Beijing has given new details about the scale of its anti-corruption drive into the People’s Liberation Army and defence industry, with fresh names confirmed as being investigated. They include top generals who once oversaw theatre commands, heads of the powerful Central Military Commission’s General Office and executives in key defence companies. The names are included in a communique released at the close of the fifth plenum of the 20th Central Committee on Thursday, as the party concluded its...

The Asia-Pacific region stands out as the world’s most dynamic market for asset and wealth management, according to insights from PwC Australia, with assets under management (AUM) expected to hit the US$34.5 trillion mark by the end of the decade; in 2024 the figure stood at US$23.3 trillion. The profile of affluent individuals and families across Asia is also changing, with the Boston Consulting Group’s “The Asia Generational Wealth Report 2025: Succession in a New Era” highlighting that...

Malaysia received its first South Korean-made light combat jet on Friday under a nearly 4 billion ringgit (US$990 million) procurement, in what analysts describe as welcome relief for an ageing air force still years away from replacing its frontline fighters. The FA-50M Block 20 jet arrived at the air force base in Labuan, off Borneo, with a second expected in Kuantan on the peninsula’s east coast next Monday. They are the first of 18 aircraft ordered from Korea Aerospace Industries under a deal...

A mobile network outage in France this week has raised questions about the reliability of Finnish telecoms giant Nokia’s products against the backdrop of continued European Union efforts to phase out Chinese suppliers Huawei Technologies and ZTE over security concerns. The problem first hit the network of France’s biggest telecoms provider Orange at 11.37am on Monday and lasted until 8.30pm, resulting in outages of up to nine hours for some customers, Orange France CEO Jerome Henique told French...

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to travel to Beijing next month as Canberra seeks to deepen a relationship which stabilised after years of trade disputes but has been recently complicated by geopolitical tensions. Sources told the South China Morning Post that Albanese would first attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders’ summit in Shenzhen, which runs from November 18 to 19, before travelling to the Chinese capital. It will be Albanese’s third visit to...

This week, China’s stock market slipped into a bear market, prompting the state-backed “national team” to pour about 170 billion yuan (US$25.52 billion) into exchange-traded funds (ETFs); Standard Chartered beat forecasts with a 46 per cent jump in third-quarter net profit; and the US Federal Reserve held rates steady, which also left Hong Kong’s base rate unchanged. Meanwhile, an offshore yuan bond structure known as Yulan made its debut in Dubai, and residential rents in Hong Kong extended a...

What might an anthropologist make of artificial intelligence if he approached it as an unfamiliar tribe? That question framed an SCMP Plus fireside chat with Professor Alan Macfarlane at The Center in Central, Hong Kong, on October 26. Speaking with SCMP senior AI technology reporter Vincent Chow, Macfarlane explored how AI changes knowledge creation and sharing, and what distinguishes its capabilities from human experience. An emeritus professor of anthropological science at the University of...

Pollution from smoke emitted by months of wildfires across Indonesia caused an estimated 3,560 deaths in the vast Southeast Asian archipelago in September, according to a new study. The same month, about 57.8 million people in Indonesia were inhaling unhealthy to hazardous air, said the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a Helsinki-based think tank. “Worsening air quality due to forest and land fires in Indonesia pushed the estimated death toll to 3,560 cases in September 2026,...

George Russell said one difficult Formula One ⁠season would not define ⁠his career and he still had ⁠plenty of time on his side. The Briton started the campaign as the favourite but has been eclipsed by 20-year-old Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, who is set to clinch the title in Mexico City this weekend. “I’ve probably learned more about myself this ‌year than I would have liked, in all honesty,” Russell said on Thursday, acknowledging that Antonelli, who will be Italy’s first champion in 73...

The Communist Party of China has pledged to vigorously crack down on the “unwritten rules” that enable corruption in the party, deepening its long-running campaign to keep officials in line. At a Friday press conference, senior officials described the important takeaways from the 20th Central Committee’s Fifth Plenum, which concluded the day before. They underscored President Xi Jinping’s assertion that corruption remains a serious challenge that requires sustained pressure and targeted action...

The former father-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung has made a U-turn midway through her murder trial and pleaded guilty to the illegal disposal of her body. As the High Court trial entered its fifth week before a nine-member jury, Kwong Kau made a stunning reversal on Friday and admitted to the charge he initially refuted. The 68-year-old retired police sergeant stands accused of murdering his former daughter-in-law on February 21, 2023, and preventing the burial of the...

France’s interior minister has warned of a “very high risk of public disorder” and announced the deployment of around 70,000 police officers for a new wave of protests this weekend. France has been rocked by widespread anger over the rising cost of living and inequality, with nationwide demonstrations on October 17 degenerating into some of the country’s worst rioting in years. The Yellow Vest movement and student unions have called for a new day of protests on Saturday. The demonstrations come...

Liquidators of China Evergrande Group have agreed to sell a controlling stake in its property management arm to investment firm PAG for HK$4.03 billion (US$513.6 million), as they seek to recover assets for creditors owed US$46 billion. The sale of a 51.016 per cent stake in Evergrande Property Services could give the profitable business a new controlling shareholder after its parent used billions of yuan of its bank deposits as collateral for loans, leaving the company struggling to recover the...

Hong Kong banks are facing a growing backlog of repossessed homes as aggressive pricing by developers draws buyers towards new projects, leaving fewer buyers for second-hand properties being sold by mortgagees. The number of residential properties listed for sale by mortgagees rose 30 per cent in the third quarter to sit at 262 at the end of September, a four-quarter high, according to Centaline Property. The increase of 61 properties was the largest since records began in the fourth quarter of...

Hong Kong officials’ apology over the deadly Tai Po blaze nearly a year ago came too late, residents of the fire-ravaged estate have said, as they urged authorities to learn from the disaster and pursue long-term reforms. Several Wang Fuk Court residents also said on Thursday the resignation of housing minister Winnie Ho Wing-yin could not answer for cross-departmental failings, adding that institutional overhaul would be ineffective unless officials enforced rules, exercised sound judgment and...

When Ocean Park launched its Halloween celebrations in 2001, pumpkins, witches and vampires helped turn a visit to the theme park into a seasonal fright night. Twenty-five years later, haunted houses drawing on Hong Kong ghost stories share this year’s programme with family activities, live performances and a dark-fantasy collaboration with a pop star. The history of Halloween at Ocean Park is not simply a timeline of increasingly bigger productions and more elaborate effects. It is also a story...

Shares of major Chinese optical communications suppliers slumped on Friday before clawing back some of their losses, extending a two-day sell-off despite upbeat third-quarter earnings driven by the global artificial intelligence infrastructure boom. During morning trading in Shenzhen, Chengdu-based Eoptolink Technology dropped as much as 15 per cent, while Suzhou TFC Communication slid 10.3 per cent and industry leader Zhongji Innolight fell over 7 per cent. By the midday break, the trio had...

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Win for Lula boosts China’s foothold and gives Brazil rare earths leverage Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s re-election preserves Beijing’s most critical foothold in Latin America, while positioning Brasilia to leverage...

Seven members have been selected for a specialist panel that will assess companies identified by the Singapore government over potential links to transboundary haze, the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Friday. Three are investigation firms: Control Risks Group, FTI Consulting (Singapore) and Kroll Singapore. The remaining four are law firms or legal advisers: Dentons Rodyk & Davidson, Toby Landau, King’s Counsel of Duxton Hill Chambers, TSMP Law Corporation...

Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. Hong Kong’s first five-year plan sets a striking target: local innovation expenditure should rise from 1.63 per cent of gross domestic product in 2024 to 3 per cent after 2030 – nearly double. The city has five universities in the top 100 and is home to national key laboratories...