Top stories for Friday, Oct 2, 2026 - John Lee pledges stronger Greater Bay Area integration. - A Wan Chai temple and a prison mosque are declared monuments. - Hong Kong sail to two golds and a silver at the Asian Games.
An off-duty senior ambulanceman has died after falling from a cliff while abseiling in Hong Kong. The Fire Services Department said on Friday that it had received a report at 2.33pm that a man had fallen from Kowloon Peak in Wong Tai Sin while abseiling. Rescuers and a government helicopter searched the area and found an unconscious man at a nearby cliff. Another man with minor injuries was found on a nearby trail. The department mobilised its mountain and high-angle rescue teams during the...
The Chinese embassy in Manila has expressed concern over the cases of two Hongkongers who have remained in custody in the Philippines for months despite being discharged from prison, according to the Immigration Department. The department confirmed on Friday night that it was handling the two cases following an appeal from a former lawmaker and a Hong Kong man who returned to the city on Tuesday after serving 26 years in a Philippine prison for drug offences. The returned Hongkonger, Tang...
Hong Kong could dethrone London as the top choice for arbitration within the next decade given the Asian city’s status as a global fundraising capital for businesses in mainland China and beyond, the head of the Bar Association has said. Jose-Antonio Maurellet, chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, told the South China Morning Post on Friday that the city had enjoyed rapid growth in arbitration work, with high-stakes cases attracting elite international legal talent. Hong Kong tied with...
US President Donald Trump is planning to attend the Asean summit next month, the South China Morning Post understands, as Washington vies with Beijing for influence in the region. If the trip happens, Trump’s appearance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting, expected to run from November 16-18 in Manila, will be his second consecutive appearance at the gathering during this term. Trump was in Kuala Lumpur for Asean last year and in Manila for the meeting in 2017. Sources told the...
China is ramping up its efforts to bring young Americans to China, and ready to be seen as a country concerned with environmental protection, lifting people out of poverty, protecting minority cultures and building the technology of the future. During his trip to the United States last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country aimed to welcome 100,000 young Americans on exchange or study trips over the next five years. That builds on an earlier target announced in 2023 that set the...
We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering global relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump condemns ‘sick conspiracy’ against AI, says he is only guardrail needed US President Donald Trump downplayed growing concerns about artificial intelligence, claiming America already has guardrails to regulate the industry and warning that casting doubt on development only benefits...
The Airport Authority has averted a “lose-lose situation” by terminating a nearly 50-year contract with Hong Kong developer New World Development for the 11 Skies commercial project, with most facilities now set to open in 2028, the statutory body’s directors have said. Julian Lee Pui-hang, the authority’s executive director for finance, said on Friday that it could no longer work with a debt-ridden partner on the ambitious development and that the project needed to be brought forward. He said...
The MTR Corporation will hand over HK$2.25 billion (US$287 million) to the Hong Kong government as a one-off settlement for the delayed completion of the high-speed rail line, while reaching a consensus to avoid a payout over hurdles affecting the Sha Tin to Central Link. While the transport firm oversaw the design, construction, testing and operation of the two projects, both are owned by the government and involved public funds. Under the arrangements announced on Friday, the MTR Corp will pay...
China has set up several new institutions at military academies to train specialists in hi-tech and discipline inspection as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) works towards its centennial modernisation goals. The College of Unmanned and Intelligent Engineering, the College of Combat Support NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) and the College of Equipment Support NCOs were established within the PLA Army Engineering University on Wednesday. On the same day, the National Defence University (NDU),...
A director of Hotstone Yoga has been arrested on suspicion of contravening the Trade Descriptions Ordinance by accepting prepayments for services before the wellness chain’s abrupt closure, as the amount of financial losses claimed by customers surpassed HK$4 million (US$510,000). The company’s closure on Wednesday has also prompted lawmakers to urge the government to widen the scope of a proposed statutory cooling-off law to cover more sections of the wellness market. Chong Kai-shing, a...
Around 150 Chinese language teachers in the Philippines are returning home following mounting criticism from Philippine security officials that educational exchanges involving China could pose national security threats. The withdrawal affects teachers stationed at schools including the Immaculate Conception Academy in Greenhills and Jubilee Christian Academy in Quezon City, both in Metro Manila, according to local media. The Manila-based Chinese Commercial News reported on Friday that the...
Taiwan has hailed the much-delayed arrival of two F-16V fighter jets as a demonstration of continuing American military support, despite a US presidential hold put on a separate multibilllion-dollar arms package. The two single-seat aircraft, which reached Chihhang Air Base in the eastern county of Taitung on Friday, are the first new F-16s received by the island since deliveries of its original F-16A/B fleet began in 1997. Compared with the earlier versions, the F-16V configuration incorporates...