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Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his ministers will hold the first district consultation session to gather views on his coming policy address and the city’s inaugural five-year plan in Tuen Mun on Sunday. Only government-chosen residents and district representatives were invited to the exchange at the venue, sources said on Saturday. Lee would also only address media inquiries after ...
Hangzhou Library, located in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, is affectionately dubbed “the warmest library” because it opens its doors to beggars and scavengers, even featuring a statue of one such individual. Notably, it was the first library in the country to welcome readers without requiring a library card, providing free access to all. When this inclusive policy was initiated in 2008, a rea...
The number of registered electors in Hong Kong’s geographical constituencies has dropped for a fifth consecutive year to 4.12 million, with the largest decline recorded in those aged 21 to 25. But the city also added nearly 64,900 people to the voter rolls this year, the highest annual increase since 2021, according to provisional figures released by the Registration and Electoral Office on Saturd...
The total number of registered electors in Hong Kong’s geographical constituencies has dropped for a fifth consecutive year to 4.12 million, while the tally of newly registered voters climbed to its highest level since 2021. According to figures released by the Registration and Electoral Office on Saturday, the 4.12 million eligible voters for geographical constituencies in the 2026 provisional re...
Several major stress tests involving more than 10,000 people – including Hong Kong civil servants – will be carried out at the newly revamped Huanggang Port border crossing, as part of more than 100 exercises to be conducted in the coming months to ensure smooth and safe operations, the city’s security chief has revealed. But Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung on Saturday stopped short o...
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Saturday it had received reports of two maritime incidents off Oman, including one in which a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile. In the first incident, a tanker was hit about 11 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Lima. The vessel reported it was “struck by an unknown projectile which has caused damage to the engine room” and ...
After a successful trial at a substation, China plans to expand the application of quantum technologies – including precision sensors and computer simulations – across its power grid to help prevent blackouts. During the 18-month trial in Hefei in Anhui province, quantum technology was used to rapidly detect and diagnose equipment defects and faults in the power system, according to a report publi...
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wanted to “forgive” protesters who abused him during recent youth-led demonstrations that dealt a rare political setback to his government. The remarks came after the online Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) mobilised large protests in New Delhi and other cities over examination paper leaks, posing the biggest challenge to Modi’s government in recent years. So...
The Chinese military held joint naval and air drills near Scarborough Shoal, a disputed reef in the South China Sea, on Saturday. The training exercise came after Beijing hit out at the Philippines for an “illegal” attempt to extend its seabed rights off the coast of Palawan and map out its claims to the reef. “This is a necessary action taken in light of the current situation in the South China S...
The Chinese military held joint naval and air drills near Scarborough Shoal, a disputed reef in the South China Sea, on Saturday. The training exercise came after Beijing hit out at the Philippines for an “illegal” attempt to extend its seabed rights off the coast of Palawan and map out its claims to the reef. “This is a necessary action taken in light of the current situation in the South China S...
When a powerful earthquake jolted southern Japan this week, rattling homes and knocking out water and electricity, Tomoko Takaoka bundled up her beloved fluffy dogs and went in search of a safe place to stay. Unable to reach her parents, the 31-year-old factory worker turned to a nearby evacuation centre only to discover that Ku the chihuahua and Sheri the chihuahua-poodle mix were not welcome....
High in the eastern Himalayas, where yak caravans once carried silk and salt between empires, a border crossing closed by suspicion six years ago is stirring back to life. The Nathu La Pass, a remote border trading post connecting India’s Sikkim state with China’s Tibet region at 4,310 metres (14,140 feet) above sea level, reopened to commerce on Saturday for the first time since 2020. For the rou...
Changing the smoking culture on the city’s construction sites will “take time”, Hong Kong’s labour commissioner has said as authorities completed 1,200 site inspections and issued 36 fixed-penalty notices in the first two weeks of a smoking ban at such locations. Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui Chark-shum said on Saturday that Labour Department officials also issued nine improvement notices to con...
A political row is threatening to undermine Taiwan’s efforts to increase its stockpiles of military drones and has raised questions about the future of its domestic manufacturers. On Monday, lawmakers failed to agree on competing versions of a bill to buy and develop military drones after six hours of debate. While the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the opposition broadly agree on t...
France and Italy bolstered border controls on Saturday after about 60,000 people crossed into Spain’s enclave in North Africa, sparking one of the largest migrant crises for the European Union in recent years. The migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco, the enclave’s regional president Juan Jesus Vivas told reporters, but by Friday evening, officials said more than 48,000 had returned. To cross into ...
British trip-hop band Massive Attack has been barred from performing in Singapore after an investigation found two members unfurled a Palestinian flag during a concert, police said. Two band members who held the flag on stage during a concert on Wednesday were also banned from re-entering Singapore and issued with warnings, police said in a statement late on Friday, without naming the pair. Singap...
Russian attacks on Kyiv and its suburbs killed 10 people early Saturday, officials said, as Ukrainian drones sank a huge Russian container ship in the Black Sea. The exchange in attacks come after the United Nations found June was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022. Russia has stepped up long-range strikes on the capital in recent months, while Ukraine is chronically ...
Russian strikes on Ukraine’s capital killed at least nine people and wounded more than a dozen others, local officials said on Saturday, after Kyiv’s mayor warned of a ballistic missile attack. It comes after the United Nations found June was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022. Russia has stepped up long-range strikes on the capital in recent months, while Ukraine is ...
Russian strikes on Ukraine’s capital killed at least four people and wounded more than a dozen others, local officials said on Saturday, after Kyiv’s mayor warned of a ballistic missile attack. It comes after the United Nations found June was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022. Russia has stepped up long-range strikes on the capital in recent months, while Ukraine is ...
Lawmakers from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have launched a group aimed at promoting the rapidly growing trading card industry, seeing its potential as a globally competitive content sector. The group, consisting of some 20 lawmakers, is seeking to improve the trading card environment by setting up rules to address issues such as counterfeit cards and bulk purchases for resale. It...
A single canned ingredient imported from the Netherlands has quietly fuelled Hong Kong’s daily hustle for the past 85 years, evolving from a simple dairy product into the soul of local diner culture. For decades, the Black and White brand of full-cream evaporated milk has been a crucial element in Hong Kong-style milk tea culture and craftsmanship, giving this popular drink in the city’s cha chaan...
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim suffered a second election setback within weeks on Saturday after his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition lost to rivals in the Negeri Sembilan polls. Official results at midnight showed Barisan Nasional (BN) winning 18 seats, coupled with Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) seven for a supermajority of 25 over PH’s 11 in the 36-seat assembly. The country’s second state ele...
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim faced a second election setback on Saturday as unofficial results showed rival Barisan Nasional (BN) taking an early lead in the vote count for Negeri Sembilan. The country’s second state election in under a month was a test of the stability of Anwar’s coalition government, with his Pakatan Harapan (PH) locking horns again with federal ally BN at the state le...
Voting in Malaysia’s Negeri Sembilan election has closed as attention now turns to whether Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition will retain its hold or suffer another loss to federal ally but state rival Barisan Nasional (BN). The results, due by midnight on Saturday, are expected to be yet another stability gauge of Anwar’s unity government, and may determine if a snap ge...
Voters in Malaysia’s Negeri Sembilan headed to the polls on Saturday, the second election in the past month as political allies governing the country locked horns at state levels. Candidates from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition are going head-to-head with those of federal partner Barisan Nasional (BN), which trounced its rival in last month’s Johor race. Negeri Sembil...
As the Philippines hosted Southeast Asian foreign ministers in late July, the sea would not stay quiet. On July 20, Chinese and Philippine crews fought beside the BRP Sierra Madre with oars and batons; one Filipino sailor was reportedly injured while each side blamed the other. Days later, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the security forum, Philippine vessels...
Playing strategic and role-playing mobile games has been a major leisure activity for Peter Lee* since he graduated in 2020, when social distancing measures during the Covid-19 pandemic left him with little to do outside working hours. Unlike console games, Lee gained a sense of belonging in the mobile gaming world, as he could interact and cooperate with players from different countries whenever ...
Sixteen years after being rescued from a river as a toddler, a young girl from eastern China earned a spot at the prestigious Peking University and shared this significant milestone with the man who saved her life. Yu Xianguo, 66, from Taizhou in Zhejiang province, is a retired naval serviceman who served five years in the military, according to mainland media outlet Xinhuanghe. In August 2010, tw...
As the People’s Liberation Army marks its 99th anniversary on August 1, one year from the deadline for its centenary goals, its evolution highlights the past, present and future of China’s military strategy. In the second part of a series, Gabriel Dominguez examines how Beijing is pushing the envelope on its near-seas island arc. Beijing has urged the People’s Liberation Army to transform into a “...
Driven by a surge in visitors from across Asia and a blockbuster June stadium concert by K-pop juggernaut BTS, international tourism in South Korea’s southern port city of Busan shattered post-pandemic records during the first half of this year. Busan welcomed more than 2.42 million foreign visitors between January and June – a 43.9 per cent jump compared to the same period last year, according to...
