55 m. ago 6 cyclones, 5 weeks: inside the Philippines’ endless cycle of disaster

The tarpaulin barely held against the wind, sagging under days of ceaseless rain. For the earthquake survivors of San Remigio, in the central Philippines, it was all that remained – a thin sheet of plastic above a patch of mud, standing in for the homes a 6.9-magnitude quake had reduced to rubble weeks earlier. Then, in early November, Typhoon Kalmaegi barrelled through. The storm, known locally as Tino, drenched thousands of families still huddled in their makeshift shelters. Roads vanished...

Events

14 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

14 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

15 h. ago Lisa Su Says AMD Ready to Pay 15% Fee to Resume China Shipments as Uncertainty Prevails

Lisa Su Says AMD Ready to Pay 15% Fee to Resume China Shipments as Uncertainty Prevails  TipRanks

Politics

17 h. ago 500 Hong Kong primary pupils resume classes in university facilities after fire

About 500 primary school pupils of Tai Po Baptist Public School (TPBPS) have resumed classes in temporary classrooms set up on the premises of the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), with most students returning to their normal routines ten days after the deadly blaze in their district. EdUHK president John Lee Chi-kin said on Friday the university had offered its gymnasium and converted activity rooms into about 10 temporary classrooms, while a university psychologist shared that the...

Events

17 h. ago 500 pupils affected by Hong Kong fire resume classes at university this week

About 500 primary school pupils affected by the deadly fire in Tai Po started learning again this week in makeshift classrooms at a university in the same district, with the children settling back into normal study routines. John Lee Chi-kin, president of the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), said on Friday that the institution had converted its gymnasium and activity rooms into about 10 temporary classrooms to accommodate affected schools. The number of primary school pupils attending...

Events

17 h. ago Filipinos slam official’s US$8.50 advice for Christmas feast

Marife Dhoctor, 43, a domestic helper in the Philippines, is looking forward to the traditional Christmas Eve dinner, when families gather to savour festive dishes and exchange gifts. However, rising prices of goods have forced her family of five to stretch their meagre budget as they plan for the annual feast known as Noche Buena or “the good night”. Dhoctor and her husband, who works as a construction worker, earn a combined daily wage of just over 1,000 pesos (US$17). As building projects are...

Politics

17 h. ago Anger boils in Philippines over official’s US$8.50 Christmas feast budget

Marife Dhoctor, 43, a domestic helper in the Philippines, is looking forward to the traditional Christmas Eve dinner, when families gather to savour festive dishes and exchange gifts. However, rising prices of goods have forced her family of five to stretch their meagre budget as they plan for the annual feast known as Noche Buena or “the good night”. Dhoctor and her husband, who works as a construction worker, earn a combined daily wage of just over 1,000 pesos (US$17). As building projects are...

Politics

21 h. ago Drones spotted near Zelensky’s flight path to Dublin spark security alert

An Irish navy ship spotted up to five drones operating near the flight path of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s aircraft as he arrived for a state visit to Ireland on Monday, local media reported on Thursday. The sighting triggered a major security alert amid fears it was an attempt to interfere with the flight path, the Irish Times reported. It quoted unnamed sources as saying the aircraft, which arrived slightly early, was not in any danger. The Ukrainian delegation arrived late on...

Events

22 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

23 h. ago China Airlines launches first nonstop flight between Phoenix and Asia

China Airlines launches first nonstop flight between Phoenix and Asia  KTAR News 92.3 FM

Politics

37 h. ago ‘Let me stay’: residents of block unscathed by Hong Kong fire hope to return

Some residents of the only housing block to emerge unscathed by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades have expressed hope that they could continue living in their flats, citing their deep emotional connection to the neighbourhood. Wang Chi House residents arrived at the block on Thursday for the second and final day of collecting belongings from their homes, with dozens packing light to make room for valuables and important documents. Those returning on the second day had not been home since the...

Events

38 h. ago Charity leader’s faith in humanity renewed as 294 pets rescued in Hong Kong fire

Almost 300 pets have been rescued from the deadly inferno that engulfed a Hong Kong housing estate last week, including fish, parrots and turtles, with a charity leader saying the rescue efforts have “strengthened her belief in humanity”. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said in a social media post that as of 8pm on Wednesday, 364 animals had been found since the fire, including 294 rescued alive and 70 discovered dead. A total of 173 pets remained missing, bringing the...

Events

43 h. ago Families ‘hope truth will come out’ when hunt for missing flight MH370 resumes

Malaysia’s announcement that the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 will resume was welcome news for Jiang Hui, whose mother was a passenger on the plane. “I hope the truth will come out soon, the wait has been such a torment for the families,” he wrote in a social media post sharing the news. Malaysia’s transport ministry made the announcement on Wednesday, more than a decade after the Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in...

Events

43 h. ago Chinese families ‘hope truth will come out’ when search for flight MH370 resumes

Malaysia’s announcement that the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 will resume was welcome news for Jiang Hui, whose mother was a passenger on the plane. “I hope the truth will come out soon, the wait has been such a torment for the families,” he wrote in a social media post sharing the news. Malaysia’s transport ministry made the announcement on Wednesday, more than a decade after the Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in...

Politics

52 h. ago WATCH: First China Airlines flight touches down at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

WATCH: First China Airlines flight touches down at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport  AZ Family

Transport

53 h. ago Hegseth’s use of Signal posed risk to US personnel, Pentagon watchdog finds

The Pentagon’s watchdog found that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth put American personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen, two people familiar with the findings said on Wednesday. Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find he did so improperly, according to one of the people familiar with the report’s findings who spoke on condition...

Events

53 h. ago Hegseth’s use of Signal posed risk to US troops, Pentagon watchdog finds

The Pentagon’s watchdog found that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth put American personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen, two people familiar with the findings said on Wednesday. Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find he did so improperly, according to one of the people familiar with the report’s findings who spoke on condition...

Events

53 h. ago Hegseth’s Signal use posed risk to US forces, Pentagon review finds

The Pentagon’s watchdog found that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth put US personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Yemen’s Houthi militants, two people familiar with the findings said on Wednesday. Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find he did so improperly, according to one of the people familiar with the findings who spoke on condition of anonymity to...

Events

54 h. ago Business News As China Retreats And The U.S. Wobbles, Is India The Next Great Hope For The Luxury Watch Market?

Business News As China Retreats And The U.S. Wobbles, Is India The Next Great Hope For The Luxury Watch Market?  Hodinkee

Economics