By Alice Yan
A landlord in Shanghai whose flat has been turned into a chicken farm by the tenant who raised dozens of birds there has trended on mainland social media.
The unidentified landlord had not checked his house for the past two years until earlier this month and he was astonished with what he found when he opened the door, Dianshi News reported.
The sitting room was full of coops and chicks roaming and flying around the property, according to the landlord.
“It stinks. Both the floor and the wall are badly destroyed. It needs an overhaul and should be decorated completely, otherwise, no one can live there,” the landlord was quoted as saying.
“I am so infuriated!” he added.
He added that the combined rent for the past two years would be far less than the cost of redecoration.The tenant turned a well appointed living room into a smelly chicken farm with piled-up coops. Photo: Sohu
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South Korea’s Jeju Air crash: initial data extracted from black box to hear pilots’ last words
By Agence France-Presse
Investigators probing a Jeju Air crash which killed 179 people in the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil have extracted the initial data from one of the Boeing 737-800’s black boxes, an official said on Wednesday.
The plane was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea when it issued a mayday call and belly-landed before hitting a barrier and bursting into flames, killing everyone aboard except two flight attendants pulled from the burning wreckage.
South Korean and US investigators, including from Boeing, have been combing over the crash site in southwestern Muan since the disaster on Sunday.
Both of the plane’s black boxes were retrieved, and for the cockpit voice recorder, “the initial extraction has already been completed,” said deputy minister for civil aviation Joo Jong-wan.
“Based on this preliminary data, we plan to start converting it into audio format,” he said, meaning investigators would be able to hear the pilots’ final communications.
The second black box, the flight data recorder, “was found with a missing connector,” Joo said.
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By Agence France-Presse
Investigators probing a Jeju Air crash which killed 179 people in the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil have extracted the initial data from one of the Boeing 737-800’s black boxes, an official said on Wednesday.
The plane was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea when it issued a mayday call and belly-landed before hitting a barrier and bursting into flames, killing everyone aboard except two flight attendants pulled from the burning wreckage.
South Korean and US investigators, including from Boeing, have been combing over the crash site in southwestern Muan since the disaster on Sunday.
Both of the plane’s black boxes were retrieved, and for the cockpit voice recorder, “the initial extraction has already been completed,” said deputy minister for civil aviation Joo Jong-wan.
“Based on this preliminary data, we plan to start converting it into audio format,” he said, meaning investigators would be able to hear the pilots’ final communications.
The second black box, the flight data recorder, “was found with a missing connector,” Joo said.
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Milan cracks down on outdoor smoking in Italy’s toughest ban
By Agence France-Presse
Smokers in Italy’s financial and fashion capital of Milan risk being fined for lighting up on city streets or crowded public areas, after the country’s toughest ban comes into effect Wednesday.
Those who defy the new prohibition in the polluted northern Italian city could be fined between €40 to €240 (US$41 to US$249), a punishment that does not sit well with all residents.
“The new law is excessive in my opinion. I agree not to smoke indoors, not to smoke near an elderly person or a child, but banning smoking outdoors for me somewhat limits a person’s freedom,” local plumber Morgan Ishak, 46, said ahead of the ban.
Milan’s air quality ordinance, passed in 2020 by the city council, called for progressively stricter bans on smoking.
Starting in 2021, it was forbidden to smoke in parks and playgrounds as well as bus stops and sports facilities.
The latest smoking ban, effective January 1, applies to “all public spaces, including streets”, with the exception of “isolated places where it is possible to maintain a distance of at least 10 metres from other people”, according to the text.
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By Agence France-Presse
Smokers in Italy’s financial and fashion capital of Milan risk being fined for lighting up on city streets or crowded public areas, after the country’s toughest ban comes into effect Wednesday.
Those who defy the new prohibition in the polluted northern Italian city could be fined between €40 to €240 (US$41 to US$249), a punishment that does not sit well with all residents.
“The new law is excessive in my opinion. I agree not to smoke indoors, not to smoke near an elderly person or a child, but banning smoking outdoors for me somewhat limits a person’s freedom,” local plumber Morgan Ishak, 46, said ahead of the ban.
Milan’s air quality ordinance, passed in 2020 by the city council, called for progressively stricter bans on smoking.
Starting in 2021, it was forbidden to smoke in parks and playgrounds as well as bus stops and sports facilities.
The latest smoking ban, effective January 1, applies to “all public spaces, including streets”, with the exception of “isolated places where it is possible to maintain a distance of at least 10 metres from other people”, according to the text.
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Man charged after New Zealand police officer killed in car-ramming attack
By Associated Press
A driver ran down two New Zealand police officers as they patrolled on foot in the early hours of New Year’s Day, killing one and seriously injuring the other, the country’s police chief said.
The attack jolted a country where the killing of police officers on duty is rare.
The vehicle drove into the officers “at speed” as they performed a routine patrol of a car park, before the driver turned and rammed a police car, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told reporters in the South Island city of Nelson. A 32-year-old man was arrested and charged over the incident shortly after it happened at about 2am local time.
One of the officers, a woman, died in a local hospital hours later.
The other was in serious condition but was expected to make a full recovery, Chambers said. A third officer who was in the rammed police car received a concussion and two members of the public were hurt, one of them after coming to help the injured officers.
Chambers condemned the “senseless act of an individual who appears to have been determined to cause harm,” although he did not suggest a motive.
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By Associated Press
A driver ran down two New Zealand police officers as they patrolled on foot in the early hours of New Year’s Day, killing one and seriously injuring the other, the country’s police chief said.
The attack jolted a country where the killing of police officers on duty is rare.
The vehicle drove into the officers “at speed” as they performed a routine patrol of a car park, before the driver turned and rammed a police car, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told reporters in the South Island city of Nelson. A 32-year-old man was arrested and charged over the incident shortly after it happened at about 2am local time.
One of the officers, a woman, died in a local hospital hours later.
The other was in serious condition but was expected to make a full recovery, Chambers said. A third officer who was in the rammed police car received a concussion and two members of the public were hurt, one of them after coming to help the injured officers.
Chambers condemned the “senseless act of an individual who appears to have been determined to cause harm,” although he did not suggest a motive.
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China sends help to quake-hit Vanuatu as it expands Pacific island ties
By Alyssa Chen
China sent a team of four technical specialists to Vanuatu to help with earthquake recovery efforts this week, in a Pacific islands first for Beijing as it steps up engagement with nations in the region.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday that the team would conduct scientific surveys on structures in the hardest-hit areas, as well as safety assessments and studies on secondary disaster risks.
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific island nation in mid-December, killing at least 14 people, injuring more than 200 others, and causing major damage to infrastructure. A 6.1-magnitude quake followed on December 22.
It is the first time Beijing has sent a technical team to a country in the Pacific islands, an area where China is looking to develop closer relations.
Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, said the assistance was part of Beijing’s diplomatic playbook.
“Assistance and aid are among the tools that China uses to build ties. [The recovery support from Beijing is] consistent with its efforts elsewhere around the world. This is especially apparent in places that are less developed and poorer,” Chong said.
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By Alyssa Chen
China sent a team of four technical specialists to Vanuatu to help with earthquake recovery efforts this week, in a Pacific islands first for Beijing as it steps up engagement with nations in the region.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday that the team would conduct scientific surveys on structures in the hardest-hit areas, as well as safety assessments and studies on secondary disaster risks.
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific island nation in mid-December, killing at least 14 people, injuring more than 200 others, and causing major damage to infrastructure. A 6.1-magnitude quake followed on December 22.
It is the first time Beijing has sent a technical team to a country in the Pacific islands, an area where China is looking to develop closer relations.
Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, said the assistance was part of Beijing’s diplomatic playbook.
“Assistance and aid are among the tools that China uses to build ties. [The recovery support from Beijing is] consistent with its efforts elsewhere around the world. This is especially apparent in places that are less developed and poorer,” Chong said.
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Cost of living in Hong Kong: what you’ll have to pay more for in 2025
By Fiona Chow
Hongkongers will be hit with inflation on utility and food bills, transport fares and home rents from January.
The Post lists the items that will be subject to higher costs in 2025.
CLP Power, the city’s larger of two electricity suppliers serving Kowloon, the New Territories and Lantau Island, will increase fees by 0.98 per cent per unit of electricity.
Customers of HK Electric, which serves Hong Kong Island and several outlying islands, will also bear an extra 0.9 per cent rise.
The new fees take effect from January 1.
In terms of percentages, the companies’ increase will be the same as in 2023.
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By Fiona Chow
Hongkongers will be hit with inflation on utility and food bills, transport fares and home rents from January.
The Post lists the items that will be subject to higher costs in 2025.
CLP Power, the city’s larger of two electricity suppliers serving Kowloon, the New Territories and Lantau Island, will increase fees by 0.98 per cent per unit of electricity.
Customers of HK Electric, which serves Hong Kong Island and several outlying islands, will also bear an extra 0.9 per cent rise.
The new fees take effect from January 1.
In terms of percentages, the companies’ increase will be the same as in 2023.
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Malaysian police say body found in river may be missing teenage girl
By Hadi Azmi
A murder probe has been launched after Malaysian police said a body found in a river in Selangor state’s Kuala Langat is believed to be that of a 15-year-old girl reported missing after she did not return home from lion dance training before Christmas.
The teenager was reported missing by her family at 2.15am on December 22 after attending the session of the traditional Chinese dance at a basketball court in Cheras at 10.30pm, some 25km away from Kuala Lumpur, prompting police to seek public help in locating her.
On Tuesday evening, Selangor police commissioner Hussein Omar Khan said the body discovered on Saturday in a river at a rural community 35km south of the capital city is believed to be that of the missing girl.
“The Selangor Police confirmed that a body found at RTB Sungai Changgang is believed to be the victim of a missing person investigation that was reported on 22 December 2024,” Hussein said in a statement.
He, however, said police were working on formal identification as the body had decomposed and is now undergoing autopsy at the Banting Hospital.
The commissioner said a murder probe was opened and three suspects aged 16,20 and 51 had been arrested so far “including the victim’s boyfriend”.
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By Hadi Azmi
A murder probe has been launched after Malaysian police said a body found in a river in Selangor state’s Kuala Langat is believed to be that of a 15-year-old girl reported missing after she did not return home from lion dance training before Christmas.
The teenager was reported missing by her family at 2.15am on December 22 after attending the session of the traditional Chinese dance at a basketball court in Cheras at 10.30pm, some 25km away from Kuala Lumpur, prompting police to seek public help in locating her.
On Tuesday evening, Selangor police commissioner Hussein Omar Khan said the body discovered on Saturday in a river at a rural community 35km south of the capital city is believed to be that of the missing girl.
“The Selangor Police confirmed that a body found at RTB Sungai Changgang is believed to be the victim of a missing person investigation that was reported on 22 December 2024,” Hussein said in a statement.
He, however, said police were working on formal identification as the body had decomposed and is now undergoing autopsy at the Banting Hospital.
The commissioner said a murder probe was opened and three suspects aged 16,20 and 51 had been arrested so far “including the victim’s boyfriend”.
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Zimbabwe abolishes death penalty almost 20 years after its last hanging
By Associated Press
Zimbabwe has abolished the death penalty, a widely expected move in a country that last carried out the punishment nearly two decades ago.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who once faced the death penalty himself in the 1960s during the war of independence, approved the law this week after a bill passed through parliament.
Zimbabwe has about 60 prisoners on death row, and the new law spares them.
The country last executed someone in 2005, partly because at one point no one was willing to take up the job of state executioner.
Amnesty International on Tuesday described the law as “a beacon of hope for the abolitionist movement in the region”.
Other African countries such as Kenya, Liberia and Ghana have recently taken “positive steps” towards abolishing the death penalty but are yet to put it into law, according to the human rights group, which campaigns against the death penalty.
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By Associated Press
Zimbabwe has abolished the death penalty, a widely expected move in a country that last carried out the punishment nearly two decades ago.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who once faced the death penalty himself in the 1960s during the war of independence, approved the law this week after a bill passed through parliament.
Zimbabwe has about 60 prisoners on death row, and the new law spares them.
The country last executed someone in 2005, partly because at one point no one was willing to take up the job of state executioner.
Amnesty International on Tuesday described the law as “a beacon of hope for the abolitionist movement in the region”.
Other African countries such as Kenya, Liberia and Ghana have recently taken “positive steps” towards abolishing the death penalty but are yet to put it into law, according to the human rights group, which campaigns against the death penalty.
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China’s home-grown C919 plane touches down in Hong Kong
By Harvey Kong
China’s home-grown C919 narrowbody passenger jet landed at the Hong Kong airport at 10.45am on Wednesday, marking the plane’s first commercial scheduled flight outside the mainland.
Flight MU721 of China Eastern Airlines departed the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 8.20am amid a big fanfare and is set to fly back at lunchtime on the same day. The service will be available daily.
Ahead of its departure, a send-off ceremony was held at the Shanghai airport, in which senior representatives from China Eastern and officials from the Civil Aviation Administration of China were present.
The C919, China’s first domestically developed narrowbody passenger jet, is comparable with the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 family of single-aisle aircraft.
It can carry between 158 and 192 passengers and is intended to be used on medium-haul routes with a range of 5,555km (3,452 miles) – equivalent to a five-hour flight.
The plane is scheduled to depart from Hong Kong at 12.55pm and arrive in Shanghai at 3pm.
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By Harvey Kong
China’s home-grown C919 narrowbody passenger jet landed at the Hong Kong airport at 10.45am on Wednesday, marking the plane’s first commercial scheduled flight outside the mainland.
Flight MU721 of China Eastern Airlines departed the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 8.20am amid a big fanfare and is set to fly back at lunchtime on the same day. The service will be available daily.
Ahead of its departure, a send-off ceremony was held at the Shanghai airport, in which senior representatives from China Eastern and officials from the Civil Aviation Administration of China were present.
The C919, China’s first domestically developed narrowbody passenger jet, is comparable with the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 family of single-aisle aircraft.
It can carry between 158 and 192 passengers and is intended to be used on medium-haul routes with a range of 5,555km (3,452 miles) – equivalent to a five-hour flight.
The plane is scheduled to depart from Hong Kong at 12.55pm and arrive in Shanghai at 3pm.
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South Korean investigators warn anyone blocking Yoon’s arrest ‘could be prosecuted’
By Agence France-Presse
South Korean investigators warned on Wednesday that anyone trying to block them from arresting Yoon Suk-yeol could face prosecution, as supporters of the impeached president gathered outside his residence in Seoul.
“We consider actions such as setting up various barricades and locking iron gates to resist the execution of our arrest warrant as obstruction of official duties,” Oh Dong-woon, chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, said, adding anyone doing this “could be prosecuted”.
Oh also said investigators would execute their arrest warrant for Yoon within a January 6 deadline.
“We aim for a smooth process without major disturbances, but we are also coordinating to mobilise police,” he said.
Investigators probing Yoon over his December 3 declaration of martial law requested the warrant after he failed to report for questioning a third time.
Crowds gathered outside his home on Tuesday wielding placards and South Korean flags, chanting: “Martial law legal! Impeachment invalid!”
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By Agence France-Presse
South Korean investigators warned on Wednesday that anyone trying to block them from arresting Yoon Suk-yeol could face prosecution, as supporters of the impeached president gathered outside his residence in Seoul.
“We consider actions such as setting up various barricades and locking iron gates to resist the execution of our arrest warrant as obstruction of official duties,” Oh Dong-woon, chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, said, adding anyone doing this “could be prosecuted”.
Oh also said investigators would execute their arrest warrant for Yoon within a January 6 deadline.
“We aim for a smooth process without major disturbances, but we are also coordinating to mobilise police,” he said.
Investigators probing Yoon over his December 3 declaration of martial law requested the warrant after he failed to report for questioning a third time.
Crowds gathered outside his home on Tuesday wielding placards and South Korean flags, chanting: “Martial law legal! Impeachment invalid!”
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Hong Kong taxi driver arrested after 3 die in horror road crash
By Fiona Chow
A cabby has been arrested after his taxi collided with a private car on a Hong Kong road early on New Year’s Day, leaving three men in their 30s dead and four others injured.
Police said the accident on the West Kowloon Highway near the Olympian City shopping centre occurred at 1.44am on Wednesday when a taxi carrying two passengers cut across a lane and ploughed into a car with five people in it.
The car driver, 30, lost control and rammed into the kerb before hitting another moving taxi and three vehicles parked on the roadside.
The car was wrecked and its engine thrown onto the road.
Police said the man suffered severe injuries and died at the scene. Two of the four male passengers in his car, aged 33 and 34, were found unconscious and declared dead at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung before 2.47am.
Another two men sustained back injuries.
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By Fiona Chow
A cabby has been arrested after his taxi collided with a private car on a Hong Kong road early on New Year’s Day, leaving three men in their 30s dead and four others injured.
Police said the accident on the West Kowloon Highway near the Olympian City shopping centre occurred at 1.44am on Wednesday when a taxi carrying two passengers cut across a lane and ploughed into a car with five people in it.
The car driver, 30, lost control and rammed into the kerb before hitting another moving taxi and three vehicles parked on the roadside.
The car was wrecked and its engine thrown onto the road.
Police said the man suffered severe injuries and died at the scene. Two of the four male passengers in his car, aged 33 and 34, were found unconscious and declared dead at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung before 2.47am.
Another two men sustained back injuries.
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Indian workers slowly replacing Palestinians in Israel’s construction industry
By Cynthia H. W. Chan
Imported construction workers from India are replacing Palestinians who used to work in Israel, as part of the Israeli government’s plan.
Palestinian construction workers have been banned from entering Israel due to security reasons since Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.
Many Indian workers have seized the chance, saying they can earn a better living in Israel.
However, the imported workers are still far from filling the gap left by the 80,000 Palestinian construction workers.
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By Cynthia H. W. Chan
Imported construction workers from India are replacing Palestinians who used to work in Israel, as part of the Israeli government’s plan.
Palestinian construction workers have been banned from entering Israel due to security reasons since Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.
Many Indian workers have seized the chance, saying they can earn a better living in Israel.
However, the imported workers are still far from filling the gap left by the 80,000 Palestinian construction workers.
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