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South China Morning Post

All the latest breaking news from Hong Kong, China and around the world

5-year-old dies after ski lift accident in Hokkaido, Japan

A 5-year-old boy died after his right arm became trapped in a moving walkway at a resort in northern Japan on Sunday, local authorities said. Firefighters said they received an emergency call from the boy’s mother at about 10am saying he was trapped on the autowalk in Otaru, Hokkaido. The victim was identified as Hinata Goto, who lived in Sapporo, a major city neighbouring Otaru. The boy fell as...
Incoming Hong Kong lawmaker Vivian Kong to transition to Jockey Club consultant role

Former Hong Kong star fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai will transition to a consultant role at the Jockey Club after she is sworn in as a tourism lawmaker, her former boss has said. The retired Olympic fencing gold medallist joined the club in August 2024 as an assistant external affairs manager, but suspended her duties last month to run for the election in the tourism sector. The 31-year-old secured...
Trump’s pivot puts Pacific Rim at heart of global power shift

While US-China relations are likely to warm in 2026 and US President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy strikes a comparatively softer tone, the long-term trajectory of the two nations’ rivalry remains irreversible. Strategic competition will only intensify, focusing ever more on economic and security issues in the Pacific Rim. Notably, the Pentagon’s call for a major US military overhaul...
Hong Kong liaison office’s Qi Bin to take up new role in Beijing on economic affairs

A senior cadre at Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong with a rich financial background is expected to be transferred back to the capital for a new role in a committee advising leadership on economic policies for the next five-year plan, the Post has learned. Qi Bin, who turned 57 last month, was appointed by the State Council in November last year to take up the post of deputy director of the...
‘I cannot sleep soundly’: helper battles trauma, job insecurity after Hong Kong fire

Domestic helper Siti Zulaikho has only one word to describe her life after Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades turned everything upside down: “chaotic.” The 41-year-old Indonesian was among more than 200 domestic helpers living in Wang Fuk Court when the 43-hour blaze broke out on November 26, engulfing seven of the housing estate’s eight buildings and killing 161 people. Over the past month, she...
Hong Kong Island promenade to be completed after 16 years as final section opens

Hong Kong Island’s 13km (8-mile) promenade will be fully connected after 16 years of planning and construction, with the last section of the boardwalk in North Point to open to the public on Monday. The Development Bureau said on Sunday that the eastern section of East Coast Boardwalk, spanning 1.1km from the North Point Promenade to Hoi Yu Street in Quarry Bay, featured a glass observatory deck...
Who is running for Thai PM? Unofficial campaign starts as parties name candidates

Political parties in Thailand on Sunday registered their candidates for the next prime minister, marking the unofficial start of campaigning for the February 8, 2026 general election. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved Parliament earlier this month to call early polls, after the main opposition party prepared to seek a no-confidence vote over constitutional change. Calling a new...
Hong Kong finance chief upbeat about 2026 outlook on back of 3.2% growth

Hong Kong’s finance chief has struck an upbeat tone about the city’s economic outlook for 2026, while forecasting that growth this year will accelerate to 3.2 per cent, surpassing earlier projections. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the optimistic outlook was mainly supported by anticipated growth in mainland China and Asia, along with interest rate cuts. But his optimism was questioned...
Brigitte Bardot, French icon and animal rights activist, dies at 91

Brigitte Bardot, the French actress who set the standard for a generation of female sex symbols in the 1960s and devoted her later life to animal rights, has died. She was 91. Agence France-Presse reported her death on Sunday, citing a statement from her foundation that didn’t provide details. The archetype of beauty to millions of men, Bardot spawned an era of curvy, pouting, insouciant...
Why Saudi Arabia might not fulfil spending pledge to US amid China-America rivalry

Saudi Arabia has pledged to boost investments in America to nearly US$1 trillion, but according to analysts Riyadh could struggle to meet that target. Rather, they said the pledge – announced when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Washington last month – was more about the “political display” than a binding commitment. It was an increase to the US$600 billion that was promised in May,...