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Japan’s parliament on Friday passed an immigration control law revision to raise the maximum fee for residence status applications by foreigners and introduce an online pre-entry travel authorisation system for overseas arrivals. Once the fee changes are implemented later this financial year, the upper limit will be set at 100,000 yen (US$630) for visa renewals and 300,000 yen for permanent reside...
Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted the leaders of Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan and the US during May, reflecting Beijing’s increasing importance on the global stage. In total, 15 national leaders have visited the Chinese capital this year, also including the prime ministers of Canada, Spain and the UK, and the chancellor of Germany. Xi’s May summit with US President Donald Trump could be the first ...
The Global Prosperity Summit 2026 (GPS 2026) highlighted Hong Kong’s expanding role in international and regional cooperation both within China’s Global Governance Initiative as well as Apec, ahead of a meeting of the bloc’s economic leaders in neighbouring Shenzhen later this year. The two-day event, which ran from May 19 to 20, brought together global leaders and renowned experts in Hong Kong to...
An annual United Nations report documenting sexual violence in conflicts worldwide has included Israeli forces for the first time since the review began more than 15 years ago for their treatment of Palestinian detainees. Israel denies the accusations. The 35-page report – shared by the Israeli mission to the UN late Thursday ahead of its expected release on Friday – blacklists 77 government and n...
The US indictment of Singapore-based shipping tycoon Teo Siong Seng in a price-fixing scandal has raised questions about Washington’s determination to pursue prominent figures from friendly countries, though legal experts say the case conforms to established American antitrust practice. Teo, the 71-year-old chief executive of Hong Kong company Singamas Container Holdings, has several prominent exe...
The Philippines is banking on its Asean chairmanship to elevate the country’s tourism through “warmth and authenticity”, despite facing accessibility hurdles and stiff competition from holiday heavyweights such as Thailand and Indonesia. The archipelagic state, famous for its white sand beaches, managed to draw just 2.1 million of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 48.5 million tourist ar...
The United States on Thursday designated two well-known Brazilian crime groups, the so-called Red Command (CV) and First Capital Command (PCC), as terrorist organisations, despite opposition from Brasilia. “CV and PCC are two of the most violent criminal organisations in Brazil,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. “Their influence and illicit networks extend far beyond Brazil’s bo...
An ex-police officer who disguised himself as a woman to sexually prey on teenage boys in Singapore was sentenced on Friday to three years’ jail and four strokes of the cane. While dressed in a dress and headscarf, Sharizal Shafi’ee, 40, approached three boys, asking them to help adjust his bra. The first two declined. The third agreed, believing Sharizal was genuinely a woman in need of assistanc...
Chinese police officers dug through sand with their bare hands to search for a Taiwan tourist’s lost phone, winning widespread online applause. Having successfully retrieved her phone, the woman presented her Taiwan resident travel permit in front of the camera and exclaimed “We, China is the safest country in the world”. The woman, surnamed Tsao, lost her phone around 11pm in the Singing Sand Dun...
Hong Kong police have arrested a 14-year-old boy in connection with a razor blade found between two seats on a Citybus double-decker earlier this week, the South China Morning Post has learned. A source confirmed the teenager’s arrest. A box cutter measuring about 13cm (5.11 inches), with a 1cm extendable blade, was found between two seats on a route 37A bus, which travels from Pok Fu Lam’s Chi Fu...
China’s Innovent Biologics has signed a global collaboration with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer worth up to US$10.5 billion to jointly develop 12 cancer treatment programmes. The Hong Kong-listed drug maker said it would receive an upfront payment of US$650 million from Pfizer, and it is eligible for up to US$9.85 billion tied to development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, according t...
A woman has suffered multiple burns after a suspected gas leak triggered an explosion at a flat in Hong Kong. Police said they received reports at around 10.30am on Friday that residents had heard a loud explosion inside a flat in Lam Bik House, Lam Tin Estate. By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had already been extinguished, but they found the 50-year-old woman with multiple burns. “The ...
A woman has been found with burns covering 40 per cent of her body after a suspected gas leak triggered an explosion at a flat in Hong Kong. Police said they received reports at around 10.30am on Friday that residents had heard a loud explosion from the flat in Lam Bik House, Lam Tin Estate. By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had already been extinguished. They rescued a woman of unknown ...
The resignation of a Hong Kong principal who swore at security guards during a school trip to Singapore has drawn mixed responses from students, with some saying he should be held accountable for tarnishing the institution’s image while others felt his apology was sincere. Students made the remarks a day after their principal Lee Cheuk‑hing tendered his resignation on Thursday as principal of San ...
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond 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. Concerns mount in China’s space sector that Musk’s Starship will be a failure There are growing doubts within China’s space sector tha...
Scientists in China are growing towering hybrids of wheat and rye – taller even than some humans – in the deserts of its western Xinjiang region. The hybrids, known as triticale, can adapt more easily than wheat to challenging conditions and, in addition to providing food for humans, their stalks and leaves can be used for animal feed. “It is tolerant of poor soil, cold, drought, salinity, and win...
Digital spaces and molecular bonds may not seem to have much in common. But for two leading academics at Hong Kong Baptist University, both fields reveal how research can lead to important discoveries that have a real-world impact. Christy Cheung, chair professor in information systems and digital innovation management at the School of Business, is studying the human side of technology, from platf...
A revamped appraisal system that denies salary increments to underperforming Hong Kong civil servants is unlikely to significantly improve efficiency, observers have said, calling for a more balanced approach with team-based performance indicators. The revised system, set to be implemented in October, will penalise the bottom 10 per cent of performers – those rated D to F on a six-grade scale – by...
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket dramatically exploded on the launch pad during a test on Thursday, in a setback for Jeff Bezos’ space venture as it seeks to narrow the gap with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Video posted by NASASpaceflight, a YouTube channel that live-streams launches from Florida, showed the New Glenn igniting on the pad before erupting into a massive fireball that billowed skyward, sending...
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket dramatically exploded on the launch pad during a test on Thursday, in a setback for Jeff Bezos’ space venture as it seeks to narrow the gap with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Video posted by NASASpaceflight, a YouTube channel that live-streams launches from Florida, showed the New Glenn igniting on the pad before erupting into a massive fireball that billowed skyward, sending...
The United States is reportedly bringing a powerful new weapon to the Iran war: large artificial intelligence (AI) models tasked with automating every stage of the targeting process, from satellite imagery analysis to final strike selection. But how these systems operate remains strictly classified, with incidents such as the February bombing of a primary school that killed more than 200 children ...
Hong Kong sweltered through its hottest day of the year on Friday, with temperatures reaching 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 Fahrenheit) at the Observatory headquarters and climbing as high as 36.7 degrees in parts of the New Territories as an intense heatwave gripped the city. The Hong Kong Observatory recorded maximum temperatures of 36.7 degrees in Sheung Shui and 36.6 degrees at Yuen Long Park by mi...
Hong Kong has recorded six consecutive “hot nights”, tying the longest such streak for May, as an intense heatwave grips the city. The Hong Kong Observatory said the minimum temperature at its headquarters had stayed at or above 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 Fahrenheit) for six straight days through Thursday night, equalling the previous May record set between May 16 and 21, 2021. Another hot night wou...
US-China ties are at a “historical crossroads” following this month’s leaders’ summit, Chinese ambassador Xie Feng has told a high-profile gathering in New York, while acknowledging persistent twists and turns in the relationship between the two powers. “Two weeks ago, President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump had a successful meeting in Beijing. Together, they agreed on a new vision of buil...
China’s top diplomat to the United States Xie Feng has told a prominent gathering in New York that US-China relations were at a “historical crossroads”, while acknowledging the winds and bends in the bilateral relationship, following this month’s leaders’ summit. “Two weeks ago, President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump had a successful meeting in Beijing. Together, they agreed on a new visi...
China’s top diplomat to the United States Xie Feng has told a prominent gathering in New York that US-China relations were at a “historical crossroads”, while acknowledging the winds and bends in the bilateral relationship, following this month’s leaders’ summit. “Two weeks ago, President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump had a successful meeting in Beijing. Together, they agreed on a new visi...
As BTS concert tickets go on sale on June 3, Malaysian fans are already gearing up for what many describe as the ultimate online battlefield, one filled with scalpers, bots and eye-watering resale prices. For countless Armys, the official fandom of the global K-pop phenomenon, the excitement of finally seeing BTS return to Kuala Lumpur this December has quickly turned into anxiety over whether gen...
[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Greater clarity on costs, stronger co-ordination between public and private sectors, and more comprehensive support for patients emerged as the central themes at the Prudential Health Summit held on March 27. Prudential Hong Kong convened the event to bring together healthcare experts, providers, regulators and patient ad...
US President Donald Trump could soon appear on a new US$250 bill, in the Republican’s latest move to shatter US traditions by putting his personal stamp on national institutions. A proposal for the new bill, featuring a glaring Trump, was first reported Thursday by The Washington Post. If carried out, it would be the first time the image of a living person - let alone a president - had appeared on...
