9 h. ago ‘Crafting process’ sees China woman get handmade doll’s eyes a decade after ordering

A Chinese woman who bought handmade doll’s eyes online has received the goods 10 years after placing the original order. The woman, surnamed Li, posted online that she recently received the custom-made products she bought online in 2015. She had completely forgotten about the order. Li received a text message from the online shop on November 25, notifying her about their arrival. She paid 515 yuan (US$73). The shop told her it would take two years for the eyes to be handmade overseas. Li agreed...

Politics

14 h. ago Florida kicks off first black bear hunt in a decade, despite outcry

For the first time in a decade, hunters armed with rifles and crossbows are fanning out across Florida’s swamps and flatwoods to legally hunt the Florida black bear, over the vocal opposition of critics. The state-sanctioned hunt began on Saturday, after drawing more than 160,000 applications for a far more limited number of hunting permits, including from opponents who are trying to reduce the number of bears killed in this year’s hunt, the state’s first since 2015. The Florida Fish and...

Politics

17 h. ago Ukraine’s Zelensky holds ‘very substantive’ call with Trump envoys

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he and his negotiators who are discussing a US-led plan for Ukraine had a “very substantive and constructive” call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. “Ukraine is committed to continuing to work honestly with the American side to bring about real peace,” Zelensky said on Telegram as the third day of the talks were to be held in Florida. “We agreed on the next steps and the format of the talks with America,” he added. Zelensky, who...

Politics

29 h. ago India and Russia agree to boost trade to US$100 billion by 2030

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday at an annual summit and agreed to diversify mutual economic ties, as the United States presses India to revise its decades-old partnership with Russia. The 23rd Russia-India Summit comes at a pivotal moment as the US pushes for a Ukraine peace deal while seeking global cooperation. It will test New Delhi’s efforts to balance relations with Moscow and Washington as the nearly four-year war in Ukraine...

Economics

30 h. ago From shoes to scholarships: Hongkongers unite for Tai Po fire victims

From shoes, apparel and daily necessities to food, logistics services and even university sponsorships for two orphans, donors from all walks of life have come together to support survivors of the Tai Po fire, Hong Kong’s deadliest in decades. Beyond the HK$2.8 billion (US$360 million) raised from the private sector and the government so far, many compassionate people contributed what they could in a show of solidarity. The fire has so far claimed 159 lives, including that of a firefighter, and...

Events

33 h. 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

37 h. ago US judge orders release of grand jury transcripts in Epstein case

A US federal judge on Friday ordered the release of the grand jury transcripts from the investigation in Florida of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Justice Department requested the unsealing of the transcripts after US President Donald Trump signed a bill last month requiring the public release of all government records regarding Epstein. Grand jury proceedings are generally kept secret and a previous Justice Department request to unseal the transcripts from Epstein’s Florida case...

Events

41 h. ago US vaccine advisers say not all newborns need hepatitis B shot

A group of vaccine advisers on Friday scrapped a long-standing recommendation that all US children receive the hepatitis B shot at birth, a major policy win for health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr that disease experts say will reverse decades of public health gains. The committee voted to keep the birth dose only for infants whose mothers test positive for the virus, replacing the 1991 universal recommendation that has protected all children from hepatitis B infections, which can lead to...

Politics

43 h. ago Hydrogen was considered to be "the blue coal of 21st century" — Until China tried to made it black

Hydrogen was considered to be "the blue coal of 21st century" — Until China tried to made it black  Energies Media

Politics

45 h. ago Some Hong Kong fire survivors reluctant to relive horror for judge

Some survivors of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades have voiced concerns over reliving the tragedy and sharing personal information if they take part in an investigation ordered by the city’s leader, with psychologists calling for a balance between justice and compassion. A number of residents from Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, which was engulfed in flames last week, told the Post they wanted a fair, just and open investigation that took the feelings and privacy of the survivors into...

Events

46 h. ago France poised to get two giant pandas in 2027 after Macron’s visit to China

France is poised to get a pair of pandas in 2027 as part of a new decade-long loan agreement finalised following President Emmanuel Macron’s three-day visit to China. On Thursday, the China Wildlife Conservation Association announced it had agreed with France’s Beauval Zoo to extend their international cooperation on giant panda conservation with the aim of boosting Sino-French exchanges. According to the group’s statement, the two giant pandas are expected to arrive at the zoo in Saint-Aignan...

Politics

46 h. ago France poised to get 2 giant pandas in 2027 after Macron’s visit to China

France is poised to get a pair of pandas in 2027 as part of a new decade-long loan agreement finalised following President Emmanuel Macron’s three-day visit to China. On Thursday, the China Wildlife Conservation Association announced it had agreed with France’s Beauval Zoo to extend their international cooperation on giant panda conservation with the aim of boosting Sino-French exchanges. According to the group’s statement, the two giant pandas are expected to arrive at the zoo in Saint-Aignan...

Politics

46 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

47 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

48 h. ago From steel to space: China giant sells first 2 satellites in bold pivot

Jigang Group spent decades forging the metal for China’s infrastructure boom. Now, the former industrial titan is building hardware for the final frontier. The state-owned company, once one of the nation’s top steel producers, has secured orders for its first two satellites – an all-important step in its years-long transformation to capture demand in the country’s burgeoning commercial space industry. Reporting this week on the purchase, the Economic Observer said production was expected to...

Politics

49 h. ago Why Gulf region’s dreams of aviation domination are built on sand

We should call it the “Neom factor”: the force that transforms reasonable aggressive ambition into hallucinogenic fantasyland. It glared out at me last week in a Financial Times headline: “Three ‘Heathrows’ of growth: the unstoppable rise of Middle East airports”. In short, Dubai, Istanbul, Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi in aggregate have airport expansion plans to lift passenger capacity almost threefold to around 750 million a year over the coming decades. In the words of Paul Griffiths, chief...

Politics

50 h. ago China Winter Sports Consumption: Winter sports enthusiasts flock to the slopes as new ski season kicks off in Beijing

China Winter Sports Consumption: Winter sports enthusiasts flock to the slopes as new ski season kicks off in Beijing  news.cgtn.com

Politics

57 h. ago Jack Ma Foundation pledges millions to boost rural education

The Jack Ma Foundation has pledged to spend at least 300 million yuan ($45 million) in the next decade to staff rural schools with qualified teachers.

Politics

57 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

57 h. ago A Decade of Nurturing Potential: ASHK Blends Joyful Learning with Academic Excellence

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] As the American School of Hong Kong (ASHK) celebrates its first decade, it reflects on its success in achieving: creating a warm and happy learning environment where students from ages 5 to 18 can thrive. Since its opening in 2016, the school has distinguished itself by striking a careful balance between academic rigour and a commitment to the all-round development of the whole child. Holistic Education and Diverse...

Politics