Flight delays, diversions after fire at Bangladesh airport cargo terminal Flights out of Bangladesh’s main airport were delayed or diverted on Saturday after a major fire broke out in the cargo terminal, officials said. Thirty-six firefighting units were working to douse the flames, said Talha Bin Zasim, an officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defence Media Cell. Operations at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport were suspended, airport official Masudul Hasan told reporters, adding all aircraft were safe. There was no immediate information as to what may...

South China Morning Post

Flight delays, diversions after fire at Bangladesh airport cargo terminal

Firefighting units are working to douse the flames, with operations at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport suspended.

Pakistan, Afghanistan to hold peace talks in Qatar after latest clashes Pakistan and Afghan officials were due to meet in Qatar on Saturday, a day after Islamabad launched air strikes that killed at least 10 people in Afghanistan and broke a ceasefire that had brought two days of calm to the border. The strikes targeted what Pakistan security sources said was a militant group linked to the Pakistani Taliban in the Afghan border areas, following an attack that killed Pakistani paramilitary troops in North Waziristan, a district in Pakistan’s northwest. Kabul accused...

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Pakistan, Afghanistan hold peace talks in Qatar after latest clashes

Kabul accused Islamabad of violating a recent ceasefire following cross-border clashes that killed dozens of troops and civilians.

Robots take centre stage at Canton Fair, defying US tariff concerns At the autumn session of the twice-yearly Canton Fair – China’s oldest and largest trade exhibition – which opened this week, the busiest pavilions were those showcasing robotics, smart manufacturing and new energy vehicles. At the exhibition halls in Guangzhou, the capital of southern China’s Guangdong province, cameras flashed, crowds surged and long queues formed at booths displaying hi-tech products, with concerns about the shadows cast by US tariff increases thin on the ground. The sales...

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Robots take centre stage at Canton Fair, defying US tariff concerns

Booths displaying hi-tech products attract plenty of potential buyers at China’s oldest and biggest trade exhibition.

Dozens injured at memorial for revered Kenyan politician Odinga: Red Cross Dozens of mourners were injured on Saturday at a memorial service for Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga as crowds swelled, with some in critical condition taken to a nearby hospital, a Kenyan Red Cross official said. A Reuters witness saw injured people receiving treatment at the scene in the city of Kisumu in western Kenya, the political heartland of Odinga’s Luo tribe. The Standard newspaper had said on X that hundreds had been injured. Two people were killed and more than 160 others were...

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Dozens injured at memorial for revered Kenyan politician Odinga: Red Cross

Large crowds turn out for a memorial service for opposition leader Raila Odinga, who died on Wednesday, with some getting into a scuffle.

Racing chief hails Ka Ying Rising’s ‘phenomenal’ win, city’s world-leader status Hong Kong’s Ka Ying Rising cemented his place as racing’s best sprinter with a dominant victory in the world’s richest turf race, The Everest, in Sydney on Saturday, a moment trainer David Hayes called “the biggest thrill in my life”. The 5-year-old star became the first overseas horse to claim the title, earning A$7 million (HK$35 million) in little more than the minute it took to cover the 1,200 metres at Royal Randwick. His 14th consecutive victory, but a first outside Hong Kong, took Ka Ying...

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Racing chief hails Ka Ying Rising’s ‘phenomenal’ win, city’s world-leader status

Dominant victory in world’s richest race on grass confirms Hong Kong horse as the best sprinter there is.

‘Massive job’ ahead to rebuild ruined Gaza, UN aid chief says The United Nations’ aid chief took stock of the monumental task of restoring basic necessities in the devastated Gaza Strip on Saturday, as Israel and Hamas exchanged more human remains. In a short convoy of white UN jeeps, relief coordinator Tom Fletcher and his team wound their way through the twisted rubble of shattered homes to inspect a wastewater treatment plant in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City. “I drove through here seven to eight months ago when most of these buildings were still...

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‘Massive job’ ahead to rebuild ruined Gaza, UN aid chief says

Relief coordinator Tom Fletcher says aid agencies aim to bring in food and tents, rebuild the health sector and get children back in school.

Hong Kong homebuyers flock to Henderson Land project in Wan Chai Hong Kong homebuyers snapped up new flats at a Henderson Land project in Wan Chai in the latest sign of a real-estate market recovery. By early evening on Saturday, all 75 units on offer at the Woodis residential development on Wood Road were sold out, according to property agents. The buying spree aligns with market expectations, following Henderson’s decision to price the units competitively with neighbouring flats in the secondary market. The average discounted price was set at HK$23,224...

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Hong Kong homebuyers flock to Henderson Land project in Wan Chai

All 75 new flats on offer at the Woodis residential development on Saturday are sold out.

Battery fire aboard Air China flight to South Korea forces emergency landing An Air China flight from Hangzhou to Seoul was forced to make an emergency landing in Shanghai on Saturday after a lithium battery caught fire in the plane’s cabin. In a statement on social media, Air China confirmed the incident. “On October 18, on flight CA139 from Hangzhou to Incheon, a lithium battery in a passenger’s carry-on luggage stored in the overhead compartment spontaneously ignited,” the airline said. The crew handled the situation quickly, it added, and “to ensure flight safety”,...

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Battery fire aboard Air China flight to South Korea forces emergency landing

No injuries reported as plane departing Hangzhou for Seoul diverts to Shanghai.

Hong Kong arts hub cancels gay-themed play hours before tickets go on sale Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District cancelled a gay-themed play set to be staged at its Xiqu Centre less than two hours before tickets went on sale on Saturday, citing complaints the piece promoted confrontation and defamed the city. The author of We Are Gay, Candace Chong Mui-ngam, was also attacked in a 1,000-word opinion piece in the pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po Chinese-language newspaper for “building her happiness on Hongkongers’ pain”. “It is with regret that we announce the cancellation...

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Hong Kong arts hub cancels gay-themed play hours before tickets go on sale

Hub’s authority says We Are Gay attracted complaints it invited confrontation and defamed city, while author attacked in opinion piece in Wen Wei...

Pope Leo visits ship sailing the Mediterranean on peace mission Arm in arm, young people of different faiths perform the dabke, an Arabic folk dance, in the Italian port of Ostia, elated by a visit from Pope Leo. Behind them is the Bel Espoir, a schooner vessel on which the young people – whether from Libya and Egypt or France and Bosnia – have been sailing the Mediterranean to promote peace. “For me especially, it means a lot that the pope believes in the project and he wants to come and meet us,” said Jesus Marro, a 30-year-old Spaniard. “He believes in...

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Pope Leo visits ship sailing the Mediterranean on peace mission

Young people of different faiths have been sailing the Mediterranean on the Bel Espoir schooner vessel to promote peace and dialogue.

China-Canada ties on the mend after Ottawa’s ‘pragmatic’ shift: analysts China and Canada are showing a readiness to mend mutual ties as both nations tackle strained relations with the US, marking a shift by Ottawa that analysts have described as “pragmatic”. Beijing was willing to restart dialogue and exchanges “at all levels” and rebuild trust with Ottawa, top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said as he met Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand during her two-day trip to China. Friday’s meeting in Beijing came just over a week after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney...

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China-Canada ties on the mend after Ottawa’s ‘pragmatic’ shift: analysts

Beijing states a willingness to restart dialogue and exchanges ‘at all levels’ as top diplomat Wang Yi meets with Canadian counterpart.

Nexperia said to halt salaries and system access for Chinese employees Nexperia has withheld access to work accounts and halted salaries for its employees in China, according to local news reports citing a letter from the Chinese unit of the Dutch chipmaker, marking the latest escalation in a growing political dispute between the Netherlands and China. The Chinese unit of Nexperia informed customers on Friday that it had been notified by headquarters that salary payments would cease and employees’ access to company systems would be suspended, according to Chinese...

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Nexperia said to halt salaries and system access for Chinese employees

European management appears to be ‘abandoning’ the Chinese market, the company’s China unit says in a letter to clients.

Iran says no longer bound by ‘restrictions’ on nuclear programme as deal ends Iran on Saturday said it was no longer bound by restrictions on its nuclear programme as a landmark 10-year deal between it and world powers expired, though Tehran reiterated its “commitment to diplomacy”. The 2015 deal – signed in Vienna by Iran, China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States – saw the lifting of international sanctions against the Islamic republic in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear programme. But the pact had already been in tatters after Washington...

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Iran says no longer bound by ‘restrictions’ on nuclear programme as deal ends

The 2015 deal signed with world powers began to fall apart years ago after the US unilaterally withdrew and reinstated sanctions.

Expelled Chinese generals ‘disloyal’, dealt ‘serious blow’ to army: PLA Daily China has accused the nine generals expelled from the Communist Party on Friday of seriously undermining the principle that the military should be loyal to the party and dealing a serious blow to the army’s unity and the image of senior officers. An editorial published by PLA Daily on Saturday also said the nine generals – including He Weidong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and a member of the 24-man Politburo – were “being disloyal” and losing their “chastity”. It...

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Sacked Chinese generals ‘disloyal’, dealt ‘serious blow’ to military: PLA Daily

Editorial’s scathing criticism of senior officers echoes language used when former defence chief Wei Fenghe was sacked last year.

Japan’s political turmoil will weigh heavily on its economy, and beyond Are politicians dispensable, and can elite bureaucrats run a country more efficiently? The question has become one of more than academic importance in Japan, where the political situation has degenerated into chaos as potential leaders and their parties vie for power. This is a question that has considerable economic and financial as well as political significance. Japan is a key trade, investment and security partner to other leading nations in and beyond Asia and its financial markets are...

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Macroscope | Japan’s political turmoil will weigh heavily on its economy, and beyond

More than just who heads the government, the fate of Japan’s leadership race has implications for markets, regional economies and geopolitics.

Hong Kong police bust vice ring exploiting minors, arrest 18-year-old mastermind Hong Kong police have dismantled a local vice syndicate allegedly led by an 18-year-old woman, which exploited underage girls for sex services, arresting 58 people in two crackdowns. Yim Wan-ha, Kowloon West chief inspector of police, said on Saturday that the force recently apprehended 23 people in a crackdown on the local syndicate suspected of recruiting teenage girls for prostitution through online social platforms and youth hang-out spots with the lure of quick money. “Core members befriend...

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Hong Kong police bust vice ring exploiting minors, arrest 18-year-old mastermind

Force says local syndicate allegedly recruited teenage girls for prostitution through online social platforms and youth hang-out spots with the lur...

Guangdong motorists must follow Hong Kong laws under new scheme: transport chief Motorists from mainland China entering Hong Kong under a new travel scheme must abide by the city’s laws, the transport minister has warned. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan also said that authorities would have systems in place to track their unpaid penalties through their registered mainland payment methods. Under the “Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles” scheme, motorists from the southern Chinese province will be able to apply to drive into Hong Kong next month. The...

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Guangdong motorists must follow Hong Kong laws under new scheme: transport chief

Hong Kong authorities will have systems in place to track unpaid traffic fines through registered mainland payment methods.

Thailand, Singapore investigate Chen Zhi’s group after Western fraud allegations Authorities in Thailand and Singapore are looking into a Cambodian real estate group after the United States and Britain imposed sanctions on the company’s chairman on allegations of fraud and money laundering. Surapol Prembutr, commissioner of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, said Thai officials would work with their US counterparts to review the asset seizure process and legal proceedings involving Prince Holding Group, the Bangkok Post reported. Singapore police were looking into the...

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Thailand, Singapore investigate Chen Zhi’s group after Western fraud allegations

Investigators are reviewing financial ties to the Prince Group after its chairman was charged by the US with running a cyber fraud empire.

‘Phenomenal’: how Hongkongers’ generosity helped 4.5 million in need worldwide Hong Kong supported 4.5 million people in need worldwide over one year through relief agency World Vision, its president has said, envisioning the city becoming a humanitarian aid hub. Andrew Morley, president and CEO of World Vision International, a child-focused charity operating in more than 100 countries, also urged people to contribute more as he said government funding to humanitarian aid across the world decreased by about 25 per cent this year compared with 2024, despite a surge in need...

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‘Phenomenal’: how Hongkongers’ generosity helped 4.5 million in need worldwide

World Vision CEO Andrew Morley says city supported children in countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Overseas expansion adds fuel to Chinese energy storage firms’ hunt for bosses Openings at overseas energy storage operations flood John Yang’s screen anytime he browses recruitment websites, with listed giants and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) alike offering salaries well above those typically found in China’s manufacturing sector. “Job seeking has never felt easier. The only worry is whether the new role could last beyond next year,” joked Yang, Thailand director at a Shenzhen-based energy storage firm. Yang’s experience reflects the recent, rapid overseas...

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Overseas expansion adds fuel to Chinese energy storage firms’ hunt for bosses

Global hiring spree sees million-yuan salaries become the norm, but long-term prospects of smaller players called into question.