Latest

Racing

Fownes bags another feature as Sky Trust runs riot at Sha Tin

The win helps the four-time champion trainer keep pace with Mark Newnham in this season’s title race.

Sky Trust and Maxime Guyon run riot at Sha Tin. Photos: Kenneth Chan

Southeast Asia

‘One of the biggest ever’: Malaysia busts US$375 million drug ring

Six arrested in raids on a syndicate that could have supplied drugs to 68.5 million users according to narcotics officials.

Royal Malaysia Police display seized drugs and manufacturing equipment at a Saturday press conference in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AFP

Europe

Starmer pressured to intercept Andrew Tate in Dubai over UK rape charges

The self-described misogynist will appear at a Dubai boxing match this weekend, while facing civil action in the UK from four women alleging assault and rape.

Andrew Tate leaves the Bucharest Tribunal in Romania in February 2024. Photo: AP

Science

Targeted jamming incident blinds GPS and BeiDou in east China’s Nanjing

Food delivery, drone control and ride-hailing apps paralysed during satellite navigation blackout in city of nearly 10 million.

A disruption to satellite navigation systems affected daily life and the local economy of Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu province, on Wednesday. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images

Video | Knife-wielding attacker kills 3 in Taipei

Attacker let off smoke bombs at main train station, then attacked people before jumping off a building and dying.

z
02:28
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Basketball

NBA tweaks its injury reporting rules, still wants changes to prop betting

Move comes about two months after arrests of Miami guard Terry Rozier and Portland coach Chauncey Billups on separate gambling-related charges.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was among those arrested on gambling-related charges. Photo: Reuters

Society

Hong Kong minister urges landlords to avoid cashing in on Tai Po fire rent aid

Home affairs minister Alice Mak says some landlords appear to have been raising rents to take advantage of subsidies for displaced residents.

Hong Kong will provide an annual subsidy of HK$150,000 to each flat owner affected the Tai Po blaze, to help them rent homes in the private market. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Australasia

Bondi shooter visited Philippine gun shop before attack: police

Police retrace Sydney shooters’ steps in Davao City as CCTV shows Sajid Akram at a gun shop, but officials deny ample time for extremist training.

videocam
People add to a floral tribute outside Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Thursday. Photo: AP

China Economy

China’s ‘black flying’ drone dilemma: when tech clashes with aviation safety

Videos posted online have shown drones climbing above 8,000 metres, dangerously close to passenger aircraft.

A drone flies over the Khumbu Icefall on the Nepali side of Mount Everest in April last year. Photo: Xinhua

People & Culture

Japan social worker opens ‘It is OK to be useless’ bar to relieve daily pressure

Fish Akiko grew up with a chauvinistic father; she is determined not to replicate her mother’s sacrifices.

A Japanese social worker opened a daytime bar nicknamed “It Is OK to Be Useless”, providing a supportive space for people seeking relief from Japan’s productivity pressures. Photo: SCMP composite/musicbird.jp/IG@hirusuna_nakasu
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Celebrities

Meet Marty Reisman, who inspired Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Supreme

The film, slated for a Christmas release in the US, is loosely based on the table tennis legend who was known for hustling and his eccentric style.

In Marty Supreme, Timothée Chalamet (left) plays Marty Mauser, who is based on real-life table tennis champion and hustler Marty Reisman (right). Photos: AP, Getty Images

Society

7 injured as car collides with oncoming bus in Hong Kong

Neck and facial injuries reported as driver loses control of his car and crashes into bus in Stanley.

A car lost control and collided head-on with a bus in Stanley, leaving seven people injured. Photo: Handout

Business

Vanke Hong Kong sells just 7 units in muted Le Mont weekend launch

Brokers said the downbeat result reflected Le Mont’s long sales cycle rather than any spillover from parent China Vanke’s onshore debt talks.

Le Mont project of China Vanke at 19 Ma Wo Road in Tai Po. Photo: Handout

Lifestyle

Language Matters | Word of the Year 2025 choices reflect how virtual our reality has become

From Oxford’s ‘rage bait’ to Macquarie Dictionary’s ‘AI slop’, 2025 WOTYs show the influence of the virtual world on our daily lives.

Word of the Year 2025 choices around the world – including Oxford’s “rage bait” and Cambridge Dictionary’s “parasocial” – reflect the increasing influence that artificial intelligence has on everyday life. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong Economy

Explainer | How Hongkongers can make the best use of new section of Central Kowloon Bypass

The Post looks at the shorter routes that drivers and commuters can take when the Yau Ma Tei section of the Central Kowloon Bypass opens on Sunday.

The Yau Ma Tei section of the Central Kowloon Bypass will allow drivers and commuters to significantly cut travel times. Photo: Eugene Lee
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Tech

ByteDance raises pay, boosts bonuses to retain staff amid AI talent war

The TikTok owner has announced higher bonuses, wider pay bands and faster equity payouts as it seeks to stay competitive in the global talent race.

ByteDance said its total bonus pool would increase by 35 per cent from a year earlier, while spending on compensation adjustments would rise 1.5 times. Photo: Shutterstock

Asia Opinion

Macroscope | Japan’s economic security push heralds rising protectionism in Asia

The emphasis on securing supply chains and stockpiling critical resources is no substitute for free and open trade and investment.

videocam
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gestures as US President Donald Trump delivers a speech in front of US Navy personnel on board the USS George Washington aircraft carrier at the US naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, on October 28. Photo: AFP

China Personalities

Explainer | China Santa Claus: how Qing dynasty military figure ‘cutified’ into ‘Father Christmas’

Oboi has become a new pop culture icon in China, with related videos exceeding 1 billion views on Douyin.

A Qing dynasty military commander is being reinterpreted as “China’s Santa Claus” due to his white beard and red hat, appealing to younger generations. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/RedNote

Health & Environment

Chinese or Western medicine? Hong Kong to help residents decide

Chinese and Western medicine each have their own strengths and ‘sometimes a combination of both is more effective’, official says.

A traditional Chinese medicine clinic in Sham Shui Po. Photo: Dickson Lee

Business

Chinese AI ‘tiger’ Zhipu moves closer to US$300 million Hong Kong listing

Dubbed one of China’s new ‘AI tigers’, Zhipu could become one of the first major large language model start-ups globally to go public.

Chinese artificial intelligence firm Zhipu AI has moved a step closer to a Hong Kong initial public offering to raise US$300 million. Photo: Getty
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Middle East

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices in Bethlehem as peace returns to Gaza

Palestinians are flocking again to Manger Square, bringing much-needed revenue to the city after two years of fighting.

videocam
Women pose for a picture in Manger Square in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Health & Environment

‘Medical pork’ row exposes political grip over Philippine health assistance

Doctors and health groups say the system allows politicians to influence who receives state medical aid, undermining universal care.

videocam
Doctors and health groups in the Philippines said the “medical pork” system allows politicians to influence who receives state medical aid. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong

Hong Kong district officer apologises over outfit choice at firefighter’s funeral

Eunice Chan accused of ‘lack of respect and common sense’ for attire at service for Ho Wai-ho, as his girlfriend posts touching tribute online.

4
District officer Eunice Chan expressed regret over her clothing choice at the funeral service for firefighter Ho Wai-ho. Photo: Dickson Lee

K-drama

Latest K-drama casting news about Lee Min-ho, Han Hyo-joo and more

Lee Min-ho may be joining Moon Ga-young in period drama Scent of the Night, while Han Hyo-joo has been confirmed to appear in Your Ground.

Korean actor Lee Min-ho may take a leading role in the coming romantic period drama series Scent of the Night. Photo: Instagram/actorleeminho

Middle East

Man executed in Iran for spying for Israel tortured to confess: rights group

The 27-year-old, arrested while taking pictures of a military headquarters, was accused of executing over 200 similar assignments for Mossad.

Israeli air defence systems intercept Iranian missiles over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv early on June 18. Photo: AFP
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Society

Operation Santa Claus: Hong Kong Disneyland spreads magic in charity drive

Resort to donate all proceeds from its Holiday Wishes Postcards to Operation Santa Claus, extending a partnership that began in 2019.

The Holiday Wishes Postcards were first introduced in 2019. Photo: Handout

Society

‘No leniency’: Hong Kong minister vows tougher safety laws after Tai Po fire

Development chief Bernadette Linn says authorities must ‘thoroughly review the existing system with a heavy hand’.

5
The catastrophic 43-hour blaze at Wang Fuk Court, which broke out on November 26, claimed at least 161 lives and left nearly 5,000 residents displaced. Photo: Sam Tsang

Diplomacy

Bearly any time left for Japan’s panda lovers? Row with China threatens to end loans

A 50-year tradition of panda diplomacy appears to be reaching its end with the last pair set to leave amid heightened diplomatic tensions.

videocam
8
Visitors take pictures of giant panda Xiao Xiao at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. Photo: EPA

People & Culture

Turkish court rules man liking women’s posts may erode marital trust, prompts debate

Judges rule against husband who ogled at ‘seductive’ and ‘suggestive’ photos of women online; lawyers say actions may be grounds for divorce.

A court in Turkey has ruled that a husband who repeatedly liked social media posts from other women could be undermining trust within his marriage, and his actions might be grounds for divorce. Photo: Shutterstock

United States & Canada

‘I inherited mess’: Trump hits out at Democrats, dodges Epstein files in rally

The US presidents also warned that the government could be headed towards another lockdown in late January.

US President Donald Trump addresses the crowd at a political rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on Friday. Photo: AFP