Asbestos in play sand forces over 70 school closures in Australia, New Zealand More than 70 schools in Australia and New Zealand were closed on Monday for cleaning after asbestos was discovered in widely used children’s play sand products. Recalls have been issued for several colourful play sand products after laboratory testing detected traces of tremolite and chrysotile asbestos. A number of schools and preschools in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and one in Brisbane shut on Friday after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued a national...

South China Morning Post

Asbestos in play sand forces over 70 school closures in Australia, New Zealand

While respiratory asbestos fibres are unlikely to be released unless the sand is crushed, the risk is still there, Australian watchdog says.

Shanghai premium office market picks up amid discounted rents Lower rents improved occupancy rates in Shanghai’s premium office market as the city reported solid economic growth, but most companies remained cost-conscious amid a cloudy economic outlook and expectations for bigger discounts, according to JLL. Discounts attracted corporate tenants in the quarter ended September, prompting relocations from business parks and suburban areas to grade-A office buildings, the property firm said. “As the rental disparity between grade-A and grade-B properties...

South China Morning Post

Shanghai premium office market picks up amid discounted rents

Occupancy rates improve, but the trend is not sustainable given an uncertain economic outlook, brokers say.

Chinese man who donated US$20 as child to aircraft carrier project visits fleet 26 years on A man from southern China who donated 140 yuan (US$20) as a child to help build an aircraft carrier has seen his dream of the country becoming a stronger nation come true. To top his wish, in November, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation invited him to visit the carrier fleet and gave him a commemorative watch. Chen Yuwen, from Qinzhou city in Guangxi province, developed an early interest in the military, influenced by his father’s background as a soldier. In 1999, at just five years old,...

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Chinese man who donated US$20 as child to aircraft carrier project visits fleet 26 years on

Little boy whose father was a PLA soldier dreamed of a well-defended nation; developed lifelong fascination for the military.

‘Workplaces of death’: South Korean president’s childhood fuels crackdown South Korean Kim Yong-ho thought he would die within seconds after a 200kg (441lbs) industrial press at a Hyundai Steel plant sprang to life during maintenance and crushed his legs and back. It was 2019, and Kim said he thought the heavy machinery around him had been switched off as he made repairs. “I was flattened like a squashed frog in a roadkill,” he said. “I couldn’t breathe for a few seconds.” A quick-thinking colleague saved his life by alerting the machine’s operator, said Kim, now...

South China Morning Post

‘Workplaces of death’: South Korean president’s childhood fuels crackdown

Lee Jae-myung, who crushed his finger and arm working as a child, has vowed to lower the country’s industrial accident rate.

In Malaysia’s Johor, silicon dreams meet parched realities Malaysia’s southern state of Johor is being transformed by a torrent of tech investment. Global heavyweights – Microsoft, Nvidia, ByteDance – are pouring billions into vast data centres, the digital foundries that underpin the international AI industry and cloud economy. For Malaysia’s government, these investments are nothing short of transformative, representing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to vault ahead in Southeast Asia’s technology race. But for Johor residents like Muhammad Azrien...

South China Morning Post

In Malaysia’s Johor, silicon dreams meet parched realities

As global tech titans invest billions in data centres to power the AI revolution, the state’s most precious resource is fast evaporating.

Lebanon says Israeli strike that killed principal was ‘martyrdom of a citizen’ An Israeli strike killed a Lebanese man in the south of the country on Sunday, according to the Lebanese health ministry and the country’s main news agency. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to an Agence France-Presse query but has previously said it reserves the right to strike militant targets in Lebanon it deems a threat. The ministry said the strike hit a car in the town of al-Mansouri, south of Tyre and just over 10 km (6 miles) from the Israeli border, and “resulted in the...

South China Morning Post

Israeli strike in Lebanon kills Hezbollah operative amid tensions with UN peacekeepers

Strike kills a school principal with Hezbollah links on the same day Israeli forces mistakenly fired near UN peacekeepers.

Members of Syria’s security forces detained over sectarian violence in Sweida Members of Syria’s security and military services have been detained as part of an investigation into sectarian violence in the southern province of Sweida in July that left hundreds of people dead, investigators said on Sunday. The head of a Syrian committee investigating the violence in Sweida held a news conference in the capital, Damascus, to talk about progress made but did not release a death toll, saying this will come in the final report that is expected by the end of the year. In...

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Syria detains security forces over sectarian violence that killed hundreds

The arrests follow a July rampage in Sweida where government fighters effectively sided with Bedouin clans against the Druze.

Chinese economist Lu Feng on why the time is ripe for a consumption rebalance Lu Feng is a professor of economics and a former deputy dean at Peking University’s National School of Development. In more than 40 academic papers, six books and numerous magazine articles, he has studied issues critical to China’s economy, including the exchange rate, industrial development, food security and external imbalances. Lu has also served as an adviser to several government agencies, including the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. This...

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Open Questions | Chinese economist Lu Feng on why the time is ripe for a consumption rebalance

Peking University professor says China’s next five-year plan could provide the necessary momentum to shift more public resources to households.

China’s jumbo Sichuan 076 amphibious assault ship completes first sea trials China’s next-generation “drone-carrier” amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, completed its first sea trials on Sunday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV said. The three-day trial marks a major step forward for the People’s Liberation Army to take delivery of its first Type 076 amphibious assault carrier, seen as a key asset for China’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations. The trials, which began on Friday morning, aimed to test the reliability and stability of the supersized warship’s...

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China’s jumbo Sichuan 076 amphibious assault ship completes first sea trials

Three-day trial of China’s first supersized ‘drone carrier’ marks key step towards expected PLA delivery at the end of 2026.

Netanyahu government threatened over US-statement on Palestinian state Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a Palestinian state after protests by far-right coalition allies over a US-backed statement indicating support for a pathway to Palestinian independence. Netanyahu spoke two days after Israel’s key ally the United States and many Muslim-majority nations endorsed a draft UN resolution backing President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, saying the process offered a route to Palestinian statehood. The 15-member UN...

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Netanyahu faces backlash over US-backed statement on Palestinian independence

The statement indicating support for a pathway to a Palestinian state infuriated Netanyahu’s conservative and ultranationalist allies.

Hong Kong police arrest 15 in crackdown on HK$1.1 billion laundering operation Hong Kong police have arrested 15 people in a crackdown on a triad-linked money laundering syndicate accused of handling more than HK$1.1 billion (US$142 million), with tens of millions of dollars in cash and assets found at the suspected ringleader’s flat. Police said on Sunday that the group were taken into custody earlier this week on suspicion of money laundering, operating illegal gambling dens and gambling in such establishments, among other offences. The suspects comprised 10 men and five...

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong police arrest 15 in crackdown on HK$1.1 billion laundering operation

Police say suspected ringleader is linked to Sun Yee On triad group, with HK$24.7 million in cash, assets discovered in raid on his home.

Hong Kong police arrest truck driver after cyclist dies in Tai Po collision Hong Kong police have arrested a 20-year-old truck driver following an accident in Tai Po involving a cyclist who later died of injuries. The force received a report at 1.43pm on Sunday that a man in his fifties, who was riding his bike near 8 On Pong Road in Tai Po, was allegedly hit by a truck and trapped under the vehicle. Paramedics rescued the victim and rushed him to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in Tai Po, but he was pronounced dead at 2.20pm. Pictures posted online showed the...

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Hong Kong police arrest driver after truck fatally runs over cyclist in Tai Po

Police receive report that man, 52, was pushing bike across On Pong Road when he was allegedly knocked down and run over by truck.

Can Bhutan’s Singapore-inspired ‘mindfulness city’ lure its youth back? Bhutan is a nation that prides itself on happiness over productivity, being the only net negative emission country and reluctantly democratising only after its monarch introduced the system in a time of peace, but the tides are changing for the Land of the Thunder Dragon. Amid high youth unemployment and an exodus of talent – especially to Australia – the landlocked kingdom of just under 800,000 people bordering giants India and China, is banking on a new “one country, two systems” special...

South China Morning Post

Can Bhutan’s Singapore-inspired ‘mindfulness city’ lure its youth back?

The Gelephu Mindfulness City, which has adopted laws from Singapore and Abu Dhabi, will help boost Bhutan’s economy, an official says.

Senior Citizens Day: Hong Kong treats elderly to free rides, meal deals and more Elderly residents in Hong Kong are enjoying a slew of perks on Sunday, from free rides to discounted meals, as the city marks Senior Citizens Day. Established in 1979, the celebration is held on the third Sunday of November to recognise the contributions of the elderly and raise public awareness of care for the aged. The Post highlights some major giveaways, as more than 400 organisations and merchants with over 3,800 outlets are rolling out special promotions. Free MTR offers Residents aged 65...

South China Morning Post

Senior Citizens Day: Hong Kong treats elderly to free rides, meal deals and more

More than 400 organisations and merchants with over 3,800 outlets roll out special promotions.

PLA Daily warns Japan of ‘path of no return’ if it intervenes in Taiwan A commentary by military mouthpiece PLA Daily warned on Sunday that Japan risked turning its entire country into a battlefield if it intervened militarily in the Taiwan Strait, marking the latest escalation in a heated diplomatic row sparked by comments by Japan’s leader. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told her country’s parliament on November 7 that the use of force against Taiwan could be seen as a “survival-threatening situation”, a scenario that would allow Tokyo to deploy its...

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Japan risks ‘path of no return’ if it intervenes in Taiwan, PLA Daily warns

Strongly worded commentary in China’s military mouthpiece comes as several ministries issue travel warnings against Japan in deepening row.

Chinese hotel offers lion cub wake-up call for guests spending US$88 per night A hotel in China which offers a special morning call service that allows guests to play with a lion cub in their room has attracted much attention on social media. Videos of an employee showing a lion cub into a room at the Happy Countryside Resort in Niujiao Village in Suqian, eastern Jiangsu province, have gone viral online. The clip shows the little big cat entering a guest room in the morning before a child guest picks it up and plays with it, according to a report by Jimu News. The hotel...

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Chinese hotel offers lion cub wake-up call for guests spending US$88 per night

Viral online video shows little big cat accompanied by keeper strolling into room to play with child; critics question ethics, safety of service.

As war strains economy, Russia faces hard choices between guns and butter After two years of robust growth fuelled by military spending on the war in Ukraine, Russia’s economy is slowing. Oil revenues are down, the budget deficit is up and defence spending has levelled off. The Kremlin needs money to keep its finances steady – and it is clear where President Vladimir Putin intends to get it: at the cash register, from ordinary people and small businesses. An increase in value-added tax to 22 per cent from 20 per cent is expected to add as much as 1 trillion roubles...

South China Morning Post

As war strains economy, Russia faces hard choices between guns and butter

The Kremlin has increased consumer taxes and fees to fill state coffers, squeezing small businesses and households.

China’s chip leaders bank on AI, RISC-V as industry’s growth engines The use of chips for artificial intelligence and electric vehicles (EVs) will offer strong demand underpinning the development of mainland China’s semiconductor industry, according to veterans of the sector at an annual gathering in Shanghai. At the 2025 Global Semiconductor Market Summit, chip executives discussed the industry’s future amid US-China tech rivalry and surging demand for chips, as well as different technology trajectories. The two-day event, which wrapped up on Friday, was...

South China Morning Post

China’s chip leaders bank on AI, RISC-V as industry’s growth engines

Executives at Shanghai semiconductor summit discuss chokepoints in advanced chipmaking, RISC-V’s potential to help self-sufficiency.

Singer Nana hospitalised with injuries after overpowering home intruder K-pop star Nana helped overpower a home intruder and is recovering in hospital after suffering injuries during the tussle, South Korean police said on Sunday. The intruder, a man in his 30s, broke into the K-pop star’s home early on Saturday before being taken down by Nana with the help of her mother and arrested. The 34-year-old celebrity and her mother, who suffered serious injuries and lost consciousness, are being treated in hospital, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. The intruder...

South China Morning Post

Singer Nana hospitalised with injuries after overpowering home intruder

The K-pop star and her mother subdued the suspect, who is in custody on charges of aggravated robbery.

67-year-old man hospitalised after house fire in Hong Kong village A 67-year-old man was injured after a fire broke out in a village house in Hong Kong early on Sunday morning, prompting the evacuation of 27 residents. Police received the fire call at 3.18am on Sunday, reporting that a corrugated iron house in Ping Kong Village, Sheung Shui, had caught fire. A video circulating online showed the fire spreading across the roof, spanning several corrugated iron sheets, with thick smoke billowing into the sky. The resident of the house, a 67-year-old man surnamed...

South China Morning Post

67-year-old man hospitalised after house fire in Hong Kong village

Blaze at corrugated iron house in Ping Kong Village extinguished in early hours of Sunday, with 27 others evacuated without further injury.