53 h. ago Doctor who sold ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry gets 2½ years in prison

A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks before the Friends star’s overdose death was sentenced to 2½ years in prison on Wednesday. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence plus two years of probation to 44-year-old Salvador Plasencia in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles. The judge emphasised that Plasencia did not provide the ketamine that killed Perry, but told him: “You and others helped Mr Perry on the road to such an ending by continuing to...

Events

53 h. ago A biographer mines the life of Xi Jinping’s father for clues to China today

A biographer mines the life of Xi Jinping’s father for clues to China today  The Christian Science Monitor

Politics

62 h. ago Living to 79: China’s record longevity puts economic wrinkles in focus

China’s average life expectancy hit a record 79 years in 2024, edging closer to developed-nation levels as the country grapples with a deepening demographic crisis and scrambles to improve aged-care resources. In discussing the all-time high, which broke the 2023 record of 78.6 years, National Health Commission (NHC) head Lei Haichao reiterated on Monday that the country’s newborns should be expected to live an average of 80 years by 2030 – a key metric in President Xi Jinping’s “Healthy China”...

Economics

65 h. ago HSBC names veteran accountant Brendan Nelson new chairman amid Asia growth push

HSBC Holdings, the biggest lender in Hong Kong and Europe, has appointed veteran accountant Brendan Nelson as group chairman, according to its filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Wednesday. Nelson, 75, has been serving as interim chairman since October 1, replacing Mark Tucker, who stepped down to become non-executive chairman of insurer AIA. The appointment surprised the market after HSBC CEO Georges Elhedery said a day earlier at a global banking summit in London that Nelson was not...

Politics

5 d. ago China hotel guest dies after staff failed to deliver medicine, triggers liability debate

A hotel guest in central China died after the staff held on to life-saving medicine for five hours without delivering it, sparking heated online debate over the hotel’s responsibility. The 51-year-old man, surnamed Hu, was found dead in his room at a Yeste Hotel in Wuhan, Hubei province, on November 20. Hu’s death confused his friend, Han Shun, who delivered his medicine earlier that day. Han took Hu, a Wuhan local, to stay at the hotel the previous evening after he finished work in the district...

Events

1 week ago Chinese husband splits from wife who squandered US$163,000, mostly on live

A man in central China who lived a frugal life and sent all his money to his wife saw her squander it all, including tipping a male live-streamer 670,000 yuan (US$94,000). The tearful husband told Henan TV he was trying to recover half of their common property. The man, surname Liu, and his wife have been married for eight years and live in Xingyang, Henan province. He works in Zhengzhou, which is 25 km from Xingyang. After deducting his basic living expenses and a rent of just 300 yuan (US$42)...

Politics

1 week ago China businesswoman sells lotus roots to repay US$700,000 debt after living lavishly

A businesswoman from central China who once lived a life of luxury is rebuilding her future by digging up and selling lotus roots to repay five million yuan (US$700,000) of debt. According to the mainland media outlet, Changjiang Daily, 44-year-old Hu Qin from Hunan province and her husband launched a fruit business in 2012 that grew to have more than 30 shops nationwide. At its peak, Hu’s assets reportedly topped 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million). The couple lived in a villa by the Xiang River,...

Economics

1 week ago Can a single vote save Bangladesh from a return to authoritarianism?

With ex-leader Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity, Bangladesh is turning its focus towards a referendum aimed at reforming its political system and rebuilding its democratic institutions. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel laureate who assumed office after last year’s uprising, earlier this month pledged to hold a national vote on the blueprint for change, timed to coincide with February’s planned parliamentary election. But analysts have cast doubt on...

Politics

2 w. ago The Inevitable Has Happened: China Eclipses the US in Life Sciences

The Inevitable Has Happened: China Eclipses the US in Life Sciences  The Well News

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong taxi driver gets 2 years’ jail over collision that killed cyclist, 17

A Hong Kong judge has called on elderly drivers to regularly assess their ability to continue with their jobs, as she jailed a 70-year-old cabby for two years over a fatal collision that killed a teenage cyclist last year. Lau Chor-hi was sentenced on Friday for causing the death of student Wong Ho-chun, 17, after speeding along a bridge section of Kwai Tsing Road in the early hours of July 3, 2024. West Kowloon Court heard that the defendant’s taxi was moving at 85 to 103 km/h when it crashed...

Events

2 w. ago Former New China Life Insurance Chair Gets Suspended Death Sentence for Corruption

Former New China Life Insurance Chair Gets Suspended Death Sentence for Corruption  Insurance Journal

Events

2 w. ago Philippine mayor accused of spying for China is sentenced to life in prison

Philippine mayor accused of spying for China is sentenced to life in prison  NBC News

Events

2 w. ago Christie’s suspends Paris sale of world’s ‘first calculator’ invented in 1642

Christie’s said on Wednesday it was suspending the Paris auction of one of just a handful of examples of the world’s first calculating machine, developed by French mathematician and inventor Blaise Pascal in 1642. The auction of “La Pascaline” had been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, but late on Tuesday a Paris court suspended authorisation for export – meaning buyers would not be able to take it abroad. This example is one of only nine still existing and the only one believed to be in...

Economics

2 w. ago Former New China Life Insurance chairman handed suspended death sentence over corruption

Former New China Life Insurance chairman handed suspended death sentence over corruption  Reuters

Politics

2 w. ago Alleged China mole Linda Sun's lavish life in $3.6M mansion revealed during bombshell trial

Alleged China mole Linda Sun's lavish life in $3.6M mansion revealed during bombshell trial  New York Post

Events

2 w. ago Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death over 2024 uprising

A Bangladesh court sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death on Monday, concluding a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan were tried in absentia for crimes against humanity for the killing of hundreds of people during a student-led uprising in July and August of 2024. The United Nations in a February report said up to 1,400 may have been killed in the violence,...

Events

2 w. ago Justice or chaos? Bangladesh on edge as Hasina verdict looms

Bangladesh is bracing itself for a landmark court verdict on Monday that could see its self-exiled former leader Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, with the case potentially fuelling an already combustible political climate ahead of national elections. The outcome could either deliver long-awaited justice for the 1,400 students killed during a brutal crackdown last year or spark a repeat of the chaos, according to analysts. Hasina, 78, fled to India in August 2024...

Events

3 w. ago Can China balance green ambition with everyday ways of life?

In the push to meet climate goals, such as those taking centre stage at Cop30, China finds itself walking a tightrope between two laudable ambitions: ecological conservation and the green energy transition. However, beneath the triumphal rhetoric lies a set of contradictions with real social and ecological consequences. China has implemented a vast ecological red line policy by demarcating 30 per cent of its land area that encompasses wetlands, mountains and grasslands – about 3 million sq km –...

Politics

3 w. ago Opinion | Can China balance green ambition with everyday ways of life?

Opinion | Can China balance green ambition with everyday ways of life?  South China Morning Post

Politics

3 w. ago China mum takes comatose daughter to dancing daily for 10 years, then a miracle

A mother in central China who saw her comatose daughter come to life after taking her square dancing every day for 10 years has been hailed as a miracle worker. Thanks to her care and the daily dance rehabilitation, her daughter regained consciousness and can now walk, speak and care for herself. Xiao Xuefei, 59, from Hunan province, has been a full-time carer for her daughter, Yang Fang, while her husband juggles work and household duties. A decade ago, Yang fell critically ill while working in...

Politics