4 h. ago Hong Kong airport closes runway as clearing of plane crash wreckage set to begin

Hong Kong airport’s north runway has been temporarily closed as two salvage vessels with an 80-member crew are set to arrive in the city to lift a crashed cargo plane that veered off its path and killed two people. The Airport Authority said that the north runway would be closed starting from 8am on Thursday, with the operation to salvage the aircraft, which broke into two sections, expected to “last for a few days”. “With the support of Guangzhou Salvage Bureau, Chu Kong Passenger Transport...

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7 h. ago New Phnom Penh airport opens with fanfare as Cambodia touts regional, China ties

With an eye to transforming Cambodia into a Southeast Asian travel and cargo hub, a new US$2.3 billion airport – developed by a venture affiliated with one of the country’s wealthiest men – was opened at a grand ceremony near Phnom Penh, where officials and business leaders praised the project for enhancing regional connectivity and deepening links with Hong Kong and mainland China. Techo International Airport (TIA), which has replaced the Cambodian capital’s previous facility, has been forecast...

Politics

12 h. ago US widens campaign on suspected drug boats with first deadly strike in Pacific

The US military struck a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, expanding an aggressive campaign of air strikes that so far had been limited to the Caribbean Sea. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the strike in a social media post on Wednesday, saying two people were killed. “Narco-terrorists intending to bring poison to our shores, will find no safe harbour anywhere in our hemisphere,” Hegseth wrote. In a brief video Hegseth posted, a small boat,...

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13 h. ago Louvre chief says heist enabled by CCTV gaps, offers to resign

The director of the Louvre on Wednesday admitted there was inadequate security camera coverage of the outside walls of the museum, three days after a brazen daytime heist stunned the French capital. Senators grilled Laurence des Cars over how thieves were able on Sunday to make off with an estimated €88 million (US$102 million) in jewels from the world-famous museum in just seven minutes. The heist has renewed scrutiny of security at French museums. “Despite our efforts, despite our hard work on...

Politics

13 h. ago Louvre chief admits CCTV gaps enabled heist, says she offered to resign

The director of the Louvre on Wednesday admitted there was inadequate security camera coverage of the outside walls of the museum, three days after a brazen daytime heist stunned the French capital. Senators grilled Laurence des Cars over how thieves were able on Sunday to make off with an estimated €88 million (US$102 million) in jewels from the world-famous museum in just seven minutes. The heist has renewed scrutiny of security at French museums. “Despite our efforts, despite our hard work on...

Politics

19 h. ago Belarusian model reportedly killed in Myanmar went there on her own: Thai police

Thai immigration officials have denied claims that a Belarusian model was abducted while in Bangkok and forcibly taken to Myanmar, where tabloids claim she was reportedly killed by a criminal gang. The unconfirmed death of 26-year-old Vera Kravtsova has gained international attention in recent days after Russian and British tabloids reported that, following her arrival in Thailand, she was kidnapped and brought to northern Myanmar, where she was tortured and had her organs harvested while being...

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21 h. ago Hong Kong customs seize HK$10 million of bogus Nike, Adidas shoes

Hong Kong customs officers have seized HK$10 million (US$1.29 million) worth of suspected counterfeit sports and luxury shoes such as Nike, Adidas, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, believed to be intended for overseas markets to capitalise on a demand driven by global mega-events. “At mega-events such as sports shoes exhibitions, many collectors and enthusiasts will trade items on site, driving up demand for high-quality counterfeit sports shoes,” said Inspector Yeung Tit-fung of the Customs and Excise...

Economics

21 h. ago Hong Kong customs seizes HK$10 million of bogus Nike, Adidas shoes

Hong Kong customs officers have seized HK$10 million (US$1.29 million) worth of suspected counterfeit sports and luxury shoes such as Nike, Adidas, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, believed to be intended for overseas markets to capitalise on a demand driven by global mega-events. “At mega-events such as sports shoes exhibitions, many collectors and enthusiasts will trade items on site, driving up demand for high-quality counterfeit sports shoes,” said Inspector Yeung Tit-fung of the Customs and Excise...

Economics

23 h. ago US safety agency investigators to assist Hong Kong with fatal plane crash probe

A United States’ transport safety agency is deploying five investigators to Hong Kong to assist with the city’s probe into the cargo plane crash that killed two security workers, while the four aircrew involved have met with local authorities. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent US government agency responsible for investigating civil transport accidents, said on social media that it would send its team to Hong Kong to assist with the probe into the plane crash. “The...

Events

23 h. ago US investigators, Turkish experts to help Hong Kong with fatal plane crash probe

A US transport safety agency is sending five investigators to Hong Kong to help with a local probe into a cargo plane crash that killed two security workers, while experts from the Turkish civil aviation authority will also provide assistance. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent US government agency responsible for investigating civil transport accidents, said on social media on Wednesday that it would send five people to the city. “The NTSB is sending a team of five...

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23 h. ago Russia launches deadly barrage on Ukraine after Putin–Trump summit shelved

Russia launched multiple drone and missile strikes on Ukraine as the latest peace attempts by US President Donald Trump appeared to be floundering. The attack killed at least six civilians, including two children, with more than a dozen injured across the country in the early hours of Wednesday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X. Zelensky said that 10 regions came under attack, including Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipro, adding that while the attack primarily targeted energy...

Politics

24 h. ago China’s double threat, a hidden card in the trade war: 7 science highlights

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘Potassium railway’: China’s hidden card in the trade war For over a decade, China has invested heavily to build a dual-purpose passenger and freight railway through the thick rainforest between Kunming and Vientiane, the capital of Laos. This railway has become a critical conduit for China to secure potassium...

Events

25 h. ago Peru declares state of emergency in capital to combat spiralling crime

Peru’s interim president Jose Jeri announced a state of emergency in Lima and the neighbouring port of Callao on Tuesday, after weeks of anti-government protests over corruption and organised crime. “The state of emergency approved by the Council of Ministers will take effect at midnight on Wednesday and will last for 30 days in Metropolitan Lima and Callao,” Jeri said in an address to the nation broadcast by state television. Under the state of emergency, the government can send the army to...

Events

31 h. ago Why South Korea’s Gen Z are falling prey to the scam gangs of Southeast Asia

A growing number of young South Koreans are vanishing into Southeast Asia’s criminal underworld, lured by the promise of high-paying jobs – only to end up trafficked, tortured or killed. Many, fleeing a stagnant labour market at home, are being deceived by transnational crime syndicates into running online scams and illegal gambling operations. Others join willingly in search of easy money. But all eventually find themselves exploited, victims of criminal enterprises that span the lawless border...

Events

43 h. ago Families of Hong Kong pair killed in plane crash get no word from Emirates

The bereaved families of the two airport staff killed when an Emirates cargo flight veered off a runway have said they have not received any condolence messages from the airline, and are demanding a comprehensive investigation into the accident as soon as possible. A dozen relatives of security patrol vehicle driver Vincent Ho Kwok-cheung, 41, and his colleague, 30-year-old Chan Chun-yin, visited Kwai Chung Public Mortuary on Tuesday morning and were visibly shaken after identifying the...

Events

44 h. ago Hong Kong plane crash ‘could lead to manslaughter case if negligence found’

Hong Kong authorities could resort to manslaughter charges, which carry a penalty of life imprisonment, if a cargo plane crash that killed two airport staff members is found to have resulted from gross negligence, legal experts have said. Flight EK9788 veered off a runway during landing at Hong Kong airport on Monday morning and ploughed into the waters, knocking a security patrol vehicle into the sea and killing two people inside. All four crew members of the Emirates flight, which was operated...

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44 h. ago Plane crash in Hong Kong ‘could lead to manslaughter case if negligence found’

Hong Kong authorities could resort to manslaughter charges, which carry a penalty of life imprisonment, if a cargo plane crash that killed two airport staff members is found to have resulted from gross negligence, legal experts have said. Flight EK9788 veered off a runway during landing at Hong Kong airport on Monday morning and ploughed into the waters, knocking a security patrol vehicle into the sea and killing two people inside. All four crew members of the Emirates flight, which was operated...

Events

46 h. ago Sea CEO sees path to US$1 trillion market cap with help of AI

Sea founder Forrest Li told employees a trillion dollar market capitalisation – an increase of about 10 times – is possible as the Southeast Asia e-commerce leader joins tech companies globally betting on artificial intelligence for growth. In a memo to staff Monday, seen by Bloomberg News, Li compared the rapid growth of AI to the personal computer and smartphone revolutions that expanded consumer access to products and services once available only to the wealthy. But Li said it would not be...

Economics

48 h. ago Hong Kong runway on standby a day after plane accident, crew to be questioned

The north runway of Hong Kong’s airport will be reopened on standby mode by noon on Tuesday, 32 hours after an Emirates cargo plane veered off it and struck a ground vehicle, sending it into the sea and killing two staff members, the airport operator has said. A source also said the Air Incident Investigation Authority was expected to meet the four Turkish crew members on the flight as part of investigations on Tuesday, with police questioning them afterwards. The crew were not prevented from...

Politics

48 h. ago Hong Kong runway on standby a day after plane crash, crew to be questioned

The north runway of Hong Kong airport was expected to reopen on standby mode by noon on Tuesday, 32 hours after an Emirates cargo plane veered off it and struck a ground vehicle, sending it into the sea and killing two security workers, the airport operator has said. A source also said the Air Incident Investigation Authority was expected to meet the four Turkish crew members on the flight as part of investigations on Tuesday, with police questioning them afterwards. The four were not prevented...

Events