A former Hong Kong primary school IT technician has been sentenced to 11 years in jail after he admitted to repeatedly molesting three male pupils, with one of the boys still recovering from the trauma of having intercourse with the defendant. The Hi...

China’s companies have mastered social media marketing playbooks. Now, they must learn to win the trust of artificial intelligence (AI) agents that will increasingly shape what consumers discover, consider and ultimately buy. These personal concier...

Five Hong Kong booksellers arrested on suspicion of sedition have been released on bail two days after national security police raided a pair of independent bookshops where they worked. Police said the three women and two men, aged between 30 and 59,...

On a 1,620-hectare (4,000 acres) site north of Manila, a hi-tech hub is pitched by Philippine and US officials as a global gateway to AI, semiconductors and critical minerals. For critics, however, the proposed development – part of the US-backed g...

Hundreds of rescuers are racing against incoming thunderstorms in southwestern China after a landslide struck Chongqing’s Pengshui county on Friday morning, destroying buildings and leaving residents trapped under mud and debris. The disaster is am...

The global race for artificial intelligence has transformed into a direct contest of governance, with the United States and China actively exporting rival models of technology, funding and regulation to the rest of the world. In the West African stat...

Hong Kong’s legislature has passed a bill providing the legal basis for implementing a “co-location” arrangement at the upgraded Huanggang border crossing following a four-hour meeting, after the city’s security chief said it must be approved...

President Xi Jinping warned against creating “new historical injustices” in the era of artificial intelligence on Friday, calling for greater support for the technology’s use and adoption in the Global South and a more open, inclusive approach ...

A new European anti-missile coalition with Ukraine is more of a strategic “insurance” policy rather than a break with Washington, according to analysts, as Europe prepares for a less predictable US security role. On Monday, 10 European nations �...

Hong Kong police have arrested a 14-year-old boy on suspicion of wounding for allegedly shoving a classmate who remains in a serious condition two weeks after the incident. The force said on Friday that the suspect was arrested on Monday after an in-...

In the latest move to bypass Western-dominated financial systems and step up the internationalisation of the yuan, China is linking its retail payment networks with the United Arab Emirates. Users will soon be able to use domestic mobile apps to scan...

President Donald Trump’s allegations of US election manipulation by China have triggered concern among Chinese-American community leaders and citizens, some of whom fear they will be targeted as “scapegoats” if the midterm election results are ...

Chinese chip designers Moore Threads Technology and Hygon Information Technology – both positioning themselves as home-grown alternatives to Nvidia – have projected double- to triple-digit revenue growth for the first half of the year, fuelled by...

A firefighter who was filmed eating in heavy rain during work breaks while dealing with the flood disaster in southwestern China has gone viral and touched millions of people on social media. A video taken by a passer-by in Guigang, Guangxi Zhuang au...

South Korea plans to develop its own cybersecurity-focused artificial intelligence model by the end of this year, after a brief US clampdown on advanced systems exposed the risks of relying on foreign technology for national cyber defence. But Seoul�...

Some Hong Kong workers have said they intend to quit smoking as a new ban on smoking at construction sites came into force on Friday. The ban came in the wake of the deadly fire at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court housing estate, a disaster that killed 168 ...

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please conside...

Across the US this week, different disasters – from Canadian wildfire smoke darkening the skies in the Midwest and northeast to extreme heat along the east coast to catastrophic flooding in Texas – are disrupting daily life and putting people’s...

A Singaporean man has been arrested in Bali after a woman was found dead in a rental unit, Indonesian police said on Thursday. The suspect, identified only by the initials MZ, was arrested in less than three hours by a joint police team, according to...

A Hong Kong taxi driver has died after his vehicle crashed into a railing in Tsuen Wan. According to police, the accident happened at 11.45pm on Thursday on Ma Tau Pa Road, when the cabby reportedly lost control of his vehicle and drove into a railin...

Japan’s parliament approved on Friday a revised Imperial House Law to address the issue of the shrinking royal family, while retaining the long-standing male-only succession system, despite public support for female emperors. The first substantive ...

South Korean food exporters are no longer treating Vietnam as just another market for kimchi, instant noodles and premium fruit. As Southeast Asia emerges as one of South Korea’s most important trading regions, Seoul is positioning Vietnam as a log...

The Hong Kong Observatory has cancelled the amber rainstorm warning after more than three hours but urged residents to stay vigilant, as river flooding could pose a danger. The signal, issued at 9.50am and cancelled at 1pm, was the second amber rains...

Victor Dawes, lead counsel for a panel investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, delivered his closing remarks at the final public inquiry session, wrapping up a months-long hearing into the tragedy. The 600-page statement covered the ca...

US President Donald Trump’s prime-time attack on China over alleged election interference marks a significant escalation in the rivalry between Washington and Beijing, according to analysts. They said it could again destabilise ties and create unce...

In a fiery prime-time address to the nation, US President Donald Trump delivered an unprecedented broadside against China, accusing Beijing of orchestrating the “largest compromise of election data in history” and declaring an end to complacency ...

President Xi Jinping spoke on Friday at the opening of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), China’s largest annual event for the AI industry. Xi’s personal attendance elevated the conference’s profile, and signalled AI deve...

Earlier this month, the first batch of 14,000 free tickets to visit the People’s Liberation Army’s naval vessels during their stopover in Hong Kong was claimed within minutes of being released. Families queued online for the opportunity to step a...

President Donald ⁠Trump has ramped up US air strikes on Iran and threatened broader escalation, but there is ⁠little sign that a military strategy that has already failed to extract concessions from Tehran will succeed this time. With the collaps...

A man in central China who had his nose bitten off while subduing an attacker to save a woman has been recognised as a national hero. Zeng Fanlin, 69, from Chenzhou, Hunan province, previously served as a village official before becoming a volunteer ...

US President Donald Trump delivered a prime-time “Speech to the Nation” on Thursday at 9pm Eastern Time, or 9am Hong Kong time on Friday. Such addresses are typically reserved for major national moments. During his second term, Trump has used the...

Taxi trade leader Chau Kwok-keung says he has never felt as much fear as he does now after transport minister Mable Chan set a 10,000-vehicle cap for ride-hailing service permits in May, in a bid to resolve what she called a “long-standing controve...

Although retail sales in Hong Kong rose more than 10 per cent year on year in the first five months of 2026, a wave of shop closures continues, leaving tenants and landlords with vastly different assessments of the retail leasing market. Many tenants...

The United States hit Iran on Friday, with Tehran accusing US forces of striking civilian sites and drawing Iranian threats of reprisals on regional infrastructure. A battle over the strategic Strait of Hormuz has rekindled the war in the Middle East...

If the future of humanity lies in the vast expanse of space, could humans actually perpetuate the species beyond Earth? As a team of Chinese scientists has discovered – the outlook is not very positive. The researchers used two of China’s Tianzho...

Mandatory evacuations across the Texas Hill Country are under way as life-threatening flash floods wreck bridges and roads with more heavy rain expected overnight. A wide swathe of Texas is forecast to receive as much as 20cm (eight inches) of additi...

Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng expects to produce more than 1,000 humanoid robots a month by the end of 2026 as it competes with Tesla in a high-stakes race to dominate physical AI, the integration of intelligent software into robotics and mach...

Japan’s firm support for Ukraine in its war against Russia is expected to be tested after Kyiv expressed interest in working with Tokyo to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. Such a move is unlikely because it would require Japan to cross a sensi...

US Secretary of State Marco ⁠Rubio told officials from more than 60 countries on Thursday that the United States would seek to refocus international counterterrorism efforts on what he called “far-left terror”, arguing that left-wing violence h...

A sudden crowd surge at a popular Hindu festival in eastern India’s Odisha state on Thursday left at least one person dead and many sent to hospital, a news agency reported. The incident occurred as tens of thousands of people gathered in the coast...

The White House moved on Thursday to tighten visa rules for foreign students, media and those on exchange programmes, including stricter limits on Chinese journalists, in the latest push by a government increasingly focused on cracking down on both l...

Hong Kong’s schools stand at a critical juncture as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes learning. The government’s Blueprint for Digital Education Development in Primary and Secondary Schools, launched last month just days ahead of Digital Educ...

Italian police raided the offices of several luxury brands including Bulgari and Chanel over suspicions they used subcontractors employing Chinese workers, a prosecutor said Thursday. The other luxury brands included Brunello Cucinelli, Etro, Goyard ...

Beijing has condemned the latest efforts by US lawmakers to curb Chinese access to leading semiconductor chips and chipmaking equipment, warning that they would lead to “arbitrary disruption and damage” to global supply chains. The stark assessme...

A teleprompter operator for Donald Trump has been suspended over allegations he placed bets with a prediction market on the content of the US president’s speeches, the White House said on Friday. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said th...

In a ruling that could expose carmakers to greater liability over India’s ethanol-blended fuel policy, an Indian consumer court has ‌ordered Maruti Suzuki to provide a new car to a customer who alleged mandatory E20 fuel damaged his car. The firs...

The struggle between the US and China over who will lead in artificial intelligence is one of the defining competitions of our time. In this first part of our exclusive interview with a key player defining Washington’s policy on AI, US undersecreta...

Hong Kong authorities’ role in last year’s deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze was secondary to that of construction and fire service firms, which either conspired to circumvent supervision or neglected their statutory duties, a government counsel has ar...

Senior Philippine officers from the armed forces have emphasised continuity among the military leadership, with the expected retirement of chief of staff General Romeo Brawner Jnr coming at a sensitive moment for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. The t...

An Italian court on Thursday sentenced the former head of motorway operator Autostrade per l’Italia to 12 years for his role in a deadly bridge disaster eight years ago. Giovanni Castellucci was found guilty of vehicle homicide and negligence relat...