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Markets

Hong Kong, Malaysia exchanges to team up on ETFs, listings, Islamic finance

Development ‘underscores growing demand from investors for cross-border products and diversified regional exposure’, HKEX CEO says.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing CEO Bonnie Chan Yiting (left) and Bursa Malaysia CEO Dato’ Fad’l Mohamed appear in a media briefing at the HKEX office in Central on April 22, 2026. Photo: Handout

Southeast Asia

UN alarmed by Singapore executions for drug-related offences

UN rights chief Turk said drug-related offences not involving loss of life did not meet the ‘most serious crimes’ standard by international law.

Singapore at sunrise. The death penalty is mandatory in Singapore for drug trafficking above certain quantities, such as 500g (1.1 lb) of cannabis or 15g of heroin. Photo: Shutterstock

K-drama

We Are All Trying Here: Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Yoon-jung lead ace filmmaking K-drama

We Are All Trying Here stands out from other recent film-industry-set Korean dramas with its dialogue, energy and stellar performances.

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Koo Kyo-hwan plays eccentric filmmaker Hwang Dong-man in a still from the new Netflix K-drama We Are All Trying Here.

Politics

Does William Lai’s cancelled eSwatini trip show Beijing’s reach in Africa?

Beijing denies using economic coercion to derail Taiwanese leader’s visit to African ally.

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Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te had to cancel a trip to eSwatini after three African nations revoked overflight permission for his plane. Photo: AP

China Economy

China to fuse software and steel with US$14tr sector to enhance manufacturing

Beijing is overhauling ‘producer services’ with upgrades and more specialisation to avert deindustrialisation and anchor advanced manufacturing.

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Robotic arms handle materials on a production line in China’s Zhejiang province. Beijing has plans to develop a service sector that shores up the world’s factory. Photo: Getty Images
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Tech

DeepSeek isn’t short of cash: so why has it decided to raise funds anyway?

DeepSeek is raising a small funding round not for cash, but to set a valuation benchmark and retain talent as rivals ramp up poaching.

DeepSeek CEO Liang Wenfeng is pursuing ambitions in artificial general intelligence – AI capable of matching human performance across a wide range of tasks. Photo: Shutterstock

Education

611 elderly Hongkongers default on student loans, owe HK$17,400 each on average

Education Bureau says it recorded 9,838 default cases, involving 8,494 people, under five schemes as of January 31.

Authorities plan to offer assistance to those who are genuinely struggling to pay back the funds. Photo: Getty Images

United States & Canada

Searchers find body of 1 of 6 missing crew members after typhoon overturns ship

The crew of the Mariana notified the US Coast Guard on April 15 that the vessel lost its starboard engine during Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

A satellite image shows Carolinas Heights after Typhoon Sinlaku, in Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands on April 17, 2026. Photo: via Reuters

Middle East

Iran fires on 3 ships in Strait of Hormuz after Trump extends ceasefire

Iran state TV says two ships were attacked by the Revolutionary Guard and are in Iranian custody.

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A giant billboard in Tehran declaring: ‘The Strait of Hormuz remains closed’. Photo: AFP

Trending in China

The Devil Wears Prada 2 slammed for offending China with nerdy ‘Chin Chou’ role

Sequel to hit Hollywood film accused of using ‘racist’ name reminiscent of xenophobic Western tropes of earlier times.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 has been criticised for offending China by introducing a character named “Chin Chou”, which some say resembles the derogatory term “Ching Chong.” Photo: SCMP composite/IMDb/YouTube/IG@dip_magazine
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Society

Confusion over government agencies’ roles in fire oversight, probe reveals

Testimony by fire service officers shows departments had different prerogatives in handling complaints regarding Wang Fuk Court renovations.

All but one of Wang Fuk Court’s eight buildings were destroyed in last November’s fire, which killed 168 people, including a firefighter. Photo: Sam Tsang

Celebrities

Meet Claudia Doumit, who just married her The Boys co-star Jack Quaid

The Scandal and New Girl actress wed the actor – whose parents are Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid – in a star-studded ceremony in her native Australia.

The Boys co-stars Jack Quaid and Claudia Doumit have tied the knot. Photo: @jack_quaid/Instagram

Hong Kong

City’s first Olympic ambassador for winter sports to use role to promote ice hockey

Randy Mak said he felt pressure succeeding swimmer Stephanie Au and fencer Nicholas Edward Choi, but he wants to inspire young athletes.

Randy Mak will represent Hong Kong at the 66th International Session for Young Olympic Ambassadors in Athens, Greece. Photo: Edmond So

Europe

French activists sue ‘deceptive’ laughing gas suppliers

A road safety group is seeking a ban on Chinese and Polish companies behind a firm that markets the gas from operating in France.

Partygoers in Spain inhale laughing gas (nitrous oxide). The substance was implicated in over 450 serious road accidents in France last year, a number that has multiplied by 40 in six years. Photo: Red Door News

Hong Kong

Gallery | In pictures: Global Sources Mobile Electronics show in Hong Kong

Linkerbot showcases the newest technologies at the Global Sources Mobile Electronics exhibition on Saturday. Photo: Eugene Lee
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Science

How China’s AI carbon accounting model points the finger at the US

The system factors in both production and consumption, lessening the responsibility of exporters such as China.

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China’s new model distributes responsibility by taking into account who actually consumes exported products and the ability of countries’ natural environments to absorb carbon. Photo: Xinhua

Middle East

Trump extends Iran war ceasefire as Strait shutdown drags on

The US president stepped back from resuming attacks on Iran, while both sides maintained blockades of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

A satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: European Union handout via Reuters

Fashion & Beauty

‘Real bodies’: Met Gala fashion exhibits show shapes rarely seen on catwalks

The coming spring exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum will feature mannequins representing pregnant, disabled and other body types.

An ensemble by designer Karoline Vitto appears on a mannequin model of plus-size model Charlie Reynolds (centre) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art during preparations for the coming Met Gala exhibition titled “Costume Art”. Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Health & Environment

Asia braces for food shortages as ‘super El Nino’ and Iran war collide

A precarious planting season looms amid suppressed rainfall and soaring fertiliser costs threatening the region’s harvests.

Women sit and eat rice noodles on the sidewalk in Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 14. Photo: AFP

China Economy

2,700 China-Japan flights axed in March as rift between Asian powers deepens

Nearly half of the planned flights between China and Japan were cancelled last month, as Beijing and Tokyo remain locked in a diplomatic feud.

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Air China planes are seen parked on the tarmac at an airport in Beijing in 2020. Photo: AFP
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100 Top Tables

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for April 23-25

Parisian bistro Jean-Pierre launches new cocktails, Qura at the Regent is doubly taken over, and Osaka’s Craftroom heads to The Aubrey.

The Bleu Martini, one of the new cocktails at Jean-Pierre’s Le Bar, in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Banking & Finance

Biotech-led boom as 8 China firms flock to Hong Kong’s thriving stock market

AI-powered drug developer Metis TechBio leads group that includes developers of autonomous driving technology and industrial robots.

Healthcare led liquidity growth on the Hong Kong stock market over the past decade, with trading turnover for the sector surging more than 11-fold between 2015 and 2025. Photo: Shutterstock

Asia

Video | Japan scraps long-standing arms export rules

Tokyo approves plan to scrap restrictions, prompting warnings that this could undermine the country’s pacifist constitution.

Cruise missiles, flag of Japan in background - defense concept - 3D illustration. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Global Economy

America First Fed? Trump pick Warsh signals ‘monetary sovereignty’: analysts

Potential successor to Jerome Powell may pursue policies that pressure US dollar-driven assets and curb global liquidity, analysts say.

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Kevin Warsh, nominee for US Federal Reserve chair, testifies on Tuesday during a Senate Banking Committee hearing in Washington. Photo: TNS

World Opinion

Opinion | Iran crisis casts light on energy security from the US to Asia

Rhetoric aside, the US is just not that energy-independent. As for Europe and Asia, it’s time they pursued true energy independence.

Tankers and bulk carriers are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on April 18. Photo: AP
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Health & Environment

Why Japan’s earthquake has Bali on edge over magnitude 9 ‘megathrust’ risk

Bali, Sumba and the Flores Islands are expected to be the worst hit from a megathrust earthquake in the Sumba fault.

The sun rises behind boats moored at a pier on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on April 12. Bali recorded 547 earthquakes last year. Photo: AFP

China

Video | China’s own ‘Netflix’ wants to go all-in on AI actors

iQIYI is betting that viewers will tune in to watch films that feature AI generated visuals, storylines and actors.

China’s Netflix-style iQIYI is banking on a pivot to artificial intelligence to reverse its losses as short-form social video and bite-sized micro-dramas grab viewers’ attention. The company unveiled its “Nadou Pro” AI platform, which aims to replace human actors with their avatars starring in AI-created content.
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Tech Trends

Anthropic’s Mythos is stoking cybersecurity fears. What does it mean for China?

Given cybersecurity risks in critical software, Mythos has sparked debate about whether its capabilities should be shared with China.

The Claude Mythos logo is displayed on a smartphone screen in this arranged photograph. Photo: Dreamstime/TNS

Trends

Style Edit: Loro Piana explores the art of plaid at Milan Design Week 2026

An exhibition at the maison’s headquarters places 23 patterns under the spotlight in an exploration of fibre, craft and contemporary design.

Loro Piana’s Milan Design Week 2026 exhibition, “Studies, Chapter I: On the Plaid”, looks at the crucial role that plaid has played in the company’s story. Photo: Handout

United States & Canada

Video | Trump reads Bible days after Jesus image controversy

The US president has faced rare criticism from his evangelical supporters for sharing a meme in which he appears as a Jesus-like healer.

Trump reads Bible
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