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After Hong Kong fire, can new tech protect China’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/28

A massive fire engulfed the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong on Wednesday, sparking discussions about the potential for new firefighting technologies to boost rescue capabilities. It was Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in recent decades, as fire rapidly spread across seven adjoining residential blocks covered in bamboo scaffolding. Residential high-rises are closely clustered in the densely populated city. Since 2000, China has built almost 1,600 skyscrapers – 60 per cent of the...

Public outrage over Chinese man placing hell money in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/28

A Chinese man who placed joss paper into a fortune-drawing money collection box at Japan’s Sensoji Temple has sparked online outrage and criticism of bad tourist behaviour. A video that circulated on social media in November showed the unidentified man putting a piece of joss paper, also known as “hell money”, into the box on the desk where fortune sticks are drawn. Visitors are required to put 100 yen (US$1) into the box to draw from 100 bamboo sticks in a tube. They then need to find the...

Chinese EV makers tipped to storm global top 10...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/28

Up to five Chinese vehicle assemblers, leveraging their technology and production advantages in building electric cars, are likely to make the list of the world’s top 10 carmakers by 2030, disrupting the pecking order in the global automotive industry, according to global consultancy McKinsey.“The industry will undergo some major changes by 2030,” Guan Mingyu, a senior partner of McKinsey, told reporters in a media briefing on Thursday. “Indeed, we have already seen some signs that

Hong Kong fire’s ‘heat, flames main challenges for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/28

Excessive heat and raging flames that engulfed a Tai Po estate in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires posed the biggest challenges for firefighters, experts have said, as they dismissed suggestions that height limitations of aerial ladders had added to the blaze’s severity. They were responding to widespread online speculation that the severity of the highest No 5 fire alarm blaze stemmed from limitations in the Fire Services Department’s ladder apparatus and a reluctance to ask for help from...

Regal Hotels to offer 160 free rooms for 2 weeks to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/28

Regal Hotels International will offer free lodging at a dozen of its hotels across Hong Kong to the victims of Wednesday’s Tai Po fire, as it joins other hoteliers and corporate donors in rushing to the aid of the city’s worst blaze in seven decades. The hotel will make 160 rooms freely available to those affected by the Tai Po fire for two weeks, a spokeswoman said, citing instructions from the hotel’s vice-chairman Poman Lo. The rooms will be sourced from Regal’s 12 properties across the

A paper-eating invasive pest could wreak havoc on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/28

The swift spread of a tiny invasive insect that gorges on paper threatens to ravage Japan’s priceless cultural treasures, historic records and delicate scrolls, as calls grow for stronger measures to rein in the scourge. The 1cm-long (0.3 inch) ghost silverfish, first identified in Sri Lanka in 1910, was discovered in Japan in 2022. The critter has since crawled into institutions in 19 prefectures after reportedly arriving in the East Asian nation in a consignment of documents, art or other...

Hong Kong fire death toll rises to 94 as rescue work...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

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: 94 people, including a firefighter, have died 76 injured including 11 firefighters 25 calls for help remain unresolved Full-scale rescue work is ongoing, with a woman, an elderly man and pets evacuated The eight residential blocks in the estate had been...

Chinese EV makers step on gas abroad amid weakening...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) builders are increasingly shipping their cars abroad to spur international sales ahead of an expected downturn in their home market, analysts say, as Beijing phases out incentives such as tax holidays and cash subsidies. The carmakers, which can enjoy a net margin of 20,000 yuan (US$706) per vehicle by selling their cars outside mainland China, are rolling out more models and pushing into untapped territories to chase high profitability. Stellantis-backed

US reviewing ‘every green card’ for 19 countries...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would review the immigration status of every permanent resident or “green card” holder from Afghanistan and 18 other countries following the attack on National Guard troops in Washington. US officials have identified the detained suspect in Wednesday’s shooting as an Afghan national who previously worked with American forces in Afghanistan. The 29-year-old suspect was granted asylum – not permanent residency – in April this year,

Canada drops climate rules in oil deal, looks to Asia...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney signed an agreement with Alberta’s premier on Thursday that rolls back certain climate rules to spur investment in energy production, while encouraging construction of a new oil pipeline to the West Coast. Under the agreement, the federal government will scrap a planned emissions cap on the oil and gas sector and drop rules on clean electricity, in exchange for a commitment by Canada’s top oil-producing province to strengthen industrial carbon pricing and...

Taiwan’s William Lai accused of stoking fear with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Opposition critics have accused Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te of stoking fear on the island with his suggestion that Beijing could be preparing to take Taiwan by force by 2027. They also said that Lai’s attempt to justify a massive increase in defence spending was nudging Taiwan towards a wartime footing without consensus or clarity. The controversy erupted after Lai told a press conference on Wednesday that Beijing was pursuing a goal to “complete unification with Taiwan by force by...

National Games underscored ties that bind Hongkongers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

China’s National Games marked a historic milestone this year: for the first time since the event’s inception in 1959, competitions were held throughout the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area – a clear sign of the region’s increasing connectivity and spirit of cooperation. Hong Kong achieved its highest medal tally, with nine golds, two silvers and eight bronzes, fostering pride in a city discovering a new level of confidence through sport. Behind every medal lies a personal story of...

Israeli soldiers appear to kill Palestinians in West...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Israeli soldiers on Thursday appeared to kill a pair of Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank after they had surrendered to troops, drawing Palestinian accusations that the men were executed “in cold blood”. The Israeli military said it was investigating. The killings, captured in a pair of videos shown on two Arab television stations, came as Israel pressed ahead with its latest offensive in the West Bank, where the army has stepped up its activities over the past two years. Israel says

Italy’s Leonardo unveils ‘Michelangelo Dome’ air...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Italy’s defence and aerospace group Leonardo on Thursday presented plans for a new multilayered air defence system, as European countries step up military capabilities to bolster defences against Russia and other threats. The “Michelangelo Dome” is an integrated defence system that uses artificial intelligence to neutralise a range of threats, from hypersonic weapons to drone swarms and naval attacks, in a bid to strengthen its role in European multi-domain security. Named for the Renaissance...

Hong Kong’s finance chief seeks to attract Italian...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Hong Kong’s finance chief courted Italian companies on Thursday to go public on the city’s stock exchange, which would allow them to tap into mainland Chinese liquidity and solidify their presence in Asia. Addressing the Trade Development Council’s “Think Business, Think Hong Kong” symposium in Milan, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po highlighted the deepening ties between Hong Kong and Italy, noting their shared passion for creativity and enterprise and “flourishing” bilateral trade worth...

Death toll in Hong Kong fire rises to 83 as city...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

The death toll in Hong Kong’s worst fire in seven decades climbed to 83 on Thursday as many remained missing and a grief-stricken city rallied as one with authorities, private companies, charities and ordinary folks donating hundreds of millions to the victims and their families. The towering inferno that tore through seven blocks at a Tai Po housing estate under renovation was gradually brought under control after raging for more than 24 hours. But firefighters were still battling untamed...

EU’s von der Leyen will not go to China with French...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will not join French President Emmanuel Macron on his state visit to China next week, the Post has learned, in a break from recent tradition. Macron has included the European Union on his last few engagements with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This was seen as an effort to “Europeanise” his dealings with Beijing. Von der Leyen went to Paris last year to meet Xi alongside Macron and also visited Beijing in 2023 alongside the two-term centrist...

National Guard member dies from wounds in Washington...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

US President Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national near the White House had died, calling the shooter who had worked with the CIA in his native country a “savage monster”. As part of his Thanksgiving call to US troops, Trump said that he had just learned that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died, while Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life”. “She’s just passed away,” Trump said. “She’s no longer with us....

Want to donate in cash or kind? How to help Hong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

In the wake of the fire at Wang Fuk Court that devastated seven blocks of the estate in Tai Po on Wednesday, the Hong Kong community has swiftly rallied to support displaced families, with organisations establishing collection points for essential supplies. Here’s where you can offer your donations – in cash or kind – to aid the relief effort. 1. Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Thursday announced a HK$300 million support fund to aid the affected...

2 break out of French jail in ‘old-fashioned’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Two prisoners escaped from a French jail using bedsheets after sawing through the bars of their cell, a prosecutor said on Thursday. France has some of the worst prison overcrowding in Europe, and staff unions have complained that the state is neglecting normal jails as it moves narco criminals into new supermax prisons. Guards noticed that the two men had escaped from the jail in the eastern city of Dijon shortly before dawn, the prisons authority said. The pair “seem to have sawn through

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