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A detained activist has told the trial of media mogul Jimmy Lai that he believed a national security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing four years ago was designed to persecute its “political enemies.” Prosecution witness Andy Li testified on Thursday that he continued international lobbying, including efforts to persuade foreign governments to scrap […]

A man has been arrested after 129 kilograms of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of around HK$71 million were intercepted at Hong Kong’s airport. Hong Kong Customs made the seizure on Tuesday after two consignments from Germany were selected for inspection. In one, which said it contained amber, “multiple nylon bags containing real […]

China’s inflation rate slowed in March, official data showed Thursday, as policymakers struggle to jumpstart persistently low spending in the world’s second-largest economy. The consumer price index (CPI) last month edged up by 0.1 percent year-on-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), below the 0.4 percent gain forecast by a Bloomberg poll of […]

A Hong Kong teacher who lost her job at a government school over online comments about police during the 2019 protests has challenged the firing in court, arguing that it undermined her right to free speech. Toffee Tam was granted permission by the High Court last October to lodge a judicial review to challenge the […]

A Portuguese national has been sentenced to five years in prison for conspiring to incite secession under the Beijing-imposed national security law, after a judge ruled that he had “demonised China” in social media posts which advocated independence for the city. District Court Judge Ernest Lin said Joseph John, also known as Wong Kin-chung, had […]

A Hong Kong man charged with insulting the Chinese national anthem at a volleyball match sang the pro-democracy song Do You Hear the People Sing while the anthem was being played, a court has heard. Chan Pak-yui, 21, appeared at Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday for the first day of his trial after pleading […]

By Matthew Walsh Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that “external interference” would not stop Beijing from unifying with Taiwan, as he met the self-ruled island’s former leader in a rare display of cross-strait dialogue. Taiwan’s ex-president Ma Ying-jeou is in China as part of what he has called a “journey of peace” to calm […]

A Hong Kong man has been sentenced to two years and nine months in jail for rioting in a case relating to the Yuen Long attack in 2019, marking the first sentence for someone not involved in the attack on train passengers and protesters that night. Jacky Ho, a 43-year-old accountant, was found guilty of […]

A representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has been denied entry to Hong Kong, the French free expression NGO has said, after she was detained, searched and questioned for six hours at the airport on Wednesday. “This action by the Hong Kong authorities, unprecedented for RSF, marks a new decline in the already poor press […]

A Hong Kong activist allegedly instructed by media mogul Jimmy Lai to call for international sanctions against the city and China has testified that he never spoke to or met the mogul. Andy Li, who is charged alongside Lai but is testifying against him in the high-profile national security trial, said on Wednesday that he […]

China will put three minors on trial for allegedly murdering another child, a provincial prosecutor said Monday, in a case that has shocked the nation and sparked public debate over the treatment of juvenile offenders. The three suspects, all aged under 14 at the time of the murder, are accused of bullying a middle-school classmate […]

Water-splashing celebrations for Songkran will be moved from the Kowloon City street that has long hosted the festivities to mark Thai new year to nearby basketball courts. Last year, three men were arrested over spraying water at police and reporters at the annual event. The Thai festival of Songkran is traditionally observed at South Wall […]

By Beiyi Seow The United States “will not accept” a situation where underpriced Chinese goods flood the global market, battering industries elsewhere, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Monday as she wrapped up high-level talks in China. Yellen has repeatedly warned about the risks of China’s excess industrial capacity during four days of meetings with […]

The Hong Kong government will evaluate proposed hikes to taxi fares based on factors including public acceptance and drivers’ income, as the taxi industry seeks to raise flagfall for urban taxis by 18 per cent. Lawmakers and government officials will discuss the proposed taxi fare increase during a Panel on Transport meeting on Friday, according […]

A Hong Kong press group has sought to challenge the revised rules for accessing the government’s vehicle registry. The arrangements rolled out in January constituted a “disproportionate and unjustified restriction” on press freedom enshrined in the city’s mini-constitution, the group argued.  The requirement for journalists to seek approval directly from the transport commissioner to access […]

Hong Kong’s customs chief has said authorities will step up measures to prevent items threatening national security from entering the city, following the recent enactment of new security legislation. Commissioner of Customs and Excise Louise Ho said in an interview with Cable TV on Saturday that the agency would revise its guidelines and step up […]

Only between 20 and 50 per cent of the households participating in a trial of Hong Kong’s new pay-as-you-throw waste tax were using the designated bags to dispose of rubbish, environment minister Tse Chin-wan has said, a week after the pilot scheme began. Residents had complained about the size of the bags and the inconvenience […]

By Luna Lin Netflix’s blockbuster “3 Body Problem”, an adaptation of the crown jewel of Chinese sci-fi, has sparked passionate debate and divided opinions among fans in the country despite it not being available to watch there. The streaming service isn’t officially operational in China, but that hasn’t stopped devotees accessing the show, likely via […]

By Beiyi Seow US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Premier Li Qiang sounded a hopeful tone on US-China cooperation on Sunday, though the American policymaker noted both sides cannot shy away from tough conversations. The US-China relationship can only move forward with direct and open communication, Yellen told Li, after arriving in the Chinese […]

The regional winners of the 2024 World Press Photo Contest were announced on Wednesday, honouring the best photojournalism and photography produced over the past year. Palestinian photographer Mohammad Salem’s image of 36-year-old Inas Abu Maamar holding the body of her five-year-old niece Saly, who was killed along with four other family members when an Israeli […]

Along Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour on a March weekend, tourists armed with selfie sticks jostled for space as they took photos with the city’s famed skyline as a backdrop. Nearby, tour guides told the stories of Bruce Lee and Tony Leung, two local actors featured in the Avenue of Stars – Hong Kong’s answer to […]

The sold-out Hong Kong Sevens kicked off at the Hong Kong Stadium on Friday, marking the international rugby tournament’s return to pre-pandemic popularity. The Sevens returned to Hong Kong after a two-year hiatus in November 2022 amid partial Covid curbs and limits on attendee numbers. The tournament was held again last March, with the stadium […]

Hong Kong band The Lovesong would not normally play a show without lead guitarist Ephraim Bano, who moved to the US more than 10 years ago. But last Saturday was no ordinary occasion – it marked the end of the road for Music Zone, one of the city’s few remaining live houses – and bassist […]

A Hong Kong accountant has been found guilty of rioting in a case relating to the Yuen Long attack in 2019, marking the first time someone not involved in the initial attack was convicted over the events of that evening. District judge Clement Lee on Friday handed the guilty verdict to Jacky Ho, a 43-year-old […]