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United States & Canada

End of the line: New York retires iconic MetroCard and embraces tap-and-go fares

December 31 is the final day to refill MetroCards after that New York City transitions to OMNY tap-to-pay via credit cards and smart devices.

A New York subway rider swipes his MetroCard in a turnstile as he enters a subway station. Photo: AP

Opinion

My Take | How Elon Musk and his merry band of billionaires run the United States

China follows a different system, but perhaps America should look into why the richest Chinese do not pose a problem similar to those in the US.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Military

A look at China’s ‘Flying Shark’ J-15 jet that made waves near Japan

Fighter in service for more than a decade often patrols potential conflict hotspots including the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

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Known as the “Flying Shark”, the J-15 is China’s first domestically developed twin-engined heavy carrier-based fighter jet. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

Football

Camargo penalty saves Hong Kong in ill-tempered clash with 9-man Guangdong

Everton Camargo’s second-half spot kick earns new interim head coach Roberto Losada a draw in first game in charge.

Hong Kong’s Sun Ming-him (right) fires his side ahead at Hong Kong Stadium. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Other Sport

Hong Kong’s men and women to battle for bronze in lacrosse sixes tournament

Young city sides learn valuable lessons in semi-final defeats at Hong Kong Football Club.

Hong Kong’s Steffi Sze (right) battles to keep possession during her side’s Hong Kong International Lacrosse Sixes semi-final against Second Era Leaders of Lacrosse. Photo: Jonathan Wong
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East Asia

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

Safety concerns were previously raised over a lack of handrails and the lift’s design.

The site of an accident involving a 5-year-old boy at a ski resort in Otaru, Hokkaido on Sunday. Photo: Kyodo

China Economy

Consumer demand and public services top China’s financial priorities for 2026

National fiscal work conference ends in Beijing with pledge to spur domestic market.

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The Ministry of Finance says it will this year focus on building a robust domestic market through “vigorously boosting consumption”. Photo: Xinhua

Politics

Incoming Hong Kong lawmaker Vivian Kong to shift to Jockey Club consultant role

Former boss Freely Cheng says Olympian will continue to promote racing tourism in her new role with the club.

Vivian Kong joined the Jockey Club in August 2024 as an assistant external affairs manager. Photo: Karma Lo

World Opinion

Opinion | Trump’s pivot puts Pacific Rim at heart of global power shift

America’s strategy is hastening the geopolitical change of influence from the Atlantic to the Pacific, with US-China competition the primary driver.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens

Politics

Hong Kong liaison office’s Qi Bin to take up role in Beijing on economic affairs

Qi Bin expected to be appointed deputy director of economic committee under Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

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 central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong. Photo: Getty Images
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Society

Indonesian helper battles trauma, faces job insecurity after Hong Kong fire

NGOs say they are bracing for more terminations among helpers as families begin to count the cost of their losses.

As many as 235 domestic helpers lived in Wang Fuk Court before the blaze. Photo: Karma Lo

Society

Hong Kong Island promenade to be completed after 16 years as final section opens

Last 1.1km section in North Point, featuring glass observatory deck, completes 13km-long walkway linking Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan.

The final 1.1km section in North Point features a glass observatory deck and open spaces. Photo: Handout

Southeast Asia

Who is running for Thai PM? Unofficial campaign starts as parties name candidates

PM Anutin seeks re-election in a three-way race against People’s Party and Thaksin’s Pheu Thai amid constitutional referendum in February poll.

Supporters with placards back Thai PM Anutin Charnvirakul on the first day of candidate registration in Bangkok on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong finance chief upbeat about 2026 outlook on back of 3.2% growth

Paul Chan says Hong Kong will align with national development strategies, focusing on three growth engines: finance, innovation and technology, and trade.

Hong Kong’s IPO fundraising ranked first globally, exceeding HK$270 billion by mid-December. Photo: Nora Tam

Europe

Brigitte Bardot, French icon and animal rights activist, dies at 91

Bardot became a global star in “And God Created Woman” in 1956, starred in 50 other films, then left acting to focus on animal rights advocacy.

Bardot gives a press conference in December 1965 in Hollywood for the film “Viva Maria”. Photo: AFP
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China

China pair ready to defend Winter Olympics figure skating gold after 3-year break

Sui Wenjing and Han Cong seal Milano-Cortina spot after winning gold at National Figure Skating Championships in Harbin.

Han Cong (bottom) and Sui Wenjing perform on day two of the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix in Osaka in November. Photo: Getty Images

Diplomacy

Why Saudi Arabia might not fulfil its US spending pledge, and the China factor

Analysts say Riyadh’s investment target of nearly US$1 trillion may not be feasible – and it’s more about optics than a binding commitment.

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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets US President Donald Trump in Washington on November 18. They announced that Riyadh had pledged investments of nearly US$1 trillion in the US. Photo: TNS

China Personalities

China paralysed man, who can only move a finger and a toe, creates smart farm system, start-up

Man who survives on a ventilator teaches his mother to become a ‘super technician’, plans future experiments using state-of-the-art technology.

A paralysed young man in China who can only move a finger and a toe, dropped out of primary school but taught himself electronic circuits by reading books. Photo: SCMP composite/CCTV

Society

650 Hongkongers on Taiwan group tours confirmed safe after ‘terrifying’ quake

Earthquake occurred at 11.05pm in Taiwan, with epicentre located about 70km southeast of Taipei and at focal depth of 60km, Observatory says.

The earthquake occurred at 11.05pm in Taiwan. Photo: Handout

East Asia

South Korea’s record low birth rate leads to mass school closures

With student counts half of 1980 levels, South Korea confronts a crisis of empty classrooms and abandoned sites, raising worry over wasted assets.

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An empty classroom in a South Korean high school, with rows of desks and a blackboard. Photo: Shutterstock
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Entertainment

How Stephen Chow and Donnie Yen reinvented Bruce Lee’s classic Chen Zhen

Fist of Fury 1991 with Stephen Chow and TV series Fist of Fury with Donnie Yen saw two different versions of Bruce Lee’s famous character.

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Donnie Yen in a still from the television drama series Fist of Fury (1995).

Military

China’s anti-corruption campaign claims 3 more top military officers

Two generals and an admiral have been expelled from the national legislature after noticeable absences in recent months.

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Wang Renhua was elevated to the highest rank for officers in active service in March, 2024. Photo: CCTV

Politics

Hong Kong’s Starry Lee seeks to unite lawmakers, but quiet about Legco presidency

Asked if she plans to run for position, Lee says her roles as a delegate to China’s top legislative body and at Legco do not conflict.

Lawmaker Starry Lee is Hong Kong’s sole delegate in the standing committee of the National People’s Congress. Photo: Edmond So

World Opinion

Opinion | Why America can no longer build something like the Manhattan Project

Rather than owning the engine of innovation, Washington is standing in line like a customer to buy tech services it doesn’t control or understand.

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Tech leaders (from the left) Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk attend Donald Trump’s inauguration in the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington on January 20. Bezos’ Amazon has pledged to invest up to US$50 billion to expand AI and supercomputing infrastructure for “US government customers”. Photo: Pool via Reuters

Football

Hong Kong coach blasts ‘disgusting’ treatment, women told to change in men’s toilet

Women’s football head coach Ricardo Rambo lets rip ahead of Hong Kong’s clash with Guangdong in the 7th Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup.

A picture of the men’s toilet the Hong Kong’s women’s team were told to dress in ahead of their Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup first leg match against Guangdong at Kowloon Bay Park. Photo: X/ricardorambo7
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Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong to launch ‘special channel’ for cross-border sensitive biological data

A ‘green channel’ and ‘white list’ system will allow samples and data to cross between innovation hubs in Lok Ma Chau and Shenzhen.

The Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone is being developed as a “special jurisdiction” between the city and mainland China. Photo: Xinhua

Diplomacy

How Algeria could help China plug iron ore gaps and gain pricing power

The Gara Djebilet deposit in the Sahara Desert was discovered decades ago but is only now coming into production.

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China’s CRCC has completed laying track on the 6km PK330 Bridge, a final and critical link in a new railway designed to unlock Algeria’s mineral wealth. Photo: CCRC

Politics

Corruption, floods and clan wars rock Philippines in 2025

Deepening political feuds, ex-president Duterte’s ICC arrest and the South China Sea dispute have reshaped the Philippine landscape.

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Protesters wearing masks depicting the faces of Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr march during a rally to mark the International Human Rights Day in Manila on December 10. Photo: AFP

Trending in China

China pupils, inspired by suspense novels, use chalk dust to crack code of classroom phone safe

‘Creative’ boarding school pupils subjected to official investigation, hit with ‘serious’ warnings; online observers praise their ingenuity.

Several Chinese secondary school pupils, inspired by suspense novels, used chalk dust to crack the code of their classroom’s mobile phone safe. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

Health & Wellness

Hong Kong’s wellness social clubs are redefining networking. Here’s how

Wellness social clubs in Hong Kong blend fitness and networking, offering the health-conscious a new way to connect beyond dinners and bars.

People take part in a yoga session at a recent SoberSweat event. Hong Kong’s young professionals are ditching traditional networking for wellness social clubs like this one. Photo: SoberSweat