China

Worst coal mine accident in over 15 years leaves at leas 90 dead; President Xi Jinping called for authorities to “spare no effort” in treating the injured and conducting search and rescue operations in Liushenyu, Qinyuan County, Shanxi Province

“Bone ash apartments" will be illegal after new law prohibits use of residential properties to store ashes or bury remains outside dedicated areas; scarce space in cemeteries, low house prices made more affordable to entomb remains in an empty apartment

Mass production of the domestically developed T1200-grade fibre, an ultra-strength ultra-thin carbon with applications in aerospace and defense, reached a projected output capacity of 100 tonnes a year, putting China ahead of market leaders, such as Japan

The domestic film industry ends 2025 with $7,3 billion of box-office revenue, +20% year-on-year, with 80% of the total ticket earnings generated by about 1,2 billion admissions to domestic films, according to major industry trackers Maoyan and Beacon

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