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South China Morning Post

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Will ‘Trump-class’ battleship be a sitting duck for Chinese carrier-killer missiles?

A US congressional committee has cast doubt on Donald Trump’s “Golden Fleet” programme, warning it could overwhelm already strained nuclear-powered shipbuilding capacity and calling for a detailed review of its centrepiece battleship. One lawmaker also warned of the vulnerability of battleships in modern maritime warfare, citing the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army’s Dongfeng missile series, which includes the DF-21D ballistic missile – widely dubbed a “carrier killer”. The...

South China Morning Post

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Baby Danny parents to get 1-hour weekly visits, list 3 possible outcomes

A Hong Kong couple whose baby was born at home and placed in court-ordered care has said they can visit their son for up to one hour a week while they work to prove their parenting capability, as they outlined three potential outcomes listed by social welfare authorities. The unmarried couple, Tsang Wai-bong and Kwan Pui-sin, told the South China Morning Post on Sunday that they were scheduled to meet government social workers and be granted supervised visits in the coming week. During the...

South China Morning Post

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Calls grow to tighten child protection rules after baby Danny case in Hong Kong

A recent series of child protection controversies, including a couple refusing a DNA test to register their home-born baby, has prompted calls for Hong Kong authorities to review guidelines for identifying neglect, and to expand the list of professionals required to report suspected abuse. Under the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance – which took effect in January – people across 25 designated professions, including those in the social welfare, education and medical sectors, are...

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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Airport chief welcomes direct flights to Central Asia

Airport Authority chairman Fred Lam on Sunday said Hong Kong's expansion into Central Asia would open up new passenger markets and provide an alternative route for cargo coming to and from Europe, with direct flights between the SAR and the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan set to launch in the first quarter of next year. Lam's comments on Commercial Radio came just days after Chief Executive John Lee wrapped up his visit to Central Asia during which he signed multiple agreements in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. He pointed out that 13 percent of Hong Kong's cargo flows to and from Europe currently pass through the Middle East, but the ongoing war against Iran and US tariffs have disrupted supply chains. Additional routes via Central Asia could strengthen Hong Kong's position as a key aviation hub linking Asia and Europe, he said. Lam also noted that Hong Kong International Airport handled 61 million passengers last year while traffic in the first four months of this year rose by 13 percent. He was confident the airport could reach 70 million passengers for the full year. Lam added the airport aimed to attract more travellers from the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and increase transit traffic while creating a "frictionless border" for GBA passengers. This, he said, could encourage transfer passengers to come back to Hong Kong as tourists. Lam also said operations at the newly reopened Terminal 2 have been smooth. "We commissioned the T2 departure facility last week and so far and it has processed 40,000 passengers with 300 flights. We're very happy with the whole process, it's turned out to be very smooth." "The process will complete by Wednesday this week. By then, every day we would have about 110 flights per day with around 20,000 passengers. "We'll continue to monitor that. We believe that this new facility would help to provide an even better service to our passengers," he said. Regarding the 11 Skies Mall development, Lam said it is scheduled for full completion in 2028. While discussions with the developer are ongoing, he said the project is part of the airport city's development blueprint and was confident in its long-term potential. Edited by Tony Sabine

South China Morning Post

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Norman Bethune’s story still holds lessons for China-Canada relations

I grew up in a classroom where the name Norman Bethune was invoked with reverence. Like every schoolchild in China, I could recite from memory Chairman Mao’s 1939 essay “In Memory of Norman Bethune”, which characterised Bethune as a man who had come from afar, who gave his life to the Chinese revolution, who embodied selflessness and internationalism. For years, I kept a poster in my office – the famous oil painting of Mao meeting Bethune in Yan’an – as a quiet tribute. As the years passed and...

South China Morning Post

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Hong Kong saves HK$69 million in first month after HK$2 fare scheme revamp

Changes to Hong Kong’s public transport subsidy scheme saved the government HK$69 million (US$8.8 million) in the first month, with fewer elderly and disabled commuters taking expensive long-haul routes for short trips, the welfare minister has said. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Saturday that, following revisions to the concessionary fare scheme that took effect on April 3, the average government subsidy for trips costing more than HK$10 fell from HK$4.90 in March...

South China Morning Post

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Aviation leaders face Iran war fuel shock, rising fare prices at Rio summit

Global ⁠airline chiefs open their annual summit in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday facing a sharper test of the industry’s post-pandemic recovery, as the Iran war drives up fuel costs and disrupts airspace while carriers try to cushion the blow with higher fares and tighter capacity. The annual meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) from Saturday to Monday ‌comes as that fuel shock collides with another problem airlines cannot quickly fix: a shortage of new aircraft. Boeing and...

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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Sun says HK$2 trip curbs having the desired effect

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said on Saturday that fewer people are opting to take long-route buses for short trips following revisions to the HK$2 transport subsidy scheme. Since April 3, those aged 60 and above and the disabled have been paying 20 percent of fares for trips costing more than HK$10 and a flat HK$2 fare for those costing less than that. Sun said the amount paid out in subsidies in April was HK$69 million less than that for March – the final month before the measures took effect. He also pointed out that April had fewer days than March and more public holidays. "If we look at the average subsidy for each trip, particularly rides costing more than 10 dollars, we can see that for each trip in March, it was HK$4.90. In April, the average was HK$4.50, meaning the amount that the government subsidised had become less," he said. "This also means that the number of people taking longer-route bus trips under the HK$2 transport subsidy scheme has fallen slightly." On another issue, Sun said social workers had, in the morning, met a couple who had been arrested on suspicion of child neglect involving their baby, Danny, to better understand their situation and keep them up to date on the latest developments concerning the one-and-a-half-month-old boy. The infant, who has been placed in a shelter under professional care, is in very good condition, he said. Sun noted that a court is processing a protection order for the baby which the Social Welfare Department is seeking. “For the next step, we have to wait for the court to approve an official protection order. "At the same time we have launched a multi-disciplinary system to assess Danny's condition, to understand the family situation,” he said. “After the multi-disciplinary group has carried out an assessment, we will propose to the court our next move.” Sun added that social workers would work out arrangements to accompany the parents on visits to baby Danny. Edited by Azam Khan

South China Morning Post

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What does Washington’s latest AI chip guidance mean for Chinese tech firms?

China’s Ministry of Commerce has lashed out at Washington’s latest guidance on advanced artificial intelligence chip exports, accusing the United States of abusing export controls and disrupting the global semiconductor supply chain. But trade lawyers and industry insiders said the actual fallout over the new document could be far more limited than the geopolitical fireworks suggest. The US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued guidance on May 31, stating licences would be required to...

South China Morning Post

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Hong Kong baby Danny’s future remains unclear despite birth registration progress

Baby Danny’s future remains uncertain despite having almost completed his birth registration in Hong Kong, as welfare authorities still had to assess the capability of his parents, who were earlier arrested for suspected child neglect and have a troubled parental history. Danny’s welfare sparked public concern over the past week after Tsang Wai-bong and Kwan Pui-sin, who initially declined a DNA test for their home-born son’s birth registration on religious and privacy grounds. They only made a...

South China Morning Post

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Hong Kong issues amber rainstorm warning as storms follow record heat

The Hong Kong Observatory issued an amber rainstorm warning on Saturday morning as thundery showers and strong gusts swept across the city, following the hottest day of the year so far. The amber alert, the lowest in a three-tier rainstorm warning system, was issued at 10am. It indicates that more than 30mm (1.2 inches) of rain has fallen or is expected to fall within an hour across Hong Kong. “A broad trough of low pressure is bringing showers and thunderstorms to the coast of Guangdong,” the...

South China Morning Post

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Hong Kong parents of undocumented baby Danny confident of regaining custody

The Hong Kong parents of undocumented baby Danny have expressed confidence that they can obtain legal guardianship of their son, who is now in a care home, as immigration authorities could process his birth certificate as early as Saturday. The unmarried couple also said they saw a “glimmer of hope” in resolving the custody case of their four-year-old daughter Lily, whom Swedish authorities have taken into care over child welfare concerns. “We believe the social workers will handle the matter in...

South China Morning Post

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US adds 172,000 jobs in May, strongly beating expectations

US employment growth surged in May, beating market expectations, while the unemployment rate remained steady, government data showed on Friday, with the labour market in the world’s largest economy sustaining recent gains. “Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 172,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3 per cent,” the US Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires and the Wall Street Journal had expected job growth of 80,000...

South China Morning Post

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How a pig farm dispute exposed fault lines in Malaysia’s multiracial politics

Pig farmers in the central state of Selangor have spent years trying to keep their business out of Malaysia’s culture wars. A royal decree has dragged them straight into one. The state’s decision to shut down pig farms, prompted by Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Selangor’s hereditary ruler, has transformed a long-standing local dispute over pollution and odour into a flashpoint touching on royal influence, the livelihoods of a minority community and the delicate balancing act facing Malaysia’s...

South China Morning Post

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Chinese military team inspects Russian bases as Putin hails ‘natural allies’

A PLA inspection team visited several facilities in Russia’s Eastern Military District this week, including an air defence missile unit in the far-eastern Jewish Autonomous Region, Russian media reported. The visit, conducted under a decades-old confidence-building mechanism, came as President Vladimir Putin described China and Russia as “natural allies and partners”, while emphasising that their deepening military cooperation was not directed against any third party. The June 2-3 inspection...

South China Morning Post

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No cap on HK$2 transport scheme trips as costs outweigh savings: Hong Kong minister

Hong Kong authorities will not cap the monthly number of subsidised trips that eligible elderly and disabled people can take under a revamped transport fare scheme, largely because implementation costs would exceed the savings. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han revealed the decision on Friday, as data showed that an average of only about 450 people took more than 240 trips a month under the scheme between May last year and April this year, out of about 2.7 million...

South China Morning Post

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Hong Kong records hottest day of year so far as temperatures soar past 34 degrees

Hong Kong sweltered through its hottest day of the year so far on Friday as temperatures hit 34.6 degrees Celsius (94.3 Fahrenheit) in the afternoon, according to the city’s weather forecaster. The Hong Kong Observatory said that this marked the highest temperature recorded on Grain in Ear, the Chinese summer solar term, since records began. By 4.20pm, temperatures had reached 34.4 degrees in Yuen Long Park and 34.1 degrees in Tuen Mun and Wetland Park. The forecaster issued the “very hot...

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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Govt will not implement HK$2 scheme journey cap

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said on Friday that the government will not implement a cap on the number of trips under the HK$2 transport subsidy scheme, citing the travel needs of people with disabilities. Starting from April 3, people aged 60 and above, as well as those with disabilities, pay a flat HK$2 fare for trips costing HK$10 or less. For more expensive journeys, they pay 20 percent of the fare. The government had planned to cap subsidised trips at 240 per person each month. On the Labour and Welfare Bureau Facebook page, Sun said some people with disabilities had voiced concern about the proposed cap because they need to transfer more often than other residents in order to reach the same destination. He said the latest figures show that on average, only about 450 people make more than 240 trips per month – a tiny number among the 2.7 million users of the transport subsidy. However about a fifth of those 450 people are people with disabilities. He said this proves that some disabled people do need more trips. "If we go ahead with the trip cap, it will inevitably affect some people with disabilities – including their need to see a doctor, attend rehabilitation services, go to work, and other daily necessities," he wrote. He added the cap could cause worry among some commuters – especially the elderly – about going over the limit, and would create unnecessary stress. Sun also said a cap would not be cost-effective, as limiting the subsidised trips would save only a few hundred thousand dollars, but updating the subsidy system to accommodate a limit would cost an estimated HK$30 million. He concluded that the government decided not to go ahead with the cap – hoping everyone can travel happily and integrate into society. Edited by Thomas McAlinden

South China Morning Post

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Quarantine in Texas: US races to contain deadly flesh-eating parasite

Following the ⁠first confirmation of screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, on a US farm in decades, federal and state officials have fanned out in South Texas, where a calf was found infested this week. US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Thursday no other infestations of cattle or other animals have been detected around the confirmed case. The case in La Pryor, Texas, was a blow to US cattle ranchers who have been bracing for a domestic outbreak of New World screwworm as the fly...

South China Morning Post

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Malaysia’s new university rules rekindle multilingualism debate

A revision to Malaysia’s public university admissions rules has reopened one of the multicultural country’s most sensitive political debates: how far its national education system should accommodate Chinese-language schooling. Malaysia’s government on May 15 said students from Chinese independent secondary schools could apply to public universities through specified pathways using the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), the school-leaving qualification used by those institutions. The decision...

뉴스

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Will ‘Trump-class’ battleship be a sitting duck for Chinese carrier-killer missiles?

Baby Danny parents to get 1-hour weekly visits, list 3 possible outcomes

Calls grow to tighten child protection rules after baby Danny case in Hong Kong

Airport chief welcomes direct flights to Central Asia

Norman Bethune’s story still holds lessons for China-Canada relations

Hong Kong saves HK$69 million in first month after HK$2 fare scheme revamp

Aviation leaders face Iran war fuel shock, rising fare prices at Rio summit

Sun says HK$2 trip curbs having the desired effect

What does Washington’s latest AI chip guidance mean for Chinese tech firms?

Hong Kong baby Danny’s future remains unclear despite birth registration progress

Hong Kong issues amber rainstorm warning as storms follow record heat

Hong Kong parents of undocumented baby Danny confident of regaining custody

US adds 172,000 jobs in May, strongly beating expectations

How a pig farm dispute exposed fault lines in Malaysia’s multiracial politics

Chinese military team inspects Russian bases as Putin hails ‘natural allies’

No cap on HK$2 transport scheme trips as costs outweigh savings: Hong Kong minister

Hong Kong records hottest day of year so far as temperatures soar past 34 degrees

Govt will not implement HK$2 scheme journey cap

Quarantine in Texas: US races to contain deadly flesh-eating parasite

Malaysia’s new university rules rekindle multilingualism debate