International Edition

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.

Sunday, 8 December, 2013, 5:12am More on North Korea

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

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 - 4:26pm More on WTO

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 9 comments More on Air Defence Identification Zone

India's Common Man's Party guns for victory in Delhi state elections

For a democracy activist in Hong Kong, 41 Hanuman Road in distant New Delhi can be a source of inspiration and frustration. Inspiring, because this two-storey house at the corner of a leafy lane is the main laboratory of an audacious experiment in democracy. Frustrating, for it's also a sobering reminder why it will be so hard for Hong Kong to ever attain democracy given the uncertainties of people power that make it too risky a proposition for Beijing.

8 Dec 2013 - 6:51am

United States government urged to ask people about their state of happiness

A panel of experts thinks the US government should be more in touch with Americans' feelings. By gauging happiness, there'd be more to consider than cold hard cash when deciding matters that affect daily lives, according to a report by the National Academy of Sciences, which advises the government.

8 Dec 2013 - 7:31am 1 comment

Adviser to US government on foreign investment quits over link to Huawei

A long-time adviser to the US Director of National Intelligence has resigned after the government learned he had worked since 2010 as a paid consultant for Huawei Technologies, the Chinese technology company the US has condemned as an espionage threat.

8 Dec 2013 - 7:14am 4 comments More on Huawei

South Korea expands air defence zone to overlap China's

South Korea yesterday declared an expansion of its air defence identification zone, partially overlapping a similar zone created by China two weeks ago, as regional tensions continue to rise over territorial disputes.

9 Dec 2013 - 1:45am More on Air Defence Identification Zone

Emotional South Africa prepares for sweeping farewell to Nelson Mandela

Presidents, heads of government and royalty from every corner of the globe will be among those seeking to pay their respects to modern South Africa's founding father, who died late on Thursday aged 95, surrounded by friends and family.

8 Dec 2013 - 7:31am 2 comments More on Nelson Mandela

South Africa's 'born free' generation living the life Mandela dreamed of

8 Dec 2013 - 7:31am

France sends in more troops to quell sectarian violence in Central African Republic

8 Dec 2013 - 7:31am

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

8 Dec 2013 - 6:27am 2 comments

Canberra begins same-sex weddings; Australian High Court may nix them

8 Dec 2013 - 7:31am

Apple deploys iBeacon system to gather data from shoppers in its stores

8 Dec 2013 - 7:31am 1 comment

Ukraine's Viktor Yanukovych a hard nut to crack for pro-EU opponents

8 Dec 2013 - 7:31am

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Watches & Wonders 2013

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Editor's Pick

Offshore yuan trade deal a coup for Hong Kong and Singapore

In the international scramble for leadership among offshore yuan dealing centres, Hong Kong and Singapore have surprised competitors and market observers by putting aside fierce historical market rivalry and joining forces. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx) and Singapore Exchange (SGX) have just signed a memorandum of understanding for co-operation in developing yuan products. The deal redefines the challenge to Hong Kong's role as the leading offshore yuan centre - not only from Singapore, but from London, Paris, Tokyo and Sydney - by widening and easing the access it offers to Chinese capital markets through Asia.

8 Dec 2013 - 4:58am 1 comment

Today's Poll

Are you a happy Hongkonger?

Yes: 46%
No: 54%

8 Dec 2013

Total number of votes recorded: 334

Opinion

Jake Van Der Kamp

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

8 Dec 2013 - 4:58am 1 comment

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

8 Dec 2013

Are you a happy Hongkonger?

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

07 Dec

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

06 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 22 comments

SMUGGLING

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

8 Dec 2013 5 comments

More Hong Kong news

China

DEFENCE

South Korea expands air defence zone to overlap China's

9 Dec 2013 - 1:45am More on Air Defence Identification Zone

POLLUTION

Choking smog over eastern provinces spreads into Beijing

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

DEFENCE

China confident of no military conflict over air defence zones

8 Dec 2013 9 comments

More China news

Asia

DEFENCE

South Korea expands air defence zone to overlap China's

9 Dec 2013 - 1:45am More on Air Defence Identification Zone

BANGLADESH

Execution order issued for death row Bangladesh Islamist

A Bangladesh court on Sunday ordered prison authorities to hang an Islamist leader months after he was sentenced to death, raising fears of a new wave of clashes in the unrest-plagued nation.

8 Dec 2013 - 8:26pm

One month after super typhoon, Philippines faces huge challenges

8 Dec 2013

More Asia news

World

IRAQ

At least 28 killed in wave of Baghdad area bombings: officials

A wave of bombings mostly targeting Shiite areas in and around Baghdad killed at least 28 people Sunday as surging violence spurred concerns Iraq is falling back into all-out conflict.

8 Dec 2013 - 7:44pm

UKRAINE

Pro-Europe protesters gather for rally in Ukraine capital

Some 200,000 pro-EU protesters massed in Kiev on Sunday for a new demonstration aimed at wringing concessions from President Viktor Yanukovych in a bitter confrontation over a rejected EU deal.

8 Dec 2013 - 6:29pm

DIPLOMACY

German president won’t go to Sochi Olympics but denies boycott

8 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 2 comments

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 2 comments

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 - 4:26pm More on WTO

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

Cinematographer Doyle focuses on his artistic side

One day, when he was a wild Australian boy of 13, Christopher Doyle found his parents' marriage certificate. From the date, he worked out that he was illegitimate - a mistake, as he always likes to put it, conceived in the back of a Holden sedan on Bondi Beach.

8 Dec 2013 - 3:55pm More on LIFE

Competitive swimming film shows young people how to stay afloat in life

8 Dec 2013

Security worries cloud Star Wars returning to place where it all began

8 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 1 comment

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

Top critic rates the state of the mainland's film industry

8 Dec 2013

Film script finds new life as comic book

8 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

Hong Kong oh so Dominant on the international stage

Hong Kong racing measured itself against the world and stood up to be counted with three wins out of four majors on an international day with incredible highlights and a shattering lowlight, on a day when it was all about the sport, the racing, the flesh and blood of the game.

8 Dec 2013 - 11:31pm