The Philippines is in talks with Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United States to store oil in the fuel-import-dependent nation, in a bid to hedge against fuel price spikes driven by the Iran war. The Southeast Asian nation, which imports nearly all ‌its energy needs, also planned to increase diesel and gas-fired power output to make up for an estimated 60 per cent decline in hydropower and 20 per cent fall in solar output in the first half of 2027 due to the El Nino weather phenomenon, Energy...

Former Chinese vice-premier Liu Yandong died of illness on Wednesday at the age of 80. She was one of China’s most prominent female leaders, playing a pivotal role in the country’s united front work and education sector. The official obituary released by Xinhua described Liu as an “outstanding leader in the [Communist] Party’s united front work, in China’s education, science and technology, healthcare, and women and children’s affairs.” Liu was vice-premier from 2013 to 2018. She was the fourth...

Hong Kong’s third medical school has dismissed allegations of talent poaching after recruiting a veteran haematologist with nearly three decades of service at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). On Wednesday, Professor Anskar Leung Yu-hung met the press at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in his capacity as the new medical school’s senior associate dean of medicine. “The opportunity to be part of a team to [build] a new medical school from ground zero, with a new...

Hong Kong’s exports jumped by 64.9 per cent year on year in September, the highest growth in more than 40 years, with artificial intelligence-related (AI) products further fuelling the momentum of recent months. Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Wednesday showed the total value of exports rose to HK$762.6 billion (US$97.8 billion) last month, after a 53 per cent surge in August. A government spokesman said September marked the 20th consecutive month of...

Hong Kong’s environmental authorities have addressed “false rumours” that a fire that broke out at a waste incineration plant was caused by design defects and a collapsed incineration module. Black smoke rises from I·PARK1, a waste incineration plant on an artificial island off Shek Kwu Chau in Hong Kong on October 26, 2026. Photo: edward.chung_, via Threads. The fire that broke out at the I·PARK1 waste management facility in Shek Kwu Chau, south of Lantau Island, on Monday is suspected to have originated from construction materials, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said in a Wednesday statement. “It is preliminarily suspected that the fire originated from construction materials, rather than from the operation of the incinerator or the waste stored,” the department said, two days after the fire broke out at the plant. “Preliminary information indicates that the fire originated at the roof of the incinerator building’s third incineration module area where finishing work was still in progress,” it said. The I·PARK1 waste incinerator is Hong Kong’s first waste-to-energy plant. Its first module began trial operations in December 2025 and has a daily processing capacity of 1,000 tonnes. An air-cooled condenser in I·PARK1. Photo: GovHK. The project is part of the city’s broader effort to reduce its reliance on landfills. A social media post said that the incineration module had collapsed in the fire, although no proof was provided. Rumours about design flaws could not immediately be found online by HKFP. ‘Groundless and entirely fictitious’ The government has ordered the works contractor for the waste management plant to submit an incident report on the fire within seven days from the day of the accident. Black smoke rises from I·PARK1, a waste incineration plant on an artificial island off Shek Kwu Chau in Hong Kong on October 26, 2026. Photo: edward.chung_, via Threads. “Meanwhile, the EPD is evaluating the damage and the impact on the facility and its processing capacity, and will urge the contractor to conduct repairs as soon as possible,” the statement said. Waste reception at the facility was suspended when the fire broke out. The department will resume reception as soon as possible, the statement said, “following a comprehensive examination of the facility’s structure and all critical systems, and upon confirming that it is suitable to restart the facility’s safe operation.” “The EPD must state in the strongest terms that allegations circulated online about the ‘design defects of the incinerator’ and ‘collapse of incineration module under construction’ are groundless and entirely fictitious,” it said. “The EPD urges the public not to be misled by these false messages and to stop sharing them.”

China said Wednesday it took “seriously” an apology from Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe after comments he made poking fun at Mao Zedong sparked a social media storm and saw Spanish football yanked off state TV. Real Madrid’s French forward #10 Kylian Mbappe during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on October 18, 2026. Photo: Oscar Del Pozo/AFP. Mocking former leader Mao — blamed by historians for millions of deaths — is taboo in China and the French player’s remarks saw him become the latest foreign sports figure to anger Beijing. The clip of the video interview with French show The Bridge — since taken down — saw Mbappe talk about being amused by an internet meme of his face photoshopped onto “some guy, think he’s a Chinese dictator”, an apparent reference to Mao. “My comment was ill-judged and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. I apologise to everyone my words have upset,” the France captain said in a statement in French, Chinese and English on Tuesday. Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular briefing on Wednesday: “We take seriously the apology the individual concerned has made.” But that may not be the end of the matter. La Liga, which has seen the broadcast of its matches suspended in China, said it “deeply regrets the offence that Kylian Mbappe’s recent comments have caused among Chinese fans”. Chinese beverage giant Dongpeng, which during this year’s World Cup ran adverts with AI-generated images of Mbappe, said Tuesday it had scrapped its partnership with the player, as did dairy firms Mengniu and Milkground. CMG, which oversees public broadcaster CCTV, said it had decided to suspend broadcasts of the world’s second-richest football league after England’s Premier League. A Dongpeng advertisement featuring Kylian Mbappe. Photo: adquan.com. The 27-year-old continued to face a torrent of criticism from Chinese web users on Wednesday, some of it racist. “His remarks were hurtful toward China and the Chinese people, so they cannot be translated,” wrote one user on social media platform Weibo. Mbappe’s original joke about Mao was not reposted — or had been scrubbed — from China’s tightly controlled social media. Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu had meanwhile frozen Mbappe’s account, where he has over a million followers. The same was done on the Weibo app, with a notice stating that “the user has been banned from following due to violating laws or the Weibo Community Convention”. Some Chinese media reports said global brands like Dior and Hublot had removed their Mbappe-related content on Weibo. An AFP search on Dior and Hublot’s Weibo page with Mbappe’s Chinese name produced no results. ‘Essential lesson’ Offline too the Mbappe brand appeared to be under threat. When AFP visited the Adidas flagship store in Beijing’s Sanlitun shopping district, Real Madrid shirts were available for sale, but none bearing the striker’s name. Mbappe merchandise including unofficial jerseys, beanies and caps remain available on retail app Taobao. Chinese state media have previously praised Mbappe as a “footballing sensation” and “talent”, with the forward well-loved by fans in the country. His face is plastered on billboards, on soft drinks and across social media. Mbappe is also sometimes affectionately referred to as “Guigui”, meaning “turtle” in Chinese, for his resemblance to a character from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. An National Basketball Association game. File Photo: Wikicommons. Other major overseas sports leagues have previously angered China. China suspended sponsorship deals with the NBA while the state broadcaster pulled NBA games off Chinese television for a year in October 2019. This followed Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey tweeting “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong”, referring to protests Beijing called separatist and seditious. “In this era of economic globalisation, an increasing number of celebrities are stepping onto the global stage, engaging with fans and business partners from diverse cultural backgrounds,” the official People’s Daily said in an opinion piece this week. “Learning how to respect different nations and cultures is an essential lesson. “Respecting the history, culture, social customs and national sentiments of others is a fundamental principle for cross-border interaction, a standard of conduct widely upheld by the international community.”

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