1 hour ago Why China’s pause on stablecoins will not dampen Hong Kong’s digital asset hub push

Beijing’s recent moves to rein in mainland Chinese firms’ stablecoin and tokenisation initiatives in Hong Kong may have rattled the city’s crypto sector, but the Chinese government’s increased openness to digital assets overall had not changed amid competition with the US, experts said. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) recently summoned a number of mainland firms under its jurisdiction, asking them to wait for its instructions before moving forward with their stablecoin initiatives in Hong...

Politics

2 h. ago Hong Kong investigators recover ‘black boxes’ from crashed cargo plane

Hong Kong’s investigative authority has retrieved two “black boxes” from the crashed cargo plane that killed two security workers earlier this week, pledging to release a preliminary report within a month. The Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA), which is responsible for investigating the accident, said on Saturday that it had managed to recover two flight data recorders, commonly known as “black boxes”, from the wreckage on Friday night after the Airport Authority had lifted the...

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8 h. ago Hong Kong charity expands public health efforts across belt and road countries

Hong Kong-based charity GX Foundation is broadening its public health initiatives in belt and road countries, as Chinese enterprises are increasingly expected to consider the “social dimension” of their operations beyond foreign investment pursuits, its chairman, former city leader Leung Chun-ying, has said. The foundation signed a memorandum of understanding with its business partners to launch a project on health risk prevention against dengue fever and other vector-borne diseases at...

Politics

9 h. ago US senators call on Trump to show support for Jimmy Lai in meeting with Xi

A bipartisan group of 38 US senators is urging President Donald Trump to use his expected summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea next week to secure the release of former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the latest in the US Congress’s efforts to get human rights on the agenda of the high-stakes meeting. In a letter released on Friday, the lawmakers described Lai as a political prisoner and said the case for his release was “more dire than ever” due to his worsening...

Politics

10 h. ago Hong Kong must build an education innovation hub fit for Gen Alpha

All eight publicly subsidised universities in Hong Kong have secured a place among the world’s top 350 institutions, according to the 2026 World University Rankings released by Times Higher Education earlier this month. This is the first time all Hong Kong’s public universities have made the prestigious list. Even more exciting is the fact that six of them have landed in the world’s top 200. With five in the top 100, Hong Kong boasts the highest concentration of top 100 universities of any city...

Politics

10 h. ago How innovation can be the beating heart of Hong Kong’s education dream

All eight publicly subsidised universities in Hong Kong have secured a place among the world’s top 350 institutions, according to the 2026 World University Rankings released by Times Higher Education earlier this month. This is the first time all Hong Kong’s public universities have made the prestigious list. Even more exciting is the fact that six of them have landed in the world’s top 200. With five in the top 100, Hong Kong boasts the highest concentration of top 100 universities of any city...

Politics

15 h. ago Undercover Hong Kong police catch 31 minibus commuters not wearing seat belts

Hong Kong police will issue summons to 31 minibus passengers after undercover officers discovered that commuters were not wearing their seat belts. The force said that the operation took place on Friday and involved undercover officers from its Kowloon East traffic enforcement and control division checking for anyone not wearing seat belts on minibuses. Footage of a crackdown on one vehicle went viral on social media. A clip shows a man rising from his minibus and shouting: “Everyone don’t move!...

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15 h. ago Scammers use fake courier messages to steal Hong Kong bank details from victims

Two people have fallen victim to scammers who impersonated courier workers and sent fake text messages to steal bank account information in Hong Kong, with one person losing more than HK$1 million. Police revealed the cases on their CyberDefender social media account on Friday, warning that the force had recorded more than 60 phishing scams over the past two weeks, with more than HK$6 million in total stolen from victims. The force said a victim recently received a phishing text message from a...

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18 h. ago Hong Kong aims to install smart fire alarms in 3,600 old buildings

Hong Kong authorities have launched a pilot scheme to install a new smart fire alarm system that can detect and report a blaze in minutes, with a target to install it in 3,600 old buildings that have yet to be fitted with adequate fire fighting facilities. The Fire Services Department said on Friday it started installing a fire detection system that utilises Internet of Things technology in 10 buildings up to six storeys tall across 10 districts, with a three-month trial on the selected...

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19 h. ago 30% of Hong Kong family medicine clinics’ quota spots to go to poor, elderly

Hong Kong’s health authorities will set aside 30 per cent of public family medicine clinics’ quota spots for low-income and elderly patients under a pilot scheme starting next month, with the policy expected to benefit more than 200,000 people. The Health Bureau said on Friday that the Hospital Authority’s Family Medicine Outpatient Services Priority Groups Pilot Scheme would launch on November 4, improving access to affordable primary healthcare among underprivileged residents. Intended...

Science

20 h. ago Hong Kong man, 25, found dead in flat in suspected autoerotic asphyxiation case

A Hong Kong man found dead in his flat with a towel around his neck has prompted a police investigation, with sources saying he was believed to have been engaging in autoerotic asphyxiation. Police said they received a call at around 6.24pm on Thursday evening from the man’s father, who reported finding his son dead inside their flat at Kwai Chun Court in Kwai Chung. Emergency responders arrived to find the 25-year-old man, surnamed Wong, with a towel about 80cm long around his neck. He was...

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21 h. ago Hong Kong rents fourth least affordable globally, Bangkok tops list, study shows

Hong Kong remains one of the world’s least affordable housing rental markets as constrained median household incomes are unable to keep up with limited availability and high demand in the city, according to German asset manager DWS. Three of the five least affordable housing rental markets were in Asia, with Bangkok and Mumbai taking up the top two spots and Hong Kong coming in fourth, according to DWS’ report tracking 80 cities worldwide released on Friday. Mexico City and Johannesburg rounded...

Politics

21 h. ago Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: voting opens for 27 who helped build inclusive city

Public voting has begun for the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards 2025, with 27 finalists nominated for their achievements that enshrine compassion, creativity and perseverance. Co-organised by the South China Morning Post and Sino Group, the annual awards recognise individuals and teams whose quiet actions and innovations help build a more caring, inclusive and sustainable Hong Kong. In two of the nine categories, community and culture finalists showed how fostering empathy can transform lives. David...

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21 h. ago Beijing, Hebei projects ‘offer inspiration’ for Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis

Mainland China’s planning and construction methods for major new areas in Beijing and Hebei province offer valuable reference points for Hong Kong’s development and financing of the Northern Metropolis megaproject, the finance chief has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, who led a 40-strong government delegation to the two locations, shared his takeaways on Friday as he wrapped up his trip to the Beijing Municipal Administrative Centre and the Xiongan New Area in Hebei over the past...

Politics

21 h. ago Hong Kong’s Paul Chan meets Xia Baolong on trip to Beijing, Hebei projects

Mainland China’s planning and construction methods for major new areas in Beijing and Hebei province offer valuable reference points for Hong Kong’s development and financing of the Northern Metropolis megaproject, the finance chief has said while meeting a top central government official in the capital. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, who led a 40-strong government delegation to the two locations, shared his takeaways on Friday as he wrapped up his trip to the Beijing Municipal...

Politics

23 h. ago Hong Kong teen among 7 arrested over alleged razor blade intimidation letters

Hong Kong police have arrested seven individuals including a 13-year-old boy, linked to an online group known for filming controversial public stunts, on suspicion of criminal intimidation after three victims reported receiving razor blades in the post. The force said on Friday that the suspects, aged between 13 and 36, had been held on suspicion of criminal intimidation, acts outraging public decency and disorderly conduct in a public place. Between October 15 and 22, police said it received...

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25 h. ago Top Beijing office on Hong Kong affairs warns of ‘interference and destruction by anti

Top Beijing office on Hong Kong affairs warns of ‘interference and destruction by anti-China forces’ in legislative race  Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

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26 h. ago Chinese developer’s property management arm hit by share seizure in Hong Kong

Chinese developer’s property management arm hit by share seizure in Hong Kong  South China Morning Post

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26 h. ago Plane wreckage removal to take 2 days, probe up to a year: Hong Kong experts

Securing and removing the cargo plane that crashed after veering off its path at Hong Kong’s airport and killing two security workers will take at least two days, while investigations into the accident are expected to last up to a year, aviation experts have said. Louis Szeto Ka-sing, a specialist in vessel design and maintenance, said on Friday that the first step in salvaging the cargo plane was to determine whether the two halves of the aircraft remained partially connected underwater. He...

Politics

27 h. ago Myanmar scam farm ‘worse than death’, China’s superfast chip: SCMP’s 7 highlights

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China’s analogue AI chip could work 1,000 times faster than Nvidia GPU: study Chinese scientists have created a superfast analogue chip that can solve complex maths problems for advanced scientific tasks and artificial intelligence...

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