Hong Kong extends smart fire alarm scheme to another 6,000 old buildings

South China Morning Post - Oct 14, 2026

Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department has extended a scheme allowing property owners to install smart fire alarm systems rather than traditional safety equipment to another 6,000 old buildings, but conceded that no installations had been completed although the policy was rolled out over five months ago for 3,600 blocks. Lai Kin-mo, acting deputy chief fire officer for building improvement, said on Wednesday that while 300 buildings had expressed interest in installing the system, which can send...

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Invitation to Estonia: Conductor Paavo Järvi connects his homeland to world

Oct 14, 2026

Invitation to Estonia: Conductor Paavo Järvi connects his homeland to world

“Knowing that many people don’t even know where Estonia is — that is an important task for us.” Paavo Järvi, 63, one of the world’s busiest conductors, is passionate about introducing his homeland, Estonia, to the world. He is music director of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and artistic director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Beginning with the 2028-29 season, he will also serve as principal conductor and artistic adviser of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Despite conducting some of the world’s leading orchestras, Järvi has a special attachment to the Estonian Festival Orchestra (EFO), which he founded. Ahead of the ensemble’s concerts at Art Center Incheon on Oct. 18 and Seoul Arts Center on Oct. 20, he spoke to the Hankook Ilbo in a recent video interview. Reaching him in Paris, where he was staying for performances with the Orchestre National de France, Järvi said, “Anyone who comes from a somewhat smaller culture and becomes international is, in a way, an ambassador for that culture. I’m not just introducing Estonian music; through music, I’m in

University of Tokyo engineer becomes classical piano sensation

Oct 14, 2026

University of Tokyo engineer becomes classical piano sensation

Pianist Hayato Sumino, who will give a recital at Lotte Concert Hall on Oct. 29, holds a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Tokyo. He advanced to the semifinal round of the 2021 Chopin International Piano Competition while still an engineering student at the university. During the competition, he livestreamed his practice sessions and interacted with viewers using YouTube’s live chat. His second-round performance drew as many as 45,000 viewers. At the time, the classical music world largely regarded him as an eccentric who happened to enjoy playing the piano. Sumino was a top student who attended Kaisei Junior and Senior High School, one of Japan’s most prestigious schools. From an early age, he was immersed in music video games. Even while preparing for university entrance exams, he competed in gaming tournaments. While a student at the University of Tokyo, he researched music information processing at the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music in Paris. In a crowded field, his unconventional activities initially seemed like a gimmick desi

China’s Exports Soar, Putting Its Trade Surplus on Track for a Record

Oct 14, 2026

China’s Exports Soar, Putting Its Trade Surplus on Track for a Record

China’s exports grew last month at the fastest pace in almost any month since the end of the global financial crisis.

Lacson refutes VP spokesperson's claim on impeachment costs

Oct 14, 2026

Lacson refutes VP spokesperson's claim on impeachment costs

Senator Panfilo Lacson wants the spokesperson of Vice President Sara Duterte to correct his claims that the Senate spent P500 million for the impeachment trial, questioning how the latter even came up with the number.

EU leaders to ‘urgently’ call for new trade weapons to tackle China shock

Oct 14, 2026

EU leaders to ‘urgently’ call for new trade weapons to tackle China shock

Leaders of the EU’s 27 member states will instruct Brussels to “urgently” come up with new weapons to counter the imbalances they believe are caused by China’s economic policies, at a meeting in the Belgian capital on Thursday. The instruction – part of a draft statement being negotiated ahead of this week’s European Council summit – comes after the European Union and China reached a surprise deal in Beijing last week that will cap the number of Chinese hybrid cars imported to the bloc at...

Tatay Elmer honored with final caravan

Oct 14, 2026

Tatay Elmer honored with final caravan

Family members and peers from PISTON pay their final respects to the late jeepney driver and activist Elmer Cordero

Defector who won $37,210 from Kim Jong-un in lawsuit vows to fight on

Oct 14, 2026

Defector who won $37,210 from Kim Jong-un in lawsuit vows to fight on

In July 2025, Choi Min-kyeong brought an unusual suit against someone few would have tried to lodge a case against: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It was the first time a North Korean defector filed a lawsuit against Kim, seeking damages for the torture and sexual violence she suffered in North Korea. "People around me said filing the lawsuit made no sense," Choi, 55, president of the Imprisonment Victims' Family Association, said in an interview with The Korea Times. "At first, a police officer who took my complaint thought it was ridiculous and dismissed it." However, in August, the Seoul Central District Court sided with Choi in her damages suit against Kim, awarding the full 50 million won ($37,210) she had sought. "I was happy and proud when I heard the ruling. I risked my life filing this lawsuit because I couldn't get my eldest daughter out. The 50 million won is just symbolic, calculated from court fees and legal costs, since even 500 billion won wouldn't satisfy my anger," Choi said, adding that the ruling established a legal basis to arrest Kim if he ever enters South Korea.

DMZ art show reframes Korea's divided landscape

Oct 14, 2026

DMZ art show reframes Korea's divided landscape

PAJU, Gyeonggi Province — Nine chairs stand in a loose circle, but none offers a proper place to sit. Some lack legs or backrests, while others have lost their seats. For artist Ahn Kyu-chul, these broken objects capture the contradictions of life and shared conditions of loss on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). He dismantled eight intact chairs and created the last chair from the discarded pieces, leaving all nine unable to fulfill their purpose, holding on even though they are seemingly on the edge of collapse. “I thought the absurd, irrational situation of breaking perfectly good chairs to make a ninth broken one resembled the DMZ,” Ahn said during a press walk-through, Monday. “It also conveys that people on both sides of the DMZ live in a state of incompleteness.” “Nine Chairs” offers a starting point for “DMZ Open Exhibition: Staging,” which opened Monday at Camp Greaves and Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Jointly hosted by Gyeonggi Province and the city of Paju, the exhibition presents 26 works by 14 Korean and international artist

Female Marine stands guard on Korea's front-line island

Oct 14, 2026

Female Marine stands guard on Korea's front-line island

When Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Yoo Mi-young was assigned to Udo Island, it was not the well-known tourist destination off Jeju but a much smaller island off Ganghwa in Incheon, near the inter-Korean maritime border. The scenery immediately caught her eye, but so did the significance of serving at one of Korea’s front-line military outposts. It is during nighttime guard duty, with the coastline quiet around her, that Yoo feels the weight of that responsibility. “When I look out over the coast in the stillness of the night, I feel a strong sense of responsibility for guarding the country’s front line,” Yoo said in an interview with The Korea Times. Yoo serves as deputy platoon leader of the Marine Corps’ Udo Guard Unit, part of the Yeonpyeong Unit, where her duties include coastal security operations, training and equipment inspections. Commissioned in July 2023, Yoo said she joined the Marines to challenge herself and serve her country. She was drawn to the demanding training and the chance to push her limits alongside fellow Marines, despite her family’s initial concerns about h

Chungnam National University students donate merchandise sales proceeds to university fund

Oct 14, 2026

Chungnam National University students donate merchandise sales proceeds to university fund

Students from the Department of Smart City Architectural Engineering at Chungnam National University donated all proceeds from the sale of locally themed merchandise at a regional festival to the university’s development fund. The university said five students met with university president Kim Jeong-kyoum on Tuesday and donated 728,000 won ($544) to the fund. The students — Shim Byeol, Park Ji-bin, Oh Yun-seo, Lee Yeon and Jang Seo-hee — were accompanied by their faculty advisers Kim Gyu-young and Lim Seung-cheol. As part of the Living Lab Capstone course, the students designed and sold merchandise at a regional festival as members of a team called “Oncheon Osungi.” Their products combined the appeal of Yuseong Hot Springs with Daejeon’s identity as a science city. The students ran an interactive booth at the 2026 Midsummer Night’s Yuseong Music Festa, held Aug. 7-9. They showcased keycaps inspired by Yuseong Hot Springs and the local specialty Pongdang Bread, as well as merchandise featuring the university mascot, Chacha. The university said the students designed and produce

Busan wins over overseas tourists

Oct 14, 2026

Busan wins over overseas tourists

BUSAN — A group of Taiwanese women burst into laughter and applause as a Korean man sitting next to them at a street food stall in Nampo-dong, Busan, poured soju into beer glasses to make poktanju, a Korean cocktail often called a bomb drink. The women had been watching him prepare the drink while enjoying the lively street lined with food stalls on the night of Oct. 7. When he offered them a round, their surprise quickly turned into excitement. “This is our second visit,” one of the women said. “The first time, we felt strange, so we did not try food or drink before. Today, we decided to try. The man made us poktanju and it is so nice. We will never forget this.” The Korean man, who was drinking with his friends, said he had noticed the women looking curiously at their table. “They kept looking at us, so I made some for them,” he said. “I hope they have a great time in Busan and take home lots of good memories.” The exchange offered a glimpse of what draws overseas visitors to the southeastern Korean city. Beyond its beaches and scenic views, the port city offers opport

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