Tag: Hongkong

Hong Kong court jails former editor for sedition, releases another on health grounds

By Jessie Pang HONG KONG (Reuters) -A Hong Kong court on Thursday night sentenced a former editor to jail for 21 months and immediately released another after they had earlier been found guilty of conspiring to publish seditious articles in a ruling that has prompted an international outcry. In a landmark case about media freedom, Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam of the now-defunct Stand News media outlet were convicted last month – the first time […]

First conviction under Hong Kong’s new national security law for wearing “seditious” T-shirt

By Jessie Pang HONG KONG (Reuters) – A Hong Kong man on Monday pleaded guilty to sedition for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan, becoming the first person convicted under the city’s new national security law passed in March. Chu Kai-pong, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of “doing with a seditious intention an act”. Under the new security law, the maximum sentence for the offence has been expanded from two years to seven […]

Deadly super typhoon Yagi makes landfall in China’s Hainan

By Farah Master HONG KONG (Reuters) -Asia’s strongest storm this year, Super Typhoon Yagi, made landfall along the coast of China’s Hainan province on Friday, bringing gales and heavy rain which shut schools for a second day and cancelled flights in the South China Sea region. Packing maximum sustained winds of 234 km per hour (145 mph) near its centre, Yagi registers as the world’s second-most powerful tropical cyclone in 2024 so far, after the […]

Hong Kong court convicts former Stand News editors of sedition

By Jessie Pang and James Pomfret HONG KONG (Reuters) -A Hong Kong court on Thursday found two editors of the now-defunct Stand News media outlet guilty of conspiring to publish seditious articles in a case that has drawn international scrutiny amid a security crackdown in the China-ruled city. The two editors, Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, could be jailed for up to two years when they are sentenced on Sept. 26. Their conviction is the […]

‘Hong Kong’s Dr Fauci’ sounds alarm on next pandemic

By Xinqi SU HONG KONG, July 19, 2024 (AFP) – Hong Kong microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung has done battle with some of the world’s worst threats, including the SARS virus he helped isolate and identify. And he has a warning. Another pandemic is inevitable and could exact damage far worse than Covid-19, according to the soft-spoken scientist sometimes thought of as Hong Kong’s answer to top US health expert Anthony Fauci. “Both the public and (world) […]

Hong Kong matches record for hottest summer solstice

HONG KONG (AFP) – Hong Kong matched on Friday its record for the hottest summer solstice as a subtropical ridge drove temperatures up to 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit). “The maximum temperature recorded at the observatory was 34C, the highest so far this year and equalling the record high for summer solstice set in 1980,” the city’s weather observatory said. The Chinese finance hub saw its hottest summer on record last year, with the […]

Hong Kong arrests three for ‘insulting’ anthem at World Cup qualifier

HONG KONG, June 7, 2024 (AFP) – Three people were arrested for turning their backs and remaining seated when China’s national anthem was played prior to Hong Kong’s home World Cup qualifier against Iran, police said Friday. Football fans in Hong Kong used to boo the national anthem as a show of political discontent, but the government in 2020 banned the practice as part of a wider crackdown following huge democracy protests in the city. […]

Former UK marine in Hong Kong spy case found dead: police

  LONDON, May 21, 2024 (AFP) – A former member of the UK’s Royal Marines, bailed by a court last week over allegations of assisting Hong Kong’s intelligence services in a Chinese-linked espionage case, has been found dead, British police said Tuesday. Matthew Trickett, 37, was found dead in a park in Maidenhead, west of London, on Sunday following a report by a member of the public, Thames Valley Police said. Trickett had more recently […]

Hong Kong lashed with nearly 10,000 lightning strikes overnight

Hong Kong was lashed by nearly 10,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, according to data from the city’s weather observatory. The Chinese city is accustomed to high humidity levels during April leading up to monsoon season, with residents prepared for sudden downpours during their workday commutes. Beginning 9:00 pm Tuesday evening, Hong Kong skies put on a flashy display, with the observatory recording 5,914 lightning bolts in a single hour as […]

Asia’s first spot bitcoin, ether ETFs start trading in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, April 30, 2024 (AFP) – Hong Kong on Tuesday launched trading of Asia’s first spot bitcoin and ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs), moving forward in the city’s race to become a regional virtual asset investment hub. The debut comes three months after the United States gave the greenlight to ETFs pegged to bitcoin’s spot price, making it easier for mainstream investors to add the unit to their portfolio. Hong Kong’s pioneering crypto ETFs on […]

Hong Kong conditionally approves first bitcoin and ether ETFs

HONG KONG, April 15, 2024 (AFP) – Hong Kong’s securities regulator on Monday granted conditional approval to start the city’s first spot-bitcoin and ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs), firms involved said, positioning it as a leader in Asia for the use of cryptocurrencies as investment tools. ChinaAMC (HK), the city’s unit of China Asset Management, said in a statement it had received regulatory approval from Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (SFC) for […]

Hong Kong customs makes largest-ever gold smuggling bust

Hong Kong customs said Monday it has made the biggest gold smuggling bust in its history, seizing 146 kilograms of the precious metal disguised as air compressor parts at the city’s international airport. Melted and moulded into parts like motor cores, screws, and gears, the smuggled gold was intercepted last month in two air compressors that were sent by air from Hong Kong to Japan and estimated to be worth HK$84 million ($10.7 million), the […]