Suppliers impacted by David Jones collapse

Elon Musk bet nearly half a billion dollars that political spending could keep Washington friendly to his sprawling business empire. On Tuesday, that bet came up short. As Democrats recaptured control of the US Congress in the midterm elections, the world’s richest man found himself facing an abruptly altered political landscape. After pouring a record-breaking US$474 million into political groups – overwhelmingly backing Republicans – Musk now faces a divided Washington keen to examine his...

Hong Kong police have arrested a domestic helper for suspected child abuse after a five-month-old baby girl was found unconscious at her Yuen Long home. The force received a report from the girl’s mother at about 7.20pm on Thursday that the infant was unconscious at a residence at Ha San Wai along Castle Peak Road. Paramedics rushed to the scene and transported the baby girl to Pok Oi Hospital in Yuen Long for emergency resuscitation. She was subsequently transferred to Tuen Mun Hospital for...

A back to basics approach will sweep Queensland primary school curriculum, but the state continues to push back the idea of a technology shake-up.

The Democrat expected to become US House speaker has met Taiwan’s former leader and backed legislation supporting the island, yet is unlikely to follow Nancy Pelosi’s example in pursuing high-profile engagement with Taipei, analysts said. Hakeem Jeffries, the House’s top-ranking Democrat, announced his bid for the speakership on Wednesday after Democrats won a majority of seats in the US midterm elections. He is poised to officially become House speaker following a floor vote on the first day of...

China’s second-largest contract chipmaker, Hua Hong Grace Semiconductor, is aggressively expanding into silicon photonics, as the company looks to capture the next wave of the global artificial intelligence infrastructure boom. Speaking on an earnings call with analysts on Thursday, Hua Hong chairman and president Bai Peng said the company planned to significantly expand its footprint in silicon photonics – a critical technology used in AI optical modules – during its next major capacity...

Amid tensions with China, a small European country is anchoring itself at the centre of the global semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) hardware supply chain as a laser powerhouse. The latest sign of Lithuania’s growing footprint in the sector came last month, when laser maker Litilit launched a new factory in the capital, Vilnius. The company’s expansion unfolds as the Baltic nation of fewer than 3 million people navigates fraught ties with Beijing, which has targeted Lithuania with a...

Manuel Vasquez, 20, and William David Hampton Jr., 19, botched the kidnapping scheme. When Ventura restaurateur Felipe Arambula arrived home to them holding his wife and young children captive, a fight ensued, and Arambula was fatally shot.

Trivia buffs, test your knowledge with today’s interactive superquiz.

The latest front in the US-China technology contest is not advanced chips, artificial intelligence (AI) or telecommunications equipment. It is the laboratories that certify whether an electronic product may enter the American market. On October 29, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to stop recognising testing laboratories, telecoms certification bodies and accreditation organisations in China and in other economies that lack a “mutual recognition agreement” or comparable...

A Hong Kong grandmother has been sentenced to 20 days in jail for slapping a five-year-old girl who squabbled over a basketball with her grandson in a play area at the atrium of APM shopping centre in Kwun Tong. Leung Lai-ha, 68, on Thursday pleaded guilty to assaulting the girl on August 26, admitting that she hit the girl on impulse. A video of the brawl showed three adults were involved – Leung, her 34-year-old daughter Ng Ka-wun and Xu Yang, 34, the girl’s mother. The physical altercation...

According to a criminal complaint, Marisela Nuño was able to secure $4.8 million by filing more than two dozen applications under federal relief programs for several businesses she owns.

Hong Kong’s medical watchdog will hold a by-election after a prominent patients’ rights advocate resigned over concerns that his plan to represent the father of a girl who died after an alleged medical blunder at her inquest could create a conflict of interest. The Medical Council announced on Thursday that it will process matters related to the by-election for the vacancy created by the departure of Alex Lam Chi-yau, who submitted his written resignation as a lay member a day earlier. His...