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“Relevant legal disputes” on the top court’s recent rulings in favour of same-sex couples’ rights should be resolved locally, authorities have said, after a pro-Beijing lawmaker known for his anti-LGBT stance suggested that Beijing make an interpretation of the Basic Law. Last week, lawmaker Junius Ho led a forum to discuss the Court of Final […]

Jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai has denied making any indirect calls for sanctions on Hong Kong after the Beijing-imposed national security law took effect in 2020. There was no way to “conceal” such calls, he said. The tycoon, who turned 77 last Sunday, was brought before three handpicked national security judges on Monday to continue […]

By Akio Wang with Joy Chiang Taiwan’s military was on high alert Monday after detecting Chinese warships near the island, Taipei said, as Beijing vowed to “firmly defend” its sovereignty in response to the drills. Taiwan’s defence ministry said it also spotted Chinese coast guard vessels and that Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had restricted […]

Brett Kruse has become the eighth person to complete a solo swim around Hong Kong Island. His feat was a fundraising effort for a local charity dedicated to teaching the city’s underprivileged and marginalised communities to swim. Kruse finished the 45-kilometer swim last Friday in just over 11 hours and 30 minutes, according to the […]

Hong Kong social worker Jackie Chen has decided not to give testimony during her rioting retrial, where she could face 10 years imprisonment if the government successfully challenges her acquittal. Chen appeared at the District Court on Monday – the sixth day of her retrial. The defence told Judge May Chung that Chen would not […]

Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top leaders said Monday they would adopt a more “relaxed” approach to monetary policy as they hashed out plans to boost the economy next year. The world’s second-largest economy is battling sluggish domestic consumption, a persistent crisis in the property sector and soaring government debt — all of which […]

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has found that the city’s Electrical and Mechanical Services Department contravened data privacy laws over a data leak involving 17,000 people this May. Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung said at a Monday press conference that the department has been served an enforcement notice requiring it to take corrective measures and submit a […]

Judges at a naming contest chose to retain the original names of Beijing’s gift pandas on Saturday, after Hong Kong residents submitted 22,600 suggestions. Chief Executive John Lee announced on July 1 that the central government was donating two five-year-old pandas – An An and Ke Ke – to Ocean Park. This summer, Hongkongers were […]

The Hong Kong government has laid out a proposal to require all cabbies to install in-car surveillance cameras, GPS, dashcams and electronic payment systems over the next two years in a bid to raise the service quality and image of the taxi sector. Authorities are aiming to table an amendment bill in the second quarter […]

It is “too early” to consider pay cuts and salary freezes for civil servants as a cost-cutting measure, Hong Kong’s finance minister has said after an economist made the suggestion as the government announced a potential HK$100 billion deficit for the current financial year. Speaking on Commercial Radio on Sunday, Secretary for Finance Paul Chan […]

China’s foreign ministry said Sunday it hopes Syria “returns to stability as soon as possible”, after Islamist-led rebels announced they had taken Damascus and sent President Bashar al-Assad fleeing. Beijing “is closely following the development of the situation in Syria and hopes that Syria returns to stability as soon as possible”, the foreign ministry said […]

Hundreds of protesters massed at three government offices in Shenzhen on November 27 to press authorities for an update on an official investigation into the collapse of China Evergrande, in what Reuters described as the first sizable protest in the country since 2022. Significantly, the protests “were organised to follow official channels for expressing grievances […]

Mancy Ng’s self-styled “social experiment” started with a solitary meal in one of Hong Kong’s Yakiniku restaurants. She found it tasty and affordable but there was no one to share her dining experience with. That sparked an unusual idea: she decided to pay for a stranger’s dinner and listen to their story. Since her first […]

By Jing Xuan Teng Surrounded by racks of colourful dresses and blazers in China’s manufacturing hub of Guangzhou, plus-size clothing brand owner and influencer Amanda Yao is on a mission to promote body positivity. She is part of a small but growing number of women in China challenging restrictive beauty standards, including thinness, pale skin […]

Four Taiwanese soldiers, including three from a unit in charge of security for the president’s office, were charged Friday for photographing and leaking confidential information to China, prosecutors and the president’s office said. China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since 1949, but Beijing insists the island is part of its territory and has vowed […]

The NBA will stage two pre-season games in Macau next October, its deputy commissioner said on Friday, marking its return to China after being frozen out for more than five years. No NBA games have been held in China since two pre-season contests in 2019 after a tweet from then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey […]

Long after rice varieties once farmed in Hong Kong were lost to progress, some farming initiatives have sought to return old agricultural staples to the land. “Many are surprised to discover that there are still farmers cultivating rice in Hong Kong. Despite our daily consumption of rice, few have ever closely examined it,” Vangi Fong, […]

Ma Chun-man, the first Hong Kong prisoner made ineligible for early release after a domestic security law was enacted in March, has lost his legal challenge against the new rule. High Court Judge Alex Lee on Friday refused the judicial review by Ma, who is expected to serve the remainder of his five-year sentence for […]

Residents affected by the first stage of redevelopment at Choi Hung Estate have until April 2029 to move out of their homes, Hong Kong’s public housing provider has announced. Some 1,790 households at Pik Hoi House, Kam Pik House and Tan Fung House will have to move out of their units by April 2019, the […]

Hong Kong social worker Jackie Chen, who facing a second rioting trial after the government appealed against her acquittal, has a case to answer, a judge has ruled. Chen, 47, appeared at the District Court on Friday for the fifth day of her retrial. The social worker has denied one count of rioting in relation […]

A bill to regulate operators of Hong Kong’s infrastructure and monitor the security of their computer systems will be discussed by lawmakers next Wednesday, with up to HK$5 million proposed as a penalty. The Protection of Critical Infrastructures (Computer Systems) Bill was gazetted on Friday. It will be submitted to the Legislative Council (LegCo) for […]

Jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai has said he halted his calls for foreign sanctions to be imposed on Hong Kong over a Beijing-drafted security law after it came into effect in mid-2020, as making such calls would be “suicidal” since then. Lai, 76, told his national security trial on Friday that he had been “very […]

The Hong Kong Fire Services Department (FSD) is setting hearts ablaze with a hot new calendar featuring local firemen wielding their rescue tools. Aside from smouldering portraits of the FSD’s finest, the 2025 calendar also features images of ambulance officers. Vehicles and gear such as respirators, hydraulic cutters and rescue rams are also set to […]

By Akio Wang Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said Friday he was “confident” of deeper cooperation with the next Donald Trump administration, a day after his call with US Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson that angered China. Like other world governments, Taiwan has publicly congratulated Trump on his victory in November’s presidential election as it seeks […]