3 h. ago Reel to real romance: more Japanese women find love with South Korean men

An increasing number of Japanese women are marrying South Korean men, as the influence of K-dramas, rising economic parity and the spread of both online and offline matchmaking services reshape cross-border romance across the Sea of Japan. South Korean government data recorded 1,176 such unions last year – a 40 per cent rise from 2023 – while just 147 marriages were registered between South Korean women and Japanese men. These marriages stand out amid a long-term decline in South Korean...

Politics

4 h. ago China shores up status as top shipbuilder with Shanghai port expansion

Already the world’s busiest shipping port, China’s financial centre Shanghai is now positioning itself as a world-class shipbuilding hub, with an eye on high-value models such as those designed to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) and containers. The Shanghai municipal government has unveiled plans to augment its shipyards on Changxing Island, situated across the southern mouth of the Yangtze River and near the Yangshan Deep-Water Port. The Yangshan facility, a component of the Port of...

Politics

9 h. ago Hong Kong issues amber rainstorm warning as Tropical Cyclone Wipha nears

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’s weather forecaster has issued an amber rainstorm signal, and warned of widespread showers and flooding risks as Tropical Cyclone Wipha approaches. The Hong Kong Observatory raised the signal at 11.15am on Friday and said showers would be particularly heavy in Yuen Long and Tsuen...

Events

9 h. ago Hong Kong issues amber rainstorm signal, says T8 warning possible on Sunday

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’s weather forecaster has issued an amber rainstorm signal, and warned of widespread showers and flooding risks as Tropical Cyclone Wipha approaches. The Hong Kong Observatory raised the signal at 11.15am on Friday and said showers would be particularly heavy in Yuen Long and Tsuen...

Events

9 h. ago Brace for possible floods, Hongkongers told ahead of possible T8 signal on Sunday

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. Hongkongers should stay alert for widespread showers that could lead to flooding, the local forecaster has said, as Tropical Cyclone Wipha edges closer to the city. The Hong Kong Observatory also cancelled an amber rainstorm signal at 1pm on Friday, nearly two hours after issuing it. It...

Events

9 h. ago Tropical Storm Wipha: Hong Kong Observatory to issue T1 signal at midnight

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 will issue a No 1 typhoon signal at midnight as Tropical Storm Wipha edges closer to the city, with the forecaster warning of strong winds and torrential rain over the weekend. The forecaster said at 4pm on Friday that the storm, the name of which comes from a Thai...

Events

10 h. ago Hongkongers frustrated as malfunction causes delays on MTR’s Tseung Kwan O line

Hong Kong passengers have expressed frustration over repeated malfunctions on the Tseung Kwan O line, following a signalling equipment breakdown that forced service delays during a rush hour and caused long queues on platforms. The MTR Corporation had advised passengers to use the Tsuen Wan line or East Rail line instead if they needed to cross the harbour from either direction, before the services were gradually resumed at around 10.30am. The railway operator first confirmed the service...

Politics

10 h. ago ‘SCMP report’ claiming Hongkongers ‘will receive income from taxes’ is fake

With the rise of social media and generative AI, how much of what we see online is true? This is the first of a new series, SCMP Fact-Check, in which the Post investigates claims circulating online and debunks viral misinformation impacting the daily lives of Hongkongers. An online platform claiming that Hongkongers “will start receiving income from taxes” is falsely attributing the statement to the city’s finance chief. A link forwarded to the South China Morning Post said in part: “The...

Politics

11 h. ago Why Singapore restaurateurs are finding an appetite for Malaysia

In Johor Bahru, just across the border from Singapore, restaurateur Govinda Rajan is eyeing expansion. It has been only three months since he opened his first Malaysian outlet of Mr Biryani, but the veteran chef is already planning his next move. Back home, however, he paints a far bleaker picture, saying that his Singapore restaurants in Little India and Siglap are struggling to stay afloat amid soaring rents, labour shortages and shrinking consumer spending. Govinda had launched Mr Biryani in...

Politics

22 h. ago Sale of 11 Skies could relieve New World of liabilities in project, UBS says

A potential sale of 11 Skies, a mall located near Hong Kong’s international airport in Chek Lap Kok, could help New World Development (NWD) lighten its debt burden as the developer steps up efforts to divest noncore assets to overcome its worst financial crisis, according to UBS. “Any successful disposal of 11 Skies could be a positive catalyst for NWD,” analysts at the Swiss bank said in a report on Thursday. The project “is embedded with contingent liabilities” of HK$1.8 billion (US$229.3...

Politics

26 h. ago Hongkongers call for more diagonal pedestrian crossings after positive trials

Some Hong Kong residents and district councillors have urged transport authorities to speed up the implementation of diagonal pedestrian crossings in places notorious for jaywalking. The calls on Thursday came a day after the Transport Department released positive trial results from two current sites, Sha Tin and Tsim Sha Tsui, where diagonal crossings were introduced last year. Both saw faster crossing times and underlined the benefits such a system could bring to other intersections, including...

Politics

28 h. ago Hong Kong man, 27, arrested for allegedly attacking stepfather with knives

A 27-year-old Hong Kong man has been arrested for wounding after allegedly attacking his stepfather with two knives following an argument in a public rental flat. Police said that they received a report from the man at 1.20pm on Thursday. He informed them of a dispute with his 73-year-old stepfather at their home in Kin On House, Wo Lok Estate, Kwun Tong. “The arrested person was suspected of attacking the victim with two 30-centimetre-long kitchen knives,” the force said. A source said the pair...

Events

29 h. ago Hong Kong 47: court expected to rule on appeals in 9 months’ time

A Hong Kong appellate court is expected to rule in nine months’ time on appeals arising from the city’s largest national security trial, as lawyers wrapped up their verbal submissions on Thursday after 3½ days of hearings. Legal counsel urged three Court of Appeal judges to impose lighter sentences on 11 appellants for what the trial court found to be their “active participation” in a subversive scheme to “undermine, destroy or overthrow” the government. Prosecutors opposed the applications by...

Events

32 h. ago Hong Kong to issue T1 warning on Friday night as tropical cyclone edges closer

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 will issue the No 1 typhoon signal as early as Friday night, with the possibility of raising the warning to No 3 on Saturday, in anticipation of a tropical cyclone that is edging closer to the city. The forecaster said the tropical cyclone was currently located to the...

Events

32 h. ago Hong Kong could issue T8 warning on Sunday as tropical cyclone edges closer

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 will issue the No 1 typhoon signal as early as Friday night and will consider raising the warning to No 8 on Sunday, as a tropical cyclone edges closer to the city. The forecaster said the tropical cyclone was currently located to the east of the Philippines and was...

Events

32 h. ago Hong Kong may issue T8 warning on Sunday as tropical cyclone edges closer

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 will issue the No 1 typhoon signal as early as Friday night and will consider raising the warning to No 8 on Sunday, as a tropical cyclone edges closer to the city. The forecaster said the tropical cyclone was currently located to the east of the Philippines and was...

Events

32 h. ago Hongkongers prioritise quality over longevity in retirement: Manulife

Most Hongkongers prefer living a fulfilling life up to age 75 rather than an ordinary one until 80, reflecting shifting perceptions of longevity and the growing demand for silver economy-related financial products, according to Manulife’s annual Asia Care survey. Nearly 80 per cent of the respondents said they do not want to live longer with poor health and financial conditions, but want to “live independently and do what is important”, according to the study released on Thursday, which polled...

Politics

32 h. ago Hongkongers show penchant for adding life to years, Manulife says

Most Hongkongers prefer living a fulfilling life up to age 75 rather than an ordinary one until 80, reflecting shifting perceptions of longevity and the growing demand for silver economy-related financial products, according to Manulife’s annual Asia Care survey. Nearly 80 per cent of the respondents said they do not want to live longer with poor health and financial conditions, but want to “live independently and do what is important”, according to the study released on Thursday, which polled...

Politics

35 h. ago Hong Kong DSE 14 years in: best subjects, worst performers and top schools

Students in Hong Kong have received their results for the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE), the local university entrance exams that pupils take after six years of secondary schooling. This year’s exams produced 16 students with perfect scores, a record since the DSE’s launch in 2012, including the second “ultimate top scorer”, who achieved the highest marks among all top candidates and the first cross-border high-flier. While about 130 students have achieved top marks over the...

Politics

49 h. ago Chinese state newspaper strikes friendly tone towards internet giants

A leading Chinese state media outlet has expressed support for the nation’s internet platform operators, emphasising their importance alongside hard-tech companies like chip manufacturers, as it adopts a positive tone that reflects Beijing’s friendly stance towards e-commerce companies. According to the editorial published by the Economic Daily on Wednesday, food delivery and “hard-tech” breakthroughs – such as advances in high-speed trains and aerospace technologies – represented two key...

Events