34 y. ago The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 12

The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 12  Newspapers.com

Politics

5 h. ago Australia faces record guns as Bondi massacre prompts reform

The number of firearms in Australia reached an all-time high of more than 4 million in 2025, the centre-left government reported on Sunday, a day after saying it would introduce a gun reform bill in parliament in response to the Bondi massacre. There were a record 4,113,735 guns in Australia last year, with 1,158,654 of those in the most populous state of New South Wales where the Bondi attack took place, the government said, citing Department of Home Affairs data. The Labour government on...

Events

7 h. ago Hong Kong police arrest 2, record 220 offences in illegal road racing crackdown

Hong Kong police arrested two drivers and found that motorists had committed about 220 traffic violations in a two-day crackdown on illegal vehicle modifications, speeding and other offences. Police said on Sunday the arrests were made during the force’s two-day operation called ‘Fossington’ over the weekend, targeting traffic violations across New Territories locations such as Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Tolo Highway, Tai Mei Tuk, Luk Keng Road and Bride’s Pool Road. At around 9am on Sunday, transport...

Events

9 h. ago How can China help Uruguay battle beetles threatening to invade South America?

A tiny but destructive invader is threatening South America, and Uruguay’s iconic palm trees are on the front line. Since 2022, the National Emergency System in coordination with agricultural agencies and with operational support from the air force, has struggled to contain the red palm weevil outbreak, prompting them to call scientists to help. Experts from the Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC) stepped in with an innovative detection strategy using drones and aerial imaging, but...

Events

10 h. ago From strategic pivot to global engine: China's decade of supply

From strategic pivot to global engine: China's decade of supply-side reform and industrial revolution  news.cgtn.com

Politics

10 h. ago Singapore’s Leader of the Opposition debate draws comparisons with Westminster system

A peculiar gridlock has settled on Singapore’s political scene with the position of Leader of the Opposition (LO) vacant after Pritam Singh was removed from the post by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, with public discourse now centred on the constitutional basis, or lack thereof, for the role. Created in 2020 by then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong after Singh’s party won a record 10 seats in parliament, the non-statutory position contrasts sharply with its counterpart in Westminster systems, where...

Politics

13 h. ago Could flying wind farms be the future of energy generation in China?

A giant airship launched in a densely populated area of southwestern China earlier this month has set social media on fire. Footage of the S2000, the world’s most powerful flying wind farm, in the skies above Yibin, Sichuan province, prompted comparisons with an alien spaceship or the airships that featured in the animated film Big Hero 6. The white airship – measuring 60 metres (200 feet) in length and a width and height of 40 metres – was filled with helium on the ground before ascent,...

Politics

13 h. ago ‘False pride’: Indonesia’s UN rights role clashes with its domestic record

Indonesia begins its tenure as president of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) this month under a cloud of contradiction, with officials hailing the prestige of the largely ceremonial role even as activists raise uncomfortable questions about the country’s own rights record. The 47-member body, a subsidiary of the UN General Assembly, has a mandate to promote and protect human rights globally. Indonesia’s ambassador was elected president on January 8 after being put forward as the Asia‑Pacific...

Politics

28 h. ago Beijing's performance arts market reports record high revenue in 2025

Beijing's performance arts market reports record high revenue in 2025  Xinhua

Politics

28 h. ago Infrequent yet unforgettable: Hong Kong’s rare cases of police opening fire on duty

Hong Kong police officers rarely fire their guns, but when they do, it grips the city’s attention. On Thursday, officers shot dead a man who had taken a woman hostage while brandishing a 30cm knife at a shopping centre in Tuen Mun. Under police guidelines, officers may open fire to protect anyone – including themselves – from death or serious injury. They may also use lethal force against anyone believed to have committed a serious or violent crime and who is attempting to evade arrest. Firearms...

Events

28 h. ago Hong Kong’s rare cases of police officers opening fire on duty

Hong Kong police officers rarely fire their guns, but when they do, it grips the city’s attention. On Thursday, officers shot dead a man who had taken a woman hostage while brandishing a 30cm knife at a shopping centre in Tuen Mun. Under police guidelines, officers may open fire to protect anyone – including themselves – from death or serious injury. They may also use lethal force against anyone believed to have committed a serious or violent crime and who is attempting to evade arrest. Firearms...

Events

30 h. ago Hong Kong public hospital pricing reform slashes less urgent A&E visits by 24%

Hong Kong’s health minister has revealed that the number of less urgent patients seeking treatment at public hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments has dropped by 24 per cent in the first 10 days of a new pricing regime. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said in a television interview on Saturday that authorities had so far approved 60,000 people for fee waivers, with about 80 per cent processed on the same day of application. Under a public hospital fee overhaul implemented on...

Politics

30 h. ago China’s AI and EV boom drives record power demand, widening energy gap with US

China’s total electricity consumption hit a record high of 10.4 trillion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2025, more than double that of the US, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said on Saturday. The 5 per cent jump from the previous year marked the first time in China’s history that annual electricity consumption had surpassed 10 trillion kWh – the highest in the world and more than the combined total of the European Union, Russia, India and Japan, state broadcaster CCTV said, citing NEA...

Politics

34 h. ago Drama in Hong Kong’s first international marathon in 1969 – from the SCMP archive

This article was first published on December 15, 1969 Drama in HK’s first international marathon by Neil Perera Unheralded Kim Cha Hwan of South Korea yesterday (December 14, 1969) pulverised an international field of long distance runners to win the first Tin Tin international marathon in the New Territories. Kim, a 21-year-old electrician, overcame a determined challenge from Australia’s John Farrington to cover the gruelling 26 miles course in two hours 20 minutes 39 seconds. He immediately...

Events

37 h. ago Several Hong Kong lawmakers omit unpaid directorships in Legco declarations

Several newly elected Hong Kong lawmakers have not fully disclosed their unpaid directorships and those held at subsidiaries, the Post has found, prompting calls from the legislature’s House Committee chairman for greater transparency. Andrew Yao Cho-fai and Lothair Lam Ming-fung were among the Legislative Council newcomers who did not register dozens of unpaid directorships, according to a Post check on their declarations of interest, which were cross-referenced with Companies Registry...

Politics

46 h. ago IMAX Hits Record In China As Moviegoing Morphs Into Social Event

IMAX Hits Record In China As Moviegoing Morphs Into Social Event  Forbes

Events

50 h. ago China's trade surplus surges to a record high, even with tariffs

China's trade surplus surges to a record high, even with tariffs  MSN

Politics

52 h. ago Have US tariffs failed to bite? China’s trade surplus hits a record US$1.2 trillion

Have US tariffs failed to bite? China’s trade surplus hits a record US$1.2 trillion  Yahoo Finance UK

Events

52 h. ago China dumps more US debt, buys other assets as Trump targets Powell

China trimmed its holdings of US Treasuries in November to the lowest level since 2008, diverging from a global trend that saw total foreign ownership of the debt instruments hit a record high. Analysts say the prospect of a politicised Federal Reserve chairmanship under Donald Trump’s presidency has deepened Beijing’s concerns over its exposure to American debt, with more cuts expected. Beijing’s stockpile fell to US$682.6 billion in November, down from US$688.7 billion in October, according to...

Politics

54 h. ago Putin offers Moscow as mediator in Iran crisis amid tensions with Israel, Trump threat

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Iran in separate calls on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and said that Moscow was willing to mediate in the region, the Kremlin said. Tehran has cracked down hard on nationwide protests that broke out late last month, prompting US President Donald Trump to warn he might intervene. Last year, Israel and the United States both bombed Iranian nuclear sites, and Iran fought...

Politics