35 m. ago Lifeline or trash? Taiwan safety guide sparks fierce debate amid Beijing threat

Taiwan’s updated crisis and war survival guide has ignited fierce political debate, hailed by officials as a lifeline amid Beijing’s mounting military pressure but blasted by critics as costly propaganda prompting fear rather than readiness. Mass distribution of In Case of Crisis: Taiwan’s National Public Safety Guide – quickly dubbed the “little orange book” – began late last month, targeting 9.83 million households. The 29-page comic-style publication explains how to stockpile food and water,...

Events

95 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

4 h. ago China’s 2 largest food and drink chains officially step foot in the US

China’s 2 largest food and drink chains officially step foot in the US  The US Sun

Politics

7 h. ago China’s He Lifeng holds ‘constructive’ call with US officials Bessent, Greer

Top Chinese and US officials held a call on Friday to discuss trade, including ongoing efforts to implement an agreement to de-escalate their countries’ trade war. Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng had an “in-depth and constructive” video call with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported. Both sides agreed to promote the stable development of bilateral trade and economic ties, and “expand the list for cooperation...

Politics

9 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

13 h. ago Netflix’s US$72 billion Warner Bros deal to reshape streaming landscape

Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros Discovery’s TV, film studios and streaming division for US$72 billion, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood’s most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer. The agreement, announced on Friday, follows a weeks-long bidding war in which Netflix offered nearly US$28-a-share, eclipsing Paramount Skydance’s close to US$24 bid for the whole of Warner Bros Discovery, including the cable TV assets slated for a spin-off. Buying the owner of...

Events

15 h. ago Bioplastics gain momentum as India and China reshape industry

Bioplastics gain momentum as India and China reshape industry  packaginginsights.com

Politics

15 h. ago China and France agree to work together on nuclear issues as Macron visit ends

China and France vowed to expand cooperation on nuclear issues and global challenges as French President Emmanuel Macron wrapped up his three-day visit to China on Friday. They reaffirmed their commitment to “promoting the safe development of nuclear energy and strengthening collaboration across the nuclear energy industry chain”, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The two nuclear powers also expressed their support for non-proliferation and underscored the key role of the International Atomic...

Politics

16 h. ago Discounts widen on Russian ESPO blend crude oil to China, sources say

Discounts widen on Russian ESPO blend crude oil to China, sources say  Reuters

Politics

16 h. ago Live: Macron calls for increasing pressure on Russian economy on last day of China visit

Live: Macron calls for increasing pressure on Russian economy on last day of China visit  France 24

Politics

16 h. ago China can’t rule Olympic cycling until provinces put own agendas aside: coach

China can’t rule Olympic cycling until provinces put own agendas aside: coach  South China Morning Post

Sport

20 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

26 h. ago Japan weighs plan to punish sex buyers, but will it be enough?

A campaigner who has been calling for changes in the law in Japan to allow the prosecution of men who pay for sex has welcomed reports that the government is finally considering the proposal. Experts warn, however, that an industry known as “the world’s oldest profession” will always find a way to circumvent new regulations and that the problem needs to be tackled from a number of angles simultaneously. In response to a question from independent Diet member Rintaro Ogata on November 11, Prime...

Politics

36 h. ago Russian Crab Exports to China Up 15% YTD; Competition Expected to Tighten

Russian Crab Exports to China Up 15% YTD; Competition Expected to Tighten  Seafoodnews

Politics

37 h. ago UK Novichok report blames Putin for ‘reckless’ poisoning of ex

Russian President Vladimir Putin must have ordered the Novichok nerve agent attack on Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in 2018, in an “astonishingly reckless” act that led to the death of an innocent woman, a UK public inquiry concluded on Thursday. Skripal was found along with his daughter Yulia slumped unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city of Salisbury in March 2018 after Novichok was applied to the front door handle of his nearby home. About four months later,...

Politics

39 h. ago China’s rich step up offshore bets as gold and insurance gain favour

China’s rich step up offshore bets as gold and insurance gain favour  South China Morning Post

Politics

41 h. ago Mainland China's billionaire count surges as BYD and Mixue bosses power wealth gains

Mainland China's billionaire count surges as BYD and Mixue bosses power wealth gains  Yahoo Finance

Economics

42 h. ago Mainland China’s billionaire count surges as BYD and Mixue bosses power gains

Mainland China’s billionaires have tightened their grip as Asia-Pacific’s wealthiest after their combined fortunes swelled to nearly US$1.8 trillion, with electric-vehicle (EV) maker BYD’s founder Wang Chuanfu and bubble tea chain Mixue’s bosses among the biggest drivers of that growth, according to a UBS report. Backed by a booming tech sector and surging asset prices, the wealth of mainland China’s billionaires jumped 22.2 per cent year on year to US$1.77 trillion in the 12 months to early...

Economics

44 h. ago China and India import more thermal coal, but price gains may weigh

China and India import more thermal coal, but price gains may weigh  Reuters

Economics

45 h. ago The pope visits Hong Kong for 3 hours in 1970 – SCMP archive

This article was first published on December 5, 1970 By Staff reporters A red letter day for Hong Kong Catholics The 73-year-old pontiff, looking fit in spite of his strenuous Asian tour, responded warmly. At times he stretched out his arms in a symbol of loving embrace, at others he blessed the crowds gathered to see him. He seemed especially pleased by the spontaneous gaiety of the greeting which 20,000 Catholic children gave him at the Happy Valley Racecourse to which he was taken by...

Politics