6 h. ago Hundreds of mainland visitors in Hong Kong enjoy July 1 celebrations, deals

Hundreds of mainland visitors have made the most of Hong Kong’s holiday marking the city’s return to Chinese rule by flocking to popular tourist sites and enjoying discounts, free museum visits, ferry and tram rides, and cheap tickets at several major attractions. Undeterred by the cloudy and rainy weather on Tuesday, they gathered at popular locations across the city, including Central, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui, with many planning to spend good money on the 3,800 restaurants...

Politics

6 h. ago Hundreds of mainland visitors enjoy July 1 celebrations and deals in Hong Kong

Hundreds of mainland Chinese visitors have made the most of Hong Kong’s holiday marking the city’s handover by flocking to popular tourist sites and enjoying discounts, free museum visits, ferry and tram rides, and cheap tickets at several major attractions. Undeterred by the cloudy and rainy weather on Tuesday, they gathered at popular locations across the city, including Central, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui, with many planning to spend at the 3,800 restaurants offering...

Politics

10 h. ago Malaysia faces judicial void as chief justice set to retire without successor

Malaysia’s judiciary faces a leadership vacuum as Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat prepares to step down on Wednesday without a successor named – a gap lawyers warn could undermine judicial independence and public trust. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration has opted not to extend the tenure of Tengku Maimun or Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, the president of the Court of Appeal, both of whom reach the mandatory retirement age of 66 this week. The constitution allows for a six-month...

Politics

12 h. ago Certain ferry services in Hong Kong to be suspended during Chinese naval fleet visit

Hongkongers will have to make changes to their transport plans during the visit of a naval fleet led by the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong from Thursday as certain ferry services will be temporarily suspended, with authorities also implementing restrictions in some flying zones. The Transport Department on Monday evening announced the adjustments, with nine outlying island licensed ferry service routes operating on the western fairway to be suspended gradually between about 7.20am and 9.50am...

Politics

16 h. ago China ‘folded boy’ stands up straight for first time after gruelling surgeries

A university student, known as China’s “folded boy” due to his spinal condition, has inspired countless people online after undergoing a series of complex surgeries and achieving the remarkable milestone of straightening his body and lying flat in bed for the first time in his life. Jiang Yanchen, 21, hailing from Shandong province in northern China, has fought against ankylosing spondylitis – a form of arthritis causing severe inflammation in the joints and ligaments of the spine – since his...

Politics

25 h. ago Medical excellence to Olympic glory: Hong Kong honours outstanding contributions

A former chairman of Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority, a media mogul and a business leader have been awarded the city’s highest honour this year, while Olympic gold medal fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai was also recognised for her sporting achievements. Two Hongkongers who helped save residents from a deadly fire were also among the 427 individuals recognised on the 2025 Honours List on Tuesday for their contributions to society. Also honoured were a Hong Kong rescue team that had been deployed to...

Politics

28 h. ago Hong Kong aims to become referee in sports disputes with new scheme

Hong Kong authorities are seeking proposals from interested parties to run a two-year pilot programme for sports dispute resolution, a move experts have said is a key step in establishing a neutral third-party intervention mechanism for the growing sector. Observers said on Monday that such a programme would enhance the city’s reputation as a leading legal and dispute mediation and arbitration hub, providing a specialised avenue for increasingly complex commercial disagreements within the global...

Politics

29 h. ago Soft soil caused Malaysia’s huge gas pipeline fire: authorities

A massive gas inferno that rocked Malaysia in April was caused by long-term strain on the pipeline due to weak soil, authorities said on Monday, three months after over 1,000 people were evacuated as the intense heat destroyed homes and melted cars in the vicinity of the incident. Police said there was also no evidence of negligence or conspiracy to cause the disaster that decimated parts of the middle-class enclave of Putra Heights in Selangor state and sent more than 100 people to hospital...

Events

35 h. ago China teen forced to do 1,000 squats at delinquent centre suffers kidney failure

The story of a 15-year-old boy in China who was forced to do 1,000 deep squats as a punishment, leaving him needing a kidney transplant, has sparked outrage online. The tragic tale began in August 2023, when the boy, identified by the pseudonym Ajun, from Guilin in Guangxi province, southern China, was caught stealing 3,500 yuan (US$500) in cash from a parked car. However, because he was under 16, the minimum age for criminal prosecution, the police sent him to Yongqing School for “corrective...

Events

36 h. ago Hong Kong school told to submit report on alleged student harassment in Shenzhen

Hong Kong education authorities have requested a detailed report from a secondary school following complaints that its teachers failed to promptly intervene when four drunk men reportedly harassed two female students during a study tour in Shenzhen. The incident came to light on Sunday after students from Chang Pui Chung Memorial School revealed it in a post on the social media platform Threads. According to the post, the two Form Five students encountered the men in a hotel corridor one night...

Events

36 h. ago Hong Kong school ordered to submit report after students harassed in Shenzhen

Hong Kong education authorities have requested a detailed report from a secondary school following complaints that its teachers failed to promptly intervene when four drunk men reportedly harassed two female students during a study tour in Shenzhen. Sudents from Chang Pui Chung Memorial School revealed the incident in a post on the social media platform Threads. According to the post, the two Form Five students encountered the men in a hotel corridor one night during the tour while they were on...

Events

36 h. ago China’s soft power, Cathay flight leaves dozens stranded: 5 weekend reads

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China warns countries not to sign US trade deals at its expense 2. Why China may be keeping a close eye as Trump gets drawn into the Middle East 3. Dozens left stranded by Hong Kong’s Cathay after flight from New York cancelled 4. Palace intrigue conquers global screens: has China cast its new...

Politics

40 h. ago Hong Kong justice minister says ‘soft resistance’ political term, not legal one

Hong Kong’s justice minister has said that “soft resistance” is a political term instead of a legal one and should not be used randomly, while offering his definition for actions that officials have said continue to pose a threat to national security. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also said the promotion of national security should be proportionate and strike a balance with the city’s development, echoing a call from Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs earlier this...

Politics

40 h. ago Hong Kong justice minister says ‘soft resistance’ political term, not legal

Hong Kong’s justice minister has said that “soft resistance” is a political term instead of a legal one and should not be used randomly, while offering his definition for actions that officials have said continue to pose a threat to national security. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also said the promotion of national security should be proportionate and strike a balance with the city’s development, echoing a call from Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs earlier this...

Politics

40 h. ago Hong Kong justice minister says ‘soft resistance’ political, not legal

Hong Kong’s justice minister has said that “soft resistance” is a political term instead of a legal one and should not be used randomly, while offering his definition for actions that officials have said continue to pose a threat to national security. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also said the promotion of national security should be proportionate and strike a balance with the city’s development, echoing a call from Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs earlier this...

Politics

40 h. ago Hong Kong justice minister says ‘soft resistance’ term political, not legal

Hong Kong’s justice minister has said that “soft resistance” is a political term instead of a legal one and should not be used randomly, while offering his definition for actions that officials have said continue to pose a threat to national security. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also said the promotion of national security should be proportionate and strike a balance with the city’s development, echoing a call from Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs earlier this...

Politics

49 h. ago Last bite for diners before popular City’super food court closes in Hong Kong

Diners got their fill one last time as a decades-old food court in high-end supermarket City’super in Hong Kong’s Times Square shopping centre served its final customers on Sunday. The closure of the Amazing Food Hall, located in the basement of the upscale Causeway Bay shopping and office complex, marked the end of an era for the premium supermarket chain’s dining ventures. The food court, popular for its offerings of sushi, grilled meats, noodle dishes, a well-stocked wine and sake cellar, and...

Events

51 h. ago Video teases new Chinese blackout bomb that can knock out enemy power stations

China’s state broadcaster posted a video on Thursday featuring what appeared to be a new type of graphite bomb that it said could knock out enemy power stations and cause a “complete loss of electricity” across a targeted area. A social media channel run by CCTV shared an animated video showing the weapon being launched from a land-based vehicle before ejecting 90 cylinder-shaped submunitions. These canisters bounced upon impact before detonating mid-air, dispersing fine, chemically treated...

Events

52 h. ago Hong Kong striving to create favourable environment for stablecoins: Paul Chan

Hong Kong authorities will strive to create a conducive environment for the wide-ranging application of stablecoins in a bid to provide practical help for businesses to resolve cross-border payment issues, the city’s finance chief has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Sunday reaffirmed the government’s efforts in applying fintech to resolve long-standing “pain points” such as slow and costly cross-border payments, highlighting new stablecoin laws set to take effect on August...

Politics

57 h. ago Chinese girl vomits live worms for a month; doctors find tiny moths to blame

An eight-year-old girl in China who had been vomiting live worms for a month discovered that the cause of her ills was a common household problem. Despite seeing many doctors, the unidentified girl from Yangzhou City, eastern China’s Jiangsu province, could not pinpoint the reason why she was throwing up. Her father said she would vomit a handful of 1cm-long worms each time. No one else in the family suffered the same problem. A doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Soochow University in Jiangsu...

Politics