West Africa has embraced Chinese green tea – from government offices in Mauritania to roadside stalls in Senegal, Mali and Niger, it is at the heart of a tradition that brings people together. The ritual – known as ataya, or attaya in some countries – involves preparing and serving strong, sweet gre
Hong Kong is seeing an opportune time to move forward with a so-called IPO connect scheme, according to Pamela Chung Kong-hung, Vistra’s managing director and head of its IPO & Share Registry Services, who says the scheme would allow mainland investors access to initial public offerings (IPOs) in Ho
A crudely made animated film has emerged as an unexpected cultural flashpoint in China, sparking debate over how memes and online virality are reshaping audience perceptions of what is worth watching. Niu Lai, or The Arrival of the Ox, premiered in China on August 5, following a young calf’s dreamli
After more than two years of taking on Israel’s enemies across the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a tough re-election fight, is zeroing in on another perceived villain – Turkey. On Tuesday, warplanes bombed a base in northern Syria a short drive from the Turkish border. Netan
“True friends stab you in the front?” This is a quote most likely to be misattributed to Oscar Wilde. What he wrote instead in The Devoted Friend was: “But what is the good of friendship if one cannot say exactly what one means? Anybody can say charming things and try to please and to flatter, but a
China’s Mech-Mind Robotics Technologies plans to start taking investor orders for its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) as soon as next week amid a boom in artificial intelligence-driven robotics that has lifted investor enthusiasm, according to people familiar with the matter. The Meituan-bac
This past week, another unlikely film went viral in Chinese cinemas. On its August 5 debut, the animated film Niu Lai, or The Arrival of the Ox, only earned 3,420 yuan (US$507) at the box office. About 10 days later, it suddenly saw a spike in viewers and generated six figures of revenue. On Saturda
Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison has launched international arbitration against Panama, seeking more than HK$11.7 billion (US$1.5 billion) in damages over the government’s takeover of two strategic ports at the entrances to the Panama Canal. Announcing the move on Thursday, the Li Ka-shing family-backed
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing welcomed South and North Korea moving towards peaceful coexistence and called on Washington to change its “hostile policy” on Pyongyang. In talks with his counterpart Cho Hyun in Seoul on Wednesday, Wang said China was “always committed to playing a cons
On a recent weekday morning, the Repulse Bay post office, in one of Hong Kong’s most affluent coastal neighbourhoods, stood almost empty. In an hour, only five customers walked through the door, with two staff members serving them. One of them was Dicky Lo, who had sent a parcel to Europe, citing th
Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison said on Thursday it has filed international arbitration proceedings against Panama over its cancellation of a concession to operate two ports in the Panama Canal. The dispute stems from a Panama supreme court ruling in January that struck down the contract that le
An animal rights NGO is offering a HK$50,000 reward for anyone with information that could assist police in a case involving suspected hamster abuse. In a social media post on Wednesday, PETA Asia said the discovery of two hamsters next to a rubbish bin in Sham Shui Po with severe injuries to their
Hong Kong’s stock exchange reported record profits on Wednesday, thanks to a surge in demand for initial public offerings by tech and artificial intelligence companies, the bourse operator said on Wednesday. The results come as Hong Kong’s IPO market saw a surge in listings from the arti
A 48-year-old man has been sentenced to 22 years in jail after he repeatedly raped his daughter over a period of 10 years, starting when the victim was only 14. Recorder of the Court of First Instance of the High Court Eric Kwok jailed the man, identified as Y.S., on Tuesday, The Witness reported. K
A Hong Kong court has dismissed a father’s “inappropriate” application for a writ of habeas corpus for his infant son Danny, who was born unassisted at home and has been kept in government custody. When granted, a writ of habeas corpus – meaning “to have the body” – would for
The owner of a large dog suspected of mauling two smaller dogs to death in Yuen Long has been arrested. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said in a statement on Tuesday night that it had arrested the owner of the dog earlier that day and collected a statement regarding th
A Hong Kong court has ordered the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily to pay HK$1.5 million in damages to a couple that sued the outlet for defamation over articles published in 2019. The defamation suit was lodged by listed company China Innovation Investment Limited, its chairperson Xi
Authorities are aiming to revamp a heat stress warning system by the end of the month after it was deemed inadequate by former Observatory chiefs amid a historic heatwave. Labour and welfare chief Chris Sun said on Tuesday that the government would look into whether the warning system could be bette
Hongkong Post has announced it will stop offering permanent civil service contracts to new staff in a bid to cut costs, as its chief has projected a continued decline in mail traffic. The embattled postal service will instead offer two-year contracts to new staff, including mail carriers and postal
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has said it may prosecute the owner of a large dog suspected of mauling two smaller pet dogs to death in separate incidents. The Hong Kong Police Force received reports from two pet owners on Monday afternoon about the incidents in Yuen L