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In turbulent times, will Hong Kong be a safe haven?

How Sanae Takaichi is redefining Japanese diplomacy with personal touches

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been putting her own spin on omotenashi, the Japanese concept of hospitality, to build personal rapport with foreign leaders as her diplomatic skills are put to the test about six months into office. Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, who was not widely known for her diplomatic experience before taking office, has been adding an element of ent...

‘Like charcoal’: Wang Fuk Court residents sift through ashes for belongings

Bikes, figurines, paintings and a safe are among cherished items rescued from the ashes of Wang Fuk Court, as residents begin returning under close monitoring by Hong Kong government staff. Wang Sun House residents, the first in the fire-ravaged Tai Po estate to return home for a three-hour packing session, told the South China Morning Post on Monday that the building’s interior was blackened and ...

‘It feels complicated’: Wang Fuk Court residents return home to bid last farewell

About 270 residents of Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court are returning to their flats on Monday to pack their belongings, nearly five months after the deadly blaze, with authorities deploying more than 1,000 staff to assist them. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said 269 residents from 78 households in Wang Sun House would return to their flats in two phases. “If conditions allo...

Hong Kong reasserts role as safe haven in global finance amid Middle East turmoil

The US-Israeli war on Iran has unleashed sharp swings across global energy and financial markets, fuelling demand for safe-haven assets, with Hong Kong emerging as a potential beneficiary across gold, property and capital markets. In the third of a three-part series, we look at Hong Kong’s position as a stable base where demand for property has held firm despite the global turmoil. The seven-week ...

Singapore tycoon wants banks to pay US$1 billion for collapse of Australian NewSat

In the early 2010s, a small Australian company tried to build a fleet of satellites before lenders, concerned about its chief executive officer’s flamboyant behaviour, pulled hundreds of millions of dollars of financing. The firm collapsed in 2015. More than a decade later, Singapore real estate tycoon Ching Chiat Kwong, who says he put US$100 million of his own money into NewSat, has not forgotte...

Singapore tycoon sues banks for US$1 billion from collapse of Australian NewSat

In the early 2010s, a small Australian company tried to build a fleet of satellites before lenders, concerned about its chief executive officer’s flamboyant behaviour, pulled hundreds of millions of dollars of financing. The firm collapsed in 2015. More than a decade later, Singapore real estate tycoon Ching Chiat Kwong, who says he put US$100 million of his own money into NewSat, has not forgotte...

China’s C919 sees delivery delays in 2026, with 3 units shipped in 3 months

Deliveries of China’s home-grown C919 narrowbody airliner, billed to challenge mainstream models from Boeing and Airbus, appear to be delayed, with only three units shipped to Chinese carriers in the first quarter of 2026. Observers point to several factors holding back the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac). While some C919s are said to be stuck on the tarmac waiting for engines, an...

South Korea targets India, Vietnam in ‘co-prosperity’ push for trade and tech

Bolstering strategic partnerships and economic ties will be high on the agenda during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s six-day trip to India and Vietnam, as Seoul seeks to expand cooperation with the Global South amid the Middle East turmoil. Lee, who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, business leaders and Korean expatriates before concluding t...

Why the Northern Metropolis needs more than one big push

Hong Kong’s government is under mounting pressure to deliver the Northern Metropolis, announced in 2021, as it approaches the end of its term – less than 15 months and counting. The megaproject, to turn 30,000 hectares (74,132 acres) near the border with mainland China into a centre of international innovation and technology, is to be an engine to drive the city’s economic growth and housing – and...

China woman returns to hometown to raise 60,000 venomous snakes, earns US$146,000 annually

A young Chinese woman who returned to her hometown to raise more than 60,000 venomous snakes and earns more than a million yuan (US$147,000) a year has caused astonishment online. The woman, surnamed Qin, was born in 1995 and hails from Guilin in Guangxi province, southern China. Two years after graduating from university, she returned to her village to help her father raise snakes. She now manage...

20 Hong Kong couples get triple baby bonus of HK$60,000 each but disbursement lags

Twenty Hong Kong couples have each received baby bonuses totalling HK$60,000 (US$7,700) for having three children in about 2½ years. Yet less than 60 per cent of the HK$2.28 billion earmarked for the three-year government scheme has been disbursed as of February, with just over six months to go before it ends in October. Government figures showed the city’s registered birth rate in the first two m...

Toys ‘R’ Us game-changer: ‘kidults’, compact shops fuel pivot as Hong Kong retail evolves

Hong Kong-headquartered Toys ‘R’ Us Asia has pivoted to an experience-focused format and smaller stores in the city following an expansion programme that sought to increase its outlets as it navigates the changing retail landscape. The group planned to close the year with 20 stores in Hong Kong, representing a 40 per cent rise from 2025, said Leo Tsoi, CEO of the toys and collectibles retailer. Th...

China warns strong El Nino this year may worsen global fossil fuel crisis

This year’s El Nino could increase the global demand for fossil fuels and worsen the price rises caused by the Iran crisis, Chinese government scientists have said. The climate phenomenon happens every two to seven years and causes an increase in average global temperatures. A strong El Nino can bring either droughts or torrential rains and flooding, both of which may force hydropower stations to ...

Asia’s EV revolution shifts into overdrive with Iran war oil shock

Across Asia, a revolution in how people move was already gathering speed. War in Iran just hit the accelerator. Prashant Tiwari was among the first people at his company to go electric when he swapped his petrol car for a Hyundai Kona five years ago. Now, his colleagues at Fusemachines Nepal – an AI firm in Kathmandu – are calling him a prophet. “They say you don’t have any problem,” the 36-year-o...

Los Angeles woman charged in US with trafficking arms to Sudan for Iran

US federal prosecutors said on Sunday an Iranian national was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly trafficking arms to Sudan on behalf of Tehran. Shamim Mafi, 44, is charged with “brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan”, US Attorney Bill Essayli wrote in a social media post. A resident of th...

Woman charged in US with trafficking arms to Sudan for Iranian government

US federal prosecutors said on Sunday an Iranian national was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly trafficking arms to Sudan on behalf of Tehran. Shamim Mafi, 44, is charged with “brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan”, US Attorney Bill Essayli wrote in a social media post. A resident of th...

‘Saying you’re a geopolitical actor doesn’t make it so’: Sven Biscop on Europe

Sven Biscop is a Belgian political scientist and strategist specialising in the foreign affairs and security of the EU and its relations with great powers. He is a director at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels and a professor at Ghent University. He is also a senior research fellow at Renmin University in Beijing, where he teaches in the summer. Biscop is the autho...

Why Hong Kong is hitting pause on basketball betting

Many Hongkongers would have been surprised last week that the government was postponing the introduction of basketball betting. It was only months ago that the bill had been enacted by the Legislative Council. So clearly it was a matter that fell within our high degree of autonomy. And the Hong Kong Jockey Club was known to be hard at work preparing for implementation. But listeners to RTHK’s Back...

Israel vows to level homes in Lebanon, counter threats with ‘full force’

Israel said its military had been instructed to use “full force” against imminent threats in Lebanon despite a truce there and vowed to level homes allegedly used by Hezbollah, with state media reporting demolitions were under way on Sunday. While some displaced south Lebanon residents have rushed back to their homes, many are hesitant to return, uncertain about the durability of the 10-day truce,...

Israel says military to use ‘full force’ in Lebanon despite truce if soldiers face threat

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that the military had been instructed to use “full force” in Lebanon – even during the continuing ceasefire – should Israeli troops face any threat. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have instructed the IDF to act with full force, both on the ground and from the air, including during the ceasefire, in order to protect our soldiers in Leban...

UK police arrest 2 in connection with arson attack on synagogue in London

British police have arrested two teenagers in connection with a weekend arson attack on a synagogue in northwest London, as Jewish leaders express concern about a wave of incidents targeting their community. Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes of London’s Metropolitan Police Service on Monday said officers arrested two young men, aged 19 and 17, overnight in relation to the attack on the Kenton United ...

UK probing whether Iran proxies behind arson attacks on London Jewish sites

UK police said on Sunday they are investigating whether a string of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London are the work of Iranian proxies, as the country’s chief rabbi said British Jews are facing a campaign of violence and intimidation. The Metropolitan Police force says counterterror officers are investigating fires at synagogues and other sites linked to the Jewish community, as well as an at...

UK police investigating Iran link to arson attacks on Jewish sites in London

UK police said on Sunday they are investigating whether a string of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London are the work of Iranian proxies, as the country’s chief rabbi said British Jews are facing a campaign of violence and intimidation. The Metropolitan Police force says counterterror officers are investigating fires at synagogues and other sites linked to the Jewish community, as well as an at...

Canada’s Carney says economic ties with US have become a ‘weakness’ that must be corrected

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a video address released on Sunday that Canada’s strong economic ties to the United States were once a strength but are now a weakness that must be corrected. In the 10-minute address, Carney spoke about his government’s efforts to strengthen the Canadian economy by attracting new investments and signing trade deals with other countries. “The world is mo...