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South China Morning Post

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The real story of 11 Skies is not about a failed shopping centre

Few things age faster than a business plan built for a world that no longer exists. That may be the most important lesson from the saga of 11 Skies, the vast retail, entertainment and commercial complex beside Hong Kong International Airport that now appears destined for a dramatic reset. Reports that the Airport Authority could take majority control of the project from its private developer have triggered debate over who should bear the cost and who made the wrong bets. The real story of 11...

South China Morning Post

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US farm chief says reliance on China threatens American ‘freedom’

US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told lawmakers on Thursday that American dependence on China for food, fertiliser and other agricultural inputs poses an “existential” threat, framing food security as a national security issue while defending the White House’s reduced fiscal 2027 budget request. “If we need to rely on China for our food and our fertiliser and all the things that come with that, we will lose what we understand to be liberty and freedom in this country. That’s how important...

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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'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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Philippines’ bet on shaky investment pledges from the US risks China’s ire

“You have absolutely no idea of what you’re talking about. The whole point of Pax Silica is to partner with countries who are good at doing different things because everyone wins from a secure supply chain,” wrote US Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg on a social media website in response to an online critic of the US strategic initiative with the Philippines. The spirited exchange came after Manila’s reported rejection of a request to extend diplomatic immunity to US...

South China Morning Post

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Hong Kong approves smart IoT fire alarms for 3,600 old buildings after pilot scheme

Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department has given approval for 3,600 old low-rise residential buildings to install a new Internet of Things (IoT) smart fire alarm system as an alternative to traditional fire-safety equipment, following a successful pilot scheme in the first quarter of this year. The IoT-enabled system consists of detectors installed in individual flats and public areas of the building, which send warning signals to the department within 60 seconds of detecting carbon monoxide or...

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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3,600 buildings in line for IoT fire-detection system

The Fire Services Department is seeking to expand usage of the Internet of Things (IoT) fire detection system to about 3,600 buildings in Hong Kong following satisfactory results in a pilot scheme. The scheme saw wireless integrated detection systems installed in common areas and within all units in 10 buildings of no more than six storeys high during a three-month period, with fire extinguishers provided on each floor. Upon detecting carbon monoxide and heavy smoke up to certain levels, detectors would trigger a fire alarm and send signals directly to the Fire Services Communications Centre. The system has achieved 100 percent uptime with no false fire alarms sounding off during the pilot scheme period, as well as a component operational rate of 99.95 percent. Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, division officer Simon Sze, who works on building improvement strategy and special operations, said the system would serve, from now on, as an alternative to the currently adopted fire hose reel and manual fire alarm system – which is subject to structural and space constraints. He also said the IoT system can report suspected fire incidents quicker, helping to save lives. "If a fire breaks out and heavy smoke accumulates, the detectors will activate after 60 seconds and trigger the reporting process, and firefighters will start to arrive at the scene," Sze said. "As for reporting the incident manually, this is subject to different situations, such as whether the incident occurred at night when everyone is asleep, or if there is anyone in the unit. "It is difficult to compare directly how quickly a fire will be noticed, but we believe the automatic detection system can report a fire quicker." Sze said a fire drill, carried out as part of a performance test, showed that the system "met expectations". In case of a malfunction, a central monitoring system is in place for all detectors via the service provider, enabling maintenance and repair work to be carried out within a short period of time, he said. Sze said installation fees of the IoT system was about HK$200,000 per building, about one-third the cost of traditional fire-safety systems. He also pointed out that the IoT system is subject to yearly checks by the department and will have to follow current reporting protocols in case of a system shutdown. Edited by Edmond Fong

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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Airport T2 'off to smooth start'

The airport's Terminal 2 opened amid fanfare on Wednesday, with the Airport Authority saying things were going smoothly. The authority expects 4,200 travellers to use the terminal on its first day of operations. T2 allows travellers to check in, clear immigration and undergo security checks, before proceeding to Terminal One for departure. "Our passengers [were] very happy and we have some 'wow effects' in the terminal, I think they they were [like] 'wow'," the authority's chief executive, Vivian Cheung, told reporters. "We have a lot of LED, animation, and new designs emphasising technology, and we have our in-house design for self-check in system, which only requires 45 seconds to go through the entire process. "We want to help the airlines to migrate to a full-automation process, which will actually help passengers have better experiences and also reduce the labour needs." Cheung noted the first flight using T2 was operated by Hong Kong Airlines and left for Shanghai Pudong International Airport at around 8am. Six other carriers, including AirAsia, are set to begin using T2 from Thursday. By June 10th, the number of airlines is expected to go up to 15, with HK Express the last to relocate. T2 was closed in 2019 for reconfiguration as part of the three-runway project before its reopening. It's expected to handle around eight million passenger trips in its full year of operations before rising to some 30 million per year. Its dedicated departure concourse and boarding gates are scheduled to open at the end of next year. Edited by Edmond Fong

South China Morning Post

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Global tension and funding woes threaten peacekeeping missions, SIPRI warns

Geopolitical tensions and a funding crisis are jeopardising peacekeeping missions, particularly those under the auspices of the United Nations, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned on Monday. Just under 79,000 international staff were deployed in international peacekeeping operations at the end of 2025, the lowest number in at least 25 years, the institute said in a report. “If things continue in this way, we could see a dramatic weakening of multilateral conflict...

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타임라인 키워드

The real story of 11 Skies is not about a failed shopping centre

US farm chief says reliance on China threatens American ‘freedom’

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

Philippines’ bet on shaky investment pledges from the US risks China’s ire

Hong Kong approves smart IoT fire alarms for 3,600 old buildings after pilot scheme

3,600 buildings in line for IoT fire-detection system

Airport T2 'off to smooth start'

Global tension and funding woes threaten peacekeeping missions, SIPRI warns