https://www.scmp.com/rss/324577/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Renowned scientist Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming is the sole candidate to take over as head of the Chinese University of Hong Kong from Professor Rocky Tuan Sung-chi, who handed in his resignation in January. The Post profiles the 60-year-old molecular geneticist, described as having a “stellar” reputation, and his connections internationally and with mainland China. 1. What is Lo best known for? Lo is often referred to as the “father” of non-invasive prenatal testing, which uses a pregnant... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3279659/who-hong-kong-scientist-dennis-lo-and-what-sole-candidate-top-cuhk-job-best-known?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3279659/who-hong-kong-scientist-dennis-lo-and-what-sole-candidate-top-cuhk-job-best-known?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Sep 2024 14:41:03 +0000 Hong Kong’s leader has rolled out a series of measures to tackle the city’s record-low birth rate in his annual policy address, offering a cash bonus of HK$20,000 (US$2,557) for each newborn and easier access to subsidised housing for families with children. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced the initiatives on Wednesday in a bid to halt an almost 40 per cent decline over four years, with the number of babies dropping to 32,500 in 2022 from 52,900 in 2019. John Lee’s measures to boost... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3239322/now-or-never-why-hong-kong-scrambling-battle-record-low-birth-rates-and-how-are-residents-reacting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3239322/now-or-never-why-hong-kong-scrambling-battle-record-low-birth-rates-and-how-are-residents-reacting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2023 13:02:34 +0000 Hong Kong’s struggle with a low birth rate is back in the spotlight after the latest census data suggested the number of babies born between June last year and June this year had continued to drop – at a mere 32,600 from 35,100 in the preceding 12 months. The government also projected the birth rate to remain low in the coming decades, counting on foreign labour imports and overseas talent recruitment as the main drivers of population. A latest survey by the Family Planning Association found... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3232390/what-can-hong-kong-do-reverse-its-low-birth-rate-we-look-proposals-extending-sperm-and-embryo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3232390/what-can-hong-kong-do-reverse-its-low-birth-rate-we-look-proposals-extending-sperm-and-embryo?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Aug 2023 06:00:21 +0000 International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world on March 8. In mainland China, the government advises employers to give women half a day off work, and e-commerce platforms promote “Goddesses’ Day” or “Queens’ Day” sales. Women in Italy traditionally receive bouquets of yellow mimosa flowers – symbolising strength and solidarity – from loved ones. In the US, a presidential proclamation about gender equality is issued ahead of March every year, designated Women’s History Month in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169726/gender-equality-work-how-do-hong-kong-mainland-china-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3169726/gender-equality-work-how-do-hong-kong-mainland-china-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Mar 2022 12:15:28 +0000 On paper, the US decision to freeze Russian President Vladimir Putin’s personal assets looks like an empty gesture. Although widely considered one of the richest men in the world, official Russian documents say all he owns are a couple of old cars, a small flat, and whatever savings the 69-year-old former KGB agent has squirrelled away from a salary of around US$140,000. Nobody believes the official documents present the real picture. Most Western experts say his vast assets are secretly held by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3169211/palaces-superyachts-swiss-accounts-how-rich-putin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3169211/palaces-superyachts-swiss-accounts-how-rich-putin?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Mar 2022 05:23:10 +0000 The clock is ticking for China’s most indebted developer to find a way out of a looming credit crunch. This month alone, China Evergrande Group has endured multiple credit-rating downgrades that sent its stock and bonds tumbling, only to see them recover briefly after it confirmed talks to sell some prized assets and as creditors extended liquidity relief to help it pay overdue bills. Here’s a look at other key events over the past few months that have sent Evergrande investors on a wild... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3145319/dealing-debt-time-line-how-hui-ka-yans-evergrande-landed-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3145319/dealing-debt-time-line-how-hui-ka-yans-evergrande-landed-back?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Aug 2021 10:15:15 +0000 Criminal probes into former US president Donald Trump are heating up. The signs are everywhere. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jnr empanelled a grand jury that will reportedly be used for an investigation into whether Trump fudged his personal and company finances. Charges could come as soon as this week, US media have reported. The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James recently said its own investigation is now criminal in nature, and that it’s joining forces with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3139132/evidence-piling-criminal-probes-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3139132/evidence-piling-criminal-probes-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jun 2021 05:57:11 +0000 This is the 12th in the South China Morning Post’s series of explainers about China’s Communist Party in the lead-up to the party’s centenary in July. Here, William Zheng identifies some of the high-flying officials born in the 1970s who could eventually rise to the top. China will announce its next major leadership reshuffle at its five-yearly National Congress next year. There, promotions to the Communist Party’s 200-member Central Committee – the highest organ of power in the party – will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3138537/communist-party-rising-stars-chinas-seventh-generation-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3138537/communist-party-rising-stars-chinas-seventh-generation-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jun 2021 21:00:09 +0000 This is the seventh in the South China Morning Post’s series of explainers about China’s Communist Party in the lead-up to the party’s centenary in July. Here, Phoebe Zhang breaks down the demographics of the 100-year-old party’s membership. Since the Communist Party of China was founded in 1921, it has grown from about 50 members to almost 92 million by the end of 2019, representing around 6.6 per cent of the total Chinese population. As the sole governing political party in China, it reaches... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3135532/chinas-communist-party-profile-its-make-sex-ethnicity-age-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3135532/chinas-communist-party-profile-its-make-sex-ethnicity-age-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 May 2021 21:00:07 +0000 This is the sixth in the South China Morning Post’s series of explainers about China’s Communist Party in the lead-up to the party’s centenary in July. In this piece, Zhuang Pinghui explains the importance of young people to the party amid China’s ageing population. Soon after he became China’s president in 2013, Xi Jinping addressed youth representatives from the Communist Party. “If the youth are prosperous, the country is prosperous. If the youth are strong, the country is strong,” he said,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3134774/role-young-people-chinas-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3134774/role-young-people-chinas-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 May 2021 21:00:15 +0000 This is the fifth in the South China Morning Post’s series of explainers about China’s Communist Party, in the lead up to the party’s 100th anniversary in July. In this piece, Jane Cai and Qin Chen shed some light on why so many people in China join the Communist Party, and what this entails. China’s ruling Communist Party had only 50 members when it was founded in 1921 by Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao. Both Chen and Li studied Marxism in Japan, and were among the Chinese intellectuals with communist... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3134071/why-do-so-many-people-join-communist-party-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3134071/why-do-so-many-people-join-communist-party-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 May 2021 21:00:14 +0000 China’s far-west frontier region of Xinjiang is a vast territory of deserts, mountains and grasslands about three times the size of France that makes up almost 18 per cent of China’s entire land mass. According to human rights groups and a United Nations committee, as many as 1 million Uygur Muslims – the region’s largest ethnic group – have been detained in “re-education centres” there and subjected to indoctrination, torture and forced labour. The US and Canada have labelled China’s policies... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3132112/what-going-xinjiang-and-who-are-uygur-muslims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3132112/what-going-xinjiang-and-who-are-uygur-muslims?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 May 2021 22:00:07 +0000 Hong Kong must do more to promote women, according to the city’s top female financial executives. While at the entry level the sector is filled with women, few have managed to climb to the top of the corporate ladder. As of 2018, the sector had 263,000 employees, or 7 per cent of the Hong Kong workforce, and made up 20 per cent of the city’s economy. And while 52 per cent of junior staff were women, only a third in management were female, according to a study by PwC. Women made up an even... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3124436/gender-diversity-critical-good-business-hkexs-laura-cha?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3124436/gender-diversity-critical-good-business-hkexs-laura-cha?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Mar 2021 00:00:12 +0000 Edward Snowden, an American contract employee at the National Security Agency, is the whistle-blower behind significant revelations that surfaced in June 2013 about the US government’s top secret, extensive domestic surveillance programmes. Snowden flew to Hong Kong from Hawaii in May 2013, and supplied confidential US government information to media outlets including South China Morning Post, before fleeing to Russia. Here’s what we know about him. Biography Edward Joseph Snowden was born on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3114731/edward-snowden-biography-spy-career-life-exile-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3114731/edward-snowden-biography-spy-career-life-exile-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Dec 2020 00:26:05 +0000 After Walt Disney, Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki is the best-known animator in the world. Since making his big- screen debut with The Castle of Cagliostro in 1979, films such as 1988’s My Neighbour Totoro – a gentle story about friendly woodland spirits that still stands as his signature piece – have frequently topped the Japanese charts, broken box-office records, and won awards in Japan. Acclaim from animators in the United States led to a breakthrough in the West around the start of the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3104354/hayao-miyazaki-beginners-who-studio-ghibli-founder-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3104354/hayao-miyazaki-beginners-who-studio-ghibli-founder-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2020 09:45:14 +0000 An adviser in British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office resigned on Monday after online comments resurfaced where he linked intellect to race and seemed to advocate a eugenics policy. Andrew Sabisky once suggested that black Americans had a lower average intelligence than white Americans. He also said in a 2014 web post that one way to stop unplanned pregnancies “creating a permanent underclass” was to force people to use contraception. Sabisky said he was in the middle of a “giant character... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3051111/uk-race-inferiority-scandal-heres-recap-boris-johnsons-own-gaffes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3051111/uk-race-inferiority-scandal-heres-recap-boris-johnsons-own-gaffes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Feb 2020 05:25:14 +0000 The resignation of United States Defence Secretary James Mattis, the so-called last adult in the room in the Trump administration, has plunged the future of the decades-old security balance in Asia into doubt. Mattis’ exit, after nearly two years defending the rules-based international order that underpinned a widespread consensus on defence policy until Donald Trump’s election, casts uncertainty over the US presence in the region and its alliances with partners such as South Korea and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/2179130/last-adult-james-mattis-leaves-room-what-next-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/2179130/last-adult-james-mattis-leaves-room-what-next-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Dec 2018 09:45:00 +0000 Sum Lok-kei,Alvin Lum Sum Lok-kei,Alvin Lum A flashy car, a flamboyant mansion and cash for show – a young cryptocurrency promoter left a strong impression on Hongkongers on Saturday, after he was linked to at least HK$6,000 in cash being tossed from a building in Sham Shui Po, the city’s poorest district. Wong Ching-kit, who denied he was behind the stunt that sent onlookers on the streets below into a cash-grabbing frenzy, was arrested on Sunday after he made a second appearance in the area. The drama continued after he was granted bail... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/2178771/fast-cars-mansion-and-cash-sky-who-hong-kongs-coin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/2178771/fast-cars-mansion-and-cash-sky-who-hong-kongs-coin?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Dec 2018 00:03:18 +0000 The two daughters of Chinese smartphone giant Huawei’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, have been making headlines – and for quite different reasons. The elder one, 46-year-old Huawei chief financial officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, was detained by Canadian authorities this month at the request of the United States government, reportedly for violating sanctions against Iran; the younger daughter, Harvard computer science student Annabel Yao, 21, was a sensation at last month’s Le Bal des Debutantes (or... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2176660/why-two-daughters-huawei-founder-have-different-names-and-not-their?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2176660/why-two-daughters-huawei-founder-have-different-names-and-not-their?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Dec 2018 05:30:45 +0000 Former US president George H.W. Bush will be honoured during several public and private events in Houston and Washington before his burial Thursday in Texas. Four days of events for Bush, who died Friday at age 94, include a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral and a private service at his long-time church in Houston. He will be buried next to wife, Barbara, and their daughter, Robin, who died in 1953. Here are details about the events: Transport from Houston to Washington Bush’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2176116/things-know-about-funeral-services-george-hw-bush?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2176116/things-know-about-funeral-services-george-hw-bush?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Dec 2018 06:48:48 +0000 Chinese scientist Dr He Jiankui shocked the world when he claimed he had created the first genetically modified babies on Monday. The controversial experiment involved altering the DNA of twin girls, Lulu and Nana, to disable a specific gene that allows HIV to infect human cells. It drew worldwide condemnation, with experts pointing out such research was unethical because children born using it could die from unknown side effects and the technology could be abused. At the Second International... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2175449/what-do-we-know-about-chinese-scientist-he?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2175449/what-do-we-know-about-chinese-scientist-he?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Nov 2018 11:22:58 +0000 Embattled financier Low Taek Jho – popularly referred to as Jho Low – is now facing criminal indictments from the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) over the 1MDB global financial corruption scandal. The fugitive businessman, who is believed to be hiding in China, is also wanted by Malaysia and Singapore in connection with the 1MDB matter. But just how much hot water is the elusive, rotund financier in – and how difficult will it be to bring him in? Q. Just how much trouble is Jho Low... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2171428/whats-deal-jho-low-malaysias-most-wanted-man?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2171428/whats-deal-jho-low-malaysias-most-wanted-man?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Nov 2018 09:30:00 +0000 The canonisation Sunday of Archbishop Oscar Romero, assassinated in 1980, and of Paul VI, who was pope from 1963 to 1978, is the last stage in the Vatican’s arduous process of creating saints. The Roman Catholic Church puts candidates through meticulous vetting. In most cases the dossier must contain two “miracles”, usually scientifically inexplicable healings resulting from the candidate’s posthumous intercession in answer to prayers. ‘Reputation for sainthood’ Friends or relatives can apply... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2168274/think-youve-got-what-it-takes-be-canonised-heres-five-steps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2168274/think-youve-got-what-it-takes-be-canonised-heres-five-steps?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Oct 2018 06:38:02 +0000 Meng Hongwei’s detention and resignation as president of Interpol has put a spotlight on Chinese officials in key roles at international organisations. Since it ended its self-reliance policies in 1978, China has stepped up its involvement in global bodies from which Beijing has sought substantial development aid, such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and United Nations agencies. In the past decade, it has also pushed for bigger roles in these international institutions. A number... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2167522/which-chinese-hold-top-jobs-key-international-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2167522/which-chinese-hold-top-jobs-key-international-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Oct 2018 12:02:13 +0000 “If it’s raining, I won’t have time for an interview – I’ll be too busy serving customers,” Yau Yiu-wai, the 64-year-old owner of Sunrise Company, said over the phone. Luckily for us, the sun was out when we made our way over to his umbrella store in Sham Shui Po. Even so, the brilliant late summer weather did not seem to stop Hongkongers from flocking to the shop. “Brother Wai”, as Yau is affectionately known, is a fifth-generation umbrella salesman and repairman. The family business has been... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2165752/hong-kongs-brother-wai-has-repaired-more-10000-umbrellas-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2165752/hong-kongs-brother-wai-has-repaired-more-10000-umbrellas-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Sep 2018 03:03:44 +0000 In the allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh, one other name recurs: Mark Judge. Christine Blasey Ford was the first woman to come forward to accuse US President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court of sexual misconduct earlier this month, throwing into doubt what had been his almost certain confirmation process. Watch Brett Kavanaugh's accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, testify in US Senate showdown Ford contended that Judge, Kavanaugh’s high school friend and author of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2165953/who-mark-judge-author-wasted-and-brett-kavanaughs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2165953/who-mark-judge-author-wasted-and-brett-kavanaughs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Sep 2018 05:56:02 +0000 The laughter was sudden, loud and unexpected. It came at the expense of the US president as he addressed global leaders at the United Nations, and it was witnessed by an audience of tens of millions viewing immediate clips online of an awkward moment for Donald Trump. The laughter followed Trump’s boasts that “in less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.” Clearly startled by the laughter, he joked that it wasn’t the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2165746/laughing-trump-here-are-7-other-jaw-dropping-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2165746/laughing-trump-here-are-7-other-jaw-dropping-un?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Sep 2018 01:21:20 +0000 Chinese billionaire Jack Ma has shaken the global tech industry and beyond by revealing plans to step down from his role as executive chairman at Alibaba Group Holding, the most valuable company in Asia, in one year from Monday. In a letter to staff members, Ma cited his reason as giving way to younger generations to take over the tech juggernaut, which also owns the South China Morning Post. An eloquent and animated public speaker who has attracted a large following with inspirational speeches,... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2163613/would-rather-die-beaches-my-office-thats-how-jack-ma-sees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2163613/would-rather-die-beaches-my-office-thats-how-jack-ma-sees?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Sep 2018 19:03:26 +0000 On August 31, some 200 boat owners, most of whom also live on board, were told they only had four months to ship out of Hong Kong’s Discovery Bay marina, leaving families in despair and facing financial ruin. Affected owners, whose berthing permits at Discovery Bay Marina Club will be terminated by December 31, are negotiating with the club management to extend the deadline. As the owners continue their fight, the Post answers some common questions about boat living in Hong Kong. Houseboat... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2163062/whats-next-hong-kong-houseboat-community-facing-eviction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/2163062/whats-next-hong-kong-houseboat-community-facing-eviction?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Sep 2018 09:00:00 +0000 When Kim Yong-chol lands in New York this week, he will become the most senior North Korean envoy to hold talks with American officials on US soil in 18 years. The former spy chief is a trusted adviser to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and will play a pivotal role in preparations for a summit meeting between him and US President Donald Trump. US keeps summit with Kim on track after Trump U-turn In a sign of his importance, Trump announced Kim Yong-chol’s New York trip on Twitter on Tuesday. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2148363/explainer-north-korean-official-kim-jong-un-trusts-send-us-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2148363/explainer-north-korean-official-kim-jong-un-trusts-send-us-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 May 2018 17:18:54 +0000 Divorce has bedevilled Britain’s royal family for centuries. It has created problems not only when Prince Charles and Princess Diana ended their marriage in the most bitter fashion in 1996 but also when other royals – Princess Margaret – fell in love with people who had been divorced and could not marry them for that reason. The British monarch also serves as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, which historically refused to bless the unions of anyone with a living ex-spouse. The church... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2146636/meghan-and-harry-royal-wedding-looms-large-british-monarchy-has?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2146636/meghan-and-harry-royal-wedding-looms-large-british-monarchy-has?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 May 2018 12:20:37 +0000 Will he declare independence for Catalonia? On Tuesday, all eyes will be fixed on Carles Puigdemont, the separatist president of the region who could forge ahead with his childhood dream of splitting from Spain. To the outside world, the 54-year-old former journalist with a thick mop of brown hair has become the face of the Catalan independence movement. There is talk of the “Puigdemont effect” on companies moving their headquarters from the northeastern region as he threatens to declare... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2114730/independence-his-blood-catalonia-president-carles-puigdemonts-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2114730/independence-his-blood-catalonia-president-carles-puigdemonts-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Oct 2017 11:30:30 +0000 Hong Kong has been ranked the world’s least affordable city to buy a home in for the seventh year running, with flats costing more than 18 times the annual median income, according to a 2017 survey by American research institution Demographia. With such high rents, demand for public housing is high. There were more than 150,000 applications for public housing at the end of June, and an average wait of 4.7 years. And with the city’s 7.4 million population set to grow by 390,000 by 2043 according... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2113349/why-hong-kong-getting-container-homes-and-will-they-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2113349/why-hong-kong-getting-container-homes-and-will-they-work?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Sep 2017 08:00:33 +0000 Jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner and prominent Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been released from prison after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. A literary critic, Liu had been kept as a political prisoner since 2009, after calling for more democratic freedoms in China. Authorities confirm Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo in hospital The 61-year-old dissident was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer last month, and allowed to go to hospital for treatment. Who is Liu Xiaobo? In 2010, Liu became... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2100065/who-chinese-nobel-peace-prize-winner-liu-xiaobo-and-whats-his?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2100065/who-chinese-nobel-peace-prize-winner-liu-xiaobo-and-whats-his?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jun 2017 16:00:45 +0000 Chinese student Yang Shuping’s comments at her graduation day at the University of Maryland in the United States were arguably innocuous. She joked on Sunday about the smog in her home town and praised the freedoms she had enjoyed in the US. Her comments, however, triggered a huge backlash in China as internet users accused her of distorting the truth and belittling her home country. Days earlier, Chinese actress Xu Dabao turned heads on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in a bright red... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2095458/rise-little-pink-chinas-young-angry-digital-warriors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2095458/rise-little-pink-chinas-young-angry-digital-warriors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 May 2017 23:00:30 +0000 Their stares are cold, tenacious and emotionless. They appeared bent to rip each other’s jugular out at the drop of the proverbial hat. The irony is that they didn’t ­­– and haven’t, since 1953. US President Donald Trump promised to send the “powerful” USS Carl Vinson carrier group to the Korean Peninsula last week; after some misstatements and bad press about the “missing armada”, the strike group is now expected to arrive in the Sea of Japan sometime next week. But one can only suspect that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2088894/dont-mess-n-koreas-kim-he-thinks-hes-his-grandfather?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2088894/dont-mess-n-koreas-kim-he-thinks-hes-his-grandfather?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Apr 2017 12:00:30 +0000 The International Criminal Police Organisation, known as Interpol, issued a red notice for Chinese tycoon Guo Wengui at the request of China on Tuesday. Guo, who was placed under an arrest warrant by Chinese police in April 2014 for bribing the country’s deputy spy chief and has since fled overseas, said on his Twitter account that he was currently in the United States. The US does not have an extradition treaty with China. We look at what an Interpol red notice is and how it works. What is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2088855/whats-interpol-red-notice-and-what-power-does-it-wield?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2088855/whats-interpol-red-notice-and-what-power-does-it-wield?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Apr 2017 08:45:45 +0000 Hong Kong’s bustling Central district was quiet in the small hours of January 27, the last day of the Year of the Monkey, when two seven-seater vans quietly pulled up outside the luxury Four Seasons Place serviced apartments. The eve of the Lunar New Year is always a big occasion for family gatherings and the crowds on the streets were thinner than usual. Five men left the vans at about 1am and went straight into the lift lobby. Moments later, they reappeared on the 28th floor and knocked on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2071780/big-questions-about-missing-tycoon-why-and-why-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2071780/big-questions-about-missing-tycoon-why-and-why-now?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Feb 2017 02:00:30 +0000 China’s Communist Party commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of the Long March on Friday. We explore the historical significance of the event and what it means to President Xi Jinping. What was the Long March? The Chinese Communist Party originated in 1921. Its alliance with the Kuomintang, or Nationalists, was severed in 1927, after which the Communists fled to the western part of Jiangxi province. The remote, mountainous region was roadless and accessible only by footpaths, making it a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2039033/long-march-what-it-was-and-why-it-matters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2039033/long-march-what-it-was-and-why-it-matters?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Oct 2016 10:00:30 +0000 The 15th-floor apartment in Yuncheng, overlooking the historic city’s famous salt lake, was intended to be the rural couple’s main betrothal gift to their youngest son’s fiancée. They paid 80,000 yuan (HK$92,000), almost all their savings, as a down payment on an unfinished, two-bedroom apartment in the Shanxi city’s “top luxury mansion” project in February, hoping it would provide a decent home for a young couple. It may take local government intervention to prevent such problems from becoming... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2023647/how-chinas-unfinished-housing-projects-are-stopping-chinese-men?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2023647/how-chinas-unfinished-housing-projects-are-stopping-chinese-men?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Oct 2016 04:45:00 +0000 Like many others who sought to run as independents in China’s county and district legislature elections this year, factory worker Liu Mingxue saw his candidacy rejected in the northwestern province of Gansu, even though he followed every procedure required by law. Liu was also taken away by police on June 20 – county election day – for questioning about his assistant, and not released until 12 hours later. Oppression of potential candidates is to be expected ... but there’s still a lot that can... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2025321/how-hard-it-ordinary-chinese-citizen-get-elected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2025321/how-hard-it-ordinary-chinese-citizen-get-elected?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Oct 2016 23:00:45 +0000