3 d. ago Hong Kong may issue T3 on Monday as Tropical Storm Fengshen edges closer

Hong Kong’s weather forecaster may issue the No 3 typhoon warning signal on Monday as Tropical Storm Fengshen moves closer to the coast of Guangdong, with temperatures set to fall to about 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit). The Hong Kong Observatory said on Saturday that Fengshen, which means “the god of wind” in Chinese, would come within 800km (497 miles) of Hong Kong the following day and would be closest to the city on Tuesday. “With Fengshen edging closer to the coast of Guangdong later on...

Events

3 d. ago Trump and Xi’s shock tactics see trade war remain in a stalemate

Blame games, tit-for-tat threats, off-again on-again meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and wild tariff swings seem to be the recent order of the day. According to former government officials and analysts, however, this should come as no surprise – it’s just the price you pay when diplomatic norms are brushed off. In the latest twist in the saga, Trump on Friday swung from tough to conciliatory, appearing to reverse threats made a week earlier to cancel...

Events

4 d. ago Trump threatens to ‘go in and kill’ Hamas if Gaza killings continue

US President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to “go in and kill” Hamas if it keeps killing people in Gaza, in an apparent reference to recent shootings of Palestinian civilians following a ceasefire deal with Israel. Trump’s comments come just days after he said that the Hamas shootings – which include public executions – “didn’t bother me much” and described them as killings of gang members. “If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go...

Events

9 d. ago Cheers for Trump, boos for Netanyahu as Witkoff speaks at rally in Israel

US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday lauded US President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a Gaza ceasefire in a speech at a rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, with hundreds of thousands in attendance. “We all owe a debt of deep gratitude to President Trump,” Witkoff said, before being interrupted by prolonged applause and shouts of “Thank you, Trump”. A spokesman for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said there were around 400,000 people in the square, with the rally coming one day...

Politics

1 week ago Mainland China offers US$1,400 for arrest of Taiwanese military ‘secessionists’

Police in the mainland Chinese province closest to Taiwan issued a reward notice on Saturday for information leading to the capture of Taiwanese military officers accused of inciting secession. The move comes a day after Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te pledged to boost the island’s defence, using his Double Tenth speech to outline an increase in Taiwan’s military budget to deter a cross-strait attack. The Public Security Bureau in the coastal city of Xiamen, in Fujian province, identified...

Events

2 w. ago Mainland Chinese tourists loosen purse strings in Hong Kong amid ‘golden week’

Mainland Chinese tourists are loosening their purse strings as they flock to Hong Kong on the first day of their National Day holiday, with many opting to stay for a few days to enjoy the fireworks, outdoor attractions and urban vibes. Hong Kong’s authorities have estimated that as many as 1.54 million mainland visitors, including 1,200 tour groups, would come over the eight-day “golden week” holiday, which coincides with National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The estimate marked an increase...

Politics

2 w. ago Mainland Chinese ‘golden week’ tourists loosen purse strings in Hong Kong

Mainland Chinese tourists are loosening their purse strings as they flock to Hong Kong on the first day of their National Day holiday, with many opting to stay for a few days to enjoy the fireworks, outdoor attractions and urban vibes. Hong Kong authorities estimated that as many as 1.54 million mainland visitors, including 1,200 tour groups, would come over the eight-day “golden week” holiday, which coincides with National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The estimate marked an increase of 11...

Politics

3 w. ago Starmer warns UK Labour is in ‘fight of our lives’ as party meets

A pep talk from Australian leader Anthony Albanese kick-started UK Labour’s annual conference on Sunday, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer struggling to convince nervous members that he can lead the “fight of our lives” against the surging hard-right. Although the ex-lawyer led Labour back to power in Britain in July last year after 14 years in opposition, scandals and policy missteps have already raised doubts about his future. The four-day gathering in Liverpool, northwest England, comes amid...

Events

3 w. ago Trump envoy Witkoff expects Gaza ‘breakthrough’ in coming days

US envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday he expected a breakthrough related to Gaza in the coming days, saying President Donald Trump had presented a plan to regional countries. Witkoff, a real estate friend of Trump who has become his roving ambassador, said the US president shared ideas when meeting with a group of Arab and Islamic countries on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. “We presented what we call the Trump 21-point plan for peace in the Mideast and Gaza,” Witkoff...

Politics

3 w. ago Russia dismisses Trump’s ‘paper tiger’ insult, vows continued Ukraine offensive

The Kremlin on Wednesday said it had no choice but to continue its military offensive on Ukraine, as Moscow rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that Russia was a “paper tiger”. The comments come a day after Trump said Ukraine could win back all of its territory from Russia, which he characterised as a “paper tiger” with a failing economy – a major pivot in his stance on the three-and-a-half-year conflict. “We are continuing our special military operation to ensure our interests and...

Politics