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Can mediators prevent war between Afghanistan,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

A ceasefire between Afghanistan’s Taliban regime and Pakistan, agreed after intense clashes last month, is hanging by a diplomatic thread, following a wave of suicide bombings in Pakistan and disputed claims that it retaliated with cross-border drone strikes on Tuesday. With both countries vowing vengeance, analysts say regional states acting as mediators – Qatar and Turkey, and Iran and Russia – have only a narrow window of opportunity to prevent another round of hostilities. Otherwise,...

China names ‘hotspot’ sectors in 19-point plan to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

China has launched a 19-point plan to better align the supply of consumer goods with demand, as Beijing steps up its efforts to rebalance its economy towards a consumption-driven growth model. A document outlining the plan issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and five other departments on Wednesday laid out goals that included the cultivation of three “trillion-yuan-level consumption sectors” and 10 “hundred-billion-yuan-level consumption hotspots” by 2027. The...

Hong Kong developers Sino Group, NWD delay flat sales...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Hong Kong developers have postponed property sales scheduled for Friday as the city mourns the deaths of dozens of residents in a devastating fire that broke out in Tai Po. Sino Group and New World Development announced on Thursday that the sale of 150 units at One Park Place in Yau Tong and 63 units at the Austin Bohemian project in Yau Ma Tei, respectively, would be deferred. Both Sino Group and NWD did not disclose the reason for the postponement or when sales would be

11 killed, 2 hurt after test train crashes into...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

A test train crashed into railway workers in China’s southwestern Yunnan province early on Thursday morning, killing 11 people and injuring two, state media said. The test train No 55537, which was used to test seismic equipment, collided with construction workers entering the railway line on a curve at Luoyangzhen Station in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Railway and local government authorities immediately activated their emergency response to manage...

As Philippines targets more Pogo figures, can Marcos...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

A travel ban imposed by the Philippines against two figures tied to its notorious offshore gaming industry (Pogos) marks a bid by the Ferdinand Marcos Jnr administration to boost public standing, but the country’s unfolding flood-control scandal remains the biggest mover of political fortunes. On Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it had cancelled the passports of Harry Roque, a former spokesman for ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, and Cassandra Li Ong, an associate of

Ex-UC Berkeley scientist’s death aged 44 highlights...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

A Chinese biomedical researcher whose academic trajectory included years at the University of California, Berkeley, and collaborations with pioneering chemical engineers has died at the age of 44. Xie Hongxue, who had been working as a lecturer for nearly five years at the school of materials science and engineering at West Anhui University, a small regional college in central China, died in Wuhan on November 16 from an unnamed illness, according to Shanghai-based news site ThePaper.cn. Xie’s...

Russia’s Su-57 offer boosts India’s ‘strategic...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Russia’s offer to transfer fifth-generation fighter jet technology to India is being seen as a strategic overture at a time when New Delhi’s relations with Washington are strained over trade disputes and diplomatic spats. Analysts say the proposed transfer – involving the Su-57 stealth fighter – not only signals Moscow’s desire to revitalise defence ties with one of its top arms buyers, but also offers India a timely opportunity to demonstrate that it has “strategic options” as it navigates a...

Campbell’s denies 3D-printed chicken claim as it...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Food giant Campbell’s said on Wednesday it has fired an executive who was recorded making racist comments and mocking the company’s products and customers. Martin Bally, a vice-president in Campbell’s information security department, was named in a lawsuit filed last week by Robert Garza, a former Campbell’s employee who said he was fired January 30 after he reported Bally’s comments to a supervisor. The lawsuit was filed in Michigan, where both Garza and Bally live. Campbell’s is based in...

‘Forced to hide just to sleep’: Indonesian helper...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

An Indonesian domestic worker forced into unpaid labour was rescued by Malaysia’s Immigration Department after a raid at a home in Batu Caves, Selangor state. In a statement on Wednesday, immigration director general Zakaria Shaaban said the victim was rescued during an operation on Monday. He said the operation followed information gathered by sources. “During the inspection, the woman was found hiding under a four-wheel drive vehicle at the premises,” he said. Zakaria said investigations...

Hong Kong fancy dress squash event serves up...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Squash players in comical outfits swung their rackets nonstop with enthusiasm at an annual fundraising tournament last week to support vulnerable communities in Hong Kong. Held at the Hong Kong Football Club (HKFC) squash centre, the 27th Wing Ding Squash Charity Tournament has raised HK$390,000 so far, with a goal of reaching HK$500,000 for Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual citywide fundraising initiative run by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK since

Japanese craft festival in Hong Kong to proceed...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

The organiser of a private cultural festival celebrating Japanese craftsmanship said it would go ahead with the event in Hong Kong next month, despite feeling under pressure as friends voiced concerns about possible fallout from the ongoing Sino-Japanese row. Theresa Ting, co-founder of the Japanese cultural festival “A Journey into Japanese Craft Aesthetics”, said no organisations or institutions had so far requested the cancellation or postponement of the event. She stressed that the

Corrupt Chinese officials hold sham votes to approve...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Corrupt local officials in China are manipulating collective decision-making procedures for personal gain and to mask their activities, state media has warned. A report published on Wednesday highlighted examples of behind-the-scenes manipulation where subordinates were told how to vote in advance, and of collusion between corrupt officials or sham public consultations. “In recent years, to standardise collective decision-making, systematic procedures and requirements were introduced in many...

Elite success stories are cold comfort for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

On the 32nd anniversary of New Oriental, a private Beijing-based education services provider, the company’s founder, Yu Minhong, wrote an internal letter to his staff about his trip to the South Pole. “I am standing in the icy world of Antarctica, surrounded by vast expanses of pure white, emerald-like icebergs and boundless tranquillity,” he wrote. “The glaciers shimmer with a captivating glow under the sunlight, as if to silently declare the power of time and the meaning of

China entrepreneur claims US$42 million from ex who...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Chinese gaming businessman Xu Bo has hit the headlines after he tried to claim 300 million yuan (US$42 million) from his former partner, who then said that he had fathered more than 300 children. Born in 1977, Xu is a well-known figure in China’s gaming industry. Despite dropping out of secondary school, he went on to create the massive hit Fantasy Westward Journey and founded Duoyi Network in 2006. The company once achieved annual revenues of almost 2 billion yuan, with net profits exceeding

Village in Hong Kong’s Sai Kung struggles without...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

A Hong Kong village has been without water for more than 10 days, with the Water Supplies Department pledging to resolve the disruption by the end of the week. Eight village houses and some temporary structures in Kai Hang Tun village in Sai Kung lost stable water supply on November 14, and the problem remained unresolved as of Wednesday, the Post learned. The department attributed the shortage to weakened water pressure caused by a leak. It said it had already replaced 60 per cent of the...

‘No acne’ salon boss snaps up US$19.58 million Ho Man...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

A director at Jackeline Beauty Salon – the Hong Kong chain made famous by its “no acne” ads – has bought a HK$152.27 million (US$19.58 million) Ho Man Tin duplex, underscoring renewed appetite for prime homes among the city’s wealthy. The executive, Huang Yating, took possession of a 25th- and 26th-floor duplex unit in Tower 3 of Phase 2 of the Ultima development on Fat Kwong Street on Tuesday, according to Land Registry records. Measuring 2,681 sq ft, the duplex has five bedrooms, according

Death toll hits 55 in Hong Kong’s worst ever fire...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. What we know so far: 55 people, including a firefighter, have died. Fifty one were found dead at the scene. 68 people are in hospital, 16 in critical condition, 25 deemed serious Full-scale rescue work is ongoing, with a woman, an elderly man and pets evacuated from buildings The...

Lightning on Mars? Scientists believe they have...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

Scientists have detected what they believe to be lightning on Mars by eavesdropping on the whirling wind recorded by Nasa’s Perseverance rover. The crackling of electrical discharges was captured by a microphone on the rover, a French-led team reported on Wednesday. The researchers documented 55 instances of what they call “mini lightning” over two Martian years, primarily during dust storms and dust devils. Almost all occurred on the windiest Martian sols, or days, during dust storms and

Hong Kong’s HKChat app raises AI expectations as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

Hong Kong’s first locally developed artificial intelligence chatbot, HKChat, has raised expectations that it could compete with more popular and established AI apps, as it racked up around 90,000 users in the city within a week of its low-key release.HKChat is focused on providing information on local services, including real-time bus arrivals, as well as the city’s weather, laws and regulations. It was the top-ranked free app on Apple’s Hong Kong App Store on Sunday, according to data from

Nigeria declares national emergency after mass...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/26

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday declared a “nationwide security emergency” as the country scrambled to respond to a wave of mass kidnappings that have seen hundreds of people, mostly children, captured in a week. “This is a national emergency, and we are responding by deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas,” Tinubu said in a statement. Within days, assailants across the country kidnapped two dozen Muslim schoolgirls, 38 worshippers, more than

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