14 m. ago LDS Church suffers setback in China as government shuts down congregations in Beijing and other cities

LDS Church suffers setback in China as government shuts down congregations in Beijing and other cities  The Salt Lake Tribune

Politics

5 h. ago Hong Kong’s AI ambitions take shape with 90% of supercomputing capacity now in use

Hong Kong’s ambition to create an artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem is bearing fruit, with more than 90 per cent of the city’s flagship supercomputing centre at Cyberport now in use, according to officials. The AI Supercomputing Centre, which began operations in December, is a cornerstone of the government’s strategy to foster a vibrant local AI ecosystem. Authorities have earmarked HK$3 billion (US$418.6 million) in subsidies to support AI model development and applications. Cyberport said...

Politics

7 h. ago Leading Hong Kong forensic pathologist Philip Beh dies after battle with cancer

Leading Hong Kong forensic pathologist Dr Philip Beh Swan-lip, who dedicated his career to helping families that had lost loved ones find closure and co-founded the city’s first sexual violence crisis centre, has died. Beh was also involved in a high-profile inquest into the death of a 15-year-old girl whose naked body was found at sea during the 2019 anti-government protests. In an email sent to faculty, students and alumni of the University of Hong Kong on Thursday, Professor Lau Chak-sing,...

Events

9 h. ago France fines Shein US$47 million for ‘deceptive’ pricing amid EU scrutiny

The French government has fined online retailer Shein €40 million (US$47 million) for “deceptive marketing practices” and incomplete information about the environmental impact of its products. The penalty was announced just days after a European Union official said on Monday that he was “deeply concerned” about the millions of small parcels entering the region every day, many from Chinese-founded platforms like Shein and Temu. The fine by France’s Ministry of Economy followed investigations...

Economics

9 h. ago China welcomes Russia's move to recognize Afghan interim government

China welcomes Russia's move to recognize Afghan interim government  China Daily

Politics

11 h. ago Beijing taps personnel veteran Xu Qifang for Hong Kong and Macau post

Beijing has appointed Xu Qifang, a Communist Party personnel official, to the second-most senior position in its top body managing Hong Kong and Macau affairs. Xu, 60, the former deputy chief of the party’s Organisation Department has become the executive deputy director of the Central Committee’s Hong Kong and Macau Work Office, according to several government sources. The sources said Xu would be promoted from deputy ministerial to full ministerial rank. As the office’s executive director, Xu...

Politics

14 h. ago Bull market in stocks fills Hong Kong’s coffers, plugs holes from property woes

Hong Kong’s stock market stamp duty income is filling the city’s financial coffers at the fastest pace since 2021, amid a bull run on the local bourse that has attracted scores of initial public offerings (IPOs) and fuelled frenzied trading. Duties from transactions and transfers rose to HK$29.69 billion (US$3.78 billion) in the first five months of 2025, according to calculations by the Post based on government data. Contributions from the stock market jumped 42.5 per cent to HK$52.17 billion...

Politics

15 h. ago Will China’s latest vow to tackle solar panel oversupply have desired impact?

China has vowed to reduce excessive competition and oversupply in its solar photovoltaic (PV) industry, which is continuing to explore global markets. Industry and Information Technology Minister Li Lecheng told 14 representatives from solar PV manufacturers and industry associations on Thursday that the “industry must be governed in accordance with laws and regulations, and disorderly low-price competition should be comprehensively addressed”, the ministry said in a statement released after...

Politics

17 h. ago Hong Kong ‘tourism hotspots’ show promise, now to ensure visitors come and stay

In this two-part series we take a look at Hong Kong’s efforts to boost its tourism industry. Part one examines the government’s moves to reinvent tourism with nine hotspot attractions and whether they will make a difference. Tourist Jessie Wu was enthralled and swept up in nostalgia as she made her way through an exhibition that transported her to Hong Kong’s past. Featuring a canopy of criss-crossing electricity cables, the visitor from mainland China paused at a shop that was both a hair salon...

Politics

18 h. ago Is Japan facing higher risk of drone warfare over Diaoyu Islands?

China could test Japan’s resolve by flying drones near disputed islands in the East China Sea after Tokyo clarified that its military is authorised to shoot down such unmanned aircraft intruding into its airspace, according to analysts. In response to a written query from a lawmaker, the Japanese government affirmed at a cabinet meeting on June 27 that the Self-Defence Forces could take such an action even if foreign drones were not an immediate threat to the country’s security. Ryo...

Events

20 h. ago China urged to issue 30 trillion yuan in bonds to tackle local debt crisis

China should issue 30 trillion yuan (US$4.2 trillion) in treasury bonds to swap local governments’ hidden liabilities to re-energise growth momentum and cut off financial risks at their root, a Beijing-based think tank has proposed. Such a move, combined with a few trillion yuan worth of additional bonds to shore up the property market, boost consumption and remove excessive industrial capacity, would be a strong step toward resolving China’s local-level debt and real estate crises once and for...

Events

23 h. ago US House passes Trump bill, which heads to White House for president’s signature

The US House of Representatives passed a massive tax-and-spending bill on Thursday that President Donald Trump has sought since returning to the White House, an initiative that fundamentally revamps government spending and jeopardises dozens of planned clean energy projects with ties to China. Passing in a 218 to 214 vote, the sprawling One Big Beautiful Bill Act – which would lock in Trump’s priorities on border and defence financing, and make permanent tax cuts that Congress passed at Trump’s...

Politics

27 h. ago Singapore radio code’s grouping of homosexuality sparks calls for review

A Singaporean actor and blogger have taken issue with a clause in the city state’s radio broadcast code that groups homosexuality with paedophilia and incest as “lifestyles” that are not allowed on the airwaves. Former radio DJ Benjamin Lee, better known in Singapore as the blogger Mr Miyagi, said he asked the government to consider removing the clause and reviewing the code that all radio presenters had to sign as part of their contracts. “I’m guilty of having signed this too, because, well, I...

Politics

27 h. ago ‘No place in Singapore’: review call over radio code treatment of homosexuality

A Singaporean actor and blogger have taken issue with a clause in the city state’s radio broadcast code that groups homosexuality with paedophilia and incest as “lifestyles” that are not allowed on the airwaves. Former radio DJ Benjamin Lee, better known in Singapore as the blogger Mr Miyagi, said he asked the government to consider removing the clause and reviewing the code that all radio presenters had to sign as part of their contracts. “I’m guilty of having signed this too, because, well, I...

Politics

30 h. ago Hong Kong water taxis, harbour cruise firm cash in on aircraft carrier’s visit

Some water transport operators are cashing in on the high-profile visit of the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong and its strike fleet to Hong Kong by ferrying visitors for a better look, although marine police have stopped their vessels from getting close. Hong Kong Water Taxi, owned by the Oriental Pearl Cruise Company, organised special sightseeing tours for visitors to get a closer look on Thursday afternoon, and demand was so strong that it was adding more trips on Friday. Another firm,...

Economics

32 h. ago Hong Kong court quashes government decision to refuse permits to 2 Uber drivers

A Hong Kong court has quashed a government decision to refuse hire car permits to two prospective Uber drivers seven years ago, rejecting authorities’ contentions that the move could open the floodgates for ride-hailing services and private vehicles to operate as “pseudo-taxis”. In a written judgment handed down on Thursday, the High Court found the Commissioner for Transport’s dismissal of two litigants’ requests for a permit in 2018 to be based on an “impracticable, illogical and unworkable”...

Politics

33 h. ago Hong Kong crowds welcome aircraft carrier Shandong as city leader hails visit

China’s first independently designed aircraft carrier, the Shandong, sailed into Hong Kong waters on Thursday morning, with thousands of people flocking to the coast and hilltops and even renting water taxis to welcome the vessel and three other warships to the city. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu inspected a guard of honour on the deck of the 70,000-tonne carrier, accompanied by two senior naval officers, and was given a tour of the ship in the late afternoon. He attended a welcoming ceremony...

Politics

34 h. ago Chinese stocks to stagnate in second half on lack of catalysts, top brokerages say

Chinese stocks are likely to tread water in the second half as investors refrain from big bets amid a lack of fresh catalysts, according to the nation’s top-ranked brokerages. A deflationary trend and sluggish earnings growth will continue to weigh on yuan-denominated stocks, but state intervention and an economic recovery – albeit weak – will put a floor under the market, according to GF Securities, Industrial Securities and Shenwan Hongyuan Group. China’s benchmark CSI 300 Index barely budged...

Politics

36 h. ago Hong Kong may issue T1 warning on Friday as potential cyclone develops

Hong Kong Observatory will consider issuing a T1 typhoon warning signal on Friday and Saturday, urging the public to stay away from the shoreline and refrain from water sports. The forecaster on Thursday said the area of low pressure to the north of Luzon would develop into a tropical cyclone in the coming few days and come within 800km (497 miles) of Hong Kong. It said the cyclone would remain near the northeastern part of the South China Sea and intensify. “Depending on its development and...

Events

36 h. ago Hong Kong could issue T1 warning on Friday, as potential cyclone develops

Hong Kong Observatory will consider issuing a No 1 typhoon warning on Friday and Saturday, with the forecaster urging the public to stay away from the shoreline and refrain from doing water sports. An area of low pressure to the north of Luzon would develop into a tropical cyclone in the coming few days and come within 800km (497 miles) of Hong Kong, the Observatory said on Thursday. It added that the cyclone would remain near the northeastern part of the South China Sea and...

Events