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Clara Wong appointed as Hong Kong's new Director-General of Civil Aviation

The Hong Kong government announced on Friday that Clara Wong will take the helm as the city's new Director-General of Civil Aviation in August, succeeding retiring aviation chief Victor Liu Chi-yung.

Police arrest woman after passengers find needles hidden in bus seats over two consecutive days

Hong Kong police have arrested a woman in her fifties following consecutive incidents of sewing needles being found hidden in public bus seats, which left one passenger injured and prompted a high-profile criminal investigation.

Man flees Amoy Plaza watch shop with $152,000 Rolex after feigning interest as customer

A man in his 40s pulled off a high-value grab-and-run at a watch shop in Kowloon Bay on Friday afternoon, walking away with a rose gold Rolex valued at HK$152,000.

Monkey intrusion disrupts MTR services for second day running

A monkey briefly disrupted Tsuen Wan Line services on Friday morning, marking the second such incident on the MTR network in two days.

More Guangdong drivers allowed into Hong Kong from Saturday

Hong Kong’s southbound travel scheme for Guangdong vehicles will expand to all nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area from Saturday, with the daily quota doubling to 200 vehicles.

Business Today

SFC adjusts regulatory framework for leveraged and inverse products to ensure orderly market trading

Hong Kong's securities regulator moved on Friday to smooth volatility in the booming market for leveraged and inverse products (L&I products) by giving issuers more flexibility to adjust the leverage factor during turbulent trading while requiring clearer daily disclosure for investors.

China to tax offshore trusts as Beijing targets overseas wealth

China will impose individual income tax from Friday on assets placed in offshore trusts and the income they generate, the finance ministry and tax authority said, closing a loophole long used by wealthy citizens to shield fortunes abroad.

South Korean court orders SK Chairman Chey to pay $5 billion to ex-wife in divorce ruling

A South Korean court on Friday ordered SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to pay his former wife, Roh Soh-yeong, 944 billion won (HK$5.05 billion) in a high-profile divorce case that has drawn attention to the billionaire's stake in the country's second-largest conglomerate.

China says it opposes all unilateral tariffs as new US levies kick in

China opposes all unilateral tariffs, the foreign ministry's spokesperson told a daily news briefing on Friday, adding that trade wars do not serve any parties.

Pentagon awards Oracle nearly US$7 billion deal in latest software consolidation push

The Pentagon announced on Thursday a nearly US$7 billion (HK$54.6 billion), up-to-10-year agreement with Oracle to consolidate the department's on-premises software licenses into a single contract, the latest move by the Pentagon's technology chief to cut costs by eliminating fragmented purchasing.

World/China

South Korean tycoon ordered to pay $644m in divorce

A South Korean court ordered an AI chip-manufacturing tycoon on Friday to make a trimmed-down $644 million divorce payment to his former wife.

Indian government seeks time on minister resignation demand

Leaders of India's youth-led "cockroach" movement said on Friday that the government has asked for time until Saturday afternoon to respond on their demand for the education minister's resignation, following talks between the two sides.

China braces for heavy rain as tropical storm Noul edges closer

China on Friday warned of heavy rain and severe flood risks as the third tropical cyclone this month tracked closer to the country's southern coast, where it is expected to intensify over the weekend.

As AI grows more powerful, a US-China feud threatens safety efforts

U.S. threats to sanction Chinese AI developers over alleged intellectual property theft and export-control violations risk unravelling efforts to establish a bilateral dialogue on AI safety, analysts say, just as increasingly powerful models raise concerns over serious security breaches.

Deadly wildfires in Europe force thousands to flee

Wildfires fanned by scorching temperatures and strong winds swept through parts of western Europe on Friday, triggering a state of emergency in the Spanish capital region and prompting France to seek aid from the European Union.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓