Chinese people use the phrase “yao chan wan guan,” or “carrying ten thousand strings of cash around the waist,” to describe wealth. But how much was a string of cash, and what could one buy in ancient China? Guan was a traditional Chinese unit of account. Literally referring to the string used to thread coins together, it emerged alongside the round coin with a square hole, which first appeared during the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC). A guan generally equalled a string of 1,000 individual copper or...

Elizabeth Holmes is back in the spotlight, thanks to Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s hit new documentary, You Can See Everything (2026). Since its release on October 16, the film has proven a massive box office success, grossing over US$45 million worldwide. The film, which follows the disgraced Theranos founder, 42, and her long-time partner, Billy Evans, 34, during the days leading up to her imprisonment for criminal fraud, also features her parents, Christian and Noel Anne Holmes. Her...

As tightening US visa restrictions and geopolitics lock out Asian researchers from Western institutions, South Korea is emerging as a new academic sanctuary for top talent. According to Yoo Ji-beom, president of Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Seoul, that reflects a broader trend that has seen the West giving way to Asia after decades of dominance – particularly in the field of applied technology in China, Japan and South Korea. “Technological competition and global talent mobility are...

Soaring artificial intelligence revenues have failed to shield Intel, Amazon and Google’s parent company Alphabet from a brutal Wall Street sell-off, as their latest quarterly results deepened investor jitters over mounting capital spending and delayed returns. Intel plunged about 23 per cent in extended trading on Thursday, while Amazon shed 7.3 per cent. Alphabet tumbled 12.6 per cent during the regular session in its worst day on record, dragging the Nasdaq Composite down 1.4 per cent and...

More than a month after sparking public outrage by soiling herself during Hyrox Beijing, Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has announced she is “super excited” about returning to competition. In a new video posted on her social media, the 24-year-old said the past several weeks gave her an opportunity to re-examine the incident and learn from it. “So I’ve had some time to reflect over the past six to eight weeks of everything that happened in Beijing,” she said, offering another apology. “I...

Saudi Arabia said on Friday it intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels near Islam’s holiest city, a claim the Houthis denied. A coalition spokesman, Major General Turki al-Malki, said the drone was intercepted in the region surrounding Mecca, Islam’s holiest city and a destination for millions of Muslim pilgrims each year. In a statement, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied carrying out any operations targeting Mecca, saying the group’s military...

Eight companies have applied for licences to provide ride-hailing services in Hong Kong under the new regulatory regime ahead of Friday’s deadline, the Transport Department has confirmed. US-based Uber, Singapore-based Tada, Amap and Didi Chuxing, all of which currently serve the market, confirmed to the South China Morning Post that they had submitted applications. Amap is operated by Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the SCMP. “Drawing on its global operational experience and local track...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Madrid may be known as a city destination, but beyond its immediate hub there is much to embrace, taste and live. Europe’s beating heart deserves its unspoken, vibrant pulse to be felt, and its rhythm to course through the soul. For the discerning global traveller, Madrid unfolds, layer upon layer, to reveal a choreography of culture, heritage and modern indulgence. Time must be spent here to explore, discover,...

Hong Kong welcomes a wave of new restaurants in November, including several international debuts. Food lovers can look forward to the relocation of a popular French concept, a premium hotpot joint with exclusive recipes, and much more. Hong Kong’s cafe scene also has some new additions, including a viral bakery from overseas and a Japanese pastry collaboration. There are also some innovative multi-concept bars that aim to redefine Hong Kong nightlife. Read on to discover more. 1. Bar...

China successfully conducted take-off and landing operations of the GJ-21 drone from its first Type 076 warship this month, state media said on Friday. In late October, the Sichuan conducted consecutive sea trials, according to Xinhua. “The [People’s Liberation Army’s] first shipborne reconnaissance-strike stealth UAV, the GJ-21, has successfully completed its maiden take-off and landing on the amphibious assault ship Sichuan,” Xinhua said. “It represents another breakthrough in the development...

Flying cars developed by Chinese companies are by design more feasible for commercial use than Tesla’s Roadster, according to an executive at Xpeng, after a recent demonstration by the US tech giant sparked discussion about tech leadership in mainland China. Wang Tan, co-founder of Aridge, the affiliate of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng, said Chinese companies had adopted different technologies than Tesla did. While the Roadster’s mid-air flip and successful landing as seen in a live...

A leading economist warned on Thursday that the United States and China are in a “conflicted co-dependency” that this year’s two bilateral summits failed to address. “I think there’s a good chance that we’re in a temporarily more stable place. But to say that has solved the deep-rooted problems between us, I think is a real stretch,” said Stephen Roach, a veteran China-watcher and the former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, at the China Institute of America. “You mentioned the two summits that...

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has revealed that personal data and flight details of 53,000 bookings were compromised after hackers breached its technology service provider’s system. The carrier is among hundreds of airlines worldwide that use technology solutions provided by Amadeus IT Group. Cathay said on Friday that the unauthorised access took place between August 2023 and September 2026. “We apologise to our customers for the concern and inconvenience caused by this...

Amid attempts this year to impress each other with splendour, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping appear to have decided that the relationship between their two countries should primarily run through their personal relationship. This has been a hallmark of the Trump years. The American executive branch has always held near-unilateral authority over foreign policy, but Trump has concentrated that in himself. Dozens of ambassadors and senior national security advisers have...

Though Serbia’s incoming Student List government called for the resignation of several senior officials and an audit of public projects, some of them built by Chinese contractors, analysts and insiders said it was unlikely the new coalition’s victory would lead to a sea change in the business relationship between the two countries. The message at Thursday’s Student List news conference – the first since the electoral coalition defeated former president Aleksandar Vucic’s Serbian Progressive...

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 that has stabilised after years of trade disputes but is still being complicated by geopolitical tensions. Sources told the South China Morning Post that Albanese would first visit southern China’s Shenzhen for the November 18-19 Apec leaders’ summit before travelling to the capital. US President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin are among the other...