南華早報

Climate change and farming gave rise to ‘genetically distin…

Climate change and agricultural development have brought a new goose population to China with unique migratory patterns, a study has found. In an article on the Chinese Academy of Sciences website, researchers from the CAS Institute of Zoology said they had discovered a “genetically distinct” population of swan geese that emerged in Beijing over the past century. They said the timing of their arrival coincided with environmental shifts in the region during the early 20th century – namely climate...

Chinese biotech faces reality check as ArriVent drug failur…

US firm ArriVent BioPharma’s shares plummeted after a late-stage trial failure involving a cancer drug licensed from China, a setback that analysts said highlighted the challenges facing Chinese biotech companies expanding overseas. New York-listed ArriVent closed down nearly 47 per cent on Tuesday after reporting that its cancer treatment firmonertinib failed to meet its main goal in a phase 3 trial. Firmonertinib was originally developed by Shanghai Allist Pharmaceuticals to treat non-small...

• #Biomedicine: Companies
• #Stocks
• #Cancer
• #Biomedicine: Industry Trends
• #Drugs
• #Medicine

Louis Vuitton unveils futuristic, minimalist SS27 collectio…

Just days after French president Emmanuel Macron bestowed the insignia of Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) on Louis Vuitton’s women’s artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière at the Élysée Palace, the designer unveiled the brand’s spring/summer 2027 collection on the last day of Paris Fashion Week. For the show, Ghesquière turned the courtyard of the Louvre museum into a futuristic cityscape with flying cars painted with the brand’s signature Damier pattern and...

• #Paris Fashion Week
• #Fashion
• #Louis Vuitton
• #Luxury brands
• #Travel
• #European travel

China’s ‘city of the future’, Xiongan, hunting high-value t…

China’s Xiongan New Area is accelerating its hunt for technology firms as the city, designed partly to house state-owned institutions relocated from Beijing, moves to nurture its own industries, according to people familiar with its plans and local officials. Officials were looking to attract tech companies that could reach valuations of 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion), hoping some would list on stock markets, including Hong Kong’s, in the next few years, sources said, adding that the key...

• #Artificial intelligence (AI)
• #China
• #Xiongan New Area
• #China technology
• #China economy

Hong Kong-Swiss siblings, in their fifties and still conque…

In the punishing world of Hong Kong endurance sports, few events command as much respect as the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge (HK4TUC), a gruelling 298km (185-mile) test across the city’s major trail networks. While 51-year-old ultra-runner and coach Elliot Froidevaux has conquered the challenge twice, his journey from a 100kg (220lbs) heavy smoker to elite trail runner was no solo effort. Standing next to the Swiss-born, Hong Kong-raised Froidevaux is his older sister, Joanne Nixon, a...

• #Hong Kong

Police say 521kg of meth seized on Laos private jet did not…

The 521kg (1,148lbs) of suspected methamphetamine seized by Laotian authorities from a private jet was not sourced from Malaysia, with the drugs believed to have originated in Laos and been destined for Manila, the Philippines. Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Hussein Omar Khan said police were informed by Laotian authorities on Tuesday that the cross-border smuggling attempt had been foiled at Luang Prabang International Airport last Thursday. Hussein said the...

• #Malaysia
• #Laos
• #The Philippines
• #Drugs
• #Crime

Hong Kong police investigate case of girl, 10, made to carr…

Hong Kong police are investigating the case of a 10-year-old girl who was made to carry bags of beer after videos were posted online showing her being berated by a man amid a confrontation with bystanders concerned about her wellbeing. Police said they received a report at about 10.30pm on Tuesday of a girl in school uniform being made to carry two bags containing numerous beer cans to a building at Fu Tai Estate in Tuen Mun. Officers attended the scene, but no arrests were made and...

• #Hong Kong children
• #Hong Kong
• #Hong Kong police
• #Hong Kong society
• #China

Opinion | Hong Kong’s AI city brain must be more than multi…

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s vision of an “AI city brain” is bold and timely. An integrated system linking data across transport, public works, environmental monitoring and emergency response could help Hong Kong manage risks more proactively and coordinate services more effectively. The initiative is highly commendable. It also raises a critical question: can a city brain truly understand a city if it does not understand how its people communicate? The truth is that communication is...

• #Hong Kong society
• #Artificial intelligence (AI)
• #Technology
• #Hong Kong
• #Greater Bay Area

Malaysia’s Myanmar bet? Repatriations pave way for diplomacy

Malaysia’s repatriation of Myanmar nationals ahead of a visit to Kuala Lumpur by the war-torn country’s leader appears to mirror efforts by other Asean countries seeking to mend ties with Naypyidaw. Several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have stepped up engagement with Myanmar at the bilateral level recently, raising questions about whether a gradual normalisation between the bloc and the country could undermine efforts to end its civil war, according to analysts. Nearly...

• #Malaysia
• #Australia
• #Bangladesh
• #Sydney
• #Myanmar
• #Min Aung Hlaing

Chinese woman snaps up nearly 200 parking spots to flip to…

A woman in central China invested 14 million yuan (US$2 million) to acquire 196 parking spaces in a residential community, later selling them at a significant mark-up, which led to furious residents suing her. The lawsuit centred around a residential block, the name of which was not disclosed, located in Changsha, Hunan province. The property project was completed and put on the market in 2018. At the time, many were sceptical about the community’s prospects due to a lack of essential public...

• #China
• #Chinese
• #parking
• #spaces
• #spots
• #residential

Hong Kong MPF members have made HK$20,000 this year despite…

Hong Kong’s Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) recorded a loss in September but still made overall gains of nearly HK$100 billion (US$12.8 billion) over the first nine months of the year, according to data from MPF Ratings released on Wednesday. The 382 investment funds under the MPF schemes delivered a 6.2 per cent average return in the first nine months, despite losing 1.47 per cent in September, the consultancy found. In monetary terms, they earned HK$96.9 billion over the first three quarters,...

• #Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF)
• #Wealth management
• #Hong Kong
• #Investing
• #Banking & finance
• #Hong Kong economy

China’s DeepZang AI aims to transform Tibetan language tech…

Creators of China’s first Tibetan-language AI model have pledged to speed up upgrades aimed at promoting ethnic integration. Approaches to advancing the large language model, DeepZang, were discussed at a seminar on Monday that brought together representatives from research institutes, universities and enterprises, according to state-run portal Chinanews.com. It said the event held in Hohhot, in China’s northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region, addressed issues such as improving Tibetan...

• #Artificial intelligence (AI)
• #Tibet
• #China

US military in Okinawa imposes night curfew after marine’s…

The US military in Okinawa will impose a curfew from midnight to 5am for a month starting Friday following the arrest of a marine on suspicion of robbing and murdering a local woman, its regional coordinator said on Tuesday. All US military personnel on Okinawa will also observe a 48-hour operational pause from noon on Wednesday, during which there will be “no off-base liberty, including a complete prohibition of alcohol consumption on or off base”, said Lieutenant General Benjamin Watson,...

• #Japan
• #United States
• #Crime
• #US-Japan relations

In pictures: the evolution of school uniforms in Hong Kong

Since 1918, when St Paul’s Girls’ College (now St Paul’s Co-educational College) became the first Hong Kong school to introduce a mandatory dress code – a qipao top with matching trousers or skirt, to build a unified identity – school uniforms have become a highly visible facet of the city’s cultural identity. Uniforms became mandatory in virtually all primary and secondary schools after the second world war, when a massive wave of migrants from mainland China caused student enrolment to...

• #The
• #Hong Kong

How Hong Kong’s design culture fuels Ella Bridgland, founde…

Formerly an associate at Joyce Wang Studio, interior designer and architect Ella Bridgland now heads up her own firm, Studio Ella, which she started in 2022. Bridgland relocated to Hong Kong in 2017 after having worked for some of London’s most prominent design and architecture firms and has since carved out a niche for herself in the city’s design scene, specialising in high-end residential and boutique commercial projects. Beyond offering bespoke furniture design and interior architecture...

• #Architecture and design
• #Interiors
• #Hong Kong interior design
• #Hong Kong
• #London
• #Art

Hong Kong cycling coach in hurry for success after hiring O…

After completing the interminable process of assembling a world-class coaching team that “knows what it is to win”, Herve Dagorne said he needed to “hurry up” and deliver a champion Hong Kong cyclist before time runs out on his reign. The appointment of two-time Olympic silver medallist Kevin Sireau to lead the city’s sprint squad was the final piece in a particularly tricky jigsaw that head coach Dagorne has been attempting to piece together for the past two years. Also a three-time world...

• #Hong Kong Sports Institute
• #Ceci Lee Sze-wing
• #Herve Dagorne
• #Chu Tsun-wai
• #Ben Kersten

Trump says will speak to Putin on plague, after death of Ru…

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would speak very soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the reported plague death of a laboratory technician, as Washington pressured Moscow for transparency. Russian authorities denied that they were imposing anti-plague measures and played down the reports of an incident at a plague research institute in Siberia’s Irkutsk region last week. But Washington is showing growing concern, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling on Russia...

• #Russia
• #Disease
• #Donald Trump
• #Vladimir Putin
• #US-Russia relations
• #United States

From felling trees to recruiting hunters, Japanese aim to f…

Jeff Kingston used to take long walks with his dogs across the hills of Gunma in central Japan. But not this year. He has good reason. Kingston said he has encountered bears in those mountains more than 100 times over the years and been charged by aggressive bears around a dozen times. In 2014, a black bear knocked him down and attacked him across the skull with its claws, leaving a gash that required nine stitches. “This year, I have actively refrained from going into the hills precisely...

• #Japan
• #Animals
• #Environment
• #Tokyo

Land sales offer only temporary relief for West Kowloon art…

Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District is betting on property development to ease its financial pressures amid a widening operating deficit, but experts have warned that land sales will only provide temporary relief and cannot replace a sustainable long-term funding model for the arts hub. The warning comes as the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority prepares to tender a prime residential site in the first half of next year, a potentially lucrative project that property experts expect to...

• #Hong Kong economy
• #West Kowloon Cultural District
• #Hong Kong culture
• #Hong Kong
• #Hong Kong society
• #Hong Kong housing

Broadway Cinematheque at 30: celebrating Hong Kong’s best a…

While cinemas worldwide have suffered waves of closures over the past decade, Hong Kong’s longest-running art house theatre has bucked the trend. As Broadway Cinematheque celebrates its 30th anniversary, shifting audience preferences appear to be playing to its strengths. In November 1996, Broadway Cinematheque (often simply called BC) opened in Kowloon’s Yau Ma Tei district as one of Hong Kong’s few cinemas screening international films that would not otherwise make it onto the city’s...

• #Hong Kong culture
• #Asian cinema: Hong Kong film
• #Asian cinema: Chinese films
• #Hong Kong cinema
• #Chinese language cinema
• #Asian cinema

Editorial | Three years on, Hong Kong’s investment body has…

Three years after Clara Chan Ka-chai took the helm as its first chief executive, Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) has proved its worth despite a difficult global economic climate. Her reappointment as chief executive for a further three-year term, beginning on October 9 is a fitting acknowledgement of that record. When HKIC was unveiled in the 2022 policy address, it had its critics. Some argued that Hong Kong’s prosperity was built on laissez-faire, not government investment, and that...

• #Hong Kong
• #On

China’s economy to slow as global growth stays solid, US th…

China’s economic growth is expected to slow further next year as export strength fades and weak domestic demand persists, even as the global economy remains resilient, according to a new outlook from the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE). The Washington-based think tank projects China’s GDP will grow 4.6 per cent this year and 4.3 per cent in 2027, down from 5 per cent growth in 2025, according to its semi-annual Global Economic Prospects report, released on Tuesday. The...

• #china
• #US
• #global
• #Tank
• #Economy

US resident arrested in connection to Canada school shooting

US authorities arrested ⁠a person in Washington state on Tuesday ⁠who they accuse of providing advice and offering to live-stream a deadly mass shooting carried out earlier this year in Canada. James Cody Bryant, 30, was detained on a charge of conspiracy to murder people in a foreign country in connection to the shooting at ‌Tumbler Ridge, according to the Department of Justice. The charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison. Bryant was in repeated contact with the shooter, Jesse Van...

• #Crime
• #Canada
• #United States
• #Mental health

Why Japanese, South Korean, Thai brands are setting up shop…

Japanese, South Korean and Thai brands have increased their share of new entrants in Hong Kong’s retail property market by 7 percentage points to more than one-third in the first nine months of 2026, while the demand for shops from mainland Chinese brands has slipped, according to Cushman & Wakefield. A slew of new brands helped lift the combined share of Japanese, South Korean and Thai brands to a three-year high, according to Cushman, which said it expected the trend to continue. This year,...

• #Hong Kong property
• #Property financing
• #Property investment
• #Retail properties
• #Retailing
• #Consumers

As I see it | Can’t Uygurs drink Starbucks and taste Americ…

“Morally bankrupt”? Was Michigan Republican John Moolenaar talking about himself? Last week, the chairman of the House Select Committee on China demanded that Starbucks “immediately reverse course and close its stores”. The coffee chain’s crime? It opened two stores in Urumqi – the capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region – in the city centre’s Grand Bazaar and its international airport. The way Moolenaar talked about it, you would think Starbucks was committing genocide and crimes against...

• #US-China relations
• #Xinjiang
• #Starbucks
• #US Politics
• #China
• #United States

Christa Pike conscious and speaking after Tennessee failed…

Christa Pike, a Tennessee inmate who survived Tennessee’s attempt to execute her, is awake and speaking as she receives treatment at a hospital, her lawyers said on Tuesday. “Against all odds, Christa Pike is conscious, speaking and continues to receive critical medical care. “Despite the severe damage she endured to her arms, she is still handcuffed and shackled to the bed. Her recovery is medically unprecedented. Her prognosis remains unclear but, at a minimum, we expect a long recovery,”...

• #United States
• #Crime
• #Human rights

US seeks US$100 million bail for Chinese-born couple in sur…

Los Angeles County prosecutors are seeking bail of US$100 million each for a Chinese-born couple charged on Tuesday with conspiring to abuse young children who were born through surrogacy and raised in their California mansion. Guojun Xuan, 66, and Silvia Zhang, 39, allegedly directed nannies to physically punish the children, watched the beatings through an extensive surveillance system and coached children before police arrived to deny the abuse, according to a felony complaint. At least 14...

• #US-China relations
• #United States
• #Crime
• #China
• #Diplomacy
• #US Department of Justice

In Focus | After cordial Xi-Trump summit, could China’s US…

As President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump talked tariffs, agricultural quotas and critical minerals at last month’s closely watched summit in Washington, an “elephant in the room” loomed over the discussion: China’s efforts to gradually diversify away from US dollar assets. Beijing has gradually been cutting its holdings of US Treasuries while pushing to expand the yuan’s global use and developing alternative financial architecture. While these issues may not have featured in the...

• #china
• #US

Ex-CIA official accused of stealing US$40 million in gold b…

A former senior CIA official pleaded guilty on Tuesday in Virginia to a charge that he abused his position and government funds to enrich himself by acquiring Florida real estate and hundreds of gold bars worth over US$40 million, according to court records. David J. Rush fabricated a “highly classified” government programme to justify the acquisition of luxury property in south Florida that he intended to resell for personal profit, according to a court filing. Rush separately concocted a bogus...

• #US

Trump says Iran could ‘take out’ Los Angeles, calls it ‘sma…

US President Donald Trump suggested to a crowd of his supporters in Nebraska that Iran could “take out” a major US city like Los Angeles or San Diego, drawing a swift rebuke from California’s Democratic leaders and some fellow Republicans. Trump, speaking at a political rally in the state’s farm belt on Monday, discussed American wartime economic sacrifices and said he was determined to “see a tremendous victory, because it verifies all the things we did”. “And again, remember, with the ‌war,...

• #Jim Desmond
• #Steven Cheung
• #Sara Jacobs
• #Kevin Kiley
• #Donald Trump
• #Karen Bass

EU wants to track potential rogue efforts to block out the…

The European Union has launched a €35 million (US$39.4 million) tender to fund research and coordination on, among other things, detecting rogue efforts to alter the Earth’s atmosphere by blocking out the sun. The EU’s Horizon Europe arm, which funds research and innovation, launched the call for projects on Tuesday as part of an early stage effort to coordinate action on so-called Solar Radiation Modification, a nascent and controversial technology that could be used to cool the planet should...

• #european union
• #horizon europe
• #solar radiation modification
• #block out the sun
• #global warming
• #climate change

Empowering a sustainable future: International Gas Union su…

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Against a backdrop of persistent geopolitical uncertainties, global energy price trends and energy security have returned firmly to the spotlight. Taking place in Hong Kong late this month, the International Gas Union (IGU) Council 2026 and the “Empowering a Sustainable Future” Summit will offer an essential platform for cross-sector leaders to exchange perspectives on these pressing challenges.  Hosted by The Hong Kong...

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

UK police arrest seventh man linked to security incident at…

British police on Tuesday arrested a 22-year-old man in London on suspicion of a terror offence over a security incident at a US-run military airbase in England that authorities have linked to Iran. The arrest is the seventh in connection with a suspected plot against RAF Fairford, located 160km (100 miles) west of London, which has been used by American bombers to strike Iran during this year’s war. Five British men in their 20s were detained near the perimeter of the base in the early hours of...

• #Britain
• #Iran
• #Terrorism
• #Crime
• #United States
• #Donald Trump

4 Indonesian seamen kidnapped by Somali pirates return home

Four Indonesian seamen who were kidnapped and held hostage by Somali pirates aboard an oil tanker for more than five months arrived back home on Tuesday, an Agence France-Presse reporter saw. The men were among 17 crew rescued a week ago when maritime police from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northern Somalia stormed the Palau-flagged MT Honour 25 tanker that was hijacked in April. Before the vessel could be recaptured, the pirates had already killed five crew members – three...

• #Indonesia
• #Somalia
• #Crime
• #Marine safety
• #Africa
• #India

Hong Kong approves average fee hikes of up to 4.75 per cent…

Hong Kong’s private, semi-private and international schools have been given the green light to raise tuition fees by an average of 4.75 per cent, 4.07 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively. The Education Bureau said on Tuesday it had received applications from 185 schools as of August 31 to adjust tuition fees for the 2026-27 academic year. They comprised 49 semi-private schools under the government’s Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS), 74 private schools and 62 international ones. One application from...

• #Hong Kong
• #for

Hong Kong’s rising fencing star Harris Ho confident of gold…

Rising fencing star Harris Ho Shing-him said for the coming Youth Olympic Games he only had one goal in mind: to win the gold medal. Hong Kong have never won any individual gold medals at the Youth Olympic Games since their inception in 2010, and while teenager Ho had “no idea” who he might face in the capital city of Senegal, he was determined to succeed. “I had a one-week break after the Asian Games and that’s enough for me. I am ready to get going again,” the 17-year-old said. “I am confident...

• #Buenos Aires
• #Africa
• #Youth Olympic Games
• #Asian Games
• #Dakar Games
• #Senegal

Chinese team creates ‘lifelike’ hydrogel that changes shape…

Chinese researchers have developed a “lifelike” shape-changing hydrogel they say could provide a platform for next-generation developments, such as flexible tissue engineering scaffolds, brain-computer interfaces and humanlike robots. Inspired by living organisms, the team created a light-triggered system called STERS, which uses liquid metal particles to generate slow, self-sustaining chemical reactions that allow a hydrogel to change its structure over time. Capable of growing and changing...

• #Science
• #Robotics
• #Robotics: Industry Trends
• #Medicine
• #Shenzhen
• #China

Rising electricity needs put Southeast Asia’s energy securi…

Risks to Southeast Asia’s energy supplies are multiplying faster than nations are coming up with solutions to meet rapidly rising demand for electricity, according to an International Energy Agency report released on Tuesday. Southeast Asia has a seemingly insatiable appetite for energy, but the region is now in a pinch as energy costs rise, partly due to the Iran war. Fast-growing Southeast Asian economies also need more electricity to power data centres and keep homes and businesses cool. To...

• #Asean
• #Energy
• #Iran
• #Japan
• #Indonesia
• #Russia

Iceland is ‘critical outpost’ for security, Rubio says duri…

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Iceland had long been a “critical outpost” for security during a visit to the island, as his country pushed for greater US influence in the Arctic region. His trip comes after US President Donald Trump has stirred up the power balance in the region by making threats to buy or annex Greenland. The United States signed a security pact with Denmark and Greenland in late September that will allow Washington to establish two new military bases...

• #United States
• #Iceland
• #Donald Trump
• #Portugal
• #Greece
• #Arctic

Opinion | Would China agree to slow AI development? That’s…

The latest US-China summit covered a wide range of topics including artificial intelligence (AI). However, the official readouts from both countries did not touch upon an issue that has generated heated debate: whether the United States and China should agree to pause or slow down the development of frontier AI. That absence has triggered considerable discussion. During my recent visit to New York, many US friends asked whether Beijing would ever agree to some form of arrangement. Before...

• #Artificial intelligence (AI)
• #US-China tech war
• #US-China relations
• #5050
• #China
• #United States

SCMP Best Bets: Kwai Chung Talents can lead them home at Ha…

Jay Rooney KWAI CHUNG TALENTS - R6 (10) Second on return and looks poised to break through   Owen Goulding AURIO - R9 (1) Ran huge on return and looks primed for an overdue win with Purton up   Paul Lally KWAI CHUNG TALENTS - R6 (10) Looks ready to win after last-start second first-up   Phillip Woo KWAI CHUNG TALENTS - R6 (10) Can go one better than promising return second   Trackwork Spy DARYL FLASH - R7 (11) Bumped into one on return and looks set to go one better off light weight   Racing...

End of an era: Messi prepares to hang up Argentina boots wi…

Lionel Messi will pull on Argentina’s sky blue-and-white jersey for the last time on Tuesday and enjoy an emotional farewell in front of his adoring fans in a stadium with a name to match his legacy: Monumental. Some 85,000 Argentina fans will be on hand to watch the 39-year-old idol perform his wizardry in a friendly against Benin that brings down the curtain on his 21-year international career. Millions more will be following the action in South America’s largest arena, Buenos Aires’...

• #Bolivia
• #Burkina Faso
• #Alexis Mac Allister
• #Benin
• #Copa America
• #Diego Maradona

Hong Kong land sale stuns market at 5-year high price of HK…

Kerry Properties has won a land plot in Ho Man Tin for HK$4.31 billion (US$549 million), the highest price paid for a residential site in Kowloon in nearly five years, as developers show confidence in demand for luxury homes. The site on Fat Kwong Street sold at HK$20,738 per square foot of gross floor area, the highest land premium for a residential site in recent years, according to Vincent Cheung, managing director of valuation firm Vincorn Consulting and Appraisal. The last time a Kowloon...

• #Hong Kong property
• #Hong Kong housing
• #Hong Kong land sale
• #Kerry Properties
• #Property investment
• #Hong Kong

US firm to make battle-tested drones in Taiwan, boosting su…

Two combat-tested American drones could become part of Taiwan’s expanding unmanned arsenal as the island seeks to build a “drone shield” against the People’s Liberation Army. California-based defence technology company Aevex Aerospace is working with Taiwan’s Coretronic Intelligent Robotics Corporation (CIRC) to produce its Vandal and Onyx drones locally, combining lessons drawn from the war in Ukraine with the island’s electronics and manufacturing capabilities. Both aircraft have been tested...

• #Taiwan
• #US
• #Drones

Spain lifts arrest warrant for Catalan separatist leader Pu…

A Spanish judge on Tuesday lifted an arrest warrant for exiled former Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, paving the way for his return to Spain ahead of a general election in November. Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena made the move after Spain’s Constitutional Court backed extending a 2024 amnesty law to include the crime of embezzlement. The law was aimed at easing tensions in the wealthy northeastern region following its failed 2017 independence bid, Spain’s worst political crisis...

• #Spain
• #European Union

Registration on both sides of border needed for Huanggang ‘…

Hong Kong and mainland Chinese residents will have to register with immigration authorities on both sides of the border to use automated “joint clearance” channels at the revamped Huanggang Port crossing, with around 100,000 travellers a day expected to use the control point when operations begin. Hong Kong’s Immigration Department would deploy sufficient manpower to help passengers register at the checkpoint, assistant director Jacky Wong Ki said on Tuesday. “The whole registration process at...

• #Hong Kong society
• #Hong Kong
• #Hong Kong economy
• #Hong Kong transport
• #Greater Bay Area
• #Hong Kong tourism

Saudi offensive in Yemen raises risk of direct war with Iran

Iran and Saudi Arabia are edging dangerously closer to direct conflict, analysts warn, after Riyadh resumed major air strikes on Yemen’s Tehran-allied Houthi rebels this week, ending a four-year lull. More than 100 Saudi warplanes bombed rebel positions on Monday, enabling Yemeni government forces to retake much of the Red Sea coastal territory the Houthis seized last month. The Houthis had been aided by embedded Iranian military advisers. Analysts expect the Houthis to retaliate by intensifying...

• #Pakistan
• #Mecca Joint Defence Agreement
• #Yemen
• #Bab el-Mandeb Strait
• #Britain
• #Ali Alfoneh

French school unrest: students, teachers march on biggest d…

Students, teachers and parents marched ⁠in cities across France on Tuesday and protesters blockaded hundreds of schools, in the biggest day of action in a wave of demonstrations demanding the government tackle understaffed and dilapidated classrooms. In Marseille, Nantes and Lyon, the street protests began peacefully mid-morning, with the largest demonstration expected in Paris in the afternoon. Youngsters held aloft smoke flares and placards reading “Under our schoolbooks, anger” and “Where are...

• #France
• #Protests around the world
• #Education
• #Sebastien Lecornu
• #Paris
• #Marine Le Pen

Greenpeace catches Hong Kong geopark ‘golden week’ visitors…

About 100 incidents of visitors catching sea cucumbers and digging up sea snails and clams were recorded at a popular spot in Hong Kong’s Unesco-listed geopark on a single day of the National Day “golden week”, a green group has found, following similar incidents last year. The Po Pin Chau section of the High Island Geo Trail in Sai Kung was also strewn with rubbish on a separate day, Greenpeace said on Tuesday. At nearby Long Ke Beach, the group recorded nearly 90 instances of environmentally...

• #High Island Geo Trail
• #Sharp Island
• #Golden Week
• #National Day Golden Week
• #Hong Kong
• #Po Pin Chau

Elderly man found dead, wife hospitalised after smell repor…

An elderly man was found dead and his wife was taken to hospital after authorities responded to a report of a foul smell from a flat in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Authorities received a report at about 5.20pm from security staff at One Madison, a residential building on Castle Peak Road in Cheung Sha Wan, after an unusual odour was detected from the flat and the occupants had not been seen for some time. Firefighters were called to the scene and forced entry into the flat. The man was found in the...

• #elderly
• #care-takers
• #elderly care
• #One Madison

AI overload? Why China’s developers cannot stop launching m…

On September 22, the global artificial intelligence landscape spun on its axis within a matter of hours. In Beijing, Xiaomi engineers went live with an unusual broadcast, streaming the training run of their new MiMo-V2.6 model. In San Francisco, Anthropic unveiled its frontier Opus 5.5 model. About an hour later, OpenAI crashed the party with the surprise release of its GPT-6 Sol and Luna models. For tech executives and developers trying to keep pace, it was just another overwhelming day in the...

• #OpenAI
• #China
• #GPT-6 Sol
• #Rui Ma
• #Moonshot AI
• #Xiaomi

India opposition lawmakers detained over protest against el…

Indian police detained several opposition lawmakers in the capital of New Delhi on Tuesday for trying to breach barricades during a protest march to demand the resignation of the election chief over a controversial revision of voter lists. The march presents a fresh political challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi midway into his ‌third term, just months after similar protests forced the resignation of his education minister over exam paper leaks. Parties opposing Modi’s government along with...

• #India
• #Protests around the world
• #Narendra Modi
• #Rahul Gandhi
• #US Supreme Court
• #Bharatiya Janata Party

How traditional Chinese medicine is shaping Kazakhstan’s he…

China has pledged to expand its health partnership with Kazakhstan by helping the Central Asian nation integrate traditional medicine directly into its national healthcare system, shifting away from simple product exports. The Chinese embassy in Kazakhstan on Monday called for the alignment of high-level policy to enhance bilateral health cooperation for both countries’ benefit. “Both nations should promote the qualitative upgrading of cooperation in smart healthcare, hi-tech diagnostics and...

• #Belt and Road Initiative
• #Central Asia
• #Kazakhstan
• #Hong Kong
• #China

Asian Games star Choi, top jockey Ho honoured in 10 outstan…

Elite Hong Kong athletes Ryan Choi Chun-yin and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu have been named among the recipients of this year’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons award. The pair have represented the city at home and abroad over the past several months, with Choi winning two silver medals at the Asian Games last month, in the men’s individual foil and men’s team foil categories. Ho, meanwhile, captained Hong Kong’s first ever Shergar Cup team to an impressive second place at Ascot in August and is the first...

• #Hong Kong Jockey Club
• #Ryan Choi Chun-yin
• #Vincent Ho Chak-yiu
• #Doris Ho Pui-ling

Hong Kong return collapsed because football bosses can’t fo…

Jorn Andersen was on the brink of a sensational return as Hong Kong head coach earlier this year, only for talks to collapse and pave the way for interim boss Roberto Losada’s permanent appointment. Enormously popular with supporters after ending the city team’s 55-year wait to reach a major tournament at the last Asian Cup finals, Andersen ultimately accepted a “great offer” from Myanmar back in July. He had been unemployed for two months after leaving Yunnan Yukun when the local football...

• #Hong Kong

Meet Hailey Bills, the DWTS pro dancer dubbed a ‘nepo baby’

Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars introduced viewers to a brand-new pro dancer, Hailey Bills. However, she’s no stranger to the ballroom. The 20-year-old is the niece of veteran DWTS pro dancers Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson through her mother, Johnson’s older sister Stacy Bills. Hailey Bills was part of the DWTS troupe last year and a junior pro on Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, where she competed alongside Tripp Palin under Johnson’s coaching while Chmerkovskiy judged. The pair was...

• #Get to Know
• #Fame and celebrity
• #Reality TV
• #TV shows and streaming video
• #Hollywood
• #Sex and relationships

‘It’s not a secret’: the rise of Thai chic as Amr de Saison…

Once overlooked by the global fashion industry, Southeast Asian couture and craftsmanship are now stepping into the spotlight as labels from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and neighbouring countries start to gain widespread admiration. “People always say it’s like a kept secret,” says Verawat Chinpilas, 38, co-founder and creative director of Thai fashion brand Amr de Saison. “But, no, it’s not a secret. You just weren’t looking.” Founded in Bangkok in 2022, Amr de Saison blends relaxed everyday...

• #Fashion
• #Fashion shopping in Hong Kong
• #Harbour City shopping centre
• #Bangkok
• #Lane Crawford

Hong Kong’s Generation Y unhappiest amid housing and econom…

Hong Kong’s Generation Y residents – those aged 30 to 45 – are the city’s unhappiest age group, largely because of dissatisfaction with economic and housing conditions, a poll has found. The Hong Kong Happiness Index stood at 5.87 out of 10, according to a survey of 1,039 adults conducted by HK.WeCare, an initiative under non-profit organisation Wofoo Social Enterprises. The score remained below the passing level for a fourth consecutive year, despite an overall upward trend since 2024. More...

• #Hong Kong society
• #China
• #Hong Kong
• #Andrew Lam Siu-lo

Fire breaks out on rooftop of residential building in Hong…

Firefighters are battling a rooftop blaze at a residential building in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok, with thick black smoke billowing into the sky. The Fire Services Department received a report at about 5.20pm on Tuesday that items stored on the rooftop of the 26-storey Block B at the Shun King Building on Nelson Street had caught fire. No casualties had been reported as of 7pm, while some residents self-evacuated the building. Firefighters were tackling the blaze with one water jet. Strong flames and...

• #Shun King Building
• #Tuesday
• #Mong Kok
• #Nelson Street
• #Fire Services Department

Prabowo taps Widodo’s allies as advisers amid falling appro…

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto is seeking to keep potential rivals in his inner circle as he faces growing political pressure by appointing influential figures from across the political establishment to a presidential advisory council, according to analysts. The council, which advises the president on the direction of government policy but has no power to set or control it, comprises allies of former presidents, political commentators and Muslim leaders. “These are figures who have...