南華早報

My Take | Hong Kong must scrap housing plan and preserve go…

The hotly contested court battle over government plans to build 12,000 public flats on Hong Kong’s oldest golf course has played its final round. The government decided not to appeal against a ruling that held its approval of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on the project to be unlawful. This is better than pursuing a further attempt to persuade the courts to uphold a fatally flawed process. Now, a broader review of the plans can be undertaken in light of the Court of Appeal’s...

• #Hong Kong
• #GOLF

US bombers moved from UK airbase due to Iran-linked threats…

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that a threat linked to Iran ⁠had prompted the removal of American B-1 bombers from a British airbase. The planes had been stationed at RAF Fairford, the preferred European base for US bombers, and had recently been used in US strikes on Iran. Last week, five British men were arrested near the base – which Iran’s Revolutionary Guards previously said was a legitimate target – on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. “We had an idea that there might be a...

• #United States
• #Iran
• #Britain
• #Donald Trump
• #US military
• #Nato

US accuses mainland China of targeting Taiwan leader’s fami…

The United States has accused mainland China of hiring an American citizen of Chinese origin to surveil the family of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te, days after President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington. The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Sunday arrested 34-year-old Zhang Wanying at Los Angeles International Airport, alleging that she attempted to flee the country and charged her with acting as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government. The FBI accused her of surveilling...

• #Taiwan
• #china
• #US
• #for

Bogota mayor urges Chinese metro builders to speed up work

Bogota mayor Carlos Fernando Galan has called on the Chinese-led consortium building the city’s first metro line to send more workers to its stations, after the country’s top auditor warned that delays in several parts of the project could push back its opening in March 2028. “We are entering a critical stage, which is the final stretch,” Galan said in an interview published by local news magazine Semana on Monday. “We have to ask Metro Linea 1 to get moving and put more staff in the...

• #China-Latin America relations
• #China
• #Diplomacy
• #Colombia
• #China trade
• #South China Sea

Former American Idol singer Caleb Flynn sentenced to life i…

A former Ohio music pastor who once appeared on American Idol was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Monday after a jury convicted him of murdering his wife while he was having an affair. Prosecutors said Caleb Flynn, 40, staged a home invasion in February after shooting Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old teacher and volleyball coach. Flynn claimed she was killed by a burglar. With tears rolling down his cheeks, Flynn addressed the courtroom ahead of the sentencing and...

• #Crime
• #United States
• #Gun violence in the US
• #TV shows and streaming video
• #Music

Exclusive | Beijing wanted more from Xi’s Washington state…

Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington in September was steeped in pageantry. The Chinese president received two 21-gun salutes in three days, watched a flyover by the powerful B-2 stealth bomber, and viewed the founding documents of American democracy at the National Archives. US President Donald Trump called his summit with Xi a “great meeting” and rated it a “12 out of 10”. Xi was also positive, saying “everything is done to the highest order of perfection, and there is thought in every...

• #2026 Xi-Trump summits
• #US-China relations
• #Donald Trump
• #Donald Trump’s China policy
• #Xi Jinping
• #SCMP Exclusives

Jeffrey Archer, former British politician and novelist, die…

Former British politician and writer Jeffrey Archer has died aged 86, his publisher said in a statement on Monday. Archer, who was a Conservative MP for five years before serving as the party’s deputy chairman, died peacefully at his home between writing sessions on Monday, publishing house HarperCollins said. He had a successful career as a novelist and was made a life peer in 1992. The ⁠bestselling author sold more than 300 million copies worldwide, ‌with his final ⁠novel ⁠Adam and ‌Eve...

• #Obituaries
• #Fame and celebrity
• #Books and literature
• #Britain
• #Conservative Party (UK)
• #The Sun

Mainland Chinese favour diplomacy to achieve Taiwan reunifi…

Mainland Chinese prefer coercion over military force to settle the “reunification question” with Taiwan, and their opinion of the US remains low, although they favour engaging with Washington on trade and security. These are the results from the latest survey of Mainland citizens, conducted between April 16 and June 26. This straddled the first summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing but came before the second one in Washington last month. “The...

• #US-China relations
• #Iran
• #United States
• #Taiwan
• #Singapore
• #Russia

ICC unseals arrest warrants for 4 Taliban leaders wanted ov…

The International Criminal Court on Monday unsealed arrest warrants against four senior Taliban leaders, accusing them of the crime against humanity of gender persecution against women, girls and members of the LGBTQ community in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021. The court said in a statement that warrants were issued in July and September last year for the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and the head of Afghanistan’s Supreme Court, Abdul Hakim Haqqani. Also...

• #Afghanistan
• #Education Minister
• #Afghan government
• #Neda Mohammad Nadim
• #International Criminal Court
• #Karim Khan

Quebec votes as separatist surge poses test for Canada’s PM…

Quebec separatists eyed a return to power in Canada’s majority French-speaking province on Monday in an election that could test Prime Minister Mark Carney’s message of national unity to confront the United States. Carney is popular in Quebec and the possible success of the separatist Parti Quebecois (PQ) is not seen as a repudiation of his stance towards US President Donald Trump, whose trade war and annexation threats have infuriated Canadians. Instead, the PQ’s rise after 12 years in...

• #Canada
• #Mark Carney
• #France
• #Donald Trump
• #United States

US to announce US$150 million for Alaska power lines as Van…

The US Energy Department will announce US$150 million in new funding for power lines in Alaska on Monday as Vice-President J.D. Vance visits the state, where Republicans are ‌fighting to hold a critical Senate seat in the November midterm elections. Vance is set to rally voters for Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, who is locked in a tight re-election battle with Democrat Mary Peltola. Flipping the seat is key to the Democratic Party’s strategy to take control of the US Senate and recent polls...

• #United States
• #US Politics
• #J.D. Vance
• #Donald Trump
• #Iran
• #US midterm elections 2026

After plague death reports in Siberia, Russia says situatio…

Moscow on Monday downplayed reports that a laboratory technician had died of plague, stressing that postmortem tests had not detected the disease, while Washington said it was closely monitoring the situation. Reports on Friday that plague had killed a 28-year-old woman named Darya Shipilova, who had been working for the anti-plague institute in Siberia’s Irkutsk region, sparked alarm. The news outlet People of Baikal, citing unnamed sources close to the regional security services, said she may...

• #South China Morning Post
• #News
• #Opinion
• #China
• #Hong Kong
• #World

​​​​​​​Planning a Legacy for Lives that Keep Moving

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Passing wealth to the next generation can require flexibility over when, how and in which currency it is received. Designed to accommodate evolving family circumstances, Chubb MyLegacy Multi-Currency Insurance Plan offers customized life-event payments, succession arrangements, flexible withdrawals and multi-currency options. Passing wealth at the right time Families may need greater control over when and how...

• #South China Morning Post
• #News
• #Opinion
• #China
• #Hong Kong
• #World

2 killed, including student, in ‘horrific’ school bus crash…

A school bus flipped over onto its roof during a multivehicle crash in central Florida on Monday morning, killing two people – including a 10th grade girl – and injuring several others, authorities said. Some 39 people were on the school bus that was headed to Winter Haven High School in Winter Haven when an oncoming car crossed the centre line and caused the crash, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference. “It was a horrible crash,” Judd said. “It was a terrible, tragic morning....

• #United States
• #Florida

‘There will be no Hamas rule in Gaza,’ Netanyahu vows at Oc…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed there would be no Hamas rule in Gaza as he attended a memorial event marking three years since the militant group’s October 7, 2023 attack. Monday is a national day of remembrance for the deadliest day in Israel’s history, with flags lowered to half mast on public buildings from 6.29 am, the time the attack began. Speaking during a state ceremony at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said “we have achieved enormous...

• #Israel-Gaza war
• #Middle East
• #War and conflict
• #Israel
• #Hamas
• #Palestinian Territories

Bid to turn 14 subsidised sale flats into subdivided homes…

The owners of 14 subsidised sale flats have applied for a grace period to comply with Hong Kong’s new regulatory regime for subdivided homes, the housing minister has revealed, raising concerns that public resources were being abused. The cases were disclosed on Monday at a Legislative Council housing panel meeting when lawmaker Mark Chong Ho-fung asked Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin about the use of subsidised sale flats as subdivided units for renting. Chong said flats sold under the...

• #subsidised sale flat
• #Deed of Mutual Covenant
• #Home Ownership Scheme
• #Winnie Ho Wing-yin
• #Legislative Council
• #subdivided flat

US search for missing airmen in China gains new attention a…

For more than eight decades, the remains of US fighter pilot Morton Sher lay unrecovered in China. A photograph of a memorial to him in a Hunan village eventually helped investigators find where his plane crashed in 1943. Sher was buried in his hometown of Greenville, South Carolina, in December 2025, a homecoming that offers a rare example of what US-China cooperation can achieve for families of missing servicemen. That cooperation has now drawn fresh attention. After the recent summit between...

• #US-China relations
• #China
• #2026 Xi-Trump summits
• #Xi Jinping
• #Donald Trump
• #Diplomacy

How is China planning to build on its ‘engineer dividend’ i…

As China seeks to build on its “engineer dividend” – the advantage created by a vast pool of engineers built up over decades – it is directing more talent towards artificial intelligence and other hi-tech fields central to its competition with the US. The push comes as fresh graduates face mounting pressure to find jobs, underscoring the challenge of aligning China’s expanding higher education system with the needs of its changing economy. But Beijing has a narrow window to act, an education...

• #China jobs
• #US-China tech war
• #China
• #China technology
• #Artificial intelligence (AI)
• #Education

Authorities investigate viral drone footage of National Day…

Hong Kong aviation authorities are investigating suspected illegal drone flying over Victoria Harbour during last week’s National Day fireworks display, after privately shot footage of the show went viral online. The footage drew the attention of local internet users after a mainland visitor, who came to Hong Kong during the “golden week” holiday, posted clips of the 23-minute display on his social media account over the weekend. The man, who calls himself Su Fan on RedNote, a popular platform...

• #Hong Kong society
• #Golden week
• #Hong Kong tourism
• #Social media
• #Drones
• #Hong Kong

Hong Kong IVF clinic cleared to resume all services after e…

A Hong Kong fertility clinic that had most of its services suspended for mishandling embryo biopsy specimens from two patients has been cleared to fully resume all treatments after implementing improvement measures. The Council on Human Reproductive Technology said on Monday that Heal Fertility in Central could resume all 17 treatment services covered by its licence from Tuesday, after members reviewed the findings of a follow-up inspection and confirmed the clinic had properly implemented the...

• #Hong Kong

France, Germany seek new EU weapon to instantly cut off mar…

In the strongest sign yet of a shifting European Union policy on China, the leaders of France and Germany have demanded a new trade weapon that would cut off access to the EU market when third countries cause severe distortions. The tool would effectively act as a kill switch, allowing Brussels to respond rapidly to systemic distortions, potentially immediately. It would grant dramatic new powers to the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, which manages trade policy for the 27-member...

• #China-EU relations
• #France
• #European Union
• #Germany
• #China
• #Maros Sefcovic

France school protests: teenager’s hand blown off after pic…

A 15-year-old student lost a hand on Monday picking up a police grenade as part of nationwide protests in France over classroom conditions that have disrupted lessons at hundreds of schools since last week. Some students returned to classrooms but others maintained actions outside their schools, ahead of a day of larger demonstrations expected on Tuesday. Authorities said the teenager was injured in the northern town of Lens. A police union source said he appeared to have picked up a sting-ball...

• #France
• #Protests around the world
• #Sebastien Lecornu

Opinion | AI microdramas are a test case for China’s next b…

China’s US$1.2 trillion goods trade surplus last year has focused attention on electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels and industrial overcapacity. Tariffs, anti-subsidy investigations and localisation requirements have followed as trading partners respond to China’s manufacturing scale. Yet the less visible shift is happening in services. Services exports rose by 17.1 per cent year on year in the first seven months of 2026, while exports of personal cultural and entertainment services surged...

• #China exports
• #TV shows and streaming video
• #Artificial intelligence (AI)
• #AI: Industry Trends
• #China
• #China technology

Mainland Chinese arrivals to Hong Kong surged at start of ‘…

Mainland Chinese arrivals to Hong Kong surged at the start of the National Day “golden week” holiday before easing towards last year’s levels, with tourism sector representatives attributing the early rush partly to the city’s fireworks display and tourists making the most of a shorter break. Immigration Department figures showed that 277,304 mainland visitors arrived on October 1, up 19.1 per cent from 232,751 on the first day of last year’s holiday and 25.1 per cent from 221,644 in 2024. “The...

• #Hong Kong tourism
• #China
• #Hong Kong
• #Perry Yiu Pak-leung

Japan, Australia boost economic security ties with finance…

Japan ⁠and Australia ⁠have agreed to establish an ⁠annual finance ministers’ dialogue aimed at deepening cooperation in financial and economic policy, as well as strengthening bilateral collaboration on economic security. Under ‌a memorandum of understanding signed on Monday that is effective for five years, the two countries’ finance ministers will meet regularly to promote cooperation across a broad range of economic themes. “Recognising ⁠that Japan and Australia’s economic and security...

• #Japan
• #Australia
• #China
• #South Korea
• #Australian government

Yemeni government forces seize control of Bab el-Mandeb Str…

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have secured effective control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen’s Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani has said, though fighting continues with Houthi forces in the area. The government forces advanced rapidly along the coast with heavy Saudi air support to seize key positions in the Dhubab area on the narrowest point of the strait, a vital oil route whose capture by the Iran-backed Houthis last month sent shock waves through energy markets. However,...

• #Middle East
• #Yemen
• #Saudi Arabia
• #War and conflict

State media highlights China’s economic potential following…

China’s Communist Party’s mouthpiece has published a 10-day series highlighting the prospects and resilience of the country’s economy under its 15th five-year plan, following President Xi Jinping’s closely watched meeting with US President Donald Trump. The series, published by People’s Daily from September 25 through the National Day holiday period, ran under the pen name “Jinxuan”, which is widely believed to be associated with the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s top...

• #china
• #media

Zheng survives another 3-set test at China Open, Djokovic o…

Home hope Zheng Qinwen survived another three-set test to advance to the last 16 at the China Open on Monday, while former world No 1 Iga Swiatek staged a comeback in Beijing. China’s Zheng was tested by Marie Bouzkova, enduring her third three-setter of the tournament to beat the Czech player 7-6, 4-6, 7-5. Zheng, who reached the quarter-finals of the US Open last month on the back of a return to form, voiced frustration in each set at movement outside the court, including as she tried to...

• #Zheng Qinwen
• #Novak Djokovic
• #Alex de Minaur
• #Alexander Zverev
• #Coco Gauff
• #Iga Swiatek

Empty classrooms on remote Greek island signal crisis acros…

Chryssa Ntalaka’s classroom has become an object lesson in subtraction. The sole teacher in the last school on the idyllic Greek island of Kalamos has a shorter list of students every autumn. This year, just two. On September 23, the sixth graders sat at Ntalaka’s table beneath the whiteboard, in front of rows of unused desks and benches. When they head to middle school on Greece’s mainland next year, her school will be mothballed. Toys and picture books still sit on shelves in the nearby...

• #European Union
• #Greece
• #Education
• #Japan
• #Italy
• #Croatia

Sincere to close Central department store after 126 years a…

Hong Kong’s first Chinese-owned department store, Sincere, will close its historic branch in the city’s central business district in December after 126 years of retail history. The company revealed, however, that it would seek a new location in Central or Sheung Wan. Sincere announced on Sunday that the flagship store would shut in early December after lease renewal talks with the landlord broke down ahead of the tenancy expiring on December 31. “As a result, the Central store will cease...

• #Hong Kong economy
• #Retailing
• #China
• #Hong Kong
• #Sincere Co

Man lost control of paraglider in strong winds, probe into…

A 74-year-old retired Hong Kong police officer lost control of his paraglider in strong air currents and was fatally injured after crashing on Lantau Island, a probe into the 2024 accident has found. A report published by the Air Accident Investigation Authority on Monday detailed the incident involving the pilot at Sunset Peak, Hong Kong’s third-highest mountain, on June 17, 2024. The authority urged paragliding groups to stress the importance of thorough risk assessments before...

How Vietnam’s twist on Hainan chicken rice tells a rich sto…

Hainan chicken rice, known for its tender, poached chicken and fragrant rice flavoured with chicken stock, is one of the many great Asian comfort foods. Paired with a trio of chilli, ginger and soy dipping sauces, every bite offers a customisable balance of rich, nostalgic flavours. The original dish hails from Hainan, a Chinese island province, where traditionally it is made with local Wenchang chicken. The dish evolved as Hainanese natives emigrated to Southeast Asia, with Vietnam’s com ga...

• #Food and Drinks
• #Vietnam
• #Chinese culture
• #Hainan
• #Asian diaspora
• #Chinese cuisine

Yuen’s rapid start could threaten a record few thought coul…

We are only 78 races and eight meetings into the 2026-27 season, but there are already signs that Nichola Yuen Hang-yiu could threaten a record that most thought would never be broken. Back in 2020-21, Jerry Chau Chun-lok posted the most wins by an apprentice in a single season, slamming home 58 winners at a strike rate of 12 per cent. Before that remarkable season, the record was held by Matthew Chadwick, who recorded 43 wins back in 2008-09, which shows just how imperious Chau was that...

Seoul probe reveals border mine blast caused by North Korea

South Korea ⁠said on Monday that a ⁠recent border blast that seriously wounded two ⁠of its soldiers was caused by mines planted by North Korea. North Korea, which has been fortifying its border with South Korea since April 2024, deployed up to 7,000 workers to install mines and fences this year, with some 50 incidents of ‌crossing the border, according to a briefing on Monday by the South’s military. The two Koreas are still technically at war after their 1950-53 war ended in an armistice rather...

• #South Korea
• #North Korea
• #Korean peninsula
• #Kim Yo-jong
• #Lee Jae Myung
• #Kim Jong-un

Why India’s missile deals in Central Asia matter to Russia…

India has sold its Akash air-defence missile system to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, giving it a foothold in Central Asia as it seeks to become a major global arms exporter. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed the latest sales on Thursday last week, hinting at interest from elsewhere as he called the Akash “one of our success stories”. Developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Akash is a home-grown, short-range surface-to-air missile system that can hit...

• #china
• #Russia
• #Central Asia

Former NWD scion Adrian Cheng expands K11 brand in mainland…

Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, former heir apparent to Hong Kong’s New World Development (NWD), is expanding his K11 cultural retail business in mainland China, launching a venture of his own as his family’s property group grapples with heavy debt. Xiamen K11 Select, developed by Cheng’s K11 by AC Group along with state-owned Xiamen Rail Transit Group in the city in the southeastern province of Fujian, has attracted more than 2 million visits since its opening on September 22, with sales rising 32 per...

• #Hong Kong property
• #Hong Kong
• #New World Development
• #China
• #Retailing
• #Henry Cheng

F1 to investigate software bug in Malaysia race; Verstappen…

Formula 1’s governing body has promised a full investigation into a ⁠software bug that caused chaos ⁠and forced the start of Sunday’s Bahrain ⁠Grand Prix in Malaysia to be aborted with drivers feeling like they were in battery-powered cars made of Lego. Ferrari’s seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s four-time champion and eventual race winner Max Verstappen were among several affected by the glitch on a formation lap after ‌torrential rain and a long delay at Malaysia’s steamy...

• #Singapore Grand Prix
• #Max Verstappen
• #Lewis Hamilton
• #Formula One (F1)
• #Red Bull GmbH

Meet Mabel Lowe, the eldest daughter of Chad Lowe and Kim P…

Chad Lowe’s family confirmed the tragic news of his 13-year-old daughter Fiona’s passing in a statement shared with People on September 29. “We are deeply heartbroken by the loss of our beloved Fiona,” the Emmy-winning actor’s family said. “Her passing is devastating for our entire family and we ask for prayers and privacy at this time,” the statement continued. It also included contact information for a Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US. While Lowe’s family did not provide a cause of death,...

• #Fame and celebrity
• #Get to Know
• #Celebrity Families
• #Celebrity children
• #Hollywood
• #TV shows and streaming video

HKMA licenses Bakai Bank, city’s first from Central Asia

Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has granted a banking licence to Bakai Bank, marking the first Central Asian bank to set up in Hong Kong amid closer ties in the economy and trade flows between China and the region, according to a statement on Monday. Bakai Bank, one of the largest lenders in Kyrgyzstan, will operate as a restricted licence bank in Hong Kong. It will be the 17th restricted licence bank in Hong Kong. Under the licence, it can take deposits of at least HK$500,000 (US$63,776)...

• #Asia Pacific
• #Ministry of Commerce
• #Andreas Meletiou
• #Kyrgyzstan
• #Hong Kong
• #Bakai Bank

Breaking | Nobel Medicine Prize awarded to US-German trio f…

The 2026 Nobel Prize season opened on Monday with the Medicine Prize being awarded to three scientists working on the mechanisms the brain uses to switch on, or off, the activity of individual nerve cells. Karl Deisseroth, 54, Peter Hegemann, 71, and Georg Nagel, 73, have carried out research into light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. They are based at universities in Germany and the United States. The Nobel committee lauded their work, writing on social media that the method “is now being...

• #Nobel Prize
• #Alfred Nobel
• #Norwegian Nobel Committee

Chinese ‘Coffee Grandma’ saves son’s cafe, inspires female…

An 86-year-old grandmother in China has become a social media sensation for operating a coffee shop for over a decade – a business she took over from her son in 2015, despite having no experience with coffee at the time. Zhao Qiying, affectionately known as the “Coffee Grandma,” revealed that the shop, located in downtown Qingdao in eastern China’s Shandong province, was nearly bankrupt due to her son’s lack of business acumen, according to the Peninsular Metropolis News. At that time, Zhao was...

• #Trending in China
• #China's ageing population

Why the PLA’s Z-10 attack helicopter is taking a bigger rol…

Built to hunt tanks and support ground troops, the People’s Liberation Army’s main attack helicopter is increasingly being prepared for operations at sea. Crews of the Z-10 are training to fly from ships – a shift that could give Beijing extra firepower in an amphibious assault on Taiwan. Manufactured by AVIC subsidiary the Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation, the Z-10 entered service with the PLA Army in late 2010. It began documented shipboard trials in 2014, when Chinese navy imagery...

• #Kamov
• #China
• #Singapore Airshow
• #Eastern Theatre Command
• #BeiDou
• #Pratt & Whitney Canada

Why Josie Ho is diving back into the macabre for her new fi…

During a whirlwind September press tour in Thailand, Josie Ho Chiu-yee cuts a glamorous figure at the centre of the Bangkok International Film Festival, where she even receives a royal souvenir from Thailand’s Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi, a prominent patron of Thai cinema. But what Ho, a daughter of the late Macau casino magnate Stanley Ho Hung-sun, has come to promote is much darker and grittier: her latest feature, The Mage. As both lead actress of the...

• #The
• #IS
• #for

8 more firms from Belt and Road Initiative countries apply…

Eight more companies from countries belonging to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative have applied to list in Hong Kong, the city’s trade promotion chief has revealed. Frederick Ma Si-hang, chairman of the Trade Development Council, also said on Monday the city’s economy would benefit from improving China-US ties. Speaking on the sidelines of the Global Youth Powerhouse Summit, Ma said interest in Hong Kong’s capital markets from Central Asia had surged after a high-level delegation led by Chief...

• #Hong Kong economy
• #United States
• #Hong Kong
• #Central Asia
• #China
• #Frederick Ma Si-hang

Hong Kong lawmakers say 5-year tax break too short to lure…

Hong Kong lawmakers have backed the government’s proposed tax incentives for large innovative companies, but many said on Monday that the planned five-year concession period is too short to attract major firms to establish headquarters or expand operations in the city. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in his policy address last month said the government planned to submit a bill introducing preferential profits tax rates of either 5 per cent or 8.25 per cent, which was half of the city’s standard...

• #Policy Address
• #Financial Secretary
• #Nasdaq
• #Nick Chan Hiu-fung
• #Paul Chan Mo-po
• #tax incentives

Spain’s PM calls early election as housing becomes a nation…

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced early elections Monday after his government suffered a bruising legislative defeat last week on emergency measures related to the country’s housing crisis. The vote will be held on November 29. In recent weeks, Spaniards have demanded solutions from the government over housing affordability, holding protests in cities across the country after public outrage grew over the televised eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid last month. Right-wing...

• #Spain
• #Protests around the world
• #United States
• #Israel
• #Iran

‘At what cost?’ Southeast Asia starts to rethink its AI dat…

Southeast Asian governments are learning some hard truths about the data centre boom they spent years working to attract, analysts say – it promises jobs, digital infrastructure and a foothold in the AI economy, but the rapid buildout is also straining power grids, land and regulatory systems. “There is this enthusiasm to attract investments, but now it raises the question: at what cost and at what speed?” said policy researcher Mark Manantan, a research fellow for the Centre for Global Security...

• #Asean
• #Malaysia
• #Indonesia
• #Thailand
• #Infrastructure
• #Singapore

Opinion | Why protecting home values is Beijing’s new prior…

For decades, China’s property sector was defined by spectacular scale: farmland transformed into suburbs, skylines rising across regional hubs and, more recently, the prominent unravelling of heavily indebted developers. Yet beneath those dramatic changes, a far quieter and more consequential transformation is taking shape. Official figures published by the National Bureau of Statistics in September reveal that secondary market home transactions have surpassed new residential builds in volume....

• #China property
• #China economy
• #China society
• #China

US defence experts to work inside Taiwan military HQ under…

A reported plan to station US defence personnel inside Taiwan’s military headquarters would take cooperation from external help into the heart of defence planning, potentially angering Beijing while raising questions over Taipei’s policymaking autonomy and military secrecy. According to Taiwanese media reports at the weekend, the Pentagon plans to send one official from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defence for Policy and one expert from the Institute for Defence Analyses (IDA) to work on...

• #Taiwan
• #United States
• #Defence
• #Diplomacy
• #China
• #James Yifan Chen

Britain’s ex-prince Andrew files legal action to ‘quash’ se…

Britain’s disgraced former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has launched a High Court challenge “to quash search warrants” obtained by police ahead of his arrest earlier this year, the judiciary has confirmed. The London court was set to hold a private hearing on Thursday, the judiciary said in a statement on Monday, as King Charles’ brother challenged Thames Valley Police over searches of his former and current homes on royal estates. The force arrested the 66-year-old on his birthday on...

• #Britain
• #Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
• #Royalty
• #Jeffrey Epstein
• #Sexual harassment and assault
• #United States

HKTDC’s Belt and Road Summit drives momentum

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] The 11th Belt and Road Summit, which took place in Wan Chai on 9-10 September, brought together more than 6,200 top officials, business leaders and senior professionals from 70-plus B&R countries and regions to explore opportunities for further cooperation and partnerships.       Co-organised by the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the signature event gave attendees the chance to...

• #South China Morning Post
• #News
• #Opinion
• #China
• #Hong Kong
• #World

Chinese doctors remove lung tumour for baby still in mother…

Chinese doctors have performed an unprecedented surgery to save an unborn child who developed a fast-growing tumour. A medical team from Shenzhen and Hong Kong recently completed a challenging, precise removal of a foetal chest tumour while the baby was still in the womb, offering new hope to families facing similarly dire prognoses. Jointly performed by doctors from Shenzhen Baoan Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the procedure was detailed and published...

• #for

Abby Choi’s mother tells court former in-laws lived off soc…

The mother of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung has accused her former in-laws of living off her family’s wealth without contributing anything to her grandchildren. Cheung Yin-fa testified in the High Court on Monday about the relationship between her daughter, ex-son-in-law Alex Kwong Kong-chi, and his family in the years leading up to the influencer’s slaying in February 2023. Kwong, 31, his father Kwong Kau, 68, and elder brother Anthony Kwong Kong-kit, 35, are standing trial after...

• #Abby Choi - murder of a model
• #Hong Kong courts
• #Crime in Hong Kong
• #Hong Kong
• #Infamous Hong Kong Murders
• #Abby Choi Tin-fung

Malaysia eyes permanent F1 comeback despite Bahrain GP trav…

Malaysia was aflush with Formula One fever this weekend, rekindling talk of permanently bringing the race back to the Southeast Asian nation after a long hiatus – despite days of traffic chaos that left thousands of fans stranded for hours. More than 260,000 people flocked to Sepang International Circuit in Selangor state for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was originally meant to be held in April but had to be postponed and relocated away from the Persian Gulf island nation due to security...

• #Malaysia
• #Formula One (F1)
• #Anwar Ibrahim
• #Bahrain
• #Max Verstappen

Days after Xi-Trump summit, top Taiwan diplomat opens de fa…

Taipei’s top diplomat is in Arizona this week to open a de facto consulate and tour the state’s semiconductor corridor, even as US President Donald Trump has just wrapped up the pageantry of a state visit for President Xi Jinping. Lin Chia-lung, Taiwan’s foreign minister, arrived in Phoenix late on Saturday for a three-day visit that highlights the deepening economic ties between Washington and Taipei. His visit will not include stops in Washington or meetings with anyone at the State...

• #China
• #Lin Chia-lung
• #Phoenix
• #AMD
• #Taiwan
• #TSMC

Ng aims to maintain top spot in championship with eight-str…

Pierre Ng Pang-chi is keen to maintain his spot at the top of the trainers’ championship when he unleashes an eight-strong team at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, headlined by hat-trick seeker Prestige Always. A noted fast beginner in his campaigns, including in 2023-24 when he finished runner-up in the championship, Ng has struck early with nine wins from the first eight meetings to sit one ahead of Cody Mo Wai-kit and Manfred Man Ka-leung. The 43-year-old has high hopes for his Valley squad...

• #TOP
• #Team

Huawei, Qualcomm strike multi-year patent agreement across…

US chip giant Qualcomm has agreed to pay to licence and acquire patents from China’s Huawei Technologies for the first time as part of a “multi-year, broad patent licence agreement” covering 5G, computing and artificial intelligence. The deal involved cross-licensing between both firms’ patent portfolios, the Shenzhen-based firm said in a statement on Monday, adding that it included Qualcomm’s purchase of specific Huawei US patents across compute, AI, networking and other technologies. The...

• #Huawei Technologies
• #5G
• #Artificial intelligence (AI)
• #Qualcomm
• #China technology
• #China

Asian Games: China start introspection despite dominance ah…

Midway through the Asian Games, China’s sports minister felt the need to issue a rallying cry despite the country again overwhelmingly dominating proceedings. A week into competition, the delegation had already racked up 125 gold medals, won more swimming titles than ever before and were so far clear of the rest that one American press outlet half-jokingly suggested changing the name to the China Games. In the final reckoning on Sunday, China’s tally was as follows: 169 gold, 89 silver and 83...

• #Asian Games 2026
• #Lin Shidong
• #Wang Chuqin
• #Cheng Yujie
• #Wang Manyu
• #Yu Zidi

Hong Kong set for first listed property debt fund as banks…

Private equity firms are moving to plug a commercial real estate funding gap as traditional banks pull back, with one fund filing to launch Hong Kong’s first listed property debt vehicle. Gaw Capital, a Hong Kong-based real estate private equity fund which managed US$35.6 billion in assets as of late 2025, filed to list its Gaw Capital Real Estate Private Debt OFC on Friday, seeking to become the first property-focused private debt fund on the Hong Kong stock exchange’s main board. The fund has...

• #IPO
• #Banking & finance
• #Hong Kong
• #Property investment
• #Hong Kong property
• #Hong Kong stock exchange

Kai Tak Hospital starts first phase of operations, treats 3…

Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Hospital launched its first phase of operations, treating nearly 300 patients at its family medicine centre on Monday morning, with the daily number projected to reach 1,800 by the end of the year. While some patients expressed satisfaction about the service, lawmakers called for more frequent connecting transport services and better publicity on transit options. Positioned to become Hong Kong’s largest public hospital once fully operational, Kai Tak Hospital opened its...

• #On