vote on Key Resolutions  TipRanks

Politics

20 h. ago China’s risky shadow banks back in spotlight after debt crackdown

China’s crackdown on borrowing by local governments is forcing state-run entities in even some of the wealthiest provinces to tap costly credit from non-bank lenders, a stopgap that is increasing risk in an opaque corner of the financial system. The borrowing marks a return of China’s shadow-banking market, which is more loosely regulated than traditional lenders and had been reined in over the past few years in a bid to reduce risk. Since September, industrial investment arms and financing...

Economics

27 h. ago Opinion | The One Child Policy’s Legacy: A Surplus of Single Men

Opinion | The One Child Policy’s Legacy: A Surplus of Single Men  The New York Times

Events

28 h. ago Trump favourite edges ahead in Honduras vote as opponent calls foul

Honduran centrist candidate Salvador Nasralla on Thursday alleged fraud in the country’s highly contested presidential vote after his Trump-backed rival Nasry Asfura pulled narrowly past him overnight. Nasralla, in a post on X, said the screen displaying the vote data went blank at 3.24am and alleged “an algorithm changed the data”, giving the higher tally to Asfura after Nasralla had been leading the vote count since Tuesday. The results are being updated on the electoral body’s website. The...

Politics

30 h. ago Titus and Lee Shield Beijing: Nevada Democrats Vote to Keep Parents in the Dark on CCP Influence in Schools

Titus and Lee Shield Beijing: Nevada Democrats Vote to Keep Parents in the Dark on CCP Influence in Schools  Nevada Globe

Politics

32 h. ago Israel cleared to stay in Eurovision; Spain, Ireland and others boycott

Israel on Thursday was cleared to enter the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, prompting Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia to follow through on their threats to withdraw from the competition over the war in Gaza. After a meeting in Geneva, contest organiser the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided not to call a vote on Israel’s involvement and said it had instead passed rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest. Right after that announcement, the Dutch,...

Politics

36 h. ago After NBA’s return, China calls for foreign investment in domestic basketball

After NBA’s return, China calls for foreign investment in domestic basketball  South China Morning Post

Politics

36 h. ago The return of Red Sea shipping: 3 scenarios for Chinese trade

The return of Red Sea shipping: 3 scenarios for Chinese trade  South China Morning Post

Politics

40 h. ago ‘Let me stay’: residents of block unscathed by Hong Kong fire hope to return

Some residents of the only housing block to emerge unscathed by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades have expressed hope that they could continue living in their flats, citing their deep emotional connection to the neighbourhood. Wang Chi House residents arrived at the block on Thursday for the second and final day of collecting belongings from their homes, with dozens packing light to make room for valuables and important documents. Those returning on the second day had not been home since the...

Events

64 h. ago Residents of sole block spared in Hong Kong fire return home to collect essentials

Carrying luggage and weeping, residents of the sole tower spared in the deadly blaze at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po returned to their flats on Wednesday to collect valuables, warm clothes, personal documents, home appliances and pets. Some of those who returned to Wang Chi House said they felt heartbroken going back even though their flats were largely unaffected. They arrived individually and also by shuttle buses, accompanied by government personnel. Two members of each household were...

Events

3 d. ago 6 arrested over fire alarm system at Hong Kong blaze estate; death toll now 159

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. What we know so far: 159 people, including a firefighter, confirmed dead 79 injured, including 12 firefighters About 30 people remain unaccounted for HK$2.3 billion raised for rescue and relief efforts The eight blocks in Wang Fuk Court had been undergoing renovations since July...

Events

3 d. ago 300 Hong Kong buildings must remove scaffolding mesh by Saturday

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. What we know so far: 159 people, including a firefighter, confirmed dead 79 injured, including 12 firefighters About 30 people remain unaccounted for HK$2.3 billion raised for rescue and relief efforts The eight blocks in Wang Fuk Court had been undergoing renovations since July...

Politics

3 d. ago Why the real AI race is within China and not across the Pacific

For much of the global debate, the race for artificial intelligence (AI) supremacy has been framed as a binary contest between the United States and China. As Washington envisions it, victory hinges on frontier models and compute scale, a battle dominated by a handful of American labs. China is cast as the challenger, constrained by export controls and dependent on catching up. That narrative is increasingly outdated. China is not pursuing a single AI strategy. It is running three large-scale...

Politics

3 d. ago Olympic dreams return to Beijing’s Shougang Big Air venue as World Cup season heats up

Olympic dreams return to Beijing’s Shougang Big Air venue as World Cup season heats up  FIS

Society

3 d. ago Residents of tower spared in Hong Kong blaze get 90 minutes to fetch belongings

Residents of the only tower left untouched by the deadly blaze that destroyed seven others at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong’s Tai Po neighbourhood will be given 90 minutes on Wednesday and Thursday to collect their belongings. Civil servants will be on hand to help move their possessions, authorities have said. Amy Lam Man-han, regional commander for New Territories North, on Tuesday said that authorities understood residents of Wang Chi House were anxious to return home to retrieve their...

Politics

3 d. ago Air India probed for flying plane without valid safety certificate

India’s aviation regulator said on Tuesday it was investigating Air India after the airline operated an aircraft eight times without a valid airworthiness review certificate, a document issued annually that ensures compliance with safety standards. The regulator did not name the aircraft type but its news release’s title referenced the registration code of an Airbus A320, and a person with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed the case in fact concerned the single-aisle jet. Airbus did not...

Politics

3 d. ago Hong Kong educators call for a ‘return to normalcy’ after Tai Po fire tragedy

Schools in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district that were not severely affected by the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court should resume in-person classes and follow their original timetables, a head teachers’ representative has said, adding that this would help students regain normalcy and heal from grief. Chu Wai-lam, chairman of the New Territories School Heads Association, said on Tuesday that many schools in the district had also organised mourning activities, which he believed would help relieve...

Events

3 d. ago Hong Kong educators call for a ‘return to normality’ after Tai Po fire tragedy

Schools in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district that were not severely affected by the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court should resume in-person classes and follow their original timetables, a head teachers’ representative has said, adding that this would help students return to normality and heal from grief. Chu Wai-lam, chairman of the New Territories School Heads Association, said on Tuesday that many schools in the district had also organised mourning activities, which he believed would help relieve...

Events

3 d. ago School close to scene of Hong Kong fire to hold lessons at other campuses

A Hong Kong primary school close to the site of the city’s deadliest blaze has been allowed to hold lessons at two other campuses starting later this month, with authorities setting aside HK$5 million (US$642,000) to support transition arrangements. The Education Bureau said Tai Po Baptist Public School (TPBPS) would remain closed for a certain period of time due to the blaze at nearby Wang Fuk Court, adding that the school would conduct its lessons in different locations in the district in the...

Events