CMG hosts short and medium-length drama conference in Shanghai

China Global Television Network (CGTN) - Oct 19, 2026

China Media Group (CMG) hosted a national short and medium-length drama conference in Shanghai on October 18 and unveiled an initiative to support high-quality productions.

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China’s fourth aircraft carrier, widely believed to be the country’s first with a nuclear-powered system, could launch as early as next year, according to US researchers, as Beijing pursues a fleet capable of projecting naval and air power far beyond its shores. A launch in 2027 would coincide with the centenary of the People’s Liberation Army, with the anniversary falling on August 1. Beijing has previously used major military anniversaries to showcase developments in its armed forces. The...

Bid-rigging in renovation projects to be criminalised under law against triads

Bid-rigging in renovation projects to be criminalised under law against triads

The Hong Kong government is set to criminalise bid-rigging in building maintenance projects under laws covering triad and corruption offences and allow authorities to take criminal or civil action against such conduct, following the release of an independent committee’s report on the fatal Tai Po blaze. The regulatory overhaul on bid-rigging was announced on Thursday, as the government released the long-anticipated report of the independent committee investigating the causes of the devastating...

Hong Kong police probe HK$40 million jewellery theft from Southern district flat

Hong Kong police probe HK$40 million jewellery theft from Southern district flat

Hong Kong police launched an investigation into the disappearance of jewellery worth nearly HK$40 million (US$5.1 million) from a woman’s home in the upscale Southern district neighbourhood of Chung Hom Kok. The woman, 56, called police at about 1pm on Thursday, two days after returning to her four-storey, stand-alone block at Bauhinia Garden on Chung Hom Kok Road to discover that a pearl necklace worth about HK$39 million and a diamond necklace worth HK$700,000 had disappeared. She had placed...

China accuses Philippines of setting up ‘obstacles’ to attending Asean defence meeting

China accuses Philippines of setting up ‘obstacles’ to attending Asean defence meeting

China has accused the Philippines of setting up “numerous obstacles” to attending a meeting with defence ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and of violating “basic diplomatic protocols”. The row, which follows years of tension over the two countries’ competing claims to the South China Sea, saw Beijing sending its defence attache to the meeting in the Philippines – the lowest-ranking Chinese representative at the event since it was first held in 2010. “The...

Hong Kong scraps lighting attraction at The Peak after public outcry

Hong Kong scraps lighting attraction at The Peak after public outcry

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Lit cigarette, combustibles and ‘human fault’ led to deadly Hong Kong fire: report

Lit cigarette, combustibles and ‘human fault’ led to deadly Hong Kong fire: report

A combination of a lit cigarette and an “abundant fuel” of combustible materials caused Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, according to a long-awaited report which found the blaze would not have killed so many people, or happened at all, without “human fault”. Eleven months after the deadly fire tore through Wang Fuk Court, killing 168 and displacing thousands, an independent committee’s report released on Thursday assigned blame to the main contractor for renovations at the housing estate,...

Later hours unlikely to boost bottle sales at Hong Kong wine festival: exhibitors

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Later opening times are unlikely to boost wine sales by the bottle, exhibitors returning to Hong Kong’s annual Wine and Dine Festival have said, with new overseas participants believing that the city serves as an indicator for broader trends in Asian markets. The festival returned to the Central Harbourfront on Thursday with over 340 booths, an increase of more than 10 per cent from last year, with over 30 countries and regions represented. Operating hours are from 1pm to 1am on Friday and...

Pokémon card craze draws even seniors to store 'open runs'

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Gov't to pursue criminal punishment, 3-year exam ban for CSAT cheaters using AI glasses

Gov't to pursue criminal punishment, 3-year exam ban for CSAT cheaters using AI glasses

The education ministry said Thursday it will seek criminal prosecution of anyone caught cheating on the annual college entrance exam using artificial intelligence (AI) glasses, while disqualifying cheaters from the exam for three years, up from the current one year. The ministry announced these measures, pledging to deal sternly with cheating using AI glasses during the annual College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) as an act aimed at "intentionally and systematically obstructing the normal operation of national examinations." Cheaters using AI glasses will face criminal punishment on charges of obstruction of official duties by fraudulent means, the ministry said, adding it is also pushing to lengthen the exam ban for CSAT cheaters from one to three years. The ministry said it will actively recommend universities apply the same rules to their own entrance exams, where cases of cheating using AI glasses were recently caught. Starting with this year's CSAT scheduled for Nov. 19, one designated inspector will be assigned to each test site to check for AI glasses, according to the plan. The

Husband who poured boiling water on Thai wife gets sentence reduction on appeal

Husband who poured boiling water on Thai wife gets sentence reduction on appeal

A Korean man who was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for pouring boiling water on his sleeping Thai wife and causing severe burns has had his sentence reduced by six months on appeal. According to legal sources on Wednesday, the Uijeongbu District Court's Criminal Division 1, presided over by Judge Jeong Do-young, overturned the lower court's ruling and sentenced the man in his 40s to three years in prison at an appeal hearing on Oct. 22. The man had been indicted and detained on charges of aggravated injury. "The defendant reached a settlement with the victim under conditions including paying her 15 million won ($11,000), and the victim wishes the court to show leniency toward him," the appellate court said. "Considering all the sentencing factors presented during the proceedings, we find that the original sentence was too harsh and therefore unjust." The man was indicted on charges of pouring water boiled in an electric kettle over the face and neck of his Thai wife, identified as B, while she was sleeping at their home in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 3, 202

Seongdong District opens one-stop service counter for foreign residents

Seongdong District opens one-stop service counter for foreign residents

In response to a growing international population, Seongdong District in eastern Seoul said Thursday that it has established a dedicated "Foreign Resident Service Desk" at the Yongdap-dong Community Service Center to streamline administrative procedures and eliminate language barriers for non-Korean residents. According to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics, foreign residents in Korea reached a record high of 2.58 million in 2025, accounting for 5 percent of the total population. In Seongdong District, registered foreign residents have jumped 41 percent over the past five years. Yongdap-dong has experienced an even sharper surge of 70.8 percent, with its foreign population rising from 480 to 820 to comprise 7.1 percent of the neighborhood's residents. This rapid demographic shift, driven by an influx of foreign workers and international students attending nearby Hanyang University, has created a surging demand for accessible public administration. To address these needs, the district created a one-stop service counter staffed by experienced public servants proficient in fore

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