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South China Morning Post

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Sweden outlines child care policy amid registration row over infant in Hong Kong

Swedish authorities who have taken over the care of the daughter of a Hong Kong couple with a troubled parenting history have said that whether a child faces risks at home is one of the key factors when deciding if intervention is needed. But the social services department of Sweden’s Linkoping municipality declined to comment on the legal status of the couple’s daughter Lily on Wednesday, saying doing so would harm those involved. The preschooler’s case came to light through her parents’ social...

South China Morning Post

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IT/기술

Want to save the planet? Stop being so polite to AI chatbots

Skipping pleasantries like “please” and “thank you” when talking to chatbots could save enough energy to power the annual needs of 760,000 residents in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the massive but often hidden environmental toll of artificial intelligence, according to a new UN report. Released by the Institute for Water, Environment and Health under the United Nations University, the UN’s academic arm, the study published on Wednesday also warned that the true cost of AI extended far beyond...

South China Morning Post

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Parents seek spots with popular schools despite record-high allocation results

Many Hong Kong parents still sought a place with popular primary schools for their children despite a record-high of 86 per cent of pupils allocated to institutions they favoured. A day after the Education Bureau sent premature SMS notifications about the allocations that listed the correct school choices but the wrong calendar year, some principals and parents said the rare blunder had limited impact on the post-allocation process. Some parents said they even had a little extra time to plan for...

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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'Direct flight to Central Asia could lift HK tourism'

The executive director of the Travel Industry Council Fanny Yeung said on Wednesday she believes the planned launch of a direct flight linking Hong Kong and Kazakhstan would further boost the city's tourism industry. Her remarks came as Cathay Pacific announced it would start operating the route to Kazakhstan's biggest city, Almaty, in the first quarter of next year, significantly cutting the travel time between the two places. Speaking at a press conference on the upcoming International Travel Expo (ITE), Yeung said the council is pleased to learn about the flight arrangements to tap into the Central Asian market as the region is relatively unexplored. "We found that the tourism resources [there] are very, very interesting and the scenery is beautiful as well, so definitely it will attract Hong Kong people," she said, adding that the council had led a delegation to the region in 2024. "Prior to Covid, we [actually] had direct flights to Kazakhstan, but since Covid [they] stopped and didn't reopen again. I am quite positive that it will help us to explore this new destination for Hong Kong residents once the direct flight is available," she told reporters. Regarding the the SAR's tourism outlook, Yeung said she is confident that Hong Kong could welcome about 53 million visitors this year, despite risks arising from the Iran war that has reduced demand from long-haul markets. "We have less tourists from the long-haul markets, but on the other hand, Hong Kong is also very attractive to mainlanders," she said. Asia's annual flagship travel fair ITE is set to return to Hong Kong from June 11 to 14 at the Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event is expected to attract over 500 exhibitors from 66 countries and regions, including newcomers Uganda, Mongolia, and Peru. Edited by Aaron Tam

South China Morning Post

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South Korea’s ruling party set for local election gains, exit poll shows

South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party is projected to make sweeping gains in local elections on Wednesday, an exit poll showed, but a close race in the key city of Busan left it unclear whether President Lee Jae-myung’s party could claim a landslide victory. Voting had ‌largely closed in the first nationwide ballot since Lee’s snap presidential election victory last year. Voters were choosing mayors and governors in 16 cities and provinces in a contest widely seen as an assessment of Lee’s first...

South China Morning Post

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China’s PL-15 missile has downed Rafale jets. Is the PL-16 even more powerful?

China’s latest air-to-air missile, the PL-16, could have a range of more than 300km (186 miles) thanks to a variable-thrust rocket motor, according to an unverified image being circulated online. It comes weeks after the first image emerged of the US Air Force’s new AIM-260 air-to-air missile – a joint advanced tactical missile with a range of at least 193km (120 miles). It is not clear when the AIM-260 will enter service, but US officials have cited China’s PL-15 missile as a key driver for the...

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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문화/연예

Chung King-fai, a giant of HK theatre, dies at 89

Veteran stage actor and director Chung King-fai on Wednesday passed away in his sleep at the age of 89. Affectionately known as "King Sir", Chung was the founding Dean of the School of Drama at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and is best remembered for being a mentor to generations of performers. In a career spanning decades, he worked as an actor, director, drama educator, television producer, host and voice-over artist. On social media, Chung's nephew, Chung Chi-kuen, wrote that he dedicated his entire life to theatre, nurturing countless students and earning deep respect and love from everyone. Former RTHK programme host Serina Ha, who knew Chung for more than 20 years, described him as steady and graceful, and someone who took his work very seriously. "He's a gentleman. Very polite and genuine. Among all the people I know, he is a mentor who truly connected with the times. He gave me the kind of guidance that a senior should. And his attitude – his seriousness – that is something worth learning from," she said. Chung held a bachelor's degree in speech and drama from Oklahoma Baptist University in the United States and and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University. A pioneer in staging Cantonese versions of absurdist dramas and Broadway musicals, he won Best Actor eight times and Best Director four times at the Hong Kong Drama Awards, along with many other accolades throughout his career. In addition to the Academy for Performing Arts, he lectured at Hong Kong Baptist University for 23 years and worked in various local television outlets. In a statement, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law expressed her condolences to Chung's family, saying he dedicated his life to the performing arts with countless productions and contributions to Hong Kong theatre. "His passing is a tremendous loss to Hong Kong's performing arts sector. We will always treasure the memory of this stage veteran and remain deeply grateful for his distinguished contributions to the performing arts in Hong Kong," she said. Edited by Edmond Fong

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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IT/기술

'People-to-people exchanges drive HK-Kazakh ties'

People-to-people exchanges are already laying the groundwork for a different kind of Belt and Road collaboration. That's on full display in Astana as Chief Executive John Lee’s delegation wrapped up the Kazakhstan leg of his Central Asian tour with a visit to Nazarbayev University (NU) on Wednesday. Two individuals on the NU campus – a Hong Kong-born engineering professor and a local Kazakh startup founder – believe the story lies not just on a government level, but also in student exchanges, educational technology innovation and a new business corridor between Astana and Hong Kong. For the past eight years, Annie Ng, an associate professor at NU’s School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, is one of the few Hongkongers working in Kazakh academia. Ng said the chief executive’s visit is a long-overdue catalyst. “I think this is a very good start. I believe there will be more MoUs and more collaborations with different university institutes in Hong Kong with NU and Kazakhstan – not just for research, but also other education programmes or short courses,” she said. Ng sees Kazakhstan as a pivotal player under the Belt and Road framework, but notes a gap in Hong Kong’s engagement compared with the mainland. While there has been a growing number of mainland tourists and entrepreneurs in Almaty and Astana, she said Hongkongers remain conspicuously absent and should explore opportunities in Kazakhstan. “Young people will be more interested here and explore something new – not a typical country to visit. Kazakhstan, Central Asia, we are also close to other Central Asian countries,” she said. For Hong Kong businesses, she said, the potential is tangible. “A lot of things are developed in Hong Kong but not here. They can find a lot of room to expand their business.” Nurken Bolatov is chief operational officer of Artisan Education, a startup based on the NU campus that produces engineering kits and a web-platform for learning robotics, programming and STEM. Bolatov’s company has already been accepted into the ideation programme at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP). “For us, I hope it’s a great opportunity and experience to try our products in another region, with other students, and get some more feedback,” he said. But his ambitions for Hong Kong go beyond market testing. He sees the city as a manufacturing gateway. “There are a lot of manufacturers in Hong Kong and in China, so probably it would be great for us to cooperate with them so we can produce a lot more of our products.” He also hopes to tap into Hong Kong’s talent pool. “As I know, there are a lot of strong universities in China and in Hong Kong. Probably it would be helpful to find some potential team members to get into our project.” His startup is already piloting its products in several countries, including South Korea, Türkiye and the UK. Edited by Edmond Fong

South China Morning Post

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What Seoul must do to achieve peaceful coexistence with North Korea

South Korea has made peaceful coexistence the central objective of its North Korea policy. As outlined in a recent white paper, Seoul has not formally abandoned reunification but has chosen to prioritise the more immediate and achievable objective of establishing a stable framework for coexistence. The document articulates three guiding principles: respect for North Korea’s political system, rejection of unification by absorption, and avoidance of hostile actions. Underscoring the urgency of...

South China Morning Post

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Tesla’s China sales surge to 2026 high, but rivals crowd the rear-view mirror

Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory recorded its strongest monthly deliveries of the year in May as a broader recovery in China’s electric vehicle market gathered pace, although the US carmaker is likely to face intensifying competition from domestic rivals launching a wave of new models. The factory in Shanghai’s Lingang free-trade zone delivered 85,982 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles last month, up 39.4 per cent from a year earlier and 8.2 per cent from April, according to Tesla China. The figure...

South China Morning Post

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문화/연예

China celebrity dog stolen, sold for US$25 and eaten; owner sues, stymied by weak pet laws

A celebrity dog in central China was stolen and slaughtered, leaving its owner seeking justice but confronting gaps in the country’s legal protections for pets. Guo, a travel influencer from Henan province, raised Chutou, an eight-year-old Border Collie known for his intelligence, energy and gentle temperament. The dog had amassed more than 1.5 million followers on mainland social media after accompanying Guo on years of journeys across China, from snowy mountains to deserts, often guarding him...

South China Morning Post

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Adminstrator to ‘review’ tribunal decision on Wang Fuk Court owners’ meeting

An administrator appointed to oversee the affairs of Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court has said it will arrange an extraordinary general meeting at the request of displaced owners, but stopped short of providing a time frame. In a written statement on Wednesday, Hop On Management Company said it was studying the Lands Tribunal’s reasons for dismissing its application to extend the statutory deadlines for convening and holding the meeting. It did not indicate whether the company would lodge...

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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Same result for pupils despite school place SMS error

Some parents on Wednesday said they received the same result for their children who applied for a school place through the primary one central allocation system, even though a text message was mistakenly sent a day ahead of schedule due to a system error. According to the Education Bureau, a total of 16,345 pupils took part in this year’s primary one central allocation – about 86.2 percent, or more than 14,000 of them, were given their top three choices. Combined with discretionary places, the overall satisfaction rate stood at 93.6 percent. Some parents, including a man surnamed Chung, decided to go door-knocking at their preferred school even though his daughter was allocated the top choice in the school net they live, consistent with the text message mistakenly sent earlier. He said the text message that the bureau sent out a day ago did not affect his plan at all. “When I got the text message, I was shocked. But the Education Bureau sent another message to tell us to disregard it," Chung said. "But it didn't make a difference to my plans because I had already planned to go door-knocking at another school net." A mother surnamed Choi said she decided to try her luck by door-knocking, as her child was given the fifth choice – the same as the text message she received a day ago, only in a different language. "I was mentally prepared, as I expected the result to be the same," she said. "Getting the result a day earlier – or a day later – made no difference to my preparatory work, as I had prepared in advance." Polly Chan, principal of Yaumati Catholic Primary School (Hoi Wang Road), said only a few parents contacted her school earlier over the text message (SMS) error. “Just a few families asked about the earlier SMS notification. They wanted to know whether the result was [an] official confirmation or just a false message,” she said. “I don’t think we have any chaos and confusion on the ground because our frontline staff were well-prepared.” She added the school had a quota of 10 to 13 spots for door-knocking parents, meaning that about 30 pupils will compete for a place. The bureau reminded parents to register their child with the school allocated during school hours on June 9 or 10. “If they are unable to complete the registration procedures on the above dates due to important matters, they should contact the person-in-charge of registration at the school allocated in advance to make alternative arrangements. Otherwise, they will be considered to have given up the school place allocated,” a spokesman added. Edited by Tony Sabine

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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Child neglect case 'mind-boggling': lawmaker

A lawmaker on Wednesday called a controversial child neglect case "mind-boggling", saying he couldn't understand how the parents would leave their newborn without a birth certificate or any medical records. The parents were arrested on Tuesday after the case went viral online as they refused DNA testing to prove their relationship with the baby following a home birth. Speaking on an RTHK programme, Peter Koon, who chairs Legco's social welfare panel, says the baby's safety is what matters most – and a court could issue a protection order if the parents are found unfit to care for him. "Following the issuance of a child protection order, the baby could be sent to a facility that specialises in caring for newborns," he said. "As for who becomes the guardian, that really depends on the court's order. But theoretically, temporary guardianship could be granted to the Director of Social Welfare." Speaking on the same programme, Patrick Ip, a paediatrics professor at the University of Hong Kong, said he's worried about the baby's health. "This case makes me uneasy. The parents had two other children — neither went smoothly. One of them died young. Was there a problem with the way they cared for them?" he questioned. "For this newborn without a birth certificate, there's no way to get proper vaccinations or health monitoring. This is very far from ideal." The Social Welfare Department said it is seeking a protection order for the infant from the court, adding it will come up with a plan that puts the baby's health and interests first. Edited by Tony Sabine

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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HK can be key renewable energy hub: Kazakh expert

Researchers in Kazakhstan say Hong Kong's sound financial system, infrastructure and regulatory regime make it an ideal partner and fund-raising hub for green energy projects. Chief Executive John Lee will conclude his duty visit to Kazakhstan on Wednesday night, before continuing his Central Asian tour in Uzbekistan. The visit by the SAR delegation comes as Kazakhstan accelerates its decarbonisation drive, having committed to the Paris climate change treaty and a 2060 carbon neutrality target. "Our government is putting more effort on that. We have a lot of projects going on," said Nurxat Nuraje, head of the renewable energy lab at National Laboratory Astana. With petroleum reserves expected to be depleted within 50 years, he said the Kazakh government is "paying more attention to develop new technology like renewable energy technology". Nuraje, who attended the International Hydrogen Development Symposium in Wan Chai last month, believed there is plenty of room for cooperation. "We learned that Hong Kong has become a very important hub for the development of hydrogen and renewable energy," he said. "Hong Kong has a very good transportation system, also a capital investment system." Fellow researcher Yerbolat Magazov went further, suggesting Hong Kong look into developing a trading mechanism for green hydrogen. "The actual role of Hong Kong as a hub would be to make it not as an energy material, but as a valuable asset," he said. "Special frameworks, taxonomy, legislation — so hydrogen can be traded as a stock material." Their laboratory in the Kazakh capital has already demonstrated the potential of clean energy, after building a system last year that converts solar energy into hydrogen. Mainland company Zhejiang H2-Bank Technology was a key partner, supplying critical components such as electrolysers and hydrogen storage systems. But Magazov acknowledged they need to drive down costs before green hydrogen can really take off. It remains three to five times more expensive than "grey" hydrogen, which is derived from fossil fuels. "The biggest problem is bankability," he said. "Lots of people have lots of money, but they need to be sure that in the future, green hydrogen will be profitable. Right now, if you calculate, it's a non-profitable thing." This, according to Magazov, is where the Hong Kong brand comes into play. "If Hong Kong trusts this country, everyone can also trust. That allows future investors to put money and investments into this particular market," he said. With global energy markets remaining volatile, Magazov felt that Central Asia and China should forge closer ties. "It's better to make allies which are close to each other," he said. "China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries should bring together. In the future, if something happens, we'll be independent of others." Edited by Raymond Yeung

South China Morning Post

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Hong Kong is emerging as a leading capital hub of the multipolar era

For years, Hong Kong’s obituary has been repeatedly written by international commentators. Geopolitical tensions, pandemic isolation, concerns over capital flight and questions surrounding the city’s future contributed to a narrative of irreversible decline. In many Western analyses, the assumption that Hong Kong’s best days as an international financial centre were behind it became almost automatic. Yet the latest global wealth management data tells a very different story. According to...

South China Morning Post

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More red tape, less progress: China’s cadres struggle to adopt ‘error tolerance’

Despite repeated directives to ease the burden on local officials and curb formalism, many of China’s cadres still find themselves trapped in a frustrating cycle of working harder yet achieving fewer tangible results, according to state-linked media. Banyuetan, an influential biweekly magazine affiliated with state news agency Xinhua, outlined five symptoms of this “busier-but-emptier” phenomenon in a report published on its website on Tuesday. Beijing has long called for easing the burden of...

South China Morning Post

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Japanese MP’s claim China eyes Antarctic ‘treasure trove’ dismissed

A Japanese lawmaker’s claim that China has its eyes on “a treasure trove” of resource wealth hidden beneath the Antarctic ice sheet has been dismissed by a polar law expert as a misreading of international obligations. But the claims made in parliament by Mitsuhiro Yokota, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, have also raised questions about what might happen to the world’s last great wilderness in future. “Beneath Antarctica lies a treasure trove of oil, natural gas, coal, iron ore, gold and...

South China Morning Post

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How China’s ‘Excalibur of the East’ souvenir swords sparked airport security warning

During mainland China’s recent May Day holiday, a 2,500-year-old sword went viral on Chinese social media – but not for the reason you might think. Lasting from May 1 to 5, the May Day holiday – also known as “Golden Week” – sees large numbers of domestic tourists flocking to popular travel destinations across China, including the Hubei Provincial Museum, which houses the famous Sword of Goujian. Many of them end up buying a replica of the sword in the souvenir shop. As a result, the main...

South China Morning Post

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Why China’s C909 jet is rapidly being deployed in Xinjiang

China’s domestically made regional jet, the C909, has struggled to compete with market leaders Airbus and Boeing since it launched a decade ago. But there is one place where it is thriving: the far-western Chinese region of Xinjiang. Chinese airlines have rolled out C909s in Xinjiang at a rapid clip over the past few years. The first C909 touched down in the region as recently as June 2023. Now, there are 30 of them being used on more than 120 routes in the remote territory, according to state...

뉴스

타임라인 키워드

Sweden outlines child care policy amid registration row over infant in Hong Kong

Want to save the planet? Stop being so polite to AI chatbots

Parents seek spots with popular schools despite record-high allocation results

'Direct flight to Central Asia could lift HK tourism'

South Korea’s ruling party set for local election gains, exit poll shows

China’s PL-15 missile has downed Rafale jets. Is the PL-16 even more powerful?

Chung King-fai, a giant of HK theatre, dies at 89

'People-to-people exchanges drive HK-Kazakh ties'

What Seoul must do to achieve peaceful coexistence with North Korea

Tesla’s China sales surge to 2026 high, but rivals crowd the rear-view mirror

China celebrity dog stolen, sold for US$25 and eaten; owner sues, stymied by weak pet laws

Adminstrator to ‘review’ tribunal decision on Wang Fuk Court owners’ meeting

Same result for pupils despite school place SMS error

Child neglect case 'mind-boggling': lawmaker

HK can be key renewable energy hub: Kazakh expert

Hong Kong is emerging as a leading capital hub of the multipolar era

More red tape, less progress: China’s cadres struggle to adopt ‘error tolerance’

Japanese MP’s claim China eyes Antarctic ‘treasure trove’ dismissed

How China’s ‘Excalibur of the East’ souvenir swords sparked airport security warning

Why China’s C909 jet is rapidly being deployed in Xinjiang