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Hong Kong police investigate viral video of dog in washing machine
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Hong Kong police investigate viral video of dog in washing machine

Hong Kong police are investigating social media videos that appear to show a dog trapped inside an operating washing machine. Police confirmed on Sunday that they had received a report the previous night about a video circulating on a social media platform showing a suspect treating a dog inappropriately. Two Instagram stories that surfaced on Saturday night showed a dog inside a front-loading was...

Can Southeast Asian artists replicate K-pop’s global success with SEA-pop?
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Can Southeast Asian artists replicate K-pop’s global success with SEA-pop?

At Tower Records in Tokyo’s Shibuya district earlier this month, fans flocked to a pop-up store set up for Filipino boy band SB19, buying exclusive merchandise including limited-edition CDs, T-shirts, stickers and phone straps. Due to overwhelming demand, the store ran for an additional five days. During the band’s tour in Japan, SB19 met fans in Yokohama and performed in Tokyo and Osaka during th...

1 dead and 5 wounded in shooting at a rave in northern Switzerland
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1 dead and 5 wounded in shooting at a rave in northern Switzerland

A shooting at a rave in the northern Swiss canton of Aargau left one person dead and five wounded early on Sunday, local police and media reported. Police said they are looking for potentially more than one suspect. Aargau cantonal police wrote earlier on social media that a 22-year-old woman died of injuries at the scene in Aarau, the canton’s capital. Four men and one woman, between 24 and 27 ye...

1 killed as shooting erupts at rave party in Switzerland
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1 killed as shooting erupts at rave party in Switzerland

One person was killed and five others were wounded, some of them seriously, in a shooting at a rave party in northern Switzerland, local police said on Sunday. “The search for the perpetrators, whose identities are currently unknown, is under way,” they said on social media, adding that the motives and exact circumstances were not yet known. Earlier, officers said the incident in Aarau, north of Z...

Shooting erupts at a rave party in Switzerland

Shooting erupts at a rave party in Switzerland

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A number of people were hit by gunfire near a rave in northern Switzerland overnight, local police said on Sunday. The incident in Aarau, north of Zurich, left “multiple victims” and prompted a “large-scale” police response, officers said on social media, without elaborating. Swiss newspaper Blick reported on its website that the shots were fired before 3am (local time) on the sidelines of the Aar...

Could joint oil and gas projects help ease Beijing and Manila’s South China Sea tensions?

Could joint oil and gas projects help ease Beijing and Manila’s South China Sea tensions?

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China and the Philippines have been urged to resume joint South China Sea energy exploration as a way of easing tensions in the disputed waters. A joint report by Chinese and Philippine analysts also said the two countries should work together in other “low-sensitivity” areas such as marine environmental protection and combating crime at sea. The report, published on Monday by the Shanghai Institu...

Will Hong Kong see fewer creditor-led commercial property sales as assets stabilise?

Will Hong Kong see fewer creditor-led commercial property sales as assets stabilise?

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Financial distress in Hong Kong’s commercial property market has moderated but not been completely eliminated, analysts say, with highly leveraged asset owners still expected to find refinancing their loans a challenge. The city’s office and retail property segments have been mired in a multi-year slump, with new supply outstripping demand in recent years as consumption slowed and interest rates s...

Northern Metropolis ‘large-scale land disposal’ a win-win, Paul Chan says

Northern Metropolis ‘large-scale land disposal’ a win-win, Paul Chan says

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Fast-tracking the Northern Metropolis through a “large-scale land disposal” scheme underscores the government’s push to integrate technology, industry and talent while accelerating Hong Kong’s economic restructuring, the finance chief has said. In a blog post on Sunday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the megaproject’s success hinged on attracting “high-value-added, high-potential industr...

Finland says it ‘makes no sense’ for Russia to risk attack on a Nato nation

Finland says it ‘makes no sense’ for Russia to risk attack on a Nato nation

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Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said he did not believe ⁠Russia would risk ⁠an attack against a Nato country, ⁠telling Germany’s Bild newspaper it would “make no sense” to test the resolve of the alliance. Western officials have warned of a growing risk of Russian hybrid operations, including cyberattacks, against European countries potentially leading to a direct ‌confrontation with the Nato ...

China-Nepal floods: 261 foreigners listed missing in Tibet, cyber police target rumours

China-Nepal floods: 261 foreigners listed missing in Tibet, cyber police target rumours

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China said on Sunday that 261 foreign citizens were missing after last week’s deadly floods along the border between its Tibet autonomous region and Nepal. The missing foreigners were from 23 different countries and included 104 Nepalese citizens, authorities in Tibet’s Gyirong county told reporters. Also unaccounted for are 49 people from India; 33 Latvians; 18 from the United States; 15 from Bri...

China-Nepal floods: hundreds of foreigners missing in Tibet after disaster

China-Nepal floods: hundreds of foreigners missing in Tibet after disaster

SCMP

The Chinese authorities said on Sunday that 261 foreign citizens were missing after last week’s deadly floods along the border between Tibet and Nepal. The Tibetan authorities said that the missing foreigners were from 23 different countries and included 104 Nepalese citizens. They also included 49 from India; 33 Latvians; 18 from the United States; 15 from Britain; six each from Canada and Austra...

Legal battle over Hong Kong tycoon Lim Por-yen’s HK$2.9b estate set to rumble on

Legal battle over Hong Kong tycoon Lim Por-yen’s HK$2.9b estate set to rumble on

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A 15-year legal battle over late tycoon Lim Por-yen’s HK$2.9 billion (US$371.8 million) estate is set to continue, with rival parties preparing for further legal action after a Hong Kong court ruled that his third wife and children were entitled to inherit part of his estate. Lim’s estate lodged an appeal after losing the legal battle last year, while Pearl Ling Meng-chu, daughter of Lim’s third w...

Wife of British man who died after turbulence sues Singapore Airlines

Wife of British man who died after turbulence sues Singapore Airlines

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The wife of a British passenger who died after severe turbulence struck Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ321 in May 2024 has begun legal proceedings against the carrier in Britain, seeking damages after she suffered serious spinal injuries in the incident. Linda Kitchen, 74, broke her back during the flight and has begun High Court proceedings seeking damages to help her access specialist support...

Reviving Kuala Lumpur: can Malaysia modernise without pricing out its past?

Reviving Kuala Lumpur: can Malaysia modernise without pricing out its past?

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A yellowing receipt, framed behind glass near the entrance of Abdul Razak Gold House, records an address that no longer officially exists: “63 Ampang Street, Kuala Lumpur (Malaya)”. The shop’s modern glass frontage, polished counters and gleaming bullion cases give little away about its history. But step inside and that simple receipt serves as a small window onto pre-independence Malaysia. For si...

‘Green miracle’: US teacher returns to China after 26 years to find donation grew into forest

‘Green miracle’: US teacher returns to China after 26 years to find donation grew into forest

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A retired American teacher has reunited with a Chinese farmer 26 years after their initial encounter, returning to the once-barren sandy landscape transformed by his generous donation into a lush green environment. In 1999, Ronald Sakolsky, now 67, was teaching English in Luoyang, Henan province, central-eastern China, when he discovered Inner Mongolian farmer Yin Yuzhen’s efforts to combat desert...

Human-wildlife clashes on the rise in China’s Giant Panda National Park

Human-wildlife clashes on the rise in China’s Giant Panda National Park

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Friction between humans and wild animals at China’s Giant Panda National Park intensified significantly over the past decade as conservation efforts expanded, a new study has found. Farmers reported increasing losses between 2015 and 2024, stemming from damage to property and crops as well as attacks on humans and livestock. The team behind the study said the issue had become the most prominent ch...

Human-wild animal clashes on the rise in China’s Giant Panda National Park

Human-wild animal clashes on the rise in China’s Giant Panda National Park

SCMP

Friction between humans and wild animals at China’s Giant Panda National Park intensified significantly over the past decade as conservation efforts expanded, a new study has found. Farmers reported increasing losses between 2015 and 2024 stemming from damage to property and crops as well as attacks on humans and livestock. The team behind the study said the issue had become the most prominent cha...

JD.com’s US$1.3b expansion could test Hong Kong’s footfall-driven retail property model

JD.com’s US$1.3b expansion could test Hong Kong’s footfall-driven retail property model

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JD.com’s rapid expansion in Hong Kong could challenge the property model that has long made the city’s busiest streets and shopping centres its most valuable, analysts say. The Chinese e-commerce giant has invested more than HK$10 billion (US$1.3 billion) in Hong Kong property over the past two years, building a network of stores, warehouses and other assets that analysts said could reduce the imp...

Former UN official says Hong Kong’s low fertility offers opportunity. Here’s how

Former UN official says Hong Kong’s low fertility offers opportunity. Here’s how

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Hong Kong’s low fertility rate is an opportunity rather than a challenge and gives the city a chance to become a global leader in building a child-friendly environment, a former UN resident coordinator in China has said. Siddharth Chatterjee, who held the role from 2021 until March this year, said Hong Kong could create a “pioneering blueprint” for others to follow if it could earn the status of a...

‘Chilling effect’: Japan’s whistle-blowers weigh high price of speaking out

‘Chilling effect’: Japan’s whistle-blowers weigh high price of speaking out

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Yutaka Kato* knew there would be risks when he reported suspected misconduct by his employer to Japanese authorities. What he did not expect, he said, was a 47.88 million yen (US$300,000) damages claim from that employer – the Japanese subsidiary of US-listed medical device manufacturer STAAR Surgical – along with the prospect of years in court and the uncertainty of whether he would ever return t...

North Korea’s defence minister dismissed in reshuffle of military leadership

North Korea’s defence minister dismissed in reshuffle of military leadership

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North Korea’s defence minister has been dismissed as part of a reshuffle of the country’s military leadership, state media reported Sunday. The “structural reorganisation plans” were decided during a meeting on Saturday led by Kim Jong-un, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. No Kwang-chol was not only dismissed as defence minister but also demoted in the ruling party leadership to “first v...

Is the Irtysh River the choke-free Arctic shipping gateway that China needs?

Is the Irtysh River the choke-free Arctic shipping gateway that China needs?

SCMP

As conflicts around the world highlight the vulnerability of global shipping lanes, China and Russia are reportedly weighing the possibility of turning a vast river into an inland cargo route to the rest of the world. At the heart of this ambition is the 4,248km (2,640-mile) Irtysh River, which originates in China’s western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and runs through Kazakhstan before flowin...

Jason Arday’s death is not just a ‘woke Cambridge’ tragedy

Jason Arday’s death is not just a ‘woke Cambridge’ tragedy

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Three weeks ago, I watched with horror the car crash of Cambridge professor Jason Arday’s public unravelling. You know the story: allegations about plagiarism; then more accusations, headlines and people announcing they had always felt “something was off”. It was less an investigation than a very British public audit involving spreadsheets, screenshots and the enthusiasm normally reserved for catc...

Trump steps up stunts as US midterms loom

Trump steps up stunts as US midterms loom

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From trolling Canada about a lake to suddenly talking about Kim Jong-un, US President Donald Trump’s recent distractions speak louder than words. The former reality television star has long been known for his reliance upon a simple tactic: when you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation. But the 80-year-old’s recent stunts appear to be even more targeted than usual at wrestling the ...

Far-right activist Milo Yiannopoulos deported after immigration arrest in US

Far-right activist Milo Yiannopoulos deported after immigration arrest in US

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British far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported back to the UK after his arrest by American immigration authorities, US officials said on Saturday. The US Department of Homeland Security said Yiannopoulos was returned to his home country on Friday after being accused of overstaying after entering the US legally in May 2019. An immigration judge had issued a final order of removal...

Nepal floods: rescuers send air pipe into tunnel with trapped workers

Nepal floods: rescuers send air pipe into tunnel with trapped workers

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Nepali army rescuers broke through to a hydropower tunnel on Saturday and began pumping air and sending a camera inside, raising hopes of reaching workers trapped since devastating floods struck the site three days earlier. Nepal’s government says more than 100 workers may still be alive and trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects, with rescue efforts focused on the Trishuli 3A and 3B sites....

Man held after laundry capsules dumped into pond, killing catfish and injuring turtles

Man held after laundry capsules dumped into pond, killing catfish and injuring turtles

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Hong Kong police have arrested a 42-year-old man after he allegedly dumped laundry capsules into a pond, killing a catfish and injuring 30 turtles in Ma On Shan, the South China Morning Post has learned. Police said on Saturday that officers were alerted on Wednesday by a security guard who found a large amount of foam in a pond at a residential estate on Kam Ying Road where turtles were kept. The...

Chinese coastguard has 0.3% chance of using weapons in disputed waters, war game suggests

Chinese coastguard has 0.3% chance of using weapons in disputed waters, war game suggests

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A Chinese coastguard ship is shielding a cluster of fishing boats when several small, fast vessels begin circling – sometimes darting closer, sometimes backing off. Are they just curious fishermen? Or are they probing for a weak spot, trying to lure the patrol ship into a trap? In the real world, a split-second decision could escalate a tense maritime stand-off into something far more dangerous. T...

Xi, Putin to meet in Bishkek for Power of Siberia 2 pipeline talks: Kremlin

Xi, Putin to meet in Bishkek for Power of Siberia 2 pipeline talks: Kremlin

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss the Power of Siberia 2 project in a meeting in Bishkek on Monday, according to the Kremlin. The meeting in Kyrgyzstan’s capital will be their second face-to-face talks this year, following Putin’s trip to Beijing shortly after a visit there by US President Donald Trump. “The issue will be discussed bilaterally,”...