SCMP Plus’ fireside chat about AI with Professor Alan Macfarlane

Reddit and an Australian digital advocacy group are claiming a law that restricts children younger than 16 from popular platforms infringes on their constitutional rights.

It’s not just rare earths. China is making it harder for other countries to shed their dependence on its solar, drone and drugmaking technology.

Malaysia’s unity government is facing an increasingly uncomfortable test ahead of the election in Melaka state, with parties governing together in Kuala Lumpur reverting to old rivalries as they compete for votes in a contest that could foreshadow shifting alliances before national polls due over a year from now. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition is under pressure to put on a strong showing in an uphill battle against federal partners Umno, which is widely...

The discovery of dozens of pet remains dumped in sacks along a roadside in the Philippines has sparked public outrage and raised questions over whether the country’s animal welfare laws adequately protect pets after death. A pet crematorium in Bacoor, Cavite province – nearly three hours’ drive from the dumping ground in neighbouring Bulacan province – has been ordered to shut following complaints from pet owners, as police investigate allegations that the business improperly disposed of animals...

Singapore will work with Asean member ⁠states to strengthen ⁠the implementation of ⁠an agreement on transboundary haze when it chairs the regional bloc next year, the country’s environment minister said on Tuesday. It will also work with the bloc to establish ‌the Asean Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control in Indonesia, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu. In response to questions in parliament, Fu said the coordinating centre will strengthen...

Malaysia’s halal safeguards are under scrutiny after filthy conditions and suspected slaughtering breaches at a chicken plant sparked demands to explain how it ignored warnings and operated for years without certification. The hygiene failures at the Puchong facility came to light after authorities seized more than 6.5 tonnes of chicken during a raid last week. The factory, which processes more than 40,000 chickens daily and supplies businesses across the Klang Valley in Kuala Lumpur, is accused...

Hong Kong’s plan to start an interbank tokenised gold transaction project marks a crucial step in its quest to make itself a key global hub for the precious metal, according to analysts. The city planned to launch a gold token representing a standard 400-ounce gold bar, referencing HAU, Hong Kong’s ticker for gold prices launched earlier this year, said Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu during the annual Fintech Week event on Monday. He said the effort...

This week’s $6.3 billion hack of Binance is the largest to hit crypto, and would be the most that North Koreans have stolen in years of brazen cybercrime.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday it was taking steps to reissue passports for all 168 people affected by an online leak of sensitive personal information, including President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea-kyung, as police investigate how the data was exposed. “The foreign ministry is swiftly taking measures to ensure the smooth reissuance of passports for all affected individuals, including the president and first lady,” ministry spokesman Park Doo-soon said during a...

The impeachment trial of Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio may soon draw to a close after the prosecution decided to drop several of her charges, a move that legal experts have said is intended to speed up the trial and secure a conviction by focusing on the strongest evidence against her. Beyond the trial, the decision could have significant political implications for the 2028 presidential race, with a swift verdict potentially removing a strong candidate, according to analysts. On...

A 29-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to five years and nine months’ jail in Australia on Monday after he killed a man who stole a backpack from his rental car. Lincoln Ng Jing Kai chased the man in a car and knocked him off his e-bike before driving over him. He was originally charged with murder, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter in August after prosecutors agreed to accept the lesser charge. Sentencing him, Judge Terence Palmer said Ng’s actions “involved an element of taking the law...

North Korea is rapidly advancing its drone warfare capabilities by drawing lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war, even as South Korea’s efforts to keep pace remain bogged down by procurement delays and bureaucratic red tape, observers warn. They also caution that cryptocurrency theft has become a crucial source of funding for Pyongyang’s weapons programmes, following US Federal Bureau of Investigation allegations that North Korean state-backed hackers stole more than US$6 billion from Binance, the...