‘Panicked’: pause to US visa interviews affects more than 100 Hong Kong applicants
SCMP

‘Panicked’: pause to US visa interviews affects more than 100 Hong Kong applicants

More than 100 Hong Kong-based applicants have been affected by the indefinite postponement of US immigrant visa interviews worldwide, consultants have said, with student and travel applications also disrupted. The global pause, which marks a sharp tightening of legal immigration under the Trump administration, has left some Hong Kong applicants fearing the United States could scrap the entire path...

‘Panic’ as US immigrant visa interview pause hits at least 100 Hong Kong applicants
SCMP

‘Panic’ as US immigrant visa interview pause hits at least 100 Hong Kong applicants

At least 100 Hong Kong-based applicants have been affected by the indefinite postponement of US immigrant visa interviews worldwide, immigration consultants say, with student and travel visa applications also disrupted. The global pause, which marks a sharp tightening of legal immigration under the Trump administration, has left some Hong Kong applicants fearing the US could scrap the entire immig...

Malaysian airport staff find body in wheel well of plane from Japan

Malaysian airport staff find body in wheel well of plane from Japan

SCMP

The body of an unidentified person was found inside the wheel well of an aircraft at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2) on Thursday (Aug 27). The body, whose gender has yet to be determined, was discovered at about 6.55am in the wheel well of a flight from Tokyo, Japan, which landed at about 6.30am. It is learnt that the body, clad in jeans and a white shirt, was foun...

Perth homeowner thought agents were selling his home; later found out they were the buyers

Perth homeowner thought agents were selling his home; later found out they were the buyers

Times of India

A Perth homeowner says he was unaware that the real estate agents hired to sell his home also owned the company that bought it for $705,000. Chao “Jack” Wu later discovered the connection through corporate records and said he believed the property was undersold. A retrospective valuation put its value at $800,000, while the agents disputed the valuation and denied wrongdoing. Western Australia’s C...

3 people injured, 4 cats dead after power bank catches fire in Hong Kong flat

3 people injured, 4 cats dead after power bank catches fire in Hong Kong flat

SCMP

Three people have been injured and four cats have died after a power bank caught fire in a public housing flat in Hong Kong, forcing nearly 80 residents to evacuate into the street. Police said they received a report at 2.51am on Thursday from a resident that a power bank inside her flat at So Uk Estate in Cheung Sha Wan had caught fire and that she managed to escape in time. Multiple other calls ...

North Korea vows ‘powerful response’ to US$125 million US-South Korea arms deal

North Korea vows ‘powerful response’ to US$125 million US-South Korea arms deal

SCMP

North Korea’s foreign ministry on Thursday denounced a US decision to approve the sale of missiles and related equipment to South Korea, vowing to respond “strongly and immediately” to hostile acts in various areas, state media Korean Central News Agency reported. The remarks come as US President Donald Trump renewed overtures to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, expressing interest ⁠in another mee...

Alix Earle’s family bought a $2.25M New Jersey mansion in 2013; now worth $4.1M, it stars on Netflix

Alix Earle’s family bought a $2.25M New Jersey mansion in 2013; now worth $4.1M, it stars on Netflix

Times of India

Alix Earle, the popular figure on social media, is about to unveil her new reality series on Netflix, prominently featuring her family's lavish mansion in New Jersey. This property, which her father purchased for $2.25 million back in 2013, has soared in value to an impressive $4.1 million. Audiences can anticipate an engaging exploration of family interactions set within the comfort of their home...

Hong Kong privacy watchdog arrests boxer for allegedly doxxing opponent

Hong Kong privacy watchdog arrests boxer for allegedly doxxing opponent

SCMP

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has arrested a boxer on suspicion of doxxing an opponent on social media platforms, disclosing the victim’s personal information and workplace without his consent. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said on Thursday that the 29-year-old suspect had twice targeted the victim, a man he had fought at a boxing tournament in early 2025. On two o...

Hong Kong privacy watchdog arrests boxer, 29, for allegedly doxxing opponent

Hong Kong privacy watchdog arrests boxer, 29, for allegedly doxxing opponent

SCMP

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has arrested a boxer on suspicion of doxxing an opponent on social media platforms, disclosing the victim’s personal information and workplace without his consent. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said on Thursday that the 29-year-old suspect had twice targeted the victim, a man he had fought at a boxing tournament in early 2025. On two o...

Wang Yi calls on US to ‘overcome obstacles’ ahead of Xi-Trump meeting

Wang Yi calls on US to ‘overcome obstacles’ ahead of Xi-Trump meeting

SCMP

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Washington to help “remove interference and overcome obstacles” to high-level exchanges as the two sides prepare for President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to the US next month. Meeting US Ambassador David Perdue in Beijing on Wednesday, Wang said both sides should put the Xi-Trump consensus into practice, focus on a positive agenda and manage differences ...

Chinese scientists discover that trees are producing ozone smog in Beijing

Chinese scientists discover that trees are producing ozone smog in Beijing

SCMP

Beijing’s hundreds of thousands of weeping willows and poplars have been a welcome source of shelter from the fierce summer sun for more than four decades – but they may also be an unexpected source of pollution, according to new research. Scientists warned that this urban greenery may be “choking” the Chinese capital’s 20 million residents by increasing the levels of ozone in the city’s air. Smog...

11,000-year-old sculpture of human seated on a leopard found at Karahantepe in Türkiye

11,000-year-old sculpture of human seated on a leopard found at Karahantepe in Türkiye

Times of India

Archaeologists discovered an 11,000-year-old sculpture in southeastern Turkiye. This unique artwork depicts a human figure seated upon a leopard's back. The 70-centimetre-high sculpture was found within a circular structure at Karahantepe. This discovery offers insights into early Neolithic artistic traditions and social practices. It adds to growing evidence of advanced capabilities in ancient se...