Evening News on TV32 - Oct 21

RTHK - Oct 21, 2026

Top stories for Wednesday, Oct 21, 2026 - Apec finance ministers agree to strengthen communication and coordination. - Hong Kong wins its first gold at the Asian Para Games. - A man appears in court in Australia over an attack that saw a lawmaker lose both her legs.

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Washington’s DeepSeek ban may deter US firms from adopting Chinese AI models: experts

The US government’s latest ban on Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek could have a chilling effect on the wider American business community and deter companies from adopting low-cost Chinese AI models, industry experts say. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ordered federal civilian agencies to remove DeepSeek products and third-party services built on the Chinese AI model from their IT systems, according to a directive signed in July and published on Monday. The...

Washington’s DeepSeek ban may deter US firms from adopting Chinese AI models: experts

Taiwan’s Iran-style attack drone could swamp PLA air defences: analysts

A flight-tested attack drone similar to Iran’s Shahed model that its Taiwanese maker says could reach military targets in mainland China is meant to swamp PLA air defences, analysts said. Drawing on battlefield lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East, military experts broadly agree on the utility of such low-cost systems but differ on how it could be deployed in a conflict with Beijing should it enter service. While some see greater value in targeting People’s Liberation Army forces in the...

Taiwan’s Iran-style attack drone could swamp PLA air defences: analysts

Suspicious letters containing white powder sent to 2 Hong Kong media outlets

Hong Kong police are investigating after two local media outlets received suspicious letters containing white powder – believed to be crushed oatmeal – sent from the United Kingdom. Police said that at around 3pm on Wednesday, online media outlet HK01 received an airmail letter delivered from the UK at its Kwai Chung office. Staff at the office in Tower 1 of Ever Gain Plaza opened the letter and found suspicious white powder inside. They subsequently called police. The police force deployed...

Suspicious letters containing white powder sent to 2 Hong Kong media outlets

Hong Kong semi-private schools admit 20 more non-local students under expansion scheme

Around 20 more non-local students have been admitted to Hong Kong semi-private schools under a government scheme to boost the city’s status as an international education hub, with a school head urging authorities to do more to promote the initiative to prospective pupils. Education authorities said on Wednesday that the non-local students holding student visas this year came from countries including Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, the United States and several European nations. Ida Lee...

Hong Kong semi-private schools admit 20 more non-local students under expansion scheme

Is China a Russia-allied Arctic threat to Europe or a potential polar partner?

Europe should work with Beijing to develop shipping through the Arctic rather than trying to advance its transatlantic security alliance by framing China as a threat linked to Russia. That was the assessment of Chinese analysts following the release of the European Union’s Arctic policy on Tuesday. In addition to identifying Russia as its main threat, the policy warns of Beijing’s growing strategic ambitions in the European Arctic through its deepening alignment with Moscow. “With our new...

Is China a Russia-allied Arctic threat to Europe or a potential polar partner?

Hong Kong to tighten media access to land records, triggering concerns

Hong Kong lawmakers and the media industry have raised concerns about the authorities’ plan to tighten arrangements for journalists searching land records, with some legislators urging the government to explain operational details and streamline the application to support investigative reporting. The Hong Kong Journalists Association voiced objections on Wednesday, after the government tabled eight pieces of subsidiary legislation, including the Land Titles Regulation that covers land record...

Hong Kong to tighten media access to land records, triggering concerns

China’s offshore tax crackdown could inadvertently fuel a digital dollar boom

From October 22, China’s grace period for the disclosure and settlement of certain offshore-trust tax liabilities ends. For the Chinese government, this deadline highlights its desire to affirm control over capital outflows, while for Chinese high-net-worth families, it serves as a reminder that it is now harder to keep international assets beyond the reach of the government. The deadline sits against the backdrop of China tightening scrutiny around cryptocurrency, stablecoins and real-world...

China’s offshore tax crackdown could inadvertently fuel a digital dollar boom

Chinese mathematician Sun Zhiwei proposes 1,000 problems to challenge AI

In an age of AI-induced answers to complex mathematical problems, Chinese mathematician Sun Zhiwei maintains that curiosity and asking good questions are more important then ever. Over a career spent probing the edges of number theory, Sun, a 61-year-old professor at Nanjing University’s department of mathematics, has built a vast landscape of problems – more than 1,000 and counting – for the global research community to tackle. While traditional mathematical training emphasises mastering...

Chinese mathematician Sun Zhiwei proposes 1,000 problems to challenge AI

Star Ferry fares to rise by up to HK$1.80 from January

Star Ferry fares are set to rise by as much as HK$1.80 (23 US cents) from January after Hong Kong authorities endorsed the operator’s application for an increase, taking the cost of a weekend cross-harbour trip to up to HK$8.30. The operator, which last raised its fares in 2023, applied in March to increase charges on its two franchised routes by between 80 HK cents and HK$2 per journey. Under a proposal approved by the Executive Council last Tuesday and announced on Wednesday, fares for the...

Star Ferry fares to rise by up to HK$1.80 from January

Beijing’s top Taiwan official meets US think tank to reaffirm red lines

The director of Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), Song Tao, has held a rare meeting with a delegation of US scholars, pledging to push for the peaceful development of cross-strait ties. During the meeting in Beijing on Tuesday with a delegation from the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP) led by its president and CEO, Susan Elliott, Song spoke of a broader diplomatic context following summit meetings between Chinese and US leadership. “President Xi Jinping elaborated on...

Beijing’s top Taiwan official meets US think tank to reaffirm red lines

Hong Kong tours avoid France protest areas as schools cancel planned trips

Tour operators have changed itineraries and pulled Hong Kong travellers away from protest hotspots in France, while some school groups have cancelled planned trips to the country following the issuance of an official travel warning. EGL Tours chairman and executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said one of the company’s tour groups had encountered protests at the Louvre in Paris on Saturday, with police helping clear a route for their coach to return to the hotel. “Our tour group happened to be...

Hong Kong tours avoid France protest areas as schools cancel planned trips

Hong Kong’s Election Committee race: should you care? Here’s what you need to know

Nominations have closed for Hong Kong’s Election Committee election, setting the stage for the November 22 poll. The poll, the second since Beijing overhauled the city’s electoral system to ensure patriots rule Hong Kong, will return 1,500 members who will nominate and vote in next year’s chief executive election. Here’s all you need to know about the 2026 Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections, now that nominations have closed: from the hopefuls’ line-up and the heavyweights in the...

Hong Kong’s Election Committee race: should you care? Here’s what you need to know

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