2 h. ago In human rights talks, EU warns of ‘deterioration’ of basic freedoms in China

During thorny human rights talks with China on Friday, the European Union voiced concerns about what it called a “deterioration of fundamental freedoms” in the country. The EU cited “government interference” in the succession plan for the Dalai Lama, an ongoing crackdown in Hong Kong, and jailed Uygur and Tibetan activists as examples in its statement on the 40th edition of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in Brussels. The bloc accused China of “persistent restrictions on freedom of...

Events

3 h. ago Activist investor David Webb awarded MBE for contributions to Hong Kong

Hong Kong corporate governance activist David Webb has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his nearly three decades of contributions to the city, with the Briton saying he felt touched by the many tributes during his “final battle”. The former investment banker posted on his Webb-site platform on Saturday that he was delighted the United Kingdom government, “with its keen interest in Hong Kong affairs”, had recognised his efforts in the city over the past 27 years by...

Economics

3 h. ago Hong Kong pop diva Karen Mok picks up HK$85 million luxury flat in Mid

Hong Kong pop diva and actress Karen Mok Man-wai bought a luxury unit in the Mid-Levels district for HK$85 million (US$10.8 million), as the city’s celebrities, tycoons and other wealthy investors continue to pick up plum properties that are selling for a song. According to the Land Registry, a 2,153 sq ft three-bedroom flat at Dynasty Court on Old Peak Road was sold for HK$84.5 million and handed over on June 12 to buyer Karen Joy Morris. Dynasty Court is a luxury housing estate completed in...

Economics

3 h. ago Hong Kong restaurants may start testing alternatives to plastics in next 2 months

Hong Kong restaurants may start testing alternatives to certain single-use plastics for items such as food containers in the next two months, the environment minister has said, as the government gauges the business sector’s feedback before expanding the scope of a ban. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan on Saturday gave the update on the second phase of the government’s plan to rid the city of disposable plastic items, after the first stage was introduced in April last year. “We...

Politics

6 h. ago Why are mainland Chinese tourists posing in front of MTR stations in Hong Kong?

Surrounded by a stream of passengers on an MTR platform in Hong Kong on a regular weekday, a couple paused to pose for photos next to a station sign to mark their journey. “We took photos at most of the metro stations we visited, just to record our metro route,” said Arale, a 36-year-old tourist who was visiting the city with his wife, Qing, 37, for the first time. Recording such a visual diary is part of a popular trend on Chinese social media in which people travel around Hong Kong to take...

Politics

8 h. ago ‘Probe under way on whether Beijing will take over collusion case in Hong Kong’

Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong conducted its first publicly known joint operation with the city’s police to determine whether a suspected collusion case is complex to the extent that it requires mainland China to take over, the security minister has revealed. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Saturday that no arrests had been made so far, adding it would require the central government’s approval if the case were to be handed over. His remarks were made after the...

Politics

10 h. ago Hong Kong plans new AI supercomputing centre to boost tech hub status

The Hong Kong government is set to enhance its computing power support for start-ups as part of its ambition to become a leading technology hub, according to the city’s innovation chief, as local start-ups seek global clients at one of Europe’s largest technology shows. Hong Kong planned to establish a new supercomputing centre at Sandy Ridge in the Northern Metropolis – part of a government blueprint that aims to transform a large swathe of land in the New Territories into an economic hub,...

Politics

11 h. ago Is North Korea’s Kim shoring up navy in strategic bid with allies China, Russia?

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to build a blue-water navy to counter what he described as growing threats from the United States, an ambition that observers say appears to be linked to broader strategic coordination with key Pyongyang allies China and Russia. Kim made the announcement during a launch ceremony at the northeastern port of Rajin for a newly repaired warship, following an earlier failed launch at the same location, state media reported on Friday. The vessel, “Kang Kon”,...

Politics

12 h. ago Severe Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong to issue T3 signal between 12pm and 2pm

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will issue the No 3 typhoon warning signal between 12pm and 2pm on Saturday, as strong winds from a severe tropical storm are expected to intensify later. Severe Tropical Storm Wutip, the Cantonese word for “butterfly”, has entered within 800km (497 miles) of...

Events

12 h. ago Severe Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong to issue T3 signal at 12.20pm

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will issue the No 3 typhoon warning signal at 12.20pm on Saturday, as strong winds from a severe tropical storm are expected to intensify later. Severe Tropical Storm Wutip, the Cantonese word for “butterfly”, has entered within 800km (497 miles) of Hong Kong,...

Events

12 h. ago Severe Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong issues T3 signal as winds intensify

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has issued the No 3 typhoon warning signal, as strong winds from a severe tropical storm are intensifying. The Hong Kong Observatory raised the alert at 12.20pm on Saturday as Severe Tropical Storm Wutip entered within 800km (497 miles) of the city. It is...

Events

13 h. ago After the ceasefire, leaders of India, Pakistan seek cover under their flags

Pulled back from the brink by a ceasefire, nuclear-armed India and Pakistan avoided a potentially catastrophic collision, but the tides of nationalism unleashed by the four-day clash are still rising on either side of the border. Now, leaders of the two nations are seeking to cement a political dividend from the May conflict, with competing claims of victory relayed to domestic audiences attuned to triumphalism whenever the two nations clash. “The conflict has created a national fervour on both...

Politics

13 h. ago After the ceasefire, leaders of India and Pakistan seek cover under their flags

Pulled back from the brink by a ceasefire, nuclear-armed India and Pakistan avoided a potentially catastrophic collision, but the tides of nationalism unleashed by the four-day clash are still rising on either side of the border. Now, leaders of the two nations are seeking to cement a political dividend from the May conflict, with competing claims of victory relayed to domestic audiences attuned to triumphalism whenever the two nations clash. “The conflict has created a national fervour on both...

Politics

17 h. ago Beijing Dongzhimen High School cultivates future leaders rooted in core values

Beijing Dongzhimen High School cultivates future leaders rooted in core values  United News of Bangladesh

Politics

23 h. ago Henderson Land signs Jane Street as anchor in Central Hong Kong project

Henderson Land Development, one of Hong Kong’s largest developers, has leased a 223,437 sq ft space in its prized mixed-use project in Central to Jane Street Asia in one of the largest leasing transactions in the city’s main business district in decades. The rent for the space, across six floors in New Central Harbourfront, will be HK$137 (US$17.45) per square foot per month, or HK$30.6 million per month, excluding fees. The transaction, which makes the quant trading firm the anchor tenant of...

Politics

23 h. ago Jane Street to pay US$3.9m a month to rent Hong Kong office space

Henderson Land Development, one of Hong Kong’s largest developers, has leased a 223,437 sq ft space in its prized mixed-use project in Central to Jane Street Asia in one of the largest leasing transactions in the city’s main business district in decades. The rent for the space, across six floors in New Central Harbourfront, will be HK$137 (US$17.45) per square foot per month, or HK$30.6 million per month, excluding fees. The transaction, which makes the quant trading firm the anchor tenant of...

Society

23 h. ago Jane Street to pay US$3.9m a month in record Hong Kong office lease

Henderson Land Development, one of Hong Kong’s largest developers, has leased a 223,437 sq ft space in its prized mixed-use project in Central to Jane Street Asia in one of the largest leasing transactions in the city’s main business district in decades. The rent for the space, across six floors in New Central Harbourfront, will be HK$137 (US$17.45) per square foot per month, or HK$30.6 million per month, excluding fees. The transaction, which makes the quant trading firm the anchor tenant of...

Economics

24 h. ago Air India crash witnesses recount horrific scenes of corpses and dead dogs

It was just another long and languorous summer afternoon for Chirag Patel at his mobile phone retail shop near Ahmedabad’s airport on the outskirts of the western city when he was greeted by a shocking sight in the sky – a massive Air India plane was plunging towards a building. “We are used to seeing planes taking off or landing at the airport, but I was horrified to see one heading right at us. The plane’s tail struck a building that houses a student hostel and got stuck. The front portion...

Events

25 h. ago China’s landmark orbital refuelling mission: why US spy satellites hover nearby

China appears on the verge of carrying out a historic satellite-to-satellite refuelling mission in high orbit, a potential advance that has prompted the US to deploy two military surveillance satellites nearby to watch. The Shijian-25 satellite was launched this year to test on-orbit refuelling and mission-extension technologies, and has been drifting towards Shijian-21. The two satellites have nearly synchronised orbits and are primed for rendezvous and docking, according to public tracking...

Events

25 h. ago Israel’s attacks risk pushing Iran towards nuclear weapon development

Israel’s attacks against Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities and assassinations of several of the regime’s leadership figures could pile pressure on Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei to drop his long-standing ideological opposition to Tehran’s construction of nuclear weapons. To arrive at that seminal moment, Tehran must first decide whether to carefully calibrate its response to the hundreds of Israeli attacks conducted overnight so as to avoid direct military intervention by the United States,...

Events