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Let’s get physical: Hong Kong hospital staff rally...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/28

Doctors, nurses and students at HKSH Medical Group in Hong Kong swapped their clinical routines for a day of fitness and fundraising, inspiring all to “throw kindness and catch health”. The staff-led activity on December 19 formed part of HKSH OSC Month, a fundraising campaign in aid of Operation Santa Claus (OSC) – a cause the group has supported for the 17th consecutive year. Awards were given to employees and teams across departments in recognition of taking part, teamwork and sustained...

Greater Bay Area assets poised to lead surge in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/28

With the first wave of commercial Chinese real estate investment trusts (REITs) set to launch in the next two years, Greater Bay Area assets are likely to be in strong demand, according to Deloitte China. “GBA assets will likely be oversubscribed,” according to Ryan Wu, deputy managing partner for Hong Kong Chinese enterprises services with Deloitte China. He was speaking at the recent APREA GBA Conference on the fast-growing C-Reits market, which has recently expanded to include commercial...

Hong Kong developers test demand for ultra-luxury...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/28

Hong Kong property developers are bringing new trophy homes to market, as Wharf Holdings kicked off a tender on Friday for three mansions at its ultra-luxury Plantation Road project on The Peak. The tender marked one of the most closely watched super-luxury home offerings in 2025, following a recent string of high-value transactions that pointed to renewed confidence in the market among affluent buyers. The three mansions, with saleable areas ranging from 5,629 to 6,122 square feet, include

What next for Taiwan’s Lai as US$37 billion defence...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/28

Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s plan to push through a NT$1.2 trillion (US$37 billion) special military spending package has been thrown into limbo as political clashes escalate over fiscal reform and a controversial court ruling. Taiwan’s opposition-controlled legislature has blocked the cabinet-proposed “Special Act on Strengthening Defence Resilience and Asymmetric Warfare Capabilities” from committee review four times since Lai unveiled the plan in late November. The procedural...

Quiet courage of ordinary people can rebuild a world...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/28

My son, who is almost four, has recently become obsessed with the universe. He can recite the planets of the solar system and tell anyone who will listen that Pluto – his favourite – was once a planet but was reclassified as a “dwarf planet” in 2006. Now that he has a sense of scale and size, he has developed a habit of comparing everything: an ant is smaller than a leaf, the Earth is smaller than the sun, the sun is just a dot in the galaxy, and the galaxy is a tiny part of the

5,000 Hong Kong workers idle as new scaffold net...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/28

One month after the Wang Fuk Court fire, Hong Kong’s construction industry grapples with a scaffold net safety regime halting repairs on over 200 buildings. In the third part of a series, Edith Lin and Vivian Au report on calls for certified suppliers, expedited testing and a broader accountability overhaul. Here’s part one and two. Hong Kong’s construction industry has been thrown into uncertainty under a new scaffold net inspection regime introduced after the deadly fire in Tai Po,

Hong Kong’s role to be discussed in China’s top...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

China’s top legislative body will review the nation’s next five-year development plan in its annual session in March, where Hong Kong’s role in contributing to national development is also expected to be discussed, according to the city’s sole delegate to the body.Starry Lee Wai-king, a member of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said on Saturday that the proposed agenda for the session – which includes the 15th five-year plan, as well as the government’s work report

Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O–Lam Tin Tunnel fully...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O–Lam Tin Tunnel has resumed full operations nearly seven hours after it was forced to partially close when a fuel truck tipped over inside. Police received a report at 12.52pm on Saturday that a medium-sized truck had crashed into the right wall of the tunnel while driving along Cha Kwo Ling Road in the direction of Tseung Kwan O. The force added that the driver, a 53-year-old man, had sustained injuries to his head. “The crash had broken some traffic signs and

China-Pakistan warplane deal with Libyan faction ‘may...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

Pakistan is selling warplanes it jointly developed with China to the Libyan National Army (LNA), a move analysts said could serve as a gateway for Beijing to expand its influence into North Africa. In one of Pakistan’s largest-ever arms deals, 16 of the JF-17 “Thunder” fighters were listed among the over US$4 billion worth of military equipment sold to the force led by Khalifa Hifter, which controls the east of the country. The deal included other land, sea and air equipment, such as 12 Super...

9 held in Italy over US$8.2 million charity scam...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

Italian authorities arrested nine people linked to three charitable organisations on suspicion of raising millions of euros for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, anti-terrorism prosecutors said in a statement on Saturday. The suspects are accused of sending about €7 million (US$8.2 million) to “associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, or Israel, owned, controlled, or linked to Hamas”, the statement said. Among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, president of the

Chinese nuclear experts believe Japan could build...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

One of Henry Kissinger’s final and most sobering predictions before his death was that Japan would eventually pursue nuclear weapons. In a 2023 interview with The Economist, Kissinger warned that Japan was “heading towards becoming a nuclear power in five years”. Chinese nuclear experts estimate that Japan has the political motivation but also the technical capacity to develop nuclear weapons in less than three years, echoing Kissinger’s warning that Japan harbours ambitions to revive its...

Spanish town reaches deal to share El Gordo jackpot...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

A small town in northern Spain has reached a compromise after a ticket sales error threatened to leave some winners of the country’s iconic Christmas lottery empty handed. Spanish media reported on Saturday that everyone holding a ticket with the winning number of the main prize, called El Gordo (The Fat One), will now receive almost their full winnings. Celebrations in Villamanin, a town of fewer than 1,000 residents, on Monday over winnings totalling almost €35 million (US$41.2 million)

China puts drone rules into law as low-altitude...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

Beijing adopted sweeping revisions to its decades-old Civil Aviation Law on Saturday, formally bringing uncrewed aircraft such as drones under the national legal framework for the first time and signaling state support for the country’s rapidly growing low-altitude economy. The revisions, which will come into effect on July 1, were approved by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and are a critical step in closing long-standing gaps in safety regulation. They will also guide...

Hong Kong records 10% rise in festive period visitors...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

Hong Kong received 10 per cent more visitors during the Christmas period compared with 2024, while residents made nearly 1.7 million outbound trips, representing a 22 per cent increase from last year. Ahead of New Year’s Eve, the retail sector also expressed concerns that the absence of the annual fireworks could affect the number of visitors to the city in the coming days, further dampening local consumer sentiment following the deadly fire in Tai Po. “Because of the Tai Po fire, consumer...

China hits milestone in building Beishan laboratory...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) on Friday announced a major milestone in the construction of one of the world’s biggest underground laboratories for nuclear waste as it completed a first-of-its-kind spiral ramp. Located deep in the Gobi Desert northwest of Jiuquan in Gansu province, the Beishan Underground Research Laboratory aims to address a fundamental challenge of nuclear energy development: the safe disposal of radioactive waste. “Nuclear energy is a clean and efficient power...

Hong Kong police arrest off-duty officer after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

Hong Kong police have arrested an off-duty officer who allegedly lost control of his vehicle and knocked down an elderly man in Yuen Long. The force said on Saturday that the 34-year-old driver, surnamed Chan, was travelling along On Lok Road towards Tai Kiu Road at around 2.23pm when he lost control of his Porsche and crashed into the 70-year-old man. Officers were deployed to the scene and discovered the elderly man, also surnamed Chan, unconscious. The driver sustained injuries to his

2 more arrested in Hong Kong over illicit cigarette...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

Hong Kong police have arrested two people at Shenzhen Bay Port in connection with the murder of a 51-year-old man in August, bringing the number of people apprehended over the case to 27. The force said on Saturday that the pair, two men aged 29 and 32, had been arrested a day earlier at the border crossing on suspicion of murder. Police laid a holding charge on the 29-year-old for one count of murder, while the 32-year-old was released on bail. The 29-year-old’s case will be mentioned at...

Kyiv strike shows Russia does ‘not want to end war’,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that a Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv showed Moscow did “not want to end the war”. Zelensky made the comments ahead of his departure for talks in the United States with President Donald Trump on a plan to halt the Russian invasion. The Russians “do not want to end the war and seek to use every opportunity to cause Ukraine even greater suffering and increase their pressure on others around the world”, Zelensky said. “There have...

China woman shocked to find male therapist at spa...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

A woman in central China who was lying naked while awaiting a massage at a spa was shocked when a male therapist appeared, and she refused his services. Following her refusal she was mocked by the manager of the spa for being “ignorant”. The incident unfolded on December 12 at Yushiman Hi-tech Anti-ageing Centre in Changsha, Hunan province. The customer, surnamed Huang, undressed and lay on her stomach on a bed in anticipation of a shoulder and neck massage, Fengmang News reported. Huang

Indonesian rescuers search for Spanish father, 3...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/27

Indonesian rescuers searched for four members of a Spanish family on Saturday after a tour boat carrying 11 people sank overnight near Padar Island, a popular destination within Komodo National Park, officials said. The boat was carrying the family of six, four crew members and a local guide when it went down on Friday evening after suffering engine failure on a trip from Komodo Island to Padar, said Fathur Rahman, who heads the Maumere Search and Rescue Office. He said three people were

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