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Hong Kong’s first-ever giant panda twins will make their debut to the public in February, Chief Executive John Lee has announced. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Lee said the two pandas – who live at Ocean Park – were nearly six months old. The public will be able to visit them next month. […]

The wife and son of wanted former pollster Chung Kim-wah have been questioned by national security police, local media has reported, a day after Chung’s ex-colleague was also questioned and his office was searched as part of a national security investigation. Chung was among six people living overseas that were added to a police wanted list […]

Around 70 per cent of people in committed same-sex relationships want to get married, research has shown, as the deadline for the Hong Kong government to establish a framework to recognise same-sex relationships loomed. Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) Sexualities Research Programme announced the results of a study into sentiments towards […]

A former Hong Kong police officer has been sentenced to three years in prison over forging statements in seven cases in a bid to wrap investigations prematurely. Deputy District Court Judge Ivy Chui on Monday put Woo Siu-chun behind bars after the ex-police officer pleaded guilty to seven counts of misconduct in public office, according […]

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a strategic Himalayan road tunnel on Monday, pushing all-weather access northwards towards contested high-altitude border zones with rivals China and Pakistan. The Z-Morh or Sonmarg tunnel, stretching 6.4 kilometres (four miles) beneath a treacherous mountain pass cut off by snow for between four to six months a year, is […]

Former Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam has welcomed the relocation of her office from a premium commercial complex unit, which cost taxpayers over HK$9 million to run in the 2023-24 fiscal year, to a government-owned building that is currently under renovation. Lam’s office told HKFP on Monday afternoon that it would move from rented […]

By Peter Catterall and Isabel Kua China’s exports surged to a record high in 2024, providing a much-needed boost for the economy as the prospect of biting tariffs imposed by US president-elect Donald Trump looms. Overseas shipments represented a rare bright spot for Beijing last year as sluggish domestic consumption and a prolonged crisis in […]

Three men have pleaded guilty to rioting over their involvement in a mob attack in Yuen Long amid the 2019 protests and unrest. Ng Wai-tak, 38, Wong Ho-sing, 28, and Cheng Man-kit, 43, appeared before District Judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching at the District Court on Monday morning, where they pleaded guilty to rioting. Their […]

Hong Kong pollster Robert Chung is under investigation over assisting a “wanted person who has absconded overseas,” police have confirmed, after searching his home and office. The police on Monday afternoon said they had searched “a residential unit and a company in the Hong Kong Island area with court warrant.” Police also said that an […]

A dedicated Security Bureau (SB) task force has been deployed to Thailand to follow up on the dozen Hongkongers trafficked to Southeast Asian countries and forced into labour. The 12 cases were among a total of 28 requests for assistance received by the Hong Kong authorities since mid-2024, according to a government statement on Sunday. […]

Hong Kong’s leader has approved the extension of South African-born British judge Leonard Hoffman’s tenure on the city’s top court. Five foreign judges retired from, or quit, the apex court last year. On Friday, a government statement said that Chief Executive John Lee had accepted the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal (CFA)’s […]

For women e-sports players in China, mastering the game is just the first hurdle to carving out a space for themselves in the male-dominated field. To compete, casually but especially professionally, they must also overcome vicious trolls, gender norms, familial expectations and limited opportunities. China has become one of the world’s largest markets for e-sports. […]

Well, I don’t suppose that it has anything to do with me, but we now have a response to the idea that planning to veto the government’s budget was not a crime, but a legitimate constitutional recourse outlined in the Basic Law. This comes in a China Daily piece by one Richard Cullen, an adjunct […]

To one Hongkonger, it seemed like a dream job – a purchasing agent transporting goods from Thailand to Japan. It quickly became a nightmare. Upon arriving in Thailand last summer to pick up the “products,” the Hongkonger had their identity documents seized and was driven across the border into Myanmar. Days later, a relative of […]

British treasurer Rachel Reeves said Saturday that London was a “natural home” for Chinese finance as she began a visit to Beijing in the shadow of bond market turmoil back home. Reeves, whose formal title is chancellor of the exchequer, is the most senior British government official to visit China since then-prime minister Theresa May […]

American photographer Austin Bell’s latest project involved shooting each of Hong Kong’s 2,549 outdoor basketball courts, the fruits of which come together in a book, Shooting Hoops. To coincide with the launch of Bell’s book, Blue Lotus Gallery will host an exhibition of the same name from January 17 until February 23. According to the […]

Hong Kong mother Yoyo Chan carries a large white backpack every day. Inside are two sets of portable breast pumps, a nursing cover, storage bags, alcohol spray, and other items she needs to express breast milk every four hours. The milk is not only for her eight-month-old daughter but also for the city’s first breast […]

By Sam Davies In the frigid night of China’s Qinling mountains, hunters with huge social media followings scour the landscape in pursuit of wild boars menacing local farmers’ livelihoods. China’s wild boars — today numbering two million — were a protected species from 2000 until 2023, but emerged from safeguarding last year with a hell-raising […]

A Hong Kong lawyer has quoted prominent Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi in a landmark appeal against the conviction and jail sentence of activist Tam Tak-chi under a since-repealed sedition law. The Court of Final Appeal (CFA) on Friday heard its first challenge ever against a conviction and sentence under the colonial-era sedition law, which was […]

Hong Kong’s home affairs minister has said residents were eager to support the work of district-level community care teams, after a report suggested some teams sought to bolster numbers by inviting event participants to pose as volunteers for group photos. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak also said on Friday that the government […]

China, North Korea and Iran are part of an “axis of autocrats” and the United States and its allies are the “thin blue line” protecting democracy, the outgoing US ambassador to Japan said on Friday in a parting shot at Beijing. Rahm Emanuel has been a sharp critic of China’s economic and geopolitical strategies during […]

A Hong Kong social worker has been denied legal aid for a challenge against authorities’ approval of a tech hub development, with the government citing his financial circumstances among other reasons. Eddie Tse told HKFP on Friday that he was notified by the Legal Aid Department on Thursday that his application for legal aid had […]

China said on Thursday it had recorded five cases of a new mpox strain, but that the “outbreak has been effectively handled”. Mpox is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by animals but can also spread from person to person through close physical contact. It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, […]

Former Hong Kong lawmaker and prison rights activist Shiu Ka-chun has died at 55, following a cancer diagnosis that worsened over the past weeks. The former pro-democracy lawmaker passed away shortly after midnight on Friday, with condolences pouring in from social workers, activists, and a bookstore. Shiu was elected in 2016 to represent the social […]