A UK-registered air ambulance and family support charity has issued an urgent appeal for a donated private flight to bring a critically ill baby boy home from Hong Kong. Lia’s Wings said on Friday that nine-month-old Matthew, from Nottinghamshire, had travelled to Hong Kong with his mother several months ago to visit relatives. He fell ill with influenza A and suffered three cardiac arrests, leaving him critically ill in hospital. His brain was reportedly deprived of oxygen for 47 minutes. His...

In the Land of the Rising Sun, Bangladesh looks forward to a new dawn. The hope that comes with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Japan goes beyond the deals signed or the financial support expected. It shows a country that has emerged from authoritarian rule and wants to turn its new political voice into bigger economic chances and freedom of choice. For a government chosen by the people, foreign policy must answer one question: how does it make life better for the people who gave it...

Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) has doubled down on new businesses including battery swapping and energy storage as the world’s largest battery maker seeks new growth drivers amid intensifying price wars and mounting pressure on profitability. But the new path is far from straightforward. Established players like Nio have already built a strong presence in battery swapping, while BYD has reinforced its position in energy-storage systems. Lucas Zhang Liutong, director of Hong...

We have put together 10 stories from our coverage on the full report of the Wang Fuk Court fire, released almost a year since the tragedy claimed 168 lives. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. John Lee apologises for Tai Po fire, unveils reforms as housing chief resigns Hong Kong’s leader has apologised for last year’s deadly Tai Po fire, vowing extensive civil service and legislative reforms and an overhaul of government departments as his housing...

After spending three months in a coma following a brain haemorrhage, a patient in China has regained the ability to speak, eat and walk with support – part of an early clinical trial using targeted sound waves to help “wake up” severely damaged brains, according to state media. The technology, developed by a coalition including the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, used focused ultrasound waves to stimulate regions deep within the brain without requiring...

Malaysia’s Melaka state began its election campaign on Saturday after 79 candidates were cleared to contest a poll testing whether Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s governing partners can turn an opportunistic alliance with his Islamist opponents into a platform for national power. The coastal state south of Kuala Lumpur heads to the polls on November 14, handing the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) and the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) another opening to deepen cooperation after...

Hong Kong’s planned renovation monitoring body will consider larger subsidies for homeowners of ageing buildings in older districts or with high elderly populations who use its supervision services for major repairs, the finance chief has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Saturday that the Building Maintenance Support and Services Council, set up to curb malpractice in the industry after the Tai Po fire report, would be non-profit but would have to recover its costs, since owners...