Hong Kong’s fire victims need empathy, clarity and a plan A city’s character is not tested on a good day, but in the quiet hours after a disaster, when the smoke settles, sirens fade and residents look at the charred outline of a home that used to anchor an entire life. The Tai Po fire, which engulfed several blocks of subsidised government housing and left families displaced overnight, has forced Hong Kong into a rare moment of civic introspection. A tragedy on this scale is a stress test of our assumptions about urban planning, insurance, finance and...

South China Morning Post

Opinion | Hong Kong’s fire victims need empathy, clarity and a plan

The fire must compel us to re-examine how we assign risk, structure contracts, insure homes and support communities after a catastrophe.

China’s approval for L3 self-driving cars to stimulate slowing mainland market Nearly 270,000 cars with self-driving systems that allow drivers to be “hands off” under certain conditions will be sold in China next year as Beijing allows carmakers to build such vehicles, according to Daiwa Securities. This volume is projected to represent about 1 per cent of China’s total new car sales in 2026, as the expanding adoption of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is poised to stimulate the world’s largest automotive and electric vehicle (EV) market amid waning...

South China Morning Post

China’s approval for L3 self-driving cars to stimulate slowing mainland market

Chinese carmakers could sell about 270,000 semi-autonomous vehicles next year, representing 1 per cent of the total market, Daiwa says.

Australian PM Albanese booed as Bondi Beach attack victims honoured Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was booed by an angry crowd gathered at the famous Bondi Beach on Sunday to honour the victims of a gun attack ‍a week earlier that targeted a seaside Jewish Hanukkah festival event. The nation marked a day of reflection on Sunday to honour the 15 people killed and the dozens wounded in the attack by two gunmen. With security tight and flags at half-staff on government buildings, a minute of silence was held at 6.47pm local time, the time the attack...

South China Morning Post

Australian PM Albanese booed as Bondi Beach attack victims honoured

Tens of thousands attended Sunday’s memorial. The Sydney event was heavily guarded by police, including snipers on rooftops and police boats.

George Yeo on superpower ‘headaches’ and why the US dollar could crack George Yeo is a visiting scholar at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He started his career in the military before entering politics in 1988. During his 23 years with the Singaporean government, Yeo held ministerial portfolios ranging from arts to health, trade and – for seven years – foreign affairs. After he left politics, Yeo was vice-chairman of Kerry Group in Hong Kong from 2012 to 2021 and chairman and executive director of its logistics arm from...

South China Morning Post

Open Questions | George Yeo on superpower ‘headaches’ and why the US dollar could crack

Singapore’s former foreign minister also discusses Trump, the latest China-Japan dust-up, and rivalry between Hong Kong and the city state.

Elysee Palace silver steward arrested for stealing silverware worth up to US$47,000 Three men will stand trial next year after a silver steward employed at the official residence of the French president was arrested this week for the theft of items of silverware and table service worth thousands of euros, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. The Elysee Palace’s head steward reported the disappearance, with the estimated loss ranging between €15,000 and €40,000 (US$17,500-US$47,000). The Sevres Manufactory – which supplied most of the furnishings – identified several of the...

South China Morning Post

France presidential palace insider arrested for stealing exclusive silverware

A silver steward and two accomplices to face trial after investigators recovered 100 items of national heritage from a personal locker, car and home.

Top scientists inspire the next generation [The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Over two weeks in September, seven leading national-level scientists shared cutting-edge technology and discoveries with 3,800 students from 16 schools and tertiary institutions as well as via a special forum at the Hong Kong Palace Museum.  AI, spaceflight, archaeology, new energy and ocean carbon science were just some of the topics under discussion as part of the Masterclass Series organised under the Nurturing Future...

South China Morning Post

Top scientists inspire the next generation

The Masterclass Series under the Nurturing Future InnoTech Talent Project saw star scientists inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers

Arguing about China’s overcapacity overlooks its drive for clean energy China is often described today as having “overcapacity” in manufacturing. Its dominance in solar panels, batteries and wind equipment, for example, has left many observers baffled. How did a country once dismissed as undeveloped become, within a generation, so technologically developed that its success now unsettles global markets? Part of the answer lies in how we frame China’s development. What is often described as excess capacity is better understood as the outcome of an energy-centred...

South China Morning Post

Opinion | Arguing about China’s overcapacity overlooks its drive for clean energy

What is often described as overcapacity is the outcome of a development strategy that treats energy as the foundation of economic capability.

Bangkok puppy yoga studio offers visitors comfort and stress relief for US$60 per session A yoga studio in Thailand has gone viral for providing visitors the unique opportunity to interact with puppies during their workouts, creating a truly stress-relieving experience. Chinese fitness influencer “Scarlett Johanfu” recently shared a video of her visit to a puppy yoga studio in Bangkok, which quickly garnered over 1.5 million likes on Douyin. In the clip, yoga mats are surrounded by adorable puppies as participants stretch and unwind. Johanfu gently pats the dogs between poses, with...

South China Morning Post

Bangkok puppy yoga studio offers comfort and stress relief for US$60 per session

Studio collaborates with local dog shelters and breeders, showcasing breeds such as Samoyeds, golden retrievers, and huskies.

‘No need to explain’: leading mRNA vaccine scientist Hu Haitao leaves US for China Vaccine expert Hu Haitao, who studied under Drew Weissman, the Nobel laureate and pioneer of mRNA biology, has given up his tenured position at a US research institute and returned to China – a decision that required little explanation in 2025, he said. Even just one year ago, people close to him would have thought it “unbelievable” that he might give up an academic career established over nearly two decades in the United States, Hu told the South China Morning Post. But academic prospects in...

South China Morning Post

Exclusive | ‘No need to explain’: leading mRNA vaccine expert Hu Haitao leaves US for China

China is catching up fast in mRNA-related fundamental research and technological development, Hu says.

Ex-painter is China first woman competitor in world slap contest, says helps to confront fears A Chinese woman who worked as an art director made headlines after quitting her job to become a professional combat athlete, ultimately achieving the milestone of being China’s first female participant in the World Slap Fighting Championship. Ding Miao, 33, first majored in oil painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, one of the most prestigious art schools in China. After graduation, she established a successful career in the gaming industry, serving as an art director and earning an...

South China Morning Post

Ex-painter is first China woman in world slap contest, says helps to confront fears

Ding leaves a thriving career in gaming industry as art director with an annual salary of US$43,000.

Singapore’s unforgiving food scene can go hot and cold on brands. What keeps them coming? Singapore has long been a proven test bed for international food and beverage chains as a wealthy, brand-savvy market where new entrants can generate instant buzz – and just as quickly disappear for those who fail to cook up a storm. The first part of that pattern was on display this month, with long queues forming outside the first Asia outlet of US fast-food chain Chick-fil-A more than a week after it opened in the city state. The crowds reflect the initial pull of a well-known American brand,...

South China Morning Post

How Singapore’s unforgiving food scene can go hot and cold on brands

Over 3,000 eateries shut their doors last year, the highest since 2005, in one of the world’s most competitive dining markets.

Russia says Putin open to Ukraine war talks with France’s Macron Vladimir Putin is ready to talk to France’s Emmanuel Macron over the war in Ukraine, the Russian president’s spokesman said in an interview published on Sunday. Putin has “expressed readiness to engage in dialogue with Macron”, Dmitry Peskov told state news agency RIA Novosti. “Therefore, if there is mutual political will, then this can only be assessed positively.” Macron said this week he believed Europe should reach back out to Putin over ending the war. “I believe that it’s in our interest...

South China Morning Post

Russia says Putin open to Ukraine war talks with France’s Macron

Moscow’s response came after the French president urged Europe to ‘re-engage’ with the Russian leader.

Malaysia’s LGBTQ community lives in fear as raids drive them underground In Chow Kit, a crowded district of Kuala Lumpur forever caught between progress and prejudice, Amy* moves quietly through narrow alleys – a transgender outreach worker tending to lives the city prefers not to see. Her evenings begin with small rituals: a backpack filled with condoms, test kits and pamphlets; a quick text to let her friends know that she is safe. Then, when she steps out, much of her work happens in passing conversations – careful not to draw too much attention. “The girls know...

South China Morning Post

‘We just want to live’: fear grips Malaysia’s LGBTQ community

With drag clubs closed and spas raided, the shrinking space for queer life in Malaysia leaves a community with nowhere left to turn.

North Korea fires warning over Japan’s ambition for nuclear weapons North Korea said Japan’s ambition for possession of nuclear weapons should ⁠be “thoroughly curbed”, state media KCNA reported on Sunday. Japan is showing the intention to possess nuclear weapons explicitly by ‍saying it needs to review ‍the three non-nuclear principles, KCNA said, citing a commentary of ‌North Korea’s foreign policy official. Japan began making such ‍comments actively as soon as the United States approved a request from South Korea ‌for building ⁠a nuclear submarine, KCNA...

South China Morning Post

North Korea warns ‘mankind will face great disaster’ if Japan gets nuclear arms

Pyongyang’s state media said Tokyo’s potential move ‘must be prevented at any cost’.

Hong Kong and Singapore landlords embrace flex offices as multinationals reshape demand Landlords in Hong Kong and Singapore are expected to continue allocating space to flexible office operators as multinational corporations reshape the sector’s risk profile and fuel long-term demand, according to industry experts. A major driver behind this shift is the rapid change in who uses flexible workspaces. Global companies now represented 41 per cent of Asia-Pacific flex office users, the highest proportion worldwide and nearly triple North America’s 14 per cent, according to Piers...

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong, Singapore embrace flex offices as multinationals reshape demand

Flex operators deliver creditworthy tenants – a departure from the sector’s early reliance on start-ups and small firms: analysts.

Japan imposes new ground rules as concerns grow over foreign-owned land Japan is expressing renewed concerns about foreign nationals buying land and property across the country, with growing alarm over the acquisition of property close to “sensitive sites” as well as overseas investors causing prices to spike beyond the reach of many Japanese. A survey conducted by the Cabinet Office identified 113,827 property transactions in the year that started on April 1, 2024, in areas within 1km (0.6 miles) of a designated “critical facility”, such as a military base for...

South China Morning Post

Losing ground: Japan sounds alarm over foreign-owned land

From next year, anyone buying property will have to confirm their nationality – a move some analysts say is overkill.

Worship to witch hunts: how South Korea’s fandoms turn on their idols In the space of a single week in early December, three household names in South Korean entertainment abruptly retreated from the spotlight. Actor Cho Jin-woong announced his sudden retirement on December 6 after decades-old reports resurfaced online about his brief stint in juvenile detention. Two days later, television host and comedian Park Na-rae suspended her broadcast appearances following claims she had mistreated staff and received unauthorised medical treatments. And fellow comedian Cho...

South China Morning Post

Worship to witch hunts: how South Korea’s fandoms turn on their idols

When stars shine brightest in the glare of publicity, the darkness that follows can feel absolute. This December, three more lights went out.

Brown shooting: will homeless man who helped FBI find gunman get US$50,000 reward? Public calls are growing for the FBI to give its promised US$50,000 reward to a homeless man who provided information essential to leading authorities to the gunman they say killed two Brown University students and an MIT professor. Authorities say they received a tip from an anonymous source on Tuesday about a Reddit post on the Providence subreddit, according to a law enforcement affidavit from the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office. That post eventually led investigators to a New...

South China Morning Post

Will homeless man who helped FBI find Brown shooter get US$50,000 reward?

Investigators struggled for days to locate the suspect – until they got a tip about a Reddit post by a man living in the building’s basement.

China packs a patent punch in the race to build humanoid robots China has pulled far ahead in the race to build humanoid robots, issuing five times as many related patents as the United States over the past five years, Morgan Stanley said in its latest Robot Almanac. In “Robot Almanac, Volume 3: Humanoids & Industrial Robots”, released on Tuesday as part of a six-volume series, Morgan Stanley said China recorded 7,705 humanoid patents over the past five years, compared with 1,561 in the US. Japan ranked next with 1,102, followed by the World Intellectual...

South China Morning Post

Building a humanoid robot without China? Then you better bring a bigger wallet

China has issued five times the number of patents related to humanoid robots than the US, says Morgan Stanley.

At least 16 files gone from Epstein release site, including 1 with Trump photo At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, including a photograph showing US President Donald Trump – less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public. The missing files, which were available on Friday and no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In...

South China Morning Post

At least 16 files gone from Epstein release site, including 1 with Trump photo

The missing documents were originally available but no longer accessible a day later, with no reason given.