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News - South China Morning Post

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Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades ignites...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

People from all walks of life in Hong Kong rallied in support of victims of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, ranging from millions in cash donations by major business groups to grass roots efforts by civilians delivering supplies to those in need.The fire that erupted in seven blocks in Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on Wednesday, killing at least 75 people, left thousands of residents homeless and in need of daily supplies. “What happened on Wednesday night appeared to be such a large-scale...

Putin says Russia will stop fighting when Ukraine...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow would end its Ukraine offensive if Kyiv withdrew from territory Moscow claims at its own – otherwise they would take it by force. The Russian army has been slowly but steadily grinding through eastern Ukraine in costly battles against outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces. Washington has meanwhile renewed its push to end the nearly four-year war, putting forward a surprise plan that it hopes to finalise through coming talks

Hong Kong families endure unimaginable loss as fire...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has torn apart families as the death toll climbed to 75 on Thursday night, with many heavy-hearted relatives continuing to search for missing loved ones. Firefighters searched late into the night, combing flats across seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court and finding more bodies. Authorities were yet to release details about the deceased and injured as the blaze entered its second night. In the evening, anxious families gathered at a temporary shelter in Tai Po

Pope warns ‘piecemeal’ third world war ‘threatening’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Pope Leo lamented that the world was seeing an unusual number of bloody conflicts during his first trip outside Italy as Catholic leader on Thursday, and he warned that a third world war was being “fought piecemeal”, with humanity’s future at risk. In his first speech given overseas since his election in May to lead the 1.4 billion-member Church, Leo, the first US pope, said “ambitions and choices that trample on justice and peace” were destabilising the world. He told political leaders in...

Fire probe centres on widespread use of flammable...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

The investigation into a deadly fire at a Hong Kong housing estate has centred on the use of flammable material in the scaffolding that covered the residential blocks, officials said on Thursday. Police arrested three men from the maintenance firm responsible for the buildings on suspicion of manslaughter, while the city’s anti-graft agency said it was looking into a possible case of corruption. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung had revealed shortly before 2am that authorities...

What happens if the Philippine president and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Mounting corruption scandals and an impeachment push have prompted calls for the Philippine president and vice-president to resign, with legal experts saying a little-known constitutional clause provides for a snap election to be called if the roles are vacated at the same time. A growing chorus from civil society groups and politicians is urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio to step down, with Marcos accused by a political veteran of playing a leading...

China has minimal nuclear arsenal, seeks no arms race...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

China will not seek a nuclear arms race and opposes the United States’ deployment of offensive missiles in Asia, according to Beijing’s latest white paper on nuclear policy. The paper – titled “China’s Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in the New Era” – updates the previous 2005 version of the document. In the white paper released on Thursday, Beijing said it had consistently kept its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security. Beijing has long

Hong Kong contractor for fire-hit Tai Po project has...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

The contractor behind renovation work at the site of Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades had previously breached safety requirements for construction projects on multiple occasions, the Post has found. Prestige Construction & Engineering Co Limited was convicted of two safety offences in a Mid-Levels project in November 2023, according to Labour Department records seen by the Post. Despite the offences, the firm would subsequently take on renovation work in 2024 at Wang Fuk Court housing estate

3 Chinese citizens killed in Tajik-Afghan border clash

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Three Chinese workers in Tajikistan were killed in an attack launched from Afghanistan near the border, Tajik authorities said on Thursday. Tajikistan has strained relations with the Taliban in Afghanistan, and several border clashes have broken out in recent months. The foreign ministry said a drone and firearm attack hit workers of a Chinese company in the country’s south. “The attack, carried out with firearms and a drone loaded with grenades, claimed the lives of three employees of

Contractor was warned over risks a week before deadly...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Hong Kong labour authorities had warned the contractor working on Wang Fuk Court’s renovation about a fire hazard just a week before the housing estate in Tai Po was engulfed in the city’s worst blaze in decades, the Post has learned. In the aftermath of the devastating blaze that has so far claimed 65 lives, some residents said the fire alarms did not go off while an engineer warned that the flats destroyed in the inferno might not be habitable again. In a reply to the Post’s queries, the...

Deadly Hong Kong fire leaves residents distraught as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

An elderly Hongkonger desperately begged for help to find his six-month-old granddaughter who remained missing more than a day after Wednesday’s deadly fire engulfed a Tai Po estate. The man broke down as he pleaded for help outside a shelter on Thursday to locate his granddaughter, who lived on the 21st floor of Block F of Wang Cheong House, while the baby’s grandmother was also missing. “I’ve checked all the hospitals – no sign of them,” he said. “Police told me to register their details and

China, EU shift Nexperia strategy: let the companies...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Both China and the European Union have signalled that a dispute over semiconductor maker Nexperia should be resolved at the corporate level, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce, as affected countries continue to seek a solution to supply-chain disruptions. The push for a corporate resolution came after two separate video conferences that Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao had on Wednesday – with German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and European Commissioner for Trade Maros...

Stampede for Moore Threads’ IPO as China flexes its...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Chinese onshore investor frenzy for artificial intelligence chips has intensified, with the initial public offering (IPO) of Beijing-based graphics processing unit (GPU) maker Moore Threads drawing more than 4,000 times subscription from retail investors this week. The red-hot demand for Moore Threads highlights China’s determination to build home-grown alternatives to Nvidia’s chips, and is expected to accelerate listing plans for other domestic GPU developers, from MetaX to Biren...

Kelly Zong steps down as Wahaha chief amid bitter...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Kelly Zong Fuli, daughter of the late Chinese soft drinks billionaire Zong Qinghou, has stepped down as legal representative, chairwoman and general manager of Wahaha Group, a year after taking over. Zong was succeeded by Xu Simin, formerly the head of the legal department at an associated company, according to the latest corporate filings on the mainland. She retains her 29 per cent stake in the group. The 43-year-old took over the beverage empire – known as China’s Coca-Cola – after her

Swiss probe Rolex gifts to Trump over bribery...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Two Swiss lawmakers have asked prosecutors to examine whether gifts reportedly given to US President Donald Trump – including a Rolex watch and a gold bar - by Swiss business leaders may have violated Switzerland’s anti-bribery laws. Switzerland this month struck a framework agreement with the US to cut a 39 per cent tariff on Swiss goods to 15 per cent. The deal came 10 days after a delegation of Swiss business leaders visited Trump in the Oval Office, bearing the gifts, according to Swiss...

Why advances in conventional weapons tech should...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

In nuclear war, the long-held assumption of mutual assured destruction no longer exists. Welcome to the age of permanent strategic instability, where superpowers mix fast and accurate nuclear and non-nuclear missiles in the same arsenal. The risk of war is greater than many realise. The scale of catastrophe is also significant. A potential nuclear winter is estimated to amount to billions of deaths from starvation after years of global crop failures. Such risks and consequences are

Alibaba launches US$537 Quark AI glasses to challenge...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Alibaba Group Holding on Thursday launched its first artificial intelligence glasses in China, as the tech giant seeks to carve out a solid niche in the growing smart wearables market. The Quark AI Glasses, named after the company’s Quark AI assistant, include three versions each of the series’ flagship S1 model and the lightweight G1 model. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. “AI glasses are the intelligent devices that truly usher in a revolution in human-computer interaction in the

Why Beijing is unlikely to ease up on Japan over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

The diplomatic crisis over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments about Taiwan shows no sign of easing after two weeks, with mainland Chinese commentators predicting Beijing will continue to push for a retraction. However, that demand appears unlikely to be met in the short term, and one diplomatic analyst warned that the pressure tactics should aim to avoid a nationalist backlash within Japan and win support for Beijing’s position. The Chinese foreign ministry and state media

Macron says France to restore voluntary military...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a new national military service plan on Thursday as France seeks to bolster its armed forces to address growing concerns over Russia’s threat to European nations beyond the war in Ukraine. Macron announced that volunteers aged 18 and 19 will start serving next year in a 10-month new military service programme. “A new national service is set to be gradually established, starting from next summer,” Macron said in a speech at the Varces military base, in...

‘My superhero’: girlfriend mourns loss of firefighter...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Pride mingled with grief as the family and loved ones of the Hong Kong firefighter who died while battling Wednesday’s disastrous high-rise inferno shared their feelings of tragic loss. The girlfriend of the deceased firefighter, Ho Wai-ho, posted a heartfelt message on social media on Thursday, revealing her grief and longing for her boyfriend. “I really, really want to be able to hold your hand again,” she wrote, adding that she “could not accept” what had happened and wished to “take a

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