73 m. ago Hong Kong carer hotline to scale up operations after handling 100,000 calls

A carer support hotline commissioned by the Hong Kong government handled almost 100,000 calls in nearly two years since its launch, with operations set to be scaled up to meet growing demand. Operated by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, the 24-hour ‘182183’ hotline provides emotional support and referrals to welfare services. It is staffed by more than 100 social workers, who work in shifts across 30 phone lines. Since its launch in September 2023, amid a spate of family tragedies involving...

Politics

73 m. ago Malaysian lawyers’ march a marker of falling public trust in Anwar

Scrolling through TikTok one evening, I came across a short clip of American comedian Ron Funches asking an audience member why they believed the government had a perfect track record. “Our government is placed in charge of all of its people. I’m a father placed in charge of just one son. And I lie to that all the time,” he said, using a term from African-American vernacular that he can say but I cannot. Funches’ delivery was biting, but his point resonated – particularly for those of us in...

Events

81 m. ago Hongkongers frustrated as malfunction causes delays on MTR’s Tseung Kwan O line

Hong Kong passengers have expressed frustration over repeated malfunctions on the Tseung Kwan O line, following a signalling equipment breakdown that forced service delays during a rush hour and caused long queues on platforms. The MTR Corporation had advised passengers to use the Tsuen Wan line or East Rail line instead if they needed to cross the harbour from either direction, before the services were gradually resumed at around 10.30am. The railway operator first confirmed the service...

Politics

88 m. ago ‘SCMP report’ claiming Hongkongers ‘will receive income from taxes’ is fake

With the rise of social media and generative AI, how much of what we see online is true? This is the first of a new series, SCMP Fact-Check, in which the Post investigates claims circulating online and debunks viral misinformation impacting the daily lives of Hongkongers. An online platform claiming that Hongkongers “will start receiving income from taxes” is falsely attributing the statement to the city’s finance chief. A link forwarded to the South China Morning Post said in part: “The...

Politics

1 hour ago Hong Kong virtual insurer Bowtie Life raises US$70 million in third funding round

Bowtie Life Insurance, the city’s first virtual insurer, on Friday said it raised US$70 million in its third funding round from existing shareholder Sun Life, its largest such effort since its establishment in 2018. “The stock market rally in Hong Kong this year has improved market sentiment, paving the way for many start-ups and companies to raise funds in both private and public markets,” said Fred Ngan, Bowtie’s co-founder, in an interview on Friday. The city’s Hang Seng Index benchmark is up...

Economics

1 hour ago China unveils new drone that takes off and lands on its tail like a rocket

China has unveiled a tail-sitter drone – which takes off and lands on its tail like a rocket – during a disaster rescue drill, according to state media. In its debut, the new unmanned aerial vehicle’s sensors and cameras were put to the test for reconnaissance and real-time situational awareness operations in a mountainous region of Sichuan province, the official Science and Technology Daily reported on Tuesday. The drone’s Wenyao intelligent control system was also on show, with the drill...

Events

1 hour ago Why Singapore restaurateurs are finding an appetite for Malaysia

In Johor Bahru, just across the border from Singapore, restaurateur Govinda Rajan is eyeing expansion. It has been only three months since he opened his first Malaysian outlet of Mr Biryani, but the veteran chef is already planning his next move. Back home, however, he paints a far bleaker picture, saying that his Singapore restaurants in Little India and Siglap are struggling to stay afloat amid soaring rents, labour shortages and shrinking consumer spending. Govinda had launched Mr Biryani in...

Politics

2 h. ago Taiwan ‘vampire’ coach ‘forced’ students to give blood for academic credits

A scandal in Taiwan involving a university women’s football coach accused of forcing students to donate blood in exchange for their required academic credits has sparked widespread outrage online. The revelation came to light when a student, surnamed Jian, from the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), went public with the accusation. Jian said that students had been coerced by their coach, Zhou Tai-ying, 61, a prominent figure in the island’s football, to participate in excessive...

Events

3 h. ago Mainland Chinese talent children and their struggles to settle in Hong Kong

Twelve-year-old Sofia Teng Yiru was always among the top three in class at her hometown in Wuhan in mainland China before she moved to Hong Kong in March last year. She came with her father, Aaron Teng, 42, who had succeeded in applying for the city’s top talent admission scheme and started his own company in online advertising. Previously at an international school where lessons were taught in English and Mandarin, Sofia was admitted to Primary Five at Kowloon Women’s Welfare Club Li Ping...

Politics

5 h. ago US House committee chair warns Panama about Chinese influence over Panama Canal

The head of a US congressional committee on Thursday, warned Panama over Chinese influence on the Panama Canal, following reports that leading Chinese state-owned conglomerates are bidding for port concessions there now for sale by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings. In his letter to Minister of Maritime Affairs and Administrator of the Panama Maritime Authority Luis Roquebert, Representative John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, expressed...

Events

5 h. ago Brazil triples rare earth exports to China, a ripple from US

Brazil’s rare earth exports to China tripled in the first half of 2025 just as Chinese imports surged to a record high, fuelling concerns that Beijing-Washington trade tensions may be quietlyreroutingg the world’s supply chains through emerging economies. The figures are part of a report released on Thursday by the China-Brazil Business Council (CBBC) that shows Brazil’s exports to China fell 7.5 per cent compared to the same period last year, reaching US$47.7 billion. Imports from China rose 22...

Politics

12 h. ago Hong Kong student warned AI porn case is ‘not closed’ despite formal apology

A law student at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has expressed “deep remorse” for using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create pornographic images of female classmates and has voluntarily withdrawn from an overseas academic exchange programme, according to the institution. In a statement issued on Thursday, its second within five days in response to the controversy, HKU stressed that the warning letter to the student and his formal apology were “not a closure to the case”. “The male...

Events

12 h. ago 22 injured in collision between Citybus and maintenance truck in Hong Kong

A collision involving a Citybus double-decker and a road maintenance truck on the North Lantau Highway in Hong Kong has left 22 people injured. The incident occurred at about 9.20pm on Thursday night on a Kowloon-bound lane near Sunny Bay MTR station. The bus struck the stationary maintenance vehicle, injuring 21 passengers – 12 women and nine men – and the male driver of the truck. The E21A Citybus was on its way to Ho Man Tin. All the victims sustained minor injuries and were treated at the...

Events

12 h. ago Citybus driver suspended after collision injures 22 on Hong Kong highway

A Hong Kong driver has been suspended after the Citybus double-decker he was driving collided with a road maintenance truck on North Lantau Highway and left 22 people injured. The incident occurred at about 9.20pm on Thursday night on a Kowloon-bound lane near Sunny Bay MTR station. The bus struck the stationary maintenance vehicle, injuring 21 passengers – 12 women and nine men – and the male driver of the truck. The E21A Citybus was on its way to Ho Man Tin. All the victims sustained minor...

Transport

12 h. ago As China’s speedy maglev train breaks records, US ambitions go off the rails

A week after China said its supercharged rail system has reached speeds of 600km/h (373mph), US President Donald Trump seemingly pulled the plug on American rail progress. In a controversial move being challenged by the state of California, Trump cancelled US$4 billion in federal funding for its high-speed railway project. Regardless of the outcome of any legal challenge, Trump’s announcement highlights the contrasting development paths of the economic superpowers in their rail aspirations, or...

Politics

13 h. ago Chen Feng, founder of Chinese conglomerate HNA, sentenced to 12 years in prison

Chen Feng, a founder of the defunct Chinese conglomerate HNA Group, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and is subject to a penalty of 221 million yuan (US$30.8 million), nearly four years after he was detained by police. The 72-year-old businessman was charged with harming the interests of a listed company, fraudulently obtaining loans and a breach of duty through misappropriation, according to a court document. The government said 40 million yuan in personal assets were ordered to be...

Events

13 h. ago Sale of 11 Skies could relieve New World of liabilities in project, UBS says

A potential sale of 11 Skies, a mall located near Hong Kong’s international airport in Chek Lap Kok, could help New World Development (NWD) lighten its debt burden as the developer steps up efforts to divest noncore assets to overcome its worst financial crisis, according to UBS. “Any successful disposal of 11 Skies could be a positive catalyst for NWD,” analysts at the Swiss bank said in a report on Thursday. The project “is embedded with contingent liabilities” of HK$1.8 billion (US$229.3...

Politics

13 h. ago Hong Kong’s MTR Corp halts Oyster Bay station’s overhead cable foundation works

Hong Kong’s rail giant the MTR Corporation has suspended foundation works for the overhead cable at its Oyster Bay station project on Lantau Island due to signs of “upheaving”. The government said on Thursday that movement was recorded at the site two days earlier, prompting staff from the Buildings Department and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department to carry out inspections on the westbound track of the Tung Chung line. “The condition concerned has not affected the structural...

Politics

14 h. ago HKMA dismisses ‘bad bank’ rumours, saying industry remains healthy

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the city’s de facto central bank, said it had no plans to establish a “bad bank” to absorb troubled debt in the financial system, saying that the local banking sector remained healthy and profitable. “Overall, banks in Hong Kong maintain a healthy balance sheet; their credit risk is manageable and provisions are sufficient,” the authority said in a statement on Thursday. “The HKMA has no intention to set up the rumoured ‘bad bank’. We understand that the...

Politics

14 h. ago Taiwan holds ‘urban resilience’ drills to test war readiness amid PLA pressure

Taiwan on Thursday launched sweeping civil defence exercises across Taipei and several northern cities, testing society-wide wartime readiness and urban resilience in the face of escalating pressure from Beijing. The drills were held alongside the island’s annual Han Kuang military exercise, Taiwan’s largest and most comprehensive war games. This year marked the first time that the government has officially integrated its long-running civil response and air defence drills into a single,...

Events