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BUSINESSSep 30The risks of HSBC’s return to its rootsDoubling down on Hong Kong offers a way to capitalise on wealth flowing out of China, but increases the risks of confrontation with BeijingFinancial Times
CONFLICTSep 30South Korea demands apology from Pyongyang for landmine blasts that injured threeBBC World
CONFLICTSep 30North Korea calls DMZ mine blast a 'farce' as U.N. Command says armistice breach occurredNorth Korea on Wednesday dismissed as a "farce" a South Korean investigation that found Pyongyang responsible for a mine blast in the Demilitarized Zone that wounded ‌South Korean…Japan Today
POLITICSSep 30Malaysia’s Mahathir in hospital for observation a day after wife’s deathMalaysia’s two-time prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has been admitted to hospital for observation, his office confirmed on Wednesday, in the latest health scare involving the 101-year-old. Mahathir was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) on Tuesday night, barely a day after his wife of 70 years, Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, died at the same hospital. It is unclear why the former leader was admitted. Sufi Yusoff, Mahathir’s long-time aide, told reporters that they were awaiting diagnosis...South China Morning Post
SCI & TECHSep 30DeepSeek partners with Huawei to develop chip programming tools, reducing reliance on Nvidia - ReutersDeepSeek partners with Huawei to develop chip programming tools, reducing reliance on Nvidia reuters.comReuters World
POLITICSSep 30Boom News founder Tang Ho-wing arrested by Hong Kong national security policeSouth China Morning Post
CYBERSep 30In Japan, free BitTorrent porn downloads bring legal trouble and finesJapanese BitTorrent users who thought they were simply downloading adult videos for free are increasingly receiving court notices and demands for hundreds of thousands of yen, as copyright holders step up efforts to identify users through their IP addresses. One self-employed man in his 40s living in Tokyo began using the file-sharing software after reading about it online. He would start downloading adult videos before going to bed and switch the software off the next morning, giving him access...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSSep 30AI-supercharged stock market is world’s worst in third quarterKospi tumbled almost a fifth in three months to September after July sell-off but is still up 60% this yearFinancial Times
POLITICSSep 30Beijing warns of retaliation if Europe imposes curbs on Chinese businessesChina must "respond firmly" if the EU introduces restrictions on Chinese businesses or products, the Commerce Ministry said, according to a CNBC translation.CNBC
MILITARYSep 30Taiwan plans US$850 million ammunition spend to prepare for potential PLA blockadeSouth China Morning Post
WORLDSep 30China warns officials, fires kindergarten principal over ‘mops in cooking pots’ scandalLocal Chinese authorities have issued warnings and demerits to 11 officials and dismissed the entire kitchen staff at a kindergarten following a teacher’s revelation about unsanitary practices, including washing dirty mops in cooking pots. On June 30, several children at the Affiliated Kindergarten of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology in Jiangsu province exhibited symptoms such as nausea and vomiting during and after lunch. Parents had been inquiring about the...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSSep 30Can pay-as-you-earn funding fix Southeast Asia’s higher education debt problem?A Singapore-based education financing programme is testing whether income-linked funding can widen access to higher education without an unmanageable debt burden, a model analysts say could help ease repayment pressure faced by graduates across Southeast Asia. Global Financing for Education’s (GFE) Pay It Forward scheme, publicly launched in September, provides students with funding for their education in return for 3 to 10 per cent of their subsequent income for one to 10 years. The...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSSep 30China factory activity snaps 2-month contractionary streak in SeptemberChina's factory activity returned to growth in September as a deepening economic malaise prompts policymakers to ramp up stimulus steps and bolster growth.CNBC
BUSINESSSep 30US-China trade truce remains ‘fragile’ after Xi-Trump summit, analysts sayThe two-month extension of the US-China trade truce remains fragile despite last week’s summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, with modest economic concessions leaving deeper disputes unresolved, Asia Society Policy Institute analysts said on Tuesday. “In my view, this truce is very fragile,” said Wendy Cutler, an Asia Society Policy Institute vice-president and former acting deputy US trade representative. “I think they’re testing each other.” Xi’s three-day state visit to...South China Morning Post
POLITICSSep 30Raising Hong Kong’s birth rate is an economic imperativeHong Kong’s first five-year plan and latest policy address have put demographic sustainability on the public agenda. Among the measures announced are an extension of the newborn bonus scheme and increased financial support for the second and subsequent children. These are welcome steps. But the fertility debate should not be reduced to whether a bonus is large enough to change family decisions. The bigger challenge is whether Hong Kong can remain dynamic and competitive while its younger...South China Morning Post
DISASTERSep 30Family of 4 in hospital after fire at Sha Tin public housing estateA family of four was sent to hospital on Wednesday morning after a fire broke out at a public housing estate in Sha Tin, prompting the evacuation of around 140 residents. Police received a report at 6.48am as thick smoke poured from a mid-rise flat in Yan Chuen House at Shui Chuen O Estate. The family tried to put out the fire, which started at their TV stand, but failed to do so, and subsequently escaped, police said. Firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire at around 7.10am. All four...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSSep 30What products are part of US-China $60 billion tariff cuts dealThe U.S. and Chinese governments unveiled tariff cuts on Monday, affecting $60 billion worth of goods in varying markets. The list released by the White House spans the U.S. import of 77 categories of Chinese goods – including Christmas decorations, fireworks and children’s toys. The Chinese imports of U.S. goods, meanwhile, cover 1,619 categories of…The Hill
BUSINESSSep 30IDEA Colloquium: "The only thing not to do with China is to stand by idly"Lo plantea una de las mayores expertas en el comercio con el gigante asiático. La competencia con China representa una de las mayores preocupaciones para la industria local. ¿Qué estrategias se dieron otros países?Clarín
POLITICSSep 30Indonesia suspends five officials over luxury apartments for inmatesWarden among five officials suspended over the discovery of an apartment-style compound for inmates at Cibinong prison.Al Jazeera [en]
BUSINESSSep 30Cheap and illegal: mainlanders post social media adverts for services in Hong KongHong Kong’s crackdown on visitors abusing visas to illegally offer tour guide, photography and other services has failed to deter adverts for such unlicensed work on mainland Chinese social media ahead of the National Day “golden week” break, the South China Morning Post has found. A search of RedNote by the SCMP turned up accounts listing themselves as Shenzhen-based photographers offering their services in Hong Kong. Many of them also asked clients to reimburse their travel expenses between...South China Morning Post
WORLDSep 30Gaza on stage: concert activism meets Malaysia, Singapore red linesAmerican rapper Macklemore lost his spot on British pop star Ed Sheeran’s US tour after speaking up for Palestinians, but in Malaysia it was Sheeran’s music which ended up being pulled from the airwaves. In neighbouring Singapore, British band Massive Attack faced a different kind of fallout, barred from returning after members displayed a Palestinian flag during a July concert. The contrasting cases highlight the competing pressures on foreign artists in Southeast Asia, where political...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSSep 30Hong Kong’s executives are ‘ill prepared’ for AI era, report findsExecutives at Hong Kong’s largest listed companies have a severe lack of technological expertise, with fewer than 1 per cent of directors possessing dedicated artificial intelligence or cybersecurity skills, according to a new report by Grant Thornton Hong Kong. The firm’s 15th annual Corporate Governance Review – which surveyed 100 major listed firms on Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Composite Index – found that 59 per cent of companies view cybersecurity or AI as principal business risks. Yet only 11...South China Morning Post
WORLDSep 295 universities in Hong Kong rank in top 100 in ‘historic’ shift from West to EastFive public universities in Hong Kong have ranked in the top 100 of a renowned British publication’s latest global league table, as part of a trend described as a “historic realignment” of academic prowess from West to East. The University of Hong Kong remained the city’s highest-ranked tertiary institution, holding onto 33rd place from the previous year, in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, released on Wednesday. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) ranked 42nd,...South China Morning Post
SCI & TECHSep 29Chinese AI tool told researchers how to make bioweaponsBBC World