A majority of lawmakers at a Legco transport panel meeting on Friday backed the government’s plan to license ride-hailing operators, although some called for changes. The government wants to introduce a licensing system for ride-hailing platforms, their drivers and the vehicles used. Transport sector lawmaker Frankie Yick said taxi drivers are conc…

The Hong Kong Observatory on Friday issued the Amber Rainstorm Warning signal for around two hours as tropical cyclone Wipha edges closer to Hong Kong and brings along heavy downpours. The forecaster said rain was particularly heavy in Yuen Long and Tsuen Wan at one point. It called on people to be on the alert, as Wipha will be closest to the city…

US President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a common, benign vein condition, the White House said on Thursday, following speculation about his heavily bruised hand and swollen legs. The 79-year-old, who in January became the oldest person ever to assume the presidency, was found to have "chronic venous insufficiency," Press Secretary Karoline…

An epidemiologist on Thursday urged the public to take anti-mosquito precautions, especially during hot and rainy weather, following an outbreak in July of a mosquito-borne disease in Shunde, Guangdong, caused by imported cases. The Centre for Health Protection reported on Wednesday that more than 220,000 cases of Chikungunya fever have been record…

The largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth was sold for just over US$5 million at an auction of rare geological and archaeological objects in New York on Wednesday. But a rare young dinosaur skeleton stole the show when it fetched more than US$30 million in a bidding frenzy. The 25-kilogramme rock named NWA 16788 was discovered in the Sahara Des…

Syria announced it had begun withdrawing its army from Druze-majority Sweida city on Wednesday night after agreeing to a new ceasefire that it said would bring a complete halt to its military operations there. A previous truce announced on Tuesday appeared to have little effect on the ground in the southern region, where days of violence have left …

The EU executive proposed on Wednesday a long-term budget boosted to two trillion euros as Europe confronts complex challenges. EU budget commissioner Piotr Serafin unveiled a funding plan from 2028 to 2034 that aims to foster the bloc's economic competitiveness, support Ukraine and satisfy traditional beneficiaries of European money, such as farme…

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he was not currently planning to fire Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, but added that he did not rule it out. Trump's mixed messaging, after months of escalating attacks on the independent central bank chief, sent the yield on the 30-year US Treasury bond surging above five percent. Asked about w…

The culture minister has vowed to assist Hong Kong performing arts groups and troupes to stage performances overseas, saying they can be a display of the city's "soft power". Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law told RTHK's Overview Policy programme that she was told by authorities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi that they welcomed performe…

Police said they have arrested a man suspected of pushing a boy into the sea in To Kwa Wan last weekend. The suspect, 23, was arrested on Tuesday. Officers said the man and the boy, 9, do not know each other. At a press briefing on Wednesday, chief inspector Cheung Lok-chuen said officers will continue their investigation by looking into the man's …

Chief Executive John Lee attended a book launch on Wednesday, featuring the rolling out of the traditional Chinese version of three important books on President Xi Jinping's thoughts and ideas. Speaking at the ceremony, Lee said the three books, which recorded major speeches by Xi on the country's education and cultural development, laid the founda…

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said on Wednesday officials have proposed that fare levels not be set for future ride-hailing service providers in part because they consider the interests of the people the top priority. Officials unveiled on Tuesday a proposed regulatory framework for such services that will see platforms granted f…

A proposed tighter limit on SIM card registrations will not affect the daily life of Hong Kong residents, DAB lawmaker Elizabeth Quat said. Her remarks came after the government proposed to lower the maximum registration limit for individuals from the current 10 prepaid SIM cards per service provider to three in a bid to combat phone scams. The gov…

Secretary for Education Christine Choi said on Wednesday that a Tuen Mun secondary school has reported to her bureau an alleged incident in which its vice principal was said to have taken out a pair of scissors and requested that a student cut his own hair. The student's father reportedly called the police. Choi said the school has set up a crisis …

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang called China's open-source artificial intelligence a "catalyst for global progress" and hailed the country's innovation in the sector as he addressed an expo in Beijing on Wednesday. Addressing the opening ceremony of the China International Supply Chain Expo, Huang – whose firm this week became the first to touc…

Vice Premier He Lifeng said on Wednesday the world was undergoing "turbulence and transformation" as he kicked off an expo in Beijing. Beijing is using this week's China International Supply Chain Expo as a forum to boost its image as the global defender of free trade – in contrast with the tariff chaos sparked by US President Donald Trump. "Some c…

The top scorer in this year's Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exams said he would like to become a doctor in future, but that he also studied economics out of his own interest. Henry Wang, from the Hong Kong Chinese Women's Club College in Sai Wan Ho, achieved the top scores in the compulsory subjects of Chinese, English and maths, along with …