Latest News from South China Morning Post
South China Morning Post
33 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
K-pop's top MAMA Awards to return to Hong Kong for first time since 2018
One of the world's top K-pop awards ceremonies will return to Hong Kong for the first time since 2018, taking place in the city's 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium in November. The return of the MAMA Awards, formerly known as the Mnet Asian Music Awards, to the city is expected to be bigger than ever, with the event previously being hosted at the 12,500-seat AsiaWorld-Arena in 2018. The ceremony was first held in the city in 2012. In an Instagram post on Thursday, the event's official account announced that the ceremony would take place on November 28 and 29. Organisers have yet to release a seating plan or ticket prices for the show. The post attracted about 20,000 likes within just three hours of being published. Social media users welcomed the event's return to the city, with one describing Kai Tak Stadium as an 'awesome venue'. The MAMA Awards are considered one of the most popular events in K-pop, with groups such as BTS, Wanna One and Twice collecting awards at the last local edition of the event in 2018. Ticket prices at the time ranged from HK$888 (US$113) to HK$2,488.
South China Morning Post
44 minutes ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Meta AI bot used a billion times monthly: Mark Zuckerberg
Zuckerberg noted the milestone anew at Meta's annual gathering of shareholders and as the social media behemoth vies with Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and others to be a leader in GenAI. It was not clear how much Meta AI use involved people seeking out the chatbot versus passive users of Meta AI, as it is built into features in its family of apps. Since Google debuted AI Overviews in search results a year ago, it has grown to more than 1.5 billion users, according to Google chief executive Sundar Pichai. 'That means Google Search is bringing GenAI to more people than any other product in the world,' Pichai said. Use of Meta AI is growing the fastest on WhatsApp, the company says. Photo: Dreamstime/TNS Google's AI Overviews are automatically provided summaries of search results that appear instead of the previous practice of simply showing pages of blue links to relevant websites.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Japan lawmaker takes flak for calling rice stockpiles ‘animal feed'
Japan 's Democratic Party for the People head Yuichiro Tamaki has drawn the ire of social media users after he referred to the government's rice stockpiles as 'animal feed in a year'. Advertisement Tamaki is apparently referring to reserve rice from 2021 that the government plans to release to the public in an effort to curb soaring prices nationwide. The government of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has sold stockpiled rice that has exceeded its five-year storage period as animal feed, but critics said Tamaki was politicising the rice shortage issue. During a parliamentary session on Wednesday, Tamaki, whose party has pitched policies aimed at garnering support from younger voters, said, 'Even if you say you're selling something that would end up as animal feed at a low price, it's not something people truly need.' 02:28 Japan to release emergency rice stocks as prices soar Japan to release emergency rice stocks as prices soar Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who has pledged to make the stockpiled rice available in stores at 2,000 yen (US$14) per 5kg, said, 'Even if that is true, such a remark is unfortunate, especially as we are working on the best way to release it.'
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Philippine navy adds new bases in Subic Bay, Mindanao amid South China Sea tensions
The Philippine Navy is set to open a series of naval bases as it bolsters its modernisation efforts, with one of the facilities near a former American military stronghold raising the potential of further sites added to those under an existing deal allowing US forces to train on Philippine soil. Advertisement Observers also note that the plan showcases Manila's willingness to expand the defence reach of its navy amid increasingly volatile territorial rows in the South China Sea , as well as reduce reliance on South Korean shipbuilders by developing local shipyards. President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr confirmed at the Navy's 127th anniversary ceremony on Tuesday that his government was 'investing in responsive and up-to-date assets and systems to ensure that our navy remains a formidable force in the region'. The move is seen as part of the Philippine Armed Forces' modernisation programme. It is currently in its Horizon 3 phase, which started last year and will last for another 10 years. Marcos said they would soon be breaking ground at Naval Station Nabasan, an existing wharf located near the mouth of Subic Bay. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (centre) waves from a newly built warship at Subic naval base on May 20. Photo: Kyodo
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Pierre Ng eyes Group Three glory in bid to kick-start stable's late-season push
Pierre Ng (left) has four runners across Saturday's pair of Group Three features at Sha Tin. Photos: Kenneth Chan Battling a quiet second half of the season, Pierre Ng Pang-chi hopes to kick-start a winning run to end his campaign when he launches a strong assault on Saturday's Group Three features at Sha Tin. Runner-up to Francis Lui Kin-wai in last year's dramatic finale to the trainers' championship, Ng picked up where he left off to lead the race for the title through to January this term. However, the 41-year-old has managed just 10 winners since the Lunar New Year meeting and slipped to eighth in the premiership standings with 38 winners. 'It has been a bit quiet,' Ng admitted. 'Even last year, after the Chinese New Year it was quite quiet as well. That's something I have to think about during the off-season. I gave many horses a break during the middle of the season and then I've brought them back, so I'm looking forward to June. 'I won't have a title run or anything like that, but we'll just keep on going and rolling and then wait for next season.' Ng will aim to replicate last year's haul of three wins from the final four Group races of the Hong Kong season when he starts Johannes Brahms and Ka Ying Generation in the Lion Rock Trophy (1,600m) and Mugen and Beauty Waves in the Sha Tin Vase (1,200m) on Saturday. Johannes Brahms could be Ng's strongest chance of the quartet, with the talented four-year-old lining up for the first time since his unlucky sixth to Cap Ferrat in the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) in March. The Irish import also had excuses when a fast-finishing third to Rubylot in the Classic Cup (1,800m) and was an impressive Class Two winner over a mile in February. 'He's been running very well for us. We've given him three trials in between runs and we targeted this race before the Derby,' Ng said. Tough win, Johannes Brahms! 💪 Former Aidan O'Brien galloper grabs a second win in Hong Kong, taking the Class 2 Heung Yee Kuk Cup at Sha Tin, for @Atzenijockey and Pierre Ng... 🏆#LoveRacing | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) February 16, 2025 'With a light weight [115lbs] over a mile and Andrea [Atzeni] on, hopefully it works out for us. He's trialled well and he's fit and well.' Johannes Brahms has drawn barrier five in the field of 11, which is headlined by last-start Group One Champions Mile winner Red Lion. The John Size-trained Red Lion has to overcome the burden of top weight of 135lbs. Ka Ying Generation will race for the first time since bleeding from both nostrils in December's Group One Hong Kong Vase (2,400m). Matthew Poon Ming-fai will take the ride on Saturday. Johannes Brahms and Ka Ying Generation will progress to the Group Three Premier Plate (1,800m) on June 22. Ng won the Lion Rock Trophy-Premier Plate double with Galaxy Patch last year. Mugen will use the Sha Tin Vase as a warm-up to his Group Three Premier Cup (1,400m) title defence and Ng was buoyed by the sprinter's trial win at Conghua last week. 'He trialled really well the other day with Karis [Teetan on board]. He was very happy with him and said the horse is back in form,' Ng said of Mugen, who has shown indifferent form since his failed trip to Japan for last September's Group One Sprinters Stakes (1,200m). 'But Karis won't be riding him. He's riding Victor The Winner and Andrea is riding Mugen. With the light weight [115lbs] over 1,200m, I think he'll get prize money and hopefully he runs well. I know it's a bit sharp for him, but he's fresh enough and then we'll target the race we won with him last year.' Angus Chung Yik-lai will ride Beauty Waves, who has mostly raced at the top level behind superstar Ka Ying Rising since winning October's Group Three National Day Cup (1,000m). 'He's been a bit disappointing his last few runs, but he's been running against top horses and now drops back into Group Three, which he's won at before,' Ng said. 'We tried to switch him off his last couple of races but it didn't really work, so this race we'll just let him roll and with the light weight [115lbs], hopefully he's tough enough to stay on.'
