Alo Yoga rakes in record HK$20 million in first-week sales at Hong Kong mall
SCMP •

Alo Yoga rakes in record HK$20 million in first-week sales at Hong Kong mall

American athleisure brand Alo Yoga generated nearly HK$20 million (US$2.6 million) in sales during its first week in Hong Kong, breaking an opening-week record at a luxury waterfront shopping centre and highlighting growing appetite for premium wellness products amid an uneven retail recovery. The brand, which soft opened its first Greater China flagship at K11 Musea in Tsim Sha Tsui on September ...

Trump rebukes Zelensky, calls Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries a ‘disgrace’

Trump rebukes Zelensky, calls Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries a ‘disgrace’

SCMP •

Ukraine’s resumption of strikes on Russian refineries is ⁠a “disgrace” that keeps ⁠global energy prices elevated, US President ⁠Donald Trump told the Newsmax news outlet in an interview aired on Thursday. Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery after President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that Kyiv was abandoning a ceasefire covering energy sites that Trump had announced, ‌and criticised his willingn...

‘It’s about the underdog’: Ben Roberts-Smith launches brand to support family amid legal battle

‘It’s about the underdog’: Ben Roberts-Smith launches brand to support family amid legal battle

The Guardian •

Accused war criminal announces venture with video on Instagram of him walking along beach and working out Accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith has launched a brand, saying he needs the income to support his family and fund his legal expenses after being charged with murdering or ordering the murders of five unarmed detainees while deployed in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.Roberts-Smith launc...

China maps Israeli spoofing with flight data; new US press secretary: SCMP’s 7 highlights

China maps Israeli spoofing with flight data; new US press secretary: SCMP’s 7 highlights

SCMP •

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond 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. Chinese scientists say they spotted possible Israeli electronic warfare units Chinese military scientists claim they have developed an...

More than music: Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra strikes a chord across generations

More than music: Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra strikes a chord across generations

SCMP •

For nearly five decades, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra has worked to bring its music to a wider audience, including people who might never have considered entering a concert hall. Executive director Celina Chin Man-wah said the orchestra had long sought to ensure Chinese music was not seen as distant, formal or difficult to understand. That has meant commissioning new works, exploring different ...

College football player Tyler Ulrich dies five days after ‘traumatic injury’ during game

College football player Tyler Ulrich dies five days after ‘traumatic injury’ during game

The Guardian •

21-year-old was treated on field after injury during gameCoach pays tribute to player’s ‘quiet strength’Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma announced on Thursday that sophomore safety Tyler Ulrich has died five days after sustaining what the school called a “traumatic injury” during a game against Ouachita Baptist. Ulrich was 21.The Division II school based in Bethany, Oklahoma, did not revea...

Xi’s pledge to ‘uproot sick trees’ aired weeks ahead of Communist Party conclave

Xi’s pledge to ‘uproot sick trees’ aired weeks ahead of Communist Party conclave

SCMP •

President Xi Jinping has pledged to “uproot sick trees” in the anti-corruption fight, according to a transcript of a speech published by the Communist Party’s flagship magazine ahead of a major party conclave later this month. The warning appeared on Thursday in the magazine Qiushi, which carried fresh details of a speech Xi delivered in January at the fifth plenary session of the Central Commissi...

Xi’s pledge to ‘uproot sick trees’ aired weeks ahead of major party conclave

Xi’s pledge to ‘uproot sick trees’ aired weeks ahead of major party conclave

SCMP •

President Xi Jinping has pledged to “uproot sick trees” in the anti-corruption fight, according to a speech transcript published by the party’s flagship magazine ahead of a major party conclave later this month. The warning appeared on Thursday in the magazine Qiushi, which carried fresh details of a speech Xi delivered in January at the fifth plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipli...

Xi pledge to ‘uproot sick trees’ aired weeks ahead of major party conclave

Xi pledge to ‘uproot sick trees’ aired weeks ahead of major party conclave

SCMP •

President Xi Jinping has pledged to “uproot sick trees” in the anti-corruption fight, according to a speech transcript published by the party’s flagship magazine ahead of a major party conclave later this month. The warning appeared on Thursday in the magazine Qiushi, which carried fresh details of a speech Xi delivered in January at the fifth plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipli...

Is JD Vance campaigning for the midterms … or 2028? – podcast

Is JD Vance campaigning for the midterms … or 2028? – podcast

The Guardian •

The US vice-president is following the Donald Trump playbook, attacking the Democrats, attempting to make jokes and even swearing more. Jonathan Freedland talks to Arwa Mahdawi about why Vance is making such an effort to court votersBuy your tickets to the Guardian’s post-midterm live event, hosted by Jonathan FreedlandWatch Jonathan Freedland on our new Politics Weekly YouTube channelSend your qu...

Number of cloned number plates on UK roads at record high, data shows

Number of cloned number plates on UK roads at record high, data shows

The Guardian •

More than 11,400 drivers last year were fined for offences they did not recognise as RAC says system needs reformThe number of reported “cloned” vehicles involved in offences on UK roads has reached a record high, official data shows.More than 11,400 drivers contacted the DVLA last year after being issued with fines for offences they said they did not recognise or accept responsibility for – most ...

Future of western security is at stake in Yemen civil war, says country’s former PM

Future of western security is at stake in Yemen civil war, says country’s former PM

The Guardian •

Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed says Iran-backed militia’s use of drones represents ‘new era of radical terrorism’The future of western security is being fought out in the mountains and hills surrounding the south-western Yemeni city of Taiz, the country’s former prime minster has said.Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, now an adviser to Yemen’s president, said it would be catastrophic if the city fell to the Iran-ba...

French police accused over war-like injuries to teenagers in school protests

French police accused over war-like injuries to teenagers in school protests

The Guardian •

Four children allegedly ‘mutilated’ by explosive weapons and lawyers say unprecedented number held in custodyFrench lawyers and rights groups have said that several teenagers have suffered war-like injuries from police weapons used during school protests, and an unprecedented number of children have been held in police custody, some of whom reported being hit or racially insulted.France is in the ...

Chilling details emerge of mass shooting plot targeting US Hindu temple

Chilling details emerge of mass shooting plot targeting US Hindu temple

SCMP •

Illinois authorities believe a 19-year-old man charged with planning a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in suburban Chicago entered the building’s car park on Sunday, hours before police arrested him near his home after receiving a tip about the alleged attack plan. Authorities announced Wednesday that they had arrested Alexandros Paporakis and provided the additional detail about his suspected mov...

Hong Kong vies for role in robotics boom with launch of embodied AI hub

Hong Kong vies for role in robotics boom with launch of embodied AI hub

SCMP •

The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) opened the city’s first experimental hub for embodied artificial intelligence on Thursday with the participation of seven mainland and Hong Kong companies, including industry leaders Unitree Robotics and Galbot, as the city looks to carve out a role in the global robotics boom. Located at the HKPC Building in Kowloon Tong, the Embodied AI International App...

Indonesian durian farmers stand to benefit from minister’s visit to China

Indonesian durian farmers stand to benefit from minister’s visit to China

SCMP •

Indonesian officials, looking to alleviate poverty in their country and eyeing the rise of rural economies in China, are turning to Beijing for help that may include stoking the exports of a potentially lucrative durian crop. Indonesian Transmigration Minister Muhammad Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara began a seven-day visit to China on Monday, with Indonesia’s state-owned Antara news agency saying co...

Is Philippines geared for El Nino? Critics say water-planning has run dry

Is Philippines geared for El Nino? Critics say water-planning has run dry

SCMP •

As the Philippines braces for months of drought and shortages in key resources due to the current El Nino season, questions are mounting over whether it could have prepared better to deal with a crisis that has been predicted well in advance. The government’s haphazard response to El Nino reflects its persistent track record of failing to do adequate disaster and infrastructure planning, according...