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WORLD6d agoSacred splashes: ancient Chinese ritual of ‘elephant washing’ for good fortuneIn ancient China, royal families washed elephants to pray for good fortune – until one elephant went rogue and brought the tradition to an end. Elephants had been spotted and documented in China as early as 4000 BC. They are believed to have once been familiar animals in the Central Plains before gradually migrating south to more remote regions. From the Han dynasty (202 BC–220), elephants were presented as tribute to the royal court. They carried deeply auspicious meanings: the Chinese word for...South China Morning Post
POLITICS6d agoSingapore film festival rejects South Korean party’s calls to drop The Assassin(s)The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) is standing by its decision to screen South Korean political thriller The Assassin(s) as its opening film, despite calls from South Korea’s conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP) to withdraw it over allegations of historical distortion. The film, directed by Hur Jin-ho and starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, has drawn criticism in South Korea over its fictionalised portrayal of a real-life 1974 assassination attempt on...South China Morning Post
WORLD6d ago27 people, groups named finalists for 14th Spirit of Hong Kong AwardsTwenty-seven individuals and groups have been named finalists for the 14th Spirit of Hong Kong Awards, which recognises the unsung heroes of the city who have made major contributions to society. This year’s shortlist for the awards, co-organised by Sino Group and the South China Morning Post, is divided into nine categories: community, culture, innovation, sustainability, perseverance, teamwork, youth, nurturing and entrepreneurship. “The self-effacing yet extraordinary efforts of these...South China Morning Post
POLITICSOct 9Hong Kong police to launch international academy, reveal details of new degreeHong Kong’s police have revealed they will launch an academy offering specialised courses for overseas officers and shared new details about the force’s bachelor’s degree programme, with classes expected to start next March. Kelly Cheng Lai-ki, director of the Police College, said establishing the Hong Kong International Academy of Policing would consolidate generations of frontline wisdom handed down within the force into an international exchange hub. “These exchanges can showcase our...South China Morning Post
WORLDOct 9Rare Chinese calligraphy scroll resurfaces after 81 years, sells for US$22.6 millionA rare work of Chinese calligraphy long presumed destroyed in the chaos of 1945 only to resurface 81 years later, fetched HK$177.45 million (US$22.6 million) in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The work called Jishi Tie, or Accumulated Time Letter, by early Tang dynasty (618-907) calligrapher Yu Shinan, went under the hammer at China Guardian Hong Kong’s autumn auction at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. It fetched HK$155 million at the hammer, with the final price including the buyer’s...South China Morning Post
POLITICSOct 9U.S. East Asian envoy says investors are overpricing Taiwan risk, calls Xi a 'very rational actor'Investors are overestimating the risk of conflict across the Taiwan Strait, a U.S. diplomat says, playing up deterrence to keep Beijing from taking the island.CNBC
MILITARYOct 9How quickly is China learning from the Ukraine war’s latest drone tactics?China is running the most systematic effort of any outside power to learn from the drone war in Ukraine, with military and defence-industry analysts typically writing up new battlefield techniques within about four months, according to a new analysis. But it usually took a year or more before those lessons showed up publicly in People’s Liberation Army (PLA) training, equipment or force structure, Lilly Min-Chen Lee and Kateryna Bondar wrote in a commentary published on October 7 by the...South China Morning Post
SCI & TECHOct 9From kitchen waste to sky-high costs: inside Hong Kong’s quest for green jet fuelChina’s once-notorious “gutter oil”, recycled from kitchen and drainage waste, has almost vanished from dining tables in recent years and now carries the nickname liquid gold. The substance has become a highly sought-after feedstock for producing clean energy, especially sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with biofuel producers such as Hong Kong-based Ecoceres sourcing gutter oil across the Greater Bay Area. EcoCeres’ co-chairman, Alan Chan Ying-lung, witnessed how the restaurant waste transformed...South China Morning Post
CYBEROct 9South Korea struggles to curb sexual exploitation sites 10 years after Soranet scandalA decade after the shutdown of Soranet – a sprawling online hub for secretly filmed and non-consensual sexual videos that became a symbol of South Korea’s digital sex-crime crisis – the country is still struggling to stamp out similar networks and copycat sites that have emerged in its wake. Their prevalence reflects the difficulties of deterring such illegal activities, policing the online space and changing societal attitudes towards women. Last month, a man was detained over an alleged...South China Morning Post
POLITICSOct 8Flavio Bolsonaro says he would work with China and US as Brazil’s presidentFlavio Bolsonaro said he would work with the US and China if he becomes Brazil’s president, after a surprise election performance left him poised to join a wave of conservative leaders pushing Latin America closer to Washington. “I’m not going to pick sides,” Bolsonaro said at an event in Brasilia on Thursday. “My side will be the Brazilian people, whether we’re dealing with China, Israel, the Middle East, Argentina or India. It doesn’t matter. That’s how I’m going to govern.” Bolsonaro finished...South China Morning Post
POLITICSOct 8US Has Opened Direct Talks With Myanmar Government, Report ClaimsThe outreach, which marks a significant shift in U.S. policy, is aimed at curbing online scamming operations and gaining access to the country's rare earth deposits.The Diplomat
BUSINESSOct 8Central retail shop bought by Swiss heir in ‘rare’ Hong Kong market moveIn a rare market move, a long-established local developer sold a Central retail shop that was held for over 50 years to an heir of Swiss underwear maker Triumph, according to data from the Land Registry, a deal analysts have called “highly unusual”. The use of international capital to acquire local retail assets in Hong Kong is uncommon. Triumph International did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the South China Morning Post. The transaction involved a ground-floor shop at...South China Morning Post
SCI & TECHOct 8China breakthrough projected to push sustainable jet fuel gross profit margin past 50%Chinese researchers have developed a catalyst that converts synthesis gas into sustainable jet fuel – an advance that could boost production, help meet net-zero carbon goals and yield a gross profit margin above 50 per cent. The team verified the efficacy of the chemical catalyst in a thousand-tonne pilot test and found that combining woody biomass-derived synthesis gas, or syngas, with the cobalt-manganese catalyst enabled the “highly efficient synthesis of jet fuel”. Based on a techno-economic...South China Morning Post
POLITICSOct 8Hong Kong rejects US downgrade to lowest tier in human trafficking reportThe United States has downgraded Hong Kong to the lowest tier in its annual human trafficking report, citing shortcomings in prosecutions and victim identification, an assessment the city’s government rejected as “entirely unfounded”. The US State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, released on Thursday, moved Hong Kong from the Tier 2 Watch List, where it had been listed for two consecutive years, to Tier 3. That places the city alongside mainland China and Macau among 20...South China Morning Post
MILITARYOct 8Pentagon unveils US$350 million quantum computing push as China rivalry growsThe Pentagon announced on Thursday a new multimillion-dollar initiative for “maintaining American leadership” in quantum computing capabilities amid accelerating competition between the US and China over the military application of advanced technology. In a press release, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defence for Research and Engineering, which serves as the US Department of Defence’s chief technology adviser, announced that the new initiative, worth around US$350 million, is aimed at...South China Morning Post
POLITICSOct 8National security must not kill Philippines-China academic tiesEducational and cultural exchanges have become a new casualty of rising tensions between the Philippines and China. About 150 Chinese teachers have left the Philippines months after Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr renewed warnings that such people-to-people ties could pose security concerns. Families of volunteer instructors have expressed safety concerns. Beyond disrupting classes and potentially harming tourism in the Philippines, this could further narrow interaction between the two...South China Morning Post
DISASTEROct 8Singapore gears up for smog-choked Grand PrixHundreds of thousands of spectators are likely to endure the city-state’s worst air pollution in yearsFinancial Times
SCI & TECHOct 8How America and China Compare on AIAnd why the two countries have different definitions of winning.Foreign Policy
WORLDOct 8Wanda Nara and Mauro Icardi's divorce came out: the media personality's reaction and China Suárez's celebration danceThe Milan Court resolved to end the marriage between the footballer and the media personality. After the Italian court's ruling was announced, the actress and the host commented on social media.Clarín
POLITICSOct 8EU’s fight to break China’s raw material dominance isn’t going wellThe majority of Europe’s mining, processing and recycling projects are behind schedule.Politico Europe
CONFLICTOct 8Fortified border, Donald Trump snubbed and nuclear temptation: a worrying resurgence of tensions between the two KoreasRÉCIT - Le Leader suprême Kim Jong-un tourne le dos à Séoul. Trois soldats sud-coréens ont sauté sur des mines dans la DMZ, un incident sans précédent depuis 2015.Le Figaro International
POLITICSOct 8Philippines ex-President Duterte fit to stand trial, ICC rulesThe former president is able to understand the charges and follow the proceedings, panel of experts find.Al Jazeera [en]
POLITICSOct 8US investigates 9 universities over alleged visa fraud, with focus on ChinaThe Trump administration is launching an investigation into nine US universities over alleged J-1 visa fraud, with officials raising concerns about Chinese scholars and the Chinese government. The J-1 programme covers exchange visitors including international researchers, scholars and students, who may receive temporary authorisation to work or conduct research in the US. At a Thursday press conference, Anthony D’Esposito, inspector general of the US Department of Labor, announced what he called...South China Morning Post
POLITICSOct 8A Raid on a Gay Bar Risks Taiwan’s LGBTQ-Friendly ReputationAn attorney says authorities overstepped legal bounds, and activists warn of discrimination ahead of Asia's largest Pride event.The Diplomat