1 hour ago Hong Kong passes bill to launch electronic driving licences in September

Hong Kong will introduce electronic driving licences in mid-September following the passage of a bill by the legislature, but lawmakers have questioned the need to spend HK$12.5 million (US$1.59 million) to fund a related mobile application. Some legislators also urged authorities to take a flexible approach to enforcement, especially in cases in which drivers had trouble displaying their documents on smartphones, thereby giving them time to adapt to the new system. The legislative amendment,...

Politics

5 h. ago Massed drone deployments part of military modernisation: China’s PLA Daily

China’s military mouthpiece has called for the large-scale and centralised deployment of unmanned combat forces at key locations to fully realise their potential in any future intelligent warfare, amid rising tensions with the US in the Indo-Pacific. In an article published on Tuesday, the PLA Daily urged “innovative” organisation and applications of unmanned systems, highlighting their “decisive and dominant” role in future conflicts, including the capability to conduct close-range precision...

Events

6 h. ago Chinese premier says officials must adapt to ‘complex and severe’ situation

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has urged the nation’s officials to improve their ability to anticipate challenges and accurately implement policies amid a turbulent geopolitical environment. “At present, the task to comprehensively promote the Chinese path to modernisation with high-quality development is heavy and difficult, with the external situation remaining complex and severe,” he said on Wednesday, as reported by state-run news agency Xinhua. During this difficult period, officials needed to...

Politics

7 h. ago Hong Kong exhibition opens to mark fifth anniversary of national security law

An exhibition commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law has opened in Hong Kong, featuring video footage and images from three major social movements, with city officials urging residents to remain vigilant against threats. At the opening ceremony of the government-organised event on Thursday, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung noted that as of June 1, 326 people had been arrested under relevant national security laws, including the legislation...

Events

18 h. ago US Treasury chief slams ‘unreliable’ China at House hearing on Trump trade policy

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent slammed Beijing on Wednesday for its aggressive export policies, urged it to be a more dependable partner and depicted China’s disjointed economic structure as hurting not only the US but the entire globe. “China currently has the most unbalanced economy in the history of the world,” Bessent, a former hedge fund manager, told the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. “They cannot be allowed to export their way back to prosperity, not only for working...

Politics

26 h. ago Indonesia’s green groups welcome move to axe mining permits in Raja Ampat

Indonesia’s green groups and Papuan residents have welcomed President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to revoke almost all nickel-mining permits in the country’s biodiversity gem of the Raja Ampat Islands, but urged authorities to protect other small and outlying areas from damage brought by such activities. Raja Ampat, an archipelagic region in Southwest Papua, has been dubbed the “last paradise on Earth” due to its extremely rich terrestrial and marine biodiversity, which includes 540 species of...

Politics

27 h. ago China opposes NATO’s criticism, urges it to stop using Beijing as excuse

China opposes NATO’s criticism, urges it to stop using Beijing as excuse  Investing.com

Politics

27 h. ago US$900 million seized as China helps Malaysia dismantle Tedy Teow’s scam empire

Chinese and Malaysian police have seized over 3.8 billion ringgit (US$900 million) of assets – including yachts and property – from a syndicate alleged to have duped millions of people throughout the Asia-Pacific with promises of high-return investments. The Ponzi scheme, which operated mainly in Penang state, is believed to be linked to the MBI Group, started by Malaysian Tedy Teow Wooi Huat, who was extradited to China last year after hiding in Thailand. Seventeen people were arrested last...

Economics

28 h. ago Hong Kong’s top court dismisses domestic helper’s forced labour challenge

Hong Kong’s top court has dismissed a judicial review of a foreign domestic helper who argued police had failed to properly investigate her complaint against her employer due to the absence of specific legislation against forced labour. The Court of Final Appeal on Wednesday, in upholding a ruling last year by the Court of Appeal, found that the city’s lack of bespoke legislation for forced labour was not necessary to provide “practical and effective” protection of the Filipina helper’s...

Events

32 h. ago Fans of Malaysia’s Rafizi face police probes as internal party feud intensifies

A feud within Malaysia’s ruling party has intensified after supporters of former People’s Justice Party (PKR) deputy president Rafizi Ramli alleged they were targeted by the police over social media posts about last month’s party elections. Rafizi, who served as deputy to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim within the party, lost his post in the May 23 internal election to Anwar’s daughter, Nurul Izzah. Her elevation fuelled accusations of growing nepotism in the party, which is helmed by her...

Events

51 h. ago Chinese premier urges faster tech applications amid US export controls

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for a push to speed up the application of new advances in science and technology, as the country accelerates efforts to break its dependence on US tech and develop a world-leading industrial base. In a State Council meeting on Monday, Li called the application of new technologies the “last mile” of innovation, as it links innovation and industry and is important in driving new products and services, state-run news agency Xinhua reported. The premier’s comments...

Politics

51 h. ago Malaysia’s Anwar given second chance to prove immunity from sexual assault suit

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will be allowed to argue that he has legal immunity from a sexual harassment civil suit after the Court of Appeal ruled in his favour on Tuesday, just days before proceedings were due to start. The suit, brought by Anwar’s former research assistant Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, alleges that Anwar sexually assaulted him in 2018 at the then-opposition leader's private residence. Anwar has denied the allegations. The case risks resurfacing controversies that have...

Events

55 h. ago Malaysia’s new luxury tax a hard sell for Anwar as popularity wanes

Many Malaysians may find life’s little indulgences suddenly beyond their reach from next month, when fresh taxes bite on premium goods and services like salmon and silk – and even haircuts – after the cash-strapped government said it would raise revenue from so-called luxury spending. Taxes of between 5 and 10 per cent will be imposed on “discretionary and non-essential goods” as well as financial and beauty services and private education from July 1, the Finance Ministry said in a statement...

Events

55 h. ago Civilian group hosts Taiwan tabletop simulation of attack from mainland China

A think tank in Taiwan has started a two-day war game with retired US and Japanese generals to simulate the island’s defence in the event of a military attack from the Chinese mainland. The Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation, which organised the tabletop exercise, said the aim was to “identify the defence issues that Taiwan urgently needs to strengthen and provide recommendations for the government”. Described as the first operational-level military simulation by a...

Events

55 h. ago China's Xi urges respect, 'right track' in call with South Korean counterpart

China's Xi urges respect, 'right track' in call with South Korean counterpart  Reuters

Politics

60 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

62 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

68 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

2 d. ago China turns to robots for elderly care with national pilot programme

China has launched a pilot programme aimed at accelerating the deployment of robots to alleviate the pressure of elderly care, as the nation grapples with a rapidly ageing population and a labour shortage. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, issued a notice on Monday inviting organisations to participate in pilot projects. The initiative aims to enhance the integration of robotics into smart elderly care. The programme...

Politics

2 d. ago Hong Kong lawmakers call for TV stations to show more English

Hong Kong’s broadcast watchdog has been asked to require TV stations to produce more local programmes on their English channels to “tell good Hong Kong stories” to expats and visitors. Stations are permitted to have up to 45 per cent of their English-channel content be in other languages, a threshold some lawmakers said on Monday was too high and at odds with Hong Kong’s role as an international city. Some legislators also urged the government to sponsor TV stations to produce dramas promoting...

Politics