53 m. ago US safety agency investigators to assist Hong Kong with fatal plane crash probe

A United States’ transport safety agency is deploying five investigators to Hong Kong to assist with the city’s probe into the cargo plane crash that killed two security workers, while the four aircrew involved have met with local authorities. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent US government agency responsible for investigating civil transport accidents, said on social media that it would send its team to Hong Kong to assist with the probe into the plane crash. “The...

Events

57 m. ago Russia launches deadly barrage on Ukraine after Putin–Trump summit shelved

Russia launched multiple drone and missile strikes on Ukraine as the latest peace attempts by US President Donald Trump appeared to be floundering. The attack killed at least six civilians, including two children, with more than a dozen injured across the country in the early hours of Wednesday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X. Zelensky said that 10 regions came under attack, including Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipro, adding that while the attack primarily targeted energy...

Politics

81 m. ago Hong Kong’s Wine and Dine Festival: how to taste the best of all worlds

The Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival is back this year with the promise of more exclusive events, award-winning food, finer wines, and longer hours, to help attract about 150,000 visitors. Here, the Post unpacks what is on offer so you can make the most of your visit. 1. What’s new at the Wine and Dine Festival? The 2025 edition, themed “Remix – Best of All Worlds”, features several updates to elevate the visitor experience, with the return of a special dinner featuring Michelin-starred chefs...

Politics

96 m. ago China’s double threat, a hidden card in the trade war: 7 science highlights

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘Potassium railway’: China’s hidden card in the trade war For over a decade, China has invested heavily to build a dual-purpose passenger and freight railway through the thick rainforest between Kunming and Vientiane, the capital of Laos. This railway has become a critical conduit for China to secure potassium...

Events

1 hour ago Return to China of cancer researcher Wang Qianben reunites esteemed family

The recent return to China of cancer researcher and professor Wang Qianben marks the reunion of a family of high-achieving Chinese scientists and the culmination of a decades-long journey for Wang Qi, a renowned traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) researcher in Beijing In the 1970s, Wang Qi bestowed upon his two sons names laden with ambition – Wang Qianfei (“to fly forward”) and Wang Qianben (“to run forward”). Now, both his children have returned home from the United States as distinguished...

Science

1 hour ago Singapore hospital counters woman’s illegal restraint, forced injection claims

Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore on Tuesday defended the actions of a clinical team that attended to one of its patients after the woman claimed that she was mistreated at the hospital. “We are aware of recent online posts by a patient alleging that her treatment at our hospital was insensitive and inappropriate. We take the allegations seriously,” the hospital said in a social media post. “Our clinical team’s actions were guided by our foremost duty to ensure the safety and well-being of the...

Events

2 h. ago 12 Hong Kong children hospitalised with flu prompt urgent vaccination calls

Twelve children have been admitted to intensive care with influenza since September, Hong Kong’s health minister has said, urging parents to arrange vaccinations as soon as possible. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau renewed calls for flu vaccination on Wednesday after two more severe paediatric cases were reported on consecutive days, both involving two-year-old children. Lo said the summer flu season begun unusually late, in early September, and warned of a possible overlap between the summer...

Science

2 h. ago Why Tibetan New Year offers feast for dogs and divinatory significance of food choices

In China’s autonomous region of Tibet, during one of the region’s New Year celebrations, a tradition places the fate of households in the paws of their most loyal resident, the family dog. The unusual ritual known as “Inviting the Dog to the Feast” involves families presenting their dog with a meticulously arranged meal of sacred offerings. Each bite is believed to hold divinatory significance, predicting the household’s prosperity in the coming year. Unlike the main Tibetan New Year, the...

Politics

3 h. ago Peru declares state of emergency in capital to combat spiralling crime

Peru’s interim president Jose Jeri announced a state of emergency in Lima and the neighbouring port of Callao on Tuesday, after weeks of anti-government protests over corruption and organised crime. “The state of emergency approved by the Council of Ministers will take effect at midnight on Wednesday and will last for 30 days in Metropolitan Lima and Callao,” Jeri said in an address to the nation broadcast by state television. Under the state of emergency, the government can send the army to...

Events

3 h. ago Outspoken Hong Kong lawmaker Doreen Kong, 55, will not seek second term in Legco

Hong Kong lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon, known for her outspoken views, has announced that she will not seek a second term in the coming Legislative Council election, saying she wants to shift her focus back to her legal practice. Her decision, revealed on Wednesday, brings the number of incumbent legislators who are stepping down to 22 – nearly a quarter of the current 89 members. Kong, 55, also said she was preparing an online platform which would allow her to analyse public affairs and...

Politics

3 h. ago China’s youth jobless rate falls but remains high after record graduation season

China’s urban youth unemployment rate edged lower last month but remained at a concerning level amid ongoing struggles for many young people to find work in a challenging and crowded job market. The jobless rate for the 16 to 24 age group, excluding students, dipped to 17.7 per cent in September from 18.9 per cent in August. Financial news outlet Cailian reported the figure on Wednesday, citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics. The August figure had hit the highest level since the...

Politics

4 h. ago New Chinese drone spotted flying for the first time. Is it a next

A new Chinese stealth flying-wing drone, possibly a next-generation bomber, has been spotted flying for the first time. A video of the large stealth “cranked kite” drone, unofficially dubbed the GJ-X, has circulated on Chinese social media since October 19. It appeared to be the same aircraft – or one with a very similar design – captured in satellite imagery taken in August at China’s Malan airbase in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, according to a report by The War Zone earlier this week. The...

Events

4 h. ago What’s behind the calls for Mindanao to secede from the Philippines?

Calls for Mindanao’s secession from the Philippines have erupted anew after a sitting lawmaker released a viral video echoing rhetoric once championed by former president Rodrigo Duterte, in a move analysts warn risks inflaming tensions and destabilising an already volatile political landscape. Observers say the renewed push, amplified by the ex-president’s allies and a network of online influencers, appears aimed at deflecting attention from corruption scandals and an ongoing International...

Politics

5 h. ago North Korea prepares for Apec – with a ballistic missile launch

With the Apec summit in South Korea just days away, the nuclear-armed North fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday in an apparent bid to remind the world of its growing arsenal. The launch, occurring against the backdrop of deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia, has reignited fears of escalating provocations and their implications for global stability. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the missile, presumed to be a Hwasong-11da-4.5, was launched from North Hwanghae...

Events

5 h. ago KPop Demon Hunters headed to toy stores as Netflix taps Mattel, Hasbro

Netflix is teaming up with Mattel and Hasbro to turn its blockbuster animated film KPop Demon Hunters into toys, deepening a consumer-goods push that could help diversify its revenue. The partnerships, announced on Tuesday, will produce toys, collectibles, games and role-play products based on the film, which follows a successful female K-pop trio that plays massive concerts while trying to save the world from sinister forces. The first products from the tie-up will be released next year. Since...

Politics

5 h. ago Pandas give Hong Kong’s Ocean Park boost but deficit worsens to HK$275 million

The fervour for giant pandas and their cubs in Hong Kong brought in more visitors and revenue to Ocean Park, their home, but other expenses ate into its financial health and worsened its deficit last year. The theme park’s deficit widened to HK$274.7 million (US$31.8 million) in the 12 months to June 30 from HK$71.6 million in the same period a year earlier, due to higher expenses such as depreciation, at HK$414 million, according to a document it submitted to the Legislative Council on...

Economics

6 h. ago Doing ‘fantastic job’: Australian PM defends envoy Rudd amid Trump’s dislike

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese endorsed Australia’s ambassador in Washington as doing a “fantastic job”, describing comments by US President Donald Trump that he does not like Kevin Rudd as “lighthearted”. Australia’s main conservative opposition party has called for Rudd, a former Labor prime minister, to be sacked after Trump made the comments at a press briefing in Washington on Monday. Asked by an Australian reporter about Rudd’s past criticism of the president on social media, and told...

Politics

6 h. ago Nexperia crisis: how geopolitics disrupts a global chip supply chain

The ongoing dispute between China and the Netherlands over chipmaker Nexperia has highlighted how geopolitical tensions can disrupt an otherwise smooth global supply chain, according to analysts. Based in Nijmegen, Netherlands, Nexperia exemplifies a typical multinational company with front-end fabrication plants in Hamburg, Germany, and Manchester, UK, as well as back-end assembly facilities across Asia, including Dongguan, China; Laguna, the Philippines; and Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The...

Politics

7 h. ago Hong Kong temperatures fall to 18.4 degrees Celsius, lowest so far this autumn

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong recorded a minimum temperature of 18.4 degrees Celsius (65 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, the lowest this autumn so far, according to the weather forecaster. The chilly morning was caused by an intense northeast monsoon, while the outer rainbands of Severe Tropical Storm Fengshen continued to bring scattered showers to the coast of Guangdong and the...

Politics

7 h. ago Japan Post stops forcing delivery staff to ride bicycles as punishment

Japan Post has scrapped a controversial practice of forcing delivery workers involved in minor accidents to complete their rounds by bicycle – even in extreme heat – after admitting the measure “could be perceived” as workplace harassment. The decision followed an internal investigation into an incident involving a delivery worker who was instructed to continue his rounds by bicycle for two weeks during a summer heatwave, despite daytime temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees...

Politics