7 h. ago Beijing symposium celebrates Hong Kong security law's 5th anniversary as model of stability

Beijing symposium celebrates Hong Kong security law's 5th anniversary as model of stability  Dimsum Daily

Events

8 h. ago Eye on the prize: bags of rice, daily essentials up for grabs at Japanese arcade

An amusement centre in Japan is drawing crowds by offering bags of rice as claw machine prizes – a quirky marketing move that has struck a chord with consumers grappling with rising food costs. Since late May, the arcade in Kawagoe city, Saitama prefecture, has stocked its machines with 900-gram bags of rice to entice players with a shot at winning an increasingly expensive daily staple. The rice bags are the latest additions to the prizes customers can win at the machines. Over the past six...

Politics

8 h. ago China’s film distributors pledge more imports to diversify market

China’s film distributors have called for diversifying the country’s cinematic offerings with more and better titles from overseas, at a time when domestic productions have seized the lion’s share of the market from their imported competitors. At a work conference held by the state-owned China Film Group Corporation, as well as Huaxia Film Distribution, companies vowed to bring in “good titles from multiple countries” to improve the number, quality and market share of foreign films, state media...

Politics

10 h. ago Hongkongers warned not to download mobile game ‘promoting secessionist agenda’

Hong Kong police have warned residents against downloading a mobile game application advocating Hong Kong and Taiwanese independence or risk breaking national security laws. The force also said on Tuesday that action had been taken under the Beijing-imposed national security law to allow police to require the relevant electronic platforms to remove access to the game Reversed Front: Bonfire, which was developed by ESC Taiwan and released in April. Individuals who downloaded the app could be...

Events

10 h. ago Hong Kong court convicts couple of child cruelty, murdering newborn son

A Hong Kong court has convicted a couple for murdering their newborn son after rejecting their assertions that the infant’s head trauma and rib fractures could have been inflicted by his brother out of jealousy. A High Court jury comprising three men and four women returned a unanimous verdict on Tuesday to convict Imran Hossain, 32, and his wife Farzana Akter, 29, for murdering their seven-week-old baby, Iyman Hossain, in 2019. The unemployed couple were also found guilty of child cruelty for...

Events

12 h. ago Hong Kong National Security Law: Forum held in Beijing on Law's implementation in Special Administration Region since 2020

Hong Kong National Security Law: Forum held in Beijing on Law's implementation in Special Administration Region since 2020  news.cgtn.com

Events

12 h. ago Hong Kong’s John Lee defends national security clauses for restaurant licences

Hong Kong’s John Lee Ka-chiu has defended the introduction of national security clauses for restaurant licences, saying the new requirements also apply to Lunar New Year fair stalls. The city leader said on Tuesday that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department had made the decision to help fulfil its legal obligation to safeguard national security. “When handling new licensing or the renewal of new licences, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will do their work according to the...

Events

12 h. ago Did China’s first emperor launch westwards mission to find ‘elixir of life’?

History records the Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang as sending the alchemist Xu Fu eastwards towards Japan on a quest for the elixir of immortality. However, the ancient texts make no mention of any similar expedition heading west. But according to a state media report, findings by Chinese archaeologists suggest that a western expedition for the “elixir of life” may indeed have been launched during the reign of Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang, or the “first emperor of China”, was so named because he...

Events

13 h. ago ‘Unacceptable’: Japan group under fire for holding combat drills for students

An organisation in Japan’s Saitama prefecture is under fire for holding combat drills featuring toy guns for schoolchildren amid public anxiety about growing militarisation in the country. At the “junior survival school” run by a general incorporated association, primary and secondary schoolchildren took part in training similar to Japan Self-Defence Force (JSDF) drills and were taught how to handle toy guns, The Mainichi newspaper reported on Saturday, without naming the organisation. According...

Events

14 h. ago Japan sights two Chinese aircraft carriers in Pacific for first time

Japan sights two Chinese aircraft carriers in Pacific for first time  Reuters

Transport

15 h. ago Former residence of South Korea’s Yoon under scrutiny over ‘pet pool’

A shallow pool inside South Korea’s presidential residence has sparked a debate among lawmakers over whether it was used by former president Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife for their pets. There has been increasing speculation that the pool was used for pets and not humans, said Representative Kim Byoung-joo at a meeting held on Monday by the Democratic Party, which became the country’s ruling party following President Lee Jae-myung’s election win last week. “I’ve looked around the space inside the...

Politics

17 h. ago Megaquake scare in Japan, Philippines boosts air power: 7 Asia highlights

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week 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. Japan on alert as Hokkaido tremors reignite megaquake fears A string of moderate earthquakes off the coast of Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido has reignited concerns among experts and residents about the risk of a catastrophic seismic event – though scientists stress...

Politics

17 h. ago Concern in Japan as police investigation uncovers possible yakuza

A police investigation into alleged organised crime activity in Japan has uncovered what experts say could be signs of cooperation between a domestic yakuza faction and Hong Kong’s 14K triad, one of Asia’s most powerful criminal networks. The concern centres around a video found on a mobile phone seized during an arrest in September last year, which shows individuals sharing glasses of sake – a traditional ritual that experts say can symbolise an oath of loyalty or alliance. According to Jiji...

Events

18 h. ago Nara’s famed deer could face food crisis in winter as acorn trees cut down

A move to cut down acorn-bearing trees in Japan’s Nara Park has sparked concern among researchers about the survival of the attraction’s free-roaming deer during the harsh winter. Acorns serve as a vital food source for deer, while the trees also provide critical shelter, with the animals often gathering beneath dense canopies for warmth and protection in the colder months. “The base of these trees becomes a critical place that determines whether the deer can survive winter,” said Shiro...

Events

20 h. ago Japan spots Chinese navy’s show of force in west Pacific amid maritime row

China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier has for the first time ventured into the easternmost edge of Japan’s exclusive economic zone, in what is seen as a show of force aimed at Tokyo, Washington and the broader region. The Liaoning – Beijing’s first aircraft carrier – and at least three accompanying warships were spotted on Saturday around 300km southwest of Minamitori, a remote Japanese island in the western Pacific, which serves as a bulwark for Tokyo to assert its maritime claims. The group, which...

Politics

21 h. ago Hong Kong advocates on why church sex abuse cases take time to surface

An imbalance of power in churches, a culture of secrecy and the misuse of theology are among the significant barriers victims face in reporting sexual abuse cases, advocates have said, after a retired Hong Kong pastor was arrested in connection with an assault on a minor in the 1990s. An NGO and a Christian group on Sunday called on religious groups to establish sexual harassment policies, noting that sexually abused children took 13 years on average to seek help. They also urged authorities to...

Events

23 h. ago ‘Irresistible trend’: why Chinese firms are rushing to open factories in Hungary

When Agosto Bodo took a job at a Chinese law firm’s Budapest office last year, he found himself catapulted into the centre of a China-fuelled investment boom. Yingke Law Firm, a major player in Chinese corporate law, had opened the new office to serve a wave of Chinese companies looking to open factories in Hungary. And the business was quickly gaining momentum. “We helped our clients with sourcing labour, looking for offices – we provided the whole service to help them overcome the language and...

Politics

29 h. ago Hong Kong tourism sector urged to provide packages, discounts for National Games

Hong Kong’s tourism sector should consider offering promotional packages including hotel discounts to spectators at the coming National Games, which the city will co-host in November, authorities have said. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said on Monday that a unified ticket sales platform would be used for all Games events to be held in Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macau, with more details to be announced soon. She said once the Guangdong Provincial Executive...

Politics

31 h. ago Slain Hong Kong model Abby Choi ‘took advantage’ of rich husband, court hears

The former mother-in-law of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung feared the model’s disappearance two years ago would expose how the deceased had financially exploited her wealthy husband, a court has heard. Jenny Li Sui-heung, 65, told the District Court on Monday that she thought it was “shameful” to talk to police about the “chaotic” relationship between Choi, her husband Chris Tam and ex-husband Alex Kwong Kong-chi after the model went missing on February 21, 2023. The defendant, who...

Events

32 h. ago Domestic helper gets 14 months’ jail in Hong Kong for jewellery theft

A domestic helper has been jailed for 14 months in Hong Kong after admitting that she stole jewellery from her employer and pawned most of the 47 items for HK$200,000 out of greed. Eastern Court on Monday sentenced Sherelle Lyn Valle Dajay, 41, for the theft of valuables taken from her employer’s home at Black’s Link in Happy Valley over a seven-month span last year. The Filipino national pleaded guilty last month to two counts of theft. She took valuables stored inside an unlocked wardrobe in...

Events