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Muay Thai

ONE Championship: Siasarani finally signs coveted contract – now he wants a belt

After knocking out Jo Nattawut to secure his deal, Iranian says belief and self-discipline have carried him to brink of featherweight gold.

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Mohammad Siasarani (right) knocked out “Smokin’” Jo Nattawut at ONE Friday Fights 137 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on December 19. Photo: ONE Championship

Society

5,000 Hong Kong workers idle as new scaffold net safety regime hits 200 projects

Development Bureau says it will consider amending a law to strengthen supervision over external works involved in major building repairs.

Scaffolding mesh is cleared from a building in Cheung Sha Wan. Photo: Jelly Tse

People & Culture

‘I am dead’: Japan man posts posthumous social media message; many admire strength

Optimistic post appears 2 days after man dies following battle with rare cancer; death reveals new side of his personality to farmer father.

The social media account of a Japanese man who died at 22 automatically posted a message two days later, saying “I am dead” which went viral and attracted admiration. Photo: SCMP composite/QQ.com/fnn.jp

China Business

Dozens of Chinese EV makers under pressure to fold or trim operations: analysts

Grappling with expiring cash subsidies and tax incentives, China’s car market is forecast to see deliveries slump next year.

About 50 unprofitable Chinese electric vehicle makers face pressure to scale down their business or wind down operations. Photo: Shutterstock

Politics

Myanmar polls open amid civil war as junta seeks to prolong power

The three-phase election comes nearly four years after the military took power in a coup that plunged the country into chaos.

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A woman shows her inked finger after voting at a polling station during the first phase of Myanmar’s general election in Yangon on Sunday. Photo: AFP
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Opinion

Editorial | Keep humans in mind as China races ahead in robotics

The focus must be on finding a future where human creativity and robotic efficiency can work together rather than compete.

Unitree robots dance on stage with singer Wang Leehom in Chengdu on December 18. Photo: Handout

K-drama

The 15 best K-dramas of 2025 ranked, from Melo Movie to Squid Game 3

Here are our 15 favourite Korean dramas from the past year, which also include Dear X, Typhoon Family, Way Back Love, Aema and Nine Puzzles.

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Park Bo-gum (left) and IU in a still from When Life Gives You Tangerines, one of the best K-dramas of 2025. Photo: Yoo Eun-mi/Netflix

Tech Trends

Untapped global demand to drive next phase of robotic vacuum growth: Dreame

Europe is Dreame’s largest market for robotic vacuum cleaners, with more than half of its revenue there generated by premium products.

A visitor looks at an intelligent cleaning robot displayed at the China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, September 12, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

100 Top Tables

Dish in Focus: French onion soup at Somm

Jason Wolf brings a version of the French bistro classic to Somm – ‘warmth in a bowl’ that takes into consideration the local palate.

rench onion soup gratinated with Salers, Comté and Gruyère cheese at Somm. Photo: Handout

Jewellery

Luxury jewellery designers are embracing spirituality and mindfulness

Local brands fuse traditional Chinese motifs with a modern aesthetic, while Boucheron takes inspiration from Japanese art and philosophy.

Jeweller Choo Yilin’s pieces are about identity. Photo: Handout
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Food & Drink

3 festive drink recipes to try at home, from Hong Kong’s bartenders

Festive drinks for your New Year’s Eve celebrations, from showpiece pours to minimal effort mixes.

‘Tis the season for cocktails. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Opinion

Editorial | Plane recycling opens new horizons for Hong Kong aviation

A new training centre is set to provide technicians with a new range of skills and bring an industrial chain to Hong Kong.

Chief Executive John Lee examines a cockpit at the launch of the Aircraft Engineering Training Centre in Chek Lap Kok on December 18. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Europe

Paris Metro stabbings suspect moved to psychiatric hospital, prosecutors say

The suspect, a Malian citizen jailed in January 2024 for aggravated theft and sexual assault, attacked 3 women on the city’s Metro on Friday.

Passengers use the Paris Metro. On Friday, three women were injured in separate stabbing attacks on the city’s Metro. Photo: dpa

Science

Chinese 6G smart surface could allow stealth jets to use radar as a power source

The technology could help power future communications systems and shift the dynamics of electronic warfare, team says.

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The development could given China an edge in the development of 6G technology. Photo: Shutterstock

Celebrities

Q&A | Audrey Hobert’s journey from bedroom ballads to hit single ‘Sue Me’

Hobert was living with her childhood friend Abrams in Los Angeles when she started writing her own music … now she’s on her global Staircase to Stardom Tour.

Audrey Hobert (pictured) released her debut single after working with Gracie Abrams. Photo: @audreyhobert/Instagram
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Middle East

Israel seals off Palestinian village in West Bank after deadly attack

The army imposed a lockdown on Qabatiya after a local resident killed a 68-year-old man and an 18-year-old girl in northern Israel on Friday.

Palestinian men after being released by Israeli troops during a military operation in the Palestinian village of Qabatiya, near the West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday. Photo: EPA

Asia Opinion

Opinion | Asia needs AI talent to fuel its future growth

As governments around the region take steps to upskill workers for an AI-driven world, companies must also do their part.

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An usher directs an attendee to a seat for a seminar at an AI Expo convention, in Tokyo on August 27. Photo: AP

China EVs

Chilean firms partner to form giant company to exploit lithium

Last month China approved the planned partnership between state-owned Codelco and private firm SQM, which features Chinese capital.

A mining truck loads lithium sulphate at the Atacama salt flat in Chile. Photo: Anadolu via Getty Images

Europe

2 dead as Storm Johannes batters Nordic nations, thousands left without power

One person was killed after being hit by a falling tree near Sweden’s Kungsberget ski resort, police said.

People walk in heavy snow as departures are cancelled at the train station in Are, Sweden on Saturday. Photo: TT News Agency via AP

Americas

Bus crash kills 15 in Guatemala, government declares 3 days of national mourning

15 others were being treated for injuries at local hospitals after the bus veered off a road and fell into a deep ravine, authorities said.

Police officers on the scene after a road accident in Cumbre de Alaska, in Totonicapan, Guatemala killed 15 people on Saturday. Photo: AFP
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Europe

Ukraine peace requires ‘a willing Russia’, says Canada’s PM Carney

Carney denounced the ‘barbarism’ of Moscow’s latest attack on Kyiv as Zelensky stopped in Nova Scotia before flying to Florida to meet Trump.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Americas

Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro has surgery to treat hiccups, wife says

Bolsonaro, 70, had been hospitalised on Wednesday for hernia surgery. In September, he was jailed for 27 years for ‍plotting a coup.

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. Photo: AFP

Society

Clip of 3 hikers scaling slope at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park goes viral

Video from December 23, which appears to be taken from cable car at resort, shows hikers climbing along giant seahorse carved into Brick Hill.

The footage has prompted condemnation by some internet users. Photo: Handout

Politics

Requests for help after 2 Hongkongers reportedly killed in Ukraine war

Two men reportedly volunteered to fight for Ukraine in war, but died in Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

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Members of the Ukrainian military take cover during an operation in June. Photo: AFP

Europe

Ukraine’s parliament rocked by new bribery scandal as Zelensky heads to US talks

Guards try to block anti-corruption officials from entering parliament offices as part of their investigation into MPs taking bribes.

Participants at a rally react after Ukrainian lawmakers vote to reinstate the independence of anti-corruption bodies on July 31. Photo: Reuters
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Politics

Hong Kong’s role to be discussed in China’s top legislature annual session

Sole delegate to National People’s Congress Starry Lee expects the city’s role in finance, trade, and innovation to be discussed in 15th five-year plan.

China’s top legislative body will discuss the nation’s next five-year development plan in its annual session in March. Photo: AP

Opinion

My Take | Eye-opening court judgment a snapshot of issues that have plagued city for years

Case involved a common but illegal practice in which developers collude with indigenous villagers to abuse the city’s ‘small-house’ policy.

The court delivered its written ruling on Tuesday. Photo: Sun Yeung

Transport

Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O–Lam Tin Tunnel fully reopens after fuel truck crash

Police received report at 12.52pm on Saturday that medium-sized truck had crashed into right wall of tunnel.

The fuel truck tipped over in Tseung Kwan O–Lam Tin Tunnel on Saturday afternoon. Photo: Handout

Military

China-Pakistan jet deal with Libyan group ‘may help expand Beijing’s influence’

The agreement will supply the Libyan National Army with 16 fourth-generation JF-17 fighters.

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The JF-17 jet was jointly developed by China and Pakistan. Photo: AP

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Lacrosse Sixes a ‘chance to test strategies’ for 2028 Olympics

Home teams make mixed start on day one of three at Hong Kong Football Club.

Poon Tsz-yeung (left) in action for Hong Kong’s men against Fogo Grizzlies on Saturday. Photo: Elson Li