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Holding a by-election to fill a seat vacated by former lawmaker William Wong Kam-fai after he resigned over a drink-driving arrest is a lower priority than preparing three important polls over the next 18 months, Hong Kong’s leader has said. Weighing in on the issue for the first time nearly a month after Wong’s resignation, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu stressed that electoral authorities need...
A wildfire in southwest France grew so powerful that its smoke column became a thunderstorm, generating lightning that struck the ground and ignited new fires beyond the original blaze, French officials said. Put another way, that means the inferno was no longer simply being propelled by the weather. It was making its own. The thundercloud also produced violent, erratic winds capable of driving th...
The first tonne-class long-distance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) suitable for multiple civil purposes to be built to airworthiness standards in China – Yitong UAV System’s TP200 – completed its maiden flight on Sunday. According to a Science and Technology Daily report on Monday, the TP200 – designed to handle maritime patrols, island supply and land surveying – can stay in the air for 24 hours a...
We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Indonesia’s plan for a rival to Singapore starts to take shape Indonesia wants to build a financial centre to rival Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai, but analysts say the rea...
Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) reported a 1 per cent organic growth in the second quarter at its core fashion and leather goods division on Monday, ending seven straight quarters of decline, opening a busy week of French luxury results on a positive note. Over the first half, organic sales at the fashion and leather goods division fell 1 per cent, an improvement on the 3 per cent decline in th...
After conquering the sky and land, China’s robotics industry is quietly building momentum in a niche segment: high-altitude operation solutions. RobotPlusPlus, a Zhejiang-based robotics supplier, has made headway into the market with its flagship global offering – an autonomous climbing robot designed for ship hull cleaning and descaling. The robot was considered safer than manual labour, the comp...
A Malaysian factory worker who had spent nearly seven years building a life in South Korea was killed after going to help a friend caught up in a late-night confrontation, his family said – prompting an online fundraiser that collected about 80,000 ringgit (US$19,600) within a day to bring his body home. Ahmad Shah Ahmad Ros, 26, died in the early hours of Sunday in Daeso-eup, Eumseong county, abo...
Australia will consider building its first new oil refinery in more than 60 years, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday, as war in the Middle East squeezes supplies from overseas and underscores the urgency to improve energy security. Albanese said the project will help build Australia’s resilience and sovereign capability on fuel, potentially helping shield the country from future sup...
This article was first published on July 29, 1976. Quake rocks Northern China by Staff Reporters Heavy casualties and severe damage to industrial plants and property were feared when the strongest earthquake for 12 years struck the industrial belt of northern Hopei Province early yesterday (July 28, 1976) morning. The tremor was followed by a series of aftershocks and 16 hours after the first quak...
The Chinese government has appealed to the public for clues as part of its investigation into a reservoir dam that collapsed in southern China earlier this month, causing heavy casualties. State media reported on Monday that the public was invited to submit information related to the collapse of the Liulan Reservoir in Hengzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on July 6 via a dedicated telephone ...
NASN Intelligent Tech, a mainland Chinese smart driving motion control technologies company, is seeking to kick off its initial public offering (IPO) as soon as Thursday, according to people familiar with the matter. The company, backed by battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL), recently passed its listing hearing, signalling it could kick off its book building anytime. Debuts ar...
Malaysia once decided Formula One was too expensive to keep, but Bahrain’s displaced Grand Prix has given it an unexpected route back to the calendar, as well as a chance to test whether the sport can still deliver value without the full financial burden of a long-term comeback. Analysts say the one-off race, made possible by the war in Iran and the cancellation of April’s races in Bahrain and Sau...
US diplomats walked out as their French counterparts were speaking at the United Nations on Monday after America’s close European ally criticised the Trump administration’s human rights record. The surprise move during a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine followed US opposition to giving UN human rights chief Volker Turk another four-year term. The reappointment on Friday got overwhelming supp...
Hongkonger Ms Lam has long known she is carrying a ticking time bomb after her mother and grandmother died of liver cancer. Her mother was completely asymptomatic until a late-stage diagnosis left no option for surgery. “I knew I carried the hepatitis B virus when I was in my twenties and had since then undergone regular health check-ups to manage the bomb,” the woman in her fifties recalled. Her ...
Hong Kong’s first large-scale Northern Metropolis land disposal tender was designed to test a new public-private partnership model integrating housing, economic transformation and innovation. As the Hung Shui Kiu pilot tender concludes, the market’s response provides insights into investor sentiment and highlights opportunities to strengthen future phases. The key question is how to turn this visi...
A Chinese court issued a personal protection order to restrict a man’s behaviour after he repeatedly posted arguments with his wife in his son’s school chat groups. The Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court took this action after determining that the father’s behaviour constituted domestic violence. This case was recently publicised, igniting heated online discussions. The Shanghai man, surnamed...
Chinese scientists have uncovered the world’s oldest verified amber in the northwestern Xinjiang region, revealing that ancient plants were producing protective resin 385 million years ago, long before most animal groups had emerged to damage them. The amber – discovered in coal seams in West Junggar, part of an ancient zone where tectonic plates collided, grew and merged – pushes back the record ...
Heavy rain has led to flooding in some parts of Hong Kong’s New Territories, with some drivers struggling to navigate waterlogged roads in Tai Po even as the Observatory cancelled the amber rainstorm warning on Tuesday morning. The amber warning, earlier issued at 7.15am, meant that more than 30mm of rain had fallen in an hour, or was expected to fall generally over Hong Kong within that period an...
The Hong Kong Observatory issued an amber rainstorm warning on Tuesday morning, warning of unsettled weather over the next few days. The amber warning, issued at 7.15am, means that more than 30mm of rain has fallen in an hour, or is expected to fall generally over Hong Kong and is likely to continue. “Showers will be heavier in some areas [on Wednesday]. The weather will still be unsettled in the ...
Hong Kong environmental authorities have warned that restaurant operators must not use disposable tableware coated in plastic for dine-in service, after some owners told the South China Morning Post they were caught off guard by inspectors. The Environmental Protection Department on Monday clarified that paper products with an inner plastic lining could only be used for takeaway after a food stall...
Singapore-based investors have become the largest group of non-local buyers of commercial properties in Hong Kong, drawn by the sizeable correction in the prices of distressed assets amid a slump in the city’s office segment, according to Colliers. The demand from Singapore was likely to remain steady in the coming months, given that the prices of office assets have declined by as much as 50 per c...
Watching the sun rise over Angkor Wat once meant fighting for elbow room, a hundred phone screens glowing in the dark as tour buses disgorged crowds chasing the same postcard-perfect shot These days, the 12th century temple complex is comparatively quiet, with operators reporting an emptying of Cambodia’s most recognisable landmark. “Angkor is as quiet as I have seen it in years,” said Akim Ly, fo...
The Shenzhen Natural History Museum will open to the public on July 28 as the first dedicated large-scale institution of its kind in southern China. Spearheaded by the Shenzhen government with a total investment of 3.5 billion yuan (US$517 million) – excluding the cost of collecting artefacts – the museum, located in the Pingshan district in the northeast of the city, is among its “Ten Cultural Fa...
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to clear the way for an executive order from US President Donald Trump that could dramatically change mail-in voting ahead of November’s midterm elections. The Justice Department asked the justices to halt for now lower court decisions blocking the sweeping changes in nearly half the country. The request comes soon after Trump delivered an...
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to clear the way for an executive order from US President Donald Trump that could dramatically change mail-in voting ahead of November’s midterm elections. The Justice Department asked the justices to halt for now lower court decisions blocking the sweeping changes in nearly half the country. The request comes soon after Trump delivered an...
There were at least three suspects involved in a shoot-out at a crowded food festival near Seattle’s Space Needle over the weekend, police said Monday. One of them was among those killed in the violence. In a document filed in juvenile court in Seattle, where a 15-year-old arrested in the case waived his initial appearance Monday, police said they believe there were at least three shooters: the 15...
Police now say there were at least three suspects involved in a shoot-out at a crowded food festival near Seattle’s Space Needle over the weekend. One of them was among those killed in the violence. In a document filed in juvenile court in Seattle, where a 15-year-old arrested in the case did not appear for a scheduled initial appearance on Monday, police said they believe there were at least thre...
A judge ruled Monday that there is enough evidence to put D4vd on trial in the killing and dismemberment of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who authorities said had threatened to expose their relationship and crater the indie-pop singer’s rising career just a few days before his debut album dropped. “i will end ur career and ur life,” she told him in a text message sent the night before her d...
A judge ruled on Monday that there is enough evidence to put singer D4vd on trial in the killing and dismemberment of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez after, authorities said, she had threatened to expose their relationship and end his career. Los Angeles Judge Charlaine Olmedo decided the evidence prosecutors presented at a preliminary hearing that spanned five days provided probable cause for...
When the S&P 500, Nasdaq and Dow Jones Industrial Average hit record highs in early July, US President Donald Trump hailed it as evidence of America’s economic revival. “This is WINNING. The Golden Age of America is beginning – and we are just getting started,” he wrote in a social media post on July 4, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence. Though it was only ...
