Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (Haeco) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the country’s largest independent aircraft lessor to set up a maintenance centre in the city, forging what authorities described as a “powerful alliance” between industry giants. The Transport and Logistics Bureau on Thursday revealed that Haeco, a sister company of flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways, had signed the agreement with China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited (CALC) earlier in the...

The “glory days” of the world’s longest-serving aircraft carrier are over, reflecting fatigue in the broader US fleet amid a decline in the country’s shipbuilding capacity, according to official Chinese military analysts. In a report on Wednesday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the US Navy’s reliance on extended carrier deployments was a cause for concern, particularly in the case of the USS Nimitz. The Nimitz was commissioned in 1975, making it the world’s longest-serving aircraft carrier...

Chinese parents are sending their children to “hardship summer camps” to engage in farm work, often to the point of tears, in an effort to teach them the realities of life and foster appreciation for their families. This summer, a programme known as “hardship camp” is gaining popularity across China. Many parents are investing thousands of yuan (hundreds of US dollars) to send their children to the countryside to experience rural life first-hand. These programmes are primarily located in the...

North Korea has fired several short-range ballistic missiles, Seoul’s military said on Thursday, hours after US President Donald Trump said he would meet Pyongyang’s Kim Jong-un this year. The latest launches from the nuclear-armed North come as South Korea and the United States hold a shorter edition of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises, following an order from Trump to scale them back. Pyongyang has long condemned US-South Korea joint exercises as rehearsals for invasion,...

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung told visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday he would use the coming Apec leaders’ meeting in southern China to elevate bilateral ties, as Seoul and Beijing step up diplomatic rapprochement. “I look forward to travelling to Shenzhen in November to attend the Apec summit, using it as a major opportunity to work with China to elevate the South Korea-China strategic cooperative partnership to a higher level,” Lee was quoted as saying by Chinese...

At least one top executive of the Hong Kong operator of UK-based beauty chain Opatra London has resigned, it emerged on Thursday, after customs officers arrested two of the company’s managers over alleged coercive and misleading sales practices. Meanwhile, the Lux Boutique outlet at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui, which is operated by the same company, was boarded up and locked on Thursday. A check by the South China Morning Post found that Sayles Retail filed a “Notice of Resignation of Company...

Hong Kong’s jobless rate has remained unchanged since the start of the year, new figures show, although the labour chief has warned of rising pressure on unemployment as fresh graduates enter the workforce. The Census and Statistics Department said on Thursday that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 3.7 per cent for the May-to-July period, remaining at that level on a rolling three-month basis since the start of 2026. Authorities said the expanding economy offered strong support...