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Tourists in Hong Kong are flocking to the 300-year-old village of Kuk Po, whose decaying mansions and reed fields offer a respite from the city’s famously frenetic pace. The seaside village was once home to Hakka people from southern China but was mostly abandoned in recent decades, even as gleaming high-rises sprang up in nearby […]

Thailand said Friday it had agreed with Myanmar and China to repatriate thousands of alleged scam centre workers stranded in camps at the Thai-Myanmar border, part of a crackdown on transnational crime. Some 5,000 Chinese nationals will be sent home at a rate of 1,000 a week, starting next week, Thai foreign ministry spokesman Nikorndej […]

A mid-air close call between two cargo planes taking off from Hong Kong’s airport on Thursday has triggered an investigation, authorities said Friday, removing air traffic control personnel from frontline duty. The incident occurred on Thursday around 7 am (Wednesday 2300 GMT) when two aircraft — MNB380 bound for Turkmenistan and AZG625 for Baku — […]

Hong Kong-based singer-songwriter Khalil Fong has died at the age of 41. A post on the Facebook page for Fu Music on Saturday said that he had faced a “relentless illness for five years” and passed away on February 21. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to […]

In the second month of 2025, more groups decided to halt their activities in Hong Kong, a city once known for its vibrant civil society. The Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI) announced it would stop self-funded research and may even shut down, while the 30-year-old Democratic Party said it was taking steps to […]

In a workshop tucked away in Beijing’s historic Forbidden City, a restorer hunched over a centuries-old figurine, using a cotton bud to delicately clean its dusty crevices after years hidden in storage. Only a small fraction of the 1.86 million artefacts held by the Chinese capital’s Palace Museum is on display at any one time. […]

China missed a key climate target in 2024 and emissions in the world’s second-largest economy rose slightly as coal remained dominant despite record renewable additions, official data showed Friday. The figures mean the world’s biggest emitter is off-track on a key commitment under the Paris climate agreement, analysts said. Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) […]

The potential legalisation of basketball betting – which according to the Hong Kong government can tackle illegal gambling and raise tax revenue, will be a “disastrous move,” a children’s rights group has said. In a statement released on Thursday, the Hong Kong Committee on Children’s Rights criticised the government’s plan to seek a proposal on […]

Hong Kong’s culture chief has said authorities are striving to bring “different” events to the city amid word that Singapore will be hosting singer Lady Gaga’s concerts in May. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said in response to a reporter at a Friday press conference that she was aware of reports that […]

Patterned poop bags, frilly dog dresses and exotic animals including minks and meerkats were on display at a bustling pet expo in Beijing, where the industry continues to thrive despite a sluggish economy. China is battling slowing growth as a real-estate crisis, persistently low consumption and high youth unemployment plague the world’s second-biggest economy. Yet […]

Two ex-employees of Hong Kong Unison, an NGO dedicated to serving the city’s ethnic minorities, have accused the organisation of making an “irresponsible decision” to disband after over two decades of operation. Unison passed a motion on Friday to begin the process of winding up after 24 years of service, saying “its historical mission has […]

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports while moving ahead with levies on Canada and Mexico next week, citing “unacceptable” drug smuggling. Trump had announced — then halted — sweeping 25 percent levies on Canadian and Mexican imports this month over illegal immigration and deadly […]

Only around 360 people eligible for the HK$2 transport subsidy take more than 240 trips each month, Hong Kong’s welfare chief has said, following the government’s plan to limit the concessionary fare. Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced in his 2025 budget speech a series of cost-cutting measures as the city logged an estimated HK$87.2 billion […]

Hong Kong has condemned “baseless allegations” and “smearing” of its two security laws after US politicians introduced a resolution on Thursday criticising perceived rights abuses in the city. Idaho Senator Jim Risch, chair of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a committee member, introduced the resolution to “condemn […]

Hong Kong’s finance chief has defended the government’s plan to cancel the HK$2,500 student subsidy after being quizzed by lawmakers over the lack of consultation. The non-means-tested student grant – provided to all students enrolled in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools – will no longer be available in the upcoming academic year, Financial Secretary Paul […]

By Matthew Walsh Thailand deported dozens of Uyghurs to China on Thursday despite warnings from human rights groups that they would face persecution on their return, drawing swift condemnation from the United Nations. Beijing is accused of committing human rights abuses in its northwestern Xinjiang region, including the incarceration of around one million Uyghurs and […]

A man charged with sedition under Hong Kong’s homegrown security law has had his case adjourned again to May, as a top court verdict that the defence says could inform how his client pleads has still not been delivered. Wearing a black windbreaker, Chow Kim-ho appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. His […]

Taiwan said Thursday it detected 45 Chinese aircraft near the self-ruled island, the highest number this year and a tally that comes a day after Taipei condemned China’s “live-fire” drills off the south. China insists democratic Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring the island under its control. […]

Former Hong Kong opposition lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting has been sentenced to three years and one month in prison after being convicted of rioting in the 2019 Yuen Long mob attack. District Judge Stanley Chan on Thursday handed Lam, formerly a lawmaker for the Democratic Party, the prison term after earlier finding him and six others […]

Hong Kong’s new budget does not do enough to support the city’s underprivileged, an NGO has said, citing meagre subsidy allowances and the scrapping of a HK$2,500 grant for students. The Society of Community Organization (SoCO) said in a press statement on Wednesday afternoon that most of the livelihood measures in the budget were existing […]

A seven-vehicle collision on Yuen Long Highway has killed one truck driver and injured six other people, including a young boy. At around 7.24 am on Thursday, police received reports of the pileup near Shap Pat Heung Interchange on the highway. The accident involved four private cars, two light-duty trucks, and a heavy-duty truck, the […]

Additional reporting: Hans Tse. Hong Kong’s Democratic Party has criticised the financial secretary’s new budget, saying senior officials’ salaries should be cut, not just frozen – in contrast to a thumbs up given by many pro-Beijing lawmakers. At a press conference held shortly after Financial Secretary Paul Chan’s budget speech on Wednesday, the embattled pro-democracy […]

A total of HK$1 billion will be earmarked to set up an Artificial Intelligence (AI) research and development institute, Hong Kong’s finance chief has announced. The government’s Digital Policy Office, established last July under the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, will be in charge of setting up the Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute, […]

Hong Kong’s finance chief Paul Chan has announced reductions in both salary and profits tax cuts in his latest budget speech. In the coming fiscal year, salaries tax, as well as tax under personal assessment, will still be reduced by 100 per cent, but the cap will be halved to HK$1,500, Chan said during his […]