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In the first of a two-part series tracing the new trends of illegal betting in Hong Kong amid excitement over the World Cup 2026, Edith Lin looks at how social media has become a new channel pushing the youth to engage in unlawful bookmaking activities. Ken Chan* started betting on football matches when he was 18. He started betting through legalised channels, spending a third of his income for a ...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel’s military will stay in southern Lebanon, where it has occupied up to 10km (6 miles) from the border. The remarks were his first comment since the United States and Iran signed an agreement to end the Middle East war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting the militant Hezbollah group. It was unclear...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel’s military will stay in southern Lebanon, where it has occupied up to 10km (6 miles) from the border. The remarks were his first comment since the United States and Iran signed an agreement to end the Middle East war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting the militant Hezbollah group. It was unclear...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday ruled out a withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon for the foreseeable future. In a speech, Netanyahu described the “security zone” established by the Israeli military as a barrier between the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and civilians and communities in northern Israel. Israel would not withdraw as long as its security needs requir...
A recent survey in Japan and South Korea has revealed that strategic elites in both countries remain sceptical about developing nuclear weapons. However, should one of the two countries take the lead in acquiring nuclear weapons, support for such a move in the other country could rise rapidly, according to the survey published on Thursday by Washington-based think tank the Centre for Strategic and...
A recent survey in Japan and South Korea has revealed that strategic elites in both countries remain sceptical about developing nuclear weapons. However, should one of the two countries take the lead in acquiring nuclear weapons, support for such a move in the other country could rise rapidly, according to the survey published on Thursday by Washington-based think tank the Centre for Strategic and...
Cuban lawmakers Thursday adopted nearly 200 historic free-market reforms aimed at rescuing the communist island from a severe crisis aggravated by a US oil blockade. In a landmark speech to the National Assembly, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero unveiled 176 measures aimed at rolling back the state’s role in the economy and attracting investment in everything from banking to tourism and agriculture. ...
Cuba on Thursday unveiled nearly 200 historic free-market reforms aimed at rescuing the communist island from a severe crisis aggravated by a US oil blockade. In a landmark speech to the National Assembly, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero detailed 176 measures aimed at rolling back the state’s role in the economy and attracting investment in everything from banking to tourism and agriculture. These h...
A top US trade official took a veiled swipe at China on Thursday for a range of unfair trade practices, but also criticised the United States for being asleep at the wheel for far too long. “They subsidised, they dumped, they erected regulatory barriers, they supported state-owned enterprises, they used every tool available to build their industries and capture a greater share of the American mark...
A China-led team of researchers has developed a powerful brain implant electrode array that is as soft as brain tissue, thinner than a strand of hair and more durable than anything before it. In animal trials, a new flexible brain implant recorded neural activity with unprecedented long-term clarity and remained safely functional inside the body for 18 months. The breakthrough addressed a major hu...
Alex Doran, a 28-year-old corporate strategist, is cheering for the US national team and was pleasantly surprised by the size of its initial win against Paraguay last week, while acknowledging that his team is unlikely to go all the way. While he does not expect to attend a match in person involving tickets costing thousands of US dollars, he has been watching avidly online and hopes to see some m...
Under Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s leadership, Hong Kong is drawing up its first five-year plan to complement Beijing’s 2026-30 blueprint. A two-month public consultation exercise has just started. But what is the nation’s 15th five-year plan, why is it important and what’s Hong Kong’s role? China’s five-year plan responds to “great changes unseen in a century”, prescient words used by Presi...
Vice-President J.D. Vance went on the offensive on Thursday to defend the “win-win” US-Iran agreement as critics slammed its vague provisions, even as others welcomed the apparent end to an expensive and unpopular war, no matter how potentially flawed the deal might be. “We have all the cards,” Vance told reporters at the White House. “Have a little bit of faith in the president of the United Stat...
An autopsy has shown that an 11-year-old girl who went missing in France was raped before she died, an informed source said on Thursday, confirming suspicions in a case that has sparked public outrage. The girl, named as Lyhanna, went missing on May 29 in the southwestern town of Fleurance and her body was found in an abandoned silo almost a week later. Anger grew after it emerged that the main su...
An autopsy has shown that an 11-year-old girl who went missing in France was raped before she died, an informed source said on Thursday, confirming suspicions in a case that has sparked public outrage. The girl, named as Lyhanna, went missing on May 29 in the southwestern town of Fleurance and her body was found in an abandoned silo almost a week later. Anger grew after it emerged that the main su...
Is it goodbye Air Force One, hello Qatar Force One? White House officials bade farewell on Thursday to one of the two jets that have been used to transport US presidents for more than 30 years. The goodbye messages fuelled speculation that a Boeing 747 controversially gifted to President Donald Trump by the Gulf emirate of Qatar was due to enter service. “‘Well done, good and faithful servant. ‘Th...
White House officials bade farewell on Thursday to one of the two jets that have been used to transport US presidents for more than 30 years. The goodbye messages fuelled speculation that a Boeing 747 controversially gifted to US President Donald Trump by the Gulf emirate of Qatar is now set to enter service. “‘Well done, good and faithful servant. ‘The Last Ride,’” Trump’s communications director...
White House officials bade farewell on Thursday to one of the two jets that have been used to transport US presidents for more than 30 years. The goodbye messages fuelled speculation that a Boeing 747 controversially gifted to US President Donald Trump by the Gulf emirate of Qatar is now set to enter service. “‘Well done, good and faithful servant. ‘The Last Ride,’” Trump’s communications director...
SpaceX’s bankers are preparing to meet investors as early as next week to discuss a bond offering of at least US$20 billion, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, as Elon Musk’s newly public company seeks funding for an ambitious and capital-intensive AI expansion. SpaceX’s AI ambitions come with a steep price tag, requiring tens of billions of dollars in investment for data cen...
A group linked to al-Qaeda claimed Thursday’s attack on the airport of Niger’s capital, Niamey, that killed at least 11 soldiers and two civilians, six months after other jihadists staged a large assault on the sensitive site. Twenty-two attackers were also killed as security forces repelled the raid on the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger’s defence ministry said. Gunfire erupte...
A group linked to al-Qaeda claimed Thursday’s attack on the airport of Niger’s capital, Niamey, that killed at least 11 soldiers and two civilians, six months after other jihadists staged a large assault on the sensitive site. Twenty-two attackers were also killed as security forces repelled the raid on Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger’s defence ministry said. Gunfire erupted ea...
An attack on Thursday on the airport and military airbase in Niger’s capital killed 11 members of the security forces and two civilians, the government said in a statement, without identifying the perpetrators. The first explosions were heard at around 6am local time, witnesses said, and sporadic gunfire was still audible nearly two hours later at the airport in Niamey, which was targeted by the ...
The death of a young tourist who jumped from a runaway horse carriage in Central Park has intensified calls to ban the old-time attraction from one of New York City’s most recognisable destinations. Romanch Mahajan, 18, died after he got off the four-wheeled carriage as its horse sprinted through the park without the driver. He was believed to be the first person to die in a horse carriage acciden...
New York City leaders including Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday vowed to work to put an end to the 150-year-old horse carriage industry in the wake of a teenager’s death. Romanch Mahajan, 18, was killed when a Central Park carriage horse bolted from its driver while he was on a family trip celebrating his high school graduation. Mahajan jumped out of the carriage after his mother fell out and he ...
British police said on Friday they had released a man who had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a 3-year-old boy ended up in a zoo’s crocodile enclosure, saying he had not been fit for an interview. The boy is in a critical but stable condition in hospital after staff at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a farm and zoo in central England, pulled him from the enclosure following the in...
A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a three-year-old boy ended up in a crocodile enclosure at a zoo in central England on Thursday, resulting in him sustaining critical injuries, police said. Cambridgeshire Police said officers were called following reports of an incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a zoo near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, which resulted in the boy being...
All living US ex-presidents – with the notable absence of current White House occupant Donald Trump – joined a star-studded line-up on Thursday for the opening of Barack Obama’s presidential centre in Chicago. Obama, 64, struck his trademark hopeful tone in a speech inaugurating the modernistic centre. The country’s first black president alluded to fears among many Americans that US democracy was ...
All living US ex-presidents – with the notable absence of current White House occupant Donald Trump – joined a star-studded line-up on Thursday for the opening of Barack Obama’s presidential centre in Chicago. Obama, 64, struck his trademark hopeful tone in a speech inaugurating the modernistic centre. The country’s first black president alluded to fears among many Americans that US democracy is i...
Former US president Barack Obama is getting a little help from his friends, including three former presidents, in celebrating the opening of his presidential museum in Chicago. The guest list for Thursday’s dedication ceremony includes Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera and Bono. Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama posed for pictures before the ceremony with former preside...
US President Donald Trump is not expected to have a phone call with Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te any time soon, despite saying earlier that he would be open to speaking with the person “running” the island. Two people familiar with the matter said there had been no movement towards arranging such a conversation, which was reliant on the American leader’s willingness to take the initiative. Three ...
