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News - South China Morning Post

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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

‘Internal affair’: China dismisses reported US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Beijing has warned against foreign interference in its internal affairs following reports that US President Donald Trump privately pressed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to dial back her rhetoric on Taiwan. During a call on Tuesday, the US leader urged Takaichi not to provoke China, according to a Wall Street Journal report that cited government officials. While reportedly briefed on Takaichi’s domestic political constraints, Trump asked her to “temper” her tone, but stopped short of...

Xiaomi hires engineer from Tesla’s Optimus team to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Xiaomi has hired a former engineer from Tesla’s Optimus team, Zach Lu Zeyu, to join the Chinese tech giant’s robotics initiatives, as the talent grab in the industry intensifies. Lu, previously a senior robotics engineer focused on the Optimus humanoid robot, joined Xiaomi last month to lead the Beijing-based firm’s dexterous hand research and development operations, according to his LinkedIn page. During his two years at Tesla, Lu worked on the design for dexterous grasping and manipulation,

Families frantically seek loved ones as scores...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Scores of people, including infants and the elderly, remain unaccounted for a day after Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. Families and friends are racing against time, issuing appeals at the scene and on social media to find their loved ones. The Post put together some of the appeals as the search and rescue operation continues, after authorities reported that 279 people were missing. Six-month-old Ho Tsz-yan and her grandparents Winnie Hui tells the

‘Tired and anxious’: displaced Hong Kong fire...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Residents displaced by Hong Kong’s worst fire in seven decades have been left weary and anxious, fearing another sleepless night and uncertain about where they can shelter. A 76-year-old retiree, Chow, who lives in the Kwong Fuk public housing estate in Tai Po, spent all of Thursday sitting in the open area near Wang Fuk Court – the scene of the fire – after being evacuated from her home the previous day. “My back hurts from sitting too long on the hard flower bed edge. I did not sleep at all...

Hong Kong insurers liable for payouts of US$334...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Hong Kong’s insurance sector is expected to face record claims of HK$2.6 billion (US$334 million) related to the deadly fire in Tai Po, the worst in seven decades that claimed 75 lives and seriously damaged seven buildings, according to industry insiders. The fire would lead to a surge in insurance payments for personal and property coverage in the coming year, they said. The Insurance Authority on Thursday set up a special task force led by senior executives to ensure all insurance companies...

Prize for Physics that proves big things can be...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

In the eighth instalment of his exclusive series for the South China Morning Post, American theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek explores the big world manifestation of small world quantum mechanics. Read his previous articles here. The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2025 was awarded to John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit”. The trio collaborated on a series of...

Elderly China woman seeks ‘daughter’ to care for her,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

An elderly woman from central China has turned to the internet in search of a new “daughter” to care for her in place of her biological daughters, offering a flat and a monthly salary in return. The woman, from Henan province and known by her surname Ma, shared the motivations behind her search during a local TV programme on November 19. Ma explained that she has two biological daughters, one of whom wishes to sever ties with her, while the other suffers from a mental disability and is unable

Families facing heartbreaking uncertainty in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Leaving Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin on Thursday, unaware of the whereabouts of some of his relatives, a 76-year-old man surnamed Lam was left uncertain how to arrange the funeral of his older brother, who had just died in Hong Kong’s worst fire in seven decades. He arrived at the interdepartmental help desk in the hospital lobby early in the morning to look for his sister-in-law and nephew, who had lived with his brother, 80, in the same flat at Wang Cheong House. “They haven’t picked

‘Feeling powerless’: Hong Kong internet users grieve...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/27

Internet users in Hong Kong poured out condolences for victims and their families affected by the city’s worst fire in decades, expressing shock and disbelief on the second day of the tragedy on Thursday. Many sent messages of grief and condolences on social media, with several posts offering material support and blood donations. As of 2.50pm on Thursday, 55 people have died, including a firefighter, as an inferno ripped through all but one of the eight blocks of Wang Fuk Estate in Tai Po

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