6 h. 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

10 h. ago Local Chinese government stimulus pushes big spenders to dig in while dining out

A local government in China’s provincial economic powerhouse of Zhejiang has announced plans to subsidise the restaurant meals of high-value consumers, in a move that is intended to stimulate consumption but could raise questions about whether it runs contrary to the central government’s austerity drive. Shaoxing – a city known for its textile industry and a prized variety of cooking wine – will offer subsidies of up to 5,000 yuan (US$700) to banquet holders if they host five or more tables and...

Politics

34 h. ago Why has Hong Kong women’s life expectancy hit record high? What about the men?

A higher level of engagement in society is among the reasons Hong Kong women’s life expectancy has reached a record high, experts have said, calling for gender-specific solutions to support the city’s ageing population. Academics and other specialists said that less exposure to high-risk activities and a willingness to seek help were also among factors for women living longer than men in Hong Kong. Their analysis followed the recent release of a Census and Statistics Department report, “Women...

Events

50 h. ago 2 steps Indonesia must take to end destructive culture of corruption

The protests that have sprang up across Indonesia are a warning about the state of the country and a wake-up call for better governance. Social media posts are filled with photos of lawmakers who left the country in a rush to find safety. Picture an administration running a huge fiscal deficit. Interest payments on loans take up an increasingly large part of the national budget, state spending is soaring amid efforts such as a national school lunch programme costing more than 300 trillion rupiah...

Politics

50 h. ago ‘Lost the battle’: EU told to accept defeat against China’s solar power sector

A group of French and German economists has urged Europe to identify which industries to support in the face of Chinese competition and boldly abandon those where the battle had already been lost, such as the solar power sector. The recommendations were presented in five memos to the Franco-German Council of Ministers at the request of the two governments. The memos cover trade with China, as well as defence, energy, economic growth and the labour market. The economists advised Europe to protect...

Events

51 h. ago Indonesian students defy police, face tear gas as deadly protests spread

Indonesian police fired tear gas into crowds of protesters near two universities in the major regional city of Bandung, student groups and authorities said on Tuesday, raising tensions around demonstrations that have killed eight since last week. The protests began in the capital Jakarta, targeting government spending such as enhanced perks for lawmakers, and have since spread nationwide. They escalated into rioting and looting after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle taxi driver,...

Events

52 h. ago China worker scoops oil from rubbish bin; eatery claims it’s for sale, not cooking

A hotpot restaurant in China has gone viral amid allegations that it was cooking with used oil taken from a roadside rubbish bin. On August 18, in Chongqing, southwestern China, a netizen posted a video showing a woman in her sixties, surnamed Zhang, apparently scooping used oil from a swill bin. The footage showed the woman dressed in the uniform of a local hotpot restaurant. She was carrying a ladle and a plastic bucket. When asked who had told her to collect the oil, the woman responded...

Economics

68 h. ago Flotilla headed to Gaza leaves Barcelona for second time after storm delay

A flotilla carrying activists and humanitarian aid for Gaza left Barcelona’s port on Monday for a second time after the vessels were forced to return a day earlier because of bad weather. The Global Sumud Flotilla had departed on Sunday under much fanfare only to return a few hours later after a storm hit parts of Spain overnight. Facing winds of more than 56km/h (35mph), some of the smaller boats taking part in the mission would have been at risk, organisers said. It was not immediately clear...

Events

2 d. ago EU chief’s plane hit by suspected Russian GPS jamming over Bulgaria

A plane carrying EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS jamming as it readied to land in Bulgaria on Sunday, Brussels said on Monday, alleging Russia was thought to be behind the incident. The European Commission said Bulgarian authorities suspected the disruption “was due to blatant interference” from Moscow, but it was not clear if the chartered flight was deliberately targeted. “We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming,” Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta told a press...

Events

3 d. ago French influence in Vietnam declines as Chinese language, culture gain ground

As Vietnam celebrates the 80th anniversary of its declaration of independence from colonial rule this week, French cultural influence remains ubiquitous, but not many people in the Southeast Asian nation are aware of its prevalence. A massive military parade will herald on Tuesday the independence proclaimed by revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh on September 2, 1945, which was meant to end nearly a century of French rule but instead started a decade-long war until the defeated French eventually...

Politics

3 d. ago Yemen’s Houthis say they targeted tanker in Red Sea with missile

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday said they had fired a missile at a tanker in the Red Sea, days after their prime minister was killed in an Israeli attack. The Iran-backed rebels, who sank two tankers in July, said they targeted the Liberian-flagged Scarlet Ray, claiming a direct hit. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Sunday that the attack missed its target. The ship is Israeli-owned, according to maritime security company Ambrey. UKMTO, which monitors the region, said the ship’s...

Events

3 d. ago ‘Impossible conditions’: Indonesian groups call off protests as security raised

Indonesian students and civil society groups called off protests in Jakarta on Monday, citing fears of heightened security measures after deadly riots across the country over the weekend. The protests began a week ago amid escalating anger over lawmakers’ pay and have spread nationwide, escalating in size and intensity after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle taxi driver on Thursday night. Eight people have died in the protests, Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said on...

Events

3 d. ago 170 Hong Kong schools to offer extra languages under HK$250,000 subsidy scheme

About 170 Hong Kong secondary schools will offer Japanese, Korean, French or other languages as electives for junior form students under a pilot scheme providing each institution with HK$250,000 (US$32,000) in subsidies over the next two academic years. An education sector representative said Japanese was a popular option among schools applying because its similarities to Chinese could make it easier for students to learn. In a reply to the Post, the Education Bureau said that about 170...

Politics

3 d. ago Jude Law became ‘obsessive’ Putin watcher for role as Russian leader

British actor Jude Law on Sunday said he became an “obsessive” watcher of Vladimir Putin as he prepared for his role as the Russian leader in his new film The Wizard of the Kremlin which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Law, 52, bears an uncanny resemblance to Putin, aping his scowl and distinctive walking style in the film by French director Olivier Assayas, which charts the rise of the former intelligence officer. “There’s a lot of footage one could watch and, personally, when I start...

Politics

3 d. ago Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani hospitalised after car crash

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was hospitalised late on Saturday evening after a car crash near Manchester, New Hampshire, a spokesman said. Giuliani, 81, suffered a fractured vertebra and multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg, the spokesman, Michael Ragusa, said in a post on social media. He said Giuliani’s rental car was hit from behind at high speed. Before the accident, Giuliani had been “flagged down by a woman who was the victim of...

Events

4 d. ago Xi Tells Modi China and India Must 'Come Together' as US Tariffs Hit

Xi Tells Modi China and India Must 'Come Together' as US Tariffs Hit  Newsweek

Events

4 d. ago Chinese tourists’ love affair with Paris deepens as visits surge 15%

Many Chinese tourists arriving in Paris in recent weeks have been surprised by the same thing: the quiet. August is the traditional holiday month in France, when most Parisians flee the capital for sunny beaches in the south or exotic destinations abroad. “The French have all left, some neighbourhoods have barely any people,” one user wrote on the Chinese social platform RedNote. Others posted photos of deserted boulevards near Parc Monceau and the Musée d’Orsay. But that has not stopped Chinese...

Society

4 d. ago Homes of Indonesian finance minister, lawmakers looted as unrest widens

Demonstrations in Indonesia escalated on Sunday with reports of looting at the homes of the finance minister and several lawmakers, as a fire started by protesters at a council building killed at least three people. Frustration with lawmakers, accused of being oblivious to the struggles of common folk, snowballed into widespread violence after a delivery driver was fatally hit by a police tactical vehicle deployed to deal with protesters earlier decrying low wages and financial perks for...

Politics

5 d. ago Weather forecaster urges Hongkongers to seek shelter amid violent gusts

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong readers now get 50% off their first year of subscription until September 21, 2025. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has called on members of the public to seek safe shelters as violent gusts hit the city. Gusts of about 80km/h (50mph) were recorded in Lau Fau Shan in Yuen Long at around 2.10pm on Saturday. “Violent gusts may continue to affect Hong...

Politics

5 d. ago Can China’s US$22 trillion savings and global investors propel markets higher?

In the second instalment of the two-part series on the outlook for the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese stock markets, Zhang Shidong and Yulu Ao look at the catalysts that could underpin the rally. Read part one here When Chinese stocks hit a 10-year high this week, Jian Shi Cortesi saw it as a sign that the rally could continue as overseas investors returned to the nation’s onshore and offshore equities, which are worth a combined US$20 trillion. The Switzerland-based investment director at GAM...

Economics