Philippines floods, landslides, kill at least 12, 8 missing

Police and officials remind residents to evacuate to higher ground as floodwaters inundate a village in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Photo: AP
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Hong Kong eyes licensing for livestock in New Territories amid urban push

Hong Kong residents raising goats, sheep and cattle in the New Territories will need a licence under a proposed regulation which aims to reduce nuisance and hygiene problems affecting neighbours, amid the acceleration of urban development under projects such as the Northern Metropolis.

The plan was revealed in an Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department document, scheduled to be discussed at the Yuen Long District Council on Tuesday, in which the department sought to extend the licensing requirement for raising goats, sheep and cattle to the entire city.

“Currently, the New


‘Islamic Nato’ may create China opening in Middle East

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed a Nato-like defence agreement in Mecca as the United States’ war on Iran prompts countries in the region to rethink security arrangements.The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement stipulates that “any armed attack against any one of the three states shall be regarded as an attack against them all”, the three countries said in a joint statement. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz...

How the guest list for Beijing’s summer retreat reveals its tech priorities

Visitors walk past a statue of Mao Zedong in Beidaihe, in northern Hebei province. Chinese leaders have travelled to the seaside town every year since the 1950s. Photo: Simon Song

China’s central government has invited dozens of scientific, technological and academic experts to its annual summer retreat , highlighting how the country is focusing on innovation and breaking through “chokepoints” amid fierce competition with the US.

According to state news agency Xinhua, the Communist Party’s Central Committee and the State Council, China’s cabinet, invited 60 experts


Hong Kong hotel sector recovery elusive for unprepared investors

The communal lounge at YOT Hub, located in the Regal Oriental Hotel, in Kowloon City. The youth hostel features 80 rooms for Hong Kong permanent residents aged 18 to 31. Photo: Sam Tsang

Nicholas Spiro is a partner at Lauressa Advisory, a specialist London-based real estate and macroeconomic advisory firm.

Signs of recovery in Hong Kong’s real estate industry are becoming more apparent, so much so that key indicators in parts of the sector are experiencing some of the fastest growth rates in the Asia-Pacific.

In the hotel market, average daily rates , which were declining in annualised terms for most of 2025,
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Diamond buyer admits stealing HK$11m worth of gems to fund gambling addiction

Ex-Tse Sui Luen procurement manager resold diamonds from suppliers over six years, depositing up to HK$300,000 a month into a betting account

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Mui Ka-fai, 63, pleaded guilty at the High Court to stealing diamonds worth more than HK$11 million from suppliers over six years. Photo: Warton Li

A former procurement manager at Tse Sui Luen Jewellery in Hong Kong has pleaded guilty to stealing diamonds worth more than HK$11 million (US$1.4 million) from suppliers over six years by manipulating consignment records to fund


72% of Hong Kong professionals regularly use AI, double global average: survey

About 72.7 per cent of respondents said they used AI tools at work on a daily or weekly basis, compared with a global average of 31 per cent cited in a 2025 KPMG study. Photo: Sam Tsang
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Malaysian MP offers US$1,200 bounty for arsonist after unprovoked attack on elderly woman

A Malaysian lawmaker is offering a 5,000 ringgit (US$1,200) bounty for the person responsible for an arson attack which left an elderly woman in critical condition in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur.

The 62-year-old counter staff suffered 50 per cent burns to her body after an unidentified individual doused her in what police believe was petrol and set her on fire at a lottery shop in Kepong, a suburb some 14km (nine miles) from the


Indonesian Islamic body warns against cross-dressing in Independence Day games

Students take part in the street culture carnival to celebrate Indonesia’s Independence Day in Banda Aceh on August 19, 2023. Photo: AFP

Indonesia ’s top Islamic clerical body has warned men not to wear “women’s clothing” for Independence Day festivities despite a long-standing tradition of men in dresses playing football as part of the annual fun.

Amid a rising tide of anti-LGBTQ sentiment in the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian nation, the influential Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) said in a statement such behaviour was “haram” or forbidden.

The MUI said its
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Bar Association challenges decision to clear ex-lawmaker Margaret Ng of misconduct

Legal body applies for judicial review of tribunal’s decision that barrister’s role in illegal gathering was not serious enough to warrant sanction

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Former lawmaker Margaret Ng received a suspended jail sentence for taking part in an illegal demonstration in August 2019. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

The Hong Kong Bar Association has filed a judicial challenge against a disciplinary panel’s decision to clear barrister and former opposition lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee of professional misconduct over her participation in an