Monthly minimum wage of Hong Kong foreign domestic helpers up 2.2% to HK$5,100 Foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong will have their monthly minimum salary increased by 2.2 per cent to HK$5,100 (US$655), for employment contracts signed on or after Tuesday, the government has announced. But the monthly food allowance will remain unchanged at no less than HK$1,236 if their employers choose not to provide free food, it added on Monday. The announcement came after a local employers’ group earlier called for a freeze on the minimum salaries of foreign domestic helpers amid the... image
South China Morning Post
Hong Kong increases domestic helpers’ monthly minimum wage by 2.2% to HK$5,100
Monthly minimum food allowance remains unchanged at HK$1,236, government says.
New Demon Slayer animated film sets record with HK$89 million in Hong Kong Japan’s manga adaptation Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle has become the highest-grossing animated film in Hong Kong’s history, surpassing Toy Story 3’s record set in 2010, according to a firm that tracks cinema bookings. The movie broke the animated film box office record as of 2pm with accumulated earnings of HK$89.42 million, the Hong Kong Box Office said on Monday. It surpassed Pixar’s Toy Story 3, which raked in HK$89.36 million 15 years ago. Released in Hong Kong on August... image
South China Morning Post
New Demon Slayer animated film sets record with HK$89 million in Hong Kong
Latest Japanese manga adaptation surpasses Pixar’s Toy Story 3, which raked in HK$89.36 million 15 years ago.
Consumers will decide the course of the US-China tech rivalry Regardless of how trade talks go, the US-China tech rivalry isn’t going away. From each side’s perspective, maintaining a lead in futuristic technologies matters significantly for economic growth and national power. Now, we’re entering round two. The first round was mostly defined by US export controls aimed at slowing China’s development of advanced technologies. These measures might have delayed Chinese progress, but they didn’t stop it. As China gradually catches up in chips and artificial... image
South China Morning Post
Opinion | Consumers will decide the course of the US-China tech rivalry
As Washington and Beijing aim to weaken the other side’s tech ecosystem, both are vying for dominance in the global marketplace.
Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence pact tests India’s Gulf outreach When Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defence agreement earlier this month, it was widely interpreted as a gesture of Muslim unity in a region roiled by crisis. But its reverberations are already being felt among policymakers in Pakistan’s perennial rival India, threatening to complicate New Delhi’s delicate diplomatic balancing act in the Gulf. The agreement, signed in Riyadh on September 17, declares that aggression against either signatory “shall be considered aggression against... image
South China Morning Post
Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence pact tests India’s Gulf outreach
Analysts say the deal exposes the limits of New Delhi’s ambitions in a region where Beijing is also deepening its economic and military ties.
Iran hangs man accused of being Israeli spy after UN reimposes sanctions Iran said on Monday it hanged a man accused of spying for Israel, the latest as Tehran carries out its largest wave of executions in decades. Iran identified the executed man as Bahman Choobiasl, whose case was not immediately known in Iranian media reports or to activists monitoring the death penalty in the Islamic Republic. However, the execution came after Iran vowed to confront its enemies after the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear programme this weekend. Iran... image
South China Morning Post
Iran hangs man accused of being Israeli spy after UN reimposes sanctions
Over 1,000 have been put to death this year as Iran executes prisoners at a pace unseen since the 1988 Iran-Iraq war, rights groups say.
Jensen Huang on Chinese chips; diners caught sneaking food: 5 weekend reads We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China is ‘nanoseconds behind’ US in chips, says Nvidia’s Jensen Huang 2. Dim sum trolleys go silent as Hong Kong’s Metropol Restaurant closes after 35 years 3. Iran recalls envoys to UK, France, Germany after China-backed UN proposal fails 4. Japan man saves US$440,000 by not using air con,... image
South China Morning Post
Hong Kong’s Metropol shutters, Japanese man regrets savings: 5 weekend reads
From a Japanese man’s retirement regrets to the ‘end of an era’ at Hong Kong’s Metropol, here are five stories you may have missed over the...
Hong Kong’s Ocean Park fixes Halloween display after Abby Choi murder reference Hong Kong’s Ocean Park has modified a controversial Halloween installation after public concerns over its possible association with the Abby Choi murder case, with the park’s chairman calling it “a lesson learned”. Chairman Paulo Pong Kin-yee said on Monday that the park had adjusted its haunted house installation after the media preview and before the public opening to ensure visitors would not associate it with real crime cases. But he stopped short of revealing what details had been... image
South China Morning Post
Hong Kong’s Ocean Park fixes Halloween display after Abby Choi murder reference
Park chairman Paolo Pong says park adjusted haunted house installation after media preview to ensure visitors won’t associate it with real crimes.
South Korea faces digital firestorm after data centre blaze causes disruptions In a digitalised South Korea, most administrative tasks can be handled easily online. But that was not the case on Monday morning, the first workday after a fire over the weekend incapacitated most public online administrative services. On Friday, the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon, which operates the country’s data centre and network security system, was hit by a lithium-ion battery fire. It was extinguished after 22 hours, but the blaze shut down 647 administrative... image
South China Morning Post
South Korea faces digital firestorm after data centre blaze causes disruptions
Only 62 government services out of the 647 systems affected by the fire have been restored so far.
Largest art biennale in Central Asia signals new chapter for Uzbekistan Bukhara once flourished as a Silk Road hub, where travelling poets, merchants and scholars converged. But under Soviet rule during the 20th century, the Uzbekistani city was for decades sealed off from the world, with few outsiders entering. This autumn, the narrow streets of the medieval city are abuzz again, but with a very different crowd: international art collectors, curators and artists gathering for the inaugural Bukhara Biennial. Taking place in recently restored caravanserais (historic... image
South China Morning Post
Largest art biennale in Central Asia signals new chapter for Uzbekistan
The inaugural Bukhara Biennale, which brings together over 200 Uzbek and global artists, is a sign of Uzbekistan’s opening up to the world.
China rate cuts likely in fourth quarter amid growth concerns: Goldman Sachs China’s central bank appears increasingly likely to ease its monetary stance in the fourth quarter, according to Goldman Sachs, as economic momentum slows and policymakers face mounting pressure to support growth. The forecast includes a 10-basis-point policy rate cut and a 50-basis-point reduction in the reserve requirement ratio, which could come as year-on-year growth slows sharply towards 4 per cent from a high base last year, a note released on Saturday said. “But the data-dependent nature... image
South China Morning Post
China rate cuts likely in fourth quarter amid growth concerns: Goldman Sachs
But if China can stay on track to meet its economic growth target, no action is still a possibility, analysts say.