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At Risa’s Massage, Fai cancelled her holiday to be at work this week; suitmaker Tito has laid on a made-in-24-hours special for US Navy visitors and hawker Pui is aiming to sell 15 watches in the five days the USS Abraham Lincoln will be in Pattaya. On Wednesday, the Thai resort city began to welcome over 5,000 sailors and Marines, finally on shore leave after being at sea for a record 286 days. I...
Hong Kong will stage a 23-minute fireworks display over Victoria Harbour on China’s National Day on October 1 under the theme “Eternal Radiance”. The HK$18 million (US$2.3 million) extravaganza, exclusively sponsored by insurance provider Sun Life Hong Kong, will mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Coordinated by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the ...
Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has unveiled standards for the use of government computer systems after uncovering loopholes, including requiring bureaus and departments to ensure compliance when requesting digital project funds. Danny Woo Ying-ming, commissioner of the ICAC, said on Wednesday that an investigation had found that some procedures for government computer...
Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has publicly unveiled its standards for the use of government computer systems after uncovering loopholes, including requiring bureaus and departments to self-check their compliance when requesting digital project funds. Danny Woo Ying-ming, commissioner of the ICAC, said on Wednesday that an investigation by his agency had found that so...
A delegation from the European Commission has been locked in talks with Chinese officials in Beijing, as the sides look to find a diplomatic off-ramp from a looming trade war before an October deadline set by Brussels. The EU team was spearheaded by Denis Redonnet, the bloc’s top trade enforcement officer, who was recently made point person on China trade policy – a recognition that in EU circles,...
US membership-only retailer Sam’s Club has sped up its expansion in China this year, with the launch of its sixth Beijing location on Monday drawing long queues of eager shoppers. The Walmart-owned warehouse retailer has found a winning formula in China, with its value pricing and exclusive goods attracting middle-class consumers even as some foreign brands shut down stores or pull out of the coun...
A woman in China, suffering from severe scoliosis, has gone viral after accusations that she is “making money by doing nothing” surfaced. This scrutiny followed the revelation that her boyfriend, Yan Ruize, worked gruelling food-delivery shifts to fund her much-needed surgery. He Ling, 23, hails from southwest China’s Sichuan province and was diagnosed with congenital scoliosis – a sideways curvat...
India’s stronger-than-expected first quarter growth has bolstered analysts’ confidence that it can sustain its momentum through the rest of the financial year and remain the world’s fastest-growing major economy – even as it remains exposed to high oil prices caused by the US-Iran war. The Indian economy grew 7.8 per cent in the April-June quarter, comfortably beating the Reserve Bank of India’s f...
Major Chinese foundry Hua Hong Grace Semiconductor is pouring US$2 billion into a massive capacity expansion in the Chinese chip production hub of Wuxi, racing to meet skyrocketing domestic demand for AI infrastructure and bypass US tech curbs. The fresh capital would fund the construction of a new 12-inch speciality line, its third facility in the eastern Chinese city, the country’s second-larges...
A Hong Kong advocacy group has urged the government to let residents use a portion of their mandatory pension savings for home purchases, one of several proposals submitted ahead of the policy address later this month. The Federation of Public Housing Estates noted on Wednesday that recent cuts to administration fees for the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) – the city’s compulsory retirement scheme ...
For the first time in recent history, Danish conscripts have been deployed to Greenland, as Denmark moves to bolster its presence in the Arctic after US demands to acquire the territory. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish island, citing national security concerns and accusing Copenhagen of neglecting Arctic defence. Denmark and Greenland have ...
Chinese President Xi Jinping touched down in Egypt on Tuesday, the second stop in a potentially busy month of travel that will probably conclude with a White House meeting. “Once you drink from the Nile, you are destined to return,” the Chinese leader said on arrival at Cairo International Airport. Xi is likely to sign economic agreements with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Wednesday a...
Top performers BYD and Leapmotor clawed their way up higher in terms of sales last month, even as China’s electric vehicle (EV) market was shrinking amid weaker consumer demand. However, smaller players were expected to face falling sales and mounting losses for the rest of the year as competition got fiercer, according to analysts. BYD, the world’s largest EV builder, saw its sales in August surg...
China is cracking down on artificial intelligence-generated “slop” – low-grade, mass-produced synthetic content cluttering social media and news feeds – as part of a sweeping campaign against the abuse of the generative technology, the country’s top internet watchdog said on Wednesday. In a statement posted to its website, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said it had scrubbed more than...
China is cracking down on artificial intelligence-generated “slop” – low-grade, mass-produced synthetic content cluttering social media and news feeds – as part of a sweeping campaign against generative technology abuse, the country’s top internet watchdog said on Wednesday. In a statement posted to its website, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said it had scrubbed more than 5.61 milli...
International students in the United States are facing new hurdles when it comes to internships and off-campus work after several major universities paused or restricted certain forms of Curricular Practical Training (CPT). CPT is a form of work authorisation that allows foreign students to take part in internships and other practical training related to their studies. The changes follow two Augus...
A former assistant warden at a care home run by Hong Kong’s largest NGO for people with intellectual disabilities has been convicted of raping a female resident five times two years ago. A High Court jury of four men and two women returned a unanimous verdict on Wednesday, finding Chung Pui-kei guilty of five counts of raping a mentally incapacitated woman who lived at a Tai Po home operated by th...
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was born 25 years ago as a modest mechanism for managing borders between China, Russia and four Central Asian states. At its anniversary summit in Bishkek this week, it looks more consequential – and harder for the United States to dismiss. The timing is important. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine remains unresolved, while the war between Iran and the US has...
Indonesia on Wednesday said the government was ascertaining reports that eight of its citizens who applied for civilian jobs allegedly ended up fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said authorities were checking the identities and hiring processes involved, which offered attractive perks such as hi...
A Boeing 747-8 operated by Air China reportedly suffered a fuel leak at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport early on Monday, leading to the flight being cancelled. No injuries were reported in or around the aircraft, which was expected to operate flight CA982 from New York to Beijing that day. The leak is said to have occurred between 1am and 2am while the plane was parked at the gate...
Vietnam faces heightened security in the South China Sea amid reports of construction works in the Paracels archipelago – which Beijing calls Xisha Islands – with analysts saying that the latest developments could alter the strategic balance in the contested waters. Hanoi voiced its strong objection after reports citing satellite imagery said new Chinese infrastructure had appeared on Yagong Islan...
The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) will summon a Malaysian participant in the Miss Equality World 2026 pageant in Thailand for questioning, following the circulation of social media posts. In a statement on Tuesday, Jakim director general Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee said Jakim would work with state Islamic religious authorities and relevant agencies to take action against the individu...
The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) will summon a Malaysian participant in the Miss Equality World 2026 pageant in Thailand for questioning, following the circulation of social media posts. In a statement on Tuesday, Jakim director general Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee said Jakim would work with state Islamic religious authorities and relevant agencies to take action against the individu...
A former Malaysian minister has been remanded for five days as part of an anti-corruption inquiry into the management of the country’s state haj fund. The suspect, who is in his sixties, was detained at about 4.30pm on Tuesday after he went to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya to have his statement recorded. MACC confirmed the arrest in a statement on social...
We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. After gaining EV sway, Chinese carmakers eye full hybrid market Chinese carmakers, already at the vanguard of electric vehicle (EV) technology and production, are looking to make a dent ...
Fourteen people, including nine children, have been injured in a collision involving two school buses at a Hong Kong girls’ primary school. The Fire Services Department said on Wednesday that it dispatched 10 ambulances to handle the accident at 1.26pm at Good Hope Primary School cum Kindergarten, located at No 381 Jat’s Incline in Ngau Chi Wan. Eight of the 14 injured people were sent to United C...
At least 14 people have been injured in a collission involving two school buses at a girls’ school in Hong Kong. The Fire Services Department said on Wednesday that it dispatched 10 ambulances to handle the accident at 1.26pm at Good Hope Primary School cum Kindergarten, located at No 381 Jat’s Incline in Ngau Chi Wan. Two of the 14 injured people were rushed to United Christian Hospital in Kwun T...
The parent company of Philippine fast-food giant Jollibee plans to spin off and list its international operations, choosing Hong Kong over New York in a strong endorsement of the city’s initial public offering (IPO) diversification efforts. Jollibee Foods Corp (JFC) said in January that it intended to list its overseas arm, Jollibee Foods Corporation International (JFCI), in the United States. The...
The parent company of Philippine fast-food giant Jollibee plans to spin off and list its international operations, choosing Hong Kong over New York in a strong endorsement of the city’s initial public offering (IPO) diversification efforts. Jollibee Foods Corp (JFC) said in January that it intended to list its overseas arm, Jollibee Foods Corporation International (JFCI), in the United States. The...
Chinese scientists have identified a genetic barrier that makes it hard to crossbreed African and Asian rice varieties – a discovery that could lay the foundations for creating high-yielding hybrids. While both Asian and African cultivated rices possess distinct strengths, crossing them often produces offspring with sterile pollen and low yields. A research team has now identified three genes that...
