Arson, conspiracy are behind devastating Old Town Newhall fire, authorities say; 4 arrested

The shattered family of a father-of-two who was struck and killed by a drunk and drugged driver has laid bare their grief in court.

Crows star Josh Worrell has pleaded guilty to hitting a pedestrian with his car.

Eight companies have applied for licences to provide ride-hailing services in Hong Kong under the new regulatory regime ahead of Friday’s deadline, the Transport Department has confirmed. US-based Uber, Singapore-based Tada, Amap and Didi Chuxing, all of which currently serve the market, confirmed to the South China Morning Post that they had submitted applications. Amap is operated by Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the SCMP. “Drawing on its global operational experience and local track...

China successfully conducted take-off and landing operations of the GJ-21 drone from its first Type 076 warship this month, state media said on Friday. In late October, the Sichuan conducted consecutive sea trials, according to Xinhua. “The [People’s Liberation Army’s] first shipborne reconnaissance-strike stealth UAV, the GJ-21, has successfully completed its maiden take-off and landing on the amphibious assault ship Sichuan,” Xinhua said. “It represents another breakthrough in the development...

An award-winning violinist from Queensland has been hand-picked by American rapper Snoop Dogg to taste test ice cream around the globe.

Chinese President Xi Jinping renewed a years-long anti-corruption drive at a major Communist Party meeting, while the general who led a military anti-graft purge was promoted to the Politburo. The party must “ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to commit corruption”, read a communique passed at the fifth plenum of the party’s Central Committee. The document also highlighted “unwritten rules” as a key issue to address. Zhang Shengmin, Xi’s vice-chairman on the...

A leading economist warned on Thursday that the United States and China are in a “conflicted co-dependency” that this year’s two bilateral summits failed to address. “I think there’s a good chance that we’re in a temporarily more stable place. But to say that has solved the deep-rooted problems between us, I think is a real stretch,” said Stephen Roach, a veteran China-watcher and the former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, at the China Institute of America. “You mentioned the two summits that...

Heart-stopping vision shows the moment a train nearly collides with a group of children in Queensland.

Bespoke self-erasing apps and encrypted networks have turned serious violence into cheap contracts, leaving burns victims, bungled targets and disposable teens in their wake.

We’re all aboard Sydney’s new Metro extension, where the old quarter-hour wait for the service to the city has been consigned to history.

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has revealed that 53,000 bookings were compromised after hackers breached its technology service provider’s system. The carrier is among hundreds of airlines worldwide that use technology solutions provided by Amadeus IT Group. The revelation follows similar disclosures by Korean Air and Japan Airlines. Cathay said on Friday that the unauthorised access took place between August 2023 and September 2026. “We apologise to our customers for the concern...

Amid attempts this year to impress each other with splendour, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping appear to have decided that the relationship between their two countries should primarily run through their personal relationship. This has been a hallmark of the Trump years. The American executive branch has always held near-unilateral authority over foreign policy, but Trump has concentrated that in himself. Dozens of ambassadors and senior national security advisers have...