China’s top leadership convened in Beijing from 10 to 11 December for the Central Economic Work Conference to determine the country’s economic direction for 2026, the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan

Authorities will launch investigations and criminal probes for the deadly blaze that engulfed 8 residential blocks in Tai Po, Hong Kong, causing 35 deaths and 280 missing: the rapid spread of fire was “unusual” with styrofoam material found in buildings

New data centres with state funding will have to only use Chinese-made artificial intelligence chips, according to Reuters sources, and regulatory authorities ordered data centres that are less than 30% complete to remove all installed foreign chips

Two top military leaders have been expelled from the ruling Communist Party and the military on corruption charges; they are the most senior officers to be purged in an anti-graft drive that began in 2023

Golden Panda Film Festival concluded in Chengdu, Sichuan; 5.343 works were presented, of which 3.910 from 126 foreign countries; 27 prizes in 4 categories will be awarded: films, documentaries, animation, tv and series