International Edition

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.

Monday, 9 December, 2013, 8:33am 3 comments More on Air Defence Identification Zone

Smog set to lift in eastern China, but experts say solution is a long way off

A cold front was expected to sweep across central and east parts of China, which would gradually clear the smog that has lingered in parts of the country for more than a week, the National Meteorological Centre said.

9 Dec 2013 - 9:04am 1 comment More on Beijing air pollution

India's ruling Congress suffers in state elections

India's ruling Congress party suffered an electoral humiliation yesterday at the hands of the main opposition and an anti-corruption movement, in the last major test before next year's national polls.

9 Dec 2013 - 1:49am

Susan Boyle describes relief after Asperger syndrome diagnosis

Scottish singer Susan Boyle has revealed that she has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. Boyle, a 52-year-old church volunteer who became a singing sensation, told Britain's Observer newspaper she had been diagnosed a year ago.

9 Dec 2013 - 5:06am

Christo Brand, ex-prison guard to Nelson Mandela, describes their close relationship

He was with Nelson Mandela during all the years the anti-apartheid icon was imprisoned on Robben Island. And, like millions of people around the world, he has been hit hard by Mandela's death. Yet this South African was not one of Mandela's fellow prisoners. Christo Brand was his jailer.

9 Dec 2013 - 5:58am 1 comment More on Nelson Mandela

Gene therapy brings big hope in war on cancer

In one of the biggest advances against leukemia and other blood cancers in many years, doctors are reporting unprecedented success by using gene therapy to transform patients' blood cells into soldiers that seek and destroy cancer.

9 Dec 2013 - 6:04am

Success of Beijing envoy's visit to Taiwan shows 'attitudes warming'

The visit to Taiwan by top envoy Chen Deming has shown Beijing's policy in dealing with the island has largely been successful, with a marked reduction in deep-seated hostility towards the mainland.

9 Dec 2013 - 5:15am 3 comments

Democrats resign from Thailand parliament ahead of day of protest

Thailand's main opposition party resigned from parliament yesterday to protest "the illegitimacy" of a government with which it can no longer work. The move deepens the country's political crisis one day before new street demonstrations that many fear could turn violent.

9 Dec 2013 - 1:41am

US probe wider on Wall Street firms' China hiring practices

Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank are among five Wall Street firms in addition to JPMorgan Chase whose hiring practices in China are being probed by regulators in the United States, it was reported yesterday.

9 Dec 2013 - 5:27am 1 comment More on JPMorgan Chase

China takes aim at fiscal system in reform

9 Dec 2013 - 4:50am

Mainland Chinese parents of gay children rally for LGBT rights at Hong Kong forum

9 Dec 2013 - 5:15am

With string of big-money projects, China deepens ties with Pakistan

9 Dec 2013 - 5:15am

Activists accuse US of high pressure at talks on Pacific trade pact

9 Dec 2013 - 9:40am

Hope springs eternal amid Philippines typhoon ruins

9 Dec 2013 - 5:51am

China eases grip on media industry

9 Dec 2013 - 4:50am

More Headlines

Presented Channels

Rugby

Luxury Watches

MBA Education

International Property

Special Report

Watches & Wonders 2013

Send us your story tip

If you have a tip, an idea for a story or a news related photo or video, we'd like to hear from you.

Email your name, story and contact details to: onlinenews@scmp.com

Editor's Pick

China must continue reforming IPO rules

Just three years ago, China's market in domestic initial public offerings was worth around US$70 billion. It plunged to US$40 billion in 2011 and US$14 billion last year before the securities watchdog froze new listings amid a crackdown on fraud and misconduct among advisers. News of an imminent end to the IPO drought under a revamped regulatory regime is welcome, although the drain on liquidity could be a further drag on a lacklustre mainland A-share market.

9 Dec 2013 - 5:21am

Today's Poll

Is South Korea unnecessarily provoking China in extending its air defence zone?

Yes : 21%
No: 79%

9 Dec 2013

Total number of votes recorded: 71

Opinion

Alex Lo

Try petitioning for universal suffrage

9 Dec 2013 - 5:21am 2 comments

Alice Wu

America must get to know the Asia where history never really fades

9 Dec 2013 - 5:21am

Wang Xiangwei

It's as clear as day - China needs its own Clean Air Act

9 Dec 2013 - 5:27am

Tom Holland

Beijing's targets likely to play down growth for reform focus

9 Dec 2013 - 5:41am

Insight

China risks being left behind unless it builds a web that's open to all

ANNE JELLEMA

Last month saw the launch of this year's World Wide Web Foundation annual Web Index report, which is the world's first measure of the web's contribution to social, economic and political development in 81 countries.

9 Dec 2013 - 5:21am

Polls & Debates

9 Dec 2013

Is South Korea unnecessarily provoking China in extending its air defence zone?

Are you a happy Hongkonger?

08 Dec

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

07 Dec

9 Dec 2013

Is South Korea unnecessarily provoking China in extending its air defence zone?

Focus

Youku Tudou and other Chinese web video firms turn back on piracy

Reuters

The website of China's biggest internet video company, Youku Tudou, was once a haven for illicit Hollywood blockbusters and hit South Korean soap operas - until it realised that piracy doesn't pay.

9 Dec 2013 - 5:15am

Harry's View

9 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

POPULATION

Demand in Hong Kong for a subsidised place in nursing homes greater than supply

Lawmakers and the head of the Elderly Commission have urged the government to release details of waiting lists for subsidised places at nursing homes for the elderly after a Post investigation found demand in some districts is greatly oversubscribed.

9 Dec 2013 - 6:37am 2 comments

POLITICS

Hong Kong police keep tight rein at Leung Chun-ying public meeting

Beefed up security prevented Leung Chun-ying from being hit with missiles at a rowdy forum on his policy address and budget yesterday. Uniformed and plain clothes officers maintained a watertight defence in protecting the chief executive at the community centre in Tai Kok Tsui, a day after Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah was hit by an egg at a forum.

9 Dec 2013 - 6:37am 1 comment More on Leung Chun-ying

AVIATION

Cathay pilot union decides against industrial action

9 Dec 2013 1 comment

More Hong Kong news

China

Could China lead the race to develop world's first invisibility cloak?

Scientists on the mainland say they are increasingly confident of developing the world’s first practical invisibility cloak, using technology to hide objects from view and make them “disappear’’.

9 Dec 2013 - 9:50am More on Stealth Aircraft

ENVIRONMENT

Smog set to lift in eastern China, but experts say solution is a long way off

9 Dec 2013 - 9:04am 1 comment More on Beijing air pollution

ANALYSIS

Success of Beijing envoy's visit to Taiwan shows 'attitudes warming'

9 Dec 2013 3 comments

More China news

Asia

North Korea confirms Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-thaek has been purged

North Korea confirmed Monday that the powerful uncle of the nation’s young leader Kim Jong-un had been purged, accusing him of building a rival power base and being a corrupt, drug-using womaniser.

9 Dec 2013 - 9:28am More on Kim Jong-un

THAILAND

Democrats resign from Thailand parliament ahead of day of protest

9 Dec 2013 - 1:41am

DEFENCE

South Korea expands air defence zone to overlap China's

9 Dec 2013 3 comments

More Asia news

World

SOUTH AFRICA

Christo Brand, ex-prison guard to Nelson Mandela, describes their close relationship

9 Dec 2013 - 5:58am 1 comment More on Nelson Mandela

Czech prime minister's comments on Mandela funeral backfire on him

Many world leaders have said they wouldn't miss Nelson Mandela's funeral for anything, but Czech Prime Minister Jiri Rusnok isn't among them. Rusnok's conversation with Defence Minister Vlastimil Picek in parliament on Friday was broadcast by the Czech public television news channel and has since gone viral.

9 Dec 2013 - 6:00am More on Nelson Mandela

UKRAINE

Huge anti-Viktor Yanukovych rally in Kiev bays for blood

9 Dec 2013

More World news

China Insider

Morning Clicks

China news round-up: China posts big trade surplus, Japan's press discuss war prospects

9 Dec 2013

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

Business

FINANCE

US probe wider on Wall Street firms' China hiring practices

9 Dec 2013 - 5:27am 1 comment More on JPMorgan Chase

MEDIA

China eases grip on media industry

An unlikely beneficiary of the liberalisation drive initiated by the third plenum may be the tightly controlled media industry, where the Communist Party leadership is pushing for greater digital orientation and has indicated it is open to private and even overseas investment.

9 Dec 2013 - 4:50am

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

PROPERTY

Gaw Capital sets sights on US$1b overseas purchases

Private equity firm Gaw Capital Partners is poised to take minority stakes in four commercial property acquisitions in the United States and Britain in ventures with mainland Chinese and Asian partners, involving a gross value of US$1 billion.

9 Dec 2013 - 4:51am

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

7 Dec 2013

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

Miuccia Prada wins international designer of the year award

9 Dec 2013

Covet: the biker look

6 Dec 2013

Books

Book review: The Great Equal Society, by Kim Young-oak and Kim Jung-kyu

9 Dec 2013

Book review: My Autobiography, by Alex Ferguson

9 Dec 2013

Health

Lab Report

9 Dec 2013

Hits and myths: exercise may not help you lose those fast-food calories

9 Dec 2013

Beauty

Editor's picks: Face and body oils

30 Oct 2013

Beauty buzz: Fragrances

16 Oct 2013

Family & Education

The plight of the city's jobless and working poor in the spotlight

9 Dec 2013

UK boarding schools can also offer a route back to Hong Kong universities

9 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