Hong Kong police are investigating whether a fire that led to a womans death in her flat on Sunday morning is linked to her smoking. Police said they had received a call around 7.43am from a security officer at Hoi Tat Estate in Cheung Sha Wan that smoke was emanating from one of the buildings units. Firefighters were deployed to the scene to extinguish the ...

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMPs journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. All typhoon signals will be cancelled at 12.10pm on Sunday as Tropical Cyclone Kajiki moves further away from Hong Kong, according to the citys weather ...

A unit of Taiwanese consumer electronics giant Asus is developing a supercomputer, powered by Nvidia chips, that is expected to boost the islands computing capacity by at least 50 per cent, according to a senior executive. That infrastructure, a collaboration between Taiwan AI Cloud and the islands National Centre for High-Performance Computing, is expected ...

For decades, both New Zealand and Australia have been pretty slack on military spending, Wellingtons defence minister recently conceded in a striking admission that analysts say was aimed as much at Washington as at a sceptical public at home. Judith Collins told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on August 14 that she sympathised with the United ...

For Mariana Zobel de Ayala, the chance to help develop the Philippines tourism industry by boosting Ayala Lands investments in retail and hotel properties could not have come at a better time. As the senior vice-president for leasing and hospitality of one of the largest developers in the Philippines, Zobel de Ayala believes tourism will be a major driver ...

From public transport to postal services, the city of Beijing has tightened security in multiple ways for a rare military parade on September 3 celebrating a World War II triumph for China that will draw state leaders from around the world. The parade is among events that will mark the 80th anniversary of Chinas victory in the war of resistance against ...

More than 180 years after their first development, the historic cores on Hong Kong Island Central, Sheung Wan and Wan Chai and in Kowloon Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok face an acute urban crisis. Once-vibrant neighbourhoods have become densely packed relics defined by ageing buildings, congested streets, poor sanitation and rising urban heat ...

A Singaporean woman who met an Italian man on the dating app Tinder later agreed to travel with him to Qatar via Dubai, thinking he was a wealthy man who wanted to marry her. However, she was later allegedly told that she needed to show US$10,000 as proof of funds before she could enter Qatar. According to the prosecution, the Italian man arranged for her ...

A shocking video which shows a mother calmly taking her toddler daughter to the hospital with a fruit knife lodged in the childs head has stunned social media. The incident came to light on August 15 when a netizen posted a video showing a mother and her three-year-old daughter walking as if nothing had happened into Dongchuan Peoples Hospital in Kunming, ...

Chinese smartphone maker Vivo unveiled a mixed-reality headset that resembles Apples Vision Pro in name, design and interface, but weighs about 35 per cent less and is likely to cost one third as much. The Vivo Vision is similar to the Apple gadget that is controlled with intuitive eye tracking and hand gestures, according to information published on Vivos ...

In Hong Kongs Kwai Tsing neighbourhood, a community recycling station has been quietly making an impact since opening in 2019. Green@Kwai Tsing, operated by the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, serves as a collection point for various items that are sent to recyclers. Twelve mobile collection spots are also set up in the neighbourhood every ...

Convicted criminals could face being banned from going to the pub, music concerts and sports events such as football matches under new plans by the British government as it seeks ways to address the countrys overflowing prison crisis. Under the new sentencing powers, judges would be able to limit offenders freedoms with a range of measures such as driving ...

All five people killed in a tour bus crash in upstate New York on Friday afternoon have been identified, authorities said on Saturday. The victims include a Columbia University student, three New Jersey residents and one Indian national, according to New York State Police. They were identified as Xie Hongzhuo, a 22-year-old Columbia student originally from ...

When two helicopters collided in Malaysia last year, killing 10 naval officers, it served as a wake-up call for a military that for too long has been dependent on ageing equipment. Though the aircraft involved in that crash were relatively new, many others are not. Now, the king himself has intervened, calling out nonsensical and unacceptable procurement ...

The Pentagon has been quietly blocking Ukraine from using US-made long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to strike targets inside Russia, limiting Kyivs ability to employ these weapons in its defence against Moscows invasion, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing US officials. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The ...

China is on a mission to turn its military into a modern fighting force. In the second of this four-part series, we look at how its massive defence industry can support Chinas military goals, and during wartime could be further bolstered by the civilian manufacturing sector. In the northeastern city of Shenyang, the future of Chinas defence manufacturing ...

Indias national investigative bureau opened a criminal case against tycoon Anil Ambani after receiving a complaint from the countrys biggest bank alleging fraud, the agency said Saturday. Anil, the younger sibling of Asias richest man Mukesh Ambani, has business interests that range from power to defence. The State Bank of India (SBI) alleged Anil Ambani ...

Just before news broke in July of a chikungunya outbreak in Foshan, Guangdong province, I was on a field trip with a group of students in Pok Fu Lam. It was a sultry day; recent rains had increased the humidity. It was impossible not to sweat. As we made our first stop to begin an activity, the mosquitoes began to gather and feast. We were not unprepared. ...

Football fans were granted most of their wishes at Hong Kong Stadium on Saturday as the Saudi Super Cup concluded with a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, even if the Portuguese was narrowly denied the silverware. Ronaldos club Al-Nassr may have been beaten by Al-Ahli in a deciding penalty shoot-out, but the plaudits were largely for the man wearing No 7, the ...

A house at the luxury Redhill Peninsula estate was burgled on Saturday, with more than half of the HK$400,000 (US$51,200) worth of items stolen belonging to a domestic helper. Police received a report in the morning that a house at Redhill Peninsula had been broken into, with gold jewellery among the items missing. A source said most of the stolen goods ...

Immigration officials said they intend to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda, after he declined an offer to be deported to Costa Rica in exchange for remaining in jail and pleading guilty to human smuggling charges, according to a Saturday court filing. The Costa Rica offer came late on Thursday, after it was clear that the Salvadorean national would ...

Chinas third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, could be officially commissioned as early as wartime anniversaries next month, a video by state broadcaster CCTV suggests. The video released on Saturday sought to draw a parallel between the Japanese naval incursions 88 years ago and the Fujians readiness to enter service, linking it with the ...

Sri Lankas jailed former president was rushed to intensive care at a state hospital on Saturday, a day after being charged with misusing government funds for foreign travel. Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was remanded in custody on Friday night, was severely dehydrated and required close monitoring, the deputy director general of Colombo National Hospital said. ...

Following what became a historic countdown, PLA Sergeant Major Zhao Jing tapped the laptop before him, declared launch sequence initiated, and exited the cabin of the missile vehicle he had ridden into the dense jungle of Hainan province. Some 27 minutes later, a dummy warhead plunged into the southern Pacific Ocean in an uninhabited area near French ...

Apple assembly partner Foxconn has recalled about 300 Chinese engineers from a factory in India, the latest setback for the iPhone makers push to rapidly expand in the country. The extraction of Chinese workers from the factory of Yuzhan Technology, a Foxconn component unit, in southern Tamil Nadu state is the second such move in a few months. Foxconn has ...