Indonesian helper’s terrifying 3-hour ordeal as fire ravaged Hong Kong estate An Indonesian domestic helper has recalled how she and her employer’s elderly parents huddled together in a smoke-filled bedroom for an agonising three hours, covering their noses with wet towels as they lay trapped while a deadly inferno engulfed a Hong Kong estate last month. The helper, who gave her name as Olive, recalled to the Post the ordeal the trio went through on November 26, as the devastating fire swept through seven of the eight residential high-rise blocks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai...

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Exclusive | Indonesian helper’s terrifying 3-hour ordeal as fire ravaged Hong Kong estate

Olive says she and her employer’s elderly parents spent an agonising three hours trapped in a smoke-filled bedroom before they were rescued.

India regulator faults airline CEO amid severe disruption Indian regulators held IndiGo’s chief executive accountable for the severe disruptions that have roiled the country’s biggest airline in recent days, faulting the company for “significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management.” The Director General of Civil Aviation issued a show-cause notice on Saturday demanding CEO Pieter Elbers explain the cancellations that affected almost half of its flights the day before, adding that “you have failed in your duty to ensure timely...

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India regulator faults airline CEO amid severe disruption

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers has been ordered to explain the cancellations that affected almost half of its flights.

Hong Kong scaffolding net sample ignites in test despite passing safety standards A scaffolding net sample from a large Hong Kong housing estate produced flaming droplets and ignited a fire in a lab experiment despite passing the authorities’ safety standards, a test commissioned by the Post has found. The findings have prompted calls from experts to review the standards set for the nets and improve the existing safety regulations targeting scaffolding on renovation sites. Soon after the inferno at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 26, the Post collected net samples from...

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Exclusive | Hong Kong scaffolding net sample ignites in test despite passing safety standards

Findings from test commissioned by Post prompt calls to review standards set for nets and improvements to safety regulations.

Operation Santa Claus backs expansion of Hong Kong teen counselling project A project offering counselling to teenagers with depression and anxiety in Hong Kong will be expanded next year to reach more students, after about half of those it has helped showed no further signs of mental health problems, according to a local charity. Mind HK, the charity running the three-year initiative, also offers psychological support to people affected by the inferno at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, where at least 159 people were killed and 79 others injured after a blaze swept through...

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Operation Santa Claus backs expansion of Hong Kong teen counselling project

Mind HK charity to reach more students with mental health support after strong early intervention results with school‑based initiative.

Outrage as Korean saleswoman kneels after abuse by customer for telling son off A woman worker at a discount chain outlet in South Korea who reminded a youngster not to run around for safety reasons sparked an angry and humiliating outburst from the child’s mother. The mother became aggressive, verbally abused the member of staff and even forced her to kneel in apology. The November 21 incident, which has ignited a wave of outrage online, took place in Daiso, a popular Japanese budget retail chain in Suncheon, South Jeolla province, South Korea. A child was seen running...

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Outrage as Korean saleswoman kneels after abuse by customer for telling son off

Mother of boy launches humiliating tirade against innocent member of shop staff; forces worker to rub hands together in apology.

Hegseth defends killing boat survivors, likens drug gangs to al-Qaeda Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth doubled down on deadly US air strikes against alleged drug-running boats off the Venezuelan coast, saying he would have made the same call as the admiral who ordered survivors to be killed. The nearly two dozen strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific have come under bipartisan scrutiny, but recent reports that a September strike included a second one to kill two survivors clinging to wreckage at sea have prompted accusations of possible war crimes. “From what...

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Hegseth defends killing boat survivors, likens drug gangs to al-Qaeda

Washington’s policy of sinking boats and killing alleged drug-runners has led to serious debate in Congress.

In race for tourists, Singapore pumps up appeal with push into fitness events Vijay Andrews arrived in Singapore determined to compete again. The 32-year-old Indian fitness coach had spent months recovering from an injury that kept him out of New Delhi’s July Hyrox fitness competition. So when he learned there would be another edition in Singapore in November, he seized the opportunity. “Singapore was geographically the closest country where a Hyrox was soon happening,” Andrews said. “I love travelling and I love fitness, so it worked out very well for me.” He was one of...

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In race for tourists, Singapore pumps up appeal with push into fitness events

High-octane competitions like Hyrox and the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon are helping drive more visitors to the city state.

Boiling point: China’s pre-made meals are testing trust at the table They promise consistency, cost savings and the speed demanded by modern life. But in a culture that reveres freshness and the wok hei benchmark for Chinese dishes, the rapid rise of industrially processed pre-made meals has stirred a heated debate – and simmering anger. The recent public outcry has been driven not by food safety fears, but by a perceived lack of transparency. Diners at restaurants are increasingly incensed about paying premium prices for reheated factory packets served without...

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Boiling point: China’s pre-made meals are testing trust at the table

In a nation with famously high food standards, restaurant goers say they must choose between taste, transparency and industrial efficiency.

Why Chinese believe morally, ‘It’s better to marry a widow than a divorced woman’ A harsh folk saying from ancient China goes, “it is better to marry a widow than a divorced woman,” or Ning qu gua fu, bu qu sheng qi in Chinese. The expression reflects the rigid and often brutal moral standards that historically governed women’s lives. Literally, the phrase suggests that a man would rather marry a widow than a woman who had been cast off by her husband. The term sheng qi referred to a wife who was still alive but had been dismissed, implying that she was at fault or carried...

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Explainer | Why Chinese believe morally, ‘it’s better to marry a widow than a divorced woman’

Ancient beliefs dictated strict standards for women when it came to obeying men, speaking properly, physical appearance, domestic skills.

EU’s US$140 million fine on X riles Rubio’s deputy, stoking tensions A US$140 million fine on tech tycoon Elon Musk’s social media platform underscores how Europeans undermine US policies even while demanding that the United States provide military protection, one of the top American diplomats wrote on Saturday. US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other American officials in criticising the European Union’s fine on Musk-owned X as censorship. But Landau went further than Rubio by invoking broader ideological...

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EU’s US$140 million fine on X riles Rubio’s deputy, stoking tensions

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the bloc’s regulatory stance could hurt shared security and values.

Malaysians swap hotels for RVs to drive down holiday costs Once a symbol of the all-American road trip, recreational vehicles (RVs) are enjoying a surge in popularity in Malaysia as families seek cheaper, more adventurous holidays – and as the government moves to develop more dedicated RV parks and streamline related regulations. The trend reflects a broader shift across the Asia-Pacific, where a growing middle class in China, Australia and Japan is fuelling demand for road trips and camping holidays, according to market research firm Mordor...

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Malaysians swap hotels for RVs to drive down holiday costs

Rentals are up 200 per cent, with families finding a six-berth campervan more affordable than booking seaside resorts.

China’s land-starved Shenzhen moving massive landfill to make more space The southern Chinese megacity of Shenzhen, a symbol of the country’s rapid urbanisation and development, has spent decades transforming urban villages and tenement blocks into dense public housing estates and massive industrial and office parks. Now, in a move that speaks volumes about its scarcity of land, the tech hub is relocating an enormous landfill from the city centre, an act that could allow for the development of floor space totalling more than 1 million square metres (10.76 million sq...

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China’s land-starved Shenzhen moving massive landfill to make more space

At the centre of the city, where open land is scarce, trucks are removing 6,000 cubic metres of waste a day to free up 30 valuable hectares.

OnlyFans star Bonnie Blue arrested in Bali on pornography charges OnlyFans star Bonnie Blue – famous for claiming to have slept with more than 1,000 men in 12 hours as part of a viral stunt earlier this year – has been arrested in Bali alongside over a dozen men for allegedly violating Indonesia’s “morality” laws. The 26-year-old British content creator, real name Tia Billinger, remains in custody in Kuta, as does a 28-year-old Australian male and a pair of British men, according to Australia’s 9News. Fourteen others, all from Australia, have since been...

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OnlyFans star Bonnie Blue arrested in Bali on pornography charges

The 26-year-old British content creator is accused of flouting Indonesia’s ‘morality’ laws.

ByteDance’s agentic AI smartphone dials up a digital backlash by China’s top apps ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, has moved to tighten controls on its artificial intelligence-powered smartphone after several of China’s most widely used apps restricted its voice-operated functions. The company said it had scaled back the capabilities of Doubao, the agentic AI that runs on the device. In a statement issued on Friday, ByteDance said it would prevent the Nubia M153 AI phone from claiming incentives that were intended for active human users. It was also disabling the assistant’s...

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ByteDance’s agentic AI smartphone dials up a digital backlash by China’s top apps

ByteDance’s new AI smartphone has run into resistance, as major Chinese platforms move to block its features citing fairness and security.

Katy Perry, Justin Trudeau make fireworks official with Japan trip photos The fireworks between Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau are now Instagram official, following months of speculation and steamy sightings. The 41-year-old pop star, who recently ended her engagement to Orlando Bloom, shared a selfie on Saturday with the former Canadian prime minister, showing them cuddled up beneath the fall foliage in Japan. “Tokyo times on tour and more,” wrote Perry, who performed just outside the country’s capital on Wednesday as part of the Asian leg of her Lifetimes Tour. The...

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Katy Perry, Justin Trudeau make fireworks official with Japan trip photos

The pop star shared a selfie with the former Canadian prime minister, showing them cuddled up beneath the fall foliage in Tokyo.

Tourists among 23 killed in India’s Goa nightclub fire At least 23 people were killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in the west Indian state of Goa, chief minister Pramod Sawant and other officials said early on Sunday. Several tourists were among the dead in the blaze, which broke out at about midnight at a club in Arpora in North Goa district, according to officials cited by the Press Trust of India news agency. “Today is a very painful day for all of us in Goa. A major fire incident at Arpora has taken the lives of 23 people,” Sawant wrote on...

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Tourists among 25 killed in India’s Goa nightclub fire

A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident at the Birch nightclub in Arpora.

How will the Tai Po fire affect voters in Hong Kong’s Legco election? 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. On Sunday, Hongkongers head to polling stations to elect their new representatives in the legislature amid a sombre atmosphere, with the city dealing with the aftermath of the catastrophic fire in Tai Po that claimed at least 159 lives. Before the deadly blaze broke out at Wang Fuk Court...

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1.3 million vote in Hong Kong Legco poll as turnout edges up – as it happened

Residents vote in sombre atmosphere, as city elects its legislators while dealing with aftermath of catastrophic blaze.

Hungary’s Orban to send team to Russia, expecting end of Ukraine war Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Saturday that he was sending a business delegation to Russia in the coming days in preparation for the end of the Ukraine war. Orban addressed Budapest’s foreign relations with Moscow and also Washington at an exclusive rally in the central city of Kecskemet, ahead of legislative elections in the spring. The delegation’s mission would focus on economic cooperation, particularly in a post-war landscape that could see Russia not cut out from the...

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Hungary’s Orban to send team to Russia, expecting end of Ukraine war

The PM is anticipating a post-war landscape in which sanctions are lifted and Russia becomes reintegrated with the Western economy.

What could challenge Washington’s latest strategic goal on Taiwan? Competing priorities and US economic interests are likely to challenge Washington in its goal of “deterring a conflict over Taiwan” through an overwhelming military advantage, according to experts. The strategic goal was laid out in the White House’s latest National Security Strategy report released on Friday. While the report said the western hemisphere and domestic security were Washington’s top concerns, it also noted that “Taiwan provides direct access to the second island chain and splits...

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What could challenge Washington’s latest strategic goal on Taiwan?

The White House says it wants to deter a conflict over the island, ‘ideally’ through its military advantage.

China sends seasoned ‘American hand’ to serve as top envoy to Philippines Jing Quan, formerly the second-in-command at the Chinese embassy in Washington, arrived in Manila on Saturday to assume his post as Beijing’s top envoy to the Philippines, pledging to both defend national interests and stabilise bilateral ties. “As the ambassador, I will firmly safeguard China’s national interests and dignity, while also serving as a bridge to ensure China-Philippines relations stabilise rather than deteriorate, and that our peoples draw closer instead of drifting apart,” Jing...

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China sends seasoned ‘America hand’ to serve as top envoy to Philippines

New ambassador arrives in Manila as South China Sea tensions flare and the Philippines draws closer to Washington on defence.