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Health & Environment

How unlicensed mainland Chinese tour groups cash in on Hong Kong campsites

Unlicensed guide admits to regularly crossing border as tourist for illegal work, while another insists 30-person group ‘just friends’.

Members of an unlicensed tour group eat hotpot at the Ham Tin Wan campsite. Photo: Edmond So

Opinion

Asian Angle | Why Japan-China ties can benefit from promoting people-to-people exchanges

Filling the information gap through direct contact between the two peoples can help improve both countries’ public images and ease tensions.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of their talks in Gyeongju, South Korea, on October 31, 2025. Photo: Kyodo

Eat Drink Asia

Video | How the US military shaped Okinawa’s food culture

Having occupied Okinawa for 27 years after World War II, US military facilities still cover 15 per cent of the main island.

The US military bases set up in Japan’s Okinawa after World War II sparked controversy over land use, pollution and crime, but they also transformed the island chain’s food and culture.
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China Personalities

Chinese educator is historic first from mainland university to lead top US institute

Young man from rural village who arrived in the US with a single suitcase ‘imitated’ others to fit in; says America is still place to aspire to.

Jack Hu was appointed chancellor of UC Riverside in 2025, making history as the first China-educated Chinese person to lead a first-class university in the United States. Photo: SCMP composite/Tianjin University/IG@ucriversideofficial

Hong Kong

City’s lacrosse officials upbeat sport is on track to qualify for elite status

Team missed out on sealing Tier B spot at the Hong Kong Sports Institute after winning gold and silver at Asian championships in China.

Hong Kong women’s team (white) lost to China in the final at the Asian Lacrosse Games in China. Photo: Hong Kong, China Lacrosse Association
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Lifestyle & Culture

Indonesia’s aim to lure more K-pop concerts spurs chorus of doubts

While Indonesian K-pop fans applaud Jakarta’s intention, they cite safety, venue capacity and bureaucracy as some of the key hurdles.

Indonesian K-pop idol Carmen poses for photos alongside Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung at a state luncheon in Seoul on April 1. Photo: Instagram/2_jaemyung

Travel

Discover Europe with flexible, affordable first-class Eurail adventures

Breakfast in Spain, lunch in France and dinner in Italy – with plenty of sightseeing from a comfortable seat in between. The joys of flexible, first-class train travel can be yours for the price of a Eurail pass.

An ICE train crosses a viaduct in Baden-Württemberg, a state in southwest Germany bordering France and Switzerland. Photo: Getty Images

Opinion

Editorial | Hong Kong’s efforts to commemorate Bruce Lee should pack bigger punch

While the latest move to honour the late kung fu star is welcome, more must be done to acknowledge his standing as a pillar of Hong Kong heritage.

Chinese-American martial artist and actor Bruce Lee is pictured during the early 1970s. Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images

Health & Wellness

How to sleep better, from bedtimes to regularity – what the research says

Sleep research has come a long way in the last decade. Here’s what you need to know to help make your slumber better.

According to British neuroscientist Matthew Walker, mastering sleep requires managing three main factors: regularity, timing and continuity. Photo: Shutterstock

Middle East

Trump says he’s reviewing new Iran proposal to end war

The president also has floated a new plan to reopen the Hormuz, after the US warned shipping firms against paying Iran for safe passage.

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A man stands in the water as ships line the horizon in the Strait of Hormuz in April. Poto: ISNA via AP
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Opinion

Editorial | Return to profit helps Hong Kong Disneyland look to the future

A second straight year of profits has eased concerns around the theme park and could set the stage for much-needed expansion.

Visitors queue at the entrance to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2025. Photo: Elson Li

Politics

Faith, hope and ancestry: how Beijing is trying to win over Taiwan’s next generation

Xintian village is symbolic of efforts to reinforce Taiwanese people’s historical and religious links to the mainland.

Illustration: Henry Wong

Celebrities

Meet Drew Tarver, who plays Isla Gordon’s brother Sandy in Netflix’s Running Point

Tarver plays Sandy in the Mindy Kaling-produced show, was in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and his sister Katelyn was on Nickelodeon’s Big Time Rush.

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Drew Tarver, who plays Sandy Gordon in Kate Hudson’s Running Point, attends the premiere of the show’s second season at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Photos: AFP, IMDB

China Opinion

Opinion | Beyond subsidies: what’s really driving China’s industrial climb

Engineers, supply chain depth and policy execution matter as much as spending for countries chasing advanced manufacturing.

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Employees put a robot through its paces at the Qingdao Humanoid Robot Data Training Centre in Qingdao, Shandong province, on March 23. Photo: Xinhua

Trends

Coloured lashes are back – and Dua Lipa is leading the multi-hued flutter

Mascara is going beyond black and brown to embrace shades from subtle burgundy to bold blue, with stars like Millie Bobby Brown leading the flutter.

Coloured lashes are in, and the ColourPop BFF mascara range has plenty of shades to offer. Photo: Handout
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United States & Canada

US carrier Spirit Airlines shuts down, industry’s first Iran war casualty

Jet fuel prices have doubled during the conflict, and a Trump-backed US$500 million bailout did not materialise.

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A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320 prepares to take off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida in January 2021. Photo: AP

Europe

Humpback whale ‘Timmy’ released in North Sea after weeks stranded off Germany

Repeated attempts to move the marine mammal out of shallow waters have drawn worldwide attention.

The stranded humpback whale lies in a flooded cargo ship close the Danish border on Wednesday. Photo: dpa

Law and Crime

Building scaffolding gives burglars easy access, police say after 2 arrested

Force urges security guards at buildings undergoing renovation to heighten vigilance after scaffolding used to access homes in HK$6,000 theft.

Police have warned it is becoming a trend for burglars to enter flats at buildings undergoing renovation to their exteriors through scaffolding. Photo: Sam Tsang

Opinion

My Take | World Cup football belongs to the fans, not to Trump and his friend at Fifa

Supporters in Hong Kong may be rubbing their hands at the prospect of seeing their favourite teams at Kai Tak Stadium, but those travelling to the global showpiece risk paying a much higher price.

Shaun Wright-Phillips, Christian Vieri, Roberto Di Matteo and Edgar Davids (back row left to right) pose for pictures with little fans on stage during the press conference of Hong Kong Football Festival, on April 21, to be held in coming summer. Photo: Elson Li

Politics

Can the US Democrats beat Trump by becoming more like him?

Fighting fire with fire may deliver electoral wins, but risks hurting the party’s brand eventually, Chinese academic argues.

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The Democrats’ populist strategy might deliver short-term gains, but it risks undermining the party’s core brand as a defender of institutional norms, Gao Hailong argues. Photo: EPA-EFE
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Racing

SCMP Best Bets: Punters can feel winning Vibes at Sha Tin

SCMP Best Bets: Punters can feel winning Vibes at Sha Tin

Law and Crime

She answered an advert for a part-time helper. Then she lost HK$2.25 million

Hong Kong woman, 25, describes how her job search led her to sign documents helping ‘lawyer’ for a ‘big shot’ and take out string of loans.

(From left) District councillor Lau Kar-wah, the victim of the scam, district councillor Alan Yu and lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-biu brief the media on the crime. Photo: Facebook / Bill Tang

Diplomacy

Taiwan’s William Lai lands in eSwatini on trip Beijing calls a political ‘stunt’

Lai travels to island sole African ally after earlier visit cancelled because of overflight permission withdrawn.

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Eswatini is one of Taiwan’s 12 diplomatic allies and only one in Africa. Photo: Shutterstock

Middle East

Iran will not accept ‘imposed’ peace, Trump not satisfied with negotiations

US lawmakers are pressuring the President to resolve the war, while Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is attempting to ease the war’s toll on Iran’s economy.

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A woman walks past an anti-US billboard depicting US President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, in Tehran, Iran, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Society

4 winning tickets take home over HK$55.7 million each in record Mark Six jackpot

Winning numbers are 2, 3, 8, 28, 30, 48, with 9 as an extra number.

Residents queue up to buy Mark Six tickets on Saturday. Photo: Eugene Lee
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Politics

The ageing dilemma: why robots can’t save us but China-US cooperation might

US medical anthropologist Arthur Kleinman looks for path out of a social paradox: longer lives without a defined social role.

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Arthur Kleinman, a founding father of modern medical anthropology, says retirees in China may face decades without a defined social purpose. Photo: Shutterstock

Europe

Russia’s inching advance in Ukraine approaches eastern fortress belt

Kostiantynivka, along with other cities in eastern Ukraine, forms part of a so-called fortress belt well-fortified against Russian attack.

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A service member of the 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces walks on a road near destroyed cars, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the frontline town of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 19. Photo: Reuters

Society

Video | A final message for a Tai Po fire victim from her husband

Yip Ka-kui’s wife Pak Shui-lin heroically knocked on neighbours’ doors to alert them to the flames but died in the tragedy.

Video thumbnail for Yip’s story: Wang Fuk Court resident brings bouquet for deceased wife upon return to home razed by fire

Entertainment

‘This is insane!’ Korean-American rapper Dumbfoundead on family, music and Beef

A writer on Beef season two, battle rapper Dumbfoundead has taken his underground rap mentality with him from the gutter to the stars.

Rapper Jonnie Park, aka Dumbfoundead, explores his journey from Korean-American immigrant to multi-album artist and television show writer. Photo: TNS

Health & Environment

Hong Kong set for thunderstorms on Sunday as cold front approaches city

‘Showers will increase with squally thunderstorms later [on Sunday], and will be heavier in some areas,’ Observatory says.

Grey clouds over Victoria Harbour in April. Photo: Karma Lo