Defending champions China scored twice in extra-time to book a blockbuster semi-final against hosts Australia at the Women’s Asian Cup on Saturday, with a dominant South Korea joining them in the last four. Hard-working Shao Ziqin brilliantly fired into the right corner in the 94th minute at Perth and China sealed a tense 2-0 victory […]

UN rights chief Volker Turk voiced concerns Friday about China’s so-called “ethnic unity” law, saying it could restrict freedom of religion and culture. The law, passed Thursday by the National People’s Congress, formalises policies to promote Mandarin as the “national common language” in education, official business and public places. Rights advocates warn the law could […]

Some Wang Fuk Court residents, including former members of the defunct owners’ corporation, will participate as involved parties in the upcoming probe hearings on the deadly Tai Po fire, HKFP has learned. The independent committee tasked to investigate the inferno had accepted the applications from two groups of residents to participate in the hearings as […]

Landlords may spend at least HK$15,000 to have up to four subdivided units certified under the new law stipulating minimum living standards for shoebox flats in Hong Kong, a surveyors’ association has said. Kenny Tse, chairperson of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, spoke at a briefing on subdivided housing for landlords and real estate […]

The United States launched trade investigations Thursday into 60 economies including China, the EU and Japan, fueling the possibility of further tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s global duties. The set of probes, initiated by the US Trade Representative (USTR) office, will look into “failures to take action on forced labor” […]

A passenger train from China arrived in the North Korean capital on Thursday, state media said, after a six-year hiatus since the service was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic. China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support for the isolated nuclear state. Train journeys between the […]

China was set to approve Thursday what it called an “ethnic unity” law, which rights advocates warn could further marginalise minority groups like the Uyghurs. The draft law, set to be passed by the National People’s Congress, would formalise policies to promote Mandarin as the “national common language” in education, official business and public places. […]

Ferries to Hong Kong’s outlying islands are set to increase next month, with fares for routes to Lamma Island and Cheung Chau expected to rise by 12.5 per cent. Fare adjustments will be made to six routes to areas including Cheung Chau, Lamma Island, Mui Wo and Peng Chau as part of a license renewal […]

Hong Kong aviation giant Cathay Pacific said on Wednesday that fuel surcharges would rise as prices soared in March after war broke out in the Middle East. The price of fuel so far this month is double the average of the previous two months, CEO Ronald Lam announced at a news conference. Energy concerns arising […]

Dozens of fans have made complaints to Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog after Taiwanese rock group Mayday rescheduled an upcoming concert at the Kai Tak Stadium two weeks before the show. As of 1pm on Tuesday, the Consumer Council had received 24 complaints about the rescheduled show involving a total amount of HK$63,613, local media reported. […]

Tiananmen vigil activist Chow Hang-tung has argued that China’s constitution cannot be directly implemented in Hong Kong, saying that prosecutors have misunderstood the ambit of the top legal text. Chow, a barrister who led the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China before its disbandment in 2021, made submissions on Tuesday […]

Ships anchored in the Gulf or transiting the Strait of Hormuz are changing their tracking data to boast links to China in an attempt to evade Iranian attacks, according to data from shipping tracker Marine Traffic analysed by AFP. Iran has effectively closed the vital waterway since US-Israeli strikes on it began on February 28, […]

A Hong Kong lawmaker has been fined HK$2,000 and banned from driving for one month after being filmed driving on the wrong side of a road in Wan Chai in January. Judy Chan, a New People’s Party lawmaker, appeared at Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Monday. She pleaded guilty to one count of careless driving. Magistrate […]

A Hong Kong court has rejected the Wall Street Journal’s bid to throw out a wrongful dismissal suit it faces from a former employee who said she was fired for taking up a leadership role at a local press union. On Monday morning, Principal Magistrate David Cheung shot down the American newspaper’s application and ordered […]

In February 2026, Hong Kong saw developments in two landmark national security cases: the courts sentenced pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai and his former newsroom staff, and dismissed the appeal of all 12 activists who challenged their convictions or sentences in the “Hong Kong 47” case. The city also witnessed the sentencing of democrat Anna […]

After climbing three flights of stairs in a building in Hong Kong’s bustling Mong Kok district, HKFP found an open metal gate and a wooden door adorned with Spring Festival decorations. The air was stale, thick with humidity from a shared bathroom and dust from the building’s ongoing renovation. There was no breeze entering the […]

A man facing national security charges in the UK provided information on pro-democracy dissidents to former Hong Kong police officers, a London court has heard. Former UK border officer Peter Wai, 38, and Bill Yuen, 65, a manager at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, face charges of assisting a foreign intelligence […]

The family of the Hong Kong firefighter who died battling November’s Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po will receive HK$6.15 million in financial support, the government has announced. Ho Wai-ho, 37, was among the 168 lives lost in Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in almost eight decades. He died in the line of duty on […]

Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai will not appeal against his national security conviction and 20-year jail term, his lawyer has said. Lai, 78, was sentenced to 20 years behind bars on February 9 – the longest jail term handed down so far under the national security law that Beijing imposed following the 2019 protests […]

China announced a seven percent boost to its defence budget for 2026 on Thursday as it steadily increases spending to counter the United States and enforce its claims over Taiwan and the South China Sea. The latest rise keeps China’s spending at a third of that of the United States, but the Asian power is […]

By Danny Kemp and Beiyi Seow with Isabel Kua in Beijing Just over two weeks before President Donald Trump is due to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, Chinese uncertainty over the US leader’s goals and the impact of the Iran war hang over the highly anticipated state visit. Trump’s trip, his first to […]

Chinese entrepreneur Frank Gao used to spend long hours running his social media accounts but now outsources the chore to AI agent tool OpenClaw, which is taking the country by storm despite official warnings over cybersecurity. OpenClaw, created in November by an Austrian coder, differs from bots like ChatGPT because it can execute real-life tasks […]

A Hong Kong independent bookstore owner has cited a former education minister in court to defend charges linked to a Spanish course held last year. Pong Yat-ming appeared at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday to stand trial for allegedly managing an unregistered school after he held a Spanish course at his bookstore, Book […]

The Hong Kong government has been urged to negotiate with oil giants to stabilise fuel prices, as some residents have resorted to buying illicit fuel amid soaring oil costs. Lawmaker Holden Chow, vice chair of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), said on RTHK on Friday morning that skyrocketing oil […]

Close to 4,000 athletes, celebrities and families gathered at the Hong Kong Science Park early Sunday morning, March 1, to join MSF’s large-scale running and orienteering competition and to support its international medical humanitarian work. In addition to the standard 10km and 3km running races, MSF revived its long-awaited orienteering event, offering a route suitable […]

Hong Kong’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific has announced that fuel surcharges for all flights will more than double next week, due to soaring oil prices amid the war in the Middle East. The surcharge increase will apply to all flight tickets issued on Wednesday and later, the airline said on Thursday. For short-haul flights, the […]

Former Islands district councillor Wong Chun-yeung has been sentenced to 45 months in prison for his role in a string of phone scam cases in 2023. Wong, 31 and unemployed, pleaded guilty to seven counts of money laundering at the District Court on Wednesday, Ming Pao reported. The defendant, also known as Sheep Wong, has […]

Calling for an end to the rule of China’s ruling party does not mean “overthrowing” its government and state organs, a Hong Kong court has heard during the national security trial of Tiananmen vigil activists. The court on Wednesday continued to hear submissions from Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, both former leaders of the now-disbanded […]

Chinese shipping giant Cosco said Tuesday that it is suspending operations at a Panama Canal port amid an ongoing row between the United States and China over the waterway’s oversight. Cosco, which owns one of the world’s largest fleets of tankers, is targeting the Pacific Ocean port of Balboa, which Panamanian authorities took back under […]

An industrial workers’ union has urged the government to return the belongings stolen from Wang Fuk Court to the rightful owners after a suspected jewellery theft at the fire-hit estate. Chau Sze-kit, chair of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, spoke on RTHK on Tuesday morning after three industrial workers were arrested last week for […]

HKFP has boosted its membership offering, giving monthly/yearly donors exclusive access to HKFP Monitor from this Saturday. Members will automatically start receiving our flagship newsletter, with each edition viewable on the website for recurring donors who are logged in. (Please note that Monitor is not yet accessible via our mobile apps.) Not a member? Join […]

A Hong Kong woman is facing charges stemming from the 2019 protests and unrest after returning from Australia – more than six years after her alleged offence took place. Ami Chan, 21, appeared in the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Monday to face one count of “possession of an offensive weapon in public” and another of […]

Hongkongers were warned of rising energy costs on Monday, as regional markets were shaken by the war in the Middle East. Oil breached US$100 (HK$782) a barrel for the first time since 2022, as the US-Israeli war against Iran continued into a second week with no sign of abating. Billy Mak, an associate economics professor […]

Taiwan has not detected a single Chinese military aircraft around the island for nine of the past 10 days, leaving experts puzzling over the reasons for the dramatic reduction in sorties. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring the island under its control. Beijing has stepped […]

The latest search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which went missing 12 years ago in one of aviation’s greatest enduring mysteries, concluded in January without yielding any findings, Malaysia’s transport ministry said on Sunday. The Boeing 777 carrying 239 people vanished from radar screens on March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to […]

Australia’s military on Friday said a Chinese navy helicopter flew dangerously close to one of its aircraft during a routine passage through the Yellow Sea that Beijing criticised as a “provocation.” The defence ministry in Canberra said it has raised concerns with Beijing after the incident, which both governments said took place Wednesday over open […]

China’s leaders are “clearly aware” of challenges facing growth, the head of the country’s top economic planning body said on Friday, vowing to boost sluggish domestic consumption. The comments were made on the sidelines of the annual “Two Sessions” in Beijing, a closely watched political gathering at which the government unveiled on Thursday a growth […]

A UK lawmaker said Thursday she was stepping out of the parliamentary group of the governing party after her husband was reportedly arrested on suspicion of spying for China. UK police on Thursday said they had released three people, reportedly including David Taylor, the husband of Labour member of parliament Joani Reid. “I am voluntarily […]

Over 40 per cent of Hong Kong’s “Generation Z” population, or those aged 18 to 24, suffer from moderate to severe depression, a survey has found, with researchers identifying excessive screen time as strongly linked with emotional distress. The Mental Health Association of Hong Kong (MHAHK) said on Thursday that Hong Kong residents had reported […]

A Taiwanese academic was barred from testifying in activist Chow Hang-tung’s national security trial as his past criticisms of the Chinese Communist Party reflected a lack of “independence and objectivity,” a Hong Kong court has ruled. Chow had initially applied to have Ho Ming-sho, a sociology professor at National Taiwan University, testify in her national […]

On a Friday evening in March, the Avenue of Stars was packed with tourists jostling for the perfect selfie spot against the Tsim Sha Tsui harbourfront. When the clock struck 8pm, more phones went up in the air as green lasers flickered across the nightscape. In the background, tourists could make out the faint sound […]

By Steven Chan, The Green Earth Ten years ago, the government introduced the Food Wise Hong Kong campaign featuring the unforgettable mascot Big Waster – a cartoon character with eyes literally bigger than his stomach. His catchy rap still rings in our ears: “Order only portions you can finish, buy only what you need… Stop […]

Taiwanese lawmakers have given the government a green light to sign US agreements for four weapons deals, the parliamentary speaker said Friday, even before a proposal to fund these and other arms has been approved. The weapons — M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, Javelin anti-armor missiles, TOW 2B missiles and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) — […]

A Hong Kong court has ruled that two Tiananmen vigil activists have a case to answer over calls to “end one-party rule” in China in a subversion trial under the Beijing-imposed national security law. Three designated national security judges ruled on Friday that the prosecution established a prima facie case against Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung, […]

Records show that journalist Selina Cheng was terminated by the Wall Street Journal due to redundancy, a top human resources executive for the newspaper’s parent company has told a Hong Kong court. The unlawful dismissal lawsuit brought by Cheng against Dow Jones Publishing Co. (Asia) Inc., alleging that she was fired in July 2024 because […]

Hong Kong’s anti-graft watchdog and financial regulator have arrested eight people and raided the offices of three firms over suspected insider dealing and corruption worth HK$315 million in illicit profits. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) said on Thursday that they conducted a joint operation, codenamed “Fuse,” this […]

Ten people have been injured and one driver has been arrested following a multi-vehicle pile-up on a major bridge leading to the Hong Kong airport. Police said they received a report of the accident on Tsing Ma Bridge at 8.31am on Thursday. Nine private cars and one light goods vehicle were involved in the pile-up, […]

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has suspended a professor who was arrested in Australia after posing as a student at a boys’ school and taking photos of its pupils. Johnny Li, a professor at CUHK Business School, was arrested at a park opposite Sydney Grammar School, an elite boys’ school, on March 6, […]

The Immigration Department has arrested 20 people in a raid targeting domestic workers working illegally, including some allegedly earning side income by providing HK$50 massage or manicure services. The department said that 14 workers and six employers were arrested during a three-day operation that began on Sunday, the authority said in a statement on Tuesday. […]

Passenger train services between China and North Korea will resume this week six years after their suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic, rail authorities in Beijing confirmed on Tuesday. Train journeys between the two countries were halted in 2020 as they imposed strict border closures to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. While China has since […]

A former top editor of Hong Kong’s now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper has filed an appeal against his 10-year jail term in a high-profile national security case which saw media mogul Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years. A High Court document showed on Monday that Lam Man-chung, ex-executive editor-in-chief at the tabloid, had lodged an appeal […]

Lawyers for a Tiananmen vigil activist have begun submissions seeking an early acquittal from the subversion charge, arguing that prosecutors misinterpreted China’s constitution and presented a flawed case. Barrister Erik Shum, representing Lee Cheuk-yan, argued on Monday that prosecutors erred in saying that there are no “lawful means” to call for an end to the […]

China said Monday that Iran’s decision to name Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader following the killing of his father was a domestic matter, and it opposed any attempt to target him. Israel’s military has threatened to target any successor to former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first wave of […]

Workers entering Wang Fuk Court will undergo tight security checks, including body searches before leaving, after three men were arrested on suspicion of stealing jewellery from the fire-ravaged estate while carrying out building reinforcement works. Commissioner of Police Joe Chow told reporters on Sunday that, starting Monday, police would boost security checks at the Tai […]

By Mary Yang New mother Zhang Xiaofei wanted to be financially secure before having a baby, wary of high childcare costs that have been softened only a little by Chinese government cash incentives to boost record-low births. The world’s second-most populous country is threatened with a demographic crisis after its birth rate halved over the […]

Many years ago I read a short story about a man who successfully summoned a genie, and on being offered the traditional wish said he wished to lose weight. “Certainly,” said the genie, and in a matter of seconds the lucky fellow was glued to the ceiling, having become lighter than air. The point of […]

Jingzhe, the “awakening of insects” festival that falls a few weeks after the start of the Lunar New Year, took place on Thursday – marking the third of the Chinese calendar’s 24 solar terms. The festival is named for the awakening of insects from hibernation as spring arrives. A common ritual during Jingzhe is “villain […]

The High Court has dismissed a Hong Kong press group’s legal challenge against government restrictions on media access to the vehicle registry. High Court Judge Russell Coleman handed down his judgment on Friday, rejecting the Hong Kong Journalists Association’s (HKJA) judicial review against the Transport Department. The HKJA argued that the new arrangement on media […]

An animal rights NGO has urged the Hong Kong government to provide “humane education” and teach respect after a 14-year-old student was arrested on suspicion of animal abuse. PETA Asia said in a statement on Thursday that it was “rushing humane education materials” to the Education Bureau and urging the government to prevent violence by […]

An Emirates flight from Dubai carrying stranded Hongkongers landed on Wednesday night, marking the first flight from the Middle East since the conflict began. Emirates flight EK 380 landed in Hong Kong at 9:50pm, according to the Hong Kong International Airport’s record of arrival flights. On the flight were Hongkongers and mainland Chinese residents who […]