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By Michael Zhang Three Chinese astronauts including the country’s only woman spaceflight engineer blasted off on a “dream” mission to the Tiangong space station in the early hours of Wednesday. The new Tiangong team will carry out experiments with an eye to the space programme’s ambitious goal of placing astronauts on the Moon by 2030 […]

A married couple have been arrested over the suspected murder of a domestic worker, whose body was found at the bottom of a waterfall on Monday. Hong Kong police arrested a 34-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman on Tuesday afternoon in connection with the death of a 25-year-old Southeast Asian female domestic worker, who was […]

A Hong Kong NGO has urged authorities to amend “outdated” sexual offences legislation, after noting a sharp rise in sexual violence cases involving private images and intimate partners in the city. There was a “steady increase” in the number of sexual violence cases followed up by RainLily over the past 15 years, the local anti-sexual […]

Hong Kong’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner (PCPD) for Personal Data has joined data protection authorities from the UK, Australia and other countries to sign a global statement calling on social media platforms to guard against the mass scraping of personal data. Fifteen other international privacy or data protections authorities issued the guidance to social […]

The Hong Kong government has distributed around HK$520 million under a “baby bonus” scheme that gives HK$20,000 to families with newborns in an attempt to boost the city’s low birth rate. A total of 26,948 applications were received from last October to the end of September, according to a Legislative Council paper published on Tuesday. […]

China confirmed on Tuesday it had detained a South Korean citizen for alleged spying, as Beijing ramps up vigilance against perceived threats to national security. South Korea’s Yonhap news service, citing diplomatic sources in Seoul, reported Monday that Chinese authorities had held the man in his 50s since late last year. It said Chinese prosecutors […]

China’s only woman spaceflight engineer will be among a fresh crew of three astronauts sent to its Tiangong space station this week, Beijing announced Tuesday. The Shenzhou-19 mission is scheduled to blast off with its trio of space explorers at 4:27 am Wednesday (2027 GMT Tuesday) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, […]

There is no time limit for prosecuting the more than 7,000 individuals arrested in connection with the 2019 protests who still have not been charged, two Hong Kong officials have said. It was not unfair for the arrestees to wait for prosecution for more than five years because the authorities needed time to gather evidence, […]

A Hong Kong scholar has apologised for his remarks on student suicide, after a concern group said describing the act as “doing something stupid” laid blame on the students and stigmatised mental health issues. The causes behind student suicide were complicated and should not be attributed solely to students while ignoring other potential factors, the […]

A Hong Kong court has barred activist Chow Hang-tung from calling on overseas witnesses to testify virtually in her national security trial. A three-judge panel at the High Court handed down the decision on Monday, around 15 minutes after hearing Chow’s arguments that a new rule barring overseas witnesses from giving evidence in national security […]

Hong Kong finance chief Paul Chan has departed for Saudi Arabia, leading a delegation from the finance and innovation and technology sectors on a four-day trip to “strengthen and deepen” Middle East ties. Chan left the city on Monday afternoon on the inaugural flight of a relaunched direct route between Hong Kong and Riyadh operated […]

Dutch medical device maker Philips lowered Monday its full year sales target, blaming drop in demand from Chinese hospitals as it released third quarter results. Markets reacted negatively to the announcement with Philips’s share price dropping by more than 11 percent in morning trading on the Amsterdam stock exchange’s blue-chip AEX index. A “significant deterioration” […]

Chinese hackers have targeted phones used by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance, US media reported Friday. The New York Times, quoting people familiar with the matter, said the hacking attempt appeared to be part of a wide-ranging intelligence collection effort by Chinese hackers. The newspaper said it involved the […]

The first test event at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park involving around 1,000 spectators was “very satisfactory,” the city’s second highest ranking official has said. Participants who attended a local football match held at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground on Sunday had a “very good experience,” Chief Secretary Eric Chan told the press […]

Subdivided flat tenants who lose their homes under proposed regulations to crack down on substandard housing conditions will not be prioritised in the queue for renting public flats, Hong Kong’s housing minister has said. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho told i-Cable on Saturday that there were no “direct links” between the public rental housing queue […]

China deployed fighter jets and drones as part of a “joint combat readiness patrol” around Taiwan on Sunday, Taipei said, hours after Beijing slammed the latest round of US arms sales to the island. The US State Department on Friday approved a $2 billion arms sale package for Taiwan, including advanced surface-to-air missile systems and […]

Indonesia has driven a Chinese coast guard ship from contested waters in the South China Sea for the third time this week, its maritime security agency said Saturday. It is the latest move by a Southeast Asian nation against Beijing’s actions in the strategic waterway, which it claims almost in full. Chinese vessels have occasionally […]

By Pit Hok Yau Twelve monkeys at Hong Kong’s Zoological and Botanical Gardens have now died, with the deaths of 11 confirmed to have been the result of melioidosis, a bacterial infection likely stemming from contaminated soil disturbed during digging work in the gardens earlier this month. A conservation department official said the bacteria is […]

On some nights, sleeping pills were the only way Marilyn was able to get rest. Thoughts about her worsening relationship with her employer, the death of her aunt back in the Philippines and harassment over a loan to cover her mother’s hospital fees kept her up till the early hours. Despite being plunged into depression, […]

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The US State Department on Friday approved a $2 billion arms sale package for Taiwan including advanced surface-to-air missile systems and radar, a move that could provoke Beijing. The sale, which awaits approval by Congress, includes several anti-aircraft systems, including NASAMS and 123 missiles totaling $1.16 billion, according to the agency responsible for the sale. […]

New Zealand congratulated Kiribati’s Taneti Maamau after the pro-China president was elected on Saturday to a third term in charge of the low-lying Pacific island nation. According to the New Zealand High Commission in Kiribati, Maamau received 20,676 votes, equating to about 55 percent support at the polls, to head off nearest challenger Kaotitaaake Kokoria, […]

The Hong Kong Observatory issued the Strong Wind Signal, No.3 at 10.40 am on Saturday as Severe Tropical Storm Trami moved westwards. The storm will move across the central and northern parts of the South China Sea, the Observatory said, towards the seas south of Hainan Island on Saturday. “Under the combined effect of Trami […]

The deaths of at least 11 monkeys in a zoo in central Hong Kong as a result of melioidosis has thrust the bacterial infection into the spotlight. But it is not new to the city. An outbreak in Sham Shui Po in 2022 claimed the lives of nine residents, though their deaths garnered less media […]