Hongkongers lose HK$200 million to scams in a week, AI voice-cloning used
By Clifford Lo
Online fraudsters scammed Hongkongers out of more than HK$200 million (US$25.7 million) in a week last month and used artificial intelligence (AI) to trick a victim into transferring HK$145 million in one of the cases.
Police said the victim, a merchant, wanted to buy cryptocurrency mining equipment used to create digital tokens.
The purchase was negotiated via the WhatsApp messaging app with what the victim thought was a mainland Chinese company.
“During the negotiations, the merchant received what seemed to be WhatsApp voice messages from the financial manager of the company,” police said.
“Following the instructions, the victim transferred about HK$145 million worth of USDT cryptocurrency into a designated cryptocurrency wallet, three times in total.”
The victim later realised the transactions were part of a scam and filed a police report.
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By Clifford Lo
Online fraudsters scammed Hongkongers out of more than HK$200 million (US$25.7 million) in a week last month and used artificial intelligence (AI) to trick a victim into transferring HK$145 million in one of the cases.
Police said the victim, a merchant, wanted to buy cryptocurrency mining equipment used to create digital tokens.
The purchase was negotiated via the WhatsApp messaging app with what the victim thought was a mainland Chinese company.
“During the negotiations, the merchant received what seemed to be WhatsApp voice messages from the financial manager of the company,” police said.
“Following the instructions, the victim transferred about HK$145 million worth of USDT cryptocurrency into a designated cryptocurrency wallet, three times in total.”
The victim later realised the transactions were part of a scam and filed a police report.
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Why China’s best bet is growing and sharing the green tech pie
By Bernice Lee
China’s leadership in green tech was well established before Donald Trump returned to the White House and halted his predecessor’s efforts to reassert dominance in the sector. By 2022, China had secured global markets for solar photovoltaic exports, battery storage, wind power components and electric vehicles.
Through deliberate industrial policies, it drove an 80 per cent drop in solar energy costs. This makes China indispensable to global climate efforts.
China’s green ascendancy did not emerge in isolation. Global markets also played a crucial role, with European feed-in tariffs initially driving demand for Chinese solar panels. Yet, geopolitical tensions are reshaping this landscape. American and European supply chain diversification strategies reflect a direct response to China’s growing influence, especially in critical minerals, where it controls 60 per cent of global rare earth mining and 90 per cent of processing.
Despite these challenges, China continues to expand its renewable energy footprint, particularly in the Global South. By 2024, emerging economies had become the largest destination for Chinese electric vehicles, and remain crucial for advancing solar and wind technologies. Projections suggest that emerging economies will lead the global adoption of solar, wind and battery storage by 2030, with China playing a central role.
To sustain its leadership, China must refine its strategy, which currently blends state-led initiatives with market forces, to ensure equitable partnerships across the supply chain. Countries in the Global South do not want to remain relegated to the least profitable or most environmentally damaging roles in the clean energy transition. Growing and sharing the green pie is not just about fairness – it is a strategic necessity for long-term stability.
For China, fostering inclusive partnerships with the Global South offers a clear path forward. Emerging economies like Indonesia, Chile, Morocco and Egypt have positioned themselves as vital players in the green energy supply chain. Indonesia, for example, has secured US$30 billion in Chinese investments related to battery manufacturing by mandating value-added processing of its nickel resources.
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By Bernice Lee
China’s leadership in green tech was well established before Donald Trump returned to the White House and halted his predecessor’s efforts to reassert dominance in the sector. By 2022, China had secured global markets for solar photovoltaic exports, battery storage, wind power components and electric vehicles.
Through deliberate industrial policies, it drove an 80 per cent drop in solar energy costs. This makes China indispensable to global climate efforts.
China’s green ascendancy did not emerge in isolation. Global markets also played a crucial role, with European feed-in tariffs initially driving demand for Chinese solar panels. Yet, geopolitical tensions are reshaping this landscape. American and European supply chain diversification strategies reflect a direct response to China’s growing influence, especially in critical minerals, where it controls 60 per cent of global rare earth mining and 90 per cent of processing.
Despite these challenges, China continues to expand its renewable energy footprint, particularly in the Global South. By 2024, emerging economies had become the largest destination for Chinese electric vehicles, and remain crucial for advancing solar and wind technologies. Projections suggest that emerging economies will lead the global adoption of solar, wind and battery storage by 2030, with China playing a central role.
To sustain its leadership, China must refine its strategy, which currently blends state-led initiatives with market forces, to ensure equitable partnerships across the supply chain. Countries in the Global South do not want to remain relegated to the least profitable or most environmentally damaging roles in the clean energy transition. Growing and sharing the green pie is not just about fairness – it is a strategic necessity for long-term stability.
For China, fostering inclusive partnerships with the Global South offers a clear path forward. Emerging economies like Indonesia, Chile, Morocco and Egypt have positioned themselves as vital players in the green energy supply chain. Indonesia, for example, has secured US$30 billion in Chinese investments related to battery manufacturing by mandating value-added processing of its nickel resources.
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Thai hostage freed from Gaza feels ‘reborn’ after return home
By Agence France-Presse
A Thai farmworker held hostage in Gaza for more than a year said he felt “reborn” as he and four compatriots arrived home on Sunday to tears of joy from their relieved families.
The five Thais smiled as they walked into the arrivals hall at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after being freed on January 30 as part of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the Gaza war.
The five – Watchara Sriaoun, Pongsak Tanna, Sathian Suwannakham, Surasak Lamnau and Bannawat Saethao – were met by a small group of overjoyed relatives and officials before travelling on to their hometowns.
Watchara was embraced by his parents and nine-year-old daughter as he arrived at his simple two-storey home in northeastern Udon Thani province and was handed bright yellow marigolds, a Thai symbol of prosperity.
“Thank you to everyone who helped me out, I feel like I have been reborn,” the 33-year-old Christian said, before eating his first meal with his family in several years – boiled rice with pork.
Weeping, his 85-year-old grandfather told him: “You are back, I thought you were dead.”
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By Agence France-Presse
A Thai farmworker held hostage in Gaza for more than a year said he felt “reborn” as he and four compatriots arrived home on Sunday to tears of joy from their relieved families.
The five Thais smiled as they walked into the arrivals hall at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after being freed on January 30 as part of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the Gaza war.
The five – Watchara Sriaoun, Pongsak Tanna, Sathian Suwannakham, Surasak Lamnau and Bannawat Saethao – were met by a small group of overjoyed relatives and officials before travelling on to their hometowns.
Watchara was embraced by his parents and nine-year-old daughter as he arrived at his simple two-storey home in northeastern Udon Thani province and was handed bright yellow marigolds, a Thai symbol of prosperity.
“Thank you to everyone who helped me out, I feel like I have been reborn,” the 33-year-old Christian said, before eating his first meal with his family in several years – boiled rice with pork.
Weeping, his 85-year-old grandfather told him: “You are back, I thought you were dead.”
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Macau and Hong Kong put on notice by Beijing point man’s visit, experts say
By Ng Kang-chung
Macau has come under closer scrutiny by the central government over the progress of its assigned task to jointly develop Hengqin with Guangdong province, given the latest visit to the special development zone by Beijing’s top official in charge of the affairs of the gaming hub and Hong Kong, according to analysts.
One expert also said the visit by Xia Baolong to Hengqin last week showed Beijing’s determination to push national development strategies forward and could serve as a warning to Hong Kong against straying off the national strategy blueprint.
Xia, the director of both the Communist Party’s Hong Kong and Macau Work Office and the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, joined Chinese President Xi Jinping on his visit to the gaming hub last December to mark the 25th anniversary of the city’s transfer of administration.
At the time, Xi said the central government decided to develop Hengqin to promote the diversified development of Macau’s economy but he warned against projects that were inconsistent with this strategy.
Lau Siu-kai, a consultant at the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies semi-official think tank, said on Sunday that Beijing had high expectations for Hengqin, which Xi saw as critical to the gaming hub’s economic development and industrial diversification.
“Xia’s visit was to make sure that his directives were executed and to nudge Macau to accelerate the development of Hengqin by Macau and Guangdong,” he said.
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By Ng Kang-chung
Macau has come under closer scrutiny by the central government over the progress of its assigned task to jointly develop Hengqin with Guangdong province, given the latest visit to the special development zone by Beijing’s top official in charge of the affairs of the gaming hub and Hong Kong, according to analysts.
One expert also said the visit by Xia Baolong to Hengqin last week showed Beijing’s determination to push national development strategies forward and could serve as a warning to Hong Kong against straying off the national strategy blueprint.
Xia, the director of both the Communist Party’s Hong Kong and Macau Work Office and the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, joined Chinese President Xi Jinping on his visit to the gaming hub last December to mark the 25th anniversary of the city’s transfer of administration.
At the time, Xi said the central government decided to develop Hengqin to promote the diversified development of Macau’s economy but he warned against projects that were inconsistent with this strategy.
Lau Siu-kai, a consultant at the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies semi-official think tank, said on Sunday that Beijing had high expectations for Hengqin, which Xi saw as critical to the gaming hub’s economic development and industrial diversification.
“Xia’s visit was to make sure that his directives were executed and to nudge Macau to accelerate the development of Hengqin by Macau and Guangdong,” he said.
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Are China’s rural poor losing faith in education’s power to transform lives?
By Yuanyue Dang
A sociologist has suggested that people in China’s rural areas are losing faith in higher education to improve their lives, prompting widespread discussion among academics and the media over the Lunar New Year holiday.
“A new ‘education is useless’ sentiment has emerged in rural areas,” Huang Lifen, a lecturer at Shaanxi Normal University in the western city of Xian, wrote in the article that appeared on Chinese news website Guancha.cn late last month.
Based on observations of her hometown, a county in the central province of Hubei with a population of 1.1 million, Huang said some farmers were choosing not to send their children on to higher education.
According to Huang, this was not because the farmers thought knowledge was useless, but because they felt that the “form, content and cost” of Chinese schooling did not suit their needs.
There are nine years of compulsory education in China – six at primary level and three years of junior high school – followed by fierce competition for places in high school and higher education institutes, as well as vocational training opportunities.
For decades, especially since late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping initiated the process of reform and opening up, Chinese society has encouraged individual effort, with many people believing that hard work and study can lead to social mobility.
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By Yuanyue Dang
A sociologist has suggested that people in China’s rural areas are losing faith in higher education to improve their lives, prompting widespread discussion among academics and the media over the Lunar New Year holiday.
“A new ‘education is useless’ sentiment has emerged in rural areas,” Huang Lifen, a lecturer at Shaanxi Normal University in the western city of Xian, wrote in the article that appeared on Chinese news website Guancha.cn late last month.
Based on observations of her hometown, a county in the central province of Hubei with a population of 1.1 million, Huang said some farmers were choosing not to send their children on to higher education.
According to Huang, this was not because the farmers thought knowledge was useless, but because they felt that the “form, content and cost” of Chinese schooling did not suit their needs.
There are nine years of compulsory education in China – six at primary level and three years of junior high school – followed by fierce competition for places in high school and higher education institutes, as well as vocational training opportunities.
For decades, especially since late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping initiated the process of reform and opening up, Chinese society has encouraged individual effort, with many people believing that hard work and study can lead to social mobility.
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CUHK suspends student in Hong Kong over forged sick note, death certificate
By Emily Hung
An undergraduate student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong has been suspended for allegedly forging a sick note to miss an exam and a death certificate to secure an exemption from scholarship renewal requirements.
The university on Sunday cited privacy concerns in declining to provide further details on the case, which came to light on social media recently in posts showing a notice issued in September last year by the institution’s student discipline committee.
Without naming the offender, the committee said the student had received five demerit points altogether, with a detailed examination by a panel of judges finding the behaviour constituted “very serious misconduct”.
The body decided to temporarily suspend the undergraduate student for the first and second semesters of the 2024-25 academic year.
The offender is also required to submit a letter of reflection over the use of the forgeries in applications to be absent from an exam and to be exempt from scholarship renewal conditions.
In handing down its punishment, the committee said graduation assessment would not be carried out until the second semester of the academic year if the student had already met all graduation requirements.
Students are often required to achieve satisfactory academic performance by meeting a minimum grade point average level to renew a scholarship.
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By Emily Hung
An undergraduate student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong has been suspended for allegedly forging a sick note to miss an exam and a death certificate to secure an exemption from scholarship renewal requirements.
The university on Sunday cited privacy concerns in declining to provide further details on the case, which came to light on social media recently in posts showing a notice issued in September last year by the institution’s student discipline committee.
Without naming the offender, the committee said the student had received five demerit points altogether, with a detailed examination by a panel of judges finding the behaviour constituted “very serious misconduct”.
The body decided to temporarily suspend the undergraduate student for the first and second semesters of the 2024-25 academic year.
The offender is also required to submit a letter of reflection over the use of the forgeries in applications to be absent from an exam and to be exempt from scholarship renewal conditions.
In handing down its punishment, the committee said graduation assessment would not be carried out until the second semester of the academic year if the student had already met all graduation requirements.
Students are often required to achieve satisfactory academic performance by meeting a minimum grade point average level to renew a scholarship.
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31 Maoists, 2 Indian soldiers killed in gunfight in central India
By Agence France-Presse
At least 31 Maoist rebels and two Indian commandos were killed in a gunfight in the dense jungles of central India on Sunday, as security forces ramp up efforts to crush the long-running insurgency.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in the decades-long insurgency waged by the rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of marginalised Indigenous people.
“31 rebels and two security personnel are dead and two other security personnel are injured,” senior police officer Sundarraj P. said.
The official said the toll could be even higher as the police continue to carry out search operations in the area.
“Additional forces have been rushed to the encounter site,” he said.
Police have recovered automatic weapons and grenade launchers from the scene, a police statement said.
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By Agence France-Presse
At least 31 Maoist rebels and two Indian commandos were killed in a gunfight in the dense jungles of central India on Sunday, as security forces ramp up efforts to crush the long-running insurgency.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in the decades-long insurgency waged by the rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of marginalised Indigenous people.
“31 rebels and two security personnel are dead and two other security personnel are injured,” senior police officer Sundarraj P. said.
The official said the toll could be even higher as the police continue to carry out search operations in the area.
“Additional forces have been rushed to the encounter site,” he said.
Police have recovered automatic weapons and grenade launchers from the scene, a police statement said.
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By Victoria Bela
Emergency workers resumed their search on Sunday for more than two dozen villagers missing following a landslide in southwestern China.
The landslide occurred in the village of Jinping in Sichuan province at around 11.50am on Saturday, burying 10 houses and killing at least one person, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Two people were pulled from the debris alive and sent to hospital on Saturday, and 28 remained missing on Sunday.
Hundreds of emergency personnel along with search-and-rescue dogs, vehicles, and drones were sent to scour the site.
As they resumed their search on Sunday morning in fog and drizzle, rocks continued to roll down the mountainside and the ground continued to shift, officials said.
Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong visited the injured at a Junlian county hospital on Sunday morning.The landslide occurred just before noon on Saturday. Photo: CCTV
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China hero on white horse dubbed ‘Prince Charming’ after rescuing man from river
By Zoey Zhang
A man in China who rescued a drowning man while riding a white horse, has earned praise online and been given the nickname Prince Charming.
On February 4, the man fell into the river from a bridge in Xiantao, a city in central China’s Hubei province.
His daughter anxiously stood on the riverbank, calling for help and tried to rescue him.
A video circulating online shows a man, identified as Yilibai, riding a white horse into the river to rescue the drowning man.
The horse swam more than 40 metres, while Yilibai held the reins in one hand and pulled the man with the other.
Another rescuer, Liu Hangzhou, carrying swimming safety equipment, helps bring the man ashore.
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By Zoey Zhang
A man in China who rescued a drowning man while riding a white horse, has earned praise online and been given the nickname Prince Charming.
On February 4, the man fell into the river from a bridge in Xiantao, a city in central China’s Hubei province.
His daughter anxiously stood on the riverbank, calling for help and tried to rescue him.
A video circulating online shows a man, identified as Yilibai, riding a white horse into the river to rescue the drowning man.
The horse swam more than 40 metres, while Yilibai held the reins in one hand and pulled the man with the other.
Another rescuer, Liu Hangzhou, carrying swimming safety equipment, helps bring the man ashore.
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Hong Kong Court of Appeal to hear arguments from 14 of 45 opposition figures
By Edith Lin
A Hong Kong court has scheduled a hearing in mid-July for 14 jailed opposition activists who have lodged appeals against their convictions and sentences in a landmark national security case over an unofficial legislative “primary” election.
The judiciary’s website on Sunday said the Court of Appeal’s hearing would start on July 14 and last for 10 days as 14 out of the 45 opposition figures sentenced to conspiring to subvert state power applied to appeal against their sentence, which ranged from six years and six months to seven years and nine months.
The court would also deal with the Department of Justice’s appeal against barrister Lawrence Lau Wai-chung, one of the two acquitted defendants.
Among the 14 opposition figures, 12 filed an appeal against both their convictions and sentences, including four former lawmakers: Lam Cheuk-ting and Helena Wong Pik-wan from the Democratic Party, Raymond Chan Chi-chuen and “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung.
The list also covers ex-district councillors Tat Cheng Tat-hung, Clarisse Yeung Suet-ying, Kalvin Ho Kai-ming and Michael Pang Cheuk-kei, as well as activists Owen Chow Ka-shing, Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam, Winnie Yu Wai-ming and Gordon Ng Ching-hang.
The remaining two, Tam Tak-chi and Wong Ji-yuet, only applied for leave to appeal their sentences.
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By Edith Lin
A Hong Kong court has scheduled a hearing in mid-July for 14 jailed opposition activists who have lodged appeals against their convictions and sentences in a landmark national security case over an unofficial legislative “primary” election.
The judiciary’s website on Sunday said the Court of Appeal’s hearing would start on July 14 and last for 10 days as 14 out of the 45 opposition figures sentenced to conspiring to subvert state power applied to appeal against their sentence, which ranged from six years and six months to seven years and nine months.
The court would also deal with the Department of Justice’s appeal against barrister Lawrence Lau Wai-chung, one of the two acquitted defendants.
Among the 14 opposition figures, 12 filed an appeal against both their convictions and sentences, including four former lawmakers: Lam Cheuk-ting and Helena Wong Pik-wan from the Democratic Party, Raymond Chan Chi-chuen and “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung.
The list also covers ex-district councillors Tat Cheng Tat-hung, Clarisse Yeung Suet-ying, Kalvin Ho Kai-ming and Michael Pang Cheuk-kei, as well as activists Owen Chow Ka-shing, Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam, Winnie Yu Wai-ming and Gordon Ng Ching-hang.
The remaining two, Tam Tak-chi and Wong Ji-yuet, only applied for leave to appeal their sentences.
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Israeli withdrawal from key Gaza corridor begins: Israeli official
By Associated Press
An Israeli official said on Sunday that Israeli forces have begun withdrawing from a key Gaza corridor, part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas that is moving ahead.
Israel agreed as part of the truce to remove its forces from the Netzarim corridor, a strip of land that bisects northern Gaza from the south. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to discuss troop movement with the media.
At the start of the ceasefire, Israel began allowing Palestinians to cross Netzarim to head to their homes in the war-battered north and the withdrawal of forces from the area will fulfil another commitment to the deal.
It was not clear how many troops Israel had withdrawn on Sunday.
The 42-day ceasefire is just past its halfway point and the sides are supposed to negotiate an extension that would lead to more Israeli hostages being freed from Hamas captivity. But the agreement is fragile and the extension isn’t guaranteed.
The sides are meant to begin talks on the truce’s second stage but there appears to have been little progress.
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By Associated Press
An Israeli official said on Sunday that Israeli forces have begun withdrawing from a key Gaza corridor, part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas that is moving ahead.
Israel agreed as part of the truce to remove its forces from the Netzarim corridor, a strip of land that bisects northern Gaza from the south. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to discuss troop movement with the media.
At the start of the ceasefire, Israel began allowing Palestinians to cross Netzarim to head to their homes in the war-battered north and the withdrawal of forces from the area will fulfil another commitment to the deal.
It was not clear how many troops Israel had withdrawn on Sunday.
The 42-day ceasefire is just past its halfway point and the sides are supposed to negotiate an extension that would lead to more Israeli hostages being freed from Hamas captivity. But the agreement is fragile and the extension isn’t guaranteed.
The sides are meant to begin talks on the truce’s second stage but there appears to have been little progress.
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Hong Kong ban on e-cigarette cartridges expected to start in mid-2026
By Edith Lin
The possession and use of e-cigarette cartridges in public places are expected to be banned starting from mid-2026, Hong Kong’s health minister has said, with the government aiming to submit the relevant bill to the legislature in two months.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said on Sunday that the bill would cover a sales ban on flavoured tobacco. However, authorities had preliminarily suggested allowing arrivals, including residents, to bring up to 20 packs of duty-paid flavoured tobacco cigarettes for individual use.
Health authorities aim to outlaw the personal possession of alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, in addition to the ban on the import, promotion, manufacturing, sale or possession for commercial purposes imposed in 2022.
Lo said the government planned to first prohibit possessing and using e-cigarette cartridges in public places in mid-2026 before the second stage of a citywide ban.
The staged implementation was to “deal with the difficulties of enforcement. We will start with public places as they are relatively easier to define”, he said on a television programme.
“There are a lot of enforcement issues when it comes to indoor areas.”
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By Edith Lin
The possession and use of e-cigarette cartridges in public places are expected to be banned starting from mid-2026, Hong Kong’s health minister has said, with the government aiming to submit the relevant bill to the legislature in two months.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said on Sunday that the bill would cover a sales ban on flavoured tobacco. However, authorities had preliminarily suggested allowing arrivals, including residents, to bring up to 20 packs of duty-paid flavoured tobacco cigarettes for individual use.
Health authorities aim to outlaw the personal possession of alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, in addition to the ban on the import, promotion, manufacturing, sale or possession for commercial purposes imposed in 2022.
Lo said the government planned to first prohibit possessing and using e-cigarette cartridges in public places in mid-2026 before the second stage of a citywide ban.
The staged implementation was to “deal with the difficulties of enforcement. We will start with public places as they are relatively easier to define”, he said on a television programme.
“There are a lot of enforcement issues when it comes to indoor areas.”
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China’s food security is a ‘political responsibility’ for agricultural areas: Xi Jinping
By Zhao Ziwen
Chinese President Xi Jinping has highlighted the importance of food security, saying it was a “political responsibility” for major agricultural areas.
During a tour of northeastern China, Xi also said that “further reform and opening up” was crucial to revitalising the region’s economy, and urged the area to create a better “market-oriented, rule- and law-based, and international” business environment.
“Guaranteeing national food security is the political responsibility of large agricultural and food provinces,” Xi told local officials in Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, on Saturday, according to state news agency Xinhua.
“Jilin should develop modern agriculture … promote scientific and technological, green, and high-quality agriculture, and establish more agricultural brands,” Xi said, while also calling for it to promote “a diversified food supply system”.
China’s three northeastern provinces – Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning – are one of the country’s most important grain-producing areas but the former industrial heartland is struggling economically.
Together with Inner Mongolia, the three provinces produce a quarter of the country’s total grain supplies, according to Xinhua.
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By Zhao Ziwen
Chinese President Xi Jinping has highlighted the importance of food security, saying it was a “political responsibility” for major agricultural areas.
During a tour of northeastern China, Xi also said that “further reform and opening up” was crucial to revitalising the region’s economy, and urged the area to create a better “market-oriented, rule- and law-based, and international” business environment.
“Guaranteeing national food security is the political responsibility of large agricultural and food provinces,” Xi told local officials in Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, on Saturday, according to state news agency Xinhua.
“Jilin should develop modern agriculture … promote scientific and technological, green, and high-quality agriculture, and establish more agricultural brands,” Xi said, while also calling for it to promote “a diversified food supply system”.
China’s three northeastern provinces – Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning – are one of the country’s most important grain-producing areas but the former industrial heartland is struggling economically.
Together with Inner Mongolia, the three provinces produce a quarter of the country’s total grain supplies, according to Xinhua.
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Key Hong Kong delegate to suggest expanding visa scheme during ‘two sessions’
By Vivian Au
Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the nation’s top legislative body has revealed a plan to propose extending the multiple-entry visa scheme recently resumed for Shenzhen residents to other nearby mainland Chinese cities during the “two sessions” in Beijing next month.
Starry Lee Wai-king, who sits on the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said on Sunday that she would suggest expanding the scheme in stages to other cities in the Greater Bay Area during the annual legislative session in Beijing.
“I suggest considering Guangzhou as a prioritised starting point, as it has a very close relationship with Hong Kong,” she said.
The bay area refers to Beijing’s plan to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine southern mainland cities into an economic powerhouse.
The NPC and the nation’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, are expected to hold their annual meetings or lianghui in the capital next month.
Lee, who is also a Hong Kong lawmaker, added there was capacity for the city to receive more tourists, according to her observations during the Christmas and Lunar New Year holidays.
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By Vivian Au
Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the nation’s top legislative body has revealed a plan to propose extending the multiple-entry visa scheme recently resumed for Shenzhen residents to other nearby mainland Chinese cities during the “two sessions” in Beijing next month.
Starry Lee Wai-king, who sits on the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said on Sunday that she would suggest expanding the scheme in stages to other cities in the Greater Bay Area during the annual legislative session in Beijing.
“I suggest considering Guangzhou as a prioritised starting point, as it has a very close relationship with Hong Kong,” she said.
The bay area refers to Beijing’s plan to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine southern mainland cities into an economic powerhouse.
The NPC and the nation’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, are expected to hold their annual meetings or lianghui in the capital next month.
Lee, who is also a Hong Kong lawmaker, added there was capacity for the city to receive more tourists, according to her observations during the Christmas and Lunar New Year holidays.
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Libya finds 2 mass graves with nearly 50 bodies in southeast
By Associated Press
Libyan authorities uncovered nearly 50 bodies this week from two mass graves in the country’s southeastern desert, officials said on Sunday, in the latest tragedy involving people seeking to reach Europe through the chaos-stricken North African country.
The first mass grave with 19 bodies was found on Friday in a farm in the southeastern city of Kufra, the security directorate said in a statement, adding that authorities took them for autopsy.
Authorities posted images on its Facebook page showing police officers and doctors digging in the sand and recovering dead bodies that were wrapped in blankets.
The al-Abreen charity, which helps migrants in eastern and southern Libya, said that some were apparently shot and killed before being buried in the mass grave.
A separate mass grave with at least 30 bodies was also found in Kufra after raiding a human trafficking centre, according to Mohamed al-Fadeil, head of the security chamber in Kufra. Survivors said nearly 70 people were buried in the grave, he added. Authorities were still searching the area.
Migrants’ mass graves are not uncommon in Libya. Last year, authorities unearthed the bodies of at least 65 migrants in the Shuayrif region, 350km (220 miles) south of the capital, Tripoli.
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By Associated Press
Libyan authorities uncovered nearly 50 bodies this week from two mass graves in the country’s southeastern desert, officials said on Sunday, in the latest tragedy involving people seeking to reach Europe through the chaos-stricken North African country.
The first mass grave with 19 bodies was found on Friday in a farm in the southeastern city of Kufra, the security directorate said in a statement, adding that authorities took them for autopsy.
Authorities posted images on its Facebook page showing police officers and doctors digging in the sand and recovering dead bodies that were wrapped in blankets.
The al-Abreen charity, which helps migrants in eastern and southern Libya, said that some were apparently shot and killed before being buried in the mass grave.
A separate mass grave with at least 30 bodies was also found in Kufra after raiding a human trafficking centre, according to Mohamed al-Fadeil, head of the security chamber in Kufra. Survivors said nearly 70 people were buried in the grave, he added. Authorities were still searching the area.
Migrants’ mass graves are not uncommon in Libya. Last year, authorities unearthed the bodies of at least 65 migrants in the Shuayrif region, 350km (220 miles) south of the capital, Tripoli.
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Time to ask if non-residents should have Hong Kong healthcare access
By Mike Rowse
Like millions of other people around the world, we celebrated Lunar New Year with a family gathering. Three generations were present, all the main strands of the family sat around the dinner table and lucky money packets were exchanged.
There were some distinctive Hong Kong-type aspects. Most of those attending the celebration now live overseas, and the dinner itself was at an excellent Chinese restaurant in Vancouver, British Columbia. For language you had a choice of Cantonese, Mandarin or English.
The choice of location was not an accident: the largest single block of attendees was a family of four who live there. Other places were also represented, with three from Europe and one each from eastern Canada and the United States, while six of the 15 came from Hong Kong. I doubt this is an unusual situation: it probably applies to many other local families too.
It was against this backdrop that I began to consider whether emigrants from Hong Kong should lose their access to subsidised health and other services here in the city at some point. The subject came up at a Legislative Council meeting last month when some members proposed restricting access to current residents, but Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau ruled this out on the grounds that vetting arrangements to determine eligibility would be administratively burdensome.
Clearly there would be difficulties for some services, especially in an emergency, but I don’t think we can leave the argument there. If people have chosen to make their lives somewhere else, then they are contributing to that community, not this one. Sometimes the contribution will be direct in the form of paying taxes, but it can also be indirect in terms of purchasing goods and services in that economy, thus boosting demand.
Such skills and experience as they possess will also be available to their new country and employers there can take advantage of them. Their children will grow up there and be the athletes, musicians and entertainers of the future. It seems only right that, at some point, public services provided free or at a heavily subsidised price in this city should cease to be available to them.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Mike Rowse
Like millions of other people around the world, we celebrated Lunar New Year with a family gathering. Three generations were present, all the main strands of the family sat around the dinner table and lucky money packets were exchanged.
There were some distinctive Hong Kong-type aspects. Most of those attending the celebration now live overseas, and the dinner itself was at an excellent Chinese restaurant in Vancouver, British Columbia. For language you had a choice of Cantonese, Mandarin or English.
The choice of location was not an accident: the largest single block of attendees was a family of four who live there. Other places were also represented, with three from Europe and one each from eastern Canada and the United States, while six of the 15 came from Hong Kong. I doubt this is an unusual situation: it probably applies to many other local families too.
It was against this backdrop that I began to consider whether emigrants from Hong Kong should lose their access to subsidised health and other services here in the city at some point. The subject came up at a Legislative Council meeting last month when some members proposed restricting access to current residents, but Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau ruled this out on the grounds that vetting arrangements to determine eligibility would be administratively burdensome.
Clearly there would be difficulties for some services, especially in an emergency, but I don’t think we can leave the argument there. If people have chosen to make their lives somewhere else, then they are contributing to that community, not this one. Sometimes the contribution will be direct in the form of paying taxes, but it can also be indirect in terms of purchasing goods and services in that economy, thus boosting demand.
Such skills and experience as they possess will also be available to their new country and employers there can take advantage of them. Their children will grow up there and be the athletes, musicians and entertainers of the future. It seems only right that, at some point, public services provided free or at a heavily subsidised price in this city should cease to be available to them.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Unusual circumstances: the top Chinese scientific minds who died suddenly
By Zhang Tong
China has lost some of its most prominent scientists and engineers over the past few years in what have officially been deemed deaths due to accidental circumstances or natural causes.
But the sudden departures of the key figures – many of whom worked in fields tied to national security and technological advancement – have also raised questions about the safety and security of the China’s most valuable intellectual assets.
Despite lingering public concerns, no evidence has emerged that suggests any of these cases were related to national security investigations.
Last October, the Ministry of State Security launched a TV drama series called The Dark Tide is Raging focusing on national security themes, which included the potential risks faced by scientific professionals in the context of a complex international environment.
The Post has compiled a list of the scientists who have died under unusual circumstances in recent years, triggering extensive public discussions.
2025 – UAV expert
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Zhang Tong
China has lost some of its most prominent scientists and engineers over the past few years in what have officially been deemed deaths due to accidental circumstances or natural causes.
But the sudden departures of the key figures – many of whom worked in fields tied to national security and technological advancement – have also raised questions about the safety and security of the China’s most valuable intellectual assets.
Despite lingering public concerns, no evidence has emerged that suggests any of these cases were related to national security investigations.
Last October, the Ministry of State Security launched a TV drama series called The Dark Tide is Raging focusing on national security themes, which included the potential risks faced by scientific professionals in the context of a complex international environment.
The Post has compiled a list of the scientists who have died under unusual circumstances in recent years, triggering extensive public discussions.
2025 – UAV expert
via SCMP Full Text Feed
