Clogged pipeline: Many Hong Kong IPO hopefuls near application expiration

Data from bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, based in Exchange Square in Central, shows more than 430 companies waiting for IPOs. Photo: Jelly Tse

A large number of mainland Chinese companies hoping to list shares on the Hong Kong stock exchange are anxiously waiting for a nod from the mainland securities regulator, with many now at risk of having their listing applications lapse.
More than 430 companies were currently waiting in the initial public offering (IPO) pipeline, according to data from bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) . More than 30, including mainland supermarket chain Qiandama and

Vatican excommunicates 6 bishops from rebel Catholic group

Holy See responds aggressively to a traditionalist society that consecrated bishops without the pope’s consent

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Newly consecrated bishops pray at the end of their consecration ceremony in Switzerland on Wednesday. Photo: AP

The Vatican on Thursday excommunicated six bishops from the ultraconservative Society of St Pius X and said any lay believers who “formally adhere” to the group would suffer the same fate.

The Vatican decree comes a day after the traditionalist breakaway group consecrated four new


India orders WhatsApp to halt username feature over anonymity concerns

The stand-off forces WhatsApp to weigh compliance against mounting concerns about government interference in its biggest market

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The WhatsApp app icon is seen on a smartphone. India has asked WhatsApp to justify the implementation of ​a planned feature covering usernames and to freeze the rollout. Photo: Reuters

India has asked WhatsApp to justify the implementation of a planned feature covering usernames and to freeze the roll-out in its biggest market, escalating a crackdown on messaging anonymity that began with Telegram, according to a government letter.

The move comes


China bans pet anaesthetic tiletamine after waves of young people vape drug

China has banned tiletamine, a common veterinary anaesthetic, after it became a popular vaping product for young people in bars and nightclubs. Anyone found with e-cigarette capsules, e-liquids, heat sticks or other specified alternative smoking products in public places will be fined US$3,000. Photo: Elson Li

China has banned tiletamine, a common veterinary anaesthetic, after its recreational inhalation among young people escalated sharply.

Since July 1, the compound has been classified as a controlled substance and is regulated as strictly as fentanyl .

Tiletamine has a chemical structure similar to ketamine, commonly known as “K powder”, and it was mainly used for surgical anaesthesia in pets such as cats and dogs.

However, the substance can be vaporised in so-called heady

Lawmaker William Wong failed to tell Legco about arrest, set for committee probe

Sources say Wong’s silence over drink-driving arrest constitutes breach of members’ code related to ‘timely reporting of legal proceedings’

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Lawmaker Wong Kam-fai attends the handover flag-raising ceremony on Wednesday. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong lawmaker William Wong Kam-fai failed to report his arrest for alleged drink-driving to the Legislative Council as required under its code of conduct and is expected to face an internal investigation that could

Singapore to buy more Hellfire missiles after US backs US$22.3 million package

The US State Department said that the proposed sale ‘will not alter the basic military balance in the region’

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A model of a Hellfire missile is seen attached under the wing of an MQ-9 Reaper military drone during a demonstration on June 12. Photo: AFP

Singapore is set to acquire additional Hellfire missiles after the United States backed a proposed package valued at US$22.3 million.

The US State Department said on Tuesday that it has approved the potential sale of an additional 24 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles to Singapore, along with

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Gaza marks 1,000 days of war. Palestinians there face an uncertain future

It’s the 1000th day of war since a Hamas-led attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. Other conflicts have emerged in the region, and fragile ceasefires show scars of persistent attacks. Both Israelis and Palestinians are weary of the strain.

The fate of over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, largely displaced and living amid ruins, remains uncertain. Israeli forces controlled over half of the territory under the ceasefire that took effect on October 10, but Israel’s government has expanded

Mourners attend the funeral of three Palestinians, including a 10-year-old, who were killed in an Israeli strike. Photo: Reuters

What Philippine president’s visit reveals about Canada’s Indo-Pacific ambitions

Canadian Minister of National Defence David McGuinty (left) and Philippine Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro take part in a signing ceremony in Ottawa on June 11. Photo: AP

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr ’s trip to Canada highlights deepening ties at a time when Ottawa is seeking to court middle powers and establish its presence in the Indo-Pacific.
Marcos is in the Canadian capital for a four-day visit that started on Wednesday, where he is set to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney in an effort to strengthen cooperation on trade, labour,
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Ferrari owner sues ‘unapologetic’ Chinese parents whose kids scratched $530,000 supercar

A Chinese Ferrari owner is suing the parents of four children who severely scratched his 3.6 million yuan supercar by climbing all over it. Photo: Douyin

A Ferrari owner in southwest China is considering legal action after some children used his supercar as a slide, damaging it while their parents remained unapologetic.

Zhang, from Kunming in Yunnan province, recently parked his red Ferrari, valued at 3.6 million yuan (US$530,000), in an outdoor space before leaving on a business trip.


New technologies power China’s Tesla challengers to monthly sales records

A Zeekr X electric vehicle on display at the Fast Auto Show in Bangkok on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

Chinese Tesla challengers Leapmotor and Zeekr, banking on their latest battery and self-driving technologies, bucked a downward trend in domestic electric vehicle sales with record deliveries last month, ratcheting up pressure on the US carmaker amid weak consumer sentiment towards big-ticket items.

Stellantis-backed Leapmotor delivered 93,376 electric vehicles (EVs) last month, up 94.5 per cent year on year, as it rewrote its sales record