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News - South China Morning Post

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China to fully cover childbirth costs for all as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

China will expand its national healthcare insurance programme next year to fully cover all out-of-pocket expenses related to childbirth, according to state media reports. It is the country’s latest bid to lift birth rates and avert a looming demographic crisis that threatens to undermine long-term growth prospects. The pledge to widen the medical insurance coverage was unveiled at a national healthcare security conference in Beijing on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua reported. According to

At least 11 dead in Australia Bondi Beach terrorism...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

Two gunmen shot dead at least 11 people on Sunday at a Jewish event being held at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach, Australian authorities said, declaring it a terrorist attack. One gunman was fatally shot by police and the second arrested. The suspect was in critical condition, authorities said. A massive emergency response was under way. At least 29 people were confirmed wounded, said Mal Lanyon, the police commissioner for New South Wales state, where Sydney is located. Two of those hurt were...

MONSTERS BY MONSTERS: NOW AND THEN

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

THE MONSTERS 10TH ANNIVERSARY GLOBAL TOUR - HONG KONG To celebrate a decade of ‘THE MONSTERS’, the beloved Nordic forest-dwelling spirit ensemble, the 10th Anniversary Tour, ‘MONSTERS BY MONSTERS: NOW AND THEN’ will open at the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre from 15 December 2025 to 4 January 2026. With HSBC Hong Kong as the lead sponsor, the Hong Kong chapter continues the tour’s momentum from Shanghai and Taipei, oﬀering an immersive artistic experience for fans of these little spirits. Ten...

Transparency, accountability essential after Tai Po...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

One way or another, the aftermath of the tragic Tai Po fire is going to dominate Hong Kong’s political life throughout the coming year, possibly for the whole of the new Legislative Council term. In the closing stages of the recently completed election, candidates pledged their support for recovery efforts. There is no reason to doubt them as every politician knows that the campaign for the next election effectively begins as soon as votes have been counted in the last one. The whole

Frenchman cycles 18,000km from hometown to China to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

A man who cycled 18,000km from his hometown in France to China to realise a Silk Road adventure dream has trended on social media in China. Frenchman Killian Le Guyader, 24, began his journey in the northwestern city of Rennes at the beginning of this year. He arrived in China not long ago and a video showing him standing on the Great Wall in Beijing went viral on mainland social media in early December. “Mum, I made it. I rode from France to China, covering 18,000km and crossing more than

New section of Hong Kong’s Central Kowloon Bypass...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

Hong Kong’s much-awaited Yau Ma Tei section of the Central Kowloon Bypass is undergoing final testing before its debut on December 21, authorities have said, adding that a core challenge has been tunnelling beneath 240 structures in the area. The new 4.7km (7.56-mile) transport corridor in Kowloon, which includes a 3.9km three-lane, two-way tunnel linking the Kai Tak Development Area and Kowloon Bay with Yau Ma Tei, is set to slash the peak-hour journey time from about 30 minutes to five. “We...

K-pop star Rain gets Hong Kong races off to electric...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

Tens of thousands of racing fans packed into Sha Tin on Sunday for the climax of the Longines Hong Kong International Races week, hoping to see stars like Romantic Warrior and Ka Ying Rising add to their storied reputations. Visitors from South Africa, Japan, Australia and mainland China mixed with celebrities such as Chinese actor Yu Shi and local dignitaries, in the largest gathering in the city for a sporting occasion since the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po claimed the lives of at least...

Hong Kong aims to launch passenger-carrying drones in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

Hong Kong plans to deploy large passenger-carrying drones within the next two to three years as part of its drive to become a regional hub for the low-altitude economy, a senior official has said, predicting the aircraft will be significantly cheaper than current helicopter services. Dominic Chow Wing-hang, deputy director general of civil aviation, outlined the road map on Saturday at a conference in Beijing, which focused on how Hong Kong and Macau could leverage their advantages to benefit...

Germany thwarts Islamist plot to ram vehicle into...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

German authorities said on Saturday they had arrested five men on suspicion of involvement in an Islamist plot to plough a vehicle into people at a Christmas market. Officials have been on high alert during the festive season after a deadly car-ramming attack at a market in the city of Magdeburg last Christmas shocked the nation. Police and prosecutors said they had detained an Egyptian, three Moroccans and a Syrian on Friday over the plan to carry out the attack in southern Bavaria...

Sales of high-end cars tumble in China as affordable...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

Chinese demand for foreign luxury cars is waning as customers opt for more affordable Chinese brand models, often sold at big discounts, catering to their taste for fancy electronics and comfort. That is bad news for European carmakers like Porsche, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz and BMW that have long dominated the upper reaches of the world’s largest auto market. A prolonged property downturn in China has left many consumers with little appetite for big purchases. Meanwhile, the well-to-do are...

Cambodia-Thailand border clashes persist, civilians...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

Thailand on Sunday announced its first civilian death in a week of fighting with Cambodia, as international efforts fail to stop violence that has forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. The latest killing comes a day after Bangkok denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that a truce had been agreed between the Southeast Asian neighbours. The border clashes, rooted in a colonial-era demarcation dispute along the two nations’ 800km (500 miles) border, have displaced around 800,000

Speed up innovation, create jobs key facets of next...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

Accelerating innovation and creating more jobs will be key goals of the next annual budget, Hong Kong’s finance chief has said, while pointing to positive investor sentiment after several companies recently bought or leased commercial properties in the city. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also said in his weekly blog post on Sunday that public consultations for the next budget would start soon. “Key issues will include how to further expand the facets and areas of economic development,...

Hong Kong police arrest 7 in crackdown on credit card...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

Hong Kong police have arrested seven men suspected of operating a highly organised crime syndicate to steal credit cards from people in crowded locations such as sports grounds and buying luxury items worth more than HK$4 million (US$513,800). Senior Inspector Tsui Wai-ying of the force’s regional technology and financial crime unit said on Sunday that the syndicate was responsible for a series of thefts and large-scale credit card fraud across multiple districts between September and...

Stuck in the factory: how robotics pioneer Japan...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

While humanoid robots from China and the US have captured the imagination of people for their skill at serving drinks, taking part in boxing matches and running marathons, and entertaining through dance moves on stage, their counterparts in Japan – the long-time leader of the robotics world – are mostly confined to factories. Japan’s early forays into humanoids date back to the 1960s, so what happened along the way? At the 26th International Robot Exhibition (IREX), a four-day, biennial

Japan wife records husband’s 520 affairs, turns...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

A wife in Japan whose husband has had a shocking 520 affairs has turned her difficult life raising a son with an extremely rare illness alone into a comic. Her move has inspired many single mothers to find strength and courage. According to the Japanese magazine Shukan Bunshun, housewife Nemu Kusano married her husband after being introduced to him by a friend. Believing the husband was “serious and shy”, Kusano trusted him completely, thinking he would never betray her. Their son was...

Hong Kong’s John Lee to visit Beijing on Monday for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

Hong Kong’s leader will head to Beijing on Monday for his annual duty visit and meet with state leaders, less than a month after the city’s deadliest fire in decades. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will be in the capital for the duty visit from Monday to Wednesday, briefing leaders on Hong Kong’s economic, social and political situation, the city government said. Authorities on Sunday did not specify which leaders Lee would meet, but he is expected to hold talks with Chinese President Xi...

China tourism: cold spots are hot tickets as southern...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

With temperatures falling and holidays approaching, ski resorts across northern China are experiencing a surge in visitors from the south, a trend that is cheering airlines as well as resort operators including Malaysia-based Genting Group. Since the ski season opened on November 15, the Changbai Beautiful China Resort in the northeast province of Jilin, a complex owned by China Green Development Group, has welcomed more than 110,000 visitors, marking a nearly 40 per cent year-on-year

12 injured in traffic accident involving Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

Twelve people were injured on Sunday morning when a taxi and two minibuses were involved in a collision in Hong Kong. Police said they received a report at 9am about the traffic accident involving two green-topped minibuses and the taxi at 109 Pok Fu Lam Road, near the University of Hong Kong. The injured, comprising nine women and three men, were taken to the nearby Queen Mary Hospital. Video clips posted online show one of the minibuses colliding with the taxi in front, before being struck...

Is the US pushing South Korea to the fore in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

Mounting US pressure on allies to bolster the first island chain’s defence in the western Pacific Ocean is raising concerns about South Korea’s possible but reluctant involvement in a conflict over Taiwan, analysts have said. In its recently released National Security Strategy (NSS), US President Donald Trump’s administration highlighted the importance of a “favourable conventional military balance” as an “essential component of strategic competition”, focusing on deterring conflict over

Vote to disband Hong Kong’s Democratic Party looms as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/12/14

For years, Winfield Chong Wing-fai, an executive committee member of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party and long-term advocate against bid-rigging, has juggled countless invitations from residents to attend meetings of owners’ corporations, so homeowners can seek his advice on building maintenance projects. The number and frequency of those invitations increased exponentially after last month’s deadly fire at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, which revealed the secrets of a murky and rapacious building...

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