Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau said on Friday the government will further review operations at RTHK after lawmakers expressed concern over the broadcaster's expenditure. At a special finance committee meeting on the budget in the legislature, lawmakers raised questions over the station's headcount and spending. Junius …

Commerce minister Algernon Yau on Friday said the chief executive would head to the Middle East next month with representatives from mainland enterprises to seek more business opportunities. Yau made the announcement during the legislature's special finance committee meeting on the budget. The DAB's Starry Lee, who's also Hong Kong's sole delegate …

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol returned to his private home on Friday from the official residence after his removal from office, with crowds of supporters turning out to greet his motorcade. The Constitutional Court upheld Yoon's impeachment last Friday, capping four months of unprecedented constitutional turmoil after his short-lived …

The Commissioner for Digital Policy Tony Wong said Hong Kong aims to launch a locally developed chatbot in the second half and that it may be available for use free of charge in the initial stage. The Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Center is developing local large language models, and its generative AI document processing applicat…

Hong Kong stocks fell on Friday, hurt by growing concerns about the US trade war and the potential for a global recession. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index lost 124 points, or 0.6 percent, to open at 20,557 points, while the tech sub-index was 0.5 percent weaker. However, the blue-chip CSI 300 Index on the mainland and the Shanghai Composite Index were …

US President Donald Trump claimed victory over Europe in the US tariffs war but acknowledged a "cost" to his surging trade offensive against superpower rival China as markets plunged again on Thursday. Trump sought a victory lap at a White House cabinet meeting, saying the European Union had backed off from imposing retaliatory tariffs because of h…

Manchester United on Thursday assured SAR fans that a “full team” including captain Bruno Fernandes will be featured in a friendly against Hong Kong, China next month. The match – set for May 30 at Hong Kong Stadium – is part of the Red Devils’ post-season Asia tour, which kicks off with a stop in Kuala Lumpur. It marks the Premier League side’s re…

The Chinese Manufacturers' Association on Thursday urged the SAR administration to roll out support measures to help enterprises with stabilising their working capital amid the global trade war. The association said manufacturers, exporters and importers globally tend to hold off on plans and suspend orders due to the present fast-changing developm…

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order lifting water-pressure restrictions on showerheads, a move the White House said would "make America's showers great again". Trump has long complained about inadequate water pressure in American bathrooms, which he blames on federal water-conservation regulations. "In my case I like to take a n…

Authorities on Thursday said they are stepping up efforts to tackle scam syndicates and their use of mule accounts to launder funds. This came after the number of scam cases rose by 12 percent, to almost 45,000 last year, involving more than HK$9 billion. Some 8,600 people were arrested on suspicion of lending their bank accounts for money launderi…

Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Thursday the integration of artificial intelligence technology into the fintech industry could help turbocharge financial development across Asia. His remarks came as the government-owned investment body, Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC), launched a strategic partnership with locally-based virtual bank, …

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, widely seen as the frontrunner in a presidential by-election triggered by the removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol last week, officially announced a presidential bid on Thursday, vowing to heal a starkly divided nation through economic growth. Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 election to Yoon, led the libe…

An industry veteran on Thursday described US President Donald Trump's decision to further raise the levy on Chinese goods to 125 percent as “very irrational”, with experts saying Hong Kong firms should rely less on the US market. The chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, Steve Chuang, told an RTHK radio programme that many federation …

Dominican Republic rescue workers ended the search for survivors of a nightclub roof collapse as the death toll surpassed 180 in the Caribbean nation's worst disaster in decades. Emergency personnel late on Wednesday reported 60 more deaths compared to the morning's count, with the total confirmed tally reaching 184. An official statement had earli…

The French government has cut its growth forecast for 2025 because of the uncertainty over world trade, the economy minister said on Wednesday just hours after US President Donald Trump paused a massive hike in tariffs. The government had forecast annual growth of 0.9 percent when presenting its 2025 budget, but Economy Minister Eric Lombard told T…

US President Donald Trump abruptly backed down on Wednesday in his global trade war with a 90-day pause for most countries – but slapped even more levies against China in what has become a full-scale confrontation between the world's two largest economies. Following days of global market turmoil, Wall Street stocks surged in reaction to Trump's ann…

The government said changes to the HK$2 transport subsidy scheme will be in place sooner than expected. Those changes were unveiled by Financial Secretary Paul Chan in his budget address in February, and officials have said it would take about 18 months to adjust Octopus machines to accommodate the new fares. Under the plan, fares for more expensiv…

China said on Wednesday it is verifying reports of Chinese nationals being captured in Ukraine. Speaking in a regular briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian also urged its citizens to avoid conflict zones and participating in wars, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said troops had captured two Chinese citizens fighting alongside R…

The Commerce Ministry said China will resolutely take countermeasures and fight till the end if the United States insists on further escalating economic and trade restrictive measures, with firm will and abundant means. "I want to emphasise that there is no winner in a trade war, and China does not want a trade war, but the Chinese government will …

Train services between Tung Chung and Sunny Bay will end earlier next Saturday to make way for track diversion work as part of the line's extension, MTR officials said on Wednesday. On April 19, Tung Chung Line services will conclude two hours earlier at 11pm. Free shuttle buses will be provided for people to travel between the two stations. The ra…

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho said new construction technologies can speed up housing projects and that residents living in substandard subdivided flats will not go homeless amid policy changes. The government announced a plan to eradicate substandard subdivided flats last year, saying they will be replaced by basic housing units, each of which m…

A commercial-sector lawmaker said on Wednesday US President Donald Trump's tariffs on China are an act of bullying. Trump will impose an additional 50 percent tariffs on Chinese imports at around noon Hong Kong time on top of 54 percent levies, bringing the total to 104 percent. Jeffrey Lam, who is also an executive councillor, told an RTHK radio p…

Rescuers raced to find survivors on Tuesday among the rubble of a Dominican Republic nightclub where at least 98 people, including a Major League Baseball star, were killed when the roof collapsed. Renowned Dominican merengue singer Rubby Perez, who was on stage at the popular Jet Set nightclub when the roof caved in shortly after midnight, was one…