4 h. ago US strike in Syria kills leader tied to Isis ambush that left 3 Americans dead

A third round of retaliatory strikes by the US in Syria resulted in the death of an al-Qaeda-affiliated leader, who officials say had a direct tie to the Islamic State member responsible for last month’s ambush that killed two US soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in the country. US Central Command announced that the strike in northwest Syria on Friday killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, who they claim was “an experienced terrorist leader who plotted attacks and was directly connected” to...

Events

12 h. ago Infrequent yet unforgettable: Hong Kong’s rare cases of police opening fire on duty

Hong Kong police officers rarely fire their guns, but when they do, it grips the city’s attention. On Thursday, officers shot dead a man who had taken a woman hostage while brandishing a 30cm knife at a shopping centre in Tuen Mun. Under police guidelines, officers may open fire to protect anyone – including themselves – from death or serious injury. They may also use lethal force against anyone believed to have committed a serious or violent crime and who is attempting to evade arrest. Firearms...

Events

12 h. ago Hong Kong’s rare cases of police officers opening fire on duty

Hong Kong police officers rarely fire their guns, but when they do, it grips the city’s attention. On Thursday, officers shot dead a man who had taken a woman hostage while brandishing a 30cm knife at a shopping centre in Tuen Mun. Under police guidelines, officers may open fire to protect anyone – including themselves – from death or serious injury. They may also use lethal force against anyone believed to have committed a serious or violent crime and who is attempting to evade arrest. Firearms...

Events

13 h. ago Taiwan faces possible Beijing squeeze after US quits WHO and other agencies

The United States’ decision to withdraw from dozens of UN and other international organisations may have dealt another blow to Taiwan’s efforts to raise its global profile amid mounting pressure from Beijing. While Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s government has sought to play down the impact, observers have warned that Washington’s retreat could further squeeze the island’s already narrow international space. US President Donald Trump on January 7 ordered the US to exit 66 international...

Politics

21 h. ago Hong Kong police arrest another man with knife, days after earlier case in Tuen Mun

Hong Kong police have arrested a man who brandished a knife in an apparently disoriented state near a McDonald’s in Tsuen Wan, just two days after officers shot dead another blade-wielding attacker elsewhere in the city. Police said they received a report at 8.42am from a passer-by that a man was seen holding a knife in the area near a McDonald’s on Tai Ho Road in Tsuen Wan. On arriving at the scene, officers immediately subdued the man, with no injuries reported. According to local media...

Events

21 h. ago Several Hong Kong lawmakers omit unpaid directorships in Legco declarations

Several newly elected Hong Kong lawmakers have not fully disclosed their unpaid directorships and those held at subsidiaries, the Post has found, prompting calls from the legislature’s House Committee chairman for greater transparency. Andrew Yao Cho-fai and Lothair Lam Ming-fung were among the Legislative Council newcomers who did not register dozens of unpaid directorships, according to a Post check on their declarations of interest, which were cross-referenced with Companies Registry...

Politics

27 h. ago Over 100 dead in torrential rains and floods across southern Africa

Army helicopters rescued people stranded on rooftops and hundreds of tourists and workers were evacuated from one of the world’s biggest game reserves, as torrential rains and flooding in three countries in southern Africa killed more than 100 people, authorities said on Friday. The death toll across South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe is an accumulation after weeks of heavy rains. Weather services issued warnings that more rain was on the way, possibly bringing more destructive...

Events

32 h. ago NASA's Mars Sample Return is dead, leaving China to retrieve signs of life from the Red Planet

NASA's Mars Sample Return is dead, leaving China to retrieve signs of life from the Red Planet  Live Science

Events

36 h. ago Hong Kong considers doubling attendance threshold for major renovation approvals

Hong Kong homeowners could face a higher bar for approving major building renovation projects as the government considers doubling the in-person attendance threshold to 10 per cent or more, the Post has learned. In an exclusive interview with the Post on Friday, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen pledged to fast-track the amendment to the Building Management Ordinance, without providing a specific timeline. The ordinance aims to plug loopholes and enhance owners’...

Politics

37 h. ago As families shrink, our primary relationship is increasingly with ourselves

More than 2,300 years ago, Aristotle mused in Politics that to live alone, a man must be a god or a beast, or words to that effect. I wonder what he would have thought of the popularity of China’s “Are You Dead?” app. For Aristotle, we are social animals, thriving in the “polis” in the company of family, friends and fellow citizens. The average mother had at least five children. Many homes housed three, even four, generations. Family life was noisy and crowded, full of companionship, contest and...

Politics

38 h. ago Galloping horses theme of Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year fireworks display

The coming Lunar New Year fireworks display in Hong Kong will feature the theme of galloping horses to welcome the Year of the Horse, with the Jockey Club sponsoring the event for the first time. Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said on Friday that the fireworks show, titled “Prosperity gallops across Hong Kong”, would be a part of a year-long campaign by the betting giant to celebrate the equine zodiac with a series of events from races to museum exhibitions. “For the...

Events

44 h. ago Man shot dead by Hong Kong police had ‘history of mental illness, drug abuse’

A man shot dead by police after taking a woman hostage while brandishing a knife at a Hong Kong shopping centre on Thursday had a history of mental illness and drug abuse, and missed a medical consultation last week, the Post has learned. The information emerged as security chief Chris Tang Ping-keung defended police over the “difficult decision to shoot” the 34-year-old man in Tuen Mun, while a relative of the deceased said officers could have aimed for his limbs to avoid killing him. After...

Events

56 h. ago UK Conservative lawmaker Robert Jenrick defects to Farage’s Reform UK

Former Conservative Party leadership candidate Robert Jenrick defected to Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK on Thursday, hours after he was sacked from the Conservatives when his plans to switch allegiance were leaked. Jenrick joins at least a dozen prominent Conservatives who have joined Reform which, before an election expected in 2029, is ahead of both Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party and Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives in opinion polls. “The two main parties are rotten,” Jenrick...

Politics

58 h. ago ‘Hong Kong lawyers should not aim just to compete but specialise in Greater Bay Area’

Hong Kong lawyers should not think of competing head-on with mainland counterparts in the Greater Bay Area, but instead position themselves as common law specialists and collaborators in cross-border legal teams, Hong Kong Bar Association chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet has said. His comments came during a fireside chat on the sidelines of the China Conference: Greater Bay Area event hosted by the South China Morning Post in Shenzhen on Thursday. Recent policy measures allow Hong Kong lawyers to...

Politics

58 h. ago Hong Kong lawyers urged to specialise, not just compete, in Greater Bay Area

Hong Kong lawyers should not think of competing head-on with mainland counterparts in the Greater Bay Area, but instead position themselves as common law specialists and collaborators in cross-border legal teams, Hong Kong Bar Association chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet has said. His comments came during a fireside chat on the sidelines of the China Conference: Greater Bay Area event hosted by the South China Morning Post in Shenzhen on Thursday. Recent policy measures allow Hong Kong lawyers to...

Politics

61 h. ago Hong Kong police shoot man wielding meat cleaver in Tuen Mun

Hong Kong police shot and injured a man after he brandished a meat cleaver in Tuen Mun neighbourhood. The incident occurred at around 7pm along Tuen Hi Road near Tuen Mun Town Hall, where the man was seen carrying the knife. An officer responding to the scene opened fire, with two shots believed to have been fired near a convenience store at Tuen Mun Town Plaza, according to a source. A police spokesman said the man was unconscious when he was taken to Tuen Mun Hospital. A video circulating...

Events

64 h. ago China's 'Are You Dead?' app goes viral as young people seek a one

China's 'Are You Dead?' app goes viral as young people seek a one-tap proof of life  TRT World

Events

3 d. ago China bans dozen of US and Israeli cybersecurity firms over national security concerns: report

China bans dozen of US and Israeli cybersecurity firms over national security concerns: report  Fox Business

Politics

3 d. ago China bans dozen US and Israeli cybersecurity firms over national security concerns: report

China bans dozen US and Israeli cybersecurity firms over national security concerns: report  Fox Business

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Are You Dead?’ What to Know About China’s New Viral Phone App

‘Are You Dead?’ What to Know About China’s New Viral Phone App  Newsweek

Events