A US law which authorises sanctions against mainland Chinese and Hong Kong officials for perceived human rights violations could be “highly subjective,” the national security trial of Jimmy Lai has heard. Jimmy Lai. File Photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP. The prosecution on Friday presented reports written by Wang Guiguo, the chair professor of Chinese and comparative law at the City University of Hong Kong. Wang was invited to give his views on US laws relating to Hong Kong that arose in the aftermath of the anti-extradition protests in 2019. During the unrest that year, activists had called on the US to ..read more

Hong Kong’s government has identified around 950,000 elderly people, single-parent households, and tenants of subdivided flats as targets for its poverty alleviation programme. File Photo: Lea Mok/HKFP. The Labour and Welfare Bureau said it identified some 214,200 subdivided flat residents, 213,300 people in single-parent households, and 555,300 people in elderly households as targets for assistance. Some residents were listed in more than one group, meaning around 950,000 people will be targeted. The government will continue to implement poverty alleviation projects announced in Chief Execut ..read more

The top US diplomat in Hong Kong has called for the release of media mogul Jimmy Lai and other detained activists, sparking a complaint from Beijing’s foreign ministry of interference in China’s internal affairs. US Consul General Gregory May speaks at an online seminar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on April 9, 2024. Photo: YouTube screenshot. US Consul General Gregory May made “unfounded comments” on Hong Kong’s judicial cases in an online seminar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry ..read more

By Ludovic Ehret President Xi Jinping vowed to deepen already flourishing economic ties with Hungary during a visit to Budapest on Thursday, advocating that its closest European Union ally “play a bigger role” in fostering relations between Beijing and the bloc. Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) prior to a welcoming ceremony in Buda Castle of Budapest, Hungary on May 9, 2024. Photo: Vivien Cher Benko/Pool/AFP. The state visit to Hungary is the final leg of Xi’s first European tour since 2019 that led him to France and Serbia ea ..read more

Hong Kong should provide assurances that it will preserve internet freedom if it wants to remain a major economic hub, the top US diplomat in the city said Thursday. This photo dated June 7, 2023 shows the artist page of the team behind 2019 protest song “Glory to Hong Kong” and its related versions on streaming platform Spotify. Photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP. The Chinese city, which was promised autonomy when Britain handed it back in 1997, on Wednesday demanded that online platforms take down an anthem of pro-democracy protesters after a court banned the song. “Hong Kong authorities have stepped ont ..read more

A 61-year-old man has been taken to hospital with second-degree burns after a fire broke out at a plastics warehouse in Yuen Long where he worked. The blaze broke out at 12:39 am on Friday at Wing Ning Tsuen in Yuen Long, and was upgraded to a third alarm fire some 20 minutes later. It was largely extinguished within three hours. Fung San-yen (left) and Samuel Wong (centre) of the FSD and Mak Sze-wai of the police speak to reporters after a fire in Yuen Long on May 10, 2024. Photo: Screenshot via Fire Services Department livestream. The authorities advised residents affected by the smoke and ..read more

A green group has called for a phased rollout of a controversial waste charging scheme, whereby it could cover most government premises but exclude public housing estates when it takes effect this August. A sanitation worker loads bags of household waste into a garbage truck on April 8, 2024. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. In an open letter, environmental group The Green Earth urged the government to roll out the waste tax in phases, requiring government premises – including their offices, public schools, government staff quarters, and government-operated malls and factory estates – to take part ..read more

The leader of Hong Kong radical group “Dragon Slayers” has admitted to spending crowdfunding donations raised during the 2019 protests and unrest on gambling and a sex worker during his testimony at the city’s first-ever terrorism trial. The High Court. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Prosecution witness Wong Chun-keung on Thursday told the High Court that he also spent more than HK$200,000 to help his teammates relax, as he denied the defence’s allegations that he swindled donors to “line [his] pockets.” Seven people are serving on the jury trial under the city’s anti-terrorism act. Prosecutors a ..read more

Authorities in Hong Kong are looking into complaints over the reported closure of Little Frog Learning Centre, after parents and staff accused the English tutorial school of shutting down “without prior notice” and delaying salary payments. Little Frog Learning Centre. Photo: Little Frog Learning Centre, via Facebook. Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department confirmed with HKFP on Thursday that it received reports of a suspected violation of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance by the learning centre. Week-long closure Complaints against the language school came to light on Tuesday, when Tuen Mun ..read more

By Ludovic Ehret Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will host Chinese President Xi Jinping in Budapest on Thursday in a bid to strengthen already flourishing ties between Beijing and its closest EU ally. Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) is greeted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as he arrives at Liszt Ferenc Budapest airport at Ferihegy, Hungary on May 8, 2024. Photo: Vivien Cher Benko/Pool/AFP. The state visit to Hungary is the last leg of Xi’s European tour, his first since 2019. Earlier this week, the Chinese leader kicked off his trip in France, a visit that was cordial but ..read more