4 dead, 10 injured in shooting at birthday party in Stockton, California Four people were killed and 10 wounded in a shooting during a family gathering at a banquet hall in Stockton, sheriff’s officials said on Saturday evening. Heather Brent, a spokeswoman for the San Joaquin County sheriff’s office, said the victims included both children and adults. Early indications “suggest this may have been a targeted incident”, Brent said during a news conference at the scene. The shooting occurred inside the banquet hall, which shares a car park with other...

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4 dead, 11 injured in shooting at child’s birthday party in California

Police appealed to the public for help in finding the person responsible for the shooting in the city of Stockton near Sacramento.

17,000 police deployed as protests erupt in Philippines over flood control scam Thousands massed in the Philippine capital of Manila on Sunday demanding accountability over a multibillion-dollar infrastructure scandal that has seen scores of officials, lawmakers and construction firm owners accused of corruption. Rage over so-called ghost flood control projects has been mounting for months in the archipelago country of 116 million, where entire towns have been buried in floodwaters driven by powerful typhoons in recent months. President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has seen friend...

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17,000 police deployed as protests erupt in Philippines over flood control scam

‘Put them in jail now,’ protesters chant even as Marcos promises more arrests to come from investigations into the scandal.

Mourners gather at Hong Kong fire site as 1,500 residents relocated This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. What we know so far: 128 people, including a firefighter, confirmed dead 79 injured, including 12 firefighters Status of 150 people unclear The eight residential blocks in the estate had been undergoing renovations since July 2024, covered in bamboo scaffolding and green...

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Death toll in Hong Kong fire rises to 146 – as it happened

Bodies discovered in flats, on staircases and in corridors, police say, warning of ‘more to come’.

Egypt trains hundreds of Palestinian officers to police post-war Gaza Egypt is training hundreds of Palestinian police officers with an eye towards integrating them into a post-war security force in Gaza, according to a Palestinian official. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty announced the plan to train 5,000 officers for Gaza during talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in August. A first group of more than 500 officers was trained in Cairo in March and since September, the two-month courses have resumed to welcome hundreds more people, the...

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Egypt trains hundreds of Palestinian officers to police post-war Gaza

Palestinian movements have agreed to a force of around 10,000 officers but Israel opposes Hamas or Palestinian Authority involvement in Gaza.

Why report on ship sunk in WWII may test South Korea-Japan ties A report due to be released next month by a South Korean foundation will attempt to settle some of the discrepancies over the sinking of a ship repatriating Korean labourers from Japan to Busan in 1945, although historians warn that it could dredge up decades-old accusations and further harm bilateral relations. The South Korean government has commissioned the Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilisation by Imperial Japan to conduct a thorough investigation into conflicting passenger lists and...

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Why report on ship sunk in WWII may test South Korea-Japan ties

Among the issues, both sides could not agree on the number of deaths from the sinking of the ship carrying Korean labourers.

North Korean air force to gain ‘strategic assets’ amid heightened tensions North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced the country’s air force would be equipped with “new strategic military assets”, state media said on Sunday. Kim made the announcement at an event marking the 80th anniversary of the North Korean air force on Friday, accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae, who is understood to be his recognised successor. The country’s expectations for the air force, which “will play a role in the exercise of the nuclear war deterrent”, are truly “great”, state media KCNA...

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North Korean air force to gain ‘strategic assets’ amid heightened tensions

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says the air force will be entrusted with ‘a new important duty’ and play a role in nuclear war deterrence.

Singapore becomes Plan B for Chinese travellers giving Japan a wide berth Amid the diplomatic fallout between Tokyo and Beijing, Hunanese accountant Echo He feels relieved she has chosen Southeast Asia for her year-end trip with her husband and colleagues, instead of the popular choice, Japan. The latest spat between both nations arose on November 7 when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested her country could deploy its military forces in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait. This infuriated Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited...

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Singapore becomes Plan B for Chinese travellers giving Japan a wide berth

Beijing’s call to boycott Japan after Sanae Takaichi’s remarks is benefiting Southeast Asian countries, travel agents say.

Thailand’s sidelined reformists battle ‘baan yai’ dynasties to repeat poll win As the pieces of Thailand’s political puzzle begin to fall into place ahead of an election set for early next year, the third incarnation of a reformist party that won the most votes last time around is seeking a repeat performance. But the People’s Party, whose predecessor was not only denied the chance to govern but ultimately dissolved by the Constitutional Court last year for attempting to reform the country’s royal defamation law, has a steep hill to climb. Conservative forces and the...

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Thailand’s sidelined reformists battle ‘baan yai’ dynasties to repeat poll win

It could become ‘everybody vs the People’s Party’ as old power networks unite to crush the movement that won the popular vote in 2023.

Oscar-winning UK playwright Tom Stoppard dies aged 88 British playwright Tom Stoppard, who won an Oscar for the screenplay for the 1998 film Shakespeare In Love, has died at the age of 88, United Agents said on Saturday. “We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved client and friend, Tom Stoppard, has died peacefully at home in Dorset, surrounded by his family,” the talent agency said. “He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of...

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Oscar-winning UK playwright Tom Stoppard dies aged 88

His work ranges from plays like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to the film Shakespeare in Love, which scooped seven Academy Awards.

Death toll climbs above 370 in flood-hit Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia The death toll from devastating floods and landslides in Southeast Asia climbed past 370 on Saturday as clean-up and search and rescue operations got under way in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Heavy monsoon rain overwhelmed swathes of the three countries this week, killing hundreds and leaving thousands stranded, many on rooftops awaiting rescue. Rescuers in Indonesia were struggling to reach the worst-affected areas of Sumatra island, where more than 100 people were still missing. Flooding...

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Death toll climbs above 370 in flood-hit Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia

‘This is the worst flood ever in our village. There were floods before … but it wasn’t like this’.

China gives disputed Scarborough Shoal a clean bill of health Coral reefs at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea are healthy and resilient to climate change, but growing thermal stress poses a potential bleaching risk, according to a Chinese environmental assessment. The report rated the atoll’s maritime environment as excellent, with no signs of cyanide in seawater, sediment or fish samples. Scarborough Shoal, known as Huangyan Island in China and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines, is claimed by both countries, and Manila has accused...

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China gives disputed Scarborough Shoal a clean bill of health

The Philippines also claims the atoll and has accused Chinese crews of using cyanide to catch fish in the area.

Hotelier races to shelter Hong Kong fire victims using Grenfell experience A hotelier is drawing on her experience sheltering survivors of London’s Grenfell Tower disaster to spearhead a relief operation at Hong Kong’s former Covid-19 isolation centre as she races to source 700 beds for families displaced by the Wang Fuk Court fire. Winnie Chiu Wing-kwan, the president and executive director of Dorsett Hospitality International, has taken personal charge of logistics at Runway 1331 in Kai Tak, which has opened 500 guest rooms to accommodate up to 2,000 affected...

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Hotelier races to shelter Hong Kong fire victims using Grenfell experience

Dorsett Hospitality’s Winnie Chiu is leading logistics at Runway 1331 in Kai Tak to accommodate up to 2,000 displaced residents.

‘Sad but glad to help’: Hong Kong fire teaches children lesson in empathy Beneath the podium at Kwong Fuk Estate in Tai Po, between rows of relief booths and supply tables stacked with bottled water and meal boxes, a group of children took a break from their volunteering duties. But they did not rest for long. As soon as they finished eating, they darted through the crowds to reach residents, their arms full of bottles of hot water, ginger tea and bags of essentials, offering warmth to anyone who needed it on a cold Friday night. Under their parents’ guidance, six...

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‘Sad but glad to help’: Hong Kong fire teaches children lesson in empathy

Father of two volunteers collects stuffed toys, saying they give children emotional security and show them that someone cares.

China consumers use AI to alter product photos, claim refunds for ‘damaged’ goods Fake photos generated by artificial intelligence (AI) are being misused to claim refunds from Chinese online shops, sparking moral and legal concerns. As China’s Double 11 shopping festival took place around November 11, several e-commerce shop owners revealed that they received AI-generated photos of damaged products from consumers attempting to seek refunds. Some people took photographs of fruit they received, then asked AI to make them look mouldy. An electric toothbrush seller said a buyer...

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China consumers use AI to alter product photos, claim refunds for ‘damaged’ goods

‘Immoral’ online buyers create fake discrepancies across range of products; experts warn AI bandits that they could be committing fraud.

Peru declares state of emergency as fears of migrant influx from Chile mount Peru’s government declared a state of emergency at its southern border with Chile on Friday, expecting an influx of people trying to flee far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast’s potential presidency. Under the decree, Peru’s military will reinforce border control in the southern Tacna region for 60 days, past Chile’s December 14 run-off election, in which immigration hardliner Kast is facing off against left-wing candidate Jeannette Jara. The state of emergency will also serve “to address crime...

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Peru declares state of emergency as fears of migrant influx from Chile mount

Presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast warns undocumented migrants in Chile that they have 103 days left to leave the country voluntarily.

China’s first own passenger jet Comac ARJ21 debuts in 2015 – SCMP archive This article was first published on November 30, 2015. By Sijia Jiang After 13 years, China’s own passenger jet enters service China’s ambition of an indigenous plane took wings on Sunday (November 29, 2015) as its first home-grown passenger jet, the Comac ARJ21 (later rebranded as the C909), entered commercial service after 13 years in the making. Configured with 90 economy-class seats, the jet was delivered to its launch customer, Chengdu Airlines, from Comac’s Shanghai factory and flown to...

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On This Day | China’s first own passenger jet Comac ARJ21 debuts in 2015 – SCMP archive

On this day 10 years ago, China’s first locally manufactured passenger jet entered commercial service.

Malaysia raids men-only wellness centre, prosecutor among 201 arrested A total of 201 men have been detained in Malaysia during a joint enforcement operation at a wellness centre after authorities suspected the premises in Kuala Lumpur were being used for illicit activities. The men, aged between 19 and 60, were picked up around 8pm on Friday in a surprise raid involving Kuala Lumpur police, Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi). Of those detained, 17 were identified as civil servants, including a surgeon, a deputy...

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Malaysia raids men-only wellness centre, prosecutor among 201 arrested

Apart from Malaysians, men from South Korea, Indonesia, Germany and China were also arrested.

Ancient Chinese DNA shows gender bias in human sacrifice ritual 4,000 years ago Female sacrifice in China dates back thousands of years earlier than previously believed, a study of ancient DNA has revealed. Evidence from elite burials at a large Stone Age settlement in northwestern China also suggests the existence of an early hierarchical society, with gender preference relating to the type of sacrificial ritual, according to the Chinese archaeologists and anthropologists behind the study. Shimao, located in the Yellow River valley in Shaanxi province, is one of the...

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Ancient Chinese DNA shows gender bias in human sacrifice ritual 4,000 years ago

Sacrificial victims in mass burials were mostly male, while burial attendants for nobles or elites were overwhelmingly female, study finds.

Congo and Rwanda presidents to meet in US to sign peace deal Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi will travel to the US next week to sign a final agreement with his Rwandan counterpart aimed at securing peace in eastern Congo, the Congolese government said on Friday, capping months-long diplomatic efforts spearheaded by US President Donald Trump. Congo’s government has often said its signing of the deal will be conditioned on Rwanda’s withdrawal of support for the M23 rebels in the conflict-battered east. Tshisekedi’s confirmation of the December 4 signing...

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Congo and Rwanda presidents to meet in US to sign peace deal

The Congolese government says its signing is conditional on Rwanda’s withdrawal of support for the M23 rebels fighting in eastern Congo.

US halts asylum cases after troop killing as Trump steps up migrant crackdown The United States is freezing all asylum decisions, officials said on Friday, as President Donald Trump hardens his anti-migrant stance after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard members this week in Washington. Wednesday’s attack on the soldiers – one of whom died from her injuries – has ignited a fresh crackdown on foreigners in the United States, with Trump also pledging to suspend migration from “third world countries”. Joseph Edlow, director of the US Citizenship and...

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US halts asylum cases after troop killing as Trump steps up migrant crackdown

A US official says the immigration agency will ensure ‘every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible’.