International Edition

Obamas, Bushes confirm plans to head to South Africa for Mandela memorial

US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle will travel to South Africa next week to pay their respects to the late Nelson Mandela together with former president George W Bush and his wife Laura.

Saturday, 7 December, 2013, 3:45pm

Bureaucracy and favouritism drive China's security procurement, researchers say

New

Mainland security agencies often ignore the latest surveillance and internet monitoring technology developed by the nation’s own scientists because of excessive bureaucracy and favouritism when picking which systems to use, according to researchers involved in the selection process.

7 Dec 2013 - 2:46am 1 comment

Brazil to start quest for sixth World Cup against Croatia

Hosts Brazil will get the ball rolling against Croatia, holders Spain face 2010 runners-up Netherlands and US coach Juergen Klinsmann is up against compatriots Germany after soccer’s World Cup draw.

7 Dec 2013 - 1:13pm

China and France to sell nuclear energy

"We agreed to jointly exploit third-party markets for nuclear energy. China hopes the two countries can find … [new] space in the markets," said Premier Li Keqiang told reporters in Beijing after his hour-long talk with visiting French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.

7 Dec 2013 - 3:45am

Storm Xaver leaves trail of death and chaos across northern Europe

Icy winter storms with hurricane-force winds on Friday lashed northern Europe, where the death toll rose to nine while hundreds of thousands were left without power or stranded by transport chaos.

7 Dec 2013 - 3:08am

Money man linked to Kim Jong-un's ousted uncle said to have defected

North Korea is facing what could be its most serious defection in 15 years after a man who managed funds for the ousted uncle of leader Kim Jong-un fled the country, South Korean media said yesterday.

7 Dec 2013 - 2:58am 1 comment More on Kim Jong-un

Anti-graft tsar Wang Qishan a fan of TV series House of Cards, report says

An article published yesterday quoted an unnamed source as saying that Wang mentioned the drama when meeting cadres from the Communist Party's disciplinary watchdog. The source said Wang highlighted the role of the "party whip" in ensuring party discipline in the legislature.

7 Dec 2013 - 3:07am 1 comment More on Wang Qishan

Pyongyang frees Merrill Newman, US Korean war veteran; Biden tours DMZ

Update

North Korea released a detained American veteran of the Korean war ahead of a visit by US Vice-President Joe Biden to the world's last cold war frontier. US officials said Merrill Newman, an 85-year-old from California, headed home after arriving in Beijing.

8 Dec 2013 - 5:12am More on North Korea

Shanghai grinds to a halt as smog nears top of air pollution scale

New

Shanghai experienced one of its worst episodes of air pollution on Friday, with the air quality index reaching the "severe" level, the worst on a six-tier national rating system.

7 Dec 2013 - 1:56pm 9 comments

Standard Chartered elite customer details on alleged hacker's laptop

7 Dec 2013 - 3:58am

Theft of two million online passwords prompts internet security fears

7 Dec 2013 - 3:58am

Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou faces billion-yuan lawsuit over children

7 Dec 2013 - 3:02am 4 comments

New Yellow Sea naval drills seen as warning message

7 Dec 2013 - 3:33am 1 comment

New York prosecutors accuse Russian diplomats of US$1.5m health fraud

7 Dec 2013 - 3:32am

Revealed: The heated dispute between Bo Xilai and billionaire Wang Jianlin... over football

7 Dec 2013 - 3:05am 1 comment

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Watches & Wonders 2013

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Editor's Pick

Mandela's lesson of forgiveness

The world, not just Africa, is mourning the loss of its most revered leader and statesman. Nelson Mandela, who symbolised man's fight for freedom against oppression, died from complications of a chronic lung infection.

7 Dec 2013 - 4:48am 3 comments

Today's Poll

Will you continue to buy poultry as Hong Kong confirmed the second case of H7N9 bird flu in a week?

Yes: 45%
No: 55%

7 Dec 2013

Total number of votes recorded: 192

Opinion

Jake Van Der Kamp

Hong Kong has little to gain from relaxing rules just for competition's sake

8 Dec 2013 - 4:58am

Alex Lo

Pan-democrats living in la-la land

7 Dec 2013 - 5:01am 8 comments

Daniel Ren

Reverse mortgages give Shanghai pensioners a leg-up

7 Dec 2013 - 3:07am 1 comment

Shirley Yam

Put this IPO through the mixer and it looks like cashing in

7 Dec 2013 - 2:35am 1 comment

Insight

Sino-US ties on a steady track

SCMP Editorial

The maturity of China's relationship with the US was on full show during US Vice-President Joe Biden's meetings with Chinese leaders last week. Days after Beijing's announcement of its controversial East China Sea air defence identification zone, it was widely assumed that discussions would veer from their intended purpose of building co-operation and trust.

8 Dec 2013 - 4:58am

Polls & Debates

7 Dec 2013

Will you continue to buy poultry as Hong Kong confirmed the second case of H7N9 bird flu in a week?

Who does the 'candid' China-US relationship benefit most?

06 Dec

Should the public be responsible for nominating candidates for the 2017 chief executive election?

05 Dec

6 Dec 2013

Who does the 'candid' China-US relationship benefit most?

Focus

Parents hire private investigators to keep an eye on their student children

SIJIA JIANG

Last year, a few weeks into the summer, a mainland University of Hong Kong undergraduate told his parents that he was not going home for the summer break. Then he stopped calling. He was never available for online video chats. His parents started to panic. They feared the young man had slipped into a world of drug-fuelled parties.

8 Dec 2013 - 6:27am

Harry's View

8 Dec 2013

Celebrating Hong Kong

Spirit of Hong Kong

Spirit of Hong Kong Awards winners embody spirit of the city

SAMUEL CHAN

They are 11 ordinary people who lead extraordinary lives. People who achieve against all the odds and set an example for others.

Businessman Jong Lee makes the solution suit the need

Scientist who wants to rock the world

No cause too petty for celebrity animal activist Sharon Kwok

Hong Kong’s handcarts keep the city on a roll

AFP

It’s a simple contraption – an iron frame, foldout handle and four rubber wheels – but in Hong Kong the old-fashioned handcart is what keeps the city rolling.

Taking a bite out of two worlds

When words are not enough: The dying art of professional letter writing

How calorie-counting and supermarkets are hitting Hong Kong's rice shops where it hurts

Tai O: The Venice of Hong Kong is stilt standing

Kowloon City: from 'den of evil' to lush gardens

Skyscrapers of Victoria Harbour - built to display wealth and power

Hongkongers cherish shoreline memories of Victoria Harbour (video)

Videos

World Mandela, South Africa's icon of freedom and forgiveness, dies Dec 6, 2013|2:47
China 3D Animation explains how China's lunar rover works Dec 6, 2013|2:44
Offbeat Japan agency offers travel for your teddy bear Dec 6, 2013|2:11
World Afrikaners divided about Mandela's legacy Dec 6, 2013|2:28
Lifestyle Young American sings Arabic music on Arabs Got Talent Dec 6, 2013|1:26
Offbeat Arty commuting in sparkling Naples metro Dec 5, 2013|2:19
World 'He's alive!' Nigerian cook survives over 60 hours undersea In shipwreck air bubble Dec 5, 2013|1:27
Sport Golf: China searches for its own Tiger Woods Dec 5, 2013|2:05
China US Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Beijing Dec 4, 2013|1:10
World Third time a charm: SpaceX launches commercial satellite Dec 4, 2013|1:22
World Guardian editor defends Snowden leaks before UK MPs Dec 4, 2013|0:34
Hong Kong Rush hour chaos: Naked man wanders at North Point Dec 3, 2013|1:20
Offbeat Japan agency offers travel for your teddy bear Dec 6, 2013|2:11
World UK's Cameron focuses on business during China visit Dec 3, 2013|0:51
Asia Police fire rubber bullets as unrest continues in Bangkok Dec 3, 2013|0:47
Hong Kong Extreme workout - the art of trail running in Hong Kong Nov 19, 2013|3:03
Hong Kong Godfather of Chinese rock, Cui Jian, asks why Hong Kong doesn't 'get' good music Dec 1, 2013|2:34
Technology Amazon unveils futuristic mini-drone delivery plan Dec 2, 2013|1:02
Environment Poaching in East Africa: urgent action needed to save elephants Dec 2, 2013|3:03
Hong Kong How an expat lives in Hong Kong…with HIV Nov 29, 2013|5:49
China Watch China's moon rover blast into space Dec 2, 2013|1:28
Hong Kong Dozens injured in Hong Kong high-speed ferry accident Nov 29, 2013|2:02
Hong Kong Extreme workout - the art of trail running in Hong Kong Nov 19, 2013|3:03
Offbeat An Instagram short film Nov 28, 2013|2:00
Lifestyle Why is Harrison Ford's son cooking in Hong Kong? Nov 28, 2013|2:24
Politics China looks to calm fears over disputed islands Nov 28, 2013|2:33
Offbeat North Korean leader Kim Jong-un takes a stroll in Hong Kong, or did he? Nov 27, 2013|2:35
Asia Crowds besiege a government building in Bangkok Nov 28, 2013|0:39
China Animation: China claims new air defense zone, U.S. says 'snap!' Nov 28, 2013|1:49
Business What's Bitcoin and how does it work? Nov 28, 2013|1:20

Hong Kong

HEALTH

19 isolated after contact with man in Hong Kong's second bird flu case

They include 13 Tuen Mun Hospital patients who were being cared for in beds close to the 80-year-old man when he was initially admitted to hospital for diabetes and heart failure. Five of the man's relatives and the taxi driver who took him from the Shenzhen Bay border post to the hospital make up the rest of the group.

8 Dec 2013 - 6:26am More on H7N9 avian flu

Lifestyle

Work and pay woes put Hong Kong residents in doldrums compared to China's cities

People in Hong Kong are far more unhappy with life than those in cities on the mainland, a South China Morning Post poll has revealed. Most say they work too hard and are paid too little, with the gloomy mood extending to everything from air quality to relationships.

8 Dec 2013 - 6:26am

SMUGGLING

Hong Kong's return of seized ivory, rhino horn to South Africa hailed

8 Dec 2013

More Hong Kong news

China

POLLUTION

Choking smog over eastern provinces spreads into Beijing

The air quality index in the capital was as high as 356 at 9pm, ending a week-long streak of blue-sky days. Anything worse than 300 is considered "severe", the highest rating on the six-level rating system.

8 Dec 2013 - 6:27am More on Beijing air pollution

DEFENCE

China confident of no military conflict over air defence zones

Beijing is confident regional tensions will stabilise without military conflict after neighbouring countries and the United States have had time to adjust to its air defence identification zone, Chinese analysts said.

8 Dec 2013 - 6:27am More on Air Defence Identification Zone

CULTURE

Censorship and soft power pressure 'stifling China's arts'

8 Dec 2013

More China news

Asia

THAILAND

Thai premier: No quick end to political impasse

Thailand’s prime minister said on Saturday that she will not cling to power and that she is ready to resign and dissolve Parliament if all parties agree to hold new elections.

7 Dec 2013 - 8:55pm

Air Defence Zone

Australia foreign minister downplays China air defence zone tension in visit

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop downplayed tensions over China’s controversial air defence zone, which has also rankled the United States, Japan and South Korea, after meeting her Chinese counterpart on Saturday.

7 Dec 2013 - 2:53pm 1 comment More on Air Defence Identification Zone

NORTH KOREA

Pyongyang frees Merrill Newman, US Korean war veteran; Biden tours DMZ

8 Dec 2013

More Asia news

World

Mandela

Obamas, Bushes confirm plans to head to South Africa for Mandela memorial

US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle will travel to South Africa next week to pay their respects to the late Nelson Mandela together with former president George W Bush and his wife Laura.

7 Dec 2013 - 3:45pm

IRAN

Iran’s president defends interim nuclear deal

Iran’s president defended an interim nuclear deal that eases some of the international community’s crippling economic sanctions in return for a freeze on part of the Islamic Republic’s uranium enrichment activities, saying on Saturday that improving the economy is as important as maintaining a pe

7 Dec 2013 - 8:09pm

MIDDLE EAST

Military power backs US security commitments in the Gulf: Hagel

7 Dec 2013

More World news

China Insider

YOUTUBE

Taiwan just cannot get enough of YouTube

6 Dec 2013

SPACE TECHNOLOGY

China's mission to moon inspires sale of DIY moon buggies on Taobao

6 Dec 2013

Chinese New Year

Third time lucky? Chinese railways website updated ahead of Spring Festival rush

6 Dec 2013

Morning Clicks

China news round-up: Mandela tributes pour in on Chinese microblogs, land sales surge in hubs

6 Dec 2013

CONTROVERSY

'I have a dream' - Taobao uses Martin Luther King's likeness to promote sales

6 Dec 2013

CELEBRITY

The Terminator visits the Terracotta Army

5 Dec 2013

PUBLISHING

Online fantasy writer’s book sales surpass those of print novelists

5 Dec 2013

SOCIAL MEDIA

Pop star Wang Lee-hom ‘threatens legal action’ over online rumours

5 Dec 2013

LAW

Hebei parents seek daughter two decades after she was taken by one-child policy enforcers

5 Dec 2013

Morning Clicks

China news round-up: Tibetan father self-immolates, Zhou Yongkang's son assists probe

5 Dec 2013

ART

Mario and Luigi go to China! Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. appear in Shenzhen

4 Dec 2013

ACCIDENT

Furious debate sparked after Beijing expat hits woman in motorcycle accident

4 Dec 2013 2 comments

INTERNET

US-funded Lantern program allows Chinese to dodge Great Firewall and view banned websites

5 Dec 2013 3 comments

Morning Clicks

China news round-up: Yuan becomes second-most used currency, dissident trial continues

4 Dec 2013

Business

TRADE

WTO members agree surprise deal in Bali to cut barriers to global trade

The deal, the first they've reached in nearly two decades, keeping alive the possibility a broader agreement to create a level playing field for rich and poor countries can be reached.

8 Dec 2013 - 6:28am

TRADE

Trade groups call on Premier Li to bring China back to tech tariff negotiations

Leading industry associations from around the world have closed ranks to urge Premier Li Keqiang to help steer China back to negotiations on expanding the scope of products covered by the Information Technology Agreement, a global tariff-cutting scheme established in 1996.

7 Dec 2013 - 3:59am

Markets

Anna Healy Fenton

Michelin Guide stars mean stress for chefs – and do diners care?

6 Dec 2013 - 4:37pm 2 comments

More Business news

Property

Buyers await clearer tax policy in Britain

Legal experts and property consultants have called for a clear tax policy for international property investors in Britain after the government announced a capital gains tax on foreign property investments.

7 Dec 2013 - 2:51am

Tuen Mun sites get mixed response from developers

Developers have shown a varied response to the tender of two small residential sites in Tuen Mun. A Lands Department spokesman said the Tai Lam site received only three bids while the Siu Lam plot attracted 11 bidders.

7 Dec 2013 - 2:51am

Tax

UK to impose capital gains tax on foreigners

6 Dec 2013 5 comments

More Property news

Lifestyle

Arts & Culture

TV5MONDE app brings French-language television to Asia

With the ongoing fracas over TV licensing - and poorly produced local terrestrial television programmes - some have started searching for fresh content from overseas entertainment providers.

2 Dec 2013 - 9:16pm More on LIFE

How a pair of enthusiasts came to love the 'ding ding'

2 Dec 2013

Review: Hayley Westenra in Concert

2 Dec 2013

Food & Wine

Wine opinion: why some aromas are better left out of the bouquet

The recent isolation of certain bacteria and yeast as responsible for terroir - the evocation of a sense of place in the flavour of a wine - is another apparent triumph for the application of science to the art of winemaking.

6 Dec 2013 - 5:45am

Star chef Alain Ducasse tells cookery students to keep an open mind

6 Dec 2013

Tasmanian wild-caught abalone diver tells of the dangers of the deep

6 Dec 2013

Technology

Microplastics ingested by marine worms threaten ocean biodiversity

Tiny bits of plastic rubbish ingested by marine worms are significantly harming their health and will have a wider impact on ocean ecosystems, scientists have found.

8 Dec 2013 - 6:18am

Parents should be careful about monitoring their children's online activities

8 Dec 2013

Stealthy seahorses sneak up on prey

8 Dec 2013

Fashion

Covet: the biker look

6 Dec 2013

Pop-up markets a godsend for independent fashion labels

2 Dec 2013

Books

Book review: I am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

1 Dec 2013

Book review: Eternal Harvest, by Karen Coates and Jerry Redfern

1 Dec 2013

Health

Peaks and Valleys

3 Dec 2013

Health bites

2 Dec 2013

Beauty

Editor's picks: Face and body oils

30 Oct 2013

Beauty buzz: Fragrances

16 Oct 2013

Family & Education

Influx of mainland students in town to sit the SAT proves a boon for retailers

6 Dec 2013

Concert gives child composers a chance to express their creativity

2 Dec 2013

Interiors & Living

Style with David Roden, December 4, 2013

4 Dec 2013 1 comment

Design firms blur boundaries between professional spaces and private lives

4 Dec 2013

Magazines

Post Magazine: December 8
8 Dec 2013
Bright ideas for the planet from this year’s Slow Life Symposium
48 Hours: December 5
5 Dec 2013
Escape the holiday crush with our guide to last-minute destinations
Post Magazine: December 1
1 Dec 2013
Hong Kong’s never-ending fight against viruses
48 Hours: November 28
28 Nov 2013
48 cracking Christmas gift ideas for one and all
Post Magazine: November 24
24 Nov 2013
Oil rich yet mired in poverty, East Timor is embracing development
48 Hours: November 21
21 Nov 2013
Say hello to the Clockenflap headliners . . . and don’t miss our essential guide to the festival
Good Eating: November 2013
Winter 2013
Top chefs taste success
Post Magazine: November 17
17 Nov 2013
Mainland cartoonists spread their message to the masses online
Money: November 2013
11 Nov 2013
Inside China’s booming contemporary-art market
Style: November 2013
8 Nov 2013
De-sign of the times
Style: October 2013
4 Oct 2013
Phillip Lim on dragon tattoos and social media
Faces: October 2013
Winter 2013
Precious gems meet powerful make-up for the party season
Money: September 2013
23 Sep 2013
Stephen Hung wants to give rich mainlanders the excess they crave
Style: September 6
September 2013
Young designers stand behind 'Made in China'

Sport

Mega amount still owed to Hong Kong Open, says source

The financial fissures running beneath the troubled Hong Kong Open go deeper than thought after it emerged the government's Mega Events Fund has not paid a HK$7.5 million balance from the HK$15 million it gave the tournament last year, leaving the event on the verge of bankruptcy.

8 Dec 2013 - 1:57am

Alarm bells ring loud for under-fire United boss David Moyes

Manchester United's dismal season lurched into crisis yesterday after a 1-0 loss at home to Newcastle United condemned the champions to their fifth defeat of the campaign.

8 Dec 2013 - 1:25am

RACING