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HK restaurants sweep top two spots at Asia's 50 Best Restaurants

Hong Kong claimed the top two positions at the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards, with The Chairman named the best restaurant in Asia and Wing taking second place at the ceremony held in Hong Kong for the first time on Wednesday.

Book Punch owner arrested under national security law

Pong Yat-ming, owner of Book Punch in Sham Shui Po, was arrested by the Hong Kong police's National Security Department on Tuesday on suspicion of violating Section 24 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, which prohibits "knowingly selling seditious publications." He was released on bail on Wednesday evening.

2 arrested over brutal attack on 23-year-old man in Tin Shui Wai park

Two men aged 19 and 22 have been arrested in connection with an alleged assault that left a 23-year-old man with severe head injuries in a Tin Shui Wai park earlier this month, police said.

Fan climbs over railing at airport to catch glimpse of K-pop stars, officers prevent fall

An 18-year-old man was taken to hospital after climbing over a railing at Hong Kong International Airport on Wednesday evening in an apparent attempt to get a better view of K-pop girl group BABYMONSTER, police said.

World/China News

 Iran state TV says Tehran rejects US peace plan

Iranian state television, citing an unidentified senior official, said Wednesday that Iran had rejected a peace plan proposed by the United States to end the Middle East war.

 Trump reschedules Iran-delayed China visit for May 14-15

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would visit China for a state visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14 and 15, rescheduling a closely watched trip that was delayed due to the ongoing Iran war.

 USS Gerald R. Ford withdraws from Middle East after fire, revealing reliability issues

The US Navy's newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has been forced to withdraw from Middle East operations after a major fire on board, highlighting persistent technical and maintenance concerns for the US$13.2 billion vessel, Bloomberg reported.

Meta, Google lose US case over social media harm to kids

Alphabet's Google and Meta were found liable on Wednesday for designing platforms that are dangerous for teens, in a landmark verdict that could force tech firms to rethink how they defend themselves against safety claims.

 Meta ordered to pay $375 million in New Mexico trial over child exploitation, user safety claims

A New Mexico jury on Tuesday found Meta Platforms violated state law in a lawsuit brought by the state attorney general, who accused the company of misleading users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and of enabling child sexual exploitation on those platforms.

Japan holds first summit on Fuji eruption response, warns of up to 30cm of ash in worst-case scenario

The Japanese government convened its first joint meeting with the Tokyo metropolitan government and major private companies on Thursday to discuss response mechanisms and disaster supply chains in the event of a large-scale eruption of Mount Fuji, which has been dormant for over 300 years but remains an active volcano.

IMarket

Wall Street advances as investors bet on Mideast de-escalation

Wall Street's main indexes closed higher on Wednesday as oil prices fell while Iran reviewed a U.S. proposal to end the war in the Middle East, feeding investor hopes for de-escalation in the fourth week of a war that has disrupted global energy flows and stoked inflation concerns.

Editorial

Hong Kong's yacht tourism push: charting a course to become the Monaco of Asia-Pacific

With new berth proposals and cross-border policy discussions, Hong Kong is positioning itself as a maritime lifestyle hub for the Greater Bay Area.