Hong Kong considers lowering heat-stress warning thresholds amid criticism
SCMP •

Hong Kong considers lowering heat-stress warning thresholds amid criticism

Hong Kong authorities are considering lowering the threshold for activating higher-tier heat stress warnings during abnormally hot weather, following public criticism that the system failed to escalate as the city sweltered through its hottest day on record. Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui Chark-sam said on Tuesday that the warning system was currently more responsive to “muggy weather” than condi...

RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank holds cash rate at 4.35% but threatens more hikes if needed
The Guardian •

RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank holds cash rate at 4.35% but threatens more hikes if needed

In a widely expected decision, the Reserve Bank of Australia holds interest rate after three hikes earlier this yearFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Reserve Bank has held the official cash rate at 4.35% but threatened to hike again if needed, as it warned falling house prices will slow income growth.The widely expe...

Russia bars its only anti-war party from September elections

Euronews •

The Supreme Court ruling came just days after the Central Election Commission had unanimously approved the party's registration, prompting speculation that the initial approval was itself a Kremlin-orchestrated manoeuvre.

Matilda in pieces: what one mother’s suicide reveals about the carers broken by the system

Matilda in pieces: what one mother’s suicide reveals about the carers broken by the system

The Guardian •

Parent-carers of disabled children are exposed to chronic levels of extreme stress and often reach crisis point before help is available – then they face a ‘fight for basic support’, experts say. This is Matilda Davis’s storyTwo days before she died, Matilda Davis issued a plea on Facebook. Sharing a study that found more than 40% of parent-carers had considered suicide, she called for “greater aw...

Hundreds in London flats left without regular running water since last year

Hundreds in London flats left without regular running water since last year

The Guardian •

Supply in nine blocks in Tower Hamlets affected with some residents suspecting nearby building developmentsThey cannot even flush their toilets: life in east London blocks where taps often run dryHundreds of residents in blocks of flats in east London have been left without regular running water for more than seven months after development in the area may have left it without an adequate supply.Ta...

South Korea aims to criminalise fictional AI pornography after man’s acquittal

South Korea aims to criminalise fictional AI pornography after man’s acquittal

SCMP •

South Korea is working to close a legal loophole that allowed people sharing AI-generated pornography featuring fictional personas to go scot-free. The move by lawmakers came after a court in Goyang, Gyeonggi province, acquitted a man accused of distributing deepfake images of nude women in a Telegram chat room. Despite prosecutors presenting the evidence under a law carrying up to seven years in ...

Man arrested over doxxing 2 former associates in failed restaurant business

Man arrested over doxxing 2 former associates in failed restaurant business

SCMP •

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has arrested a man on suspicion of doxxing a former restaurant owner and a business consultant following a financial dispute over unpaid bills. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said on Tuesday that the suspect, a 37-year-old wholesale food businessman, allegedly disclosed the personal data of two victims without their consent. The PCPD’s ...

Man arrested for allegedly doxxing 2 former associates in failed restaurant business

Man arrested for allegedly doxxing 2 former associates in failed restaurant business

SCMP •

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has arrested a man on suspicion of doxxing a former restaurant owner and a business consultant following a financial dispute over unpaid bills. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said on Tuesday that the suspect, a 37-year-old wholesale food businessman, allegedly disclosed the personal data of two victims without their consent. The PCPD’s ...

Australia news live: RBA holds cash rate at 4.35%; PM defends Japan relationship after Coalition question over ‘classless’ melon comment

Australia news live: RBA holds cash rate at 4.35%; PM defends Japan relationship after Coalition question over ‘classless’ melon comment

The Guardian •

Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTed O’Brien says that just because the Japanese government has downplayed melon-gate, doesn’t mean Anthony Albanese’s gaffe isn’t a “national embarrassment”.We’ve seen reports Japan sent a memo to the government last month suggesting they did not believe the prime minister’s comments about the pair of crown melons h...

Alan Jones trial: alleged victim told brother indecent assaults weren’t ‘too bad’ but involved broadcaster grabbing his penis, court hears

Alan Jones trial: alleged victim told brother indecent assaults weren’t ‘too bad’ but involved broadcaster grabbing his penis, court hears

The Guardian •

Former 2GB and 2UE radio host, now 85, has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touchingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn alleged victim of Alan Jones told his older brother, after the broadcaster was arrested, that his indecent assaults weren’t “too bad” but involved Jones grabbing his pen...

RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank holds cash rate at 4.35% as house prices continue to fall

RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank holds cash rate at 4.35% as house prices continue to fall

The Guardian •

In a widely expected decision, the Reserve Bank of Australia holds interest rate after three consecutive hikesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Reserve Bank has held the cash rate at 4.35% in a widely expected decision despite persistent worries about elevated inflation.The announcement comes amid a steep decline in...

Malaysian scam kingpin walks free; Lee Kuan Yew’s pen up for auction: 7 Asia highlights

Malaysian scam kingpin walks free; Lee Kuan Yew’s pen up for auction: 7 Asia highlights

SCMP •

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Anger in Malaysia as Liow pays fine, has money-laundering charges dropped The revelation that an alleged Malaysian scam kingpin was released after paying 10 million ringgi...