SCMP World

Brazil fines TikTok record US$30 million for profiting from children’s data

Brazil’s data protection authority fined ByteDance US$30 million on Tuesday over its handling of children’s data on…

US ‘economic asphyxiation’ of Iran sends Tehranites queuing for petrol

Long queues formed at petrol stations in Tehran on Tuesday after the United States announced fresh sanctions aimed at…

China sends archaeologists to South America to trace ancestral links for the first time

Chinese archaeologists are heading to South America for the first field project on the continent in search of ancestral…

US admits defeat in China minerals race. Can Brazil turn panic into processing power?

Brazilian Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira revealed that US President Donald Trump and his team conceded…

Can Taiwan’s new F-16s level the playing field against the PLA’s J-20 stealth fighters?

Taiwan’s first two F-16 Block 70 fighter jets from the United States are expected to arrive within days, with some…

Moon mission delay a hiccup, but Chinese rocket city Wenchang remains on the march

For generations, Wenchang, on Hainan’s northeastern coast, was better known for coconuts, its namesake chicken and the…

Could Mecca defence pact be first step to new Middle East order?

The Mecca security pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan stipulates that an armed attack against one shall…

Singapore’s island merger plan fuels nuclear power speculation

Singapore’s plan to merge several islands off its southwest coast into a new hub for industry, defence and “new power…

‘Normal stability’: US-China Track 1.5 talks offer formula for ties

China and the US should strive for “normal stability with controllable disagreements” in their relations, a senior…

US troops a liability for some Kuwaitis amid Iran fury: ‘we’re paying the price’

Like many Kuwaitis, Ghanim Alsulaimani still vividly remembers Iraqi tanks rolling through his hometown when his small…

Can Anwar’s call for ‘freer’ filmmaking help ease Malaysia’s censorship rules?

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged the country’s filmmakers to think more freely, even as recent…

DeepSeek leads surge in low-cost Chinese open-weight models on US platform

The usage of open-weight AI models from China hit a record high on a popular US web development platform, driven…

China’s J-16s face off against Egypt’s Rafales in combat drills as Iran war rumbles on

Chinese fighter jets have conducted combat training with their Egyptian counterparts in a joint exercise following a…

Chinese food vendor goes viral after donating US$15 to customer undergoing chemotherapy

A street food vendor in central China received widespread acclaim after discreetly slipping 100 yuan (US$15) into a…

Singaporean who filmed couple on rooftop and demanded sex, cash gets jail

A man who hid behind some plants to film a couple having extramarital sex at a rooftop garden in Singapore later used…

Xi’s 13-year corruption campaign just keeps accelerating

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on corruption is picking up pace even after more than a decade of…

Why was China’s response to North Korea’s latest missile launches so muted?

China’s muted response to North Korea’s latest missile launch, which came soon after top diplomat Wang Yi’s visit to…

Philippine poverty falls to record low, but many still feel insecure

The Philippines has cut its official poverty rate to below 10 per cent for the first time, a milestone officials hailed…

AI smart glasses force South Korea to rewrite its exam rules

South Korea is preparing to overhaul the rules governing technical qualification exams after five candidates were…

For states, being part of everything doesn’t mean being part of nothing

A coalition may call itself a commitment. It still has to say what that commitment is. The Trump administration is…

Philippines to expand military drone fleet as South China Sea tensions rise

The Philippines plans to expand its unmanned ⁠capabilities, including through development ⁠and acquisition of drones as…

South Korea’s Hyundai, union agree on tentative wage deal after rare full-day strike

South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor and the union representing its workers have reached a tentative deal on wages and…

Why is Xiaomi doubling down on in-house chips amid a profit slump?

Xiaomi’s long-term push into proprietary silicon is laying the groundwork for complex artificial intelligence workloads…

Controversial Malaysian professor sacked; Marcos’ US$3b estate tax: 7 Asia highlights

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and…

America proposes new US$103,265 H-1B visa fee, expanding charge beyond new arrivals

The US has proposed a new US$103,265 fee for H-1B visa petitions – a move that could ramp up the cost of hiring skilled…

How full equity buyouts could help China’s cooling bubble tea sector turn a new leaf

Fuelled by the recent bubble tea boom and an intensely competitive market, financial investors have shown growing…

China’s anti-corruption fight: data deep dive

China’s new traffic safety law set to clarify liability for fully automated cars

Beijing could soon hold carmakers legally responsible for traffic violations when autonomous driving systems are in…

As toxic haze spreads, can Indonesia make land burners pay?

As massive forest and land fires burn across parts of Indonesia, sending haze towards neighbouring Malaysia, President…

China’s anti-corruption legal framework is about to extend beyond its borders

China’s top legislature has reviewed a draft law aimed at combating cross-border corruption as part of Beijing’s latest…

Japan’s famous bonfire monkey zoo to close for major revamp

The Japan Monkey Centre, a primate zoo in central Japan known for its winter tradition of monkeys warming themselves by…

As drug giants grow cautious, can Chinese biotech firms still cash in on licensing deals?

Record-breaking cross-border deals helped make some formerly loss-making Chinese biotech companies profitable in the…

‘An intrusion’: data centre fights test Southeast Asia’s AI ambitions

Residents of Section 9 in Kota Damansara thought they knew what was coming to the vacant land opposite their homes. The…

Debate star and physicist Guo Yanliang leaves a top European quantum lab for China

Guo Yanliang, a champion debater who honed his argumentation skills in international contests and on online variety…

Philippine retailers tweak recipe to feed consumer demand for cheaper goods

From switching ingredients to staggering price increases, Philippine companies are rethinking strategies to cover…

Chinese woman, 31, faces lifelong walking issues after water-only diet cuts 20kg in weeks

A woman from central China undertook a fasting regimen for half a month and lost 20kg, but ultimately suffered from a…