Hong Kong firefighter unions slam Ip Man producer Checkley Sin over blaze remarks Six labour unions with Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department have denounced banker turned film producer Checkley Sin Kwok-lam for comments about its chief’s handling of the Tai Po fire. The unions banded together on Thursday to slam Sin’s comments about the department’s strategies for battling the city’s deadliest fire in decades. The blaze raged for about 43 hours, killing 161 people and displacing nearly 5,000 residents. Sin, a former banker who went on to produce the award-winning kung fu film...

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong firefighter unions slam Ip Man producer Checkley Sin over blaze remarks

Producer of Ip Man film series took to social media on Monday to claim internal messages accuse fire service director of mismanaging blaze.

Aspiring Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman welcomed home after 17 years abroad Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight Tarique Rahman was welcomed back to Bangladesh on Thursday by huge crowds of joyous supporters after 17 years in self-imposed exile. Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and heir apparent of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), shook hands with party leaders after touching down at the Dhaka airport. Accompanied by his wife and daughter, a visibly emotional Rahman took off his shoes, stood on the grass outside the airport and...

South China Morning Post

Aspiring Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman welcomed home after 17 years abroad

The political heavyweight is to lead the BNP through an election after ex-premier Sheikh Hasina’s exit following a student-led uprising.

Charity vows to give every Hong Kong fire-affected child a new toy The deadly inferno that raged through a housing estate in Hong Kong last month has prompted youngsters at charity Kids4Kids to spring into action to help children affected by the blaze. Last month’s fire swept through seven of Wang Fuk Court’s eight blocks, raging for about 43 hours and claiming 161 lives. While the group was already planning a Christmas toy collection, it has stepped up the drive and aims to give a new toy to every child affected by the tragedy. Founded in 2008, the charity’s...

South China Morning Post

Charity vows to give every Hong Kong fire-affected child a new toy

Kids4Kids also strives to promote ‘three Cs’ – creativity, character and community – to help children become future changemakers.

China axes 8 from top advisory body CPPCC, including 4 defence firm chiefs Four former defence company bosses have been sacked by China’s top political advisory body amid an ongoing anti-corruption campaign in the military and related sectors. They are among eight members removed from the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) under a decision passed by the body’s National Committee in Beijing on Wednesday, according to state news agency Xinhua. Revocation of CPPCC membership – rather than resignation – typically signals suspicions of serious...

South China Morning Post

4 Chinese defence firm chiefs among 8 sacked from top advisory body CPPCC

National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference endorsed removals at meeting on Wednesday, Xinhua reports.

US politicians back Coupang, seethe over South Korea’s ‘campaign of aggression’ Coupang’s significant spending on lobbying politicians in the United States has apparently paid off, with Republicans criticising the South Korean government’s ongoing investigation into the Seattle-headquartered e-commerce firm. They have denounced South Korea’s investigation into Coupang as an attempt to favour China while remaining silent on the company’s massive data breach of the personal information of 33.7 million users, allegedly by a former employee who is a Chinese national. Amid...

South China Morning Post

Coupang’s massive data leak probe ignites US-Seoul diplomatic firestorm

Some Republicans said Seoul’s investigation into the e-commerce firm was an attempt to favour China.

Thousands stuck for hours at Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge on Christmas Day Tens of thousands of Hongkongers were stuck for hours at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge on Christmas Day, as residents streamed out of the city’s border checkpoints for the holiday. Police and rail giant the MTR Corporation also warned on Thursday morning that Shenzhen Bay, Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau spur line control points were crowded and that travellers should expect a longer time to cross the border. The wave of outbound travel started on Christmas Eve on Wednesday, when the net outflow of...

South China Morning Post

Thousands stuck for hours at Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge on Christmas Day

Immigration Department figures show Hong Kong residents made about 644,000 outbound trips by 9pm on Thursday.

Indonesians see red after Bonnie Blue uses flag to ‘wipe the floor’ Controversial British adult film star Bonnie Blue has again earned the wrath of Indonesia after a video of her insulting the Southeast Asian nation’s flag went viral on social media. In a clip filmed in front of Jakarta’s embassy in London, Blue, who was deported from Bali earlier this month, is seen holding the red-and-white flag surrounded by a group of masked men. “Yes, I got arrested in Bali, and so for my last time, I came to the embassy so they could watch in person,” said the 26-year-old,...

South China Morning Post

Red, white and Blue: Indonesia lodges complaint over porn star’s flag stunt

Bonnie Blue’s run-in with Indonesia began earlier this month when she was arrested for making pornographic content in a Bali studio.

Bronze Age cemetery offers up clues to how ancient Chinese brewed red rice wine Pottery vessels containing traces of alcohol from a Bronze Age cemetery in northwestern China indicate that people at the time consumed beverages made using a fermentation starter of rice and a red mould. Archaeologists said the drink, similar to red rice wine, played a key role in their mortuary rituals, and its presence at the Mogou cemetery suggested a tradition that probably served to strengthen the bond between the living and the dead. Researchers from Northwest University in Xian, the...

South China Morning Post

Bronze Age cemetery offers clues on how ancient Chinese brewed red rice wine

Vessels found in tombs at Mogou in modern-day Gansu contain traces of a fermentation starter of the type still used to make sake today.

China university offers US$11,000 ‘micro’ overseas study to help students pass failed courses A privately run college in China has come under fire for asking students who failed exams to pay as much as 79,800 yuan (US$11,000) to join a nonexistent “micro study abroad” programme to have their fail record removed. Xian Technology and Business College, financed by Beijing Northern Investment Group, is a little-known institute in Xian, Shaanxi province, northwestern China. In mid-December, some parents complained to the news outlet Benliu News that teachers at the school coerced them into...

South China Morning Post

China university offers US$11,000 ‘micro’ overseas study to help students pass failed exams

Private educational institute ‘coerces’ parents to fork out huge sums for non-existent study sessions or face their children being expelled.

China’s offshore yuan breaks major benchmark as appreciation momentum builds China's offshore yuan strengthened further on Thursday, dipping below the benchmark rate of seven against the US dollar – another sign of the currency's continued appreciation after a brief breach of the same threshold on Wednesday evening. The recent fluctuations mark the currency’s first appreciation past the major psychological marker in 15 months, suggesting a change in market sentiment and providing more support for the global investors and economists who have argued the currency has been...

South China Morning Post

China’s offshore yuan breaks major benchmark as appreciation momentum builds

For the first time since 2024, the currency strengthened past the threshold of seven per US dollar – and did it again the next day.

Philippine court upholds murder verdict in drug war case: what does it mean for Duterte? The Philippine Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction of three policemen who killed a teenage boy at the height of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs in 2017, a watershed moment that legal analysts say affirms the country’s justice system. In a decision made public on Monday, the court found Arnel Oares, Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz guilty of murdering 17-year-old high school student Kian delos Santos while conducting an anti-drug operation in the city of Caloocan in...

South China Morning Post

Philippine court upholds murder verdict in Duterte’s drug war case

While the ruling has been hailed as a win for human rights, it may not have much impact on Duterte’s ICC case, legal analysts say.

Chill to deepen on Boxing Day as Hongkongers wake up to cold Christmas 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. Hongkongers woke up to a cold Christmas Day, but the weather is expected to get even colder on Boxing Day, with temperatures set to drop further to 13 degrees Celsius (55.4 Fahrenheit). The Hong Kong Observatory said on Thursday that the city was “appreciably cooler” under the influence of...

South China Morning Post

Chill to deepen on Boxing Day as Hongkongers wake up to cold Christmas

Temperatures on Friday morning will be around 13 degrees in urban areas and generally cold across the New Territories, forecaster says.

Australia investigates after car with Hanukkah sign torched in Christmas Day attack Australian police are investigating a “suspicious fire” after a car carrying a sign celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah was set ablaze on Thursday in Melbourne. The empty car, which had a “Happy Chanukah” sign fixed to the roof, was scorched by the fire while parked in a house driveway, images on national broadcaster ABC television showed. It was set alight in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda East, Victoria police said in a statement, describing it...

South China Morning Post

Australia probes after car with Hanukkah sign torched in Christmas Day attack

The vehicle was scorched by the ‘suspicious fire’ while parked in a house driveway in Melbourne.

Southern California drenched by powerful Christmas storms, flash flooding Flash flood warnings were in effect in Los Angeles and most of southern California on Wednesday as one of the worst Christmas storms in recent memory brought heavy rain and fears of deadly mudslides. Driven by an atmospheric river known as “the Pineapple Express”, which moves heavy moisture from the tropical climes of Hawaii to rain on the West Coast, the storm is expected to deliver months’ worth of rain over the next few days. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in...

South China Morning Post

Southern California drenched by powerful Christmas storm, flash flooding

Governor declares state of emergency amid deaths, rescues, evacuations, floods and potential mudslides.

Singapore’s viral moments of 2025: politician slip-ups, sinkhole heroes and a new US envoy From political gaffes and diplomatic stumbles to courtroom fury and security breaches, many of Singapore’s viral moments in 2025 showed how quickly everyday incidents in the city state could turn into national focal points. Passionate online discussions have revealed deep concerns about power, accountability and how the country sees itself – and is seen by others. Locker-room rage Singapore’s acting sports minister came under fire after he was caught calling the Hong Kong men’s football team...

South China Morning Post

Gaffes, breaches and sinkhole stars: Singapore’s 2025 social storms

Passionate online discussions have revealed concerns about power, accountability and how the country sees itself.

Malaysia arrests 2 over video of man in headscarf drinking alcohol A local man and a woman have been detained in connection with a video showing an individual wearing a headscarf while consuming alcohol in Malaysia. Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Commissioner M Kumar said the duo, aged 22 and 24, were arrested at about 4.30pm on Wednesday in Subang Jaya, Selangor state, to assist in investigations. “Initial investigations found that the individual seen wearing a headscarf and consuming alcohol in the video was a man,” he said in a...

South China Morning Post

Hair-raising: Malaysia arrests 2 over video of man in headscarf drinking alcohol

The pair are being investigated for causing religious disharmony and misusing social media.

Guest house rates hit 5-year high as tourists flock to Hong Kong for Christmas Tourists planning to spend Christmas in Hong Kong have fuelled a surge in guest house bookings since October, driving occupancy and room rates to their strongest levels in five years. But those arriving without reservations may end up paying double the price, according to an industry leader. David Leung Tai-wai also told the Post that the government’s push to promote the “mega-event” economy risked wasting public funds if officials failed to equally promote affordable lodging. The founder and...

South China Morning Post

Guest house rates hit 5-year high as tourists flock to Hong Kong for Christmas

But industry leader warns city’s image as tourist destination skewed by exorbitant rates of five-star hotels, while budget lodgings remain largel...

Trump says comedian Colbert should be ‘put to sleep’ Just before Christmas, US President Donald Trump has unleashed a fresh blast of vitriol at late-night comedy talk shows, saying comedian Stephen Colbert is a “pathetic train wreck” who should be “put to sleep”. Colbert’s The Late Show is scheduled to end in May 2026, a decision his fans say smacks of censorship. In a late-night social media post, Trump said that Colbert “has actually gotten worse” since being “terminated by CBS, but left out to dry”. “Stephen is running on hatred and fumes – A...

South China Morning Post

Trump hits out at ‘dead man walking’ Colbert in late-night blast

US president calls on CBS to ‘put to sleep’ Stephen Colbert’s show now, before its scheduled end in May 2026.

BYD’s big plans in Brazil, Xpeng tries to go global: 7 EV reads We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. BYD plans giant Brazil factory to scale electric bus and truck production Chinese carmaker BYD plans to build a new factory in Brazil within the next three years after rising demand for electric buses filled its existing production capacity and forced the company to redraw its...

South China Morning Post

BYD’s big plans in Brazil, Xpeng tries to go global: 7 EV reads

From EV battery giants in China venturing into shipbuilding to BYD’s ambitious plans in Brazil, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

Hong Kong opens tender for next Kai Tak Cruise Terminal operator with stricter KPIs The next operator of Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal will manage the entire site, including public areas, and face financial penalties if it underperforms, according to a new government tender aimed at transforming the area into an attractive tourist destination. Authorities on Wednesday launched an open tender for the next operator of the terminal in Kowloon, with the new term set to begin on June 1, 2028. The winning bidder will manage the facility for 10 years, with a possible five-year...

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong opens bid for next Kai Tak Cruise Terminal operator with stricter KPIs

New term set to begin on June 1, 2028, with the winning bidder set to manage the facility for 10 years, with a possible five-year extension.