3 h. ago Heavy rain, thunder do little to deter fans as Hong Kong racing season begins

The heavy rain and thunder brought by the approaching Tropical Storm Tapah did little to deter racing fans, as the Hong Kong season opened in Sha Tin on Sunday. Crowds started gathering at the racecourse from 8am, with punters eager to get a spot near the parade ring for the opening ceremony, which included a performance by singer MC Cheung Tin-fu. And the opening day was the first opportunity many experienced punters got to see the new facilities, with opinion divided on the latest phase of the...

Politics

7 h. ago In a summit full of symbolism, China lays out vision for multipolar order

The two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit that concluded in Tianjin on September 1 was a significant diplomatic triumph for President Xi Jinping and Beijing. The forum sought to burnish China’s geopolitical profile as a reliable interlocutor and an alternative voice for stability in global governance. SCO summits tend to be low-key and do not garner much notice. This time, though, China used the opportunity to signal it had arrived at the global high table at a time when US...

Politics

20 h. ago Russia vows to work with China in the Arctic, Beijing pledges AI cooperation

Russia has pledged to deepen Arctic cooperation with China, while Beijing said it was ready to work with Moscow on artificial intelligence (AI), in a continued deepening of ties days after the leaders of the two countries met in the Chinese capital. At the Eastern Economic Forum in its eastern economic hub of Vladivostok, Russia also pledged to deepen its energy and financial infrastructure ties with China and offer a mutual visa-free travel agreement. According to Russian news agency Tass,...

Politics

27 h. ago China firm offers annual weight loss bonus; 1 person earns US$2,800 for losing 18kg

A Chinese company has triggered widespread discussion online by offering a one-million-yuan (US$140,000) bonus to encourage weight loss among employees, with one staff member receiving 20,000 yuan after shedding over 20kg in just 90 days. On August 12, Shenzhen-based tech firm Arashi Vision Inc., more commonly known as Insta360, made headlines with its annual “Million Yuan Weight Loss Challenge.” This initiative, held each year, aims to motivate employees to adopt healthier lifestyles by...

Economics

28 h. ago Ballooning crisis: 200 customers plan legal action over Hong Kong fest fiasco

More than 200 angry customers are planning to take legal action against a trouble-plagued hot-air balloon festival in Hong Kong, with grievances mounting over deflated displays, a singer pulling out of a related concert and the event potentially being cancelled because of an approaching storm. Visitors to the AIA International Hot Air Balloon Fest Hong Kong at the Central harbourfront faced disappointment for a third day on Saturday, as the organiser deflated displays again for part of the...

Economics

28 h. ago Ballooning crisis: 300 customers plan legal action over Hong Kong fest fiasco

More than 300 angry customers are planning to take legal action against a trouble-plagued hot-air balloon festival in Hong Kong, with grievances mounting over deflated displays, a singer pulling out of a related concert and the event potentially being cancelled because of an approaching storm. Visitors to the AIA International Hot Air Balloon Fest Hong Kong at the Central harbourfront faced disappointment for a third day on Saturday, as the organiser deflated displays again for part of the...

Economics

30 h. ago Australia posts US$659,000 reward for gunman’s arrest over police killings

Australia posted a US$659,000 reward on Saturday for the arrest of a gunman on the run for a 12th day after allegedly killing two police officers. Police in the eastern state of Victoria said they were offering the “life-changing” amount in their hunt for the 56-year-old fugitive, Desmond Freeman. Freeman is accused of opening fire when police arrived at his home in Victoria with a search warrant. The shooting killed 59-year-old detective Neal Thompson and 35-year-old senior constable Vadim de...

Events

30 h. ago China’s party diplomacy in play as communist leaders gather for parade

The past week has been a flurry of not only state-level diplomacy but also party-to-party outreach, with President Xi Jinping receiving a series of leaders from the four remaining communist countries on a single day. Xi held meetings with leaders from Cuba, North Korea, Laos and Vietnam, all of whom attended Wednesday’s military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the war against Japanese aggression. While Beijing has no interest in promoting a communist...

Politics

31 h. ago China’s yuan rallies with central bank backing as worries mount over US dollar

A recent rally in China’s yuan has been primarily fuelled by stronger guidance from its central bank rather than by market forces, analysts said, pointing to a mostly steady US dollar index. However, they noted, this period of strengthening is likely to remain measured, as Beijing prefers to avoid harming the competitiveness of its exporters amid trade tensions with the United States. Over just five trading days last week, the People’s Bank of China pushed the yuan’s reference rate against the...

Politics

31 h. ago Venezuela’s Maduro calls for talks after Trump’s threat over military jets

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has called for dialogue with Washington, hours after President Donald Trump threatened to shoot down Venezuelan military jets if they pose a danger to US forces. Tensions between the two countries soared in recent days after the Pentagon accused Venezuela of buzzing its ships in the Caribbean following a deadly US strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat. “None of the differences we have and have had can lead to a military conflict,” Maduro said on Friday in a...

Events

32 h. ago Hongkongers learn how to ‘break the gates of hell’ for Hungry Ghost Festival

Forming a circle in front of a temple in Yuen Long, a group of Hongkongers make sweeping, dance-like movements before smashing ceramic tiles on the ground with wooden swords under the guidance of their coach. They are learning to perform the solemn ritual of “breaking hell’s gate”, a traditional funeral practice that is typically performed by Taoist priests and long considered taboo by many. Thursday’s workshop was part of a three-day “soul deliverance” ceremony at Tin Hau Temple in Yuen Long’s...

Politics

32 h. ago Japan survey exposes social media’s role in disaster misinformation

More than a quarter of Japanese citizens were exposed to rumours or falsehoods on social media following natural disasters, according to a new survey, with some admitting they inadvertently hampered emergency responses by sharing the misinformation. The study was conducted by the Japanese Red Cross Society in the run-up to Disaster Prevention Day on Monday. The annual event commemorates the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, a magnitude-8 tremor that struck some 60km southwest of Tokyo and caused...

Events

32 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

33 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

34 h. ago Parading for peace in celebration and commemoration of China's V

Parading for peace in celebration and commemoration of China's V-Day  Morningstar

Politics

43 h. ago US stocks wobble as Wall Street wrangles with whether job market is too weak

US stocks wobbled lower on Friday as Wall Street questioned whether the US job market has slowed by just enough to get the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates to help the economy, or by so much that a downturn may be on the way. After rising to an early gain, the S&P 500 erased it and fell 0.3 per cent below the all-time high it set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 220 points, or 0.5 per cent, after swinging between an early gain of nearly 150 points and a loss of 400....

Politics

44 h. ago Europe’s summer from hell, China’s stablecoin dilemma: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Europe’s summer from hell bleeds into autumn as Trump and Xi turn the screws If Brussels’ bureaucrats returning from their long summer breaks this week were wondering what they missed, the local press had them covered. Unbecoming scenes at June’s Nato summit, the “hopelessly one-sided” trade deal with the United States in July, as well as Chinese President...

Politics

44 h. ago Europe’s summer from hell, the future of air combat: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Europe’s summer from hell bleeds into autumn as Trump and Xi turn the screws If Brussels’ bureaucrats returning from their long summer breaks this week were wondering what they missed, the local press had them covered. Unbecoming scenes at June’s Nato summit, the “hopelessly one-sided” trade deal with the United States in July, as well as Chinese President...

Politics

44 h. ago 1 person killed, 3 hurt in Xinjiang traffic accident involving Hong Kong tour group

One person has died and three others have been injured in a traffic accident involving a Hong Kong tour group in Xinjiang. The Travel Industry Authority said on Friday that it was notified by Travel Circle International on Wednesday that the tour group was involved in a traffic accident that day in the autonomous mainland Chinese region. The group, which included 20 tourists, departed on August 27 on an 18-day visit to Xinjiang. Four tourists from two families were injured, including one who...

Events

45 h. ago Taiwan holds back on penalties for Victory Day parade supporters

Taipei authorities have taken a softer line on Taiwanese individuals attending Beijing’s Victory Day military parade this week, despite repeated warnings in the weeks leading up to the event. Former Kuomintang (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu defied the warnings and appeared on the rostrum overlooking Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, watching the parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The next day, Liang Wen-chieh, deputy minister of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, said...

Politics