9 h. ago Hong Kong government hits out at US politicians’ ‘absurd’ resolution on Jimmy Lai

Hong Kong authorities have hit back at US politicians’ “absurd and fact-twisting” allegations over the health of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and their call for his unconditional release from prison. A spokesman for the Hong Kong government described the resolution introduced in the United States House of Representatives as an attempt to pressure the city’s courts over Lai’s ongoing trial, accusing the body of “blatant hypocrisy and double standards” given the country’s own suspected...

Politics

9 h. ago Hong Kong government hits out at US politicians’ ‘absurd’ Jimmy Lai resolution

Hong Kong authorities have hit back at US politicians’ “absurd and fact-twisting” allegations over the health of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and their call for his unconditional release from prison. A spokesman for the Hong Kong government described the resolution introduced in the United States House of Representatives as an attempt to pressure the city’s courts over Lai’s ongoing trial, accusing the body of “blatant hypocrisy and double standards” given the country’s own suspected...

Politics

9 h. ago Dutch minister admits he was blindsided by China in Nexperia chip crisis

Export controls may have been the economic weapon of choice in 2025, but the Dutch minister at the centre of the Nexperia crisis has admitted he was blindsided by Beijing when it blocked the company’s chips from leaving China. His concession raises fresh questions over how much planning went into the decision to reach for a Cold War-era law to intervene in the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker in September, a move that triggered a supply chain shock in the global automotive...

Politics

10 h. ago Taiwan, Japan raise alarm over China’s maritime deployment; Beijing says operations fully compliant with law

Taiwan, Japan raise alarm over China’s maritime deployment; Beijing says operations fully compliant with law  Firstpost

Events

11 h. ago Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung accuses former agent of HK$8.8 million fraud

Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi has accused her former agent of exerting undue pressure on her and defrauding her out of 8 million yuan (US$1.13 million) by making false representations. Cheung, 45, took the witness box at the High Court on Friday to counter allegations that she reneged on a promise to Asia Entertainment Group (AEG) president Samuel Yu Yuk-hing to appear in four films produced by the now liquidated company between 2011 and 2019. “Throughout my life, I, Cecilia Cheung,...

Economics

18 h. ago Bali mulls Airbnb ban to put a lid on revenue leak, overtourism

Bali is considering a ban on Airbnb’s accommodation, its latest attempt to impose order on a resort island struggling to cope with a record surge in tourism. Use of Airbnb-style rentals has exploded in recent years, eroding tax revenue from hotels even as foreign arrivals boom, Bali Governor I Wayan Koster told state news agency Antara. The proliferation of unregistered villas and guest houses in turn hampers the government’s ability to raise revenue to fund public services, he was quoted as...

Society

19 h. ago Russian fitness coach dies at 30 after gaining 25kg in promotional junk food binge

A Russian fitness coach who died from a binge-eating challenge while promoting his weight loss courses has raised concerns about extreme stunts. The 30-year-old influencer on Russian social media, Dmitry Nuyanzin, died in his sleep in Orenburg in November. Nuyanzin reportedly binged on junk food to gain at least 25kg before showing how fast he could lose the same amount of weight. He did so in an attempt to promote his weight loss courses. Nuyanzin told his thousands of followers that he was...

Sport

22 h. ago Drones spotted near Zelensky’s flight path to Dublin spark security alert

An Irish navy ship spotted up to five drones operating near the flight path of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s aircraft as he arrived for a state visit to Ireland on Monday, local media reported on Thursday. The sighting triggered a major security alert amid fears it was an attempt to interfere with the flight path, the Irish Times reported. It quoted unnamed sources as saying the aircraft, which arrived slightly early, was not in any danger. The Ukrainian delegation arrived late on...

Events

25 h. ago Japan weighs plan to punish sex buyers, but will it be enough?

A campaigner who has been calling for changes in the law in Japan to allow the prosecution of men who pay for sex has welcomed reports that the government is finally considering the proposal. Experts warn, however, that an industry known as “the world’s oldest profession” will always find a way to circumvent new regulations and that the problem needs to be tackled from a number of angles simultaneously. In response to a question from independent Diet member Rintaro Ogata on November 11, Prime...

Politics

35 h. ago New York Times sues Pentagon over restrictive press policy, free speech rights

The New York Times sued the US Department of Defence and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Thursday in an effort to force the Pentagon to abandon its restrictive new press policy, the latest attempt by a US news organisation to reclaim access to government spaces. The press policy, enacted last month, requires journalists to acknowledge that they could be branded security risks and have their Pentagon press badges revoked if they ask department employees to disclose classified and some types...

Events

39 h. ago Hong Kong lawyer who had sex with girl, 12, jailed for 3 years, 7 months

A Hong Kong lawyer has been jailed for three years and seven months for having sex twice with a 12-year-old girl and taking more than 200 photographs and videos of the illegal acts. The District Court on Thursday rejected the claim by Kelvin Luk Kin-ting, 40, that he was in a serious and genuinely loving relationship with the girl, finding instead that he had preyed on her immaturity and curiosity for sex to satisfy his own desires. Deputy Judge Katherine Lo Kit-yee said she was dismayed that a...

Events

40 h. ago World’s first ‘ethical AI’ wades into risks of China’s new drug abuse law

A new Chinese AI system called Wen Dao – billed as the world’s first such model to be designed explicitly for ethical risk detection – has landed in the middle of its first major moral dilemma. Its immediate challenge is to navigate one of 2025’s most explosive social debates: whether the country should automatically seal the records of convicted drug users under the newly revised Public Security Administration Punishments Law. Effective January 1, an amendment to the law known as Article 136...

Events

46 h. ago Hong Kong’s connectivity, talent can foster legal cooperation: minister, expert

Hong Kong’s connectivity and talent pool could help facilitate international legal and economic collaboration, the justice minister and an expert have said, as they joined representatives from more than 25 jurisdictions this week at an annual forum in the city. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the five-day Hong Kong Legal Week forum on Monday, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok said this year’s theme, “Linking Laws, Bridging Worlds”, emphasised the city’s role in connecting various...

Politics

49 h. ago Trump says next steps for Ukraine talks unclear after Putin meeting

The path ahead for Ukraine peace talks is unclear, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, after what he called “reasonably good” talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoys. The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Putin accepted some US proposals aimed at ending the war in Ukraine and was prepared to keep working to find a compromise. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner spent hours at the Kremlin, departing in the early hours of...

Politics

52 h. ago Beijing Invokes National Security Law After Hong Fuk Court Fire

Beijing Invokes National Security Law After Hong Fuk Court Fire  Vision Times

Events

57 h. ago Digging through Hong Kong’s disaster site left them wanting to cry

Hazy air laced with a pungent odour, dark rooms filled with debris, bodies that had to be carefully extracted by hand. The discovery of a dead child. The head of the police team responsible for the search of the Hong Kong residential complex destroyed in an inferno gave an account on Wednesday of the harrowing conditions they faced inside the seven towers as work came to an end. The task of checking the more than 1,000 flats at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po was both physically and emotionally...

Events

58 h. ago Beijing slams ‘external hostile forces’ for exploiting deadly fire in Hong Kong

Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong on Wednesday condemned “external hostile forces” for exploiting the deadly Tai Po fire that killed at least 159 people, as police arrested a man after he allegedly made derogatory online comments about the victims. In a strongly worded post, a spokesman for the Office for Safeguarding National Security condemned “a small clique of external hostile forces” for “stirring up trouble and taking advantage of the chaos” in the aftermath of the fire. The...

Events

62 h. ago Foreign Firm Numbers Continue to Fall in Mainland China, Ministry of Justice Report Says

Foreign Firm Numbers Continue to Fall in Mainland China, Ministry of Justice Report Says  Law.com

Politics

65 h. ago Martial arts set up cultural bridges between China and Germany

Martial arts set up cultural bridges between China and Germany-Xinhua  新华网

Politics

65 h. ago Hong Kong’s tragedy in Tai Po: searching the ashes for answers

One week after its worst fire in decades, Hong Kong is searching for answers to the inferno that ripped through seven towers at Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po, killing at least 156 people, injuring dozens and leaving around 30 unaccounted for. Click here for a larger version of the infographic or read on for more details. I can’t describe the feeling There are so many [photos] of children A woman surnamed Cheung, who searched for her sister and brother-in-law from Wang Cheong...

Politics