7 h. ago China’s AI race heats up as SenseTime, ByteDance unveil model updates

China’s artificial intelligence (AI) market sees heightened competition, as various model providers – from SenseTime to ByteDance – step up efforts to enhance their services. Hong Kong-listed SenseTime has upgraded its Cantonese-speaking chatbot, Sensechat, with a comprehensive set of new features that include real-time audio and video-interaction capabilities, according to the company’s announcement on Thursday. Other enhancements include visual reasoning capabilities, which allow Sensechat to...

Culture

8 h. ago WeChat Pay records fourfold rise in mainland tourist taxi payments in Hong Kong

WeChat Pay Hong Kong has recorded a fourfold increase in mainland Chinese tourist payments for taxi services in the city from last year and growing usage among locals and visitors alike, according to parent company Tencent. Vice-President of Tencent Financial Technology Daniel Hong Danyi said on Thursday that the number of transactions from mainland tourists paying for taxi fares through WeChat Pay had seen a fourfold increase year on year. “We saw that previously, many mainland tourists coming...

Economics

16 h. ago Pianist Aristo Sham ‘overwhelmed’ by Hong Kong response to his contest win

Aristo Sham Ching-tao, the first pianist from Hong Kong to win the gold medal in the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, has expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming support he received from the city following his victory in one of the world’s toughest and most prestigious music competitions. Speaking from New York, Sham said: “I am overwhelmed by the support in Hong Kong since the news of my win. I really did not expect that.” Born in Hong Kong, he left to study overseas at the age of 14, but...

Culture

20 h. ago Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong’s T1 alert to stay in effect most of day

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 said that the No 1 typhoon warning signal will stay in force for most of Thursday, as squally showers associated with a tropical storm near the coast of Guangdong continue to affect the city. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the signal at 12.40am on Wednesday...

Events

20 h. ago Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong’s T1 alert to stay in effect for most of the day

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 said that the No 1 typhoon warning signal will stay in force for most of Thursday, as squally showers associated with a tropical storm near the coast of Guangdong continue to affect the city. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the signal at 12.40am on Wednesday...

Events

20 h. ago Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong’s T1 alert to stay in effect throughout the day

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 said that the No 1 typhoon warning signal will remain in force throughout Thursday, as squally showers associated with a tropical storm near the coast of Guangdong continue to affect the city. The Observatory said that Tropical Storm Wutip, which is named...

Events

20 h. ago Tropical Storm Wutip: Hong Kong’s T1 alert to stay in effect until at least Friday

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 said the No 1 typhoon warning signal will remain in force until Friday afternoon or possibly Saturday, as squally showers associated with a tropical storm near the coast of Guangdong province continue to affect the city. The Observatory said Tropical Storm...

Events

37 h. ago Hong Kong student spared jail for faking exam results via beauty app Meitu

A Hong Kong student has been spared prison time over her attempt to secure a university placement with bogus entrance exam results edited by Chinese beauty filter app Meitu, with the presiding magistrate accepting the crime was a lapse in judgment. Ng Tsz-ying, 22, was sentenced to a 12-month probation order at Fanling Court on Wednesday for submitting a fake copy of her certificate in the Diploma of Secondary Education examination to the Education University of Hong Kong last year. Last month,...

Events

42 h. ago Mobile game advocating Hong Kong independence disappears from Apple’s App Store

A mobile game application banned for advocating Hong Kong and Taiwan independence can no longer be found on Apple’s App Store, according to checks by the Post, following its earlier removal from the Google Play Store. Reversed Front: Bonfire, a war-themed game developed by ESC Taiwan and launched in April, did not appear in search results on Wednesday, despite being available for download on the store the previous day. On Tuesday evening, Hong Kong police warned residents against downloading the...

Events

43 h. ago T1 warning to remain in force as tropical depression brings rain to Hong Kong

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. The No 1 typhoon warning signal issued in the early hours of Wednesday will remain in effect throughout the day, the Hong Kong Observatory has said, as showers hit the city. The weather forecaster issued the standby signal at 12.40am and said it would assess whether to raise it to No 3 in the...

Events

43 h. ago T1 signal to remain in force as Tropical Depression Wutip brings rain to Hong Kong

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. The No 1 typhoon warning signal issued in the early hours of Wednesday will remain in effect throughout the day, the Hong Kong Observatory has said, as showers hit the city. The weather forecaster issued the standby signal at 12.40am and said it would assess whether to raise it to No 3 in the...

Politics

43 h. ago Hong Kong T1 signal to remain in force on Thursday morning as Wutip brings rain

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. The No 1 typhoon warning signal issued early on Wednesday will remain in force overnight and on Thursday morning, the Hong Kong Observatory has said, as showers hit the city. The weather forecaster issued the signal at 12.40am and said it would assess whether to raise it to No 3 on Friday. It...

Politics

55 h. ago Tencent Music to buy Ximalaya, an audio app used by 300 million users

Tencent Music Entertainment Group, China’s largest online music platform by user count, announced on Tuesday its acquisition of audio content platform Ximalaya for about US$2.4 billion in cash and stock. The Tencent Holdings subsidiary will offer US$1.26 billion in cash and up to 5.2 per cent of its total outstanding class A ordinary shares. It will also issue up to 0.37 per cent of its shares to Ximalaya’s founding investors. As part of the deal, Ximalaya will restructure certain existing...

Economics

56 h. ago Tencent Music to buy Chinese audio platform Ximalaya for $2.4 billion

Tencent Music to buy Chinese audio platform Ximalaya for $2.4 billion  Reuters

Economics

57 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

58 h. ago What are Hong Kong’s best deals, discounts for this year’s July 1 celebrations?

Hong Kong residents and tourists will be able to enjoy plenty of discounts, giveaways and other deals when the city celebrates the 28th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1. From Star Ferry fares to must-see museums, the Post gives a rundown of what the city has to offer for the occasion. Free transport Commuters will have a chance to win one of the 71,000 MTR tickets available in a raffle being held on July 1 via the rail operator’s mobile app. The tickets are valid until January...

Politics

60 h. ago TikTok adds 500 UK jobs in expansion as US fate remains uncertain

TikTok, the short video app owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, is expanding in the United Kingdom, adding a new office and more than 500 jobs, while its fate in the US remains uncertain as a June 19 sell-or-ban deadline approaches. The new 135,000 sq ft office in Barbican, London, is set to open early next year, according to a statement published on TikTok’s website on Monday. The additional jobs will grow its UK workforce to 3,000 this year, the company said. In addition to its existing 88,500...

Politics

68 h. ago Hong Kong Observatory may raise No 1 typhoon signal on Wednesday morning

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. The Hong Kong Observatory is expected to issue the No 1 typhoon warning signal on Wednesday morning at the earliest and assess the need to raise the alert to a higher level the following day. The forecaster said a broad area of low pressure over the central part of the South China Sea was...

Politics

68 h. ago Hong Kong Observatory could issue No 1 typhoon signal on Wednesday morning

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. The Hong Kong Observatory is expected to issue the No 1 typhoon warning signal on Wednesday morning at the earliest and assess the need to raise the alert to a higher level the following day. The forecaster said a broad area of low pressure over the central part of the South China Sea was...

Politics

68 h. ago Hong Kong Observatory may issue No 1 typhoon signal on Wednesday morning

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. The Hong Kong Observatory is expected to issue the No 1 typhoon warning signal on Wednesday morning at the earliest and assess whether to increase the level the following day, as the city recorded its hottest day of the year so far amid temperatures of 37.8 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) in...

Politics