Secular News

Firefighters combating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades prioritised bringing the blaze under control over evacuating residents due to the “unprecedented” scale of the disaster, a public inquiry has heard. Four Fire Services Department officers on Monday shared how the operation unfolded during the initial stage of the 43-hour inferno that ravaged Wang Fuk Court in November, highlighting the difficulties in rescuing residents trapped in their homes due to the fire’s rapid spread across seven...

This document was translated from Chinese into English using Alibaba’s Qwen3.6-Plus, then checked and tweaked for accuracy by a South China Morning Post journalist. It is for reference only, and is not the official English version of the original Chinese document. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

Mainland social media was engulfed by sorrow following the passing of Zhang Xuefeng, an esteemed education guru with over 30 million followers, in late March. Meanwhile, another influential figure was capturing attention online. ZXMOTO founder Zhang Xue had just achieved a remarkable victory for his motorcycle brand on the world stage. Though these two self-made icons treaded vastly different paths, they simultaneously resonated with the public mood. Their stories reveal a deeper unease in China...

Malaysia ended last week with seven oil tankers en route via the Strait of Hormuz and a government promise that supplies would last through May. Then US President Donald Trump announced a blockade. Analysts say the escalation in the US-Israel war on Iran puts Malaysia on a collision course with an energy crisis sooner than expected. “Putrajaya has already flagged June as a critical pressure point,” said geopolitical risk consultant Asrul Sani, associate vice-president of The Asia Group. “This...

Cost-cutting on Japan’s already depleted railway network has hit a new low, with one of the nation’s largest network operators no longer providing toilet paper in a growing number of unmanned stations. JR East’s decision has been met with a mix of annoyance and resignation online, while underscoring the financial pressures bearing down on rural rail services. A social media post from February 2 highlighted the growing frustration with JR East’s failure to provide toilet paper, condemning a...

Security chiefs will not be able to block spies from giving evidence to future public inquiries.

Hong Kong customs officers have arrested a male driver after intercepting a goods vehicle at the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint and finding 760 suspected endangered reptiles, with an estimated market value of about HK$580,000 (US$74,059), hidden inside. The Customs and Excise Department on Monday said it found 106 turtles and 654 lizards hidden in his truck, believed to be endangered species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora...

Hong Kong’s labour authorities have expanded heat stress monitoring to include data from 10 sites, enabling faster alerts to better safeguard outdoor workers. Deputy Commissioner for Labour Vincent Fung Hao-yin said on Monday that the department would incorporate data from the Hong Kong Observatory’s newly added monitoring stations at eight sites across the city. The move is intended to provide a more accurate picture of local heat stress levels and to issue warnings when outdoor workers should...

Tourists could get caught out by tough new legislation

Cathay Pacific has announced a chunk of its scheduled summer flights will be cancelled due to the cost of jet fuel as the Strait of Hormuz crisis continues to have global consequences

The singer, who died at the age of 92, will be cremated with full state honours on Monday.

All Wars Are Bankers’ Wars: Iran and the Bankers’ Endgame By Ellen Brown, April 13, 2026 Lloyd’s of London is the insurance pillar of the City’s financial control grid. It is not actually an insurance company but is a … The post Selected Articles: All Wars Are Bankers’ Wars: Iran and the Bankers’ Endgame appeared first on Global Research.