Japan stabbing rampage leaves 14 injured at Yokohama rubber factory More than a dozen people were injured in a stabbing attack in a factory in central Japan during which an unspecified liquid was also sprayed, an emergency services official said on Friday. “Fourteen people are subject to transport by emergency services,” said Tomoharu Sugiyama, a firefighting department official in the city of Mishima, in the Shizuoka region. He said a call was received at about 4.30pm from a nearby rubber factory saying “five or six people were stabbed by someone” and that a...

South China Morning Post

Japan stabbing rampage leaves 14 injured at Yokohama rubber factory

Authorities confirm injuries after a weapon and ‘spray-like liquid’ attack. Local media report one man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Hong Kong Jockey Club plans fourth public riding school in Tseung Kwan O The Hong Kong Jockey Club is planning to build its fourth public riding school on a former landfill site in Tseung Kwan O to reduce applicant wait times and boost the equestrian talent pool. The project has already gained in-principle support from authorities and the club will seek town planning approval in the first quarter of next year and begin construction as early as the end of 2027, according to a paper submitted to Sai Kung District Council. The plan will be part of the agenda of a...

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong Jockey Club plans fourth public riding school in Tseung Kwan O

School to address strong public demand and construction could begin as early as 2027, club says.

Malaysia’s Najib found guilty on abuse of power charge in final 1MDB case Malaysia’s jailed former prime minister Najib Razak was found guilty on the first count of abuse of power in the final criminal case linked to the multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, following a seven-year trial. Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah is still reading the remaining verdicts. Prosecutors say that Najib abused his position to siphon 2.3 billion ringgit (US$568 million) from the scandal-hit state fund. In total, the 72-year-old faces four charges of abusing...

South China Morning Post

Developing | Malaysia’s Najib convicted of abuse of power, money laundering in 1MDB scandal

The ruling came after a years-long trial in the financial fraud that saw more than US$4.5 billion plundered from the state fund.

Hong Kong restaurant sales drop 10% over Christmas as cross-border trips hit 1.2 million Hong Kong’s food and beverage sector recorded a 10 per cent year on year drop in business over the Christmas period, an industry leader said, as 1.2 million trips were made through the city’s borders on the first day of the long holiday. But the city’s hospitality sector appeared to fare better, with one hotel group saying two of its properties recorded more than 90 per cent occupancy and a slight 5 per cent increase in room tariffs. Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of...

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Hong Kong restaurant sales drop 10% over Christmas as cross-border trips spike

While restaurants struggle to attract diners, one hotel group says its properties recorded 90 per cent occupancy.

The brutal life of child recruits under a shadowy rebel group in DR Congo Forcibly recruited into a rebel militia affiliated with Islamic State, two boys have revealed the “torment” of living in its camps as members committed massacres in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northeast. The two minors freed from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) gave Agence France-Presse an unprecedented account of the shadowy group, notorious for its extreme brutality. Paluku, a frail 12-year-old, spent two months with the ADF after rebels killed his mother during an attack on his...

South China Morning Post

The brutal life of child recruits under a shadowy African rebel group

Kidnapped, drugged and forced to loot, survivors detail life inside the ADF’s hidden forest camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Israel’s rising air defence sales become its ‘most potent’ foreign policy weapon Israel is cashing in on soaring international demand for combat-proven air defence systems, as analysts say the billions of dollars' worth of weapon sales will significantly expand the country’s influence beyond the Middle East. The weapon exports to Europe, Asia and Africa are helping Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration overcome its diplomatic isolation over the Gaza war by making the Jewish-majority state a key long-term security partner for its customers. “Exporting air defence...

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Israel’s rising air defence sales become its ‘most potent’ foreign policy weapon

With more countries increasingly turning to Israel for their air defence systems, they cannot afford to isolate the Middle East power.

Hong Kong probes mainland Chinese driver for using banned autopilot mode in the city Hong Kong authorities have vowed to investigate a mainland Chinese driver under the southbound travel vehicle scheme and may suspend his eligibility after he posted a video of himself using adaptive cruise control illegally in the city on social media. The Transport Department said on Friday that it would issue a warning to the driver while urging Guangdong motorists under the “Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles (Entry into Urban Area)” scheme to use Octopus cards for car park access and...

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong probes mainland Chinese driver for using banned autopilot mode in city

Transport Department says driver under the southbound scheme may lose eligibility after filming himself using automatic cruise control.

Inside Chernobyl: Ukraine races to repair radiation shield as war drags on Inside an abandoned control room at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a worker in an orange hard hat gazed at a grey wall of seemingly endless dials, screens and gauges that were supposed to prevent disaster. The 1986 meltdown at the site was the world’s worst ever nuclear incident. Since Russia invaded in 2022, Kyiv fears another disaster could be just a matter of time. In February, a Russian drone hit and left a large hole in the New Safe Confinement (NSC), the outer of two radiation...

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Inside Chernobyl: Ukraine races to repair radiation shield as war drags on

While engineers scramble to patch drone damage at Chernobyl, Ukraine’s president holds ‘substantive’ talks with US envoys.

China’s reusable rocket failure, PLA’s growth leaves US ‘vulnerable’: SCMP’s 7 highlights We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Pentagon says Chinese aircraft carriers, 6th-gen fighters make US ‘vulnerable’ A Pentagon report contends that China’s development of its aircraft carriers, sixth-generation fighters and nuclear arsenal illustrates Beijing’s...

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China’s reusable rocket failure, PLA growth leaves US ‘vulnerable’: 7 highlights

From Hong Kong’s crowded border at Christmas to jailed ex-Malaysian PM’s request rejected, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Rohingya crisis deepens as Myanmar election offers no hope for return Rashid arrived in Langkawi in Malaysia after weeks at sea in a fishing boat crammed with Myanmar’s unwanted: Rohingya Muslims driven out by soldiers and ethnic Buddhist militias who had razed their villages. A decade on, the now 14-year-old has witnessed countless boats arrive on the island over the years, as his stateless community continues to flee persecution. “We did not choose Malaysia because we thought it was a good or nice country,” he told This Week in Asia, requesting to give only his...

South China Morning Post

Stay or go? Rohingya see no way out of predicament as Myanmar heads to poll

Myanmar’s phased election, set to start on Sunday, is likely to be steered by the same leaders responsible for driving the Rohingya out.

Minister lashes out at public litterers: ‘don’t embarrass Malaysia’ A Malaysian minister has said it was unacceptable for public littering to remain a rampant issue as he expressed serious concerns over the state of urban cleanliness in the country. In a statement on Thursday, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming highlighted the ongoing issue of littering, particularly in city centres and public areas. “Please stop littering [and] don’t embarrass Malaysia. It is already the 21st century, there is no reason for anyone to simply throw rubbish in...

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‘Don’t embarrass Malaysia’: minister furious over public littering

Nga Kor Ming stressed that urban cleanliness was crucial for national image ahead of Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

China’s new quantum computer hits stability milestone, beating Google on efficiency Chinese researchers have taken a major step in the global race to build practical quantum computers, becoming the first team outside the United States – and the second in the world after Google – to cross a key threshold that determines whether these machines can work reliably at scale. A team led by Pan Jianwei at the University of Science and Technology of China said their superconducting quantum computer, Zuchongzhi 3.2, had reached the fault-tolerant threshold – a point where fixing errors...

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China’s new quantum computer hits stability milestone, beating Google on efficiency

Chinese team is first outside the US to cross key threshold that determines whether practical quantum computers can work reliably at scale.

‘Can’t buy true love’: Chinese man abducted as child returns to birth family after reunion A man in China who was abducted at the age of four has reunited with his birth parents and severed ties with the family who brought him up. On December 12, Peng Congcong, now 26, originally from Jiangxi province in southeastern China, shared an online post looking back at his first year after reuniting with his birth family. Peng said his family moved to Beijing when he was four and he was abducted after being lured away while playing alone near a market. His devastated parents reported him...

South China Morning Post

‘Can’t buy true love’: Chinese man abducted as child returns to birth family after reunion

Now 26, man says he ‘feels a deep sense of belonging’ after being reunited; works as volunteer with group who help find missing children.

Quiet strength: how Hong Kong’s Tai Po community is moving on 1 month after fire Tai Po residents are forging ahead with new paths forward following a catastrophic blaze that claimed the lives of 161 people. In this series, the Post looks into how the community is moving on and rebuilding their lives. A heavy quiet has settled over the neighbourhood in Hong Kong’s Tai Po where seven towers stand charred. Gone are the piles of flowers and notes bearing messages of grief and condolences that filled a makeshift memorial site at the Kwong Fuk Sitting-out Area, where mourners...

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How Hong Kong’s Tai Po community is finding light in darkness, 1 month after fire

As Wang Fuk Court residents and their neighbours pick up the pieces after blaze, glimmers of hope and generosity bring comfort.

Is North Korea’s new nuclear sub reveal a bid to counter US-South Korean naval power? North Korea’s move to publicly reveal the full hull and displacement of its first nuclear-powered submarine under construction appears to be a strategic counter to bids by the US and South Korea to expand their undersea capabilities. North Korea’s state media on Thursday released images of leader Kim Jong-un inspecting a “nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine” being built at an undisclosed location. Kim was accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Kim Ju-ae, believed to be...

South China Morning Post

‘Maximum deterrence’: why North Korea just revealed its new nuclear submarine

The unprecedented transparency from the normally secretive country shows a shift in North Korean defence strategy, analysts say.

King Charles calls for ‘reconciliation’ in Christmas speech Britain’s King Charles called for “compassion and reconciliation” at a time of “division” across the world in his Christmas Day message on Thursday. The 77-year-old monarch said he found it “enormously encouraging” how people of different faiths had a “shared longing for peace”. Charles praised individuals who risked their lives to save others in situations of violence, including those caught up in the killings at a Jewish event at Bondi Beach in Australia this month. “Individuals and...

South China Morning Post

Britain’s King Charles calls for ‘reconciliation’ in Christmas speech

UK monarch praises the courage of those who risked their lives for others during his fourth Christmas broadcast as king.

Jimmy Kimmel takes aim at Trump in ‘alternative Christmas message’ to UK Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel took aim at US President Donald Trump as he warned on Thursday about the rise of fascism in an address to UK viewers dubbed “The Alternative Christmas Message.” The message, aired on Channel 4 on Christmas Day, reflected on the impact from the second term in office for Trump, who Kimmel said acts like he is a king. “From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year,” he said. “Tyranny is booming over here.” The channel began a tradition of airing an...

South China Morning Post

Jimmy Kimmel takes aim at Trump in ‘alternative Christmas message’ to UK

Talk show host and Trump foe Kimmel tells UK TV that ‘tyranny is booming’ in the US.

Hong Kong firefighter unions slam Ip Man producer Checkley Sin over blaze remarks Six labour unions with Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department have denounced banker turned film producer Checkley Sin Kwok-lam for comments about its chief’s handling of the Tai Po fire. The unions banded together on Thursday to slam Sin’s comments about the department’s strategies for battling the city’s deadliest fire in decades. The blaze raged for about 43 hours, killing 161 people and displacing nearly 5,000 residents. Sin, a former banker who went on to produce the award-winning kung fu film...

South China Morning Post

Hong Kong firefighter unions slam Ip Man producer Checkley Sin over blaze remarks

Producer of Ip Man film series took to social media on Monday to claim internal messages accuse fire service director of mismanaging blaze.

Aspiring Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman welcomed home after 17 years abroad Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight Tarique Rahman was welcomed back to Bangladesh on Thursday by huge crowds of joyous supporters after 17 years in self-imposed exile. Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and heir apparent of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), shook hands with party leaders after touching down at the Dhaka airport. Accompanied by his wife and daughter, a visibly emotional Rahman took off his shoes, stood on the grass outside the airport and...

South China Morning Post

Aspiring Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman welcomed home after 17 years abroad

The political heavyweight is to lead the BNP through an election after ex-premier Sheikh Hasina’s exit following a student-led uprising.

Charity vows to give every Hong Kong fire-affected child a new toy The deadly inferno that raged through a housing estate in Hong Kong last month has prompted youngsters at charity Kids4Kids to spring into action to help children affected by the blaze. Last month’s fire swept through seven of Wang Fuk Court’s eight blocks, raging for about 43 hours and claiming 161 lives. While the group was already planning a Christmas toy collection, it has stepped up the drive and aims to give a new toy to every child affected by the tragedy. Founded in 2008, the charity’s...

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Charity vows to give every Hong Kong fire-affected child a new toy

Kids4Kids also strives to promote ‘three Cs’ – creativity, character and community – to help children become future changemakers.