35 y. ago State Visit to the People's Republic of China by HM King Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV and Queen Halaevalu Mata‘aho

State Visit to the People's Republic of China by HM King Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV and Queen Halaevalu Mata‘aho  Matangi Tonga

Politics

48 m. ago ‘Like a ghost town’: Hong Kong neighbourhood struggles to adjust after fatal fire

Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has been put out, but the sight of the charred remains of Wang Fuk Court’s housing blocks still conjures up painful emotions and all too vivid memories for many people in the surrounding neighbourhood. The fire started on Wednesday last week, raging for 43 hours and engulfing seven of the estate’s eight towers before it was extinguished. At least 159 people died in the inferno. On Friday, residents from the nearby Kwong Fuk Estate public housing complex were...

Events

48 m. ago Thai woman stays on rooftop with pets during floods, refusing rescue without them

A Thai woman declined rescue and chose to remain stranded on a rooftop amid severe floods to stay with her pet dog and cat, garnering online praise. The woman, known as Jazz, appealed for help on social media on November 22. She reported being trapped on the roof with the water level rising dangerously close to her. In her post, she also provided her location and requested authorities to cut power in her neighbourhood to prevent electrocution. In a video included with her post, she was seen at a...

Events

9 h. ago Dutch minister admits he was blindsided by China in Nexperia chip crisis

Export controls may have been the economic weapon of choice in 2025, but the Dutch minister at the centre of the Nexperia crisis has admitted he was blindsided by Beijing when it blocked the company’s chips from leaving China. His concession raises fresh questions over how much planning went into the decision to reach for a Cold War-era law to intervene in the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker in September, a move that triggered a supply chain shock in the global automotive...

Politics

11 h. ago PLA holds urban warfare drill as Taipei looks to boost ‘asymmetric capabilities’

The People’s Liberation Army has carried out an urban warfare drill, according to state media, in what appears to be a response to Taipei’s bid to fund improved “asymmetric capabilities”. In a report on Wednesday, state broadcaster CCTV aired footage of troops carrying out an operation to seize a built-up area in a war-torn city. The drill – involving reconnaissance, clearing and occupation – was part of a live-fire exercise conducted by a PLA Ground Force brigade that aimed to “test multiple...

Events

14 h. ago Hong Kong steps up mental health support for Tai Po fire victims

Hong Kong authorities will step up mental health support for people affected by the Tai Po fire, the city’s deadliest blaze in several decades, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has announced, with about two-thirds of patients having been discharged from hospitals. Ten days since the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, Secretary of Health Lo Chung-mau said on Friday that all 79 patients admitted to hospital due to the fire were considered no longer at risk, but noted some expressed feelings of guilt...

Events

14 h. ago Hong Kong to focus on mental health support after fire, seek smoking ban at sites

Hong Kong authorities will make mental health support for people affected by the Tai Po blaze a priority in the aftermath of the tragedy, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has announced, as the government said it intended to push for a blanket ban on smoking at construction sites. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Lee said that not only the residents of Wang Fuk Court, but the entire community could move out of deep sorrow with proper mental health support. “Everyone is experiencing this...

Events

14 h. ago Hong Kong’s religious communities unite in prayer to mourn Tai Po fire victims

About 4,000 Muslims from Hong Kong gathered on Friday to pray for and offer condolences to the victims of the Tai Po fire, while other religious groups held prayer meetings to show spiritual support. The Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong held a special prayer session at 1.30pm at Kowloon Mosque in Tsim Sha Tsui to pay respect to the victims. The blaze at Wang Fuk Court killed at least 159 people. Among them were nine Indonesian domestic helpers and one Filipino...

Events

14 h. ago CGTN:Strengthening cultural ties: Peng Liyuan, Brigitte Macron visit Beijing People's Art Theatre

CGTN:Strengthening cultural ties: Peng Liyuan, Brigitte Macron visit Beijing People's Art Theatre  Newsfile

Politics

14 h. ago Australia on high alert as PLA naval fleet in Philippine Sea sails south

China’s deployment of a naval fleet, led by a Type 075 amphibious assault ship in the Philippine Sea this week, has triggered a rapid response from Australia. Canberra deployed a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft to track the flotilla, reviving security concerns raised after an unprecedented circumnavigation of the Australian continent by a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fleet nine months ago. US satellite images, first reported by Australian media on Wednesday, confirmed the presence of the Chinese...

Events

14 h. ago Australia on high alert as PLA Navy fleet in Philippine Sea sails south

China’s deployment this week of a naval fleet led by a Type 075 amphibious assault ship in the Philippine Sea has triggered a rapid response from Australia. Canberra deployed a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft to track the flotilla, reviving security concerns raised after an unprecedented circumnavigation of the Australian continent by a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fleet nine months ago. US satellite images, first reported by Australian media on Wednesday, confirmed the presence of the Chinese...

Events

15 h. ago Malaysia under pressure to explain police shooting of trio as outcry mounts

Malaysia’s government is under mounting pressure to explain the fatal police shooting of three men in the southern state of Melaka, after an audio recording and forensic claims released by the families appeared to contradict the police account of a violent confrontation with the suspected robbery gang members. In the latest case, the three – Puspanathan Murulitharan, 21; Poonesvaran Tiagarajan, 24; and Logeswaran Georgie, 29 – were killed on November 24 during a police operation in Durian...

Events

15 h. ago ‘Breasts will be larger’: China parenting app messages leave expectant dads uneasy

A leading parenting platform in China has sparked discomfort among expectant fathers with feeds such as “her body has become the shape of S” and “you can have some sex at this stage,” leading many to voice their complaints on social media. An internet user, whose wife is 22 weeks pregnant, shared that both he and his wife are registered members of Baby Tree, an app that caters to families with pregnant women and infants. According to the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald, the couple regularly receive...

Politics

16 h. ago Hong Kong fire: dead Indonesian helper found huddled with ward hailed as selfless

The last time Sugeng Widodo spoke to his wife, Indonesian domestic worker Sri Wahyuni, something did not feel right for him. It was around 1pm Hong Kong time on November 26, just a few hours before a devastating fire would rip through Wang Fuk Court in the city’s Tai Po district, killing at least 159 people. Wahyuni, 42, would be among the dead – her body found in a room on a fourth-floor flat at the estate, hugging her employer, a 93-year-old woman, according to Widodo, citing information...

Events

19 h. ago Russian fitness coach dies at 30 after gaining 25kg in promotional junk food binge

A Russian fitness coach who died from a binge-eating challenge while promoting his weight loss courses has raised concerns about extreme stunts. The 30-year-old influencer on Russian social media, Dmitry Nuyanzin, died in his sleep in Orenburg in November. Nuyanzin reportedly binged on junk food to gain at least 25kg before showing how fast he could lose the same amount of weight. He did so in an attempt to promote his weight loss courses. Nuyanzin told his thousands of followers that he was...

Sport

20 h. ago CSRC vows deeper reforms to open China’s capital market and boost tech listings

China’s top securities regulator has pledged to widen foreign investors’ access to the mainland’s capital market while further lowering the fundraising threshold for technology firms, after a key indicator slumped nearly 4 per cent from a 10-year high in mid-November. Wu Qing, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), set out guidance for the equity and bond markets in an article published by the Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily on Friday, three weeks after he was...

Politics

22 h. ago Strengthening cultural ties: Peng Liyuan, Brigitte Macron visit Beijing People's Art Theatre

Strengthening cultural ties: Peng Liyuan, Brigitte Macron visit Beijing People's Art Theatre  news.cgtn.com

Politics

23 h. ago Meta plans budget cuts as high as 30% to its metaverse efforts

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to cut resources for building the so-called metaverse, an effort that he once framed as the future of the company and the reason for changing its name from Facebook. Executives were considering potential budget cuts as high as 30 per cent for the metaverse group next year, which includes the virtual worlds product Meta Horizon Worlds and its Quest virtual reality (VR) unit, according to people familiar with the talks, who asked not to be named while...

Politics

24 h. ago Former Chongqing political official facing corruption investigation

Sun Zhengcai, the former secretary of Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, has been placed under investigation on suspicion of accepting bribes, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate on Monday.

Politics

24 h. ago Emerging markets to outperform US stocks as dollar weakness continues: report

Global investors should consider reducing their US equities exposure as emerging market stocks are on track to outperform those in developed nations for the first time in five years amid a weakening US dollar, according to global investment firm Cambridge Associates. The recommendation comes as the dollar has experienced significant weakness this year, falling by 10 per cent at one point after a decade-long bull run that started in 2011. However, the greenback still remains 29 per cent above its...

Politics