2 h. ago How Chinese ritual uses unboiled egg balancing on mirror or knife to detect spirit possession

Traditional Chinese folk superstition sees some families seek help from “egg-standing exorcists” who try to balance raw eggs on mirrors or kitchen knives to detect spirit possession. If the egg manages to stand upright, legend has it that a wandering spirit has taken over the person’s body. Traditionally, a superstition known as Cai Zhuang Ke, which is often referred to as “spirit possession”, is used to determine whether a sudden illness or extreme lethargy is caused by a wandering spirit or...

Politics

15 h. ago Iran’s leader says ‘thousands’ killed in protests, Trump a ‘criminal’

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said “several thousand people” died in this month’s anti-government demonstrations, his first acknowledgment of the deadly scale of the unrest. Some of those were killed “brutally and inhumanely”, Khamenei said without offering details in a public meeting broadcast on state TV. He accused the US and Israel of aiding the killings and said the Islamic Republic had evidence to support the claim. Iran did not intend to push the country towards...

Events

37 h. ago Fierce Pharma Asia—AbbVie’s bispecific play, Illumina’s China import efforts and pharma execs’ JPM comments

Fierce Pharma Asia—AbbVie’s bispecific play, Illumina’s China import efforts and pharma execs’ JPM comments  Fierce Pharma

Politics

40 h. ago Why India is losing ground over Bangladesh and Myanmar to regional rivals

India is facing multiple geopolitical challenges in the region as Bangladesh and Myanmar show signs of drifting away from New Delhi’s orbit amid its long-standing disputes with Pakistan and China. Dhaka has been drawing closer to Islamabad following the downfall in 2024 of its former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who had close ties with Delhi during her rule, while China has continued to maintain its influence in Myanmar since the junta in Naypyidaw ousted the elected government in a coup in...

Politics

42 h. ago Why is China’s Xi Jinping putting the political heat back on illegal villas and resorts?

Chinese President Xi Jinping has refocused national anti-corruption efforts on illegal villas and “private resorts”, luxury developments that have come to symbolise excess and graft over the past two decades. According to newly released excerpts of a speech, Xi singled out the developments for special mention at the central urban work conference in July, highlighting them as examples of the need to improve governance, combat corruption and promote sustainable urban development. “[Officials must]...

Politics

42 h. ago Why is Xi Jinping putting the political heat back on illegal villas and resorts?

Why is Xi Jinping putting the political heat back on illegal villas and resorts?  South China Morning Post

Politics

45 h. ago South Korea’s Yoon sentenced to 5 years in prison over martial law charges

Impeached former South Korean president Yoon Seok-yeol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison after being found guilty of resisting arrest and other offences linked to his botched martial law declaration in 2024. The ruling marks the first conviction among eight criminal trials Yoon is facing, including a case in which prosecutors demanded he be sentenced to death for his role as the “ringleader” of an insurrection in imposing the ill-fated decree that plunged the country into political...

Events

46 h. ago Man shot dead by Hong Kong police had ‘history of mental illness, drug abuse’

A man shot dead by police after taking a woman hostage while brandishing a knife at a Hong Kong shopping centre on Thursday had a history of mental illness and drug abuse, and missed a medical consultation last week, the Post has learned. The information emerged as security chief Chris Tang Ping-keung defended police over the “difficult decision to shoot” the 34-year-old man in Tuen Mun, while a relative of the deceased said officers could have aimed for his limbs to avoid killing him. After...

Events

62 h. ago Hong Kong police shoot and kill man wielding 30cm knife in Tuen Mun

Hong Kong police have shot and killed a man who brandished a 30cm knife at a shopping centre in Tuen Mun, with the force saying the officers involved had no choice but to open fire to save a passer-by. The tragedy unfolded around 7pm on Thursday near Tuen Mun Town Hall on Tuen Wui Road. Police said the 34-year-old man killed was a Hong Kong identity card holder. They said preliminary information from his family pointed to a history of mental illness, although authorities were still seeking to...

Events

63 h. ago Nie Weiping, Chinese Go master known for dramatic victory over Japanese rival, dies at 73

Nie Weiping, a legendary Go master in China, died in Beijing at the age of 73 on Wednesday. Nie is best remembered for his dramatic victory in the first Japan-China Super Go in 1985. Few had hope that China would win because its players had long lagged behind Japanese competitors in the strategy board game. By the time it was Nie’s turn to play in Tokyo, Japan’s top player, Kobayashi Koichi, had already won six straight games against his Chinese counterparts. Nie was the only Chinese player left...

Events

63 h. ago Nie Weiping, Chinese Go master known for victory over Japanese rival, dies at 73

Nie Weiping, Chinese Go master known for victory over Japanese rival, dies at 73  South China Morning Post

Events

67 h. ago Hong Kong authorities halt use of elevating platform at work site after worker death

Hong Kong labour authorities have suspended the use of elevating platforms at a construction site where a 65-year-old worker died after getting trapped between the device’s railing and a wall. The Labour Department on Thursday said it was “saddened” by the death and had launched an investigation to identify the cause of the accident that took place at the Victoria Blossom housing project on Shing Fung Lane in Kai Tak on Wednesday afternoon. A spokesman said the department had issued suspension...

Economics

3 d. ago Japan’s Takaichi faces uphill task in lower house election after ally’s exit

Komeito is emerging as a potential political kingmaker in Japan ahead of a widely expected snap lower house election, three months after the party affiliated with a religious movement announced it was ending an alliance with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over differences with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. On January 23, the opening day of the Diet, Takaichi is expected to announce the dissolution of the House of Representatives, with polling likely to take place on February 8 or February...

Politics

3 d. ago US halts visas for 75 countries indefinitely; China not on the list

The administration of US President Donald Trump is halting visa processing for people from more than 70 countries, the US State Department has confirmed to the Post. “The State Department is pausing immigrant visa processing for 75 countries”, a State Department official said on Wednesday. China is not included in the list, which has countries like Thailand, a US ally, and Brazil, a close neighbour in the western hemisphere, along with Russia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, Egypt, Jordan...

Politics

3 d. ago JPM: Illumina working with China on export troubles, CEO says

JPM: Illumina working with China on export troubles, CEO says  Fierce Biotech

Economics

3 d. ago ‘One of a kind’: tributes pour in for David Webb, Hong Kong’s ‘voice of integrity’

Hong Kong activist investor David Webb, who has died aged 60, has been remembered for his integrity, courage and rigour as a “true pioneer” of the city’s corporate governance. Tributes have poured in online for Webb, who died in Hong Kong on Tuesday of metastatic prostate cancer. He revealed his diagnosis in 2020, saying at the time that one of his final wishes was to live beyond 60. The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association said on Wednesday that Webb was deeply respected...

Politics

3 d. ago Burning mugwort linked to flat fire that killed elderly Hong Kong man

A 78-year-old man has died in a fire suspected to have started from burning mugwort, a herb used in traditional Chinese medicine, in a flat at a public housing estate in Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung district. Police said they received a report at 12.41pm on Wednesday that a fire had broken out at Cho Yiu Chuen estate’s Kai Him Lau block. Li Kai-chung, assistant divisional officer of the Fire Services Department, said the blaze started in a bedroom of about 60 sq ft in a fifth-floor flat. Thirteen fire...

Events

3 d. ago At least 4 migrants have died in US immigration custody since start of 2026

Four migrants died while in custody of US immigration authorities over the first 10 days of 2026, according to government press releases, a loss of life that followed record detention deaths last year under US President Donald Trump. The deaths included two migrants from Honduras, one from Cuba and another from Cambodia, and occurred from January 3-9, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Trump administration was aiming to ramp up deportations and has increased the...

Events

4 d. ago The AI boom needs electricity, but Western grids are strained. Is power China’s power?

Near the end of last year, thousands of European travellers saw their holiday plans unravel after a prolonged power outage in the Eurotunnel – the underwater train passage linking Britain and France – caused by a fault in the overhead supply. For many, this brought back memories of chaotic scenes the previous April, when rolling blackouts struck much of Portugal and Spain. The United States also suffered from multiple power outages last year, including major disruptions in California – most...

Politics

4 d. ago Hong Kong corporate governance activist David Webb dies at 60

David Webb, the corporate governance activist renowned for his free public database and his explosive “Enigma Network” exposé that rocked the Hong Kong stock exchange, has died aged 60 of metastatic prostate cancer. A notice posted on one of his social media accounts confirmed his death on Tuesday. He is survived by his wife and two children. “It is with great sadness that we share that David M. Webb MBE passed away peacefully in Hong Kong on Tuesday January 13, 2026 from metastatic prostate...

Events